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Hyderabad, June 22 Resentment is brewing in Andhra Pradesh Congress ranks over the growing clout of the pre-poll ally Telangana Rashtra Samithi at the expense of the party’s interests. Congress leaders here are bitter at the high command’s decision to give away seven cabinet berths to the sub-regional party in the state ministry headed by Dr Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy who is, ironically, said to be opposed to the ‘disproportionate representation’ to TRS in his cabinet.
Delhi murder of
ex-General solved; 1 arrested
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Casual employees who helped Jaya break strike sacked
PM completes one month in office
India, Pakistan ready to sign pact on Baglihar project
Reconsider papers of UP Congress candidates: EC
Dharna to commute convict’s death
penalty
Sixth accomplice in Dubey murder case held
Rajasthan government appeases gods for rain
Drop-box service for US visas
discontinued
Producing surplus food a major
challenge
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Resentment in Andhra Congress over
Hyderabad, June 22 Dr Reddy, who was reluctant to forge electoral alliance with TRS and had made known his displeasure over allotment of large chunk of seats to the alliance partner, is set to expand his ministry on Wednesday to accommodate TRS representatives at the instance of the party high command. Congress leaders in Telangana region are peeved over the TRS establishing a direct channel with the ‘10 Janpath’ and walking away with coveted posts. The sub-regional party has already garnered two cabinet berths at the centre. TRS chief and Union Minister K. Chandrasekhara Rao, a wily strategist who has been dealing directly with Congress high command by-passing the state leadership, has already declared that his party, with just 26 MLAs in the 294-member Assembly, would get six Cabinet and one minister of state rank portfolios in the ministry. The TRS is making a hard bargain for plum portfolios like Excise, Transport, Power and Medical and Health in the face of a strong resistance being put up by Chief Minister who is disinclined to part with important departments to the junior partner. The talks between senior TRS leader and Union Minister A. Narendra and Dr Reddy over choice of portfolios remained inconclusive with the TRS insisting on plum posts. What has further irked Congress leaders from Telangana region is that the TRS has been able to ‘dictate terms’ to the state leadership even in the matter of allocation of portfolios. With 180 MLAs in its kitty, the Congress in the state does not need TRS’ support to run the government. However, in its eagerness to demonstrate the party’s commitment to alliance partners, Congress high command decided to share power with the TRS even in the state, causing heartburn among Congressmen. Congress leaders are particularly piqued at the access that TRS chief Mr Rao enjoys with the AICC president, Ms Sonia Gandhi. “We don’t understand how he has been able to gain Madam’s confidence. He seems to be getting whatever he wants, thanks to his rapport with Sonia,” said a miffed senior Congress leader. Even in the run-up to the poll pact before elections, a section of Congress leaders had opposed joining hands with the TRS. The rumblings grew louder when the party high command allotted 46 Assembly and 6 Lok Sabha seats to TRS, a gesture considered by many as ‘disproportionately generous’. Significantly, the Congress leaders who stand to lose in the wake of growing clout of TRS are the ones who had vociferously supported Telangana cause. In fact, they had formed a pressure group within the Congress to espouse the cause of alliance with the TRS. “It was these people who painted a glorious picture of TRS, insisting on alliance with them. Let them now pay for it,” said a leader from the Chief Minister’s camp. The Congress MLAs from coastal Andhra region have already come out openly and protested against the “undue” representation to the TRS in the Cabinet. While the imminent TRS-specific Cabinet expansion heralds the first coalition experiment in the state, it may well be a beginning of a bitter honeymoon between a reluctant Congress and a restive
TRS. |
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Delhi murder of
ex-General solved; 1 arrested
New Delhi, June 22 Mr Paul said based on a tip-off provided by the Delhi Police along with the photograph of the accused, the UP police apprehended the Nepalese-accused Bharat Bhandari (27) at around 10.30 pm near Sounali last night while he was travelling in a bus. The police say that the prime motive of the murder is robbery since the UP police had recovered two medals with the General’s name inscribed on them and Rs 5000 in cash from the possession of the accused. Ironically when the Police Commissioner was addressing the Press conference today, the bodies of the time General and his wife were cremated in Delhi. A large number of retired senior Army officers, friends and neighbours of the General attended the cremation which took place in the Delhi Cantonment area this morning. A special team had been dispatched to Maharajganj to bring the accused on transit remand to Delhi for detailed interrogation and for matching