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Wednesday,
April 24, 2002, Chandigarh, India  
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Oppn urges NDA allies to vote against govt Ruling on motion unfortunate: PM
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BJP never asked for Dy CM’s post: Mishra Gulshan case: order today
Ruckus in TN House Jaya-Karunanidhi spat goes on unabated India, China
discuss counter-terrorism Prem Bhatia Trust scholarships Plea on homosexuality: govt seeks time for reply Girl raped, left with prostitute
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Oppn urges NDA allies to vote against govt New Delhi, April 23 Speaking to mediapersons here, Parliamentary Party leader of the CPM, Mr Somnath Chaterjee, welcomed the admission of the motion under Rule 184 by Deputy Speaker P.M. Sayeed. He blamed the government for the stalemate in Parliament over the issue for the past one week. Calling upon the NDA allies to support the motion, Mr Chaterjee said: “Unity and integrity are under assault from communal and fascist forces.” The government should now accept the demand of the Opposition to discuss the Gujarat incidents in the Rajya Sabha under Rule 170, he added. Samajwadi Party president Mulayam Singh Yadav expressed unhappiness over the Opposition motion not mentioning Gujarat Chief Minister, but pinned hopes on the NDA allies, including the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) rallying against the government. Incidentally, it was a motion moved by SP member Ramji Lal Suman which was accepted by the Deputy Speaker under Rule 184. Mr Yadav, who was instrumental in forging a united opposition in the House on the Gujarat issue, said the letter did not mention Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, whose removal had been the major demand of the Opposition. Congress chief spokesman Jaipal Reddy called upon the NDA allies to vote “according to their conscience” in the vote on the Gujarat issue in the Lok Sabha. He said a defeat of the government in the Lok Sabha would be moral defeat and would not amount to the government being voted out of power. Congress leaders also pointed out that there was nothing unusual in the ruling of Deputy Speaker who had permitted discussion on Gujarat under Rule 184. Citing earlier rulings, Mr Priyaranjan Dasmunshi said there had been several instances in the past decade in which discussions had been admitted under Rule 184. Even Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee, when he was in Opposition in 1995, had moved a motion under Rule 184 along with Mr Somnath Chaterjee and Mr George Fernandes over the government’s failure to put down Pakistan-sponsored terrorism and desecration of Charar-e-Sharif. While Mr Sharad Pawar had moved a motion under Rule 184 in 1997 about atrocities on Harijans in Maharashtra, Mr Ram Vilas Paswan had moved motion under similar rule in 1995 about action on Vohra Committee report. |
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Ruling on motion unfortunate: PM New Delhi, April 23 Maintaining that law and order was a state subject, the Prime Minister told reporters it was not the job of Parliament to discuss state issues and it should not be treated as a “precedent” in future. However, Mr Vajpayee said the
government would abide by the ruling. “We have to accept it”, the Prime Minister said about the ruling. Repeatedly pointing to the wording of the motion, he said under that the entire country’s law and order situation will be discussed with particular reference to Gujarat. About criticism that minorities were in danger in India, Mr Vajpayee said: "Minorities enjoyed equal rights and were getting full protection”. Asked if the NDA was hopeful of weathering the motion in the Lok Sabha, the Prime Minister replied: "Even our opponents who have moved the motion know what fate it will meet”. On whether such a motion would have been admitted if ruling NDA had its own nominee as the Speaker, Mr Vajpayee said “This Speaker is also ours”. Asked to comment on the reported move of the European Union equating the carnage in Gujarat to that carried out by the Nazis, the Prime Minister said the European Union had since denied passage of such a resolution. Mr Vajpayee also ruled out any immediate pullout of the Army from Gujarat. Meanwhile, Union Home Minister L.K. Advani told his party MPs this morning at the BJP Parliamentary Party meeting that they should accept Deputy Speaker P.M. Sayeed’s ruling with dignity irrespective of its nature. |
