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Pyrrhic victory for Vadra as land deal is ‘cleared’
Rebel factor worries Congress in Karnataka Assembly elections
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Defaulting flat aspirants lose battle in Supreme Court
Jawan killed, 17 injured in Manipur explosions
A security personnel inspects the blast site at Awang Sekmai in Manipur on Sunday. — PTI
Maths wizard Shakuntala Devi dead
Security for road building projects in
Naxal-hit areas
Govt seeks House consensus on Bangladesh land pact
Jantar Mantar
Over 600 set for yatra to Nepal’s Muktinath temple
Wardboy rapes woman, doctors try to bribe kin
CPM looking to stitch a national alternative
7-yr-old raped, murdered in MP; uncle prime suspect
Budget session resumes
today
Quake hits Assam 3rd time in a week
Infant sold for Rs 1.5 lakh in AP; rescued
Sanjay Dutt files review petition
Naxals kill panchayat secretary
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Pyrrhic victory for Vadra as land deal is ‘cleared’
Chandigarh, April 21 The three-member committee headed by Additional Chief Secretary (ACS) Krishna Mohan, and comprising ACS KK Jalan, Principal Secretary Rajan Gupta, with the then Special Secretary, Revenue, Ashok Yadav as its Secretary, to dwell into the facts, has given the Shikohpur deal an "all-clear" certificate in its 376-page report (with enclosures). The Congress-led Haryana government, on the back foot given the bad press it was earning, had constituted the committee following the "expose" by the IAC and the doubts raised by the then Director General, consolidation and Holdings (DGHC) in October last. For clarity, the committee "broke down" the issues into a) Sale and Purchase of properties, b) Grant of Letter of Intent/Licence/Change of Land Use and renewal by the Town and Country Planning Department, c) mutation, d) undervaluation of properties, e) lapse, if any, and f) the "revisionary powers" under Section 42 of the East Punjab Holdings (Consolidation and Prevention of Fragmentation) Act, 1948 (referred to as the Consolidation Act, 1948). Unfinished story
The year 2010 brought with it the "silver jubilee" of Shikohpur's unfinished story of consolidation proceedings, oscillating between notifications and de-notifications since 1985. It also brought a request for renewal of licence for Vadra's Sky Light Hospitality and DLF. Two years later, this very licence by the Town and Country Planning (TCP) Department kicked up a political storm. The Vadra-DLF sale deed of Shikohpur and its subsequent mutation, later cancelled, added bite to the winds that roared with unanswered questions and swirled around the Congress' first family, the Gandhis, in general and Vadra in particular. The IAC thundered allegations and the Opposition parties fanned the fire of protests. The storm the Congress found itself caught in, gathered steam. This was October 2012. Khemka, already under transfer following orders on October 11, had, by then, cancelled the mutation (on October 15). There were reasons aplenty. On the sale and purchase of property, his understanding dictated that all land in an estate under consolidation vests in the government till re-partition and property transactions during the pendency of consolidation proceedings were an absolute "no-no". He opined that with the notification of Section 14 (1), property transaction violated Section 30 of the Consolidation Act, 1948, disallowing transfer of property without the Consolidation Officer's approval. The deductions, however, failed to cut ice with the three-member committee. While specifying "land" to mean agricultural land as laid down in the Consolidation Act, 1948, essentially an agrarian reform to check land fragmentation, the committee pointed out that Section 14 (1) only declares the intent of the government to consolidate land. Subsequent to this, a draft scheme is prepared, objections invited, scheme amended, if need be, and sent to the Settlement Officer for confirmation, which has not happened in Shikohpur, the report adds.
