Sunday, January 24, 1999
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Cong may take legal action against
Patel AHMEDABAD, Jan 23 — The Congress is contemplating legal action against Gujarat Chief Minister Keshubhai Patel for having cast aspersions on the fairness of the National Minority Commission. Ministers'
dismissal sought |
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Journalist
murdered |
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TNCC
rebuffs TMC rewards on Sonia Sharad
questions move to form third front India's
military prowess paraded Extension
of HP pipeline cleared Hegde
forging pro-govt front
India
must not sign CTBT: Jayalalitha Three
BJP leaders expelled Jan
30 to be amity day: IYC Boycott
government functions: JMM Mobile
dispensary for sex workers |
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Cong may take legal action against Patel AHMEDABAD, Jan 23 (PTI) — The Congress is contemplating legal action against Gujarat Chief Minister Keshubhai Patel for having cast aspersions on the fairness of the National Minority Commission, which had submitted an interim report to the Centre over the recent incidents of attacks on Christians in Dangs district. Mr Patel in Delhi yesterday had termed as "biased and one-sided" the interim report of the commission. GPCC chief C.D. Patel told PTI here today the "National Minority Commission is a statutory body. You cannot discredit its findings by doubting its credentials to be fair and impartial. And this is what the Chief Minister has done. It is a serious issue and we are going to discuss it at the Congress’ legal cell. We are surely contemplating a legal action on this count". He criticised the state government over incidents of attack on two prayer halls in tribal-dominated Doswada village under Songadh rural police station in the district last evening. "There is no law and
order worth the name in the state. The goons are being
encouraged and no action is being taken against them. I
am going to visit Doswada village tomorrow to ascertain
the facts and identify the culprits behind the vandalism.
We seek stern actions against those indulging in
fundamentalism", the GPCC chief said. |
Sena-BJP combine a bunch of cowards: Sonia SHRIRAMPUR, Jan 23 (PTI) — Congress president Sonia Gandhi today attached the Shiv Sena-BJP alliance in Maharashtra saying those ruling the state were a "bunch of cowards" seeking to cow down the common man through violence. "Those in power in the state are nothing but a bunch of cowards who had gotten together evoking the name of the great Maratha warrior Chhatrapati Shivaji and are out to terrorise people," Mrs Gandhi told a massive public rally here. "The Shiv-Sena BJP government in the state is blatantly insulting the age-old Indian tradition of brotherhood and respect for all religions," she told the over two lakh participants of the Indian National Trade Union Congress (INTUC) rally. In her severe criticism of the four-year-old Sena-BJP government in the state, Mrs Gandhi said, "what Maharashtra government is doing is not just a political issue but is related to the very soul of the nation. Every patriotic and peace-loving Indian should fight these forces." Referring to the "snatching away of the fundamental human rights by the Sena-BJP government, she cited recent issues like the controversy over the film "Fire", digging of the Ferozeshah Kotla pitch in New Delhi and the "dumping of the Srikrishna Commission report (into 1992 Mumbai riots) into a corner" by the alliance. The Congress president
also declared that her party would strongly oppose the
state government’s move to scrap the Bombay
Industrial Relations Act (BIRA). "They are scrapping
this act because they want to infiltrate anti-social
elements in the Trade Union Movement," she said. |
Dismissal of AIADMK Union Ministers sought CHENNAI, Jan 23 (PTI) — The MGR Kazhagam, a political outfit floated by former AIADMK Minister R.M. Veerappan, demanded today that the two AIADMK nominees in the Vajpayee government — M. Thambi Durai and Kadambur R. Janardanam — be removed from the ministry as they had violated the oath of secrecy. Mr Veerappan told reporters here that Mr Janardanam had "deliberately leaked" a letter by the Centre to the Tamil Nadu Government, seeking clarifications on setting up of special courts. It was "leaked" to Mr R Muthiah, former Union Minister and AIADMK leader who is facing charges of corruption in one of the special courts, he alleged. He alleged Mr Thambi Durai had also failed to maintain secrecy over President K.R. Narayanan’s notings in a Law Department file, regarding the appointment of judges. Mr Narayanan’s notings in the file suggesting that persons from Scheduled Castes and Tribes be considered for appointment as judges had come into the open and this was violative of the oath of secrecy on the part of Mr Thambi Durai, he said. He said the Vajpayee government had given a go-bye to all established conventions, and added that the Home Minister L.K. Advani should not have met Shiv Sena President Bal Thackeray to plead with him to withdraw the stir against the visit of Pakistan cricket team visit to the country against the established conventions. The Centre should have
