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BJP-BSP an opportunistic alliance: Mulayam
New Delhi, Apr. 17 (ANI): The efforts of the BSP and the BJP to
form a government in UP have been described as "opportunistic" by
Samajwadi Party, which predicts that the alliance will be short-
lived.
"This is an opportunistic alliance and it won't last long",
Samajwadi Party president Mulayam Singh Yadav told reporters here
on Wednesday when asked to comment on the developments i.e. the
conversation between Kanshi Ram and L K Advani.
The leader of SP, which won the highest number of seats in the
last Assembly elections, remarked that the BSP, after the polls,
had lost all its face to hobnob with BJP. "BSP has done it twice
in the past and was trying to do the same thing for the third
time," he said.
Yadav was talking to mediapersons on the sidelines of a People's
Front rally at the Jantar Mantar to demand the ouster of Gujarat
Chief Minister Narendra Modi.
Addressing the rally, Yadav charged the BJP-led NDA government at
the Centre with "deliberately frustrating" his party from forming
the next government in UP. "The BJP hatched a conspiracy with BSP
to keep us out of power in the state," he charged. (ANI)
Early polls not my priority: ModiGo to
top Ahmedabad, Apr 17 (ANI): The Gujarat cabinet on Wednesday
deferred a decision on whether to recommend elections in the
riot-torn state as decided by the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party
over the weekend.
After the cabinet meeting in Gandhinagar, Chief Minister
Narendra Modi said his priority was to rehabilitate the victims
of religious violence which left more than 800 people, mostly
Muslims, dead.
More than 100,000 people are still taking shelter in around 35
camps too scared to return and start their lives afresh.
"I said in Goa as well as after coming here that my first
priorities are to rehabilitate all those who have been displaced
and to speed up rehabilitation process. To provide relief to all
and conduct examinations are my main priorities," Modi said.
Critics saw the plan to hold elections immediately in Gujarat as
a cynical ploy to exploit religious divides following the worst
Hindu-Muslim violence in a decade.
The Telugu Desam Party, a crucial ally of BJP-headed federal
coalition, has demanded that Modi be sacked and elections put on
hold.
Chief Minister Narendra Modi has been facing the wrath of the
opposition and coalition allies for failing to control violence.
Modi denies accusations that police turned a blind eye to
reprisal killings of Muslims by Hindus.
Meanwhile, the year-end examinations for Class X and XII which
were postponed due to violence in March are set to begin from
Thursday.
State Education Minister Anandiben Patel said security has been
tightened at the examination centres to prevent any violence.
"We have planned to place video cameras at five examination
centre which we have set up to conduct examinations. Any body
involved in any mischief will be traced. Secondly, security
arrangements have been made at examination centres and a good
atmoshere has been created around centres. There are no chances
of any untoward incident," Patel said.
At least three people were stabbed to death and 15 others
injured in the state in fresh clashes between Hindus and Muslims,
police said on Wednesday.
Rioters pelted stones and hurled crudely made bombs at each other
in at least three different areas of Ahmedabad.(ANI)
BJP not for early Gujarat polls
Go to
top New Delhi, Apr 17 (ANI): The embattled Bharatiya Janata Party
sought to win over its secular coalition partners on Wednesday
by deferring plans for early elections in riot-torn Gujarat.
The move appeared to ensure the survival of the 30-month-old BJP-
led government, and the BJP's leader in Gujarat, but concerns
remain over the party's Hindu revivalist leanings which sparked
the most serious political revolt since it took power in 1999.
Officials say more than 800 people, mostly Muslims, have died in
the Gujarat violence, which started on February 27 when a Muslim
mob torched a train carrying Hindu activists, burning 59 people
to death.
Leaders of Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee's coalition said
there were no plans to hold elections immediately in Gujarat,
which many saw as a cynical ploy to exploit religious divides
following the worst Hindu-Muslim violence in a decade.
"Opinions do come and decisions are taken. But seeing the
situation certain changes are made in the decisions. Right now,
there has been no talk of immediatedly dissolving the state
assembly and going for elections," said George Fernandes, the
government's most powerful non-BJP minister, and convenor of the
ruling National Democratic Alliance after a meeting of the
coalition members.
The BJP has been battling a revolt from its coalition allies and
opposition parties demanding the immediate dismissal of the
party's chief minister in Gujarat, Narendra Modi.
They have also been pressing for a debate followed by a vote on
the issue in Parliament.
The issue has led to the adjournment of both houses of Parliament
for three successive days.
"Today, at the meeting of all NDA (National Democratic Alliance)
members, it was decided that as per rule 184 and the adjournment
motion, there will be no debate on the Gujarat issue in
Parliament. If necessary, debate can take place only under rule
193. Most of the members opined that regional issues should not
figure here," said party spokesperson Vijay Kumar Malhotra.
Rule 184 entails voting after the discussion while rule 193
merely allows a debate without a vote.
