 |
|
|
Third Front heading to power: CPI
‘Split-specialist’ Lalu now faces crisis in own party
|
|
|
Several political heirs R’sthan Cong probables Left promises quota for Dalit Muslims Alliance with JMM on: Congress
Remarks on PM
Why Cong doesn’t want to lean on allies anymore
Cong claims majority in Meghalaya
Cong fields Maneka aide from Pilibhit
Third Front can decide on PM after polls: Karat
Code Violation
Goa bans Sri Ram Sene
A first: Woman cadets pass out from OTA
3-fold increase in maternity leave for officers
Nehru’s niece flays Varun’s comments
|
|
Third Front heading to power: CPI
New Delhi, March 21 Taking a dig at the External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee, who had earlier questioned the existence of the Third Front, CPI general secretary A.B. Bardhan today turned the tables on the Congress and questioned the UPA’s existence after the alliance broke down in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. He said those who thought they could kill the Third Front by a conspiracy of silence have had to speak up, finally. “They (the Congress and BJP) are conscious of the third alternative and very nervous,” the CPI leader said, admonishing the Congress to worry not about the Third Front, but itself in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and West Bengal, where its allies have left it just four, 12 and three seats, respectively. The CPI claimed that a non-Congress, non-BJP alternative is appearing more viable with every passing day, with Bardhan ruling out supporting the Congress in government formation. He, however, claimed that the reverse could be true. Asked if the Third Front would accept Congress’ support to form a government, Bardhan followed in Big Brother CPI (M)’s steps, saying, “Untouchability is a crime in India. But policy is an issue. They (the Congress) can support us if they like our policies. But that question will arise only after elections.” On too many prime ministerial hopefuls in the third alternative, the CPI veteran said it only showed how “capable the front was”. He, however, stuck to his line that BSP chief Mayawati had a bigger claim on the post than even L.K. Advani or Manmohan Singh. The Third Front, meanwhile, received letters of support from two Jammu and Kashmir parties - the Jammu and Kashmir Panther’s Party and Awami National Conference. Lok Bhalai Party chief B.S. Ramoowalia has also expressed keenness to join the Front. For its part, the CPI will contest 53 seats including some in the traditional Hindi belt of Uttar Pradesh (9), Bihar (8), Jharkhand (4), Madhya Pradesh (3) and Chhattisgarh. The party, along with other Left Front partners, will, on March 24 issue a joint appeal on some major issues. No joint statement by Third Front is expected, with Bardhan saying, “All coalitions - whether NDA or UPA - frame programmes only after elections. We will also do the same.” As for the CPI manifesto, it reads more like a four-year report card, with the party claiming credit for NREGA, Prevention of Domestic Violence Act and Traditional Forest Dwellers Act. On the economic front, the CPI, like CPIM, lists its moves to prevent the dilution of government equity in banks, privatization of insurance sector and transfer of pension and PF funds into speculative markets. On the whole, the manifesto calls for a non-Congress, non BJP alternative to defend the country’s secular fabric, pursue an independent foreign policy and a pro-poor economic course that ends neo-liberalism.
|
|
‘Split-specialist’ Lalu now faces crisis in own party
Patna, March 21 In fact, no political party in Bihar was left intact by Lalu Prasad Yadav during his heydays. Be it the BJP, Congress, Bahujan Samaj Party, Samajwadi Party or the Left parties like the CPI and CPM or even the ultra left party like the CPI(ML) (then Indian People’s Front), he broke all of them to ensure survival of his and his wife’s government. Lalu just relished breaking other political parties. Now it is his turn to face the music. His party -- Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) -- appears to have become a favourite poaching ground for other political outfits. Many of his senior party leaders have already climbed on to the bandwagon of Congress, JD(U) or the BJP and many more are waiting for their chance to desert the Lalu-led RJD. The rebellion of his brother-in-law Sadhu Yadav would have certainly hurt Lalu hard but his (Sadhu’s) joining the Congress and being declared a party candidate from the constituency he desired was like rubbing salt on his wound. Sadhu was followed by another strong Yadav leader and MP from Banka -- Girdhari Yadav. A very senior Dalit leader of RJD, Ramai Ram, who is four times MLA and ex-minister, also left the party to get the Congress symbol for the Lok Sabha polls. Many other ex-ministers of RJD are waiting in line to be declared Congress nominee from the constituency of their choice. Three senior RJD leaders from the Extremely Backward Caste (EBC) have also left the RJD and joined the JD(U). They are Mangani Lal Mandal, Jay Narayan Nishad and Ravindra Kumar Tanti. Another Kushwaha leader and RJD MLA Mahabali Singh jumped on to the JD(U) bandwagon only a couple of days ago. It is not only the Congress and the JD(U) that are attracting Lalu’s leaders. The latest to desert the RJD is Rama Devi, a former minister and a Vaishya leader, who has joined the BJP and would be contesting from Sheohar Lok Sabha seat.
