Sonia Gandhi creates history; re-elected Congress chief

NEW DELHI, Sept 3: The heavy downpour that converted the manicured lawns of the Congress headquarters here into an ankle-deep slushy mess on Friday did not deter party acolytes from celebrating the start of Sonia Gandhi's record fourth consecutive term at the head of the party.

As crackers went off incessantly for more than an hour before the brief ceremony at which Ms. Gandhi was formally announced elected unopposed — in the presence of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, ministers and party functionaries — slogan-shouting party workers almost drowned out her few words of acceptance.

Absent from the ceremony was son and general secretary Rahul Gandhi, who was on a tour of his constituency, Amethi: he had taken a break on Thursday when he had flown in for a few hours to file a nomination on Ms. Gandhi's behalf.

The burden of Ms. Gandhi's speech, delivered in Hindi, was that her party colleagues should not forget the “immense responsibility” of working for all sections of society, irrespective of whether the party was in power or not. She thanked party leaders and workers for bestowing the responsibility of leadership on her again.

She was sure that the party cadres would always keep the Congress flag flying high.

After the ceremony, Ms. Gandhi mingled with senior party leaders and accepted their bouquets and other offerings.

Target of making India slum-free achievable: Selja

NEW DELHI, Sept 3: Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation Minister Kumari Selja on Friday said the target of making India slum-free in the next five years as envisaged in the Rajiv Awas Yojana was "not unachievable" but a lot would depend on how states cooperated with the Centre on the issue.

Though the initial optimism about RAY seems to have been dampened as not much progress has been made on the ground since UPA-II announced the scheme during the Presidential Address, the Centre has been making efforts to make it a success.

"It is achievable but we need full cooperation of states...the target is not unachievable," Selja said.

When formulated, RAY was aimed at making India slum-free by 2014 by providing affordable housing to these people at the same place and also giving them property rights.

She maintained that some states had given a very good response but refused to name the states which did not appear to be very enthusiastic about RAY.

There were several states which were "quite forthcoming" in giving property rights to slum-dwellers as envisaged in Rajiv Awas Yojana, she asserted.

"RAY will bring a sense of competition among states to become slum-free," Selja said.

The Pranob Sen Committee report, submitted to the government on 30th August, on statistical model for enumerating and identifying slums would solve the paucity of credible data, the minister maintained.

"Funds should not be a problem for the scheme," Selja said.

Sonia Gandhi re-elected Congress President for 4th term

NEW DELHI, Sept 2: Sonia Gandhi is set to be re-elected unopposed as the Congress president for the fourth consecutive term a she is the only candidate for the post and the party’s Central election authority (CEA) received only her nomination papers. A formal announcement about it will be made on Friday.

Thursday was the last day of filing nominations. 55 five sets of nominations were filed on behalf of 63-year-old Mrs Gandhi. Last time, 97 sets of nominations were filed, the CEA sources said. “The declaration could be made on Friday and a certificate would be handed over to the Congress president at AICC headquarters,” Mr Oscar Fernandes, the chairman of the CEA said.

The first group which met Mrs Gandhi and proposed her name for the top post in the party was led by Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh. The other groups comprising Cabinet ministers and Congress working committee members was led by the Union finance minister, Mr Pranab Mukherjee.

The AICC general secretary, Mr Rahul Gandhi, was part of another group of proposers, which was led by party treasurer, Mr Motilal Vora. Mr Rahul Gandhi filed the nomination papers on behalf of Mrs Gandhi before Mr Fernandes. Mr Fernandes said that the working committee would be dissolved after the formal announcement of Mrs Gandhi’s name as party president. He further said that a “steering committee” would be formed till the plenary of the party, likely to be held in November-December this year.

Among those who proposed her name included the party Chief Ministers, including Mr Ashok Chavan (Maharashtra), Ms Sheila Dikshit (Delhi), Mr Ashok Gehlot (Rajasthan) and Mr Bhupinder Singh Hooda (Haryana).

The nominations were submitted to Mr Fernandes, who is the returning officer for the poll.

Cong rebukes BJP, says Sonia can become party chief 40 times

NEW DELHI, Sept 2: The Congress has dismissed BJP's objection to a fourth term for Sonia Gandhi as party President saying she could become the head of the party 40 times.

"We do not discuss the constitution of another party... Why four times she (Gandhi) could be the party president 40 times if the party wants," AICC general secretary Janardan Dwivedi told newsmen rejecting BJP's suggestions in regard to the election of Gandhi.

Hitting hard at the main opposition, Dwivedi reminded the BJP, "This democracy has seen that Jawaharlal Nehru was the Prime Minister for 17 long years and almost similar was the case with Indira Gandhi. Since, other people do not get a chance they talk about it."

Visibly agitated over BJP's charge, Dwivedi, who is also the head of the party's media department, said since Congress was a democratic party, this (organisational election) is being discussed. "It does not happen in any other party," he said.

Senior leader Oscar Fernandes, who is the chairman of the party's Central Election Authority, dismissed the BJP charge saying that the Congress was following its constitution while electing its president.

"At the state level, a leader can be PCC chief for two terms and not more, but this is not applicable to the Congress president," Fernandes said.

He said the election of Gandhi for the fourth consecutive term at the helm was a decision of the party and its workers and suggested it was none of BJP's business to talk about it.

The AICC reaction came close on the heels of BJP spokesperson Ravi Shankar Prasad remark that Gandhi should offer the position of party chief to somebody outside the Gandhi family just as she had "sacrificed" the post of Prime Minister.

"Sonia Gandhi is going to become president of the Congress for the fourth time. Obviously, there would be no opposition. In accordance with the Congress constitution, no office-bearer can become the president of any block, district or state unit for more than two terms," Prasad said.

He alleged that Gandhi was the "tallest leader" of her party exercising authority without any "public accountability".

Rahul meets PM over land acqusition in UP, targets Mayawati

NEW DELHI, Aug 35: Targeting Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati, Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday called as "very unfair" the forcible acquisition of farmers' land in Aligarh and adjoining areas, an issue he raised with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

During the meeting, Singh assured the Congress leader that the pending Land Acquisition Amendment Bill will be brought in the next session of Parliament.

Singh gave the assurance to Rahul when the AICC general secretary met him with a delegation of Congress leaders and farmers from Uttar Pradesh who were agitating against "forcible" acquisition of land of farmers in Aligarh and adjoining areas in the state for the 165 km Noida-Agra Yamuna Expressway.

"Land acquisition is a very important issue. What happened in Aligarh is very unfair. We need to have a view on it," Gandhi told reporters. Gandhi took both the Mayawati government and Aligarh farmers by surprise on Saturday when he reached Tappal village, the epicentre of peasants' protest demanding enhanced compensation for the acquired land.

Asked about the pendency of the Land Acquisition Amendment Bill, Gandhi remarked "I am aware of it."

Digvijay Singh, AICC general secretary in-charge of UP, when asked whether the government will bring the bill to amend the Land Acquisition Act in the next session of Parliament, said "this is what we have been assured. The Prime Minister has said that he will try to get it passed as soon as possible." Singh was part of the delegation.

Asked about the stand of the Congress on the programme to 'gherao' Parliament tomorrow by some opposition parties and the farmers on the issue, Singh said "there is no point in this...I had talked to Ajit Singh ( RLD chief) and told him that it doesn't make a sense to participate in the agitation..."

He said if agitation has to be organised, let it be a 'gherao' of the state assembly.

The Land Acquisition (Amendment) Bill, 2007, which seeks to bring changes in the Land Acquisition Act, 1994, is being withheld owing to strong opposition of Railway Minister Mamta Banerjee who heads Trinamool Congress, a key UPA ally.

The Bill redefines 'public purpose' as land acquired for defence purposes, infrastructure projects or for any project useful to the general public. As per the bill, for acquisition resulting in large-scale displacement, a social impact assessment study must be conducted.

Tribals, forest dwellers, and those with tenancy rights are also eligible for compensation. Acquisition costs will include payment for loss or damages to land, and costs related to resettlement of displaced residents. While determining compensation, the intended use of land and value of such land in the current market is to be considered.

Asked about Banerjee's opposition to the Bill, Digvijay Singh said "when a way can be found out on the issue of nuclear bill through discussion, why can't this be done? The issue can be discussed with Mamata Banerjee. This is a minor point of difference that can be discussed."

Singh alleged that the land of the farmers is being taken by force in UP and there is no concern for the landless there.

Attacking the BSP government in UP, he said "we oppose the way the state government is acquiring farmers' land through intimidation and one-sided agreements...The way UP government is misusing Section 17 of the Act and carrying out land acquisition, it looks it will acquire 20-25 per cent of the state land".

Govt open to take Oppn N-bill concerns onboard: Cong

NEW DELHI, Aug 22: As the amendments to the nuclear liability bill triggered a fresh political storm, the Congress on Sunday said the government was open to take opposition concerns onboard to build the widest possible consensus on the matter.

Congress spokesman Manish Tewari termed the Bill as "work in progress" and said the government has always been open to address the legitimate concerns on the draft legislation.

