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| Monday, December 18, 2000, Chandigarh, India   
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Temple issue: Mamata again
threatens to quit Babri has no religious significance:
ICHR Defranchise Muslims:
Thackeray Meeting on units a ‘gimmick’ Govt neglecting agriculture: Cong Removal of Assam Governor sought |
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BJP’s no to pact
with AGP Bollywood-underworld nexus not new: Chopra Manipur heads for Central rule? CBI books 3 DD officials for fraud Siachen waste worries Army Builders’ mafia 3 tribesmen killed
in police firing Act to
allow Net telephony 5-year-old girl
raped
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Temple issue: Mamata again
threatens to quit CALCUTTA, Dec 17 — Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee has threatened to quit the NDA to protest against the decision to erect the Ram Temple on the disputed site at Ayodhya on December 26. Ms Banerjee said some other secular parties, now in the NDA, like the Telugu Desam, the DMK the Haryana Vikas Party and the Akali Dal, may also quit the NDA if the BJP still stuck to its communal cards. The Railway Minister was in close consultation with Mr Chandrababu Naidu, Mr Karunanidhi, Mr Om Prakash Chautala, Mr Parkash Singh Badal and leaders of other secular forces, now in the NDA. The Railway Minister declared at an lftar party last night hosted by Mr Sultan Ahmed, a Trinamool Congress MLA, that both she and Mr Ajit Kumar Panja would not only resign, but the Trinamool would also pull but from the NDA in protest against BJP’s playing communal cards. The Trinamool supremo was quite agitated at the Prime Minister’s recent observation on the Ram temple vis-a-vis Babri masjid, which she felt was creating disharmony among the Hindus and the Muslims. Ms Banerjee reiterated if the temple at Ayodhya could be a cause of sentiment for the Hindus, then a mosque at the place could be a matter of sentiment for the Muslims. Ms Banerjee had already decided not to form any electoral alliance with the BJP during the forthcoming state’s Assembly polls in April. On the contrary, she would want adjustment of seats with the Congress and the BJP so that the anti-Left votes would not be divided to make it easy for the CPM to win.
Babri has no religious significance: ICHR NEW DELHI, Dec 17 (PTI) — Even as the controversy over the Ayodhya issue is still raging, Dr Sushil Kumar, Director of Indian Council of Historical Research
(ICHR), has claimed that the Babri Mosque has no religious significance and Muslims should hand over the disputed site as a goodwill gesture to Hindus. “The unused Babri Mosque has no religious significance to Muslims since as per the local records, of the 26 mosques in Ayodhya, just half are in use for offering namaz and the rest are in a bad shape. Hence, the demand of the Babri site by the Hindus is not unreasonable,” Dr Kumar told
PTI. “If that is not acceptable, then this non-functional mosque should be relocated. Hundreds of mosques in other Islamic countries have been relocated for minor reasons such as road expansions”, said the Director of
ICHR, which was recently in news for withdrawing some historical accounts for alleged misrepresentation of
RSS role in the freedom struggle. “But since the location of Lord Rama’s birthplace cannot be changed, the temple cannot be moved,” the Director said. Mosques built anywhere after destroying temples were the sign of slavery and Muslims should hand over the same to the Hindus, Dr Kumar, who has carried out extensive research on the historical and archaeological basis of the Ramjanmabhumi issue, said. “There is incontrovertible archaeological evidence which proves that there did exist at the very spot of the Ramjanmabhumi a magnificent temple from at least the 12th century which was destroyed to build a mosque over it in the 16th century,” Dr Kumar said. “In fact, the fateful day of December 6, 1992, should be remembered not for the demolition of the Babri Masjid but for the startling discovery of the remains of Ramjanmabhumi Temple which was demolished by Babar’s General Mir Baki in 1528,” the
ICHR director said. In July, 1992, during the period when the ground acquired by the up government was being levelled up, hundreds of architectural and sculptural pieces were discovered as a result of a study by a group of eminent archaeologists and historians, including Prof.