|
|
Several political heirs R’sthan Cong probables Family transition l DIVYA
MADERNA, granddaughter of Jat heavyweight Paras Ram; likely from Pali seat Jaipur, March 21 For these Congress leaders, AICC general secretary Rahul Gandhi's statement advocating greater share in ticket allocation for youth leaders has come as music to the ears, as they are eager to pass the baton to kin. Leading the Congress' youth brigade is Sachin Pilot, son of former party leader Rajesh Pilot. He would, in all probability, be testing waters from Ajmer Lok Sabha seat, which has a sizable Gujjar as well as Muslim population. Apart from Pilot, two other names that are doing the rounds in the party circles are that of Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot's son Vaibhav and cabinet minister Mahipal Maderna's daughter Divya. Political circles are also abuzz with the name of Vaibhav Gehlot from Tonk-Sawai Madhopur Lok Sabha seat where a section of party leaders have supported his candidature, though there is no official word from the party. Similarly, the name of Madhya Pradesh Governor Balram Jakhar's grandson Ajay Jakhar has come up for the Jat-dominated constituency of Sikar. Among other political heirs who are eying Lok Sabha ticket include Jat leader Ram Niwas Mirdha's grandson Raghvendra from Nagaur constituency, senior Congress leader Buta Singh's son Lovely Singh from Ganganagar, Cabinet minister Master Bhanwar Lal Meghwal's daughter Banarasi Meghwal from Bikaner, former Union minister Abrar Ahmed's son Danish from Tonk-Sawai Madhopur, and former minister Bhag Raj Chaudhary's son Jagdish Chaudhary from Sirohi Lok Sabha seat.
|
||
|
Left promises quota for Dalit Muslims New Delhi, March 21 In their manifestos released this week, both major Left Front partners — the CPM and the CPI — have promised to do away with the religious interpretation of reservation policy in India and extend the quota benefit to Dalit Muslims and Christians, besides implementing reservations in the private sector. Private sector reservation was, in fact, one of the commitments the UPA had made in its common minimum programme five years ago. No delivery was made on the front. After withdrawing support to the UPA, the Left now wants to make amends, with the CPI today even demanding scrapping of the controversial the SCs and the STs (Reservation in Posts and Services) Bill, 2008, which exempts 47 institutes of national importance from adhering to the quota norm in the faculty recruitment. The CPI went a step further by demanding the revision of OBC list to include Muslims. But the most sensitive issue the Left has raked up is the reservation for Dalit Muslims and Christians. Interestingly, the NCM had, way back in April last, had presented proof to the government of why such quota was essential. A study commissioned by the NCM showed that these two communities endured worst forms of discriminatory and exclusionary practices even though their religions prohibited such prejudices.
|
||
|
Alliance with JMM on: Congress New Delhi, March 21 “Let JMM chief Shibu Soren say whether he has heard or knew what his son (Durga) is saying. Soren, sitting right next to me, had said (to the press) that he is my son and keeps saying a lot of things but I am the president. Why care for him?” Congress Working Committee (CWC) member in charge of Jharkhand Keshav Rao told a news channel. Rao said the JMM wanted to field its candidate in Koderma and also wanted to exchange a seat with the Congress. He expressed confidence that these problems would be sorted out when he meets Shibu Soren soon.
