Jharkhand heading towards president's rule

Jharkhand appears heading for president's rule with the incumbent Madhu Koda government being reduced to a minority and JMM lacking the numbers to form the next government.

All eyes are now on the Governor Syed Sibtey Razi, whom the beleaguered Chief Minister would be meeting in the afternoon. "The Chief Minister is meeting the Governor today," a close aid of Koda said.

"JMM is holding a crucial meeting of all party MLAs and MPs to chalk out the next plan of action. We are making exercises to form the next government. The situation would be clear in a day or two," former deputy Chief Minister of the state and JMM MLA Sudhir Mahto told PTI.

Mahto had resigned yesterday from the cabinet after the party withdrew support to the government.

Two Jharkhand ministers--Bhanu Pratap Sahi and HRD Minister Bandhu Tirkey yesterday called on Soren to find a 'middle path' to resolve the impasse.

Amid reports that senior JMM leaders would be meeting the UPA leaders in Delhi, party general secretary Hemlal Murmu today clarified, "There is no immediate plan to visit Delhi."

Murmu, however, claimed "All those who are with Koda will fall in line and support us ultimately. We are going to form the government."

Earlier Stephen Marandi, deputy chief minister in the Koda government and an Independent retorted, "If Soren is insisting upon making way for the President rule in the state, we are ready for it."

Water Resource Minister Kamlesh Singh had also contradicted Soren's claim that the UPA has asked Koda to resign. "No instruction has come from UPA leadership regarding any change of guard in the state," Singh said hinting that independent ministers may visit the national capital to meet senior UPA leaders over the matter.

Source : Business Standard

Continue Reading...

Musharraf's resignation internal matter of Pakistan: India

NEW DELHI: India on Monday refrained from making any comment on the resignation of Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf, terming it as an "internal matter" of that country.

"We have no comments to make on the resignation of President Musharraf," External Affairs Ministry spokesman Navtej Sarna said when asked to speak on the latest development in Pakistan.

"This is an internal matter of Pakistan," he said. India has been having a "comfortable" working relationship with the Musharraf regime, despite it having the military tinge.

New Delhi has been expressing satisfaction over its engagement with the Musharraf dispensation during which the relations saw a lot of improvement after the initial phase of bitterness and even a 10-month military stand-off.

Among the significant developments during Musharraf's tenure were the border ceasefire in November 2003 and launch of the peace process and Composite Dialogue between the two countries in January 2004.

Under the peace process and composite dialogue process, a number of confidence building measures and other initiatives were undertaken successfully to improve ties.

Even cross-border infiltration had been under minimal during the later part of his term.

New Delhi, which is agitated at the renewed surge in infiltration and ceasefire violations by Pakistan, feels that it was easier to work with the Musharraf as it was a "single" power centre.

Source : Times Of India

Continue Reading...

MP Jogaiah quits Congress to join Chiranjeevi

HYDERABAD: Congress MP from Narsapur in Andhra Pradesh, C Harirama Jogaiah, on Sunday quit the party and Lok Sabha membership to join Telugu superstar Chiranjeevi's new party.

Jogaiah, who has been openly associating himself with the Chiranjeevi camp for long, resigned from the party soon after the film star announced his entry into politics.

According to party sources, the Congress leader sent in his resignation letter to Speaker Somnath Chatterjee.

Jogaiah had already announced in the past that he would leave Congress once Chiranjeevi takes the political plunge.

Source : Times Of India

Continue Reading...

JMM withdraws support to Koda govt

NEW DELHI/RANCHI: With the 17-member Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) withdrawing support to the Madhu Koda government on Sunday, Shibu Soren has inched closer to his long-cherised dream of becoming chief minister of the state which he helped create. ( Watch )

However, Soren will need the help of the Congress and RJD besides the all-powerful Independents if he is to realise his dream. Though Congress and RJD have promised support, the real party poppers could be the eight Independent MLAs. Congress owes Soren for saving the UPA government during the trust vote on July 22 but JMM sources told TOI that the RJD's support could not be taken for granted.

Railway minister Lalu Prasad, who had handpicked Koda for the top job, has been against Soren taking over as CM.

For the past three years, Independents have been holding the reins of power in Jharkhand, and would agree for nothing less than plum ministerial berths in exchange of support. All of them are ministers in the Koda government. Even Koda is an Independent MLA.

After day-long deliberations, the JMM handed over a letter to governor Syed Sibte Razi withdrawing support to the government. A delegation consisting of all 17 MLAs, five MPs and members of the party's central committee met Razi at Raj Bhawan under the leadership of Soren.

Three cabinet ministers in the Koda government from JMM — deputy CM Sudhir Mahato, agriculture minister Nalin Soren and land and revenue minister Dulal Bhuiyan also handed their resignations individually. Razi later said he would take a decision that was legally and constitutionally correct. The Independents had a long meeting with Koda after JMM withdrew support. It is expected that they would bargain hard with Soren.

