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N A T I O N |
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spotlight today's calendar |
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Gamang ministry to be sworn
in today |
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Polling for 11 Assembly seats today |
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Non-Cong Opposition to take
up Bihar issue Court
moved to seek ban on Udham Singh All
set for Delhi elections “Glaring
evaluation errors” Protest
march by Khalsa Student Front ‘Shaktimaan’
role in boy’s burns denied |
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Gamang ministry to be sworn in today BHUBANESWAR, Feb 21 (PTI) — The Congress ministry in Orissa headed by Mr Giridhar Gamang, to be sworn in tomorrow, will have no post of Deputy Chief Minister. This was disclosed here by Mr Gamang himself on his return from a three-day trip to Delhi. Mr Gamang told reporters at the airport here he was awaiting clearance from the high command on the names of the members of the Council of Ministers and its size. This would be known before the swearing-in ceremony slated to be held tomorrow afternoon, he said. Asked whether he would have a two-tier or a three-tier ministry, the Chief Minister said it would be decided by the party high command. Everything would be known tomorrow. Mr Gamang, who held discussions with AICC President Sonia Gandhi on the formation of his ministry during his stay in Delhi, said that the party high command felt since no post of Deputy Chief Minister had been created in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan where the party formed governments recently, there was no need for such an arrangement in Orissa. Senior party leader Basanta Kumar Biswal was the Deputy Chief Minister in the previous J.B. Patnaik government. In fact, two Deputy Chief Ministers were inducted into the Patnaik ministry when it was formed in March 1995 to accommodate Mr Biswal and former Chief Minister Hemananda Biswal. However, Mr Hemananda Biswal quit the ministry after he was chosen by the party high command to become the PCC President last year. Though the invitation letter received from Raj Bhavan on February 17 mentioned about the swearing in of Mr Gamang as Chief Minister along with other ministers, it was Mr Gamang alone who took the oath of office and secrecy. Asked about it later, the Chief Minister said he wanted to discuss the matter with the high command. Meanwhile, hectic political activity marked Mr Gamang’s return here from Delhi ahead of the formation of the Council of Ministers. A large crowd including
ministers in the J.B. Patnaik government and some MLAs,
were present at the airport to receive Mr Gamang. |
Sonia to attend Khalsa function CHANDIGARH, Feb 17 — Mrs Sonia Gandhi, President of the All-India Congress Committee, will visit Punjab during the tercentenary celebrations. This was confirmed here today by Capt Amarinder Singh, President, Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee. Capt Amarinder Singh accompanied by Mr Mukul Wasnik, Secretary of the AICC and in charge of the Punjab Affairs of the Congress Party and Ms Ambika Soni, who was recently inducted into the working committee of the party, told mediapersons at Congress Bhavan here today that Mrs Gandhi had given her concurrence to take part in one of the functions to be organised by the Punjab PCC with regard to the tercentenary celebrations. Most probably she would inaugurate a blood donation camp, Capt Amarinder Singh said. The party had planned to organise blood donation camps in the various parts of the state as part of the celebrations. The PPCC President said a delegation of leaders of the party from Punjab headed by him had recently met Mrs Sonia Gandhi to discuss various issues with her pertaining to Punjab. He said he had told Mrs Gandhi that the Congress Party was ready for Lok Sabha elections in Punjab and it would come out with an unprecedented performance. He claimed that Mrs Sonia Gandhi had never met the SGPC chief, Mr G.S. Tohra, and all talk about this by Mr Parkash Singh Badal was untrue. He said Akali leaders should not drag the name of Mrs Gandhi in their own fight. He said that both Mr Tohra and Mr Badal were "khalistanis" and the Congress Party never entertained such people. The appointment of the Jathedar of Akal Takht was a prerogative of the SGPC and the Congress Party had nothing to do with it. Akal Takht should not be dragged into the fued of two Akali leaders, Mr Badal and Mr Tohra. Ms Ambika Soni said the half-baked policies pursued by the SAD-BJP Government in Punjab had ruined its economy and state was on the verge of bankruptcy. One of the most progressive states was now having no funds for its development, she