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BJP starts campaign in UP, raises temple issue CPI turns to public
for manifesto
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CPM seeks CBI probe into sale of hotel
Congress President Sonia Gandhi waves to her supporters at Varanasi on Thursday. — Reuters
photo Bavarian premier all praise for ‘India Shining’ Shourie lashes out at
CAG, ready
for probe Book fair a success story for Pak publishers Cancel cricket tour to Pak, says Shiv Sena An activist of the Shiv Sena shouts slogans during a protest against the tour of the Indian cricket team to Pakistan, in New Delhi
on Thursday. India confirmed on Saturday that its Test team would go to Pakistan in
March.
— Reuters photo Hearing of case against
Vaiko, Gopal split
Five train coaches catch fire Gold rings for newborns on Jaya’s birthday
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BJP starts campaign in UP, raises temple issue Meerut, February 19 While BJP president M. Venkaiah Naidu tried to attack the Congress and its chief Sonia Gandhi on the merits of Vajpayee government’s performance, former Chief Ministers Kalyan Singh and Raj Nath Singh raised the temple and foreign origin issues, respectively. Mr Kalyan Singh, who made a grand comeback in the BJP after a four-year a “vanwas” minced no words in asserting that a grand Ram temple must be constructed in Ayodhya. He, however, hastened to add that a solution to the vexed Ayodhya issue should be found through dialogue. “I am sure it (Ayodhya issue) will be resolved soon,” he said. Attacking those who dubbed BJP a communal party’, Mr Kalyan Singh said talking about the construction of temple was not communal. The parties which were opposed to it possessed communal psyche, he said, adding if a temple could be constructed in Italy or Lahore. Mr Kalyan Singh also attacked Ms Sonia Gandhi on her capability to lead the country and on her foreign origin. Nobody could match the calibre, experience and capability of Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, who has given a stable government. Moreover, the people would never allow a person of foreign origin to become the Prime Minister, he said. He hinted at the possibility of a snap Assembly poll in Uttar Pradesh. “You give the BJP two-third of the 80 Lok Sabha seats in the coming elections, I promise you that soon you will have a people-friendly BJP government in Uttar Pradesh,” he said. He blamed the Mulayam Singh government for the poor law and order situation in the state. Earlier Mr Naidu attacked the Congress and its president for trying to ridicule the BJP’s “feel-good factor” campaign. How could a party, which was recently routed in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh and which was sensing defeat in the coming Lok Sabha poll could feel good, he asked. Asserting that the BJP’s plank would be development and leadership, Mr Naidu blamed the over four-decade Congress rule for the country’s lost opportunities. Claiming that under the leadership of Mr Vajpayee there had been a holistic development in the country and the confidence of people had grown in the BJP and its allies, Mr Naidu said his party did not want to play cattiest or religious politics but commit itself to cultural nationalism. Union Minister Raj Nath Singh, who listed various steps initiated by the Vajpayee government for the welfare of farmers, also attacked Ms Gandhi on her foreign origin. We respect Ms Sonia Gandhi, as a daughter-in-law of the country, but we can’t allow her to become the Prime Minister as she is of foreign origin,” he said. |
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CPI turns to public
for manifesto New Delhi, February 19 Party national secretary Atul Kumar Anjaan told TNS here today that they had asked party state and executive committees to welcome suggestions for possible inclusion in the manifesto. The public had been prompt in generating ideas that could be taken up as public interest issues in the manifesto. “A large number of organisations, including those of women, agriculture workers, youth and pensioners, have started writing to us. Some suggestions have also come from associations representing the visually impaired.” The CPI is also awaiting feedback from state executives for choice of candidates and seats, the nature of alliances and an assessment of the political situation. The party, which had four MPs in the Lok Sabha, plans to contest seats from Punjab and Uttaranchal. Mr Anjaan said, “We will wait for recommendations of state executives. We have identified two seats in Punjab. We will certainly contest from Bathinda, which was held by the late Bhan Singh Bhaura. He represented the constituency for two terms. We have held the seat from time to time since 1971. We may also consider the Amritsar and Jalandhar seats”. Mr Anjaan said the party would clear names of candidates for the poll only after the conclusion of the state executive meetings. As per the schedule drawn by the party, the Rajasthan state executive was meeting on February 21 and 22. This would be followed by a meeting of the Punjab state executive and the Haryana state executive on February 25, the Uttaranchal state committee on February 27, the Bihar state executive on February 28 and 29 and the UP state executive on March 1. “We have identified three seats in Uttaranchal, including Pauri Garhwal, Tehri Garhwal and Nainital.” He said the party was disinclined to contesting any seat from Haryana, where it tested its political fortunes in 1996. “It’s a game of Lals and money and muscle power with deep-rooted, obnoxious casteism,’’ he remarked. |
