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Prove charges or quit, Sibal tells Kejri
Cong shifts focus to 85 SC parliamentary seats
137 Cong aspirants for 10 Haryana LS seats
muzaffarnagar mayhem |
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Indian Science Congress opens in Jammu tomorrow
Law panel discusses steps to decriminalise politics
Coast Guard wary of small boats
Cong, NCP lock horns over seat sharing
Modi in Meerut today to woo Gujjars and Jats
Modi sowing seeds of poison: Sonia
Security pours cold water on Modi’s tea meetings
Remote areas to get advice from medical experts
N-E students demand justice for Nido
Lookout notice issued against Yash Birla in cheating case
chopper scam
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Prove charges or quit, Sibal tells Kejri
“I was surprised that a person who is holding the post of Chief Minister has levelled an allegation against me. His intentions appear to be malafide, otherwise he would not have levelled such baseless allegations. “I am surprised that he dubbed me as corrupt. I give him two days to hand me the proof of my corruption otherwise he should resign from his position,” Sibal told reporters here. The Law Minister said that if Kejriwal is able to prove his allegations, then he would resign as a union minister and also quit politics. “I have already warned him and I say it today also. No one has so far made allegations against me about my public life. There are no complaints against me. There are no FIRs. If he is able to prove that I have been convicted by a court in a corruption case, I will not only resign as minister, but also quit active politics,” he said. — PTI AAP’s ‘corrupt list’ cheap publicity: BJP
Bangalore: Slamming the AAP for its list of "corrupt leaders", senior BJP leader Venkaiah Naidu on Saturday said it was "cheap publicity" and questioned the moral right of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in including BJP president Rajnath Singh and senior leader Nitin Gadkari in it. "The day AAP formed the government with the Congress help (in Delhi), they have lost their moral compass and therefore they don't have any right to raise fingers against others," he told reporters at "Chaaiwala my PM" campaign here.
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Cong shifts focus to 85 SC parliamentary seats
New Delhi, February 1 For the first time, the Scheduled Caste cell of the Congress has initiated an intensive exercise to find the best candidates to be fielded in the 29 Dalit Lok Sabha segments which the party had lost by narrow margins in the 2009 General Election. Out of 85 reserved constituencies in the Lok Sabha, Congress currently holds the maximum -35 - and is working hard to tap into the remaining. The SC cell has sought inputs for candidature in the forthcoming LS polls from grass-root level workers. Chief of the Cell K Raju, who works closely with Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi on Dalit matters, is personally supervising the exercise. Talking to The Tribune, Raju said, “We had won in 35 reserved LS segments in the last elections and in 29 we had lost by recoverable margins. We are concentrating hard on the ones we lost. With proper selection of candidates we can win these.” All over the country the dalit vote share is 22%. The Congress is particularly concerned with the 38% Dalits in Punjab who have over the years deserted it for other parties like the Akali Dal and the BSP. “In Punjab, we have a huge opportunity,” says Raju hoping good candidates are fielded in all reserved segments in the state. Out of four SC seats in Punjab, the Congress currently holds three (Jalandhar, Hoshiarpur and Fatehgarh Sahib). The move to woo Dalits follows the recent shocking losses the party suffered on Dalit vote count. Although Bahujan Samaj Party also lost the SC vote base significantly in Chhattisgarh, Delhi, MP and Rajasthan, where elections were held last year, the Congress fared equally poorly. Analysis of election results shows the BSP lost 1.8% Dalit vote share in Chhattisgarh, 4.2% in Rajasthan, 2.7% in MP but a huge 8.7% in Delhi. The Congress lost 3.8% Dalit vote share in Rajasthan and a whopping 15.8% in Delhi. In these four states, the party managed to bag only 6 out of 91 SC assembly segments as against 38 it had in 2008 when the previous state elections were conducted. “This is the first time Dalits have drifted away from us. The results were shocking in Delhi,” a Congress general secretary admits. Fresh strategy
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137 Cong aspirants for 10 Haryana LS seats
New Delhi, February 1 “We will have one more meeting to prune the list to three candidates per constituency. That list will be sent to the Central Election Committee headed by party president Sonia Gandhi,” said party leader Shakeel Ahmed. With the exception of Rohtak parliamentary constituency from where Deepender Hooda, the sitting MP and son of Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, is the sole applicant, all other LS seats in the state have invited several contestants, averaging 15 per constituency. At the screening committee meeting for Haryana chaired by PC Chacko, senior Congress leader from Kerala, the following three non-Congress seats were discussed - Gurgaon, from where former sitting MP of the Congress Rao Inderjit has switched over to the BJP; Hisar, currently held by Haryana Janhit Congress chief Kuldeep Bishnoi and; Ambala, which fell vacant recently after the Congress high command nominated sitting MP Selja to the Rajya Sabha. Selja will remain a Lok Sabha MP till the term of sitting RS members from the state expires on April 9. AICC sources said the names of Haryana ministers Aftab Ahmed, Capt Ajay Yadav as his son came up for discussion as probable candidates from the Gurgaon segment today.
