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Naidu launches Atal Sandesh
Abhiyan NDA making false claims, says Sonia MP, Rajasthan tough for Cong Jaya acquitted in SPIC
case South African Judge granted
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Govt clears
nine rail projects SC orders action against UP officers
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Naidu launches Atal Sandesh
Abhiyan New Delhi, January 23 The Congress is asking the people to give them a chance again. But people should vote the BJP to rid the country of dynastic rule as it is not acceptable in a democracy,” Mr Naidu said while addressing party workers here. “The party (Congress), which had only been taking care of the Gandhi family and its dynasty, is now knocking at every door for electoral alliance,” he said in a sarcastic manner. “It is the same Congress which had ridiculed alliance governments and raised doubts over the completion of the full term by the Vajpayee government and is now seeking an alliance,” Mr Naidu said, adding that “we have proved the Congress wrong by successfully completing the five-year term and we will prove them wrong again by retaining power in the coming poll.” The BJP President in his inimitable style took a dig at the “failure” of the Opposition to name its leader, saying that “it (opposition) is like a newly wed coy bride who shies away from taking the name of her husband.” He also came down heavily on Rahul and Priyanka for their remarks that there was “no feel-good factor”. “Some people went to Amethi. They said there was no feel good factor. People are happy with our governance. It is feel good for us but feel bad for them (Congress),” Mr Naidu said. Asserting that the BJP’s main poll plank during the coming Lok Sabha elections would be development and achievements of the Vajpayee government, the BJP President said now the party’s endeavour would be to convert the feel-good factor into a feel-great factor. |
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NDA making false claims, says Sonia Dharwad, January 23 Addressing a mammoth meeting of members of rural and urban Local bodies of Karnataka at Neeralakatti village, 20 km from here, Ms Gandhi, without naming the Vajpayee Government, said though none of the developmental activities had been carried out in an effective manner, "false propaganda" was being made in the media about the progress of the country. This was unfortunate, she said. Recalling the role played by former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi in effective functioning of the Panchayat Raj system by decentralising power at the grassroot level, she said she was happy that the system was functioning perfectly in Karnataka. More than 40 per cent of women had representation on these bodies, she added. Ms Gandhi urged the chief ministers of Congress-ruled states not to let down the aspirations of the people and strive to ensure overall development in a better way through the Panchayat Raj system. —
UNI New Delhi, January 23 Mr Naidu's name was presented to returning officer O.P. Kohli by Mr Vajpayee at the party office in the presence of a large number of ministers and party leaders. The election to the post, if required, will be held on February 2. Mr Naidu has been holding the post on an ad hoc basis. |
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MP, Rajasthan tough for Cong New Delhi, January 23 This was acknowledged by former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Digvijay Singh who admitted that the Congress has a tough contest on hand both in MP and Rajasthan although it is going to the polls with fresh faces and issues. Mr Digvijay Singh, who was recently named as special invitee to the CWC and given charge of Assam and Orissa, was also not sure if the lessons learnt from the recent Madhya Pradesh elections can be implemented in these states. “It is too short a time to do anything dramatic.... We have to ensure that we fight the election unitedly,” Mr Digvijay Singh told TNS today, adding that there are indications that the BJP and Asom Gana Parishad would have an alliance in Assam. He agreed that since the Lok Sabha elections are being held so close to the assembly polls, the anti-incumbency factor will not come into play against the new BJP state governments. “It is not possible to say if the Congress can improve its performance in these two states since the assembly elections have just been held,” said Mr Digvijay Singh, admitting that the Madhya Pradesh election could end up as a comparison between him and Mr Atal Bihari Vajpayee. The coming Lok Sabha elections, in his contention, will depend on the outcome in the 300 seats won by the BJP and Congress jointly in the last general election, adding that the BJP has already peaked in Orissa, Bihar, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Haryana and Madhya Pradesh. “The only state where the BJP has not peaked is Uttar Pradesh...it now depends whether it can retain its present strength or increase its seats here,” Mr Digvijay Singh said, adding that it is the only state where the BJP can add to its numbers. The Congress, on the other hand, can hope to improve in Orissa, Gujarat, Haryana, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu as it had fared poorly in these states in the last Lok Sabha poll, he said. He admitted he was not including Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh in this list as it is not easy to say whether the Congress can improve here, given the outcome of the recent assembly polls. Mr Digvijay Singh, who had all along been opposed to alliances, has now changed tack, stating that secular forces would have to be consolidated for this election as these will be fought on ideological lines given the patently communal propoganda carried out by the Bajrang Dal, the RSS and Vishwa Hindu Parisahd at the grass-root level. Though there is a vibrant third force in the country, Mr Digvijay Singh said these regional parties had lost their credibility by aligning with the BJP. The Congress, on its part, will try to cash in on the anti-incumbency against the Vajpayee government by drawing attention to the bleak employment scenario, the rising prices of petrol and kerosene and generally highlighting that the “feel good” factor had not percolated down to the grass-roots. |
