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Row over Rajnath Singh's visit to enclaves as Mamata questions motive

Written By Unknown on Selasa, 31 Maret 2015 | 22.44

KOLKATA/TEEN BIGHA: A controversy today erupted over home minister Rajnath Singh's visit to Teen Bigha in West Bengal bordering Bangladesh with chief minister Mamata Banerjee questioning the motive behind the trip while BJP accused her of politicizing a national security issue.

Banerjee said the Centre should have consulted the state government and wondered whether it was a 'political visit' by Singh with BJP MPs. Singh was accompanied by party MP S S Ahluwalia.

"Today, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singhji has visited Chhit-Mahal (Indo-Bangladesh enclaves) areas in Cooch Behar, along with BJP MPs. Is it an official visit or a political visit?" Banerjee said on Facebook.

She said no prior discussion or consultation about the visit was made with the state government, though Chhit-Mahal and law and order fell within the jurisdiction of the state government.

"It is customary to have prior discussion in such cases with the state government. Even though I am now in North Bengal, with a prior programme, I have only received a fax message of his tour programme. I think in our federal structure, we must respect each other's jurisdiction," the chief minister said.

Asked why no West Bengal government official was present during his visit, Rajnath Singh told reporters in Teen Bigha "it is a visit to the forward areas of the border which is being looked after by the BSF."

Seeking to downplay the issue, he said the district administration is fully cooperating with the BSF authorities during his tour.

BJP leader Sidharth Nath Singh, who is the in-charge of party's affairs in West Bengal, refuted Banerjee's claim and said the Home Ministry had informed her office as well as that of the state Governor's on March 25 about Rajnath Singh's visit.

"All offices concerned were informed as per the protocol. The Chief Minister is again bringing politics into the matter of national security," he said.

Referring to the Burdwan blast, he said it was imperative for the Home Minister to visit these border areas.

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J&K bracing for fresh spell of rains; flood toll 17

SRINAGAR: Jammu and Kashmir today braced for a fresh spell of rains over the next two days even as there was relief with the receding flood waters that have claimed 17 lives so far.

There has been no fresh rainfall over the past 24 hours which eased the flood concerns in the valley earlier in the day.

Water level in river Jhelum was also receding and it was flowing at 16.45 feet at Sangam in south Kashmir, down over six feet compared to 22.80 feet 24 hours earlier. The water level at Ram Munshi Bagh in the city also reduced by more than one and a half feet and it was expected to drop further by the night.

However, the Met department has forecast light to moderate rains by tomorrow and intense rains by Thursday, raising fresh concerns among people who were hoping to see the end of woes caused by the floods.

Schools and colleges have been closed across the Valley in view of the flood threat and ongoing examinations have been postponed.

However, University of Kashmir will hold examinations as per schedule from tomorrow in view of the improving flood situation, an official of the varsity said.

As rescue operations continued, the Centre said the flood situation in Jammu and Kashmir so far is not as grave as last year but authorities are on alert to deal with any situation.

"Situation is not as grave as last time. But we are fully alert and if required we will send more assistance," Home Minister Rajnath Singh told PTI in Bagdogra.

Meanwhile, six bodies were today recovered from the debris of four houses which collapsed in Laden village in Budgam district yesterday, taking the death toll in the incident to 16. Ten bodies had been recovered till last night.

One person trapped in the landslide is also feared dead but there was no confirmation.

One person had died in flash floods in Udhampur area of Jammu region.

Union Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, who was rushed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the Valley yesterday to assess the situation there, presented his report to him today, suggesting a number of measures to address the problem permanently.

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Work worth Rs 2.11 cr not executed in Naxal areas of Chhattisgarh: CAG

RAIPUR: The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) has raised doubts over the veracity of the Chhattisgarh Forestry and Wild Life Department's claim of executing works worth Rs 2.11 crores, relating to harvesting of bamboo, in the Naxal affected districts of Bijapur, Narayanpur, Sukma and Dantewada.

In its report, which was released last week, the CAG has questioned as to how the work of harvesting bamboo was undertaken between 2008-09 and 2012-13 when villagers of some of these areas had refused to enter the forests to work due to fear of Naxalites. The report clearly states that the expenditure of Rs 2.11 crore incurred on the Rehabilitation of Degraded Bamboo Forest (RDBF), soil and water conservation was "doubtful".

According to the report, 2,232.490 hectares of area in 10 compartments of Bijapur, Narayanpur and Sukma districts of the state either could not be exploited or the exploited material could not be transported during the period of 2008-09 to 2012-13 due to Naxal extremism. However,RDBF work was carried out in the same area at an expenditure of Rs 84.27 lakh during the period.

Similarly, 6,283.61 hectares area in 25 compartments could not be exploited between 2008-09 and 2012-13 in Dantewada and Sukma districts due to Naxal extremism. However, soil and water conservation work was carried out in the same area during a period of 2009-10 to 2011-12 and expenditure of Rs 1.27 crore was incurred.

In its response to CAG, the state government had stated that if the Naxal problem subsides in the area, the coupes could be exploited. It also claimed that silvicultural activities were up in these areas as the provisions of WP.

However, the CAG did not accept the argument on grounds that the government had filed to clarify as how the works were executed in areas areas where villagers had refused to go for exploitation of bamboo due to the Naxal terror threat.

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VVIP security: Jaitley gets 'Z-Plus' security

NEW DELHI: Security of Union finance minister Arun Jaitley has been upgraded to topmost Z-plus category and he will be guarded by paramilitary commandos drawn from Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) now.

The move to increase Jaitley's security cover was taken by Union Home Ministry recently after assessing the threat perception of VVIPs.

A Rajya Sabha MP from Gujarat, Jaitley will have a pilot and an escort car accompanying him besides two Personal Security Officers armed with automatic weapons seated next to him in the vehicle he is travelling.

He was at present having a "Y" category security besides an escort provided by the Delhi Police.

"A security audit has been conducted and the Finance Minister will be secured by a paramilitary commando contingent. He will get the top category 'Z-Plus' security," official sources in the security establishment said.

They said the CISF has been tasked for the duty and a contingent of over 60 commandos have been earmarked for the task.

Under the revised security norms, the paramilitary commandos will secure his residence at Krishna Menon Marg in Luyten's Delhi and install a Door Frame Metal Dector (DFMD) for visitors.

Jaitley's cabinet colleagues, Home Minister Rajnath Singh and Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari are also 'Z-Plus' category protectees of central security forces.

The government, sometime back, had accorded similar facility to BJP President Amit Shah and for Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh.

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BJP adds 9 crore members, extends deadline of membership drive

NEW DELHI: BJP has extended its deadline for its ambitious online membership drive by a month to April 30 even as its membership swelled to nine crore members today.

Sources said various states, including Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Maharashtra, had sought an extension of the membership drive as they were busy in assembly polls and required more time to aggressively pursue the drive and add more members and the party has acceded to their demand.

On the last day of the current membership drive that was to end today, the party boasts of having added nine crore members, with the last one crore members added in the last eight days.

"One crore new members in last 8 days, Thanks to all who have reposed their faith in BJP for a better and stronger India," BJP President Amit Shah said adding the membership crossed the nine-crore mark.

Party leaders say the membership drive has been extended keeping in view the response the party was getting to its hi-tech membership campaign.

Anyone can become a member of the party by dialling a mobile number but all memberships will be verified later by party members who will visit each member and verify their antecedents.

Shah also lauded the party's Gujarat unit which roped in one crore members.

"Very swiftly, BJP in Gujarat has crossed 1-crore membership mark. Congratulations to CM Anandiben Patel, office bearers and karyakartas," he said.

BJP's membership had touched the 8 crore mark on March 23 and claimed to have become the largest political party in the world, pipping Communist Party of China that has over 8.6 crore members.

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Floods wreak havoc in J&K, 17 killed

Written By Unknown on Senin, 30 Maret 2015 | 22.44

SRINAGAR: Up to 16 people were killed on Monday as a devastating flood in the Kashmir valley forced thousands to flee to safer places as rain-fed streams rushed down the mountains, flooding parts of Srinagar. A man was washed away by a swollen river in Jammu region.

As the water level in the Jhelum river rose menacingly, a high alert was sounded in the region. Fearing a repeat of the terrible September 2014 floods that killed over 200 people, entire families deserted their homes in low-lying areas.

READ ALSO: Floods declared in Kashmir valley, schools closed

For Nisar Hussain, 65, who lives in Gogjibagh area of Srinagar with his 60-year-old wife and 27-year-old daughter, this was the second uprooting in six months.

A landslide in Laden village in Budgam district buried two houses, trapping 16 people from two families under the debris. While six bodies were found by evening, all others are feared killed, officials said.

The dead included four women, a man and a 22-day-old baby.


People being rescued from their homes after flood water entered into their houses at Hamdaniya colony in Srinagar. (PTI photo)

A vehicle carrying cattle on way to Udhampur from Doda was caught in flash floods in Jammu. A young man, Angrez Singh, was washed away.

In Srinagar, a worried chief minister Mufti Muhammad Sayeed visited the water-logged city centre Lal Chowk and interacted with traders and common people.

READ ALSO: 100 NDRF personnel rushed to Kashmir; 4 teams on standby

He assured the traders that the government would take up on priority basis providing relief to businessmen who suffered in 2014.

Sayeed announced Rs 25 crore from the chief minister's relief fund for the worst hit Kashmir valley and Rs 10 crore for Jammu region.

Flood-hit resident Nisar said he had to quickly shift his family after a flood alert was sounded by the authorities on Sunday night.


Residents help each other through rising waters in a neighbourhood of Srinagar. (AFP photo)

"This is traumatic. My daughter refused to live at Gogjibagh after news about the rising Jhelum river was flashed on TV," he said.