alleged. Mrs Gandhi was fully concerned with the recent political developments in Punjab and as such could lead to revival of violence in the state. The Congress would never like Punjab sink again as in the past. Mr Mukul Wasnik said for implementing the amendments made in the Constitution of the Congress Party on December 18, a meeting was held with party representatives at the state headquarters and at the district level. As per the amendments, more women leaders of backward classes and Dalits would be inducted into the party. This exercise would be completed by the end of the month by all means. He said the party was assessing the situation in Bihar and make its position known at the appropriate time. Asked why party was taking so much time to adopt a clear-cut political line with regard to Bihar, Ms Ambika Soni intervened to say that Mrs Sonia Gandhi had gone to Bihar for making an on-the-spot assessment of the situation and talk to cross-section of people there. Earlier, Ms Soni was felicitated by Punjab Congress leaders for her induction into the Congress Working Committee. A tea party was organised
in this connection. All senior leaders of the party,
including Mrs Rajinder Kaur Bhattal and Mr Santokh Singh
Randhwa, were present. |
Non-Cong Opposition to take up
Bihar issue NEW DELHI, Feb 21 — The signs of a possible reorganisation of the secular forces and the ‘third front’ were visible here again today as the non-Congress opposition parties met to decide on the various issues they would raise together during the Budget Session of Parliament. The leaders of these parties, which met here for floor coordination in Parliament, identified various issues to be taken up during the session after the Presidential address. These would include the issue of imposition of President’s rule in Bihar, price rise and growing attacks on minorities. The parties whose leaders met here, included the Left parties, Janata Dal, Samajwadi Party, Rashtriya Janata Dal, the DMK and TMC. The leaders said that they would also wait for the Congress to take its decision on the issues. Although the Left parties have had reservations about the scam-tainted former Chief Minister of Bihar, Mr Laloo Prasad Yadav, they have also maintained their opposition to the imposition of President’s rule in Bihar. As a result, Mr Yadav was also present at the meeting. Meanwhile, a meeting of the BJP and its allies is likely to be held here tomorrow morning, before the commencement of the joint session to be addressed by the President, to discuss various issues likely to figure during the Budget Session. The meeting will be
addressed by the Prime Minister, Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee,
who is expected to inform the members about his bus
journey to Lahore and the talks which he had with his
Pakistani counterpart Mian Nawaz Sharif. |
Polling for 11 Assembly seats today NEW DELHI, Feb 21 (PTI) — All arrangements are in place for tomorrow’s by-elections to 11 Assembly constituencies spread over five states. Electoral fortunes of more than 70 candidates, including Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, will be decided at the hustings. Elaborate arrangements have been made to ensure free and fair polling. In Rajasthan, more than 6.11 lakh voters will decide the electoral fortunes of 16 candidates in the by-elections to four Assembly constituencies. A battle of wits is on in the Sardarpura Assembly constituency where Gehlot, seeking entry into the Assembly, is locked in a direct contest from BJP’s Meghraj Lohiya. Congress MLA Man Singh Deora had resigned the seat to enable Mr Gehlot enter the Assembly. In Kumbalgarh constituency, former Chief Minister Hiralal Deopura is facing a tough challenge from BSP candidate Surendra Singh Rathore, who had defeated the former by margin of 12,000 votes in 1993 Assembly polls. The other constituencies going to polls in the state on Monday are Bhim and Mundwa. In Gujarat, Jassuben Korat, a BJP nominee and wife of former Road and Building Minister Savjibhai Korat, is among 19 contestants in the fray for Jetpur and Jodiya Assembly constituencies. In Madhya Pradesh, 11 candidates are in the race for Burhampur and Khallari constituencies Manjushree, the Congress nominee in Burhampur, is the daughter of Shiv Kumar Singh who had won in November last year as a Congress rebel. Elections in both constituencies were necessitated by the death of winners soon after declaration of results in November last. In Mizoram, four candidates will try their luck for Khawbung Assembly constituency. In Delhi, 25 candidates will battle it out for Hauz Khas, which is all set to witness a Congress-BJP fight, and Nangloi Jat constituency. Counting of ballots will be taken up on February 24. The constituencies going to polls are Jetpur and Jodiya in Gujarat, Khallari and Burhampur in Madhya Pradesh, Khuwbung in Mizoram, Sardarpura, Kumbalgarh, Bhim and Mundwa in Rajasthan and Hauz Khas and Nangloi Jat in Delhi. Electronic voting machines
