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BJP gears up for 2004 general election (Go To Top)

         New Delhi, Dec 3: The Bharatiya Janata Party has called upon its workers to gear up for the 2004 general elections. The announcement made at its parliamentary party meeting on Wednesday comes as exit polls for Monday's voting predicted runaway gains for the BJP in three states. All exit polls forecast a clear win for the BJP in Madhya Pradesh and some have given it an edge in Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh. BJP spokesman Vijay Kumar Malhotra said Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee asked all party workers to begin work in their constituencies.

          Analysts have said Vajpayee will face pressure for an early national election, as early as February or March from his rank and file, if the BJP eveutally does make the gains. The veteran leader is, however, by no means certain to bring forward the poll from its scheduled date next October. Vajpayee, who is in the middle of a new, personalised but slow push for peace with Pakistan, has said repeatedly he intends to see out his full five-year term before seeking another. An early poll would also slow Vajpayee's pursuit of peace with Pakistan which he has declared is the final attempt in his life-time after the nuclear rivals came close to war last year.

         "India Shining" is the theme of an advertising campaign the government is set to re-launch at home and abroad after being ordered by the Election Commission to suspend it until after the state elections. This year's monsoon was the best in a decade, driving up economic growth forecasts to beyond seven per cent for 2003-4, compared with growth of 4.3 per cent in the fiscal year to March, 2003, after a severe drought. Foreign exchange reserves at record highs of 93 million dollars and interest rates at three-decade lows have helped build a feel- good factor across the country.

Vajpayee to skip ceremonial departure to Nigeria (Go To Top)
-by NB Nair

          New Delhi, Dec 3: Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee leaves tomorrow for Nigeria to attend the 13th meeting of the CHOGM Summit to be held at Abuja on 5th and 6th, sans the customary ceremonial farewell and reception at the airport. The External Affairs Ministry says this departure is due to the ongoing session of Parliament and "there would be no media coverage on departure or arrival".

          But informed government sources say that Vajpayee is wary of facing the media on the possible outcome of the Assembly polls held in four states on December 1. Exit polls predicted Delhi returning to the Congress, while the BJP could be back in the saddle in Madhya Pradesh, and there would be no clear verdict in Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh. The polls, described by BJP chief Venkaiah Naidu as semi- finals of the 2004 general elections to the Lok Sabha, are viewed by both the Congress and the BJP as "testing the waters".

Victims of Bhopal gas tragedy take out procession (Go To Top)

          Bhopal, Dec 3: The victims of the Bhopal gas tragedy that killed 6500 people and caused serious harm to more tham 20,000 on the night of 2/3 December 1984 took out a torch-lit procession the other day to highlight their plight. Agitated victims said both the Central and the Madhya Pradesh governments were blind to their plight.

          Rashida Bi, a victim of the gas tragedy, said: "Our situation has become worse. Those who died on that day are lucky and those who survived are unlucky. They are dying everyday. Warenn Anderson is a murderer and it is the fault of the Central government that he has gone scott free," she said. Warren Anderson was the former chief of Union Carbide India Limited (UCIL). Victims complained they were not provided adequate medical facilities, even 19 years after the tragedy struck them. "Even after 19 years, the gas victims are still struggling. We do not get medicines on time and neither is correct treatment available. We haven't even received our compensation, it has gone into the coffers of those who run the government," said Irfan, another victim.

          The torch-lit march traversed the city lanes before culminating at the Union Carbide factory. The survivors say they suffer from the after-effects of the gas leak. Relief to the victims has been delayed due to court battles and red-tape. Several schemes initiated years ago by the state government to generate employment are yet to take off. The Union Carbide was taken over by Dow Chemicals three years ago.

Peace rally in Assam to protest killings (Go To Top)

          Guwahati, Dec 3: A prayer meeting was organised in violence-hit Assam on Wednesday to protest the recent killings of 59 immigrant settlers. Eminent personalities including national award winning musician-singer Bhupen Hazarika participated in the meeting held in Guwahati. Hazarika said that people should have the basic right to work and earn their livelihood.

          Many migrant workers from Bihar have fled Assam after more than a week of killing and looting targeting them in a row triggered by competition for jobs. The United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) rebel group has ordered thousands of Biharis, who have made Assam their home over the years, to leave the state or face death. Violence swept parts of the state last month after an attack on Assamese train travellers in Bihar following reports of assaults on Bihari students who came to Assam to take tests for railway jobs. Assamese students feared the Biharis would grab the prized government jobs in the state of about 26 million people. Officials said that what started as a clash between Assamese and students from Bihar had been hijacked by ULFA separatists to revive their flagging morale. Assam is one of India's richest states with huge tea estates and oil reserves, but locals complain jobs often go to outsiders. They also accuse New Delhi of exploiting the state's wealth and neglecting its development.

Badal an ordinary criminal, says Amarinder (Go To Top)

          Ropar, Dec 3: Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Wednesday defended jail authorities' treatment of his predecessor Prakash Singh Badal and his son Sukhbir Singh Badal, facing corruption charges of amassing wealth. Amarinder Singh said the Badals are ordinary criminals and not political prisoners to deserve privileges in prison. The Badals, sent to judicial custody till December 13, are accused of amassing huge amounts of money when Prakash Singh Badal was chief minister from 1997 to 2002.

          Badals' Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), an ally of Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee's ruling coalition, has termed the disproportionate assets charges against their leader, Prakash Singh Badal as political vendetta. SAD activists have been protesting Badals' arrest since Monday. State vigilance officials say Badal and his family members owned assets worth 790 million rupees. A chargesheet filed by the vigilance commission last month, under various sections of the Indian Penal Code, implicates Badal, his son Sukhbir Singh Badal and his wife Surinder Kaur.

