|
|
|
|
|
Opinion polls
FOUR-day conclave of Indian envoys
|
|
|
|
US, India joint naval exercise begins today
Rahul gets four more days to reply to EC notice
After 3 months’ wait, Sikh man’s body arrives from Saudi Arabia
Diwali horror: Mumbai minor gang raped
Windshield of AI Dreamliner cracks during landing
Nine bombs seized from Ranchi lodge
|
|||||||||||||
|
Opinion polls
New Delhi, November 4 With the Congress taking the case to the Election Commission and calling such random surveys “erroneous”, “lacking credibility” and “manipulated” by “vested interests during elections”, the BJP’s advice to the poll panel is to “keep away from this controversy” and let the people make their own choice — to accept or reject those. Terming such surveys a “farce”, senior Congress leader Digvijay Singh followed his party’s response to the Election Commission to “restrict publication and dissemination of opinion polls” during elections. Making a strong pitch for banning opinion polls, he also rejected the BJP’s claim that the Congress was opposing such surveys because it was “scared” of Narendra Modi. Some recent opinion polls had shown the BJP’s PM candidate ahead of Rahul Gandhi — the Congress probable for the post — and predicted a clear win for the saffron outfit in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh Assembly elections. According to Digvijay Singh, “Opinion polls should be banned altogether. The kind of complaints and information that I have show that anybody can pay and get a survey as desired. In a country of 1.2 billion people, how can a few thousand people predict the trend. It has become a racket. So many groups have sprung up.” But, according to senior BJP leader Arun Jaitley, psephology (a branch of political science which deals with the study and scientific analysis of elections) might still be maturing in India but to concede to the Congress’ demand would be making way for their next one — a ban on political commentators. The BJP leader said that only when a trend of opinion polls was adverse, do political parties rubbish them and start demanding a ban. “The loser demands a ban and the potential winner wants them to continue,” he said. In other words, he implied that the Congress feared losing the 2014 General Election and was therefore insisting on the ban. “A ban on such polls cannot be considered based on who is demanding the ban. Restricting those is constitutionally neither permissible nor desirable. The Election Commission will be best advised to keep away from this controversy and allow the market place of democracy to accept or reject the findings of the opinion poll. “If the polls can be legitimately banned in this country, the next step would be to ban political commentators from giving assessments favourable to some and adverse to some others. A potential loser in an election cannot seek to alter the rules of free speech,” Jaitley said. Psephology uses historical precinct voting data, public opinion polls, campaign finance information and similar statistical data. According to Congress leaders though, opinion polls could at times be “manipulated” which is why the party was opposing it. They also reject BJP’s observation that the Congress had changed its mind on opinion polls because of pro-BJP wave in the country. They say that the Congress has been constant on its opinion from Day 1. The Congress, incidentally, had welcomed Karnataka Assembly pre-poll surveys that had predicted a win for the party. Cong on the defensive
New Delhi: Cornered by the BJP-led Opposition, a defensive Congress on Monday said all it had done was to concur with the views expressed by the Election Commission. “We have simply endorsed the views of the Election Commission. We have not written any letter on our own or stated any reply on our own. We have simply responded to a communication sent by the EC,” said party spokesperson Meem Afzal at the official briefing.
— TNS
|
|
FOUR-day conclave of Indian envoys
New Delhi, November 4 “We seek stable, long-term and mutually beneficial relations with all major powers,” he said while addressing a meeting of near 120 Indian Ambassadors or High Commissioners here. The four-day conclave has been convened by the External Affairs Ministry to deal, among other things, with the issue of terrorism as well as discussing ways to make India’s neighbourhood policy more effective. Separate sessions have also been kept to review India’s foreign policy with the US, Russia and China. The PM said the UPA government had over the past nine years sought to engineer a fundamental reset in the country’s foreign policy based on national priorities and what New Delhi believed was India’s role and destiny in world affairs. “The great leaders of our freedom struggle instinctively saw the intrinsic link between our foreign policy and the economic aspirations of our people. A free India had to be also a prosperous India. This has been the central vision of our foreign policy and must continue to remain so.” He told the Indian envoys that the foreign policy which India pursued must reflect its national priorities and concerns and be in concert with the country’s capabilities. Manmohan Singh said India’s relations with the world, both major powers and Asian neighbours, were increasingly shaped by the country’s developmental priorities. The single most important objective of Indian foreign policy has to be to create a global environment conducive to the well-being of the country. He argued that greater integration with the world economy would benefit India and enable its people to realise their creative potential. The PM was of the view that the Indian sub-continent’s shared destiny required greater regional cooperation and connectivity. “Towards this end, we must strengthen regional institutional capability and capacity and invest in connectivity.” He said India’s foreign policy was not defined merely by its interests, but also by the values which were very dear to the people. “India’s experiment of pursuing economic development within the framework of a plural, secular and liberal democracy has inspired people around the world and should continue to do so.”
