Vajpayee Sees Role for NAM in Averting Gulf War
-by RG Narayan          

          KUALA LUMPUR: Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee on Tuesday said that though leaders of the Non-aligned Movement had not yet evolved a consensus over the Iraq crisis, "the situation is currently grim, and we must do something." "The world is again on the brink of war. When I met leaders of various countries and asked them the question of stopping a war, there was no answer. People talk about divided opinion, but I feel it (a war) will not happen. No country wants to take an extreme position," said Vajpayee while addressing reporters here ahead of the announcement of the NAM declaration.

           "Peace should prevail all over the world. NAM is expected to play a significant role, keeping in mind the situation in Iraq and in other parts of the world. After talking to so many leaders, I feel that such circumstances call for NAM to be ready to play a prominent role," he added. Vajpayee also said that Iraq should "heed the NAM proposal and move forward." "Restrictions should be there if Iraq was found in possession of weapons of mass destruction. But what about other nations? This should be applicable for all," he stressed.

US Favours Quick Vote on New Iraq Resolution (Go To Top)

          WASHINGTON: US President George W Bush has urged the UN Security Council to prove its relevance by passing a new resolution paving the way for war on Iraq, according to the News. The draft resolution submitted by the United States, Britain and Spain, says Iraq has flouted the Security Council resolution and thus "failed to take the final opportunity" to disarm peacefully, sources said.

US Army Copter Crashes in Kuwait, 4 Soldiers Dead (Go To Top)

          BAGHDAD: Four American soldiers were killed on Tuesday when their helicopter crashed during night training in the Kuwaiti desert. This exercise was part of a US-led military build-up for a possible war against Iraq, the News said quoting sources. The UH-60 Blackhawk crashed at approximately 1:00 am near Camp New Jersey, about 50 km north-west of Kuwait City, according to an army statement. The cause of the accident is being investigated.

Bush Seen as Bigger Threat Than Saddam (Go To Top)

          WASHINGTON: President George W Bush is viewed by many around the world as a greater threat to peace than Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein, the Washington Post has said citing reports from US embassies. The newspaper referred to classified cables from embassies to the State Department that have "for weeks" been describing a shift in public opinion about Bush sentiments generously on display during recent anti-war rallies, according to the News.

           "It is rather astonishing," a senior US official was quoted as saying, speaking on condition of anonymity. "There is an absence of any recognition that Hussein is the problem." An ambassador who represents the United States in an allied nation said in that country, which was not named, Bush has become the enemy. This souring of international perceptions of Bush stems in part from his blunt manner and his frequent references to religion, the daily added. It is also rooted in "substantive questions about the role of US power in the world and whether Bush is properly using it in his battle with Hussein," it remarked. "There is a real angst in the world about our power, and what they perceive as the rawness, the arrogance, the unipolarity" of the administration's actions, a State Department official told the Post.

Opposition Walk-out in Both Houses Over Ayodhya Demolition Case (Go To Top)

          NEW DELHI: The entire Opposition staged a walk-out in both the Houses of Parliament on Ayodhya issue, accusing the Government of manipulations to protect Deputy Prime Minister LK Advani and Human Resource Development Minister Murli Manohar Joshi and others involved in the Babri masjid demolition case.

           In the Lok Sabha, Congress chief whip Priya Ranjan Dasmunshi, who had given an adjournment notice, said Advani and Joshi should step down for a fair and transparent trial of the case. The Samata, RJD, CPM(M) and CPI members, who supported Dasmunshi, wanted law and justice minister Arun Jaitley to give an explanation.

           In the Rajya Sabha, the Opposition staged a walk-out protesting against the slow progress in the Babri case. Leader of the Opposition Manmohan Singh led the walk-out, saying they were not satisfied with Jaitley's reply. The minister maintained that the Government would not like to interfere in the case.

