The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

	BJP blames NREGA for inflation; Cong fumes Tribune News Service New Delhi, July 4 Hours after the government termed increased per capita incomes on account of MNREGA and changing dietary patterns of Indians for the rising prices, the Congress asked the PM whether he planned to scrap NREGA for putting money into people’s hands. Citing the agenda note circulated today at a crucial government meet to discuss rising food inflation, the Congress pointed to MNREGA, improved incomes and better dietary patterns being major factors behind inflation and said the Government was playing a cruel joke on the people. “So you hold prosperity of people responsible for rising prices. Do you have problems with people’s rising incomes and their improving food habits?” Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala asked PM Narendra Modi saying the Congress would take strong exception to any move the BJP makes to dilute NREGA after Rajasthan CM Vasundhara Raje asked the Government to run it as a mere scheme instead of a law. “The BJP supported MNREGA in Parliament. We will also see how they propose to dilute it now,” Surjewala said. The Agenda note distributed today to state food ministers here for a conference says, “Food inflation is caused by both demand and supply factors. On the demand side important factors that have contributed to inflation are government’s increased public expenditure on MNREGA, rising per capita income, population growth and changing dietary patterns.”
	No plan to hike kerosene, LPG prices, says govt New Delhi, July 4 The Petroleum Ministry today denied reports speculating about increase in prices of subsidised LPG and PDS kerosene. The ministry clarified that it was not proposing any increase in their prices. Reports circulating during the day said that the Petroleum Ministry will move the Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs (CCPA) with panel recommendations of raising kerosene by Rs 4 a litre and LPG rates by Rs 250 a cylinder. The reports in circulation said the ministry was preparing a draft note for consideration of the CCPA. Endorsing the previous UPA government’s monthly 40-50 paisa per litre increase in diesel prices, the ministry, the reports said, was likely to propose that the monthly revisions may continue till the present Rs 3.40 a litre loss on the fuel is fully bridged. Sources said the ministry wanted the CCPA to consider recommendations of an expert panel headed by former Planning Commission member Kirit S Parikh. The committee had in October last recommended that diesel prices should be hiked by Rs 5 per litre, kerosene by Rs 4 a litre and domestic LPG rates by Rs 250 per cylinder immediately to cut fuel subsidy bill by Rs 72,000 crore. But as the monthly increases have led under-recoveries, or the difference between cost and retail price, falling below Rs 5, the ministry is unlikely to press for implementation of the panel’s recommendation on diesel.— TNS & PTI
	Shanta seeks ban on onion export New Delhi, July 4 Former Union Minister for Food and Consumer Affairs and BJP MP Shanta Kumar has urged the Union Government to clamp moratorium on export of onion and ease the procedure of its import forthwith to arrest rise in price of the commodity. The former Himachal CM raised the issue of rise in onion prices during his meeting with Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh in Delhi. He said the State Trading Corporation (STC) and private players must be encouraged to import the commodity at a cheaper rate as the move would discourage hoarders. Kumar said he apprised Singh of the fact that onion could not be hoarded for long since it was a perishable in nature. He told Singh that prices of onion had unexpectedly shot up twice when he was the Minister for Food during the Atal Behari Vajpayee government. But export was stopped within 24 hours on account of which price rise was controlled. Traders of Nasik in Maharashtra had launched agitation against the government’s move. They had also met Vajpayee in a delegation under former Sharad Pawar against the government’s imposition of ban on the export. But Vajpayee went by the decision of the Union Food Ministry, Kumar told Singh.— TNS
	Cong to weigh all options for Leader of Oppn claim Aditi Tandon Tribune News Service New Delhi, July 4 Setting the stage for confrontation with the BJP government as the Budget Session approaches, the Congress today openly termed the Leader of Opposition’s (LOP) post in Lok Sabha as its natural claim. It said the government would do it no favour by giving this right. The Congress went to the extent of saying it was willing to ponder over all options (including legal) to ensure it gets the post. Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala officially backed the party’s claim on the position trashing BJP’s oft-cited requirement of 10 per cent strength of the House (55 MPs) as a mandatory condition for any party seeking the post. The Congress by itself has only 44 MPs, but if its pre-poll alliance is taken into account the party crosses the 55 MP mark. Legally speaking, the 10 per cent requirement is not mentioned in the principal law governing the LOPs. It defines leader of the single largest party in the Opposition as the Leader of Opposition, provided the same is recognised by the Speaker. Surjewala, meanwhile, recalled a Supreme Court order where the court had categorically said pre-poll alliances should be considered as a single unit and invited to stake claim for government formation if they have the numbers. The Congress may cite this order in case the 10 per cent argument is used against it. “Leader of Opposition’s position in the Lok Sabha is our constitutional right as we are the largest party in Opposition to the BJP and also the largest part of the pre-poll UPA alliance. To scuttle this right would be an affront to the constitutional democracy and parliamentary practices,” Surjewala said. Surjewala said the Congress was willing to “ponder over all options” so far as laying the claim on the post went.