|
|
|
Prince Charles to visit IMA on Nov 7
New Delhi, November 4 Prince Charles, the first in line to the British Crown, will visit the IMA on November 7 along with his wife, the Duchess of Cornwall, Camila Parker Bowles. The IMA is the final passing out academy for the Indian Army officers. Charles will spend a more than an hour at the IMA and will be presented a guard of honour by the Gorkha Rifles regiment on the forecourt of the iconic Chetwode building. Three Army aviation helicopters will fly-past during the guard of honour. The British monarch has himself served in the Royal Air Force and the Royal Navy. The forecourt of the Chetwode building is used for passing out parades of cadets at the IMA and the building is named after Field Marshall Philip Walhouse Chetwode, who was the Commander-in-Chief of the British Indian Army in 1930. The Prince will be briefed about the history of the Indian and British Armies and will also be given a demonstration of counter insurgency scenario in which troops will carry out a ‘house clearing exercise’ deployed in urban insurgency hit areas. A brief lecture shall follow on infantry battle. A visit to the IMA is part of the India visit of the Prince and the Duchess. Beside Dehradun, they will travel to New Delhi, Mumbai, Pune and Kochi and they are scheduled to meet India’s top political, business and cultural leaders. Apart from the Royal visit, India and the UK have an ongoing military-to-military exercise programme. A four-week long joint counter-terrorism training exercise, code named ‘Ajeya Warrior’, was carried out in Belgaum, Karnataka, in April this year. Also in April this year, for the first time a team of 18 officer cadets from the UK based at Sandhurst Military Academy visited the IMA and played a friendly hockey match, which was won by IMA cadets. The event also had an interaction between Indian and UK officers along with the briefing and witnessing of film on IMA: Making of a Warrior. After the match, the foreign cadets were shown around the training activities and infrastructure available at the
IMA. Royal
touch
|
|
|
US, India joint naval exercise begins today
New Delhi, November 4 The exercise will feature both ashore and at-sea training. Ashore training will include subject matter expert and professional exchanges. The at-sea portions will be conducted in the Bay of Bengal. They are designed to advance capacity to plan and execute tactical operations in a multinational environment. Events planned during the at-sea portions include professional exchanges and embarkations; communications exercises; surface action group operations; leapfrogs; helicopter cross-deck evolutions; gunnery exercises; search and seizure; and anti-submarine warfare. Participation from the US Navy includes the Arleigh Burke class guided-missile destroyer USS McCampbell and surveillance plane the P3C Orion. Indian participations include indigenously built Frigate INS Shivalik, Guided Missile Destroyer INS Ranvijay and Russian origin Reconnaissance aircraft, the TU-142. Indian Army
team in China
In a related development, the India-China exercise starts at Chengdu in China on Thursday. A162-member Indian Army contingent reached Chengdu today on board an IAF IL-76. This will be for the third edition of the “Hand-in-Hand” exercise. Miaoergang, 90 km from Chengdu will host this. The modalities for conduct of the exercise were decided subsequent to the decision taken at the 5th Annual Defence Dialogue held in Beijing . Hand-in-Hand-2013 has a larger IA participation than past similar exercise between India and China and is based upon a counter terrorism setting. It is aimed at enhancing interoperability, cooperation and understanding between the two Armies. Indian Army’s observer delegation led by the Director General Military Operations Lt Gen Vinod Bhatia shall preside over the opening ceremony along with PLA’s observer delegation led by the Deputy C-in-C of Chengdu Military Region.
|
|
|
7 shot by tribal militants in Assam; curfew imposed
Guwahati, November 4 The heavily armed insurgents, suspected to be belonging to outlawed Garo National Liberation Army (GNLA), fired at the group of gamblers in a school building at Gendamari village under the Aagia police station around 9 pm on Sunday. Six persons — Bholanath Rabha, Amarendra Rabha, Jayanta Rabha, Puran Rabha, Kalpanath Rabha and Lulu Rabha — were killed on the spot, while another died at the Guwahati Medical College Hospital
(GMCH) this morning. The injured were taken to the Goalpara Civil Hospital by the local people. Security was tightened in the district after the incident. A high-level security review meeting was held at the State Secretariat today in the wake of the killing. The meeting which was presided over by chief secretary Jitesh Khosla decided to send 50 additional platoons of paramilitary forces to Goalpara district and pay compensation to the next of kin of those killed. The Gendamari area has been witnessing violence since October 20 with protests against the forthcoming Rabha Hasong Autonomous Council elections to be held on November 13 and 25. Non-Rabha communities have demanded that their villages be excluded from the jurisdiction of the autonomous council. The outlawed GNLA is a Garo tribe militant outfit that is based in Garo hills areas of neighbouring Meghalaya. The outfit has launched an armed “revolution” demanding a separate state for the Garo tribe of Meghalaya. The outfit has been on a rampage in the Garo hills and areas on both sides of the Assam-Meghalaya boundary extorting money from people and carrying out attacks on the Meghalaya police force on several occasions. A special commando force of the Meghalaya police has been on the trail of GNLA’s top leaders.
