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Cong spin docs ‘relieved’ at Modi’s elevation
Govt bars MCI from exercising powers
RS MP guilty in MBBS seat allocation case
India, Japan for early conclusion of N-deal
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Assets case: CBI to close probe against Mulayam
Muzaffarnagar
Mayhem
All-party panel to probe veracity of TV sting
Minister’s ‘go-slow’ advice to cops: All-party panel to probe
MLAs’ arrest on hold till Assembly session: UP Police
Survey: Sikkim
has maximum unemployment
Adarsh housing scam: CBI’s clean chit to Shinde
Sushilkumar Shinde
Chargesheet filed in Shakti Mills gang-rape case
Dabholkar murder
Minister accused in rape case resigns
Babulal Nagar
Modi visa: Fresh move to pressure US
Narendra Modi
Clarify on N-liability ‘dilution’, Rajnath tells Manmohan
No more bandhs, strikes in Bengal, says Mamata
anti-Modi remarks
Splinter groups looking at merger with BJP
Onion from K’taka to ease prices
K’taka MLA held in illegal mining case
20 gold bars seized at Kochi airport
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Cong spin docs ‘relieved’ at Modi’s elevation
New Delhi, September 19 In the midst of scores of technical sessions and mock interviews (with experts posing like TV anchors to egg participants on) of delegates on UPA’s policies and ideology, there was no structured discussion around ways to address Modi’s rise at a time when the public discourse is dominated as much by the personality debate as by the ideology discourse. Insiders who attended the meeting said there was a sense of relief over the BJP’s decision to nominate Modi as their PM face, enabling the scrutiny of his credentials at the national level. “There was no anxiety around Narendra Modi and no dedicated discussion on his nomination as the BJP’s PM candidate. Everyone was relieved that he had been named so. Until now he was confined to Gujarat, but hitherto he would be judged for his capability as a national leader. Considering his communal past, he would prove a drag on BJP’s prospects. Also his ability to bring allies on board in this era of coalition politics is questionable. We spoke around these issues and the fact that Modi’s Gujarat model is farce and needs to be questioned back in states,” a participant said. Sources said the credentials of BJP’s existing allies in the NDA were also discussed at the meeting and it was felt that both the Shiromani Akali Dal and the Shiv Sena had a history of using communal polarisation as a tool for politicking. “Who will Modi bring on board, expect other divisive forces? That’s what we talked of,” said another delegate adding that the focus of the meeting was on Congress ideology of secularism, its pro-rights policies topped by food security and land acquisition Bills; gaps in programme delivery and future mechanisms to improve delivery. “Discussions were positive and it was decided that the Congress would follow parliamentary democracy tradition of allowing MPs to choose their PM,” a leader said at the end of the heavily guarded workshop held at Congress’ war room here.
The speakers
* Rahul Gandhi, Cong vice-president, on the importance of ideas and need to communicate them effectively *
Montek Singh Ahluwalia, Dy Chairperson of the Planning Commission, on economy *
Planning Commission member Syeda Hamid and Mihir Shah on women's issues and rural development, respectively *
Nikhil De, aide of former National Advisory Council member Aruna Roy and member of the National Campaign for People's Right to Information, on RTI movement *
Radha Kumar (former J&K interlocutor) on Congress' women empowerment movement through panchayati raj *
Prof Sukhdeo Thorat, Chairman, ICSSR, on education reforms
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Govt bars MCI from exercising powers
New Delhi, September 19 Effectively barring the MCI from taking any policy decisions or even conducting any policy related meetings in respect of medical education, the Ministry of Health has already initiated the process of re-promulgation of the said ordinance to give legal powers to the MCI to operate. The new ordinance will be brought to the Cabinet for approval tomorrow after which it would have to be signed by the President for formal re promulgation. Until then, legally speaking, the existing MCI BOG does not have any legal standing. The ministry had issued the ordinance extending the term of the current MCI BOG to November 10 from on May 15 this year.
