 |
| Wednesday, August 30, 2000, Chandigarh, India   
|
Vajpayee emerges supreme Bandh hits life in Andhra Pradesh
Deal on AJTs by Sept-end: Tipnis HC seeks clarification on
missing Airbus file Don’t focus on flaws
of probes : SC Summoning of
Kalyan: HC seeks papers |
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Priyanka
gives birth to boy No escape from
coalition govt: TMC Centre working on new poll reforms Monsoon active in
HP, Uttar Pradesh Ruling on nomination
to Press Council
|
|
Vajpayee emerges supreme NAGPUR, Aug 29 — The ideological confusion, rather the battle between the hardcore versus the liberals within the BJP that had been going on ever since the party embarked on the road to power, has not only been cleared during the three-day deliberations which concluded here yesterday but also has set at rest all doubts about who calls the shots in the 20 year-old party. The message was loud and clear at Nagpur. The Prime Minister, Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee, is the unquestioned leader and he is the ‘‘supremo’’ of the party. The three-day deliberations, including a one-day meeting of the party’s national executive under the former President, Mr Kushabhau Thakre, tackled the simmering dissent within the party and tried to provide an ideological framework for the cadres enabling them to counter arguments of their political adversaries. While the new President Bangaru Laxman was preparing the ground, saying that ‘‘the BJP is not a three-issue party’’, it was the Union Home Minister, Mr L.K. Advani, known for his tactical vision, who gave the final touch to the new ideological framework when he said: ‘‘The BJP was not a this or that issue party’’ but it is a nation-first party. Now within this convenient framework, every critic can be silenced. If an issue suits the national interest, the party would champion it and support it but if it went against national interests, the BJP would not hesitate even for a second to abandon it — so goes the argument now. The demand for scrapping Article 370 or the need for a common civil code or even the Ram Mandir at Ayodhya were raised as these issues did suit the national interests then but since they don’t suit the national interest now, they are in coldstorage, the cadres would start telling their critics. So would be the arguments on the issue of swadeshi. Mr Laxman had been more specific in his presidential address when he said: ‘‘Swadeshi, liberalisation and globalisation’’ were complimentary to each other. Mr Laxman told delegates that ‘‘Swadeshi in today’s context did not mean blind opposition to either liberalisation or globalisation. It meant evolving an effective strategy to further our national interest by seizing opportunities and resisting the challenges presented by globalisation. Swadeshi is not a static concept’’. Dr Murli Manohar Joshi, Human Resource Development Minister and once a great champion of the hardcore swadeshi lobby, was fielded to defend the economic policies of the Vajpayee government. A firm signal to critics, like the former Union Communication Minister and once the chief spokesperson for the BJP, Mrs Sushma Swaraj, has been given that they have no place in the party if they don’t accept the new line. The BJP, under the leadership of Mr Vajpayee, decided at Nagpur, which ironically also happens to be its mentor rather than the spiritual city, that it now wanted to be a cadre-based mass party. Here emphasis was more on mass than on cadres. The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) has possibly been listening and carefully monitoring the deliberations and what transpired. Mr Vajpayee along with Mr Advani did pay a courtesy call to the RSS headquarters and paid homage both to Dr K.B. Hedgewar and Guru Golwarkar. The visit to their place of indoctrination was more symbolic like a modern Hindu who goes to temple or performs daily puja. In its pursuit of becoming a mass-based party, the BJP leadership has also embraced Mahatma Gandhi and Dr B.R. Ambedkar which would help the party to seek support of both Dalits as well as Gandhians. Mr Laxman in his address gave a clear message when he said: ‘‘The three personalities — Gandhiji, Ambedkar and Hedgewar — may outwardly seem to belong to three conflicting ideologies and socio-political traditions. The BJP, however, is proud to acknowledge the contribution of all three great men in the making of modern India.’’ The party also decided at Nagpur to give an enhanced role to Muslims. The former Union Minister, Mr Sikander Bakht, was carefully chosen to unfurl the party flag and the former Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting, Mr Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, was fielded to second the political resolution. Mr Laxman, in his effort to give a signal to Muslims and other minorities chose to quote Deendayal Upadhyaya’s words that ‘‘Muslims are the flesh of our flesh and blood of our blood’’. All that was decided and formulated at Nagpur sounds like the policies and ideology that Mr Vajpayee used to propound or propagate when he was the BJP President in 1980. The party has once again become synonymous to Mr Vajpayee and in the words of a leader: The BJP at Nagpur has turned into Bajapai (Vajpayee) Janata Party”. |
|
Bandh hits life in Andhra Pradesh HYDERABAD, Aug 29 (UNI) — Life was affected in Andhra Pradesh today following a state-wide bandh called by the Congress and Left parties in protest against the police firing on the party activists during the “chalo assembly” programme yesterday. At least 20 state road transport corporation buses were damaged in stone-throwing by miscreants. The agitators detained a train at Repalli for about 40 minutes. All shops, hotels, banks and other business establishments remained closed. Most of the educational institutions did not function. State road transport corporation buses were off the road. A report from Nellore said more than 1500 buses were stranded on the Chennai-Calcutta highway following a road blockade by agitators. A total bandh was observed in Nellore town. Meanwhile, the Opposition in the Andhra Pradesh Assembly today demanded a judicial inquiry by a sitting high court judge into yesterday’s police firing on Congress and Left party workers demanding a rollback of the power tariff hike. The Opposition, including the Congress, the CPM and the Majlis scored a point when the adjournment motion sought to be moved by them was allowed by Speaker K. Pratibha Bharathi, setting aside the day’s business. Participating in the discussion on the motion, the Opposition demanded an ex gratia of Rs 5 lakh each to the victims’ family besides financial relief to those injured in the incident. Leader of the Opposition Y.S. Rajashekar Reddy, who initiated the discussion, denied Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu’s charge that the Congress and the Communist parties had joined hands with extremists to perpetrate violence. Mr Naidu deplored that certain political parties were adopting agitational programmes, especially at a time when people were suffering from hardships on account of the recent natural calamity. Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee President M. Satyanaryana Rao today said 84 Congress and Left party activists were admitted in various hospitals with injuries. Mr Rao, who visited the hospitals this morning, said 19 partymen had received bullet injuries and three of them were reported to be in a critical condition. |
|
Deal on AJTs by Sept-end: Tipnis NEW DELHI, Aug 29 — The Indian Air Force (IAF) is expecting that the deal for the purchase of urgently needed Advance Jet Trainers (AJTs) for the training of fighter pilots would be signed with British Aerospace within the next four to six weeks. Speaking to the newsmen here, the Chief of Air staff, Air Chief Marshal A.Y. Tipnis, however, clarified that even after the signing of the contract, it could well take another two years before the first batch of the AJTs to land in India. The Ministry of Defence (MoD) is looking forward to working out a deal where indigenous serial production of the aircraft could also be undertaken. India is also looking forward to getting the licence for the indigenous production of one of the country’s frontline fighter aircraft-Mirage-2000. Having already got the aircraft in its inventory, India is not only on the verge of buying another 10 of them but also trying to get the licence for serial production of the aircraft here. The price negotiations for the purchase of Mirage are also in the final stages. Air Chief Marshal Tipnis, while trying to clarify that there was no problem with the MiGs, specially the MiG-21s which have recently seen a spate of accidents, pointed out that the IAF was definitely “feeling the pinch” in not having the AJTs. He said that the AJTs would have easily filled the gap between the low demand and high demand fighter aircraft. The main