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CBSE paper leak: CBI raids on to trace Delhi cop
Race to succeed Pervez gains
momentum
Kalam to visit LoC today
PM influencing media, says Jethmalani
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Basu has no objection
to Sonia becoming PM
Dharmendra hits the road in ‘bhujia’
capital
Main task to unseat NDA, says CPI
Only Cong can provide stability, says
Rahul
TUs urge workers to vote against
AIDM
Sonia has a dig at SP, BSP
CPM sees no threat of hung
Parliament
Campaigning for 4th phase ends today
Internet cafes, but no
water
Ram Prakash Gupta
cremated
2 Kashmiri separatists released
Elegance blends with aggression
CPM leader Nanjappan dead
Seven who sheltered terrorists held
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CBSE paper leak: CBI raids on to trace Delhi cop
New Delhi, May 2 Sleuths of the Anti-Corruption Bureau carried out searches at various locations in the national capital and surrounding areas like Ghaziabad and Faridabad looking for Kumar from whose car, jewellery and other precious items of Om Prakash Verma, father of alleged kingpins in the paper leak case Ranjit and Satinder Verma, earlier arrested by the Delhi Police, were recovered, CBI sources said today. Kumar had also escorted Verma to Gupta’s car where Rs 2 lakh of the bribe amount was kept. He had managed to flee the Crime Branch’s Dev Nagar office when the CBI raided it. The CBI has already seized a Tata Sumo belonging to Kumar from which the agency had recovered the entire jewellery belonging to Om Prakash, his wrist watch, his driving licence and emptied purse. This recovery nailed a lie of Gupta when he had informed a court that he had not seized anything from the house of Verma when his team had carried out raids. The CBI has also seized 45 files from the office of Gupta, whose custody with the agency ends tomorrow, to finalise other details, including showing of motive of the accused cop in accepting the bribe. The sources did not rule out probing other matters handled by Gupta if any discrepancies were found. —
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Race to succeed Pervez gains momentum
New Delhi, May 2 While the essential qualification for any Chief of Army Staff (COAS) is to have commanded a corps, the juggling around of several Lieutenant Generals by General Musharraf in the past few years has led to several of them qualifying for the top post, official sources said. The two Generals who could have been the claimants for the top post — the Vice-Chief of Army Staff, Gen Yusuf Khan, and the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee Chairman, Gen Aziz Khan — are due to retire as per tenure rules in October. Interestingly, had age been the criterion, these two Generals would have retired in February, 2008, and January, 2007, respectively, the sources said. Besides these two, there are many others who could be in the race for the job. The sources said, traditionally, the Commanders of two strike corps — Corps I at Mangla and Corps II at Multan — have occupied senior positions in the army hierarchy. But in view of the ongoing US-led war against terrorism, the Commanders of 10 Corps in Rawalpindi and 11 Corps in Peshawar have started coming into the limelight. Lieut Gen Ashfaq Pervaz Kiani was recently appointed Commander of the 10 Corps, thus raising speculation about his possible elevation though he is relatively junior to others. The 11 Corps Commander is due to retire shortly and thus would be out of race, the sources said. Another army officer, Lieut Gen Shahid Aziz, who was till recently holding the crucial post of Chief of General Staff under General Musharraf and is now Commander of the Lahore Corps, could be another frontrunner for the top job. Regardless of which General succeeds General Musharraf, it is highly unlikely that there would be any major change in the discipline with which loyalty is transferred to the successor, the sources said. The sources said a fairly dependable assessment was that most of the senior army leaders were in broad agreement with the policies adopted by General Musharraf, who has continued to follow the tradition of consulting the Corps Commanders virtually on all important issues, including the recent decision to cut the strength of the armed forces by 50,000. They said as of now, it appeared that the chain of command would continue to hold, irrespective of how or when General Musharraf was replaced. For the first time in its 57-year old history and in a bid to save millions of dollars, Pakistan has decided to reduce its half-a-million-strong Army by 50,000 troops this year, a step that would also improve its “teeth to tail” ratio and combat efficiency. —
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Kalam to visit LoC today