"It (Bill) is a work in progress and I think if at all there are any legitimate concerns, the government has always been open and would be open to taking those concerns onboard because that is what is the essence of any Parliamentary democracy," he said.

However, Tewari sought to make a distinction between criminal and civil liability and pointed out that the Bill in question dealt with "strict civil liability".

"Allow me to add a caveat by saying we need to make a distinction between civil and criminal liability. This Bill essentially deals with strict civil liability. It does not preclude any of the options which get triggered off if, god forbid, an accident does take place, in terms of the criminal liability aspect of it," Tewari said.

He pointed out that consultations were held with the leaders of the opposition and their concerns were taken onboard by the government.

"Consultations were held with the leaders of the Opposition. Their concerns were taken onboard and the government, because it is an important Bill, has been endeavouring to find the widest possible consensus on this civil liability bill," Tewari said.

A fresh controversy broke out after the government circulated the amendments to the Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Bill, 2010, which were approved by the Union Cabinet.

The amendments appear to dilute the right of recourse of an operator to seek damages from supplier of nuclear equipment in the event of an accident.

The Bill is expected to be moved in the Lok Sabha for consideration and passing on Wednesday.

Shashi Tharoor marries Sunanda Pushkar

PALAKKAD, Aug 22: The former Union Minister, Shashi Tharoor, and Sunanda Pushkar tied the knot in a traditional Kerala-style wedding ceremony at Tharoor's ancestral house at Elavanchery in Palakkad district on Sunday morning.

The ceremony was attended only by close relatives of the bride and bridegroom. Tharoor and Pushkar were dressed in traditional Kerala attire and the ceremony was over in ten minutes.

The newlyweds were blessed by Tharoor's grandmother Jayasankari, mother Lilly Chandran Tharoor, uncles Narayanan Unni and Mukundan Unni, and Pushkar's father Colonel Pushkarnath Das.

The marriage was also attended by Siva, Pushkar's son from her earlier marriage, and Tharoor's sons from his first marriage, Ishaan and Kanishk.

This is the third marriage for both Tharoor and Pushkar.

Though the ceremony was strictly a family affair, it was attended by close associates of Tharoor, including former Union Minister Mani Sankar Iyer, former Indian Ambassador T.P. Sreenivasan, and film actor T.P. Madhavan.

Sonia all set to be re-elected as Congress President

NEW DELHI, Aug 16: Sonia Gandhi is all set to be re-elected as the Congress President on September 17. The schedule for the party chief's election was finalised at the Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting here today. As per the schedule, the date for notification of the polls is August 27, last date for filing nominations is September 2, scrutiny will be held on September 3, last date of withdrawal is September 10, and date of polls, if necessary, is September 17.

Counting of votes will be held on September 21.

This is also the schedule for the election of the PCC presidents in various states, AICC general secretary Janardan Dwivedi told reporters after the CWC meeting. PCC delegates, who constitute a total of 7946, are the electoral collage for the Congress President's election, which is held in Delhi as also in state headquarters.

63-year-old Gandhi has created a record of being the longest-serving party Congress President and completed over a decade since she took over the top post in April 1998. She took over in the wake of the party's dismal showing in the 1998 Lok Sabha polls that saw the exit of Sitaram Kesri from the post.

She has so far been unanimously elected to the post barring once when Jitendra Prasada, a senior leader from Uttar Pradesh, had thrown his hat in the ring but failed miserably in the polls in 2000.

CWC discusses steps to peace in Kashmir

NEW DELHI, Aug 16: The Congress Working Committee (CWC), the party's highest decision-making body, on Monday expressed serious concern over the "worrisome" situation in Kashmir and stressed the "need for taking urgent steps" to restore peace in the Valley.

The meeting, which was presided over by party chief Sonia Gandhi, also finalised the schedule for the Congress president's election — polling, if necessary, will be on September 17 and results would be declared four days later.

That P Chidambaram was specially called to brief the CWC indicated the party's "strong concern over the unabated cycle of violence" in Kashmir.

The Home Minister gave a "status report" of the situation in Kashmir and is understood to have described it as "worrisome".

Before him, J&K party chief Saifuddin Soz had also briefed the leadership.

Chidambaram gave a detailed account of the sequence of events that unfolded after a student was allegedly killed in police firing on June 11.

"Everybody...is concerned. There are concerns of infiltration and ongoing terrorist activities. The CWC also noted that the youth is being misguided by elements with vested interests," party general secretary and media department head Janardan Dwivedi said.

A CWC member denied that the option of imposing Governor's Rule was discussed but appeared non-committal when asked if the meeting reviewed the "overall functioning and handling of the situation" by J&K chief minister Omar Abdullah.

Rahul reaches out to victims of cloudburst in Leh

LEH, Aug 16: Reaching out to the victims of cloudburst in Leh, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Monday promised them all possible help and lauded the security forces for their massive relief and rehabilitation effort.

Rahul, who arrived a day before Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's scheduled visit to Leh, took stock of the situation in the worst-affected Choglamsar where numerous houses were buried under the slush following the cloudburst on 5th August night.

"The Prime Minister is coming tomorrow. Tell him about the shortcomings freely.

Don't be afraid," the 40-year-old Congress leader, dressed in a white kurta-pyjama, told the victims who have taken shelter at a relief camp after they narrated to him their problems.

He said he will also convey their difficulties to the Prime Minister and will do everything possible to provide them all necessary help.

During the five-hour visit, Rahul, who accompanied Minister of State for Defence MM Pallam Raju, visited a military hospital at Leh, where he interacted with patients who had sustained injuries during the calamity.

Rahul and the minister, who reached Leh by a special aircraft at about 8:30 AM, made an aerial survey of the affected areas of the district.

The Congress general secretary also stopped at the ITBP campus in Leh where he praised the work done by security forces and later visited a relief camp run by the Border Roads Organisation.

"Even now I am afraid. My house is gone and in the night even the children climb up the hills because of fear," Jigmat Yangcham, a first year psychology student at the Leizer Joldan Memorial College, told Rahul.

She also sought a special package for rebuilding the houses that have either being buried or washed away.

The Congress leader replied, "Tomorrow Prime Minister is coming. You tell him and I will also tell him. We will try for whatever is possible."

They visited the headquarters of the 14 Corps of the Indian Army, which had carried out massive rescue and relief operations following the natural calamity.

Both were given a detailed briefing on the activities of the Corps before they flew back to the national capital.

Rahul was also accompanied by Jammu and Kashmir Tourism Minister and local MLA Nawang Rigzin Zora and Chairman of the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council Chering Dorjay.

On Independence Day, Indian PM offers talks to Maoists, Kashmir groups

NEW DELHI, Aug 15: Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Sunday called Maoist guerrillas for peace talks and said his government was also ready for a dialogue with any group in Jammu and Kashmir that abjures violence.

India's 64th Independence Day went off peacefully on Sunday, with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh asking Maoists to talk to the government and warning that the peace process with Pakistan could be hit unless it stopped backing terrorism.

Speaking from the 17th century Red Fort, Manmohan Singh also called for an end to violence in Jammu and Kashmir, saying it was achieving no purpose even as the day was celebrated with flag hoisting ceremonies and a burst of patriotic fervour across the country.

The main function in Jammu and Kashmir was marred by a head constable hurling a shoe at Omar Abdullah in Srinagar, but the unfazed chief minister said it was better than throwing stones as a means of protest.

In Chhattisgarh, which is badly affected by Maoist insurgency, Chief Minister Raman Singh said the state government was working on multiple efforts to contain the rebels.

All eyes were on Manmohan Singh who delivered his seventh successive Independence Day address from the ramparts of the Red Fort - where the flag of free India was unfurled by the country's first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru on Aug 15, 1947.

"I once again appeal to Naxalites to abjure violence, come for talks with the government and join hands with us to accelerate social and economic development," he said in a 40-minute speech in Hindi that was heard by foreign diplomats, his ministers and officials and thousands of school children and ordinary people and was nationally telecast.

But he made it clear that his Congress-led government would deal firmly with violence, and called for close coordination between the central and state governments to meet the Maoist challenge, which he has called the country's biggest internal security threat.

The prime minister's carrot-and-stick approach follows a surge in Maoist violence that has seen hundreds of security personnel die, mostly in the sprawling forested Bastar region in the heart of India.

Manmohan Singh, who began his second five-year stint last year, made no reference to any country in his speech except Pakistan while underlining New Delhi's desire to live in peace with neighbouring countries.

"As far as Pakistan is concerned, we expect from them that they would not let their territory be used for acts of terrorism against India," he said, a month after talks between foreign ministers of the two countries in Islamabad collapsed amid acrimony.

"We have been emphasizing this in all our discussions with the Pakistan government. If this is not done, we cannot progress far in our dialogue with Pakistan."

An army of security personnel protected the Red Fort and its environs. Sharpshooters were posted on buildings in the city's old quarters while military helicopters and anti-aircraft guns were deployed discreetly.

Speaking amid unending violence in the Kashmir Valley, Manmohan Singh deeply regretted the deaths of over 55 civilians, mainly young men, since June.

