The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

	assembly poll results State leaders on edge as Cong looks to firewall Gandhis Aditi Tandon Tribune News Service New Delhi, October 17 Two days to go for the announcement of poll results in Haryana and Maharashtra, the Congress has started fire walling the Gandhis and speaking of state leaders being the principal drivers of the party’s electoral campaigns in both states. Although the party is projecting a brave face, there’s a sense of angst within over the possibility of performance not being as per expectations. That explains the growing indication that the blame would most likely rest with state leaders Chief Minister Haryana Bhupinder Singh Hooda and Chief Minister Maharashtra Prithviraj Chavan. When asked why Congress president Sonia Gandhi and party vice-president Rahul Gandhi did not campaign as actively in both states as they would have been expected to, the party said the campaigns were well planned and aggressive. But facts speak otherwise. As against PM Narendra Modi’s 13 rallies in Haryana, Sonia and Rahul held only seven. In Maharashtra, while Modi conducted 27 rallies, Rahul conducted just four. The Congress had a justification for the trends with national spokesperson Shobha Oza saying: “The Congress has tall state leaders in both Haryana and Maharashtra. Naturally we depended a lot on them. The BJP banked on the PM because t has no state leaders.” Top leaders admit the final blame was highly likely to be put on the CMs in case of poor showing in both the states. “In Haryana particularly, the position of the CM would become vulnerable if we don’t perform well though the extent of vulnerability would depend on who all win and with what margins. The Haryana CM was retained despite aggressive demands for his replacement. He was expected to deliver,” said a senior Congress functionary. In Maharashtra, too, the position of CM Chavan has become highly untenable after he was found giving poll-eve media statements to the effect that he would have put all top Congress leaders — Sushilkumar Shinde, Ashok Chavan, etc. — in jail but was constrained on account of unity of the party. Although Chavan today apologised for having said that, workers and leaders within the Congress have not taken lightly to the CM’s remarks. A senior functionary said: “This can well become an issue of discipline and the party’s disciplinary committee could take it up if a complaint comes.” Chavan’s statement is being seen within the Congress as highly immature and uncalled for. “We did not understand why he made that statement. It was just not right and the timing could not have been worse,” said a leader. On what the party was expecting, Congress spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi said: “Let the results come and we will react after that. These are just elections. We win some. We lose some.” Several Congress leaders admitted that the reputation of Hooda was particularly on the line considering he had in the run up to polls survived several attempts at replacement.
	Control of outer space crucial: PM to military commanders Ajay Banerjee Tribune News Service New Delhi, October 17 Three months after China conducted an anti-satellite test (ASAT) and the US had objected to it, Prime Minister Narendra Modi advised top Indian military commanders about the criticality of controlling activities in space. Modi was addressing commanders of the three services for the first time at the ‘combined commanders conference’ here today when he flagged his concerns, among other matters. Defining how important space was, Modi said, “Control of space may become as critical as that of land, air and sea”. As full scale wars may become rare, force will remain an instrument of deterrence and influencing behavior, and the duration of conflicts will be shorter, Modi said as he added “domination of cyber space will become increasingly important”. Defence Minister Arun Jaitley, the three service Chiefs, Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha, Admiral Robin Dhowan and Army Chief General Dalbir Singh Suhag were present at the conference along with key Lieut General rank and equivalent officers. Modi’s words come after China on July 23 carried out an ASAT test, its third since 2007. In the US it has raised fears that it would not be able to protect its spy, navigation and communications satellites. Almost similar are the fears in New Delhi, sources said as a strike would make military strategists, ‘deaf and blind’ while it would be near-impossible to fire long range missiles without communication and military satellites. China’s first two anti-satellite tests, in 2007 and 2010, involved the SC-19 (DF-21 ballistic missile variant) armed with a kinetic kill vehicle. In 2007, the ASAT destroyed a space-based platform, its own defunct weather satellite FY-1C. In 2010 and on July 23 test China struck at a dummy ballistic missile in space. In May this year Beijing launched a research mission that was suspected by international observers to test the motor of a new anti-satellite weapon based on a road-mobile ballistic missile. It could reach up to 36,000 km above the earth. The US Department in its July 2014 report ‘Military and Security Developments Involving the People’s Republic of China’, says “The People’s Liberation Army (PLA) is acquiring a range of technologies to improve China’s space and counterspace capabilities. In addition to directed energy weapons and satellite jammers…. PLA writings emphasise the necessity of destroying and interfering with the enemy’s reconnaissance ... and communications satellites”. China’s anti-satellite test Modi expressed concerns after China carried out an anti-satellite test on July 23 It has raised fears in the US that it would not be able to protect its spy, navigation and communications satellites. Similar are the fears of New Delhi A strike would make it near-impossible to fire long-range missiles without communication and military satellites
