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M’rashtra CM hits out at critics
India test-fires BrahMos missile with new systems Cong MP calls Modi ‘tiger’ of Gujarat, retracts |
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Mangalore resort attack: TV journalists booked
‘Kalpana’ languishes at Mumbai airport
tribune exclusive
Bombay HC stays PNDT Act amendment
Andhra MLAs to reveal assets on Assembly website
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M’rashtra CM hits out at critics
Mumbai, July 29 Without naming the NCP, Chavan told reporters that small parties at the national level have managed several portfolios by being part of the coalition government at the Centre during the current tenure of the UPA government. Referring to the first term of the Manmohan Singh government, Chavan said the Left Front with 61 MPs was not part of the government. "Had they been part of the government we would have had to make 15 of their members ministers (since) parties with only nine MPs have three ministers now!" Chavan said. The Chief Minister said the situation in New Delhi made it much more difficult for co-ordination between allies as compared to Maharashtra. Responding to queries as to the problems of co-ordination between allies Chavan felt it was easier in Maharashtra. "There is coordination in Maharashtra but in Delhi it is more difficult as there are several smaller parties. What position in power they get, what portfolios they get, who gets the portfolios; all these things have to be looked into," Chavan said. The Chief Minister, who has been accused of going slow in clearing important files, also insisted that his track record was faster than his predecessors like Vilasrao Deshmukh and Ashok Chavan. "I went through the data of other chief ministers. I have to say this, though I don't like saying it, that I have cleared more files than Vilasrao Deshmukh and Ashok Chavan," the CM said. Chavan's remarks about his performance is seen here as a riposte to his critics from his own Congress party who had written a letter to the party leadership last week accusing him of not clearing projects in their constituencies.
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India test-fires BrahMos missile with new systems Balasore (Odisha), July 29 The 32nd test-firing was part of the development trials of the missile which has already been inducted into the Army and the Navy. The objective of the mission was to evaluate some of the newer subsystems which are produced by the Indian industry as part of production stabilisation, BrahMos officials said, adding more than 25 such systems were incorporated in the development missile. The launch was primarily aimed at testing the new power systems, materials for airframe components, guidance scheme and various electric systems, they said. The data obtained from the test-firing is being analysed for large-scale production by Indian industries, they said. "It was an experimental flight and the missile was tested successfully," ITR Director MVKV Prasad said. — PTI
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Cong MP calls Modi ‘tiger’ of Gujarat, retracts
Ahmedabad/New Delhi, July 29 "Modi's commitment and dedication towards work bears resemblance to that of a tiger," Darda, who shared dais with Modi at an award ceremony in Ahmedabad, said. In Delhi, Congress was guarded in its response. "Let us ascertain the facts from the in charge of the party affairs in the state. Only then it could be seen what could be done," AICC general secretary Janardan Dwivedi said on being asked whether Darda could face action. Congress leader Mohan Prakash is in charge of party affairs in Maharashtra and Gujarat. Modi used the occasion to take a dig at the Congress saying that Darda may have to pay a price for his comments. "It won't be surprising to read tomorrow's breaking news that Darda has been served a show-cause notice from the party high command for praising Modi," he said.
— PTI
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Indigenous artillery guns meet parameters; Army orders 100
New Delhi, July 29 Produced by the Ordnance Factory Board, these guns are 155 mm, 45 calibre howitzers. These look like Bofors and have the capacity to fire up to a distance of 32 km. These guns were tested near Pokhran in Rajasthan during May this year. Around 100 such guns have been ordered by the Army and are based more or less on the existing Bofors design for which the OFB holds the Transfer of Technology (ToT) licence from the Bofors. Research for the manufacture of a number of variants of the howitzer is underway and is nearing completion. The Army has expressed keenness to have 155 mm 52 calibre guns which the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) will produce. The original AB Bofors-inducted in 1987-is 39 calibre. The "calibre" of a gun is primarily the length of its barrel that helps the ammunition in travelling farther. A 52 calibre gun will fire around 4-5 km more than other variants. The recently ordered 100 guns of 45 calibre, coupled with 145 ultra-light howitzers (ULH) and the upcoming 52 calibre gun being produced by the DRDO are expected to end the shortage of artillery guns in the Indian Inventory. As part of its artillery modernisation plan, the Army plans to purchase a total of 400 howitzers that can be towed away, along with 180 self-propelled ones and 145 ULH. Apart from the order placed to the OFB, the Ministry of Defence has okayed the purchase of 145 ULH under a $700-million deal through the foreign military sales (FMS) route between the US and India. Named the M777, these guns weigh just 3,200 kg each and can be slung under a helicopter to be dropped in mountain areas that are inaccessible by road. These guns will be stationed in Ladakh and Arunachal Pradesh - both facing China.
