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Second batch of Pak Hindus reaches India
Hamid Ansari sworn in as 14th Vice President
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Protest over Assam riots turns violent in Mumbai, 2 killed
Instructor forces police trainees to drink urine
Shinde awaits Cong core group berth
What’s keeping Rahul from taking the plunge?
Prohibitory orders extended around Kudankulam N-plant
Man publicly questions Mamata, branded ‘Maoist’ & arrested
New accounting system for Navy
Prem Bhatia Awards for excellence in journalism presented
2 film-inspired youths rape, kill woman in Mysore
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Second batch of Pak Hindus reaches India
Attari, August 11 Though some of them claimed that there are problems in several parts in Sindh province, a majority of them said that everything is “fine” in their areas. Some expressed their wish to stay back in India, but refrained from airing their views. Others said they had their family members in Pakistan, but if given a choice, they would prefer to live in India. However, for now, they would return to Pakistan within the stipulated period. Hindu Jatha members arrived through the Attari-Wagah land route. One of them said there were reports of misconduct and atrocities in the upper areas of Sindh. He pointed out that the Indian government should grant citizenship to those who are willing to stay back in India. Another one said incidents such as kidnapping, extortion, forcible conversion, etc are common, especially in Sindh province, and there is nothing they could do about these. Another pilgrim said there are limited education opportunities for minorities. Rajesh Singh, the jatha leader hailing from Jacobabad, however, refuted all the claims, saying such reports were not true. About one-day delay in their arrival, he said it was due to closing of gates. He said no written undertaking was taken by the authorities in Pakistan. The Hindu jatha, comprising 223 members, was supposed to cross over to India yesterday. But following some media reports of mass exodus of Hindu families due to harassment by fundamentalist groups in Pakistan, various agencies questioned them. They were allowed to cross over after 2.30 pm, when they reportedly gave a written commitment that they would return to Pakistan. The pilgrims, who were unable to cross over yesterday, spent the night in Dera Sahib Gurdwara in Lahore.
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Hamid Ansari sworn in as 14th Vice President
New Delhi, August 11 Ansari is India's 14th Vice President and only the second person after Sarvapalli Radhakrishnan to get a second term. He will once again be the Chairman of Rajya Sabha by virtue of his being the Vice President. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, former President Pratibha Patil, UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi, BJP leaders L K Advani, Sushma Swaraj and Arun Jaitley, and several dignitaries, including Union Ministers and Governors attended the ceremony. A former diplomat, Ansari defeated NDA candidate Jaswant Singh with a comfortable margin in the August 7 election for the post. He had polled 490 votes against 238 cast in favour of Jaswant Singh. A former ambassador to the United Arab Emirates, Iran Afghanistan and Saudi Arabia, Ansari was also the Vice Chancellor of Aligarh Muslim University and Chairman of the National Minorities Commission. He is the grand-nephew of former Congress President Mukhtar Ahmad Ansari, a prominent leader of the freedom struggle. Born in Calcutta on April 1, 1937, Ansari completed his schooling from St Edwards High School in Shimla, attended the St Xavier's College, University of Calcutta, and pursued MA in political science at the Aligarh Muslim University, from where he also got his doctorate and later worked as a lecturer. —
PTI
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Protest over Assam riots turns violent in Mumbai, 2 killed
Mumbai, August 11 According to information available from the police headquarters, protesters ran amok. The protesters who had gathered at Azad Maidan opposite the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus, came out on the streets and stoned vehicles including BEST buses and police vans before setting some Outdoor Broadcast vans of television channels on fire, police said. Crowds spilled out on to the streets. After several policemen were beaten up by the mob, police had to open fire in the air after a lathi-charge failed to curb the violent protesters, police said. Two mediapersons were seriously injured and have been admitted in St George’s Hospital. Some of the protesters subsequently ran out on to the street and crossed the underground subway to the CST railway station where they damaged a number of shops, police said. Train services on the Central railway line were disrupted. The crowd also damaged several OB vans belonging to television channels. At least three vans were gutted in the fire, police said. The police also ordered all traffic leading to Azad Maidan to be diverted as a precautionary measure. Contingents of the Rapid Action Force were rushed to the spot. Later in the evening, leaders came to the area and were persuading the protesters to disperse peacefully. |
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Instructor forces police trainees to drink urine
Shillong, August 11 The accused instructor had allegedly forced the two to drink the urine collected from three co-trainees during a roll call in the evening. The ‘inhuman’ punishment came after the mess commander complained about a scuffle among the trainees during lunch, sources said. The constables — A Siangshai and T Lyttan were involved in a minor scuffle during lunch with their co-trainees at the camp in Geogre, Tura, sources said. The matter came to light after the constables informed their family members who lodged a complaint with the higher authorities, they added. —
IANS
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Shinde awaits Cong core group berth
New Delhi, August 11 Shinde was not invited to join the core group, which is headed by Congress president Sonia Gandhi, when it met on Friday. The membership of the panel is decided by the Congress chief. When Shinde was moved to the powerful Home Ministry and was subsequently named Lok Sabha leader in place of Pranab Mukherjee, it was expected that this would give him automatic entry into the Congress core group. More so, since he was handpicked by Sonia for his new job. However, Shinde has been kept out of this coveted panel. Having limited membership, the core group is a key political body led by Sonia as it serves as a crucial coordination mechanism between the government and the party. Its other members are Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Finance Minister P Chidambaram, Defence Minister AK Antony and Ahmed Patel, Congress president’s political secretary. Pranab was an important member of the core group before he moved to the Rashtrapati Bhawan. The core group, which meets every Friday, discusses key issues confronting the government ranging from the Lokpal Bill and cutting down subsidies to disinvestment and FDI in retail. The last meeting is said to have discussed the government’s strategy in the ongoing Parliament session, the various issues and Bills which are expected to figure and the ongoing protest by yoga guru Ramdev. As in the case of Team Anna’s last indefinite fast, both the government and the party have decided to keep a distance from Ramdev’s protest in the hope it will soon peter out. Although Shinde has been denied membership of the Congress core group, he has joined the government’s big league. In his capacity as the Home Minister, he will sit in on key panels like the Cabinet Committee on Security and the Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs. He has also been inducted into the UPA coordination committee, which held its first meeting last week.
