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Anna back in action, fasts for Lokpal
Team Anna takes potshots at politicians again
Tales of men who died fighting graft relived
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Govt unperturbed, says Ahamed
Congress dismisses Pawar’s charge on ‘coalition dharma’
Air
travel by differently abled
Yeddyurappa-Gowda tussle turns into caste war
Student’s death for Telangana fuels unrest
CBI recovers weapon in Shehla murder case
Lankan navy attacks TN fishermen
Jantar Mantar
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Anna back in action, fasts for Lokpal
New Delhi, March 25 At the end of his daylong fast for the protection of whistleblowers, Anna made a slew of new announcements to boost his movement and give it a fresh lease of life. So he warned the government afresh on the allegedly tainted Cabinet ministers and demanded FIRs against them by August; announced a new collaboration with yoga guru Baba Ramdev on key national issues and listed Right to Reject, gram sabha empowerment and farmers’ concerns as the next big items on his reform agenda. In a strategic shift to appear apolitical, Hazare’s aides Arvind Kejriwal, Kiran Bedi and Shanti Bhushan, for the first time today, publicly slammed the BJP-ruled states as much as the Congress governments for failing to protect the whistleblowers and for shielding the corrupt. Among main speakers today was Uday Veer Chaudhary, the uncle of Madhya Pradesh police officer Narendra Kumar, recently mowed down by the mining mafia in Murena on March 8. Not just that, the backdrop of the dais where Anna sat was carefully crafted to avoid resemblances to any RSS motifs. So the image of Bharat Mata, used during Anna’s first fast at Jantar Mantar in March last year, was gone and the frame of Mahatma Gandhi was back. Along side Mahatma’s life-size photo were 15 frames of people who died fighting corruption across India. “Bhrashtachaar ke khilaaf jang: Kitne aur shaheed,” was the writing on the wall behind Anna. That the activist had resurfaced after the Mumbai lull was evident from the frenzied cheering of a 10,000- strong gathering at the venue, where he appealed to the people to court arrests by August if tainted Ministers had not bee booked by then. Among visitors were schoolchildren, professionals and housewives. Anna’s key aide Arvind Kejriwal had earlier in the day produced a long list of 14 allegedly tainted ministers with Home Minister P Chidambaram and Telecom Minister Kapil Sibal (both members of the Joint Drafting Committee on the Lokpal Bill) topping his chart. Also in the list that Kejriwal kept sourcing to the media were Ajit Singh, Farooq Abdullah, GK Vasan, Sharad Pawar, Sriprakash Jaiswal, Sushil Kumar Shinde, Vilasrao Deshmukh, MK Alagiri, Virbhadra Singh and Praful Patel. “Arvind has named tainted ministers. Till August, FIRs should be registered against all who face charges. If that doesn’t happen, we must prepare to court arrest,” Anna said, sensing that the crowds were receptive unlike in Mumbai where in MMRDA grounds on December 27, 2011, he hardly managed to draw people. But Delhi proved his lucky charm yet again as he informed people of his planned India-wide “yatra” where he would awaken them of their powers in sovereign India before returning to Ram Lila Groounds yet again if the tainted ministers were not booked. “The government’s intention on Lokpal Bill is not clear. If they don’t pass the Bill by 2014, they must go. While Janlokpal Bill will partially end corruption, we also want the Right to reject so that criminals can’t enter the assembly and Parliament. After that we must demand greater power for gram sabhas and justice for farmers. No farming land should be acquired without the consent of gram sabhas,” Anna said. In his trademark style wherein he invoked “Bharat Mata”, the activist urged people to continue the fight against corruption by saying, “If you don’t fight now, you won’t fight ever.”
