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New Delhi, April 26 Encouraged by the exit poll results of the Lok Sabha election today, predicting ruling NDA suffering reverses in the second phase also, the Congress today claimed it would form the next government at the Centre without the support of either BSP or SP.
Security measures at Rae Bareli okay, says Priyanka |
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BJP demands repoll at many booths in Bihar, UP
Parties ready to join hands with BJP, says Advani Voting procedure for Kashmiri migrants farce: Pandits
Cash-on-camera: PM asks Raje to hold probe
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Congress seeks probe against Jaswant’s son
Vajpayee using people: Arjun Singh
Heat keeps voters indoors in interior Maharashtra
Rajnikant complaints to EC
Keep off Indians, Nepal warns Maoists
Govt frames rules to protect whistleblowers
Army to check infiltration by 90 pc, says Gen Vij
UP files inquiry report in SC in Taj Corridor case
CBSE declares PMT result
Lankan Foreign Minister to arrive tomorrow
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Congress upbeat after exit poll results
New Delhi, April 26 “We are going to form the next government at the Centre. We believe firmly that the Congress and its allies would be getting absolute majority and I don’t think we would be needing the support of either BSP or the Samajwadi Party in the formation of government”, party spokesman S. Jaipal Reddy said at the media briefing. Making light of the claim of Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee that the BJP-led NDA would be winning at least 300 seats, he said Mr Vajpayee, who began his career as an Opposition leader, would end his career as an Opposition leader. “The Prime Minister who had earlier rubbished exit polls was now maintaining modest claim of NDA winning 300 seats. I would, therefore, say that the BJP began the campaign with bluster and now end up in fluster”, Mr Reddy asserted. He said the NDA, which was “celebrating” following the huge positive projections of the exit polls after the first round of elections, “have now made a somersault”, realising that it has lost the ground. Referring to the projections of the exit polls, the spokesman said the Congress had always opposed it maintaining that they were not dependable tool on the plea that India was a vast and diverse developing country and it was not possible to evolve a scientific policy to capture the mood of the people. He said though the party was not “exulting” over exit polls after the second phase of polling, its own assessment was “much more than what has been projected.” Asked about party strategy as neither of the two coalitions would be getting majority, he said the party was of the view that it along with its allies would be getting majority to form the government. About the leadership issue, he said Congress President Sonia Gandhi herself had stated that alliance partners would take a decision on the matter after the elections. Asked about NCP chief Sharad Pawar’s statement that it was not the number which would decide as who would be the leader of the front, Mr Reddy said “In our view, Mr Pawar is a stable ally.” Whether Left parties were natural allies, Mr Reddy said “We consider that the Left can be a potential post-poll ally”. About the Samajwadi Party, Mr Reddy said the Congress was contesting against the SP. To a specific question that SP Chief Mulayam Singh had conveyed to CPM leader H.S. Surjeet that Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s and NDA convener George Fernandes’ statements were to “malign” his party and that there was no truth in it, Mr Reddy said no such message has been conveyed to the Congress. |
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Sonia not acceptable
to allies: BJP
New Delhi, April 26 “With Mr Pawar stating that he was a candidate for the prime ministerial post, the allies have already begun to reject Congress President Sonia Gandhi’s candidature for the top post and this was even before the second phase of polling is over,” party General Secretary and spokesman Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi told newspersons here. “His (Mr
Pawar’s) statement immediately after casting vote clearly shows that Mrs Gandhi is not acceptable to the allies,” he said, adding that “the much-touted alliance is nothing but an alliance of compulsions without any principles or ideology.” “It is clear that this benami alliance is on the verge of breaking up even before being firmed up. When her own allies are not accepting her leadership, how can the country accept her. Ruling a country is not child’s play and the Congress has plenty of time to learn about the art of running a coalition,” Mr Naqvi said. |
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Security measures at Rae Bareli okay, says Priyanka
