L A T E S T      N E W S

DMK quits UPA; govt to bring resolution on Sri Lanka

NEW DELHI: As the DMK decided to withdraw support, the government on Tuesday moved to bring a resolution on the Sri Lankan Tamil issue in Parliament in an attempt to placate the key ally which has set it as one of the conditions for reconsideration of its decision.

Sources said the government is drafting a resolution to be brought in Parliament.

The decision was taken after the Congress core group meeting, hours after DMK chief M Karunanidhi announced that his party would withdraw support to the UPA.

However, the DMK has made it clear that it would reconsider its decision if India supports a strong resolution at the UN Human Rights Council and brings a resolution in Parliament on the issue.

Earlier, Finance Minister P Chidambaram insisted that the government faces no threat and that consultations have been initiated with political parties on DMK's demand that Parliament should adopt a resolution on human rights violations in Sri Lanka.

Chidambaram said the Congress core group, headed by party chief Sonia Gandhi, had considered the two suggestions made by DMK at length.

He sought to mollify Karunanidhi, saying his "statement deserves all respect".

Asked whether he was hopeful that DMK will reconsider its decision, Chidambaram said, "According to the media, the DMK president has said that he will review its decision if a resolution is brought before Parliament. We take note of that statement also."

He insisted that the government is stable and will continue.

"Let me assure everyone that the stability of the government and the continuation of the government are not an issue. The government is absolutely stable and enjoys majority in the Lok Sabha," he said.

"The government has a majority in the House," Chidambaram said responding to repeated queries on the issue of the government's stability.

His statement came hours after Karunanidhi announced that the DMK will pull out of the government over the Lanka Tamils issue. The DMK has 18 members in the Lok Sabha and the UPA with the support of the DMK has 303 MPs in the 543-member House.

On the issue of a resolution moved at the UNHCR against Sri Lanka which DMK wants India to support, he said that the government is examining the final draft which reached here late last night.

Chidambaram, who along with defence minister A K Antony and health minister Ghulam Nabi Azad, had met Karunanidhi on Monday, said the government is also examining whether amendments can be moved to that draft to strengthen that resolution as demanded by DMK.

"As far as the resolution in the UNHCR is concerned, we are examining the final draft that came to us late last night and whether amendments can be moved to that draft to strengthen that resolution," he said. — PTI

37 killed in Maharashtra bus accident

Ratnagiri (Maharashtra): At least 37 people were killed and seven injured when a speeding Mumbai-bound private bus plunged into the Jagbudi River in Ratnagiri district on Tuesday.

The accident occurred around 3.30 am near Khed when the driver was negotiating a steep turn and lost control over the vehicle, which fell off the Jagbudi bridge from a height of about 40 feet, Khed police station in charge Mahendra Singh Pardeshi told PTI.

The bus, which was badly damaged, was on its way back from Goa when the mishap took place.

Bodies of 37 passengers have been extricated so far and have been kept at the Khed municipal hospital, where the injured have also been admitted, he said.

The deceased have not been identified yet. Rescue operations are still on and the bus is being retrieved from the river, which has dried up almost, the police said.

Following the accident, traffic on the Mumbai-Goa Highway was disrupted for nearly four hours. — PTI

RBI cuts interest rate by 0.25 per cent

MUMBAI: In line with expectations, the RBI on Tuesday cut its short-term lending rate by 0.25 per cent to spur growth and revive investment but sounded a note of caution on further easing of rates on account of high food inflation and current account deficit.

“The foremost challenge for returning the economy to a high growth trajectory is to revive investment. A competitive interest rate is necessary for this but not sufficient,” the Reserve Bank said in its mid-quarter review of the monetary policy.

Accordingly, its short-term lending rate or the repo was reduced by 0.25 per cent to 7.5 per cent, making it the second consecutive cut in as many months.

The market was widely expecting a cut by 0.25 per cent due to the deteriorating growth, which is estimated to touch a decade low of 5 per cent and a cooling in the core inflation to a 35-month low.

Expecting the government to begin spending, it left the cash reserve ratio or the amount of deposits banks have to park with RBI, unchanged at 4 per cent.

