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Tuesday,
January 22, 2002, Chandigarh, India  
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Fearing
revolt from allies, BJP dumps Ayodhya issue Pak to
implement outlined steps: Qazi
Centre soft on Pak: Thackeray INLD names
85 nominees for UP |
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Cong may
replace six nominees Chautala
on lookout for RLD rebels NCP
releases candidates’ lists Remove
Krishnamurthy: DMK Beauty
queens hope to win more crowns Senior scientist M.L. Dhar dead
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Fearing revolt from allies, BJP dumps Ayodhya issue New Delhi, January 21 “A separate election manifesto will be released soon in Uttar Pradesh...it will not have any issues which will annoy our alliance partners,” a senior BJP leader told The Tribune here today, clearly indicating that the Ayodhya issue will not form part of its election manifesto. The party has, however, struck down the idea of having a common election manifesto as demanded by some of its poll partners in Uttar Pradesh. According to party big-wigs, the BJP has a “bigger stake and mandate” in Uttar Pradesh and a pre-poll common manifesto will dilute the party’s image and position as a major political party in the state. The double standards adopted by the BJP on the Ayodhya issue was quite evident when the party was today at pains to explain that the participation of two of its Members of Parliament Vinay Katiyar and Swami Chinmayanand at the launch of ‘Sant Chetavani Yatra’ yesterday from Ayodhya to Delhi to pressurise the Vajpayee government on the temple issue by the VHP was in no way an indication of the party making the Ayodhya issue a poll issue. Maintaining that she was not aware of the participation of the two BJP MPs in the VHP yatra, she said the Prime Minister was making an effort to resolve the issue through negotiations and if that was not possible the court would decide on the matter. Meanwhile, the Central Election Committee of the party had returned the draft election manifesto with some amendments and additions to the party’s Uttar Pradesh unit and the manifesto was likely to be released in a couple of days in the presence of top leaders of the party, sources said. The party geared up for the election process by releasing the list of election guidance committees nominated by the party President Jana Krishnamurthi for the forthcoming elections in the four states — Punjab, Uttaranchal, Uttar Pradesh and Manipur. The election guidance committee for Punjab comprises former Delhi Chief Minister Madan Lal Khurana, Mr Om Prakash Kohli, Mr Brij Lal Rinwa, Mr Avinash Jaiswal and Mr Manohar Lalji. In Uttar Pradesh, the committee will be headed by former BJP President Kushabhau Thakre and will comprise Kalraj Mishra, Sahib Singh Verma, Sangh Priya Gautam, Pyarelal Khandelwal, Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, Ramapati Tripathi, Staya Dev Singh, Satya Dev Pachori and Ramji Singh. |
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Pak to implement outlined steps: Qazi New Delhi, January 21 Addressing the India Today conclave here, he favoured the resumption of “self-sustained” dialogue and said. “It is important for India and Pakistan to address each other’s concerns.” The Pakistani envoy said Gen Musharraf’s “historic” January 12 address was aimed at a “revolution in Pakistan” and added “it is a huge step by Pakistan to address what you (India) have said are your primary concerns.” “We will implement” what Gen Musharraf has said, he asserted .
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Centre soft on Pak: Thackeray Mumbai, January 21 In the first of a four-part article in the Sena mouthpiece ‘Samna’ yesterday, Mr Thackeray said, “We have to deal on a priority basis with the ISI, Lashkar-e-Toiba, three crore Bangladeshi population staying illegally in the country and those providing shelter to them.” The burgeoning Muslim population in the country posed a bigger threat than a nuclear bomb, he opined. Lashing out at the political leadership, who, he claimed, had failed to take any bold action against Pakistan-sponsored terrorism, Mr Thackeray exhorted Hindus to adopt a tough stance.
