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Tuesday,
January 28, 2003, Chandigarh, India  
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Sinha debunks Indo-China conflict theories Bengal bandh partial, 700 held Kidney scam: NHRC notice to Punjab |
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Punjab needs ‘tough’
fiscal measures Khatami flays West for maligning
Islam HP BJP meeting to resolve differences PM: monitor rural
development plans
Chautala seeks more wheat from
Centre Congress, CPM oppose move
on HPCL, BPCL One held for insulting Tricolour, released Altaf remanded in police custody till Feb
7 Witness turns hostile in Bharat Shah case Harivansh Rai’s ashes
immersed 26 hurt in Mumbai blast Al-Umma leader
gets 4-yr RI
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Sinha debunks Indo-China conflict theories New Delhi, January 27 Inaugurating a three-day conference on “Asian Security and China in 2000-2010”, Mr Sinha said some analysts foresaw in Asia a coming battle for supremacy between India and China because of the overlapping areas of influence between the two countries and their determination to emerge as major powers on the world stage. “Let me debunk these theories completely and state with full conviction that India neither pursues nor makes policy towards China based on the belief that conflict between the two is inevitable.” Mr Vajpayee’s China visit would obviously provide further impetus to the bilateral relations. Indications are that Mr Vajpayee would visit Beijing in May or June after the new leadership takes over China. However, Mr Sinha expressed deep concern over Chinese nuclear assistance to Pakistan as well as Beijing’s stand over Sikkim and New Delhi’s candidature for a permanent seat in the United Nations Security Council. “Reliable and widespread reports of Chinese nuclear and missile proliferation to Pakistan cause deep concern. The Chinese position on issues such as Sikkim and India’s candidature for a permanent seat in the UN Security Council sows doubts. There is also a sense of disappointment over the pace of improvement in relations.” Mr Sinha said India’s approach to relations with China, however, would remain “forward-looking” and infused with a sense of optimism. “India’s policies will not be based on fear of the Chinese power nor envy of China’s economic achievements. They will be based on the conviction that a prosperous India is inevitable. So is a strong and prosperous China”. Mr Sinha noted that India-China relations had diversified and a series of dialogue mechanisms were in place, including on subjects such as counter-terrorism, security issues, policy planning and the boundary question. The minister pointed out that a substantial measure of success had been achieved by now in the endeavour to establish mutual understanding between India and China. “ Despite the fact that India-China border spans thousands of kms of territory and there exist material differences in perception, the two countries have been successful in maintaining relative peace and tranquility for over 25 years”, he said, adding that this achievement in no way should be underestimated. In this context, Mr Sinha added that the process of clarifying the Line of Actual Control (LAC) along the India-China boundary based on the institutional framework provided by the important agreements of 1993 and 1996 was making progress. “India seeks to develop relations with China on the basis of the principles of Panchsheel, mutual sensitivity to each other’s concerns and equality”. Mr Sinha said the two countries had agreed at the highest level to move ahead in diverse areas of cooperation while simultaneously finding ways and means of addressing their differences through dialogue and peaceful means. Therefore, Mr Sinha said it was logical, reasonable and in the enlightened self-interest of both India and China that they learn not just to live with each other but also address differences and build on what was common. “India and China are too large and too strong to be contained or cowed down by any country, including each other”. |
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Bengal bandh partial, 700 held Kolkata, January 27 Today’s bandh was called by the Socialist Unity Centre of India (SUCI) against rise in electricity bill, water and hospital charges and education fees in schools and colleges and various anti-people steps adopted by the Centre and the state government. The Left Front opposed the bandh but the Congress and the Trinamool Congress did neither support nor oppose it. In Agartala and Tripura, the CPM also observed a bandh against the killings of 14 persons, including seven women, last night. The victims were gunned down by the terrorists in the CPM-dominated Belonia. The killings on the eve of the forthcoming Assembly elections in the state were worrying the CPM. The SUCI’s bandh today was partial. Though buses, trams, taxis and other vehicles ran in several places, there was hardly any