Flip-flop
This revenue estate was first notified for consolidation in October 1985, de-notified in 1989 following "non-cooperation" from the villagers, re-notified in May 1990, the committee found. The flip-flop on consolidation continued and it remained in "abeyance" from March 2008 till August 2011 when a fourth fresh process was initiated, as per the report. Meanwhile, in 2006, the process of preparation of the draft development Plan of Gurgaon-Manesar Urban Complex-2021 started. This was published in May 2006 by the TCP Department during which various property transactions took place in the estate, nullifying the draft consolidation, the members found. The Assistant Consolidation Officer (ACO), Gurgaon, reported in January 2007 that of the total of 2331 acres and 7 kanals only 1245 acres bighas remained as agricultural land while the TCP Department, in its published Development Plan-2021 in February 2007, showed an agricultural zone of 379 acres only, the report explains. In March 2008, a year after the Development plan-2021 was published and while the consolidation process was in "abeyance", the TCP Department issued an LOI for grant of licence to Sky Light Hospitality for development of a commercial colony on 2.701 acres out of 3.53 acres while the latter entered into an agreement with DLF in August that year, it said. According to the chronology of events mentioned in the report, the "in principle" approval for transfer of licence was granted in April 2012 by the Director, TCP Department and the licence was renewed for two years till December 2012. Consequently, the sale deed was executed by Sky Light Hospitality in favour of DLF in September 2012 on the basis of which the now cancelled mutation was sanctioned by ACO, Gurgaon.
Committee's stand
The Committee, quoting court orders, says that a mere notification under Section 14 (1) of the Consolidation Act does not bring "consolidation proceedings into operation". Also, since only a notification under 14 (1) was in force and no scheme prepared, the permission of the Consolidation Officer was not required, the committee ruled. Maintaining that the sub-registrar “acted within law” by registering the sale deed, the committee pointed out that no objection was raised in registering of sale deeds over the past two decades. Terming the “singling out” of the Vadra-DLF sale deed as “not appropriate” given the sale deeds registered during the term of the DGCH also, the committee pointed out that such a decision should have been taken in respect to all or a class of persons after examining the law. Further, the committee said that no provision of the “entire land of the estate vests in the Government” was found in “law, rules or instruction”. On the sale of property and issuing of licence by the TCP Department, the committee underlined that the notification of a Development Plan was applicable to consolidated and unconsolidated land equally and many other licences were granted in the estate. The committee stated that the observations of the that the DGCH were “erroneous” and “unsustainable in the eyes of law”
Sale Deed 1435 could be a cause of buyer's remorse for DLF. For, the cancelled mutation of the Shikohpur land virtually meant, by default, that Vadra could keep his cake and eat it too. While Vadra got his Rs 58 crore for the land deal of Shikohpur and the land mutation is still in his name, DLF is “empty-handed”, a cat on a hot tin roof in the face of ambiguity and uncertainty about the “deal's” fate. Even as Khemka went about “setting his house in order”- looking at under-valuated properties and cancelling the “fishy” Vadra-DLF deal -- he spared none to arrive at “the truth”. He grappled with the various Acts, narrowed down the “wrongs” and lobbed queries in all directions. A handful of these, he posed to the TCP Department, frowning upon the grant of licence to Vadra's Sky Light Hospitality while consolidation proceedings were on in Shikohpur. Khemka went a step further and questioned the decision of the Department to renew the licence in favour of Vadra's company when payment of 86.2 percent had already been received by Vadra from the buyer, DLF.
The 'truths'
The committee, according to the report, found another set of “truths”. It examined the interplay of the Development Plan under Section 5 of the Punjab Scheduled Roads and Controlled Areas Restriction of Unregulated Development Act, 1963 (referred to as the Controlled Areas Act, 1963) and the Consolidation Act, 1948. Under the Controlled Areas act, 1963, aimed at preventing haphazard growth, the committee emphasised that any area could be “picked up” for development by the Government. This Act, it held, is applicable to all lands at any stage of consolidation and mentioned that once the development plan is notified under Section 5 “no long-term agriculture development can be planned” while the Consolidation Act, 1948, aims at putting together fragmented land-holdings meant for agriculture. The committee points out that once a licence for development or change of land use is granted, such a piece of land cannot qualify as “land” under consolidation. The report, referring to a joint reading of the Acts, concludes that the TCP Department was “within its authority to grant the licence in question, renew it or to permit transfer of licence of land”. The report explains that the then DGHC “understood the law” to mean that if a substantial portion of the consideration of sale deed was paid, the property would pass on to the buyer irrespective of whether or not a sale deed is executed and registered. Explaining that the sale or purchase is complete only after registration of a sale deed, the report upholds the grant of permission to transfer the licence in favour of DLF on April 2012 and its renewal in favour of Skylight Hospitality prior to registration of the sale deed in September 201,2 as “legally correct” while the observations of the DGCH are “not in accordance with the provisions of law”.
