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Pranab offers CM’s post to Mamata
10 coaches of Sampark Kranti Express derail
India defends comment on Balochistan
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IISc attack: 3 detained
Hurriyat to discuss Kashmir with Musharraf
6 Naxals killed in encounter
PM for ‘greater substance’ in ties with China
NRI rape case: 2 accused in
police custody
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Pranab offers CM’s post to Mamata
Kolkata, January 1 Mr Mukherjee, who is also WBPCC chief himself made this offer to the Trinamool chief during their ‘one-to-one meeting’ at a secret place in the city late last night, which the leaders of both the sides confirmed. The meeting was held at the initiative of the union Information Minister, Mr Prita DasMunshi, who like many other Congress leaders and workers had been propagating for the Congress and the TMC to jointly fight against the CPM. Ms Banerjee, however, made it clear to the Defence Minister that she was not interested in the chief ministership, but she would want that all anti-Left parties, including the BJP, should jointly fight the poll against the CPM for avoiding the division in the anti-left votes. She requested Mr Pranab not to unnecessarily raise the BJP issue at this point and block the electoral alliance or seat adjustment between the Congress and the TMC since workers ansd supporters of both the parties were now wanting they fight the elections jointly against the CPI(M). But Mr Mukherjee told the TMC chief that he alone could not take any decision in this matter, because of their political compulsions at the national level. However, he agreed to discuss the matter with Ms Sonia Gandhi and other AICC leaders before finally deciding on the proposal of the Congress and the TMC combine fighting the elections. TMC leader, Mr Madan Mitra, who is closed to Ms Banerjee said they had finalised a programme of padayatra all over the state with the participation of like minded parties for arousing the public opinion against the CPM misrule for last 30 years. In the first phase, the padayatra would begin from the hills of Darjeeling on February 1 and end at the island of Sunderbans. In April, in the second phase, it would start from the border town of Bongaon in north 24-parganas and converg at the Sunderbans. All the anti-left parties including the Congress had been invited to participate in the padayatra. |
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10 coaches of Sampark Kranti Express derail
Patna, January 1 The coaches jumped off the track between Barahia and Rampur Dumra stations, an East Central Railway spokesman said. “There are no reports of any deaths, but some passengers might have suffered minor injuries,” he said. Traffic on the Patna-Kiul section was disrupted due to the derailment, the spokesman said. The routes of 12 long-distance trains were diverted via the Patna-Gaya and Patna-Kiul sections, railway sources said. |
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India defends comment on Balochistan
New Delhi, January 1 India has insisted that the statement by the External Affairs Ministry spokesman in response to a question by journalists earlier this week was “nothing unusual or extraordinary”. “Why should there be inhibition on our side to say something on what is happening in our neighbourhood? A serious situation has been developing in Balochistan and when a reaction was sought, the MEA spokesman gave it”, a senior government official said responding to Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf calling New Delhi’s comment as “intriguing”. Pakistan waves “red rags at us virtually on daily basis”, he said. India had on December 27 noted with “concern” the heavy military action in Balochistan and said Pakistan should “exercise restraint” and address the grievances of the people of the region through peaceful discussions. The reaction came when journalists sought a response from the External Affairs Ministry spokesman in the wake of reported killing of 50 local people in army action, involving helicopters and gunships. New Delhi insisted that the reaction it gave was “quite restrained and reasonable” and did not mark any departure from its policy on Pakistan. Officials here said India’s comment on happenings in Balochistan was not unjustified since Pakistan also keeps talking about the situation in Jammu and Kashmir, although “no human rights violations” are taking place there from the government’s side unlike in Balochistan. Talking about Pakistan’s suggestions for “self-governance” in Jammu and Kashmir, the officials said Islamabad is used to making such comments on Kashmir irrespective of the fact that a popularly-elected government is in place in the state unlike in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) and Northern Areas under Pakistan’s control. Locals in Balochistan have been up in arms alleging denial of rights and deprivation. The situation in Balochistan found its echo in Pakistan’s Parliament recently with leader of the Opposition in Senate, Mian Raza Rabbani, saying that people of the area had “genuine complaints”, as they were denied royalty on gas, were not being provided any benefit from the natural resources of the province and did not even have any right in mega projects like the Gwadar port, the coastal highway and the Meerani dam. |
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IISc attack: 3 detained
New Delhi, January1 Security officials probing the Bangalore attack have found the imprint of Lashker-e-Taiba in it. The three detained persons are believed to have links with Lashker and also follow the Al Hadees sect of Islam, the same pursued by LeT. The were expected to throw some light on the incident including the people behind the conspiracy, informed sources said. According to the investigations so far, the LeT had put in the service its activists who had been trained in Bangladesh and Saudi Arabia to carry out the attack which left an Emeritus professor of Delhi IIT M. C. Puri dead and four
injred. According to intelligence sources, Mangalore and other cities in Andhra Pradesh were turning as hubs of LeT activities and the sleuths feared activation of some more "sleeping cells" of Pakistan-based militant outfit Lashker-e-Taiba to carry out attacks of such nature.
— PTI |
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LeT link in Bangalore attack
New Delhi, January 1 |
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Hurriyat to discuss Kashmir with Musharraf
New Delhi, January 1 During its politically significant visit, mainly aimed at expressing solidarity with the survivors of the October 8 earthquake, the three-member delegation, led by Hurriyat’s founder Chairman Mirwaiz Umer Farooq, will meet Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf and discuss with him the Kashmir issue. “We have nothing in specific but we will be generally talking about every scenario vis-a-vis Kashmir”, senior Hurriyat leader Abdul Ghani Bhat, who is also part of the delegation said. The Hurriyat visit to Pakistan is likely to last a week. “We will also like to hold discussions with the political
leadership in POK about the resolution of the Kashmir issue. We want to have a united voice,” he said. To a question about the possibility of holding a second round of talks with the Centre, he said, “Hurriyat was ready for any time though much has not been done on the ground on the issues of human rights violation and custodial killings”. The Hurriyat had held the first round of parleys with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in Delhi in September last year.
— PTI |
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6 Naxals killed in encounter
Nagpur, January 1 The encounter took place in the deep jungle on the Maharashtra-Chhattisgarh border, about 10 km from village Kanoli under sub-post Pendhari of the district. Acting on a tip-off, police had deployed an ambush party in the jungle, of which Superintendent of Police Shirish Jain was a part. Naxalites triggered a landmine blast, but the police party was away from the spot when it occurred. One policeman sustained minor injuries in the blast. Their was exchange of fire in which five or six Naxalites were killed. The bodies of three Naxals were found, while five or six other Naxalites are understood to have sustained serious injuries.
— PTI |
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PM for ‘greater substance’ in ties with China
New Delhi, January 1 “We are confident that in the New Year, we will be able to continue, with greater determination, to impart further depth and substance to our rapidly growing ties, and add an important new chapter to India-China friendship”, the Prime Minister said to mark the two countries’ decision to declare 2006 as India-China Friendship Year. He said India and China “made significant progress in addressing some of the long-standing issues in our relationship without allowing them to define the agenda of our cooperative ties.” During the visit of Wen to India in April last, it was decided by both sides to mark 2006 as India-China Friendship Year.
— PTI |
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NRI rape case: 2 accused in
police custody
Mumbai, January 1 The victim met the two men in the pub, who befriended her. Then the two allegedly mixed drugs in her drink, when she had gone to the toilet. After a while, she felt nauseatic and they offered to take her home. But instead she was driven to some unknown place in a Maruti car, and allegedly raped inside the car. |
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Kherawala takes over as CBDT Chairman
New Delhi, January 1 |
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