— PTI
|
||
|
Why Cong doesn’t want to lean on allies anymore
New Delhi, March 21 Congress strategists described its ongoing battle with allies like the Rashtriya Janata Dal, Lok Janshakti Party and the Samajwadi Party as a desperate bid by all concerned to protect and expand their political turf. Congress president Sonia Gandhi and AICC general secretary Rahul Gandhi are learnt to be convinced that the party will continue to stagnate if it does not shed its dependence on allies. “We are more concerned about the Congress than the UPA,” explained a member of the Congress think tank. The brief is to maximise the party’s gain so that smaller parties are forced to gravitate towards it. Congress strategists cited four major factors that are driving the Congress to bargain hard with its allies. These are: lThe Congress has emerged stronger as compared to 2004 when the BJP had a popular leader like Atal Behari Vajpayee. BJP’s present PM-in-waiting LK Advani does not have the same popularity ratings. lPrime Minister Manmohan Singh, who was a virtual non-entity in the last general election, has emerged as a leader in his own right. lThe BJP’s hate campaign against Sonia Gandhi, describing her as a power-hungry foreigner, has been diluted after she opted out of the race for the Prime Minister’s post. lThe UPA’s pro-poor and social sector programmes like the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme have had tremendous impact. |
|
Cong claims majority in Meghalaya
New Delhi, March 21 “The suspension of MLAs by Speaker B M Lanong was unconstitutional and illegal. He misused his authority. Besides, he has no moral right to give his casting vote as a no-confidence motion against him (Speaker) was supposed to come up for discussion on March 27,” Congress leader and former Chief Minister D D Lapang told reporters here. On the day of trust vote on March 17, Lanong had suspended five MLAs, who withdrew support to the NCP-led MPA government, under the Anti-Defection Law ignoring the Governor’s directive that he maintain status quo on the voting rights of members and cast his vote when there was a 27:27 tie in the 60-member House during division. Lapang claimed the group of MLAs headed by Congress was in “majority” in the 60-member assembly as its number stands at 29 now. He, however, said they were not going to stake claim for formation of the next government in the state immediately as suspension of two MLAs are sub-judice and Congress wanted stability to come first. — PTI
|
|
|
Cong fields Maneka aide from Pilibhit
New Delhi, March 21 The second list for Uttar Pradesh was announced late on Saturday and includes 15 names. VM Singh is a strong farmer leader in the region and someone who has also been taking up the cause of Sikhs at various forums. He fell out with Maneka in 2004 and joined the Congress after which he contested against her and managed to get more than a lakh votes, thereby narrowing her margin of victory considerably. Political observers say that Varun, who inherited the constituency from his mother, got nervous after the delimitation exercise took away a sizeable chunk of Hindu voters. His recent tirade against Muslims is the fallout of those fears. Singh can only be expected to add to Varun’s worries as he will be cutting into Sikh votes in the constituency. Maneka, except in 1991 when she lost by a small margin, has been winning from Pilibhit with good margins. In 2004, when Singh contested against her, her share of votes came down considerably due to the division in Sikh votes. The second list for Utter Pradesh includes former Union agriculture minister Sompal Shastri, who on Wednesday left the BJP to announce his loyalty to the Congress. He will be contesting from Baghpat. Shastri’s came into limelight when he had defeated Rashtriya Lok Dal leader Ajit Singh in Baghpat.
|
|
Third Front can decide on PM after polls: Karat
New Delhi, March 21 With several possible prime ministerial contenders emerging in the fledgling alliance of the Left and regional parties, the CPM also said no party was barred from making their own “legitimate efforts” to project their leader as Prime Minister. It, however, said no party could “dictate” to others as to who should be
the Prime Minister. “Ours is not a presidential system, a referendum or who should be the leader. The Prime Minister is one among the equals and in a coalition, particularly when we have a coalition government, I think it depends on the views of the parties,” CPM chief Prakash Karat told NDTV when asked whether the Third Front was shying away from projecting a leader for the Lok Sabha elections.
