UPA

Bardhan calls for radical steps to battle recession

manoj — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 13:05:45 +0530

Suggesting that more money should be pumped into pockets of the common man, CPI National General Secretary A B Bardhan on Saturday said radical steps have to be taken by the Centre to fight the economic recession.

"The only way to fight recession is to expand the domestic market and protect the interests of the consumers. This can be done by pumping more money into the pockets of the common people and not the millionaires and billionaires," Bardhan told reporers.

The CPI general secretary was here to take part in the two-day state executive meeting of the party to finalise the alliances in Andhra Pradesh.

He said lessons have to be learnt from the capitalist world whose economies have collapsed because of the current depression.

"These lessons have been clearly marked by Karl Marx, Engels and Lenin. Now, many are turning to Marx to put the economy back on tracks," Bardhan observed.

He also demanded that the Government reduce the prices of petroleum products forthwith in view of the steep fall in the price of crude oil.

The CPI leader alleged that the Government was not reducing the fuel prices only to fill the coffers of oil refineries, most of which were in the hands of private players.

"The Centre was in a hurry to rise prices of petrol, diesel and liquefied petroleum gas when crude oil prices shot up. But the hike was not rolled back despite crude prices falling from $140 a barrel to $50," he pointed out.

Bardhan expressed concern that prices of food and vegetables have not come down despite the fall in inflation.

"The food prices are in fact rising," he noted and stressed on the need to tackle these issues seriously.

Referring to AICC chief Sonia Gandhi's recent remarks on bank nationalisation, the CPI general secretary said she failed to make a mention about the "consistent efforts made by financial policy makers in the last four years to dilute the nationalisation."

He pointed out that the UPA government sought to denationalise not only the banks but also the insurance sector and other financial institutions.

"But the Left strongly opposed this and ensured that the Centre did not go ahead with its moves. Should not the UPA government acknowledge the fact that the Left saved the country from sinking into an economic morass?" he said.

Don't defame any community for votes: Advani

sitansu — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 23:48:07 +0530

Senior BJP leader Lal Krishna Advani on Monday alleged 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 in Raipur 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.

Advani challenged the UPA government to show one major achievement during its over four years of rule.

Anti-terror laws losing teeth in India?

megha — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 10:33:37 +0530

In what could be music to BJP's ears, an official study of the provisions of existing anti-terror acts shows that they have been "diluted" over a period of time.

The fact that such laws have lost teeth comes to light when provisions of anti-terror laws in India are analysed and compared with similar laws in some other countries.

The comparison, drawn by the second Administrative Reforms Commission appointed by the Centre, shows while most countries were adopting tough anti-terrorism measures, the provisions of similar laws "have been diluted in India over a period of time".

Amdist a raging debate on the need for having tougher anti-terror laws, the main opposition BJP has been accusing the Congress-led UPA at the Centre of being soft on terror and has declared that if it comes to power it would bring back POTA.

The saffron party is also making a political capital out of the "failure" of the Centre to give assent to Gujarat's GUJCOC anti-terror legislation which has similar provisions like that of MOCOCA in Congress-ruled Maharashtra.

The refrain of the Centre has been that the current provisions in various Acts are adequate enough to deal with terrorism and that certain stringent provisions of POTA have been incorporated in the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.

Noting that there was a serious threat to the security of the country from terrorists who are "highly organised, motivated and possessing links with international terrorist groups", the panel noted that the existing penal laws in the country were not enacted to deal with this situation.

"There is ample evidence to indicate that terrorists have been able to escape the law either by exploiting the loopholes or by intimidating witnesses to subvert justice," it said.

The panel, headed by M Veeprappa Moily, pointed out that many western countries with strong traditions of democracy and civil liberty have enacted legislations to deal with the threat of terrorism.

Their laws contain provisions pertaining to constitution of special fast track courts, making release on bail extremely difficult for the accused, and enhanced penalties cutting the source of funding for terror activities, among others.

It said a comparison on anti-terror laws in India shows Terrorism and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act had provisions for constitution of designated courts, while POTA provided for special courts. But the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act has no provision for special courts, it said.

While TADA had a provision for imprisonment for five years extending to life term, there was no mention of minimum punishment in POTA and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.

PM denies bias against Opposition-ruled states

megha — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 15:12:40 +0530

Rejecting the charges of bias against opposition-ruled states like Kerala, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said on Tuesday that he has taken special care to look into issues brought to him and there was no question of any discrimination.

"It has been my conscious effort that neither government of Kerala, West Bengal nor Tripura should have any real grievance," he said while returning from a three-day visit to energy-rich Gulf region.

Singh was replying to questions by reporters on discrimination charges levied by the Left Democratic Front government in Kerala.

Stating that the Central Government was conscious of its obligation to help the people in opposition-ruled states, he said: "I have made very special efforts to attend to their concerns. It is our duty, it is not a favour to them."

