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| Tuesday,
July 16, 2002, Chandigarh, India   
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Shekhawat
to be NDA candidate for VP’s post Alexander
to take on Congress Fund-starved ultras turn robbers United
Muslim Front formed |
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Judges’
strength in UTs being raised Saxena
to continue till J&K poll PUCL for
involvement of people in J&K
A meeting between Hindu
and Muslim leaders in progress at the National Commission of
Minorities in New Delhi on Monday. — PTI photo 2 Dalit
women gangraped, paraded naked Self-immolation
by Vaiko supporter No
water in Bengal schools: UNICEF SSP
victims air grievances Modi
award for Kasturirangan Govt
goes hard on soft porn Viagra
test gets RSS backing TUs
plan march to Parliament Rotary banner enters Guinness Book
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Shekhawat to be NDA candidate for VP’s post New Delhi, July 15 Mr Shekhawat’s candidature is expected to be announced by tomorrow, BJP sources have said. That the BJP had decided to field Mr Shekhawat for the Vice-President’s post is evident from the fact that his name has not figured in the 72-member National Executive of the party announced by party President M. Venkaiah Naidu on July 12. A septuagenarian, Mr Shekhawat is the longest serving legislator of the BJP and the erstwhile Bharatiya Jan Sangh. He has been elected to the Rajasthan Assembly since 1952 and is presently Leader of the Opposition there. BJP spokesman Vijay Kumar Malhotra, has maintained that Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee will decide on the candidature after consulting leaders of various parties. He has neither confirmed nor denied Mr Shekhawat’s candidature. Meanwhile, Mr Vajpayee, who has been authorised by the NDA to finalise the vice-presidential candidate, has initiated consultations with opposition parties in an effort to arrive at a consensus on the issue. The Prime Minister is understood to have contacted Samajwadi Party leader Mulayam Singh Yadav in this regard. While details of the talks are not yet known, political sources indicate that Mr Yadav has responded positively to the NDA’s proposal. Bahujan Samaj Party leader and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati has already announced her party’s support to the NDA candidate. Mr Vajpayee is also expected to discuss the issue with Congress President Sonia Gandhi before making the announcement. The Congress is believed to have conveyed that it may support a Scheduled Caste candidate for the post. The all-party MPs SC and ST Forum has also raised a similar demand. |
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Alexander
to take on Congress New Delhi, July 15 Even as the octogenarian Mr Alexander filed his nomination papers in Mumbai today, the Congress has fielded Suresh Keshwani for the NCP, seat in the House of Elders which had fallen vacant due to the death of Mukesh Patel. The continuing spat between the Congress and NCP constituents of the Democratic Front government in Maharashtra has added a new dimension to the ensuing election to the Rajya Sabha fixed for July 25. The NCP’s first choice for the Rajya Sabha seat was Tariq Anwar and as expected it did not find favour with the Congress. Ultimately, the NCP chief and Maharashtra strongman Sharad Pawar decided to back the candidature of Mr Alexander as an Independent and appealed to all parties to elect the former Governor and administrator unanimously. After having opposed Mr Alexander’s candidature for the high office of President, the Congress could not have gone along with the NCP. It appears Mr Alexander has decided to take on the challenge posed by the Congress. The BJP-led NDA which had initially proposed the name of Mr Alexander for the office of President had to dump him because of lack of consensus in the political firmament. Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee and Mr Pawar have worked out an arrangement to assuage the feelings of Mr Alexander. Weighing the pros and cons and considering his proximity to Mr Pawar and Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray, Mr Alexander decided to take the plunge at the last minute as it were despite the delicate arithmetic in the Maharashtra legislature. However, Mr Alexander’s entry in the Rajya Sabha should be without serious hiccups with the BJP and the Shiv Sena backing his candidature. That could lead to serious fissures developing in the delicately balanced Democratic Front government in Maharashtra. Speculation is rife about “what next” once Mr Alexander gets elected to the Rajya Sabha. If that happens, Mr Alexander will have a six-year spell in the House of Elders and there is every likelihood of Mr Vajpayee utilising his services. It is widely perceived that Mr Alexander’s entry into the Rajya Sabha might pave the way for a ministerial berth in Mr Vajpayee’s Cabinet though this has been denied stoutly by the Prime Minister’s aides. |
