The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

	Modi promises to tackle global challenges Ashok Tuteja Tribune News Service New Delhi, May 20 Giving a glimpse of the country’s foreign policy under his leadership, Prime Minister-designate Narendra Modi has said that he would squarely address various global issues confronting the nation now that the BJP-led NDA had been given a clear mandate by the people. In a telephonic conversation with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Modi, who takes oath as the Prime Minister on May 26, also expressed his determination to strengthen India’s strategic partnership with Tokyo. “Japan has made a significant contribution to the development of India. I would like to address my deep gratitude to the Japanese people and the Japanese government,” he told Abe, considered a great friend of India. Based on Gujarat experience, one can safely conclude that Japan has a special place in Modi’s heart. He has visited Japan more than once as a chief minister. Gujarat’s Vibrant Business Summit was partnered by Japan as a country. In fact, Japan has invested hugely in various projects in the state in recent years. US: Ready to work closely with Modi Asserting that its friendship with India is "absolutely vital", the US on Tuesday said it is ready to work "closely" with the Narendra Modi-led new government to strengthen strategic ties and security.
	PMO changes Twitter handle, BJP flays act New Delhi, May 20 The PMO on Tuesday changed the Twitter handle of the PMO — two days before BJP leader Narendra Modi takes oath as the next prime minister, provoking the BJP to term it an “ungraceful and unethical” move by the outgoing establishment. The Twitter handle, @PMOIndia, begun during the tenure of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, was changed to @PMOIndiaArchive on Tuesday. Arvind Gupta, the head of the Bharatiya Janata Party IT Cell, posted his indignation: “By renaming @PMOIndia, it showed the world for a while India didn’t have a PM’s office, that there was lack in continuity.” “The process of transition of the PMO Twitter account has been ungraceful and unethical on part of the current establishment,” he wrote. “Continuity in governance and all government assets is the hallmark of the Indian Constitution. The twitter account of PMO is a national asset,” he added. The prime minister’s communications adviser Pankaj Pachauri, in a tweet, posted an advisory: “All our official communications are being archived according to the RTI Act. Copyrights and control remain with the office.” “The PMO is in touch with the Twitter office. We are surrendering the official account,” an official said. — IANS
	Cong-appointed Guvs first hurdle for NDA Ajay Banerjee Tribune News Service New Delhi, May 20 To remove Congress-appointed Governors or allow them to continue is the first administrative question the newly elected BJP-led National Democratic Alliance faces. In the past, Governors were removed when power changed hands at the Centre. However, things changed in May 2010 when a five-judge Supreme Court Constitution Bench headed by then Chief Justice KG Balakrishnan held that a Governor cannot be replaced with the change of government. It made it clear that a Governor could be changed only under “compelling” reasons for proven misconduct or other irregularities. The Supreme Court directions had come on a petition filed by Uttar Pradesh ex-DGP and BJP MP BP Singhal (Rajya Sabha 1998-2004). Brother of Vishwa Hindu Parishad’s Ashok Singhal, BP Singhal had filed a PIL in 2004 challenging the removal of Governors of Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Haryana and Orissa by the previous UPA government. The UPA had in its first term removed Vishnu Kant Shastri, Babu Parmanand, Kailashpati Mishra and Kidarnath Sahni from their gubernatorial posts in Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Gujarat and Goa, respectively. Shivraj Patil, currently Punjab Governor and Administrator of Chandigarh, was the Union Home Minister under whom the sacking of Governors was ordered in 2004. Singhal’s PIL had contended that the President could not have removed the Governors of four states on the advice of the Centre, disregarding the Constitutional provision that fixed a five-year term for them under Article 156 of the Constitution. Besides Chief Justice Balakrishna, the Constitution Bench comprised Justices SH Kapadia, RV Raveendran, B Sudershan Reddy and P Sathasivam and gave a unanimous verdict in favour of Singhal. The apex court disapproved the practice of replacing Governors after a new government comes to power at the Centre, saying Governors cannot be changed in an arbitrary and capricious manner. The Governor cannot be removed merely because they are “not in sync” with the party in power. The Congress-led Centre had contended that the conflict of Governor’s view with national policy could invite his/her removal from office by cutting short the five-year tenure and argued if a particular party was voted to