New Delhi, March 5
Dismissing the BJP’s charge that India had started talks with Pakistan under the American pressure, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today firmly ruled out any role for a third party in settling differences between the two South Asian neighbours.

Replying to the two-day debate in Parliament on the motion of thanks to the President for his address to a joint sitting of the two Houses, he said he had met President Barack Obama on several occasions since the latter’s inauguration in January last year. “I categorically state that not once has he (Obama) sought to pressurise India into taking one position or the other. On the contrary, he has always expressed understanding of the position we have taken from time to time. I would urge the Opposition not to spread disinformation on sensitive aspects of our foreign policy.”

Singh also sought to set the record straight on some of his comments made during the Saudi Arabia trip, which gave an impression that he wanted the kingdom’s assistance in dealing with Pakistan. He explained that he had discussed the issue of terrorism with the Saudi leadership since the Arab nation was also affected by the scourge. Reaffirming that that no offer was made seeking mediation, he said India would deal directly with Pakistan.

Defending the decision to hold the Foreign Secretary level talks with Pakistan, Singh said India’s policy towards Islamabad was consistent, cautious and realistic. He said he had never believed that the channels of communication with Pakistan should break down since the chances of miscalculation could only increase in an environment of no contact. The decision to resume talks was not sudden but a calculated one based on weighing all the costs and benefits. ‘’The fact of the matter is that the rest of the international community despite Pakistan’s role in terrorism is talking to it. So, our not talking to them is not going to isolate them. We have made our point but we cannot wish away the problem by not talking to them.”

Strongly pitching for continuing dialogue, he said it was also equally true that for any meaningful dialogue to proceed, the terror machine has to be controlled by Pakistan even if non-state actors were at work.

On Afghanistan, the Prim Minsiter declared India’s firm resolve to assist the people of the war-ravaged nation in securing their right to determine their destiny. On the recent terrorist attack in Kabul, he said ‘this cowardly act’ would not bend the will of the people of India. Referring to relations with China, the Prime Minsiter said the two countries were committed to maintaining peace and tranquility on the border, pending the resolution of the border question.

New Delhi, March 5
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today gave it back to BJP leader LK Advani who had, day before yesterday, accused the UPA of failing on various counts, including the foreign policy front.

Today, it was Manmohan Singh’s turn to counter attack, and he did so well, mentioning Advani four times in his long speech. The first reference to the BJP leader came in context of farmers’ suicides. While Advani had accused the government of putting money into the hands of banks instead of farmers’ in the name of debt waiver, the PM rejected the argument, saying the UPA had been very sensitive to the issue and had done everything possible to solve the agrarian crisis.

“It had been said that the loan waiver scheme has not helped farmers and it helped only banks. Nothing can be farther from the truth. It is surprising that we forget that nearly Rs 70,000 crore that was recoverable from farmers was not recovered,” he said. The PM further countered Advani on the latter’s accusation that the UPA had not implemented one-rank, one-pension scheme. The committee formed for the purpose never recommended one rank one pension. It asked to enhance the pensionary benefits of personnel below officer rank and commissioned officers. This was accepted,” said the PM, adding that of the seven recommendations of the committee, five have had implemented and two will soon be implemented.

The most important clarifications the PM gave to Advani today pertained to the latter’s demand to recall India’s black money stored in foreign banks and the accusation that the government was acting under US pressure. On the black money front, the PM said 20 countries and jurisdictions had been prioritised for entering into agreements regarding exchange of information and assistance in collection of taxes.

Kolkata, March 5
Within 24 hours of Kishenji’s fresh offer for talks to Home Minister P Chidambaram, Maoists and joint action forces were involved in a gunbattle in the Jangalmahal area of west Midnapore today.

The police said Kishenji’s lieutenant Badal led the attack, but could not be arrested. Two Maoists were severely injured but were carried back into the nearby jungles of Jharkhand by their companions.

