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November 9, 2000, Chandigarh, India   
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PATNA, Nov 8 — The JMM-S president, Mr Shibu Soren, today claimed support of 41 MLAs and held hectic parleys with the RJD president Mr Laloo Prasad Yadav, besides the Congress and the CPI, in his bid to form the first government in Jharkhand on November 15. JMM(S) to stake claim Improving economy CM’s priority |
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| Hardwar
MLAs to boycott swearing in HARDWAR, Nov 8 — The three legislators representing Hardwar district would boycott the oath-taking ceremony to be held at the Parade Ground in Dehra Dun on November 9 in protest against the merger of Hardwar and Udham Singh Nagar districts in Uttaranchal. Challenges ahead for Uttaranchal SP not to press for no-trust motion Subramaniam cremated Police probe into
’84 riots ‘dishonest’ Kingpin in
liquor tragedy gives up ‘Kaho Na Pyar Hai’ sweeps awards Playwright: Sena
chief opportunist Gems worth 10 cr seized, retd Major held Maran’s condition critical Hurriyat leaders meet Pak officials Poll norms flouted, say Prasada men ‘No’ commando operation for Rajkumar’s release Bengal CM for
amicable ties with Centre 
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8 killed by ultras in Assam GUWAHATI, Nov 8 (PTI) — In the second major strike against non-Assamese by militants in a fortnight, eight persons, mostly belonging to the minority community and Biharis, were killed in sleep today and three seriously injured by suspected National Democratic Front of Bodoland ultras in a remote village of Assam’s Barpeta district. The police from Barpeta said over telephone that of the victims five belonged to the minority community, two were Biharis while another was an Assamese. The dead included a woman and two children. A group of at least 10 to 12 heavily armed militants swooped down on remote Sukrungbari village under the Sorbhog police station around 2.30 a.m. and attacked sleeping villagers — mostly labourers or small-time agriculturists. The militants fired indiscriminately from sophisticated weapons on the villagers and after about 15 minutes fled under cover of darkness to the nearby jungles. The three seriously injured persons have been taken to Guwahati Medical College and Hospital, the sources said. The village is situated in a remote area of the district and can be reached after crossing the Beki river and then walking for 10 km. The Deputy Commissioner, the DIG (Western Range), the Superintendent of Police and other senior officials had rushed to the spot and were expected to return late in the evening, the sources said. Massive search operations have already begun and the nearby jungles and hills are being combed to nab the militants. Security had been tightened throughout Lower Assam districts, the hotbed for both Bodo and ULFA militants, the sources said. This is the fourth major attack on non-Assamese communities in the state by militants since October 22 when ULFA militants gunned down 11 persons, mostly petty businessmen from Bihar, in Upper Assam’s Tinsukia district. On the same night, in a separate incident four persons, belonging to the minority community and Hindi-speaking people were killed by ULFA militants in Dibrugarh district. ULFA militants struck again on October 27 on Divali revellers in Lower Assam’s Nalbari district killing 10 persons and injuring 12 others — all belonging to the Hindi-speaking community. Widespread anguish was expressed by all sections of society and peace meets were organised in the state to condemn such attacks on particular communities. |
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Soren claims support of 41 MLAs PATNA, Nov 8 (PTI) — The -S president, Mr Shibu Soren, today claimed support of 41
MLAs and held hectic parleys with the RJD president Mr Laloo Prasad Yadav, besides the Congress and the CPI, in his bid to form the first government in Jharkhand on November 15. “No power on earth can stop me from becoming the Chief Minister as I am confident of enlisting the support of over 41
MLAs,” he told PTI here. Mr Soren, who had a lengthy discussion with Mr Yadav on the formation of the interim government, also met Bihar
PCC chief Chandan Bagchi, CPI state secretary Jalaluddin Ansari and Independent
MLA Samresh Singh. He said the Congress had favourably responded to his appeal and a formal decision was expected from the party high command within a day or two. Mr Soren said he had also received “positive response” from some Independents. “I am meeting the
MLAs individually to impress upon them to have their own ministry to fulfil the aspirations of Jharkhand people...I am confident of providing a stable and effective government,” he added. “Jharkhand ke dharmanirpeksha vidhayakgan mere saath hain.