BJP Ready to Legislate on Vital Issues, Cong Willing: Advani (Go To Top)

          NEW DELHI: Deputy Prime Minister Lal Krishna Advani has said if the Congress party was willing, his Bharatiya Janata Party was ready to bring legislation on contentious issues, a party official said on Tuesday. BJP spokesman Vijay Kumar Malhotra quoted Advani as telling a party legislators' meeting that the Congress was playing vote- bank politics on the issues of cow slaughter ban, temple row and common civil code.

           "Advani said the Congress is caught in two minds. They are playing vote-bank politics. Whether it is cow slaughter, Ayodhya or common civil code, the BJP has a principled stand on all these issues. We are trying to bring in a consensus, but the Congress is misleading the people on these issues. Advani said if the Congress was ready, the BJP can bring suitable legislation in Parliament," Malhotra told reporters on Tuesday.

           The dispute between the Hindus and the Muslims over the construction of a temple for Lord Ram in Ayodhya has dragged for years. Hindu saints led by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad on Monday demanded that Parliament formulate a law to facilitate construction of the temple. The VHP is leading the campaign to build the temple. The dispute led to mass riots in 1992-93 after Hindu zealots destroyed a 16th century mosque on the site. The Government has now asked the Supreme Court to lift the ban on religious activity near the disputed site, saying that would help resolve the row. The court adjourned the case until March 6.

CPM Top Plans Anti-graft Bill as Cadres Rule the Roost in Bengal (Go To Top)
-by Gautam Ghosh

          KOLKATA:  Alarmed over involvement of party cadres in criminal cases and growing corruption among State Government employees, the West Bengal CPI(M) has decided to bring a comprehensive legislation to put an end to corrupt practices and also issued a circular to its district units to nominate persons with "clean image" to contest in the coming panchayat polls. The proposed legislation, to be known as the West Bengal Corrupt Public Servants (Forfeiture of Property) Bill, will empower the State Government to confiscate properties of corrupt employees and put them behind bars.

           The State CPI(M) appears to be in a soup over the increasing involvement of party workers in criminal cases with the panchayat polls just round the corner. The Marxists are aware of the Opposition parties' bid to exploit the issues in their election campaign and so intend to pre-empt its adverse fall-out on party candidates' poll prospect by bringing the proposed legislation at the earliest.

           A critical study of the crime chart available with the State police indicates involvement of CPI(M) functionaries in murder, extortion, dacoity, molestation and even rape cases. The scenario is not at all encouraging for the CPI(M)'s public image with the mainline Opposition parties like the Trinamul Congress, Congress and the BJP out to exploit the issues in the panchayat elections.

           A number of recent criminal cases involving CPI(M) workers have apparently unnerved the State leadership and prompted them to seek remedial measures in the form of legislation and organisational revamping. The first major incident of the kind came to light with the arrest of Dulal Banerjee, a leader of Dum Dum area in North 24-Parganas, and some of his associates late last year in connection with a murder-cum-extortion case. The party, however, did not take any action against Banerjee at the organisational level for unknown reasons even after the police submitted a detailed charge-sheet against him.

           Two other shocking incidents involving CPI(M) functionaries were reported from Nadia and Howrah districts. In the first incident, a bus driver was shot dead and its women passengers were molested by CPI(M) workers at Dhantala in Nadia district on February 6 midnight. The district police subsequently arrested a number of party functionaries, including a zonal committee member and a gram panchayat pradhan, in connection with the ghastly event which is believed to be a sequel to the CPI(M)'s infighting in the area.

           The State CPI(M) at first tried to underplay the crime by promptly expelling two arrested functionaries. However, both the State party leadership and the West Bengal Women's Commission controlled by them preferred to keep quiet on the molestation of women passengers till they decided to lodge an FIR with the local police station against the concerned CPI(M) leaders.

           The second incident occurred at Liluah in Howrah on February 22 night when a car, carrying members of a marriage party, was attacked by a CPI(M)-controlled resistance group(RG) party. The latter not only physically assaulted the male members of the marriage party but even did not hesitate to molest the women. The district police arrested four local CPI(M) workers, including a local committee member and a gram panchayat member, in connection with the incident despite the CPI(M)'s attempt to overlook it as a "case of misunderstanding."

