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| Tuesday, December 19, 2000, Chandigarh, India   
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Ujjal Dosanjh meets Jaswant Singh Jagmohan’s remarks irk Khurana President gives assent to 3 Bills Hrithik to wed Susan on Dec
20 Postal stir
finally ends MoD pulled up for delay in missiles Experts advocate more Agni-II tests Fallout ‘assessed’ before N-tests |
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Air missiles facing
slippages: report Report on MI-8 crash in a month: Tipnis MPs worried
over threats to Bollywood Producer’s arrest echoes in LS BJP backs quota for women Left Front sweeps Tripura civic poll North India in Parliament ‘No time frame set to nab Veerappan’ BJP welcomes
Hurriyat stand Stray incidents mar
Bihar bandh Tension after union leader’s murder Nirmala denies
giving clean chit to BJP leaders VHP’s nod to temple blueprint next month Cracks appear in
RJD-Cong alliance Christians flay
attack on Catholic priest Step up research: BSF chief 1 dead, 4 hurt in fire Separate seats for
Janshakti in LS
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Ujjal Dosanjh meets Jaswant Singh NEW DELHI, Dec 18 — India-born Premier of the Canadian province of British Columbia Ujjal Dosanjh today held wide-ranging discussions with External Affairs Minister Jaswant Singh. While details of the discussions were not available, it is understood that two leaders covered issues of mutual interest, including the contribution of people of Indian origin to the Canadian society and polity. The two also focussed on ways to strengthen ties of the people of Indian origin with the country of their origin. Mr Dosanjh, who arrived here this morning on a 15-day official visit to India, would call on the Prime Minister, Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee, on Wednesday. The Premier, accompanied by his wife Raminder Kaur and son, would leave for Amritsar on Friday where he would stay till December 27. Mr Dosanjh today attended a reception hosted in his honour by the Antarrashtriya Sahyog Parishad. He would visit Rajghat tomorrow morning and then attend a function by the Sikh Education Society of the Delhi Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee. He would also visit Gurdwara Bangla Sahib where he would be honoured by the President and other members of the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee. Later, Mr Dosanjh would attend a felicitation function at Guru Harkrishen Public School at Vasant Vihar. On Wednesday, Mr Dosanjh would also attend Parliament before he calls on the Prime Minister. He would also attend a lunch hosted by the Chairman of the government’s Diaspora Committee , Dr L.M. Singhvi, and later call on the Leader of the Opposition, Mrs Sonia Gandhi. The Premier would also have a meeting with the Minister of Human Resources Development, Dr Murli Manohar Joshi, and later attend a reception hosted in his honour by the External Affairs Minister at Hyderabad House. On Thursday, Mr Dosanjh would call on the President, Mr K.R. Narayanan, and then meet Congress MPs. On December 28, Mr Dosanjh would return to Delhi from Amritsar en route to Hyderabad from where he would go to Bangalore. He would stay in the Karnataka Capital till January 4. He would leave for Canada on January 4. |
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Jagmohan’s remarks irk Khurana NEW DELHI, Dec 18 — The former Delhi Chief Minister and MP, Mr Madan Lal Khurana, today expressed resentment at the Union Urban Development Minister, Mr Jagmohan’s statement that there was no need to “redefine” polluting units in the capital. “A decision to redefine polluting industrial units was taken at a meeting the BJP MPs had with the Prime Minister, Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee on Saturday. But Mr Jagmohan has openly decried the need for doing so against the PM’s directive,” Mr Khurana told reporters here. Mr Khurana, who along with senior BJP leader Mr Sahib Singh Verma had visited the Inderpuri Industrial Area in West Delhi where the Delhi Government closed down several polluting units today, accused that the government officials sealed even those units which either did not fall under the polluting category or had already removed their machines from the premises.” “The government has been paying no heed and is only interested in saving its skin from the Supreme Court and counting the number of sealed units,” he charged. He demanded that the government should develop land for the relocation of units on a war-footing and till alternative arrangements were made, more time should be sought from the Supreme Court. |
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President gives assent to 3 Bills NEW DELHI, Dec 18 (UNI) — The President has given his assent to three Bills, including the Passport (Entry into India) Amendment Bill, 2000, which provides for increase in duration of imprisonment for unauthorised entry into the country from the existing three months to five years. The other Bills are the Coal India (Regulation of Transfers and Validation) Bill, 2000, and the Protection of Human Rights (Amendment) Bill, 2000. The Passport Act, which seeks to amend the principal Act, 1920, enhances punishment for illegal entry to India from three months to five years or fine which may extend to Rs 50,000 or both for illegal and unauthorised entry to India by foreigners. The punishment for later unauthorised entry had been doubled. The Coal India Act seeks to empower the Centre to direct the transfer of land or of rights in or over land or of the right, title and interest in relation to coal mine, coking coal mine of coke over plant, vested in Coal India Ltd or in a subsidiary company to any subsidiary company of Coal India. Hrithik to wed Susan on Dec 20 BANGALORE, Dec 18 (PTI) — Bollywood star Hrithik Roshan of the “Kaho Na Pyar Hai” fame will marry his childhood friend Susan Khan at a resort on the city outskirts on December 20. Tight security was provided to Hrithik and other members of his family when they arrived here today, the police said. Hrithik had got engaged to his childhood friend Susan Khan on December 15 here.