Unwilling to speak about the JMM's strategy in terms of staking claim to government formation, Soren said they had not decided on anything. "We have simply handed over a letter intimating withdrawal of support, now the governor is all powerful to take any decision to call any one for forming the government," he said.

Source : Times of India

Continue Reading...

Chiranjeevi forays into politics

HYDERABAD: Standing under pictures of Mahatma Gandhi, Mother Teresa, B R Ambedkar and Jyotibha Phule whose teachings he said had transformed him, Telugu megastar Chiranjeevi on Sunday announced his entry into politics and said his main opponent was neither the Congress nor TDP, but poverty. ( Watch )

"I am neither a leftist nor a rightist, I am a humanist," the actor said bidding adieu to his "30-year-long pleasure trip in the movie world".

Chiranjeevi promised to unveil his political agenda, policies and programme on August 26 at a public meeting at Tirupati. The actor, who turns 53 on Friday, said he would work for a "cheerful" Andhra Pradesh.

Conducting the press conference all by himself, unassisted by aides, the megastar avoided giving direct answers to the volley of questions directed at him by a huge assembly of mediapersons who had descended on his office to attend his maiden news conference.

On several issues like the precise reasons for kickstarting a political party, his views on a separate Telangana state, the issue of Naxalism, on the relevance of Congress and TDP, Chiranjeevi parried replies saying they were "sensitive issues" and he would react at an "appropriate time".

Asked how many seats he expected to win in the next elections, Chiranjeevi said: "I'm not entering politics for power or for office but for social service. Social justice and welfare for poor would be high on my agenda."
Pressed on how he would react to difficult issues, Chiranjeevi said his sensitivity would be his strength.

"Being sensitive, I can understand the pain of the people better than the present day politicians."

Though indicating that his would be a party inclined to social welfare, Chiranjeevi made no reference to inflation or other serious issues of confronting the state like mindless destruction of the environment, uprooting of people by big projects and problems faced by the rural poor.

Chiranjeevi, in true filmy style, referred to two suicide notes — one by a home guard and another by an IT couple who lamented that they were embracing death without having got a chance to vote for him. He also referred to the call given by former president Dr APJ Abdul Kalam to professionals to enter politics said that this had influenced him.

He also bowed his head before intellectuals, artists, women and students, who had urged him to join politics and declared that it would be a blunder not to respond to their invitation.

Interestingly, Chiranjeevi paid rich tributes to NT Rama Rao,the founder of Telugu Desam Party, for having inspired him in more than one way. True to his non controversial nature, on the two major parties Congress and TDP he said, "Everybody is doing work in their own way. But, we want take that further to the grassroot level, and do things in a different manner."


Source : Times Of India

Continue Reading...

MUSHARRAF QUITS AS PAK PRESIDENT

MUSHARRAF QUITS AS PAK PRESIDENT

Islamabad: Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf on Monday announced that he was resigning from his post in the face of an impending impeachment motion by the ruling coalition government.

Musharraf announced his decision in a 75-minute televised speech in which he flayed attempts to impeach him but said was avoiding confrontation to prevent instability.

"No impeachment or charge-sheet can stand against me. But I think this is not the time for individual bravado—this is the time for serious thought. In the interest of the country, I have decided to resign,” he said.

“The resignation will reach the National Assembly Speaker shortly," the 65-year-old former army chief said in an emotional internationally televised address.

Sources told CNN-IBN that Musharraf is likely to go to Jeddah in as a state guest of Saudi Arabia and he would stay at the same guesthouse where former Pakistan prime minister Nawaz Sharif, the man he deposed, stayed.


Source : IBN Live

Continue Reading...

Next Pak Prez should be preferably from Baluchistan: Sharif

Islamabad: Pakistan seems to be entering into a new era. President Pervez Musharraf is on his way out as the ruling coalition draws up a 100 page long chargesheet against him.

In an exclusive interview to CNN-IBN, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) chief Nawaz Sharif strongly indicated that Pervez Musharraf’s days are numbered as the President of Pakistan. And, at the same time, Sharif also dismissed speculation about him taking over the presidential post.

Following are the excerpts from the interview:

When will Musharraf go?

Nawaz Sharif: He has to decide. I don’t think there is much of an option for him now. You will hear the announcement perhaps in one of these days. If he wants to fight, or he wants to face the charges, it is his choice. I think next three,four,five days are very crucial. So you will see something happening in the next few day.

No safe exit for Musharraf?

Nawaz Sharif: Well, I don’t know what they are negotiating, because on one side we are preparing a chargesheet against him and chargesheet is very clear. No preparation is needed for a charge sheet everybody knows what he has done to the country and the havoc he has played with the country and the institutions of the state. So I don’t know whether they are in negotiation with this man. There should not be a safe exit for people who play havoc with the country, who derail the system, who subvert the constitution, who try to ridicule the judges, throw them out of office and you talking of safe exit for such people.

Who will be the next President?

