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Cong leaders meet Xi, call for peace on border
Indian Muslims will live and die for India: Modi
Cong questions timing of PM’s pro-Muslim stance
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Sena calls BJP junior, refuses to give up CM post’s demand
BJP’s woes mount in Haryana, M’rashtra
special to the tribune
Coal scam: CBI chief fends off charges again
SC lists conditions for CDs as evidence
Inspection must to assess educational quality: SC
mid-day meal
CBI grills CPM leader in Saradha scam
MoD cannot promote Army officers on its whims: AFT
IITs among world's ‘50 best institutes’
Premature deaths may rise in India: Study
Haryana has poorest human rights record
bungalow row
Nalanda University inaugurated
Mandolin musician Srinivas passes away
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Cong leaders meet Xi, call for peace on border
New Delhi, September 19 The delegation led by Congress chief Sonia Gandhi comprised former PM Manmohan Singh, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi, head of Congress’ foreign cell Karan Singh and former Commerce Minister Anand Sharma. Speaking to reporters today, Congress spokesperson Salman Khurshid said the delegation discussed border tensions between the two countries on account of varied perceptions about the Line of Actual Control with the Chinese President. Khurshid said the Congress stressed the need for both the countries to honour the 2005 guiding principles for peace and tranquility on the border. “The relations of the Congress with the Communist Party of China are special. A delegation of senior Congress leaders has previously visited China under the leadership of Veerappa Moily. Today at the meeting, Congress president Sonia Gandhi also reminded the visiting dignitary of the 125th birth anniversary celebrations of Jawahar lal Nehru. While recalling Nehru’s contributions, the Chinese President invited Sonia and Rahul to China,” Khurshid said adding that during the meeting the issue of greater market access for India in China and the issue if trade imbalance was also raised.
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Indian Muslims will live and die for India: Modi
New Delhi, September 19 “Indian Muslims will live for India, they will die for India, they will not want anything bad for India,” Modi said in an interview to the channel. “My understanding is that they are doing injustice to the Muslims of our country. If anyone thinks Indian Muslims will dance to their tune, they are delusional,” Modi said, referring to a video in which Al Qaida chief Ayman Al-Zawahiri was seen asking Indian Muslims to join the global war in the name of Islam. Detractors see Modi’s statement as a marked strategy to acquire an inclusive image ahead of his US visit, though the BJP denies it. The move is significant in context of humiliating reverses the party suffered in strongholds —Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Gujarat — barely four months after a stunning Lok Sabha win — which the BJP attributed to the “Modi wave”. The statement could be a signal of the turnaround in the BJP’s political policy, which had become crucial after the failure of divisive attempts by leaders such as Yogi Adityanath and Sakshi Maharaj in UP, detractors said. However, party spokesman MJ Akbar said Modi had always believed in what he said and that his comments were a “powerful affirmation of his intellectual and emotional conviction” on the issue. “The message is a powerful assertion of his beliefs. Besides, it is a message to international terror groups who believe that they can divide India on the basis of caste. It (the statement) will have a very positive impact. It will act as a binder (among communities) by erasing unnecessary and irrelevant factors,” he said. The bypoll debacle may have forced BJP leaders to distance themselves from their colleagues, calling issues such as “Love Jihad” their personal ideas, but the fact is the party’s ideological fountainhead, the RSS, had covered the issue in its two mouth pieces.
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Cong questions timing of PM’s pro-Muslim stance
New Delhi, September 19 Reacting to the Prime Minister’s comments that “Indian Muslims were patriots and they would live and die for India”, Congress spokesperson Salman Khurshid wondered what took the PM so long to understand the fact that Muslims were patriots. Questioning the sincerity of Modi’s remarks made during an interview to a US-based channel, Khurshid said: “We wonder whether the PM took colleagues Yogi Adityanath, Giriraj Singh and Amit Shah on board before saying what he said. His colleagues have been saying other things.” The Congress also questioned the timing of Modi’s statements and asked why such reassuring remarks for minorities were not made from the ramparts of the Red Fort during the PM’s maiden Independence Day speech. Modi had said in the interview that Indian Muslims would never dance to the tunes of the Al-Qaida.
