 |
|
|
BJP gears up for elections
Uma drums up support for BJP
BJP for K’taka poll in April
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Meeting on N-deal today
Telugu Desam fields NTR’s son for RS poll
Bhutan poll: Indian border to be sealed from March 23 to 25
Indian doc to contest UK parliamentary seat
Now, loan waiver for BCs, minorities
Owners of refrigerated trucks a harassed lot
Scorpene Deal
Pay for CBI probes: Panel
Scarlett’s boyfriend may be arrested
Wife’s tears get man lesser sentence
Fashion industry needs govt support, say designers
‘Jodhaa Akbar’
One lakh ladoos offered to Ganesha
|
|
BJP gears up for elections
New Delhi, March 16 It formed a core group of seven members headed by Naidu to devise strategies, identify issues and coordinate campaign, particularly in party-ruled poll-bound states of Rajasthan, Madya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. Jaitley has been appointed in charge of election affairs in Karnataka, where the party is hoping to put a good performance and form its own government, its first in a southern state. Naidu will be incharge of Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan while National Spokesperson Ravi Shankar Prasad will look after election affairs in Chhattisgarh, BJP’s Headquarter in charge Shyam Jaju said. The core group, which has members drawn from the party’s newly formed central election management committee, is packed with leaders considered close to L K Advani. Though a known Advani-baiter Murli Manohar Joshi is also in the group. Other members of the group are leader of the opposition in Rajya Sabha Jaswant Singh, Sushma Swaraj, Arun Jaitley, Anant Kumar and Ram Lal, who liaisons between BJP and RSS. The party had earlier announced a 19-member central election committee to prepare its poll strategy and declared Advani as its Prime Ministerial Candidate for the next Lok Sabha elections. It has identified winning elections in Karnataka as immediate priority followed by party-ruled states of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh where elections will take place in the second half of this year.
— PTI
|
|
Uma drums up support for BJP
Bhopal, March 16 “Bharti endeavoured to contact some MLAs, including those of the BJP. She described Sharma as a decent and gentle personality,” BJS state spokesman Narendra Birthare said in a release issued here today. BJP vice-president and its Mahila Morcha state incharge Maya Singh, BJP secretary Prabhat Jha and Sharma yesterday submitted their nomination papers for the biennial elections to fill up three seats falling vacant next month. With this, there are four candidates for three seats, the fourth being Congress-supported independent Vivek Tankha, a former advocate-general. The
BJP, having a strength of 166 in the 231-member Assembly, including one nominated, is facing a shortage of eight votes to ensure the third nominee’s victory. With three vacancies at present in the Assembly, the Congress has a strength of 41, Samajwadi Party eight, Gondwana Ganatantra Party three, Rashtriya Samanta Dal two, Bahujan Samaj Party two, Communist Party of India and Janata Dal (United) one each and independents two.
— UNI
|
|
BJP for K’taka poll in April
Bangalore, March 16 Except for the three city corporations of Bangalore, Belgaum and Mysore, the State Election Commission has completed the entire process of revision of poll lists according to the recommendations of the Delimitation Commission. Naidu, while talking to newsmen here, said elections should be held in April to avoid the summer heat of May. There is intense speculation whether elections will be held in May or whether the state would face another six-month spell of Governor’s rule forcing elections in October to November. The BJP leader “commended” the Election Commission for doing a “wonderful job”, adding that there should now not be any delay in announcing a poll date for elections in the state. Though the Election Commission had thrown hints of a possible May poll, it was apparently waiting for the revision of poll lists to take
place. These have been completed in just two weeks. Yesterday, former Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa had claimed that the party would wait till May 19 for an announcement of the poll date following which it would go to court seeking
“justice”. Yeddyurappa had also demanded that the poll be held before the end of May besides claiming that the Congress was trying to delay the poll process as it was not ready to face the people of the state. Meanwhile, Naidu, while condemning the naming of the new international airport at Hyderabad after former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, said it was a cruel joke on the people of the state as well as an insult to legendary Telugu film star and late Chief Minister N.T. Rama Rao. The present airport, which is named after N.T. Rama Rao, is scheduled to close down once the new airport starts operations. Naidu said his party would right this wrong once it came to power.