Fighting lasted for over an hour in the Sirshi village area in the morning before the police forced Maoists to retreat. Later, the police recovered a huge stock of firearms, detonators, 350 live bullets and about 250 kg explosives from a Maoists den in the Jangalmahal area.

Yesterday, Kishenji had sent e-mails to several local TV channels expressing “willingness” to hold talks with the state government, provided all arrested Maoists - including Telegu Deepak, arrested two days ago - were released unconditionally. But today, before receiving any response from the government side, Maoists launched a fresh attack. DGP Bhupender Singh, who interrogated Deepak at the CID headquarters yesterday, said the Maoists were now re-grouping themselves for launching a bigger attack.

Lucknow, March 5
A day after 63 persons were killed in stampede, the state government registered a case against the managers and organisers of the ‘bhandara’ in the Mangadh ashram. No arrests were made till late in the evening.

According to Pratapgarh SP Mahesh Kumar Misra, the case has been registered under Section 304 (A) (causing death by negligence) of the IPC against Kripalu ji Parishad that had organised the function. The case does not name any accused.

Head of the ashram Sri Kripalu ji Maharaj has announced a compensation of Rs 1 lakh each to the kin of the victims and Rs 10,000 each to those injured. According to reports the Prime Minister has also announced compensation of Rs 2 lakh each for the dead.

However, the state government is yet to announce any compensation. Senior minister Naseemuddin Siddiqui, who was sent to the accident site by the Chief Minister, said announcing compensation was privilege of the CM who may announce it after the inquiry report is submitted.

AICC General Secretary and Amethi MP Rahul Gandhi has arrived in Allahabad earlier in the day and headed for Pratapgarh. His convoy stopped at various villages to share the grief with the families of the dead. Later in the evening, he was to arrive at the ashram hospital to meet the injured.

Heart-rending scenes were visible at the ashram hospital, Allahabad hospital and in the vicinity of the ashram as many relatives of the dead were seen running from pillar to post trying to know about their kin.

The ashram authorities had locked its gates to visitors and the police was deployed outside. A large number of local villagers who had gone to inquire about their missing family members had to return disappointed as there was no one to volunteer information.

A distraught Ram Kumar, a resident of a nearby village, said, “My granddaughter is missing since yesterday and there is nobody to tell us where she may be. Her name is not in the injured list and the police has shooed us away. We have not been allowed to look at the bodies either.”

Allahabad Divisional Commissioner Ajay Kumar Upadhyay has started a probe. He visited the site of the accident and spoke to the injured. He is expected to submit a preliminary report to the state government later in the evening.

Guwahati, March 5
UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi has said the Centre would soon unveil an urban health mission on the lines of National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) to look after healthcare needs of urban poor and slum dwellers.

Addressing a function at Mawdiangdiang on the outskirts of Meghalaya’s capital Shillong today, the Congress president said: “We felt the need for an NRHM-like programme for urban areas in order to improve health infrastructure across the country.”

Gandhi was here to formally inaugurate the North Eastern Indira Gandhi Regional Institute of Health and Medical Sciences (NEIGRIHMS) at Mawdiangdiang, 7 km from Shillong. She also assured of incentives to make NEIGRIHMS attract and retain reputed faculties in response to Meghalaya Chief Minister DD Lapang’s remarks about problems faced by the institution due to lack of adequate number of academicians and doctors.

Notably, NEIGRIHMS, which is India’s third post-graduate medical institute after AIIMS (New Delhi) and PGIMER (Chandigarh), had been functioning for five years sans any formal inauguration. Also present on the occasion was Union Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad, who said: “Shortage of doctors is a nationwide phenomenon and we are looking into it seriously. We are planning to increase the seats of all medical colleges to tide over the crisis.” He informed that the Department of Ayush would be setting up an ayurvedic institute at NEIGRIHMS.

