Jabalpur, Ridden with factionalism and internal feuds Congress party could be way off the goal post but the in-house rivalry has reached a feverish pitch as the race for the crown heats up in Madhya Pradesh. While chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan smiles down from the hoardings as the unquestioned monarch of the saffron camp, Congressmen prepare for a war without knowing who would lead the troops. For records there are at least half a dozen aspirants, who have thrown their hats in the ring. The list begins with eight-time Member of Parliament and Union minister Kamal Nath, AICC general secretary Digvijay Singh, former MPCC president Suresh Pachauri, Union minister Jyotiraditya Scindia, leader of opposition in state assembly, Ajay Singh and MPCC chief Kantilal Bhuria. Scindia and Bhuria easily stand out among the competitors with their public posturing and open acrimony to each other much to the chagrin and confusion of their grass root cadre. On Sunday Scindia-baiters got a high voltage shock when one time critic state minister for rural development at the Centre, Pradeep Aditya Jain, hailed him as the strongest contender this side of the Narmada. Though Scindia has ...
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Washington, An American Sikh group has challenged the dismissal of human rights violation case against the Punjab chief minister Parkash Singh Badal. A month ago a US district court in Wisconsin had dismissed the case against Badal noting that he was never served the summons by the Sikh for Justice (SJF) and SAD (Amritsar), which had filed the rights violations case against him. Challenging the order of the Wisconsin Court, the alleged victims of human rights violations by Badal, represented by the Chicago-based Pavich Law Group, filed the review petition yesterday. Urging the US court of appeals to hear the Sikh human rights violations case against Badal, SFJ in a statement said it will present the contemporary evidence showing witness tampering, obstruction of justice and harassment of US based victims of human rights violation by Badal administration. SFJ and SAD (Amritsar) are represented by Ian Levin of "Pavich Law Group" a former US federal judge with experience in rights violation cases under Alien Tort Claims Act and Torture Victim Protection Act. ...
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Srinagar, Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi would arrive in Jammu on Saturday to visit Doda over a month after an earthquake rattled the region and killed two people. The May 1 earthquake caused damages worth Rs 100 crore and affected over 80,000 families in the remote mountainous district. The Congress leader would later fly to Budgam in the Valley to distribute appointment letters under the Himayat scheme, aimed at training one lakh youth for placements in the private ...
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Washington, The Indian Air Force (IAF) has flown home its first Boeing Globemaster III, becoming the newest operator of the leading airlifter, giving it the world's most advanced humanitarian and strategic capabilities. The first aircraft was transferred to IAF in Long Beach, California, on Tuesday after completion of a flight test programme at Edwards Air Force Base in Palmdale, California, that began following the January 22 delivery. Boeing is on track to deliver four more C-17s to the IAF this year and five in 2014, the St. Louis, Missouri headquartered Boeing Defence, Space & Security, a unit of the Boeing Company, said in a media release. "The C-17 will equip the Indian Air Force with amongst the world's most advanced humanitarian and strategic capabilities," said Air Vice Marshal SRK Nair, Assistant Chief of Air Staff Operations (Transport and Helicopters). "We have looked forward to this day when our Indian Air Force flies the first C-17 to its new home in India." "Congratulations to the Indian Air Force on this milestone as India joins the worldwide community of C-17 operators," said Tommy Dunehew, Boeing vice president of Business Development for ...
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Manali, The cold mountains of Kullu are perhaps feeling the poll heat as BJP and Congress leaders trade charges and counter charges on issues like phone tapping, corruption, benami land deals, hydel power project policy and wastage of public money on byelection, in a bid to run down the contestants for Mandi LokSabha seat. Party leaders, under the leadership of chief minister Virbhadra Singh and former chief minister Prem Kumar Dhumal, are trying to convince the respective rebels to return to their parties so as to win the LS seat. Given the strong hold of Congress on voters in the constituency, BJP is now eying Himachal Lokhit Party (Hilopa), which was formed by BJP rebels. Former minister Jairam Thakur is the BJP candidate here, who would contest against Pratibha Singh, wife of Virbhadra Singh. Both Jairam and Virbhadra are campaigning and holding five to ten meetings everyday in Kullu these days. Virbhadra Singh said, "The corrupt BJP government spent its five years in phone tapping, corruption and favoring industrialists. It is the result of a bad policy. BJP failed to fulfill its promise to provide 70% jobs in hydel projects to local youths." Singh said Congress ...
