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In four states, highest-ever votes cast, says CEC
Meet on NCTC now on March 12
Hurdles that Lt-Gen Bikram Singh cleared
Kin thrilled over Lt Gen Bikram Singh’s elevation |
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Kushwaha, BSP MLC held in NRHM scam
Bring corporates within RTI’s ambit, says Bihar CM
Bill Gates lauds Nitish for polio-free Bihar
Shehla Murder
Disproportionate assets
Record 81% voting in Goa
Shiv Sena against foreigners working in Indian films
Andhra Police wants bounty
on Maoists increased
Naidu once a ‘kingmaker’, virtually friendless now
4 lawyers held for attack on mediamen
Centre hopes to open TN nuclear plant soon
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In four states, highest-ever votes cast, says CEC
New Delhi, March 3 Addressing a press conference here this evening, Chief Election Commissioner SY Quraishi said the turnout of voters in the Assembly elections was the highest-ever in all the states except Manipur. Apart from Uttar Pradesh, Goa and Manipur, voting was held in Punjab and Uttarakhand. It was a battle for supremacy between the ruling Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and the Samajwadi Party (SP) in Uttar Pradesh. The BJP and the Congress are also expecting improvement in their respective tallies in the electorally most crucial state in the country. In Punjab, the contest was between the Congress and the Akali Dal-BJP comibine while Uttarakhand witnessed a straight fight between the Congress and the ruling BJP. Quraishi said the polls were 'peaceful and incident-free' except for one incident in Manipur. In Punjab, the turnout was 78.57 per cent as against 72.12 per cent recorded in 2007. In Uttarakhand, the turnout was 67.89 per cent compared to 63.96 in the last Assembly polls. In Uttar Pradesh, polling in the final phase today was about 62 per cent. This takes the overall turnout in the state to about 60 per cent, which marks an increase of 30.23 per cent over 2007. Quraishi said counting would be taken up for all the 690 constituencies simultaneously on March 6. Counting would be done at 168 locations (UP-72, Punjab-52, Uttarakhand-16, Manipur-12 and Goa-3). Videography of counting process would be done in each counting hall.
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Meet on NCTC now on March 12
New Delhi, March 3 Official sources said the decision to reschedule the meeting was taken after several states informed the Centre that their officials would not be able to attend it since it would take place immediately after the festival of Holi. Also, at least five states would be busy with the process of government formation following the assembly elections. With non-Congress state governments vehemently opposing certain features of the anti-terror body, the Home Ministry had written to the states' DGPs and chief secretaries for a meeting on March 9. Some of the states even claimed that the agency violated the country’s federal structure. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had also met PM Manmohan Singh to discuss the issue. In the wake of strong protests by some states, the Centre had put on hold the operationalisation of the NCTC from March 1 and decided to discuss the issue with the state governments before going ahead with the plan. In his letter to 10 chief ministers, Home Minister P Chidambaram had assured that the "next steps" on the NCTC would be taken only after the meeting of the top officials of the states.
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Hurdles that Lt-Gen Bikram Singh cleared
New Delhi, March 3 The most dangerous rumour spread about him was that his daughter-in-law was a Pakistani citizen. Several MPs, probably backed by his rivals, sent out complaints about the woman’s citizenship. She is married to the elder son of Lt-Gen Bikram Singh and the young couple lives in the US. “Potential security implications” were cited to hold back his appointment as Chief of Army Staff. The matter was sorted out only after Indian external intelligence agency, the Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW), was asked for a report. The Appointments Committee of Cabinet was informed, on the basis of a R&AW report, that General Bikram Singh’s daughter-in-law is an American citizen. Her father is an Afghan and mother is from Central Asia. Before this, two other attempts were made to shoot down his candidature. In January this year, Lt Gen Bikram Singh was accused of staging a fake encounter when he was posted as Brigadier in the Rashtriya Rifles in South Kashmir’s Anantnag town in March 2001. The case mysteriously cropped up. An NGO, Yes Kashmir, filed a petition with the police and a woman, Zaituna, approached the J&K High Court in 2011 — 10 years after the incident in which one foreign militant Mateen Chacha was killed. Lt-Gen (then Brigadier) Bikram Singh was injured while Colonel JP Jam, had died in the shoot-out that occurred in the Janglat Mandi area of Anantnag. General Bikram Singh got a clean chit when the SSP Anantnag, also impleaded as a party in the case, told the court that the matter needed no further investigation as the case stood already established against the deceased foreign militant. Denying that the encounter was fake as claimed by the petitioner’s family, the J&K police said the particulars of the militant had been confirmed on the basis of material evidence that included an identity card found on his person. The third hurdle was equally serious. An Army Court of Inquiry (CoI) was conducted last year. It looked at documents and cross-examined 51 soldiers to verify if they were guilty of sexual misconduct during their year-long posting on a UN peacekeeping mission to Congo in 2008. These men faced charges of rape and also fraternising with the local population, all forbidden by Indian military law and the UN code of conduct. Lt Gen Bikram Singh had headed the Congo mission for a part of the period. The CoI ruled out rape. The relationships (with Congolese women) were found to have been paid for or were consensual.
