Chennai, January 11
Despite today’s ban by the Supreme Court on holding traditional bull taming sport in Tamil Nadu, “jallikattu”, rural enthusiasts of the popular game declared that they would defy the apex court and go ahead with the game next week.

“Jallikattu” is usually held in the southern districts of Tamil Nadu, particularly in Madurai, during Pongal, the harvest festival in the state during which one day is dedicated to worshipping of cows and bulls. However, in reality “jallikattu” is a cruel sport in which the bulls face immense torture.

President of the committee Ritesh Kumar, formed to preserve the traditional sport, argued that there was evidence to show the sport had been taking place for over 2000 years and drew crowds from all over the world. In some places as many as 2,500 bulls were being reared just for this event.

He said: “This is a centuries-old strong Tamil tradition. Even foreign tourists flock to see the bull-taming event. While it takes place in several villages, the one in Alanganallur in Madurai district is world famous.”

The stand taken by this committee has put the Tamil Nadu government in a difficult situation as many organisations, including political parties, have urged that the sport should not be stopped at any cost because of its popularity in southern Tamil Nadu. They contended that following last year’s High Court directive, veterinary doctors had examined the bulls to ensure that they were not drugged or intoxicated before the sport and there had been no instances of deaths or injuries to the people participating in the sport.

However, animal rights activists here welcomed the ban. Dr Chinny Krishna of Blue Cross of India said: “It should have been banned long ago. It is nothing but torture of animals in the name of culture”. 

New Delhi, January 11
Faced with stiff competition from regional and castiest parties, the Congress appears to have little choice but to emulate their example by pandering to regional aspirations.

The party, which has always held up its pan-Indian image as a badge of honour, has been forced to revise its stand on creation of smaller states. In fact, the Congress gave this simmering issue a further push with a public demand that a separate state of Bundelkhand be carved out from Uttar Pradesh. A party delegation, led by Uttar Pradesh Congress president Rita Bahuguna Joshi, met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today to press on the issue.

The Congress has never been in favour of creation of smaller states and has constantly pressed for constitution of a second States Reorganisation Commission (SRC), which, the party says, will take a comprehensive view of the issue. The party appears to have abandoned this stand following a realisation that it is loosing ground to regional parties, which have gained popularity by taking up state-specific issues.

Already feeling the heat from the Telangana Rashtriya Samiti (TRS) in Andhra Pradesh, the Congress has decided to take on Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati on the issue of poor governance by seeking a separate state of Bundelkhand. The UP Congress delegation also asked AICC general secretary Rahul Gandhi to take up the issue with the Centre.

Launching an attack against Mayawati for her neglect of the region, UPCC president Rita Bahuguna Joshi said the region had been suffering from severe drought for several years now but the state government had failed to provide any succor to the poor farmers. Demanding a special financial package from the Centre, Joshi said about 204 farmers have committed suicide here since Mayawati came to power.

The demand for formation of a separate state of Bundelkhand and constitution of second SRC from the Congress will put the the UPA government in a tight spot as it will have to contend with stiff opposition from Left parties, which have never been in favour of a separate Telengana state.

The move for second SRC is also being resisted by the Congress party’s leaders from the region, who have warned the party leadership that they will pay a heavy electoral price if the Centre goes ahead with this decision. In fact, there is a large section in the Congress, which has warned that they will be opening a Pandora’s box if this matter gains further momentum.

As it is, the ruling Congress in Andhra Pradesh is faced with strong protests from the TRS and the BJP, who have accused it of delaying the creation of Telangana through the formation of the second SRC.

New Delhi, January 11
The US secretary for health and human services Michael O Leavitt, today offered to provide technical assistance to India for the establishment of a Food and Drug Administration Agency on the lines of the US FDA to devise and regulate safety and quality standards for food, medical and pharmaceutical products.

Addressing media persons after an interactive meeting with Indian business leaders organised by the FICCI, Leavitt said, “In my discussions with India’s health minister A. Ramadoss, he expressed India’s desire to create a US FDA type agency. Such a proposal was indeed laudable and the US would support India’s initiative by providing technical assistance for setting up such the same.”

Leavitt emphasised the need for Indian companies to meet the quality standards set out by the US. This would facilitate Indian companies in accessing US consumers. This means that Indian companies would have to get their food and pharma products certified by an agency that the US Government trusts, he said.