taken action against the Shiv Sena earlier so that the
tension faced by the country could have been avoided, he
said. |
Be fearless, PM tells children NEW DELHI, Jan 23 (PTI) — Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee today asked children to banish fear from their minds and cultivate strength and fearlessness to face the challenges of life in a courageous manner. Giving away the National Bravery Awards for Children for 1998 here, he said these children had shown courage and bravery in the face of challenges. He said the awards instituted in 1957 for children performing acts of bravery coincided with the year when he was first elected to the Lok Sabha. Mr Vajpayee said India was a country of brave children and it was necessary to teach them to overcome fear which was the greatest quality that children could possess. Congratulating the children, he appreciated the Indian Council of Child Welfare for instituting the awards. He said it was of immense importance that the council took care of the development of the children winning the bravery awards specially towards their education and welfare. Minister for Human Resource Development, Murli Manohar Joshi said there was a need for conducive social atmosphere for complete development of children. He praised the children
for having shown presence of mind and bravery in the face
of extreme adversity. |
Journalist murdered NEW DELHI, Jan 23 (PTI) — Shivani, a Special Correspondent with the Indian Express, was murdered at her East Delhi residence today with her three-month-old child a mute witness to the ghastly crime. Shivani, in her thirties, was found lying in a pool of blood at her Navkunj Apartments in Patparganj by her brother-in-law this evening, police and family sources said. They said the killers, whose number was not known, seemed to have made a "friendly" entry into the apartment since two coffee cups and some snacks were found served apparently to the visitors. Two rooms had been
ransacked. The body of Shivani bore stab injuries in the
neck, chest and abdomen besides strangulation marks on
the neck. |
TNCC rebuffs TMC rewards on Sonia CHENNAI, Jan 23 (UNI) — The Tamil Maanila Congress (TMC) which made an open statement that its main agenda was to make Congress president Sonia Gandhi the Prime Minister and TMC president G.K. Moopanar, the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, today received a rebuff from the state leadership of the Congress. The TMC’s agenda was disclosed to reporters at Karur by senior party leader and Leader of the Opposition in the Tamil Nadu Assembly C. Balakrishnan yesterday. Addressing reporters here today, TNCC president Thindivanam K. Ramamurthy said if at all the TMC and its ally in Tamil Nadu, the ruling DMK, wanted to support the Congress to form a government at the Centre, it would only be a natural choice as the other option would be to support the BJP. He said the Congress did not give much importance to a party with only two or three seats in the Lok Sabha. The TMC has three MPs. Besides, the Congress would not accept the TMC’s bid to grow in the state at its cost of the congress, Mr Ramamurthy said and accused the TMC of denigrating its leaders. Mr Ramamurthy alleged that
the DMK government was using the state police force to
suppress the genuine political activity of the Congress
and the TMC was lending support to the administration in
this regard. |
Sharad questions move to form third front PATNA, Jan 23 (PTI) — Janata Dal National President Sharad Yadav today questioned the rationale behind the move to forge a third front, saying that it will not serve any purpose. "If a third front has to be forged, I want to know why. The United Front came apart despite having common purpose and programmes," he told newsmen here. Referring to former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda’s reported statement to lend support to all endeavours to form a third force, he said: "it is his personal view....at the moment our energy is solely directed towards revitalising our party." "Forming a non-Congress, non-BJP front does not have primacy in our political agenda nor are we taking any initiative in this direction," he said. On Mr Deve Gowda’s
statement that the JD would extend support to the
Congress if it formed a government at the Centre, he
said: "We will decide at an appropriate time.. ..
