Manmohan Singh concludes US visit, leaves for India

NEW YORK: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh concluded his visit to America on Monday where he held talks with US President Barack Obama and met his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif for the first time, besides addressing the UN general assembly.

Singh left the John F Kennedy Airport here for Frankfurt where he would have an overnight stay before arriving in New Delhi on Tuesday.

The Prime Minister reached Washington on September 26 and held talks with Obama the next day during which they decided to expand ties in various areas including defense, energy and trade.

"We believe that if there's a strong India, that's good for the world, and it's ultimately good for the US," Obama had said in a joint appearance with Singh.

Immediately after the meeting, the two countries issued a joint declaration on defence co-operation, which brings India at par with the closest American allies like Britain.

The Prime Minister flagged India's concerns over terrorism emanating from across the border and described Pakistan as "epicenter of terrorism".

In a rarest of the rare gesture, Obama himself walked down from the Oval Office to Singh's car to see him off.

Singh reached New York on September 27 where he held a meeting with the top American CEOs.

Singh in his first meeting with Sharif, after the latter assumed charge as Pakistan's prime minister in June, made it clear that ending ceasefire violations is a pre-condition for taking the relationship forward.

A day earlier, Singh addressed the UN general assembly wherein he raised concerns over terrorism coming from across the border. He also spoke on security council reform and reiterated that diplomacy be given a chance in resolving the crisis in Syria and Iran.

Singh also held bilateral meetings with Bangladesh Prime Minsiter Sheikh Hasnia and Nepal's interim leader Khil Raj Regmi on September 28.

The Prime Minister was accompanied by national security advisor Shivshankar Menon, foreign secretary Shujata Singh and other senior officials. External affairs minister Salman Khurshid, who is on a two week foreign travel, joined him in New York. Khurshid now heads to Russia.

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Lalu to appeal in high court, family alleges 'conspiracy'

RANCHI/PATNA: RJD chief Lalu Prasad will appeal in the Jharkhand high court against his conviction in the Bihar fodder scam case, his family said on Monday and alleged he had fallen victim to "conspiracy" by his rivals.

"We'll appeal in the high court. We have full faith in the judiciary," Prasad's son Tejeswi Yadav told reporters in Ranchi.

"It's a conspiracy and we'll also go to the the people's court and answer those elements, who have targeted our leader, in the upcoming election," he said.

In Patna, Prasad's wife and former Bihar chief minister Rabri Devi said they do not accept him as guilty and she and her son would run the party in his absence "as Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi are guiding the Congress".

"We do not accept him (Prasad) as guilty," Rabri, who remained inside her official residence at 10 Circular Road in the Bihar capital throughout the day told a section of the media a little after after the CBI court at Ranchi delivered its verdict.

The gates of her residence, which is only a stone's throw from that of chief minister Nitish Kumar, were closed since morning and the house wore a deserted look.

"We will go to "janata ki adalat" (people's court) to seek justice for the RJD president," she said adding her husband had fallen victim to 'opposition conspiracy'. CBI and police searched our house, in-law's house and other places. But did they find any money earned out of fodder scam? she said.

"Does a chief minister draw any money from treasury ? Is it not done by officials? ... A chief minister gets the budget passed in the assembly and does not himself withdraw from the treasury," Rabri Devi added, who had replaced Prasad as CM in 1997 when he relinquished the post before going to jail in the fodder scam case.

She had served as the chief minister again from 1999 for about a year and then again from 2000-2005.

She, however, refused to name the "conspirators" saying, "everybody knows them".

"Leaders like Nitish Kumar and Shivanand Tiwari are in seats of power despite indulging in corruption," Rabri Devi, now an MLC, alleged.

Senior RJD leader Raghuvansh Prasad said the party would always be with Prasad.

The special CBI court of Pravas Kumar Singh has set October three to pronounce the quantum of sentence to the former Bihar chief minister who faces a maximum of 10 years in jail./PATNA: RJD chief Lalu Prasad will appeal in the Jharkhand high court against his conviction in a fodder scam case, his family said today and alleged he had fallen victim to "conspiracy" by his rivals.

"We'll appeal in the high court. We have full faith in the judiciary," Prasad's son Tejeswi Yadav told reporters in Ranchi.

"It's a conspiracy and we'll also go to the the people's court and answer those elements, who have targeted our leader, in the upcoming election," he said.

In Patna, Prasad's wife and former Bihar chief minister Rabri Devi said they do not accept him as guilty.

"We do not accept him (Prasad) as guilty," Rabri, who remained inside her official residence at 10 Circular Road in the Bihar capital throughout the day told a section of the media a little after after the CBI court at Ranchi delivered its verdict.

The gates of her residence, which is only a stone's throw from that of chief minister Nitish Kumar, were closed since morning and the house wore a deserted look.

"We will go to 'janata ki adalat' (people's court) to seek justice for the RJD president," she said adding her husband had fallen victim to 'opposition conspiracy'.

"CBI and police searched our house, in-law's house and other places. But did they find any money earned out of fodder scam?

"Does a chief minister draw any money from treasury ? Is it not done by officials? ... A chief minister gets the budget passed in the assembly and does not himself withdraw from the treasury," said Rabri Devi, who had replaced Prasad as CM in 1997 when he relinquished the post before going to jail in the fodder scam case.

She had served as the chief minister again from 1999 for about a year and then again from 2000-2005.

She, however, refused to name the 'conspirators' saying, "Everybody knows them."

"Leaders like Nitish Kumar and Shivanand Tiwari are in seats of power despite indulging in corruption," Rabri Devi, now an MLC, alleged.

Senior RJD leader Raghuvansh Prasad said the party would always be with Prasad.

The special CBI court of Pravas Kumar Singh has set October three to pronounce the quantum of sentence to the former Bihar chief minister who faces a maximum of 10 years in jail.

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I appreciate Modi, want him to change the entire system, Jagan Reddy says

HYDERABAD: Just out after 16 months in jail, YSR Congress president YS Jaganmohan Reddy on Monday sent signals that he was keeping his options open post Lok Sabha elections today and had a word of appreciation for BJP's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi.

"I said I am secular. What other secular parties like communists, like Janata Dal (U), would do, I will also do the same. I have my options. I dont think I would be in a hurry. All these options are there for everybody," he told reporters here.

He said he appreciated Modi as an administrator but wanted him to strive for bringing all parties on a secular platform.

"What I want Narendra Modi to do is, I appreciate Modi as an administrator, I want Modi to change this entire system in bringing every party on to a secular platform in the interest of the nation," he said.

Stressing that religion is a matter of personal faith, he wondered why should religion be politicised and any individual discriminated over his religion.

"I belong to the present generation. Whether we are Hindus, Christians or Muslims, we are all born here, live here and are going to die here," he said.

The YSRCP remained committed to secularism, he added.

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Shinde dismisses BJP's demand for his sacking

NEW DELHI: Home minister Sushilkumar Shinde on Monday dismissed BJP's demand for his removal for writing a letter to chief ministers asking them to ensure that no innocent Muslim youth is wrongfully detained in the name of terror.

"BJP can keep demanding what they want. This is my routine work and I have done it," he told reporters here when asked about the opposition party's criticism of his action and demand for his removal.

In his letter, Shinde said the central government has been receiving representations on alleged harassment of innocent Muslim youth by law enforcement agencies.

"Some of the minority youth have started feeling that they are deliberately targeted and deprived their basic rights," he wrote.

The Home Minister said the government is committed to its core principle of combating terrorism in every form and manifestation.

"Government has to ensure that no innocent person is subjected to undue harassment," he told the chief ministers.

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Mulayam, Akhilesh go all out to assuage Muslims

LUCKNOW: Chief minister Akhilesh Yadav and Samajwadi Party supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav have gone all out to 'assuage feelings of Muslims', considered to be their party's main vote bank and win back' their confidence.

Mulayam and Akhilesh have been meeting Muslim clerics and assuring them that the government would do everything possible to help the community members in their rehabilitation and ensure their safety.

The chief minister already had a meeting with the Muslim leaders from western UP during which he sought their cooperation and also assured that his government was committed to the safety of the minority community members. The leaders were brought to the state capital by a special plane.

Muslim leaders expressed serious concern over the prevailing atmosphere in the western UP districts and complained that the local officials miserably failed to protect the lives of the community members. The Muslim leaders also demanded adequate compensation for the displaced Muslims and punishment to those responsible for inciting communal passions in the region.

SP supremo, on the other hand, met the president of Jamiya Ulema-e-Hind Maulana Arshad Madani and discussed with him the measures to be taken to win back confidence of the community, that had been shaken up after the riots.

At the same time, Mulayam constituted a 10 member panel of ministers thatwill visit different villages in Muzaffarnagar and meet members of both the communities. The panel has been entrusted it with the responsibility of dousing the anger among both the communities in Muzaffarnagar.

The SP has been observing a 'Sadbhavana Week', on the instruction of the Mulayam Singh Yadav. The move aims at creating goodwill among the various communities and promote communal amity keeping in line with the composite culture of the state.

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Jairam Ramesh allays fears over Land Acquisition Act

LUCKNOW: Going all out to first woo farmers, the UPA II government on Sunday attempted to allay the fears of industry bodies, expecting businesses to be hit as a result of the new land Acquisition Act, 2013. On Sunday, Union minister for rural development Jairam Ramesh said the Act only applies to land acquired by central and state authorities for public purposes, and that there will be no bar, whatsoever, on purchase of private land. He said, "The industry must look beyond land acquisition by government and explore land purchase opportunities. In fact, 20 years from now, purchase of land should be more prevalent than its acquisition."

Emphasizing that acquisition of land is a last resort for the government Jairam also said the rural development ministry is working towards improving land records management in the country and promoting transparency in land sales. He said the government is in the process of implementing a Rs 1000 crore National Land Record Modernization Programme that focuses on computerizing land records, digitizing maps and conducting fresh surveys. He also said Haryana, Gujarat, Karnataka and Tripura are front runner states in these areas.

Jairam also said the the government will attempt to push through a legislation in parliament, which seeks an amendment to the Registration Act of 1908. Once passed, this Bill, he said, will put all land sales and registration records in the public domain. "When transparency increases, it will become easier for corporate and private entities to purchase land," he said.

