Ashok Gehlot wins race for CM

JAIPUR: Fifty-eight-year-old Ashok Gehlot will be the new chief minister of Rajasthan. He will be sworn in as the 23rd chief minister of the
state on Saturday. The selection triggered a series of celebrations across the state as supporters of Gehlot took to streets from Jaipur to Jodhpur, dancing and distributing sweets. The new chief minister has been elected to assembly from Sardarpura constituency in Jodhpur district.

The Congress Legislature Party on Thursday unanimously elected Gehlot as their leader in the presence of central observers. The decision was immediately endorsed by party chief Sonia Gandhi, who had advised the observers to go with the popular mood of the legislators. Despite a stubborn stand by Jat leaders against Gehlot, his election was smooth as majority of the members were in his favour. The Jat leaders, however, remained unmoved till the end as they too had long discussions with the observers.

Later, AICC general secretary Digvijay Singh, along with other leaders, met governor S K Singh, informing him of the unanimous choice of Gehlot.

This will be Gehlot's second stint as CM. Earlier, he occupied the chair from 1998 to 2003. AICC leaders Digvijay Singh, Mukul Wasnik, Madhusudhan Mistri, Choudhry Virendra Singh and PCC president CP Joshi were part of the entire exercise. The central observers met the legislators after day-long parleys with Jat leaders including Sis Ram Ola, Parasram Maderna, Col Sonaram and a few others, besides Girija Vyas.

"Congress did not get a clear majority and with a strength of 96 and the support of Independents, the next five years would be full of challenges. But I promise to fulfil the aspirations of the people," said Gehlot, after his election was made public. In fact, he was immediately on the job; he went to SMS Hospital to visit a few hooch victims from Shahpura, battling for life.

Earlier, the CLP passed a resolution entrusting the job of choosing the leader to party president Sonia Gandhi and the resolution said the members of the CLP would fully honour her decision.

Digvijay Singh later said the election of Gehlot was through democratic process as the opinion of each and every MLA was taken. "Once MLAs expressed faith in Gehlot, their views were conveyed to Sonia Gandhi as per Congress tradition and she also immediately gave her nod," said Singh, during a media interaction. "It was smooth as there have been instances where the leader was elected after longer hours of deliberation in the CLP," he said. It was learnt that members were asked to write their choice on a slip and barring 16, all expressed confidence in Gehlot.

Interestingly, Congress leaders shunned queries regarding formation of ministry, including the issue of inducting a Jat leader as deputy chief minister. Senior Jat leaders were insiting on nomination of chief minister from their community. "CLP takes a decision about its own leader and formation of the government including the selection of ministers is the discretion of the chief minister," Singh added.

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Maharashtra deputy CM resigns, CM could go next

NEW DELHI: After union home minister Shivraj Patil, Maharashtra deputy chief minister R R Patil quit on Monday in the wake of the Mumbai terror
attacks and now chief minister Vilasrao Deshmukh also appears to be on the way out. ( Watch )

"I offered to resign at the meeting of the Congress Working Committee on Saturday," said Maharashtra chief minister Vilasrao Deshmukh ( Watch )

"High Command will decide (on the resignation issue)," he said.

Earlier, highly placed Congress sources said Deshmukh has offered to resign and a decision on it will be taken in a day or two.

The offer comes after the CWC meet attended by Deshmukh on Saturday evening which saw leader after leader emphasising the need to ensure accountability from "higher to lower level".

Party leaders say since the union home minister has resigned at the higher level, the accountability now needs to be fixed at the lower level also and the Chief Minister has to take a call at the earliest.

His deputy R R Patil resigned three days after the terror strikes and his party chief Sharad Pawar has asked the chief minister to accept the resignation.

"We have taken our own decision. It is for them to take their decision," the NCP supremo said when asked whether the chief minister, who belongs to Congress, had also quit.

A Congress leader, who declined to be named, said if either the CM or the deputy CM goes, "the other will have to go because the issue is the same".

A beleaguered Deshmukh landed himself in a fresh controversy yesterday as he visited the terror-hit Taj Mahal hotel along with film producer Ram Gopal Varma and Deshmukh's actor son Reitesh.

The issue was raised at the all-party meeting convened by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh last night which was also attended by Sonia Gandhi with some parties criticising the CM for his "casual" attitude.

Deshmukh recently completed four years in office. The names of union ministers Prithviraj Chavan and Sushil Kumar Shinde are doing the rounds to replace the chief minister and sources say a decision on the successor's name was delaying Deshmukh's resignation.

The name of NCP leader Chagan Bhujbal is doing the rounds for the post of the Deputy CM.

A section of Congress leaders say that strong steps are needed to ensure that the party meant business when it comes to issues of the country's security.

The Maharashtra deputy chief minister, who was in the crosshairs in the wake of the Mumbai terror attacks, resigned earlier today.

"I have submitted my resignation letter to chief minister Vilasrao Deshmukh. I have gone by my conscience and decided to take this step," Patil said. ( Watch )

"I pondered over the issue the whole night yesterday. Finally, I have decided to quit as per my conscience," Patil said.

Patil's resignation follows the exit of the union home minister Shivraj Patil, who put in his papers to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh yesterday, after the Congress Working Committee spoke disapprovingly of the home minister, in light of the Mumbai carnage and other terror strikes in the country.

The Maharashtra deputy chief minister, who was also in charge of the state home ministry, was under severe criticism following the terror attacks with opposition Shiv Sena and BJP demanding his resignation alleging that he failed to handle the situation.

The Congress leadership is annoyed with R R Patil, particularly because of his insensitive remark on Saturday where he sought to play down the enormity of the jihadi atrocity against Mumbai, almost likening it to a routine law and order incident which is common in any big city.

On Saturday, Patil had described the Mumbai carnage as a "small incident" that "can happen in big cities."

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Modi to campaign for formation of Telangana region: BJP

NEW DELHI: BJP has said that Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi will be roped in to campaign for creation of Telangana region and galvanise
party
cadres there.

"The party is organising a massive rally of Narendra Modi in Telangana in December, the dates are yet to be finalised," party leader Venkaiah Naidu told reporters here.

The rally lead by our Prime Ministerial candidate L K Advani on November 13 was a massive success, people are now looking forward to BJP for the creation of the Telangana state, he added.

Sources in the party said Modi has been selected for the job for his pro-development image.

Advani had in a rally in Hyderabad last week announced that the saffron party, if voted to power, would initiate the process of Telangana formation within 100 days.

When asked if the party feels the probability of TRS joining back the Congress fold, which is seen as a probable threat to its prospects, he said, "we cannot help if the goat lays faith on the butcher".

Source : TOI

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Sena activist files PIL for CID probe in Malegaon case

MUMBAI: A Shiv Sena activist has filed a PIL in the Bombay High Court, seeking that investigation of the Malegaon blast case be handed over to
the state CID and action be taken against Anti-Terrorism Squad for "ill treating" Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur, one of the accused in the matter.

Petitioner Shilpa Deshmukh, who is the secretary of Shiv Sena's Bhartiya Vidyarthi Sena, said that she was filing the PIL on her own and not on behalf of the party.

However, the High Court is yet to hear the petition, which is based on media reports regarding probe of Malegaon blast case, and alleges ATS of showing biasness.

"ATS is soft-pedalling" probe against Muslim organisations such as SIMI, the PIL says and claims that the investigation into the matter is "doubtful".

Besides, the PIL also asks for a judicial inquiry into the allegations of the accused Sadhvi Pragya against the ATS, it said.

Action should be taken against Director General of Police A N Roy and ATS chief Karkare for their "barbaric and pre-judicial approach" towards Hindu organisations and Sadhvi Pragya, the PIL demands.

It has also demanded that ATS officers should not detail the investigation process to the media.

Source : TOI

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BJP rides 'Ashwamedha Rath' hoping to capture Delhi

NEW DELHI: With the hope of capturing power in the capital in the November 29 assembly polls, the BJP unveiled its 'Ashwamedha Rath' which would
cover all the constituencies.

"This is for the first time we are starting 'Ashwamedha Rath'. Like in religious scriptures, the purpose is to get victory in the elections," a senior BJP leader said.

The present-day chariot is equipped with modern communication systems, including video and audio facilities. The party would use the rath to highlight the "failures of Congress
government in Delhi in the last 10years”.

The chariot's first stop was Greater Kailash where party's chief ministerial nominee V K Malhotra is a candidate. A large cutout of Malhotra was displayed in front of it.

However, when it will visit other constituencies, the cut-out of the party's respective candidates will be on display.

There is a large screen placed on the chariot showing video films on price rise and terrorism. The party's campaign songs will also be played.

At an election rally, Malhotra alleged that the Sheila Dikshit-led Congress government has neglected farmers and rural areas in the capital.

Thousands of farmers are still waiting for compensation from the Delhi government which acquired their land and handed it over to DDA, he alleged.

He said the BJP if voted to power, would increase the compensation to Rs two lakh per acre. It would also be increased annually, Malhotra said.

Source : Times Of India

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Tribal who was stripped in LS poll fray

GUWAHATI: The tribal girl Lakshmi Oraon, a tea garden worker who was stripped by hoodlums here in November last year, has decided to fight the
next parliamentary polls from Tezpur in north Assam.

Lakshmi will contest on a Assam United Democratic Front (AUDF) ticket — a political party that was floated to take on the Congress before the 2006 assembly election in the state. With this, the AUDF would be sniffing at the opportunity of making inroads into some 20 lakh tea garden workers in the state — a sizeable chunk by an reckoning.

"I seek your (public) help in fighting the election. With your cooperation, I can fight this election," Lakshmi said at the public meeting. AUDF confirmed that Lakshmi will be fighting the Lok Sabha polls from Tezpur and said she was now a member of the party.

"Our party has decided to give a ticket to Lakshmi Oraon to fight the Lok Sabha polls from Tezpur. We are hopeful that our party can make and entry into the tea garden community," AUDF president, Badaruddin Ajmal said.


Source : Times Of India

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There's nothing called Hindu terror: Advani

RAIPUR: Senior BJP leader L K Advani has alleged that the majority community is being linked to terrorism to get votes of
minorities.

