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Jammu, April 5
The AICC observer and a Himachal minister, Mr Sat Mahajan, today said that the Congress would not allow the controversial daughters’ Bill to be passed in Jammu and Kashmir and public opinion would be elicited on the issue.
PDP, BJP accused of planning to rig
poll
NC launches hi-tech
campaign
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Two more file papers
Bhim Singh begins ‘insaf yatra’
Rest centre for
troops
Army hints at action against Captain
Four Bangladeshis held in Jammu
Trade in adulterated ‘katha’ goes unchecked
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Cong will not allow passage of daughters’ Bill: Sat
Mahajan
Jammu, April 5 Mr Mahajan, who is taking care of electioneering of the Congress candidates, while talking to mediapersons, said the Congress would not allow any injustice or discrimination to be done against women. Being a national party, the Congress does not support the agenda of the PDP on the Bill. He said that Ms Sonia Gandhi would consult top legal experts on the Bill. She has already expressed her displeasure over the issue, he added. Mr Mahajan alleged that the BJP was trying to mislead the electorate on the slogans of “feel-good” and “India shining”. Crores of rupees were being spent from the exchequer for their personal publicity under these slogans. He said the BJP, which had been stressing for the abrogation of Article 370, had itself pushed the demand under the carpet to please its allies. The slogan of building the Ram temple had also vanished this time. He said India really shone during the Congress regime when a decision was taken to delegate all powers to the panchayats and when Pakistan general Niazi surrendered before the Indian troops in 1971. The nuclear tests at Pokhran and launching of the Aryabhat had made the Indians proud. Mr Mahajan said the country was in turmoil as it was facing Pakistan-sponsored terrorism and the ultras had the courage to attack Parliament, the Red Fort, Akshardham temple in Gujarat and the Raghunath temple here. Instead of trying to take credit, the BJP should seek an unconditional apology from the people for making hell of their lives. Mr Mahajan said the Congress was trying to remove discrimination that was meted out to the Jammu region in the past. It was for the first time that a chief secretary from the region had been appointed. The recommendations of the Wazir Commission would be implemented by creating more districts and tehsils in the Jammu division. He said the Centre had so far not released a sum of Rs 78 crore that had been sought by the state government for the rehabilitation of migrants of villages on the Indo-Pakistan border. |
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PDP, BJP accused of planning to rig poll
Srinagar, April 5 “The PDP and the BJP are planning to rig the polls in Jammu and Kashmir. The deal has been clinched and they have already distributed the seats,” NPP chairman Bhim Singh told reporters before embarking on “Insaf (justice) Yatra” from here to Amritsar. Claiming that the “modus operandi” for rigging had been decided upon, Mr Bhim Singh said “our candidates will emerge victorious from all seats in the valley, if the elections are free and fair”. Mr Bhim Singh accused Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed of being directly involved in the BJP policy on Kashmir, and that he was implementing the agenda of Deputy Prime Minister L.K. Advani in the state. The NPP chief said the aim of his “Insaf Yatra” was to send a message to the rest of the country that Jammu and Kashmir was not included in the BJP’s roadmap or vision for India. Mr Advani’s decision to hold the so-called “Bharat Uday Yatra” from Kanyakumari to Amritsar shows that Jammu and Kashmir is not included in the BJP and the RSS roadmap. It proves that Jammu and Kashmir is not shining,” Mr Bhim Singh said. He said “Bharat Uday Yatra” had revealed the BJP’s hidden agenda to implement the Dixon Plan by separating the state from the rest of the country under US dictates. “Only people of Jammu and Kashmir can decide their future and New Delhi and Islamabad should leave it to them to seek a peaceful solution to the problem,” he added. —
PTI |
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NC launches hi-tech
campaign
Jammu, April 5 Sitting in a fabricated six-seater van, the National Conference
President, Mr Omar Abdullah, accompanied by party’s provincial
President, Mr Ajay Sadhotra, and the NC candidate, Mr Surjit Singh Slathia, left for border areas in R.S.Pora and Samba sectors for securing voters support. The van, fabricated in Maharashtra,has inbuilt gadgets, including an air conditioner, a refregerator and a television set. Mr Omar Abdullah said “We do not believe in carrying out an election campaign in helicopters. We want to interact with people while seeking their support.” Since the van has an inbuilt microphone system, the NC leaders’ speeches can be heard from a distance. “We can move into hamlets and run on narrow lanes for meeting the voters,”
