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July 31, 2001, Chandigarh, India   
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Parties joining NDA to share Cong snaps ties with Trinamool Indo-French talks begin today Malviya involved
in attack: Agarwal Cong for probe into minority killings Ruckus over UP killings in Lok Sabha |
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NORTH INDIA IN PARLIAMENT Shekhar: PM’s visit useless without agenda Kalyan Singh demands
‘Z+’ security Move on cops’ transfer motivated : Jaya
Natwar’s advice
to civil servants Bihar rivers overflowing
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Parties joining NDA to share power: BJP New Delhi, July 30 While BJP President K. Jana Krishnamurthi had said yesterday the return to the NDA should not mean automatic ticket to the Union Cabinet and had suggested a waiting period, BJP Parliamentary Party spokesman Vijay Kumar Malhotra said, “Those who join the coalition government will share power”. Mr Malhotra said he was not aware of the factual position of the Trinamool Congress or the PMK wanting to rejoin the NDA. “All we want to say is that if they want to come back to strengthen the NDA politically, they should be accepted”, he said. Asserting that his position was not in contradiction with his party president, Mr Malhotra said there were parties like the Indian National Lok Dal which were supporting the NDA from outside without being part of the government. As far as the allowing a new party and giving it a position in the Cabinet was concerned it was the prerogative of the Prime Minister, Mr Malhotra said when he was confronted with the recent Cabinet expansion in which Mr Ajit Singh of the Rashtriya Lok Dal was made the Minister for Agriculture. The PMK’s return to the NDA fold was announced last week in Chennai in the name of none other than NDA Convener George Fernandes but DMK chief M. Karunanidhi strongly objected to it and that is why there was flip flop in the stand of the BJP, sources said. Mr Jana Krishnamurthi, who hails from Tamil Nadu and understands the politics there, had demanded the formulation of some norms for the entry and re-entry of political parties into the ruling alliance in the backdrop of what Mr Karunanidhi had said. |
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Cong snaps ties with Trinamool Kolkata, July 30 Ms Banerjee’s decision of withdrawing from the NDA on Tehelka issue on one hand and on the other hand, directing TMC MPs to sit in Parliament in the Treasury Bench along with NDA members, had surprised the AICC. The WBPCC president, Mr Pranab Mukherjee, who is also an office-bearer of the AICC, said they had set up ties with the Trinamool Congress on the basis of TMC’s withdrawal from the BJP-led NDA. But now, TMC has reversed its decision and continued to sit in Parliament in the Treasury Bench with other NDA members, which had forced them to snap ties with the TMC. The Congress could not be a partner to a BJP ally, remarked Mr Mukherjee. Last evening, at a press conference in the presence of Mr Mukul Wasnik, another AICC member, Mr Mukherjee had formally announced their decision to snap ties with the TMC. “The step is good for the state Congress. We can now work to re-vamp our party”, remarked Mr Somen Mitra, former WBPCC chief. Mr Mitra felt it was a wrong decision of the Congress to allow such a large number of seats to TMC at the cost of their sitting MLAs in the Assembly elections. Mr Tapan Sikdar, BJP minister at the Centre from West Bengal, lashed out at Ms Banerjee for her betrayal. He said now she had no other option but to go it alone since she was not acceptable to the NDA as well as Congress. |
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Indo-French talks begin today New Delhi, July 30 The bilateral strategic dialogue, instituted in September, 1998 in the aftermath of India’s nuclear explosions, “has helped us immensely to sensitise France and through France other EU countries on our security concerns and the need to look at the issue for sanctions against India with greater maturity and understanding in the wake of our nuclear tests”, spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs Nirupama Rao said here today. Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister Brajesh Mishra and Special Representative and envoy of French President Gerhard Errera were the designated interlocutors from the two sides, Mrs Rao said. The two sides were going to discuss the regional situation in Asia which would include Pakistan, Afghanistan, Central Asia and West Asia. The situation in the Balkans would also come under review, Mrs Rao said while giving details of the agenda for the dialogue. Apart from relations with principal strategic partners like the USA, China and Russia, the two sides would also discuss the politico-military situation. France would brief the Indian side with the issue of EU enlargement and the European Foreign Security Policy, she said, adding that the bilateral relations would also be taken up. The dialogue would give us an opportunity to exchange views in the wake of new developments in international security situation and threat perception of today. India and France also have an active ongoing cooperation in defence matters as the two sides have an Indo-French High Committee on Defence which regularly meets to chalk out the path of bilateral cooperation in the field of defence. This dialogue would also provide an opportunity for reviewing our ongoing defence cooperation ties with France, the spokesperson
said. |
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Malviya involved in attack: Agarwal Bhopal, July 30 He demanded that Mr Malviya be immediately arrested and sacked from his post. In his first reaction after the attack, Mr Agarwal, who gained consciousness last evening, said over a cellular phone from the hospital that he had information that the conspiracy to “eliminate” him had been hatched at Mr Malviya’s residence. Though his condition was stable, hospital sources said he was still on intravenous drips. Mr Agarwal has charged Mr Malviya with patronising anti-social elements in the party and held him responsible for inducting and promoting Inder Prajapat, who shot at him, as state Congress in-charge General Secretary, despite half-a-dozen criminal cases against him in various police stations in Indore. Mr Rajiv Agarwal, nephew of Mr Manak Agarwal, said adequate security had been sought from the Chief Minister for the family, as Prajapat’s brother had arrived in the state capital. The Chief Minister, Mr Digvijay Singh, who called on Mr Agrawal in the hospital, too aired the view that there was no place for violence in the party. Expelled Congress General Secretary Inder Prajapat, who was arrested for shooting his party colleague Manak Agarwal yesterday at Bhopal, already had three cases pending against him, a senior police official said today.
UNI, PTI |
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Cong for probe into minority killings New Delhi, July 30 Raising the issue during zero hour, senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad said his party was demanding a judicial probe as a cap and a belt of a policeman was found at the site where a young minority woman was allegedly raped during the incident on the intervening night of July 22-23. “I am not saying that policemen are involved in the incident...but it should be probed whether some gang is using police uniform,” he said. He said heartrending scenes were witnessed by a 14-member delegation sent by the Congress president, Mrs Sonia Gandhi, to get a first-hand report into the incident in which six persons were killed and 13 injured after allegedly raping some of the women. “This is a shameful incident as some of the pregnant women have been raped,” he said, adding that he did not buy the argument of the police that this could be a case of dacoity. So many incidents take place in Kashmir which is hit by terrorism but “we have not seen a single incident like this”, Mr Azad said, adding that the incident was shocking not only for Uttar Pradesh but for the entire country. Mr Azad said there was no validity in the police argument that it could be a case of dacoity as the persons killed were poor and their earnings were not more than Rs 400 to Rs 500. There was some heated exchange between the Opposition members and members from the Treasury Bench as the Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs, Mr O. Rajagopal, said detailed information on the incident was being collected from the state government and Home Minister L.K. Advani would make a statement on Wednesday. Certain CPM and Congress members, including Mr Nilotpal Basu and Mr Suresh Pachauri insisted for a statement by the Home Minister on the incident today itself. Mr Nilotpal Basu CPM said the incident was not a mere law and order issue and the House had every right to know from the government what exactly happened. There were heated exchanges between ruling and opposition benches when Mr Basu charged the Centre with adopting a “discriminatory” attitude towards the incident and accused the government of having a different yardstick for the states ruled by opposition parties and the states ruled by NDA parties. When Mr Basu pressed for a statement immediately, the Chairman, Mr Krishan Kant, pointed out “we have taken the matter seriously” and as Leader of Opposition Manmohan Singh demanded a statement on Friday the government had responded by agreeing to make it on Wednesday. |