passenger. Government offices witnessed thin attendance. Markets, shops and other commercial establishments were opened in some areas in Kolkata and other cities but in districts, particularly south 24-Parganas, Murshidabad, Nadia, Burdwan in south Bengal and Jalpaiguri and Coochbehar in north Bengal the bandh was observed. Sporadic incidents of violence were reported from some places in north and south 24-Parganas, Birbhum, Burdwan and Kolkata following clashes between the SUCI and the CPM activists. The bandh supporters also clashed with the police. At many places, trains were stopped, which led to a police lathi-charge. Over 700 persons, including 300 in Kolkata, were arrested during the bandh in the state. The arrested persons included a large number of women workers and supporters of the SUCI. Chief Minister Buddhadev Bhattacharjee regretted that there had been another workless day when the need was “to ensure more work and output”. |
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Kidney scam: NHRC notice to Punjab New Delhi, January 27 The NHRC, in its order on January 24, asked the authorities to submit a report vis-ŕ-vis the number of people who were forced to sell their kidneys to escape starvation within two weeks. Media reports indicated that approximately 300 labourers had lost their kidneys since 2001, out of which nearly 20 to 25 lost their lives. It was also alleged that the Rs 150-crore scam was the mastermind of a senior nephro-surgeon of a leading hospital, in connivance with the Principal of a Government Medical College of the state who reportedly gave permission for illegal transplant while he was the Chairman of the Authorisation Committee. In a press note issued here today, it was pointed out that the NHRC had sought a report on the number of kidney donors who were reported to be in custody and whether any medical facilities were being provided to them. Human rights activist Jawaid Laiq, senior advocate Ram Jethmalani and advocates Lataa Krishnamurthy, Kamini Jaiswal and Ashok Kumar Singh had called for the NHRC’s intervention. In their letter, the complainants had reiterated that it appeared that poor victims of the exploitation were being further victimised by being imprisoned. |
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Punjab needs ‘tough’
fiscal measures New Delhi, January 27 “Without tough measures to consolidate the fiscal situation and accelerate structural reforms, including abolition of untargetted subsidies, the fiscal position of the state is not likely to improve. The longer the fiscal deficit goes uncorrected, the greater the risk of steep reduction in the development activities,” said the Planning Commission-sponsored report “Punjab Development Report.” Measures for stabilising the financial position of the state should be strictly enforced so that growth of revenue income and control of expenditure bring down the revenue deficit to zero and fiscial deficit to 3.7 per cent by 2007. The report prepared by the Chandigarh-based Centre for Research in Rural and Industrial Development (CRRID) for the commission states that the primary task of Punjab include diversification of the economy from agriculture to non-agriculture sector, making the state investment-friendly, meeting the challenges of globalisation, labour replacing new technologies and economic factors rather than political acts as a key factor for taking decisions. |
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Khatami flays West for maligning
Islam New Delhi, January 27 “What Ghaznavi did in India, did not represent Islamic ethos and ideology, which firmly propagate peace, harmony and co-existence... Ghaznavi, who during his military expedition looted and plundered a number of places in India including Somnath Temple, had expansionist designs,” Mr Khatami said at a meeting of Muslim religious leaders, scholars and intellectuals at the Iran Cultural House here last night. Mr Khatami said it was “mysticism” which helped in spreading Islamic message in India and far East Asia. Islam found aesthetic and mystic values in India, he added. The visiting dignitary used this opportunity to launch a frontal attack on the western world, led by the USA, for maligning the image of the religion. “Islam is described as a source of violence. Mistakes by some Muslims were being exploited by the West to launch a hatred campaign against Islam and Muslims.” Mr Khatami criticised the USA for allowing Israel to perpetuate crimes against Palestinians. “The Bush administration was using all methods to suppress their genuine struggle for independent state.” He praised India’s secular and democratic character. “Iran pays great tribute to India for maintaining secular and democratic character. India is a great family where people of all religions have complete freedom.” |