Hrithik is the son of yesteryear Hindi film hero Rakesh Roshan while Susan is the daughter of Sanjay Khan, another hero and director of much acclaimed TV serials like “Tipu Sultan” and “Jai Hanuman”. |
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MoD pulled up for delay in missiles NEW DELHI, Dec 18 — The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Defence has expressed concern over slippages in the development of the prestigious light combat aircraft (LCA) and the air defence missiles Akash and Trishul programmes. In its report tabled in Parliament today, the committee noted that the slippages were triggering a threat of “technological obsolescence” in the combat capabilities of the Indian Air Force. During a meeting of the committee, the Ministry of Defence conveyed that LCA, which was scheduled to have its first test flight by October, 2000, would now may be able to fly by the first quarter of next year. However, a fully operational aircraft would only be available after 2012. There would also be a “considerable delay” in the planned induction timeframe of the Akash and Trishul missiles to which the committee has expressed its “unhappiness”. Pulling up the government for being “remiss” in strengthening the Air Force, the committee in its seventh report said that it had been informed that the technological obsolescence was not only affecting the fighter aircraft, but also the air defence radars and missiles. “Almost Rs 3,000 crore has been invested in the LCA and the committee tends to agree with the assessment of the IAF that it may not be inducted before 2015, meaning it would have taken 32 years before the LCA would be inducted,” the committee observed, asking the government to view the situation seriously and conduct a performance audit of the project. On the induction of force multipliers like AWACS and Flight Refuelling Aircraft (FRA), the committee has been informed that these acquisitions were taking time as the IAF was faced with a situation where a number of vendors were involved for the single FRA. This was a result of the absence of US firms which are not bidding. The committee felt that the force multipliers were a key factor in the modernisation process and their timely acquisition and induction were essential for enhancing the combat capabilities of the Air Force. Major reductions in the defence allocation during the past decade have put the modernisation of the Air Force out of gear and now the IAF top brass had placed before the government the estimate or resources for the required modernisation plan, the ministry informed the committee. The ministry also informed that the government had stepped up the momentum by speeding up induction of upgraded SU-30 fighters as well as their assembly in India and acquisition of more Mirage-2000-5 jet aircraft to offset the delay in the LCA programme. The government was also going ahead with mid-life upgradation of other IAF aircraft like the various versions of MiGs, including MiG-29, MiG-27, MiG-23 and MiG-21 as well as deep penetration Jaguars, light transport Antonov aircraft and buying more Mi-17 helicopters, the committee was informed. The committee has asked the government to accord top priority to the modernisation drive of the Air Force and provide adequate resources to the force. The committee has taken serious note that the Defence Ministry had
repeatedly been extending the time period for upgradation of the MiG 21 fleet, saying that it would be completed next year and now saying that the upgraded MiG-21 would only roll out by 2004. On the induction of Hawks, the government informed the committee that the deal was likely to be signed by next month or February and that the delay was due to the IAF asking the manufacturers to have customer furnished replacement equipment for the American components in the AJT. The parliamentary committee also backed the Indian Air Force plan to set up a futuristic aerospace command. |
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Experts advocate more Agni-II tests NEW DELHI, Dec 18 (PTI) — India should accelerate its integrated guided missile development programme and go ahead with additional testing and deployment of Agni II to ensure the credibility and reliability of its weapon systems, say experts. Notwithstanding reports that both versions of the intermediate range ballistic missile, Agni I (1500 km) and Agni II (2,500 km), were operational, they suggest credible deterrence would only be ensured with serial production and deployment of these systems. “Like in nuclear weapons, so with the weapons delivery systems we have to test. The more we test, the more reliable does the equipment become,” says Mr Bharat Karnad, a member of the National Advisory Security Board of the National Security Council. In a similar tone, Mr M.V. Rappai, a Senior Fellow at the Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses, notes that “we should demonstrate our capability by testing more versions of Agni II... As that would lend assurance regarding our delivery systems.” Commenting on the lifting of sanctions against Chinese companies that were suspected of having supplied missile parts and production facilities to Pakistan by the USA, Mr Karnad says! “It’s like bolting the stables after the horses have fled.” “The damage already has been done,” implying that now it would make no difference to Pakistan, which has the technology for production of ballistic missiles. Mr