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Inquiry against VK Singh political vendetta: BJP
Sonia launches food scheme in Mizoram
Austerity cut not to hit defence budget
SP, BJP members come to blows in UP Assembly
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PM to meet Obama on Sept 27, address UNGA
India non-committal on PMs’ meeting in NY
Pranab on communal riots: No lessons learnt from mistakes
BJP: Gehlot should quit over rape charge against minister
Cabinet gives nod to MCI ordinance
Cong: Muzaffarnagar riots akin to Gujarat’s
Modi wave engineered, not natural: Nitish
Asaram’s 2 aides surrender
UPA mulls making Hyderabad UT on lines of Chandigarh
Modi rose to top the hard way: Brother
BJP will contest all Lok Sabha seats in Jharkhand: Munda
CISF bans construction of religious structures on its campus
No legal basis to compensate arrested innocents, says HC
Special pay for outstanding sportspersons doubled
JPC meeting to adopt 2G scam report postponed
Another Karnataka MLA held
SC notice to Navy on woman’s plea for CBI probe
Pak judicial panel on 26/11 to examine witnesses on Sept 24
No move to dilute liability clause for N-suppliers: NSA
CBI closes assets case against Mulayam CBI registers two inquiries on missing coal files Ramdev detained for six hours at Heathrow
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Inquiry against VK Singh political vendetta: BJP
New Delhi, September 20 The party is treading cautiously considering Gen VK Singh’s past “divisive” record and the embarrassment it can cause to he party if even 1 per cent of what is being alleged proves true. Sources say the BJP top leadership is wary that standing by Singh may prove contrary to the BJP’s stand-toughness on matters related to the country’s internal and external security. “Though the claim that Singh’s special unit tried to topple the J&K Government may be far fetched, his team eavesdropping on top government functionaries is a serious security-related matter,” they say. Officially, the party defended Singh and condemned the Congress-led UPA for engineering the inquiry against the former Army Chief, calling it a political vendetta. Questioning the timing of the probe, party spokesperson Nirmala Sithraman cautioned the government on the demoralising effect of such actions on the armed forces. “The board of officers’ inquiry report was submitted in March. If allegations are serious enough, nothing stopped the government from taking action,” she said. To a query whether Singh is joining the BJP, she said: “Is he? I don’t know.” She also called the presence of ex-Army Chief at the Rewari rally as apolitical. “It was a rally for ex-servicemen,” she stressed. However, a section in the BJP believes that Singh should be left to his own devices as far as his political ambitions are concerned. While a person holding the rank of Army Chief cannot take up any private job, there is no such embargo if he wants to contest elections. But the problem with VK Singh is his limited appeal. He has a sway among Rajputs in the North, largely in Rajasthan and adjoining areas. The fact that he tried to block Gen Bikram Singh’s promotion may be held against him by Hindu and Sikh Jats in Haryana and Punjab. Moreover, during his tenure as the Army Chief, he posted officers from his Rajput regiment to practically every crucial appointment, including key formations controlling military installations around the Capital. This is believed to have caused a lot of heartburn among officers from other communities. Sources say the BJP top leadership is wary that allegations of “mandalisation” of forces against Singh may end up driving other communities away.
Differences remain
* There seems to be a difference of opinion in the party over whether the former Army Chief is a fit candidate to attract Army men *
The party is treading cautiously as it knows if even 1% of what is being alleged against him proves true, it can bring embarrassment to it
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Sonia launches food scheme in Mizoram
Launching the scheme at the rally, Sonia said the scheme would give succour to crores of poor people in the country by making essential food available at extremely low prices. She said the scheme would go a long way in giving respite from hunger and malnourishment to a large population Though the scheme was formally launched today, the cash-strapped Mizoram government might take some time to facilitate actual implementation of it. Mizoram government is looking forward for the outcome of the crucial meeting convened by the Union Food Minister K V Thomas in Delhi on October 4 to resolve certain issues before going full-fledged implementation of the food security scheme. However, Mizoram CM Lal Thanhawla had earlier said the state government would make an all out efforts to implement the Food Security Scheme despite the state facing myriad problems that including financial ones. The UPA chairperson visited the tiny N-E state amid tight security arrangement in and around Aizawl city. Parking of vehicles in any part of the city was prohibited during her visit while police and security personnel were conducting intensive round-the-clock patrolling. She also laid the foundation of Sainik School to be constructed at Chhingchhip village in Serchhip district and inaugurated the fourth phase of the New Land Use Policy (NLUP), the flagship programme of the ruling Congress in the state today.
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Austerity cut not to hit defence budget
New Delhi, September 20 Orders issued by Union Finance Secretary Raminder Singh Gujral exempt expenses on “defence capital” from this cut. “Defence capital” is the budget used for payment of all new equipment, be it guns, planes, warships etc. A sum of Rs 86,740 crore has been earmarked as “defence capital” for the ongoing fiscal. The total defence budget stands at Rs 2,03,672 crore. Last fiscal, a similar cut was imposed on government expenses across the board. In December 2012, Finance Minister P Chidambaram cut down the Defence Ministry budget by Rs 14,903 crore out of which Rs 10,000 crore were pruned from the “defence capital” head, raising questions on the pace of modernistaion of armed forces. The government had then cut overall budget by around Rs 1 lakh crore and the share of cut of MoD worked out to be Rs 14,903 crore. India is the biggest arms importer of the world. The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), in its report Trends in International Arms Transfers-2012 released on March 18 this year, said: “India accounted for 12 per cent of all global arms transfers between 2008-2012. China stood second, accounting for 6 per cent of all global arms sales.” While imposing a cut, the Finance Ministry had banned government departments from holding meetings in five-star hotels besides barring officials from executive class air travel. The austerity measures announced by the Finance Ministry are aimed at cutting non-plan expenditure by 10 per cent of all government departments.
