 |
|
|
‘Jodhaa Akbar’ opens amid protests
Central team reviews security in Assam
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
75 pc against separate Telangana state: Poll
Delimitation Effect
Ram Setu
UP House: Info panel can’t summon Speaker
Coalitions inevitable, says Somnath
Bengal Cong to take on CPM: Dasmunshi
Shah Rukh to make Bollywood’s costliest movie with Rs 100 cr
3 held for misusing SRK’s card
3 KJF militants jailed for hotel blast
|
|
‘Jodhaa Akbar’ opens amid protests
Lucknow, February 15 At the city's Novelty cinema in Lalbagh, a group of youngsters owning allegiance to the mahasabha attempted to stall the screening of the movie. Raising slogans against the film, the demonstration soon petered out as a large number of policemen arrested scores of agitators. Soon, a huge number of anxious moviegoers collected to see the movie. A similar “token” protest was reported from a multiplex located at the PVS Mall in Meerut. Prompt action by the police led to the arrest of the agitators and the show opened on a normal note. Film not released in Rajasthan
Jaipur: Ashutosh Gowarikar directed film “Jodhaa Akbar” was not released in Rajasthan cinema halls today amid protests by Rajput groups against “distortion of historical facts” in the movie based on Mughal emperor Akbar. The film was not released in 30 cinema halls across Rajasthan, including nine in the pink city. Activists of the Karni Sena had written letters in blood against the film’s release and submitted it to theatre owners. Karni Sena patron Lokendra Kalvi had said they would not stop the film but the Vasundhara Raje government would be held “responsible” if any untoward incidents occurred. “Rajputs cannot tolerate any distortion of historical facts, especially in relations between the Mughal emperor Akbar and Jodhabai,”he said yesterday. The Home Department did not ban the film but directed that law and order be maintained around all theatres of the state.
— PTI
|
|
Central team reviews security in Assam
Guwahati, February 15 The four-hour meeting, which was held at the state capital complex at Dispur here, was attended by the GOC 4 Corps of the Army, Lt-Gen BS Jaswal, Assam police director-general RN Mathur, senior officials of the CRPF and Border Security Force, Assam chief secretary PC Sharma and Home Commissioner Rajib Bora, among others. After the meeting, Lt-Gen Jaswal, who is the operation head of the unified command, said a new strategy to deliver a crippling blow to the insurgents was discussed today. He dismissed the speculation that there was also a discussion on dismantling of the unified command structure that has been in force in the state for the past about 10 years. An official source said the Central team, which also included senior officials from the Union Home Ministry and Defence Ministry, took stock of the security scenario in Assam’s North Cachar Hill district, where militants from the anti-peace talks faction of the Dima Halam Daogah (Jewel Garlosa) or Black Widow have been on the rampage. The Centre is concerned over the deteriorating situation in North Cachar Hill, where infrastructure development projects and a Central sector power corporation plant are on the militants’ radar. Their threat has seriously affected work on the East-West Corridor project of the National Highway Authority of India in the hill district as well as the massive gauge conversion work of the Indian Railways. Moreover, employees of the Kopili Hydro Power Project of the North-Eastern Electric Power Corporation (NEEPCO), a Central government enterprise, have been under threat from suspected Black Widow militants who had earlier imposed an extortion demand on the corporation. The militants have targeted the power plant twice since January 14, killing nine persons, including security men. The Central team met Assam Governor Lt-Gen Ajai Singh (retd) at Raj Bhawan soon after its arrival here last afternoon. Earlier in the day, the team reviewed the progress of various centrally-sponsored development schemes in the state at a meeting with heads of departments concerned of the Assam government.
|
|
75 pc against separate Telangana state: Poll
Hyderabad, February 15 Another conclusion of the survey, conducted by Nielson ORG-MARG for the recently launched Telugu television channel N-TV, is that the statehood sentiment is not uniformly spread across the Telangana region, comprising 10 districts and the capital city of Hyderabad. People in Rayalaseema and coastal Andhra regions have unequivocally rejected the division of the state. Of the total 55,023 respondents, only 25.04 per cent favoured the bifurcation of the state. An overwhelming 95 per cent of the 25,406 respondents in coastal Andhra region were opposed to the idea. However, in the Telangana region, 59 per cent of the respondents wanted a separate state. Of the 9,799 samples collected in Rayalaseema, only 11 per cent favoured the creation of Telangana state. The survey, conducted during October-December last year, showed that the Telangana sentiment was not very strong in Hyderabad, with only 45 per cent of the respondents supporting the statehood cause, while it was 35 per cent positive vote in Mahaboobnagar and 45 per cent in Khammam district. The Telangana districts solidly backing the statehood cause were Nalgonda (77 per cent), Warangal (77), Nizamabad (75), Karimnagar (65), Adilabad (63) and Ranga Reddy (64). Interestingly, the support for carving out a new state is stronger in urban areas (54 per cent) than in rural areas (46). On a question as to who would fit the bill as the best Chief Minister, overall 49 per cent of the respondents voted for YS Rajasekhar Reddy while the opposition leader and Telugu Desam Party president N Chandrababu Naidu secured 42 per cent votes. While Reddy is ahead of Naidu in Rayalaseema, the home turf for both leaders, and coastal Andhra regions, the latter is in a leading position in Telangana. Nearly 57 per cent of the respondents in the coastal Andhra region favoured Reddy as the best Chief Minister, while only 39 per cent preferred Naidu.