"In last one month, a new term 'Hindu terrorism' has come into existence. This was pure vote-bank and minority- appeasement politics. We never linked terrorism with any religion. But now, this is being done to get votes," he said.

There should not be any attempt to defame any community for votes, Advani said while addressing an election meeting here ahead of the second phase of polling in Chhattisgarh on Thursday.

Comparing the BJP-led NDA administration with the Congress-headed UPA government on terror front, the former deputy Prime Minister said terrorists were never spared and were killed during the NDA rule.

But now not a single terrorist has been caught or convicted. Afzal Guru, convicted in the 2001 Parliament attack case, has not yet been hanged, the ex-home minister said.

Advani alleged Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has 'devalued' the top post as head of the party (Congress) is now getting more importance than the head of the government. "This system exists in Communist regime. But it is not good in a democracy."

The BJP's prime ministerial candidate challenged the UPA government to show one major achievement during its over four years of rule. "I have seen elections since 1952. Every government used to have something to claim as its achievement but the UPA government has none", he added.

Source : Times Of India

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About Raj Thackrey and North Indian

Whole country seemed condemning Mr. Raj Thackrey for his mobilisation of Marathi people against "North Indians". Here is what I got from internet:

"Mr. Raj Thackrey has done a great service to the country. What Indian government could not do for 60 years, Mr. Raj Thackrey has done in months! That is Giving North Indians the tag they deserved always, that is "North Indian"! For the first time in India, people from North Indian states are being labeled ( also actively published in north Indian TV Channels/News papers) as "North Indians". Previously Indians from Southern states were South Indians, from North East are North East Indians, but Indians from North Indians ? Well they were "only" Indians! Now that has changed! Nobody is simple Indian anymore, you are either North Indian, south Indian or Odiya or any Other Indian as per your place of birth, your face, skin color! The great pride of North Indians being labeled as "Indians" has been destroyed forever and brought down them to be equal to South Indian or Other Indian from Other parts of India! Raj Thackrey has made all Indians equal now! Nobody is more Indian! Everybody is either South Indian, North Indian or Odiya or any other Indians! Previously Only North Indians were Indians, rest were either South Indians, Bengali etc.. Not any more! Raj Thackrey should be given BHARAT RATNA for bringing all Indians to same level now!
So, Mr. Raj Thackrey should be given "Bharat Ranta" for doing this extra oridinary service to the country in terms of national integration and equality among Indian citizens! But as usual in this country, do-gooders get jail term and Mr. Raj Thackrey also got he same! "

Quite thought provoking!

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JD(U) MPs resign to protest MNS attacks

NEW DELHI: Politicking over the attacks on examinees from Bihar appearing for a railway recruitment test in Mumbai and the shooting of a Patna
youth, Rahul Raj, took a new turn with JD(U) Lok Sabha MPs handing in their resignations and putting RJD, LJP as well as BJP in a fix.

The JD(U) MPs' move to hand in their papers was immediately attacked by RJD leader Lalu Prasad and LJP chief Ramvilas Paswan as "mere drama" while the BJP chose not to react to the development. The senior UPA ministers said the resignations were patently insincere and accused JD(U) leader and Bihar CM Nitish Kumar of breaking a cross-party consensus on the issue.

JD(U)'s move, aimed at catering to the growing anger in Bihar against MNS attacks on people from the state, also forced the BJP to review the situation at the meeting of the party's parliamentary board.

But it was Lalu who, incidentally was the first to threaten resignations, appeared most peeved with JD(U)'s populist ploy. The railway minister said that if the Bihar CM was really concerned about the travails of north Indians in Mumbai, he ought to quit his post along with JD(U) MLAs. He said Nitish had gone back on a pledge to work with all other parties from Bihar on the issue of harassment faced by people from the state in Mumbai at the hands of MNS led by Raj Thackeray.

Yet, the RJD boss appeared on the defensive as his MPs and MLAs have submitted their "resignations" to him rather than to presiding officers of the respective legislatures, as required. Having initiated the resignation move in response to JD(U)'s announcement that its MPs would quit, the railway minister is having to answer what he intends to do with the resignations submitted to him.

Paswan pointed out that no significance could be attached to the JD(U)'s move as the current LS had more or less run its course. But he was cagey about whether he and his MPs would follow suit. "I don't believe in this kind of politics. Is Nitish not responsible for conditions that force people to leave Bihar looking for jobs?" he said.

As things stand, resignations of LS MPs, are a low cost option for the CM but is likely to cause disproportionate discomfort to the UPA. Lalu is already out of power in Bihar and quitting LS means sacrificing his Cabinet berth and losing his clout at the Centre. This would also lead to the government losing its majority as RJD has 24 MPs.

Paswan is as annoyed with Lalu as with JD(U) as he feels the RJD leader has needlessly upped the ante for everyone. The dilemma for Paswan is that after having demanded Raj's arrest under NSA, he is now being asked whether his commitment to the Bihari cause will see him offer the resignation of LJP MPs.

Source : Times Of India

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BJP releases list of 95 candidates for Rajasthan polls

NEW DELHI: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) late on Sunday evening released a list of 95 candidates for the Rajasthan assembly polls.


The polls for the 200-seat state assembly are scheduled December 4.

The list includes chief minister Vasundhara Raje, who will contest from Jhalrapatan, the constituency from which she won in the last elections.

In its first list of candidates for the Rajasthan polls, the BJP has dropped the names of 12 sitting legislators and repeated 24 members. The rest of the candidates are new faces.

The candidates include 15 women, 10 candidates from Scheduled Tribes and 19 from the Scheduled Castes.

The next list will be announced on November 13.

Source : Times Of India

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Is Chiranjeevi eyeing CM chair?

A recent video footage in which actor-turned-politician Chiranjeevi interacts with youngsters has hinted that the neo-politician hopes for the Chief Minister's post.

"People say I joined politics with some vested interest. I may say no, but everybody has some hope inside. However, I am unable to gauge what that hope is," Chiranjeevi seen saying in the latest 9-minute-20-second video footage of suspected "sting operation".

At that point, the video showed his audience pitching in with the suggestion that becoming the Chief Minister was his "hope."

However, in the public domain
, Chiranjeevi had so far been beating around the bush over his political ambitions.

"I am into politics not for the sake of securing power or position but only to serve the people. I am their servant," Chiranjeevi had been proclaiming ever since he declared his intention to quit the tinsel town and jump onto the political bandwagon.

Within the four walls and amidst his close associates, Chiranjeevi, however, appeared to be clearly stating that he has indeed marked the Chief Minister's position as his target.

"Don't simply brush this thing aside, when people say Chiranjeevi wants to become the CM. Just cut the topic," the megastar said.

Of course, but he went on to say that the well-being of the society at large could be his "hope".

Sitting in the conference room at his Praja Rajyam Party office in Hyderabad with bureaucrat-turned-politician T Chandrasekhar, Chiranjeevi was in a jolly mood all through as he apparently spoke his heart out to a group of people.

Who his audience were, however, was not clear. One version was that they could be Information
Technology professionals (going by what one of them spoke about the forum called Do IT), while another was that they were a group of coordinators appointed by the Praja Rajyam to ensure co-ordination between Chiranjeevi fans and the party workers in each district.

All through the meeting, Chiranjeevi referred to them just as "youngsters" and dropped no hint about their antecedents.

"I have no belief in the senior politicians who joined my party." He was categorical in asking the "youngsters" to keep a tab on the senior politicians in every district and report back to the party headquarters if anything went wrong in any district.

"In a way you have to be the spies or rather agents," the Praja Rajyam Chief told them.

He, however, cautioned the youngsters to ensure that nobody smelt anything suspicious about their (spying) acts. Chiranjeevi assured the youth joining the Praja Rajyam party that he was not the kind to "use, exploit and dump" them and their "sacrifices" would not go waste.

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Will Cong take LS poll call before assembly results?

NEW DELHI: Amid indications that the Centre was mulling Lok Sabha polls in February, the moot question is whether Congress would announce its
intentions before the assembly results on December 8 if it indeed decides in favour of advancing the grand battle.

For UPA to hit the hustings in February, it is learnt that the Centre would have to announce it in the first half of December. While Parliament is to meet again, December 8 is when the results of polls in MP, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, Delhi and Mizoram would be declared.

It is being speculated if Congress, deciding on early polls, would wait for its fate in the bulk of BJP-held states to make public its intentions. The Centre, which involves the Congress leadership as well as allies, is veering around the view that February could be a better time to visit the voters.

The ruling combine is averse to facing the budget session and would prefer a vote-on-account early. Also, the economic downturn has led to fears that it could turn worse in coming months and the uncertainty is too strong to gamble on. While it is only the markets and the slowdown which are visible at the moment, the worst fears revolve around possible job cuts and lay-offs, developments which can impact the voter mood.

Besides, there are a host of imponderables like terrorism and inflation on account of which Centre would not want to lose a relatively better moment for the elections. February is seen as the time when the economic crisis would not be much worse than it is now while the new fiscal could be different.

A halt in terror incidents, as is being seen for a month now, would dampen BJP's bid to make it a big-ticket issue while a stabilizing priceline is adding to Centre's confidence. But the timing of announcement of early polls gains importance, with its coming either side of December 8 set to be interpreted differently. If Congress waits for assembly results and then pitches for an early LS test, after a failure to wrest the BJP-ruled states, it is set to be seen as a sign of panic.

A decision before the assembly results would, however, demonstrably delink the Lok Sabha from the outcome of states. If Congress manages to upset the BJP in a few crucial states after having anyway called for Lok Sabha elections early, it would be seen as approaching the polls as a victor.

Insiders reveal while assembly results would impact the mood of the party — and the Congress has a lot riding on these polls as it is expected to reverse the string of defeats with anti-incumbency against BJP here — the decision on Lok Sabha would still be an independent one because of a different set of reasonings. It is about crisis, and aversion to budget session in the uncertainty of alliance politics.

For the planners, February is suitable because while it does advance the polls by a couple of months, it would also pre-empt the concern over availability of schools and teachers — two crucial tools in the conduct of the mega exercise.


Source : Times Of India

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EC transfers officials ahead of Chhattisgarh election

RAIPUR: The Election Commission has ordered the transfer of three officials, including two collectors, ahead of the Assembly elections in
Chhattisgarh.