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INLD names 85 nominees for UP New Delhi, January 21 Announcing the list here, senior party leader Ajay Chautala, said the party would oppose all those who were against creation of kisan pradesh. To repeated questions about the INLD contesting against the NDA in Uttar Pradesh
despite being part of the NDA at the Centre. Mr Chautala said the party had contested against the BJP earlier also and the party’s support to the NDA would continue. Blaming the BJP for the present situation, he said as a bigger party it should have talked to the INLD before formalising the alliance with NDA partners in Uttar Pradesh. “The state BJP leaders were pre-determined to ally with the Rashtriya Lok Dal in Western Uttar Pradesh”, Mr Ajay Chautala said. Mr Chautala said Mr Mulk Chand Gambhir would be the INLD candidate for the by-election in Yamunanagar. He denied that INLD’s decision to contest from Yamunanagar, where the BJP has already announced a candidate, amounted to breaking up of alliance with the BJP in Haryana. |
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Cong
may replace six nominees New Delhi, January 21 Sources said senior Congress leaders including Mr Ghulam Nabi Azad, who is General Secretary in charge of Uttaranchal and UP, today spent several hours with Mr Satpal Maharaj to persuade him to withdraw his resignation. The party has apparently agreed to replace candidates on six seats falling in the Pauri parliamentary constituency from where Mr Satpal Maharaj was the Congress candidate. Sources said that Mr Satpal Maharaj, a former union minister and a religious leader, had sought the ticket for 17 of his supporters but was given only two. The
seats where the candidates are likely to be replaced with supporters
of Mr Satpal Maharaj include Yamakeshwar, Kotdwar, Lansdowne, Pauri,
Srinagar, Thalisain, Rudraprayag and Nandprayag. These seats fall in
Pauri Garwhal, Rudraprayag and Chamoli districts. |
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Chautala
on lookout for RLD rebels Meerut, January 21 With the INLD failing to have electoral alliance with any party, it is now on the look out for “rebel candidates” of the Ajit Singh-led Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD), who might be denied party ticket as the party has only been conceded 37 seats by the BJP under its electoral alliance with allies as against 60 seats demanded by the RJD. This is probably the reason why the INLD has not announced its candidates even as the last date for filing nomination papers, January 23, is drawing close. On the other hand, the RLD, which finalised its pact with the BJP only on January 19, is also keeping its list a closely-guarded secret apprehending dissidence in case certain claimants were denied ticket. Till yesterday, no final list could be drawn up and RLD sources were tight-lipped as to which candidates would ultimately make it to the final list of 37 constituencies, considered to be a stronghold of the RLD. The INLD and the RLD are the only parties which have not announced their candidates even as other parties have already launched their poll campaigns. On the other hand, the position of the INLD, which is testing political waters in western part of the biggest state comprising 22 districts and accounting for over 130 seats, is still worse. Considered to be a very marginal player in the western UP politics by other leaders, Mr Chautala has been dabbling in the UP politics by organising a series of rallies for over 10 months now on plank of as separate “Kisan Pradesh” for 22 districts for the accelerated development of the region on the pattern of the small states like Punjab and Haryana. The RLD prefers to call the separate state by another name — “Harit Pradesh”. An office-bearer of the RLD, who did not want to be quoted, claimed that he had been offered the INLD ticket from any of the seven constituencies falling in Meerut district. However, I am yet to make up my mind”, he quipped. |
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NCP releases candidates’ lists New Delhi, January 21 Addressing mediapersons at the office of the Delhi Pradesh NCP here, party general secretary and former Lok Sabha Speaker P.A. Sangma said the party had released the list of 184 candidates for the aforesaid Assembly elections, two byelections to the Lok Sabha, one from Assam and another from Tripura, and two byelections to the Assemblies of Haryana and Gujarat. Mr Sangma said the second list for Manipur for about 30 more Assembly seats would be finalised by January 24. He said the second list for Punjab for another 25 to 30 seats would also be ready by January 25. He said that the list for Uttar Pradesh was more or less final. According to the list for Punjab, the party has fielded, Mr Harbhajan Singh Sakala (Shri Hargobindpur), Mr