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What’s keeping Rahul from taking the plunge?
A subtle and yet not-so-subtle campaign is currently underway in the Congress. It is directed at Rahul Gandhi, urging the leader to make a decisive move on the role he should play in the party and/or government. The periodic chants by party members received a fresh dose of energy when the young Congress General Secretary announced recently a decision had been taken.
For the ordinary Congress worker, the suspense continues. While Rahul made an emphatic declaration, he did not specify what role it would be, leaving the decision to Congress president Sonia Gandhi and PM Manmohan Singh. Even today, the PM reiterated Rahul is welcome to join the Union Cabinet. Rahul’s assertion notwithstanding, the decision when to take the plunge and in which direction is something only the young leader will have to take. What are the choices before Rahul? One, he could take greater responsibility and be the second-in-command in the Indian National Congress. Two, take a position in the Union Council of Ministers and acquire administrative experience in preparation for the top most political job in the country, which party members feel is predestined. The third alternative is to combine the two tasks of serving the party and the government simultaneously as the party prepares for the 2014 Lok Sabha elections. One can detect a sense of urgency in the voice of Congress members that it is just about time Rahul takes a call whichever way amid indications it could be as early as next month. Arguments in support of or against three possible scenarios are available but the conclusion is unanimous that the inevitable can’t be delayed. When Rahul indicated last month that he was prepared, there was considerable excitement in the Congress. Suddenly, a rash of reports of the impending reshuffle in the government and the much-awaited change in the All India Congress Committee surfaced. The exhilaration barely lasted a week when it became clear that the Cabinet reorder was not taking place and the PM limited the exercise to re-allocation of key portfolios of Home, Finance and Power and fill the vacancies ahead of the monsoon session of Parliament. Was the shake-up put-off because Rahul was unable to make up his mind? Some of his younger colleagues in the party are credited with the view that inclusion of Rahul in the Cabinet will change the perception of being a government in a state of drift. They cite the change of mood after P Chidambaram re-assumed charge as the Finance Minister as a case in point. The counter-argument is that once he joins the government, Rahul will be subject to attacks from political opponents, holding him responsible for all the accumulated problems and decisions of the UPA-II. Those against the idea also feel his induction could create a parallel centre of power in the government outside of the Prime Minister thus undermining the authority of the office. Those pursuing this line also feel that there was no need for the young leader to be groomed for the top job and like his father; he too could just take it. Leaders in the party have a different understanding of the situation. While none of them are willing to hazard a guess, some are of the opinion that Rahul should be the hands-on number two and transform the organisation into a poll-ready machine to ensure that the Congress retains power at the Centre when 2014 comes. Of course, a Congress leader who excels in showcasing his proximity to the young Gandhi sibling is understood to have suggested to Rahul that he should wear both hats — party leadership and a minister. It has been eight years since Rahul entered Parliament and four years since he became a general secretary, a long period for any politician to get ready and assume larger responsibility. Perhaps he can take a cue from likes of Omar Abdullah and Akhilesh Yadav. It is time to shed hesitancy by exercising any of the three alternatives. Or indecisiveness will lengthen shadow of uncertainty unless he decides to turn the clock back for life outside politics.