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RS MP guilty in MBBS seat allocation case
New Delhi, September 19 Special CBI Judge J P S Malik held Masood guilty of nominating undeserving candidates for academic session 1990-91 to MBBS seats allocated to Tripura from the Central pool. Masood was Minister of State (Independent Charge) in Ministry of Health and Family Welfare when the offence took place. Two top bureaucrats and others have also been held guilty. The judgement has been delivered in 11 similar cases registered by the CBI in 1996. Of the 11, Masood was named in three cases. The CBI had said in the charge sheet that Tripura does not have any medical college of its own. “Consequently some MBBS and BDS seats are allocated every year from Central pool by the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Government of India, in various medical colleges across the country,” CBI counsel V N Ojha had told the court. These seats are made available to Tripura for allotment to eligible students from the state on the basis of merit, he had said. The Government of Tripura constituted the Tripura Board of Joint Entrance Examination (TBJEE) in 1988 for selection of candidates through joint entrance examination held every year. The candidates were nominated. The CBI had alleged that some candidates got their names nominated for MBBS seats for academic session 1990-91 from accused Gurdial Singh, then Resident Commissioner Tripura and an IPS officer of Gujarat cadre who was on deputation to government of Tripura. As per CBI, Singh and Masood entered into criminal conspiracy among themselves and with candidates whose names were to be nominated as nominee of Tripura even when they were not qualified. — PTI
The charge
*
Masood was Minister of State (Independent Charge) in Ministry of Health and Family Welfare when the offence took place *
Some candidates got their names nominated from accused Gurdial Singh, then Resident Commissioner Tripura *
Singh and Masood entered into criminal conspiracy among themselves and with candidates whose names were to be nominated as nominee of Tripura even when they were not qualified for the same
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India, Japan for early conclusion of N-deal
New Delhi, September 19 In a meeting in Tokyo with Prime Minister’s special envoy for Japan Ashwani Kumar, Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida expressed his confidence that the proposed agreement could be concluded soon with the support of the people of both countries. The meeting with Foreign Minister Kishida also provided an opportunity for a high level review of the India-Japan strategic and global partnership as the two countries prepare for the visit of Their Imperial Majesties and the subsequent visit of Prime Minister Abe for the annual India-Japan Summit. Continuing his high-level engagements following his call on Prime Minister Abe yesterday, Kumar also met a group of Japanese Parliamentarians led by Katsuyuki Kawai, Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Diet. Kumar stressed the importance of more Japanese companies entering the Indian market. Both sides agreed on the need for expediting the bilateral agreement on social security which would benefit Japanese and Indian companies working in each other’s country.
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Mayhem Give relief to Jat victims also, apex court tells UP R Sedhuraman Legal Correspondent
New Delhi, September 19 A three-member Bench headed by Chief Justice P Sathasivam asked Uttar Pradesh’s senior counsel Rajeev Dhavan to ensure that all the complaints of PIL petitioners were gone into by the state government. Advocate Manohar Lal Sharma, who sought to move the court on the issue, contended that the state government’s focus was only on the victims belonging to the minority community. The Jat victims were not getting any help from the state, he said. The Bench asked him to give a copy of his petition to the state government for necessary action. Dhavan told the apex court that 50 persons were killed in the violence and their families were being paid a compensation of Rs 10 lakh each. He put the number of those grievously injured at 27, who were paid Rs 50,000 each, and the simple injury cases at 47. Responding to the PIL petitioners’ complaints over the inadequate steps being taken by the state and the Centre to deal with the situation arising from the violence, the Bench pointed out that the both the governments had been making efforts and no one could say that nothing had been done. “All are interested in ensuring relief to the victims and that is why the court is still sitting (at 4.45 pm) even after 4 pm (the normal closing time),” the Bench noted. Attorney General GE Vahanvati said the Centre had extended all the help sought by the state and that it was not interested in “transgressing” upon the state’s powers. Meanwhile, the Bench directed the transfer of a PIL on the issue pending in the Allahabad High Court to the Supreme Court to avoid any confusion due to the case being heard at different places. The Bench, which included Justices Ranjana Desai and Ranjan Gogoi, was hearing PILs filed by the SC Bar Association (SCBA) and nine persons belonging to the minority community affected by the violence. The case will be heard again on September 26.