BJP ko har halat mein satta mein nahin ane dena hai (all secular MLAs from Jharkhand are with me...We will not allow the
BJP to come to power in Jharkhand at any cost),” he said. JMM(S) to stake claim RANCHI, Nov 8 (PTI) — JMM-S will stake claim to form a “secular government” in Jharkhand, headed by its President Shibu Soren, a top party leader said today. The decision was taken at a meeting of JMM-S office bearers and MLAs chaired by Mr Soren himself at Patna yesterday, party general secretary Vinod Bhagat told PTI. He claimed that apart from RJD, Congress and the left parties, NDA allies Samata Party, JD(U) and independents, including Samresh Singh, MLA from Bokaro, have extended their support to JMM-S to install a secular interim government. Besides, some of the BJP MLAs who had their sympathy with party vice-president Karia Munda, have also assured the party leadership of their support, he claimed. JMM-S’ decision to snap ties with NDA was welcomed at the meeting, which was participated by prominent party leaders like Sudhir Mahato, Champai Soren, Teklal Mahato, Stephen Marandi and Dulal Bhuiyan, he added. |
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Improving economy CM’s priority DEHRA DUN, Nov 8 — The first Chief Minister of Uttaranchal, Mr Nityanand Swami, is confident of winning the hearts of his factional rivals and run a smooth and a fair government. Although most of the leaders of the BJP from the hilly areas feel that an outsider should not have been inducted as the first CM on the state, they are ready to support the party high command’s decision. The following are the excerpts of an interview with him: Mr Swami, the local BJP leaders feel that an outsider should not have been inducted as the CM of this new state. So, there are possibilities of growing factionalism within the party. How you have planned to keep the flock of BJP leaders intact? I don’t think this is a big issue at the moment. More important is how to bring the new state on the track of development. As far as the question of an outsider is concerned, it is baseless. Mr
K. C. Pant and Mr Murli Manohar Joshi also belong to this state. Do you think that the MLAs opposing you will come out openly in your support to run the government smoothly? Of course, they all stand by the decision of the party high command. Doubts, if any can be sorted out by sitting together. My effort would be to bring all workers of the BJP together. Mr Barnala is coming as the first Governor of Uttaranchal. What do you expect from him? Since Mr Barnala is an experienced administrator, there would be a lot to learn from him. He has been Governor, central minister and CM. What would be your main priorities in the new Government? The priorities would be to explore the hydel power of the State and promote agriculture, horticulture, tourism and industries. I would attract the software industry by providing them with basic facilities. I have met Mr Advani who has promised to provide extra grants at the initial stage for development till the assets are finally transferred to Uttaranchal from UP. There has been a lot of opposition from the Garhwalis and the people of Kumaon regarding the making of Dehra Dun as the provisional capital of the State. How will you tackle the problem while selecting the suitable place for permanent capital? I will put up the case in the Cabinet to constitute a special commission for looking into the controversy. People from all parts of the State will be given representation in the commission to put up their case. What is your message to the people of the State? I would like to say that they should help the government make Uttaranchal a welfare state. They should actively participate in improving its economy. |
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Hardwar
MLAs to boycott swearing in HARDWAR, Nov 8 — The three legislators representing
Hardwar district would boycott the oath-taking ceremony to be held at
the Parade Ground in Dehra Dun on November 9 in protest against the
