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ASSEMBLY POLL '98
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May 9 Bina Ramani, husband, daughter get bail Home Minister Advani is believed to have summoned Delhi Lieutenant Governor Vijai Kapoor and asked him why they had not been arrested despite the various offences they are said to have committed. Soon after they were held under the Excise Act. Court reopens P J Kurien's sex scandal case A court in Idukki found the Congress chief whip in the dissolved Lok Sabha prima facie guilty in the sensational Suryanelli sex scandal. THE POLITICAL CIRCUS UP dissidents demand secret ballot to test Kalyan's strength One dissident told Rediff On The NeT, "The only condition on which we could relent is the removal of Kusum Rai and two others from the coveted positions given to them by the chief minister recently." Priyanka may contest election, says Azad The Congress general secretary said there is a strong demand from partymen, especially the youth, to bring Sonia Gandhi's daughter into the poll arena. 'Bharatiya bano, Bharatiya chuno' to be BJP slogan I&B Minister Pramod Mahajan said the party could not ignore Sonia Gandhi's foreign origins as an electoral issue. Flux in TN: ball is in Sonia's court The Congress has to choose between allying with the AIADMK and risking the antipathy of the huge block of uncommitted voters or going with the TMC and the smaller parties and losing out on Jayalalitha's vote bank. TMC to tie up with Congress Former finance minister P Chidambaram said the Congress-TMC-Left combine would form a secular government at the Centre. Lok Dal politician crosses over to Congress The Indian National Lok Dal suffered a jolt when former Haryana minister Om Parkash Sharma joined the Congress with his supporters. Gautami ready to contest polls The south Indian film actress had campaigned for the BJP in 1998. Dalwai was sacked, claims SP leader The feud in the Samajwadi Party's Maharashtra unit took a new turn with the Bombay chief saying Hussain Dalwai, who joined the Congress, was expelled for anti-party activities. Tushar Gandhi too may quit SP The party seems to be favouring the BJP, Mahatma Gandhi's great grandson said. Home secretary's transfer bodes ill for BJP The Centre would not have expected that the shunting of B P Singh to the health ministry would affect its poll prospects in Bihar. But the strong reaction that the transfer has evoked in Singh's home state indicates that BJP committed a faux pas. OTHER REPORTS Senior Pakistani journalist held as 'RAW spy' A dozen policemen stormed the house of The Friday Times editor Najam Sethi and took him into custody. He is being interrogated by the ISI. Indian Army to test T-90s in Thar desert According to the Russian defence ministry, which was reluctant to sell the ultra-modern tank to any foreign army, it is guaranteed absolute superiority in the world of armoury well into the next century. Prohibitory orders in UP town after riot Twenty rioters were arrested in Jais town of Rae Bareilly district in the aftermath of communal clashes in which mobs torched a police outpost and 10 houses. 12 militants shot dead in Kashmir Six of them were foreigners. A soldier was also among the 14 killed in the valley. Constitutional rights of minorities suppressed: NCM The panel says the gradual dilution of Article 30 "is the biggest reason" for the educational backwardness of the minorities. Buddhist settlement unearthed in Kashmir The settlement, found by a local farmer, is made mostly of baked terracotta tiles. "We unearthed tiles of various shapes and patterns. The motifs stamped on them are floral and of geometrical designs," says Mohammad Hussain Mukhdoomi, deputy director, archaeology, archives and museums. Just one Mother's Day isn't enough 'I don't want to be relegated to the background and brought out for one day, dusted, applauded and put back on the shelf,' says Sonia Chopra. 3 killed in missile strike on Chinese embassy in Belgrade External Affairs Minister Jaswant Singh deplored the NATO strike, saying "the latest incident resulting in the loss of innocent human lives only confirms that the fundamentals of NATO's new approach are very wrong." THE REDIFF INTERVIEW 'Families are dying out, and we need to give youngsters hope. Today, the big problem is not Y2K but H2K - Hope 2000' 'Indians like to believe they are a non-violent people. It is not the truth. India may not have the gun culture of the US, but we have a knife culture, and a culture of attacking individuals.' Pyschiatrist Achal Bhagat analyses the causes of the growing violence in urban Indian society. THE REDIFF COLUMNS Divided they stand Chief Minister Kalyan Singh, belonging to an other backward class, refuses to bend before thakurs and brahmins. It seems that Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Lal Kishenchand Advani have given up on bringing order to the UP unit. Capital Buzz. Gossip from the Delhi Durbar. The view from the drain 'Our value system is crumbling. For most, the dividing line between right and wrong, moral and immoral, has ceased to exist. How to redraw the line is the real challenge,' says Kuldip Nayar. May 8 Manu Sharma sent to police custody for 5 days The accused refused to be presented at a test identification parade. His lawyers pleaded strenuously for bail, but it was denied. THE POLITICAL CIRCUS Top SP leaders of Maharashtra join Congress State Samajwadi Party president Hussain Dalwai accused Mulayam Singh Yadav of conniving with the "communal" BJP and going "on the path of Mr George Fernandes instead of following the philosophy of Dr Lohia". Renuka Choudhary joins Congress She said she had taken the decision after a year's introspection because the TDP had changed its colour from yellow to saffron. 