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Friday,
March 22, 2002, Chandigarh, India  
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B.P. Singhal may face action India, Nepal to revive extradition treaty
RSS resolution rocks Rajya Sabha Norms for Internet telephony
issued NORTH INDIA IN PARLIAMENT |
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India,
Japan want to be permanent UN members Saffronisation of education: hearing on PIL today Priya murder: Chetan’s sons seek discharge NHRC disputes Modi’s claim
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B.P. Singhal may face action New Delhi, March 21 Responding to the statement of Mr Singhal in an interview with a TV channel, BJP Parliamentary Party spokesman Vijay Kumar Malhotra said he had tried to speak to Mr Singhal in an effort to ascertain if his statement was ‘actionable’. We will wait and see the context in which he had made the statement. The BJP, he said would not accept any such resignation demand as it was not justifiable. The BJP Parliamentary Party members had unanimously congratulated Mr Vajpayee for completing four years in office on March 19 and Mr Singhal was certainly one of them, he said. Asked to state the party’s view on the verbal duel between BJP members Vinay Katiyar and Adityanath and JD (U) MP Devendra Prasad Yadav inside the Lok Sabha today, Mr Malhotra suggested the convening of a meeting of the National Democratic Alliance partners for evolving dispute resolving mechanism to avoid sorting out problems in public. He said there were instances when BJP members were unhappy with the allies’ criticism, and allies also had some genuine concerns. The best course would be to resolve such issues within the NDA, as after all, the National Agenda for Governance (NAG) was the basis for the formation of the alliance, he remarked. He said the parties had ‘diametrically opposite’ programmes on many issues and all should exercise restraint in the interest of the coalition. All strains, tensions and differences should be resolved internally but the problem was that the NDA did not have any secretariat to carry out this task. The attitude of members from the parties represented in the Cabinet was under sharp focus, he said referring to the public criticism by parties like JD (U) and the Samata whose leaders were also Ministers in the Government. Asked if the BJP condemned the ‘Asthi Yatra’ programme of the VHP, Mr Malhotra said there could be no outright condemnation because taking the mortal remains to the Ganga for last rites in a procession was a normal activity. It was the administration’s responsibility to see that there was no tension in the society because of such processions, he added. He said many MPs including former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda had urged Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee and Home Minister L.K. Advani to ensure that the VHP’s ‘Asthi Yatra’
programme created no tension. These two leaders certainly would consider these suggestions and take appropriate action, Mr Malhotra said. |
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India, Nepal to revive extradition treaty New Delhi, March 21 The two countries also agreed to enter into a Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty, a spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs told reporters today. Kathmandu and New Delhi agreed that there was a need to renew the extradition treaty between the two countries as it was signed way back in 1953 and things had changed drastically in this half a century. Discussions to this effect were held between the visiting Nepalese Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba and an array of top Indian leadership today. Home Minister L K Advani, External Affairs Minister Jaswant
Singh, Defence Minister George Fernandes and Commerce Minister Murasoli Maran called on Mr Deuba in Rashtrapati Bhavan’s Dwarka Suite. Mr Deuba, who arrived here last evening on a six-day visit, was given a ceremonial reception at the forecourt of the Rashtrapati Bhavan today. Mr Deuba and his wife Arzu later called on President K R Narayanan and Vice-President Krishan Kant. Mr Advani impressed upon Mr Deuba the menace posed by the activities of Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) in Nepal and how the ISI had been exploiting highly porous Indo-Nepal border to smuggle in arms, explosives and terrorists into India. The fact that the union ministers of such sensitive ministries as Home, External Affairs and Defence called on Mr Deuba and held discussions with him reflects the strategic importance the government attached to Mr Deuba. Later this evening, Mr Deuba held delegation-level talks with Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee after which India and Nepal signed an agreement on science and technology. This was followed by a banquet which Mr Vajpayee hosted in Hyderabad House in Mr Deuba’s honour. Mr Deuba has come here with a huge 93-member delegation which includes ministers of Industry, Science and Technology, Water Resources and Foreign Affairs. He is scheduled to leave for Kolkata on March 23 from where he would go back to Kathmandu. |
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RSS resolution rocks Rajya Sabha New Delhi, March 21 The issue was raised through a special mention by Ms Maheswari who demanded that Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee, who was present in the House, should make a statement on the issue. The CPM member said the RSS resolution on Muslims posed a great danger to the secular fabric and would destabilise the country. The resolution also sought to support Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi’s statement describing the riots as "quite natural", she said. This triggered off acrimonious scenes as ruling party members vociferously protested Ms Maheswari’s remarks. Opposition members joined the CPM member in wanting to know from the Chair how the member could make her submission when she was not being allowed to speak by ruling party members. As the uproar continued for 10 minutes, Chairman Krishan Kant adjourned the House till 2 pm. Meanwhile, a privilege notice moved against Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee for skirting the issue of shilas in his statement on Ayodhya was today dismissed by the Rajya Sabha Chairman. The notice given by CPM member Nilotpal Basu was dismissed by the Chairman saying that "I don’t consider it was a breach of privilege. I have seen it. There is no question of any breach of privilege." |
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Norms for Internet telephony issued
New Delhi, March 21 Among the guidelines are that the service will not include voice communication by means of dialing a telephone number as defined in the national numbering plan. The addressing scheme for such a communication involving transmission of voice in packetised data format through the public Internet will conform to IP addressing scheme of Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) alone and not the national numbering scheme applicable to subscribers of basic, cellular service providers. Other parameters that will not be included are as follows: — Originating or terminating voice communications to telephones within India, establishing connection to any Public Switched Network in the country and dial up lines with outward dialing facility. The guidelines has pointed out that if found necessary at any time during the validity of the ISP licence, the licensor reserves the right to impose licence fee, including universal service obligation (USO) levy.
