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Sunday,
August 3, 2003, Chandigarh, India  
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Statements of Vajpayee, Advani on temple flayed Muslim Board takes exception to PM’s statement |
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Convention calls for independent judicial panel People flee 19 flood-hit districts Ultras in Jammu and Kashmir ‘can fabricate’
chemical weapons J&K panel meets this month |
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Vohra to visit
Ladakh today 3 ULFA militants
killed in Bengal Chand Ram rejoins Cong 37 cops suspended
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Statements of Vajpayee, Advani on temple flayed New Delhi, August 2 Denouncing Mr Vajpayee’s statement, the Communists today charged the Prime Minister with reneging from his commitment in Parliament and said they would take up the issue in the House. In a harsh criticism of Mr Vajpayee, the CPM and the CPI along with former Naxalite outfit CPI (ML) Liberation, said the statement posed a serious challenge to the country’s rule of law when the disputed Ram Janmabhoomi issue was awaiting a court verdict. In a statement, the CPM Politburo said while the Prime Minister had showed his “true colours of being an unadulterated RSS Swayamsevak” by pledging in Ayodhya that a Ram temple would be built at the Ram Janmasthan, his statement completely negated the letter and spirit of the Indian Constitution. The CPM also attacked Mr Advani for describing the construction of a temple as a reflection of the national sentiment. “Mr Advani has endorsed the RSS view that only the Hindu sentiment can be considered as national sentiment.” It would also arouse communal passions before the coming Assembly elections, the party pointed out. The party said given the “intransigence” of the RSS and the BJP when a negotiated settlement seemed
impossible, the CPM would continue to stress that a judicial verdict only could bring in a solution to the problem. Describing Mr Vajpayee’s speech as dangerous, CPI secretary D Raja said it was unprecedented for a Prime Minister to make such a comment at a funeral. “When the matter is pending before the Supreme Court, the Prime Minister’s remarks come as a challenge to the rule of law,” he said. Mr Raja said the CPI which had been demanding a judicial solution to the dispute, firmly believed that the issue could not be settled outside the court. “Mr Vajpayee’s comments smack of the spirit of an RSS man rather than a Prime Minister and we will take up the issue in Parliament,” Mr Raja stressed. The CPI (ML) Liberation said the Prime Minister’s statement signified the BJP’s desperation in the run up to the
coming Assembly elections in five states.” His arrival at Ayodhya and the chorus he sang with Mr Advani signalled the BJP’s readiness to fight the next elections on the issue of Ayodhya,” the party said. The statement appealed to the people not to fall prey to “obvious tactics of rousing communal passions” around the Ayodhya issue by the RSS and the BJP outfits in the run up to the Assembly and the Lok Sabha elections. |
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Muslim Board takes exception to PM’s statement Lucknow, August 2 In the absence of any major achievement of his government to project in the November Assembly elections in some states, the Prime Minister used the cremation of Ram Janmbhoomi Nyas president, Mahant Ramchandra Paramhans to issue a politically motivated statement to polarise the voters, the AIMPLB spokesman Dr S.Q.R. Illyas told PTI on phone. “The Prime Minister is the custodian of law and his statement, which is contrary to what all the parties have mutually agreed to — that the court’s verdict should be honoured, is unbecoming of the post he occupies,” Dr Illyas said. The convener of the Babri Masjid Action Committee (BMAC) and AIMPLB member, Zafaryab Jilani, alleged that Mr Vajpayee used the occasion to send a clear message that there was no shift in the BJP’s stand on the temple issue. “What Vajpayee said yesterday in Ayodhya during the condolence meeting after the cremation of Paramhans, he had not said in Parliament under the pressure of NDA partners,” he said. Mr Jilani said the Prime Minister could not disregard the feelings of 15 crore
Muslims in the country to fulfil the dreams of a Hindu saint
(Paramhans), who was held in high esteem by everyone. He also criticised the timing of the statement which, he said, might influence the ongoing court proceedings in the case. Meanwhile, the Samajwadi Party President, Mulayam Singh Yadav, today accused the BJP of playing politics on the death of Mahant Ramchandra Paramhans to gain political mileage in the coming elections. The vow to construct Ram temple in Ayodhya while paying homage to the Ram Janmbhoomi Nyas president, Ramchandra Paramhans in Ayodhya after the cremation, was “aimed at gaining political mileage and playing politics on the dead body of the great saint,” Mr Yadav said at a meeting of the youth wing of his party here. Chennai: Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s statement yesterday that a temple would be built in Ayodhya has raised the hackles of an NDA constituent, the DMK, which today asked him to clear the “doubts” raised by his “contradictory” stand on the issue. The DMK President M. Karunanidhi has also sought to know whether there was any change in the NDA agenda on the temple issue. —
PTI |
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Uniform civil code not on NDA
agenda, Thiruvananthapuram, August 2 “The ruling NDA functions on the basis of a common agenda and the uniform civil code is now not on the agenda. A national debate is on about the issue following the Supreme Court observation. The government has not taken any decision,” he told mediapersons on the sidelines of a function organised to mark the merger of the Kerala Vikas Party with the Indian Federal Democratic Party, to which he belonged. Mr Thomas said the ruling alliance had not discussed the question of framing a legislation to facilitate the construction of a Ram temple at Ayodhya. Referring to judicial reforms, Mr Thomas said the government was thinking of bringing in a provision in the Criminal Procedure Code which would enable the accused to avail himself of some concession in punishment, if he pleaded guilty. —
