Mumbai, February 20
Shiv Sena supremo Bal Thackeray, whose relationship with the new BJP president is at best frosty, today hit out at Nitin Gadkari for suggesting a compromise in the Babri Masjid-Ram Janmabhoomi dispute.

In a signed editorial in party mouthpiece ‘Saamna’, Thackeray virtually attacked Gadkari for “betraying” Hindus for his appeal yesterday to Muslims to help resolve the issue. Euphemistically titled "Strengthen the Tent", the editorial asked Gadkari not to forget the “sacrifices” of kar sevaks who lost their lives in demolishing the Babri Masjid.

“The struggle at Ayodhya should not go in vain… the martyrs of the Ram Janmabhoomi movement should not curse the crusaders of Hindutva. We request the BJP to remain honest to Hindutva,” the editorial attributed to Thackeray said.

The Shiv Sena boss also warned Gadkari that there were no Muslim leaders in India who could speak on behalf of the community. “Which Muslim organisation or leader will take the responsibility to give justice to the wandering soul of Hindus? The remote control that controls the Muslims lies in Pakistan,” Thackeray said.

The editorial stated that if the Muslims wanted to give justice to the Hindus in the first place, so much bloodshed at Ayodhya would have been avoided. “And if the Hindus wanted peace, they could have asked the Imam of Jama Masjid for some land to construct the Ram Temple and we could have saved ourselves the trouble,” it read. Sounding like the missives of Bal Thackeray of old, the editorial wondered why the Muslims of India were fighting with the Hindus on behalf of a foreign invader like Babar. “What relation does Babar have with Ayodhya?” the editorial asked. He wrote the Muslims need not be disturbed by the destruction of the Babri Masjid. “When Muslims around the globe are silent about Islamic terrorists attacking mosques in Pakistan, why are they worried about a mosque in India.”.

Thackeray hit out at Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for his remarks about giving Muslims their due in the country. “The Prime Minister of this country says Muslims have the first right over India’s resources and 80 crore Hindus keep quiet. Muslims have everything and Hindus have to plead with the Muslims for even their Ram temple,” the Shiv Sena chief said.

Lucknow, February 20
Bundelkhand once again became the victim of the state-Centre tug-of-war. The Uttar Pradesh Chief Secretary and the Principal Secretary, Rural Development, were absent from the much-awaited meeting to discuss convergence of Central schemes in the Bundelkhand region specially convened for Uttar Pradesh in Jhansi today.

While denying reports that Chief Secretary Atul Kumar Gupta did not attend the meeting due to his busy schedule as reported in a section of the press quoting Minister of State for Rural Development Pradeep Jain Aditya, the state government press release claimed that the Chief Secretary in fact had not been invited either in writing or verbally.

“How is the participation of the Chief Secretary possible when he had not been invited,” said the release.

Explaining the inability of Principal Secretary( Rural Development) Shrikrishna’s inability to attend the workshop, the official release said that as he was also looking after the horticulture department, his presence at the pre-scheduled Flower and Vegetable Exhibition at the Governor’s House over the weekend was mandatory as he was in charge of the show that the Governor was attending. “Information about the inability of the Principal Secretary to make it to the meeting had been passed on to the Central government on February 10 with the request to fix an alternative date so that the Principal Secretary could attend,” pointed out the official release.

Defending the state government, the press release asserted that Rural Development Commissioner Sanjeev Kumar and Special Secretary B L Aggarwal are being sent as representatives of the department. Besides them, district magistrates and chief development officers (CDOs) of 13 districts, including seven UP districts of Bundelkhand, are attending the meeting.

On the demand of the state government, a separate meeting was scheduled in Jhansi in the UP part of Bundelkhand today. 

New Delhi, February 20
A united Opposition today sought comprehensive discussions on price rise during the Budget Session of the Lok Sabha, commencing here on Monday.

Joined by UPA allies, the Trinamool Congress and the DMK, opposition parties led by the BJP broached the food inflation issue at the meeting of the political party chiefs which Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar convened here today.

With the BJP and the Left threatening disruption of House proceedings if price rise were not allowed to be debated on the first working day of the session - February 23, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said the government was willing to discuss “all issues, including the foreign secretary-level talks between India and Pakistan”.

He said this at the lunch meeting with the leaders; earlier Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee had taken the same line during the official meeting of the Speaker.

Leader of Opposition Sushma Swaraj, meanwhile, made it clear that the Lok Sabha would be allowed to run smoothly if the government brought up the inflation issue on February 23.

On February 22, the day the House commences, the President will address the joint session of Parliament.

Even the Left, led by CPM’s Basudeb Acharia and CPI’s Gurudas Dasgupta, stated in the meeting that they would bring an adjournment motion if inflation discussions were delayed beyond February 23.

The CPI further demanded a white paper on price rise, seeking explanations from the government on what and where things went wrong.

With unanimity across sections on the inflation issue, the BJP also demanded discussions on Maoist violence (along with the Left), the Ranganath Mishra Report and the Justice S. Ahmad Report on autonomy in Jammu and Kashmir.

The BJP, it is learnt, also sought a debate on Indo-Pak talks on February 25, the day foreign secretaries of the two countries are slated to meet in the Capital. “We opposed this demand. It would be improper for the Lok Sabha to discuss the matter on the day the talks are held. We can schedule the discussions on any other day,” CPI’s Dasgupta told The Tribune.

