Mumbai, April 14
IPL commissioner Lalit Modi has fired yet another salvo at the owners of the Kochi franchise of the Indian Premier League (IPL) team. He said at a press conference that there was still no clarity on the antecedents of the owners of the team.

“As regards all (other) franchisees we know who the owners are. They come, they attend conferences and meetings, but as far as the Kochi team is concerned, we had a question mark,” Modi said.

The IPL commissioner also promised that the details of all owners of other teams would also be put in the public domain. “We will give out the exact stakes of the eight teams soon. We will talk to the governing council to find out if there is an issue at all because I don’t want to get another legal notice from anybody else,” Modi said.

But Modi’s remarks have drawn flak from the Kochi team owners. Media reports have quoted the owners saying that they had provided all details like bank account numbers, PAN cards and other documents.

New Delhi, April 14
With the SP, the RJD and perhaps even the BSP inclined to go along with the Left on the price hike, the government is seen counting its numbers to see its Finance Bill through as Parliament reassembles tomorrow for the second phase of the Budget session.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal appealed for Opposition support.

Bansal’s appeal came soon after a high-powered meeting of senior Congress ministers, including Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, Defence Minister AK Antony and Home Minister P Chidambram, and leaders at UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi’s home this afternoon.

However, the government could draw comfort from the fact that there appeared to be no joint strategy so far of the entire Opposition. The Left along with nine other non-NDA parties is pushing for its cut motions in the Finance Bill to demand a roll back on the hike in petrol and petroleum products’ prices and was busy today consolidating its support.

The NDA, on the other hand, is focusing more on the Dantewada massacre, wherein 46 CRPF personnel were killed. BJP deputy leader in the Rajya Sabha SS Ahluwalia told The Tribune after NDA’s meeting at LK Advani’s residence this evening, “We are going to demand suspension of Question Hour tomorrow to discuss the Maoist attack.”

The NDA will also raise the controversy related to Union Minister of State for External Affairs Shashi Tharoor’s alliance with the IPL.

Notwithstanding the Opposition plans, the government plans to take up the demands of the listed ministries April 19 to 27. On April 27, it will put to guillotine the demands of all the ministries and, thereafter, move for the passage of the Finance Bill.

Bansal has appealed to the Opposition to support the first Budget of UPA-II on the ground that it has successfully overcome the global meltdown through stimuli package of Rs 1.86 lakh crore and, thus, registering a quick recovery.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said on Tuesday he will make a decision on whether to take action against Minister of State for External Affairs Shashi Tharoor for his alleged role in securing an IPL cricket team for his home town Kochi once he returns to New Delhi and has ascertained all the facts.

Tharoor is at the centre of a controversy over allegations that a beautician romantically linked to him received Rs. 70 crore free equity in the Kochi IPL team, which he helped set up.

Manmohan Singh, responding to a question about the controversy at the end of his visit to Washington, said, "I have heard about these things (the allegations against Tharoor). I do not have all the facts before me."

"When I go back, I will get all the facts, and in the light of those, if any action is necessary, I think that would be the proper way to proceed. I cannot go by hearsay or what is appearing in the various columns of the newspapers," he said.

The BJP has called on the Prime Minister to fire Tharoor.

Tharoor defended himself in a statement posted on his Twitter account on Tuesday. He said a consortium "led by Rendezvous was set up to bid for an IPL team. They approached me for help and guidance. I steered them towards Kerala. Rendezvous includes a number of people, including many I have never met, and Sunanda Pushkar, whom I know well."

"The consortium bid successfully in an open and transparent process. Their unexpected success upset the plans of a lot of powerful people, who had wanted the franchise to go elsewhere," he said, adding, "Various attempts were made by (IPL Commissioner Lalit Modi) and others to pressure the consortium members to abandon their bid in favour of another city in a different state."

He denied Modi’s allegation that Tharoor called him during his meeting with investors in the Kochi consortium in Bangalore to press him not to question the composition of the consortium. "I called Modi to ask why he was further delaying the approval of the franchise when all the legal requirements had been fulfilled," Tharoor said.

New Delhi, April 14
The beleaguered minister of state for external affairs Shashi Tharoor may be asked to make a personal statement in the Parliament to respond to the charge that he had “misused his authority” in connection with the ownership of the Kochi IPL franchise as the Opposition is gearing up to corner the UPA government on this issue.

The Parliament is reconvening tomorrow after a three-week recess and the Tharoor episode is going to figure prominently in the list of issues which the Opposition is planning to raise during the course of next three weeks.

