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All eyes on Rahul during Cong’s chintan shivir
DSGMC poll on Jan 27
Modi a step closer to his poll promise of ‘affordable housing’
Mumbai ACP shifted after vendor dies in anti-hawking drive
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Man held for killing 23-yr-old daughter
West to East, the Ganga welcomes all on its banks
Sikh youth perform a traditional martial art in Allahabad on Saturday. Tribune photo: Mukesh Aggarwal
Rlys have derailed since I left office: Lalu
LoC martyr’s kin on fast-unto-death
On 150th birthday, stadium renamed after Vivekananda
India denies visa to British journalist Yvonne Ridley
Interrogation of MIM MLA Owaisi begins
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All eyes on Rahul during Cong’s chintan shivir
New Delhi, January 12 Having been entrusted with the responsibility of drawing up the strategy for the next general elections as head of a recently constituted coordination group, the participants at the Jaipur meet are looking forward to Rahul’s views and interventions which would provide a pointer to the way ahead. Although Rahul Gandhi has finally stepped out of the shadows and decided to shoulder greater responsibilities as head of the election coordination panel, restless cadres are still clamouring that the Congress ‘yuvraj’ be formally anointed number two in the party. The possibility of such an announcement being made during the AICC session is not being ruled out. Rahul has already started work on “Mission 2014” and has been interacting with party leaders on a regular basis to get inputs on the health of the organisation. As in the case of last year’s Cabinet reshuffle, the Rahul imprint will be visible during the two-day chintan shivir. Nearly half of the 350-odd participants for the Jaipur conclave will be below 40 years of age with a large participation from the Youth Congress and the NSUI. This will be an opportunity for the younger leaders to interact with the party top brass and for the senior leaders to hear the former’s views as the party makes a concerted effort to bridge the gap between the two. Rahul has repeatedly underlined the need for giving greater opportunities to the youth. It was at his instance that a number of young and junior ministers were promoted and given key portfolios in last year’s Cabinet reshuffle. While the Congress rank and file is keen that Rahul should be the face of the party in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, it is also worried as the young leader’s record has not been encouraging. Viewed as a reluctant politician, Rahul has come across as being inconsistent as witnessed by his midnight dash to Bhatta Parsaul in UP to support farmers whose land was acquired which was followed by silence on this issue. He failed to revive the Congress in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh and went into hiding after the party was badly mauled in the two states. His efforts to democratise the Youth Congress and the NSUI have not been particularly successful. And despite his emphasis on youth, Rahul was conspicuous by his absence when the Capital was rocked by protests over the Lokpal Bill and the Delhi gang rape case. As the Congress party’s PM-in-waiting, Rahul faces a daunting task. Although the final tally in 2014 will determine his future, he faces tough competition from experienced chief ministers Nitish Kumar, BJD’s Naveen Patnaik and AIADMK chief J.Jayalalithaa and BJP’s Narendra Modi who are all Prime Ministerial aspirants. In comparison to them, Rahul comes across as a novice.
To be anointed No 2?
Party cadres are clamouring that the Congress ‘yuvraj’ be formally anointed number two in the party The possibility of such an announcement being made during the AICC session is not being ruled out Rahul has already started work on “Mission 2014” Has been interacting with party leaders on a regular basis to get inputs on the health of the organisation
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DSGMC poll on Jan 27
New Delhi, January 12 After the Amritsar-based Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), the Delhi body is the second richest committee of the Sikh community in India. A total of 4.11 lakh Sikhs in the national capital will cast their vote to elect their representatives. Delhi is divided into 46 constituencies and the Directorate of Gurdwara Election, Delhi, has drawn up the voters list. The overall population of Sikhs in the national capital is around 7.70 lakh. The DSGMC having a budget of Rs 55-60 crore controls some of revered shrines of the Sikhs. The elected body had its sway over 16 gurdwaras out of which nine are classified as 'historic' in the national capital. Three groups are challenging the ruling Shiromani Akali Dal (Delhi) which is the political platform of the Sarna brothers - Paramjit Singh and Harvinder Singh. The principal challenge is from the Delhi-unit of the Prakash Singh Badal-led Shiromani Akali Dal. Manjit Singh 'GK' heads the Badal group. Electioneering is picking up. It is largely door-to-door and from locality to locality. Sukhbir Badal has conducted a few meetings with his team in Delhi and is keen to wrest control of the Delhi-body as the Sarna brothers are seen close to former Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh. Often the Sarnas criticise the Badals over Sikh affairs and both sides indulge in one-upmanship to be seen as the leader of Sikhs. While the Sarnas claim to have got the Anand Marriage Act Amendment, Badals claim to fame is the political power in Punjab. However, it remains to be seen if the Sikhs of Delhi get wooed by Badal. Apart from this, in the fray are two others groups. While the Shiromani Akali Dal (Delhi - UK) has alliance with the Dashmesh Sewa Society, the Kendriya Guru Singh Sabha is the other contender. The sabha controls some 600 small and big gurdwaras, which dot the various Punjabi and Sikh-dominated localities in Delhi. These are not under the DSGMC. The DSGMC is primarily run on donations and charities from the devotees. The money is spent on hospitals, educational institutes, upkeep of shrines and salaries of the committee employees. A chunk of the money is also used by the DSGMC in paying off its share in operating aided schools and colleges.