Among others at the meeting were Sudip Bandopadhayay of the TMC, Nama Nageswar Rao (TDP), M Thambidurai (AIADMK), and TKS Elangovan (DMK). The Biju Janata Dal remained unrepresented.

Chandigarh, February 20
The government’s ambitious programme to automate and computerise the collection and maintenance of all land records in the country has reached a dead end. Not only is inadequate financial allocation hampering the mammoth project, but questions have also been raised over the manner the project is being implemented.

Termed as the National Land Record Modernisation Programme (NLRMD), the project was allocated Rs 581 crore under the 11th Five-Year Plan, which a parliamentary committee review found to be “hardly commensurate” with the work involved.

To make matters worse, the project’s executing agency, the Department of Land Resources has not been allocated any funds since 2010-2011. The matter has been taken up with the Planning Commission.

Launched in August 2008, the NLRMP was conceptualised as a major system and reform initiative concerned not merely with computerisation, updating and maintenance of land records and validation of titles, but also as a programme to provide a comprehensive database for planning developmental, regulatory and disaster management activities by providing location-specific information.

However, against a target of 210 districts by the end of 2009, only 102 districts were covered by the programme. Going by the present pace, the target of covering all 455 districts in the country by 2012 is “unachievable by any stretch of imagination”.

The NLRMP was envisioned as a time-bound programme to cover the entire country by the end of the 12th Plan through a “ladder-like” approach, with a primary ladder for conclusive title and a secondary ladder for archival purposes.

In Punjab, the process has begun in two districts, while in some northeastern states like Manipur and Nagaland, the work is complete but requires evaluation.

Chennai, February 20
Opposing the decision of the Supreme Court to constitute a five-member panel to study the safety of the Mullaiperiyar dam, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi today said his government would neither accept the committee nor nominate a member to it.

"When the Kerala government refused to comply with the Supreme Court's verdict in 2006 and passed a law to invalidate the judgment, was there any legal problem?" Karunanidhi shot back, when asked if Tamil Nadu government's stand opposing the Supreme Court decision would lead to a constitutional crisis.

To a query about how the Tamil Nadu government would face the situation legally, the Chief Minister again asked, "Did Kerala follow the law, when it enacted a legislation to invalidate the Supreme Court judgment?".

Explaining a resolution passed by the DMK general council today, the Chief Minister said already the Supreme Court had come to the conclusion that the dam was safe and had delivered a verdict on February 2006, allowing Tamil Nadu to raise the storage level to 142 feet.

Pointing out that the apex court judgment given in 2006 was based on the report given by an expert panel constituted by the Supreme Court itself, Karunanidhi said there was no need to constitute another committee for the same purpose. Since it was unnecessary, Tamil Nadu would not be party to a review on the same issue again, he said. To a question, the Chief Minister said the Centre should intervene in the Mullaiperiyar dam dispute and find a solution to the issue.

"The Centre should intervene in all water disputes arising between states, discuss the issue with the state governments and find a solution to the dispute", he said.

New Delhi, February 20
The Supreme Court has advised senior government officials to shun “arrogance and vanity” and exercise their authority not only judiciously but also compassionately.

Further, people in power and authority should not easily lose equanimity and composure and should be sensitive to the problems of their subordinates, particularly those who are humble and modest.

A Bench comprising Justices Dalveer Bhandari and AK Patnaik expressed the sentiments while taking exception to the dismissal of a CRPF head constable, Angad Das. Das, recruited as a constable in 1969, was served a show cause notice in 1995 for providing a wrong date of birth. He was given compulsory retirement in June 1996, but this punishment was enhanced to removal from service a few months later after he sought re-employment on compassionate grounds as he had to meet educational and marriage expenses of five daughters.

The apex court said there was no provision in law to treat a letter of request for re-employment as an appeal against compulsory retirement. The CRPF would have been fully justified in either accepting or declining the request of Das for re-employment, but “astonishingly” treated it as an appeal against the punishment.

Parambikkulam, February 20
Parambikkulam wildlife sanctuary in central Kerala was yesterday declared the country’s 38th Tiger reserve as part of efforts to protect the big cat.

Spread over 643.65 sq km in Palakkad and Thrissur districts, Parambikkulam is the second tiger reserve in Kerala after Periyar in Idukki district. Formally declaring the area as a tiger reserve, Union Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh said Rs 2 crore would be allotted for tiger preservation in Kerala.The government would also pay Rs 10 lakh each to 73 families of the 240 in the area who have opted to move out for their rehabilitation. Of the total area of the Parambikkulam reserve, 390.88 sq km would comprise core area and rest buffer area. The reserve is spread over forest divisions of Chalakkudy, Vazhachal and Nenmara.

Wildlife officials said Periyar and Parambikkulam reserves together have the most conducive and healthy environment for growth and sustainability of tiger population. — PTI

BRIEFLY

Pune blast toll rises to 13
Mumbai:The death toll in the last week’s bomb blast at German Bakery in Pune went up to 13 with two more injured succumbing to injuries on Saturday. Atul Ganpat Anap, an employee of Reliance Communications, died at Pune’s KEM Hospital, while Sudanese student Ahmed Amjad Elzazoli passed away at the Budhrani hospital this morning. Ahmed was a student of Wadia College in the city. He became the fourth foreigner to lose his life in the blast. — TNS

CAT results postponed
Ahmedabad: The results of Common Admission Test (CAT)-2009 have been deferred to February-end, an official statement from the convener of CAT-2009 at the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad (IIM-A), said here on Saturday. — PTI