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| Monday, December 4, 2000, Chandigarh, India   
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Cong report fails to pin down govt
UP ‘helpless’
on Ayodhya Jain TV owner meets PM I was unstable in politics: Uma |
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Centre appeasing Muslims: Thackeray BJYM to woo Muslims, Dalits AIDS awareness must: Shabana TV programme helps nab
‘dacoit queen’ Disabled
pledge to fight for rights Ban on LTTE to
continue: Naidu 2 ministers join Oppn camp in Manipur Rapes, abductions ‘highest’ in Delhi Home Ministry
team in Assam Ceasefire no
solution: VHP IG: give I-cards to
border villagers
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Cong report fails to pin down govt NEW DELHI, Dec 3 — The report of Congress party’s economic introspection group, released on Friday after months of deliberation, appears more an attempt to balance the divergent thinking within the party rather than put under fire the BJP-led government which has been facing criticism from its own allies over some of its economic decisions. The report, finalised by the 54-member economic group headed by Mr Pranab Mukherjee, seeks to strike a balance between various lobbies within the party which range from those advocating fast-paced reforms to those totally opposed to these. The report not only has some apparent contradictions but seems quite in agreement with the broad policies of the NDA government. Though the report identifies agriculture as its thrust area with nearly 20 recommendations on it, party workers feel that simultaneous talk of continuing with reforms will not go down well with the masses. “The party should have been seen as totally on the side of farmers and poor who have not gained from the reforms,” said a party leader. The economic introspection group was set up by Congress President Sonia Gandhi after the submission of the Anthony Committee report following party’s poor performance in the 1999 Lok Sabha elections. Many felt the poll debacle occurred
because the party had lost its base among the poor because of its economic reforms which were perceived as “pro-rich.” The economic introspection group, which had 10 sub-committees to assist it on various issues, was expected to give an orientation to the party policies which resulted in restoration of party’s pro-poor image. Though further action on the report is to be taken by Mrs Sonia Gandhi, party workers feel that the report lacks sting which can cause discomfiture to the BJP-led government while simultaneously getting mass support for the party. Recalling how the BJP repeatedly harped on ‘swadeshi’ while in Opposition and then opted for economic reforms once it came to power, a section of the Congress feels that the party should have taken an aggressive posture on issues concerning the agriculturists and poor. Party insiders say that compulsions to draw a balance in the report stems from the lack of consensus among senior leaders about reforms. According to a party leader associated with the working of the economic group, while Mr Manmohan Singh and Mr Madhav Rao Scindia support fast-paced reforms, a bigger section comprising among others Mr Pranab Mukherjee, Mr Arjun Singh, Mr Ghulam Nabi Azad, Mr Jairam Ramesh, Mr Mani Shankar Aiyar, Mr Vilas Rao Deshmukh and Mr Prithvi Raj Chauhan advocates a slower approach towards reforms. Another section comprising Congress Chief Ministers of agriculture-dominant states, including Mr Ashok Gehlot, Mr Digvijay Singh and Mr Ajit Jogi feels that reforms are not exactly helping the poor and farmers. |
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UP ‘helpless’ on Ayodhya FAIZABAD, Dec 3 (UNI) — Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Rajnath Singh today said the state government was helpless on the disputed structure in Ayodhya as the case was pending in court. “Besides, the central government has acquired the disputed structure and its premises in 1992 leaving us without any say in the issue,” Mr Rajnath Singh told newspersons here. When asked about the government’s response in case the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) went ahead with its programme of temple construction in Ayodhya, the CM said: “Just wait”. He said the Ramjanmabhoomi issue was of cultural and national importance and should not be associated with elections. On the announcements made by various Hindu and Muslim organisations to conduct programmes on the eighth anniversary of the demolition of the disputed structure at Ayodhya on December 6, he said “such programmes have been organised in the past. However, all efforts would be made to prevent any untoward incident on that day”. Mr Singh denied any discrimination against the minorities under the BJP-led governments both at the Centre and in the state, saying “we never follow a dual policy with the minorities and have always respected them”. He said he wanted to give a new direction to the state. The “panchayat” of traders, teachers and other government employees called at his residence on December 6 would prove to be a step towards that, he added. Earlier, inaugurating a special website on Ayodhya, Mr Rajnath Singh said through such initiatives, the whole world would be able to know about the mythological, cultural and spiritual importance of the temple town of Ayodhya. He said the need was being felt to create Ayodhya as a “spiritual centre”. He announced Rs 11 lakh for the Ayodhya fund, part of the website meant for the development of the town. Faizabad Division Commissioner Shatrughan Singh said the website carried pictures and information on 55 major ancient temples, 10 ghats, 11 ancient kunds, picturesque gardens, fairs, festivals and other