merger of Hardwar and Udham Singh Nagar districts in Uttaranchal. An aide of Mr Ambrish Kumar Samajwadi Party MLA from Hardwar city, told TNS on telephone today that the legislators would boycott the oath-taking ceremonies of the Governor and the yet to be appointed Chief Minister. He explained that in view of the public pressure, the three legislators, Mr Ambrish Kumar (Hardwar) and Mr Ram Singh Saini (Roorki) both belonging to the Samajwadi Party and Kazi Mohiyuddin BSP legislator from Laskar constituency had jointly decided to take this step. He said a decision to this effect had been taken at a meeting of the Hardwar Bachao Samgharsh Samiti held at Union Bhavan Hall in Deypura. However, anti-merger sentiments are rising among the residents of Hardwar district. Hardwar Bachao Sangharsh Samiti has decided to observe November 9 as the “black day”. A protest rally will be organised in Roorki on November 9 by the three legislators and various panchayat samities. The BJP, on the other hand, has given a call to illuminate the holy city of Hardwar on November 9. Meanwhile, the BKU headed by Mr Mohinder Singh Tikait will hold an all-India Kisan Mahapanchayat as Sukartal, about 45 km from Muzzaffar Nagar, on November 10 to protest against the merger of Hardwar and Udham Singh Nagar. Mr Tikait is reported to have invited kisan leaders from Maharashtra, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Punjab and MP to participate in the conference. |
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Challenges ahead for Uttaranchal DEHRA DUN: Finally, the dream of the people of the Garhwal and Kumaon regions has come true with Uttarachal coming into existence on November 9. Since decades they have been demanding the formation of a separate hill state out of Uttar Pradesh. With an area of about 52,000 sq km, the new state is surrounded in the north by the great Himalayan ranges, running east-west along the international border with Tibet. Uttaranchal has a variety and of land formations with approximately three-fourths of the region covered by mountains and forests. The plains of
Hardwar, the Doon valley and the Terai region constitute the remaining area. The show-clad Himalayan ranges in the north are formidable barriers forming the Himalayan watershed, draining waters south into Uttaranchal. The glacial regions at the base of these mountains and further south, the mountain slopes, valleys, streams and rivulets provide the apron and extensive catchment area for water to gather and flow downwards into the intricate network of great rivers. The important valleys in Uttaranchal are (from the east) —
Champawat, Pithoragarh, Bageshwar/Baijnath, Chaukhatia valley (Bhikia
Sain, Gairsain, Bhatkot and Dwarahat being the four extensions), Srinagar,
Uttarkashi, Harsil, and Yamuna valley. Historically, all ingresses into the Uttaranchal hills either from the plains or from Nepal have been through the Kumaon region. Garhwal has been a formidable fortress with limited movement possible from the south or the east. While 65 to 75 per cent of land in Uttaranchal is covered by forests, nearly 20 per cent of the land is available for cultivation. Of this, only 10 per cent is in the hills and the remaining in the plain areas. Uttaranchal has approximately 25,000 lakh cubic metres of water potential. Yet, it suffers from an acute shortage of water for drinking and irrigation with only about 10 per cent utilisation of the water potential. The Terai-Bhabhar region and the plains along the foothills of Uttaranchal have traditionally witnessed a large influx of people into the areas from the hills, as also from the southern plains. Partition brought in the most voluminous exodus of people from Punjab and from East Bengal. These migrants remained limited to
Nainital, Hardwar, Dehra Dun and Mussoorie because of the tough hill life, lack of opportunities, incentives and infrastructure. Home to approximately 10 million people, Uttaranchal has a heterogeneous demographic kaleidoscope. Notwithstanding the post 1947 east-west, north-south ethnic diversities, the population composition in Uttaranchal is heavily rural based — approximately 80 per cent, the maximum being in
Hardwar, Dehra Dun and Udham Singh districts (45 to 50 per cent). These three districts have approximately 85 per cent of the total urban population in Uttaranchal. People have small land holdings which are scattered all over the village areas. These minuscule land holdings can just accommodate a small percentage of people. This is a major cause of unemployment in the state. Uttaranchal is among the states having high literacy rates. Almost every village in Uttaranchal has a school and every town college. The new state has five universities. Very rich in diversity flora and fauna, Uttaranchal has six national parks. With 10,000 mw of hydroelectric power under harness with the construction of the Tehri and Pancheshwar projects, the power potential of Uttaranchal is tremendous and untapped. Abode of Gods — with
Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri, Yamnotri, Rishikesh, Hardwar, Hemkund
Saheb, Nanak Matta, Poorna Giri, Reetha Saheb, Jageshwar and many more places, Uttaranchal annually earns about Rs 1,900 crore from these shrines. Doda
Tal, Nainital, Bhimtal, Naukuchia Tal, Ramganga Lake, Shantipur Lake, Bhagul reservoir, Nanak
