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No star power for smaller parties
EVM strongroom to be inspected
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Pitroda wants a total makeover for Railways
Activists demand NCW chief’s resignation over ‘sexy’ remark
ISRO row: Nair & Co write to PMO again, slam Sinha panel
China far ahead in science: PM
Bengal Shame: Rape cases on the rise
Maoists torture, kill 2 cops at Bastar people’s court
More trouble for SRK’s Mannat
BSF seeks DGCA nod for flying Dhruv
Lanka arrests 22 Tamil fishermen ‘Kudankulam to be operational soon’ Jantar Mantar
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No star power for smaller parties
While their representatives claim that their party would play a key role in the government formation, top leaders have been conspicuous by their absence. Trinamool Congress' Mamata Banerjee was expected to address a meeting in support of her Mant candidate in Mathura on Saturday. However, party candidate Shyam Sundar Sharma or 'Panditji', as he is popularly known, had to be content with Lok Sabha MP Kakoli Ghosh. Sharma's opponent here is none other than sitting Mathura MP Jayant Chaudhury, son of RLD chief and Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh. The TMC is contesting 160 seats in Uttar Pradesh. With campaigning for just one phase to go, TMC state coordinator SP Singh insists Mamata Banerjee's programme is being finalised and she will campaign in the state. Similarly, Sharad Pawar's Nationalist Congress Party is contesting 115 seats in Uttar Pradesh. Neither Pawar nor has any other senior leader like Praful Patel or Supriya Sule has made an appearance in the state till now. A local NCP leader admits that the party high command was preoccupied with the Maharashtra civic elections. Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) Lalu Prasad Yadav, who, along with the Samajwadi Party and the the Lok Janshakti, had set up a secular alliance in Uttar Pradesh during the 2009 elections has also not appeared for campaigning in UP this time. His party is putting up a "symbolic fight" on less than half a dozen seats. "We are not contesting the elections in a full-fledged manner. Our presence is merely symbolic. Lalu Prasad would have surely come had we been contesting in a big way," says RJD state president Ashok Singh. Janata Dal (U) is another party contesting over 300 seats in Uttar Pradesh. Its president Sharad Yadav alone is campaigning for his candidates and often greeted with empty meeting venues. At one such public meeting at Basti in eastern UP, even his party candidate was not present to receive him. Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, the star campaigner for his party, has campaigned for a few seats in Kushinagar and Maharjganj bordering Bihar but spent more time visiting the places of Buddhist interest in the region. Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) leader and former Union minister Ram Vilas Paswan has fielded 399 candidates in UP in a virtually invisible campaign. LJP national general secretary Chitra Singh claims that Paswan has been campaigning in Purvanchal as well as other seats which can be described at best as a truly low-profile campaign for which the party blames the media. |
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EVM strongroom to be inspected
Lucknow, February 26 Confirming this, Khurana said in order to satisfy the candidates, an inspection would be conducted this evening at the strongroom established at Polytechnic College, Faizabad. The entire process of inspection would be transparent and video graphed so as to avoid any unnecessary controversy. There was panic at Polytechnic College after the security staff reported that water had seeped into the strongroom after an overflow from an overhead tank last evening. District Magistrate Anil Kumar Sagar and senior officers rushed there to take stock of the situation. There were rumours that some EVMs have being damaged. The matter was settled after the DM agreed to the inspection of the strongroom by the candidates of Sarojini Nagar and later the Mohanlalganj constituency.