Rappai sees in the move a “disparity” in the delivery systems of India and Pakistan after the transfer of technologies, which should be addressed by accelerating more “our own programmes”. Karnad does not think that India is disadvantaged following the US decision or by the technology transfers to Islamabad. According to him, it is just reflective of the fact that China is still more prominent to US national interests and “it’s a bigger power and bigger market that needs to be mollified.” “There’s no change in relative position of the USA towards India, Pakistan or China,” he observes, suggesting that it is in New Delhi’s interests to not only test longer-range ballistic missiles but also go in for the testing and development of inter-continental ballistic missiles. The implication of it would be the arrival of India as a global weapons nuclear power. However, defence analysts are skeptical. Even though the Principal Scientific Advisor to the Prime Minister, Mr A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, is on record to say that the country has the capability to produce ICBMs, several analysts point out that the Agni series, which is claimed to be the basis for the proposed ICBM, has been tested just four times over a period which has seen 1500 tests of ballistic missiles worldwide. The induction of Agni-II, especially in the absence of a command and control system, could itself take another five years, a recent media report maintained. The Director of IDSA, Air Commodore Jasjit Singh (retd), is also on record to say that “the immediate priority should be the development and deployment of a 5,000 km missile as a minimum credible deterrent... like the Chinese, we must deploy the Agni and keep developing.” Commenting on the western pressure on India to sign the CTBT and adopt new concepts in security like co-operative threat reduction (CTR) that envisage deployment of defence missile systems, Mr Karnad says “these are all attempts to bottle our capability”. The CTBT, he insists, is not a dead treaty as pointed out by many experts. India should not sign it even on a quid pro quo basis, as suggested by analysts like Jasjit Singh, for the transfer of dual-use nuclear technology denied under nuclear safeguards. The CTBT is a legal document and India would have to adhere to it under international law. That would amount to capping Indian capabilities at a level, argues Mr Karnad, a Professor of security studies at the Centre for Policy Research. Mr Rappai, on his part, argues that the Agni-II test in April last year was “experimental” and is not same as the system being “operational”. “Unless you have a credible delivery system to deliver nuclear warheads, the talk of our nuclear weapons being deterrents becomes questionable,” says Mr Rappai. A realistic approach according to him, is to test at least Agni-II. While Mr Kalam has said that the country has the capability and technology to go ahead, he has also said “it would require a strong and highly willed nation for this to succeed.” |
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Fallout ‘assessed’ before N-tests NEW DELHI, Dec 18 (PTI) — Contrary to assertions of anti-nuclear campaigners that Pokharan II tests were conducted without weighing various pros and cons, a former Cabinet Secretary says enough assessment was made prior to the tests and validity of the assumptions had been fully vindicated in the past two years. “Prior to Pokharan II, a significant assessment was done, quietly, to gange the possible international reaction, Pakistan’s response, economic and security sanctions from the USA,” writes Mr TSR Subramanian, who was the Cabinet Secretary during the United Front regime from August, 1996, to March, 1998. In his contribution for the compendium “The Pakistan Trap” edited by senior journalist Rajeev Sharma, Mr Subramanian recalls that the return of Mr Nawaz Sharif as the Pakistan Premier in 1997 had enthused “hope that relations with India would improve.” “It was our assessment that younger and saner elements in Pakistan and the general public wanted to work with India for peace. But fairly early in the game, it was clear that a serious dialogue on Jammu and Kashmir was not possible,” he writes. Stating that Kargil and the collapse of the Sharif regime “dashed” all hopes for a purposeful dialogue, he says “the harsh reality is that the Pakistan army is the key agency on Indo-Pak relations and with the stance, attitude, and approach of General Musharraf, no meaningful dialogue in the near future is likely”. Another former bureaucrat and Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister (1997-98), Mr N.N. Vohra also agrees with Mr Subramanian when he writes about the “futility” of hoping for “quick results” in regard to the resolution of Indo-Pak issues. In his contribution “When India and Pakistan came close to solve the problem”, Mr Vohra points out that the entire sequence of events following the Lahore Declaration has amply exposed the “serious contradictions and difficulties in which Pakistan is internally placed”. Diagnosing the ailment afflicting Pakistan, Mr Vohra says “successive spells of military rule and the encouraging support that the ruling Pakistan Generals received from Washington and certain other western capitals in the years past have had an adverse effect on the consolidation of the democratic tradition in Pakistan”. |
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Air missiles facing