power with a particular socio-economic agenda, Governors cannot say they do not agree with that. After the Supreme Court verdict, officialdom is expected to remind the BJP of the verdict that came on a petition filed by its MP. Existing Governors can choose to resign if they want. In case they decide to dig in their heels, it will be a tough call for the BJP to take. In 2004, the Congress did not remove all Governors. Madan Lal Khurana continued for some five months before resigning on his own. What the SC said Till 2010, Governors were removed when power changed hands at the Centre Things changed when a five-judge SC Constitution Bench held that a Governor cannot be replaced in an arbitrary and capricious manner It made it clear that a Governor could be changed only under "compelling" reasons for proven misconduct or other irregularities Existing Governors can choose to resign, but if they dig in their heels, it will be a tough call for the BJP to take
	AAP open to form govt, asks LG not to dissolve Delhi Assembly New Delhi, May 20 Aam Aadmi Party leader Arvind Kejriwal today asked Lt Governor Najeeb Jung not to dissolve the Delhi Assembly anytime soon, saying it will hold public meetings across the city to know whether the party should form the government again. In a meeting, Kejriwal told Jung that the party was deliberating on whether it should form the government. Kejriwal also handed over a letter to Jung in which he said AAP would hold series of public meetings to ascertain people’s views on the issue, top sources told PTI. The AAP leader’s change of stand came five days after the party drew a blank in Lok Sabha polls in Delhi. Following AAP’s dismal performance, a majority of AAP MLAs had favoured formation of the government by the party again with support of Congress. A senior AAP leader said the party was planning to hold “referendum” in the city in the next few days to know people’s views on the issue. After quitting government on February 14, Kejriwal and his council of ministers had recommended immediate dissolution of the Assembly to pave way for fresh elections. As Jung did not dissolve the assembly, the party had even filed a petition in the Supreme Court against the Lt Governor’s decision. Hours after Kejriwal’s meeting with Jung, Congress ruled out extending support to AAP again if it tries to return to power and said it would prefer fresh polls. DPCC chief Arvinder Singh Lovely said under no circumstances the Congress would extend support to AAP to form government and the party would prefer fresh assembly elections. — PTI Won’t back AAP again: Cong The Delhi Congress on Tuesday ruled out extending support to the party if it tries to return to power. DPCC chief Arvinder Singh Lovely said that under no circumstances would the Congress extend support to the AAP to form government The party would prefer fresh assembly elections to backing Kejriwal who “betrayed” the people of Delhi by quitting power in February, he said
	Girls outshine boys in Class X CBSE exams Bipin Bhardwaj Tribune News Service Panchkula, May 20 Girls yet again outshone boys in the Class X examinations results which were declared by the regional centre of Central Board of School Education (CBSE) here today. In four states of Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir and the union territory of Chandigarh falling under the CBSE, Panchkula region, as many as 1,93,830 students appeared in examination held in March-April 2014. The pass percentage was 99.49 against last year’s pass percentage of 99.45, a marginal rise of .04 per cent. The number of students appeared in the Class X examination this year was 13,559 higher than the number of students (1,80, 271) who appeared in the examination last years. RJ Khanderao, Regional Officer of the CBSE, said 1,19,665 boys appeared in the examination out of which 1,18,947 cleared the examinations. The pass percentage of the boys was 99.40. Out of 74,165 girls that appeared in the exam, 73,888 cleared the exam and the pass percentage was 99.63. Khanderao said the CBSE this time evaluated all five papers by an on screen marking process. The pass percentage of government school and government-aided schools of boys and girls was 98.98 per cent and 99.33 per cent, respectively. In independent private schools, the percentage of boys and girls was 99.47 and 99.72, respectively. In Central Tibetan schools this percentage of boys and girls was 90.47 and 94.44, respectively. The pass percentage of boys and girls in Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya (JNV) was 99.72 and 99.63, respectively, while in Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan (KVS) this ratio among boys and girls was 99.29 per cent and 99.11 per cent, respectively. Thiruvanathapuram records best results The Thiruvanathapuram region recorded the best results with girls achieving 100 pc score and boys there left behind by 0.06 pc — together making a total of 99.96 pass percentage The Guwahati region scored the lowest pass score 92.63 pc and Delhi remained second from the bottom with 98.31 pc –a slump from last year’s 98.4 pc
