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Presidential Poll
Won’t interfere in trial of 2 Italians in Kerala: Govt
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Hike in fuel prices a must: Jaipal Reddy
Sonia unhappy over party MPs playing truant
ULFA hawks give bandh call against Sonia’s visit
Pilots’ stir: AI may curtail more flights
Bill to protect kids from sexual abuse passed
Sikh leaders hail LS, RS nod to marriage Bill
‘We were helpless, the heat was unbearable’
Coal scam rocks Parliament
Guest at rave party might’ve supplied drugs: Police
Terror alert at Lucknow airport
‘CBI must have statutory backing’
Service as sailor to be counted for fixing officer’s pension
4 mishaps leave 12 dead in UP
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Sangma reaches out to parties
New Delhi, May 22 Sangma, who met BJD chief and Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik here along with some tribal MPs, claimed he has the support of the tribal leaders across the parties who are "fighting a common cause of projecting a tribal as a presidential candidate." "We hope that other political groups including UPA and NDA will respond to the call of conscience of the nation by the tribal people and support us in the coming Presidential election," he told reporters here flanked by Patnaik. Asked if he is in touch with other political parties to garner support for Sangma, Patnaik said it was their duty to bring all political parties onboard on the issue of supporting the former Speaker. "I think it is obvious my colleague Tamil Nadu CM Jayalalithaa and I... of course we will be speaking to our colleagues who are many. It is our duty to gather together the political parties of the country (for supporting Sangma)...There has been a very encouraging response. I am sure my colleague in Tamil Nadu will echo my views," he said. Both Patnaik and Jayalalithaa had announced their backing for Sangma on May 17, injecting a new element in the Presidential race. Observing that Sangma was by far the "best" Presidential candidate, Patnaik said, "Indeed it is time that a distinguished tribal leader should be the Rashtrapati." When asked if he has spoken to BJP on the issue, Patnaik remained evasive, saying the issue is not about politics but to elect for the first time a tribal leader as the President. "Time will tell, I have spoken, she (Jayalalithaa) has spoken, we are regional parties... This is the election of Rashtrapati... This is not political, this is to bring to the seat for the first time a great tribal leader," he said. Sangma thanked both Patnaik and Jayalalithaa for backing him for Presidential poll. — PTI
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Won’t interfere in trial of 2 Italians in Kerala: Govt
New Delhi, May 22 "The judicial process is on and the Government of India is never known to interfere in that process," External Affairs Minister SM Krishna said when asked about framing of murder charges and denial of bail to two Italian marines - Latore Massimiliano and Salvatore Girone - which has escalated the diplomatic row between Rome and New Delhi. Krishna's remarks came nearly a week after Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti called up Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to express concern over detention of two of his country's sailors in Kerala for allegedly killing two fishermen. The External Affairs Minister also denied there was any pressure from Italy on the issue. "Absolutely not", said Krishna when asked if there was any pressure from Italy. The marines issue has sparked a series of reaction resulting in the recalling of the Italian Ambassador to India for consultations and summoning of Indian Ambassador Debabrata Saha by the Foreign Ministry in Rome. The Italian Government "firmly" impressed upon "the unacceptable nature of the judicial developments regarding the Italian servicemen, Latorre and Girone, especially as regards the charges against them...." to Saha, a statement by their foreign ministry in Rome said. The marines were arrested on February 19, four days after they allegedly opened fire while travelling by ship Enrica Lexie and killed two fishermen off the coast of Kerala, apparently suspecting them to be pirates. On a separate query on Indians stranded in Angola, Krishna said, "Today I should be talking to the Foreign Minister (of Angola)...meanwhile, we have conveyed through our embassy that if any of them would like to get back to India, our embassy will make all possible arrangements for their return." Asked about a fresh advisory on traders in China, he said, "When I was in China and when the Chinese Foreign Minister came to Delhi, we had discussed about the plight of the traders and the talks are continuing." — PTI
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Sonia unhappy over party MPs playing truant