News analysis
choices before rahul One, he could take greater responsibility and be second-in-command in Congress. Two, take a position in Council of Ministers and acquire administrative experience in preparation for the top-most political job in the country. The third alternative is to combine the tasks of serving the party and government simultaneously as the party prepares for the 2014 polls
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Prohibitory orders extended around Kudankulam N-plant
Chennai, August 11 The extension of orders comes a day after approval by Atomic Energy Regulatory Board to load fuel in the first reactor of the plant, mired in controversy due to opposition from anti-nuclear activists. "It has come to (our) knowledge that anti-social elements and rioters could assemble in the area and that anti-nuclear activists and those associated with them could cause unrest and disturb public peace, besides indulging in anti-social activities," said a statement from the office of Collector of Tirunelveli district. — PTI
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Man publicly questions Mamata, branded ‘Maoist’ & arrested
Kolkata, August 11 “Shiladitya Chowdhury was arrested on Saturday morning and booked for disrupting a public rally, entering into a high-security zone and assaulting police personnel,” Jhargram SP Bharati Ghosh said. He was later remanded in judicial custody. Banerjee was addressing a rally on a visit to the Maoist-affected Belpahari area in the district on Wednesday when Chowdhury stood up and asked her: “Farmers are dying because they have no money. Empty promises are not enough. What are you doing for farmers?” An angry Banerjee immediately branded him a “Maoist” after which the police took Chowdhury for interrogation. He was allowed to go that day but was arrested on Saturday morning. The arrest has drawn widespread condemnation from the civil society. “The arrest is highly unwarranted and highlights not only Banerjee's growing intolerance, but also her dictatorial attitude. I don't know what has happened to her,” social activist and writer Mahasweta Devi said. “Whatever has happened is highly deplorable. Being a people's representative, Banerjee should have answered his questions instead of getting him arrested,” noted poet and novelist Sunil Gangopadhyay said. —
IANS
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New accounting system for Navy
New Delhi, August 11
Besides Naval Headquarters, commands at Mumbai, Kochi and Vishakhapatnam will be connected. The commands operate warships, air surveillance planes, choppers, submarines and UAVs. The Naval design team is collaborating with warship building yards and crores have to be channelled in at the right time. —
TNS
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Prem Bhatia Awards for excellence in journalism presented
New Delhi, August 11 Delivering the 17th Prem Bhatia Memorial Lecture here today on “Global Economic Developments and India”, Reddy said given the current global financial crisis, there will be a “new normal” in the global economy in which India will play a more important role than before. The lecture was held on the occasion of the presentation of the Prem Bhatia Awards for excellence in journalism on politics and environment. This year, the awards were presented to PR Ramesh, national political editor of The Economic Times, and Shalini Singh, principal correspondent of Hindustan Times. As Governor of the RBI between 2003 and 2008, Reddy is widely credited with steering India safely during the financial crisis of 2008 by choosing pragmatism at a time of excessive deregulation when many developed countries took a hit. On his assessment of the new normal for India, post-crisis, Reddy said India is vulnerable to shocks on the external sector, both on current account (due to fuel prices and food supplies) and on capital account (due to dominance of volatile portfolio flows). The medium to long-term rate of growth of output should ideally take into account the buffers that have to be created to absorb the shocks, he added. Reddy has advocated that the level of domestic savings in India should be restored to pre-crisis levels. “At the same time, it will be useful to recognise that the productive capacity in the domestic economy in India is significantly a function of domestic policies, though the external environment could be more favourable or less favourable,” he added. Since the global economic environment in future, post-crisis, is likely to be less benign than what it was when India recorded a 9 per cent growth for a few years, Reddy said it is obvious that special efforts are needed to restore the rate of growth.
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2 film-inspired youths rape, kill woman in Mysore
Bangalore, August 11 Two youths allegedly slit the throat of Aswini (24) with a knife in the afternoon on August 8 when she was alone at home. Aswini, estranged wife of a Bangalore-based software engineer was killed at her father's residence in Mysore’s JP Nagar on August 8 when she was alone at home. The police identified the accused as Raghu (21) and Shekhar (26). Aswini had developed friendly relations with Raghu, whom she had met at Internet kiosk in Mysore six months ago. She resisted Raghu's sexual overtures. A frustrated Raghu, along with his accomplice Shekhar, went to Aswini’s house on August 8. Shekhar waited outside while Raghu went in and raped her. He then signalled Shekhar, who entered the house and slit Ashwini's throat with a knife. The youths were influenced by ‘Dandupalya’, a Kannada movie with a heavy dose of sex and violence based on the real life of murderers who kill women when they are alone at home. “The two accused exchanged text messages about the movie before and after committing the crime,” KL Sudheer, Police Commissioner, Mysore, said. The duo also broke open the steel cabinet and fled with valuables, including gold ornaments worth Rs 5 lakh. Leaving the front door of the house bolted from inside, they left the house through the back door. The police has recovered all the stolen goods from the accused who were arrested today, Sudheer said.
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Mumbai
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After 119 Hindus walked across the Wagah border yesterday, a second batch of Hindus comprising 118 members arrived from Pakistan today. There were conflicting reports about the situation prevailing in Pakistan.
Hamid Ansari, the second Vice President to be re-elected, was today sworn-in to office at a brief function in Rashtrapati
Bhawan.
Ansari, 75, was administered the oath by President Pranab Mukherjee in the ornate Ashoka Hall of the presidential palace.
