Bangalore, November 20
Janata Dal (Secular) legislators in Karnataka have raised a banner of revolt against the manner in which their leaders pulled down the BJP-led Yeddyurappa government.

According to sources, JD (S) supremo H.D. Deve Gowda had managed to keep his flock together and even subdue those who objected to his move to dump the BJP by assuring them that he was working on an alternative to join hands with the Congress.

However, the lukewarm response from the Congress as well as likelihood of dissolution of the state Assembly has further emboldened some JD (S) legislators who have now threatened to chalk out their own political future in case the party is unable to join hands with the Congress and form a government.

Two groups of more than 20 legislators held separate meetings today at the residences of former transport minister Cheluvaravaswamy and veteran leader M.P. Prakash. Though both groups have internal differences, they have one common grouse - their credibility has been completely eroded and that they are in no position to go back to the people. Both groups are holding Deve Gowda and his son H.D. Kumaraswamy responsible for their present plight.

Cheluvaravaswamy, who is a critic of Gowda’s son Revanna whose fight over deputy chief ministership is also said to be one of the reasons for the fall of the BJP government, said party legislators had discussed the options available to them in case the Assembly was dissolved and elections imposed on them.

Cheluvaravaswamy, who had worked to patch up the “re-marriage” with the BJP, had yesterday at the meeting of the JD (S) legislature party threatened to retire from active politics if the party withdrew support from the BJP.

The group is, however, giving time to Gowda to hold talks with the Congress. Cheluvaravaswamy told newsmen that the legislators would take a final decision on their future course of action depending on the developments in Delhi.

The group of legislators who met at the residence of Prakash has also decided to wait for a final response from the Congress high command to the feelers given by Gowda. Former minister H.S. Mahadevprasad, a close aide of Prakash, said the legislators were concerned about the constant flip-flop of their party and wanted to debate their future.

Meanwhile, Kumaraswamy is on a damage control exercise. He is learnt to have sent emissaries to both Cheluvarvaswamy and Prakash and called them to his guesthouse in Sadashiva Nagar.

New Delhi, November 20
The violence in Nandigram, which has led to disruption of Parliament for the last two days, will be discussed in the Lok Sabha tomorrow under Rule 193, which does not entail voting.

The stalemate in the Lok Sabha was brought to an end during a meeting of senior leaders from various parties on the issue. It was decided that the discussion would be held under a motion “The proposal to set up a special economic zone in Nandigram and the subsequent violence.”

The leaders, who participated in the meeting, included parliamentary affairs minister Priya Ranjan Dasmunsi, agriculture minister Sharad Pawar, CPM leader Basudeb Acharya, CPI leader Gurudas Dasgupta and BJP leader V K Malhotra and Prabhunath Singh from the JD (U).

The meeting was held after the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) disrupted proceedings in the House for the second day demanding an immediate discussion on Nandigram violence. However, MPs from the CPM opposed it arguing that a state issue could not be discussed in the Parliament.

The Rajya Sabha also witnessed disruptions following persistent demand of opposition MPs for a discussion on Nandigram. While the Lok Sabha witnessed three adjournments, the Rajya Sabha was adjourned for the day at noon.

In the Lok Sabha NDA members insisted that Nandigram violence was an urgent matter and discussion should be taken up by suspending question hour.

Speaker Somnath Chatterjee expressed his anguish over the disruption to proceedings, saying that people were watching. Asking NDA members to allow the House to function, he said parties should sit together and decide in what form the discussion can be held.

Dasmunsi said the government had no objection to a short-duration discussion within the framework of proper rules and consent of the chair.

The Speaker went ahead with the process of laying down of papers as BJP members trooped into the well. As the din continued, Chatterjee adjourned the house till 2 p m.

When the house reassembled, Deputy Speaker C S Atwal adjourned it till tomorrow. Before the Lok Sabha was adjourned for the day, the Supplementary Demands for Grants (general) and Demands for Excess Grants (general) were presented by finance minister P Chidambaram.

In the Rajya Sabha, agitated opposition members stormed into the well repeatedly and shouted slogans. As soon as the house reassembled at noon after first adjournment, the opposition BJP and Trinamool Congress members trooped into the well of the house, demanding a discussion over the Nandigram issue. They were raising slogans against the Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee government demanding its dismissal.

