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Chasm widens between Antony and Army Chief
Lok Sabha condemns Team Anna’s remarks
Apologise or face action, Virbhadra tells Kejriwal
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Katju: Lokpal to hit governance
FM promises sops to jewellers
Naxals kill 15 CRPF men
Bribe offer
Fresh bout of unrest in Telangana belt
UGC member in CBI net
No trace of 6 workers abducted near Bangladesh border
Coercive methods against media not advisable: AG
Rajoana Case
SAD fails to raise issue
President visits abroad meant to ‘deepen bilateral ties’ Farmer commits suicide in Bengal
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Chasm widens between Antony and Army Chief
New Delhi, March 27 For officials caught on either side of the divide, the mantra is to “keep silent” and bide time, at least till May 31 when the Army Chief demits office. This morning Antony, speaking in the Rajya Sabha, narrated the sequence of events. Antony claimed, "He (Army Chief) told me that Lt Gen Tejinder Singh offered him bribe, but he did not want to pursue it. No written complaint was filed. Till today I have not received any written complaint from him and after yesterday's (Monday) report, I have ordered a CBI inquiry.” This, in the ministry, is being seen as a way the mild mannered Antony normally does not react unless he is deeply hurt. The minister choked for words as he addressed Parliament. With the BJP virtually giving a ‘clean chit’ to Antony for his honesty, the war between the minister and the Army Chief is now in the open. In January this year, it was Antony who put his entire might in the Cabinet to save the Army Chief from being sacked after other powerful Cabinet members reportedly wanted strict action against him after the issue of his date of birth. The MoD turned down some key issues raised by the Army Chief in the past three months. Sources point out that the Army Chief’s ideas to ‘transform’ the Indian Army have been consigned to the ‘cold storage’. In October 2011, the Army Commanders conducted promotion boards for officers in the rank of Brigadier and Major Generals. The MoD usually does not question the wisdom of the Army headquarters. However, in this case, the MoD questioned the policy which allows the Army Commanders to evaluate their subordinates. After a delay of some five months, the result were declared. Earlier this month, the MOD appointed Lt Gen Bikram Singh as the next Army Chief to succeed General VK Singh. The appointment was made some three months in advance, instead of the two months that is norm. The catch is that once a new Army Chief is designated, all files are routed through him.
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Lok Sabha condemns Team Anna’s remarks
New Delhi, March 27 The Speaker wound up the debate of agitated members who demanded that Arvind Kejriwal be summoned to the Bar of the House, reprimanded and asked to apologise for calling MPs thieves, dacoits and rapists. After the members led by JD-U president Sharad Yadav had vent their spleen, Meira Kumar spoke out in defence of the agitated members saying, "Every member of this House is subjected to the scrutiny of the Election Commission and governed by the model code of conduct, submits details of his assets which are subjected to meticulous scrutiny." In the process, she simply ignored the demand of Sharad Yadav and others to move a censure resolution against Team Anna members. While yesterday it was Leader of the Opposition Sushma Swaraj who led the assault against Team Anna, today, in spite of several members referring to her initiative, not a single BJP member rose to support the move, giving rise to speculation that the BJP did not quite approve of a BJP leader attacking Team Anna, primarily targeting the Congress. Meira Kumar said the dignity of Parliament should be upheld because people elect their representatives to the House with faith in them. "Parliament reflects the collective view of the country. Any remark lowering the dignity of the House is unwarranted and unacceptable," she said. Sharad Yadav said individual criticism was welcome "but that doesn't mean the House can be denigrated". "I concede that some people, who should not have come, have been elected to the House. But don't forget that this institution also fights its war against corruption," he said. "Parliament is the only institution that has sent its members to jail on graft charges," he added. "Don't let people undermine this House," the JD-U chief said. Mulayam Singh Yadav said, "He (Kejriwal) should be called to the House, made to stand here and explain his conduct." Others supporting a House action included Dara Singh Chauhan (BSP) M Thambidurai (AIADMK), Farooq Abdullah and Sharif-ud-din Shariq of the National Conference and Jagdambika Pal of the Congress.