Team Anna takes potshots at politicians again
New Delhi, March 25 Lead creator of the controversy was Anna himself as he took on his old adversary and Rashtriya Janata Dal chief Lalu Yadav, who had earlier needled the activist by advising him against going on fast. “Lalu ji had advised me to take rest and had expressed concerns about my health when I went on a fast last time. But I want to tell him that I’m fit and fine and ready to serve the nation. How will a father of 10 ever know the power of a celibate?” Anna said, as the gathering cheered him. Earlier in the day, another member of the Anna Hazare team, Manish Sisodia had made objectionable remarks against the president of Janata Dal United Sharad Yadav. After displaying at Jantar Mantar excerpts of Sharad Yadav’s December speech on the Lokpal Bill in the Lok Sabha, Manish Sisodia said: “Lokpal se darr (he is afraid of the Lokpal Bill) isko kehte hain chor ki daadi mein…” The crowd filled in the blanks, even as JDU slammed the language as unparliamentary.
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Tales of men who died fighting graft relived
New Delhi, March 25 Though much of the talk centred around Narendra Kumar, the Madhya Pradesh cop done to death on March 8 for exposing mining mafia in the district, also in focus all day was a little known Vishram Laxman Dodia from Gujarat's Surat district. Dodia, 55, was killed in 2002 for trying to take the local electricity department to task for issuing illegal power connections. His wife has since been fighting for justice. "They have disconnected the power line to my house," she said in the video that Team Anna played this morning for the 10,000 persons gathered at the fast venue. The video featured heartrending tales of the families of whistleblowers who had to pay with their lives the cost of using the Right to Information Act for exposing corruption. Present at the venue was Uday Veer Choudhary, uncle of Narendra Kumar, who had vowed to end illegal mining in Murena (MP). He was run over by a tractor on March 8. "He was killed around 1.30 pm and his body had been cremated by 5.30 pm. We were not even allowed to get a post-mortem examination done," Choudary said, accusing the mining dons of killing him and alleging that the state was least interested in delivering justice. Team Anna, for the first time today, slammed the BJP government for failing to protect whistleblowers. The dais gave space to Choudahry and family members of some others who died in the fight against corruption. Photos of the deceased, put up on the sage, served as reminders of their fearless deeds. Also in the video was a narration from Alpa Jethwa, wife of environment activist Amit Jethwa who was killed in 2010 for questioning illegal mining in the forests of Gir, Gujarat. "He had also pointed fingers at MLA Dinubhai Solanki. My wait for justice seems endless," Alpa said. Her feelings resonated in the account of Shagufta Syed, wife of Nadeem Ahmad Syed, a key witnesses in Naroda Patya massacres during the 2002 Godhra riots of Gujarat. Syed was stabbed in broad daylight for trying to raise voice against injustice. Another voice caught in the video was that of Aashrita Tirki, wife of Lalit Kumar Mehta, killed on May 14, 2008, for demanding social audit of NREGA in Palamu district of Jharkhand. "There was absolute loot going on. When he started investigating, he was killed," Tirki said as the gathering listened. The video also highlighted the killing of Sola Ranga Rao in Andhra Pradesh's Krishna district where he was trying to unravel a scam in panchayat funds. He was killed on April 15, 2010.