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SP, BJP members come to blows in UP Assembly
Lucknow, September 20 Heated arguments between the members of the ruling Samajwadi Party and the BJP turned into an ugly scuffle in the well of the House as a bemused leader of the House Akhilesh Yadav looked on for a few minutes before he was led out by the security. The incident happened when the Speaker had adjourned the House after BJP members entered the well protesting against the reported remarks by senior minister Ambika Chaudhury against BJP MLA Upendra Tewari. A few BJP MLAs already in the well were seen moving towards the CM just as some members of the SP young brigade encircled Akhilesh. Within a fraction of a second, a scuffle ensued between the BJP and SP MLAs both pushing each other with the marshals rushing in to disengage them. In the melee, a woman marshal was pushed falling on the ground with a thud. Trouble started soon after the Question Hour when BJP MLA from Thana Bhavan in Shamli, Suresh Rana, sought permission to present his clarification on the floor of the House. Rana is among the four BJP MLAs whose name figures in the Muzaffarnagar riot FIRs. He is also one of the 16 persons against whom the Muzaffarnagar court has issued arrest warrants for giving provocative speech leading to the riots. Rana claimed to have learnt about the FIR against him through media reports. He offered to face any punishment if he was found guilty and wanted the Speaker to get the alleged provocative CD examined. When he started speaking about the riots, the Speaker asked him to stick to his own clarification. Rana being restrained by the Speaker angered the BJP MLAs who entered the well shouting alleging discrimination and shouting anti-Mohd Azam Khan slogans who they said was allowed to speak for an hour. The Speaker allowed Rana a few more minutes in which he was extolling how he and fellow BJP MLA from Kairana Hukum Singh were actually responsible for restoring peace after the mahapanchayat. When Chadhury urged Rana to confine his speech to his clarification, BJP MLA Tiwari joined Rana in attacking the ruling party. Chadhury asked Tiwari to take his seat adding that he was familiar with his high handedness. Incidentally Tiwari had defeated Chadhury from Phephna assembly constituency in Ballia last year. After Chadhury’s remarks, the BJP MLAs led by BJP state president Laxmikant Bajpai walked into the well demanding an apology forcing the Speaker to adjourn the house. After the adjournment, some BJP members turned towards Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav possibly to reiterate their point. But they were pushed back by the SP MLAs ensuing the scuffle. However, in damage-control mode, apologies were expressed by all after the House reassembled. In the name of maintaining the high esteem and honour of the House, senior most MLA Pramod Tewari, BJP leader Hukum Singh and Leader of the Opposition BSP’s Swami Prasad Maurya asked Chaudhary to apologise which he willingly did.
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PM to meet Obama on Sept 27, address UNGA
New Delhi, September 20 Addressing a press conference here, Foreign Secretary Sujatha Singh said the PM will pay a five-day trip to the US from September 26 during which he will first go to Washington to meet Obama and then fly to New York to address the UN General Assembly on September 28. This would be the third summit-level meeting between the Indian PM and the American President, the previous two having taken place in 2009 (Washington) and 2010 (New Delhi). Obama will host a working lunch in honour of Manmohan Singh. The two leaders have frequently met on the margins of various global summits. This probably would be the last summit meeting between them. The issues likely to come up during talks between them include energy, security, trade and strategic consultations on various global issues of mutual concern. On the civil nuclear cooperation, the Foreign Secretary indicated that the public sector Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited
(NPCIL) could sign an agreement with American nuclear major Westinghouse during the course of the PM’s visit. “Discussions are going on between them...it is our hope the discussions will be successfully closed.” She made it clear that all contracts with foreign nuclear suppliers would have to be in line with India’s Civil Nuclear Liability Law and there was no question of violating or diluting the act. As a government
organisation, the NPCIL would also have to ensure that the contracts were not in violation of the Indian law. Any company, whether foreign or domestic, would have to follow procedures which were consistent with the India law. On the security front, she said India and the USA would explore ways to move beyond the buyer-seller relationship to joint partnership in design, development and production of defence material. In response to a question, Sujatha said the PM was also expected to take up with President Obama the proposed immigration reforms on Washington’s agenda. “We are going to flag our concern on how they will impact non-immigrant highly skilled Indian professionals.” The situation in Afghanistan in the backdrop of the planned drawdown by NATO troops in 2014 would also figure during the talks. India is going to reiterate that it favoured an Afghan-led and Afghan-supported peace process in the embattled nation.
