Tuesday, November 19, 2002, Chandigarh, India
Updated at 3:00 am (IST)

Cong Gujarat list sans Vaghela
New Delhi, November 18
The Congress today declared candidates for 108 of the 182 seats in Gujarat, basing its calculations on caste combinations and local factors. The party is likely to leave about three seats for the Left parties and the Lok Janshakti Party. The party will not have seat adjustment with the Nationalist Congress Party and the Samajwadi Party.

Yatra after elections, says Togadia
Ahmedabad, November 18
The VHP has decided to defer its “vijay yatra” from Godhra till the completion of the Gujarat Assembly elections, VHP international secretary-general Praveen Togadia said today.

Motion on Gujarat defeated
New Delhi, November 18
The Opposition-sponsored adjournment motion was defeated today by a voice vote with Deputy Prime Minister L.K. Advani asserting in the Lok Sabha that India can never be converted into a Hindu state, saying that the people would neither condone communal violence nor tolerate pseudo-secularism.
In video (28k, 56k)

PM greets people on Gurpurb
New Delhi, November 18
President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, Vice-President Bhairon Singh Shekhawat and Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee today led the nation in conveying their greetings to the people on the occasion of the Guru Nanak jayanti tomorrow.

Giani Puran Singh, Head Granthi, Darbar Sahib, carries Guru Granth Sahib on his head as he comes out of Akal Takht Sahib during nagar kirtan on the eve of the 533rd birth anniversary of Sri Guru Nanak Dev in Amritsar on Monday. — Photo Rajiv Sharma

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IN PASSING

No need to worry, Atalji. We are used to driving in these conditions now!

by Sandeep Joshi

I sent cops into Golden Temple: Badal
Ludhiana, November 18
Taken off guard over the videographic and documentary revelations about the entry of policemen into the Golden Temple during his tenure former Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal today admitted that policemen had entered the Golden Temple when he was in power. However, he claimed that they (the policemen) were not in uniform when they entered the Golden Temple.

US citizen awarded tankhah
Amritsar, November 18
A US citizen and former Punjab Government employee, Mohinder Singh, was given tankhah (religious punishment) at Akal Takht by five high priests today. Earlier, Mohinder Singh was excommunicated during the tenure of former Jathedar of Akal Takht, Bhai Ranjit Singh, in 1998.

Plea to amend gurdwara Act 
Paonta Sahib, November 18
“Amend the Gurdwaras Act so that the annual general house meeting of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee is held outside the SGPC complex,” suggests Mr Kartar Singh Takkar, a member of the Shri Paonta Sahib Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee.

Nod to Kabul-Chabahar road
New Delhi, November 18
India and Afghanistan have pulled off a diplomatic and strategic coup over Pakistan, significantly with the help of Shia-dominated Iran as the three countries have decided to connect the Iranian port of Chabahar with bordering Afghanistan which will eliminate the need of using Pakistani territory for Indo-Afghanistan trade.

WITH THE JATHA IN PAK Pakistan bank refuses Indian notes Nankana Sahib, November 18 Indian Sikh pilgrims who reached here to pay obeisance at gurdwaras were left high and dry when the National Bank of Pakistan refused to exchange the Indian currency on the third consecutive day today, without assigning any reason. The officials of the NBP said they had not got any instructions from their head office to convert the Indian currency. However, dollars or pounds were readily accepted by the bank.