slippages: report NEW DELHI, Dec 18 (PTI) — The country’s prestigious Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) programme as well as induction of air defence missiles Akash and Trishul are facing more slippages, triggering a threat of technological obsolescence in the combat capabilities of the Air Force. The Defence Ministry has conveyed to the Parliamentary standing committee on defence that the LCA could be operational only after 2012 and that there would be “considerable delay” in the planned induction time frame of Akash and Trishul missiles, to which the committee has expressed its “unhappiness”. Pulling up the government for being ‘remiss’ in strengthening the Air Force, the committee, in its ninth report tabled in Parliament today said that it had been informed that the technological obsolescence was not only affecting the fighter aircraft, but also the air defence radars and missiles. “Almost Rs 3,000 crore have been invested in the LCA and the committee tends to agree with the assessment of the IAF that it may not be inducted before 2015, meaning it would have taken 32 years before the LCA would be inducted,” the committee observed, asking the government to view the situation seriously and conduct a performance audit of the project. |
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Report on MI-8 crash in a month: Tipnis GANDHINAGAR, Dec 18 (UNI) — Air Chief Marshal A.Y. Tipnis today said the findings of the experts committee report inquiring into the November crash of an MI-8 helicopter of the Indian Air Force (IAF) in the Rann of Kutch which killed five BSF and IAF personnel, will be made public in a month. Talking to reporters here, ACM Tipnis said the committee would submit its report to the IAF within a fortnight. After going through it, the findings would be announced. He said preliminary conclusion was yet to be established and added that “no possibility is ruled out”. The Air Chief said all aspects, including the cause of crash, rescue operations and whether there was any delay in the operations, would be taken into account by the committee. The area where the crash took place was inaccessible and the only alternative to reach there was by air. He said the South-Western Air Command (SWAC) had also conducted the search operations in the night despite the visibility problems. About the proposed air strip of the IAF at Diu, ACM Tipnis said the local people were opposing the expansion of the air strip on the grounds of alleged damage to environment. However, he said there would be no such damage and that the local people would be persuaded to allow the strip. Stressing the modernisation of Air Force, Air Chief Marshal Tipnis said negotiations for Advanced Jet Trainers (AJTs) were going on while Sukhoi and Mirage-2000 will also be added soon. However, he declined to give the timeframe for the same, adding that the upgradation of MiG-21, as well as the acquisition of low-level radars, ground-to-air missiles and flight-refuelling aircraft would be done soon. He said MiG-21 are not dangerous aircraft. However, this myth does exist in some people’s mind as there have been more accidents involving this aircraft. He said more than half of the flying of IAF was done by fighter planes MiG-21. Referring to cross-border activities, Air Chief Tipnis said: “Our restraint should not be taken as our weakness”. Earlier, he addressed officers of SWAC in which he stressed the need to make efforts to face the challenges of the 21st century. ACM Tipnis arrived here yesterday along with his wife, Ms Molina Tipnis. He was received by Air Marshal V.K. Bhatia, Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief (SWAC). The Air Chief also addressed annual station commanders’ conference and presented trophies to stations and units for their performance in different fields during the last
year. |
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MPs worried
over threats to Bollywood NEW DELHI, Dec 18 (PTI) — BJP members in Lok Sabha today voiced serious concern over the threats being extended by underworld dons Dawood Ibrahim and Chhota Shakeel to the Mumbai film industry and demanded that producers, directors and actors be provided security. Raising the issue during zero hour, Mr Vijay Goel,
BJP MP, said the underworld dons backed by Pakistan’s ISI were holding Bollywood to ransom and dictating terms like which actors and actresses should be cast for films. Demanding an inquiry into the activities of the dons, including Chhota Rajan, Mr Goel recalled the recent arrest of Nazeem Rizvi, producer of the film “Chori Chori, Chupke Chupke”, for his alleged links with the underworld and made a reference to Salman Khan who has acted in the movie. His party colleague Mr
V.K. Malhotra wanted the External Affairs Ministry and the Maharashtra Government to take a serious note of the operations of gangsters in Mumbai. |
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Producer’s arrest echoes in LS NEW DELHI, Dec 18 — The recent arrest of a noted film producer in Mumbai over links with the underworld had its echo in the Lok Sabha today. Demanding that producers, directors and actors be provided security, BJP members expressed concern over the role played by underworld dons Dawood Ibrahim and Chhota Shakeel in Mumbai film industry. Raising the issue during the zero hour, Mr Vijay Goel of the BJP said the gangsters were backed by Pakistan’s ISI. Mr Vijay Kumar Malhotra, also of the BJP, urged the External Affairs Ministry and the Maharashtra Government to take serious note of the operations of the gangsters in Mumbai. His party colleague, Mr Aditya Nath, wanted the government to check anti-India activities of the ISI and Maoist elements through Nepal. |
