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Wednesday,
March 6, 2002,
Chandigarh, India 
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NDA meeting next week on Ayodhya
Air Marshal’s plane hit by Pak fire |
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BSP not to back
any party in UP Panel to
boost Indian education abroad French delegates meet George TUs call for strike on April 16 Experts to probe
spread of plague
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NDA meeting next week on Ayodhya New Delhi, March 5 In another significant development, four of the 10 members of the Muslim Personal Law Board who attended today’s crucial meeting of leaders of Hindu and Muslim leadership with Kanchi Peetham Shankaracharya Jayendra Saraswati as the pivotal figure have supported the Shankaracharya’s three-point formula to resolve the Ayodhya dispute, political sources said. The Muslim Personal Law Board has a total of 15 members. Significantly, former President R. Venkataraman, Rajya Sabha Member and former Chief Justice of India Ranganath Mishra and former Uttar Pradesh Governor Romesh Bhandari also attended the meeting. The Prime Minister has welcomed the three-point formula but is understood to have insisted on getting a commitment in writing from both the sides. In case of a positive outcome of the Muslim Personal Law Board meeting, Mr Vajpayee is inclined to convene an NDA meeting immediately after that to get the NDA’ stamp of approval on the formula to end the Ayodhya impasse. In fact, the Prime Minister may even put the matter before Parliament subsequently, sources said. In a related development, President of Ram Janambhoomi Nyas Paramhans Ramchandra Das has written a letter to the Prime Minister which was handed over personally by the Kanchi Shankaracharya when he met Mr Vajpayee last evening. In this letter, Paramhans has made the following demands: * Hand over the undisputed land in Ayodhya to the nyas for the construction of the Ram temple. * Remove restrictions on kar sevaks in travelling to Ayodhya. * Remove all other impediments for the smooth performing of the 100-day non-stop yagna in Ayodhya which started on February 24 and is scheduled to come to an end on June 2. Interestingly, the Kanchi Shankaracharya was in possession of Paramhans’s letter yesterday when he arrived in the Capital and showed it to Syed Shahabuddin, a Muslim leader and former president of the Babri Masjid Action Committee. |
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Gen Davar takes over as DG of DIA New Delhi, March 5 An alumni of the National Defence Academy, Lieut-Gen Davar was commissioned in June, 1963, into 7 Light Cavalry, one of the highest decorated regiment of the Armoured Corps. A veteran of 1965 and 1971 Indo-Pakistan operations he was wounded in the 1965 war in Lahore section. He is a graduate of the Defence Services Staff College and College of Defence Management, and has held various staff, instructional and command appointments, which include member of the Indian Military Training team in Iraq, command of an elite armoured brigade, instructor of College of Combat, Mhow, command of the Ladakh Division and GoC of a corps in the western sector. He was Chief of Staff of a corps actively involved in the low intensity warfare in Jammu and Kashmir. General Davar was the Director-General, Mechanised Forces, before assuming the appointment. He was Colonel of 74 Armoured Regiment and 86 Armoured Regiment. He is decorated with Ati Vashisht Seva Medal. |
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Air Marshal’s plane hit by Pak fire New Delhi, March 5 Sources in MoD while confirming the incident said a full statement would be made only after the Court of Inquiry was over. The government does not want to make a statement as yet with the situation on the borders already being sensitive. With heavy troop deployment along the borders, an immediate reaction from the government could spell trouble. A Court of Inquiry which has already been set up to look into the circumstances leading to the incident is expected to submit its report soon. Air Marshal Bhatia was on a official inspection in the Kargil sector in the last week of February when his plane came under firing from the Pakistani forces stationed along the border. |
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BSP not to back
any party in UP Lucknow, March 5 Confirming this, a Raj Bhavan press note said Ms Mayawati spoke with the Governor over telephone last evening and reiterated her stand of not supporting the Samajwadi
Party or any of its alliance partner, or any other party in forming the government in UP. She had sent a letter to the Governor on February 25 through her personal secretary Babu Lal Kushwaha, mentioning her party’s stand. “Since the Governor wanted to personally speak with Ms Mayawati, he did not take a decision. Last evening, she told Mr Shastri that her letter contained her party’s stand,” the sources said.
UNI |
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45 pc voting in
UP repoll Lucknow, March 5 The date for counting of votes has not been decided yet. Counting in both Bihar and Kunda constituencies in Pratapgarh district, where polling was held in the third phase on February 21, was not taken up — on the orders of the EC — after allegations of “silent rigging’’.
UNI |
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Panel
to boost Indian education abroad New Delhi, March 5 Sources could not immediately say whether the decision was related to ongoing efforts by the University Grants Commission to encourage Indian universities to set up campuses abroad. The Cabinet also decided to set up an International Education Cell and allow the Committee to designate registering authorities, sources said. At least two Indian institutes, the Ranchi-based Birla Institute of Technology and the Pilani-based Birla Institute of Technology and Science— dubbed by the Commission Deemed Universities — have set up campuses at Bahrain and Dubai, respectively. The commission turned down some proposals by Indian universities to grant franchises abroad over issues of control, one source said. The Cabinet also decided to request President K.R. Narayanan to revoke Central rule in Manipur, paving the way for the installation of a government in the state which went to polls recently. The Union Cabinet also approved a comprehensive auto policy while allowing 100 per cent foreign direct investment in the advertising and film sector. “The President is being requested to revoke Clause 2 of Article 356 of the Constitution placing the state of Manipur under President’s rule,” an official spokesperson said after the meeting of the Union Cabinet this evening. The meeting was chaired by Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee. This, she said, would allow formation of an elected government in Manipur. Elections to the Manipur State Assembly were held last month. Despite the elections in the state installation of an elected government could not be carried out due to the continued Central rule. The Congress-led Secular Progressive Front (SPF) under the leadership of Mr Okram Ibobi Singh is due to take over the reigns in the state after the revoking of the President’s rule. He is yet to be invited to form the ministry by Governor Ved Marwah who had earlier recommended the revocation of President’s rule. The SPF has 36 members in the 60-member Manipur Assembly, including 19 from the Congress, six from Manipur State Congress Party, five from CPI and three from NCP.
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French delegates meet George New Delhi,
March 5 Official sources
said the 11-member French delegation was led by Mr Andr’e Dulait,
Vice-Chairman of the Committee of External Affairs, Defence and Armed
Forces of the French Senate. It discussed various areas of mutual
interest between the two countries in the field of defence. The aim of
the French delegation’s three-day visit is to evaluate the current
political developments in the region and to take stock of the military
and strategic relations between the two countries. On the other hand,
today’s meeting between the defence officials from India and the USA
marks the resumption of the Indo-US Joint Technical Group (JTG). It
will see renewal of projects which had been affected by the sanctions
imposed by the USA on India after it conducted nuclear tests in 1998.
Besides, the two countries will also identify new areas of
cooperation. The 13-member Indian delegation at today’s meeting was
led by Mr K G Narayan, Chief Adviser with the Defence Research and
Development Organisation (DRDO). The USA has also sent a 13-member
team for the talks, which includes top officials. The meeting of the
JTG follows the discussions of the Executive Steering Groups (ESG) of
the Army, Navy and Air Force last month. |
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TUs call for strike on April 16 New Delhi, March 5 In a statement issued today, the unions said the strike has been called to display firm and united opposition to the Centre’s policy on the PSUs and sick units. The unions said they were against the government’s policy of downsizing and retrenchment which was aggravating the unemployment scenario in the country. All major central trade unions, including AITUC, BMS, CITU, and AICCTU, have signed the statement. |
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Experts to probe
spread of plague New Delhi, March 5 |
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