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Naqvi, two other BJP leaders injured

     New Delhi: BJP vice-president Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi and two other party corporators were hurt when police used water cannons against them while they were trying to break a police cordon in the course of their protest against the hike in the prices of petrol here today. Naqvi, who sustained injuries on his face, has been taken to the Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital. Two BJP coporators Surendar Singh and Yogendra Sharma were also hurt. Hundreds of party workers courted arrest.

Kumaratunga meets Kalam (Go To Top)

      New Delhi: Sri Lanka President Chandrika Kumaratunga today mets president APJ Abdul Kalam here, even as her embattled nation intensified efforts to turn a two-year truce with Tamil rebels into permanent peace. Though the details of the meeting are not known, reports say Kumaratunga apprised him of the latest situation in the island nation. Kumaratunga had last month launched a new all-party forum to find a breakthrough in their deadlock with rebels but a clutch of opposition parties have been boycotting it. The government and rebels agreed to a ceasefire in 2002, halting a war that killed more than 64,000 people, displaced hundreds of thousands more and left vast tracts of the rebel-dominated north and east shelled to smithereens. But talks aimed at permanent peace stalled last year with the government and rebels at an impasse over the Tiger's demand for interim self-rule, leaving the process in limbo. Tamil Tiger leaders are currently on a three-week tour of Europe to lobby for funding and support for their self-rule proposal.

Congress stalls Orissa Assembly proceedings (Go To Top)

      Bhubaneswar: The opposition Congress party on Saturday stalled proceedings in the Orissa state Assembly over a demand for a CBI probe of a mining agreement that the Biju Janata Dal government had signed with Vedanta Alumina. Lulu Mohapatra, Senior Congress MLA, led the boycott of the proceedings. The opposition also staged a walkout on Friday night after a five-hour long debate on the issue.

Rao deposes against Sukh Ram (Go To Top)

       New Delhi: Former Prime Minister P V Narasimha Rao on Saturday deposed against his party colleague and former Union Minister Sukh Ram who is facing a trial for amassing assets disproportionate to his known sources of income while serving as an MP and a minister between June 20, 1991 and August 16, 1996. Rao's deposition was taken at his official residence at 9, Motilal Nehru Marg before Special CBI Judge Dinesh Dayal, as he is unwell. Rao is believed to have told Dayal that he had only authorised the Congress party's then treasurer Sitaram Kesri to collect funds for the party, and therefore, Mr. Ram should not have had a sum of Rs. 3 crore in his house when the CBI raids were conducted. Rao also said that as the party's president, he had made it clear that no party worker, including MPs and ministers, was supposed to collect funds on behalf of the party.

Khurshid replaces Jagdambika Pal as UP Congress chief (Go To Top)

      New Delhi: AICC general secretary Salman Khurshid, who is currently in Kolkata with Congress president Sonia Gandhi, will be the new president of Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee (UPCC). In a formal announcement made at the Congress party headquarters, it was stated that Khurshid would replace incumbent UPCC chief Jagdambika Pal. This will be Khurshid's second stint as UPCC chief. He was made the AICC General Secretary by Gandhi during the last reshuffle of the AICC secretariat effected after the Lok Sabha polls.

Sonia in Kolkata (Go To Top)

      Kolkata: Congress president Sonia Gandhi is on a day's visit to Kolkata today.This is her first visit to the state as the chairperson of the UPA. She was received at the airport by Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee, Union Water Resources Minister Priya Ranjan Das Munshi and AICC general secretary Salman Khurshed. Sonia went to Science City to attend the Telegraph School Awards for Excellence after taking the salute of the Congress Dal. She will also meet Congress leaders at the Raj Bhavan before leaving for Delhi in the evening. ]

Babasaheb Kupekar Maharashtra Speaker (Go To Top)

      Mumbai: Senior NCP leader Babasaheb Kupekar was elected as the Speaker of Maharashtra State Assembly here on Saturday. Pro-tem Speaker Ganpatrao Deshmukh made an announcement to this effect, following which Chief Minister of Mahrashtra Vilasrao Deshmukh, Deputy Chief Minister R.R. Patil and leader of Opposition in the house Narayan Rane escorted Kupekar to his chair. Kupekar, 62, is the 12th speaker of the state assembly since 1960. He won from the Gadhinglaj constituency in Kolhapur district and succeeds Arun Gujrathi, who lost the polls from Chopda.