Wednesday, July 15, 1998
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Speaker puts Bill in govt's court NEW DELHI, July 14 — Procedurial wrangles were witnessed between the Lok Sabha Speaker, Mr G.M.C. Balayogi, and the Parliamentary Affairs Minister, Mr Madan Lal Khurana over the introduction of the women's Bill... Fernandes rules out plebiscite NEW DELHI, July 14 — The Defence Minister, Mr George Fernandes today firmly turned down Pakistan’s demand for a plebiscite in Jammu and Kashmir and said talks between India and Pakistan on the brink of the Colombo SAARC Summit would not alter situation in the state... |
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 Activists of various women's organisations led by the Chairperson, Commission for Women, Mrs Mohini Giri, and a Rajya Sabha member, Ms Jayaprada, stage a dharna in New Delhi on Tuesday to protest against the rowdy behaviour of a few MPs on Monday during the introduction of the Women's Reservation Bill. |
| Pak
renews test ban offer NEW DELHI, July 14 — Pakistan is willing to discuss with India at the Colombo SAARC summit a regional test ban pact, formalising the moratoria declared by the two neighbours on further nuclear tests... Bedlam in Bihar House PATNA, July 14 — The Bihar Assembly was adjourned today about one and a half hour before the lunch recess as vociferous BJP members stormed into the well demanding constitution of a House committee to probe the alleged non-utilisation of funds for the uplift of weaker sections of society. Congress in dilemma over women’s Bill NEW DELHI, July 14 — After expressing commitment to stand by the Women’s Reservation Bill in its present form, the Congress today was in a dilemma over the issue of quota within quota for other backward classes (OBCs) and minorities... Hearing begins on Jaya’s petition CHENNAI, July 14— The first Bench of Madras High Court today began hearing afresh the petitions filed by former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J. Jayalalitha and some of her erstwhile cabinet colleagues challenging the appointment of special judges to try corruption cases against them, even as a public interest litigation (PIL) was filed demanding constitution of a new Bench excluding Chief Justice M.S. Liberhan... |
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Speaker puts Bill in govt's court Tribune News Service NEW DELHI, July 14 — Procedurial wrangles were witnessed between the Lok Sabha Speaker, Mr G.M.C. Balayogi, and the Parliamentary Affairs Minister, Mr Madan Lal Khurana over the introduction of the women's Bill. While the Minister of Parliamentary Affairs, Mr Madan Lal Khurana, and the BJP spokesman, Mr Venkaiah Naidu, asserted that the Bill had been introduced and it was now up to the Speaker when it should be discussed in the House, Mr Balayogi contended that it was for the government to inform in writing as when they want to introduce the Bill. (The Speaker informed the House during the last sitting of the day that in view of the strong sentiments expressed by women MPs, he advised all parties to hold further discussion on it so that the government can introduce the Bill at the earliest. Mr Khurana assured the House that the Bill would be introduced as when the Speaker directs.) Mr Khurana earlier and Mr Naidu later said the Law Minister, Mr M. Thambi Durai, had sought the permission of the House to introduce the Bill and now the said Bill has become the property of the Lok Sabha. "So far our stand is concerned,the Bill was moved yesterday", Mr Naidu stressed giving the BJP’s version of the events. Regarding deferring of the Bill, Mr Naidu said that it had been done as the government did not want that the Lok Sabha be converted into a battlefield. The BJP wanted to run the government by consensus and expressed a hope that leaders of various parties would utilise these days to sort out the issues. Mr Balayogi, who specially convened a press conference, told newspersons that "all legislative business was government’s business". "They (government) will have to communicate us in writing", he further said. "There is no business in the House which is called Speaker’s business. There was either the government business or the private member’s business", the Speaker pointed out. Earlier, Mr Naidu regretted the change in stance by some political parties, including the Congress, on the Women Reservation Bill. Some political parties which were till yesterday were insisting even amid pandemonium in the Lok Sabha that the Bill be introduced, today were talking in different voices, the BJP spokesman said. "The BJP was for the Bill, is for the Bill and will be for the Bill", Mr Naidu said. The issue of the OBC reservation has nothing to do with providing reservation to women, he said adding that "we are concerned with 49 per cent population of India". The BJP "does not support any dilution or deviation in the present Bill", Mr Naidu said. Condemning the unruly scenes in the Lok Sabha yesterday created by some members, the BJP spokesman said their behaviour was politically motivated rather than because of their love for the OBC women.  |
