Saturday, October 9, 1999
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N A T I O N |
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weather  spotlighttoday's calendar |
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"No need" for
sack of Rabri govt |
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India should
‘market’ defence technologies I will quit if asked: Kalyan PIL on Sonia dismissed CPM reviews post-poll scene No threat to my govt: Badal No territorial bar on lodging of
FIRs: SC India objects to Inderfurth’s
remark |
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"No need" for sack of Rabri govt NEW DELHI, Oct 8 (PTI) — Defence Minister and Samata Party President George Fernandes today said there was no need now for demanding the dismissal of the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) government in Bihar. "Assembly elections in the state are due in March and the Rabri Devi government will be finished on its own," he told reporters when asked if his party would make a fresh demand for the imposition of President’s rule in the state. Mr Fernandes said the RJD and its allies would be routed in the state in the next assembly elections. Central rule was imposed in the state in February this year, but it had to be revoked as the measure could not be approved by Parliament in the absence of Congress support. Meanwhile, a report from Patna said JD(U) leader Ram Vilas Paswan today said the NDA would not take any initiative to topple the Rabri Devi government in Bihar as it was destined to "die a natural death". "There is no need for imposing President’s rule in Bihar as the RJD, with "its back to the wall, is gasping for oxygen after the drubbing it received at the hands of BJP-JD(U) combine", he told reporters here. Mr Paswan predicted that the future of Mr Laloo Prasad Yadav had been sealed and he would not be able to stage a comeback since the "self proclaimed messiah of social justice has divided the society on caste lines". The JD(U) leader claimed
a majority of RJD ministers and MLAs were in constant
touch with him to cross the floor. He said, "nine
crore people of Bihar must be having a sigh of relief
following the defeat of Mr Laloo Prasad Yadav. The
BJP-JD(U) combine will put the last nail in the coffin of
the RJD in the approaching assembly elections." |
Karnataka LCP to elect leader on Oct 10 BANGALORE, Oct 8 (PTI) — Karnataka Congress president S M Krishna today ruled out any fight among top leaders for the post of the Chief Minister after the party swept to power in the assembly elections with a massive mandate. The Legislature Congress Party (LCP) leader would be elected on October 10, he told reporters here, adding the party leaders were "not so narrow minded as to fight for the top post." Mr Krishna said the LCP leader would submit a letter to Governor Khurshed Alam Khan on October 10 itself staking claim to form the government. He said the Congress government would review decisions taken by the previous Janata Dal government, which he claimed were detrimental to the interests of the state. The Congress had already objected to some decisions taken by the then Janata Dal government at the fag end of its tenure, particularly after elections were over, including the decision to award the Cauvery drinking water supply project to the British firm Bi-Water, he said. Replying to a question, Mr Krishna said the impressive performance of the Congress in the Lok Sabha and assembly polls in the state had not come as a surprise to him. He said as the state unit president he was confident of the good show. The Congress won 132 of the total 224 assembly seats. Meanwhile, Mr Krishna held consultations with the party’s central observer for the elections, Mr Vakkam Purushottam, and later with senior party leaders. CWC member and former
