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Monday,
March 25, 2002, Chandigarh, India  
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Clashes, bogus voting mar Delhi MC poll Vajpayee to set record of sorts ‘Lagaan’ due in real life too!
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Tehelka panel may quiz George BJP praises Jaya for ‘annadhanam’ scheme Enhance SAARC ties: Gujral 2 shops, kiosk
gutted Yatra to mark JP’s birth centenary
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Clashes, bogus voting mar Delhi MC poll New Delhi, March 24 While the actual figures were being awaited, officials said that about 40 to 45 per cent voting had been reported with some areas, particularly East and Central Delhi, witnessing heavy turnout and some of the South Delhi colonies registering no voter turnout. The police were deployed in strength across the city to maintain discipline and peace in the city. More than 70,000 security personnel, including 40 companies of central paramilitary forces, were on election duty to ensure peaceful and free poll at 9,447 booths to elect the 134-member corporation. Clashes were reported in the morning between the Congress and BJP workers at several places over the issue of bogus voting. |
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Vajpayee to set record of sorts New Delhi, March 24 Earlier, two special joint sittings were held, one in 1961 and the other in 1978. On both these occasions, Mr Vajpayee was present in the House. In 1961 as a Jan Sangh Lok Sabha member and in 1978 as External Affairs Minister of the Janata Party government. And when the members meet for the special session on March 26, being called after more than two decades, it would be a hat-trick appearance for the Prime Minister. The one-day sitting, to be telecast live, will take up POTO, which has been rejected by the Opposition-dominated Rajya Sabha and passed by the Lok Sabha. The government is hopeful of its passage in the joint sitting by a comfortable margin of around 50 votes. There is an exception to the March 26 sitting. It will be the first time that a joint sitting would be presided over by a Deputy Speaker and not the Speaker. Deputy Speaker P M Sayeed, who attended the 1978 joint sitting as a Congress member of the Lok Sabha, is likely to hold a meeting of leaders of all parliamentary parties on the morning of March 26, just before the sitting begins at 11am. Another interesting aspect of the sitting is that as there are no mikes on tables in the Central Hall of Parliament, the members will have to go up to the rostrum to speak. The anti terrorism Bill, replacing the related Ordinance lapsing on April 8, has come under severe attack from the Opposition, barring the AIADMK and the NCP. The Opposition has dubbed the Bill “draconian”, politically motivated, “destructive of basic liberties” and a “clone” of TADA. A determined government, which has refuted all this, is now going in for a joint sitting hoping to get the Bill passed by nearly 415 votes against 360. One of its own allies the Trinamool Congress, with 10 members may stay away from
the sitting. The BSP with 18 members is also likely to abstain. |
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‘Lagaan’ due in real life too!
Shahabad (UP), March 24 On a previous occasion, a tax of Rs 888.35 was due on land belonging to the family. In the Bollywood hit, Aamir plays a rustic who challenges the Raj to a cricket match for getting the revenue on his village waived. A notice has been pasted at his ancestral house here by the Hardoi district administration, demanding payment of Rs 203 and paise 75 only. Sub-Divisional Magistrate Pratap Singh Bhadoria told UNI that the 122-bigha area was in the name of Aamir’s father Tahir Hussain, late uncles Nasir and Wakar Hussain, Wakar’s wife Afsari and their son Sohail Khan. “A lagaan for the period October, 2001, to September, 2002 was due on the land,’’ he added.
UNI |
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Tehelka panel may quiz George New Delhi, March 24 According to commission sources, Mr Fernandes is likely to be examined in the third week of April after the cross-examination of others, including former BJP President Bangaru Laxman. The decision of the commission, which has got a third extension of six months from today, is in line with in Fernandes’ counsel Fali S. Nariman, who had requested the commission to examine the Defence Minister after the examination of all other notices. The commission had issued a cross-examination notice to Mr Fernandes for his reputation being the subject matter and not the conduct, which is the case with other notices. As for the examination of Ms Jaitley, who had moved the high court challenging her cross-examination by the panel before the Tehelka team, sources said the commission may seek a clarification from the high court if it was unable to pass an order on the matter soon resulting in delay of examination in the commission. The high court has posted the matter for hearing on April 5 and the commission expects that a clearer picture would emerge then. Ms Jaitley, who is among the 36 witnesses issued notices by the commission under Section 8-B of the Commission of Inquiries Act, has sought examination of the tapes by forensic experts to clear doubts against their doctoring by the news portal. |
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BJP praises Jaya for ‘annadhanam’ scheme Chennai, March 24 For the time being at least, the scheme has brought the AIADMK and the BJP closer in the sense of meeting of minds, although the latter has denied that there is any secret move to renew the alliance between the two parties. “The BJP is part of the NDA of which the DMK is a constituent,” Mr S.P. Kirubanidhi, state BJP president, told reporters after attending the inaugural function at the famous Kapalleeswarar temple in the city along with party colleagues and VHP functionaries on “special invitation” from the state government. Mr Kirubanidhi hailed the decision to launch the “annadhanam” scheme and said it showed that Ms Jayalalithaa “closely identifies herself with the Hindutva ideology.” Unlike the DMK leader, Mr M. Karunanidhi, a self-confessed atheist, Ms Jayalalithaa believes in God and worships in temples. The Congress and representatives of minority communities have criticised the scheme on the ground that it is “anti-secular”. But Ms Jayalalithaa rejects the criticism, saying “annadhanam is the best form of dharma. It is not unique to the Hindu religion. Even in the Sikh religion, food is offered in Gurdwaras. Our aim is to see that the hungry are fed.” |
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Enhance SAARC ties: Gujral Manipal, March 24 Mr Gujral, while delivering a lecture under UNESCO Chair at the Manipal Academy of Higher Education on socio-political challenges that confront the nation here yesterday, said: “India has important political, diplomatic and economic relations with the USA and these need not be sacrificed for the sake of fictional strategic alignments”. He maintained that the establishment of “any bloc with Russia and China would be a fanciful adventure”. The former Prime Minister held that the best course for the country would be to maintain and enhance its cooperative relations with all countries and economic groupings, more specifically with the countries of the SAARC. “Despite all agonising disappointments, the South Asian neighbourhood must occupy primacy in our policy frameworks. The leaders of India and Pakistan must appreciate that convergence of security and economic interests of two neighbouring countries cannot be and need not be avoided.” |
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2 shops, kiosk
gutted Jaisinghpur, March 24 Mr Rakesh Sharma, SDM, Jaisinghpur, who visited the spot in the morning, said the fire broke out in the kiosk of a shoe maker at midnight and spread to the adjoining vegetable and kiryana shops. Mr Meghnath Chouhan, SHO, Lambagaon, said the matter was being investigated. Foul play could not be ruled out, he added. The SDM has provided Rs 2,000 relief to the kiryana trader and Rs 500 each to other affected shopkeepers. |
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Yatra to mark JP’s birth centenary New Delhi, March 24 The yatra, which began on March 6, has covered 16 districts of Haryana and today, it passed through Delhi on its way to the remaining three districts of Faridabad, Rewari and Gurgaon. The aim of the yatra is to spread the political ideas of JP by creating people’s consciousness on issues relevant to Haryana. |
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