Ghulam Rasool, a 56-year-old in flood-hit Rajbagh, did not even wait for the authorities to issue the flood warning.

"I left everything behind and shifted out of my home with my family hardly four hours after it looked like the rain was unending on Saturday night," he said.

Flood waters inundated the Jammu-Srinagar highway at Pampore town, 12km from Srinagar, snapping road links between the state's winter and summer capitals.

READ ALSO: J&K govt declares flood in valley, Jhelum crosses danger mark in Srinagar

The Jhelum was flowing at 22.8 feet at Sangam in Anantnag, at 19 feet at Ram Munshi Bagh in Srinagar and at 11.55 feet at Ashim in Bandipora, an official told IANS.

People living along the banks of Jhelum were told to move to safer places.

And residents in flood-prone areas of Srinagar, especially those in Rajbagh, Jawahar Nagar, Wazir Bagh and some more places, hurriedly shifted to safer places. The process began on Sunday evening.

FULL COVERAGE: J&K floods

Many shopkeepers along the Residency Road and Lal Chowk commercial hub moved their merchandise to safer places. These were the worst hit in 2014.

Authorities said more than 80 public and private properties were damaged in the incessant rains.

An avalanche warning was sounded in the higher reaches of the state. All examinations have been postponed till April 3.


Vehicles move along a flooded road in Srinagar after heavy rainfall. (AFP photo)

Inter-district connectivity has been severely affected in the Kashmir valley.

The weather office has forecast better days.

"There will be a decrease in precipitation from today (Monday). Another western disturbance is likely to hit the state on April 2 but the intensity is going to be much less," Sonam Lotus, director of the local Met Office, told IANS.

READ ALSO: 21 people feared buried under debris of collapsed houses in Kashmir
The central government was in constant touch with Jammu and Kashmir and monitoring the flood situation, officials said. Home minister Rajnath Singh spoke to chief minister Sayeed.

Union minister of state for parliamentary affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi visited the Kashmir valley and promised government assistance to people to tide over the crisis.

Two teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) have been deputed and four other teams are on stand-by.

READ ALSO: J&K CM asks for Army support to tackle flood situation

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18 Indian fishermen arrested in Pakistan

KARACHI: Pakistani authorities have arrested 18 Indian fishermen and seized their three boats for allegedly violating the country's territorial waters.

The fishermen were arrested by Pakistan's Maritime Security (PMS) forces last night in the Arabian Sea off the Karachi coast, Geo News reported.

No official of the PMS was available to confirm the arrests.

Normally Indian fishermen arrested by the PMS are handed over to the Docks police after initial interrogation and then they are produced before a judicial magistrate.

India and Pakistan routinely arrest fishermen on charges of entering each other's waters as the maritime boundaries between the two countries were poorly defined and many fishing boats lack the technology to be certain of their precise location.

Many fishermen languish in jail for months even after completing their prison terms.

Governments of both countries have from time to time released these fishermen from their jails as a goodwill gesture.

Last month Pakistan released 172 Indian fishermen as a goodwill gesture after Prime Minister Narendra Modi telephoned his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif, informing him about foreign secretary S Jaishankar's visit to Pakistan.

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AAP crisis: Many Maharashtra leaders upset, may quit

NEW DELHI: In the wake of bitter feud in AAP in Delhi, some Maharashtra leaders of the party have threatened to quit.

Expressing "disgust" over the happenings in the party, senior Maharashtra leader Maruti Bhapkar on Monday said, "Whatever happened in NC meeting was nothing short of murder of democracy. I am deeply hurt and giving a serious thought to quit the party. We will decide our future course of action tomorrow when our state committee meeting takes place."

"Maharashtra unit has already been scared of "Dilli Gang" of so-called AAP netas. The current mudslinging in the party would cast more interference in our unit," said another senior leader from the state, who left Delhi today after taking part in NC meeting.

He said, "Right from the beginning, Delhi leaders never gave free hands to state units and (Arvind) Kejriwal's henchmen such as Kumar Vishwas, Sanjay Singh, Manish Sisodia and Ashish Khetan commanded us at every juncture despite having least experience to deal with masses and volunteers."

He, however, said he would like to wait and watch the developments but chances were very bleak to be with the party.

Mayank Gandhi, who spearheaded the Anna andolan in the state, has already revolted against "dictatorial" attitude of Kejriwal, refused to comment on the issue. But a source close to him said, "It has now become impossible for him (Mayank) to work for the party in current circumstances."

A party insider said "apart from Preeti Sharma Menon, former spokesperson of AAP Maharashtra, who was seen taking signatures of the NC members in the meeting, no one else seems enthusiastic to be with the party functionary."

"Anjali Damania (who has already quit), Vijay Pandhare, Subhash Ware and a few other leaders holding posts in state and various district committees are extremely upset by the series of stings and controversies that have cast a shadow on the founding principles of the party," the party insider said.

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BJP's national executive committee meeting venue becomes a Swachch hot spot

BENGALURU: Perhaps, the hotel staff of Lalit Ashok here---venue for BJP's national executive committee meeting--- to be held from April 2 to 4 had not got requests as strange as asking them to ensure that dead leaves falling from trees in the premises are cleared every hour, set up eco-friendly mobile toilets in the premises or a team of party workers would check the cleanliness in rooms and toilets even after the hotel's house-keeping has done it.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Swachch Bharat message is on top of the priorities for the state BJP unit, which is hosting the three-day event. Of the 33 departments set up to oversee every comfort of the 300 delegates, who would be arriving for the meeting, a 10-member team in charge of toilets maintenance and cleanliness will be on this beat at Hotel Lalit Ashok (meeting venue), Hotel Le Meridien (another hotel where the BJP ruled states CM will be accommodated) and Hotel Capital (media camp).

"My team will be getting all the dead branches in the trees within and outside Hotel Lalit Ashok trimmed on Tuesday. When our leaders cars drive in there should be no dead twigs in the path and dead leaves will be cleared every hour. The hotel staff is astonished by our requests," Krishna Prasad, party worker and team leader said.

Another department which will be on its toes is the catering section. An all-vegetarian spread has been planned for nine meals for three days. Chefs from New Delhi, Kerala, Gujarat along with a Bhattaru (chef in Kannada) will join together in preparing the food. "The menu has been planned for each and every meal. Five types of rasams: pepper, coriander, Mysuru, Tamarind and Dal are there. Three types of chutneys, typical Karnataka food like akki roti, jolada roti, kosambri and Maddur vade, varieties of rice preparations will be there. The PM does not want any special preparations," BJP state spokesperson Malavika Avinash said.

With the meetings going on for 12 hours everyday, a quick tour of Bengaluru has been planned for those who can take some time out. There will be site-seeing of Lal Bagh, Bull temple , Indira Gandhi Musical Fountain park and ISCKON temple. "Long tours have been planned to Nandi hill and Mysuru for those who want to stay back after April 4," party spokesperson (Bengaluru) R Krishna Deva Raya said.

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Chennai schoolboys kill painter who harassed a girl

CHENNAI: Police on Monday arrested four students of a government school in Mangadu here for allegedly murdering a 19-year-old painter.

Police said the painter, Gurunathan, was a relative of one of the boys. The painter had been allegedly harassing the boy's sister, police said.

The brother of the girl and his friends decided to eliminate him. They waited for him near a lake in the area and stabbed him to death when he reached there. Later, they dumped the body in the bushes.

When Gurunathan failed to return home, his mother searched for him. She told the neighbours that she was going to file a police complaint.

The boys, who came to know about her decision to file a police complaint, got scared and went to the Mangadu police station where they confessed to their crime.

They took the police to the spot where they had dumped the body. The police retrieved the body and sent it for postmortem.

All the four have been arrested and sent to a juvenile home.

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Avalanche warning issued in Kashmir

Written By Unknown on Minggu, 29 Maret 2015 | 22.44

SRINAGAR: Authorities on Sunday issued an avalanche warning for seven districts of Kashmir division in view of incessant rainfall over the past 24 hours.

The warning was issued by divisional commissioner (Kashmir) for next 24 hours in avalanche prone areas of Kulgam, Pulwama, Baramulla, Kupwara, Bandipora, Ganderbal and Kargil districts, an official spokesman said.

READ ALSO: Heavy rains in Kashmir; 44 structures damaged

The people living in these districts were advised not to venture in avalanche-prone areas during the next 24 hours, the spokesman said.

"During heavy snowfall, people are advised not to occupy and temporarily evacuate those locations which are under fall line of avalanches," he said.

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Rajnath Singh promises special package for rain and hail hit farmers

INDORE: For the relief of farmers, who had suffered crop loss due to unseasonal rains and hailstorm, union government is going to announce monetary package, said union home minister Rajnath Singh on Sunday.

"We have invited crop loss statistics from all the state and very soon a relief package will be announced to state in accordance with the crop loss they suffered," said union home minister.

The home minister and chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan conducted an ariel survey on Sunday afternoon to gauge the extent of crop loss in Indore, Ujjain, Dewas, Rajgarh, Sehore, Guna and Gwalior districts of western MP. Apart from these places, rabi crops in Raisen, Sagar, Khargone, Tikamgarh, Dhar, Neemuch, Jhabua, Mandsaur, Rewa, Sidhi, Satna and Shahdol districts were also affected because of unseasonal rains and hailstorm lashed most parts of the sub-continent in the first week of March, hugely affecting the seasonal rabi crops in various states.

