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| Friday, October 6, 2000, Chandigarh, India   
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Resignation: Mamata in a fix Naik opposes price rollback Govt indecisive, confused: Cong Ahmed Bukhari named new
Shahi Imam News Analysis |
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Pak trying repeat of
Kargil: Gen Oberoi Musharraf’s uncle
dies in penury Threats won’t work, says MQM team Apollo contests panel remarks India concerned over
W. Asia violence Govt to set up task force on childcare
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Resignation: Mamata in a fix CALCUTTA, Oct 5 — Firebrand Mamata Banerjee is now in a fix over her resignation following the Centre’s sudden ‘rollback’ on the oil price rollback, which had been assured to her by the Prime Minister. The Trinamool Congress high command has been now divided over the resignation issue. While most of the leaders preferred to follow the “wait and watch” strategy than going in for any hasty decision, Ms Banerjee herself favoured stepping out of the ministry immediately. No final decision had been taken in this connection. The TMC’s policy-making body will meet once again on Friday evening to finalise the party’s future course of action regarding the resignation as well as the TMC’s pulling out of the NDA. The TMC, with nine MPs in the Lok Sabha and one in the Rajya Sabha, is the third major partner of the 24-party NDA with two ministerial berths in the Cabinet — Ms Banerjee (Railway) and Mr Panja (Minister of State for External Affairs). Ms Banerjee and Mr Panja tendered their resignations on September 30 in protest against the recent price hike of petrol, diesel, kerosene and LPG, giving a three-day ultimatum to Mr Vajpayee to change the price hike. But before the expiry of the deadline on Wednesday, Ms Banerjee, along with Mr Panja, decided to defer their decision of resignations till October 6 following an assurance of slashing down of the prices by Mr Vajpayee. But yesterday, the matter was once again discussed by Mr Vajpayee with his senior Cabinet colleagues, Mr L.K. Advani (Home), Mr Yashwant Sinha (Finance), Mr George Fernandes (Defence), Mr Jaswant Singh (External Affairs) and Mr Ram Naik (Petroleum) and it was decided “not to slash down the prices immediately but to wait and watch for some time the international oil price market, which might go down, and then the country’s prices could be re-fixed accordingly.” These Ministers argued that if at this stage, the government once again rolled back prices at the instance of Ms Banerjee, it would not only adversely affect the country’s economy, but also give a wrong signal to other partners of the alliance NDA and the people in general. After all, the price hike had been inevitable with the high rise of petrol prices in the international market. Mr Vajpayee has requested Ms Banerjee to defer her decision of resignation till he resumes work after his knee operation. Mr Vajpayee, who phoned her yesterday, however, said he would be personally very much happy to see them back to their offices immediately. But now as the crisis once again resurfaced, TMC workers and leaders would be waiting anxiously about the future course of action to be taken by Ms Banerjee: whether going back to the ministry or resigning and stepping out of the NDA and face the forthcoming State Assembly poll as an anti-Marxist force jointly with the Congress against the ruling Left Front Government under Mr Jyoti Basu’s leadership. |
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Naik opposes price rollback CHENNAI, Oct 5 (UNI, PTI) — Petroleum Minister Ram Naik today reiterated his stiff opposition to any rollback of high oil prices and discounted reports that the Prime Minister had assured Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee of a 5 per cent reduction in the hike. Addressing a crowded press conference here, he said the Prime Minister had only asked Ms Banerjee not to press for her resignation. Mr Vajpayee had assured her of a review of the price front on his return from Mumbai on October 11, after his knee replacement surgery, Mr Naik said. Stating that any rollback would disturb the delicate balance worked out by his ministry, he, however, said it was for the Prime Minister to take a final decision in the matter. To a query, Mr Naik claimed that the price hike would have no impact on the political stability of the Vajpayee Government. “We are as stable as we were, when the Vajpayee Government was formed a year ago”, he asserted. On whether Ms Banerjee had at any time opposed the decision to increase the prices of petroleum products, Mr Naik said he could not reveal the deliberations made at the Cabinet meeting. Mr Naik disclosed that he had asked the chief ministers to pass on the incremental benefit of tax collections resulting out of the price hike to the consumers. No feedback had come from them so far, he added. Asserting that the price hike was resorted to under inevitable circumstances mainly due to the anticipated oil pool deficit of the country amounting to an estimated Rs 23,600 crore by March, 2001, he said the decision was made by the Cabinet after thorough deliberations during which Ms Banerjee was also present. Defending the hike, he said while the previous governments used to pass on the entire burden to the people, his ministry had for the first time recognised that it would not be possible to burden the consumers to such a steep increase and had decided to absorb a substantial portion of the deficit itself. Asked if prices on petro products would be reduced in the