"The years of violence (in Jammu and Kashmir) should now end," he said. "Such violence would not benefit anyone."

Describing Jammu and Kashmir, whose ownership is disputed by Pakistan, as an integral part of India, he said that within this framework "we are ready to move forward in any talks which would increase the partnership of the common man in governance and also enhance their welfare".

He made no reference to calls for autonomy in Kashmir, India's only Muslim-majority state. He appealed to people in Jammu and Kashmir and the northeast to "adopt democratic means" to make their point.

Describing himself as the "first servant of India", Manmohan Singh said his government was building "a new India in which every citizen would have a stake".

"Today, India stands among the fastest growing economies," he said.

"As the world's largest democracy, we have become an example for many other countries to emulate."

Regretting the rising cost of food, the prime minister said the government was confident of succeeding in its efforts to check inflation.

Known to be candid, Manmohan Singh made no efforts to hide the country's weak points.

"A large part of our population still suffers from persistent poverty, hunger and disease."

He said the need of the hour was to implement welfare programmes effectively while eliminating corruption.

Admitting that Indian roads, ports and airports were not of world standards, he said the private sector had to be mobilized to better them as the government would not be able to raise the required resources.

He also called for cleanliness and good sanitation in villages, towns and cities.

"The truth is that our country lags behind in this area."

Lamenting that India was divided in the name of religion, state, caste and language, he called upon Indians to become modern and progressive in their outlook.

He vowed to protect the minorities and improve the quality of education and health.

He said the successful organization of the Commonwealth Games in New Delhi in October "would be another signal to the world that India is rapidly marching ahead with confidence".

15 cops suspended after shoe thrown at Omar Abdullah

SRINAGAR, Aug 15: Fifteen personnel of the Jammu and Kashmir security wing were suspended for Sunday's security lapse in which a former head constable flung a shoe at Chief Minister Omar Abdullah during the Independence Day function in Srinagar.

The former head constable managed to seat himself in the VIP enclosure just behind where Abdullah was standing at the high-security Bakshi Stadium.

He threw a brown shoe at the chief minister and shouted pro-freedom slogans before he was forcibly taken away by security personnel.

The shoe flung by Abdul Ahad Jan landed on the grassy ground in front of Abdullah, without grazing anyone.

Later, Abdullah said light-heartedly that it was better to throw shoes instead of stones as this would not hurt anybody.

"This is a better way of showing protest," Abdullah said in Urdu.

"Abdul Ahad Jan is a suspended head constable belonging to (south Kashmir's) Kulgam district who already has a criminal case pending against him," a police officer said.

Police said Jan was also involved in a case of claiming fake ex-gratia compensation from the government.

Pratibha Patil hosts 'At Home'

NEW DELHI, Aug 15: Prime minister Manmohan Singh, vice-president Hamid Ansari, UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi, Union cabinet ministers and leaders of various political parties today attended the 'At Home' hosted by president Pratibha Patil on the occasion of Independence Day.

Leader of opposition in Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj and LoP in Rajya Sabha Arun Jaitley were among the senior leaders present on the occasion. D Raja was the prominent Left leader to be present at the function.

A number of diplomats, including US ambassador Timothy Roemer and Pakistan high commissioner Shahid Malik were also there.

Finance minister Pranab Mukherjee, defence minister AK Antony, power minister Sushil Kumar Shinde, external affairs minister SM Krishna, minister of state for science and technology Prithviraj Chavan were among some of the Union ministers who attended. Delhi Lt governor Tejindra Khanna was also present.

Anticipating rains, the venue of the function was shifted indoors from the originally scheduled Rashtrapati Bhavan lawns.

Indian President Pratibha Patil asks Maoists to come for dialogue; Says terror is biggest threat to global peace

NEW DELHI, Aug 14: Asking Maoists to abandon the path of violence, President Pratibha Patil on Saturday said they must come to the negotiating table for working out a solution.

Addressing the nation on the eve of 64th Independence Day, she also said terrorism poses the biggest threat to global peace and to defeat it all nations should come together and ensure that terrorists do not get sanctuaries and financial assistance.

"The proponents of extreme ideologies and the followers of Left Wing Extremism must abandon their path of violence. I call on them to join national efforts for growth and development," she said in the address telecast on national television.

Maintaining that protracted development efforts will be required in the Naxal-affected areas, Patil hoped that everybody, including the civil society, will come forward and move the left wing extremists in this direction.

The President said nation-building demands the ability to work diligently and patiently, where the reward is the growth of the nation rather than personal promotion and it requires unity of purpose and the ability to focus on issues which unite.

"It requires a spirit of conciliation. This is possible when dialogue is chosen as the channel for communication. By listening to each other, respecting each other's viewpoint and understanding one another, we can address issues before us," she said.

Terming terrorism as the biggest threat to global peace, stability and security, the President said peace was essential, if prosperity was to be achieved and to defeat terror, all nations of the world must work collectively.

"...so that terrorists have no sanctuaries, no training grounds, no access to financial resources, no infrastructural support, and no defenders of their ideology," she said.

Patil said powers have been given to those in government for formulating policies and for implementation on the field and it should always be remembered that this power must be used in a responsible manner.

"Zero tolerance towards corruption and working with the highest standards of public service will definitely result in efficient governance systems and will have a multiplier effect on development and growth," she said.

The President said everyone must be law abiding and also work for moral uplift as there has been an increasing emphasis on materialism and growing insensitivity towards each other.

"Strong family bonds are weakening. Social consciousness is on the decline. Some social evils persist. This must change. Today is the best opportunity when ground-breaking achievements alongwith a moral and ethical renaissance can take place," she said.

Patil said India is at a historic phase when the world is shifting course and it is impacting the country's economy, polity, trade, commerce, education and pace of life.

"In this era of transformation, India definitely cannot lag behind. Our entire effort must be to ensure that there is overall development in which all people prosper," she said.

The President said India's credentials as the world's largest democracy have been further reinforced with the deepening of democracy at all levels.

"We have elected bodies existing from the national to the grassroot level. Democracy has given citizens the right to participate in the affairs of the nation. It has become a way of life in India," she said.

Patil said, on the economic front, the country is ranked as the world's fourth largest economy based on purchasing power parity and is one of the fastest growing.

"The resilience of our economy was evident during the global financial crisis which we weathered, better than many other countries. The future holds great potential and promise. However, many issues demand attention and the way we address them is important," she said.

The President said it must be everyone's endeavour to ensure the welfare of all and it was for this reason that India has adopted inclusive growth as a pillar of its economic edifice and was pro-actively pursuing it.

"Our task will be complete only when no one sleeps on a hungry stomach, when no one sleeps on the footpath and when every child is in school. Therefore, fittingly, education, capacity building, housing, healthcare and nutrition are a priority on the agenda of the government," she said.

The President said empowerment through education is important as it opens many doors of opportunity and the Right to Education Act has made free and compulsory primary education for children a fundamental right.

"It is important that secondary education is also universalised, as we seek to increase enrolment levels in higher education. This will provide the 'brain power' for the nation," she said.

Patil said people are living in an age where innovation was shaping many areas of human activity, new technologies can enhance agriculture and industrial productivity and efficient technologies can facilitate the optimum utilisation of capital, labour and resources.

"We have seen the impact of mobile telephone connectivity even in our villages. Innovation and invention were always given weightage as agents of change but perhaps never as high as now. The categorisation of nations as rich and poor, developed and developing may well be overtaken by a new definition of those nations that innovate rapidly, as opposed to those which do so on a lower scale.”

"To be in the forefront of cutting edge technologies, research and development in all fields must be encouraged and pursued in the country," she said.

The President said work on the construction of physical infrastructure must be speeded up as the country needs new roads, ports, airports, power projects as well as reinforcement of existing facilities.

"The augmentation will fill the infrastructural deficit that impedes overall economic growth and is, in many ways, out of sync with our image of an emerging global player. Our industries must continue to grow. Indian companies should persist with efforts to be efficient and globally competitive. Some are already making their presence felt overseas," she said.

Patil said the country's agriculture requires a fresh perspective, with new and radical ideas to steer it towards a second Green Revolution, so that agriculture production, productivity and profitability are increased.

"This is essential for our food security as well as price stabilisation. At the same time, agriculture cannot be looked at in isolation. It needs to be connected with other sectors of the economy. Linking industry with agriculture would provide a basis for growth of industry in the rural areas and also promote agriculture business," she said.

Strategic partnership with India unconditional priority: Russia

NEW DELHI: The strategic partnership with India is an "unconditional priority" of Russia's foreign policy, President Dmitry Medvedev said on Sunday as he congratulated India on its 64th Independence Day.

In his messages to President Pratibha Patil and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Medvedev wrote: "The strategic partnership with India is an unconditional priority of Russia's foreign policy. Its solid basis is built by the feelings of sincere sympathy, mutual respect and trust between our peoples".

Medvedev underscored that the Indo-Russian friendly and constructive relations were not affected by situational developments and have been steadily developing over decades.

In his messages to Patil and Singh, the Russian leader also lauded India's achievements over the years of independence.

