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YEH HAI INDIA!

TDP may get special invitee status
The first meeting of the coordination committee of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party-led coalition at the prime minister's official residence, on Saturday decided to keep open the option of bringing post-poll allies into the coordination committee. In this context, Jaswant Singh, who briefed the media about the deliberations, announced that "where applicable, there would be special invitees to the co-ordination committee in future."

Government doing all to contain fundamentalism, says Karunanidhi
The Tamil Nadu chief minister on Saturday dismissed as "false", All India Anna DMK general secretary J Jayalalitha's charge that the state government was not keen on containing extremism in the state.

ABVP to issue white paper on Islamic fundamentalist groups in TN
The Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad will prepare a 'white paper' on the activities of Islamic fundamentalist groups in Tamil Nadu on the basis of its three-member fact-finding team, and discuss it at the ABVP national executive council.

Karunanidhi flays transfer of IT officials pursuing Jaya's cases
He said the transfer of senior income tax officials dealing with cases involving former chief minister J Jayalalitha was a "blatant misuse of power" by Union ministers belonging to the AlADMK.

Jaya charges Karunanidhi with spreading falsehood on power ordinance
Jayalalitha on Saturday launched a vituperative attack against her successor for spreading a "false campaign" that the Centre had demanded scrapping the free power supply scheme to farmers and that the AIADMK was a party to it.

Indrani Haldar, Karisma bag national awards
Thai Saheb declared best feature film, Dil To Pagal Hai best popular film.

Was Jinnah a Shia or Sunni?
Though it is commonly believed is that he was a Shia, evidence suggests the Quaid-e-Azam converted and became a Sunni later.

THE REDIFF INTERVIEW

'Is Mr Vajpayee going to succumb to the pressures of this lady, or is he going to stand on principles?'
'There is a dignified side of the BJP represented by Vajpayee. There is another ugly face of the BJP also. They want to stick to power at any cost. Nothing succeeds like success for them. Power at any cost. We really do not know which side will win.' DMK leader Murasoli Maran assesses the threat to the Karunanidhi government.

THE REDIFF SPECIAL

And now a CD-ROM on Carnatic music!
Sowmya and Shasikaran who, after three years of relentless effort, have finally come up with Nadanubhava, the first ever CD-ROM that seeks to provide the nitty gritty about one of the most ancient music forms in India

TODAY'S COLUMNS

Indian patriotism is now judged by the extent of one's expressed abhorrence for the LTTE
'Has not the time arrived for Indians to liberate themselves from this self-imposed bind?' asks Ashok Mitra, 'An assassination, howsoever dastardly, cannot be turned into a permanent factor for resolving complex, crucial political issues. There can be no question of doubting the quality of our goodwill and fellowfeeling towards the people of Sri Lanka, including its Sinhalese speaking majority'.

Surviving Jaya
If it is Railway Minister Nitish Kumar who's showering Laloo's MPs with flowers and romantic dinners, it's a senior minister in the Kalyan Singh government who's dating the followers of the other Yadav. Sources say the courtships are on intimate terms now -- why, the other day, some of the Yadavs's men are said to have invited their escorts in for a nightcap... Capital Buzz. Political gossip from the Delhi Durbar.


Assam: Bodos shoot dead 12 Santhals, injure 13
Maharashtra: New ministers sworn in
Orissa: Biswal offers to quit as deputy chief minister
Tamil Nadu: Newsmen raise hackles of ABVP officials over earlier report

TODAY'S WEATHER

Heat wave continues in parts of Maharashtra
Jalgaon recorded the highest maximum temperature today: 45.1 degree celsius.

MAY 9

Thakre, Badal and Nitish Kumar to attend BJP's coordination panel meet
Bharatiya Janata Party chief Kushabhau Thakre, Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and Samata Party leader Nitish Kumar have been invited to attend tomorrow's coordination committee meeting of the BJP and its partners. The meeting will take stock of the six-week performance of the Vajpayee government. According to sources in the Prime Minister's Office, the committee will also discuss the implementation of the national agenda for governance.