According to news reports, so far, 5 farmers in western MP have ended their life in distress. On Friday 30-year-old farmer allegedly committed suicide by consuming pesticide in his agricultural field in Barud area of Khargone district. He suspected to have committed suicide due to damaging of standing Rabi crop due to recent rains and mounting burden of repaying Rs 5 lakh bank and cooperative society loan.

This is the second suicide by a farmer in Barud area of Khargone district, 150 km from Indore within a fortnight owing to loss of crop due to recent rains and hailstorm.

On March 13, a 45-year-old farmer Bansilal Gupta had ended life by consuming pesticide, also possibly due to loss of standing Rabi crop due to rain and hailstorm in same Barud area.

A week back in Alirajpur district of MP's Malwa-Nimar region, a 26-year-old farmer Rajusingh had hanged self to death from a tree in his agricultural field, allegedly owing to pressure of repaying Rs 1.40 lakh bank loan amid standing Rabi crop being hit adversely by rain.

State Congress chief Arun Yadav visited house of farmer, who allegedly committed suicide due to crop loss and mounting bank loan, and demanded to waiver the loans of last five years of farmers and electricity bill.

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Center may raise compensation limit for farmers affected by rains and hailstorms

NEW DELHI: The Center is likely to raise the compensation limit for farmers affected by recent rains and hailstorms in as many as in 14 states. A final decision in this regard will be taken after arriving at a quantum of financial loss next month.

At present, state governments under the existing State Disaster Relief Fund (SDRF) norms can provide assistance to farmers at the rate of Rs 4,500 per hectare for rain-fed areas, Rs 9,000 per hectare for irrigated areas and Rs 12,000 per hectare for perennial crops.

It has, however, been felt that the compensation amount would not be sufficient for small and marginal farmers who might have lost more than 50% of their standing Rabi crops and horticulture products due to rains, hailstorms and strong wind during February 28-March 16.

Similar spell of rains and hailstorms, in fact, continued even on weekends in many states including Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan.

"The agriculture ministry has already asked affected states to submit their memorandums to the Centre after working out the financial details of the damaged crops. A final decision about compensation will be taken in consultation with the finance ministry next month", said an official.

Union finance minister Arun Jaitley on Sunday also talked about the possibility of hike in compensation limit for farmers during his visit to the most affected state Rajasthan that lost Rabi crops on 45.52 lakh hectares of land during the recent rains.

"The Prime Minister is deeply concerned about the loss to the farmers.... The government would raise the compensation limit to help the farmers whose crops have been affected by rain and hailstorm," Jaitley said while interacting with farmers in Timeli, one of the worst affected villages in Bundi district.

Assuring the farmers of all possible help from the Centre, the finance minister, as quoted by a news agency said, "We take the responsibility to help you stand up again after this huge loss of crops and livestock".

Jaitley, who took an aerial survey to assess the damage to crops, said that the Prime Minister Narendra Modi had directed central ministers to visit the most affected areas so that assistance and compensation can be facilitated to the farmers.

The Centre had last week asked state governments to render immediate assistance to farmers from the SDRF, which has funds to the tune of Rs 5,270 crore for utilization in this fiscal.

"In case there is any short fall of money in the states' kitty under the SDRF, the Center will chip in with the money from the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF)", said an official.

As per the latest report of the agriculture ministry, the rains and hailstorms had damaged Rabi crops on 106.73 lakh hectares of lands in 14 states.

The maximum damage is reported from Rajasthan (45.52 lakh hectares) followed by Uttar Pradesh (26.79 lakh hectares), Haryana (18.75 lakh hectares), Madhya Pradesh (5.7 lakh hectares), Maharashtra (3.95 lakh hectares), Punjab (2.94 lakh hectares) and Himachal Pradesh (1.52 lakh hectares). Among all the Rabi crops, wheat faced the maximum damage (on nearly 63 lakh hectares of land).

Gujarat, Uttarakhand, Jammu & Kashmir, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala and West Bengal are other affected states.

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Rains, snowfall lash Himachal Pradesh

SHIMLA: Rains and thunderstorm on Sunday lashed the mid and lower hills of Himachal Pradesh, while high altitude tribal areas received fresh snowfall, causing sharp fall in mercury.

High velocity winds, accompanied by sharp showers lashed several areas in the mid and lower hills, including state capital Shimla, and Manali while intermittent rains are continuing in most parts of the state.

The high altitude tribal areas and other mountain passes had fresh snowfall and Keylong in Lahaul and Spiti recorded 10cm of snow while Rohtang and Kunzam passes received 30cm and 25cm of snow while upper Manali region and higher reaches in Chamba had 10cm to 15cm of fresh snow.

Avalanche threat loomed large over high altitude tribal areas, above 2,500m altitude covered under 20ft to 30ft of snow, as melting of snow in coming days could accelerate glacier movement.

Heavy rains and thunderstorm lashed the mid and lower hills while Shimla and some other places in higher hills were lashed by sleet.

Dark convective clouds overcast the sky, causing fall in day temperature which had crossed 35 degrees Celsius mark in foothills and Una recorded a high of 32.2 degrees Celsius against 35.8 degrees Celsius on Saturday while Nahan and Solan recorded maximum temperature at 26.2 degrees Celsius and 25.6 degrees Celsius, followed by Sundernagar 23.7 degrees Celsius, Dharamshala 23.2 degrees Celsius, Shimla 18.6 degrees Celsius, Bhunter 15.5 degrees Celsius, Kalpa 5.2 degrees Celsius, a drop of three to five degrees Celsius since Saturday.

Manali recorded 40mm rains, while Kalpa received 14 mm of rains followed by Bhuntar 12mm, Pooh 11mm, Seobagh 9mm, Bajaura 7mm, Baijnath and Gaggal 5mm, Dharamsala 4mm and Shimla and Sundernagar 2mm.

However, there was no significant change in minimum temperatures.

The local MeT office has warned of heavy to very heavy rains and thunderstorms during next 24 hours and rains and thundershowers in mid and lower hills and rains and snow in higher hills over next six days.

The stormy conditions and rains are considered harmful for wheat crop and stone fruit crops, especially in lower and mid hills.

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'If govts discharge duties responsibly, PILs won't be needed'

JODHPUR: If governments discharge their duties responsibly, there would not be any need of public interest litigations, a senior judge of the Supreme Court has said.

Justice T S Thakur of the apex court, said this while delivering a lecture here, and held "lacunae in system" responsible for piling cases in the courts.

He was addressing a legal fraternity at the 'Second Marudhar Mridul Memorial Lecture' last night on the topic 'Widening Horizons of Public Interest litigation'.

"If the governments discharge their duties responsibly, there would not be any need of PILs," Thakur said.

"If so happens, the judiciary would not have any need to intervene in the functioning of the governments by way of PILs or any other means", he said.

While throwing light on the PILs in Indian judicial system, he also said that the "PILs strengthen the democracy".

"Earlier, a person could file a petition for his or her personal rights but the issues pertaining to public interest could now be raised through PIL", he said, while reiterating the need in the judiciary to hear them (PILs) with sensitivity.

Endorsing Thakur's view point, chief justice of Rajasthan high court Sunil Ambwani said that PILs have important role to play, specially in social and environmental security, and stressed on the need of a litigant to be fully prepared with substantial material, before filing a PIL.

Ambwani said that the courts play their role but it is the governments, which has to "finally act".

"We can issue orders, directions or guidelines but the actual work would have to be done by the government itself so the people do not have to come to the court against the government", he said.

The Rajasthan high court Chief Justice also said that PILs were "the result of faulty systems", following which, affected persons seek their refuge in the courts, in the form of such litigations.

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Kejriwal at AAP meet: ‘Make a choice between me and Yadav-Bhushan duo’

Written By Unknown on Sabtu, 28 Maret 2015 | 22.44

NEW DELHI: AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday threatened to resign and lashed out at its founder-members Prashant Bhushan and Yogendra Yadav, moments before they were sacked from the national executive, accusing them of engaging in "anti-party" activities.

According to sources, the Delhi chief minister started his speech at the party's national council by recounting AAP's journey last year, from the lows of the quitting the government followed by its Lok Sabha debacle to the high of a historic victory in the Delhi assembly polls.

"He traced the party's journey from the last national council meet to the current one," a senior leader said.

As it happened: AAP's national council meet

But soon after that he mounted a sharp attack on the dissident duo and asked the members to "make a choice between him and them."

READ ALSO: Yogendra Yadav, Prashant Bhushan sacked from AAP national executive

All you want to know about AAP's clash

AAP's collective leadership 'falling apart': Ramdas

Yeh kameene hain, any other party would kick them out: Kejriwal in sting tape

This prompted Yadav and Bhushan to accuse him of "instigating" the members.

"He categorically pointed out that Prashant Bhushan and his father Shanti Bhushan and Yadav made every effort to defeat AAP in Delhi elections.

"He said that when the whole party was working towards ensuring its victory in the polls, they were scheming for its defeat," the leader said.

Addressing a press conference later, Yadav accused Kejriwal of standing as a "mute spectator" to the alleged incidents of assaults on a section of NC members by bouncers.


Yogendra Yadav and Prashant Bhushan talking to the media today. (PTI Photo)

"He gave a dramatic speech for around one hour and it was full of allegations against us. He threatened to resign if we were not removed. He also accused Shanti Bhushan of anti-party activities without taking his name. Then, 10 people, including MLAs like Kapil Mishra, shouted slogans calling us traitors. The drama went on for 5-7 minutes during which he (Kejriwal) stood like a statue," Yadav said.

READ ALSO: What Yogendra Yadav and Prashant Bhushan camp alleged

Kejriwal, the party's national convener, returned to the meeting in the afternoon, which he had left earlier citing "official engagements".