On the agenda
* The issues to be discussed include energy, security, trade and strategic consultations on various global issues of mutual concern *
NPCIL could sign an agreement with American nuclear major Westinghouse during the course of the PM's visit *
Foreign Secy Sujatha Singh said all contracts with foreign nuclear suppliers will have to be in line with India's Civil Nuclear Liability Law *
There was no question of violating or diluting the act
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India non-committal on PMs’ meeting in NY
New Delhi, September 20 On Sharif’s comments in a recent interview that he favoured a sustained and comprehensive dialogue with India on all outstanding issues, Sujatha said there were certain harsh realities on the ground that New Delhi could not ignore. India continued to suffer from acts of terror by groups operating from Pakistan or territory under its control. Alluding to Lashkar-e-Toiba chief Hafiz Saeed, she said persons indulging in hostile propaganda against India were roaming about freely in the neighbouring country. In spite of repeated assurances by Islamabad that it would not allow its territory to be used for anti-India activities, the situation had remained unchanged on the ground. “We see very little progress in efforts to bring to justice the perpetrators of the 26/11 terror attack.” Sources, however, indicated that the Manmohan-Sharif meeting could take place on September 29 during which the Prime Minister is likely to flag India’s concern over terrorism emanating from the Pakistani soil. The Foreign Secretary confirmed that the Prime Minister’s meeting with Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in New York was among some of his engagements that had been
finalised.
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Pranab on communal riots: No lessons learnt from mistakes
New Delhi, September 20
“Why is it that we do not learn the lessons from our own history but keep repeating the same tragic mistakes?” he said after presenting the national communal harmony awards. Mukherjee said the Constitution lays down the fundamental duty of every citizen to promote harmony and spirit of common brotherhood among all the people transcending religious, linguistic and regional or sectional diversities. “However, despite this sacred mandate, despite the Directive Principles of State Policy and despite the safeguards that our laws provide, despite all the measures taken by our administrative machinery, why is it that communalism does not seem to go away from our society? The President said none of country’s institutions preaches hatred, no religion preaches discord and on the contrary, they prescribe that it is the moral duty of every individual and of society as a whole, to spread peace and amity. “What can we do to uphold and implement this? How can we be more vigilant against negative forces and successfully thwart their nefarious designs?” he asked. Mukherjee said the strength and resilience of Indian society lies in its plurality and diversity and this unique quality has not been imported from anywhere nor has it come into our society by accident-rather it has been consciously nurtured and nourished by the tolerance and wisdom of the Indian consciousness. The President said: “These principles are at the very foundation of our secular fabric. And, although maintenance of social peace and harmony is a function of government, this responsibility cannot be delinked from the duties of each and every individual citizen”. The President said dialogue never fails to create a confluence of the streams of diverse thought, opinion and aspirations and it coalesces and synthesises the currents of vibrant cultures, religions and civilisations. “It is, therefore, important to recognise and salute those among us who promote these methods and fight with courage against the forces of obscurantism, extremism and militarism,” he said. Mukherjee said eternal vigilance is a shield against those who harm the unity of the country, and the country must heed the words of Mahatma Gandhi who was pained by communal strife and observed “the lawlessness of communalism is a monster with many faces: it hurts all in the end, including those who are primarily responsible for it”. “These values must be inculcated from a very young age. Gandhiji firmly believed that the key to the solution of the communal tangle lies in everyone following the best in his own religion and entertaining equal regard for the other religions and their followers,” he said. — PTI
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BJP: Gehlot should quit over rape charge against minister
Jaipur, September 20 "The state's image is being tarnished and adversely affected by such rape cases in which government's ministers and other elected representatives are blamed openly," she said. The 53-year-old Minister of State for Dairy and Khadi, booked for allegedly raping a 35-year-old woman at his residence here, resigned yesterday. His resignation was accepted today by Gehlot. Raje claimed that nine ministers of the Gehlot Cabinet had faced different allegations and resigned during his tenure. She said Nagar should have resigned immediately after the allegations and demanded to know why he has not yet been arrested. Nagar has been booked for allegedly raping, threatening and beating up the woman on September 11 after calling her to his official bungalow in Civil Lines on the pretext of giving her a job. — PTI
Victim's statement
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Cabinet gives nod to MCI ordinance New Delhi, September 20 The new draft ordinance was moved in the wake of the May 15 ordinance giving life to the MCI lapsing on September 16 after the government failed to get the same replaced with the pending Indian medical Council Amendment Bill 2013 within six weeks of the first sitting of the Parliament session since the said ordinance was promulgated. The Tribune had yesterday reported that the Health Ministry had cautioned the MCI Board of Governors against taking any policy decisions till the time the President signs a freshly promulgated ordinance. In the absence of an effective ordinance, the MCI decisions would have been null and void. With the cabinet now approving a new ordinance in respect of MCI Board of Governors (a system set up in 2010 after the Council was dissolved following its president’s arrest in a corruption case), the Health Ministry would now have to again get this ordinance passed within six weeks of the commencement of the winter session by replacing it with the IMC Amendment Bill. The Bill seeks to restore the democratically elected structure of the MCI; confines a president’s tenure to four years instead of unlimited tenure in the past and bars anyone from holding the presidential position more than two consecutive terms. The May 15 MCI ordinance lapsed as it could not be replaced with a law within six weeks of August 5, the first sitting of the monsoon session.
