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Saturday,
November 2, 2002, Chandigarh, India  
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Dy PM: announcement on linking rivers soon We’ll crush proxy war: Advani Talks with Pak sans trust won’t do: PM |
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Panel justifies use of force at DMK rally Chennai, November 1 The Bhaktavatsalam Commission, which enquired into the incidents of violence at a DMK rally in the city in August last year, has concluded that the use of force by the police was “the minimum required and justified,” but shied away from suggesting norms and guidelines to be followed by mediapersons for covering processions and rallies.
Sharma’s confession raises doubt |
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JESSICA LAL MURDER Declaration on Climate Change adopted
Sahab
Singh is chief spokesman CPI wants truck with Cong in Gujarat AMU sees bias in NCERT textbooks Bihar Regiment: saga of valour and sacrifice UNESCO award for Ramakrishna Mission
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Dy PM: announcement on linking rivers soon New Delhi, November 1 This was revealed by Deputy Prime Minister L.K. Advani today while addressing the national executive of the BJP Mahila Morcha here at the party headquarters. Stating that the issue of linking major rivers was first advocated by K.L. Rao, who was the Irrigation and Power Minister over three decades ago, Mr Advani said “many studies have been done since 1980 on bringing water from surplus basins to deficit ones.” “We have now fine-tuned the whole thing and soon the Prime Minister would make an important announcement on the issue,” Mr Advani said. Earlier, Mr Advani said while there had been umpteen achievements of the NDA government led by Mr Vajpayee, the one that would be long remembered would be spreading of road network through schemes like Golden Quadrilateral, the Pradhan Mantri Gramin Sadak Yojana and tremendous achievements registered in the field of telecommunications and distribution of cooking gas. The senior BJP leader wanted Mahila Morcha members to actively participate in various developmental and social activities of the party and also aggressively involve themselves in publicising various schemes and projects launched by the Centre for the benefit of the masses, especially Dalits and the downtrodden. Referring to poor representation of women in politics, the Deputy Prime Minister said although the BJP had more representation of women in Parliament as compared to other parties, yet there was a lot of scope for widening their representation. BJP President Venkaiah Naidu said a mid-term review of the BJP’s performance was needed to understand the state of the organisation and apply correctives where weaknesses had come to the fore. |
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We’ll crush proxy war: Advani Hyderabad, November 1 “Irrespective of what the world says and does, we are determined to see that we will win this proxy war being waged by Pakistan... we will see that perpetrators of proxy war are defeated finally and firmly,” Mr Advani said in a brief interaction with the media at the National Police Academy
(NPA) near here. Mr Advani earlier reviewed the passing-out parade of the 54th batch of 33 IPS officer trainees, including four women officers, and two Palestine security officers. Asserting that Pakistan was unable to reconcile to the decision of the people of Jammu and Kashmir to be a part of secular India and their firm rejection of theocracy, he said Islamabad had tasted a series of debacles in its open war strategy and was now resorting to proxy war through terrorism. “Pakistan’s strategy to internationalise the Kashmir issue could not be taken far as senior UN officials have said the UN Security Council resolution (on Kashmir) had become outdated and was no longer relevant,” Mr
Advani, who also holds the Home portfolio, said. However, there was a growing realisation now across the world that the same terror could be directed against any other country, he said adding that, “just like how we had won the open wars, we are determined to win this proxy war”. Earlier, addressing the IPS officer trainees after reviewing the parade, Mr Advani said the governments should have the capacity to take hard decisions in matters of national unity and integrity and recalled how the “Iron Man”, Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel, had overcome daunting challenges in the immediate aftermath of Partition and succeeded in integrating princely states into Indian Union. Later Mr Advani also gave away trophies to the outstanding IPS probationers. Vipul Aggarwal received the prestigious Prime Minister’s Baton and Home Ministry’s Revolver for being adjudged the best all-round officer trainee. The Deputy Prime Minister also released a book, “A Compendium on Good Practices in Police” brought out by the academy.
PTI |
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Talks with Pak sans trust won’t do: PM New Delhi, November 1 “Today, the world is pressuring us for talks with Pakistan. But there has to be mutual trust for any talks to be meaningful. There should not be any doubt about each other’s intention,’’ Mr Vajpayee said at a function marking allotment of government-built houses at Dwarka here to families of the martyrs of the Kargil war. “Kargil brings out a picture of not only the sacrifice and valour of Indian soldiers, but also the deceit and betrayal of Pakistan which sent soldiers surreptitiously,’’ he said. Mr Vajpayee said India always wanted peace and friendly relations with Pakistan. “I went to Lahore extending the hand of peace and friendship and what did we get in return ... But they (Pakistanis) chose to strike us at a relatively less guarded place,’’ the Prime Minister said, referring to the Kargil intrusion of 1999, barely a few months after signing the historic Lahore Declaration in Pakistan. New Delhi has consistently maintained that talks with Islamabad could be initiated only after Pakistan ends its support to cross-border terrorism directed against India. Describing housing as a basic need, the Prime Minister said there was a need for a campaign to build more houses which could boost the country’s economy with its cascading effect. Mr Vajpayee announced that the Ministry of Labour and Ministry of Urban Development would construct 10 million houses for labourers.