Rae Bareli, April 26 “Some minor complaints of intimidation and threat had been received from party supporters which have been brought to the notice of the election officials,” she told reporters while making rounds of the hyper-sensitive constituency. Priyanka today extensively toured the areas said to be under the influence of alleged mafia don and MLA from Sadar constituency Akhilesh Singh to boost the morale of the party workers. She also visited the ancestral village of Mr Akhilesh Singh at Lalupur Chauhan and met the villagers. In reply to a question, the scion of the Gandhi family dismissed the exit polls as “unreliable”. Asked whether she, too, was an aspirant for the post of Prime Minister, Priyanka said: “Only an astrolger can say if I can become the Prime Minister”. On whether her mother was uncertain of her victory and that was why she chose to station herself here, she said she was here of her own wish. Stating that she received a positive response from wherever she went, Priyanka expressed confidence that her mother would win with a big margin. Priyanka said she was ready to campaign in other parts of the country as well, if the party wanted. On why she kept away from active politics while her brother Rahul was contesting the poll, she said “Rahul’s entry into politics was a collective decision taken by the three of us (Sonia, Rahul and Priyanka)”. — PTI |
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BJP demands repoll at many booths in Bihar, UP New Delhi, April 26 Former Bihar Chief Minister and RJD chief Laloo Prasad Yadav is contesting against Union Civil Aviation Minister Rajive Pratap Rudy of the BJP at the Chapra seat. BJP spokesman Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said his party had brought to the EC’s notice complaints of large-scale booth capturing in the constituency and attempts to prevent the voters from exercising franchise. The Bihar unit of the BJP has reported to the EC about “booth-capturing and serious violence” in the Betia constituency of Bihar. It accused Bihar minister Udit Rai and his wife Chandrika Rai behind the incidents. In Chapra, it blamed RJD leaders like Subhash Yadav to have engineered the misdeeds. The party also demanded repolling at the Ghazipur Lok Sabha seat in Uttar Pradesh, claiming that the ruling Samajwadi Party had indulged in largescale violence and booth-capturing. “The RJD and the SP have seen the writing on the wall and are indulging in such anti-democratic acts to vent their frustration,’’ Mr Naqvi alleged. In today’s poll, the party is contesting 80 seats while 56 seats are fought by the NDA allies. |
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Parties ready to join hands with BJP, says Advani
Chhatarpur (MP), April 26 “Apart from NDA partners there are many leaders and parties who are eagerly waiting to join us after the Parliament elections... They are convinced about the BJP-led alliances capability to (run a) stable government,” Mr Advani said at an election meeting here. The Deputy Prime Minister, however, did not mention names of any leader or political party who he claimed wanted to join the NDA. People were apprehensive about BJP’s capability in providing political stability when the government was formed under the leadership of Atal Bihari Vajpayee but all their doubts were cleared in the past six years as “they were impressed by our stable and efficient governance,” he said. Observing that the BJP was the only party in the country thinking and working for national and social good, Mr Advani said that assemblies and Parliament were different fora to serve the country and society for his party. “I am happy that the task of social service was entrusted to us is being carried out properly as we work like family member and not politicians in the BJP... Our aim is to transform India into a great nation,” Mr Advani said. Mr Advani said people were “satisfied” with the performance of the NDA government and there was no anti-incumbency feeling despite six years rule under the leadership of Mr Vajpayee. “We have done a good job and on that basis we are seeking votes,” he said. Asking people to give a clear majority to BJP-led NDA, he said a comprehensive victory is essential to ensure that there was no hurdle in its way. Describing Congress as a ‘leaderless’ party, Mr Advani said: “It is like a team without a captain ... They are unable to decide their prime ministerial candidate.” Without naming Congress President Sonia Gandhi, he said the person who is regarded as their leader by Congressmen is not acceptable to other opposition parties for a viable coalition. “Congress should accept the ground realities under the present political scenario,” he said, adding the party which once evoked respect from all was now in a miserable condition because it failed to eradicate poverty, hunger, backwardness and diseases during 50 years of its rule.
