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Naidu to meet Jaya for poll
tie-up R-Day parade to showcase Agni II,
Lakshya BJP to
launch ‘Atal Sandesh Abhiyan’ today Punjab Cabinet expansion appears
unlikely Punjab page: No
tinkering with Cabinet 12 held in post-Godhra gang-rape
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Patient moves HC in liver transplant
case 64 lakh names deleted from AP voter
list Sharma challenges Act he is held under SC order on environmental clearance States can levy cess on mining land
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Naidu to meet Jaya for poll
tie-up New Delhi, January 22 While Mr Naidu is yet to meet Ms Jayalalithaa, the BJP state unit has held meetings with AIADMK party officials. The BJP leadership is observing extra caution so as not to hurt Ms Jayalalithaa’s ego and that is why the Deputy Prime Minister spoke with her yesterday, extending the state government Rs 50 crore to meet the drinking water crisis. Only after that Mr Naidu sought time to meet with the Chief Minister. Mr Naidu would be in Chennai on January 26 also to attend a meeting of the party’s state core group and executive ahead of the Lok Sabha elections. This would be the first formal meeting between Ms Jayalalithaa and the BJP leadership since the DMK and its allies broke away from the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) to join hands with the Congress. Mr Naidu refused to take any questions on the proposed talks. Mr Naidu’s meeting with the AIADMK supremo would see the revival of the BJP’s ties with the party that quit the NDA in 1999 when Ms Jayalalithaa pulled down the 13-month-old Vajpayee government. Meanwhile, BJP national secretary L. Ganesan today announced that Mr Naidu’s meeting with Ms Jayalalithaa would constitute the “preliminary round of talks” between the parties. He said the past would be buried and the BJP would seek “seats in double digits,” meaning a minimum of 10 out of the 39 seats in Tamil Nadu. Late last night, the AIADMK headquarters put out a formal announcement of the proposed meeting. This came in the wake of senior BJP leader and Deputy Prime Minister L.K. Advani’s telephonic talk with Ms Jayalalithaa yesterday when he offered a grant of Rs 50 crore from the Calamity Fund to meet the drinking water crisis in Tamil Nadu. Sources said that Ms Jayalalithaa would not join the NDA but extend support on the pattern of the Telgu Desam Party, which remained outside the NDA but continued to give support. |
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R-Day parade to showcase Agni II,
Lakshya New Delhi, January 22 Windy-505 is a reconnaissance and attack vehicle developed by the Delhi Cantonment. The trial of this concept vehicle has been going on and it has been found successful in desert and plane areas. Pinaka multi-barrel rocket system, indigenously developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation, would also be showcased at the parade along with electronic warfare system, Samyukta Communication System. Lakshya, a new addition for Air Force used for state-of-the-art training of pilots, would also be displayed for the first time. Agni-I, Agni II, Akash and missile systems will also find a place in the parade. Indigenously developed Advanced Light Helicopters would participate in the flypast for the first time. Another first this year is the inclusion of the second cavalry contingent of the Army Service Core in the parade along with the usual 61 Cavalry. The President, Dr A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, would take salute of the parade. The parade is one of the largest parade in the world with over 5,000 participants, Major-General Thomas Mathew, GOC Delhi area, who would lead the parade, told reporters here today. Late paratrooper Sanjog Chhetri of 9 PARA (SF) and Lieut Triveni Singh of Jammu and Kashmir Light Infantry would be honoured with Ashok Chakra by the President. Late Sanjog Chhetri had laid down his life on April 22 last year while busting a terrorist hideout in Hill Kaka area of Jammu and Kashmir during the ‘Operation Sarp Vinash’. His sister Sanjeet Chhetri would receive the award. Late Lieut Triveni Singh’s name was approved by the President yesterday for Ashok Chakra for leading a quick reaction team and silencing two militants who had attacked Jammu railway station on January 2 this year. New Delhi, January 22 This will be the first time when a South American leader will be the chief guest at the Republic Day parade. The move is aimed at strengthening the recently launched IBSA (India, Brazil, South Africa) Dialogue Forum.
