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Vilasrao wins trust vote amid violence outside House
Mumbai, June 13 (ANI): Congress party-led coalition government in Maharashtra on Thursday sailed through a crucial trust vote triggering violent scenes outside the state assembly. Police used teargas to disperse hundreds of government and opposition supporters massed outside the assembly after they pelted each other with stones and roared party slogans when it was announced the ruling coalition had won the confidence motion by 10 votes. The 31-month-old Democratic Front government had been plunged into a crisis by the sudden resignation of five members belonging to the Peasants and Workers' Party (PWP) and four independents. They quit the coalition saying they were unhappy over the reinstatement of a cabinet minister they accused of engineering the PWP's defeat in local polls. But the government survived the confidence motion by winning back support of other lawmakers who had withdrawn their allegiance earlier. Retaining the state, home to the country's financial markets, was crucial to the Congress. "Whatever was done by the opposition in Maharashtra during the past 10-15 days, our party members were forced to shift parties. These members were misguided by the opposition and their political career was thrown into uncertainty. The opposition is responsible for all this who call themselves national representatives. We didn't expect all this from these people," Vilasrao Deshmukh, Chief Minister, told reporters. In what has become a routine affair in the murky world of Indian politics, the ruling Democratic Front government launched frantic efforts to keep its flock together before facing the trust vote. Gopinath Munde, Vice-President, Bharatiya Janata Party, said internal turmoil within the ruling faction was evident during the recent crisis and has worked to their advantage. "They remained neutral (during voting) is our victory. PWP was a part of the ruling coalition and it delinked itself from the government it is good for us. That is our victory, not defeat," said Munde. Meanwhile, in New Delhi, a Shiv Sena leader accused the ruling alliance of poor governance and said his party had no role during the recent crisis. "It is unfortunate that the future of politics in Maharashtra is being decided by numbers not by the governance and programmes of by the government. Government policies are not in favour of people of Maharashtra. The important thing which we were trying to tell is that we were not responsible for political instability in Maharashtra, it's only because of small parties which were supporting the government, withdrew support and at that time as a responsible opposition we came forward," said Nirupam. Before the vote, the ruling coalition and the Shiv Sena-BJP conbine sent some of their members to luxury hotels to keep an eye on them to ensure they did not switch sides. The shifting of politicians to hideaways is common in Indian politics to try to prevent horse-trading and vote-buying.(ANI) Congress now comes out in support of Kalam
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to top New Delhi, June 13 (ANI): Dr A.P.J. Abdul Kalam's accession to the post of the President of the country almost became certain when the biggest opposition party, the Congress, also announced its support for his candidature here on Thursday. The party said it wanted the President to be chosen by consensus, and not through an election. The decision announced at a press briefing was communicated to the Left parties by Congress leaders Natwar Singh and Manmohan Singh. The leftists had expressed displeasure at Kalam's candidature while asking for a contest. Describing Kalam as "a good candidate", Congress spokesman Jaipal Reddy said the party took two days to carry out "extensive and intensive" consultations with working committee members, chief ministers of Congress-ruled states and like-minded organisations, including Left parties. Addressing reporters he said, "the Congress party after extensive consultations has decided to support the candidature of Abdul Kalam for the high office of Rashtrapati of India". He added: "Having due regard to the totality of the circumstances, we have decided to support Kalam. The circumstances include the candidature as well as his merit". To a question whether the party had reached any understanding with the Government to support Kalam and get its nominee elected for Vice-Presidentship in return, he said, "there is absolutely no understanding......we took our own decision." The Congress spokesman further clarified the elections of President and Vice-President are two different issues. "We don't like to mix up these issues", he said. On the other hand, the BJP welcomed the Congress decision. The party said the Left was now "isolated". BJP spokesman Sunil Shastri said, "with the Congress decision we are achieving the desired goal. And, if the Left Front doesn't come forward in support of Abdul Kalam then I will not hesitate in saying that the Left will be left alone". (ANI)
