Bangalore, May 6
As many as 47 candidates contesting in the first phase of the Assembly elections in Karnataka on May 10 were having criminal records.

Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR), an outfit striving to strengthen democracy in the country, said the Janata Dal (secular) of former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda was on the top of the list of parties fielding candidates with criminal backgrounds.

While the JD(S) has fielded 12 candidates with criminal records for the first phase of the polls, the BJP has fielded 12 such candidates, followed by the Congress with 10 and the BSP with nine.

The Samajwadi Party (SP) and the Janata Dal (United) have put up one candidate each with criminal background.

“Several of the candidates fielded by the political parties are charged with violent crimes like murder, attempt to murder, assault with deadly weapons and so on,” the ADR report said.

In an enclosure attached with the report, the ADR also provided details of the cases pending against the 47 candidates identified by it as having criminal backgrounds.

The cases pending against the listed candidates included defamation cases as well as cases that probably had to do with participation in political agitations.

However, instances of ‘pure crimes’ like murder, attempt to murder, cheating, forgery, etc. were also found pending against a large number of candidates.

The ADR report, which was drawn up after going through declarations, also highlighted the participation of the rich and the super-rich in the first phase of polls.

There are 14 candidates in the fray with assets of over Rs 30 crore. Out of the 14, seven are from the Congress, five from the BJP and two from the JD(S).

Many of the candidates in the fray had also fought in the last Assembly elections
in 2004.

The declarations on assets given by them for the two elections (2008 and 2004) were compared and it was found that the assets went up manifold for some of the candidates during the four years.

Twenty-eight candidates of the Congress party figured in this category of aspirants, followed by 25 of the JD(S) and 20 of the BJP.

The total number of the candidates with change in fortunes during the four years from 2004, was 82 (including BSP, JDU, SP, etc) and the total increase of assets of this particular category of candidates was a whopping Rs 481 crore.

The ADR added that many of the candidates from major parties had not declared their income tax PAN numbers even though they were supposed to do so under the law.

The BSP was having 62 such candidates, the Congress 42, the JD(S) 44 while the BJP was having 40 such candidates.

New Delhi, May 6
Harjant Singh, Hartej Singh, Amarjit Singh, Vinod Jyani and Rajneet Singh are “natural” farmers from the cotton belt of Punjab who were here in the Capital today to demand a complete ban on the Genetically Modified (GM) crops and foods in the country.

They were among hundreds of farmers and consumers from 15 states of the country who gathered on “protesting pavement” of the Jantar Mantar saying they would not “become guinea pigs in experimentation in the name of GM food and crops”, adding that the GM crops were certainly no answer for the country’s food security.

Protesting under the broad banner of “Coalition for a GM-Free India”, they also threatened to step up their campaign by creating a widespread informed debate on the issue.

“Till date every research on the GM has been for commercial purpose. GM-crop developers produce data and show it to the government,” says coalition member Kavitha Kuruganti.

Kuruganthi is supported by practising physician from Punjab Amar Singh Azad. The question that defies Azad’s logic is that how could a crop that is not safe for insects be safe for consumption of human beings.

Harjant Singh, a farmer with vast acreage under natural farming in Rai ke Kalan, is clear that the natural course of nature should not be fiddled with by humans.

And his point of contention too is that “how is it possible that the GM crop, which is harmful for insects, will not harm the health of consumers”.

The protest comes at a time when Indian regulators are considering the applications for (experimental) seed production for Bt brinjal, the first such genetically modified vegetable anywhere in the world with the Bt gene extracted from bacillus thurengiensis in it.

On one side are its developers, who says that the Bt brinjal is safe to eat and claim that higher yeilds will add to farmers’ income and produce more undamaged food.

New Delhi, May 6
Congress MP from Uttar Pradesh Akhilesh Das, who was last month removed from the union council of ministers, today submitted his resignation from the Rajya Sabha, saying he had no faith in the party.

As soon as the House met for the day, Das walked up to chairman Hamid Ansari with his resignation letter. “I have no faith in the Congress party,” he said as he tried to place the letter at Ansari’s table.

Ansari did not accept the letter and asked him to go back to his seat, as obituary references have to be made.

Das then turned to the secretary-general and left the letter with him before walking out of the House.

New Delhi, May 6
The eventual tabling of the Women’s Reservation Bill in the Rajya Sabha has raised the hopes of the women’s wings of the CPI and the CPM that their long struggle for reservation would soon bear fruit.

Overdue for 12 years, the Bill seeks to provide 33 per cent reservation to women in Parliament and state Assemblies.

The introduction of the Bill in the ongoing Budget session has enabled Prime Minister Manmohan Singh keep his promise to the Left as also to women organisations.

Annie Raja, general secretary of the National Federation of Indian Women (NFIW), women’s wing of the CPI, led her team to the

All India Democratic Women’s Association (AIDWA) office in the VP House here in the afternoon to share her joy over the introduction of the Bill.

While offering ‘ladoos’ to the AIDWA general secretary, Sudha Sundraman, and her team, Annie told The Tribune, “Even though it is a belated action on the part of the government to deliver gender justice, we welcome the tabling of the Bill. We hope that the Bill is passed as early as possible. The introduction of the Bill will open the doors for political parties and other concerned citizens to record their opinion and suggestions to the Bill as it has been referred to a Standing Committee.”

New Delhi, May 6
The Budget session of Parliament was today adjourned sine die three days ahead of schedule amid acrimonious scenes in the Rajya Sabha over the introduction of Women’s Reservation Bill.