Addressing a presser in Mumbai, the Union minister also spoke of special economic zones and said all land acquisition for future SEZs will be in accordance with the new Act. He also admitted that the Act, though historic, does not have in its present form, a provision to deal with denotified SEZs. "The older Act of 1894 was undemocratic as it vested enormous discretionary powers in the hands of District Collectors. in contrast, the new act is humane, its thrust is on rehabilitation and resettlement," Jairam said. He also said any Act that promotes the welfare of tribals and marginal farmers should be regarded as work being done for the greater good of the nation. Jairam also said that the land Acquisition Act has been rechristened as the "Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act," to reflect the spirit with which it was passed in parliament.

The minister also said the new law has been made under the concurrent list of the Constitution and states can increase the quantum of compensation as well as other provisions in favour of the land owners and farmers. The Act will be notified either on January 1, 2014 or April 1, 2014, he added.

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Court of inquiry ordered into terror attack on army camp in Samba

JAMMU: Army on Sunday ordered a court of inquiry (CoI) into the militant attack on 16 Cavalry camp in Samba on September 26 in which its four personnel, including a Lt Col, were killed and two others, one of them a Colonel, injured.

"A Court of Inquiry has been ordered. A Colonel rank officer will head the CoI," defence spokesman S N Acharya said here.

The inquiry was part of the standard operating procedure maintained by the Army in such attacks, he said, adding the CoI would be mandated to look into all aspects of the terror strike including security lapses, if any, in the unit.

The 16 Cavalry unit of the Army in Samba district falls under the jurisdiction of 9 corps, headquartered at Yol Cantonment in Himachal Pradesh.

On September 26, three terrorists had stormed a police station in Kathua and then an army camp in Samba, killing 10, including four armymen, in twin 'fidayeen' attacks after they sneaked in from across the border.

Lt Col Bikramjeet Singh, the second-in-command of the unit stationed at the camp was among the four slain Army personnel.

Six persons, including four policemen, were killed in the suicide strike on the police station at Hiranagar in Kathua.

The three heavily-armed terrorists, who were holed up in the camp of the cavalry armoured unit at Samba for several hours after they barged into the officers mess, were killed during the fierce gunfight.

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Sonia praises Manmohan Singh

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: In an apparent attempt at assuaging his feelings in the wake of Rahul Gandhi's denunciation of the government, Congress chief Sonia Gandhi on Sunday praised Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, saying welfare schemes launched under his leadership have helped millions of people from the marginalised sections.

"They (marginalised sections) faced discrimination at every level. The UPA government led by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has lifted million of them through its flagship schemes," she said at a function at Neyar Dam about 30 km from here.

The remarks came amid a political storm over Rahul's attack on the ordinance to protect convicted lawmakers which he described as "complete nonsense" and a document that "should be torn up and thrown away".

"What our government has done as far as this ordinance is concerned is wrong," the Congress vice president had said on Friday.

After the outburst, Sonia Gandhi had spoken over telephone to the Prime Minister, who is away in the US on a visit, and Rahul also wrote to him expressing his "greatest admiration" for Singh's leadership in extremely difficult circumstances. Congress had made Rahul's letter public hours after his attack.

The controversial ordinance, approved recently by the Union Cabinet presided over by Singh, seeks to prevent immediate disqualification of convicted MPs and MLAs and negate a Supreme Court judgement on this.

Sonia Gandhi today said, "Congress always stood for the Gandhian principles of inclusive development and the party would continue to make efforts for the development of all sections of society based on this concept."

She was speaking after inaugurating the Research-cum Training Centre attached to Rajiv Gandhi Institute for Development Studies set up by Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee. The UPA chairperson noted that discrimination on the basis of gender, caste and class faced by marginalised section in the society was still a problem in the country and urged the policy makers to evolve policies and programmes to address it.

She said both UPA government at the Centre and UDF in Kerala were committed to ensuring inclusive growth underlined Gandhian principles and uplift the poor and downtrodden. "We need to do much more to empower poor and marginalised," she added.

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Snapshots of history: Global Wikipedia photo contest sending Indians scouting for rare monuments

On the pretext of a picnic, Gurgaon-based Anupam Ganguly recently took his family out to a place called Gandhak Ki Baoli. The journey to this medieval stepwell near Qutub Minar involved taking Google map printouts, wading through a gridlock of slums, asking several apprehensive locals for directions and assuring them that he wasn't part of an election campaign. Over the past few months, Ganguly's wife has tolerated many such "picnics" only because he has a legitimate reason. "I intend to explore unknown monuments," says the business analyst, who has already submitted close to 1,400 pictures for a contest called 'Wiki Loves Monuments'. WLM is the biggest global photo contest around monuments organized by Wikimedia chapters and groups annually.

People are invited to upload images of monuments under a free licence for use on Wikipedia. This year, with over 1,300 candidates and 10,000 photos, India ranks eighth in terms of the number of entries submitted. "You need not be a professional photographer to participate , just someone who travels and takes pictures," says Mumbai-based Karthik Nadar, secretary of the Wikimedia India chapter. "Uploading these photos can help Wikipedia," he adds. Last year, in fact, it was a beautiful photograph of the rear end of Taj Mahal taken on a cellphone that won Delhibased schoolteacher Narender Kumar Gautam the sixth prize in the international contest. "I wanted to capture a rare angle of the Taj Mahal," says Gautam, who received a cash prize of Rs 20,000, a calendar and a certificate for his only submission.

"It has increased my confidence and inspired me to do better," says Gautam, who feels elated when friends recognize his photo online. However, the prize is only a small part of the motivation. "Pictures tell a story beyond words," says Delhi's Nupur Rawal, who submitted photos of monuments last year to help people in other countries connect with India in a unique way. "For instance, if a Japanese newspaper wants to write about Indian history, they can go ahead and use my images because photos on Wikipedia have a Creative Commons licence. This means they can be used freely," says Rawal.

Besides, the pursuit of rare slices of Indian history has led people like Delhi-based Ranjit Kumar to explore the nooks of Chandni Chowk. "Everyone has seen India Gate but very few outsiders have seen Ghalib Ki Haveli. I am just trying to put a place that I love online," says Kumar. On the other hand, Ganguly, who can now rattle off facts about little-known structures such as Jamali Kamali mosque and Rajaon ki Baoli in Mehrauli, has now developed an appreciation for Mughal architecture. He seeks out documentaries on Indian history.

After the WLM contest closes on September 30, a jury of photographers and Wikipedians will shortlist 10 photos for the international contest. Ganguly, who was in the top 50 last year, says, "I want to be in the top 20 this time." This means a few more family picnics.

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Manmohan Singh, Nawaz Sharif begin talks in New York

NEW YORK: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif on Sunday smiled and shook hands as they began their bilateral talks here on the sidelines of the UN general assembly meeting.

The talks were taking place with Thursday's fidayeen attack in Jammu & Kashmir by Pakistani militants in the background in which 12 people were killed.

Manmohan Singh has raised the issue of terrorism emanating from Pakistani soil in his bilateral talks with US President Barack Obama and in his speech at the UN general assembly.

Earlier, after winning support on the issue from US President Barack Obama at their Friday summit on "eliminating terrorist safe havens and infrastructure, and disrupting terrorist networks" Manmohan Singh on Saturday made the same call before the UN general assembly using strong language. He reasserted what he had told Obama about Pakistan being the "epicentre of terrorism" and how little progress could be expected in peace talks without a shut down of Pakistan's "terrorist machinery".

Noting that Sharif speaking at the same forum had spoken of "making a new beginning", Manmohan Singh said he reciprocated the Pakistani leader's sentiments, and looked forward to meeting him on Sunday.

"However, for progress to be made, it is imperative that the territory of Pakistan and the areas under its control are not utilised for aiding and abetting terrorism directed against India," Manmohan Singh said.

"It is equally important that the terrorist machinery that draws its sustenance from Pakistan be shut down."

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Entrance gate of Asaram's Indore ashram razed

INDORE: The illegally-constructed main entrance gate of an asharam of controversial godman Asaram Bapu here was demolished today by the Madhya Pradesh Road Development Corporation (MPRDC).

The action was initiated after the ashram's authorities concerned failed to produce permission certificate for construction of the gate after MPRDC issued notice to the ashram a week ago, sources said.

Asaram is in jail for allegedly sexually assaulting a minor daughter of his follower in his Jodhpur ashram.

"The entrance gate of his (Asaram's) ashram was razed as it was raised without requisite permission," the sources added.

According to sources, the gate was also affecting flow of traffic on the busy Indore-Khandwa road where it is located.

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Cong should change its name to 'Indian Nautanki Congress': BJP

RAIPUR: Describing Rahul Gandhi's criticism of the controversial ordinance on lawmakers as "drama", BJP today said that Congress should change its name to "Indian Nautanki Congress".

"Rahul tried to show that he is different from his partymen. It was a complete drama with an unsuccessful script," BJP spokesperson Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi told reporters on Saturday.

"They should change their name to Indian Nautanki Congress ahead of the parliamentary elections... You (Congress) keep on writing such 'nautanki' (drama) scripts. After Lok Sabha elections you will get enough time for such things," he said.

"In the last nine-and-a-half years, the UPA government has not delivered anything except corruption ... After the Lok Sabha elections, Congress's condition will be very bad," he said.

Targeting Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, he said that although he was at the helm of affairs, the actual power lay in the hands of Rahul and Congress president Sonia Gandhi.

Naqvi sought to know why Rahul, "if he was so worried" (over the ordinance), did not protest when the issue was discussed in Parliament.

The Union Cabinet had on September 24 cleared an ordinance to protect MPs and MLAs from immediate disqualification upon conviction in a criminal case with a jail term of two years or more to undo a Supreme Court verdict.

Meanwhile, Hahiling the Supreme Court order on 'right to reject', the BJP vice-president said that although the party had long demanded electoral reforms, the government's priorities had been the nuclear deal and FDI in retail.

"We will hold a discussion to bring a legislation pertaining to electoral reforms in the coming Parliament session," he added.

Naqvi also demanded that political partiesbe brought under the ambit of Right to Information (RTI).

Talking about the Assembly elections in Chhattisgarh, he said, "Chhattisgarh is a very important state from the election point of view and the preparation for it is on in full swing.

