Bhopal, June 15
Congress general secretary Digvijay Singh has advised veteran social activist Anna Hazare, who turned 74 today, to refrain from going on frequent fasts due to his old age even as he sharpened his attack on Baba Ramdev.

“If at all a fast has to be undertaken, it should be done by younger people like Arvind Kejriwal, who are part of the civil society,” Digvijay told reporters here today.

Furthering his attack on Ramdev the senior Congress leader said he would ask yoga experts to find out if the lessons taught by Baba were correct or not.

“As per whatever I know of yoga, it was not something which can be taught in a camp attended by thousands of people but it has to be done on a one-to-one basis between the teacher and the student,” the party general secretary said.

Digvijay said all 'fundamentalists' including Ramdev were people who run away at the first sight of any incident. He said that just as the yoga guru had worn a kurta-pajama to escape the Delhi Police, a Maulana in Pakistan under General Musharraf's regime had fled from police action by wearing a 'burqa'.

When asked about possible Congress performance in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections slated to be held next year, Digvijay said he hoped that the party would win around 150 seats.

He said this prediction was based on the fact that the Congress had won more seats than the Bahujan Samaj Party during the last Lok Sabha election from Uttar Pradesh.

On the return of Uma Bharti to BJP, Digvijay said it was not surprising as there was no other place where she could have gone. Singh also said the BJP was never interested in really 'good sadhus' but only wanted to prop up “frauds”. — PTI

New Delhi, June 15
The BJP has finally woken up to the crisis in party president Nitin Gadkari’s home turf Maharashtra with state in charge M Venkaiah Naidu holding discussions with state BJP president and Legislative Assembly leader to smoothen the ruffled feathers of BJP deputy leader Gopinath Munde, who expressed public displeasure of Gadkari.

Nearly a week after Munde called on Shiv Sena executive president Udhav Thakeray, Congress leader Pranab Mukherjee and Rural Development Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh, Naidu sent BJP leader in Maharashtra Assembly Eknath Khadse and state BJP president Satish Mungantawri today to assuage Munde’s feelings, since Khadse is considered a Munde protégé.

Munde, widely considered as the only mass and OBC leader of the party in Gadkari’s home state, consciously kept away from important BJP-Shiv Sena public functions like the Shiv Shakti-Bhim Shakti rally at Azad Maidan to welcome RPI leader Ramdas Athawale last week and skipped three earlier Shiv Shakti-Bhim Shakti rallies in Pune, Nashik and Nagpur to make his pique over the latest slight to him by way of appointment of Vikas Mathkari as the Pune city president of the BJP against Munde’s candidate Yogesh Gogawle.

Though Naidu favoured Gogawle, Gadkari sat on it for four months and announced Mathkari as the Pune president on his birthday, May 27, upsetting Munde.

Sources pointed out how things have turned full circle for Munde, who under his brother-in-law Pramod Mahajan was considered a ‘Raja’ in Maharashtra. But after Mahajan died, Munde started losing his clout. Once Gadkari became party president, Munde felt completely sidelined.

But his tragedy is that he has nowhere to go. BJP leaders insist that Munde cannot go to the Shiv Sena. He cannot go to the NCP, which already has a tall OBC leader Chhagan Bhujbal. The Congress, too, is in no position to offer him anything.

While Gadkari is confidently ignoring the annoyance of Munde, in deference to Gujarat CM Narendra Modi’s wishes has refrained from bringing one-time organisational secretary of BJP Sanjay Joshi back into the party. Joshi has been working in Sangh affiliates since his expulsion from the BJP in 2005 after some controversial CDs, showing him in compromising position with a woman, were distributed at a BJP national executive in Mumbai.

Kolkata/New Delhi, June 15
BJP president Nitin Gadkari today launched a scathing attack on Congress chief Sonia Gandhi, comparing her resolve to fight corruption to Pakistan saying it is combating terrorism.

Gadkari's taunt quickly triggered a fresh war of words with the Congress which said he has reduced the platform of BJP to “gutter-level politics”. Congress spokesperson Jayanti Natarajan demanded an apology from Gadkari for his “outrageous” remarks.

“Sonia Gandhi says she will fight corruption. I say it is like Pakistan saying we will fight terrorism,” Gadkari said in Kolkata. “When Pakistan says we will fight terrorism, even the people of Pakistan and rest of world don't believe them. Similarly, when she says so (on corruption) not even Congressmen will believe the same,” he said addressing a BJP meet in Kolkata.

Extremely upset with Gadkari’s personal remarks against its party president, Congress spokesperson Jayanthi Natarajan said: “He is unfit to play a role at any level or democratic polity. To compare the noble sentiments of the Congress president and her resolve to fight corruption to Pakistan fighting terrorism shows the mindset of Gadkari, who comes from an ideology that breeds hatred, division and murder,” demanding an immediate apology from Gadkari for his “outrageous” remarks.

