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Tuesday,
April 23, 2002, Chandigarh, India  
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End deadlock, Oppn urged Patkar challenges govt claim
Shanta Kumar mollifies VHP Include govt employees in TA: Fernandes Stop using ponies at Vaishno Devi: Maneka |
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Army Chief leaves for USA 20 converted to Hinduism Jain admits to boast Ramayana’s English version released
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End deadlock, Oppn urged New Delhi, April 22 Briefing newspersons, BJP
Parliamentary Party spokesman V.K. Malhotra said the foremost priority of all political parties should be that normalcy and peace in Gujarat was restored. Prof Malhotra said the Congress and other parties should understand that they were harming their own cause by not allowing any business to be taken up in both the Houses of Parliament. There were several important issues which were yet to be discussed in Parliament. The BJP was not scared to have a debate on Gujarat, even under the 184, but it would set a bad precedent, the spokesman said. There were many other ways under which the Opposition parties could have a discussion on the issue. Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee had even challenged the Opposition to move a no-confidence motion against his Government, he said. Prof Malhotra, however, added that a final decision on the issue had to be taken by the Deputy Speaker of the Lok Sabha. The spokesman referred to the statement of Congress leader Kamal Nath yesterday in Gujarat that action would be taken against those who did not allow students to appear in board examinations. By this statement the Congress had admitted that its workers were involved in restricting the students from appearing in the examinations, he added. Accusing the Congress of “fuelling the fire” in the trouble-torn state, he also recalled that a Congress counseller was among the accused arrested in connection with the Godhra train burning incident. He challenged the Congress to set up its own inquiry to ascertain the facts instead of “indulging in petty politics.” He alleged that the Congress party’s councillors were responsible for Muslim students not appearing in examinations in some parts of the state. He observed that a “second Godhra” was averted yesterday by the intervention of police. Yesterday, on the occasion of Ram Navami, Hindus had decided not to take out processions in the interest of peace. However, when they were praying peacefully in temples, they were attacked. “Yesterday’s incidents were not a result of Hindu-Muslim clashes. It was between police and miscreants,” Mr Malhotra said. |
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Patkar challenges govt claim Bhopal, April 22 She alleged that the Madhya Pradesh Government had produced fake records to push the SSP dam height from 90 metres to 95 metres before the monsoons. She also accused the government of resorting to “misinformation, coercion and the twin threat of forcible resettlement in Gujarat or flooding the villages unless they accepted cash”. “There is authentic information”, Ms Patkar said, “indicating that the governments (of the states concerned) and the inter-state authorities such as the Narmada Control Authority are conniving to garner permission to raise dam height from 90 metres to 95 metres before the coming monsoon in June even when there are no plans for the rehabilitation of the already affected families, not to mention about those who will be affected”. |
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Shanta Kumar mollifies VHP New Delhi, April 22 After apologising to Party President Jana
Krishnamurthy, the outspoken Minister has turned his attention to the Vishwa Hindu Parishad, which had also taken exception to his remarks. Mr Shanta Kumar, who was highly critical of the VHP and the Bajrang Dal in the wake of the communal violence in Gujarat, in a letter to VHP Joint General Secretary Omkar Bhave said, “the newspapers have attributed many things to me, which I have never said.” “I had categorically stated that the VHP has done some historic tasks and has earned the respect of crores of people. Some elements in the name of the VHP have been indulging in certain activities which have nothing to do with
“Hindutva”. It is imperative to rein in such elements,” he said. “A person like me, who has been linked and brought up with this (Sangh) ideology, cannot even think of, leave alone talking about things that have been attributed to me in the media,” he said. |
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Include govt employees in TA: Fernandes New Delhi, April 22 Addressing the Consultative Committee attached to his ministry today, the Defence Minister said the government was moving towards doubling the strength of the force by the year 2007. Recognising its role in assistance to the civil administration and maintenance of essential services, the K.P. Singh Deo Committee’s report and that of the Group of Ministers, headed by Home Ministry L.K. Advani, would have to be considered and implemented. The K.P. Singh Deo Committee had recommended that the strength of the TA be increased to 80,000-100,000 from the present number of 40,085. The TA units have been embodied for the military deployment on the borders (Operation Parakram) and deployed with various defence units, including protection of essential services and the Oil and Natural Gas installations in Gujarat. Mr Fernandes said the government had agreed to the recommendation to include women in non-departmental and departmental units of the TA, initially in the rank of officers. At present, women are serving only in the medical and signal units of the TA. The government had also accepted the provision of 20 per cent reserve of TA officers to remove the deficiency of company commanders in the infantry battalions of the force. The Defence Minister said TA personnel and ex-servicemen could play a major role in the proposed Trans-Himalayan Development Authority. The TA has 31 infantry battalions and 19 departmental units such as Railway Engineer Regiments, Oil Sector, Ecological, Signals and General Hospitals. |