TNS
New Delhi, January 22 Late Lieut Triveni Singh’s name was approved by the President yesterday for Ashok Chakra for leading a quick reaction team and silencing two militants who had attacked Jammu railway station on January 2 this year. —
TNS |
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BJP to launch ‘Atal Sandesh Abhiyan’
today New Delhi, January 22 Party President M. Venkaiah Naidu would launch ‘Atal Sandesh Abhiyan’ to take the message of Vajpayee - “hamari jeet ke saath Bharat ka vikas juda hai (India’s development is linked to our victory in the coming elections).” During the campaign, party cadres would “go to every village, walk every street, knock at every door and talk to everyone,” a party release said here. Continuing with its poll preparations, the BJP has drawn a timetable for the meeting of its core groups and state executives from January 24 to February 11. “These meetings would review the poll preparedness of the party in the concerned states with Deputy Prime Minister L.K. Advani, party President M. Venkaiah Naidu and party General Secretaries Pramod Mahajan and Sanjay Joshi and Law Minister Arun Jaitley attending most of them,” party spokesman Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi told newspersons here. While Mr Advani would attend four of the 16 meetings slated to be held over the three-week period, Mr Naidu would address 11 of them, he said. Meanwhile, Mr Naidu would file his nomination tomorrow seeking a second term for heading the party. Mr Naidu, who took over from Jana Krishnamoorthy, is likely to be elected unopposed as the party has decided at the national executive meeting at Hyderabad to contest the coming Lok Sabha elections under his Presidentship. |
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Punjab Cabinet expansion appears
unlikely New Delhi, January 22 Punjab Congress dissidents had been assured that they would get greater representation in the Cabinet when the AICC panel had arrived at a compromise formula to end infighting in the state party unit. Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh and Deputy Chief Minister Rajinder Kaur Bhattal today met the AICC panel here to discuss the implementation of the `peace’ package worked out earlier this month. However, the panel is now having second thoughts as the recently amended anti-defection law restricts the strength of a Cabinet. As per the provisions of this law, the Punjab Cabinet already has eight extra ministers, who will need to be dropped when it becomes operational after six months. Congress leaders
are, therefore, questioning the wisdom of going in for a Cabinet expansion at this juncture as they will later be required to drop more than the eight ministers. In such a case, the party would end up inviting fresh trouble as it could result in fuelling further discontentment. “It makes no sense to go in for an expansion now when the ministry has to be streamlined later,” explained a senior Congress leader. It was also felt that the opposition would launch a frontal attack against the Congress government in the coming Lok Sabha election if more ministers are inducted now just to buy temporary peace in the party. Conversely, there is a section in the
Congress which believes that the Cabinet expansion can still be undertaken even if it is only a short-term measure to tide over the present crisis in the party. All these issues came up for
detailed discussion when Captain Amarinder Singh and Ms Rajinder Kaur Bhattal met the AICC panel today. While explaining their compulsions, the AICC members told the Punjab leaders that they would take legal opinion before arriving at any final decision. The promised revamp of the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) did not figure in today’s discussions since the main demand of Cabinet expansion has hit a roadblock. |
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12 held in post-Godhra gang-rape case Ahmedabad, January 22 A CBI team from the Special Crime Investigation Branch, Delhi, arrested the accused in the wee hours, sources said. All of them would be produced before a magistrate in Limkheda taluka, they added. The arrested persons include BJP’s ex-Sangathan Mantri of Dahod district and a former private assistant of an ex-state minister, the sources added. The CBI team, along with officials from Mumbai, had been interrogating these persons for the past three days. They were arrested from Randhikpur after a prima facie evidence was found against them. A resident of Limkheda taluka, Bilkis Bano, key witness of the incident that took place at Chapparwad village, had sought protection from the Supreme Court. She alleged that a mob of 500 people had attacked them and at least three women, including her sister, were gang-raped while they were on the run during the riots. —
PTI |
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Patient moves HC in liver transplant
case New Delhi, January 22 Taking cognisance of a writ petition by Balbir Singh, 57, whose liver has been completely damaged, Justice Manmohan Sarin has issued notice to the Union Health Ministry, Apollo Hospital and its Medical Superintendent, seeking their replies by tomorrow, when the matter will be taken up for hearing. The court also directed that a senior doctor from the hospital should appear before it to explain whether a part transplantation of liver was medically and legally possible and permissible. Balbir was diagnosed as suffering from cirrhosis of liver after he was admitted to the hospital on January 8, his counsel R.K. Saini informed the court. Balbir’s counsel alleged that despite his client submitting all documentary proofs to the hospital to show that donor Baljit Singh, 41, is his real younger brother, the hospital had recommended a very costly test to be conducted abroad to prove their brotherhood, which they could not afford. Moreover, it would be time consuming, he added. The hospital had advised the test after a test done by it had failed to establish the brotherhood, Saini said. Their DNA test could not be conducted as their parents were dead, he added. Though Baljit had given authorisation for donating a part of his liver by following the provisions of the Transplantation of Human Organs Act, a authorisation committee set up by the hospital had concluded that they were not real brothers. His counsel challenged the findings of the committee contending that it was contrary to the documentary proofs submitted by the brothers to the hospital. He said Balbir had submitted to the hospital a certificate from the Jalandhar District Magistrate, who had verified that the two were real brothers, a certificate from the local MP to this effect and the school certificates of his and his younger brother. |
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64 lakh names deleted from AP voter
list New Delhi, January 22 EC sources said their names were deleted from the rolls after the verification team officials found that they were not present in the address mentioned in the existing rolls. Those persons, whose names have been deleted, could have their names added to the list by approaching the Election Office in their respective areas with their residence proof, as per the procedure laid down in the Act, they added. Along with Andhra Pradesh, the final electoral rolls of several states were completed on January 20, but complaints have been received from this southern state alone so far, the sources said. With the latest deletion, the voters in the state, where the Assembly was dissolved in November, have been brought down to nearly 64 per cent from the earlier 71 per cent of the state’s population. |
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Sharma challenges Act he is held under Mumbai, January 22 Sharma, who was arrested after his retirement on December 1 last year, contended that the provisions of the MCOCA were not applicable to him, Telgi and others accused in the case. His counsel further submitted before the court that provisions under the Act were bad in law and prayed that the piece of legislation be set aside.Mr Justice V.G. Palsikar and Mr Justice P.V. Kakade of the high court admitted the petition, an amendment of Sharma’s bail plea earlier, and fixed February 5 as the final date of hearing. Sharma had earlier filed a petition challenging his arrest under the MCOCA and the constitutional validity of the Act, but later amended it by questioning the applicability of this law on him and others. |
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SC order on environmental clearance New Delhi, January 22 Laying down guidelines on the issue for the courts below, a Bench of Ms Justice Ruma Pal and Mr Justice B.N. Srikrishna said such judicial interference could hamper the early execution of vital projects. |
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States can levy cess on mining land New Delhi, January 22 A five-Judge Constitution Bench ruled that cess was essentially a tax to be imposed by states for which they had power under the State List. It was within the competence of the state legislatures to pass a law for levying cess on land used for extracting coal or any other mineral even though many of these materials fall within the Union List. |
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