People’s Front pins hope on UP elections
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, May 29
The newly formed People’s Front is pinning its hopes on the forthcoming Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh for the ouster of the ‘communal forces’ from power at the Centre.

This was evident from the statement of the convenor of the People’s Front and Samajwadi Party chief, Mr Mulayam Singh Yadav, who pointed out that the results of the recent Assembly elections had clearly indicated that the communal forces would be wiped out.

“The result of the Shahjahanpur Lok Sabha bye-election (which was won by the Samajwadi Party candidate with the BJP finishing fourth) has clearly shown which way the wind is blowing the country. Communal forces will be wiped out all the way from Lucknow to Delhi,” Mr Yadav said.

He was briefing reporters after a three-hour meeting of the Front which was presided over by the veteran CPM leader and former Chief Minister of West Bengal, Mr Jyoti Basu. The meeting was attended among others by former Prime Minister V.P. Singh. CPM General Secretary Harkishan Singh Surjeet, CPI leaders A.B. Bardhan and D. Raja, Mr Abani Roy (RSP) and Mr Debabrata Bhattacharya (Forward Bloc) were also present at the meeting.

Former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda was also to attend the meeting but could not do so as he was undergoing treatment at a hospital in Bangalore.

Mr Yadav said the leaders had unanimously adopted the Front’s programme which would include nationwide agitations, demonstrations and public meetings against the Vajpayee government, its economic and foreign policies. A formal programme would however be released on Saturday.

Mr Surjeet said there was “complete unanimity” on the programme to be adopted by the front.

Describing the Uttar Pradesh political situation as “most important”, the CPM leader said “UP is politically the half of India”. State politics always had a major bearing on national politics” and all front leaders would campaign in Uttar Pradesh during the elections, he said.

Asked whether there was any move to include the RJD and the AIADMK in the front. Mr Surjeet said while the RJD was already "committed” to it, discussions on expanding the Front further were already on.

“Whoever agrees to our programme will be able to join the Front,” he said, adding that this alliance was “not a post-poll one as was forged earlier. This will be based on a common understanding”.

To a question whether the front would align with the Congress in Uttar Pradesh or the Centre, Mr Surjeet said there was “no chance” as that party had sought the BJP’s help in Kerala and joined hands with the Trinamool Congress in West Bengal.

About the RJD’s alliance with the Congress, he said RJD leader Laloo Prasad Yadav had campaigned for the Left Front in the recent assembly elections in West Bengal.

Meanwhile, the People’s Front leaders today welcomed the Government’s initiative in inviting Pakistan’s military ruler Pervez Musharraf for talks, but indicated that they were not much hopeful of the outcome of this exercise.

“It is very good. Let them talk because instead of fighting, it is good to talk. But I don’t see what the solution will be,” veteran Marxist leader Jyoti Basu said after a two-hour long meeting of the front leaders here.

In the same vein, his colleague Harkishan Singh Surjeet said “what do you expect? General Musharraf has been saying from the beginning that he wanted to hold talks with India. Now Mr Vajpayee has invited him. But what will be the issues for discussion?”

TDP firm on support

Visakhapatnam, May 29
The Telugu Desam Party (TDP) today firmly ruled out withdrawing its support to the Vajpayee government, saying regional parties had to play a constructive role in strengthening the Centre at a time when the era of coalition had taken roots in the country.

The three-day party plenum, which concluded here, favoured the TDP continuing to extend issue-based support to the BJP-led NDA government despite the “unjustified demand made by certain vested interests”.

The plenum, however, vowed to renew the party’s fight for more powers to the states and redefining Centre-state relations for adequate sharing of resources.

Reviewing the political situation, Centre-state relations and foreign policy, the meet, expressed the desire that the Centre would not deviate from the national agenda for governance to ensure stability. It also made it clear that there could be no compromise with secular and democratic principles of the party.

Facing a staggering debt burden of over Rs 32,000 crore, the TDP has sought waiver of loans it had borrowed from the Centre. UNI, PTI

Rahul, Priyanka free to join politics: Sonia
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, May 29
Congress President Sonia Gandhi said yesterday that it was for her children Priyanka and Rahul to take their own decision on joining active politics.

“I always say this is not in my hand. They take their own decision as I have taken my own,” Mrs Gandhi told mediapersons after a three-hour long meeting of the CWC. “I shall not encourage them or prevent them,” she said.

Asked to comment on the reports that Mrs Priyanka Gandhi Vadara would campaign for the party in the forthcoming elections in Uttar Pradesh, Mrs Gandhi said, “These are stories circulating for months if not years,” and suggested that children in the Nehru-Gandhi family were encouraged to take their own decisions.

Mrs Gandhi’s remarks not only point to the possibility of Mrs Priyanka Gandhi Vadara entering politics but of Rahul Gandhi as well.

