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Police apologises, files fresh report in HC
Top law university opposes death for rapists
Finally, five accused get defence lawyers |
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PDS corruption: States should take over fair-price shops, says SC panel
Terrorism, cyber security dominate BRICS meet
Relaxed visa regime with Pak not to be stalled: Shinde
No change in Army’s standard operating procedure on LoC
Centre raises house building assistance for rural poor
Weak western disturbances caused the freeze
India rejects Pakistan proposal for UN probe Train travel norms eased; no fare hike rollback, says govt Barak river stretch to be national waterway
Some laws are archaic and need to be revisited: Law Minister
Unabated cold wave kills 16 more in UP
At Mahakumbh, Asaram faces virtual boycott
Modi’s Hindutva card didn’t
work in religious centres
Miffed with Raj, MNS MLA quits
It’s business as usual for Pak traders at Hyderabad exhibition
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Police apologises, files fresh report in HC
A Bench comprising Chief Justice D Murugesan and Justice VK Jain took the report on record after Delhi Police counsel Dayan Krishnan tendered an apology for filing an incomplete report earlier. The Bench noted that the fresh report had named all the police personnel deployed on the routes taken by the bus in which the six accused persons had raped and brutally assaulted the victim while keeping the vehicle on the move. According to the status report, all these police personnel are named as witnesses in the chargesheet filed in the trial court. The HC had rejected the previous report filed by the police, observing that it had failed to identify the security personnel despite clear instructions by the Bench. Meanwhile, the HC agreed to hear a plea by an advocate to direct the trial court to hold the proceedings in the open court. The trial court has decided to hold the trial in camera, making it out of bounds for the media and others who have nothing to do with the case. The magistrate took the decision to avoid overcrowding in the courtroom. However, advocate Meenakshi Lekhi contended in the HC that the “whole nation wants to know about the proceedings” and as such the media should be allowed to cover it.
Previous report rejected
The HC had rejected the previous report filed by the police, observing that it had failed to identify the security personnel despite clear instructions by the Bench.
Plea for open court trial
The HC agreed to hear a plea by an advocate to direct the trial court to hold proceedings in the open court. The trial court has decided to hold the trial in camera
Auto-drivers punish mate
BANGALORE: Auto-rickshaw drivers, widely accused of misbehaving with women passengers, have set an example in Mangalore, Karnataka, by handing over an errant colleague to the police after they learnt that he had molested a nine-year-old girl. The accused was on Thursday sent to 15-day judicial custody by a local court in Mangalore. — TNS
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Finally, five accused get defence lawyers
New Delhi, January 10
Several Delhi-based lawyers had advised their colleagues against taking up the case of the accused - Ram Singh, his brother, Mukesh, Akshay Kumar Singh, alias Thakur, Pawan Gupta and Vinay Sharma. The sixth accused is a
juvenile and his matter is being handled by the Juvenile Justice Board.
The Saket Bar Association in South Delhi had also barred its members from representing the accused.
The counsel for the accused today submitted the “vakalatnamas” (document authorising a lawyer to
represent a person in court) at the Saket District Court today.
VK Anand, representing prime accused Ram Singh, said he would ask his client if he wanted to plead guilty. Anand submitted an
application in the court today demanding the footage of an interview of Awninder Pratap Pandey, the male friend of the gangrape victim.
AP Singh will represent Vinay and Akshay, while ML Sharma will argue for Ram’s brother
Mukesh.
Sharma said: “We have moved an application asking for the chargesheet to be filed in Hindi as the accused are illiterate.”
SC lawyers Sadashiv Gupta and Vivek Sharma will represent fifth accused Pawan Gupta.
SC lawyer SK Singh has filed an application to become an “intervener”, to step in in favour of the alleged gangrape victim and her male friend in the case.