Modi meets Advani, calls for modernisation of forces at border Go to top New Delhi, June 13 (ANI): Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi met Union Home Minister L.K. Advani and Rural Development Minister Venkiah Naidu, besides other senior BJP leaders, and discussed the latest situation in his state. He sought the Centre's help for various developmental schemes in the state, where communal riots broke out on February 27 and continued for at least three months. Modi, who was also scheduled to meet Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee, Human Resources Development Minister Murli Manohar Joshi and Finance Minister Yashwant Sinha, said he was in the Capital to discuss "certain urgent issues" relating to the state. During his meeting with the Home Minister, the chief minister reportedly discussed modernisation of forces deployed in border and coastal areas in Gujarat. Later, speaking to reporters, Modi, who was closeted with Advani for at least 45 minutes, said as far as coastal security was concerned, there should be regular exchange of intelligence information among various agencies. In his meeting with senior BJP leader and Rural Development Minister Venkaiah Naidu, Modi discussed the acute water shortage there. To combat the acute problem, the Centre has cleared a Rs 40-crore package. Naidu told reporters that the state's water problems called for a long-term solution. Narendra Modi said that more than half the villages in his state were reeling under acute water shortage. The delay in the implementation of the Narmada Plan has further added to the problems. "We have set up handpumps in the affected villages. We have thus somehow managed to reach water to the far flung areas", he said. In the same breath, he said afforts were on to cope with the situation. Narendra Modi later visited the party central office and held discussion with senior party leader Sunil Shastri and others. Throughout the day Modi avoided queries as to when the Assembly polls would be held in his state. Everytime the question was put to him, he said, "I have no comments". (ANI)
No evidence of Qaeda in Kashmir: Rumsfeld
Go to top Islamabad, June 13 (ANI): U.S. Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said on Thursday he has no direct evidence al Qaeda militants are operating in Kashmir, but hinted at the great distance India and Pakistan need to cover to achieve a major breakthrough on the Kashmir issue, reports CNN. "The facts are that I do not have evidence and the United States does not have evidence of al Qaeda in Kashmir," Rumsfeld said after talks with Pakistan President Gen. Pervez Musharraf. Rumsfeld said the United States had "a good deal of scraps of intelligence" from "people saying they believe al Qaeda are in Kashmir or in various locations." "It tends to be speculative," Rumsfeld said. "It is not actionable. It is not verifiable." "If there happened to be any actionable intelligence in this country, there isn't a doubt in my mind the Pakistani government would deal with them," he said. Pakistan earlier rejected suggestions made in New Delhi by Rumsfeld and India that there could be al Qaeda terrorists operating in the disputed region of Kashmir. Although Rumsfeld expressed the hope that India and Pakistan would find a way to bridge their differences, he offered little direct evidence that either side would scale back its military presence along the Line of Control. "The goal of President [George W.] Bush, Secretary [of State] Colin Powell, Prime Minister [Tony} Blair and so many leaders round the world is to see that the tensions are reduced and I think that progress is being made," he said. Rumsfeld said the U.S. would not mediate any talks between the two sides, saying that as sovereign nations the responsibility rested with India and Pakistan. According to sources traveling with the Defence Secretary, the United States is considering the use of American technology to help India and Pakistan monitor their Line of Control in Kashmir. Indian diplomatic sources have said the American and Indian delegations "have reached an agreement in principle for sharing and evaluating intelligence inputs in a more organized way" across the Line of Control. The sources said there had been information sharing in the past, but it had not been completely organized.(ANI)
US threat to move bases from Pakistan to India: Report