will be used in Khallari, Burhampur, Sardarpura, Hauz
Khas and Nangloi Jat. |
All set for Delhi elections NEW DELHI, Feb 21 — The byelections in Delhi for the two assembly seats of Nangloi Jat and Hauz Khas will be held tomorrow. All arrangements have been completed for the electoral exercise even as campaigning in both the assembly segments drew to a close yesterday. Unlike last time, there have been no untoward incidents during the campaigning. The candidates undertook door-to-door visits, padyatras and corner meetings to woo the electorate. While the Hauz Khas assembly segment fell vacant after former Chief Minister, Ms Sushma Swaraj, quit to retain her Lok Sabha seat, poll to the Nangloi Jat constituency was adjourned following the murder of Ved Singh, a Samata Party candidate. According to the Chief Electoral Officer, Mr O.P. Kelkar, all arrangements had been made for the smooth conduct of the poll for the two constituencies where the voting will take place through electronic voting machines (EVMs). The counting of votes will be held at Talkatora Stadium where the EVMs used at the polling stations will be kept under tight security. The Delhi police has made elaborate security arrangements at the polling stations. Though the results of the byelections, will not alter the seat arithmetic in the 70-member assembly, where the Congress is ruling with a majority of 51 seats, the BJP will put in its best to retain the seat which Ms Swaraj won defeating Congress nominee and Delhi University lecturer, Ms Kiran Walia, by a narrow margin. Ms Kiran Walia, who has been renominated as Congress candidate, is pitted against BJP’s Hari Shankar Gautam, in Hauz Khas. Devender Shokeen, the former Delhi Transport Minister, will contest against Congress candidate, Mr P.C. Kaushik, at Nangloi Jat. Ved Singh’s mother Panweshwari Devi is contesting as the Samata Party candidate this time and is banking on the sympathy factor. A total of 25 candidates — 12 in Hauz Khas and 13 in Nangloi Jat — are in the fray. There are 1,09,546 voters
in Hauz Khas while Nangloi Jat has an electorate of
1,45,257. A total of 106 polling stations will be set up
in Hauz Khas and 158 in Nangloi. |
Court moved to seek ban on Udham Singh NEW DELHI, Feb 21 (UNI) — The popular Jat of the small screen, V.J. Udham Singh, is under cloud for allegedly denigrating women’s dignity, political reputations and the Constitution in his recent video album “Jat In the Mix”. A public interest petition has been filed in the Delhi High Court for restraining the producer of the album “M/s BMG Crescendo (India) Pvt. Ltd.” from circulating “Jat In the Mix”, which not only violates the basic human dignity, decency and self-respect of a woman, but also hurts rural sensibilities by projecting their culture distastefully. The PIL filed by Mr Mukti Nath Upadhyay, former Press Adviser to the Governments of Bihar and Mizoram, sought a ban on the album as Udham Singh in the number “Jat’s The Way” has tried to denigrate the elected representatives of the people — former Bihar Chief Minister Rabri Devi and Rashtriya Janata Dal President Laloo Prasad Yadav — by putting their names on the toilet of a five-star hotel instead of using ‘ladies’ and ‘gents’. Besides, Udham Singh and BMG Crescendo, the petitioner has also made the Union Ministry of Information and Broadcasting a party in his petition. The music video shows Udham Singh driving a tractor and right behind is a scantily clad young woman in a luxury car. Down the road and after visiting a bar with a buffalo, he reaches a five-star hotel where he feels like going to the toilet. The plate on the toilet door instead of ‘ladies’ shows ‘Rabri’ and ‘Laloo’ for ‘gents’. Udham Singh, stops, thinks, and enters the one showing ‘Rabri’. Udham is next seen being dragged out by the woman in the car with a smile and then the two enters ‘Laloo’. Mr Upadhyay submitted that the scene was disparaging and there was a deliberate attempt on part of a segment of the society which was trying to make a fun of everything that was connected with the cultural ethos and denigrating traditional values and norms. “Entertainment should be allowed to enter the terrain of indecency, deliberate denigration and calculated contempt of human relationships and values,’’ the petitioner said. He urged the court to ban
the video album as it crossing limits of decent behaviour
and norms hurt feelings of common citizens of India and
inhabitant of Bihar, he added. |