New Delhi, May 22 The near empty treasury benches in the Lok Sabha on Monday, during the passage of Rajiv Gandhi National Institute of Youth Development Bill-2011, a legislation seeking to declare it an institution of national importance, did not go unnoticed by the Congress president who had sat through the process. This is not the only instance wherein MPs have skipped Parliamentary work. There have been occasions of Congress MPs remaining absent despite the party issuing a whip. Their attendance was not exactly overwhelming even during the 60th anniversary of the first sitting of Parliament. Sonia has sought a list of absentee MPs at regular intervals, expressing concern over the growing trend. Sources said the Congress president was this time particularly critical about how some MPs just come to Parliament to sign the attendance register and go back without making any substantial contribution. Sonia, who is also the CPP Chairperson, wants state convenors and Parliamentary managers to take steps to ensure better attendance. Meanwhile, Sonia is understood to be not quite open to MPs’ demand for sporting red beacons atop their cars in Delhi. Sources said she made it clear that more red beacons in Delhi would create problems, but felt that the matter should be left to states to take a decision on the issue in their jurisdiction. Last week, MPs, cutting across political lines, made a strong demand for being given the right to sport red beacons atop their vehicles. They said the Privileges Committee of the Lok Sabha had made a recommendation to the effect and had wanted to know why the government was delaying the measure. Some MPs are not in favour of the demand. In a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Congress MP Abhishek Singhvi is understood to have said that “current climate of cynicism and distrust does not behove people’s representatives flaunting such privileges. It is likely to be highly misunderstood and become the butt of ridicule and derision, rather than respect or awe”.
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ULFA hawks give bandh call against Sonia’s visit
Guwahati, May 22 The Congress government in Assam led by Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi is set to welcome Sonia Gandhi, who has been invited to grace the first anniversary of Gogoi government’s third successive term here. In a statement e-mailed to the media here, the ULFA (anti-talks) faction has called for a 12-hour Assam bandh from 6 am on May 26 to protest against Sonia’s
visit. ULFA stated it has called for the bandh to protest against “continued colonial occupation of India in Assam, government of India’s bid to set up nuclear warheads in Assam, to convert Assam into a thriving ground of illegal migrants from Bangladesh, efforts to set up National Counter Terrorism Centre
(NCTC) and setting up of big hydropower projects in collusion with big industry houses to exploit the water resources of the state”.
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Pilots’ stir: AI may curtail more flights
Mumbai, May 22 “Because of the strike we are forced to operate the Airbus aircraft which have a lower capacity instead of the Boeing 777 aircraft,” a senior Air India official said. The airline is operating just eight of its 17 Boeing-777 aircraft with the help of executive cadre pilots who will have to be pulled off duty due to flight and duty time limitations, sources say.
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Bill to protect kids from sexual abuse passed
New Delhi, May 22 On the last day of the Budget Session today, Parliament passed the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Bill 2012 which, for the first time, defines sexual offences by listing them under different categories - penetrative sexual offences; sexual assault, aggravated sexual assault, sexual harassment and aggravated sexual harassment. The Bill, passed by the Rajya Sabha on May 10, puts the burden of proof of innocence on the accused and allows recording of child's statement wherever it is convenient to him/her; video recording of proceedings and provision of interpreters to children who have language problems while narrating the crime. Close to 50 crore children will benefit from the move. The draft law comes at a time when abuse of children is rising across India. Childline India, which runs a toll-free national helpline for children in distress, received 22 lakh calls last year. The Bill retains the age of consent for sexual engagement involving children at 18 years. Women and Child Development Minister Krishna Tirath explained the move saying, "That way we can protect children from trafficking. If we kept the age of consent at 16 years, traffickers would force children to admit that they were involved in a certain sexual act with consent." The Bill, as it was passed today, raised the age of consent from 16 years (as originally proposed) to 18 years as recommended by the parliamentary committee that studied the legislation. The minister allayed apprehensions that the move to increase the age of consent to 18 years would lead to children being put in jails. "That won't happen. These offences would be dealt with under the Juvenile Justice Act," she said, literally implying that sexual involvement of two consenting people below the age of 18 would be criminal. The Bill provides for punishment ranging from 10 years to above; there is greater punishment for aggravated sexual offences (described as those that are committed by people in position of authority like policemen, army personnel etc). The law also prescribes punishments for media which discloses the identity of children. Frivolous reporting of crime with malafide intention would also be punishable.
BJP BENCHES VACANT
The BJP benches were almost vacant as the House debated the crucial Bill. Less than 20 MPs were present. Among those present were Arjun Meghwal and Hukumdev Narain
Yadav.