Jaya may raise Karunanidhi's dismissal with PM on Saturday
The AIADMK general secretary on Friday indicated that she would press for the dismissal of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam government during her one-to-one meeting with Vajpayee in Delhi.

Plea against Advani, Joshi, Bharti's appointment dismissed
The Delhi high court on Friday dismissed a public interest petition seeking the ouster of Home Minister L K Advani, Human Resources Development Minister Murli Manohar Joshi and Minister of State Uma Bharti from the Vajpayee ministry for their alleged involvement in the Babri Masjid demolition case.

Fernandes urges strengthening of Indo-China border
Any decision on increasing or reducing troops on the Sino-Indian border will be taken by the army and cannot be a political decision, Pramod Mahajan, the prime minister's political advisor, declared on Friday.

US invites Fernandes over to explore possibilities
US Secretary of Defence William S Cohen has invited Defence Minister George Fernandes to visit the United States. In a letter to Fernandes, Cohen has said the visit would help in ''exploring the outlook for bilateral relationship.''

Delhi high court rejects plea against Mahajan's appointment
The Delhi high court on Friday dismissed a public interest petition seeking an order restraining the Cabinet secretariat from permitting Pramod Mahajan, the prime minister's political advisor, any access to public records, information or documents.

Centre to create Rs 15-bn pool to kickstart projects in North-East
Prime Minister Vajpayee on Friday said his government was examining the feasibility of creating a central pool of resources which will give critical additional support for the accelerated implementation of projects in the North-Eastern region.

States should modernise police force to tackle N-E insurgency, says Advani
The home minister said state governments should take all necessary steps to modernise their police force to firmly fight insurgency in the North-Eastern region, which has become a serious cause of concern for the Centre. ''The state governments cannot shirk their responsibilities,'' he told a meeting of chief ministers of North-Eastern states.

Constitutional review is a ruse to usher in dictatorship, says Mulayam
The Samajwadi Party president says a conspiracy is being hatched to take the country towards dictatorship in the garb of amending the Constitution, and called upon all secular parties to raise their voice against it.

SC issues notices in Mayawati's plea against UP speaker's ruling
The Supreme Court on Friday issued notices on a special leave petition filed by the former Uttar Pradesh chief minister against the judgment of the speaker of the state assembly, dismissing her plea to disqualify the 19 Bahujan Samaj Party legislators who had defected in October 1997 during the vote of confidence by the Kalyan Singh government.

Akalis too insist on continuing power subsidy to farm sector
The controversial central power ordinance, which sparked off a row in Tamil Nadu, has evoked an equally strong reaction in Punjab, with Akali Dal general secretary Prem Singh Chandumajra asserting that the Dal would not compromise on free power supply to the farm sector.

US asks Pak to repeal 'intolerant' blasphemy law
''In the past, we have repeatedly called upon the government of Pakistan to repeal the blasphemy law. We take this opportunity to do so once again,'' State Department spokesman James Foley said in Washington on Thursday, while commenting on the suicide of Roman Catholic bishop John Joseph in Faisalabad on Wednesday.

No deal with Sukh Ram over reviewing cases, says PMO
The central government has no intention of reviewing the corruption cases against the former communication minister as the President has already given permission to investigating agencies to initiate prosecution proceedings against him in the multi-million rupee telecom scam case.

THE REDIFF SPECIAL

What happens to the four years of life they have been robbed of?
'In a better society,' says Prem Panicker, 'Rasheeda, Hussain, Nambi Narayanan and Sasikumaran would have sued the State -- and any jury would have awarded them millions. Here, we proudly announce that the Maldivians are free to depart. That the slandered scientists are free to resume their normal lives. And with that, we think we have done our bit for truth and for justice.'

TODAY'S COLUMNS

Why not swadeshi?
'The national interest is not necessarily identical with the economic interests of the large industrial houses. Indian nationalism does not reside in Bajaj House, and the trick is to promote the national interest without favoring the particular interests of individuals, as has been the case with Maruti,' says Ashwin Mahesh.


