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Amarnath Land Row
Omar for talks with separatists
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Govt considering deemed varsity status to foreign universities
Cash ’n’ Curry?
Judicial probe ordered into killing of VHP leader
10-day police custody
for SIMI activists
More tools developed to crack cyber crimes
ULFA warns pro-talks leader with dire consequences
Demand for Garsain as Uttarakhand capital
U’khand offers Tata motors land to shift Nano project
‘Tripartite meeting solution to Singrur row’
Centre seeks go-ahead for uranium mining
NSG Draft
Chiranjeevi’s grand party launch tomorrow
Turncoats offered cabinet berth
CPI snaps ties with DMK
DMK invites PMK back in alliance Naidu to inherit another NTR legacy
Extended CWC session to discuss poll plans
Koda rules out independents’ support to Soren
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Amarnath Land Row
New Delhi, August 24 Out to gain political mileage, an aggressive PDP president Mehbooba Mufti declared from her residence in the capital today: “We are with the government if they want peaceful resolution of the Kashmir problem. But if they think they can use the Army to coerce peaceful protesters in the Valley, they will have to face us before anyone else.” Accusing the government of following a dual policy in Jammu and Kashmir, Mehbooba said economic blockade in the Valley continued in the wake of agitations over Amarnath land transfer issue. She added that repressive policies would leave her party no option but to join the people’s movement, before appealing to the “Indian leadership to understand that the ongoing protests as well as the PDP’s long-standing demands of self-rule, dual currency, joint governing council and troop withdrawal from the Valley as possible solutions to Kashmir issue, were within the democratic framework of the Indian Constitution.” The PDP chief, however, maintained a disturbing silence on the issue of Pakistani flags being unfurled on Kashmir soil. When asked what she thought of such acts, Mehbooba almost shrugged: “If there is a law, they can be rounded up under it. But the only way to stop this is to resolve the Kashmir issue. Let’s not forget the territory is disputed. To some, unfurling of the Pakistani flag won’t be wrong.” That apart, the PDP leader, while repeating that her party was against the transfer of land to Amarnath Shrine Board for the yatra, said: “the shrine board is a dangerous body with unlimited powers that even the legislature can’t question. Let the government provide all facilities for the yatra. A choice has to be now made between 15 members of the shrine board on the one hand and yatra on the other.” The PDP, meanwhile, is against any unilateral decision in the matter and seeks joint resolution of the issue between the Amarnath yatra Sangharsh Samiti and the recently constituted Kashmir Action Group. Not failing to hold former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad responsible for “inflamed passions” in the state, Mehbooba denied the PDP’s complicity in the transfer, as alleged by Azad. She said the cabinet had on four occasions opposed the land transfer to the shrine board, but Azad was determined to go ahead. When asked what her party’s stand was on the ministers, who aided the land transfer, Mehbooba was quick to shift the blame: “Let people first hold Azad accountable for putting the country on fire. As far as our house is concerned, we will put it in order,” she said, welcoming the recent call of unilateral ceasefire by the United Jehad Council (a joint front of 13 militant groups in PoK), and praising former Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf for his initiatives in moving ahead on the Indo-Pak issue. Coming back to her party’s demands to revoke special powers in the Valley, Mehbooba said elections were impossible in the state unless the government gained legitimacy to hold them.
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Omar for talks with separatists
New Delhi, August 24 “Talks, not curfew, is what is needed to restore normalcy in the state,” he said, adding that the government should stop behaving like an ostrich and thinking everything would be fine once the storm was over. It should instead start looking for ways to get the separatists on board, he said. The NC chief was talking with reference to the administration’s decision of imposing a curfew in the valley ahead of the rally call by the separatist leaders at Lal Chowk tomorrow. Omar said if a dialogue could be held in Jammu to restore peace, why could it not be held in Kashmir?
