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Thursday,
March 21, 2002, Chandigarh, India    |
SAD MPs issued whip on POTO Bill Oppn seeks Modi govt’s removal
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Jayalalithaa being vindictive? I.D. Swami to probe Siwan killings Roll back kerosene,
urea price hike: allies
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Scindia Jr makes
maiden speech RS adjourned over member’s death CBI not to be
reconstituted SC seeks security
for Taj Mahal Venkataswami Commission
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SAD MPs issued whip on POTO Bill New Delhi, March 20 The Akalis had vehemently opposed the Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act (TADA), which was enacted during the height of militancy in Punjab. Criticised for its draconian provisions, TADA was allowed to be lapsed after being in operation for almost a decade. Human rights activists have criticised POTO on the grounds that its provisions are much more draconian than TADA. The party had initially opposed its provisions, when the government had issued an ordinance to this effect. However, in the Lok Sabha, where the party has two members, no whip was issued. The SAD had voted in support of the Bill in the Lower House. Justifying the issuance of the whip and the party’s stand to vote in favour of the Bill in the Rajya Sabha, Union Minister and SAD general secretary Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa told The Tribune that the party had decided to support it in view of the prevailing situation in Kashmir. “We are supporting it after the government agreed to carry out the amendments suggested by the party. The amendments relate to the right to appeal and the provision of bail to those booked under it,” he said. Asked whether the party was going back on its earlier stand of opposing all TADA-like acts which were considered to be violating rights guaranteed by the Constitution, Mr Dhindsa said: “POTO is the necessity of the time.” When asked whether the support was due to the compulsion of being an alliance partner, the senior party leader replied in the affirmative. Interestingly, the SAD had played a balancing act of not coming out openly in favour of the Bill or oppose it during the Assembly polls held last month. While the Bill has been passed in the Lok Sabha, the NDA has numbers against it in getting it passed. And, in this game of numbers, each vote will count. The SAD has three MPs — Mr Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa, Mr Sukhbir Singh Badal and Mr Sukhdev Singh Libra. Mr Gurcharan Singh Tohra, who had won the Rajya Sabha seat on the SAD platform, is the lone representative of the Sarb Hind Shiromani Akali Dal (SHSAD) following the split in SAD. Mr Tohra, who had campaigned against TADA, will oppose the Bill when put to vote in the Rajya Sabha. The party’s general secretary, Mr Prem Singh Chandumajra, said the party had decided to oppose it as its provisions were much more draconian than TADA. Though the government passed TADA to curb militancy in Punjab, its provisions were widely misused and the largest number of cases under its provisions were registered in Gujarat. The SAD had several times appealed to the Union Home Minister to review the cases of persons booked under TADA. A large number of persons booked under it are still languishing in Tihar Jail. |
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Oppn seeks Modi govt’s removal New Delhi, March 20 The agitated Opposition members also criticised Home Minister L.K. Advani for his statement that the situation was brought under control in a record time of 72 hours. “But the reality is that violence is still continuing unabated,” they charged. They repeatedly clashed with those from the ruling benches, exchanging hot words during zero hour despite efforts by Deputy Speaker P.M. Sayeed to restore order. RJD leader Raghuvansh Prasad Singh was the most vocal, targeting both Chief Minister Narendra Modi and Mr Advani. Finding the members unrelenting, Mr Sayeed adjourned the House till 2 pm. Raising the issue, Congress member Madhusudan Mistri termed the situation in the state as “highly volatile and explosive” and said not a single day passed without the killing of minorities. He charged the state government with turning a blind eye to FIRs naming VHP and Bajrang Dal activists as being behind the violence and demanded their immediate arrests. “There is a crisis of confidence among the people belonging to the minority community,” Mr Mistri said, adding that 13,000 riot victims alone were in camps in his own constituency where relief facilities were minimal. He wanted handing over of all affected areas to Central forces and sought a statement from the government on the situation. Supporting him, IUML member E. Ahmed complained that food was not available in the relief camps and the people could not return to their homes because of curfew. Samajwadi Party leader Mulayam Singh Yadav made a mention of the resolution passed by the RSS at Bangalore that Muslims had to live in India under the domination of Hindus, amid protests from BJP members. This clearly showed that those at the helm of affairs wanted another partition of India which his party would never allow, the SP supremo added. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pramod Mahajan, however, intervened to say that nobody had talked about India’s partition. |
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Deuba arrives on 6-day visit New Delhi, March 20 The most significant aspect of Mr Deuba’s visit, who has arrived here with a 93-member delegation, will be terrorism: the ever-increasing Maoist violence from the Nepalese point of view and the insidious and covert anti-Indian activities of Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence
(ISI) from Nepalese soil from the Indian viewpoint. Well-placed sources said here tonight that the Prime Minister’s Office has already been submitted exhaustive agenda notes by the intelligence agencies to enable Mr Vajpayee raise the issue of the ISI’s activities from Nepal. |
