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March 10, 2001, Chandigarh, India   
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DMK allots 23 seats to BJP TMC to join ADMK front in TN BJP to go it alone in Assam China ‘forced us’ to go nuclear President leaves for Mauritius |
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Vedanti summons gurdwara trustees Rumours lead to violence in
Maharashtra, Gujarat Karmapa puts wrong foot forward Book on Karan Singh released Uttaranchal quota policy finalised
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DMK allots 23 seats to BJP Chennai, March 9 Announcing the allocation of 23 seats to the BJP after hour-long second round of parleys late this evening with BJP leaders, Mr Karunanidhi said the constituencies to be contested by the BJP would be earmarked later. He said the seat sharing parleys for
Pondicherry, which also goes to polls, would be dealt with separately later. Asked whether second position in the alliance as sought by the BJP had been given to them, Mr Karunanidhi indirectly said “they are leading the NDA in Delhi”. On the allocation of Tiruchirapalli Lok Sabha seat to the
BJP, he said “It belongs to them”, Electioneering would commence once the seat sharing talks concluded. Mr Karunanidhi read out the signed agreement reached between the two parties. The BJP state President Dr
S.P. Kirubanidhi said the arrangement was “very satisfactory”. During the second round of talks at which the accord was reached, the BJP team besides Mr Kirubanidhi included vice-president
K.N. Lakshmanan, general secretary L. Ganesan and Union Minister of State for Yourth Affairs and Sports, Pon
Radhakrishnan. Earlier in the day, there were indications of a ‘forward’ movement in the seat sharing exercise, when Mr Ganesan said in the first round of talks, his party delegation had given its “point of view” on the situation. Thereafter, quick attempts were made to “clinch” a deal. Meanwhile, another constituent of the
NDA, the MGR Kazhagam, also held its first round of talks with the DMK election committee. After a 30-minute meeting, the Kazhagam general secretary K.
Jagatrakshagan, told mediapersons that his party wanted to ensure the defeat of the
AIADMK-led front and see that the DMK bounced back to power. Asked how many seats his party had demanded, he said he was confident that adequate numbers would be given by the NDA head and he saw no hitch or problem. Mr Kazhagam was led in the talks by former minister and joint deputy general secretary T. Ramasamy and deputy general secretary
M.R. Rajaram, besides Mr Jagatrakshagan. PTI |
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TMC to join ADMK front in TN Chennai, March 9 A formal announcement by TMC President G.K. Moopanar was expected in this regard later today. The TMC was expecting a final word from the Congress on its response to the alliance proposal by this evening. It might even team up with the AIADMK without the Congress, if the latter was indecisive beyond this evening, the sources indicated. Party spokesman Gnanadesikan told reporters at Mr Moopanar’s house after the party Election Committee’s meeting this morning that it had unanimously authorised Mr Moopanar to take a decision and announce it at an appropriate time. The AIADMK had offered 45 seats to the TMC-Congress combine. However, party supremo J. Jayalalitha might be persuaded to increase it to 50 if Pondicherry was not delinked from Tamil Nadu (in the matter of electoral understanding), the sources added. Meanwhile, Ms Jayalalitha has rescheduled her meeting with the Left and other parties for 5.30 p.m. today to finalise the seat-sharing arrangements. Ms Jayalalitha too, is apparently waiting for a word from the Congress before resuming dialogue with the Left and other parties. The Congress wants the dominant ruling party status in Pondicherry while the new entrant in the AIADMK-led front, the PMK, also wants to head the government there. This dichotomy is the main reason for the delay in arriving at an agreement.
UNI BJP to go it alone in Assam New Delhi, March 9 Talking to newspersons here, party spokesman K. Jana Krishnamurthy said “ this puts at rest all speculations about any BJP tie-up with the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) in Assam.” A statement issued by the party on behalf of its President Bangaru Laxman said: “The BJP will oppose the Congress and the AGP in the forthcoming elections in Assam but will accommodate other smaller parties which are willing to join hands.” Mr Krishnamurthy said some small parties had approached the BJP for seat sharing arrangement in Assam. “The talks are at a very preliminary stage. We may accommodate some smaller groups,” he added. The decision followed discussions held for two days among top BJP leaders at Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee’s residence where Home Minister L.K. Advani and Mr Laxman were also present. The party had accepted 39 seats offered by the Trinamool Congress in West Bengal.
