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Tuesday,
March 26, 2002, Chandigarh, India  
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It’s
prestige issue for Vajpayee govt Muslim
bodies ask MPs to defeat POTO Defective
jammers cost NSG dear ‘Lagaan’
team is down but not out Of Oscar
glory and nicknames |
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Kant
finds fault with MP’s conduct Muharram
observed
Lecturers protest
UGC decision
NSCN-IM seeks
Centre’s apology for DC’s release Punish Modi:
Congress President condoles Justice Yadav’s death
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It’s prestige issue for Vajpayee govt New Delhi, March 25 Even though the BJP-led NDA has failed to evolve a consensus on the Prevention of Terrorism legislation, some sections of the central leadership believe that the opposition to this measure from an ally — the Trinamool Congress — as well as the Congress, the Left and certain other parties is due to political considerations. Nevertheless, the stage is set for the third joint sitting of Parliament to approve a stalled legislation. Only this time it has been necessitated because of the Prevention of Terrorism Bill which seeks to replace the amended Prevention of Terrorism Ordinance (POTO), having been defeated in the Rajya Sabha. It is widely acknowledged by all political parties and groups in Parliament that the Prevention of Terrorism Bill will pass the muster at the joint sitting of Parliament and become law. Nevertheless, the Congress, the Left and other Opposition parties maintain they have made their point to the people at large by disapproving the Prevention of Terrorism Bill in the Rajya Sabha. The Congress as the main Opposition party and others of its ilk are acutely aware that the odds are heavily stacked against them at a joint sitting of Parliament, permission for which has been granted by President K R Narayanan. When the Prevention of Terrorism Bill is put to vote, the NDA’s margin without any hiccups is expected to be quite comfortable. The government believes that the Prevention of Terrorism Bill has become imperative to deal effectively with cross-border terrorism. This view is stoutly countered by the Congress and Left parties on the ground that the draconian and ill-conceived legislative measure is full of infirmities. They argue that the Prevention of Terrorism Bill has been introduced with ulterior motives and gives a go-by to the principles of criminal jurisprudence. With the Trinamool Congress refusing to toe the NDA line on the Prevention of Terrorism Bill, Ms Mamata Banerjee’s party might abstain from voting once again. At the same time, the disparate coalition at the Centre has managed to swell its ranks by another six in the critical game of arithmetic. This is so because of the Indian Federal Democratic Party and the Rashtriya Janata Dal (Democratic) with at least six MPs in the Lok Sabha joining the NDA recently. The Congress high command has yet to announce wherever it is in power in states that it will not implement the Prevention of Terrorism Bill once it is approved by the joint sitting of Parliament. However, it has not raised objections to Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Digvijay Singh’s assertion that the proposed measure will not be implemented in his state. The signals are, therefore, clear as far as the central leadership of the Congress is concerned. Simultaneously, the J Jayalalithaa government in Tamil Nadu is not leaving any stone unturned to mend fences with the Vajpayee government, much to the chagrin and disquiet in the rival DMK camp. In the rarest of rare occurrences, the AIADMK and the DMK voted in favour of the Prevention of Terrorism Bill in the Lok Sabha. The two warring Dravidian parties are expected to perform an encore at the joint sitting of Parliament tomorrow. Clearly, the AIADMK does not want to be in the bad books or earn the wrath of the Vajpayee government. An AIADMK MP summed up the situation thus: “We don’t want to annoy or brush the Vajpayee government the wrong way. After all we need the Centre’s benevolence as the interests of Tamil Nadu have to be protected.” |
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Muslim bodies ask MPs to defeat POTO
New Delhi, March 25 The letter, signed by General Secretary of All-India Muslim Personal Law Board Syed Nizamuddin, Jamaat-e-Islami Hind Ameer Sirajul Hassan and members from All-India Milli Council and others, appealed the MPs “to kindly listen to the call of conscience and vote against the draconian, tyrannical and black law, unanimously in the joint session.” They said by defeating the Bill, not only the values of the country’s Constitution would be upheld. Arguing that the present laws of the country were capable enough to deal with any terrorist related incidents, they said “It is very difficult to assert that POTO would necessarily eradicate the menace of terrorism, keeping in view that TADA too failed.”