Senior US Officials underlined the need for common standards across the world to reduce the burden of the regulatory process on producers. Such harmonisation of standards would enable companies to become globally competitive.

At present there are different sets of standards globally, making it extremely difficult for companies to devise products suited to the specific requirements of different countries.

Leavitt said both US and India have a mutual commitment to ensure that products are safe and of high quality. The US, he said, was committed to supporting India for eradication of polio, malaria and HIV also.

New Delhi, January 11
The visiting Greek Prime Minister Kostas Karamanlis today said Greece, a member country of the 45-nation Nuclear Suppliers Group, would have “no objection” to the NSG allowing nuclear commerce with India if it meets international standards and concludes an agreement with the IAEA.

Kostas Karamanlis, who arrived here yesterday on a three-day state visit, made this remark in response to a question at a joint press conference with his Indian counterpart Manmohan Singh after their talks at Hyderabad House this evening. The Greek leader said while Greece did not use nuclear power, it was not opposed to the proposal to remove India from the exemption list.

Manmohan Singh said India supported the re-unification of Cyprus. Earlier, both the Prime Ministers held bilateral and one-to-one talks.

Earlier in the afternoon, the Greek PM addressed the business leaders and said the two sides were working on a double taxation avoidance treaty, as well as for cooperation in air transport.

The visiting dignitary also called on President Pratibha Patil and held discussions with Vice-President Mohammad Hamid Ansari, leader of opposition L.K. Advani and external affairs minister Pranab Mukherjee. A banquet was hosted in his honour by the Prime Minister at Hyderabad House. Karamanlis leaves tomorrow to visit Agra and Jaipur, before returning to Athens.

Patna, January 11
The police averted a major terror attack after it recovered and defused two bombs placed on the Guwahati-bound North East Express at Katihar railway station in Bihar this morning.

The police suspects that the bombs may have been placed in the train by some terrorist outfit.

There had been a blast on Rajdhani Express near Golaghat in Assam last month, killing five persons. The Adivasi National Liberation of Assam (ANLA) had claimed its hand behind the blast.

They had reportedly got the expertise of bomb-making from Naxalites in Jharkhand. It had also threatened to carry out more such blasts till Adivasis were granted ST status.

Formed in 2004, the ANLA became active in Assam in the recent past demanding ST status for an estimated 70 lakh Adivasis working in tea gardens there.

These Adivasi’s work in tea gardens of Assam and had migrated from Bihar, Jharkhand and Orissa, thus making it ideal for the ANLA to exploit the Adivasi sentiments in these states in support of their demand.

The recovery of bombs from the Assam-bound train assumes more significance as the intelligence findings apprehended a new dimension of ethnic violence in Assam, transcending its boundaries, with the support of Naxalites who now rule the roost in 18 of 24 districts of Jharkhand.

Chennai, January 11
The Tamil Nadu Congress is in a spot over the visit of Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi here on Monday as he is scheduled to address a gathering at the Kamarajar Arangam, owned by the party’s trust.

The Congress state unit today held a meeting to discuss the issue and pondered over ways to prevent Modi from using a platform in the auditorium named after the legendary Congress leader and former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K. Kamaraj but had to buckle down following a directive from the party high command to remain silent.

Modi is scheduled to attend the 38th annual function of Tamil weekly “Thuglak” edited by Cho Ramaswamy, a political commentator and a former Rajya Sabha MP, at the auditorium, situated in the heart of the city on Monday.

The TNNC chose to ignore the developments till a group of activists belonging to the Revolutionary Students and Youth Federation, a Naxalite body, staged a demonstration in front of the party headquarters at Sathyamurti Bhavan, protesting the party’s move allowing Modi to use the auditorium.

A surprised TNCC president M. Krishnaswamy explained, “Those who book the auditorium normally do it at the Kamarajar Arangam office. In this case, Cho Ramaswamy had booked the hall nearly a year ago. We never knew Modi would attend the function.”

A senior Congress leader who attended the TNCC meeting today said, “The Congress high command today directed us neither to stop the function nor allow the situation to flare up.

We decided not to give undue publicity to Modi by trying to cancel the booking and create problems which they will turn into a big issue.”

Cho Ramaswamy, who had voiced his support for the BJP and asked people to vote for the party before the last Lok Sabha election told The Tribune, “The Thuglak annual conferences have been held over the past several years at the Kamarajar Arangam. There is no way the venue can be changed. I have invited several politicians in the past.”

