Wednesday, May 1, 2002, Chandigarh, India
 Updated at 3:00 am (IST)

Oppn guns for Modi
Charge against Sonia plunges LS into chaos
New Delhi, April 30
The Lok Sabha plunged into pandemonium, paralysing the proceedings for over an hour today, when an allegation of corruption was hurled at Leader of the Opposition Sonia Gandhi by a Samata Party member Prabhunath Singh, provoking the Opposition to stall the house.

Sonia taken to task for chewing gum

Voting on censure motion delayed

TDP seeks Modi’s ouster
Articulates three other demands
New Delhi, April 30
The Vajpayee government’s biggest ally, the TDP, today bitterly criticised the government for its sins of omission and commission over the Gujarat issue and placed four demands, including removal of Chief Minister Narendra Modi and not holding assembly poll immediately in the troubled state.

Nation page: RSS blames ‘vested interests’ for riots Film actress-turned-politician Shabana Azmi, Mahesh Bhatt and Nandita Das at a peace march in New Delhi on Tuesday. — Tribune photo Mukesh Aggarwal

PM rejects Omar offer to quit
NC to abstain from voting on censure motion
New Delhi, April 30
National Conference leader and Minister of State for External Affairs Omar Abdullah today offered to resign from the Union Council of Ministers but Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee rejected the offer.
In video (28k, 56k)

Three die in Gujarat violence
Ahmedabad, April 30
Three persons were killed and three others injured in police firing in curfew-bound areas in the city and in Baroda as violence escalated in the two major cities of Gujarat late past night, the police said today.
In video (28k, 56k)

           NCM team to visit Gujarat

Image India: as French scribe sees it
New Delhi, April 30
Upset over the developments in Gujarat, a French journalist has blamed foreign media for India’s bad image in the West by describing as ‘nonsense’ propagation of India as an intolerant Hindu majority.

• Gujarat violence tarnished nation’s image: Chautala

Initial results favour Pervez
Islamabad, April 30
Initial results from a referendum in Pakistan today indicated that an overwhelming majority of voters approved another five-year term as President for General Pervez Musharraf.

FOLLOW-UP
Governor seeks PPSC chief’s sack
Sends sealed letter to President Narayanan
Chandigarh, April 30
The Punjab Governor, Lt-Gen. J F R Jacob (Retd.), today sent a formal communication to the President of India on the “misbehaviour’’ of Mr Ravi Sidhu as Chairman of the Punjab Public Service Commission and has sought his “removal’’ under Article 317 of the Constitution of India.

• Punjab page: Another case against Sidhu, kin

• Dhira’s Ludhiana house raided

Vigilance nabs Kairon’s aide
Class III employee amassed property worth Rs 10 cr
Amritsar, April 30
The Vigilance Department arrested Nirmal Singh Bajwa, alias Nimma, district president of the Patwar Union and confidant of Mr Adesh Partap Singh Kairon, a former minister (son-in-law of Mr Parkash Singh Badal, a former Chief Minister) during a surprise raid conducted by Mr Tejinder Paul Singh Sandhu, Superintendent of Police, late last evening.