|
|
|
Meeting on N-deal today
New Delhi, March 16 The government is expected to share the outcome of its negotiations with the international body. However, it is still not clear if the UPA will hand over a copy of the draft or only share its salient features with the Left. The Left leaders, on their part, are unlikely to comment on it immediately and will instead ask for more time to enable them to study the technical agreement. Both the CPM and the CPI are currently preparing for their respective party meetings later this month and are expected to plead their preoccupation with their internal affairs to delay matters. Left sources said they would first discuss this matter at their party meeting and follow it up by a meeting of the four Left parties before finally giving their views to the UPA. Judging by this schedule, the next meeting of the joint UPA-Left committee is unlikely to be held till next month. This delay could upset the UPA’s schedule as India has to then take the deal to the Nuclear Suppliers Group following which it goes to the US Congress for final ratification. Time is the key element here as the USA is in the midst of a Presidential election and May-June session of the US Congress could be India’s last chance of seeing the deal through. The trust deficit between the UPA and the Left parties on this issue has built up further after the ruling combine suddenly became proactive on this issue after a long spell of silence. With the government reiterating its commitment to the nuclear deal, the Communists are expected to seek clarifications on the UPA’s intentions at tomorrow’s meeting. The meeting was called after the Left parties demanded that the Centre share the outcome of the its negotiations with the IAEA and reiterated that they would withdraw support to the government if it went ahead with the nuke-deal. Although CPI leader A.B.Bardhan’s interview to a television channel yesterday gave the impression that the Communists could allow India to approach the NSG, his colleague D.Raja said there was no such suggestion before the committee. “Taking any next step could be suicidal for the government,” he added.
|
|
Telugu Desam fields NTR’s son for RS poll
Hyderabad, March 16 Harikrishna, the actor-turned-politician in the mould of his more illustrious father, filed his nomination papers before the Andhra Pradesh legislature secretary Tuljanand Singh here. Along with five other ruling Congress nominees, Harikrishna, the lone candidate from the opposition party, is set to be elected unopposed to the Upper House as six RS seats had fallen vacant from the state. By choosing his brother-in-law for the Rajya Sabha seat, Naidu has managed to ward off pressure from a string of strong aspirants within the party. The move is also expected to bring Naidu further close to the NTR family which is divided in its political loyalties.NTR’s daughter and Harikrishna’s sister, D Purandheswari, is a minister in the union cabinet. Before filing his nomination, Harikrishna, who was Naidu’s comrade-in-arms during the 1995 internal political coup against NTR that dislodged the party patriarch from power, visited NTR Ghat and paid floral tributes to his father. Later, he vowed to strive for protection of “Telugu Pride” which, he alleged, was being “mortgaged in Delhi streets by the ruling Congress”. Harikrishna, known for his mercurial temperament, had parted ways with his brother-in-law in 1998, accusing him of running the party like a personal fiefdom and ignoring the genuine cadre. Though rewarded with a cabinet berth for a brief period after the change of guard in 1995, Harikrishna’s relationship with Naidu soured gradually. When he failed to get the ministerial post in the subsequent cabinet reshuffle, a fiery Harikrishna walked out of the party. He then floated a regional party “Anna TDP” in January, 1999, and contested the elections held in that year. But, his party was wiped out at the hustings, prompting him to concentrate more on his film career. After a prolonged political hibernation, Harikrishna returned to the TDP in May, 2006, and was inducted into the Politburo, the highest decision-making body of the party in August last year. Notable among the Congress nominees to the Rajya Sabha is K.V.P Ramachandra Rao, a close confidante of Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy and adviser to the state government. Rao, who has been aspiring for an RS berth since 1992, is seen as the most powerful leader in the state Congress because of his proximity with the Chief Minister.