finger-prints. Mr Paul said that the police had identified Bhandari’s co-accused and teams were working to trace the whereabouts, soon. Since the police suspected that the crime may have been committed by an insider who knew the topography of the house very well, a detailed verification of the antecedents of maids, security guards, ex-servants and other employees was done. It was during this process, it was revealed that one Top Bahadur was employed with the General’s family for a span of 17-years between 1983 and 2000 and during this period Top’s son Bhandari and daughter Kanchi also worked in the house. Kanchi is now working in a beauty parlour. During investigation the police found that Bhandari was involved in a burglary case in the south-west district in 1994 and was sent to Tihar jail for a year. After getting released from the jail Bhandari had worked in a tea stall during 1995-2000 in the Indo-Nepal border. The police also came to know that Bhandari used to frequent the General’s house recently and had the complete knowledge of the family members and the house. Mr Paul said the police suspected Bhandari’s hands in the murder as the same day of General’s murder, he and his friend also went missing from his house. During questioning both Bhandari’s father and sister gave some valuable information about the accused might be heading towards the Indo-Pak border, which led to his arrest in Maharajganj. |
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Casual employees who helped Jaya break strike sacked Chennai, June 22 This has created a furore in the state Secretariat here and in all government offices across the state. After the poll debacle, Ms Jayalalithaa reversed a majority of her important decisions to woo back the electorate but when it came to protecting the interests of workers who solidly stood by her, she showed them the door since they were of no importance to her any more. These temporary assistants and junior assistants had been recruited at a short notice in July, 2003, after the strike began and paid a consolidated amount of Rs 4,000 a month. The Chief Minister had then dismissed over 1,00,000 permanent state government employees and arrested hundreds of them in a midnight raid. When these casual employees joined in large numbers they were accused of being betrayers of the working class and stooges coming to the rescue of an authoritarian government. Many of them were either unemployed or under-employed and they joined with the impression that they would be given regular government jobs as they had bailed out the Chief Minister when the state government had stopped functioning due to the strike. One of the sacked employees told The Tribune, “We are now in a mess. We came to the Chief Minister’s rescue when she faced a crisis and now she has suddenly thrown us out in the streets. We feel abandoned.” Many of the sacked women employees could not hold back their tears. They said, “We had suffered insults because we accepted temporary posts in the middle of a strike. We were referred as ‘four-thousand-rupee cases’,” They said many of them had given up other jobs to apply for the temporary supernumerary posts of 1,000 assistants in the Secretariat and 500 junior assistants in each district. However, the Tamil Nadu government has its own logic. An official, on the condition of anonymity, said, “It was inevitable that these casual workers had to be sacked one day. It was known the day the striking workers were taken back and the government cannot bear extra financial burden by paying on these employees.” A majority of the dismissed permanent state government employees were reinstated following directives from the Supreme Court and the remaining had to face an administrative inquiry by a panel of retired High Court Judges. While some of them were punished with dismissal from service, many were either demoted or given a pay cut. But following her electoral rout in the recent Lok Sabha elections, Ms Jayalalithaa last month waived all penalties and withdrew all disciplinary cases against the striking employees and their leaders. However, the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) president Mr M. Karunanidhi, today appealed to the Tamil Nadu Government not to terminate the services of these employees “who had extended a helping hand when the government needed it most.” He sarcastically recalled that he had warned them even at the time of their recruitment that they should not bail out an “anti-working class government and betray the working class”. “Now I hope they have learnt their lesson and will strive for working class unity,” he said. The actual number of temporary staff recruited was above 15,000, but the termination order affects only about 11,000, as some 4,000 employees have already been given a fresh contract to sell liquor or supervise liquor sales at government retail shops. They were made contract workers of the Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation, which has taken over all retail vending of Indian-made foreign liquor in the state. |
