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SC: Corrupt employees deserve
BJP looks to strengthen base in Punjab with ticket to Jaitley
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Devyani incident extremely irksome, time to close it: Khurshid
New Delhi, March 16 
Terming the Khobragade episode “extremely irksome”, External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid today said it was time there should be a “closure” to the issue for which the US should find a “political solution”.
Asserting that there were “practical considerations” and India cannot look unconcerned when something like this happens, he said the court by rejecting the first indictment had given an opportunity to the US administration to put it behind and questioned why they were not doing
so.
Tiwari names son Rohit his political heir
India, China to discuss high-speed rail tracks
Faced with tough polls, Cong eyes new vote bank
Elderly couple burnt alive in Thane building blaze
Nation’s tallest temple project gets going
Asaram case witness hurt in acid attack
Clarify stand on Assam problems: Students’ body to parties
Maoist couple held in Bastar
Alagiri ‘mulls’ new party
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SC: Corrupt employees deserve only dismissal
New Delhi, March 16 The conductor, Bajrang Lal, had not issued tickets to 10 passengers despite collecting the fare from them in February 1988. The disciplinary authority dismissed him from service in August 1988, but
the trial court set aside the order. The RSRTC came to the Supreme Court after
its appeal was dismissed by the high court in January 2003. Citing an earlier apex court ruling, the Bench said that any sympathy shown in such cases was totally uncalled for and against public interest. The amount misappropriated might be small, but what was relevant was the act of corruption. In view of this, the conductor’s contention that the punishment of removal was disproportionate to the delinquency was not worth acceptance, the Supreme Court ruled. “As a result, the appeal succeeds and is allowed. The judgments of the courts below are set
aside and the order of removal from service passed by the disciplinary authority is restored,”
the Bench ruled in a March 14 verdict.
Timeline
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BJP looks to strengthen base in Punjab with ticket to Jaitley
Making an electoral debut despite having been in politics for more than four decades, Jaitley today talked about family ties with the holy city, its food and also the sitting MP Navjot Sidhu, whom he replaced, in his blog "My candidature in Amritsar". "I could not have imagined replacing him (Sidhu). For the last few days he started insisting that I should go to Amritsar to contest elections. I kept requesting him to contest from Amritsar or any other constituencies including Kurukshetra and West Delhi. The party president reiterated this request. Gracious as he is he made it clear that he was not looking for any personal or political position or gains. His grace and dignity reflected the behavior which is a lesson for many of us in politics," Jaitley said. The April-30 Amritsar election is Jaitley's first step into a electoral politics and he explains why. "Whether as a minister, a party General secretary or as Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, I was always expected to assist the party in selection campaigns. Since I used to be in the business of organising elections, I never got a chance to contest one," he says. With Jaitley in Amritsar the local BJP and Akali Dal leadership will stand united behind him. Apart from this, starved of big names in the region the tactical move is also the BJP's way to resolve the leadership issues in the region, sources explain. After Sidhu had openly pitched himself against the Akali Dal-led Punjab government, of which the BJP is a part, there was a big question mark on his candidature from Amritsar. Adding to his woes were differences with the local leadership, which left the party with no other way but replace him. The demand by the local leadership that Jaitley be given the Amritsar ticket was obviously aimed at easing out Sidhu from the scene. Jaitley's name gave Sidhu a graceful exit. The bottom line of various statements he made yesterday was that it had to be either Amritsar or nothing for him and also that he would not mind if Jaitley contested from the constituency. Having been a star campaigner and among the few big Sikh names that the BJP can boast of, the party will try to accommodate Sidhu. Sources say he could be sent to the Parliament via the Rajya Sabha route.
