Friday, February 12, 1999

Ex-Defence Secretary told to appear in court
NEW DELHI, Feb 11 — The Delhi High Court today reiterated its earlier directive asking former Defence Secretary Ajit Kumar and two other officials in the Ministry of Defence to appear before the court tomorrow in a contempt case.

Son attacks father
NEW DELHI, Feb 11 — A head constable with the Delhi police was stabbed and injured by his son in the Tilak Nagar area last night. Jasveer Singh, 58, posted in the Delhi police battalion was at his house when his elder son, Daljeet, accused his father of favouring his younger brother.

Factions lobby for Orissa CM

BHUBANESWAR, Feb 11 (UNI) — With Congress President Sonia Gandhi yet to take a decision on accepting the resignation of Orissa Chief Minister J.B. Patnaik, his loyalists have intensified their campaign to allow him to continue as Chief Minister.

Mr Patnaik had tendered his resignation to Mrs Gandhi on February 8 owning moral responsibility for the increasing violent incidents, including attacks on Christians in the state.

More than 45 MLAs and ministers have reportedly put their names in the signature campaign launched by state Youth Congress President L.B. Mahapatra urging Mrs Gandhi not to accept Mr Patnaik’s resignation.

The loyalists are also planning to leave for Delhi later today to submit the petition to the party president.

But the dissidents have taken strong exception to the move saying that it was virtually a revolt against the high command.

Dissident Congress leaders described the signature campaign as a last minute attempt to save Mr Patnaik notwithstanding the fact that the high command was in no mood to allow him to remain at the helm of affairs.

More than 30 MLAs and ministers met last night at the state Forest Minister Kishore Patel’s official residence to chalk out the future course of action. Most decided to stand solidly behind the Chief Minister.

However, some of the loyalist ministers, including Rural Development Minister S.K. Mutlub Ali, Revenue Minister Jagannath Patnaik and Minister of State for Cooperatives Rabindra Kumar Sethy, who were signatories to the petition, did not say anything publicly.

When asked they said they would abide by whatever decision the high command took.

But the loyalist MLAs were more vociferous and were not in a mood to compromise. Mr L.B. Mahapatra claimed that most Congress MLAs were solidly behind Mr J.B. Patnaik and were against any change in leadership.

Meanwhile, a senior Congress Minister had sent a telegram to AICC President Sonia Gandhi appreciating her decision to seek the resignation of the Chief Minister saying that her action had saved the party from "total destruction".

Congress sources claimed that more than 30 MLAs had also faxed a message to Ms Sonia Gandhi reposing their full faith and confidence in her and that they would abide by all her decisions.

The dissidents, taking strong exception to the signature campaign, dubbed it as ‘suicidal’. They maintained that none of them would dare go against the wishes of the high command.

The "so-called signature campaign" was only a pressure tactic to put a Patnaik loyalist as his successor and another as the new pradesh Congress chief if Mr Hemananda Biswal was chosen as the new leader by the high command, they said.

When contacted, pradesh Congress chief Hemananda Biswal said he was unaware of any signature campaign.

Party sources said central observers would arrive here tomorrow to take stock of the political situation. A new leader was likely to be elected at the Congress Legislature Party in the next couple of days.

Meanwhile, the anti-JB group has decided to support PCC chief Hemananda Biswal if he is chosen by the high command as the successor.

Dissident leaders, including Deputy Chief Minister Basant Kumar Biswal and state Transport Minister K.C. Lenka who were also among the aspirants, have reportedly agreed to support the candidature of Mr Hemananda Biswal.

Brahm Mohindra’s memo to Sonia
Tribune News Service

NEW DELHI, Feb 11 — The ongoing battle between the supporters of former minister Brahm Mohindra and the Pradesh Congress committee today reached the Capital with the former submitting a memorandum to the party high command for intervention.

The supporters led by Mr Raj Kumar Malhotra, former Senior DCC Vice-President, met the General Secretary, Mr Pranab Mukherjee, in charge of party affairs of the state and the Secretary concerned, Mr Mukul Wasnik.

In a letter to the Congress President which they submitted to Mr Mukherjee, the supporters charged that the duly-elected Patiala district Congress committee was dissolved after Mr Amarinder Singh took over as the Punjab Pradesh Congress chief and was packed with people who had “openly opposed the Congress in the Assembly elections”.