— PTI |
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Voting procedure for Kashmiri migrants farce: Pandits New Delhi, April 26 In a petition to the Election Commission, the Kashmiri Visthapit Sangharsh Samiti (KVSS), an organisation representing the 3.50 lakh displaced Kashmiri Pandits, said the Jammu and Kashmir electoral authority had not updated the electoral roles, thereby depriving a majority of Kashmiri Pandits from their right to vote. The Election Commission has set up four polling centres for the Kashmiri migrants to enable them to cast their ballot after completing some formalities. KVSS president Nanjee Raina said in a statement here today that they had also brought to the notice of the Election Commission that the procedure of filing of forms 12-H and its attestation by a gazetted officer was the unfair procedure because it had deprived most of the Kashmiri Pandits from their right of exercising franchise. “The Election Commission, by this procedure, has made the whole exercise of the elections appear as farce for Kashmiri Pandits,” he said. Warning that the exclusion of Kashmiri Pandits from the electoral exercise would have serious implications for the ongoing peace process, the KVSS urged the Election Commission to issue voters identity cards to the Kashmiri migrants without any procedural hassle. It also called upon the commission to revise the electoral rolls and include all eligible voters and those who have become eligible after the migration, into the voters’ list. Calling for banning postal voting for the migrants, the KVSS said any new procedure should be adopted in consultation with Kashmiri migrants.
— UNI |
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Cash-on-camera: PM asks Raje to hold probe
Ratangarh, April 26 Speaking at an election meeting here, Vajpayee said the state government would hold an unbiased inquiry into it. Justice should be delivered by holding an impartial inquiry. Referring to the scandal exposed by a real estate businessman, the Prime Minister said he was sad to see screaming newspaper headlines like “Gehlot sarkar ke teen mantri rishwatkhori men fanse (three ministers of Gehlot government are involved in bribery)”. These are not good headlines. Such things should not happen, he added. There should be justice. The whole episode should be probed impartially and guilty should be punished, Vajpayee said. Earlier welcoming Vajpayee, Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje also announced to hold an impartial inquiry into the cash-on-camera scam saying we shall not spare the culprits.
— PTI |
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Congress seeks probe against Jaswant’s son
New Delhi, April 26 “Enquiry should be made whether these reports are factually correct. If they are correct, this reflects the issuing of visas to Indian citizens on a discriminatory and selective basis was done under political influence rather than normal rules and regulations,” party leader and former Foreign Secretary
J.N. Dixit told newspersons here. The AICC had received reports about issuing of visas for Pakistan. Enquiries made by it from the Pakistan High Commission brought the response that visas were issued on the recommendation of BJP electoral candidates “whose influence required a response,” he said. The routine granting of visas was suspended following the Kargil conflict during Jaswant Singh’s tenure as External Affairs Minister. The Pakistan Government had stated now that normal visa facilities would be restored only after both the governments agreed on reopening of their respective Consulate Generals in Karachi and Mumbai, he said. “How is then that BJP leaders like Manvendra Singh have successfully got implemented a calibrated, selective and discriminatory visa regime against the existing policy decided during Jaswant Singh’s time with the help of Pakistan High Commission,” Mr Dixit asked. Referring to the full-page advertisement in an Urdu daily put out by the Prime Minister in the form of a letter to Muslims, Mr Dixit said that the first portion consisted of appeals and admonitions, the second part contained promises made by the BJP and the NDA to them and the third related to NDA’s claim of achievements. Describing it as “a purely vote garnering gimmick unrelated to realities,” he said that the BJP considered Indian Muslims as a “separate religious and cultural entity instead of as an integral part of the nation.” He said “in the process BJP implied that Indian Muslims had some kind of undefined but subconscious loyalty towards Pakistan.” “The promises made by the Prime Minister are vague on the one hand and accusatory on the other,” he added. |
