Friday, December 17, 1999
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N A T I O N |
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DMK threat to pull out |
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 President K. R. Narayanan laying a wreath at Amar Jawan Jyoti on the occasion of "Vijay Divas" at India Gate in New Delhi on Thursday. — PTI photo
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Hooda heads poll panel
‘Asianet’ crew attacked Meeting on CTBT today CPP will benefit operators : MTNL TDP leader’s house blasted NHRC seeks report on suicide by
couple Moopanar meets Sonia Gandhi Cong demand
"irresponsible" |
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DMK threat to pull out TIRUCHIRAPALLI, Dec 16 (UNI) — The DMK will re-consider its continuance in the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) at the Centre if the top-level BJP leadership expresses views favouring construction of Ram Temple at the disputed site in Ayodhya, DMK chief and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister m Karunanidhi said today. Addressing a press conference here today, he, however, pointed to Prime Minister a b Vajpayee’s clarification that the temple was not on the agenda of the NDA and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister’s denial in this regard. He said the present circumstances did not warrant the DMK to pull out of the NDA. Mr Karunanidhi felt the reported allegations against the BJP-led government on the temple issue by some parties and a section of the press was intended to damage its image. Asked why the DMK also did not protest when members of the Telugu Desam Party and the Trinamool Congress expressed their opposition in the Lok Sabha to the BJP’s reported move on the temple issue, he said if that move was true, then the DMK would have definitely opposed it. But Mr Vajpayee had himself clarified that the BJP did not have any hidden agenda. Referring to the Centre’s reported idea to ban those with more than two children from contesting elections, Mr Karunanidhi said the DMK would never accept this condition. He, however, felt that
state Minister Tamilkudimagan’s remark in this
regard "was not decent.’’ Mr
Tamilkudimagan’s remark against the Prime Minister
was also wrong. |
61 martyrs feted on "Vijay Divas" NEW DELHI, Dec 16 (UNI) — Chief of Army Staff Gen V. P. Malik today conferred the ‘Badge of Sacrifice and Certificate of Honour’ to the next of kin of 61 martyrs at a function held as part of "Vijay Divas" at the Rajputana Rifles Regimental Centre here today. Paying rich tributes to the martyrs of the post-Independence era the Army chief said that 17,000 Army men had laid down their lives while safeguarding the country’s territorial integrity since 1947. It had been decided to honour all martyrs of the post-Independence era with the badge and certificate and similar ceremonies were being organised at the command area and sub-area headquarters of the Army throughout the country. The Resident Commissioners of states and union territories had been requested to give due recognition to the badge and certificate. The Army chief also announced that the next of kin of each martyr would be presented with a cheque for Rs 50,000 from the Army Central Welfare Fund. The function was attended by a number of retired Army officials including two former Chiefs of the Army Staff. Earlier in the morning,
President K. R. Narayanan, Vice-President Krishan Kant,
Defence Minister George Fernandes, Minister of State for
Defence Harin Pathak and the three Services chiefs. |
