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Congress leader ND Tiwari accepts Rohit Shekhar as his son

NEW DELHI: After a six-year legal battle that involved emotional arguments and a DNA test, veteran Congress leader ND Tiwari has finally admitted that Rohit Shekhar is his son. “I am shocked that ND Tiwari has finally accepted the fact that I am his son, but I am glad,” said Rohit.

“I hope nothing bad happens now. I only want my mother to be respected. I also want to spend some time with my father like any other family,” he added.

“Tiwariji said he was sad that me and Rohit had to go through this pain and he accepted Rohit as his son,” said Ujjwala Sharma, Rohit Shekhar's mother.

The Delhi High Court on July 27, 2012, read out a DNA report in the case, according to which Tiwari was shown as Shekhar's biological father.

The former governor of Andhra Pradesh and chief minister of Uttar Pradesh was dragged to court for the first time in the year 2008 by the 34-year-old young man, alleging him to be his father. - ANI

Judge among 11 killed in Islamabad

ISLAMABAD: At least 11 people, including a judge, were killed and 25 others injured on Monday when suicide attackers threw grenades and opened indiscriminate fire in the premises of a local court in Pakistan’s federal capital.

“The two gunmen when challenged blew themselves up. This was a suicide attack,” Inspector General of Police Sikandar Hayat told reporters.

Dr Ayesha of Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences said 11 people were dead and over 25 were brought in as injured.

An Additional Session Judge was among those killed.

The attack comes just days after Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan said Islamabad was a safe city. This is the first terrorist attack in the heart of Islamabad in a long time. A large number of expats stay in the F—8 area of the capital where the attack took place.

Eyewitnesses said the gunmen, first threw grenades and then opened indiscriminate firing. The incident happened around 9 AM and firing continued for nearly 15 minutes. Rangers personnel and commandos secured the area after the attack and carried out search operations. - Agencies

Jat leaders welcome reservation

MUZAFFARNAGAR: Jat leaders on Monday welcomed the decision of the Union Cabinet to include Jats in nine states in the central list of Other Backward Classes and said the move will help youths from the community in getting jobs.

Ghatwala khap council head Harkishan Singh Malik and Balyan khap council head Naresh Tikait said it was the best gift for the Jat community and would help them in employment and improve their living standards.

Muslim Jat leader Chaudhary Mushtaq Ahmad said the move will the pave the way for the community members to avail benefits of reservation.

The leaders also thanked Union minister Ajit Singh for his efforts.

The Union Cabinet on Sunday approved the inclusion of the Jat community in the Central list of OBCs for the states of Bihar, Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttarrakhand, Uttar Pradesh and the National capital territory of Delhi.

An approximate number of nine crore Jats are living in nine states. -PTI

Sahara chief taken by road to Delhi for production before SC 

LUCKNOW: Sahara chief Subrata Roy was today taken by road to New Delhi for production by 2 PM tomorrow before the Supreme Court which had issued a non-bailable warrant against him in a case of alleged contempt.

"Roy has been taken to Delhi by road by the police..", SP, Trans Gomti, Habibul Hasan told PTI after the 65-year-old Sahara chief left in a cavalcade of police cars.

Asked about the route by which he would be taken to Delhi, Hasan said probably he would be taken through Kanpur.

Roy surrendered on Friday last and was arrested by the police which he had evaded for two days. The Supreme Court had ordered his arrest after he failed to appear before the court in a contempt case for non-appearance before it.

The Sahara chief was lodged in a guest house of the state forest department at Kukrail here after the state police was directed by a local court on February 28 to keep him in its custody till March 4 when he will be produced before the Supreme Court.

Chief Judicial Magistrate Anand Kumar Yadav had directed the UP police to keep him in custody till 2 PM on March 4 and ensure that he is by then produced before the apex court.

Police had moved an application before the CJM seeking Roy's custody instead of transit remand and his counsel V K Shahi also did not oppose it.

The order to arrest Roy was issued on February 26 for his failure to appear before the apex court in a contempt case arising out of non refund of Rs 20,000 crore to investors by two of his companies. - PTI

Third Front aimed at promoting Congress' interest: Modi

MUZAFFARPUR: Narendra Modi today alleged that Third Front was only aimed at promoting the interest of Congress and cannot do any good for the country.

"Third Front is actually aimed at promoting the interest of Congress," he said addressing party rally while launching a blistering attack on Bihar Chief Minister and JD(U) leader Nitish Kumar, a prime mover of the anti-Congress and anti-BJP Front.

"Did you hear about Third Front a year or six months ago? ... It has come (into being) on the eve of elections...

It can spoil the elections but can do no good for the country," the BJP prime ministerial candidate said.

Coming down heavily on Congress and other parties, he said while for BJP secularism meant promoting the interests of all castes and communities and ushering the country on the path of development but for the others it has a "narrow meaning of stopping Narendra Modi from coming to power".

Tearing into Kumar's development claims, he quoted statistics stating that only 23 per cent households in the state have toilets and only 16 per cent have electricity.

New entrants to NDA - LJP President Ramvilas Paswan and Upendra Kushwaha of Rashtriya Loksamata Party -- shared the dias with Modi for the first time after becoming part of the alliance. - PTI 

Congress led JD(U) up the garden path on special status: Jaitley

NEW DELHI: As Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar frowned at the Centre, the BJP on Monday took a dig at him, saying he was led up the “garden path” by Congress on the issue of special status and hinted that this had led to its split with BJP.

Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Arun Jaitley said the assurance offered by the Congress to Nitish Kumar was more political than linked to the economic necessities of Bihar and the special status did not come once the JD(U) was on its own after breaking up with BJP.

“The UPA’s intention was to lead JD(U) up the garden path that the special category status to Bihar was indeed coming. I do not know how the astute leadership of JD(U) fell for this,” he wrote on his blog.

His statement came a day after Nitish Kumar staged a day-long protest in Patna against the Centre’s failure to grant special category status to Bihar.

Hinting that the promise had prompted Kumar to part ways with BJP, Jaitley said, “Coincidentally the signalling towards this special category status was also at the same time when the JD(U)-BJP split took place.”

Once the JD(U) was on its own, the special category status did not come, the BJP leader said.

Taking a swipe, he said, “in the ‘swayamvar’ (process of choosing a life partner from among many) between Lalu Prasad-led RJD and JD(U), the Congress party preferred its old ally (RJD).” - PTI