Dehra Dun, June 1
There are no permanent friends and no permanent enemies in politics and this was amply proved in the internal politics of the Uttarakhand Congress.

In the faction ridden Uttarakhand Congress, former Congress state unit chief and Rajya Sabha MP Harish Rawat won over his archrival and former PWD minister Indira Hariydesh to his camp and showed his strength at a party rally at Chakrata.

At the same time, in the neighbouring district of Uttarkashi, rival N.D. Tiwari camp leaders, including Uttarakhand Congress chief Yashpal Arya and Tehri MP Vijay Bahguna, held another demonstration against the BJP government of the state.

Harish Rawat camp held the function at Chakrata to kick-start the panchayat
poll campaign.

Basically, both the camps used their functions as a show of their strength but denied that there was any kind of factionalism in the party.

Rawat was successful in roping in Hariydesh, a long close associate of former chief minister and veteran Congress leader N.D. Tiwari, who was estranged from her long time mentor over not becoming the state Congress unit chief.

The political rivalry between Tiwari and Rawat is well known in Uttarakhand for the past three decades but it was veteran Tiwari who had the last laugh when he out-maneuvered Rawat to become the first elected chief minister of the state after 2002 assembly polls.

A sulking Rawat had to be contend with the post of the state unit party chief during the Congress regime.

After the defeat of the Congress in 2007 assembly elections, while Tiwari managed to become Governor of Andhra Pradesh, Rawat was removed from the post of Uttarakhand Congress chief.

It was again Tiwari who got his own protégé and former Speaker Yahspal Arya as state unit chief instead of Hariydesh, another close associate who was No. 2 in
his cabinet.

Annoyed by not getting the nod from her political mentor, Hariydesh joined hands with Rawat and participated in the function organised by him. Rawat camp has been trying to dislodge Yashpal Arya as state Congress president.

Interestingly, besides Hariydesh, Harak Singh Rawat, leader of opposition in the state assembly, has also joined the Harish Rawat bandwagon. Eight Congress legislators are also in his camp.

On the other hand, Arya and Bahuguna, who are known to be Tiwari loyalists, are also commanding the support of nearly half a dozen party legislators.

With open show of strength by both the camps, it was widely believed that the tug-of-war between both rival Congress camps would further intensify keeping in view the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections in 2009.

New Delhi, June 1
In the run up to the next General Election, the BJP has decided to target secularism as enshrined in the Preamble of the Indian Constitution.

In his inaugural address to the two-day BJP national executive, which began here on today, party president Rajnath Singh unveiled his party’s future strategy by declaring, “In future, we will never use the word “dharmanirpeksh” and the government should also prohibit the constitutional use of the word so that no one constitutionally uses this term”.

He recalled that, “When India’s Constitution was written in November 1949, then in the Preamble, India was declared as a ‘sovereign, democratic, republic’.”

Stating his reasons to oppose secularism, the BJP president said, “In 1970s through the 42nd constitutional amendment, the words ‘secular” and ‘socialist’ were added to the Preamble.

And after this the Preamble became ‘sovereign, secular, socialist, democratic, republic’. It is only after this change that widespread politics began over the word ‘secular’”.

For the rest, Rajnath Singh only repeated what he had often said on numerous other occasions, starting with complimenting the party on its historic achievement in Karnataka to condemning the government on its inability to tackle terrorism and its failure to curb inflation.

Flushed with the Karnataka victory, the party president was clearly attempting to create euphoria among the members hoping for similar victories in the next round of assembly elections in Delhi, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhatisgarh later this year.

He said, “Our winning streak over the past two years in Punjab, Uttarakhand, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh and now in Karnataka will not halt. I am confident that in November 2008, we will hoist the flag of victory in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Delhi and Chhattisgarh.”

He also hoped that in the next general elections the NDA will form the government at the Centre and “the people of the country will hand over the reins to our beloved leader Shri Lal Krishna Advani by giving the responsibility of prime ministership to him”.

He recalled with glee the dream budget of finance minister P. Chidambram and said, “The government presented the Union Budget three months ago, which appeared so lucrative that the public was misled into believing that this was a public welfare budget.”

Rajnath Singh also recalled Chidambram’s promise of loan waver to the farmers and asked, “I would like to know from the government what is the progress with respect to the farmers’ loans being waived off? By now the loans of how many farmers have been waived off and these farmers belong to which category and how much relief has till date reached those farmers who are trapped in the vicious debt cycle of private moneylenders?”