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Devyani incident extremely irksome, time to close it: Khurshid
New Delhi, March 16 Asserting that there were “practical considerations” and India cannot look unconcerned when something like this happens, he said the court by rejecting the first indictment had given an opportunity to the US administration to put it behind and questioned why they were not doing
so. “What has happened is wrong and it should not be taken any further, nevertheless this should not impact our larger relationship. But there are practical considerations. We cannot look unconcerned when something like this happens. We have to balance practical implications with our commitment to keep our relationship intact and in fact, enhance it,” he said. Khurshid was asked for his reaction to US prosecutors re-indicting senior Indian diplomat Devyani Khobragade on visa-fraud charge and accused her of “illegally” underpaying and “exploiting” her maid. The second indictment, yesterday, came a day after a US court dismissed an earlier
indictment. Referring to his meeting with his US counterpart John Kerry on the issue, he said, “We have already agreed that officials from both sides will meet to look into issue of immunity and privileges so that in future there is no trouble. When you are looking at no trouble in future, an ideal thing would be to put a closure to what has happened.” Khurshid said India was convinced that there were no justified ground for what they had done. Yesterday, the MEA had expressed disappointment over an “unnecessary” step of second indictment and asserted any measure consequent to the decision would “unfortunately” impact efforts on both sides to build India-US strategic partnership. A 1999-batch IFS officer, Khobragade was arrested in New York on December 12 and was strip-searched, triggering a row between the two countries with India retaliating by downgrading certain privileges of US diplomats among other steps. She was released on a $250,000 bond, and was
later granted diplomatic immunity. — PTI
The case
A 1999-batch IFS officer, Devyani Khobragade was arrested in New York on December 12 and was
strip-searched, triggering a row between the two countries with India retaliating by downgrading
privileges of certain categories of US diplomats among other steps She was released on a $250,000 bond, and was later granted full diplomatic immunity
n She flew back to India on January 10.
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Tiwari names son Rohit his political heir
New Delhi, March 16 As first reported by The Tribune in these columns yesterday, Tiwari, former Uttarakhand Chief Minister, has decided to launch Rohit in politics from the Nainital Lok Sabha constituency in the upcoming elections. Interacting with The Tribune followed by a signed note today, Tiwari named his son Rohit “his political heir”. Asked what kept him from acknowledging Rohit for years considering the latter had been fighting a paternity suit for legal rights as a son since 2006, Tiwari said: “I was a victim of conspiracy by my near and dear ones. In all these years of public life I have seen many highs and lows. I have been on so many sedatives for so long. I was weak. These reasons led to delays in resolving issues with Rohit.” Tiwari said he wanted to heal the wounds he had unintentionally caused his son. And what best gift can a politician give to his son but his political legacy. “You know my son Rohit has suffered untold mental trauma. I want to clarify once and for all that he is my political inheritor. I am a proponent of democratic socialism and of dynastic politics. There is nothing wrong if a father thinks his son can carry on his development agenda,” Tiwari said today. He has now decided to tour Nainital (a segment has represented in the past) for 10 days starting March 21 to ask voters if they would accept Rohit Shekhar’s nomination in elections instead of Tiwari himself. While political observers say Tiwari has found a smart way to revive his dead political career, tainted by years of paternity suit, the former Andhra Governor says a father has a right to name and promote his son. “My supporters in Nainital have been asking me to contest elections but I have told them that it would be difficult for me on account of age. I will ask them what they want and if they will back Rohit,” Tiwari said nominating his long time OSD Bhavani Dutt Bhatt as political advisor to his son. Back in Delhi when The Tribune contacted Rohit Shekhar, he sounded overwhelmed. “I have always said I would do whatever my father wants me to do. The question has always been one of trust and affection. Now that he has named me his political heir, I will stand by him in all his decisions.”
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India, China to discuss high-speed rail tracks
Beijing, March 16 Five working groups covering different areas are finalising the details for the high-level economic and trade dialogue between the two countries. Besides attending SED, Ahluwalia would call on Chinese Premier Li Keqiang on March 19. The Chinese delegation will be headed by Chairman of the National Reforms Development Commission (NDRC) Xu Shaoshi. The working groups covered areas such as infrastructure, mainly the railways and operationalise the agreement for service centres to be set up in India for Chinese power equipment, environment and resources protection, water management and policy coordination, collaboration on planning and urbanisation, cooperation in high technology including the IT sector. Officials said the working group on infrastructure focussed discussions to work out collaboration in strengthening the existing tracks in India to increase speed of the trains, official sources told PTI. They said talks would be centered on high-speed tracks, not high-speed trains in which China has developed expertise in recent years. The two sides would also discuss collaboration in heavy haul of rail stock and redevelopment of the railway stations. Present global economic situation, cooperation in international monetary and financial systems, global commodity markets, sustainable development and climate change would also figure in the discussion.
