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Bastar holds the key to Chhattisgarh House
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BJP seeks copy of Rahul's reply to EC notice
the battlefield
Rebellion in BJP over ticket to ‘outsider’ Parvesh Verma
Nehru was not keen on sending Army to Kashmir, says Advani
How could author be present at Cabinet meet, asks Cong
Nigerian envoy sent offensive SMSes to cop, says Goa CM
Charles, Camilla meet IMA gentlemen cadets
Mars probe’s orbit raised successfully
India, Russia, China foreign ministers to meet on Nov 10
Abu Salem gets bail in Delhi
Rs 5-cr extortion case Missing Pune professionals’ bodies
fished out of river
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BJP, AAP make corruption, inflation poll issues
Congress flaunts its achievements during 15-year rule in Delhi Syed Ali Ahmed/TNS
The BJP has been raising issues like onion prices, power tariff, inflated water bills, Lokayukta's recommendation that chief minister or ministers' photographs should not be used on government forms, CAG report on corruption in government departments, Commonwealth Games scam etc. Party activists staged a demonstration against high onion prices in the Capital. It once sold at Rs 100 per kg and even now its rates hover around Rs 70-80 per kg. Tomato and potato prices are also on an upward spiral these days. Delhi BJP president Vijay Goel and its chief ministerial candidate Harsh Vardhan said mismanagement by the government was the reason behind increasing inflation. It had no mechanism to check hoarding of essential commodities, they said. The government also could not do anything to check leakage in water pipes, leading to 40 per cent wastage of potable water supplied by the Delhi Jal Board. They said the power-distribution companies (BSES and NDPL) were in profit. When the power sector was privatised, these companies had said once power theft was controlled, the tariff would come down. Now, 80 per cent of the power theft had been checked, but instead of coming down, the tariff had gone up. AAP, a new political party headed by Arvind Kejriwal, has been protesting against inflated power and water bills. Kejriwal has appealed to Delhiites not to pay the bills. The party looks like making a dent in the votebanks of both the Congress and the BJP. The SP, the BSP and the INLD are active only in a few pockets. These parties contest elections on minority, backward and Jat issues. To counter the Opposition parties, the Congress, which has been in power in Delhi for the past 15 years under the leadership of Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit, claims that it has changed the face of Delhi by its development works. Citing examples of good transport system, Metro service, new universities, colleges, approval of 885 unauthorised colonies, flyovers, Sheila Dikshit claimed her government had changed the face of Delhi. She said old DTC buses had been replaced with low-floor buses (air-conditioned and ordinary), new roads had been constructed and the Metro service had made travel easy. The power tariff in Delhi was still low in comparison to other states and people were getting much better power supply, she claimed. Once Munak canal was completed, the water supply would also improve, she said. On prices of onions, she said the government had deployed vans to sell onions on control rate of Rs 55-60 per kg. The rate of the vegetable had gone high due to inclement weather and cyclone that affected crop in onion-producing states, she said.
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Bastar holds the key to Chhattisgarh House
New Delhi, November 7 As the BJP's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi and Congress president Sonia Gandhi today slugged it out in the Naxal-hit tribal belt, the importance that the region holds for the two political parties was underlined. In 2008, the BJP won 11 of the 12 seats in the Bastar region, losing only the Konta constituency to the Congress. In the 90-member Chhattisgarh Assembly, the BJP has 49 seats, the Congress 38 and the BSP two. Out of the 49 seats the BJP won in 2008, 11 are in Bastar. The Congress attributes the BJP's spectacular Bastar performance to "unfair means". The BJP's problems are further multiplied by many other factors. After the Supreme Court declared as illegal the Salwa Judum (civilian force mobilised and deployed as part of anti-insurgency operations in Chhattisgarh to counter Naxalite violence in the region), the BJP's captive vote bank in base camps has got scattered. Apart from facing anti-incumbency, the BJP is also facing allegations of not fulfilling any of its poll promises. BJP leaders also agree that "the Congress has nothing to lose and everything to gain. If it manages to improve its tally of one seat in Bastar, it can spell problems for us. Besides, our candidates have not been able to canvass properly due to the increased Naxal threat".