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Kin thrilled over Lt Gen Bikram Singh’s elevation
Chandigarh, March 3 Lt General Bikram Singh will be the first alumnus of the Punjab Public School to head the Indian Army. Singh has a strong affiliation with Chandigarh. His sister, Nimmi Sandhu, and her husband Kuldip Sandhu, bring out a news weekly and a monthly magazine from the city. “We are thrilled at his elevation. Though it was expected, a formal announcement has its own importance,” beamed Kuldip Sandhu. Bikram Singh would be the second Sikh General after JJ Singh to head the Indian Army. General JJ Singh (retd) came from a family of writers. His parents - Prabhjot Kaur and Narinderpal Singh - had created a niche for themselves in Punjabi literature.While both Punjab Public School, Nabha, and Sainik School, Kapurthala, boast of having produced several officers who have risen and occupied key positions in the forces, Lt General Bikram Singh seem to have left them all behind by rising to the top position in the Indian Army. Bikram Singh’s family originally belongs to Kler village, near Rayya in Amritsar. But now it is settled in Jammu & Kashmir. He is the youngest of the five siblings and the only son of his parents.
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Lucknow, March 3 Polling for the 60 seats, nearly half of which were bagged by the BSP last time, in 10 districts began at 7 am and 51.9 per cent polling was registered till 3 pm, Chief Electoral Officer Umesh Sinha said. According to the figures at 3 pm, the maximum (55 per cent) polling was registered in Lakhimpur, followed by 53 per cent in Bijnor. Bheemnagar recorded 52 per cent polling, Bareilly 50 per cent, Pilibhit 52 per cent, Shahjahanpur 51 per cent and Badaun 49.83 per cent voting, he said. Meanwhile at Ujhani area in Badaun, JD(U) candidate for Shekhupura seat, Sanjeev Gupta, was allegedly assaulted by SP supporters. In another incident at Pilibhit district, BJP and Congress men gheraoed a police station after some workers were detained. Trouble started when DSP Rafeeq Ahmad allegedly assaulted some BJP and Congress booth workers and took them to the police station where the candidates of both the parties created a ruckus along with their supporters. Following the incident, Ahmad was removed from poll duty. At a booth in Jahangirabad in Sahaswan seat of Badaun, sitting MLA DP Yadav had dispute with security forces after he was prevented from entering the booth with his supporters. More than 1.82 crore voters would decide the electoral fate of 962 candidates, including some political veterans in Bijnore, Moradabad, Bheem Nagar, Rampur, Jyotiba Phule Nagar, Badaun, Bareilly, Pilibhit, Shahjahanpur and Lakhimpur. Earlier scheduled for February 4, this phase was later postponed to March 3. — PTI
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Kushwaha, BSP MLC held in NRHM scam
Lucknow, March 3 With today’s arrests, the total number of accused behind the bars has reached 14. Presented before the CBI special court in Ghaziabad later in the evening, Kushwaha pleaded innocence and reportedly named the UP Chief Secretary as a culprit along with three organisations, through which the entire scam had been conducted. While he pleaded to spend Holi with the family, the court sent him to 14-day judicial custody. Following interrogation at the CBI headquarters in New Delhi during the last few days, it was being speculated that he along with a few bureaucrats would be arrested soon after the voting ended on March 3. As Kushwaha had been extensively campaigning on behalf of the BJP, addressing OBC rallies accusing the Central and state governments of targeting him as he was an OBC, arresting him during the election may have had adverse implications, said a senior police officer. Soon after the murder of the second CMO, BP Singh, in April 2011 and the unearthing of the multi-crore NRHM scam, Kushwaha and Health Minister Anant Mishra were made to resign from the Mayawati government along with the transfer of the Principal Secretary, Health, Pradeep Shukla. After Kushwaha wrote a letter to Chief Minister Mayawati complaining against her Chief Secretary and a few other senior officers being after his life, he was thrown out of the party. Lying low for weeks, he created a stir in January 2012, days after the Assembly election was notified by joining the BJP. But the strong protest within the saffron party forced him to request BJP national president Nitin Gadkari to keep his party membership in animated suspension till he was cleared of all the charges in the NRHM scam. There is a disproportionate assets case pending against him before the state
Lokayukta. Last month, the CBI had raided 30 different locations across the state in connection with the health scam. The investigating agency swooped on 27 places in many towns of the state as well as neighbouring Bihar.