	MP Lokayukta unearths illegal assets of officer Bhopal, May 20 The Madhya Pradesh Lokayukta Police today raided the official residence and other premises of State Joint Director, Industries, RC Kuriel in two cities and unearthed details of immovable properties worth crores, disproportionate to his known sources of income. Acting on a tip-off, the raid was carried out simultaneously at Kuriel’s official residence in Anna Nagar at Bhopal and his private house in Jabalpur district, by a team of Lokayukta officials from the city, Lokayukta’s Deputy Superintendent of Police SP Chouhan told PTI. — PTI
	Manjhi sworn in as Bihar CM; trust vote on May 23 PATNA, May 20 Jitan Ram Manjhi, a 'mahadalit' and once a clerk in the Posts and Telegraph department and who had stints as a minister in Congress, RJD and JD(U) governments since 1980, was today sworn in as the 32nd Chief Minister of Bihar. Governor DY Patil, who administered the oath to Manjhi, handpicked by outgoing CM Nitish Kumar, and 17 ministers at a function at Raj Bhawan, directed the new government to seek a trust vote on the floor of the House on May 23. The new Cabinet comprised all ministers of the Nitish Kumar government. Vijay Chaudhary was the first to take oath after Manjhi. Vijendra Prasad Yadav, Narendra Singh, Brishen Patel, Ramai Ram and Bhim Singh followed. The Cabinet has one woman member, Lessi Singh and a Muslim, Shahid Ali Khan. Two Independents Dulal Chand Goswami and Binay Bihari were rewarded for supporting the government after it became a minority following parting of ways with the BJP. Prime Minister-elect Narendra Modi tweeted "Congratulations to Shri Jitan Ram Manjhi on taking over as Bihar Chief Minister ... I wish him the very best and assure our support in development of Bihar." Emerging from nearly 45-minute swearing in ceremony, Manjhi told reporters that he would seek a trust vote of his government on May 23 and expand his cabinet thereafter. Manjhi said that his priority would be to complete the development work started by the party government under Kumar. All the ministers after taking oath shook hands with Kumar first. Kumar seated in between Manjhi and state JD(U) President Basistha Narayan Singh congratulated the ministers. Kumar refused to entertain a question by mediapersons whether he demitted office to avoid sending a congratulatory message to Modi. — PTI Congress continues support to JD(U) govt The Congress on Tuesday decided to continue with “unconditional” support to the JD(U) government in Bihar and handed over its letter of support to governor DY Patil. As directed by the All India Congress Committee (AICC), a Congress delegation led by state president Ashok Choudhary met the governor and submitted the letter.
	Modi to quit as CM today Manas Dasgupta Ahmedabad, May 20 Prime Minister-designate Narendra Modi said here today that his experience as Gujarat Chief Minister would stand in good stead to serve the nation and fulfill the dreams of the millions of poor in the country. Addressing a gathering at the Ahmedabad airport on his arrival here from Delhi to bid good-bye to the people of his home state, Modi said he was confident that India could never fail. "When 125 crore people pledge to succeed, nothing can stop the country from succeeding," he said. Besides several BJP workers and leaders, including several members of his Gujarat Cabinet, a large number of people had gathered at the airport to greet Modi when he arrived here from Delhi this evening after being elected the leader of the BJP parliamentary party. Modi is expected to submit the resignation of his council of ministers to Governor tomorrow afternoon to pave the way for the election of a new leader of the state BJP legislature party in the evening. He assured the people of Gujarat that wherever he was and worked in whatever capacity, "my link with you will never snap". He reminded the people of the state that he was a primary member of the BJP from Gujarat and "your claim on me will always remain". In a lighter vein, he said, "You can always take pride that the prime minister knows you. We have shared peanuts together. The days I have spent with you will give me strength to serve the country better," he said. Modi was confident that even in his absence Gujarat would continue to march forward on the path of progress because the state had developed "institutional framework for development" and he would replicate the model elsewhere in the country. Lavishing praise on his close aide Amit Shah, BJP in-charge of Uttar Pradesh in the Lok Sabha elections, Modi said he was a "find" of the just-concluded elections. "Not many people realise the strength and the capacity that many BJP workers have. One of the major contributions of the Lok Sabha elections was the emergence of Amit Shah," he said. He pointed out that Shah had managed to secure more seats for the BJP in UP alone than what the Congress could gather from all over the country.
