The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

Eye on bypoll, Jagan’s mother banks on sympathy
Hyderabad, May 30
MLA Vijayalakshmi (L) along with YS Sharmila campaigns in Srikakulam district on Wednesday A political soap opera is underway in Andhra Pradesh. It has all the ingredients of a family drama - love, loss, betrayal and revenge. A widow of a charismatic leader hitting the streets after the “illegal arrest” of her popular son and crying foul over the “injustice being done to her family”. After the arrest of YSR Congress president and MP YS Jagan Mohan Reddy in the disproportionate assets case, his mother and the fledgling party’s honorary president YS Vijayalakshmi hit the campaign trail today for the June 12 byelections, evoking huge response from the crowds.
MLA Vijayalakshmi (L) along with YS Sharmila campaigns in Srikakulam district on Wednesday. — PTI

Gen VK Singh leaves behind a divided Army
New Delhi, May 30
When General VK Singh retires tomorrow, his 26-month tenure will be remembered for controversies that divided the Army like never before and for breaking its working relationship with the Ministry of Defence. The unprecedented act of the Army Chief moving the Supreme Court for his date of birth (DoB) and a series of actions, at times, shamed the very government which had elevated him to the top post of the 1.4 million-strong Indian Army.

Army’s readiness my priority, says Lt Gen Bikram Singh
New Delhi, May 30
Incoming Army Chief Lt Gen Bikram Singh says his priority is to ensure the operational readiness of the Army and to strengthen the work culture of the force.

Chachra is Western Army Commander
Lt Gen Sanjeev Chachra is the new General Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Western Army Command based at Chandimandir, near Chandigarh. He will replace Lt Gen Shankar Ghosh on Thursday. Lt Gen Syed Ata Hasnain, GoC of the Srinagar-based 15 Corps, has been moved as the new Military Secretary.

India, Japan to sign social security pact
New Delhi, May 30
In yet another step to strengthen bilateral relations, India and Japan are set to sign the social security accord, which will substantially benefit their respective employees working in each other's country.

No Boeing 777 training for striking AI pilots
New Delhi, May 30
The Delhi High Court today made it clear that the striking Air India pilots have no right to get training on advanced Boeing 777 meant for international flights. “As the pilots are on strike, they have no right to be trained. Let them first call off their strike, then we will hear the case,” a Bench comprising Acting Chief Justice AK Sikri and Justice Rajiv Sahai Endlaw remarked while rejecting the plea for training.

2 ultras, cop killed in NE encounters
Guwahati, May 30
Two militants and a policeman were killed in two separate gunbattles between the police and insurgents in north-eastern states of Meghalaya and Assam today.

Where’s Saudi Arabia terror suspect, SC asks Centre
New Delhi, May 30
The Supreme Court today sought the Centre’s response to a 22-year-old newly married woman’s plea to know the whereabouts of her engineer husband, allegedly picked up by Indian intelligence agencies from their residence in Saudi Arabia on May 13 for suspected terror links.

CBI files chargesheet in NRHM case, arrests 5
Lucknow, May 30
The CBI today arrested the former managing director of government-owned co-operative PACCFED VK Chaudhary and four others in connection with alleged corruption in the upgradation of 89 district hospitals in Uttar Pradesh under the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM).