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Bring corporates within RTI’s ambit, says Bihar CM
Patna, March 3 Addressing a two-day international meet on the RTI “Six years of RTI Act in Bihar - Road Ahead” that concluded here today, Nitish said the State Information Commission be allowed to entertain the complaints from harassed information seekers, who are not only traumatised by the officials but also implicated in false criminal cases by the police. “Though the Act had not made this provision so far, I feel that a mechanism should be evolved at the earliest to deal with this problem,” he said. Referring to Bihar, the Chief Minister said he had already established a helpline for the harassed activists to register their complaints and the follow-up action is monitored by the Principal Secretary (Home) and the DGP. The traumatised activists also had the freedom to approach the State Human Rights Commission, he added. “We need to ‘institutionalise’ the system where the State Information Commission can get the complaints registered and instruct the investigating agencies,” Nitish said.
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Bill Gates lauds Nitish for polio-free Bihar
Patna, March 3 Gates has written a personal letter to Nitish saying that not a single case of wild polio virus had been reported from Bihar in past 16 months. The letter says, “Your personal leadership has been extraordinary and your administration deserves special credit for this accomplishment. We hope your example inspires other governments around the world to strive for similar successes in this truly global effort.It is now more important than ever to sustain this remarkable progress.” — TNS
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CBI questions BJP MLA
Bhopal, March 3 Sources in the agency said though they had not found any conclusive links of the leader with the murder, he remains a suspect in the case. The BJP leader is understood to have close relations with Masood as well as arrested alleged mastermind Zahida Parvez which resulted in latter's resentment towards the activist, prompting her to order the killing. — PTI
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Tainted Mumbai Cong ex-chief blames media
Shiv Kumar Tribune News Service
Mumbai, March 3 "I am not guilty. I have done nothing wrong. I am not absconding. I will fight according to the law,” Kripashankar told mediapersons. The politician, who rose from humble beginnings selling vegetables on Mumbai's streets, made an appearance before the media today amid speculation that he was absconding. After he was thoroughly grilled by journalists about the obscene gestures shown by his son Narendra Mohan to mediapersons gathered outside his house, Singh apologised. "What my son did was wrong. I apologise on his behalf," he said. "However the media is also wrong in targeting me," he added. Kripashankar denied that he owned all the properties as alleged by the police which attached 12 premises allegedly belonging to him and his family on Friday. Among the properties attached by the police included three flats in Sai Prasad building in Bandra (East). While one flat is said to be in Singh's name, the rest are held by benami holders, the police said. Other properties sealed include a 5,000-sq-ft bungalow in Carter Road, Bandra (West), a 1,335-sq-ft duplex with 550-sq-ft terrace in suburban Vile Parle, a 700-sq-ft flat in Powai, a 22,500-sq-ft office space at HDIL building in Bandra Kurla Complex, a triplex flat in an under-construction building at Bandra and two 2 BMWs. Reports estimate that Kripashankar and his relatives may be holding assets worth more than Rs 300 crore which have not been disclosed to the Income Tax Department. All through the day there was a buzz that Kripashankar Singh could be arrested by the Economic Offences Wing of the Mumbai police. However till late this evening, he has not been arrested. The Opposition parties are, however, demanding his head. "Kripashankar Singh is being protected by Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan. He should have been arrested by now. Instead, he is out tampering with evidence,” Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut said.