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Vajpayee using people: Arjun Singh
Bhopal, April 26 Addressing a press conference at the PCC office, he said the present elections were taking place at a time when the country was trapped in “Vajpayee’s bhool-bhulaiya” created with the help of expressions like NDA, feel-good and India shining. Mr Vajpayee, he said, was heading a party which had not got a majority in Parliament in a democratic manner. “He has somehow assembled disparate groups by persuasion, inducements and blackmail and now wants to retain power for another five years.” The BJP, Mr Arjun Singh said, had no existence. Whatever was visible as the BJP was only the ‘tana-bana’ of the RSS, he said. Mr Vajpayee says, according to Mr Arjun Singh, that the Sangh is his soul and Mr Govindacharya is on record as having observed that Mr Vajpayee is the mascot. The Congress leader said Mr Vajpayee had no commitment to democracy and was an expert in using others by exploiting them. Soon after coming to power, they tried to change the Constitution through a review but the people of the country did not accept it. Mr Arjun Singh said the fight with Pakistan over Kargil was not on India’s borders as generally happens between two countries but in the courtyard of India. How did they reach India’s courtyard? The Subramaniam Committee report was tabled in Parliament three years ago but Mr Vajpayee did not have the courage to hold a discussion on it. Besides, India was becoming a satellite state of the United States under Mr Vajpayee, Mr Arjun Singh alleged. He reiterated his appeal to Mr Mulayam Singh Yadav to withdraw all 26 Samajwadi Party candidates in Madhya Pradesh to avoid a division in the secular votes. |
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Heat keeps voters indoors in interior Maharashtra
Mumbai, April 26 Heat and hostile weather conditions kept many people indoors in the interiors of Maharashtra. In Mumbai and Pune, however, a large number of voters took advantage of the long weekend and took time off. Polling in Mumbai is expected to average around 45 per cent, according to initial information available from polling officials. In a number of localities in Mumbai workers of political parties were seen mobilising voters towards the close of polling. Earlier, political leaders promised to get tickets to people who postponed their holidays and stayed home to vote. Mumbai has a large migrant population that returns to their native villages every summer. Monday’s elections to 24 of the 48 Lok Sabha seats in Maharashtra will decide the future of several veteran political leaders. Union Minister for Petroleum Ram Naik, Lok Sabha Speaker Manohar Joshi, Shiv Sena’s Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Nirupam, NCP strongman Sharad Pawar, actors turned politicians Govinda and Sunil Dutt, Congress leader Suresh Kalmadi were among others whose fates were decided today. Monday’s voting saw a number of interesting sidelights. Ram Naik who reached early to vote had to wait half an hour as the electronic voting machines developed a fault. Manohar Joshi reached early after paying obeisance at the fame Siddhivinayak Temple in central Mumbai. Industrialist Anil Ambani took a break from his early morning jog to cast his vote still clad in his runners keds. Cricketer Sachin Tendulkar and his wife Anjali did not have to stand in the queue as officials escorted them to the polling booth. Bollywood personalities like actress Priety Zinta were mobbed by television reporters for sound bytes after they cast their votes. Socialite Shobha De protested vociferously to journalists after finding her name knocked off the voters’ list. Alleged gangster Arun Gawli was provided police protection to cast his franchise after complained of a threat to his life. Voting proceeded slowly at 33,044 polling stations in the state as voters’ lists were full of glitches, including misspelt names and