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| Fernandes rules out plebiscite Tribune News Service NEW DELHI, July 14 — The Defence Minister, Mr George Fernandes today firmly turned down Pakistan’s demand for a plebiscite in Jammu and Kashmir and said talks between India and Pakistan on the brink of the Colombo SAARC Summit would not alter situation in the state. Talking to media persons after Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee inaugurated a display of a huge cache of sophisticated weapons captured from Jammu and Kashmir militants, Mr Fernandes said "it was too late in the day to discuss" the question of a plebiscite. He observed that the situation in Kashmir had gone "far beyond" the 1948 UN resolution which referred to a plebiscite. He said the situation which existed in Kashmir could not be ignored whether talks between Indian and Pakistani Prime Ministers took place in Colombo or in the U.N. He was replying to a question on the remarks of Pakistani High Commissioner Ashraf Qazi Jehangir on holding a plebiscite in Kashmir in an interview to a newspaper here. When asked about the situation in militancy-hit Jammu and Kashmir, Mr Fernandes said "militancy in the valley is on the wane and on its last legs. Situation in large number of areas is normal although small groups of people could create problems". Earlier, the Prime Minister inaugurated at Parliament House Annexe a display of weapons captured in the last nine years including AK-47 and AK-56 Kalashnikov rifles, a variety of machine guns, rifles, stenguns, pistols and revolvers, anti-aircraft guns, anti-personnel and anti-tank mines, hand grenades, explosives and communication equipment. Maintaining that the display had been organised to educate members of Parliament about the proxy war in Jammu and Kashmir being waged by Pakistan, Mr Fernandes said the international community and people of India must know what security forces had been facing in tackling militancy there.Such displays would be organised in various parts of the country and a film prepared by the Films Division on Kashmir would be telecast soon, he said. |The Defence Minister said Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence has been attempting to push in mercenaries and militants into the state as melted on mountain passes, the armed forces have been successfully foiling such adventures. Asked why casualties among security forces were on the higher side in the state last year, Mr Fernandes said this reflected the action being taken by the Army in a big way. He said the mercenaries and the militants besides being armed with the latest weapons were also equipped with most sophisticated communication equipment. To a question about sanctions imposed against Pakistan following its nuclear tests, he said a destabilised Pakistan as a result of economic sanctions would not be in the interest of stability in South Asia. Asked about a Western Atlas which wrongly demarcated areas in J and K, Mr Fernandes quipped "we should not take cartographers very seriously". |
| Pak renews regional test ban offer NEW DELHI, July 14 (PTI) — Pakistan is willing to discuss with India at the Colombo SAARC summit a regional test ban pact, formalising the moratoria declared by the two neighbours on further nuclear tests, Pakistan’s High Commissioner here Ashraf Jehangir Qazi said today. Islamabad, he said, was keen to enter into a “new hopeful and constructive phase” of relations with New Delhi when Pakistani Premier Nawaz Sharif meets Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee on the fringes of the three-day summit. Issues relating to Jammu and Kashmir and peace and security would be on top of Pakistan’s agenda during the parleys, Mr Qazi said in an interview to PTI. On the question of signing the comprehensive test ban treaty (CTBT), Pakistan, he said, would keep all options open, including considering joining the treaty without India being a party to it, indicating a clear shift in Islamabad’s earlier stand. He said Islamabad was awaiting a response from New Delhi to its proposal made by Mr Sharif at the UN General Assembly for a non-aggression pact in the wake of the nuclear tests by the two countries. Mr Qazi ruled out Islamabad considering any move for conversion of the Line of Control (LoC) into an international border and claimed that Jammu and Kashmir “is an indivisible state which is neither part of India nor Pakistan”. Mr Qazi said the meeting of the two Prime Ministers would be of “inherent importance” as this would be Mr Sharif’s first interaction with the BJP-led coalition government in the aftermath of the nuclear explosions. “We have already indicated (to New Delhi) that peace and security including confidence-building measures as well as the root cause of our tension, Jammu and Kashmir, are of primary and urgent concern that should be addressed by the two sides.” While stating that there would be no formal agenda for the Colombo