SC
to take up Kanchi seer's petition on Thursday
New
Delhi/Ranchi: The Supreme Court will take up the issue
of the Kanchi seer's bail plea on Thursday, even as the
issue of the pontiff's arrest and subsequent incarceration
is likely to dominate proceedings at the BJP National Executive
beginning in Ranchi on Wednesday. Party sources were quoted
by a television channel as saying that the Ranchi session
is expected not to encourage a repeat of the controversies
that surfaced at its earlier sessions in Mumbai and Delhi.
This is will be the first meeting where the party under
L K Advani's presidentship would draw up a strategy for
the coming Assembly elections in Bihar, Jharkhand and Haryana.
Sources said the three-day meeting would target the Congress-led
government on issues including inflation, national security,
de- escalation of troops in Jammu and Kashmir and the "deteriorating"
condition of farmers. Former Prime Minister Atal Bihari
Vajpayee and Advani will address a rally before the meeting.
The inaugural session of the national executive would take
place later in the evening.
VHP
gives one week time for Sankaracharya's release (Go
To Top)
New
Delhi: Hindu hardliners today threatened to step up
agitation across the country if Kanchi Sankaracharya Jyaendra
Saraswati was not released within a week. "We give one week's
time to the Tamil Nadu government to release Shankaracharya.
We will announce our next plan of action for agitation within
2-3 days. And the agitation will be intensified in the coming
week," Praveen Togadia, VHP general secretary, said in the
Capital. Togadia alleged that the federal ruling Congress
president was taken into confidence before the arrest and
demanded an enquiry into the whole episode. "In this incident
SP of Andhra Pradesh Dravidson and Andhra Pradesh Chief
Minister YSR Reddy said on record that before the arrest
they had spoken in Delhi to Sonia Gandhi. There should be
a probe into the telephonic talks between them," said Togadia.
The arrest of the 60-year-old Hindu leader provoked outrage
among conservative Hindus and hardline groups such as the
VHP as well as the BJP, which has staged countrywide protests.
Saraswathi has called the case against him a conspiracy
and defence lawyers have described as baseless and fabricated
the charges of conspiracy and abatement to murder that police
have brought against him.
Markandey
Katju new Madras High Court CJ (Go
To Top)
New
Delhi: Justice Markandey Katju, Judge of the Allahabad
High Court, has been appointed Chief Justice of the Madras
High Court. According to a press release, the appointment
comes into effect from the date Justice Katju assumes charge
of the office.
Parties
promise a smooth Parliament session (Go
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New
Delhi: Parliamentarians from all the major political
parties today promised Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee
that they won't create problems during the winter session
of the parliament that begins December 1. The MPs from the
Lower House of the parliament met the Speaker in the Capital
on the latter's invitation. Chatterjee had a detailed meeting
with both the ruling Congress and main Opposition the BJP,
which made a full strength show with all its top leaders
including former premier Atal Bihari Vajpayee and party
chief LK Advani. The BJP leaders vowed their full co- operation
during the entire 23-day session. Later, Chatterjee told
reporters: "They participated in the meeting and made very
useful suggestions. But one thing was common that everybody
assured that the houses should run properly so that the
issues concerning the people are raised in a proper manner.
Several suggestions have come, some have said of a longer
question hour, longer duration, longer session. Those are
matters to be considered. General view is that there should
be normal functioning of the house." Speaking to reporters,
Advani said: "I think everyone agreed that the House should
run smoothly and today there was complete unanimity on all
matters."
Illegal
migration continues from Bangla: BSF chief (Go
To Top)
Agartala:
BSF DG Ajay Raj Sharma today expressed concern over
the continuing illegal migration from Bangladesh. New Delhi
has often alleged that illegal migrants, smugglers and anti-India
insurgents continue to cross over taking advantage of the
4000-km long porous border with Bangladesh. Bangladesh,
however, denies the accusation. Sharma said: "On the eastern
front it is very peculiar that this problem of infiltration
that was the main problem and thousands and lakh of Bangladeshis.
They illegally migrate to India and spread in various states
of the country and since there was no fencing and the force
was also not to the level as it should have been. Therefore
they took advantage of this and they kept on expanding and
in our country they have been sending people after people
so much so that demographic changes have come about in certain
states."
He
also said that several rebel camps still existed in neighbouring
Bangladesh, despite denials by Dhaka. "Various groups of
militants who have been coming into our country, committing
crime and running back to Bangladesh where they get shelter
as camps are there and we are not able to chase them into
Bangladesh because that is a foreign land," the DG added.
Last month, Bangladesh Rifles had accused the Indian border
guards to try to push a group of 500 Bangla-speaking people
into their territory. India said they were Bangladeshi people
who slipped across the border and so must be pushed back.
However, Dhaka says they are Indians who are being thrown
out of the country. India rejected the allegation that it
was trying to deport any of its nationals.
UNLF
rejects peace talks with Centre (Go
To Top)
Imphal:
The United National Liberation Front (UNLF) today said
that it would not hold peace talks with the Centre and continue
its armed struggle till "an independent Manipur" was achieved.
In a statement issued here, the Front said that it was convinced
that people in the state would ''never accept such a proposition
for peace talks''. It further said that its cadres were
prepared to lay down arms if the United Nations intervened
in the present armed conflict.