B. R. Grover, Chairman of ICHR.
Defranchise Muslims:
Thackeray MUMBAI, Dec 17
(PTI) — Shiv Sena supremo Bal Thackeray today came down heavily on all political parties for their ‘appeasement of minorities’ and called for ‘defranchising of Muslims to negate the vote-bank politics’. Reiterating stiff opposition to his party’s decade-long ally
BJP’s policy of Muslim appeasement, Mr Thackeray said here in an interview to party mouthpiece ‘Saamna’, ‘It might be their
(BJP's) stance but I have not accepted it’. Claiming that vote-bank politics was chiefly responsible for the wooing of the minorities, he said ‘take away the right of franchise of Muslims. Then all political outfits will become pro-Hindutva’. |
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Meeting on units a ‘gimmick’ NEW DELHI, Dec 17 — The Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee (DPCC) President, Mr Subhash Chopra, today dubbed the meeting of BJP leaders with the Prime Minister, Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee, and the holding of a demonstration, as a “political gimmick” aimed to deceive lakhs of workers as “they were simply not interested in solving the problems regarding the relocation of industries from non-conforming areas.” Addressing a press conference here, Mr Chopra said the BJP leaders were indulging in double talk and political one-upmanship while lakhs of industrial workers were living at the edge of uncertainty. He said the Delhi Government and the Delhi Congress had been demanding that the Central Government define the meaning of polluting units, and to make necessary changes in the master plan to recognise those industrial areas where there were concentration of 70 per cent industries. He said the BJP leaders got no new assurance after their meeting with the Prime Minister. Mr Chopra said the Union Urban Development Minister, Mr Jagmohan, was in charge of the nodal agencies, and very much in the know of thing regarding the industrial units in Delhi, and it was, therefore, surprising that why he was not passing on the list of the polluting units to the Delhi Government. Mr Chopra said the BJP leaders were not concerned with the lot of the workers, but were only interested in gaining cheap political mileage. He said because of the double talk of the BJP leaders, poor workers and industry owners had been pushed into great difficulty. Mr Chopra said it was a mockery of politics that on the one side, the BJP MPs led by Mr Madan Lal Khurana, sat on a dharna at Rajghat, and on the other hand, the BJP Delhi unit chief Mang Ram Garg’s statement said that the party was not connected with the dharna. He said the Delhi Government and the Delhi Congress would never approve of the BJP’s policy of ruining the lives of lakhs of people through their destructive industrial views. He said the “nyay yudh” started by the Congress will continue till the problems of the industrial workers were solved. |
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Govt neglecting agriculture: Cong NEW DELHI, Dec 17 — The Congress chief, Mrs Sonia Gandhi, today accused the NDA government at the Centre of neglecting the agriculture as well as the manufacturing sectors and said her party was committed to economic reforms with social content. “We are perturbed that the government, which is mesmerised by the new economy, has not taken the crisis in agriculture seriously despite the onion crisis two years ago”, she said at the 73rd annual session of the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) here. Lashing out at the government for its delay in increasing the import duty on edible oil to prevent cheap import and distress sale, Mrs Gandhi said it had caused untold miseries to lakhs of farmers in the country. She said although mountains of foodgrains continued to rot people still faced scarcity. Reaffirming her party’s commitment to economic reforms, she said the Congress was aware of its responsibility and took leadership role on issues relating to the insurance sector and company law. “Reports that the Congress is not clear about its position on reforms are baseless and unfounded”, she stressed. Stating that constructive cooperation should be on the basis of “give and take”, Mrs Gandhi charged that the government was not keen on building consensus on several important issues. However, the Congress president made it clear that economic reforms must have social content and the focus should be on the abolition of poverty and welfare of the weaker section. Referring to privatisation of public sector undertakings (PSUs), Mrs Gandhi said: “We regret the systematic ideological assault on the public sector”. Underlining the need for strengthening the PSUs in the strategic and infrastructure sectors and making them more efficient, she said India could become a super power by neglecting core sectors like steel and infrastructures. The Congress president said privatisation might be necessary but it should be carried out according to a well-laid down plan and detailed strategy. She said her party’s commitment to reforms was amply demonstrated by the records of its past governments as also by the performance of the Congress-ruled states. On challenges of globalisation, she asked the government to assume leadership role in seeking removal of various trade barriers and said such a role cannot come automatically. The country would have to build a robust and strong economy in order to play a prominent role in the rapidly changing global economic scenario, she said. Mrs Gandhi said her party had extended cooperation to the government on several issues. Whenever it decided not to cooperate it was to protect national interest and public good. Stating that the Congress would not play narrow politics on crucial issues, she said at the same time the party’s views on major national issues could not be ignored. Stressing the need for consensus, Mrs Gandhi said “unanimity is desirable but may not be always possible but consensus can be achieved through discussions and debate”. |