"As a Prime Minister, I have taken special care to look into any issues which the Chief Ministers of Kerala, West Bengal or Tripura have brought to my notice. So there is no question of any discrimination," Singh said.

"These are states of the Union and it is duty of the Central government to come to their help despite the fact that they may be run by parties who may be opposed to us," he said.

Asked if he was satisfied with the way Maharashtra government has handled violence against north Indians, Singh said he would not like to comment on an internal matter when abroad.

"It will not be proper on my part to comment on internal matters which may have a bearing on the relations between the union and the state," he said.

He also brushed aside questions on early polls saying "I have often said when the country goes to poll you (media) would be the first to hear about."

Centre passes buck to NDA Govt for collapse of Bofors case

sitansu — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 18:53:36 +0530

The Centre on Monday sought to pass the buck in the Supreme Court to the previous NDA regime for the virtual collapse of the Bofors case saying that major charges against the accused were dropped by the Delhi High Court in 2004 after a statement made by the then government.

The Centre contended that "nothing was left" in the matter after the High Court by its two separate verdicts held that no case was made out under the Prevention of Corruption Act (PCA) and quashed charges against all accused except Italian businessman Ottavio Quattrocchi.

Additional Solicitor General (ASG) Gopal Subramanium said PCA charges were quashed on February 4, 2004 against the accused after his predecessor in the NDA government, senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, had told the High Court that there was no evidence to proceed under the Act.

He said later on May 31, 2005, the High Court had quashed other charges framed by the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate against the accused.

The High Court had quashed the charges after Subramanium's colleague ASG Bhagwan Dutta had conceded that CBI was unable to get either the authenticated or originals of Swiss documents on the basis of which the investigating agency had proceeded against the accused.

The apex court was hearing petitions relating to Quattrocchi, who has not yet appeared in any Indian court, and contempt petition against former CBI Director Vijay Shanker for allegedly misleading the court over the extradition proceedings initiated against the Italian businessman.

The court wanted to know if the decisions of the High Court were challenged or not.

"Had anybody challenged the discharge of the accused by the High Court," a Bench headed by Chief Justice K G Balakrishnan asked.

Subramanium said CBI has not filed any appeal.

We have to break Congress monopoly: Advani

sitansu — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 22:52:15 +0530

We have to "break the monopoly of the Congress" from this country, Bharatiya Janata Party's prime ministerial candidate L K Advani said on Saturday, charging that India was "overflowing" with the bad policies of the ruling United Progressive Alliance (UPA).

"We have to break the monopoly of Congress from this country and in order to do that effectively, all the opposition parties have to form a single alliance. Our country is overflowing with the bad policies of the UPA," Advani said while addressing a huge gathering at the Vijay Sankalp (victory pledge) rally organised by NDA partner Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) in Sonepat.

The rally was attended by Advani, BJP president Rajnath Singh, Punjab Chief Minister and Akali Dal leader Parkash Singh Badal, INLD leader and former Haryana chief minister Om Prakash Chautala and former union minister Sharad Yadav.

The rally was the first major show of strength by the BJP and the INLD after they forged an electoral alliance in Haryana last month. Scores of men and women gathered at the HUDA ground along the busy national highway No 1 to attend the rally.

Advani said, "During our tenure of six years, the NDA government kept a check on rising inflation while the UPA has increased the inflation manifold. Despite various economic restrictions posed on us by the US in the wake of our historic Pokharan nuclear tests, we did not let the prices of commodities to increase."

He criticised the UPA government for failing to control the suicides by debt-ridden farmers. "The debt waiver scheme of the UPA was just a political stunt. It did not mitigate the suffering of the poor farmers," he added.

"The Congress party has an illusion that India only constitutes cities like Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata but the ground reality is that 70 percent of Indians still live in the rural areas. They are quite ignorant towards the farmers' community and are rampantly converting the world's most arable land into industrial units," BJP president Rajnath Singh said.

"In the last four and a half years, terrorism has mushroomed at an alarming rate in our country. We admit that there were terrorist attacks during the NDA government but we were successful in nabbing the accused and in conducting speedy trials. The UPA government has failed on this front," Singh added.

"It is quite sad that three foreign educated individuals - Manmohan Singh, P Chidambaram and Montek Singh Ahluwalia - are only busy in selling our county to foreign players. They are just filling the pockets of some prominent families and our farmer community is at the receiving end of their cynical policies," claimed INLD leader Om Parkash Chautala.

Centre mulls holding LS polls in February

megha — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 18:34:28 +0530

Government appears to be toying with the idea of holding Lok Sabha elections in February, apparently depending on how the global economic crisis plays itself out. An indication to this effect was given by Minister of state in the PMO Prithviraj Chavan.

Noting that there is a "talk" in political circles about February elections, he said that there were two slots that were possible for holding the elections - one in February and other in April-May as March is the month of school examinations.