The BJP president dismissed Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s suggestion about having a federal investigative agency to tackle only incidents of terrorism. He said, “I am surprised that the Prime Minister feels the need for a federal investigative agency but does not feel the need for a federal law. This means that there is a need for an army but not for arming the military”.

He made a special mention of the fatwa against terrorism issued by the Darul Uloom of Deoband at a national conference on this subject held here only a day earlier. He said, “I welcome this. Deoband is seeking to dissociate Muslims from terrorism.”

New Delhi, June 1
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) faced with the violent Gujjar agitation over reservation in Rajasthan, ruled by BJP chief minister Vasundhra Raje, decided to skirt the whole issue while Raje skipped the meeting of the national executive which began here on Sunday.

The BJP spokesman later said, “The chief minister is busy trying to restore peace and normalcy.” Originally, the national executive was planned to be held for three days in Jaipur. But soon after the situation worsened in the state, the party decided to shift the venue to Delhi.

Even here the national executive members did not feel fully secure and a large posse of police fortified one full patch of Ashoka Road where the BJP’s headquarters are situated, making it inaccessible to any vehicular traffic.

But in his inaugural speech, the BJP president only briefly touched upon the Gujjar agitation and expressed his shock at it.

He said, “Rajasthan has been inflicted by a double setback. The soil of the pink city of Jaipur was bloodied simultaneously at several places by bombs of the terrorists. I pay my condolences to all the innocent citizens and their bereaved families who were killed in this dastardly act.

“On the other hand, the sad and unfortunate incidents of violence that have taken place on the issue of reservation have shocked not only the people of Rajasthan but also the entire country. I appeal to all the sections of society in Rajasthan as well as the neighbouring states, to exercise restraint and offer my tributes to all the innocent people who have been killed in this reservation movement.”

Asked specifically if the BJP’s highest decision making body would deliberate on this volatile situation, Ravi Shankar Prasad said, “Reports from all the states will be read but there is no specific discussion slated for any state.”

New Delhi, June 1
A 25-member strong team of the CBI today began investigation into the sensational murders of 14-year-old Arushi and domestic help Hemraj in Noida last month.

The team, headed by joint director Arun Kumar Jha, and accompanied by the head of the department of forensic sciences, AIIMS, and the director of the Central Forensic Science Laboratory inspected the Sector 25 house, including the terrace.

The team stayed at the house for several hours and talked to many persons, including Arushi’s mother, Dr Nupur Talwar.

The CBI team has also taken into possession the case diaries of the Noida police relating to the double murder as also the desktop computer belonging to Arushi and the laptop of her father, Dr Rajesh Talwar.

Hundreds of residents of the up-market sector gathered outside the house this morning when a strong contingent of armed policemen from the Shashtra Sena Bal descended there and surrounded the house to facilitate the visit of the CBI team.

Senior Noida police officers were also present there. The house has been officially sealed and declared out of bounds for the general public.

The residents have also questioned the decision of the authorities to surround the house by armed policemen. If the intention was to examine the premises for clues it was a little late in the day as the house has been swept and swabbed many times during the last fortnight.

In fact, it was the Noida police which had initially ordered the washing of the floor of the bedroom where Arushi’s body was found, recalled the residents.

Later, in a brief note, a CBI spokesperson said the agency had registered a regular case in the matter today.

“On the request of the Uttar Pradesh government, the central government notification dated May 31, 2008, entrusted the investigation of case no. 695/08 under Section 302 of the IPC of police station Sector-20 of Gautam Budh Nagar district in Uttar Pradesh relating to the murder of Arushi and Hemraj to the CBI,” the spokesman said.

The Noida police has arrested Arushi’s father Dr Talwar for allegedly killing his daughter and the servant in his house on the intervening night of May 15 and 16. He is at present in the judicial custody.

The police has claimed that he had killed his daughter and the domestic help in a fit of rage. It alleged that Talwar had taken Hemraj to the terrace and killed him before doing his daughter to death.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati had last week recommended a CBI inquiry into the incident following a request from the Talwar family. Dr Nupur Talwar has claimed that her husband is innocent and that the Noida police has framed him.

The police has also been accused of initially bungling the investigations as they failed to examine the house on that day and failed to discover the body of the domestic help which was lying on the terrace all along.

Union information minister Priya Ranjan Das Munshi, who is also the WBPCC (l) president, also said they were opposed to the demand and would resist it tooth and nail.

Hyderabad, June 1
Yet another statement emanated yesterday from Telugu superstar Chiranjeevi’s camp on his entry into politics, sending his fans into a tizzy.