36 BJP legislators in UP threaten to quit In a bid to force the party to replace Kalyan Singh as chief minister, 33 MLAs and three MLCs gave their resignations to Kushabhau Thakre and gave him one week's time to resolve the matter. Congress-Jaya alliance in the offing Tamil Nadu's Congress president Tindivanam K Ramamurthy today indicated that his party would go in for an alliance with the AIADMK while TMC president G K Moopanar said his party would wait for the Congress high command to take a decision on the question of alliances in Tamil Nadu. Fernandes, Jaswant clarify stand on transfers to CEC The Congress and the Communists had urged President K R Narayanan and the Election Commission to intervene, saying a caretaker government has no authority to effect such transfers. Congress campaign will cost Mulayam dear The party's new strategy to launch a frontal attack on the Samajwadi Party chief by accusing him of being hand in glove with the BJP may hurt him. NTR's second daughter may join politics Daggubati Purandeswari will campaign for her brother Harikrishna's Anna-TDP, party sources claimed. Sonia blasts BJP The Congress president said the BJP's double-speak was evident from the Sangh Parivar leaders' contradictory statements. MGP in the grip of an identity crisis The party that ruled Goa for 17 years after liberation is today hobnobbing with both the Congress and the BJP to forge a poll alliance, but neither seems receptive to the idea. OTHER REPORTS 11 more succumb to the heat Five deaths were reported in Uttar Pradesh, four in Madhya Pradesh and two in Orissa. Conversions may have led to Staines murder, missionary tells Wadhwa panel John Mathai said there was constant hostility between Christians and non-Christians in Orissa's Keonjhar district. Woman found hanging in AP police station The state government ordered a judicial inquiry and suspended two constables in Vijayawada's all-woman police station. Only 11 of 24 bus accident victims identified "How shall I live without them? It's all over. I have lost everything," sobbed Amiyangshu Ghosh, who lost his entire family -- son, daughter and wife. Pakistani stance on CTBT 'not linked to India's' Islamabad will keep its options open, a Pakistan foreign ministry spokesman said. Size doesn't matter! 'I was shocked to see people hanging out of the morning bus to Tuticorin. It was normally not so crowded. I squeezed in. And to think I left Bombay because of the crowds!' Tuticorin Diary. 21 hours on top of the world A Sherpa today completed 21 hours on the 8,848m summit of Mount Everest, setting what is probably a record for the longest stay atop the world's tallest mountain. THE REDIFF SPECIAL Bina Ramani, 'hostess with the mostest' 'Before Bina, there was no figure in Indian society circles, with perhaps the exception of Maharani Gayatri Devi, who was even known internationally.' THE REDIFF INTERVIEW 'Journalists just hate anyone like me who is prominent' "The god within me is very strong. I am so glad that the killer [Manu Sharma aka Siddharth Vashisht] has been caught. I don't know him at all, but I remember his face. And I will identify him," says socialite Bina Ramani. THE REDIFF COLUMNS Y2K Godmen, and the bite of a toothless bug 'David Koresh and Chandraswami aren't really the pathetic stories of the day. The real horror lies in the following they are able to attract. Far too many people in the world are easily lulled into a vision of the world that completely contradicts the evidence of their senses,' says Ashwin Mahesh. What's sauce for Gamang is sauce for Gandhi 'No matter what shifty argument the Congress puts forward, why did the Election Commission give in? Why has it made Gamang's chosen seat an exception to the rule? If the governance of Orissa is important, why is it acceptable to deprive the whole country of a full-fledged government for six months?' asks T V R Shenoy.  