Saturday, August 7, 1999
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BJP, allies squabble over LS
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 Dr Karan Singh, flanked by Mr Pranab Mukherjee and Mr Ahmed Patel, at a press conference at the AICC headquarters where Dr Karan Singh rejoined the Congress after 18 years. - Photo by Vijender Tyagi. Cong stand ‘vindicated’ NEW DELHI, Aug 6 — Senior Congress leader Madhavrao Scindia today said his party stand stood vindicated following the Wadhwa Commission holding Dara Singh responsible for the murder of Australian missionary Graham Staines and his two sons in Orissa in January this year. |
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First list of Cong
nominees today BSP, HVP to hold rally in Bhiwani 204 bodies of train mishap
cremated ‘Disclose status of Punjab
grant’ Tibetans pay homage to Kargil
martyrs Fernandes’ midnight mission RPI symbol given to Gavai group Buses stoned over student’s
death |
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BJP, allies squabble over LS seats NEW DELHI, Aug 6 — The BJP has run into trouble with several of its allies over seat-sharing in many states, but party leaders are hopeful that agreements on the lines of those arrived at in Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Himachal Pradesh will be finalised before August l0, the deadline set by the party for finalising its Lok Sabha candidates. The leaders have indicated that the party will contest a minimum of 370 seats against last year’s 377 and the allies of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) will be accommodated on the rest of the seats. The unified Janata Dal, comprising the Samata Party, the Lok Shakti and the Sharad Yadav faction, is proving to be the biggest problem for the BJP and the new combination has already sent the seat mathematics haywire in the states of Bihar and Karnataka. The Samata Party, which has a stronghold in Bihar, has desired to expand its area of operations and has demanded at least 55 Lok Sabha constituencies as its share. This includes 27 seats in Bihar and l4 in Karnataka. A seat-sharing agreement has also eluded the BJP in Orissa with the majority partner in the state, the Biju Janata Dal, reluctant to concede more seats. The Biju Janata Dal is firm that seat-sharing has to be in the ratio of l2:9, the same as last time. The BJP Orissa unit, however, says that its influence has grown over the past two years and it deserves at least two more seats. Another problem area is Karnataka. The BJP’s refusal to admit the Sharad Yadav faction of the Janata Dal into the NDA has angered local leaders and they have threatened to go it alone in Karnataka. In fact, the Janata Dal, the Lok Shakti and the Samata Party have already begun talks on seat sharing and other issues for the coming assembly and Lok Sabha polls. Although the Samata Party and the Lok Shakti are optimistic that the BJP will finally relent, the seat sharing exercise in the state is on the basis of the worst happening, in which event the unified Janata Parivar will contest all 224 assembly and 28 Lok Sabha constituencies. The ruling party’s effort to have a tie-up with the Telegu Desam Party in Andhra Pradesh has also not worked out as the state partner is reluctant to share seats in the assembly. The BJP is understood to be eyeing 80 seats in the assembly, which the TDP does not want to give. The TDP argument is that the BJP should concentrate on forming a government at the Centre rather than harbouring ambitions of sharing power in the state. The TDP President, Mr Chandrababu Naidu and the Prime Minister, Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee, are in touch but officially the BJP has maintained that there is no proposal for any tie-up with the TDP in Andhra Pradesh. A final picture is likely to emerge within a week. Coalition efforts in Uttar Pradesh are also having problems with the Loktantrik Congress staking claim to some of the seats won by the BJP last time. The BJP is adamant that it will not concede any of the 57 seats it won in l998. While the BJP is prepared to allot 10 of the 85 seats to its allies in Uttar Pradesh, its allies in the state government — the Loktantrik Congress Party and the Jantantrik Bahujan Samaj Party — have sought 10 seats each. The Samata Party, Mrs Maneka Gandhi and independent MLAs too are seeking their share. The BJP is yet to finalise the seat sharing arrangement with the Indian National Lok Dal of Mr Om Parkash Chautala in Haryana. The party, however, hopes that it will be sorted out soon. Also, in Punjab, the BJP is hopeful that the seat-sharing arrangement with the Shiromaani Akali Dal (SAD) will be smooth like last year. While the party is facing problems from these states, it has drawn comfort from the successful arrangements worked out in Himachal Pradesh, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu. The seat-sharing arrangement in Tamil Nadu has been particularly good for the BJP as the DMK has conceded six seats to it. However, the celebrations in the state have been cut short as another member of the NDA, the MDMK, has expressed unhappiness over the five seats offered to its by the DMK. The MDMK chief, Mr Vaiko, has told the BJP that his party might contest all constituencies except those contested by the BJP if a seat sharing accord is not up to its expectations. The BJP has also successfully reached an agreement with the Himachal Vikas Congress on the four Lok Sabha seats in the state with the latter fielding three candidates and the former contesting the Shimla (reserve) seat. BJP leaders say one
reason for their reluctance in granting more seats to
their allies is the experience of the last Lok Sabha.