NCM chief writes to Rajnath
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Sena calls BJP junior, refuses to give up CM post’s demand
Mumbai, September 19 Shiv Sena spokesman and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut today called the BJP a junior partner in Maharashtra. “In Maharashtra, Shiv Sena is the party which gives and not asks for seats.... The Shiv Sena has been in politics even before the BJP was born and will continue to be the bigger party in the state,” Raut said. He said the next Maharashtra Chief Minister would be from the Shiv Sena. He said the final decision on continuing the alliance with the BJP would be announced by party chief Uddhav Thackeray on Sunday at a meeting of the party’s executive committee. The BJP retaliated by accusing its regional ally of betraying it several times in the past. “Even while it was part of the NDA, the Shiv Sena backed Pranab Mukherjee for the post of President. It backed Pratibha Patil’s candidature for President. Still, the BJP maintained the alliance,” senior BJP leader Sudhir Mungantiwar told reporters. His colleague Eknath Khadse said the BJP had ceded ground to the Sena even during the Lok Sabha polls. “We had originally agreed that the BJP would contest 32 Lok Sabha seats, while the Shiv Sena would contest 16. But later we gave up six seats to the Shiv Sena. We even sacrificed a Rajya Sabha seat for Republican Party leader Ramdas Athavale as the Shiv Sena was not prepared to accommodate him,” Khadse said. However, leaders of both parties still reiterated that they would want the alliance to continue in order to defeat the Congress-NCP combine in the Assembly elections. Mungantiwar said the BJP was not content with 119 Assembly seats. “119 seats for the BJP is an old formula. We have to look at 59 and 19 seats where the Shiv Sena and the BJP, respectively have never won in the past,” he said. Both Raut and Khadse said they would not compromise on their self-respect. While the Shiv Sena and the BJP have decided to leave 16-18 seats for the three smaller parties that are part of the MahaYuti alliance, they are struggling to carve-up the remaining 270 among themselves. The Shiv Sena is not prepared to settle for less than 150 seats since it is eyeing the CM’s post. On the other hand, the BJP wants to contest 135 seats to keep its hope for the top job alive.
Smaller parties issue ultimatum
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BJP’s woes mount in Haryana, M’rashtra
New Delhi, September 19 However, with less than a month to go before Maharashtra also goes to the polls with Haryana on October 15, there is still no clarity on whether or not the 25-year-old alliance between the Shiv Sena and the BJP will be able to stand the test of time. Both the parties have adopted an equally tough stance on the issue of the seat sharing, though leaders on both sides continue to speak in favour of the alliance. Sources in the BJP admit that it is a touch-and-go situation that can swing the either way. Sources are hinting at backroom talks with NCP leader Sharad Pawar, who is also engaged in seat-sharing battle with his ally — the Congress. “Pressure to stay in alliance is more on the Shiv Sena than the BJP. Uddhav’s options are limited. He cannot go with the NCP or the MNS (Raj Thackaray’s party) whereas we have no such issues,” they say. The contentious issues are seat-sharing and projecting Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray as the chief ministerial candidate. Of the two, it is the question of who will be the next CM which is more vexatious. “If we agree on Thackaray as CM, irrespective of the number of the MLAs Shiv Sena gets, he will promptly agree to give us more seats,” a BJP leader said. The problem that the BJP is facing in Maharashtra, like in Haryana, is the presence of a tall leader with a popular mass base. In this context, BJP leaders admit missing the presence of Gopinath Munde—the popular Maharashtra leader with friends and supporters across the board—who passed away in June. Meanwhile, senior Maharashtra leader Nitin Gadkari is believed to be trying to achieve a breakthrough with a compromise formula. Though senior BJP leaders in Delhi say that given the current situation the saffron party can win the number of seats Thackaray is willing to concede —119 seats — even without an alliance with him. BJP leaders say that their arguments are based on pure statistics — the saffron party’s continuously increasing vote share. A senior leader said the BJP’s vote share in Maharashtra had been steadily increasing since the 2004. “In 2004, the BJP contested 111 seats and won 54 while Shiv Sena managed to get 69 out of 163. Our vote share was two per cent more than the Shiv Sena.
