New Delhi, April 19
The Left and the United National Progressive Alliance (UNPA) today warned the government of grave consequences if it failed to bring down prices.

The Left is clearly in no mood to call an end to the agitation against price rise and sees no discernible dip in inflation from 7.41 per cent to 7.14 per cent.

CPI general secretary A.B. Bardhan told TNS here today that the party Central Secretariat is meeting on Monday to chalk out a course of action for the second phase of the campaign against price rise.

In an exclusive interview to TNS, Bardhan dismissed the government’s claim of dip in the annual rate of inflation from the previous week’s 40 month high of 7.41 per cent to 7.14 per cent for the week ended April 5, as routine fluctuation.

Asked if the Left would withdraw support to the government, Bardhan asked, “Would that serve to bring down prices?” In a five-point memorandum submitted to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, on the alarming situation of price rise in the country, the UNPA and Left have demanded a ban on futures trading in all essential commodities, withdrawal of all bills aimed at allowing foreign direct investment (FDI) in the commodities market and universalisation of public distribution system (PDS) and inclusion of pulses and edible oils in the PDS for bringing immediate relief to the people. The memorandum has also reiterated the demand for rollback in oil price hike, strengthening the essential commodities law of checking hoarders and black marketeers and change in petro products taxation structure.

Prominent signatories to the memorandum are Left leaders Prakash Karat, Sitaram Yechury, A.B. Bardhan, D. Raja, Atul Kumar Anjaan, Chandrachudan, Debababrata Biswas and UNPA leaders Farooq Abdullah, Chandrababu Naidu, Amar Singh, Jaya Bachchan and Brindaban Goswami.

After deliberating on the price rise issue at a convention here today, leaders belonging to the Left and UNPA, courted arrest when they were stopped midway Prime Minister’s residence. Apart from senior party leaders, the protestors comprised four former Chief Ministers, Mulayam Singh Yadav (Samajwadi Party), Om Prakash Chautala (Indian National Lok Dal), Farooq Abdullah (National Conference) and Chandrababu Naidu (Telugu Desam Party) and Members of Parliament. They were taken in a local bus to the Parliament Street police station and released after an hour.

This is the second time that the Left and the UNPA has come together on a common platform in the national Capital to address a burning issue concerning the masses. They had made a maiden appearance together at Jantar Mantar last month to take up the cause of farmers.

New Delhi, April 19
After three years of hectic pursuit, the Sikh community in India and abroad finally has a word from the USA on the reconstruction of their most sacred shrine in Baghdad.

Located on the banks of the Tigris, the shrine commemorates Guru Nanak’s visit to Iraq in the 15th century. It was reportedly destroyed by “fanatics” during the US-led war on Iraq, triggering worldwide responses from the Sikhs who were keen to rebuild it.

The urge of the community yesterday found hope with American Sikh leader Rajwant Singh stating that he met US defence secretary Robert Gates and the latter assured him of looking into the matter.

The task of rebuilding the shrine couldn’t be possible without American involvement. Rajwant Singh said yesterday that Pentagon could facilitate the work and ensure security.

Back home in India, the development is being seen as significant, considering the huge political backing, of both the NDA and the Congress, that the Sikh demand to rebuild the shrine enjoyed.

While former Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh, at the behest of Congress president Sonia Gandhi, wrote to the then US ambassador saying his government was eager to take up the job, the Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee, which controls Sikh shrines, also made a similar offer for its part. Its functionaries had written to the then Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee to let them tour Iraq and assess the damage.

Equally involved with the cause was the National Commission for Minorities, whose member Harcharan Singh Josh wrote to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh last year to take up the issue with the Government of Iraq.

Josh today hailed the USA’s stand on the issue. He had on June 18, last year, in his letter to the PM, urged the latter to intervene and help reconstruct the shrine.

The letter also bore references to the visit which Iraqi National Congress chief Ahmed Chalabi, one of Iraq’s prominent leaders, paid to the shrine last year. Considered close to the Bush administration, Chalabi had termed the attack as “shameful” and had said, “We will rebuild it.”

As for the shrine, it marks Guru Nanak’s visit to Baghdad and the Guru’s discourse with Bahlol Dana, a Sufi teacher. During his third great travel (1518-1521-Tiji Udasis), Guru Nanak visited some Arabic Muslim countries along with Bhai Mardana. On his way back from Mecca, he came to Baghdad via Medina, Khuram Shahr in Iran, Basra and Karbla.

In Baghdad, the Guru put his camp in a graveyard, outside Baghdad town. It is here that the historic Sikh shrine is located, though now in a shambles.

New Delhi, April 19
India today called for an effective energy strategy, combining augmentation and conservation, and hoped that the civilian nuclear energy cooperation with the US and other friendly countries would become possible soon.

Foreign secretary Shivshankar Menon, in his keynote address at the first IISS-Citi India Global Forum, said the primary objective of India's foreign policy was to successfully counter the challenges of maintaining the current growth trajectory which would depend on the ability to meet the rising energy requirements.

“To successfully meet these challenges, we also require an external environment which is conducive to India's transformation and continued development,” he said. — UNI

Mumbai, April 19
The Maharashtra government today issued termination notices to 219 striking resident doctors employed in government hospitals at Aurangabad. The doctors were asked to resume duty by Sunday morning, failing which their services would be terminated. Further, the doctors were warned that their admissions to the post-graduate courses would be cancelled and they would be thrown out of the government hostels.