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NCP, Sena-BJP back Alexander for RS seat Mumbai, July 15 Mr Alexander, 81, was accompanied by senior NCP leader and Deputy Chief Minister Chhagan Bhujbal and NCP state unit chief Babanrao Pachpute on the last day of filing nominations. In the morning, NCP president Sharad Pawar declared his party’s support to Alexander’s candidature. Meanwhile, the Shiv
Sena-BJP opposition combine in Maharashtra today joined NCP in extending its unconditional support for the candidature of Mr Alexander for the Rajya Sabha seat from the state. “Mr Alexander through his conduct, set high standards during his nine years’ tenure as the Governor of the state and the
Sena-BJP combine is extending unconditional support to him for his bid for the RS seat,” Leader of Opposition in the state assembly Narayan Rane told reporters here. Mr
Rane, flanked by BJP national vice-president Gopinath Munde, said the saffron combine felt that Mr Alexander’s term as the Governor was “ideal”. Besides Mr Alexander, a
Mumbai-based businessman and former Rajya Sabha member Suresh Keswani has also filed his nomination as an independent candidate for the seat, polling for which will be held on July 25. The seat fell vacant due to death of NCP member Mukesh Patel.
PTI |
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Fund-starved ultras turn robbers New Delhi, July 15 Not only have the terrorists turned to looting banks but have also started targeting poor civilians. There have been various incidents of terrorists, mainly foreign mercenaries, resorting to robbing civilians at gunpoint. There is also alarm within the security forces over the sudden decrease in the number of terrorists being killed while those of the security personnel has remained the same. The change in trend is again reflective of the change in tactics adopted by the terrorists holed up in Jammu and Kashmir. Within the last week the terrorists have resorted to two bank robberies in Kashmir and looting another civilian at gunpoint. While over Rs 6 lakh were looted from a bank in Safakadal, about Rs 2 lakh were picked up from a bank in Saidpora in Baramulla. In another incident terrorists waylaid a civilian in Pulwama and snatched over Rs 20,000 from him. Sources said the change in the tactics was primarily due to the crackdown on the finances and foreign funding of the terrorist organisations. According to estimates, over Rs 2 crore had so far been seized by the security agencies from various sources which had been providing resources to terrorist organisations over the past one year. The raids conducted by the security forces have brought to light the direct funding of these organisations by the Pakistan secret agency Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI). From the arrest of Abdul Majid Sheikh and Showkat Ahmed Din in 2001 to recent arrest of Hurriyat Conference leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani, Imtiaz Bazaz and some Dubai-based and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir-based persons late last month have resulted in the busting of the foreign funding network of terrorist organisations. But what is emerging as a more alarming situation is the corresponding decrease in the number of terrorists being killed in comparison to security forces personnel in Jammu and Kashmir. It has the security forces on
tenterhooks as the terrorists have now started to adopt new methods of launching attacks at smaller parties of security personnel rather than taking bigger camps with surprise. As a result while the number of security personnel killed has remained the same over a corresponding period of 45 days, the number of terrorists
targeted has gone down. |
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United Muslim Front formed Meerut, July 15 Speaking on the occasion, Baseer Ahmad, convener of the new front, alleged all successive governments in the country since independence had done little for the Muslim community. Ahmad of Insaf Party which merged with the United Muslim Front, asked the Muslim community to join the Front and dissociate itself from various political parties, including the Samajwadi Party, the Bahujan Samaj Party and the Congress which had allegedly used the community as their vote banks. The front’s constituents are: Muslim League, Muslim
Majlis, National League, Muslim Forum, Momin Conference, National Loktantrik Party and Muslim Conference.
