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Sunday,
December 15, 2002, Chandigarh, India  
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Leadership issue not
settled in BJP, Cong Mufti to resettle 150
Kashmiri Pandit families Jaya sacks two ministers Terror Pakistan state policy:
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Mysterious disease
spreads Entries for PUCL journalism award Dawood gangster
assaults jailors DCP suspended for ‘assault’
on JD(U) MP Tuskers trample woman to death NCP Dharna
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Leadership issue not
settled in BJP, Cong Ahmedabad, December 14 “We will win over 100 seats,” says Hansmukh Patel, spokesman of the Gujarat Congress. The exit polls are not credible indicators of the results and had gone wrong several times in the past, he says. AICC General Secretary Kamal Nath is expected to be here at hand tomorrow for the counting. The leadership issue in both the Congress and the BJP is far from settled and the party getting the majority will see some tussle among its senior leaders for the post of Chief Minister. In the case of the BJP, caretaker Chief Minister Narendra Modi seems to be the frontrunner. But former Chief Minister Keshubhai Patel has never really opted out of the race and has been throwing subtle hints about his readiness for the top job in case the senior BJP leaders so wish. Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee’s remark during his campaigning in Gujarat that the leadership issue will be decided by the newly elected MLAs has boosted the hopes of supporters of Mr Patel. Mr Modi’s case will be strong if the BJP gets an overwhelming majority in the election where he has managed to keep the focus on Hindutva. The choice for the Congress will be tougher as the party has not projected anyone as chief ministerial candidate. PCC chief Shankarsinh Vagehla, an MP, did not contest the elections. In case the Congress gets a majority, senior party leader Amarsinh Chaudhary is likely to press his claim for Chief Minister’s post. Some of Mr Vaghela’s statements have put the party to discomforture and the high command has not forgotten the fiasco of two different manifestos in Gujarati and English released by the GPCC. Having seen five Chief Ministers, two elections and a spell of President’s rule in the last seven years, the people of Gujarat are hoping that the ballot gives them a government which provides stability. Gujarat, which was the country’s top investment destination since the opening of the economy, has now slipped to the eighth spot. Meanwhile, the Election Commission has announced that the poll in Surat City (West) Assembly constituency will be held on January 9. The election was countermanded following the death of sitting BJP MLA and Minister of State for Law Hemant Chapatwala, who was contesting for the fourth time. The counting of votes will begin at 8 am tomorrow and results are expected to be out by the evening. Elaborate arrangements have been made for smooth counting of votes. Repoll was held today in 15 polling booths spread over six Assembly constituencies, where the polling process was disrupted due to technical snags in EVMs or other irregularities. Counting of these votes will also be taken up tomorrow. Official sources said counting would begin at different district headquarters where electronic voting machines had been stored in strongrooms after the polling was completed on December 12. |
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Mufti to resettle 150
Kashmiri Pandit families New Delhi, December 14 Chief Minister Sayeed said the state government was giving final touches to a plan to bring back the first batch of 15 families by March 2003. The state government was ready to give financial assistance to the displaced families to renovate and rebuild their houses. The police and paramilitary forces had been directed to ensure adequate security. Without specifying, Mr Sayeed said some vested interests were out to scuttle the peace process in the state. He accused them of creating
problems in restoring peace and tranquility in the trouble-torn state. The Chief Minister said a number of Kashmiri Pandits had expressed a keen desire to return to their homes. He said there was no plan to make separate zones for the migrants in the valley. They were not willing to remain in segregation. The government was also ready to provide job
opportunities to the migrant youth if they returned, he said. Listing the problems of the state, he said the revival of tourism, which had been badly affected by militancy, was his first priority. There was a need to develop pilgrim tourism in the state. The government also planned to develop amusement parks at various tourist places. The state government has sought technical assistance from the Centre for developing its horticulture sector to kick-start the state’s economy and create job opportunities. Mr Sayeed interacted with growers at Jammu and Kashmir Bagh horticulture complex at Shalimar Bagh here. The Chief Minister said a conference of fruit growers would be soon convened in Srinagar. Deputy Chief Minister Mangat Ram Sharma, who was also present during the interaction, said necessary steps would be taken to improve transportation of fruit from the state to Delhi. |
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Jaya sacks two ministers Chennai, December 14 No reasons were officially given, but it was believed that the two ministers paid the price for seemingly irregular action in granting post-facto land ceiling exemption to an educational institution founded by Mr Thambi Durai. Mr Sundaram was responsible for passing the orders. The exemption, given to 66 educational institutions, including the one founded by Mr Thambi Durai and administered by his wife, had been challenged in the Madras High Court by colleges which had been denied exemption. On Wednesday, the court asked Advocate-General N.R. Chandran to produce details of a government order granting the exemption. Both ministers had been ‘trusted loyalists’ of the Chief Minister, but Ms Jayalalithaa, who had lately been underlining the need for transparency and integrity in the administration, appeared to be ready to show the door to any colleague who, in her judgement, failed the rigid test. The latest reshuffle brings down the strength of Ms Jayalalithaa’s Cabinet to 25. The total number of ministers sacked has risen to 23. |