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PM completes one month in office New Delhi, June 22 Unfazed by the criticism that he has yet to acquire a political profile, Dr Singh and his aides have made it clear that there is now a new order in place and the people have to get used to it. Dr Singh sees himself as an executive Prime Minister and sincerely believes his job is to govern. The task of political management is to be handled by Congress president Sonia Gandhi. Dr Singh and Mrs Gandhi have clearly defined roles, each complementing the other. “There is perfect understanding between the two as they are working in tandem,” remarked a senior Congress leader. In his quiet inimitable way, Dr Singh has also let it be known that he intends to reform the government. Besides making the bureauracy more accountable, the new Prime Minister would also like to see improved delivery systems in place so that budgetary allocations are used more effectively. Dr Singh is expected to unveil his vision on governance in his national address later this week. Although there have been no major media splashes about Dr Singh, there is quiet satisfaction in the PMO that the past month has been quite productive. Despite initial hiccups, there have been positive developments on the foreign affairs front, especially Indo-Pak relations. This includes the successful conclusion of talks between the nuclear experts of the two countries and positive meeting between External Affairs Minister K.Natwar Singh and his Pakistani counterpart Khurshid Mehmood Kasuri. Having put his team in place, the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) Government has succeeded in sending out a clear political message that it will give top priority to the agriculture sector. It has already unveiled an economic package for farmers and more is expected to follow in next month’s Budget. Unemployment, the other issue which was highlighted in the Congress election campaign, is also expected to get due weightage in the coming budget. The matter figures high in the common minimum programme (CMP) and this will be reflected in the government’s policies, which includes the constitution of an Employment Commission, which will suggest ways of generating employment in specific labour- intensive areas. Although the broad contours of the new government’s first budget were spelt at the meeting of the UPA coordination meeting, finance minister P. Chidambaram has got down to the task of fleshing it out. Having handled this task several times in the past, Dr Singh has also evinced keen interest in the budget-making exercise. He spent three hours discussing the budget with Mr Chidambaram today. |
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India, Pakistan ready to sign pact on Baglihar project New Delhi, June 22 Both the countries today said that they were close to a solution. "We are very close to a solution," Water Resources Secretary V.K. Duggal told reporters after the end of first day of two day Secretary-level talks. "We have covered sufficient ground," said Pakistan's Water and Power Secretary Ashfaq Mehmood adding "it will be a win-win situation." Talks will continue tomorrow as well. Pakistan has been alleging that India was constructing this project on river Chenab in violation of the Indus Waters Treaty signed between the two countries in 1960, claiming that "construction of dam gates would affect the flow of waters to the other sides of the border. According to the treaty, claims Pakistan, "it has exclusive rights over water of the three western rivers- Jhelum, Chenab and Indus." It has even demanded third party's intervention to resolve the matter. Foreign Minister of Pakistan Mian Khurshid Kasuri had even threatened " if India does not stop construction work on Baglihar hydro-electric project and does not agree to address Pakistan's concerns on the design of the plant, Pakistan will approach the World Bank." Though Commissioner-level meetings between the two sides have been taking place from time-to-time on a periodical basis, the new format for talks was worked out as per the agreement reached by the two countries during the last one year. |
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Reconsider papers of UP Congress candidates: EC New Delhi, June 22 Responding to complaints of Congress candidates Harendra Agarwal and M.M. Shukla that their nomination papers were “unconstitutionaly and unlawfully” rejected by the RO on Saturday, the three-member commission said the RO consider all relevant matters with due and deliberate care and pass such appropriate order in his quasi-judicial capacity as he may deem fit. |
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Dharna to commute convict’s death penalty
Kolkata, June 22 The Association for Protection of Democratic Rights (APDR), supported by city intellectuals including film makers Aparna Sen, Mrinal Sen and Magsaysay winning litterateur Mahasveta Devi, earlier submitted a memorandum to the President and the state Governor lodging its protest against Chatterjee’s scheduled execution on June 25 citing “international human rights ideals”. “Death penalty is cruel, inhuman and uncivil. While any human being can err in judgement, it is not possible to bring back the person after execution if the judgement is later found to be erroneous,’’ said APDR general secretary Sujato Bhadra. Quoting thinkers like Rabindranath Tagore and Rosa Luxemburg, who have opposed “revengeful punishment” in their writings, APDR president Sachidananda Banerjee said it was against the basic tenets of human rights to execute someone, however heinous the crime committed by him be. “A barbaric crime like rape and murder must be punished, but the punishment should not be a barbaric one like a death penalty,’’ he said. About 25 people, including Chatterjee’s father Bansidhar, mother Bela Rani and wife Poornima from the Chatna village in Bankura district held a sit-in dharna yesterday in front of the Calcutta Press Club. The Supreme Court has upheld a Calcutta High Court verdict, sentencing Chatterjee to death in January 1994 for rape and murder of a girl on March 5, 1990 in a flat in Bhawanipore area. The President and the Governor Both had rejected his appeal for clemency. —