Man held for making fake papers New Delhi: A man has been arrested for allegedly preparing forged documents for Dinesh Yadav, the owner of the bus used in the crime. Yadav had allegedly submitted the fake documents to the State Transport Department in Delhi and obtained a registration certificate and permit for the bus. Kuldeep Gupta was arrested for allegedly preparing the forged documents for Yadav. Gupta is a resident of Bhajanpura in Delhi. The police recovered some forged voter cards and Delhi University marksheets from the accused. A case under Sections 420, 468 and 471, IPC, has been registered. — TNS
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Top law university opposes death for rapists
Hyderabad, January 10 In its report submitted to the Justice Jagdish Sharan Verma Commission, constituted after the Delhi gang rape tragedy to suggest changes in the laws to improve security for women, the NALSAR University also opposed reduction of age limit for juveniles from 18 to 16. The report was prepared after several rounds of discussions among the faculty and students of the
Hyderabad-based University. The NALSAR called for legal reforms and some community-oriented changes such as making safe public spaces available for women with freedom of dress and neighbourhood policing. “There is already a provision in the law to award death sentence to the accused in the rarest of rare cases. The Delhi gang rape incident comes under this category and there is substantial evidence in this case. Such incidents can be considered for death penalty,” said
Prof. Madabhushi Sridhar, coordinator for the Centre for Criminal Justice Administration and Human Rights at
NALSAR. The law university also expressed the apprehension that if rape calls for death penalty, there is every possibility that the accused might kill the victim, since surviving victim is more serious evidence than the dead victim. The university, however, felt that rape was not just an act of sexual violence but also an act of humiliation, power and coercion. It recommended sentencing a person committing rape of a known person with rigorous punishment of not less than 10 years. On the reduction of age for juvenile accused, the university said the Juvenile Justice Act 2000 was the result of deep research and study of jurisprudence and experience of various countries. “The Act follows universal standards of juvenile justice and therefore, the university does not recommend that this legislation be changed to reduce the age of juvenile from 18 to 16, just because a 17-year-old was involved in ghastly gang rape in Delhi,” the report said. Strongly recommending criminalisation of ‘marital rape’, the NALSAR report said that marriage should not mean “all time consent” to the husband for sexual intercourse.
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PDS corruption: States should take over fair-price shops, says SC panel
New Delhi, January 10 Each state government should set up a Civil Supplies Corporation to work as an independent body to distribute PDS foodgrains at FPS level and take over the existing FPS, which “are the epicentre of corruption” as the FPS owner, transporter, corrupt officials and politicians “are hand in gloves to cheat the public,” Justice DP Wadhwa committee said in a report to the SC. Pointing out that many APL families were not lifting their PDS ration from FPS and this resulted in diversion of the commodity to the black market, the panel suggested exclusion of these families from the PDS. Allocations being made to APL families involved a huge subsidy of more than Rs 9 per km on wheat and Rs 12 a kg on rice, it noted. The families with an income of above Rs 1 lakh a year should be treated as APL, the committee said. Responding to this recommendation, the Centre has clarified that subsidised foodgrains to APL families would continue until the finalisation of the proposed law on food security. The committee has also sought elimination of bogus and fake ration cards which were in circulation in almost every state. “A strong drive has to be undertaken to weed out such cards,” offering an amnesty scheme for people holding fake cards. It also suggested community kitchens in the most backward districts of the country to help those who were not in a position to buy even subsidised foodgrains. Such kitchens could be run with the help of corporates and state-owned companies. In another major suggestion, the committee said the entitlement of foodgrains should be on the basis of the number of persons in each family, rather than a quota of 35 kg a month for every card which was the norm in most of the states at present. A Bench comprising Justices TS Thakur and FMI Kalifulla, which is hearing a PIL on PDS corruption, has asked the Centre and the states to file their response to the panel’s suggestions by February 8, the next date of hearing.
Other suggestions
Treating of families with an income of above Rs 1 lakh a year as APL Elimination of bogus ration cards in circulation in almost every state Community kitchen in backward districts Family size should be basis for PDS entitlement
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Terrorism, cyber security dominate BRICS meet
New Delhi, January 10 The meeting was attended by India’s NSA Shivshankar Menon, Chinese State Councillor Dai Bingguo, Russia’s Security Council Secretary Nikolai P Patrushev, Brazil’s Secretary for Strategic Affairs Ricardo Paes de Barros and South Africa’s Minister of State for Security Siyabonga C Cwele. Briefing reporters after the meeting, Menon said the BRICS NSAs have met on the sidelines of each summit. However, it had been felt that the NSAs should also hold meetings regularly to discuss cooperation among the five countries as well as to take stock of global developments. The five BRICS nations that represent nearly 43 per cent of the world population have maintained stable and fast growth on the whole thus becoming an important force in pushing forward the global economic agenda. The meeting also discussed major international security-related issues that the five nations’ top leadership will talk about during the fifth BRICS summit in Durban, South Africa, in March. Menon said there was an in-depth discussion on the situation in Syria, Libya and Mali. The representatives of the five countries were of the view that the Syrian people should be allowed to decide their future without any outside interference. The international community should only play the role of a facilitator. Tomorrow, Menon will hold bilateral talks with Dai on the boundary dispute as well as other issues between the two countries. The two are the Special Representatives of India and China on the border dispute.