UNI |
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Panel justifies use of force at DMK rally Chennai, November 1 The commission said it was difficult to frame any guidelines to ensure the protection of mediapersons who covered processions and demonstrations. “If any guideline is framed, the press may think that its freedom is curbed.” Justice Bhaktavatsalam, a former Judge of the Madras and Karnataka High Courts, suggested that it was better for the police to have a press conference before such rallies and processions and decide on the modality of news coverage. “When police action takes place, it is for the journalists to take stock of the prevailing situation and use their discretion,” the commission said. “It is too much to expect that the mediapersons will think that nothing will happen to them or to their equipment, if they go into a surging crowd where police action is taking place. Surely, they have to take a risk and go there as it happened during the rally on August 12.” Six persons were killed and mediapersons were injured in the violence during the rally. The commission rejected the plea of the police that the rally was taken out by the DMK to protest the midnight arrest of its leader, Mr M. Karunanidhi, only to “create a law and order problem” for the present government so that the Centre might intervene and invoke Article 356 of the Constitution. “This argument is highly imaginary,” the commission said in its report. |
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Sharma’s confession raises doubt New Delhi, November 1 While the Delhi Police top brass insist that Sharma had confessed to having the then Indian Express principal correspondent murdered for fear of being publicly exposed for the alleged misdemeanour, Sharma, who is now in judicial custody, has denied having made any such statement. He recently told mediapersons in the Karkardooma courts where he was produced, that he could not have made such a lengthy confessional statement since his mouth was swollen at that time while he was in police custody for 10 days. He also claimed that the so-called confessional statement was recorded in English, while his signatures were in Hindi. He said he never signed in Hindi. Senior officers rubbished reports of any politician’s involvement in the murder case of Shivani. “Although Union Minister Pramod Mahajan has been accused by the family members of Sharma for his involvement in the case with some more political persons, there is concrete evidence to substantiate their statements,” an official said. Even lawyers who have been handling criminal cases in the courts here point out that the so-called confessional statement had no legal sanctity unless corroborated by hard evidence or recoveries. Also, they felt surprised that the Delhi Police had so far not had Sharma’s statement recorded before a Magistrate as required under the law. Only a statement recorded before a magistrate was admissible in the subsequent trial, they pointed out.The Crime Branch of the Delhi Police, which has investigated the three-year-old sensational murder case, claim it has enough evidence to buttress the confessional statement. |
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JESSICA LAL MURDER New Delhi, November 1 Information to this effect was given to the Delhi High Court by Special Prosecutor S.K. Saxena yesterday during the hearing of prime accused Manu Sharma’s application seeking extension of his iterim bail. Submitting a report of the Union Home Ministry which had pursued the matter with the Nepalese Government, Mr Saxena said the authorities there had informed that there was no provision in the kingdom’s law to serve summons issued by a foreign court on its citizens. The court, while hearing Manu’s bail petition earlier, had sought a report from the prosectuion about the progress on securing the presence of Dinesh Kumar from Nepal, who had left India after the murder. He was serving as a watchman in the house of one of Manu’s friends who allegedly gave him shelter after the crime. The court, however, extended Manu’s bail, expiring on November 4, by a month. Manu, son of former Union Minister Venod Sharma has been chargesheeted for allegedly shooting dead Jessica on April 30, 1999, at a restaurant here when she refused to serve him liquor late at night while acting as a bar tender. The trial court has examined almost all key witnesses in the case, except the Nepalese watchman.
PTI |
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Declaration on Climate Change adopted New Delhi, November 1 After protracted negotiations, the key demand of developed a countries for inclusion of initiating a dialogue on further commitments by developing countries upon entry into force of the Kyoto Protocol was dropped from the document following resistance from China and G-77 developing nations, including India. In the declaration “parties that have ratified the Kyoto Protocol strongly urged parties that have not done so to ratify it in a timely manner”. Welcoming the consensus arrived at in finalising the declaration, conference president and Indian Environment Minister T.R. Baalu said “it provides a new direction to our common approach to combat climate change”.
PTI |
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Sahab Singh is chief spokesman New Delhi, November 1 A former Army officer, he succeeds Mrs N. J. Krishna. He is a selection grade officer of the Indian Information Service group ‘A’, having joined it in 1966. He was until now Senior Additional Principal Information Officer holding the additional charge of Director-General, Field Publicity. A postgraduate in Management and Development Administration in the UK, Political Science in Meerut and Military Studies in the National Defence College, he also has a post-graduate diploma in Administration.
