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Mulayam wins trust vote as BJP, BSP, Cong abstain
Next move after study of judgement: Cong
Lewd comments against Mahatma flayed
Work for energy security, Kalam tells scientists
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HC order on cops embarrasses Nitish govt
Scholarships proposed for minority community students
2 patients die unattended at Mumbai hospital
Vizag Assembly bypoll countermanded
Big power users in Mumbai to
be penalised
Dalit woman fails to address UN
Jaiprakash Yadav remanded in judicial custody
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Mulayam wins trust vote as BJP, BSP, Cong abstain
Lucknow, February 28 The BSP, the BJP and even the ‘partner party’ Congress walked out of the House protesting against the manner in which the vote of confidence was introduced in an unscheduled manner. The ruling alliance later declared to have won the vote of confidence by 207 votes against none. Setting the stage for the demand of President’s rule, all major parties-the BJP, the BSP and the Congress-maintained that the judgement had proved beyond doubt that the formation of the government had been unconstitutional and therefore the government had virtually lost its moral right to remain in power. Again the political parties decried the manner in which the SP-led alliance today attempted to show that it still had the majority through what BSP chief Mayawati described as a “ farcical show of strength” on the floor of the House today. Even in the absence of the BJP, the BSP and the Congress, members the ruling party decided to go in for a lobby division, what observers feel was to help it have a documented proof of its current strength. “This piece of paper signed by every supporting MLA may help the ruling party when it takes up the matter in the apex court,” pointed out an observer. It is another matter that the lobby division revealed that the strength of the alliance had been reduced to 207 as against the expected 225. This according to Revenue Minister Ambika Chaudhury was due to many absentees from their own party, as well as due to many members cooling their heels in various jails. Demanding the Governor and the UPA government to fulfil its responsibility in the light of the “historic decision” of the High Court, Ms Mayawati said the Mulayam government had no right to remain in power for a single day. Urging upon her beta noire Mr Yadav to resign on his own before his government was reduced to a minority, Ms Mayawati hinted that the 40 BSP MLAs in question were in touch with her following the judgement. Refusing to blame them for voting with the government in today’s vote of confidence despite an oral whip issued by the leader of the BSP, Swami Prasad Maurya, she said they had been mislead by Advocate-General Virendra Bhatia who had told the House that the judgement had not disqualified them. UPCC President Salman Khurshid also demanded the Chief Minister’s resignation on the grounds that the High Court judgement had proved beyond all doubt that his government was unconstitutional and thus completely unacceptable. While refusing to make further comments before going into the nitty-gritty of the judgement, Mr Khurshid maintained that for all practical purposes the 40 MLAs had been disqualified. A nine-member BJP delegation led by leader of Opposition Lalji Tandon later met the Governor asking for the dismissal of the Mulayam Singh Yadav government. |
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Next move after study of judgement: Cong
New Delhi, February 28 The Congress, which has yet to formally withdraw its support to the Samajwadi Party government, is also examining whether the Chief Minister’s move to go in for a hurried trust vote is open to legal scrutiny and whether the Governor can step in at this stage or subsequently. The Congress would ideally like the Mulayum Singh Yadav government dismissed and the state placed under Central rule, which will give it sufficient time to strengthen its state unit and also make necessary administrative changes in preparation for the next Assembly elections. Mr Mulayum Singh Yadav’s first priority is to prolong the life of his government and ensure that the next Assembly election is conducted under his chief ministership to enable him to take advantage of a “friendly administration”. Samajwadi Party leaders have also been hinting that in case there is any move to impose Central rule, Mr Yadav will go in for a snap poll. He has already told his cadres to be ready for an election at any time which could be as early as this summer. The SP leader, it is learnt, prefers a May-June poll as he believes that while his workers can brave the heat and dust of the summer months, the Congress cadres are generally loathe to rough it out. On the political front, both the Congress and the Samajwadi Party are wooing the 16-member Ajit Singh-led Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) as the Mulayum Singh Yadav government will be reduced to a minority if it decides to pull out. Although Mr Ajit Singh today decided to go along with the Samajwadi Party, he is also in touch with the Congress. While the Congress is still mulling over its strategy, it chose to take a legalistic view of today’s developments. While describing the confidence vote won by Mr Mulayum Singh Yadav as nothing but a “fraud”, party spokesperson Jayanti Natarajan maintained that Mr Yadav has no moral right to continue in office. “We hope the governor will take note of these developments and send his repott,” she added. The Allahabad High Court order, according to her, is a clear indictment of Mr Yadav and his party which had formed the government with the support of a breakaway group of BSP legislators who have now been derecognised as SP MLAs. She also contended that the trust vote taken by the Chief Minister has no basis in law as such a motion can only be moved on the Governor’s direction. While this battle promises to be a long drawn-out one, the Congress is attempting to strengthen its party organisation by appointing eight heads of specific zones of the state. |
