M A I N   N E W S

Delhi Cabinet likely today
Sheila denies offer to quit

New Delhi, December 2
Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit, who is in a spot following the resignation of six members of her ministry, tonight flatly denied reports of her offering to quit and said a decision on their resignation would be taken tomorrow.

Ms Dikshit’s remarks came within hours of highly-placed Congress sources claiming she had offered to step down during her meeting with party President Sonia Gandhi.

AICC General Secretary Kamal Nath, who is incharge of party affairs in Delhi, also had a meeting with Ms Gandhi soon after Ms Dikshit held discussions with her.

The Chief Minister, who is reportedly at loggerheads with some central Congress leaders, insisted that the issue was restricted to resignation of six ministers. "What is to be done about that will be decided tomorrow," she said.

Ms Dikshit said, "Discussions are inconclusive. Details will be worked out by tomorrow."

Mr Kamal Nath also told reporters after the meeting that Ms Gandhi would take a decision on the issue by tomorrow afternoon.

During the meeting, Mr Kamal Nath presented views of all sections of the Congress leaders that he had met during past three days.

The meeting took place amidst speculations that Mr Kamal Nath had gone to submit a list in which some ministers in the previous Cabinet had been dropped.

Party sources said Deputy Speaker Kiran Chowdhury and Ajay Maken were among the front runners for a Cabinet berth while Food and Civil Supplies Minister Yoganand Shastri and Social Welfare Minister Krishna Tirath were likely to be dropped.

Emerging from the hour-long meeting with Mrs Gandhi, Mr Kamal Nath said, “We will give a new look to the ministry.”

In reply to a question about the composition of the new Cabinet, he said, “It will be a balanced Cabinet and will have a senior and experienced hand as well as new and dynamic faces.” PTI

I ordered Joginder’s killing: Kuldip
Claims Kadian is innocent
Our Correspondent

Panipat, December 2
“If Joginder Kaur did not agree to compromise and went to court to record her statement, then Sheelu was asked to kill her in the court itself”. This was admitted by Kuldip Kalwa, who is in judicial custody in Ambala jail in connection with a murder case, while talking to mediapersons on the city police station campus today.

Kuldip Kalwa, who was taken into police custody for four days by the Panipat police yesterday, for his interrogation in connection with the Joginder Kaur murder case stated that he was lodged in the jail along with 21 others suspected of involvement in the demolition of her house. In the jail, he met Umed Singh, one of the suspects, and struck a deal that if Joginder Kaur did not agree to compromise, she would be killed.

According to the deal, Umed promised to give him 50 per cent of his 40 per cent share in the purchase deal of the house which was made between Umed, Mehtab, Jeet Kumar and Dinesh Paliwal before the demolition of the house on the night intervening June 21-22.

He disclosed that Joginder Kaur along with Mukesh Tuteja had come to the jail on November 22 and demanded Rs 15 lakh in advance before her appearance in the court of Additional Sessions Judge Manjit Singh on November 26.

He said all suspects, except Umed Singh, were interested in the compromise and signed an agreement. Mukesh Tuteja said only Rs 8 lakh had been collected at that time but Joginder Kaur was adamant and wanted the full amount. Umed Singh did not sign the compromise deal, he said.

Regarding his meeting with Sheelu, Kuldip Kalwa said he met him in Panipat courts complex during an appearance on November 11 in the Pritam Ahuja murder case and “I gave him a written direction to kill Joginder Kaur if she does not compromise”.

He also said Sheelu, a resident of Latth village in Sonepat district, was suspect in the Krishan Bangar murder case and had escaped from police custody about three-four months ago. He, however, said he did not know if Joginder Kaur had been killed by Sheelu or if he had assigned the job to someone else.

He also said there was no involvement of Vidhan Sabha Speaker Satbir Singh Kadian in the case.

Kuldip belongs to Kalwa village in Jind district and is the only son of his widowed mother. He has done his MA (I) in public administration and was selected as constable. He had played nationals four times in volleyball.

The Additional Superintendent of Police, Mr Rajinder Singh, said 10 persons of Sheelu’s gang and their hideouts had been identified. Three police parties had been despatched to nab Sheelu.