The Bill seeks to restore * Democratically elected structure of the MCI *
Confines a president's tenure to four years instead of unlimited tenure in the past *
Bars anyone from holding the presidential position for more than two consecutive terms
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Cong: Muzaffarnagar riots akin to Gujarat’s New Delhi, September 20 “Muzaffarnagar riots are like a revisit of Gujarat riots. The Akhilesh Yadav-led SP government in UP has no right to continue and must resign for failing to prevent carnage,” said Congress national spokesperson PC Chacko, two weeks after the UP rioting claimed around 50 lives. The Congress went on to describe the Left parties as its natural and ideological ally. In an apparent bid to forge new friendships while keeping the old ones (the Congress has not sought President’s Rule in UP and today the CBI closed the disproportionate assets case against SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav), the Congress talked of how the Left thought like other secular parties on the issue of rising communalism in India. “Communalism is rising and the Left parties think like us on the issue of keeping communal forces at bay. They are our ideological partners but that does not mean they are out as political allies,” Chacko said, opening up to the Left which had withdrawn support from the UPA post the Indo-US nuclear deal in 2009. Senior sources said they would want both the Left and the TMC on their side to keep a communal BJP away from power. On why the Congress saw Gujarat in Muzaffarnagar riots, a senior leader said: “In both cases, the respective state governments and Chief Ministers failed to take preventive action.” The Congress did not seek President’s Rule in UP saying restoration of law and order was more important. The party had demanded President’s Rule in BJP-ruled Chhattisgarh when its leaders were killed in a Maoist attack. Asked why UP was different from Chhattisgarh, a Congress leader said: “That was a terrorist attack. In UP, on the other hand, two communities have clashed.”
'Sonia can be PM when she wants' Dismissing BJP leader Sushma Swaraj's remarks that Sonia Gandhi could not be the Prime Minister of India, the Congress said their leader could occupy the post within 24 hours if she wanted to. Sushma on Friday said Sonia could not become a Prime Minister because of her foreign origin. The Congress trashed the remark saying the UPA chief did not need BJP's permission to be the Prime Minister
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Modi wave engineered, not natural: Nitish New Delhi, September 20 Refraining from naming Modi in so many words, the astute JDU leader, who recently severed ties with the BJP over Modi’s rise in the saffron ranks, Kumar today sent out a strong message to the BJP saying: “No one could rule over India by walking over its very idea, the idea of unity in diversity.” His reference was to the anti-Muslim Gujarat riots under Modi, the state CM, and the occasion was the delivery of the sixth annual lecture of the National Commission for Minorities. It was the first time that a CM of any state was delivering this lecture. In the past, the lecture was generally delivered by former Chief Justices and most recently by the Dalai Lama. Lacing his remarks with dry humour and trademark anti-Modi references, Nitish compared the so-called pro-Modi wave as “hot air from a blower”. The Bihar CM said, “Yeh blower ki hawa is desh ki kudrati hawa ka mukabala nahi kar sakti aur kudrati hawa ekta ki hawa hai (You can use a blower to create artificial winds that blow in your favour, but those artificial winds can never match the natural wind which is the wind of unity in diversity).” Citing examples from Bihar where the faith of minorities had been restored through special efforts after the JD-U came to power in 2005, Nitish went on to sermonise Modi in veiled references. “India belongs to everyone. No one can govern this vast nation by walking over the dreams of one section of people and helping realise aspirations of another. Here you have to take everyone along. You even have to respect symbols of various faiths. Sometimes you have to wear a skull cap and sometimes sport vermillion on your forehead. Those who won’t honour the different colours of India will be taught a lesson by history,” Nitish said taking a dig at Modi who had once infamously refused to wear a skull cap offered by a Muslim leader. Turning his speech on a rather mundane topic into a literal challenge to the BJP, Nitish also questioned the so-called Gujarat development model that Modi was selling. India would reject it, he said.
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Asaram’s 2 aides surrender
Jaipur, September 20
Prakash was a cook at a hostel of the ashram run by Asaram in Madhya Pradesh’s Chhindwara where the girl stayed and studied, while Sharad Chandra was in charge of the hostel. “Prakash and Sharad were accused of being involved in the conspiracy of the sexual assault on the 16-year-old girl at the ashram near Jodhpur on August 15. They were being searched for,” a police officer said. Both had earlier applied for anticipatory bail claiming innocence, but they withdrew the application yesterday. The officer said Prakash and Sharad appeared in the court of district and sessions judge today and surrendered. “After their surrender, they have been placed in police custody. They will now be questioned,” said the officer. The girl’s family members from Uttar Pradesh were followers of Asaram at the time of the incident, the police said. Asaram has been booked under various sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act and the Indian Penal Code. He has denied the allegations. The spiritual guru was arrested from Indore in Madhya Pradesh on September 1 and brought to Rajasthan and is currently lodged in the Jodhpur Central Jail. His close aide Shiva has also been arrested for abetting the crime. Another accused, Chhindwara’s hostel warden, Shilpi, had filed for anticipatory bail, which was rejected by a court. The police is still looking for her.—IANS
Production order against Asaram
MUZAFFARPUR: A local court on Friday ordered the district police to produce before it Asaram by October 21 for allegedly making uncharitable remarks against the New Delhi gang-rape victim. Chief Judicial Magistrate SP Singh passed the order on a complaint filed by advocate Sudhir Ojha on January 8. — PTI
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UPA mulls making Hyderabad UT on lines of Chandigarh
Hyderabad, September 20 Sources say a draft Cabinet note on Telangana roadmap, prepared by the Union Home Ministry, lists out three options. First, to make Hyderabad a Union Territory and combined capital of Telangana state and the remainder of Andhra Pradesh; second, to make it a combined capital for a period of 10 years after which it would be the permanent capital of Telangana; and third, to make it the capital of Telangana with law and order and land management to be controlled by the Union Government. The note will be placed before the Congress Core Committee for clearance, after which it will go to the Cabinet for approval, the sources said. Ever since the Congress Working Committee’s July-30 decision to carve out Telangana state, the other two regions -Rayalaseema and coastal Andhra, jointly referred to as Seemandhra - have been witnessing mass agitations against the division. The centre of the dispute remains the future status of the historic city, the main growth engine of Andhra Pradesh ever since its inception in 1956. While endorsing the plan to bifurcate Andhra Pradesh, the CWC said Hyderabad would be the common capital for Telangana and the remainder of Andhra for a period of 10 years, after which it would become the permanent capital of Telangana. But questions are being raised in political circles over the feasibility of such a plan in view of the huge stakes involved. The Seemandhra leaders have been seeking their rightful share in the city and making it a UT could be one of the ways to placate them. But the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS), which has been spearheading the statehood movement for the past 12 years, and the Majlis Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM), a dominant political force in the city with seven MLAs and an MP, have firmly rejected the idea of Union Territory. “Nothing short of Telangana state with Hyderabad as the capital is acceptable to us. I will not accept anything else even if my head is severed,” said TRS founder-president and MP K Chandrasekhar Rao. The migrants from Seemandhra account for nearly 35 per cent of the city’s population and there are fears over the safety of huge investments made by the settlers.