|
|
Bhutan poll: Indian border to be sealed from March 23 to 25
Siliguri, March 16 In a meeting with the administrative officials of that country here, Darjeeling Superintendent of Police Rahul Srivastava said the decision was taken fearing disturbances created by the Maoists during elections. SP Srivastava said the Maoists present on the border areas might trigger blasts and other disturbances during the general polls. “We have decided to seal the border after that country’s officials urged us and might impose 144 Cr PC also in that area,” he added. Present in the meeting were Darjeeling District Magistrate Rajesh Pandey, the Siliguri DIG, Sashatra Seema Bal chief and Phutshiling (Bhutan) Sub Divisional Officer. Meanwhile, the Nepal administration has also urged India to seal the border with the country in view of the April 10 general polls in that country. Nepal’s Jhapa and Ilam districts Chief Development Officer Shankar Prasad Koirala and Deputy director National Investigation Department Prakash Khatkar in a meeting with Indian counterparts have urged to seal the border. However, no decision has been taken so far in this regard. — UNI
|
|
Indian doc to contest UK parliamentary seat
Bangalore, March 16 The 38-year-old doctor and consultant at Kingston Hospital in South-East London, thus earns the distinction of being the first Indian citizen after Dadabhai Naoroji, Piara Khabra and Keith Vaz to contest a parliamentary seat in Britain on behalf of a major political party. Dr Patil will be contesting against Conservative education minister Michal Gove according to a press release here.
— UNI
|
|
Now, loan waiver for BCs, minorities
Hyderabad, March 16 Continuing a string of sops, the government has announced loan waivers up to a maximum ceiling of Rs 1 lakh for BCs and minorities. The waiver will be applicable to the loans obtained from the BC Corporation, Minorities Finance Corporation, AP Washermen Cooperative Societies Federation Limited and AP Nayee Brahmin Cooperative Societies Federation Limited. The total benefit will be to the tune of Rs 500 crore, officials said. Chief Minister YS Rajasekhar Reddy, who has approved the largesse, is expected to make a detailed statement in this regard in the Assembly in a couple of days. About 10.5 lakh backward class beneficiaries and 1.96 lakh borrowers from minority communities will benefit to the tune of Rs 270 crore and Rs 209.64 crore, respectively. The government has already waived loans for SCs and STs, costing the state exchequer about Rs 1,212 crore. Over 14.25 lakh SCs and 11 lakh STs will benefit from the scheme. The total number of beneficiaries under all these categories will be around 17 lakh beneficiaries. Meanwhile, finance minister K Rosaiah said the government was working out modalities to provide incentives to farmers who repaid their loans.
|
|
|
Owners of refrigerated trucks a harassed lot
New Delhi, March 16 Some persons alleged to be cadres of the Bajrang Dal and the VHP with the assistance of the local administration do not permit the onward journey of the said goods resulting in loss of export items and loss of business. Briefing newspersons at the Press Club of India, secretary of the Refrigerated Truck Owners Welfare Association (RTOWA) Harish Kakkar said their trucks had been carrying frozen meat from factories in the NCR to Mumbai for exports for over two decades. But since September,2007,”our carriers had been facing a lot of harassment at the hands of the alleged cadres of the Bajrang Dal and the VHP, first in Gujarat and now in Madhya Pradesh. These cadres were assisted by the local administration”, he added. Giving details of the modus operandi of these saffron cadres, Kakkar said: “These cadres stop our trucks and demand valid documents. On production of the documents from all concerned authorities, they were destroyed.” “When we faced problems in Gujarat, we decided to take the Madhya Pradesh route for Mumbai, thus, avoiding Gujarat, but even there we started facing the same harassment,” Kakkar pointed out. “These cadres allege that these trucks are carrying cow meat and that is why the goods cannot be permitted to proceed further. They don’t accept the validity of the documents and take law into their hands”, another member of the RTOWA Harbans Singh said. “While they declare the goods as cow meat, the CFL Laboratory at Pune certifies the meat as that of buffalo”, Singh said.
|
|
Scorpene Deal
New Delhi, March 16 The CBI has to submit a report before the Delhi High Court by March 24 and the agency is still groping in dark with no evidence coming its way. The high court on December 20 last year had asked the CBI to conduct a fresh preliminary enquiry into the allegations of kickback in the deal levelled in a public interest litigation. However, the CBI has been sending
demi-official requests to various countries about certain bank details, telephone records and exchange of e-mails between a French company and its subsidiary in India. Sources in the agency said none of the countries was giving any replies as the
demi-official letters had no legal binding for them to do so.The CBI could not send a formal request as otherwise the agency would have to register a regular case for the same. The agency, which has been receiving flak from the court over its shoddy investigations into the case, has now been calling some former Naval officers and others associated with the case trying to understand the link between the Naval war room leak case and the Scorpene deal.