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New Delhi, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has called upon the states to work with the Centre to deal with the Maoists menace. Addressing the chief ministers conference on internal security here on Wednesday, Manmohan Singh said Maoist violence has no place in our democracy. The Prime Minister started his speech with a reference to the Chhattisgarh incident, in which Maoists killed several Congress leaders. Expressing concern over women safety issues, the Prime Minister said, "We must ensure setting up of institutional mechanism for safety of women and children especially in urban areas". The PM also stressed the need for communal harmony in the country. Earlier, the conference started with home minister SushilkumarShinde outlining the various internal security threats facing the nation. Referring to the May 25 Maoist attack in Chhattisgarh, Shinde said it was an attack on democracy Development cannot happen without security, he said. The Union home minister also referred to the growing threat of militancy in Punjab and blamed Pakistan for it. While stating that there was a marked improvement in the condition in Jammu and Kashmir. He said jihadi terror ...
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Hyderabad, BJP president Rajnath Singh has denied any rift within the party. Addressing a press conference here on Monday, Rajnath Singh said the statement of LK Advani praising Madhay Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan had been misinterpreted. To a query about Congress general secretary Digvijaya Singh's reported remarks that there is a cold war within the BJP, Rajnath Singh replied in the negative and said that a cold war actually existed in the Congress. He downplayed the comparison by Advani between Chouhan and Modi. Noting that Gujarat chief minister NarendraModi is an extremely popular leader in the country, he said the issue of BJP's prime ministerial candidate would be decided by the party's parliamentary board. Asked whether BJP patriarch LK Advani is pitching one against another by appreciating Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, the BJP president felt that Advani's statement was put to wrong ...
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Hyderabad, BJP president Rajnath Singh on Monday asked the government to advance the monsoon session of Parliament to pass the food security bill. "We are ready for a debate on food security and land acquisition bills. We want these bills passed with some amendments. The monsoon session be advanced for this," he told reporters here. He said it would be a cruel joke, if an ordinance is issued on the proposed food security bill. The two bills would have been passed in the last session of Parliament had the UPA government accepted the resignations of law and railway ministers (Ashwin Kumar and Pawan Kumar Bansal), as sought by the BJP then. Dismissing the Congress allegation that the BJP is not letting the Parliament function smoothly, Rajnath Singh said the primary responsibility to ensure the smooth functioning of Parliament lay with the government. Observing that the BJP's role is like that of a watch dog, he said the party was playing the role of principal opposition party ...
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Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Friday said that there were no differences between himself and Congress party president Sonia Gandhi. Speaking onboard his Air India One, his special aircraft, on his way back home after state visits to Japan and Thailand, the Prime Minister said: "There are no differences between me and the Congress president. I consult her on all issues that require consultations." In recent times, the Congress has dismissed suggestions of a disconnect between Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress chief Sonia Gandhi, and reports that Singh was sulking after he was forced to dump his 'favourite ministers' Ashwani Kumar and Pawan Kumar Bansal. The party also said that the reports about differences between Singh and Sonia Gandhi were rumours and disinformation, and maintained that Singh would remain in office until 2014. Even when the UPA-2 had presented its report card on May 22, Gandhi scotched all rumours of an alleged rift with the Prime Minister. She said that she and the Congress party fully backed Prime Minister Singh and his government's policies, and there was no room for anybody to say otherwise. In fact, it was emphasised that both ...
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New Delhi, In a development that could bring top industrialist Anil Ambani within the ambit of the 2G scam trial, the CBI has sought his inclusion along with wife Tina Ambani as witnesses in the ongoing trial in a special court. Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group (ADAG) chairman Anil Ambani and Tina Ambani are among 70 news witnesses CBI wants to summon for examination in order to "strengthen" its case against the accused in the 2G spectrum allocation scam. Confirming the move, CBI director Ranjit Sinha told TOI, "Yes, we have filed an application in the 2G court for calling additional witness including Anil and Tina Ambani in the 2G spectrum allocation case. They will help in strengthening the prosecution case." With only 25-odd prosecution witnesses yet to be examined by the court, the additional list of witnesses is sure to prolong the trial process at a time when proceedings are reaching a crucial stage although the CBI feels that the additions are warranted. CBI's decision indicates that the agency is keen to examine the Ambanis in the context of their alleged role or links to Swan Telecom, one of the firms to have benefitted from illegalities in the allocation of 2G ...
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Chandigarh, Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda on Tuesday said that Haryana was supplying more water to Delhi than its legitimate share as per the 1994 MoU. Speaking at the 5th meeting of Upper Yamuna Review Committee in New Delhi, Hooda said that the 'carrier lined channel' has been completed by Haryana, however Delhi must plug the unauthorized cut so that the channel may become operational. On the situation of water availability in the state, he said that Haryana had only 14 MAF of water as compared to the requirement of 36 MAF. "Haryana is getting much less water from Yamuna at Tajewala than the water supply to Delhi despite the fact that during the lean period Delhi's share is much less as compared to Haryana's. There is also a decline in the contribution of water from Sahibi, Krishnavati and Dohan rivers, tributaries of Yamuna, because of construction of check dams by Rajasthan in the catchment areas of these rivers," he said. This has resulted in acute problem of water in southern Haryana, he ...
