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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