The election commission ordered the transfer of Divisional Commissioner(DC) of Bastar district, Ganesh Shankar Mishra, Collectors, Sonmani Bora(Raipur) and R Pisda (Kanker), official sources said here.

The secretary of state health department, RS Vishwakarma will take over as the DC whereas the secretary agricultural department, Vikas Sheel and Woman and Child welfare department coordinator, Shahla Nigar will replace the collectors.

Mishra would serve as the secretary of the health department, Pisda as the Woman and Child welfare department coordinator and Bora as the joint secretary in the ministry.

As there were a lot of complaints against the officials, they were transferred, sources said.

Members of various political parties had met the Chief Election commissioner(CEC), N Gopalaswamy and alleged that some officials in the state election commission were working as agents for the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP). They also gave him a CD on the same.

The CEC also expressed concern on the delay in executing election-related activities in the district, in a meeting held with authorities.

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‘Gandhigiri’ by Chhatra JD(U)

While Raj Thackeray and his Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) workers, in attacking Bihari students and examinees in Mumbai, have shown little
respect for the rule of law and court, a group of Chhatra JD(U) workers resorted to symbolic act of Gandhigiri to bring sanity and order.

Since names matter in all symbolic acts, they, led by their state president Arvind Kumar Nishad, entered the premises of Maharashtra Bank in Patna on Exhibition Road, and for tokenism, recalled the non-violent path pursued by Mahatma Gandhi.

But soon politics got better of him, as Nishad said that it was because of RJD supremo and railway minister Lalu Prasad that Bihari students had been suffering violence at the hands of the inspired followers of Raj Thackeray, or those of his ilk! As if it was not enough, he demanded immediate resignation of Lalu from the Union cabinet!

Farcical drama went on. For, Chhatra JD(U) general secretary Ritesh Kumar and Shashi Ranjan got reminded of Gandhigiri, again! Their purpose: to send a message to the people of Maharashtra that people of all states and Union Territories constitute one entity -- sons and daughters of India. Besides, they felt that it was due to "personal selfish interest" that "some people" take to sloganeering regarding regionalism, language and parochialism for their "kshudra rajniti (narrow politics)."

If not Raj Thakceray and his MNS workers, then the Chhatra JD(U) president Nishad was certainly listening to them, because he was in hearing distance from them on the premises of Maharashtra Bank!

Meanwhile, since realism was on the mind of the Yuva JD(U) president and party MLA Sunil Kumar, he appealed to the Bihari students, already in rage against the violence suffered in Mumbai, not to indulge in arson and stone pelting, and instead, cooperate with the Bihar government for the maintenance of peace and harmony.

However, it was not clear if the present round of violence suffered by the Bihari students in Mumbai, or elsewhere in the country would be the last one, or would not be repeated.

Source : Times Of India

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Cong chief, Modi fight over MNS issue

PATNA: The state Congress chief Anil Kumar Sharma has crossed swords with Bihar deputy CM Sushil Kumar Modi for the latter’s claim with respect to
the attacks on Bihari and north Indian students in Mumbai that Congress was responsible for it.

On the other hand, CPI, expressing concern over the happenings in Mumbai and its fallout in Bihar reflected in the arson caused and committed by students returning from Mumbai, said that Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray had taken to fascist methods, which poses a serious danger to both democracy and the country’s unity.

CPI state council member Jabbar Alam said that Raj Thackeray and his organisation have been undermining Constitution and law of the land. It amounted to bulldozing his way to bring about a fascist rule by crushing public opinion, he added.

Sharma, criticising Modi, said that his claim was condemnable, and also asserted that BJP, in fact, was responsible for the entrenchment of Shiv Sena and its chief Bal Thackeray as well as Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) and its chief Raj Thackeray in the affairs of Maharashtra, even as they believed in and practised narrow politics based on caste, religion, regionalism and chauvinistic ambitions.

According to Sharma, BJP entered into an opportunistic alliance with Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray and also helped in paving the way for the rule of this party on Maharashtra. He called it “misdeeds and hunger for power” of the BJP.

Sharma even said that Shiv Sena and MNS volunteers, as well as “goondas and anarchical elements” indulged in attacks on Bihari and north Indian students, which was anti-national in spirit.

He said that BJP has been claiming to practise “nationalist politics,” but it was merely a “sham,” since what the Bihari students suffered in Mumbai
was a mere fallout of the misguided alliance and politics pursued by the BJP to grab and capture power.

According to state Congress working president Samir Kumar Singh, Sharma, in an appeal to the Centre, has demanded ban on SIMI, Indian Mujahideen, Vishwa Hindu Parishad, Bajrang Dal, Shiv Sena, MNS and all other organisations of their ilk.

Sharma has also demanded enactment of an Act by Parliament for closing opportunities to any political party or organisation that indulge in obscurantism and raise such narrow, chauvinistic issues based on caste, religion and regionalism to capture power.

He said that Shiv Sena has been practising such politics. Despite that, BJP entered into an alliance with it during the polls for the Mumbai Municipal Corporation and state assembly adding that Modi had made himself ridiculous in the state.

Source : Times Of India

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Chiru T-yatra set to begin from Sircilla

HYDERABAD: Though it is not known whether he would announce his stand on the separate state more clearly than what has already been said in Tirupa
ti in August, Prajarajyam president Chiranjeevi is expected to reveal his action plan to help the weavers in the state during his second visit to Sircilla town on October 30.

According to party sources, this is the reason for him to choose Sircilla as the starting point of his nine-day tour of Telangana. Chiranjeevi is scheduled to visit the weavers’ town on October 30 and address a public meeting there.
Chiranjeevi’s Telangana tour is expected to spring surprises, said party spokesperson Parakala Prabhakar.

“The leader will announce several things during the T tour. Number of important personalities will join the party,” he said while announcing the road map of the tour. Commencing from October 30 from Sircilla, the tour will end on November 6 in Bhadrachalam.

Source : Times Of India

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Nobody is above the law: Maharashtra CM

MUMBAI: Rejecting that charge that Maharashtra government acted under pressure to arrest MNS chief Raj Thackeray, chief minister Vilasrao Deshmukh
today said nobody was above the law and warned that anyone indulging in violence will be dealt with sternly.

"There has been no pressure on the government to arrest Raj Thackeray. No one is above the law. Do you want the government to be a spectator?" he asked.

Noting that many MNS activists have been arrested from across Maharashtra, Deshmukh said, "Once we decide to take action, some precautionary steps have to be taken by the police and they have been taken. There have been reports of minor incidents of violence. Those indulging in violence will be dealt with strictly".

Thackeray was arrested early today from Ratnagiri in connection with the attacks on north Indian candidates appearing for a railway recruitment examination on Sunday. The MNS has alleged that the Maharashtra government has acted at the behest of the Centre in arrested its leader.

"We have deployed SRP companies in various towns. So I don't think there is any problem," he said while asking Mumbaikars to go ahead with their routine life.

"It is no problem. There is no question of any fear," the chief minister said.

Source : Times Of India

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DMK's human chain protest on Tamils' plight today

CHENNAI: The ruling DMK wants its human chain agitation on Tuesday to highlight the plight of Tamil civilians in war-torn Sri Lanka to be a massiv
e event and is mobilising members of all its wings as well as various sections of society.

DMK president and chief minister M Karunanidhi has been issuing appeals to cadres through the party organ, 'Murasoli', for the last two days to participate in large numbers, and wrote again for the Tuesday edition.

In his missives, he has been highlighting the party's track record in taking up the cause of Tamils in Sri Lanka over the years.

On Monday, Karunanidhi sought to rebut criticism that the steps he had taken were mere gimmicks by underscoring the UPA regime's positive response to the all-party appeal to the Centre to intervene effectively in Sri Lanka to ensure cessation of hostilities there and commencement of fresh negotiations.

"While we have some detractors here, it is a big consolation for us that the regime in New Delhi is considering our demands sympathetically. The Prime Minister has spoken to the Sri Lankan president and the external affairs minister is due to visit Colombo shortly. A UN convoy carrying 750 tonnes of food could not be distributed in the north last week, but on the very day the Prime Minister spoke to the Sri Lankan leadership, the supplies were sent and distributed among 2,30,000 people," he said.

Source : Times Of India

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17 BJP MLAs rebel against Uttarakhand CM Khanduri

NEW DELHI: Just when it prepares for a crucial round of assembly polls, dissidence has once again wracked BJP in Uttarakhand with 17 party MLAs re
belling against chief minister Major General (retd) B C Khanduri.

Trivendra Singh Ravat, a minister in the Khanduri government, submitted the resignations to party chief Rajnath Singh here on Monday. Though the party chief, it is learnt, urged the MLAs not to precipitate matters ahead of the crucial assembly elections, the rebels were not ready to relent.

The tough posture underlines the challenge that the leadership has faced in the state since it prevailed over the MLAs to accept Khanduri in place of the the popular choice, former chief minister Bhagat Singh Koshiyari.

While Khanduri got the nod because of the impressive stint he had as the surface transport minister at the Centre under the NDA government, he has since failed to enhance his appeal among the MLAs who find him to be too bureaucratic in his approach.

Though Khanduri, thanks to goadings by the central leadership, tried to trim his style to suit the MLAs' tastes and restored the perks — ministerial ranks and other trappings of power such as red beacons — he had withdrawn after taking over, this has not helped matters.

Rather, it seems his new-found adaptability seems to have alerted them to the pragmatic streak in a chief minister who, to many, seemed to value his ability to brazen out controversies about his style of functioning.

Source : Times Of India

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Pranab Mukherjee likely to visit Sri Lanka

NEW DELHI: As Tamil parties continue to build pressure on the government over the Sri Lankan issue, external affairs minister Pranab Mukherjee is
likely to travel to the island nation to assess the situation and discuss the matter with the country's leadership.

Official sources here on Sunday said the visit is being considered in view of the prevailing situation in Sri Lanka.

Mukherjee is expected to meet President Mahinda Rajapaksa and foreign minister Rohitha Bogollagama.

However, no date has been fixed for the visit so far and it is being worked out, they said.

