 |
|
|
Raje puts rumours to rest, quits
Koda Scam
Govt agrees to discuss price rise
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Can’t dub rights activists as Naxals, Chhattisgarh told
MiG 27 fleet grounded
New Delhi rly station needs to be on track
Black Widow ‘getting’ govt grant
Photo ID for Muslim Women
SC: Are UP’s elephant statues poll symbols?
XEN withdraws complaint after MLA apologises
|
|
Raje puts rumours to rest, quits
Jaipur, February 22 Though Raje had sent her resignation to the party high command on October 23, she was reportedly asked to personally hand it over to the Speaker. This, perhaps, explains her absence from the national executive meeting in Indore last week. Her move to skip Indore meet was also attributed by many as her protest against the recently held organisational polls in the state BJP and her demand to hold them again. She was also upset with the high command for not conceding to her demand that one of her loyalists be chosen as her successor. The Central leadership headed by the then party president Rajnath Singh had asked Raje to step down from the post in August following the BJP’s dismal performance in the Assembly as well as Lok Sabha polls. Initially, Raje had resorted to a defiant approach and even put up a show of strength in New Delhi, but the party high command’s tough stand forced her to give in. In all these months, the party’s Central leadership could neither decide on her future role nor elect her successor, leaving her and the state BJP unit in an embarrassing situation. In such a scenario, there were speculations that she would lead the party, at least in the Budget session that began today. But the charismatic leader, putting all rumours to rest, put in her papers before the commencement of the Assembly session in the morning. Talking to the media after meeting the Speaker, Raje said: “Though I had resigned three-four months back, the resignation had not reached the Speaker, so today I submitted the same to him. I would like to thank all the party MLAs for their support during my stint as Leader of Opposition. Post or no post, I will continue to serve the people of Rajasthan.” As of now, Ghanshyam Tiwari who is the Deputy Leader of Opposition will lead the party in the Assembly. There is a buzz in the political circles that the party will elect its new leader within a week after a discussion with the top bosses. Among the contenders for the post, former state Home Minister Gulab Chand Kataria is being seen as a front-runner. He also has the backing of the RSS. Two-time MLA Rao Rajendra Singh is also in the race, as he is being seen as someone acceptable to both the Raje camp and the anti-Raje camp. His clean image may also get him approval of the RSS. In December 2008 Assembly elections, the BJP had bagged only 78 seats in 200-member House, while it was reduced to paltry 4 seats in May 2009 LS polls as compared to 21 out of 25 LS seats in 2004.
|
|
Koda Scam
Patna, February 22 Chaudhary’s transfer seems to have more to it than meets the eye. Although search operations conducted by him were aimed to unearth the illegal money of former Jharkhand chief minister Madhu Koda and his associates, the I-T investigating team is understood to have stumbled upon some vital clues that could have revealed a close nexus of other politicians, bureaucrats and even underworld dons with hawala traders. Chaudhary and his men had seized incriminating documents, laptops and computer floppies from Pune-based hawala trader Ajay Basna, Delhi-based Manoj Punamia and Mumbai-based Anil Bastawade during the raid. Underworld links of Ajay Basna are an open secret among I-T officials. That is why Chaudhary had to seek the assistance of central paramilitary force (CPMF) to raid his premises. Even though accompanied by CPMF jawans, the I-T team faced stiff resistance from Basna’s henchmen at Pune. Chaudhary has been asked to swap places with another officer of the same commissionerate, Ajay Kumar, Commissioner Central Charge.
Successor under pressure to join
It is learnt that I-T top bosses were pressuring Chaudhary’s successor to assume charge or the Jharkhand High Court, which is monitoring the investigation, may stay his transfer. Durga Oraon, on whose petition the HC has acted, has filed an interlocutory application in the Court saying Chaudhary was transferred with malafide intention and has prayed to the court for its stay.
|
|
Govt agrees to discuss price rise
New Delhi, February 22 The opposition parties, including the BJP and its other NDA allies, the Left as well as the Samajwadi Party and the RJD jointly raised the issue at the Business Advisory Committee (BAC) here on Monday. Sensing the unity developing between the NDA, the Left and its erstwhile allies like the RJD and the SP on the issue, the government immediately ceded their demand to discuss price rise tomorrow itself.After the BAC meeting in the chamber of Speaker Meeira Kumar, a minister said, “We have agreed to a short duration discussion and now it is for the Speaker to take a decision.” He pointed out that normally the precedent is to take up the Motion of Thanks on the
Presidential Address before any other item. “But breaking convention, we have to agreed to a short duration discussion on price rise first,” the minister pointed out.”