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Record 81% voting in Goa
Mumbai, March 3 According to reporters in Goa, the state had already recorded 50 per cent voting by 1 pm with some areas seeing 70 per cent of the voters turning up before the lunch hour. In the Canacona taluka bordering Karnataka, turnout touched 80 per cent by 1 pm, according to reports. Unlike in other parts of the country, voters in Goa take electoral politics seriously and elections see good turnouts. However, the turnout this year has beaten all records. In 2007, 72 per cent of Goa's voters turned up to vote. Five years prior to that, the turnout was 69 per cent. According to information available from the interiors of Goa, young voters in large numbers put questions to sitting MLAs, including senior leaders of the main parties, during the election campaign. Reports said that several stalwarts faced embarrassing moments at the hands of young voters who pulled them up for poor performance. Unlike in other parts of the country, Goa has smaller constituencies and politicians hold highly interactive street-corner meetings to connect with voters. Both the ruling Congress and the Opposition BJP claimed that they would benefit from the larger turnouts. "The higher turnout will benefit us. People are coming out to vote out these thieves," Leader of Opposition Manohar Parrikar told reporters. The Congress, however, claimed otherwise. "This is a reinforcement of the government's good deeds. People from all sections are coming out to back the government and keep communal forces at bay," Congress working president Francisco Sardinha said.
100% voting at one booth
The Election Commission officials were in for a surprise when a booth in Dovorlim locality near Margao reported 100 per cent voting by 3.30 pm — 90 minutes before the close of polling. — PTI
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Shiv Sena against foreigners working in Indian films
Mumbai, March 3 Earlier this week, activists of the Bharatiya Chitrapat Sena (BCS), the cinema wing of the party barged into Filmistan studios where the
shooting of a movie, Tezz, was in progress. The producers of the film were told that the Sena would not allow foreigners to work in films being shot in
Maharashtra. "Our people visited the sets of the movie after we received information that some foreigners were shooting. Things were sorted out later after the producers told us no foreigners would be used in the movie," said Abhijit Phanse who heads the Bharatiya Chitrapat
Sena. Another Bharatiya Chitrapat Sena activist said the Shiv Sena has asked all its wings to become active again and accordingly it too would work harder to protect the interest of those employed by the film industry. According to BCS Shiv Sena the big-budget Tezz was only one of the targets and the group was keeping a close watch on film shootings in
Maharashtra for foreigners being cast in movies. Tezz features a number of stars like Ajay Devgn, Anil Kapoor, Kangana
Ranaut. Both the Shiv Sena and its off-shoot, the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena, have wings dedicated to the film industry. The activists of both groups frequently disrupt film shootings featuring foreigners purportedly to protect the interest of junior artistes. Film makers usually cast foreigners, mainly tourists picked from different parts of Mumbai, in song and dance sequences.
Dedicated wings
Both the Shiv Sena and its offshoot, the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena, have wings dedicated to the film industry. The activists of both groups frequently disrupt film shootings featuring foreigners purportedly to protect the interest of junior artistes.
