Monday, August 2, 1999

Policy groups to speed up decision making
NEW DELHI, Aug 1 — The Union Home Ministry has set up several policy planning groups in order to speed up the decision making process and its effective implementation.

Jat Mahasabha to vote against Cong
JAIPUR, Aug 1 — The Rajasthan Jat Mahasabha-led joint reservation action committee today resolved to vote against the Congress for its “breach of trust” on job quota to Jats and three other communities, and decided to back parties other than the BJP in the coming Lok Sabha poll in the state.

CM’s denial on jaundice cases
NEW DELHI, Aug 1 — Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit today termed the statement of the Leader of the Opposition in the Delhi Assembly, Mr Jagdish Mukhi that contaminated water supplied by the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) had led to the spread of jaundice in certain parts of the city as “false, baseless and politically motivated”.

Nigerian held with 19 kg of heroin
NEW DELHI, Aug 1 — In a major catch, the Narcotics Control Bureau arrested a Nigerian national with over 19 kg of heroin estimated to be worth several crores of rupees in the international market, here last night.

Pak using new routes to send militants

NEW DELHI, Aug 1 (PTI) — Pakistan, finding it difficult to push in militants in Punjab through the state's fenced and well-lit border, is exploiting new routes, including that of Nepal, to infiltrate ultras into India to revive militancy in the state, according to official sources here.

The sources said the militants, after receiving arms training in Pakistan, were being pushed into India through Jammu and Kashmir, Rajasthan and Gujarat.

"Even Nepal connections have figured prominently under the current diversification plans of the Punjab militants and Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI)," they said.

According to these sources, periodic efforts have also been made to puncture the Punjab border and exploit various gaps existing in that.

The ISI has also lately started introducing narco-terrorism and in the recent months there has been growth in nexus between Punjab militants and persons involved in smuggling of narcotics, they said.

Interrogation of several militants has revealed that the ISI was maintaining a regular supply of arms and ammunition to the terrorists through the Rajasthan and Gujarat borders, particularly with the help of trusted trans-border smugglers.

Balwinder Singh of the Babbar Khalsa International (BKI) arrested in Hoshiarpur on June 16, told his interrogators that he along with one Bittu and a Pakistani national had entered India from Pakistan through the Samba sector of Jammu and Kashmir in January this year and had brought five AK-47 rifles and some explosives.

The where abouts of his two associates were not known, the sources said, adding Balwinder Singh had received three weeks' training in handling arms and explosives before entering India.

Earlier, on June 11, the police in Baroda, Gujarat, arrested three suspected Babbar Khalsa activists and a local contact and recovered from them a Chinese pistol with seven cartridges and two country-made pistols with five cartridges.

Their interrogation revealed that a consignment of weapons was being sent from Pakistan by some smugglers.

Two confidants of the Khalistan Commando Force (Panjwar) (KCF-p) chief, Paramjit Singh Panjwar, — Kulwinder Singh and Paramjit Singh — have reportedly sneaked into India via Nepal with a specific purpose of targeting VIPs.

Stability to be Cong plank
Tribune News Service

NEW DELHI, Aug 1 — While the Congress has decided to project stability as its main poll plank it is yet to come to any decision on its stand on coalitions even as preparations are on to finalise the manifesto.

A draft manifesto has already been prepared by the Congress Working Committee (CWC) and the party has now authorised its President, Mrs Sonia Gandhi, to finalise it.

Differences cropped up in the (CWC) last week on these aspects as well as on what should be the party's stand on providing reservation for Dalit Christians, party sources said.

The differences surfaced with a section of the central leadership, including Mr Pranab Mukherjee and Mr V.N. Gadgil, preferring that the Congress should continue to project that it would go it alone.

Apart from it, these leaders were of the view that the Pachmarhi declaration should be reflected in the manifesto and it should also guide the Congress on its stand on coalitions.

Having demonstrated its unwillingness to share power when the party was provided with an opportunity to form an alternative government after the defeat of the Atal Behari Vajpayee-led coalition government earlier this year, the party now appears to be somewhat altering its viewpoint.

Senior Congress leader and former Kerala Chief Minister A.K. Antony has favoured alliances and sharing of power while another CWC member Madhavrao Scindia stated recently that the party had an open mind on the issue.

Another area which the party leaders feel needs attention is highlighting the basic difference between the BJP and the Congress.

During the CWC meeting last week, some leaders said with the BJP now having given up its demand on scrapping Article 370 of the Constitution or enacting a common civil code and adopting the economic reforms of the Congress, there was a change in its complexion. Similarly, with secular parties like the Janata Dal, preferring to look the BJP way, the situation was altering, the leaders felt.

