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Big Brother BJP watchful, but not worried over JD-U move
Coal scam: BJP demands SIT investigation
Gold prices fall steeply on international cues
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Mamata declared fit, advised rest
Land Bill in this session: Ramesh
Poll possible any time, says Pawar
Kunda murders: Gram pradhan’s son admits to killing DSP
26/11: Man who got boats identified
Brigadier in dock for borrowing money from contractors
24x7 power to Rae Bareli, Amethi restored
PCI chief Katju seeks pardon for Bhullar
India awaits Chamel Singh’s report
ULFA bans Hindi songs at Rongali Bihu festivities
UP minister promises roads like ‘Hema Malini and Madhuri cheeks’, sacked
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Big Brother BJP watchful, but not worried over JD-U move
New Delhi, April 13 The reason why no one appears to be sweating in the BJP is due to the belief that pressure to make stance clear is more on the JD-U than the saffron party. “It is the JD-U which is indulging in public posturing against
Modi, so the pressure to clarify stance is also on them,” they say. While the JD-U thrashed out strategy in case Gujarat CM Narendra Modi is projected as the prime ministerial candidate, party president met Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio while senior leader LK Advani was visited by Denmark Ambassador Freddy
Svane. BJP overseas affairs convener Vijay Jolly described the Danish Ambassador’s visit “a courtesy call”. “They discussed the current political scenario and other issues,” Jolly said. BJP sources are also feeling smug because of an internal JD-U survey, which, they claim, has cautioned the JD-U leadership against parting ways with the BJP on the Modi issue. “The report says if JD-U splits from the
BJP, the loser will be the JD-U and not the BJP,” they say. Senior BJP leaders say they want the alliance with the JD-U to continue but do not want interference in their internal party matters. “We do not interfere in their matters. The BJP reserves its rights to decide who will lead them in the next General Election. Besides, it is imperative for all NDA constituents to realise that the onslaught against the Congress-led UPA should not be allowed to weaken because of inter-party tussles in the
NDA,” they add.
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Coal scam: BJP demands SIT investigation
New Delhi, April 13 Leader of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha Arun Jaitley targeted the UPA by accusing it of being a “rogue government” that will not allow CBI to function independently and demanded constitution of a Special Investigation Team. He also charged the government with “interference in the administration of justice” by not allowing CBI to acquaint the apex court with the full truth in the case. “The CBI cannot find out the truth and even if some honest officer in the CBI tries to find out the truth, the UPA is a rogue government which will not allow it to operate independently,” Jaitley said. His Lok Sabha counterpart, Sushma Swaraj, criticised the government for “vetting” of the CBI report and said it is part of “an attempt to save Prime Minister Manmohan Singh”. JD(U) spokesperson Shivanand Tiwari also termed the reports as “very serious”, saying this is contempt of court. “Supreme Court is asking CBI to submit its report and government is toning it down. This is for the first time to my knowledge that such a thing is happening.” The Opposition's attack on the issue came in the wake of reports that Law Minister Ashwani Kumar summoned CBI Chief and the report was changed and toned down after the meeting. Unfazed by the attack, the Congress rejected the charge of interference in the preparation of the CBI report in the coal scam for the Supreme Court and ruled out resignation of Law Minister Ashwani Kumar in this regard. “There is no question of resignation of Law Minister Ashwani Kumar. Supreme Court has already asked CBI to file an affidavit in this regard. CBI will file its affidavit and truth will come out,” party spokesperson Rashid Alvi said. The CAG, in its report last year, had estimated a loss of Rs 1.86 lakh crore in allocation of coal blocks since 2004. “This is a very serious matter. This is evidence of the government's pressure on the CBI to save the Prime Minister,” Swaraj said on Twitter. Arun Jaitley said the UPA is interested in “diluting the guilt of the culprits” and does not want the truth to come out. “When ministers, civil servants and officials try that the Supreme Court should not be acquainted with the full truth, this is an interference in the administration of justice. The government owes an explanation,” the BJP leader said, while demanding that the CBI's original unaltered report be made public besides being placed before the Supreme Court. “This is now conclusive that the farce of being autonomous and independent which CBI has attempted to maintain is now completely demolished and dismantled,” Jaitley said. — PTI
jThe CBI cannot find out the truth. Even if some honest officer in the CBI tries to find out the truth, the UPA is a rogue government which will not allow it to operate
independently.