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Sikh leaders hail LS, RS nod to marriage Bill
Amritsar, May 22 Former Rajya Sabha MP Tarlochan Singh, who played a significant role in it, said, “This is a historic day as the separate identity of the Sikhs has been recognized in India for the first time. As per the Act, the Sikhs will now get a Sikh Marriage Certificate. Earlier, they were getting a Hindu Marriage Act certificate. I moved this Bill in the parliament in 2007 and got the approval of the Parliamentary Standing Committee.” DSGMC Chief Paramjit Singh Sarna said the Bill’s passage in the Rajya Sabha and subsequently in the Lok Sabha exhibits the sincerity of the Congress-led UPA government towards the Sikh issues. He lauded Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh who himself participated in the Rajya Sabha proceedings when the Bill was passed. He hoped that the government will soon resolve the other Sikh issues as well. Former SGPC Secretary Manjeet Singh Calcutta said this is for the first time ever that the Sikhs don’t have to put up a “morcha” or resort to protest to get their demands accepted. He showered praises on former Rajya Sabha member Tarlochan Singh who led the RS members in support of the Bill. He said after the Anand Marriage Amendment Bill 2012 the next aim of Sikhs should be the amendment in Article 25-B of the Indian constitution. “The Sikh intellectuals and well-wishers who are concerned about maintaining separate Sikh identity should start making efforts in this direction after taking the consent of the Akal Takht,” he added. Dal Khalsa leader Kanwar Pal Singh said though it is a positive step yet a partial relief, as Sikhs need a comprehensive personal law which should address all the issues related to their exclusive identity. He said it was a fact that the amendments made in the Anand Marriage Act-1909 were insufficient and did not fully resolve the identity crisis of the Sikhs. “Sikhs can’t afford to leave the social problem of divorce unaddressed,” he pointed out. He said the only solution to the identity crisis was abrogation of Article 25 (b) (2) of the constitution which clubs Sikhs with Hindus. Dr Rajwant Singh, President of EcoSikh, has also welcomed the passage of the Bill in Parliament. In Delhi, Tarlochan Singh, former chairman of the National Minorities Commission, welcomed the amendment to the Anand Marriage Act. “I had moved a private members Bill in 2007 which was approved by the standing committee of Parliament,” he said. Tarlochan termed it as ‘historic day’ saying a separate identity for Sikhs has been recognised for the first time and thanked Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Law Minister Salmaan Khurshid. Delhi Sikh Gurdawara Management Committee chief Parmjit Singh Sarna thanked UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi saying the nod to the Bill shows the seriousness of the UPA towards issues of the Sikhs.
Journey of the Bill
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‘We were helpless, the heat was unbearable’
Bangalore, May 22 Overcome by the shock, the passengers who arrived at the Bangalore railway station here, said the cries of burning passengers still echoed in their ears. Ratnamma, 30, who boarded the train at Gooty (Andhra Pradesh) along with 20 others, said she was rudely woken up from sleep around 3.15 am when the train stopped with a loud thud. Her husband fell from the upper berth on some children sleeping on the floor. “I thought it was an earthquake. It is only when I saw other passengers jostling to get out, throwing their luggage outside and women wailing did I realise something was wrong. When we got down, it was a blood curdling sight,” she said. One of the coaches was in flames, charred bodies were all around and bleeding and injured passengers, including small children, were crying for help. “It was a sight I will never be able forget,” she said with tears streaming down her face. “It was simply unbearable and a gory sight to watch our fellow passengers burning in front us, while we just stood helpless,” she said. “We desperately wanted to help, but it was searingly hot and smoke was coming out of the coach, almost choking us. We could not muster the courage to save our brothers and sisters,” she said. Twenty-four persons were killed when the Hampi Express rammed into a stationary goods train at the Penukonda station in the wee hours today. According to Anjappa and other daily wagers who also boarded the train at Gooti, the situation was made worse for the injured as there was no drinking water. But after a few minutes, an ambulance arrived with water and essential medical supplies. Sharanamma (20) refused food and water offered by railway officials, saying, “I can only see burnt limbs in front of me. I cannot eat.” Rangamma in her 20s literally begged railway authorities to inform her whether her eight year-old-son and husband were alive. “Calm down. Eat some food. Wait for sometime, we will tell you,” said a railway official as he tried to comfort her. For 25-year-old