Hyderabad, January 10
Trouble is brewing for ruling Congress in Andhra Pradesh with some of its legislators gravitating towards former MP YS Jagan Mohan Reddy who will undertake a day-long fast in New Delhi tomorrow, virtually taking his battle against Congress leadership to its camp in the national capital.

As a special train, carrying Jagan and hundreds of his supporters and farmers, is on its way to Delhi, the Congress leaders grappled with the political impact of his latest salvo against the high command. At least 12 Congress MLAs accompanied Jagan on his mission, ostensibly to register protest against “injustice” meted out to AP in the allocation of Krishna waters by Justice Brijesh Kumar Tribunal recently and also to highlight the plight of rain-hit farmers.

Jagan, son of former Chief Minister late YS Rajasekhar Reddy, had quit Congress in November and is all set to launch a new regional party to position himself as the sole inheritor of his father’s political legacy.

His camp has been poaching Congress leaders. The young leader had attracted nearly 25 party MLAs to his 48-hour long fast held at Vijayawada last month to press for higher compensation for farmers.

Though Jagan camp claims that there is no political motive behind these programmes, it is clear that the rebel leader is preparing the ground for his party’s launch expected next month.

“It is going to be an unprecedented show in Delhi. At least 10,000 people will assemble at Jantar Mantar to extend solidarity with Jagan,” his close aide A Rambabu said.

Taking a serious note of the reports of party MLAs leaving for Jagan’s rally, the state Congress President D Srinivas said that it would amount to violation of party discipline and necessary action would be taken against such legislators and other leaders.

Already facing trouble over Telangana statehood issue, the Congress is keen to check migration to Jagan camp. The party has a wafer-thin majority in the Assembly with 155 MLAs in the 294-member House, just seven more than the half-way mark.

Kolkata, January 10
West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee has informed Union Home Minister P Chidamabaram, who had asked him to visit Delhi immediately following Friday's firing in Lalgarh, that he would be able to come only in the third week of this month.

"Chief Minister in a letter to the Home minister informed that he will be able to visit Delhi in the third week of this month," a press release issued by the CM's office here said. Bhattacharjee's letter was in reply to one by Chidambaram on January seven following the death of seven villagers in firing by suspected CPI(M) armed cadre at Netai village in Lalgarh police station area.

Chidamabaran had described the killing as a grave incident, and said he had written to the chief minister and requested him to reschedule all his appointments and visit Delhi immediately.

RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat

Blast meant to stop Hindus from visiting dargah: Aseemanand

New Delhi: The 2007 Ajmer Shariff blast was carried out to deter Hindus from going to the famous shrine and the act was carried out by a group of extremists whose members belonged to both majority and minority communities, Swami Aseemanand, an accused in the case, has said in his confessional statement.

"A couple of days after the Ajmer blast, Sunil Joshi (a former RSS pracharak who was murdered) came to see me. He was accompanied by two men,” he said in a statement.

Explaining the reasons for selecting the dargah for bombing, he said, "Ajmer Shariff is one Dargah where Hindus also go in large numbers. And, hence, we should keep a bomb in Ajmer so that Hindus get frightened and stop going there." — PTI

Lucknow, January 10
There was a serious security breach in AICC General Secretary and Amethi MP Rahul Gandhi’s safety in Allahabad this evening when red-capped youth belonging to Samajwadi Yuvjan Sabha jumped in front of his SUV near Moti Lal Nehru engineering college in Allahabad momentarily forcing it to halt.

SPG men came out of the car and were seen shooing the youth away who were chasing the SUV carrying Gandhi and his cavalcade shouting “Rahul Gandhi wapas jao” slogans and angrily waving black flags.

A large number of angry slogan-shouting students had lined up along the route that Rahul Gandhi was to take. No local police was visible on the roads despite the AICC General Secretary’s visit being a scheduled one. Strangely there was even a power failure during his meeting at the MLN engineering college. — TNS

New Delhi, January 10
The process of appointment of new Director of PGIMER, Chandigarh, has come under a cloud even before it has begun. The subject of contention is the text of the nomination requirements for a candidate eligible for the post after the present incumbent Dr KK Talwar retires on May 1 this year, after serving for seven years.

