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Friday,
May 24, 2002, Chandigarh, India  
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India
briefs UK, USA on border situation BJP,
Samata differ on next President |
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VHP to
start ‘trishul diksha’ Govt
misusing Harijan Act, says Mulayam Goa poll
scene hazy LS
prorogued Senior Customs officer
in CBI net 145
lawyers found guilty Assistant
Labour Commissioner arrested Kolkata
reels under massive power cuts
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India briefs UK, USA on border situation
New Delhi, May 23 The Indian position was conveyed unequivocally by the Chief of the Army Staff, Gen S. Padmanabham and the Chief of the Naval Staff, Admiral Madhvendra Singh, to the visiting UK Chief of Defence Staff, Admiral Michael Boyce, during their meetings here. Admiral Boyce, who arrived here yesterday, was also told about the intensification in firing from the Pakistani side on Indian targets in recent days. He was apprised of various incidents in which Pakistan’s hand had been proved. India has also informed the USA in unequivocal terms that Pakistan must stop cross-border terrorism as there was a strong public opinion within the country for giving an “appropriate response” to the actions from across the border. Giving evidence of the Pakistani involvement in the latest incidents in India, Defence Secretary Yogendra Narain during his discussions with senior Bush Administration officials in Washington has said despite repeated assurances Islamabad seems to have no intentions of fulfilling the conditions put forward by New Delhi. Mr Narain was in the USA as the head of a 14-member inter-services delegation for the three-day Defence Policy Group meeting. The group is the apex body to review and give further impetus to the ongoing defence cooperation between the Defence Ministries and the Defence Services of the two countries. A Defence Ministry note today said Mr Narain, accompanied by Indian Ambassador to the US Lalit Mansingh, met US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the USA Gen R Myers, Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage and Deputy National Security Adviser Stephen Hadley.  |
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BJP, Samata differ on next President
New Delhi, May 23 The comments of the Samata Party leader and the Railway Minister, Mr Nitish Kumar, at Patna that noted scientist Abdul Kalam Azad was Samata Party’s first choice for the next President does not seem to have gone down well with the BJP. Reacting to Mr Nitish Kumar’s comments to this effect, BJP General Secretary Pyarelal Khandelwal said once the NDA authorised Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee on the choice of next President, every constituent was bound by the decision. “If some leader from the NDA parties is speaking outside the NDA, it was for that party to make him realise (about the NDA authorising Mr Vajpayee) this,’’ he said. Samata Party spokesman Shambhu Srivastava, however, defended Mr Nitish Kumar suggesting the name by saying that there was no harm in NDA allies coming out with suggestions and choices. The Prime Minister was authorised to talk to the allies and the Opposition parties for arriving at a consensus candidate. “However, ultimately, everyone will abide by the choice made by Mr Vajpayee,” he said. Though the BJP has not taken any official decision on the issue, the party is inclined to back Maharashtra Governor P.C. Alexander for the country’s topmost job when President K.R. Narayanan completes his term. The BJP and the Samata are also locked in a bitter fight on the choice of candidate for the Rajya Sabha byelection in Jharkhand. The vacancy has been caused by the death of Mr Dayanand Sahai, an Independent attached to the Samata Party. While the BJP has fielded its Jharkhand unit chief Abhay Kant, the Samata insists that it should have its candidate to fill the Rajya Sabha vacancy. The Samata Party which has five MLAs has announced the name of Mr Raj Kishore.
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VHP to start ‘trishul diksha’ Lucknow, May 23 The first phase of this programme will start from the state capital though the date and the venue of this ‘diksha programme’ is yet a secret. The state convener of the Bajrang Dal, Mr Ved Prakash Sachan, told The Tribune here today that at least 100 Hindu volunteers would be trained to use ‘trishul’ as a weapon at the time of crisis. Elaborating on the necessity to have such a camp in Utter Pradesh, Mr Sachan said that in Gujarat the Hindu pride was saved only because over a lakh and a half Hindus were imparted such training, last year. But, why trishul? The Bajrang Dal activist said that ‘trishul’ is Lord Shiva’s weapon used to kill people who disobey God’s command. Saints from Ayodhya would take care of the ritual part of giving ‘diksha’ to the willing people. Specially trained people have been called from Gujarat who would impart martial art training. The VHP is trying to keep this a hush-hush affair fearing adverse media coverage and subsequent political backlash. “Therefore, the date and the venue of the ‘diksha’ programme has been kept a secret”, said Mr Sachan. A further cajoling and he says that it would start in the first week of June provided everything goes well in Ayodhya on June 2 — the day of ‘purna ahuti’. The ‘yagya’ of ‘purna ahuti’ would be the culmination of 100 day VHP sponsored ‘Raam naam jaap’. The Bajrang Dal, the militant face of the VHP, has of late shown its penchant to train young men to use weapons, including guns, knives and ‘trishul’. A similar arms training programme will be held at Brij in the Mathura region sometimes in the end of June. The state president of the Samajwadi Party, Mr Ram Saran Das, said that in the name of ‘trishul diksha’, the VHP would try to instil a sense of fear in the members of the minority community. “I do not know anything about this ‘diksha’ programme. If it is true, then the government should act immediately and arrest all these Bajrang Dal and the VHP leaders under POTA”, he said. |
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Govt misusing Harijan