The next government has to assume office by the third week of May.

Asked by reporters whether February is the "favourite" time, he said that "everyone has his own favourite time and there are two views either to go in for February polls or on schedule."

He said within the government and the party, a firm decision will be taken on the best available time.

Government sources said that if it is a February election then the schedule for the Lok Sabha polls would have to be announced by middle of December, soon after the results of the five Assembly polls.

Congress sources said the state of the economy would be the key factor while taking a call on the timing of the election.

If there are any indications that economy would deteriorate further then the only option would be an early poll and in such a scenario, February could be the choice.

A section of the Government was also earlier pleading for election in December itself in the wake of the global economic meltdown. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had said at that time that India could not remain unaffected by the global economic crisis.

In 2004, the BJP-led NDA had advanced the Lok Sabha elections by six months with a sizeable section in the saffron party hoping that they could reap dividends through snap polls.

Rahul laments not getting "justice" for Rajiv

megha — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 19:56:15 +0530

In the midst of the criticism faced by the UPA government over delay in hanging Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru, Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday injected a personal element lamenting he has not got "justice" even 17 years after his father Rajiv Gandhi's assassination.

The remarks by the scion of the Nehru-Gandhi family in an apparent reference to the non-execution of death sentence awarded to those convicted in the assassination of the former prime minister came when he blamed the "slow" pace of the country's legal system.

"My father was a prime minister. My grand mother was also a prime minister, but I did not get justice. My father was killed by a bomb. Forty people were involved. It has taken 17 years, but still there has been no punishment," Gandhi told students of the H N Bahuguna University in this hill state.

Gandhi's remarks came when a student asked him why death row convict Afzal Guru has not been hanged yet. "The issue is not why Afzal is not being hanged. Our legal system is very slow," said the Congress General Secretary.

He blamed the "slow" Indian legal system for that but said he had "full faith" in the judiciary and had no no complaints about it.

The Congress MP said he never complained why his father's killers were not hanged. "I believe in the legal system of the country. I will get justice but it will take time."

BJP to bring in more stringent law than POTA

sitansu — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 18:35:52 +0530

Promising to bring in a "more stringent" anti-terror law than POTA if voted to power, the BJP on Thursday accused the UPA government of lacking strong political will to deal with terrorism which, it said, was the "biggest threat" faced by the country.

"We will enact a law which is more stringent than POTA to fight terrorism," BJP president Rajnath Singh told reporters in Ahmedabad.

"The biggest threat the country is facing today is 'jihadi' terrorism. UPA government's evasive response and lack of strong will to counter the challenges posed by different terrorists groups has created an atmosphere of insecurity and fear in the country," Singh said.

The UPA, the BJP leader alleged, "cannot see the difference between terrorism and Muslims and is treating the issue with the angle of vote-bank politics." Singh referred to the recent National Integration Council meeting in New Delhi where terrorism was kept out of the agenda.

In the wake of the recent serial blasts in Jaipur, Bangalore, Ahmedabad and Delhi, the BJP has been making a strong pitch for revival of POTA, that was scrapped by UPA.

Taking exception to the government's stand on ram Sethu, Singh accused it of practicing "cultural terrorism".

"It is shocking to see the government has grossly misinterpreted the Kamban Ramayana and told the Supreme Court that Lord Rama himself had destroyed the Ram Sethu," Singh said, adding it was not the first time that the UPA government had "insulted people's belief".

BJP cries foul against UPA's take on Ram Setu

megha — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 19:14:10 +0530

The BJP on Wednesday accused the UPA government of attempting to abuse and hurt Hindu sentiments by stating in the Supreme Court that there was no proof of Ram Sethu being a place of worship.

"By stating before the Supreme Court that there is no proof that Ram Sethu is a place of worship or that it is an integral part of Hindu religion, the UPA has once again tried to abuse and hurt Hindu sentiments," party spokesperson Ravi Shanker Prasad told reporters New Delhi.

Prasad said the government had no right to define what forms an integral part of Hindu religion. "The government has taken upon itself the role to decide as to what is and what is not an integral part of Hindu religion. Who has given this authority to the UPA government?" Prasad asked.

Terming the language used in the affidavit "derogatory and designed to hurt Hindu sentiments", Prasad said the government would never use such language against a symbol of reverence of any other religion.

He demanded that the UPA should explain the basis of its contention made in the affidavit on Ram Sethu.

"The UPA's stand on the issue is highly condemnable. What is the historical, philosophical, cultural and spiritual basis for this stand," Prasad asked. "The saga of Lord Ram has been a part of Hindu psyche for thousands of years and Ram Sethu is a part of that."

Accusing the UPA government of doublespeak on the issue, Prasad said that earlier the government had questioned the existence of Lord Ram, then contended that Lord Ram himself had destroyed the Ram Sethu while returning from Sri Lanka.

