Sunday, April 14, 2002, Chandigarh, India
 Updated at 3:00 am (IST)

Remove Modi, insists TDP
PM speaks to Naidu, rejects demand
Hyderabad, April 13
Signalling an open confrontation with the BJP, its key ally TDP tonight strongly opposed the move to hold elections in Gujarat, saying it would amount to seeking “political capital out of a human tragedy.”

• Modi mum on fresh mandate

• Left asks NDA allies to take stand

• Boycott Gujarat poll, Mulayam tells Oppn

• Edit page: Reporting Gujarat: how objective was media coverage?

Baisakhi celebrated with fervour Anandpur Sahib, April 13 Lakhs of pilgrims thronged Anandpur Sahib on the occasion of Baisakhi today. The three-day Baisakhi celebrations at Anandpur Sahib, the birth place of the Khalsa, began yesterday. (Punjab page) A child gets a ride on the shoulders of his grandfather while visiting the mela on Baisakhi at Talwandi Sabo on Saturday. — Tribune Photo Kulbir Beera

Cong ready for poll: Sonia Says remarks show PM has lost mental balance Guwahati, April 13 Predicting the fall of the BJP-led government at the Centre due to increasing differences with its coalition partners, Congress President Sonia Gandhi today said the “communal” BJP stood exposed as the “mask” of Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee had fallen.

In video: (28k, 56k)

Sidelights

Crucial week for govt: Surjeet
Says Oppn to block Parliament proceedings
Chandigarh, April 13
The next one week will be crucial for the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance government at the Centre. This was announced here today by one of the most important leaders the Opposition’s thinktank and strategist, Mr Harkishen Singh Surjeet, General Secretary of the CPM, in an interview with The Tribune.

BJP wants tax sops restored
Panjim, April 13
The Bharatiya Janata Party today recommended that the government restore tax concessions to the middle class and increase interest rates on savings for pensioners. It urged the Vajpayee government to ensure that subsidies on cooking gas and kerosene be lowered on a time-bound decreasing scale during the next three to five years.

Panel records staff statements
Burning of PPSC record
Patiala, April 13
There was renewed activity at the Punjab Public Service Commission today with the inquiry committee to look into the burning of some record of the commission, including the PCS (Executive) examination sheets of 1998 — holding a meeting at the commission headquarters here, besides recording the statements of various employees.

• PPSC chief’s touts evade arrest

JCO among 5 killed
Srinagar, April 13
Five persons including a JCO, and three militants have been killed and two Army men injured in separate incidents in the Kashmir valley since yesterday.

Torture victim goes into hiding
Ludhiana, April 13
Nirmal Singh, alias Dhiddi, was allegedly tortured by the Dehlon police and later hounded by cops. The youth has once again been forced to live a life in hiding. He allegedly took this step after he was being regularly summoned at one police station or the other on some pretext or the other.

TRIBUNE INVESTIGATION Punjab, NBCC lock horns Chandigarh, April 13 At least 28 polytechnics, most of them with new buildings, are “out of bounds” to students as the Punjab Government and the National Buildings Construction Corporation have been locked in a “Titanic battle” over the quality of construction for the past five years.