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Govt unperturbed, says Ahamed
New Delhi, March 25 Asserting that Parliament's "importance cannot be reduced", the Minister of State for Human Resource Development (HRD), while replying to queries on Anna Hazare's token fast at Jantar Mantar today, said the UPA government "is committed" to checking corruption. "That's why we brought this Bill, the Lokpal Bill is one of the best bills. "If you want to make a small issue a bigger issue, you can have it. But so far the UPA government is concerned, , we are not perturbed.... We are always following Parliamentary procedures," Ahamed said. — PTI
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Congress dismisses Pawar’s charge on ‘coalition dharma’
New Delhi, March 25
“Maharashtra itself is the best example of successful Congress-led coalition politics. It is the only state with a successful coalition arrangement surmounting triple anti-incumbency at both central and state levels. This is the best negation of any allegation regarding deficiency by us,” party spokesman Abhishek Singhvi said. Singhvi was reacting to Pawar's criticism of Maharashtra unit of the Congress. The NCP chief had accused the Congress state unit of not following coalition dharma in the zila parishad president elections. The NCP chief had stirred a hornet's nest by taking exception to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's comments about allies making decision-making difficult, calling it unnecessary and sweeping in nature. Addressing a meeting of newly elected NCP corporators during his Pune visit, Pawar had said, “The NCP is being accused of not following the coalition dharma during the elections for zila parishad presidents.” “However, it was the Congress which began defying the coalition dharma. Under such circumstances, the question arises whether only the NCP is to observe discipline.” Pawar had also said, “We want to remain in alliance with the Congress. However, if the Congress continues its opposition to the NCP, we would not tolerate it.” Singhvi’s remarks assume significant as it came close on the heels of Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan yesterday meeting Congress president Sonia Gandhi on the issue. The Chief Minister also had a meeting with Rahul Gandhi and a number of Central leaders. Maharashtra Youth Congress President Vishwajeet Kadam has expressed displeasure over the move of Pawar's party in the local poll. — PTI
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Air travel by differently abled
New Delhi, March 25 While the two incidents involving visually challenged persons were reported from flights operated by Kingfisher Airlines, the one that recently caused nationwide indignation was by Spicejet, which de-boarded a person with cerebral palsy. The committee on rights of passengers with disabilities and reduced mobility will look into problems of differently-abled-persons in undertaking air travel and give suggestions on how to improve facilities to make their travel more convenient. Headed by ministry official G Ashok Kumar, the committee will include DGCA, Airport Authority of India (AAI), Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) and airlines representatives. It will look into different aspects related to differently abled persons.
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Yeddyurappa-Gowda tussle turns into caste war
Bangalore, March 25 Even the Lokayukta’s office has allegedly fallen prey to caste considerations that have emerged as a strong factor in the wake of the tussle between BS Yeddyurappa, former Chief Minister and a Lingayat strongman and the incumbent Chief Minister Sadananda Gowda, a Vokkaliga. While a Vokkaliga Upa-Lokayukta appointed after Gowda became Chief Minister was keen on appealing in the Supreme Court after the high court gave a clean chit to Yeddyurappa regarding the illegal mining charges slapped against him by former Lokayukta Santosh Hegde, another Upa-Lokayukta, a Lingayat, who was appointed during Yeddyurappa’s tenure as CM, shot down the idea. Lingayats and Vokkaligas, said to constitute 18 and 17 per cent respectively of the population of Karnataka, have always dominated the state’s electoral politics. Ever since Yeddyurappa was forced out, several Lingayat swamis have led demonstrations and held press conferences to put pressure on the BJP leadership for his return as Chief Minister. Lingayat pontiffs also attended his birthday celebrations recently and publicly sought his reappointment as CM. With Yeddyurappa intensifying his comeback bid, Vokkaliga swamis have thrown their weight behind Gowda. Adi Chunchanagiri Math pontiff Balagangadharanatha Swami expressed concern when Yeddyurappa took ministers and MLAs loyal to him to a resort. The holy man also announced his support for Gowda who belongs to his community of Vokkaligas. Office-bearers of the Vokkaliga Sangha also met Gowda at his official residence in Bangalore recently and expressed their support. Ironically, it was BS Yeddyurappa who had helped Sadananda Gowda become the Chief Minister when Yeddyurappa had to quit the CM’s post following his indictment by Lokayukta Santosh Hegde in his report on illegal iron ore mining in Karnataka.