cause of the recent accidents was not technical, but human failure. New pilots, though they were being imparted the best of training, were somehow not being able to cope with the sudden high demand in flying of MiG-21s. According to him the first of the 123 Mig-21 Bis to be upgraded in India to enhance the operational capabilities of the fighter aircraft will roll out next year and another batch of Sukhoi 30 will join the Indian Air force by 2001-end. The next batch of the Sukhoi-30 MK I will also be inducted by the end of next year. The induction of the aircraft had not gone according to plan but the process had now been streamlined, he said. The delay was because the IAF wanted to integrate systems from various sources into the aircraft. Air Chief Marshal Tipnis said the flight refuelling aircraft (FRA), unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) and airborne warning and control systems (AWACS) were all a part of the IAF’s plans and it would be acquiring them. The Air Chief, disturbed at media reports criticising the IAF for the crash of the MiGs, said the ratio of aircraft accidents of MiG-21 vis a vis the total fighter fleet was less than 50 per cent. He said one-thirds of the total flying of the four categories of aircraft with the IAF was done by fighter planes and more than 50 per cent of flying of warplanes was done by MiG-21s. “I will continue to fly the Mig 21 till I retire”, the Air Chief, who first got into the cockpit of a Mig-21 in 1963, said emotionally, adding that he considered every pilot as his son and he would not allow them to fly a MiG-21 if he thought that something was wrong with the plane. “The poor old lady is getting a bad name not keeping with her image”. |
|
HC seeks clarification on
missing Airbus file NEW DELHI, Aug 29 (PTI, UNI) —The Delhi High Court today sought clarification from the Centre about a missing file relating to the A-320 Airbus deal and desirability of its continuing the dealings with Airbus Industrie in view of the non-cooperation by the French Government in probing the alleged irregularties in the Rs 4200-crore contract signed by the Rajiv Gandhi government. A Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Arijit Passayat and Mr Justice D.K. Jain after perusing the CBI’s fresh status report on the progress of the investigation in the case, asked government standing counsel Maninder Singh to file further affidavit by September 21 to state what action had been taken by the Union Civil Aviation Ministry to reconstruct the missing file of the deal signed in 1986. The government was also directed to state what action had been taken against officials who were responsible to maintain the records and whether it was “desirable” for the ministry to continue the dealings with the Airbus Industrie after the French authorities’ failure to reply to the letters rogatory sent by a local court here. “Status report of the CBI indicates two important aspects that a file (relating to the deal) of the Civil Aviation Ministry is missing ....and there is practically no response from the French Government to the letters rogatory issue to it,” the court said. The issue was brought before the high court through a public interest litigation. The A 320 saga dates back to August, 1983, when the Board of IA Directors set up a committee under the chairmanship of Air Marshal Dilbagh Singh and three other experts to formulate a fleet development plan for 1984-91. The committee recommended
the purchase of 12 Boeing 757s with a seating capacity of 206 against the Boeing 737 with 126 seats and Airbus 300 with 273 seats. In June, 1984, the IA board accepted Boeing 757 as the most suitable aircraft for the national air network and a letter of intent was placed for Boeing the following month. Significantly, a refundable advance of $ 900 million was paid. Within four months, the Civil Aviation Ministry asked the IA to evaluate a proposal sent by Airbus in just three days, but Mr R. Prasad, the then economic adviser to the IA Managing Director, said no such proposal was submitted to the airliner.. |
|
Don’t focus on flaws
