The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

‘Taint’ dilemma for Cong, BJP
Syed Ali Ahmed/TNS

the list

Congress
Asif Mohammad Khan
Tarvinder Singh Marwah
Neeraj Basoya
Devender Yadav
BJP
Kulwant Rana
Naresh Gaur
Mohan Singh Bisht
Poll date: Dec 4

New Delhi, November 6
The Congress and the BJP are in dilemma over giving the ticket to tainted MLAs.

Both parties have announced to field only those candidates who have clean image as transparency is one of the main election issues in Delhi this time. This is particularly so for the BJP that has been accusing the Congress government of not ensuring transparent administration in the National Capital. When the transparency issue cropped up, name of Asif Mohammad Khan, who recently joined the Congress, was son top of the list of ticket contenders. He contested the last election on the Rashtriya Janta Dal (RJD) ticket from the Okhla Assembly constituency and emerged victorious.

Congress MLA from Jangpura Tarvinder Singh Marwah's name was also doing the rounds when he was charged in a criminal case. He had to resign from the post of the Parliamentary Secretary of the Chief Minister after he was accused of making use of a tempered mark sheet to ensure admission of his daughter in Mata Sundri College. The names of two other Congress leaders, Neeraj Basoya of Kasturba Nagar and Devender Yadav of Badli, also figure on the list of tainted MLAs.

BJP leaders whose names fell in the "tainted MLAs" category include Kulwant Rana from Rithala, Naresh Gaur from Babarpur and Mohan Singh Bisht from Karawal Nagar constituencies.

Asif Mohammad Khan had joined the Congress after getting an assurance from Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit that he would be given the party ticket for elections. Leaders of the anti-Sheila camp are opposing the candidature of Asif. Kulwant Rana was arrested in April after being chargesheeted for offences under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. Due to that reason, the party had been mulling not giving him the ticket this time. Sources maintain Rana is close to Delhi BJP chief Vijay Goel.

Voter registration not a priority among youth: Survey
Himani Chandel/TNS

The findings
The aim of the survey conducted by the Delhi election office was to assess the level of awareness, knowledge, attitude, behaviour, belief and practices among the voters
It hinted at low registration rate among youth and new migrants
Women participation has also been unsatisfactory
Online registration has, however, found favour with voters

New Delhi, November 6
Even as the Delhi election office is busy covering the last mile in registering voters for the Assembly poll to be held on December 4, a survey conducted by the office has found that the registration rate was low among young voters.

The survey was conducted after the Election Commission mandated it in all states bound to go to the polls. The aim was to assess the level of awareness, knowledge, attitude, behaviour, belief and practices among the voters.

The findings suggest low registration rate among the young voters and new migrants. Women participation has also been unsatisfactory.

"A low voting turnout among the young and women electors is predicted," said a senior official of the Delhi election office. The reason for low registration was attributed to lack of information and assistance.

However, the registration through online procedure has picked up pace with the voters. In all, 7,94,338 online forms were received between July 5 and August 2. Of the total applications received during the summary revision, around 31 per cent (2.46 lakh) were received online.

The survey was conducted in Delhi in May-June wherein 25 Assembly constituencies were selected. The sample size for the survey was 4,736, including women and members of minority communities. The survey proposed more awareness campaigns making use of SMSes and social media. It also stressed the need to initiate aggressive enrolment drive in low-income localities and colonies of migrants.

"Awareness campaigns seem to be working and motivating people. Hence more campaigns for awareness, enrolment and voting are being launched before the election. Around 29 per cent people expressed the view that more awareness campaigns should be initiated to increase people participation in the electoral process," said the official.

BRIEFLY
EC to keep Chhath watch

NEW DELHI: The Election Commission said on Wednesday that it would keep an eye on Chhath festivities to ensure that candidates in the coming Delhi Assembly elections did not use these to seek votes. “As many as 210 vigilance squads have been constituted to keep tabs on such activities,” said a Delhi Election Commission official. — IANS

Mizoram Poll Date: Nov 25
Paper audit trail

AIZAWL: Chief Election Commissioner VS Sampath on Wednesday said electronic voting machine with voter verifiable paper audit trail (VVPAT) would be used in 10 out of 11 constituencies within the limits of Aizawl city during the Mizoram Assembly elections. — PTI

MP Poll Date: Nov 25
Poll fray

BHOPAL: With barely two days left for filing nominations, the BJP has so far declared candidates for 211 seats out of a total 230 seats for the assembly poll in Madhya Pradesh, while the Congress has so far declared a list of 197 candidates. While the BJP has come out with its first list of 147 candidates on October 31, the Congress announced its candidates for 115 seats on November 1. — PTI

India yet to decide on level of participation at CHOGM
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, November 6
The government has still not been able to make up its mind on the level of India's participation at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) to be held in Colombo later this month.

