I am sad about Gujarat riots, but have no guilt: Narendra Modi in biography

NEW DELHI: Narendra Modi says that he was "sad" about the 2002 Gujarat riots but has no guilt, and that no court has "come even close to establishing" it.

He has suffered 12 years of public "Modi-bashing" since the time of the riots but says that he had decided early on to "let the media do its work; there will be no confrontation".

"I never waste my time in confrontation", the BJP's prime ministerial candidate is quoted as saying in a just-published biography written by a British author and TV producer Andy Marino.

Marino says in the book "Narendra Modi; A Political Biography", published by Harper Collins, that he was given detailed access by Modi whom he accompanied aboard his helicopter during his campaign rallies and interviewed him over several weeks.

On 2002 riots, Modi says, "I feel sad about what happened but no guilt. And no court has come even close to establishing it."

The 310-page book deals with the riots in some detail with "hitherto unpublished, authenticated documents". It discloses that after the riots Modi wanted to resign as chief minister but was prevailed upon by the party to continue.

Marino says that the BJP strongman had confided in him "possibly for the first time in an on-the-record interview, that he no longer wanted to be the chief minister after the riots because he had decided it was unfair on the people of the state who had been subjected to extreme abuse because of him".

Narendra Modi had resolved to step down at the BJP National Executive in Panaji on April 12, 2002, about a month after the post-Godhra riots.

The largely-adulatory book quotes Modi as having told the Panaji conclave, "I want to speak on Gujarat. From the party's point of view this is a grave issue.

"There is a need for a free and frank discussion. To enable this, I wish to place my resignation before this body. It is time we decided what direction the party and the country should take from this point onwards."

The chief minister told the biographer, "I wanted to leave this position but my party was not ready to leave me, the people of Gujarat were not ready to leave me, this situation is what I had (to deal with).

"It was not up to me. And I was not ready to go against party discipline; I don't want to fight against my party. What my leaders say, I must follow it."

Modi provides some details of how he handled the situation in the aftermath of the attack on a train carrying mostly 'kar sevaks' from Ayodhya in the early hours of February 27, 2002 in which 59 people were burnt alive.

He says that after he had returned from Godhra to Gandhinagar late at night, "I informally asked my officers to alert the Army". He was told that the Army was at the border because there was tension between India and Pakistan after the attack on Parliament.

The book states that Modi had appealed to his counterparts in three neighbouring states, Ashok Ghelot in Rajasthan, Vilasrao Deshmukh in Maharashtra and Digvijaya Singh in Madhya Pradesh, to send aid in the form of law enforcement and para-military personnel. He sought 10 companies of armed police from each state. While Maharashtra had sent a very limited number of personnel to help, the other two states had quietly refused, it says.

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Single window clearance by Election Commission in Chhattisgarh

RAIPUR: The Election Commission of India has decided to provide "single window' facility to political parties and candidates seeking approvals for undertaking various activities, including rallies and public meetings, during campaigning.

This was disclosed by Sudhir Tripathi, Deputy CEO, Election Commission on Tuesday, who said clearances for all activities, including permission for use of helicopters, organising rallies and public meetings, traffic clearance approvals and permissions for using public land, would be provided within 36 hours at the respective district offices. Tripathi said the process would simplify the procedure and provide ease to candidates contesting polls.

Tripathi said the ECI has also decided to provide candidates the "optional facility" for filing e-affidavits. This facility would come handy for preventing rejections in case certain columns/questions in the prescribed affidavit are left blank, he added.

He said the EC has received several complaints about misuse of the duplicate voter slips issued in case of complaint of missing/lost. He said to avoid this, the distribution of voter slip would be completed five days before the polling day and in case slips are left, they would be available at the booths.

Earlier, Tripathi held a meeting today with the CEO and representatives of various political parties, including BJP, Congress, BSP and CPI. Senior officials of police and administration were also present at the meeting.

He said during the meeting Congress leaders raised the issue of four police officers who have been posted at sensitive positions for long tenures. "We are looking into all the issues raised by the Congress and have sought factual reports from our staff", he said.

Tripathi said they had also received the complaints about distribution of liquor and money and they had asked their officials to take necessary action to curb it. "We have observers in flying squads, who are keeping a close eye on such mischievous activities", he added.

Meanwhile talking to TOI, DD Singh, Joint Chief Electoral Officer said the revenue department has been given a nod for distributing relief payments to farmers whose crops were destroyed due to rains.