specialties of the town. It also depicted a road map for the comfort of tourists, the geographical position and a brief history of the town. Faizabad MP Vinay Katiyar also announced Rs 5 lakh for the “Ayodhya fund”. The Chief Minister laid the foundation stone for Transport Nagar here, being established at a cost of Rs 4 crore. He is scheduled to have “darshan” of Ram Lala and attend the closing ceremony of the “Ramayan Mela”. |
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Jain TV owner meets PM NEW DELHI, Dec 3 (UNI) — Former Member of Parliament and Jain TV owner J.K. Jain, who met Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee and Home Minister L.K. Advani to voice his protest over being labelled an ISI agent, has expressed confidence of getting justice. After a meeting which lasted about two hours last night, Dr Jain said he was satisfied with his meeting as he had been given the “opportunity of explaining my position as a citizen.” he said Mr Vajpayee was an honest man and therefore he was confident that “he will do justice.” Asked if the charges against him and his TV channel would be withdrawn, Dr Jain said there was no question of pressurising the Prime Minister. He refused to divulge the nature of the discussions, beyond saying that it was in the interest of the country and the
Bharatiya Janata Party. He added that all the three — Mr Vajpayee, Mr Advani and Dr Jain himself — had participated equally in the discussion which covered a wide range of things. Earlier last week, Dr Jain had written to Mr Vajpayee asking him to get an investigation conducted into charges that he (Dr Jain) is an ISI agent and to punish those guilty of fabricating of such “false” records. He had written that he was prepared to accept any punishment in the event of the investigation resulting in any proof that he or Jain TV was anti-national or even remotely connected to the ISI. Dr Jain had pointed out in the letter that both Mr Advani and Information and Broadcasting Minister Sushma Swaraj had not been able to do anything about the report of the Research and Analysis wing (RAW) branding him as an anti-national. He said that the report had resulted in his being denied clearances to get accreditation with Doordarshan as a news agency, and provide uplinking facilities to other channels from his teleport in Noida. In an interview, Dr Jain had told UNI that the action appeared to have its background in his programme “Jagte Raho” in which he had sought to expose some “Big Fish” including business houses indulging in anti-national acts, which had resulted in some positive action from the government. He said even the Intelligence Bureau had found that he had no connections with the ISI. He said he had learnt as early as October 12 about the RAW report, but the government had already acted on it. He did not react following assurances given by Mrs Swaraj, who described the report as “patently absurd”. She had later expressed her inability to do anything, and so he had approached Mr Advani. Dr Jain said he was convinced that Mr Advani had tried his best, but had not been able to change or withdraw the report. Following this, he had written to Mr Vajpayee on October 31 seeking an appointment, but the letter had gone unacknowledged. This prompted him to write another letter on November 18. The leakage of these letters led to a “powerful whispering campaign to spread all kinds of canards and mischievous interpretations”. Apart from pointing out that he had been condemned without being given an opportunity to defend himself, Dr Jain also said that his past record clearly showed his patriotism. He said the Prime Minister owed it to the Bharatiya Janata Party and the nation to act decisively and quickly as he could not accept this abuse. He was therefore ready to put my head on the line and fight till the end, or till I get justice. He demanded that “One way or another, some heads must roll”. |