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Dream Girl's honour
"Basanti ki izzat ka sawal hai," this famous dialogue from the historic film 'Sholay' is BJP star campaigner and Rajya Sabha MP Hema Malini's way of soliciting votes for her party. Addressing election meetings in western Uttar Pradesh's Saharanpur and Shamli, she urged the voters to protect Basanti's honour by voting for the BJP. Besides delivering film dialogues, the "Dream Girl" during her election meetings recounts the rule of former BJP PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee, who according to her, achieved more during his reign than the Congress did in 60 years. However, it is debatable whether people come to see her or hear her. For instance, in Baghpat when she could not make it to a well-publicised election meeting, the gathered people not only broke barricades in protest but also indulged in stone pelting to express their disappointment. Midnight's PM
"If Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi wants, he can be made the Prime Minister of India at midnight. He can be given the oath of office in the night. No one can stop him. But he neither wants to be PM nor CM," asserted Union Coal Minister Sriprakash Jaiswal while interacting with the media in Agra where he was campaigning. His statement may have been to project Gandhi's total lack of interest in assuming any office of power, but according to the critics in the process Jaiswal managed to undermine the Prime Minister's Office. Unperturbed by the EC notice to him over the statement regarding the likelihood of President's Rule in Uttar Pradesh if the Congress did not get a clear majority, to which Jaiswal has to respond to by Monday, he continues raking up controversies in the middle of an election campaign. Varun cornered
BJP's Young Turk and star candidate during the 2009 Lok Sabha poll Varun Gandhi has virtually been alienated in the UP Assembly election. Probably the party did not want to annoy the minority and young voters who were said to be uneasy with Varun's strident anti-minority utterances. He has remained confined to his Pilibhit constituency campaigning for the BJP candidates there. Targeting his own party during campaigning, the Pilibhit MP asked it to clearly announce its Chief Ministerial candidate so that the voters are not left in any confusion. "People vote for a person's reputation and track record, not for a party symbol. There should be some clarity on the leadership or else there are 55 claimants to the CM's office," he
quipped. (Compiled by Shahira Naim)
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Pitroda wants a total makeover for Railways
New Delhi, February 26 The much-awaited Sam Pitroda committee, which was appointed by Trivedi after he took over as the Railway Minister to suggest measures for rail modernisation, is expected to stress on complete upgradation of the railway’s communication system and call for a centralised train monitoring system right from Rail Bhavan in the capital. The Pitroda committee, appointed in last September, is also likely to recommend an organisational transformation to carry out the modernisation drive. The Railways remains the largest public sector behemoth with a large chunk of its earnings going into paying the monthly salaries. Reports suggested that the committee could also suggest a dual-track system technology to figure out the track occupancy and mobile train radio communication (MTRC) for seamless communication between loco pilot and control room in major trunk routes. Currently, the MTRC is operational only in 3,000 km. Like the Kakodkar Committee, which has sought large financial support to carry over the modernisation of the railway safety, the Pitroda committee is likely to seek a substantial hike in Gross Budgetary Support to sustain the modernisation drive. It is also likely to focus on the need for modern signalling technologies for maximising track utilisation and high speed operation with safety where there would be drastic need to upgrade the prevailing system. Taking into account the need for huge fund required for undertaking modernisation drive, it is also likely to suggest commercialisation of surplus land to generate additional revenue for the railways. The Kakodkar Committee has pointed out that the Indian Railways needs Rs 1 lakh crore over the next five years to revamp and modernise the railway safety. As part of the measures to raise the funds and improve the financial condition of the public sector undertaking, it has also suggested increase in passenger fares, which has not been done for the past 10 years, putting a strain on its finances. Likely suggestions
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Activists demand NCW chief’s resignation over ‘sexy’ remark
Sharma rejected the demand while seeking to downplay the controversy, saying she had made the remark in a "broader context" since she was addressing the youth. "I was positive in my approach so I said that sexy means beautiful. One should take it in positive sense," the chairperson of the NCW said. "She can say whatever she wants to as Mamta Sharma, but as the head of the NCW, she cannot make such ridiculous statements. Even the law says that sexually coloured remarks are tantamount to harassing women. For her (Sharma), the remark might not mean anything, but we see it as a way of promoting violence," said PUCL general secretary Kavita Srivastava. She said Sharma must take "moral responsibility" for her "irresponsible" remark and step down from her post. At a function in Jaipur yesterday, Sharma said "sexy" meant "beautiful and charming", so it should not be taken in a negative sense. "I think any statement which leads to the commodification of women should not be said even if there is no malafide intention. Caution must be exercised while making statements, especially by women who occupy positions of significance," said BJP spokesperson Nirmala Seetharaman. The CPM felt the "real issue" was lost in the controversy.