On Kargil, there was a demand that the Congress should categorically state that if it came back to power, then there would be a full-fledged inquiry into the entire episode and action would be taken against those found guilty.

On the issue of providing reservations for Dalit Christians, there were different views with one senior leader suggesting that in case the party committed itself, then it would lead to a reduction in the existing reservation quota.

There was also an opinion that in case the party supported this stand, then there could be similar demands from the Dalits in other communities.

The Congress President was understood to have suggested that the party should stick to the existing ceiling on reservation as laid down by the Supreme Court in its order while expressing the view that promises which were unrealistic should not be made.

BJP panel to meet today

NEW DELHI, Aug 1 (PTI) — The BJP which is likely to contest 370 seats in the forthcoming Lok Sabha poll will start the process of selecting nominees tomorrow when the party’s Central Election Committee (CEC) begins its two-day meeting here.

The party, which leads the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), is yet to decide on how many seats to leave for its allies, especially in states like Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Bihar and Karnataka.

With several senior leaders expressing a desire to stay away from the fray, the party’s CEC is likely to undertake the exercise of finding suitable replacements for them. Among those who have expressed their wish to stay away are Mrs Sushma Swaraj, Sumitra Mahajan and Vijayeraje Sindia.

A preliminary discussion on the preparations for the elections was held on Friday by senior leaders, including party president Kushabhau Thakre, Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Home Minister L.K. Advani and general secretaries Venkaiah Naidu, Narendra Modi and Govindacharya.

With alliances with friendly parties and groups yet to be firmed up and the question of the entry into the NDA of the Sharad Yadav-led Janata Dal still hanging fire, the two-day meeting is more in the nature of a preliminary exercise, party sources said.

The meeting which would take up reports of state units before the finalisation of candidates is likely to decide on seats in the north-eastern region.

With the picture in Andhra Pradesh still not clear, the party may not take a decision on the seats to contest as also in other southern states of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.

In Uttar Pradesh, its allies had demanded 20 seats, but the BJP sources said this could be dealt with and these allies would finally climb down.

However, a major problem as far as seat adjustment was concerned would be in Karnataka where the new combination of the Samata Party-Lok Shakti-Janata Dal could bargain for a better deal for the Lok Sabha and the assembly.

The new combination is most likely to bargain for more seats in Bihar as it has leaders like Mr Ram Vilas Paswan who had last time got the support of the BJP and the Samata Party.

In Tamil Nadu, the BJP is likely to field candidates for four to five seats as indicated recently by its leader Rangarajan Kumaramangalam though its new ally, the DMK, has not yet spelt out how many seats it would be contesting as also other allies like the MDMK of Vaiko and the PMK of Dr Ramadoss.

Laloo meets Bommai

NEW DELHI, Aug 1 (PTI) — In what could signal yet another realignment of forces before the Lok Sabha elections, the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) President, Mr Laloo Prasad Yadav, tonight held an unscheduled meeting with Mr S.R. Bommai, leader of the Deve Gowda-led faction of the Janata Dal seeking a tie-up to oppose the BJP and its allies.

The nearly hour-long meeting assumes significance as it comes in the wake of the split in the Janata Dal, with the faction led by Mr Sharad Yadav deciding to fight the elections jointly with the Samata Party and the Lok Shakti, both constituents of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA).

After his meeting with Mr Bommai, with whom the former Bihar Chief Minister has had a close equation since long, Mr Laloo Prasad Yadav told PTI that his talks veered around a strategy to fight BJP and its allies.

The Laloo-Bommai meeting took place two days after Mr Gowda had ruled out having truck with the RJD while maintaining equi-distance from both the Congress and the BJP.

Worried over the possible challenge thrown up by the coming together of the Samata Party, Lok Shakti and the JD (Sharad Yadav faction) and its impact on the electoral prospects of the RJD in Bihar, Mr Yadav said, "Our common aim is to crush communalism... We will talk further."

The former Bihar Chief Minister arrived here today to resume his parleys with a senior Congress leader, Mr Madhavrao Scindia in a bid to finalise the number of seats to be offered to that party.

Mr Yadav has already held two rounds of talks, the last one barely four days back with Mr Scindia and Mr Ahmed Patel.

Orissa JD splits formally

BHUBANESWAR, Aug 1 (UNI) — The 13-member Janata Dal Legislature Party in Orissa formally split today with 10 MLAs owing allegiance to the Sharad Yadav faction abstaining from the state executive body meeting convened by the party President.

Briefing newsmen after the state executive meeting here, party president Ashok Das said the 10 MLAs did not adhere to the party principle and skipped the state executive.