The matinee idol will, in all likelihood, launch a political party in August, his brother-in-law and noted film producer Allu Aravind said.

“He will certainly respect the wishes of the people and enter politics. He is very clear and firm about it. He himself will announce the decision,” said Aravind.

The statement triggered instant celebrations by Chiranjeevi’s fans across the state. Television news channels lapped up the bytes.

They aired a flurry of reports, speculating over the new party, its name, symbol, policies and programmes.

One report said the megastar had decided to name his outfit as “Labour Party” with “train” as the party symbol.

Speculation is rife that the 53 year old actor will join hands with the Left parties and make eradication of corruption as his main plank.

“Chiranjeevi is not the kind of person who takes decisions in haste. Whatever he does, he will do it with caution and after careful thought,” said Aravind.

So far, Chiranjeevi, a Padma Bhushan awardee who has acted in 148 films in a three-decade long career, has remained silent about his plans while keeping the speculation alive.

The major players-- the Congress and the Telugu Desam Party--fear that their traditional support base might erode if the superstar takes the political plunge.

The Left parties, who have been making efforts to forge Third Front in the state, said they would work with Chiranjeevi provided he comes up with a definite set of policies and programmes.

Guwahati, June 1
The All-India State Bank Officers’ Federation (AISBOF) has raised an alarm over the security aspect of the country’s premier public sector bank’s staff in the Northeast.

The employees are facing serious and constant threats from insurgents in different parts of the region especially in Nagaland and Manipur.

The AISBOF has called for a nationwide strike on June 6 to protest against the adverse working conditions in the Northeast.

Over 60,000 SBI officers all over the country will take part in the strike to highlight the plight of their counterparts in this part of the country before the management of the bank.

AISBOF general Secretary G.D. Nadaf informed that officers posted in SBI branches in insurgency-hit areas received regular calls from rebel outfits demanding huge money.

“In Manipur and Nagaland, the SBI staff is under pressure from insurgents to sanction loans sans proper documents. In such an adverse situation, the employees have to bear the brunt of both management and the militants. The management should take note of security of our officers in Northeast. The SBI staff and officers working in such areas should be periodically transferred and provided with security and better living conditions,” the AISBOF leader said.

Not only this, the officers working in the insurgency-hit areas are forced to cough up substantial amount from their salaries as “token money” to insurgent groups.

The fear of militants has resulted in the shortage of manpower and a large number of vacant posts in SBI branches in the Northeast.

Seventy per cent of the total SBI branches in the region located in the remote and far flung areas.

Over 700 posts of officers and 2,200 posts of clerks are lying vacant in SBI branches in the Northeast.

New Delhi, June 1
A two-judge Bench of the Supreme Court has referred to a larger Bench the matter involving the question whether employees opting for the voluntary retirement scheme (VRS) would also be entitled to a “lay-off compensation”.

Lay-off compensation is normally paid by the management when a unit temporarily shuts down operations due to unavoidable reasons like shortage of raw material.

A Bench of Justices S B Sinha and V S Sirpurkar said the issue needed to be settled by a larger Bench as over the years there had been conflicting judgements by various courts, including the SC, on the rights of the employees vis-a-vis dual benefits.

In some cases, the courts have ruled that once employees avail the VRS, they would not be entitled to any other compensation. In other cases, it was held that those availing the VRS could not be denied their statutory benefits like lay off/lockout/retrenchment compensation as provided under the Industrial Dispute Act.

For instance, in the A K Bindal case, the apex court had ruled that an employee receiving an amount of compensation was precluded from raising any further claim.

Whereas in another case involving the National Building Corporation, the apex court had ruled that even if an employee had been discharged from service, he/she could not be prevented from seeking a lay-off compensation. — PTI

Dehra Dun, June 1
The portals of the famous Sikh shrine at Hemkund Sahib were opened today with special ‘ardas’ as more than 8,000 pilgrims reached the shrine nestled in Garhwal Himalayas in Chamoli district of the state at a height of 4329 meters.

The first group of pilgrims from Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee, Delhi, reached the shrine after traversing 19 km of trek from Gobindghat.

A large number of pilgrims from Punjab today reached Dehra Dun on their way to Hemkund Sahib. The shrine remains closed during winter months and opens in June till October.

Uttarakhand minister of social welfare Ajay Tamta today inaugurated a helicopter service between Gobindghat and Ganghria.

The six-seater helicopter run by a private company will ferry pilgrims every half an hour, according to a company spokesperson.

