The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

Left, NDA slam PM’s defence
Aditi Tandon/TNS

LK Advani
I am extremely disappointed with the Prime Minister's statement. He should not have questioned the CAG. The Prime Minister's attack on a constitutional body is extremely unwarranted

LK Advani, BJP

Sitaram Yechury
It appears to be a case of match-fixing. It (disruption) suits both of them not to have a discussion on the issue. Otherwise, both will be exposed. The government is abdicating its responsibility by allowing the BJP to disrupt the House. That shows they are hand-in-glove.

Sitaram Yechury, CPM

Gurudas Dasgupta No single party can be allowed to impose its unilateral decision on Parliament. What the BJP is doing and trying is to bring about a mid-term poll. This is against parliamentary democracy and we totally denounce that. The Congress too is only talking to the BJP and is leaving no space to all other parties. It seems the government is trying to hide the unprecedented economic crisis prevailing in the country Gurudas Dasgupta, CPI

Lalu Prasad
Bahar kariye inko, bahar kariye. Do-tihai log chahte hai ki House chale (Remove these persons. Two-thirds of the members want the House to run)

Lalu Prasad, RJD leader, pointing at BJP members at the time of House’s adjournment

New Delhi, August 27
The Left parties and NDA constituents today slammed the PM’s statement in coal block allocation scam as “defensive” and demanded the cancellation of allocated captive coal blocks and their auctioning.

The Left called for a comprehensive probe into the matter with the CPI seeking a judicial inquiry by a sitting Supreme Court judge.

Beginning 1993 (when coal block allocation to private players started) to March 2011, the government has allocated 194 captive coal blocks with a geological reserve of 44,440 million tonnes to state and private parties for mining coal.

Of these, about 140 blocks were given starting June 2004, when UPA-I first mooted the proposal of auctioning only to delay it until today. The Opposition wants these blocks cancelled and re-allocated through auction.

The Left today joined the Opposition (minus the NDA) in seeking a debate on the PM’s statement on resumption of Parliament, but this looks unlikely.

The NDA parroted the old line of being with the BJP on the demand of the PM’s resignation for the Houses to function. “We are solidly with the BJP,” said Akali Dal MP Naresh Gujral.

The fact that barring the NDA, most of the Opposition wants a discussion became clear at the Business Advisory Committee meeting called by Lok Sabha Speaker where BJD’s Bhartruhari Mahtab gave a notice for short duration discussion tomorrow on the PM’s statement.

JDU leader Sharad Yadav had deputed someone else for the meeting, with sources saying the NDA didn’t seem keen on discussions.

Distancing itself from the BJP, both CPM and CPI blamed it for holding Parliament to ransom. “The Congress and BJP are made for each other. It suits both to stall discussions which most parties want,” CPI leader in LS Gurudas Dasgupta said.

Other Left parties — RSP and All-India Forward Bloc — also sought resumption of Parliament, so did the TDP.

On PM’s statement, CPM leader Sitaram Yechury said it was “defensive and distorted”. “He has shifted the blame on states and the delay in the enactment of a law. Bengal never opposed competitive bidding as the PM said. The state simply insisted that the government dispensation route for allocation of captive coal blocks should not be bartered away to private companies.”

Bengal had sought 20 coal blocks for its state power and mineral facilities but was given six; the rest went to private parties. Two letters that Principal Secretary, West Bengal, wrote to the PM made the following points - competitive bidding can’t be faulted but its modus operandi must be evolved; state interests can’t be bartered away for private ones.

The CPI questioned the PM for denigrating CAG by questioning it. “This is a lame duck statement unworthy of the PM,” said Dasgupta. He said that the PM didn’t respect the Constitution but gave a certificate to private players by saying that CAG’s calculations of gains (to private allottees) were faulty.

PM’s statement hogwash: Akalis

The Akali Dal called the PM’s statement in the coal scam a “hogwash”, thereby denying a rift in the NDA ranks on the issue. Seeking cancellation of allocated coal blocks that have not yet been mined, party’s Rajya Sabha member Naresh Gujral said such blocks should be immediately auctioned and auction price retrospectively applied to mined blocks.