Kerala Chief Minister A K Antony, named observer for the
LCP meeting to oversee election of the legislature party
leader, was expected to arrive here tomorrow, party
sources said. |
Process to acquire AJT under way NEW DELHI, Oct 8 — The acquisition process for the advance jet trainer (AJT) has got under way, the Chief of Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal A.Y. Tipnis, said here today. Addressing the Air Force Day parade, he said, "I am happy to report that the long-awaited acquisition process for the AJT is under way". He added that the AJT were a pressing need for the IAF and "we would soon finalise our choice of aircraft". Air Chief Marshal Tipnis also said that the upgradation programmes for the latest acquisition Sukhoi-30 and the MIG-21 BIS were also progressing satisfactorily besides the other programmes. The 67th Air Force day parade came to an end with a triumphant flypast by 35 frontline fighter, transport and helicopter aircraft that created spectacular formations in the sky. Poignant was the tribute paid to the airmen who made the supreme sacrifice in the service of the nation — a box of three MIG 21s flying by with one blank slot to signify those who took off but did not come back. The Air Chief also released a first day cover depicting the vampire aircraft to mark the 51st year of jet flying in the IAF. Three MI-17 helicopters in VIC formation led the parade and they were followed by an IL-76 flanked by two AN-32 and a pair of Donier DO-228 in the ‘big boy’ formation. The ‘missing man’ formation of three MIG-21 fighter streamed through the sky followed in waves of five arrowhead formation each of MIG-27, Mirage-2000, MIG-29 and Jaguar warplanes. Nine Kirans gave a thrilling finale with a show of aerobatics. Speaking about the country’s security, Air Chief Marshal Tipnis said, "We cannot rest yet, as there is respite to national security. Only our eternal vigilance will ensure our security. We have to train well. fly with optimum efficiency and safety, our vigilance and operational efficiency paid off when the Pakistani Navy Atlantique maritime strike aircraft was shot down when it intruded provocatively into our territory in the Kutch area. "We are getting necessary support from the government for modernisation and enhancement of fire-power, surveillance and reaction capability, our strength must deter the enemy," he said. Former Chiefs of Air Staff — Arjun Singh, Satya Mehra, Sumit Mehra, N.C. Suri and Vice Chief of Air Staff Chandrashekhar were present on the occasion. Commander-in-Chief of
the Russian armed forces, Colonel General Anatoly
Mikhailovich Kornukov, was also present to witness the
IAF parade. |
IAF medals presented NEW DELHI, Oct 8 (UNI) — On the occasion of the 67th anniversary of the Indian Air Force, Chief of the Air Staff Air Marshal A.Y. Tipnis presented the Vayu Sena medals and Vishisht Seva Medals to the following officers: Vayu Sena Medal Gp Capt Rajinder Singh, Wg Cdr Amit Aneja, Wg Cdr Ramesh Rai, Wg Cdr Mohit Kumar, Wg Cdr S.S. Soman, Wg Cdr Anthony Richard, Wg Cdr A.C. Bharali, Wg Cdr B.S. Dhanoa, Wg Cdr K.V.S. Parmar, Wg Cdr Sher Singh, Wg Cdr V.V. Bandhopadhay, Wg Cdr Girish Saini, Wg Cdr A.K. Murgai, Sqn Ldr Sanjay Kumar Mittal, YSM, Sqn Ldr N.S. Jamwal, Sqn Ldr H.K. Sachdeva, Sqn Ldr A.K. Gandotra, Flt Lt J.V. Sunil Kumar, Flt Lt Debashish Ganguly. Vishisht Seva Medal Air Cmde J.S. Sandhu,
Air Cmde S.K. Sharma, Gp Capt P. Banerjee, Gp Capt P.K.
Kuruvilla, Gp Capt R.K. Mohan, Gp Capt Rakesh Yadav, Gp
Capt K. Rajaram, Gp Capt D. Mathews, Gp Capt J.N. Burma,
Gp Capt Ashok Kumar, Gp Capt M. Banerjee, Gp Capt C.N.
Ranganath, Gp Capt J.N. Rampal, Gp Capt Joseph Neri, Wg
Cdr P.K. Naithani, Wg Cdr V.K. Gupta, Wg Cdr V.M.