"Over the years of its sovereign development, India has achieved impressive successes in various fields. Having earned a high reputation in the international community, your country plays an important positive role on the world scene," Medvedev said in his congratulatory messages to the Indian leadership, excerpts from which were released in Moscow by the Kremlin.

Obama greets India on 64th Independence Day

The US President Barack Obama while greeting India and Indians across the world on the eve of India's 64th Independence Day, said India and its people have been an inspiration and beacon of hope for people across the globe.

"Ever since 15th August, 1947, India's non-violent struggle for freedom, its rejection of terrorism and extremism, and its belief in democracy, tolerance, and the rule of law have been an inspiration and beacon of hope for people around the world," Obama said Saturday.

Observing that India's example has had a profound effect on many countries, including the US, the President said leaders of America's civil rights movement, including Dr Martin Luther King Jr. spoke about the debt they owed to Mahatma Gandhi.

Looking forward to his visit to India in November, Obama said the ties between the people of the two countries have never been stronger.

"The over two million members of the Indian-American community are living examples of the bonds that bind our nations together and their accomplishments have become well-known and admired in both countries," he said.

"The strategic partnership between our countries will continue to grow, and I am looking forward to my November visit to India. Our goal is to make this one of the defining partnerships of the 21st century," Obama said.

"On behalf of my administration and the American people, I wish to congratulate all who will celebrate the 63rd anniversary of India's independence.

Indians around the world can not only look back on their history with pride, but can also look ahead to a future filled with hope and further progress," Obama said in his statement.

Ex-Servicemen urged to help Congress strengthen Secularism, National Integration

By Deepak Arora

NEW DELHI, Aug 7: The AICC Ex-Servicemen Department organised a meeting of Ex-Servicemen to celebrate 125 years of the Indian National Congress. Nearly 300 Ex-Servicemen from Delhi, Haryana and Punjab participated in the meeting which was held at AICC office premises today morning.

Addressing the impressive gathering of Ex-Servicemen, AICC General Secretary Digvijaya Singh appealed to Ex-Servicemen to combat communalism and casteism and motivate people of their respective communities/villages to be disciplined and obey law of land as “half the country’s problems can be solved if there is discipline.”

He said there are three ideological mainstreams in the country, namely Gandhian ideology, Communist ideology and the RSS ideology. He said that the country’s unity and integrity can only be maintained if one follows the Gandhian ideology and appealed to Ex-Servicemen to help the Congress in strengthening secularism and national integration.

He gave example of his own stint as Chief Minister, Madhya Pradesh when he did not allow any communal riot to take place. Digvijaya Singh wanted the services of the Ex-Servicemen to be utilized for providing political intelligence, disaster management and Sewa Dal training.

Earlier General Surendernath, former Vice Chief of Army Staff, hailed the
contribution of the Defence Forces in promoting secularism and national unity. He said the UPA Government has taken a number of measures for the welfare of the Ex-Servicemen including granting One Rank One Pension to Personnel Below Officer Rank as also providing tremendous health and education facilites.

Capt Praveen Davar, Secretary AICC, briefly narrated the history of 125 years of Congress highlighting the selfless services and sacrifices of Mahatma Gandhi and other stalwarts of the freedom struggle like Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose, Sardar Patel, Maulana Azad, Dadabai Naoroji, Lokmanya Tilak and Gopal Krishan Gokhale.

He also touched upon the monumental contribution of Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru, Shashtriji, Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi and Dr. Manmohan Singh in nation building after independence.

He condemned the BJP leaders L. K. Advani and Jaswant Singh for “worshipping” Jinnah who, with the help of British bureaucracy, was responsible for partition of the country on communal lines.

Maj. Nipender Singh Sangwan, Chairman, Haryana PCC Ex-Servicemen Department, highlighted measures taken by the Hooda Govt for the welfare of Ex-Servicemen in Haryana while Maj. T. C. Rao highlighted the measures taken by the Shiela Dikshit Government. They wanted more employment opportunities for Ex-Servicemen.

Maj. Gen. S. Chatterjee who recently retired as Director General Resettlement, officially joined the Congress today in presence of Sh. Digvijaya Singh.

Hurriyat hawk talks peace, raises hope in Kashmir

SRINAGAR, Aug 4: In a last-ditch attempt to break the cycle of violence in the Valley and save his beleaguered government, J&K chief minister Omar Abdullah on Wednesday extended an olive branch to hardline separatist leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani.

Geelani was released after one-and-a-half months in prison and the first thing he did was to address a press conference at his Srinagar home and appeal to the angry mobs prowling the streets to hold peaceful demonstrations instead of pelting stones and destroying public property.

The appeal was significant because much of the fury, which has led to 37 deaths of teenagers and young adults since June 11, has been in response to protest calls by Geelani’s hardline faction of the Hurriyat Conference. While Geelani insisted he had never encouraged violence, in the same breath, he staked claim to leadership of the current agitation.

But Omar’s efforts to buy peace with Geelani were muddied somewhat, with reports that POK-based Hizbul Mujahideen leader Syed Salahuddin had addressed over mobile phone a massive gathering in a village just outside Srinagar.

It happened while the Hurriyat leader was holding his press conference, creating a confusing asymmetry. There was Geelani appealing for peaceful protests while the voice on the mobile phone, relayed to the crowd over megaphones, stirred the pot and urged people to flood the streets in large numbers because victory was near. There was no confirmation whether it was indeed Salahuddin but Srinagar was buzzing with rumours all the same.

As Union home minister P Chidambaram told Parliament his government was pained by the civilian deaths in the Valley, protests continued although clashes with cops were fewer. More than 30,000 people defied shoot-at-sight orders at Pampore on the Srinagar-Jammu highway to protest the killings.

In response, Geelani at a press conference issued an appeal to eschew violence but added that he and his people would continue their demonstrations until the Indian government withdrew all security forces from the state and conceded to the people of Jammu and Kashmir the right to self-determination.

That’s a long shot but for the short-term, Omar seems to be making a desperate attempt for calm with assurances of giving Geelani political space in the Valley. The separatist leader made a startling revelation that Omar had sent his political adviser, Devendra Singh Rana, to meet him in jail a few days ago.

He said Rana came with two messages. One was an offer for unhindered political activity provided he kept it peaceful. The other was a probing question on whether Geelani was seeking a change of government in Srinagar. The separatist leader said his fight was against the government of India. "It makes no difference to me whether Omar Abdullah or a PDP-Congress or a Congress-led government rules in Srinagar. We are fighting for our rights and our freedom from Indian occupation forces," he declared.

Condemning the violence ravaging Kashmir since June, Geelani said it only harms the cause. "People should hold peaceful demonstrations and if they are stopped by the police, they should sit down on the roads, raise their hands and ask the police to shoot them. It will be far more effective," he said.

Not given clean chit to anybody: Congress

NEW DELHI, Aug 4: The Congress said on Wednesday that it had not given a clean chit to anyone in relation to the controversies surrounding the Commonwealth Games projects and the regulatory bodies should be allowed to do their work unhindered.

"We have not given a clean or unclean chit to anybody. I don't think we are the authority to do that," Congress spokesman Manish Tewari told reporters here in reposnse to questions on the subject.

Congress spokesman Shakeel Ahmed had Tuesday come out in strong defence of party ministers and the Delhi chief minister while asserting that Commonwealth Games Organising Committee chief Suresh Kalmadi was not representing the party on the panel.

Ahmed had said that sports minister M S Gill, urban development minister S Jaipal Reddy and Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit were leaders of "impeccable integrity".

Tewari said the regulatory agencies should be allowed to play their role and the party was not making any value judgement.

"Let regulatory bodies play their role. At the same time, preparations for holding the Games successfully should go on," he added.

He said if the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) or the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) had made any preliminary conclusions in relation to the Games preparations, it was for the concerned authorities to respond to this.

Asked if party general secretary Rahul Gandhi should be associated with the games in the way his father Rajiv Gandhi was associated with the 1982 Asian Games as a young Congress leader, Tewari said the conditions were different.

To a question about the party not adopting the same yardstick for Kalmadi as it had applied to some of its ministers earlier, Tewari said there was difference between people who were holding posts only as nominees of the party and those who were occupying positions due to other factors and reasons.

Without naming Kalmadi, he said federation chiefs were elected by their members who have the powers to decide about their continuation.

Tiwari said the party was not making any value judgements. "There are institutions to do that who will do their work without fear or favour," he said.

Answering queries about the need for an investigative agency to probe allegations of corruption and doctoring of e-mails, he said the CAG had an inherent investigative mechanism.

He said a postmortem about the damage to the country's image from allegations of wrongdoing in the Games preparations can be done after the event.

"Everybody needs to put their best foot forward," Tewari maintained.

Omar meets PM, calls for political package

NEW DELHI, Aug 2: Battling an upsurge in violence, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Monday said the state needs a political initiative to deal with the situation but made it clear that for that to happen a semblance of normalcy is a precursor.