Backroom talks with Pawar
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Indian-American picked as new US envoy to India
Ashish Kumar Sen in Washington US President Barack Obama has nominated Indian-American Richard Rahul Verma to serve as the next US Ambassador to India. Verma, a former Foreign Policy Adviser to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, a Democrat from Nevada, has close ties with Obama’s inner circle, including White House Chief of Staff Denis McDonough, National Security Adviser Susan Rice and Deputy National Security Adviser Tony Blinken. This fact is seen as a sign of Obama’s intention to accord a high priority to the India-US relationship that many analysts and officials complain has run adrift in recent years. Verma’s nomination must be confirmed by the US Senate before he can take up his official duties. If confirmed, he will replace Nancy Powell who resigned in March following the furor in New Delhi over the arrest and strip search of Devjani Khobragade, an Indian diplomat in New York. The White House announcement of Verma’s nomination on Thursday holds importance as PM Narendra Modi’s will visit the US on September 29. Modi, who was denied a US visa by the George W Bush Administration over allegations of his role in the 2002 Gujarat riots, will meet Obama at the White House. Verma, former Assistant Secretary of State for Legislative Affairs, currently serves as senior counsellor at the law firm Steptoe & Johnson LLP and Albright Stonebridge Group.
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Coal scam: CBI chief fends off charges again
New Delhi, September 19 A three-member Bench posted the plea for hearing on October 17 after Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi told the court that the Centre would file a status report on controversial meat exporter Moin Qureshi, under scrutiny for alleged evasion of income tax, in three weeks. Appearing for the PIL petitioner in the coal scam case, advocate Prashant Bhushan contended that the guest entry register kept at Sinha’s official residence had shown that Qureshi had called on the CBI chief several times. Sinha’s senior counsel, however, took strong exception to the allegations without making his client a respondent to the petition. — TNS
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SC lists conditions for CDs as evidence
New Delhi, September 19 A three-member Bench headed by Chief Justice RM Lodha listed as many as nine conditions contained in the Evidence Act, amended in the wake of the IT Act. Any electronic document must be supported by a certificate issued by an official holding a responsible position, vouching for its authenticity. The certificate should also explain the manner in which the electronic record was produced and give particulars of the device involved in the production of the record. The electronic record should have been produced by a computer that has been in regular use for storing and processing information by the person having lawful control over it. It should be established that the computer had been operating properly at the relevant time and if there had been any defect, proof would be required to show that the deficiency had not affected the accuracy of the content sought to be produced as evidence. The Bench, which included Justices Kurian Joseph who authored the judgment and RF Nariman, noted that a two-judge Bench of the apex court had arrived at a wrong conclusion on the admissibility of computer printouts in the case against Navjot Sandhu, alias Afsan Guru, for the terror attack on Parliament. “The statement of law on admissibility of secondary evidence pertaining to electronic record as stated by this court in Navjot Sandhu case does not lay down the correct legal position. It requires to be overruled and we do so,” the Bench held. “An electronic record by way of secondary evidence shall not be admitted in evidence unless the requirements under Section 65B (of the Evidence Act) are satisfied,” it clarified while disposing of an election petition from Kerala.