Sagar, Tanakpur barrage and Sharda Sagar provide scenic and exciting landscapes. The Himalayan ranges attract adventure-loving people. Although tourism is one of the most vital components of the state’s economy, unfortunately, it has never been taken seriously. The industrial scenario of the state is also bleak. In the Terai region, there are about 350 industrial units and in the Doon valley only 130. The new state has a poor infrastructure with roads in a bad shape and an undeveloped communication network. East-west mobility, both along the foothills between the Yamuna and the Kali and in the middle Himalayan region connecting
Champawat, Pithoragarh, Bageshwar, Baijnath, Chaukhatia, Srinagar,
Dharasu, Uttarkashi and the Yamuna valley is virtually non-existent. The area is still relatively inaccessible and remains grossly under-marketed. The state is connected by rail along the foothills of Dehra Dun,
Hardwar, Rishikesh, Roorkee, Kotdwaar, Ram Nagar, Kathgodam and
Tanakpur. The rest of Uttaranchal is not connected by rail. The only airport with a capacity to land only small planes is on the way to Rishikesh from Dehra Dun. The road network in the upper hilly areas of Kumaon and Garhwal is also poor. During the winters, most of the upper areas remain cut-of from other parts of the country due to heavy snowfall. Besides, Uttaranchal has a poor banking network, an inadequate postal system and no Doordarshan kendra. |
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SP not to press for no-trust motion NEW DELHI, Nov 8 — The Samajwadi Party (SP) today said that it would not be pressing for a no-confidence motion in Uttar Pradesh even though the newly appointed Chief Minister Rajnath Singh has just a razor thin majority. The SP general secretary, Mr Amar Singh, ruled out the possibility of his party pressing for a no-confidence motion, saying that the ruling BJP had a tacit understanding with the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), which would help the Chief Minister to sail through the vote. Talking to reporters here he refuted the claims of the BSP that the SP actually had an understanding with the BJP and that the party chief Mr Mulayam Singh Yadav had been saving the ruling party at crucial junctures and pointed out that it was Ms Mayawati who had been brought to power twice with the help of “communal” forces. It would be no surprise if the BJP helped her to be the Chief Minister for the third time, he said. He pointed out if the SP would press for the no-confidence vote then the BJP would ensure that BSP came to power in the state. They both had an understanding to keep the power between themselves. He asserted that there was a quiet alliance between them. When asked why his party was not ready to expose this “alliance” by bringing forth the no-confidence motion, Mr Amar Singh said it was not up to his party to expose them. Having been burnt once, we don’t want to get involved in their dirty politics, he said. He also challenged the BJP to name the opposition party, which according to it was responsible for the present law and order situation in the state. The Rajnath Singh government had claimed that the Opposition was responsible for the ongoing communal clashes in the state. Mr Amar Singh pointed out that since the BJP had an understanding with the BSP, the ruling party was only referring to the SP, which was unfair. He said since the BJP was claiming to know those responsible for the clashes, it must name the party. He claimed that the BJP was losing ground in Uttar Pradesh and could even resort to further clashes to retain its position in the state. He feared that the BJP would blatantly play the Hindu card to retain its power. |
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Subramaniam cremated CHENNAI, Nov 8 (UNI) — The mortal remains of elder statesman and former Maharashtra Governor C. Subramaniam were consigned to flames this afternoon at the Besant Nagar electric crematorium in the presence of a large number of people from all walks of life. Mr Subramaniam’s son Rajasekhar performed the last rites. Union Rural Development Minister Venkaiah Naidu represented Prime Minister A. B. Vajpayee at the funeral. Former President R. Venkataraman,