"We realise that in a hung Parliament, every seat is
important. We don’t want to be dependent on others
and be let down" they say. |
Karan Singh rejoins Cong NEW DELHI, Aug 6 — A former Union Minister, Dr Karan Singh, today rejoined the Congress and decided to resign from the Rajya Sabha, to which he was elected in 1996 with support from the Jammu and Kashmir National Conference. Dr Karan Singh's readmission into the party after 18 years was announced by the AICC Treasurer, Mr Ahmed Patel, who is also the in charge of party affairs of the state, at daily press briefing. The former Union Minister said ever since he left the Congress in 1980s to go along with the breakaway Congress(S), he had not been a member of any other political party. He said the decision to rejoin the Congress was prompted by his belief that since the country was going through a prolonged period of political instability, "It was necessary in the broader national interest to strengthen the Congress which alone can cut across religious, caste, class and regional dimensions, and give the nation a full-term government." He said he had been a Rajya Sabha member for almost three years now. He had never been a member of the National Conference but acknowledge that he was elected to the Rajya Sabha with the support of National Conference and formally listed as one of its three members in the House. To a question whether he would contest the forthcoming elections, Dr Karan Singh said he was neither keen nor had given a thought to it but ultimately it would depend on the Congress President. To another query whether
his son, Mr Ajatshatru Singh, who is a minister in the Dr
Farooq Abdullah government in Jammu and Kashmir would
follow suit, Dr Karan Singh said it was up to his son to
take his own decisions. |
Wadhwa panel report NEW DELHI, Aug 6 (PTI, UNI) — Senior Congress leader Madhavrao Scindia today said his party stand stood vindicated following the Wadhwa Commission holding Dara Singh responsible for the murder of Australian missionary Graham Staines and his two sons in Orissa in January this year. "The government is totally misrepresenting the case. We have never talked of organisations, but had maintained that Dara Singh was an activist of the Bajrang Dal. This has been proved correct. This point has not been refuted by the commission," Mr Scindia, AICC general secretary in-charge of the state, told PTI. The commission, which probed the murder had held that no authority or organisation played any role in the killings which were inspired by main accused Dara Singh and "his clout" to prevent tribesmen from embracing Christianity. In a statement here, the CPM accused the government of trying to "whitewash" the enormity of the crime in the Graham Staines’ killing and said it was inexplicable how the Wadhwa Commission concluded the non-involvement of any Hindu outfit in the incident despite substantial proof of the role of Dara Singh in the RSS outfits’ campaign in the area. "The BJP-led government’s efforts to whitewash the enormity of the crime and the culpability of the RSS outfits will not deceive anyone. Seven months after the murders, Dara Singh is still at large and the politics of hate against religious minorities gets official protection," the CPM Politburo said in a statement. It said even instances cited by the commission of Dara Singh’s criminal attacks on Muslim cattle traders "revealed that this campaign was initiated by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad and the Bajrang Dal." The party had condemned the decision of the Cabinet to appoint such a judicial commission of inquiry stating in January that it was a "blatant attempt to cover up the role of various outfits of the RSS-headed saffron brigade." It had also said that it was strange that such a decision had been taken when the National Human Rights Commission and the National Minorities Commission (both statutory bodies) had sent their teams for inquiry. Reacting to the report, the CPI said it was eyewash to bail out the Sangh Parivar. Party secretary D Raja, in a statement here said the report was politically motivated and tutored. Its only objective was to certify that alleged criminal Dara Singh was not associated with the Bajrang Dal and any other outfit of the Sangh Parivar.The report was published to benefit the BJP in the assembly and Lok Sabha elections, Mr Raja added. In Ranchi, the Jharkhand Regional Congress Committee (JRCC) today described the Wadhwa Commission's report as a "pack of lies" prepared under "pressure" from the BJP-led government at the Centre. By ruling out the involvement of any communal organisation in the ghastly murder of the Australian missionary and his two sons, "the Wadhwa Commission has raised doubts about its own credibility," senior JRCC leader R.P. Dwiwedi, and party secretaries Kameshwar Giri, Lalit Murmu and Salim Khan said in a joint statement here. The JRCC leaders
appealed to the masses to agitate against the
"communal and partisan approach" of the BJP-led
government at the Centre which was "trying to
