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Yeddy won’t quit, for now
Oppn goes after PC on Aircel-Maxis deal
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Tribal couple sells infant to clear hospital bill
Ponty pays Rs 54 crore tax on ‘undisclosed’ income
No plans for troop withdrawal from Pak border: India
Suspected IM terrorist arrested near Lucknow
Noida Extension row: HC upholds land acquisition
Give DNA sample voluntarily or face force, HC tells Tiwari
Hearing in Aarushi case on May 16
SC refuses to quash Sachin’s nomination to RS
Defamation case
Passenger jumps out of plane
Common medical entrance test in 2013
MHA, MEA clash over EU envoys’ Nagaland visit
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Yeddy won’t quit, for now
Bangalore, May 14 Addressing a press conference here this afternoon, Yeddyurappa, who was accompanied by several ministers of the Sadananda Gowda-led government in Karnataka, came down heavily against Bangalore (South) MP Ananth Kumar, Chief Minister Gowda and BJP state president KS Eshwarappa. But, unlike yesterday, when Yeddyurappa criticised the party’s top leadership and praised Congress chief Sonia Gandhi, today he said he had “tremendous respect” for BJP president Nitin Gadkari and the party’s Karnataka in charge Arun Jaitley. Yeddyurappa also clarified that he was not making any attempt to join the Congress. The Lingayat strongman, who is credited with bringing the first BJP government in power in Karnataka, alleged that Ananth Kumar, who wanted to become the Chief Minister, has always plotted against him. Yeddyurappa said even though the Lokayukta’s report accusing him of accepting bribes from
a mining company was not a comprehensive document, he was forced to resign from the Chief Minister’s post due to machinations by Kumar and Eshwarappa. Yeddyurappa claimed that Gowda was not fit
to occupy the Chief Minister’s chair. “Gowda should have resigned after the Udupi-Chikmagalur bypoll loss,” Yeddyurappa said. On Saturday seven ministers close to Yeddyurappa handed over their resignation letters to him sending signal to the party’s high command that if they continue to ignore the disgruntled leader, the BJP government in the state enjoying the support of 119 members in 225-member House will fall. Yeddyurappa today claimed he was being supported by more than 70 MLAs. Forty of them have already given their resignation letters to me, he said. He, however, added that the MLAs would not be resigning now and would wait for his direction. On his future course
of action, Yeddyurappa said he would tour the entire state to obtain feedback from people and then decide his next step. Yeddyurappa, who was forced to quit over corruption charges on July 31, has been making desperate attempts for several
months now for his re-instatement. That possibility, however, has become remote following the Supreme Court order last Friday (May 11) for a CBI probe into corruption charges against him. Though Gowda was
Yeddyurappa’s choice as his successor, the two have fallen out. bsy dilemma of bjp
New Delhi: The BJP high command heaved a sigh of relief after Yeddyurappa decided to put off his decision to quit the Assembly on Monday. The Karnataka crisis has put the party’s top brass in a fix. On one hand, party leaders know that there is no way they can reinstate Yeddyurappa till he is cleared of mining scam charges. The SC pressing for a CBI probe in the matter has only compounded things for the former CM. But BJP leaders also know that Yeddyurappa is the BJP’s face in Bangalore and it has no future in Karnataka without him.
— TNS future tense?
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Oppn goes after PC on Aircel-Maxis deal
New Delhi, May 14 The government too stepped in quickly to clear the air, ruling out any wrongdoing by the then Finance Minister in the grant of Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) clearance. An aggressive Opposition forced two adjournments of the House after the lunch break, not accepting the explanation put forward by the Home Minister. An emotional Chidambaram said: "Plunge a dagger in my heart rather than question my integrity." Chidambaram, who in the Lok Sabha took the refuge in the Bible, tried to clarify in the Rajya Sabha after a fresh Opposition uproar, but failed to convince the Opposition. The issue was raised in the Upper House by Leader of Opposition Arun Jaitley. He did not take any names, but alluded that Ausbridge -- in which Advantage Consultancy, partly owned by Chidambaram's son Karthi had a stake -- received money from Aircel. Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee defended his colleague and read out an identical statement in both the Houses clarifying that there was "no scope for misunderstanding and misinformation." He gave the dates on which the application for investment was made and the final approval was granted. He said it was clear the approval was granted in the normal course without any delay. Jaitley said Maxis, the Malaysian company which acquired shares in Aircel, had declared to Malaysian stock exchange that it acquired more than 99 percent shares in Aircel. But the Indian policy permits no more than 74 percent share to foreign investors in telecom ventures. The money was allegedly transferred by Aircel chief C. Sivasankaran on the eve of FIPB clearance to the Aircel-Maxis deal, he said. An emotional Chidambaram said he was happy that the issue was being raised by his friend of 22 years (Jaitley) and said, "It would be much simpler if somebody took a dagger and plunged it into my heart, rather than question my integrity." An unmoved Jaitley said the Opposition was not seeking to "hold a dagger in somebody's heart," but wanted to ensure transparency in governance.