	Cong ready to battle it out Anita Katyal/TNS New Delhi, August 27 While an unyielding BJP rejected Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s statement on the CAG report on coal blocks allocation and stuck to its demand for his resignation, the UPA government today made it clear that it is prepared to battle it out, having no intention of opting for an early adjournment of the session or moving a confidence motion. The government has instead challenged the principal Opposition party to debate the matter in Parliament, reiterating its charge that the BJP is running away from a debate. Unable to give its side of the story inside Parliament, the Congress-led UPA government has decided to do so outside. While Prime Minister himself took charge of the government response by tabling his statement in Parliament, his colleagues followed suit. A battery of Cabinet ministers was fielded to throw further light on the points made in the PM’s statement and outrightly reject the BJP allegation that the Congress had benefited from the coal blocks allocation. The government also ruled out cancellation of all the 142 coal block as demanded by the BJP with Finance Minister P Chidambaram pointing out that the CBI was already enquiring into 57 block allocations and any further action would depend on its report. The UPA government’s crisis managers, who were kept busy through the day rebutting the BJP’s charges of corruption in the coal blocks allocation, remained undeterred by the Opposition’s stalling tactics and went ahead with listing a debate on the PM’s statement on tomorow’s Lok Sabha’s agenda. Notices for a debate have been given by Bahujan Samaj Party and the Samajwadi Party, which are extending outside support to the ruling combine. The decision to allot time for this debate was taken at a meeting of the Lok Sabha’s business advisory committee which was boycotted by the BJP. But given the BJP’s determination to paralyse Parliament, it is highly unlikely that this debate will take place at all and, from all accounts, the monsoon session is heading for a total wash-out. Union ministers P Chidambaram, Kapil Sibal and Ambika Soni called a press conference at short notice to reject the BJP charge that bribes were paid to the Congress in the coal allocation. Describing BJP leader Sushma Swaraj’s charge as “unfortunate”, Chidambaram said, “I outrightly reject the allegations”, adding that it was unbecoming of the Leader of Opposition to make such sweeping statements.
	No plan to bring trust vote: Cong Anita Katyal/TNS New Delhi, August 27 While an unyielding BJP rejected Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s statement on the CAG report on coal blocks allocation and stuck to its demand for his resignation, the UPA government today made it clear that it is prepared to battle it out, having no intention of opting for an early adjournment of the session or moving a confidence motion. The government has instead challenged the principal Opposition party to debate the matter in Parliament, reiterating its charge that the BJP is running away from a debate. Unable to give its side of the story inside Parliament, the Congress-led UPA government has decided to do so outside. While Prime Minister himself took charge of the government response by tabling his statement in Parliament, his colleagues followed suit. A battery of Cabinet ministers was fielded to throw further light on the points made in the PM’s statement and outrightly reject the BJP allegation that the Congress had benefited from the allocation. The government also ruled out cancellation of all the 142 coal block as demanded by the BJP with Finance Minister P Chidambaram pointing out that the CBI was already enquiring into 57 block allocations and any further action would depend on its report. The UPA government’s crisis managers, who were kept busy through the day rebutting the BJP’s charges of corruption in the coal blocks allocation, remained undeterred by the Opposition’s stalling tactics and went ahead with listing a debate on the PM’s statement on tomorow’s Lok Sabha’s agenda. Notices for a debate have been given by Bahujan Samaj Party and the Samajwadi Party, which are extending outside support to the ruling combine. The decision to allot time for this debate was taken at a meeting of the Lok Sabha’s business advisory committee which was boycotted by the BJP. MoS Planning Ashwani Kumar said coal block allocations to private sector had boosted India’s power-generation capacity. “Against 8,575 MW of coal-based addition in power sector in the Xth Plan, the XIth Plan saw an addition of nearly 42,000 MW power. The BJP needs to answer what could have been the nation’s lost opportunity for augmenting economic growth had coal production remained stagnant.” Sonia to Address MPs today Although Congress president Sonia Gandhi has already told the party to launch a counter-offensive against the BJP on Coalgate, she is expected to further delineate her position when she addresses party MPs on Tuesday at the Congress Parliamentary Party meeting