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Lewd comments against Mahatma flayed
Patna, February 28 They were angry over an article in the magazine titled, "Mahatma and His Girls". Its Hindi version was called "Bapu ki vasna". The article sought to raise questions on Gandhi`s relationship with two of his close female associates, Abha and Manu. Razi Ahmed, secretary of Gandhi Sangrahalaya, Patna, alleged the basic purpose of the magazine was to publish anything rubbish to sell it. The contents of the book were already faxed to President Abdul Kalam for necessary action against the publisher and the writer. Gandhians in general were disturbed over such attempts to defame the Mahatma. Chief Minister Nitish Kumar assured Mr Rizvi to look into the issue and initiate necessary action against the offenders. |
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Work for energy security, Kalam tells scientists
New Delhi, February 28 In his address over Doordarshan and All India Radio on the National Science Day, Dr Kalam identified four research areas that will impact the country’s goal of energy security. These include CNT based solar cells for higher efficiency, increasing bio-fuel content, efficient thorium based nuclear fuel and efficient hydrogen fuel. He said the country’s nuclear programme has been under technological denial for decades from many countries. “Every one of the nuclear scientists and science leaders realised that self reliance is the most promising route. Nuclear scientists have always shown the country how nuclear technology can be used for increasing agricultural produce, medical application and nuclear power generation,” he said. Recalling his experience as chief of Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) during the period whensanctions were imposed following the nuclear tests, he said the Light Combat Aircraft programme came to a halt because the collaborating countries broke agreements on the development contracts undertaken. “I took an emergency meeting of the ADA Board and we formed a national team for LCA control system with 20 members drawn from seven organisations in the country with a two-year project schedule,” he said. “In 18 months, we realised a world class digital fly-by-wire control system for the LCA. Now, four LCA aircraft are flying and fifth one is getting ready for flight tests. The batch production of LCA Tejas is to commence,” he said. |
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HC order on cops embarrasses Nitish govt
Patna, February 28 Responding to a PIL by the Indian Medical Association (IMA), Bihar chapter, seeking protection from criminals and extortionists, a Division Bench of Chief Justice J.N. Bhatt and Justice S.N. Hussain directed the state government to complete probe into 177 cases pending against policemen and submit the action taken report by April 5. According to the PIL, there was an inordinate delay on the part of the state government to hold probe against 319 policemen accused in various cases of kidnapping and murder. Advocate M.P. Gupta told the court that the then Deputy Inspector General of Police of Champaran range K.P. Singh had highlighted a nexus between criminals and policemen, but no action was taken. The Bench observed that for cleaning the state of crimes, it was necessary that the protector of laws should be free from corruption and malpractices. The indictment of the police by the court came at a time when nationwide outrage was building up against the alleged shoddy and lopsided investigations by the police in the Jessica Lall murder case. Even going by conservative estimates, there were over 120 reported cases of abduction and over 300 murders in the three months of the NDA rule in the state since November 24. The NDA completed three months in office on February 23. |
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Scholarships proposed for minority community students
New Delhi, February 28 Finance Minister P. Chidambram, in his Budget speech, also proposed to double the corpus fund of the Maulana Azad Educational Foundation to Rs 200 crore. “I propose to extend greater financial support to the organisations actively involved in the welfare of minorities,” he said. Mr Chidambaram proposed to increase the Central allocation to the National Council for Promotion of Urdu Language from Rs 10 crore to Rs 13 crore. The new Budget proposals carried Rs 16.47 crore as central contribution aimed at strengthening the National Minorities Development and Finance Corporation. The minister said the total Budget allocation for the NER was Rs 12,041 crore, which includes Rs 1,350 crore provided to the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (DONER). He said the government proposes to increase old-age pensions granted under the National Social Assistance Programme to destitute persons above the age of 65 to Rs 200 per month. “I have provided Rs 1,430 crore for 2006-07 and additional funds, if required, will be provided during the course of the year.” The minister urged state governments to make an equal contribution from their resources so that a destitute pensioner would get at least Rs 400 per month. “I also propose to work with the Department of Posts and the banks to establish, within two years, a system under which the pension will be credited directly to the account of the beneficiary in a post office or a bank,” he said. Mr Chidambaram said he had last year introduced a statement highlighting the gender sensitivities of the budgetary allocations and was able to cover 10 demands for grants. He said the statement now covers 24 demands for grants in 18 ministries/departments and five Union Territories and schemes with an outlay of Rs 28,737 crore. The minister said several ministries and departments had initiated an exercise to prepare a public expenditure profile of their budgets from a gender perspective. Thirty two ministries and departments have set up gender budgeting cells, he said. He said allocations for schemes benefiting only SCs and STs have been enhanced by 14.5 per cent to Rs 2,902 crore and the allocations for schemes with at least 20 per cent allocation for SCs and STs have been enhanced by 13.9 per cent to Rs 9,690 crore. The equity contribution to the National SC Finance and Development Corporation is being increased to Rs 37 crore and to the National Safai Karamchari Finance and Development Corporation to Rs 80 crore in 2006-07, he said. |
