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New Delhi, February 21
Countering the Congress' criticism of the NDA's economic programme, Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee today said the growth rate would soon be touching 9 per cent.  BJP seat-sharing
by month-end Naipaul, wife meet AdvaniPrime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee during a felicitation function at his residence in the Capital on Saturday. — Photo by Mukesh Aggarwal
Anti-Sonia protesters
lathicharged
DMK manifesto opposes uniform civil
code
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Paswan is
LJP chief
New Delhi, February 21 At a time when the governments of India and Pakistan are making efforts to sort out various issues, the armies of two countries also took an initiative yesterday to diffuse tension on the Line of Control, which was created due to a local incident. Orphanage head held for sex abuse
Lapang shuffles Cabinet
Amar Singh releases cassette on Raja Bhaiyya
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Challenged by
Congress, PM looks at 9 pc growth
New Delhi, February 21 Referring to Congress President Sonia Gandhi's speech in the Lok Sabha that the government was only "having Mungeri Lal kay sunehri sapne, (golden dreams of Mungeri Lal)", he said: "We not only dream but also fulfil the dreams. "Our growth rate has surprised the world, but the Opposition appears to be confused on it, therefore this criticism," he said, addressing a meeting at his residence organised by the Sangh Parivar-affiliated Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh. He said even though the BJP-led NDA government had been able to achieve an economic growth of 8.9 per cent, "there is need to speed up the work to register an even higher growth rate." He rebutted the Opposition charge that unemployment was on the rise and said: “Employment opportunities have increased even though there may not be an increase in government jobs.” On the delay in the implementation of the recommendations of the Fifth Pay Commission on the merger of the DA with the basic salary, he said this had to be done only after consulting the state governments. Mr Vajpayee said thousands of persons were employed on road construction and other infrastructure works; after all, "people have to be employed, whether it is big or small jobs." He said he could not say much to them, as it was election time, except that "the nation is progressing and the figures show this. Even foreigners who come to this country express their appreciation on the nation's growth." "There is overall satisfaction on the nation's growth. But there is no dearth of critics who say the government is wasting money and never seeing the rapid economic progress made by the country," he said. Addressing the meeting, BJP MP V.K. Malhotra recounted the various measures undertaken by the government for the welfare of the workers, including the family pension scheme in the unorganised sector. |
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BJP seat-sharing
by month-end
New Delhi, February 21 Talks with the allies were already going on regarding sharing of seats and the exercise would be finalised to the satisfaction of all by the end of this month, BJP General Secretary and spokesman Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said here. The party would be announcing its candidates for the Lok Sabha elections between March 10 and 15, he said. The party, he said, asked its state units to send its recommendations by March 5 so that the Central Election Committee, which would be meeting between March 10 and 15, could finalise the candidates for the Lok Sabha constituencies. He said the state units would begin their process of selecting the names of probables after February 25. Mr Naqvi said the party’s first phase of electioneering would be completed by February 23 and the second phase would be from February 25 to March 5. In order to widen its base among the minorities, the party had also chalked out an “alpsankhyak vikas sammelan” (minority development sammelan” at the Talkatora Stadium here on March 5. |
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Naipaul, wife meet Advani
New Delhi, February 21 Mr Advani’s wife and his daughter were also present when Sir Naipaul called at the Deputy Prime Minister’s residence. They were in conversation for almost an hour. No details were available of what transpired at the meeting, and both Mr Advani and Sir Naipaul declined to say anything. —
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Anti-Sonia protesters lathicharged Allahabad, February 21 Several ABVP activists holding black flags marched towards the historic Swaraj Bhavan raising anti-Sonia slogans. While the police contingent deployed in the area used force to disperse the crowd, some Congress Seva Dal activists allegedly pelted stones at the demonstrators. While not much could not be heard in commotion, the ABVP activists were demanding that Ms Gandhi change her venue and not use the historic building for “political activities”. Meanwhile, a group of National Students’ Union of India (NSUI) raised anti-SPG slogans for denying them entry inside the building to meet Ms Gandhi. The reported presence of Ms Priyanka Gandhi Vadra inside the premises made the NSUI activists to try to gatecrash even as small delegations were being allowed to meet the Congress leader. Ms Gandhi is in Allahabad as part of her third roadshow in the state — the Vindyachal Kisan Chetna Yatra — as a run up to the coming Lok Sabha elections. The Congress leader is expected to fly back to Delhi on a charted flight later today. On Thursday, Congress activists had clashed with CISF personnel at the Varanasi airport when Ms Gandhi had arrived to launch her third roadshow from there. Ms Gandhi today clarified that her daughter Priyanka was on a private visit to the city and no political significance should be attached with it. Talking to reporters at the lawns of Anand Bhavan, the ancestral house of the Nehru-Gandhi family, Ms Gandhi said, “Priyanka was on a private visit for some work.” There were speculations that Ms Gandhi might make some important announcement about the role of Priyanka in the party and the forthcoming elections. —