UNI
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China ‘forced us’ to go nuclear New Delhi, March 9 “What happened to the north of us (1962 Sino-Indian conflict and Chinese nuclear test in 1964) alerted us... When nuclear security was not available (for India), we chose our step to go nuclear,” Fernandes said after releasing a book “The Pakistan Trap” in the South Block. He quoted paragraphs from a chapter in the book by noted Defence analyst K. Subrahmanyam on the efforts made by India to get nuclear cover from the USA, the then USSR, Britain and France and all of them refused. It was only then that Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri gave a go ahead to India’s nuclear programme, he said while referring to a strong plea by Subrahmanyam, who was also present on the occasion, that government should explain to the people why it decided to go nuclear even after having forcefully supported the cause of nuclear disarmament. Mr Fernandes agreed with Subrahmanyam on another issue that government should make the people aware of the activities of Pakistan’s ISI. However, the minister said in making people aware, government should take care of “the fear in the minds of the Muslim community in India that ISI activities could expose them to great danger”. Speaking on the occasion, Subrahmanyam, who is convener of the National Security Advisory Board and had chaired the Kargil Review Committee, sought a White Paper by the government on ISI activities in India saying “if we do not sensitise the people, it is not easy to succeed in neutralising or countering these (ISI) attacks”. Referring to this, Mr Fernandes said while doing so, “we should prevent falling into the trap that creates an atmosphere in which the Muslim community in India is pushed into a corner for crimes perpetrated from across the border.” Mr D.C. Pathak, former Director of Intelligence Bureau, said the intelligence agencies had “presented a complete picture to the government fairly early” about the ISI plans, which included intelligence encirclement of India and spread of ISI activities in the northeast, besides balkanisation of the country. He said the Pak-Afghan axis today was “the biggest terrorist axis” operating in this part of the world. The book, edited by journalist Rajeev Sharma, contains articles from top personalities in the field of security and intelligence. Besides “Subrahmanyam and Mr Pathak, other contributors who were also present at the function were former Cabinet Secretary T.S.R. Subramaniam, former army Chief Gen V.N. Sharma, former Air Chief N.C. Suri, former CBI chief S.K. Dutta, and experts like Rear Admiral Raja Menon, Ved Marwah and K.N. Daruwala, former chairman of Joint Intelligence Command. |
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Vedanti summons gurdwara trustees Sriganganagar, March 9 Issued on the official letter pad of one of the highest temporal seat of the Sikhs, the letter states that the present management should present themselves for clarifying their position on numerous complaints received at Amritsar on alleged anti-Sikh activities being “patronised” at the
gurdwara. The members have also been asked to provide copies of the constitution of the trust incorporated recently besides the correspondence with the Religious Institutions Department, Bikaner division. The creation of a trust in December to manage the properties of the
gurdwara, located in the heart of the city and worth crores, had raised the heckles of the local Sikh populace. The police had to be called in sometime back to defuse the situation when hundreds of residents descended on the gurdwara to “physically remove the trustees.” The proposed physical eviction of the management by local residents slated for March 13 has been given up following intervention by Akal
Takht. Yet several residents of the district have prepared a strong case against the management and will arrive at Amritsar to present their side of the story to Jathedar Vedanti on Monday. Some old time residents recall that the present management was reportedly “propped up” by Mr Dhian Singh
Mand, a former MP, in 1990 and has been functioning since then without ever calling a meeting of the general house or holding elections. One of the present trustees reportedly claims to be the relative of a Takht Jathedar for remaining in power. Hardliners like Mr Kamaljit Singh Tony, a former President of the Rajasthan unit of the All-India Sikh Students Federation
(AISSF), and Mr Tejinder Singh Timma, sevadar of Baba Deep Singh Gurdwara, compared them to the Masands of yore who used to treat religious places as their fiefdom and ruthlessly quelled any opposition. The sangat should rise to the occasion and oust these “manmukhs”, who are giving a bad name to the God-fearing community, they stressed. They allege that the aim of forming a trust was to control the vast property of the gurdwara even though a committee had been registered to manage the same since 1986. “How do you expect fairness when five out of the 10 trustees belong to
Dhalewal, a village near Sriganganagar, and are relatives?” They questioned. This “group” between them occupy the posts of vice-president, chief secretary, secretary, treasurer and office secretary. Many others fear that the formation of the trust was to create another Baba Budha Johar Gurdwara-like trust which is exclusively managed as a private institution by a few trustees with no outside interference. Trusteeship there is said to be hereditary. On the other hand, a majority of the 91 tenants of the shops let out by the gurdwara maintain that the management follows a pick and choose policy. Certain shopkeepers, who allegedly “bribed” the authorities get away with major encroachments while others are not even allowed to repair the leaking roofs or broken floors of their shops. Many, on the condition of anonymity, allege that the rooms of the gurdwara meant for travellers and devotees have been let out to local traders who have turned them into godowns. Other anti social activities were also being patronised here, they alleged. Mr Amar Singh, Mr Surat Singh, Mr Mukhtiar Singh and Mr Parvesh Bhai, president, vice president, chief secretary and legal advisor, respectively, while blaming some persons with vested interests, defended the formation of the trust on the grounds that the main revenue was from rent which was less than prevailing market prices. The trust would now be free to pull up the tenants before the Religious Sites Department authorities, instead of courts, and get them speedily evicted, they revealed. They refused to comment why two trustees, Mr Kishan Singh and Mr Joginder Singh, have dissociated themselves from the present trust. They also said that while elections would be held once in three years a general house would be called every year. However, Mr Amar Singh said that they would abide by the verdict of the Akal Takht Jathedar and had completed all the formalities for pleading their case before him.
