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Crucial TDP meeting under way Hyderabad, Apr 14 (ANI): Telugu Desam Party, a key ally of the
ruling coalition at the Centre, called a meeting on Sunday to
decide whether to continue its support to Prime Minister Atal
Behari Vajpayee's government.
TDP, the second largest supporter of the NDA, has demanded that
BJP sack Gujarat chief minister for failing to contain religious
violence.
The party had disapproved BJP's move to protect Chief Minister
Narendra Modi and ordering of an early state election.
The Gujarat strife was country's worst religious violence since
3,000 people died in nationwide riots after Hindu radicals tore
down a mosque on what they say is the birthplace of Lord Ram in
Ayodhya in late 1992.
A meeting of 28 federal lawmakers of TDP earlier on Sunday
authorised politburo, the party's highest policy making body, to
take a final decision on the issue.
"We authorised the politburo to take appropriate decisions to
safgeguard the nation's integrity and to protect secularism for
our party's interest," TDP Parliamentary party leader, Yerran
Naidu, told reporters after their meeting in Hyderabad.
With national elections not due until 2004 and little likelihood
of teaming up with the main opposition Congress party, quitting
the coalition would be the TDP's last resort, given the damage to
its image that would come from toppling the government.
Federal Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pramod Mahajan expressed
confidence that the TDP would not take the extreme step.
"TDP will not withdraw the support. They have an opinion on
Gujarat which they expressed earlier. They have repeated it. The
resignation of Narendra modi was asked by TDP even earlier. They
have repeated it today. There is nothing new to react," Mahajan
said in Miramar in Goa, where the BJP concluded a meeting of its
national executive on Sunday.
The threat of losing the TDP's 28 seats in the 545-strong lower
house would bring the coalition dangerously near the 272 seats it
needs to rule and give the TDP some leverage, such as more money
for its heartland of Andhra Pradesh.
Two other minor allies have also sought the Gujarat chief
minister's sacking and have threatened to withdraw support.
They have not yet announced their response to the BJP move.(ANI) Vajpayee sees no threat to govtGo to
top Miramar (Goa), Apr 14 (ANI): Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee
said on Sunday a revolt within his coalition over the handling of
Hindu-Muslim bloodshed in Gujarat would not bring down the
government.
Powerful members, who have demanded that coalition leader
Bharatiya Janata Party sack its chief minister of Gujarat for
failing to contain the bloodshed, are furious it has protected
him instead and ordered an early state election.
As the second-largest party in the more than 20-strong alliance,
the Telugu Desam Party (TDP), met to consider its position,
Vajpayee said he was prepared to test his rule on the floor of
parliament, which reconvenes this week.
The Prime Minister said talks were on with the TDP to resolve the
issue. "We are talking to TDP leaders and I am confident that
something will be sorted out. We are talking to them about
whatever is necessary. There is no instability," he told
reporters in the beachside town of Miramar, where top BJP
officials wound up three days of talks to deal with the crisis
and draft a strategy to reverse political setbacks.
Leaders of the small but powerful TDP met to discuss their
strategy on Sunday after the BJP refused to sack the chief
minister of Gujarat, who is accused of turning a blind eye to
religious riots that killed more than 750.
With national elections not due until 2004 and little likelihood
of teaming up with the main opposition Congress party, quitting
the coalition would be the TDP's last resort, given the damage to
its image that would come from toppling the government.
But if the TDP, with 28 seats in the 545-member parliament, walks
out of the coalition, Vajpayee would be left dangerously close to
the 272 seats he needs to stay in office from the more than 300
seats his coalition has at present.
Meanwhile, another regional ally, the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam
(DMK), demanded on Sunday an immediate convening of a meeting of
members of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) to discuss the
situation.
Referring to the resolution passed in the BJP executive against
changing Modi, DMK chief M. Karunanidhi said the issue was the
party's internal concern.
"Changing Modi is an internal matter of the BJP. But what has
happened in Gujarat has already become an all India issue and the
issue of NDA (National Democratic Alliance). So, in order to find
a solution to the looming crisis, it is imperative and urgent
that the Prime Minister convene an NDA meeting," Karunanidhi told
reporters in Chennai.
On being asked whether the NDA meeting would solve the problem,
he countered, "How can I say before the convening of the NDA
meeting ?"
The DMK has 12 seats in parliament.
Vajpayee has called the coalition meeting in the national capital
late on Sunday evening.(ANI) Army deployed in Dariyapur area of GujaratGo to
top Ahmedabad, Apr 14 (ANI): : Army was deployed in Dariyapur area
of Ahmedabad on Sunday following reports of stone-pelting.
Ahmedabad, the main city of Gujarat, bore the brunt of religious
violence that claimed more than 800 lives in recent weeks.
In the latest incident, mobs of Hindus and Muslims pelted stones
at each other in a middle class residential area of the walled
city in which six people were injured.
Security officials said timely deployment of army prevented the
situation from going out of hand.