Divisive politics
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BS Yeddyurappa is a Lingayat and Sadananda Gowda, a Vokkaliga l
While the Vokkaliga Upa-Lokayukta wants to appeal against clean chit to Yeddyurappa on the illegal mining charges, the Upa-Lokayukta from the Lingayat community has shot down the idea l
Lingayats and Vokkaligas constitute 18 and 17%, respectively, of Karnataka's population l
Religious leaders of both communities have extended support to their chief ministerial contenders
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Student’s death for Telangana fuels unrest
Hyderabad, March 25 Tension prevailed in Warangal town, the hotbed of Telangana movement, where a 22-year-old student Bhojya Naik immolated himself yesterday in full public view to protest against the delay in the formation of the new state. The tribal student, pursuing MBA at a local college, raised slogans in support of the Telangana cause even as he was engulfed in flames. The incident evoked widespread outrage among Telangana supporters who enforced a shutdown in the district. The leaders of Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS), which has been in the forefront of the agitation, and representatives of Telangana Joint Action Committee (TJAC) descended on the town, raising the political temperature. Tension was palpable as hundreds of people from the neighbouring Telangana districts poured in to participate in the funeral procession. Tempers ran high during the procession as TRS activists attacked the houses and offices of local Congress and Telugu Desam Party leaders. The enraged pro-Telangana students targeted the houses of Information Technology Minister P Lakshmaiah, who hails from the district, the TDP leader E Dayakar Rao and government chief whip G Venkatramna Reddy. Three people were injured in the stone pelting, prompting the police to baton-charge the protesters. “The Congress government is responsible for the suicides. It has betrayed the people of Telangana by backtracking on its earlier promise to create separate state,” the TJAC chairman Prof M Kodandaram and TRS legislator T Harish Rao said. They warned that they would intensify the agitation, demanding introduction of a bill in the Parliament for bifurcation of the state. The TJAC, comprising the TRS, the BJP and other civil society groups, has called for burning the effigies of the Congress and the TDP in all 10 districts of the region tomorrow and staging candle light rallies on March 27. The student’s suicide and the subsequent surcharged atmosphere spurred the TRS into an aggressive mode. The TRS Chief K Chandrasekhjar Rao cancelled the scheduled politburo meeting of his party in Hyderabad today and rushed to Delhi along with his fellow-MP Vijayashanthi. Supported by the Telangana Congress MPs, they are likely to raise the issue in the Lok Sabha tomorrow. According to TRS sources, the duo would camp in the national capital to mount pressure on the UPA government to take a favourable decision on Telangana demand. Meanwhile, the Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy condoled the death of Bhojya Naik and urged the Telangana youth not to resort to extreme steps. “The Centre is seized of the matter. Let us be patient and wait for the decision,” Kiran said. The latest incident came close on the heels of the by-elections to six assembly seats in Telangana in which both the Congress and TDP drew a blank.
Self-immolation Tension prevailed in Warangal town of Andhra Pradesh where a 22-year-old student Bhojya Naik immolated himself on Saturday in full public view in protest against the delay in the formation of the new state. The tribal student, pursuing MBA at a local college, raised slogans in support of the Telangana cause even as he was engulfed in flames.
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CBI recovers weapon in Shehla murder case
A CBI spokesperson said in New Delhi that the weapon, a country-made pistol (katta), was recovered at the instance of Ali alias 'Danger' and has been since sent for forensic examination. Ali — a local history-sheeter — is alleged to be the link between Zahida Pervez, accused to be the main conspirator, and hired sharp-shooters Shanu Alunga and Irfan — both hailing from Kanpur — to kill Shehla. He allegedly brokered a deal between the key conspirator and the shooters for Rs 5 lakh. After Shehla was killed by the Uttar Pradesh shooters, Zahida paid the duo Rs 3 lakh, CBI sources said. So far, five persons have been arrested in the case: Irfan, Bhopal-based interior designer Zahida Pervez, her friend/confidant Saba Faroqui, Saqib Ali (Danger) and a suspected killer, Tabish Khan. The CBI alleged that Pervez got Shehla killed out of jealousy, as she could not stand the latter's growing closeness to BJP MLA Dhruv Narayan Singh. The BJP MLA has been questioned extensively by the CBI. — PTI
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Lankan navy attacks TN fishermen
Nagapattinam (TN), March 25 The fishermen alleged the Lankan Navy personnel arrived in a speed vessel and surrounded their boat and attacked them before snatching away their GPS instrument, navigation and communication tools. However, they managed to reach the shore today. The fishermen also alleged the Lankan Navy damaged their fishing nets and threw away the food packets and other valuables into the sea, the officials said. The fishermen have lodged a complaint with coastal security police and fisheries authorities that the navy personnel also tore the Tricolour mounted on the boat. —
PTI
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BJP rewards Najma Heptulla
Anita Katyal After making her wait for over two years, the BJP finally rewarded Najma Heptulla with a Rajya Sabha seat for severing her 30-year-old link with the Congress. However, there appears to be a larger game plan behind this decision. The BJP is apparently thinking of proposing Najma Heptulla's name for the Vice-President's post when elections are held later this year.
