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CJI: Graft besets rural job scheme
Gowda keen to evolve third front
Sangh inches away from Pragya, Purohit
Cong: No to poll alliance with AUDF
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Global Meltdown
Plot to kill RSS leaders
Police harassing Pragya: Advani
Indian woman found dead in US
Journalist shot dead in Assam
Gen Kapoor to visit SA, Bostwana
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CJI: Graft besets rural job scheme
Bangalore, November 22 The scheme seeks to ensure livelihood security and improve the purchasing power of rural households through the payment of statutory minimum wages for work undertaken. In the process the NREGS also seeks to check rural-urban migration and deploy labour for building public works, he said in his address to a regional conference on the scheme. He, however, said though the scheme had received some favourable reports in limiting distress migration in some districts, there were several systemic problems. It was not uncommon to come across accounts of falsification of records, records indicating that a particular individual had worked only for a few days on a site whereas the reality would be the same person had been engaged there for much longer period. There were frequent reports about falsification of wage records. Local contractors also denied access to muster rolls on demand by workers and activists. He said these problems could be addressed through persistent efforts of the civil society, institutions and legal system. “It is important for individuals to be aware of their entitlements under the scheme and to collectively participate in social audits concerned with NREGS,” he said. Social audits could provide a method to gauge the effective implementation of the scheme and shape decisions on nature of projects to be undertaken, he said.
— PTI
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Gowda keen to evolve third front
New Delhi, November 22 Gowda currently here after a very successful and impressive public rally in Bangalore has been working at evolving the third front, which at the moment merely consists of the JD-S and the Left. TDP led by N Chandrababu Naidu is also joining the front but a formal announcement is awaited. But both Naidu and Gowda have been very keen to expand the ambit of this alliance and to get Jayalalitha to join them, notwithstanding her past association with the saffron brigade. Gowda therefore felt very encouraged over the latest development of CPI general secretary A.B. Bardhan meeting Jayalalitha, ignoring the possibility that Jayalalitha could switch sides and jump on to the BJP bandwagon, after elections if L.K. Advani got his numbers to form the next government at the Centre. Thankfully for Gowda’s efforts, the CPI too is keen on this tie-up. And the CPM though a bit reluctant, is also falling in line. Bardhan, who met Jayalalitha in Chennai on Tuesday at her invitation, felt that there were “positive indications” when asked about the possibility of a tie-up between the Left and the AIADMK. He qualified it by saying the CPI and the CPM would decide jointly. But there were clear indications from the CPI that the alliance between Jayalalitha and CPI was as good as done. The CPM on the other hand is facing a serious dilemma. Formally CPM general secretary Prakash Karat said, “Bardhan has met her. We have not met her. We will discuss the issue in our Politburo. Then only we will decide anything.” Bardhan also dismissed her past saying, “But she also withdrew the Bill (banning religious conversions).” And for past association with the BJP he said, “Chandrababu Naidu (TDP supremo) was also with the BJP earlier.” Jayalalitha is reported to have clarified to the Left leader that their alliance will only be pre-poll. When the communists sought assurance from her against going with the BJP after the elections, Jayalalitha was reported to have reminded them of their preference for the Congress as against the BJP and added, they could then not complain if she chose her allies after the elections. Privately however, CPM sources conceded that it had also made up its mind to go with her. A party insider said, “What is the choice?” Asked about her past and future, the CPM source said, “We are not ignoring that. We are considering that also. But in our 18th party Congress in Delhi (in April, 2005), we had come to the conclusion that for the time being we can have only election to election alliance. So we also want to restrict our alliances only up to the elections.” After the elections a new situation could develop,” he indicated.