Senior cops were alerted NEW DELHI, Dec 16 (PTI) — A former top intelligence officer of UP today told the Liberhan Commission that senior police officials of Faizabad (Ayodhya) and Lucknow were informed about the "very fragile" communal situation in the state before December 6, 1992, the day Babri Masjid was demolished, and asked to make necessary security arrangements. Deposing before the commission, former Additional DGP (Intelligence) S.N.P. Sinha said the "communal situation was very fragile not only in Faizabad (Ayodhya) but throughout the state. We had alerted all Superintendents of Police (SPs), including senior SP Faizabad, DIG Ranges and IG (Zones) to remain extra vigilant and take all preventive measures to curb any untoward incident." Th Justice Manmohan Singh Liberhan Commission is inquiring into the sequence leading to the demolition of Babri Masjid in Ayodhya. Mr Sinha said under his instructions, the then DIG(I), Lucknow, had on November 27, 1992, sent radiograms to all senior police officials concerned to remain alert in the wake of "jan jagran" programmes organised by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) from November 17 to 28, 1992, and "lalkar saptah" from November 29 to December 5 in the same year and the proposed kar seva the following day at the disputed site. Mr Sinha further submitted that during the "jan jagran" week, a procession was held in Lucknow on November 27, 1992 around 0845 hours. Some miscreants fired at the procession reportedly from a mosque, he said. "This was a very serious matter which had the potential to threaten the communal situation. As such we had directed all district SPs, DIGs and IGs and other intelligence field officers to remain very vigilant and take proper precautions," he told the commission. "We had specifically mentioned that steps should be taken to regulate the route and time of the procession and ensure that these processions did not pass through sensitive localities and also directed that a close watch should be kept on anti-social elements," he said. Asked whether the central paramilitary forces were obstructed from reaching the disputed site on December 6, 1992, Mr Sinha submitted that though a section of paramilitary forces was already deployed for the protection of the disputed structure, the reserve central para-military forces "were not able to reach near the disputed structure as their movement was obstructed by kar sewaks." Earlier, former
Additonal DGP (I) denied having any intelligence report
about any assault on foreign journalists who had gone to
Ayodhya to cover the situation before December 6, 1992. |
Withdraw support to UP Govt: RLD LUCKNOW, Dec 16 (UNI) — The Ajit Singh-led Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) today urged three partners of the Uttar Pradesh coalition government to withdraw their support to the Ram Prakash Gupta ministry to prevent the BJP from accomplishing its ‘non-secular agenda’ and pave the way for fresh polls. At a joint press conference here, RLD leaders, Mr Satya Prakash Malviya, Mr Kailashnath Singh Yadav and Mr Dhirendra Pratap Singh said in the post-Kalyan Singh scenario, the BJP was raking up controversial matters of its hidden agenda such as the Ayodhya issue. They said the time was
now ripe for the Loktantrik Congress, Jantantrik Bahujan
Samaj Party and Janta Dal (Pandey) to withdraw their
support so that the BJP could not raise emotive issues.
"Despite knowing fully that no construction activity
could take place at the disputed site at Ayodhya till the
suits are pending in the court, the BJP leaders are
deliberately playing mischief over the issue’’,
the RJD leaders charged. |
Hooda heads poll panel NEW DELHI, Dec 16 — The Congress today announced a 12-member Haryana Pradesh Election Committee under the chairmanship of the PCC chief, Mr Bhupinder Singh Hooda and accommodating leaders of various factions. The committee consists of convenor former Chief Minister Bhajan Lal, Birender Singh (Convener), Mr Shamsher Singh Surjewala, Mr Harpal Singh, Mrs Kartari Devi, Mr Chiranji Lal Sharma, Mr O.P. Jindal, Mr Avtar Singh Bhadana, Ms Selja and Mr Khurshid Ahmed. The party’s central leadership decided not to change the PCC chief, Mr Hooda, despite intense pressure and lobbying by senior state leaders in the wake of the party drubbing in Haryana losing all 10 seats in the Lok Sabha poll. The Congress also decided to nominate Mr Surjewala as chairman of the campaign committee for the elections which at present also includes former MP Rao Inderjeet Singh. The move to retain Mr Hooda indicates that the younger members in the party carried the day by ensuring that senior leaders like Mr Bhajan Lal and Mr Surjewala were accommodated in the committees. It is understood that
the two-member committee of Mrs Ambika Soni and Mr P.
