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Pramod Mahajan shot at in Mumbai

      Mumbai: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) General Secretary, Pramod Mahajan, was shot at in his Worli residence here on Saturday morning by his brother. Mahajan sustained four bullet injuries on hand, stomach, throat and chest. His brother Pravin Venkatesh Mahajan surrendered to the police after the incident. Mahajan is undergoing treatment at the Hinduja Hospital here and his condition is stated to be critical. Pramod's brother-in-law, Gopinath Munde, rushed him to the hospital. He was operated upon.

Military doctors consulted

     Special military doctors are being consulted on how to remove the three bullets still embedded in Mahajan's body. Mahajan, who is currently on a ventilator support, is being monitored by military doctors. According to media reports, hospital officials have confirmed that it is difficult to remove the bullets. Mahajan's liver and pancreas have suffered extensive damage and there has been a huge loss of blood. Twenty-five units of blood have already been given to him. The BJP leader has already undergone a four-hour long operation to stop the bleeding. Dr Anupam Verma said: "Mahajan has suffered massive blood loss due to injuries in the liver, lower chest, abdomen, the pancreas, duodenum, and an important vein caused by the three bullets. The liver injury is extensive and none of the bullets has been removed".

    Meanwhile, several political leaders and personalities visited the Hinduja Hospital to inquire after Mahajan's welfare. Former BJP President L.K.Advani cut short his Bharat Suraksha Yatra and reached Mumbai in the afternoon. After remaining there for about half an hour, he returned to Raipur. Coming out of the hospital Advani said: "I have spoken to the doctors and I have met the family every one of them and I can understand their anxiety in a situation of this kind." Others who visited the hospital today were, Union Minister for Agriculture Sharad Pawar, Shiv Sena leader Udhav Thackeray, BJP MP and noted actress Hema Malini, industrialist Anil Ambani and other senior BJP leaders like Venkiah Naidu and Sushma Swaraj. Former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee is scheduled to visit Mumbai tomorrow.

Pravin in police custody

     Pravin Mahajan who had shot the BJP leader has been arrested and booked under section 307 of the IPC (attempt to murder). He will be produced before the magistrate tomorrow. Arun Patnaik, Deputy Commissioner Of Police, Mumbai said: "He (accused) said that he had a lot of anger against Mahajan (Pramod Mahajan) and he had it in his mind and he did this in a fit of rage." Pravin was earlier taken to J.J. Hospital for a check-up as his lawyer said that his client is mentally ill. Pravin,who paid a visit to Mahajan's residence in the morning shot him at around 8:30 A.M in his apartment in the Poorna building in Worli. Though Police have said that the cause for the shooting is unclear, they have said that it was a case of a pre-planned. Mahajan's brother Prakash has categorically denied of any property dispute behind the shoot-out.

Astrologer had said Mahajan will be PM (Go To Top)
by Sandeep Datta

      New Delhi: Even as an injured Pramod Mahajan is fighting for his life at Mumbai's P.D.Hinduja Hospital, an astrologer's prediction is at stake. If K Gopalakrishnan is to be believed, 57-year-old Mahajan will don the mantle of president or prime minister's post by 2009. Gopalakrishnan is regarded as one of South India's leading astrologers, and his prediction on Mahajan appears on a website (http://sify.com/lifestyle/astrology/fullstory). "Pramod Mahajan will continue to be successful in Indian politics, and will get elected once again. He has very good chances of holding the highest post in Indian polity - like Prime Minister or the President. Mahajan's powerful Mercury Maha Dasa is unfolding from 2009, which will give him a great lift in BJP," Gopalakrishnan said.

    Another astrologist, Dr. Prem Kumar Sharma, says that Mahajan may occupy a good office in 2007 despite a fluctuating time till December 2006. This prediction appears on the website http://www.karmicastro.com/pramod_mahajan1.htm. "It was that Rahu from 18-02-2004 to 26-12-2006 would be a period of mixed fortunes. This is in 11th house and under aspect of Jupiter. It is propitious but in Navamsa it is in 9th house and thus not poised for as good result as in 11th house. But this period would lay foundation for him to occupy a good office in the years 2007 to 2013. During these years he would be running Saturn-Jupiter,Merc-Merc,Merc-Ketu,Merc-Ven (1/3)," said Sharma.

     But what has really set the cat among the pigeons is former PM Atal Behari Vajpayee's endorsement of Mahajan as a future leader of the country. In a public speech on Thursday, he rather enigmatically had said that Mahajan and Advani would continue to "lead the party". Vajpayee's comments on Pramod Mahajan's projection as the future prime ministerial candidate had led to many BJP leaders raising eyebrows. It caused a lot of heartburn in a party. The politically savvy Mahajan is seen as a "technocrat" leader, sans a firm grassroots political base.