Besides Mr Ashok Das, other MLAs, who attended the state executive, were former Orissa Assembly Speaker Yudhistir Das and Mr Suryamani Jena.

On the other hand, the 10 Janata Dal MLAs, who had sworn in affidavit in favour of the Sharad Yadav faction, said they had boycotted the state executive as they did not want to be associated with the group owing allegiance to Mr H.D. Deve Gowda.

However, Mr Das claimed that a majority of the state executive today unanimously resolved to go by the principles of the party led by Mr Deve Gowda.

The state executive, he said, also supported the stand of the National Executive, convened by Mr H.D. Deve Gowda in Delhi on July 30 and resolved to maintain equidistance both from the Congress and the BJP in the coming elections.

Mr Das said besides the 10 Janata Dal MLAs, three district presidents also did not attend the state executive meeting. He hinted that he would soon reconstitute various frontal organisations of the party in the state.

On being asked about the position of the party in the assembly, Mr Das said he would soon write to the assembly Speaker to allow them separate seats in the House.

The state executive, he said, had also decided to field candidates in the Lok Sabha elections in the state. It would also continue its alliance with the Left parties and the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha and go for a new alliance with the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), Mr Das said.

Mr Das said though no talks had been initiated with the leaders of the NCP, but there was every possibility of entering into an alliance with the NCP in the coming Lok Sabha elections.

Policy groups to speed up decision making
Tribune News Service

NEW DELHI, Aug 1 — The Union Home Ministry has set up several policy planning groups in order to speed up the decision making process and its effective implementation.

A decision to set up policy groups was taken by the Union Home Secretary, Kamal Pande, recently and these working groups which are to deal crucial areas are expected to become functional shortly.

These groups are expected to provide interactive forum to senior officials of the Ministry who will discuss in detail issues before arriving at decisions on each subject. The groups are to suggest action plan and also monitor its implementation in a time-bound manner, sources of the ministry said.

The subjects which would be dealt by these groups include militancy in Jammu and Kashmir, insurgency in the North-East, activities of the Inter-Service Intelligence (ISI) of Pakistan in India, security related matters, modernisation of police forces, foreigners in India, census and some financial matters.

This is the second major move by the Home Secretary to bring in a new work method in the ministry. Earlier, he had set up a high-level policy planning cell which had three special secretaries and two additional secretaries as its members. Although this cell met on regular basis, a need was felt for follow up activity in many cases.

In addition, the need was felt for setting up of groups to go into ‘specifics’ and deal with the problem areas in a more focussed way.

The policy groups will determine its scope of study and take the approval of the Home Secretary before embarking upon the action plan. The objective behind the groups was to ensure that the decisions taken by the ministry were implemented, the sources added.

Jat Mahasabha to vote against Cong

JAIPUR, Aug 1 (PTI) — The Rajasthan Jat Mahasabha-led joint reservation action committee today resolved to vote against the Congress for its “breach of trust” on job quota to Jats and three other communities, and decided to back parties other than the BJP in the coming Lok Sabha poll in the state.

The anti-Congress resolution came at a big rally organised by the committee at Vidyadharnagar Stadium here. The committee represents Mev, Vishnois and Kayam Khani communities also.

The rally addressed by BSP supremo Kanshi Ram, Nationalist Congress Party General Secretary Tariq Anwar and Lok Dal President Ajit Singh among others, gave the slogan “no reservation, no vote for the Congress” but agreed to support the non-Congress and the non-BJP candidates.

Alleging that the Congress reneged on its promise to give job quota to the four communities in Rajasthan, the committee gave authority to the District Jat Mahasabha units to work out strategy to ensure defeat of the Congress candidates.

Several independent MLAs and president of the all-India Jat Mahasabha Mr Dara Singh, also addressed the rally.

Vajpayee to contest from Lucknow

LUCKNOW, Aug 1 (UNI) — The Prime Minister, Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee, will contest election from the Lucknow Lok Sabha seat.

Talking to UNI here today, the Uttar Pradesh BJP chief, Mr Rajnath Singh, said the primary list of party candidates would be "unofficially declared" after a week. He said like in the earlier three Lok Sabha elections, this time too Mr Vajpayee’s name had been cleared for Lucknow constituency.

He said the meeting of the state election committee held here today completed the task of political review of all constituencies. He would submit a report in this regard to the central election committee of the party which was to meet in Delhi on August 3.

The BJP-led coalition government in Uttar Pradesh would meet here on August 4 to decide on seat adjustments in the elections. By August 15 the list of the party candidates would be declared after getting the nod from the central election committee in this regard, he said.