event of international prices coming down later, Mr Naik said his ministry was quite transparent about the matter, adding there would be no hesitation to reduce prices in such an eventuality provided the country’s oil pool deficit was within limits. Govt indecisive, confused: Cong NEW DELHI, Oct 5 — The Congress today accused the government of indecisiveness, confusion and procrastination on the prices of petroleum products and said that government had been held hostage due to personal agendas of the NDA constituents. Talking to reporters party spokesperson Prithviraj Chavan said that a cruel joke was being played by the government about the prices of petroleum products. Demanding immediate roll back or downward refixing of prices, the Congress said that the Centre was indulging in its ‘‘usual doublesepeak’’ on the issue. He said that Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee and Finance Minister Yashwant Sinha seemed reluctant in reducing the prices and the Prime Minister was haggling and negotiating over the quantum of rollback with the alliance partners. ‘‘The government is totally insensitive to millions of consumers of kerosene and cooking gas,’’ he said. The party’s state units today presented a memoranda to the respective state governors protesting against hike in oil prices. Claiming that there was a general drift in the country, party spokesman Anand Sharma accused the Vajpayee government of inaction on important policy matters. He said that each constituent had a personal agenda and there was inherent contradiction in the NDA policies and programmes. Wishing Mr Vajpyee speedy recovery for his knee surgery, he said that critical decisions had been put on hold due to Prime Minister’s poor health. ‘‘The PM has had to work twice as hard to reconcile agendas of the NDA partners,’’ he said. Mr Sharma asked if the governance shall be held hostage during the ‘‘interregnum’’ when Prime Minister recuperated after surgery. The Left parties also demanded total withdrawal in the recent hike in the prices of petroleum products saying that it had hit the common man the most. Talking to mediapersons, leader of the CPM in the Lok Sabha Somnath Chatterjee said that the government functioning lacked transparency and important decisions were being taken without taking the Opposition into confidence. ‘‘The NDA government is more concerned in keeping happy a recalcitrant partner who is indulging in gimmickry,’’ he said.
Ahmed Bukhari
named new Shahi Imam NEW
DELHI, Oct 5 (UNI) — Syed Ahmed Bukhari has been named as new Shahi Imam of the historic Jama Masjid. Syed Bukhari, presently Naib Imam, will be conferred the religious title at a ceremony, to be held on October 14. It will be attended by prominent Muslim leaders and representatives of various Islamic countries. He succeeds Syed Abdullah Bukhari, who has not been keeping well for the past one year. The latter was admitted to hospital several times in the past for treatment of various ailments. Infact, Syed Ahmed Bukhari has been conducting routine affairs of the mosque for the past several years. Former Prime Minister
H. D. Deve Gowda, Mr Laloo Prasad Yadav, leaders of the Congress and other political parties have confirmed their participation in the ceremony. According to traditions,
the eldest son of the Bukhari family is conferred the title of the Shahi Imam. This tradition has continued since 1656 when Syed Abdul Gafoor Shah Bukhari was nominated by Moghul Emperor Shahjehan as the Imam of his newly-built Jama Masjid. Syed Gafoor was sent to the Moghul emperor by
the King of Bukhara. The Shahi Imam also used to conduct coronation ceremony of the Moghul kings. Bhadhur Shah Zafar, the last Moghul king, was also coronated by Shahi Imam Syed Shah Mir Ali in 1837. Syed Ahmed Bukhari will be the thirteenth Shahi Imam. Special envoys Libyan President Col Gaddafi and Imam of holy Ka’aba, besides scores of diplomats will also attend the function. |
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News Analysis NEW DELHI: The conviction of former Prime Minister P.V. Narasimha Rao and former Home Minister Buta Singh in the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) MPs’ bribery case has touched off an intense debate in legal circles. The debate raises serious doubts about the fairness of the law which, while convicting bribe-givers, allows the bribe-takers to go scot-free. A majority judgement of the Supreme Court had earlier said the MPs were immune to any criminal action as they enjoyed constitutional immunity under Article 105. The minority verdict held the accused MPs could not claim exemption from prosecution. The judgements of the Supreme Court and the Special Judge, who is yet to pronounce the sentences, has the legal experts divided on the issues arising therefore. The main questions doing the round are: why should Rao alone be punished for what he did when all his Cabinet colleagues benefited by it? With criminalisation of politics and criminals themselves entering the sacred precincts of Parliament and State legislatures, is it not going to encourage corruption at higher levels of governance? The Constitution framers had in mind only the sanctity of speech and action in Parliament in discharge of their parliamentary duties. They never imagined MPs and state legislators would ever indulge in corrupt practices inside the hallowed chambers. They also did not foresee criminals and anti-socials entering them. So many persons were involved in the conspiracy — one of them is staking claim to the chief ministership of Jharkhand. That being the case, why should the whole guilt be fixed on two