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Friday,
November 22, 2002, Chandigarh, India  
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Doors open
for rebels, says Katiyar Prithviraj’s
scion lays claim to Ayodhya site Lyngdoh
briefs Central observers
Modi
‘guilty’ of genocide Pandya’s
name not even in 3rd list |
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NORTH INDIA IN
PARLIAMENT Capital punishment to rapists demanded ‘MiG
crashes due to absence of AJTs’ Dr
Krishna’s plea referred to Bench 2 deaths
cause setback to pulse polio drive Ravi
Varma sold for 56 lakh 35
farmers hurt in lathi charge
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Doors open for rebels, says Katiyar New Delhi, November 21 “I understand their pain and steps are being taken to give a healing touch.... The talks are on with them to identify the lacunae, but they should also understand that the organisation is supreme,” Mr Katiyar observed after deposing before the Liberhan Commission here. Earlier, Mr Katiyar also declined to take sides in the ongoing war of words between Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani and VHP chief Ashok Singhal over “Hindu rashtra” even as he said Hindutva should be supreme in the country. Evading a direct answer when asked about his reaction to Mr Advani’s statement that India can never be a “Hindu rashtra” and its subsequent condemnation by the VHP chief, told reporters that “people had taken him in a wrong way.” Saying that he was not in favour of expelling the 10 dissident MLAs, who have been served notices by the Speaker asking them to reply by November 30, Mr Katiyar, however, asserted that nothing would be done at the cost of the party. “An organisation is created after a lot of painstaking work and even the dissidents understand this fact. When we are taking the people from outside why will we throw out our own people. Doors are still open for the dissidents. But there is a limit to everything and once it is crossed tough decisions have to be taken”, he said. Departing from the oft-repeated position that a ‘decision’ to hold symbolic karseva at Ayodhya on December 6, 1992, was taken only a day before, Mr Katiyar told the commission that the ‘decision’ was informally in place even before that. “A core group comprising Jagatguru Shankaracharya Vasudevanandji Maharaj, Mahant Ram Chandra Paramhans, Nritya Gopal Das, Mahant Avaidyanath, Ashok Singhal and others had taken the decision to make the karseva symbolic even before December 5,” he told the commission. The “core group’s” conclusion was also communicated to kar sevaks, he said adding that on the 5th, the Marg Darsak Mandal took the formal decision on the symbolic karseva. Mr Katiyar, who was closely associated with the temple movement said, saints had communicated to the kar sevaks that the decision of the mandal would apply to them and not that of the Supreme Court. This was because construction was to start on undisputed land, whereas the apex court’s order was in relation to disputed land. |
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Prithviraj’s scion
lays claim to Ayodhya site New Delhi, November 21 Addressing a press conference here today, Mr Shivendra Pratap
Sahi, Manager of Shri Rajrajeshwari Shri Sitaram Trust, located in Sultanpur district of Uttar Pradesh, said the trust was founded in 1893 for “the express purpose of constructing a Ram temple.” Mr
Sahi, whose forefathers had founded the principality of Deara Raj in
Sultanpur, said after the abolition of the zamindari system, the government had claimed 31 villages and town areas of the trust in defiance of the existing provisions of law. “As per Section 29 of the India Trust Act, the government cannot acquire any land from the trust which is pursuing religious activities,” he said, adding that the 64 acres acquired by the Centre formed a part of the trust land. Quoting from the Gazetteer of
Oudh, he said Raja Rudra Pratap Sahi of Deara principality, had executed two ‘waqfnamas’ in 1893 and 1898. “While there is no dispute in respect of the creation of the
waqf, my grievance is that some areas of Ranopali and Upmauja Kaitha villages were acquired by the Centre through the Acquisition of Certain Area at Ayodhya Ordinance, 1993.” Mr Sahi had filed a petition in the Allahabad High Court, seeking to demarcate the waqf property situated in Ranopali and Upmauja Kaitha villages, having a total area of 612 acres, in Faizabad district and give its possession to him. In its order of October 4 last year, the court held: “If the land of the petitioner had not been acquired but its possession has been taken as alleged by him, the petitioner can seek appropriate remedy in that regard before the appropriate authority.” He said the VHP and the Bajrang Dal, which had filed suits in the Allahabad High Court, had not claimed title for the land but were only seeking to construct the temple at the disputed site. “This only bolsters my contention that the land belongs to my trust,” he argued and cited records from the Gazetteer of Oudh for 1887-88. He said despite “our” clear claims to the land, several trusts had been created during the past 10 years, allegedly for constructing a Ram temple. “But the authentic documents not only prop my arguments but also expose the VHP and the Bajrang Dal which are making false commitments to construct the temple on the land acquired by my trust. Neither the newly-floated trusts nor the Central Government can lay claim to the illegally acquired 67 acres at Ayodhya,” he said, adding that if the land was not returned to him, he would launch a public awareness campaign to ensure that the temple was constructed by his trust alone.