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Jaya acquitted in SPIC case Chennai, January 23 Judge R. Rajamanickam, who delivered the much-awaited judgement in a packed court hall this afternoon, held that the CBI which probed the case failed to prove the charges beyond reasonable doubts. Passing the benefit of the doubt to the accused — Ms Jayalalithaa and two others — industrialist and SPIC Chairman A.C. Muthiah and former Tamil Nadu Industries Secretary C. Ramachandran, he held that they could not be found guilty under Section 120(b) of the Indian Penal Code and Sections 13 (2) and 13 (1) (b) of the Prevention of Corruption Act. Ms Jayalalithaa and two other accused were present in the court when the Judge delivered the order. This is the fifth corruption case, filed against her by the previous DMK regime, in which she has been acquitted. Ms Jayalalithaa was earlier acquitted in the Coal import, Pleasant Stay, Colour Television and Tansi Land deal cases. She is still facing trial in cases relating to alleged amassment of wealth to the tune of Rs 66.65 crore, disproportionate to her known sources of income, receipt of $ 3 lakh, purchase of a hotel in London and the Meena Advertising Company. While the Supreme Court, acting on a petition filed by DMK General Secretary K. Anbazhagan had transferred to Karnataka the trial in the disproportionate wealth case, there was absolutely no progress in respect of other cases. The CBI is investigating the case relating to the receipt of $ 3 lakh and the other cases are being investigated by state agencies. The Chief Minister who came to the court in the morning, went back to attend the swearing-in of Labour Minister C.V. Shanmugam after she was told that the judgement would be delivered only in the afternoon. In the SPIC disinvestment case, the CBI had alleged that Ms Jayalalithaa and Mr Ramachandran abused their position to bring back Mr M.A. Chidambaram (since deceased) as Spic Chairman and renounce the rights of the Tamil Nadu Industrial Development Corporation (TIDCO) to invest in the zero conversion bond of SPIC and caused loss to the exchequer. The alleged loss to the government in the disinvestment process came to light when Janata Party President Subramanian Swamy initially filed a public interest litigation, alleging that TIDCO, a state government undertaking which had 26 per cent shares in SPIC, lost about Rs 77 crore because of under-valuation of the renunciation price of 2,000 convertible bonds in favour of SPIC. Though the final arguments concluded in the special court on January 12, the date for the verdict, could not be fixed in view of an interim order by the apex court. After the apex court had vacated the stay on a petition by Mr Ramachandran, who furnished the copy of the same before the special court, the Judge delivered the verdict. —
UNI |
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South African Judge granted
bail in rape case Mumbai, January 23 Additional Sessions Judge M.L. Tahilyani ordered Mr Desai to be released on a personal bond of Rs 10,000 and surety bond of the same amount or cash of Rs 10,000. The court also directed the police to hand over Mr Desai’s passport. Mr Desai will walk out of jail after all formalities are completed, sources say. The court granted bail to him on the ground that there was no prima facie evidence of him using force to rape the victim. The Judge had all along contended that it was a case of consensual sex. Another ground for granting bail was that investigation was over and the police today filed the charge sheet in the court of metropolitan magistrate who had remanded Desai to judicial custody till February 6. Granting bail to Mr Desai, the Judge also observed that it was difficult to believe that the complainant with a height of 5 ft 8 in and weighing 86 kg could not have resisted the attempt to rape her. Mr Desai’s bail petition said the 27-year-old victim, who was here to participate in the World Social Forum, did not report the alleged incident of rape to her fellow colleagues but went straight to the police station to file FIR. This demonstrated that he was a victim of a well-planned conspiracy hatched by his adversaries in South Africa or elsewhere as he had punished severely many accused persons while presiding as a Judge in South Africa, the petition said. The petition said that in the FIR there was no mention of any physical injury or force used. Moreover, no reasonable lady of impeccable character would expect to visit the hotel room of a casual acquaintance at an unearthly hour of 3:15 a.m. just for the purpose of discussing some alleged matter which could not have waited till reasonable hours in the morning. Both Judge and the victim were part of the South African delegation to the World Social Forum which concluded on Wednesday. Meanwhile, the 27-year-old woman who accused Mr Desai of raping her sent a fax to the Mumbai police saying that she was withdrawing the allegations made against