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top Washington, June 13 (ANI): The United States had threatened Islamabad it would move its bases from Pakistan to India if the Pakistan army and military intelligence support for Islamic radicals in Kashmir did not stop, the British daily Independent has disclosed. According to the newspaper, the message was conveyed by Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage during his recent peace mission to India and Pakistan. Blunt threats from the US diplomat appear to have done the trick in easing tensions in South Asia, the paper said. On Monday one American reporter asked Armitage if he had warned Gen Musharraf that the US might move its bases from Pakistan to India if the Pakistani army and military intelligence support for Islamic radicals in Kashmir did not stop. "Armitage did not bother to deny it. I had a straightforward and frank discussion with President Musharraf," he said. Armitage, a former Special Force man is known for his direct and blunt style. On more than one occasion, he has publicly mentioned the way Pakistan was forced to accept US terms and join anti- terrorism coalition in Afghanistan. (ANI)
Infiltration down, but not cross-border terrorism: Omar
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top Srinagar, June 13 (ANI): Minister of State for External Affairs Omar Abdullah on Thursday said that infiltration of Muslim militants into Kashmir from Pakistan has fallen. Addressing a press conference here, Abdullah said he had been receiving reports of a drop in infiltration into Kashmir. "But cross-border terrorism had to be stopped for good and militant training camps in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir shut down before dialogue between India and Pakistan could begin", he noted. "The dialogue will take place. But only once we are completely sure that Pakistan has turned the corner irreversibly which is why we are pleased that levels of infiltration are down. What is essential is that the camps on the ground must close, financial support to terrorists and separatists operating in Jammu and Kashmir must end", Abdullah added. His comments came hours after US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld arrived in Islamabad on the second leg of a South Asian visit to defuse a tense standoff between the two countries. (ANI)
Gamble that may recoil on Left Front
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to top Kolkata, June 13 (ANI): The Left Front partners,led by the CPI(M), have taken a calculated risk by deciding to oppose the candidature of noted nuclear scientist A.P.J. Abdul Kalam in the forthcoming Presidential election. Kalam's unanimous nomination as the NDA candidate has not only dealt a body-blow to the People's Front, but also put the Congress, the principal opposition party, into a major dilemma. While the left parties feel Kalam is essentially the BJP's candidate for the highest constitutional office in the country, neither the Samajwadi supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav nor Congress chairperson Sonia Gandhi can overlook his identify as a renowned scientist belonging to the minority community. Both Yadav and Mrs Gandhi believe that any blunt opposition to Kalam's candidature may send wrong signals to the Muslims all over the country and adversely affect their respective parties' prospects in the coming Assembly polls in as many as ten states, including Jammu and Kashmir and Gujarat. According to informed sources, the left parties' belated realisation about the importance of Kalam's Muslim identity has prompted them to seek the consent of former chief justice of the Supreme Court, A.S.Ahmadi, to agree to be their candidate in the Presidential election. The Marxists are also reported to have urged the Congress to put up a suitable party leader, belonging to the minority community, to challenge Kalam in the event of Ahmadi's refusal to be a candidate.The left parties' current strategy is to create a situation which forces Kalam to have second thoughts on taking part in the Presidential election. Kalam's candidature, however, has come as a godsend to Trinamul Congress chairperson Mamata Banerjee who happens to be the second political leader to propose his name after the Samajwadi party supremo. Ms Banerjee, who was severely criticised by the left parties for supporting the BJP on the Gujarat issue, is naturally quite elated over the turn of events and intends to exploit the CPI(M)'s oppositon to Kalam's nomination to question the party's secular credentials. She feels Kalam's election to the President's post will not only remove misgivings from the mind of the minority community about her party, but also stand the ruling coalition at the Centre in good stead during next year's Assembly polls. According to informed sources, one of the major points of objection raised by the CPI and the CPI(M) to Kalam's candidature is his involvement in the research and development of nuclear arms and missiles as well as the Pokhran blasts in 1998. The West Bengal CPI(M) leadership had tried to build public opinion against the nuclear blasts at Pokhran and published a number of articles in the party mouthpiece, "Ganashakti," written by some eminent scientists from