	Probe charges against PM, Team Anna reiterates Vibha Sharma/TNS New Delhi, May 30 Prime Minister Manmohan Singh may have declared he would quit public life if corruption allegations against him are proved, but a relentless Team Anna is pressing on for an independent probe into charges against him. On a day the Congress came all out in the PM’s defence, even daring Team Anna to approach the court of law in case they had the proof in support of their allegations instead of knocking at the doors of the media, Anna Hazare’s aide Arvind Kejriwal contended that it was not they (Team Anna) who had come up with charges against the PM but the Comptroller and Auditor General, in its report on the coal block allocations. Stressing that they would be the happiest if these allegations were proved wrong, Kejriwal contended that there was no way to prove that except a probe by an independent investigating agency. “The Prime Minister has said that allegations levelled against him are baseless, unfortunate and irresponsible. We want to tell him that it was not we who levelled these allegations but the CAG, which is a Constitutional body,” he said. The reaction came following the PM’s remarks that he would quit public life if corruption allegations were proved against him. A note from his office also states how coal fields were allocated from 2006 to 2009- the period during which Singh was in charge of the Coal Ministry. The note states that “allocation of coal blocks was never looked upon as a potential source for generating revenue for the Central Government. The government was committed to developing infrastructure and industry.” Extremely critical of Team Anna’s latest diatribe, Congress spokesman Rashid Alvi advised them to approach the police and the court in case they had proof to substantiate their claims. Alvi also dismissed the demand for a SIT, saying investigative agencies were not constituted on whims and fancies of individuals. Key Team Anna member Justice Santosh Hegde today said an inquiry could resolve the matter once and for all. (With PTI inputs) Verify foreign funds charge, Delhi High Court tells Centre New Delhi: The Delhi HC on Wednesday directed the Centre to verify an allegation in a PIL that Team Anna received funds from foreign organisations to run its agitation over the Lokpal Bill. A Bench of acting Chief Justice AK Sikri and Justice Rajiv Sahai Endlaw asked Additional Solicitor General AS Chandhiok to treat the PIL as a representation and take a decision within three months after giving a hearing to the petitioner, advocate ML Sharma. — TNS
	Eye on bypoll, Jagan’s mother banks on sympathy Hits campaign trail, evokes massive response Suresh Dharur/TNS Hyderabad, May 30 A political soap opera is underway in Andhra Pradesh. It has all the ingredients of a family drama - love, loss, betrayal and revenge. A widow of a charismatic leader hitting the streets after the “illegal arrest” of her popular son and crying foul over the “injustice being done to her family”. After the arrest of YSR Congress president and MP YS Jagan Mohan Reddy in the disproportionate assets case, his mother and the fledgling party’s honorary president YS Vijayalakshmi hit the campaign trail today for the June 12 byelections, evoking huge response from the crowds. Vijayalakshmi, the widow of former Chief Minister YS Rajasekhar Reddy, and her daughter YS Sharmila conducted the road show in Srikakulam district and sought to strike an emotional chord with the people by invoking YSR’s legacy. The YSR Congress is harping on the sympathy factor ahead of the crucial bypoll by highlighting how the ruling Congress and the main Opposition Telugu Desam Party (TDP) had ganged up to defame YSR’s family and to nip Jagan’s political career in the bud by sending him to jail on false charges. On her maiden road show, Vijayalakshmi struck to this emotional theme, evoking massive response from the crowd in the poll-bound Narsannapet and other areas. “The Congress is unleashing a political conspiracy against my family as they are unable to face us. The YSR Congress will implement all the schemes that my husband had initiated and will revive his golden era,” she promised at the meetings. She appealed to the people to teach a “fitting lesson” to the Congress and TDP in the coming bypoll for trying to erase the legacy of YSR. The byelections, seen in the political circles as the “semifinals” before the 2014 Assembly elections, are to be held for 18 Assembly seats and one Lok Sabha constituency. With Jagan, the star campaigner for YSR Congress, in jail, party leaders have roped in his mother and sister to take charge and generate public sympathy. The party has also raked up a “conspiracy theory” behind the death of YSR in a helicopter crash on September 2, 2009. A CBI inquiry into the helicopter crash had ruled out the sabotage angle and concluded that it was just an accident.
