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up elections Priyanka does spadework in Rae Bareli, Amethi
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Another minister gets the boot
When it comes to promises, there’s no stopping Mulayam
Terror casts a shadow over electioneering in Manipur
Reddy’s Cabinet expansion today
After ‘killing’ daughter for honour,parents threaten lover, his relatives
Counter-insurgency allowance to Armymen deputed to BRO restored
No clarity yet on Rushdie’s participation in literary fest
Japan to take remains of its WW-II heroes back home
Japanese officials collect the remains of Japanese soldiers of the World War-II after exhuming them from the War Cemetery in Guwahati on Wednesday. — PTI
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EC rejects Maya’s plea to uncover statues
New Delhi, January 18 The poll authority also said it saw "no reason or justification" to reconsider its order to cover statues of Mayawati and the elephant symbol of the BSP built at government cost in poll-bound UP. The EC, in a statement, said while it took all views about its working in its stride, it was "disturbed" that the UP chief minister had cast serious aspersions on the Commission's order by attributing anti-Dalit and casteist motives to it. "The commission regrets that such an allegation was made and rejects the allegation," the EC said in a statement. The poll authority said it expected a higher sense of responsibility and Constitutional decorum from major political parties and their leaders. "It notes with concern such statements coming from those holding senior Constitutional positions," the EC said. "She is a senior leader. What can I say? She should think before making such comments," Chief Election Commissioner S Y Quraishi told reporters when asked for comments on the issue. — PTI
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Priyanka does spadework in Rae Bareli, Amethi
Lucknow, January 18 The immediate task which she accomplished was streamlining things in the 10 Assembly seats that fall under the twin Lok Sabha constituencies. She held a series of meetings with workers at the grassroots level urging them to strengthen the hands of her mother Sonia Gandhi and brother Rahul Gandhi in the coming elections. She made it clear that for brother Rahul, the Uttar Pradesh election was a matter of personal prestige and she was ready to do anything which he may require her to do towards this end. This promise - given to mediapersons who have been following her from meeting to meeting - has enthused party workers as well as Congress candidates across the state who see much hope of fulfilling Rahul Gandhi’s mission 2012 if Priyanka adds her charismatic presence to the Congress campaign. It was her fervent campaigning during 2007 that had ensured victory in seven of these 10 seats while from the rest of the state, the Congress could muster just another 13. She has promised to return on February 2 when she would start campaigning here.
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When it comes to promises, there’s no stopping Mulayam
Lucknow, January 18 While SP Uttar Pradesh president and son Akhilesh Yadav has been campaigning on his Kranti Rath since September 2011, already covering more than 200 of the 403 constituencies, senior Yadav jumped into the fray two days ago addressing a series of election meetings in Sitapur and Basti where he has made promises to virtually every section of society. To the farmers, he promised waiver of loans up to Rs 50,000, free electricity and water, to the weavers the status of farmers and all the perks they are entitled to. To cancer and heart patients, he has promised free treatment. To students and the youth, he has promised free education not only in government schools but even in private schools. To the rickshaw-pullers, he has promised a solar-power run rickshaws as well as a law to ensure that did not go hungry. To the Muslims, he has promised 18 per cent reservation within the OBC quota of 27 per cent. The Kanya Vidya Dhan amount for BPL girls to complete senior secondary education has been hiked from 20,000 to 25,000. All this has been promised during the last two days, what all is in store during the coming more than month long campaign can well be imagined. At the fag-end of his previous tenure, he had given an unemployment grant to the youth for which his government spent Rs 400 crore. A plan to distribute free saris to poor women did not materialise when no firm could deliver so many saris.
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Terror casts a shadow over electioneering in Manipur
Guwahati, January 18 The ruling Congress candidates are being cautious in going about their campaign for the January 28 election in view of the ban imposed by the coordination committee (CorCom), which comprises seven militant groups, namely KCP, KYKL, PREPAK, PREPAK (Pro), RPF, UNLF and UPPK. The CorCom issued a joint statement saying no individual or transport association should lend vehicles to Congress candidates, and added that those defying the ban would be punished. It also appealed to people not to raise any protests against CorCom's campaign. The insurgents have exploded and hurled grenades and bombs at several places across the Manipur valley at several places in the past two weeks wherein some persons were injured and houses were destroyed. Press statements issued by them said they would not spare those who disobey their 'diktat' before and after the elections. President of Manipur Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC), Gaikhangam, said underground outfits issuing diktats during polls was not a new thing in Manipur but imposing ban on a particular party is 'very unfortunate'. He appealed to the body concerned not to "disrupt the democratic process to ensure that people can vote for candidates of their choice without fear". The poll campaign has remained low-profile till date, with candidates from most of the parties avoiding holding huge public meetings and instead preferring to focus on door-to-door campaigning to woo voters. Of the 350 companies of paramilitary forces to be deployed for Manipur polls, 218 have already arrived in the state. These include personnel from the CRPF, BSF, ITBP, SSB, Assam police, Orissa police, Railway Protection Force, Bihar police, Andhra Pradesh police, Mizoram police, Tripura police, Jharkhand police and CISF, according to an official source. Of the total of 2,356 polling stations in the state, 872 have been bracketed as hyper-sensitive and 1,325 as sensitive. Thoubal district has the maximum of hyper-sensitive polling stations (227), followed by Ukhrul with 144.
