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Sunday,
May 19, 2002, Chandigarh, India  
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Indo-Pak tension to affect AICC session IAF fighters chased away Pak plane Pak forced wars on India: Thackeray
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ANALYSIS Dismiss Modi govt, says Paswan Govt asked not to close relief camps in Gujarat
People warned against misuse of Hindutva
No court can pass ex-parte decree
in haste: SC Diarrhoea spreads in Jalpaiguri ‘Act against illegal institutions’ PM’s name mooted for presidentship PM to lay stone of Rohtang tunnel project Ex-CEC Shakdher dead Heat wave claims 25 lives Govt to carry out children’s charter Sikh identity? Ex-minister held in assault case
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Indo-Pak tension to affect AICC session New Delhi, May 18 The session, which was planned with a view to put the government on the mat on its handling of the Gujarat violence, the slowdown in economy and the changed paradigms of India’s foreign policy, may not go the whole hog on either of these issues. In the current atmosphere of tension between India and its western neighbour with the armies of the two countries standing eyeball-to-eyeball, the Congress would not like to be seen as criticising the government too harshly. The Congress has already promised support to any “appropriate action” government takes to put an end to Pakistan-sponsored cross-border terrorism. Extending unqualified support of the Congress to the government in any action to counter terrorism, party president Sonia Gandhi had yesterday asked the government to come out with a strategy to deal with the situation in Jammu and Kashmir. Reminding the government that mere rhetoric would not suffice, Ms Gandhi had said in the Lok Sabha that it should clearly specify its strategy to contain terrorism. With the government engaged in consultations on the nature and quantum of India’s response to Pakistan-backed terrorism, Congress leaders realise that a military response was one of the options being actively considered. A section of the party feels that harsh criticisim of the government for its “failings” at this stage may not go down well with the people. While violence in Gujarat would be a focus of discussions, the party is also likely to give prominence to the issue of cross-border terrorism. Senior members of the
drafting committee, who will meet tomorrow to give a final shape to the resolutions to be adopted at the one-day AICC session, would try to balance the party’s perception of the government’s performance with the prevailing realities on the western frontier. While Mr Arjun Singh is the convener of the committee set up to draft the political resolution, Mr Manmohan Singh is convener of the group finalising the economic resolution and Mr K. Natwar Singh of the panel finalising resolution on international affairs. A meeting of the Congress Working Committee would be held before the resolutions are finalised. The Congress leadership may also be more moderate in projecting its own achievements of forming governments in 14 states. The session, which aimed at giving the right message to the electorate about the next Lok Sabha poll and of the party’s improving prospects under the leadership of Ms Gandhi, may now be more restrained in its tone and tenor. Nearly 1,500 AICC delegates from all parts of the country are expected to attend the session. |
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IAF fighters chased away Pak plane New Delhi, May 18 The aircraft was detected in Indian air space around 6.30 pm on April 14 and with the ongoing border standoff with Pakistan, IAF fighters zoomed into the sky within minutes to intercept it. Quoting IAF air traffic control official in the area, ‘The Week’ in its latest edition said apparently the pilot of the cargo aircraft sensed that Indian fighters were zeroing in on him and changed direction and sneaked back into the Pakistani air space. The magazine said the Defence Ministry had
ordered a probe into the incident as since December 13 attack on Parliament, New Delhi and Islamabad had stopped allowing civilian aircraft overflight rights over each other’s airspace. Though civilian airliners are allowed overflight rights but through predetermined air corridors after obtaining due clearance from the Director-General of Civil Aviation, the magazine said, adding that the plane flew back after IAF fighters had sounded the warning blip to it. Quoting officials, the magazine said the aircraft had turned back after sensing IAF fighters on its tails. “Its intentions were not noble” they said. The magazine said the intrusion had raised several uncomfortable questions as to the intentions of aircraft and whether it was on a
clandestine mission to drop arms in riot torn Gujarat. It said the probe would also look into why the IAF fighters were unable to force the cargo plane to land at Bhuj or Nalia airbases.
