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Statehood Issue
Kalyan’s son joins SP
BrahMos Overshoot |
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Closer home, change has really
come to ‘New America’
Film on J&K to educate global community
Three ultras killed as Army busts militant camp
‘Report on media coverage of 26/11 not balanced’
Batla House Encounter
Army chief on unscheduled tour
of forward areas
Pak delegation on 4-day visit
First chopper base for Navy
Defamation case against Rahman, Anil Kapoor
Deshmukh sues BJP leader
Sena men vandalise hotel
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Statehood Issue
Hyderabad, January 21 After four days of intense confabulations with the warring groups, the party high command has endorsed Reddy’s line of argument that there was no widespread statehood sentiment in Telangana and there was no need for any hasty announcement on formation of separate state. On being summoned by the high command, Reddy visited Delhi and held discussions with Congress President Sonia Gandhi, chairman of the UPA sub-committee on smaller states Pranab Mukherjee, political secretary Ahmed Patel and AICC General Secretary in-charge of AP Veerappa Moily. Opposing bifurcation of the state, Reddy was understood to have argued that Congress was in a position to retain power in the state on development plank and that it could fight the Assembly elections, due in April, on its own. The central leadership also heard the views of the APCC Chief D Srinivas, who is a known supporter of Telangana cause, and other senior party leaders from Telangana region who have been mounting pressure on the high command to take a favourable decision on the statehood demand. The pro-Telangana leaders warned that the party would have to pay a heavy price if it went against the majority sentiment in the region. According to party sources, the high command veered round to the view that any decision on Telangana at this stage might stir a hornet’s nest, triggering similar demands in several parts of the country. Moreover, a pro-Telangana announcement may have an adverse impact in the other two regions-Rayalaseema and coastal Andhra. However, a package on Telangana is likely to be announced shortly to mollify the supporters of statehood cause within the party. After a meeting with Sonia Gandhi and other central leaders, Srinivas yesterday said there was no link between the coming elections and Telangana demand, indicating that a decision was unlikely before the polls. “We have never said we will grant Telangana state before the 2009 elections. It is a delicate issue requiring wider consultations. The high command is seized of the matter and a decision will be taken soon,” Srinivas said. The Congress had fought the 2004 elections in alliance with Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS), which has been in the forefront of statehood movement. Subsequently, TRS pulled out of the UPA to protest against the delay in formation of separate state. The TRS has since joined the grand opposition alliance comprising TDP and left parties. This has unnerved the Congress leaders from Telangana region. The backward region, which accounts for 119 seats in the 294-member Assembly, is expected to play a crucial role in deciding who will form the next government.
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Kalyan’s son joins SP
Lucknow, January 21 Kalyan Singh, while not joining SP, made it clear that he would now campaign for the Samajwadi Party to ensure the end of the BJP. Describing Amar Singh as a pillar for the SP, Kalyan Singh while speaking to reporters at his residence said, “In Amar Singh, the party has got a ‘Chanakya’, and the ‘Trimurti’ (Kalyan, Mulayam and Amar) would change the political scenario in the days to come”. Earlier, SP President Mulayam Singh Yadav and Amar Singh spent nearly an hour at Kalyan Singh Mall Avenue residence working out the modalities of Rajvir’s joining. Later addressing reporters, Mulayam Singh Yadav traced his relations with the former BJP leader Kalyan Singh to 1977 when they were both ministers in the same government. Taking the relationship a step further, Amar Singh said Kalyan Singh had formed a ‘dil ka rishta’ and not ‘dal ka rishta’ with the SP. “He is our guardian and will guide us from time to time”, pointed out Amar Singh. Comparing this new found friendship with the still young alliance with the Congress, Amar Singh said the party’s relationship with the Congress was a part of a ‘deal’ in which seats were being bargained. “The relationship with the former BJP leader was borne out of friendship. There is no give or take involved here,” maintained Singh. He also hinted of Kalyan Singh contesting as an Independent candidate from the Etah Lok Sabha seat. According to Amar Singh, the outgoing BJP leader’s friendship with the Samajwadi Party would now put an end to LK Advani’s dreams of becoming prime minister. Hoping Congress President Sonia Gandhi to be pleased with Kalyan Singh joining hands with the SP, Amar Singh clarified that this would not in any way impact the party’s Muslim support. “If Narayan Rane, Sanjay Nirupam and Chagan Bhujbal can become secular after joining the Congress, then why not Kalyan Singh?”, he questioned. After joining SP, Rajvir Singh described it as a “mere formality” since he had always been a part of the Samajwadi family. According to him the SP was destined to play a significant role in the coming Lok Sabha elections by not letting the NDA reach anywhere near the proverbial power centre.