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BJP appoints M J Akbar as national spokesperson

NEW DELHI: Senior journalist M J Akbar, who joined BJP only three days ago, was on Tuesday appointed as the party's national spokesperson.

Akbar, a Congress MP from Kishanganj in Bihar between 1989 and 1991, was appointed national spokesman by BJP chief Rajnath Singh. He was also a Congress party spokesperson in 1989 ahead of Lok Sabha polls.

Rajnath Singh also appointed Arun Singh as in charge of the party's affairs in Odisha where assembly elections are also being held along with Lok Sabha elections.

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Rahul promises to implement Right to Health if UPA govt returns to power

KOROIMURA, TRIPURA: Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday said if a third UPA government is installed at the Centre, Right to Health will be implemented in the country to ensure good health for all.

"It is one of our promises that people's Right to Health will be ensured if the third UPA government comes to power. We have ensured food security for all and MGNREGA to ensure employment. Now we have to implement people's right to health," Gandhi said while addressing a public gathering here.

He said women in the country needs to be properly empowered for a strong nation.

"We have empowered women up to some extent by introducing the panchayati raj system. We need to do more. We are trying to bring the women leadership in our party to the fore," he said.

Criticizing the Tripura government for not being able to provide safety and security to women, Rahul said, "Women in Tripura are the most tortured in the country. They are intimidated, molested and gang raped, but do not get proper redressal."

He said the Autonomous District Councils for protecting and safeguarding tribals would be more powerful because the Union Home Ministry has approved greater autonomy for them.

"I will always stand in Delhi like a sepoy (sentry) to help any tribal who face any problem," Rahul said.

He said communism was abolished in Russia, West Bengal and Kerala but only exists in Tripura.

"They should be ousted soon. Not only they, but their ideology of partisan system and showing nepotism to the relatives of their leaders and cadres. Communism is an old thought," the Congress vice-president said.

He also criticized the Left Front government in Tripura for not implementing a pay scale for state government employees at par with the central government and misuse of central funds.

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Alagiri hardens stand, to take expulsion from DMK issue to court

MADURAI: Undeterred by the party's decision expelling him, a belligerent M K Alagiri on Tuesday alleged it was taken under "threat" and he would face the issue legally as he asserted he and his supporters continued to be members of the party.

"The decision to dismiss me from the party was not taken by the party president independently. He has succumbed to pressure. I know our friend who threatened the DMK chief. I also know who helped the friend. You will also come to know about it shortly," he told reporters here.

Indicating that he was in no mood to accept the expulsion, Alagiri, who was the DMK's South Zone organizing secretary, said he had decided to face the issue legally.

"I will file a case... As per party rules, if a member is suspended, he has to be issued a notice. But I was not given an opportunity to explain my position," he said hours after Karunanidhi announced the decision to expel him for continuing to be critical of the party even after suspension.

"Just because I have been dismissed from the party, it does not mean we will leave the party or quit the party... Whether they dismiss me or not, myself and my party supporters are DMK members. That nobody can change," he said.

He also said (Anna) Arivalayam, the DMK headquarters in Chennai, was a trust property. "It is built out of our hard work. It is equally our property."

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Ignored Tollywood stars find a pillar in BJP to lean on

HYDERABAD: Film actors who are feeling lost at being ignored this election season are making a beeline to the Bharatiya Jana Party (BJP) to assuage their egos. Last week, actor Pawan Kalyan met Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi and on Monday, actor Nagarjuna met him in Ahmedabad. If Tollywood sources are to be believed, comedian Brahmanandam who is said to be nursing political ambitions may well be on the plane next to meet the BJP's prime ministerial candidate.

This is the first time ever that the Telugu film industry is feeling neglected. Several years ago, it was Rajiv Gandhi who took the initiative to get film stars from Andhra Pradesh to join the party and actors like Krishna and Jamuna took the plunge. Subsequently, it was the TDP which wooed film artistes to support it while some went into the BJP fold. During the 2004 elections, an entourage of film actors campaigned for the Telugu Desam but N Chandrababu Naidu could not come back to power.

Y S Rajasekhara Reddy of the Congress took no interest in film stars and completely ignored them. The Congress has continued the legacy and is not showing much interest in film stars. This time, even Chandrababu Naidu has remained quite indifferent to film stars. The result: Tollywood stars are looking only to the BJP to pamper them.

Actress Jaya Pradha wanted to make a comeback to state politics but neither the TDP with which she was formerly associated, nor the Congress were excited about her. After partying ways with Mulayam Singh Yadav's Samajwadi Party (SP), Jaya Pradha and Amar Singh have now aligned themselves with the Rashtriya Lok Dal of Ajit Singh.