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Tribal couple sells infant to clear hospital bill
Guwahati, May 14 Sharmila Basumatary, wife of Saniram Basumatary, gave birth to a boy in the government-run R N Brahma Civil Hospital in Kokrajhar town of Western Assam under the supervision of a hospital doctor. Though the state has a scheme named Janani Surakshya that grants free medical treatment in government hospitals across the state to new mothers from poor families, the couple
was made to buy medicine worth Rs 7,000 by the doctor. The hapless couple was then forced to sell their newborn to a childless couple at Rs 7,000 with the help of an attending nurse so that they can clear the dues of the pharmacy. As the incident has exposed serious lacunae in the implementation of the much trumpeted government-sponsored Janani Surakshya scheme, an inquiry has been ordered into the case. Meanwhile, the childless couple who had ‘bought’ the newborn, has returned the baby to its biological parents after the matter came to light and went on to evoke sharp reactions in the state. ASSAM’s Shame
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Ponty pays Rs 54 crore tax on ‘undisclosed’ income
New Delhi, May 14 “The business group has admitted an undisclosed income of Rs 175 crore and further tax related proceedings are on,” official sources said. The I-T department has begun the process of collecting tax on the concealed income after it recently got the challans (receipts) deposited after the raids from the business entities of Chadha, the sources said. They said the group has paid Rs 54 crore as tax and sources said penalty proceedings were also on. When contacted by PTI, officials of one of the companies owned by Chadha refused to comment on
the issue. The sources said the I-T department, which conducted searches on the businessman’s premises on February 1, is yet to finish its proceedings against the
group as a number of bank guarantees are yet to be released. The department is currently preparing the documents of the searches which will be sent to the Central range for tax assessment. After the searches in February, the department had said it had seized Rs 11 crore in cash, jewellery and fixed deposits and sealed 13 bank lockers. The I-T department conducted the searches on the businesses of Chadha and his associates in February, covering 13 locations in Delhi including the posh Sainik Farms, Lajpat Nagar and New Friends Colony, and in six locations in Noida, Moradabad and
Lucknow. — PTI
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No plans for troop withdrawal from Pak border: India New Delhi, May 14 Sitanshu Kar, spokesman of the Indian Defence Ministry, said, “The report that ‘India may move troops to peace time locations’ is completely incorrect and without any basis.” The short three-line clarification came late this evening after Express Tribune, a Pakistan-based newspaper, in its Islamabad edition today, said India is likely to thin out troops from wartime positions on the border with Pakistan, where they were deployed after the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks in November 2008. Sources here said the Indian High Commission at Islamabad this morning faxed the news report to the Foreign Secretary Ranjan Mathai, the National Security Adviser Shiv Shankar Menon and the Prime Minister’s Office. The Ministry of Defence then got down to rebutting the report. The report has come just 10 days ahead of a meeting of the Home Secretaries of the two countries on May 24 and 25, and less than a month ahead of the meeting on June 11 and 12 when the Defence Secretaries of the two nations meet. “The two countries reached an understanding on withdrawing troops during Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari’s visit to New Delhi on April 8,” The Express Tribune quoted unnamed military and diplomatic officials as saying. Officials said the Indian government had mobilised troops to take wartime positions at the disputed border with Pakistan, particularly in Kashmir, immediately after terrorists launched the attacks in India’s commercial hub of Mumbai.