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Centre discriminating against Uttar Pradesh, claims Samajwadi Party

LUCKNOW: Ruling Samajwadi Party in UP on Saturday alleged that the Centre was discriminating against the state and even after clearing a special package for the state, only 17 per cent has been disbursed so far.

"Chief minister Akhilesh Yadav has repeatedly told the Centre about his views regarding development of the state, but required co-operation was not extended," party spokesman Rajendra Chaudhary said in a statement here.

Chaudhary said that out of 44,000 crore to be given by the Centre only 7,401.43 crore has been received, which was only 17 per cent.

The spokesman also alleged that even the ministers in the Union Cabinet from Uttar Pradesh were not taking interest in moving the schemes ahead.

Referring to Muzaffarnagar riots, Chaudhary alleged that Congress and other parties were shedding crocodile's tears, while the CM has assured all possible help to the victims.

He said that the government has decided to give employment to one family member of the victim along with financial assistance of Rs 10 lakh.

"There was a provision of Rs three lakh assistance by the Centre in such cases," Chaudhary said.

But now, the Centre has put a rider that financial aid will not be given to those getting government jobs, which was surprising, he said.

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Farooq Abdullah demands inquiry by a SC judge into Gen VK Singh’s remarks

NEW DELHI: Union minister and National Conference (NC) president Farooq Abdullah has demanded an inquiry by a Supreme Court judge or CBI into the "shocking" remarks of General (retd) VK Singh that the Army has been regularly paying money to ministers and politicians in Jammu & Kashmir.

Holding that the former Army chief had "destroyed the credibility" of the Army and "tarnished" India's image, Abdullah on Saturday said he would ask PM Manmohan Singh to institute a "high-level" inquiry into the entire episode once he returns from the US next week.

"Action should be taken against him (Gen Singh) ... he should be prosecuted," said Abdullah, a day after eight former Army chiefs also rejected Gen Singh's claims and held the Army was "a completely apolitical force" that did not dabble in politics.

Speaking to a private news channel ahead of the Manmohan Singh-Nawaz Sharif meeting in New York on Sunday, Abdullah also stressed that "talking" was the "only way forward" to resolve the festering India-Pakistan problems despite the recent terror strikes in the Jammu region.

"There is no other way. Is war going to solve any problem? How do you teach them a lesson, by sending in the Indian Army, by sending in the IAF, by sending in the Navy - are you not going to rake up more trouble?" he asked. "They are also a nuclear power. Do you want a nuclear bomb here as much as we might throw a nuclear bomb there? India is showing that even after all the provocation on our border, we still want to find peaceful method," he added.

Turning to Gen VK Singh, he said the former Army chief was "absolutely lying" as far as any payoffs to the NC were concerned. "I, my son or any member of my party has never taken money from the Army," he said.

Abdullah held the government was "paying the price" for not sacking Gen Singh as the Army chief when he had dragged it to the Supreme Court in January last year over his date-of-birth matter. "He has done more damage than anything else," he said.

Gen Singh has clarified he had not meant that politicians in J&K were being bribed or were on the Army's payroll. Instead, he added, the funding was to organise activities to wean away youth from the separatist cause and generate goodwill in the troubled border state.

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Rahul Gandhi's outburst on ordinance protecting convicted lawmakers embarrassing, NCP says

KOLKATA: Union heavy industries minister and NCP leader Praful Patel on Saturday said that Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi's outburst over the ordinance on convicted lawmakers was "embarrassing" and the situation could have been handled in a better way. NCP is a UPA partner and Congress ally.

"I think the way the events have come out, it is very unfortunate. It could have been handled in a better way. It's embarrassing," Patel told reporters on the sidelines of the AGM of the Calcutta Chamber of Commerce held here.

"The decision has been taken by the Cabinet and only the Cabinet can reverse the decision," the minister said, adding, that it now depends on PM Manmohan Singh to take the call.

"The onus lies with the Congress (who) heads the coalition to clear the air of misunderstanding. The onus should not be put on other political parties," Patel said.

He said, earlier when the bill was discussed, where he was present, all political parties had "almost unanimously agreed" to place it before the Parliament.

The only difference of opinion was whether to bring the bill in either the monsoon or winter session or send it to the standing committee.

"Beyond that I did not see any difference among the political parties," Patel said.

TIMES CAMPAIGN: STOP THE ORDINANCE THAT SAVES CRIMINAL POLITICIANS

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Madhya Pradesh IAS officer jailed for 5 years, fined Rs 50 lakh

BHOPAL: An IAS officer Sashi Karnavat has been sentenced to 4 years' simple imprisonment and a penalty of Rs 50 lakh by a special court (corruption cases) in Mandla district of Madhya Pradesh on Friday. She was sent to jail from the court. Three others including a couple - Rakesh Sahu, wife Rajeshweri Sahu and a mediator Virendra Shrivastava have also been sentenced to two years' imprisonment with fines of Rs 35 lakh and Rs 5 lakh respectively.

Shahsi's case dates back to year 1999-2000 when she was chief executive officer (CEO) Zila Panchayat in Mandla. The officer allegedly misused her official position to benefit a company for purchase of stationery worth Rs 35 lakh during her tenure in 2000. The order was given in stark defiance of set norms.

EOW's Jabalpur unit registered a case against the officer and others in 2003 on recommendation of the then district collector and chargesheet was filed in 2008.

The EOW Special Judge Rajeev Karmahe held Karnavat, who is currently holding the post of deputy secretary in the sport directorate, guilty under Section 420 (forgery), 120B (criminal conspiracy) of IPC and 13 (1) 13(2)D of Prevention of Corruption (PC) Act, 1988.

Earlier in February 2013, the court had served a notice of contempt on this IAS officer for her alleged remarks against court's proceedings. According to the public prosecutors, during the hearing of case, Sashi Karnavat remarked that the court is working under the pressure of chief ministers' office. The court had served a notice asking why legal action should not be initiated for the remark she made during the hearing of case under prevention of corruption (PC) Act filed against her at Mandla district court in 2000.

The officer had been in controversy for long. In 2012, she had threatened to approach anti-corruption crusader Anna Hazare against chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, accusing him of protecting the corrupt. She had accused the state government of harassing her for being a dalit.

Sashji Karnavat worked as deputy secretary in the technical education department in the state. The 53-year old IAS officer had taken up the matter to National Commission for Women apart from approaching Hazare.

She had written to the chief minister in August last year which reads, "The charges were related only to procedural irregularities in a printing job. I went through a departmental inquiry and was cleared, after which I was promoted as an IAS officer and allotted the 1999 batch of the service."

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PM's former media adviser Sanjaya Baru advises him to quit

NEW DELHI: Sanjaya Baru, former press adviser to the Prime Minister, said on Friday that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh should quit in the wake of the "insulting" remarks by Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi on the controversial ordinance sent to the President.

He also said that Rahul Gandhi must apologize to the Prime Minister.

Baru had tweeted that Rahul Gandhi's comments that the ordinance that seeks to protect convicted lawmakers should be "torn up and thrown away" were tantamount to insubordination of the prime minister and undermined his position and authority.

"I think he should quit," said Baru to a television channel.

"Having differences of opinion is different; there is nothing wrong it if a member of the party wants to criticize it. But the manner in which it was done, the language that has been used and the context in which it has happened - when the BJP went to meet the president over it yesterday and the president is holding back on the ordinance...," said Baru.

"This is not an individual personal fantasy of the Prime Minister. He sent the ordinance for signature to the President on behalf of the government, which is essentially a Congress government..."

"But to say this (ordinance) is nonsense, and should be torn up and thrown away...?"

"I don't think why he (prime minister) should continue, he should call off his meetings (in the US) and return... The manner in which this has been done is insulting," said Baru.

"I think he (Prime Minister Manmohan Singh) will be a man in great distress, he is a very sentimental man, very emotional man..."

"The least that Rahul Gandhi can do is to call up and apologise," he said.

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BSF on high alert along Pak border after Jammu encounter

DHIDA FORWARD POST: Border Security Force (BSF) has taken extra ordinary measures to prevent any infiltration bid into Punjab by Pak militants especially in the areas bordering Jammu.

Pak terrorists had gunned down nine people including a lieutenant colonel of the Indian Army in a twin attack in Samba and Kathua districts of Jammu on Thursday.

Punjab's first border outpost Dhinda forward is merely 12 to 15 kilometers from Samba where the incident occurred. Given the sensitivity of the area the BSF's Dhinda post which faces Pakistan's notorious village Masrur Bara Bhai have installed highly sophisticated armory including Long Range Reconnaissance and Observation System (LORROS) which has long range, electro-optic and day and night sensing platform , light machine guns, medium machine guns, grenade launcher etc. to foil any infiltration bid from Pakistan.

According to highly placed sources in BSF, Pakistan's Masrur Bara Bhai village is believed to be the launch pad of Pakistan's ISI trained terrorists into India . Sources also informed that ISI had set up its terrorists training camp in the village due to topography of the area as the agency helps armed militants to infiltrate ultra's into Jammu bordering Punjab. In 2010, an infiltration bid was made from the area and BSF had also found Babbar Khalsa pamphlets near the border.

"That was first time when BSF had opened fire to kill militants in this area of Punjab" said sources. The BSF have also installed high mast towers to illuminate the whole area besides other measures including concertina wire etc. BSF Inspector General AK Tomar told TOI "We are taking extra ordinary measures , there are hardly any chances of infiltration but we are alert".

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PM to consult Cabinet after Rahul's shocker on ordinance protecting convicted lawmakers

NEW DELHI/WASHINGTON: An unexpected and blunt attack by Rahul Gandhi on Thursday on the ordinance to protect convicted lawmakers caused political tremors with his description of it as "complete nonsense" being seen as sharp criticism of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

Using tough language, Rahul made a rare and dramatic appearance before journalists to denounce the ordinance as "complete nonsense" and a document that "should be torn up and thrown away".

Rahul's strong criticism during an unscheduled media interaction at Delhi's Press Club took place while the Prime Minister was sleeping in his suite in a Washington hotel, hours before his meeting with President Barack Obama.

In a brief reaction later, the Prime Minister said in Washington that the ordinance cleared by the Cabinet has been a matter of much public debate. Rahul had written to him on the issue and also made a statement.