There was a reference to the Tharoor controversy during a session-eve meeting convened by Congress president Sonia Gandhi today at her residence. Senior leaders and Union ministers Pranab Mukherjee, AK Antony, P Chidambaram, PK Bansal and Prithviraj Chavan participated in the meeting held primarily to take stock of the issues which are expected to figure in the budget session and how the party and the government plan to tackle them.

Well aware that the Opposition will raise the matter, the general view at this meeting was that Shashi Tharoor be asked to make a personal statement to clarify his position and respond to the allegations being levelled against him.

Tharoor had an hour long meeting with Pranab Mukherjee at his residence late tonight to explain his position. AK Antony was also present.

While the Opposition has upped the ante and demanded Tharoor’s removal from the government, the ruling combine is going slow though the Congress is clearly unhappy over the first-time minister’s penchant to court controversies and is getting tired of defending him whenever he gets into trouble.

New Delhi, April 14
Amid hectic preparations for an international conference on nuclear disarmament that it will host in Tehran later this week, Iran today welcomed India’s stand opposing fresh United Nations sanctions against its controversial nuclear programme.

“We expect countries like India to stand by us and support us…when countries like India take the right stand, it is always good for the international community,” Iranian Ambassador to India Syed Mehdi Nabizadeh told a select group of journalists, ahead of the April 17-18 conference dubbed “Nuclear energy for all, nuclear weapons for none”. He was asked for his reaction to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s meeting with US President Barack Obama in Washington on Sunday at which the Indian leader opposed any sanctions against Iran that would target common people of that country. Obama had briefed Manmohan Singh on the possibility of a UN Security Council resolution on sanctions against Iran.The Iranian envoy said India represented the voice of Asian nations and its view on any international issue carried a lot of weight.

Nabizadeh said around 60 countries would be represented at the Tehran conference on disarmament. Nearly 15 countries would be represented by their respective foreign ministers.

On India’s participation, he said apart from Indian Ambassador to Iran Sanjay Singh, a senior official from the Ministry of External Affairs would also attend the conference.

Chennai, April 14
The launch of ISRO’s Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV-D3) tomorrow evening, will also witness the test flight of India’s indigenously developed Cryogenic Upper Stage (CUS), in a major milestone proclaiming the country's self reliance in building larger rockets.

The 170-feet long vehicle will launch the 2,220 kg Geostationary Satellite GSAT-4 an experimental advanced technology communication satellite that carries communication and navigation payloads, into Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO).

The GSAT-4 will enable the testing of several future communication satellite technologies. After reaching the orbit, GSAT-4, to be stationed at 82 degree East longitude, will use its own propulsion system to reach its geostationary orbital home.

The launch from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota, at around 4.30 pm tomorrow, will manifest the country's self dependence in space technology as the third stage of GSLV-D3 is cryogenic and is an indigenously built one. For the past five flights, Cryogenic Stages (CS) obtained from Russia were used. GSLV-D3 will be the third developmental flight as well as the sixth flight of ISRO's Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV).

The major aspects that makes it distinct from the earlier flights, are the indigenous cryogenic upper stage, advanced telemetry system and advanced mission computers, larger composite payload fairing.

The 50 m tall GSLV, a three-stage vehicle with solid, liquie and cryogenic stages, carries a weight of 416 tonne. The solid core motor of the first stage of GSLV is one of the largest rocket motors in the world and it uses 138 tons of Hydroxyl Terminated Poly-Butadiene (HTPB) based propellant (fuel-oxidiser combination). The second stage (carrying 38.5 tons of propellant) and the four strap-on motors of the first stage (each carrying 42 tons of propellant) use liquid propellant 'Vikas' engine burning UH25 and Nitrogen Tetroxide. The third vital stage carrying 12.5 tons of propellants will use liquid Hydrogen as fuel and liquid Oxygen as oxidiser.

The third stage, called cryogenic stage the most complex of the three stages.

Ambedkar Nagar, April 14
The politics of religion and caste has completely failed in Uttar Pradesh, paving the way for a new kind of politics fuelled by youth power demanding development and jobs, declared the AICC General Secretary Rahul Gandhi here today. Launching a frontal attack on the Mayawati government in her party’s bastion of Ambedkar Nagar on the occasion of Ambedkar Jayanti, the Congress youth leader squarely blamed Chief Minister Mayawati for refusing to recognize the need to educate and provide livelihood to the poor.