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Suspected IM terrorist arrested near Lucknow New Delhi, May 14 He is allegedly into brainwashing and motivating youth to join the terror outfit, which is named in several serial blasts in the country, the official said. Shakeel is said to be a close relative of Bashir, another suspected terrorist who was arrested by the Delhi Police. This is the fourth arrest of an IM terrorist by the Delhi Police this year. Last November, it had arrested six Indian Mujahideen terrorists from across the country. — PTI
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Noida Extension row: HC upholds land acquisition
Lucknow, May 14 The farmers and the GNA had challenged am Allahabad High Court judgment delivered on October 21, 2011 ordering that land of three villages of Noida and Greater Noida be returned to farmers while farmers of another 60 villages were to receive enhanced compensation for their land. Villages where land was restored to farmers were Yusufpur Chak Sahberi and Devla in Greater Noida and Asadullahpur in Noida. However, the land of petitioners of around 60 villagers of Noida and Greater Noida had not been returned. They were instead granted compensation at enhanced rates and 10% of developed or ‘abadi’ land. On October 24, many such farmers as well as the GNA had asked for a review of the order, which was dismissed today. The decision has brought relief to homebuyers, who have waited long for the legal tangle to be sorted out. The developers now await the National Capital Regional Planning Board (NCRPB) clearance expected around mid-June before work on the projects can start.
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Give DNA sample voluntarily or face force, HC tells Tiwari
Justice Reva Khetrapal also asked the 86-year-old Congress leader not to leave the country until he gave the sample for a DNA test to ascertain a claim that he was the biological father of 32-year-old Rohit Shekhar. The judge made the remark after Tiwari’s counsel repeated the contention that he could not be forced to give his blood sample as he was Finance and External Affairs Minister at the Centre, the Chief Minister of two states (the other state being undivided Uttar Pradesh), the Governor of Andhra Pradesh and a member of both Houses of Parliament. The court, however, made it clear that these arguments had been rejected by a Division Bench of the HC and also the Supreme Court. As a result, the only option left to him was to agree to the test or face force from the police at the instance of the court, the judge said. The court also directed the Registry to contact the Centre for DNA Fingerprinting and Diagnostics (CDFD) in Hyderabad in this regard.
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Hearing in Aarushi case on May 16
Ghaziabad, May 14 Rajesh Talwar and Nupur Talwar were present at the court. Nupur Talwar, lodged in Dasna jail, was brought from jail to the court. The court has passed a judicial order directing the CBI to hand over case dairy and other related documents to the accused as demanded. Talwars had demanded mobile phone call details of servants Krishna, Rajkumar and Vijay Mandal, arrested after the case was taken over by CBI. They also wanted statements of the police officers who have investigated the case. Talwars wanted narco analysis test report of Krishna, but it was not mentioned in the court order.
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SC refuses to quash Sachin’s nomination to RS
New Delhi, May 14 The PIL had questioned Sachin’s nomination on technical grounds, maintaining that there was no sports category in Clause 3 of Article 80 of the Constitution under which the master-blaster was nominated. — TNS
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Defamation case
New Delhi, May 14 "The case is reserved for order on May 18," Metropolitan Magistrate Jay Thareja said after conclusion of the arguments on behalf of Tejinder Singh, who sought summoning of Army Chief and four others for responding to the allegations against them. "You can issue notice to them and they can come and explain their part," Tejinder Singh's counsel Anil Aggarwal said. Besides Singh, Tejinder has named Vice Chief of Army Staff S K Singh, Lt Gen B S Thakur (DG MI), Maj Gen SL Narshiman and Lt Col Hitten Sawhney.
— PTI
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Chennai, May 14 The flight from Dubai landed and passengers were waiting for the aerobridge to be opened when the man managed to open the emergency exit door and jumped out, airport sources said. — PTI
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Common medical entrance test in 2013 New Delhi, May 14 At a meeting of the parliamentary consultative committee on health where the existing gaps in health infrastructure were discussed, ministry officials said the notification to hold the proposed National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test for MBBS and PG courses would be held next year. "The common entrance tests have been notified on February 25 this year for being conducted in academic year 2013-14," the ministry said. — TNS
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MHA, MEA clash over EU envoys’ Nagaland visit New Delhi, May 14 Union Home Secretary RK Singh and Foriegn Secretary Ranjan Mathai later spoke to sort out matters. While MHA officials were candid, saying there was no security clearance for the envoys, MEA sources said, “In all such visits, necessary process and coordination among all organisations and ministries concerned are ensured.” The delegation to Nagaland includes ambassadors of the Czech Republic, Hungary, Finland, Poland, Bulgaria and Slovakia. They met the Nagaland Chief Secretary, Speaker of the Assembly, leaders of political parties, representatives of several NGOs and businessmen yesterday. The MHA lodged a protest to the MEA over the visit without intimation and security clearance. It also flagged its concern on the delegation meeting political leaders and civil society. Asserting that the decision to allow diplomats to visit the north-eastern state was “unilateral”, the MHA asked the MEA to tell it the purpose of the visit and wanted to know why security clearance was not sought.
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New Delhi, May 14