The government’s threat to the doctors at Aurangabad comes a day after services of 92 doctors attached to the government hospitals at Nagpur were terminated. The Maharashtra Association of Resident Doctors, however, said the indefinite strike by resident doctors across the state would continue till the government conceded to their demand of withdrawing the reduction in the number of seats for post-graduate courses.

Dr Shailendra Choudhary, president, MARD told reporters at the Nair Hospital here that the association wanted a return assurance from the Maharashtra minister for higher education Dilip Walse Patil that the seats for the postgraduate courses in the government hospitals would be increased.

MARD office-bearers say the deadline for admission to the post-graduate courses would soon be over and if the issue is not resolved till then, the number of seats in the state’s colleges would remain at the reduced level for the rest of the year.

As of now, more than 6,000 students and resident doctors in government hospitals across Maharashtra are on strike. Teachers at these hospitals have also joined the strike in many parts of the state.

New Delhi, April 19
The Delhi High Court has issued notices to the ministry of petroleum, ministry of home affairs and state ministry for food and supplies to reply to a writ petition filed by a journalist, seeking redressal to the problem of shortage of LPG cylinders in the capital.

A Bench headed by Justice Manmohan Sarin last week directed the respondents to file their reply as what measures were being adopted by them to curb the illegal selling of LPG cylinders in the market.

A writ petition was filed by Sanjay Tiwari Ujala stating that some gas agencies in the capital had connived together to create a false shortage of LPG cylinders in the market by getting into the illegal practice of selling LPG cylinders at exorbitant prices, thereby creating panic among the consumers.

Though the petitioner has named many gas agencies involved in the illegal practice, the court has asked him to furnish more evidence against these agencies along with the name of their parent LPG company. — UNI

Lucknow, April 19
The lone survivor of the Babankhedi massacre in Jyotiba Phule Nagar, 24-year old Shabnam has reportedly confessed to have killed all seven members of her family, including her parents, with the help of her lover as the family was not happy with her relationship.

Making this blood cuddling revelation, DGP Vikram Singh said circumstantial evidence was very confusing and did not give her a clean chit. Following investigations it emerged that she had made around 900 calls during the last one and a half month to a person in the village called Salim, son of Abdul Rauf. It soon became clear that the 30-year-old was her lover and accomplice in crime.

According to the police, the family objected to her relationship with Salim who is sixth-passed and works as a labourer in a sawmill. Shabnam is a shiksha mitra in the village school. “The wide gap between their social status had made her family disapprove of their relationship,” commented the DGP.

It may be recalled that on the intervening night of April 14-15, seven members of the family of Shaukat Ali, a lecturer in fine arts in a local degree college, had been found slaughtered in their sleep while the daughter had survived as she claimed that she was sleeping on the rooftop. Four cops had been suspended.

Nandigram, April 19
Ahead of panchayat elections, fresh violence broke out in Nandigram today with two women raped, allegedly by the CPM cadre, during a clash between supporters of the Bhumi Ucched Pratirodh Committee and marxists at Adhikaripara here in which eight BUPC men were injured.

Superintendent of police, East Midnapore, S. Panda told reporters here that senior police officers have rushed to Adhikaripara. The injured were admitted to a primary health centre here, he said. The two women were taken to Kolkata and admitted to government-run SSKM hospital.

Trinamool Congress block leader and convener of the BUPC, Abu Taher alleged that the two women were raped at Adhikaripara when CPM cadres raided the village around 2.00 am. IGP (Law and Order) Raj Kanojia said in Kolkata “We have also heard about it. We are verifying it, but no complaint has been filed for rape”. Denying the charges, local CPM leader Ashok Guria alleged that the clash took place after TC supporters raided the houses of CPM sympathisers.

“The Trinamool Congress has lost support in Nandigram and these allegations are just to draw attention,” Guria said.

The Nandigram police station was gheraoed yesterday by the Trinamool Congress after three party activists were arrested on the charge of killing a CPM Panchyat Samity member last year. — PTI

BRIEFLY

8 die in cracker-factory blast
JEHANABAD: Altogether eight people were killed and four others seriously injured in an explosion at a cracker factory under the town police station in the district on Saturday. The police said that the incident occurred when the crackers suddenly exploded in the factory at Shekhlam Chak area, killing three people on the spot. Five others succumbed to their injuries on the way to hospital. The four injured have been referred to the Patna medical college and hospital. — UNI

Infant dies of mouse bite in maternity ward
BARASAT: Tension gripped the district hospital in North 24 Parganas following the death of a newborn after being bitten by a mouse in the maternity ward on Friday night. This is the second incident when an infant died after being bitten by some animal, reportedly mouse, in the hospital premises. The enraged locals have strongly protested against the carelessness of the hospital staff and authorities. — UNI

Man held for raping stepdaughter
MUZAFFARNAGAR: The police have arrested a man for allegedly raping his 15-year-old step daughter in the Kotwali police station area of the district here on Saturday, the police said. Shakila, the mother of the girl, alleged that Salim, her second husband had repeatedly raped the girl over the last few months and made her pregnant, they said. The girl has been sent for medical examination following the complaint filed by her mother, they added. — PTI

Consul-general in Jeddah appointed
NEW DELHI: Sayeed Ahmed Baba, a 1988-batch IAS officer, has been appointed as the India's consul-general in Jeddah in Saudi Arabia. Baba, a West Bengal cadre officer and currently private secretary to the water resources minister, Saifuddin Soz, succeeds Ausaf Sayeed who completes his tenure next month. The consul-general in Jeddah plays a crucial role in facilitating the annual Haj pilgrimage undertaken by several thousands of Indian nationals. — PTI