Tuesday, June 15, 1999
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SAD factions lock horns Rakabganj Gurdwara office row NEW DELHI, June 14 — The Badal-Tohra feud continued to cast its shadow in the Capital with the Delhi unit of the Shiromani Akali Dal (Badal) and the executive body of the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee, loyal to Mr G.S. Tohra, having a tussle over the possession of a office in the Rakabganj Gurdwara complex today. Pact on Cauvery flawed: ADMK MADURAI, June 14 — The AIADMK today said the delay in the release of Cauvery water in Tamil Nadu this year was mainly due to the “haphazard” agreement reached on the inter-state river water dispute at the initiative of the Prime Minister, Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee. |
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LS poll will not be put
off, says Atal |
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Congress delegation
visits Kargil Cong urged to seek
Prabhakaran’s extradition Resignation of AP minister sought Pak action decried by Milli forum Savur takes over as AOC, Palam Moopanar calls on Sonia |
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SAD factions lock horns NEW DELHI, June 14 — The Badal-Tohra feud continued to cast its shadow in the Capital with the Delhi unit of the Shiromani Akali Dal (Badal) and the executive body of the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee, loyal to Mr G.S. Tohra, having a tussle over the possession of a office in the Rakabganj Gurdwara complex today. The bone of contention between the two factions is a newly constructed office in the Rakabganj Gurdwara complex, where the office of the Delhi unit of the SAD (Badal) was earlier located. A posse of Delhi Police personnel are maintaining vigil near the office to prevent any untoward incident. While the executive body of the DSGMC alleged that the Badal faction had tried to take possession of the office forcibly by breaking open the lock and taking away articles from the VIP guest house, the Delhi unit of the SAD (Badal) maintained that the office “rightfully” belongs to them and they did not remove any article from there. Senior Vice-President of the DSGMC, Mr Nirvair Singh, alleged that the Delhi unit of the SAD (Badal) had taken possession of the office forcibly. “Yesterday at about 3 p.m., Badal loyalists led by Mr Avtar Singh Hit, broke open the locks of the VIP guest house and then put their own locks there,” he said. On the other hand, the President of the Delhi unit of the SAD (Badal), Mr Avtar Singh Hit, said that they had been functioning from the office since 1989. “This office is in our possession,” he claimed. Both factions have approached the Delhi Police seeking its intervention in the matter. The convener of the SAD Delhi, Mr Avtar Singh Autopin, along with other Tohra loyalists lodged a complaint with the police claiming that their rival faction led by Mr Hit was occupying the office building “illegally”. Mr Avtar Singh Hit, in a letter to the SHO Parliament Street Police Station said “Our humble submission to the police officials is to take special care of our office so that no miscreant or anti-social elements could break the lock and enter premises of the office of the Delhi unit of the SAD (Badal).” The Tohra loyalists who took over the DSGMC executive committee have earmarked the guest house office for the dismissed Akal Takht Jathedar Bhai Ranjit Singh as they consider the latter as the ‘real’ chief of the highest temporal seat of the Sikhs. However, Mr Badal’s
loyalist, Mr Hit, claimed they had no objection to
reserving the guest house for the Akal Takht chief.
“But we consider Bhai Puran Singh as the genuine
Jathedar and not Bhai Ranjit Singh so there is no
question of allowing him access to the guest house,”
he stated. |
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MADURAI, June 14 (PTI) — The AIADMK today said the delay in the release of Cauvery water in Tamil Nadu this year was mainly due to the “haphazard” agreement reached on the inter-state river water dispute at the initiative of the Prime Minister, Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee. Mr Vajpayee did not consult the AIADMK, the BJP’s then major ally in Tamil Nadu, on the Cauvery issue before the agreement was reached between Tamil Nadu and Karnataka last year, the AIADMK Deputy General Secretary, Mr K. Kalimuthu told newsmen here. He said the AIADMK was forced to break its alliance with the BJP and join hands with the Congress as the former had not only “betrayed” the faith the AIADMK reposed in it but also “ignored” Tamil Nadu’s interests. He said the BJP had promised not to raise the Ram temple issue but the VHP and the RSS were preparing for the temple construction. Accusing Karnataka of not keeping its commitment with regard to the agreement, he said the Thanjavur delta farmers had raised nursery for Kuruvai hoping that water would be let out on June 12. But now Karnataka had not released the water, and Mettur water be released only on July 12, when the nursery would be unfit for transplantation. The water release monitoring committee was pro-Karnataka and not neutral, as stated by the DMK Government, he claimed. Mr Kalimuthu alleged that the DMK and Central governments were trying to “cover up failure of the Cauvery water agreement”. Ruling out the formation
of a third front in the state, he pointed out that even
the Communist parties had spoken against having a third
front as that would only help the BJP. The AIADMK vote
bank was intact even when the party did not win in the
last assembly election. |