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muzaffarnagar mayhem
Lucknow, February 1 All accused have been evading arrest for the past four months. Earlier, Muzaffarnagar Chief Judicial Magistrate Narender Kumar had initiated attachment proceedings against them. The court notices were put up at their homes as well as public places yesterday, asking them to surrender or their properties would be attached. The Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the communal violence in Muzaffarnagar and adjoining districts approached the court today, seeking non-bailable arrest warrants against another 25 absconding accused in connection with three murders at Lank village of the district. The police said Raisa, Tahir Waheed and Maherdeen had been killed by these accused during the riots. Three separate cases of murder, loot and burning of houses had been registered. Three of the accused have been arrested against whom the chargesheets have been filed in the court, while the remaining accused are yet to be traced. Nearly 60 persons were killed and more than 40,000 displaced in communal violence in Muzaffarnagar and adjoining areas in September last year. A total of 6,261 people have been named in 543 separate cases of communal violence that had left 63 dead and 50,000 homeless. The police said the investigating officer had added names of 162 people in the original list of accused after which the total number of accused has gone up to 6,423. Allegations against 683 have been found to be accurate and 242 people have been jailed. The police are on the lookout for others who are absconding, while 47 have surrendered so far. Riot victims are professional beggars: SP leader
Shravasti (Uttar Pradesh): Samajwadi Party leader Ateeq Ahmed today called riot victims languishing in the relief camps in Uttar Pradesh as professional beggars. "No, affected victims have been provided with relief. They have been given Rs 15 lakh and provided with jobs. But, the people being seen in the camps repeatedly are professional beggars who have settled themselves there," Ahmed said. However, Ahmed's remarks evoked strong criticism from other politicians.
— ANI
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Indian Science Congress opens in Jammu tomorrow
Jammu, February 1 Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will inaugurate the Congress on February 3, but will reach Jammu on Sunday afternoon. Additional police and paramilitary personnel have been deployed in and around the state’s winter capital in view of the movement of VIPs, VVIPs and foreign delegates. Security agencies were working in close coordination to keep the event “foolproof and incident-free” and Special Protection Group (SPG) personnel are camping on the varsity campus. The Science Congress, themed ‘Innovations in Science and Technology for Inclusive Development’ is being organised under the patronage of Governor NN Vohra, also the University of Jammu Chancellor, and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, also Pro-Chancellor. The Governor has shown keen interest in the event and is monitoring arrangements. “Multi-tier security arrangements are in place in Jammu city, particularly at the venue, and in peripheral areas. We have made additional deployment of security personnel and deputed PCR vans at strategic locations,” said Shakeel Ahmad Beig, Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of Police, Jammu-Kathua Range. The police officer said tight vigil was being maintained in border areas of the region. Regular frisking was being conducted and vehicles entering the city were being thoroughly checked. Former President Dr APJ Abdul Kalam, ISC president RC Sobti, ISC president-elect SB Nimse, Punjab Governor Shivraj Patil, Union Science and Technology Minister S Jaipal Reddy, Union Human Resources Development Minister MM Pallam Raju, Union Minister for New and Renewable Energy Farooq Abdullah and Union Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad would also attend the event. Vice-President Hamid Ansari would attend the valedictory function on February 7. The main attraction will be the science exhibition in which the Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO) will showcase models of Agni I, II and III and Light Combat Aircraft Tejas. State-of-the-art indigenously developed sub-systems and technologies that make them unique will be on display. Star aeronautical systems, including Airborne Early Warning & Control (AEW&C) aircraft, Pilotless Target Aircraft Lakshya, Nishant and Rustom Unmanned Air Vehicles and a host of aero subsystems will also be on display. Major sessions at the event will include Women Science Congress, Children Science Congress and Science Communicators Meet. There will be a special symposia on J&K ‘Science and Technology Imperatives and Opportunities for Sustainable Development of J&K’. The grassroot session on Rural Innovators would be inaugurated by the Prime Minister on Day 1. 7,000 delegates, 14 sessions
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Law panel discusses steps to decriminalise politics