On August 11, 2013 when Narendra Modi came to Hyderabad, local BJP leaders got several Tollywood stars to meet him at a hotel. Those who met Modi included actor Balakrishna, brother-in-law of TDP president N Chandrababu Naidu, D Rama Naidu's grandson, actor Rana, actor Suman, producer C Kalyan, director V Raghavendra Rao, producer Ashok Kumar, music director M M Keeravani, actor Murali Mohan, actor Mohan Babu and his two sons Manoj and Vishnu, and daughter Lakshmi.

Out of those who met Modi, Balakrishna and Murali Mohan belong to the TDP and are expected to contest on the party's ticket. The others have not been in active politics. Mohan Babu who was once associated with the TDP and fell out with Naidu was away from politics but is now expected to join the BJP bandwagon, it is learnt.

Actor Krishnam Raju who had earlier been a union minister in the BJP government had stayed away from politics but during the 2009 polls joined the Praja Rajya Party (PRP) of Chiranjeevi. He contested the polls and lost. Now, he has come back to the BJP fold.

Actor Jeevitha and her husband Rajasekhar were with the Congress but came out of it when Chiranjeevi merged his PRP it. They subsequently joined Y S Jaganmohan Reddy but distanced themselves from him for being neglected. They also lambasted him in public levelling allegations of corruption. The couple then met N Chandrababu Naidu but for some reasons were not able to join the TDP. Recently, Jeevitha joined the BJP.

Comedian Babu Mohan who was with the TDP in the past and had also been a minister during Naidu's rule has now quit the party at being ignored. Unlike in the past when he went out of his way to woo film stars, Chandrababu Naidu is ignoring Tollywood personalities. In fact, during the 2009 elections itself, he gave the short shrift to Jr NTR, son of Harikrishna. Feeling slighted by Naidu, N T Rama Rao's grandson, gave up campaigning for the TDP midway and came back to Hyderabad from the districts.

In recent days, comedians Ali and Venu Madhav met Chandrababu Naidu but they were not given any positive indications by Naidu that the TDP would field them in the ensuing elections. Both the actors were said to be keen on getting a TDP ticket to contest the polls.

Actress Jayasudha who represents the Secunderabad assembly constituency was at one time contemplating to leave the Congress and join the YSR CP of Y S Jaganmohan Reddy. She, however, refrained and stayed back in the Congress. Actress Roja, however, has stuck to the YSR CP because she had quit the TDP to join the Congress under Y S Rajasekhara Reddy, who died before she could formally join the party.

Another big hero Mahesh Babu has been apolitical but this time, he is expected to lend his support to his brother-in-law Jay Galla who will be contesting on a TDP ticket. Mahesh Babu will restrict his support only to his brother-in-law and not campaign for the TDP as such. Overall, Tollywood has found in the BJP a pillar to lean on.

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Withdraw instruction to make Aadhaar mandatory: SC to Centre

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Monday directed the Centre to immediately withdraw the instruction, if any, issued by it for making Aadhaar card mandatory for citizens to avail government services.

"If there are any instructions that Aadhaar is mandatory, it should be withdrawn immediately" a bench of justices B S Chauhan and J Chelameswar said while staying the order of the Goa bench of the Bombay high court directing sharing of data collected for issuing Aadhaar card to citizens with CBI for solving a rape case.

The bench said biometric or any other data should not be shared with any authorities unless the accused gives consent in writing.

The probe agency had sought the data base, including biometrics of persons from Goa, so that those could be compared with the ones obtained from the crime scene for the purpose of investigating rape of a minor girl in a school premises in Vasco.

The apex court had in its September 2013 interim order said Aadhaar card be not (not) made mandatory for people for availing government services and nobody should be deprived of such facilities for want of the card.

The bench passed the order on a petition filed by the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) challenging the high court order which asked it to consider sharing biometric data collected from people with CBI in order to help the investigating agency solve a rape case in Vasco.

The high court had in an February 26 interim order directed the director general, Central Forensic and Scientific Laboratory (CFSL), New Delhi, to appoint an expert to ascertain if its data base has the technological capability for matching the chance fingerprints electronically obtained.

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INS Sumedha arrives Visakhapatnam from Goa

PANAJI: INS Sumedha, the latest induction into the Indian Navy, arrived here on Sunday, after being commissioned at Goa Shipyard Limited on March 7 by Vice Admiral Anil Chopra, Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Eastern Naval Command.