Kolkata. Ironically, in their bid to oppose Kalam the left parties have sought to ignore the fact that he did not play any political role but simply carried out his responsibility as the head of a scientific mission. However, CPI(M) leader in the Lok Sabha, Somnath Chatterjee, is not prepared to accept it and regards Kalam as an apolitical person and a scientist who ought to spend his time "in his laboratory.' "I don't think he can follow the wide ramifications of intricate constitutional issues as expected from a President," Chatterjee observed. BJP and Trinamul Congress leaders in West Bengal have naturally been taken aback by the CPI(M) leader's critical remarks about Kalam's suitability for the President's post. "What about Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan? Was he not an apolitical person and a philosopher? Did any one then question his worth as a candidate for the President's post?" asked Pankaj Banerjee, leader of the opposition in the state Assembly. State BJP leaders also found nothing wrong in Kalam's nomination. "He is a scientist of international acclaim and recipient of Bharat Ratna, the highest national honour. We could not have found a better candidate for the President's post," said state BJP vice-president Muzaffar Khan. Both the parties believe that the leftists have been trying to politicise the Presidential election from the very outset and "impose" their candidate on the NDA on the plea of reaching consensus over the issue. "Fortunately, our Prime Minister has seen through their game-plan and foiled it effectively by nominating Kalam," Trinamul Congress and BJP leaders asserted. The state Congress leaders have been caught on the wrong foot by the high command's dillydallying over Kalam's candidature. They feel the central leadership should not play into the hands of the left parties over the issue. "We must not maintain an ambiguous attitude towards Kalam's nomination since he belongs to the minority community, apart from being a reputed scientist. We expect the high command to take a clear-cut stand which will remove the stigma often attributed to our party of being the CPI(M)'s B team," a state Congress secretariat member observed.(ANI)
Bridge under construction collapses in Ludhiana Go to top Ludhiana, June 13 (ANI): The 810-meter-high bridge being constructed over the Sutlej suddenly collapsed here Wednesday. No casualties were reported as no worker was working on, or near, the bridge at the time it collapsed. The bridge was being constructed on the Nakodar-Mehatpur- Sangowal-Sidhwan Bet-Jagraon road. The foundation stone of the Rs 40-crore project was laid by former Punjab chief minister Prakash Singh Badal in August last year. The bridge, which was nearing completion, is likely to reduce the travelling distance between Jagraon-Nakodar by nearly 40 kms. At present, people are forced to take a circuitous route through Ludhiana to reach Mehatpur, which otherwise is just 10 km away across the Sutlej. Technical Advisor to Punjab Infrastructure Development Board, G.S. Sidhu said the responsibilty for the incident would be fixed soon. Sidhu, who rushed to the spot immediately after hearing of the bridge collapse, said, "I can't comment on the cause of the collapse as I am yet to go into the details". He claimed that the material used in the construction was subjected to quality control checks both by PWD and the construction company, Gammon India. Chief Engineer Kuldeep Singh said the project was awarded to the company as it was holding ISO-9002 certificate and had rich experience in bridge making in the country. (ANI)
Mulla Omar vows to raze Washington Go to top London, June 13 (ANI): Fugitive Taliban leader Mulla Omar has told a Russian weekly that al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden was still alive and vowed that the "fire" of war will burn down Washington. "Osama was helping us during the war with the Russians, and he will not abandon us now," Omar said in an interview with the weekly which was conducted by email. Omar gave no indication where bin Laden may be hiding and refused to accept his responsibility for the September 11 terror attacks against the United States. "Until a person is tried, he is not guilty," Omar said. "I will not take their (the US) word for it." He also warned that more attacks will come against US targets unless Washington abandons its military campaign in Afghanistan. "If America does not stop its unjust war against Islam, events similar to those of September 11 will definitely repeat themselves on its soil, and not once," Omar said. He dismissed speculation that the Taliban's resistance in Afghanistan has been all but erased. "We have suffered only minimal losses and are still ready to fight," he said. "A holy war is only beginning. The fire of this war will reach America and burn down its capital."(ANI)
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