Talking to reporters here today, MEA spokesman Syed Akbaruddin said the process of consultations on the issue was at a fairly advanced stage. All issues were now available for decision-making and the government would arrive at a decision soon, he added.

It is learnt that both the PMO and the MEA have advised Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to travel to Colombo to attend the summit. However, political parties in Tamil Nadu and key ministers from the state in the UPA government at the Centre continue to oppose the PM's visit to register India's protests against the treatment being meted out to Lankan Tamils by the Rajapaksa government.

An official source, who did not wish to be identified, said the ball was now in the PM's court. ''We have given our view but it seems a decision on the issue would be based on political considerations.''

Aiding the government is a letter from Northern Province Chief Minister C V Wigneswaran to Manmohan Singh, urging him to visit Jaffna, the capital of the Tamil dominated province.

Source said External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid would in any case be visiting Lanka for the CHOGM Ministerial meeting to be held ahead of the summit. In the event of the PM deciding against attending the summit, the government could consider other option like asking Vice-President Hamid Ansari to visit Colombo.

PM’s decision will be our decision, says Congress

New Delhi, November 6
The Congress on Wednesday said it would back whatever decision Prime Minister Manmohan Singh takes on India's participation in the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Sri Lanka later this month keeping in mind national interests.

Party spokesperson Meem Afzal downplayed the issue of Congress ministers from Tamil Nadu conveying to the Prime Minister that he should not attend the Summit.

"Anybody has a right to express his or her views. Those from Tamil Nadu have their own situations. The decision will be taken in the interest of the nation. We are hopeful that the interest of the country will be taken care of," Afzal said.

Union Ministers V Narayanasamy, Jayanthi Natarajan and G K Vasan have opposed the Prime Minister's participation in the summit. — PTI

Mars probe on course: ISRO
Shubhadeep Choudhury/TNS

Bangalore, November 6
Indian Space Research Organisation’s (ISRO) Mars probe, launched in the space successfully yesterday, will take another step toward its final destination when its orbit will be raised for the first time in the early hours of tomorrow.

The apogee (farthest point from earth) of the 1,350 kg spacecraft will be raised to around 28790 km - about 5,000 km more than its apogee now - in an operation performed from the ground segment at ISRO telemetry, tracking and command network located in Bangalore.

“The orbit raising will be carried out at 1.15 am tomorrow. We successfully carried out a rehearsal of the operation earlier today. The spacecraft’s health is fine,” S Arunan, mission director of the satellite told The Tribune.

The orbit raising operation will entail firing for the first time the 440 Newton engine of the spacecraft. Apogee of the spacecraft will be raised on four more occasions with the last such operation slated on November 16. This will be followed by a final push to the spacecraft on December 1 to liberate it from the earth’s sphere of influence (SOI) and put it in the mars transfer trajectory. This operation will also be carried out by firing the spacecraft’s 440 N liquid engine.

Trader shot dead, tension mounts in Muzaffarnagar

Muzaffarnagar, November 6
Tension mounted in Shahpur town of the district after a middle-aged trader was shot dead by unidentified assailants on Wednesday afternoon, police said.

Following the murder of Irffan (40), angry locals went on a rampage, damaging shops, houses and setting three motorcycles on fire.

Senior police officers rushed to the town of Muzaffarnagar district, which has seen a series of communal clashes in the recent past, and brought the situation under control.

Security has been tightened and a huge posse of police personnel has been deployed in the area.

Police said Irffan was shot dead while he was walking on the road alone.

The body has been sent for post-mortem, they added. — PTI

Sena targets BJP for ‘appeasing’ Muslims
Shiv Kumar/TNS

Mumbai, November 6
In yet another intervention reminding the BJP of its core agenda of Hindutva politics, the Shiv Sena today criticised its ally of “appeasing” Muslims.

“In their hurry to capture power in Delhi, people have forgotten the Ram temple.... Special efforts are being made to bring burqa-clad women to public rallies. Rather than opposing the Congress, everyone is in a race to appease minorities,” the editorial in party mouthpiece Saamna said.

The Shiv Sena went on to note that such behaviour was not new. “We have seen in the past also that core issues such as Ram Mandir, the common civil code and Article 356 (regarding Jammu and Kashmir's special status) were kept aside in the race for power,” the editorial said.

The write-up ostensibly to criticise Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar for his comments on the importance of the minority Muslim community in Indian politics went on to criticise the BJP and its prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi, though he was not directly named in the piece.

Maid’s death: BSP MP, wife in 5-day police custody
Shaurya Karanbir Gurung/TNS

New Delhi, November 6
Bahujan Samaj Party MP Dhananjay Singh and his wife Dr Jagriti, who were arrested yesterday for allegedly torturing and murdering a 35-year-old maid, were remanded in five-day police custody by a Delhi court today.