Conditions to be met
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Inspection must to assess educational quality: SC
New Delhi, September 19 A Bench comprising Justices Dipak Misra and Vikramajit Sen said this method might result in arriving at “wrong conclusions” and even give rise to corruption. The Bench made the remark after UGC said it was giving final touches to its report which would be submitted to the SC before September 30. Senior counsel Harish Salve, appearing for some of the institutions, pleaded that “our fear is of de-recognition. We want fresh inspections” as the UGC had undertaken this exercise in 2009. At this, the Bench acknowledged that under the statute, UGC inspection reports were valid only for five years and there would have to be a fresh inspection after this. Photographs and videos could give an illusory image of the infrastructure available in the educational institutions, it noted. UGC pleaded that undertaking inspections for physical verification would have delayed its report. The Bench slated the deemed universities’ plea for fresh inspection for detailed hearing on September 23. UGC was supposed to have submitted its report by March 21, but got two extensions from the SC, first till July 31 and then till September 30. Today, the SC clarified that its ruling would be applicable only for the next academic session as the institutions had already taken students for the current year.
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350 kids fall sick in B’lore after mid-day meal
Bangalore, September 19 The children were rushed to a hospital after they complained of headache and stomachache and started vomiting, doctors at the Dr Ambedkar Medical College Hospital said. The children were rushed to hospital after they complained of head ache and stomach ache and started vomiting. “Around 350 students have fallen ill and have been admitted to Ambedkar Hospital. Most of them have returned home after getting the treatment,” Health Minister UT Khader told reporters. “When we came here many children had gone home after getting the treatment. No one should panic and create confusion… we have to clear confusion and fear among parents and children,” he said. “… We will discuss this with the department concerned, investigate the matter and take action…,” he said. Transport Minister Ramlinga Reddy, who visited the hospital, said 350 children took ill but they were now “alright and will be discharged soon”. Anxious parents rushed to the hospital, making it tough for the police to control them. The children were brought to the hospital around 3.30 pm with complaints of vomiting sensation, Anjaneya, Manager, Ananda Social and Educational Trust which runs the hospital, said. He said doctors were told that a lizard was found in the food served to the children. According to him the children were brought to the hospital and about 30 had already been discharged. “Others are undergoing treatment. There is no serious case.” — PTI
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CBI grills CPM leader in Saradha scam
Kolkata, September 18 Both leaders had received the CBI summon yesterday. Though Dev informed the CBI officials that he would be present for interrogation after five days, at the direction of the CPM leadership at the Alimuddin Street, he hurriedly appeared before the CBI officials. However, Adhikery did not respond to the summon. Dev was interrogated in connection with the sale of Tara channel and four others to Saradha owner. — TNS
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MoD cannot promote Army officers on its whims: AFT
Chandigarh, September 19 Ordering that an aggrieved Brigadier be promoted to the rank of Major General and an additional vacancy is required be created for him along with granting him consequential service and financial benefits, the tribunal, in its order yesterday, pointed out that the authorities appear to have been so obsessed to find ways to promote a particular person that any representation that appeared to be a hurdle was pushed aside without due application of mind. Through the AFT declined to judicially interfere in the promotion of the person, it observed that there had been certain adverse inputs by the military intelligence against the person and he had also been awarded a non-recordable censure for un-officer like behaviour just days before the selection board meeting. The AFT remarked that though there was no discipline and vigilance ban on the person, a non-recordable censure does not absolve him of un-officer like behaviour and such opinion cannot be totally ignored or by-passed. It further observed that though the person had higher “quantitative” score (max 95 out of 100) that the petitioner, members of the selection board, who were senior generals and specialists at their job, took a cdecision that such a person could not be promoted and hence he was not given any marks for value judgment (5 out of 100). Brig DN Singh had contended that there were 14 vacancies from his branch. While the results for 13 were declassified, one was kept in abeyance after MoD sought clarifications from Army. Neither his name nor that of the respondent person was included in the list of 13.