	Govt set to name new Guvs Tribune News Service New Delhi, July 4 The BJP-led Narendra Modi government may name at least seven new Governors for states to fill in vacancies arising out of resignations and retirements. As of today, the post is lying vacant in seven states. Governors of Uttar Pradesh (BL Joshi), Chhattisgarh (Shekar Dutt) West Bengal (MK Narayanan), Goa (BV Wanchoo) and Nagaland (Ashwani Kumar) have resigned since the NDA came to power. Another two Governors, HR Bhardawaj (Karnataka) and Devanand Konwar (Tripura) ended their five-year tenure in the last week of June. Sources said new Governors may be named by the end of this week. Names of candidates have been shortlisted and approved by the BJP. The names doing rounds are former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Kalyan Singh, former Lucknow MP Lalji Tandon, RSS functionary Kailash Joshi, former Union Ministers Vijay Kumar Malhotra, Ram Naik and O Rajagopal. In July, the tenure of Margaret Alva (Rajasthan), Jagannath Pahadia (Haryana) and SC Jamir (Odisha) will also end. In November 2010, a Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court had said the Governors should not be axed when the ruling dispensation changes at the Centre. BJP MP BP Singhal had petitioned the apex court to which it said Governors could be changed only under “compelling” reasons for proven misconduct or other irregularities and disapproved the practice of replacing Governors merely because they were “not in sync” with the party in power. Interestingly, a report of the National Commission to review the working of the Constitution, headed by Justice BP Jeevan Reddy, recommended that the term of office for Governors should be fixed for five years. The current status As of today, the post is lying vacant in seven states Sources say the new Governors may be named by the end of this week Names of the candidates have been shortlisted and approved by the BJP In July, the tenure of Margaret Alva (Rajasthan), Jagannath Pahadia (Haryana) and SC Jamir (Odisha) will also end
	Specify steps taken against Sahara: SC to I-T Dept R Sedhuraman Legal Correspondent New Delhi, July 4 The Supreme Court today directed the Income Tax (I-T) Department to file an affidavit within three weeks, specifying the actions it had taken so far against the Sahara companies as well as further steps it planned to initiate for recovery of all tax dues from the group. A three-member Bench headed by Justice TS Thakur passed the order after the department pleaded for becoming a party to the contempt case filed against the group by market regulator, SEBI, for its failure to return over Rs 20,000 crore to the investors who had subscribed to the debenture issue floated by two of its companies. The Bench, which included Justices AR Dave and AK Sikri, told Additional Solicitor General Tushar Mehta that, before letting the department step into the case, the court would like to know as to what action the department had taken in the light of various orders passed by the SC in the Sahara case. “You should realise that you have abundant powers. You are not an ornamental annexure to the proceedings. Be conscious of your powers and exercise them. So much has been said and several orders have been passed in the case. You go through the orders, judgments and findings and initiate action,” the Bench told the department. “You must act, though the group has the right to challenge your actions,” the Bench told the ASG. Mehta said he had taken over as ASG only recently and sought three weeks’ time file an additional affidavit. The Bench made the remarks in the light of the Sahara group’s claim that it had refunded about Rs 20,000 crore to the investors in cash. The I-T Department has already sought tax on this amount. Appearing for Sahara, senior advocate Ganesh Srinivasan said the I-T Department had found fault with the I-T returns of the two Sahara companies involved in the debentures, claiming tax on an additional amount of Rs 6,800 crore for 2011-12 alone. Meanwhile, the Bench reserved its verdict on Sahara chief Subrata Roy’s plea for interim bail so that he could arrange for the bail amount of Rs 10,000 crore. Roy and two of his directors are in Tihar Jail on SC’s orders. Roy has pleaded he should at least be set free on parole for 20 days.