The matter has not come up for discussion at any party
forum till now." |
India's military prowess paraded NEW DELHI, Jan 23 (PTI) — India’s military might, symbols of its cultural diversity and achievements in various fields paraded down the historic Rajpath here as the full dress rehearsal for the Republic Day parade was gone through today. The final rehearsal comprised march-past by units of the three wings of the armed forces, paramilitary forces, National Cadet Corps and former soldiers, followed by the tableaux of states and various central ministries. Colourful cultural programmes by schoolchildren, including the mentally retarded who are participating for the first time, was an added attraction to the spectacle which was watched by a large gathering amid tight security. Led by General Officer Commanding (GOC) Delhi region Maj-Gen S.K. Awasthy, the parade showcased for the first time a number of defence armoury, including ‘Agni’, ‘Trishul’, ‘Akash’ and ‘Nag’ missiles, ‘Tunguska’ air defence system, and ‘Sindu Rakshak’ submarine. The parade was headed by the mechanised column of the Army displaying ‘Arjun’ main battle tank, T-72 tank, 105 mm field guns, Tunguska air defence system, improved reporter radar and Satcom terminal. Following the mechanised
column was marchpast by the units of armed forces,
including paramilitary forces, punctuated by the bands of
different formations. |
Extension of HP pipeline cleared MUMBAI, Jan 23 (UNI) — The Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas has accorded stage-I clearance to the Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd (HPCL) proposal for extending its pipeline from Vijayawada to Secunderabad to cater to the important consumption zones of Andhra Pradesh and adjoining districts of Karnataka and Maharashtra. The proposed pipeline, which is the extension of the HPCL’s megapipeline project from Visakhapatnam to Vijayawada, will transport motor spirit (petrol), kerosene, high speed diesel and aviation turbine fuel. Naphtha can also be pumped through the pipeline to cater to the demand of power projects coming up along the pipeline route, a press release issued by HPCL said here today. It will traverse a distance of around 223 km between Vijayawada and Secunderabad. An intermediate booster pumping station will be located at Suryapet which is 110 km from Vijayawada. The pipeline will be designed initially for the Thruput requirements of the year 2006-07 and expanded for the year 2013-14, the release said. The project is estimated to cost Rs 345 crore and expected to be mechanically completed in 30 months from the date of final approval, the release added. The HPCL’s 350
km-long megapipeline project from Visakhapatnam to
Vijayawada which was commissioned three months ahead of
schedule, has been fully operational since May 1998. |
Hegde forging pro-govt front SIRSI, (Karnataka), Jan 23 (PTI) — Commerce Minister Ramakrishna Hegde is contemplating to don the role of a trouble-shooter for the Vajpayee government by forging a front among some of the allies of the BJP-led coalition. The Lok Shakti leader said he was having discussions with the Samata Party, the Biju Janata Dal, the Haryana Vikas Party, and the Union Minister Maneka Gandhi’s outfit in this regard to strengthen the hands of Prime Minister. The front’s objective was to thwart attempts to create trouble and put obstacles in the smooth functioning of the coalition at the Centre, Mr Hegde told reporters here. Without naming anybody, he said the Vajpayee government was facing trouble and pressure from "some quarters". He declined to comment on the demand of the Trinamul Congress leader Mamata Banerjee for railways portfolio as a condition to her party joining the Vajpayee ministry but said there was no threat to the government’s stability. Responding to questions, he snubbed BJP’s state leaders, who were reportedly against their party having an alliance with the Lok Shakti in assembly elections in Karnataka due this year-end. "Decision on whether
to have a tie-up or not will be taken by the high command
of both parties. The state unit has no right to take a
decision", he maintained. |