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Apologise or face action, Virbhadra tells Kejriwal
New Delhi, March 27 “I suggest you tender an unconditional apology for maligning my name and levelling incorrect allegations failing which I will be constrained to consider legal action against you,” the Minister of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises said today in a letter to Kejriwal, who had, during Anna Hazare’s Sunday fast, accused him of being caught on tape asking for bribe. The CD matter, said Virbhadra, was sub judice and any commentary on it was, therefore, prejudiced. Kejriwal had sourced certain media reports to include Virbhadra Singh in his list of 14 tainted Cabinet ministers. Kejriwal had referred to a CD which allegedly had Virbhadra demanding bribe from an IAS officer. Incidentally, an FIR in this case was registered way back in 2008 by the BJP Government in Himachal Pradesh on the basis of an audio CD allegedly containing Virbhadra’s voice from 1989. “The matter is sub judice and charges have not yet been framed and therefore, to comment on this matter is not only premature but also prejudiced. You as an ex-Government servant should know this particularly well,” Virbhadra wrote to
Kejriwal.
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Katju: Lokpal to hit governance
Lucknow, March 27 Justice Katju said that with the implementation of the Lokpal Bill virtually a parallel bureaucracy would come into existence to keep tabs on the existing one with no guarantee whatsoever that the new parallel one would remain corruption-free. “To address the complaints of approximately 55 to 60 lakh government employees, a force of 55,000 employees at least will have to be put in place from the district to the central government level...leave alone the issue of arranging for their salary, perks, housing and support staff. What I fear is this that the force itself would become potential blackmailers,” said Justice Katju. He was speaking to the media on the second day of the PCI’s three-day meeting in the state.
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FM promises sops to jewellers
He also promised to reconsider mandatory use of PAN card for purchase of jewellery of value over Rs 2 lakh. “I understand the plight of small jewellers… I am considering it… I will come out with an acceptable formulation,” said the FM, while replying to discussions on the Union Budget. Ruling out concession on import duty on gold, Pranab said, “I know it (gold) is part of our culture,” but added that import of “dead assets” resulted in wastage of precious foreign exchange. Warning MPs, the Finance Minister said, “Don’t think this old man has some magic wand” and mentioned that international crude prices, economic volatility in the Eurozone and the current crisis in Middle East would continue to impact inflationary trends in the country. “If going by the current trend, the price of crude goes up to $150-200 per barrel, things might be well beyond my control,” he said. Referring to the Supreme Court setting aside the levy of Rs 11,000 crore tax on Vodafone, the FM defended the government proposal to amend the Income Tax Act with retrospective effect in the wake of the judgment but assured: “It does not mean all cases will be reopened from 1961 and 1962. Where is the apprehension? As per the IT Act, the government cannot reopen tax cases beyond six years, but added that the intent of the legislature is that there should be no double taxation.”
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Naxals kill 15 CRPF men
Mumbai, March 27 The attack happened when the bus in which personnel of the 192nd battalion of the CRPF were travelling to an area called Karwafa Fulbodi Gatta hit the land mine planted on the road, police said. The area is around 45 kms from the Gadchiroli district headquarters. CRPF chief K. Vijay Kumar who was in Gadchiroli area today left for the attack site, officials said. According to information available in Nagpur the death toll could be higher as there were a large number of personnel in the vehicle. Reinforcements have been sent to pick up the dead and injured, officials said. Shortly after the message of the attack was received, the anti-Naxalite commandos began a combing operation, officials said here. A number of seriously injured jawans were being air lifted to Nagpur, officials said. "I am gathering information and will make a statement" in the Maharashtra Assembly, Home Minister R R Patil told reporters in Mumbai. According to an RTI reply, Naxal violence has claimed the lives of a total of 10,268 people, including security personnel, between 2005 and May 2010. As many as 2,372 deaths were reported in 2009 as against 1,769 in 2008, 1,737 in 2007, 1,999 in 2006 and 1,952 others in 2005. 439 people were killed between January and May 2010, it said. As many as 83 districts in nine states -- Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Orissa, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal -- have been identified as Naxal-hit, the RTI reply said. (With PTI inputs)
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Bribe offer
Sources said the case would progress only after the lodging of a formal complaint and after procedural formalities are completed. The premier investigating agency was supplied with the tapes of a conversation that purportedly took place between Army Chief General VK Singh and another person in connection with the alleged bribery case. The CBI is yet to establish that it is a recording of a meeting between Gen VK Singh and Lt Gen Tejinder Singh. The veracity and authenticity of the recording is yet to be established. The tapes carry a conversation purportedly between Gen Singh and another officer in which the former is said to be shouting. Normally, verification is done by taking voice samples of both the persons and getting those forensically examined. Meanwhile, the agency has asked the Defence Ministry to make available a complaint from Gen VK Singh besides other details such as list of witnesses and supporting documents after which it would initiate its probe in the case, they said. Yesterday, a team of the CBI had visited the Army Chief.