After a telephonic conversation between Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Rajapaksa on Saturday, Bogollagama extended a formal invitation to Mukherjee to visit Sri Lanka to assess the situation.

The government's key ally DMK has been demanding India's intervention to stop Sri Lankan military offensive in north Sri Lanka. To build pressure, its ministers in the Union Cabinet and MPs have tendered their resignations to the party chief.

Mukherjee's visit is intended to enable India to get first-hand account of the situation, particularly the condition of ethnic Tamils there.

During the telephonic talk with Rajapaksa, Singh said the Sri Lankan government should ensure that the rights and safety of Tamils are protected and that they don't get "enmeshed" in the conflict with LTTE.

The Sri Lankan president, on his part, assured Singh that his government is ensuring safety and security of the Tamils.

Singh has also asked Rajapaksa to look for a political settlement to the ethnic problem, insisting that there could be no military solution to it.

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Raj Thackeray a mental case, ban MNS: Lalu

NEW DELHI: Condemning the attack on railway board examination centres in suburban Mumbai by MNS activists, railway minister Lalu Prasad on Sunday
demanded a ban on the outfit, saying its chief Raj Thackeray was a "mental case".

"I strongly condemn the incident. There should be an inquiry into the attack. There should be strong action against that party...MNS should be banned," the minister told reporters here.

His comments came as a response to the attack on 13 railway board examination centres in suburban Mumbai by MNS activists who protested "inadequate representation" to locals and chased away candidates from north India.

Prasad said the directions of the Supreme Court or any other courts did not have any impact on the MNS leader. "We can see such incidents when the elections are near," he said.

The minister said he had spoken to Maharashtra Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh who assured him of a proper inquiry into the incident.

Source : Times Of India

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Mayawati promises quota for upper caste poor

LUCKNOW: With the next Lok Sabha elections round the corner, Uttar Pradesh chief minister Mayawati on Sunday promised to provide reservation to th
e poor among the upper castes if her Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) came to power at the national level.

"The reservation on the basis of economic and other parameters will enable the upper caste community members to address their problems, especially those related to poverty and unemployment," she said.

"I have already written a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in this regard."

Addressing a convention of upper castes here, Mayawati held the Congress Party "most responsible for the sorry status" of these communities.

Post-Independence, the Congress has ruled the country and this state most of the time, but it never thought seriously of addressing the problems of upper castes, she said.

Accusing the Bharatiya Janata Party of misguiding the upper castes, Mayawati said: "The BJP projects itself as a custodian of upper caste rights. But during my three earlier stints (as chief minister) when BSP ruled with the support of BJP, the latter always pressurised us to drop the welfare schemes for the upper caste community members."

Mayawati called upon the upper castes to join hands with Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Classes "in order to get the key to the central and the state governments".

"With this master key, all communities will be able to get rid of their problems themselves by involving themselves in policy-making," she said.

Talking about the representation of various upper castes in the Lok Sabha and the assembly, Mayawati said: "The BSP ticket will be given only to those who can solicit full support of their community members."

This was why more Brahmin candidates than those from other upper castes were fielded in the last assembly elections, said Mayawati.

The chief minister also accused the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government of not taking adequate steps for the all-round development of the state.

"For undertaking welfare schemes for upper caste sections and other communities, I have written several letters to the central government, but it has not replied to any of the letters," she said.

"Had the central government released funds for the Rs.80,000 crore (Rs.800 billion) package we sought, the development scene of the state would have been altogether different."

The chief minister said the BSP was the sole political outfit that can work for an-all round development of all communities.

"BSP has no vested interests - unlike other political outfits, which have become a puppet in the hands of industrialists and multinational companies," Mayawati told the gathering.

Source : Times Of India

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Mamata joins Amar in fuelling Jamia doubts

NEW DELHI: The competition to tap into Muslim unease over the Batla House encounter intensified considerably on Friday when SP general secretary A
mar Singh, along with his new-found ally Mamata Banerjeej, stepped up his attack on the police, calling the two terror suspects killed in the shootout `martyrs'.

Singh, who claimed that one of the Delhi blasts suspects killed in the encounter was a `gold medalist', said a probe was needed to establish whether the decorated inspector, Mohan Chand Sharma, who died in the encounter, was killed by bullets fired by his own men.

Addressing a crowd of about 10,000 at Okhla bus stand in Jamia Nagar, close to Batla House, he asked: "Should we believe that someone who always wore a bullet-proof vest while going for an encounter chose to be without the protective gear on that particular day because he wished to commit suicide?'' Singh's party is having to ward off a determined bid by key political foe, Uttar Pradesh chief minister Mayawati, to poach Muslim vote in UP.

Singh's rhetoric was fully matched by Mamata Banerjee who said she was convinced that the police had staged a fake encounter and that the two terror suspects were targeted because of their faith. Setting a deadline of 72 hours for the government to order a judicial probe, the Trinamool leader made the boastful assertion that she was not known for quitting before accomplishing what she wanted to achieve. "Ratan Tata realised this in Singur,'' she said, claiming that she was committed to protect the interest of farmers and Muslims.

The crowd listened to angry speeches from SP MP Abu Azmi who disagreed with the demand for a judicial probe. "A judicial probe will not bring out the truth. Only an inquiry by a panel which has one-fourth of its members drawn from the minority community will do justice,'' he said.

Another speaker said that Y S Dadwal, police commissioner, and Karnail Singh, head of special cell, were criminals.

The aggressive postures will put the Congress under greater pressure as its rivals like BSP, as well as partners like SP, try to exploit the doubts among Muslims about the encounter to attack its `secular' credentials.

On Thursday, Amar Singh, along with SP boss Mulayam Singh Yadav, had met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, to ask for a judicial probe.

Source : Times Of India

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Gloomy picture for Cong in NE seats

NEW DELHI: The Congress may view "regularisation'' of unauthorised colonies as a potent poll weapon, but going by an internal survey this is not h
elping it overcome traditional incumbency factors like infighting and non-performance of sitting MLAs in the 10 assembly segments in the north-east parliamentary constituency.

The party's survey on these assembly seats about 500 of the 1,600 colonies to be regularised are in this area indicates that Congress has a fight on its hands and that the regularisation mantra may not be good enough to deliver the boost it seeks.

Ironically, the survey shows that the only seat where the party can hope for a win is Rohtas Nagar, represented by Sheila Dikshit's bete noire, Ram Babu Sharma. Here, incidentally, all four Congress candidates for the MCD pollslast year had bitten the dust. Congress won in all but one of the 10 segments during the last assembly elections.

The only other sitting Congress MLA who seems reasonably popular is S S Bittu who won from Timarpur but here too the party lost in all the MCD wards. The survey notes that Bittu has "fallen out with Jagdish Tytler. He (Tytler) seems to be ensuring he does not get the ticket and could work against him in the eventuality of Bittu contesting.''

In Burari where the constituents are predominantly Poorvanchali, SC and Tyagis, the sitting MLA, Jile Singh Chauhan, is described in the survey as "thoroughly unpopular'' with a mere 17% approval and recommends that the Congress should either get a local Tyagi to contest or take on board Vinod Nagar of the Lok Janshakti Party of Ram Vilas Paswan.

In Ghonda, the survey says, sitting MLA Bhisham Sharma of Congress has become "increasingly unpopular'' and there is a risk of the BSP that came second in 2003 making substantial inroads with the help of the Gujjars who form 19% of the constituency's population. The party had won in last year's MCD elections. The survey has given the names of Nathu Singh, a Gujjar, Ramkrishna Sharma, a Brahmin, and Mahendra Jain, ex-MLA from Baghpat, as possible choices for Congress candidature.

In Seelampur there is severe anti-incumbency against sitting MLA Chaudhry Mateen according to the survey and the name of three-time councillor Razia Sultana has been proposed.

According to the survey, the Congress would ensure "definite loss'' if it fields sitting MLA Vinay Sharma from this seat. Sharma has an "approval rating of 11% among Muslims and 19% among Brahmins. The BJP had won in 1993 and 1998 due to division of Muslim votes. Among the three candidates whose names have been proferred in the survey, two are Muslims Tariq Siddiqui and Abdul Aziz Malik. The third possible candidate according to the survey is Deepak Gothi.

In Seemapuri, Congress MLA Veer Singh Dhingan has "anti-incumbency'' working against him but has a fairly decent approval rating of 50% and "may yet win''. The other candidates who the survey says "could be considered'' are Mohini Jeenwal and Kiranvati Tank. In Gokalpur on the other hand the survey clearly says that Baljor Singh of erstwhile Nandnagri should be denied ticket in favour of a "young Valmiki.''

There is more to Congress's woes in the area than this survey. In Karawal Nagar interestingly, where the sitting MLA is Mohan Singh Bisht of the BJP, there is already disgruntlement in the offing with the seat having been promised to Jage Ram Bhati, former state president of BSP who recently returned to Congress. The seat has been split into two during delimitation.

Source : Times Of India

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BJP will 'review' liquor licensing policy

NEW DELHI: It may be election rhetoric but for those fond of their evening tipple, the BJP chief ministerial prospect's claim that the party would
review the Congress government's licensing policy for wine shops could come as a shock.

V K Malhotra, who was speaking out against the opening of a wine shop in a locality in Mount Kailash area, added that the present government's policy of issuing licences would need to be reviewed and corrective action taken once the BJP came to power. The statement came in the wake of the recent opening of a wine shop in the area, which Malhotra claimed posed a serious security threat to the residential locality.

It wasn't just Malhotra questioning the Congress' policies on Friday as fellow BJP leader Dr Harshvardhan also attacked the government for its inability to act on the Afzal Guru matter. Said Harshvardhan, "The government by failing to clear the file on recommendation of the mercy petition of Guru is encouraging terrorism. It is trying to play vote politics by postponing a decision on the issue.''

That the city BJP is planning to tow the national party line by using terrorism as a significant poll plank was also made apparent as the party questioned the Congress on its stand in the Batla House encounter issue. "Why are Congress leaders terming the encounter as fake? It has raised doubts on the martyrdom of M C Sharma, and people are questioning the entire episode, which is only giving shelter to terrorists,'' added Harshvardhan. With the Congress seeming to distance itself from the Jamia Nagar encounter, sources say the BJP feels that its the right time to play up the terrorism angle, even as it attacks the government on its lack of focus on the security issue in the city.