"The government is seized of all these developments. The issues raised will be considered on my return to India after due deliberations in the Cabinet," he said in a statement.

With Rahul taking a public stand against it and writing to the Prime Minister, there is little doubt that the fate of the ordinance, now before President Pranab Mukherjee, is sealed.

The Congress vice-president said "what our government has done as far as this ordinance is concerned is wrong", although at one point he mentioned that it was his personal opinion.

The controversial ordinance, approved recently by the Union Cabinet presided over by Singh, seeks to prevent immediate disqualification of convicted MPs and MLAs and negate a Supreme Court judgment on this. The President too appears to have reservations about it.

There was little doubt that Rahul's statement came as a surprise to Singh. PM's aides were woken up by journalists for a reaction which came some hours later.

The Congress immediately fell in line with Rahul's view on the ordinance with several ministers endorsing it although sources said that the decision to promulgate an ordinance was taken days ago at the highest levels in the party.

With Rahul's remarks seen as a snub to the prime minister there were some immediate suggestions that he should resign. BJP said Singh should resign if he had any self respect.

PM's former media adviser Sanjaya Baru saw "insubordination" in Rahul's attack and suggested that Singh should resign.

The opposition rubbished Rahul's shrill attack with the BJP calling it a "desperate and belated" damage control exercise and saying Prime Minister Singh should quit if he had any self-respect.

BJP leader Arun Jaitley said it is a "belated realization of nonsense" and that those responsible in the government for the ordinance should resign.

Trinamool Congress's Saugata Roy said Rahul's attack is an "orchestrated" move and demonstrated confusion within the Congress while CPI's Gurudas Das Gupta said it was "most belated." CPI-M's Brinda Karat wondered why Rahul was reacting after so many days when the Ordinance is now before President Pranab Mukherjee.

"If Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has any self respect left then I think he should call it a day because the supercop who can correct the system has arrived on the scene," said BJP spokesperson Meenakshi Lekhi.

Jaitley also asked the Prime Minister to react to Rahul's remarks.

"The country is waiting to see whether the Prime Minister has any self-respect left ... whether he accepts this compliment of being called nonsense or does he react for the honour of his own government," he said when asked whether Rahul's statement is seen as a political gimmick.

Noting that Rahul's attack is a "desperate damage control" exercise, Jaitley said it's only when the "revulsion is built, the Congress party is trying to cut its losses."

"Belated realization of what the Congress party now calls nonsense. The heads which brought out this nonsense twice in the last one month must roll. It is a charade to show the government can make a mistake, but the Congress's first family doesn't," he added.

Jaitley's colleague Murli Manohar Joshi said an "escape route" is being plotted by the Congress after committing a "blunder" while another BJP leader Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi asked, "Is this a government or a theatrical production?.

"Now that he (Rahul) speaks about it most belatedly, this is not bad, this is good ... This statement is coming to take credit," said Gurudas Das Gupta.

TIMES CAMPAIGN: STOP THE ORDINANCE THAT SAVES CRIMINAL POLITICIANS

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J&K: Army to conduct inquiry into Samba terror attack

NEW DELHI: The Army is going to conduct a court of inquiry (CoI) into the alarming lapses that allowed the three fidayeen (suicide) militants to almost effortlessly storm one of its camps at Samba and kill four soldiers and injure two others on Thursday.

Sources said the CoI headed by at least a colonel-rank officer will go into the entire sequence of events during the terror attack, in which the three militants were killed after a protracted gun-battle, as well as laxity in adhering to standard operating procedures.

The attack led to the death of 16 cavalry armoured unit's second-in-command, Lt Col Bikramjit Singh, and soldiers Kiran Kumar, Inder Singh and MS Rao. The unit commanding officer, Colonel Avin Uthaiya, was also hit on the chest and shoulder by two bullets but is now stable after being evacuated to a military hospital.

There was only a solitary sentry, sepoy Kiran Kumar, at the officers' mess gate when the militants struck the Samba camp after first attacking the Hiranagar police station around 20km away.

The alertness level was poor and there was complacency despite the Army having earlier received intelligence inputs that militants were looking to hit targets in the Jammu region, after infiltrating across the border, in a bid to widen the arc of terror in Jammu and Kashmir, as was reported by TOI earlier.

Moreover, the Army does not seem to have learned much from the series of militant attacks on military camps over the last 25 years of militancy in J&K. "Quite a number of Army camps, especially in the Jammu region, still have weak perimeter defences without multi-tiered security layers or electronically-controlled fences and night-vision devices," said a source.

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No talks over dead bodies, Sushma tells PM

NEW DELHI: BJP leader Sushma Swaraj on Thursday asked Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to cancel his talks with Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, saying there should not be any "dialogue over dead bodies" following the terror attack in Jammu & Kashmir in which 12 people have been killed.

"No dialogue over dead bodies. Pl cancel your meeting with Nawaz Sharif," the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader tweeted.

Terrorists from Pakistan carried out brazen attacks in Jammu region on Thursday morning. They first attacked a police station and then commandeered a truck which they drove into an Army camp where soldiers took them on.

But resisting the BJP call to cancel the talks, Manmohan Singh said "such attacks will not deter us and will not succeed in derailing our efforts to find a resolution to all problems through a process of dialogue".

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No talks over dead body, Sushma tells PM

NEW DELHI: BJP leader Sushma Swaraj on Thursday asked Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to cancel his talks with Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, saying there should not be any "dialogue over dead bodies" following the terror attack in Jammu & Kashmir in which 12 people have been killed.

"No dialogue over dead bodies. Pl cancel your meeting with Nawaz Sharif," the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader tweeted.

Terrorists from Pakistan carried out brazen attacks in Jammu region on Thursday morning. They first attacked a police station and then commandeered a truck which they drove into an Army camp where soldiers took them on.

But resisting the BJP call to cancel the talks, Manmohan Singh said "such attacks will not deter us and will not succeed in derailing our efforts to find a resolution to all problems through a process of dialogue".

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Deve Gowda advises Naidu against aligning with BJP

HYDERABAD: Former prime minister HD Deve Gowda on Thursday said he had advised the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) president N Chandrababu Naidu not to align with the communal BJP, even as he said the formation of a Third Front alternative to Congress and BJP was very much on cards.

"I am in regular touch with Naidu, and we have discussed the prevailing political situation and the options before us. My view, as a secular politician, is that the TDP must not join hands with the BJP, and I have conveyed this to Naidu. As he is the seasoned politicians, Naidu will take a step which would be best in the interest of his party and people," Gowda told TOI.

The national president of Janata Dal (Secular) Gowda was in Hyderabad on his way to Bidar for his party meeting.

As he said the regional parties would play key role in formation of the next government in Delhi after 2014 elections, Gowda's party colleague Danish Ali met CPM general secretary Prakash Karat in Delhi on Thursday. And Gowda said there were some serious efforts to cobble up a Third Front. "It all depends on how much seats the regional parties get individually. I am now focusing on strengthening my party in Karnataka which has 28 seats in the Lok Sabha."

When asked which party among the TDP and YSR Congress was the most favourable for the Third Front, Gowda said, "I haven't spoke to Jaganmohan Reddy. Naidu is our old friend. His secular credentials are unquestionable, and we are in touch with him."

When Gowda became the prime minister in 1996, Naidu played pivotal role in forming the National Front. And Gowda said the Left Parties and some of the regional parties including Mulayam Singh Yadav-led Samajwadi Party were putting efforts to repeat the scenario.

"While I am not ruling out the possibility of the alternative front, Naidu told he had kept the option open," Gowda added.

Commenting on Jagan getting bail, Gowda said the Congress was misusing the CBI to achieve its political ends. "Even Mulayam Singh Yadav has said the Congress was using the CBI effectively to divide the regional parties. While he is true, Jagan Reddy's case needs a closer scrutiny."

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Coal scam: CBI questions Congress MP Naveen Jindal

NEW DELHI: Three months after registering an FIR against him, CBI on Thursday questioned Congress MP and industrialist Naveen Jindal in connection with a case of alleged cheating and criminal conspiracy in bagging Amarkonda Murgadangal coal block in Jharkhand in 2008.

Highly-placed sources in the agency said Jindal was summoned by CBI after which he expressed the desire to appear before it on Thursday.

He met the investigation team in the afternoon and his examination continued till late in the evening, the sources said.

The agency conceded to his request that he should not be subjected to media glare after which the venue was changed from the CBI headquarters to a safe house where his examination took place, they said.

The agency has booked him in its 12th FIR in connection with coal blocks allocation scam registered in June this year.

Former minister of state for coal Dasari Narayan Rao has also been booked by the agency in the case.

Neither the company JSPL nor Jindal gave their comments on the issue as messages and emails sent to them remained unanswered.

During its probe into the scam, it was for the first time the then minister of state was named as an accused in an FIR by CBI in which it was alleged that he had received Rs 2.25 crore camouflaged as investment from one of Jindal's firms within a year of allocation of a coal block to him.

CBI sources said Jindal Steel and Power Limited and Gagan Sponge Iron Limited, also a Jindal firm, had bagged Amarkonda Murgadangal coal block in Birbhum, Jharkhand in 2008 by alleged misrepresentation of facts when Rao was the minister of state for coal.

CBI has claimed in its FIR that the misrepresentation was allegedly done on three counts — land, water supply and previous allocations.

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Onus for forging consensus lies with government: Arun Jaitley

NEW DELHI: Political consensus on economy is desirable but it is up to the government to achieve it, said BJP MP and leader of opposition, Rajya Sabha, Arun Jaitley, while addressing AIMA's 40th National Management Convention in Delhi on Thursday. "In any case, lack of consensus cannot be an alibi for government failure," he said. He also pointed out that there were no major differences as there was convergence on most of the economic policies barring a few sector.

Jaitley conceded that the relationship between the government and the opposition party had not been cordial of late. He suggested that the Prime Minister should be a leader who knows the art of decision-making, clarity of vision and forcing his decisions.

Responding to a query on lack of consensus on Goods and Service Tax (GST) and his party's stance on it, he said that he personally favoured it, but it was for the government to force it and that the government had failed to take all the states on board on GST.

Earlier, Jay Panda, MP and Biju Janta Dal leader, speaking at the session on "Indian Spring: A New Agenda for India", suggested that the country needed major political reforms. He said that businesses preferred democracy because it was about consensus and certainty. He called upon the business community to join hands with the political system in bringing the Indian Spring.