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Stop using ponies at Vaishno Devi: Maneka New Delhi, April 22 In a letter to Mr Ashwani Kumar Chopra, a board member, Ms Gandhi said the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Transport of Animals on Foot) Rules, 2001, are not being followed by persons using ponies and mules at the shrine. “At present, mules and ponies are extensively being used for ferrying pilgrims. The one way distance for this journey is about 15 km and the animals are being forced to complete it within the shortest possible time so as to ferry more and more pilgrims. In many cases, weak and sick animals are forced to carry very hefty pilgrims,” the letter reads. The animal rights activist has pointed out that most of the animals are not fit for transportation and are used in adverse weather conditions in violation of the rules. As if this were not enough, they are not given feed and water at stipulated intervals, the letter said. The letter enumerates the salient features of the rules published by the government vide Gazette notification dated March 26, 2001. According to the rules, all such animals should be healthy and in good condition. The person accompanying the ponie or mule ought to carry a certificate of a veterinary doctor stating that the animal is fit for such transportation and is not suffering from any contagious, infectious or parasitic disease. The certificate must say that the animal has been vaccinated against any such disease. The rules also make it mandatory for persons accompanying the animals to carry an authorisation certificate from the owner. The rules do not permit transporting on foot any animal before sunrise or after sunset. According to the rules, ponies and mules are allowed to cover maximum six km per hour and 45 km per day. This is further subjected to maximum of eight walking hours per day. Besides, the animals are to be given rest for water every three hours and for feeding every six hours. Further, a break of 20 minutes after drinking water and one hour after feeding is to be given to animals before commencement of the journey. The rules also prescribe the maximum temperature ranging between 12°C to 30°C during which animals can be transported on foot.
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Army Chief leaves for USA New Delhi, April 22 The visit of General Padmanabhan is all the more important as he would not only visit the Pentagon and hold talks with senior defence officials of the Bush administration but also meet Gen Richard B Myers, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the USA. General Padmanabhan’s visit to Washington comes close on the heels of the two countries signing a $ 146 million government-to-government agreement for supplying to India eight Weapon Locating Radars (WLRs). This was the first major weapons deal between India and the USA in more than three decades. |
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20 converted to Hinduism Kolkata, April 22 With this, the total number of conversions of the tribesmen to Hinduism from Christianity and other religions in Malda district stood at some 300. The ceremony was conducted at the VHP’s Buddhikamnch Chitrakut Ashram by its head priest, Gurumata Rekha Hembram. The re-conversion on Sunday was solemnised secretly to avoid the police interference and the possible resistance from the ruling CPM, which dominates the village panchayat as well as zila parisad, admits VHP sources. The DM, Mr Ashoke Kumar Bala, said he had no information about the incident but he would look into the reports published in a section of the local press in Malda. The VHP’s district secretary Kishore Das, however, admitted that they converted only a small number of people, who had earlier been converted to Christianity or Islam during the past few months. The Chief Minister, Mr Buddhadev Bhattacharjee, has ordered a probe into the incident. He denied that there had been any forcible conversion of Hindus to Christianity. Some people might have voluntarily espoused Christianity and they have every right to do so under the Constitution. The government can not do any thing in such cases. However, if any forcible conversion or re-conversion takes place, the administration cannot sit idle, the Chief Minister said. It has been officially admitted that a few Christian Missionaries and some religious organisations have often been found converting the local people to their religion. |
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Jain admits to boast New Delhi, April 22 Mr Jain, who was deposing before the Venkataswami Commission, said he had told Tehelka reporters about his connections with Choudhry, Suresh Nanda and Mahinder Pal Sahni. When grilled by Tehelka counsel Kavin Gulati about his conversation with Tehelka reporters in which he said “Finance Minister Yashwant Sinha takes.....Ram Vilas Paswan takes money”, Mr Jain said he was only boasting. Mr Jain, who described himself as a “frontman” of Defence Minister George Fernandes to the news portal reporters, had also claimed that “Fernandes does not deal directly.”
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Ramayana’s English version released Chennai, April 21 A set of the first translations of the nearly 20,000 stanzas (slokas) in eight volumes with translation rendered stanza by stanza of every sloka being numbered, was presented to editor of “The Hindu” N. Ravi translating stanza by stanza Swaminathan, has covered all words in original Sanskrit text.
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