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BrahMos Overshoot New Delhi, January 21 The software that was to guide the missile did not function as per the requirement, as a result it overshot the target though it maintained direction. “It did not dip in to hit the target,” a senior scientist explained. So far the missile, a 290-kg weapon, having a speed of 2.8 times of sound, has been inducted into the Navy and the Army. Since the weapon has already been inducted, the test yesterday was to fine-tune the nuclear capable missile to hit specific, defined targets. “This was an upgrade for enhancing the capabilities in land attack configuration. The main objective was to evaluate new homing scheme. Normally, a missile picks out the biggest possible target among a cluster of targets, for example a biggest building in the target zone. The test was being carried out to enable the missile to home in targets that may not be the biggest among the cluster but are otherwise important,” added the scientist. This would be of great help in multi-target environment and when the specific target is identified before the launch. “ This complicated mission called for an advanced algorithm and intelligence embedded in the missile. The cause of the malfunction has been analysed by a group of specialists. The new software used for this mission will be revalidated through extensive simulations and a flight trial will be carried out in a month’s time to prove the augmented capabilities of the missile,” the DRDO said. The supersonic anti-ship versions have already been inducted into the Indian Navy. An air-launched version is being developed and would be fitted onto the Indian Air Force’s Sukhoi-30MKI fighters. Two such aircraft have been dispatched to Russia to be made ready for the test of missile’s air-launched version. BrahMos Aerospace is already developing a hypersonic version of the missile. BrahMos is a missile that India is developing in collaboration with Russia. During the visit of Russian Defence Minister Anatoly Serdyukov to India late last year, an agreement was reached between the two countries for development of the hypersonic version.
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Closer home, change has really come to ‘New America’ New America (Rajasthan), January 21 “New America”, in the desert region of Marwar in Rajasthan, is definitely not a sleepy village. It used to be called Lordiyan, a godforsaken place, riven by superstition, till someone heard of the Bombay Stock Exchange and “share liye?” became its a part of its lexicon. Instant success at the BSE spurred its other businesses to boom. A remarkable transition for a village which is registered in revenue records as Lordiyan but no one dare take its original name. For generations, villagers believe, anyone who even uttered Lordiyan fell on evil times. The fear is such that even the ticket incharge at Phalaudi or Jodhpur railway stations issues tickets in the name of “New America” though Lordiyan is clearly mentioned on them. Ditto with bus conductors. You mention Lordiyan and they are likely to get abusive or shoo you off. No one knows why this talk has thrived. Even Ishwar Dass Vyas, a retired school headmaster, a “double post-graduate”, is convinced there is something “evil” about Lordiyan. He says the village was earlier known by several names. One of the first was “Samla” (which means “in front”). “Our village is situated east of the Phalaudi town at a distance of 6 km. So scared were people that they started calling it `samne wala gaon’ which eventually became `Samla’ (in front of Phalaudi).” In the 1960s, the village was awash with communist ideology. Pictures of Karl Marx and others adorned the walls of almost everybody. Expectedly, it came to be named “Lal Cheen”, after Red China, Vyas said. So, when and why would they make it “New America”? Tarun Vohra, a broker, “As the communist influence waned, men folk from the village headed for Mumbai in search of capital gains, if you will. Agriculture was never a profitable vocation here which led to migration. Those young men started doing odd jobs including physical labour but sheer hard work helped many become successful brokers.” Today, there are over 500 brokers from this village
in Mumbai. Money began flowing into the village. Ladies of the noveau riche began to splurge. “When the wives, mothers and daughters of the brokers started shopping extensively in Phalaudi or in Jaipur, people rechristened the village “New America”. Not undeservingly, perhaps. Unlike other villages, all houses in “New America” are pucca in this poverty-smitten heartland of the state. It has well-paved, wide streets and a good drainage system. May be, one day, Barack Obama will come visiting his New America. Proud New Americans rule out nothing...