Mutation muddle
The cancelled mutation cut the ground from under entrepreneur Robert Vadra's feet in October 2012. However, everything is not caught in a time warp. Neither this mutation, nor the cancellation. Since then, a lot of water has flown under the bridge. The committee, having delved into every aspect of the controversy, has “proved” its verdict: The deal is “clean”. A Groundhog Day, anyway, was nobody's expectation. When Khemka raised objections about an ACO not being authorised by any notification as Revenue Officer to sanction a mutation, the committee argued that he forgot that this was not a single mutation the ACO had sanctioned. It was one of the 2,530 mutations sanctioned for property in Shikohpur alone between 1990 and 2011 and one of the many sanctioned by ACOs in estates under consolidation the state over. Besides, the committee points out that 19 mutations including that of Vadra were sanctioned in September alone while 118 mutations were sanctioned between January and October, 2011, the report points out. Khemka was, technically speaking, right and the committee concedes the fact that no notification was issued to “authorise” the ACO to don the mantle of a Revenue Officer. However, this admission cannot be read in isolation. The committee dove-tails it with the fact that the ACOs were “playing” Revenue Officers in estates notified for consolidation before independence and even after Khemka took over as the DGCH. Also, the revenue record, handed over to the Consolidation patwari, remained in his possession since 1990 to 2012 barring the period between April 2008 and September 2011 when it was with the Revenue Department. Hence, it followed naturally that like the duty-bound patwari under the Punjab Land Revenue Act, 1887, his counterpart in the Consolidation Department would update it from time-to-time. The Consolidation patwari, working under the ACO, did in fact update the records since not doing so would have denied the public its rights to register its deals under the Punjab Land Revenue Act, 1887, the report emphasises.
'Undisputed'
The Shikohpur story was no different where a practice, “undisputed, unchallenged and universally accepted”, attained the force of law and for this reason alone, no need for a specific notification for conferring powers of Assistance Collectors on the ACOs was ever felt. This has been supported by quoting Supreme Court orders extensively which emphasise that upsetting a past practice is not appropriate. The committee concluded that the DGCH passed “hasty orders”. While ACOs functioning as Revenue Officers for sanctioning mutations found mention in guidelines contained in booklets of administration for consolidation, the committee also came across a notification conferring powers of Assistant Collector, second grade, upon consolidation tehsildars and naib tehsildars. The committee does not agree that the DGCH acted within his right to cancel the mutation. The report points out that the DGCH had “revisionary powers” of the state government under Section 42 of the Consolidation Act, 1948, on a consolidation scheme from “hearing” the parties to reversing or changing the orders. However, these could not extend to activities under the Punjab Land Revenue Act, 1987. “There is no question of jurisdiction resting in the DGCH for reviewing or revising” the sanctioned mutation, the report says. The committee also observed that since the then DGCH had been transferred out on October 11, 2012, he should not have passed such “an important quasi-judicial order” cancelling the mutation on October 15, 2012, and his doing so was without “jurisdiction, inappropriate” and not supported by any rules under any Act. The committee dismissed the allegations of “under-valuation” of property by Vadra or his companies, levelled by the IAC and the Haryana Leader of Opposition based on reports from the four Deputy Commissioners of Mewat, Palwal, Gurgaon and Fairdabad. Their report showed the valuation of property equivalent or higher than the prescribed Collector's rates, considered as the value of property for stamp duty. With the three-member high-power committee having said its piece, the chapter on the “wrongs” in DLF-Vadra deal is nearly closed. The book, however, is still open. Read between the lines and the story seems far from over---issues hanging fire, loose ends dangling merrily, the concerns, still unresolved, and questions, unanswered.
