New Delhi, February 23
The government today rejected the BJP charge of interfering in the functioning of the CBI in the Babri Masjid demolition case against L.K. Advani and said its communication to the agency in the matter was prompted by court strictures.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister P.R. Dasmunsi also dismissed charges that the Congress-led coalition had attempted to protect Ottavio Quattrochhi, an accused in the Bofors case, whose bank accounts in London were defrozen recently.

He said the NDA while in power had not been able to collect evidence against the Italian businessman.

Mr Dasmunsi said the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court in July last year had made “serious observations” in the demolition case while setting aside the Rae Bareli trial court order discharging Mr Advani in the case.

It had noted that the “role of the CBI cannot be said to be unquestionable”, the minister said, adding that the government was “duty-bound” to take note.

Earlier, both Houses of Parliament were rocked over alleged interference in the functioning of the CBI by the Prime Minister’s Office in a Babri Masjid demolition case against Mr L.K. Advani with the Opposition stalling the proceedings throughout the day.

Agitated BJP-led Opposition members were up on their feet as soon as the House assembled and raised slogans against the Prime Minister and accused the government of “protecting” the controversial Italian businessman Ottavio Quattrocchi, a key accused in the Bofors payoff case.

The Opposition members also drowned out Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s 35 minute reply to the debate on the motion of thanks on President’s address, as they stood in the well of the Lok Sabha, raising slogans demanding his resignation.

In the morning when the House assembled, the Opposition raised an uproar, waving copies of a media report which said the PMO had asked the CBI in writing why no action had been taken against Mr Advani in the Babri Masjid demolition case.

In the Rajya Sabha, vociferous protests by the BJP over the PMO’s alleged interference in the functioning of the CBI in the Ayodhya case stalled the proceedings of the Rajya Sabha today leading to its adjournment for the day without transacting any major business.

Meanwhile, on the disruptions in the House today, CPI leader Gurudas Dasgupta said “on many occasions, the Congress and BJP decide something and other parties are kept out of the loop”.

Bangalore, February 23
Indian scientists will launch a new generation satellite with unfurlable antenna to cater to cellphone television services in two years.

This was stated by Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Chairman G. Madhavan Nair on the sidelines of the ninth international conference on “Electromagnetic Interface and Compatibility” here today.

The ISRO Chairman said the design encompassed deploying a huge antenna in space, besides high power needed to sustain it. He said the unfurlable antenna was one of the major elements of the satellite whose design was under process. Satellite Centre Director, ISRO, Dr K.N. Shankara said the proposed satellite was a multi-media one and that new technology was being developed to make it a success.

Meanwhile, the conference also saw Dr M. Natarajan, Scientific Adviser to the Defence Minister, announcing that the country was planning to built fly-by-wire tanks in line with fly-by-wire aeroplanes. He said some work had been done in this regard while referring to the technology being used in the Arjun main battle tank (MBT).

Mr Natarajan, who is also Director-General of Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), said the driving wheel would be done away with in such tanks and that computers would be used to chart out its movement.

New Delhi, February 23
Leader of Opposition L.K. Advani today objected to the Centre’s decision to amend the Foreigners Act providing for the setting up of a tribunal, asserting that it was a contempt of the Supreme Court and the Constitution.

In an informal talk with mediapersons, Mr Advani said the government’s decision to amend the Foreigners Act, after the court struck down the Illegal Migrants Detection Tribunal (IMDT) Act as “ultra vires”, would practically mean that it wanted to extend the scope of the IMDT, which was now limited to Assam, to the whole country.

The government, he said, seemed to have conveniently forgotten the court’s directive that it was the duty of the Centre to take all measures to protect Assam from such “external aggression” and internal disturbance, as enjoined by Article 355 of the Constitution.

Mr Advani said instead of protecting Assam from the large-scale illegal immigration of Bangladesh nationals, the government was seeking to impose the IMDT declared “ultra vires” by the apex court.

The court had said the Foreigners Act was an effective safeguard against external aggression and internal disturbance and what the government was proposing was not to jettison the IMDT Act, but weaken the approved law.