A massive crowd at the venue next to the Akbarpur airstrip braved the intense afternoon heat for hours as the Amethi MP arrived three hours behind schedule and spoke for exactly 20 minutes, amidst cheering by a frenzied crowd of mostly young persons. “Nobody in this Uttar Pradesh government wonders why the youth of the state have to go to Delhi and Mumbai in search of livelihoods. See what has happened in Bundelkhand which is almost devoid of able-bodied young people” alleged Rahul Gandhi.

“The money arrives in Lucknow. We have provided tools like MANREGA, RTI, and RTE, Sarv Shiksha Abhiyaan. But the UP government does not use these tools and no one knows where the money goes”, observed Rahul.

Giving the example of Bundelkhand, he said that he had managed to get a special package for the region. “But things at the ground level have remained much the same for the same reason: That money did not come out of Lucknow.”

Charging the “government representing the poorest of the poor” with not really bothering about them, Rahul said that the Congress had surprised many by its performance during the Lok Sabha elections last year by simply asking the right questions.

“We would continue to raise the right questions and your (youth) power, along with the Congress, would bring development and jobs,” assured the MP from Amethi.

The BSP had reportedly turned down the Congress party’s request to garland the statue of Baba Saheb Bhimrao Ambedkar at the district headquarters. Massive paintings of Ambedkar and Gandhi had been set up at the venue that was next to the Akbarpur airstrip. Rahul first garlanded the paintings of both leaders before addressing the crowd.

Lucknow, April 14
Refusing to succumb to public criticism Chief Minister Mayawati today announced her government’s determination to continue to build parks and memorials dedicated to memory of Dalit icons.

Charging the Congress of pursuing an anti-Ambedkar policy, she said this was amply reflected in the Women’s Reservation Bill that did not offer quota within quota for Dalit women.

“If the Congress had given honour and respect to Dalit icons, my government would not have felt the need of building memorials for Dalit leaders,” she said, while addressing the media after paying tributes to Dr Ambedkar on his 119th birth anniversary at the newly constructed Dr BR Ambedkar Samajik Parivartan Sthal.

She termed the Congress as an anti-Dalit party that had ruled the country for 50 years and UP for 38 years, but had done nothing for Dalit upliftment.

According to the BSP chief, now that her government was honouring Dalit icons, the Congress, BJP and other opposition parties were trying to create hurdles by taking every matter to the court. The Chief Minister said her party followed the Ambedkar ideology and was in favour of increasing the participation of women in politics

“It is because of Dr Ambedkar’s ideology that a Dalit woman is today heading the BSP and is the Chief Minister of the largest state in the country. However, the Women’s Reservation Bill that was passed by the Rajya Sabha last month has been unacceptable to BSP in its present form because it would not benefit women belonging to the Dalit backward and minority communities.”

New Delhi, April 14
The Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S) may have attended the Third Front meeting on price rise on April 12, but it is still hesitant about going with the non-NDA parties opposing the Congress-led UPA at the Centre and may switch boat at the last minute.

CPM general secretary Prakash Karat met JD-S president HD Deve Gowda at his residence this afternoon and pressed upon him to support the proposed Left move against price rise, both inside and outside Parliament.

However, Deve Gowda said, “Price rise is an issue anyone will support. We have taken a decision to support the Left on this issue.” He also announced plans for a rally in Bangalore on April 27 against price rise and other issues agitating the people of Karnataka.

At present, there are 13 parties, including four of the Left, plus the Samajwadi Party of Mulayam Singh Yadav, the RJD of Lalu Prasad, the LJP of Ram Vilas Paswan, the RLD of Ajit Singh, the TDP of N Chandrababu Naidu, the INLD of Om Prakash Chautala, the BJD of Naveen Patnaik and the AIADMK of J Jayalalithaa as well as JD-S that have come together to take on the government on price rise. The Left plans to move cut motion against the Union Budget and has rallied these parties behind it.

But Deve Gowda indicated that his main concern was to take on the BJP, rather than the Congress. His first priority was to displace or at least make things difficult for the BJP-led government of BS Yedyurappa and for that he needed to pool in resources with the Congress in Karnataka.

Moreover, the Rajya Sabha elections were due in June-July and the JD-S, which supported a Congress nominee last two times, hopes to get Congress support for its candidate this time.

Jaipur, April 14
Powerful Gujjar leader Kirori Singh Bainsla and his supporters continued their march towards Jaipur for the second day today even as the authorities beefed up security and promulgated prohibitory orders in the state capital.