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Pak forced wars on India: Thackeray Mumbai, May 18 Pakistan would again get a befitting reply if it indulged in any misadventure, he said. In an interview to the Sahyadri channel of Doordarshan which was telecast late on Friday, Mr Thackeray reiterated that present conditions were leading towards a civil war in the country. Responding to a question on illegal immigrants in the country, the Sena chief said there were about three lakh Bangladeshis staying illegally in Mumbai. “I have reiterated that they should be driven out of the country,’’ he said, ‘’since they engage in anti-national activities which is harming India.’’ Referring to those members of the minority community who
indulged in ‘anti-India’ activities, Mr Thackeray remarked, “Such people should have left the country during the Partition, since Pakistan was created as a Muslim country.’’ “It is our large-heartedness that we are still allowing them to stay in India’’, he said. In response to questions revolving around his life and times and the present democratic set-up in the country, Mr Thackeray suggested a way to curtail the heavy expenditure involved in holding elections. He felt it would be better if political parties did not field individual candidates for elections. Instead, he said, every party must stand for election and seek votes on the basis of its performance as a whole. Only then would the country see a stable government, he added. When asked about his friendship with NCP chief Sharad Pawar and Defence Minister George Fernandes, Mr Thackeray said that both had been his friends for a long time. “I have never tried to take advantage of our friendship’’, he remarked.
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RSS wants attack on PoK New Delhi, May 18 “If this is all India is going to do, we must say it is highly disappointing and an eyewash,” VHP international president V H Dalmia said. It was merely a “cosmetic step” which would not serve the purpose, Mr Dalmia said and demanded that the Army be given a free hand to decide the future course of action as the government was unable to take the right decision. The
RSS, while welcoming the move as a “first step in the right direction,” reiterated its demand to launch an attack on PoK to destroy terrorist training camps. “India should not be blackmailed by the threat of a nuclear war and it should not shy away from taking military action against Pakistan,” RSS spokesman M G Vaidya said. Terming the recall of the envoy as a “mild response”, the Shiv Sena said India would not be able to achieve anything out of it. “It’s too late and too little,” Sena vice-president Abhimanyu Gulati said. He also called for an attack on PoK to destroy terrorist camps similar to the US bombardment of
Al-Qaida bases in Afghanistan. Mr Gulati also urged the USA to declare a war against Pakistan under its anti-terrorism policy as it did in Afghanistan. In a memorandum to US Ambassador Robert Blackwill he said if the USA did not initiate any action against Pakistan, its policy of double standards would be exposed to the world.
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Muslim leaders decry Kaluchak massacre New Delhi, May 18 In a joint statement here, they said: “The gruesome incident is most brutal, inhuman and highly provocative.” “Targeting of innocent citizens, including women and children, cannot be justified under any pretext and violates all norms of decency and morality.” “We request the international community to take serious note of the continued terror tactics aimed at innocent civilians in India and make sure that the patrons of such ghastly acts are held accountable”. |
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ANALYSIS New Delhi, May 18 Is it the beginning of the end of the Bahujan Samaj Party sway on the Dalit votes or is this the beginning of consolidation of Hindu votes? Whether Dalits will part company with the minorities, particularly the Muslims, or not is one of the issues which will determine the course of national politics in the months to come. While the BJP has struck an alliance with BSP after suppressing a lot of reluctance from its grassroot leaders in the hope that it will get Dalit votes transferred to its candidates in the next Lok Sabha elections, it seems well nigh impossible that Muslims will remain with the party led by Mayawati and Kanshi Ram. A Dalit leader, Shyam Sunder Lal, a Lok Sabha MP of Janata Party vintage, says Ms Mayawati’s kind of Dalit politics has reached its zenith as it will be difficult for her to transfer all her votes to the BJP candidates in the next elections. Moreover, Ms Mayawati, who is claiming to be following Bhim Rao Ambedkar’s line of politics, is now trapped in the game of power and it will be increasingly difficult for her to live up to the expectations of Ambedkerites, Mr Lal says. Dependent on the support of the BJP for the survival of her government, Ms Mayawati and BSP supremo Kanshi Ram will have to make compromises. In the process, the BSP’s hold over its Dalit following will get eroded, Mr Lal points out. Meanwhile, a challenge to the BSP has started emerging, as evident at the rally organised jointly by the Jamaat-e- Ulema-e-Hind and the Chairman of the SC and ST Confederation Udit Raj nee Ram Raj last month. If Mr Udit Raj decides to enter the electoral arena, he is bound to pose a threat to the BSP. While Ms Mayawati will remain the leader of her sub-caste, Mr Udit Raj will attract other denominations of Dalits, marking the beginning of the phase of fragmentation of Dalit votes. Another centre of Dalit politics is former Minister Ram Vilas Paswan, who by resigning from the Vajpayee government on the Gujarat issue, will be vying with the BSP for Dalit votes. His Lok Janshakti Party is likely to play an important role. So, the BJP, which has been hoping to get Dalit votes transferred to its candidates in the next Lok Sabha elections, will only get a portion of Dalit votes in the Hindi-speaking belt. But the mainstay of the BJP high-caste vote bank will get eroded in the process as Ms Mayawati is bound to annoy many in her attempt to please minorities and her traditional following of Dalits. Another factor, which is a cause of worry for the BJP, is the