The Lok Sabha was adjourned sine die yesterday. Proceedings in the Upper House came to a stormy end with JD (U) and Samajwadi Party members not allowing chairman Hamid Ansari to make his customary concluding address.

As the House met for the post-lunch session at 2 pm after two adjournments, JD (U) and SP members were on their feet claiming the government had bulldozed through the introduction of the Bill.

JD (U) leader Sharad Yadav said the government in violation of rules of procedures had not given the stipulated 48-hour notice before the introduction of a constitution amendment Bill.

Ansari, however, disallowed any reference to the subject saying he (Yadav) should have raised his objections when the Bill was introduced in the pre-lunch session.

As the SP members threatened to storm the well of the House, the chairman did away with his customary session-end summing up speech and adjourned the House sine die after the rendition of the national song.

Kolkata, May 6
Tension flared up again at Nandigram on the eve of the panchayat elections today following severe clashes at several places between CPM and Trinamool Congress-backed Bhoomi Raksha Committee members.

Firearms, bombs, bows and arrows and other lethal weapons were freely used
in the clashes.

At least 20 persons were injured by gunshots and bomb blasts even as union minister Priya Ranjan Dasmunshi demanded postponement of the panchayat polls at Nandigram.

The injured were admitted to hospitals at Nandigram and Ghatal, according to reports reaching the Writers Buildings in the afternoon.

Several villagers had now started leaving the area as violent clashes were continuing in some blocks of Nandigram.

A large contingent of the CRPF and other paramilitary forces had been rushed to the incident area from the district headquarters at Midnapore and the adjoining Kharagpur and Howrah.

The Chief Minister, Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, said the government was much worried about the latest disturbances in Nandigram.

He had already asked the home secretary, A.M. Chakraborty, to personally visit the place and meet the two groups and take appropriate steps for the immediate restoration of peace and normalcy in Nandigram.

Union information and broadcasting minister Priya Ranjan Dasmunshi, who is also the state Congress president, in his letters to Bhattacharjee and the state election commissioner, A. Gupta, urged them to postpone the panchayat polls at Nandigram as he believed in the prevailing disturbing situation fair and free elections were not possible at Nandigram. He also wrote to the Governor, Gopal Krishna Gandhi, making the same demand.

New Delhi, May 6
The “discontent” in the defence forces over the “insufficient financial hike” recommended by the sixth pay commission was conveyed to the committee of secretaries headed by Cabinet Secretary K.M Chandrasekhar here this afternoon.

The chiefs of three services, the Army, the Navy and the Air Force, put the matter on behalf of the forces.

Largely matters that were discussed in the Army Commanders conference last week were put before the committee today. Sources said the service chiefs were hopeful that their demands would be met.

One of the demands made to the committee of secretaries was the increase in military service pay for persons below officer ranks (PBOR’s) from Rs 1,000 to Rs 3,000.

The committee was also informed that the status of the Army officers vis-à-vis civil officers has been lowered and correction was required.

On the pay hike for officers it was pointed out that 94 per cent of the entire lot of officers from Lieutenant to Brigadier will retire in one pay band only. Introduction of two more pay bands.

One between Lieutenant to Lieutenant Colonel and the other between Colonels and Brigadiers with suitable raise linked to the length of service, was sought.

The designated airlines of Iran can exercise the same rights on any two points of their choice in India.

BRIEFLY

Uttarakhand Nadi Bachao Abhiyan
DEHRA DUN: Environmentalists and social activists of the state, who had launched Uttarakhand Nadi Bachao Abhiyan (save the rivers campaign) in January this year, have expressed disappointment at the pronouncements of Uttarakhand Chief Minister B.C. Khanduri on the issue of hydro-electric projects in the state. The Chief Minister, after dedicating the Maneri Bhali-phase-ii project at Uttarkashi on Saturday, had called for setting up of ‘run of the river’ type of projects in the state instead of dam type projects. — TNS

CPM leader shot dead
PURULIA (WB): With barely a week left for the panchayat polls in Purulia district, the Maoist struck the CPM in two consecutive days killing two of its leaders, the police said on Tuesday. Dubraj Hembram (50), local committee member of the party, was shot dead by a gang of Maoists at Hitinglohar village under the Balarampur police station on Monday night. The Maoist gang probably fled to Jharkhand, neighbouring Purulia, the sources said. — PTI

Police zeroes in on gang
DEHRA DUN: The Dehra Dun police is zeroing on the gang that has created a terror in the state capital by committing more than two dozen thefts in last fortnight. It is learnts that the police has got vital clues regarding the involvement of labourers, coming from the other states, in the theft incidents. Speaking to The Tribune SSP Amit Kumar Sinha said after thorough perusal of various theft incidents, it has came to light that thieves are targeting houses situated near the railway line only. — TNS

Dacoit shot dead
MORENA (MP): Notorious dacoit leader Gabbar Singh Gurjar, who carried a reward of Rs 25,000 on his head, was shot dead in an encounter with the Madhya Pradesh police in the Kasimkhera forest area under the Sumavali police station limits of Morena district on Tuesday morning. On a tip-off that the gang was planning a major strike near Kapatsan temple, the police laid a siege and engaged the gang in shoot-out killing Gabbar Singh Gurjar. — UNI

6-yr girl thrown into oven
KRISHNAGAR: A six-year-old girl was thrown into a burning clay oven by her uncle at Ghuia village under the Chakdah police station in Nadia district on Tuesday. The police said Pradip Roy had a fight with his elder sibling Dilip over property on Monday night. Dilip was severely assaulted and had hospitalised at the Kalyani JNM Hospital in a critical condition. Finding Dilip’s daughter alone in the house, Pradip shoved her into the burning clay oven. — UNI