addresses. However, polling staff allowed most people to cast their votes after a cursory verification. By early Monday, the Mumbai police had arrested nearly 5000 persons as a preventive measure. Still several minor incidents of violence were reported throughout the day. |
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Rajnikant complaints to EC
New Delhi, April 26 Stating that he had not taken any decision on joining politics himself, the filmstar, who has a huge fan following, urged the poll panel to take “strong action” against Ramadoss and party cadre for attacking his fans. In a two-page complaint lodged with the Chief Election Commissioner,” Mr
T.S. Krishna Murthy, and the Election Commissioners, Rajnikant said PMK followers had attacked his followers with lathis, axe and sticks at a public meeting at Madurai on April two. Some of those injured in the attack had to be taken to Apollo Hospital in Chennai for treatment, the letter said. Talking to reporters after meeting the full commission, Rajnikant told reporters that he feared threat to his fans from PMK activists. The PMK cadres were annoyed because his fans held a black flag demonstration against Dr Ramadoss at a meeting addressed by him. |
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Keep off Indians, Nepal warns Maoists
New Delhi, April 26 In an exclusive interview with The Tribune this afternoon, Mr Adhikary advised the Maoists to see the writing on the wall and warned that if they were to continue to attack Indian interests in Nepal, they would not go scot-free. He made it clear that the Government of Nepal had already come out with a warning that any harm on Indian interests in Nepal by Maoists would be taken very seriously and dealt with sternly. “Doing harm to India on such a massive scale and then hoping that they can go on like this and go scot-free will be living in a fool’s paradise,” said Mr Adhikary, who presented his credentials to the President about two months ago. Asked if the Maoists would pay heed to Kathmandu’s warnings, the Ambassador retorted: “They have to, willingly or unwillingly. It will be foolhardy on their part if they continue with this terrorist action against a friendly country like India, or for that matter, any other country. They are not seeing the writing on the wall.” To a question whether the burning of Indian cargo vehicles in Nepal earlier this month could be seen as the first Maoist attacks on Indian
interests in Nepal since the Maoist insurgency started in 1996, Mr Adhikary said this was not the case. “This is not the first time in the sense that Indian business houses in Nepal have been targeted earlier also. Their premises were blasted. Extortion demands were made from them,” said Mr Adhikary, whose official designation is “Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary.” When pointed out that the Maoists had denied their involvement in the burning of Indian cargo vehicles, Mr Adhikary appeared dismissive of the denial. “Of course, the Maoists were behind it. It is their cadres who did it. Their denial is meaningless. The denial is said to have come from the top leadership of Maoists. Where these leaders stay is not known. What is known is that their cadres are present on the streets of towns and villages of Nepal.” The Nepalese Ambassador stressed that his government had already declared the Maoist insurgency as a terrorist act. “They have attacked government property, burnt schools, looted banks, killed innocent people. They have even killed schoolteachers and local politicians of other parties. They have been extorting money and destroying infrastructure in rural areas.” The Maoists had resumed negotiations with the Nepalese Government and agreed to a ceasefire which came into effect in January, 2003. They broke off on August 27 and have since undertaken violent activities again. As a challenge to the state authority, they destroyed properties of former Royal Nepal Army (RNA) chiefs, Members of Parliament and other political leaders. Since the latest attacks by the Maoists on Bhojpur district (March 3) and Myagdi district (March 20-21), which resulted in a large number of casualties on both sides, insurgents’ chairman Prachanda warned that they would continue such attacks until a political solution to the problem was reached. The Maoists have emerged as a potent force of
