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Chidambaram rejects Odisha CM's claims on hostage crisis NEW DELHI: Home Minister P. Chidambaram on Wednesday rejected Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik claims that the Centre had not offered any help to the state in dealing with the abduction of two Italians by Maoists. "I don't think the Chief Minister should be making these statements without any basis," Chidambaram told reporters when asked to comment on Patnaik's reported comments. The Home Minister said that the Odisha Chief Minister had not sought any help from the Centre. "If he has actually said that, I am very disappointed. The Chief Minister spoke to me on Sunday, I offered him every help. He did not ask me for anything. He said I am just keeping you informed," Chidambaram said. He said the Home Secretary had told him yesterday and today that he had spoken to the Odisha Chief Secretary twice and Director-General of Police once to offer them any kind of help. "But no specific request for help has been made until I left my office a few minutes ago," Chidambaram said. Paolo Bosusco, a 54-year-old tourist guide, and Claudio Colangelo, a 61-year-old holidaymaker from Rome, were abducted on Wednesday in Odisha, in the first case of foreigners being kidnapped by left wing extremists. The Maoists holding the Italians have issued a list of 13 demands which includes a ban on tourists visiting tribal areas, the end of the government's anti-rebel operations and the release of jailed Maoist leaders. Meanwhile, the Maoists have offered to release one of the two Italians held captive by them if two of their demands, including release of some rebels, were met, as the Odisha government asked its mediators to contact their counterparts chosen by the captors. "One of the Italians taken hostage can be set free if the state government accepts two of our demands even before start of negotiations," a senior leader of the Odisha State Organising Committee of Maoists told a private TV channel. — PTI
Govt schools create Naxals: Sri Sri Ravi Shankar JAIPUR: At a time when both the Centre and the Odisha government is trying hard to resolve the Italian hostage crisis, spiritual guru and the Art of Living founder Sri Sri Ravi Shankar has labeled the government schools as the breeding grounds for the Naxals. Holding the uncaring attitude and mismanagement of the government-run schools responsible for turning out a large number of home-grown rebels, the spiritual guru even advised the government that it should not run any school and should depute the responsibility to some other institution or system. "It's often seen that boys from government schools are into Naxalism and violence. Those from the private education system are not into these things. They move ahead with an ideal (adarsh) and teachers are responsible for it," he was quoted as saying by media reports on Wednesday. The rather bold statement made by Sri Sri, who is largely seen as a non-controversial and highly revered figure in the country, is likely to baffle both the Centre and the Odisha government, which is trying hard to end the Italian hostage crisis at the earliest.
Russian court dismisses case seeking ban on Bhagwad GitaNew Delhi: A court in Russia has dismissed a case that sought a ban on the Bhagwad Gita. Hindus in Russia on Wednesday won the case when Tomsk city court in Siberia dismissed the plea from state prosecutors. The court rejected the appeal against a Dec 27 verdict given by a lower court in Tomsk. "We have won the case. The court has dismissed the state prosecutors' appeal," an elated Sadhu Priya Das, a devotee of the Iskcon (International Society for Krishna Consciousness) in Russia told IANS over phone from Tomsk. The case relates to Tomsk state prosecutor's filing a petition in June 2011 seeking a ban on a Russian translation of Bhagwat Gita As It Is written by AC Bhaktived Swami Prabhupada, founder of Iskcon, claiming that it was "extremist" in nature and spread "social discord". — IANS
Yeddy to meet BJP leaders in Delhi Bangalore: BS Yeddyurappa is expected to arrive in Delhi this afternoon from Bangalore, where he has displayed his ability to split his party, the BJP, if he is pushed. In Karnataka, the BJP is in power for the first time. Mr Yeddyurappa, who is demanding another shot at being Chief Minister, had placed more than half the BJP's MLAs or representatives in the Assembly in a five-star resort since the weekend. They refused yesterday to report to work, making it impossible for current Chief Minister Sadananda Gowda to present his budget. Mr Yeddyurappa's camp arrived, as promised by him last night, at the Assembly this morning. In another sign of cooperation, he has asked his candidate for the Rajya Sabha, BJ Puttaswamy, to withdraw from the election. As an act of defiance, Mr Yeddyurappa had said that Mr Puttaswamy would contest the Rajya Sabha seat against official BJP candidates. The compromises being paraded today will offer some relief to the BJP, which knows it cannot do without Mr Yeddyurappa in Karnataka, one of the few states where it's in power. On Monday, BJP president Nitin Gadkari requested Mr Yeddyurappa to be patient and "not to do anything that will hurt the BJP."
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