There is no question of resignation of Law Minister Ashwani Kumar. Supreme Court has already asked CBI to file an affidavit in this regard. The CBI will file its affidavit and truth will come
out.
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Gold prices fall steeply on international cues
New Delhi, April 13 Gold trading saw unprecedented conditions as it fell sharply by Rs 1,250 to Rs 28,350 per ten gram, a level last seen in April last year following a steepest fall of 84 dollar to 1,477 dollar an ounce in global markets. Silver prices also saw a sharp fall. The main factors have been international selloff in gold. Prithviraj Kothari, Managing Director, RiddiSiddhi Bullions said the main reason for this fall was gold sell off by central banks. Roughly six tonnes of gold were sold in six auctions held by the State Bank of Vietnam. There was news that as soon as the international markets opened, Merryl Lynch sold 4 million ounces of gold. Heavy ETF selling was also seen in the markets, he said. The draft plan for the debt ridden Cyprus to sell its gold reserves has also spooked sentiment. There are concerns that while Cyprus has small reserves what happens if other European countries with larger gold reserves start selling. However, this may help in controlling India’s current account deficit. RK Gupta, Managing Director, Taurus Asset Management Company said the fall in crude and gold prices will help bring down the CAD which had come in at a record high of 6.7 per cent of the GDP. The Finance Ministry has been urging people to bring down purchase of gold. In the Budget, it has proposed some financial instruments to lure people away from gold. Gold has been on a bull run in the last decade or so given the turbulence in the global economy as it is seen as a safe haven. Indian investors have participated in the gold rush and have been proved right as other asset classes like equities stagnated. However, this demand has abated somewhat now with increase in duty on gold from 4 per cent to 6 per cent and stipulation of a Pan card requirement for purchase of more than Rs 5 lakh on gold. The improvement in the US economy has also led to the move away from the gold towards the dollar and equities. Kothari said the next target for gold is $ 1450 as gold is expected to decline further on the lines of a strengthening US economy.
Sharp dip
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Mamata declared fit, advised rest
Kolkata, April 13 Mamata, the state finance minister Dr Amit Mitra and the panchayat minister Subrata Mukherjee were heckled and manhandled by the demonstrating CPM cadres and SFI students in Delhi. They were protesting against the death of the SFI leader Sudipta Gupta in police custody on April 2 in
Kolkata.
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Land Bill in this session: Ramesh
Anand (Gujarat), April 13 “We will bring the revised Bill in this session. All political parties want to get it passed,” Ramesh said here. “States have given their suggestions and I have also met Opposition leaders like Arun Jaitley and Sushma Swaraj and had discussion with them,” Ramesh said, adding, all the political parties wanted the 1984 Act to be changed. The Parliament session will start on April 22. — PTI
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Poll possible any time, says Pawar
Mumbai, April 13 “There is only the Congress, the NCP and the National Conference which is in the UPA. The majority party should take a call. We will go along with it,” Pawar told reporters at an event in Thane. The NCP chief further added that he had told Congress president Sonia Gandhi to call a meeting of the UPA to discuss early elections. “I have suggested to the UPA chairperson to convene a meeting to discuss this and she is also of the same view,” Pawar added. The Maratha leader said the situation at the national level was delicately poised and elections could happen any time. “Elections may not happen immediately, But we should be ready when the situation changes,” Pawar said. Rebutting a statement made by BJP leader Nitin Gadkari that he was in the race for the post of Prime Minister, Pawar noted that the NCP just did not have the numbers. “The NCP has just nine MPs and the Central Government cannot be toppled by nine MPs pulling out,” Pawar said. The NCP leader also denied that he was not against the proposed food security Bill mooted by the UPA. “I am of the view that the poor should benefit from food security Act. But if the Planning commission says 34 per cent of the total population is below poverty line, how can there be 70 per cent beneficiaries. This is the only doubt I have raised,” Pawar said. Pawar, however, demanded that the UPA should name its candidate for the post of Prime Minister ahead of the general elections. “The ruling coalition should name its Prime Ministerial candidate for the 2014 general elections,” Pawar said in reply to a question. He added that the candidate should be decided at a meeting of the constituents of the
UPA.