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Rebel factor worries Congress in Karnataka Assembly elections
Bangalore, April 21 With imponderables galore, the Congress having its own poll calculations can ill afford even a slight erosion of vote share that the discontent within the party may cause. The rebel factor puts the party in an unenviable position as it sees itself as being too close to power after cooling its heels in the opposition for about eight long years. As the last date for bowing out contest for the May 5 Assembly polls ended on Saturday, the Congress' damage control efforts, however, had yielded results with 23 rebels in 19 assembly segments withdrawing their nominations. But the discomfort lingers as rebels are remaining in the fray in more than a dozen other constituencies that has made the Congress leaders redouble their efforts to coax them to "retire" in favour of official nominees. The Congress rebels are remaining in Bhadravathi, Belgaum Rural, Khanapur, Tarikere, Karwar-Ankola, Kunigal, Srirangapatna, Hanur, Mayakonda, Kampli, Beelagi and Jamkhandi, besides several other constituencies. But in a relief to the party, former External Affairs Minister and Chief Minister S M Krishna has plunged into the campaign, ending speculation that he might keep himself away as he was miffed over the issue of ticket distribution. The central Congress leaders have reportedly been successful in persuading Krishna, who campaigned in some constituencies in the city today. The Congress is leaving nothing to chance in the backdrop of its hopes of bouncing back to power being rekindled in the recent elections to Urban Local Bodies in which it pushed the ruling BJP to the third spot. For the JDS, led by former Prime Minister H Deve Gowda, tremors of rebellion are felt in Mandya and Hassan districts, both Vokkaliga community belts and considered bastions of the party. The problem is however not much serious for the Gowda family controlled monolithic outfit. In several constituencies, the JDS has accommodated entrants from other parties, true to election time migration. JDS is angling for a crucial role in a possible post-election fluid scenario.
— PTI
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Defaulting flat aspirants lose battle in Supreme Court
New Delhi, April 21 A three-member Bench headed by Justice RM Lodha pointed out that the LoI in this case could not be treated as an agreement to sell the flats as it stated that “only upon payment of the entire purchase price” the developer and his clients would enter into an agreement with regard to the sale of the flats. “This fact clearly denotes that no agreement to sell had been entered into between the plaintiffs (petitioners) and the developer and in the absence of such agreements, in our opinion, there cannot be any right in favour of the plaintiffs with regard to specific performance of any contract,” the Bench ruled. Justices Anil R Dave and Ranjan Gogoi were the other members of the Bench. The apex court also agreed with the contention of the new set of buyers that since the LoI was not registered they were not aware of the existence of the LoI between the developer and the initial set of people who had made the down payment of Rs 88,000 in 1992 and were paying the remaining cost of Rs 3.5 lakh in equal instalments of Rs 22,000. Some of those, who had booked flats, refused to pay the higher instalments of Rs 38,500 after the developer hiked the flat cost from Rs 4.4 lakh to Rs 6.37 lakh in 1996. The developer had contended that the delay was due to litigation between some members with their housing society which had given its land to the developer for the construction of the flats. The developer then sold the flats that had been booked by the defaulters to those who paid the revised cost, forcing the affected parties to approach the judiciary. The apex court also noted that the defaulters not only refused to pay the higher cost, they also stopped paying the original instalment of Rs 22,000.
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Jawan killed, 17 injured in Manipur explosions
Imphal, April 21 They said suspected insurgents ambushed an official team, including the superintending engineer and Manipur Rifles personnel of 8th Battalion escorting them by exploding two bombs and opening fire at a place between Khudengtabi and Kwatha Lamkhai, about 110 km south-east of here, at 7.45 am. A jawan, identified as Sushil Singh, was killed on the spot and 10 persons - six Manipur Rifles personnel and four civilians including the engineer - were injured by bomb splinters, sources said, adding the team was returning to Imphal from the border town of Moreh after inspecting the condition of some roads in the area. Official reports from Chandel district said the injured civilians included an assistant engineer and two drivers. All the injured were taken to a hospital in Imphal, they said, adding the condition of some of them was stated to be serious. Four hours later, suspected insurgents also exploded a powerful bomb attached to a vehicle at the roadside at Sekmai area in Imphal West district injuring three CRPF personnel and four civilians, sources said, adding that condition of the injured was not stated to be serious. No individual or group has claimed responsibility though the spots where the explosions took place were the operating zone of insurgents of different groups. Police said security and police forces rushed to both the spots after the explosions were reported and launched massive search operations by blocking all exit points. The insurgents, who reportedly exploded the bombs by using remote control device, escaped into the nearby thick jungles and hilly areas. Official sources said all security and police posts have been put on alert and instructed to check movement of insurgents under their jurisdiction. An official report from Sekmai police station in Imphal West district said the bomb attached to a vehicle at the roadside exploded when a CRPF party was passing through the area, about 20 km north of Imphal.