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BJP seeks copy of Rahul's reply to EC notice
New Delhi, November 7 The party said it would like to file a counter-reply and also argue the matter before the commission to highlight "factual and legal aspects of the issue" so that Rahul does not get away by tendering a mere apology. The notice was served on Rahul on the basis of complaints submitted by the BJP seeking action against him and his party for violating the model code of conduct while addressing rallies in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan in October. The letter sent to the EC by chairman of BJP's national committee on legal and election issues Satya Pal Jain says the BJP should be given two to three days to file a counter-reply. Jain also asked the EC to let the BJP argue the matter before the commission before it takes a final decision on the issue. Jain said that the speeches made by Rahul "leveling false allegations against the BJP and also making irresponsible statements about different communities amounted to inciting communal feelings" was in clear violation of the poll code.
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BJP fields 3 Sikhs, Cong 1 in Sriganganagar dist
Raj Sadosh
The Congress has given the ticket to just one Sikh candidate, Gurmeet Singh Kunnar. Gurmeet had won as an Independent candidate in 2008. He joined the Ashok Gehlot ministry later to serve as the Minister of State for Agricultural Marketing. Sriganganagar is also called the "Punjab of Rajasthan" because of significant Punjabi population. It is also the "breadbasket of the state of deserts". Punjabi is the most spoken language in the district, with a majority of people speaking in Malwai dialect. The saffron party has again fielded former ministers Gurjant Singh (Sadulshehar) and Surinder Singh (Srikaranpur), a retd TTE of the Railways. It has also fielded a new face, Balbir Singh Luthra, from the Raisinghnagar (reserve) constituency. He had taken voluntary retirement from bank service on July 31. His wife Joginder Kaur has been serving as the vice-president of the BJP Mahila Morcha. The party has fielded another new face, Priyanka Balan, from the Anoopgarh (reserve) constituency. It has retained Punjabi Arora community's powerful leader Radheyshyam as its candidate from Sriganganagar segment. The three-time MLA defected from the Congress in 2008. In a first, the Congress has nominated Jagdish Chander Jangid, an advocate by profession and low-profile grassroot worker from other backward classes, to contest the Rajasthan Vidhan Sabha election from the Sadulshehar constituency. Some villages of Abohar subdivision partly fall in Sadulshehar subdivision. Jangid will contest against former minister Gurjant Singh (BJP) for whom SAD leader and Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal had also campaigned last time. The Congress has chosen Municipal Council president Jagdish Jandu as its candidate for Sriganganagar. Gurmeet Singh Kunnar, who won as an Independent candidate in 2008, gets Congress ticket from Srikaranpur, Gangajal Meel retains the party ticket for Suratgarh and the name of Vinod Kumar Chaudhary, Minister of Rural Development and a close relative of Madhya Pradesh former Governor Balram Jakhar, has been cleared for Hanumangarh. The party has nominated Sohan Nayak as candidate from Raisinghnagar and Sanjeev Doodi from Bhadra.
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Rebellion in BJP over ticket to ‘outsider’ Parvesh Verma
New Delhi, November 7 Raising the slogan, “Mehrauli mein outsider Parvesh Verma nahi chalega”, around 20 party BJP workers, claiming to be the supporters of South Delhi Municipal Corporation Mayor Sarita Chaudhary, entered the hall at the party headquarters where party leaders had just finished their press conference. The irate activists also gheraoed BJP's Chief Ministerial candidate Harsh Vardhan. — PTI
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Nehru was not keen on sending Army to Kashmir, says Advani
New Delhi, November 7 LK Advani had earlier claimed that Jawaharlal Nehru had called Patel a “total communalist”. Quoting from an interview of Sam Manekshaw (then a Colonel) by senior journalist Prem Shankar Jha, Advani said in his latest blog that as the tribesmen - supported by Pakistani forces - moved closer to Srinagar, a decision had to be taken on moving Indian forces there. But Nehru appeared reluctant and felt the issue should be taken to the UN. Referring to Manekshaw’s claim in the interview, Advani said Lord Mountbatten convened a Cabinet meeting soon after Maharaja Hari Singh signed the Instrument of Accession. This was attended by Nehru, Patel and Defence Minister Baldev Singh. Manekshaw presented the “military situation” and suggested the Indian forces be moved there. “As usual, Nehru talked about the United Nations, Russia, Africa, God almighty, everybody, until Sardar Patel lost his temper. He said, “Jawaharlal, do you want Kashmir, or do you want to give it away. Nehru said ‘of course, I want Kashmir’. Then he (Patel) said, ‘Please give your orders’. And before he could say anything, Sardar Patel turned to me and said, ‘You have got your orders’,” Advani said, quoting Manekshaw from the interview to Jha. “This report, involving Manekshaw and Prem Shankar Jha, provides a clinching confirmation of the difference between Nehru and Patel over the Hyderabad action,” Advani said. Last week, Advani had written a blog quoting from the memoirs of MKK Nair, a 1947-batch IAS officer, to say that Nehru had called Patel a “total communalist” when the latter said at a Cabinet meeting that “police action” will have to be taken against Hyderabad as it was trying to join Pakistan.