New Delhi, May 2 Commencing his visit with an interactive session with Army school children at Udhampur, the Northern Command headquarters, he will later go around the Command Hospital. Dr Kalam, the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, will see the fencing work underway along the LoC and also interact with officers and jawans during his day-long stay. He will later address jawans and join in ‘Bara Khana’. The President will go to Pathankot where he will lay wreath at the War Memorial and also visit the War Museum. He will interact with children of the Air Force school and tour the Air Base where he will take a look at aircraft and weapons systems and meet IAF personnel. —
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PM influencing media, says Jethmalani
Lucknow, May 2 “Mr Vajpayee is afraid of facing the truth and wants to suppress it,” he said at a press conference here. Film personality Mahesh Bhatt, who was also present, made a similar charge against Mr Vajpayee saying that newspapers and TV channels were not airing the views expressed by Mr Jethmalani. Mr Jethmalani said his differences with the Prime Minister had begun on the issue of Tehelka when he asked Mr Vajpayee to scrap the Tehelka Commission. He alleged that some of the leading mediahouses were “biased” against opposition parties in their reporting and were not giving him space. —
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Basu has no objection
to Sonia becoming PM
Kolkata, May 2 Virtually ruling out a third front, Mr Basu said he would not have any objection to Mrs Gandhi holding the Prime Minister’s post. “We are all hoping for a Congress-led coalition to come to power and I will have no objection to Mrs Sonia assuming the post of Prime Minister. But in case of such a scenario it is very important to have a common minimum programme in place,’’ Mr Basu said. He also predicted a hung Parliament. “It looks to me that it will be a hung Parliament and the parties will now have to sit together and think of a coalition. There is a lot to discuss. It cannot be any party’s programme but a common minimum programme as we have in West Bengal. Of course, a Prime Minister will then have to be chosen,” the former West Bengal Chief Minister said while speaking to a private television channel. The leader said to keep the NDA out, his party would support Mrs Gandhi as a prime ministerial candidate despite the issue of her foreign origin, which he said had no effect on the election. —
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Dharmendra hits the road in ‘bhujia’ capital
Bikaner, May 2 Heading a convoy of some 40 vehicles, the actor’s roadshow brought the city out on the streets. Wearing a khakhi safari suit, a brown cap and a broad smile, he accepted flowers and threw kisses at the thousands of people who milled around his vehicle. The microphone blared out a Hindi film song “Ehsaan hamare dil pe tumhara hai doston/Yeh dil tumhare pyar ka maara hai doston...” Braving the summer heat and the dust of the campaign trail for the past many days here, the actor seemed to relish the moment, saying, “I have received your love, now I want your confidence”. “Janmbhoomi Punjab/ Karmbhoomi Bikaner” screamed his campaign posters. Residents of Bikaner — famous countrywide for its ‘bhujia’ and ‘papad’ — jostled to get a view of the star. “Let’s go. Now we have seen him,” said one in the crowd on the Gajner road. The procession, which started at 4 pm, passed through Rani Marg, Tulsi Marg, Phad bazar and other parts of the city, bringing traffic to a halt. A grand welcome was organised at Pareek Chowk in the old city. Police sirens blared in an effort to clear the road. Local BJP leader Gopal Gehlot, Satya Prakash Arya and a large number of BJP workers followed the actor in vehicles. Dharmendra has been drawing huge crowds with his emotional speeches ever since he filed his nomination as the BJP candidate for the seat, making it a tough contest for the sitting Congress MP, Mr Rameshwar Dudi. “No one is interested in the controversy over his second marriage,” said a pan shop owner on the Gajner road. “He will win by over two lakh votes”. —
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Main task to unseat NDA, says CPI
Thiruvananthapuram, May 2 Addressing a press conference here, he said the alternative Government to the NDA should be based on the principles of secular democracy, federalism and self-reliant economic growth with social justice. It should also be transparent and corruption-free. “Since no single party would form government on its own, the Left parties would play a “crucial” role in the formation of a “stable” government at the Centre. However, Mr Raja clarified that his party had not yet decided on whether to join a Congress-led coalition government or not. A final decision in this regard would be taken by its National Executive on May 15 and 16 at Delhi. “The party will respect the verdict of the people and will support an alternative to the NDA,” he added. Learning from the development following the 1996 elections, all parties should sit togther for a detailed discussion after the final results of the elections. Terming the NDA Government as “a total failure, disastrous, unprincipled and opportunistic,” the CPI leader alleged that the Vajpayee government had failed to fulfil its promises. Its prime motto was to stay in power, he contended. After each phase of the elections, the NDA allies were becoming more “panicky,” he said. Mr Raja described the United Democratic Front Government in Kerala under Chief Minister A K Antony as the “worst government” ever to rule the state. —