— PTI
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Maths wizard Shakuntala Devi dead
Bangalore, April 21 "She passed away at Bangalore Hospital," Shakuntala Devi Educational Foundation Public Trust Trustee D C Shivadev said. Doctors declared her dead at 8.15 am, he said. Devi was hospitalised a couple of weeks ago for critical respiratory problems, Shivadev said. "She developed heart and kidney problems later," he added. A household name in India, Devi cast a spell adding a 16-digit number with another one and multipliying the result with an equal array of numbers almost instantaneously, finding the cube root of the resultant and popping up with an answer in just about the time taken for a wink. Devi, who had no formal education and who simply picked up reading and writing, had the ingenous ability to tell the day of the week of any given date in the last century in a jiffy. "God's gift. A divine quality," is how Devi had once felt of her unique distinction that began showing visibility since the age of three. She has been quoted as saying that none in her family showed any signs of the same head for figures. "Not even remotely, although my dad was a stage magician." Rated as one in 58 million for her stupendous mathematical feats by one of the fastest super-computers ever invented — the Univac-1108 Devi believed in using grey cells to silicon chips. Born on November 4, 1939, Devi figured in the Guiness Book of World Record for her outstanding ability and wrote numerous books like 'Fun with Numbers', 'Astrology for You', 'Puzzles to Puzzle You', and 'Mathablit'. Hailing from a simple orthodox Kannada Brahmin family, Devi's father was a circus performer who did trapeze, tightrope and cannonball shows. He had rebelled against becoming a temple priest.
The human computer
Shakuntala Devi cast a spell adding a 16-digit number with another one and multipliying the result with an equal array of numbers almost instantaneously, finding the cube root of the resultant and popping up with an answer in just about the time taken for a wink In 1977, she extracted the 23rd root of a 201-digit number mentally. In the same year in Dallas, she competed with a computer to see who gives the cube root of 188138517 faster and she won
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Security for road building projects in
Naxal-hit areas
Mumbai, April 21 Earlier this year, the Centre had earmarked around Rs 200 crore for the construction of roads and bridges in these two districts. Gadchiroli and Gondia are considered one of the most sensitive areas as road contractors and labour desist from working on projects here due to the Naxal menace. “Apart from roads, a number of bridges and culverts are to be constructed in these two districts,” the official said. The project is funded by the Surface Transport and Highways ministries at the Centre. Sources say three rivers — Godavari, Pranita and Indravati — will be bridged to improve connectivity between Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. Gadchiroli and Gondia districts are thickly forested and tribesmen living in the area depend on selling minor forest produce. Improved road connectivity will help the local people reach markets more easily, say officials. As part of the major road building drive in these areas, the state’s Chief Secretary will monitor provision of security cover for contractors and labour entrusted with road construction. The state government will also coordinate the movement of both state and central security forces under the new plan, say sources. The government is also expected to provide insurance cover for workers and equipment and eligibility norms of contractors are being relaxed to attract more bidders for such projects.