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Modi a step closer to his poll promise of ‘affordable housing’
Ahmedabad, January 12 Though unlike in the previous "Vibrant Gujarat" summits, signing of the memorandum of understanding for investments in Gujarat were not given the primacy this time. Official sources confirmed that during the past two days, 17,717 "Intentions of Investments" were signed by various Indian and foreign companies, including about 1.35 lakh crore "MoUs" were signed for "affordable housing." Following the Congress' election promise to provide affordable houses to the middle and lower income group people in the urban areas and free house site plots to the homeless in the rural areas, the BJP under Modi in its election manifesto promised constructing 50 lakh houses in five years, including 22 lakh houses in urban areas and 28 lakhs in rural areas. Modi, however, was criticised for the "false promises" with his critics questioning how the state exchequer would find resources for constructing 50 lakh houses in five years requiring about Rs 1.35 lakh crore. However, through the summit, he had succeeded in generating the necessary resources without stretching the state exchequer. Among the MoUs signed in the housing sector, Rs 15,000 crore investment was promised by a developer from Finland, Rs 4,000 crore by a British company and Rs 3,500 crore by the Tata Housing Development Company Limited. In the previous five editions of the biennial summits, Modi at the end of the valedictory address had been announcing the number of MoUs signed and the amount of investments promised during the summit. But he made no reference to the MoUs in his valedictory address today and instead stressed that the "bonding" Gujarat succeeded in creating with at least 121 countries which participated in the summit, was more precious than mere investments. The summit, he claimed, had helped improving India's image among the comity of nations and they would be forced to take notice of the country's potential to turn the recessionary trend of the global economy to a positive development.
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Mumbai ACP shifted after vendor dies in anti-hawking drive
Mumbai, January 12 Joint Commissioner of Police (Law and Order) Sadanand Date told reporters today that Dhoble was transferred to the police control room pending an inquiry against him. The probe will be conducted by a senior official of the Criminal Investigation Department. According to the police, a street-side vendor, Madan Kumar Jaiswal, died of a heart attack when Dhoble's men descended on vendors operating stalls on a street in the suburbs of Santa Cruz and Vakola. "The vendor seems to have died of a heart attack. We are waiting for the post-mortem examination for the details," Date said. However, Jaiswal’s family claimed that the vendor collapsed after Dhoble clubbed him with a lathi while he was trying to escape. Following the vendor's death, hundreds of hawkers gathered outside the hospital where the victim was taken and shouted slogans. They were joined by local political leaders. Congress Member of Parliament Priya Dutt who was among those who demanded action against Dhoble said the officer was misusing his position. "Here is one officer who is not abiding by the law. He is making his own law," Dutt said.
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Man held for killing 23-yr-old daughter
Meerut, January 12 Mala’s body was found in the bathroom of her residence in the Shastri Nagar area yesterday, the police said, adding that the death was apparently caused by forcible drowning in a tub. The victim’s mother lodged a police complaint alleging that her husband Bhim Singh, an engineer with the ONGC in Gujarat, had come home on leave and killed the girl, a final year student in a city college, as he always wanted a son. She alleged that Singh used to assault their daughter. The couple has another daughter who is married. The father, who has been taken into custody, denied the allegations. The police has further arrested a friend of the victim for questioning. — PTI
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West to East, the Ganga welcomes all on its banks
Allahabad, January 12 Devotees descended on Prayag from Nepal, Italy, Australia, Croatia and Slovenia and Punjab, Gujarat and Bengal back home, partaking of the divine blessings the local "pandas" gave them at the end of the evening Ganga
"aarti". Today's 'aarti' at Ramghat was special as foreigners and locals swayed together to the beats of musical salutations offered to 'Mother Ganges'. It was a sight to behold as the spirit of Mahakumbh came alive and the differences of caste and race vanished. Across the road from where the
"aarti" was being held, saffron clad Sikh sadhus of Nirmal Panchayati Akhara from Haryana and Punjab passed by on horses and elephants in the last
"peshwahi" (procession) of Hindu akharas which entered the Kumbh area marking the end of a process. At the head of the procession, young boys displayed
gatka, traditional Sikh martial arts, which had the shutterbugs of foreign tourists go wild. "I have taken 500 shots of this spectacle. I have never seen anything like this in my whole life. The energy, the music, the colours are divine. I am astonished," said Othello from Italy, a first time visitor to India who came all the way to witness Mahakumbh of which he had seen images on You Tube. For the Italian group of eight, the tented akhara settlement in Allahabad offered many surprises in the form of feat displaying saints. While one displayed yogic power standing on one leg for hours, another sniffed
"charas" as his disciples told visitors, "Guruji's right hand has remained in the air for over two decades in a rare yoga posture. He never relieves it. He does it for social good and for the Ganges." Among Guruji's visitors is Yokohama from Japan. She was so awestruck that she took 100 shots of the yogic alone! Yards away, visitors from Croatia, roaming the akhara settlement streets, told this correspondent of their love for Hinduism. "Many of us have embraced Hinduism". Among them was
Shanti, who refused to divulge her Croatian name. "Shanti is my original name,' she said, telling stories of how she awaits the
Kumbh. This is her third mela. While foreigners mostly confined themselves to the akhara area, the heart of Kumbh's tented settlement where sadhus have camped ahead of the holy bath, locals spent their day on the shores of the Ganges. Over 40,000 Sikh followers of this akhara are camping in
Prayag, which expects to host more than 100 lakh people for the first holy dip; among them 100 Nepali labourers who travelled 20 days to reach the fair. As of today, the city had recorded 70 lakh arrivals.