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Film on J&K to educate global community
New Delhi, January 21 The film is aimed at educating the international community about Kashmir on which India has fought three wars with Pakistan. According to sources, it was proposed to dispatch the cassettes of the nearly 30-minute film to all Indian missions abroad soon. “India will also seek to ensure that new US President Barack Obama and his key aides watch the film as soon as possible as it would be an ‘eye opener’ for them and dispel many of their misgivings about the real causes of the problem,” they added. Produced by a well-known maker of documentaries on armed forces and foreign affairs, Rajiv Ojha, the film uses multifarious mediums to portray an extremely relevant subject covering over 60 years of Indo-Pak relations. “This film has become much more significant in the context of the Pakistani terrorist attacks in the financial capital of Mumbai in November-end…it is a sincere attempt to dismiss Pakistan’s propaganda on Kashmir,” said Ojha, who is also the CEO of August Creations.
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Three ultras killed as Army busts militant camp
Guwahati, January 21 Army spokesman Col Rajesh Kalia informed that two KLNLF militants were killed when the Army busted a camp of the outfit deep inside the forest areas at Laklangshu in Karbi Anglong hill district this morning. The Army recovered two 9 mm pistols, one grenade, assorted ammunition, 400 kg of rice, 200 kg of pulses, 50 kg of meat, 20 blankets from the camp. In another incident Army shot dead a self-styled corporal of the KLNLF, Ritik Hanse following a brief encounter at Donkeklangshu near Bokolia in Karbi Anglong district and recovered one 9 mm pistol, one magazine and few rounds of ammunition from the slain ultra. The Army has launched a widespread offensive against the KLNLF outfit accused of training its gun against Hindi-speaking populace in the hill district.
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‘Report on media coverage of 26/11 not balanced’
New Delhi, January 21 Ram has issued a clarification stating that the report has certain over-generalised statements that “most Indian journalists will disagree with.” He added, “In saying this, I also reflect the views of the members of the India chapter of SAMC who feel the assessment in the report of the performance of the Indian news media is not accurate, balanced, or nuanced.” But Ram added, “This may well be true of the section in the report dealing with the Pakistan news media's performance in relation to the Mumbai terror attacks.” Defending the role played by the Indian media N Ram said, “For a proper evaluation of the performance of India's and Pakistan's news media in the crisis brought about by the Mumbai terror attacks we need detailed and careful research, including content analysis.”
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Batla House Encounter
New Delhi, January 21 The Delhi police had raided L-18 in Batla House area of Okhla, Jamia Millia, on September 19 last year and two alleged terrorists as well as an investigating officer Mohan Chand Sharma were killed in the encounter that followed. The police had also claimed that two terrorists fled the spot. However, the area residents had raised several questions on the handling of the encounter, even doubting the police claim that Sharma was killed by a terrorist bullet.
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Army chief on unscheduled tour
of forward areas
New Delhi, January 21 His trip to the frontline comes a day after Defence Minister AK Antony dismissed reports doubting the Army's readiness for an offensive in the wake of the Mumbai terror strikes. Army headquarters sources told here that Gen Kapoor, who was in the Pokhran test range in Rajasthan yesterday to witness the BrahMos missile test, took the opportunity to go on an unscheduled visit to the forward areas in Bikaner and Bhatinda regions of the two border states. He would be reviewing the "operational preparedness" of the Army's formations in the region, particularly the Pivot Corps that is located close to the borders to deal with any enemy aggression. There were media reports that the Army chief had, at a meeting of the Services chiefs with top Cabinet ministers, opposed any suggestion of going on an offensive against terror infrastructure responsible for the Mumbai carnage. The Navy and the Air Force chiefs, the reports had said, were in favour of a strike and had professed their readiness. The Army chief had pointed out to some gaping holes in the troops' preparedness and rejected the idea of a strike, the reports added.