Addressing a press conference after a meeting with the Prime Minister and senior ministers in New Delhi, Omar said curfew will be implemented strictly and sought additional paramilitary forces especially the Rapid Action Force to deal with street protesters.

"Jammu and Kashmir is a political situation. It needs political handling. It requires a political package more than an economic package," he said.

By political package, the Chief Minister said he meant dealing with issues like Armed Forces Special Powers Act, footprint of the security forces, rehabilitation package for youngsters who are across the line of control and compensation for victims of the ongoing trouble.

Omar said that Home Minister P Chidambaram has assured him help with regard to additional forces but made it clear that he (Chief Minister) wanted to keep the fatalities to the minimum. He acknowledged that the forces were stretched in the state.

He also said that restraint will have to be from both sides and it cannot be one sided.

"The security forces have, given the scale of the protests and the way it has been managed, been as restrained as possible for them to be. In a much shorter time space with a lesser intensity of protests, you had much higher causalities than in 2008," Omar said.

He said,"Curfews were announced and it will have to be implemented strictly. There will be no other way around this. Consequences are serious and tragic."

At the same time, he said recognising the need that the problem of Jammu and Kashmir is inherently a political problem, certain initiatives long in the pipeline are possible provided both the Central government and the state government are able to restore that normalcy that is required for those political initiatives to be taken.

To a question on the current violence, the Chief Minister said there may not be any one particular group or individual in a position to both manage, orchestrate and direct all this.

"Today I don't believe that there is any one particular group or individual that can really direct what is happening in the valley.”

"While there are number of elements fishing in troubled waters, one gets a sense that what is happening there today...there are widespread protests covering a number of area but for to suggest that any one particular individual or any one particular organisation is in a position to both manage, orchestrate and direct all this will be incorrect," he said.

Quraishi assumes charge as new CEC

NEW DELHI, July 30: Assuming charge as the new Chief Election Commissioner, S Y Quraishi on Friday said the poll panel would accord priority to restricting the role of money power in elections which has become a major challenge.

Quraishi, the 17th CEC, said the Commission had held a series of discussions among expenditure observers to find out the areas it could focus on to strengthen checks and controls to prevent misuse of money power.

"We will come out with detailed guidelines. They are being fine tuned. By the end of August, they would have been in place. We hope we will be able to tighten our control on the use of money power," Quraishi, a 1971 batch IAS officer, told reporters after taking over.

Enhancing the participation of voters in polls would also receive the Commission's due priority, said 63-year-old Quraishi, who would be conducting Assembly polls in Bihar, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Kerala and Assam.

To a question on use of EVMs in the backdrop of the experience in Andhra Pradesh bypolls where manual voting took place in five constituencies, he said the Commission was constantly working towards making EVMs absolutely fool-proof.

"There seems to be no reason," he said when asked whether the Commission would give a second thought on use of EVMs.

Quraishi succeeds Navin Chawla who demitted office on Thursday.

Quraishi said while the framers of the Constitution insulated the EC from "all possible pressures," it is the judiciary that has zealously guarded the independence of the Commission against "any assault".

Noting that in great institutions priorities did not change overnight and they did not alter radically either, the CEC said the panel would continuously strive to conduct free and fair elections wherever and whenever required.

Replying to a question on the Government's move to give voting rights to NRIs, Quraishi said though the EC favoured it, there were several logistical issues such as who could be given voting rights and whether voting could be carried out through postal ballot needed to be worked out. He said the EC and the Overseas Ministry has had a few meetings in this regard.

Expressing concern over the growing syndrome of paid news, he said the Commission had recently issued tougher guidelines to prevent this phenomena.

Asked about the issue of biometric cards in elections, he said the Commission has still not come to a conclusion on the best alternative but, at some point of time, the system will be used for electoral rolls. "We are studying it. It is a good idea".

He said 85 per cent of the 714 million voters have already been provided with voter identity cards and "when we issue more cards the unique identification numbers will be superimposed along with EC card numbers."

Modi man Shah surrenders, sent to Sabarmati jail

AHMEDABAD: On the run for three days, Gujarat's outgoing minister of state for home Amit Shah, facing charges of abduction and murder of alleged gangster Sohrabuddin Sheikh and his wife Kauserbi, surrendered before the CBI on Sunday and was sent to 14 days' judicial custody in Sabarmati Jail. The CBI surprisingly did not seek Shah's custody for questioning immediately.

On a day of dramatic developments, Shah, who was chargesheeted for murder in the Sohrabuddin Sheikh fake encounter case on Saturday, after which he sent his resignation as minister to CM Narendra Modi, made a surprise appearance at the state BJP headquarters at 11am and claimed that all the charges against him were fabricated.

At a hurriedly-convened press conference by the state BJP, which did not say that Shah would be addressing it, a confident and combative Shah reiterated Narendra Modi's accusations that the CBI's investigations were politically motivated.

"All the allegations against me are politically motivated and fabricated. None of the allegations are true," Shah told reporters, and added, "It's a conspiracy against the BJP and a move motivated by the Congress government (at the Centre)."

Next, Shah drove down to his official residence in Gandhinagar to meet his family members. Accompanied by BJP leaders, family friends and lawyers, he reached the CBI camp office in Old Sachivalaya around 2pm, only to find the agency officials waiting for him.

The former junior home minister was then whisked away to the residence of judicial magistrate A Y Dave, as courts were closed on Sunday. The court remanded Shah in judicial custody for 14 days after the CBI did not seek his remand. This was surprising because now the CBI would have to seek fresh direction from the court for his questioning. Shah had spent the last few days preparing for a gruelling round of interrogation by the CBI.

Within hours of Shah's arrest, thousands of BJP workers took out a silent protest rally on Ashram Road in Ahmedabad. Similar protests have been planned across the state this week.

"The Congress is doing this because it has not won any major election in the state for a long time," said Shah during the press conference, while demanding that his interrogation by CBI be video-recorded and handed to a competent court.

He also criticized Congress for projecting Sohrabuddin as a "small-time criminal". "The police recovered a cache of 40 AK-47 rifles and as many grenades near Sohrabuddin's house. He was wanted by the police of five states and had over 40 offences registered against him. He had more weapons than the entire bunch of terrorists led by Kasab who attacked Mumbai. Is such a person a small-time criminal," Shah asked.

The 200-page CBI chargesheet says Shah had entrusted the job of eliminating Sohrabuddin to IPS officer D G Vanzara, Rajkumar Pandian and Abhay Chudasama in November 2005. Later, Shah allegedly ordered the elimination of Sohrabuddin's wife Kauserbi, described as a witness to her husband's liquidation.

62 dead, 100 injured as trains collide in West Bengal

SAINTHIA (West Bengal): As many as 62 people were killed and over 100 passengers injured when a train in high speed tore through the rear of another at the Sainthia station in Birbhum district of West Bengal, after it apparently overshot the signal in the small hours of the day.

Driver M C Dey and assistant driver N K Mandal of the Sealdah-bound Uttarbanga Express, which collided with the Ranchi-bound Vananchal Express, were among the dead in the accident for which railways are not ruling out sabotage as the cause.

The guard of the Vananchal Express A Mukherjee also died in the mishap which was so severe that the roof and the sides of one of the compartments mounted the road overbridge across the tracks in the station, 191 kms from Kolkata, in Eastern Railway.

A part of another compartment of the Vananchal Express split and fell on the road along the tracks after being thrown over the bridge.

The accident occurred at 2 am when the New Coochbehar-Sealdah Uttarbanga Express came on the same track and rammed into the Bhagalpur-Ranchi Vananchal Express which was leaving platform number four at Sainthia station.

Eastern Railway General Manager V N Tripathi did not rule out sabotage, which Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee hinted this morning when she said "we have doubts about the cause of the accident, the second in West Bengal in two months".

The General Manager said the train was in speed and "what caused this we will have to find out. The driver is a very good driver and we are also puzzled".

Asked whether sabotage could be behind the accident, he said, "Possibly. Nothing could be ruled out".

Though the railways were hesitant to come out with the reason for the accident, the second in two months in West Bengal after the Jyaneshwari Express disaster that claimed 148 lives, an apparent overshooting of the signal by the driver of the Uttarbanga Express could be the reason behind this.

Eastern Railway sources in Kolkata and Railway Board sources in Delhi said the Uttarbanga Express, which has a scheduled stop at Sainthia, was running at a high speed, overshot the signal and ploughed into the Vananchal Express.

The scheduled arrival and departure of Uttarbanga Express at Sainthia was 1.38 am and 1.39 am. It was not clear why the train, which was to halt at the station, was at a high speed.

Action plan to clear pending cases soon: Moily

NEW DELHI, July 18: Union Law Minister Veerappa Moily on Sunday announced that the action plan to bring down the arrears of cases pending in various courts from 15 to three years was gaining momentum. With proper infrastructure being put in place, it would be implemented soon.

Speaking to journalists after participating in the regional meeting of State governments and High Courts here on implementation of the recommendations of the 13th Finance Commission, Mr. Moily said the meeting discussed the common strategy on the plan of action for the judiciary following the allocation of Rs. 5,000 crore spread over five years.