READ ALSO: Seems AAP has decided to be more like us: Omar

Listen to new 'sting' on Arvind Kejriwal

Read the transcript of new audio sting on Arvind Kejriwal

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Rains lash parts of Kashmir; Met predicts heavy snow next week

SRINAGAR: Intermittent rains on Saturday lashed parts of Kashmir as the Met department predicted wet weather during the next seven days with heavy rain or snow at isolated places in the Valley.

"Two western disturbances in quick succession are likely to affect Jammu & Kashmir and adjoining areas from this evening to April 4 with occasional gaps. Under the influence of these weather systems, moderate to heavy rain or snow (on hilly areas) will occur at most places in J&K and at a few places in Ladakh region," Director Met office Sonam Lotus said.

He said isolated places in the state may receive heavy rain or snow, mainly on March 29 and April 3.

"Accordingly, farmers are advised to avoid spraying of orchards and drain out excess water from the fields during these days," he said.

Lotus said the weather condition has the potential to trigger landslide in the avalanche prone areas and flash floods in vulnerable areas of the state.

"The weather system may also disrupt surface and air transport during these days," he said.

The director said there would be significant decrease in day temperatures and slight rise in night temperature owing to cloud cover.

Srinagar had recorded the hottest day of the season at 23.3 degrees celsius on Friday - five degrees above normal for this part of the season but the heat was short lived as heavy cloud cover engulfed the Valley since wee hours with occasional spell of rains.

After almost dry weather during peak winter (December - February), Srinagar and other parts of the Valley experienced at least three spells of snowfall during this month, bringing cheer to the people especially farmers, tourists and winter sports lovers.

However, the latest prediction has caused panic among the denizens in general and farmers in particular in view of unprecedented floods in September last year which claimed nearly 300 lives and rendered thousands homeless besides destroying business.

Visitors have started thronging Badamwari garden (Almond Alcove) in downtown Srinagar over the past week to enjoy the blossoming of almond trees which signal the advent of spring in the Valley.

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President calls for zero tolerance to terrorism

CHENNAI: President Pranab Mukherjee today said that "terrorism has no religion, philosophy or ideology and there should be zero tolerance towards terrorism'.

In a message to the international conference of jurists and writers on international terrorism, being organized on March 29, 2015 in Mumbai by the International Council of Jurists (ICJ), International Commission of Writers, Department of Law in the University of Mumbai, All India Bar Association (AIBA) and the Indian Council of Jurists, Mukherjee said: "All countries of the world must get together and chalk out a joint, effective strategy to defeat terrorists. Deploying state-of-the-art information and communication technologies, harnessing better intelligence and drawing greater cooperation from the people could be key measures in this regard."

The conference is being held at the University of Mumbai on Sunday, said the ICJ president and senior advocate Adish C Aggarwala.

As for the jurists' role in containing terrorism, the President said jurists must play an important role in ensuring that the wheels of justice moved faster - both to give justice to victims of terrorism and to persons wrongly accused of crimes they may not have committed.

Chief justice of India H L Dattu, in his message said, "terrorism does transcend national boundaries, and invariably remind one of November 26 massacre. It is often represented as the scourge of 21st century, although polymorphic threat has manifested itself through 20th century in horrendous forms". He also added that, "dangers posed by terrorism have become increasingly borderless inviting attention to the need for an effective response from the international legal framework. Terrorist organisations often abuse passive toleration of most countries to operate."

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Rahul will be back among people 'very soon': Sonia Gandhi

AMETHI: Rahul Gandhi will be back among people "very soon", Congress president Sonia Gandhi said on Saturday about her son who has been on a mysterious "leave" for over a month now.

"Both Rahul and Priyanka will be among you all very soon," Sonia Gandhi said while replying to questions on whereabouts of the party vice-president. She, however, did not specify the exact timing of his return.

Party sources have earlier said that Rahul, who went on the sabbatical on February 22, is likely to return in April after which the issue of leadership is expected to gain momentum.

Leaders have all along maintained that Rahul will be back in the "proximate future" but have given no specific date.

After his return, Rahul is expected to take a call on when to assume the party's mantle, notwithstanding the fact that the schedule for organizational elections including for the President's post is out.

"Rae Bareli and Amethi are our responsibility ... this is our family our home," Sonia Gandhi said in Purey Devbadhi village after meeting the family of farmer leader Mohammad Ayub who lost his life in the rail accident.

Earlier this week, posters had emerged in Amethi declaring that the local MP (Rahul Gandhi) was "missing".

Pasted at markets, railway and bus stations, the posters titled "Missing Amethi MP" asked people to launch a manhunt to find the "missing" leader.

To a question on Land Acquisition Bill, Gandhi said talks were on with the government on the issue and will continue.

Congress has been stridently opposing the bill which aims at amending the law enacted during UPA rule in 2013.

Gandhi, who visited the constituency of her son here after touring her own Rae Bareli constituency, paid visit to the families of Bachrawan rail accident victims in Purey Kumharan, Brahmani, Sarai Mahesh villages.

The Congress chief, who also met farmers facing massive losses because of untimely rains and hailstorm, promised that she will talk to the government for ensuring quick and adequate compensation.

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AAP draws flak, ridicule from rival parties as Yogendra Yadav, Prashant Bhushan shown the door

NEW DELHI: The AAP on Saturday drew flak and ridicule over the internal turmoil from rival parties which asked it to put its house in order and deliver on the promises made to people of Delhi without wasting the opportunity with its "immature" politics.

Terming the continued tussle within Aam Admi Party(AAP) as a "struggle for power" and "opportunism", the BJP said Delhi will not see any progress in such a situation and those who were elected to power will have to answer public for the same.

Congress said the "laboratory of AAP experiment is on fire" and accused AAP chief and chief minister Arvind Kejriwal of demeaning his party and the political class.

Taking a dig at AAP, former Jammu & Kashmir chief minister and National Conference leader Omar Abdullah said it was becoming more like "older parties".

READ ALSO: Yogendra Yadav, Prashant Bhushan sacked from AAP national executive

All you want to know about AAP's clash

AAP's collective leadership 'falling apart': Ramdas

Yeh kameene hain, any other party would kick them out: Kejriwal in sting tape

The CPM termed the ongoing tussle in AAP as an internal affair of the party but said the rift should not affect the welfare of the people of Delhi who had voted the party to power.

Finance minister and senior BJP leader Arun Jaitley said that AAP should fulfill the promises it had made to the public during Delhi assembly polls and that people of the city had a lot of expectations when they voted for this government.

"With a lot of expectation and high hopes, people of Delhi had chosen the government. The promises which AAP and its leaders have made with public, they must fulfil them," Jaitley told reporters in Varanasi. "They should not let this historical opportunity go waste just because of their immature politics."

Nalin Kohli, BJP's national spokesperson, said the turmoil in AAP has to do with fight for power. "It is a fight of opportunism," he said.

READ ALSO: Seems AAP has decided to be more like us: Omar
Listen to new 'sting' on Arvind Kejriwal

Read the transcript of new audio sting on Arvind Kejriwal

What Yogendra Yadav and Prashant Bhushan camp alleged

Congress spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi said it is the people of Delhi who are suffering the most due to the AAP's internal turmoil.

"First AAP should set its house in order and start delivering in Delhi. That is our concern, Delhi citizens' concern and Delhi community's concern. And this kind of laundering goes on in open spectacle every day... then I think Delhi is the biggest sufferer," Singhvi said, adding the allegations and counter allegations by rival factions in AAP are "extremely serious".

Another Congress spokesperson Sanjay Jha said, "I understand that AAP is an experiment. But right now it so happens that the laboratory is on fire. That's all."

"The ongoing tussle is the internal affair of the party and they must resolve it so that the people of Delhi don't have to suffer," CPM politburo member and Rajya Sabha MP Sitaram Yechury told reporters in Jammu.

Yogendra Yadav, Prashant Bhushan expelled

The month-long face-off in AAP climaxed today with the expulsion of dissident leaders Prashant Bhushan and Yogendra Yadav from its National Executive, in a possible precursor to their ouster from the party.

Amid chaos and high drama, a resolution to remove the two dissidents from the powerful panel was passed immediately after party Chief Arvind Kejriwal left the National Council following his hour-long speech in which he asked over 300 members present to choose him or the duo. The resolution was introduced by Kejriwal loyalist Manish Sisodia.

Yogendra Yadav and Prashant Bhushan talking to the media today. (PTI Photo)
The resolution for expulsion of Yadav and Bhushan along with their supporters Anand Kumar and Ajit Jha was passed by 247 members, AAP National Secretary Pankaj Gupta said, adding while 10 members opposed it, 54 others did not take part in the voting.

Immediately after their removal, Bhushan and Yadav termed the NC meet as "unconstitutional and illegal" and did not rule out taking legal recourse against their removal.

Reacting to the NC decision, AAP's well-known leader Medha Patkar addressed a press conference in Mumbai where she announced her resignation from the party, saying Yadav and Bhushan could never work against the party.

Yadav and Bhushan said AAP's Lokpal Admiral L Ramdas (retd), who has been attending party's NC meets, was asked by the AAP leadership last evening not to attend the meeting as his presence could result in "confrontation".

Accusing Kejriwal of being dictatorial and using unfair means, the duo alleged that his people got goons to the NC meeting who beat up members opposed to the resolution.

"It was a murder of democracy. Everything played out in accordance with a predetermined script and the resolution was moved and passed within minutes completely disregarding laid down procedures. It was a total farce," said an agitated Yadav.

Bhushan said, "It is true that we can move the court, Election Commission or call another meeting of the NC. All options are open."