persons only and the rest, including MPs, allowed to go unpunished? In public eye, a strong nexus exists between politicians as a class, criminals and bureaucrats. Officially, it was confirmed by the Vohra Committee. This came out so blatantly in the Jain Diary case in which almost all the beneficiaries got away thanks to law being what it is. In the JMM case, it has been reported that the Special Investigating Team of the CBI was constantly pressured to go slow or prepare a weak case. Those who did not oblige had to pay the price. Criminals have been taking to politics in the hope it would enhance their clout and save them from the law, specially if they are MPs and legislators. Technicalities of the law are also responsible for tardy action against politicians like Laloo Yadav, Jayalalitha and many others. The electoral system has generally been regarded as a big source of corruption. Funding of political parties and candidates generates black money and unethical practices. Even in the USA, it has generated a controversy. Parliamentary privileges were meant to ensure free functioning of legislators without fear of malicious of vindictive actions by bureaucracy or others. It was never the intention to diminish the majesty of law or create a new class. But for the immunity, the entire opposition could have been behind the bars. Indian Constitution and legal system broadly follow the British pattern. The House of Commons was shocked when the “cash for questions” issue camp up before it. A Committee on Standards in Public Life under the chairmanship of Lord Nolan, a Law Lord, was appointed. It reported that the issue could no longer be brushed aside and there was undoubtedly a fall in public confidence in standards and behaviour of those in public life. It was necessary to take steps to safeguard them and restore public confidence. It exposed inadequacies of the existing system and the need for practical, moral and legal safeguards. The two Houses of Parliament have recently appointed an Ethics Committees apparently to safeguard the democratic parliamentary system. The Rajya Sabha Committee made certain recommendations but no concrete steps had been taken to implement the salutory ones. Corruption has become a way of life. With all that is being done to minimise it, it is finding new ways. Morality part of it has little impact, specially on those enjoying high offices and influence. There seems to be a consensus on this among politicals. It will be a folly to regard the conviction of Narasimha Rao and Buta Singh as that of two individuals who once enjoyed high offices. It is condemnation of the entire system. Even before Narasimha Rao, it was Indira Gandhi who was found guilty of some minor electoral practices by the Allahabad High Court. Her son Rajiv Gandhi is mentioned in the chargesheet filed before the court in the Bofors kickback case. And it was he who as Prime Minister bemoaned that only 15 paise in a rupee allotted for development works for the benefit of the people reached them and the rest went into private pockets and in expenses on “overheads” meaning administrative cost. One legal expert says the court should have taken notice of House of Commons resolution of 1695 calling a promotional payment to an MP a high crime, an 1858 resolution denouncing as improper a pecuniary payment for advocating a cause and a 1945 ruling of the Commons’ Privileges Committee that it was breach of privilege to pay MPs to ask questions. He suggests a distinction be made between a legislative act and its corruption. A suggestion has also been made that the matter be referred to the Constitution Review Commission. Assembly elections in some states are due next year. Something needs to be done urgently both about fund raising by parties and candidates and the legal immunity of legislators. Deriving political advantage out of Narasimha Rao’s fate will be mere short-sightedness. Anyway, he still has a chance in appeal. |
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Pak trying repeat of
Kargil: Gen Oberoi NEW DELHI, Oct 5 (PTI) — Pakistan is attempting Kargil like incursions along the Poonch and Rajouri heights in Jammu and Kashmir by infiltrating mercenaries equipped with sophisticated weapons to occupy gaps in defences along the Line of Control (LoC), according to the Vice-Chief of the Army Staff Lt Gen Vijay Oberoi. “Large mercenary bands equipped with 80 MM mortars are seeking to occupy unmanned heights to try to dominate Indian border posts and this infiltration bid is taking place under cover of heavy Pakistani artillery fire”, General Oberoi, who formally took over his post today, said. He said for the past two months a 100 km stretch of the LoC from Bhimbar Gali to Poonch had been witnessing “unusally regular heavy flare ups” with the Pakistani forces using even medium artillery 105 MM guns to give covering fire to infiltrating mercenary bands. “Our forces are taking effective steps to counter and wipe out these mercenaries with heavy casualties”, General Oberoi said. |
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Musharraf’s uncle
dies in penury NEW DELHI, Oct 5 (UNI) — Khalid Mehmood, uncle of Pakistan chief executive General Pervez Musharraf, died after a cardiac arrest here yesterday. He was 75. A bachelor, he lived in the walled city alone and was buried last evening at the Delhi Gate graveyard with no Pakistan High Commission officials present, his friends said. Mr Mehmood was the enigmatic relative who revealed the Indian roots of General Musharraf soon after the October 12 military takeover in Pakistan. Mr Mehmood was born in the same ‘nehar wali haveli’ behind Golcha Cinema in the walled city where General Musharraf spent his early childhood. He subscribed to the leftist ideology and spent his last years in penury. He ran a small publishing business at Urdu Bazaar near the Jama Masjid which ran into losses in the face of mounting competition. |