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New Delhi, The coal ministry will begin issuing show cause notices next month to 30 captive mine allottees, including NTPC, Jindal Steel and Power, Tata Steel and SAIL, for delay in development of their respective blocks, sources said. "Everything is ready and the Coal Ministry will begin issuing notices to 30 coal block allottees which include NTPC, SAIL and Tata Steel, in June," sources close to the development said. An inter-ministerial group (IMG) took the decision on the same in its meeting this month, they said. The developers would be given up to a month's time to respond as to why their blocks should not get cancelled owing to delays in the development of their respective blocks. Of the 30 blocks, for which show-cause notices would be issued, four blocks belong to Jindal Steel and Power's Utkal B1, Ramchandi Promotional Block, Amarkunda Murgadangal and Urtan North (jointly with Monnet Ispat and Energy). Pakri Barwadih and Talaipalli blocks allocated to NTPC and North of Akrapal block given to Tata Steel for coal-to- liquid project also fall in the list, sources said. Besides, three blocks -- Brinda, Sasai and Meral-- of Abhijeet Infrastructure, one block ...
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Chandigarh, Faced with multiple challenges, including depleting groundwater and crop diversification in the state, Punjab chief minister Parkash Singh Badal on Sunday approved an agriculture power tubewells policy, stipulating guidelines for release of electric connections for agricultural pumpsets in the state for 2013-14. A press release issued by the government said that Punjab State Electricity Regulatory Commission (PSERC) has mandated the state government to decide the number of agriculture power connections to be released each year in the state, taking into account factors like ecology, inadequate ground water potential, depleting water table or any other reason. The new policy guidelines have been formulated in the backdrop of the state government's move towards crop diversification, besides popularizing drip/micro irrigation among farmers, especially vegetable and fruit growers, with a thrust on conservation of water. Reckless use of ground water has rendered 45 blocks in Punjab as over exploited as revealed in the latest report of Central Ground Water Board. Accordingly, the CM gave a go ahead to the policy guidelines for the current fiscal and a proposed ...
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Gurgaon, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Thursday said India's deterrence capabilities have ``matured and have been given concrete shape'' in the last nine years, even as the country has become ``better equipped'' to deal with non-conventional threats, especially in the cyber and space domains. ``We are implementing a national architecture for cyber security and have taken steps to create an office of a national cyber security coordinator,'' he said, after laying the foundation stone for the Indian National Defence University here. ``India's defence and security are a fundamental obligation of the government to our people and an essential prerequisite for our national social and economic transformation. Our government has attached the highest priority to these tasks. We seek to advance peace, stability, friendship and cooperation in our region and beyond, and we do so with the confidence that our armed forces can defend our country against any threat. This confidence is based on the many steps that the government has taken to strengthen our nation's defence capabilities,'' he said. ``In the last few years, we have added significantly to the land forces to protect our ...
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New Delhi, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang on Tuesday said India and China have the "wisdom" to find mutually acceptable solution to the boundary problem and the two countries have not shied away from addressing the vexed issue. Li also said China will support its enterprises to increase investments in India and help Indian products have access to Chinese market as he supported a favourable trade balance in a bid to decrease mounting bilateral trade deficit. The trade imbalance is currently around USD 30 billion. A day after two rounds of talks with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh here, Li said China has the intention to "sincerely" resolving the pending issues, including that of cross-border rivers, and favoured increased bilateral relations between the "two big neighbours". Supporing a favourable trade balance and seeking to decrease trade deficit between India and China, he said Beijing will support Chinese enterprises to increase investments in India and help Indian products have access to Chinese market. Addressing the Indian industry at a function organised by FICCI here, the Chinese premier said cooperation between the "two big neighbours" will lead to a "new paradigm" ...