Mr. Moily said that for this year already Rs. 500 crore was sanctioned and the High Courts were given flexibility to use the funds in an appropriate manner.

He said that besides the Rs. 5,000 crore allocation, an additional Rs. 8,000 crore for various States (excluding Allahabad and Delhi) would be provided on a one-time basis for improving court infrastructure.

The Centre's plan to set up an all-India judicial services forum might not take off soon due to lack of unanimity among States. “The debate will continue. We do not wish to impose ourselves. The Department of Justice in the Law Ministry will prepare a consultation paper and seek the views of all concerned and a decision would be taken after due deliberations.”

On the opposition from States for establishment of Gram Nyayalayas, he said the Centre was willing to release extra funds to the States. He pointed out that the railways were anxious to work out a system under which mobile courts in rural areas could be established on trains. The concept of Family Courts does not seem to have found favour with certain States.

The Minister said a suitable law could be introduced to ensure that all family related issues were dealt with by a single court, saving litigants the trouble of visiting multiple courts.

Indian rocket successfully puts 5 satellites into orbit

SRIHARIKOTA, July 12: India's space agency ISRO on Monday successfully launched its Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) rocket that slung into orbit five satellites, including the advanced high resolution cartography satellite Cartosat-2B.

"I am extremely happy to say PSLV 16 was a successful flight. All the satellites were injected precisely," Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Chairman K. Radhakrishnan said.

ISRO's 230 tonne PSLV - standing 44 metres tall - soared towards the heavens from the spaceport here, about 80 km north of Chennai. The five satellites together weigh 819 kg.

Apart from its main cargo - the Cartosat-2B weighing 694 kg - the other satellites that the rocket put into orbit are the Algerian remote sensing satellite Alsat-2A (116 kg), two nano satellites (NLS 6.1 AISSAT-1 weighing 6.5 kg built by the University of Toronto, Canada and one kg NLS 6.2 TISAT built by University of Applied Sciences, Switzerland) and STUDSAT, a pico satellite weighing less than one kg, built jointly by students of seven engineering colleges in Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka.

Twenty minutes after blast off, the rocket first released Cartosat-2B followed by Alsat-2A and the three small satellites. Canada and Switzerland, and a pico (very small) satellite Studsat built by seven engineering students of Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka.

Present rulers can draw lessons from Indian emperors: Patil

HYDERABAD, July 5: Present day administrators can draw lessons in delivering basic and other facilities to the masses from the legacy of Indian emperors, President Pratibha Patil said today.

"We have huge amounts for social welfare and other schemes for inclusive growth. Our delivery systems must be geared up and made more effective and non-corrupt, so that benefits of welfare programmes reach them," Patil said in Hyderabad after inaugurating the 500th Coronation Day celebrations of 15th century ruler Sri Krishnadevaraya, the emperor of Vijayanagar kingdom.

"We must focus on undertaking rural development in a manner that villages become progressive economic units and agricultural productivity is increased. Agro-industries and other productive activities should be undertaken in rural areas," she said.

"The difficulties faced by farmers in dry-land areas, need to be addressed in a multi-pronged manner by putting in place effective water utilisation practices," she said.

Observing that India has assumed leadership in Information and Communication Technology (ICT) sector, Patil called for sustaining it by persisting efforts in this area.

She stressed the need for adopting management techniques in improving civic amenities to ensure Indian cities were livable in the face of growing urbanisation.

Praising the greatness of Sri Krishnadevaraya, Patil said the Vijayanagar empire reached its zenith during his reign, extending from Cuttack in the East to Goa in the West and from the Raichur Doab in the North to the Indian Ocean.

Hailing the legendary emperor as a great statesman and an administrator, she quoted Portuguese traveller Domingo Paes as saying that "Sri Krishnadevaraya was a perfect king, a great ruler and a man of much justice... loved and respected by all."

Andhra Pradesh Governor E S L Narasimhan said the Vijayanagar empire symbolises the pride of what is best and noble in the rich history and legacy of Telugu-speaking people.

Chief Minister K Rosaiah said common people still remembered Sri Krishnadevaraya as an ideal ruler because of his personality.

The month-long celebrations, to be held across the state, will culminate at Penukonda in Anantapur which was the second capital of Vijayanagar empire, he said.

The state government would also set up a museum at Penukonda, Culture Minister J Geeta Reddy said.

The President unveiled a bronze statue of Sri Krishnadevaraya on the occasion.

The programme began with renowned playback singer S P Balasubrahmanyam singing a song in praise of Sri Krishnadevaraya.

Ishrat Jahan was an LeT suicide bomber, Headley tells NIA

NEW DELHI, July 5: Bearing out the version of Gujarat Police, American-born Lashker-e-Taiba terrorist David Headley has claimed before NIA sleuths that Ishrat Jahan, a Mumbai girl killed in a police encounter in Ahmedabad, was a suicide bomber of the outfit.

Official sources said that Headley shared this information with the four-member team comprising officials from National Investigation Agency and Law Department during their visit to Chicago in the US.

The girl, whose death had sparked a major controversy, was alleged to be a member of Lashker's suicide squad who had been inducted by top LeT operative Muzamil.

Headley's information corroborates the stand of Gujarat Police and the Centre. The encounter had run into controversy after Jahan's family claimed that she was just a student and filed an appeal in the court. Gujarat Police had claimed that the terrorists were in the state to attack Chief Minister Narendra Modi.

Sources said Headley's reconnaissance missions for Lashkar in India started in 2006.

Jahan was killed along with Javed Sheikh alias Pranesh Pillai and two Pakistani nationals -- Amjad Ali and Jishan Johar Abdul Ghani -- on June 15, 2004.

As per police records, they were intercepted on the outskirts of Ahmedabad, travelling in a car. When they were confronted, an encounter ensued in which all were shot dead.

Ishrat's mother Shamima Kausar in her petition to Gujarat High Court had claimed that her daughter was working as a saleswoman for Sheikh's perfumes business.

Trust but verify, says PM on ties with Pakistan

NEW DELHI, June 30: In the wake of Home Ministerial talks, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Tuesday pinned "some hope" on developing peaceful ties with Pakistan but made it clear that while moving to develop trust, India would "verify" how anti-India terror groups are dealt with.

Reflecting a guarded approach of his government, Singh said only time will tell how events would unfold in the context of relations with Pakistan.

"The Home Minister (P Chidambaram) was in Pakistan last week. You must have read what he has stated. I think there is some hope," Singh told reporters accompanying him on his way back home after attending the G-20 Summit in Toronto.

Prime Minister was replying to a question that while he was working hard on making peace with Pakistan, how India proposes to go ahead in case of another 26/11 type attack.

Chidambaram held talks with his Pakistani counterpart Rehman Malik in Islamabad on 25th June and pressed for "visible" outcome in its action against terrorism directed against India and ensuring punishment to all those behind the Mumbai attacks.

Chidambaram specifically mentioned JuD chief Hafiz Saeed, two army Majors and some others involved in 26/11, against whom India wants urgent action.

"As I have said in dealing with Pakistan our attitude has to be - trust - trust but verify. So only time will tell which way the animal will turn," Singh said.

Singh had on Monday pressed US President Barack Obama to convince Pakistan to take strong action against terrorists involved in anti-India activities in that country following disclosures made by LeT operative David Headley.

Singh, who met Obama on the sidelines of the G-20 Summit, briefed him about the peace initiatives with Pakistan but made it clear that Islamabad should abide by its commitment of not to allow terrorism emanating from its soil directed against India.

The activities of Headley came up for discussion in the light of information coming out of Pakistani-American LeT operative after his interrogation by Indian investigators.

Chidambaram had last week met his Pakistani counterpart Rehman Malik and pressed for prosecution of more people involved in the 26/11 attacks.

India and Pakistan had in April decided to resume talks at the Foreign Secretaries and Foreign Ministers level after a gap of 18 months.

Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao was in Islamabad last week and External Affairs Minister S M Krishna will travel to Pakistan on 15th July to meet his counterpart Shah Mehmood Qureshi.

India had put the Composite Dialogue process on hold after the Mumbai attacks, blamed on the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba.

Congress rejects allegations against Rajiv Govt on Bhopal

WASHINGTON, June 18: Congress has termed as “outrageous” and “ridiculous” the allegations that Rajiv Gandhi government had assured “safe passage” to Union Carbide Chief Warren Anderson before he came to India in the aftermath of the deadly 1984 Bhopal gas leakage that killed thousands.

“There is absolutely no evidence of any kind whatsoever direct or indirect to support this completely outrageous and ridiculous allegation,” Congress spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi said at a press conference in Washington.

Earlier, the then Foreign Secretary M. K. Rasgotra gave a new twist to the raging controversy over the Bhopal gas tragedy by disclosing that the Home Ministry, under P. V. Narasimha Rao, had assured “safe passage” to Mr. Anderson before he came to India in the aftermath of the gas leakage.

“The allegation is purely political,” Mr. Singhvi claimed when asked about the statements coming from Mr. Rasgotra and the then Deputy Chief de Mission at the U.S. Embassy in New Delhi, Gordon Streeb, that the then Union Government had assured safe passage to Mr. Anderson during his trip to India.

