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Dharmendra
joins BJP, may woo Rajasthan Jats
BJP has no communal
bias, says Vajpayee Law on
foreign origin may not be necessary, says Advani |
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Cong announces 15 more nominees; TN list missing UP Cong struggles to get its act
together Minorities panel against canvassing on religious lines
Bail
hearing in Bilkis case deferred
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Dharmendra joins BJP, may woo Rajasthan Jats New Delhi, March 24 Dharmendra, famous for his role in film ‘Sholay’, said he had decided to join the BJP as he was impressed by Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s peace initiatives with Pakistan, including green signal to Indo-Pak cricket. “We feel as if the match is being played at Jalandhar and not Lahore...for that the credit goes to Mr Vajpayee,” Dharmendra said adding “I must also appreciate Pakistan President Gen Pervez Musharraf for holding the hands of friendship extended by Mr Vajpayee.” He said there was mixed reaction among his friends about his joining politics. “Some said as a film star you are for everyone irrespective of caste, creed and religion, while some others advised that I should not lose the opportunity to serve the people.” Although party leaders, including Mr Naidu, were tight-lipped about the possibility of Dharmendra contesting in the coming Lok Sabha polls, sources said he could be fielded in one of the Jats-dominated constituencies in Rajasthan. The actor, who is now in his late sixties, had first come on the silver screen in 1960 with ‘Dil Bhi Tera Hum Bhi Tere’ and remained a popular hero for almost three decades before taking to character roles. Born to Dharam Singh Deol in Phagwara, Punjab, in 1935, Dharmendra took to action films, along with romantic films, early in his career. Till now he has acted in more than 70 films in prominent roles covering all genres. While his sons Sunny and Bobby and daughter Esha are also prominent stars, his wife Hema Malini has carved a niche for herself through her performances. Meanwhile, the BJP would release its ‘vision document’ ahead of its ‘carpet-bombing’ campaign beginning April 6, while the NDA manifesto would be released subsequently, party President M Venkaiah Naidu said here today. NDA Convener George Fernandes, Finance Minister Jaswant Singh and Commerce Minister Arun Jaitley had been asked to work on the NDA manifesto, which would be released by Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee after all NDA allies were taken into confidence, he said. “The vision document of the BJP will be released before the party launches the campaign on the foundation day of the party on April 6,” Mr Naidu said. Meanwhile, he said that the party’s Central Election Committee (CEC) would meet here on March 27 to finalise the names of all remaining candidates for the Lok Sabha polls and nominees for the Assembly elections in Karnataka and Uttar Pradesh. Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani, who will be completing the first phase of his Bharat Uday Yatra on March 26, would be attending the meeting for the first time, Mr Naidu said. He said an internal survey among party supporters suggested that an overwhelming 82 per cent supported the party’s development plank, whereas the remaining 18 per cent wanted the issues of Congress President Sonia Gandhi’s foreign origin and the Ram Temple issue to be taken up during the campaign. |
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BJP has no communal bias, says Vajpayee Amroha, March 24 Addressing a public rally in this agrarian parliamentary constituency in western Uttar Pradesh, Mr Vajpayee said his party was truly nationalist in character and wanted all castes and communities to prosper in close harmony without any seeds of hatred and discord. Kickstarting the party’s election campaign, Mr Vajpayee mounted a blistering attack on the Congress and said by branding the BJP as rabid communalist, the Congress always scared the minorities by raising this bogey in order to use Muslims as vote bank shields to protect the party’s interests at the hustings. The BJP, however, believed in nationalism and wanted the countrymen to live together in unity and peace. —
UNI
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Law on foreign origin may not be necessary, Aligarh, March 24 “I think it (legislation on foreign origin) may not be necessary at all as the outcome of the coming poll is a foregone conclusion,” Mr Advani told The Tribune during his ongoing “Bharat Uday Yatra”. While NDA partners and even the BJP leaders, including party President M. Venkaiah Naidu and General Secretary Pramod Mahajan have been leading the ‘foreign origin’ attack on Congress President Sonia Gandhi, Mr Advani’s words appear to be mainly aimed at toning down his hawkish image. Admitting that the subject of foreign origin is “a very important issue before the nation”, Mr Advani asserted that when he raised the leadership issue it was not targeted towards a particular individual. “What I am repeatedly emphasising is that leadership is very important and a leader could be one who has the understanding of the nation,” the Deputy Prime Minister said. To a pointed question whether the BJP will bring a legislation on foreign origin issue, Mr Advani said: “I don’t know. The proposal for such a legislation has been made public by Mr Naidu. But, I think it may not be necessary at all as the outcome of the coming poll is already known.” On the vexed Ayodhya issue, Mr Advani said that a negotiated settlement to the issue was in sight. “I am very optimistic. We have been interacting with leaders of both the communities (Hindus and Muslims) and an environment has been created for negotiated settlement of the issue,” Mr Advani said maintaining that he himself had direct negotiations with some the leaders concerned. “Yes, I have met a few leaders...But, of course, away from the glare of publicity. Had it been in the public glare, it would not have happened,” he added. Mr Advani, who passed through Mathura, Haathras, Aligarh, Bulandshahar and Ghaziabad in Western Uttar Pradesh, dismissed the opposition allegation that he has undertaken the yatra to position himself to become the Prime Minister. On the Congress party’s promise to provide reservations for minorities in jobs, Mr Advani said he had no objection to reservations to minorities within the quota for Other Backward Classes. |
