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Mufti under pressure from Cong to amend
anti-defection law
CPM leader escapes bid on life, 6 killed
Amarnath yatra concludes today
Trifurcate J&K, demands JMM
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Mufti under pressure from Cong to
Jammu, August 18 According to a Congress source, “We favour major amendment to the anti-defection law so that not a single MLA is able to cross sides under the cover of the law.” The exiting anti-defection law provides that if out of the total strength of a legislature party one third of MLAs belonging to one party defect to another the axe of anti-defection law will not fall on them. The Congress leadership wants the law to be amended so that even if 33 per cent MLAs of a particular party defect to another political organisation it should not be treated as a split but all of them be brought under the purview of the anti-defection law. Congress sources said that this step was being taken to allow a smooth sailing for the new Chief Minister who will belong to the Congress. Since indications are that Mr Ghulam Nabi Azad, Union Minister for Parliamentary Affairs, is tipped to replace Mufti Mohd Sayeed, in case no last minute developments took
place, he does not want MLAs belonging to the PDP or the PDF to cross over to the National Conference. He also wants that no MLA belonging to the Congress should be able to defect to the National Conference which has a strength of 25 legislators needing the support of 19 MLAs for forming the Government. The party sources said that if Mr Azad succeeds Mufti Mohd Sayeed he would, as Chief Minister ,go in for reducing the size of the Ministry. Once that is done a number of MLAs, especially Ministers, who may be dropped from the council of ministers, are likely to defect to the National Conference. Indications are that the PDP leadership is
not, at present, in favour of adopting amendments to the anti-defection law. If that turned out to be true the National Conference legislature party may move a private members resolution seeking amendment to the anti-defection law. In that case the role of the PDP will become clear. The National Conference is in favour of amending the anti-defection law as it has reports that more than eight of its MLAs had started hobnobbing with the PDP. Reports said that the Chief Minister may announce his resignation on the last day of the autumn session of the Assembly though the agreement on transfer of power is valid up to November 2 when three years ago the Mufti took over as the Chief Minister of the state. But he does not want to
heighten political uncertainty. He has already, on a number of occasions, declared that he would voluntarily step down to honour the
spirit of the agreement on the transfer of power. This he has conveyed to AICC President, Ms Sonia Gandhi, who is said to have appreciated the Mufti’s gesture. However, nothing can be said with certainty whether the transfer of power will take place. |
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CPM leader escapes bid on life, 6 killed in J&K
Srinagar, August 18 Security forces seized a huge cache of arms and ammunition, including 30 kg of black explosive powder in the state during the period, he added. Official sources said militants attacked the councillor, Ghulam Mustafa Wani, near the Kulgam bus stand, also known as ‘Qazigund Ada’, this morning. While Mr Wani escaped unhurt, his PSO Mehraj-ud-Din was wounded in the attack, they added. Meanwhile, state CPM secretary Mohammad Yousuf Tarigami lashed out at the state government for "its failure to protect the lives of the elected representatives of the people." "The state administration is playing with the lives of those who are under threat by the militants," he alleged. "This is a negligence of the state government. How can a PSO, who happened to be a Special Police Officer (SPO), protect someone when he is without a weapon?’’ Mr Tarigami asked. The CPM is supporting the PDP-Congress coalition government in the state from outside. The official spokesman said security forces and the police killed two Jamait-ul-Mujahideen militants, including a foreigner, in an encounter at Karmulla forests in the Tral area of south Kashmir district of Pulwama last evening. The slain militants were identified as Mohammad Ali, alias Bilal, a resident of Faisalabad in Pakistan, and Farooq Ahmad Dar of Tral. Two AK rifles and three magazines were also seized from them. A civilian, identified as Mohammad Shaban, was also wounded in the gunfight. Militants killed Ghulam Mohammad Bhat, alias Gulla Ama, reportedly working with the 50 Rashtriya Rifles (RR), in the Laam area under the Tral police station early today. Security forces recovered body of Bashir Ahmad Gujjar from the forest area of Tral, the spokesman said, adding that he was hanged by the militants. In another incident, security forces during a search operation at upper heights dukes and hides of Awoora nallah near the Harisingh Kathi under the Pahalgam police station in south Kashmir seized 30 kg of black explosive powder, eight electric detonators, one UBGL, one grenade, two binoculars and a radio set last evening. In yet another incident, militants fired at Mandloo Dhok under the Gool police station in Jammu’s Udhampur district during which Mohammad Abdullah Najar (75), a resident of Deeda, was killed on the spot. A report from Jammu, quoting SSP (Rajouri district) J.P. Singh, said Himmat Singh (33) was on his way to home when unidentified assailants fired at him from a .12 bore gun, resulting in his on the spot death. Some old enmity was suspected to be the reason behind the incident, he said. — UNI |
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Amarnath yatra concludes today
Srinagar, August 18 The Amarnath yatra concludes tomorrow on the full moon of Shravan that coincides with Raksha Bandhan. It will be concluded with special prayers by Mahant Deepinder Giri, head of sadhus leading the holy mace of Lord Shiva. This was an incident-free yatra for the third consecutive year, while adequate security arrangements had been made along both routes leading to the holy cave at a height of 3,952 metres from the sea level. Those who joined the annual pilgrimage this year included 3.75 lakh pilgrims via the trekking routes from Pahalgam and Baltal, while over 10,000 others had had darshan of the ice lingam after reaching the cave by helicopter. Official here said that out of over 3.75 lakh pilgrims, 1,53,473 pilgrims visited the cave shrine via Pahlgam. At least 57 pilgrims have died due to different reasons, including cardiac arrest etc. |
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Trifurcate J&K, demands JMM
Jammu, August 18 Prof Virender Gupta, president of the JMM, in a statement here today accused certain leaders of Jammu of sacrificing the interests of the area and resorting to opportunistic politics. He said the demand for division of the state was purely on regional and cultural basis. There was nothing communal in the demand as the Jammu region consisted of people of different religions and sub-cultural identities. Mr Gupta alleged that the Kashmir leadership had continuously discriminated against the Jammu and Ladakh regions and provided step-motherly treatment to these areas. Although the strength of the ruling
coalition was more in the Jammu region, the Mufti did not allow anyone from here to become Chief Minister. He said that the Mufti government had failed to implement those points of the common minimum programme that would have benefited the Jammu region. Delimitation of the assembly constituencies was intentionally not being ordered, he alleged. |
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