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DMK manifesto opposes uniform civil code Virudhunagar, February 21 In its election manifesto for the coming Lok Sabha elections released by party president M Karunanidhi on the opening day of the two-day conference in this southern city, the DMK said it would strive for the repeal of the controversial Prevention of Terrorism Act (POTA), abolition of Article 356 of the Constitution which empowers the Centre to dismiss a state government and amendment to the Constitution to ensure “genuine federalism”. On Ayodhya, the DMK said the issue should be settled through a court verdict and everybody should abide by it. On the common civil code, the manifesto said the party was fully opposed to it as it was contrary to religious and other rights enshrined in the constitution. About the controversial anti-terror law POTA, it said the Act had become a tool to settle scores against political opponents and demanded its repeal, saying as long as such laws were imposed their abuse would continue. Listing out the reasons for its exit from the NDA, the party said no appropriate steps were taken by the BJP-led government on its various demands including repeal of POTA. Besides, it alleged BJP leaders were politically exploiting the Ayodhya issue contrary to the common minimum programme and supported ban on conversions. |
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Paswan is
LJP chief
Patna, February 21 His name was proposed by LJP’s Bihar unit chief Narendra Singh at the party’s one-day national convention and rally at the historic Gandhi Maidan here and was seconded by the party’s national secretary-general and member of the dissolved Lok Sabha from Purnia Rajesh Ranjan alias Pappu Yadav. The controversial Independent MLA from
Mokama, Mr Surajbhan Singh, who hitherto had supported the NDA and was said to have played a crucial role in the election of Railway Minister Nitish Kumar from Barh parliamentary seat by a slender margin, joined the LJP in the presence of his gun-toting supporters. —
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Flag meeting held in Kargil sector
New Delhi, February 21 Army officials here said today that Indian and Pakistani formation commanders yesterday held their first ever flag meeting in over two years near Chorbat La in Kargil sector to defuse some “localised” tension. The opposing company commanders, of the rank of Major, held the flag meeting for over 40 minutes in the 8 mountain Division sector to defuse tension on the LoC, which was described as a “misunderstanding”. The flag meeting to settle the issue was mooted after the Director-General of Military Operations (DGMO) of the two countries spoke over the hotline. This was the first flag meeting between local army commanders after the December 13, 2001, terrorist attack on Parliament. The DGMOs of both countries agreed to hold more such flag meetings in all areas along the Line of Control in case of misunderstanding, officials said. The BSF-Pakistan Rangers have held a series of flag meetings along the international border in the Jammu and Punjab region. |
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Orphanage head held for sex abuse
Mandya (Karnataka),
February 21 “Jadugar” Jagannath, heading the Samrakshana Global Service Force, was picked up from the orphanage and later produced before a court, which remanded him in judicial custody till March 6, Srirangapatna Deputy Superintendent of Police Ramachandrappa, who is probing the case, said. The police acted on a complaint of sexual abuse filed by the parents of some children, he said. Ten children from Ladakh were provided shelter at the orphanage to escape from the horrors of terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir. —
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Lapang shuffles Cabinet
Shillong, February 21 Among those whose portfolios have been modified include three ministers who, in December last split the opposition Nationalist Congress party and joined the Congress. This reshuffle in the 42-member council of ministers of the Meghalaya Democratic Alliance Government was the fourth one after the Congress-led coalition came to power in the state in February last year. —
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Amar Singh releases cassette on Raja Bhaiyya
Lucknow, February 21 The cassette ‘Raja Bhaiyya Ki Vyatha Katha’ (the sorry state of affairs of Raja Bhaiyya) would apprise the electorate of the “hardships” faced by Raja Bhaiyya who was allegedly made a victim of political vendetta by the BSP government, Mr Amar Singh told reporters. The state government had withdrawn cases against raja bhaiyya and would not oppose his bail, Mr Amar Singh said.—
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