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Indo-Brazil pact on defence
cooperation PIL for CBI probe in stamp scam amended
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Congress divided on Badal’s
arrest
Vajpayee reviews political scenario Exit polls predict victory for Congress in Delhi Congress looking for win
in Rajasthan or MP
Counting in Mizoram today Misra CBI Director
Pappu Yadav held in Bihar bandh Shashank’s formal take-over today 30 feared drowned in Gandak river
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Indo-Brazil pact on defence
cooperation New Delhi, December 1 The two countries signed an agreement for defence cooperation tonight after delegation-level talks between visiting Brazilian Defence Minister Jose Vieges Filho and Defence Minister George Fernandes during the day. Mr Filho’s visit to India comes nearly two months after Brazilian aviation major Embraer won a $ 158-million contract to supply five Legacy executive jets for ferrying country’s VVIPs, including Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Deputy Prime Minister L.K. Advani. A Ministry of Defence (MoD) spokesman said here that during the talks a decision was taken to set up a working group or mechanism,
wherein concrete proposals on defence, industry and military-to-military cooperation would be formulated. Proposals that also came up for discussion were jungle warfare and survival training and integrated air- defence management. Brazil has a well-developed aeronautical and defence industry and a well-established air defence surveillance system. Hence the
possibilities of cooperation are being visualised in co-production and co-development of aeronautics, shipbuilding systems and sub-systems such as software, avionics and ordnance. Mr Fernandes invited Brazil to participate in the forthcoming defence expo to be held in February next year. “The meeting between President Luiz Inacio Lula Da Silva and Mr Vajpayee at the G-8 summit this year, followed by visits of the Indian External Affairs and Defence Ministers to Brazil has helped thaw relations between the two countries considerably,” the spokesman said. The other members of the delegation were Defence Secretary Ajay Prasad, Vice-Admiral Raman Puri, the Vice-Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal McMahon, Vice-Chief of Naval Staff Arun Prakash and Deputy Chief of Army Lieut-Gen J.B.S. Yadav. New Delhi, December 1 Major-Gen Craig Hackett, Commanding-General of the US Army Security Assistance Command arrived here today on a six-day official visit. Reports here said General Hackett was responsible for all US foreign military sales worldwide and was here to gain better understanding of military sales procedure in India. |
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PIL for CBI probe in stamp scam amended New Delhi, December 1 The amended PIL said that the Bombay High Court had rejected the plea for a CBI probe on the ground that the Additional Solicitor-General, representing the Union Government in the high court, had not received any letter from the agency’s headquarters in New Delhi for handing over the inquiry to it. The CBI had reportedly stated that when the request was made by Maharashtra for a probe, it would be ready to take up the matter. |
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Congress divided on Badal’s
arrest New Delhi, December 1 Unofficially, Congress leaders admitted that there was a sharp division in the party over the manner in which Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh had handled the issue. There is a section in the party which is convinced that the “Badal-centric” campaign could boomerang on the ruling party. They said if SAD was able to whip up a sympathy wave in its favour, it would only end up consolidating the peasantry against the Congress. It was pointed out that SAD’s support base in the rural areas had remained intact even when there was a strong wave in favour of Congress during the last elections. On the other hand there is a view that since the Congress has taken a strong view on the issue of corruption, it can not be seen backing out. Congress President Sonia Gandhi, it was stated, had been weighing both these options but no final decision has been taken yet. |