— PTI
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ISRO row: Nair & Co write to PMO again, slam Sinha panel
Bangalore, February 26 Nair, who along with his three men has been blacklisted by the government, slammed the probe committee - headed by CVC Pratyush Sinha - for condemning him and other scientists without giving them an opportunity to defend. ISRO chief K Radhakrishnan was part of the probe team. “The BN Suresh committee, set up by ISRO to review the Devas agreement, had not recommended the cancellation of the contract but advised the space panel to re-negotiate it in light of societal and security needs,” Nair said in the letter. Radhakrishnan constituted the Suresh committee in December 2009 to review the Devas agreement, which was signed in January 2005. Nair said the Suresh committee had concluded that the procedures followed in the Devas agreement were same as in any other transponder lease. “As per the Satcom policy, the Insat coordination committee (ICC) had authorised the Space Department to lease out transponder capacity to private users,” Nair clarified. On the charge that during his tenure the space agency had not properly informed the Cabinet about the terms of the agreement, Nair said the notes before the space panel and the Cabinet to seek approval for the twin satellites that were to carry transponders were on similar lines as those in case of any other proposal for funding. “It was never the practice to mention the name of specific private users in such proposals,” Nair pointed out in his letter. However, the Sinha-panel concluded that the four former ISRO scientists, including Nair, were responsible for various acts of omission and commission. “There were not only serious administrative and procedural lapses but also suggestion of collusive behaviour on the part of certain individuals,” said the committee. KR Sridharamurthi, former MD of Antrix, ISRO’s commercial arm, told The Tribune that he had written to the Prime Minister and told him that the Sinha committee did not give him adequate chance to explain his position. Former ISRO scientific secretary A Bhaskaranarayana, accused by the Sinha committee of enjoying the hospitality of Devas during a USA trip and blacklisted by the government, said he too has written to the Prime Minister clarifying his stand. Former ISRO satellite centre director KN Shankara, the fourth blacklisted official, has also written to the PM.
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China far ahead in science: PM
In an interview to the prestigious US 'Science' magazine, Singh reiterated his concern that India's relative position in the world of science has been declining over the past few decades and it has been overtaken by countries like China. "China is in many ways far ahead of India," he said. Asked whether India is competing with China in the field of scientific research, Singh said: "Well, we are competing, yes and no." "India and China are engaged in a stage of development where we have both to compete and cooperate. We are the two largest developing countries and the two fastest growing countries. China is our great neighbour. We've had problems way back in the 1960s, but we are finding pathways to promote cooperation," Singh said. His comments follow his recent pledge to hike the R&D expenditures from around $3 billion last year to $8 billion a year by 2017. During the interview, the Prime Minister laid out his vision for science in India and commented on controversial topics such as genetically-modified food. Singh said Indian scientists need to focus on agriculture sector too. "We need to pay a lot more attention to the development of our agriculture. That will accelerate the tempo of rural development, which will help to increase the opportunities for our scientists to work in rural areas," he said.