Army standard high: George NEW DELHI, Jan 23 — The Defence Minister, Mr George Fernandes, today said that the government has taken a series of steps to maintain the quality of armed forces. Talking to reporters after visiting the National Cadet Corp (NCC) Golden Jubilee Republic Day camp here, Mr Fernandes pointed out that an 18-year-old demand for new gloves pending for Army personnel serving at high-altitude areas like Siachen was cleared after he took over. “When I recently visited Siachen, I was pleased to note that the men had received new gloves, new snowmobiles and new stockings,” Mr Fernandes said. Mr Fernandes observed that during his visit to the Hospital in Partapur, which is closest to Siachen, he was appalled to find the lack of even basic necessities like heating facilities. “Today, the Partapur hospital is fully equipped to treat casualties. Even the base hospital at Srinagar has been provided with a CT scan machine which was needed and the hospital at Udhampur has been given an MRM machine,” he said. Mr George Fernandes also emphasised that there was no fall in standards in the Indian Army and the forces continued to recruit the best amongst the youth. While denying that there had been a fall in the quality of people joining the Forces, Mr Fernandes said “we are getting the best possible talent.” He felt that there was no need for any special drive of recruitment for the forces as there was no dearth of youth joining the three defence wings. Mr Fernandes, however, opined that the 1.2 million strong NCC should be further strengthened. “I have visited several camps and units all over the country, including those in high-altitude areas like Siachen, and have found the best personnel in service all around,” Mr Fernandes said. Refuting the possibility of any fall in the morale of the armed forces, the Defence Minister said “their morale is as high as ever.” He, however, felt that more and more youth need to join the NCC as a few years of association with it helps them evolve into better human beings. The young boys and girls serving in the NCC were of outstanding talent. Mr Fernandes gave the
Raksha Mantri Padak posthumously to NCC cadet Ms Varunda
Ramesh Kakade, who died while trying to save her cousin
from drowning in the Krishna river on September 1 last
year. Chief Officer Rambhai Parmar was also awarded the
Raksha Mantri Padak for his exemplary work in saving the
life of Havildar Surjit Singh last year. |
India must not sign CTBT: Jayalalitha CHENNAI, Jan 23 (UNI) — All India (AIADMK) supremo J. Jayalalitha today urged the Union Government not to sign the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) unless the USA fully lifted the sanctions imposed against India in the wake of the Pokhran nuclear tests. Criticising the recent statement by US Ambassador in India, Mr Richard Celeste asking India to specify its minimum deterrent needs, Ms Jayalalitha said if the sanctions were still in place on the anniversary of Pokhran II on May 11-13, then India should regard itself as morally free to oppose the CTBT. ‘’Blackmail through sanctions and threats should be met with firmness and resolve,’’ she said. ‘’The sanctions should be lifted and India given the same rights as the other nuclear powers,’’ she said. The US Ambassador should
not confuse India with Britain, which was behaving like a
satellite of the USA, she added. |
Three BJP leaders expelled NEW DELHI, Jan 23 — The BJP today expelled three leaders of its Bihar unit including a former state unit President, Mr Tarakant Jha, for anti-party activities. A BJP press note said Mr Jha, a former MP, Mr Kameshwar Paswan and MLC Yashodanand Singh had been expelled from the party for six years for anti-party activities. These leaders were chargesheeted by the state President, Mr Nand Kishore Yadav, on December 21 last year. The disciplinary committee unanimously recommended their expulsion after the leaders submitted their explanations. The decision was also conveyed to the party central leadership. With the expulsion of the three leaders, the party high command has sought to send a decisive message to all rebels to fall in line or meet a similar fate, a party leader said. Earlier, BJP President, Kushabhau Thakre had taken away charge of Bihar from the party General Secretary, Mr K.N. Govindacharya against whom a group of Bihar leaders led by Mr Jha had been campaigning. Mr Thakre had taken away Bihar from Mr Govindacharya as part of his allocation of work to his colleagues. Sources said that the
present state President, who belongs to Mr Govindacharya
camp, has retaliated by expelling them from the party.