Sumedha is the third ship of the indigenous new-generation offshore patrol vessel (NOPV) project to be inducted into the Indian Navy, and the first to join the Eastern Fleet. Designed and built at the Goa Shipyard Limited, the ship demonstrates the immense potential of the country's indigenous ship building capability, said the Navy.

The primary role of the ship is EEZ surveillance, anti-piracy patrols, fleet support operations, maritime security to off-shore assets and escort operations for high value assets. The ships weapon and sensor outfit includes a SRGM 76.2 mm gun, close in weapon systems, latest navigational and early warning radars and an integrated ESM system, an official release here on Sunday stated.

The ship is also equipped with two rigid inflatable fast motorboats and is capable of carrying a helicopter on board. The ship is propelled by two of the largest diesel engines of their type to be inducted in the Indian Navy and is capable of achieving high speeds. The entire propulsion and power management of the ship is controlled electronically by an automatic power management system, the release added.

INS Sumedha is commanded by Commander Anand E Kulkarni, a gunnery specialist, and is manned by a crew of nine officers and about 100 sailors.

On arrival at Visakhapatnam, the ship was accorded a warm reception by senior officers of the Command and families of the crew. The ship will now form a part of the Eastern Fleet and will augment the off-shore surveillance and maritime capability off the eastern seaboard.

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Gujarat model is based on exploitation: CPM

NEW DELHI: CPM on Monday alleged the so-called Gujarat model of development and claim of being riot-fee is based on "big lies" mantra of the Nazi propaganda.

Releasing two booklets - Defeat BJP, Defend Secularism and No To the Gujarat Model - based on NSSO data and census records, politburo member Brinda Karat and CPM Gujarat secretary Arun Mehta said Gujarat model is based on exploitation. "The so-called Gujarat model is based on cheap labour and its exploitation, very low expenditure on consumption, very high malnutrition, very high school dropout rates and very low expenditure on education and healthcare," she said. Karat also said there is no Modi wave in the country and BJP's prime ministerial candidate is just getting desperate.

"Their desperation shows in their actions. They are not only annoying and disappointing their own senior leaders but also giving tickets to those who have been chargesheeted in the Muzaffarnagar riots cases and attracting people like Amit Shah, who is accused in an encounter killing case, and the likes of Pramod Muthalik (whose outfit was accused of molesting women in Mangalore)," she said.

Talking of development, Karat said, NSSO records shows the per capita consumption expenditure in rural areas of Gujarat showed that 90 per cent people spent only Rs 75 per day on food and essentials. She said the dropout rate is as high as 58 per cent, employment rate grew at 0.4 per cent, much less than the national average. "Narendra Modi and P Chidambaram are equal in terms of jobless growth. The so-called Gujarat model is only for the corporates and not the people," she said.

Mehta said a myth is being spread that there is 24-hour power supply in Gujarat. "In rural Gujarat power supply is not for more than six hours. Also, 1.21 lakh applications for power connection are pending for five years," he said. Even water supply, he said, is irregular. He gave out details of various cities like Rajkot, Gondal, Junagadh, Amreli, Fathehpura and others where water supply is either on alternate days or once a week. Mehta said thousands of kilometer of Narmada sub-canal has not been constructed. As for jobs, he said, for the post of 1500 block secretaries with a fixed salary of Rs 5000 per month, eight lakh applications came. "It was found that a BJP leader was involved in taking bribe ranging from Rs 10 lakh to Rs 15 lakh from applicants," he said.

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Not retiring from politics, Chidambaram says

SIVAGANGA: Union finance minister P Chidambaram on Monday denied reports that he would be retiring from politics, saying he was only giving way to youngsters to revive Congress and "rejuvenate" it.

"A section of press reports that I am going to retire from politics. I am not retiring...I am only giving way to the youngsters. Youth should be fielded to rejuvenate the party," he said.

While speaking at Pudukottai two days back, he had said he would step down from electoral politics and choose to serve the people following the path of Mahatma Gandhi.

Addressing a series of election meetings in his constituency here, he claimed that the main contestants in the coming Lok Sabha polls are Congress and BJP.

He recalled that former BJP leader and Prime Minister Vaypayee was a fair and a dignified man. "But his Government was not fair and dignified."

The Finance Minister then lashed out at BJP, saying the party was born out of "communal fanaticism" and was one of the faces of RSS, which did not have any woman leader in the organisation, nor any Muslim, Christian or Dalit.

Chidambaram also listed out the development activities initiated and implemented by the Congress-led UPA government, including expansion of NTC textile mills and Bhel unit.

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