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Relaxed visa regime with Pak not to be stalled: Shinde
New Delhi, January 10 Union Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde today said the government was not considering that option despite tension along the LoC. “Whatever agreement has been entered into, it will be carried on. There is no rethinking on the visa agreement,” he said. He made it clear that that the new visa regime would become effective from the scheduled date of January 15. Asked when a judicial commission from Pakistan would visit India for cross-examining four persons in connection with the 26/11 Mumbai attacks, Shinde said no date had been fixed yet, but the government was of the opinion that the process should be completed soon. “We want this case to be concluded as early as possible,” he said. Shinde said Mumbai terror attacks mastermind and Lashkar-e-Toiba founder Hafiz Saeed had visited PoK areas a few days before the killing of two Indian soldiers.
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No change in Army’s standard operating procedure on LoC
New Delhi, January 10 There will no re-location of troops, no change in intensity of patrolling or their mandate to protect the LoC and stop infiltrations. The SoP on responding to firing or provocation from across the border will also remain the same. “The incident of beheading a soldier was a serious matter. We have responded in the past and will respond in the future but at the time of our choosing,” a top source told The Tribune. “One incident cannot lead to a change in the SoP. It is an evolving document,” said a senior officer. The Indian Army gives a ‘calibrated response’ to all violations and that will continue. There have been 117 violations of the 2003 ceasefire agreement between India and Pakistan . At present, there is laid-down SoP for patrolling across the fencing close to the LoC. Patrol parties keep a watch. The troops of such parties carry a medium machine gun, rifles and mortars and communication equipment. The equipment and force levels will continue. Patrolling duties for troops located between the fencing and the LoC include an eyeball-to-eyeball deployment on either side of the LoC across inhospitable terrain. One incident will not mean any relocation of Indian patrolling parties to areas on Indian side of the fence. Indian Army patrol parties not only secure territory, but also ensure infiltrations are checked and the attempts to breach the fence are minimised. Hemraj Singh and Sudhakar Singh, the two martyrs, were part of a patrol party. The possibility is that Pakistani troops indulged in barbarism to instill fear. “Any change by the Army now would mean losing the tactical mental game along the LoC,” a top functionary said. The rising number of violations of the ceasefire agreement with Pakistan were not being ignored, said the official. He admitted that it was tense boundary that needed 24x7 watch.
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Centre raises house building assistance for rural poor
New Delhi, January 10 The move under the popular Indira Awaas Yojana (IAY) will help thousands of rural poor who do not have a dwelling of their own but want to construct one. The assistance for hilly and other difficult areas has been increased from Rs 48,500 crore to Rs 75,000. The decision to raise the unit construction assistance was taken at a meeting of the Union Cabinet here. The meeting, chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, also gave its approval to transfer schools run by the Central Tibetan Schools Administration (CTSA) to the Department of Education (DoE), Central Tibetan Administration (CTA); to make the National Institute of Design (NID), Ahmedabad, as an “Institution of National Importance”; and enhance the area of dwelling units under the Master Plan for Jharia and Raniganj Coalfields. Under the IAY, the government has now made a provision for loan up to Rs 20,000 - up from Rs 10,000 - with four per cent interest for buying land for the house. Addressing mediapersons after the meeting, Finance Minister P Chidambaram said the decision had been made after taking into account numerous requests from the stakeholders citing steep increase in the cost of materials. In another decision, the Union Cabinet has given its approval to transfer schools run by the CTSA to the DoE, CTA, or any registered society run by the department over a three-year period. The Indian teaching and non-teaching staff of the CTSA will be given an option to join the Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan or Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti or Central Board of Secondary Education or demonstration schools of the National Council of Educational Research and Training as and when the CTSA schools are transferred to the DoE, CTA. The CTA will be provided Rs 43 crore per annum plus an annual increment of five per cent to CTA. The transfer will benefit 2,220 residential students and 6,455 day scholars through better focus on their educational needs. The Cabinet also approved the declaration of the National Institute of Design (NID) by Parliament by law as “Institution of National Importance”. The status will authorise the NID, Ahmedabad, to award degrees to its students. This, in turn, may prove beneficial for students who wish to pursue postgraduation. In a decision taken by the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA), the Ministry of Coal enhanced the area of dwelling units for rehabilitation from 27 sq m of super built area to 38.92 sq m of super built area (25.10 sq m carpet area/floor area) for affected persons in line with JNNURM norms, under the Master Plan for Jharia and Raniganj Coalfields.