The BJP unit in Bihar is under turmoil and the move would
have a serious fallout on the state of affairs of the
party in days to come, a senior leader said. |
Jan 30 to be amity day: IYC NEW DELHI, Jan 23 — The Indian Youth Congress (IYC) has decided to observe “Sampradayakta Virodhi Divas” (anti-communal forces day) on January 30, the 50th martyrdom anniversary of the father of the nation, Mahatma Gandhi. IYC president, Manish Tewari addressing a press conference here today said “mass rallies and dawn to dusk fasts will be organised in all state capitals to highlight the role of communal forces which are bent on dividing the nation on communal lines.” He said on January 30, a massive youth rally at Nagpur, a few kilometres from RSS headquarters, would be held to “expose the hidden agenda of the BJP government” and highlight the “communal conspiracy” unleashed on the minorities by the BJP government and other organisations of the sangh parivar. A “manavata sandesh yatra” would be organised from Sevagram (Wardha) to Nagpur to mobilise secular opinion against communal forces. The yatra, which would commence on Republic Day, would be flagged off by Nirmla Behn (Gandhiji’s daughter-in-law) and culminate at Chetinis Park on January 30. The symbolism of the yatra lay in the fact that Sevagram and Nagpur represent two opposite schools of thought, the IYC president said. “While the former nurtured and consolidated the ethos of a shared heritage, the latter is bent on converting India into a medieval and theocratic state and therefore must be opposed,” he said. Attacking the BJP-led Central government for its failure to deliver goods, Mr Tewari said the government should bring out a white paper on employment. About 2.75 lakh jobs in Central Government alone have been lost by the youths due to increase in the retirement age from 58 to 60 years, he said. The IYC has drawn up an
elaborate plan for the next six months to mobilise public
opinion against the BJP government and to strengthen its
organisational structure from block level, he added. |
Boycott government functions: JMM RANCHI, Jan 23 (UNI) — The Jharkhand Mukti Morcha today called upon the people of Jharkhand to boycott all official functions of the Bihar Government. The party’s decision to boycott the functions was taken in the wake of the anti-Jharkhand stance of the ruling Rashtriya Janata Dal in Bihar. Talking to newsmen here, morcha (Soren) vice-president Suraj Mandal said the party’s district committees had been directed to implement this decision which was taken on January 12 by the morcha Central Executive. The party also called upon the other pro-Jharkhand groups and sympathisers to boycott the functions of the Bihar Chief Minister and all official visits of the other state ministers. Mr Mandal said his party would support the demand for reserving the office of Chief Minister for a tribesman in the proposed state of Jharkhand provided the RJD announced a Harijan Chief Minister for Bihar. The morcha also called upon the people to boycott the official visit of Bihar Assembly Speaker Deonarayan Yadav here tomorrow. Bihar Chief Minister Rabri
Devi and her husband, former Chief Minister and RJD
supremo Laloo Prasad Yadav, were to reach here on January
25 to attend a kisan mela, jointly organised by the Bihar
State Marketing Board and the Ranchi district rural
development authority. The mela is scheduled to be
inaugurated a day before by the Bihar Assembly Speaker. |
Mobile dispensary for sex workers NEW DELHI, Jan 23 (UNI) — The Delhi Government will provide a mobile dispensary for about 3,500 sex workers living in red-light areas of the metropolis. It has also assured admission on priority basis to 15 children of such women, pending since August 1998, in boarding schools managed by the Social Welfare Directorate. The assurance was given by Delhi Health and Urban Development Minister A.K. Walia and Employment Minister Krishna Tirath at a meeting with a delegation of the Bharatiya Patita Uddhar Sabha yesterday, sabha president Khairati Lal Bhola told UNI. The dispensary is to be deployed within a fortnight at the red-light areas from morning till evening to provide better health services and check the spread of AIDS. Ms Tirath has directed
officials to find out the position of vacant seats in
village cottage homes so that children of sex workers
could be given admission on priority basis. |
Two commit suicide NEW DELHI, Jan 23 — Two persons, including an undertrial prisoner lodged in high security Tihar Jail, here committed suicide last evening by hanging in the bathroom of a prison barrack, jail sources said. The undertrial, Sukhjinder Singh, (44) lodged in the jail since March, 1997, hanged himself by his patka (turban). He was immediately given medical assistance by the jail doctor. The undertrial was rushed to the Deen Dayal Upadhyay hospital, where he was declared brought dead, the sources said. In another incident, a 26-year-old woman, Seema, committed suicide by hanging from the ceiling fan in her residence in Raja Garden in West Delhi. She left a suicide note behind her. In the suicide note Seema wrote that she took this step due to increasing worries. She was married to Inder Kumar, a resident of Janakpuri in West Delhi on May 11, 1998. Soon after wedding Seema’s in laws allegedly started demanding dowry. Inder left Seema at her
