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New Delhi, June 15 
Coming out in total support of Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, VHP today attacked former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee for his comments “wrongly” blaming Gujarat violence for the BJP’s poll debacle and suggested the party change its leadership as both Vajpayee and L K Advani had “failed”.
Working president of the VHP Ashok Singhal gestures during a press conference in New Delhi on Tuesday. — PTI photo
Rough patch ahead for
BJP
‘Girlfriend’: BJP seeks review; protests
spread
HC grants bail to cop in Telgi
case
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Owner’s death not to affect eviction suit:
SC
Somnath defends ‘tainted’ ministers
TRS to join AP govt
Atwal for better Indo-China
ties
Ill-equipped institutions of journalism
Infant stolen from hospital
20 girls rescued from circus
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Remove Vajpayee, Advani, VHP tells BJP
New Delhi, June 15 VHP President V H Dalmiya and Working President Ashok Singhal said Vajpayee’s comments had “humiliated” the Hindus all over the country and insisted the BJP “paid” for giving up “Hindutva issues”, particularly the Ayodhya matter. “The BJP fought the elections under the leadership of Vajpayee and Advani. They should have the courage to admit their failure to ensure an electoral victory for the party as it was their responsibility,” Mr Singhal told a press conference here. Had Gujarat been responsible for the BJP’s debacle, the party would not have won in Rajasthan, Chattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh just a few months ahead of Lok Sabha elections, he contended. Insisting that the policies of Vajpayee and Advani had been “rejected by people”, he said “if BJP wants to think about its future, it should either change its policies or leadership.” Mr Singhal refused to name an alternative to Vajpayee and Advani, saying he had no locus standi to recommend anybody for leadership of BJP. “There is a view that young leaders should now take over.” He said if Vajpayee and Advani considered themselves to be part of Sangh Parivar, they should get in touch with its leaders and work out a future strategy. The VHP leader accused former National Security Adviser Brajesh Mishra of “misleading” Vajpayee and even questioned his (Mishra’s) intentions. Dalmiya said people had rejected the idea of one person “always ruling” and suggested there should be a “retirement age” for politicians also. Defending Modi, he said Vajpayee had been “contradicted” by his own party on Gujarat comments, the first time such a thing had happened in the party. Singhal said BJP lost because of “contradictory statements” of its leaders besides its Muslim “appeasement” policies like appointment of Urdu teachers, getting ‘Fatwas’ issued, “friendship” with Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf and the recent Indo-Pak cricket series. “It behaved as ‘B’ team of Congress and people rejected it,” he said. Meanwhile, denouncing the Jammu and Kashmir Government’s move to impose tax on Amarnath pilgrims, the VHP today said this was tantamount to the ‘jazia tax’ imposed during Mughal emperor Aurangzeb’s rule. Addressing mediapersons here, VHP President Ashok Singhal said while on one hand subsidy was being given to Haj pilgrims, the government was imposing tax on Hindu pilgrims visiting the holy cave shrine of Amarnath in Jammu and Kashmir. The VHP leader also decried the Mufti government’s order on ‘curtailing’ the Amarnath Yatra by a month on security grounds. “We condemn the Jammu and Kashmir government’s move to begin the ‘Yatra’ from August 2, instead of the scheduled date of July 2.” They should make suitable arrangement for the ‘yatris’ protection than following an escapist route or running away from responsibilities. “This cutting short of the journey will not go down well with the people.” Calling upon the Congress, the ruling People’s Democratic Party’s partner in the state, to look into the matter of imposing Rs 25 tax on Amarnath pilgrims, Mr Singhal said the party was equally responsible for the imposition and showed the party’s bias against the Hindus. “The Congress should look into this deplorable imposition, through which the Mufti government collected Rs 40 lakh last year, and get it removed at the earliest specially when it talks about giving added ‘benefits’ to Haj pilgrims this year.” —
PTI, UNI |
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Rough patch ahead for
BJP