"There is a concerted, consistent and deliberate attempt to hurt Hindu sentiments on this issue," the saffron party spokesperson alleged.

Advani slams Govt for communalising terrorism

megha — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 18:56:24 +0530

The BJP on Wednesday alleged the Congress-led UPA government was giving a communal shape to terrorism by not executing Parliament attack case convict Afzal Guru.

Senior BJP leader L K Advani said though the lower court had sentenced Afzal to death and the High Court and Supreme Court upheld it, the Congress-led UPA government was not executing him because of "fear of losing votes", Advani alleged at a 'Vijay Sankalp' rally in Ranchi.

Had the convict been a tribal, a Dalit or a Hindu the sentence would have been carried out by now, Advani said and added but in the case of Afzal it was not being done as he was a Muslim and hailed from Jammu and Kashmir.

"The person had conspired to attack Parliament ...nine securitymen lost their lives ... but the sentence still has not yet carried out. Is this not giving a communal shape to terrorism? Terrorism has no religion ... a terrorist is a criminal."

Accusing the SIMI of triggering bomb blasts in different parts of the country, Advani claimed that during the NDA rule the terrorists came from Pakistan while now they come from within. "The UPA government is unable to tackle terrorism," Advani alleged.

Advani also quoted a reported statement by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh two years ago saying "I was stunned when the prime minister said the country had limited resources and Muslims, not minorities, should be given first priority.

"I would also like the welfare of Muslims. I would also like the welfare of every citizen of the country but an economist speaking like that!" the BJP prime ministerial candidate said.

"What I understand is, priority of the limited resources should be given to the poor, irrespective of Muslims, Christians or whosoever it be," Advani said.

Advani said Kerala had a student subsidy programme under which Muslim students were given Rs 14,000 per year while Schedule Caste and Schedule Tribe students received only Rs 240 per annum.

"Look at the huge margin. What kind of policy is this? Is this way one should rule?" said the former deputy prime minister.

Ram Setu not integral part of Hinduism: Centre

megha — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 20:22:59 +0530

Giving a new twist to the Sethusamudram project controversy, the government has contended before the Supreme Court that the mythological Rama Setu bridge is not an "essential" and "integral" part of Hindu religion.

"It has not been proved undoubtedly to be the belief of the Hindu community that Lord Rama did not himself break the bridge. Nor has it been established that whatever remains of the Rama Setu as a piece of worship is an essential and integral part of the Hindu religion," the UPA government said in its written submission.

The government stand assumes importance as on the last hearing on July 30 it had assured the court that it was considering the possibility of pushing the project through an alternative alignment to avoid any damage to 'Rama Setu' for which an expert committee has been set up.

However, it persisted with the argument that Rama Setu or Adams Bridge was broken by Lord Rama while returning from Sri Lanka and as such "anything broken could not be worshipped".

It said that the opponents of the project have not proved that Rama Setu forms an "integral" and "essential" part of Hindu religion and has to be protected.

"A religious belief or practise which is not an essential and integral part of the religion is not protected by Article 25 or 26 of the Constitution", the Centre said and quoted various previous judgements of the apex court to drive home its point.

Following the government assurance in July that it was considering an alternative alignment for the project, the Prime Minister Office had set up an expert committee headed by noted scientist R K Pachauri, Director General of Tata Energy Research Institute, to look into the suggestion.

Though no time-frame has been set for the Committee to place its report, the apex court had said that it will consider the findings of the panel before giving its verdict and had allowed the contesting parties to file written submissions if they wished.

In September last year, the Centre had to withdraw its two controversial affidavits questioning the existence of Lord Rama and opposing claims that the Rama Setu was a man-made bridge.

The Centre once again attacked the AIADMK Chief J Jayalalithaa for opposing the project on religious grounds, saying that the environmental clearance to the project was given by her government.

It said that Jayalalithaa's change in stand was politically motivated despite the fact that in the 2001 Assembly elections she came to power by promising in the election manifesto that the project would be implemented.

"Now at this point of time to say that the Adams Bridge should not be cut is nothing but a politically motivated submission," the Centre said.

India's composite culture under attack: PM

manoj — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 08:54:46 +0530

In a veiled attack on the saffron forces blamed for the anti-Christian violence in Orissa and Karnataka, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Monday said the "most disturbing and dangerous" aspect now is the "assault" on the country's composite culture.

"Recent tragic events in Orissa, Karnataka and Assam have pained all right thinking persons. There are clashes between Hindus, Christians, Muslims and Tribal groups. An atmosphere of hatred and violence is being artificially generated.

"There are forces deliberately encouraging such tendencies and also spawning militant outfits who engage in irrational violence. These need to be firmly dealt with. There is, at the same time, real need for better understanding of the forces at work," he said in his opening remarks at the National Integration Council meeting in the capital.