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Sangh inches away from Pragya, Purohit
New Delhi, November 22 The Sangh and its sister organisations, which had been campaigning in favour of Pragya Singh Thakur, Lt Col Shrikant Purohit and Swami Amritnanad Pandey, made no mention of any of these names when it held its first press conference on the issue here today. Madan Das Devi, who spoke to the media, also declared that the Sangh was completely opposed to violence. He said, “There is no such thing as Hindu terrorism. If any individuals are involved in acts of terror, then they should be caught and punished. We reject the government move of trying to create Hindu terrorism.” He also said, “According to some leaks by the ATS supari (contract killing) was given to eliminate two of our leaders Indresh and Mohanrao Bhagwat. This is a very serious matter and it is the duty of the government to provide security to them. But to leak this information to the media and link this to the Malegaon blasts is most unfair and we condemn this.” Devi also mentioned of the recent ATS disclosure wherein Purohit had reportedly alleged that Indresh had ISI links. He said about Indresh, “I can vouch for this that he has dedicated his entire life to
the nation. We totally reject this charge.” By way of explanation of any possible association Indresh may have had with any suspicious person, the Sangh leader added, “We continue to travel most of the time in a year and while we do don the Sangh uniform we meet everyone and exchange ideas with everyone. We consider the whole humanity as one ‘parivar’ (family). If someone met us it is routine. I plead, do not derive political mileage out of it.” Meanwhile, the BJP too modified its attack on the Congress and the government here today and from alleging that the Congress was trying to project the Hindus as terrorists, it declared that the Congress was trying to project Muslims, Sikhs and Hindus all as terrorists. BJP vice-president Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said, “First, the Sikhs became victims of the Congress attempt to turn them into terorists. Then recently they caught innocent Muslims and when the Muslims became angry, to placate them and protect their vote bank, they have now tried to project Hindus as terrorists.” Sources indicated that national security adviser M.K. Narayanan in his 40-minute meeting with Leader of the Opposition L.K. Advani at his residence here yesterday disclosed some damaging details of the Malegaon blast accused which has toned down the Sangh/BJP strident language against the government on Pragya Thakur and
Purohit.
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Cong: No to poll alliance with AUDF
Guwahati, November 22 “The Congress will have no alliance with the AUDF. The Congress is strong enough on its own and already has an ally in the form of Bodo People’s Front (BPF) in the Bodo tribe dominated areas in the state,” Gogoi said. The AUDF led by perfume mogul Badaruddin Ajmal, who is also the president of Assam state unit of Jamiat Ulama-e-Hind, was formed just before 2006 Assembly polls in Assam as a conglomerate of bout 12 minority political groups. The AUDF won 10 Assembly seats on its maiden election after making inroads into the Congress’ traditional bastion among religious minority voters in the state. In the wake of its archrivals - Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) and the BJP - striking a poll understanding for the Parliamentary elections, a section of Congress leaders in the state were trying to woo the AUDF to keep its minority vote bank intact. Gogoi is not known to enjoy a cordial relation with AUDF president Ajmal and it has been the major hurdle in for setting up of a Congress-AUDF axis in the state politics despite the ruling Congress’ affinity towards minority political groups.
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Global Meltdown
New Delhi, November 22 The party also criticised statement of Leader of the Opposition L.K Advani at the Hindustan Times Leadership Summit on Friday in which he (Advani) criticised the economic policies of the government and accused it of ill-preparedness and responding in a knee-jerk fashion to inflation. “Manmohan Singh is one of the best economists of the world. The party president has already spoken on the economic issue and the agenda ahead at the Leadership Summit,” Congress media department chief M. Veerappa Moily said, adding that Advani used the platform to launch the party’s campaign. Describing Advani’s statement as unfortunate at a time when the entire system should come together to fight the financial crisis, Moily said, “He (Advani) was launching the campaign for the Lok Sabha elections. A leader who wants to become the Prime Minister of the country should have the larger interest of the country in mind. This is the time that we do not fight against each other on the questions of finances. This is the time to come together and workout solutions.”
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Plot to kill RSS leaders
Vidisha (MP), November 22 Addressing an election meeting here, BJP’s prime ministerial candidate said the ATS had made a ridiculous disclosure by claiming that the sadhvi and her associates were planning to kill some RSS leaders. Internal security was a serious matter and all cases related to terrorism should be investigated professionally, Advani said. But the
ATS, he said, was making information public and this was being used for political advantage by the Congress. “I have raised the issue with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh which is related to the affidavit of sadhvi in which she has made very serious allegations against the
ATS,” the BJP leader said. “The national security adviser told me that the allegations are being probed thoroughly,” he
added. Advani said many more persons were killed in the Mumbai serial train blasts but the manner in which the ATS was handling the Malegaon blast, gave rise to
suspicion. He also expressed surprise at various sections of MCOCA being applied to the sadhvi and
others and objected to the use of the term “Hindu terrorism”. — PTI
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Police harassing Pragya: Advani
Sagar (MP), November 22 Advani, while addressing an election meeting here, said Sadhvi Pragya Thakur had sent him a copy of affidavit relating to police harassment. The BJP leader said he had discussed the matter with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and hoped that impartial inquiry would be conducted into the matter. Pointing out that internal security was the measure of performance of any government, he said: “The Centre has failed on the front of internal security and has not been able to control terrorism.” Charging the Congress for playing vote bank politics, he said discussion on political issues as well as achievements was necessary for strengthening democracy, but it was not happening. Praising the Shivraj Singh Chouhan government in Madhya Pradesh, the former deputy Prime Minister appealed the people to vote the BJP to power again.