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Removal of Assam Governor sought GUWAHATI, Dec 17 (UNI) — Following his controversial statements on the massacre of Hindi-speaking people in Assam, calls for the removal of the Assam Governor Lieut-Gen S.K. Sinha (retd) have been growing. Two separate Assam bandhs have been called for tomorrow and Tuesday by different student organisations demanding his removal. The CPM, a ruling coalition partner has also moved a resolution for the same. Governor Sinha left for New Delhi yesterday. The main grudge is that the Governor allegedly misused his authority while interfering in the affairs of the state, especially when he called on Biharis “to use strength to protect themselves’’. The All-Assam Students Union (AASU) has called for an al1-hour state-wide bandh tomorrow. The All-Assam Minority Students Union (AAMSU) has given a similar call for December 19. The harshest words, however, came from the AGP’s key ally - the CPM. Expressing concern over the alleged misuse of authority by the Governor, it said, “The recent statement of the Governor that the ULFA was attempting, by a series of massacres, to replace the Hindi-speaking labour class by Bangladeshi Muslims was unwanted and provocative’’. |
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BJP’s no to pact
with AGP GUWAHATI, Dec 17 (UNI) — The BJP has decided not to have an alliance with the ruling Asom Gana Parishad
(AGP) in Assam. This was decided at a meeting of the state BJP executive body last night. BJP
state unit secretary Jayanta Dutta and senior leader Sumanta Chaliha said there was no possibility of an alliance with the
AGP. “There has been no discussion also in this regard. They are all
rumours.’’ On the other hand, the AGP invited all regional NDA partners to its four-day convention but not the Left parties with whom it had alliance, which had created a furore in the state politics. |
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Bollywood-underworld nexus not new: Chopra MUMBAI, Dec 17 (PTI) — Renowned film-maker B.R. Chopra has said the underworld nexus with Bollywood is nothing new and that such connections existed in the past also. The views expressed by Chopra, this year’s recipient of Dadasaheb Phalke Award, assume significance in the wake of the recent arrest of Nasim Rizvi, producer of forthcoming film “Chori Chori Chupke Chupke” for his alleged underworld nexus. Chopra said at his residence here yesterday that he never received threats from the underworld during his heydays and, in a lighter vein, added “I don’t have any connection with them”. “The current generation is too obsessed with money,” he remarked. The veteran film-maker came down heavily on the new genre of films, saying that they lack storyline or theme. “How can you expect that good films will be produced? he asked. “In our times there was much stress on theme and our’s was a team work”, Chopra recounted. Chopra was interacting with mediapersons on the occasion of his felicitation by the Press Guild of India receiving the Phalke award. Chopra, a former journalist, said media has a bigger role to play in the present scenario. Without the support of the fourth estate, he would not have achieved this kind of success, he said. “I was speechless”, Chopra said recalling his predicament when a call from Delhi informed him about his nomination for the Phalke award. The film-maker said though he yearned for the coveted Phalke award for years, when it came, he was unable to say anything. “But the award gave me a sense of fulfilment,” he added. Asked which was his favorite film. Chopra said it was difficult to say “It is for the people to decide”. However, the film-maker said he was elated with worldwide appreciation of :Mahabharat,” a mythological TV serial produced by him. “The serial has made an entry into the Guinness Book of World Record”, he proudly stated. |