The BJP-led NDA is working on the assumption that other parties, including the Congress, will find it difficult to oppose Najma's candidature as she has two important factors working in her favour: she's a woman and a Muslim. Moreover, the Congress does not have the requisite numbers in the state assemblies to ensure election of its own nominees as the President or the Vice-President. It will have no option but to forge a consensus with other political parties. In such a scenario, the BJP is hoping to drive a hard bargain to get its own Vice-President. This would give the Opposition greater control over the Rajya Sabha as the Vice-President is also the Chairman of the Upper House, where the Congress-led UPA is in minority. This will spell further trouble for the ruling coalition as it is already struggling with the passage of Bills in the Rajya Sabha. Jaya Bachchan back in RS
Actor-turned politician Jaya Bachchan also turned lucky this time as she returns to the Rajya Sabha as a Samajwadi Party (SP) nominee after a two-year gap. Her candidature, however, has not gone down well with SP cadres since Jaya Bachchan was accommodated at the cost of party worker Arvind Kumar Singh, who was asked to withdraw in her favour at the last minute.
Jaya Bachchan is said to have first approached SP chief Mulayum Singh Yadav's brother Ram Gopal Yadav for a ticket, but he told her that they did not want to incur the wrath of their party workers by accommodating an outsider. Jaya Bachchan, who flew down especially for Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav's swearing-in ceremony along with her husband Amitabh Bachchan and industrialist Anil Ambani, spoke to Mulayum Singh Yadav while she was in Lucknow. Apparently, Ambani eventually prevailed upon the SP chief to nominate Jaya. It was after this meeting that Mulayam rang up his brother to tell that he had decided in Jaya's favour since she was so keen on getting back into the Upper House.
Bollywood spices up RS farewell
A special cultural evening-cum-dinner is always organised in the honour of retiring Rajya Sabha members on their last day. The evening has usually been a staid affair in the past with artistes like Jagjit Singh being invited to perform on the occasion. But the House of Elders is clearly changing with the times. Thanks to Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Rajiv Shukla, whose Bollywood links are well known, a troupe from Mumbai was invited to perform for the retiring Rajya Sabha members last week. The evening was clearly a change from the past as the troupe members, dressed up in bright red and accompanied by ear-splitting orchestra, belted out old and new Hindi film songs with an occasional "yahoo" thrown in. The enthusiastic singers gyrated wildly on the stage and on several occasions, even thrust their mikes in front of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Vice-President Hamid Ansari and Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar who were seated in the front row. While the PM and Ansari looked decidedly uncomfortable with the quality of music and the choice of songs, Meira Kumar appeared to be enjoying the performance.
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After getting a cold shoulder in Mumbai last year, activist Anna Hazare today returned to the national capital to rejuvenate his sagging anti-corruption campaign by daring the government to pass the Lokpal Bill by 2014 or go.
New Delhi, March 25
New Delhi/Bhopal, March 25