PTI |
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Defective
jammers cost NSG dear New Delhi, March 25 Besides, the security concerns remained unaddressed due to the lack of appropriate standards in the selection and testing of sensitive equipment with the jamming device, the report of the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) for the year ended March 2001, released recently, reveals. According to the CAG, in order to conduct bomb detection/disposal operations more effectively, the NSG in July, 2000, requested the Cabinet Secretariat for the purchase of a Mini Jammer along with spares for VIP security. The equipment is used to jam signals from communication devices meant to detonate explosives remotely. Indent for purchase of the equipment was issued by the Special Protection Group (SPG) in August, 2000. An order for the purchase of the equipment was placed with M/s Thunderbird Industries Inc., Virginia, USA, in August, 2000, and the Cabinet Secretariat conveyed necessary expenditure sanction of Rs 75.09 lakh in August, 2000, debitable to the NSG. As per the conditions of contract the inspection and the test of the equipment was to be, made on the charge of the supplier in his factory by the inspecting officer deputed by the government, the report said. Subsequently, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) in November, 2000 intimated the NSG that the Mini Jammer along with spares and power supply had been procured from the USA after proper testing of the equipment. The NSG collected the equipment from the SPG in November, 2000, and the Board of Officers of the NSG carried out trials on equipment and reported that the equipment did not meet the specifications claimed by the firm. The NSG in December, 2000, during additional trials on the equipment, also concluded that the Jammer could not jam the communication equipment used, the CAG report said adding that since the guarantee and warranty period of the equipment was in force till August 31, 2001, the NSG in March, 2001, requested the MHA to convene a meeting with the Cabinet Secretariat and the SPG to sort out the issue. “No such meeting was held. The equipment, which was lying with the NSG had also not been returned to the SPG for further action,” the report said adding that “thus, the expenditure of Rs 75.09 lakh incurred on the purchase of the equipment has been rendered infructuous.” |
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‘Lagaan’ team is down but not out
Mumbai, March 25 “Luck is not with us,” he added. The actor felt that “Lagaan” was a highly unusual film. “It had come out well and with the kind of efforts Aamir Khan and Ashutosh Gowarikar took for the film abroad as well as India, the entire nation’s hopes were pinned on the duo to do the country proud,” he added. “Lagaan”, belying apprehensions about its box-office prospects, had come out with flying colours. “Such efforts which require guts should have been appreciated. Other films nominated in Oscars along with ‘Lagaan’ were either comedy or war film”, he added. However, the rest of the team members were quick to add that the disappointment would be momentary. “It gives us strength and challenge to do even better work next time,” they said. Most of the team members who were in the city had gathered at the Aamir Khan productions office at Santacruz even before the telecast began at 0700 hrs. Ishwar Kaka (SriVallabh Vyas), Lakha (Yashpal Sharma), Kachra (Aditya Lakha), Arjan (Akhilendra Mishra), Goli (Dayashankar Pandey) and Bhura (Raghuveer Yadav) were present along with their other friends and staff members of the production office. The mood among the “Lagaan” teammates was cheerful and lively. As the awards telecast continued, tension suddenly crept in. Pradeep Rawat (Deva) and Akhilendra Mishra (Arjan) moved around restlessly. At 10.15 am, when the nominations for the best foreign film category were announced, all of them clapped widely and screamed. But after the result came in, everything fell silent. Javed Khan, who plays Ram Singh in the film, could not hold back his tears. “Everybody knew that out of the five films nominated, four had to lose. The entire nation is disappointed,” he said. Raghuveer Yadav felt that loss at the Oscars should not be the end of the world for Indians. Akhilendra said this moment was a challenge for them to work harder to try for the Oscars next time. Ameen Haji (Bagha) was seen consoling his team members. “This loss does not mean we were bad. We were among the best five. India will be back with a much better film next time’’, he told his colleagues. All of them expressed appreciation for the winner “No Man’s Land”. The film, directed and written by Danis Tanovic, is a tragedy laced with black comedy about the Bosnian war.