The possibilities
* Make Hyderabad a UT and joint capital of Telangana state and the remainder of AP *
Make it a combined capital for a period of 10 years after which it will be the permanent capital of Telangana *
Make it the capital of Telangana with law and order and land management to be controlled by the Union Government
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Vanzara quizzed, may put Shah in trouble
Ahmedabad, September 20 The Central Bureau of Investigation, which is investigating some of the fake encounter cases executed by Vanzara and his team drawn from the state police, questioned him for over three hours at the Sabarmati central jail. The questioning was believed to be mainly centred round Vanzara’s letter, Amit Shah’s alleged involvement in the Tulsiram Prajapati fake encounter and his charges against the Modi government. Shah is currently on bail under orders from the Supreme Court in connection with the Sohrabuddin Sheikh fake encounter case. Vanzara’s letter, which he wrote to the state government as a letter of resignation from the IPS cadre earlier this month, is reported to have come in handy for Modi to press the BJP central leadership to announce his name as the party candidate for the prime minister’s post. According to sources close to the Chief Minister’s office, as soon as the letter came in the public domain, Modi appointed a battery of officials to find out the architects behind the move. After closely monitoring the visitors to Vanzara in the jail and studying other clues, they reportedly came to the conclusion that Vanzara was allegedly “instigated and inspired” to write the letter and make it public by the anti-Modi forces within the party in the state with the tacit support of a party veteran opposed to Modi’s elevation. Modi reportedly took the opportunity to pressurise the party’s central leadership to expedite the decision as any further delay in finalising the appointment could bring out more fissures within the party and the high command was forced to oblige. It, however, might cause more problems for Shah as Vanzara in his letter had directly blamed the former Minister of State for Home for the “encounters” and his alleged “unholy grip over the state administration.” In his letter, Vanzara had regretted the fact that the state government had dumped its police officers who only executed the “conscious policy of the state government.” Though he did not admit the encounters to be “fake” in so many words, he had stated that the killings were executed by the police as per the “conscious policy of the state government in the wake of the jihadi terrorism after the Godhra train carnage and the subsequent riots when the government had adopted a proactive policy of zero tolerance towards terrorism.” The decision, he maintained, was taken by the government at the “highest level of its hierarchy” clearly indicating the Chief Minister and his then Minister of State for Home. Blaming Shah for the ills facing the arrested police officers, Vanzara said his “unholy grip over the state administration is so complete that he is almost running the Government of Gujarat by proxy.” He also went on to claim that not the arrested police officers who executed the encounter orders, but the “right place of the Modi government should had been in the jail in Navi Mumbai or the Sabarmati central jail.” “The resultant criminal negligence of this government on the one hand and the wilful acts of omissions and commissions by Amit Shah towards the fate of 32 jailed police officers on the other are so nauseating that it may take this government to the crematoria ground sooner or later,” he stated in his letter. Though Vanzara had spared Modi, whom he once “adored like God,” it might cause more problems for the former Modi deputy -- if he sticks to his charges against Shah -- since the CBI is yet to file its charge-sheet in the Tulsiram Prajapati fake encounter case.
Letter bomb
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Modi rose to top the hard way: Brother
Chandigarh, September 20 Recalling his old days with the man who could become India’s next Prime Minister, Prahlad said Narendra has seen tough days till his schooling before he went to the RSS fold and joined political stream. On his first visit to Chandigarh to attend a conference of the All-India Depot Holders Association, the younger Modi, who runs a depot holder at Ahmedabad, resembles the CM in too many ways expect his height. “Once at a rally in Gujarat, I had stood in his place as he was busy campaigning elsewhere. No one noticed the difference”, he said. Unlike other kin of protected persons, he was seen moving around without any security cover. “When we are peacefully coexisting, there is no need of security”, he quipped. Being national vice-president of the Fair Price Shop Licence Holder Association, Prahlad has taken the Gujarat Government to the court on three occasions due to discrepancies in the public distribution system. “We have very good personal relations. But it does not matter if my brother is a CM or a PM, when I have to raise a public issue. I bring the issue before media. If things still do not change, I take legal recourse and have won”, said junior Modi while addressing the depot holders of the region. Prahald is fourth among the six Modi siblings - five brothers and a sister. Eldest brother Somabhai runs an old-age home in their native Vadnagar; the second among them is Amrut, living in Ghatlodia area of Ahmedabad, and Narendra Modi is the third. Two younger siblings are Pankaj Modi and sister Vasanti. While Pankaj works with the Information Department of the Gujarat Government, Vasanti is married and lives in Visnagar of Mehsana district.