On terrorism, which was included at the last minute in the agenda of the meeting after BJP Chief Ministers made a demand, he said that there can be no compromise with terrorism and terrorists have to be dealt with firmly.

"At the same time, it is important that in trying to counter terrorism, wrong methods and means are not adopted.

Any impression that any community or sections amongst them are being targeted or that some kind of profiling is being attempted should be avoided. This vital, as otherwises, it could lead a major polarization in society," Singh said.

Among those in the audience were Cabinet Ministers, Chief Ministers, leaders of national and state parties including Sonia Gandhi, Rajnath Singh and eminent personalities from various walks of life.

Chief Ministers of Orissa and Karnataka Naveen Patnaik and B S Yeddyurappa and Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi were among those present at the day long meeting.

The Prime Minister appeared to be doing a balancing act by referring to the recent ethnic violence in Assam along with the attack on Christians in the NDA-ruled Karnataka and Orissa but made it clear that "the process of governance needs to be strengthened and the rule of law maintained, but in a manner that brings hope and succour to the poor and needy".

Against demands from UPA for imposition of President's rule in Orissa and a ban on Hindu outfit Bajrang Dal and VHP, Singh said those who threaten communal harmony, integrity and peaceful coexistence deserved very deterrent punishment.

"In doing so, we need to be bound by the framework of our Constitution and the political democratic process that enables us to reconcile differences through dialogue. We should not be provoked to suspend or subvert a democratic process in the search for solutions," he said.

Nation building

On the issue of Left Wing extremism, the Prime Minister said that many of those who were being encouraged to take to violence have suffered from years, and sometimes generations, of violence at the hands of exploiters and unscrupulous elements.

"Yet, we cannot ignore the reality that today's naxalites are armed with sophisticated weapons, and adept at guerilla warfare techniques and have caused the death of many innocent people and members of the security forces," he said.

A proper distinction has to be made so that while there was no attempt made to minimise the threat posed by them and to deal effectively with the problem, the poor tribals and others should not be made to suffer needlessly at the hands of the authorities as well, he said.

The Prime Minister said there were multiple deprivations in the country that could be manipulated, perhaps cynically manipulated, to promote divisions in society.

"Our task of nation building is still work-in-progress," he said adding that the energies ought to be singularly focused on removing poverty, disease, ignorance and the inequality of opportunity.

"We are at a point in history where the world is looking at India as a country which is successfully transforming its economy in the context of a working democracy," he said adding that the fast rate of economic development would in itself become an "antidote to several forces of sectarianism that we are witnessing today."

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Wrong to malign Islam: Advani

manoj — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 14:23:58 +0530

Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) prime ministerial candidate LK Advani on Saturday said that it is wrong to target and malign one particular religion for the wrongs of a few.

"Even if the Quran is quoted in threatening emails by terrorists, we should not malign a religion. It is the particular interpretation of the al Qaida-type of groups," Advani said while addressing a seminar on War on Terrorism organised by Rambhau Mhalgi Prabodhini, a BJP- sponsored think tank.

He said that Hindu scriptures could also be misinterpreted and it would be "intolerable if people malign Hindutva because of that."

On the party's repeated demand for reviving the stringent anti-terror law Prevention of Terrorism Act (POTA), Advani said that "We have accepted the Supreme Court's directions and precautions to check misuse of the law. This shows the determination of the BJP to make proper laws."

The BJP has intensified its campaign for the general elections due next year and is using the issue of terrorism to criticise the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government.

The seminar on Saturday is one of many planned to mobilise people against the UPA government on the BJP's chief election plank - the fight against terrorism.

Govt alert to all threats, capable to tackle them: Sonia Gandhi

sneha — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 14:29:06 +0530

In the wake of the recent serial blasts in the country, Congress President Sonia Gandhi on Tuesday said the UPA government is alert to all threats to internal security and capable of tackling the challenges.

"We are very alert to threats to internal security and we are capable of tackling any challenge," Gandhi said at a rally in Dadri.

She added that her party does not indulge in petty politics over such a sensitive issue. "The unity and integrity of the country is utmost for us," she said.

The Congress President also said there was no harm in political parties seeking support from the people but once a government is formed, be it in the Centre or a state, the government should work for the people and not any political party.

"Congress party has always followed this principle. Whenever we came to power, we never discriminated against anybody. Funds given by the Centre to the states belongs to the people of the state and to each individual," she said.

Taking a dig at the Mayawati-led Uttar Pradesh government, Congress President Sonia Gandhi on Tuesday said crores of funds given by the Centre were not reaching the people of the state due to corruption.

She exhorted the people, especially the Congress workers, to raise their voice against corruption and share the grievances and pain of the common people.

The Congress President further said the party is not against land acquisition for growth of industries, but the farmers should get proper compensation and also partnership in the land acquired.

"UPA government has prepared a Bill for land acquisition. We hope to pass it in Parliament soon," Gandhi said.