Shiv Shankar, which was appointed by the Congress
President, Mrs Sonia Gandhi, had suggested that leaders
of various factions be brought together on a committee to
face the challenge unitedly. |
Suicide case: 4 cops suspended JAIPUR, Dec 16 (PTI) — Three constables posted at Sanganer police station and the Station House Officer (SHO) were suspended today in connection with a case of suicide by a couple on Monday last. Jaipur (South) SP S. Srivastawa said "the suspension is effected in view of the seriousness of the case so that they may not influence the magisterial inquiry". The couple identified as Ramchandra Mangatani and his wife, Asha, committed suicide after allegedly killing their year-old daughter in the Sanganer area. "In his diary, the
deceased Ramchandra, an auto driver, blamed police for
atrocities against him", according to the police. |
‘Asianet’ crew attacked KOCHI, Dec 16 (PTI) — A camera team of private television channel "Asianet" was attacked today, allegedly by "musclemen" of the Sri Narayana Dharma Paripala Yogam (SNDP) general secretary Vellappally Natesan, according to a press note issued by ‘Asianet’. The incident occurred when an income tax raid was on at Mr Natesan’s house, according to the release. Four members of the team, including a reporter and a cameraman, who were injured in the attack had been admitted to the local taluk hospital. The team’s digital camera was also destroyed by the attackers, it said. The police has registered a case. Meanwhile, the Kerala
Union of Working Journalists (KUWJ) condemned the attack
on journalists. KUWJ president Jacob George and secretary
C. Gouridasan Nair demanded immediate arrest of the
culprits. |
Meeting on CTBT today NEW DELHI, Dec 16 — The Congress president, Mrs Sonia Gandhi, today outlined her party’s agenda for tomorrow’s talks convened by the Prime Minister to formulate India’s stand on the comprehensive test ban treaty (CTBT) issue. Talking to mediapersons at an Iftar hosted by the Lok Sabha Speaker, Mr G.M.C. Balayogi, Mrs Gandhi said the Congress was yet to formulate its stand on the CTBT issue. She said her party would like to know from the government about what had transpired in the nine rounds of talks between the External Affairs Minister, Mr Jaswant Singh, and the US Deputy Secretary of State, Mr Strobe Talbot. Mrs Gandhi indicated that the party’s representatives at tomorrow’s talks, Dr Manmohan Singh and Mr K. Natwar Singh, had been instructed to essentially listen to what the government had to say and report back to the party. The Congress stand on the issue would be formulated thereafter. Tomorrow’s talks are crucial because they are taking place on the eve of the departure to Washington of two key Foreign Office officials — Mr Alok Prasad, Joint Secretary (Americas), and Mr Rakesh Sood, Joint Secretary (Disarmament) —who will meet their counterparts in the US State Department next week to pave the way for the 10th round of Jaswant-Talbot talks scheduled to be held in London. At one stage it seemed that tomorrow’s talks would be an all-party affair. There is no clarity about it as yet. The Prime Minister, Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee, who briefly came to the Speaker’s Iftar before going to attend The Hindustan Times’ diamond jubilee function, did not give any specific reply to queries from the Press. It may be recalled that answering questions during his impromptu press conference at Sainj (Kulu, Himachal Pradesh) last Sunday, Mr Vajpayee had indicated his government wanted to evolve an all-party consensus on several issues with CTBT topping the list. It is likely that
tomorrow’s talks may not be a one-table conference
involving all parties. The Prime Minister may meet
several delegations separately over a period of two days
beginning tomorrow. |
CPP will benefit operators : MTNL NEW DELHI, Dec 16 (UNI) — The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) faced a blistering attack today in the Delhi High Court when the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) and the Mahanagar Telephone Nigam (MTNL) challenged its recent decisions on tariffs and to introduce calling party pays (CPP) system for cellular users. On October 28, the court stayed the CPP system under which all incoming calls would have been free for cellular subscribers from November 1 and the charges were to be paid by callers from fixed telephone lines. "The CPP regime is against the interests of cellular and fixed line subscribers,’’ said MTNL counsel C.S. Vaidyanathan. "Only the interests of private cellular operators have been looked after.’’ He said the TRAI was empowered to resolve disputes among operators but could not prescribe tariffs and the way interconnection charges should be shared by them. Mr Vaidyanathan was appearing before a Division Bench comprising Chief Justice S.N. Variava and Justice S.K. Mahajan on petitions filed by the MTNL and Telecom Watchdog, a Delhi-based non-governmental organisation (NGO). The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has joined in their support and the Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) has filed an intervention application to assist the court. "There is no
country in the world in which basic operator will receive
less revenue than a cellular operator. India is the sole
exception,’’ said Mr Vaidyanathan, adding that
the CPP system was being scrapped even in the USA. He
said the TRAI should have set guidelines for operators to
work out bilateral agreements on interconnection charges.