PTI |
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Judges’ strength in UTs being raised
New Delhi, July 15 The judgement was delivered in the “All-India Judges Association Vs Union of India and others case” on March 21. An official statement said: “The Centre has initiated necessary action for compliance of the Supreme Court judgement... for increasing the Judges’ strength in respect of Union Territories.” It said the Centre had already written to the state governments to take steps in the matter. The judgement called for at least a 10 per cent increase in the strength of judicial officers each year over the next five years. Law Ministry officials recently estimated that adding 10 per cent judges across the nation was likely to require an annual investment of Rs 127 crore. Considering population, India is estimated to have among the lowest number of Judges in the world. Perhaps, not surprisingly, 23.9 million cases are pending in Indian courts. The country’s senior and subordinate judiciaries between them have less than 13,000 officers dispensing justice at district, state and national levels. They include Munsifs, Sub-Judges, Civil Judges, Judicial Magistrates and District Magistrates, Session Judges and High Court and Supreme Court Justices and the Chief Justice of India. The Judges to population ratio in India was placed by the Law Commission in 1987 at 10.5 per million people as against 50.9 in the UK, 57.7 in Australia, 75.2 in Canada, and 107 in the USA. Observing that India was persisting in a pattern of conscious judicial understaffing followed by the British rulers in keeping with their colonial interests, the commission had recommended a nearly five-fold increase, raising the judiciary strength to 50 per million people. The commission’s findings were endorsed by a Standing Committee of Parliament on Home Affairs, which recommended implementing an increase in a phased manner.
UNI |
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Saxena to continue
till J&K poll New Delhi, July 15 Deputy Prime Minister and Union Home Minister
L.K. Advani spoke to Governor Saxena recently and asked him to continue on his post till elections are over in the state. Authoritative sources said Governor Saxena has acceded to Mr Advani’s request. Mr Saxena has made a written request to the Centre twice in the past one year, the last time about three months ago, seeking to be relieved of his gubernatorial assignment on grounds of his indifferent health, sources said. Sources said the Ministry of Home Affairs was not inclined to change the Governor of a sensitive state like Jammu and Kashmir for the time being for continuity and better coordination among the Centre, the state, the security forces and the intelligence agencies. The Centre is taking the forthcoming state Assembly elections, scheduled to be held by October this year, seriously. Meanwhile, a mini-reshuffle of Governors of several states is on the cards. Delhi Lt-Governor Vijay Kapoor is tipped to get a promotion and he may be sent to Maharashtra as Governor in place of Mr P.C. Alexander who resigned last week. West Bengal Governor Viren Shah may go to Karnataka as Governor while the Orissa Governor could be shifted to West Bengal as Mr Shah’s replacement, sources said. |
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PUCL for involvement of people in J&K Hyderabad, July 15 In a statement here, he said the current Hindutva theology should neither have relevance nor any role to play in decision-making. Referring to the latest killings of slum-dwellers by militants, near Jammu, he alleged that it was Hindutva’s contribution which added a new dimension to the terrorism problem. “Hindutva and its sadhus are proclaimed to be beyond the Constitution and the laws. After Narendra Modi’s Gujarat experiment, nobody dare check a person in ochre robe,’’ he said.