Assam: Kokrajhar remains tense following Santhal-instigated violence

Assam: Mahanta calls for more funds to NEC

Jammu and Kashmir:17 killed as bus carrying labourers plunges into gorge

Tamil Nadu: Jaya urges government to heed IB's warning on blasts

TODAY'S WEATHER

Rain may give respite from heat wave
The highest maximum temperature of 45 degrees Centigrade was recorded at Jeur, Akola and Jalgaon in Maharashtra on Thursday.

MAY 8

Govt plans major changes to woo North-East
The Vajpayee government is chalking out a special package for the North-Eastern states, including the creation of a Union ministry for North-East Affairs. While the prime minister is on the look-out for a suitable candidate to head the ministry, the government's special economic package -- Rs 75 billion -- for the North-East will be discussed with its chief ministers in New Delhi on Friday.

BJP clears Hegde, Jethmalani
"The prime minister could not take any decision on the corruption charges by himself, so he asked for the replies. Now it would not be fair for him to take a decision on the replies. That is why the replies were sent to the attorney general," Pramod Mahajan, the PM's political advisor, said on Thursday.

Sena faces double barrage
The simmering crisis in the Shiv Sena-BJP government in Maharashtra took a serious turn on Thursday, with senior BJP leaders from the state meeting the Sena chief Bal Thackeray to criticise Chief Minister Manohar Joshi's style of functioning. The Sena faced another setback earlier on, with Enviorment Minister Ganesh Naik refusing to resign from the cabinet despite being told to do so by Thackeray.

Joshi brushes off revolt, goes ahead with cabinet reshuffle
Manohar Joshi today announced the reshuffle of his 42-member ministry by inducting two new ministers of cabinet rank and six ministers of state. Two cabinet ministers -- the Sena's Ganesh Naik and Govindrao Choudhary from the BJP -- have been dropped; four ministers of state -- Jagdish Gupta, Dilip Kamble and Govardhan Sharma from the BJP and the Sena's Gulabrao Gawade -- have been axed as well.

Sukh Ram quits, at last
The controversial minister finally resigned from the Himachal Pradesh ministry on Thursday. While he maintained that his party will continue to support the BJP governments both in the state and at the Centre, he also made it clear that this support will be conditional on Chief Minister P K Dhumal recommending a CBI inquiry against former CM Virbhadra Singh.

Government not worried over framing of charges in Ayodhya case
The government on Thursday sought to play down the situation arising from a special court fixing May 22 as the date for framing of charges against 49 accused, including three ministers in the Vajpayee government, in the Babri Masjid demolition case.

BJP accuses UF of destabilising government
The BJP on Thursday said it suspected that the United Front was engaged in foul play in order to destabilise the Vajpayee government in league with the Congress, but visualised no threat to the ruling coalition.

Sonia writes to partymen about keeping a check on BJP government
The Congress president issued a directive to her partymen on Wednesday to expose the central government and challenge its "excesses" which adversely affected the people's welfare. This is seen as the first step towards toppling the BJP-led government.

Non-Congress Opposition parties feel review of Constitution is unnecessary
"Attacking China and a debate on the Presidential form of government are all diversionary tactics. The Sangh Parivar had always held the opinion that secularism should go," Communist Party of India national secretary D Raja told Rediff On The NeT, reflecting the general fear among Opposition parties over the BJP's real intentions in amending the statute.

US stays out of Indo-Chinese minefield
The Clinton administration has steered clear of the controversy raised by Defence Minister George Fernandes over the Chinese military threat to India, saying that the United States is deeply concerned about stability on the Indian subcontinent.

BJP to take Bengal CPI-M to court over reign of terror
The BJP proposes to move the court against incidents of terror which the Communist Party of India-Marxist allegedly unleashed to prevent the BJP and Trinamul Congress candidates from filing nominations for the coming panchayat election in the state.

THE REDIFF INTERVIEW

'You just wait and watch...'
Ganesh Naik, the Maharashtra minister who has dared to take on Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray by refusing to quit the state cabinet, says he has kept all his options open.