Amid the din, the Chair allowed the papers to be laid on the table of the house. Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Suresh Pachouri said amidst uproar that the government was ready for a discussion on any issue but the rule and wordings of the motion has to be decided by the house, when the opposition members did not relent, the Chair adjourned the House for the day.

Hyderabad, November 20
The main opposition Telugu Desam Party (TDP) in Andhra Pradesh has set a record of sorts when its legislators staged a nightlong dharna inside the Assembly, demanding hike in Minimum Support Price (MSP) for paddy on par with wheat.

High drama unfolded as 32 TDP MLAs, led by the party President N. Chandrababu Naidu, laid siege to the House and spent the entire night yesterday inside the Assembly lobby to press their demand.

The mood in the opposition camp was combative as Naidu and his colleagues kept raising slogans near the speaker’s podium even after the House was adjourned for the day amidst uproarious scenes over the MSP issue.

Brushing aside the repeated pleas by the speaker to vacate the premises, the slogan-shouting TDP legislators continued their protest near the podium and later in the night shifted their venue to the inner lobby.

They had dinner together and then slept on the floor, all in the full glare of television cameras.

The lobby was converted into a makeshift party office as the opposition MLAs gave interviews to news channels, detailing how they were fighting for the cause of farmers and exposing the “miserable failure of the Congress government” in getting a fair deal for the paddy farmers.

Tension prevailed as the Assembly staff locked the speaker’s chambers, press gallery and later the main entrance amid fears about the security for legislators.

They were demanding increase in MSP for paddy to Rs 1,000 per quintal as against Rs 775 announced by the Centre recently, to benefit the farmers of AP, a major paddy producing state.

Much before the crack of dawn, Naidu and his colleagues were up and walking in the Assembly premises. After quick bath and breakfast in their legislature party office in the Assembly, they were ready for yet another day of verbal showdown with the government.

New Delhi, November 20
UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi today expressed concern over a large number of children still dropping out of school and asked the government to hasten the process of enacting a law for ensuring education to all children, along with food, safety, shelter and protection.

Inaugurating a national conference on child rights organised on the occasion of International Child Rights Day by the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR), Gandhi said there had been an improvement in the enrolment of children in schools, but a large number of children drop out of school and many don’t even finish primary education.

Urging for greater participation of the private sector in the field of education, she said there was no room for complacency. The state governments should bring in the right to education, she said, suggesting making primary school education more interesting so that creativity and imagination of children were not stifled.

Gandhi said there were huge challenges facing the country with regard to welfare of children, including malnutrition, female foeticide, infanticide and exploitation.

She also expressed concern over children being forced into labour and becoming victims of violence, trafficking and abuse at the hands of agencies that were supposed to protect them.

The UPA chairperson said several initiatives of the government have started showing results, including the Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS), expanded Anganwadi, Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan and the mid-day meal scheme.

Speaking at the function, women and child development minister Renuka Chowdhury said it should be ensured that every child grows up in a holistic environment.

NCPCR chairperson Shantha Sinha said India had a share in the global commitment to fulfil objectives of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.

“I hope we can individually and collectively take a step forward in developing solutions that can help achieve our shared vision for children, including eradication of child labour, child marriage and trafficking and violence besides schooling, nutrition and health for all,” she said.

Chennai, November 20
A 23-year-old pregnant woman with fractures and brain injury had to be brought back from the US in a special air-ambulance after she was allegedly tortured for dowry and pushed out of a running car by her in-laws.

Smalin Jenita, who had remained in a state of coma at the Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Centre in North Carolina, has been admitted to a private hospital here in a critical state.

She told her lawyer R. Saravanakumar here today that she had been pushed out of a moving vehicle by her husband and in-laws as her father could not meet their continuous demands for large sums of money as dowry.

Her family would now file a criminal case here, and also move the US Consulate and the National Commission for Women to ensure that Smalin’s husband, Christy Xavier Danius, a software professional sent on deputation to the US by Infosys, was brought back to India to face charges of murder, Saravanakumar said.

He said though the offence was committed in the US, Danius was an Indian citizen and sent abroad on a work visa under which he had to give a guarantee for the safety and well being of his spouse, which he did not fulfil.

Sebastian, who flew to the US when a family friend telephoned him two weeks ago from the US to inform his daughter’s plight, brought Smalin, who is 28 weeks pregnant and can now barely speak because of brain injury, back.

