M A I N   N E W S

Restore Pak cricket tour, MPs urge PM
Tribune News Service

NEW DELHI, Nov 26 — Cutting across party lines, six Members of Parliament have urged Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee to restore the visit of the Indian cricket team to Pakistan.

In a letter dated November 25 to Mr Vajpayee, the MPs have expressed their dismay at the Centre’s decision to cancel the Pakistan tour of the Indian cricket team.

A former Minister of State for External Affairs and now a Rajya Sabha MP, Mr Eduardo Faleiro, Mr Mirza Abdul Rashid (National Conference), Mr S. Ramachandran Pillai (CPM), Mr R.S. Gavai (RPI), Mr V. Dhammaviriyo (RJD) and Mr Abani Roy (RSP) have singed the letter.

“Our team was expected to play three test matches and five one-day internationals” in Pakistan from the end of December to February next year, the letter said, adding that the decision to cancel it would further damage the game which was already beset with match-fixing allegations.

Asking the Prime Minister to stand up to forces of extremism and fundamentalism in both countries, the MPs said that “these elements lack any constructive programme or purpose and for their own selfish and evil designs create tensions and hatred between the two countries”.

Requesting Mr Vajpayee to reverse the Government’s decision for allowing the scheduled tour to Pakistan to take place, the MPs stressed that politics often divided people while sports united.

Stating that normalisation of relations with Pakistan was in the interest of both the countries, the MPs expressed surprise at the cancellation of the visit as diplomatic and commercial ties were continuing as usual.

BJP leads in UP urban bodies poll

LUCKNOW, Nov 26 (PTI) — The ruling BJP marched ahead of its main rival Samajwadi Party while the Congress and the Bahujan Samaj Party put up an impressive show as results of local bodies poll in Uttar Pradesh poured in tonight.

The BJP had bagged four mayoral seats and established an unassailable lead in two while the Samajwadi Party could win only one seat, according to latest results.

Congress nominee was ahead in Kanpur as the BSP was poised to capture the Meerut mayoral seat. A eunuch is among the two Independents who had won mayoral seats of Gorakhpur and Bareilly.

Of the 351 results of corporators declared so far, the BJP had won 124 seats followed by the Samajwadi Party with 99, the BSP and the Congress fared well bagging 47 and 33 seats, respectively.

The BJP was also maintaining number one position in nagar palika and nagar panchayats with the SP closely behind and the Congress making its presence felt at a number of places.

Of the 186 nagar palika chairmen results available, the BJP pocketed 40 seats, the SP 35, the BSP 23 and the Congress 18.

Paswan splits JD (U)

NEW DELHI, Nov 26 (PTI) — Dashing last-ditch patch-up attempts, the Janata Dal (U) tonight split when senior party leader and Union Minister Ram Vilas Paswan and three other party MPs loyal to him sought recognition as a separate entity in Parliament under the banner of a new outfit “Jana Shakti.”

Mr Paswan said he, along with his brother Ramchandra, Mr Jai Narain Nishad and Mr Ramesh Jigjiny met the Speaker, Mr g.m.c. balayogi, and told him of the split, and wanted separate sitting arrangements for them in the House. JD (U) has 10 members in the Lok Sabha. Mr Paswan told pti that a formal announcement of his new party would be made at the rally organised by him here on November 28.

The split rounded off day-long speculations set off by boycott by Mr Paswan and the three other MP’s of a meeting of JD (U) national executive, chaired by party chief Sharad Yadav, earlier in the day.