“The Prime Minister of India does not deal with what every police constable does. There is absolutely no connectivity. “I would ask you a simple question: Why this gentleman is saying this for the first time after 25 years? Could he not find any other time to make this allegation? And why are those political parties picking up these on themes on the basis of allegations being made now. If there was slightest of evidence, these allegations would have been made earlier,” Mr. Singhvi said.

“There is now as you know a GoM. All those things deserve to be looked into... but certainly there is no place for such outrageous allegations. Because there is no basis, except that it creates a certain amount of political sensationalism and mockery by certain vested interest.”

“All is not lost, because there are procedures by which A, a review petition can be filed before the Supreme Court to consider reviewing a judgement passed by it years ago. B, the process of perusing that criminal proceedings in which he was declared a proclaimed offender can be restarted,” the Congress spokesman said.

Responding to a question, he said there is no connection between the Bhopal tragedy and the Nuclear Liability Bill pending in the Parliament.

“I do not see any reason to connect the two (Bhopal issue and Nuclear Liability Bill). Because the proposed Civil Nuclear Liability Bill is specifically restricted and operative in respect to suppliers and operators of nuclear parts. Nobody is suggesting that the Bhopal site involved a nuclear plant. Even if it is passed in whatever form, it (Nuclear Liability Bill) would have nothing to do with non-nuclear plant sites,” he said.

“It is a very specific bill, but obviously that bill will get all the inputs of all the stake holders and ultimately a decision based on all the stake holders would be taken. But I do not see any reason to connect it with Bhopal,” Mr.Singhvi said.

Mr. Singhvi is leading an all-party delegation of Members of Parliament to attend the annual India-Yale Parliamentary Leadership Programme in U.S.

Oscar, Anand Sharma, Paswan get Rajya Sabha berth

NEW DELHI, June 17: A number of political, legal and business heavyweights made their way to the Rajya Sabha on Thursday, having won elections on party nominations from five States where there was a contest for 18 seats.

Ram Jethmalani, top criminal lawyer, won as an independent supported by the BJP from Rajasthan. Another successful independent was Vijay Mallya from Karnataka, who got the support of the Janata Dal (Secular) as well as the BJP; and there was M. Venkaiah Naidu (BJP) from Karnataka.

Union Commerce Minister Anand Sharma (Congress) was elected from Rajasthan. So also were senior Congress leader Oscar Fernandes from Karnataka and senior BJP leader Rajiv Pratap Rudy from Bihar. The former Union Minister, Ram Vilas Paswan (Lok Jan Shakti Party), won from Bihar with the support of the Rashtriya Janata Dal and some others.

Mr. Paswan had lost the 2009 Lok Sabha election from Hajipur and will now find himself in Parliament after more than a year.

The Congress, which has just 14 MLAs in politically fragmented Jharkhand, was able to get its candidate, Dhiraj Prasad Sahu, elected.

In Rajasthan, the former Union Minister and industrialist, Santosh Bagrodia, supported by the Congress as an independent, was defeated in a closely-fought election. The three-member CPI (M) group abstained.

According to reports in Bihar, a few MLAs of the BJP, the RJD and the BSP defied their party lines and voted for candidates of their choice. On Thursday, the poll was held for five seats in Bihar, four each in Rajasthan and Karnataka, three in Orissa and two in Jharkhand.

Though the Election Commission announced the poll for 55 seats from 13 States, including 6 from Andhra Pradesh (announced separately), the election in most of the States was not held as the candidates were declared elected unopposed.

Those who sailed through were Union Ministers Ambika Soni (Congress-Punjab) and Jairam Ramesh (Congress-Andhra Pradesh), Gandhi family loyalist Satish Sharma (Congress-Uttar Pradesh), Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi (BJP-Uttar Pradesh) and senior journalist Chandan Mitra (BJP-Madhya Pradesh).

Candidates were elected unopposed in Uttar Pradesh (11 seats), Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra (6 each), Madhya Pradesh (3), Chhattisgarh and Punjab (two each) and Uttarakhand (1).

Parliamentary panel starts work on nuclear liability Bill

NEW DELHI, June 9: With the Bhopal judgment exposing the Indian system's failure to fix liability for a major industrial disaster, a parliamentary panel on Tuesday formally began consideration of the controversial Civil Nuclear Liability Bill.

Members of the Standing Committee on Science and Technology questioned Atomic Energy Commission chairman Srikumar Banerjee on the Bill's provisions. Dr. Banerjee, according to several MPs, said the government was prepared to be flexible.

The committee, which is chaired by Congress MP T. Subbarami Reddy, will hold its next meeting on June 15 and 16. Among those who will testify are the Union Power and Law Secretaries, as well as independent experts. The DAE is also likely to revert with fresh language on a couple of provisions.

As it stands, the Bill deals only with civil liability in the event of a nuclear accident. Civil liability is channelled to the operator, whose individual, no-fault exposure is capped at Rs. 500 crore. Though the draft allows the authorities to raise that cap and also provides for top-up compensation from the government, critics say the sums would be inadequate in the event of a major nuclear disaster. Questions have also been raised why the Bill does not exclude private operators from this official burden sharing so that the taxpayer does not end up subsiding private corporations as and when the law is amended to allow them in to the nuclear power generation business.

Though the Bill makes no mention of criminal liability, official sources say the Opposition is reading too much into this absence. Indeed, as part of their hard sell a few months ago, government managers made much of the fact that the new law would not dilute the state's right to file criminal charges in case an accident is caused by negligence. Nor would it affect the victims' right to file tort claims in such an eventuality for damages over and above the operator's no-fault liability limit.

In the light of the public outcry over the Bhopal case, however, the government now acknowledges these arguments do not sound very convincing. “We are showing flexibility. I think it is very clear that with a rigid attitude, we cannot proceed,” a senior official told The Hindu.

Though the Standing Committee is likely to suggest changes, one question already being asked is whether the Bill, or perhaps a parallel piece of legislation, could take up the question of enhancing the criminal penalty for operators as well as their foreign and domestic suppliers beyond what Section 304 A of the Indian Penal Code allows in the event of an accident. A second question is whether the current Bill can include provisions creating legal and administrative machinery that nuclear accident victims could use to effectively press tort claims.

Keshub Mahindra, 7 others convicted in Bhopal gas disaster case

BHOPAL, June 7: Twenty six years after the world’s worst industrial disaster that had left over 15,000 people dead, a local court on Monday convicted all the eight accused, including former Union Carbide Chairman Keshub Mahindra, in the Bhopal Gas tragedy case.

Chief Judicial Magistrate Mohan P. Tiwari pronounced the verdict in a packed court room convicting 85-year-old Mahindra, and seven others in the case relating to leakage of deadly methyl isocyanate gas in the intervening of December 2, and 3, 1984.

They were held guilty under Sections 304-A (causing death by negligence), 304-II (culpable homicide not amounting to murder), 336, 337 and 338 (gross negligence) of the Indian Penal Code.

However, there was no word on Warren Anderson, the then Chairman of Union Carbide Corporation of the U.S., who was declared an absconder after he did not subject himself to trial in the case that began 23 years ago.

Mr. Anderson, who did not face trial, is based in the U.S. The companies —- Union Carbide Corporation, USA and Union Carbide Eastern, Hong Kong — were also not represented in the trial.

Others found guilty are Vijay Gokhle, the then Managing Director of UCIL, Kishore Kamdar, the then Vice President, J. N. Mukund, the then Works Manager, S. P. Choudhary, the then Production Manager, K. V. Shetty, the then Plant Superintendent and S. I. Quershi, the then Production Assistant.

The sentencing in the case is expected later.

Arguments on the quantum of sentence were put forward by the defence and prosecution counsel.

Except Quershi, all the seven others, including Mahindra, were present in the court. A ninth accused, R. B. Roy Choudhary, the then former Assistant Works Manager of UCIL, Mumbai, had died during the course of the trial.

A total of 178 prosecution witnesses were examined in the trial and 3,008 documents were produced while eight defence witnesses deposed in the court.

The FIR in the tragedy was filed on December 3, 1984 and the case was transferred to CBI on December 6, 1984. The CBI filed the chargesheet after investigation on December 1, 1987.

Subsequently, a local court had framed charges against the accused.

CBI counsel C. Sahay had argued that defective design of UCIL and its poor maintenance resulted into the tragedy that had left 2,259 dead immediately after the mishap. The lingering effects of the highly poisonous methyl isocyanate killed over 15,000 people.

Mr. Sahay contended that Union Carbide Corporation, U.S., in its survey of the factory in 1982 had found serious safety and maintenance lapses on nearly 10 counts.

The prosecution argued that even after UCC experts’ team visit to the factory, adequate safety measures and maintenance works were not undertaken in UCIL.

A Central team, which visited the UCIL plant post-tragedy in 1984, also found lapses in safety norms and maintenance, the counsel had said.