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Manipur heads for Central rule? SILVASSA, Dec 17 (PTI) — Manipur may come under the spell of President’s rule in the wake of raging ongoing political crisis in the state. Indications to this effect were given by the Home Minister, Mr L.K. Advani, while talking to newspersons here yesterday. He said he had already talked to the Congress President, Ms Sonia Gandhi, seeking her party’s cooperation in this regard. The Home Secretary, Mr Kamal Pandey, who was asked to brief Ms Sonia Gandhi, was later directed to discuss the issue with the senior West Bengal leader, Mr Pranab Mukherjee. Mr Advani said he would discuss the matter with the Prime Minister, Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee, before the government takes a decision. Government needs Congress support in Parliament especially in the Rajya Sabha where it does not have a majority to get the approval for any Presidential proclamation to bring the state under Central rule. The North-Eastern state of Manipur has been rocked by a serious political crisis in the wake of divisions within the United Legislature Front coalition, headed by the Chief Minister, Mr W. Nipamacha Singh, which is seeking to unseat the Speaker, Mr Dhananjay Singh, who is supported by the Opposition. Last month, the Speaker abruptly adjourned the assembly sine die after the ruling side tabled a motion of no-confidence against him. NEW DELHI: The Centre has asked the Manipur Government to investigate alleged links of at least five state ministers with extremist groups, official sources here said on Sunday. The Union Home Ministry has forwarded a report to the state authorities containing “evidence” of the nexus between the ministers and militant groups, they said. The groups with which the ministers have been linked include NSCN (Khaplang), PLA, UNLF, UNF, KYKLO and ZRA, the sources said. They alleged that a minister had attended the funeral of a dreaded militant instead of announcing a reward for Assam Rifles personnel who had killed him. A few ministers, the sources alleged, had also provided their official cars and bungalows to militants for hiding. Another state minister had donated Rs 5 lakh to a militant group, they claimed. The sources said several government contracts too had been allotted to nominees or those having links with extremist groups. Militant outfits had been indulging in offloading rice, sugar, wheat and other commodities from trucks carrying public distribution system goods and distributing them among the locals at a very low price, they said. |
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CBI books 3 DD officials for fraud NEW DELHI, Dec 17 (UNI) — The CBI has charged Director of Doordarhan’s Central Production Centre (CPC) R. P. Mathur and two others with fraud and bungling of lakhs of rupees by sanctioning fake and forged bills during 1998-1999. CBI sources said here today that the case against Mathur, Assistant Director in the CPC’s Z Fazil and coordinator of a programme on Kashmir Asgar Khan was filed after raids on offices and residences of these officials on Friday. The two seniormost officials of the CPC allegedly caused a loss of Rs 8.90 lakh to the exchequer by sanctioning fake and forged bills in favour of Asgar Khan during 1998-1999. The raids were carried out in connection with a CBI probe into the TV rights scam. It was during its investigations that the agency sleuths came across this alleged bungling. The sources said R.P. Mathur and S.Z. Fazil, in conspiracy with Asgar Khan, paid TA/DA, transport, boarding, lodging, customs charges and coordinator fee amounting to Rs 8.90 lakh to the coordinator on the basis of fake and fraudulent bills. Builders’ mafia NEW DELHI, Dec 17 (PTI) — After years of laxity, the Army is finally waking up to the threat to cantonment land posed by builders mafia and illegal encroachers muscling in, especially in prime urban areas in Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh. After a recent official study revealed that a staggering over 6,000 hectares of prime cantonment land was in illegal occupation, the government is now arming itself to act by bringing in comprehensive amendments to the Cantonment Act. The amendments, Defence Ministry officials said, would seek to empower the cantonment administration to deal with the removal of encroachers and to secure adequate coordination between cantonment administration, state governments and the state police for clearing occupied defence land. The officials said major encroachment was in prime urban areas in Pune, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Meerut, Bangalore and other such areas where land prices had recently skyrocketed. With the major metropolitan centres spreading fast, city centres in New Delhi, Pune, Mumbai, Hyderabad and Bangalore have now almost stretched right up to cantonment areas, which have thus become extremely lucrative to builders, officials said. According to official figures, Punjab leads in the illegal occupation of defence land, with over 1,800 hectares encroached upon followed by Maharashtra with 1,500 hectares and Andhra with 1,300 hectares. The capital where the cantonment area has now almost become prime land, being located between the city centre and the international airport, about 200 acres of defence land has been under illegal occupation. The builders mafia had recently tried through pressure lobby to reduce the cantonment areas especially in urban metropolitan centres like Delhi, Pune, Mumbai, Hyderabad and Bangalore, but their moves were stoutly turned down by the government, defence officials said. The officials said the Army would, after the amendments move to remove all encroachments from defence land and guard against misuse and wastage of land resources. The situation became so grave that the parliamentary standing committee recently met and recommended that all defence land policies, existing in various government orders, should be consolidated into statutory proposals and these should be included as proposed amendments to the Cantonment Act of 1924. |