New Delhi, February 1 The exercise is aimed to assist the commission to prepare a report on the two specific issues and submit it to the apex court. The next hearing in the case is scheduled on March 8. The commission invited over a 100 registered national and regional parties for consultations besides representatives of the Election Commission and legal experts for consultations. Commission Chairman Justice Ajit Prakash Shah (retd) said the panel was working on the issue of criminalisation of politics in the country and how to curtail it through laws. Addressing the gathering, former Chairman of Law Commission Justice BP Jeevan Reddy (retd) said all political parties field candidates with serious criminal cases and that the rate of success in electoral politics by candidates facing serious criminal charges was high than in the case of others. While the Law Ministry has proposed that a person against whom a court has framed charges for allegedly committing a crime carrying punishment of at least seven years should not be allowed to contest polls, the Election Commission has proposed before Supreme Court that any person charged with offences punishable with a jail term of five years or more should be barred. Under the present provision, candidates found guilty of concealing, failing to furnish information or providing false information in the election affidavit face six-month imprisonment and a fine. Electoral reforms
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Coast Guard wary of small boats
New Delhi, February 1 Coast Guard Director-General Vice Admiral Anurag G Thapliyal, while replying to a question at a press conference, if such boats posed a threat, yesterday said: "These boats, which have engines or can be operated with oars and are capable of mixing with fishing boats, are a threat". The Admiral said with the help of fishermen, who normally go out in groups, human intelligence was being improved to find the odd boat out. A pilot project for tracking of vessels less than 20 metres in length has also begun. The registration of fishermen had been completed and the data had been shared with different units of Coast Guards. The radio identification fingerprinting of the boats would take place and the prototype model is in place. Card readers were also being provided under a Ministry of Home Affairs project to monitor movement of the crafts, he added. This apart, the Coast Guard has already completed the first phase of the Coastal Security Scheme at a cost of nearly Rs. 600 crore. Under this 73 Marine Police Stations have been set up in the coastal areas and provided with personnel and boats.
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Cong, NCP lock horns over seat sharing
Mumbai, February 1 Sources said Chavan is determined to let the NCP get away with just 19 of the 48 Lok Sabha seats in the state. "The NCP has lost ground and the Congress has snatched several local bodies from it in the past three years. Seat-sharing in the Lok Sabha and Assembly elections should reflect these realities," Maharashtra Congress chief Manikrao Thakre said. Congress leaders point out that the NCP's performance even in the 2009 Lok Sabha elections was nothing much to write about. Sharad Pawar's outfit won just eight of the 22 seats it contested while, the Congress bagged 16 of the 26 seats it fielded candidates in. Still, the NCP is determined to contest 22 seats in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections as well. Party leader Sharad Pawar even went on to say that the NCP was willing to exchange some seats with the Congress to keep the national party happy, but the Congress put its foot down, say sources. The Congress leadership also told its regional ally that Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan was its pointsman
in Maharashtra.
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Modi in Meerut today to woo Gujjars and Jats New Delhi, February 1 Two, use the strategic location of Meerut to woo Jats and Gujjars not just in the 14 constituencies in the western UP region but also members of these communities in neighbouring Haryana and Delhi. Tomorrow’s rally will be the seventh and penultimate rally by Modi in Uttar Pradesh -- the state that holds the key to the saffron party’s 2014 plans. The grand finale will be in the state capital Lucknow on March 2. It is also expected that Satyapal Singh, the Mumbai police commissioner who resigned from his post recently, may make a formal entry into the party in Meerut. Sources say the IPS officer of the 1980 batch may contest from Baghpat, the traditional seat of close relative Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh. Satyapal belongs to Basauli in Meerut district. Of the 14 Lok Sabha seats that technically fall in the western UP region -- dominated and divided among Muslims, Jats and Gujjars -- the BJP currently holds only two Ghaziabad and Meerut. In 2009, the BJP contested the elections with the RLD. They left nine seats for Ajit Singh’s party out of which RLD won five -- Baghpat, Mathura, Amroha, Hathras and Bijnor -- but he joined the UPA in December 2011. This time, the BJP is going it alone on all the 80 seats in UP. Apart from Ajit Singh’s volte-face, the Muzaffarnagar violence has shifted the Jats into an anti-Congress and anti-SP segment. This has added to the BJP’s confidence. This is one reason why the BJP has turned down Ajit Singh’s overtures for a pre-poll tie-up. Sources say that after the visible anti-Congress sentiments among Jat voters in western UP, Ajit Singh wanted to return to the BJP’s side and sought an alliance on fewer seats than what the saffron party had left for him in 2009.