Fraught with danger
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Govt seeks House consensus on Bangladesh land pact
New Delhi, April 21 The Union Cabinet had in February cleared the Bill to amend the India-Bangladesh Land Boundary Agreement, 1974, and the protocol of 2011. An additional protocol for the 1974 Land Boundary Agreement, inked during Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s visit to Dhaka in September 2011, requires a Constitutional amendment for ratification as it involves the exchange of land in 111 Indian enclaves in Bangladesh and 51 Bangladeshi enclaves on the Indian soil. Indian enclaves in Bangladesh are spread over 17,149 acres, while Bangladeshi enclaves in India are located on 7,110 acres. Bangladesh has already ratified the pact. It is still not clear whether the BJP would support the legislation on the floor of the House since the main Opposition party has so far given mixed signals on it. The government needs the BJP’s backing for the Bill to secure its passage in Parliament. The ratification of the agreement has remained one of the major unresolved issues between India and Bangladesh despite an overall improvement in relations between the two neighbours in the recent years. The Sheikh Hasina government in Bangladesh has been nudging New Delhi to pass the Bill as quickly as possible since an aggressive Opposition, led by Khaleda
Zia, could make it a major issue against the ruling dispensation in the elections towards the end of the year. External Affairs Minister Salman
Khurshid, who had visited Dhaka in February, had reassured the Bangladesh leadership that India was committed to the land boundary agreement and that the government would ensure its passage in Parliament without any hiccup.
The landmark accord
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When Manmohan avoided media’s volley of questions
Anita Katyal
Maiden press briefing goes sour After Congress spokesperson Rashid Alvi, it was the turn of newly-appointed BJP spokesperson Meenakshi Lekhi to be pulled up by her party bosses last week for crossing the line at her maiden press briefing. Lekhi had hit out at Janata Dal (U) leader and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar for questioning his Gujarat counterpart Narendra Modi's secular credentials while reminding Kumar that he was the Railway Minister in the Atal Behari Vajpayee government when the Godhra incident took place. Unhappy with Lekhi's reference to the Godhra incident, the BJP leadership apparently ticked off Lekhi for going too far in her attack against an NDA ally. Having been inducted as a party spokesperson recently, Lekhi was keen to make a favourable impression at her first media briefing, especially since she faces tough competition from her colleagues like Nirmala Sitharaman and Shahnawaz Hussain. In fact, Lekhi was publicly pulled up by Hussain when she tried to upstage him on the day he was briefing the media. Tough duel awaits Nagpur
Jaiswal at his polite best
Coal Minister Sriprakash Jaiswal demonstrated his popularity in his Lok Sabha constituency Kanpur when over 30,000 guests attended his grand-daughter's engagement ceremony last week. As always, Jaiswal was at his polite and amiable best as he made it a point to greet all the guests personally at the entrance, also remembering to address each one by name. In fact, the minister was so organised that he had even positioned his staff members behind him whose only job was to prompt him with the name of an approaching guest. Needless to say, the invitees went back impressed that Jaiswal knew each of them by name. Faced with a tough contest in Kanpur in next year's General Election, the engagement ceremony doubled up as a PR exercise for the beleaguered Coal Minister.
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Over 600 set for yatra to Nepal’s Muktinath temple
Kathmandu, April 21 A group consisting of 500 Indians and 150 Nepalese will set off from Hariharnath Temple of Sonepur in Bihar tomorrow for the Muktinath Temple located at an altitude of 3,710 metres in Mustang district of Nepal. Addressing a press conference here today, the convener of the organising committee Khemnath Acharya said that this pilgrimage has being organised to promote Muktinath temple, which is considered sacred both by Hindus as well as Buddhists. Nepalese government is hosting the 'Yatra' to promote Nepal as a centre for religious and cultural tourism, said Sudhan Subedi, an official at Nepal Tourism Board. Three 'Shankaracharyas' will flag off the pilgrims at Hariharnath Temple tomorrow.
— PTI
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Wardboy rapes woman, doctors try to bribe kin
Pune, April 21 The incident occurred at Walhekarwadi in Chinchwad town near hear on April 16 in the nursing home run by Dr Vishal Sonawane (34) and his wife Dr Varsha (31) where the victim was undergoing treatment, the police said today. The police arrested the accused, identified as Subhash Modad (22), on the charge of rape and the doctor couple for trying to hush up the matter and bribe the victim's kin to not report the incident to police as it would bring bad name to their hospital. "The incident came to light after four days as the doctor couple detained the suspect and offered bribe to the victim's father for not reporting the incident to police," said Deputy Commissioner of Police Shahaji
Umap. The arrests were made on the complaint of the victim's father, he said. The police said the medical examination of the woman, conducted by a government hospital, has confirmed rape. While Modad was booked under section 376 (d) (intercourse by any member of the management or staff of a hospital with any woman in that hospital), the Sonawane couple under sections 213 (taking gift, etc, to screen an offender from punishment) and 214 (offering gift or restoration of property in consideration of screening offender, of the
IPC. A local court yesterday remanded Modad in police custody till April 26 and the doctor couple till April 21.