While highlighting the achievements of the UPA government, she lauded its efforts in clinching the Indo-US civil nuclear deal.

Gandhi said the deal would benefit the farmers by generating employment, and ensuring adequate power supply.

Mayawati not to join Left stir on Thursday

megha — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 19:45:53 +0530

Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati has rejected the Left parties' call to join their stir on Thursday, the day Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is scheduled to meet President George W Bush in Washington.

"We invited her for a joint stir on September 25. But she told us that her party MPs would be busy that day with some other engagements," a senior Left leader, who did not want to be named, told IANS New Delhi on Tuesday.

Mayawati's refusal indicates she may not join the Left leaders' efforts to form a 'viable third alternative' to the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) before the general elections next year.

Mayawati's refusal to go along with the Left parties reportedly came after the Left parties, particularly Communist Party of India-Marxist [CPI(M)], conveyed its unwillingness to contest the next general elections under her leadership.

The senior Left leader said there was a dispute within the Left parties on Communist Party of India (CPI) general secretary AB Bardhan's "unilateral" announcement that 'the third alternative' would face elections under Mayawati's leadership.

"When comrade Bardhan unilaterally announced that the third front would face elections under the leadership of Mayawati, many of us were stunned," he said.

The Left parties discussed the matter and rejected Bardhan's announcement, he said.

The Left parties, Deve Gowda's Janata Dal-Secular [JD(S)] and Telugu Desam Party (TDP), the lone member of the United National Progressive Alliance (UNPA), would stage protest on September 25.

They will protests the India-US nuclear deal and the Manmohan Singh government's foreign policy.

Moreover, the relations between the BSP and the Left parties are reportedly strained after Mayawati said she would not allocate a single seat to the Left parties in Uttar Pradesh in the coming Lok Sabha elections.

The CPI(M)'s Uttar Pradesh unit subsequently announced a strike against Mayawati's "misrule" in the state.

Government rules out POTA return

sitansu — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 17:42:28 +0530

The Indian government on Thursday firmly ruled out the return of a stringent anti-terror law it had repealed four years ago and said that the existing statute would be strengthened to deal with extremism.

"No, no, no. I can tell you POTA will not be brought back. The existing law is adequate. If there are any legal loopholes, these will be plugged," Information and Broadcasting Minister Priya Ranjan Dasmunsi said in New Delhi.

He was briefing reporters on the deliberations of a special cabinet meeting Prime Minister Manmohan Singh chaired late Wednesday in the wake of a spate of terror bombings in the country - including five serial blasts in the capital on last Saturday.

"POTA was draconian. There is no question of bringing it back," the minister maintained.

The United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government, soon after it came to power in 2004, had repealed the Prevention of Terrorism Act (POTA) that the previous National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government had enacted.

In doing so, the government had also amended the then 37-year-old Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act to give it more teeth.

POTA had replaced the Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act that was enacted in 1987 and which was described as the first legislative effort to define and counter terrorism. The act was allowed to lapse in 1995 following widespread complaints about its misuse.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has been repeatedly demanding the return of POTA following the terror bombings in Jaipur, Bangalore, Ahmedabad and New Delhi that have claimed scores of lives and injured hundreds more.

Manmohan Singh had referred to the need for tough anti-terror laws during his address to the Governor's Conference on Wednesday, even as he decried the politicisation of the issue.

"We are actively considering legislation to further strengthen the substantive anti-terrorism law in line with the global consensus on the fight against terrorism," the PM said.

"Unfortunately the public debate on the issue had tended to get driven by politics, and has centered on certain laws enacted or repealed by governments of different political persuasions," Singh added.

Women's Bill unlikely to be implemented soon

megha — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 10:34:52 +0530

The proposed bill to provide 33 percent women reservation in Parliament and state assemblies is unlikely to be implemented during the term of the present Lok Sabha.

This is because of certain technicalities involved in the passage of the Constitutional Amendment Bill, according to senior Congress MP E M Sudarshana Natchiappan, heading the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Law and Justice.

"Though this Constitutional Amendment Bill can be passed by the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha now, its operationalisation can take place only after constitution of a new Lok Sabha because of time constraint," he said.

He said the Committee was working on a "compromise" formula on the Women's Reservation Bill which remained stalled due to the insistence by some parties on a "quota within quota" and was hopeful of arriving at a consensus on the issue, which has been eluding for over a decade.

Besides the requirement of Parliament passing the Constitutional amendment bill with two-third majority, the measure would have to go to state legislatures as at least 50 percent of the state legislatures are needed to ratify it.

Observing that this process could take at least three months, Natchiappan said to make the formula implementable, another statute has to be brought in and it could be possible only in the next Lok Sabha.

"To operationalise this Constitutional amendment, the next Lok Sabha can consider to make proper statute by simple majority in both Houses," Natchiappan said.