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Reddy’s Cabinet expansion today
Hyderabad, January 18 According to sources, the dissident minister Dr P Shankar Rao is likely to be dropped from the Cabinet. Two members of the erstwhile PRP — G Srinivasa Rao and C Ramachandraiah — are expected to be inducted into the Cabinet in keeping with an assurance given at the time of PRP’s merger with the Congress.
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After ‘killing’ daughter for honour,parents threaten lover, his relatives
Bangalore, January 18 It was on November 6 when Suvarna was beaten and then hanged to death, her body allegedly cremated by none other than her father in a village in Mandya district for daring to fall in love with a Dalit boy. The police have failed so far to arrest the accused. Family members of the Dalit boy, Govindaraju, yesterday met the State Human Rights Commission chairman SR Nayak here and told him that they were living under fear as the murderer, a local farmer association leader, and his relatives had threatened to burn them alive. They also claimed that the police, despite knowing the whereabouts of the culprits, was not taking any action since the accused belonged to a ‘powerful’ caste. The killing of the girl came to light after Thimmappa, brother of Govindaraju, lodged a complaint with the Koppa police on January 5. Suvarna, a BA (final) student, fell in love with Govindaraju, who was working in a jaggery unit in the village. When the girl’s family members learnt about their affair, they made Suvarana discontinue her studies and warned Govindaraju and his family members to stay away from her. Then, Suvarna decided to elope with Govindaraju. However, her family members and villagers rounded off Suvarna, and attacked Govindaraju and his parents. They then allegedly took her to Govindaraju’s house and hanged her to death. The Dalit families, fearing attack by the upper caste, kept silent over the issue. Later, Thimmappa came in contact with Dalit Sangharsha Samiti (DSS) activists and decided to lodge a complaint with the Koppa police. The police has registered a murder case against Suvarna’s father and a few others. Another honour killing was reported in Karnataka in March last year when a 20-year-old woman and her four-month-old baby boy were allegedly killed and the body burnt by her parents for marrying a boy who belonged to a lower caste. The incident happened in Tamasanbdra village, only 60 km from the state capital
Bangalore.
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Counter-insurgency allowance to Armymen deputed to BRO restored
Chandigarh, January 18 The appeal against the tribunal’s order was filed by the government despite the Additional Solicitor General’s opinion that the tribunal had settled the issue in proper perspective and it was not a case fit for filing an appeal. The apex court dismissed the appeal yesterday. Till 2008, counter-insurgency allowance was being paid to regular Army troops as well as the BRO cadre. In that year, it was stopped for Army personnel on deputation to the BRO on the pretext of an audit objection that the BRO units were not performing any operational role. Besides, civilians in the BRO units were not being paid any such allowance. The government had also initiated recovery of allowance that was being paid to the deputees since 1994 as part of their emoluments. Allowing a petition filed by Brig AK Bhutani and several officers, the AFT Bench comprising Justice NP Gupta and Lt Gen HS Panag, while restoring the allowance last year, had also directed the government to refund the recovered amount with 10 per cent interest. The petitioners maintained that their military allowances were protected under the BRO Regulations and that they faced the same risks as other Army officers in the area. They had also pointed out that it was incorrect for the government to discriminate between officers posted to Army units vis-à-vis those posted to BRO units when the bullets of terrorists made no such distinction between personnel deployed in trying conditions. Also, Military Engineer Services’ staff was getting the CI allowance that the petitioners were being deprived of. The file with the ASG’s opinion was received from the Law Ministry for implementation of the order. An undersecretary in the Defence Ministry put up a note stating that though the ministry intends to go along with the legal opinion, the matter also should be referred to the Border Roads Development Board (BRDB) in context of the audit objections. Sources said that military pay and allowances do not come under the charter of the BRDB at all. The file was sent to the BRDB secretariat following which the appeal was filed.