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New Delhi will send two ships to Yemen to evacuate stranded Indians

Written By Unknown on Jumat, 27 Maret 2015 | 22.44

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Indian government is preparing to carry out yet another evacuation from trouble-torn middle-eastern country Yemen. The Centre will soon send two ships to Yemen to evacuate Indians, including Keralites, stranded there. MEA has already set up a 24-hour control room to monitor the situation and respond to queries.

Foreign minister Sushma Swaraj has told Kerala chief minister Oommen Chandy, that since all the airports in Yemen are closed, the plan is to bring people to the neighbouring country Djibouti by ships and from there to India in aircraft, a government release said here.

READ ALSO: Pakistan says considering Saudi request for troops for Yemen

Those who cannot be brought by ship would be taken to Saudi Arabia by road and from there to India, Swaraj was quoted as saying in the release.

The Keralites, residing in Yemen, informed the chief minister over phone that the passports and certificates of those working in hospitals have been held back, which is creating problems for their return to home, it said.

Following the information, Chandy has urged the Indian Ambassador at Yemen to immediately intervene in the issue and resolve it.


Yemeni mourners stand on a trailer loaded with coffins of the victims of last week's multiple suicide bombings that targeted Shia Huthi mosques in Sanaa, on March 25, 2015, during a group funeral in the Yemeni capital. (AFP photo)

READ ALSO: Saudi Arabia-led air forces bomb Yemen's Sanaa, Taiz

Chandy also requested that those who are willing to return should contact the Indian Embassy at Yemen, the release added.

According to official sources, Swaraj spoke to India's ambassador in Sanaa, Amrit Lugun, about the evolving situation. Saudi Arabia led a coalition of Gulf Arab states to conduct airstrikes on the Shia Houthis who have overrun Sanaa and believed to be advancing on Aden. Yemen's president, Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi and his fellow Sunni loyalists have fled, with reports saying Hadi escaped Aden in a boat. Iran supports the Houthi rebels, which basically means this war is a battle for pre-eminence between Iran and Saudi Arabia in the region.


A tank is stationed outside the presidential palace as the Shia Huthi militia, which controls the capital Sanaa, guards its vicinity on March 25, 2015. (AFP photo)

39 dead in Yemen since Saudi-led strikes began: Officials

At least 39 civilians have been killed in more than 24 hours of Saudi-led air strikes against Shia rebels in Yemen, health ministry officials said on Friday.

Twelve of the victims were killed when a raid against a military base north of Sanaa hit surrounding residential areas, officials from the rebel-controlled ministry told AFP.

READ ALSO: Saudi Arabia launches military operation in Yemen: Ambassador

Witnesses said warplanes targeted Al-Samaa base, which is used by army units believed to take orders from their former commander Ahmed Ali Saleh.

Saleh is the son of ousted president Ali Abdullah Saleh, who is accused of allying with the Huthi rebels against President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi.

At dawn on Friday, three air strikes hit the presidential compound in south Sanaa which the rebels seized last month, witnesses said.

READ ALSO: Oil prices surge after Saudi air strikes in Yemen


Houthi fighters ride a patrol truck in Sanaa on March 25, 2015. (Reuters photo)

Overnight raids targeted another army brigade loyal to Saleh in the eastern province of Marib, tribal sources said.

A military official told AFP that Saudi-led coalition jets also bombed a large arms depot in a third army camp used by forces loyal to the former strongman.

The official spoke of "dozens" of casualties at the camp, located in Sanaa's southern outskirts, but the information could not be independently verified.

(With inputs from PTI, AFP)

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Cong gives no importance to Bhardwaj's attack on Sonia

NEW DELHI: Congress today gave no importance to senior leader Hans Raj Bhardwaj's direct attack on Sonia Gandhi merely noting that he should have "abstained" from making such comments at this phase of his life.

"Bhardwaj is a very senior leader of the party and the country. Five times he was a member of the Rajya Sabha and had been Law Minister in the UPA and later Governor."

"We do not understand at this age why he should have come out with these comments...He should have abstained from making such comments," Congress spokesperson Rita Bahuguna Joshi told reporters while responding to a volley of questions on the issue.

She sidestepped questions on any disciplinary action against Bhardwaj who has alleged that Gandhi "shared no responsibility" and was in the "grip of sycophants and corrupt people".

77-year-old Bhardwaj had created a flutter in the party by his remarks that "It is a matter of great sorrow that our leaders are getting summons from the court... Those at the top level including at the level of the Prime Minister.

"Does Sonia Gandhi not understand what happened, why it happened and who did it? Everything is known. That is the style. Sharing no responsibility and yet do everything," he had said.

Bhardwaj was not included in the UPA-II after being the Law Minister in the UPA-I and was made Governor of Karnataka. His remarks came at a time when there is a tussle between the old guard and the generation next amid growing talk that Rahul Gandhi would be anointed soon.

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India can save $7 billion per annum by use of LED bulbs: Goyal

NEW DELHI: India can save up to $7 billion (about Rs 43,750 crore) annually by replacing incandescent lamps with energy efficient LED bulbs, power minister Piyush Goyal said on Friday.

"We have set challenging targets to save energy as energy conservation has an equally important role to play with generation. We are looking at savings of nearly 100 billion units of power, by the use of LED lights, translating into $7 billion annually," he said at 'Urja Sangam' here on Friday.

Goyal, who also holds the charge of Coal and New and Renewable Energy departments, said that use of LED bulbs will reduce peak power demand of the country by 10,000 MW per day.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had launched a scheme for light-emitting diode (LED) bulb distribution under the Domestic Efficient Lighting Programme.

Under the Domestic Efficient Lighting Programme (DELP), consumers in Delhi can register requests for procuring LED bulbs. Installation of LED bulbs for domestic and street-lighting in 100 cities is targeted by March 2016.

In the next three years, LED bulbs are going to completely replace the current incandescent bulbs, Goyal said.

The Minister said 10 per cent of energy consumption can be brought down through conservation, without any major stress to the system or significant capital investment.

"We are looking at setting up better monitoring mechanisms for the industries and improving critical power guzzlers," he said.

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Audio of Kejriwal allegedly slamming Yogendra Yadav, Prashant Bhushan emerges

NEW DELHI: A fresh sting which allegedly has Arvind Kejriwal's voice in it has emerged in media amidst full blown AAP war that has hogged headlines on Friday.

Audio chat between Kejriwal and Umesh Singh, an AAP leader from Varanasi, is being circulated on social media. Kejriwal is heard using very strong language against Bhushan and Yogendra Yadav in the alleged audio.

Asked by Times Now about the tape and the language used in the tape, Prashant Bhushan said, "I knew about the sting."

READ ALSO: Kejriwal camp counters allegations by Yogendra

Kejriwal is also heard saying he will break away his 67 MLAs in Delhi and form his own party. Talking to Umesh, Kejriwal goes on to say that he wants those opposing him out of the party and showed his clear refusal against any reconciliation.

READ ALSO: Prashant and Yogendra attack 'dictator' Kejriwal, say no democracy in AAP

Timesofindia.com can not vouch for the authenticity of the sting.

READ ALSO: Will AAP become just like any other party? Yogendra Yadav asks

(Developing story)

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People are suffering while AAP govt is busy fighting: Ajay Maken

NEW DELHI: Branding the AAP government as a 'ladne aur dharne wali sarkar', Delhi Congress president Ajay Maken on Friday said the people are facing various problems while it is busy fighting, either with another state or with the Centre or among themselves.

"The AAP government is busy in fighting while the people of Delhi are facing different problems. Sometimes they fight with Haryana, sometime with the Centre, and when they do not find anyone they fight among themselves.

READ ALSO: Audio of Kejriwal allegedly slamming Yogendra Yadav, Prashant Bhushan emerges

"It's a 'ladne aur dharne wali sarkar (government of fightings and dharna)'," Maken said after submitting a memorandum to Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung seeking his intervention in the farmers issues and the problems of municipal corporations.

"I would suggest Kejriwal to desist from fightings and dharna and start work as the people of Delhi elected his party with high hopes," he said.

On the crisis in the civic agencies, Maken said, "... BJP is saying it is not getting cooperation of Delhi government but it is (Union finance minister) Arun Jaitley who effected reduction of around Rs 800-900 crore in the budget of the three municipal corporations of East, North and South Delhi and now the AAP government is going to reduce it further."

"How will the safai karamcharis and employees get salaries?" he asked and said the reduced budget of Jaitley must not be further cut down by the AAP government.

"Many state governments like Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir and Uttar Pradesh claimed compensation from the Centre to provide relief to the farmers in their states, but the Delhi government has not even done any survey of the crop loss or asked for compensation from the central government.

"Around 19,000 hectare of Rabi crop was totally devastated in Delhi in hailstorm and since the Delhi government is not asking for compensation from the Centre, how will it compensate the affected farmers. We hope the state government will come out of its slumber," Maken said.

READ ALSO: Prashant Bhushan and Yogendra Yadav attack 'dictator' Arvind Kejriwal, say no internal democracy in AAP

Earlier, extending support to the hunger strike of contractual nursing orderlies who had been removed from Jag Pravesh Chandra Hospital in Shastri Park, Maken termed Kejriwal as "an Aam Aadmi turned VVIP".

"After coming to power Kejriwal had said that he would regularise all contract-based workers but within one-and-a- half months I am amid a dharna of contract workers who have been removed from their jobs," he said.

"It's highly unfortunate that you had to go to him (CM) 6-7 times and even then he said that he cannot do anything in it. It's sad and highly shameful that he who used to claim to be an Aam Aadmi turned into a VVIP after coming to power," Maken told the striking workers.