UNI |
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Of Oscar glory and nicknames New Delhi, March 25 Though the first Academy Awards were presented on May 16, 1929, it was many years later that the Academy Award of Merit was officially named ‘Oscar.’ The award was varyingly termed as ‘the Academy statuette,’ ‘the golden trophy’ or ‘the statue of merit.’ The entertainment trade paper Weekly Variety even attempted to popularise ‘the iron man.’ Perhaps the most popular story is that an Academy librarian (later executive director), Margaret Herrick, said the statuette resembled her Uncle Oscar, and so the Academy staff began referring to it as Oscar. When the sixth awards were presented in 1934, Hollywood columnist Sidney Skolsky used the name in his column in reference to Katharine Hepburn’s first Best Actress win. The Academy itself did not use the nickname officially until 1939. Designed by Metro Golden Mayer (MGM) chief art director Cedric Gibbons, it depicts a knight holding a crusader’s sword, standing on a reel of film with five spokes, signifying the original branches of the Academy: actors, writers, directors, producers and technicians. The traditional Oscar statuette has not changed since the 1940s, when the base was made higher. In 1945, the base was changed from marble to metal. In 1949, Academy Award statuettes began to be numbered, starting with 501. A total of 2,365 Oscars had been presented till 2001 and had been refused only thrice, with the number of eligible categories in 1927 being 13, rising to 25 this year. Walt Disney holds the record with 64 nominations and 26 wins. John Williams’ 39 nominations make him the most nominated living person. Actresses Katharine Hepburn and Meryl Streep are tied for having the greatest number of acting Academy Award nominations at 12. Hepburn holds the distinction of the most wins with four leading actress Oscars.
UNI |
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Kant finds fault with MP’s conduct
New Delhi, March 25 Inaugurating a workshop “Indian Parliament” here, he said the violent behaviour derogated “role model function of the MPs as delegates of the people”. “We will find that the history of the Indian Parliamentary institutions is a constant struggle to bring about a convergence between the political and the moral authority to rule”. “This struggle is still continuing. But in the process we are witnessing a peculiar Indian type of Parliamentary institutions suffused with a spirit of accommodation and adjustments, finding roots,” Mr Kant observed. However, he said, “a notable feature about the working of the Indian Parliament is that while taking decisions on the majority principle, there is always a sense that Parliament should not become a hostage to the tyranny of numbers”. “There are umpteen number of occasions when the majority part readily accommodated suggestions of the Opposition minority and even thanked the Opposition for its wise
counselling”. “I have fought MPs, who would fight, ridicule and attack each other, sink all their differences and rise as one
man, when the nation’s paramount interests are at stake,” he added.
UNI |
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Muharram observed
New Delhi, March 25 Muharram falls on the tenth day of the first month of Islamic calendar. On this day, Imam Hussain fell to by the forces of Yazeed who proclaimed himself as the Caliph. It symbolises victory of good over evil. In the capital, the main Tazia procession started from the historic Jama Masjid in the walled city and after meandering through the various arterial roads it ended at Karbala near the Lodi Road in South Delhi. Muslims gathered at mosques to hear recitations from the Quran and religious scholars and priests eulogised the role of Imam Hussain in upholding the true traditions of Islam while fighting against tyranny and oppression. Addressing a large gathering, Shahi Imam of Fatehpuri mosque Mufti Mukarram Ahmed said Imam Hussain laid down his life for the sake of Islam and never compromised on its teachings. He urged the followers of Islam to follow the true tenets of the religion like peace, love, tolerance and brotherhood.
UNI |
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Where Hindus observe Muharram Umaria (Madhya Pradesh),
March 25 The rally reportedly included 20,000 Hindus. “The Hindus in large numbers have traditionally been participating in the rally,’’ Janab Afsar Ali Rahi, a Muslim community leader said. Some Hindu families also have the custom to conduct the “sawari’’ of Muharram. The tradition was started by Baba Madhav Singh in 1883 and continued for the next 40 years. Baba Phool Singh carried on the custom for another 60 years. Since 1995, Baba Sushil Singh has been organising the “sawari’’. He said, dome Hindu families were also associated with the making of the “Tazia’’. “The rally comprises 80 per cent Hindus and 20 per cent Muslims. Like the Muslims, the Hindus also offer sinni, naal and sehali. They organise langars for the purpose’’, another community leader Muzavar Afsar Ali said.