— PTI
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A father learns his lesson the hard way
New Delhi, February 26 Not that it bothered the poor man until January 13 when doctors arrived at his doorstep to deliver the heart-breaking news: Rukhsar Khatoon, 18-months-old, had fallen prey to the deadly polio virus known to invade the central nervous system and destroy nerve cells that activate muscles, causing irreversible paralysis in hours. The event became a marker in the history of India and the life of Shah and his wife Zubeida Bibi, who supplements the meagre family income by doing ‘zari’ embroidery. That day and this, Shah has never compromised with his routine of going door-to-door in the village during spare time, motivating parents to take children - boys and girls - for oral polio drops. As volunteer motivator for the Panchla block-level pulse polio programme supported by the Government, UNICEF, WHO and Rotary International, Shah is struggling to erase the guilt of not having walked an extra mile to the polio booth. His reluctance dwarfed his daughter's stride, though she mercifully didn’t suffer a paralytic attack. “The case received such a rapid public health response that Rukhsar, now about three, can walk today with some help from her mother. So far, she has escaped permanent paralysis, but we don’t know what the future holds for the child,” Sidhharth Bose, member, Rotary International’s Pulse Polio Committee in charge of West Bengal, here for the Polio Summit, told The Tribune today. For parents, Rotary International president Kalyan Banerjee (here for the Polio Summit which concluded today) has one message: "There’s no cure for polio. We must continue to motivate parents to get every child under 5 years vaccinated
repeatedly." BIVALENT VACCINE BY 2014
By 2014, the WHO hopes to switch over globally from the trivalent polio vaccine to bivalent as type-2 virus is no longer in circulation. But six months prior to that switch, the WHO will recommend a booster single dose of the Inactivated Polio Vaccine (IPV) to shoot type-2 immunity among targeted groups. Japan is making an IPV for types 1 and 3.
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Bengal Shame: Rape cases on the rise
Kolkata, February 26 In Burdwan district, a woman was allegedly gangraped when she resisted dacoits looting passengers of a local train. The dacoits, who were posing as passengers, held the guard of the Ahmedpur-Katwa narrow gauge passenger hostage yesterday and forced the driver to stop the train. Then they started looting the passengers near Panchundi in Katwa area, police said. Director General of Police (Railways) Dilip Mitra who visited the area said the woman complained to the police that she was dragged out of the train and raped by some men near the rail tracks.“The woman has been identified. I have spoken to her. An FIR was lodged immediately after the incident,” Mitra said. The woman was admitted to the local hospital where condition was sated to be critical. Since the Park Street incident on February 5, there has been a spate of similar such incidents in the city and other areas. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has alleged that being out of power, the CPI(M) was encouraging criminal activities. But CPI(M) leader Biman Bose has blamed the CM for the state’s law and order situation. On Saturday, a woman who owned a shop in East Midnapore’s Egra village was sexually assaulted on her way back home. The assailants left her unconscious. The next day she was found by the villagers, who attacked the accused with iron rods. The two were declared dead in the hospital, police said. In the third case, another woman, a vegetable vendor travelling by a local train, was allegedly raped near Katwa station. The passengers waiting at Katwa station and other locals demonstrated before the Katwa station GRP, demanding the arrest of the culprits.
(With PTI inputs)
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Maoists torture, kill 2 cops at Bastar people’s court
Raipur, February 26 The bodies of Moriyam Mangu and Anand Jasba, who were in their 20s, were found yesterday on a roadside in a jungle pocket in the Cherpal area under Bijapur district, some 450 km south of state capital Raipur. The two persons were missing since January 31. Officials here at the police headquarters confirmed that a few leaflets were also found along with the dumped dead bodies, in which the Maoists said the cops were killed at a 'jan adalat' on charges of teaming up with the authorities for anti-Maoist drives and also committing offences against the public. In one of the leaflets, the guerrillas have asked youths of the 40,000 sq km conflict zone of the Bastar region to stay away from joining the police force. The injury marks on the bodies suggested that the two men were tortured at the 'jan adalat' before they were killed. The Maoists did not mention the date and area where the 'jan adalat' was held to execute the two home guards. Bijapur is among the seven districts that form the mineral-rich Bastar region where Maoists hold sway in interiors since late 1980s.
— IANS
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More trouble for SRK’s Mannat
Petitioners Amit Maru and Simpreet Singh moved the apex court after the Bombay High Court dismissed their public interest litigation petition last month and imposed a fine on them. The petitioners say a number of violations were made during construction of the bungalow. “Laws regarding the coastal regulation zone (CRZ) and renovation of heritage buildings were violated to demolish an old bungalow in place of which Mannat was built," Simpreet Singh said. In their earlier petition before the Bombay HC, Maru and Singh gave details of 32 violations in the construction of Mannat. These included illegally merging 12 houses meant for poor people with the structure becoming a part of Shah Rukh Khan’s new house. In the past, Maru and Singh had also filed complaints with the Maharashtra Coastal Zone Management Authority (MCZMA) that issued notices to the actor asking for clarifications on allegations of violations during the construction of Mannat. The MCZMA then asked the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to conduct a probe into the matter. Incidentally, it had given a clean chit to the building only last week absolving the actor of violating various laws in the construction of his dream house.
