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BJP slams Khurshid's 'impotent' remark on Modi 

NEW DELHI:  BJP today slammed Union Minister Salman Khurshid for describing Narendra Modi as "impotent" and asked him to apologise for the "regrettable" and "shameful" comment, saying it only reflects the Congress party's "desperation".

BJP leaders said Congress and its leaders have "forgotten manners and etiquettes" and asked if Sonia Gandhi approved of this comment.

"The comment is not only regrettable but shameful, coming from a person who is the foreign affairs minister of India. It is a new low. I can understand their desperation but let me ask Sonia Gandhi does she approve of this comment. Khurshid should apologise for the kind of language he has used against Modi. The desperation is there and the people will give response," said BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad.

BJP leader Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi advised Congress leaders to keep patience.

"They are using this kind of language as they are frustrated...All the senior leaders and ministers are aware that they would be wiped out. This kind of statements will take them nowhere.

"We would like to advise them to keep some patience.

Elections will come and go, you shall reap what you sow. The people will account for your scams, your performance, your corruption with interests. Why are you so worried," he said.

The External Affairs Minister had yesterday called the Gujarat Chief Minister as "impotent".

"Some people came, attacked and went, and you couldn't protect. Are you not a strong man?," he had said.

"We don't accuse you (Modi) of killing people... Hamara aarop hai ki tum 'napunsak'(impotent) ho. (Our accusation is that you are impotent). You couldn't stop the killers," he added. 'napunsak' is a term used for impotent men in Hindi.

Another senior BJP leader Shahnawaz Hussain said that Congress and its leaders have "forgotten manners and etiquettes" and asked Rahul Gandhi whether he had imparted this kind of training to his leaders. - PTI 

Apologise, says BJP after Khurshid calls Modi impotent

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Wednesday said that External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid should apologise for calling its prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi "impotent".

Salman Khurshid in a rally in his constituency Farukkabad, Uttar Pradesh Tuesday said: "Our allegation is not that you (Modi) get people killed...but that you are napunsak (impotent)". It was in reference to Modi's claims to be a strong man, yet failing to protect people during the 2002 riots.

"It is utterly irresponsible, shameful and codemnable coming as it does from the foreign minister of India. If the Oxford educated Salman Khusrshid does not understand the distinction between incompetent and impotent then what should I say. Khurshid must apologise," said Ravi Shankar Prasad, deputy leader of the opposition in Rajya Sabha.

Khurshid further added: "All I am asking the BJP and Modi to do is accept to what happened during the 2002 riots." - Agencies

Khurshid sticks to his remark 

Union Minister Salman Khurshid, who stoked a controversy by calling Narendra Modi "impotent", today insisted that he did nothing wrong as there was no other appropriate word to describe him in the context of the 2002 Gujarat riots.

Slamming Modi for his handling of the riots, Khurshid said he did not find any other word to expressed his anguish better and asked the BJP's Prime Ministerial candidate to admit the "truth" about the riots.

"I am not his doctor. I cannot physically examine him. So I have no business to be saying what his physical condition is. The word impotent is used in political vocabulary to show that somebody is incapable of doing something," he said.

The Union Minister said the Gujarat Chief Minister must admit the "truth" and clarify either he was behind the riots or were not in a position to stop them.

"Either you admit you are strong and fully capable and what had happened was done deliberately or say that I made lot of efforts but did not have the capability (to stop the riots). If there is no capability (to deal with) what is it called. Is it not called impotency. If it is called impotency and I said that then what's the problem," he said.

Rebutting BJP's criticism for his comments, Khurshid if they do not understand the vocabulary then he can send a dictionary to them.

"If you can suggest any other word then I will use that," he said.

The BJP slammed Khurshid for his use of the word to describe Modi and asked him to apologise for the "regrettable" and "shameful" comment. BJP leaders said Congress and its leaders have "forgotten manners and etiquettes" and asked if Sonia Gandhi approved of this comment.

Khurshid had yesterday described Modi as "impotent" while addressing a rally in Farrukhabad from where he is likely to seek re-election in Lok Sabha polls. Khurshid had once compared Modi to the proverbial frog just out of the well.

Without taking the name of Modi, Khurshid asked why a man who aspires to be the prime minister of the country could not do anything during the 2002 riots. - PTI

Subrata Roy fails to appear, SC issues NBW

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court today issued non bailable arrest warrant against Sahara Chief Subrata Roy for his failure to appear before it in connection with the case in which his two companies have been directed to refund Rs 20,000 crore to investors.

"We had already declined yesterday Roy's plea seeking exemption from personal appearance. He has not appeared even today and we are issuing non bailable warrant returnable for March 4," a bench comprising justices K S Radhakrishnan and J S Khehar said.

At the outset when senior advocate Ram Jethmalani, appearing for Roy, informed the court that he has been unable to appear because of the ill health of his 95-year-old mother, the bench shot back "the arms of this court are very long.