talks, he, however, said these subjects would be “uppermost” for the Pakistani side. “Our concern is how to restore the understanding that we actually reached in Islamabad on June 23, last year” when the Foreign Secretaries of the two countries jointly agreed to address eight outstanding issues, including peace and security and Jammu and Kashmir. He disagreed with the view that Pakistan was not keen to carry forward the process of bilateral talks in a constructive manner. This, he said, was evident from the fact that Islamabad suggested that Foreign Secretaries of the two countries meet on June 20 in Islamabad instead of India’s proposal for parleys on June 22 in New Delhi. Mr Qazi termed as “unilateral” India’s proposal at Dhaka in January this year outlining modalities for addressing the eight issues, saying this “posed certain difficulties”. |
| Bedlam in Bihar House PATNA, July 14 (PTI) — The Bihar Assembly was adjourned today about one and a half hour before the lunch recess as vociferous BJP members stormed into the well demanding constitution of a House committee to probe the alleged non-utilisation of funds for the uplift of weaker sections of society. Barely minutes after the House assembled for the day, Congress member Radhakrishna Kishore raised the issue of ‘non-utilisation’ of around Rs 28 crore and Rs 32 crore provided by the state government to different districts during November 1997 and March 1998 respectively for carrying out development work under the special component scheme. He said the amount meant for the uplift of people belonging to weaker sections of the society had not been used till May 1998 and sought government’s reply on it. Kishore also sought to know the justification of delaying submission of utilisation certificates to the Centre by the state. He said the Centre had withheld grants to different districts between 1994-95 and 1995-96 following the failure of the state authorities to furnish utilisation certificates for Rs 30 crore made available to them under the scheme. The BJP members were seen on their feet demanding setting up of a House committee to probe the allegations. They alleged that huge amounts of money had been stashed away by officials meant to accelerate pace of development in rural areas. The minister for planning, Tulsi Singh, in reply admitted that only two of over 55 districts had so far submitted their utilisation certificates and action was being taken to mobilise the same from others. Dissatisfied with the minister’s reply, slogan-shouting BJP members rushed into the well urging the Chair to constitute a house committee to go into the allegations. As the din continued for about 10 minutes, the Speaker, Mr Denarayan Yadav, adjourned the House till after lunch recess. Later, talking to reporters, Opposition leader Mr Sushil Kumar Modi charged the Water Resources Minister, Mr Jagadanand Singh, with having “used abusive language” against him in the House when the BJP members were agitating on the issue of non-utilisation of funds for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes and demanded his (Singh’s) immediate resignation. “It is quite condemnable and serious that a senior minister like Singh used abusive language against the Opposition leader,” he said. Mr Modi said the BJP wanted that a special house committee should be constituted to go into the allegations of “non-utilisation and misutilisation” of the central funds meant for development in areas dominated by Schedule Castes and Schedule Tribes. When contacted, the Speaker, however, said he did not hear any “unparliamentary word” used by Mr Singh against Mr Modi before he adjourned the House. |
| Congress in dilemma over
women’s Bill Tribune News Service NEW DELHI, July 14 — After expressing commitment to stand by the Women’s Reservation Bill in its present form, the Congress today was in a dilemma over the issue of quota within quota for other backward classes (OBCs) and minorities. Although the party maintained it stood committed to the Bill, there were differences within it regarding whether the new demand for OBCs should be raised right now or later through amendments. “We are committed to support the Bill, we are also committed for the welfare of the Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, OBCs and minorities,” party spokesman, Mr Ajit Jogi said. However, Mr Jogi, parried questions at the regular briefing about whether at the emergency meeting of the Congress Party in Parliament (CPP), any formal stand was adopted. According to party sources a broad consensus was arrived at that first support should be given for the Bill at introduction stage and then in amendments should be brought in. In a strict sense, the Congress today formally shifted its stance on the issue from being a supporter without any change in the present form of the Bill to alterations through amendments. The Congress president and CPP leader, Mrs Sonia Gandhi had convened an emergency meeting this morning in view of the happenings in the Lok Sabha yesterday, where the introduction of the Bill was stalled. However, the BJP squarely blamed the Congress for having backtracked which led to deferring the introduction of the Bill today, a charge denied by the principal opposition party. Mr Jogi said the Congress respected the directive of the Lok Sabha Speaker, Mr G.M.C. Balayogi, to defer the introduction of the bill for a few days to enable evolving of a consensus. The spokesman said the government should not make an excuse for deferment. Among those who spoke at the CPP meeting today included Mr Sharad Pawar, Dr Najma Heptulla, Mr P. Upendra, Mr Rajesh Pilot, Mr Kapil Sibal, Justice (Retd) Ranganath Misra, Mr R.L. Jalappa, Mr H.R. Bhardwaj, Mr Sitaram Kesri, Mr K Karunakaran, Mrs Urmilaben Patel and Mr Shamsher Singh Surjewala. |