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BSF seeks DGCA nod for flying Dhruv
New Delhi, February 26 "Our experience with the ALH Dhruv has been mixed till now. We are, therefore, asking the DGCA to check that machine and let us know if we can go ahead in operating it. The DGCA will be our philosopher and adviser on this matter and we will act accordingly," BSF Director General UK Bansal said. The BSF's Dhruv fleet was grounded on instructions of Home Minister P Chidambaram after two crashes recently. The BSF had acquired a total of seven Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH) 'Dhruvs', and these choppers play a crucial role in assisting the paramilitary and state police forces deployed for anti-Naxal operations, along with the IAF's Mi-17 fleet. "We have acquired seven Dhruv helicopters. Two have unfortunately crashed, some of them are in long-term servicing and by the time service is over, we expect the certification from the DGCA regarding the machine per se," the BSF chief said.
— PTI
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Lanka arrests 22 Tamil fishermen Rameswaram, February 26 The Lankan naval men alleged that the fishermen had crossed the IMBL while fishing, official sources said. Though two more boats were missing, it was not immediately known whether these had also had been commandeered by the Sri Lankan naval men, the official sources said. — PTI
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‘Kudankulam to be operational soon’ Karaikal/Chennai, Feb 26 "In coordination with the Tamil Nadu Government, the Union Government will jointly work out the mechanism to open the Kudankulam nuclear power plant as early as possible," he told the mediapersons at Karaikal. The minister's assessment came even as the People's Movement for Nuclear Energy, leading the protest against the Indo-Russian joint venture project criticised AEC chairman Srikumar Banerjee's reported remark that it would be commissioned in six weeks and threatened to lay a siege there if it was done against people's wishes. "Several rounds of safety audits have revealed that the plant is very safe," said Narayanasamy. He said intelligence inputs and inquiries by the Union Home Ministry had revealed information about the NGOs which were found to be diverting foreign funds for the anti-nuclear campaign in Kudankulam. — PTI
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Jantar Mantar
Ruling UP still a dream for Cong
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Lucknow, February 26
New Delhi, February 26
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Mumbai, February 26
Despite public assertions by senior BJP leaders that Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi would campaign in Uttar Pradesh, the party leader deliberately chose to stay away from this crucial election. It is no secret that Modi is unhappy with BJP president Nitin Gadkari for rehabilitating his bete noire Sanjay Joshi who was forced to resign as party general secretary after he was involved in a sex CD controversy. To make matters worse, Joshi was given charge of a crucial state like UP. A sulking Modi has since kept away from party activities in Delhi and had even skipped the BJP national executive meeting last September. Gadkari, however, remains unfazed and has privately maintained that he has no patience to deal with Modi's petulance. In fact, Gadkari is planning to involve Joshi's services in streamlining the party organisation in the run up to the 2014 General Election. Modi, on his part, has been complaining that the person who generated the controversial CD is now in the party's inner coterie while a person (read Modi) who merely watched the CD has been cast aside.
Congress leaders like Digvijay Singh and Sriprakash Jaiswal may be gung ho about the party's prospects in the ongoing Uttar Pradesh elections, but their senior colleagues are quite skeptical about the tall claims being made by them. A veteran Congress leader, who was recently asked by mediapersons for his assessment about the outcome of assembly polls, had this to say: The Congress will form the government in Punjab, it will form the government in Uttarakhand, it should form the government in Manipur and is trying to form the government in Goa. This was followed with a dramatic pause even as press persons persisted, "But what about UP?" His delayed response was quite telling. "In UP, we will form the government some time in the future." This assertion clearly flies in the face of public declarations from other party leaders that the Congress is all set to come to power in Uttar Pradesh.