TMC president G. K. Moopanar, Tamil Nadu ministers, Congress President Sonia Gandhi’s representative and Congress Working Committee member Susheel Kumar Shinde and leaders of various political parties, relatives, friends and admirers attended the funeral. Mr Subramaniam, 90, a Bharat Ratna awardee and one of the architects of the Green Revolution, died at Chennai yesterday. President K. R. Narayanan, Vice-President Krishan Kant and Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee led the nation in condoling the death of former Union Minister C. Subramaniam. In a message, the President described him as a veteran parliamentarian, accomplished writer and political thinker whose pioneering role in bringing about revolutionary changes in the nation’s agrarian sector and ushering in the Green Revolution was too well known. “...Mr Subramaniam left his imprint as an administrator par excellence, setting high standards of efficiency, integrity and accomplishment.” Vice-President Krishan Kant said Mr Subramaniam shall be remembered for his pioneering role in fighting hunger as an architect of the Green Revolution. The Vice-President said his life and politics were rooted in Gandhian values and philosophy. “In his death, the country has lost a respected public personality, a great statesman, a visionary and a fine human being.” Prime Minister A. B. Vajpayee expressed profound grief over the death of C. Subramaniam “who served the country in diverse areas with extraordinary distinction”. Mr Vajpayee spoke over telephone to Mr S. S. Rajasekhar, son of the late leader, and wrote a letter to Mrs Sakuntala Subramaniam, conveying his heartfelt condolences. In his letter to Mrs Subramaniam, Mr Vajpayee said, “Few persons in the post-independence era have served Mother India in so many diverse capacities and with such extraordinary distinction in each one of them as Shri Subramaniam did. And he did so with exemplary devotion until the last days of his long life”. |
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Police probe into
’84 riots ‘dishonest’ NEW DELHI, Nov 8 (PTI) — Investigation into the 1984 anti-Sikh riots case was tainted as the police had acted in the “most dishonest manner” while conducting the probe, special prosecutor
A. B. Tandon told a city court here today. Advancing arguments on certain points raised by defence counsel in a case involving former Union Minister
H. K. L. Bhagat, Mr Tandon told Additional Sessions Judge Manju Goel that the police had favoured rioters at the time of investigations following directions from senior officials. Mr
Tandon said testimony of Ms Darshan Kaur, whose husband Ram Singh was allegedly killed by a mob at the Bhagat’s instance on November 1, 1984, in the Trilokpuri area of East Delhi, should be relied upon as she was an eyewitness to the murder. Refuting the defence contention that witness Raju Singh, on whose statement an fir was initially registered, had not been examined, Mr
Tandon said the earlier fir was not substantive as he was not an eyewitness to the crime. Arguing on behalf of Ms Darshan Kaur on the same line, senior counsel
H. S. Phoolka in his written submission said though she was the only witness to the crime, “her evidence clearly shows that the situation prevailing at that time was such that there could not be any other witness to support her version as only a group of rioters was there at that time.” |
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Kingpin in liquor tragedy gives up THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, Nov 8 (PTI) — Kochaniyan, alias Manikandan, kingpin behind the supply of hooch mixed with killer methanol which claimed 35 lives in Kerala recently, surrendered before the First Class Judicial Magistrate court at Paravoor in Kollam district. According to the police here, Kochaniyan, who reached the court early in the morning, took refuge inside the magistrate’s chamber when he saw the police. But the court staff did not allow him to stay in the chamber and asked him to vacate the premises immediately. When he was being evicted by the police and the court staff, the magistrate came out of the chamber and asked the police to produce him in the court, the police said. Kochaniyan is a liquor dealer operating from Attingal and Chirayinkil. His brother Manichean, a liquor contractor, is the prime accused in the hooch tragedy. The tragedy first struck Kalluvathuckal on October 21 and spread to Pallickal, Pattazhi and Pallipuram. Meanwhile, the Kerala Government today decided to make a fresh request to the Chief Justice of the Kerala High Court for the services of a sitting high court judge to probe the recent liquor tragedy in the state. The Cabinet, which met today, decided to depute Law Minister E Chandrasekharan Nair to personally meet Chief Justice