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Cong announces 15 more nominees; TN list missing New Delhi, March 24 Tamil Nadu Congress leaders had staged an angry protest at the AICC headquarters yesterday just as the party’s Central Election Committee (CEC) was finalising its Lok Sabha candidates. The state Congress leaders, including several former MPs, had been camping in Delhi to lodge their protest over the distribution of tickets. They had charged that the state unit’s recommendations had been ignored while outsiders, who had nothing to do with the party or the constituency, had been preferred. They were particularly angry with Mr Kamal Nath, AICC General Secretary and in charge of Tamil Nadu, who, they said, was responsible for this poor choice. Tamil Nadu PCC chief G.K. Wasan had conveyed the sentiments of the state unit to the Central leadership yesterday. As a result, the list,which was initially to be released last night, was held back. Today, again, party spokesperson Kapil Sibal assured presspersons that the names would be announced this evening. However, late tonight when the Congress did release the names of 15 Lok Sabha candidates, the Tamil Nadu list was again missing. Former state chief minister N. Janardhan Poojary and senior AICC leader G.Venkatswamy figure in the list for Andhra Pradesh. The four candidates from Gujarat include two legislators — Chandravadan Pithawala from Surat and Kishan Patel from Bulsar. The Orissa list includes former minister Srikant Jena,who has been nominated from Kendrapra while the Bhubaneshwar seat has been allotted to Soumya Ranjan Patnaik, son-in-law of Orissa PCC chief J.B. Patnaik.
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UP Cong struggles to get its act
together New Delhi, March 24 An inordinate delay in finalising the first list of candidates for Uttar Pradesh has led to a lot of restlessness among the aspirants. who feel their campaign is suffering because of this uncertainty. In the case of Uttar Pradesh, the Congress was initially handicapped over drawing up its lists as it was awaiting word from the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) about an alliance. When the electoral tie-up with the BSP failed to materialise, the UP Congress leadership pinned its hopes on the Samajwadi Party. As it happened, the Congress has been left in the lurch by the BSP and the SP who have gone ahead and released the list of their candidates for Uttar Pradesh. As a result, ticket aspirants and UP leaders are all camping in Delhi when they should actually be in the state, organising the polls.” The cadres could not get going first as nobody was sure which constituency would be retained by the Congress in case an alliance did fructify, said a senior UP leader. This uncertainty slowed down the campaign as the workers were not sure who they should be attacking. There was demoralisation in the UP party unit when an alliance did not work out. But this has been further compounded given the party’s inability to release its list. |
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Minorities panel against canvassing on religious lines New Delhi, March 24 Advising everyone to not use religion in any form during the coming elections, it urged national and regional political parties not to exploit religion in any form. The commission said it was against the interests of the minorities to cast vote collectively in support or against one political party. |
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Bail hearing in Bilkis case deferred Ahmedabad, March 24 The court, in Dahod district, instructed the CBI to file a detailed affidavit and explain the charges levelled against Head Constable Narpatsinh Patel after his advocate argued it out in court that the agency was not mentioning the specific allegations made against the official. Narpatsinh is one of the two Gujarat police officials arrested by the CBI in the case apart from 13 other persons, including a BJP worker from Dahod. This is the second time that the Dahod court has deferred the bail hearing following a similar situation a week ago when the defence advocate had said that the CBI had provided incomplete details about evidence collected against the policeman.
— PTI |
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Maya kicks-off campaign in Gujarat Ahmedabad, March 24 Berating the BJP and the Congress for “contemptuously neglecting” members of the Backward Class after using them as vote bank, Mayawati also claimed that these parties had backtracked on all promises made to them during poll campaigns. “Mass base of ‘manuvaadi’ parties like the BJP and the Congress is fast eroding,” Mayawati said.
— PTI |
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Vohra, officials to meet before J&K talks New Delhi, March 24 Official sources said the meeting would be attended by Cabinet Secretary Kamal Pande, Home Secretary Anil Baijal and heads of intelligence agencies. Mr Vohra would brief Mr Advani before talks with the Hurriyat delegation led by Moulvi Abbas Ansari, the sources said. |
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