FIRE POWER
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Mangalore resort attack: TV journalists booked
Bangalore, July 29 ADGP Bipin Gopalkrishna, who visited Mangalore today to supervise the investigation, said the attackers’ claim that it was a rave party was far from true. “No drug or contraband narcotic substance was found at the spot of the incident”, he said. The ADGP said only some beer bottles were recovered from the spot. Eight persons belonging to the Hindu Janajagrana Vedike have been arrested after being charged with various sections of the IPC and CrPC including molestation charges. “Based on the complaint, the names of Naveen Surinje of Kasturi channel and Sharan of Sahaya TV have been also included in the FIR. We have not taken any further action against them as yet”, Gopalakrishna told the
TNS. Evidently the visual media was kept in the loop by the attackers about their plan. Within hours local TV channels began showing live footages of the incident. A weeping girl wearing pink dress was seen being held tightly by four men who were trying to grope her. Another woman was seen being dragged by two men. A man, wearing only trousers, was seen being roughed by the attackers. The TV footage did not show the face of any of the attackers. According to police, there were 13 boys and girls at the resort who were students of three local colleges. They were having a birthday celebration when a group of 15 to 20 people led by Subhash Padil of Hindu Janajagrana Vedike barged into the party and assaulted them. On interrogation, Subhash Padil claimed that his group had gone to the resort to only stage a protest, but things went out of control. The ADGP said a Mangalore city
corporator, who was detained initially, was later released after it was found that he had no hand in the incident. Section 144 has been clamped in Mangalore and additional police forces have been deployed to prevent any untoward incident in the city, Gopalkrishna
said. Vijaykumar, the event manager who arranged the resort party, said in his complaint to the police that a gold chain, Rs 10,000 in cash and a mobile phone were also found missing after the incident.
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‘Kalpana’ languishes at Mumbai airport
Chandigarh, July 29 Classics are filmed on celluloid and need to be stored in an air conditioned environment. Humidity triggers a chemical reaction that leads to near-certain decay of film that is difficult to arrest once the reaction begins. The film was sent to Bologna in Italy for digital restoration by the National Film Archives of India (NFAI) and landed in Mumbai in the first week of July. The NFAI says it has completed all formalities but the film was not released by Customs authorities. The "mistake" made by restorers of 'Kalpana' — Martin Scorsese' World Cinema Foundation (WCF) — is that they sent a fresh print of the film along with the original print out of generosity, which has become a contentious issue with bureaucratic channels. "The WCF returned the original version of the film that we had sent, restored, along with a digital format and negative form, and a new version of 35 mm print. Since we had sent only the original film, Customs is treating the new print as another product. Therefore, they have a problem with it," says Kiran Dhiwar, film preservation officer at NFAI, Pune. The 'Kalpana' saga began two years ago when the sole surviving, though badly damaged copy of the film, was retrieved from a 'kabadiwala'. The film is based on the tragi-comic tribulations of a writer, who tries to sell his idea of a film to a producer. It was much ahead of its times in terms of technological ingenuity and innovative mix of dance and comedy. Knowing the unique place the film has in the history of Indian cinema, Pt Ravi Shankar, younger brother of Pt Uday Shankar, persuaded Martin Scorsese (director of films such as 'Mean Streets', 'Taxi Driver', 'Raging Bull', 'Goodfellas' and 'The Departed') to watch the film and restore it, if he liked it. Scorsese was floored by the film and his World Cinema Foundation proposed to preserve 'Kalpana' free of cost. It took three months of intensive paper