K. K.. Usha and renew the plea, Chief Minister E.K. Nayanar said during his briefing. Justice Usha had expressed inability in making available a sitting judge in view of shortage of judges and heavy workload in the high court. The government has also asked the Director-General of Police to set up a special team to investigate the inter-state illicit spirit smuggling. The team would investigate all major and minor illicit spirit cases reported from different parts of the state in order to bust all links in the spirit trade, the Chief Minister said. |
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‘Kaho Na Pyar Hai’ sweeps awards NEW DELHI, Nov 8 (UNI) — One of the country’s best film-makers, the late Raj Kapoor, was named Showman of the Century by the Punjabi Kala Sangam while Hrithik Roshan and Tabu got the best performer honours in the 23rd annual Kalashree Awards announced here today. Tabu is being recognised for her role in “Takshak” while Hrithik gets the award for his debut film “Kaho Na Pyar Hai” which swept the honours with as many as seven awards: actor, best film, director Rakesh Roshan, sensational discovery Amisha Patel, music Rajesh Roshan, playback singer Kumar Sanu and lyricist Sawan Kumar. “Jumping Jack” Jitendra will receive the Kala Rattan while filmmaker J. Om Prakash and actors Ranjeet and Raj Babbar will get the Kala Bhushan. The award for Raj Kapoor will be received by his three sons — Randhir, Rishi and Rajiv - who are carrying on the RK tradition. Sangam founder general secretary Narendra Handa said in a press note the awards would be presented in the Capital by Information and Broadcasting Minister Sushma Swaraj on November 12 and would be followed by a cultural programme produced by Ashok Chaturvedi and Ravinder Kumar and compered by the well-known Tabassum and Niki Aneja. Well-known music entrepreneur Ramesh Taurani of Tips and Mr Naresh Goyal of Jet Airways would be the chief guests. Jackie Shroff is the actor of the decade and Govinda who has excelled this year in comic as well as villainous roles has been named the Most Versatile Actor for his film “Kunwara” which wins the character actress award for Nagma, while Manoj Bajpai gets the performance award for “Shool”. Namrata Shirodkar gets the supporting actress award for “Aaghaaz” and former Miss Universe Sushmita Sen gets the dancing star award for “Fiza”. Kirti Reddy is the rising star for “Tera Jaadu Chal Gaya”, Priya Gill is the best among newcomers in “Josh”, and Shivaji Satam gets the character actor award for “Vaastav”. Ashutosh Rana in “Sangharsh” is the best actor in a negative role. The well-known Delhi-based singer and composer Prem Bhatia is recognised for his album “Aa Nach Le Mere Nal”. Niki Aneja is the best television star for “Saher” and Arun Bakshi is the best TV actor and folk singer. In music, the other awards have gone to: best music for the album “Chorni” to Anand Raj Anand, folk singer Ila Arun in “Haule Haule”, popstar albums “Lakeerein” by Penaz Masani and “Tanha Dil” by Shaan, performer singer Mika in “Ishq Brandy”, Punjabi singer Shankar Sahni for “Yari Yari”, Punjabi popstar Jasbir Jassi for “Kudi Kudi” and rising pop star Shibani
Kashyap. |
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Playwright: Sena chief opportunist MUMBAI, Nov 8 (UNI) — Noted playwright Vijay Tendulkar has described Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray as “an opportunist, who was nursed by the Congress because they found him useful.” In an interview in the November 13 issue of Newsweek International magazine in New York, Tendulkar, famous for his critically acclaimed play “Ghashiram Kotwal”, confessed that the play itself was a comment on the contemporary situation — the rise of the Sena in Mumbai. “Our state’s Chief Minister used Mr Thackeray and his cadre to finish off Mumbai’s trade-union movement and nursed it with big-business money to upset the Communists,” he said. He said the play had used 18th century tale of “Ghashiram, an opportunist character, for drawing parallels on the rise of Mr Thackeray, and admirer of Hitler.” “Mr Thackeray had never dreamt of entering politics but was willing to be used... he had no qualms”, he said in the interview. “He incited riots and brought Mumbai to a standstill, the state which created Mr Thackeray then became fearful of him”. He also admitted that all his earlier plays, which gave him the title of “the angry young man of Marathi theatre”, were autobiographical considering his economic pain experienced due to his lower middle class background and sensibilities. “It is the anger at human condition... disturbing real life experiences make you want to change things until you see that you cannot make an impact”, he added. Tendulkar (72), winner of one of India’s highest national awards, the Padma Bhushan, is an icon of the country’s vernacular theatre. His radical Marathi plays, dealing with thorny social and political issues like the sale of women and rise of fascist despot is ironically a high school drop-out. |