Chautala out to make kisan rally a success
K.G. Dutt

Muzaffarnagar, May 29
The Haryana Chief Minister and Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) chief Mr Om Prakash Chautala, is using all his strength to ensure the success of the kisan rally, which is being organised by the Kisan Sangarsh Samiti here on June 2. This is the third rally in the series which the INLD has organised along with the Kisan Sangarsh Samiti to gain a foothold in western Uttar Pradesh.

A visit to Muzaffarnagar by this correspondent yesterday revealed that the INLD workers along with the workers of the Kisan Sangarsh Samiti have fanned out to the villages of this district to muster crowds for the rally. Besides, Haryana Ministers, including Dr M.L. Ranga, Health Minister, Mr Jaswinder Singh Sandhu, Agriculture Minister, Mr Gopi Chand Gahlot, Deputy Speaker of the Haryana Vidhan Sabha, Mr Suraj Bhan Kajal, Chairman of the Finance Commission, Mr Balwant Maina from Rohtak, Mr K.C. Bangar, chairman of the HPSC, etc., are also touring the villages here.

In Muzaffarnagar city, Mr Sher Singh Barshami, Political Adviser to the Chief Minister, is holding the command to ensure the success of the rally and coordinating the activities along with the samiti members. Although, the Haryana Chief Minister is a novice in Uttar Pradesh politics yet the issues which he has raised for the welfare of the western Uttar Pradesh people and the speedy development of the area have caught the imagination of the people. Mr Chautala’s another advantage is that he has been able to enlist the support of two Uttar Pradesh Ministers, Mr Laxmi Narayan and Mr Sardar Singh. He is also being supported by powerful leaders like Mr Harinder Malik, former MLA, Mr Kiranpal Singh, Mr Kabul Singh and Mr Raghunath Singh (all former Ministers of Uttar Pradesh). Mr Kanak Singh — a former MLA and a popular leader of the area — has also thrown his weight behind Mr Chautala.

The road to success in western Uttar Pradesh for Mr Chautala is full of footholds it will not be easy to defeat Mr Ajit Singh — popularly known as ‘Chhota Chaudhary’ in the area. Besides, Mr Ajit Singh has been “a darling” of the masses of the state for a considerable period of time after the death of Ch. Charan Singh. Mr Chautala can easily drive benefits from the decreasing popularity graph of Mr Ajit Singh here. The popularity of Mr Ajit Singh has waned considerably because of his frequent changing of parties and switching of loyalties. But still he is considered heavyweight in Muzaffarnagar, Meerut and Bijnor districts.

The Haryana Chief Minister can consolidate his support as he has chosen emotive issues. For one, the creation of a separate Kisan Pradesh comprising 22 districts of Western Uttar Pradesh is the main plank of both the INLD and the Kisan Sangarsh Samiti. By raising this issue, Mr Chautala seems to have created a direct rapport with the common people.

The second significant issue, which had been a cause of concern for the farmers of this area is the price of sugarcane. Mr Chautala seems to have touched the right chord by assuring the farmers here that if the INLD got support in the area, he would ensure sugarcane price to the farmers of western Uttar Pradesh as was being given to the farmers in Haryana.

Mr Ajit Singh’s latest political gambit to forge electoral alliance with the BJP for the coming Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh seems to be aimed at getting the concession of forming a new state. If he succeeds in this, Mr Chautala’s efforts to gain strong hold in western Uttar Pradesh politics could be negated.

The Haryana Chief Minister seems to be aware of the fact that his entrance and support in the western Uttar Pradesh politics would provide him a larger spring board to play his role in national politics. He had already created strong pockets of influence in Rajasthan.

Raid on club, MLA booked

Chennai, May 29
The city police today said it had registered a case against TMC Democratic Forum MLA B. Ranganathan and some others for allegedly running unauthorised bar and allowing gambling at a club of which he is the president.

Twelve persons had been arrested after a raid conducted on the premises of the recreation club last night when the police saw gambling and a bar service was taking place, the police said, adding that a cash amount of Rs 25,000 was also recovered from the club.

A case was registered against Ranganathan, being the president of the club, for allegedly allowing gambling and liquor to be served on the premises which did not have the requisite permission for this, the police said. However, Ranganathan was yet to be arrested. Those arrested were remanded to 15-day judicial custody.

Mr Ranganathan, who was with the TMC till March this year, was one of the persons expelled by the party after he cast his lot with former Finance Minister P. Chidambaram when he floated his TMC Democratic Forum in protest against the TMC aligning with AIADMK. Mr Ranganathan was re-elected as an MLA during the May 10 assembly poll. PTI

Ilyasi allowed outside Delhi travel 

New Delhi, May 29
The Delhi High Court today allowed television serial producer Suhaib Ilyasi to travel within the country in connection with his professional work after informing the police on his travel plans.