New Delhi, June 15 Though party spokesman Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi made a determined effort to put a lid on the Vajpayee-triggered controversy saying that it was a “closed chapter” and asserted that the former Prime Minister remained the party’s “tallest leader” but the failure to address the deep rooted malaise in Gujarat was likely to snowball into a major crisis as discipline alone could not suppress the brewing resentment against the Chief Minister. While in 1995 a rebellion by 47 BJP legislators had brought the party to the brink of a major crisis in Modi’s state, now as many as 85 of the 128 party MLAs were up in arms against the Gujarat Chief Minister, a leader pointed out. A vocal minority consisting of the VHP and other Sangh outfits was prepared to back Mr Modi to the hilt. Former Chief Minister Keshubhai Patel had faced humiliation at the hands of Mr Modi and his loyalists and it would not be easy to keep the rebel camp under control, a leader said. But Gujarat was not the only problem area for the party as the reports from the Hindi heartland that the upper castes were returning to the Congress fold was also giving sleepless nights to the top BJP leaders. It was easy to restrain Mr Vajpayee from making further anti-Modi statements but how did one make the party return to power was the question that was haunting the party leaders and cadres these days, a leader observed. It was Mr Vajpayee who ensured power to the BJP for six years, as he was the most liberal face that the coalition partners were willing to accept. Apart from the coalition partners, Mr Vajpayee was still the only leader who had countrywide appeal and was capable of getting some extra votes. He had the mass appeal. But did the BJP have an agenda and programme to stop the exodus of high castes, particularly the Brahmins, a section of Rajputs and even the non-Yadav backwards in Uttar Pradesh today and in Bihar tomorrow.. While the Vishwa Hindu Parishad, the Bajarang Dal and other Sangh outfits were of the view that by reviving the Ayodhya, Kashi and Mathura agenda aggressively the BJP could arrest its slide but many in the party feel that the hardline fundamentalist Hindu agenda would only further marginalise the party among the masses. VHP President Ashok Singhal today asked those responsible for the BJP’s poll debacle should “accept defeat gracefully” and take “sanyas” from active politics. Mr Singhal was pleading for giving the leadership of the BJP to the younger elements, as the old leaders were no more capable of leading the party. Though the VHP leaders did not take names but his press conference in the capital was aimed at hitting at Mr Vajpayee and former Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani, sources said. What was worrying the BJP and Sangh leaders most was that the Congress was on a revival path in Uttar Pradesh as young Rahul Gandhi, apart from attracting crowds, was also enthusing the party cadres. Masses in UP were beginning to blame the non-Congress parties, particularly the BJP’s temple agenda, for the underdevelopment of the state. People seemed to be agreeing with Mr Gandhi and Mrs Sonia Gandhi’s assertion of bad law and order situation in the state. With the Congress-led coalition at the Centre, there was a strong possibility of a snap poll in UP and then a Congress-led coalition government in Lucknow would not be far off. This expectation was the cause of increasing support base of the Congress, observers said. The BJP and the Sangh were also wary of an electoral understanding between the Congress and the BSP which would not only harm the BJP but would also cause problems to UP Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav. |
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‘Girlfriend’: BJP seeks review; protests spread
New Delhi, June 15 “The film should be reviewed and shots which are objectionable and against Indian culture should be removed. The film does not mirror the realities of Indian society,” party vice-president and spokesman Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi told PTI. Recalling that as Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting, he had directed the review and removal of objectionable shots in “Fire”, another controversial film on lesbianism, Mr Naqvi said, “Film producers should not have a rigid attitude. They don’t have a right to show what they like. The so-called champions of human rights and fundamental rights do not know the culture or needs of Indian society.” Indore/Nagpur: Protests against the screening of “Girlfriend’ continued on Tuesday with activists of Hindu outfits thronging cinemas in Indore and Nagpur raising slogans and staging protests. In Indore, a group of saffron workers allegedly ransacked the Man Mandir cinema hall, the police said. The workers gathered in front of the cinema and hurled stones, breaking the glass-panes of the doors, the police said. The saffron workers later rushed to two more cinemas in the city where the police was deployed in strength to thwart any attempt to cause damage to the property. Both these cinema halls were screening the film. Meanwhile, the police has identified workers of the Shiv Sena and the Bajrang Dal, who allegedly indulged in violence at the cinema and would be registering cases against them, Indore SP Madhkumar Babu said. Bhubaneswar: A group of ABVP activists on Tuesday staged a demonstration outside a cinema here protesting against the screening of “Girlfriend”. Carrying ABVP flags, the activists raised slogans outside the cinema and tore off film posters The cinema authorities, however, said they could not stop the screenings since tickets for the matinee show had already been sold. Some of the viewers were also seen arguing with the demonstrators, saying that they had the right to see the film. A posse of policemen, who were present, stood guard as the demonstrators left the place. —
PTI