The protesters, under the banner of Gujjar Arakshan Sangharsh Samiti, after a night halt at Devnarayan Temple at Gazipur in Dausa district proceeded towards Pipalkhera due to which traffic on Jaipur-Agra National Highway was thrown out of gear.

Talking to the mediapersons, Bainsla threatened to gherao the secretariat on reaching Jaipur. He said the Gujjars from across the state will converge at the state Capital to seek 5 per cent reservation in government jobs. “We will have quota this time, not assurance, ” said Bainsla. However, he said the agitation will be peaceful. “We have sworn to go the Gandhian way and we will live up to it. It’s for everyone to see that we have come so far from Hindaun but there has been no sign of violence,” he added. The Gujjar leader seemed upset with the government. “The government has repeatedly lied to us. It promised us 5 per cent quota in Ajmer just 12 days ago, but has backtracked from its word in such a short time,” he rued.

Interestingly, the Gujjar agitation has found support from an unexpected quarter this time. Prominent Meena leader and Dausa MP Kirori Lal Meena has openly come out in support of the Gujjars’ demand for 5 per cent quota in government jobs. Also, the welcome given by the Meenas to the protesting Gujjars during their march to Jaipur has created ripples in the political circles. The exchange of greetings between the two communities, known for animosity against each other in the past, has come at a time when the two Kiroris - Bainsla and Meena - have stepped up their tirade against the ruling Congress government by raising issues of their respective communities on different platforms.

The coming together of the two communities led by their prominent leaders on a contentious issue like reservation has become a matter of concern for many.

Meanwhile, the police at the moment have kept the state armed battalions and reserves on a standby mode and have adopted a wait-and-watch approach to deal with any law and order situation in eastern Rajasthan and Jaipur.

New Delhi, April 14
DRDO is developing a laser-based system which can neutralise land mines and improvised explosive devices (IEDs) from a distance of 250 metre without risking the lives of troops.

“We are in the process of developing the Laser Ordnance Disposal System (LORDS) which can be used for neutralising mines, IEDs and other forms of explosives, planted by terrorists, from a distance of up to 250 metre,” DRDO’s Laser Science and Technology Centre (LASTEC) director AK Maini said.

The system directs a high-energy invisible infrared beam on the target, which can be anything from land mines, IEDs or old bombs in the forces’ inventory, and burns the explosive material inside them and renders them useless, he added.

LASTEC, working on directed energy laser systems and technologies, has already developed a prototype of the system, which has been extensively tested on various types of explosives.

Once developed, the system could be used by Army and paramilitary personnel in insurgency-infested states such as Jammu and Kashmir, Northeast and the naxal-affected areas, Maini said.

“Neutralisation of ordnance is a hazardous process that is prone to accidents and casualties. LORDS can help in safe disposal of ordnances.” Maini said while referring to the huge stockpiles of ammunition that had outlived their shelf lives.

LASTEC is also working on the concept of developing another high power laser system that can be used to set terrorists’ hideouts on fire from a safe distance of over 300 metre without exposing personnel to the firing from terrorists. Post 26/11, DRDO has increased its focus on urban warfare and has opened a Low Intensity Conflict (LIC) Division that would cater to weapons, equipment and life support systems for the paramilitary and police forces. — PTI

New Delhi, April 14
Even as Denmark had agreed to extradite Kim Davy, a key suspect in the “Purulia arms drop case”, Indian security agencies are looking out for 13 others, including foreigners and Indians belonging to the controversial Anand Marg sect to unravel the mystery of the case that rocked the nation in 1995. While an Interpol “red corner” notice was pending against Deepak alias Daya Anand Manikan, the CBI has, in the past, issued a “look out notice” for 12 other suspects. The Indian government today clarified some issues on Davy. The CBI said “… The Purulia arms drop mastermind Kim Davy is to be extradited to India after receipt of documents formally from Danish authorities though diplomatic channels”. The Interpol had said that Denmark had decided to extradite Kim Davy aka Neils Holck, who masterminded the arms drop in Purulia District of West Bengal, in December 1995.

Davy had been arrested on April 9 and his passport was taken away by the Danish police. Davy demanded that the he should be tried by the Danish courts, the CBI said today. Officials in the Home Ministry said that extradition means that Davy will be sent to India and he will serve his sentence here. The others for whom the government is looking out are: Acharya Suranjanananda Abhdoot, Acharya Saileshwarananda Abhdoot, Acharya Jagadishwarananda Avadhuta (all connected with the Anand Marg sect in West Bengal), B. Rameshan, William Jonson, Andrew Wentworth Ping, Miss Sukhvir Kaur Jarhia, Jeremian Declan, Anthony Tangrey, Joel Broeren, Machael Shane Tapp, Robert Michael Norton and Robert Caring. Some of these are British and associates of Peter Bleach, a Briton who was convicted but later pardoned by the President.