The BJP's biggest ally, Telugu Desam Party (TDP), said it would
continue with its demand for a discussion on this issue in the
lower House of Parliament.
"We have to discuss this subject. This is the most important
subject. This is a national issue. That's why, the TDP sent a
letter to the honourable Deputy Speaker. So the TDP's demand is
that this subject may be discussed on priority basis," said
Yerran Naidu, leader of the TDP.
If the TDP, which has 28 lawmakers in the 545-member Parliament,
were to cut off support, the federal coalition would still
command a majority, but would be seriously weakened.(ANI)
MPs' march against Gujarat violence Go to
top New Delhi, Apr 17 (ANI): Lawmakers of socialist and leftist
parties took out a march from Parliament on Wednesday to protest
against religious violence in Gujarat. Officials say more than
800 people, mostly Muslims, have died in violence, which started
on February 27 when a Muslim mob torched a train carrying Hindu
activists, burning 59 people to death. But human rights groups
put the death toll closer to 2,000 or even higher.
Protestors shouted slogans against the BJP which heads the ruling
federal coalition as well as the Gujarat government.
They demanded the sacking of Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi
for his inability to contain the religious carnage.
Harkishen Singh Surjeet, general secretary of the Communist Party
of India (Marxist), lashed out at the BJP for deciding to
continue with Modi.
"They (BJP) want Modi to remain in power. They are not worried
about the civilians who are being killed in the state. No steps
are being taken to control violence and nab the culprits who are
involved in such activities. They have never declared that those
guilty of attacking the minorities will be punished," said
Surjeet.
The BJP last weekend spurned calls from opposition parties and
some allies to fire Modi.
Instead, the BJP urged an early vote in Gujarat where political
analysts say the party would sweep back to power on a wave of
pro-Hindu sentiment in the state which is deeply polarised along
religious lines. The BJP badly needs an electoral win in Gujarat
to shore up its national credibility after a recent string of
regional routs.
Mulayam Singh Yadav, leader of the Samajwadi Party, accused the
BJP of a bias against the country's 120 million Muslims. "Nobody
has the right to take law in own hand. Godhra was a heinous
incident but the biggest crime is that innocent people are still
being killed in the state. All the newspapers are carrying this
news. These incidents are something the country's government
should be ashamed of," said Yadav.(ANI)
Mamata wary of CPM game plan
Go to
top Kolkata, Apr 17 (ANI): Trinamul Congress supremo Mamata
Banerjee's decision to bail out the Vajpayee government in the
event of a no-trust motion against him notwithstanding her
differences with the BJP on Gujarat developments is the logical
fallout of the opposition's half-hearted attempts to destabilise
the National Democratic Alliance.
Ms Banerjee, who has of late built a personal rapport with Telugu
Desam party leader and Andhra Pradesh chief minister Chandrababu
Naidu to compel the saffron party to strictly adhere to the NDA's
common agenda of governance, is particularly wary of the CPI(M)'s
intentions. The Marxists want to create a broad-based alliance of
secular parties to bring down the Vajpayee government and thereby
pave the way for a mid-term Lok Sabha election.
The Trinamul Congress chair-person, who has to face the CPI(M)'s
challenge in the panchayat polls in West Bengal early next year,
feels a change of guard at the Centre at the moment will only
harm her party's poll prospects.
Ms Banerjee, however, is in no mood to compromise on her party's
secular credentials which are absolutely necessary to maintain
her support base among the Muslim community. Aware of the
misgivings her party's continued association with the BJP may
raise in the minds of the minority community, Ms Banerjee has so
far refused to budge from her demand for removal of Narendra Modi
from the chief ministership of Gujarat and strongly criticised
the BJP's decision to go for early Assembly elections in the
riot-hit state to exploit communal polarisation among the voters.
At the same time the Trinamul Congress leader has kept her
options open and appears ready to hold talks with the Prime
Minister on Gujarat and other contentious issues.
Ms Banerjee is also well aware of the BJP leaders' move to rope
in the support of the Bahujan Samaj party and the AIDMK led by
Tamil Nadu chief minister J.Jayalalitha to win the numbers game
in Parliament in the event of the TDP and some smaller NDA
partners deciding to withdraw support to the ruling
coalition.Like the TDP supremo, Ms Banerjee too does not intend
to do any thing which may help the opposition to bring down the
Vajpayee government and make a snap Lok Sabha election
inevitable. It is precisely for this reason that she has taken a
clear-cut stand on a possible no-trust motion against the Prime
Minister.
The Trinamul Congress has also decided to ignore the feelers sent
by Congress president Sonia Gandhi on the possibility of the two
parties joining hands to "fight the communal forces represented
by the BJP and the Sangh Parivar." Of course, the Trinamul
Congress has not found any thing objectionable in Mrs Gandhi's
call. But what has really upset her are the Congress high
command's renewed attempts to seek the CPI(M)'s help to
"strengthen the secular front." Ms Banerjee feels it will not be
possible for her party to join forces with the Congress on a
political front as long as it remains dependent on the Marxists
to capture power in Delhi.