shield" the guilty in the Staines murder case. |
Staines killing NEW DELHI, Aug 6 (PTI) — The Wadhwa Commission has pilloried the Orissa police for registering a “doctored” first information report (FIR) in the murder of Australian missionary Graham Staines and his two sons in January and sought an independent inquiry into the circumstances leading to its recording. “The FIR registered in the case does not represent true state of affairs. It is certainly a doctored document,” the 250-page report made public by the government last night said. Referring to the arrest of 51 persons initially in connection with the case “apparently without any reasonable basis”, it said their detention for over two months in custody appeared, prima facie, to be unjustified. “There should be an independent inquiry to find out the circumstances leading to the recording of the FIR, arrest of innocent persons and how they are to be compensated for their illegal detention,” the commission said adding that “responsibility for this be fixed on the guilty be it the state government and/or its official and necessary action taken”. The memorandum of action taken on the report by the government said the commission’s views were being communicated to the state government concerned for taking appropriate action. In this regard, the memorandum of action taken said state governments and intelligence agencies both at the Centre and in sensitive states were being asked to prepare action plans to augment the capacity and capability of the intelligence machinery right from the police station level to the state level with special focus on community intelligence. The memorandum said the view of the commission was being communicated to the state government for appropriate action. The Wadhwa Commission suggested that there should be a code of conduct for political parties when their leaders made statements without verification in a situation like the killing of the missionary and his two sons. It also blamed the local administration for being “quite unconcerned and oblivious to the growing tension”. The commission said “but Staines did not expect that a stage had come where there is threat to his life or a riotous situation is developing.’’ Staines devoted most part of his life in India to the cause of eradication of leprosy and rehabilitation of leprosy patients. As a missionary, he was involved in spreading the gospel and was behind the church movement in the two districts of Mayurbhanj and Keonjhar, the report said adding he himself was not involved in conversions. Stating that there had been conversions among tribesmen, the report said the tribesmen who got converted distanced themselves from tribal customs. “There have been instances of conflicts between the Christian and non-Christian tribals evidencing growing tensions between them. Opposition was also developing against conversions in the area,” it said. Elaborating the causes leading to Staines murder, the report said it was a strange scenario that in the election to the headman of Manoharpur village, the Christians had their own candidate and all of them voted for him. Non-Christians voted for their non-Christian candidate. Staines was a popular figure by all accounts in Baripada in Mayurbhanj district. “Unfortunately, some of the tribesmen perceived Staines to be the person behind spread of Christianity by converting innocent and suspecting tribesmen and the one making inroads into their culture and customs,” it said. Referring to Dara Singh, it said “He is a fanatic. He committed crimes against Muslim traders. There was no check on him. There were criminal cases pending against him and yet he was not declared as an absconder.” The action of Dara Singh in stopping the transport of cattle from Muslim traders and also by a Hindu trader and then distributing the cattle earned him popularity, it said. “The act of
murdering Staines and his two children was inspired by
Dara Singh and his clout and no authority, organisation
or any other person played any role in or in connection
with the killings,” the report said adding
“there is no evidence that any authority or
organisation was behind the gruesome killing.” |
First list of Cong nominees today NEW DELHI, Aug 6 (PTI) — The Congress Election Committee (CEC) held its third meeting today to decide party candidates for the coming Lok Sabha elections and will come out with its first list of candidates tomorrow. The AICC has already announced that the first list will contain the names of nominees from states going to the polls in the first phase on September 5, except Maharashtra, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. Besides the three states, the other states going to the polls in the first phase are Goa, Gujarat, Haryana, Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu and all union territories barring Lakshadweep. The party is expected to
complete the exercise of the selection of candidates by
August 15 as the CEC will be having a series of meetings
till August 13. |
BSP, HVP to hold rally in