	Gen VK Singh leaves behind a divided Army Ajay Banerjee/TNS New Delhi, May 30 When General VK Singh retires tomorrow, his 26-month tenure will be remembered for controversies that divided the Army like never before and for breaking its working relationship with the Ministry of Defence. The unprecedented act of the Army Chief moving the Supreme Court for his date of birth (DoB) and a series of actions, at times, shamed the very government which had elevated him to the top post of the 1.4 million-strong Indian Army. The past 26 months have seen the emergence of divisions that will need a statesman-like approach to correct. It all started with the DoB issue. General Singh claimed he was born on May 10, 1951. Had that been accepted, he would have retired in March 2013 and not tomorrow. The Ministry of Defence (MoD) did not agree and went by the DoB of May 10, 1950 - that General Singh had filled in his National Defence Academy (NDA) form. In an unprecedented act, the General dragged the government to the Supreme Court. On February 10, the court did not accept the plea and he ultimately withdrew it from court. A few days back, in a series of interviews to television channels, the General also made no secret of his unhappiness with the Supreme Court. The first controversy erupted when the Army headquarters issued a rather unusual press release on March 5 blaming Lt Gen Tejinder Singh, a retired DG of the Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA), for allegedly planting stories in the media regarding bugging of the Defence Minister’s office. Within days of that, the Chief gave a newspaper interview in which he alleged that he was offered a bribe of Rs 14 crore in September 2010 to buy “substandard” trucks for the Army. Then, Gen VK Singh sent a letter to the CBI asking for a probe against Lt Gen DS Suhag. Antony admitted that he did not know about it and clarified that the Army headquarters had sent Gen Suhag’s name for promotion. The CBI rejected the probe. Last week, the Army Chief imposed a Defence and Vigilance (DV) ban on the same officer in a separate case. Even as Parliament was in session, a letter written by Gen VK Singh to the Prime Minister detailing the shortages in equipment and weapons got leaked to the media. Meanwhile, former military secretary Lieutenant General Avadesh Prakash also accused General VK Singh of being biased against him. Army’s readiness my priority, says Lt Gen Bikram Singh Tribune News Service New Delhi, May 30 Incoming Army Chief Lt Gen Bikram Singh says his priority is to ensure the operational readiness of the Army and to strengthen the work culture of the force. The General, who takes over tomorrow, will anyway have his hands full in bridging the existing gap between the force and the Defence Ministry. He has been briefed by various wings of the Army and the status of projects in the past few weeks. General Bikram Singh was given a farewell by his staff in Kolkata today. In an interview to the Sainik Samachar, the in-house fortnightly journal of the Armed Forces, he listed out his priorities. The issue of the journal is expected to be circulated tomorrow morning at all command formations and below. Listing out his priorities, the incoming Army Chief says besides operational readiness, he will address the “hollowness” and ensure that the modernisation process proceeds as per stipulated timelines. ‘Hollowness’ is a term in the forces to describe the gaps in its operational strategy. His third aim is to strengthen the Army’s work culture and core values “duty, honour, loyalty and integrity”. Since future wars will be fought in close cohesion with the Air Force and the Navy, “jointness” with other forces will be top priority, says the General. And in clear message to all his top brass, the Army Chief designate says, “All commanders must endeavour to create a climate during their command tenures that hinges on our cherished core values, professional ethos and is conducive for growth and cohesion.” The Army, he said, remains fully prepared to face and counter any external threat and deal with internal security challenges. He asked that desired attention should be given to modernisation, infrastructure development and augmentation of combat power (fighting ability). “We all belong to the best Army in the World. To remain there, let us continue to strive for all-round excellence with added zeal,” he has asked the force. A few days ago in Kolkata, while addressing his senior colleagues, the Chief reportedly said his prime tasks would be to “put the Army back on track”. Admitting that there have been “setbacks” of late, he is said to have added that he would not “brush anything under the carpet”. Chachra is Western Army Commander Lt Gen Sanjeev Chachra is the new General Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Western Army Command based at Chandimandir, near Chandigarh. He will replace Lt Gen Shankar Ghosh on Thursday. Lt Gen Syed Ata Hasnain, GoC of the Srinagar-based 15 Corps, has been moved as the new Military Secretary. Lt Gen Shakti Gurung, GoC of the Tezpur-based 4 Corps, has been asked to temporarily take charge of the Kolkata-based Eastern Command as Lt Gen Bikram Singh has been elevated as the Army Chief. Gen Gurung has been asked to handle the work. Lt Gen DS Suhag was expected to elevated to head the Eastern Command. However, he faces a show-cause notice issued by outgoing Army Chief General VK Singh.