— PTI
Fast-forward
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Faced with tough polls, Cong eyes new vote bank
New Delhi, March 16 The Congress leaders have also been instructed to target the state-specific segments. These include salt pan workers of Gujarat, which BJP’s PM candidate Narendra Modi leads and the famed “dabbawallas” of
Maharashtra, where the Congress faces a challenge from the NDA with the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena on its
side. AICC general secretary in-charge of organisation Janardan Dwivedi has issued the list to all state Congress presidents, Congress Legislature Party leaders, AICC general secretaries and secretaries, heads of Congress frontal organisations and heads of AICC departments asking them to woo the groups. The instruction note (The Tribune has accessed) says, “Party vice-president Rahul Gandhi had raised important issues in the January 17 AICC session and one of the tasks was to reach out to certain target groups with a sizeable number in our society but ones for whom political parties and governments have nor cared so far….It is essential that campaign message of the party reaches these groups …you are requested that during the election campaign, party men and candidates get in touch with these sections to seek their full support for the party.” Congress’ all-powerful election coordination centre (formerly the war room) is to communicate with state leaders on the issue. The move to list out these sections which fall between the below poverty line
(BPL) and the middle class is part of Rahul’s overall strategy to present Congress as a viable alternative to voters it has traditionally not appealed to. Rahul has been talking of uplifting 70 crore people to the middle class in five years if voted to power. Personally too he has been meeting hawkers, labour representatives, fisher men, etc in separate interactions across India. But an insightfully drafted list of sections is a sign of how the grand old party is evolving by using new ways of canvassing to beat dismal projections by opinion polls which Rahul yesterday slammed as “jokes”. “To facilitate your effort a list of sections to be reached is being enclosed,” Janardan Dwivedi has accordingly said in his instruction to leaders signaling Congress’ seriousness to reach out to categories no party is currently wooing. Aam Aadmi Party has mainly shaken Congress’ dalit and “common man” support base (as Delhi elections showed). The BJP has been targeting urban middle class voters. New target:
Domestic workers, manual scavengers, vegetable market workers, construction workers, agricultural workers, bus drivers, conductors, truck and lorry drivers and cleaners, taxi, autorickshaw, cycle drivers, dabbawalas, fisher folk, handloom workers, weavers, plantation workers, tea, rubber, coffee, tobacco workers, dhaba workers, insurance agents, carpenters, masons and plumbers; mechanics, ASHA and angwnwari workers, cooperative employees, forest workers, security guards, salt pan workers of Gujarat, hawkers, home based workers, retail shop helpers, lower level office staff, mining and factory workers and bidi workers.
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YSR Cong fields ex-babu against TDP chief Naidu
Hyderabad, March 16 Chandramouli, a 1990 batch IAS officer, superannuated in 2013 but was appointed Director General of the Centre for Development Studies (CDS) which is part of the Andhra Pradesh Academy of Rural Development. After being offered the party ticket by
YSRCP, the civil servant, who belongs to a backward class community, quit his job last week and is gearing up to take the electoral plunge. The decision to field an IAS officer from Kuppam is seen as a clever move by YSRCP to storm the stronghold of Telugu Desam Party president for over 25 years. Naidu is a five-term MLA from this constituency. Despite playing a key role in national politics in the United Front and NDA governments from 1996 to 2004, Naidu took care to nurse his constituency in the Rayalaseema region and has been winning elections, bagging an average of over 65 per cent of the vote. In the 2009 elections, Naidu won the seat by a margin of 43,886 votes, the highest-ever victory margin in
Kuppam. However, the YSRCP, which is seen as a dominant player in Rayalaseema and coastal Andhra regions, jointly referred to as
Seemandhra, decided to take the battle to its main rival’s camp.