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2 patients die unattended at Mumbai hospital
Mumbai, February 28 The name of one victim has been given as Dhirajrani Jaiswal, 50, who was admitted for complications arising from acute diabetes. Though teaching doctors at the hospital provided her with emergency relief, she could not be saved, health officials said. The second victim who died at the hospital was a three-month-old baby boy, who was to undergo a heart-valve operation. However, with operations being postponed due to the strike the baby could not be saved. The hospital authorities have not yet released the name of the baby. The doctors’ strike was sparked off after relatives of a patient, who died at the hospital, attacked doctors and trashed the OPD on last Sunday night. Meanwhile, the strike worsened with doctors from several hospitals across Maharashtra joining the striking doctors. While 2,500 doctors from Mumbai hospitals were on strike, another 3,000 doctors from other parts of the state joined them. Though the state government pressed in medical teaching staff and interns, all operations except emergency services had been stopped and OPDs shut down in all hospitals. Attempts by the Maharashtra Government and the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation to resolve the strike did not work out. The doctors are demanding the posting of permanent security personnel at the public hospitals following several incidents of assault by relatives of patients. The state government is dragging its feet on the matter. According to Dr Yoganand Patil, central secretary, Maharashtra Association of Resident Doctors (MARD), 500 doctors from Pune, 450 from Aurangabad and 900 from Nagpur had joined the strike. With public opposition to the strike growing, the MARD had decided to start parallel OPD services outside hospitals, Dr Patil told reporters here today. |
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Vizag Assembly bypoll countermanded
New Delhi, February 28 Blaming the state administration in failing to check the “unlawful acts” of the political parties, the EC, in its order today, ordered fresh poll in the constituency on March 25. The order passed by full Commission, headed by Chief Election Commissioner B.B. Tandon, said it was “fully convinced and totally satisfied” that the poll on February 19 was “vitiated because of large-scale distribution of money, liquor and other commodities”. |
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Big power users in Mumbai to be penalised
Mumbai, February 28 MERC has asked Tata Power Company, Reliance Energy Ltd and the civic-owned BEST to crackdown on users who do not reduce power usage by 20 per cent from March to June. All three suppliers have been asked to compare power usage every month to the corresponding period of the previous year. Users who do not effect a 20 per cent reduction will have to pay double the rates on every unit consumed above a ceiling of 300 units per month. The companies have also been asked to give a 50 per cent bonus on every unit they reduce above the 20 per cent benchmark set by MERC. MERC's decision follows an appeal made by it in January. However, it did not have any effect and power consumption in the city did not come down. Though Mumbai enjoys uninterrupted power supply, the city is expected to face a shortage of 450 MW in the coming summer. Maharashtra, as a whole, faces power shortage of 4500 MW. Earlier, the Maharashtra Government had mooted the idea of shopping malls and multiplexes being shut down after sundown. However, the proposal was later shelved. |
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Dalit woman fails to address UN
Patna, February 28 Girija Devi, an illiterate woman from a remote village of Motihari in Bihar, was the first Musahar (the most backward of backward) woman of India to be invited by the United Nations to address its session. But even though the voice of protest of Girija Devi, who heralded a revolution of sorts through her anti-liquor campaign to change the fate of Musahar in and around Motihari, was heard by the United Nations, it seemed to fall on deaf ears of the state administration and passport officials in India. This was despite the “do it now” slogan of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar to change the lackadaisical work culture of babudom in the state. Musahar Bikas Mancha president Chandrika Maji alleged that Girija Devi was forced to run from pillar to post from Motihari to Patna by passport officials to get her passport. “Even the officials of the state administration were not prompt in helping her out,” he regretted. The passport office, finally, handed her the passport on February 25. But by then, it was too late to catch the flight to New Yorh as the convention began on February 24. The voice of the first Musahar woman, thus, ultimately remained unheard. |
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Jaiprakash Yadav remanded in judicial custody
Patna, February 28 Yadav, who had been evading arrest after a fresh non-bailable warrant was issued against him early this month, surrendered before the sub-divisional judicial magistrate A. K. Jha and was later remanded in judicial custody for 14 days. The magistrate turned down the plea of Yadav’s counsels for granting him bail on health grounds. Earlier, the Patna High Court had rejected the anticipatory bail application of Yadav on February 14. Subsequently, the Jamui court had issued fresh NBW against Yadav in the case charging him with causing “illegal” escape of his brother from police custody on October 18 last year by “misusing his official position”. Vijay Prakash was arrested while moving around in the Jamui constituency during the polling with cash amounting to over Rs 6 lakh, a licensed rifle, a huge quantity of ammunition and liquor bottles. |
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