	Naveen to take oath as Odisha CM today Bhubaneswar, May 20 Odisha Raj Bhavan is all set to conduct the swearing-in ceremony of the new council of ministers under the leadership of Naveen Patnaik tomorrow, a Governor's Secretariat release said. "The swearing-in ceremony of the new council of ministers led by Sri Naveen Patnaik will be held on May 21 at 10.10am in the Raj Bhavan premises, Bhubaneswar," it said. — PTI
	Curative plea on Army recruitment filed in SC Legal Correspondent New Delhi, May 20 A third petition has been filed in the Supreme Court challenging the recruitment of general duty soldiers in the infantry and four other divisions of the Army — Artillery, Armed Corps, Bengal Engineer Group and Grenadiers —primarily on considerations of caste, region and religion. “Such criteria are unconstitutional and are in gross violation of Articles 14, 15 and 16” of the Constitution, which guaranteed equality and protection against discrimination on the basis of religion, race, caste or sex, the petition contended. Dr IS Yadav, a physician from Haryana, has filed the curative petition, the last resort available in the SC, unmindful of the dismissal of his PIL and the subsequent review petition questioning his locus standi. Citing an apex court judgment delivered by seven judges, he contended that everyone had the right to file a PIL in matters concerning public interest and as such the SC should recall its orders dismissing his PIL and the review plea. Contending that these five divisions accounted for more than 50 per cent of the total strength of the Army, the petitioner pleaded for a ban on the existing recruitment practice to enable the youth to have an equal opportunity of getting selected on merit. A Bench comprising Justices TS Thakur and C Nagappan rejected the review petition on April 16 without assigning any reason, while the PIL had been dismissed on February 11, 2014. The petitioner said the Army’s recruitment policy “debars 70 per cent of the population” from seeking enrolment in the force which was unconstitutional. “There has been grave miscarriage of justice to those communities whose recruitment is never called for by the Army,” he pleaded. Caste-based enlisting challenged A physician from Haryana has filed a curative petition challenging the recruitment of soldiers in the Army on the basis of caste, region and religion On February 11, the SC had dismissed a PIL filed by the petitioner; it also rejected the subsequent review petition on April 16 The petitioner alleged that grouping of people from a particular region or caste in an Army regiment was unconstitutional
	Saradha scam: ED grills former Union minister New Delhi, May 20 Enforcement Directorate (ED) today questioned former Congress minister Matang Singh in connection with its probe into the multi-crore Saradha Ponzi scam case.Official sources said Matang Singh was questioned by ED sleuths in the national capital and his statement was recorded under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act. "Matang Singh fully cooperated with us and gave replies to a number of questions with regard to the money laundering probe into the Saradha chit-fund scam case," sources said. Matang Singh confirmed to PTI that he has "cooperated" with the investigators as it was his "duty" to do so. "I have not done anything wrong. I have nothing to hide. I have also assured that I will pay whatever amount is (deemed to be paid) by me in this case," he added. Sources said the questioning lasted for over an hour and Singh provided details as to his financial dealings with the defunct group as also other financial information pertaining to his association with the group. Matang Singh, a former Cabinet Minister and Member of Parliament from Assam, was questioned in connection with his alleged dealings with the media business of Saradha Group. — PTI
	Legal lacuna in dealing with paid news: CEC New Delhi, May 20 There is a legal lacuna in dealing with the growing menace of ‘paid news’ in the Indian elections and there is a need to make it an offence under the electoral law, says Chief Election Commissioner VS Sampath. He is relieved at the fact the Election Commission has been able to “successfully complete” the 16th Lok Sabha elections in which tough measures like banning leaders from giving hate speeches were taken for the first time to ensure as clean a poll as possible. Sampath also expressed satisfaction that voting has been an unprecedented high in the just-concluded poll because of new steps like last-minute enrolment of names in the voters list and a voter awareness programme that helped in removal of urban apathy. “There is need to make paid news an electoral offence under the Representation of the People Act. The Commission’s proposals are before the Law Ministry in this regard,” he told PTI in an interview in which he analyses the general elections and the steps it took to complete the mammoth exercise in a free and fair manner. ‘Paid news’ is a practice by which a candidate in an election gets a news media carry favourable write ups in a newspaper or features on television channels for payment of a fee. The same material also appears in several newspapers on a given day. Sometimes money is also paid to blank out write ups on the rival candidates. — PTI
	Over seven lakh newborns die in India annually London, May 20 More than seven lakh newborns die in India every year, the highest number of such deaths globally, a new study has claimed. Each year 5.5 million babies enter and leave the world without being recorded and one in three newborns -- over 45 million babies -- do not have a birth certificate by their first birthday, according to new research co-led by the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine. Half of the newborn deaths worldwide occur in just five countries: India (779,000), Nigeria (276,000), Pakistan (202,400), China (157,000), and the Democratic Republic of Congo (118,000), although global and national figures conceal huge variations within and between different countries. In 2012, eight of nine countries with neonatal death rates greater than 40 for every 1,000 live births were in sub-Saharan Africa; half of these countries were affected by conflict. —PTI
	Hit & run case: Salman Khan wasn’t drunk , says witness Mumbai, May 20 In a breather to actor Salman Khan, a witness today informed a local court that it appeared to him that the actor was not drunk at the relevant time after he had rammed his car into a shop in suburban Bandra in 2002, killing one person and injuring four others who were sleeping outside. Francis Fernandes (63), a neighbour of Salman, who stays near the site of the mishap, told Sessions Judge DW Deshpande that he had gone to the spot after hearing shouts of people and saw the actor surrounded by a mob armed with sticks and stones. “Salman did not appear to be drunk as there was no smell of alcohol when I went near him. He looked normal and walked straight," the witness said. — PTI