M A I N   N E W S

Maharashtra’s yes to ‘Water’

MUMBAI, Feb 11 (PTI) — The VHP, the Shiv Sena and the BJP today warned film-maker Deepa Mehta against going ahead with the shooting of her controversial venture “Water” in Madhya Pradesh even as Maharashtra Government offered all assistance to the film crew if the movie was shot in the state.

Senior VHP leader Acharya Dharmendra Maharaj, at a press conference in Ahmedabad, categorically said the film would not be allowed to be shot in Madhya Pradesh.

On the other hand, Maharashtra Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh said his government was prepared to allow Mehta to shoot the movie in the state.

“I believe that art and culture should be kept above any controversy,” he told reporters here.

Meanwhile, Bajrang Dal national convenor Surendra Jain said today that his organisation would not let Deepa Mehta shoot her film “Water” at the holy site of Maheswar in Madhya Pradesh.

NEW DELHI (TNS): Filmmaker Deepa Mehta’s mother, Vimla Mehta will be present at a demonstration being held by women organisations in the Capital on Monday. Mrs Vimla Mehta confirmed her participation in the demonstration in a telephonic interview to The Tribune here on Friday.

The demonstration is being organised by Jagori, a South Delhi voluntary organisation.

Shiv Sena activists today threatened to commit self-immolation in front of the Prime Minister’s residence if Deepa Mehta was given permission to shoot her controversial film ‘Water’ anywhere in the country.

A six-member delegation of the Delhi unit of the Youth Shiv Sena, led by its vice president, met the Prime Minister and presented to him a memorandum demanding an immediate ban on the shooting of the film.

N. Ireland Govt suspended

BELFAST, Feb 11 (Reuters) — Britain today announced the suspension of Northern Ireland’s 72-day-old coalition government.

“I have decided to suspend the executive and institutions,” Northern Ireland Secretary Peter Mandelson told journalists after a day of tension about the fate of the home-rule because of a row over refusal of IRA guerrillas to disarm.

Mr Mandelson made it clear that there was still deadlock on the vexed issue of IRA disarmament.

Earlier in the day, Mr Mandelson had said he could not confirm reports of an 11th-hour plan to rescue the peace process involving a scaling down of the British military presence.

Irish state broadcaster RTE, quoting unidentified sources, said the plan also envisaged Irish Republican Army guerrillas making a gesture before May to disarm.

In an interview to Sky Television, he had said: “what we need is to know very simply whether the IRA are going to decommission at all and if so when.’’

The reports came just hours before a British deadline later today for the IRA to make a commitment to disarm. Britain is under pressure from Northern Ireland’s Protestant majority to enforce the deadline.

Yesterday, Britain passed legislation to take back direct rule of Northern Ireland if the IRA commitment failed to materialise.