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Kunda murders: Gram pradhan’s son admits to killing DSP
Lucknow, April 13 After sustained questioning, Babloo Yadav reportedly confessed to having killed the DSP. Haq’s mobile phone which had been missing since the incident has also been found and may provide conclusive evidence. DSP Haq had rushed to Balipur village on March 2 after the murder of Babloo’s father Nanhe Yadav. Another brother of Nanhe - Suresh - was also killed during the mayhem that evening. Two days ago, the CBI had detained a close relative of the gram pradhan’s family who had admitted to having been present in the village that evening. His interrogation reportedly gave vital leads for today’s arrest. However, sources point out that this leaves two questions unanswered. The first is the motive behind the DSP’s killing and the second is the role, if any, of former minister Raghuraj Pratap Singh alias Raja Bhaiyya in the DSP’s murder. The minister had resigned on March 4 following Haq’s widow Parveen Azad filing an FIR naming Raja Bhaiyya and his close associates for hatching the conspiracy to kill her husband. Later, on Azad’s insistence, the Akhilesh Yadav government had ordered a CBI inquiry. On April 7, the CBI had arrested two suspects Ajay Pal and Vijay Pal, sons of Kamta Pal for the murder of the gram pradhan. Kamta Pal reportedly had a history of hostility with Nanhe Yadav which had aggravated in recent times due to an added land dispute.
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26/11: Man who got boats identified
Islamabad, April 13 Prosecutors said the witness, whom they did not name for security reasons, had identified accused Shahid Jamil Riaz during proceedings conducted behind closed doors at Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi by anti-terrorism court judge Chaudhry Habib-ur-Rehman. The witness told the judge that Riaz and 10 other persons had bought 11 inflatable boats, saying they were to be used for fishing. The witness further told the judge he had never seen these persons returning from sea with any fish. A total of four private witnesses testified during the hearing. Another witness told the judge that he had sold the accused a Yamaha boat engine for Rs 1.6 lakh and yet another witness said he had sold the accused six pumps, prosecutors told the PTI. The witnesses also identified 10 men, including Amjad Khan and Atiqur Rehman, who were allegedly involved in planning and executing the Mumbai attacks on November 26, 2008 that left 166 persons dead. These 10 men were earlier declared "proclaimed offenders" or fugitives by the anti-terrorism court. "The 10 proclaimed offenders were either trainers or facilitators of the accused who launched the attacks in Mumbai," said chief prosecutor Chaudhry Zulifqar. One witness told the court that Amjad Khan had obtained from him a "port clearance certificate" for Al-Hussaini, a fishing boat used by the terrorists. Amjad Khan was also involved in purchasing the inflatable boats, another witness said. — PTI Trial on in Rawalpindi
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Brigadier in dock for borrowing money from contractors
Chandigarh, April 13 Based upon the findings of a court of inquiry constituted to investigate the allegations, the Army has ordered disciplinary action against Brig L. Singh, former commander of a mountain brigade. He has been attached to headquarters of a Mountain Division for further proceedings. The officer had challenged the proceedings against him before the Armed Forces Tribunal, but the case was dismissed on the grounds that the Army had the right to initiate disciplinary action against him and the same could not be scuttled at this stage. The brigadier had contended that the nature of the complaint made before a one-man committee to examine the allegations prior to convening the court of inquiry disclosed to him. Further, during the course of the court of inquiry, he did not have the opportunity to cross examine the witnesses as the previous statement of these witnesses before the one-man committee and the witnesses examined by the court of inquiry had subsequently changed their statement. Observing that prima facie, there was no reason to intervene with the order of holding disciplinary proceedings against the petitioner, the tribunal held that the only statutory provision which deals with the holding of an inquiry is under Rule 180 of the Army Rules, under which the court of inquiry was convened. There is no statutory provision which provides for holding of a preliminary inquiry. Remarking that the said preliminary inquiry was only administrative in nature and was intended to find out prima facie material for holding the court of inquiry Rule 180, the tribunal said that the petitioner was entitled to all safeguards only in respect of the court of inquiry which has been conducted under Rule 180.