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Andhra Police wants bounty
on Maoists increased
Hyderabad, March 3 The proposed bounty on the Naxals ranges from Rs 1 lakh to Rs 25 lakh. The state government is likely to accept the proposal, the sources said. The highest reward of Rs 25 lakh has been proposed for the capture or surrender of high-ranking Central Committee members of CPI (Maoist) like Ganapati alias Muppala Lakshman Rao and Mallojula Venugopal. “If a Maoist surrenders, the reward money will be given to him. If he is killed in an encounter, it will be shared between the informant and the policemen involved in the exchange of fire,” the police sources said. These rewards are in addition to what the Central Government has announced for the capture or surrender of Maoist leaders. The bounty on the heads of the central committee members would go up from the present Rs 12 lakh to Rs 25 lakh, while the state committee members will carry a reward of Rs 15 lakh each as against Rs 10 lakh now. Similarly, the rewards have been hiked for regional committee members from Rs 8 lakh to Rs 10 lakh, district committee secretaries from Rs 5 lakh to Rs 8 lakh, district committee members from Rs 3 lakh to Rs 5 lakh, commanders of a guerrilla squad from Rs 2 to Rs 3 lakh, deputy commandants from Rs 1 lakh to Rs 2 lakh and squad members from Rs 20,000 to Rs 1 lakh. The Centre had recently revised the rates for surrender of weapons, offering Rs 5 lakh to anyone laying down a light machine gun, and Rs 3 lakh to those depositing an AK-47 assault rifle. According to official figures, there are over 335 underground Maoist leaders from Andhra Pradesh operating within or outside the state. This is the lowest figure in the three decades’ old history of the extremist movement. The policy of fixing rewards had drawn flak from the civil rights groups in the past which alleged that it amounted to encouraging the police to indulge in fake encounters and eliminate large number of Naxals and their sympathisers for the sake of money. “It is a shame on the part of the government to fix cash rewards on the heads of leaders of revolutionary movements,” said Maoist sympathiser and poet Varavara Rao.
Bounty bumper
Proposed bounty on Naxals ranges from Rs 1 lakh to Rs 25 lakh The Centre recently revised the rates for surrender of weapons, offering Rs 5 lakh for surrendering light machine gun and Rs 3 lakh for an AK-47 assault rifle
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Naidu once a ‘kingmaker’, virtually friendless now
Hyderabad, March 3 The growing impact of Telangana statehood movement and the emergence of YS Jagan Mohan Reddy as a new political force are the two major factors that have pushed the once master strategist into a corner. The Telugu Desam Party President, who ruled the state for a record nine year period from 1995 to 2004, appears a pale shadow of his former self. A sense of despondency has crept into his party cadre in Telangana region because of his continued ambivalence over the contentious demand for separate state. In Rayalaseema and coastal Andhra regions, Jagan’s new political outfit, YSR Congress Party, appears to be making waves, according to an internal survey commissioned by the ruling Congress. Naidu received a big jolt recently with the CPI and the CPM, the TDP’s electoral allies since 2009, ditching him ahead of the March 18 by-elections. While the CPI, which supports the Telangana statehood demand, has decided to sail with the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS), the dominant political force in the region, the CPM, which is opposed to the bifurcation of the state, will go it alone. With this, the TDP is left alone in the electoral battle. In the 2009 Assembly elections, it was leading a “grand alliance” of the opposition parties comprising the TRS, the CPI and the CPM. The TRS has already severed links with the regional party, accusing it of being an “enemy of Telangana”. After abandoning his pro-reforms image and embracing an aggressive form of populism, Naidu was optimistic that the left parties would continue the alliance with him. But, pragmatic calculations appear to have influenced the left parties to ditch the TDP. Not long ago, Naidu was the toast of the national media and one of the most sought-after leaders in the national coalition politics. As a convener of the United Front, he played a key role not only in the policy making but also in deciding the prime ministerial candidates. Later, during the NDA regime, his party’s outside support became crucial for the survival of the BJP-led coalition. Known for his astute political strategies and organisational skills, Naidu had even claimed credit for proposing the candidature of APJ Abdul Kalam for President’s post. He had a six-year long association with the NDA and fought the elections in 1999 and 2004 in alliance with BJP. However, after losing power in the state in 2004, Naidu had severed his links with the saffron party and moved closer to the left parties in what was widely seen as an attempted image make-over. He even apologised to Muslims for his “past mistakes”. The anti-farmer and pro-rich image was one of the main reasons attributed to the TDP’s rout in the elections. Understandably, he had offloaded the reforms baggage and returned to populism with gusto. During his tenure as Chief Minister, he had strongly opposed populist schemes and was hailed as a frontrunner in implementing far-reaching economic and administrative reforms. However, on the eve of the 2009 polls, he made some astonishing poll promises, including direct cash transfer scheme for the poor. Despite being billed as the “Mother of all poll promises”, the cash transfer scheme failed to yield electoral benefits for his party as the Congress returned to power for a second term. Naidu opted for an electoral alliance with left parties in the hope of regaining the support of rural voters. However, his political metamorphosis could not arrest the slide of the TDP.