THE REDIFF SPECIAL

What story does Ghauri tell us?
'The Ghauri is meant to convey to Washington that Pakistan does not take kindly to being abandoned as a strategic ally,' says Gaurav Kampani. 'By choosing to test-fly the Ghauri just before US ambassador Bill Richardson's visit to South Asia, Pakistan probably intended to draw international attention to the dangers posed by the advent of the new-BJP government in New Delhi. In fact, the Ghauri may be a bold ploy to grab US attention to bring political pressure on India to exercise nuclear restraint'.

TODAY'S COLUMN

The untold ISRO spy story
'The trial of Mariam Rasheeda and others was a giant smokescreen,' says T V R Shenoy. 'How and why did a case begun by the Intelligence Bureau end up with the Central Bureau of Investigation? The answer to that is the untold story of the scandal. It all began with the counter-intelligence wing of the IB in the days of the Narasimha Rao regime...'


Assam: Two women beheaded, 100 houses burnt in Kokrajhar

Jammu and Kashmir: Shias prevented from taking out Muharram procession

Karnataka:JD nominees of Lok Shakti candidate to be disqualified

Orissa: Naveen Patnaik demands CBI probe against CM

TODAY'S WEATHER

Heat wave kills three in Maharashtra
Three people died of sunstroke in the last 24 hours in Maharashtra's Jalgaon district. Officials said two of the victims were from Bhusawal taluk while the third was from Jamner.

MAY 7

TN BJP leaders say Jaya is willing to strike but afraid to wound
Bharatiya Janata Party leaders from Tamil Nadu are of the view that despite all her sparring, AIADMK general secretary J Jayalalitha will not withdraw her party's support to the A B Vajpayee government at the Centre. It is a political compulsion for her to support the BJP at the Centre, they insist.

New Delhi firm on friendly ties with China
In a swift move to check the possible downslide in its relations with China following Defence Minister George Fernandes's statement that India faces the biggest threat from Beijing, New Delhi reiterated that it was committed to the development of a friendly, co-operative, good neighbourly and mutually beneficial relationship with that country.

PM to counsel Fernandes against heated statements
A senior government official said South Block was at its wit's end ever since Beijing's reaction to Defence Minister George Fernandes's outburst emanated on Tuesday, and that the prime minister was bound to speak to Fernandes about the "sensitive matter".

Sino-Indian talks will settle issues: Fernandes
''It appears that there is a feeling in certain circles that I am not keen on a Sino-Indian dialogue to resolve the outstanding issues between the two countries,'' Fernandes said a day after China lashed out at his statement that Beijing was the 'biggest threat' to India.

Law minister accuses Karunanidhi of maligning Central ministers inside state assembly
Union Law Minister M Thambidurai on Tuesday said Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi was consistently utilising the state assembly to malign Central ministers.

Amma is right, says Thambidurai, we weren't consulted on power ordinance
Union Law and Justice Minister M Thambidurai denied he had attended the Union Cabinet meeting which approved the recent power ordinance.

TDP threatens to pull out if BJP makes any anti-minority move
The announcement, made by Telugu Desam Party general secretary R Ramachandraiah, comes close on the heels of the United Front meeting in Hyderabad on Monday, where Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu drew flak for betraying the state and the minorities.

DMK will not scrap free power scheme for farmers despite ordinance
The Tamil Nadu government has said that the Central ordinance on power regulatory commission was aimed at pressurising it to either withdraw the decade-old free power supply scheme for farmers or face a major financial crisis, and that it will shortly convene an all-party meeting to discuss the issue.

Judge throws out Jayalalitha's petitions in corruption case
Special judge V Radhakrishnan, who is trying corruption cases against former Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalitha and her erstwhile cabinet colleagues, on Wednesday dismissed her petition seeking that the colour television scam case be heard by another judge, and said her submission amounted to contempt of court.

SC stays RSS's defamation case against Kesri in Pratapgarh court
The Supreme Court on Wednesday stayed further proceedings in a criminal defamation complaint filed against former Congress president Sitaram Kesri before a magistrate at Pratapgarh in Chittorgarh district of Rajasthan for his alleged statement that the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh was responsible for the series of bomb blasts at Coimbatore on February 14 this year.