UNI |
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NCM meeting leaves out Ayodhya, Gujarat New Delhi, July 15 In the absence of an agenda, burning issues like Gujarat and the Ram Janambhoomi-Babri Masjid dispute were not discussed at all. The unprecedented interaction at the national level between representatives of the two communities was arranged by the NCM “in pursuance of its agenda to initiate dialogue between representatives of various communities for achieving communal harmony.” As the NCM Chairman, Justice Mohd Shamim, read out a two-page resolution to about 34 participants and mediapersons, he was cut short by voices of dissent, who wanted to know the contents of the resolution. Although the resolution stated that irritants and hate campaigns among communities ought to be shunned as part of the nation building exercise beyond narrow socio-political considerations, well-known scholar, Maulana Wahiduddin Khan said the meeting had only addressed the issue of the hate campaign against majorities. “Yeh adhuri baat hai (this is incomplete). The hate campaign against minorities should end.” Praveen Togadia of the VHP said such dialogues should be followed by action. Expressing doubts about the intentions of the leadership of the minority community, he said, “The Muslim leaders should stay in the Kashmir valley and prove their credentials. The responsibility of Hindu-Muslim unity should not be on the shoulders of Hindus only. They have created a Pakistan in the Kashmir valley and have done ethnic cleansing of three lakh Kashmiri Hindus. We cannot give a blank cheque to anybody. There will not be one-way traffic. If they expect us to do something in Gujarat, there has to be a reciprocal gesture from their side.” Asked if the dialogue would have a positive impact towards finding an amicable solution to the mandir-masjid dispute, Mr Togadia said, “Ram mandir ka prashna hamari bhavnaon ka prashn hai.” (The construction of the Ram mandir is linked to our sentiments). NCM Vice-Chairman Tarlochan Singh said the goodwill meeting was organised to initiate a dialogue between the two communities. “We did not put any agenda. It is the beginning of a beginning,” he said. Sources in the NCM said Maulana Mufti Ikram Sb (Muballigh-e-Gujrat), the lone speaker who tried to draw attention to the mandir-masjid dispute, was interrupted with a reminder that time was limited. He said a two-minute silence was observed at the start of the meeting in memory of those killed in Gujarat and in the recent killings in Jammu. |
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2 Dalit women
gangraped, paraded naked Hazaribagh, July 15 Ms Kasia Devi and her daughter-in-law Basanti were allegedly gangraped by the henchmen of an influential businessman of Sudan village for their refusal to part with a small plot of land, Mr Hemand Toppo, DSP said after an on-the-spot inquiry at the village. Mr Toppo said the henchmen of the businessman Rameshwar Modi raped Ms Kasia Devi and Ms Basanti in their home and paraded them naked for several hours in the village after smearing their faces with lime and cowdung.
PTI |
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Self-immolation by Vaiko supporter Tiruchirapalli, Tamil Nadu, July 15 Police sources said Arivazhagan, who attempted self-immolation last night, succumbed to his burns here today. Arivazhagan had set himself ablaze and ran through the street shouting pro-Vaiko slogans. Neighbours admitted him to Dr K A P Viswanatham Government Medical College Hospital with 90 per cent burns.
UNI |
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No water in Bengal schools: UNICEF
Kolkata, July 15 The study found that about 4 per cent primary schools of a total of 51,002 had toilet facilities and only 20 per cent had water facilities. “The condition of water and sanitation facilities was also very poor, either non-functional or ill-maintained, if at all found in these public institutions,” Mr Somnath Basu of UNICEF, Kolkata, involved with the study, said. “Lack of sanitation facilities causes serious inconveniences for teachers, particularly women, who often do not reside in the same village,” he said.
PTI |
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SSP victims air grievances Bhopal, July 15 The panel of judges included former Chairperson of National Commission for Women Mohini
Giri, Former Chief of Navy Vishnu Bhagavat, and senior Supreme Court advocates Venkatramani and Usha
Ramnathan. The people complained that the Madhya Pradesh government had bypassed all existing legal and human rights norms by raising the height of Sardar Sarovar Dam and was using undemocratic means to coerce the people to vacate their houses and lands without providing any alternative lands or houses to
them. Narmada Bachao Andolan (NBA) leader Medha Patkar outlined the magnitude of displacement, explaining how the people’s rights over natural resources were being snatched away and how callously the officials were dealing with the oustees and their problems. People from several villages presented their cases. |
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Modi award for Kasturirangan
New Delhi, July 15 Mr Kasturirangan will receive the award for 2002 for his significant contribution since 1994 towards enhancing the scientific and technological space capability of India, including the successful commissioning of the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle. India’s Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle, along with new generation satellites, have been launched under his leadership, a release from Gujar Mal Modi Science Foundation said today. Ms Manju Sharma will be conferred the award for her pioneering research on sclereids and latex-bearing plants. She has also done commendable work in promoting biotechnology and its products in India and abroad, the release said. The award, which carries a cash prize of Rs 1.01 lakh, the highest cash award in the field of science and technology and a silver shield and scroll of honour, will be presented by Union Minister for Science and Technology Murli Manohar Joshi here on August 9. Instituted in 1988, the award is given each year to a person who has demonstrated the qualities of excellence and innovation through outstanding research and promotion of science in the country.