Asked why he chose to invite a controversial politician like Modi as chief guest, Cho said, “Modi is setting an example for all other Chief Ministers as far as good governance and development oriented administration are concerned.

He is the only Chief Minister against whom there are no charges of corruption leveled even by the opposition parties. Though he belongs to the backward class he never indulged in caste based politics during the Gujarat Assembly poll. Other Chief Ministers should learn from him.”

However, some pro-Left organisations and the Anti-Fascist Front today announced to hold black flag demonstrations in front of the Kamaraj Arangam to protest Modi’s visit to the city.

After knowing about the TNNC’s decision to allow Modi at the auditorium, one of the Anti-Fascist Front leaders said, “The Congress leaders have no self-respect and are spineless. They are giving Modi an opportunity to use their premises to abuse their party president Sonia Gandhi. Moreover, his speech is likely to disrupt communal harmony in Tamil Nadu and the Congress party is abetting it.”

Meanwhile, Tamil Nadu BJP president L Ganesan today warned the state government saying that it was the responsibility of the ruling DMK to ensure that Modi’s visit was smooth and provide security to the Gujarat Chief Minister who is entitled to Z plus category security.

“It is up to the Thuglak magazine to decide on the venue. Narendra Modi has won the elections thrice in a state which has become the symbol of nationalism and anti-terrorism during his regime,” he said.

Kolkata, January 11
After senior BJP leader proposed former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s name for the Bharat Ratna, the CPM today said Jyoti Basu could be given the honour, if he fulfilled the parameters.

Asked whether Basu should be awarded the Bharat Ratna, CPM politburo member Biman Bose told reporters here, "I don’t know whether Basu fulfils the parameters. If he fulfils it, Basu can be given the highest civilian award.”

Bose flayed senior BJP leader L.K. Advani writing to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh proposing the honour for Vajpayee, saying the saffron party was “playing politics” with the country’s highest civilian award.

New Delhi: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said on Friday it was “too early” to decide on conferring Bharat Ratna on veteran BJP leader Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

“It is too early. There is still time to discuss these issues,” he said at a press conference here. — PTI, UNI

Panaji, January 11
Crimes against foreign women tourists in the country appear to be spiraling with another incident reported in Goa, where a Russian tourist alleged that a beach shack owner molested her.

Agnelo Noronha (32), who owns a beach shack on Utorda beach in south Goa, was arrested after the 27-year-old Russian woman staying in a five-star hotel here lodged a complaint with the police. He was later granted bail by a local court.

The incident occurred on Monday when Noronha stopped his jeep in the middle of the road and allegedly pulled the tourist inside the vehicle while she was on her way to the hotel, the police said. He fled when she raised an alarm, the police added.

The police had registered an offence under IPC sections 341 (wrongful restraint) and 354 (assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage modesty) against the accused.

“We have also attached his jeep,” an investigating officer said.

Goa receives around 25 lakh tourists every year, of which around four lakh are foreigners. Tourists from the UK top the list followed by Russians, who flocked to Goa.

In the past fortnight, two cases of molestation were reported in Kerala and in Rajasthan. Two young NRI women were also allegedly molested during the New Year revelries in Mumbai which sparked a countrywide outrage. — PTI

Kolkata, January 11
The CBI inquiry report in the Rizwanur death case could not be “opened” for the second time today at the Calcutta High Court following dispute over the filing of affidavits by the two parties.

The report was submitted on January 8 in a sealed cover to the court but it was not opened on that day, as no affidavits were filed on behalf of the accused. But even today the lawyers of the accused did not file any affidavits and hence the “sealed report” was not opened. February 20 was fixed as the date for opening the report. Keshwar Jehan’s lawyers feared that if the CBI report was published now before the submission of the affidavits on behalf of the Todis, it would open an escape route for the accused who might have been proved guilty by the CBI.

The court today fixed February 20 for opening the sealed CBI report and allowed the Todi family’s lawyers two more weeks for filing affidavits. Though the enquiry report was kept a secret, sources indicated that the CBI had finalised charge sheets against Ashoke Todi, his brother Pradip, the Rizwanur’s family friend Pappu and four others, including a few policemen. Former police chief Mukherjee and two other senior IPS officers also would be facing legal action as per the inquiry report.