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Threats won’t work, says MQM team NEW DELHI, Oct 5 (PTI) — Dismissing threats of action and charges by the Pervez Musharraf regime that Muttahida Quami Movement (MQM) leaders were making “anti-Pakistan” statements in India, the visiting MQM delegation today said they were not afraid of these “threats”. “We are not concerned with these statements. Threats do not frighten us,” MQM’s central coordination committee member S.A. Tariq Mir, who is here with two other senior party leaders, said. Pakistan’s Interior Minister Lieut Gen Moinuddin Haider had yesterday said in Lahore that “no one would be allowed to go scotfree after making anti-Pakistan statements”. He said a report had been sought from the Pakistan High Commission here about the visit of the MQM delegation and necessary action would be initiated against them. |
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India concerned over
W. Asia violence NEW DELHI, Oct 5 — India today expressed concern at the recent incidents of violence in Jerusalem, West Bank, Gaza and other areas under the Palestinian state and Israel. In a statement, a Ministry of External Affairs spokesman expressed concern at the violence saying that this has led to a most regrettable loss of lives and property. Issues involved in the West Asia peace process were of immense complexity, the spokesman said. “That is why the overriding need now is for restraint, avoidance of provocation and shunning all such acts as could destabilise the process”, the spokesman stressed. Moves initiated by UN Secretary General Kofi Annan for cessation of all violence and provocative acts were timely and deserved all support, the statement said. |
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Govt to set up task force on childcare NEW DELHI, Oct 5 (UNI) — The government proposes to set up a task force to synergise different sectors in the survival and development of children while an early childhood care code will be introduced to strengthen the integrated child development services (ICDS) programme throughout the country. Announcing this today at the conclusion of the international conference on early childhood care for survival, growth and development, Mr B.K.Chaturvedi, Secretary, Department of Women and Child Development, Human Resource Development Ministry, said the focus now was on the 0-3 age group. “We are working out a strategy to create an early childhood care component to further strengthen the ICDS”, he told presspersons here. State-level plans for training anganwadi workers and development of innovative models that addressed the specific needs of children were among the important recommendations made at the conference, he said. Mr Alan Court, UNICEF country representative in India, said an important outcome of deliberations was the total consensus on the need to target the 0-3 age group, which he described as a radical shift from the ICDs’ earlier focus on the under six age group. The role of the father in the holistic development of the child and ways to reduce digital divides which were ‘making the rich richer and poor poorer’ were other crucial issues which emerged, Mr Court added. The three-day conference which commenced on October 3, was organised by the Department of Women and Child Development in collaboration with the National Institute of Public Cooperation and Child Development (NIPCCD) and UNICEF. A major recommendation of the conference, attended by over 300 participants from nine countries, including Indonesia, the Philippines, Sri Lanka and Peru as well as India, was that all programmes for young children should focus more on children under three. |
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Apollo contests
panel remarks NEW DELHI, Oct 5 (PTI) — The Apollo Hospitals Group today asserted that there was no evidence of immunological disorder in tests conducted on late Power Minister P.R. Kumaramangalam during his treatment there and also contested certain observations made against them in the report of the expert committee that probed his treatment at the hospital. Kumaramangalam, who was admitted to Apollo with fever, was treated for it and left the hospital after his temperature became normal, Apollo Hospitals Chairman Prathap Reddy told a press conference today. To bring down the fever the minister was treated for a urinary tract infection and “atypical” pneumonia (a form of penumonia in which the typical symptoms such as cough and fever do not show), he said. There was no evidence of an abnormal immune cell count, Mr Reddy said, contradicting the report’s comment that the physician should have informed the patient that the blood count was unusual. Apollo Board members and Dr Prasada Rao, senior doctor who treated Kumaramangalam, contested two more observations. |
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4 crushed to death NEW DELHI,
Oct 5 — Four persons were killed and two injured when a bus coming
from Sahibabad in UP hit them at the Shahadra flyover in North-East
Delhi. The injured, Hira and Bhim, were admitted to a nearby
hospital. The deceased were identified as Narender, Satish,
Raghunandan and Girdhari, the police said. A case has been
registered. The bus driver has absconded. |
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