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CM,
Bhattal to lobby for Kerala Cong row may be resolved Cong
believes it has edge over BJP Sangma to
join NDA Pak
wants Vajpayee as PM, claims Mahajan India,
USA launch $ 16-million project |
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We have
right to dignity, say Dalits
SC
allows judgement in case against Jaya The Supreme Court today allowed a Chennai Special Court to pronounce judgement in the Southern Petrochemical Industries Corporation disinvestment case involving Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa. It has been alleged that she misused her official position to benefit a private shareholder to gain control of its management.
Russian
Defence Minister arrives in Delhi Russian Defence Minister Sergei Ivanov arrived here this evening to hold talks with his Indian counterpart George Fernandes during which Russia and India are expected to sign the deal for the aircraft carrier Admiral Gorshkov. Hearing
on single-point order on Jan 23 The Supreme Court today posted to January 23 the hearing on the issue of single-point directive in the new Central Vigilance Commission Act preventing the CBI from probing cases against senior bureaucrats and heads of public sector undertakings without Centre’s prior permission even as amicus curiae Anil Diwan sought immediate stay on it. PIL
against districts’ No formula on Ayodhya issue, says Dalai
Lama Ex-police
chief denied bail in Telgi case A special court today rejected the bail plea of former Mumbai Police Commissioner R.S. Sharma in the multi-crore fake stamp paper scam case on the ground that he was prima facie involved in the alleged offence of shielding prime accused Abdul Karim Telgi.
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CM,
Bhattal to lobby for supporters in Delhi New Delhi, January 19 As per the amended Anti-Defection Law passed by Parliament, the strength of the Punjab Cabinet has to be reduced by eight ministers. However, the Chief Minister has to induct some of the dissident state Congress leaders as per the formula worked out by the AICC panel. Incidentally, Ms Bhattal was made Deputy Chief Minister as part of the package with a promise that other “dissident” legislators would be suitably accommodated in the Cabinet expansion. The two leaders are scheduled to meet the AICC panel and party’s in charge of the state Mohsina Kidwai and lobby for their supporters. Sources indicated that Razia Sultan on minority quota, Gurkawal Kaur on woman quota, Harbans Lal as third-time MLA, and Raj Khurana and Sadhu Singh as second timers are front-runners in the race. These MLAs, sources pointed out, backed Ms Bhattal during the “save Amarinder or save Congress” campaign. Other legislators, including first timers, of the Bhattal camp would be suitably posted as chairmen of different boards and corporations, sources added. Sources pointed out that the Bhattal group would back the candidature of Gurkeerat Singh, the grandson of former Punjab Chief Minister Beant Singh. As the five Rajya Sabha seats from the state would also fall vacant in the coming months and the Congress with its strength can send three MPs of its choice, there is hectic lobbying from aspirants. Sources pointed out that the two factions could reach a compromise formula of having one of their nominees in the Upper House. Indications are that the Chief Minister’s camp would opt for sitting MP Ashwani Kumar, while the Bhattal group would back the candidature of former Union Minister Sukhbans Kaur Bhinder. The third seat could go to senior leader from the party, R.L. Bhatia, who has good equation with both the factions. On the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee chief, the two groups have agreed to continue with the present setup till the Lok Sabha poll. |
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Kerala Cong row may be resolved New Delhi, January 19 Mr Karunakaran has raised a banner of revolt by demanding that his arch-rival A.K. Antony be replaced as chief minister. A three-member AICC panel, headed by senior leader Pranab Mukherjee, has been trying to hammer out a compromise formula which would accommodate both factions, without replacing the chief minister. This issue has acquired urgency now that the Lok Sabha elections are round the corner. The three-member AICC panel had a too-long meeting with Mr Karunakaran today where he is reported to have assured them that he would not stand in the way of any compromise formula that the Central leadership might suggest. Talking to reporters later, Mr Karunakaran maintained that though his demand for the Chief Minister’s removal remained unchanged, he would not do anything which would harm the organisation or the state. Although Mr Mukherjee refused to divulge the details of the proposed “peace package”, it is learnt that while Mr Anotny will continue as Chief Minister, Mr Karunakaran’s son and KPCC president K. Muraleedharan may be inducted into the Cabinet. In that case, the KPCC chief’s post is