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Jat quota: Civil services result to be delayed

Written By Unknown on Kamis, 26 Maret 2015 | 22.44

NEW DELHI: Students across the nation who have appeared for the civil services exam for 2014-15 will have to wait for their results as the Union Public Service Commission was yet to come to a conclusion after the Supreme Court of India scrapped the Jat reservation last week, NDTV reported quoting sources.

It is learnt that UPSC has sought the advice of Union law ministry in the matter.

Earlier, a delegation of Jat leaders met Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday after the Supreme Court quashed the OBC quota for the community, an official statement said.

Modi assured the delegation that the central government was studying the apex court's decision and would try to find a solution to the issue within the legal framework, said the statement.

The 70-member delegation from various states sought a review of the March 17 decision by the Supreme Court that struck down a notification of the erstwhile UPA government extending reservations to the community in nine states.

The prime minister also urged the Jat leaders to take the lead in implementing the "Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao" (Save girl child, educate girl child) campaign.

Meanwhile, the BJP government in Haryana has openly come out in support of job quotas for Jats.

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BJP govt framed MP Guv in Vyapam scam to save CM: Digvijaya

GUNA(MADHYA PRADESH): Senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh today alleged that the BJP government in Madhya Pradesh has "falsely implicated" Governor Ram Naresh Yadav in the multi-crore Vyapam scam, apparently to save chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan.

Singh also demanded a CBI probe into death of the Governor's son Shailesh Yadav, one of the accused in the state Professional Examination Board (MPPEB) scam.

Shailesh was found dead under mysterious circumstances at his father's official residence in Lucknow yesterday.

"With Chouhan finding himself embroiled in the scam, the state government is now harassing the Governor by dragging his name into the MPPEB scam even though the Chief Minister's name has figured in it (the scam)," Singh told reporters at his ancestral home, Raghogarh in Guna district.

Singh said the mirror image of the excel sheet, captured on July 18, 2013, by the whistleblower showed Chouhan's name but the sheet was later tampered with and names of the Governor and the Union minister Uma Bharti were inserted into the document.

The Special Task Force (STF), which is probing the scam, had registered an FIR against the Governor last month for allegedly recommending names of some of the candidates for recruitment to the post of Forest Guard in the examination conducted by the scam-tainted MPPEB. According to FIR, some of the candidates cracked the test fraudulently.

Yadav, a senior Congress leader, was appointed Governor of Madhya Pradesh by the previous UPA government.

Digvijaya said he had shown all relevant papers in connection with the scam to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and is awaiting action.

Congress will see what action the Prime Minister takes as Modi has been advocating propriety in public life to BJP leaders.

To a query on FIR registered against him earlier this month for irregularities in various appointments in Assembly Secretariat between 1993 and 2003, Singh, who had served as chief minister during that period, said this case should be handed over to CBI along with the MPPEB scam case.

He said government has no role to play as far as appointments to assembly are concerned.

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Jat quota: Civil services result to be delayed

NEW DELHI: Students across the nation who have appeared for the civil services exam for 2014-15 will have to wait for their results as the Union Public Service Commission was yet to come to a conclusion after the Supreme Court of India scrapped the Jat reservation last week, NDTV reported quoting sources.

It is learnt that UPSC has sought the advice of Union law ministry in the matter.

Earlier, a delegation of Jat leaders met Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday after the Supreme Court quashed the OBC quota for the community, an official statement said.

Modi assured the delegation that the central government was studying the apex court's decision and would try to find a solution to the issue within the legal framework, said the statement.

The 70-member delegation from various states sought a review of the March 17 decision by the Supreme Court that struck down a notification of the erstwhile UPA government extending reservations to the community in nine states.

The prime minister also urged the Jat leaders to take the lead in implementing the "Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao" (Save girl child, educate girl child) campaign.

Meanwhile, the BJP government in Haryana has openly come out in support of job quotas for Jats.

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War in AAP: Reconciliation talks fail

NEW DELHI: Aam Aadmi Party's founding members Prashant Bhushan and Yogendra Yadav have resigned from party's national executive after the talks of reconciliation failed, according to senior leader Ashish Khetan.

Party has confirmed that they will not hold any further talks with the two leaders.

"Yogendra Yadav and Prashant Bhushan are engaging in double speak," Khetan told media here today.

READ ALSO: 'Adamant' Arvind Kejriwal wants Yogendra Yadav, Prashant Bhushan out of party

Reacting to the development, Yogendra Yadav tweeted that party's claims were ridiculous. "What is being passed off as "resignation letter" is a note for internal negotiations. We said we will resign if 5 conditions were met," Yadav tweeted.


READ ALSO: AAP letter hints at 'deep conspiracy'

Earlier, sources said Yadav and Bhushan made it clear that there was no valid ground for them to step down from the 21 member national executive and the rival camp should instead address the issues raised by them.

Last ditch efforts by party Lokpal Admiral Ramdas to push for reconciliation failed to make any headway with both camps sticking to their stands.

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War in AAP: Reconciliation talks fail

NEW DELHI: Aam Aadmi Party's founding members Prashant Bhushan and Yogendra Yadav have resigned from party's national executive after the talks of reconciliation failed, according to senior leader Ashish Khetan.

Party has confirmed that they will not hold any further talks with the two leaders.

"Yogendra Yadav and Prashant Bhushan are engaging in double speak," Khetan told media here today.

Soon Manish Sisodia took to twitter. READ ALSO: 'Adamant' Arvind Kejriwal wants Yogendra Yadav, Prashant Bhushan out of party

Reacting to the development, Yogendra Yadav tweeted that party's claims were ridiculous. "What is being passed off as "resignation letter" is a note for internal negotiations. We said we will resign if 5 conditions were met," Yadav tweeted.


READ ALSO: AAP letter hints at 'deep conspiracy'

Earlier, sources said Yadav and Bhushan made it clear that there was no valid ground for them to step down from the 21 member national executive and the rival camp should instead address the issues raised by them.

Last ditch efforts by party Lokpal Admiral Ramdas to push for reconciliation failed to make any headway with both camps sticking to their stands.

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Muslim bodies want UP govt to challenge Hashimpura court order

Written By Unknown on Rabu, 25 Maret 2015 | 22.44

LUCKNOW: Various Muslim organisations, including All India Muslim Personal Law Board, today asked the Uttar Pradesh government to challenge the verdict of a Delhi court in the 1987 Hashimpura massacre case in a higher court.

Additional sessions judge Sanjay Jindal in his March 21 judgement acquitted 16 Provincial Armed Constabulary personnel of charges related to the killing 42 Muslims who were picked up from a village in Meerut, giving them benefit of doubt for want of evidence.

Jamiat-Ulama-e-Hind would decide their strategy in their upcoming meeting on March 28 while the Shia Personal Law Board will take up the matter seriously at its meeting in the second week of April.

AIMPLB general secretary Maulana Nizamuddin alleged that the decision of the lower court, which came 28 years after the massacre, was a result of failure on the part of the state government.

He said the case should have been disposed of in four- five months but due to "lackadaisical attitude" of the government the case was dragged for 28 years.

The ruling Samajwadi Party, however, said it would take a decision whether to challenge the lower court order only after reading it thoroughly.

"We will go through the order and then only take a view," said Rajendra Choudhary, SP spokesperson.

Nizamuddin said though the lower court had acquitted all the accused, it had admitted there was a massacre in Hashimpura.

"The government should challenge the order in a higher court," he said.

Echoing similar views, spokesman of Shia Personal Law Board Maulana Yasoob Abbas said the court order has disappointed the family members of the victims.

"We will strongly take up the matter in our executive meeting likely to be held in the second week of next month," he said.

Jamiat-Ulama-e-Hind state chief Ashhad Rashidi also demanded that the government challenge the lower court order.

He said the government which itself accepts that only because of Muslim votes it came to power, it should strongly take up any matter pertaining to the community.

"The matter would be discussed in Jamiat's Ijlas-e-Aam (biennial conference) on March 28 in Lucknow," he added.

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Upgraded Mirage 2000s handed over to Indian Air Force

KOLKATA: The acceptance ceremony of the first two Indian Air Force (IAF) Mirage 2000 I/TI was held at Istres, Dassault Aviation's Flight Test Centre on Wednesday. Among those present were Arun K Singh, ambassador of India to France, Eric Trappier, chairman and CEO, Dassault Aviation and Pierre Eric Pommellet, executive vice president (defence mission systems), Thales.

Signing of the contract for upgrade of the IAF's Mirage 2000 fleet took place in July, 2011. The maiden flight of the first upgraded aircraft was completed successfully by Dassault Aviation on October 5, 2013. The equipment kit for the upgrade was provided by Thales and comprised radar, electronic warfare suite and mission computer.

"Today's ceremony highlights the excellent understanding between the Indian and French partners. India is Dassault Aviation's first export client and the historical relationship we developed with IAF spans 60 years. The Rafale has been chosen by India after a comprehensive selection process and exclusive negotiations are underway. The Rafale is the next logical step. Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd and other Indian companies will contribute to the 'Make in India' policy by developing and manufacturing the aircraft locally," Trappier said.

According to Pommellet, Thales has been operating in India since 1953 and employs 300 people across the country. "We are trusted partners of the Indian armed forces and have developed a strong local supply chain which helped us make the upgrade of the Mirage 2000 a true success. We hope to continue developing this teamwork in the future," he said.

The rest of IAF's Mirage 2000 aircraft will be upgraded in Bengaluru under the supervision of HAL with support from Dassault and Thales.

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2 upgraded Mirage 2000 handed over to India in France

KOLKATA: The acceptance ceremony of the first two Indian Air Force (IAF) Mirage 2000 I/TI was held at Istres, Dassault Aviation's Flight Test Centre on Wednesday. Among those present were Arun K Singh, ambassador of India to France, Eric Trappier, chairman and CEO, Dassault Aviation and Pierre Eric Pommellet, executive vice president (defence mission systems), Thales.