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Gems worth 10 cr seized, retd Major held NEW DELHI, Nov 8 — The Delhi police today claimed to have recovered over 16 kg of rare precious gems worth Rs 10 crore following the arrest of two persons from the Anand Niketan area of South Delhi. The gems were imported from South Africa. The police received a tip-off that two persons wanted to dispose of precious gems to somebody in the Capital. They were travelling in a Cielo car. The police already had information about the gems from Gurgaon on August 8, the Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime), Dr K.K. Paul, said. Addressing mediapersons, he said the gems were recovered by a team of the crime branch and the New Delhi district after the team identified the Cielo at the Moti Bagh intersection. The car was intercepted at Anand Niketan and the occupants were arrested. They were identified as Deepak, alias Bobby, wanted in eight cases of robbery and burglary and Major Vidya Sagar Nagi, who retired from the Army in 1980 and was working as a cargo handling agent. The accused had gone to hide the gems at a house in Anand Niketan when they were arrested. The gems were reportedly looted from a Jaipur-based jeweller when he was taking them to Jaipur from the IGI Airport on August 16. The stones were uncut and unpolished. The Gurgaon police had registered an FIR on the basis of the statement of Mr Narender Kumar Vaibhav, the jeweller who said after paying custom duty at the airport, he was taking the parcel of these stones to Jaipur in his Tata Sumo when he stopped at a restaurant near Singhrawali village for tea. After sometime, a Maruti car stopped and four persons accosted him. First, they posed as custom officers but later took away the suitcase containing the stones at gunpoint. |
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Maran’s
condition critical CHENNAI, Nov 8 (UNI) — The condition of Union Industries and Commerce Minister Murasoli
Maran, who is undergoing treatment in Apollo Hospital here for ‘obstructive cardiac
myopathy’, is critical, hospital Chairman Pratap C. Reddy said today. Briefing newspersons he said, “we are doing our best. We have all facilities required to meet the needs,” he said. Dr Reddy said the next few hours and days of the minister would be crucial, but hoped that Mr Maran would come out of the situation. Meanwhile, Union Rural Development Minister Venkaiah Naidu, who visited Mr Maran at the hospital, quoted doctors as having told him that there was scope for improvement in his condition. |
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Hurriyat leaders
meet Pak officials NEW DELHI, Nov 8 (PTI) — Five executive members of the Hurriyat Conference today met officials of the Pakistan High Commission here following certain recent criticism of Islamabad’s strategy towards the so-called issue of Kashmir. The Hurriyat team, which flew in here yesterday, had a four-hour long meeting with the Pakistan High Commission officials. The team comprised Hurriyat Chairman Abdul Gani Bhat, Sheikh Abdul Aziz, Abdul Gani Lone, Mirwaiz Umer Farooq and Yaseen Malik. However, Hurriyat spokesman was not available for his comments but amalgam’s insiders said the meeting was to “seek an explanation from the leaders about recent criticism of Pakistan at the recent session of the Hurriyat Conference.” Significantly, pro-Pakistan and senior Jamaat leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani, who had spoken in favour of Pakistan at the session, did not come to Delhi to meet the officials. |
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Poll norms flouted,
say Prasada men NEW DELHI, Nov 8 — Supporters of the Congress presidential candidate, Mr Jitendra Prasada, today said the elections for the post of Congress President and those of the PCC chiefs and AICC members, initially scheduled for November 12, had been delinked to damage Mr Prasada’s prospects in the elections. Mr Vinod Sharma, spokesperson for Mr Prasada, said that rules had been continuously flouted since the process for elections began. He said that Mr Aslam, a PCC delegate from Saharanpur, had resigned his seat in protest against the manner in which elections to the PCC had been held. Mr Sharma said that the Congress Central Election Authority had accepted that 20 names in the list of delegates from Tamil Nadu had been changed after publication of the PCC list. |