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Fresh bout of unrest in Telangana belt
Hyderabad, March 27 The spate of suicides for the statehood cause has triggered a fresh bout of unrest in the region which witnessed a total shutdown today to protest against the delay in carving out a separate state. The bandh call was given by Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) which has been in the forefront of the agitation. While the shutdown barely had any impact in Hyderabad, it was total in the other nine districts of the region. Shops, business establishments, banks, cinema theatres and educational institutions remained closed in most parts of Telangana region. The provocation for disrupting the normal life came from two incidents of self-immolation by Telangana supporters in Warangal town, the hotbed of the statehood movement. An MBA student L Bhojya Naik committed suicide in full public view on March 25. Next day, an auto-rickshaw driver Rajamouli ended his life in a similar fashion, evoking widespread outrage among the Telangana supporters. A daily wage earner also set himself on fire at Wanaparthy in Mahabubnagar district yesterday but escaped with injuries. The latest spate of suicides shattered the relative calm prevailing in the region for some time now. They 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. The voters delivered an unambiguous message in favour of the statehood cause, electing four TRS candidates while BJP and a TRS-backed independent bagged the other two seats. The pro-Telangana groups have been claiming that over 700 people, mostly students, had ended their lives for the Telangana cause since November 2009 when the statehood agitation gained momentum. Meanwhile, the security was tightened at Osmania University, the epicenter of the earlier phases of agitation.
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UGC member in CBI net
New Delhi, March 27 The charge is that the Kalinga Institute of Medical Sciences (KIMS), part of the KIIT group of institutions which Samantha represents as secretary, faked doctors during an MCI inspection in order to avoid the loss of recognition on the grounds of shortage of faculty. As many as seven doctors were suspended by the Odisha Government in March this year after a CBI inquiry into the incident revealed that the medical college in question had illegally misrepresented some persons as doctors during an MCI inspection of the college. The suspension came after Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik directed the health department to initiate action against them following a CBI probe, which found seven persons had posed as doctors of the KIMS. The CBI also filed a chargesheet on January 30 against four senior functionaries of the KIMS, namely Bhagabati Charan Das (dean-cum-principal), Achyuta Samanta (secretary, KIIT and UGC member), Debasish Debata (assistant personnel officer) and Dilip Kumar Panda (deputy chief executive officer).
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No trace of 6 workers abducted near Bangladesh border
Guwahati, March 27 The police said that a massive combing operation had been launched in the area to trace the abducted persons. Ultras from the National Liberation Front of Tripura (NLFT) are suspected to be behind the abduction while there is also a possibility of the involvement of Chakma tribe ultras from Chittagong hill tract in Bangladesh. The victims were identified as Pushpa Sharma, Pawan Singh, Sunil Singh, Shia Ram, Purna Ram and Tikloo. While Pushpa Sharma is an accountant and Tikloo is an excavator operator, the rest of the officials are supervisors at the company. The abductors took away Rs 2 lakh in cash from ABCI officials before fleeing into the jungle. The ABCI is engaged in Mizoram-Bangladesh border fencing work. Mizoram has an international border of 404 km with Myanmar and 318 km with Bangladesh. While the Border Security Force (BSF) guards the front with Bangladesh, Assam Rifles men are posted to guard the Myanmar border. The Government of India is constructing a barbed wire fence and installing flood lights all along the 4,095-km India-Bangladesh border in West Bengal, Assam, Meghalaya and
Mizoram.