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All-party panel to probe veracity of TV sting
Lucknow, September 19 Responding to the increasing shrill demand of leaders across parties to either take action against the channel or the minister, the Vidhan Sabha finally passed a resolution to get to the bottom of this raging controversy. The name and number of members on the all-party committee will be decided by the Speaker who will also receive a copy of the report. While the situation in Muzaffarnagar is slowly returning to normal with no fresh incident being reported today, politics over the riots is now acquired centre stage. CM Akhilesh Yadav visited Raj Bhawan early this morning where he reportedly submitted a report to Governor BL Joshi regarding the Muzaffarnagar riots. Armed with the report, the Governor left for Delhi where he is scheduled to meet President Pranab Mukherjee at Rashtrapati
Bhawan. The string operation in which some policemen were shown saying that the minister had instructed them over the phone to go slow on the perpetrators of the riots is also to be probed by IG
Meerut, said ADG Law and Order RK Vishwakarma. Defending Mohd Azam Khan, the CM categorically told reporters that he had no role to play in the riots. Admitting the state government’s failure in anticipating the large number of people who would turn up for the September 7
mahapanchayat, Yadav charged the BJP for fuelling the violence. He also described as baseless the rumours that ADG Law and Order Arun Kumar, who had stationed himself in Muzaffarnagar for over a week to personally control the riots, is seeking a Central deputation and has gone on leave due to political interference.
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Minister’s ‘go-slow’ advice to cops: All-party panel to probe
Lucknow, September 19 Responding to the increasing shrill demand of leaders across parties to either take action against the channel or the minister, the Vidhan Sabha finally passed a resolution to get to the bottom of this raging controversy. The name and number of members on the all-party committee will be decided by the Speaker who will also receive a copy of the report. While the situation in Muzaffarnagar is slowly returning to normal with no fresh incident being reported today, politics over the riots is now acquired centre stage. CM Akhilesh Yadav visited Raj Bhawan early this morning where he reportedly submitted a report to Governor BL Joshi regarding the Muzaffarnagar riots. Armed with the report, the Governor left for Delhi where he is scheduled to meet President Pranab Mukherjee at Rashtrapati Bhawan. The string operation in which some policemen were shown saying that the minister had instructed them over the phone to go slow on the perpetrators of the riots is also to be probed by IG Meerut, said ADG Law and Order RK Vishwakarma. Defending Mohd Azam Khan, the CM categorically told reporters that he had no role to play in the riots. Admitting the state government’s failure in anticipating the large number of people who would turn up for the September 7 mahapanchayat, Yadav charged the BJP for fuelling the violence. He also described as baseless the rumours that ADG Law and Order Arun Kumar, who had stationed himself in Muzaffarnagar for over a week to personally control the riots, is seeking a Central deputation and has gone on leave due to political interference.
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MLAs’ arrest on hold till Assembly session: UP Police
Lucknow, September 19 "The arrest is being avoided deliberately as the Assembly session is under way," IG (Law and Order) RK Vishwakarma told reporters here. The officer said that there was a process for the arrest of MLAs while the session was in progress. "We cannot arrest MLAs from the Vidhan Sabha. For any action outside the Assembly, the Speaker has to be informed," the IG said. "It is a joint decision to put the arrest on hold, but it's a court process and we will execute it," he said. The IG said that due action would be taken against the MLAs and the warrants were with SSP Muzaffarnagar. A local court in Muzaffarnagar yesterday issued arrest warrants against 16 politicians and community leaders, including BSP MP Qadir Rana, BJP MLAs Sangeet Som and Bhartendu Singh, BSP MLAs Noor Saleem and Maulana Jameel, Congress leader Saeeduzaman and BKU chief Naresh Tikait. Action would be taken against them in two days, Senior Superintendent of Police Praveen Kumar had said. "We have arrested three to four politicians. We have collected some evidence. Some more evidence is to be collected and whoever is guilty will be arrested in two days. This is subject to investigation," he had said. They are wanted for violating prohibitory orders and provoking communal tension by making inflammatory speeches in different meetings (mahapanchayats) in the district, the police said. The communal clashes in Muzaffarnagar and adjoining areas claimed 47 lives and displaced over 40,000 persons. High drama had unfolded in front of Uttar Pradesh Assembly yesterday with BJP leaders and workers, led by Uma Bharati, stalling the possible arrest of BJP MLA Som. The BJP workers escorted the legislator to the party's state office. On a question that the police failed to control situation in Muzaffarnagar, Vishwakarma said that it was wrong. — PTI