The text, which invites Vice-Chancellors of Indian universities, Directors of Centres and Institutions of Medical Education and Research, members of PGI Institute Body and principals of all medical colleges of India to nominate suitable candidates (as per the past practice), does not cap the limit to which the PGI is willing to relax the upper age limit of the nominee.

The section under debate lists the upper age limit of eligible candidates as follows: “Not exceeding 60 years; relaxable for government servants or retired government servants or serving or retired persons from autonomous and statutory institutes of state and central government or exceptionally qualified candidates.”

Academics who consider themselves suitable for the post are apprehensive about the evident ambiguities in the upper age limit criteria for the director’s post. “When 60 years has been mentioned as the upper age limit, why is there a qualifying sentence that talks of an open-ended relaxation? This ambiguity is suspect,” said a senior administrator at an acclaimed medical institute in Delhi.

Another problem is that the PGI has sent out the said text days before its institute body is to meet on January 17 to set up a search and selection committee to look for the new director to succeed Dr Talwar. Some academics are asking why the PGI gave out the said letters when it was yet to get it ratified by the institute body, its highest decision making body. The PGI it is learnt may have secured Presidential approval for the same and would now in all likelihood get the said letter ratified by the institute body. PGI Director Dr Talwar did not answer his cell when contacted.

Meanwhile, other apprehensions stem from the fact that while PGI and AIIMS were both created under Acts of Parliament and follow largely similar procedures, AIIMS, in its last advertisement for the Director’s post, capped the upper age limit for all eligible candidates at 60 years. Similarly, the advertisement issued last December for filling up the posts of directors of six AIIMS like institutes at Bhubaneshwar, Bhopal, Jodhpur, Patna, Rishiksh and Raipur, also fixed the upper age of the applicant at 60 years.

Chandigarh, January 10
The Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) is contemplating to increase the strength of its mahila battalions to cater to the relatively high rate of leave amongst women personnel vis-a-vis male personnel.

According to CRPF officers, the move envisions that 35 per cent “excess strength” may be provided in each mahila battalion as “leave reserve”. This follows a recommendation made in this regard by the National Conference of Women in Police organised recently by the Bureau of Police Research and Development.

Based upon feedback and reviews, CRPF officers said it had been observed that the rate of leave amongst women personnel was higher owing to domestic commitments and other factors. The officers estimate that about 20 per cent of women in these battalions are married.

The CRPF, at present, has two mahila battalions consisting of only women constabulary. Another two such battalions are being raised. These are used for enforcing law and order alongside regular battalions in troubled areas and disturbances that have significance presence of women populace. Besides participating in disaster management, these also provide elements for the CRPF’s Rapid Action Force and for United Nations Peacekeeping Missions overseas.

The CRPF was the first para-military force in the world to raise an all-women’s battalion with the 88 (Mahila) Battalion coming into existence in 1986. This was followed recently by the Border Security Force and the Indo-Tibetan Border Police. Induction of women personnel in other paramilitary forces like the SSB has also been recommended.

“Since the role of women in paramilitary forces is expanding, there needs to be a permanent policy to cater to their specific requirements and to address manpower issues,” a senior officer said

Amritsar, January 10
The uncertainty over the import of onion from Pakistan via the Attari-Wagah land route continued today even as reports continued to pour in from the neighbouring country that the government there was divided on the issue.

Deputy Commissioner (Customs) RK Duggal said there had been no information about any headway over the issue of export of onions by Pakistan via land route. He, however, said 140 trucks loaded with vegetables crossed over to Pakistan, while 12 trucks loaded with dry fruits arrived in India via the Wagah-Attari route today.

Om Prakash Arora, a leading trader here, said he had a word with exporters in Pakistan in the morning and they were optimistic of a solution, but they had switched off their mobile phones by the evening. Out of 300 trucks stuck on the way to the Wagah-Attari border, some were still stranded while others had returned as the exporters apprehended that their onion stock might rot in the trucks, he added.