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Siachen waste worries Army NEW DELHI, Dec 17 (PTI) — The ever-increasing waste in the Siachen region is “another enemy” that the Indian Army troops deployed in the icy glacier region are facing today, a senior Army officer has said. “The Siachen region is facing the problem of environmental degradation due to the ever-increasing amount of discarded packing material, food tins, parachutes, ammunition packaging, cartons, human excreta and leftover prepared food,” Lt-Gen Arjun Ray said during a discussion session held at the PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PHDCCI). The climatic condition of the region did not permit retrieval of this waste material either by helicopter or road. General Ray said, adding that due to low oxygen level in the air and environmental hazards even the helicopters could not take much load. Moreover, due to extremely low temperature bio-degradation of the waste material did not take place and approximately one tonne of waste material was generated per person in a year in the region. Even though the Army had adopted various means to reduce environmental degradation by laying kerosene pipes, providing land route maintenance and using Cheetah helicopters for retrieval of waste, it had been able to reduce the waste by a mere one-third, he said. The biggest problem of disposal and management of waste in the Siachen region was because of the deployment pattern of the glacier, limited means of transport, accumulation of waste over the years and extremely low temperature, General Ray said. The Army sought suggestions from the industry to set up bio-digesters and incinerators which could operate at such low temperatures. Suggestions were also sought to make suitable packaging material for food, ammunition and equipment which could easily be disposed of, he added. Initiating the discussion, the Chairman, Environment Committee of the PHDCCI, Mr R.H. Dalmia said the chamber felt there was an urgent need to restore the pristine environment in Siachen that had been deteriorating over time. He said the industry would be keen to cooperate with the Army in setting up some constructive projects to maintain ecological balance in the region. |
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3 tribesmen killed
in police firing BHUBANESWAR, Dec 17 (UNI) — At least three tribesmen were killed and one was seriously wounded when the police opened fire to ward off an armed attack by them in Maikanch village in Orissa’s Rayagada district, the police said today. State Director-General of Police S.K. Chatarjee said today that a police party, which went to the village yesterday, to probe the assault on a journalist and some Biju Janata Dal leaders, was attacked by the tribesmen with bows and arrows. The policemen were outnumbered and overpowered by the irate tribesmen and at least 16 policemen were injured in the incident. The villagers, however, took away the bodies and refused to hand them over to the police. The villagers did not allow even a doctors’ team, sent by the police, to enter their village. The tribesmen, injured in the firing, were, however, picked up by the police and admitted to the MKCG Medical College and Hospital at Berhampur. The DGP said the Inspector General (Intelligence), Mr M.K. Praharaj, rushed to the spot for investigation. The situation in the village was stated to be tense and nine platoon of the police had been deployed. Act to allow Net telephony PUNE, Dec 17 (PTI) — In a major policy decision, the government has decided to scrap the old Telegraph Act and replace it with new Convergence Act which also allows for making telephone calls through the Internet, Union Information Technology Minister Pramod Mahajan announced today. Under the existing 1885 Telegraph Act, there were separate rules for the delivery of voice and picture data through the telecommunication channels and hence using the Internet to make telephone calls (Internet telephony) was not permissible, he said addressing the concluding function of a two-day conference on information technology and biotechnology. He said the Convergence Act would have uniform laws regarding the delivery system of voice, picture, digital and other forms of data through the medium of telecommunications. |
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5-year-old girl
raped NOIDA, Dec 17 — A bizarre incident of rape with a five-year-old girl has come to light. According to reports, the girl was playing with other children at Sadarpur locality under Sector 39 police area in the evening. Vijay, a youth of the same locality, joined them after sunset when all the other children went home, the girl was stopped by the youth, who later allegedly raped here. He tried to flee when the girl raised an alarm, but was caught by girl’s father. He was handed over to the police. A case has been registered in this regard. |
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