Inamullah initially gave shelter to Danius and his family members after Smalin was admitted to the hospital in North Carolina in an unconscious state. Danius had told the hospital that his car met with an accident on a freeway in Yadkin County and Smalin was injured. He forbade them not to inform anyone except him about her condition, Sebastian said.

Sebastian alleged that Danius neither bothered to telephone him though Smalin was admitted to the hospital on July 31 nor even met him when he reached the US.

Sebastian alleged that torture for dowry began immediately after his daughter was married to Danius and his mother and sister would beat her up.

“She kept thinking that he (Danius) might change once they were in the US. But Christy also took his mother Chellam, and sister Leema, to the US in March this year and the torture increased,” he said.

He said the marriage was arranged and he was forced to pay a huge sum and gold jewellery as dowry only a few days before the wedding to the Danius family as they threatened to cancel it.

“We accepted to all their demands and the marriage was conducted in a grand manner. My daughter stayed in her in-laws house and Christy Danius had flown back to the US within a week of their wedding,” Sebastian narrated.

Surprisingly, no police case was registered in the US, which is mandatory even if one is injured in an accident. However, Sebastian had lodged a complaint with the police in Tiruchy, from where the family hails, but no action could be taken, as the offence was committed in the US.

New Delhi, November 20
The Congress tonight finalised a list of 80 candidates for the forthcoming Assembly election in Gujarat leaving three seats for its ally the NCP.

“Efforts are on to finalise seven remaining seats in the first phase which may include some BJP rebels,” AICC general-secretary B K Hariprasad said. The list will be formally released tomorrow.

The BJP had on November 18 issued its first list of 75 candidates for the two-phased Assembly poll in the state, scheduled on December 11 and 16.

The list included Chief Minister Narendra Modi from Maninagar constituency (which goes to poll in second phase of polling on December 16) and 74 other candidates for the first phase on December 11.

The saffron party, which would be contesting the election for 182 assembly seats, had also included 20 new faces in its first list to infuse fresh blood in the party.

The 14 districts in south Gujarat, Saurashtra and Kutch are going for the poll during the first phase and the saffron party have given tickets to all the 10 ministers from the region. — PTI

New Delhi, November 20
The Supreme Court today said it could lay down a general criteria for considering the grant of bail to Mumbai blast convicts with lesser punishments while hearing at least 10 petition of such accused, including Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt.

To facilitate this, a Bench, headed by Chief Justice K.G. Balakrishnan directed the CBI to submit a chart of offences for which the 10 accused, who had applied for bail, had been convicted and also the sentence awarded to them. The Court posted the hearing on their petitions for November 27.

Since Sanjay Dutt is among the convicts, exonerated of serious offences under TADA, today’s indication of the apex court raised the hope for him to get a favourable order when the court takes up the matter after receiving the agency’s report.

Sanjay, sentenced to six years jail term under Arms Act and presently lodged in Yerawada jail, was earlier granted interim bail on August 20 till the trial judge had delivered him the certified copy of the judgement on October 22.

Special judge P.D. Kode passed the order of sentence on July 31 and Sanjay was taken into custody immediately and consequently sent to Yerawada jail but granted interim bail by the apex court, as there was delay in providing the copy of judgement to all the 100 convicted persons.

The apex court today said it would issue general directions applicable to all convicts depending on the nature of sentence and offence they had committed.

“In the cases of persons with lesser sentence we may consider granting of bail…but for others of higher sentence we may not,” the Bench, having justices Lokeshwar Singh Panta and J.M. Panchal said.

Of the 100 convicts, the special judge had found 96 guilty under TADA and four, including Sanjay Dutt under the Arms Act. Twelve persons, who were among the mastermind conspirators of the blasts, had been awarded death sentence and several others life imprisonment.

Kolkata, November 20
The CBI has summoned Priyanka’s father, Ashoke Todi, his brother Pradip and two family friends Syed Mahiuddin and Mohammad Hasan to New Delhi for polygraph tests, which will take place on November 25.

Senior police officers, including two IPS, at Lalbazar might also undergo the polygraph test afterwards, the CBI officials said today. According to official sources, the CBI report, which was now in the process of being finalised, could be submitted to the Calcutta HC within the stipulated time. The report said, Rizwanur was forced to commit suicide and he did not die of accident.