“Is this the way the government is discharging its responsibility,” he asked.

New Delhi, February 23
As the Parliament was today rocked by the controversy over a letter purportedly from the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) questioning the CBI's inaction over BJP leader L.K. Advani's discharge in the Babri Masjid demolition case, the premier investigative agency preferred to remain tightlipped.

However, CBI Director Vijay Shankar is understood to have held a closed door meeting with other senior officials of the agency to discuss the repercussions of the revelation. According to sources, the meeting was called hurriedly after the BJP raised the issue in both Houses of Parliament, stalling proceedings and demanding the Prime Minister's resignation.

"We do not want to react on the issue now...The issue has been raised in Parliament and the government is there to respond," CBI Spokesperson G.D. Mohanty told The Tribune.

According to a report in an English daily, the PMO wrote to then CBI Director U.S. Misra in August 2005 asking him to explain how and why no appeal had been filed against Mr Advani's discharge in the case relating to his delivering inflammatory speeches leading to the demolition of the mosque on December 6, 1992.

The letter also sought an explanation on the internal mechanism of the investigative agency and its internal deliberations. The August 2005 letter was the second time the Congress-led UPA government reportedly tried to influence the investigations in the Babri Masjid demolition case.

Mumbai, February 23
India is in the market for next generation fighter aircraft for the air force and the navy, according to a report in the latest issue of Flight International.

The publication reported that India is shopping for ASW helicopters and long-range maritime reconnaissance aircraft. The government is expected to issue a tender for the aircraft in April this year.

According to Flight International, the navy rejected a proposal to lease two Lockheed Martin P-3 Orions as a stop-gap measure even though it needs to quickly induct eight reconnaissance aircraft.

The navy has also set a March deadline to receive bids for 16 ASW helicopters, plus eight options, but the manufacturers that were handed the tender – AgustaWestland, Eurocopter, Kamov and Sikorsky – are asking for an extension, the magazine said.

The companies in the race to sell maritime reconnaissance aircraft include BAE Systems, Boeing, EADS, Ilyushin and Lockheed. According to the publication, Lockheed which supplies the P-3 Orions is still the best placed to bag the order since Boeing’s 737-based P-8A Multi-mission Maritime Aircraft would not be ready until 2012.

It also noted that US suppliers interested in offering refurbished P-3s – including L-3 Communications – could be blocked from competing.

Among the aircraft being readied for sale to India include the Tupolev Tu-142 and Westland Sea King aircraft. The Bell 407 or Eurocopter AS550 is in the race for the 200 helicopters being sought by the army.

Flight International also reported that India would be spending $890 million to upgrade its existing fleet of MiG-29s.

Lucknow, February 23
In a severe indictment of the Samajwadi Party-led government Uttar Pradesh Governor T.V. Rajeswar has sought clarifications over the government's recommendation to appoint former high court judge M.A. Khan as the state's first Chief Information Commissioner (CIC) under the newly enacted Right to Information Act.

Returning the file last week, the Governor has reportedly met the Chief Minister on the issue and has asked the state government to answer several queries. This was despite the fact that the CM had held a meeting with the Leader of the Opposition Lalji Tandon and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Mohd. Azam Khan on February 3, where Justice Khan's name emerged as the unanimous choice for the post of CIC.

However, Justice Khan's name has been doing the rounds for some plum post in the government since his unilaterally decision to reject the petition filed by the BSP regarding the defection of the 40 BSP MLAs who joined the Mulayam Singh Yadav government days before his retirement. He had retired from the Lucknow Bench of the Allahabad High Court on November 30, 2005, and was hearing the BSP case along with fellow judge Jagdish Bhalla.

As the petition was rejected without taking Justice Bhalla into confidence the matter was then referred to a three-judge Bench headed by Chief Justice A.N. Ray, the verdict of which has been reserved and is due to be pronounced on February 28.

The news of the Governor proving to be a stumbling block for Mulayam Singh Yadav's move to reward an ostensibly obliging judge comes in the wake of the Amar Singh tapes doing the rounds in the capital's media. The tapes reportedly have a conversation between the Chief Minister and his party general secretary Amar Singh regarding the judiciary.