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Ruckus over UP killings in Lok Sabha New Delhi, July 30 As the Opposition members stormed the well of the House, immediately after Mr Balayogi announced the commencement of zero hour, alleging that the atrocities on minority communities and Dalits had increased, Treasury Bench MPs led by Faizabad MP Vinay Katiar and others from the state were on their feet protesting against the charge. With the Opposition MPs not paying any heed to repeated pleas of the Speaker to resume their respective seats, Mr Balayogi adjourned the House till 2 p.m. Raising the issue during zero hour, Congress Deputy Leader Madhavrao Scindia said the law and order machinery in Uttar Pradesh was “collapsing” and sought a statement from the government. Mr Scindia said six persons belonging to the minority community were done to death in Moradabad district on July 23 and women were criminally assaulted by marauders. The Congress leader said there had been a series of attack on Dalits and those belonging to minority communities in the recent past in the state and the killing of six minority community persons in Moradabad was the most “heinous crime.” He pointed out that chloroform was used by the attackers to rape women in Moradabad and said a pregnant woman was also subjected to the ignominy. |
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NORTH INDIA IN PARLIAMENT New Delhi, July 30 In all 229 companies in India had disappeared after collecting funds and 112 companies were facing prosecution, Mr Jaitley informed the Rajya Sabha. The unemployment rate of urban women in Punjab was 3.5 per cent while that of urban males was 3.1 per cent for the year 1999-2000, the Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Mr Munni Lal informed the Lok Sabha today in a written reply. The corresponding rates in the rural areas in Punjab are 6.2 per cent and 2.3 per cent respectively. While Haryana had urban female unemployment rate of 4.6 per cent, Himachal Pradesh registered an unemployment rate of 11.8 per cent. Jammu and Kashmir had a female unemployment rate of 12.8 per cent during 1999-2000, the minister’s reply said. An amount of Rs 4114.56 lakh had been incurred as expenditure on construction/development and maintenance of national highways in Punjab during 2000-01, the Minister of State for Road Transport and Highways, Maj-Gen B.C. Khanduri (retd), informed the Lok Sabha in a written reply. While an amount of Rs 6847.24 lakh had been spent for the purpose in Haryana in 2000-01, the corresponding figure in Himachal Pradesh was Rs 7240.35 lakh. Haryana had an infant mortality rate of 68, lower than the overall India figure of 70, the Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare, Mr A Raja informed the Rajya Sabha in a written reply today. The infant mortality rate in Punjab was 53 while that of Himachal Pradesh was 62, the minister informed in the reply. The maternal mortality rate in Punjab was 199 while the corresponding figure for Haryana was 103. The government had set a target of 6,392 fixed telephone lines during 2001-02 in Rajouri and Poonch districts of Jammu and Kashmir and a provisional target of 78 village public telephones had been set for the year, the Minister of State for Communications, Mr Tapan Sikdar told the Lok Sabha today in a written reply. The government also proposes to set up 13 exchanges under the optic fibre network, and three exchanges under the microwave system during the year in the two districts of Jammu and Kashmir, Mr Sikdar informed, adding that in addition Internet nodes were also planned at the district headquarters of Rajouri and Poonch during 2001-02. The Indus water treaty did not contain a clause with regard to the perennial flow of water in the Indus river system, the Minister of State for Water Resources, Ms Bijoya Chakravarty, informed the Lok Sabha in a written reply. India was in the upper riparian and the waters of the Indus system of rivers as specified in the treaty was also available to it and therefore the question of taking up the issue of perennial flow of water in the Indus system of rivers with Pakistan to remove the lacuna and revive the dry and dying water source in Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh had not arisen, the minister informed. The government was considering a revision in the existing land rates in the National Capital Region (NCR), the Union Urban Development Minister, Mr Jagmohan, informed the House. Revision in the rates for residential, commercial and institutional land was under consideration but a decision was yet to be taken in this regard, the minister informed. |
