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Trade unionist Y.D. Sharma
dead No US mediation in Indo-Pak talks Bahrain PM
meets President
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Cong-NCP talks on sharing of seats begin Hyderabad diary Venkaiah Naidu to continue as BJP President DMK panel to hold talks on seat sharing
Plea for rejecting Punjab’s suit referred to Bench India, UK resolve to fight
terrorism Govt open to NRIs’ e-visa demand 8 MDMK leaders freed on
bail
Central aid for rural drinking water in Punjab Tiwari not to join national politics
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Trade unionist Y.D. Sharma
dead New Delhi, January 12 He is survived by his wife Sarla, a veteran CPI leader. Mr Sharma suffered a massive heart attack at his residence around 2100 hrs and died before he could be rushed to hospital. The CPI, in a statement today, described him as a front-ranking leader who played an important role in organising the working class movement in Delhi and other parts of the country. Born on March 1, 1918, at Jakhauli village in Rohtak district of Haryana, he moved to Delhi in 1930 and graduated from Sri Ram College of Commerce in 1937. After doing his postgraduation in economics from St. Stephen's College, he joined Ramjas College as a lecturer. He actively participated in the freedom movement, becoming the first freedom fighter from his village. He was also an active member of the All-India Students Federation (AISF) and played a key role in giving a solid footing to the students' wing of the CPI. As a political and trade union activist, he was jailed several times for his participation in the freedom and trade union movements, even losing his job as a result. A secretary of the AITUC (1973) and later its vice-president, he led several delegations to international conferences. He joined the Communist Party in 1939 and was the co-founder and the first secretary of the Delhi unit of the Communist Party of India (CPI). He was elected to the central committee of the CPI and had to go underground during 1948-50. |
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No US mediation in Indo-Pak talks New Delhi, January 12 On the sidelines of a reception he hosted for Indian-Americans here last night, he pointed out that Indian-Americans already had the highest per capita income of any ethnic group in the USA. In his address to the NRIs earlier who were here to attend the three-day Second Pravasi Bharatiya Divas, Mr Blake said India and the USA were together combating terrorism, drug trafficking, spread of weapons of mass destruction and HIV/AIDS and also in joint military exercises and much more. Mr Blake reeled out some interesting statistics. He pointed out that each year, US Consular Sections in India issued more than 500,000 visas while more than 18,000 Indian students received visas for education in the USA. With the total number of Indian students now more than 70,000, India was now the number one source of foreign students for American colleges and universities, surpassing China. |
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Bahrain PM
meets President New Delhi, January 12 During the 30-minute courtesy call, the two leaders discussed various bilateral matters, including ways to further strengthen ties between the two countries, a Rashtrapati Bhavan spokesman said. Mr Shaikh Khalifa will be accorded a ceremonial welcome in the forecourt of Rashtrapati Bhavan tomorrow morning. Later in the day, he will have delegation-level talks with Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, followed by the signing of some agreements between the two countries and meetings with External Affairs Minister Yashwant Sinha and Leader of the Opposition Sonia Gandhi. |
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Cong ready for poll, says Sonia Shamli (Uttar Pradesh),
January 12 At her first public meeting here that coincided with Mr Vajpayee’s election announcement in Hyderabad, Ms Gandhi called upon the voters to unseat the BJP-led NDA coalition from the Centre, accusing it of failure on all fronts. The Congress chief said she aimed to “finish off” the Vajpayee government. “The NDA government has to be thrown out in the coming Lok Sabha elections. “It has failed to live up to the expectations of the people,” she added. The Congress, said Ms Gandhi, was ready for early general election. Party workers were being mobilised for the poll, she added. The BJP, she added, would not be able to stage a comeback at the Centre. The Congress President said farmers were bearing the brunt of the NDA government’s policies that “oppose” their interests. “Sugarcane mill owners have to pay crores of rupees to crop growers. The Centre has failed to take any step to redress the grievances of the farmers.” On the formation of a possible secular alliance ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, the Congress President said her party was trying to bring all like-minded parties on one platform. This was the first public meeting of Ms Gandhi during her three-day tour of western Uttar Pradesh in connection with her mass-contact programme. She had launched her election roadshow from Khurja on Saturday. —