Referring to the death of Swami Nigmanand in Haridwar on Monday following his fast against illegal mining in the Ganga, Natarajan said the BJP’s stand on corruption reeked of double standards. She reminded the BJP that the party was heading the government in Uttarakhand, where a swami died battling corruption.

Gadkari also alleged that Congress and UPA government were trying to throttle the voice of democracy and creating an “Emergency” like situation in the country. Accusing Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Sonia of being 'fascist', Gadkari said, “The government is creating an emergency like situation and forcefully throttling the voice of democratic movement”.

Astana, June 15
India today strongly pitched for a “larger and deeper” role in the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), saying it would like to bring to the table its technical expertise, markets and financial commitment.

“Ten years since its founding, the SCO faces a historic moment. Like other successful multilateral organisations, it must choose the path of its evolution,” External Affairs Minister SM Krishna said at the 11th Summit of the SCO here in the capital of Kazakhstan.

He said the draft of the Memorandum of Obligation being discussed at the summit would pave the way for expansion of the organisation in a natural process of its evolution.

“India would be happy to play a larger and deeper role in the SCO when the rules and criteria for full membership are clear. We value the role of the SCO in bringing security, stability and development to our region and stand ready to contribute more to it for the common good of the people of our region,” he said.

“We have friendly ties with all member states and we wish to bring to the table our technical expertise, markets and financial commitment, all of which equip us to fulfil greater responsibilities in this forum,” Krishna added.

The SCO was set up in 2001 as a security counterweight to NATO that could allow Russia and China to rival US influence in Asia. — PTI

New Delhi, June 15
Usually competitive, India and Pakistan are at it again. Since today morning, the navies of both countries are virtually “chasing” a private merchant vessel and also each other in an effort to be seen rescuing the sailors on board the MV Suez, who have been freed by Somalian pirates.

The Indian Navy, after getting flak from the families of the six Indian sailors got into the act this evening and ordered that a Godavari class warship will set sail.

This happened after India, coordinating with the Bahrain-based Combined Task Force 151, realised that Pakistan warship PNS Babar would be tasked to provide security to the MV Suez.

Pakistan nowadays heads the CTF, which has warships of Korea, Turkey, Singapore, the US and the UK. The CTF patrols an area of 1.1 million square miles at sea. India, like China, is not part of the CTF or the European union force, however, both countries operate their warship independently to secure the sea trade lanes.

Babar was on exercise near Jeddah when it was called in by the CTF to rescue the sailors some of whom are Pakistani nationals and also has six Indians. The Indian Navy got to know from TV channels that the Pakistani warship had already launched its on-board choppers to land on the MV Suez. The confusion and the delay in India’s action also stems from a two-month-old diktat of the Cabinet Secretariat that banned anybody, excepting an appointed official, from speaking on Piracy and Indian operations. The appointed official was on leave today.

A crew member of the MV Suez said the ship was without any escort and had been again attacked by the pirates around 6 am Indian time. The ship had been released three days ago after 10 months of captivity and is now headed for Salalah. The ship is an Egyptian vessel and its owners have virtually washed their hands off.

Bangalore, June 15
India is fortifying its air bases to prevent any attack by terrorists, IAF Chief PV Naik said today. “The terror attack on the Pakistan Navy base on May 22 was a wake-up call. In light of the incident, we are taking measures to improve security at all air bases across the country on top priority,” Naik said.

The IAF has 60 operational air bases across the country, with 170,000 personnel and 1,600 fighter aircraft of different types. “Prior to the Karachi incident, we started a security audit and instituted measures to strengthen security in and around our air bases. Security will be stepped up based on threat perception. For instance, the threat level at Yelahanka base in Bangalore and Bidar base in north Karnataka may be higher compared to Hakimpet base in Hyderabad. Each base will make its own appreciation and appraisal,” Naik said and added that security of the Western sector bases, particularly Kashmir was topmost priority for the IAF.

“After the assessment, we seek the government approval for purchasing the security equipment and installing at the bases. The exercise also involves training and creating public awareness, which can help us in being vigilant and respond quickly whenever and wherever a threat emanates,” Naik said.

Naik said the IAF was prepared to thwart any nefarious design and threat arising from the enemies of the state and fully capable of facing any challenge. “We remain committed and prepared to thwart any nefarious designs and threats arising from the enemies of the state. As an emerging strategic aerospace force, we are fully capable of facing any challenge,” he said.

Chandigarh, June 15
To meet the challenges of keeping its war-fighting equipment functional and effective under field conditions in the 21st Century, the Army is undertaking a massive project to modernise its workshops across its hierarchical establishment.

The project involves refurbishment of all workshops established at the brigade, division and corps level. According to sources, the purpose of the project is catering to the requirements of maintaining technologically advanced equipment with a 25-year perspective.