father’s house on December 25, 1998 and refused to
take her back. |
Ordinance on free rail travel to ex-MPs NEW DELHI, Jan 23 (UNI) — The government promulgated an ordinance on January 18 to provide for free travel facilities to former members of Parliament in air-conditioned two-tier along with a companion in all trains of Indian Railways. The ordinance seeks to amend the salary, allowances and pension of members of Parliament Bill to make the provision, Parliamentary Affairs and Tourism Minister Madan Lal Khurana said today. Thus the expenditure on
extending this facility to former M.Ps, numbering about
1700, will be met by the Parliamentary Affairs Ministry
instead of the Railway Ministry, which recently had
withdrawn this facility to former parliamentarians. |
Tributes paid to Netaji NEW DELHI, Jan 23(UNI) — Deputy Speaker of Lok Sabha P.M. Sayeed paid floral tributes at the portrait of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose in the Central Hall of Parliament House on the occasion of Netaji’s 102nd birth anniversary today. Among the dignitaries who joined the Deputy Speaker in paying their tributes were Union Home Minister L.K. Advani and Members of Parliament T.N. Chaturvedi, K.R. Malkani and Virendra Verma. Several former members of Parliament including Dr S.N. Reddy, Mr P. Namgyal, Mr R.C. Vkal, Mr Vishwa Bandhu Gupta and Mr L.P. Shahi also attended the function. A booklet containing the profile of Netaji, brought out both in Hindi and English by the Lok Sabha Secretariat was also presented to those who attended the function. Reports from Mumbai said
Mumbaiites joined the nation in celebrating the birth
anniversary of Netaji, paying the great leader a
befitting tribute for his contribution to India’s
Independence. |
Hindu Munnani activist dies CHENNAI, Jan 23 (UNI) — Palani, a 36-year-old activist of the "Hindu Munnani", who attempted self-immolation here on January 20 to protest against Pakistan's cricket tour of India, died in hospital early today. Palani, an autorickshaw driver, was admitted in hospital with 80 per cent burns and had been fighting for life since then. He had set himself ablaze
at Pudupet shouting slogans against the visit of the
Pakistan cricket team. |
Clear off LPG list, companies told NEW DELHI, Jan 23 (UNI) — The Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas has instructed all oil companies to clear off the entire LPG waiting list of consumers in the hill areas at an altitude of 2000 feet or more by March 31, this year. According to an official press note issued here today, this includes all North-eastern states, Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and all union territories. The oil companies have been instructed to release LPG connections on demand across the counter in the above areas after clearing the waiting list. This is being done to help preserve the environment and prevent deforestation. It would also help improve the quality of life of people and help wean away rural population from conventional fuels to the more convenient and clean LPG. The oil industry proposes
to appoint an additional 2000 LPG distributorship to help
take fuel to rural areas, the press note added. |
Heads of 30 idols broken CALCUTTA, Jan 23 (PTI) — Tension prevailed at Kasba locality near here after heads of 30 Swaraswati idols were smashed in pandals by a group of 10 to 15 miscreants armed with lathis in the wee hours today, the police said. Eye-witnesses told the police the unidentified miscreants moved swiftly from pandal to pandal in the locality in south 24 Parganas district, smashing the heads of the idols worshipped yesterday, before fleeing. A large contingent of police led by Additional Superintendent (Industrial) Anuj Sharma was keeping strict vigil in the area. The state unit of the
Vishwa Hindu Parishad condemned the incidents and
demanded an inquiry into the vandalism. |
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| NLFT men kill 1, kidnap 2 AGARTALA: National Liberation Front of Tripura (NLFT) militants have shot dead one person and kidnapped two others from Satnala in North Tripura district, the police said on Saturday. A group of ultras raided the Santala market area here on Friday and opened fire, killing one person on the spot. They also looted the market and kidnapped two others, including a night guard. In another incident, insurgents of the same group kidnapped a local CPM leader of Dhalai district. — PTI CPM
observes 12-hr bandh Malayalam novelist
dead Fake coin racket
busted Gangster killed in
encounter |
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