Bhiwani NEW DELHI, July 6 — The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and the Haryana Vikas Party (HVP) are holding a joint rally in Bhiwani on Sunday. Former Chief Minister of Haryana, Mr Bansi Lal, national President of the BSP, Mr Kanshi Ram and former HVP MP, Mr Surender Singh are expected to address the rally. The rally comes as a public declaration of the BSP- HVP alliance in Haryana in the forthcoming Lok Sabha poll. In a telephonic interview to TNS here on Friday, senior BSP leader and former Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, Ms Mayavati, said the rally had been organised by Mr Surender Singh, who represented Bhiwani in the 12th Lok Sabha. She added that the BSP would have an alliance with the Sarb Hind Shiromani Akali Dal and the HVP in Punjab and Haryana, respectively. She said the BSP plans to contest the Ambala and Mahendergarh seats in Haryana and would support the HVP in Bhiwani. She confirmed the candidature of Aman Singh Nagra from the Ambala reserved constituency and said the party would field Mr Raghunath Yadav from Mahendergarh. The senior BSP leader
said in Punjab the party had decided to field candidates
from Ferozepore, Hoshiarpur, Phillaur and Jalandhar. She
said the party would field former Lok Sabha MP, Mohan
Singh from Ferozepore. In the reserved constituency of
Phillaur, the party would field a new face, Mr Avinash. |
204 bodies of train mishap cremated CALCUTTA, Aug 6 (PTI) — Mass cremation of 204 unidentified bodies of the victims of the Gaisal train disaster would be completed tonight on the bed of Balasan river, West Bengal Home (Police) Minister Buddhadev Bhattacharjee said. Mr Bhattacharjee said that only 85 of the 289 bodies had finally been identified by relatives at North Bengal Medical College Hospital (NBMCH) and New Jalpaiguri Railway Hospital (NJRH). Only 23 family members today reached New Jalpaiguri station by a special train from Delhi at 1500 hours. They could later identify only five of the bodies all at NBMCH. Of the 85 bodies identified, 59 were at NBMCH, 14 at NJRH and 22 were handed over to Army authorities from the spot, he said. The identified bodies had been handed over to relatives. Mass cremation would begin at 7 pm and would be completed tonight as these decomposed and totally mutilated bodies could not be kept lying further, he said adding that necessary permission from the magistrate had already been taken and photographs of the unclaimed bodies taken. He wondered why the response from the relatives to identify the victims was so poor. The state government has
so far released Rs 5.5 lakh to the District Magistrates
of Jalpaiguri, Darjeeling and North Dinajpur for rescue
operation and cremation of the victims. |
‘Disclose status of Punjab
grant’ NEW DELHI, Aug 6 — A former Union Minister, Mr Balwant Singh Ramoowalia, today asked the Prime Minister, Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee, to disclose the status of the grant of Rs 300 crore relief to Punjab for damaged paddy and Amritsar international airport. In a letter to the Prime Minister on the eve of his visit to the state, Mr Ramoowalia said despite the announcement some 10 months ago. the state has yet to receive it. The Punjab Chief Minister, Mr Parkash Singh Badal, and the Union Minister for State for Industry, Mr Sukhbir Singh Badal, he said had been repeatedly announcing that it was their effort which resulted in the grant of relief. “Since no money has been received by Punjab the people of the state expect that you may kindly carry the amount with you to Ludhiana or must convey the reality to the people there,’’ Mr Ramoowalia said in a letter. Mr Ramoowalia, who heads the Lok Bhalai Party said his outfit had been holding demonstrations in the state for the release of relief since November, last year, and even the Prime Minister had acknowledged two of his earlier letters. On the Amritsar international airport project he said the United Front government had sanctioned Rs 105 crore and 132 acres were acquired. The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Transport and Tourism, of which he was a member, was informed that the matter had not been taken up by the pre-investment board. “Therefore, there
is a strong apprehension that the government’s”
attitude might result in eventually shelving the
project,’’ he said, adding that the boundary
wall for the airport had been built by the Airports
Authority of India from its funds. |
Tibetans pay homage to Kargil
martyrs NEW DELHI, Aug 6 — The spiritual leader Dalai Lama, today led the Tibetans living in the country in paying homage to the Kargil martyrs. “We pray for all those soliders, Indians and Pakistanis, who were killed and for those animals and birds which were disturbed due to the Kargil conflict,” the Nobel Peace Prize winner Dalai Lama said at a function organised by the Himalayan Buddhist Cultural Association here. Dalai Lama said “Buddhism believes in rebirth and we should pray for their better life in the next birth too.” India has historically been playing a crucial role in the propagation of the concept of “ahimsa” or non-violence, the spiritual leader said, adding that globally the concept of non-violence had been gaining popularity. Buddhists monks dressed in traditional attire recited hymns, played traditional instruments for the peace of those killed in the Kargil conflict and the speedy recovery of those injured. Earlier the Union Home