Resignation of AP minister sought HYDERABAD, June 14 (PTI) — The Congress in Andhra Pradesh today demanded the resignation of the state Home Minister, Mr A. Madhava Reddy, following the sensational murder of a woman social activist Belli Lalita at Bhongir in Nalgonda district recently. Alleging political conspiracy behind the murder of Lalita, whose dismembered body parts and head were recovered from two agricultural fields on Thursday last on the outskirts of Bhongir, a Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader, Mr P. Janardhan Reddy, also demanded a judicial inquiry by a sitting high court Judge into the case. Mr Reddy told newsman that the government was “not coming out with real facts” behind the murder and was trying to hush up the case. The CB-CID inquiry ordered by the government into the incident was not sufficient, he said. Mr Reddy refuted police claims that Lalita, who was the convenor of the Telangana Jana Sabha and a resident of Bhongir, the Assembly constituency represented by the Home Minister, was murdered on May 26 by the duo Alimuddin and Srinivas, who were now in police custody. Mr Krishna Yadav, elder
brother of the deceased, alleged that there was a
political conspiracy behind the killing of his sister,
since she was nursing ambition to contest from Bhongir in
the next Assembly elections. |
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CALCUTTA, June 14 (PTI) — West Bengal Home (Police) Minister Buddhadev Bhattacharjee today apologised in the state assembly for providing wrong information to the House about the reported death of a jawan in Kargil as the Congress and the Trinamool Congress staged a noisy walkout on the issue. Congress members walked out in protest against the Speaker’s refusal to allow a breach of the privilege motion against Mr Bhattacharjee and censure him even as the minister expressed regret about the misinformation he had provided about the jawan, Sangram Ghosh, a resident of Bongaon, during the all-party resolution in the House on Friday. There was an uproar in the House when the Chair rejected an adjournment notice moved by Mr Pankaj Banerjee of the Congress on the issue. The minister pleaded that his statement was based on information received by him on Friday. It was neither deliberate nor aimed at misleading the House as alleged by the Opposition. Speaker H.A. Halim, in his ruling, later expunged the minister’s information about the jawan’s death from the all-party resolution with a word of caution that ministers should verify their statements before making any announcement. The minister’s
statement, he said, was not intended to mislead the
House. |
Congress delegation visits Kargil NEW DELHI, June 14 (UNI) — A high-level Congress delegation, which visited troubled areas of the Kargil sector today said that the morale of the armed forces was very high and the party was behind the government for throwing the infiltrators out. Speaking on behalf of the delegation former Union Ministers Balram Jakhar and Kamalnath said refugees and local people, however, were unhappy about the delayed reaction from the government as the infiltration took place around January-February. They said over 20,000 refugees from the Dras and Batalik areas were sheltered in a school in Leh and they had not received any help except foodgrains and kerosene. They wanted cash and other assistance, the government had now promised Rs 200 per head. The delegation, they
said found almost all government buildings, including the
Deputy Commissioner's office and residence were, vacated
or destroyed in shelling. Doordarshan Kendra's
transmission tower also stood destroyed. |
Congress urged to seek Prabhakaran’s extradition CHENNAI, June 14 (UNI) — The Janata Party President, Dr Subramanian Swamy, today urged the Congress to demand the extradition of LTTE Supremo V. Prabhakaran, a proclaimed offender in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case, in the wake of reports that the banned outfit had hatched a plot to assassinate the Congress President, Mrs Sonia Gandhi. In a statement issued here, Dr Swamy urged the Congress to join his party’s sustained campaign for the extradition of Prabhakaran to foil attempts by the LTTE on the life of Mrs Sonia Gandhi. The Congress should also ask the President, Mr K.R. Narayanan, to dismiss union ministers, George Fernandes and Ram Jethmalani, who were “known agents of the LTTE”, he said. Dr Swamy said Mrs Sonia
Gandhi should expel from the party those leaders who were
suspected to have passed on to the LTTE Rajiv
Gandhi’s election campaign programme in Tamil Nadu
in May, 1991. These leaders, who formed the inner circle
of the party, had tried to subvert the Jain Commission
proceedings in order to help the LTTE, he charged. |
LS poll will not be put off: Atal NEW DELHI, Jun 14 (PTI) — Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee today asserted that the Lok Sabha elections scheduled for September would be held on time and allayed apprehensions that the Kargil developments could lead to their postponement. "Chunao wakt par lare jayenge. Matdata apna nirnay karenge. Yeh hamara gharelu mamla hai (elections will be held on time... Voters will give their mandate...This is our domestic issue)," Mr Vajpayee said flagging off the "Atal sandesh yatra" from his Race Course residence. Mr Vajpayee, however, said the need of the hour was to worry about the country’s security and not the elections. Recalling that the "yatra" was organised keeping in mind the poll, he said the scenario had completely changed and "now we are facing a big challenge and we have to worry about the country’s security and not the elections." Mr Vajpayee said the battle being fought in the high mountainous terrain to flush out Pakistani-backed intruders would go on and every effort would be made to win it. "I don’t have the slightest doubt