"At around 3.30 (1000 GMT) in the afternoon there was some
violence in Dariyapur area. As soon as the information came we
reached here immmediately and now the situation is under
control," said Mohan Das, an official of the Rapid Action Force.
No major incidents have been reported since March 15 but sporadic
violece continues which threatens the survival of Chief Minister
Narendra Modi.
Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party also heads the federal coalition.
Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee's allies have called for the
sacking of Modi on charges that he failed to control violence.
But Vajpayee rejected their demands. A key ally of Vajpayee is to
decide on Sunday whether to support the federal government.
The withdrawal of support may leave Vajpayee with barely
sufficient numbers to rule.
The violence began on February 27 when a suspected Muslim mob
torched a train killing 59 Hindus near Godhra town. In the
reprisal attacks more than 750 people, mostly Muslims, have been
killed all over the state.(ANI) Four Harkat militants gunned down in Baramulla gunbattle Go to
top Jammu, Apr 14 (ANI): Security forces shot dead four separatist
rebels, including a senior commander, in a gunbattle in strife-
torn Kashmir, a senior army official said on Sunday.
A.M.Kakade, a senior officer of the army, said they had killed
four militants of Harkat-ul-Jehad Islami (HUJI) including its
senior commander, Abdul Reman, in a fierce gunbattle in Aithmula
area of Baramulla district.
"In this fire fight we have killed all these four militants,"
said Kakade.
Three Pakistani nationals were among the dead, he added.
Baramulla district lies north of Srinagar, the summer capital of
Jammu and Kashmir.
Harkat-ul-Jehad Islami is fighting for Kashmir's merger with
neighbouring Pakistan.
The disputed Himalayan region is at the centre of a military
standoff between India and Pakistan.
About a dozen militant groups are fighting India's rule in
Muslim-majority Kashmir, where authorities say about 33,000
people have died in 12 years of rebellion. Separatists put the
toll closer to 80,000.(ANI) Doctors' dilemma in powerless hospitals
Go to
top Lucknow, Apr 14 (ANI): The ongoing power crisis in Uttar Pradesh
has not only hit the normal life of the people, but functioning
of hospitals too has become almost impossible.
As power is cut for long hours, at times for 8 hours at a
stretch, the doctors are not able to perform the regular
operations. The check-ups in the outpatients departments (OPDs)
are also done without electricity.
The patients admitted in hospitals and nursing homes are forced
to stay without fans and coolers. Due to the absence of
generators or stabilisers, there is no possibility of arranging
any alternative during the hours when power is cut off.
Mahesh, a patient, said, "We feel very hot. Since I had an
operation a few days back, there is irritation on the stitches
due to sweat".
Kusum Dubey, a doctor, said, "We are facing a lot of difficulties
due to power cuts. The heat is really proving troublesome for
new- born babies. General patients too are facing similar
problems".
She further said the main problem arises during operations as "we
are unable to sterilise the equipments due to regular power
crisis. And we often have to turn away our patients".
As a result, the family members of such patients are left with no
option but to rush them to hospitals in far-flung areas. As
treatment is delayed, the risk to lives of such patients
increases all the more.
Jai Singh Rana, another doctor, said, "We are facing problems in
immunisations, because the vaccines have to be stored at a
temperature as low as -20 degrees. But, due to power failure we
have to switch to generators. We have to hire generators to keep
the temperature constant". (ANI) Powell begins crucial talks with Arafat Go to
top Nicosia, Apr 14 (ANI): US Secretary of State Colin Powell is
holding talks with Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat to try to
secure a ceasefire after weeks of spiralling violence in the
Middle East, says BBC.
Amid heavy security, Powell entered Arafat's besieged Ramallah
headquarters in the West Bank.
Their meeting, postponed following Friday's suicide bombing in
Jerusalem, comes after Arafat bowed to a key American demand and
publicly condemned terrorism.
Powell is expected to press Arafat to take effective action
against the Palestinian suicide bombings and attacks that have
triggered a massive Israeli offensive in the West Bank.
Arafat, for his part, was likely to demand an end to the Israeli
military occupation - something Powell has so far failed to
secure from the Israelis and is due to take up later in the day
with the Israeli leader, Ariel Sharon.
As the talks in Ramallah were getting underway, Palestinian human
rights groups were launching an appeal in the Israeli Supreme
Court to prevent the army from burying people killed in Jenin in
mass graves.
The Palestinians have called for an international inquiry into
the situation at Jenin refugee camp, where hundreds of
Palestinians are reported to have died during the past week.
Israeli forces remain in control of four of the main Palestinian
towns on the West Bank - Bethlehem, Ramallah, Jenin and Nablus.
Witnesses said Arafat looked drawn as he greeted Powell at his
bombed-out offices, surrounded by Palestinian bodyguards and US
security agents.
The US Secretary of State, who has gone into the heart of what
amounts to a war zone, is seeing for himself the desperate
conditions there, including the stench produced by days without
power or water.
Their meeting comes a day after Arafat issued a public statement
condemning terrorism, which also made special reference to
Friday's suicide attack in west Jerusalem which killed six
Israelis. (ANI) |