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24x7 power to Rae Bareli, Amethi restored
Lucknow, April 13 After extensive media coverage and strong reaction from the people of the two constituencies, the UPPCL MD AP Mishra hurriedly called a press conference to explain that the power cuts in the two constituencies represented by Congress president Sonia Gandhi and vice-president Rahul Gandhi were not regular load-shedding but due technical problems and supply constraints. "There were no specific instructions for these two districts. Power cuts have also been happening in other VVIP districts like Kannauj which is represented by Dimple Yadav, the wife of the Chief Minister," Mishra pointed out. — TNS
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PCI chief Katju seeks pardon for Bhullar
New Delhi, April 13 Katju's letter comes close on the heels of a two-judge bench of the Supreme Court rejecting the plea of Bhullar, a Khalistani terrorist and death row convict Bhullar in a judgment that paves the way for his execution. Katju said Bhullar has been in detention since his arrival in India in January 1995 i.e over 18 years and added that he had suffered prolonged mental agony and trauma for this long period in death row with a Damocles' sword hanging over his head. Assigning reasons behind his plea, Katju said the Supreme Court had earlier rejected Bhullar's appeal against his death sentence by a 2-1 majority, not by a unanimous decision and added that the senior most judge on the bench Justice MB Shah had acquitted Bhullar. Katju said that he had perused the judgment of Justice Shah who had noticed that the only evidence against Bhullar is his alleged confessional statement to the investigating office. Justice Shah has observed that "when the rest of the accused who are named in the confessional statement are not convicted or tried, this was not a fit case for convicting the appellant solely on the basis of the so called confessional statement recorded by the police officer", Katju wrote. He added that Justice Shah noticed in his judgment that there was nothing on record to corroborate the aforesaid alleged confessional statement. — PTI
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India awaits Chamel Singh’s report
New Delhi, April 13 "For more than two months now. We have repeatedly requested the Pakistanis authorities for a post mortem report.... The report has not been provided to us as yet," said Syed Akbaruddin, official spokesperson in the Ministry of External Affairs. He said any future course of action will be decided on the basis of that report. "Once we receive the post mortem report, obviously, we will study it and then decide on further course of action. But first order of business is to get the post mortem report as early as possible. We have requested Pakistan on several occasions to speed up that post-mortem report," the spokesperson said. India has already conveyed its concern to Pakistani authorities over the unnecessary delay in providing details of post-mortem and other details, official sources said. Singh had died in mysterious conditions in a Pakistani jail on January 15. — PTI
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ULFA bans Hindi songs at Rongali Bihu festivities
Guwahati, April 13 Rongali Bihu is the principal spring festival in Assam which is celebrated from April 14 - for a week - throughout the state. During the festival, numerous cultural programmes are held as part of the celebrations where traditional Assamese bihu dances and songs as well as the showcasing of colorful culture of other ethnic communities in the state used to dominate the stage. However, in recent times, besides the traditional dances and songs, popular Hindi movie songs and dance items too are performed by artistes because of public demand. However, the outlawed ULFA which has launched an armed struggle to ‘free Assam’ from the clutches of ‘colonial Indian rulers’ has taken exception to the performance of Hindi movie chart busters and dance numbers in Rongali Bihu functions saying “those represent the culture of colonial India whose invasion into the state’s indigenous cultural atmosphere and must be kept at bay.” The ULFA faction, in a statement, called upon all artistes from the state and organisers of Bihu celebration functions to ensure that there would be no performance of Hindi movie songs and dances during the celebrations. The ULFA has warned that its cadres would keep a close watch on the celebrations. Militants in Manipur have already banned the screening of Hindi movies in trouble-torn Manipur for several years now. It has caused closure of many cinema halls in the state and people have to remain content by watching video films made in languages and dialects spoken in
Manipur.
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UP minister promises roads like ‘Hema Malini and Madhuri cheeks’, sacked Lucknow, April 13 "Governor BL Joshi in consultation with Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav has relieved minister Raja Ram Pandey from his post from this evening," a notification signed by chief secretary Javed Usmani said. The CM has been given the additional charge of Khadi and Village industry. During his visit to Pratapgarh yesterday, Pandey had allegedly said roads would be constructed like the cheeks of actresses Hema Malini and Madhuri Dixit. The minister's statement evoked criticism from political parties and social bodies. This is not the first time Pandey has landed himself in trouble for making such remarks. In February this year, the minister went overboard allegedly praising the beauty of a lady bureaucrat at a function in Sultanpur in her presence. — PTI
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Kolkata
Morigaon (Assam)
Darjeeling Jaipur English teaching in madrasas:Adoption of scientific approach with emphasis on English teaching in madrasas to bring students to the mainstream was called for by educational experts in a workshop. The 10-day workshop for madrasa teachers saw participation of 24 teachers from across the country. They were given training to enhance English teaching skills. — PTI patna
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Mumbai, April 13