Others are mercenaries who teamed up with Davy and Bleach in Thailand and Copenhagen to carry out the drop of 500 pieces of AK-47 assault rifles and even rocket launchers. Five other Latvians were also convicted and later pardoned. Acharya Tadbavananda Abhadoot, was arrested in November 2004. He died during the trial. The Government also believes that it has a water-tight case against Davy. It was he who had purchased the AN-26 transport plane in Latvia for US$ 2,50,000 by signing on behalf of Ms Carol Air services. He then got in touch with Bulgarian government officials to buy weapons from the official factories in Bulgaria, while projecting that these were meant for the Bangladesh Army. Sources said the question that needs to be answered is who funded Davy as all this may have cost millions of dollars. After the “arms drop,” the IAF fighters had asked the transport plane to land at Mumbai. Davy mysteriously slipped out, however several articles such as some arms, ammunition, a laptop and his brief case were recovered. Photo slides, including one that contained the photograph of a three-storied white building, a replica of the building of the Ananda Marg organisation, were found in Davy’s briefcase. The GPS flight data recorder, cockpit voice recorder of the plane has already been analysed and all point to Davy as being the mastermind.

New Delhi, April 14
Delhi is the top destination for foreign tourists as it has a number of heritage buildings, says an Evalueserve Study report of the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industries (FICCI).

Delhi attracted 23.4 lakh foreign tourists in the year 2008. Apart from the national capital, tourists also fancy Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan. Northeastern states are emerging as leisure, rural and adventure tourism spots, the report added. In addition to a number of heritage sites, healthcare centres and business hubs in the city, along with the four satellite cities --- Gurgaon, Noida, Faridabad and Ghaziabad --- attract a large number of foreigners. However, limited land availability for tourism projects and inadequate number of hotel rooms are a major drawback for the city.

The report said Maharashtra was the close second with 20.6 lakh visitors followed by Tamil Nadu (20.3 lakh), Uttar Pradesh (16.1 lakh) and Rajasthan (14.8) lakh tourists. Maharashtra rides on Mumbai’s popularity. Pune is also popular among foreigners as it has emerged as an education and IT services hub. Other major cities in the state include Nashik, Aurangabad and Nagpur. The 720 - km long coastline, the Konkan hills, ancient cave temples and the Vidarbha forests are some of the major tourist attractions in the state.

Tamil Nadu, only a fraction behind Maharashtra, with its beaches, hill stations, heritage sites, temples, wildlife and rural life, offers a wide array of opportunities for tourists. Some of the major cities in the state, include Chennai, Coimbatore, Madurai, Tiruchirapalli and Salem. The state is gaining popularity for its medical services, thereby attracting a large number of medical tourists.

Uttar Pradesh is a popular tourist destination due to the presence of a large number of religious and historical sites.

New Delhi, April 14
After errors amounting to 93 marks were reported in the IIT-JEE 2010 question bank, another set of problems has been found in the Hindi version of the much-awaited exam, affecting students of the cow belt, including Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Rajasthan.

Wrong instructions have been found printed in Hindi version of the paper, costing a student 48 marks in Paper II. In English version of the paper, Section IV of Paper II had two questions each with four parts of two marks each. In all, the section was worth 48 marks (16 marks per subject for three subjects, namely Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry). Instructions printed on the English version of question paper were the following - “For each question in Section IV, you will be awarded two marks for each row in which you have darkened the bubble (s) corresponding to the correct answer. Thus, each question in this section carries a maximum of 8 marks. There are no negative marks awarded for incorrect answer(s) in this section.”

However, instructions printed in Hindi Version of the corresponding paper read as follows: “For each question in Section IV, three marks are awarded if the bubble corresponding to the correct answer is darkened, and zero marks if no bubble is darkened. No negative marks would be awarded for this Section.” These instructions are completely different from the ones in English versions of the question paper. While English version clearly states that each question is of eight marks, the Hindi version puts each question at three marks. By that standard, a student who takes Hindi version of the paper works for six questions in this Section of 18 marks whereas the actual worth of the questions is 48 marks.