Signing of the contract for upgrade of the IAF's Mirage 2000 fleet took place in July, 2011. The maiden flight of the first upgraded aircraft was completed successfully by Dassault Aviation on October 5, 2013. The equipment kit for the upgrade was provided by Thales and comprised radar, electronic warfare suite and mission computer.

"Today's ceremony highlights the excellent understanding between the Indian and French partners. India is Dassault Aviation's first export client and the historical relationship we developed with IAF spans 60 years. The Rafale has been chosen by India after a comprehensive selection process and exclusive negotiations are underway. The Rafale is the next logical step. Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd and other Indian companies will contribute to the 'Make in India' policy by developing and manufacturing the aircraft locally," Trappier said.

According to Pommellet, Thales has been operating in India since 1953 and employs 300 people across the country. "We are trusted partners of the Indian armed forces and have developed a strong local supply chain which helped us make the upgrade of the Mirage 2000 a true success. We hope to continue developing this teamwork in the future," he said.

The rest of IAF's Mirage 2000 aircraft will be upgraded in Bengaluru under the supervision of HAL with support from Dassault and Thales.

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Hooda government favoured Vadra in land deals: CAG

CHANDIGARH: The CAG has blamed Haryana's previous Congress government led by then chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda for showing undue favours to Robert Vadra, the son-in-law of Congress president Sonia Gandhi, in his multi-million rupee controversial land deal with realty giant DLF.

Vadra's company, Skylight Hospitality, sold a prime 3.5 acre piece of land in Manesar in Gurgaon district to DLF in 2008 for Rs 58 crore. The land had, however, only cost his company around Rs 15 crore and was sold to DLF after obtaining change of land use (CLU) and other permissions from the Hooda government.

READ ALSO: CAG may table report on Vadra land deal today

The Comptroller and Auditor General report, tabled in the Haryana assembly on Tuesday, said that the "possibility of extending undue benefit to particular applicant (Vadra's company) cannot be ruled out". It has also questioned the "distinction" made by the Hooda government for Vadra's company in giving permissions.

The Hooda government, on its part, had obliged Vadra with quick sanction of the permissions required.

Senior bureaucrat Ashok Khemka had ordered the scrapping of the land deal, saying that it was illegal.

The controversy became a national issue with opposition parties alleging that the then Congress government was doing everything to help Vadra in his controversial land deals in the National Capital Region (NCR)and areas around Delhi.

READ ALSO: Airports take Robert Vadra off no-frisking list

Vadra had bought land in four districts of Gurgaon, Palwal, Faridabad and Mewat in Haryana adjoining Delhi.

Alleging that Vadra's land deals caused loss of crores of rupees to the state exchequer, Khemka marked a probe into all land deals of Vadra and his companies since 2005. But the Hooda government gave Vadra a clean chit and instead charge sheeted Khemka for his actions.

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Biggest diplomatic event: India-Africa summit from October 26

NEW DELHI: India will host its largest diplomatic outreach programme with Africa from October 26, inviting leaders of all 54 States in the region, 10 months after it had cancelled the event due to Ebola scare.

The five day-long third "India-Africa Summit" is expected to be attended by nearly 1000 delegates including heads of government, ministers, government officials, business leaders and others.

While the meeting between the heads of the government and states will take place on October 29, it will be preceded by the rounds of interactions between the ministers and the senior officials.

On October 30, bilateral meetings are being scheduled, Navtej Sarna, secretary (west), told reporters here.

When asked how many confirmations the government has received, he said invitations were being sent out at three levels - head of the government, foreign minister and senior officials- and responses will come thereafter.

Earlier, the summit was to take place in December but was cancelled due to Ebola outbreak in that continent.

With the government expecting big number of delegates for the summit, it was logistically difficult given the public health guidelines to manage, the spokesperson in the external affairs ministry had said.

The deadly Ebola virus that hit the region last year has killed thousands of people in several African countries. The UN security council had also declared the outbreak of the Ebola virus in West Africa a "threat to international peace and security".

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86.6 per cent more civilian casualties in JK in 2014: MHA

Written By Unknown on Selasa, 24 Maret 2015 | 22.44

NEW DELHI: Jammu and Kashmir has witnessed 86.66 per cent more casualties of civilians and 30.58 per cent increase in terror incidents in 2014 in comparison to the previous year.

According to the 2014-15 annual report of the Home Ministry, there were 224 incidents of violence in Jammu and Kashmir in 2014 in comparison to 170 incidents in 2013.

28 civilians were killed in 2014 in comparison to 15 civilian deaths in 2013. A total of 110 terrorists were killed last year in comparison to 67 in 2013.

"The ongoing militancy in Jammu and Kashmir is intrinsically linked with infiltration of terrorists from across the border both from the International Border as well as the Line of Control," the report said.

The Home Ministry said in its annual report that during 2014 the internal security situation in the country, with special reference to terrorism, militancy and insurgency, showed "significant improvement" as there were only three "minor" terrorist incidents in the hinterland--Chennai, Burdwan (West Bengal) and Bengaluru where altogether four people lost their lives.

Referring to Maoist violence, the Home Ministry said that 309 people lost their lives in 1090 incidents of Naxal violence in 2013 in comparison to 397 deaths in 1136 incidents in 2014.

"The CPI(Maoist) continues to remain the most dominant and violent Left Wing Extremism group, accounting for more than 80 per cent of the violence and the killings," the report said.

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21 more succumb to swine flu; No of cases touches 33K mark

NEW DELHI: Swine flu claimed the lives of 21 more persons taking the toll to 1947 and the number of people affected by the H1N1 virus across the country inched towards the 33,000-mark.

According to the health ministry data collated as on March 23, the disease has killed 1,947 people while 32,663 persons have been affected by it across various states.

Seven fresh cases of swine flu have been reported in Telangana, where 75 people succumbed to the H1N1 virus so far since January, state officials said.

Meanwhile, one more person has succumbed to swine flu in Rajasthan, raising the toll due to the H1N1 virus to 403 in the state since January one this year, a state official said.

The Union health ministry data said that in Gujarat, which is one of the worst-affected states, the swine flu toll has climbed to 415 while the number of affected persons was 6,417.

The casualty figure in Maharashtra stands at 360 and the state has seen 4,194 people having contracted the H1N1 virus while there have been 286 swine flu deaths in Madhya Pradesh with 2,120 persons being affected.

Uttarakhand has registered 12 casualties while in Punjab, the disease has claimed 53 lives.

The toll in West Bengal has risen to to 24 while one more death took has taken the toll to 37 in Uttar Pradesh. Jammu and Kashmir has seen 16 swine flu fatalities.

In Delhi, the toll has risen to 12 with the number of affected persons at 4,158.

In Kerala, the death toll has reached 12 while 16 people have died in Tamil Nadu where a fresh casualty was reported.

Andhra Pradesh has seen 22 swine flu fatalities while 20 people have died in Himachal Pradesh.

Haryana has witnessed 49 swine flu deaths with the disease having killed 20 people in Chhattisgarh.

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Puducherry man who was booked under Section 66A of IT Act hails Supreme Court verdict

PUDUCHERRY: "I feel relieved and happy," said S Ravi on Tuesday reacting to the Supreme Court order that scrapped the controversial Section 66A of the Information Technology Act.

Ravi, a volunteer of the erstwhile India Against Corruption (IAC) and the secretary of Puducherry unit of Aam Aadmi Party presently, was charged by the Puducherry police under Section 66A for his tweets on Karti Chidambaram, son of former Union finance minister P Chidambaram, in October 2012.

His had tweeted that Karti amassed more wealth than All India Congress Committee chairperson Sonia Gandhi's son-in-law Robert Vadra.

He tweeted: 'Got the report that Karti chidambaram (Union minister P Chidambaram's son) has amassed more wealth than vadra (UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi's son in law)'.

In another tweet, he declared that 'as a Tamilian I am feeling bad to have sent an arrogant P Chidambaram to national politics'.

Karti lodged a complaint against Ravi following which Ravi was picked up from his house in Puducherry on the morning of October 30, 2012. He was produced before a judicial magistrate and released on bail the same day.

Ravi recalled that policemen, who kept him under custody until evening, were not even aware of the existence of the micro-blogging site. But they told him he was detained for unnecessarily 'troubling' an influential person.

"I feel vindicated," he said. "Freedom of speech in the country has been restored. People can now use social media for a good cause," he added.

Ravi filed a petition before the chief judicial magistrate court in Puducherry about six months ago praying the court to quash the charges filed against him under Section 66A.

"Prima facie the case against me is not tenable," he said.

The police have filed a counter, and the next hearing will be held on March 27.

"Mine is a classic case of misuse of power. I was pretty confident that I have committed no wrong and can prove my innocence," he said.

READ ALSO: Despite Karti episode, Chidambaram welcomes scrapping of Section 66 of IT Act

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PM Modi to attend Singapore's first Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew's funeral

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will attend the funeral of Singapore's first Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew on March 29.

Lee, 91, died of severe pneumonia yesterday. The Prime Minister will be attending the funeral of Lee on March 29, the Spokesperson in the External Affairs Ministry said.

In his condolence message, Modi had said, "A far-sighted statesman and a lion among leaders, Lee Kuan Yew's life teaches valuable lessons to everyone. News of his demise is saddening.

"In this hour of bereavement, our prayers are with Mr. Lee Kuan Yew's family and the people of Singapore. May his soul rest in peace."