of probes : SC NEW DELHI, Aug 29 (PTI) — In a judgement favouring investigating agencies, the Supreme Court today ruled that trial courts should not waste their time picking lapses in probes but make an effort to salvage the criminal justice system despite such defects in investigations. A Division Bench comprising Mr Justice K.T. Thomas and Mr Justice R.P. Sethi gave the ruling in a case in which a young businessman was kidnapped in public view and few hours later his dead body was found. The trial court convicted the accused on charges of kidnapping but not for murder, saying there was no evidence to show that the victim was in custody of the accused after kidnapping and that they had murdered him. The Calcutta High Court had upheld the trial court order while shortening the sentence of the convicts. It had criticised the investigating agency for flaws committed in the probe. Mr Justice Thomas, while allowing the appeal of the West Bengal Government against the high court order, said, “Castigation of investigation unfortunately seems to be a regular practice when the trial courts acquit accused in criminal cases.” Convicting the accused of murder, the Supreme Court awarded life sentence to all and directed the police to put them back in jail. “The function of the criminal courts should not be wasted in picking out the lapses in investigation and by expressing unsavoury criticism against investigating officers,” Mr Justice Thomas said writing the judgement for the Bench. In the present case the blood stained shirt of the victim was found from the premises of the accused on the basis of his statement made during the interrogation. But still the trial court and the high court did not link it to the murder. |
|
Summoning of
Kalyan: HC seeks papers NEW DELHI, Aug 29 (PTI) — The Delhi High Court today gave two weeks’ time to the Liberhan Commission, probing the events leading to the demolition of disputed structure at Ayodhya, to place before it relevant documents regarding the panel’s summoning of former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Kalyan Singh as witness. Mr Justice Manmohan Sarin, who was hearing a petition by Kalyan Singh, seeking the quashing of the bailable warrant issued against him by the panel after his failure to appear before it, said the commission could file an affidavit by September 20, giving details about the circumstances under which the warrant was issued. Mr Kalyan Singh had challenged his summoning by the commission on the ground that the high court earlier had relieved a person from the obligation of filing an affidavit before an inquiry commission if it had issued him notice under Section 8B of the Commission of Inquiries Act. Mr Kalyan Singh’s counsel K. Krishnamani told the court that his client was likely to be “prejudiced” as he was facing trial in the case in Uttar Pradesh. Opposing Mr Kalyan’s Singh’s petition, Solicitor General Harish Salve said the grounds in the writ were giving an indication that the commission was transgressing upon the high court’s earlier order. But there was no merit in the contentions, he
said. |
|
Orders in Tansi case reserved CHENNAI, Aug 29 (UNI) — Special Judge-3 P. Anbazhagan today reserved orders for September 4 on a petition filed by Sasikala Natarajan seeking to deliver judgments in all Tansi cases simultaneously to avoid conflicting verdicts. In her petition, Sasikala submitted that the Tansi cases in respect of the Jaya Publications and to Sasi Enterprises, arose from a single complaint registered by the
CB-CID. The complaint was in respect of four public auctions by tender held by Tansi. But charge sheets were filed only with regard to three transactions, she added. Meanwhile, Special Judge a c
Arumugaperumal Adityan trying a ‘disproportionate wealth case’ against Jayalalitha today turned down a petition by Sasikala to defer cross examination of prosecution witnesses till conclusion of final arguments in the ‘Tansi’ land deal cases, which were underway. In her petition, Sasikala had sought the deferment on the ground that her counsel was also representing her in the ‘Tansi’ case. |
|
No escape from
coalition govt: TMC CHIDAMBARAM, Aug 29 (UNI) — The executive committee of the TMC today rebuffed the AIADMK’s
A political resolution adopted at the meeting here chaired by party President G.K. Moopanar affirmed that those who fight the elections together should share power to fulfil the assurances given to the voters. The resolution assumes significance in the context of the AIADMK supremo ruling out a coalition government after the next assembly election and claiming that the people of Tamil Nadu wanted only a single party rule. The assertion was made at a function in the city in the presence of Mr Moopanar, who had been advocating the inevitability of a coalition government in the state and power-sharing after election. The TMCs stand is seen as a possible cause for the rift between the two parties widening in the near future. Briefing reporters after the meeting, Mr Moopanar said the party believed in secular parties remaining in a common front but “fighting the election in the same front was a different matter.” Mr Moopanar asserted that the TMCs goal was to usher in Kamaraj rule after the Assembly election in 2001, in contrast to Ms Jayalalitha wanting to bring back “MGR rule”. |