Upadhyaya, Wg Cdr Tarun Bhattacharya, Wg Cdr P.S. Roy, Wg
Cdr A.K. Basu, Wg Cdr Srikrishna, Wg Cdr Ashwani Bhakoo,
Wg Cdr Sukhchain Singh, Sqn Ldr Manavendra Singh VR C,
Sqn Ldr Manoj Dixit, Sqn Ldr A.S. Grover, WO Gaya Prasad,
JWO D.C. Adhikari. |
India should
‘market’ defence technologies NEW DELHI, Oct 8 — The country should aggressively market its frontline defence technologies like missiles, guns and battle tanks to get its due share of the global market, India’s top defence scientist, Dr A P J Abdul Kalam, said here today. Speaking at the first P N Haksar memorial lecture on "developed nation: the vision" here, he said India was on the threshold of expansion of aerospace, advanced electronics, advanced sensors and materials industry and should operate them in a market-driven environment to win its share of the global market. Stressing the need for exporting defence systems like main battle tank (MBT), missiles not covered by missile technology control regime (MTCR), guns, light combat aircraft and nuclear power stations, Dr Kalam said this was needed to reach a developed country status. Dr Kalam said India’s thrust for self-reliance should be coupled with global marketing to overcome what he called pressure which "the developed world may force upon us". Referring to the Pokhran
-II and recent successful testing of Agni-II missile, Dr
Kalam said these successful missions were marks of the
nation’s triumph for self-reliance despite
technology denial. |
I will quit if asked: Kalyan NEW DELHI, Oct 8 (PTI) — Under attack following BJP’s poll debacle in Uttar Pradesh, Chief Minister Kalyan Singh today said he was prepared to resign if the BJP leadership desired. "I will abide by the decision of the party leadership. I will accept whatever it says. I will resign if I am asked to do so," he told reporters here before his meeting with the party leadership where he is expected to explain the reasons behind the party’s setback in the state. The Chief Minister, however, parried a question whether he would resign on his own. Meanwhile, state minister Lalji Tandon, who met Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee at his residence, said there were many reasons for the party’s poor performance in the state. He said Mr Kalyan Singh had launched various development schemes but even before their results could come, mid-term elections were held and people thought that nothing had been done for their welfare. Asked who was responsible for the poor showing of the party, Mr Tandon said "All of us. I cannot blame any one person". He denied that the debacle was because of any internal bickerings in the state unit. State BJP President
Rajnath Singh also had a meeting with the Prime Minister.
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PIL on Sonia dismissed NEW DELHI, Oct 8 (UNI) — The Delhi High Court today dismissed a public interest petition praying for a direction to prevent Congress President Sonia Gandhi from taking oath as the Member of Parliament. A Division Bench comprising Chief Justice S N Variava and Mr Justice S.K. Mahajan dismissed the PIL filed by advocate Ajay Kumar Joshi on the grounds that it was based on newspaper reports and certain portions from some books. The authenticity of media reports and the contents of the books can not be ascertained, the Bench said. The petition had urged
the court to prevent her from taking oath as she had not
yet given up her Italian citizenship. Till she gives up
her Italian citizenship, she had no moral and
constitutional right to take oath as an MP. |
CPM reviews post-poll scene NEW DELHI, Oct 8 — The CPM Politburo today began a two-day meeting here to review the post-election scenario in the country. The meeting, which will be followed by a two-day meeting of the Central Committee beginning on October 10, will focus on the performance of the party and other Left parties whose strength in the 13th Lok Sabha has comedown. The CPM leadership is reportedly concerned about the weakening of the "secular forces" to counter the rise of the BJP in West Bengal in particular. The Politburo, apart from undertaking an extensive analysis of the prevailing situation in the country, will also deliberate upon ways and means for strengthening the Left forces. The two-day meeting, being attended by the West Bengal and Kerala chief ministers, Mr Jyoti Basu and Mr E. Nayanar, will also discuss ways to strengthen the organisation. The CPM leaders, who remained tightlipped about the details of the proceedings of the meetings, are said to be of the view that the party should undertake a mass contact programme to educate the masses about the political situation in the country and the state of economy. Emerging from the
meeting, Mr Basu told newspersons that a review of the
election results was being undertaken, but refused to
give any details. |
