M A I N   N E W S

Laxman pulls up rebels
Prashant Sood
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, March 2
The BJP central leadership today admonished the dissident leaders from Himachal Pradesh and told them to withdraw their statement against Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal before any further discussion on the issue with the party leadership.

Party president Bangaru Laxman told them that indiscipline would not be brooked and the legislators had to withdraw their public statements against the Chief Minister.

Disapproving of their act of going public with their grievances against Mr Dhumal and party general secretary Narendra Modi, Mr Laxman told them they should not be washing dirty linen in public. He told them that such public airing of views against the Chief Minister was not expected from persons holding responsible positions in the government. The dissidents were even warned of disciplinary action in case they continued to air their views publicly.

The seven dissidents, including four former ministers and three MLAs, met party president Bangaru Laxman at his residence in the evening after they were refused a meeting in the morning as they did not have a prior appointment.

Party sources said the dissident leaders had promised to get back to the party high command on the issue of withdrawal of their statement. Without confirming if the dissidents had agreed to withdraw the statement, a party leader said the dissidents had left in a “cordial atmosphere”.

Union Minister Shanta Kumar, who returned to Delhi after failing to resolve the stand-off between the dissidents and Mr Dhumal, met Mr Laxman separately today and submitted his report. 

Massive fire at Tata plant

Rajkot, March 2
At least 15 persons were injured, some of them seriously, when a major fire broke out on the Tata Chemicals Limited (TCL) premises at Meethapur, 180 km from here, this morning, causing an initially estimated loss of Rs 100 crore.

Seven fire fighting engines, drawn from the Jamnagar Municipal Corporation (JMC), Reliance Petrochemicals Ltd (RPL) and TCL, were pressed into service. The blaze was put out at 2 p.m.

The injured had been admitted to Tata Hospital, Meethapur.

A major portion of the Rs 200 crore-plant had been reduced to ashes, according to a report from Jamnagar. The TCL, set up in 1939 is the largest producer of soda ash in the country.