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Monday,
June 23, 2003, Chandigarh, India  
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CM influencing probe into Rawat case: BJP Apology sought from Kanchi seer George flies in
Sukhoi Litigations in SC from Punjab, Haryana on rise |
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New alliance to oust NDA:
Ajit ‘Globalisation behind Kerala suicide rate’
Naidu briefs RSS chief on Mumbai session Madhumita’s mother
alleges pressure Potter mania grips
Jaipur Sahara Parivar plans film city in Kolkata Pondy to cruise ahead in tourism Mahant discharged
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CM influencing probe into Rawat case: BJP Dehra dun, June 22 “Even as Mr Rawat still stands by his statement in the Assembly, Mr Tiwari is describing his (Rawat’s) allegations against the Chief Secretary and the Director General of Police as an emotional outburst. Clearly, he (Tiwari) is influencing the probe by giving such statements,” the Leader of the Opposition in the state and senior BJP leader, Mr Bhagat Singh Koshiyari, said in a statement. Mr Rawat had, earlier, accused the Chief Secretary, Mr Madhukar Gupta, and his wife of conspiring against him. “The Chief Secretary’s wife, who is running an NGO called Sanjivani, knew that the woman was pregnant; hence, they all are involved. This has also happended because I once gave a dressing down to the Chief Secretary,” he had alleged. Mr Bhagat Singh Koshiyari said: “In spite of holding a responsible office of the Chief Minister, Mr Tiwari has given a clean chit to the officials without holding any inquiry.” Mr Koshiyari said such statements by the Chief Minister suggested that he was unnerved by the crisis emanating from the controversy, in which, an unwed mother had alleged that Mr Rawat had fathered her child. Alleging that the government was trying to cover up the issue, he said the government should resign on moral grounds or hold an inquiry into the matter at the earliest. Mr Tiwari had announced a CBI probe into the episode on Thursday.
— PTI |
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Apology sought from Kanchi seer New Delhi, June 22 “Jayendra Saraswati made a grave mistake by not discussing the formula with other Shankaracharyas before sending it to the AIMPLB. We demand an apology for his mistake,” he told newspersons. Consensus among the Hindu organisations like the VHP, the RSS and the Ram Janambhoomi Nyas, on the Kanchi Shankaracharya’s formula, is essential to avoid any rift among different Hindu religious leaders and organisations on the temple issue, he said. He also suggested that if the excavation undertaken by the Archaeological Survey of India found proof of the existence of any temple prior to building of the mosque, then the Muslim community should give up their claim over the disputed land. Otherwise, Hindu organisations should come forward for a compromise, he added. |
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George flies in Sukhoi Pune, June 22 After undergoing the mandatory medical test, Mr Fernandes climbed up the aircraft at 8.15 am wherein he was briefed about the operations by Wg-Cdr Nirmal Singh who flew the aircraft. As the engine of the aircraft roared and its wheels started rolling on the runway, it evoked applause from the Air Force personnel who had gathered to witness the event because flying in the Sukhoi which travels at supersonic speed is a gruelling experience even for young pilots. The major difficulties for a pilot in the aircraft are the ‘G-factor’, physical exertion and physiological discomforts because of gravity. After take-off, the Defence Minister climbed over the airfield and practiced basic manoeuvres familiarising himself with the aircraft. Subsequently, he headed eastwards and accelerated to 1.2 times the speed of sound. —
PTI |
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Litigations in SC from Punjab, Haryana on rise New Delhi, June 22 A cursory look at the daily cause list of cases put up for hearing before different Benches by the Supreme Court indicates that as compared to the other states which were much larger in size and population, Haryana and Punjab had a major share in the litigations before it. This may be due to the closeness of the two states to the Supreme Court making it more convenient for the litigants to approach the apex court when not satisfied with the verdicts of the high court. On a scrutiny of the list it was found that about 20 to 25 per cent of the total matter listed on a given day before the vacation Bench belonged to Haryana and Punjab. This percentage is by any standard much higher if viewed by taking into account the fact that cases from all states and union territories come up before the Supreme Court. Former Chief Justice of India B.N. Kirpal, had in a case, taken serious view of the rising trend in Haryana to rush to the Supreme Court in every matter. Legal experts agree that the high percentage of cases from the two states was due to their proximity to Delhi. “It is not a costly affair for a litigant from Punjab and Haryana to approach the Supreme Court in every matter because Delhi is near. Even a poor person can afford to take a chance by approaching the apex court if he has lost a case in the high court,” says advocate Mahabir Singh. Similarly, if government agencies lost a case in the high court, officials concerned would also suggest the government to approach the apex court, he adds. A major reason for rising litigations in the two pre-dominantly agricultural states is the shrinking of landholding due to partition in the family, experts believe. Many a time, the
disputes take an ugly turn and result in criminal cases. Organised crimes like dacoity, robbery and gangster activities in Punjab and Haryana are less or negligible, except in the periphery of the Capital. |
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New alliance to oust NDA:
Ajit Hardwar, June 22 Mr Ajit Singh said a new alignment of the political forces in UP would strengthen secular forces in the country and pave the way for the ouster of the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre in the next Lok Sabha poll. Ms Sonia Gandhi’s foreign origin, which is raked up by the BJP and some of its allies, was no issue at all. “If the public wants, she has as much right to be the Prime Minister of the country as anyone else,” he added. Referring to the political scenario in UP, he said after the withdrawal of support by his party from the state government, the Governor should have asked Ms Mayawati to prove majority in the House. “We are in a position to provide a stable alternative government. The BSP and the BJP are reluctant to call the session of the Assembly, since they do not enjoy majority support. However, the session has to be called sooner or later. The Mayawati government will fall the day the session of the Assembly is held,” he asserted. Lambasting the Centre, he said it was pursuing anti-farmer policies. “The Central Government and the UP Government have failed to provide remunerative prices of sugarcane to farmers of the state. The bias of the Centre against the farming community made me resign from the Union Cabinet,” he said. He also said his party would fight for the creation of the ‘harit pradesh’. “Since UP is an unwieldy state, we strongly favour its trifurcation in western UP, Bundelkhand and eastern UP. There are better chances of development in smaller states,” he said. |