Mr Justice S.K. Agarwal allowed necessary changes in Ilyasi’s bail conditionalities so that he could move around the country. Till now, Ilyasi’s bail conditionalities required him to remain within the National Capital Region. He had to move the court for permission every time he travelled to Mumbai, Bijnor or Chandigarh.

In his petition, Ilyasi told the court that he had to travel frequently t+ Mumbai in connection with the production of serials for a television channel.

Allowing the petition, the court however directed Ilyasi to inform the DCP of East District about the place, purpose, duration and place of stay two days before his departure. UNI

Jaya assures action if bribery charges proved

Chennai, May 29
The Tamil Nadu Government will take legal steps against Chennai Mayor M.K. Stalin and former Tamil Nadu Minister T. Kritinan if there was any substance in a bribery charge made against them by a contractor, Chief Minister Jayalalitha told the state Assembly today.

“Rule of law will prevail”, she said while replying to a question by All-India Forward Bloc member L. Santhanam.

She said the contractor, Mr Daivasigamani, had stated in his complaint that he had paid a bribe of Rs 6 crore to Mr Stalin and Mr Kritinan to secure a contract for maintenance of roads in the city and its suburbs.

Mr Santhanam, who raised the issue, also sought clarifications from the Chief Minister on the charges made by the DMK that the AIADMK Government was foisting cases against DMK men. PTI

Goitre research pioneer dead
Gaurav Choudhury
Tribune News service

New Delhi, May 29
The man behind the iodine movement is no more.

A pathologist, he served as Dean and then Director of the All-India Institute of Medical Sciences, and as Director-General of the Indian Council of Medical Research. He has also served as adviser to the Executive Director of UNICEF and to the Director-General of WHO.

Woman contracts HIV from son, seeks damages

Kolkata, May 29
A resident of Burdwan district of West Bengal has moved the state Human Rights Commission seeking compensation from a state-run hospital after she contracted the deadly AIDS-causing HIV virus from her son following a blood transfusion at the centre. Gopali Devi, a resident of the Ara village has slapped a compensation suit of a few lakh rupees on Burdwan Medical College and Hospital alleging that the medical superintendent of the centre had “neglected” his duties by allowing the transfusion of HIV-infected blood without proper screening.

Gopali Devi’s son Paran Ghosh, a lorry driver in New Delhi, who was in Burdwan to attend to his ailing mother, had volunteered to donate blood after her gall bladder operation last year, without knowing that his blood was unfit for transfusion.

Ghosh died early this year after being declared HIV positive at Apollo Hospital in Chennai, triggering apprehension in Gopali Devi’s family that she might have contracted the disease from her son. PTI 

Centre not to buy power from Dabhol

New Delhi, May 29
The Centre said today that it would not buy costly power from the controversial Enron promoted Dabhol Power Company, at present engaged in a legal battle with Maharashtra authorities over power purchase agreement, despite a proposal from the state government.

“How can Central utilities buy power from DPC and sell it elsewhere when it is not possible for the Maharashtra government to buy it,” Power Minister Suresh Prabhu told PTI in an interview.

Though Enron’s local unit chief K. Wide Cline had sought Centre’s intervention in the ongoing feud with the MSEB, when he met Basu last week, he has not yet formally made a case with the minister.

Mr Prabhu said the Centre’s role in the entire issue was very limited as Dabhol power project was a state-promoted project and it was for Maharashtra government DPC to resolve the issue.

Stating that the final proposal has to be acceptable to the parties in dispute, the MSEB and the DPC, Prabhu said a quick settlement of the dispute was essential for the power sector of Maharashtra. PTI

MUMBAI: The Centre will play an active role to resolve the ongoing dispute over the Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) between Enron promoted Dabhol Power Company (DPC) and the Maharashtra State Electricity Board (MSEB), re-negotiation committee Chairman Dr Madhav Godbole said here today.

Briefing mediapersons after the crucial meeting here, Dr Godbole said the Centre has made its position clear in this regard through some proposals. The committee also made a list of issues which would be discussed at the next meeting, for which the date has not yet been finalised.

The re-negotiation committee was appointed by the Maharashtra government last month, with former bureaucrat Dr Madhav Godbole as its head, to re-negotiate the Power Purchase Agreement of 2184 mw power plant set up at Guhagar in Ratnagiri district by US energy major Enron promoted Dabhol Power Company. UNI

The (MSEB) has stopped taking power from Dabhol Power Company (DPC) from noon today as the former “considered the power purchase void”.

At the hearing the Maharashtra Electricity Regulatory Commission (MERC) here, state advocate Vahanvati, referred DPC’s letter of May 25 to MSE state power utility has decided “to stop buying power from the Enron-promoted power company”.