Minister, Mr Lal Krishna Advani, while speaking on the
occasion said India would strive for promoting global
peace while protecting its national interest. |
Fernandes’ midnight mission HYDERABAD, Aug 6 (PTI) — Amidst continued suspense over a poll alliance between the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and the BJP, Defence Minister and convener of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) George Fernandes undertook a crucial midnight mission to hold talks with the TDP chief and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu here. The sudden and unannounced visit of the Samata Party chief and his 90-minute one-to-one meeting with Mr Naidu at the latter’s residence, stretching past into midnight, triggered speculation that the central BJP leadership had sent Mr Fernandes as its emissary to sort out hitches in forging a poll tie-up with the regional party. Though Mr Fernandes parried all questions about his last night’s mission, TDP sources said the issue of seat adjustments with the BJP did come up for discussion between the two leaders. The Union Minister had also sought to persuade Mr Naidu to formally join the NDA to strengthen the leadership of Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee, the sources said. He, however, fended off
persistent queries on whether he was here as an emissary
of the BJP to clear decks for the TDP-BJP alliance.
“time will tell all these things,” he said. |
RPI symbol given to Gavai group NEW DELHI, Aug 6 (UNI) — The Election Commission today allowed the Republican Party of India headed by Mr R.S. Gavai and Mr Jogindra Kawade to retain the symbol “rising sun” reserved for the undivided RPI, which is a recognised state party in Maharashtra. After hearing the four separate groups led by Mr Gavai, Mr Ramdas Athwale, Mr T.M. Kamble and Mr Prakash Ambedkar, claiming to be the real Republican Party of India, the Election Commission in its order said: “The group led by Mr R.S. Gavai enjoys superior numerical support not only in the Central Executive Committee but also among the units of the party in various states”. On the basis of documentary evidence, the Election Commission said that against the partial support of two state units claimed by the group led by Mr Athwale the group led by Mr Gavai has demonstrated the support of eight state units. “The obvious conclusion is that in the organisational wing too the group led by Mr R.S. Gavai and Mr Jogindra Kawade enjoys the support of the majority”, it said. The order signed by
Election Commissioners G.V.G. Krishnamurty and J.M.
Lyngdoh said the claims of Mr Prakash Ambedkar and Mr
T.M. Kamble as representing the Republican Party of India
were rejected as untenable. |
Buses stoned over
student’s death NEW DELHI, Aug 6 — Students of Anglo Arabic School at Ajmeri Gate in Central Delhi stoned buses as an expression of anger after the death of a student in an accident yesterday. The students smashed windscreens of several buses. It became a riot-like situation at the Kamla Market crossing, the police said. Acting principal of the school, Mr Irfan, said he tried to control the situation but it had gone out of control. The police resorted to lathi charge to disperse the students. The students alleged that two schoolchildren, Nadeem and Sajid, were crushed by a Blueline bus while they were trying to board it at Kamla Market crossing. The route number of the bus was 261 which plies between Kamla Market in Central Delhi and Yamuna Vihar in East Delhi. When they tried to board
the bus, the driver allegedly sped it away throwing both
of them off the bus and crushed them under the rear wheel
of the bus. Sajid died on the spot while Nadeem was
admitted to LNJP hospital, the police said. adding that
the students demanded the arrest of the bus driver and
the conductor. |
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| Train accident averted HYDERABAD: A major train accident was averted when the Hyderabad-bound Narayanadri Express was stopped just in time following the delinking of the wagons of the goods train at Bogaram village in Nalgonda district of Andhra Pradesh on Thursday. Railway sources here said the driver on the Nalgonda-bond goods train from Secunderabad found the coupling connecting the wagons got delinked leaving some wagons on the single track. He immediately alerted the Ramannaapet Station Master, who acted swiftly and stopped the packed Narayanadri Express at the loop line near the station, thus avoiding a direct collision with the goods train. — UNI Param
10000 at IISc, Bangalore Withdraw
vehicles: election officer Villagers
threaten to boycott poll Gangster Ashwin
Naik held IIT paper
leakage case 5 feared drowned
in boat capsize |
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