What the blog said
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How could author be present at Cabinet meet, asks Cong
New Delhi, November 7 In his blog, Advani had quoted from former bureaucrat MKK Nair's book 'The story of an era told without ill-will' which deals with the squabble between Nehru and Patel in a Cabinet meeting. Tewari claimed that the BJP leader had got the facts wrong. He said MKK Nair was born in 1930 and joined the IAS in 1950 while the discussion at Nehru's Cabinet meeting was about an event in 1948. "The facts don't add up and even if another Nair was part of the IAS, it's questionable whether he would be privy to Cabinet discussions," he said. On his ministerial colleague Jairam Ramesh’s suggestion that Rahul Gandhi was focused more on party’s long-term future, Tewari said it was his “personal” opinion, adding that both the Congress and its vice-president took every election seriously.
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Nigerian envoy sent offensive SMSes to cop, says Goa CM
Panaji, November 7 "He (the diplomat) was wrongly briefed. He went to the extent of sending offensive SMSes to our Superintendent of Police," Parrikar told reporters at Vasco town, without naming the diplomat. A Nigerian diplomat, who was recently in Goa, had reportedly warned of "repercussions" against Indians living in Nigeria if his fellow countrymen were harassed in Goa. Parrikar said the diplomat who arrived in Goa had not come through a proper channel. "As a foreign diplomat, he should have come through the Ministry of External Affairs. I never got any communication that anyone is coming," the Chief Minister said. He said the "misunderstanding" between Nigeria and India was a fallout of wrong media reporting. "I never said that Nigerians would be deported, but what I had said was that illegally staying foreigners, including Nigerians, would be deported," Parrikar said. Nigeria had earlier issued a note verbale to India conveying concern over the security of its nationals and demanded immediate arrest of those who killed a Nigerian in Goa last week, prompting the government to assure it that all issues would be addressed in a cooperative manner. The Centre yesterday said it was in "diplomatic dialogue" with Nigeria after that country raised the killing of one of its nationals in Goa and noted that it was expecting a report from the state government in the matter. The state police had also arrested a Goan youth in connection with the killing of the Nigerian national on October 31 which sparked protests by his fellowmen. The special investigation squad arrested Surendra Pal on Tuesday night in connection with the killing of Obodo Uzoma Simeon from Chapora, a beachside village in north Goa. Parrikar had earlier claimed the murder as a drug-related crime. — PTI
Minister apologises
Goa’s Art and Culture Minister Dayanand Mandrekar, who sparked a controversy by describing Nigerians as “cancer”, apologised on Thursday for his comments, saying it was a mistake. “It’s my mistake to make such statement. I apologise,” Mandrekar said.
Death of nigerian National
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Charles, Camilla meet IMA gentlemen cadets
Dehradun, November 7 The British royal couple reached Dehradun on their maiden one-day visit amid tight security on Thursday morning. The Prince and the Duchess were accorded a guard of honour and were taken around the IMA complex where Prince Charles took special interest in the training module of the gentlemen cadets while Duchess Camilla admired the equestrian wing. The royal couple was also taken to the Vikram Batra mess where the Prince interacted with the gentlemen cadets of IMA as well as Rashtriya Indian Military College (RIMC), another military training school set up by the British in 1922. Earlier, IMA Commandant Lt Gen Manvendra Singh, while welcoming Prince Charles, said that his visit would strengthen the historic bonds between the two nations that also shared high military values. Prince Charles was presented with photos of the IMA and RIMC as well as a silver plaque and a memento. The Prince presented the IMA Commandant with a sword. Ranjana Singh, the first lady of the IMA, and several senior IMA officials were present on the occasion. Meanwhile, Prince Charles has welcomed India’s concern over issues of forestry and environment. Addressing a gathering of students and staff at the convocation hall of the Forest Research Institute (FRI) here today, Prince Charles took notice of works being done by the country on the ecology front. He welcomed India’s concern in this regard and efforts towards nature conservation. He said that in India, forest dwellers and forests lived in harmony. In his 10-minute address, Charles highlighted the issues of sustainability and key environmental challenges facing the world.