|
|
Obituary
Chandigarh, November 4 The popularity of her songs was carried on the sole strength of her voice that was raw, deep and hauntingly enchanting. In the days when orchestra was limited to a minimum percussion and a stringed instrument and technology could do little to improve a voice quality, her songs soared across borders, turning listeners into her die hard fans. Reshma’s voice would have remained unknown, had it not been for Saleem Gilani, then a producer with Radio Pakistan, who heard her sing at the shrine of Lal Shahbaz Qalandar in Sehwan, Sindh, and called her for a recording to Karachi. At 12, she recorded her first song ‘Lal meri pat rakhiyo’, which remained an all-time hit number. After the recording she and her family ran away and were later traced and asked to come back by Gilani. That was the beginning of Reshma’s long singing career. Through her intercontinental fame, she remained modestly thankful to God for the gift of her voice. The richness of her resonating mellifluous voice caught attention of Bollywood producers in the days of pirated tapes. Raj Kapoor used her popular song ‘Ankhiyan nu rehven de ankhyan de kol kol’, in a Hindi version in Lata Mangeshkar’s voice for “Bobby” in 1973. She began visiting India for her live performances during the 1980s, when India and Pakistan allowed exchange of artistes. It took no time for Bollywood music directors to use her deeply expressive voice to translate agony of heartbreaks on the celluloid. Her song ‘Lambi judai’ for Subhash Ghai film “Hero” (1983) turned Reshma into an icon. Laxmikant Pyarelal, the music composers of “Hero” used her voice again in heart-rending number ‘Mere chann pardesi ghar laut ke aana’ (Pati Patni aur Tawaif, 1990), Bappi Lahiri made her sing ‘O piya hua kya kasoor mujhse’ for “Geet” in 1992. Many of her popular numbers were used in later films, mostly as background numbers. It was not only Bollywood numbers that made Reshma a household name, her traditional compositions like ‘Sun charkhe di mithi mithi’ , ‘Sada chidiyan da’, ‘Heer’, ‘Mirza’, rendered with intense pathos moved people to tears. The sad strain of ‘Haio rabba naiyon lagda dil mera’ would elicit an emotional response anywhere in the world, it needs no translator, the power of her notes pierces through heart and lodge there. Despite being untrained, ‘Phool bando’, a traditional classical composition from Rajasthan, based on ragas had notes of perfection in its rendering. She also sang geet and ghazal for Pakistan Radio. Celebrated folk singer, Ila Arun, who says she was inspired by Reshma’s unique voice, thinks it was her sensitivity that made her emote exceptionally well. “The eternal longing, loneliness and sadness of a soul is translated by her voice, her songs are not about misery of this world, they resound the longing of the fakirs, of gypsies,” says noted singer Hans Raj Hans, who thinks she put folk music on a high pedestal by the soulfulness of her renderings. Despite her popularity and international exposure, Reshma remained simple at heart. Toronto was a nice pind to her, and so was Chandigarh. Despite such accomplishments, she lacked resources to take care of her medical bills. Former President of Pakistan, Pervez Musharraf, had to offer aid to help her pay off a bank loan of Rs 1 million. He had also put her on a secured assistance of Rs 10,000 per month. In April this year, when she was hospitalised, the caretaker government of Punjab (Pakistan), led by Najam Sethi decided to pay all her medical expenses. In later years, she tried to promote her son and daughter during her concerts, but the power and emotiveness of her voice remained irreplaceable. Reshma received a number of awards, including the “Sitara-i-Imtiaz” award and the “Legends of Pakistan” award, given by the President of Pakistan. In January 2006, when the Lahore-Amritsar bus service was launched, linking both parts of the Punjab since 1947, Reshma had booked seven seats for herself and her family. Her voice built bridges of peace between the two countries, and it will be missed on both sides of the border. Immortal numbers
|
|
Rahul gets four more days to reply to EC notice
New Delhi, November 4 The Election Commission allowed him this relaxation after Rahul in an email communiqué to Chief Election Commissioner VS Sampath sought a week's time to respond. Rahul cited his travel engagements across India and his preoccupation on account of the festive season last week to ask for more time to respond to the notice. The EC after deliberating on the matter decided to allow the Congress leader four more days and has now asked him to explain by the morning of November 8 why action should not be taken against him in a prima facie case of violation of the Model Code of Conduct which prohibits political leaders from inciting passions and causing divides among people on the lines of religion, caste and community.
