Pithoragarh (Indo-Nepal border), February 24
In a hotel room at the noisy bazaar of the border town of Pithoragarh, three of the six politicians who fled Nepal just after the dismissal of the Sher Bahadur Deuba Government indulged in what they agreed was hotel politics. “But there isn’t more that can be done at this stage; we are trying to network with Indian politicians to seek support, besides planning a movement towards restoring democracy,” the politicians said.

Vinay Dhwaj Chand, a Nepalese Congress leader and MP from Baitadi, said the leaders wanted to secure moral support for the cause of democracy from India. The end to insurgency and a permanent solution can be attained only through democratic process, he said. The politicians urged the Maoists to stay away from indulging in negotiations with the King.

The politicians said politics had not been given enough chance in Nepal. “We were working on a 14- point progressive agenda that included Parliament’s governance of the army, limiting the King’s powers, making the King’s property taxable and allowing only five members of the Royal family to use the title of Shree Panch,” the politicians said. However, the King did not let the talks intended at bringing the Maoists into the mainstream happen.

But now democratic rule is the call of the nation, said Vinay Dhway Chand. Referring to a book on the history of royalty in Nepal ‘Yasho pheri koili na’ (May this never happen again) by Baburam Acharya, Mr Chand said that was the general mood in the Himalayan Kingdom. “We are readying for a movement that brings a lasting solution to the problems and the mindless violence,” he said. And the country wants this to be the last fight for democracy, he added.

The King’s idea was to prove all political parties incompetent to get absolute stronghold, the politicians said. 

New Delhi, February 24
In a show of solidarity with the people of Nepal, leaders of 17 political parties, including the INC, the CPM and the CPI today adopted a resolution demanding restoration of democracy and immediate release of all political detainees in the Himalayan Kingdom. Nepal is in a state of emergency since February 1.

Former Prime Ministers V.P. Singh and Chandrashekhar were also present at the convention, which was attended by representatives of several political parties of Nepal many of whom fled to India after the royal take over and have regrouped in New Delhi.

The resolution asked India “not to take any step which will give political legitimacy to the present authoritarian regime in Nepal”. A demand was also voiced at the convention that the government should make efforts to see that there was “full freedom” in Nepal.

CPM general secretary Harkishen Singh Surjeet said the challenge posed by King Gyanendra’s decision to take over the reins of power presented an opportunity for people there to strive to achieve “full freedom”. Mr A.B. Bardhan of the CPI said, “I am sure that within three months, King Gyanendra will have to review his decision”.

Former Prime Minister Chandrashekhar, said, “The conditions in Nepal did not deteriorate suddenly but India did not pay timely attention to it. However, we are happy that the government has stopped arms supply to Nepal and openly condemned the King’s move.”

Former Premier, Mr V.P. Singh said, “(The decision to stop arms supply) though a good pressure tactic at the moment” should be reviewed later because the Maoists would gain in strength.

New Delhi, February 24
The three-month-long Budget Session of Parliament commencing from tomorrow is expected to be stormy as the Congress-led UPA coalition is not only going to face attack from the BJP-led Opposition, but also the Left allies on several economic issues.

The dismissal of the BJP government in Goa along with the results of the three Assembly elections, expected on Sunday is bound to cast its shadow on the session as the Opposition expected to mount a concerted onslaught on the Manmohan Singh government for its lapses on the internal security front.

The principal Opposition party has already made its concerns over the proposed Srinagar-Muzaffarabad bus service known and now the BJP along with its NDA allies will grill the government on the issue in Parliament.

While any government remains prepared for the Opposition barbs and attacks, but what would really hurt the government’s image and credibility is the Left’s stand on a host of economic issues with virtually daily reminders that the support of the 61-member Left formation is crucial to UPA’s survival.

The shape of things to come in Bihar and Jharkhand after the poll verdict on February 27 is also expected to have a bearing on the health of the UPA coalition which would be completing one year in office in May.

However, the government got relief from the Supreme Court judgement on the issue of ‘tainted’ ministers, a matter which rocked Parliament in the monsoon session last year.

The session, scheduled to conclude on May 13, may witness a tightrope walk for Finance Minister P. Chidambaram who will present his Budget for 2005-06 on February 28. He would have to keep the restive Left in good humour while ensuring that the economic reforms are carried forward.

Incidentally, the Budget presentation is a day after the election results while the Economic Survey for 2004-05 is scheduled to be tabled on the opening day after President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam’s address to the joint sitting of both Houses.

The Railway Budget will be presented on February 26 by Railway Minister Laloo Prasad Yadav.

Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee held separate dinner meetings with the BJP and Congress leaders ahead of the session to ensure smooth running of Parliament. Rajya Sabha Chairman Bhairon Singh Shekhawat also plans greater coordination with both sides through regular meetings.

The Patents Ordinance promulgated just after the last session had led to a controversy with the Left parties not too pleased. There has been a long wishlist of the Left parties on a number of economic issues.