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Mars probe’s orbit raised successfully
Bangalore, November 7 “The engine was fired from 1.17 am to 1.24 am. The spacecraft’s apogee (farthest point to Earth) has now been raised to 28,825 km, while its perigee (nearest point to Earth) is at 252 km”, an ISRO official said. He described “six to seven minutes firing of the engine” as “normal”. If an operation entails firing of engine for a duration which is in excess of what has been planned, it may have a bearing on the life of the spacecraft because extended firing of the engine will mean burning of more fuel. The ISRO official, however, said the effect of excess time consumed by one operation might be neutralised by less than expected time taken by another operation. “The fuel consumption issue shall have to be seen in an overall perspective,” he said. One more orbit raising manoeuvre is slated to take place early morning tomorrow to increase the apogee of the spacecraft to 40,000 km. Three more such operations will follow with the last orbit raising manoeuvre on November 16 increasing the apogee to 1.92 lakh km. Next will be the crucial operation of putting the spacecraft in the Martial transfer trajectory. This manoeuvre is due on December 1. With each orbit raising the velocity of the spacecraft will also increase. The idea is to make the spacecraft go round the Earth several times and gradually increase its velocity to finally attain the escape velocity from earth’s sphere of influence (SOI) with minimum fuel consumption. The Mars orbiter, India’s first interplanetary mission, was launched into an elliptical earth orbit with a perigee of 248.4 km and an apogee of 23,550 km, on November 5 from the spaceport at Sriharikota near
Chennai.
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India, Russia, China foreign ministers to meet on Nov 10
New Delhi, November 7 External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid will host the meeting to be attended by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi. MEA spokesperson Syed Akbaruddin said Khurshid would also hold bilateral talks with his counterparts on a range of bilateral issues. Both Russian and Chinese leaders are coming to India to attend the ASEM (Asia-Europe Meeting) Ministers’ conference to be held at Gurgaon next week. The RIC Foreign Ministers’ meeting assumes significance against the backdrop of the fact that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had visited both Russia and China last month. This will be the third time that India will host the RIC ministerial meeting. The last two meetings were held in Delhi in 2007 and Bangaluru in 2011. Khurshid is also scheduled to meet Pakistan Prime Minister’s Adviser on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz, Bangladesh Foreign Minister Dipu Moni and about a dozen other Foreign Ministers on the margins of the ASEM meet. On the upcoming Khurshid-Aziz meeting, the MEA spokesperson made it clear that a precondition for moving ahead on India-Pakistan ties was to ensure peace and tranquility along the Line of Control. He confirmed that Aziz had also sought a meeting with the Indian Prime Minister.
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Abu Salem gets bail in Delhi Rs 5-cr extortion case New Delhi, November 7 The judge granted bail after considering that the other co-accused in the case were already out on bail. The court said: "The main prosecution witnesses have already been examined in this case and only three police officials are to be examined now... in totality of facts and circumstances, accused Abu Salem is granted bail." — IANS
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Missing Pune professionals’ bodies
fished out of river
Pune, November 7 “We have found the missing vehicle along with the
bodies of three persons from the Neera river today. Prima facie, it
could have been an accident but further investigations are on," an
official of Rajgad police station, around 30 km from here, said. The
bodies were identified as those of Shruti Chandwani (26), Pranav Lele (30) and Sahil
Qureshi. On Wednesday evening, the police recovered the body of their
colleague, Chintan C. Buch (26), from near the river bank. The police
said it was not clear how Buch did not drown in the river when the car
sank in it. He was travelling with his three colleagues from Pune. —
IANS
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MP Cong leader commits suicide Poll expenditure
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Dehradun, November 7
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Abohar, November 7