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Govt considering deemed varsity status to foreign universities
New Delhi, August 24 The thinking is in line with FICCI's (Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry) recommendations to the government, made on August 23. Making a case for attracting quality private players in higher education, FICCI has sought the government to allow setting up of higher education institutions under Section 25 of the Company Act to permit plough-back of surpluses generated into future expansion of the institution. The ministry has to find a way out on this proposal. The confederation has further suggested that to attract corporate and individual contributions, all contributions in education should be considered as business expenses and granted tax exemption. The HRD ministry may forward this proposal to the Finance Ministry for consideration. The reforms recommended by FICCI draw from the current situation, with the Panning Commission saying that the country needs an additional 200 universities. "If we only consider government's new initiatives of establishing 16 central universities, 370 colleges in low-gross enrolment ratio districts, 8 IITs, 7 IIMs, among others, for which Rs 30,682 crore has been allocated, the resource gap identified by the Planning Commission is Rs 2.22 Lakh crore. Private investment is needed to meet gaps," FICCI has said in its recommendatory note to the government, while suggesting major policy changes, including end to ambiguity regarding private sector participation in higher education. "There is also a need to redefine accreditation system to match global benchmarks and help sustain quality institutions," says FICCI, which has been asking for de-linking accreditation and quality assurance mechanisms from their regulatory bodies - the UGC and AICTE. The government is already working on these lines. "This will encourage inward flow of foreign students and help revenue generation. Currently, 84,000 Indian students study in US but only 1,600 US students study in India," FICCI says, pitching for a unified accreditation process managed by institutions themselves through Internal Quality Assurance Cells (IQAC). For regulation, the FICCI committee members favour a single regulatory authority, independent of the government; and has recommended to the government to grant autonomous status to institutions that have run well for five years. Fee determination, argues FICCI, should be left to market forces and should not be done in standard format through fee committees. The confederation's answer to faculty shortage is academic flexibility. "Faculty remains underutilised as AICTE norms rigidly specify course-specific faculty with no concern for pedagogic treatment. For example, a subject concerned may require less number of hours of duty than the specified number of teaching days in a year. This attitude needs to change," FICCI says, underlining the need to attract quality professionals from industry to teach at universities. For this to happen, flexibility is needed so that a professional with 10 years of industry experience can be equated to a PhD, FICCI reasons, highlighting the urgency of changes in accreditation policy, where an independent, self-financing institution, which may not have affiliation to any university, is allowed to apply for accreditation unlike the present system where affiliates alone are allowed.
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Cash ’n’ Curry?
Judicial custody for
Nirmal Nirmal Singh, a co-accused in the case, was today sent to judicial custody by a local court. While his statement under Section 164 of the CrPC was recorded in the court of Judicial Magistrate First Class Paramjit Kaur. According to the prosecution, Nirmal Singh and Rajiv Gupta came to the police station after the bag containing Rs 15 lakh was delivered at the residence of Justice Nirmaljit Kaur was recovered by the police on August 13. The duo informed the police that the money was to be delivered to Nirmal Singh at his house in Sector 18 and was erroneously delivered at the residence of Justice Nirmaljit Kaur in Sector 11. The duo further said the money was delivered pertaining to a sale deed between Rajiv Gupta and Delhi-based property dealer Ravinder Singh, and a copy of the sale deed was also given. Nirmal Singh is the third accused in the case, who is likely to become prosecution witness.
Chandigarh, August 24 After groping in the dark for over a week, the police got a clue about the whereabouts of Ravinder Singh today, following which an additional police party, headed by a senior officer, was dispatched to Delhi immediately. According to police sources, the clue came from the ongoing surveillance of various telephone numbers, both mobile and landline, of family members of the suspect. The party joined the other team of the local police, which has been camping in Delhi for the past few days. According to the sources, raids are likely to be conducted tonight and senior officials in the city are hopeful of a breakthrough. Speculations are rife that Ravinder Singh is evading his arrest till the completion of the remand period of former Haryana’s additional advocate-general Sanjeev Bansal, another main accused in the case. “This is being apparently done to avoid a face-to-face custodial interrogation with the other main accused”, the sources added. Ravinder Singh was the man, who sent a packet containing Rs 15 lakh through Bansal, which was delivered wrongly to a Punjab and Haryana High Court Judge. Except Ravinder, the police has arrested all accused.