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Jayalalithaa being vindictive? When AIADMK chief J. Jayalalithaa bounced back to power last month after a creditable victory in the Andipatti assembly by-election, she had announced that she would not engage herself in political vendetta, but added a rider that action would be taken against those who had committed irregularities (in the previous DMK Government). Well, the rider is now becoming more pronounced than her pledge that she would not be vindictive. The last few days have seen a series of raids by the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-corruption (DVAC) on the homes of several former DMK ministers and senior party functionaries and their relatives in Chennai and elsewhere in Tamil Nadu. The former chief minister, Mr M. Karunanidhi, refuses to believe the AIADMK Government’s assertion that the raids were not aimed at settling scores. “How will they say that this was to settle scores,?” he exclaimed. while talking to reporters this week. Prominent among the former DMK ministers is Mr.K.Ponmudi, who was in charge of transport in the Karunanidhi Government He had charged the AIADMK administration in the state assembly with trying to sell the transport corporations after increasing bus fares. In turn, Ms Jayalalithaa accused him of being responsible for the huge losses in transport corporations during the 1996-2001 DMK rule. She vowed to “expose the misdeeds” which, she said, had pushed the transport corporations into a mire of losses. A few days after the bitter exchanges, anti-corruption agencies launched the raids on the homes of Mr Ponmudi and some of his former colleagues. “We are willing to face the courts,” Mr Karunanidhi has declared, while attacking the raids as political vendetta. Other opposition parties have joined in deploring the raids, accusing Ms Jayalalithaa of being pre-occupied with vindictive action against her political opponents, instead of devoting attention to development of the state. The one-week session of the state assembly from March 9 has been noted more for DMK-AIADMK clashes than for any constructive criticism of the Jayalalithaa Government. Mr Karunanidhi, who had been studiously boycotting the assembly since his election in May last year, made a token appearance on the day of the Governor’s Address, but walked out along with his party colleagues. Ms Jayalalithaa could not resist having a dig at the DMK leader: “Mr Karunanidhi could not bear to see me seated in the chief ministerial chair for more than a minute...Mr Karunanidhi need have no fear from his presence in the assembly. Nothing will happen to hin.” Outside the legislature, the spat between the two leaders continues unabated. A statement a day does not end their eternal feud, and the public are showing signs of weariness over their petty quarrel, and are appealing through the letters to the editor columns to concentrate on good governance. Ms Jayalalithaa, who had promised to make Tamil Nadu No.1 state in the country, has outlined through the Governor’s Address the road map for the next four years of AIADMK rule. The highlight is a 15-point ambitious plan that includes initiatives like the Evergreen Revolution for raising farm productivity, bridging the rural-urban divide, work for all and commitment to the reform process. It is a daunting task that Ms Jayalalithaa has set for herself, especially in the context of the unprecedented resource crunch the state is facing. The plan outlay for 2001-2002 has been slashed by 14 per cent to Rs.5200 crore. The government has made it known that it will seek adequate financial support from the Centre to ensure the success of the reform programme. Perhaps with this end in view, Ms.Jayalalithaa is soft-pedalling criticism of the NDA Government. One may not read too much into the observations of union minister Venkaiah Naidu in Chennai last week that Ms.Jayalalithaa is “not an untouchable” and that it is “not a sin” when some of his cabinet colleagues call on her. But it would seem that the AIADMK-NDA relations are at least not souring with the advent of Ms.Jayalalithaa to power. |
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I.D. Swami to probe Siwan killings Patna, March 20 BJP leaders here apprised the Centre and responding to their plea, the Union Home Minister, Mr L.K. Advani, asked Minister of State I.D. Swami to make an on-the-spot inquiry into the Siwan killings. As the BJP has made a strong case against the RJD MP, seeking a CBI probe into the killings and even demanding the requisition of the Army to end the terror reign of Shahabuddin, Mr Advani has asked his deputy to rush to the state. The Home Minister has also asked the Union Home Secretary Kamal Pande to present a detailed report on the Siwan incident. The state BJP chief, Mr Nandkishore Yadav, said whosoever challenged the might of the RJD MP was being eliminated. He maintained that between 1985-96, 27 criminal cases were lodged against him and after that cases could not be registered against him due to his “links with the powers that be”. The BJP spokesperson, Ms Kiron Ghai, has demanded that the Army should take over Siwan. The decision of the Centre to probe the issue came when a BJP delegation led by Union Minister of State for Coal, Ravi Shankar and MP, Kirti Azad met Mr Advani and submitted a memorandum to him. The delegation demanded the immediate arrest of Mohammad Shahabuddin. Mr Yadav alleged that the confessions of notorious criminal Awadhesh Tyagi had also hinted at Shahabuddin’s links with the ISI. However, reports today indicated that the state government had geared up to save the skin of its MP once again as it has sought details of the “criminal antecedents” of Siwan BJP chief Ramakant Pathak who has “dared” to name the MP in his FIR as the conspirator in the murder of his son. |
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Roll back kerosene,
urea price hike: allies New Delhi, March 20 A meeting of the NDA partners, held at the Telegu Desam Parliamentary Party office this evening, seriously considered to exercise the option of moving cut motions in the Union Budget. Normally, the instrument of cut motion is used by the Opposition. The meeting was attended among others by Union Minister Ram Vilas Pawan, Trinamool Congress leader Mamata Banerjee, Mr Yerran Naidu (TDP), Mr Devendra Yadav (JD-U) and Mr Pabhunath Singh (Samata Party). Talking to newspersons after the meeting, Mr Prabhnath Singh said another meeting of the NDA allies would be held on Friday to discuss issues like the Rashtriya Swyamsevak Sangh’s open threat to the minorities and the government’s handling of the Gujarat and Ayodhya issues. He claimed some more Cabinet ministers were expected to attend the meeting. Sources said the initiative for convening a meeting of some of the like-minded constituents of the NDA came from the TDP. Mr Yerran Naidu was asked by Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu to take the initiative. The Andhra Chief Minister had a meeting with former West Bengal Chief Minister Jyoti Basu in Hyderabad where the latter is attending a meeting of his party. The sources said Mr Basu impressed upon Mr Naidu that in the wake of the RSS threat and the role played by outfits like the VHP and the Bajrang Dal, the TDP should take a fresh view of its support to the Vajpayee government.