To break the deadlock over the contentious Bill in its present form, which was opposed by the some parties like Samajwadi Party, the Committee has suggested that it should be left to the state legislatures to propose adequate representation in assembly and Lok Sabha for women and OBCs.

The reasoning behind the "compromise formula" was that state legislatures are better placed to decide the extent of representation in elected posts for women and OBCs.

The Committee is at present visiting several states to elicit views of Chief Ministers and leaders of political parties on the Bill. It had already held talks with leaders in Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and Orissa.

Last month, the Committee was given two more months' time to finalise its report.

Samajwadi Party, the newest ally of the ruling UPA coalition at the Centre, had recently made it clear that it was against any haste on the measure.

However, the main opposition BJP said it would support the Bill in its present form and asked the UPA government to clear it in the coming session of Parliament.

Advani dares UPA to hold LS polls now

megha — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 08:56:30 +0530

Bharatiya Janata Party's prime ministerial candidate L K Advani challenged the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government to dissolve Parliament and hold Lok Sabha elections immediately.

"I throw challenge to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi to hold general elections now so that people can give their verdict," Advani said at the party's first 'Vijay Sankalp (victory affirmation) rally in Bangalore.

"Dissolve Lok Sabha. Announce elections. Why wait till May next year," the opposition leader in Lok Sabha said.

Asserting that the people of India wanted to get rid the "corrupt" and "incompetent" government, Advani told the crowd that now was the time to let people decide who should govern the country, which he said had been brought to the brink by the government's failure on all fronts.

"Let the electorate decide which party or alliance is better to rule the country. Let us test to find out who has the people's mandate to form the next government.

"Let the people have a chance to compare the performance of our NDA government with that of the UPA government," Advani said raising his voice during his 35-minute address in English and Hindi.

"In my six decades of political life, I have not come across a prime minister who could not take credit for any achievement as in the case of Manmohan Singh. The perception in the establishment is success belongs to Sonia Gandhi and failures to Manmohan Singh," he added.

Holding the UPA government responsible for inflation, price rise, agrarian crisis, terrorism and a flawed Indo-US nuclear deal, the BJP leader called the cash-for-votes incident "a mega scam".

"I am sorry to say that by this single act of misdemeanour, which can be dubbed mega scam, Manmohan Singh has forfeited any moral right to be a man of integrity and purity in public life," Advani said.

Advani also lauded the people of Karnataka for having voted his party to power for the first time in the state and south India.

Modi attacks UPA govt on terrorism

sitansu — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 16:45:47 +0530

Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday led the BJP attack on the UPA for being "soft" on terrorism, claiming the ruling coalition had "failed" on national security issues by refusing to clear an anti-terror legislation for his state.

"Those who are less for terror and more for terrorists are the one who opposes GUJCOC and POTA," Modi said, lashing out at the Congress-led UPA for keeping in cold storage the Gujarat Control of Organised Crime bill (GUJCOC).

The bill was pending before the President for the last four years.

Intervening during the discussion on political resolution at party's national executive meeting in Bangalore, Modi said, “We are determined to carry on the battle both against terrorists and against those who prevent us from fighting terror.”

Hitting out at the Congress president and the prime minister, Modi claimed the party had "under Sonia Gandhi and Dr Manmohan Singh drifted from the traditional Congress position on national sovereignty" which has strengthened the forces which are out to weaken India.

The UPA government has consistently sent a signal that its softness on terror is minority friendly, Modi alleged.
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"The softness on terror is being used by the UPA as an instrument for vote bank politics," Modi charged.

Left, BSP demand immediate Parliament session

megha — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 14:13:12 +0530

Leaders of Left parties, BSP and Telugu Desam would meet President Pratibha Patil on Tuesday to demand immediate convening of Parliament session.

The meeting comes in the wake of the Left demand that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh should quit for "lying to people and Parliament" on the Indo-US nuclear deal.

They had also demanded the immediate convening of Parliament session to discuss several "burning" issues like the nuclear deal and the situation in Jammu and Kashmir as well as Orissa.

Left sources said the Rashtrapati Bhavan had fixed their appointment with the President on Tuesday.

Reacting to reports on exchange of letters between the State Department and the then US House Foreign Affairs Committee on the deal in Januray, CPI-M General Secretary Prakash Karat had said "the only option left to them (UPA) is that the Prime Minister should quit.

"But neither will they convene Parliament session nor will they quit. It is a shameless government. Why are they afraid of Parliament? Why are they running away?

"When a serious situation had developed in Jammu and Kashmir, a session should have been convened. But by not convening the session, the government has shown complete disregard and contempt for Parliament," he had said.

The Monsoon Session was supposed to have started in August, but the government has decided to convene the next session from October 17.

Central govt a silent spectator of Orissa violence: CPI-M

sitansu — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 20:05:05 +0530

Criticising the United Progressive Alliance, the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) on Saturday said the central government had remained a "silent spectator" even as Christians in Orissa were being targeted.