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‘No’ commando operation for Rajkumar’s release NEW DELHI, Nov 8 — The Centre today reiterated that it would intervene in the Veerappan crisis only if Karnataka and Tamil Nadu Governments approached it for help. “Our stand is very clear. Unless the two State Governments seek our help, we cannot intervene in the matter,” a Home Ministry spokesman, quoting the Union Home Secretary, Kamal Pande, told The Tribune. He also denied that the Centre had worked out plans for the launch of commando operation for actor Dr Rajkumar’s release from in light of yesterday’s Supreme Court judgement. The apex court had blocked the release of Veerappan’s associates from Karnataka and Tamil Nadu jails by setting aside all lower court orders and a State Government notification for the withdrawal of cases against them. The judgement, which came on the 100th day of Kannada matinee idol Rajkumar’s captivity, delivered a severe blow to the negotiations for his release in exchange of forest brigand’s 56 associates — 51 in Karnataka and five in Tamil Nadu. Meanwhile, Janata Party President Subramanian Swamy has welcomed the stand taken by the Tamil Maanila Congress that the negotiator in the Rajkumar kidnapping episode, Mr Nedumaran, should be arrested under the National Security Act. Dr Swamy said in a statement that the Nedumaran should be asked to return the reported Rs 25 crore he received from the Karnataka Government as ransom money. The former MP said the Congress should apologise to the people for not objecting to Mr Nedumaran’s choice as a negotiator. |
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Bengal CM for
amicable ties with Centre CALCUTTA, Nov 8 — Chief Minister Buddhadev Bhattacharyya declared here last evening that he would not follow the line of confrontation against the Centre and expected the Centre to reciprocate. If otherwise, he would involve the people in fighting the Centre in support of their legitimate demands. He alleged the Vajpayee Government had not so far released any funds for the flood-hit people of Bengal. Some Rs 1200 crore was needed for the relief and restoration work in the affected districts. Mr Bhattacharyya said he would take the help and assistance of all ministers in his Cabinet in implementing various plans or programmes of the government saying that he was not the right substitute to Mr Basu, he said he would take Mr Basu’s advice all the time in the functioning of the government. The newly appointed Chief Minister said he had four major tasks before him — restoration and rehabilitation work in the flood-affected districts; to stop political clashes and bring back peace and normalcy in Midnapore and elsewhere; to protect the interest of the minorities; to ensure a corruption-free administration. Mr Bhattacharyya said he would follow the path shown by his leader, Mr Jyoti Basu, and would emphasise on the expansion of industries, information technology and other service-oriented
programmes. |
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Paswan leaves for
3-nation tour NEW DELHI, Nov 8 — A high-level delegation, both from the government and industry, led by the Minister of Communications, Mr Ram Vilas Paswan, left for a week-long tour to France, Sweden and Finland today following an invitation by the governments of these countries. The visit aims to position India as an attractive destination for foreign investment made possible by the recent telecom reforms in the communication sector. |
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Court can’t review
its own order: SC NEW DELHI, Nov 8 (PTI) — The Supreme Court has ruled that no court could review its own order after the judgement has been signed except to correct a clerical or an arithmetical error. “The court becomes functus officio the moment the official order disposing of a case is signed. Such an order cannot be altered except to the extent of correcting a clerical or an arithmetical error,” a Division Bench comprising Mr Justice K.T. Thomas and Mr Justice R.P. Sethi said last week. |
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PATNA, Nov 8 (PTI) — The NDA and two Left parties legislators will boycott all financial and legislative business during the remaining two days of the special session of the Bihar Assembly in protest against the state government’s rejection of their demand for extending it. Members of the BJP, the Samata Party, the JD (U), the CPI and the CPML will, however, participate in the farewell to the 81 MLAs who will be members of the Jharkhand Assembly, leader of the opposition S.K. Modi told reporters after the stormy start to the three-day special session today. |
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