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Judicial probe ordered into killing of VHP leader
Bhubaneswar, August 24 Patnaik, who chaired a high-level meeting at the state secretariat here following the killing of the swami and four others last night, said combing operations had been intensified in the area soon after the incident to nab the miscreants. Describing the killing of the swami as ''most unfortunate'', the Chief Minister said two inspector generals of police and as many deputy inspector generals of police, along with police reinforcements, were rushed to Kandhmal to maintain the law and order situation. The Chief Minister announced a compensation of Rs two lakh to the next of kin of those killed in the incident and said additional forces would be mobilised and deployed in Kandhmal to control the situation in the wake of killing of the swami. Reports reaching from various places meanwhile, said angry VHP and Bajrang Dal supporters resorted to road blockades at several places in the state and forced the business establishments to down their shutters to protest the killing. Several Hindu outfits, led by the Hindu Jagaran Samukhya, called for Orissa bandh tomorrow demanding immediate arrest of the assailants. Meanwhile, the death toll in last night’s firing where Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) functionaries, including Swami Laxmananda Saraswati, a prominent leader in communally-sensitive Kandhmal District, were killed by suspected Maoists, late last night when Janmashtami celebrations were on has gone up to five. Nearly 30 armed persons entered the Laxamanananda Ashram in Jalespata under Tumudibandh block and fired indiscriminately, leaving Laxmanananda Saraswati and four others dead. Immediately after the firing the armed group fled away, official sources said.
— Agencies
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10-day police custody
for SIMI activists
Ahmedabad, August 24 The four accused, Kamruddin Nagori, who is brother of Safdar Nagori, Ameel Pervez, second-in-command in the organisation, Shibly and SIMI’s Karnataka operations chief Hafiz Hussain, were produced before metropolitan magistrate J.K. Pandya by the police. Yesterday, the police had produced the four accused, who were brought here on production warrants from the Indore central jail, and sought 14-day remand but Pandya asked the police to produce them after 24 hours. As the deadline expired today at 3 p.m., the police produced them in the court. While seeking 14-day remand, the police said the accused were earlier in a Madhya Pradesh jail and had hatched the blast conspiracy there. The police wanted to ascertain who were their other accomplices. The explosives used in the Ahmedabad blasts were bought from MP but the police wanted to know from where they purchased the explosives and how they brought it to Ahmedabad. Moreover, the police will also investigate sources of financial funding of the terror plot. The police were also trying to ascertain about other persons, who took part in terror training camps held in Kerala and Pavagadh in Gujarat. After hearing the police arguments, the metropolitan magistrate granted 10-day police remand and asked the police to produce them before the court on September 3.
— UNI
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More tools developed to crack cyber crimes
Thiruvananthapuram, August 24 Emailtracer, cybercheck, siman and calltrack are some of the softwares developed indigenously by the Resource Centre for Cyber Forensic (RCCF) here. The RCCF, under the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC), has emerged as the premier national centre for development of investigative tools through authentic analysis of cyber crimes and using well-established methods and techniques, C-DAC chief administrative officer P.G. Gopinath said. Emailtracer, a cyber forensic analysis tool, incorporates graphical features to help investigators easily track sender’s identity in cases of anonymous and threatening emails. It can also be used to retrieve information from mailbox files with extensions. The device can trace any email received by anyone, he said. This tool analyses the e-mail header and gives complete details of the sender, including IP address, the key point in finding the culprit, he said. It gives the geographical location of the sender, he said. The cybercheck is a windows-based application, which allows law enforcement agencies to analyse hard disk content, including deleted files. Siman is a device to read and analyse GSM SIM cards, while calltrack enables an investigating agency to access data of calls from any network provider and formats it in a standard way for easy analysis, Gopinath said. Another tool, the cyberinvestigator, helps analysts find out different types of virus attacks on computers and also criminal activities using internet, he said. The C-DAC official said the RCCF, an associate member of the national white collar crime Center-NW3C, had assisted law enforcement agencies in analysis of over 175 cyber crimes during the last two years. Another important tool developed by the centre is the network session analyser (NESA) for analysing network packets. The importance of network forensics tools is increasing as cyber crimes related to computer networks are on the rise at a rapid rate, Gopinath said. The major thrust was given to development of tools and technologies and providing training in cyber forensics to personnel of law enforcing agencies. Our mission is to attain self-reliance in key technologies in information security and cyber forensics to help the law enforcement, defence and other government and corporate agencies in the country through development of forensic tools and provide training on information security and cyber forensics, he said. The centre aspires to scale greater heights and help create a clean, secure and reliable cyber space and environment, conducive to growth and advancement, he added.