Refuting the charge that lapses in maintenance and safety norms had led to the tragedy, defence counsel D. Prasad and Amit Desai had argued that all steps were followed to keep the UCIL’s Bhopal factory in a proper shape.

The defence had also refuted the charge that a team of Union Carbide Corporation, USA, which visited the plant following the death of a worker here in 1982, had found any fault in the unit.

The defence had contended that the UCIL was so much concerned on the safety front that after the death of Mohammed Ashraf Khan, it had reported the matter to the UCC, USA, which had carried out a safety audit.

Manmohan optimistic about economic growth

NEW DELHI: Even while maintaining his projection of 8.5 per cent growth for the current fiscal, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Tuesday expressed cautious optimism over the country's overall economic scenario in view of the fresh global uncertainties stemming from the sovereign debt crisis in the Euro-zone.

Releasing the first anniversary report of the UPA-II government at a function here, Dr. Singh said: “In the current financial year, the economy is expected to grow at 8.5 per cent. This is one of the best performances in the world and reflects the strong fundamentals which we have built over several years.”

Alongside, however, without alluding to the sovereign debt crisis in Greece, which has surfaced soon after a breather from the global meltdown, and spreading like a contagion to other countries in the Euro zone to impact the rest of the world, Dr. Singh said: “There are uncertainties on the horizon, but on the whole I look to the year ahead with cautious optimism.”

He referred to the “exceptionally difficult and challenging period” of “an unprecedented global financial crisis and also a severe drought in 2009” and pointed to the economic management over these years which helped to minimise their effect on the growth momentum. With the fiscal stimulus packages put in place, the country posted a growth of 7.4 per cent in 2009-10, a tad higher than the 7.2 per cent projected earlier, which marked a recovery from the slide to 6.7 per cent in 2008-09.

However, even as the Euro-zone crisis could impact developing economies owing to cut back in spending and financial pressures spilling over to Spain, Italy and Portugal, Dr. Singh hinted that it would be essential for India to return to the path of fiscal prudence.

“Like other countries, we resorted to fiscal stimuli to deal with the fallout of the global slowdown. It has worked well, but now, we must return to the path of fiscal prudence leading to a calibrated reduction in our fiscal deficit. [At the same time], we must work to ensure that the economy grows so that our resources expand, enabling us to spend,” he said.

Dr. Singh admitted that the pressure on prices was one of the major problems which the government is faced with at present. Though to a large extent, it is an aftermath of the drought last year, “but it needs firm action.” He assured the nation that the government would “continue to monitor the situation very carefully, and take whatever corrective steps are necessary to rein in inflation.”

The assurance of a respite from rising food prices is based on the forecast of a normal monsoon this year following which both the government and economists expect a cooling off in inflation. If that comes about, headline inflation, as projected by the Prime Minister earlier, is likely to ease to about five to six per cent by December.

In its ‘Report to the People 2009-10,' the government also sought to highlight the achievements in various flagship and social sector programmes aimed at inclusive growth to protect and improve the living standards of the vulnerable sections of society such as the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme, the Bharat Nirman and other schemes.

Alongside, the report also referred to the various ongoing programmes such as disinvestment and the reforms in the pipeline by way of the direct tax code.

Manmohan rules out retirement till his task is finished

NEW DELHI, May 24: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, addressing his first major press conference in his second tenure at the head of the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government, dismissed speculation that he may not complete his full term in office.

“The task I have been given remains unfinished,” he said, replying to a question on whether he was heading towards retirement. “Till I finish these tasks, there is no question of my retirement,” he said firmly. But he qualified this by saying that he sometimes felt younger people should take over: “[When] the Congress makes that judgment, I would be very happy to make place for anybody the Congress may choose.”

Asked when Rahul Gandhi would join his Cabinet, Dr. Singh said: “When he is ready to join… he would be a very, very appropriate addition.” He said his many invitations to the young Congress general secretary had received the same response — he wanted to focus on reviving the Congress.

Dismissing reports of differences with Congress president Sonia Gandhi, Dr. Singh said: “She is the president of the Congress. I am a Congressman... there is no question of there being a…gap between me and the Congress president when it comes to doing things which our government should be doing.” Rather, he was “very fortunate” in receiving her “constant advice and guidance” during their weekly meetings. Besides, there were several “effective coordination mechanisms,” to mediate between government and party. Rejecting the description of the Sonia Gandhi-headed National Advisory Council (NAC) as a “super cabinet,” he said it was “an advisory body” which had, in the past, helped push forward the government's social equity agenda.

Stressing that Ministers should refrain from airing their differences publicly, Dr. Singh pointed out that the Cabinet met often enough — weekly — to provide them with a platform to express their views. He, however, clarified that he was not issuing a gag order: “I welcome a dialogue between Ministers… We are a democracy… it is very important we should take advantage of the diverse opinion that may exist in a country as large, as complex… as India is.” Ministers should only remember that matters which were before the Cabinet should be “first taken up in the Cabinet itself.”

Refusing to get embroiled in Home Minister P. Chidambaram's “limited mandate” remark on dealing with the Maoists, Dr. Singh merely said: “He has explained what he meant by his having a limited mandate.”

Asked whether he missed the support of the Left parties, Dr. Singh quipped: “Well, if wishes were horses, even beggars would ride. I know it cannot become a reality.” But he invited all “likeminded political parties” to join the UPA “in carrying forward this process of sustained and equitable development.”

Nation remembers Rajiv Gandhi

NEW DELHI, May 21: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress chief Sonia Gandhi on Friday led the nation in paying homage to former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi on his 19th death anniversary. The day is also observed as Anti-Terrorism Day.

Gandhi's widow, Sonia Gandhi, was among the first to arrive at the memorial of the charismatic leader, who was assassinated during an election campaign at Tamil Nadu in 1991.

Rail link from Manipur to Vietnam on cards: Tharoor

SHILLONG, April 9: As part of initiatives to improve connectivity between Northeast India and Southeast Asia, the government is considering a rail link from Manipur to Vietnam, Union minister Shashi Tharoor Friday said.

"Efforts are underway to have a rail link from Jiribham (close to the Assam border) to Hanoi in Vietnam passing through Myanmar," Tharoor told a seminar 'From Land Locked to Land Linked: Northeast India in BIMSTEC' in Shilong.

The Union minister of state for external affairs said improved connectivity between the Northeast and the Southeast Asian countries will not only help the region to discover a larger market, but also will integrate India with the those countries.

"The Asian Highway Network which is being coordinated through the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific office in Bangkok, envisages a comprehensive network of roads connecting the countries of Asia. There is separately an East-West Highway Project running from Vietnam through to Myanmar, through which India could get access to all mainland Southeast Asian countries," he said.

He underlined that from India's perspective, the Trilateral Highway Project between India, Myanmar and Thailand, was very critical. "The project is under construction. Thailand and India in fact have completed construction of the link roads on either sides," he said.

According to Tharoor, some portions of the internal road connectivity in Myanmar remains to be completed and that country has requested for grants and funding to enable this project to be completed which will eventually link the Northeast to the East West Highway and the Asian Highway Network.

The requests, he said, are under consideration of both India and Thailand.

"We are also working on enhancing digital connectivity with the Southeast Asian region. An optical fiber cable link between Morek in Manipur and Mandalay in Myanmar is being set up," he said.

President confers Padma awards

NEW DELHI, March 31: President Pratibha Devisingh Patil on Wednesday conferred Padma Awards to Nobel laureate Venkatraman Ramakrishnan, veteran theatre artiste Zohra Sehgal and Oscar winner A R Rehman.

Ace badminton player Saina Nehwal, Bollywood actors Aamir Khan, Saif Ali Khan, Rekha and other eminent persons for their exceptional and distinguished contribution in various fields are the other awardees.

At a glittering ceremony at the Rashtrapati Bhavan, the President conferred the country’s highest civilian awards in three categories, namely, Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri.

The awards are given in 13 disciplines/ fields of activities like art, social work, public affairs, science and engineering, trade and industry, medicine, literature and education, sports and civil service.

The awards were announced to 130 recepients, including 6 Padma Vibhushan, 43 Padma Bhushan, 81 Padma Shri and 13 in the category of Foreigners/ NRIs/ PIOs on the occasion of Republic Day.

There are 17 women among the awardees.

The Padma Vibhushan went to six eminent personalities including Nobel laureate V Ramakrishnan, renowned theatre director Ebrahim Alkazi, veteran theatre artiste Zohra Sehgal, former RBI governor Yaga Venugopal Reddy, veteran mridangam exponent Umayalpuram K Sivaraman and Apollo Hospital founder Prathap Chandra Reddy.

Actor Aamir Khan, music maestros A R Rahman and Ilaiyaraaja, danseuse Mallika Sarabhai, artist Akbar Padamsee and Dr Ramakant Panda were among the 43 Padma Bhushan awardees.

Among the 81 Padma Shri awardees were film actors Rekha and Saif Ali Khan, Olympic medallist Vijender Singh, eminent cardiologist K K Agarwal, cricketer Virender Sehwag, ace badminton player Saina Nehwal and cricketer Sachin Tendulkar's mentor Ramakant Achrekar.