Key decisions
Nod to transfer schools run by the Central Tibetan Schools Administration to the Department of Education, Central Tibetan Administration The National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad, to get ‘Institution of National Importance’ status Area of dwelling units under the Master Plan for Jharia and Raniganj Coalfields enhanced
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Weak western disturbances caused the freeze
New Delhi, January 10 The extended and intense cold and dry weather,
not so good for agricultural point of view, has been because of feeble and fewer western disturbances
(WDs) and their changed pattern this season. Currently, almost 40 per cent of the country (primarily Punjab, Haryana and western UP, eastern Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh) is experiencing scanty rain this Rabi due to wayward WDs. Feeble in intensity, the weather systems that normally move from west to east turned northerly, resulting in plummeting of temperatures and lack of rain across plains. IMD Director SC Bhan says the last WD to hit the northwest was on December 28-29. “Absence of a WD resulted in cold north-westerly winds having a field day in the plains,” he says, adding that even though the cold this season is not “historical”, it is definitely “intense”. The mercury returned to normal in the plains of Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi, western Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan over the past
two days. The temperatures, both minimum as well as maximum, rose to their normal levels (7 to 8 °C and around 20 °C, respectively) for this time of
the year. While the cold is good for wheat production but lack of rain is certainly affecting rain-fed
areas growing gram and mustard. Bhan says the there will be no rain as the WD approaches, a situation not good for rain-fed areas of Rajasthan and MP. Farmer representative Yudhvir Singh says farmers in the rain-fed areas, particularly those growing gram and mustard in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and east UP, will be affected. Even irrigated areas of Punjab and Haryana will suffer because winter rain takes care of at least two of the five irrigations required by wheat, says Singh. Normally, in winter months — December to February — an average of four to five WDs hit
the northwest, resulting in changes in temperatures and bringing the much-needed rainfall for the key winter sowing season i.e. Rabi.
The phenomenon
Western disturbance is a weather phenomenon associated with clouds and rain Causes winter rain and snow; also linked to cloudy skies, higher night temperatures A rise in temperature is followed by rainfall or snow Temperatures rise is because of change in wind direction from cold north-westerly to warm south-westerly winds This brings down temperatures while the cloud cover in the nights does not allow the heat to escape
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India rejects Pakistan proposal for UN probe
New Delhi, January 10 The unprovoked attack by Pakistani troops in the Poonch sector on January 8 in which the two jawans were killed and subsequent developments figured at a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) which was briefed about the incident by Defence Minister AK Antony. "We are certainly not going to agree to internationalising the issue or allowing the United Nations to hold an enquiry. That demand is obviously rejected out of hand," Finance Minister P Chidambaram told a press conference after the meetings of the Union Cabinet and CCS presided by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. Reacting to Pakistan’s proposal, National Security Adviser Shivshanker Menon asserted that the United Nations Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP) has no role. "They don't have a role," he said in a one-line reply. Menon also said there has been an “increase” in the incidents of ceasefire violations and infiltration attempts and not just in the past few months. "In 2012, there was an overall increase over 2011 and that is a fact. And we are dealing with both ourselves and with Pakistan authorities," he said. Menon rejected reports that the government was rethinking or revisiting the decision to operationalise the liberalised Indo-Pak visa pact. He also said the January 8 incident which can be termed as "reprehensible, barbaric and dastardly" has not happened for the first time but hoped it never happens again. The bodies of the two slain jawans were found in a mutilated condition. Pakistan had yesterday claimed that its troops were not involved in the attack carried out inside the Indian territory in Mendhar area of Jammu and Kashmir and said it was prepared to hold investigation through the UNMOGIP, which has presence on both sides of the Line of Control (LoC). — PTI ‘De-escalate tension’ Washington: The US has instructed its envoys in New Delhi and Islamabad to work with the two governments to de-escalate the tension. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has instructed envoys in the two countries to work with the respective governments, said State Department spokesperson Victoria Nuland. — PTI
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Train travel norms eased; no fare hike rollback, says govt
New Delhi, January 10
The ministry said it was relaxing norms as regards production of original proof of identity during train travel, particularly for the passengers belonging to lower economic classes.