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Modi sowing seeds of poison: Sonia
Addressing a rally here, the Congress chief alleged that BJP and other parties "have only one motive and that is to hanker after power". "I am of the firm belief that you will not allow those who sow the seeds of poison, indulge in divisive politics, do not believe in secular principles and play politics of inciting violence to BJP reacted sharply to Gandhi's remarks, with party spokesperson Rajiv Pratap Rudy saying that Congress will meet in 2014 the same fate as the drubbing it got in 2007 in Gujarat after her 'maut ka saudagar' (merchent of death) remarks against Narendra Modi. In an apparent reference to Modi, Gandhi said "those who are busy beating their own drums continuously, I want to ask you whether they will do good to the nation. No, not at all. Their only aim is to capture power and to achieve it they will resort to all sorts of conspiracies. You have to wary of these people and understand their intentions." Her remarks came as she made reference to Hyderabad- Karnataka region in the northern part of the state as land of "Sufism" which symbolised composite culture. The Congress President also said that while the opposition craved for power, her party was concerned about the country and its people. "...it is necessary for the people to be cautious about the opposition parties plans to gain power by any means and hatching conspiracies," Gandhi said. "We are also concerned about the removal of poverty and bringing self-respect to the poor. We are concerned about fostering brotherhood and maintaining peace in society. Therefore, we are in a position to speed up development." Gandhi said Congress was engaged in fighting corruption and therefore the party brought into force the Right to Information Act and Lok Pal Act.
— PTI
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Security pours cold water on Modi’s tea meetings
Ahmedabad, February 1 The project was scheduled to be launched today from a common tea shop in Gandhinagar where Modi was supposed to be present as an “ordinary citizen” and discuss politics and economics with the people present there. The interaction was scheduled to be telecast live on giant screens installed at about 100 locations across the country. But his Z-plus security came in the way. The police informed Modi that it would not be possible for security personnel to ensure his safety if he appeared in public and freely mingled with the common man unless closed enclosures were created and admissions restricted to stringent security checks. Realising that such restrictions would defeat the very purpose of the “chai chaupal”, Modi decided to cancel the project “for the time being.” A BJP spokesman, however, claimed that the “chai chaupal” still remains high on the BJP agenda and soon it would come out with a revised programme in consultation with security agencies. The “chai chaupal” project to win over a large chunk of ordinary voters through discussions with people over a cup of tea was conceived after some Congress leaders dubbed Modi as a “tea vendor” and raised doubts about his competence to become the Prime Minister.
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Remote areas to get advice from medical experts
Chandigarh, February 1 This would enable a medical officer at a remote location to refer the patient’s vital parameters, diagnosis, reports and other relevant records to specialists and seek an expert opinion through the process of telemedicine that is being adopted by the larger hospitals. The existing Air Force Net (AFNET), the IAF’s own dedicated, fully secure digital data communication network, would be used for the telemedicine project and would have adequate security provisions to permit transmission of classified documents. A recent report by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) had revealed that while there was an overall deficiency of 14 per cent in the authorised strength of specialists in the Armed Forces Medical Services, the strength of medical officers in air force hospitals is deficient by 25 per cent. Besides pointing out a high attrition rate --- 250 specialists in five years, most of them on account of supersession --- CAG had also highlighted serious shortages of medical equipment at many service hospitals. Besides audio video-conferencing, the telemedicine network would be integrated with medical devices that would be able to capture and transmit information from temperature and blood pressure measuring devices, stethoscope, EGC and ENT instruments, ultrasound, general cameras and other examination and diagnostic tools. The system would also have information management and storage tools. IAF stations to be interlinked with hospitals
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India Art Fair: Enthusiasts make the most of weekend
New Delhi, February 1 A man runs a spot-the-colour contest for a daughter. The uninitiated listen with rapt attention as a young art scholar provides them a peep into celebrated artist Subodh Gupta’s preoccupation with his muse that is cast vessels. And Chandigarh’s rich and famous stop by at