Yesterday only we had refused your plea for exemption from personal appearance. We will issue the non bailable warrant.

This is the Supreme Court of the land." "Yesterday we told you that we are not inclined to exempt him from personal appearance. If other directors can appear, why can't you?," the bench said.

The court had on February 20 come down heavily on the Sahara group for not refunding Rs 20,000 crore of investors money despite its order and summoned Roy, Ravi Shankar Dubey, Ashok Roy Choudhary and Vandana Bhargava, directors of its firms--Sahara India Real Estate Corp Ltd (SIREC) and Sahara India Housing Investment Corp Ltd (SHIC) to be personally present before it today.
Jethmalani sought to explain Roy's non-appearance by saying that he was sitting on the bed side of his ailing mother and holding her hand.

He also placed before the bench the medical certificate on Roy's mother's ill health and said on all earlier occasions, the Sahara Chief had complied with the apex court's order.

However, the bench said, "for last two years we have been seeing what's happening in the matter".

The apex court had yesterday rejected Roy's plea seeking exemption from personal appearance and had asked him to be present before it today.

The bench had made it clear that "rule of law" has to be maintained and Roy has to comply with its February 20 order in which he along with three directors of his companies have been summoned to appear.

During the hearing earlier, the bench had observed that SEBI could go ahead with the sale of properties of the group whose sale deeds were handed over to the market regulator to recover Rs 20,000 crore.

"Those properties you can sell. We allow you to sell them and recover the money. If they are encumbered properties then you can file criminal case against the company. The case must be brought to a logical conclusion," the bench had said.

The bench had raised question on the way the group has been defying its order for the last one-and-a-half years.

The bench had said SEBI can put those properties on auction and get the money after the market regulator had said that let the company itself sell the properties and deposit the money.

The apex court in its judgement of August 31, 2012 had directed SEBI to attach properties and recover the money.

Sending a clear message that the court is not "helpless" in taking action for flouting its directions, the apex court had on November 21 last year barred Roy from leaving the country and also restrained the group from selling any of its properties. - PTI 

LJP ties up with BJP

NEW DELHI: Ram Vilas Paswan’s LJP had, on Wednesday, tied up with BJP for the Lok Sabha polls. Earlier, a meeting of the LJP Parliamentary Board was held at a time when the party is unhappy with the delay in firming up seat-sharing arrangement with Congress and RJD.

Chirag Paswan, son of LJP chief Ram Vilas Paswan, who also heads the Parliamentary Board, has already said there is “distress” in LJP over the way the seat-sharing issue has been dragging with Congress and RJD.

Party sources said LJP has developed a trust deficit with RJD chief Lalu Prasad. LJP fears that RJD could field dummy candidates in some seats spared for it as was done last time, they said.

Several BJP leaders have met Chirag. Talk is that BJP has offered seven seats to LJP, which is pressing for nine seats in Bihar.

BJP MP Shahnawaz Hussain had called on LJP chief a few days back while senior BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad had visited Paswan on January 14 on the day of Makar Sankranti. - PTI

Five Navy personnel seriously injured in submarine mishap 

MUMBAI: Five Navy personnel were seriously injured today in a mishap involving the Russian-origin Kilo Class submarine INS Sindhuratna off the coast of Mumbai.

This is the tenth accident involving an Indian Navy warship and the third submarine mishap in the last seven months.

INS Sindhuratna was involved in an exercise along the Mumbai harbour when a leakage in the battery compartment of the submarine occurred resulting in five Naval personnel suffering suffocation, Navy sources told PTI here.

The Navy personnel fell unconscious and had to be airlifted to the naval hospital INS Ashwini in Mumbai, they said.

The sources said a Board of Inquiry under a senior officer has been ordered to ascertain the reason behind the mishap.

A Navy spokesperson refused to comment on the issue. It is learnt that a senior naval officer of the submarine wing was present on Sindhuratna when the incident took place, the sources said.

Around a month ago, INS Sindhughosh had a close shave when it entered the Mumbai harbour during a low-tide phase and was about to run aground. 

INS Sindhurakshak sank in the Mumbai harbour last year, killing all 18 personnel on board. Defence Minister AK Antony has sought a detailed report from the Navy on the issue.

Earlier this month, INS Airavat, an amphibious warfare vessel, ran aground after which the commanding officer was stripped of his command duties.

After the sinking of the INS Sindhurakshak, one of the mishaps involved INS Betwa which was damaged after probably hitting some underwater object.

India's leading minesweeper, the INS Konkan that was undergoing repairs in Vizag, caught fire and suffered major damage to its interiors. The Pondicherry-class minesweeper was getting a refit at a dry dock when the incident occurred.

The naval headquarters is concerned over the spate of mishaps in the Western Command and had even summoned Western Naval Commander Vice Admiral Shekhar Sinha on the issue. - PTI

Obama tells Pentagon to plan for Afghan pullout

WASHINGTON: President Barack Obama threatened on Tuesday to withdraw all U.S. troops from Afghanistan by the end of this year if a crucial security pact is not signed and he ordered the Pentagon to accelerate planning for just that scenario.