A statement issued by the ministry said now even attested photocopies of ration cards and passbooks of nationalised banks (both with photograph) would also be accepted as identity proofs. The relaxation would, however, be available only in case of reserved tickets booked through computerised passenger reservation system counters for undertaking journey in sleeper and reserved second class (sitting).
The photocopies should be attested by a gazetted officer or the chief reservation supervisor or the station manager or the station master. The relaxation would apply only in case of ration cards and pass books of nationalised banks and not any other type of identity proofs.
The provision would not be applicable for all classes of e-tickets, tatkal tickets and tickets issued through PRS counter for travelling in air-conditioned classes and first class. Travelling with these categories of tickets would continue to be governed by existing instructions. This provision shall be made effective from January 15.
Meanwhile, Bansal said, "There is no scope for a rollback". "Where is the scope for considering it? There is no scope for a rollback. It is a decision taken after considering all factors. We need funds for upgrading safety, augmentation of capacity and maintaining cleanliness at rail premises. Moreover, it is not a huge increase," he said.
The Railways is expected to mop up about Rs 6,600 crore annually due to the hike in train fares.
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Barak river stretch to be national waterway
New Delhi, January 10
Declaring the stretch a national waterway will result in unified development of waterways for shipping and navigation and transportation of cargo to the North Eastern region, particularly in the states of Assam, Nagaland, Mizoram, Manipur, Tripura and Arunachal Pradesh.
The Cabinet also gave its approval for preparation of projects and schemes for development of infrastructure facilities on this stretch of the river at an estimated cost of Rs 123 crore.
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Some laws are archaic and need to be revisited: Law Minister
Chandigarh, January 10 In an exclusive one-to-one with The Tribune at a function organised by Additional Solicitor-General of India Mohan Jain to honour him during his two-day official visit to Chandigarh, the minister also emphasised the need to fast track not just the trials, but also the investigation of cases. Excerpts: Q: The Delhi rape case has brought to fore the inadequacies in law. Do you think some of the Indian laws are outdated? A: A law must not be ahead of time, and it must also not be behind the time for it to be effective. Yes, some of the laws are archaic and the issue needs to be addressed for making them consistent with the changing needs of society. At the same time, I say there is nothing inherently or intrinsically wrong with most of the laws. The real challenge is to ensure their effective implementation, which can result in expeditious justice to the people. Q: Talking of expeditious justice, is putting the cases on the fast track a solution? After all, some cases get ignored while priority is accorded to others, due to limited legal infrastructure. A: Cases that shock the conscience of the society need to be prioritised. These cases need to be brought to fruition early, though it will be ideal to ensure that all civil and criminal cases are decided within a time frame. I have written to the chief justices of various high courts and the chief ministers of the states requesting them to ensure that certain cases are put on the fast track, particularly the ones concerning women and dealing with heinous crimes. Letters were sent on December 26 last year and January 8 this year. The chief ministers’ attention has been drawn to the need to protect the physical and moral integrity of women; besides emphasising the need to fast track both investigation and trial. Q: But, don’t you think the answer lies in filling vacancies in the superior judiciary? A: For expanding infrastructure of the justice-delivery system, I have given comprehensive suggestions to the Prime Minister and requested him to ensure availability of requisite funds to the state governments. The Prime Minister was fully supportive and preliminary discussions have also been held with the Planning Commission. Not apportioning blame on anyone, the fact remains the present system of judicial appointments needs to be revisited…. A National Judicial Appointments Commission could, perhaps, address some of the issues that prevail today without interfering with the independence of the judiciary. The Cabinet has cleared amendments to the Judicial Accountability Bill and I am confident that these will be discussed in the Budget session. Q: You have also been working on election reforms. A: I have personally held consultations with the Chief Election Commissioner and am mandating the Law Commission of India to collate the essence of recommendations on the subject made so far by various expert committees. After receiving the recommendations over the next about three months, we will seek to hold consultations with political parties with a view to eliminate and minimise the influence of money, muscle power and undesirable elements in our electoral system.