likely to go to a member of the Karunakaran group or any other candidate to be decided through consensus. Mr Mukherjee said the AICC panel would hold further consultations with Mr Karunakaran and once a settlement is arrived at, the veteran Congress leader will meet Congress President Sonia Gandhi on her return from Jammu tomorrow. |
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Cong believes it has edge over BJP New Delhi, January 19 On the other hand, the Congress can directly hit the BJP if it improves its presence in Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Maharashtra, observed Mr Pranab Mukherjee, the party’s key strategist. Mr Mukherjee maintained that having peaked in the Hindi heartland states where it had a marked presence, Punjab was the only state where the BJP could hope to better its past record. “They can only hit us if they retain their areas of strength. ...but they cannot improve,” Mr Mukherjee, said, adding that regional parties, playing a key role at the Centre, will depend on the alliances they forge with national parties. Reiterating that there is little scope for the BJP to improve its present tally of 182 seats, Mr Mukherjee pointed out that it had virtually no presence in West Bengal and Kerala, it had been reduced to a negligible force in Karnataka, it was facing a problem in Uttar Pradesh while its alliances in
Tamil Nadu and Assam were yet to fructify. Eventually, Mr Mukherjee said, the outcome of the coming Lok Sabha poll would depend on how “we arrange our forces in battle, the issues we identify and how people respond to them.” Mr Mukherjee pointed out that the BJP managed to win more seats in the 1999 Lok Sabha elections even though the Congress’ vote share was marginally higher because it had the advantage of regional alliances and adjustments. Similarly, he said, it won in the three Assembly elections because it was better prepared. Mr Mukherjee said the Congress was improving on these deficiencies, having embarked on the task of building alliances and streamlining its party organisation. Acting on the advice of her party strategists, Congress President Sonia Gandhi has taken the lead
in contacting or meeting potential allies and has met with success with the DMK in Tamil Nadu and the NCP in Maharashtra. At the same time, steps are being taken to strengthen the party organisation and last week’s meeting of PCC chiefs and legislature party leaders was an effort in that direction,
he added. Mr Mukherjee believes it is incorrect to write off the Congress after these three elections. “The success in the three states has made the BJP over-confident. Similarly, we thought the defeat in these Assembly elections, all is lost...that is also not correct,” he observed. He admitted that the Congress had been weakened at the block and district levels but felt the situation could still be salvaged as the party’s basic infrastructure was very much in place. If this was not the case, he said, the Congress would not have been able to
garner the votes that it did in the Assembly poll. |
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Sangma to join NDA
New Delhi, January 19 Senior Nationalist Congress Party
(NCP) leader P.A. Sangma, who was instrumental in the formation of
NEPF, gave indications of a split in his party, saying that he would have a “last consultation” with NCP chief Sharad Pawar on January 24. Today’s NEPF executive committee meeting, held at the Nagaland House, was attended by the Chief Ministers of Nagaland and Mizoram, Deputy Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh, Mr
Sangma, besides BJP chief of Assam and party leaders and ministers from six of the seven north-eastern states. Mr Sangma said he had urged Asom Gana Parishad chief Praful Kumar Mahanta to join the
NEPF.
— TNS |
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Pak wants Vajpayee as PM, claims Mahajan Mumbai, January 19 “There is a belief among the people in the neighbouring country that it is Mr Vajpayee who can facilitate a permanent solution to the long-pending issues with Pakistan”, he claimed. Mr Mahajan said here the rapport the Prime Minister had built during the recently concluded SAARC summit in Islamabad, even “Pakistan is praying for Mr Vajpayee’s victory”.