Act, says Mulayam Lucknow, May 23 Mr Yadav said in the past week five SP workers were booked under the Harijan Act in his hometown of Jaswantnagar. Even the party MP from Pratapgarh, Mr C.N. Singh, was not spared. It was the caste Yadav or the party affiliation with SP, which had become the yardstick to book any person under this Act, he alleged. In a press conference here, he produced Gangawati, a resident of Kanpur Dehat village and her relatives, who were allegedly beaten up by a tehsildar and other officials of the Revenue Department. She alleged that though her husband had paid irrigation charges, the tehsildar, a Dalit, beat her and even booked her family members under the Harijan Act. He said the SP would contest the next byelection in alliance with the Rashtriya Kranti Party (RKP) of Mr Kalyan Singh and the Apna Dal of Mr Sone Lal Patel. They would ask for a share of backward community, who account for 54 per cent population. The byelection is slated for May 31. Mr Yadav, has alleged large-scale corruption in the Mayawati regime, saying in almost a months rule, the Chief Minister has collected over Rs 7 crore by carrying out transfer of officials. He said he had information that a few senior Dalit officers held a meeting recently and had plans to collect Rs 100 crore. This money is likely to be deposited somewhere else, he said. |
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Goa poll scene hazy Panaji, May 23 The Congress is likely to be the biggest casualty and the shadow of Gujarat is sure to work against the BJP. This means that the two leading parties, loss will be the smaller regional parties’ gain. That the two regional parties — the United Goan Democratic Party (UGDP) and the Maharastrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP) — have got together will help them, but only marginally. They may form the Third Front but their alliance is a bit too late. It should have happened three years ago when they were capable of challenging the Congress. Now they may be the balancing factor in forming the government, depending on whom they decide to support. As for the National Congress Party (NCP), headed by former Chief Minister Wilfred D’Souza, it looks like a party of political leftovers but it is optimistic about winning. Because of the closeness of the race, the Congress is not ridden with the usual faction fights and many of the veterans who are in their 70s are nurturing their respective constituencies. Former Chief Minister Luizinho Faleiro seems a bit worried and is said to have predicted winning 21 seats out of 40. The BJP, too, is putting up a bold front. Former Central Minister Shirpad Naik said he was not only sure of defeating his Congress opponent Ravi Naik but also confident of his party winning the elections. The Hindu vote bank of the BJP is expected to shift to the MGP because of its militant wing, the RSS. The most recent Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar is believed to be trying hard to break the Congress stronghold in the South by backing candidates who will eventually defect to the BJP. But there is a danger of him losing in the North what he may gain in the South. |
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LS prorogued New Delhi, May 23 The Budget session of the House began on February 25 and was adjourned sine die on May 17.
PTI |
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Senior Customs officer in CBI net
New Delhi, May 23 “The immovable assets acquired by Capt Virender Singh and his family members include a house in posh Defence Colony in South Delhi, a shop in Connaught Place, two shop-cum-flats in Gurgaon, four shops in Naraina and three booths in Gurgaon,’’ a statement, issued by the CBI, said.
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145 lawyers found guilty New Delhi, May 23 Addressing the felicitation function organised by the Bar Council of Delhi yesterday in his honours, Mr Aggarwala said the BCI had cancelled the enrolment of 25 lawyers permanently as they had committed professional misconduct. Likewise, 89 lawyers have been suspended from practising as lawyers in any court in India for specific periods, while 31 lawyers have been reprimanded for their misconduct. The BCI had closed down 62 law colleges in India due to lack of proper facilities, he added. The BCI is encouraging the 5-year law course as only the serious students who are interested to join the legal profession will be joining this course, claimed Mr Aggarwala. |
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Assistant
Labour Commissioner arrested New Delhi, May 23 The accused had allegedly demanded Rs 5,000 for processing and making payment of the gratuity due to the complainant, on behalf of his deceased parents, a CBI press note said here today. The complainant reported the matter to the CBI. The investigation agency subsequently laid a trap and caught the accused red-handed while demanding taking the bribe. The accused was produced before the designated court today and remanded in judicial custody up to June 4, 2002. In another case, the CBI arrested Narendra Singh, Inspector of Works (line), Northern Railways, Saharanpur for allegedly demanding and accepting a bribe of Rs 20,000 from the complainant. The accused had demanded the bribe for the releasing payments for the jobs done on the Work Orders by the complainant. |
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Kolkata
reels under massive power cuts Kolkata, May 23 In the districts, the suffering has been more acute where some 110 persons were killed by heat stroke, some other viral fevers and various ailments. The state Cabinet, which met at Writers Buildings yesterday, mainly discussed the problem in view of the seriousness of the matter by abandoning the main agenda on the transaction of official business. The Chief Minister, Mr Buddhadev Bhattacharjee, admitted the failure of the state power department to ensure normal power supply to people, which affected the emergency works in hospitals, drinking water supply, trains, telephone and telegraph services and other emergency works. Even Raj Bhavan, Writers Buildings, Fort Williams and Assembly House, which are under protected load, witnessed severe power cuts for several hours at a stretch. Before leaving for Bangalore to attend the party’s politburo and central committee meeting, Mr Bhattacharjee summoned the Chairman and Managing Director of the power supply agencies like WBSEB, DVC, PDC and the private sector company CESC at his chamber and virtually reprimanded them for their failure in maintaining normal power supply. |
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