|
Centre working on new poll reforms NEW DELHI, Aug 29 — The government is working out modalities for enacting a fresh batch of electoral reforms even as the election laws (amendment) Bill, 1999, according “proxy votes” for members of the armed forces has been referred to the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Home Affairs for examination. According to highly-placed official sources, the Centre intends to bring very soon a Bill seeking to extend the current constitutional embargo on undertaking fresh delimitation of electoral constituencies up to 2026. The Bill once introduced in Parliament will have an easy sailing as the government has already got the backing from all political parties at a meeting held on May 13, 2000. As far electoral reforms like the prevention of persons with criminal background from contesting elections, the sources pointed out that unless there was political consensus the government could not move forward to bring a Bill in this regard. It would be apt to mention here that the Election Commission had in the past suggested several electoral reforms to check the entry of persons with criminal background in the fray. Though all political parties stressed the need for checking criminalisation of politics, there had not been any consensus so far on bringing about a clear-cut measure in this direction. The sources stressed that the government intended to continue an interaction with the political parties on various proposals to carry forward the process of electoral reforms in accordance with the President Mr K.R. Narayanan’s Address of the first session after the constitution of the 13th Lok Sabha, stressing the necessity of bringing comprehensive reforms in the electoral laws as a priority. The election laws (amendment) Bill was introduced in the Lok Sabha on December 9, 1999, by the Vajpayee government with a view to enabling the members of the armed forces their right of franchise as the present option available to vote in person or through the system of postal ballot had not proved effective due to their posting in distant and remote places and other reasons. The process of the reforms was slowed as a result of political instability and repeated elections. The Representation of the People (Amendment) Act, 1996, except for some “piecemeal” measures, like expanding the category of employees to be enrolled for election duties through the Representation of the People (Amendment) Act, 1998, and making provisions for postal ballot facility for migrant voters under the Representation of People (Amendment) Act, 1999, had not been amended comprehensively. |
|
Monsoon active in
HP, Uttar Pradesh NEW DELHI, Aug 29 — Monsoon has been active in Himachal Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh. Rainfall: Rain or thundershowers have occurred at many places in Himachal Pradesh, east Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh, at a few places in Jammu and Kashmir and Punjab and at isolated places in the rest of the region. The chief amounts of rainfall in cm are: Haryana: Jagadhari 1, Himachal Pradesh: Baijnath 20, Jogindernagar 13, Pandoh 7 and Mandi, Nadaun and Una 2 each and Nalagarh 1, Jammu and Kashmir: Jammu 3, Bastote and Katra 2 each and Kathua 1, Punjab: Nangal 5, Mukerian 3 each Anandpur Sahib and Ropar 2 each and Gurdaspur, Garhshankar and Nabha 1 each, Rajasthan: Thanagazi 5, Bansur, Behror and Churu 2 each and Asnawar, Aklera, Bakari, Bharatpur, Bhimsagar, Chonli Dam, Harish Chandra Sagar, Jhalar Patan and Kisangarh Bas 1 each and Uttar Pradesh: Banbasa 9, Hamirpur and Shahjina 8 each, Birdghat and Chillaghat 7 each, Dehradun 6, Kakrahi and Kakardharighat 5 each, Bansi and Dalmau 4 each, Dabri, Hardwar, Regoli, Rudrapryag and Turtipar 3 each, Chanderdeepghat and Khadda 2 each and Balrampur, Gazipur, Katerninghat, Kanpur, Mukhlispur, Masrora, Mohana and Najibabad 1 each. Temperatures: Maximum temperatures continue to be above normal in part of the West