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HP BJP meeting to resolve differences New Delhi, January 27 The BJP central office is being represented by Prabhari of Himachal Pradesh O P Kohli and Delhi Pradesh unit president Madan Lal Khurana, Himachal Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal, Election Management and Campaign Committee convenor and Union Minister Shanta Kumar, State unit president Jaikishan Sharma and Lok Sabha MP from Mandi Maheshwar Singh among others. The meeting is being seen as a step to prevent any spillover of differences among top state unit leaders after the finalisation of the candidates. The meeting took place a day before the State Election Committee is scheduled to formally meet here to decide on the candidates list. The meeting assumes great significance as a section of the Himachal unit want that while winnability of the candidates should be accorded top priority, there should also be a serious effort to drop tainted sitting MLAs and ministers, some of whom are close to the Chief Minister. They have also emphasised on the need to give party ticket to fresh and young faces. The BJP high command has already made it clear that the state unit leaders should sort out all differences among themselves and unanimously propose single candidate for each of the 65 constituencies going to poll on February 26. The list will be finally approved by the Central Election Committee (CEC) of the party on January 29. Although top party sources maintained that there were lot of differences among the state unit leaders on the candidates’ selection, Chief Minister Dhumal, who met party General Secretary Arun Jaitley, told The Tribune that the candidate selection process would be smooth and the party would unitedly contest the elections.
New Delhi, January 27 The decision to postpone the meeting came after former Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh met senior leaders of the party at the residence of Mr Arjun Singh. Sources said no decision could be reached at the meeting which was attended by general secretary in charge of Himachal Pradesh Mohsina Kidwai, Mr Manmohan Singh and Mrs Ambika Soni. The central leaders’ meeting with Mr Manmohan Singh came after Mr Sukh Ram met Mrs Kidwai for over an hour in the morning. The sources said Mr Manmohan Singh remained against a tie-up with Mr Sukh Ram’s party and was in no mood to oblige with the HVC with the “minimum seats” it was demanding. Senior party leaders, however, maintained that the screening committee meeting had been postponed due to “preoccupation of Dr Manmohan Singh who heads it.” Mrs Kidwai told The Tribune here that Mr Sukh Ram had made certain proposals which were being considered by the party. “We will discuss them and take a decision,” she said. |
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PM: monitor rural
development plans New Delhi, January 27 “As far as failures are concerned, it is obvious that the reasons lie less in the shortage of funds and more in the flaws of implementation and as far as success is concerned, it is equally obvious that people’s participation and the involvement of non-government organisations have always proved helpful in effective implementation,” the Prime Minister said. Inaugurating a National Conference of State Ministers of Rural Development, Panchayat Raj and Public Works here, Mr Vajpayee said there were thousands of voluntary organisations in the country that were willing to work closely with the government and thus make their contribution to rural development. He called for increased participation by such NGOs. Stressing the importance of regular monitoring of the rural development programmes, the Prime Minister said it was critical for the evaluation and timely implementation of all schemes. He favoured the review of all extension services and the development projects by a third agency so as to form an objective assessment of the rural scene. Launching another initiative of the Ministry of Rural Development, ‘Yojana Haryali’, Mr Vajpayee congratulated Rural Development Minister Shanta Kumar for bringing the new scheme just one month after the launch of the ‘Swajaldhara’ scheme.
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Chautala seeks more wheat from
Centre New Delhi, January 27 Speaking at the two-day Conference of Ministers of Rural Development here, Mr Chautala said the state government had urged the Centre to provide 7.20 lakh tonnes of additional wheat to initiate relief operations in districts badly affected by the drought, but the Centre had sanctioned only 25,000 metric tonnes of wheat. He urged Mr Vajpayee to ensure expeditious allocation of the remaining wheat. Talking of other aspects of development in the state, Mr Chautala appreciated the consruction of roads under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana. At the same time, he urged the Prime Minister to expeditiously sanction schemes entailing an expenditure of Rs 42 crore for the year 2002-’03 for speedy implementation in the state. Mr Chautala said construction of 46 roads with a total length of 658.04 km had alreday been sanctioned for the state at a cost of Rs 107.20 crore.