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Cong against foreign comments on Gujarat New Delhi, April 23 Virtually endorsing the government’s position on the issue, Congress chief spokesman Jaipal Reddy said: "Everybody needs to take note that democracy in India is alive and kicking. The country has an independent judiciary, vibrant media and a powerful parliament to take the Executive to account," he said. Mr Reddy said aberrations, if any, could be corrected by the developed democratic institutions in the country. "It redounds to the glory of Indian democracy that there have been sustained and vehement protests in the country over what happened in Gujarat,” Mr Reddy said. Asked about the Congress taking objection to the remarks of some foreign leaders on Gujarat situation when the party leaders had described the killings in Gujarat as "genocide," Mr Reddy said that there were corrective mechanisms in the country for any aberrations. He described the role of Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi as a "notable aberration. |
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Muslims blame PM for Gujarat violence New Delhi, April 23 Condemning the continued “violence against Muslims” in Gujarat, leaders of the Muslim League, the All-India Muslim Law
Conference (AIMLC), the Quami Foundation and various Milli organisations criticised the statements as “not only against the Indian Muslims but against the Islamic world”. “Just when the violence seemed to die down, came the unprovoked anti-Islamic statements from Mr Vajpayee, which once again emboldened the fascists to unleash more violence,” Idris Bastawi, secretary-general of the Quami Foundation, said at the Save Democracy convention today. AIMLC president Akhtar Misbahi said it was the Prime Minister who had two faces and not Islam. First, he says he is ashamed of the Gujarat incidents and then within days, makes anti-Muslim statements, the two faces are exposed, he said, adding that the utterances were that of an “extremist practitioner of Hindutva”. Accusing the Gujarat Government of not launching a solid rehabilitation drive, Muslim League MP G.M. Banatwallah said around one lakh victims were being deprived of basic amenities. Congress MP Kapil Sibal said the communal violence reflected the “true face of BJP’s politics” and said Gujarat was just a “test laboratory of that party”. The Prime Minister’s statements at Goa proved that there is “hardly any difference between him and Mr Narendra Modi,” he added. Squarely blaming the RSS for the Gujarat violence, senior Congress leader Arjun Singh said the so-called pro-Hindutva organisation was bent upon dividing the nation along communal lines. “The RSS is out to disturb the peace in the country. Right from its formation in 1925, the Sangh has been making efforts to control the government in one way or the other ... We have to thwart their attempt to divide the nation along communal lines,” Mr Arjun Singh said at the convention. Meanwhile, the All-India Peoples
Resistance Forum has described the communal carnage in Gujarat as the “greatest man-made tragedy of modern India” and demanded that the President should dismiss the Central and Gujarat governments for “conspiring to kill” its own citizens. Releasing the all-India fact finding panel’s report on Gujarat carnage, AIPRF general secretary G.N. Saibaba said it was premeditated and planned.
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BJP never asked for Dy CM’s post: Mishra Lucknow, April 23 Mr Mishra told The Tribune that party had never asked for the post and was not hankering for it. “Talks are on with BSP leaders on the nitty-gritty of the proposed government with the focus on likely arrangements,” he said. There were red faces in the BJP after the President of the BSP, Mr Kanshi Ram, had ruled out any post of Deputy CM in the proposed BSP-BJP government with Ms Mayawati as Chief Minister. There were at least two contenders for the post from the BJP — a former Urban Development Minister in BJP government, Mr Lalji Tandon and a former Higher Education Minister, Mr Om Prakash Singh. Though Mr Tandon objected to Mr Kanshi Ram’s statement, Mr Om Prakash Singh observed silence. Reacting to the statement of the BSP supremo, Mr Mishra said: “When the negotiations are still going on, he should not have issued any statement. This is against the principle of collective leadership.” However, whatever Mr Mishra says, the fact remains that there was a scramble among the party leaders for the coveted post. Highly-placed sources in the BJP vouch that initially even the BSP leaders had agreed to this proposal. But once differences among the leaders over this post cropped up, the BSP leaders put their foot down. Then Mr Kanshi Ram issued a statement saying that there could not be two power centres in a coalition government. According to Mr Mishra, talks with the BSP are at the final stage. He, along with Mr Tandon, is expected to meet the national Vice-President of the BSP, Ms Mayawati, tomorrow. “Probably, this would be the last meeting and in this we would be able to prepare the blueprint of the alliance,” he said. The agenda of the talks is likely to be the formation of coordination committee, the nitty-gritty of common minimum programme and distribution of portfolios among the allies. Ms Mayawati has shown willingness to keep important portfolios like Home, Finance and Power with her and agreed to give PWD, Health, Agriculture, etc to the BJP. Ms Mayawati is likely to head a 45-member Cabinet. Mr Mishra is keeping mum on the strength of the proposed Cabinet. “Just wait and see. The BJP-BSP government will be installed soon, “ he said. |