UNI |
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2 killed in
police firing Jaipur, March 25 More than 12 persons were also injured in the incident. Six persons with bullet wounds were brought to Sawai Man Singh Hospital here. Section 144 of the CrPC was already in force in the city when a 300-400 strong mob sat for a religious function at a temple on a route to be taken by Shia mourners. The crowd was dispersed once, but reassembled and started pelting the police with stones, the police said. “The police had to baton-charge the crowd and fire in to the air as the crowd became restive and began pelting stones,’’ IGP (Law and Order)
A.K. Jain said. Curfew was clamped on the town, in Sawai Madhopur district, as a precautionary measure at around 3.30 hrs.
UNI |
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Lecturers protest UGC decision
New Delhi, March 25 Talking to the media, Chairman of Academics for Action and Development (AAD) DR S.S. Rathi regretted the UGC’s decision to discontinue the third promotion for the college teachers from Reader to Professor and announced that it would oppose the move ‘tooth and nail’’ till the government re-introduced it. “A nationwide agitation would be launched if the UGC did not withdraw its decision immediately and respected the commitments made by the government for opening a third promotion avenue for college teachers,’’ the AAD announced. The UGC, he said, at its meeting on March 21 had decided to scrap the post of Professor for college teachers and instead came out with a scheme of cash merit rewards of Rs 1 lakh each to 500 college teachers all over the country, annually. Dr Rathi said the decision in practical terms meant that people who joined as lecturers in colleges would never be promoted as Professors and retire as Readers. He said whereas there were more than three lakh college teachers countrywide and 40,000 in Delhi University alone, the UGC had decided to extend the one-time financial benefit to only 500 of them. “We don’t mind if the UGC gives the financial benefit to a select number of teachers in addition to the third promotion. But the cash merit reward cannot be accepted as a substitute to the promotional avenues... We want academic recognition and not financial support,’’ Mr Rathi said. The AAD said the UGC had made the
criteria of selection for the cash reward even more stringent than the one announced for the promotion as Professor and apprehended that the selection of the 500 teachers would be guided by ‘political consideration’ rather than academic excellence.
UNI |
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NSCN-IM seeks
Centre’s apology for DC’s release Guwahati, March 25 In a statement of the Naga International Support Centre
(NISC), an Amsterdam-based Naga support group, issued to the local media, the NSCN (IM) had reportedly linked the apology with the safe release of the abducted DC. While the NSCN (IM) is peeved at the ‘violation’ of the ceasefire, the security forces insist that the ceasefire was within the state only.
UNI |
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Punish
Modi: Congress New Delhi, March 25 “It is incredible that Mr Modi could
be so irresponsible and insensitive as to state that the communal
incidents are continuing in Gujarat on account of statements made in
Parliament,” Mr Pranab Mukherjee and Mr Arjun Singh, both members of
the Congress Working Committee, and Mr Shivraj Patil, Deputy Leader of
the party in the Lok Sabha said. |
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DMK sore with BJP unit in TN Chennai, March 25 The DMK leader, Mr M. Karunanidhi, is upset by the attitude of the state BJP. He told reporters after a meeting of the general council of the party on Sunday. |
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President
condoles Justice Yadav’s death New Delhi, March 25 |
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“It’s
like choking in the finals like the Indian cricket team. I feel dejected
and disappointed”, said Pradeep Rawat, who played the character Deva
in “Lagaan”, which lost to the Bosnian film “No Man’s Land” in
the Oscar’s foreign film category.
Muharram,
the martyrdom of Prophet Mohammad’s grandson Imam Hussain, was
observed in the country today with Muslims offering special prayers
and taking out Tazia processions.
In video: (