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Cong rubbishes BJP
charges New Delhi, January 12 Fielding senior party leader Pranab Mukherjee at its daily press briefing, the Congress took on the BJP on various counts: it countered the Prime Minister’s charge that the Congress-DMK alliance was an unprincipled one, it rubbished the BJP spokesperson’s comparison of Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee with Jawaharlal Nehru, it came down heavily on the BJP’s economic achievements and accused the NDA government of committing a serious Constitutional impropriety as it had failed to prorogue the Lok Sabha although it is two weeks since it was adjourned sine die. Mr Mukherjee once again clarified the party stand on the issue of the leadership of the alternate-alliance it is seeking to put together. Stating that the Congress President had clarified that the leader would be decided by the coalition partners after the election, Mr Mukherjee saw nothing wrong in this. Responding to the BJP charge that the Opposition is leaderless, the Congress leader said Mr Vajpayee himself was chosen as Leader of the Opposition only after the election in 1996 and in 1998. It was only in the 1999 election that Mr Vajpayee contested the election as the leader of NDA, he observed. Mr Mukherjee was equally forceful when replying to the PM’s remarks that the Congress-DMK alliance is unprincipled as the Congress had pulled down the United Front government to press its demand for the DMK’s exit. The senior Congress leader said the Congress had never sought the DMK’s exit from the UF government but only the removal of two DMK ministers and that its demand was based not on the final but the interim report of the Jain Commission, which referred to DMK’s involvement with the LTTE, the prime accused in Rajiv Gandhi’s assassination. He said the Congress had then suggested that the government set up an independent panel to go into this aspect and, if negatived, the ministers could be reinducted He further said the Jain Commission’s final report, submitted in March 1998, had said it found no complicity in Rajiv Gandhi’s assassination. Questioning the Prime Minister, Mr. Mukherjee said, “What is unprincipled about our alliance,” and then went to state that the Congress was going in for a poll pact with the DMK after it walked out of the NDA. The Congress, he said, had entered into this arrangement as it wishes to move ahead and fight the communal forces. Describing the BJP’s comparison of Mr Vajpayee with Jawaharlal Nehru, as “ridiculous”, Mr Mukherjee said everybody knows that Nehru won three elections with massive mandates both in terms of seats and percentage of votes. The BJP, on the other hand, won 160 seats in the 1996 election, 180 in 1998 and 181 in 1991 and had managed to form the government only after cobbling a coalition of 27 parties.
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Cong-NCP talks on sharing of seats begin Mumbai, January 12 While the
representatives nominated by the two parties have quietly begun negotiations, their leaders are openly demanding a bigger share in the alliance in a bid to get more from each other. Maharashtra’s Deputy Chief Minister Vijaysinh Mohite-Patil of the NCP told reporters in Solapur that his party’s candidate would assume the post of the Chief Minister should the coalition win the Assembly elections. Speaking at a function organised by the Solapur Shramik Patrakar Sangh, Mr Mohite-Patil said it was the NCP’s turn to pick the top job after playing second fiddle to the Congress during their current stint in government. “Though our consultations are on, the NCP’s main demand is that of the post of the Chief Minister,” Mr Mohite-Patil said. Both Mr Mohite-Patil and Maharashtra Chief Minister Sushilkumar Shinde hail from Solapur and are said to be political rivals. |
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Hyderabad diary Deputy Prime Minister L. K. Advani was not seen at the public meeting held at the Parage Grounds yesterday. Officially, the reason given for it was that Mr Advani had a sore threat. However, it appears there is something more than meets the eye. Earlier, Mr Advani used to be one of the star speakers at such rallies and public meetings. As the BJP came to power and Mr Vajpayee’s pre-eminence remained unquestioned, the practice was done away with and the Prime Minister remained the sole speaker. A sore throat, therefore, could obviously not be the reason as Mr Advani’s presence would have boosted the morale of the party workers. *** Union ministers Arun Jaitley and Ravi Shankar Prasad are regular visitors to the media centre. They interact