— PTI
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ULFA warns pro-talks leader with dire consequences
Guwahati, August 24 In a statement e-mailed to the media, the banned outfit warned its expelled battalion commander Jiten Dutta with dire consequences if the latter continued its efforts to cause harm to the outfit. ULFA has reacted sharply to the media reports quoting Jiten Dutta as saying that all top leaders of the 709 battalion of the ULFA were in touch with him as well as the security forces. The ULFA termed it as part of a conspiracy by Jiten Dutta and the security forces to create disillusionment in the ranks of its 709 battalion. Fifteen hardcore cadres of the battalion surrendered before the Army last week. ULFA clarified that none of its leaders was keeping touch with Jiten Dutta or any other expelled leaders and warned Dutta to refrain from indulging in such campaign. The crack ‘A’ and ‘C’ companies of the 28th battalion led by leaders Jiten Dutta and Mrinal Hazarika declared unilateral truce with the Government of India two months back to try facilitate direct talks between the ULFA top brass and the Centre by mobilising strong public opinion for the same. Dutta and his associates have been meeting cross sections of people in the state and holding public meetings to mount pressure on ULFA leadership to hold direct talks with the Government of India sans any pre-condition. The efforts have already been criticised by the outfit which had earlier expelled Dutta and Hazarika from the primary membership of the outfit. Over 70 cadres of the ‘A’ and ‘C’ companies of the 28th battalion of ULFA were now lodged in a designated camp at Chapakhowa in Tinsukia district of upper Assam though the ULFA cadres have not deposited their arms and ammunition to the government. The state government is bearing all the expenditure of the designated camp.
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Demand for Garsain as Uttarakhand capital
Dehra Dun, August 24 UKD workers got their heads tonsured as a mark of protest against the inaction of the state government on the issue and to demand Garsain as capital of the state at local Gandhi park here yesterday. While, the Virender Dixit commission, appointed to select a place for the permanent capital of the state, presented its report after seven years, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Maj-Gen. B.C. Khanduri (retd) has decided to go slow on the emotional issue. "We have given the report to all ministers so that they can go through it," said Chief Minister Khanduri. UKD leaders said Garsain in Chamoli district had long been selected as the proposed capital of the hill state. "It was in 1992 that Garsain was selected as the proposed capital of Uttarakhand which was also ratified by the Kaushik committee constituted by the Uttar Pradesh government," said Shish Pal Bisht, a senior UKD leader. It was argued that capital of the hill state should be in the hills only so that the development of the neglected and far-flung mountainous region could take place. The Uttarakhandi agitationists had declared Garsain, which is in between Garhwal and Kumoan regions, as capital of the hill state long ago and had even laid its foundation stone. The UKD threatened to launch an agitation in case the state government failed to take a decision on the issue and declare Garsain as the permanent capital.
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U’khand offers Tata motors land to shift Nano project
Dehra Dun, August 24 Even before the company's announcement to shift their Nano car plant from Singur in West Bengal, Tata has demanded 300 acres of more land in Pantnagar in Udham Singh Nagar district for their truck factory. However, after the announcement to pull out from West Bengal, Uttarakhand chief secretary Indu Kumar Pande talked to Tata Motors officials to shift the Nano project to the state. State government officials feel that Nano car project will give further boost to the economy of the state besides giving job opportunities. Already, Tata has invested Rs 1,000 crore in the truck manufacturing unit and produces 225,000 'Ace' trucks per annum. A large number of ancillary units have also come up in the Pantnagar industrial estate. Interestingly, while all other state governments are also trying to woo Tatas' to shift their Nano project to their respective states, it is in Uttarakhand that Tata Motors can get excise and other tax benefits. Under the Central Industrial Package, industrial units set up in the hill state till March 31, 2010 will get tax benefits and other incentives. The land allotted for the truck-manufacturing unit was also allotted at cheaper rate and the power tariffs were also the cheapest in the country.
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‘Tripartite meeting solution to Singrur row’
Lucknow, August 24 Addressing a press conference at the conclusion of the three-day Special National Council Meet of his party, an alliance partner of the Left Front government in West Bengal, Biswas said in a democracy, negotiation was the only way to solve a problem. “In the case of
Singrur, the only way is to start talking. The government, the Opposition and the Tatas need to have tripartite talks. Only then can a solution to the problem emerge,” he added. Responding to a question on the Amarnath shrine issue, Biswas held both the Congress and the PDP equally responsible for letting the land dispute accelerate to such an extent. The way out for the Kashmir government was to take the initiative for talks and include all aggrieved parties and also involving the people of both Jammu and Kashmir, he added. Commenting on the
Mayawati-led UNPA and the Left parties coming together at the time of the confidence motion in Parliament, Biswas said this was no long-term arrangement, but an understanding to defeat the UPA government on the nuclear deal issue. He said his party’s understanding that emerged during the council meet was that a political alternative to the two main parties, the Congress and the
BJP, must be developed through people’s action, which means not only the four Left parties but also the 'social left'. Explaining the term he said all individuals, parties or organisations working for land rights or entitlements of the poor should come together. His party would start a nationwide march to initiate such a front that would conclude with a massive rally in Delhi in November. As for tactical supporters Biswas said his party was of the firm opinion that there was no difference between the BJP and the Congress. Similarly, he found no difference between Mulayam Singh Yadav and
Mayawati, just as his party did not distinguish between communal forces and imperialist brokers.
