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Split leadership biggest failure of UPA, says BJP
Renuka Choudhary, Cong spokesperson |
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jessica case
Lokayukta indicts Sheila for ‘misuse’ of public money
IPL mess: Bangladeshi player’s name crops up
India inching towards water scarcity: Minister
property row
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Split leadership biggest failure of UPA, says BJP
New Delhi, May 22 The party also targeted Prime Minister Manmohan Singh saying the presence of two power centres and his “indecision, inability and silence” had led to an environment of “gloom and pessimism” in the country. “Manmohan Singh is the Prime Minister but he is neither a leader of the country nor a leader of his own party. Singh’s colleagues sit with him in the Cabinet and look toward the UPA chairperson (Sonia Gandhi) for directions. Such split leadership is the biggest failure of UPA,” Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj said, terming the UPA model “structurally defective”. Her colleague in the Rajya Sabha, Arun Jaitley, wondered what the “celebrations” were all about. “What are they celebrating... never has the country seen such environment of gloom, cynicism and negativism,” he said, also criticising the media blitzkrieg launched by the Information and Broadcasting Ministry. “The danger of excessive propaganda is that you buy your own propaganda,” he said. However, the two senior leaders remained as elusive as ever on questions regarding the projection of Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi as NDA’s Prime Ministerial candidate by a section of the party. The party dismissed the idea of a Third Front as a “failed idea” and said it does not exist but was evasive on questions about the tussle among leaders for becoming the Prime Ministerial candidate. “Whether we will have a (Prime Ministerial) face or not and if we decide to have a face, who it will be, these issues will be decided by the BJP parliamentary board,” Swaraj said, sending a clear message that the field was open for all aspirants. Swaraj, who is also seen as one of the contenders, maintained that the decision would be taken in two phases. After the Parliamentary Board decides, the matter would be discussed with NDA partners. She also said Advani could not be ruled out as a possible PM candidate. “We have not ruled him out. Nobody has said his name will not be discussed,” she asserted. The leadership is drawing comfort from results of some recent opinion polls, which have indicated glad tidings for the party. However, the battle lines are still drawn on who their next PM candidate would be. While one group is rooting for Modi, his detractors are sceptic citing his “limited hardliner appeal”. The BJP charged the government with showing a “callous disregard” for democratic and constitutional institutions like the CBI, CAG, CVC, NHRC and the Election Commission. The party also expressed reservations over the appointment of Shashi Kant Sharma as the Comptroller and Auditor General of India, saying that there could be a “conflict of interest” as he would be auditing defence deals in which he had a role as the Defence Secretary.
NDA’s counter-report card
Prime Minister: Legitimacy of the Prime Minister’s Office has been denuded. Singh is synonymous with indecision, inability and silence. Economy: The UPA inherited a growing and booming economy in 2004 and the “dream team” for economic policy turned a “helpless spectator” resulting in policy paralysis. National security: Periodic terrorist attacks remind that India is still high up on the terror radar. Corruption: It is the single most factor which destroyed the image of the UPA government with scams like Commonwealth Games, 2G spectrum, coal block allocation and the Railway cash-for-job. UPA attempted to subvert the JPC and PMO interfered in the CBI investigations.
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BJP has cataract: Cong
New Delhi, May 22 Slamming senior BJP leaders Sushma Swaraj and Arun Jaitley who held a press conference earlier today to question the credibility of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh as UPA’s leader, Congress spokesperson Renuka Choudhary said the PM was firmly in the saddle and was the unquestioned leader of the ruling coalition. “There is no dichotomy in thought and action so far as the PM and the Congress goes. The PM is our leader. BJP’s illusionary attempts to show something that doesn’t exist won’t work,” Choudhary said at a briefing held to counter BJP’s charges against the government and the PM. The briefing wasn’t planned earlier. The Congress also threw its weight behind Manmohan Singh clarifying he was in command. But dissenting signals surfaced from another quarter in the party when Minister of Parliamentary Affairs Kamal Nath said the PM had had a long tenure in the hot seat and Rahul Gandhi, Congress Vice President, should be projected as the future PM. Nath’s statement complicated the issue of UPA leadership as it came on a day when the Congress was seen trying hard to explain that the PM was everyone’s preferred leader. Asked what the party would do to address the perceived crisis of leadership in UPA, Choudhary said, “There is no crisis.” That apart, the Congress described the BJP today as a party of people “lusting for power”. “We are bemused at the lack of responsibility of the Opposition. History will judge the BJP for the negative role is has played persistently, insistently and consistently. They have created an atmosphere of irresponsibility with their obstructive vision. Their thirst for power is more than their will to serve the people,” Choudhary said, taking a dig at the BJP leaders by saying that they should keep appearing on TVs rather than speaking in Parliament. “The BJP should keep writing TV serials. That’s a good occupation for them. We can understand their insecurity over the prospect of having to sit in the Opposition for the third time when UPA-III returns to power next year,” Choudhary said. She then took a good 10 minutes to list UPA’s achievements on the front of development, including hike in MNREGA wages; 335% raise in health budget allocation; RTE and polio eradication.