work to get the print out of NFAI to send to the World Cinema Foundation in Italy. Technically speaking, the film now belongs to the government. Under the Copyright Act, 1957, a film becomes part of the public domain 60 years after its release. At the same time, Uday Shankar's family (wife Amala Shankar, daughter Mamata Shankar and daughter-in-law Tanushree Shankar) had rights of the film, so legal clearance was sought from them. Then, as word spread about the heritage relevance of the film, two more claimants moved court to get a stay. The restored film was screened by WCF in the presence of Amala, Mamata and Tanushree at the Cannes Film Festival in May 2012. The screening put the film in the league of international classics. But a new controversy emerged out of this. Says NFAI director Prashant Pathrabe, "We, as custodians of 'Kalpana', had signed an agreement with WCF that clearly stated that we, NFAI, retain all rights over our films. Without our permission and without informing us, the WCF entered 'Kalpana' in the classic section at the 65th Cannes Film Festival. We are surprised and shocked." The Tribune emailed the World Cinema Foundation to get their version on Wednesday, but did not receive any response till the time of filing of this report on Saturday. Mumbai-based Dungarpur Films, which had volunteered to coordinate between NFAI and WCF, is also caught in the saga of 'Kalpana' that does not seem to end. "The NFAI has given all the papers, but the Customs and UPS courier service are responsible for delaying this national treasure... the Customs knows that this is government property and of national heritage and it is a film, still they are delaying… I don't know the status of the restored 35mm print and most importantly during monsoons the film, the original dupe negative lies locked up with the customs, they have all the papers but they are purposefully delaying," says Shivendra Singh of Dungarpur Films from London. Despite repeated attempts, The Tribune could not get a response from Customs officials. The hurdles in releasing 'Kalpana' not only fail to recognise the heritage value of the classic, the experience will also prevent NFAI from sending other classics abroad that are in dire need of restoration.
‘kalpana’ isn’t alone
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Jana Sangh founder saved B’desh national poet’s life, claims book
Man Mohan Our Roving Editor
New Delhi, July 29 Claiming this, a well-researched Mookerjee biography — yet to be released — points out that Islam had felt indebted to him. The Tribune has accessed the first copy of the 418-page book “The Life and Times of Dr Syama Prasad Mookerjee”. Authored by Tathagata Roy (66), a member of the BJP’s national executive, it aims to show Mookerjee’s “humane and secular face”. Mookerjee died under “mysterious circumstances” in Srinagar under judicial custody at an early age of 52 on June 23, 1953, two weeks before his birthday. To silence those who continue to describe Mookerjee, the Jana Sangh and its avatar BJP as communal, the biography has cited various cases, including how he had helped his friend, famous rebel poet and revolutionary Kazi Nazrul Islam and another celebrated Muslim Bengali poet Jasimuddin. Islam migrated to Bangladesh from Kolkata in 1972 where he died four years later. In his young days, he had worked at a mosque, delivering the ‘azaan’ (the call for prayer). Describing Mookerjee as a great son of India, the biography has relied on interviews with his political co-workers and family members, rare documents and pictures. Dealing with Islam’s case, the book says that Mookerjee liked the poet’s powerful writings against fascism, oppression and religious fundamentalism and campaign against the sectarian politics of the Muslim League. Islam served in the army and saw action during World War I in Mesopotamia. After leaving the army, he worked as a journalist and was imprisoned by the British. Once, the poet had a debt of Rs 7,000 (a huge sum in those days) because of his wife’s illness. Despite editing a newspaper ‘Nobojug’ of a close friend Fazlul Haq, he did not receive salary for several months. In distress, Islam