L A T E S T      N E W S

Rahul Gandhi hints at playing proactive role in party, govt

NEW DELHI: Breaking his silence on the growing clamour in Congress, Rahul Gandhi on Thursday indicated he will play a proactive role and the decision on the timing will be taken by party president Sonia Gandhi and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. 

He said a decision has been taken on playing a bigger role and the timing depends on the leadership. 

Rahul told NDTV that the option of playing a bigger role in the party and in the government was open. 

His comments comes a day after Sonia had said that it was for Rahul to decide for himself on playing a larger role in the party. 

"No one can take a decision on his behalf. He has to take a decision," she had said in Parliament House on Wednesday. 

These comments come against the backdrop of pleas made by senior Congress leaders like Digvijay Singh and Salman Khurshid for Rahul to play a larger role in the party. — PTI

Brisk voting in Presidential poll

NEW DELHI: In brisk polling in the Presidential poll, around 600 MPs cast their ballots by 1230 hours on Thursday. 

About 600 lawmakers have voted within the first two-and-a-half hours of the polling that began at 10 a.m, Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Rajiv Shukla said. 

As many as 699 MPs and eight MLAs were expected to exercise their franchise in Parliament House. 77 MPs had got permission to vote in the state capitals. 

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Congress chief Sonia Gandhi and UPA Presidential nominee Pranab Mukherjee were among those who cast their ballots. 

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi also joined the trio in exercising his franchise in the election where a clear favourite Mukherjee is pitted against P A Sangma sponsored by the BJP and some other Opposition parties. 

Among the early voters were Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav, BSP supremo Mayawati and NCP President and Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar 

M K Alagiri of DMK, opposition BJD MPs led by B Mahtab and Pratap Singh Bajwa of the Congress were also among the early voters. 

As many as 4,120 MLAs and 776 MPs with a total vote value of 10.98 lakh votes are eligible to cast their ballot in the 14th Presidential election. 

Members of the Rajya Sabha, the Lok Sabha and state legislative assemblies make up the Electoral College for the Presidential election. 

The run-up to the Presidential poll saw its twists and turns with key UPA ally Trinamool Congress first declaring its opposition to Mukherjee only to take “the painful decision” to back him. 

Besides the UPA and its four supporting parties -- SP, BSP, RJD, JD(S) -- NDA members JD(U) and Shiv Sena as also the CPI(M) and Forward Bloc have declared their support for Mr. Mukherjee. 

The CPI, RSP, TDP and TRS, which together have about 36,000 votes, are likely to abstain from voting. 

There are around 32,000 votes with smaller parties who have no presence in Parliament but have legislators in the states. 

Sangma, a former Lok Sabha Speaker, jumped into the fray playing the tribal card with initial support of the BJD and AIADMK. The BJP and Akali Dal decided to back Sangma, who quit the NCP, the party he founded with Sharad Pawar, to contest the election. 

With the support of SP (66,688 vote value), BSP (45,473), JD-U (40,737), Shiv Sena (18,495), JD-S (6,138) and CPI-M and Forward Bloc (around 41,000), Mr. Mukherjee can expect vote share of around 7.5 lakh. 

In the electoral arithmetic, Sangma is expected to be way behind Mukherjee and is likely to garner around 3.15 lakh vote value. 

Electors keen to exercise their franchise have to furnish either their identity card or a letter from the poll authority before being allowed to vote for the 14th Presidential poll. 

Each elector has been sent a letter regarding the Presidential poll and they were requested to bring it with them when they come to cast their vote. 

However, Rajya Sabha secretariat officers have also been given a directory of members of both the Houses to enable them to establish the identity of the voters. 

Elaborate arrangements have been made at Room No. 63 of Parliament House and in Assembly buildings in every state capital, including in Delhi and Puducherry, to enable the electors to cast their vote. 

The polling for the election began at 10:00 a.m. and will continue till 5:00 p.m. 

The Election Commission has granted permission to 77 MPs to cast their votes in different state capitals, while eight MLAs from seven states have got the nod of the poll authority to vote in Parliament House. 

Of this a larger chunk is of Trinamool Congress, whose MPs have been asked by their party chief to vote in state headquarters. 

Security arrangements in and around Parliament House and particularly at the venue of the poll have been tightened for a free and fair poll. 

In Parliament House, six Polling Officers’ Tables have been set up and members of the electoral college have been distributed in serial order among them. 

Six voting compartments — each covered to enable the electors maintain secrecy while marking their ballot papers — have been set up. Similar arrangements are in place in state assemblies. 

The ballot box placed in the Delhi Assembly is expected to be sent to Parliament tomorrow itself after the polling ends. 

Ballot boxes from Haryana, Punjab and Rajasthan are expected to be brought to Parliament by road while those from other state capitals will be brought here by air transport. 

The counting of votes will take place on Sunday from 11:00 a.m. onwards. 

meanwhile, voting for the presidential election began in Gujarat on Thursday morning where Chief Minister Narendra Modi was amongst the first few to cast his vote. 

Modi arrived at the polling booth located on the Gujarat Assembly premises just before the official time of voting at 10:00 hrs and cast his vote. 

Polling was brisk in the morning as one day assembly session of Gujarat legislative assembly is also scheduled today. 