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Actor Shyan Munshi to be tried for perjury
New Delhi, May 22 The High Court absolved 17 other witnesses from the charge of giving false evidence during their deposition in the trial while directing its Registrar General to file a complaint against Munshi and ballistic expert PS Manocha before trial court. "The Registrar General of this court to file a complaint before the competent court having jurisdiction to consider and take action under section 340 of CrPC against the respondents (Munshi and Manocha)," a bench of justices S Ravindra Bhat and GP Mittal said. The HC, while delivering its verdict in Jessica Lall murder case in December 2006, had taken suo motu cognisance of witnesses turning hostile in the case and questioned the prosecution as to how they took somersault during the trial. The Bench also referred the issue of witness protection to the Chief Justice which is to be treated as a PIL. "The registry is directed to list the matter on July 8 before appropriate Bench after obtaining orders of Chief Justice of the Delhi High Court," the Bench said. Lall was shot dead in April 1999 by Manu Sharma, son of Haryana Congress leader Venod Sharma after she refused to serve a drink to him at a late night party at socialite Bina Ramani's restaurant Tamarind Court here in South Delhi. The High Court, which reversed trial court's verdict acquitting the accused on December 18, 2006, awarded life imprisonment to Manu Sharma. Munshi, who had lodged the FIR in the case, had pleaded to the court not to prosecute him saying, "He cannot be termed hostile as even the apex court had used part of his deposition in convicting the accused." — PTI
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Lokayukta indicts Sheila for ‘misuse’ of public money
New Delhi, May 22 Lokayukta Justice Manmohan Sarin recommended to President Pranab Mukherjee to caution Dikshit for the alleged misuse of public funds. The Lokayukta had initiated an inquiry into the matter following a complaint filed by Vijender Gupta, former Delhi BJP president. — PTI
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IPL mess: Bangladeshi player’s name crops up
New Delhi, May 22 The police did not reveal the names of the foreign players, due to the lack of evidence against them. The Delhi Police has arrested a total of 18 persons, including three players — Sreesanth, Ankit Chavan and Ajit Chandila. One set of bookies, comprising Sunil Bhatia who has been arrested, had contacted Babu Rao Yadav, to get in touch with Chandila. Yadav was arrested on Tuesday. Bhatia and Yadav had met in 2007. Yadav was then playing for the Indian Cricket League and was also allegedly involved in spot-fixing of ICL matches. “In 2009, Bhatia told Yadav that he knew a Bangladeshi cricketer who could get him into the Bangladesh Cricket League,” said sources in the Delhi Police’s Special Cell. Bhatia and Yadav went to Bangladesh for the purpose of meeting the cricketer. The Delhi Police has said it cannot go to Bangladesh to follow the new lead as it doesn’t have jurisdiction there.
