CPM releases party manifesto for Lok Sabha polls

NEW DELHI: The Communist Party of India (Marxist) released its manifesto on Monday for the April-May general election and called for government
control of the financial sector.

The party, which held the balance of power for most of the tenure of the Congress Party-led government, also said it proposed a complete halt to the privatization of profitable state firms.

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Zardari reinstates CJ; Sharif calls off march

ISLAMABAD: The simmering political crisis in Pakistan on Monday blew over with the former prime minister Nawaz Sharif calling off the long march
Zardari reinstates CJ
Lawyers dance following government's announcement to reinstate Chaudhry. (Reuters Photo)
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after government buckled and announced the reinstatement of deposed Supreme Court Chief Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry.

The denouement came early on Monday morning with prime minister Yousuf Raza Gilani announcing government's decision to reinstate Justice Chaudhry dismissed by then President Pervez Musharraf during Emergency two years ago.

Former premier and PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif, who defied house arrest on Sunday and was on a long march along with his supporters for a mass sit-in outside Parliament, called off the protest hailing the government's announcement as a victory.

Gilani's announcement came on top of government's decision on Saturday to file a review petition challenging the Supreme Court's order barring PML-N leaders Nawaz and Shahbaz Sharif from electoral politics.

"In keeping with the promise made by the President and me, I announce the restoration of all deposed judges, including Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, to their posts," Gilani said in a televised address to the nation.

Chaudhry will assume the post of Chief Justice once current incumbent Abdul Hamid Dogar retires on March 21. "A notification to this effect is being issued now," Gilani said.

"I hope after this, we'll implement the charter of democracy and true democracy in Pakistan. We'll make the judiciary stronger and parliament supreme," Sharif told supporters in Gujranwala.

"We have got the fruit of our two-year struggle. Now the destiny of this country will change. This development will lead to a revolution in Pakistan," the former prime minister said.

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Modi, Pawar war of words on the campaign trail

PUNE: On the campaign trail in western Maharashtra, NCP supremo Sharad Pawar and BJP leader Narendra Modi derided each other, with the
Maharashtra strongman describing the saffron campaigner as the "frontline leader" of communal forces in the country.

Modi hit back, saying Pawar has been hoodwinked by Congress on the issue of prime ministership. The Gujarat chief minister, who launched the BJP-Shiv Sena's poll drive here on Sunday night, said Pawar who has spent many years in Congress failed to understand the stratagem of that party to keep him out of the race for the top post.

Referring to recent statement by Pawar that a Maharashtrian should get an opportunity to become PM, Modi said by making Pratibha Patil the President, Congress employed a "shrewd ploy" to sideline the NCP president shutting doors on his prime ministerial ambitions.

The seasoned politician in Pawar, however, failed to gauge the Congress game, Modi added.

In a sarcastic vein, he said, "if Pawar had any substance, he should at least see to it that a Maharashtrian becomes captain of the Indian cricket team."

Continuing his marathon election meetings in neighbouring Ahmednagar district, Pawar branded Modi as a "frontline leader" of communal forces in the country, who was responsible for destroying lives of hundreds of people in Gujarat, maligning the image of that state.

"This communal leader has come to Maharashtra (for campaigning) but people of this state would never accept his ideology that divided the society, Pawar said.

"We love Gujarat of Mahatma Gandhi and Sardar Patel", he said, appealing to voters to remove the poisonous "weed" of communal thoughts from the state.

The NCP chief also welcomed local MLA Yashwantrao Gadakh, on the occasion, who crossed over to the party from Congress.

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Left, key regional parties launch Third Front

Launching the Third Front, the Left and major regional parties on Thursday joined hands to take on the Congress and the BJP in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, saying both of them had failed to address people's grievances.

Addressing a massive rally, leaders of these parties announced that they had come together to provide a "new alternative" to the voters ahead of the Lok Sabha polls.

"This is a historic get-together of all democratic, secular and Left parties in the country to declare that we are all coming together to constitute a third force in this country," CPM General Secretary Prakash Karat said.

He said the third force stood for the interests of the vast masses for the firm defence of secularism against communal forces. The platform, he said, would fight for social justice for the oppressed sections.

Joined by CPI leader A.B. Bardhan, TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu and former prime minister and JD(S) chief H.D. Deve Gowda among others, Karat said, "Today we have come together because the country needs a new alternative."