They also charged that many of 130 odd new office-bearers of Patiala DCC had worked as election agents and polling agents for the rebel Congress candidates and Akali Dal candidates.

“The District Congress Committee President rather than uniting the Congress workers to strengthen your leadership, he openly gave patronage to Akalis and anti-Congress forces,’’ the memorandum said.

As part of evidence, the delegation said they submitted a picture showing the DCC President with the BJP and SAD leaders.

The delegation of supporters said they were assured both by Mr Mukherjee and Mr Wasnik that the matter would be looked into.

Apart from Mr Mohindra, the others who have signed the letter include Mr Sant Lal Banga, Mr Mahesh Malhotra, Mr Hardeep Singh and Mr Sharanjeet Singh Ranjha.

Christians’ rally for President’s intervention

CALCUTTA, Feb 11 (PTI) — Over one lakh Christians from 144 denominations in West Bengal rallied here today demanding intervention of President K.R. Narayanan in ensuring security for the community in the wake of sustained attacks on members of their community.

A posse of policemen led by Joint Commissioner of Police (I) Goutam Chakraborty stood guard as the rallyists, many of them school children, listened in rapt attention to speakers representing Christians, Muslims, Buddhists and Sikhs lambasted the Sangh Parivar for its alleged attacks on the minorities and flayed the Centre for its “negative” role which “added fuel to the fire”.

The speakers included Vicar-General (I) of Calcutta Archdiocese Monseignor Francis Gomes, CNI Bishop of Calcutta Rev P.S.P. Raju, former Bishop D.C. Gorai, Vice-Chairperson of the state Minority Commission Anwara Jahan Mirza, All-India Peace Council official Sardar Hari Singh and Capt Lakshmi Sehgal of the Indian National Army.

Stating the attacks had awakened the conscience of “right thinking” and secular people of all communities, Herod Mullick, General Secretary of the Paschim Banga Christiya Pariseba, which organised the rally, said it was the first step in consolidating these forces.

Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed remembered

NEW DELHI, Feb 11 (PTI) — The nation today remembered the late President Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed on his 22nd death anniversary.

Wreaths were laid on behalf of President K.R. Narayanan and Vice-President Krishan Kant on the mazar of the late leader here, Maulana Peerzada Shabbir Naqshbandi of the Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed Memorial Committee said.

A green chaddar was laid at the mazar on behalf of Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee and flowers were also offered on behalf of Congress President Sonia Gandhi, he said.

The late President’s son Badar Ahmed, diplomats and a large number of people attended the function.

Earlier, at function in Ekta Bhavan, a week-long nationwide campaign on the theme of the Indian Muslims contribution for solidarity to the motherland was launched, he said.

Speaking on the occasion, Maulana Naqshbandi said: “Hindu brethren should come forward to protect the minorities of the country, especially Christians and Muslims.”

Salient features of the week-long campaign would be highlighting the life and works of nationalist Muslim leaders of yesteryear, particularly during the freedom struggle, he said.

Govt survives due to Cong hesitation
Tribune News Service

NEW DELHI, Feb 11 — The term “outside support” is gaining an altogether different, if not somewhat funny, connotation. The Atal Behari Vajpayee government is surviving on a day-to-day basis not because of the whole-hearted support of its coalition partners and supporting parties, but because the principal Opposition, the Congress, is unwilling to prematurely pull the rug. Mrs Sonia Gandhi wants to set the Congress party’s house in order and also let the contradictions, both within the ruling BJP and between coalition partners, grow. She will continue to snipe at the government. But a collapse of the Vajpayee regime is not immediately programmed-in in her scheme of priorities. And thus, in effect, the BJP continues to be in power, thanks to this “outside support”.

The Rashtriya Loktantrik Morcha (RLM), particularly its ever-resourceful spokesperson, Mr Amar Singh, has been accusing that there is a “collusion” between the BJP and the Congress and this is coming in the way of pulling down the present regime and installation of a “secular”government. Till recently the RLM was singing paeans in praise of secular credentials of Congress leadership. But that was till the November 1998 elections, which gave fresh lease of confidence to Congress leadership and made it rethink its strategy vis-a-vis non-BJP parties. Seeing that the Congress was unwilling to play the game on its terms, the RLM started distancing itself from Mrs Sonia Gandhi’s party. This also helped Mrs Sonia Gandhi in firming up her present strategy.