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No clarity yet on Rushdie’s participation in literary fest
Chandigarh, January 18 The controversy over Rushdie’s participation erupted when the vice-chancellor of the Darul Uloom Deoband seminary and a handful of its followers demanded that ‘The Satanic Verses’ writer not be allowed into India as he had hurt the community’s sentiments in his 1988 novel. But the news does not in any way diminish the relevance of the festival that celebrates the beauty of the written word in its multiple hues. In its seventh year, the festival of literature, which saw about 60,00 visitors last year, will organise sessions on a wide ranging subject and issues that affect the written word, directly or indirectly. From mystic poets writing on politics to biographers, environmentalists, architects, artists, singers, translators, playwrights, gay writers, journalists turned writers to rebellious voices of literature, the festival will present some lesser known brilliant writers before the internationally celebrated authors in the span of five days. The writers will come from different continents, countries and states to represent dozens of languages and the literature produced in these languages. From spiritual guru Deepak Chopra to the very popular Chetan Bhagat, participating authors include Booker winner and Canadian novelist and poet Michael Ondaatje, Nigerian novelist and poet Ben Okri, Chinese author Amy Chua, to lesser known but extraordinarily brilliant writers like Teju Cole, Taiye Selasi and Pola Oloxiarac. Not to be missed is the discourse on theatre by three greatest living playwrights -- Tom Stoppard, David Hare and Ariel Dorfman -- in the company of legendary Indian theatre personalities Girish Karnad and Asghar Wajahat. International celebrity Oprah Winfrey, who promoted hundreds of books through her popular TV show, will address a session on January 22. With interesting sessions as ‘Survival Strategy in The Time of Twitterati’ and ‘Good Girls come to Jaipur ’, JLF is not going to let its enthusiastic loyalists have a moment of boredom.
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Japan to take remains of its WW-II heroes back home
Guwahati, January 18 Japanese government, with consent from the Indian authorities, has decided to dig up graves of Japanese soldiers to take their remains home. In fact, three Japanese officials, with help from the city administration and Assam’s forensic department, started digging up the graves in the war cemetery at Silphukhuri here. JN Gogoi, senior official of Kamrup metropolitan district, said the Japanese government wanted to take home the mortal remains of their soldiers buried here. Japanese officials Koju Matsubaysal, First Secretary of Japanese Embassy, Ken Miyashita, Deputy Director of Foreign Affairs, Japan (planning division of war victims relief) and Massahiro Takeda, a technical expert, are at the burial ground supervising the operation. An official of forensic department of Assam and a senior official of the State Archaeological Department are helping Japanese officials. The country has a total of nine World War - II cemeteries, of which, five are in North-East India, two in Imphal, one in Kohima, one in Guwahati and one in Digboi in upper Assam. The rest of the four are in Delhi, Pune, Chennai and Kolkata. All these are maintained by Commonwealth War Grave Commission (CWGC), which has its headquarters in London. The regional manager (NE-India) of CWGC, Salew Pfotte, said it was for the first time that graves in any World War-II burial ground in the country were being dug up. He said the war cemetery in Guwahati had 461 graves of soldiers from Commonwealth countries - 334 from the UK, 143 from India, four from Canada, four from South Africa and one from New Zealand. There are 35 graves of soldiers from non-Commonwealth Countries - 11 from Japan and 24 from China. Kohima and Imphal in North-East India were two principal battlefields during World War II, in which the Japanese were pitted against the Allies, while Guwahati and Digboi used to house wartime base hospitals. The names of Japanese soldiers whose graves are being dug up are Private Okamoto, Lens Corporal Miyata Kotsuo, Private Morata Doshu, Private Yamado Kesakti, Private Komatsutomoshige, Private Hachivets Uyoshi, Private Urata Yotaka, Private Ishiwara Hiroja, Private Shotasaburo, Private Ikdmiraisao and Private Kito
Zwao.
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If media blitz is any indication, only star campaigner to have taken Uttar Pradesh by storm till now is Priyanka Gandhi
Vadra. She returned to Delhi today after winding up a three-day tour of her mother and brother’s parliamentary constituencies of Rae Bareli and Amethi respectively. Significantly, she has not ruled out a more substantial role for herself in the coming days.
Chandigarh, January 18
Of the total of 521 graves of World War-II soldiers from different countries in the war cemetery here in the heart of city, the 11 belonging to Japanese soldiers are being dug up.
Japanese government, with consent from the Indian authorities, has decided to dig up graves of Japanese soldiers to take their remains home.
“Salman Rushdie will not be in India on January 20 due to a change in his schedule. The festival stands by its invitation to Mr Rushdie,” an official communiqué by the organisers said,
Rushdie had another session scheduled for January 22, which too has been removed from the website. Though, rumours are
rife, there is no official confirmation of his participation so far.