	Cong cornered revenue from allocations: BJP Ashok Tuteja Tribune News Service New Delhi, August 27 Rejecting Manmohan Singh’s statement on the CAG report in Parliament, the BJP today charged that the revenue generated from the allocation of coal blocks had gone to the Congress and asserted that there was no question of the main Opposition party compromising on its demand for the PM’s resignation. “The Congress ko allocations mein motaa maal mila (Congress got big money in the allocations),’’ Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj said at a joint press conference with her party colleague and Leader of the Opposition in the Upper House Arun Jaitley. She said the Congress would be in the dock along with the government if an impartial inquiry was conducted into the allocations. Describing the PM’s statement on the CAG report as an assault on a constitutional authority, Jaitley said the government must cancel all the 142 coal blocks allocations and put them on competitive bidding. “The rationale for cancellation is that nobody should be allowed to enjoy the fruits of corrupt allocations at the cost of the public exchequer.’’ Asked if there was any possibility of the BJP reconsidering its strategy and allowing Parliament to function, he said “Our position remains firm...there is no question of retreat from seeking the resignation of the PM.’’ Swaraj denied suggestions that there was a rift within the NDA over the BJP’s decision not to allow the two Houses to function normally over the “coalgate”, saying all NDA allies were together and were getting support of some other parties like the AIADMK. She said she and UPA convener and Janata Dal (United) leader Sharad Yadav had attended a meeting convened by Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar earlier in the day in an attempt to break the impasse in Parliament at which Yadav also demanded the PM’s resignation in the wake of the CAG report on the allocation of coal blocks. To this, Jaitley added: “We don’t stand alone...even if we do, it will be a majestic isolation.’’ Trashing the Prime Minister’s argument that postponing the allocation of coal blocks until a new allocation system was in place would have meant lower GDP growth and lower revenues, Jaitley the allocation process had contributed ‘nil’ to the GDP during 2004-2012.
	4 CWG organising committee officials booked Syed Ali Ahmed/TNS New Delhi, August 27 The CBI has registered a case against four officials of the organising committee of the Common Wealth Games 2010 for alleged irregularities in awarding contracts related to Games Workforce Service (GWS) and Games Planning, Project and Risk Management Services (GPPRMS). A CBI spokesman said the case has been registered against four former officials of the organising committee of the CWG, 2010, including chairman, chief operating officer, treasurer and secretary general. The CEO of Switzerland-based company, his firm and other unknown persons are also accused in the case under Sections 120 B, 13 (2), 13 (1) (d) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988.
	SC to examine PIL to settle victims of terror probes R Sedhuraman Legal Correspondent New Delhi, August 27 The Supreme Court today said it would “examine” a PIL to rehabilitate the youths belonging to the minority community who were jailed for long periods, six-seven years in some cases, on the suspicion that they were behind various bomb blasts across the country since 2002 but were let off subsequently. A Bench comprising Justices TS Thakur and Ibrahim Kalifulla agreed to go into the issue after senior counsel Amarendra Sharan, arguing for the petitioner, pleaded that the SC’s intervention would go a long way in assuaging the feelings of the affected community which was feeling alienated. Citing the Malegaon blasts in 2006 and 2008, Sharan said a number of young persons had been detained for years following investigations by the anti-terror squad (ATS) of the Maharashtra government but were found innocent by a probe conducted by the national investigating agency (NIA). Haryana is among the eight states and the Centre named as respondents in the PIL filed by Jamait-E-Ulama Hind, Maharashtra (JEUH-M). The other states are Gujarat, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh, Delhi, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. Initially, the Bench was reluctant to entertain the PIL, observing