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PM doing good job: Rahul
Chill returns as rain, snow lash North
Don’t step into executive domain, Prez to judiciary
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Sonia Gandhi for securing AMU’s minority character
Ponty shootout: Namdhari, Tyagi charged with murder
Torch rally to mark Army central command jubilee
EC team seizes Rs 1 crore from copter in Nagaland
Govt drafting stronger laws for women’s safety: Shinde
Rain dampens Kumbh fervour
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PM doing good job: Rahul
New Delhi, February 16 Seeking to put an end to the “Rahul for PM” chorus from party cadres, Rahul Gandhi underlined that PM Manmohan Singh was already holding the office and would complete his full term. “The PM is doing a good job. Meanwhile, I have been given a job to do and I would like to focus on it,” he is learnt to have told PCC presidents and CLP leaders at the conclusion of his two-day interaction with them. During the course of his presentation, Bahuguna pleaded that Rahul Gandhi should take over as PM soon so that he is at the helm of affairs during next year’s general election. The Uttarakhand CM’s suggestion was promptly backed by the other state leaders. Reacting sharply, Rahul Gandhi said he did not want to hear this demand again, stating that the problem does not lie with the PM but with the party organisation which needs to be strengthened. Called primarily to get inputs about the deficiencies in the organisation before the next general election, the meeting witnessed a freewheeling discussion with speakers citing rampant factionalism, the arrogant attitude of CMs and lack of communication between the Central and state leadership as among the problems they face. While hearing out the state leaders, Rahul Gandhi did not hesitate to put them in place. Punjab CLP leader Sunil Jakhar was ticked off when he got into an argument with Rahul about the functioning of the state unit. Jakhar was reminded about the confident claims made by the Punjab leaders about a certain victory in last year’s Assembly elections. “But did we form the government,” he asked, putting the blame on the wrong selection of candidates and that a bulk of tickets were cornered by a few families. In an equally caustic remark about the Uttar Pradesh Congress, Rahul said the state had more leaders and CM aspirants than workers. Pointing to the poor communication in the party, J&K PCC chief Saifuddin Soz said that this showed up when Afzal Guru was hanged. While Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and PDP leader Mehbooba Mufti were prompt in their responses, the Congress state unit was tongue-tied as it was unaware of the party position. Soz said the party line ought to be communicated immediately to the states or the PCC should have quick access to an AICC leader so that it can respond quickly.
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Chill returns as rain, snow lash North
New Delhi, February 16 The Indian Meteorological Department said minimum temperatures were currently hovering above normal by 2-4 °C over many parts of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, north Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh but the mercury would drop by 2-4 °C over the northwest and central India during the next 48 hours. In the plains, the lowest minimum temperature of 6.5°C was recorded at Balia in Uttar Pradesh today. Rain or snow has occurred over most places of Jammu and Kashmir, Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh during the past 48 hours. Rain and thundershowers have also occurred over Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, west Madhya Pradesh and Bihar apart from east Madhya Pradesh, Vidarbha and also a few places over Chhattishgarh, Marathawada and Andhra Pradesh. The weather department has attributed the current weather pattern to a western disturbance over North India. The western disturbance is currently hovering as a mid-tropospheric system over the region along with an induced cyclonic circulation over Rajasthan and neighbourhood. The department says the western disturbance will further deepen and continue to interact with the amplified easterly wave due to which heavy rain/snowfall (4-7cm) will occur at one or two places over Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand till about tomorrow. Besides, thunder squall and hailstorm may lash one or two places in Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh. More to come
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Don’t step into executive domain, Prez to judiciary
New Delhi, February 16 “Of late, the judiciary has been perceived to have assumed an expanded role. Some of this is inevitable consequence of the innovative interpretation of rights, civil and political, enshrined in the Constitution. “As is inevitable, the Courts at times are perceived as having strayed into areas which are best left to the executive government or to the policy makers in the legislature. The separation of power is a Constitutional feature over which there has never been any doubt, and should be respected at all times,” Mukherjee said while delivering the First NKP Salve Memorial Lecture on Constitution and Governance. The President did not, however, identify any instance in which the judiciary had encroached upon the executive territory. The Constitution recognised individual rights and community rights and gave them primacy by calling them fundamental rights, making them enforceable and giving power to the courts to act as a bulwark against any attempt to restrict or curb them, the President said. “Our founding fathers were not unaware of the potential conflict between the judiciary and executive and legislature or either one, but they had faith in the power of public opinion - the ultimate symbol of political sovereignty. They knew that the different wings of government would learn to co-exist and work together for the benefit of the nation and its people,” Mukherjee remarked.