attitude of state leaders like former Chief Minister Rajnath Singh, who have accepted BSP-BJP alliance with a heavy heart and not with conviction. In the months to come, Dalit politics is bound to undergo transformation. |
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Dismiss Modi govt, says Paswan New Delhi, May 18 Briefing newspersons after the inaugural session of the two-day National Executive meeting of the LJP, Mr Paswan, who had quit the NDA recently on the Gujarat issue, said nobody could justify non-restoration of normalcy for months. Even after Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee had pulled up Modi for inaction, the BJP National Executive had given a clean chit to the Gujarat Chief Minister in Goa, he regretted. The LJP, he said, would hold conferences to strengthen secularism among Dalit and Muslim youths in all states in the coming months. Mr Paswan said successive
electoral defeats for the BJP and the NDA in the Assembly elections had shown that it was a vote against the economic policy pursued by the coalition. The BJP had not stuck to its promise of keeping aside contentious issues like Ayodhya. The government had openly aligned with the Hindutva forces on the eve of elections to the Uttar Pradesh Assembly, he alleged. Mr Paswan said economic policies pursued by the Centre, particularly disinvestment, had resulted in the employed losing jobs whereas no new jobs had been created. Prices of foodgrains and cooking gas and second-class train fare had gone up while the cost of imported liquor had come down. On the issue of tackling terrorism, the party was fully with the Government in the national interest. “We are no saints to sit patiently when attacked,” he said. UNI |
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Govt asked not to close relief camps in Gujarat New Delhi, May 18 In a letter written to Home Minister L.K. Advani, the MPs said it was reported that some relief camps were about to be closed as had been revealed by a letter written by Gujarat minister Bharat Bharot. “The victims have been asked to return to their homes which were destroyed by mobs and do not exist any more. Furthermore, they have been attacked by the neighbours and there are pamphlets in wide circulation exhorting Hindus not to employ Muslims and to boycott Muslim shops and businesses. In such circumstances where will they return to?” they wondered. They said it seemed that the state administration had made a “devious plan to shift the riot victims as far away from Ahmedabad and out of public eye.” The MPs asked the government to clearly spell out the compensation package to the victims, criteria for eligibility and the time frame for paying compensation. They cited some cases where victims have been given cheques for Rs 200 to Rs 300 as compensation for their house being destroyed. They demanded that the rule that calls for a death certificate or a corpse for the next of kin to qualify for compensation should be waived as many bodies had been either burnt or buried in mass graves making
retrieval impossible. This was waived in case of earthquake victims. The MPs asked the Gujarat Government to take immediate action on these suggestions to restore the confidence of people and return normalcy to the beleaguered state. Stating that the situation in Gujarat was a national calamity, they asked the government to permit MPs contribute to the relief efforts in Gujarat with funds available to them under the MP Local Area Development Scheme. Mr Eduardo Faleiro and Justice Ranganath Mishra of the Congress, Ram Gopal Yadav (Samajwadi Party), Prof Ram Deo Bhandary (Rashtriya Janata Dal), Mirza Abdul Rashid (National Conference), Sarla Maheshwari (CPM), Dr Arun Kumar Sarma (AGP), Kuldip Nayyar and B.S. Ramoowalia were the signatory to the letter.
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People warned against misuse of Hindutva Bangalore, May 18 “Let us not permit the misuse of the Hindutva concept for evil designs, which promotes hatred and disintegration of the nation,” he said, delivering the keynote address after inaugurating the Centre for Study of
Casteism, Communalism and the Law (CSCCL) on the National Law School of India University campus here. Verma said it was a matter of great relief for the people of the country as the communal flare-up that raged through parts of Gujarat was confined only to that state and did not spread to other states. He stressed that anyone talking of religion as a “divisive tool” should be rejected and time had come for educating the people on these issues. “The real danger to the nation is from people within. We must guard ourselves against dangers from within”, he said, without naming any outfit or anyone. He defended his stand on opposing the controversial
POTA, saying, he was not averse to making specific laws to deal with any crime or situation and added there was no need for new laws when existing ones were adequate.