Manav Taneja, another trader, said the way the decision over lifting the ban was getting delayed they were contemplating withdrawing their orders from Pakistan traders. “Though Pakistan exporters have been holding talks with their government ever since the ban was imposed, there has been no positive outcome of the dialogue till now,” he added.

The traders here feel the Pakistan exporters might sell off their onion stock, meant for export to India (loaded in 300 trucks), in their domestic market within the next couple of days to check any further losses.

Meanwhile, reports from Pakistan suggested that there was a rift between the Commerce Ministry and the Agriculture Ministry over resuming onion export to India via road route. While the former had some reservation over the issue, the latter was not opposed to the idea. The reports said the issue could be reviewed at a meeting tomorrow after the return of Commerce Minister Maqdoom Amin Fahim to the country.

New Delhi, January 10
On the day the Congress openly rallied behind Telecom Minister Kapil Sibal on his controversial statement regarding “presumptive” revenue loss quoted by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) on account of allocation of 2G Spectrum, the constitutional body defended its report submitted to Parliament late last year.

Brushing aside the Sibal’s contention that the government auditor’s projection of Rs 1.76 lakh crore was “utterly erroneous”, CAG spokesman BS Chauhan said the government auditor “stands by its report on 2G spectrum 100 per cent”.

Quoting a ruling, Chuahan said when a matter was under the consideration of a PAC and the committee was holding its sittings for that purpose, no person, including an MP, should make or publish a statement or comment on a matter.

“Making public comments on a matter under PAC consideration is highly improper and may even amount to contempt of the House. This rule restricts CAG from making any reaction or comment on the 2G issue, which is under the consideration of the PAC. However, the CAG stands by its report on 2G Spectrum 100 per cent,” he added.

Last week, Sibal had slammed the CAG for its projection of Rs 1.76 lakh crore loss, terming its methodology as “utterly erroneous”. He said there was “no loss at all” to the exchequer due to allocation of 2G licences in 2008.

Initially, Sibal comments had put the Congress in a quandary since normally the party avoids commenting on Constitutional bodies as it has often criticised the BJP on that account. However, today it came out full force in support of Sibal with party spokesman Manish Tewari saying that the Telecom Minister, on behalf of the government, had placed “all facts on the table”.

Defending Sibal, Tiwari said he was well within his rights to raise debate over the report as the Opposition did not allow the government to present the facts in Parliament. “The CAG itself had said its conclusions were open for rebuttal,” he added. 

New Delhi, January 10
Following up on the five-point action plan suggested by Congress president Sonia Gandhi to tackle corruption, an eight-member Group of Ministers (GoM) has been mandated to look at the entire gamut of issues, including the fast tracking of corruption cases against public servants.

The GoM, headed by Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, has been given two months to submit its recommendations to the Union Cabinet. The GoM was set up last week to suggest measures, including legislative and administrative, to tackle corruption and improve transparency.

The GoM includes Union Ministers P Chidambaram, AK Antony, Veerappa Moily, Kapil Sibal (Congress), Sharad Pawar (NCP), Mamata Banerjee (Trinamool Congress) and MK Alagiri (DMK).

The group will look into the issue like state funding of elections and an amendment to the Constitution to provide for summary proceedings in cases of grave misdemeanour and blatant corruption by public servants. It has also been tasked to suggest ways to ensure transparency in public procurement and contracts and come up with a new public procurement policy. Most importantly, the group will consider Sonia Gandhi’s suggestion that ministers and Chief Ministers relinquish the discretionary powers enjoyed by them.

Having been implicated in a series of scams and scandals, the constitution of the GoM is among the series of steps that have been taken by the UPA government to counter the Opposition offensive and to correct public perception that it is not serious about tackling the menace of corruption.

The issue figured prominently at the Congress plenary session last month when the party president had proposed several anti-corruption measures for implementation by the government. The terms of reference of the GoM cover all suggestions put forward by Sonia Gandhi.

In his speech at the plenary session, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had averred that the government would act swiftly on the Congress president’s proposals.