Recalling the formation of the United Front government headed by Gowda 13 years ago, Karat said people came to know in 1996 that "the future of this country does not lie either with Congress or the BJP." He said the UF then comprised all secular, democratic and regional parties, along with the Left to provide an alternative to the Congress and BJP.

He said even after 60 years of independence, both the major parties had "failed to fulfil the aspirations of the people".

Rebutting Congress claims of a nine per cent economic growth rate, Karat asked as to what it meant for the common people and said the country still witnessed the "shameful spectacle" of farmers committing suicide and people facing the brunt of high unemployment and rising prices.

"Life is unbearable for the ordinary people," the CPM leader said, adding that on top of this, the global economic crisis had led to loss of millions of jobs and the crash of the world financial system and banks.

Though the chiefs of AIADMK and BSP, J Jayalalithaa and Mayawati, skipped the function, their representatives V Maitreyan and Satish Chandra Mishra were present.

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Jayalalithaa commences fast on Sri Lankan Tamils' issue

CHENNAI: AIADMK leader Jayalalithaa on Monday commenced a day-long fast in Chennai to press the centre to use its good offices with Sri Lanka to declare an immediate ceasefire in the island nation.

A similar fast is being undertaken by party members in the district headquarters across the state.

Jayalalithaa had charged the centre and the DMK, a constituent of the ruling UPA, with "failing to ensure ceasefire," in (the northern parts of) Sri Lanka."

The party is also collecting donations during the fast for providing relief to the Sri Lankan Tamils.

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Kiyani warns Zardari against unrest in Pakistan

NEW DELHI: The army
in Pakistan has begun to flex its muscle. Pakistan's army chief general Ashfaq Pervez Kiyani, who has so far kept a low
profile, has asked President Asif Ali Zardari to 'clean up the mess' soon, according to a Times Now report.

Well-placed military sources in Islamabad said Kiyani has been asked by the United States to bring some order in the region. After his recent visit to Washington, Kiyani held a meeting with top Pakistani army commanders on March 6 to share the concern of the US over the state of affairs in the country, especially after the dissolution of the Punjab government and the subsequent anti-government agitation that has plunged the country into another political crisis.

Zardari's bid to settle scores with the opposition led by Sharif has now gone down well with Washington.

The Supreme Court last month effectively barred former prime minister Nawaz Sharif and his younger brother Shahbaz Sharif, who are opposition leaders, from contesting elections.

The Sharifs and the PML-N, Pakistan's second-largest party, have accused Zardari of being behind the court decision. Their supporters have taken to the streets and more strife is expected.

Bhutto's Pakistan People's Party (PPP) and the Sharifs' party were bitter rivals in the 1990s, a turbulent decade in which Bhutto and Sharif both served as prime minister twice without completing a term. A military coup in late 1999 ousted Sharif and brought Musharraf to power.

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SP names 10 more poll nominees in UP, leaves only 6 seats for Cong

NEW DELHI: The Samajwadi Party on Sunday declared 10 more candidates for the Lok Sabha elections in Uttar Pradesh taking the number of its
nominees to 74, but left six constituencies for the Congress despite the stalemate in seat sharing talks.

Of the 80 Lok Sabha constituencies in the state, the Samajwadi Party left Rae Bareli, Amethi, Ghaziabad, Dharora, Mathura and Kanpur City for the Congress.

Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav said his party would not field candidates in these parliamentary constituencies even if there is no alliance with the Congress.

The Samajwadi Party earlier announced candidates for 64 constituencies.

The Congress and the Samajwadi Party are finding it difficult to reach a consensus on seat sharing arrangement in the most populous state of India.

Earlier Sunday, Mulayam Singh said: "We want to contest the elections with them (Congress). Until now our alliance with them has not been finalised, but there are no disputes as well."

"But I want to tell you that there will be no bitterness with the Congress in the future," he said.

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Congress sorry for Babri Masjid demolition: Digvijay Singh

LUCKNOW: Congress leader Digvijay Singh on Saturday apologised for the demolition of the Babri Masjid in 1992 when the party was in power at the
national level.

"We would once again like to say sorry to the nation for the demolition of the Babri Masjid as at that time the P.V. Narasimha Rao led-Congress was in power."

"We would also like to clarify that we will not have any kind of association with (former Bharatiya Janata Party leader) Kalyan Singh who was the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh when the (mosque) was demolished," Singh said.

