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CPM invites non-NDA parties to join hands
Advani : let experts’ panel go into quota issue
CPI welcomes decision on hike in medical seats
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Arjun visits UAE, Saudi Arabia today
Truck operators withdraw strike call
CPI: BJP stand on Aamir shows fascist mindset
Vikas Yadav admits to murdering Nitish
PM undergoes wrist surgery
Pirated copies of ‘Fanaa’ reach Mumbai streets
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CPM invites non-NDA parties to join hands
Kolkata, May 28 Mr Karat said they had already started negotiating with Samajwad Party leader Mulayum Singh Yadav and Telegu Desam’s Chandrababu Naidu for bringing them together at the same platform with other left parties. He, however, did not spell out if it was an another attempt to set up an alternative third front against the ruling Congress. But he reiterated that they would widen their agitation against the UPA’s faulty economic policies and the privatisation and disinvestments programme. Later, addressing the Left Front’s victory celebration meeting at Netaji indoor stadium in the evening, the patriarch, Mr Jyoti Basu, also gave a call to the people to launch a massive movement against the UPA’s decision to hike oil prices and the plan to modernise the country’s airports by the private sector. He said the International Airport Authorities of India was a competent organisation for modernisation programme of the airports and there was no need to hire a private sector company to do the work. Mr Karat said at the Politburo meeting, they had reviewed the performance of the UPA government on its completion of its two-year tenure but he regretted tit was not much satisfactory. He alleged that the Manmohan Singh government had been deliberating flouting the UPA’s common minimum
programme, despite their objections and, hence, the CPI(M) and other leftparties, supporting the government from outside, would now widen protest and agitation both inside and outside Parliament against the decision of price hike in petrol, diesel and kerosene and themodernisation of Kolkata, Chennai and other remaining airports by private sector companies. Mr Karat said at the Politburo they had discussed the new reservation policy and decided
to extend their support to it. But they were against curtailing seats in the general quota to provide special reservation facilities to OBCs which ,he claimed, the government had agreed. He asked the striking students to immediately call off their agitation and restore normalcy in hospitals and other educational institutions.
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Advani : let experts’ panel go into quota issue
Self-immolation to derail stir: outfit
An anti-reservation outfit has said the extreme forms of protest like self-immolation will sabotage the ongoing anti-reservation stir. In a statement isused here today, convener of the Arakshan Sampati Abhiyan (anti-reservation campaign) R.K. Bhardwaj voiced apprehension that suicide attempts could provoke other students in the country to make similar attempts. He recalled that such a suicide spree during the anti-Mandal time in 1989 had jeopardised the whole issue of reservation. “To burn oneself alive is the most heinous and painful step and no religion allows it.” He suggested that the best course of action is to oust the present political regime in the next election. Bhardwaj said all reservations should be abolished.
— TNS
New Delhi, May 28 “Merit and excellence should not be undermined while addressing the legitimate concerns of sections of society that have lagged behind for centuries,” Mr Advani observed here while opening a park in memory of late Hindi literateur Gopal Prasad Vyas. The former Deputy Prime Minister's comments on the quota issue comes on the eve of the BJP's two-day National Executive which is expected to take a formal stand on the controversial issue. About the ongoing agitation against the 27 per cent quota for OBCs in institutions of higher education, Mr Advani said, “one should not forget that India today commands respect in the world not just because of its high growth rate but also because of being a knowledge society. He said while affirmative action was accepted worldwide, the same was not true of reservation. Mr Advani wanted a specialists’ committee to go into the entire gamut of reservation and consider if quotas are the only solution or there can be alternative action encompassing financial assistance. “Both these concerns should be addressed while pursuing the goals of social justice. At the same time merit or excellence should not be undermined,” he added. Agitated that no government representative was present at a function in Parliament to mark the birth anniversary of freedom fighter and Sangh Parivar icon Veer Savarkar, the BJP charged the ruling Congress-led UPA of dividing national leaders on party lines. Mr Advani took exception to the absence of any leader from the ruling coalition at the function in Central Hall of Parliament. He accused the Congress of trying to divide even national leaders on party lines. “We have always attended such functions, including that of Pandit Nehru, Sardar Vallabhai Patel, B G Tilak and even A K Gopalan," Mr Advani said.
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CPI welcomes decision on hike in medical seats
New Delhi, May 28 In a statement issued here today, the CPI has appealed to the agitating students and doctors to call off their strike as the steps taken by the government will ensure that there is no shrinking of opportunities for candidates belonging to the general category. Terming reservation as a "necessary form of affirmative action and social justice at this stage of our socio-economic development and existing educational backwardness", the party has tried to dissuade students from continuing their agitation. The CPI has said if the students continue with the agitation, it will only mean that their aim is to do away with reservation itself.