CM’s denial on jaundice cases
Tribune News Service

NEW DELHI, Aug 1 — Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit today termed the statement of the Leader of the Opposition in the Delhi Assembly, Mr Jagdish Mukhi that contaminated water supplied by the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) had led to the spread of jaundice in certain parts of the city as “false, baseless and politically motivated”.

The Chief Minister stated that there was no contamination of water supplied from the Haidarpur plant. Sample tests of water from the plant were being taken periodically by the DJB and only 0.5 per cent of samples were found contaminated.

She said that this year there were fewer cases of jaundice than last year.

Meanwhile, the Chief Minister has asked the Delhi Health Minister Dr A K Walia to monitor the situation in the Capital.

Nigerian held with 19 kg of heroin

NEW DELHI, Aug 1 (PTI) — In a major catch, the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) arrested a Nigerian national with over 19 kg of heroin estimated to be worth several crores of rupees in the international market, here last night.

The national, Vel Ele Okeke was picked up by the NCB sleuths with the contraband from Vasant Vihar in South Delhi following a tip-off, NCB sources said.

He was produced before Duty Magistrate Shail Jain today and remanded in 14-day judicial custody.

Of the 19.30 kg of the drug, 1.60 kg was super quality powder and the rest 17.70 kg water-mixed heroin, NCB counsel Rajesh Manchanda told the court.

NCB sources said Okeke was planning to smuggle the heroin to Uganda.

5 journalists awarded
LUCKNOW: Five journalists have been honoured with Osama Talha Foundation Award 1998 for “fearless and healthy journalistic pursuits”. Addressing a function here, former Prime Minister I.K. Gujral said, Mr Talha was a fearless journalist and his boldness would always be a source of inspiration for young journalists. He later presented medals and mementoes to Vibhanshu Divyal (Hindi), Akhtar Ahsan (Urdu), Pinky Virmani (English) of the print media and Barkha Dutta and Ajmal Jami of the electronic media. — UNI

Pulse polio drive to continue
PATNA: The Bihar Government has decided to continue with its pulse polio drive all over the state till March. This decision was taken at a high-level meeting here on Saturday. At the meeting here, the Joint Secretary, Union Health and Family Welfare Ministry, Mr Gautam Basu, lauded the performance of the state in the last pulse polio drive. The drive, which would begin in October this year, would be completed in six phases, he said. — UNI

Kohima chosen for NRC scheme
KOHIMA: The central government has introduced the national reconstruction corps (NRC) scheme to provide greater opportunity to the youth to participate in the nation-building process. Nagaland Sports and Youth Resources Minister W. Wangyuh Konyak said 80 districts from all over the country had been chosen under the NRC where the selected youth would be taken on a stipend for training in Nagaland. The Centre would provide 75 per cent of the total expenditure, he added. Kohima district has been chosen for the NRC scheme this time. — UNI

5-year-old’s arms amputated
BANGALORE: The arms of a five-year-old boy were amputated by the doctors here following severe burns on his hands after having touched a live electrical wire. This according to doctors was necessary to avoid septicaemia. According to the boy’s father, the Karnataka Electricity Board had not taken any steps even after it was brought to their notice of the likely danger posed by the live wires hanging over his terrace. The Superintendent of Government Victoria Hospital, where the boy is undergoing treatment, said the boy was out of danger. —UNI

Ambedkar’s life sketch in books
BHOPAL: The Madhya Pradesh Government has issued directives for inclusion of the life-sketch of Dr B.R. Ambedkar in the textbooks of the fifth standard. The State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT) Director has been directed to get the lesson re-printed without any change and distributed immediately. The state government has also directed that any change in textbooks should not be made without prior permission. — UNI

Spivak’s book released
CALCUTTA: “The greatest scandal in India is the difference between the poor and the middle class in the rural and urban areas”, according to Indo-American writer Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak. A feminist writer and widely acclaimed as one of the founders of “post-colonialism”, Spivak criticised the structural readjustment policy of the World Bank and said it had nothing in common with the gender development policy in developing nations. Releasing her latest work, “A Critique of Postcolonial Reason” here on Friday, Spivak flayed institutionalised colonialism. — PTI

4 siblings commit suicide
BHUBANESWAR: Four siblings, heart-broken over financial constraints and the illness of their mother, committed suicide by jumping into the flooded Kolab river near Koraput on Thursday last, according to a delayed official report reaching here on Sunday. The siblings, two sisters and two brothers, had left home that day leaving behind a note for their father informing him of their decision to commit suicide because of acute poverty and the terminal illness of their mother, the report said. They reportedly jumped into the water from a railway bridge and were drowned. — PTI