Rajasthan. Forecast valid until the morning of 31st: Rain or thundershowers will occur at many places in Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir and Uttar Pradesh and at a few places in Haryana, Punjab and east Rajasthan and at isolated places in west Rajasthan. Heavy rainfall warning: Heavy rain is likely at isolated places in Himachal Pradesh and north Uttar Pradesh during next 24 hours. Forecast for Delhi & neighbourhood valid until the morning 31 Aug: Generally cloudy sky with possibility of light rain/thundershowers in some areas. Farmers weather bulletin for Delhi: Forecast valid until the morning of 31st: Light to moderate rain is likely at a few places. Outlook for the subsequent two days: No large change. |
|
Ruling on nomination
to Press Council NEW DELHI, Aug 29 — The Delhi High Court has ruled that a person can be nominated to the Press Council for more than two terms. “The Press Council Act cannot be interpreted as imposing an absolute prohibition or a ban on a person from seeking renomination for more than two years,” Mr Justice Manmohan Sarin, said in his order. “The interpretation given to Section 6(7) of the Press Council Act was untenable and unwarranted. Hence, the plea of it being in accordance with the long-standing practice, based on an erroneous and unwarranted interpretation cannot be sustained,” the judge observed. The All-India Small and Medium Newspapers Federation moved the court, challenging the order passed by the Press Council of India. The court said the expression used in the section was “clear and unambiguous.” |
|
Priyanka gives birth to boy NEW DELHI, Aug 29 (PTI) — Priyanka Gandhi Vadra gave birth to a baby boy at Ganga Ram Hospital here this evening. The daughter of Congress President Sonia Gandhi gave birth to the boy through a caesarean at 4.04 p.m. Both mother and the child are fine, hospital chairman S.K. Sama said. The boy weighed 2.76 kg. |
|
LS, RS prorogued NEW DELHI, Aug 29 (UNI) — Both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha, which concluded their monsoon session on August 25, were today prorogued by the President. The four-week monsoon session of Parliament, which commenced on July 25, adjourned sine die after passing important legislation including those for the creation of the new states of Uttaranchal, Chhatisgarh, and
Jharkhand. |
|
Core committee on
Bihar formed NEW DELHI, Aug 29 (UNI) — The Union Agriculture Minister and former Bihar Chief Minister, Mr Nitish Kumar, today constituted a seven-member core committee to prepare a development document for Bihar subsequent to the bifurcation of the state. Mr Ranjan Prasad Yadav (RJD), Dr Madan Prasad Jaiswal BJP, Mr Raghunath Jha (SP), Mr Ramjiwan Singh JD(U), Mr Rao Singh (Congress), Mr Nagendra Nath Ojha (CPI) and Mr Subodh Roy (CPM), all MPs constitute the committee. |
|
Inadequate dowry
put her in chains JODHPUR, Aug 29 (PTI) — In a bizarre incident a young woman, Gogi, allegedly kept by her in-laws in fetters for two months at a village in Jodhpur district for not bringing adequate dowry, the police said today. However, she succeeded in freeing herself and escaped yesterday and reported the matter to the police. A case under various Sections of the IPC was registered and her husband Ram Singh and mother-in-law Jhamku Devi arrested. |
|
Curfew clamped
on UP town LUCKNOW, Aug 29 (PTI) — One person was killed and 16 were injured, 13 of them policemen, when the police opened fire today to quell a mob of stone-pelting sugarmill workers, protesting against the non-payment of wages, at Padrauna town, 300 km from here, forcing the authorities to clamp an indefinite curfew. |
|
Andhra
flashfloods new Delhi, Aug 29 (PTI) — Army rescue teams have evacuated more than 250 people to safety from flood affected areas of Hyderabad, Rangareddy and Medak districts in Andhra Pradesh during the past 24 hours, an Army spokesman said here today. Army columns using boats and helicopters had swung into action as soon as news of the flash flood had broken and were carrying out rescue and relief operations in all flood hit districts of the state, the spokesman said. |
 |
| Punjab | Haryana | Jammu & Kashmir | Himachal Pradesh | Regional Briefs | Nation | Editorial | | Business | Sport | World | Mailbag | In Spotlight | Chandigarh Tribune | Ludhiana Tribune 50 years of Independence | Tercentenary Celebrations | | 120 Years of Trust | Calendar | Weather | Archive | Subscribe | Suggestion | E-mail | |