Varanasi, June 15 “They have been charged with causing damage to public property and arson,” police sources here said. The arrests were made in the wee hours from different parts of the city after the cinema owners lodged an FIR in this connection, sources said. They were later released on bail by a local court. The film’s show today, however, continued uninterrupted, sources said, adding that security personnel in strength have been deployed at the theatre to prevent any untoward incident. Mumbai: The controversy surrounding the film took another turn today with the management of the Premiere cinema at Parel in central Mumbai filing a case against the agitators who had stalled the movie’s screening yesterday. The complaint was lodged by Kiran Sundar Kamat (45), manager of the cinema. The main accused in the case are Harish Worlikar and Pradip Sawant, both leaders of the Bharatiya Vidyarthi Sena, the students’ wing of the Shiv Sena. Mr Kamat has complained that they along with 15 to 20 other activists had barged into the theatre, stalled the screening and threatened the patrons and tore apart posters. —
UNI |
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HC grants bail to cop in Telgi case
Mumbai, June 15 Andale, arrested under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA), is the first among the 52-odd accused in the case to be released on bail. He was granted liberty by Justice D.G. Deshpande, who observed that prima facie there appeared to be no evidence against him. Orders were passed to release him on a personal bond of Rs 25,000. The court asked him not to move out of the limits of Pune and Mumbai till further orders. The CBI objected to his bail saying investigations were still on and his release at this stage would hamper the probe. According to the prosecution, Aandale was attached to the Mumbai Crime Branch when he allegedly seized fake stamp paper dump belonging to Telgi in central Mumbai. However, he allegedly let the dump go past after accepting money from Telgi’s men, the chargesheet filed against him in the MCOCA court said. It further mentioned that Aandale had asked those men to destroy the stamps by putting those in a water tank. The prosecution argued that co-accused and witnesses had given statements that they had given Rs 15 lakh on behalf of Telgi to Andale. However, the court rejected the prosecution’s argument. Andale’s lawyers had argued that the statements were recorded six years after the alleged incident and more so after Andale moved bail petition in a lower court. —
PTI |
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Owner’s death not to affect eviction suit:
SC
New Delhi, June 15 The court said if the dismissal was allowed on the mere ground of landlord’s death and the heirs were asked to initiate a fresh suit, it would result in an unending litigation process and “colossal waste of public time.” “If a subsequent event like the death of the landlord is to be taken note of at every stage till the decree attains finality, there will be no end to litigation,” a Division Bench comprising former Chief Justice S. Rajendra Babu, who retired on June 1, and Mr Justice G.P. Mathur said. In the judgement, made available to the press recently, the court has expressed anguish over the view taken by the Madhya Pradesh High Court that the suit of Girdhari Lal for eviction of his tenant Magan Lal had been rendered untenable due to the former’s death. “It is a shocking case. A suit for eviction of the tenant was instituted more than 42 years back in March, 1962, for the bona fide need of carrying on business by the landlord, but his widow and sons are still knocking the doors of the court,” the apex court said. The ruling came on an appeal against the Madhya Pradesh High Court order by the widow of Girdhari Lal from Madhya Pradesh, who had died during the 42-year-long litigation to evict his tenant on the ground that he required the premises for carrying on business. The apex court said the high court while deciding the second appeal preferred by the tenant against the lower court order, instead of examining the issues on the basis of the amended pleadings, went on to hold that on account of the death of Girdhari Lal, the need set up by him for personal use of the property had came to an end. The high court had taken an “extreme” view on the issue... and “such extreme views erode the faith of people in the judicial system, prompting them to take recourse to extra-judicial methods to recover possession of their properties”, it said. Since the parties had amended their respective pleadings in the case before the two lower courts after the death of Girdhari Lal, and the case was decided on the basis of the same, “it was wholly impermissible on part of the high court to examine the question as to the effect of the death of the original plaintiff and thereafter to dismiss the suit on the findings that his need has come to an end,” the Supreme Court said. The high court came to the advantage of the tenant realising little that the widow and minor sons of the landlord also needed some place to carry on their business for survival, it said. |
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Somnath defends ‘tainted’ ministers