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Gulshan case: order today Mumbai, April 23 Continuing dictation of his order that had begun yesterday, the Additional Sessions Judge M.L. Tahilyani observed that going by the evidences furnished by the prosecution, the charge of conspiracy against the accused for killing Gulshan Kumar in 1997 were not substantiated. The final judgement is expected by tomorrow. According to the prosecution, Gulshan Kumar, the owner of T-Series, was killed because of business rivalry. Ramesh Taurani, the alleged prime conspirator and director of Tips Cassettes, had reportedly paid Rs 25 lakh contract money to music composer Nadeem Akhtar Saifee, who in turn passed on the amount to Dubai-based gangster Abu Salem for executing the murder, the prosecution claimed. The conspiracy was hatched in Dubai where Nadeem, Abu Salem and accused-turned-approver Mohammad Ali Shaikh were present. Gulshan Kumar was killed on August 12, 1997, outside a temple in suburban Juhu. At that time, Nadeem was in London on holiday with his family. Since then he has not returned. The Indian Government filed an extradition case against him in a London court, which discharged him and awarded Rs 7.3 crore damages.
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Ruckus in TN House Chennai, April 23 The suspended members were former DMK minister K. Ponmudi and former Assembly Deputy Speaker Parithi Ilamvazhuthi. Ilamvazhuthi raised the issue during zero hour and wanted to know from Speaker K Kalimuthu the fate of a call attention notice on the issue. Mr Ponmudi said he had given notice for an adjournment motion and all DMK MLAs wanted the issue to be taken up today as it was an “urgent and important” issue. Even as the Speaker said the issue was under his consideration, most DMK MLAs sat on the well of the House, demanding that it should be taken up today itself. DMK members’ action sparked off a furious protest from the Treasury Benches and most of them were seen running towards the front benches. At this point, Ilamvazhuthi was seen gesticulating towards the Speaker, which was protested by the AIADMK members.
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Jaya-Karunanidhi spat goes on unabated Chennai, April 23 “Without comprehending the speech I made in English, Mr Karunanidhi as usual is flinging unnecessary criticism and has created controversy,” she told the House, drawing protests from the DMK Opposition leader, Mr K. Anbazhagan. “It is not fair to belittle the party leader who has been the Chief Minister for 14 years,” he said. Except for a brief appearance on the opening day of the current session of the Assembly, Mr Karunanidhi has stayed away from the daily sittings. But outside, the slanging match between him and Ms Jayalalitha continues unabated. Clashes between DMK and AIADMK members have become a daily routine in the Assembly, but the former are handicapped by the overwhelming strength of the ruling party. The introduction on Monday by Ms Jayalalitha of a Bill banning MLA’s and MP’s from holding key posts in local bodies is seen by the DMK and other Opposition parties as being targeted at Mr M.K. Stalin, who is currently the Mayor of Chennai as well as a member of the state Assembly. The proposed legislation is being given retrospective effect, and this, Mr Anbazhagan considers, is “unfair.” Mr Karunanidhi welcomes the one-man-one-post principle, but he sees “bad intentions” in the Bill’s retrospective effect. Mr Stalin, who is Mr Karunanidhi’s son has a little doubt that the legislation is solely directed against him since the AIADMK government cannot reconcile itself to his recent re-election to the Mayor’s post. With the impending three byelections to the state Assembly, the DMK-AIADMK unseemly war of words can only intensify. The DMK-BJP relations have lately seen a downward trend and Ms Jayalalitha is not missing the opportunity to exploit them to her advantage. The DMK-led NDA in the state is also showing signs of cracks, and the beneficiary clearly is Ms Jayalalitha. On the whole, the political scene in Tamil Nadu is not the one that can inspire voters, especially, during byelections.