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Pakistan Day row: VK Singh offers to resign

NEW DELHI: Union minister of state for foreign affairs Gen VK Singh has offered to resign from the government on Tuesday, Times Now reported quoting "top sources". This follows the controversy after Singh attended the Pakistan National Day celebrations at the Pakistani high commission in New Delhi on Monday.

Top Kashmiri separatists including pro-Pakistan militant supporters like Syed Ali Shah Geelani and Yasin Malik attended the event.

Singh, who was in the party for just a few minutes, didn't appear comfortable while sitting next to Pakistani high commissioner Basit Ali.

After returning, Singh tweeted with the hashtag "DISGUST".

Speaking to Times Now news channel, VK Singh, who is a former Army chief, made it clear that he was representing the government at the function.

He said the Hurriyat Conference had been attending the event for the past about 20 years.

"For the last 20 years, Hurriyat (has been) part of Pakistan National Day (function). Has it happened for the first time?" he asked.

He said the government nominates a person for such events.

READ ALSO: VK Singh expresses 'disgust' after attending Pakistan Day event

"The government nominated a person to attend. There is full stop after that. The government takes (such a decision) for all national days of all embassies (in India)," he said.

"There is diplomatic civility involved in it. Where is the question of questioning such things?" he said.

The minister later said his attending the function was part of "diplomatic civility", and wondered what the brouhaha was about.

When Singh was accosted by reporters on Monday on why he attended an event at which separatist leaders were honoured guests, the minister said he had been asked to do so.

"The government of India has to send an MoS (minister of state). They sent me and I went there and came back," he said.

Congress leader Manish Tewari said leaders have in the past refused to attend Pakistani events.

Tewari tweeted: "If Mr#duty#Disgust is so disgusted with double standards of his government on Pakistan he should quit? Other ministers in the past have refused to attend Pakistan events!"

Congress MP Shashi Tharoor in a column on the NDTV news website wrote: "The damage done by the tweets has to be seen in the context of what the Modi government seems to be doing on the Indo-Pak front."

"It has stretched out a conciliatory hand, sent the foreign secretary to Islamabad, downplayed the terrorist attacks a few days ago in Jammu and Kashmir, and the prime minister used the occasion of Pakistan's National Day yesterday (Monday) to declare his new-found faith in peace and dialogue with our most hostile neighbour," Tharoor wrote.

EAD ALSO: Modi writes to Sharif, says all issues can be resolved through dialogue

"If this is all part of a carefully calibrated opening to Islamabad, the last thing the government of India needs is for one of its own servants, an instrument of its policy, to undercut the policy he is supposed to help execute."

Tharoor wrote that the "tangled" India-Pakistan ties "need to be handled with finesse, subtlety, and yes, sometimes with insincerity. Pakistan is not the right place for a bull who carries his own china shop around with him".

Congress Rajya Sabha member Mani Shankar Aiyar, who also attended the Pakistan Day event, in a column on NDTV news website wrote that the Narendra Modi government was beginning to slowly reach out to Pakistan, despite the ceasefire violations on the border.

"Not only has the new foreign secretary been to Islamabad, Delhi is now beginning to walk the talk on dialogue."

"Instead of sending so graceless a representative, Modi should have ensured that we were more decently represented," he wrote.

(With inputs from IANS)

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You have ruined me: Mulayam to party workers on Lok Sabha poll debacle

Written By Unknown on Senin, 23 Maret 2015 | 22.44

LUCKNOW: SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav's pain over the humiliating defeat in Lok Sabha polls on Monday came to the fore as he told party workers that they poured cold water on his dreams of forming a government at the Centre.

Addressing party workers on the birth anniversary of socialist ideologue Ram Mahohar Lohia here, the former Union minister said, "You have let me down in the Lok Sabha polls. Had we won 40-45 seats, SP would have formed the government at the Centre and Congress would have supported us."

"You have ruined me," Yadav told the SP workers after inaugurating a conference hall in the name of Lohia at party headquarters here.

SP won only five seats out of 80 Lok Sabha seats in 2014 polls. Mulayam, his daughter-in-law Dimple Yadav, nephews Dharmendra Yadav and Akshay Yadav and grand nephew Tej Pratap Yadav had won the polls.

Apparently angry with interruptions due to raising of slogans by party workers, Yadav donning the role of a teacher, said that "sycophants" are aplenty in the party and he did not like such "indiscipline".

"You all should not raise slogans, I have earlier also told you. If you like anything you all can clap," Yadav said.

Asking the party workers to accept the challenge of forming a government in the state again, Yadav said that if party could not succeed in it, they would have to "suffer a lot."

Asking party workers to remain alert to the propaganda of opposition parties, Yadav said everyone would like to weaken the party by attacking it.

"The alternative of BJP in UP is not Congress but SP only. It is the biggest party and only it could fight with the BJP," said Yadav.


SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav with UP chief minister Akhilesh Yadav and others at a function on the occasion of 105th birth anniversary of Ram Manohar Lohia, in Lucknow. (PTI Photo)

He also asked party workers to read party's constitution and its manifesto.

"You all should read the party's constitution and manifesto of 2012 assembly polls. You should tell people what SP government has done and fulfilled all the promises it had made," Yadav said.

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Mentally challenged boy beaten up, his hand burnt in Tamil Nadu

DHARMAPURI: Two men tied a mentally challenged boy to a tree, beat him up and burned his right hand in a village in Tamil Nadu on suspicion that he had stolen a cellphone.

The incident, which happened at Velavelli in Dharmapuri on March 20, was brought to the notice of S Namburajan, state secretary of the Tamil Nadu Association for the Rights of All Types of Differently Abled and Caregivers, on Sunday.

The accused, P Raja (38) and his friend K Govindan (37) of the same village, beat the boy up when they found that Raja's cellphone was missing. They thought the boy stole it.

"They tied him to a tree and beat him up. Later, they burned his right hand," police said.

The boy was admitted to Government Medical College Hospital in Dharmapuri. Doctors who examined the boy said he suffered severe burn injuries on his right hand. "The boy has been referred to Kilpauk Medical College and Hospital in Chennai for further treatment," they said.

"The Palacode police registered a case under sections 294(b), 324 and 506(1) of the Indian Penal Code. These were all very simple sections, and the accused can be granted bail easily. Instead of registering the case under these simple sections, we want the police to register the case under 326 and 506(2) of the IPC. This is a heinous crime," Namburajan said.

He said he had already informed chief secretary Apurva Varma about the crime.

When contacted by TOI, Dharmapuri superintendent of police J Loganathan said he had ordered the Palacode police to intensify investigations. "We have waited for the doctor's opinion. We have registered a case under various sections of the IPC and arrested the accused after investigation. The sections will be altered based on the medical report," he added.

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Mentally challenged boy in Tamil Nadu beaten up, hand burnt

DHARMAPURI: Two men tied a mentally challenged boy to a tree, beat him up and burned his right hand in a village in Tamil Nadu on suspicion that he had stolen a cellphone.

The incident, which happened at Velavelli in Dharmapuri on March 20, was brought to the notice of S Namburajan, state secretary of the Tamil Nadu Association for the Rights of All Types of Differently Abled and Caregivers, on Sunday.

The accused, P Raja (38) and his friend K Govindan (37) of the same village, beat the boy up when they found that Raja's cellphone was missing. They thought the boy stole it.

"They tied him to a tree and beat him up. Later, they burned his right hand," police said.

The boy was admitted to Government Medical College Hospital in Dharmapuri. Doctors who examined the boy said he suffered severe burn injuries on his right hand. "The boy has been referred to Kilpauk Medical College and Hospital in Chennai for further treatment," they said.

"The Palacode police registered a case under sections 294(b), 324 and 506(1) of the Indian Penal Code. These were all very simple sections, and the accused can be granted bail easily. Instead of registering the case under these simple sections, we want the police to register the case under 326 and 506(2) of the IPC. This is a heinous crime," Namburajan said.

He said he had already informed chief secretary Apurva Varma about the crime.

When contacted by TOI, Dharmapuri superintendent of police J Loganathan said he had ordered the Palacode police to intensify investigations. "We have waited for the doctor's opinion. We have registered a case under various sections of the IPC and arrested the accused after investigation. The sections will be altered based on the medical report," he added.

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PM pays tributes to martyrs at Jallianwala Bagh

AMRITSAR: Prime Minister Narendra Modi today paid floral tributes at a memorial at the Jallianwala Bagh, where British troops had opened fire on thousands of unarmed Indians in April 1919.

Modi reached Bagh, after paying obeisance at the nearby Golden temple this evening. He stopped by the Martyr's Well, which is located inside the premises of the Jallianwala Bagh.

The Well stands testimony to the brutal killings of innocent who had no way to save themselves from the bullets fired by the soldiers of British Army on the orders of Brigadier-General Reginald Dyer, forcing many of them to jump into it.

The bullets that hit the walls and structures in the Jallianwala Bagh have been preserved. A memorial, made from red stone, has been erected in the shape of a flame to commemorate the people who lost their lives.

Modi also went around the Martyrs Gallery in the Jallianwala Bagh, which showcases various pictures, paintings and artifacts that were gathered from the park after the massacre.

He also underook a Parikrama of the 'Amar Jyoti', flame that burns round-the-clock, and has been placed at the location where the people had gathered during the Baisakhi Day on April 13, 1919.

Modi was accompanied by Punjab Governor Kaptan Singh Solanki, Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, Union Minister and Bathinda MP Harsimrat Kaur, State BJP President Kamal Sharma, among others, spent nearly 20 minutes at Jallianwala Bagh.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/followceleb.cms?alias=Parkash Singh Badal,Narendra Modi,Martyrs Gallery,Jallianwala Bagh

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