UNI |
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CPI wants truck with Cong in Gujarat Patna, November 1 Launching its tirade against the anti-poor and corrupt policies of the BJP-led Atal Behari Vajpayee government at the Centre, the CPI however said it had initiated a “truce offer” with the Congress for its proposal to make it a one-and-one fight in Gujarat against the BJP. The National General Secretary of the CPI, Mr A.B. Verdhan, said here at the rally on Wednesday that the CPI wanted that the BJP should face a united opposition candidate in Gujarat so that the defeat of the BJP could be certain. “Gujarat is a test site for the opposition unity. It is essential that opposition fields a single candidate against the BJP so that it could be ousted from power”, Mr Verdhan said. He added that once out of Gujarat, the BJP could be ousted from anywhere in India. He hinted that Gujarat could be a Waterloo for the BJP. He said, “The CPI has taken an initiative to make it possible in the Gujarat poll. The ball is in Sonia Gandhi’s court. She should respond positively”. When asked about his party’s ‘new found love’ with the Congress, Mr Verdhan however did not mince words in criticising the Congress. He said the stand against the Congress was at its place. “We have always said the BJP was following the corruption culture of the Congress. What we are saying now is that in Gujarat the BJP must be defeated which will subsequently ensure its end at the Centre. For that alone we want the Congress to take the lead.” The Congress high command however has always maintained ‘dubious silence’ in going in for the opposition unity with the splintered Left and other regional parties in ousting the BJP-led governments. Sonia Gandhi has still not opened her cards over Mulayam Singh’s efforts in UP to upstage the Mayawati government. |
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AMU sees bias in NCERT textbooks New Delhi, November 1 Over 200 members of the AMU, in a joint statement, have pointed out that in its two pages devoted to Sir Syed, the book does not put him among the builders of modern India, unlike the previous NCERT textbook, but describes him under the heading ‘’Emergence of the Muslim League.’’ The signatories contend that it is an erroneous interpretation of facts. ‘’Sir Syed had nothing to do with the Muslim League since he died in 1898, whereas the Muslim League was founded only in 1906.’’ The book, written by Hari Om and others, also points out that Muslims participated in the 1857 uprising not for the country’s freedom but solely to restore the Mughal empire. Similarly, it claims that Sir Syed did not try to win the support of the British regime in the interest of spreading modern education among the Muslims, but to thwart the ‘’rising Hindu elite.’’ They also argue that the book has defamed the “Aligarh Movement’’ by alleging that it aimed at making “the Mussalmans of India worthy and useful subjects of the British Crown.”
PTI |
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Bihar Regiment: saga of valour and sacrifice New Delhi, November 1 From the day of Ramayana and Mahabharata, as also during the reign of the Maurya dynasty, the Bihar soldier was always at the forefront of battles. In recent times, men from the Bihar Regimental Centre have formed the backbone of the Indian Army and fought in numerous wars. The history of the Bihar Regiment goes a long way back, into the 18th century. Robert Clive raised the first all-Bihar battalion as early as in 1758, which also makes the Bihar Regiment the oldest and seniormost regiment of the Indian Army. Besides, almost all of the then Bengal Army also had a high proportion of men from Bihar. And when the Hyderabad Contingent was raised by the famous Russell, he ensured that there were natives of Bihar in large numbers in his brigade. The First Battalion of the Bihar Regiment was raised by Lieut-Col JRH Tweed of the Hyderabad Regiment on September 15, 1941, and the Bihar Regimental Centre was raised on November 1, 1945, at Agra by Lieut-Col R C Muller. Among the wars fought by the Bihar Regiment are those famous in Burma. 1 Bihar was inducted into Burma and formed part of the famous Lushai Brigade. It fought historic actions at Falam, Haka, Gangaw and Khan during which 47 gallantry awards and the battle honours “Haka” and “Gangaw” were conferred on the battalion. After this two more Bihar Battalions were raised and finally in November 1947, the first Indian Commandant, Lieut-Col Hardyal Singh Randhawa, took over the command of the Bihar
Regiment Centre. In the aftermath of the partition, 2 Bihar was tasked to protect refugee movements. In one such duty of train escort at the Gujarat railway station, 37 other Ranks laid down their lives on January 11 and 12, 1948, beating off 1,200 armed Pathans. In the process they saved over 2,000 lives. However, not many will know that the Bihar Regimental Centre also has a contribution towards the country’s flag. It was the first one to adopt the Ashoka Lions as the emblem which now forms part of the National Flag. Recently speaking on the 61st Raising Day of this illustrious regiment, the Director-General of Military Intelligence (DGMI), Lt-Gen OS Lohchab, who is also the Colonel of the Bihar Regiment, expressed satisfaction at performance of the regiment which has excelled in all the fields, be it operations, training, administration or sports. |
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UNESCO award for Ramakrishna Mission New Delhi, November 1 The mission was selected for the award by a unanimous decision at a meeting of the international jury held at the UNESCO headquarters in Paris in early October. The award will be given at a function at the UNESCO headquarters. The communication sent by UNESCO to the Ramakrishna Mission reads: “This honorary mention highlights UNESCO’s recognition of your continuous activities to make peace and happiness prevail among the people, regardless of their caste or religious beliefs. We sincerely hope that the efforts of the Ramakrishna Mission will continue to flourish in the future to ensure the welfare of the people in India.” |
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Pande takes over as Cabinet Secy New Delhi, November 1 A 1965-batch IAS officer from the Uttaranchal cadre, Mr Pande, was the Home Secretary till October 15 when he became Officer on Special Duty in the Cabinet Secretariat. The 59-year-old officer will occupy the top post for two years. |
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