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BJP will contest all Lok Sabha seats in Jharkhand: Munda
Jamshedpur, September 20 “We will contest all the 14 Lok Sabha seats in Jharkhand but it has not yet been decided who will contest from which constituency,” Munda said when asked whether he would contest from Jamshedpur Lok Sabha seat. Expressing confidence that BJP has bright prospects to improve its tally in the general elections next year, Munda said central leadership of the party has nominated Modi as the party's prime ministerial candidate and party leaders and workers were engaged in strengthening his hands to form the next government. Munda said people of the country wanted to see Modi as the next prime minister and expected him to rein in the prevailing corruption, unemployment, internal and external security problems. Referring to the demand of special status for Jharkhand, Munda said the state government should have placed its demand technically instead of issuing statements. “It is easy to give statement than turning it into action,” Munda said claiming that he had taken up the issue at a meeting of National Development Council during his tenure. He, however, refused to comment on the performance of the Hemant Soren-led coalition government in the state. “We will wait for next three months before commenting on the performance of the incumbent government in Jharkhand,” he said. — PTI
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CISF bans construction of religious structures on its campus
Chandigarh, September 20 “Recently, it has come to notice that field units are encouraging and allowing construction of religious structures on CISF campuses. Such a practice creates confusion in ranks and formations of the force and also affects discipline and morale of the unit personnel,” a circular issued by CISF headquarters to all units states. “Moreover, the construction of such religious structures inside the security area attracts the local population, wherein entry of anti-social elements, Naxalites, terrorists or miscreants cannot be ruled out. Thus security of the unit is compromised and may lead to unsavory incidents in future,” the circular adds. The CISF is one of the central armed police forces under the Ministry of Home Affairs and is responsible for providing security cover to sensitive government industrial units, civilian airports and other vital commercial and scientific establishments, besides undertaking VIP protection and disaster management. Directing that in the interest of the operational efficiency of the force, henceforth no religious structure would be constructed on CISF campuses, CISF headquarters has ruled that where ever necessary, “sarva dharama prarthana sthal” or a common place for all religions may be constructed. However, such structures should be at a considerable distance from the unit offices, armoury and other vital areas. Common worship places for all religions are widely prevalent in all Army establishments and these have stood the test of time in promoting national integration, communal harmony and comradeship. CISF units have also been directed that security measures must be taken while giving access to outsiders to the existing religious structures within CISF campuses. Officers have been directed to keep a watch on the existing religious structures within CISF campuses and feedback on the security aspects related to these structures and the activities therein be reflected in their reports.
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No legal basis to compensate arrested innocents, says HC
Tells Andhra to recover relief paid, stop further payment Suresh Dharur/TNS
Hyderabad, September 20 Ruling that the order, issued in December 2011, was against any legal basis, the court directed the government to recover the money from those who have already been paid and refrain from making any further disbursements. The state government had paid a compensation of Rs 3 lakh each to 20 persons and Rs 20,000 each to 50 persons, all belonging to the city. They were implicated in the blast case but were later found to be innocent. Nine persons were killed in the blast that ripped through the historic Mecca Masjid in the heart of the city during Friday prayers on May 18, 2007. Five more persons were killed in the subsequent police firing on protesters outside the mosque. Soon after the blast, the police had arrested several Muslims youths from the old city and filed cases against them. However, a CBI probe proved their innocence. A fact-finding committee of the state Minorities Commission had, in its report, concluded that the police tortured the youths. Setting aside the compensation order, a Division Bench of the high court, comprising Chief Justice Kalyan Jyoti Sengupta and Justice KC Bhanu, said that the government has no authority or jurisdiction to pay such compensation. It also ruled that compensation could not be paid merely on the ground of their acquittal or discharge from the case. The order was in response to a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by a city-based advocate S Venkatesh Goud challenging the compensation paid to the 70 persons. Meanwhile, official sources said that the government would challenge the court order and file a review petition in the high court. “If necessary, we will approach the Supreme Court,” sources said. This is the first instance in the country where a government had paid compensation to the people for wrongful confinement on terror charges. The unprecedented move was seen as an acknowledgement of the wrong done to the innocent youth. “The government has not done anything wrong or illegal. It tried to heal the wounds of the innocent youth. In fact, compensation should be paid in all such cases across the country irrespective of the religious affiliation of the victims,” senior Congress leader and former minister Mohammad Ali Shabbeer said.
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Special pay for outstanding sportspersons doubled
Chandigarh, September 20 According to a circular issued yesterday by the Department of Personnel and Training, the revised rates of pay are applicable prospectively from September 1, 2013. The revision comes almost seven years after the date of implementation of the Sixth Pay Commission. The increase in rates is consequent to the implementation of the revised pay structures by the government with effect from January 2006 on the basis of the recommendations of the pay panel. The said personal pay will be related to the grade pay corresponding to the post against which the employee concerned had initially earned or will earn the pay. It is to be granted from the first of the month following the month in which the sporting events are completed and will not count for any service matter like dearness allowance, pay fixation on promotion, retirement benefits, etc. There are 31 grades in the central government’s hierarchy, which have been clubbed into 11 groups for fixation of special pay. The minimum special pay for employees having a grade pay of Rs 1,300 to Rs 2,400 is Rs 210, while the highest, for those having a grade pay of Rs 10,000, is Rs 1,000.