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New Delhi, At a time when Indo-US ties appeared to be losing steam, President Barack Obama has invited PM Manmohan Singh for a bilateral meeting this year. Confirming the development, sources in Washington told TOI that Singh has accepted the invitation and the dates were being worked. India has proposed that the meeting happen when Singh visits the US for the UNGA but sources said that both sides are looking for a mutually convenient time between September and December. The invitation to Singh comes when there has been a stalemate over civil nuclear cooperation owing to India's nuclear liability law. TOI has learnt that US Deputy Secretary of State William Burns first spoke to Indian authorities about Obama's desire for a meeting with Singh during his recent visit to Delhi. Then a formal invite was extended. Sources said that the leaders will review all key bilateral issues between the two countries including civil nuclear initiative, counter terrorism, Afghanistan, defence, space collaboration and education. Afghanistan is an issue where India has certain reservations about US policies ahead of the pullout next year. US has repeatedly praised India for facilitating ...
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New Delhi, Criticizing Congress leader Digvijay Singh's "unwarranted advice" to the judiciary, Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Arun Jaitley on Tuesday said the motivation behind his criticism was the "frustration of a loser". The "ill-advised" suggestion made to the judiciary by Singh has come when corruption of UPA government is being investigated by the CBI and monitored by the Supreme Court and did not come when the apex court had ordered monitoring of Gujarat riots cases, Jaitley said. "The likes of Digvijay Singh welcomed that monitoring. It is only when the corruption of the UPA government is being investigated by CBI and monitored by the Supreme Court that monitoring of investigation is now being termed as constitutionally unacceptable. Such arguments of convenience have very little place in a meaningful public discourse," Jaitley said in an article. He was commenting on Singh's reaction to the apex court's stinging criticism of the CBI for vetting of probe report on coal mines' allocation scam. "CBI gets belittled when it bends before to political pressure and conducts a pliable investigation. On the contrary, when the court discovered this pathetic plight of ...
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Hyderabad, Two Andhra Pradesh police personnel including an IPS officer were named accused in the Sohrabuddin Sheikh fake encounter case. The third additional supplementary chargesheet filed by the CBI in a Mumbai court on Tuesday has named 1994 batch AP cadre IPS officer N Balasubramanyam and another state police personnel as accused. Among the others named in the supplementary chargesheet are former Rajasthan minister of state for home Gulab Chand Kataria and Vimal Patni, a Rajasthan-based marble trader. CBI's senior counsel Ejaz Khan submitted a 500-page supplementary chargesheet to the CBI judge KS Khan. The court issued summons to the four accused and asked them to be present before the court on the next hearing scheduled on June 4. Presently, Balasubramanyam is IG, intelligence, while the second person named is of the rank of inspector. The CBI chargesheet says that these two cops helped the Gujarat police in carrying out the operation. It is being contended that Balasubramanyam obtained intelligence about the whereabouts of Sohrabuddin as well as provided logistics support in the form of vehicles and other aspects to the Gujarat police team. Based on the information, ...
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Pratapgarh(UP), Former Uttar Pradesh minister RaghurajPratap Singh alias Raja Bhaiya was questioned by the CBI on Wednesday in connection with the murder of a village head and KundaDSPZia-UlHaq. CBI sources said 44-year-old Raja Bhaiya appeared at the makeshift agency office for his questioning. Last month, CBI had arrested one Bhulle Pal, a security guard with the then state minister Bhaiya, who allegedly led a mob, enraged by the killing of Balipur village head Nanhe Yadav, to kill the police officer. Bhaiya has denied any association with Pal. CBI has also taken into custody Rajeev Singh and Guddu Singh who are considered close to the minister. In the FIR filed on the basis of a complaint by the slain DSP's wife Parveen Azad, it has been alleged that "on the directions of Bhaiya, Nagar Panchayat Chairman Gulshan Yadav, minister's representative Hari Om Srivastava, his driver Rohit Singh and supporter Guddu Singh first assaulted my husband with sticks and rods and later shot him dead." The allegations have been denied by Bhaiya. : Former Uttar Pradesh minister Raghuraj Pratap Singh, alias Raja Bhaiya appeared before the CBI on Wednesday for questioning in ...
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Washington, A US court in Wisconsin has reserved its decision in the alleged human rights violation case against Punjab chief minister Parkash Singh Badal after completing hearing in the matter. The district court had taken up a petition filed by New York-based rights body 'Sikh for Justice', which had alleged that Badal committed "grave human rights violations" against the community in India. Attorneys appearing for Badal have argued that he never received any summons from the court, whereas Sikh for Justice claims that its authorized person served the court summons. 'Sikh for Justice' in a statement said that it would now approach the recently created American Sikh Congressional Caucus seeking their help in asking the State Department to withdraw its support to Badal, and will demand a Congressional hearing to discuss ban on the entry Shiromani Akali Dal leaders to US. Notably, the recently formed Caucus has said it will only raise domestic issues related to Sikhs and not foreign issues. Members of 'Sikh for Justice' were present on the occasion of announcement of the Caucus in Washington last ...
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