PTI |
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Convention calls for independent judicial panel New Delhi, August 2 “This commission
(NJC) must be independent of the government and the judiciary. It should have an independent investigative machinery under its own control through which it can get allegations and charges against judges investigated,” the All-India Convention on Judicial Corruption and Judicial Accountability said in a resolution here. The convention was organised by over 20 organisations of professionals, civil rights bodies and Left parties, among others. It alleged that the government had come out with a proposal to constitute a somewhat “truncated”
NJC, which would be a part-time body of three senior sitting judges of the Supreme Court, the Law Minister and a nominee of the Prime Minister. “This NJC would not have the power of removal of judges and the present system of impeachment would continue,” it said. Emphasising that it had become imperative to restore the integrity of the judiciary which could only be done by making it accountable and making its functioning transparent, the convention alleged that “a large measure of judicial arbtitrariness has been used to legitimise the undemocratic, anti-poor and anti-people activities and policies of the state”. “This has led to a situation where the poor and the weak have had to bear the brunt of an unaccountable judicial functioning,” the convention said. The convention called upon the judiciary and Parliament to judicially or legislatively overrule the Veeraswamy verdict to remove all obstacles in the way of criminal investigation of judges. The verdict has virtually immunised the judges of higher judiciary from criminal probe as neither an FIR can be registered against an erring judge nor criminal investigation can commence without the consent of the Chief Justice of India. Expressing concern over the unlimited power bestowed upon the judges, the convention called upon Parliament to amend the Contempt of Court Act to remove “scandalising the court or lowering the court” from the definition of criminal contempt. It said it should be made clear that nothing which is true or said in good faith and without malice would constitute contempt of court. To strengthen the independence of the judiciary, the convention suggested that all offices of profit and post-retirement re-employment jobs for the judges, whether as member of the commissions or tribunals, etc, would only be offered on recommendations of the NJC. For this purpose, it called upon the government to bring a constitutional amendment Bill on the lines suggested by the Committee on Judicial Accountability (COJA). The COJA had made a detailed proposal for a high-powered, full-time and independent NJC which would have the power of appointments and also disciplinary power over the judges of higher judiciary. Calling for transparency in the
NJC, the convention said the identities of proposed appointees should be made known to public before they are actually appointed so that any member of the public having any relevant information could intimate the
NJC. — PTI |
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People flee 19 flood-hit districts Patna, August 2 District administrations have sounded alert in east and west Champaran, Gopalganj, Saran, Vaishali, Darbhanga and a few blocks of Muzaffarpur, apprehending further deterioration in the situation following heavy discharge of water from barrages in the Gandak, which was in spate, according to official sources here. The turbulent Bagmati breached the right embankment at a 500-feet stretch at Chak Sarghai village in Sheohar district, while the surging water of the Kamla Balan washed away a portion of the western embankment near Parai in Jagdeopatti of the Ghanashyampur block under Darbhanga district, inundating fresh areas under human habitation and standing crops. Flood waters inundated Narkatiyaganj-Bettiah and Muzaffarpur- Sitamarhi roads, snapping surface communications. However, rail communication on the Darbhanga-Nirmali section of the East Central Railway was restored after the repairing of the damaged tracks. Following heavy to moderate rainfall in the catchment areas and heavy intake of water to the tune of 6.40 lakh cusec at Balmikinagar barrage of the Gandak, most of north Bihar rivers were now in spate and flowing above the danger levels. A Central Water Commission report said Gandak, Bagmati, Koshi, Adhwara group, Kamla Balan and Mahananda rivers were flowing above the danger levels at various points showing a rising trend during the day. State Water Resources Department sources claimed that round-the- clock-vigil was being maintained in all vulnerable points of embankments and protective works were underway to strengthen all the sensitive points. Senior engineers of the department were camping at different sites to supervise the works, the sources added. Relief and Rehabilitation Department sources said of the Rs 90 crore earmarked for the year to undertake relief works during natural calamities, Rs 7.50 crore had since been released to different flood-prone districts to procure foodstuff for the affected, besides another Rs 3 crore for other relief materials. Balrampur: Land-cutting by the Rapti river has threatened the lives and livelihood of people in Madhvapur village of the Haraiya development block here with waters engulfing most of the cultivable land. The district administration here has asked villagers to leave the place, even as cultivable land in several other villages is fast being swept by gushing waters. —
UNI |