Munijayendra, a marketing executive with a private company here, his visit to his ailing father-in-law in Gutti will “remain etched in the mind forever”. “When the train stopped with a thud, I got down to see burning passengers crying for help. It is a sight I cannot get over. I will not be able to sleep for many days to come as their cries will be ringing in my ears. The worst part is we were helpless as the heat was just unbearable,” he added. According to 27-year-old Mehboob Basha, a teacher in a government high school in Mysore, who hails from Bellary, “It seems to be the fault of the engine driver who, I think, lost control and overshot the signal, hitting a stationary goods train. It is the first three coaches that were badly impacted with the first one going up in flames”. — PTI |
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Coal scam rocks Parliament
New Delhi, May 22 While the Rajya Sabha was adjourned twice, first for 15 minutes and then till noon, the Lok
Sabha was straightaway adjourned till noon. Soon after the Lok Sabha met on the last day of the budget session, members from the opposition benches raised the reported loss to exchequer in allotment of coal mines. Some members also raised the issue
of a train accident in Andhra Pradesh. Opposition members, particularly from the Left parties, raised slogans and waved a newspaper copy carrying the Comptroller and Auditor General report on the allocation of coal blocks between 2004 and 2009 without auction, which the auditor said resulted in undue benefits of Rs 180,000 crore to private parties. Some other opposition members pointed to the train accident involving the Hampi Express and a stationary goods train in Anantapur district in the early hours of Tuesday
in which 15 people were killed. The agitated opposition members trooped towards Speaker Meira Kumar's chair and continued with their slogan shouting. As her plea to let the Question Hour continue went unheeded, Meira Kumar adjourned the House till noon. In the Upper House, as soon as it met for the day, BJP member Rajiv Pratap Rudy urged Chairman Hamid Ansari to suspend the question hour to discuss the Comptroller and Auditor General report. Ansari, however, ruled this
out, saying: "You cannot raise questions that are not listed." Rudy was joined by other BJP members, including Prakash Javadekar, who flashed, what he claimed, a letter from the Central Vigilance Commissioner
recommending a Central Bureau of Investigation probe into the coal block allocation. As the din continued, the chair ruled that "nothing will go on record". Defending the government, Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Rajiv Shukla said the Comptroller and Auditor General report has not yet been tabled. "Where is the report? Report has not been tabled," he said. As Opposition members continued with their protests, the upper house was first adjourned for 15 minutes and then till 12 noon. Both Houses resumed their functioning at 12 noon.
— IANS
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Guest at rave party might’ve supplied drugs: Police
Mumbai, May 22 For the second consecutive day, the two disc jockeys, Romeo and Deepesh Sharma of Designer Hippies, who played music at the party, were called to the police station today and their statements recorded, a police officer at Juhu police station told PTI. As of now, statements of five persons were recorded, the officer said, but refused to divulge their names and other details. The police are verifying the antecedents of all the 91 guests at the party as they suspect that one of them could have been the drug supplier and might have thrown away the drugs in the hotel on seeing the police which swooped on the hotel in a surprise raid. 110 grams of cocaine and 64 grams of charas had been recovered from the premises during the raid. The drugs were found on the sofas and the floor but were not recovered from any person. The investigators are also trying to decode the language used in the invitation. The police are taking help of various party organisers to decode the language used in the invitation. The invite which has been uploaded on the hotel director Vishay Handa's profile on a popular social networking site, on May 14, read, "Support the Music not the Drugs." The invite mentions, "DESIGNER HIPPIES (United Beats Records, USA) ARE bringing the SUN "DOWN". Lets rock this town - so get ready to get high. Please do not try to FLY. Because Flying is an illusion not a Reality, come with us and we'll make you feel Gravity."
— PTI
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Terror alert at Lucknow airport
Lucknow, May 22 Confirming reports of receiving an alert by the IB, OSD to the airport director Anil Bajpai said the security had been upgraded at new state-of-the-art terminal that was formally inaugurated by Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh on May 19. Bajpai described it as a routine affair. “We do it all the time after receiving similar intelligence inputs.” Lucknow DIG Ashutosh Pandey said he was not aware of such an alert.