Former governor, Reserve Bank of India, Bimal Jalan, speaking on the theme "Capital Fear: Managing liquidity and Funding Growth," called for "complete harmony and coordination between the central bank and the finance ministry." He said that while the views of the RBI and the government may differ but larger objective of growth should be kept in mind.

Commenting on the role of banks in spurring investment and growth, Jalan said that banks cannot resolve political logjams and thus cannot be expected to extend themselves to meet funding requirements under difficult economic circumstances. Responding to a question on issuance of new bank licences, Jalan said that work was in progress but there was no hurry for issuing new bank licences.

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Stringent laws not solution to curb honour killing, Sibal says

CHANDIGARH: Union minister of law and justice, Kapil Sibal is of the view that stringent laws are not sufficient to control the menace of honour killing but the change in the mindset of the people is the only permanent solution of the crime.

Sibal was in Chandigarh on Wednesday at an event organized by Punjab and Haryana High Court Bar Association.

While talking to media on the sidelines of the function, Sibal said that increase in the number of cases of honour killing is a serious issue. He stated that though a stringent law can help controlling the crime but there is also need to change the mentality of the people. He was referring to queries on recent incidents of honour killing in the state of Haryana.

While defending the ordinance issued by the Union government to neutralize the Supreme Court (SC) judgment on disqualification of convicted leaders, Sibal said that the ordinance is in compliance of the Supreme Court judgment and no attempt has been made to protect the convicted leaders. However, he failed to explain the need of the ordinance if it is in terms of SC judgment and in turn asked the media persons to first read the ordinance before questioning him.

Sibal also criticized senior BJP leader and leader of opposition in Lok Sabha, Sushma Swaraj, for criticizing the ordinance. The Union minister said, "I was not expecting this from Sushma Swaraj believing she has read the law and have knowledge of the same but it is really strange she is criticizing the ordinance without any basis."

In his speech during the function at HC premises, Sibal turned nostalgic and recalled the day, when for the first time he appeared before the court after becoming a lawyer.

Sibal appealed the judges, advocates and the legal fraternity to maintain quality and standards in the justice delivery system. He also said that these days' visionary and stalwarts are missing in every field of the country and leaders are worried about their present not the future of the country.

Expressing displeasure over the poor standards of education, Sibal said that during his tenure as minister of human resources and development, he came to know that some institutions have rented accommodation, rented furniture and even rented faculty and that too to get government's affiliation.

Sibal's appeal to media

In his speech, Sibal also appealed media not to create "bad picture" of the government. "In absence of trust, nation cannot move ahead," said Sibal while appealing media to highlight positive aspects of the Union government's achievements. Sibal also referred an incident where some German investors refused to invest in India after reading recent media reports about corruption in India.

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Centre must probe allegations made by VK Singh: Omar Abdullah

SRINAGAR: Breaking his silence on former Army chief V K Singh's remarks that ministers in Jammu and Kashmir were given money by the Army, chief minister Omar Abdullah on Wednesday said the Centre should conduct a thorough probe as allegations made by Singh cannot be brushed aside.

"Majority of mainstream politicians have no financial dealing with the Army. Therefore, this accusation of his (Gen Singh) that all ministers since 1947 have taken money from the Army, I think it is important that the Government of India conducts a threadbare inquiry and the findings, whatever they may be, should be shared with us," he told reporters here.

"I think the Government of India needs to come clean on this. Otherwise, all mainstream political parties are today being looked at with suspicion," Omar said.

This is the first reaction of the chief minister since the controversy broke out on Friday following a media report which claimed that Technical Service Division, an intelligence unit set up V K Singh, had allegedly paid Rs 1.19 crore to state agriculture minister Ghulam Hassan Mir to topple the state government in 2010.

Omar said the claim made by the former Army chief cannot be "dismissed out of hand" and "they require further investigation".

"The matter is being taken up with the Government of India formally for further action. I don't think beyond that it would be appropriate for me to say anything other than the fact that this effort that is being made to vilify all mainstream political parties is extremely unfortunate," he said.

Mir, an independent MLA from Tangmarg, has said, "I have nothing to do with it. It is a blatant lie."

Facing fire over his remarks that ministers in Jammu and Kashmir were given money by the Army, V K Singh had on Wednesday sought to do damage control by saying it was not a bribe.

"It was meant solely for stability...to win hearts and minds of people, to wean people away from separatist activities under the overall umbrella of sadbhavna (harmony)," he had said.

Omar said the sort of statements and accusations made by Gen Singh only cause "us great deal of difficulty here".

"(With) only one statement of his, the general has done nothing but create untold problems for mainstream political parties, particularly those operating in Kashmir Valley," the chief minister said.

To a question, he said, "Mir is a minister from our ally Congress party. I have taken up the matter with the Congress leadership. Now leave it to us (about) what we have to do further."

Union home minister Sushilkumar Shinde said on Wednesday that the government was ready to probe the allegations if the beneficiaries were identified.

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After release, Jagan promptly gets back to business

HYDERABAD: Barely hours after he returned home following his release from Chanchalguda prison, YSR Congress president YS Jaganmohan Reddy immediately got into political business on Wednesday, holding a series of confabulations with his party colleagues. He also met employees of the state Secretariat from Seemaandhra region, who came to him seeking support for their struggle for a united Andhra Pradesh.

As thousands of supporters and YSRC workers thronged his Lotus Pond residence here, Jagan took a small break from his meetings and greeted them. Jagan held a meeting with YSRC MP, MLAs and ex-MLAs and discussed political issues. He also held one-on-one meetings with some legislators to obtain feedback on the ground-level situation in their constituencies, sources said.

"There was a general discussion on the ongoing agitation in coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema for a united state. We discussed our future course of action and how we should carry the movement forward," a senior YSRC leader said. Jagan reportedly asked the MLAs and other leaders to "fully expose" the Congress and the Telugu Desam Party over the state bifurcation issue.

Secretariat employees, on the other hand, requested Jagan to extend his party's support to their protest programme at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi on Friday in support of united AP. They even invited him to take part in the programme but he pleaded helplessness in view of the court restrictions, though he assured them that his party representatives would be present.

Jagan discussed the ongoing agitation in Seemaandhra with the government employees, sources said. In the evening, Jagan met members of the YSRC Central Governing Council and discussed the political developments and the party's strategy in the current scenario.

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Congress will not fight elections, will field CBI instead: Modi

BHOPAL: Accusing the UPA government of misusing the CBI to target political opponents, Narendra Modi on Wednesday said it will be the agency that will "fight" the coming assembly and Lok Sabha elections and not the Congress party.

"The Congress party is not going to field candidates in the elections in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan and Delhi and the next Lok Sabha polls. Congress will not fight the next Lok Sabha elections but will field the CBI instead," he said addressing a big BJP workers' congregation.

Witnessed by the top BJP leadership, including Advani, BJP's prime ministerial candidate said Congress should be overthrown as its government at the Centre discriminates against BJP and NDA-ruled states. He claimed Congress does not have the power to take on BJP and the people are going to punish it for their problems.

"We have to free this nation of the Congress. We have to free this nation of Congress's actions. Free the nation from the corruption of the Congress," he said and asked the crowd whether they would implement Mahatma Gandhi's last wish that the Congress party should be wound up after independence. The crowd shouted back with a resounding yes.

Alleging that the "Delhi Sultanate" is harassing the people of Madhya Pradesh by discriminating against the state, he said, "The government in Delhi does not let Shivraj be in peace. It creates hurdles in the implementation of any schemes he plans. If you have to fight, fight with leaders like us and not with the common people. Don't take away their rights."

Modi said Congress has, of late, started talking about "inclusive growth" as BJP ruled states have always emphasized on it. "I do not have an iota of doubt about BJP's victory in the next elections," Modi said while claiming that there is a tide in favour his party.

He said all surveys were today speaking in favour of the BJP. Modi heaped praise on Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and said his efforts to alleviate the sufferings of the people have been hampered by the hurdles created by the Centre in the implementation of his programmes.

"Congress doesn't have the strength to fight us and so it has brought in the CBI. Hindustan will not forgive you. Don't forget Emergency when people picked Congress and defeated it. Now too the country will give you a befitting reply," he said.

"All surveys are predicting a victory for us. From Kashmir to Kanyakumari," he asserted amid continual cheers of "Modi, Modi" by the crowd.

Even as Modi is on a spree addressing rallies across the country, Advani, in his speech, said, "Today if BJP has reached this place in Indian politics it is not because of eloquent speeches but the hard work and penance of party workers. We will not win elections merely on the basis of speeches but on the basis of the work done by us."

He hailed the performance of the erstwhile NDA government at the Centre and BJP governments in various states. He praised the performance of Modi as well as Chouhan and Chhattisgarh chief minister Raman Singh.

Advani made a special mention of the presence of BJP's prime ministerial candidate, saying the party has chosen him for the post.
With crowds chanting Modi's name, Advani ended his brief speech.

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Kamduni accused file appeal in Calcutta high court

KOLKATA: The Kamduni rape and murder accused filed a revision application in Calcutta high court on Wednesday against the trial court's decision to conduct in-camera proceedings and turning down their plea to record the depositions of witnesses in their own language. The matter is expected to come up for hearing on Friday. The accused have also prayed that the high court reconsider their plea and the entire proceeding in the trial court be videographed. This plea was also turned down by the additional sessions judge of bench-II at Bankshall Court.

Advocate Phiroze Edulji, on behalf of the accused, complained in his revision application that the sessions judge allowed the verbal prayer of the public prosecutor to hold in-camera trial while turning down his client's two applications. He submitted that his clients are highly aggrieved and dissatisfied with the order of the trial court that was passed on September 18.

"The impugned orders passed by the learned judge are a glaring example of non-application of the judicial mind and thus it is only in the interest of justice and equity that the same be set aside. Statements of all witnesses should be recorded in their language. The reason is that while appreciating the credibility and value of evidence, the actual words used by a witness have their own importance. Further, an appellate court does not have the advantage of hearing the witness personally and has to rely on their deposition as recorded by the learned judge," Edulji submitted in his application.

