Cong welcomes former cricketer Azharuddin in its fold

NEW DELHI: The Congress
has welcomed former cricketer Mohammed Azharuddin saying that he has been a fine cricketer. Azharuddin is now all set to
contest the coming Lok Sabha polls on a Congress ticket.

Earlier, sources had told Times Now that Azharuddin had shown interest in contesting elections “from a prestigious seat”, and the Congress was open to the idea.

According to reports, Azharuddin had recently met Congress president Sonia Gandhi, where he expressed his desire to contest the upcoming elections.

Speculation was rife in February last year that he may either join or campaign for the Telangana Rashtra Samiti in the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation polls. The talk was sparked by the hour-long luncheon meeting he had with TRS president K Chandrasekhar Rao at the home of an Urdu newspaper's editor.

Azharuddin, however, denied any such plans, and said that he was only interested in giving something back to cricket.

The former cricketer has been involved in business ventures like running an event management company and setting up a health club in the up market Banjara Hills area of Hyderabad.

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Kalyan Singh quits BJP, says he was humiliated

LUCKNOW: BJP vice-president and former chief minister of Uttar Pradesh Kalyan Singh on Tuesday announced that he has resigned from all party
posts. ( Watch )

“I was being humiliated by the party. I have faxed my resignation to L K Advani and he must have received it by now,” Kalyan Singh said in a press conference.

He said he has never compromised with his dignity and will not do so in future as well. “I was feeling suffocated in the party,” Kalyam Singh said.

He said he will not form a new party and will not accept any other party’s membership.

“I am not resigning from active politics,” Kalyan Singh said.

He clarified that he never asked for party ticket for his son or some of his supporters.

Kalyan Singh said, “No one consulted me while preparing a poll candidates’ list for 80 constituencies. I just wanted Bulandshehr seat but they offered me ticket from Etah, which I have returned to party president Rajnath Singh.”

His decision to quit the party has come barely as day after Samajwadi Party supremo Mulayam Singh’s statement that Kalyan Singh’s son was welcome to fight Lok Sabha polls on SP ticket.

According to PTI, Kalyan Singh was once the Hindutva face of BJP and was the chief minister when the Babri Masjid was demolished in 1992.

He has been miffed with the party for nominating Ashok Pradhan, sitting MP from Bulandshahr seat. He has accused Pradhan of sabotaging his son Rajveer Singh's chances in the assembly elections two years ago from Diboi seat in Aligarh district.

BJP rejects allegations

BJP has however rejected Kalyan Singh’s allegations by stating that he has sided with the opponents.

“Kalyan Singh has joined hands with those who are our ideological opponents,” party leader Rajiv Pratap Rudy said in a press conference.

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Sanjay Dutt to be Samajwadi Party candidate from Lucknow

NEW DELHI: Bollywood film star Sanjay Dutt will be the Samajwadi Party candidate to contest the next Lok Sabha elections from Lucknow, the party
announced here on Thursday.

Party general secretary Amar Singh told reporters that if Dutt was disallowed from contesting the elections because of the criminal cases against him, the party would move the Election Commission or the Supreme Court.

"Dutt told me you are like my elder brother. He said he would do anything I ask him to though he said he was not a political person," Singh said.

The constituency is currently represented by former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

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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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