— PTI
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CPM looking to stitch a national alternative
New Delhi, April 21 Narendra Modi or not as BJP's prime ministerial candidate, the major Left party has made it clear that it cannot support a secular Congress-led government which follows "neo-liberal policies". "The prospects are bright for a non-Congress secular government and we will play our role to bring about such a government, if such a situation arises," CPM general secretary Prakash Karat said. Karat (65), who steered the Left campaign against UPA-I's nuclear deal with the US and withdrawal of support on the issue, claimed chances are "bleak" of UPA coming back to office for a third term. "Both the Congress and the BJP may not be in a position to form the government," he said. Karat was not impressed by Congress leader A K Antony's recent comments that the Left was "not untouchable", indicating it could do business with the CPM and other Left parties. "As far as we are concerned, the policies being pursued by the UPA government are unacceptable. That is why we have called for the defeat of the Congress," Karat said. Asked about BJD chief Naveen Patnaik's comment that a Third Front was a "very healthy option", he said Patnaik has "expressed the need for an alternative which is necessary." "As far as the CPM and the Left are concerned, we are looking for an alternative based on alternative policies. Without an alternative policy platform, a Third Front is not feasible," Karat said.
— PTI
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7-yr-old raped, murdered in MP; uncle prime suspect
Khargone/Barwah, April 21 According to the police, the accused allegedly lured the minor to the river under some pretext and raped her before drowning her in the river. The victim's father alleged in his complaint that his cousin Ramesh was seen with his daughter last night and is missing since then. The police said the post-mortem report of the girl has confirmed rape and death due to drowning. A hunt has been launched to trace Ramesh who is absconding, they said.
— PTI
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No consensus on smooth Rajya Sabha functioning
Vibha Sharma/TNS
The brutal rape of a five-year-old child will add to the combined Opposition fury against the government along with long-standing issues like price rise and corruption, making it even harder for government managers to conduct any fruitful business in days to come. Addressing a rally, Rajnath Singh alleged the Congress-led UPA was levelling allegations against Vajpayee "to save its own face and fool the people". "I want to tell my friends in the Congress that we can tolerate anything but any attempt to malign his name (Vajpayee) will not be acceptable and the BJP will give a befitting reply," he said. He also wondered why former Telecom Minister A Raja (main accused in the case) had not been called for deposition before the JPC probing the 2G scam. He accused JPC chairman PC Chaco of being "partial". Meanwhile, the PM and other senior members of the Rajya Sabha participated in a meeting called by Ansari to work out ways to check unruly scenes in the House. Ansari said unruly scenes enacted in Parliament portrayed bad image of parliamentarians outside and suggested deferred telecast of House proceedings. He also mooted automatic suspension of disorderly members and naming them in a House bulletin, but there was no political consensus on the issue. Opposition members struck down the suggestions saying the public had the right to know what was happening in the House. Leader of the Opposition Arun Jaitley said the provision of automatic suspension could be used by the government to get contentious Bills passed while CPM leader Sitaram Yechury said House could only run with combined efforts and not harsh rules. Criticising the suggestions, Sanjay Raut of the Shiv Sena said the government could not "suppress voice of the Opposition and the media by stopping direct telecast".
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Quake hits Assam 3rd time in a week
Guwahati, April 21 On April 16, the North East region was hit by two earthquakes with a child killed in a mudslide during a mild earthquake in Assam. The first mild jolt measuring 4.6 on the Richter scale was felt at 6:53 am in Assam and its neighbouring states of
Meghalaya, Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh and Manipur. The tremor was located at latitude 26.3 degree North and longitude 92.0 degree East with its epicentre at a depth of 16 km in Darrang district of Assam, which along with the other NE states is categorised under Zone V of the country's seismological map and considered to be highly active. The second quake of moderate intensity measuring 5.0 on the Richter scale struck at 2.04 pm at a depth of 10 km with its epicentre at latitude 29.0 degree North and longitude 95.0 degree East in the India-China border region.