— PTI
|
|
Code Violation
Lucknow, March 21 A complaint in this regard was filed by the Sub-divisional Magistrate. In his complaint, the SDM said on March 7, a religious function was organised at Majahuwa village in Santkabir Nagar district, which was attended by the three leaders. During the function, the BSP MP donated Rs 11,000, former SP MP Yadav donated Rs 5,000 and the MLA gave Rs 2,000, he said. Meanwhile, an FIR was also lodged against BJP MLC Nepal Singh in Farukhabad district for violation of the code of conduct. The FIR was lodged by Assistant Returning Officer Vijay Kumar. — PTI
|
|
Goa bans Sri Ram Sene
Panaji, March 21 The controversial outfit had stirred a hornet’s nest in the state after its chief Pramod Muthalik warned to stop the pub culture in Goa. The outfit had earlier in January stormed pubs in Mangalore. Muthalik, in an interview to the media, had termed Goa as the root cause of pub culture in the country. Naik said everyone in the state was unanimous with the view that such outfits should not be encouraged. The Home Minister, who dared Muthalik to enter the state, had received support for his stand from various quarters, including the
|
|
A first: Woman cadets pass out from OTA
Chennai, March 21 The parade was commanded by academy under officer Prashant Pillai, who also was awarded the prestigious sword of honour apart from silver medal for standing second in order of merit. Battalion under officer Shikha Bhaduria received the gold medal for standing first in order of merit along with several other medals. Others who received the awards were Cadet Manu Balraj Singh, who got the best overall firer of the academy and was presented the 5 GR silver medal, Cadet Meera got an award for being the first in academics. The Chief of the Army staff Gen Deepak Kapoor was also present on the occasion along with other senior defence officers. Cadets from Afghanistan, Seychelles and Jamaica also passed out from the academy. Cadets from other countries said the training in India was very systematic. Patil while addressing the parade said, “It is a matter of pride that the women, who have joined the force, have completed successfully the full training in the first short service course for women. Terrorism posses a grave threat to global peace, stability and progress. India has been a victim of terrorist attacks. This menace has to be dealt with determinedly and eradicated. I wish you all success in your career. I remind you of your duty, karma and dharma in one line, ‘For the Honour of India Serve with Honour’”.
|
|
3-fold increase in maternity leave for officers
Chandigarh, March 21 A letter issued by the Ministry of Defence (MoD) to the three service headquarters on March 16 states that the orders will be effective with retrospective effect from September 1, 2008. The Sixth Central Pay Commission had recommended that the maternity leave for women service officers be increased and brought to par with their civilian counterparts. The MoD had passed a resolution in this regard on August 30, 2008, and the financial concurrence for this was finally accorded on March 13. According to the MoD letter, women officers, who are still on maternity leave, would be entitled to extension of leave up to 180 days and would be permitted to avail the balance period. In cases where women have joined duty on September 1, 2008, or thereafter after having availed 60 days leave, they would be permitted to avail the balance period of maternity leave on full pay even now. |
|
Nehru’s niece flays Varun’s comments
New Delhi, March 21 Speaking to the ‘Outlook’ magazine, Sehgal said Varun was only “remotely connected” with the Nehru-Gandhi family. “I say remotely connected with deliberation, because, while Varun is no doubt a fourth generation descendant of the family, let us not forget that both he and his mother Maneka made an open break with the family,” she said. Sehgal even objected to the media referring to Varun’s Nehru connection, saying: “Varun is a member of the BJP, what else do you expect any member of the BJP “After all the BJP is the party that has divided the nation on the basis of religion...it is the party which has destroyed the Babri Masjid and whose role model is Narendra Modi,” she added. — PTI
|
Principal arrested Mumbai rape case Kasab’s tryst with Gandhi Colleges sealed Source: TNS & Agencies
|
| HOME PAGE | |
Punjab | Haryana | Jammu & Kashmir |
Himachal Pradesh | Regional Briefs |
Nation | Opinions | | Business | Sports | World | Letters | Chandigarh | Ludhiana | Delhi | | Calendar | Weather | Archive | Subscribe | Suggestion | E-mail | |
New Delhi, March 21
Chennai, March 21