|
|
Can’t dub rights activists as Naxals, Chhattisgarh told
New Delhi, February 22 A Bench comprising Justices Sudershan Reddy and SS Nijjar told the state and the Centre that the only issue before the court was whether the incidents of killings and maiming as described by the PIL petitioners from the Dantewada district were true. “Is it your case that the petitioners were Naxalites,” the Bench asked senior counsel Ranjit Kumar, who appeared for the state. As the counsel said some of them were Naxal sympathisers, the court said this was not the way the state should be dealing with the issue. Even the petitioners had made it clear that they were not condoning the actions of Naxalites. Attorney General GE Vahanvati said the Centre had approved a Rs 7,300 crore development plan for the Naxalite-infested forest areas of Chhattisgarh and would submit it to the court soon. The state had recently produced six of the 12 petitioners, who had reportedly gone missing after demanding a CBI inquiry into the killing of 10 tribals allegedly by the security forces, in the apex court. The court had then ordered recording of their statements by Delhi’s District Judge. They had, however, told the District Judge that although they were witness to the killings, they did not know whether the assailants were security personnel. The state told the court that three more petitioners had been traced and efforts were on to track down the other three and that they would be produced before
the Bench. The court fixed March 19 for the next hearing.
|
|
MiG 27 fleet grounded
New Delhi, February 22 Sources said engines of the fighters were under the scanner. The engines have a history of malfunctioning and had developed trouble some four years ago as well. The fleet was barely flown during 2005-2006 after it was found that the R-29 series of engines were causing accidents. A MiG-27 - an important element of the IAF strike fleet - went down near Siliguri in West Bengal last Tuesday, killing the pilot, Squadron Leader Oswald. The entire fleet is any way under an upgrade. Separately, IAF Chief, Air Chief Marshall PV
Naik, announced that the force will showcase its prowess and capability of precision strikes during day, dusk and night at the firepower demonstration, Vayu Shakti-2010, in Pokhran on February 28. To be witnessed by President Pratibha
Patil, it will be a collective display of skills and accuracy in weapons delivery by pilots. It also aids commanders and planners to gain better insight into the potential and development capabilities of aerial weapons. While the display, which will see participation of over 100 aircrafts, comes close on the heels of scheduled talks between foreign secretaries of India and Pakistan on February 25, IAF Chief PV Naik said there is no link between the two. “Do not link (or attribute) any motives. Our demonstration is intended to tell the people of our country the capability of the
IAF, its skills and strategic reach... in national interest,” the Air Chief said in response to a question whether Vayu Shakti was intended for Pakistan. What about firepower demo?
The grounding of the MiG 27 fleet has raised questions over the fighters’ participation in the first-ever night firepower demonstration scheduled in Pokhran for February 28. Officials refused to commit if MiG 27’s would fly in the firepower demonstration, which is to include all major fighter planes, choppers and transporters operated by
IAF.
|
|
|
New Delhi rly station needs to be on track New Delhi, February 22 New Delhi railway station, the country’s biggest, is hardly the advertisement the country’s capital needs while it tries hard to attract tourists and spruce up its image before the Commonwealth Games. Railway station officials say close to 5 lakh passengers reach here every day, while as many as 288 trains either terminate or depart from here. And these numbers are only increasing. Officials, who spoke requesting anonymity as they are not authorised to speak to the media, say their biggest problem is the little interest shown by the government to infrastructure even as the number of trains has increased disproportionately in the last decade or so. “There are some 6,000 employees in the station. Passenger load, trains and other services have increased over the years while the number of employees has not,” a top official said. Most passengers standing at the seven enquiry counters at New Delhi railway station complained of lack of accurate information there. The worst sufferers are passengers journeying to New Delhi from bordering areas of UP and Haryana for either work or trade. “Enquiry counters are never really helpful. They never have updated information about local trains,” said Yogita Kumari, a daily passenger. She said daily passengers like her have their own network to track their trains and they normally know more about timings than railway officials! Officials said there was no system through which they could tell the exact time of arrival of trains. “We can tell the exact location of a train, but there is no way of telling the time it would take to reach the station as there are so many factors involved. We need better technologies,” said an official. Another grouse among passengers is that New Delhi railway station does not have enough display boards to update information regarding trains. And even those that are there are not of much help. “The display boards do not have information about some trains,” said Gurnam Singh, a frequent traveller. Many regular passengers say the rail information mechanism is of little help on days when there are disruptions to train services, like on a foggy day or when some accident occurs. If display boards show a delay of two hours for a particular train, it may later turn out to be delayed by 10 to 12 hours or even more as happened with many trains during the recent fog in North India. The station has only one restaurant on the first floor that is generally deserted due to poor upkeep and food quality. Waiting rooms are shabby, overcrowded and make for unpleasant stay. The overhead footbridge connecting all 16 platforms at the station has never been expanded and passengers being pushed around and even roughed up in crowd are a common sight, mostly when trains bound for eastern UP or Bihar leave or arrive here from these places. The police has had to use force often to control the crowd. Officials say railway ministers have been more interested in populist measures like introducing more trains and have paid little attention to change the face of New Delhi railway station, which is practically nobody’s baby.