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Unabated cold wave kills 16 more in UP
Lucknow, January 10 According to reports from the metrological office, Gorakhpur and Ghazipur clocked -1°C and remained the coldest places in the state followed by Lucknow at -0.7°C. Kanpur, which was the coldest in the state yesterday at -1.1°C today, registered a slight increase in temperature at -0.4°C. Bareilly also experienced sub zero temperatures at -0.1°C. According to reports, five persons died due to the chill in Deoria, four each in Ghazipur, Kushinagar and Maharajganj, three each in Ballia, Rae Bareli and Etah, two each in Bijnore, Mirzapur, Chandauli and one each in Bahraich and
Hathras.
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At Mahakumbh, Asaram faces virtual boycott
Allahabad, January 10 But the long shadow of Asaram’s reprehensible statement made in the wake of the Delhi gang rape of December 16, has reached the holy city of Allahabad where the religious leader’s camp area was found vandalised by the police today after last night’s reports of the parts of the camp being set ablaze. While the police is yet to figure out who played truant, the mood across the religious congregations in the city was clearly anti-Asaram, who said a couple of days ago that the victim of the Delhi rape that shook the nation should have pleaded for mercy from her “brothers”. The spiritual leader then went on to call the critics of his statement “barking dogs”. But here in the Mahakumbh city, which is getting ready to host the massive festival of faith after 12 years (the usual cycle of the Mahakumbh), Asaram seemed like a virtual pariah today. The Tribune found every randomly picked visitor - pilgrim or sage - voicing dissent against Asaram’s mindset over the recent rape in the national capital. Sadhvi Savitri Mishra, who runs a religious organisation in Ayodhya, said, “How can Bapu Asaram even imagine such a thing. Would any woman, who is being victimised sexually, have the time to think that she can plead with her attackers? What he said was plain bizarre. I, as a spiritual leader and a woman, am appalled.” The district administration said that several outfits had condemned Asaram in writing including Sannyasi Parishad, Akhil Bharatiya Sant Mahasabha and Akhil Bharat Purohit Mahasabha. Swami Chidanand, a representative of the sadhus, even articulated his opposition to Asaram’s views reminding the latter of his role in society. “A spiritual leader is meant to advise and mentor others. His job is not to offend anybody,” he said. The police is still investigating the vandalism even as they admitted that Asaram’s entry to the Mahakumbh city might be met with resistance. People have been openly saying they would greet the religious leader with black flags as soon as he arrives for his promised sojourn - from January 13 to 15 for some discourses and yoga. The first holy bath of the 55-day festival ending March 10 is scheduled for January 14, the Makar Sankranti day, for which the local administration and the police are engaged 24x7. The least they wanted at this hour is an unanticipated challenge. “In a city like Allahabad where crores will converge for the holy bath, a skirmish involving a godman can mean the difference between order and chaos and hence, life and death,” said Rup Nayaran Singh, a 60-year-old local. Managing crowds as they press towards the river to take a dip at the place where Ganga, Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati meet will be a real challenge for both the administration and the police. As many as 10,000 personnel are guarding the city, which will see 5-6 crore people staying for the 55-day period of the Mahakumbh, the most auspicious occasion according to the Hindu calendar.