|
|
After 3 months’ wait, Sikh man’s body arrives from Saudi Arabia
Patiala, November 4 Devinder Singh was working as truck driver with a Dubai-based transport company. The body had been lying in Saudi Arabia following non-payment of certain penalties and pending taxes. Devinder’s family in India could not afford to clear these dues. After the intervention of SPS Oberoi, a philanthropist, who took up Devinder’s case with his company, the dues were paid to the government to facilitate the return of the body. The body arrived at the New Delhi airport early today and was later taken to the village, where it was cremated in the evening. Devinder is survived by his wife and a son and a daughter. Oberoi said the transport company paid around Rs 6.75 lakh to get back the body. “I am trying to get the insurance claim in favour of the deceased’s family so that they get some respite,” he added. He said six similar cases had recently been brought to his notice by the aggrieved families and had urged the Ministry of External Affairs to intervene. “Our only concern is that these families get a chance to perform the last rites of their near and dear ones and we will ensure that this is done at the earliest,” he said. Minister of State for External Affairs Preneet Kaur said they would take up the issue with the authorities concerned and carry out a structured follow-up of such cases. “Devinder Singh’s body has been brought back with the effort of the External Affairs Ministry and SPS Oberoi. Our next aim is to get the bodies of others back. The Saudi Government does not release bodies before a certain period but we are in talks with them. We are trying to get a compensation of Rs 8 lakh for the family,” she added.
|
|
Victim at Muzaffarnagar camp raped by 2 youths
Muzaffarnagar, November 4 The duo was today sent to 14 days’ judicial custody. Villagers had caught and thrashed the two accused before handing them over to the police. The victim, aged 20 years, was living along with her family at a relief camp in Jogya Kheri, a police spokesperson said. The victim was sent for a medical examination, which has confirmed rape, the police added. The duo accosted the victim when she had stepped out of the camp and raped her. They also threatened to kill her in case she mentioned the incident to anybody.
— PTI Youth shot dead
Muzaffarnagar: A 23-year-old youth, Mukul Sharma, was shot dead and two others injured when unidentified persons opened fire at them, the police said on Monday. The two injured, Shashank and Sachin, are said to be in a serious condition. Irate residents protested against the incident and blocked a road here.
— PTI
|
|
Diwali horror: Mumbai minor gang raped
Mumbai, November 4 The accused then took her to an isolated spot where four of them took turns to rape the girl, the police said. All the six youths, said to be in their 20s, are absconding. Many are believed to be holed up with friends and relatives, the duty officer at the Dindoshi police station said. The police complaint was filed on Sunday. In her complaint, the girl said she was forcibly given beer to drink and then taken to a drain in the area where she was assaulted. The police suspect that the beer may have been spiked with some substance which caused her to feel dizzy. In her statement, the girl said four of the six boys took turns to assault her. After keeping quiet for two days, she told her grandmother about the assault, the police said. The two then filed a complaint. The police then took the girl to hospital for medical examination. According to the police, all the suspects have criminal records. Trust betrayed
|
|
Windshield of AI Dreamliner cracks during landing
New Delhi, November 4 Air India's local manager Madhu C Mathen said the windshield of the aircraft, which landed at Melbourne this morning, suffered damage and a new one was being brought in tomorrow's flight. "The new windshield will be fixed and the aircraft will be ready soon," he said, adding that the passengers were adjusted in other flights for their onward journey. AI-311 was operating from Delhi to Sydney via Melbourne with around 80 passengers and 12 crew members. — PTI
|
|
Nine bombs seized from Ranchi lodge Ranchi, November 4 “All bombs are fitted with timers, and have been taken to Morahbadi ground to neutralise them. No arrest has been made so far,” Senior Superintendent of Police Saket Kumar Singh said here. “The bombs, which matched those used in the Patna blasts, were recovered from a lodge in the Hindpiri area of Ranchi," he said. Singh said during some raids it was found that four or five persons, involved in suspicious activities, were seen in the Ormanjhi area. The police traced the lodge and seized the explosives. "Three years ago, there were reports of sleeper cells, but with the current seizure, Ranchi has more than sleeper cells," the SSP said. Earlier Additional Director General of Police SN Pradhan said the explosives were recovered by the local police, which has been following a lead for the past two days. The police also seized 19 gelatin sticks and two clocks fitted to the bombs. — PTI
|
|
| HOME PAGE | |
Punjab | Haryana | Jammu & Kashmir |
Himachal Pradesh | Regional Briefs |
Nation | Opinions | | Business | Sports | World | Letters | Chandigarh | Ludhiana | Delhi | | Calendar | Weather | Archive | Subscribe | E-mail | |