him. She, however, told reporters from South Africa that she did not deny being raped and that she was only dropping the complaint filed against the Judge. “Since I lodged my complaint with the Indian police, I have had occasion to reflect on my own the events which took place after 3am at the Taj President Hotel on January 18. I have also now had time to discuss the matter with my husband, our legal representatives and a few close friends and confidantes,” the woman said in her statement. “I wish to thank all those friends, family and even strangers who have given me support throughout this ordeal, which I can only describe as confusing and overwhelming. “I wish to single out Mrs Winnie Madikizela-Mandela for her motherly and sisterly support and compassion. We cannot pay her but South Africa needs to know the extreme kindness and compassion she has shown to us. We thank her for that,” she added. |
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23,000 personnel for R-Day
security New Delhi, January 23 Special Commissioner of Police (Security and Operations) S.K. Kain said intelligence inputs revealed that the Pakistan-based militants would target political leaders, especially Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Deputy Prime Minister L.K. Advani, besides vital public installations. This year nearly 23,000 security personnel are on the job. As many as 55 Deputy Commissioners of Police, 200 Assistant Commissioners of Police along with other officers have been deployed in this regard. Airports in the Capital have recently figured as targets of some Pak-based terrorist outfits. Besides the traditional parade, security arrangements have been planned for the At Home at Rashtrapati Bhavan, NCC rally, Beating the Retreat and Martyrs Day on January 30. The police are checking guest houses in areas like Karol Bagh, Zakir Nagar, Pahar Ganj, Azadpur and Bhogal. As many as 600 commandos, including 100 ITBP and 62 NSG commandos, besides 18 commando groups, including 13 mobile and five static teams will also be deployed. At least 110 PCR vans will also be pressed into service for patrolling, especially in New Delhi, central and north districts. The Delhi Police has also taken adequate air defence measures. |
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Militant held in Delhi with explosives New Delhi, January 23 On a specific information, the sleuths apprehended the terrorist from Shastri Park. He was later identified as Ayaz Mohammad Shah of Anantnag district in Jammu and Kashmir and belonging to the Hizb-e-Islami, a fringe terrorist outfit operating in the Kashmir valley. The sleuths said the militant had come to the Capital to target VVIPs and carry out strikes at major installations and disrupt the Republic Day functions. Shah, who came to the Capital at the directive of his outfit’s chief Sarfraz, had planned to blow up the Delhi Metro before the Republic Day. |
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Govt clears nine rail projects New Delhi, January 23 The decision covering gauge conversion, laying of new lines and electrification, was taken at a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) chaired by Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. The new projects would be incorporated in the interim Rail Budget (Vote-on-Account) to be presented in Parliament on January 30, when details of these projects would be unveiled, official sources said. The CCEA also cleared a new station building at the New Delhi Railway Station on the Ajmeri Gate side. —
PTI |
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SC orders action against UP officers New Delhi, January 23 The court also granted eight weeks to the Union Government to complete the departmental inquiry against two of its senior officers named in the FIR by the CBI. A three-judge Bench granted the time to UP and the Centre after perusing the CBI's status report on the progress of the investigation request made by their respective counsel. While UP Advocate-General V.K. Bhatia said the state government needed at least four weeks to initiate disciplinary action against former Chief Secretary D.S. Bagga, former Principal Secretary to Chief Minister P.L. Punia and former Environment Secretary V.K. Gupta, though the departmental inquiry against them was over. The state government had already placed under suspension former Environment Secretary R.K. Sharma after the scam came to light when Ms Mayawati was the Chief Minister as she had tried to put the entire blame on him. Former UP Environment
Minister Nasimuddin Siddiqui is also accused in the case. Solicitor-General Kirit Raval, appearing for the Centre, submitted that at least four months were required for completing the departmental inquiry against former Union Environment Secretary K.C. Mishra and National Project Constructions Corporation Chairman S.C. Bali. But the court allowed only two weeks. Mr Raval stated that the CBI would have to seek sanction from the CVC and the UPSC for proceeding further against the two senior officers. The court directed that all related matters, including a Special Leave Petition challenging the Allahabad High Court order restraining the CBI from arresting Ms Mayawati and the other accused, would be taken up for hearing on February 13. |
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BJP President Venkaiah Naidu today launched the party’s month-long pre-poll campaign, Atal Sandesh
Abhiyan, by attacking the Congress and asked the people to get rid of the “dynastic rule” of the Congress by bringing back the BJP to power.
Mumbai, January 23
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