Meanwhile, the state government also proposes to build a ropeway for the pilgrims between Gobindghat and Hemkund Sahib. Nowadays, the pilgrims have to trek long distance from Gobindghat to reach the shrine.

Chamoli district tourism officer R. Parsad said tenders were being invited to build ropeways for pilgrims and tourists going to Hemkund Sahib and Valley of Flowers in the public-private sector mode.

New Delhi, June 1
The Centre has said constitutional functionaries do not come under the ambit of the Right to Information (RTI) Act and that the Information Commission cannot direct the government to reveal information pertaining to their functioning.

“ The President, the Chief Justice and other constitutional functionaries are beyond the jurisdiction of the authorities under the RTI Act,” Additional Solicitor-General P. P Malhotra contended before the Delhi High Court.

The Centre made the submission, while challenging the Central Information Commission's (CIC) order directing it to place the file relating to transfer of High Court judges before the commission.

“These are constitutional functionaries and their functioning is not open to disclosure under the RTI Act,” Malhotra said, while pleading to stay the order. Justice Rekha Sharma, after hearing the contention of the government, stayed the order and asked the information seeker who had approached the CIC to file her response by August 26 when the matter would be taken up for further hearing.

Shruti Singh Chauhan, a Delhi resident, had filed an RTI application seeking details from the government on the basis of which High Court judges are being transferred.

The ministry of law and justice, however, declined her application saying that this information cannot be revealed to the general public. — PTI

Dehra Dun, June 1
Death of two brothers, Sandeep and Kuldeep, after eating pesticide-sprayed cucumber in Khanpur village in Laksar area of Hardwar district on May 29, has again raised the issue of dangerous use of banned pesticides.

Bithi Chandramohan, chairperson, Lokhit Foundation, while expressing grave anguish over the deaths, called upon the Uttarakhand Chief Minister to ban the sale and use of poisonous pesticides immediately under the Stockholm Convention and subsequent orders of the government of India.

She alleged that poor labourers hired to spray pesticides develop symptoms like dizziness, irritation in the eyes and throat, vomiting, rashes and headaches and such cases were common in Hardwar, Udham Singh Nagar and Nainital districts.

The delicacy of the puzzle lay in the fact that the pictures to be joined were so illusive that white-coloured pieces could be mistaken for clouds in the sky, which they were not. Sometimes it took three to four hours to join a piece, he said. — PTI

BRIEFLY

80 pc children in Gujarat anaemic: Survey
AHMEDABAD: The recent data of the National Family Health Survey (NFHS) shows that 80 per cent children in Gujarat are anaemic. Gujarat ranks 12th among the 19 states with 80 per cent anaemic children (aged between 6 and 35 months), while Kerala scores lowest (55.7 per cent) and Bihar's situation is worst at 87.6 per cent. Gujarat is among the top 10 states having the highest infant mortality rate. — PTI

345 BSF personnel affected by AIDS across country
Guwahati: At least 345 Border Security Force (BSF) personnel across the country are suffering from AIDS, BSF inspector-general, Assam, Meghalaya and Nagaland, P.K. Mishra has said. The AIDS-affected were allowed to continue in service, faced no discrimination and were provided with medical care, Mishra told reporters during a BSF seminar on Friday. The BSF, he said, was taking preventive measures in the catchment areas and educating the local people about the dreaded disease. — PTI

Woman tourist dies at Taj Mahal
AGRA: A woman tourist from Indore died after she slipped and fell on the marbled surface of the Taj Mahal after the city was hit by rain and thundershowers. Hasina Bano Chaudhary lost her balance and fell from the main marble structure on Saturday. Central Industrial Security Force personnel guarding the monument tried to take her to the hospital, but she collapsed at the main gate due to profuse bleeding from the head. — IANS

Four Maoist guerrillas killed in Jharkhand
RANCHI: Four Maoist guerrillas were shot dead on Sunday in a gunbattle with security personnel in Jharkhand's Hazaribagh district, the police said. A woman rebel was arrested. According to the police, the encounter took place on Sunday morning near Chunramandu village, Hazaribagh district, around 130 km from Ranchi. — IANS

Maharashtra pollution board to screen Al Gore’s film
MUMBAI: “An Inconvenient Truth”, a documentary on the Earth's climate crisis, which features former US vice-president and Nobel laureate Al Gore, will be screened at the Environmental Film Festival here on June 5, World Environment Day. The three-day festival, being organised by the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board, will showcase films by several globally renowned environmental filmmakers, board member-secretary Sanjay Khandare said. — PTI