Source : Times Of India

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SAD to seek seats in Delhi, Rajasthan from BJP: Badal

PATIALA: NDA alley Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) will hold seat-sharing talks with BJP to get its share of seats in the assembly elections in New Delh
i and Rajasthan, Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal said on Friday.

"The SAD will seek its share of seats in Delhi and Rajasthan and will hold discussions with BJP," Badal told at Khanuri in Sangrur district.

Party President Sukhbir Singh Badal and Secretary General Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa will hold consultations with BJP high command in this regard, he added.

With regard to BJP's demand for four Lok Sabha seats in Punjab, he said "there was no such demand and if came to fore we will resolve it

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Congress denies rift in Goa coalition, Naik skips meeting

PANAJI: Goa's ruling Congress has denied any rift in the ranks, but tensions were evident with its home minister conspicuous by his absence at a m
eeting to resolve differences following a minister's son being charged with the rape of a German teenager.

On Thursday night, home minister Ravi Naik stayed away from a meeting of legislators also attended by All India Congress Committee (AICC) general secretary in-charge of Goa B Hariprasad who denied that the party's central leadership had sent him to the state to seal the rift in the cabinet.

"I was only called to discuss some problems faced by the legislators in their constituencies," Hariprasad told reporters.

But the divisions were apparent in the coalition led by the Congress and including the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), the United Goans Democratic Party (UGDP) and the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP).

Earlier Thursday, Public Works Department Minister Churchill Alemao had said categorically: "There is a split in the cabinet."

Education Minister Atanasio Monseratte, the lone UGDP legislator, whose son Rohit has been charged with raping a 14-year-old German girl, has claimed that he was being targeted by Naik. He also accused Naik, whose son Roy has been linked to the murder of British teenager Scarlett Keeling, of double standards.

The clash between the Congress minister and the UGDP minister has precipitated a crisis in the Goa government. A group of more than a dozen legislators has asked the Congress high command for a change in leadership.

Trying to cool down tensions, Hariprasad said there was no tussle between Naik and Monseratte.

"The law must take its own course," he replied, when asked about the rape complaint against Monseratte's son.

On Wednesday, Monseratte had told reporters: "The home minister is orchestrating the police, who are after us."

Monseratte said Chief Minister Digamber Kamat should take note of the developments. "Today it is me. Tomorrow it could be some other MLA (legislator)," he warned.

A group of legislators, including Alemao, Aleixo Reginald, Chandrakant Kavlekar, Babu Azgaonkar, Agenlo Fernandes and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) member Jose Philip Dsouza, had met Wednesday night at Monserratte's home and decided to demand Kamat's ouster.

However, after Thursday's meeting of the Congress party, Kamat said: "I have survived (as chief minister) only because I carry all sections together with me."

He added that he had assured Monseratte that no injustice would be done to him.

In the 39-member assembly, the Congress has 17 legislators, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has 14, NCP three, UGDP one, MGP two and there are two independents.


Source : Times Of India

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All parties hail TDP’s pro-Telangana stand

HYDERABAD: All the political parties, including the ruling Congress, today welcomed the Opposition Telugu Desam Party’s (TDP) pro-Telangana stand.

Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) chief D Srinivas described the TDP’s decision as good augury. He, however, was skeptical of the TDP taking a decision just before elections. The TDP had taken the decision now, only for the sake of elections, the PCC chief said and added that the TDP could have taken the decision three years back.

TRS chief K Chandrasekhara Rao said Vijaya Dasami Day had brought victory to Telangana forces.Welcoming the TDP’s decision, he said now the Congress State leadership had to bring pressure on its high command for a separate Telangana.

BJP senior leader Ch Vidyasagar Rao too welcomed the decision. He said it was now time for all the pro- Telangana parties to unite to defeat the Congress. He wished that a Bill be introduced in the present Parliament to realise separate Telangana before 2009.

Senior Congress leader Palvai Govardhan Reddy termed the TDP’s decision as sheer opportunism. The TDP’s decision was only to bag some seats and garner votes in the next elections, he said.

TDP leader K Srihari termed the decision as ‘historic’ and said separate Telangana was now very much possible. Though some leaders in the party had opposed the decision initially, later, they decided to respect the party’s policy, he added.

CPI State secretary K Narayana too welcomed the TDP’s decision. He said the CPI had already taken a similar stand long back. He, however, evaded a direct reply whether his party would work with the TDP in the next elections.

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Chiranjeevi sets the poll wheel rolling

Elections in Andhra Pradesh are six months away. And the new political entrant Chiranjeevi has decided to show his strength to his political rivals.

He will set the rath rolling for his maiden political yatra from the north coastal Srikakulam district in Andhra Pradesh on Friday.

The star politician's first public meeting at Tirupati in August was a huge hit with over 7 lakh people attending it and he hopes he could weave magic during his yatra too.

"I want to know the pulse of the people of Andhra Pradesh, their problems. It will help me design my manifesto and on top of everything, it gives me josh and motivation to be with people," he said.

His yatra Chiranjeevi's managers say, will be grand on a scale like never seen before. Nearly 800 private security men have been hired to accompany him throughout the tour and handle crowds.

The yatra is expected to silence Chiranjeevi's critics and political rivals who have been accusing the actor-turned-politician of not being clear in his stand on issues like Telangana statehood and the Naxal issue.

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Let's divide AP, Telangana a historic necessity: Naidu

Hyderabad, October 9: In a major shift from its policy, the Telugu Desam Party on Thursday for the first time took a pro-Telangana stand and said it was in favour of bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh.

"In deference to the sentiments of the people of the region, the Telugu Desam supports the demand for a separate statehood to Telangana," the party Politburo said in its one-page resolution.

Announcing the decision at the party headquarters in Hyderabad, TDP supremo N Chandrababu Naidu said Telangana was a ‘historic necessity’ and ‘our party has taken the right decision in this regard.’

The TDP, which was founded by late N T Rama Rao in 1982 to safeguard the ‘Telugu pride’ and ‘self respect’, would continue to uphold these ideals and ‘we shall re-dedicate ourselves to the Telugu people,’ Naidu said.

The TDP's pro-Telangana stand was not taken for any political aims, he asserted, adding that the party had conducted an elaborate exercise for over two-and-a-half years on the ‘sensitive’ issue.

"We do not take certain decisions only for political gains. We go by the people's wishes and respect them," Naidu said.

The TDP will do whatever required ‘legally, constitutionally and politically’ for the creation of Telangana state, he added.

Source : Internet

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Divided UPA can't decide on Bajrang Dal ban

Sources have informed NDTV that no decision as yet been taken by the Union Government to ban Bajrang Dal.

They say that Home Minister Shivraj Patil on Wednesday presented a report to the Cabinet on the role of Bajrang Dal, while a discussion on the recent violence in Orissa was underway.

Differences within UPA on imposing article 356 in Orissa emerged even as feasibility and practicality of imposing a ban on Bajrang Dal was questioned.

The Home Ministry now will provide further input on Bajrang Dal in the next Cabinet meeting.

Source : NDTV

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Modi slams Jamia VC for aiding terror suspects

The politics over the Delhi encounter in Jamia Nagar is intensifying. In an exclusive interview to NDTV India, Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi has attacked HRD Minister Arjun Singh and Jamia University Vice Chancellor Mushirul Hassan for giving legal aid to two terror suspects from the university.

Modi says the vice chancellor's decision shows he is working against his own government. The Gujarat Chief Minister's comments came on the Vice Chancellor's recent statement on legal aid for the two students who are in jail as terror suspects in the Jamia encounter.

The Gujarat Chief Minister said: "A university which runs on government funds says it will provide legal aid to terror suspects. It proves that the Jamia Milia Islamia University Vice Chancellor does not believe in the Constitution of India. Legal aid is provided in our country. The university need not interfere. They have basically shown lack of faith in the government. And on top of that the HRD minister fails to understand that the VC is working against his government. He is advocating mistrust of his own government."


Source : NDTV

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SP may withdraw from UPA if Jamia students innocent

PANAJI: Samajwadi Party leader Amar Singh on Tuesday indicated that his party could withdraw support to the UPA government if the two students of
Jamia Millia Islamia arrested in connection with the Delhi serial blasts were proved to be innocent.

"Shoot them if they are terrorists. But if they are innocent, then they should be given justice," Singh said addressing reporters here, and added, "If a judicial probe says they are innocent, then we can think of withdrawing support to the UPA government."

Singh made the statement while talking on the issue of deceased Delhi Police (Special Cell) Inspector Mohan Chand Sharma's family rejecting his Rs 10 lakh offer.

"I feel sad that his family has reacted in this manner," he said.

Renewing his demand for a judicial probe into the Batla House encounter in which Inspector Sharma was killed, Singh said senior lawyer Ram Jethmalani has agreed to take up the case of the two students following his request.

Further, the SP leader said he will pay the legal expenses for the students after speaking to authorities of the Jamia Millia University.

Citing media reports, Singh said doubts have been raised about the Batla House encounter and the subsequent arrest of the students.

"A judicial probe is necessary to clear all confusions," he said.

He, however, said his statement did not mean to support any terrorist "but at the same time innocents should not be harassed".

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Bajrang Dal is a terror group, ban likely: Union Minister of State for Home

PATNA: The Bajrang Dal is a terrorist outfit and the central government will not hesitate to ban it like it outlawed the Students Islamic Movement
of India (SIMI), says Union Minister of State for Home Shakeel Ahmad.

"There is little doubt that the Bajrang Dal is a terrorist outfit involved in creating terror. The central government may ban it as it has banned SIMI," Ahmad said over telephone from his Bihar constituency Madhubani.

"The centre will ban Bajrang Dal if four to five state governments send reports making it clear that Bajrang Dal activities led to terror."

He said there was enough evidence to suggest that the activities of the radical Hindu group were leading to terror and that the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government would not hestitate to ban it.

"If the activities of any outfit create terror, it is regarded as a terrorist outfit," the minister, who is also spokesperson of the Congress, added.