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India, China
discuss counter-terrorism New Delhi, April 23 Both sides shared their national experiences on dealing with the phenomenon of terrorism and exchanged views on the international counter-terrorism situation, including developments in the region and possibilities of bilateral cooperation. Both sides agreed that the first meeting of the dialogue mechanism was useful in enhancing mutual understanding. Both sides agreed on the terms of reference for the dialogue. The next round of the dialogue will be held in Beijing early next year, a spokesperson for the Ministry of External Affairs said today. The Chinese delegation was led by Mr Li Baodong, Director General (International Organisations) of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The Indian delegation was led by Mr Nalin Surie, Joint Secretary (East Asia), Ministry of External Affairs. |
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Prem Bhatia Trust scholarships New Delhi, April 23 According to a press statement issued by the Trust here yesterday the last date for the receipt of applications is May 30. Journalists between the age of 20 and 40 years can apply for the scholarship. Journalists can apply along with a synopsis of the proposed subject of research and address it to the Managing Trustee, Prem Bhatia Memorial Trust, C-484, Defence Colony, New Delhi-110 024. For more information related to the scholarship, they can log on to www.prembhatiatrust.com. The trust has also announced that Prof Dipankar Gupta, Professor of Sociology, Jawaharlal Nehru University, will deliver the seventh Prem Bhatia memorial lecture on ‘India after Gujarat’ at 6.30 pm at India International Centre on August 11. |
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Plea on homosexuality: govt seeks time for reply New Delhi, April 23 “We (Centre) are not only examining the legal issue but also the social and ethical issues connected with it,” the government counsel told a Bench comprising Mr Justice Devinder Gupta and Mr Justice S. Mukherjee and sought six weeks’ time to file reply on the issue. The Bench, however, dismissed a petition by a Kannur-based social organisation Joint Action Council (JAC), which has opposed the petition saying that the court was not the right forum to decide the issue. But the court granted liberty to JAC to become intervener petitioner in the issue. The court, which had taken cognizance of a public interest litigation (PIL) in December had issued notice to the Union Government, the Ministry of Social Welfare, Delhi Government, Delhi Police Commissioner and National AIDS Council, asking them to file their replies.
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Girl raped, left with prostitute Rajahmundry (AP), April 23 The girl, claiming to be 16 years of age and belonging to Guddayilanka village, lodged a complaint with the Rajolu police last night, 13 days after the occurrence of the crime. In the complaint the girl said the gang members kidnapped her while returning from a night show. After raping her, she was handed over to a prostitute at Machavaram village. When she escaped from there, she was caught by the gang members and raped repeatedly. After freeing herself from their clutches, she lodged the complaint after consultation with her parents. The police has registered a case of rape and sent her to the government hospital for medical examination. The police said preliminary investigation had revealed that the girl was a prostitute and had lodged the complaint on the advice of an advocate to get compensation from the government. However, it said a search was on to arrest the gang members.
UNI
Minister’s son runs amok, shoots boy Saharsa (Bihar), April 23 Babloo, who was allegedly in an inebriated condition, suddenly fired several rounds while a dancer was performing at an orchestra party at Khedan Baba Chowk in Bihar’s Mahdepura town, the sources said.
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Veerappan’s man surrenders Coimbatore, April 23 The accomplice, Ramu (35), is an accused in Kannada matinee idol Rajkumar kidnap case and the police was on the lookout for him. Magistrate Krishnan remanded Ramu in judicial custody till April 29. He was lodged in the Bhavani sub-jail, the police added.
UNI FIR against
MCI ex-chief New Delhi, April 23 Submitting a status report, the CBI said the FIR was registered on December 21 last year and the matter was being investigated. On March 22, the high court had asked the CBI to furnish information by April 22 about the steps taken by the agency in compliance with the court’s November order.
UNI
Railway Budget passed in LS New Delhi, April 23 Replying to a discussion on the Budget, he said under the formula, 15 per cent weightage each was being given to population and geography and the rest 70 per cent to resources.
Quake relief for Afghanistan New Delhi, April 23 Most of the consignment has already been airlifted. Additional humanitarian assistance in the form of 10 tonnes of medicines was sent to the earthquake site in Nahrin 20 days ago, a spokesperson for the Ministry of External Affairs said today. 
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