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VHP to hold meetings in temples New Delhi, November 21 The first such meeting is likely to be held on November 23 in Ahmedabad, where top leaders of the VHP, including Praveen Togadia and Acharya Dharmedra, will address VHP workers, sources said. The VHP has planned to hold over 100 such meetings to arouse Hindu sentiments ahead of the December 12 elections. The VHP is keeping the venues of such meetings a guarded secret as it apprehends that an “overzealous” Election Commission may try to ban such “religious meetings”. Chandigarh:
The VHP national Secretary Mohan Joshi here on Thursday day announced the launch of a nation-wide campaign from November 25 to create mass awakening against terrorism, conversion to Christianity and Islam and for the construction of the Ram temple in Ayodhya and dared Chief Election Commission J.M. Lyngdoh to stop it in Gujarat. |
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Lyngdoh
briefs Central observers New Delhi, November 21 Briefing 94 senior Central Government officers, who are being despatched to Gujarat as poll observers, the full EC led by Chief Election Commissioner J.M. Lyngdoh told them to monitor the adherence of political parties and candidates to the model code of conduct, which came into effect in Gujarat with the election of the poll schedule on October 28. The observers have been directed to undertake their first visit to the 182 assembly constituencies in the state from tomorrow till November 29 and thereafter give their report to the EC. These include 68 general observers and 26 expenditure observers. The second visit is to be undertaken from December 5 to 15, covering the thick of campaigning and the polling on December 12 and the counting of votes on December 15. |
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Modi ‘guilty’ of genocide Ahmedabad, November 21 Releasing an inquiry report by the nine-member tribunal, headed by Justice Krishna Iyer, a retired Judge of the Supreme Court, at a joint press conference, Justice P.B. Sawant, Justice Hosbet Suresh and senior advocate K.G. Kannabiran said the Chief Minister ‘is liable for prosecution for genocide for refusal to take any preventive measure and protect the lives and properties of minorities in the state.’ The tribunal further accused the Chief Minister of ‘connivance and facilitation of the carnage, transfer of good police officers, not taking action against erring police officials or party functionaries who were named by victims and persistent threats to close down privately run relief camps.’ The tribunal also charged Mr Modi with influencing
criminal investigation, as names of VHP, RSS, and BJP functionaries were ommitted in the charge sheet although their names appeared in FIRs. The tribunal said Muslim women were targeted and abused with an inhuman level of violence and sexual crime. “Economic and social boycott of the community was openly encouraged and continues in many parts of the state to date.” The tribunal accused the state police of “not fulfilling constitutional duty and preventing mass massacre, rape and arson.”