destabilisation with their acts of terror and have wrought havoc in Nepal. Over 9,000 persons have been killed since the movement was launched in Nepal in February, 1996. The origins of the Maoists can be traced to the several splintered groups of the Communist Party of Nepal, which has had a chequered history of party factionalism. |
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Despite swoop on Maoists, situation in Nepal fluid
New Delhi, April 26 Well-placed sources here, speaking on a condition of anonymity, said though the Maoists had realised that it would be in their best interests not to annoy New Delhi, the situation was still fluid in Nepal. However, a lot of significance is being attached here to a statement from the Maoists, disassociating themselves from attacks on Indian cargo vehicles in Nepal earlier this month. After resuming negotiations with the Nepalese Government in April, 2003, the rebels broke off on August 27 last the ceasefire announced in January, 2003, and have since undertaken violent activities again. As a challenge to state authority they destroyed properties of former Royal Nepal Army (RNA) chiefs, members of Parliament and other political leaders. Since the latest attacks by the Maoists in Bhojpur district (March 3) and Myagdi district (March 20-21), which resulted in high number of casualties on both sides, the insurgents’ Chairman Prachanda warned that they would continue such attacks until a political solution to the problem was reached. The Maoists have emerged as a potent force of destabilisation with their acts of terror and have wrought havoc in Nepal. Over 9000 persons have been killed since the movement was launched in Nepal in February 1996. The origins of the Maoists can be traced to the several splintered groups of the Communist Party of Nepal, which has had a chequered history of party factionalism. The main objective of Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) (CPN-M) is to establish ‘people’s government’ through “people’s war” in line with the ideology of Peru’s “Shining Path” group. The Maoists’ ideals, aspirations and their course of action are based on Mao’s style of dictatorship of the proletariat and the strategy of surrounding the city from the countryside. Hence the name : Maoists, which is quite an embarrassment to China. Beijing has been assiduously keeping off this movement. The Maoists are strong in their base area of the mid-West districts of Rukum, Rolpa, Jajarkot and Surkhet. Ideologically, the Maoists are in the same political spectrum as the Naxalites, the People’s War Group (PWG) and the Maoist Communist Centre (MCC). The Maoists support all movements aimed at achieving ethnic and linguistic equality in Nepal and also want the formation of a broad-based front of all Leftist, progressive and nationalist forces to fight the present government which they term as being ‘anti-national and ‘fascist’. The total strength of Maoists is estimated to be about 20,000. Of this around 5,000-6000 are fully trained guerrillas and the rest 15,000 are militiamen. About 2,500 of the fully trained form part of the Maoist regular army and about 1,000 are engaged in propaganda and publicity work. Most of their weapons comprise .303 rifles, self loading rifles (SLRs) and light machine guns (LMGs) which have been looted from the Royal Nepal Army (RNA). The Maoists have reportedly acquired some AK-47 and AK-56 rifles recently. However, their main weaponry comprises explosives, gelatin sticks, detonators, cordex wires, .303 rifles, revolvers, pistols, 22 Magnum, 12 bore, 22 bore, air gun, shotgun, countrymade and pressure cooker bombs. The Maoists are led by their Chairman Pushp Kamal Dahal, alias Prachanda and 11 other politburo members, including Baburam Bhattarai, Mohan Baidya and Ram Bahadur Thapa. Mohan Baidya was recently arrested by the Indian authorities in Siliguri. They also have a high-powered central committee as well as regional commanders. The Maoists are continuing with the conscription of youth aged 15 to 20 years. There are also reports of the rebels using children as soldiers and to assist them in their activities.