Delhi Police requested the court for the custody of the accused on grounds of recovering the CCTV footage of Jagriti’s residence and the weapon used in the offence.

The police said they needed to ascertain the places from where the deceased maid, Rakhi, and the two other servants, including a 17-year-boy, were hired.

Investigators informed the court that the placement agency from where the servants were allegedly employed had a forged address.

The police claimed the MP was in the know of the regular assaults on the servants. “He protected her (Jagriti) and even beat up the victims,” the prosecution said.

Jagriti was arrested on charges of murdering her maid, Rakhi, and for attempting to murder a 17-year-old male servant. The maid’s post-mortem is yet to be conducted.

The boy who is a complainant in the case was presented at the court of Metropolitan Magistrate Dheeraj Mittal today. The magistrate said the offence was of a “serious nature”. He remanded Dhananjay and Jagriti in five-day police custody. They will be presented in court on November 11.

Police charges Asaram with rape

Jodhpur, November 6
The Jodhpur police today charged self-styled godman Asaram with wrongful confinement and rape of a 16-year-old girl, more than two months after he was arrested in the sexual assault case.

The 1,011-page charge-sheet, comprising 121 documents and statements of 58 witnesses, was filed in the District and Sessions Court in the presence of Asaram and four co-accused — Shilpi, Shiva, Prakash and Sharad Chandra.

District and Sessions judge Manoj Kumar Vyas extended their judicial custody till November 16 when the arguments on the charges will begin. The charges against Asaram and other accused include Sections 342 (wrongful confinement), 376(2)(f) (rape of minor girl), 376 D (rape), 354 A (outraging a woman's modesty), 506 (criminal intimidation) and 109 (abetment to an offence) of the IPC. They have also been charged under various sections of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act. — PTI

Royal couple performs Ganga arti
Jotirmay Thapliyal/TNS

Dehradun, November 6
Prince Charles and Duchess of Cornwall Camila Parker performed the sunset “Ganga arti” at Parmarth Niketan Ashram at Rishikesh today.

In his brief address at the ghat, the Prince of Wales referred to Indian culture as ancient and one that believed in oneness of humanity, revealing the spirit of living for others.

He said by coming to the banks of the Ganga, he felt energised. He also stressed the need for efforts to conserve environment.

The Royal couple flanked by Parmarth Niketan’s head Swami Chidanand Saraswati performed the arti on the banks of the Ganga. He spent around hour-and-a-half at the ashram.

They sat on the ghat and listened to a bhajan recital.

They participated in a “havan” for world peace and made their ritualistic offerings. The royal couple later left by road for their resort at Narendra Nagar near Rishikesh.

The couple earlier arrived at the Jollygrant airport in a chartered plane around 4.40 pm. They were received by Uttarakhand Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna and his daughter Urvashi Sahay.

From Jollygrant, they were taken to Rishikesh by road. The royal cavalcade reached Ramjhula parking lot from where they took a boat ride to reach Parmarth Niketan.

New British visa services for businessmen

New Delhi, November 6
The British government on Wednesday announced steps to facilitate the issuance of visa.

The steps include one where a visa applicant would be able to retain the passport while visa request is being processed. This would facilitate the passport-holder to apply for visa to another country and same would reduce the time taken in getting two visas, the British High Commission said in a statement.

Termeed “A passport passback pilot in Southern India”, the improvements aim at attracting the best talent, business interests and investments to Britain.

“The UK government today announced further improvements to the visa system to attract the brightest and the best to work, do business and invest in Britain,” said the statement.

“Our visa application centres will be able to provide business travellers with more premium services than ever before.” The improvements will be introduced over a period of 12 months.

The improvement would also include “introduction of a mobile visa clinic in India”. — IANS

Goa murder: India-Nigeria ties under strain
Ashok Tuteja/TNS

New Delhi, November 6
As ties with Nigeria came under strain due to the murder of a Nigerian national in Goa, India today said it was in "diplomatic dialogue" with the Nigerian authorities and was awaiting a probe report into the October 31 incident.

MEA spokesperson Syed Akbaruddin discounted any tension with Abuja (capital of Nigeria) over the death and the clash between Nigerians and the police that followed in Goa. "We are in diplomatic dialogue with them, we have explained to them the circumstances and the situation," he said.

He said the Nigerian High Commission was "concerned and anguished" and has requested for a thorough probe into the "death and consequent issues that flowed from that". The Indian High Commission in Abuja has also explained the situation to the Nigerian Foreign Ministry. Akbaruddin said India-Nigeria ties were defined by friendship and "we hope to resolve the matter".