Karnataka: SC orders setting up of Cauvery riot relief authority THE WEATHER More showers in South India Rain or thundershowers are likely at many places in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Kerala and Lakshadweep. May 7 Manu Sharma, wanted in model's murder, surrenders Sharma had been absconding since Jessica Lal's murder in the small hours of April 30. He will be produced before a magistrate in Delhi tomorrow after interrogation. THE POLITICAL CIRCUS DMK, BJP proximity rewrites TN's political landscape With the PMK shedding its reservations to team up with the DMK, and the MDMK too agreeing to work with its parent organisation, the evolving BJP-led coalition has a greater chance of sweeping the poll in Tamil Nadu than any other. Congress urges President to restrain government A memorandum submitted to K R Narayanan said any act of the government that bolsters the electoral prospects of the ruling coalition will cause incalculable harm to democracy. CWC to decide on poll alliances Sharad Pawar said the Congress would prefer to go it alone, but as the situation stands "we will have to go in that direction [towards forging alliances] to achieve success". BSP to have no truck with Congress or BJP The party, however, may tie up with the Communists and the Janata Dal in some states. Congress fears Naxalite threat The party has sought adequate police protection for its leaders touring various districts during electioneering, especially in Telangana. OTHER REPORTS Bengal bus accident toll revised to 24 Earlier, 62 persons were feared to have been killed. "But we found that the bus had not been boarded to full capacity," Inspector-General of Police Prasun Mukherjee said. Farooq's aide shot dead The murder of Ghulam Hassan Bhat, considered a serious setback to the National Conference in south Kashmir, has triggered panic among party workers. Jagir Kaur to clean up SGPC's act She said all major gurdwaras, educational institutions and hospitals controlled by the organisation would be computerised to make their functioning transparent. Navy to auction Vikrant Had the project of turning the aircraft carrier into a museum taken off, it would have been the first of its kind in Asia and a magnet for tourists. Now, anyone with Rs200 million can buy the ship as scrap. Alang shipyard workers flee 'Doomsday' The world-famous ship-breaking yard in Gujarat's Bhavnagar district is deserted as thousands of workers have fled to their native places in Uttar Pradesh, Orissa, Bihar and other states following rumours of 'doom' befalling the area on May 8. Congress shows interest in CTBT The party said it is ready to discuss with the government the question of signing the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty if there is a time limit for its approval. THE REDIFF COLUMNS Divided loyalties 'Mrs Indira Gandhi was the only man in the party. No matter the harm she did to India's political institutions and to Punjab, she had the balls to go nuclear, to asunder Bangladesh from Pakistan, and to stare the US squarely in its arrogant face. What a woman,' says Varsha Bhosle. Whatever happened to Hindutva? 'Would things have been different if the party had had the guts to stick by Vajpayee in the '80s? Would it have come to power much earlier? And would we have been spared the communal tension of the '90s?' wonders Vir Sanghvi. Arunachal Pradesh: Cabinet expanded Tamil Nadu: Panel submits report on Coimbatore riots THE WEATHER South in for heavy showers Heavy rains are also likely at isolated places in Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura and Rayalaseema. May 6 THE POLITICAL CIRCUS Goans to elect new government on June 4 The highlight of the election will be the use of electronic voting machines in all the 40 constituencies. DMK thinking of joint assembly, LS polls According to the pro-election section, the party should capitalise on the current wave in the state, "which is as much anti-Jayalalitha as it is pro-BJP". By doing so, it will not only get another five-year term in Fort St George, but also inflict a mortal wound on arch rival AIADMK. BJP 'sympathy wave' sweeping across TN But with the election being held only in late September, the outcome may depend more on the alignments caste-based sub-regional parties strike with the bigger fronts. Thackeray opposes plan to combine assembly, LS poll Chief Minister Narayan Rane favoured the move as he believes the situation is favourable for the alliance. But he had left the final decision to the high command. Janata Dal to contest few seats The party will finalise its electoral strategy after the proposed national executive meeting on May 24 and 25. OTHER REPORTS 10 militants killed in encounter in Kashmir Ten terrorists and a security force jawan were among 12 persons killed while one terrorist was arrested and another surrendered to the authorities. Pakistan denies 'controversial remark' on J&K Foreign Secretary Shamshad Ahmed was quoted as saying that Islamabad was ready to consider options other than the legal framework provided by the relevant Security Council resolutions to settle the dispute. Militants ask women to shun 'unIslamic' dresses "Our boys will target any woman wearing skin-tight clothes with acid, hand-grenades and pistols," a terrorist organisation in Kashmir has warned. Two held in sensational Jessica murder Their interrogation has reportedly provided some vital clues about the case and prime accused Manu Sharma. Wadhwa Commission summons