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Survey: Sikkim
has maximum unemployment Chandigarh, September 19 Interestingly, the highest unemployment percentage is among graduates, which is around 14 per cent, while there is only 0.5 per cent unemployment among the illiterate youth. Sailing in the same boat is the post-graduate unemployment percentage (around 11 per cent). According to the report of 2012-13, the highest percentage of unemployment is in the age group of 15 to 29 years among all other categories covered under the survey. There is around 23.2 per cent unemployment in the 15 to 24 years age group in urban areas while in the rural population, the highest unemployment is between 15 to 17 years of age (18.3 per cent). The leading state in youth unemployment is Sikkim. It is followed by Arunachal Pradesh, Tripura, Goa and Kerala. Among the six Union territories Puducherry and Lakshadweep are among the highest in having unemployed youth. Dr SP Mukherjee, chairman of the third annual employment and unemployment survey report, said that for the first time, the bureau has collected such a vast sample among all age groups. As the child labour percentage and the homeless population are not covered in the survey, the exercise does not depict the actual alarming picture of unemployment in the country, he added. Low female worker population ratio The female worker population ratio is 20.9 per cent as against the male worker population ratio of 73.5 per cent in the country. The labour force participation ratio of females is around 22.6 per cent as compared to 76.6 per cent in male category.
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Adarsh housing scam: CBI’s clean chit to Shinde
Mumbai, September 19 The agency also said it does not feel it “legally necessary” to make Shinde, a former Maharashtra Chief Minister, an accused in the case. The CBI’s averment were made in an affidavit filed in response to a petition by social activist Pravin Wategaonkar seeking Shinde be made an accused in the case as he allegedly owned benami flats in the 32-storey building in upscale Colaba, close to a sensitive defence establishment. “The CBI does not feel it legally necessary to name Sushilkumar Shinde as an accused person in the ongoing investigation being carried out by it,” the affidavit states. According to Wategaonkar's application, Shinde had suggested inclusion of late Major N W Khankhoje as a member of the Adarsh society. Former MLC Kanhaiyalal Gidwani, alleged kingpin in the case, had deposed before the Adarsh commission that Shinde had asked for inclusion of Khankhoje as member. “Khankhoje's membership may have been pursued by K L Gidwani but it cannot be confirmed as Gidwani has passed away. The CBI charge sheet states that civilian members in the society were included at the instance of Gidwani,” the affidavit reads. “Investigation conducted by CBI does not reveal any family relationship between Khankhoje and Shinde. There is nothing on record to substantiate deposition made by Gidwani to the commission that Khankhoje was included by Sushilkumar Shinde,” the affidavit filed by K Babu, a senior CBI official, states. “There is no evidence coming to light during investigation to suggest that Shinde abused his position as public servant for the benefit of someone from Khankhoje family in connivance with the office bearers of Adarsh," the affidavit states. In his application, Wategaonkar contended that after verification by the Collector and revenue department officials, Shinde found only 20 of the 71 approved members were eligible and asked for a recheck to ascertain the suitability of other 51 members of the society. — PTI
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Chargesheet filed in Shakti Mills gang-rape case
Mumbai, September 19 While the chargesheet against the four adult accused was filed at the magistrate’s court, the one against the minor was filed in a juvenile court, the police said. The police said cases against the five had been filed under various sections of the Indian Penal Code, including 376(d) (gang rape), 377 (unnatural offence), 201 (destruction of evidence) and 120(b) (criminal conspiracy) etc. “We have very strong evidence against the accused. We will seek maximum punishment for them,” Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime) Himanshu Roy told reporters. Police officials said the prosecution would bank on analysis of DNA samples, which, they claimed, implicated all five accused in the case. The police said the chargesheet contained statements of the woman, her colleague (who was tied up and assaulted by the rapists) and 86 witnesses. The four adults accused in the case have been named as Salim Ansari, Vijay Jadhav, Mohammed Kasim Hafiz Shaikh (alias Kasim Bengali) and Siraj Rehman Khan. The minor has not been named in the media statement. Roy said he was confident that the evidence collected by the police was sufficient to nail the five accused. The Maharashtra Government has engaged noted lawyer Ujjwal Nikam as the public prosecutor and the case will be heard by a fast-track court. The photojournalist was allegedly raped by the five accused when she went to the deserted Shakti Mills compound on assignment with a male colleague on August 22. The accused allegedly tied up the victim’s male companion with belts and raped her.