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BJP backs quota for women NEW DELHI, Dec 18 — In a significant statement, BJP President Bangaru Laxman said today that his party would have no hesitation to accept the Election Commission’s proposal to make it mandatory for political parties to announce a fixed quota of women candidates for polls if other political parties agree to it. Talking to newspersons after addressing a meeting of the central office-bearers of the BJP Mahila Morcha, Mr Laxman said “if other parties agree to it, the BJP would also agree to it”. The BJP was committed to the cause of women and was fully in support for giving 33 per cent reservation to women in Parliament and state legislatures, Mr Laxman said adding that the NDA Government had decided to introduce a Bill to this effect in the Lok Sabha on Thursday but if a consensus could be evolved on the EC’s proposal, the party would accept that also. Mr Laxman said the BJP was prepared to accept the consensus on the issue as a minority section of MPs in Parliament was not allowing the introduction of the Bill. When asked about opposition to the Bill in his own party by a section of the OBC leadership led by Ms Uma Bharti, Mr Laxman said a view was there but the BJP was fully supporting the Bill. Earlier addressing the Mahila Morcha office-bearers, Mr Laxman asked the party women activists to help the party base both socially as well as geographically and take the Nagpur message to all sections of women. By expanding the party’s base, they would provide stability to the country also, Mr Laxman said, adding that even the allies would find it
difficult to withdraw support if the party’s base was strong in their areas. Later talking to newspersons, Mahila Morcha President Surama Padhy said the party’s women cell would ensure that there was a two women cell for every booth in Assembly segment for the coming Assembly elections next year. |
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Left Front sweeps Tripura civic poll AGARTALA, Dec 18 (UNI) — The ruling CPM-led-Left Front, which has won a maximum number of seats in the Tripura civic poll, has also wrested the prestigious Agartala Municipal Council from the Congress. In the 17-member Agartala Municipal Council, the Front secured 15 seats (CPM 12 and CPI, Forward Bloc and RSP one each), while the Congress and the Trinamool bagged one each with the former chairman conceding defeat to a Left Front candidate. The Front has come to power in the prestigious and politically important council after 12 years. In the previous civic polls, held in December 1995, the Congress secured a majority in the 17-member council while the Front bagged only three seats. |
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North India in Parliament NEW DELHI, Dec 18 — The Himachal Pradesh Government has reported that 764 persons have been assisted under the Urban Self-Employment Programme (USEP) and 5.36 lakh mandays of work generated under the Urban Wage Employment Programme (UWEP) of the Swarna Jayanti Shahari Rojgar Yojana (SJSRY) till September 30, 2000, the Minister for Urban Development and Proverty Alleviation, Mr Jagmohan, informed the Rajya Sabha today. The Ministry of Urban Development and Poverty Alleviation monitors the SJSRY at the state level only, he said. The Centre had released Rs 52.18 lakh for the USEP and Rs 18.73 lakh for the UWEP to Himachal Pradesh during 1999-2000, the Minister said in a written reply to a question from Mr Anil Sharma. Post Office: There are 3,889 post offices in Punjab, and 2,650 in Haryana, the Minister of State for Communications, Mr Tapan Sikdar, informed the Lok Sabha. While there are 2,767 post offices Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir has 1,660 post offices, he said in a written reply to a question from Mr Brijlal Khabri. Post offices are opened as part of the plan activity according to annual targets, subject to fulfilment of prescribed norms and sanctioning of the required number of posts by the Ministry of Finance, the Minister said. Targets for opening post Offices in rural areas are yet to be finalised for the year 2001-2002, he added. Replying to another question from Mr Pawan Kumar Bansal, Mr Sikdar said while there are 43 departmental sub-post offices in Chandigarh, there is one head post office, two extra-departmental sub-post offices and seven branch post offices. The Minister informed that the government proposes to open new post offices in the newly developed sectors in Chandigarh, one of them a departmental sub-post office in Sector-30, Chandigarh. Outstanding dues of BSNL: Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) owes Rs 9,57,167 from its subscribers in Punjab, Rs 5,25,860 from Haryana, Rs 92,104 from Himachal Pradesh and Rs 4,05,635 from subscribers in Jammu and Kashmir, the Minister for Communications, Mr Ram Vilas Paswan, informed the Lok Sabha. The BSNL has a network of 2.46 crore subscribers spread over 22 telecom circles across the country. Against a billed figure of Rs 15,508 crore in a year, the