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‘Globalisation behind Kerala suicide rate’ Thiruvananthapuram, June 22 Figures laid on the table of the Legislative Assembly by Chief Minister A K Antony this week showed an increase in the number of Keralites taking their lives. While during 1996-97, the number of suicides was 17,048, during 2001-02, it increased to 19,774. These included 65 families, involving 189 individuals, who courted death in “suicide” pacts. Kerala has a suicide rate almost three times the national average. Significantly, the number of people ending their lives has gone up even as the state witnessed greater prosperity during the past three decades of the “Gulf boom”. From a rate of 15 per 1,00,000 population in the 1970s, the suicide rate in the state has jumped to 27 per 1,00,000, the latest available figures show. According to the State Commission for Women, Kerala is now “at the receiving end of the adverse effects of globalisation, commercialisation and privatisation’’ and this has in part contributed to the suicide scenario. “Sizeable sections of Keralites are, of late, deprived economically. At the same time, the propertied sections are getting better off. This situation of the rich becoming richer and the poor becoming poorer does not match with the background of Kerala society. The estimate of suicides, especially family suicides due to economic reasons is an eye opener to the adverse effects of globalisation,’’ the commission’s latest report on the “status of Women in Kerala’’ says. —
UNI |
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Naidu briefs RSS chief on Mumbai session New Delhi, June 22 The meeting that lasted almost two hours assumes significance following Mr Naidu’s remarks that the party wanted to have good relations with all nationalist organisations like the RSS. The four-day meeting that ended on June 20 in Mumbai was attended by top BJP leaders, including the Prime Minister and the Deputy Prime Minister. It also included Mr Madan Das Devi, who is in charge of the BJP affairs of the RSS.
— PTI |
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Madhumita’s mother alleges pressure
Lakhimpur Kheri (UP), June 22 The disclosure comes in the wake of Chief Minister Mayawati’s recent statement that “Madhumita’s mother was not in the right state of mind following the tragedy, as such her statements cannot be taken seriously.” Talking to UNI here, Madhumita’s mother Shanti Devi said. Pinku was arranged for Madhumita’s house by sacked state Minister Amarmani Tripathi and worked along with the other domestic help, Deshraj. She further claimed that the police, on reaching the murder spot, had threatened her elder daughter Nidhi to restrain from naming ‘big persons’, otherwise she could land in trouble.
On the other hand, Pinku, who was absconding, had not yet been tracked down by the police, she said. —
UNI |
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Potter mania grips Jaipur Jaipur, June 22 Though the book, fifth in author J.K. Rowling’s hit series, hit markets worldwide yesterday, its consignment arrived here only today, forcing book sellers to keep their shops open on a Sunday. The shutters of the book shops were up by 9.30 in the morning, but the consignment of the copies of the book arrived from Delhi only around 11 am, keeping the customers hopping from one store to other. “It is for the first time in 40 years that I have opened my shop on a Sunday — the weekly off”, said Rajendra Singh Shekhawat of books and news mart. There has been so much pressure from my customers, particularly children and teenagers, that I had to concede to open my shop today so that they could get the copies immediately on arrival, he said. This seemed to be the case with other bookstores also where big posters announcing the arrival of the book had been put up. —
PTI |
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Sahara Parivar plans film city in Kolkata Kolkata, June 22 Sahara India sources said about 70 acres of land had already been identified at Nodadanga for the purpose. “The film city will be the most modern one and better than any other in the country,’’ the sources said. They said Sahara Parivar chief Subrata Ray would soon meet Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee for finalising the land for city. Mr Ray has taken up an ambitious project to develop necessary infrastructure for making English. Hindi and Bengali films from the eastern metropolitan city. He has also decided to set up “Asia’s best’’ sound studio in the city. —
UNI |
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Pondy to cruise ahead in tourism Chennai, June 22 The proposed Yard Marina, envisaged as a comfortable parking slot for about 2000 yachts on the lines of similar facilities available in Taiwan, Colombo and Philippines is expected to attract an influx of foreign cruisers, according to K. Lakshmi Narayanan, the union territory’s Tourism Minister. “Consultants for this ambitious project have already been shortlisted and the project is expected to be commissioned in the next 18 months,” P. Mathew Samuel, Managing Director, Pondicherry Tourism and Transport Development Corporation Ltd, said. Yard Marina, the first of its kind in Indian waters is certain to emerge as a prime destination for foreign cruisers, Samuel said. —
PTI |
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Mahant discharged
Lucknow, June 22
An aide of the seer said here that the mahant left by road for Ayodhya. “He would reach his ‘math’ at around 8 pm,” he said, adding that the doctors attending on him have advised him bed rest till full recovery. —
UNI
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Sporting the anti-gravity ‘G-suit’, Defence Minister George Fernandes today created history in the Indian Air Force when he undertook a fighter sortie in SU-30 MKI travelling 1.2 times the speed of sound from the Lohegaon Air Force station, near here.
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