	Puri seer boycotts Rath Yatra, 3 leaders criticise Odisha Govt Bhubaneswar, July 4 The row over the Puri Shankaracharya boycotting Rath Yatra protesting restrictions put by administration snowballed into a major controversy today with two Union ministers and the Assam Governor disapproving of state government’s interference in the religious matter. Puri Shankaracharya Swami Nischalananda Saraswati on June 29 refrained from visiting the chariots before they were pulled on the Rath Yatra day. “The age-old tradition of the Puri Shankaracharya visiting the chariots before their pulling has been broken. This is not acceptable,” Assam Governor JB Patnaik said. “In a secular country, the government should not interfere in the religious matters of any community,” Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadekar said. The minister gave his reaction over the dispute after paying Darshan of the Lord Jagannath at Puri. “Conventions and traditions must be observed in religious matters,” Javadekar said. On whether he would meet the Shankaracharya, he said, “Not this time. I have to leave Puri due to other engagements. I will meet the seer some time later”. — PTI
	MP exam board scam Digvijay for CBI probe Bhopal, July 4 Congress general secretary Digvijay Singh today demanded a CBI inquiry into the Madhya Pradesh Professional Examination Board (MPPEB) scam in which even appointments made during his tenure as the Chief Minister could be covered. “Let there be an inquiry by the CBI into the MPPEB scam and (also) appointments made during my rule,” he said, adding he was prepared to go to jail if any charge was proved against him. Singh was replying to a question on Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan’s statement that all appointments made since 1993 would be inquired into. The Congress leader, who was Chief Minister from 1993 to 2003, said he wanted the inquiry into all of this should be done by the CBI. He said the MPPEB scam has now caught attention at the national level and all eyes were on how it would be dealt by the High Court and the STF. Singh said Union Water Resources Minister Uma Bharti had once even pointed out that the MPPEB scam was bigger than the fodder scam of Bihar. He advised Chouhan not to get emotional about the charges being made against him in connection with the MPPEB scam. He said it was not correct on Chouhan’s part to claim that none of his relatives was involved in any wrong-doing and added that Congress had sufficient proof to show their involvement. — PTI
	25 Indians languish in Pak jails, says Sarabjit’s lawyer Mehakdeep Grewal Tribune News Service Chandigarh, July 4 Despite the Lahore High Court’s order for the release of 32 Indians locked in Pakistani jail two years ago as they had completed their sentence, 25 of them still continue to wait for their freedom. This was stated by human rights lawyer and peace activist Awais Sheikh during an interactive session organised here today. Sheikh, who fought the case of deceased Sarabjit Singh, said since he had taken refuge in Sweden there was no other lawyer in Pakistan who would fight for the release of 25 Indian prisoners who had completed their sentences four years ago. Highlighting the reasons behind the prisoners not getting their freedom, Awais said, “It’s due to red-tape that the prisoners are not being released. They are small-time smugglers who were implicated as spies.” Stating about the Indian prisoners’ condition in Pakistan, he said, “The conditions are unfriendly. I remember the case of one Indian prisoner Kuldeep Singh who had written a letter to his family in Urdu. However, when I asked the jail superintendent to allow me to take that letter I was given a plain refusal.” He added that due to lack of exposure to sunshine even deceased Sarabjit Singh had developed a fungal infection all over his feet. The lawyer himself received threats and was allegedly abducted for taking up cases of Indian prisoners. He said: “During the hearing of one of the cases of Indian prisoners, the judge told me that I was defaming Pakistan by fighting for Indians. However, I did not give up.” Moreover, he added that many Indian prisoners claim themselves to be Muslims in order to save themselves from any sort of discrimination. Recounting his personal meetings with Sarabjit, he said, “Sarabjit wanted to enter politics after his release. He told me that he had a plan for bringing in welfare reforms in the country.” He added that “I had filed an application to the chief justice to allow me to teach Yoga to Sarabjit, however I was denied permission stating that Yoga is against Islam.” He further stated that both the countries should not politicise the issue rather should work together for peace and economic development. The lawyer would be releasing his book, Samjhota Express, in Delhi on July 9.
	Maoists kill CRPF officer Patna, July 4 A CRPF Commandant was killed during an anti-Maoist operation in the Lakharia forest region in Jamui district of Bihar today. Commandant Hari Kant Jha, who was the second-in-command of CRPF base in Jamui, got information around 4 am that Maoists were camping in the forests, Additional SP RN Tiwary, who is also holding the charge of Jamui SP said. “Jha formed a team of CRPF jawans and led them to the forest. They came across the Maoists and an encounter ensued. Jha was hit by bullets and died on the spot. The battle continued for over two hours,” Tiwary said. — PTI
	Rajkot corporator held for ‘slapping’ woman Manas Dasgupta Ahmedabad, July 4 BJP member of the Rajkot Municipal Corporation Anil Rathod, who was accused of slapping a woman councillor of his own party, was arrested by the police today. The complaint was lodged by the woman councillor, Jayashriben Dodiya, who alleged that Rathod had slapped her in the presence of other party members on the municipal corporation premises yesterday. Rathod, however, denied he had physically assaulted the woman or threatened to “finish” her family as alleged by her and claimed that the woman councillor was levelling false charges to defame him. The incident in the Rajkot municipal corporation in the Saurashtra region of Gujarat was believed to have been the outcome of intense group rivalry within the ruling party, which had come to the fore during the recent Lok Sabha elections. A group had locked out the party office for several days, forcing the state party leadership, including the then Chief Minister Narendra Modi, to intervene to get the party office opened for the election preparations. On Thursday afternoon, Rathod, also a former Rajkot BJP general secretary, allegedly had an argument with Jayashriben following which he slapped her several times and also kicked her in the stomach and beat her up. By then, many municipal staffers gathered at the scene and separated them. Jayashriben claimed she also had to take medical assistance in a government hospital.