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Shekhar: PM’s visit useless without agenda Bangalore, July 30 “I don’t think much purpose will be served by his going there at this stage. He (Vajpayee) should not make the same mistakes which he made at Agra”, Mr Shekhar told reporters here. If at all the Prime Minister decides to go to Pakistan on the invitation of Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf, he (Vajpayee) should try to chalk out the agenda, he said. “Without an agenda and prior consultations at the lower level, I don’t think much purpose will be served by his going there”, he said. “First, it (talks) should be done at the level of foreign secretaries and foreign ministers of the two countries”. “If the agenda and purpose is clear, then of course we should keep the dialogue going on. But dialogue for the sake of dialogue should not be done”, he observed. The Kashmir issue could be resolved when the “people are ready to understand the reality”, he said. “And the reality is that in 1947, the people of Kashmir decided to remain with India. When they (Pakistan) talk of the ‘verdict’ of the Kashmiri people, they should understand that it had been ascertained in 1947 itself and it was not done under coercion”. Mr Shekhar opposed the proposed disinvestment of Air-India, describing it as a “very unwise decision”, and said he saw very little scope to change the attitude of the WTO. “The people who dominate the WTO are not interested in the interests of the developing countries”, he said. “Since we are a member, we should go and put forth our views firmly”, he said. Earlier, he laid the foundation stone of Bharat Yatra Centre near here and inaugurated an artists’ workshop on the ‘Current Indian Crisis’.
PTI |
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Kalyan Singh demands
‘Z+’ security New Delhi, July 30 Mr Kalyan Singh, through his advocate P.K. Sharma, sought “Z+” security cover, as provided to him by the National Security Guards (NSG) till June this year, in view of the threats to him from terrorists, and especially after the murder of Phoolan Devi. In his petition, he demanded the same top category security as has been given to other former Uttar Pradesh Chief Ministers, namely Ms Mayawati and Mr Mulayam Singh. He alleged that his security cover had been withdrawn at the behest of Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee and Home Minister L.K. Advani. He claimed that when he was in the BJP, he was considered a prime ministerial candidate in party circles. So the two leaders thought him to be a political threat, he said. He also charged the government with adopting double standards.
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Move on cops’ transfer motivated : Jaya Chennai, July 30 “Let the Centre come out with the reasons for the transfer of these officials. It is obvious that the move is politically motivated,” she told reporters at the Secretariat after a Cabinet meeting here. The Union Home ministry last week sent a fax message to the state government seeking the services of the Chennai police Commissioner, Mr K. Muthukaruppan, the Joint Commissioner, Mr S. George and Deputy Commissioner, Mr Christopher Nelson, who were involved in the arrest of the former Chief Minister on June 30, at the Cabinet Secretariat in New Delhi.
PTI |
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Natwar’s advice
to civil servants Chennai, July 30 “Personally, I can say I am very averse to IFS, IAS and IPS officers being subjected to political arm-twisting. Civil servants should be above politics and should not be allowed to be used by political powers”, said Mr Natwar Singh.
PTI |
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Bihar rivers overflowing Patna, July 30 A Hajipur report quoting District Magistrate of Vaishali Gautam Goswami said the water overflowed the river‘s embankment following torrents during the past few days. He said road communication to 72 villages under Mr Raghopur Diyara block area was snapped as the flood water submerged roads connecting these villages to the block and district headquarters. He said 30 boats had been provided for people living in the flood-affected areas. According to a report, fresh areas of West Champaran were flooded today rendering several people homeless after the Gandak river overflowed following further release of water from the Valmikinagar Gandak barrage.
UNI |
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Laser method used
for diabetics Mumbai, July 30 Seven patients in the city-based Jaslok Hospital, who were
in danger of having their infected limbs amputated, responded well to
the treatment and one of them had been discharged, according to Dr A.R.
Undre, Professor of Surgery at the National Board of Examinations, New
Delhi. UNI |
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Shiv Sainiks held Varanasi, July 30 |
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