outstanding dues amount to 15 per cent. However, these figures of outstanding dues are inclusive of current bills, which are within the period allowed for payment at the time of computation, the Minister said. Further, these figures represent outstanding dues on a cumulative basis for over 10 years, he said, adding that depending upon the merits of each case, legal remedies usually in the form of lok adalats, reference to arbitrators under Section 7-B of the Indian Telegraph Act, 1885 and courts of law are availed to retrieve the dues. Green Himalayan National Park: The Headquarters of Great Himalayan National Park has been established at Shamshi in Kulu district which is 9 km from the district Headquarters, the Minister of Environment and Forests, Mr T. R. Ballu, informed the Lok Sabha. Irrigated and unirrigated area:
The net irrigated area (NIA) in Haryana is 27,55,000 hectares, while unirrigated area (UIA) is 8,60,000 hectares, the Minister of State for Agriculture, Mr Shripad Y. Naik, informed the Lok Sabha. While in Punjab, the NIA is 38,47,000 hectares, the UIA is 2,92,000 hectares, in Himachal Pradesh the NIA is 1,05,000 hectares and UIA is 4,53,000 hectares, the minister said. A centrally sponsored scheme, “Command Area Development”, (CAD) was initiated with the basic objective of bridging the gap between irrigation potential created and that utilised so as to increase agriculture production from the irrigated commands, he said. The scheme, inter-alia, envisages the construction of field channels, land levelling and shaping, implementation of warabandi for rotational supply of water, construction of field drains, adoption of drip and sprinkler systems and conjunctive use of surface and ground water, he said. The Government of India is implementing the Accelerated Irrigation Benefits Programme (AIBP) since 1996-97, under which the Central Government provided central loan assistance on matching basis to the state governments for early completion of their selected large irrigation and multi-purpose projects, the Minister added. |
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‘No time frame set to nab Veerappan’ CHENNAI, Dec 18 (PTI) — The governments of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and the Centre are serious about nabbing forest brigand Veerappan but a time frame for the task cannot be set, Karnataka Chief Minister s m krishna said here today. “It is difficult to set a time frame for such operations. The Centre, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka Governments are totally dependent on the
BSF and joint task force of Tamil Nadu and Karnataka Police,” he told reporters here after a meeting with Tamil Nadu Chief Minister m karunanidhi. This is Mr Krishna’s first visit to the state after the release of Kannada film star Rajkumar. He said he had come to thank Mr Karunanidhi for Tamil Nadu’s help in getting the star released last month. He discounted the possibility of Veerappan and his associates fleeing to Jaffna in Sri Lanka as reported by a section of the media. “We are sure that Veerappan is still in the forests. It is for the forces to locate him,” he said. |
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BJP welcomes
Hurriyat stand NEW DELHI, Dec 18 — The Bharatiya Janata Party today welcomed the All-Party Hurriyat Conference stand on Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee’s ceasefire offer, including its view on talks with the Centre. “We appreciate the Hurriyat Conference executive committee unanimously agreeing for talks and welcoming the ceasefire announced by the Prime Minister. This is a good signal and a step towards the restoration of peace in Jammu and Kashmir”, the BJP spokesman, Prof Vijay Kumar Malhotra, said here. Stating that there was no question of talks with Islambad “until it stopped cross-border terrorism and activities of its Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), Prof Malhotra said, “It seems that Pakistan is in no mood to stop its proxy
war.” |
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Stray incidents mar
Bihar bandh PATNA, Dec 18 (PTI) — Barring stray incidents of arson and road blockade, the dawn-to-dusk Bihar bandh, called by Jan Kranti Morcha of an independent Lok Sabha member from Purnea, Mr Rajesh Ranjan, alias Pappu Yadav, passed peacefully today evoking little response. Official sources said the bandh supporters set ablaze two government vehicles in the city. The bandh was by and large peaceful across the state, sources said, adding that around 200 supporters of Yadav were arrested from Patna, Purnea, Kishanganj, Saharsa and Rohtas districts. The bandh was called to protest the alleged inordinate delay by the Centre and state governments in opening purchase centres for paddy procurement. |