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Kabul seeks military equipment from India
New Delhi, May 22 Sources said Afghanistan's wish-list and arguments for seeking the same run into some 15-16 pages which are being studied at various wings of the Ministry of Defence before a final call is made. The US has already welcomed Afghanistan's move to seek military-aid from India which has, since the fall of the Taliban in 2001, been building roads and hospitals. Kabul's request is to seek an increase in the number of vacancies for its officers to get trained at various institutes, especially those who get trained in counter-insurgency and counter-terrorism. With the US-led forces exiting Afghanistan in 2014, the strife-torn country is looking to establish a stable government that can manage on its own. At present some 800 Afghanistan Army personnel get trained each year in India under various courses. This includes the training in counter-terrorism and counter insurgency at the specialised counter insurgency and jungle warfare military school at Vairangte, Mizoram. A training course is also run at the Signals, military nomenclature for those who handle communications between bases, unit at Jabalpur. Another course is in training officers in handling improvised explosive devices besides training in engineering activities like laying iron bridges across mountainous streams and building roads. The fresh demand includes courses in English, information technology, military policing, managing of stores and logistics. The Indian Army runs one of the difficult supply chains in the world for its troops stationed in one of the most inaccessible terrains in the world at Siachen, remote parts of Ladakh and Arunachal Pradesh. Besides this, India provides pre-commissioning training to Afghan Army cadets in India. The National Defence Academy in Pune, the Indian Military Academy in Dehradun and the Officers Training Academy in Chennai collectively train some 100 officers from Afghanistan each. Sources said increasing the vacancies for Afghan forces would be an easy issue to tackle, the tricky part is the supply of weaponry. New Delhi will also have to keep in mind that China could step in the vacuum.
The wish-list
It includes armoured vehicles, utility helicopters, heavy weaponry, sophisticated communication equipment and maintenance of its small fleet of helicopters Afghanistan also seeks an increase in the number of vacancies for its officers to get trained at various institutes, especially those which train
in counter-insurgency and counter-terrorism At present, some 800 Afghanistan Army personnel get trained each year in India under various courses. The fresh demand includes courses in English, information technology, military policing, managing of stores & logistics
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India inching towards water scarcity: Minister
Bangkok, May 22 Speaking on the sidelines of the Second Asia Pacific Water Summit, Harish Rawat called for treating water as a "community resource." "We are a water stressed nation inching towards water scarcity," Rawat said. He added that the situation in parts of Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and northwest India was critical as groundwater was dipping at an alarming rate. "Groundwater fulfils 80 per cent of our water needs but its use is being over exploited in many areas," he said while suggesting "an increase in storage capacities" as a means to deal with the depleting water levels. Also, Rawat talked about "inter basin transfer from surplus flood water areas to water scarce drought areas" as a possible measure to address the problem. —PTI
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Ex-judge, son told to list mediators
Saurabh Malik/TNS
Chandigarh, May 22 Issuing notice of motion to their son Suvir Dewan, the Chandigarh Administration, the Home Secretary and other respondents for May 28, the Bench of Justice Surya Kant and Justice RP Nagrath also made a clear-cut departure from the standard practice of adjudicating controversies on the judicial forum. Taking up “traumatised” Chief Justice Dewan’s appeal, the Bench asked both father and son to supply a list of respectable and others, who could bring about a family settlement. Dictating the order in the open court this morning, the Bench asserted at this stage, instead of conventional judicial forum, the unfortunate controversy deserved to be resolved amicably and peacefully through the good offices of family friends, counsellors and mediators. The directions came after the 85-year-old former Chief Justice and his wife contended in their appeal that “they deserve to live a life of dignity and honour and not mere animal existence”; and alleged “their son has been ill-treating them in their own house”. Chief Justice Dewan and Romilla had initially moved the high court seeking protection and directions to the respondents to ensure the shifting out of Suvir from their Sector 11 house to his own residence in Panchkula. Directions had also been sought for the creation of special cells for the aged and the infirm left to fend for themselves in the twilight of their life by their progeny. On May 17, a Single Judge declined the prayers for shifting Suvir out of the Sector 11 house and for setting up the special cell; and directed the Chandigarh Police to intervene within 24 hours. The Single Judge also gave UT Senior Superintendent of Police the liberty to initiate steps for ensuring “the protection of the life and liberty of the petitioners” after taking stock of the situation.
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four-years of “misrule”, the BJP today painted a dismal picture of the prevailing situation in the country, holding the Congress-led dispensation responsible for everything wrong in the country — economic gloom, corruption and atrocities against women —and undermining the high office of the Prime Minister.