that it would open the Pandora’s Box, prompting all those acquitted after several years of trial to seek relief. However, Sharan persisted with his pleading, pointing out that the SC was already hearing petitions relating to dozens of fake encounters across the country. Among other things, the PIL pleaded for re-investigation of such cases by a team appointed by the SC and action against the guilty police officials. The Bench, however, said all this would become “very cumbersome.” The Bench suggested that such victims should approach the competent courts instead of JEUH-M seeking relief through the PIL. Sharan reasoned that the victims did not have the resources to match the government’s wherewithal. Further, these cases had national ramifications. He also cited a case in which the SC ordered a compensation of Rs 50,000 for two days of wrong confinement and contended that the victims mentioned in the PIL had to undergo incarceration for years. Clarifying that it was not approving of any such incident, the Bench said these things did take place as the “country is going through a very difficult time due to problems within and from outside.” Unrelenting, Sharan argued the secular fabric of the country would be affected unless some of the victims were rehabilitated. “A message should go that this court is there to take care of them,” he said. At this, the court said it would examine the issue and adjourned the hearing.
	Kanda, brother let off in cheque-bounce case Syed Ali Ahmed Tribune News Service New Delhi, August 27 Metropolitan Magistrate Vikrant Vaid today acquitted Gopal Kanda and his brother Govind Kanda in a 14-year-old cheque- bounce case after they settled the dispute with the complainant. Two cheques issued by Kanda’s company, Kanda Polymers, to Delhi-based complainant company Indo Polycoats Private Limited were dishonoured in July 1998. One cheque was value at Rs 2 lakh and the other was of Rs 2.10 lakh. The complainant, who manufactured PVC coated fabrics and vinyl flooring, had supplied some material to Govind Kanda. Two cheques for payment of the material were issued by Gopal Kanda and were dishonoured. Meanwhile, in the Geetika Sharma suicide case, the Delhi Police is yet to question Ankita Singh whose name figured in the suicide note of Geetika Sharma, air hostess with the now-defunct MDLR airlines. Ankita had reached Delhi yesterday from Singapore. Ankita is a director of Mint Casino in Goa which is part of Kanda’s MDLR Group. The suicide note left by Geetika mentioned Ankita’s name. The police had said that she would be questioned to know the exact cause of Geetika’s suicide. Earlier in a statement to the Goa Police in 2009, Ankita had claimed to be the wife of Kanda and that they had a child together. Sources said the police was examining each and every point revealed by Geetika’s parents, friends and colleagues in the MDLR before questioning Ankita. She was being considered a key person who might give strong clue about the factors that forced Geetika to take the extreme step of committing suicide. According to sources, the police had to question her today but when a Delhi court today let off Gopal Goyal Kanda and his brother in a cheque-bounce case, it decided against questioning her today. Ankita may now be questioned tomorrow. Gopal Kanda is still in police custody though he has pleaded with the interrogating team of the Delhi Police that he had nothing much to reveal in the Geetika case.
	A hub of Chinese products on India-Myanmar border Bijay Sankar Bora/TNS Moreh (Manipur), August 27 Located around 110 km away from Manipur's capital Imphal, Moreh is a buzzing commercial hub on the India-Myanmar border with a unique cosmopolitan character. It is a melting pot of varies communities - indigenous Meitei community and Kuki tribals coexist in absolute harmony with thousands of Tamils, Punjabis, Biharis, Begalis and even Burmese nationals. Religion, caste, creed and ethnicity hardly matters here, unlike any other part in the North-East, because everybody here believes in the tradition of making money out of bilateral trade, both official and unofficial. The omnipresent shadow of insurgents which now operate in Manipur under the banner of a coordination committee, an amalgamation of 19 small and big militant outfits, is of course the odd that one has to take into stride while doing business here. But life is different here. Moreh doesn't closes down at six in the evening like Imphal city. The road to Moreh passes through wide, lush green paddy fields of the Imphal valley before snaking through the hills of Chandel district shrouded in cool, moist clouds. Finally, a descent takes you to the hot and humid plains of Moreh. The border market at Namphalang, right