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I was unstable in politics: Uma BHOPAL, Dec 3 — The BJP leader and Union Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports, Ms Uma Bharati, has admitted that her recent actions had eroded her credibility “to some extent” but she would now stay put in politics without wavering at least for some years. Her big mistake was that she had been “unstable”. Talking to mediapersons here, yesterday she said her behaviour, which appeared wayward sometimes, was the result of her inability to adjust to the political life. She had the illusion that once she became a member of Parliament, she would be able to solve the problems of the people in her area. But very soon she became disillusioned. She did not want to recontest in 1991 but Mr L.K. Advani and other senior party leaders compelled her. The same thing happened in 1996. But in 1998, she contested willingly to get a railway line sanctioned for her area. Ms Bharati said in 1999 again she was reluctant to contest because of her backache but the party leaders again insisted on her contesting. She then put forward the condition that she would not contest this time from Khajuraho but would like to shift to Jabalpur. However, the party fielded her from Bhopal. Ms Bharati has returned to Bhopal after nearly seven months. She had undertaken an indefinite fast on May 1 to get the sacked 28,000-odd daily-wage workers reinstated and had suddenly disappeared from the city a week later. Asked if she was sorry for ditching the daily-wage workers, she objected to the word “ditching” and said that she had not ditched the daily-wage workers and was still concerned about them. In January last year she had resigned as Union Minister of State for Tourism in order to launch an agitation in protest against the “bungling” in the election of the Chairman of the Bhopal Municipal Corporation. Now a Cabinet minister in the Central Government, she seemed to have forgotten all about the “bungling”. She insisted that she had never hankered after ministership but she had been forced to accept it. “You can ask Advaniji, Atalji, Thakreji and Bangaru Laxmanji about this.” On sports she said she would soon bring forward a national sports policy aimed at reforms in the sports. On the match-fixing case, she merely said she had called a meeting of the officials from the CBI, Home Ministry, Directorate of Enforcement and Law Ministry early next week and would be able to say anything only after receiving their reports. She proposes to set up a sports university in the country. The selection of the place is yet to be made. Only the Haryana Chief Minister, Mr Om Prakash Chautala, has made a concrete proposal so far, according to her. |
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Centre appeasing Muslims: Thackeray MUMBAI, Dec 3 (PTI) — After criticising the Vajpayee government for its unilateral ceasefire initiative in Jammu and Kashmir during Ramzan, Shiv Sena supremo Bal Thackeray fired yet another salvo at the Centre for making special arrangements for Muslims to offer prayers at a mosque near Taj Mahal. “This government is hell bent on surpassing previous Congress governments in its Muslim’s appeasement policy”, Mr Thackeray said in the party’s mouthpiece Saamana’s editorial here yesterday. Reacting to Union Tourism and Culture Minister Ananth Kumar’s statement in the Lok Sabha that special arrangements had been made for Muslims to offer prayers at the mosque adjoining the Taj, the
Sena chief said “Tomorrow Muslims may seek permission for offering namaz at the historical Red Fort and the government will readily agree to it”. “The Taj is not a religious structure and government’s permission for allowing namaz there without any hesitation is really puzzling”, the
Sena chief said. “If permission for performing “Maha Aarti” at Ram Mandir in Ayodhya is sought, it will definitely by rejected since it will hurt the religious sentiments of the minorities”, Mr Thackeray said. The BJP, as an opposition, clamoured for construction of a Ram temple at the disputed site but after coming to power the issue is not on its agenda now, he said. BJYM to woo Muslims, Dalits NEW DELHI, Dec 3 — The Bhartiya Janata Yuva Morcha will reach out to Muslims and Dalits to broaden its base, its President, Mr Shivraj Singh Chauhan, MP, said here today. This would be in keeping with the Nagpur message of the BJP President, Mr Bangaru Laxman where he had appealed to the party cadres to remove any misgivings among the minorities regarding the party. ‘‘We will organise Dalit students youth conferences throughout the country from February 9 to 11 and similar conferences of Muslim students and youth would be held at a later date’’, Mr Chauhan said. The BJYM would also launch ‘Assam Sajakta Yatra’ from December 5 to create awareness regarding intrusion from Bangladesh and the ISI activities in the state, Mr Roop Chaudhary, general secretary of the morcha said. ‘‘Thirty-five constituencies in the state were such where intruders from Bangladesh were in majority,’’ he said. He said the ULFA had lost its mass base and was now operating under the direction of Pakistan’s ISI to indulge in senseless killings of innocent people in Assam. The yatra will culminate with a rally at Guwahati to be addressed by the BJP President, Mr Bangaru Laxman. The BJYM has decided to form ‘Kamal Clubs’ in the country to boost sports activities among the youth. He said the morcha would also engage in social service and would disseminate information about various government schemes to the unemployed. The morcha would form its units upto panchayat levels by February. The morcha also plans to have training sessions for its workers beginning with a one-day camp for national executive in Mumbai, he said.