PTI |
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Govt goes hard on soft porn
New Delhi, July 15 The ministry has denied permission to the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) Chairman Vijay Anand to refer the issue of issuance of certificates to soft pornographic films to a six-member committee of the CBFC. In a letter to Mr Anand, Information and Broadcasting Secretary Pawan Chopra said, “What is sought to be achieved by certification of films is to provide clean and healthy entertainment and to ensure that the medium of film remains responsible and sensitive to the values and standards of society.” In this light, Mr Chopra wrote that a proposal for certifying such films would be construed to militate against the very objective of prior censorship of films. Mr Chopra noted that the ministry had learnt from some questions by members of the Rajya Sabha about a suggestion to this effect received by the CBFC, which had been referred to the core committee of the board. Information and Broadcasting Minister Sushma Swaraj also apprised a women’s delegation which met her this evening of the government’s stand in this regard. The delegation, representing various women’s organisations, submitted a strongly-worded memorandum to Ms Swaraj, in which it expressed shock and anguish over the statement by Mr Anand.
UNI |
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Viagra test gets RSS backing
Kochi, July 15 RSS Kerala leaders P.E.B. Menon and R. Sanjayan told a news conference here that a medical lobby, backed by some city hospitals, was indulging in propaganda that the Amrita Institute of Medical Science, which conducted the test last month, had not received the necessary permission from competent authorities. They pointed out that the test had proved successful, thereby saving the lives of three infants. The hospital had earlier revealed that its staffer, Dr P.V. Rajiv, could save the lives of three “blue babies” suffering from pulmonary hypertension by treating them with a variant of the anti-impotence drug, Viagra. The doctor administered the drug orally after consulting seven international medical journals which reported its use to treat adults in a similar condition. However, paediatricians of some other hospitals have raised the question of medical ethics in the test. They point out that the institute should have obtained prior permission of the Drugs Controller of India to conduct such experiments on humans. Disputing their contentions, institute vice-president A.P.S. Krishnan said since Viagra was a proven drug, there was no need for any prior permission. The doctor had applied the drug after referring several medical journals and going through tests conducted on such babies in Australia, he added.
UNI |
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TUs plan march to Parliament New Delhi, July 15 Trade union representatives from across the country gathered here at the assembly in order to display their solidarity before the nationwide awareness campaign is launched next month. Trade union leaders also threatened to take recourse to more serious ways of protest, including general strike, if the government did not change its policies of reckless liberalisation and privatisation. The march to Parliament, to be taken on the third day of the Budget session, will be preceded by a massive nationwide ‘satyagraha’ on January 8 when ‘rail roko’ and ‘rasta roko’ programmes will be organised in all states. “This assembly demands governments to halt privatisation of profit-making and potentially-viable public sector units,” general secretary of the all-India Trade Union Congress Gurudas Das Gupta said, addressing the assembly. In its declaration, the trade unions, the AITUC, the HMS, INTUC, AICCTU, CITU, UTUC, among others also sought the restoration of quantitative restrictions on imports. |
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Farewell
to Gill Gandhinagar, July 15 Speaking on the occasion, Mr Modi said Mr Gill had met him a week ago and stated that he wanted to go back to New Delhi.
UNI |
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Rotary banner enters Guinness Book
New Delhi, July 15 The banner, put up by Rotary International on February 22 to spread the message of polio eradication and a polio-free India, was painted with colourful messages and slogans sent from different Rotary clubs across the country. The messages were stitched into one long banner for a mega show at Mumbai. The cloth banner measured 50.4 km (31.3 miles) in length and one metre (3.2 feet) in width.
UNI |
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