The spotlight is back on the Bajrang Dal after a spate of violence targeting Christians and churches in the country, particularly Orissa and Karnataka.

Source : Times Of India

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BJP for anti-conversion laws in Orissa, Karnataka

NEW DELHI: In the wake of continuing attacks on Christians, the BJP on Monday called for passing of an anti-conversion law in states like Karnata
ka and Orissa to check the communal violence there.

Stating the communal violence in the two states had its roots in socio-political and economic reasons, the saffron party accused the Congress-led UPA government of "selective condemnation".

Senior BJP leader Venkaiah Naidu also demanded a comprehensive debate on the issue, while invoking Mahatma Gandhi's stand against conversions.

Quoting Gandhi, Naidu said, "If I had the power and could legislate, I should stop all proselytising". He said there was need for an anti-conversion law and called for a full-fledge debate on the issue.

When it was pointed out that five states, including Orissa, already had an anti-conversion law but this had not prevented communal violence there, Naidu said the reasons were more deep-rooted and there was a need for a dialogue between the two communities.

"Unless the core issues of land alienation and organised conversions are not addressed in its totality, the situation in Orissa cannot be expected to improve...the government should take steps to release large tracts of land that are being grabbed by fraudulent means," Naidu said.

Those forging caste certificates to get the benefits of reservation should also be dealt with severely by the government, he added.

Source : Times Of India

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'India is no longer enemy no. 1 for Pakistan'

ISLAMABAD: How much should India fear Pakistan, considering a recent BBC 23-nation survey found that Pakistan and Egypt were the only countries to
take a relatively positive view of al-Qaida. The poll said that only 19% of Pakistani respondents had a negative view of Osama bin Laden’s terrorist network.

Should this be reason enough for India to worry about the stability and intentions of its next-door neighbour? Pakistani experts don’t think so. They say the survey actually shows Pakistanis as desperately keen to oppose the US rather than support al-Qaida. "I don’t think the public makes a distinction between opposing the United States and supporting the al-Qaida," says Ahmad Bilal Mehboob, executive director of the Pakistan Institute of Legislative Development and Transparency (PILDAT). "Washington has been backing unpopular regimes in both Egypt and Pakistan, thus giving birth to anti-US feelings, besides imposing the war against terror," he adds.

Kamran Rahmat, Islamabad-based news editor of television channel Dawn News, points to an "overriding anti-America public sentiment" in Pakistan.

There is some dispute over whether this anger is directed at the US as a whole or the Bush administration. Surprisingly, India seems to have gained from this turn of events as it is no longer seen as Pakistan’s Enemy Number One. Political analyst Ijaz Shafi Gilani says, "Undoubtedly, India was perceived as enemy number one by the Pakistani people for decades but that has changed over the last couple of years." He says that Pakistan’s rising hostility towards the US has tempered the anti-India feeling.

A Gallup poll in Pakistan, conducted in 2007, showed greater support (compared to previous years) for trade with India, followed by support for relaxing bilateral visa arrangements. There was less support for boosting bilateral cultural exchange. Similarly, a 2006 Gallup survey showed that half of the respondents favoured Pakistani actors working in the Indian entertainment industry, but 49% were against this and 1% said they were undecided or had no opinion.

But anti-India feelings do persist. Tariq Rahman, a professor at Islamabad’s Quaid-i-Azam University, says many Pakistanis believe that Indian consulates along the Afghan border are stoking low-intensity conflict in Balochistan and indirectly funding the Taliban. However, he insists that this anti-India feeling is greater in the NWFP region and Punjab, not in Sindh or Karachi.

Noted columnist Ayaz Amir says there is a feeling in some quarters that General Pervez Musharraf and his successor as president, Asif Zardari, have gone too far in their attempts to please the Indian leadership. He also believes that Islamabad has overstepped the mark in its repeated denunciations of terrorism.

Rahmat says it is important to understand that Pakistan’s residual anti-India feelings don’t necessarily stem from al-Qaida ideology. "Al-Qaida is not teaching its operatives to hate India as the US remains the sole target," he says. In other words, America’s pain is India’s gain.

But Ameer Yousafzai, a grocer from the NWFP’s Swat region, who has faced the brunt of the Pakistan Army’s yearlong operation against militants, does not mince words: "We should not be hypocrites. The US and India, both are our enemies. When India is waging a war against Pakistan, the US quietly stands aside. Now, India is happily seeing the Pakistanis die under American bombs and missiles." He believes the Army operation was meant to please Americans.

A majority of the people this correspondent spoke to was emphatic that the people have no love lost for al-Qaida or like-minded entities. Columnist Ayaz says: "With the ongoing US strikes inside Pakistan, anti-American feelings are bound to soar but the polls wrongly reflect that there is support for al-Qaida across the country." News of US troops' reinforcement in Afghanistan is viewed as US'preparation to invade its tribal areas. The PPP-led ruling coalition has been trying to sell the war on terror as Pakistan’s own war but few are listening.

Yet, Ayaz insists that Bin Laden is not a hero in most parts of the country and "the issue is not denunciation of Osama or al-Qaida; it’s the high handedness of the US that is relevant here."

The public anger is seen to be a result of the Musharraf regime’s policies and its flawed counter-terror strategy. "We were fighting for survival by tilling our farmland but the military operation uprooted us and claimed dozens of lives, though we never stood in the way of the government," says Ahmad Jan, whose entire tribe has been displaced from Bajaur Agency to Attock, about 100 km from Islamabad. He believes al-Qaida or Taliban may never become irrelevant so long as US troops stay in Afghanistan.

Many experts say polls to gauge Pakistan’s attitude to al-Qaida often use questionable methodology and betray suspect timing. PILDAT chief Bilal Mehboob recalls that another survey in January found that 12 % Pakistanis believed terrorism to be the biggest issue facing the nation but by June, only 2% were found to say terrorism and suicide bombings were the most important. Mehboob says the results would have been different had the poll been conducted after Marriot Hotel bombing just a few weeks ago.

Karachi-based sociologist Nazish Brohi believes that the newest BBC poll suggesting Pakistan’s 'positive'view of al-Qaida was conducted at a difficult time — from July to September, when "the US was violating Pakistani airspace frequently, along with an Army operation in Bajaur which resulted in massive displacement of people." Brohi explains that the al-Qaida "stands for anything in Pakistan that is anti-US or anti-state because the state is seen here as an entity that usurps the rights of the public". James Crabtree, a British national who visited various regions of Pakistan last year, says, "People on the streets didn’t dislike Americans, but did hate George Bush."

But the Pakistan Institute of Public Opinion (PIPO), the local affiliate of Gallup International that conducted the poll, says the BBC poll used the right methodology. A PIPO spokesman says 2,000 respondents were interviewed, their number being proportionate to the respective provincial population. He says the results were in line with the trend in 2006 — that the US and the war on terror have been unpopular since 9/11. But more empirical data may be required to establish a direct link between Pakistan’s alleged support for al-Qaida and its implications for South Asia, particularly India.

THE AUTHOR IS A FREELANCE JOURNALIST

Source : Times Of India

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Bhujbal withdraws defamation case against Bal Thackeray

MUMBAI: NCP leader and Maharashtra Public Works Department minister Chhagan Bhujbal on Friday withdrew the defamation case he filed against his fo
rmer mentor Shiv Sena Chief Bal Thackeray.

After withdrawing the case at the suburban Bandra metropolitan magistrate court, Bhujbal, along with Sena Executive President Uddhav Thackeray, left for Bal Thackeray's residence 'Matoshree'.

Bhujbal had filed the case in 1997, prompted by a news report in Sena mouthpiece Saamna.

A former Shiv Sena man, Bhujbal fell out with the Shiv Sena chief and quit the party in 1991 to join Congress. He later joined Sharad Pawar-led NCP.

"Sanjay Raut and Subhash Desai wrote me a letter requesting that I should withdraw the case considering Balasaheb's old age. So I decided to withdraw the case," Bhujbal said after coming out of the court.

Raut and Desai are senior Sena leaders. When asked whether today's development indicated his plan to return to Shiv Sena, Bhujbal said, "This seems to be your suggestion for action."

The news report in Saamna was about allegations made by one Rajendra Agarwal that Bhujbal had instigated him to desecrate the bust of Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar at Ramabai Nagar in suburban Ghatkopar.

The incident had led to a riot in the year 1997.


Source : Times Of India

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BJP threatens to move court over GU polls

PANAJI: BJP students' cell has asked the Goa University to reinstate the panel that were earlier declared winners of the elections of the students
council. The students' cell warned that failing which it would keep all options open in order to get their demands met.

Addressing a press conference , BJP students' cell convenor Atmaram Bharve said they would not hesitate to seek legal recourse and approach the courts. "The director of social welfare has been given all powers to conduct the elections, so why did the registrar intervene? If there are discrepancies in this election, then the elections of the last three years should also be declared as null and void," he said.

Bharve further referred to protests conducted by the student's wing of the Congress on earlier occasions and said that authorities were resorting to double standards. "When they had a protest at the Fine Arts college, they even broke the glass on the principal's table. Nothing was done about that. When we protested in a peaceful manner, the authorities have termed it as unruly behaviour," he added.

"We demand that the earlier status be restored to our panel, where our members have been elected as general secretary and lady representative. We will also meet and decide on our further course of action," Bharve said.

Meanwhile, chairman of Congress' students cell Sunil Kawthankar, , said that their members debated whether they should demand for conduct of early re-elections by the university . "After reaching a consensus , it was decided on letting the university take a call on it due to upcoming examinations on October 7," Kawthankar said.

Source : Times Of India

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JD-U booklet on Lalu's flood 'jokes' soon

PATNA: "Don't be scared of floods! When it comes, it brings a lot of fish. Poor people will get fish free of cost and relish it."

This and other off-the-cuff remarks by railway minister Lalu Prasad during the current devastating Kosi floods as also in the past are being documented by the state unit of the Janata Dal (U). It will be published in a booklet form.

The floods this year have been politicised as never before as all major political players are trying to provide relief to the victims but with an eye on the coming general elections. "We will reproduce non-serious statements of Lalu on floods he made recently and during the 15 years when he and his party were in power here," state JD(U) president Rajiv Ranjan Singh "Lallan" said on Saturday.