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Centre seeks go-ahead for uranium mining
Guwahati, August 24 The Uranium Corporation of India Limited (UCIL) has started mining projects in Karnataka, Jharkhand and Andhra Pradesh. However, the project hasn’t taken off in Meghalaya because of stiff resistance from peoples’ groups that apprehend “hazards to human health and environment” because of uranium mining. The Central team held separate meetings with the all-party committee on uranium mining, leaders of various NGOs including Khasi Students’ Union, Federation of Khasi Jaintia and Garo People, Garo Students Union etc. The team tried to provide detailed information on uranium mining and allay fears of adverse affects of radiation on human health, environment and land. The Meghalaya Peoples’ Alliance (MPA) government has inherent problem vis-a-vis the project as two of its allies - Hills State Peoples’ Democratic Party (HSPDP) and Khun Hynnewtrap National Awakening Movement (KHNAM) - are opposed to open-cast uranium mining. “We will not allow anyone to start uranium mining until they protect people from radiation. I don’t want to see our people dying due to radiation,” HSPDP chief and deputy Chief Minister Hoping Stone Lyngdoh said.
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NSG Draft
New Delhi, August 24 External affairs minister Pranab Mukherjee held hour- long discussions with the Prime Minister’s Special Envoy on Nuclear Deal Shyam Saran and senior officials of the ministry of external affairs and the Department of Atomic Energy on the issue here. Saran, who returned from Vienna where Nuclear Suppliers Group held two-day meeting on the issue of proposed waiver for India, apprised Mukherjee about the deliberations of the 45-nation grouping on August 21-22 which failed to arrive at any decision. “I briefed the minister about the developments there (in Vienna),” Saran told PTI after the meeting but refused to elaborate. The former Foreign Secretary, who was part of Indian delegation that held a special session with NSG countries in Vienna to put forth India’s case, is understood to have conveyed to Mukherjee the kind of questions raised by some members over grant of exemption to India. The meeting came on the eve of Foreign Secretary Shivshankar Menon’s discussions with US officials in Washington over the amendments to the draft which is to be brought back to the NSG at its next meeting expected on September 4-5. Amid apprehensions here that the amendments could include some elements that could bind India, Mukherjee yesterday made it clear that New Delhi will not accept any “prescriptive conditionalities”.
— PTI
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Chiranjeevi’s grand party launch tomorrow
Tirupati, August 24 With just two days left for the launch, the actor's fans and supporters are actively involved in erecting a 'grand' venue for the event. Chiranjeevi's brother-in-law Allu Aravind, who is in charge of the party campaign, is monitoring the arrangements. Former TDP MLA N. V. Prasad, who was expelled from the party recently, is keenly involved in the programmes. According to sources, more than five lakh people, including non-resident Indians, are expected to attend the meeting.The Railways plan to run more than 18 special trains from various parts of the state to Tirupati, while the APSRTC would operate additional bus services in view of the 'mega' event. All seats are already booked in most of the Tirupati-bound trains and the same is said to be the case with Indian Airlines flights and other private airlines like Deccan and Kingfisher, the sources claimed. A 500-ft-long and 15-ft-high dais will be erected at the site and a media room set up to accommodate 400 mediapersons. Event organisers have booked rooms at all big and small hotels in the town. Meanwhile, a heavy security blanket has been thrown over the venue in view of the recent terrorist attacks in various parts of the country. As many as 3,000 police personnel are to be deployed and 20 private guards will provide security to Chiranjeevi.