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Scindia Jr makes
maiden speech New Delhi, March 20 Watched by his mother Madhavi Raje, sister Chitrangada, grandmother Rani Indira Rana and newspaper baroness Shobhna Bhartiya, a close friend of his late father from the special gallery, the 31-year-old scion of the Gwalior royal family warned that the country could be heading for an “economic debt trap” and “hyper inflation”. Heard in silence by members from both sides, Scindia Junior, like an economic expert, reeled out figures from the Budget proposals, the existing GDP rate and compared it with that of China
averring that India was lagging far behind. Participating in the Budget discussions, Mr Scindia, who joined the Congress two-and-a-half months after his father’s death in a plane crash, said the fiscal deficit was alarming and foreign direct investment of $ 4 billion annually to India was, too, meagre considering the potential available. Regretting the pace of industrial development, he said while the “engine of growth is still sputtering” in the four years of the NDA government with industrial growth hovering at 3.6 per cent , the Congress government had the industrial growth of over 6 per cent. Questioning the nominal hike in the defence Budget, Mr Scindia wondered whether this was enough in the prevailing environment of dire external threats. “The need of the hour is to modernise our defence forces,” he stressed. Criticising the Finance Minister for imposing the dividend tax, he said it had hit the middle income salaried class, small investors and senior citizens. Coming out strongly against the disinvestment policy, he said a transparent approach in this regard was still awaited. “The country needs a reforms package with a human face,” Mr Scindia, an MBA from Stanford, stressed and quoted his late father’s words. Leader of the Opposition Sonia Gandhi and other senior Congress leaders congratulated him for his impressive first speech in the House while ruling party members thumped their tables. |
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RS adjourned over member’s death New Delhi, March 20 Soon after the House assembled, Chairman Krishan Kant announced that it was adjourned till tomorrow to pay homage to Sahay. The Chairman described Sahay, 69, as a dedicated social worker who was associated with various social and political organisations and participated actively in the Sarvodaya Movement. The departed member was Chairman of the Bihar Industrial Development Corporation from 1986 to 1987. He was co-founder of the Sushila-Dayanand Sahay Charitable Trust and also worked to provide free training to women in vocational skills, Mr Krishan Kant said. Mr Sahay represented Bihar for two terms from April 1978 to April 1984 and from April 1988 to April 1994. He had been representing Jharkhand since July, 2001. The members stood in silence for a minute as a mark of respect to Sahay. |
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CBI not to be
reconstituted New Delhi, March 20 Minister of State for Personnel Vasundhara Raje said in written replies in the Lok Sabha that the number of cases pending for investigation were 1,573 till the end of 1999, 1,555 till the end of 2000, and 1,456 till December 2001. She said investigation of cases pending for more than two years were being monitored centrally at the level of the Director of the investigating agency. She said the government was committed to rooting out corruption through agencies like the CBI and the Central Vigilance Commission and was following a multi-pronged strategy for prevention, surveillance and deterrent punitive action is being followed for this purpose. The CBI periodically carries out special drives for apprehending/ detecting corrupt officials at various levels.
UNI |
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SC seeks security
for Taj Mahal New Delhi, March 20 The direction was issued by a Bench of Mr Justice M.B. Shah and Mr Justice D.M. Dharmadhikari during the resumed hearing of a public interest petition by environmentalist lawyer M.C. Mehta, initially seeking protection to the monument from growing industrial pollution. The security aspect of the monument cropped up later. The Court asked the Centre and the state government to submit their respective security plans in view of the fact that both of them claimed their right to protect the monument. The court said on April 9, it would examine both security plans and decide who should be entrusted with the job. Yesterday the court had directed the reopening of 50 brick kilns within the Taj trapezium zone, after two weeks, provided that they complied with the pollution norms, laid down by the Central Pollution Control Board.
UNI |
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Venkataswami Commission
New Delhi, March 20
While efforts to get in touch with Justice Venkataswami went in vein, commission sources confirmed that no request had been sent so far for the extension. |
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