Illustrati signature line of Raseel Gujral, daughter of artist Satish Gujral. Raseel might call her art that also manifests by way of a furniture line “a high voltage electric shock wholly irreverent among a show of reverence”, the atmosphere on the weekend is “electrifying”. The enthusiasm is not confined to merely taking pictures. At Villa Arte Galleries’ booth, enquiries by four collectors are on for David Datuna’s work part of series Viewpoints of Millions priced at Rs 65 lakh. The artist who works with iconic flags has come with a “spectacled” vision of India using spectacles, image of Indian flag and newspaper clippings to present a kaleidoscope of memory and perception. At the same booth from Spain, the photographic works of Jean Francoise Rauzier achieved through hypophotography elicit equal attention. At Maskara Gallery, one of the few galleries that have curated the works of its artists around a theme, artist Shine Shivan shares how his taxidermy work has been picked up by a Coimbatore museum for Rs 20 lakh. International artist Jayne Dyer exhibited by more than one gallery, too, is happy that her large mural has gone. Those who can’t afford artworks are content with buying books on contemporary art. And real academicians turn up at The Speakers Forum where they catch renowned photographer Dayanita Singh and filmmaker Amar Kanwar in conversation with Chris Decron, director Tate Modern. No art grows out of vacuum. Why else would so many works be dedicated to Gandhi including an arresting image in blue by Hyung Koo Kang. Why else would Vallay Shende pay homage to marginalised working classes by taking their photographs and transforming those images. Whatever might be the inspiration for artistic impulses, the connection between the works of nearly 1,000 artists and viewers is more than evident.
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N-E students demand justice for Nido
New Delhi, February 1 A senior police officer said post-mortem of the deceased, Nido Tania, was conducted at AIIMS. “The post-mortem report and the viscera toxicology report will be given to us within a week. After receiving the reports, the cause of his death will become clear. The CBI forensic laboratory will give the report,” said the officer. The officer said three men, including one, Farhan, who is a shopkeeper, have been detained in the case. Nido allegedly had a fight with Farhan and other shopkeepers. His father, Nido Pavitra, is an MLA from Arunachal Pradesh. The police have registered a case of murder and under the sections of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities Act) after Tania’s death. Communities belonging to Northeast students today held a protest outside the Lajpat Nagar police station. They met Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal and demanded an ‘immediate and appropriate action against the assailants (of Tania)’. They also want a special team of investigators who will apprise the Northeast representatives with the progress made in the case. Another demand of the student communities is the suspension of the policemen who allegedly brought Tania to the same spot in Lajpat Nagar, where he was beaten by shopkeepers. “We are looking into the allegations of the second beating. But there are no eyewitnesses to it,” said investigators. The student communities and AP government officials also met the Delhi Police. The officials who were present for the meeting are KN Damo, Deputy Resident Commissioner of Arunachal Pradesh and GD Baruah, Additional Personal Secretary to the Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister. “We want to know why the police didn’t conduct his (Tania) medical examination after he was beaten by the shopkeepers. We are also awaiting the post-mortem report to know the details of his death,” said Baruah.
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Lookout notice issued against Yash Birla in cheating case
The case was first reported on December 31, 2013, when the Marine Drive police registered a cheating case against Birla Power Solutions Pvt Ltd for allegedly duping a Worli-based businessman of Rs 1 crore by not repaying his fixed deposit investment on maturity. The case was later transferred to the EOW. So far, 28 investors have approached the EOW, saying they have been cheated of a total of Rs 20 crore. The police have already arrested Birla Power's former MDPVR Murthi in the case. The lookout notice is a circular sent at all immigration checks at international borders (such as international airports or sea ports) and as soon as the person is spotted, the authorities concerned are notified. Birla could not be contacted for comment.
— PTI
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Middleman had plans to target Sonia to bag deal
New Delhi, February 1 It has come to light that Christian Michel-- alleged to be the main middleman involved in the chopper scam -- had sent a fax to one of his contacts, who was allegedly working with AgustaWestland's India office, in this regard, official sources said quoting the document recovered by Italian police authorities and produced before the court there in early January. — PTI
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Kolkata Kohima Agra Shillong
New Delhi
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New Delhi, February 1
Gulbarga (Karna), February 1
Mumbai, February 1
