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POTA court orders release of Raja Bhaiya

          Kanpur: Designated POTA court on Monday ordered release of all the three POTA detenus, including Uttar Pradesh independent MLA Raghuraj Pratap Singh alias Raja Bhaiya, from the judicial custoday. In his order, designated POTA Judge Shailendra Saxena said the accused applicants -- Udai Pratap Singh, Raghuraj Pratap Singh alias Raja Bhaiya -- shall be released from jail forthwith on furnishing a personal bond of Rs. 50,000 each with two sureties each in the like amount, to the court.

Imran washes his hands of Tyrian (Go To Top)

          Washington: Former Pakistan cricket star Imran Khan has vehemently denied reports suggesting that he had decided to take custody of 12-year old Tyrian, his alleged illegitimate daughter from late Sita White, who died on Thursday. According to the Daily Times, he also denied London tabloid reports that he had flown to California after Sita died and agreed to adopt Tyrian. He said this was absolutely untrue, as he had come to Washington straight from Pakistan. He said it was up to Tryian's grandmother and her aunt, Sita's sister, to decide what to do. Right now, he added, everyone is in shock. White had often claimed that Tyrian was her "love child" with Imran. But, the cricketer-turned-politician never confirmed Sita's oft-repeated assertion. Apparently denying having fathered Tyrian, Imran reportedly said that Sita and his wife Jemima Khan knew each other well because Sita's father, the late Lord White and Jemima's father, the late Sir James Goldsmith, "were very close friends of long standing". Imran Khan said Tyrian was in London where both Sita's mother and her sister lived and "the child was living with them". Sita's mother is currently in California and was with Sita when she collapsed and died in a yoga studio where she gave lessons in the ancient athletic and spiritual discipline.

EC meets Kalam, asks him to issue notification for 14th LS (Go To Top)

         New Delhi: The three-member Election Commission met President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam to hand over a formal letter requesting him to issue a presidential notification for instituting and forming the 14th session of the Lok Sabha. Reports said that Chief Election Commissioner TS Krishnamurthy handed over the EC's letter and the list of the 539 elected members in the 545 member-House to Kalam at 10.45 a.m. The President nominates two members from the Anglo-Indian constituency. While the polls in Chapra, Bihar was countermanded, re-polling has been ordered in Bettiah, Siwan and Manipur.

Vajpayee to host dinner for outgoing Cabinet (Go To Top)

          New Delhi: Outgoing Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee will host a dinner for his cabinet colleagues at the Prime Minister's official residence - 7 Race Course Road - this evening. As per past tradition and protocol, outgoing prime ministers hosts such an event to commend the erstwhile cabinet's work and achievements, besides indulging in post-cabinet discussions and plans. Meanwhile, senior BJP leaders, including outgoing Deputy Prime Minister L.K.Advani, Finance Minister Jaswant Singh, BJP President M. Venkaiah Naidu and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and Defence Minister George Fernandes are meeting some time today to take stock of the unfolding developments after the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance's baffling defeat in the just concluded general elections. The leaders are expected to debate whether the BJP will attend the swearing-in ceremony of Sonia Gandhi, which is likely to be held on Wednesday. RSS leader Govindacharya is also leading a protest march to the President in a 'stop-Sonia campaign' on her foreign origin. Earlier, Sushma had declared she would resign from the Rajya Sabha in case Sonia became the Prime Minister.

Uma Bharti says mandate not for Sonia (Go To Top)

         New Delhi: Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Uma Bharti addressing a press conference here on Monday said that Sonia herself as a person is not an issue. Uma Bharti also said that Sonia Gandhi has no right to be the Prime Minister of this country, as she has no contribution to it. "For me Sonia is not the issue, but the fact that nobody is opposed to her becoming Prime Minister is an issue. I want to fight the thought away, which is making Sonia Prime Minister. This is my last attempt. I had spoken to my fellow party workers about the issue and whatever responsibility they will give me I am ready to do it,even on personal basis", said Uma Bharti. She said that comparison of India with countries like Canada and Fiji is not fair because people from different countries have established those countries and if some generation is becoming a Prime Minister then there is no harm in it. Uma Bharti also said that Sonia Gandhi did not get any vote for prime ministership. "I had free and fair elections and around four crore people voted for me, but Sonia Gandhi won the elections by cheating.People of Rae Bareli did not know that Sonia Gandhi would be the next Prime Minister of our country".

Communists to extend outside support to Congress-led coalition (Go To Top)

         New Delhi: The Communist Party of India (Marxist), CPI(M), set to play a key role in the new government, said on Monday it would back the coalition from outside and not join the government. CPI (M), which alone holds 43 of the 59 seats won by the leftist alliance, said after its two-day national consecutive meeting in New Delhi. "We are not joining the government." Though some communist leaders were in favour of joining the Congress-led coalition to lend it stability and keep the Hindu nationalists at bay, but factors such as the CPI(M) being in direct opposition to the Congress at the state level seems to have outweighed. On Monday markets crashed more than 15 percent in intra-day trade before closing 11.1 percent down on fears that economic reforms will slow down with a new leftist-backed government set to take charge. The leftist parties, which together won a pivotal 59 of the 539 seats in last week's election upset, are also debating a joint economic policy with an eye to reassuring investors after the rupee and shares crashed to their lowest in months. Meanwhile, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which has bitt the dust after rallying intensively over the foreign-origin issue of Sonia Gandhi in a personal and often pungent campaign against her, said they will boycott the swearing in ceremony.

          The BJP has termed the election of a foreign-born to the country's highest post, as a black mark in India's history. "As a Prime Minister, keeping in tradition he (outgoing Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee) will be attending. As far as (National Democratic Alliance), (Bharatiya Janata Party) and the allies are concerned, we have decided we will abstain from the swearing-in ceremony," BJP president Venkaiah Naidu said in New Delhi. The world's largest democracy has been stunned by the size of the upset poll win by Gandhi's Congress over Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee, who was rejected by disaffected rural poor, angry at missing out on the benefits of India's economic boom. Gandhi, 57, will be the first foreign-born person and the fourth member of the venerable Nehru-Gandhi dynasty -- India's equivalent of the Kennedys -- to take the office. In all, the dynasty has ruled the world's second most populous nation for 35 of the 57 years since independence. Congress' election of Gandhi as its parliamentary leader was expected and means that, having already secured the support of key allies, she will be prime minister, barring any last minute hitches with new political partners.