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Rlys have derailed since I left office: Lalu
Patna, January 12 “The railway has derailed from the track.... The people in power are trying to destroy the lifeline of the country,” Prasad told reporters. Claiming that revenue generation from the passenger fare hike would be paltry, he said, it had not gone down well with passengers. Instead of raising the passenger fare, the government should have revisited the freight rate and put in place additional infrastructure for improving freight service, the former railway minister said. Prasad said that he was the first railway minister to pay special attention to freight service to generate additional revenue. He said that he had started work to connect Ludhiana and Howrah and Mumbai and Delhi with goods trains, but his successors did not carry out the projects to the logical conclusion. His initiatives to promote warehousing for traders to transport their goods had not been followed by his successors. — PTI
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LoC martyr’s kin on fast-unto-death
Lucknow, January 12 Media reports said martyr’s uncle, brother and wife have joined the protest, first started by the village chief and some villagers demanding civic amenities for the village, including repair of a link road to the village, naming of the road and a park after the martyr and installation of a new transformer. The family was upset at the failure of senior politicians to attend the martyrs’ cremation, which was carried out in darkness due to power failure. Even the District Magistrate and the SSP reportedly reached late. Mathura DM Samir Verma admitted that a section of villagers wanted some senior politicians to visit the village.
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On 150th birthday, stadium renamed after Vivekananda
At a colourful function at the stadium today, hundreds of students took an oath to rebuild the nation by following in Vivekananda’s footsteps. Students of different schools in the city also took part in a march past. People pay tributes to Swami Vivekananda in Bhubaneswar on Saturday. PTI
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India denies visa to British journalist Yvonne Ridley
Hyderabad, January 12 The London-based journalist, who was captured by the Taliban on an undercover assignment in Afghanistan in 2001 and converted to Islam after her release in 2003, was to address various sessions at the three-day conference, which began on Friday. "The Indian Government is refusing to give me a conference visa to address 50,000 women in Hyderabad about women's rights. I would have thought that after the catastrophic handling of the Delhi rape case, politicians would be more sensitive, but it seems not. We women continue to be sidelined and treated as second-class citizens," she said in her post on Facebook. Ridley, through video conference, addressed three sessions of girls, women and journalists. "The Indian Government knows how powerful words are. That is why I am sitting in the UK today talking to you instead of being with you to deliver this speech in person," she said, addressing the session of journalists on Saturday. Khalid Mubashir-ul-Zafar, president of Jamaat-e-Islami's Hyderabad unit, said Ridley was given all necessary clearances by the External Affairs Ministry, but was denied visa at the last minute because of the tense situation in Hyderabad. There was tension in the city on Friday after a group of people staged protests in the old city over the arrest of Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM) leader and legislator Akbaruddin Owaisi for his alleged hate speech. Ridley was also denied a visa when she had planned a trip to Kerala in 2010 to address a Muslim women's conference organised by the Jamaat. — IANS
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Interrogation of MIM MLA Owaisi begins
Adilabad (AP), January 12 Nirmal town police in Adilabad district that had registered a case against Owaisi arrested him from Gandhi Hospital in Hyderabad on January 8. He was later remanded in 14-day judicial custody. A court in Nirmal town had yesterday sent the 42-year-old legislator from Chandrayanagutta in Hyderabad to police remand to facilitate his questioning. — PTI
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Train derails, 25 injured
CID to probe Dhule riots
Undertrial, cop go missing
Manager caught taking bribe
Jumbo’s tumour removed
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Gandhi scion Rahul Gandhi will be the cynosure of all eyes at the chintan shivir being organised by the Congress in Jaipur next week to brain storm about refurbishing the party’s image as it prepares a road map for this year’s assembly polls and the 2014 Lok Sabha elections.
The sand-kissed banks of the Ganga welcomed pilgrims from around the world today as faith drove them to the temple town ahead of Mahakumbh's first holy bath starting Monday.
Kolkata, January 12