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Coercive methods against media not advisable: AG
New Delhi, March 27 Presenting his views on the issue, Attorney General GE Vahanvati suggested that the Bench come out with some normative guidelines, without resorting to any coercive measure. Media was facing several constraints, including “competitive compulsion” that forced every player to be ahead of its rivals in breaking news. The guidelines should be aimed at enhancing the value of the press by guiding it to be responsible, the AG said. Senior counsel Fali S Nariman contended that there was no provision in the Constitution under which the SC could issue media guidelines that were in the nature of a law. Pointing out that Parliament did not have the Constitutional mandate to deliver judgments, he said similarly the judiciary could not enact laws. The fundamental right to freedom of expression covered reporting of court proceedings by the media, he reasoned. Any misreporting of court proceedings by media could be dealt with under the Contempt of Court provision, he averred. “There will be serious problems if the guidelines provide for penalty,” he argued, pointing out that the SC had endorsed self-regulation by media. The SC guidelines would also extend to media coverage of high courts and other judiciary and as such it would be difficult to enforce the restrictions.
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Rajoana Case
New Delhi, March 27 Among the signatories of the petition were Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC) chief Parmjit Singh Sarna, Former Additional Solicitor General of India, KTS Tulsi and president of the International Punjabi Civil Society, RS Jaura. Making their stand clear, the petitioners said: “We are totally opposed to the incidents of terrorism and use of violence for settling political scores”. “Rajoana has been primarily convicted and sentenced on the basis of his confessions and his persistent refusal to accept legal help,” said the petition. His role in the incident is one of associates of Jagtar Singh Hawara, who is the co-accused. The high court judgment states that the RDX was bought by Hawara and not
Rajoana.
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SAD fails to raise issue
New Delhi, March 27 Amid uproar, the Akali Dal leader in the House Ratan Singh Ajnala was unable to raise the issue of Balwant Singh Rajoana, the assassin of former Punjab Chief Minister Beant Singh, who faces a death row. The Akali Dal is opposing the execution of Rajoana . — TNS
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President visits abroad meant to ‘deepen bilateral ties’ New Delhi, Mar 27 “Comparison of foreign visits undertaken by various Presidents is potentially misleading,’’ said Archana Datta, the spokesperson for the President, in a statement. Justifying the President’s visits, she said the rising global profile of India on account of its dynamic economy, strategic importance, democratic governance and ancient civilisational links had led to enhanced engagements with countries across the world. “As part of these engagements, it is necessary for the President of India to visit various countries to deepen bilateral cooperation.’’ The Rashtrapati Bhavan stated that comparison of the number of foreign visits undertaken and countries visited by various Presidents was potentially misleading. “Such invitations are undertaken on the basis of standing invitations received from countries abroad and after the need to undertake such a visit has been appraised and recommended by the MEA and the
PMO.’’
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Farmer commits suicide in Bengal Suri (WB), March 27 The 50-year-old farmer Swapan Konai of Bidhyadhar village under Mayureshwar police station drank the pesticide on Sunday night, police sources said without elaborating. He was admitted in a critical condition to the Suri Hospital here the same night and died early this morning, they said. His family members claimed that he had received a notice for repayment of his cooperative loan some time ago which had disturbed him. He had taken a loan of Rs 5000 in the 2008-09 financial year with the amount growing to Rs 6500, his family said. BDO, Mayureswar-II development block Babulal Mahato said, "As I am informed by the co-operative society that they had sent regular notices to all the defaulters including Konai. "It is not yet clear whether the man committed suicide only after being served the notice or whether there is some other reason," Mahato said. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee today reiterated in Burdwan district that her government would amend the West Bengal Co-operative Societies Act, 2006 to ensure that banks run by cooperative societies were not empowered to attach the property of farmers failing to repay loans. — PTI
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Mumbai, March 27
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New Delhi, March 27