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21 MLAs back Mulayam
Again, Cong wins over Govt Govt
examines ULFA-ISI role in train blast |
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SC: Creamy layer criterion must
Hang Afzal or take back medals, say victims’ families
Ensure passenger comfort,
airlines told
Notices to BHU staff for attending RSS seminar
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21 MLAs back Mulayam
Lucknow, November 24 The move came a day after Rashtriya Lok Dal chief Ajit Singh’s close-door meeting with Governor T.V. Rajeswar. The nervous SP, clearly wanting to prevent any move on part of the Governor to question the majority status of the government, orchestrated the MLAs to march openly to declare their support to the state government. All MLAs had joined the SP in recent weeks. They include 12 from the BJP, 2 from the BSP, one from the Congress and six Independents. However, the public display of their loyalty to the Mulayam government comes in the wake of apprehension of withdrawal of support by the RLD. At present, 15 MLAs from the RLD are supporting the state government. The MLAs, who declared their support to the ruling party, today either suspended or expelled from their parent parties. Five of the BJP MLAs were declared as unattached by the Speaker. Escorted by state Revenue Minister Ambika Choudhary, Transport Minister Naresh Agarwal and others, the MLAs spent about an hour with the Governor. Talking to reporters after the meeting, the ministers declared that the MLAs were under pressure of the people of their constituencies to rise above party lines and support the Mulayam government for its good work. Refusing to admit that the step was to counter any move on part of Ajit Singh to bring down the government by withdrawing support, Agarwal said, “Mr Ajit Singh has said he is a part of the ruling coalition and it is the media that is trying to drive a wedge between the coalition partners.” Terming today’s developments as a “constitutional breakdown”, BJP spokesman H.N. Dixit said, “All BJP MLAs, who went to Raj Bhavan, already have petitions for disqualification pending against them”, he pointed out. The 12 BJP MLAs, who have announced their support to the Mulayam government, include the five MLAs who were declared unattached in August, 2004, by the Speaker after the BJP had filed petitions seeking their disqualification. They are Mr Mayankeshwar Sharan Singh, Mr Anil Varma, Mr Daya Shankar Varma, Mr Narendra Varma and Mr Kovid Kumar Singh. The other BJP MLAs include Mr Amarjit Singh “Jansevak”, Mr Ravinder Pundhir, Mr Rajiv Kumar Singh, Mr Sobaran Singh, Mr Shyam Singh Ahirwar, Mr Shivendra Singh and Mr Mahendra Singh Yadav. The two BSP MLAs are Kuldeep Singh Sengar and Mr Kapildev Singh Yadav. Both had been expelled from the BSP two weeks ago. The lone Congress MLA, who joined the SP on Friday is Mr Shamimul-Haq. The Independents extending their support to the Mulayam government include Mr Vijay Singh, Mr Mithilesh Kumar, Mr Hoshiyar Singh, Mr Madan Bhaiyya, Mr Devendra Nagpal and Mr Jitendra Jaiswal.
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Again, Cong wins over Govt
New Delhi, November 24 The matter was approved by the Union Cabinet yesterday. This issue had figured prominently at the September Congress Chief Ministers’ conclave in Naintal when the state bosses had targetted the Finance Minister, saying the Centre’s decision to reduce farm interest rate to 7 per cent, announced with great fanfare in his Budget speech, was not being implemented on the ground. Mr Chidambaram’s explanation that this offer was limited to nationalised banks and regional rural banks had drawn a sharp reaction from the Chief Ministers who wanted the Centre to extend this subsidy to state cooperative banks since these have a wide network in rural areas and are more accesible to farmers. The Finance Minister had rejected this outright on the plea that cooperative banks were controlled by the states, not the Centre. “They are your banks, you control them”. Mr Chidambaram had told them. Despite this brush-off, the Congress persisted with its demand and subsequently led a delegation of cooperative unions federation to the Prime Minister insisting that cooperative banks be treated on par with commercial banks and extended the requisite subsidies for the reduction of farm interest rates. Dr Singh assured them of a positive response. This “campaign”, it is learnt, had the tacit approval of Congress president Sonia Gandhi who has been seriously attempting to refurbish her party’s “pro-farmer” image. This is not the first time that the party has questioned the government’s decisions and even disagreed with it publicly. The Congress had expressed its displeasure when the government last hiked petrol prices by Rs 4 and demanded that this be reduced. This had resulted in a government-party face-off which eventually ended in a compromise with Congress-ruled states being told not to charge the increased sales tax on petrol and diesel. Similarly, the government was put on the defensive when Mrs Gandhi expessed serious concern at the government’s policy on Special Economic Zones (SEZ) at the Nainital conclave when she made a pointed reference to the diversion of prime agricultural land for “non-agricultural” uses. After this public rebuke, Commerce Minister Kamal Nath had promptly dashed off a letter to all Chief Ministers asking them to ensure that SEZs are not allowed to come up on cultivable land and that farmers, who stand to lose their land, are compensated adequately.