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CPM seeks CBI probe into sale of hotel New Delhi, February 19 “It is certainly a feel good factor for those who have gained, but certainly not for the country. The sale has raised question marks on the whole disinvestment process and the claims of our party have been vindicated by the CAG’s findings,” Mr Sitaram Yechury, party’s polit buro member, said here today. Demanding a CBI probe into the transaction, he told newspersons that “it was a classic sweet heart deal, where the buyer reaped a profit of Rs 32 crore by reselling it within a period of six months.” “Whatever allegations we have been making against this deal has been vindicated by the CAG report. The government should immediately order a probe as this deal has cast doubt on PSU disinvestment,” he said. “Our basic contention is why should the government incur loss when a private individual could reap Rs 32 crore as profit within six months. It also raises question on the process of the evaluation of the PSUs, which have been sold by the government,” he said. The first bid for the hotel, which was rejected as the price quoted was below the reserve price as well as the second bid, when the turnover levy was reduced from 6 per cent to 2 per cent, were restricted virtually to one bidder who was alleged to be close to the Sangh Parivar, he said. There was no open bid even when the tender condition was changed through reduction of turnover levy. The CAG report had confirmed that Rs 145 crore as revenue had been squandered away for a deal of Rs 83 crore. In the process, Mr A.L. Batra, owner of BHPL, got away with a premium of Rs 32 crore within six month through re-sale, he alleged. |
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Sonia
blames NDA for country’s ills Varanasi, February 19 Addressing a series of corner meetings, Mrs Gandhi appealed to the people to vote for the Congress to ensure the all-round development of the country. “No one is happy with the policies of the NDA government, which is to be blamed for the problems confronting the country,” she said to cheering crowds, which had gathered to greet her at different places in Varanasi district. “Congress ko jitayen aur desh ko bachayen’ (support the Congress and save the country)”, was the slogan she repeated at almost all her meetings.
— PTI |
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Bavarian premier all praise for ‘India Shining’ New Delhi, February 19 Mr Stoiber said the European Union, of which Germany is a member, should take advantage of the dynamism “now demonstrated” in India, adding: “India Shining is a very good slogan and it demonstrates the dynamism of the country”. Minister President Stoiber, when told by a journalist that the “India Shining” slogan was the campaign slogan of the government for the forthcoming elections, he replied: “This is a slogan that can apply to all political parties. It is a slogan of universal kind. It is a slogan which all Indians should identify with.” In this context, he said Bavaria’s slogan of “Tradition with Progress” was the one that any Indian could even identify himself with. In a brief interaction with reporters, Mr Stoiber praised the various strides that India had made in different fields and advocated an “intensified cooperation” between India and Germany not only in the hi-tech areas but also in infrastructure. Bavaria is one of the 16 states of Germany and one of the two Free States in Germany with a separate Constitution. Mr Stoiber today held 40-minute-long discussions with Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, during which the visiting dignitary stressed the need for a closer bilateral cooperation between India and the European Union. He said though Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States had a very strong business presence in India, the German business community needed to intensify its efforts by taking into consideration that this country was an important market. Mr Stoiber said during his discussion with Mr Vajpayee, it was agreed to have more interaction between the two countries in the field of education and exchange students at the university level. |
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Shourie lashes out at CAG, ready for probe
New Delhi, February 19 Expressing shock and anguish over the CAG not asking the Disinvestment Ministry for response and clarifications before finalising adverse paragraphs on the deal to sell Centaur property to Batra hospitality, he said “cast iron” disinvestment procedures followed by government were even upheld by the Supreme Court in the Balco divestment deal. On the opposition demand for a CBI probe, he said the same parties which questioned the credibility of the CBI were demanding a probe by it. He said he was willing for a probe by anybody including the Chief Justice of India. —