Nawaz Sharif: I am not personally interested. It should go to a person who actually enjoys the support of the people of Pakistan. I think best would be somebody from Balochistan of course there is a sense of deprivation in the province of Balochistan, perhaps that will be a better choice.

Source : IBN Life

Continue Reading...

JMM meet to review support

RANCHI(INDIA): Independent ministers have begun to get in touch with JMM chief Shibu Soren after he threatened to withdraw support to the Madhu Koda government.

A source close to Soren claimed that all the independents ministers have contacted Guruji. Telephone conversations have become more frequent after the JMM chief got an appointment with Governor Syed Sibte Razi for Sunday.

"The moment Guruji made public his intention to withdraw support to the UPA government both at the Centre and in the state, the independent ministers started contacting him to get a feel of things. A couple of them have also bargained regarding ministrial posts in case Guruji takes over as CM," a source said.

He revealed that some independent ministers had even expressed their displeasure over the style of functioning of the present government under influence of some central UPA leaders.

"The independent ministers don't want an early election. When they came to know of Guruji's plan to meet the Governor and his threat to withdraw support to the Koda government all of them started contacting him through different sources," the source said.

Deputy chief minister Stephen Marandi has also been trying the guage the mood in the JMM camp through his old associates in the party, he claimed. One of the independent ministers is even ready to accompany the JMM delegation to the Rajbhawan, a JMM insider said.

JMM organizing secretary Supriyo Bhattacharya confirmed that some independent ministers are in touch with Guruji. He, however, declined to name the ministers who are in touch with the party chief.

Source : Times Of India

Continue Reading...

SIMI arrests expose UPA's inability to tackle terrorism: BJP

NEW DELHI: BJP has welcomed the arrests of SIMI members involved in the Ahmedabad and Surat bomb plots and said the role of the banned organization exposed UPA's inability to tackle terror as at least three senior coalition leaders had only last week welcomed the decision of a tribunal to lift the ban on the outfit.

Though the ban had been promptly restored by the Supreme Court, BJP claimed that the action of RJD leader Lalu Prasad, LJP chief Ram Vilas Paswan and Congress's newest ally, SP boss Mulayam Singh Yadav, in welcoming the "relief" to SIMI had exposed their desperate votebank compulsions. "Today is a day of shame for UPA," said party general secretary Arun Jaitley.

Speaking to the media after the Gujarat police announced the arrests, Jaitley complimented the Gujarat
police for the swift investigation and pointing to the depth and spread of the SIMI network, asked whether the extremist organisation's backers in the UPA would now clarify their positions.

"At least three UPA members support SIMI while a fourth, the PDP, talks of marching to Muzzaffarabad in PoK," Jaitley said.

The party clearly views the breakthrough in the Ahmedabad and Surat investigations as an important boost to its claims of being tough on terrorism and Jaitley immediately demanded that the Centre allow Gujarat and Rajasthan to have their versions of the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act, which are currently awaiting presidential sanction.

Jaitley said that those arrested in terror cases would be put to speedier trial under MCOCA-like laws in the absence of which the accused were often able to get bail. The essential provisions of special laws like admissibility of wire taps and confessions before a magistrate, tough bail conditions and quicker trials were important to waging the war on terror. BJP-ruled states are not being allowed to have recourse to such laws despite they being available to Congress-administered states.

Jaitley said that the Centre, in particular home minister Shivraj Patil, had often observed that law and order was a state subject. But at the same time, the Manmohan Singh government has deliberately prevented Gujarat and Rajasthan from having special laws in order to propiate its Muslim support base.

Source : Times Of India

Continue Reading...

Musharraf must quit by Sunday: Pak govt

ISLAMABAD: Mounting pressure on beleaguered President Pervez Musharraf, Pakistan's ruling coalition on Saturday set a 24-hour deadline for him to resign or face impeachment in parliament next week as his chances of getting legal immunity dimmed.

Musharraf is "short of time" and if he does not quit by Sunday, the impeachment proceedings will start, senior Pakistan People's Party leader and Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said in Multan.

Pakistani media reported that with no resolution in sight to the political impasse, the ruling coalition may be turning to army chief Gen Ashfaq Kayani to hasten the ouster of the President who has reportedly sought Saudi mediation but this was dismissed by Qureshi.

Speculation continued that Musharraf may step down in next 48 hours but the embattled President is holding out, making last-ditch efforts to strike a hard bargain.

Musharraf is reportedly not ready to accept anything short of an "honourable" stay in Pakistan with full presidential protocol and benefits and legal cover for his actions in the event of his resignation.

But a key ally of the ruling coalition, the PML-N led by former premier Nawaz Sharif, ruled out legal cover for Musharraf. "Legal guarantees are out of question," party spokesman Siddique-ul-Farooq said.

The ruling coalition is giving final shape to a comprehensive chargesheet to initiate impeachment proceedings against Musharraf. The impeachment motion would be tabled in parliament within a couple of days, Farooq said adding, it contains Musharraf's "unconstitutional acts and corruption."


Source : Times Of India

Continue Reading...