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NORTH INDIA IN PARLIAMENT New Delhi, March 21 As per information furnished by the state government, 18 ISI agents were arrested in J&K in past three years. The government has adopted a well-coordinated and multi-pronged approach for tackling the activities of the ISI which includes strengthening the border management, galvanising the intelligence machinery, neutralising plans of the ISI by well-coordinated intelligence based operations, setting up of out posts security forces in vulnerable areas and modernisation and upgradation of police and security forces with sophisticated weapons and communication system etc, the Minister said. The Centre has been sensitising the state governments on about the threat perception and activities of the ISI in the country. Periodic coordination meetings are also held with the state governments for sharing the inputs from various quarters as well as for devising strategies to counter such activities. Member of Parliament Pawan Kumar Bansal has called for the setting up of District Planning Committee in Chandigarh as stipulated under Article 243 -ZD and to take immediate steps to make the local self-government institutions vibrant units of at the grass-root levels. Raising the matter in the Lok Sabha today Mr Bansal alleged that these institutions functioned only in name and even an office had not been allotted to the Panchayat Samiti and Zila Parishad yet. The Municipal Corporation also has not been encouraged to perform its constitutional role and all real powers continue to vest in the administration, and apportionment of UT resources is also not made according to the spirit of the Constitution, he added. The Minister of State of Home Affairs, Chaudhary Vidyasagar Rao denied that Punjab had refused to spare water for Haryana. The Ravi-Beas Tribunal is seized of the issue regarding the sharing of river waters between the states of Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan, the Minister told the Rajya Sabha in a written reply. The Rajiv-Longowal Accorded 11 items, of which eight have already been implemented. The three items which remain to be implemented are: All-India Gurdwaras Act, Territorial Claims and Sharing of River Waters. As regards the All-India Gurdwaras Act, the Ministry of Law, the Centre prepared a draft Bill in 1986 in pursuance of the Accord. All state governments and UTs were requested to give their views regarding the enactment of All India Gurdwaras Act. In response thereto, the state government of Punjab sent another draft Bill in 1993. There has been no unanimity on this so far. In the meanwhile Chief Commissioner, Gurdwara Elections, Chandigarh prepared a draft Bill in 1999 on his won initiative which has been circulated to the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee, Amritsar, the National Commission for Minorities and the state government concerned and UTs for their views ad suggestions which are awaited, the Minister told the House. With respect to territorial claims between Punjab and Haryana, the Centre would like states the concerned to sort their differences out over the issue and would be willing to help in the matter, the House was told. |
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Pak officials spying: govt New Delhi, March 21 Mr Abdullah said the Government had also asked the Pakistani Mission to withdraw one of their staff members after he was found having contact with an official of the Parliament Secretariat before the December 13 terrorist strike.
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India, Japan want to be permanent UN members New Delhi, March 21 Replying to questions in the Rajya Sabha, the External Affairs Minister said, “Both countries agree that we should work together in this direction.” He said Japan agreed with India’s view that its entry into the Security Council as a permanent member was aimed at further development of the world body. After the September 11 terror attacks on the USA, Japan had become a part of international efforts to check terrorism and “we are also working with Japan in this regard,” he said. To another query, Mr Jaswant Singh said economic sanctions imposed by Japan after India’s nuclear tests in May, 1998, were unilaterally lifted on October 26, 2001. He agreed that Japanese investments in India were not up to its satisfaction. He said during the recent visit of Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee to Japan, both countries acknowledged that broad economic relations are essential to further strengthen bilateral relations. |
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Saffronisation of education: hearing on PIL today New Delhi, March 21 The applications will be heard by a Bench headed by Chief Justice S.P. Bharucha, which had granted the stay on March 1, while admitting a public interest litigation (PIL) by the Magsaysay Award winner Aruna Roy, columnist B.G. Verghese and another challenging the revised curriculum.
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Priya murder: Chetan’s sons seek discharge Mumbai, March 21 The duo urged the court that they should be discharged because the police had not produced any eyewitnesses to the crime. Their counsel, Mr Satish Maneshinde and Mr Sayaji Nangre, argued that the statement of a key witness, Suresh, was recorded belatedly. Suresh had also allegedly participated in the crime but was not made an accused, they pleaded. Sessions Judge S.P. Nikam adjourned the discharge plea to April 3.
PTI |
NHRC disputes Modi’s claim Ahmedabad, March 21 NHRC Chairman Justice
J.S. Varma said although the commission was still gathering information about the riot-victims and others, its broad perception was that the return of normalcy, as claimed by the government, was not “real” but “deceptive”.
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