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AIDS awareness must: Shabana NEW DELHI, Dec 3 (UNI) — Actress and social activist Shabana Azmi has called for a change in the attitude of people who simply dismiss AIDS as something that afflicts only pimps, sex workers and truck drivers. The Rajya Sabha member led a host of personalities from the entertainment world here last evening on the occasion of the World AIDS day in spreading the message that it was important to break away from “ill-conceived myths and notions” about AIDS. The disease has earned India the dubious distinction of being the second largest country worldwide to be affected by the scourge after South Africa. As many as 3.7 million are infected with HIV in the country “Only pimps, sex workers and truck drivers are affected by the disease which is spreading in India due to westernisation and the satellite TV. Ironically, this is how the disease is dismissed in our country as being related to people of bad moral character,” Shabana said. “We always think that the disease cannot afflict us and we are above all that. We shun people suffering from it and do not even tell our children, who can be the most likely victims of the disease, about it,” she added. It is high time we break away from the myth of ‘he is suffering, I am safe’. As they say, prevention is better than cure. So, if we don’t tell our children about AIDS today, tomorrow they can be suffering from it,” Shabana said. She also allayed “wrong notions” that the HIV virus could spread by touch or if somebody spoke to its victim. “Only love is spread by touch, believe me, not AIDS,” she said, driving home her point. Among the gathering — which included film stars
Jackie Shroff and Gulshan Grover — at the US Embassy was Ashok Pillai, a living example of suffering due to ignorance. Pillai, 31, said: “I wish I knew of HIV when I was trapped by it 11 years back. The doctors told me that I was suffering from the disease and I had nothing else to do but to wait and die. In my case, unluckily, it was awareness after being stung by the disease.” However, he said he pledged to fight against the very thing that made him suffer from HIV — ignorance. “After realising this, I have not stopped. Wherever I go, I spread the message about AIDS and insist that people should know about condoms, clean blood, syringes and HIV.’’ Bollywood hero Jackie
Shroff also stressed the need for an “open approach” to tackle HIV and asked for more community-based awareness programmes. However, it was the “Bad Guy” of the film industry, Gulshan Grover, who made a candid confession. “Though I may be acting as the biggest villain in Bollywood in my movies, I confess that this ‘bad man’ is even scared of a bigger villain — AIDS,” he said. Host Jacqueline Lundquist, wife of the US Ambassador to India, was unequivocal in saying that “you, and only you, can make the difference.” |
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TV programme helps nab
‘dacoit queen’ NEW DELHI, Dec 3 (UNI) — Ten wanted criminals including the dreaded dacoit Seema Parihar, have been nabbed by the police and two killed in different parts of the country in the last six months, thanks to viewers’ responses to a Zee TV programme ‘India’s Most Wanted’. According to Mr Vijendra Sharma, Superintendent of Police in Aurraiya in Uttar Pradesh, several bits of information had come to the police after an episode of the programme presented and directed by Manoj Raghuvanshi featured Seema, and this made it easy for the police to track her. She was arrested near Jalaon Cauraha in Aurraiya town on the afternoon of November 30. Seema, 28, had been active in the ravines of UP for the last 13 years and was wanted for 29 criminal cases of murder, attempt to murder, dacoity and looting, and carried a reward of Rs 38,000 on her head. She had joined the notorious Lala Ram gang when she was 15 and had assumed charge of the gang after his death in a police encounter in May this year. According to Manoj Raghuvanshi, another criminal — Sanjeev Kumar Gupta — was arrested on November 23 by the Noida police for a huge land scam less than 24 hours after he was featured in the 23rd episode last month. He claimed that the telecast of the first episode after he took over the reins of the programme in June had resulted in success. The arrested include three other women cheats, and those killed include the notorious Babloo and Kapil Gehlot. Earlier this year, five criminals had been nabbed and two runaway girls restored to their home thanks to viewers’ responses to the short-lived Doordarshan programme ‘Fugitive — The Most Wanted’, directed by Sohaib Ilyasi after he surrendered the reins of the Zee TV programme. |
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Disabled
pledge to fight for rights NEW DELHI, Dec 3 — Hundreds of people with various disabilities and people from all walks of life gathered at the India Gate here to mark the World Disability Day today. Holding banners and placards carrying the message of equal opportunities for the disabled and wiping out of prejudices against them, the participants also took out a march to make the coming census on disability population a success. Organised by the National Centre for Promotion of Employment for Disabled (NCPEDP), the event was supported by the Royal Danish Embassy. Speaking on the occasion, NCPEDP Executive Director Javed Abidi expressed happiness over the inclusion of disability count in the census. He, however, called for vigil so that an accurate estimate of disabled persons could be made possible. The Barry John group enacted a play “Disability and Census” with the historic war memorial as the backdrop. Another function to mark the day was held at the National Rail Museum. |
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Ban on LTTE to