No threat to my govt: Badal NEW DELHI, Oct 8 — During his first visit to the Capital after his party’s near rout at the hustings, the Punjab Chief Minister, Mr Parkash Singh Badal, today exuded confidence that his government would complete its term nothwithstanding the reverses. "There is no threat to my government and we are confident of completing our full term," the Chief Minister told TNS. He discounted dissidence in the party after the poor showing in the elections which he attributed to ‘greater expectation of the people from his government’. Mr Parkash Singh Badal, who came to the Capital to attend the first post-election meeting of the National Democratic Alliance, said his party would not press for inclusion of any nominee in the Vajpayee government. He said the SAD (Badal) was the first party which way back in 1996 had extended unconditional support to the BJP. Referring to the Lok Sabha results, he said a meeting of the district unit presidents has been called tomorrow to analyse the outcome in which his party won just two seats and one was bagged by the BJP, the alliance partner. He said the Political Affairs Committee of the SAD would meet on Monday to further dissect the results. It will be followed by a meeting of the party’s Working Committee and later by legislators. Asked if the presence of candidates of the Sarb Hind Akali Dal (SHSAD) had affected the chances of his party, Mr Badal alleged that Mr Gurcharan Singh Tohra and the Congress were hand-in-glove. While he conceded that
the SHSAD may have been a factor, Mr Badal pointed out
that all the nine candidates put up by Mr Tohra had
forfeited their security deposit for failing to secure
minimum number of votes |
No territorial bar on lodging of FIRs: SC NEW DELHI, Oct 8 (PTI) — The Supreme Court has held that there was no bar on a person from lodging an FIR at a police station even if the incident occurred at a place over which the same police station had no territorial jurisdiction. This ruling was given by a Division Bench comprising Justice K.T. Thomas and Justice M.B. Shah while setting aside a Delhi High Court order quashing an FIR on the ground that it was lodged at a police station which had no territorial jurisdiction to investigate the offence. The Bench said, "If the investigating officer arrives at the conclusion that the crime was not committed within the territorial jurisdiction of the police station, then the FIR can be forwarded to the police station having jurisdiction over the area in which the crime was committed." Writing the judgement for the Bench, Justice Shah said, "But this would not mean that in a case which requires investigation, the police officer can refuse to record the FIR and/or investigate it." Satvinder Kaur was thrown out of her house at Patiala by her husband on January 19, 1992 and on the same day she had lodged a complaint with the police making various allegations of torture and dowry demand against her husband and parents-in-law. After she came to live with her parents in Delhi, she lodged a complaint with the women’s cell on April 30, 1992. Subsequently an FIR
against her husband Rajinder Singh was lodged at police
station Paschim Vihar in Delhi and he was arrested and
brought to Delhi. |
India objects to Inderfurth’s remark NEW DELHI, Oct 8 (UNI) — India today sharply reacted to US Under Secretary Karl Inderfurth’s remark on Kashmir about the need of the international community’s role in reconstructing Kashmir, stating that developmental activities had been adversely affected due to the cross-border terrorism. In response to a query, an official spokesman of the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said, the developmental activities in Jammu and Kashmir would be started only after the problem of terrorism is tackled. While delivering a lecture at the South Asian Institute of the John Hopkins School for Advanced International Studies, Mr Inderfurth said, "There are lot of things the international community can do if the parties themselves move for a long term solution." The spokesman said the
elected government of Jammu and Kashmir was making all
out efforts to revive the developmental projects in the
state, which had been adversely affected by years of
cross-border terrorism and violence sponsored and
supported by Pakistan. |
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| Notorious criminal
surrenders NAGPUR: Notorious criminal and a former BJP representative in the mayor-in-council system, Anil Dhawade, facing arrest under the Maharashtra Prevention of Organised Crime Act, surrendered before the police on Thursday. Anil was immediately placed under arrest and sent to central prison here. He was absconding after the police served detention notice on him last week. Anil and his brother Harishchandra are charged with a number of criminal offences. — PTI MDRF to set up labs ‘Kachcha-banian’
gang busted Kerala decision
on fee upheld Film festivals
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