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Elderly couple burnt alive in Thane building blaze
Mumbai/Thane, March 16 The deceased have been identified as Shivajirao Chougule (84) and his wife Nirmala (78). Their daughter and grandson were trapped for nearly two hours on the ledge outside the balcony. The mother-son duo had to be taken out through the staircase as the specialised “snorkel ladders” of the Fire Brigade could not reach up to the spot where they were stranded. The fire started probably because of a short-circuit, fire brigade sources said. Couple’s daughter Ranjana Save and her 16-year-old son Vikramaditya, who lived in the adjacent flat (which too was engulfed in flames and smoke), were trapped as they climbed on the ledge. The fire brigade's truck-mounted ladder could not be manoeuvred properly because of the cars parked in the parking lot and the surrounding trees, and could not reach the spot. Finally, six firemen entered the flat through stairs and rescued them. Both were admitted to a private hospital.
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Nation’s tallest temple project gets going
Vrindavan, March 16 The project will cost more than Rs 300 crore and ISKCON hopes to conclude the construction within five years. Calling it a historic moment for
Mathura-Vrindavan, Yadav said the project exemplified the goodness of religion. "This is a historic moment coinciding with Holi which inspires us to spread love and happiness. India is known for its culture, plurality and is home to numerous religions. "A moment like this underlines our rich heritage and must encourage all to promote spiritualism," said Yadav in his brief address. He later gave away citations to the founder patrons of the temple. He also promised to extend support to the project. The project was first conceived by the devotees of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness
(ISKCON) Bangalore. — PTI
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Asaram case witness hurt in acid attack
Surat, March 16 "The victim has been identified as Dinesh Bhavchandani (39) who has given a statement against Asaram in the case," said the officer. "The incident took place when Bhavchandani was riding to his house near Vesu Royal Residency. Two men on a bike overtook him and threw acid," she said. He was taken to a private hospital. Asked about police protection for the witnesses, the DCP said: "Most witnesses are given police protection, but these three victims had refused it." A
Surat-based woman has accused Asaram of repeated rapes and illegal confinement between 1997 and 2006 when she was living at his ashram on the outskirts of
Ahmedabad. Her younger sister has lodged a similar complaint against Narayan
Sai. — PTI
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Clarify stand on Assam problems: Students’ body to parties
Guwahati, March 16 AAAU adviser Dr Samujjal Bhattacharrya said political parties were in the habit of making tall promises before people of Assam in the run up to every election, but it was time for them to state their clear-cut policy and action plan for resolution of burning problems of the State. The AASU leader asked political parties to speak out their action plan to solve the problem of illegal migration from Bangladesh which is posing threat to the identity of indigenous people in the state and sealing of the India-Bangladesh border to stop infiltration across it.
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Maoist couple held in Bastar
Raipur, March 16 The arrested couple have been identified as Ganga alias Vikas Podyami (25) and his wife Samlo (22), residents of Nelnad region of Narayanpur district. Acting on a tip-off, the cadres of Nelnad Dalam of Maoists were nabbed from Parapur village under the Lohandiguda police station limits, a senior police official told PTI. "Based on inputs about the presence of these two suspects near Parapur, a team of local police was mobilised. On seeing the security personnel, they tried to flee from the spot, but were chased and arrested," he said. A tiffin bomb and Naxal literature were recovered from the bags, he said.
— PTI
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Alagiri ‘mulls’ new party
Madurai, March 16 The wall posters put up by Alagiri's suspected supporters among other places in Jeeva Nagar near his house declared that "Kalaingar DMK is ready" and described the sulking leader as the General Secretary. "Our party... Our flag... is ready let us face the Lok Sabha election," read the posters, which surfaced a day ahead of Alagiri's proposed meeting with his followers. The suspension of Alagiri, elder son of DMK President M Karunanidhi and DMK South Zone Organising Secretary, was the culmination of events. Alagiri, sulking after being denied a ticket to contest the Lok Sabha polls, had last week met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, BJP chief Rajnath Singh and superstar Rajnikanth, triggering speculation about his future plans.
— PTI
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The Supreme Court has ruled that dismissal from service was the sole punishment that could be handed out to corrupt employees.
“The only punishment in a proven case of corruption is dismissal from service,” a Bench comprising Justices BS Chauhan and J Chelameswar held while upholding the removal of a conductor by the Rajasthan State Road Transport Corporation (RSRTC).
New Delhi, March 16