Rumours lead to violence in Maharashtra, Gujarat New Delhi, March 9 Mobs hurling stones clashed with the police, damaged several vehicles in Aurangabad, Pune and Nanded towns of Maharashtra, Broach district in Gujarat and Hyderabad. The police fired in the air and lobbed tear gas shells in Aurangabad after 13 cops were injured in stone pelting by a mob, a Mumbai report said. The trouble began as activists of the Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) attempted to burn a symbolic effigy of those reportedly behind the Delhi episode. Protesters outside Jama Masjid in Aurangabad resorted to stone pelting and attempted to set on fire a police van after two SIMI activists were arrested. The police lobbed teargas shells and fired six rounds in air to disperse the mob.
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President leaves for Mauritius New Delhi, March 9 Mr Narayanan, who is leading a high-level delegation, including HRD Minister Murli Manohar Joshi, was accompanied by his wife Usha Narayanan. The President, who would attend the Mauritius National Day celebrations on March 12, was seen off at the Indira Gandhi International Airport by Vice- President Krishan Kant, his wife Suman Krishan Kant, Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee, Home Minister L.K. Advani, Information and Broadcasting Minister Sushma Swaraj and Minister of State for Science and Technology Bachi Singh Rawat. Cabinet Secretary T.R. Prasad, Home Secretary Kamal Pande and top officials of the armed forces were also present at the Ceremonial Lounge where the President was seen off. During his visit, the President would hold talks with his Mauritian counterpart Cassam Uteem, Vice-President A.V. Chettiar, Prime Minister Anerood Jugnauth, Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Paul Berenger and Leader of Opposition Navinchandra Ramgoolam. While Mr Vajpayee attended the Mauritius National Day celebrations of the millennium last year, Mauritian Premier visited India in January 2001 when he expressed strong desire to further strengthen ties between the two countries, especially in the field of Information Technology.
PTI |
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Karmapa puts wrong foot forward Bodhgaya, March 9 The Karmapa put the wrong foot forward at the Mahabodhi temple when he entered the holy ‘Garbhagrih’ and ‘Vajraasan’ wearing shoes. The Buddhists of the temple management committee are sore over the Karmapa’s action that perceptibly is not intentional. A temple management member, monk Dhammratan, said he protested the entry of the Karmapa with shoes to his secretary but he said that the Karmapa had no information about the ban. The managing committee member, Bhante Anand, said the ‘living Buddha’ was violating the sanctity of the temple under the guidance of his staff. Intelligence sources, however, deny that Karmapa entered the holy spot wearing shoes. They maintained that he wore shoes only up to the stairs of the ‘Garbhagrih’. The Karmapa entering the temple wearing shoes has caused shock among the Buddhists here as in the past there has been a massive movement here over the demand to allow wearing shoes that the temple management has denied. The agitation had led to police firing over protesting Buddhists demanding permission to wear shoes. The issue is still hot and unresolved. Book on Karan Singh released New Delhi, March 9 Edited by Dr K L Nanda, noted author, poet and journalist, the volume comprises a set of articles by 35 distinguished persons in India and abroad. Prominent among those who have contributed to the volume are scientists like Dr A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, Dr Jayant Narlikar, Dr M.S. Swaminathan and thinkers like Dr L.M. Singhvi, Prof Vidya Niwas Mishra, Dr Lokesh Chandra. World thinkers who have contributed to the volume are President Vaclav Havel of the Czech Republic, Prof J K Galbraith and 92-year-old English poet Katleen Raine. Dr Nanda whose association with Dr Singh goes back 40 years told TNS that the idea for the volume was mooted to Dr Karan Singh by a common friend about five months back. “I was told that Dr Singh wanted me to edit the felicitation volume. The book is not a compilation of wishes or messages about Dr Singh. The contributors constitute a roll call of world luminaries.” As the book says, “His personality and concerns have been used as a mirror by distinguished world celebrities to investigate the roots and traditions of mankind and look to its future.” The book ends with a chapter titled “.....And thus speaks Dr Karan Singh”. The chapter is full of quotations by Dr Singh on various issues as global society, the concept of time, Hinduism and its challenges, Science and Technology, family relationships and status of women. Dr Nanda said that the list of contributors was drawn in consultation with Dr Singh. “We approached 50 persons to contribute to the volume.” Speaking on the occasion, former