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No decision under rule 184, says BJP
New Delhi, Apr 20 (ANI): The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party has
said it won't allow a censure motion in Parliament on the
situation in riot-hit Gujarat. Opposition parties and some
allies of the federal coalition have stalled proceedings in the
lower house of Parliament demanding debate over the government's
handling of the recent religious carnage in Gujarat.
Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee chaired a BJP meeting at his
residence on Saturday to decide the party's future course of
action. "The meeting was held to decide the future course of
action to be taken by BJP and our discussion with the NDA
allies. So we have decided to stay calm and hope that the
opposition allows discussions on the Budget to proceed," Vijay
Kumar Malhotra, spokesman of the BJP, told reporters after the
meeting.
"We have also decided that we are ready to hold discussions (on
Gujarat riots) under rule 193 but not under rule 184," he added.
Rule 184 entails voting after debate while rule 193 makes
provisions for only discussion.
On Friday, a meeting of all political parties convened by Deputy
Speaker P.M.Sayeed to break the deadlock ended inconclusively.
Vajpayee challenged the opposition to bring forth, instead, a no-
confidence motion but ruled out a discussion allowing for voting
on the contentious issue, which has formed cleavage lines in the
more than 20-party ruling NDA coalition.
Parliament which must approve the budget for 2002/2003 (April-
March) during the session that ends in mid-May, has failed to
transact any business since it reconvened on Monday after a
recess.
Important financial and reforms bills have been stalled as a
result of the adjourunment.
The Budget Session of Parliament is scheduled to end on May
17.(ANI)
Beware of BSP, Thakre warns BJP
Go to
top New Delhi, Apr 20 (ANI): Senior BJP leader Kushabhau Thakre has
cautioned the party against forging an alliance with BSP keeping
in view the past experience with that party.
"The relations with Mayawati have been none too good as they were
broken twice earlier. So there is need for caution," he said
talking to reporters here on Saturday.
He said development has to be the main agenda in Uttar Pradesh
whenever a government is formed and "we have to get rid of the
prevailing caste ailment."
Thakre, who is in charge of Uttar Pradesh, said "a common minimum
programme needs to be drawn up and development should be the
slogan."
Thakre, who has been meeting party leaders from the state,
including former minister Lalji Tandon, said that the informal
talks were on between Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Home
Minister L K Advani, HRD Minister Murli Manohar Joshi and BSP
leaders Kanshi Ram and Mayawati.
Asked whether any formal talks had taken place so far, he said
"the Parliamentary Board would decide finally and authorise
someone to have formal talks."
Meanwhile, senior party leader J P Mathur said that the options
before Uttar Pradesh Governor Vishnu Kant Shastri, if President's
rule was defeated in the Rajya Sabha, was to invite Samajwadi
Party to form government and if it was able to prove its
majority, BJP would sit in the Opposition.
If the Samajwadi Party fails, the Governor could invite the BJP
and allies, who are unlikely to form a government due to lack of
numbers that may lead to dissolution of the Assembly and fresh
elections.
In view of these factors, the BJP is making efforts to form the
government in the state before May 8 since the period of
President's rule needs Parliamentary approval after this
date.(ANI)
Chhota Rajan associate killed by Chennai police
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top
Chennai, Apr 20 (ANI): Police shot dead an associate of notorious
underworld don Chhota Rajan in Chennai on Saturday. Sanjay
Ghati, 31, wanted in about a dozen cases of murder, was killed in
an unsuccessful escape bid after he was arrested from a house in
the city, police said.
K. Vijaya Kumar, Madras Police Commissioner, said police is
investigating whether the underworld gangs have spread their
wings to the city?
"What we are more interested in Chennai is whether he has got
deeper links, whether Chennai was his beat? So far there are no
indications to this effect," Kumar told a press conference. The
encounter took place early Saturday morning when the police jeep
carrying the gangster to a police station, overturned. Taking
advantage of the situation, Ghati snatched the pistol of an
inspector and fled. When the police party chased him, he opened
fire injuring five of them.
"He opened fire on us. When we retaliated he fired back and in
this he was killed," said Inspector C. Rajamony, injured in the
shootout. Police said Ghati was a close associate of absconding
underworld don Rajan, whose operations are confined to Mumbai.
Rajan, who was injured in a shooting spree by hitman of Dawood
Ibrahim, a rival gangster, is absconding since he escaped from a
Bangkok hospital last year.
Rajan was awaiting hearing in a Thai court to decide if he should
be extradited to India to face 17 counts of murder and other mob-
related charges.
Ibrahim, who operated from Dubai before he shifted to Pakistan's
port city Karachi last year, tops the list of 20 wanted men New
Delhi wants Islamabad to extradite.(ANI)
Vajpayee condemns religious discriminationGo to
top New Delhi, Apr 20 (ANI): In an oblique reference to the
developments in the riot-racked Gujarat, Prime Minister Atal
Behari Vajpayee said on Saturday that if a government
discriminates on the basis of religion, it ought to be condemned.
Vajpayee was addressing delegates from the voluntary sector at
the All India Conference on Role of Voluntary Sector in National
Development here.
More than 800 people, mostly Muslims, have been killed in the
worst religious blood-letting in a decade in Gujarat. The riots
sparked off after a suspected Muslim mob torched alive 59 Hindu
activists travelling by a train on February 27.
Chief Minister Narendra Modi, who heads Vajpayee's BJP-run
government has been accused by the opposition parties of being
partisan in handling the riots.