	India, Japan to sign social security pact Ashok Tuteja/TNS New Delhi, May 30 In yet another step to strengthen bilateral relations, India and Japan are set to sign the social security accord, which will substantially benefit their respective employees working in each other's country. The two sides concluded the final round of inter-governmental negotiations on the accord in Tokyo on Monday, diplomatic sources said here today. The negotiations were conducted by officials of the Overseas Indian Affairs and External Affairs ministries on the Indian side while the Japanese side was represented by officials of the Foreign Affairs Ministry. Asked when the agreement would be formally signed, the sources said the two sides would now scrutinise the accord legally under their respective laws before inking it. There is a possibility of the agreement being signed when Prime Minister Manmohan singh visits Japan later this year. In all, the two countries conducted four rounds of negotiations before giving a final shape to the proposed accord. The negogiations were completed within a record period of about 10 months.
	No Boeing 777 training for striking AI pilots Legal Correspondent New Delhi, May 30 The Delhi High Court today made it clear that the striking Air India pilots have no right to get training on advanced Boeing 777 meant for international flights. “As the pilots are on strike, they have no right to be trained. Let them first call off their strike, then we will hear the case,” a Bench comprising Acting Chief Justice AK Sikri and Justice Rajiv Sahai Endlaw remarked while rejecting the plea for training. The Bench, however, clarified that the pilots, who were already getting training, would continue to do so. On May 11, a single Judge of the high court had stayed the training of any fresh batch of pilots till the implementation of the Justice DM Dharmadhikari Committee on the merger of Indian Airlines with Air India. Air India had planned to train 400 chief pilots and co-pilots on Boeing 777, but only 126 of them are getting the benefit at present.
	2 ultras, cop killed in NE encounters Bijay Sankar Bora/TNS Guwahati, May 30 Two militants and a policeman were killed in two separate gunbattles between the police and insurgents in north-eastern states of Meghalaya and Assam today. The police said two persons, including a policeman, were killed in an encounter with the Garo National Liberation Army (GNLA) militants at Ghasuapara in South Garo hills district in Meghalaya bordering Bangladesh. Acting on a tip-off, the police launched a massive operation against the GNLA militants hiding at the area. Seeing the police party, the GNLA fired at the police, which also retaliated. One police constable was killed, while four others were injured. One GNLA militant was gunned down by the police in the encounter, while two militants were injured. The injured persons were immediately rushed to the nearest hospital and later shifted to a Guwahati hospital. The GNLA is a Garo tribe militant outfit that has launched armed struggle in Meghalaya demanding a separate homeland for the Garo tribe, one of the three principal tribes of Meghalaya. The outfit has been running riot in the Garo hills areas of Meghalaya. It has set up bases deep inside the thick forest areas. Some of its leaders are suspected to be taking shelter in Bangaldesh across the border. Meanwhile, in another encounter between militants and the men in uniform, a hardcore militant belonging to the anti-talks faction of the United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA) was killed at Lalmati in the Namsai area in Sivasagar district of upper Assam bordering Arunachal Pradesh. The slain militant has been identified as Robin Moran alias Habindra Moran of Lalkhipathar in Tinsukia district. The police has also recovered one AK 56 rifle, 42 rounds of ammunition and two hand grenades.
	Where’s Saudi Arabia terror suspect, SC asks Centre Legal Correspondent New Delhi, May 30 The Supreme Court today sought the Centre’s response to a 22-year-old newly married woman’s plea to know the whereabouts of her engineer husband, allegedly picked up by Indian intelligence agencies from their residence in Saudi Arabia on May 13 for suspected terror links. A Bench comprising Justices KS Radhakrishnan and JS Khehar issued notice to the Home and External Affairs ministries seeking their response by June 1 when the case would be taken up for hearing.According to the woman, Nikhat Parveen, she married Fasih Mahmood, who had been working in Saudi Arabia for five years, in September 2011, but joined him in the Gulf country in March. Her counsel NA Khan said a team of Saudi and Indian officials in civilian clothes searched the couple’s house in Jubail in Dammam, confiscated their laptop and mobile phone and informed Parveen that Fasih had to be deported to India as he was wanted in a case. While Parveen is from Bihar’s Darbhanga district, Fasih is a native of Karnataka. Two days after the incident, Parveen returned to India. Since then, she had written letters to the External Affairs and Home Ministries, the governments of Bihar and Karnataka and the Saudi Embassy in India, but no one had informed her of Fasih’s whereabouts.