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Tension after union leader’s murder SRIGANGANAGAR, Dec 18 — Tension has gripped this town bordering Pakistan following the murder of a renowned trade unionist, Darshan Kaura, near Gajsinghpura town, 40 km from here, this evening. Police sources said Darshan Kaura, who was coming back to this town after addressing a rally of the cotton ginning and pressing industry workers at Gajsinghpura, was kidnapped by some car-borne unidentified persons near Harnoli village. The deceased was taken back to a factory at Gajsinghpura after he was forcibly pulled down from a bus. He was beaten up severely and thrown on the road. The union leader was taken to a nearby hospital by a scooterist and he was referred to a hospital in Padampur town when his condition deteriorated. The union leader died when he was being shifted to a hospital in Padampur. Sources added that after the death of Darshan Kaura tension gripped this and nearby towns the police and the district administration called an emergency meeting to deal with the situation. Darshan Kaura was associated with CITU for the past 25 years. According to informations gathered by this correspondent, Darshan Kaura, who was leading the agitation of workers of cotton ginning and pressing industries, reached a compromise with the mill owners in the recent past and he had gone to Gajsinghpura to address the rally of workers to inform them about the compromise. Sources added that Darshan Kaura suspected some foul play while he was addressing the rally and he left that place secretly to source his personal safety. Mr R.K. Mehrda, SP, when contacted on phone said the situation was under control and there was no tension in the town after the death of Darshan Kaura. He added that the killers could not be identified yet. He said a case under Sections 302 and 34 of the IPC had been registered in this connection and the police was making investigations. He said it was too early to say who was involved in the murder of Darshan Kaura. He added that the police was taking all preventive measures to maintain law and order. |
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Nirmala denies
giving clean chit to BJP leaders NEW DELHI, Dec 18 (PTI,UNI) —Noted Gandhian Nirmala Deshpande today refuted media reports quoting her as saying that the top leadership of the BJP, including Union Home Minister L.K. Advani, was clueless about the conspiracy to demolish the Babri Masjid and said the demolition was “premeditated and pre-planned.” Ms Deshpande, a former MP, told reporters here that the “false” statements attributed to her were “intended to create evidence to absolve certain political functionaries of a particular party.” She said her statement had been “torn out of context” by a section of the media. Denouncing the demolition as “an attack on cultural ethos of India, its age-old tolerance and Gandhian values,” she said she had never told reporters that she knew who the real conspirators were and that they would be revealed only after her death. “I don’t know who the real conspirators are. There are, however, grave suspicions about the involvement of certain individuals of a particular political party, a matter which the judiciary will decide,” she said. Ms Deshpande, who was at Ayodhya on December 6, 1992, when the structure was demolished, said in a written statement that the dome of the mosque did not fall from the top but seemed to fall on its side from the base. Perhaps, that was why the kar sewaks, who had climbed to the top, were asked to come down by the organisers so that they were not hurt. It looked as if experts had been hired for the demolition.” |
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VHP’s nod to temple blueprint next month AHMEDABAD, Dec 18 (PTI) — The Dharam Sansad of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) will finalise the blueprint for the construction of the Ram mandir at the disputed site in Ayodhya during its meeting on January 19 and 20 at Kumbh Mela, VHP’s International General Secretary, Dr Pravin Togadia, said today. Lauding Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee and BJP President Bangaru Laxman for their recent statement on the Ayodhya issue, Mr Togadia said here that “irrespective of the posture of the country’s political parties, a grand temple for Lord Ram will materialise in Ayodhya sooner than later.” Mr Togadia was critical of the opposition parties, including the Congress, saying that “seeing them participate in the recent debate over the Ayodhya issue in Parliament, one could be misled into believing that he was in Pakistan and watching members of the Muslim League and the Jamaat-e-Islami”. He described the Tamil Nadu Minorities Commission Chairman Bishop Ezhra Sargunam’s charge of persecution of minorities in Gujarat as “nothing but a 2000-year-old treatise of psycological warfare” of the community to spread their tentacles far and wide by crying hoarse. “It is also a methodology to collect fund from western countries,” the VHP leader alleged. Earlier, Mr Togadia told a press conference that a two-day meeting of international committee of the VHP would be held in Ahmedabad from December 23. Around 100 participants from 45 countries, having VHP branches, are likely to take part in the deliberations, he added. |
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Cracks appear in
RJD-Cong alliance PATNA, Dec 18 (PTI) — Cracks appeared in the RJD-Congress alliance in Bihar with the newly elected state Congress President Shakeel Ahmed, claiming that his party alone was capable of providing an alternative to the present government headed by Ms Rabri Devi. Mr Ahmed told mediapersons last night that most of the Congressmen in Bihar were against the continuance of the party’s support to the RJD but that a final decision (on ties) had to be taken by the central leadership. He said the Congress had extended support to the Rabri Devi Government under compulsion to keep the communal forces at bay. Maintaining that there were differences with the RJD on certain issues, Mr Ahmed, a minister in the Rabri Devi Cabinet, said the final objective of the Congress was to regain its lost glory and dislodge the RJD dispensation. He said the Congress had joined the ministry in Bihar despite sharp contradictions in policies and principles of the two parties (RJD and Congress). Mr Ahmed’s statement drew sharp criticism from the RJD, which termed it as uncalled for and asked the ally to “behave” and maintain restraint. RJD state President Pitamber Paswan and Secretary-General Ramkripal Yadav described Mr Ahmed’s outburst as imbalanced and advised him not to become “over-enthusiastic” after becoming the president of the BPCC. The two leaders said the two parties should not engage in mud slinging. “We should shun allegations and counter-allegations against each other keeping in view the threat from communal forces”, they added. |