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Only Cong can provide stability, says Rahul
Farrukhabad, May 2 Addressing people during his roadshow for party nominee Louis Khursheed here, Rahul urged the people to vote for the Congress as it was the only party which could resolve their pressing problems. Development of the state had come to a standstill during the successive non-Congress regimes, the Congress’ heir apparent said, asserting that only his party could provide stability. A huge crowd greeted Rahul throughout the 35 km route between Kayamganj and Farrukhabad where he was showered with flowers by entusiastic supporters. The crowd forced Rahul to make unsceheduled stops at several places and shook hands with the young leader. He freely mingled with the people and also enquired about their problems. During the over three hour roadshow, Rahul also highlighted the “failures” of the NDA government. —
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TUs urge workers to vote against
AIDM
Chennai, May 2 This will certainly tilt the balance against the ruling party and in favour of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK)-led Democratic Progressive Alliance (DPA) which has an electoral tie-up with the Congress. The trade unions – The Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU), the All-India Trade Union Congress (AITUC), the Indian National Trade Union Congress (INTUC), the Hind Mazdoor Sabha (HMS), the Labour Progressive Federation (LPF) and the Marumalarchi Labour Federation (MLF) – have issued a joint appeal to workers to support the DPA. The trade unions have decided to undertake door-to-door campaigning and hold street-corner meetings to oppose the “Jayalalithaa government’s anti-labour economic policies.” The two major central trade unions, the CITU and the AITUC, in Tamil Nadu have in particular asked their cadres to renew their vows on the event of May Day and rededicate themselves to bring about a change in the Central Government. According to an AITUC leader, “The NDA government at the Centre has failed to adopt a positive economic policy and instead its policies were against the working class.”There are 1.2 million state government employees in Tamil Nadu and few thousands Central Government employees, a majority of whom owe allegiance to these central trade unions. They are yet to forget the brutal manner in which their strike was crushed last year and how their leaders were dismissed and sent to jail. The leaders cautioned their workers that the state government’s move to privatise the State Transport Corporation, cooperative spinning mill and sugar mills might lead to loss of jobs of several thousand employees. The “tripartite mechanism” to solve industrial disputes had collapsed because of the state government’s “anti-labour policy,” they alleged. They said while the NDA had been talking about “India Shining” and the “feel-good factor”, the industrial workers here are in distress as more and more industries are closing down. Small-scale industries, which generated maximum number of jobs, are in doldrums. Textile and engineering industries are the worst hit in Tamil Nadu. The crisis had become so severe that even management of industrial units organised a series of protests to demand reversal of the government’s policies. The situation is worse in the handloom and powerloom sectors centers in the 10 districts in Tamil Nadu-Madurai, Kancheepuram, Erode, Vellore, Theni, Dindigul, Virudhnagar, Thanjavur, Tiruvurar and Salem districts. South Indian sarees from these districts are famous worldwide but workers in these units are faced with a crisis. Thousands of farm labourers too started migrating to other neighbouring states as there is no work due to the drought in the districts. A large of construction workers too lost their jobs as the prices of cement, iron and sand went up. As such, the working class in Tamil Nadu is likely to contribute to the anti-incumbency factor in this state, which is likely to witness a political upheaval after the May 10 Lok Sabha poll. |
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Sonia has a dig at SP, BSP
Dehra Dun, May 2 “Kuch partiyan jo khud ko Daliton aur garibon ka hamdard kahtin hain, andar hi andar bhajapa se mile hui hain, daal mein kuchh kala hai, Mrs Gandhi told an election rally here this afternoon. Taking the BJP to task, she said the saffron party was reaping the harvest for which the seeds were sown by great Congress leaders in the past. She alleged that the BJP-led NDA government wasted crores of rupees for claiming credit for the achievements of the Congress. “Whatever the BJP is boasting of today, it is the outcome of the farsightedness shown by Congress leaders,” Mrs Gandhi said. Stating that Congress leaders made sacrifices for winning freedom, she accused the BJP of constantly criticising Congress and hurling false allegations against them. “When our leaders, like Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi were building the nation, these BJP leaders were only busy in creating hurdles and hurling false allegations against our leaders,” she said, adding that the BJP never participated in freedom struggle. She highlighted the achievements of Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi for constructing new roads, bridges, industries and bringing revolution in agriculture as well as science and technology. —