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Sonia Gandhi for securing AMU’s minority character
Lucknow, February 16 While intermittent rain deprived over 6,000 university students of a personal audience with the Congress president on AMU’s 60th convocation, Sonia kept her date with them by addressing them through teleconferencing. Her 20-minute address in Urdu interspersed with Urdu poetry was heard amidst applause and cheering at the Kennedy Hall on the AMU campus. Sonia pointed out that while the case regarding the minority character of the AMU was pending in the Supreme Court, she would recommend to the government to preserve its historical character. Referring to the AMU student union’s memorandum presented to her, Sonia promised that the university’s autonomy would not be tampered with. Recalling the historical role of Sir Syed Ahmad Khan in bringing secular education for the Muslims in India, she said it was through his efforts that the AMU was today a citadel of modern secular education and best represented the “Ganga-Yamuni tehzeeb” (cosmopolitan culture) of the country. The role played by the university in the freedom struggle was remembered by the Congress president along with the long association of her family, especially Jawaharlal Nehru, who had been given an honorary life membership by the students’ union. She also underlined the role of its Women’s College and Abdullah Hall in empowering women of the country.
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Ponty shootout:
Namdhari, Tyagi charged with murder New Delhi, February 16 The chargesheet filed by Delhi Police Crime Branch has also named Ponty as an accused as he had reached the place of incident in accordance with his "well hatched conspiracy" with Namdhari and others to take the possession of the disputed farm house in south Delhi's Chattarpur area which was under the custody of Hardeep. The chargesheet has framed charges under the Arms Act and 17 sections of the Indian Penal Code such as murder, attempt to murder, house-trespass, kidnapping and criminal conspiracy. Only Namdhari and Tyagi have been charged with the murder of Hardeep. The chargesheet says: “The statements of eye-witnesses, analysis of call details, report of the Forensic Science Laboratory, recovery of weapons and others tools used for dispossession…clearly point towards a well hatched conspiracy by Ponty Chadha, Sukhdev Singh Namdhari and their respective employees to dispossess Hardeep (Ponty’s younger brother) and his employees from the two farm houses Number 42, DLF Chhatarpur, New Delhi and Pushpanjali Farm House G-19, Bijwasan, Delhi at all costs.” The document also read that after they dispossessed Hardeep of the two farmhouses, “Namdhari and his personal security officer (PSO), Sachin Tyagi, also shot dead Hardeep.” Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Mukesh Kumar ordered that they would be presented before the court on February 19.
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Torch rally to mark Army central command jubilee
Pithoragarh, February 16 “The relay torch rally, which aims at spreading the message of the valour of the veterans to kindle passion among the youth, will cover 5,000 km in seven states. Beginning from Bareilly, the rally will pass from Pithoragarh, Ranikhet, Joshimath, Lansdown, Raiwala, Dehradun, Roorkee, Agra, Mainpuri, Fetehgarh, Banda, Satana, Jabalpur, Raipur, Sambalpur, Cuttack, Bhubaneswar, Ranchi, Danapur, Gajipur, Varanasi, Allahabad, Faizabad, Kanpur and conclude in Lucknow on May 1,” said the communiqué. The rally was aimed at motivating the youth to join the Armed Forces and the masses to come forward to strengthen the process of nation building and rekindling the sprit of patriotism. “This will be done by showcasing the stories of valour and sacrifice by the personnel of the central command,” it said. The communiqué said the rally would cover the area that is home to 29 per cent of the serving soldiers of the Army and 30 per cent of the area of the veterans of the Armed Forces. “To address the grievances of the veterans, the rally will have a number of redress booths under its ‘Desh Sewa’ programme, including pension assistance cells, ECHS clinics, directorate of resettlement camps and camps of the Army Welfare Housing Organisation and the Army placement agency,” it adds.
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EC team seizes Rs 1 crore from copter in Nagaland
Kohima, February 16 A team of EC-appointed observers seized the cash from a chopper, which was allegedly hired to ferry Nyemli Phom who is contesting the Assembly polls from a constituency in Longleng district, official sources said. The EC team has alerted the Income Tax department and police officials about the development and they have dispatched their teams for the necessary action, they said. Polls for the 60 Assembly seats in the state will be conducted on February 23.
— PTI
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Govt drafting stronger laws for women’s safety: Shinde New Delhi, February 16 He complimented the Delhi Police for the quick solution of the case and for launching a slew of measures for the safety of women in the national capital. “The Delhi Police is creating a safer environment for women in the national capital. They had solved the case within 24 hours. They are one of the best police forces in our country.” The Home Minister added that the government was drafting stronger laws for the safety of women.
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Lucknow, February 16 In the tented city, water has not only entered the tents but the power supply has also been suspended fearing short circuit. The mela traditionally disperses on Mahashivratri which falls on March 10 this year. But due to the rain, the sadhus have already started packing and moving their paraphernalia and returning to their ‘muths’. Due to the rain, a relatively thin attendance was witnessed during the third Shahi Snan on Basant Panchami yesterday. — TNS
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Beed (Maharashtra) Lucknow New Delhi Imphal Dhenkanal
Suryanelli sex abuse case accused Dharamarajan being produced in a special court at Kottayam, Kerala, on Saturday. — PTIChennai/KOLKATA Jhargram
(WB)
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New Delhi, February 16
Kottayam