"It is almost a week since the violence against Christians started in Orissa. The central government has maintained an observer status and is allowing Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) activists to target poor people," CPI-M politburo member Brinda Karat said.

Karat, who was stopped from entering the violence-hit Kandhamal district of Orissa on Friday on security grounds said, "VHP leader Praveen Togadia was allowed to take out a funeral procession of Swami Lakshmanand, but we were stopped from entering the area."

She said she will submit victims' first-hand reports, collected by the party's Orissa unit, to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh demanding immediate action and protection of the minorities in Orissa.

"Since many areas in Orissa, including Kandhamal, are under Schedule 5 of the constitution (areas and tribes needing special protection due to disadvantageous conditions), the central government has an added responsibility," Karat said.

Karat said one more CPI-M delegation will leave for Orissa on Tuesday to take stock of the situation.

The killing of Swami Lakshmanand Saraswati, a VHP leader, and four others in Kandhamal district last Saturday had triggered communal violence, in which at least 14 people have been killed.

UPA has met most commitments: PM

wali — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 14:33:21 +0530

Setting an ambitious target of skill upgradation for 500 million youth by 2020, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Saturday said the UPA Government has fulfilled "much" of its commitments in the National Common Minimum Programme in the last four years.

"I am happy to say that in the last four years we have accomplished much in keeping with our commitments," the Prime Minister said, after giving away national awards to micro, small and medium entrepreneurs in New Delhi.

He said small enterprises play an important role in ensuring inclusive growth which is also regionally balanced.

"The National Common Minimum Programme (NMCP) underscores this," he said.

Singh said his government has been able to address "long standing issues through major institutional reform measures".

With a demographic advantage, education and skill development can be India's global opportunity, he pointed out.

"In our National Action for Skill Development, we would like to set for the country an ambitious goal of 500 million of trained people by 2020 in keeping with Sonia Gandhi's vision of Rozgar Badhao," Singh said.

For achieving this target, he has asked the states to allow the use of school and college infrastructure after class hours for skill upgradation of the youth.

"I have written to chief ministers to consider opening up the public stock of buildings of educational institutions of the high school level and above after class hours for those who are engaged in skill development for our youth," he said.

Sonia to head UPA-SP coordination committee

sitansu — Sat, 23 Aug 2008 17:36:42 +0530

Congress President Sonia Gandhi will head a six-member UPA-Samajwadi Party Coordination Committee constituted on Saturday.

The Committee has Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee and Defence Minister A K Antony as its members.

Two members to the Committee will be nominated by the Samajwadi Party, AICC spokesman Manish Tewari said.

There have been reports that SP General Secretary Amar Singh and party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav would be representing the party but there has not been any official word so far.

The constitution of the Committee indicates that the SP, like the Left, would support the government from outside. The development also suggests that they would exert influence like that of the Left.

The announcement of the Committee came exactly a month after the Manmohan Singh government won the trust vote with the crucial support of SP after the withdrawal of Left parties.

A similar arrangement existed between the UPA and Left parties to ensure smooth coordination between the government and the ruling alliance on one side and the key outside supporters on the other.

The UPA and the Left, however, parted ways last month on the nuclear deal issue following which the SP filled the key slot ensuring the survival of the government.

The Congress and the SP are also trying to arrive at a seat understanding in Uttar Pradesh where the main rival of both parties is the Mayawati-led BSP. The talks between the two sides on the issue are expected to start soon.

Governor summons Koda as he refuses to resign

manoj — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 12:11:04 +0530

Jharkhand Governor Syed Sibte Razi on Monday summoned Chief Minister Madhu Koda as he has refused to resign despite the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) withdrawing support to his government.

Koda maintains that the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government at the centre has not asked him to step down.

"The UPA formed the government and I was made chief minister of Jharkhand. I have not received any direction from central UPA leaders so why should I resign?" the chief minister said.

Razi has summoned Koda to the governor's house at 3 pm (IST). He is likely to ask Koda to either prove his majority on the floor of the house or tender his resignation.

The JMM withdrew support from 23-month-old Koda government Sunday evening, reducing it to a minority. In the 82-member house, Koda now enjoys the support of only 25 legislators.

Koda, an independent legislator, became chief minister with the support of the Congress and the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), both part of the UPA, and smaller parties as well as other independents.

The JMM supported the Koda government in 2006 after four independent, unattached legislators who were also ministers withdrew their support to the NDA government headed by Arjun Munda of the BJP.

Koda, one of the independent ministers who pulled down the Munda government, became the chief minister and Soren was made chairperson of state UPA steering committee.

Soren, who became the chief minister for nine days after the assembly elections in 2005, nursed a dream of returning to the post. Last Tuesday, he staked his claim but Koda refused to step down.

Soren secured the backing of the Congress after supporting the Manmohan Singh government in the crucial parliament trust vote of July 22.