approached Mookerjee in July 1942 for help. Mookerjee not only arranged for the repayment of Islam’s debt, but sent him and his wife to Madhupur to live in his own family home to recuperate for two months. While leaving, Islam wrote an emotional letter to Mookerjee to express his gratitude. However, Islam soon began to suffer from an unknown, but serious, neurological disorder similar to Alzheimer’s. This led to the loss of his voice and memory. In 1952, his admirers, including Mookerjee, formed a Nazrul Treatment Society. The group sent the poet to London and Vienna for treatment but his condition did not improve. He lived on as a vegetable in Calcutta till 1972. Invited by the Bangladesh Government, Islam and his family migrated to Dhaka in 1972, where he died four years later. Another eminent Muslim poet who received help from Mookerjee was Jasimuddin, a rural poor man from East Bengal. Once, there was tie for a scholarship between two aspirants — one Hindu, the other Muslim. As the Calcutta University Vice-Chancellor, Mookerjee decided in favour of Jasimuddin, who later became a celebrated poet of erstwhile East Pakistan. Mookerjee was born in an aristocratic family of Kolkata. His sole surviving child, Arati, lives in New York. Her only son Sandip is an advocate with a law firm there. None of Mookerjee’s descendants showed the slightest interest in politics. The book deals to a great extent with the controversy whether Mookerjee was a secular or communal man. It says that the false propaganda about Mookerjee being communal, floated by first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, the Congress and non-saffron parties, continues till date with an aim to capture the Muslim vote bank. Interestingly, as a Hindu Mahasabha leader, Mookerjee was a Cabinet Minister for Industry and Supply (1947-50) in the Nehru government. He resigned following differences with Nehru over the signing of a pact with Pakistan PM Liaquat Ali Khan despite ‘state-sponsored’ anti-Hindu violence in East Pakistan. He founded the Jana Sangh — the political outfit of the RSS — here on October 21, 1951. “Mookerjee was totally devoid of any religious or communal bias and was a patriot par excellence,” claims the biography adding that he had been dubbed communal by pseudo-secular forces because he never hesitated to take up the cause of Hindus if he found they were being wronged. Senior BJP leader Lal Krishna Advani has written its foreword in which he says: “We in the BJP owe our position in India’s politics to the vision and martyrdom of Mookerjee.” Published by Prabhat Prakashan, the biography has been translated in Hindi by a Himachal Pradesh journalist Sushil Rajesh.
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Bombay HC stays PNDT Act amendment
New Delhi, July 29 The amendment to Rule 3 of the Act prohibited radiologists and sonologists from offering services at more than two centres or clinics within a district. Earlier, there was no such bar on practising doctors and many routinely practised at more than two centres. The high court has however stayed this amendment, seeking to know the rationale behind it. The orders came on a petition filed by radiologist Dr Rajeev Zankar, who owns a diagnostic clinic in Mumbai and offers services to three other clinics and nursing homes. Zankar challenged the amendment to the law, saying it took away his right to practise his chosen profession. The petitioner said it was wrong to assume all radiology centres were gynaecology centres and all ultrasounds were conducted for the purpose of gynaecology and obstetrics. He said radiologists help detect several other ailments through sonography. Top officials in the Ministry of Health said they had written to the Maharashtra Government for detailed copies of the high court order and the petition. “We will study the order in detail and decide the future course of action. The said amendment was brought in after detailed deliberations and was felt necessary,” Health Ministry officials said. They said the amendment was critical to prevent sex-selective abortions, considering 1,600 female foetus disappear from the country every day, as per estimates.