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CPM sees no threat of hung Parliament
Chennai, May 2 The party’s central committee would meet in Delhi on May 16 and 17 to take stock of the post-poll scenario and also decide on whether the party should join the government if a Congress-led secular alliance came to power, he told reporters at Meenambakkam Airport on return from Madurai and en route to New Delhi. “There is no question of any hung Parliament,” he said, adding that the central committee of the party would take a decision keeping in mind the “interests of the nation”. He said he was meeting leaders of various parties to impress upon them that there was no necessity to form a third front. Meanwhile, CPM politburo member Prakash Karat said in Kochi the main issue before the party was the defeat of the BJP and its allies. The Congress was not the enemy of the CPM. “We are fighting the Congress and the UDF in Kerala, as the state government is pursuing the same policies of the Vajpayee government which is harmful for the people and the state,” he said. Alleging that the policies followed by the Congress-led governments, whether in Maharashtra, Punjab or Kerala, was no different from that followed by the BJP-led NDA administration at the Centre, he cited examples like privatisation and the ‘commercialisation’ of education. Pointing out that the Congress was unconcerned about the Vajpayee government’s foreign policy, he alleged that the Congress, by and large, agreed with the stand of the NDA government in getting close to the USA. —
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Campaigning for 4th phase ends today
New Delhi, May 2 At the stroke of 5 pm, mass rallies and canvassing would draw to a close in all 25 constituencies of Rajasthan, 30 out of 80 seats in Uttar Pradesh, 12 out of 29 constituencies in Madhya Pradesh, the last 12 of the 40 seats in Bihar, one each in Jammu and Kashmir and Nagaland and two in Arunachal Pradesh. As many as 921 candidates, including 64 women, are in the fray for the fourth phase which will seal the electoral fate among others of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav, Union HRD Minister Murli Manohar Joshi, RJD supremo Laloo Prasad Yadav and J&K People’s Democratic Party leader Mehbooba Mufti, who is pitted against CPM leader Yusuf Tarigami in Anantnag. Elections to the 14th Lok Sabha are being held in five phases, on April 20, April 22, April 26, May 5 and May 10. While polling so far has covered 278 constituencies in 18 states and union territories, on May 10 elections will be held in 183 constituencies in 17 states and union territories as also to the 32-member Sikkim state Assembly. Counting of votes will be taken up on May 13. —
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Internet cafes, but no
water
Deeg (Rajasthan), April 29 What is more, there are no roads in entire Deeg. “Whatever apology of roads you are seeing, these date back to the time of Maharajas”, muttered Shankar Lal, who owns a shop in the town. Those who have not done horse riding can go there. From Bharatpur to Deeg, the road is full of potholes. But once you reach Deeg, you begin to wonder whether roads existed ever here. You come across STD/PCO booths, Pepsi hoardings and Internet cafes, but there are no roads. It seems that the telecom revolution has preceded basic infrastructure development. Despite the sorry state of affairs, development is not an issue at all in this elections. Nor has it ever been in earlier elections. But what is the issue? The general populace still believes that the royal pride is at stake in these elections and the ‘subjects’ should do nothing to hurt it. Maharaja Vishvendra Singh, Bharatpur’s erstwhile Maharaja whose family has ancient ties with Deeg, is presently seeking re-election on the BJP ticket. Well, this is what the people say officially. They are not prepared to stick their necks out by going on record in airing their grievances. An over-riding sentiment here is that of helplessness, being resigned to their fate. The reason: they ‘know’ that none else but Maharajaji can win from Bharatpur. |
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Lucknow, May 2 The body was brought here last night from Bhopal and kept at his Mall Avenue residence for people to offer last respects. His eldest son Rajeev Lochan lit the funeral pyre amid a huge gathering at the Baikunth Dham cremation ground. UP Governor Vishnukant Shastri, Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav, BJP President M Venkaiah Naidu, Union Agriculture Minister Rajnath Singh, party leaders Kalyan Singh, Om Prakash Singh, Lalji Tandon and other politicians paid last respects to the departed soul at his residence. —