— UNI |
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India, USA launch
$ 16-million project New Delhi, January 19 The five-year project, which was launched by Union Home Secretary N. Gopalaswamy at a function in the North Block, lays stress for the first time on disaster preparedness rather than on relief and mitigation. The Government of India has started a programme for expanding and revitalising its disaster management systems at the national, state and local levels. The project approach which pairs US government experts with Indian counterparts to share methods, tactics and technology, signals yet another important milestone in the cooperative relationship that has evolved between the two democracies. Major components of the project include capacity building with collaboration to institutionalise the incident command system for professionalising the response, establishing Emergency Operations Centres at all levels and imparting search and rescue training. The second major project component is the early warning system for weather-related events like floods, cyclones or droughts. The third component will include innovative disaster initiatives for establishing a sustainable system for improved disaster management at all levels. The project will provide for stronger national support for local emergencies through preventive planning and
targeted community preparedness in the high-risk districts of the country. The launch of the project coincides with the start
of the new training programme about the incident command systems being offered by the Lal Bahadur Shastri Academy of Administration, Mussoorie. The project, a collaborative effort between the Disaster Management Division of the Home Ministry and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), is expected to considerably expand cooperation between the two countries in disaster management with main focus on preparedness. The two countries also exchanged project documents. The effort also establishes new working relationships between the Indian Government and a number of US partners, including the US Forest Service, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration and the US Geological Survey. Mr Gopalaswamy said during the past three years, particularly after Gujarat earthquake and Orissa cyclone, emphasis was being laid on preparedness. The concept was now moving into the reaction stage. He said after the collaborative effort, the message would be taken down to the village level, USAID Assistant Administrator Roger Winter described the collaboration as “yet another milestone in the cooperative relationship between India and the United States.” He said today’s launch was a part of the overall effort to promote a disaster management system. |
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We have right to dignity, say Dalits Mumbai, January 19 While the meeting saw a large member of Dalit participants, the most shocking disclosure about the plight of Dalits came from a speaker from Pakistan. Mr Karamat Ali, a leading social activist from Pakistan, said even though Islam is not supposed to discriminate between its followers but this does not work in Pakistan as far as the Dalits are concerned. Ali, who is also a trade union leader, said he was subjected to social boycott by the workers of a textile factory in Karachi for eating a meal in company of some sweepers who were Hindu Dalits before they got converted to Christianity. The Pakistani activist said even if a Dalit person gets converted to Islam his or her social status does not improve. He narrated another story of a Muslim Dalit boy of Karachi who could not marry a girl from the Pathan community despite the fact that the Pathans and the Dalit boy were both workers at a textile factory in Karachi. He added that though people of India, Pakistan and Bangladesh felt proud of their ancient civilisation, it had also left the curse of casteism. “Even political parties, including communist parties, are not free from caste-based discrimination”, Ali said. Earlier, Mr Ashok Bharti, one of the two coordinators of the
WDF, said globalisation was intensifying caste conflicts in India. A Padmanavan, a retired Indian bureaucrat, Hanaa Edwards from Iraq, Chandra Muzzafar from Malaysia, Wolfgang Sachs from Germany, I Halevi from Palestine and Reverend Eugenio Poma from Bolivia also spoke at the meeting. |
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SC allows judgement in case against Jaya New Delhi, January 19 Vacating the Madras High Court stay order on pronouncing the judgement by the special court, a Bench comprising Mr Justice B. N. Agrawal said the trial court was free to go ahead with its decision in the case. The apex court order came on a petition by former Tamil Nadu Industry Secretary C. Ramachandran, who is also an accused in the case along with SPIC Chairman A. C.