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Terror Pakistan state policy: India New Delhi, December 14 “We are watching the situation. We will, of course, continue to take the necessary steps to safeguard our national security,” an External Affairs Ministry spokesman said in response to questions on the release of Masood Azhar, a terrorist freed by India in December 1999 in exchange for passengers of a hijacked Indian Airlines plane. Masood Azhar’s release “is a mockery of the judicial system” in Pakistan, he said. The comments also come on top of media reports that Anees Ibrahim, arrested in a murder case in Dubai, had been deported to Pakistan. On reports that 1993 Mumbai bomb blast accused Anees Ibrahim had been “spirited away” to Karachi from Dubai where he had been detained recently, the spokesman said Pakistan has become “the well established safe haven for terrorists”. “Whether Pakistan has an unvarnished military dictatorship or an electoral varnish is put on it, its mindset and policies as evidenced by the putting back in circulation of Masood Azhar remain unchanged”, he said. Recalling that Anees Ibrahim was in the list of 20 persons wanted by India, the spokesman said Pakistan had “falsely” claimed that none of those mentioned in the list were in that country. Subsequently, Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf had, in his January-12 speech, “disingenuously” suggested that no Pakistani national would be handed over, but Indian nationals had not been given asylum, he said. “Hence the recourse to the ploy to give Pakistani nationality to such persons sought to be sheltered. The seeking and grant of such nationality also points unambiguously to the complicity of the Pakistani authorities with these terrorists,” he said. Observing that Jaish-e-Mohammad stands banned in Pakistan, the spokesman said it was quite clear that investigation and charges against Masood Azhar had not been pursued by the Pakistani authorities with “any seriousness.” “Initially, when his detention had been claimed about a year ago, it transpired that it was not him but someone else who had been arrested,” he said maintaining that even when he was first in prison, he was allowed contact with his cadres and to continue with his activities. Subsequently, he was “conveniently placed in the comfort of detention in his own home and the Pakistani authorities even paid money to the family,”, he said. “This is not surprising since it is well known that it is the Pakistan and its agencies which have been involved in the building up of the terrorist structures such as the Jaish-e-Mohammad and Lashkar-e-Toiba,” he said. Referring to the recent release of LeT founder Hafiz Mohammad Saeed, the spokesman said banned terrorist outfit LeT had been allowed to continue its activities in another name, hold its annual convention and to bring out its proscribed publications.
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Mysterious disease spreads Patna, December 14 They said following reports of deterioration in health of some children at Motipur village under Naubatpur, the district administration moved them to the Bihta referral hospital and the Patna Medical College and Hospital. Since there is no viral testing hospital in Bihar it has been decided to send the blood samples of the patients to the Lucknow viral hospital, they further said. The sources said Patna District Magistrate Deepak Prasad had contacted the National Institute of Communicable Diseases, New Delhi, with a request to send a team of experts to demystify the disease. Meanwhile, the administration has taken up a cleaning drive at Dariapur village and the neighbouring areas, sources added.
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Entries for PUCL journalism award Hyderabad, December 14 The award for best entry on the human rights situation in the country, published in 2002 in any language newspaper, magazine or journal, carries a cash prize of Rs 20,000, while the second best entry will be awarded Rs 5,000. Reports published in vernacular languages should be accompanied by English translations. PUCL President K.G. Kannabiran said today that the reports should depict the human rights situation, not human conditions, in general aspects such as violation of human rights by private groups. The problem investigated should be of general significance and weightage will be given to follow-up and the eventual effect of the story. The risk the writer had taken while doing the story will also be kept in mind, he said. The record of the writer over a period of time will also be considered and hence the entries should be accompanied by a concise professional record of the author. The jury may make its own recommendation not limiting itself to the entries received. The last date for the entries to reach is January 20, 2003. The entries should be addressed to Dr Y.P. Chhibbar, 81 Sahayoga Apartments, Mayur Vihar I, Delhi 110 091. Phone: 011 2275 0014, PP Fax: 011 2275 6931 and 2279 2342.
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Dawood gangster
assaults jailors Mumbai, December 14 Jail officials said the prisoner, Sanjay Powar, had been kept in a separate cell following the incident and the officers had lodged a criminal complaint with the N M Joshi Marg police station. The police said a case had been registered under Section 332 of the Indian Penal Code (preventing government officials from discharging their duties). The incident took place when a few prisoners were waiting for the police van that was to take them to the Sessions Court for their respective trials.
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DCP suspended for ‘assault’
on JD(U) MP New Delhi, December 14 Mr R.L. Meena, DCP (Departmental Inquiry), has been given additional charge of New Delhi district, they added. BJP MP V.K. Malhotra, who heads a Parliamentary Committee, said in his preliminary report in the Lok Sabha on Thursday that in order to ensure transparent and impartial inquiry into the matter, Mr Lall be placed under suspension till the probe was completed.
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Tuskers trample woman to death Midnapore, December 14 The police said the woman was returning home after working as a labourer in a potato field on which the pachyderms had strayed in search of food. Immediately after the incident, which occurred under the Goaltore police station area, local people manhandled the Forest Range Officer and gheraoed him, demanding compensation for the deceased and the driving out of the elephants responsible for large-scale depredations in the area. The herd, consisting of 36 elephants that came down from Dalma, is now returning to the hills after its stay in Bankura and Midnapore districts, said Mr B.C. Chakrabarty, Divisional Forest Officer.
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NCP Dharna Dehra Dun , December 14 The party workers, were led by local NCP office-bearers. Around 100 persons had been injured, some of them seriously, after police teargassed and lathicharged BJP workers taking part in the raly.
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