	Shah exempted from court appearance Mumbai, July 4 The special CBI court yet again exempted BJP leader Amit Shah from appearing before it today in connection with the alleged fake encounter cases of Tulsiram Prajapati and Sohrabuddin Sheikh. “(Shah) is engaged in political work in New Delhi and therefore not able to come to court,” read the exemption application filed by Shah’s lawyer Robin Mogera. Special Judge BH Loya later adjourned the case till July 17 after taking on record the exemption applications of Shah and some of the other accused. Meanwhile, the court is likely to hear Shah’s discharge application on July 14. On June 20, Judge Loya’s predecessor Judge JT Utpat had reprimanded the counsel of Shah for seeking exemption without assigning any reason to it. — PTI
	Mumbai ATS in Kolkata to quiz IM man Tribune News Service Mumbai, July 4 Zahid Hussain, the alleged Indian Mujahideen operative arrested in Kolkata earlier this week, is wanted by the anti-terror squad for supplying RDX used to carry out the bomb blast at German Bakery on February 13, 2010. Police sources said a team of the Anti-Terror Squad (ATS) is in Kolkata to interrogate Hussain who was extradited from Bangladesh. Investigators say Hussain may have routed funds from IM’s handlers in foreign countries for its operatives in India as well. Hussain is a Bangladesh national, according to police. Police say Hussain’s role in the hawala racket will be clear once his interrogation is complete. Some officers of the Mumbai police also want Hussain to be questioned in connection with fake currency rackets run by IM operatives. Hussain was arrested after Yasin Bhatkal was nabbed last year.
	Sunanda’s death: PIL in SC seeks NIA probe Legal Correspondent New Delhi, July 4 An advocate has filed a petition in the Supreme Court seeking a probe by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) into the death of Sunanda Pushkar, wife of Congress leader Sashi Tharoor. The petitioner, N Rajaraman, contended that NIA probe was necessary in view of the suspicion that Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) was involved in her mysterious death. The petitioner noted that the doctor, Dr Sudhir Gupta of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) who conducted the post mortem, had said that he was pressured to certify that the death was natural. Unmindful of the threat, he had given his finding that it was due to drug poisoning, which could be suicidal or homicidal. Also, it was noticed that Sunanda had several injury marks. Rajaraman said shortly before her death on January 17 this year, Sunanda had accused that Pakistani journalist Mehr Tarar, who allegedly had flirted with Tharoor, was an ISI agent.
	UP riots: Hearing in Kawal murder case deferred Muzaffarnagar, July 4 A local court has recorded the statement of a witness and deferred till July 16 the hearing in the Kawal killing case here. The complainant Arvind Kumar, deposed in court last evening and said that his son Gaurav and nephew Sachin were beaten to death allegedly by the accused. Additional District and Sessions Judge Jitendra Kumar has deferred the hearing and fixed July 16 for cross examination of Arvind in the case. The prosecution claimed the two youths were beaten to death by the five accused Mujassim, Muzammi, Nadeem, Furkan and Jajangir in Kawal village in the district on August 27, 2013. — PTI
	El Nino may affect monsoon by 60%: Agency Tribune News Service New Delhi, July 4 Private forecasting agency Skymet today lowered its rainfall forecast to 91% of the average rainfall of last 50 years against an earlier projection of 94%. It also raised the probability of El Nino affecting monsoon across the country to 60% as against its earlier estimation of 25%. In other words it means that chances of drought in India are now up to 60%. In northwest India the chances of a bad season is 80%, followed by central India with 75% and south with 50%. August is expected to be the best in the June-September season according to Skymet. June rainfall was 43% below normal, making it the worst first month since 2009. However, rain revived in the last couple of days in many parts of the country. According to the IMD, the Northern Limit of Monsoon (NLM) continues to pass through Veraval, Surat, Nasik, Wasim, Damoh, Lucknow, Aligarh and Bikaner. Conditions are favourable for further advance of southwest monsoon into remaining parts of Uttar Pradesh and some more parts of Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh during next three days. During the week, southwest monsoon advanced over entire Uttrakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Punjab , Haryana, Chandigarh and Delhi, some more parts of Uttar Pradesh and some parts of north Rajasthan. Out of the 36 meteorological subdivisions, the rainfall has been excess over one subdivision, normal over nine, deficient over eight and scanty over 18 subdivisions. Which means majority of the country has recived below normal rains. The northwest India is down with a deficiency of 55%. What it means The chances of drought in India are now up to 60%, as against earlier estimation of 25% In northwest India, the chances of a bad season are 80%, followed by central India at 75% and south at 50% June rainfall was 43% below normal, making it the worst first month since 2009