"In keeping with the times, Union law minister Kapil Sibal will hold a meeting next month with the chairman of the Bar Council of India, the heads of state bar councils and senior office-bearers of various bar associations regarding audio-video recordings of all court proceedings across the country by next year," it was further submitted.

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Cabinet clears ordinance to shield convicted lawmakers

NEW DELHI: An ordinance to protect convicted MPs and MLAs from facing immediate disqualification was approved on Tuesday by the Union Cabinet, in effect negating an order of the Supreme Court.

Government decided to bring the ordinance after failing to get a Bill to this effect passed in Parliament during the recent monsoon session, sources said.

The government's decision to take the ordinance route came against the backdrop of a Congress MP Rashid Masood facing the prospect of disqualification as he was recently convicted in a case of corruption and other offences.

The Supreme court on July 10 had ruled that an MP or an MLA would stand disqualified immediately if convicted by a court for crimes with punishment of two years or more.

To negate the Supreme Court order, the government moved to amend the law and brought the Representation of the People (second amendment) Bill, 2013 in Rajya Sabha during the last session. However, the bill could not be passed.

Once the quantum of punishment is pronounced by a CBI court next month, Masood faces the prospects of losing his membership of Rajya Sabha as per the apex court order.

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Punjab announces major reshuffle in cabinet

CHANDIGARH: A reshuffle of the council of ministers was done by Punjab government on Tuesday.

Disclosing this here on Tuesday, a spokesperson of the chief minister's office said that local government and medical education and research minister Chunni Lal Bhagat will now take charge of the forest, wild life and labour department. Likewise, Madan Mohan Mittal who was looking after the portfolios of health and family welfare, social security and development of women and children along with parliamentary affairs had been now entrusted with the new portfolios of industries and commerce, technical education and industrial training & parliamentary affairs.

Forest and wildlife preservation and labour minister Surjit Kumar Jiyani had been given the portfolios of health and family welfare and social security & development of women and children. Meanwhile, Anil Joshi has been shifted from industries and commerce, technical education & industrial training to local government and medical education and research department.

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US trade body accuses India of not playing fair

WASHINGTON: Ahead of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's US visit, a leading US trade body has launched a massive ad campaign asking the Obama administration to raise the issue of India's alleged unfair trade practices.

"Manufacturers and Congress Agree: India must play fair on trade," says an advertisement issued by the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM).

"At a time when Washington can't agree on much" there is "overwhelming bipartisan opposition to India's discriminatory trade practices," it said.

NAM has issued such digital and print advertisements in major publications in Washington and New York like the Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post and Financial Times. It has also issued ads in Roll Call and The Hill, focusing on Congressional politics.

"Reversing discrimination and restoring trust would be a win-win, enabling American exporters to further invest in India's future and help India grow its economy and create opportunities for its people," the NAM statement continues.

The NAM has been urging the Obama administration for months to force India to address concerns over its trade and business policies.

NAM alleged that over the past year, Indian government agencies and courts have engaged in a persistent pattern of discrimination and forced localization designed to benefit India's corporations at the expense of manufacturing jobs in the US.

"The government has demanded that much of its market for certain information technology, clean energy, and power equipment be satisfied by domestic-based firms," it said.

"Administrative and court rulings have repeatedly ignored internationally recognized rights by imposing arbitrary marketing restrictions on medical devices and denying or revoking patents for nearly a dozen lifesaving medications," NAM added.

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Missing files: CBI starts examining coal ministry officials

NEW DELHI: CBI has questioned officials of coal ministry in connection with its probe into the missing files related to coal block allocation, sources said.

Officials, who have handled the files, have been asked to appear for examination and some of them have already been grilled, they said.

The sources said the agency has analysed the file movement records in the ministry and questioned the officials who had handled the files before it lost the trace in the maze of record rooms.

The agency is also suspecting that some of the files may have been intentionally misplaced at the instance of some accused corporate groups.

The sources refused to reveal the identity of the officials questioned as they have not been considered as accused and the agency is yet to register any formal case which could only be done if some mala fide is found during preliminary enquiry.

The agency has registered two preliminary enquiries in connection with missing files after holding a meeting with the officials of the coal ministry to reconcile the files which are not traceable and require a thorough probe by the agency.

The sources said during the reconciliation it became clear that 15-18 crucial files related to coal block allocations done in different batches are not traceable and it is affecting the agency's probe.

Based on the conclusions drawn during the meeting, the agency decided to split its enquiry in two parts-- files relating to allocations done during the period spanning from 2006-09 in which CBI has registered 13 FIRs so far and files related to the period between 1993 and 2005 in which no FIR has been registered, the sources said.

The apex court asked the AG for details of 218 coal block allocations by the government and told him to explain block wise allotment of the natural resource.

The AG, who found it difficult to respond to the queries to court's satisfaction, appeared annoyed and sought time to place all documents.

The bench said it wants complete clarity on the issue of allocations.

"Either we hear you without raising questions and pass our judgment or we ask questions. It we ask questions you are taken by surprise. What should we do," the bench said.

The bench, however, refused to adjourn the hearing, saying there is no guarantee that the "road block" would get cleared on the next date of hearing.

"If we pose question then you said the question has been raised for first time. Giving time is no problem but the same situation might continue on next hearing also," the bench told the AG.

"You proceed with the matter in your own way. We understand your predicament but you have to justify that the allocations are sustainable in law," it said.

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Modi to address world's biggest political rally ever: MP BJP

BHOPAL: Call it the Modi effect. Madhya Pradesh BJP registered a 50% increase in audience strength at the party's pre-assembly election 'Karikarta Mahakumbh' after the Gujarat chief minister and prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi confirmed his presence at the rally to be held here on Wednesday.

The ruling-BJP initially made arrangements to accommodate a five-lakh strong gathering of party workers from all across the state at the mammoth gathering in Jambooree Maidan here in the Madhya Pradesh capital. But that was the situation when confirmation of Modi's presence was still pending.

For no sooner did Modi accept the invitation on Friday and agreed to address the rally, the figure of party workers registration started to soar. "We are going to witness the world's largest political meeting. Registration of workers who are coming to the rally has crossed 7.5 lakh, a 50% increase from our original calculations. More than 2.5 lakh workers decided to join-in after Friday," said Madhya Pradesh minister for industries and commerce Kailash Vijayavargiya, who is heading the organisation of the rally.

Buses, trucks, vehicles, trains coming to Bhopal on Tuesday night are running out of space and the BJP hurriedly organised 11 special trains to bring the increasing number of people from nine district including Rewa, Gwalior, Singrauli, Chhindwara, Jabalpur, Guna, Shahdol, Ratlam and Balaghat.

"These workers are coming from 53,000 polling station areas in the state. We had a meeting in Gwalior where 20,000 district level leaders had gathered to work out the strength of the rally," Vijyavargiya said.

The party permitted ten workers from each polling station adding to approximately five lakh. But over the five days, party workers demanded that arrangements be made to accommodate more people. The increased numbers found the BJP organise for more food, accommodation, vehicles.

"This workers rally is being organised with two major intentions. While our slogan remains 'Phir BJP, phir Shivraj (again BJP, again Shivraj Singh Chouhan as chief minister),' this meet is also intended for Modi to give his own message to party workers as the prime ministerial candidate," aid Anil Madhav Dave, Rajya Sabha MP and BJP state election campaign committee chairman.

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Pune serial blasts case: Two Indian Mujahideen suspects move high court for bail

MUMBAI: Two alleged Indian Mujahideen operatives Asad Khan and Imran Khan, held for their complicity in Pune's serial blasts of 2012, on Monday urged bail from Bombay high court saying that the investigating agency had not filed chargesheet against them within the mandatory period.

Both of them had urged a Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) court earlier for bail which rejected their plea on April 22 this year. Being aggrieved, they moved the high court challenging the special court's order.

Their appeals came up before a bench of Justices P V Hardas and P N Deshmukh, who allowed the accused to carry out certain amendments in their applications. The matter will come up before the same bench in due course.

Usha Kejriwal and Raja Thakre appeared for the state. Both the accused were arrested in Delhi and brought to Mumbai to stand trial in this case. According to ATS, the duo were alleged associates of IM co-founder Riyaz Bhatkal and had carried out the serial blasts in Pune on August 1, 2012, on Jungli Maharaj Road, in which one person was injured.

The appellants have raised legal issues on three grounds -- invoking Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), challenging the jurisdiction of Magistrate's court to deal with scheduled offences and questioning the authority of Anti-Terrorism Squad to probe scheduled offences in provisions of NIA Act before JMFC, Pune.

The accused said, on January 5, 2013, the respondents had abruptly invoked MCOCA against them although no case was made out under this stringent Act. On March 21, they moved the special court for bail as chargesheet was not filed within the mandatory 90 day period. However, the bail was rejected.

On a prosecution plea, the court extended the period for filing charge sheet for another 45 days which the accused said was illegal as they were not heard in the matter.

The accused urged the bench to quash the order of the special court rejecting their bail and urged for release.

On August 1, 2012, three low-intensity blasts were reported from different places on Jungli Maharaj Road, a popular hang-out for college students, in Pune. The bombs were fitted in bicycles and dustbins.

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Stand-off between govt, BJP over coal files resolved

NEW DELHI: The stand-off between the government and main Opposition BJP was resolved on Monday after an agreement that a discussion on missing coal files issue would be taken up immediately in both houses of Parliament.

The end to the impasse came after two rounds of discussions that finance minister P Chidambaram and parliamentary affairs minister Kamal Nath had with top BJP leaders LK Advani, Sushma Swaraj and Arun Jaitley.

At the meeting, the ministers asked BJP to allow proceedings in the two houses so that important legislative business including Pension Bill and Land Acquisition Bill could be taken up, sources said.

However, BJP leaders insisted that the issue of coal files needed to be taken up on priority, particularly in the wake of reports that a senior CBI officer had sought questioning of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in connection with allocations made when he held the coal portfolio between 2006 and 2009.

BJP said that after debate on coal issue, it would allow continuation of discussion on Pension Bill in the Lok Sabha and consideration of Land Acquisition Bill in the Rajya Sabha.

Finally, the agreement was reached, under which a debate was taken up on coal issue.

BJP leadership is upset over the manner in which the Prime Minister had left both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha immediately after reading out a statement on the missing files pertaining to the coal block allocations yesterday.