— PTI
|
|
|
New Delhi, March 16 “The committee is of the view that the expenses incurred by the agency in the investigation and prosecution of a case should be met by the concerned department/ministry,” the report, submitted before Parliament last week, said. The committee observed that such a system would ensure that the agency’s work “will not suffer on account of shortage of funds” and the results would be met within a time-limit. The committee headed by E.M. Sudarsana Natchiappan in its report said the “sad state of affairs” prevalent in cases being referred to the CBI is that this was done without granting “adequate funds” required to meet the investigation and prosecution expenses. — PTI
|
|
Scarlett’s boyfriend may be arrested
Panaji, March 16 While the police investigations have revealed that Julio had no role in drugging and murdering the girl on February 18, Scarlett’s personal diary can be a base for police to prosecute him under statutory rape charge. Goa Children’s Act and the IPC considers consensual sex with a minor as a ‘rape’. “We are thinking on those lines. It may not be a part of murder investigation but for sure, there is an offence committed by Julio and we need to book it,” a senior police officer told
PTI. Earlier, the media had speculated that state police would book Scarlett’s mother, Fiona Mackeown, possibly under the Goa Children’s Act for neglecting her child. However, the investigating officials had confirmed that their plan of action does not envisage investigating Fiona, at least for this moment. While the investigators continued grilling both the arrested accused - Samson D’souza and Placido Carvalho - they are also questioning few more people including Julio. D’souza, a barman was arrested for drugging, raping and murdering Scarlett while Carvalho is charged for drugging and conspiring in the rape. D’souza is a married man with a French wife and 10-month-old son, the police said. The police confirmed that they are still on a look out for British national Micheal Manyon, who could be a major witness in this case.
— PTI
|
|
|
Wife’s tears get man lesser sentence
Kolkata, March 16 Burdwan Fast Track court judge Debabrata Sinha had on March 12 declared Motiar guilty of attempt to murder for setting his wife afire and was to announce the quantum of punishment on Thursday. However, when the court proceedings began on the appointed day, the victim, Tumpa Bibi with burn marks all over her face entered crying. With hands folded and tears rolling down her cheeks, the young woman prayed before the court: "Sir, please let off my husband. I lived with him for just 28 days before the incident happened. I want to be with him for the rest of my life." Sentencing Motiar to an eight-month prison term after finding him guilty of attempt to murder, judge Sinha observed that there was possibility of the two young lives to lead a good life together as Tumpa Bibi was still hopeful of leading a happy conjugal life with her
husband. Motiar promised in the court that he would be a good husband and and never ill-treat her in any way. He was set free on Thursday as he was under detention during trial for over eight months.
— PTI
|
|
|
Fashion industry needs govt support, say designers
New Delhi, March 16 “The Indian fashion industry is still not a full-fledged industry. If the government helps us organise big shows in India as well as in other parts of the globe, new players in the sector will be able to compete with the international fashion designers,” Neeraj Chauhan, debuting at the Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week said. Chauhan and his wife, Alapana, showcased their collection ‘Azara’. He is among the five Indian designers selected to participate in Miami fashion week in April. Fashion Design Council of India (FDCI) executive director Sumeet Nair said the industry would welcome the government initiative in any form. A senior finance ministry official present at the event said the government would consider assisting the designers if they put up a representation before the government.
— PTI
|
|
‘Jodhaa Akbar’
Rourkela, March 16 Although groups like the Bajrang Dal and the Vishwa Hindu Parishad had earlier warned the cinema hall owners across the state not to screen the film because they alleged it distorted historical facts, the film was being screened at the Apsara Talkies here since Friday. A group of people calling themselves activists of Bajrang Dal entered the hall during the afternoon show. They asked the audience to vacate the hall, district police chief Ravi Kant said. “They broke several chairs, tore down the movie screen and forced the operator to stop the movie,” he said.
— IANS
|
|
One lakh ladoos offered to Ganesha
Kakinada, March 16 A special laddu, weighing 25 kg, was offered to the Lord to mark the eighth annual celebration of the temple. Special poojas were also performed, offering Panchamruta and one lakh durvara pathra. The Lakshmi Ganapathi Yuvajana Sangham, the main organising body, had performed similar abhisheka offering one lakh 'Undrallu', the most sought after dish of Lord Ganesh, last year.
— UNI
|
|
| 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