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Christians flay
attack on Catholic priest NEW DELHI, Dec 18 (UNI) — The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India (CBCI) today condemned the murderous attack on Father John Peter of Port Blair in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands by unidentified assailants on December 15 and expressed serious concern over the growing incidents of violence against Christians in the country. CBCI secretary-general Archbishop Oswald Gracias urged the government to bring the culprits responsible for the attack to book and instil a sense of security among the Christians living on the islands. He said the CBCI has received a copy of the memorandum sent by the Andaman Nicobar Catholic Association to the President, the Prime Minister and the Home Minister, appealing for justice and protection for the Christian community there. On December 15 at around 3 a.m., Father John Peter woke up after a knock at the door of his house in Port Blair. Thinking that it was some sick person in need of help, he opened the door, only to be attacked and stabbed repeatedly by two assailants with a knife. The attackers later fled, leaving behind notes warning him against conversions and celebrating Pongal and Divali. The priest had received warnings a few months ago as well. Meanwhile, Archbishop of Delhi Vincent Concessao has called on all countrymen to come forward and condemn such incidents of violence on the minority communities. He has also written to the Prime Minister and the President about the incident. |
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Step up research: BSF chief NEW DELHI, Dec 18 — The Director-General of the BSF, Mr Gurbachan Jagat, today asked the communication wing of the largest para-military force to gear up goal-oriented research and development efforts and step up electronic counter-measures to gain an upper hand over militancy. The application of innovative ideas coming up from research laboratories will go a long way in enforcing the much needed improvements in the communication network, he said. The BSF chief was addressing the officers at the annual operational communication conference here. Mr Jagat stressed the importance of the information and technology sector and absorption of such fast improving technology in the force on a continuing basis. “Efforts to train communication staff on latest equipment and involving manufacturers in the process of training will go a long way in upgrading technical skills,” he said and suggested the setting up of a R & D cell in the communication wing of the BSF. He also emphasised the need for developing effective direction finders and communication jammers at low cost to neutralise the remote controlled improvised explosive devices used by the militants. |
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Postal stir
finally ends NEW DELHI, Dec 18 (PTI) — The fortnight-long postal strike has finally been called off with the third agitating federation also joining the other two which ended the stir last night. The government claimed today that postal services across the country were fast returning to normal with two of the three employees’ federations calling off the strike last night. A special drive had been launched to clear the backlog and process the mail for delivery, an official statement said. “Keeping in mind the sufferings of general public and since the government wants to place our demands before the Group of Ministers, we have decided to call off the strike now,”
R L Bhattacharya of NFPE told PTI.
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1 dead, 4 hurt in fire NEW DELHI, Dec 18 — An 11-year-old girl died and four persons, including three children, were seriously injured in a fire which broke out in a wool godown at Indar Lok Market in North Delhi this morning. The injured were admitted to Bara Hindu Rao hospital. The fire broke out in the godown, situated on the ground floor, when the victims were asleep on their first floor residence. The flames were so high that they engulfed the second storey of the building. Eight fire tenders were rushed to service to douse the fire. The cause of fire has not yet been established, the police said. |
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Separate seats for
Janshakti in LS NEW DELHI, Dec 18 — The Lok Sabha Speaker, Mr
G.M.C. Balayogi, has decided to allot separate seats to members of the newly floated Lok Janshakti Party in the House, party sources said. Separate seats have been allotted to the party national President Ram Vilas Paswan and members of his party. |
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