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2 Kashmiri separatists released
New Delhi, May 2 Mr G.M. Sheikh and Mr Saifuddin Bhat were set free last night from the high security Tihar Jail after Additional Sessions Judge R.K. Yadav accepted the government’s request to withdraw cases pertaining to waging war against the nation against them. “They have been released and they have also left for Srinagar”, defence counsel V.K. Ohri told PTI. The court had sought documentary proof of the Centre’s decision on prosecution’s application seeking withdrawal of cases against them on the ground that their release would “result in creating a better atmosphere” in the ongoing peace initiative in Kashmir. The decision to withdraw cases against the separatist leaders was taken by the Centre in consultation with the state government after the Hurriyat Conference raised the issue of the release of Mr Sheikh and Mr Bhat and two others during meetings with Deputy Prime Minister L.K. Advani on January 22 and March 27. The government has taken the move under Section 321 of the Criminal Procedure Code which provides for withdrawal of cases in the national interest, official sources said. |
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Elegance blends with aggression
New Delhi, May 2 The show was outstanding as Rohit is the only courturier at the ongoing LIFW who used all male models for his collection, aptly titled “Birds of Paradise”. The designer used bird motifs as embellishment with soaring Navajo eagles and hens predominating in the form of embroideries and prints on almost all ensembles. Lavishly embellished with intricate designs, the collection was priced Rs 10,000 upwards. “The line is a combination of the whimsical and serious art forms where one meets the other with unexpected results and creates a balance between the classic and the contemporary,” Rohit said. He began with pure white cable-knitted full-length jackets, skirts and pants and moved onto the black dhoti inspired wrap-flap pants and elaborately embroidered jackets in brown and burnished red. Magnificent capes and ponchos and crocheted wraps were used as accessories. “Freedom versus bondage, the strict tenets that religion imposes versus the complete wantonness prescribed by the devil is the essence of my collection,” he said. Other equally imposing jackets were in rich coloured pink, orange, blue and multi-hued quilted silk brocades, embroidered to princely perfection with fine silver and gold threads as well as Christian priest-like cassocks in jet black. Jackets in tribal red, black pants and jackets, and Kutchi embroidered and mirror-worked bombers stood out for their perfect fits and cuts. Profiled by the Time magazine as India’s master of fabric and fantasy, Rohit used a multitude of long leather straps and silver buckles, which appeared regularly, creating a sense of bondage and authoritarianism. The jackets were teamed with massive crinkled skirts, which balanced out the overtly masculine aggressivenss with feminine elegance. “Just as dichotomies of life balance out and yin and yang must exist in equal proportions, my collection also blends the opposites,” he added. —
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CPM leader Nanjappan dead
Coimbatore, May 2 He was 80 and leaves behind his wife and three sons, party sources said. A former state party executive member, Mr Nanjappan was admitted to a private hospital a month ago, since he was suffering from acute pain in the spinal chord and stomach, the sources said. —
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Seven who sheltered terrorists held
Badaun (UP), May 2 Superintendent of Police (city) Balikaran Yadav today said the arrests were made under a joint operation launched by Delhi, Haryana and the district police to nab those who provided shelter to the dreaded terrorists. However, the main leader of the terrorists, Dr Gill and a woman terrorist, escaped from the hideout prior to the operation. Mr Yadav said the two terrorists gunned down in Delhi, three days ago, had taken refuge in the forest of Patsa village about a month ago. They had earlier kept the abducted sons of a Sonepat-based businessman at the same place. Meanwhile, senior police officials from Haryana and Delhi who carried out the arrests said the seven persons were being interrogated to reveal more information about the terrorists. They said the seven had admitted to have provided refuge to Khalistan Commando Force terrorists Jagtar Singh, alias Jagga, and Ravinder Singh, alias Ranga, who were gunned down in Delhi. The SP said Dr Gill was the mastermind and had links with Bareilly BSP Lok Sabha candidate Sudhir Maurya’s brother, who had absconded. He claimed that more arrests were likely in the case. Mr Maurya has demanded a CBI inquiry into the case. —
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