minister, K. Natwar Singh who has contributed to the volume said, “We have all heard about a person being born with a silver spoon in his or her mouth. Dr Karan Singh did one better. He was born with a gold spoon on his mouth and he has not let go of it ever since.” He said that there are several ways of judging a nation and one is the manner in which it honours its men and women of distinction. Mr R. Venkataraman described Dr Singh as a multi-faceted and multi-splendoured personality, a scholar and a gentleman. He said that this is the first time he has seen a felicitation volume comprising contributions by a galaxy of authors. Justice Sir Moti Tika Ram from Fiji said Dr Singh has been described variously as the universal man, the global man. Addressing Dr Singh, Justice Tika Ram said, “Not only are you a great Indian, you are a great citizen of the world.” Rajya Sabha MP, DR L M Singhvi, shared the belief that it is not by age that life is mesaured but by what one puts in the years. Expressing his gratitude to the editor, Dr Singh said that he has not read the volume as yet. He also acknowledged the cooperation of his family. He said that he has been singularly fortunate to have very varied expriences.
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Uttaranchal quota policy finalised Dehra Dun, March 9 This was decided by the Uttaranchal Cabinet which met for three-and-a-half hours last evening. Briefing mediapersons about the decisions taken at the meeting, the Principal Secretary, Forests and Rural Development, Uttaranchal, Mr R.S. Tolia, said a committee headed by the Uttaranchal Chief Secretary would decide upon the percentages of reservations for the handicapped, freedom fighters, sportspersons and ex-servicemen. The Cabinet meeting also sanctioned the structure of the Tax Department. Sales tax, environment, stamp and registration taxes would now come under the Commissioner, Tax, Mr Tolia said. Permission for the reorganisation of the Cane Development and Sugar Industry Directorate was also granted at the meeting, he said, with
headquarters at Kashipur in Uttaranchal. Mr Tolia said a decision to implement a one-time tax agreement plan concerning mandi taxes was taken at the meeting. A revenue of Rs 17,21000 was expected to be generated as a result of this decision, he said. The Cabinet also decided to give 1 acre of land at Aamwala Talla to “People for Animals” (PFA) on a 20-year lease, who would build a hospital for animals on this land. Similarly, 12 acres of land will be given free of cost to a trust for setting up an Information Technology institute at Jhajra in Doon, the Cabinet decided. The organisation, called “Information Technology for the Tribes of India” would set up the institute specially for training tribals in it. Ten per cent of the 240 seats would be reserved for tribals from Uttaranchal.
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Bengal tigress dies of infection Visakhapatnam, March 9 The four-and-a-half-year-old tigress, Sumitra, was critically ill for the past three days with dyspnoea. Specialists from Hyderabad were brought to treat the ailing tigress, which underwent a hernia operation a month ago, zoo curator Sanjeev Kumar Gupta said.
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Chaubey appointed
ITBP chief New Delhi, March 9 An order to this effect was issued by the Union Home Ministry here today. Mr Chaubey, 1966 batch IPS officer of Uttar Pradesh cadre, would replace Mr Gautam Kaul, who retires on March 31. |
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Two SIs held for graft New Delhi, March 9 In the first case, the complainant is an accused in some crime case. SI, Brij Mohan, allegedly demanded Rs 5000 from him for getting regular bail and to make the case weak registered against him, a CBI press release said. In the second case, SI, Chander Singh Rana, allegedly demanded Rs 2000 from the complainant to close cases registered against him with Sangam Vihar police station . |
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Gold looted New Delhi, March 9 The incident occurred when the employees, Pradhan and Pintoo, were going to Rameshwar Nagar from Raigarpura in Karol Bagh with the gold. |
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Thief injures 3 cops New Delhi, March 9 The police personnel, Azad Mohammad, Puran Singh and sub-inspector Abdul Kalim were stabbed by the accused when they tried to nab him. |
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15 Naxalites killed in UP Varanasi, March 9 The encounter took place in Bhawanipur village of the district this afternoon, they said.
PTI Jawan commits suicide New Delhi, March 9 He was on night patrolling duty at the headquarters. After doing his duty he went to his room on the fifth floor of the headquarters in which he stayed, the police said. At about 8 a.m. someone noticed him hanging and informed the officer on duty there. |
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