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Pandya’s name
not even in 3rd list New Delhi, November 21 The party is yet to take a decision on renominating former Gujarat Home Minister Haren Pandya from the Ellisbridge constituency, which has become a contentious seat between two BJP factions. The party has an ‘open mind’ on the issue and no final decision has been taken, a top BJP functionary said. This is the third list released by the BJP and the party has cleared the names for 167 constituencies, party general secretary Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi told newspersons. The state ministers who have been renominated are Mr
I.K. Jadeja (Dhrangadhra), Mr Nitibhai Patel (Kadi), Mr Ishwarbhai Makwana
(Jotana-SC) and Mr Sundarsinh Chauhan (Mememdabad). The legislators who have secured renomination are Prof Mangaldas Patel (Mansa), Mr Prahladbhai Patel
(Visnagar) and Mr Karsanbhai Odedra (Kutinyana). The party has cleared the name of Mrs Ramilaben Desai from
Kheralu. The party has fielded a new face in Dr Atulbhai Patel from
Kalol. Others who have been nominated are Dr Jitibhai Patel Sabarmati), Dr
T.I. Patel (Chanasma) and Mr Harihbhai Jani (Danta). UNI |
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NORTH INDIA IN PARLIAMENT New Delhi, November 21 The IREP is under implementation in 30 blocks in West Bengal, where the programme is being implemented by the Science and Technology Department. The IREP in these and other states is being carried out through two components, namely, the Central sector component, under which support is provided for development capabilities, including provision of staff and their training, and the state sector component, under which financial support is provided under the state outlay for promoting various
rural energy devices, extension and related activities. Land has been acquired in Averi village in Kulu district for the purpose of locating Army units, Minister for Defence George Fernandes told the Lok Sabha in a written reply today. The families who were residing on the acquired land have since been shifted. Now, it has been found that 261 bighas and 16 biswas of state government land is lying within the acquired land, which needs to be transferred or mutated in the name of the Ministry of Defence. No objection for the same has been asked for by the Army authorities, which is awaited, the House was told. Pakistani troops had not occupied any strategic post on the Indian side of the Line of Control during July, 2002, the Defence Minister told the House in a written reply to another question. However, in the last week of July, 2002, there was a minor Pakistani intrusion, approximately 800 metres on the Indian side of the Line of Control in the area of Point 3260, a relatively low feature having little tactical significance. The intrusion was evicted by appropriate action of ground troops and the Air Force on August 2, 2002. Point 3260 is not considered tactically important and viable for physical occupation by Indian troops. Being in close proximity of the LoC and the area not being physically occupied, Pakistani troops had intruded into this area. However, since the area is regularly patrolled by Indian troops, they observed the presence of some Pakistani troops in the area of Point 3260 on July 26, 2002, and suitable action was taken by the Indian troops to evict the intrusion and to restore the sanctity of the Line of Control. As such, no inquiry was ordered into the incident. No loss of life was suffered by Indian troops during the conduct of this operation. Casualties to Pakistani troops are not known, the House was told. |
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Capital
punishment to rapists demanded New Delhi, November 21 Assuring the Rajya Sabha today that all nuclear plants in the country were safe, Minister of State for Atomic Energy Vasundhara Raje said the Nuclear Regulatory Board was functionally independent of the Atomic Energy Commission. She added that all nuclear plants in the country were being monitored by trained personnel. Cutting across party lines, members demanded that the law be amended to provide for capital punishment to rapists. Deputy Chairperson Najma Heptullah said the law should be amended to provide stringent punishment to culprits, including the death sentence for rapists. Her observations came after members expressed serious concern over increasing incidents of rape and crime against women in Delhi and other parts of the country. Making special mentions, members termed Delhi as the “crime capital of India” which was “fast becoming a living hell” for women. Taking serious exception to reports from Rajasthan regarding a dress code for women, Ms Heptullah said, “Are we supposed to wear a burqa? It will be like (terrorist mastermind) Osama bin Laden asking women to behave in a particular manner. I was disturbed.” The government asserted in the Rajya Sabha that it was determined to take all appropriate steps to combat Pakistan-sponsored cross-border terrorism on its own. Replying to supplementaries during question hour, External Affairs Minister Yashwant Sinha said New Delhi had told the international community, including the USA, that it must exert greater pressure on Islamabad and examine what additional steps it could take to ensure the fulfilment of the commitment that it received from President Pervez Musharraf on permanently ending cross-border terrorism against India. |