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Arjun visits UAE, Saudi Arabia today
New Delhi, May 28 The minister is carrying a letter from Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for the Saudi Arabian King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud. Mr Singh will head a seven-member delegation of academics, including UGC Chairperson Sukhadeo Thorat. He is expected to sign an education exchange programme between India and Saudi Arabia and oversee the conclusion of an MoU between Jamia Milia Islamia and King Abdul Aziz University in Jeddah. The minister dismissed UP Chief Minister Mulyam Singh Yadav’s charge that the proposed reservation for OBCs was a vote-catching ploy of the Congress and said it had the backing of the Samajwadi Party. He stated that it was not clear to him on which charges Mr Yadav wanted Mr Singh to be sent to jail.
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Truck operators withdraw strike call
New Delhi, May 28 The strike call was given in protest against the government’s indifferent attitude to their demand for streamlining the insurance and tax structure for the industry. The strike was withdrawn after a meeting between the truck operators’ representatives and Union Road Transport and Highways Secretary L.K. Joshi here yesterday. The All-India Confederation of Goods Vehicle Owners Association president B. Channa Reddy said the truck operators had decided to withdraw the call for a strike after their demands were acceded to. The association had accused insurance companies of high-handedness, arbitrary levying of taxes by the states on vehicles passing through their territories, imposition of high toll on highways and anomalies in the TDS from hire charges paid to goods carriages were the major concerns of the truck operators. Following the discussions, the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority has issued directions to all insurers, both public and private, not to refuse renewal or issuance of third party legal liability motor policy. Instead, the insurance companies will henceforth issue the policy on demand at the existing tariff rate. It was also decided that the anti-overloading provisions in the Motor Vehicles Act would be reviewed forthwith and strengthened to ensure their compliance by officials of the Transport Department.
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CPI: BJP stand on Aamir shows fascist mindset
New Delhi, May 28 In a statement issued here today, the Central Secretariat of the CPI has said that the BJP spokesperson has even questioned Khan’s right to speak about rehabilitation of Narmada oustees and has arrogantly remarked that he is an actor, not a politician. “What does he know about rehabilitation,’’ the BJP spokesperson has asked. The CPI reminded the BJP that it dragged scores of actors to its political platform during elections.
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Vikas Yadav admits to murdering Nitish
New Delhi, May 28 In his confession statement before the police in the case, Yadav had admitted that he had first hit Katara with a hammer on his head and later burnt his body, the NDTV news channel claimed. Yadav, son of former Rajya Sabha MP D.P. Yadav, is also one of the accused in the murder of model Jessica Lall. Katara was murdered in February 2001. The bone of contention between the two was the ongoing love affair between Katara and Bharti, sister of Yadav. "The affair brought bad name to the family," Yadav confessed in the statement. The murder took place five years ago and an investigating officer recorded the statement soon after the crime. The report said the statement could not be used as evidence in the court as no magistrate was present when it was made. According to the confession, Yadav and his cousin Vishal lured Katara from a wedding dinner in Ghaziabad and hit him with a hammer inside their Tata Safari car after a midnight drive before burning his body with diesel taken out from the car. Yadav said Katara had fainted shortly after being hit on the head and soon died. According to the statement, Yadav had led to locations and objects involved in the crime. His lawyer had also signed the disclosure statement, which made it extremely important to the investigation. Meanwhile, even after five years of the incident and several court hearings, the key witness Bharti Yadav has been absconding despite court summons, non-bailable warrants and her passport being revoked. In a recent court proceeding, Bharti's father had told the court that he was unaware of her whereabouts. According to the police, Bharti had left for London soon after the murder. — IANS
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PM undergoes wrist surgery
New Delhi, May 28 According to a statement issued by the Prime Minister’s media adviser, Dr Singh has returned home and will attend to his normal official duties. He will start attending office after two days. According to the statement, the operation on the left wrist follows a similar procedure on his right wrist on October 13, 2005.
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Pirated copies of ‘Fanaa’ reach Mumbai streets
Mumbai, May 28 A pirated CD of “Fanaa” is available for between Rs 150-200 in areas like Heera Panna and Bandra areas of the city. However, police has been able to prevent copies of the movie reaching other parts of Mumbai. Most of the pirates have downloaded the movie from the Internet using bit-torrent software before circulating it in different parts of the country.
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