At the same time, in a rare phone call with Afghan President Hamid Karzai,  Obama indicated he was willing to wait and sign a security agreement with a new Afghan president after elections in April. That would allow the U.S. to keep as many as 10,000 troops in the country.

The effort seemed aimed at marginalising Karzai’s role in the high-stakes negotiations over the future of the lengthy American-led war.

“We will leave open the possibility of concluding a (security agreement) with Afghanistan later this year,” the White House said in a statement following the call. “However, the longer we go without a (deal), the more challenging it will be to plan and execute any U.S. mission.”

Barack Obama’s attempt to minimize Karzai’s importance to U.S. decision-making underscores how fractured the relationship between the two leaders has become. Tuesday’s phone call was the first direct contact between Obama and Karzai since last June. The Afghan leader has deeply irritated Washington with anti-American rhetoric, as well as with his decision this month to release 65 prisoners over the objections of U.S. officials.

The White House insists it won’t keep any American troops in Afghanistan after December without a security agreement giving the military a legal basis for staying in the country. While the White House did not publicly set a deadline for finalizing the agreement before that time, officials said the size and scope of the any U.S. mission could shrink the longer Obama waits.

Despite the troubled ties between Washington and Kabul, many of Obama’s advisers want to see American troops stay in Afghanistan after the war formally concludes in December. The Pentagon envisions keeping up to 10,000 troops in Afghanistan to focus on counterterrorism and the training of Afghan security forces, though some White House advisers would prefer keeping fewer troops, if any.

The U.S. military has also drawn up blueprints for a full withdrawal, and Tuesday’s developments appeared to push that idea closer to the forefront of Pentagon planning.

Barack Obama’s call with Karzai coincided with key military meetings on Afghanistan. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel will meet with his NATO counterparts in Brussels later this week, while Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Martin Dempsey arrived in Afghanistan on Tuesday to visit U.S. military leaders in the country and assess the security situation on the ground.

Gen. Dempsey, speaking to reporters traveling with him, said that while the U.S. remains committed to helping Afghanistan after this year, “I can’t ask the young men and women to serve in a country without the protections afforded by a bilateral security agreement.”

“We are at a point where we have to begin planning for other options,” Gen. Dempsey said.

The prospect of a full American withdrawal has led to concern among Afghanistan’s neighbours, most notably Pakistan, where officials have warned that a civil war could break out and further destabilise the region. Pakistani officials also worry that Afghan security forces will fracture and as many as one-third of the force could desert without continued U.S. assistance.

The U.S. and Afghanistan agreed to details of a security pact last year, and the agreement was also endorsed by a council of 3,000 Afghan tribal elders known as the Loya Jirga. But Karzai caught U.S. officials off guard by then declaring he wanted his successor to sign the agreement.

It’s unclear whether Afghanistan’s new president will be any more likely than Karzai to do so. There is no clear front runner among the 11 candidates running to replace the president, who is constitutionally ineligible for a third term and has not endorsed a successor.

Among those running are Abdullah Abdullah, who was the runner up to Karzai in the disputed 2009 elections; Qayyum Karzai, a businessman and the president’s older brother, and Ashraf Ghani, a former finance minister and academic. Most of the candidates are familiar to U.S. officials.

The longer the U.S. waits to make a decision on its future in Afghanistan, the more expensive and risky a full withdrawal would become. With less time to move troops and equipment, the military will have to fly assets out rather than use cheaper ground transportation.

The Pentagon’s biggest challenge will be closing large military facilities, including the Bagram and Kandahar air bases. Shutting down a massive base typically takes about 10 months, but military officials said they are prepared to do it in a much shorter although far more expensive period if necessary. Military officials said commanders would still like to have about six months.

The Pentagon is currently planning to cut the total American force in Afghanistan to as low as 20,000 by mid summer, giving commanders the ability to pull all troops out by Dec. 31 if no agreement is reached. There are currently about 33,600 U.S. troops in Afghanistan. - Agencies

Pakistan  warns of civil war in Afghanistan 

WASHINGTON: Pakistan has reportedly warned that withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan may result in civil war. The remark comes in the wake of the Obama administration threatening “zero option”, following which no US troops would be left on the ground after 2014.

An unnamed senior Pakistan official said that departure of US forces would likely create “mayhem” in the country, which could ultimately prompt one third of Afghan security forces to desert their posts in the Army and police, adding that the zero option would mean a civil war in Afghanistan, CS Monitor reported.

President Barack Obama has warned Afghanistan of complete pull out of troops after Afghan President Hamid Karzai refused to sign a bilateral security agreement.

According to a phone call conversation readout issued by the White House, Obama warned Karzai that the longer they go without a BSA, the more challenging it will be to plan and execute any US mission.- Agencies