BJP ready for debate on corruption in both Houses (Go To Top)

         New Delhi, Dec 3: Opposition parties on Wednesday disrupted Parliament seeking adjournment motion on recent corruption charges involving ministers. The Opposition parties led by the Congress demanded a debate on the video tapes which showed former Union Minister Dilip Singh Judeo taking money. "It has been decided by all the Opposition parties that there would be a debate on everything," Pawan Kumar Bansal, of the Congress party said in the Lok Sabha. The Opposition parties also insisted on the Prime Minister's statement on the video tapes. Some Opposition MPs from Bihar also wanted adjournment motion on the last month's killings of 59 Biharis in Assam.

Kuki militants on the rampage: three killed (Go To Top)

          Guwahati, Dec 3: Kuki militants burnt to death three Karbis, including a woman, injured another person and set on fire 19 houses in Assam's Karbi-Anglong district on Tuesday night, police sources said here on Wednesday. The militants attacked Menterang village at around eight p.m. and torched houses, opened fire indiscriminately, killing a woman, a ten-year-old boy and another person, they said. One person sustained bullet injuries too, they added. Karbi villagers have been moved to a relief camp in Manja, the sources said, adding the area has been cordoned off with CRPF and army personnel launching a joint operation to flush out the ultras.

First private sector gold mine opened in Jharkhand (Go To Top)

          Ranchi, Dec 3: India, the largest importer of gold, has opened its first private sector mine in Jharkhand. Situated 180 km from capital Ranchi, the Kunderkocha mine is expected to produce 97 tonnes of gold per year. Arjun Munda, chief minister of the mineral-rich state, said the mine would mark a turnaround in the state's development. Jharkhand has more than a third of India's reserves of coal, iron ore and copper ore, but half of its 21 million people live in dire poverty. India produces 800 tonns of gold annualy but still ends up importing nearly 70 per cent of its gold requirements. Traders estimate India purchased 730 tonnes of gold in 2001, about a fifth of global buying. Indians living in rural areas make around two-thirds of the country's gold purchases.

Lankan Navy detains 63 Indian fishermen (Go To Top)

          Colombo, Dec 3: Sri Lankan Navy arrested 63 Indian fishermen and seized their 13 trawlers overnight for allegedly poaching in the island's territorial waters, officials said on Wednesday. The Lankan Navy's action came on the same day the Tamil Tiger rebels freed 32 other Indian fishermen they had captured on Saturday off the island's north-western coast, following intervention by the Scandinavian truce monitors. After requests by the Norwegia-led Sri Lankan Monitoring Mission, the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) on Tuesday released the Indian fishermen but continued to hold seven trawlers they had captured.

Seven Maoists among 15 killed in Nepal clashes (Go To Top)

          Kathmandu, Dec 3: Seven Maoist rebels, including a local commander, and eight security men were killed in two clashes in western Nepal, police said Wednesday. In a gunbattle raging since Tuesday night, at least eight security men were killed and 12 others injured, police said. The Maoists suffered heavy casualties in the clash, including the killing of Kushal, the local commander. In another clash, at least six rebels were killed in another village, police said.

Pak offers treatment to 20 Indian children (Go To Top)

          Islamabad, Dec 3: Pakistan's Health Minister Mohammad Nasir Khan has asked India to send 20 Indian children over to Pakistan for medical treatment. According to the Dawn, Khan said he had made the offer during his visit to India to attend the SAARC Health Ministers conference. "Pakistan has given this offer in response to the medical treatment provided to a Pakistani child in India." The minister said that he had also met Indian Vice-President Bhairon Singh Shekhawat and conveyed to him the messages that he had received from President Pervez Musharraf and Prime Minister Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali.

Bush hires Indian-American to 'win Muslim minds' (Go To Top)

          Washington, Dec 3: U.S. President George W. Bush has hired Indian-American Asheesh Jain to "win Muslim minds." According to the Daily Times, Jain, a former Senate aide, has been named deputy assistant director of the Office of Global Communication, a new unit set up by Bush to reach out to and win foreign audiences, especially the Muslim community in view of the unpopularity following the crackdown on Muslims after the WTC attack as also the allied offensive in Iraq. Jain, 34, who is known as 'Ash', was born in Minnesota. According to a source, he has been asked to develop a communications strategy to explain U.S. foreign policy objectives to overseas audiences. He is being seen as an important member of the White House team that wants to supplement Bush's "war on terrorism" with a "war of ideas" to win the hearts and minds of Muslims living in Pakistan, India and Bangladesh and the principal Arab countries.

Kale report sent to BCCI (Go To Top)

          New Delhi, Dec 3: BCCI's Inquiry Commissioner D V Subba Rao, probing the bribery scandal involving Maharashtra player Abhjit Kale, on Wednesday sent his report to the Board a day ahead of the deadline. "I have sent the report to the BCCI office in Kolkata by courier. It is now for them to decide the next course of action," Rao said. The report will now be referred to the Board's Disciplinary Committee. The preliminary probe into the bribery allegation was completed last Saturday with Kale and the two national selectors - Kiran More and Pranab Roy - deposing before the Commissioner in Visakhapatnam. Apart from the three, Rao had also summoned national selector from Central Zone, Sanjay Jagdale, for a hearing since the two selectors had written to the Commission that they had discussed the issue with him.