— UNI
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Indian woman found dead in US
Hyderabad, November 22 Sushma’s family, who received the news yesterday, alleged that her husband Suresh Babu, a software
engineer, could be involved in the murder. “We got a call yesterday from one of our relatives that my daughter was found dead in her house. We have been trying to contact my son-in-law but in vain. We suspect a foul play,” Sushma’s father V. Kanakarajam, a retired assistant director of the state electricity department, told reporters here. Sushma’s family, who originally hails from Karimnagar district, has settled down in the city for several years now. A pall of gloom descended on their home in Himayatnagar area as they are still in the dark on the cause and circumstances of Sushma’s death. Sushma was found dead in the store-room of her house at Northridge city near Los Angeles. She had called up her mother a couple of days ago but there
was no mention of any problem, Kanakarajam said. Sushma, who did engineering degree from a city college, had married Suresh, who also hails from Karimnagar district, in April
last year and moved to the US in August. According to Harika, a close relative of Sushma’s family living in Los Angeles, Suresh had called up and asked him to visit his house saying he had some problem at home. But, by the time Harika reached there, Sushma’s body had been shifted to a hospital for autopsy, he said. The family is refusing to believe reports in a section of
media that Sushma had committed suicide. — PTI
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Journalist shot dead in Assam
Guwahati, November 22 The police informed that the 30-year-old Jagjit Saikia, Kokrajhar-based correspondent of “Amar Asom”, was shot dead by unidentified gunmen from a close range, near his office at Rup Nath Brahma Road in the heart of Kokrajhar town. Saikia received five bullet injuries and was declared brought dead in the local government civil hospital in Kokrajhar. The killing close on the heels of Monday’s killing of another young journalist Konsam Rishikanta at Imphal in Manipur came as a shock to the journalist community in Assam. The secretary of the Guwahati Press Club, Nava Thakuria, has condemned the killing of the journalist at Kokrajhar today and demanded government action to identify and arrest the culprits. Jagjit Saikia has been associated with “Amar Asom” daily for the past six years and is survived by his wife and a minor daughter. Noted Assamese litterateur and editor of “Amar Asom”, Homen Borgohain, while condemning the killing, told the media here that there might be a political angle to the murder of the journalist who was privy to internal politics in the Bodoland Territorial Autonomous District Council (BTADC). The Executive Editor of “Amar Asom”, Prasanta Rajguru, expressed shock over the killing of the “dynamic” journalist and said it reflected the adverse situation in which journalists in the state had to perform their duty. Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi expressed shock over the killing of the journalist and issued instructions to the SP of Kokrajhar district to make an all out effort to nab the culprits. The BTADC council is ruled by the Bodoland People’s Front (BPF), a political party formed by former militants of the now disbanded Bodo Liberation Tiger (BLT), after they had signed a peace accord with the government of India on February 10, 2003. The BPF is an ally of the ruling Congress in Assam.
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Gen Kapoor to visit SA, Bostwana
New Delhi, November 22 The Military relations between India and South Africa have been growing in the past decade through high-level visits, exchanges in training and procurement of military hardware. Gen Kapoor will visit South African Army headquarters, its War College in Pretoria, an Army engineer formation, an air base, a Parachute Regiment Centre and the School of Armour at Bloems Pruit and a naval base in Cape Town. Kapoor will also visit the War Memorial at Fort Klapper Kop, Army sources said here today. During the stay, the Army chief is scheduled to hold wide-ranging discussions with South Africa’s National Defence Forces (SANDF) chief General Godfrey Ngwenya and other senior officers, they said. In the last leg, he will visit Botswana in a bid to further strengthen relations between the two countries. He will go around various military establishments along with the Indian Army’s Training Team (IATT), which is based there to provide military training to the African nation’s forces. He is expected to call on Botswanian President and meet with their Defence minister and Defence Forces Commander Lt Gen T.H.C Masire, the sources said.
— PTI
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Garg, Jain are Punjab and Haryana HC Judges German consulate opened 96th science congress
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