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Modi’s Hindutva card didn’t
work in religious centres
Ahmedabad, January 10 Not only had Vishwa Hindu Parishad international president Pravin Togadia declared that Modi would register a hat-trick victory in the Assembly elections only if he returned to the Hindutva plank, but the VHP - in its election analysis after the results - also claimed that Modi won the elections by riding on a Hindutva wave. The Vishwa Hindu Samachar - in its editorial comment - also claimed that not only Modi, but two other leaders from different political parties were also elected by voters just because they had links with the Sangh Parivar. It claimed that Congress nominee Shankarsinh Vaghela and Gujarat Parivartan Party president Keshubhai Patel owed their success in the elections to their past links with the Sangh. Both Vaghela and Patel are considered the founder leaders of the erstwhile Jana Sangh and later the BJP in the state. Both had left their parent party only because of their personal differences with Modi. While Vaghela has not maintained any links since he merged his Rashtriya Janata Party with the Congress, Patel, even after quitting the BJP, had maintained that he was still a soldier of the RSS. But surprisingly, if Hindutva helped Modi win 115 seats in the 182-member Assembly, it has not appealed to voters in major Hindu religious centres. With the exception of Dwarka, which has been a BJP stronghold for the past few elections, Modi has not been able to win any other Assembly seats at the major religious centres. Modi had begun his campaign after taking the blessings of Lord Somnath, but the Somnath seat went to the Congress. He had started his Vivekananda Rathyatra a month before the elections from the temple of Goddess Ambaji, but the Danta seat covering Ambaji town also fell to the Congress. Siddhpur in north Gujarat, famous for the ‘tarpan’ ceremony, also went to the Congress. The Thasra seat that covers Dakor, another famous Lord Krishna temple town, was claimed by the Congress. The temple towns of Shamlaji in north Gujarat and Mata-no-Madh in the border district of Kutch also did not remain loyal to the BJP. Bhiloda covering Shamlaji and Abdasa covering Mata-no-Madh went to the Congress. Even Dangs, where Modi had planned to create an Ayodhya-type Ram temple dedicated to Shabari, Lord Rama’s devotee, returned to the Congress fold after a brief stay with the BJP in the 2007 elections. The temple town of Palitana where Jains from all over the country come for pilgrimage did not support the BJP. Incidentally, all the Assembly seats touching the boundary of the seats covering the temples towns went to the BJP.
With the exception of Dwarka, which has been a BJP stronghold for the past few elections, Modi has not been able to win any other Assembly seats at the major religious centres All the Assembly seats touching the boundary of the seats covering the temples towns went to the BJP
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Miffed with Raj, MNS MLA quits
Mumbai, January 10 After submitting his resignation to Speaker Dilip Walse-Patil, Jadhav said he was quitting as MLA because he was being ill-treated by his party. “My party leader used abusive language against me and a coterie close to the leadership was working against me,” he said. Jadhav went on to say that Raj Thackeray shouted at him and abused him when he announced his decision to resign from the assembly. He further added that the MNS leadership was encouraging his rivals in the constituency to turn against him. — TNS
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It’s business as usual for Pak traders at Hyderabad exhibition
Hyderabad, January 10 “We are not worried about the cross-border developments. The organisers of the exhibition and the people here are very cooperative and we have no problems whatsoever,” said Javed Iqbal from Gurjanwala in Pakistan’s Punjab province, who is in charge of the Pakistan pavilion. Fifteen Pakistani stalls, selling dry fruits, clothes, crockery, footwear and other items, have been put up at the industrial exhibition, popularly called “Numaish” here. After a gap of four years, Pakistani traders have been invited to set up their stalls at the sprawling exhibition grounds at Nampally. Started way back in 1938, Hyderabad’s 45 day-long Numaish is one of the biggest and popular industrial exhibitions in the country with products from various states being put on display. Despite the rising political temperature in the wake of the incidents at the LoC, the traders from the neighbouring country appear unruffled. “We are more bothered about our livelihood. We are not aware of any developments on the border. Moreover, the hospitality and the facilities here are very good and we are made to feel at home,” said Mohammad Asif who runs a stall selling melamine crockery. Another trader Afzal Ahmed representing Khussa House footwear from Lahore said the visitor’s response had been very good. He expressed hope they would be able to participate in the exhibition next year as well. “The cross-border skirmishes keep happening. We are businessmen and are interested in improving trade relations between the two countries. We do not feel insecure here,” said Mohammad Asif from Punjab. “After the Mumbai blasts, there were restrictions from both sides. This is the first time I have put up a stall in Numaish,” he said. Feeling at home in Hyderabad, a city that symbolises the confluence of various cultures, Asif said, “We find the people here very polite and respectful. Even the other stall owners at the exhibition are very helpful. I do not see much difference between Hyderabad and my home town.” The 73rd annual exhibition, inaugurated by Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy on January 2 offers a variety of articles, including garments, electronic goods, kitchenware and dry fruit.
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