Modi denied the allegations, but Vajpayee during a recent visit
to the riot-hit places, gently censured him by publicly asking
him to follow a non-discriminatory approach in bringing back
peace to the state.
Vajpayee was accused of doing a volte face by the oppsition when
he spoke some strong words against radical Muslims during a
recent plenary session of his party at in Goa.
But on Saturday, Vajpayee once again took an indirect swipe at
the Modi government. While mentioning the riots in Gujarat, the
prime minister said, a government which discrimates on the basis
of religion, should be condemned.
"There should be no discrimination on the basis of birth,
religion and ways of worship. The state needs to provide security
to one and all...there is a consensus across the country over
that. If the state fails to do so, it should be condemned,
strongly condemned," he said.
The Prime Minister's remark comes after the opposition stalled
Parliament for nearly a week seeking a discussion in the Lower
House on whether Modi should resign.
The decision on the discussion depends on the Speaker who
adjourned Parliament till Monday over the weeklong uproarious
scenes in both Houses. (ANI)
Durga Ashtami celebrated with religious fervour
Go to
top New Delhi, Apr 20 (ANI): Temples in New Delhi early on Saturday
morning witnessed a steady inflow of devotees arriving to worship
Goddess Durga on the penultimate day of the "Navratra" festival.
The nine-night festival is observed twice a year, once in the
beginning of the summer and the other in the beginning of the
winter.
On the eve of the festival, people keep a day-long fast and break
it only after bathing and offering prayers to Goddess Durga.
The festival lasts for nine days in honour of the nine
manifestations of Goddess Durga.
Durga is depicted as a powerful goddess, riding a raging lion,
holding aloft ten war weapons in her ten hands. Her trident is
plunged into the side of a monstrous buffalo, out of whose body
emerges the dreadful demon or evil.
Hindu scriptures say the festival dates back to the origin of the
earth when gods and demons, after stirring the oceans, squabbled
over who should get the holy "amrit" or nectar, one drop of which
guaranteed immortality.
Lord Vishnu (the God of Preservation) transformed himself into a
woman to distract the demons, who wanted the nectar for
themselves. The holy liquid was offered to the gods.
But the demons chased the gods, who spilled drops of the nectar
at four places--Allahabad, Nasik, Haridwar and Ujjain. Since
then, bathing at these four places has been considered a sacred
rite.
Another legend has it that "Asuras" or demons from the nether
world invaded heavens after a hundred years of war. The trinity
of Brahma, Shiva and Vishnu created goddess Durga, the most
powerful of all gods and goddesses to vanquish the demons.
A colourful procession with children dressed up as various
mythological characters was also taken out through the city's
streets later in the day.(ANI)
Pakistan expels Indian diplomat
Go to
top Islamabad, Apr 20 (ANI): Indian High Commission staffer A K
Khanna has been expelled from Pakistan for indulging in
activities not commensurate with his official status, a Foreign
Office spokesman said here on Saturday.
"The Government of India has been advised to withdraw Mr. Khanna
by April 27, 2002," he said in a statement.
On Friday morning Khanna was abducted by ISI operatives and
released in the evening, according to a New Delhi report.
He was beaten up and admitted to hospital. The
Islamabad police refused to register a case, according to
External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Nirupama Rao. "The
kidnapping happened in the city's high-security area. It couldn't
have happened without the connivance of the authorities", she
said.
"India believes it was the handiwork of Pakistan's intelligence
agency. If Pakistan is to deny or disclaim this, then it speaks
so much for the deteriorating law and order situation there
(Islamabad)," the spokesperson points out.
Khanna abducted in Islamabad while he was boarding a bus for
the High Commission at 8.30 am on Friday. A group of 15 people
kidnapped him in front of a number of his colleagues, Rao says.
India lodged a protest with the Pakistan government. The
matter has been also raised with Pakistan's Deputy High
Commissioner in India Jaleel Abbas Jilani.
Condemning the incident, Rao says the abduction of the staffer is
in "complete contravention" of the Vienna Convention and the
bilateral agreement between India and Pakistan on the protection
of diplomatic personnel.
Interestingly, the Islamabad kidnapping comes after India
apprehended a Pakistan High Commission staffer in New Delhi on
charges of espionage. The Pakistani official was found accepting
classified documents from an Indian contact.
Pakistani media on Saturday gave contradictory versions on the
abduction and subsequent release of Khanna.
While it uniformly published the Foreign Office statement
alleging that Khanna was caught red-handed on Friday allegedly
receiving documents from a local accomplice, English daily Dawn
also published comments of local police officials who said that
the staffer was initially detained on suspicion of his
involvement in last month's grenade attack on a church here.
Quoting sources in the Secretariat Police Station, the daily said
the Indian official had a meeting with a Pakistani national
present in the green belt near the Protestant Church, adjacent to
Royal Enclave, an apartment block in which several Indian High
Commision staffers reside.
Police officials also claimed that Khanna was arrested while he
was receiving documents from a Pakistani who managed to escape
from the site. They alleged that Khanna gave the name of the
Pakistani as Zafar Pervez.
Khanna was picked up by about 15 to 20 people while he was about
to board a bus along with other Indian High Commission staffers
to go to the mission for work on Friday morning.
He was released eight hours later from captivity during which he
was tortured and beaten and made to sign papers saying that he
was a RAW agent.(ANI)
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