in my mind that we will emerge victorious," Mr Vajpayee said. CHENNAI (UNI): Bharatiya Janata Party President Kushabhau Thakre indicated on Monday that a prolonged conflict in the Kargil sector and its escalation into a full-scale war might lead to the postponement of the Lok Sabha elections. If it (the ongoing flushing out operations) happened to be a long-drawn affair, then the government could convene an all-party meeting to decide on the holding of the elections, he suggested, addressing a news conference here. Mr Thakre, who was here in connection with the Tamil Nadu unit’s Executive meeting, however, said the BJP was not in favour of the postponement of the elections and hoped that the "ongoing war with the Pakistani forces" would come to an end before the poll. "The constitutional necessity is there and the new Lok Sabha should be formed before October 21... But there are possibilities that the war may end earlier," he said. "Referring to
Opposition leaders speaking in different voices, Mr
Thakre said when the country was facing a war, "we
have to stand unitedly behind the Army and extend the
fullest support to the government". |
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NASIK, June 14 (UNI) — Thirteen persons were killed and 31 injured in two accidents in Ahmednagar district during the past 24 hours. According to police sources, 11 persons, all hailing from Buldhana city, were killed when a tempo-trax in which they were travelling collided with a container van near Supa village in the district. None of the deceased had yet been identified. In another mishap, two persons were killed and 31 injured when a private luxury bus in which they were travelling collided with a truck at Ahmednagar on the Nagar-Aurangabad road. The bus, coming from Hyderabad, was proceeding towards Shirdi when the mishap occurred. While one persons died
on the spot, another succumbed to his injuries in the
hospital. The injured were admitted to Ahmednagar Civil
Hospital. |
Pak action decried by
Milli forum NEW DELHI, June 14 — The All-India Milli Political Forum today condemned Pakistan’s “barbaric and inhuman” treatment meted out to Indian soldiers and its provocating act of sending infiltrators and army regulars in Kargil with a view to altering the Line of Control (LoC). “The barbaric and inhuman treatment alleged to have been meted out by the Pakistani forces to the Indian soldiers is highly deplorable both from human and Islamic point of view,” Mr Kamal Faruqui, the general secretary of the Forum, a political pressure group formed to safe- guard the interest of minorities said. While criticising Pakistan’s action, Mr Faruqui said “the negligence on the part of the Indian government in taking timely steps to stop this intrusion proves its gross failure not only on all internal fronts but also establishes its complete incompetence in dealing with the delicate issue of safeguarding the country’s borders. Mr Faruqui said the
forum would pressurise the political parties to choose
the “right kind of candidates” especially in
the Muslim dominated constituencies in the forthcoming
Lok Sabha polls in September and October. |
Savur takes over as AOC,
Palam NEW DELHI, June 14 — Air Cdre S.Y. Savur took over as Air Officer Commanding (AOC), Air Force station, Palam, at a solemn ceremony held here this morning. He took over the command from Air Cdre P.C. Chopra who has been posted at HQ Western Air Command, IAF. Commodore Savur was
commissioned in the flying branch of the IAF in October
’66 as a pilot. He has to his credit over 7000 hours
of flying on various types of transport aircraft. An
alumnus of National Defence College, he has commanded two
transport air bases at Sulur (Coimbatore) and Agra. He
held staff appointments at the Air Headquarters and HQ,
Eastern air Command, prior to his taking over as Air
Officer Commanding, Air Force station, Palam. |
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NEW DELHI, June 14 (UNI) — In a significant development, top leaders of the Tamil Maanila Congress (TMC) led by its chief G.K. Moopanar called on Congress President Sonia Gandhi here this evening and discussed possibilities of political alignments in Tamil Nadu. Mr Moopanar has come to the meeting after ascertaining the views of his party leaders on the question of his party aligning with the AIADMK-led alliance or merging with the Congress. Mr Moopanar was accompanied by former Union Minister P. Chidambaram, Jayanti Natarajan, M. Arunachalam and S.R. Subramanyam and Leader of the Opposition in the state assembly S. Balakrishnan. Mr Moopanar is yet to
announce his or his party’s stand on these major
issues, though he had heard the views of his partymen at
various levels for the past one week. He also held a
meeting of the party’s political affairs committee
last night, second time in a week. |
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| Poison claims 5 lives JAIPUR: Five persons died after consuming poison on Sunday while another is struggling for life in hospital in Nagaur district of Rajasthan, the police said. Six persons, yet to be identified, were staying in a dharamshala (inn) in Harsod village where they were found lying unconscious by villagers, the police said. They were first taken to a local hospital but later shifted to Ajmer hospital where five of them died. Doctors attending on them said they died after consuming poison. Villagers reported to the police that the deceased were hawkers selling locks and fabrics. — PTI Oral contraceptive and
heart attack 4 killed over
land dispute “French
Nightingale” BJP leader in
Arunachal quits Journalist
passes away 3 killed in jeep
mishap New malaria drug
on anvil |
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