L A T E S T      N E W S

Bharat bandh: Left leaders share dais with BJP

NEW DELHI: Left leaders Sitaram Yechury and A B Bardhan on Thursday shared dais with BJP's Nitin Gadkari and Murli Manohar Joshi at a demonstration against FDI in retail and hike in diesel prices. 

The protest was organised by traders' organisations supportive of BJP at Jantar Mantar here. 

After attending the protest by traders, Yechury and Bardhan moved towards the demonstration organised jointly by Left parties, SP, JD(S), BJD and TDP as part of the nationwide bandh. 

SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav, who attended the joint protest by the parties, however did not attend the traders' protest. 

Meanwhile, Mulayam Singh Yadav and Left leaders Prakash Karat and A B Bardhan courted arrest during the nation-wide bandh against FDI in retail and diesel price hike. 

After holding a joint demonstration at Jantar Mantar, the leaders of SP, four Left parties, JD(S), TDP and BJD marched to Parliament Street Police Station along with supporters and courted arrest. 

Besides Yadav, Karat (CPM)and Bardhan (CPI), other prominent leaders who courted arrested included Sitaram Yechury (CPM), Chandrababu Naidu of TDP and Deve Gowda. 

"The government has been coming out with policies after policies that affect people of this country. The biggest loser of these policies especially diesel price hike is farmers. Farmers have been put to lot of trouble. 

"We will tour the entire nation and listen to people's grievances and decide our strategy," Yadav said addressing the protesters. 

Karat alleged the government came out with the FDI decision to "rob the jobs of traders and give it to companies like Walmart". 

"We want to tell the government that its policies on FDI, diesel price hike and PSU disinvestment are wrong. We have to keep this movement alive till the Govt rollbacks these decisions. 

"We will fight for this inside and outside Parliament. We will persuade the government to withdraw its decision. I request Mulayam Singh to support us in this fight for the people of the country," he said. 

Naidu said the government's policies are "wrong" and the Congress has to understand this. "All these are anti-people decisions and they need to be withdrawn," he added. 

A nation-wide bandh has been called by NDA, Left parties and SP against the Centre's decision on FDI in retail, diesel price rise and cap on LPG cylinders. — PTI

No backtracking on reforms: Govt

NEW DELHI: Criticising the nationwide agitation against FDI reforms, the government on Thursday blamed the parties behind the protest for causing economic losses and made it clear that there will be no backtracking on the reforms as the country needs "massive" growth. 

Senior ministers maintained that there was no threat to the stability of the government even if Trinamool Congress quits on Friday and hinted at scouting for new allies. 

They insisted that the strike organised by eight non-UPA parties as well as NDA has had no impact except for causing economic losses. 

"The net effect of this strike is greater economic loss. When you protest, you should not protest in a manner that causes economic losses," finance minister P Chidambaram said. 

Information and broadcasting minister Ambika Soni said that while limited protest was alright, it should not be to an extent that "cause harm" to the interest of people. 

Making it clear that government would not go back on FDI in retail decision, law minister Salman Khurshid said, "we have tried to bring reforms with a human face. Please don't ask whether we are going to change the human face. The human face remains." 

He said the government was pushing reforms to give "massive" economic growth to the country and "if opposition slows down that, we won't get it by what they have done today." 

On the strike, he said the parties have "given their point of view, they have shown their protest, now let us go back to our factories, get back to our shops, get back to our schools and get back to our work." 

On the stability aspect, he said, "we had enough friends today, we had enough friends yesterday... so I don't know why you should doubt our stability." — PTI

CBI probe into ‘coalgate’ independent: CVC

NEW DELHI: The Central Vigilance Commission on Thursday said CBI was probing the alleged irregularities into coal blocks allocation in an independent manner and there was no pressure on the investigating agency. 

“The investigation is transparent. CBI is probing the matter independently. We have not received any evidence so far of this kind (that CBI is working under pressure). We have not noted any thing of this kind,” said J.M. Garg, Vigilance Commissioner of the country’s top anti-corruption body. 

He said the allegations of biasness against CBI will keep on coming. 

“We have superintendence over CBI. We guide them on various anti-corruption related matters. CVC has its own mandate. Whatever allegations are being made against on CBI, it is sort of political. We will not be able to comment made by any political party,” he said when asked about allegations of biasness made by opposition parties against CBI. 

CBI is probing alleged scam in allocation of coal mines on the direction of CVC. The agency had on September 4 registered five cases in connection with the alleged scam. 

The Vigilance Commissioner said a report by CBI on the progress of probe on the matter is expected by this month end. 

“CBI comes to us for a meeting every month. They have not yet submitted their report. They were to give a report to us but they have sought some time. A meeting is scheduled later this month then we will come to know about it,” Garg told reporters on the sidelines of a seminar in New Delhi. 

He also suggested a study on the best practices adopted by various developed nation on allocating natural resources to avoid any conflicts. 

“I personally feel in case we want to allocate natural resources to private parties then we need to have a mechanism where the natural resources are allocated in a transparent manner...We need to study best international practices and accordingly we need to develop a system where people’s good is considered. Auction should not be the only method, people’s good should be considered,” Garg said. — PTI