L A T E S T      N E W S

Govt confident of tabling Lokpal Bill in winter session

NEW DELHI: Acknowledging that consensus eluded the all-party meeting on Lokpal issue, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal today said the government was confident that it would be able to table the proposed bill in the winter session itself.

"I believe that it would be possible. Yesterday, there was an all-party meeting where 35 different parties participated. All had different views on the issue. To say there was broad consensus on the issue would be wrong. This has increased the work load of the government," Bansal said.

"How to compile these 35 different views and then also bringing in government views and to make amendments in the proposed bill," Bansal said, referring to the task at government's hand.

However, "We are working hard on it and I am confident we will be present it in this session," he said.

When pointed out that only one week of the Parliament session was remaining, Bansal said, "We will have to do a lot of hard work and only then it would be possible."

"Even if we do it by 20-21st I don't think why it cannot be done. On one day it can be discussed in one House and on the other day it can be done in the second House," he said.

Bansal said that there was a range of opinions expressed at the all-party meeting held over Lokpal.

"There was no consensus at the all-party meeting. Some were of the view that why were we hastening up the whole process. Our aim is how to find a consensus view from the different views given by the parties," he said.

"Some were of the view that Group C should be brought under the Lokpal and some were opposed to the idea as it involved 35 lakh central employees. And how will one institution look after the complaints received against them," Bansal said.

"The government has started working now on the issue and its sole effort is to see how we can come up with the bill as soon as possible," he said. — PTI

New Delhi: With no consensus on the Lokpal bill at the all-party meeting held late Wednesday, anti-corruptuion crusader Anna Hazare on Thursday demanded extension of Winter Session of Parliament. Reiterating his stand, Anna Hazare threatened to go on an indefinite fast from December 27 in case the Lokpal Bill was not passed in the current session. However, the Gandhian expressed confidence on the government and said he is hopeful of an effective Lokpal bill being passed this session. 

Oppn clamours for Chidambaram's resignation

NEW DELHI: Already under the scanner for alleged complicity in the 2G scam, Home Minister P. Chidambaram found himself in a fresh trouble on Thursday with the Opposition pressing for his ouster following a report that he allegedly abused his power while quashing a forgery case against a former client.

Both Houses of Parliament were disrupted after a report in a national daily alleged the Home Minister had helped a Delhi hotelier who was his client when he was a practising lawyer.

The Home Ministry, however, backed Chidambaram saying that it had acted as per the law in this case.

The Lok Sabha was adjourned for the day after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the AIADMK noisily protested over the issue. The Rajya Sabha was also disrupted soon after it assembled.

BJP members showed copies of the English daily that had published the report on Chidambaram's alleged interest in a legal dispute involving the Delhi-based hotel and its owners. 

The report alleged that the Home Ministry had earlier this year directed withdrawal of FIRs against the hotel owner accused of cheating and forgery.

"The conflict of interest relates to a politically sensitive case in which Chidambaram's client S.P. Gupta, a hotelier, was also accused... The main case against Gupta was defrauding to the tune of several crores of rupees," according to The Pioneer newspaper.

It said that with the specific approval of Chidambaram, the Home Ministry directed the withdrawal of three FIRs against Gupta.

BJP's Chandan Mitra, editor of the daily, raised the issue alleging that the Home Minister had misused his power.

"Chidambaram misused his powers. He instructed the Delhi government and Delhi police to withdraw charges. We think it is a big case of conflict of interest. Chidambambaram has no moral authority to remain the Home Minister, he should resign," Mitra said.

But the Home Ministry said Chidambaram had no role to play.

"The Home Minister had no role in this. He only said go by the Law Ministry's opinion. No senior advocate ever remembers who he advised a year ago," Home Secretary R.K. Singh told reporters.

Mitra was supported by other Opposition MPs who gathered near Chairman Hamid Ansari's podium.

Minister of State in Prime Minister's Office V. Narayanasamy said Mitra raising the issue was a case of conflict of interest because the story was published in the newspaper he edited.

"He should not be allowed to raise the issue in the house. This is conflict of interest."

To counter the protest, Congress members waved newspapers carrying reports of alleged land grabbing by Pune's Maharashtra Gandhi Smarak Nidhi of which Anna Hazare was a prominent member.

In the din, Minister of State for Planning Ashwani Kumar charged the Opposition with disrupting the functioning of the house by inventing new issues.

He alleged that the Opposition was not allowing the ministers to reply questions and introducing the bills.

Chidambaram was not in either House when the Opposition raised the issue. — IANS

DIAMOND HARBOUR (West Bengal): One of the worst-ever hooch tragedies in India continued to unfold on Thursday, leaving 121 persons dead and over 100 in hospitals, as more victims — mostly rickshawpullers, labourers and hawkers — reported sick after consuming hooch in a village.

The victims, who had Tuesday night visited some illegal liquor dens near Sangrampur railway station in the village by the same name in South 24 Parganas district, were mostly from the poorest sections of society.

"So far 121 persons have died," district police superintendent L.N. Meena told IANS over phone.

Sangrampur falls under the Diamond Harbour subdivisional headquarter.

Seven persons have been arrested for supplying moonshine in the area. Most victims belonged to Usthi, Mandirbazar and Magrahat areas.

Official sources said more people had been admitted to hospitals since Wednesday evening. Patients were coming in even Thursday morning and the toll was likely to rise, they said.

The victims were mostly in a Diamond Harbour hospital, some were admitted in neighbouring areas while yet some were even brought to Kolkata for treatment.

The chemical mixed in the liquor has not yet been identified, said district magistrate N.S. Nigam.

The state government has announced a compensation of Rs 2 lakh each to the families of those who died.

This is one of the worst liquor tragedies in India. Earlier, in 1992, over 200 people had died in Orissa after consuming spurious liquor. In 2009, a similar incident in Gujarat left 136 dead. — IANS

Washington: The US House of Representatives approved a billion dollar defence bill, which, among other things, freezes the $700 million in aid to Pakistan until the country offers greater assurances to Washington to contain the spread of Improvised Explosive Devices.The National Defence Authorisation Act (NDAA) 2012, as passed by the House, freezes nearly $700 million in aid to Pakistan pending assurances that it has taken steps to thwart militants who use IEDs against US-led forces.

The Republican-led House of Representatives voted 283-136 on Wednesday to approve the $670 billion Defence Authorisation Bill that also slaps harsher sanctions on Iran and endorses indefinite imprisonment of suspected terrorists. 

"This freeze includes the majority of the $1.1 billion in Pakistan Counterinsurgency Fund," the House Armed Services Committee had said in a statement early this week, after members of the House and the Senate reached an agreement on the bill.

French court finds Chirac guilty of corruption

PARIS: A French court found former President Jacques Chirac guilty in a historic verdict today of embezzling public funds to illegally finance the conservative party he long led, and handed him a suspended prison sentence.

Chirac, a savvy world diplomat and icon of France's political establishment for decades, is the first former French head of state to face prosecution since the World War II era.

But the 79-year-old former leader did not take part in the trial, after doctors determined that he suffers severe memory lapses.

The court said today it had found Chirac guilty in two related cases involving fake jobs created at the RPR party, which he led during his 1977-1995 tenure as Paris Mayor.

He was convicted of embezzling public funds, abuse of trust, and illegal conflict of interest. Chirac repeatedly denied wrongdoing.

He was given a two-year suspended prison sentence, which goes on Chirac's criminal record but means he does not have to go behind bars.

The court said it took into account his age, health and status as a former head of state when determining the sentence. — AP