|
|
|
Black Widow ‘getting’ govt grant
Guwahati, February 22 The NIA had probed into a case of diversion of development fund meant for the hill council to an insurgent outfit (Dima Halam Daogah --- Jewel Garlosa faction) ) in connivance with some politicians and bureaucrats. The Opposition parties and the AASU alleged involvement of some Congress ministers in the scam that rocked the NCHADC. They accused Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi of trying to shield some of his ministers involved in the scam by not entrusting the CBI with the responsibility of conducting a probe into the alleged scandal.The AGP has resorted to statewide campaign against Gogoi and the ruling Congress demanding CBI probe into the scam. AGP spokesman Atul Bora said the party would send a delegation to New Delhi to seek intervention of the Prime Minister and the President into the matter. The AASU demanded that the Centre should make public the inquiry report submitted by the NIA to clear the air of apprehension over involvement of some state Congress ministers in the scam that rocked NCHADC.Gogoi on Friday had ruled out a CBI probe and said: “If prima facie evidence is found against any of my ministers , action will be taken . I will also ensure that those ministers do not get party ticket to contest next election.”
|
|
Photo ID for Muslim Women
New Delhi, February 22 A Bench headed by Chief Justice KG Balakrishnan, however, asked the petitioner, the EC and the government to discuss the issue and come out with a practical solution in four weeks. The Centre described as “incorrect and misleading” the petitioner’s contention that photo electoral rolls were against the rights of Muslim women to practice their religion under Article 25. The Constitution did not offer “unfettered rights” to religious practice and merely protected the essential or integral practice of any religion. Additional Solicitor General Mohan Jain appeared for the Centre. Meenakshi Arora, appearing for the EC, said the judiciary had clarified that burqa was not an “integral part” of Islam. The Bench, which included Justices Deepak Verma and BS Chauhan, also expressed doubts about the feasibility of placing restrictions on the use of voters’ photographs on the electoral rolls that was necessary for identifying voters. Appearing for the PIL petitioner from Tamil Nadu, senior counsel PS Narasimha said his client only wanted the removal of photographs of such women from the rolls meant for the public and not for election officials or polling agents. The Centre has, however, clarified in its affidavit that the rolls were not given to the public at large and were restricted to polling agents and recognised political parties.
|
|
SC: Are UP’s elephant statues poll symbols?
New Delhi, February 22 A Bench headed by Chief Justice KG Balakrishnan granted three months to the EC for the purpose even as senior counsel Satish Mishra, appearing for the state government, contended that elephant statues were considered auspicious and treated as a sign of “welcome” and had nothing to do with the BSP’s poll symbol. Elephant insignias and statues could be found everywhere, including Rahstrapati Bhavan, Parliament and the North and South Blocks which housed the offices of various Union Ministries and no one had viewed them as a BSP symbol, he contended, opposing the PIL petitioner’s plea against the wastage of public money.
|
|||||
|
XEN withdraws complaint after MLA apologises Lucknow, February 22 Consequently, Dalit executive engineer Shivdas, who also appeared before the probing officer today, has given in writing to have "understood" the behaviour of the MLA and hence has decided to withdraw his resignation and continue in his present post. In his letter, the MLA has admitted to have lost his temper over the issue of installation of tube wells and has expressed regret for his behaviour with Shivdas, who is at present posted in the Tubwell Division in Etawah. Addressing the media, Additional Cabinet Secretary V S Pandey scotched rumours appearing in a section of the media that the executive engineer was traceless.
|
|||||
Gujarat to relax prohibition policy Raj gets bail in rioting case HC reserves order on Sajjan’s bail plea
|
|
| HOME PAGE | |
Punjab | Haryana | Jammu & Kashmir |
Himachal Pradesh | Regional Briefs |
Nation | Opinions | | Business | Sports | World | Letters | Chandigarh | Ludhiana | Delhi | | Calendar | Weather | Archive | Subscribe | Suggestion | E-mail | |
More than six months after she was asked to step down, former Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje today finally submitted her resignation as Leader of Opposition in the state Assembly to Speaker Deependra Singh
Shekhawat. Though Raje had sent her resignation to the party high command on October 23, she was reportedly asked to personally hand it over to the Speaker.