— PTI
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Pak delegation on 4-day visit
New Delhi, January 21 The peace mission has been jointly sponsored by the South Asian for Human Rights (SAHR) and the South Asian Free Media Association (SAFMA). The 24-member delegation will interact with civil society, media and political leadership of India. Its members include: political activist Ramesh Lal, Chair of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) Asma Jahangir, Daily Times Editor Najam Sethi, Friday Times Editor Jugnu Mohsin, SAFMA Executive Director Imtiaz Alam, co-Chair of HRCP Iqbal Haider, Awami National Party’s Haji Muhammad Adeel, journalists I. A. Rehman, Mustansar Javed and Ghazi Salahuddin and peace activists Brig Rao Abid (retd) and Salima Hashmi. In a statement, the peace mission condemned unequivocally and unreservedly the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks and shared the grief of the families of the victims. It also criticised Pakistan for remaining in the denial mode for quite sometime before acknowledging that the surviving Mumbai raider, Ajmal Amir Kasab, was a Pakistani. The peace mission said it was important for India and Pakistan to accept a South Asian cooperative methodology of resolving inter-state disputes. “The wisdom may not appear realistic at the moment. We must insist on evolving a SAARC mechanism for looking after our common problems,” it added.
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First chopper base for Navy
Mumbai, January 21 Apart from ferrying the naval commandos to the Taj and Oberoi hotels, the choppers here were also used to locate the fishing trawler Kuber which was hijacked by the terrorists. Capt Philipose G Pynamootil will be the first commanding officer of the heli-base. The INS Shikra will be formally declared open at a ceremony by naval chief Admiral Sureesh Mehta. INS Shikra was initially an air station which was set up in 1964. It was used to maintain the helicopter fleet of the Navy. Now, the copter base will be able to provide security services to important defence and civilian installations on the Western Coast.
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Defamation case against Rahman, Anil Kapoor
Patna, January 21 In a complaint filed before a local court here, Tapeshwar Vishwakarma, general secretary of Slumdwellers Joint Action Committee, has alleged that the film depicted slumdwellers in bad taste as it used the derogatory and objectionable title “Slumdog Millionaire”, thus calling Indians “dogs” and slumdwellers “slumdogs”, which is defamatory. While posting the case for hearing on February 5, Chief Judicial Magistrate Raghvendra Kumar Singh directed Vishwakarma to produce evidence in support of his complaint. In Hindi, “Slumdog Millionaire” means the millionaire dog of slumdwellers, Vishwakarma alleged, adding that such a name was a violation of human rights and honour. Vishwakarma said he has already approached the national and state human rights commissions for necessary action against Rahman and Kapoor, who portrays the role of a game show host in the film. — PTI
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Mumbai, January 21 Gadkari had alleged that the contract was allotted to India Bulls company overnight because Deshmukh’s son and Ahmed Patel, political secretary to Sonia Gandhi, allegedly had stakes in the company. Deshmukh today filed an application in the Metropolitan Magistrate court at Bhoiwada in south central Mumbai under section 500 of IPC. Talking to mediapersons here after filing the application, Deshmukh termed Gadkari’s allegation as “baseless” saying such a project did not exist. — UNI
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Sena men vandalise hotel
Mumbai, January 21 Today, Mahadik and the Sena’s Rajya Sabha member Sanjay Raut, along with MLA Anil Parab, marched to the hotel, which is located outside the Sahar International Airport terminal, to hold protests. About 300 workers barged into the building and damaged property before the police dispersed them. |
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