	Govt has time till 2019 to build Ram temple: RSS Shahira Naim Tribune News Service Lucknow, October 17 The Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh today said the Narendra Modi- led Central Government had time till 2019 to clear the hurdles in the building of the Ram temple in Ayodhya. Speaking to mediapersons on the inaugural day of the three-day Akhil Bhartiya Karyakari Mandal meeting of the RSS, Sangh joint general secretary Dattatreya Hosabale said the government had its own priorities and the temple issue would be taken up in due course. “The Ram temple is on the national agenda. It is up to the saints, VHP and the government to work out the modalities. The RSS stays committed to supporting them for the construction of the Ram temple,” he said. On BJP’s promise that if voted to power it would bring in legislation to clear obstructions in the construction of the temple, the Sangh leader said: “It is already there in the election manifesto of the BJP.” Elaborating on the agenda for the Lucknow meet, Hosabale said issues related to national security and relevant social issues would be discussed. On ‘love jihad’, he said it had been regularly discussed for the past many years but if any resolution was moved it would again be debated. He complemented the Modi government’s role in responding to the natural calamity that recently struck Jammu and Kashmir. He added that the RSS cadre had been active in relief and rescue work in the hill state just as it was now working in Andhra Pradesh and Odisha post- Hudhud. “The RSS workers rescued about 3,885 persons during the Kashmir floods. This relief work by RSS activists in these states would also be discussed in the conclave,” said Hosable. The Sangh leadership would also discuss the approaching J&K elections and chalk out a strategy to ensure BJP’s victory in the state, he said. Supporting Modi‘s ‘Swachh India’ initiative, Hosabale said the RSS would soon launch a programme to inculcate improved civic sense and the need for a healthier environment. He said the Modi government had just been installed and it would be premature to pass a judgment on its performance. The RSS leader said the organisation was expanding at the rate of about 20 per cent per year with over 1.25 lakh swayam sewaks participating in its primary training programme this year. Around 4,500 new shakhas had been formed during the past one year, he pointed out.
	12 Karnataka cities renamed Bangalore, October 17 In what could trigger unrest in Belgaum area of Karnataka, the Centre today agreed re-naming the city as Belagavi. Maharashtra Ekikaran Samiti (MES), which is spearheading the movement of unification of Belgaum with Maharashtra, is staunchly against changing the name. Besides Belgaum, the Centre also okayed the state government proposal regarding changing the names of 11 other Karnataka cities, including Bangalore. The Karnataka capital, which is also IT hub of the country, is all set to be officially rechristened as Bengaluru. Other Karnataka cities which will have modified names are Mangalore (Mangaluru), Bellary (Ballari), Bijapur (Vijaypura or Vijapura), Chikmagalur (Chikkamagaluru), Gulbarga (Kalaburagi), Mysore (Mysure), Hospet (Hosapete), Shimoga (Shivamogga), Hubli (Hubballi) and Tumkur (Tumakuru). The Home Ministry's nod came after Survey of India, Ministry of Railways, Department of Posts, Ministry of Science and Technology and Intelligence Bureau gave cleared the change in the nomenclature of the identified cities. Instructions have also been issued for rechristening the post offices and railway stations. In 2005, the then CM Dharam Singh had first mooted the idea of renaming Bangalore as Bengaluru. In 2007, CM HD Kumaraswamy said the state government had received a letter from the Centre asking it to proceed with renaming 11 of the 12 cities mentioned above except Belgaum. — TNS
	21 yrs on, soldier’s body found at Siachen Glacier Tribune News Service New Delhi, October 17 The Indian Army during a routine patrol atop the Siachen Glacier in Jammu and Kashmir has stumbled upon the frozen body Havildar TV Patil, a soldier who went missing 21 years ago. The body was found on October 12, Army sources said. The body of Patil’s brother, who was killed in a separate avalanche on the glacier in 1987, is yet to be located. Patil belonged to 4 Maratha Light Infantry and had fallen into one of the many crevasses in February 1993. He was then 30 years old. Patil’s body, which was buried in the snow, became visible after possible snow melt following rain — a phenomenon rare on the glacier — over the past few days. His body had not decomposed because of sub-zero temperatures and was identified by a letter from his family and a medical certificate found in the pocket. Havildar Patil had fallen into the crevasse trying to collect air-dropped supplies after moving away from the prescribed path. As others tried to pull him out, his snow gloves came off and he plunged into the crevasse. In August, the frozen body of another missing soldier, Havildar Gaya Prasad, was found at the glacier.