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JPC meeting to adopt 2G scam report postponed
New Delhi, September 20 The meeting would have been a stormy one with the main Opposition party BJP and the Left parties all out to gun for JPC Chairman PC Chacko for his attempts to get the draft report, which clears the names of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Finance Minister P. Chidambaram, adopted on the day. The exchanges between the JPC chairman and the Opposition members at the meeting were expected to be sharper as Chacko last week purportedly circulated among the panel members a 106-page note written, four months ago, by prime accused and ex-Telecom Minister A Raja. With Chacko looking to press for the adoption of the draft report, which also he has circulated, the Opposition members had questioned the timing of circulation of the note by Raja and were ready to show their dissent at the attempts to get the report adopted. However, a notice brought out by the Lok Sabha Secretariat today said that the meeting had been postponed. The notice said, “In continuation of the notice dated September 13, 2013, the members are informed that the sitting of the Joint Parliamentary Committee to examine matters relating to allocation and pricing of Telecom Licences and Spectrum which was scheduled to be held on 23 September, 2013 has been postponed due to specific requests received from some of the members on account of pre-occupation with other important engagements including meeting of the National Integration Council (NIC) on the same date”. Meanwhile, reports also suggested that the meeting was also postponed after erstwhile UPA ally DMK, the party which Raja represents, also wrote to Chacko demanding examination of documents the DoT had filed before courts and the CAG while defending the spectrum allocation. In an apparent move to delay the adoption of the draft report, DMK member in the JPC TR Baalu has written to Chacko to immediately call for the records of the various affidavits filed by the DoT before courts defending the 2G radiowave allocation. He has also demanded that the communication between the DoT and the CAG should also be called for examination and that officials who helped settle the various affidavits should be summoned before the 30-member panel. He said the documents have “ample justification” for the actions taken by the DoT. Incidentally, the battlelines had been drawn for the meeting as BJP and Left members were all set to oppose the draft report by either giving strong notes of dissent or even demanding a vote. What has also been irking the Opposition members is that despite a long extension given to the JPC, Raja was not called even once for a hearing due to shortage of time, but the Chairman, on the other hand has chosen to circulate the detailed 106-page note, in which he made startling revelations about meetings with the Prime Minister and the Finance Minister between December 2007 and January 2008 in the run-up to the 2G spectrum scam. Repeated demands by members and pleas by Raja that he be given a hearing as witness before the JPC were denied.
fireworks expected * The JPC meeting has been postponed on account of preoccupation of some members 'with other important engagements, including meeting of the National Integration Council (NIC)', which falls on the same date *
The meeting is expected to be stormy with the BJP and the Left looking to gun for JPC Chairman PC Chacko *
Chacko is looking to press for the adoption of the draft report, which clears the names of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Finance Minister P Chidambaram
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Another Karnataka MLA held
Bangalore, September 20 "Sail was summoned to the CBI office here for interrogation and arrested later," a CBI official told PTI. He is the second MLA to be arrested in the case this week. BSR Congress MLA Suresh Babu, a nephew of B Sreeramulu, former minister and close associate of mining baron G Janardhana Reddy, was arrested yesterday. The scam was exposed by former Karnataka Lokayukta N Santosh Hegde, who in his report, had said 7.74 million tonnes of iron ore were illegally exported between 2006-07 and 2010-11, causing huge loss to the exchequer. — PTI
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SC notice to Navy on woman’s plea for CBI probe
R Sedhuraman Legal Correspondent
New Delhi, September 20 A three-member Bench headed by Chief Justice P Sathasivam also stayed the investigation being conducted by the Harbour Police Station, Kochi (Kerala), on her complaint. Justices Ranjana Desai and Shiva Kirti Singh were the other members of the Bench. In her criminal writ petition, Sujata Ravi Kiran, alias Sujata Sahu, wife of Lt Ravi Kiran Kabdulla, said she had been subjected to the "most humiliating and traumatic ordeal in Kochi at the Naval Base" by her husband's friends, colleagues and superiors by assaulting her "physically and sexually" in the presence of Kabdulla. The petition said two invitation cards dated March 16, 2012, and November 5, 2012, in connection with the "wife swapping parties" had been annexed. Apprehending that she would "blow the cover off the unscrupulous activities of the Navy" and under pressure from his superiors, he had filed for divorce, the petitioner said. She said the Kerala High Court had dismissed his anticipatory bail plea on June 10, 2013, after pulling up the police for not registering a case of gang rape against him and other naval officers and for booking him only under various provisions of matrimonial dispute such as cruelty. According to her, she married him on March 9, 2012, but he subsequently took away the marriage certificate, her identity card, laptop and her other personal documents. Instead of conducting investigations on her FIR, the Kerala Police at the instance of naval officers had registered a case against her for applying for a credit card through forgery and was harassing her, she said. Appearing for the petitioner, advocate Kamini Jaiswal said her client was at present staying in Delhi as the atmosphere in Kerala was not conducive for the case to progress and that she was not in a position to travel to Kochi time and again to pursue the case. Her husband had also filed a petition in the HC seeking quashing of the FIR, registered by her, under Section 482 CrPC. The police was not arresting him despite the fact that the HC had rejected his anticipatory bail plea.