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Govt frames rules to protect whistleblowers
New Delhi, April 26 Solicitor General Kirit Raval informed a Bench of Ms Justice Ruma Pal and Mr Justice P.V. Reddi that a notification was issued by the Centre on April 21 laying down the rules to protect those who bring to light corruption in government departments. Under the rules the Chief Vigilance Commission (CVC) has been made a nodal agency to receive all corruption complaints and hold preliminary inquiry and initiation further proceedings, if required. Mr Raval said the government was also examining the Law Commission’s 2002 draft for enacting the ‘Public Interest Disclosure and Protection of Informers Bill’. As per the notification, the CVC had to ascertain the name of the complainant but keep his identity secret unless he himself wanted to make it public and examine his complaint on the basis material for further appropriate action. |
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Army to check infiltration by 90 pc, says Gen Vij
New Delhi, April 26 Having declared a few weeks ago that the Army was looking at completing the fencing along the LoC by May, the Chief of Army Staff, Gen N.C. Vij today said, “The onset of summer is a challenge to the armed forces to ensure that infiltration is kept at minimum to give a boost to ongoing talks between the Centre and separatists”. Quoting intelligence inputs, he said that the number of militants in Jammu and Kashmir had already gone down by almost half to nearly 1800. As a result the militants had also been unable to disrupt the election process in an organised manner. He said if the infiltration of militants, particularly Pakistani mercenaries, was checked, it would take the pressure off moderates from the infiltrators in Jammu and Kashmir. He was speaking on the sidelines of a function to flag off the Indo-Nepalese Army expedition to the 7,872-metre-high Saser Kangri peak in eastern Karakorams. On the infiltrations, Gen Vij said militants were still making attempts to sneak across and cited the recent instances of two abortive bids in Uri and Tangdhar regions in Northern Kashmir. “There have been stepped up radio contacts recently with militants in the valley asking for reinforcement and weapons”, the Army chief said, adding that their commanders were telling them to try to sabotage the elections in a big way. The Army chief said the anti-infiltration barrier had been erected all along the LoC in Jammu sector, while in the valley, except for a stretch of 20 km in the Gulmarg sector and in certain snow bound parts, the fencing work in complete. “As soon as the snow clears our jawans will erect the fence”, he said expressing optimism that militants would find it extremely hard to cross the border in Jammu sector now. |
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Force to be modernised: Air chief
New Delhi, April 26 Talking to his senior commanders on the inaugural day of the five-day Indian Air Force Commanders’ Conference here, the Air Chief said the IAF had lately focussed its efforts towards operationalisation of its newly-inducted assets like the upgraded MIG-21-93 fighters and the advanced SU-30MKI jet which had given India’s defence preparedness a boost. The IAF spokesman here said the Air Chief complimented all personnel for “excellent work” during the past six months and, as a professional service, keeping the IAF flag flying high. The biannual commanders’ conference, attended by IAF’s top brass, will discuss the operational challenges before the service besides personnel-related matters, flight safety and maintenance. Other topics on the agenda were expected to be data-based review by the Principal Staff Officers of the Air Headquarters, and presentations on communication and IT networking. The opening session of the conference was also addressed by the Army Chief, General Nirmal Chandra Vij, who briefed the IAF Commanders on the global security scenario, the spokesperson said. |
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UP files inquiry report in SC in Taj Corridor case
New Delhi, April 26 The report was filed in a sealed cover before a Bench of Chief Justice V.N. Khare, Mr Justice S.B. Sinha and Mr Justice S.H. Kapadia, after the court on April 16 had taken serious note of the state government giving clean chit to the three officers, including former Chief Secretary D.S. Bagga. The other officers, who were exonerated in departmental inquiry by the UP Government are; P.L. Punia, a former Principal Secretary to the than Chief Minister Mayawati who herself is an accused in the case and former Environment Secretary V.K. Gupta. The court had sought personal appearance of the state Chief Secretary today to explain how the three officers, who had been placed under suspension, were given clean chit and reinstated in service even when the CBI is yet to complete the probe. But the court posted hearing in the case to April 28 saying it needed time to examine the report thoroughly. Diwan was also exempted from further appearance. |
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CBSE declares PMT result
New Delhi, April 26 CBSE officials said 19,963 candidates have been selected for the final test scheduled to he held on May 16. Candidates can access the result on CBSE’s websites www.cbse.nic.in and
www.cbse.results.nic.in. |
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Lankan Foreign Minister to arrive tomorrow
New Delhi, April 26 This will be the first high-level visit from Sri Lanka since the new government assumed office earlier this month. Ministry spokesman Navtej Sarna said during this visit Mr Kadirgamar would have extensive discussions with External Affairs Minister Yashwant Sinha. “The discussions are expected to be comprehensive and to focus on ways to further expand the existing bilateral cooperation through enhanced high-level exchanges. Further cooperation in all areas of mutual interest, notably in the areas of trade and comprehensive economic partnership will also be discussed,” the spokesman said. |
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