— UNI
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Turncoats offered cabinet berth
Bangalore, August 24 The “inducement” offered to opposition legislators here, though, is not bundles of cash. Turncoats in Karnataka are being rewarded with cabinet berths and since the strength of the council of ministers in the state has already reached the limit stipulated by the law, Chief Minister Yeddyurappa has decided to drop some of the ministers from the cabinet to induct the “newcomers”. Sadanand Gowda, Lok Sabha member and party chief in Karnataka, today gave clear indication that the “poaching” of the opposition MLAs by the ruling party has the blessings of the party’s high command. He admitted that a fresh reshuffle of the cabinet was in the pipeline in the state and said the Chief Minister would keep him also in the loop while restructuring the cabinet. Umesh Katti and D.C. Gowrishankar, who won on the JD(S) tickets, are the latest entrants in the BJP. The duo resigned from their Assembly seats to join the BJP. Two ministers will have to be dropped from the Cabinet to offer ministerial berths to Katti and Gowrishankar. Horticulture minister S.K. Bellubbi is one of the ministers already sounded by Chief Minister Yeddyurappa for doing the sacrifice. Bellubbi, of course, was not agreeable to the proposal at first. He even got a demonstration by his supporters organised to oppose his removal. But the party leadership, it appears, has managed to persuade the horticulture minister to agree to quit his post. While talking to reporters here today, Sadanand Gowda claimed that Bellubbi was resigning on his own. He said the horticulture minister had already conveyed his decision to the party. “Bellubbi will give his resignation letter to Yeddyurappa tomorrow when the latter would return to Bangalore from his constituency,” Gowda said. One more minister will have to be dropped to accommodate the two newcomers and the axe is expected to fall on a minister who won as Independent candidate and then gave support to the BJP, which won 110 seats in 224-member house and secured simple majority with the help of the victorious Independent candidates.
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CPI snaps ties with DMK
Chennai, August 24 In a resolution passed at the state council meet at Hosur in Krishnagiri district, the party said it would not have any truck with parties having ties with the Congress and the BJP. The CPI, CPM and the Congress provide outside support to the DMK government in the state. However, even if the CPI, which has six members in the state Assembly withdraws its support, it will not pose any immediate threat to the government as the Congress which has an effective strength of 35 MLAs will continue to support it from outside. C Magendran, deputy secretary of CPI’s Tamil Nadu Unit, told PTI from Hosur that the resolution was unanimously passed in the presence of senior CPI leaders, A.B. Bardhan, D. Raja and Nallakannu. The political resolution came down heavily on the UPA government led by the Congress for several lapses, he said. The next course of action would be taken after consultation with the CPI-M leadership, Magendran added. The relations between the Left and DMK reached a low after the former withdrew its outside support to the Congress-led UPA government at the Centre.
— PTI
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DMK invites PMK back in alliance Chennai, August 24 Karunanidhi, in an interview, said the Democratic Progressive Alliance (DPA) in the state would have been stronger if the PMK continued in the alliance but stressed that the alliance had not been weakened due to its ouster. Karunanidhi’s comments came in the wake of assertions by Left parties that they would not have any tie-up with DMK if the party continued its alliance with the Congress. Earlier in the day, Chidambaram, after meeting Karunanidhi, said the PMK should return to the DPA-fold. “The PMK is still with UPA at the Centre. Due to some difference of opinion, it had gone out of the DPA. Who knows, the PMK could return to the DPA even tomorrow,” Chidambaram said. Reacting to Karunanidhi’s remarks, Ramadoss told PTI that “we will take a decision on our strategy, when the election dates are announced”. The DMK snapped ties with PMK following the outburst by senior PMK leader J Guru against some senior DMK leaders last June. From then on, PMK had opposed the DMK government’s decisions on almost all issues and accused it of acting against the state’s interests. PMK has been advocating a Congress-led alliance for the Lok Sabha polls. DMK-led DPA, which swept the 2004 Lok Sabha polls, consisted of Congress, Left parties, PMK and MDMK. While the MDMK left on the eve of the 2006 assembly elections, PMK was eased out of the alliance by DMK two months ago due to differences. — PTI
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Naidu to inherit another NTR legacy New Delhi, August 24 Naidu, who met BSP president Mayawati here last night, is also likely to invite AIADMK general secretary J. Jayalalithaa if other parties also agreed on this. He got a green signal for this from CPM general secretary Prakash Karat when he met him yesterday. In the process, a meeting of all 10 non-UPA, non-NDA parties, who had joined hands to vote against Manmohan Singh government, planned earlier for later this month, is off for now. With this new arrangement, the Left has quietly distanced itself from the larger Third Front, and instead would oversee a loose UNPA-Mayawati alliance for the time being, according to Left sources. Meanwhile, Prakash Karat, who had gone out of town returned later in the evening, and had a 15-minute meeting with Mayawati. The Left sources said, “Let the UNPA-Mayawati alliance grow, call it by any name they choose to. The Left need not join the alliance right away.” According to CPM sources, under the prevailing political situation, a meeting of the 10 parties, who came together for July 22 vote of confidence, may be premature at the moment. Moreover, there is still no certainty when the Monsoon session of Parliament would be held. The earlier meeting was aimed at working our coordination in the House and that is another reason why this need not be held right away. According to the strategy worked out by Naidu, Karat and Deve Gowda, the UNPA and Mayawati will hold several public meetings and rallies in important towns of the country in which the Left will also come and participate. Once the campaign has sufficiently picked up all over the country, then an impressive rally can be organised in Delhi to announce the birth of a larger non-Congress, non-BJP front together with the Left. This is precisely how NTR gave birth to the National Front in the late 1980s as its chairman and then steered it to power in 1989.