|
|
Delimitation
Effect
Bangalore, February 15 There was intense speculation that Karnataka may be left out from the delimitation exercise so that it could go to the polls before May 28 when the six-month spell of President’s rule comes to an end. However, the cabinet decision yesterday to go infor new delimitation of all Lok Sabha and assembly constituencies has belied this hope. Though the BJP is still putting up a brave front with its state president Sadanand Gowda today claiming that the State EC could prepare the rolls for the new constituencies to allow for assembly elections in May, no one else is so optimistic. The State Election Commission, which had just about prepared the rolls for elections according to the old constituencies after weeding out lakhs of bogus voters, now has to set about this task again according to the new constituencies. Sources say the process of re-drawing the assembly constituencies according to geographical boundaries and amending the voter lists will take at least six months. This procedure includes renumbering of polling booths and constituencies. Time is also needed to publish the draft rolls and invite objections for the same. The state Congress is in no position to go to the polls in May with intense rivalry between old leaders. Besides this, the delimitation exercise is being projected by the Congress as an electoral gain as the Scheduled Tribe constituencies in the state will increase from two to 15. There is also a slight increase in the Scheduled Caste constituencies from 33 to 36. Meanwhile, the BJP has decided to launch an agitation to ensure early elections in the state. The statewide agitation will start on February 18 and culminate in a ‘Raj Bhavan chalo’ march on March 7.
|
|
Ram Setu
New Delhi, February 15 With shipping minister T.R. Baalu, whose party DMK is supporting the project, and Soni slugging it out, the GOM was unable to reach an agreement on the affidavit to be filed by the Centre in the Supreme Court, which will eventually decide the fate of the stalled project. External affairs minister Pranab Mukherjee heads this GOM. This issue is emerging as a major threat for the UPA government as DMK chief and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi, a key UPA ally, today hinted that any delay in the project could have an adverse impact on the ruling coalition at the Centre. Mounting pressure on the UPA for the early execution of the proposed Sethusamudram project, a resolution passed by the DMK’s administrative committee today asked its allies to exercise restraint and “stick to coalition dharma” to keep the coalition intact. However, it is proving difficult to resolve the differences between the Congress and the DMK. Soni is insisting that the Centre seek time from the court to enable the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) to conduct a survey to determine if Ram Setu is a man made structure or a natural formation. She is also credited with the view that the affidavit must include the culture minsitry’s viewpoint. Baalu, who was supported by science and technology minister Kapil Sibal at the GOM meeting, insisted that the Centre’s affidavit should accept the report submitted by a committee of experts, which had ruled that the Ram Setu was a natural formation.
|
|
|
UP House: Info panel can’t summon Speaker
Lucknow, February 15 Raised as a point of order by Congress legislative party leader Pramod Tiwari, the matter received immediate response from the members present, including Chief Minister Mayawati who nodded in agreement. Tiwari informed the House that in a recent matter the State Information Commission had summoned the Speaker, principal secretary of the Vidhan Sabha and information officer of the Vidhan Sabha. Quoting rules of procedure and conduct of business of the UP legislative assembly relating involving breach of privilege and contempt, he said this was in violation of Rule 84 under which under any legal process, civil or criminal, shall not be served within the precincts of the House without obtaining the permission of the Speaker. “When the Speaker provides us protection how can he be summoned like this. The commission set up to make public life more transparent can not pressurise elected representatives like this”, said Tiwari amidst loud applause. Later, Mayawati concluded the discussion on the Governor’s address by defending her government on 26 different charges raised by the Leader of Opposition Mulayam Singh Yadav and other opposition leaders during the last four days.
|
|
Coalitions inevitable, says Somnath
New Delhi, February 15 Welcoming a seven-member delegation of the UK ‘Labour Friends of India’ in the Parliament House yesterday, Chatterjee said the participation of women should increase in the legislative bodies. However, he added that women were increasingly participating in the decision making process of the local bodies in the country. The Speaker said democracy had taken firm roots in the country at all levels. He said India was perhaps the only country in the world having the distinction of successfully introducing electronic voting machines in every polling booth. Responding to the visiting delegation’s observation regarding coalition governments in India, the Speaker said coalitions had become inevitable. He said the democratic polity accommodated multiplicity and diversity of social and political shades.