With 13 corps, 37 divisions, including three armoured and two artillery, and a number of independent brigades, the quantum of the project could cover over 230 workshops spread across the length and breath of the country, including those located in the high-altitude and remote areas.

Run by the Corps and Electronics and Mechanical Engineers (EME), these workshops are meant for routine maintenance and front-line servicing of weapons, vehicles, tanks, artillery guns, radars, computers and electronic items, as well as carrying out major repair and limited overhaul of certain equipment.

Depending upon the level and type of workshop, their manpower varies between 90 to 400 officers, technicians and support staff. Day-to-day repairs and minor defect rectifications are carried out at the unit level itself.

Upgrade would include re-designing the layout of the workshop and its sections, installation of the state-of-the-art customised machines and paraphernalia for repair and overhaul of systems, sub-systems and components, electronic testing and calibrating gadgets, automation of processes, along with efficient material handling, storage and effective communication, safety and security systems.

The Army has also invited participation from the private sector to prepare detailed project reports for each category of workshop. Approved reports would form the basis of modernisation of workshops in the respective category. There are six categories falling in the purview of this project.

The EME, the Army’s technical wing responsible for repair, inspection recovery, modification, trials, limited design, development and manufacturing and defect investigation, had also initiated a project to modernise its base repair workshops. There are eight base repair workshops that are engaged in technical work, major overhaul and modification of equipment that is beyond the scope of the Army’s field echelons.

Mumbai, June 15
Investigators probing the murder of senior journalist J Dey have arrested four men in connection with the crime, the police said here today.

According to PTI, those arrested are believed to be members of the Chhota Shakeel gang. “We are probing their role (in the case). We want to be sure (of their involvement in the crime) before jumping to a conclusion...,” a senior crime branch official was quoted as saying.

All four are alleged to be part of a high-speed diesel smuggling racket that was exposed by Dey through his newspaper. They were picked up from the outskirts of Mumbai and Pune, the police said. According to investigators, more arrests are likely over the next few days. Sources said scores of persons had been questioned by the police in connection with the case so far.

The arrests were made by a team of policemen from the Powai police station. Three of those arrested were identified as Iqbal, Mateen and Anwar. The police said it would also question an oil mafia don, Mohammad Ali, in connection with the murder of a rival gangster.

The men were believed to be working for fugitive gangster Shakeel, the right hand man of underworld don Dawood Ibrahim, and their antecedents were being verified, he said. The police also recovered one of the two bikes used by Dey’s assailants.

Earlier, Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan told reporters that the police would announce a major breakthrough in the murder case later in the day.

Meanwhile, journalists belonging to several organisations began a 12-hour relay fast demanding that the killers of Dey be arrested at the earliest. The protesting journalists are also demanding that the state government should enact a law making attack on journalists a non-bailable offence.

Meanwhile, a city-based lawyer has approached the Bombay High Court to seek a CBI probe into Dey’s murder. VP Patil, who has filed a PIL said, “The matter is slated for hearing tomorrow (Thursday) before the division bench of Justice Ranjana Desai and Justice R.V. More.”

New Delhi, June 15
Corporate lobbyist Niira Radia today met CBI Director AP Singh as the agency prepares a second supplementary chargesheet in the 2G scam.

The CBI refused to comment on what transpired at the meeting that lasted for around 20 minutes at the CBI Director’s North Block office. “She is a witness in the case and can meet any official of the agency,” CBI sources said.

Radia is listed as witness number 44 among over 125 witnesses that include some former bureaucrats of the Telecom Department, corporates and even Attorney-General Goolam Essaji Vahanvati.

The CBI is likely to file the second supplementary chargesheet in the scam by June-end or in the first week of July, sources added. — PTI

New Delhi, June 15
India signed a loan agreement with the World Bank yesterday to bring funds for cleaning the Ganga. Two other agreements with the bank aim at strengthening rural livelihood and conservation of biodiversity through a new model.

While the river-cleaning project is worth $1 billion (around Rs 4,600 crore), the two other agreements for strengthening rural livelihood and biodiversity conservation are for credit of $15.6 million and $8.14 million, respectively.

Two protected areas, Little Rann of Kachchh in Gujarat and Askot landscape in Uttarakhand, have been selected where the model of managing protected areas while safeguarding livelihoods of local communities will be put in place. The model will then be made applicable in other areas.

India is home to eight per cent the world’s biodiversity and the challenge is to maintain this rich biodiversity under pressure from increased population and demand on resources. The project would strengthen country’s efforts to conserve high-value biodiversity areas while improving livelihoods of dependent communities, Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh said.

The significance of Ganga basin can be visualised from the fact that it accounts for around one-fourth of the country’s landmass and is home to nearly 400 million people.