Dara Singh A resident of Banbir village in Keonjhar district identified Dara Singh before Justice D P Wadhwa after seeing video clippings of his interview. Chargesheet filed in Coimbatore blasts The charge sheet, which was filed before the fifth district sessions court amidst tight security, lists 180 people, including Al-Umma chief S M Badsha, general secretary Mohammed Ansari, and People's Democratic Party chief Abdul Nasser Mahdani, as accused. Sharief met Osama bin Laden: Pak daily The Frontier Post quoted US diplomatic sources as saying that "Pakistan is hoodwinking the US, which has requested Islamabad to help trace the Saudi fugitive". THE REDIFF INTERVIEW 'Hillary is right when he says there has to be proof that Mallory and Irvine reached the summit before him' "Recovery of the camera they were reportedly carrying with them alone will provide the proof to whether George Mallory and Andrew Irvine were the first to summit Mount Everest," says Major H P S Ahluwalia, who conquered the peak in the Sixties. THE REDIFF COLUMNS What A Fall Was This 'Just over a year ago, the home ministry in Delhi announced that Maharashtra had killed 200 people in police custody in 1997, the highest count among all states that year,' says Dilip D'Souza. Material Girl 'India will spurn Sonia not because she is an Italian. Whatever anyone may say, we are not such a narrow-minded nation. India will reject her because we do not like greed in public life,' says Pritish Nandy. Bihar: MCC activists held THE WEATHER Heat wave claims 5 more lives With isolated rainfall, people in several parts of the country experienced a respite, but the plains of north India continued to be in the grip of the severe heat wave. May 5 Heat wave toll rises over 150 Orissa has been hit worst, accounting for 48 deaths, followed by Uttar Pradesh with 34. Lok Sabha poll in September-October But the model code of conduct will come into force only with the actual announcement of the poll dates, CEC Manohar Singh Gill clarified. President okays Solanki's trial in Bofors case The sanction came within a week of the government's permission to prosecute former defence secretary S K Bhatnagar in connection with the howitzer deal. After the transfers, the promotions In yet another administrative reshuffle, the government today transferred nine IAS officers while promoting some of them and partially modified its order of Monday relating to seniormost IAS officer P R Das Gupta. Steady leak of info caused Singh's transfer The government found that vital information from the home ministry was consistently finding its way into the hands of RJD chief Laloo Prasad Yadav. Government defends transfer of secretaries I&B Minister Pramod Mahajan also defended the Cabinet secretary's order saying the government is not a caretaker. THE POLITICAL CIRCUS Sonia brings Kalyan, Mulayam closer The two sworn rivals are almost certain to have a common electoral slogan against the Congress -- particularly its chief. Congress will not support a coalition CWC member K Karunakaran also said that though the BJP would be his party's number one enemy at the national level, his party would have no understanding with the CPI-M in Kerala. THE EVEREST CONTROVERSY 'Who conquered Everest first?' Debate hots up as team finds pioneer's body after 75 years Eight climbers have been looking for the bodies of Englishmen George Mallory and Andrew Irvine and a camera that could contain pictures proving they reached the summit 29 years before Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay. Hillary ready to share credit with Mallory 'My feeling perhaps is that, well, I think it's more likely that he probably did not reach the summit. But who knows?' Sir Edmund said. OTHER REPORTS Witnesses to model's murder are not co-operating, say police Though the Mehrauli police reached the place within minutes of being informed of the murder, they could do little detective work as the restaurant had been washed and locked. There was no blood even at the spot where Jessica was shot. Special courts case gets more curious The hearing has been chequered, with a spate of interlocutory petitions hampering a speedy trial of the TANSI case against Jayalalitha. But with a division bench reserving orders on the case, the Supreme Court finally has the chance to cut through the tangle. Pokhran blast sends literacy project up in smoke The day India entered the nuclear club, the fate of Lok Jumbish, an innovative primary education programme in Rajasthan, was sealed as the main international donor withdrew in protest. Official figures shatter J&K 'normalcy' claims What is worse, more Muslims, Hindus and Sikhs migrated out of the valley during the very period. Boy makes thrilling escape from kidnappers The kidnappers had kept the boy from Raipur in a hut in Bombay. Permanent quake relief committee suggested At a conference in Hardwar scientists came forward with suggestions that would minimise the damage caused to human life and property by earthquakes. THE REDIFF COLUMNS A chasm wider than the Brahmaputra 