The state party office has been activated to collect all available clippings of Lalu's flood jokes. Besides, the (in)famous fish remark, said a party functionary, there are many more like the one when Lalu commented while sympathising with farmers whose land was submerged, "Don't worry! The flood waters will turn your land more fertile."

Source : Times Of India

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Court should fix definition of 'terrorist': Raj Thackeray

NASHIK: Reacting to the Bombay High Court's "terrorist" remark on him on the Marathi signboards issue, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena's (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray on Saturday said the court should fix definition of "terrorist".

Addressing a college students gathering on career guidance organised by Nashik unit of MNS this afternoon, Raj said, "We are forcing to make signboards in Marathi as per law, but court raps the state over failure to curb my drive and described me as a terrorist."

"Does noted social worker Anna Hazare become a terrorist if he observes fast or silence (maun vrata) for his demands?" he asked.

Commenting on the government's remarks that he is running a parallel government, the MNS chief said, "I am not interested in running such government, but will run government in future."

Source : Times Of India

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Shivraj Patil should resign: BJP

NEW DELHI: With yet another blast rocking the national capital, BJP on Saturday demanded the resignation of Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil saying he has no right to be in office in the wake of continuing terror attacks in the country.

V K Malhotra, BJP's Chief Ministerial candidate for Delhi who visited the blast site in south Delhi's Mehrauli, also demanded convening of an early session of Parliament to discuss the security scenario in the country.

Attacking Patil, the BJP leader said, "instead of changing his clothes thrice, he should have taken actions like discussing the matter with public. Instead of doing all that, money is being collected for terrorists, demonstrations are being held for them."

He said the security scenario has worsened and now terrorists do not have any fear in carrying out strikes in the country.

"The only ones who are scared are the public. The terrorists know that. Even if they get caught, they will be getting money and legal support from the government," he said.


Source : Times Of India

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V K Malhotra to be BJP's Delhi CM candidate

NEW DELHI: BJP's Deputy Leader in Lok Sabha, Vijay Kumar Malhotra, will lead the party in the coming Assembly elections in the national capital.

Malhotra was chosen as the party's Chief Ministerial candidate at a meeting of the Parliamentary Board which met at the BJP headquarters here.

"He is an acceptable and senior leader. He has the potential to lead the party in the coming elections and emerge victorious," BJP General Secretary Arun Jaitley told a press conference here announcing Malhotra's name.

The 77-year-old leader, who is the lone BJP MP from the national capital in the current Lok Sabha, represents South Delhi constituency.

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Left, BSP dharna against nuke deal

PATNA: Workers of five Left parties namely CPI, CPM, Forward Bloc, Janvadi Forward Bloc, RSP and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) on Thursday staged a daylong dharna and burnt effigies of PM Manmohan Singh and US president George W Bush here at the income-tax roundabout in protest against the Indo-US nuclear deal and Manmohan’s US visit.

It was part of Left parties’ nationwide protest programme. According to CPI state secretary B N Lal, dharnas were staged at the district headquarters of Begusarai, West Champaran, Madhepura, Khagaria, Rohtas, Buxar and Bhagalpur. Prominent among those present included Lal, veteran CPM leader and former state secretary Ganesh Shankar Vidyarthi.


Source : Times Of India

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TRS men attack Lanco office

HYDERABAD: A group of Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) activists attacked an office of Lanco on Road No. 92, Jubilee Hills in the city on Thursday evening.

Police said the attack was in retaliation to an accident involving external affairs minister Pranab Mukherjee’s convoy in Nizamabad on Thursday, in which the car of Lagadapati Rajagopal, promoter and former managing director of Lanco and Congress MP from Vijayawada, ran over a TRS worker’s foot when they were trying to obstruct the convoy. But Lanco officials said that it was some other car that was involved in the accident. “There were 20 cars in Pranab’s convoy. How can my car be singled out?” Rajagopal said later.

B Chinna Reddy, 25, a local TRS activist reportedly suffered minor injuries in the accident.

According to eyewitnesses, 30 TRS activists came to the Lanco office that serves as the headquarters for their Lanco Hills project at 4.30 pm and suddenly started pelting stones on the office. “It was totally unprovoked and absolutely an act of vandalism,” said an eyewitness. In the stone pelting that continued for five minutes, the glass panes of the three storied building were completely broken and four cars parked in front of the building were damaged. The TRS men who identified themselves with their party scarves also shouted slogans like ‘Jai Telangana’ during the attack.

A local cop said the activists came directly from the TRS Bhavan, where a training camp was on. However, the city police commissioner said he has to verify the report. “We are trying to find out whether the attackers came from the TRS office and where they went after the attack,” city police commissioner Prasada Rao said. “There were nearly 200 employees at the office. However, no one was hurt, ” DCP Ravi Verma said.

Source : Times Of India

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Cops identify cyber cafe from where email threat to Advani was sent

SHILLONG: Police have claimed to have identified the cyber cafe from which the email, purportedly sent by Indian Mujahideen terrorists, to eliminate BJP leader L K Advani during his Shillong visit on September 29, was sent.

Refusing to disclose the name of the cafe, DGP B K Dey Sawian said the mail was sent from a cafe in Shillong.

"Definitely the email was not sent by a prankster. It's a two page mail written with specific inputs and details. We are taking it seriously and working on it to trace the sender," Sawian said.

He said the police was taking the matter very seriously. "Advani is given the highest category security, yet we cannot afford to take any chances," the DGP said.

When asked whether the police had any specific input about the presence of Indian Mujahideen militants in the state, Sawian said, “As of now we do not have specific inputs on that, but it cannot be ruled out."

"Soon after the blasts in Ahmedabad and Delhi, we have put certain places across the state under scanner acting on intelligence inputs. We are looking at those (places)," he added.

BJP not to cancel Advani's visit despite threat

The BJP will go ahead with the scheduled visit of L K Advani to the northeast despite the email threat given by suspected Indian Mujahideen terrorists to eliminate him.

"We are going ahead with the programme," BJP president H S Syiemlieh said before going into a huddle with senior state leaders to discuss the matter.

Terming the threat as 'nothing unusual', he said the party was in touch with the police.

"We are not sure about the credential of the threat. The responsibility of his (Advani) security lies on the government," the BJP president said.

Govt to ensure Advani's security: CM

Meghalaya Chief Minister Donkupar Roy has assured that the state government would ensure BJP leader L K Advani's visit to Shillong is incident free.

In the wake of an email threat, purportedly by Indian Mujahideen terrorists to eliminate Advani during his visit here on September 29, Roy said, "We are verifying the matter. The government will ensure that Advani has a safe visit to the state."

"He (Advani) is an important leader. Police is taking all measures to trace the sender of the email and verify the authenticity of it," he told reporters here.


Source : Times Of India

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'BSP worker' held for blackmailing Amar Singh

NEW DELHI: Delhi Police claim to have picked up a person for demanding Rs 5 crore from SP leader Amar Singh in lieu of making a statement in his favour before a Parliamentary panel probing the cash-for-vote scam. Hashmat Ali was arrested from Amar Singh’s residence on Thursday.
Ali, described by Singh as a BSP worker, had gone to Singh's residence this morning and demanded the hefty amount for changing his statement he had given to the panel, the SP leader claimed at a press conference.

Singh said Ali, who was to depose before the Inquiry Committee on FRiday, came to his residence around 8.30 am and said he could save the reputation of the SP leader by giving a favourable statement to the panel.

A person, whom Singh described as Hashmat Ali, was seen being taken away in a car from the SP leader's residence. "I am being kidnapped," the person shouted to reporters. However, Crime Branch of Delhi Police said that Ali was under detention and being questioned.

The issue of "kidnapping" of Ali is understood to have figured at the meeting of the Parliamentary panel with CPM member Mohammad Salim understood to have raised the issue.

Salim is learnt to have said that someone was trying hard to see that crucial evidence in the cash-for-vote scam was not brought before the panel to enable it reach the truth.

Opposition BJP termed Ali's detention as a "stage-managed" show by Singh and attacked him for trying to "influence and intimidate" the witness and the Committee.

"This is a stage-managed show and an attempt to intimidate and influence the witness and the committee," BJP spokesman Prakash Javdekar said demanding a new probe into the matter.

Source : Times Of India

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Manmohan, Zardari vow to be 'severe' on terror

NEW YORK: Acknowledging that the peace process has been "under strain" in recent months, India and Pakistan on Wednesday announced that cross-LoC trade in Jammu and Kashmir will commence on October 21 and vowed to take "severe action" against any elements directing or involved in terrorist acts, giving fresh momentum for an "an early and full" normalisation of bilateral relations.

Unveiling a slew of measures for a "peaceful resolution and saisfactory settlement" of all bilateral issues including Jammu and Kashmir, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh at his first meeting with the new Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari agreed that the forces that have tried to derail the peace process must be "defeated."

Meeting on the sidelines of the 63rd United Nations General Assembly session at the Millenium hotel where the Pakistan President is staying, the two leaders came out with a joint statement agreeing that violence, hostility and terrorism have no place in the vision they share of the bilateral relationship and must be "visibly and verifiably" prevented.

In an apparent attempt to tell India that let bygones be bygones in the backdrop of rise in cross-border terrorism and ceasefire violations, Zardari reassured Singh that the Pakistan government stood by its commitments of January 6, 2004 to stamp out terrorism.

With the needle of suspicion pointing to Pakistans ISI for the bombing of he Indian Embassy in Kabul, the two leaders agreed to convene a special meeting of the Joint Anti-Terror mechanism to address mutual concerns including the Kabul attack.

The two countries agreed to commence cross-Line of Control (LoC) trade on the Srinagar-Muzaffarabad and Poonch-Rawalakot roads on October 21,2008, open the Wagah-Attari road link to all permissible items on trade and the Khokrapar-Munabao rail route to all allowed items of trade.

The two leaders addressed the apparent lack of progress at the Foreign Secretary level talks to resolve outstanding issues saying they will schedule meetings of the Fifth round of the Composite dialogue in the next three months which will focus on "deliverables and concrete achievements."