The RBI, however, stressed that a interest rate cut alone will not be helpful in order to achieve the objective of reviving investment and called for bridging supply constraints and staying course on fiscal consolidation. — PTI

2G case: Delhi court summons Bharti Airtel chief Mittal, others

NEW DELHI: A Delhi court on Tuesday summoned Bharti Airtel chairman Sunil Bharti Mittal and others in additional spectrum allocation case.

Taking cognizance of the CBI chargesheet, the court summoned all the accused for April 11.

The court summoned former telecom secretary Shyamal Ghosh and three companies as accused in the case. The court also summoned the former head of Vodafone Group Plc's Indian unit over the same case.

The police had filed charges in December against Bharti Airtel and Vodafone's India unit as part of a probe into corruption allegations in airwave allocations a decade ago. — PTI

MARINES ROW
No country should take India for granted: Sonia 

NEW DELHI: Slamming Italy for its refusal to send back the two marines charged in the fishermen killing case, Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Tuesday asserted that no country will be allowed to take India for granted.

"The defiance of the Italian government on the question of the two marines and its betrayal of a commitment to our Supreme Court is outright unacceptable," Gandhi said, addressing a meeting of the Congress Parliamentary Party here.

"No country can, should, or will be allowed to take India for granted. All means must be pursued to ensure that the commitment made by the Italian government to our Supreme Court is honoured," Gandhi said in four-page speech at the CPP.

Her remarks are significant as Congress was under attack from the Opposition, which alluding to Gandhi's Italian origin, has been targeting the government questioning why accused having links with Italy escape Indian laws starting from the time of the Bofors scandal.

Sources in the party have maintained that Gandhi was keen that the government did not appear soft on the Italian marines issue.

After withholding posting of its ambassador-designate Basant Kumar Gupta to Rome, government had yesterday said further steps will be taken after completion of the review of bilateral ties with Italy.

Taking a tough stand, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had accused Italy of violating "every rule of diplomatic discourse" and asked it to send back the two marines undergoing trial for killing Indian fishermen, failing which there will be consequences on bilateral ties.

The marines — Massimiliano Lattore and Salvatore Girone — charged with homicide for killing two fishermen off the Kerala coast in February last year in an anti-piracy operation, were permitted by the apex court on February 22 to go to Italy for four weeks for voting in election. — PTI

Pakistani intruder shot dead in Tarn Taran

AMRITSAR: A Pakistani intruder was shot dead by BSF personnel at Khemkaran sector in Tarn Taran district near Amritsar and heroin worth Rs.50 crore was recovered from his possession.

"After a brief encounter last night with Pakistani intruders, during search, the dead body of an intruder, 10 kg heroin, a mobile phone loaded with Pakistani SIM and one German-made 30 mm calibre automatic loaded pistol were found on the spot," a BSF official said.

According to BSF official, a group of Pakistani intruders entered into Indian territory through the Khemkaran sector.

On being noticed by the BSF night patrolling party, the intruders were asked to stop but they kept on marching towards Indian side and fired gun shots on the BSF party.

BSF fired in retaliation whereupon three intruders managed to escape to Pakistan and one was shot dead on the spot, he said. — PTI

China’s 5-point formula to bolster India ties

BEIJING: Unveiling a five-point formula to improve relations with India, China’s newly-elected President Xi Jinping on Tuesday said the resolution of the boundary dispute between the two sides “won’t be easy” and pending its final settlement “peace and tranquility” should be maintained on the border without affecting the overall ties.

Xi sent clear signals of boosting bilateral relations with India and expressed his keenness to meet Prime Minister Manmohan Singh next week on the sidelines of the BRICS summit in his first contact with top Indian leadership after his inauguration.

He said China sees its ties with India as “one of the most important bilateral relationships’’.

“The border question is a complex issue left from history and solving the issue won’t be easy. However, as long as we keep up friendly consultations, we can eventually arrive at a fair reasonable and mutually acceptable settlement.

“Pending the final settlement of the boundary question the two sides should work together and maintain peace and tranquility in the border areas and prevent the border question from affecting the overall development of bilateral relations,” Xi said. — PTI