|
|
Bengal Cong to take on CPM: Dasmunshi
Kolkata, February 15 Dasmunshi defended the hike in petrol and diesel prices by arguing that it was unavoidable. He claimed that the oil prices in India were still lower compared to other countries. The WBPCC president said he would reorganise the state Congress at the grassroots level by involving all categories of leaders and workers of various groups in the party’s decision-making. He said he had no enmity with Somen Mitra or Pranab Mukherjee and he would take their advice in running the state Congress. “We will fight the forthcoming panchayat elections and the subsequent Lok Sabha and Assembly polls against the CPM,” he said. This was his first visit to Kolkata after his appointment as the WBPCC chief, the post which had been lying vacant following incumbent Pranab Mukherjee’s resignation.
|
|
Shah Rukh to make Bollywood’s costliest movie
Mumbai, February 15 The movie for children will be in the VFX medium, using computer-generated special effects. It will be a movie featuring a lot of children who wish for bad things, but get a shocking reality check when they come true, Shah Rukh told Patrick Frater of Hollywood’s top trade magazine Variety in a recent interview in Berlin. He is talking to Eros Multimedia and Charles Darby (of “The Matrix” and “Minority Report” fame), the visual effects guru, who recently co-ventured with Eros to launch Mumbai-based special effects Eyeqube Studios. Shah Rukh said he was planning the movie under his home banner, Red Chillies Productions. The new venture - to be directed by Anubhav Sinha - had a budget of $25 million (almost Rs 100 crore), making it the most expensive Bollywood movie to date. “We are dedicating the next eight or nine months to taking the best technicians from around the world and asking them to help us make the best VFX film India has ever made. It will be madcap, over the top. I want it to be as beautiful as ‘Spider-Man’ in terms of effects,” Khan told Variety. The VFX medium uses computer-generated effects that give movies a fantasy-like feel. The best example of a VFX movie is Steven Spielberg’s “Jurassic Park”, where computers made the dragons fly. Asked why he has not yet been courted by Hollywood, he replied in his characteristic tongue-in-cheek manner: “I’m waiting for someone like Steven Spielberg or James Cameroon (of “Titanic” fame) or some other great person like Ang Lee to make a film, a film about a brown, thin, scrawny Indian guy who doesn’t speak English too well. If they ever have a character like that and Google it, I’m sure they’ll find me.” He said he’d love to do an action-comic movie like Chris Rock and Jackie Chan. Shah Rukh admitted to the interviewer that his last year’s home production, “Om Shanti Om,” was full of clichés of Indian cinema. “But it is full of heart. I think we need to make more movies like this and gradually more and more people will come to like that,” he said. — IANS
|
|
3 held for misusing SRK’s card
Mumbai, February 15 But an alert sales executive at a suburban mall put paid to the plans of the three dimwits who are now cooling their heels in police custody. Vinay Tambe, James Perenal and Shekar Jadhav were arrested in the north-east suburb of Mulund on February 11 when they attempted to make purchases using Shah Rukh’s credit card at a mall there, the police said. “The three persons, who are all unemployed, have claimed that they found the credit card lying on a road in suburban Santacruz a few days earlier and took it to the mall to buy some clothes,” a senior police officer said. The trio purchased clothes worth approximately Rs 25,000 and one of them produced the Bollywood star’s credit card at the time of paying for the garments, he said. The sales executive,who saw the transaction slip bearing the name of Shah Rukh Khan, realised something was amiss after having a good look at the signature signed by one of the men. — PTI
|
|
3 KJF militants jailed for hotel blast
New Delhi, February 15 The additional sessions judge of Tis Hazari court sentenced Purushottam Singh, Satbir Singh and Sukhdev Singh and slapped a fine of Rs 1,500, Rs 1,000, and Rs 500, respectively, after holding them guilty of hatching a conspiracy to wage war against the country. According to the prosecution, all three accused, residents of Jammu, had exploded a bomb at the hotel on March 13, 2000, which left three persons injured. A Delhi police team led by Ravi Shankar had nabbed the militants in 2000. The police had seized 63 cartridges, 23 kg of RDX, two hand grenades, a pistol, counterfeit notes of face value of Rs 50,000 and a few magazines from their possession. — PTI
|
|
| HOME PAGE | |
Punjab | Haryana | Jammu & Kashmir |
Himachal Pradesh | Regional Briefs |
Nation | Opinions | | Business | Sports | World | Mailbag | Chandigarh | Ludhiana | Delhi | | Calendar | Weather | Archive | Subscribe | Suggestion | E-mail | |
Videos