The operators in metropolitan cities were already making
enough profit to buy out distressed operators in state
circles. Now they had raised the monthly rentals from Rs
156 to Rs 600. |
TDP leader’s house blasted HYDERABAD, Dec 16 (PTI) — Naxalites of the banned People’s War Group (PWG) went on a rampage blasting the house of a TDP leader resulting in death of five of its inmates, forcibly halting Amravathi Express and setting afire a station master’s cabin in separate incidents in Nizamabad district on the second day of their 48-hour bandh today. The police said all five victims were staying as tenants in the house of the TDP leader and Kamarapally Mandal Praja Parishad president Gopikishan at Kamarapally. The ultras blasted the house with the help of powerful explosives at around 2 p.m. the police added. Amravathi Express coming here from Guntur was stopped midway by the ultras, who damaged the hose pipes connecting two bogeys. The engine was also damaged in the process, a spokesman of SCR told PTI here. However, none of the passengers or the train crew were attacked by the offenders, he added. In another incident, the ultras raided Talamala railway station and torched the station master’s room. No one was injured in the incident, the police said. The bandh had been
called by the Naxals in protest against the killing of
three top leaders of the PWG, including its
second-in-command Nalla Adireddy, in an alleged police
encounter in the Tadicherla forest area in Karimnagar
district on December 2. |
NHRC seeks report on suicide
by couple NEW DELHI, Dec 16 — The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has asked the Chief Secretary and the Director-General of Police, Rajasthan, to send a report on the suicide by a young couple in Jaipur. The respondents have been asked to send the report within two weeks. According to a press note issued here today, the commission has taken suo motu cognisance of news reports that the 27-year-old auto-rickshaw driver decided to take the extreme step due to alleged torture by the police. According to reports, the couple killed their one-year-old daughter. In a lengthy note in his diary, Ram Chandra reportedly wrote that he was ending his life with a heavy heart and that he was tortured by policemen. According to the note,
Ram Chandra had an altercation with another auto-rickshaw
driver and was picked up by the police on a complaint
lodged by the latter. |
Moopanar meets Sonia Gandhi NEW DELHI, Dec 16 (PTI) — TMC president G. K. Moopanar had a meeting with Congress President Sonia Gandhi amid speculation about an alliance between the two parties in Pondicherry for government formation. "It was a cordial meeting,’’ AICC spokesman Ajit Jogi merely said when asked about what transpired at the meeting. Earlier reports had it that Mr Moopanar was expected to discuss with Mrs Gandhi steps to form an alternative government in the union territory involving the two parties and the role of the AIADMK in that formation in the event of the TMC pulling out of the DMK-led coalition. The TMC has already
described the relationship between the two parties as
"untenable’’ but is yet to pull out till
an alternative arrangement was finalised. The party had
contested against the DMK in both Tamil Nadu and
Pondicherry in the Lok Sabha elections. |
Cong demand
"irresponsible" NEW DELHI, Dec 16 — The BJP today described the demand by the Congress for imposition of President’s rule in Haryana as "irresponsible". Party spokesman M.Venkaiah Naidu told mediapersons here that the Congress demand for imposition of Article 356 in Haryana was unjustified as the situation in the state was absolutely peaceful and normal. He said the decision to dissolve the Assembly had been taken by a government in majority and it was according to the provisions of the Constitution. Describing the Congress as a "politically bankrupt and irresponsible" party, Mr Naidu said the same party had opposed imposition of President’s rule in Bihar earlier this year. He said the use of
Article 356 in Bihar was fully justified as the law and
order there had broken down, atrocities were being
committed on minorities and there was "jungle
raj". Yet, the Congress chose to ignore these facts
and opposed President’s rule. |
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| Brightest full moon on
Dec 22 MUMBAI: As the millennium comes to a close, a spectacular event would be witnessed on December 22 ,when the full moon will be the brightest in 133 years. The last time this phenomenon had occurred was on December 21, 1866, and now the fading century will give a unique gift to mankind which will be fondly remembered in the next millennium. According to a release from the Confederation of Indian Amatuer Astronomers (CIAA), this full moon occurrence is significant as in December the earth is several miles closer to the sun than in summer, and sunlight striking the moon is 7 per cent stronger, making it appear brighter. — UNI Send your photo, message
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