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Pak judicial panel on 26/11 to examine witnesses on Sept 24
Mumbai, September 20 The evidence will be recorded by Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate PY Ladekar, official sources told PTI today. The Indian witnesses who would depose before the panel include a city magistrate, who had recorded LeT terrorist Ajmal Kasab’s confession, chief investigating officer in the case Ramesh Mahale and two doctors who conducted the autopsy of the nine Pakistani terrorists felled by security forces during the audacious attacks on November 26, 2008. The commission is arriving here for a second time as its report submitted after the first visit in March 2012 was rejected by an anti-terrorism court in Pakistan as the panel members had not been allowed to cross-examine the witnesses. The commission includes two officers from anti-terror court of Pakistan, as many defence witnesses and a new special public prosecutor, the sources said. The members of the commission were given 7-day visas on Wednesday and would arrive in India through the Wagah border tomorrow. Special Public Prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam will represent the Government of India during the proceedings, the sources said. Asked what would be the panel’s assignment in India, Nikam told PTI they would cross examine the witnesses which had been refused earlier. The anti-terrorism court conducting the trial of seven Pakistani suspects including Lashkar-e-Taiba commander Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi, who have been charged with planning, financing and executing the attacks had declared as illegal the findings of the commission on the ground that it was not allowed to cross examine the witnesses. Following the development, a delegation of Indian Home Ministry that also included Nikam had visited Pakistan to sort out the matter with the authorities there. Eventually, India had agreed to allow the panel to cross examine the witnesses to speed up the much-delayed trial in the case in Pakistan. The trial in India has already concluded and the lone surviving 26/11 terrorist Ajmal Kasab hanged. — PTI
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No move to dilute liability clause for N-suppliers: NSA
New Delhi, September 20 The clarification by the NSA came amid reports that the government was working a way around the nuclear-liability laws, which was being objected to by American companies like Westinghouse. “Whatever parts (for nuclear power plants) are imported, these should meet the highest standards of safety and deliver power at competitive price,” Menon said during a talk on India-US relations ahead of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s visit to Washington at Aspen Institute here. The NSA emphasised that civil-nuclear projects in India would naturally be subject to Indian laws. Characterising the 2008 Indo-US civil-nuclear agreement as one that transformed bilateral relations, Menon said both New Delhi and Washington had resolved all issues concerning government-to-government permissions. The stage was now set for commercial negotiations between Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) and Westinghouse and the Atomic Energy Regulation Board to begin independent valuation of the safety of the proposed nuclear power plants. Menon said the government was seeking to understand how the nuclear liability would play out for India. “It is not just the US, our Indian domestic suppliers and other foreign partners all ask questions as to how does this law work? How will it apply? The government is in the process of addressing these questions so that we also have clarity. We will work out these issues,” he added.
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CBI closes assets case against Mulayam New Delhi, September 20 “The CBI has closed the Preliminary Enquiry (PE) against Mulayam Singh Yadav and his family on account of grossly insufficient evidence,” the agency said. The PE was registered by the CBI in March 2007 against Mulayam Singh, his son, daughter-in-law and others following an order of the Supreme Court, CBI said. Since the suspects did not join the enquiry at the initial stage, the PE was concluded in 2007 itself, without taking into account the defence of the suspects, computing combined DA of the four suspects including daughter-in-law to the tune of Rs. 2.63 crore. However, the final outcome of the PE remained pending due to litigations and pendency of the review petition filed by the suspect, the CBI said. According to the CBI, the Supreme Court decided the review petitions in December 2012. The court ordered that the income, assets and expenditure pertaining to daughter-in-law of former chief minister should be excluded from those of her other family members. This order necessitated re-assessment of the evidence collected during the enquiry, and a fresh look at the disproportionate income of Mulayam Singh Yadav and his family members. During the further enquiry, a large number of persons, including the suspects, have been examined and numerous documents were collected. Examination of documents, statements of witnesses and the version of the suspects during the course of further enquiry, has not brought out sufficient evidence supporting the allegation of possession of any disproportionate assets, jointly or individually against the former UP chief minister and his family members, the CBI said.
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CBI registers two inquiries on missing coal files New Delhi, September 20 The CBI received a letter from the Coal Ministry on Wednesday giving list of documents which have been traced in the ministry record rooms. The ministry urged the CBI to consider the letter as complaint. Yesterday the agency had a meeting with coal ministry officials to know the files that are still missing and that require probe by the agency.
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Ramdev detained for six hours at Heathrow London, September 20 Some media reports also said that Ramdev was questioned about certain medicines he was carrying with him. Ramdev's spokesman SK Tejarawala described as "baseless" that he was being questioned on carrying some medicines. "It was not clear why the Yoga guru was detained for over six hours at Heathrow. He was not carrying anything with him except a small bag of personal effects. It is for the British authorities to explain why he was detained," Tejarawala said. Ramdev went to London to attend a function organised by the Patanjali Yogpeeth on the 120th anniversary of Swami Vivekanand in the next couple of days. — PTI
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TMC to put 3 MPs on notice
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The BJP may be defending former Army chief Gen VK Singh saying the inquiry against him was a result of his sharing dais with party’s PM candidate Narendra Modi at the Rewari rally, but there seems to be a difference of opinion over whether he was a fit candidate to attract Army men.
The UPA leadership is said to be considering various options to resolve the tangle surrounding Hyderabad, which has become a major bone of contention in the wake of the decision to bifurcate Andhra Pradesh. The options include making it a Union Territory on the lines of Chandigarh.
Guwahati, September 20
“The Prime Minister’s meetings are still in the process of being firmed up... so I can’t confirm if he will meet Prime Minister
Sharif,” Foreign Secretary Sujatha Singh told medipersons here.