           The Dhantala outrage has created a stir among most of the Left Front partners and major political parties at the national level. The RSP, CPI and the Forward Bloc have condemned the incident prompting chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee to offer a delayed public apology on his party's behalf. It found a mention in Congress chairperson Sonia Gandhi's address at the Brigade Parade ground on February 10.

           The BJP's apex leadership has also decided to send a parliamentary team to the spot to assess the enormity of the crime. Trinamul Congress chairperson Mamata Banerjee, who also visited Dhantala and talked to the victims, has demanded a CBI probe. She has also charged the local police with trying to remove the evidence of molestation and threatened to take the affected women to Delhi to draw the Centre's attention to the tragedy.

           The CPI(M)'s clashes with other major Left Front partners like the RSP and the Forward Bloc are also on the rise as the panchayat election is drawing near. While most of the RSP-CPI(M) clashes have been reported from South 24-Parganas, those between the Marxists and Forward Bloc workers have occurred in Murshidabad and Hooghly districts over the respective parties' attempts to "encroach into each other's territories."

           These inter-party disputes within the ruling Left Front have remained largely unresolved despite attempts at the State level to sort them out. Occasional public outbursts against the CPI(M) leadership from Forward Bloc leader and agriculture minister Kamal Guha and RSP State secretary Debabrata Bandyopadhyay only indicate the frailty of the Left Front unity and the current atmosphere of distrust among the partners. The coming panchayat election will naturally be an acid test of the Left Front's unity and cohesion.

Cow Skin Racket Unearthed in UP (Go To Top)

          KALPI (Lucknow): Barely a month after Uttar Pradesh banned cow slaughter, the UP police have unearthed a flourishing cow skin racket. On Monday, dozens of carcasses of cows were recovered from Kalpi, 150 km from Lucknow. Police said the racket had been going on for more than a year and suspect the involvement of a local village group. Media reports have said that four policemen were also in connivance with the racketeers, causing major embarrassment to the ruling Government, which has Bharatiya Janata Party as a coalition partner. The policemen have since been suspended.

           Uttar Pradesh, which has a population of 180 million, had enacted a law in 1955 banning cow slaughter, but allowed older cows and diseased calves to be killed. But with continued opposition from various Hindu groups, any kind of cow slaughter is now totally unlawful. Anyone found guilty of the crime can be prisoned for up to seven years and fined.

          Hindus rever the cow and its slaughter has always been a sensitive issue. It has gained special momentum in view of the 2004 general elections. With Hindus forming the majority voters, party campaigns in India often revolve around the "who loves the cow more" factor.

 Jackson Files Case Against Granada TV (Go To Top)

          LONDON: Michael Jackson has appealed for a High Court injunction to stop Granada TV showing any more film of his personal life. The case, filed to get unseen footage from his TV interview with Martin Bashir, is due to be heard on Friday, according to a report in the Sun. The pop singer was angry that Living With Michael Jackson, aired earlier this month, showed him confessing to indecent behaviour. Last night his London solicitors Theodore Goddard said Jackson particularly wanted film of his children - Prince Michael, Paris and Blanket.

Geri To Go It Alone, Not To Rejoin Spice Girls (Go To Top)

          WASHINGTON: After much speculation, Geri Halliwell has said 'no' to participation in the much-expected re-union of Spice Girls saying she is firm on pursuing her television career and also plans another solo album. According to a report in People News, she has taken the decision despite a barrage of calls from Mel B, desperate to revive her flagging fortunes.

           Last week's 'Beckingham Palace' summit - the first time all Spices had been together after five years - raised the possibility of a re-union. According to a friend, "Geri got so upset during the meal she had to go off and do some yoga". Melanie Chisholm, who has the most successful solo career of the five and will support Robbie Williams at Knebworth later this year, was the first to scup the plan. "I've said it once and I'll say it again", she said at the Virgin post-Brits party on Friday. "If they want to do it that's fine by me, but I won't be on stage with them". And nor will Geri. She is set to front a new US show called All American Girl, a kind of domestic Popstars, where competitors will be assessed on their ability to sew and cook.

-ANI