The document
* The chargesheet against the four adult accused was filed in the magistrate’s court, while the one against the minor was filed in a juvenile court *
It contains details of the victim’s ordeal, statements of 86 witnesses, forensic evidence collected from the spot, DNA analysis reports, besides phone call records
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MNS chief hints at state govt role
Shiv Kumar/TNS
Mumbai, September 19 The latest to hit out at the state government is Maharashtra Navnirman Sena leader Raj Thackeray. Dabholkar was shot dead while he was out for his morning walk in Pune on August 20. After meeting Dabholkar's daughter Mukta today, Thackeray wondered what has prevented the Pune police from failing to nab the murderers. "As the police has not succeeded in solving the murder case, the needle of suspicion points to the state government," Thackeray said. “People are wondering whether the murder was sponsored by the state," Thackeray said. The Maharashtra Government enacted an ordinance banning superstitious practices in the state within days of Dabholkar's murder providing plenty of fodder to conspiracy theorists in the state.
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Minister accused in rape case resigns
Jaipur, September 19 The 53-year-old Minister of State for Dairy and Khadi said he has sent his resignation to the Chief Minister's Office, a move seen as a damage control exercise by the Congress-led Ashok Gehlot government with the state going to hold assembly polls in the next few months. “I have resigned on moral grounds so that an impartial probe can be carried out as I am not guilty in the alleged case. The charge against me is totally unfounded. It is the handiwork of my political rivals,” Nagar told reporters at his residence. “I sent my hand written resignation to the CMO through a person this morning. After many thoughts and second thoughts, I decided to resign...no one asked me to do this”, he said. The Congress government had struggled hard to battle criticism following the sensational killing of nurse Bhanwari Devi, for which two party leaders, including a minister, are in jail. The woman had alleged that the minister, who had helped her in the past, called her to his house on September 11, promising to get her a job. On some pretext, the minister took her into a bedroom and raped her, she said. “When I protested, he clamped his hand down on my mouth, hit me and assaulted me,” she said, claiming that the politician then threatened her of dire consequences if she disclosed anything. An official spokesman of the CID crime branch said the woman was today medically examined by a board of doctors at the SMS hospital. He said an expert team of Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) went to the Minister's official residence, examined the rooms and took samples from alleged crime spot. The woman accompanied by a relative was taken to a room in the minister's residence for spot verification. The room, which was sealed last night by the CID, was opened this afternoon in the presence of the woman and experts. The minister has admitted that the woman had come to see him. "When she came at 5 pm I was surrounded by people, I met a lot of people then," he said, adding he is being framed by his political rivals. — PTI
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Modi visa: Fresh move to pressure US
Ahmedabad, September 19 After BJP president Rajnath Singh's lobbying in the US failed to elicit any result, which, however, he later denied having made any such effort, Modi's supporters have now launched a cyber-thrust to force the US government to welcome the Gujarat Chief Minister in that country to remove the stigma of being a willful violator of human rights. An online petition is now doing rounds in the cyber space urging Obama to reconsider the US Administration's stand on Modi. The petition uploaded by an Indian-American said the issue warranted US President's personal attention "because we have already spent 10 years of America's valuable resources on this subject based on biased information in the media and by lobbyist groups". Accusing the Indian media and the anti-Modi political parties in the country for the present impasse, it said: "The political spin on this matter gets media the most attention and serves the purpose of lopsided lobbying groups. However, none of these parties have the best interest at heart for America, India or the future of Indo-American ties." The petition drew parallel between the Gujarat riots of 2002, the Mumbai riots of 1992 and the Sikh riots in Delhi in 1984 as well as the anti-Hindu drive in Jammu and Kashmir and said while other riots, which had caused "far greater loss of human lives", had been overlooked, Gujarat riots "continued to engage our attention". "The riots that took place in Gujarat in 2002 were unquestionably unfortunate and akin to any riots that take place in India, or in the world. Have you ever wondered why Gujarat has been so publicised in comparison to other riots in India? As a point of reference, in the past 30 years of modern India, three major riots took place and in all these three riots-Kashmir, Delhi and Mumbai-damages to human life and the aftermath has been far greater than the Gujarat riots. Yet the Gujarat riots have engaged our government's attention in an unprecedented manner," it said. The petition also went on to give details of accolades that came Modi's way and claimed that the US government's stand on his visa amounted to "undermining the decision of the Indian Judicial System-the cornerstone of the Indian democracy. How can the oldest democracy disrespect the largest democracy's legal system?" it said. The petition also listed various achievements of Modi under different heads, including his leadership qualities, vision to develop Gujarat, effective governance and the report of the Supreme Curt-appointed Special Investigation Team that virtually gave him a clean chit on the question of his alleged involvement in the 2002 riots and some "favourable" reports from the media. This is one of the many channels opened by the Modi fan club to lobby for his US visa which, they feel, would help clean up the black spots on his image at home.