Kolkata, June 15 Mr Chatterjee was replying to a reporter at the “Meet-the-Press session” at Kolkata Press Club last night if the Opposition had rightly continued their Lok Sabha boycotting, protesting against the induction of the “tainted” ministers, Mr Laloo Prasad Yadav, Mr Sibu Soren, Md Taslimuddin and others in the UPA ministry. Mr Chatterjee, who is also an eminent lawyer, felt that on moral grounds these “tainted” ministers should not have been there in the government. But as long as they were not convicted, legally there had been no wrong if they were in the Cabinet or in Parliament. The Speaker, however, suggested that a law should be passed in Parliament for the quick disposal of all criminal and other cases of this nature pending in courts for long. He felt an early disposal of the cases would help the persons concerned understand their legal position if they could participate in the election or hold any ministerial berth. Mr Chatterjee admitted that he had to take the “unfortunate decision” in abruptly adjourning the Lok Sabha and there could be no debate or discussion on the President’s Address in the wake of the continued boycotting of the House by the opposition NDA parties, protesting against the “tainted” ministers. He was confident that no such thing would be repeated in the Lok Sabha during the forthcoming Budget session, beginning on July 6. Mr Chatterjee said he had resigned from the CPM Central Committee as well as the state committee after taking over as Lok Sabha Speaker. He would soon open a Lok Sabha office in Kolkata for doing official work during his stay in the city. The Speaker had been given rousing reception by the Mohan Bagan Club, of which he is a life member and various chambers of commerce and other social welfare organisations in the past three days. |
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TRS to join AP govt
New Delhi, June 15 An understanding to this effect was reached between Congress President Sonia Gandhi and TRS Chief K Chandrasekhara Rao here today, followed by a meeting the former had with Chief Minister Reddy. Mr Reddy and Mr Rao, who is also Cabinet Minister without portfolio in the Manmohan Singh Cabinet at the Centre, announced at a joint press conference later that the 28-member cabinet would be expanded on June 21. Mr Reddy said there would be one more cabinet expansion after the monsoon session of the state Assembly. Congress sources said that the TRS would have seven ministers in the Rajasekhara Reddy government, including six of the Cabinet rank and one Minister of State. The TRS originally had demanded eight Cabinet berths. —
UNI |
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Atwal for better Indo-China
ties
New Delhi, June 15 The visiting leader said the 50th anniversary of the signing of Panchsheel would be celebrated soon. According to an official spokesman, Mr Tieying extended an invitation to Mr Atwal to visit China, which was accepted. |
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Ill-equipped institutions of journalism Jaipur, June 15 While the Rajasthan and Jodhpur universities are running regular two-year master’s degree courses in journalism, Udaipur University is conducting a two-year diploma course only. A close look at the functioning of the departments in this discipline at these universities presents a grim picture. They are totally ill-equipped and bereft of the necessary facilities. It is a single-faculty show with no appropriate arrangements for practical training. Barring the Centre for Mass Communication of the University of Rajasthan, where teaching is being somehow managed with the help of a guest faculty by an associate professor, the persons in charge of the courses in the other two universities are teachers of Hindi and political science, respectively. Kota Open University, recently renamed as Vardhman Khula Vishwavidyalaya, which is offering the BJMC and MJMC courses through distant education, is tempting students in large numbers because of its flexibility in rules. It has been minting money for nearly two decades by only sending some printed booklets, contents of which have largely become outdated. The so-called contact camps and counselling sessions organised by the university are also a farce because of the non-availability of competent teachers and media persons to help them in their studies. Besides these state-owned universities, there are private institutions also, most of which are in a worse condition with a few exceptions. The recently opened institutions, which have been operating on a large scale in metropolitans, are trying to tempt students with their posh classrooms and impressive environs. Despite their hefty fees, they are attracting young boys and girls from affluent strata of society.
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Infant stolen from hospital
Nagpur, June 15 The mother, who was admitted to ward No. 28, complained to the ward in charge about her missing baby yesterday who, in turn, notified the hospital authority concerned. A complaint has been lodged with the Ajni police. —
UNI |
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20 girls rescued from circus
Gonda, June 15 A case has been lodged against the circus manager for allegedly forcing the girls into child labour and beating up NGO workers. The parents of the 20 girls have been informed, the SP said. —
UNI |
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Vajpayee's
criticism by Hindu hardliners irks BJP leaders. 