Briefing newsmen after the nearly hour-long meeting, Foreign Secretary Shivshankar Menon said Prime Minister Singh was "very satisfied" at the meeting. The joint statement is a strong one in regard to the approach to be followed to deal with terrorism, he said, adding "we hope progress will be made on all (bilateral) issues.
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Source : Times Of India

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Amar disappointed with SP-Congress alliance

NEW DELHI: Addressing a press conference on Thursday, Samajwadi Party general secretary hit at the alliance with the Congress.

Expressing unhappiness with the state of ties with the Congress, he said, “I am disappointed that Congress MP Rashid Aivi attacked me”.

Amar also said that the party has indulged in character assassination. He threatened to expose a lot of big people in the Congress.

He went to on say that so far what has happened is worse than a honey trap.

It hasn’t been a long time since Samajwadi Party (SP) and the Congress joined hands to bail out the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government during the Indo-US nuclear deal crisis.

But, now the rift between the two parties is deepening, with both sides making charges against each other over the seat-sharing row.

The third round of talks between the Congress and the Samajwadi Party for seat sharing in Uttar Pradesh for the Lok Sabha elections would take place later this week.


Source : Times Of India

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AL, BNP agree to register with Election Commission (EC )

DHAKA: Major political parties have agreed to contest the December 18 national elections after registration with the Election Commission under the relaxed provisions on party registration, but demanded withdrawal of the state of emergency and deferment of the upazila polls scheduled for December 24 and 28.( The New Age BD )

The Bangladesh Nationalist Party explained its stand on the issues to the commission on Tuesday when a four-member party delegation met the chief and other election commissioners.

The delegation urged the commission to defer the holding of the upzila polls by a month.

They also demanded an immediate withdrawal of the emergency to ensure a congenial atmosphere for the elections.

The Awami League at its presidium meeting on Sunday made similar demands.

At a rally of the Dhaka city north unit of the Awami Swechhasebak League, Awami League leaders demanded deferral of the upazila polls by at least 45 days to avoid ‘unwarranted problems’ in the holding of the general elections. They also demanded withdrawal of the state of emergency.

Both the parties also said there could be no elections under the state of emergency.

Five city mayors on Tuesday too favoured deferment of the upazila polls on the grounds that the polls, as scheduled, might hamper the holding of the national elections, which is the main responsibility of the interim government.

After a meeting with the LGRD and cooperatives adviser, Anwarul Iqbal, at the secretariat, they said it would be difficult both for the local administration and the police to cope with the situation and for the parties to coordinate electoral activities if the campaigns for national and local elections go together.

‘We will get registered and contest the next general elections as the BNP is an election-oriented party,’ the party’s vice-chairman MK Anwar, who led the BNP delegation, told reporters after the two-hour meeting at the EC secretariat.

He said they had asked the commission to defer the upazila polls by a month and withdraw the emergency.

The chief election commissioner, ATM Shamsul Huda, however, rejected the demand for the deferral of the upazila polls, saying, ‘The commission has made all the preparations for holding upazila polls on the dates set.’

He welcomed the BNP’s move for registration with the commission and hoped the party would register with the commission by October 15, the deadline previously set.

‘We are happy the BNP has shown its interest in getting registered. We hope other parties will also accomplish the task by the time,’ he said.

The party’s joint secretaries general Nazrul Islam Khan and Abdul Mannan, and office secretary Rizvi Ahmed were in the BNP delegation.

Election commissioners Muhammed Sohul Hussain and M Sakhawat Hussain also attended the meeting.

MK Anwar said they had discussed Monday’s revision of the electoral laws which eased the procedure for registration of political parties.

‘The commission is brining about changes to a number of provisions in the amended Representation of the People Order. We have come to know of the details and made our stand clear before the commission,’ he said.

According to Monday’s revision, the political parties will now be able to register by submitting ‘provisional’ party constitutions without convening council sessions, but with clear pledges that they would meet the conditions set by the commission for reforms.

The BNP at a dialogue with the commission on Saturday demanded withdrawal or suspension of the latest amendments to the electoral laws, including the Representation of the People (amendment) Ordinance and provisions for compulsory registration of political parties to contest the forthcoming polls.

The BNP’s secretary general Khnadaker Delwar Hossain at an iftar party of its Paltan unit termed the remarks of MK Anawar regarding the party’s participation in the polls ‘his personal opinion.’

‘The final decision on the party’s participation in the polls will be made after discussion with the party chairperson, senior leaders and components of the BNP-led alliance,’ he told newsmen.

‘We are repeatedly asking the government and the Election Commission to create a level plying field for the elections by withdrawing the state of emergency. No elections could be held under the state of emergency,’ he said.

MK Anwar, in the evening, however, stood by his remarks made at the Election Commission in the morning. ‘We were sent by the party to apprise the commission of the party’s stand after they had relaxed some of their provisions. The commission heard us and showed a positive attitude.’

Asked about Delwar’s comment, Anwar said, ‘If the secretary general says so, I have nothing to add. But my remark was based on the September 11 statement of Khaleda Zia where she said the party would contest the polls and the party is yet to change the position.’

As for party registration, he said no party could register with the commission the way it had initially worked out the process. ‘The BNP will consider registration of the party now that the Election Commission has relaxed some provisions.’

Source : News From Bangladesh

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Jamat-ud-Dawa using mosques for jihad: Report

ISLAMABAD: Activists of an organisation led by Lashker-e-Taiba founder Hafiz Muhammad Saeed are using mosques to issue calls for jihad against the US in Pakistan's northwestern city of Peshawar, a media report said on Tuesday.

Members of Jamat-ud-Dawa, set up by Saeed after the Lashker-e-Taiba was banned by the Pakistan government, have been operating in the city's posh residential districts like Hayatabad and University Town, where they address people in mosques about the importance of jihad, the Daily Times said.

Quoting eyewitnesses, the newspaper said the activists have issued calls for a holy war against the US to worshippers at different mosques.

"A young, bearded and long-haired activist of the Jamat-ud-Dawa stood up after the Fajr (morning) prayers and began calling for jihad against infidels," said a University of Peshawar professor who had come across the activists at Madina mosque.

Mumtaz Khan, a resident of Hayatabad, who came across an extremist at Bilal mosque, said the fundamentalists cite dangers to Pakistan to incite people for war.

"The extremists first speak about geopolitics (and) dangers to Pakistan from both eastern and western borders and then urge the importance of jihad," he said.

A caretaker of one of the mosques confirmed that the Jamat-ud-Dawa, which describes itself as a charitable organisation, was using mosques to invite people for jihad.

"Under what law can I stop them from doing so? There is no law, both governmental or Islamic," said the caretaker, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

"These callers come at different prayer times and are peaceful and appear to be pro-Pakistan," the caretaker added.

He also said that the number of such extremists had increased recently in the wake of the US drone attacks in the restive tribal areas.

After lying low for several years, banned groups like the Lashker-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed have stepped up their activities across Pakistan since the resignation of former President Pervez Musharraf last month.

Source : Times Of India

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Chiru sets up panel to study problems plaguing weavers

HYDERABAD: As a follow-up to his successful interaction with bereaved families of weavers in Sircilla, Prajarajyam party president Chiranjeevi on Monday appointed a committee headed by party's senior adviser K S R Murthy to study the crisis in the handloom sector.

Chiranjeevi told the media that the committee would study the problems being faced by the handloom sector and suggest ways to tackle them.

"I was moved by the pathetic situation of weavers in the region. Instead of just visiting the place to console them, I wanted to work for the resolution of the problems sincerely. The committee under KSR Murty will guide us in working out a solution ," he said. Enthused by the response to his short notice visit to Sircilla, he said he would conduct more tours to problematic areas to understand the problems first hand.

Source : Times Of India

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Rahul as PM? Congress scion says 'question is open'

AMRITSAR/PATIALA: At 7 am, inside the sanctum sanctorum of the Golden Temple, the CCTV repeatedly zoomed in on a white kurta-pyjama clad figure sitting cross-legged and listening intently to kirtans sung by raagis. It was only then that senior Congress leaders as well as the Amritsar IG realized Rahul Gandhi had begun his Punjab darshan with a visit to Harmandir Sahib.

"We wanted it to be low profile and less noisy," a Punjab Congress leader said. But as it is with his visits, Rahul, by the end of the day, had created quite a flutter. To a question on his possible elevation as prime minister of India, the 38-year-old AICC general secretary flashed his dimpled smile and told students at Patiala's Punjabi University that the question will remain "open, not closed."

In the 30-minute slotted interaction that stretched to 90 minutes, before Rahul was literally pulled away by anxious Congressmen who wanted him to grace other functions lined up by them, the Gandhi scion said, "The question of my elevation to the PM's post is still open and has not been closed as yet." He, however, added that he didn't aspire to become PM but to "make our party strong at the grass root level."

Prodded further, he dodged questions and picked up the ones on reservation in the education. "The key is to increase the number of universities and schools," he said.

"I think instead of debating about the withdrawal of reservation, our government should focus on increasing the number of universities and colleges. Where this is not possible, we must increase the number of seats. I am in the favor of increasing the size of the cake and not seeing family members fighting for their share."

The students gathered for the session had a lot on their mind though and wouldn't let Rahul off the hook. An interesting episode occurred when a student, neck up with knowledge about India's nuclear deal, stumped Rahul on one of the nitty-gritty. Rahul though for a moment and said, "Why are you asking me all this when you seem to know more about it than I do."

As the hall burst out laughing, Rahul went on to terrorism and stressed that he is much in favour of dealing with subversive violence "more aggressively". A little pause later he quipped, "But it's not about implementation of Pota to control terrorism. Pota is ineffective and there is no need for this law in country. Tada is more stringent and I think we should not waste time in debates about anti-terrorism laws, focusing instead on immediately implementing effective laws to tackle terrorism which is threatening both nationally and at an international level."

On corruption in politics, Rahul said it was discouraging youngsters from entering politics "which is working to the advantage of older politicians who don't want to leave their chairs".

At Sunam, as Rahul was passing through to Sangrur, already late by three hours, someone told him about Udham Singh. Breaching security concerns, he ran to the martyr's statue and asking his cavalcade to stop for a while, offered flowers.

Source : Times Of India

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