New Delhi, March 5
Even as the intellectual and political class debates what kind of action needs to be taken against the Naxals, Union Home Secretary GK Pillai today sounded alarm bells saying the Naxals were using military tactics followed by “good” Armies and added former army men were probably helping them.

To eradicate the menace will be a “long and a bloody war”, the Home Secretary said as he addressed a seminar on “Left Wing Extremism Situation in India”, at a leading think-tank IDSA. Pillai said Maoists are probably getting help from some ex-Army men and have plans to overthrow the Indian state through their armed struggle and control the government by 2050.

Pillai said the Maoists might be getting the help of some former soldiers in carrying out subversive activities. They are very highly motivated, highly trained. I am quite certain that there are some, may be some ex-Army or some people who have been with them,” the home secretary said.

Home secretary reasoned out his conclusion saying, after launching any attack, the Naxals conduct a post-mortem and analyse the whole operation. “After every attack, they do a post-mortem and analysis. The analysis is as good as armed forces of any country does.”

On Maoists’ plans, Pillai said according to a booklet circulated by Naxals, they are looking for at 2050, some documents say in 2060. The Home Secretary said 908 people have lost their lives last year, the highest since 1971, in Naxal violence and it may go up in this year.

On the ongoing operations, he said not even 5 per cent of hardcore militants have been hit. “The real armed cadres are yet to come out.” Unless they feel the heat they will not come for talks and whatever statement they were making about peace was not serious, he added.

Pillai blamed the Bihar government is a “little soft” in taking any “hard action” against Maoists since assembly elections are scheduled later this year. “Bihar has got elections coming in November so they are a little bit soft in taking any hard action,” Pillai said about the situation in Bihar.

“The Chief Minister of Bihar has his views on how to tackle it. He is responsible for law and order in the state and if he feels that his method is the best, we are quite okay by it. Then he shouldn’t ask for additional paramilitary forces or so long he is able to control the situation by himself.

Hyderabad, March 5
On their maiden visit to Andhra Pradesh, the members of the Justice Srikrishna Committee treaded cautiously to escape being caught in the Telangana minefield.

“We are not saying give Telangana and we are not saying don’t give Telangana. We are applying our mind to the problem,” Justice Srikrishna told reporters here today, wrapping up the five-member panel’s preliminary visit to the city. The committee would look into the issue in accordance with the Terms of Reference (ToR) framed by the Centre, the retired SC judge said.

The panel, comprising social scientists and legal experts, was set up last month with a mandate to submit its report by the end of December this year.

As per the ToR, the committee has been asked to examine the situation in the state with reference to the demand for separate Telangana state as well as the demand for maintaining the present status of a united Andhra Pradesh. “We are applying our mind to the reference given to us. At this stage, there is no question of prejudging various options. The committee is focused on inquiry and investigation of the terms of reference,” Justice Srikrishna said.

The committee would commence the process of consultations with various stakeholders, including political parties and social groups, next month. “We will listen to everybody, examine the material and come up with whatever our talents prompt us to arrive at. We will then put it before the government of India and it is for the government to decide,” he said.

Expressing satisfaction over the maiden two-day trip during which the committee members met Governor ESL Narasimhan, Chief Minister K Rosaiah and leaders of various parties over dinner hosted by the Governor last night, Justice Srikrishna said “It was only a preliminary tour to make sure that infrastructure is in place when we take up discussions with stakeholders.”

Pro-Telangana activists staged protests near airport and Lake View Guest House where the committee members were put up. Asked about the regional divide among the major political parties over Telangana issue, Justice Srikrishna said the committee would hear any number of opinions from each party.

The BJP boycotted the proceedings of the Srikrishna committee on the ground that it lacks legal backing and stayed from the dinnerdinner hosted by Governor ESL Narasimham. However, the TRS, spearheading the Telangana statehood agitation, was initially thinking of staying away from the committee but party chief K Chandrasekhara Rao finally made it to the dinner.