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‘MiG
crashes due to absence of AJTs’ New Delhi, November 21 “It is penny wise and pound foolish to not go in for the AJTs,” he said, while pointing to a statement of Defence Minister George Fernandes that “mysterious elements” were preventing the purchase of the trainer jets. Making a special mention, Mr Kalmadi said the main reason for crashes of nearly 150 MiG series planes in the past five years in which about 60 pilots had been killed was the fact that the Indian Air Force did not have the AJTs. The crashes had cost the country Rs 7,000 to 10,000 crore, he said. He recalled an assurance given by the Defence Minister that the AJTs would be bought by December 2000 but said the deal was yet to be finalised. Observing that the Price Negotiations Committee on the AJTs had submitted its report to the government, the Congress member asked, “How many more crashes will have to take place and how many pilots have to die before we get the planes?” He referred to a petition signed by 125 MPs and submitted to Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee and the Defence Minister on the inordinate delay in the acquisition of the AJTs. |
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Dr Krishna’s plea referred to Bench New Delhi, November 21 Dr Krishna had claimed that the Ansal Plaza encounter with two terrorists was orchestrated by officials of the Special Cell. A Bench comprising Mr Justice Dalveer Bhandari and Mr Justice H.R. Malhotra said since another Bench headed by acting Chief Justice Devinder Gupta had heard an identical PIL petition earlier, a petition by Dr Krishna would also be placed before it. “Our observations in the matter may prejudice the case after another Bench has passed an order on a PIL,” Mr Justice Bhandari said, adding that the petition would be listed before the acting Chief Justice’s Bench on November 27. Dr Krishna also sought quashing of a police notice to him for recording his statement as a witness under Section 160 of the CrPC. Besides, he also sought issuance of notices against the Delhi Government, Commissioner of Police, Special Cell DCP Ashok Chand, its ACP Rajbir Singh and two other officials. Under Section 54 of the Evidence Act, past conduct of a person is not relevant to be an eyewitness to any incident, Dr Krishna said against whom the police has dug out many criminal cases to disprove his claims. |
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2 deaths
cause setback to pulse polio drive Patna, November 21 The state government has also raised doubts over the efficacy of the polio drops and has written to the Centre to get them tested. The state government has asked the Union Government to check the effectiveness of the polio drops after the detection of a growing number of cases of polio in the state. Altogether 58 new polio cases have been reported in Bihar since September 29, state health officials said. The Medical Education Secretary, Mr Afzal Amanullah, said till November 12, 58 new cases of polio of P1W strain were reported in the state and by the end of the year it might reach 70. Meanwhile, state officials are probing the reported deaths but have not confirmed it so far. |
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Ravi Varma sold for 56 lakh New Delhi, November 21 The sale included exceptional paintings by prominent artists from Europe and India dating back from 19th century. Though the Ravi Varma painting’s estimated price was Rs 30-40 lakh, it fetched Rs 56 lakh, he said. Ravi Varma’s another painting “Shakuntala Patralekhan,” fetched Rs 32 lakh. Nicholai Konstantinovitch Roerich’s “Himalayan Series” sold for Rs 15 lakh. Other Indian artists whose paintings were sold in the auction included Jamini Roy, M.F. Hussain, Francis Newton Souza, Abdur Rahman Chughtai, Vasudeo Gaitonde and Syed Hyder Raza.
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35 farmers hurt in lathi charge Meerut, November 21 The farmers were protesting against the closure of sugar mills. Angry kisans brought their bullockcarts in the police station premises and tied their buffaloes there. Policemen resorted to lathi-charge to vacate the premises. At least 35 farmers and a police constable were injured in the clash between farmers and the police. Farmers said sugar mills of the area were still closed despite the District Magistrate’s order to start the sugar mills from November 20.
Twentyseven farmers were later arrested. The Bhartiya Kisan Union leaders had criticised the police lathi charge on farmers. |
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