Prasar Bharati ordinance lapses, Gill's 'term ends'
Information and Broadcasting Minister Sushma Swaraj said the government would introduce a bill to revive the old ordinance in the coming Budget session. She denied the allegation that she was bent upon removing Prasar Bharati CEO S S Gill.

Khurana plans legal action against CBI
Union Parliamentary Affairs and Tourism Minister Madan Lal Khurana, who has been cleared of charges in the hawala scam, said, ''I was not freed yesterday. I was freed in May 1997. But the mental agony, torture, insult and humiliation that I faced all this time, had stained my reputation.''

Fernandes's views may affect national security: Gujral
The former prime minister said he had reminded Prime Minister A B Vajpayee for the second time in the recent weeks that Defence Minister George Fernandes's utterances and chauvinistic statements were causing a fear psychosis among the country's neighbours at a time when the government was articulating an official policy to end confusion in foreign affairs.

CPI-M asks Fernandes to quit
The CPI-M politburo said that the defence minister was hampering the prospects of improving relations between the two countries.

Separate ministry for marketing farm products proposed
Union Minister of State for Rural Development Babagowda Patil said he would urge Prime Minister Vajpayee to set up a separate ministry for marketing farm products, so as to prevent exploitation of farmers by middlemen.

SC order on forest encroachment makes Karnataka CM see political conspiracy
The Supreme Court order on largescale encroachment of forest land by coffee planters in Karnataka rocked the state assembly on Wednesday, with the Opposition accusing the government of attempting to shield the planters, including Janata Dal state president B L Shankar.

Nearly 240 tribals arrested for ethnic violence in Assam
About 200 Bodos and 40 adivasis were arrested by security forces in the past 24 hours from different parts of Assam's Kokrajhar district for involvement in the ongoing ethnic violence there.

Digvijay Singh may continue, Madam rules
Congress president Sonia Gandhi has decided not to replace Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Digvijay Singh.

Jaya to seek AG's nod to prosecute Karunanidhi
AIADMK general secretary J Jayalalitha on Wednesday said she was planning to seek the attorney general of India's sanction to prosecute Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi, for alleging that she was trying to stifle the voice of justice by exploiting legal loopholes and that she was prolonging the outcome of the judicial verdict in the cases against her.

Heckling audience forces Chavan to acknowledge Pawar's contribution
Former Union home minister S B Chavan was forced to retract at the MPCC meet in Nashik on Wednesday, when sloganeering audiences made him acknowledge Sharad Pawar's contribution in halting the saffron march in Maharashtra in the recent Lok Sabha elections.

JD flays BJP's constitutional review
The Janata Dal on Tuesday assailed the Bharatiya Janata Party's proposal to introduce the presidential form of government, saying it had no moral right to tinker with the Constitution.

Rabri's brother to stand trail for assault on JNU students
A Delhi court has committed Bihar Chief Minister Rabri Devi's brother Sadhu Yadav to stand trial for assaulting some Jawaharlal Nehru University students, who were protesting against the killing of former students's union president Chandrashekhar Prasad, in March 1997.

'It is now or never'
Kashmiri Pandits in the United States have urged the Bill Clinton administration to place Pakistan on its 'terrorist watch list' if Islamabad-backed militant groups like the Harkat-Ul-Ansar do not cease their attacks against the minority Pandit community in Jammu and Kashmir.

Nepal king asked to sack Indian priest
Religious leaders, lawyers and legislators of Nepal have asked their monarch, King Birendra, to fire the head priest at Pashupati temple, whom they accuse of corruption.

India to raise cross-border terrorism at G-15 summit
India will raise in unequivocal terms the issue of cross-border terrorism, like the one sponsored by Pakistan on its soil, at the eighth G-15 summit scheduled in Cairo from May 11 to 13.

Nayanar warns Vajpayee govt not to meddle with Kerala
Chief Minister E K Nayanar ridiculed the BJP state unit's demand that a team from New Delhi should be sent to study the activities of extremist organisations in the south Indian state. He said Keralites would unitedly oppose any unconstitutional move by the Centre to "interfere and create problems in the state."

