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Haryana BJP MLAs resign en masse over SYL

         Chandigarh: The BJP legislators of the Haryana State Assembly today resigned en masse to register their protest over the Punjab government's decision to terminate its water-sharing agreement with the state. A state-wide shutdown was also declared. "Even the Central government's inaction on the Punjab Act, which has insulted the Supreme Court verdict on the SYL issue, is proof enough that Chief Minister Amarinder Singh had the green signal of his party high command," said state BJP president Ganeshi Lal. According to a spokesman of the Assembly, the resignations were handed to staff members of Speaker Satbir Singh Kadian as he was not in the town.

BJP shutdown in Haryana over SYL (Go To Top)

          Chandigarh: The BJP observed a shutdown in Harayana on Monday to protest against Punjab's refusal to share Satluj river water with the state. Shops and business establishments were closed in Chandigarh and traffic was minimal on the streets. Ravinder Dhawan, a BJP leader, said Punjab had no authority to abrogate earlier agreements. "Through this protest we want to appeal to the Prime Minister (Manmohan Singh), whose party is ruling both Punjab and the nation, that agreements like these cannot be overruled, they should be respected. When once the country's Supreme Court has passed a ruling, how can it be violated? If such things are allowed, there will anarchy in the nation," said Dhawan. Punjab had last week had unanimously passed a legislation annulling all water sharing agreements with Haryana and Rajasthan. The Centre has petitioned the Supreme Court for further directions on water sharing between the states.

CBI submits Taj Corridor scam status report to SC (Go To Top)

          New Delhi: The CBI today submitted its status report on the developments of the Taj Heritage Corridor scam to the Supreme Court today. A report on a disproportionate assets case against former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati and senior bureaucrats was also submitted. The apex today also issued a notice to Mayawati on a petition that challenged an Allahabad High Court order that had granted her anticipatory bail in the scam. The CBI had recently questioned Mayawati about assets worth crores registered in the name of her relatives, friends and even some of the close assistants, who previously had no substantial source of income. According to sources, though Mayawati might not have any direct complicity in the Taj Heritage Corridor project, she would have to explain the property and money recovered to far.

37 killed in bus mishaps (Go To Top)

          Malda (West Bengal): At least 49 people were killed when a bus overturned and fell into a roadside ditch at Lakshmipur in Malda this morning. Police said the mishap occurred near the Malda Polytechnic College when the bus with 60 people skidded and fell into a ditch. It was heading towards Chancholi. Police said the death toll could rise as several bodies were still trapped inside the water-submerged bus. Meanwhile, in a separate incident, 12 bus passengers, including eight women were killed in Chavadai, Himachal Pradesh, when the vehicle toppled into a gorge late on Sunday. The bus was travelling from Pathankot to a village in the interior of the state. Preliminary reports said the bus driver lost control of the vehicle while negotiating a sharp turn. Chavadai is 350 km from state capital Shimla. The Himachal Pradesh Government has announced an interim relief of Rs.25,000 to next of kin of the deceased and Rs.5000 to the injured. A magisterial inquiry has been ordered into the accident.

Jai Prakash Aggarwal may be next DPCC chief (Go To Top)
by Pankaj Yadav

          New Delhi: Though the final word still has to come from 10 Janpath, speculation is rife that the former MP from Chandni Chowk, Jai Prakash Aggarwal, is a frontrunner for the post Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee (DPCC) chief. The post fell vacant after Pro Tem Speaker Chowdhary Prem Singh resigned on Sunday to take over the job of Speaker of the Delhi Assembly full time. The BJP had been demanding Singh's resignation, questioning his right to hold on to the position of DPCC chief while being Pro- Tem Speaker of State Assembly. "Being a senior and experienced member of the party, he fits the bill to become the chief of the Delhi unit. And, he belongs to the Baniya community, which forms a considerable proportion of the Capital's populace," a senior DPCC leader said, while requesting anonymity. Meanwhile, AICC sources close to 10 Janpath, are also endorsing this view, though they add that several names are still doing the rounds. The others in the running are former DPCC chief Subhash Chopra, four time MLA Mukesh Sharma and Minto Road legislator Tajdar Babbar.