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No court can pass ex-parte decree
in haste: SC New Delhi, May 18 The provision contained in Order Nine, Rule Six of the Code of Civil Procedure, the court said, made it obligatory for the courts to first feel satisfied that the summons were duly served and only then they were conferred with the discretion to issue an order that the suit be heard ex-parte. “Any default or casual approach on part of the court in this regard may result in depriving a person of his valuable right to participate in the hearing,’’ the court observed. The ruling was handed down by a Bench comprising Justices R. C. Lahoti and B. N. Agrawal while allowing an appeal by a shopkeeper. Mr Sushil Kumar Sabharwal’s plea was directed against a judgement of the Punjab and Haryana High Court confirming an ex-parte decree of eviction by the trial court. According to the appellant, he was not served with the summons in due time. The question before the apex court was whether the defendant-tenant could be said to have been properly served in the manner contemplated by the code? The apex court found several lapses on the part of the process server. On the alleged refusal by the defendant, either he did not affix a copy of the summons on the wall of the shop or the endorsement made by him on the back of the summons did not support him — rather contradicted him.
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Diarrhoea spreads in Jalpaiguri Coochbehar (WB), May 18 Health Department officials had visited the areas yesterday and came to know that tea workers in Satali, Dima and a few other gardens of Jalpaiguri district were also suffering from the disease causing concern to the authorities, additional District Magistrate Srikumar Mandal said here. Official sources said 18 persons died of the disease at Chuapara, Radharani, Mechpara and Raimatang tea gardens, while local MLA Nirmal Das claimed that 27 persons had died so far. Meanwhile, the three-member experts’ team from the National Institute of Communicable Diseases which had gone back to Kolkata after collecting stool samples of the patients is believed to have identified the bacterium “sigella bacillus’ as the cause of the disease.
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‘Act against illegal institutions’ Hyderabad, May 18 Addressing a press conference here, he said a group of ministers, in their report on internal security, had expressed grave concern about ‘’proliferation’’ and ‘’misuse’’ of places of worship and religious institutions. It had stressed the need for greater surveillance on such institutions and madarsas, particularly, in the border areas. In the wake of such reports, the Centre had directed all states to initiate action against such institutions under the provisions of the Prevention of Misuse of Religious Institutions Act, 1988, he said. Besides the governments of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and West Bengal had enacted legislations for regulating construction of such places of worship and religious institutions, he added. He said some madarsas had come under a cloud as they had become vulnerable. “Some anti-national forces are using such madarsas, and ISI is illegally funding these through hawala channels. Such madarsas have to be dealt with seriously’’, he added. He appealed to the Muslim leaders to avail themselves of the benefits being given by the Human Resources Development Ministry to modernise madarsas and introduce subjects like science, mathematics and computer science. The steps being taken by the Centre were meant to safeguard the ethos and tradition of Indian Muslims, he opined. Mr Rao said there were 31,857 madarsas in the country which were receiving money from local religious institutions and foreign countries. ‘’Some are getting legitimately through the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act’’.
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PM’s name mooted for presidentship New Delhi, May 18 In case Mr Vajpayee was unable to take the assignment, the forum at a meeting here recommended names of Human Resource Development Minister Murli Manohar Joshi or BJP President Jana Krishnamurthy, Father of Green Revolution M.S. Swaminathan, former Maharashtra Chief Minister A.R. Antulay, former Karnataka Chief Minister Rama Krishna Hegde, former Chief Justices V.R. Krishna Aiyer and S.P. Bharucha for the post. It would be advisable to select a person below 80 years with good health so that he could perform his duties properly, it said. “The forum hopes that the seasoned and methodical Prime Minister will take proper decisions and there is no person of Mr Vajpayee’s calibre to head the country at present,’’ Mr R.K. Ram said in a press note here. The forum said as the present President was from Kerala and a Christian, therefore it would not be advisable to consider the name of Dr P.C. Alexander, who is also from the same state and a Christian.
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PM to lay stone of Rohtang tunnel project New Delhi, May 18 The tunnel will be constructed beneath Rohtang Pass and is aimed at making the Manali-Leh highway an all-weather road. The project will be implemented by the Border Roads Organisation and is expected to be completed within five years. In a statement issued here today, the Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh, Prof Prem Kumar Dhumal said after the tunnel was constructed, the distance between Manali and Keylong would be reduced by 46 km and would boost economic activities in the region. He said Jammu and Kashmir would be connected by an all-weather alternative and safe road link as Kishtwar would be connected through the Pangi Valley. The Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister also urged the Centre to offer a special package for industrialisation in the state on the pattern of the north-eastern states. He also called for extension of income tax holiday from the 2004 to 2010. In order to tackle the acute shortage of drinking water in the state, he placed a Rs 27-crore special assistance demand before the Centre. |
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Ex-CEC Shakdher dead New Delhi, May 18 He was 83 and left behind a son, a daughter-in-law, widow of another son and a daughter. Shakdher breathed his last at the All-India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) where he was admitted three days ago after he suffered a pneumonia attack, family sources said. First Secretary of Parliamentary Affairs, Shakdher has co-authored a book ‘Practice and Procedures of Parliament’. He will be cremated tomorrow.