'Servicemen, on getting better acquainted with the doubtful mores and methods of their elected representatives, are beginning to question the morality of civilian political control over the military,' says Major General Ashok K Mehta. For Bombay's civic woes, there can be no better solution than the Mayor-in-Council 'The Bombay Municipal Corporation's budget outstrips those of some states of the Indian Union. Yet, barring a ward development fund, the corporators have no power over its decisions,' says Saisuresh Sivaswamy. Venkataraman vs Narayanan: caretaker vs undertaker 'Going by that "copybook" precedent, Narayanan should have called Sharad Pawar, not Sonia Gandhi, for discussing whether the Congress was in a position to form the post-Vajpayee government,' says Arvind Lavakare. May 4 Heat wave sweeps across the country Delhi, Kanpur and some towns in Andhra Pradesh touched 44deg C. Madras stayed at a relatively cool 35.2deg C. But the weather bureau says it can only get hotter. Where women are branded witches to grab their land A dozen men pounced on Pedki Devi, a widow, and forced three bottles of liquefied human excreta into her mouth. When she resisted, she was soundly thrashed and stripped naked. THE POLITICAL CIRCUS 6 Hegde associates join Congress Former Karnataka minister R V Deshpande said Lok Shakti is "under liquidation" and its workers are unhappy with party president Ramakrishna Hegde siding with the BJP. Moreover, He said that at one time Hegde himself had tried to join the Congress and failed. DMK, BJP begin alliance talks TN Chief Minister Karunanidhi declared that only a BJP-led front could provide a stable government. He gave the BJP-led coalition's 13-month rule a clean chit, saying it had done nothing to harm the interests of the minorities. BJP goes ballistic with its five Bs The party's national executive decided that the party and its allies would have the national agenda of governance as their common manifesto. No tie-up with BJP: Chandrababu Serious differences have cropped up in the leadership of the AP unit of the BJP over forming an alliance with the TDP for the ensuing Lok Sabha polls. Buta Singh rejoins Congress, blasts BJP The former Union minister said leaving the Congress and joining the Vajpayee government was a mistake he would now not commit even if he is denied a ticket for the forthcoming election. Gill promises early decision on poll date The CEC pointed out that from 1952, all elections barring the second stage of polling in 1991 had been held between November and May. Eight N-E parties stay away from EC meeting Election Commissioner G V G Krishnamurthy's statement indicates that the Lok Sabha poll may be held in October. THE REDIFF SPECIAL The Constitutional Trap 'The world, as we enter the new millennium, is distinctly different from the world of the Constituent Assembly of the post-Independence years.' Shalabh Kumar on the need to change the Constitution. OTHER REPORTS Home Secretary B P Singh transferred The Union government reshuffled 10 secretary-level officials in a major administrative move. CBI arrests two in Staines murder Ojen Hansda and Chinchu Hansda confirmed the complicity of Dara Singh in the murder, a CBI statement said. 2 killed, 3 cops hurt as MCC loots arms, ammunition from police station The militants seized 10 rifles and about 200 cartridges from the Madandarpur police picket in Rohtas district of Bihar. Model's murderer continues to elude dragnet While the main accused, Siddharth Vasisht alias Manu Sharma, remains untraced, the police on Monday questioned his father Venod Sharma, a former Union minister and relative of ex-President S D Sharma. 90% of PoK wants to end Islamabad's control: book ISI agents in J&K receive anywhere between Rs50,000 and Rs100,000 a month as emoluments and are accorded five-star facilities during their visits to Rawalpindi, says Kaun Azad Kaun Ghulam? Chadha to figure in first Bofors chargesheet Apart from him, the others to be named in the chargesheet are his son Harsh, his late wife Kanta, controversial Italian businessman Ottavio Quattrocchi and his wife Maria. Irate batsman knocks bowler dead in 'friendly' tie An inter-collegiate cricket match in Pune led to a fracas between the two sides, with the batsman wielding the willow to deadly effect. THE REDIFF INTERVIEW 'India should abandon its nuclear weapon development programme and accede to CTBT and NPT immediately and unconditionally' "It is wrong to regard the nuclear issue of South Asia as an issue between China and India, which is in fact an issue between the international community and India," says Zhou Gang, Chinese ambassador to India. THE REDIFF COLUMN Satyajit Ray, Marxism and my other self 'I found Mrinal Sen's films more honest, more expressive, more purposeful. I found Ray's masterpieces repulsive because he often celebrated that which we Marxists denigrated,' says Kanchan Gupta. Maharashtra: Government creates two new districts Tamil Nadu: Sasikala, kin 'set up' 6 firms in a day |
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