Gujarat Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC) President Arjun Modhwadia and leader of opposition Shaktisinh Gohil were also amongst the few MLAs who cast their vote. 

In the first hour around 70 MLAs and MPs also cast their votes, official sources said. — PTI

Grandson Aarav lights Rajesh Khanna's pyre

MUMBAI: Nine-year-old grandson Aarav lit Rajesh Khanna's pyre Thursday at the Vile Parle cremetorium, said a close family friend.

"Aarav lit the pyre and Akshay Kumar (Rajesh Khanna's son-in-law) assisted him," the late superstar's close friend Vijay Zaveri told IANS.

Braving the rain, thousand of fans gathered to pay tribute to Bollywood's first superstar Rajesh Khanna. 

The legend's final journey started around 10 a.m. from his residence Aashirwad in Bandra. His body, in a transparent casket, was placed on a mini-truck decorated with white flowers. The procession started from his Bandra residence and went through Carter Road, Turner Road and S.V. Road before reaching the crematorium. The original plan was to have a longer procession, but due to rain it was kept short, but it didn't deter his fans, who gathered in huge numbers.

With him on his last journey were his estranged wife Dimple Kapadia, who took care of him in the last days, his younger daughter Rinke and son-in-law, actor Akshay, who is married to his elder daughter Twinkle. Thousands, including the superstar's fans, friends, family and film fraternity members gathered to say a tearful goodbye to Rajesh Khanna, signifying the loss of a great star. 

Among the Bollywood big wigs who attended his last rites were Amitabh Bachchan, his successor as superstar, Sudhir Mishra, Rani Mukerji, Karan Johar, Sajid Khan, Abhishek Bachchan, Vinod Khanna and Aadesh Shrivastava.

The actor, fondly called Kaka by his family and friends, passed away Wednesday morning following a liver infection.

Rajesh started his career with the 1966 film Akhari Khat and went on to feature in hit films like Aradhana, Kati Patang, Anand and Amar Prem that propelled him to dazzling fame. — IANS

Rajesh Khanna’s last words: 'Time is up, pack up'

Mumbai: 'Time is up, pack up' — these were the last words of the first superstar of Indian cinema Rajesh Khanna before he breathed his last.

This was stated by Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan, who visited Rajesh Khanna's house yesterday to pay his tributes.

"...As I sat at his home this (yesterday) afternoon, to pay my respects, soon after learning of his passing away, a close functionary of his, came up to me and told me in a choked voice what his last words were - 'time ho gaya hai ! Pack Up!', Bachchan, 69, posted on his blog.

Bachchan, who worked with the legendary actor in his initial years of his career and starred in films like Anand andNamak Haram, said the opportunity to share screen space with the legend was like a god's own blessing to him.

"I first saw him in a film magazine... His film Aradhana was my next meeting with him which my Mother took me along to see. Soon after that, I was being cast opposite him in Anand. This was like a miracle, God's own blessing and one that gave me 'reverse respect'. The moment that anyone came to know that I was working with THE Rajesh Khanna, my importance grew. And I gloated in its wake...

"He was simple and quiet. He would attract many visitors on set and was continuously surrounded by them - Hrishi da permitting ! The frenzy and the following he garnered was a sight to behold. In the 1970 era his fans came from Spain to meet him, a most unheard of occurrence then. In his trade mark Rajesh Khanna kurta pyjama, he almost always looked the boy next door, one that girls would want to take home to Mother," Bachchan said.

Earthquake shakes Kashmir Valley

SRINAGAR: A moderate intensity earthquake measuring 5.7 on the Richter scale shook the Kashmir Valley on Thursday but there were no reports of any damage due to it.

“Earthquake of magnitude 5.7 occurred at 1306 hours with the epicentre in Hindukush region of Afghanistan,” an official of the disaster management cell said in Srinagar.

There were no reports of any damage or casualty due to the tremor so far. — PTI

Maruti unrest: Workers held, case filed

Gurgaon: The Gurgaon police have lodged an FIR against about 60 workers, including union leaders at Maruti Suzuki India's Manesar plant, where one person was killed yesterday in a clash between workers and the managerial staff.

The company has in the meantime said the plant will remain closed.

"The management has given some names of union leaders. An FIR has been lodged against around 60 workers," SHO Manesar Om Prakash told PTI.

A case under sections of murder, attempt to murder, causing grievous injuries and damage to properties and other different sections of IPC has been registered against the workers, he added.

When asked if any arrests have been made, he did not comment but said "some workers have been detained" without specifying details.

"The workers who instigated the violence and committed the crime have been identified and will soon be arrested," Prakash added.

Worker sources said they would not be going for work till the government intervened and all the culprits were arrested.

The company had said yesterday violence broke out in the evening when a worker beat up a supervisor on the shop floor.

However, the employees union said "objectionable remarks" by the supervisor against an employee triggered the violence.

The company had said yesterday in a statement that "workers at the plant turned violent, attacking and injuring executives and managers in the office premises. At least 40 managers and executives are injured, and have been rushed to hospital. The attackers also set fire to property and damaged facilities".

Labour unrest is not a new phenomenon in Manesar plant which mainly produces Swift. The factory had witnessed three such instances last year causing a total production loss of about 83,000 units.