with journalists inquiring about their perception and problems. “Are you feeling good ?” is the oft-repeated question. But what is striking this time is the Officer on Special Duty in Prime Minister’s Office Ashok Tandon who comes to the centre for interface with mediapersons. During Mr Tandon’s interaction, a free flow of two-way information is ensured. *** Rivalry between general secretaries Pramod Mahajan and Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi is coming into the open. While Mr Mahajan is going ahead full steam, Mr Naqvi is proceeding with caution. The other day Mr Mahajan had announced that the General Election could take place in March itself which would then neither require a Vote-On-Account nor presidential rule in Andhra Pradesh. When Mr Naqvi was confronted with his colleague’s statement and asked whether it was Mr Mahajan’s personal view, he just said it was fifty-fifty. However, insiders aver that Mr Naqvi is only the frontman and that the power struggle is much deeper. |
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Venkaiah Naidu to continue as BJP President Hyderabad, January 12 The party's national council meeting has been called in New Delhi on February 11 and 12 to elect Mr Naidu as the BJP president for a term of three years. Delivering his concluding address to the national executive meeting, Mr Vajpayee said that Mr Naidu would not be allowed to "retire" and he would continue as the president. Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani would continue to "guide" the party, the Prime Minister said. Immediately after the dissolution of the Lok Sabha, Mr Naidu has decided to convene a meeting of all Mandal presidents in New Delhi. Meanwhile, it is learnt that the BJP's Haryana unit is opposed to any alliance with the Indian National Lok Dal and is keen to contest all 10 Lok Sabha seats. Sources said that the alliance with the INLD is under severe strain and a break-off could be entirely ruled out. On the other side, the Akali Dal leadership is understood to be asking the BJP leadership that they should make Rajya Sabha MPs Dara Singh and Hema Malani to contest on the BJP ticket from Amritsar and Jalandhar, respectively, if the party was keen to increase its number of seats from Punjab. |
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DMK panel to hold talks on seat sharing Chennai, January 12 Former union minister T.R. Baalu is one of the five members of the committee, party’s general secretary, K. Anbazhagan said in a statement. The other members of the committee include party’s deputy general secretary and DMK president M. Karunanidhi’s son M.K. Stalin, party’s principal secretary Durai Murugan and Veerapandi Arumugham. Mr Arcot Veerasamy, Mr Durai Murugan, Mr Mani and Mr Arumugham are all former Tamil Nadu ministers. —
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Plea for rejecting Punjab’s suit referred to Bench New Delhi, January 12 A Bench of Chief Justice Mr V.N. Khare and Mr Justice S.H. Kapadia said Haryana’s application would be heard by the Bench, headed by Ms Justice Ruma Pal, because it was seized of the state’s another petition. The order was passed by the Bench after Haryana’s counsel Shanti Bhushan insisted that Punjab’s counter suit was not maintainable. Bhushan pressed for hearing of Haryana’s application before taking up Punjab’s suit, contending that “no cause of action” would arise from it once a decree on the same issue had been passed against the latter by the apex court. When the Bench suggested that it would frame the issues to be decided by it and Haryana’s application against Punjab be treated as “preliminary issue”, Bhushan said “under the Supreme Court Rule 6, it cannot be a preliminary issue
because it is a plaint for rejection “The whole question raised by Haryana is on the question as what is the law once a decree is passed by the court,” he said. Punjab’s counsel Fali S Nariman argued that the question here was little different as the states were involved and it could not be treated a normal decree. Besides, seeking to discharge it from the responsibility of constructing the canal, Punjab in its suit had opposed the sharing of water with Haryana, contending that during the past two decades a lot of developments had taken place. |
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India, UK resolve to fight
terrorism Kolkata, January 12 The meeting resolved that both countries should intensify their cooperation in the struggle against international terrorism in all forms and manifestations. The three-day seventh round-table meeting was chaired jointly by Lord Swraj Paul of Britain and Mr K.C. Pant, Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission. The meeting discussed in detail the existing bilateral activities in the field of trade and commerce, culture and education, tourism and communications (airline services), science and technology etc. The two chairpersons issued a joint statement suggesting various recommendations for improving the ties between the two countries. The meeting also discussed better educational opportunities for Indian students in the UK and facilitate larger exchange of academicians, professional, cultural delegations etc between the two countries by softening visa rules. |