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Clarify on N-liability ‘dilution’, Rajnath tells Manmohan
Guwahati, September 19 “The report in the media has raised concern in the country. The people want to know what the reality is. I request the Prime Minister to come up with a statement in this regard to clarify the matter before the country,” the BJP president said here today.
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No more bandhs, strikes in Bengal, says Mamata Kolkata, September 19 Mamata was addressing a gathering at the inauguration of the terminal building of the proposed Andal airport, near Durgapur industrial town. Industries in the state have suffered enormous damage in the past 34 years due to repeated shutdowns. But these would not be allowed to take place any more, she said. She invited industrialists from across the country to come forward in large numbers and invest in West Bengal. They have been assured of proper industrial atmosphere. The new airport has been named after revolutionary Bengali poet Kazi Nazrul Islam. Soon, small aircrafts will start operating from the Andal airport to different points in the North-East including Agartala, Silchar, Guwahati and Manipur. This is the first privately owned airport in the state. The Aerotropolis project, spread over 2,000 acres, was scheduled to start in 2011.
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Jnanpith winner faces BJP’s ire
Shubhadeep Choudhury/TNS
Bangalore, September 19 Criticising Ananthamurthy for his statement that he would rather die than see Narendra Modi becoming the Prime Minister, BJP spokesman and member of the Rajya Sabha Ayanur Manjunath compared the writer with wannabe actress Poonam Pandey. Pandey had announced getting herself photographed in the nude if India won the cricket World Cup in 2011 which she, however, did not do when the “men in blue” lifted the coveted trophy. Manjunath said that like Pandey, Ananthamurthy too was trying to get cheap publicity by making sensational statements. He said Ananthamurthy’s statement showed his negative mindset. He described the writer as an opportunist and claimed that the statement had received severe criticism from all sections of society. Another high profile BJP leader and the party’s Karnataka unit general secretary CT Ravi — inflamed by Ananthamurthy’s remark against Modi — described him as a “parasite” and accused him of changing his “colours according to prevailing political climate”. What is surprising is that none of the state’s leading intellectuals such as playwright Girish Karnad or writer and editor Ramchandra Guha or others having a similar stature have come to Ananthamurthy’s defence yet. On the other hand, Anant Nag, the brilliant actor who has essayed various roles in Hindi movies besides also being a well-known figure in the Kannada film industry, has criticised Ananthamurthy for his remarks against Modi. Political parties in the state, which are against the BJP, have also refrained from voicing their stand on the controversy. B Ramchandrappa, chairman of the Cultural Policy Committee set up by the Congress government in Karnataka, is among the few who have sided with Ananthamurthy in the wake of the assault launched by the BJP. Ramchandrappa, in whose book release function Ananthamurthy had made the remarks, said the statements by the BJP leaders had exposed their poor taste.
What Ananthamurthy said
I would not want to live in a country where Modi is the Prime Minister.