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IITs among world's ‘50 best institutes’
New Delhi, September 19 The HRD Ministry would soon operationalise a "council for higher education and industry", she said. The ranking was compiled by PitchBook Data, a US-based private equity and venture capital research firm. Sharing the achievement at an All-India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) conclave on 'entrepreneurship education', Irani said the feat called for further celebrations as the IITs had been ranked higher than some of the best Ivy League universities such as Harvard. She referred to the rankings while underscoring the need to inculcate an entrepreneurial mindset among the youths, noting that knowledge and entrepreneurship are keys to take the country ahead. In the study, the research firm found that the IITs had a total of 264 entrepreneurs, who have founded 205 companies and cumulatively raised $3.15 billion. The paradigm of education, she said, should be such that it was able to cross the knowledge with analytical skills and logical reasoning, helping students acquire skills and entrepreneurial qualities. "We hope to revamp our pedagogy and curriculum to make it more relevant to our society and our students market-ready not just domestically but also internationally. We would also like to inculcate an entrepreneurial mindset not only in schools and colleges through changes in curricula but through introduction of teaching training and teaching material designed especially for entrepreneurship," she said.
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Premature deaths may rise in India: Study
New Delhi, September 19 A new research in the Lancet warns India of its challenges while showing that with sustained international efforts, premature deaths (before age of 70) worldwide could be reduced by 40 per cent between 2010 and 2030, halving under 50 mortality and preventing a third of deaths at ages 50 to 69. The research said: “By 2030, India would have 9.3 million (93 lakh) premature deaths before age of 70 — more than any other country — if its 2010 death rates continue.” Of these, 15 lakh would occur before age of five; 27 lakh at ages five to 49; and 51 lakh at ages 50 to 69. Between 2000 and 2010, Indian death rates fell 30 per cent before age of five, 15 per cent during ages 5-49, and 12 per cent during ages 50-69. Overall, death rates in India below age 70 fell by 17 per cent. Study authors, however, said at the 2000-2010 rate of progress, deaths in India before age of 70 would fall only by 31 per cent by 2030, short of the suggested 40 per cent target. India needs rapid progress, not only to reduce child mortality, but also tuberculosis, malaria and deaths from chronic diseases which are made more common by tobacco use, says the study funded by UK Medical Research Council, Norwegian Agency for Development Co-operation, University of Toronto Centre for Global Health Research, and Gates Foundation. It shows between 2000 and 2010, child deaths fell by one-third worldwide (also in India), helped by the fourth Millennium Development Goal (MDG) to reduce child deaths by two-thirds; premature deaths among adults fell by one-sixth due to efforts to arrest maternal mortality; AIDS and malaria. Experts said with expanded international efforts against a wider range of causes of death, the figures could fall further. “Death in old age is inevitable, but death before old age is not,” co-author Richard Peto, Professor of Medical Statistics at the University of Oxford, UK, said. He said in all major countries, except where the effects of HIV or political disturbances predominated, the risk of premature death had been decreasing in recent decades and it will fall faster between 2010 and 2030 if the new UN Sustainable Development Goals were taken even more seriously.
93 lakh death before age of 70
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Haryana has poorest human rights record
New Delhi, September 19 On the other hand, a comparative analysis of the official data reveals that Haryana has the poorest record on human rights index during the corresponding period in the region. Strong human rights culture, inter alia, in Himachal Pradesh could be the reason behind the comparative low cases of human rights violations is the take of a functionary of the commission on the development. Since 2012 till July this year, the total number of human rights cases registered with the commission with regard the hill state is 681. Year-wise break up is 304 in 2012, 236 in 2013 and 141 till July 2014. The total number of cases with regard to other Himalayan states, Jammu & Kashmir and Uttarakhand, in the corresponding period is 1,046 and 5,247, respectively. As per the data, Himachal Pradesh, other than Chandigarh in the region, shows a decreasing trend in breach of human rights. The number of cases registered in Chandigarh is 218 (2012), 182 (2013) and 98 till July 2014. In comparison to other states in the region, Haryana appears to have hit the roof with regard to human rights violations. This is despite the state having constituted its own human rights panel and the reported primacy attached to human rights issue by Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda. As many as 25,363 cases have been registered in Haryana
from 2012 till July this year. Year-wise break-up is: 7,978 (2012), 9,045 (2013), and 8,340. Statistical analysis show that the trend is certainly not on the decrease. According to cognoscenti of human rights, the development is cause for discomfiture. Even though records suggest that Punjab, its neighbour, does not have a record to boast about, fairs better in comparison to it. The figures related to cases registered in Punjab are: 1,091 (2012), 2,423 (2013), and 857.