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Ultras in Jammu and Kashmir ‘can fabricate’ New Delhi, August 2 “We have information that terrorists operating in Jammu and Kashmir know how to fabricate chemical weapons, but we do not have any proof to support that,” Vice-Chief of Army Staff S. Choudhry said on the sidelines of ‘Nuclear Biological Chemical Warfare - — The Medical Perspective’ here. On Pakistan’s role in extending the technology to the terrorists, he said, “I do not think they will extend the knowledge to terrorists knowing that India has nuclear weapons.” Answering a question about the possible use of chemical weapons against India, Choudhry said “it is not difficult to develop chemical weapons and any insane person, who has the weapon, can use it.” After the disintegration of the USSR, the possibility of terrorist groups acquiring such knowledge had increased, he said, adding that recently, there were reports of two persons being caught at the Bangladesh border with fissile material. Stressing the need to provide protection against nuclear warfare, he said, “Destruction is such cases in so massive that no country can provide 100 per cent protection, but trained medical staff, both in civil and defence services, can control some damage. “In a situation where your neighbours possess nuclear weapons, it is imperative to build damage control systems,” he added. —
PTI |
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J&K panel meets this month New Delhi, August 2 Senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad, who heads the coordination committee of the ruling coalition, told The Tribune here that the meeting would discuss the implementation of the Common Minimum Programme of the government. CPM MLA M.Y. Tarigami, who recently expressed dissatisfaction over the working of the coordination committee, met Mr Azad yesterday. Mr Tarigami is a member of the Democratic People’s Forum which is supporting the coalition government. He had expressed concern over the delay in the meetings of the coordination committee, saying it was not fulfilling its purpose. The nine-member coordination committee has not met for the last five months. Mr Azad said the coordination committee had met twice since the formation of the coalition government in Jammu and Kashmir. Mr Azad, who is also Jammu and Kashmir PCC chief, said there was no proposal for inclusion of more party MLAs in the ministry. With Mr Azad also looking after work in Himachal Pradesh, Uttaranchal and Andhra Pradesh, a section of the party workers in Jammu and Kashmir have demanded that the PCC should be reconstituted to strengthen it. |
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Vohra to visit
Ladakh today New Delhi, August 2 Mr Vohra will first visit Buddhist-dominated Leh district and after interactions with people there travel to Muslim-majority Kargil district, official sources said here today. During his almost week-long stay in Ladakh, he will meet leaders of the Leh and Kargil Autonomous Hill Development councils, political parties, including the Congress, the National Conference, the BJP and the PDP, besides Buddhist, Islamic organisations and any other group or individuals desirous of expressing their views on restoring peace in the state. Ahead of his Ladakh visit, he briefed Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee on the progress of the talks, besides holding a series of discussions with Deputy Prime Minister L. K. Advani and state Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed. Not extending any individual invitations, Mr Vohra has maintained that “doors are open for anyone wishing to share views on the restoration of normalcy in the state”. Mr Vohra has noted that the current round of interactions was to understand the aspirations of the people of the state and the next round would see “more intensive dialogue on specific issues identified during the current interactions.” —
PTI |
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3 ULFA militants
killed in Bengal Jalpaiguri, August 2 Official sources said here on a tip-off that some ULFA militants were en route to Assam from their training camps in Bhutan, Officer in Charge of Kumargram Police Station Basudeb Sarkar rushed to the spot. At Dakshin Haldibari, Mr Sarkar found three persons moving towards Assam on bicycles. Mr Sarkar challenged them and asked them to stop. The three got off their cycles and opened fire, injuring a police constable. The security personnel retaliated, killing the three militants on the spot. The three ultras, identified as Arup Sharma, alias Ratan, Rajesh Rai and Dipu, were from Dhubri district of Assam. The police recovered two .9 mm pistols, four loaded magazines, a wireless set, a micro-tape recorder and some papers and maps from the possession of the militants. Searches were on in the forest area to recover the firearms of the third militant. —
UNI |
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Chand Ram rejoins Cong New Delhi, August 2 Mr Chand Ram joined the party at the AICC office here yesterday in the presence of party general secretary Nawal Kishore Sharma, who is in charge of Haryana and UP. Several supporters of Mr Chand Ram from the two states were present. Hailing from Rohtak district, Mr Chand Ram has been a MLA of Punjab and Haryana assemblies for 23 years and Member of Parliament for four years. Mr Chand Ram was made Congress general secretary in 1983. He later joined the Janata Dal and then the BJP. |
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37 cops suspended Samastipur, August 2 The investigation into the financial malpractices started following the receipt of an anonymous letter, alleging irregularities. The probe was conducted by the Deputy Superintendent of Police of Patauri on the directives of senior police officers. —
UNI |
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Nirmala Deshpande to head Bapu Trust New Delhi, August 2 Ms Gandhi had declared her intention to set up the Trust in her inaugural address at the party’s Shimla Vichar Manthan
Shivir. |
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