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Splinter groups looking at merger with BJP
Bangalore, September 19 While former Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa has openly proclaimed his admiration for Modi, the BSR Congress, too, today said that Narendra Modi’s elevation in the BJP was an welcome development. J Shantha, who won the Bellary Lok sabha seat in Karnataka on a BJP ticket but joined hand with her brother B Sriramulu when the latter floated the BSR Congress, told this reporter that Modi would set things right in the BJP. “We were part of the BJP. We are happy that Modiji has been given such an important responsibility by the party. It could pave the way for our return to the BJP”, she said. Sriramulu, the BSR Congress president and the party’s only legislator in the Karnataka Assembly, is already in Delhi where he is expected to meet BJP leaders and sound them about merger of the BSR Congress with the BJP. Sriramulu, a super rich mining baron who was health minister in the Yeddyurappa-led first BJP government in Karnataka, had left the party when Yeddyurappa’s successor Sadananda Gowda refused to give him a ministerial berth on the ground that his name had figured in the Lokayukta’s report on illegal mining in the state. Yeddyurappa too was indicted by the Lokayukta, as a result of which he had to resign as Chief Minister and later quit the party and float the Karnataka Janatha Paksha (KJP). In the May Assembly elections in the state, the KJP won a mere six seats in the 224-member House but, more importantly, secured nearly 10 per cent of the vote-share, denting the BJP’s electoral prospects and indirectly helping Congress to come to power. However, L K Advani and Ananth Kumar, Yeddyurappa’s bete noire, are opposed to the KJP’s merger with the BJP. So far, Modi and Rajnath Singh have not involved themselves with this issue though they are keeping themselves abreast of the developments. Former chief minister Sadananda Gowda had also met Modi with a delegation to impress upon him the benefits of re-inducting Yeddyurappa in the BJP before the Lok Sabha elections. However, in case Advani and Ananth Kumar continue to oppose Yeddyurappa's return, the other option being explored is of making the KJP a part of the
NDA.
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Onion from K’taka to ease prices
Bangalore, September 19 Karnataka, the second largest onion producing state in the country, accounts for 17 per cent of the total production of onion in India. Onion is sown in Karnataka during the kharif season in the districts of Chitradurga, Bagalkot, Dharwad, Bijapur, Belgaum and Gadag. “The harvesting is taking place now. It will start coming to the market soon and the flow will gradually pick up and crop will flood the market next month”, Gowda said. In Maharashtra, onion is harvested during summer and the produce can be preserved for a much longer period because of the dry season. On the contrary, Karnataka onions have to be disposed of immediately because of storage issues. This is good news for the beleaguered consumers of the crop. Horticulture departmen of Karnataka government is now exploring the possibility of whether onion harvesting in the state can be evenly spread out. The Karnataka government is also contemplating proposing to the Centre launching an integrated onion production and post-harvest management mission to increase the yield. The mission envisages replacing the existing varieties with hybrids.
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K’taka MLA held in illegal mining case
Bangalore, September 19
Babu was brought to Bangalore for investigation into the case, which is being done on the directive of the Supreme Court.
Babu represents the Kampli Assembly segment in Bellary district on behalf of the BSR (Bhadavara Shramikara Raithara), a regional party headed by his uncle and former BJP minister B
Sriramulu.
The FIR filed by the CBI claimed Babu was involved in the export of 9.86-lakh tonnes of iron ore from the Belekeri port with a dozen others between January 1, 2009 and May 31, 2010.
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The Supreme Court today asked the Uttar Pradesh Government to provide relief to all the victims of the recent violence in Muzaffarnagar district, including about 1,500 Jats who have taken shelter in a camp at the Guru Ravidas temple.
A three-member Bench headed by Chief Justice P Sathasivam asked Uttar Pradesh’s senior counsel Rajeev Dhavan to ensure that all the complaints of PIL petitioners were gone into by the state government.
Mumbai, September 19
Rajasthan Minister Babulal Nagar, accused of raping a 35-year-old woman at his residence here, resigned today blaming his political rivals for “framing” him.
The 53-year-old Minister of State for Dairy and Khadi said he has sent his resignation to the Chief Minister's Office, a move seen as a damage control exercise by the Congress-led Ashok Gehlot government with the state going to hold assembly polls in the next few months.
Ahmedabad, September 19
* Rasheed Masood (pic) held guilty of nominating undeserving candidates during 1990-91 to MBBS seats