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Heat wave claims 25 lives Jaipur, May 18 Nine more persons died due to sunstroke in Kota, Alwar, Boondi, Baran and Jaipur districts yesterday, reports said. There seems no sight of a respite as the Weather Office has said the heat wave is likely to stay in Bikaner and Jodhpur divisions and Ajmer city for the next 24 hours. A Kota report said four unidentified persons were found dead yesterday. Maharaj Bheemrao Hospital sources said all four had died of sunstroke. Earlier, 16 casualties had been reported from Chittorgarh, Jaipur, Kota, Udaipur, Jahalawad, Boondi and Baran districts. People in the state capital, too, have had no respite from the sweltering heat as the mercury stayed put at 45° Celsius, four degree above normal. A report from Alwar quoting the police said an octogenarian woman was found dead near a hospital yesterday. After a post-mortem, her last rites were performed. Also, a youth who had been hospitalised after a sunstroke died yesterday. Ramchandra Dhakad died at Nainka town in Boondi district while Mohammad Bhai, who was being treated for sunstroke in the Government hospital at Baran also succumbed last evening, the Kota report added. In another heat wave-related incident, an unidentified person died at Fulera village in Jaipur district yesterday, the police said.
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Govt to carry out children’s charter Dehra Dun, May 18 Speaking at the inauguration of the International Conference of Mountain Children 2002” here today, the minister said it was a proud moment that Cyril Raphael was representing Uttaranchal at the Global Children’s Movement of which Nelson Mandela and his wife wee slated to be chairpersons. The 17-point ‘Charter of Children’s Secretariat for Uttaranchal states that there is need for
improvement buildings of schools provision of modern facilities for practical subjects in schools participation of students in assessments carried out by teachers; high standard in appointment of teachers provision of regular attendance of teachers; disciplinary action on teachers who force students to undergo tuitions; provision of facilities for games; promotion of cultural activities and establishment of libraries; strict implementation of child marriage and child labour laws; mass awareness for equal opportunity in education for the girlchild; free education for children of economically weaker families, elimination evils of society
like liquor and gambling, special attention to the education of physically challenged children saving of rivers and the environment, facilitation of guidance to children, participation of children in formulation of all policies related to development of children, and equal opportunity of education for children in Uttaranchal. |
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Sikh identity? New Delhi, May 18 The 26-year-old also does not feel “comfortable’’ with using the Sikh title of “Singh’’ in his name. Harpreet Khurana (name changed) says he clips his beard because he looks “smarter’’ with trimmed hair on his face. However, the 28-year-old does it stealthily because he knows his septuagenarian father, a retired defence official, would never forgive him “damaging the very symbol of Sikh identity’’. “If most Sikhs in their home-state Punjab can cut their hair and yet call themselves Sikhs, what’s wrong if I do it here (Delhi),’’ he asked. Justifications of this nature have spurred concern among the guardians of the faith who foresee Sikhs losing their identity if the community’s young generation was not “convinced’’ that uncut hair well-contained in a turban were more than just one of the five Ks or Sikh religious symbols. “Just telling them the tales of the sacrifices made by 10th Guru Gobind Singh will not serve any purpose. We have to sit dispassionately and come out with reason to justify the importance of preserving the hallmark of a faith,’’ noted scholar and classical singer Surinder Singh of the Singh Bandhu duo said. He blamed the growing detachment of young Sikhs from the “very nucleus of the faith’’ on an ordinary Sikh’s “emotional wedding to Punjab’’. “The trend of Sikhs cutting hair began in Punjab as a direct fallout of militancy as some of the top militant leaders had cut their hair short,’’ he said.
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Ex-minister held in assault case Pondicherry, May 18 Some volunteers of the All-India Youth Federation, the youth wing of the CPI, led by Mr Viswanathan entered the college last evening and allegedly attacked the participants of a 10-day free coaching camp organised by the Sanskrita Bharathi, the police said. The secretary of the CPI state committee, Mr N. Kalainathan, dismissed the charges and claimed that the partymen had gone to oppose the camp allegedly spreading message of the RSS and alleged that the camp was giving training in handling arms. Meanwhile, the secretary of the local unit of the BJP, Mr Ragu Sundararaman, described the alleged attack as ‘barbaric’ and a result of Mr Viswanathan’s defeat by the BJP in the last Assembly elections. The BJP had written to the Lieut-Governor, the Chief Minister, the IGP and the Union Minister of State for Home Vidyasager Rao on the incident.
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Two idols stolen from temple Kaushambi, May 18 Police sources said here yesterday that two persons including the temple priest were arrested in this connection.
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