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Govt open to NRIs’ e-visa demand New Delhi, January 12 The MEA official said another recommendation made by the PIOs during the just-concluded Second Pravasi Bharatiya Divas was that Special Economic Zones (SEZs) be delegated to them in their areas of strength so that they could contribute to the development of the country. |
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8 MDMK leaders freed on bail Chennai, January 12 A Division Bench, comprising Mr Justices P.D. Dinakaran and C. Nagappan, granted bail to them while setting aside the order of the Special Court for POTA cases, rejecting their bail pleas. The Bench granted the bail on the condition that they should execute a bond for Rs 50,000 each and two sureties for a like sum. The MDMK leaders — “Madurai” Ganesan, Azhagu Sundaram, “Erode” Ganesamurthy, Veera Elavarasan, Bhoominathan, P.S. Maniam, Pulavar Sevanthiappan and Nagarajan — were detained under POTA on July 9, 2002, for addressing a public meeting in support of the banned Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (branded as a terrorist organisation under Section 4 of POTA) at Tirumangalam, near Madurai, on June 29, 2002. Two days after their arrest, party general secretary Vaiko, MP, was also held under the anti-terror Act on the same charge. While the eight functionaries filed bail applications in the trial court, Mr Vaiko adopted a tough posture and refused to seek bail. However, the bail petitions filed by the eight MDMK men (barring Mr Vaiko) in August last were dismissed by the POTA court and they had challenged the trial court’s verdict in the High Court. Mr Vaiko relented from his tough stand following a plea from DMK chief M Karunanidhi to come out on bail and announced that he would move his bail petition soon. —
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Jogi fails to appear before
CBI New Delhi, January 12 The former Chief Minister sent two of his lawyers to the CBI headquarters this morning stating that the agency could give a fresh date after the hearing on his petition in the High Court on January 28. The CBI, however, asked Jogi to appear before the agency between January 15 and January 17 for questioning, saying that the process of investigation had to be completed. The CBI had served a notice on Jogi to appear before the agency today to record a sample of his voice for the voice spectrograph test besides taking his fingerprints. The CBI filed an FIR under the Prevention of Corruption Act and the Indian Penal Code against Jogi, his son, Amit, and defected BJP MP P.R. Khunte for allegedly bribing BJP MLAs and trying to split the party after the December 1 Assembly elections. |
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Central aid for rural drinking water in Punjab New Delhi, January 12 The ministry said, out of this amount the state should ensure that 15 per cent of the funds released under the sanction, amounting to Rs 170.18 lakh, were spent exclusively on water quality affected habitation, while five per cent, amounting to Rs 56.73 lakh, were spent on taking sustainability measure. Also 15 per cent of the funds, amounting to Rs 170.18 lakh, were spent on operation and maintenance activities through PRIs, who would be delegated the responsibility of supply of drinking water in the rural areas, it added. |
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Tiwari not to join national politics Hardwar, January 12 Mr Tiwari, who was at Manglaur, 8 km from Roorkee, last evening to attend the marriage ceremony of the BSP MLA from the town, Nazimuddin, said this while talking to mediapersons. Mr Tiwari said the Congress high command was not planning to shift him from the state to the national politics. “I can play my role in the national politics, while continuing to serve the people of the state,” he said. Replying to a question about Sonia’s foreign origin, he said the issue had already been settled. “It is no longer an issue. Some people (BJP and its allies), who have no other issue, start raking it up at the time of elections,” he added. |
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New Delhi, January 12 |
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In video (
Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee today made it clear that BJP President M. Venkaiah Naidu would continue on the post for the next three years.
The party's national council meeting has been called in New Delhi on February 11 and 12 to elect Mr Naidu as the BJP president for a term of three years.
Hardwar, January 12
