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Wednesday,
December 18, 2002, Chandigarh, India  
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Atal harps consensus tune
VHP gears up for UP IAS man calls politicians liars, removed India has proof of ISI-B’desh links |
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Demining to end in 8 months: GOC
Justice Verma favours action against guilty judges MLA burns documents
in House Ash at Mother House Walkout by Left MPs
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Atal harps consensus tune New Delhi, December 17 Addressing the customary BJP Parliamentary Party meeting, the Prime Minister said the victory for the BJP was not just confined to riot-hit regions of Gujarat but also in areas untouched by the violence. The party had also made a clean sweep in the three Assembly byelections in Rajasthan and clinched two out of the three Parliamentary seats that went for bypoll, he said. “People wanted us (BJP) ... and certainly not the negativism of the Congress”, Mr Vajpayee observed. To the query now being frequently posed to the BJP if it would take the ‘Gujarat mantra’ to other states facing elections, the Prime Minister countered with a question: “Will the Congress continue to play the communal card in Godhra, where the party did not even condemn the carnage in unequivocal terms”? Quoting the Prime Minister, BJP Parliamentary Party Spokesman Vijay Kumar Malhotra said his party was working for a discrimination-free society where every section got justice. Mr Vajpayee asked the party to analyse the Gujarat results in the coming National Executive in the right spirit. The result was a positive mandate for the good work done by the BJP government in the state. The Deputy Prime Minister, Mr L.K. Advani, in his remarks said though the party was confident of victory in Gujarat, the venomous campaign unleashed against the party by the Congress had contributed to the landslide margin. “The Gujaratis took these insults to heart and their anger was reflected in the mandate,” he said. He said the election results seemed to have overshadowed the good work done by the government, particularly the passing of numerous historic Bills in the Parliament. Right to the Information Bill was comparable to the one passed in the USA which was hailed as the ‘Bill of the Century’ providing information access to the citizens. Approvals to the Bills to stop money laundering, recovery of non-performing bank loans, besides the Competition and Bio-Diversity Bills were all important milestones, for which the Parliamentary Affairs Minister, Mr Pramod Mahajan, should get a pat on the back, he said. There were very few occasions where several important Bills passed in a single session. The BJP President, Mr M. Venkaiah Naidu said two thirds majority in Gujarat was ‘unprecedented’ and the government had overcome the anti-incumbency factor by winning more seats in favour of the BJP. People had totally rejected negativism of the Congress, he added. Mr Malhotra said the MPs greeted Mr Vajpayee, Mr Advani and Mr Naidu at the meeting, by thumping their desk on the party’s resounding successes achieved in Gujarat and the byelections. The BJP also announced that Mr Vajpayee’s birthday on December 25 would be
celebrated as ‘Vikas Divas’ across the country highlighting achievements of the NDA government. “We want to give a slogans - development, speedy development and balanced development on that day,” Mr Naidu said at the Parliamentary Party meeting. All-party workers would take this message to every nook and corner of the country between December 25 and January 12 he said. He also
announced that the executive meeting of the BJP would be held on December 23 and 24. |
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BJP blasts Pak comment
on Gujarat New Delhi, December 17 “Pakistan should understand that the franchise exercised by 90 per cent of the minorities in Gujarat does not reflect their fear and terror, but a fearless and impartial environment”, BJP General Secretary and spokesman Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said in a statement here. Meanwhile, India deplored the reported deportation of Anees Ibrahim, younger brother of Dawood Ibrahim, to Pakistan by the Dubai authorities. |
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VHP gears up for UP Lucknow, December 17 “The BJP had gained as and when it had played the Hindutva card,” he said, adding, “The party faced reversals recently because it did not take our help. If the BJP fails to read the message, the party will be wiped out of Uttar Pradesh in the next elections,” he said. The party did read the writing on the wall clearly as senior BJP leader Kalraj Mishra said, “The party should now change its strategy in the light of the Gujarat elections and should not hesitate from brandishing the Hindutva card,” he said. The VHP leaders said a meeting had been called in Pune from December 25 to chalk out the future strategy about the construction of a Ram temple in Ayodhya. Mr Ved Prakash Sachchan, state convener of the Bajrang Dal, said the saints had given time to the Union Government till March 12 to ‘clear all hurdles’ in the construction of a Ram temple. “Time is running out for Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee. If he fails to take positive action, we will be forced to make a leader like Narendra Modi the Prime Minister of the country,” he said. |
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BJP leader, 3 others shot in gang war Varanasi, December 17 Others killed along with Rai were his police security guard Chandrama Singh, private gunner Munna Rai and an engineer of the UP Construction Corporation, Shailendra Singh, Inspector-General of Police Vijay Singh said. Four to five youth, on two motor cycles, intercepted Rai’s car at the Maldahia crossing under the Sigra police station limits and opened indiscriminate fire with their AK-47 rifles killing them on the spot and injuring two others. Mr Vijay Singh said the assailants emptied around 50 rounds from their assault rifles and a 9 mm pistol. The police claimed that the killings were a result of gangwars that had already claimed 18 lives in the past six years. Rai, along with the other people who were killed in the shoot-out, had returned from Delhi by the Shiv Ganga Express train which reached here about an hour late at around 8 am. It is said that the assailants were following Rai from the railway station and as soon as his car reached the Maldahia crossing, they opened fire.