Singh, Congress general secretary and in-charge of party affairs in Uttar Pradesh, was here to address a rally organised by the minority cell of the party to press the Uttar Pradesh government for utilising the funds allocated by the central government for several schemes for the minorities.

Earlier in the day, he said the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) government in the state had a lethargic attitude in implementing central government schemes.

"The central government had sanctioned Rs.1,300 crore (Rs.13 billion) to the state government for various schemes for the minorities. However, the fund has yet not been utilised and will lapse on March 31," Singh said.

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NCP extends support to Patnaik government in Orissa

NEW DELHI: Sharad Pawar-led NCP today extended support of his party's two MLAs to the Naveen Patnaik ministry in Orissa, which was reduced to a
minority after the BJP pulled out of the alliance.

"The MLAs of Nationalist Congress Party in Orissa will support the BJD Government headed by Patnaik," NCP spokesperson D P Tripathi said in a statement.

Patnaik has claimed in Bhubaneshwar that he has a majority in the 147-member assembly with the support of more than 74 MLAs.

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BJP-BJD ties break down, NDA shaken

BHUBANESWAR: In what is a major setback to the NDA campaign, the BJP-BJD ties broke down on Saturday night with Orissa chief minister Naveen
Patnaik announcing that he would go to polls on his own and his 11-year understanding with the saffron camp was off. ( Watch )

The talks between Patnaik and BJP ended on an abrupt note when the BJD leader made a "humiliating" offer of just about half a dozen Lok Sabha seats of the 21 seats in Orissa. While BJP kept mum after the talks ended, the party's senior leadership will take stock of the situation in Delhi on Sunday.

It is clear that Patnaik was not really keen to continue his alliance with BJP as he set out terms that the safrron party, even if its stretched itself, would not have been able to agree to. The BJD boss appears to be convinced that he is better placed to win the Lok Sabha and assembly elections without the BJP.

"We were stressing on the winnability factor but this did not work out. It is now clear that we will face the elections on our own," said Patnaik after the talks failed.

The BJP has been taken off guard despite the evidence on the ground suggesting that the party has been steadily in decline. Even in western Orissa's tribal belt, BJD has begun to win more seats in the local body elections. BJP has missed the point that its appeal has become increasingly restricted to only its core cadres and incidents like Kandhamal have only created a surge amongst the faithful.

The view of BJP leaders is that Patnaik has taken a calculated decision that may enhance his status as a regional leader but could still be open to a post-election deal with NDA if the numbers work out. The BJD could also go with a "third front" formation if such a situation arose. Yet, the ruthless streak that Patnaik has dispalyed surprised BJP even though he has shown it in dealing with inconvenient elements in his own party.

It is felt that BJD's bold strike is also based on its assessment that the party was gaining not just at the expense of BJP but also eating into Congress support. Both Congress and BJP suffer the drag of uninspiring leadership and this has accrued to the benefit of the BJD over the years.

Patnaik kept the BJP on tenterhooks through the day. As Naveen left for Ganjam to campaign, the BJP core group remained in closed door meetings at the party office. The core group comprised party's state president Suresh Pujari, Biswabhusan Harichandan, Dharmendra Pradhan, Jual Oram, Manmohan Samal, Kharabela Swain, Prasanna Mishra, Panchanan Rout, and BJP all-India joint general secretary in charge of Orissa, V Satish.

The meeting was convened in the backdrop of Friday night's one-on-one talk Naveen Patnaik had with BJP emissary from New Delhi Chandan Mitra on the contentious seat sharing issue for the ensuing assembly and Lok Sabha elections. Mitra on Friday had met Naveen after getting briefs from the state BJP leadership. That the meeting yielded little result was evident from the statement he made after emerging out of Naveen Niwas. "Details of the meeting cannot be discussed before the media," he remarked. He also said that both sides were examining the ground reality.

Sources said Mitra discussed with the core group details of his talks with Patnaik and sought the state leadership's views on whether or not to agree with the BJD formula. The BJD was rigid on dismantling the 84:63 and 12:9 ratio for the assembly and Lok Sabha seats. respectively, and wanted to contest more seats. It also wanted to reserve the right of choosing the seats for BJP.

This was clearly not acceptable. The BJP meeting also discussed the possibility of BJD fielding rebels to undercut the BJP's position whether there was an alliance or not.

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