PTI |
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Book fair a success story for Pak publishers New Delhi, February 19 The ongoing World Book Fair, a biennial event organised here under the aegis of the National Book Trust, has thrown open a fertile marketplace for Pakistani book publishers with titles worth Rs 25 lakh already being sold within four days. “We had brought over 80 titles, most of them have already been sold out. Now we have ordered for new consignments,” an elated Ashir Shad, Assistant Manager, International Sales (Academic Division), Oxford University Press, Pakistan, told The Tribune. Most of them feel that a huge potential is lying untapped on both sides of the border in the publishing industry with some estimating that annualised business turnover could well exceed Rs 100 crore if such events were held more often across different cities in both coutries. Mr Shad listed out a few titles which have attracted the intellect of the Indian book reader. These include books such as “Taboo: The Hidden Culture of a Red Light Area”, a novel by Fouzia Saeed and “Cutting Edge: My Autobiography” by Pakistani batsman Javed Miandad. Besides, Engligh-Urdu dictionaries and the Koran were among the largest selling titles. “We did not expect such an overwhelming response at all”, Mr Shad remarked adding that orders had been placed by readers hailing from various regions of India including Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Assam. The fair will continue till Februrary 22. Similar views were echoed by Mr Ahmed Ali Sheikh, the convener of the Pakistan Publisher and Book Sellers Association. Of particular interest, he said, were books pertaining to Pakistan’s economy, polity, history and current affairs. “Our association is participating in the book fair on behalf of 972 publishers in Pakistan, who annually publish over 10,000 titles in English,Urdu and Sindhi languages,” he said. The higher value of the Indian rupee vis-a-vis the Pakistani rupee made the profit margins attractive, he said. Piracy and illegal photocopying was, however, a matter of concern, he said and called for effective steps to prevent the practice. Mr Jamshed Mirza, CEO, Royal Book House, Karachi, however, alleged that despite good demand in India, the organisers had not provided sufficient space to the Pakistani participants. |
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Cancel cricket tour to Pak, says Shiv Sena New Delhi, February 19 Waving black flags, the activists said the atmosphere was not conducive for resumption of cricketing ties and the safety of Indian players was not assured. The party issued a memorandum, urging President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam to cancel the tour. Shiv Sena’s Delhi chief Jai Bhagwan Goel said the atmosphere in the neighbouring country was not suitable for playing cricket. “When the Pakistan president has faced attacks from terrorists, how can the safety of our players be assured,” he said. Mr Goel said sports ties with the neighbouring country should start only after it acted on the list of 20 wanted terrorists given by India. Shiv Sena activists, he claimed, were ready to go to Pakistan “to damage pitches” if such directions were given by Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray. |
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Hearing of case against
Vaiko, Gopal split New Delhi, February 19 The case against Mr Vaiko and Mr Gopal which was heard together till now, will now be taken up separately, committee chairperson Justice Arun B Saharya said at a specially set up courtrooom in the high-security Vigyan Bhavan annexe here. The committee fixed February 24 as the date for the final hearing of the case against Mr Vaiko after recording the Tamil Nadu Government’s reply and that the state had furnished the documents in the case. The committee said it would hear the case against Mr Vaiko on a day-to-day basis. Regarding the case against Mr Gopal, since the government had not yet filed the chargesheet, the committee said it would fix a date for further directions only after the state submitted the secret documents. |
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Five train coaches catch fire New Delhi, February 19 The fire was noticed by the alert Station Master at Kurara station, who called for switching off the overhead current and brought the train to a halt, the NR said in a press release. Though the fire started in a coach, it spread to four other coaches later, the release said, adding the train staff conducted the fire-fighting operations.
— PTI |
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Gold rings for newborns on Jaya’s birthday Tiruchirapalli, February 19 After its workers’ meeting here yesterday, party’s Urban District Secretary Mariam Pitchai told newspersons that a decision to this effect was adopted at the meeting.
— UNI |
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New Delhi, February 19
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