According to informed sources, apart from Gujarat, another
factor, which has brought the TDP and Trinamul Congress closer,
is the attitude of the Congress and the CPI(M) towards them.
While the TDP has been criticised by both the Congress and the
Marxists in Andhra Pradesh for its government's performance, Ms
Banerjee has often evoked the wrath of the two parties in West
Bengal for her party's political programmes.
Like Chandrababu Naidu, the Trinamul Congress leader feels the
best way to strengthen her party is to follow an independent line
of political action without depending on mainline parties like
the BJP and the Congress.
Ms Banerjee, like the TDP chief, believes that regional parties
will continue to play a major role in national politics in the
coming years as the major political parties have failed to ensure
stability at the Centre on their own.
Once the regional parties prove themselves indespensible in
national politics, they will be able to fight their adversaries
in the respective states more effectively, Ms Banerjee feels.
Gujarat carnage and its political fallout at the Centre have
seriously affected Ms Banerjee's plan of action against the
ruling Marxists in Bengal. The Trinamul Congress leader, who has
accused the CPI(M) of unleashing a "reign of terror in rural
Bengal and liquidating her party functionaries before the
panchayat polls," will lead a mammoth rally in the city on
Saturday, marking the beginning of a state-wide stir.
However, Gujarat developments have been engaging her attention
for the past few days with the TDP and some other NDA partners
keeping in constant touch with her to evolve a unified strategy.
Ms Banerjee, who will go to Delhi in the week-end, intends to re-
launch her anti-CPI(M) crusade in Bengal after the budget session
of Parliament.(ANI)
A Benazir surprise in store for Musharraf
Go to
top New York Apr 17 (ANI): Pakistan Peoples Party chairperson and
former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto says she has a surprise for
Gen Pervez Musharraf.
Talking to The Nation, she said that Army has no role in
Pakistan's politics as the country's interests were damaged
during the military regimes, while the country made achievements
during political and democratic rule.
In 1965, Indo-Pak war broke out while in 1971, Pakistan was
dismembered. "Now we see troops deployment at Pakistan's borders.
All this happened during the military regimes. Only a democratic
government can pull Pakistan out of the crisis," she said.
On April 30, she said, the entire nation will decide 'No
Musharraf No', and 'Go Musharraf Go'. Deserted polling stations
will reflect the people's desire.
She said that Gen Ziaul Haq targeted only one party while
Musharraf has opened fronts against all parties. "The main issue
is the restoration of the Constitution and democracy. Musharraf
is continuously violating the Constitution and now referendum is
being held putting aside the procedure as envisaged in the
Constitution." She said Musharraf wants one house as Army Chief
and second house as President.
When asked that there are corruption cases against her and her
spouse Asif Ali Zardari and why they don't face trial courts, she
said that they do not expect justice from NAB courts. When Asif
Ali Zardari is granted bail, he is not released just to
pressurise her, she said.
In reply to a question, the former Prime Minister said that she
did not damage national exchequer, rather the present government
is doing it.
She said that the people of Pakistan did not reject Nawaz Sharif
and her. "Our votebank is intact. How can they say that we have
no role in politics,' she said. Economic stability is only
possible after the restoration of democracy in Pakistan.
Meanwhile. Jamaat-e-Islami Chief Qazi Hussain Ahmad, terming the
referendum as illegal and unconstitutional, said there was no
mention of referendum either in the Supreme Court verdict or in
Musharraf's road-map.
Addressing a meeting in Nowshera, the Qazi said the referendum
was making mockery of the Constitution and was a threat to the
federation.
He said the Supreme Court in its verdict had just ordered handing
over power to public representatives before October 2002 and not
authorised Musharraf to amend the Constitution.
"Musharraf is an unconstitutional president and will remain
unconstitutional even after holding the referendum. We have
challenged his presidency in the apex court and would not accept
him as president," he added.
He said referendum was an international conspiracy to install a
monarch in Pakistan on the pattern of Egypt, Saudi Arabia,
Jordan and the UAE to fulfil the US and allies' agenda, but the
nation, he claimed, would foil the move on April 30.
The Musharraf cabinet has decided to counter opposition parties
by holding rallies and public meetings throughout the country.
Dawn newspaper quoted sources as saying a meeting presided over
by Musharraf, briefly discussed new amendments to be made in the
Constitution, especially meant for striking a balance in the
powers of the president, the prime minister and the chief of the
army staff.
It was decided that all ministers would concentrate on their
areas to garner public support for the referendum.
According to an official announcement, the meeting reviewed the
progress of the referendum campaign and expressed satisfaction
over the "overwhelming response" of the general public to the
president's call for referendum which was manifest in the huge
turnout at all the rallies held so far. (ANI)
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