Meanwhile, the Goa Police has made the first arrest in the murder case. Surendra Paul was arrested from Chapora, a village known as a haven for drug traffickers, located 30 km from Panaji. Police suspect Paul was one of the six attackers involved in killing Obina Simione.

Quake jolts Assam, 6 hurt
Tribune News Service

Guwahati, November 6
Two units of Numaligarh Refinery Ltd (NRL) in Assam’s Golaghat district shut down automatically after a 5.5-magnitude earthquake jolted Assam and neighbouring Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland.

Six children sustained minor injuries when the wall of the Mahuramukh Lokapriya Prathamik Vidalaya, near Numaligarh, collapsed.

The tremors were felt a couple of times in several parts of Assam, while in Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland it lasted a few seconds.

The epicentre of the quake, which struck at 9.46 am, was traced to 26.5 degree North latitude and 93.5 degree East longitude in Karbi Anglong district of Assam, Indian Meteorological Department sources said. The quake occurred at a depth of 20 km from the earth’s surface.

Celebrity chef Tarla Dalal dead
Shiv Kumar/TNS

Mumbai, November 6
Celebrity chef Tarla Dalal, author of numerous cookbooks on Indian cooking who hosted several popular cookery shows on television, died here this morning following a heart attack. She was 77.

“We would like to thank all of you for your support and affection through the years of Tarla Dalal’s career. She is no more with us as she expired in the early hours of this morning. We thank her for all the happiness that her talent has given to us and our families,” Dalal’s team said in a message on her page on Facebook.

Dalal, who was honoured with the Padma Shri by the Indian Government in 2007, has written more than 100 cookbooks on vegetarian cooking from across the country. Her associates said Dalal started cooking classes way back in 1966 and went on to write her first cookbook in 1974.

IAF Chief’s unusual Diwali

Indian Air Force Chief, Air Chief Marshal NAK Browne had an unusual Diwali celebration this time. Browne and his wife Kiran, spent the festival with IAF men posted to Car Nic, a strategic airbase in the Andaman Nicobar Islands in the Bay of Bengal. The Air Force Station, Car Nic, was declared a non-family station post-tsunami devastation of December 2004. A total of 116 had died in the tsunami, including IAF officers, men, their wives and children. Browne, who is the Chairman Chiefs of Staff Committee (COSC), paid tributes at the Tsunami Memorial and was then invited for a 'Barakhana' with the Airmen. The airstrip was built by the Japanese during their occupation of these islands between 1942 and 45 and was extended to 8,886 feet in 1967. The base which sits on the Indian side of the vital shipping route through the Straits of Malacca, has an air defence unit, Mi-series of helicopters and smaller Dornier fixed-wing planes.

Taking baby steps

Troops pay homage at the Veer Smriti war memorial in Chandi Mandir. A Tribune photograph

The Army's newest Infantry outfit, Sikkim Scouts, is now a month old. Affiliated with 11 Gorkha Rifles, the battalion's official raising day is October 1, 2013. Based on the "Sons of the Soil" concept, the battalion will exclusively recruit local Sikkim youth and will be deployed permanently in the high altitude and rugged terrain along the India-China border in the strategically vital state. Recruitment had started in March and the battalion's flag was unveiled by Vice Chief of the Army Staff on May 27. Besides enabling more people from the state to join the Army and thereby having economic spin-offs, the battalion, like other scouts units in the Army such as Ladakh Scouts, Arunachal Scouts, Dogra Scouts and Gharwal Scouts, will also have the advantage of having troops deeply familiar with the local terrain, environmental conditions and customs as well as closely associated with the local residents.

War hero passes away

Gp Capt TL Anderson, former commanding officer of IAF's No 44 Squadron, now based at Chandigarh, passed away in Australia last week at the age of 88. He is survived by his wife, Sheila Anderson. He was decorated with the Shaurya Chakra for operations in the Naga Hills in the 1950s, and then awarded the Vir Chakra for his actions in the 1962 India-China conflict. He had flown over 70 operational hours to the Chushul airfield in south eastern J&K, ferrying in vital supplies to the troops garrisoned there. Old IAF officers who have served with him have mourned his death.

Unique case before AFT

An unusual case has come up before the Armed Forces Tribunal, where an Army officer has accused a colonel of what in military parlance is called "stealing the affections of a brother officer's wife". The officer has alleged that the incident took place while he was posted in a field area and his wife and the colonel were residing in Delhi. Based upon his complaint, the Army had conducted a court of inquiry and held the colonel blameworthy for the alleged impropriety on his part. In his petition, on which the Tribunal issued notices on October 10 to the respondents, the officer has averred that despite the opinion of the court of inquiry, no action has been taken by the Army authorities thereof.

Vijay Mohan & Ajay Banerjee