| Hearing begins on Jaya’s
petition CHENNAI, July 14 (UNI) — The first Bench of Madras High Court today began hearing afresh the petitions filed by former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J. Jayalalitha and some of her erstwhile cabinet colleagues challenging the appointment of special judges to try corruption cases against them, even as a public interest litigation (PIL) was filed demanding constitution of a new Bench excluding Chief Justice M.S. Liberhan. The Bench comprises the Chief Justice and Mr Justice E. Padmanabhan. When the case came up for hearing, senior Supreme Court lawyer Rajeev Dhawan, appearing for former Local Administration Minister T.M. Selvaganapathy, said as many as 303 corruption cases filed under the Prevention of Corruption Act were pending since 1985. But the state government chose to appoint special judges to try only the 46 cases preferred against Ms Jayalalitha, some of her former ministerial colleagues and some IAS officers, ignoring the cases registered during 1985 to 1991, he said. The transfer of cases was done by an executive order which was mala fide and motivated by political considerations, he argued. While the power to transfer and allocate the cases was vested with the high court, the government could not exercise the powers of the judiciary, he further contended. He also disputed the state government’s claim that it had constituted the three special courts only to dispose of the 46 corruption cases speedily as the courts in Chennai were overloaded with such cases. |
| In
brief Bond’s novellas for Hindi readers DEHRA DUN: After the great success of “Ek Tha Rusty” translated into Hindi by the National Book Trust, Hindi readers can now get a deeper insight into the literary world of renowned English author Ruskin Bond through “Raat ke Ajnabi”, an impressive Hindi translation of “Strangers in the Night”. Consisting of two novellas, “Raat ke Ajnabi” is unique as it is very different from the children stories written prolifically by Bond. The two novellas titled “Mutthibhar Badaam” (A Handful of Nuts) and “Kaami Purush” (The Sensualist: a Cautionary Tale) describe an adolescent’s journey into adulthood and maturity. — UNI Virus-free banana saplings NEW DELHI: In a significant achievement, Indian scientists have developed a workable technique to micropropagate virus-free saplings of the elite nanjangund rasbale variety of banana from diseased plants through tissue culture. According to the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), scientists at the Central Food Technological Research Institute (CFTRI), Mysore raised 300 virus-free saplings from the infected plants of the variety using aseptic tissue culture technique. These saplings are presently being field tested at the institute’s campus. — UNI Haj panel’s security steps NEW DELHI: The All-India Haj Committee on Monday decided not to accommodate the pilgrims in unsafe buildings in Mecca and Medina during next year’s annual pilgrimage in which 66,000 persons, the same numbers as last year, would take part from India. This was part of the security measures undertaken by the committee, its chairman, Salamat Ullah, said at a press conference here. The last date for receipt of applications, available at all state Haj committee offices free of cost, is August 24, he said. More than 30 Indian pilgrims were killed in a fire and stampede during the pilgrimage last year. — PTI Kannada writer dead BANGALORE: Eminent Kannada writer Basagarahalli Ramanna died in a private hospital here on Monday following renal failure. He was 60. Mr Ramanna had penned a number of works and been honoured by the Kannada Sahitya Academy in 1990 for his works. He was a doctor by profession. Chief Minister J.H. Patel visited the hospital and paid tributes to the departed writer. — UNI Life term for killing beloved MUMBAI: Additional Sessions Court here has awarded life sentence to a jilted lover for murdering his girlfriend after she spurned his advances. The convict, Madhukar Nigde, killed his love, Tilotama Singh, in cold blood in October 1993 when she refused to have a physical relation with him. Nigde stabbed her and then went to sleep next to her body. The court gave the verdict on Monday. — UNI  |
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