New Delhi, February 23
Haryana has approached the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation(DMRC) for preparing detailed project reports(DPRs) for the extension of metro corridors to Gurgaon, Faridabad and Sonepat.

Minister of State for Urban Development Ajay Maken told the Parliament today that so far only the DPR for extending the metro line to Gurgaon had been completed.

As per the report, the extension of Delhi Metro to Gurgaon will have a length of about 8.95 km from Qutub Minar to the Haryana border and a further distance of 6.3 km from the border to the IFFCO chowk in Gurgaon.

Haryana Chief Secretary Meenaxi Anand Chaudhry had confirmed it to The Tribune in November last year that the state government was in touch with the DMRC for preparing a DPR on a metro link till Kundli and further on to Sonepat and Faridabad.

She said the state government was also considering the possibility of a direct metro link to Gurgaon from the Indira Gandhi International Airport(IGIA) side near the Dwarka sub-city.

Considering that the 6.5-km extension till Dwarka is expected to be ready by March, it is being felt that it will be easier and faster for the DMRC to take the metro from this side rather than wait for a clearance for a metro link to Gurgaon from the Mehrauli side.

Though the DPR of the metro link to the IFFCO chowk from the Mehrauli side has been ready since November 2004 the fact is that the Gurgaon metro project has hardly registered any further progress.

Considering that the IGIA is just 4.2 km from Gurgaon, if the new proposal materialises, the metro will reach the hub of commercial activity of Haryana much earlier from the Dwarka side than from the Mehrauli side as has been planned in the existing DPR.

Meanwhile, DMRC spokesperson Anuj Dayal said the DPRs for Faridabad and Sonepat would be ready within three to four months.

New Delhi, February 23
The CPI today decided to move privilege motion against Minister of State for External Affairs E. Ahamed for “misleading” Parliament on whether Washington had sought to dissuade India from investing in a Syrian oilfield.

“We will move a privilege motion against the minister who has misled Parliament in reply to a question in this regard,” CPI leader Gurudas Dasgupta told reporters here.

He said Ahamed had replied in the negative to a question whether the US had asked the government not to invest in a Syrian oilfield in partnership with China.

“There is a memorandum given by the US Embassy in Delhi to the External Affairs Ministry on this issue. We have confirmed information on this. We want the government to officially deny it,” Dasgupta said adding that this was yet another instance of American “pressure” working on the UPA government.

Dasgupta, releasing an RBI circular to all banks to use private parties and NGOs as intermediaries to provide financial and banking services, accused the government of privatising banking services in a “subtle manner”.

He demanded reopening of the Jessica Lal murder case and handing over the investigation to the CBI, saying that the government cannot absolve itself of responsibility when all accused have been let off.

New Delhi, February 23
The Supreme Court today put pointed questions to the Union Government regarding changes in the Representation of People Act (RPA) and deleting the compulsory domicile qualification for Rajya Sabha MPs, asking how a person disqualified to be elected to the state Assembly could be its representative in the Upper House.

This came in the context of the new qualification laid down in Section 3 of the RPA for a candidate to the Rajya Sabha election according to which any person, who is registered a voter in any parliamentary constituency, could file nomination for it.

A five-judge Constitution Bench, headed by Chief Justice Y. K. Sabharwal asked Solicitor-General G. E. Vahanvatti, how a Rajya Sabha MP could enjoy immunity from domicile condition.

Kolkata, February 23
The bird flu panic has now reached the hills of Darjeeling, following the detection of several “dead” vultures and hawks in the streets.

A large number of chickens have already died at several poultry farms in north Bengal districts and other areas in the state during the past one week.

The Health Department officials and the veterinary experts were also summoned and they took the blood samples of the birds for testing.

So far there have been no report of any one falling ill in the district after consuming chicken.

The state Health Minister, Mr Suryakanto Mishra, had directed the hospital authorities to include chicken in the food menu of patients as an attempt to end the panic. But today several patients at Calcutta Medical College Hospital and SSKM hospitals reportedly refused chicken dishes and instead ate vegetable food from outside.