BJP leaders wanted to seek clarifications on his statement but were not allowed.

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Nitish, Lalu squabble over Bihar drought

PATNA: Arch rivals Lalu Prasad and Nitish Kumar on Monday squabbled over the drought in Bihar with the RJD supremo claiming it was a "curse" invited by the chief minister and hit back at his lack of seriousness over the grim situation.

Asked about Bihar government's decision on Sunday to declare drought in 33 out of a total of 38 districts, Prasad said the "sorry state" in the state due to about 25 per cent shortfall of rains was because of "curse" of Kumar eating biscuits during solar eclipse.

On October 9, 2011 during the solar eclipse, Kumar had eaten biscuits at Taregana near Patna in a bid to dispel the myth that consuming food during an eclipse invites harm.

"The drought situation in majority of the districts is result of curse of nature due to Kumar eating biscuits on the day of solar eclipse," Prasad said taking a potshot at his rival.

The RJD supremo told reporters at Patna Airport that the JD(U) government's decision has come too late when the damage has already been done.

Both Kumar and Prasad travelled on the same plane from Patna to Delhi on Monday.

Reacting to Prasad's comment, Kumar said even in this grim situation the RJD chief by talking of orthodoxy is interested only in making people laugh.

"It's astonishing that even in a grim situation like drought, he (Prasad) by talking about orthodoxy is trying to make people laugh. This shows his seriousness on the issue," he told reporters in New Delhi emerging from a meeting with Union finance minister P Chidambaram.

Senior BJP leader and former deputy chief minister Sushil Kumar Modi on Sunday slammed the state government for its "delayed" decision to declare the 33 districts as drought-hit.

A large number of farmers have been deprived of the assistance to compensate them for crop loss due to prevalence of drought situation, Modi said.

The farmers could have been eligible for assistance on account of crop loss if the state government had declared the 33 districts as drought-hit much earlier, he added.

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Gurgaon MP quits Congress

GURGAON: Congress leader and Gurgaon MP Rao Inderjit Singh on Monday announced his resignation from the party.

The MP made the announcement at a rally in Haryana's Rewari district, about 55km from here, organized on the occasion of the day on which the martyrdom of Rao Tula Ram, one of the key leaders from the state of the First War of Indian Independence of 1857, is observed.

Singh's exit from the party was expected after he had openly turned against his party chief and the Haryana government by demanding "a thorough probe" into the land deals of Robert Vadra, party chief Sonia Gandhi's son-in-law.

Gurgaon mayor Vimal Yadav, along with dozens of Congress party's office bearers, was on the stage and all extended their full support to Rao.

Addressing the rally, Rao said that it was time to say goodbye to the Congress after it ruled the country for more than 35 years.

He said his family supported late Indira Gandhi and the Congress at the time when she was facing a tough time in politics. His father Rao Birender Singh merged his Haryana Vishal Party with the Congress in 1978 with 27 legislators.

"I kept a lot of patience but now its impossible to tolerate any more. Chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda has crossed all the limits of bias against south Haryana in implementing development projects and government jobs," he said.

He also apologized to the people for supporting Hooda and his camp on earlier occasion.

He also challenged Hooda to fight election against him from Gurgaon.

"Hooda claimed that he had done a lot of development work in south Haryana and allegations of bias against him were wrong. Let both of us resign and fight a Lok Sabha election from Gurgaon. The public will decide the truth," Rao said.

He lashed out at legislators from south Haryana for playing into Hooda's hand for their small selfish profits.

He said that several functions were organized at Rao Tula Ram stadium but Haryana ministers never mentioned the name of martyr Rao Tula Ram in their speeches. The latest programme organized by the state government was on August 15.

Rao had formed a new outfit, Haryana Insaf Manch (HIM), at a huge public rally organized in Pataudi on March 3.

He has been attacking Hooda for bias against people of south Haryana in allotting development projects.

The south Haryana belt includes Gurgaon, Faridabad, Mewat, Palwal, Rewari, Mahendergarh and Bhiwani districts.

Rao was a legislator in the Haryana assembly for four terms, beginning 1977. He was first elected to the Lok Sabha in 1998 and has served in the Parliament from 1998-1999, 2000-04 and 2004-09.

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No chance of alliance with TMC : Shakeel Ahmad

AMTA, West Bengal: There is no chance of an alliance between Congress and Trinamool Congress (TMC) in the coming Lok Sabha poll, AICC secretary and in-charge of West Bengal Shakeel Ahmad said here on Monday.

"We (Cong and TMC) had an alliance last time during the Lok Sabha polls. But the law and order situation in West Bengal is worsening every day under TMC," he said after distributing relief among 45 families at Kahmoli village under Mata block two in Howrah district.

Congress MLA of Amta Asit Mitra was assaulted and 45 houses, which the party claimed belonged to its supporters were burnt down by alleged TMC workers during the panchayat polls in the state in July.

Ahmad said he was distributing the relief on Monday as the model code of conduct prevented him from doing so right after the incident.

Referring to the panchayat poll violence in West Bengal in which more than 20 people were killed, Ahmad said the number was more than the rest of the country.

"The state government has no shame over the violence witnessed in this village. None have been arrested so far though the polls were held almost two months ago," he said and lambasted the state police.

He referred to rural development and said nothing had been done in the state in respect to it.

"Also I can't understand why the government is not recommending CBI inquiry into the chitfund scam," he added.

Mitra and district Congress president Kazi Abdur Rezzak were present at the programme.

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BJP show of unity with Modi, Advani on dais

BHOPAL: BJP PM candidate Narendra Modi and veteran leader LK Advani, party vice-president Uma Bharati and chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan - all squabbling leaders and rivals will be placed on the same dais, sit next to each other and address a massive BJP workers rally here on Wednesday. The list of invitees also includes party president Rajnath Singh, senior leaders Sushma Swaraj, Arun Jaitley, Venkaiah Naidu, Ananth Kumar.

Two months before the assembly polls in the state, the BJP is organising a mammoth show of unity here in the Madhya Pradesh capital to mobilise five lakh party workers and reassure them that all is well with the top leadership. This will be the first function when Modi and Advani will be present on the same stage after their bitter battle over Prime Ministerial candidature.

Uma Bharati, who had been kept out of Madhya Pradesh politics at the insistence of chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan since her return to the party since June 2011, will also be on the dais. State election campaign chief and Rajya Sabha MP Anil Madhav Dave confirmed to TOI: Yes, it is finally all settled. I have spoken to LK Advani and Narendra Modi this morning. They are coming to address the meet. Uma Bharati will also be here.

On Saturday evening, a meeting was conducted at chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan's official residence where Anil Madhav Dave sat with state party president Narendra Singh Tomar and all organisational secretaries working out the finer details of Wednesday's Karikarta Mahakumbh (party workers pilgrimage)''. One of the agendas on the discussion table was the seating arrangement on the stage where in the front row would be Narendra Modi and LK Advani.

A meeting was again held on Sunday morning but the party is still undecided about the Modi-Advani placement on stage. We still have two more days to go,'' Anil Madhav Dave quipped. It will all be worked out.''

Politically, the BJP Karikarta Mahakumbh'' is not what it was initially planned to be. In June, the state BJP announced the workers' rally as chief minister Chouhan's show of strength. The rally was to be the concluding ceremony of Chouhan's pre-poll Jan Ashirwad Yatra roadshow. That total focus on the assembly elections has been altered after the anointment of Narendra Modi as Prime Ministerial candidate. The workers rally and the mammoth gathering is now a function organised by Chouhan and the state BJP to project Narendra Modi as PM.

This is mainly the reason why 50,000 Muslims are being garnered to join the rally. But to avoid Congress criticism, the party has decided not to segregate the seating arrangement for Muslim audience at the venue. Muslims who join the rally will sit with our workers and not separately,'' Dave added.

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Indian victims of Nairobi mall attack named

NAIROBI/NEW DELHI: Two Indian families came in the line of gunfire by Islamist militants in an upscale mall in Nairobi, with two Indians, including an eight year-old boy, among the 59 fatalities.

Four Indians were among the 200 injured in the hail of bullets fired inside the popular Westgate shopping mall on Saturday, officials Sunday said.

Those killed were Sridhar Natarajan, 40, from Tamil Nadu and an employee of a local pharmaceutical firm Harley's Limited; and Paramshu Jain, eight, the son of Manoj Jain, the branch manager of Industrial Area Branch, Bank of Baroda (Kenya Limited), official sources said in New Delhi on Sunday.

Natarajan's wife Manjula Sridhar was injured in the militant attack, while the mother and sister of Paramshu — Mukta Jain, 38, and her daughter Poorvi Jain, 12 — were also injured.

The fourth injured is Natarajan Ramachandran, an employee of Flamingo Duty Free, Nairobi, according to official sources.

Senior officers of the Indian high commission in Nairobi, including high commissioner Sibabrata Tripathi, were present in the two major medical facilities — the Aga Khan University Hospital and MP Shah Hospital — that received casualties during the day, the sources added.

The high commission officials are proactively in touch with members of the families of those who died or have been injured to provide all necessary assistance.

They are also in constant touch with Kenyan authorities and leaders of the Indian community in Kenya.

The Indian and Indian-origin community in Kenya totals 70,000.

India has also condemned the heinous and cowardly assault and extended its solidarity to the government and people of Kenya as they bravely continue to deal with the situation, the official sources said.

The Somalia-based militant group Al Shabab has claimed responsibility for the shooting spree in Westgate shopping mall.

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UP govt revokes suspension of Durga Sakthi Nagpal

LUCKNOW: A day after she met chief minister Akhilesh Yadav and clarified her position, Uttar Pradesh government on Sunday evening revoked suspension of Druga Sakthi Nagpal. A one line statement issued by the state government said that the 2010 batch IAS officer has been reinstated.

It did not mention anything about her new posting.

She and her husband Abhishek Singh, also an IAS officer, had met Akhilesh on Saturday and offered clarification over the issue which led to her suspension.

Nagpal was suspended on July 27 on charges of demolishing a boundary wall of an under-construction mosque at Kadal village of Gautambudh Nagar. She was posted as subdivisional magistrate of Sadar tehsil of the district. Although Durga ordered dismantling of the wall because it was being constructed on public land in violation of the Supreme Court order, the government said that her action created communal tension.