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Vajpayee reviews political scenario New Delhi, December 1 The 90-minute meeting, attended by Deputy Prime Minister L.K. Advani, Finance Minister Jaswant Singh and BJP President M. Venkaiah Naidu, also discussed the winter session of Parliament beginning tomorrow. Naidu briefed the meeting with his assessment of the party’s prospects in the four states that went to the polls today. Sources said the others also gave their assessment of the possible poll-scenario that is likely to emerge after December 4, when the results are declared. Even in the case of the BJP winning only in Madhya Pradesh and failing to wrest power from the Congress in Delhi, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh, the party would not accept such an outcome as a vote on the Vajpayee government. And if the party succeeds in winning Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh, the BJP would mount a direct attack on the Congress stressing that the oldest political party is left with no political relevance and such an outcome was indeed a stamp on Vajpayee’s leadership. Both scenarios were discussed, sources said adding that the leaders were confident that the BJP would do well and the party should start weighing the pros and cons of going in for early Lok Sabha elections. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj joined the meeting when the issue of winter session of Parliament came up for discussion. She is understood to have apprised the meeting of the issues that are going to come up in Parliament when it begins its session from tomorrow.  |
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Exit polls predict victory for Congress in Delhi New Delhi, December 1 While the BJP leaders, participating in different news programmes, took the exit polls with a lot of confidence, the Congress leaders were on the backfoot asserting that exit polls were often wrong. According to the ZEE News-Cvoter exit poll, Delhi has given Mrs Sheila Dikshit a second term, while Ms Uma Bharti was going to end the 10-year-rule of Digvijay singh-led Congress government in Madhya Pradesh. In Rajasthan, it is a close call but it looks like Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot has a fair chance of returning to power. The Congress is likely to win 91-107 seats of the total 200. with the BJP’s 86-102 seats, it could also be a hung Assembly, the ZEE TV exit poll said. Chhattisgarh has kept every one guessing through all opinion polls and is continuing to do so in exit poll too. The 90-member Assembly is split right down to the centre with the Congress likely to capture 39-47 seats while the BJP will prove good in 36-44. The Sahara-DRS exit poll has predicted 140 seats for the BJP in Madhya Pradesh with the Congress managing just 64 seats and the BSP getting 12 odd seats thus making Ms Uma Bharti the next Chief Minister of the largest state of the country. In Delhi, the Sahara exit poll
has confirmed the results of the most of the TV channels as it has given the Congress 40 seats and he BJP only 25 seats with others geting only five seats. In Rajasthan, it has forecast 89 out of 200 seats for the BJP and 84 seats for the Congress. In Chhattisgarh, the Sahara has given 40 per cent vote share to the Congress and a close 39 per cent to the BJP and 21 per cent to others which if proved correct could see the pre-dominantly tribal state going in for a hung Assembly. The BJP and the Congress are neck-and-neck in Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh, while the BJP is certain to wrest power in Madhya Pradesh with Congress retaining Delhi, the ORG-Aaj Tak exit poll pointed out. The poll has also said that 140 to 150 seats to the BJP against 55 to 65 seats to the Congress in the 230-member Madhya Pradesh Assembly, showing 46 per cent votes cast in favour of BJP and 35 per cent for the Congress. In Delhi, the Congress is poised to form a Government with 50 to 60 seats, while the BJP is being projected to get only 10 to 20 seats in a house of 70. Both the BJP and Congress
were projected to have 41 and 42 per cent votes respectively in
the 90-seat Assembly of
Chhattisgarh, each winning at
least 35 to 45 seats. Similarly in Rajasthan, the BJP with 40 per cent votes is expected to win 85 to 95 seats against the Congress — with 36 per cent votes — getting 70 to 80 seats in the 200-seat house. The exit poll which had given 21 seats to other than BJP and Congress in MP, revealed a 7 per cent swing in favour of Ms Bharti. Ms Dikshit has been shown to have a full grip over the National Capital, making almost a clean sweep with the BJP getting just 10 to 20 seats. A poll by Star-A C Nielson has also given clear wins to the BJP in Madhya Pradesh and Congress in Delhi. Interestingly in Chhattisgarh, it has projected a simple majority to the BJP and a hung Assembly in Rajasthan. |
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Congress looking for win