PTI |
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IAS man calls politicians liars, removed Patna, December 17 Mr Pancham Lal, Commissioner of Saran division of Bihar, had chosen a government function to speak on politics “exceeding his brief”. The public has lapped up Mr Lal words but his political bosses have shown him the door. As the matter hit front page headlines in local newspapers, the state legislative council in session took it up with the state government and the Chief Minister, Mrs Rabri Devi, removed Mr Lal asking him to report at the headquarters. The state Chief Secretary, Mr S.N. Biswas, informed the Chairman of the legislative council, Mr Jabir Hussien, about the government’s decision. The Commissioner reported for duty on Monday at the headquarters in the Personnel Department. He allegedly spoke against politicians after being peeved over ministers making political speeches at a government function. Two state ministers, including Cabinet Minister Ramai Ram, were present on the dais when the Commissioner spoke against politicians. “Political parties are not helping the nation but looting the common public. Even 10 per cent of the money with politicians, stacked in banks of Switzerland, can solve the perennial problem of floods in Bihar”, the Commissioner said. |
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India has proof of ISI-B’desh links New Delhi, December 17 Intelligence sources here said the Bangladeshi Government, which is supported by the hardline fundamentalist groups, knows about ISI activities and has been providing assistance for setting up training camps all over the country. It has been turning a blind eye to all ISI activities and local bodies along with the Pakistan agency has been paying special attention for setting up camps along the Indo-Bangladesh border specially on the West Bengal side. India had recently very categorically stated that Bangladesh was being used by the ISI for extending its activities into India. The Deputy Prime Minister, Mr L.K. Advani and the Foreign Minister, Mr Yashwant Sinha, had pointed to the various activities being carried out by the ISI. Although Bangladesh had refuted the charges and said these were attempts to malign the Begum Khaleda Zia government, India stood by its statement. According to intelligence sources, India has evidence of Pakistan having set up more than 100 terrorist training camps in Bangladesh with the assistance of the government there. Besides, Bangladesh has also been providing refuge to the leaders of the insurgents groups operating in the North-East region of India. What, however, has come as a major surprise to India is the attempt being made by the ISI to infiltrate into the Indian Army with the help of Bangladesh nationals. Reports suggest that the ISI with the assistance of the local bodies has been trying to arrange for fake educational certificates and fake residential proofs of India for Bangladesh youth so that they can make their way into the Indian Army. For the purpose, the ISI operators had also arranged for special training of the youth for one month at the Saidpur Army Regimental Centre so that they are able to get through the strict standards of the Indian Army. India has also got evidence that in the middle of this year Al-Qaida cadres were staying in a hotel in Dhaka and later shifted out. Further evidence of the ISI and the Al-Qaida making Bangladesh as the base for their activities was that almost 200 Taliban were shifted by the ISI in a ship to Bangladesh and were looked after by a local organisation supported by Pakistan and by the Tabliq-e-Jamat. Incidentally, in January, 20 Al-Qaida members holding Pakistan passports were picked up by the Bangladeshi police but were later released following intervention from across the border. The level of ISI operations in Bangladesh is so deep now that it has even started to force its opinions on the editors of some of the largest circulated local dailies. On the advice of the ISI the local dailies have been hiring journalists with the basic purpose of generating anti-India feelings. The ISI has also been training Pakistan nationals as teachers and maulvis to be appointed in madrassas and masques along the Indo-Bangladesh border with the specific purpose carrying out anti-India activities.