However, there were also allegations that she was punished for taking action against illegal mining in the district. A senior leader of the ruling Samajwadi Party was also affected by the SDM's crackdown.

Suspension of Durga led to public outcry and the action of the state government was widely condemned. However, the state government went ahead and served a charge sheet on her on August 4, accusing her of acting in haste and displaying poor administrative acumen, a decision that could have led to communal tensions in the surrounding area.

Nagpal in her reply to the chargesheet cited the Supreme Court orders in defence of her actions. The government, however, found discrepancies in her reply and ordered a second inquiry into the matter on August 29. Principal secretary (home) RM Srivastava was asked to conduct the inquiry.

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BJP hatching conspiracies, misleading people: Sonia

RUPAHELI, Rajasthan: On a day Narendra Modi attacked UPA government for its "misgovernance", Congress chief Sonia Gandhi hit back accusing BJP of hatching conspiracies before elections and misleading people in its hunger for power.

Modi, addressing an audience in the US through video conference, claimed that the UPA was "running away" from giving its performance report of nine years, but Gandhi said her government had empowered people through various measures like RTI, food security and land acquisition while the BJP had nothing to show.

"UPA government empowered people with Right to Information, Right to Education, MGNREGA, and recently gave food security to people and also introduced new land acquisition act in the interest of farmers," she said.

"BJP, on the other hand, misleads people and points fingers at the works of Congress governments. Why did they not do such work... who has stopped them from taking such decisions and empowering people?", she asked.

"They are just concerned about power and hatch conspiracies before elections. You all need to remain alert from them because they mislead people," the UPA chairperson said at a public meeting in Rupaheli, a remote area of Bhilwara district.

After unveiling plaques for foundation stone of a Mainline Electric Multiple Unit (MEMU) coach factory and drinking water project, Gandhi heaped praise on Manmohan Singh government, saying it has started a new era of empowering people.

Earlier, after the stone laying ceremony of a Rs 37,230-crore refinery and petrochemical complex at Pachpadara in Barmer district, the Congress chief stressed that communal peace and harmony has to be maintained for the country's overall development.

She said the country's secular ethos require that all communities move forward shoulder-to-shoulder on the path of development

"When your own government ensures an environment of peace and harmony, there is development in every direction, then only there is prosperity.

"Every section of society should move forward together... shoulder-to-shoulder. This is India's secular culture.... and foundation of governance," Gandhi said.

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BJP demands President's rule in Uttar Pradesh

NEW DELHI: BJP on Sunday demanded President's rule in Uttar Pradesh and a probe by a Supreme Court-appointed judge into the recent violence in Muzaffarnagar.

"Lawlessness is prevailing in Uttar Pradesh. We apprised the President about it. There is an emergency-like situation and no government exists in the state. So, we have demanded President's rule in UP," BJP president Rajnath Singh said after meeting President Pranab Mukherjee in Delhi.

Singh, along with representatives of BJP leaders and MLAs from UP, including Uma Bharati, Hukum Singh, Laxmikant Bajpayee and Satyapal Malik, submitted a memorandum to the President drawing his attention to the situation in the state.

"A Supreme Court-appointed judge should probe the violence and adequate compensation should be given to the victims," Singh added.

UP police have arrested three legislators who are accused of inciting the violence that left more than 40 people dead and about 40,000 homeless in Muzaffarnagar earlier this month.

Among those arrested are two BJP MLAs along with one from Bahujan Samaj Party.

The BJP president was refused permission by the state government to visit the violence-affected areas.

UP BJP legislative party leader Hukum Singh said, "We have given a memorandum to the President. There is anarchy in UP for the last six months. We have given that information to the governor and the chief minister.

"But despite that, no action was taken and the result was the violence in Muzaffarnagar. It is now affecting the other areas of the state. People have lost faith in the government. So, there is no other alternative than imposing President's rule."

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Wholesale onion prices down by Rs 5 per kg; retail rates still high

NEW DELHI: Wholesale onion prices on Saturday fell further by about Rs 5 per kg in the national capital on increased arrival of the commodity from Karantaka, but retail rates continue to rule high at Rs 70 a kg.

The average price of onion declined to Rs 48.77 per kg from Rs 53.39 per kg on Friday at Azadpur mandi, according to the data compiled by the National Horticultural Research and Development Foundation (NHRDF).

The arrival of the edible bulb in the mandi went up to 9,700 quintals today from 8,000 quintals on Friday.

Traders attributed the fall in prices to arrival of new crops from Karnataka and also to imports from Afghanistan.

"Prices of onion have dropped for the third day in a row at Azadpur. Onions are available at Rs 38-53 per kg in the mandi today depending on the quality. New crops have started coming from Karnataka," Azadpur Mandi Traders Association general secretary Rajendra Sharma said.

The state government is selling onions at two rates, Rs 47 and Rs 55 per kg depending on the quality of the edible bulb in different parts of the national capital through more than 100 mobile vans.

Punjab-based traders have started importing onion from Afghanistan through Attari-Wagah land route in Amritsar.

While 400 tonnes of onion have already arrived from Afghanistan, traders said about 2,000 more tonnes would reach in the next 7-10 days.

Besides imports by private trade, the government's decision to hike the minimum export price (MEP) of onions to $900 per tonne from USD 650 per tonne earlier this week has also led to fall in prices.

On Friday, food minister K V Thomas had said that the Maharashtra government had promised to supply onions on priority basis to Delhi to provide relief to people.

Traders said retail prices in Delhi are set decline soon with increased supplies from Afghanistan, Karnataka, Maharashatra and also on account of curbs on exports.

Maharashtra and Karnataka are the leading onion producing states in the in the country.

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Narendra Modi sends out best wishes to 'The Good Road', India's Oscar entry

NEW DELHI, Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi is delighted that " The Good Road", a Gujarati movie has been chosen as India's entry in the best foreign film category at the Oscars.

"Delighted to know that Gujarati film 'The Good Road' has been chosen to represent India at Oscars. Congrats to cast and crew. My best wishes," tweeted Modi.

Helmed by debutante Gyan Correa, the movie, widely shot in Kutch in Gujarat, chronicles the life of three individuals travelling in a highway. It won the National Award for best feature film in Gujarati earlier this year.

It is said to be the first Gujarati film to make it to the India's shortlist for the Oscar's best foreign film category. The movie was chosen by a 16-member committee from over 21 other movies.

So far in the history of Indian cinema, only three Bollywood films, including Mehboob Khan's "Mother India" (1957), Mira Nair's "Salaam Bombay" (1988) and Ashutosh Gowariker's "Lagaan" (2001), have made it to the nomination stage of the Oscars.

Last year, Anurag Basu's "Barfi!", featuring Ranbir Kapoor, Priyanka Chopra and Ileana D'Cruz was sent as a contender. But it failed to make it to the top five.

The Oscar ceremony will take place on March 2, 2014.

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Some people are dreaming of becoming PM: Sharad Pawar

MUMBAI: In an apparent barb at Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi, NCP president Sharad Pawar on Saturday said, "some people have started dreaming of PM's post", adding that attempts were being made to garner votes by fomenting communal hatred.

"There is a saying in Marathi... which means, the groom, in his eagerness to get married, has worn the head ornament (called baashing) on knees.

"Nothing is yet on the horizon...but some people have started dreaming of becoming the Prime Minister," Pawar said.

"To realise these dreams.. if there are not sufficient seats in Lok Sabha, then attempts are being made in the country today to create a conflict in the name of caste, religion and language and grab power through these means," he said.

"Those who believe in secularism should come together and raise their voice against these communal forces," Pawar said, speaking at an all-language trade union function, organised by NCP leader Vijay Kamble, in suburban Bandra.

Decrying the communal violence in Uttar Pradesh's Muzaffarnagar, Pawar said, "such an atmosphere was never there in that place earlier."

NCP would send a relief team to Muzaffarnagar, he said.

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Politicians and policy-makers to brainstorm on role of social media during communal tension

NEW DELHI: Social networking sites - twitter, facebook and others, for their potential to be misused by miscreants will once again take the spotlight in a gathering of ministers, top leaders of political parties and experts from various fields when they assemble here on Monday to find out ways and means to handle communal discord in the society and promote national integration.

The trigger to bring the issue on high table is the reported misuse of social media during the Muzaffarnagar riots. It is learnt that the people from different communities used social networking sites to upload objectionable pictures of violence which may or may not be genuine.

The same issue was discussed in the Parliament in August last year when morphed pictures were used by miscreants in the form of MMS (multi-media messages) to fan communal tension by targeting people of northeast in Bangalore, Hyderabad, Mumbai and Pune.

Though the government had handled it by putting ban on bulk SMS and MMS for certain period, it found it very difficult to remove objectionable pictures and videos from different social networking sites. Most of these pictures were morphed and uploaded at different websites in Pakistan and some other countries.

It presented a unique problem before the government which had to entirely depend on companies which own the micro-blogging and social-networking sites whose servers are located in US. Since all these companies have a very strict norms concerning individual's privacy, it took many days for the government to block those objectionable contents which were used for fanning communal and ethnic tension in many parts of the countries following a series of violence in Assam last year.

The issue this time will be discussed during the National Integration Council (NIC) meeting on Monday. The meeting is called in the backdrop of the Muzaffarnagar riots that left 48 persons killed and over 45,000 people displaced during communal violence in western Uttar Pradesh.

The 148-member NIC, chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, will also discuss issues concerning safety and security of women, confidence-building measures taken to tackle communal disturbances and taking help from all sections of society in removing communal tension.

The proposed Communal Violence Bill, opposed by some states as it envisages empowering the central government to send central forces unilaterally in case of communal disturbances, is also expected to be discussed in the meeting.

Union ministers, leaders of the opposition in the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha, chief ministers of all states and Union Territories are members of the NIC. Leaders of national and regional political parties, chairpersons of national commissions, eminent journalists, public figures and representatives of business and women's organisations are also part of the Council.

Set up in early 1960s by the then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, the NIC held its first meeting in 1962. The last meeting of the Council was held on September 10, 2011.

It will be the first time when the leaders and policy makers discuss the issue of social media in the context of its misuse during communal violence.

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