The BJP has made it clear that it would adopt an “aggressive posture” if it not allowed to raise issues, which it felt were of national importance.

The main Opposition party proposes to focus on the Goa issue as it believes that what was witnessed in Panaji on February 2 was “murder of democracy”.

The party-led NDA is also expected to make a scathing attack on the manner in which the government has agreed to start the Srinagar-Muzaffarabad bus service as it feels that allowing travel to Pakistani citizens in India without proper documents is fraught with dangerous consequences.

The BJP will also raise the issue of action taken against the Shankaracharyas of Kanchi by the Tamil Nadu Government.

New Delhi, February 24
A Delhi court today issued notice to Tihar jail Superintendent on a petition filed by Maninder Pal Singh Kohli, prime accused in the murder of British girl Hannah Foster, seeking contempt of court proceedings against the official for not getting him treated from AIIMS for serious health complications despite repeated court direction.

The court issued the notice on a petition filed by Kohli's counsel stating that despite repeated court orders, the jail authorities were not referring the accused to AIIMS for frequent bouts of vomiting, severe liver and stomach pain he developed after a recent gall bladder operation.

The court asked the Jail Superintendent to comply with its

previous orders issued on February 11, 2005, directing immediate reference of Kohli to AIIMS for post-operational complications.

The court had also asked him to file a report by March 3. The court also accepted two petitions filed on behalf of Kohli.

New Delhi, February 24
The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment will soon make a suggestion to the Ministry of Law and Justice to speed up the legal process for child adoption in the country.

Talking to The Tribune, the Secretary, Central Adoption Resource Agency (CARA), Ms Renuka Chidambaram, said the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment would coordinate with the Ministry of Law and Justice to expedite the court procedure.

“Every parent has to get a court order which is an important component of the adoption procedure. The Union Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment, Ms Meira Kumar, will speak to the Law Minister, Mr H.R. Bhardwaj, to expedite the court process as most delays in the adoption process were caused while pursuing the lengthy legal formalities,” she said.

Besides, Haryana will soon have an adoption coordination agency (ACA), which was crucial for safeguarding the rights of adopted children. About 10 days ago, the ministry had written to all states, which did not have a proper programme for adoption, to remove hurdles and cooperate in the formation of ACAs.

Haryana, she said, had responded with an assurance that the state would have the ACA in place within a month’s time.

Ms Chidambaram said many states of the North, including Haryana and Punjab, at present did not have state-level ACAs, which were most important to preventing exploitation of children due to illegal adoption practices and ensuring the rights of adopted children.

The Centre, she said was keen on all states to take up proper adoption procedures as lack of a proper programme often resulted in people adopting children from extended families without following proper legal guidelines. This affected rights of adopted children, including their inheritance right.

Punjab and Haryana needed to put in more effort as they were lagging, she added. Many states have not worked out formal guidelines and scrutiny procedures for in-country adoption that resulted in coming up of unauthorised agencies that did not benefit either the child or the parent.

The CARA, she said, would try to set up a comprehensive data base on the number and categories of children waiting for adoption, the waiting list of prospective adoptive parents and bring transparency and dissemination of information that would prevent manipulation of the system by service providers. 

New Delhi, February 24
Accusing the UPA government of making a mess of India’s foreign policy, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) said the recent decision to open the Srinagar-Muzaffarabad bus service was “fraught with serious consequences for the country’s security”.

“The UPA government’s handling of the Nepal crisis is shoddy and arrogant while its initiatives on Kashmir are adventurous and risky,” RSS spokesperson Ram Madhav told mediapersons here.

“The decision to allow passage for all people of both countries between Srinagar and Muzaffarabad without valid documents is insane. It will only pave way for hundreds of more terrorist modules to be created all over Bharat,” Mr Madhav said.

Most importantly, Mr Madhav said “this decision of the government is jeopardising the status of Pak occupied Kashmir (PoK) as defined by us in a unanimous resolution in Parliament in 1994”.

“We would like to remind the government that PoK is an integral part of Bharat and the country will not tolerate any compromise on that issue,” he said.

“Though the RSS favours more initiatives at the people to people level between the two countries, that shouldn’t mean sacrificing vital national interests,” he added.

New Delhi, February 24
The UPA government today ruled out any cut in the defence budget to allocate more funds for the social sector. Rather, the defence budget could be hiked marginally, though not much in real terms, the Left party leaders were assured in the UPA-Left coordination committee meet here, sources told The Tribune.

The Left leaders had demanded a cut in the defence spending and measures to increase the tax-GDP ratio by around 1.5 per cent, which should be sufficient to meet the additional expenditure of Rs 50,000 crore that was being suggested by them.

“Expenditure on defence, which had witnessed a whopping Rs 12,000 crore hike in the interim Budget can be brought down,” the Left party leaders said.

However, Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee, who also attended the meeting, informed the Left leaders that the government had to cater to the needs of the growing ex-servicemen population, defence deals and other security commitments.

He ruled out any cut in defence allocation to finance social sector allocation, sources said.

At the meeting, Union Finance Minister P Chidambaram did not give any commitment to the Left leaders on the thrust areas of the Budget and the concerns expressed by the Communists on the direction of the economy.

The Left leaders were of the view that the thrust of economic reforms should shift from capitalist profit to people’s welfare. They sought an increase of Rs 50,000 crore in the central plan outlay to step up public investment in agriculture, employment generation and education and health sectors.

New Delhi, February 24
After failing in his efforts to secure presence of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee before the Liberhan Commission to depose as witness in the Babri Masjid demolition probe earlier, a Delhi-based Muslim activist today filed another application before the panel seeking his examination.

Mr Aslam Bhure, whose plea for summoning Mr Vajpayee was rejected by the commission last year, in a fresh application, said examination of the former Prime Minister was necessary in view of certain “new evidence” coming to light about his alleged “involvement” in the Ayodhya matter.

This was strongly contested by counsel for BJP leaders L.K. Advani, M.M. Joshi and Uma Bharati, who said that the application was “politically motivated” and should be outrightly rejected.

Mr Bhure, who is also a litigant before the Supreme Court in Ayodhya demolition-related case, in his application, moved by his counsel O.P. Sharma, has referred to a CD allegedly containing Mr Vajpayee’s speech at Lucknow a day prior to the December 6, 1992, incident, regarding which certain reports in the media had surfaced recently.

But BJP lawyer Satya Pal Jain moved an immediate reply to the petition terming the allegations of Mr Bhure as “higly politically motivated and absolutely baseless.”

New Delhi, February 24
The Congress is reviving the old practice of inviting ministers to periodically brief party MPs during a Parliament session on important issues concerning their respective ministries.

To begin with, two special meetings of the Congress Parliamentary Party (CPP) have been slated for March 1 and 2 for this specific purpose. Finance minister P.Chidambaram will brief party MPs on the nuances of the general budget, which will be presented in Parliament a day before.

The second speaker is yet to be decided but it will depend on the issues which the Opposition plans to raise during the session. “In case of a discussion on Indo-Pak relations, we could invite External Affairs minister Natwar Singh to brief the MPs on this issue,” explained a senior Congress leader.

Party leaders said the Finance Minister will explain the finer points of the budget to the MPs and clear any doubts they might have on the subject. “Such an exercise will also provide useful inputs to the MPs for the forthcoming debate on the budget,” added a senior leader.

On the flip side, such an interaction will also provide an opportunity to the finance minister to get a feedback on the budget from the MPs and bridge the gap between the party and the government.

An effort in this direction was made over a month ago when Mr. Chidambaram was invited to the Congress headquarters for a special interaction with AICC office-bearers to hear out their views on the budget. While articulating their concerns and priorities, the party functionaries had stressed that the budget must reflect the promises made in the party’s election manifesto and the UPA government’s CMP with the focus being on the “aam aadmi”.

Congress sources said such meetings were held quite often during former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi’s tenure but the practice was subsequently discontinued. Now that the Congress is back in power after a long gap, it was decided to revive this practice.

Meanwhile, the customary CPP meeting, held at the beginning of every session, will be held tomorrow morning. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress president Sonia Gandhi will, in their respective addresses, provide the necessary direction to the MPs. While Mrs. Gandhi will lay down the party’s priorities, the Prime Minister is expected to throw light on the UPA government’s functioning.

New Delhi, February 24
Union Science and Technology Minister Kapil Sibal has suspended his Additional Private Secretary who allegedly used his name to try to influence a tender in favour of a particular party.

The minister has also instituted an inquiry into the matter.

He took the action following a complaint by National Brain Research Institute Director, Dr Vijayalakshmi Ravindranath, alleging that the official, Mr Yogesh Buta, was trying to influence her to pass a tender in favour of a particular party and was using the minister’s name for the purpose.

Mr Ravindranath first discussed the matter with an officer on special duty (OSD) in the ministry and later got in touch with the minister himself.

“I asked her to give the complaint in writing, following which I suspended the official,” the minister said.

Mr Sibal said he feared there might be more such incidents which may not have come to his knowledge.

“To send a clear message, I convened a meeting of my staff last Tuesday and asked them to maintain integrity. Such behaviour will not be tolerated,” he said.

Lucknow, February 24
Controversy has surrounded Uttar Pradesh-based teenager’s claim that he has topped NASA-sponsored International Scientist Discovery (ISD) competition.

The state government last night ordered withholding of Rs 5 lakh sanctioned to Saurabh Singh by Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav to help him further his studies after he claimed he had topped the examination.

The decision was taken after the media reported that NASA had denied holding of such an examination. A NASA spokesperson was quoted as claiming that the organisation had never conducted such an examination. — UNI