— PTI
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Infant sold for Rs 1.5 lakh in AP; rescued
Hyderabad, April 21 Following the complaint, an investigation was launched and the infant was rescued from the Dubba area of the district yesterday and taken to
'Shishugruha' (child home) in Nizamabad town, a senior police officer
said. Gangadhar, who allegedly had developed intimacy with the baby's mother, initially tried to get the woman to abort the baby, but dropped the idea after Linganna persuaded him that the new born could be sold for money, the police said, quoting the complaint. "The woman, who allegedly had affair with Gangadhar delivered the boy in Nizamabad government hospital a month ago. However, anganwadi workers, who fed the baby found it missing about tend days ago and the mother also did not give a proper reply about the matter," an ICDS official said.
— PTI
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Sanjay Dutt files review petition
Mumbai, April 21 The review petition against the apex court’s March 21 judgment was filed by 53-year-old Dutt on Friday and is likely to come up for hearing next week, sources said. Dutt was held guilty by the TADA court in 2007 under the Arms Act for possession of an automatic rifle, but he was acquitted under the stringent TADA (Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act), with the trial judge observing that he was not a "terrorist". The court accepted his confessional statement that he had procured the weapon for self-defence during the riots. The SC, on March 21, this year, had dismissed Dutt's appeal, but reduced the prison term to five years from six years.
— PTI
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Mutation number 4513 made UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi's entrepreneur son-in-law Robert Vadra "famous" again last year, the first time was when he married Priyanka Gandhi. This time around, it must have made him superstitious too, since the mutation number adds up to "unlucky" 13, as does his sale deed, 1435. It has now earned him a pyrrhic victory in Haryana.
A Manipur Rifles jawan was killed and 17 others, including a superintending engineer and nine security personnel, were injured in separate explosions in Chandel and Imphal West districts of Manipur today, officials said.
They said suspected insurgents ambushed an official team, including the superintending engineer and Manipur Rifles personnel of 8th Battalion escorting them by exploding two bombs and opening fire at a place between Khudengtabi and Kwatha
Lamkhai, about 110 km south-east of here, at 7.45 am.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has become a trifle media shy in the recent past. First, he did not address his mandatory on board press conference on his return from Germany recently. The same story was repeated last Saturday at the Padma awards function at the Rashtrapati Bhawan. The PM usually takes a few questions from press persons after the programme. In fact, Rashtrapati Bhawan officials did indicate before the programme that the PM would stop for an informal chat later. But much to the disappointment of mediapersons, who had drawn up a long list of questions, the PM opted out of the question-answer session. It is possible that the PM decided to play it safe since the budget session of Parliament is to restart on
Monday.
The next Lok Sabha election from Nagpur promises to be an interesting and entertaining one. Seven-term Congress MP Vilas Muttemwar faces an uphill task as former BJP President Nitin Gadkari has announced that he will be contesting this seat in the 2014 General Election. Muttemwar is already feeling the heat as he cannot match Gadkari as far as money power is concerned. An established entrepreneur, Gadkari is not shying away from using his unlimited resources in wooing the electorate. But Muttemwar believes he can pose a tough challenge to Gadkari on another front. Family members of the Congress MP and Gadkari are good singers and are known to give stage performances. Nobody can forget how Gadkari belted out a popular Hindi song at the BJP's national executive meeting in Indore soon after he took over as party chief. Muttemwar is confident that he can beat Gadkari hollow in a singing competition. It will be interesting to see if the fortunes of the two contestants will be decided on the basis of their singing talent.
New Delhi, April 21
Opposition BJP again made it clear that it would not let go of a single opportunity to nail the Congress-led UPA in Parliament. Party president Rajnath Singh said the party would lodge a "strong protest" in both Houses against the JPC's attempt to "malign" former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee in the 2G scam.