CBSE exams NEW DELHI, Feb 21 (PTI) — Charges of non-serious evaluation of answer books against the Central Board of Secondary Examination (CBSE) leading to the filing of at least two petitions in the Delhi High Court gains strength with an Inquiry Commission stating that large scale discrepancies were detected even in 1991. A five-member commission appointed by the government to look into the charges of irregularities in evaluating answer sheets of X and XII standard examination in 1991 has said that about 10 per cent mistakes were found in 19,000 cases where students had applied for rechecking. “It is a double tragedy that one who secured creditably high marks should be awarded low marks and then told after a recheck that the marks were correctly awarded. The incredible thing happened thrice,” the Sushil Kumar Commission in its report has said. The casual approach in calculating the marks is reflected in an example where a candidate securing 60 marks in English, was shown to have failed by obtaining only 06 marks, the report said adding in mathematics a candidate who had secured 99 marks was shown to have obtained only 28 marks. The report said during 1991 examinations for X class 5,555 candidates applied for rechecking out of which mistakes were found in 474 cases and 423 students were given lower marks while 51 were given higher marks. The report said mistakes were found in the class XII marks in 420 cases out of 4,670 in which the students had applied for rechecking in the Delhi zone. An alarming 29,000 discrepancies shown in award collection list in the Delhi region alone were due to punching errors and there were apprehensions that these errors were not detected at any stage when the list was prepared, it said. The commission also noticed lack of accountability in secrecy work which resulted in casualness and indifference on the part of officials associated with the examination process, the report said. “It may also be observed that fictitious roll numbers do not really remain secret because the last two digits of the actual and fictitious roll numbers remain the same,” the report observed. Many instances of posting
incorrect marks in the award slips were found, the report
said citing an example of 46 students from the Chandigarh
region being awarded marks of another group as a result
the latter group which had secured higher marks in fact
was given lower marks. |
Protest march by Khalsa Student
Front NEW DELHI, Feb 21 — The Khalsa Student Front (Delhi state) today held a march in protest against the interference in the working of Akal Takht by Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal.” The protest march which started from Gurdwara Bangla Sahib culminated at Punjab Bhavan, a release issued by the front stated. The release said a protest
letter had been sent to Mr Badal through Punjab’s
Resident Commissioner in Delhi. “We strongly protest
against the continuous interference of your government in
the working of Sri Akal Takht Sahib, the highest
religious and temporal seats of the Sikhs,” the
protest letter states. |
‘Shaktimaan’ role in boy’s burns denied NEW DELHI, Feb 21 (UNI) — The report from Nashik that a nine-year child in a village had set himself ablaze hoping the television character ‘Shaktimaan’ will save him has been found to be totally baseless and unfounded, according to wellknown actor-producer Mukesh Khanna. Khanna, who enacts the title role of ‘Shaktimaan’ in the serial of that name, said that the statements of the victim recorded by the police and Magistrate clearly indicated that the boy did not know anything about ‘Shaktimaan’ nor did he ever watch the serial. ‘The statements of the victim, his parents and eye-witnesses were recorded, where they clearly mentioned that the serial Shaktimaan had nothing to do with this incident’, according to a press release issued by Mr Khanna who had hired a detective agency to check the facts of the case. In fact, the release says
that the Magistrate and police records showed that the
boy had attempted making tea when his parents were out
and in the process his clothes caught fire, resulting in
injury. He was removed to Dr T. P. Deores’ nursing
home, where he was given the medical aid. He is
completely out of danger and has sustained 30 per cent
burns, according to the doctor attending on him. |
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| Two BSF personnel killed AGARTALA: Two Border Security Force (BSF) personnel were killed and five injured when a powerful grenade exploded during a “firing exercise” in south Tripura district on Saturday, the police said. The jawans, Lance Naik Bhola Nath and Havaldar Darshan Singh, were killed on the spot when the grenade thrown by a jawan exploded accidentally before reaching its destination at the Bagafa firing range under Shantirbazar Police Station, they said. — PTI Noted
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