Raj Kumar from the reserved seat of Narot Mehra, Mr Mahender Kumar Mehta from Pathankot, Mr Ratan Chand from Sujanpur, Mr Arjun Singh Mattu and Mr Tarsen Singh from the reserved seats of Verka and Jandiala respectively, Mr Rajender Kumar from Amritsar West, Mr Gulzar Singh Khalsa from the reserved seat of Attari, former MLA Lakkha Singh from Khajoor Sahib, Mr Nirvair Singh from Naushera Panuan, Mr Joginder Singh Toni from Jalandhar central, Mr R.S. Sakoda from Nakodar, Mr Vinod Parmar from Hoshiarpur, Mr Harjinder Pal Singh and Mr Ram Pal from the reserved constituencies of Sham Chaurasai and Gardhiwala, respectively, Mr Vimla Verma, Mr Ashish Gupta and Mr Ashok Parasahsar from Ludhiana north, west and east, respectively, Mr Swaran Kumar Sandhir from Samrala, Mr Naresh Jaggi from Nagla, Mr Jagjit Singh Jagga from Anandpur Saheb, Mr Bhupender Singh from Kharar, Mr N.K. Nagpal from Rajpura, Mr Darshan Ram from the reserved seats of Shutrana, former MLA, Ramesh Singla from Nabha, Mr Jeet Singh from the reserved seat of Amloh, Ms Rekha Jangra from Sirhind, Mr Rahjwant Singh from Dhuri, former Minister Abdul Gaffar from Malerkotla, Mr Purshottam Singh from Bhador (SC), Mr Baljeet Singh from Abhor, former MLA Gurdev Singh Gill, Mr Sadajit Singh, Mr Pala Singh Sarpanch, Mr Baldev Singh and Mr Teja Singh Bhukianwali from the reserved seats of Dharamkot, Nihalsinghwala, Panchgrian, Malout and Pakka Kalan respectively. The party has fielded Devender Kohli for Bathinda, former minister Gulzar Singh from the Nathana seat (SC), Mr Surjan Singh Joga from Joga and Gorey Lal from Mansa. Mr Sangma added that Gurcharan Singh, has joined the party after resigning from the Congress. He said Mr Kikar Singh, former MP from Bathinda has quit the Lok Bahalai Party to join the NCP. Former Union Minister Buta Singh’s younger brother Swaran Singh had also joined the party. |
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Remove Krishnamurthy: DMK New Delhi, January 21 In a letter to the Chief Election Commissioner J.M. Lyngodh, the legislators said the Election Commissioner, Mr T.S. Krishnamurthy, who was in charge of Tamil Nadu, had acted in a biased manner by not deferring the Andipatti by-election. The legislators wrote that they had met Mr Krishnamurthy with complaints about the “arbitrary disenfranchisement and bogus inclusion of thousands of voters (in Andipatti) with sufficient and necessary proofs. We feel aggrieved that justice was not done by Mr Krishnamurthy, who did not bother to apply his mind in an unbiased manner and he did not fail to curb the said malafides that may materially affect the result of the election.’’ The DMK legislators also charged Mr Krishnamurthy with denying them an opportunity to be heard by the full commission. Meanwhile, in an unusual action, the Election Commission today reacted to the strong DMK criticism of its decision not to postpone the by-election in Andipatti Assembly constituency, dismissing it as in “bad taste” and taking on “personal overtones” and maintained it was a unanimous decision of the three-member body. “While the commission has nothing to say about political parties, individuals or groups commenting on any decision taken by it, it dismisses as bad taste criticism, which takes on personal overtones, especially when the decisions of the commission are invariably taken unanimously and after due deliberation,” a press note issued by the commission said. |
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Beauty queens hope to win more crowns
New Delhi, January 21 Not showing any sign of complacency or their being under any pressure to keep up to the performance of their predecessors when they participate in their respective international events, the girls believe that they are completely focussed to ensure that the country wins more crowns. Appearing before the media for the first time after winning the crown in Hyderabad on Saturday, the winners — Miss India Universe Neha Dhupia, Miss India World Shruti Sharma and Miss Earth Reshmi Ghosh — gave hints of their level of confidence when they announced, “We will make sure that we came back with the crowns.” However, the girls were quick in stating that their purpose behind entering the Miss India contest or even after winning it remains the same — their desire to work for the helpless, poor and upliftment of the level of women worldwide.
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Senior scientist M.L. Dhar dead
New Delhi, January 21 After getting a Ph.D. degree from University College, London, in organic chemistry, he had held various important posts in the Jammu and Kashmir Government and at the Centre, and had been awarded Padamshri in recognition to his services.
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New Delhi, January 21
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