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Extended CWC session to discuss poll plans
New Delhi, August 24 According to sources, the meeting is expected to be attended by top Congress functionaries, Chief Ministers, PCC chiefs and other senior leaders. The party had earlier planned a ‘chintan shivir’ (brainstorming session) outside Delhi but it has not materialised so far. The extended CWC meeting will have a heavy agenda, given the fact that the party has to face assembly elections in key states later this year followed by the Lok Sabha polls. The CWC would discuss the party’s preparedness for the assembly polls in the backdrop of Sonia’s directive that organisational set-ups in the states should be revamped by August. There would also be a discussion on the report of the A.K. Antony committee, particularly the recommendation that Congress candidates for assembly and the Lok Sabha polls be named well in advance so that they had sufficient time for campaigning. There is a section in the party which feels that stitching alliances with regional parties has affected the party’s growth. At the same time, many senior leaders argue that the Congress must opt for alliances as colaition politics was the order of the day. Major issues like the Amarnath land row, Indo-US nuclear deal and spiralling prices will also come up for discussion. The party will have to decide whether the assembly elections could be held in J and K where the row over the Amarnath shrine land has taken an ugly turn. While postponing the polls would not send the right signals, the situation in the state was not conducive to holding elections, the leaders feel.
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Koda rules out independents’ support to Soren
Ranchi, August 24 I will not support the jmm nor join in any government. I am looking into the future and thinking whether to be in the upa or not, koda told newsmen here. Claiming he and five other independent mlas — stephen marandi, joba manjhi, chandraprakash choudhary, enos ekka and harinarain rai — were determined not to support soren, koda however, said he would not shut doors for a dialogue. He was replying to a query whether he would continue with the upa and support the jmm in its attempt to form a government after pulling down his government. He (soren) has many political challenges ahead of him, Koda said indicating the jmm would face a similar fate in mustering the required majority in the 82-member house with one seat vacant. It is all about working out one’s arithmetic. Till yesterday i had the arithmetic, and when i fell short of it i resigned. Now he (soren) has to calculate his arithmetic, koda said, indicating tough times were ahead for the jmm. Politics is always a changing thing and doors for talks should not be shut...But the final decision rests on individuals or parties, koda said when asked whether he would speak to soren if the latter called on him to request his support. Unnecessary step to withdraw support to his government, koda said there was always a possibility of change in politics, but in his (koda’s) case (jmm’s withdrawal) was not necessary. When i was heading the upa, i worked honestly and strove for development...Many unfinished work has been left...But my 23 months governance taught me a lot, which will surely help me if i get a similar chance in the future, he said. Koda said he was ready to contest elections from his jaganathpur constituency if necessary but did not demand fresh elections following his resignation. It is for the raj bhavan to take any decision, koda said when asked whether he would prefer presidential rule to pave way for fresh elections. Dismissing a query whether he regretted quitting bjp and joining the upa to head the jharkahnd government, koda said, I have no such regrets...Though i have some regrets like not holding of panchayat elections. On nda claiming that the governor should invite the single largest party for formation as per established convention, he said it was upto the governor to decide. In a democracy every one has his say, he said.
— PTI
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Taslima may leave India
New Delhi, August 24
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Sukhwinder to sing for Steven Spielberg MLAs defend deputy speaker Theatre festival in New Jersey 
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