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‘CBI must have statutory backing’
New Delhi, May 22 The Standing Committee on personnel, public
grievances, law and justice suggested these changes in its report submitted to
Parliament yesterday. The Committee of both houses headed by Shantaram Naik suggested that the CBI, like the National Investigation Agency (NIA) created in 2008, must be made through a federal legislation. The CBI, at present, is governed by the Delhi Special Police Establishment (DSPE) Act, 1946. This is a Pre-Independence and Pre-Constitutional era Act. The committee said, “It is noteworthy that a federal legislation is needed which provides for an investigation agency at the national level to investigate and prosecute certain class of offences. The committee is of the considered view that a legislation may be proposed on lines similar to those of the NIA, it said. The panel was apprised by the Attorney General that it is not open to the Central Government to constitute a CBI and confer on it powers which will impinge all the powers of investigation of offences which are conferred on the state police.
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Service as sailor to be counted for fixing officer’s pension
Chandigarh, May 22 Naval Lt DS Rai had joined Navy as a sailor and was later commissioned as an officer. He voluntarily resigned from service after completing more than 15 years service. He was refused pension on the grounds he had retired as an officer and thus required 20 years of service to qualify for pension. His plea for grant of pension at sailors’ rates on completion of 15 years of service was rejected on the ground that though rules permitted counting of sailor service or service in ranks towards commissioned service, rules were silent on counting of officers’ service into sailor service.
— TNS
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4 mishaps leave 12 dead in UP
Lucknow, May 22 The private bus heading towards Jhansi was packed to capacity with pilgrims returning from Vaishno Devi. Twenty eight persons were injured in the accident; a dozen of whom were discharged after first aid and the remaining have been admitted to district hospitals of Aligarh and Bulandshahr. In the second accident which occurred in Gonda district a tempo was hit by a UP roadways bus killing a couple, Shamsul and Kulsum, on the spot and injuring five others who have been admitted to the district hospital. The bus has been seized and the bus driver arrested. In the third accident under Haidergarh police station in Barabanki district, a Maruti car was hit by a truck killing the two occupants of the car and another unidentified person on the spot. A police Sub Inspector Jiten Singh Yadav under police station Chirgaon in Jhansi district was killed in the fourth road accident while he was getting a tanker removed by crane. A speeding truck coming from Kanpur side attempted to overtake vehicles knocking down Yadav who was rushed to the hospital where he succumbed to his injuries. It was a recently that state Transport Minister Raja Mahendra Aridaman Singh had directed the transport officials to strictly implement road safety rules to check accidents by preventing overloaded vehicles. The minister instructed officials to take strong action against people who rode motorcycles without helmets.
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Hike in fuel prices a must: Jaipal Reddy Amritsar, May 22 "It (price increase) is very essential but (before hiking rates) we have to talk to political parties," he told reporters here on way to Ashgabat for signing of the agreement for Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India pipeline. Government had decontrolled petrol price in June 2010 but rates were last increased on November 4 last year. — PTI
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3 held for taking bribe
Jaipur: Three government employees were today arrested by the Anti-Corruption Bureau for allegedly taking bribe in separate cases in Rajasthan, a top ACB official said
here. Deraj Rak, a Panchayat assistant posted in Barmer district's Rappasar Gram
Panchayat, was arrested for allegedly demanding a bribe of Rs 11,000 for releasing the dues of 120 workers enrolled under the MGNREGA scheme, IG ACB Umesh Mishra said.
— PTI
800th Ajmer Urs begins
Ajmer: Religious ceremonies to mark the 800th Urs of Sufi Saint Khawaja Moinuddin Chisti formally commenced at Ajmer Dargah today.
The first
'Mehfil' of the Urs and the ceremony of 'Gusl' will be held tonight in the
Dargah, which are likely to be attended by pilgrims in large numbers. — PTI
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NCP leader and former Lok Sabha Speaker PA Sangma, who is being backed by the BJD and the AIADMK for the President's post, today sought to reach out to political parties, saying he hoped they will respond "to the call of conscience of the tribal people of the nation."
Notwithstanding Italy's unhappiness over the "unacceptable nature of the judicial developments" involving two of its marines, India today made it clear that it will not "interfere" in the trial
of two Italians facing murder charges in Kerala.