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Govt
examines ULFA-ISI role in train blast New Delhi, November 24 First a disclaimer. Well-placed sources here said though the Jalpaiguri blast investigation was leading to the ISI, the Indian leadership would be very careful not to point fingers at Pakistan without having a clinching corroboration of the findings. Even after obtaining the evidence, it is highly unlikely that New Delhi would go on record to announce the ISI role in egging United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) for carrying out the train blast in Jalpaiguri (West Bengal). At least seven persons were killed and more than 60 injured in the blast. After getting hold of “clinching evidence”, New Delhi would most likely be raising the issue at the first meeting of the newly set up Joint Mechanism on combating terrorism as and when it is held. The Government of India has received the following disturbing inputs about the Jalpaiguri blast: (1) Confirmed reports say that Paresh Baruah, ULFA’s self-styled chief of army staff, has recently visited Pakistan to firm up a training schedule for its cadre. (2) Following the visit, a group of about 15 people were sent to Pakistan as recent as last month. (3) It is suspected that the ISI has a role to play in carrying out the act with Jamaat ul Mujahideen of Bangladesh (JMB) playing the implementation role using Indian insurgent groups like ULFA (and maybe, KLO too) as foot soldiers. It is noteworthy that ULFA has started recruiting Bangladeshi migrants in its cares. This is something which has been capitalised by the ISI/JMB combine for their nefarious designs to spread terror in India. (4) The new design of the ISI is apparently working very well, because no one has yet pointed accusing fingers towards the ISI for the Jalpaiguri blast. (5) ULFA is getting desperate too and it is now far removed from its original goal of establishing a “sovereign socialist Assam.” ULFA doesn’t derive its support from the majority of citizens anymore since ULFA is now interested only in making money at the cost of their so called “movement.” (6) ULFA does not seem to be interested in any peace talks. Paresh Barua is more interested in foreign jaunts and is particularly fond of trips to Thailand. And the ISI has no problems in arranging trips to Pakistan via Thailand. (7) It’s a common knowledge that Paresh Barua has been staying in Dhaka for the last 15 years. And being fond of good life he only stays in posh localities like Dhanmondi, Mirpur, New Eskaton Road and
Uttara.
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SC: Creamy layer criterion must New Delhi, November 24 The reiteration of the position of law on OBCs reservation was made by the court while dismissing a petition by Lok Sabha MP Haribhau Rathod, claiming that certain OBC communities engaged in “hereditary occupations” were exempted from the application of the creamy layer formula. He had referred to an office memorandum of September 8, 1993, issued by the Department of Personnel and Training in the Ministry of Social Welfare and Empowerment in a bid to make a case for issuing notices to the Government and the National Commission for Backward Classes. There is no such law that any of OBCs is excluded from creamy layer “the office report (memorandum) does not relate to exclusion of any OBC from creamy layer from reservation,” a Bench of Chief Justice Y.K. Sabharwal, Mr Justice C.K. Thakker and Mr Justice R.V. Raveendran said, rejecting the petition.
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Hang Afzal or take back medals, say victims’ families
New Delhi, November 24 All-India Anti-Terrorist Front (AIATF) chief M.S. Bitta told a news conference with family members of the slain security personnel that he would move the court to seek reopening of a case against S.A.R. Geelani, whom he accused of defending Afzal after his own acquittal in the same case. “Geelani's defence of Afzal is surprising. We will also file a PIL seeking reopening of the case against him as there were numerous weaknesses in his prosecution,” Mr Bitta said Nine security personnel were killed in the terrorist strike on Parliament during the winter session in 2001. Widow of Delhi Head Constable Bijender Singh Jayawati said the medals were an honour to those who sacrificed their lives in the attack. “But if the government does not turn down the clemency pleas for Afzal, we will have no option but to return the bravery medals to the President,” she said.
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Ensure passenger comfort, airlines told New Delhi, November 24 "The government has issued certain guidelines to ensure comfort for passengers during the winter season as flights often get delayed due to foggy conditions at the airport," said Director-General of Civil Aviation Kanu Gohain on the sidelines of an India-EU aviation summit. He said the airlines had also been asked to provide refreshments and water to passengers stranded at airports if flights got delayed for too long. This applied to low-cost carriers as well, Mr Gohain said. Hundreds of flights get delayed every year during winter, resulting in thousands of passengers getting stranded at north Indian airports. This year the situation is expected to be no different as most private airlines don't have enough pilots trained in working under category two (CAT-II) and CAT-III systems, which can help airplanes take off or land even under foggy conditions.
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Notices to BHU staff for attending RSS seminar
Lucknow, November 24 According to university sources, the Vice-Chancellor, Dr Panjab Singh, took cognisance of newspaper reports quoting that on November 11 around 116 BHU employees had participated in a seminar at Samvad Kendra on ‘Sanskritik Rashtravad’ (cultural nationalism) organised by the cultural wing of the RSS.
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Gandhigiri to the fore Crocodile caught Dalit woman's
nose cut off Butterfly park
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