Toast of the nation
Not long ago, Naidu was the toast of the national media and one of the most sought-after leaders in the national coalition politics. As a convener of the United Front, he played a key role not only in the policy making but also in deciding the prime ministerial candidates
Pushed into a corner
The growing impact of Telangana statehood movement and the emergence of YS Jagan Mohan Reddy as a new political force are the two major factors that have pushed the once master strategist into a corner
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4 lawyers held for attack on mediamen Bangalore, March 3 The arrests came after the media in the state rejected the judicial probe into yesterday's attack as an "eyewash" and demanded that the guilty advocates be brought to book immediately. Special police squads set up by the police nabbed advocates Ranganath, Somesh, Arun Naik and Santosh, Police Commissioner B G Jyoti Prakash Mirji told reporters here as media stepped up pressure meeting Governor H R Bhardwaj and Chief Minister D V Sadananda Gowda demanding action. Mirji said 31 cases of rioting and assault had been registered in connection with the unprovoked attack on the journalists, OB vans and police that left at least 20 persons injured and evoked widespread condemnation. The police also registered a complaint of assault and robbery filed by the driver of Karnataka High Court Judge K L Manjunath. Driver, M S Jagadeeshaiah, said in his complaint that some advocates beat him when he came to the court complex to drop the Judge and robbed him of a gold chain and a cash of Rs 1,900. Courts here remained closed today while prohibitory orders were in force around city civil court complex which witnessed violence when lawyers created ruckus before turning violent protesting presence of media persons to cover the appearance of former minister and mining baron Janardhan Reddy in the CBI court in connection with an illegal mining case. "It was an intelligence failure. Police should have taken precautions," Bhardwaj told a delegation of media persons, which submitted a memorandum to him seeking his intervention to direct the government to initiate action against culprits. A delegation of private TV news channels met the chief minister and sought immediate action against the guilty. "We don't accept judicial probe into the incident. This is nothing but an eyewash. The government is trying to evade from its responsibilities," Suvarna News Head Vishweshwar Bhatt told reporters after meeting Gowda. — PTI
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Centre hopes to open TN nuclear plant soon
Chennai, March 3 "My hunch is that the Tamil Nadu Government will take a decision as early as possible on the project work, which has come to a standstill for many months following protests from locals, spearheaded by People's Movement Against Nuclear Energy,” Minister of State in the PMO V Narayanasamy told reporters here. The state government was very positive and was cooperating with the Centre as the law and order issue was a state subject, he said, adding Central and state government officials were regularly holding talks. He denied any "double-game" by the Tamil Nadu Government and said it was aware that it was in need of power and assured to provide 1000 MW of the energy from Kudankulam plant though its original share was 925 MW. Narayanasamy's remarks assume significance in the backdrop of the state government appointed panel which went into the safety aspects last month also virtually giving a clean chit to the project. Earlier the Centre's 15-member expert panel set up to allay the fears of the locals had vouched for the safety of the Indo-Russian project, where the work on the first two units to product 2000 MW of power has almost completed. — PTI
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Voting ended this evening in Uttar Pradesh and Goa, bringing the curtains on the massive exercise of polling in the Assembly poll in five states. Political parties now wait anxiously for ballots to be counted on March 6.
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar strongly feels that the ambit of the Right to Information (RTI) Act should be widened to cover the corporate houses, particularly the listed companies in which money of investors is involved. He also advocated bringing the Public-Private-Partnership (PPP) projects and firms availing donations from the government and utilising public money under its umbrella to bring in more transparency and check inefficiency.
Hyderabad, March 3
Once seen as a “kingmaker” who played a key role in the formation of United Front and National Democratic Alliance governments at the Centre, the former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu is virtually left friendless now in the changing political dynamics of the state.
The growing impact of Telangana statehood movement and the emergence of YS Jagan Mohan Reddy as a new political force are the two major factors that have pushed the once master strategist into a corner.