Seeing the sorry plight of Mr Vajpayee, who is a prisoner in the hands of his allies and supporting parties, Mrs Sonia Gandhi knows full well that her strength of 141 in the Lok Sabha makes the Congress more vulnerable than the BJP in the game of coalition politics.

Moreover, an alliance with the RLM at this juncture could end up in “Tamilnaduisation” of the Congress in the heartland states, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. The Congress prefers to rebuild its base in these two states, which together count for 139 Lok Sabha seats to acquire a subsidiary status to the RLM and be thus overwhelmed by the two Yadav chieftains, Mulayam Singh and Laloo Prasad.

The premature end of honeymoon between the Congress and the RLM has revived the move for a “Third Front” all over again. While the facade of the Third Front move is “anti communal”, the long experience of anti-Congressism of most players of the Third Front makes the move suspect in the eyes of seasoned Congress men. This is yet another factor weighing on the mind of Mrs Sonia Gandhi while deciding to err on the side of caution in the present political context.

The decision of the Vajpayee government to posthumously award Bharat Ratna to Lok Nayak Jayaprakash Narain sent alarm signals blinking in Congress headquarters. The intrinsic subtlety of the move was not lost on political analysts. JP was the symbol of alliance between all anti-Congress parties. It was under JP that the Left and the Right had come under one banner to fight against the Congress. The BJP thus does not seem averse to reviving the card of blind anti-Congressism as a plank for expanding its support base.

The BJP, meanwhile, is taking no chances. It is going ahead with plans for a media blitz to highlight the achievements of its first-ever government at the Centre. It is trying to win over its estranged allies.

The very fact that the Prime Minister spoke to the INLD’s Mr Om Prakash Chautala, thrice over telephone from Latin America shows the seriousness with which the threat to withdraw support had been taken.

Yesterday, at a rally in Calcutta organised by the Trinamool Congress and attended by many breakaway Congress groups which at present are allied with the BJP (like Mr Suresh Kalmadi’s outfit in Maharashtra; Mr Naresh Aggarwal’s party in UP etc) a package to appease Ms Mamata Banerjee was announced by the Prime Minister’s principal trouble-shooter, Information and Broadcasting Minister, Mr Pramod Mahajan.

After this peace was bought with Ms Mamata Banerjee, literally by waiving rules, Ms Jayalalitha of Tamil Nadu has been sought to be appeased moments before Mr Vajpayee left for abroad.

Apart from these direct methods, the BJP leadership is also maintaining a second-rung approach: Apart from the leaders of the small parties supporting the coalition, direct liaison is being maintained with individual MPs as well.

For example, it was widely discussed in the capital yesterday that even if Mr Chautala decides to walk out, three of his four MPs may be willing to continue siding with the BJP.

Last week, there were reports about an impending crisis within the Samata Party with Mr Abdul Ghafoor, former Bihar Chief Minister, being in a mood to walk out later, thanks to the second-rung approach of the BJP strategists,a split in the Samata Party was averted.

As things stand, the government is skating on thin ice. Anything can happen. The BJP, however, is not prepared to give up without a fight.

The Congress is not inclined to form an alternative government within this Lok Sabha. It prefers fresh elections. And going back to the hustings is anathema to most sitting MPs at this juncture. The Congress is working out various permutations and combinations and may not be found wanting in case in the event of the fall of the present government on the Lok Sabha floor in the coming Budget session which begins on February 22. However, as things stand, rebuilding her party and holding entire elections before August seems to be Mrs Sonia Gandhi’s priority. And this certainly gives a lease of life, or, perhaps, “outside support” to the Atal Behari Vajpayee government.

Ex-Defence Secy told to appear in court

new Delhi, Feb 11 (PTI) — The Delhi High Court today reiterated its earlier directive asking former Defence Secretary Ajit Kumar and two other officials in the Ministry of Defence (MoD) to appear before the court tomorrow in a contempt case.

A Division Bench comprising Mr Justice Anil Dev Singh and Mr Justice A. K. Srivastava in an order declined to grant exemption from personal appearance to them and observed instead of coming to the court they has chosen to move application seeking exemption.

The court earlier had issued notices to Mr Kumar and the then Director (AIR) J. K. Dadoo and Under Secretary (AIR) Shayam Kapoor on a contempt petition filed by Air Vice-Marshal P. K. Ghosh, accusing them of presenting incorrect facts before the court on the issue of his promotion to the Air Marshal before the Appointment Committee of Cabinet.