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Demining to end in 8 months: GOC Pul Kanjri (Indo-Pak border), December 17 The General said various Army units deployed along the border had maintained a complete record of mines laid, but rodents by nimbling the plastic detonators had made the task more difficult. He said after the operation the Army would use mechanical equipment and could even burn fields for their destruction. The Commanding Officer of an engineering regiment, who was supervising the demining operation, briefed the mediapersons about the equipment being used in detecting the mines. The soldier had been provided with special explosion-proof boots, prodding device and mine detectors, he added. Later, the GOC and other senior officers along with mediapersons interacted with the villagers of the area. The sarpanch of Rajatal village, Mr Baldev Singh, while complementing the Army for handing over the demined fields to the villagers, lamented that both the state government and the centre had not come forward with the announcement of compensation. The border out post of a Pakistan village, Thathia Kalan was visible from the Indian side and the Pakistan military could be seen demining the area. |
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Justice Verma favours action against guilty judges New Delhi, December 17 Delivering the D.M. Singhvi Memorial Lecture on “Human Rights — The Essence of Constitutional Governance” here last evening, Justice Verma said judges should not be immune to anything and the standards of probity should be stricter for the Judges as the Judiciary is a watchdog of democracy. Justice Verma, a former CJI, commended Justice Pattanaik for his effort and the prompt action in initiating the inquiry against the judges of some High Courts and said that Justice Pattanaik’s initiatives will remain as a major precedent in the annals of Indian Judiciary. The Supreme Court should exercise proper administrative control over the High Court Judges and they should not be immune to action if found guilty, Justice Verma said. |
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MLA burns documents
in House Kolkata, December 17 The fire was, however, soon extinguished by the watch and ward staff and the aggrieved MLA, who was protesting against the electricity charges, walked out of the Assembly. The cause of the MLA’s anger was the decision of the state Electricity Regulatory Board to allow hike of the CESC of all categories by removing the classification of the domestic, industrial and commercial consumers, which had been announced yesterday. |
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Ash at Mother House Kolkata, December 17 But the glamorous actress patiently answered these posers and more that sisters at Mother Teresa’s Missionaries of Charity shot at her today. On her hour-long tour of the Mother House, the global headquarters of MoC here, Rai said she was “still searching for her goal in life” and sought the blessings of sisters to “reach where God intends me to go”. Rai sought blessings from a 90-year-old nun, “Ma, please bless me....And a very Happy Christmas and New Year to you.” “I am Aishwarya Rai and I am also from Karnataka,” a bemused Rai told a nun from her home state after overhearing a whispered query on who “this splendid-looking lady” was. “I am trying to do justice to what God has sent me to do on earth. I am still searching for perfection in whatever I do,” she said holding the hands of the nun and warmly hugging each inmate of the House who came her way. She bowed before Mother’s tomb and stood meditatively for awhile. “Mother Teresa has always inspired me. I have been to the Missionaries of Charity home in Mumbai. But I always wanted to come to the very abode of Mother. This is simply overwhelming, very moving,” Rai said later.
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Walkout by Left MPs New Delhi, December 17 Mr Nirupam, claimed that five employees of the hotel died due to the high-handed attitude of the management. He was supported by Mr Jibon Roy and his party colleagues to demand investigation into the matter. The Left Parties and Congress members also wanted to rake up the issue. But when the Deputy Chairperson refused to give them permission to raise the issue, the members staged a walkout. Meanwhile, the CPM today lashed out at the BJP and the Sangh Parivar for their plans to “communalise” the country’s polity on the lines of Gujarat, saying that the attempts to grab power by exploiting religion was a “very serious development”. “What has happened to the Prime Minister’s sense of shame? We do not know how it has evaporated”, CPM leader Somnath Chatterjee commented, replying to a question at a press conference. He also attacked the Congress saying that both “hardcore Hindutava and soft Hindutava” had to be condemned. |
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4 NLFT ultras arrested Agartala, December 17 |
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In
video: Vajpayee says
Gujarat victory was not due to exploitation of Hindu sentiments. (