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Andhra MLAs to reveal assets on Assembly website
Hyderabad, July 29 The details of assets and liabilities of all the sitting legislators would be uploaded on the official website of the state Assembly in a fortnight, Speaker N Manohar said. He was speaking after launching the website www.aplegislature.org. “This is a unique experiment in the country. We want to promote transparency,” the Speaker said. “A request has been made to the members to declare their assets and liabilities in the next 15 days so that these are uploaded and kept in public domain,” Manohar said. According to Rule 364 of Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in Andhra Pradesh Legislature, every member should declare his or her assets and liabilities to the Speaker within 30 days of taking oath. Whenever a member acquires a new asset, it is mandatory that he or she files the updated information with the Legislature Secretariat before July 31 every year. Earlier, the legislators used to submit the details of their assets in sealed covers to the Speaker but the contents were not made public. But now, the Speaker has decided to upload all such details on the legislature's website. “The user-friendly, member-oriented website has several salient features that no other state legislature has attempted,” the Speaker said. Apart from declaration of assets, it contains a detailed profile of each Assembly constituency, its demography and resources. Another key feature is that of enabling the members to send their questions to the Legislature Secretariat through email. The portal developed by the Centre for Good Governance provides several online services and facilities to the members. For those looking into history, the archives section opens up the entire proceedings of the AP Legislative Assembly since 1952. The website has 3.11 lakh pages devoted to the debates that took place in the legislature since 1952 and these will be accessible for the first time to the 385 members of the legislature - both the Assembly and the Council. The members can browse the website to get constituency-wise information related to developmental initiatives by the government or details of beneficiaries of the state government’s flagship programmes. The website has e-petition section that allows citizens to send their grievances which will be referred to the Committee of Petitions. The website is intended to empower legislators and improve their performance as expectations from the public are growing. The Assembly proceedings would be webcast live when the House is in session and later, these would be uploaded on the site in text form, Manohar said.
Other features
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Can of corruption
The Nationalist Congress Party, which eventually backtracked after first threatening to quit the UPA government, found itself on the defensive when word got out that it wanted Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan to be removed following the graft charges which had recently surfaced against its state ministers. The NCP’s Maharashtra contingent was angry with its coalition partner as it suspected that the reports against its ministers had been deliberately leaked by Chavan to embarrass them. Faced with negative press coverage, NCP chief Sharad Pawar’s deputy Praful Patel tied himself in knots as he sought to dispel the public perception that their party wanted the removal of an honest Chief Minister in order to shield their corrupt ministers. In addition to giving lengthy explanations to mediapersons, an embarrassed Patel called up and apologised to Prithviraj Chavan and assured him that their resignation offer had nothing to do with the Maharashtra developments.
A return gift
The UPA government presented a fine silk Kashmiri carpet to former President Pratibha Patil as a farewell gift. This is apparently an old convention. Former President APJ Abdul Kalam was gifted a casket when he demitted office. On both occasions, the gift was handpicked by Information and Broadcasting Minister Ambika Soni. The minister was especially requested to do so by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s wife Gursharan Kaur, possibly because she has an eye for fine things. Instead of leaving it to an assistant, Ambika Soni personally visited the government-run Cottage Industries Emporium where she spent time picking up a couple of items. The PM’s wife eventually decided on the carpet from among them and even complimented Ambika Soni on her choice.
Numbers game, or seat game?
The page listing the names of Cabinet ministers, which disappeared mysteriously some weeks ago from the official website of the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), is likely to be reloaded but with minor modifications. Instead of giving the names of ministers according to their seniority as was the case earlier, these will now be listed in alphabetical order. The page was quietly removed following the controversy over the number two slot in the UPA government after Pranab Mukherjee’s resignation while it was officially stated that the page was being reconstructed. Although Defence Minister AK Antony replaced Mukherjee as the number two in the government when he was seated next to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh at a recent Cabinet meeting, the PMO was constrained from putting out the names after NCP chief and Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar was reportedly unhappy at being overlooked for this slot. As a way out, it is planning to give the names in alphabetical order as it cannot run a blank page for too long.
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After days of putting up with snide remarks by his party's ally, the Nationalist Congress Party, Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan hit out at the regional party which is allied to the Congress both at the state and the Centre.
At a time when politicians are increasingly coming under public scrutiny for amassing disproportionate wealth, the Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly is about to set an example in transparency by proposing to put the details of the assets of all MLAs in public domain.