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Cases filed against BKU, RLD protesters
Ghaziabad, September 19 Murad Nagar police station officer R P Sharma said an FIR has been lodged by him against Modinagar RLD MLA Sudesh Sharma and 20 other named leaders of BKU and RLD besides 1,000 unidentified protesters. The leaders along with activists have been booked under various Sections of IPC and Criminal Law Amendment Act, he said. Sharma further told that all the accused, who got injured in clash yesterday, were admitted to various hospitals and are getting treatment there under police custody. As soon as they are relieved from the hospitals, they will be arrested and sent to jail, he said, adding, police is in process of identifying other protesters from video recordings. After ascertaining their identity, they will also be named in the FIR and arrested soon, he said. Ajit Singh's supporters yesterday clashed with police while protesting against Centre's move to evict him from official residence in Delhi, while the RLD chief demanded that the house be converted into a memorial to his father, former prime minister Charan Singh. At least 18 persons were injured as police fired rubber bullets and tear gas shells and resorted to lathicharge to disperse activists of Bhartiya Kisan Union and Rashtriya Lok Dal supporters, who turned violent as the cops thwarted their attempt to cut-off water supply to Delhi from Gangnahar Muradnagar regulator. — PTI
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Nalanda University inaugurated
Patna, September 19 Swaraj said it was a matter of pride for her to inaugurate the academic session of the university after a gap of over 800 years. "I am really upbeat that I got this opportunity...," she said at an event held in the Buddhist pilgrim town of Rajgir in Nalanda district, about 100 km from here. The university will be built in Rajgir, 12 km from where the ancient Nalanda University stood till the 12th century. — PTI
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Mandolin musician Srinivas passes away Chennai, September 19 Popularly known as 'Mandolin' Srinivas, he breathed his last this morning in a private hospital where he was undergoing treatment. Srinivas gave his first public performance at the age of nine and grew into a much-sought after personality among fans in the Carnatic music world. Born in Palakol in AP, Srinivas made Chennai his base for exploring the music world and attaining great heights. — PTI
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The Congress raised the issue of border tension with Chinese President Xi Jinping as the party’s high-level delegation met the visiting dignitary.
Days after his party men led an intense divisive campaign “Love Jihad” in poll-bound Uttar Pradesh, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has told CNN that patriotism of Indian Muslims was unquestionable.
US President Barack Obama has nominated Indian-American Richard Rahul Verma to serve as the next US Ambassador to
India. Verma, a former Foreign Policy Adviser to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, a Democrat from Nevada, has close ties with Obama’s inner circle, including White House Chief of Staff Denis McDonough, National Security Adviser Susan Rice and Deputy National Security Adviser Tony
Blinken.
The Supreme Court today deferred for three weeks hearing on a plea for restraining CBI Director Ranjit Sinha from handling coal allocation scam cases as he had allegedly met some of the accused persons.
A three-member Bench posted the plea for hearing on October 17 after Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi told the court that the Centre would file a status report on controversial meat exporter Moin
Qureshi, under scrutiny for alleged evasion of income tax, in three weeks.
Among the Himalayan states, Himachal Pradesh has the least number of human rights violation cases registered with the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) during the period 2012 to July this year.