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Congress, CPM oppose move
on HPCL, BPCL New Delhi, January 27 Party spokesman S. Jaipal Reddy said that the Congress had consistently and strongly opposed withdrawal of the state from the strategic sector of which hydrocarbon was a vital part. Disapproving the ‘unilateral’ steps taken by the government on the issue, he said that the party’s opposition remained unchanged. Dubbing the Centre’s decision to privatise oil PSU’s HPCL and BPCL as “betrayal of country’s interest”, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) today asked the Centre to halt the sale of the companies. “The Vajpayee government’s decision to sell public assets in such a vital sector is nothing but a betrayal of the country’s interest,” a CPM statement said. |
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One held for insulting Tricolour, released Bhopal, January 27 The second incident was reported from Sidhi district where one Mohammed Salaam was arrested for pulling down the flag and tearing it. |
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Altaf remanded in police custody till Feb 7
Mumbai, January 27 Designated judge of the special court A.P. Bhangale today allowed the plea of his lawyer Majeed Memon to interview Altaf in jail to seek instructions. However, the lawyer has been asked to give prior intimation to the police about the interview. The accused was produced in the court in a burqa, amidst tight security. Altaf, who allegedly supplied explosives and funds to those who triggered the blast in a bus on December 2 last year leaving two persons killed and more than 30 wounded, was arrested in Dubai and flown to Mumbai in the wee hours today. On his arrival here, Altaf was interrogated by central agencies as well as the Mumbai police for several hours following which he was arrested and taken into custody. Altaf is the second accused in the Ghatkopar bomb blast case to be deported from Dubai in less than a month. Earlier, Irfan Rehman Khan was picked up there and sent to Mumbai. He is in the police custody here till January 31. In all, four persons have been arrested in connection with the blast of whom three, Mohd Abdul Matin Abdul Basit, Sheikh Mohd Muzzamil Jamil Ahmed and Zahir Ahmed Bashir Ahmed Shaikh are in the judicial custody till January 31. Another accused, Sayed Khwaja Yunus Khwaja Ayub, who was arrested, escaped from the police custody on January 7.
PTI |
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Witness turns hostile in Bharat Shah case Mumbai, January 27 The witness, son-in-law of Tarun Shah, had earlier told the police that the accused had absconded with family members and his whereabouts were not known. However, in the court, the witness denied his own statement about Tarun visiting him to inquire about his health and also speaking to him on telephone.
PTI |
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Harivansh Rai’s ashes
immersed Hardwar, January 27 Among the VIPs present on the occasion were the state Chief Minister, Mr N.D. Tiwari, the Secretary-General of the Samajwadi Party, Mr Amar Singh, and representatives of political parties and various other social organisations. Mammoth crowds congregated at the Har-Ki-Pauri to pay homage to the late poet. Thousands of people had thronged on both sides of the road and roof tops of houses and shops to pay homage to the late poet and have a glimpse of Amitabh Bachchan. As Amitabh Bachchan waved to the crowds at Har-Ki-Pauri, the whole atmosphere reverberated with the shouts of “Harivansh Rai Bachchan amar rahein”. |
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26 hurt in Mumbai blast Mumbai, January 27
Chennai, January 27 Pronouncing the sentence late in the evening, Special Judge L. Rajendran, who had convicted 23 accused and acquitted one person on January 24, also sentenced 12 others to four years RI and three months simple imprisonment on various charges under the IPC, the Explosives Substances Act and the Criminal Law Amendment Act.
UNI |
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Staines case Bhubaneswar, January 27 |
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Kolkata, January 27
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