Mr Ghosh had filed a petition in the court claiming that he was superseded by other officials at the time of promotion to the post of Air Marshal last year.

Additional Solicitor-General Madan Lokur while seeking exemption from personal appearance to Mr Kumar, now Secretary, Industrial Policy and Promotion, and the two, said Mr Ghosh had already been promoted to the post of Air Marshal as per the final order of Mr Justice K. Ramamoorthy.

Son attacks father
Tribune News Service

NEW DELHI, Feb 11 — A head constable with the Delhi police was stabbed and injured by his son in the Tilak Nagar area last night.

Jasveer Singh, 58, posted in the Delhi police battalion was at his house when his elder son, Daljeet, accused his father of favouring his younger brother.

The police said Daljeet had a grudge against his younger brother since his father would pamper him. As tempers rose, Daljeet took out his kirpan and attacked his father. Jasveer sustained injuries on his stomach and thighs and was rushed to the Deen Dayal Upadhyay Hospital in a police control room van who were informed by the family members. Daljeet was arrested from his Rohini house later.

Meanwhile, a youth who stabbed a watchman in Saraswati Vihar and robbed him of Rs 750 was arrested by the North-West district police yesterday. The accused has been identified as Deepak.

The police is still on the lookout for his other accomplices.

Job scheme for rural youth mooted
NEW DELHI: An employment guarantee scheme should be created to attract the agricultural workforce towards non-farm activities in the rural areas, economists opined. A special Rs 20,000-crore corpus should be set apart for generating job opportunities in non-farm activities like building roads, schools, health centres and canals, afforestation and creating watersheds, the experts told UNI. “The corpus could be funded after rationalising subsidies and proceeds from the outright sale of loss-making public sector units,” Prof Ashok Gulati of the Institute of Economic Growth, said. — UNI

Builder held for firing incident
NASIK: Niranjan Shah, the prime accused in the incident of firing by securitymen at Anandvalli village on January 30, has been remanded to police custody till tomorrow, by the Judicial Magistrate First Class, M.H. More. Police said Shah, a builder by profession, whose anticipatory bail was rejected by a Nasik Court and the Mumbai High Court, was arrested on Wednesday. Two persons were killed and 26 injured in the firing when the villagers, led by Shiv Sena corporator Suresh Kisan Gaikwad, who was also injured in the firing, allegedly barged into a plot purchased by a builder at the historical site of Andandibai Gandhi and set a shed afire. — PTI

2-month jail for ration shop owner
JALGAON: The owner of a ration shop has been sentenced to two months rigorous imprisonment for selling in the open market grain meant for ration card holders. Pronouncing the sentence here on Wednesday special Additional District and Session Court Judge, Shalini Gaikwad also ordered Jayantilal Thakkar to pay a fine of Rs 3,000. — PTI

Postage stamp on Hindu College
NEW DELHI: The Postal Department will issue a commemorative stamp on the centenary of Hindu College on February 17, Assistant-Director General, P.N. Ranjit Kumar said. Established in 1889 to serve as an educational point for the underprivileged, the college, an integral part of Delhi University has made tremendous progress over the years, a release of the Postal Department said. Hindu College, which was a centre of intellectual activity in pre-Independence India, is remembered for its participation in the Freedom Movement. — PTI

3 held for killing neelgai
DHAR: Three persons have been arrested from Shikarpura village in this district of Madhya Pradesh in connection with the killing of a neelgai. The Forest Department officials, with the help of the police, arrested the trio and recovered the skin of the animal. A case under the Wildlife Protection Act has been registered for killing the neelgai in the Barkhera Forest on February 5. — UNI

Poachers shoot leopard
SHIVPURI: Poachers shot a leopard on the banks of the Sindh river at Amolopan forests in Shivpuri district of Madhya Pradesh. The poachers could not skin the leopard as they fled when a forest guard and two villagers reached the spot after hearing gun shots. — UNI

137 officials booked in December
NEW DELHI: The CBI registered 137 corruption and criminal misconduct cases against public servants, including senior government and bank officials, during December 1998. CBI sources said here on Wednesday that public servants who were caught red-handed while demanding and accepting bribes included an income tax officer in Mumbai, a CBI inspector in Mumbai, a marketing officer of the State Marketing and Inspection Directorate in Chennai and a personnel manager of Bharat Coking Coal Ltd at Dhanbad in Bihar. — UNI