in Rajasthan or MP New Delhi, December 1 Congress leaders maintained that a mere victory in Delhi and Chhattisgarh would not augur well for the party. Taking a realistic view of the polls, Congress leaders said it could not ignore the fact that the party was fighting an anti- incumbency factor in all the states although it is perceived as a poor man’s party vis-a-vis the BJP. According to party strategists, if the party is able to retain two of the four states in such a situation and this necessarily includes either Rajasthan or Madhya Pradesh, it will help project Congress as a “party in waiting”. Admitting that the impact of these results will be felt beyond the borders of the four states, Congress leaders said a positive result would also help them build alliances before next year’s general election. Although it remains uncertain about its relationship with the Samajwadi Party, the Congress is hoping that a good performance will help it forge an alliance with the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP). There is a strong belief among Congress leaders that an open pact between these two parties could pose a strong challenge to the NDA. At the same time, the Congress is also pinning its hopes on the DMK drifting away from the ruling combine. According to party insiders, the NDA partner is only looking for an asssurance from the Congress and an opportune moment to make its final move. What is, however, worrying the Congress is the collapse of its development plank as witnessed in Madhya Pradesh where the BJP succeeded in pinning down the Congress government on the issue of poor governance. The Congress has been focussing on the track record of its chief ministers, contrasting their performance with that of the Central government. A defeat in Madhya Pradesh will force the Congress to revise its strategy. Congress
leaders also believe that if the BJP succeeds in wresting three states from the Congress, the Prime Minister will come under increasing pressure from the party to go for an early general election. |
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Shekhawat doesn’t Jaipur, December 1 Mr Shekhawat, 79, who assumed the office of the Vice-President last year, is a voter of the Bani Park constituency of Jaipur. He was a member of every Legislative Assembly right from 1952, barring the one in early 1970s when he was a Rajya Sabha member from Madhya Pradesh. —
UNI |
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Counting in Mizoram today Aizawl, December 1 Counting would begin at 8 am and all results were likely to be known by early afternoon, he said. Tight security arrangements had been made at all counting centres with state police and paramilitary force deployed. However, votes cast in Suangpuilawn constituency, where violent activities were reported during polling, would not be counted. The Election Commission was yet to announce its decision on the constituency, he said. More than 78.58 per cent of the total electorate of 5.33 lakh had cast their votes and sealed the fates of 192 candidates in the polling held on November 20. The Congress contested all 40 seats, while the ruling Mizo National Front contested 39 seats and supported an Independent candidate in Serchhip constituency where former Chief Minister and state PCC chief Lal Thanhawla tried his luck for the fifth time. —
PTI |
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Misra CBI Director New Delhi, December 1 A formal notification naming Mr Misra as the new CBI chief was issued here today. Mr Misra, who is serving as CBI Special Director, will take over the mantle of the premier investigating agency at a time when it is looking into several politically-sensitive cases, including the recent alleged Judeo bribery scandal. Mr Misra’s name was finally cleared by the Prime Minister’s Office. |
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Pappu Yadav held in Bihar bandh Patna, December 1 The police arrested Mr Yadav along with his supporters from near Kargil Chowk under Gandhi Maidan police station while trying to enforce the bandh, City Superintendent of Police O. N. Bhaskar said. Nearly 150 IFDP workers were arrested from the Dak Bunglow roundabout for disrupting traffic and forcing shopkeepers to close during the dawn-to-dusk bandh. —
PTI |
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Shashank’s formal take-over today New Delhi, December 1 Mr Shashank will be addressing a news conference tomorrow afternoon on Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s visit to Nigeria for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meet (CHOGM) starting from December 4. A 1966-batch IFS officer, Shashank succeeds Kanwal Sibal who retired yesterday after an 18-month stint. |
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30 feared drowned in Gandak river Bettiah (Bihar) December 1 Official sources said the Bahagwanpur-bound boat, carrying passengers from Sindhi and Godihari, lost balance and sank midstream near Sindhighat. The boat was overcrowded and was carrying passengers above its capacity. According to reports, 10 persons swam to safety, while rescue operations were launched under the supervision of District Magistrate. —
UNI |
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India and Brazil have decided to join hands in the field of defence, especially aeronautics, training of troops and ship-building areas.
The two countries signed an agreement for defence cooperation tonight after delegation-level talks between visiting Brazilian Defence Minister Jose Vieges Filho and Defence Minister George Fernandes during the day.
Kolkata's sex workers
want government recognition.