Muthaiah. The prosecution had alleged that Ms Jayalalithaa during her earlier tenure as Chief Minister had allowed selling of a certain per cent of SPIC equity in favour of Muthaiah’s company to facilitate his becoming corporation’s chairman. Mr Ramachandran had sought apex court’s intervention in the matter so that the trial proceedings were expedited and the judgement is pronounced by the trial court as early as possible. Meanwhile, another Bench comprising Mr Justice S. N. Variava and Mr Justice H. K. Sema allowed two weeks’ time to Jayalalithaa and the Tamil Nadu Government to respond to Karnataka’s reply stating that there would be no difficulty in holding the trial against her in two cases of disproportionate assets at Bangalore, as had been ordered by the apex court earlier. |
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Russian Defence Minister arrives in Delhi New Delhi, January 19 The Russian Defence Minister will hold delegation level talks with Mr Fernandes tomorrow afternoon following which the two countries will also sign the agreement. Mr Ivanov is leading a 10-member delegation on the three-day visit. He will be given a guard of honour after being received by Mr Fernandes at the South Block tomorrow morning and later the three Chiefs of Staff would call on him. Defence Secretary Ajay Prasad will also call on the Russian Defence Minister tomorrow. Mr
Ivanov, who was received at the airport by Mr Prasad, has no official engagement today. Mr Fernandes is hosting a dinner in his honour tonight. Mr Ivanov is accompanied by Russian Navy Chief Admiral Vladimir Kuroyedov and other senior defence officials of his country. “The two sides are planning to discuss a number of issues concerning the prospects of expanding bilateral relations in the sphere of military and technical cooperation, including those connected with security in the region,” official sources said. Mr Ivanov is also expected to hold talks with Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Deputy Prime Minister L.K. Advani and National Security Adviser Brajesh Mishra. |
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Hearing on single-point
order on Jan 23 New Delhi, January 19 A Bench of Chief Justice, Mr V.N. Khare, Mr Justice S.B. Sinha and Mr Justice S.H. Kapadia adjourned the hearing when senior advocate Diwan, appointed by the court to assist it in adjudicating the matter, said the controversial provision in the CVC Act needed to be stayed as it was “violative” of apex court’s earlier order. Mr Diwan, arguing for length on the grounds for stay, said though the directive issued by an executive order of the government in 1996 was
withdrawn following court’s judgement in the Jain-Hawala case in 1998, it had been restored by the government in the CVC Act passed in September, 2003. When the Bench asked Mr Diwan as what was the basis of his contention for seeking a stay order from the court on the restoration of directive, he said a separate petition with a specific plea for its quashing had also been filed by Centre for Public Interest Litigation (CPIL). He said after the provision was withdrawn and did not figure in the 1998 CVC ordinance, the CBI investigated cases against senior bureaucrats without any impediment. The directive prevents the CBI from probing cases and even registering preliminary enquiry against officers above the rank of Joint Secretary and chiefs of PSUs. Attorney-General Soli J. Sorabjee opposed the plea for stay, contending that no direction for staying or quashing of the provision of a law could be issued in an interim order. |
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PIL against
districts’ disbanding filed Lucknow, January 19 The two-member Bench comprising Mr Justice Pradeep Kant and Mr Justice Virendra Singh will take up the petition on January 22. The petition was filed by Dinesh Chaudhry of Akabar Nagar. He said the decision of the Mulyam Singh Yadav-led government was illegal and unjustified. Meanwhile, MPs and MLAs of the BJP today staged a dharna in the state capital against the deteriorating law and order situation and the government decision to disband districts. “The districts were disbanded to divert the attention of the people from the deteriorating law and order situation in the state,” the state BJP president Vinay Katiyar told reporters here. “It seems that the government is running a kidnapping industry,” he said. The BJP MPs and MLAs later submitted a memorandum to the UP Governor, Mr Vishnu Kant Shastri, seeking his intervention in the matter. Earlier, the agitators staged demonstration and blocked roads. Government vehicles were torched in Noida and the police had to use mild force to disperse crowd, the Principal Secretary, Home, Mr Anil Kumar, told reporters. Section 144 was imposed on Khalilabad in Basti district where the crowd, led by BSP MP Bhal Chand Yadav, blocked roads. At Akbarpur students and advocates led the protests. |
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No formula on Ayodhya issue, says Dalai Lama Sarnath, January 19 Talking to mediapersons at a Tibetan Educational Centre in Sarnath, the Nobel laureate expressed hope for a solution to the vexed Ayodhya issue, saying it would be resolved in the time to come. In Varanasi on a four-day visit, the Dalai Lama said the Ayodhya issue had been politicised, and asked the leaders of both the communities to end hostilities and come to the table for talks. “I am pained to see bloodshed and violence in this country. That is why I feel that communalism should be uprooted from here and issues like Ayodhya be settled through pragmatism,’’ he
observed. — UNI |
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Ex-police chief denied bail in Telgi case Pune, January 19 Rejecting Sharma’s bail petition, the judge said “there were no reasonable grounds to believe that he is innocent”. Meanwhile, Mr Sameer Bhujbal, the high-profile nephew of former Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Chhagan Bhujbal, was today interrogated for over four hours by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the sensational fake stamp paper scam.
— PTI, UNI |
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