PTI |
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Sixth accomplice in Dubey murder case held New Delhi, June 22 A CBI spokesman said the person identified as Pinku was arrested from Gaya town. With the arrest, the number of persons nabbed by the CBI in the case has gone up to six. The CBI had earlier arrested Sarwan Paswan on June 13 while four others — Babloo Mehtar, Uday Mallah, Mantoo Kumar Paswan and Tutoo Paswan — were held on June 6 this year. |
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Rajasthan government appeases gods for rain
Jaipur, June 22 In keeping with the Indian traditions, as many as five famous Shiva temples of the state, hosted a special programme of Rudrabhishek, each lasting for 72 hrs. Some priests from the Chief Minister’s constituency in Jhalawar got annoyed at the engagement of priests from the adjoining Kota town. When asked by the Tribune, the authorities in the Devasthan Department described this programmes in consonant with the centuries old practice to appease the rain God and to bring bounty to the people. Intellectual circles, however, condemned it as a programme which was highly detrimental to the development of scientific temper. Dr B. D. Kalla, leader of the Opposition deplored the programme saying that while the state was in the grip of severe drought, the state government, instead of helping the famine-struck people, was squandering money on such futile exercises. Rain, floods, and famines were natural phenomena and such adorations and worship could hardly be of help observed a senior scientist of Rajasthan University. Legal luminaries and judicial officers criticised this move, commenting that the Constitution enjoined upon the State to be secular and such rites and rituals vitiate the concept of secularism. |
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Drop-box service for US visas
discontinued
New Delhi, June 22 The reason for ending the drop-box facility is that beginning in July, US consular sections in India will start collecting fingerprint impressions from all visa applicants, except those traveling on official government business or who are under 14 years of age or above 79 years, the US Embassy said in a statement today. At the time of the visa interview, applicants will be asked to electronically scan the index (second) finger of each hand. The scanned fingerprint data collected at the time of visa application will be compared with fingerprint scans at the US port of entry to prevent the use of visas by imposters and those wanted for more serious offences. This is a worldwide programme and has already been implemented in more than 150 US consular sections around the world. The US visa offices in Frankfurt, Brussels, San Salvador and Guatemala were the first posts to begin this programme on September 22, 2003. The American Embassy asserted that this programme was not targeted at any country or region. All United States visa-issuing posts will be collecting fingerprint data by October 26, complementing the US visit programme in which nearly all visitors to the United States, including those from countries eligible for the visa-waiver programme, had their fingerprints and photographs taken at the airport on arrival in the USA. The schedule for ending the drop-box facility is as follow— in New Delhi and Chennai, the last day to submit applications via drop-box is June 30, in Kolkata July 16 and in Mumbai July 20. Visa applicants must make an appointment for a visa interview and fingerprint collection. In New Delhi, Chennai and Kolkata, applicants should make appointments on-line at www.ttsvisas.com or by visiting the offices of TT Services in Chennai, Bangalore or Hyderabad if applying from Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Karnataka or Tamil Nadu. To avoid delays, visa applicants can take these steps and plan ahead. If you need to travel between now and September, do not wait until the last minute to apply for an appointment. Make your appointment right away. |
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Producing surplus food a major
challenge
New Delhi, June 22 Speaking at the first meeting of the SAARC Technical Committee of Agriculture and Rural Development, Secretary Department of Agricultural Research and Education, Dr Mangala Rai said that population of South Asia is estimated to go up to about 1.93 billion in 2030 and the demand for food would be substantial. |
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Kolkata, June 22
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