Mr Sadhotra said. The NC leaders were seen comfortable while moving on dusty roads in hot weather. Mr Sadhotra said “Our mobility will be much higher than those moving in open jeeps. We can cover large number of villages in a day because we do not have to waste our time in preparing the stage.” The van is for NC leaders alone. Others have to opt for jeeps and other vehicles. A number of political parties have take on rent cars, vans, and matadors.Some of them have been brought from outside the state. A tour operator said “We do not have a sufficient fleet of cars for carrying pilgrims to Katra for pilgrimage to Mata Vaishnov Devi.” |
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Two more file papers
Srinagar, April 5 The polling in the central Kashmir constituency of Srinagar comprising Srinagar and Budgam districts will be held in the second phase on April 26. Those who filed their papers are the ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP) candidate Ghulam Nabi Lone and Abdul Rashid Kabuli of the National Democratic Front (JKNDF). The National Conference President, Mr Omar Abdullah who is to contest this Lok Sabha seat, is expected to file his nomination papers tomorrow. |
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Bhim Singh begins ‘insaf yatra’
Srinagar, April 5 The PP President, Mr Bhim Singh, who started an “insaf yatra” from the historic Lal Chowk, near here, to Amritsar this afternoon, accused Mufti Sayeed of being an agent of the BJP. Mufti Sayeed was hobnobbing with Deputy Prime Minister L.K. Advani to “implement the hidden agenda” of the BJP, Mr Bhim Singh said and alleged that the “Dixon plan” hatched by the USA was being implemented to divide the people of Jammu and Kashmir. Mr Bhim Singh said the yatra was just to remind Mr Advani that the road map of India did not stop in Amritsar where he (Advani) concluded his yatra from Tamil Nadu. — UNI |
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Rest centre for
troops
Jammu, April 5 The GOC-in-C of the Northern Command, Lt-Gen.Hari Prasad, yesterday inaugurated a Rest and Refit (R&R) centre for these troops at Dalhousie. Officers and soldiers
fighting terrorism would compulsorily be sent by rotation to Dalhousie for a week. They would be free to take their spouses and children with them. A spokesman of the Army said the aim of establishing the centre was to provide mental and physical rest to the stressed-out soldiers to enable them to carry out their duties with rejuvenated vigour. Counter-terrorist operations in J and K are conducted in amid high stress. Formations and units ensure that troops are given a break after 90 days in the form of annual or casual leave. These were tried during the World War II and had proved successful. The spokesman said a good living environment, a sumptuous multi-cuisine and fully furnished carpeted rooms would be provided at the centre. The centre at Dalhousie could accommodate 167 persons at one time. The facilities included a cafe, library, bank, health club, cyber video theatre and yoga training centre. Stress has a telling effect on soldiers and beyond a certain point it has negative effects. A 24-hours duty lack of physical exertion in the form of sports, operating in high risk environs, separation from families and limited entertainment are factors stress out men engaged in counter-insurgency.
Jammu, April 5 A spokesman of the Army told TNS that the Chief of the Army Staff of the 16 Corps has taken serious view of the incident. The Captain along with another person was reportedly arrested at Pathankot yesterday and 4.54 kg of charas was seized by the police from their vehicle. A case has been registered against the two. |
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Four Bangladeshis held in Jammu
Jammu, April 5 Three Bangladeshis were arrested at Baspur Bangla in R.S. Pura sector and Rs 5,000 along with small amount of Pakistani and Bangla currencies were recovered from them, sources said. On interrogation, the foreign nationals said they were brought here by agents to cross over the Pakistan. In other incident, security forces apprehended a Bangladeshi woman when she was trying to cross over to Pakistan via Simbal area in Akhnoor sector of Jammu district, they said. —
PTI |
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Trade in adulterated ‘katha’ goes unchecked Jammu, April 5 The authorities have so far failed to take action against those involved in the trade of the adulterated “katha”. It is learnt that the Centre has asked state governments to initiate action against those trading in adulterated “katha”. The smuggling of adulterated “katha” has also caused a setback to the industry that was producing genuine “katha” out of khair wood. Earlier, some unscrupulous traders had reportedly started supplying gambier, that is used for colouring leather, to the “paanwalas” as this was much cheaper than genuine
“katha”. |
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