The Union government today offered a set of proposals for solving the ongoing dispute between Enron’s Dabhol Power Company (DPC) and Maharashtra State Electricity Board (MSEB).

Asked whether the DPC had made any reference to a 10 per cent cut in its tariff, Godbole said “it was too early for any comment on specifics of the discussions”. PTI

Police was absent during ’84 riots

New Delhi, May 29
Noted social activist Swami Agnivesh told the Justice Nanavati Commission today that the Delhi police and other law enforcing agencies were “conspicuous by their absence” during the 1984 anti-Sikh riots.

Swami Agnivesh, who went around the Capital during the riots to save members of Sikh community from the wrath of the violent mobs, he said: “What struck me the most was the complete absence of police and other law enforcing agencies throughout this period of carnage.”

Of the large scale killings of Sikhs that took place across the city, he said. “I did not see any police activity or fire brigades anywhere to control the mobs or fires raging all over the city.”

“For three days, the city, its Sikh population was at the mercy of the marauding mobs and received no help from anywhere. The destruction and killings were carried out with impunity-without fear of intervention of law enforcing agencies,” he said.

The Swami, who participated in an “amity march” taken out in some areas of South Delhi by about 60 eminent personalities on November 2, told the commission that while the shops and houses of Sikhs were still smoldering, the fire brigade and the police were “conspicuous by their absence.’’ UNI

No ‘Rajya Sabha nomination’ for Brajesh Mishra

New Delhi, May 29
BJP President K. Jana Krishnamurthy today virtually ruled out nominating Prime Minister’s Principal Secretary Brajesh Mishra to the Rajya Sabha from Uttar Pradesh.

In an informal chat with newspersons, the BJP President said Mr Mishra’s continuance in the PMO was not in doubt and speculations in the media that he may be BJP’s candidate did not seem to carry merit.

He said he was not aware if Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Rajnath Singh had promised Puttu Awasthi, the Rajya Sabha seat for vacating the Haidergarh Assembly seat for him. UNI

Firing case: 14 officials reinstated

Thiruvananthapuram, May 29
The Kerala Government today ordered the withdrawal of suspension of 14 officials, including some police personnel, allegedly involved in the 1995 Koothupramba firing case resulting in the death of five pro-CPM Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) workers, official sources said here.

Those who were placed under suspension included Deputy Superintendent of Police Abdul Hakim Bathery, Kannur Deputy Collector T. T. Antony and a few police constables.

The police opened fire on DYFI protesters, who gathered at Koothuparamba allegedly to obstruct the then Cooperation Minister, and Mr M.V. Raghavan, from attending an official function on November 25, 1995, dropping five DYFI activists.

Though suspension against the officials was withdrawn, the proceedings in the case would continue, sources said. With the UDF returning to power, Mr Raghavan is back in the ministry holding the same portfolio. PTI

Freedom fighters seek concessions
Our Correspondent

New Delhi, May 29
The All-India Freedom Fighters Organisation (AIFFO) sought permission from the government of Delhi to travel without ticket in Delhi Transport Corporation buses as well as delux buses plied on state and inter-state routes.

Besides, increment in pension of freedom fighters from Rs 2251 to Rs 2500, their families be declared as “Rashtriya Pariwar” and freedom fighters should be given accommodation in state guest houses in the Capital for temporary stay were also demanded by the AIFFO, a press note said.

UP to update controversial school book

Lucknow, May 29
The Uttar Pradesh Government today promised to set right a class VIII textbook that, among several other errors, branded freedom fighter Chandrashekhar Azad ‘’leader of an extremist group’’.

UP Assembly members belonging to different political parties had taken exception to the controversial remark on Azad in the book titled ‘Itihas Aur Nagrik Jeevan’ prescribed for government school students.

The members also objected to other references laid down in the book that allegedly described Delhi as a union territory and put the voting age at 21.

They said it was ironical that books written by Indian writers had described Azad as leader of an ‘’extremist group’’.

UP Basic Education Minister Baleshwar Tyagi told the Assembly that the government had already removed the controversial references from the book. UNI

Ghaggar circle to use budget for paying salaries
Our Correspondent

Hanumangarh, May 29
The Ghaggar Flood Control Circle has been ordered to use the sanctioned budget of Rs 4 crore only to pay salaries to the employees and not spend it for any other purpose, thereby delaying the payments to contractors. According to sources, a budget of Rs 4 crore was sanctioned for the flood control circle for 2001-2002 to complete various pending projects.

NATIONAL BRIEFS

HANUMANGARH
STAFF SHORTAGE: There has been a shortage of staff at the Primary Education Office which is affecting the work there. Teachers from the schools of rural areas have to do the job of a clerk in the office. As a result, the studies are getting affected.