Since every JEE examinee has to do a trade-off between time and gains (in terms of scored marks), he could well decide to leave out the section thinking it is of 18 marks only and concentrate on other more meaty sections. Due to wrong instructions, many students admitted that they did not attempt the said six questions assuming these carried little weight.

IIT Madras which is conducting this year’s paper earlier disputed the claims of errors.

New Delhi, April 14
Calling Home Minister P Chidambaram as “intellectually arrogant”, senior Congress leader Digvijay Singh has openly differed with his anti-Naxal strategy, prompting disapproval from the AICC for airing views in public.

“He is extremely intelligent, articulate, committed and a sincere politician - but extremely rigid once he makes up his mind. I have been a victim of his intellectual arrogance many times but we still are good friends,” the former Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh said.

In an article in a newspaper, Singh, during whose tenure as Chief Minister Maoist-affected Chhattisgarh was carved out of Madhya Pradesh, suggested treating the Naxalite issue as a law and order problem was wrong and called for a rethink of counter-Maoist strategy.

“In this case (regarding Maoists), I have differed with his (Chidambaram’s) strategy that does not take into consideration the people living in the affected area who ultimately matter. He is treating it purely as a law and order problem without taking into consideration the issues that affect the tribals,” Singh said.

“When I raised these issues with him (Chidambaram), he said it was not his responsibility,” said the AICC general secretary, noting that he has known Chidambaram since 1985 when both were elected to Parliament.

At the same time, Singh said, “The buck stops with the Chief Minister for law and order and not with the Union Home Minister.

Singh’s remarks are significant as they came close on the heels of the Dantewada massacre of 76 securitymen by Maoists.

However, the Congress sought to disapprove of Singh publicly expressing his differences with Chidambaram on the issue of tackling Naxalites saying such views should be expressed only in party forums.

“The Congress is a democratic party. Everyone has a right to express his or her views but such views should be expressed within the party forums only,” AICC general secretary Janardhan Dwivedi said. — PTI

Mumbai, April 14
The battle between Karnataka and Maharashtra over the town of Belgaum worsened with Chief Minister Ashok Chavan threatening fresh legal measures over Karnataka's move to declare the town as its second capital.

Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa announced in Belgaum on Monday that the town would be the second capital of that state. He further added that government offices would be moved to the new

secretariat building which was nearing completion in that town.

Reacting to Yeddyurappa's statement, Chavan said it was uncalled for. "The matter of Belgaum and Karwar is pending before the Supreme Court," Chavan said. Deputy Chief Minister Chhagan Bhujbal said the Maharashtra government was consulting legal experts before taking the next step.

Karnataka first announced the second capital status for Belgaum way back in 2006 and announced construction of the new secretariat building under then Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy. However,

Yeddyurappa's move to revive the proposal has raised the hackles of politicians in Maharashtra.

Despite the Shiv Sena's alliance with the BJP which is in power in Karnataka, Bal Thackeray's party had warned Yeddyurappa against wooing industrialists in Mumbai to invest in the neighbouring state.

Jaipur, April 14
The Jaipur police has arrested a senior Haryana government law official for reportedly molesting a woman at a hotel here late last night.

According to the police, Haryana government’s Assistant Advocate General Sanjiv Kadia and his two aides posed as CBI sleuths and forcibly entered a room occupied by Lalit Sharma, a resident of Khetari in Rajasthan and his fiancée, at Hotel Rajwara Palace in Civil Lines here. In a complaint lodged with the police, the couple alleged that Kadia and two others came to their room and introduced themselves as CBI officers. They claimed that they were “looking for terrorists”. “We extended them full cooperation and showed them documents to prove our identity. However, Kadia and his aides were not satisfied with it and asked us to visit the nearest police station for further interrogation.”

The couple told them that they belong to Khetari in Rajasthan and had come to Jaipur for official work. They also tried to convince Kadia and his men not to take the matter to the police to which they somehow agreed, but with a condition that they would have to frisk them to ascertain that they were not carrying any weapons. Kadia then allegedly took the woman to Room No. 203 and “misbehaved” with her. She further alleged in the FIR that Kadia was in an inebriated condition and he even assaulted her. However, she raised an alarm and rushed out of the room.

Jaipur IGP BL Soni said Kadia projected himself as a law officer with the CBI even before the police, adding that he also tried to misbehave with the cops. Investigating Officer Raghuveer Saini confirmed that they had arrested Kadia in an inebriated condition. The two other accused have been identified as Sukhvir Poonia, a resident of Jhajjar and Bhanwar Lal Jat, a resident of Sikar in Rajasthan.