continue: Naidu CHENNAI, Dec 3 (UNI) — Union Rural Development Minister M. Venkaiah Naidu today declared that there was no pressure from the NDA allies to lift the ban on the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and the same would continue. Talking to newsmen here, he said no constituent of the NDA Government had approached the government for lifting the ban. Disagreeing with a suggestion that there had been a spurt in the LTTE activities in Tamil Nadu after Kannada film star Dr Rajkumar was got released from the clutches of forest brigand Veerappan by some pro-LTTE organisations, Mr Naidu said the present situation in the state did not cause any concern. Both the state and central governments were closely watching the situation, he said and pointed out Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi’s assertion on the floor of the state assembly that he would crush all anti-national activities in the state. |
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2 ministers join Oppn camp in Manipur IMPHAL, Dec 3 (UNI) — In a major political development, two ministers and a ruling party member today switched over to the Opposition camp reducing the strength of the United Front Government in Manipur to 35 in the 60-member House. Transport Minister Haokholet Kipgen and Minister of State for Higher Education L. Jayenta Kumar Singh along with Chairman of Hill Area Committee C. Doungel this evening joined the Opposition camp headed by Speaker S. Dhananjoy Singh. The strength of the Opposition increased to 25, including the Speaker. Both the ministers belonged to the Federal Party of Manipur while Mr Doungel was elected on the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) ticket. |
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Rapes, abductions ‘highest’ in Delhi NEW DELHI, Dec 3 (UNI) — Delhi recorded the highest number of rapes, molestations and abductions targeting women in 1999 and 2000 while Chennai reported the maximum number of overall crime against women during the period, according to the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB). While this year (up to September), the Capital recorded 295 cases of rape, 826 kidnappings and 440 cases of molestation, the figures in 1999
(up to December) were 337 rapes, 1043 abductions and 588 incidents of molestation. The total number of crime against women in Delhi was 1912 in 2000 as against 2438 in 1999, lower than Chennai (3107 in 2000 and 4229 in 1999). Home Ministry sources said the rate of increase in crime against women was likely to be higher than the population growth in the next decade. Incidents of rape are likely to increase by 55.7 per cent in 2010 as compared to 1998 while the corresponding increase in population has been estimated at 20.3 per cent. After Delhi, Mumbai recorded the second highest number of 86 rapes, 124 abductions and 169 cases of molestation this year as against 104 rapes, 169 abductions and 243 cases of molestation in 1999. Varanasi recorded the lowest number of crime — 44 (up to July 1999) and 140 (up to August, 2000) — against women during the period. According to official figures, Bihar had an alarming 996 women undertrial prisoners (the highest in the country) followed by Tamil Nadu (505), Madhya Pradesh (502), Maharashtra (471) and UP (465). Delhi has 359 women undertrial prisoners. The cases of rape and abduction against the Scheduled Tribes, Castes had shown a slight increase in 1999 against the previous year. While in 1999, 384 rapes and 59 abductions were reported, the figure in 1998 was 331 and 56 respectively. The figures for 2000 were not available. Punjab accounted for 29 dacoities in 1999 and 17 in 2000 and 56 robberies (1999) and 39 (2000). |
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Home Ministry team in Assam
GUWAHATI, Dec 3 (UNI, PTI) — Top Home Ministry officials reached Assam to chalk out a strategy to stop the mindless massacre that claimed more than 70 lives even as politicking continued over the dead. The Home Ministry team led by Joint Secretary G.K. Pillai and consisting of top Intelligence Bureau officers and the CRPF besides the SIB officers would attend a specially summoned “strategy group” meeting of the Unified Command. However, the mudslinging continued unabated between the Congress and the AGP with each accusing the other for the mass killings. Today the Congress urged the AGP to stop politicking on the issue. Ceasefire no
solution: VHP JAIPUR, Dec 3 (UNI) —
Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) National General Secretary Praveen Togadia has opposed the ceasefire in Kashmir announced by the Centre, saying that while the measure would evoke support from the local people and isolate Pakistan, the Kashmir problem would remain unresolved. Talking to reporters here, yesterday Mr Togadia maintained that the Kashmir issue could be settled on “gunpoint’’ wherein militants could be forced to come forward for talks. The VHP leader pointed out that terrorism was not being spread by militants in Kashmir but by Islamic fundamentalists who did not consider violence a wrong path to achieve their objective.
IG: give I-cards to border villagers SHILLONG, Dec 3 (PTI) — People living in border villages should be provided with identity cards to check infiltration, a top bsf official said today. If identity cards were given to the people living in border villages it would be easy to identify a foreign national illegally entering our territory, the Inspector-General of bsf in Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya and Nagaland Frontier, Mr V.S. Sirohi, told a press conference here. He said otherwise it would be difficult to identify an infiltrator as people living on both sides of India-Bangladesh boundary speak the same language and follow the same customs. The
BSF IG said it would also be better if the villages situated on the international border
(IB) were shifted to some other places.
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