on the road that demarcates the international boundary, is the heart of activities in Moreh. Everything under the sun and mostly made in China besides agriculture and horticulture products are brought to this market every day by over 2,000 Burmese traders. Beetle nuts and a range of horticulture products, ruby stones, Chinese toys, umbrellas, sleek electronic gadgets, slippers, shoes, Myanmar's ethnic wears, China-made garments and what not - all are available in the super market at Namphalong. Traders from the Indian side come with medicines, electronic goods, cosmetics, steel items, hardware, biscuits and many other items to the market. These good are bought by Myanmar people and others. Chinese presence is overwhelming in this market. "It's like China using Myanmar nationals as agents for trading their products in India. Because of its close ties with Myanmar, China can send in most of the products to Myanmar without having to pay any duty and the same find way into India through Moreh market," says Ishantor Sabhapondit, an official of the Indian Chamber of Commerce that has been vouching for increasing the volume of official trade with Myanmar. "Officially, the bilateral trade between India and Myanmar is allowed for export of jeera and sugar from India and import of only beetle nut from Myanmar. But that hardly matters here, the volume of trade in items not listed for official bilateral trade has been burgeoning though there is hardly any proper infrastructure for it," says KB Subramaniam, public relation secretary of Border Trade and Chamber of Commerce at Moreh. "The only bank that operates in Moreh is a branch of United Bank of India and the bank uses helicopter service to carry money collected at the branch to the Imphal office as it is risky to transport such a huge consignment of currency through a terrain where 19 different insurgent outfits have been active. This is despite the fact that the area has a heavy presence of Assam Rifles and Manipur Police personnel," said Khaja Moinuddin, an official of the Moreh chamber. THE BAZAAR Moreh is a buzzing commercial hub on the India-Myanmar border. It is located around 110 km away from Manipur's capital Imphal. Everything under the sun, mostly made in China, is brought to this market every day by over 2,000 Burmese traders CHINESE DOMINANCE China can send most of its products to Myanmar without having to pay any duty and the same find way into India through Moreh market. - Ishantor Sabhapondit, Indian Chamber of Commerce official
	Baghpat facing neglect, says Ajit Singh Tribune News Service Lucknow, August 27 Accusing the Uttar Pradesh government of neglecting his Lok Sabha constituency, Rashtriya Lok Dal president and Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh has demanded that Baghpat should be included in the National Capital Region (NCR). He said the Akhilesh Yadav Government had so far not submitting a detailed development plan for the district which had been sought by the National Capital Regional Planning Board (NCRPB) for development of Baghpat district. Baghpat, barely 30 km from Delhi, had the potential to be developed as an alternative hub of regional/national/international organisations and institutions, he said. Ajit Singh had last month written to the Urban Development Minister Kamal Nath and CM Akhilesh Yadav advocating the development of the region by including it in the NCR. Sources say the RLD chief is upset with the “lackadaisical approach” of the UP government towards his constituency in particular and western UP in general. Till now the state government has not submitted any detailed project report (DPR) for infrastructure projects even as the NCRPB is ready to give loans for such projects in the region. Regional Development Plan 2021 has identified Baghpat-Barut as a Regional Centre and proposed to develop the region for advanced industrial and other economic activities.
	Houses set on fire in Assam Bijay Sankar Bora/TNS Kohima, August 27 In fresh incidents of violence, armed miscreants set on fire several houses in the Pakhoritol area at Fakiragram in Kokrajhar around 9 pm tonight. There was exchange of fire between security forces and miscreants who even exploded five grenades, the police said. Senior police officials rushed to the spot to tackle the situation. There were reports of exchange of fire from at least three villages at Salakati in Kokrajhar district. All these villages are inhabited by members of a religious minority community. The fresh incidents have added to the palpable tension in the violence-hit area even as the All-Bodo Minority Students' Union (ABMSU) has demanded resignation of Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi for failing to protect minorities.