Anna Hazare to launch right to information movement
Veteran social activist Anna Hazare on Tuesday announced that he would be launching a right to information movement against corruption, as social workers could not focus on development by themselves.

Congress MP gets showcause letter for criticising AICC appointment
The Congress party has sought an explanation from the party's member of Parliament, Dutta Meghe, for his reported criticism of the appointment of Major Sudhir Sawant as one of the secretaries of the All India Congress Committee.

THE REDIFF SPECIAL

Morals Havaldar
'Navalkar is so worried about the moral depravity that could result from spectators at a rock concert taking off their shirts -- don't they see the real obscenity inherent in a society, a government, that allows its young to scrounge for pennies when they should, with full bellies and sporting proper attire, be studying in government-sponsored schools?' asks Prem Panicker.

TODAY'S COLUMNS

Money makes the media go around!
'Money makes the media behave like sharks at a blood-banquet. Dangle a juicy sum of money in press-infested waters, my nephew says, and before you know it, words will fly, private lives get savaged, and innocent reputations float belly-up in a tossing sea of disinformation...' Manjula Padmanabhan on money, media and literature.


Tamil Nadu: Court notice to TN police on Jaya's request to merge cases

Maharshtra: Speculation rife on Manohar Joshi's exit

Tamil Nadu: Did fear of Art 356 force extension of TN assembly?

TODAY'S WEATHER

Rain brings little respite to heat-struck Telangana, Rayalseema
The twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad had a bit of relief as the temperature came down by two degrees to 40 degree celsius.

MAY 6

Jaya, Kumaramangalam in power struggle
A fresh controversy erupted on Tuesday between the AIADMK and the BJP-led coalition government at the Centre, this time over an ordinance on power tariffs. Earlier, AIADMK chief J Jayalalitha had voiced her opposition to the recent ordinance, saying discontinuation of free power to farmers was not acceptable to her party. Responding promptly, Union Power Minister P R Kumaramangalam said the Cabinet had considered the ordinance and the proposed bill and, therefore, all Cabinet member partners are deemed to have been consulted on it.

BJP did not consult us before cancelling free power supply to farmers, charges Jaya
The AIADMK general secretary on Tuesday charged the BJP with not consulting its coalition partners before announcing the ordinance discontinuing free power supply to farmers.

Chinese checkers
Two days after Defence Minister George Fernandes identified China as the country's potential enemy number one, the Central government has, through its non-denial, tacitly acknowledged his viewpoint.

US slaps curbs against Pakistan
The Bill Clinton administration has publicly demonstrated its disapproval of Pakistan's missile programme, by slapping sanctions for two years against the Khan Research Laboratories -- a government undertaking responsible for developing the country's nuclear and missiles programmes.

China lashes out at Fernandes
Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Zhu Bangzao said China ''always worked for friendly relations with its neighbours, including India and Pakistan, and does not pose any threat to any countries.'' He dismissed Fernandes's claims as ''utterly fictitious and entirely baseless''.

Sharief seeks tension-free ties with India
Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharief on Tuesday conveyed to his Indian counterpart A B Vajpayee, his government's desire for tension-free relations with India.

Dr Chidambaram retained as AEC chairman
The other officials who have been retained are: Finance Secretary Dr M Ahluwalia, Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research president Professor C N R Rao, Nuclear Power Corporation of India chairman and managing director Dr Y S R Prasad, and Bhabha Atomic Research Centre director Dr Anil Kakodkar.

Jayalalitha files three petitions against proceedings in colour TV case
Former Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalitha on Tuesday filed three petitions in the colour television scam case, praying that the case be heard by another judge, questioning the governor's sanction for her prosecution and seeking discharge from the case.

Congress panel holds Patel, Naidu responsible for farmers's suicide
A four-member committee led by senior Congress leader and former agriculture minister Dr Balram Jakhar, said the chief ministers of Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka failed to protect the interests of the farming community, that the relief they promised is yet to reach the farmers.

CBI's plea against discharge of Khurana, Sinha in hawala case rejected
The Delhi high court has rejected the CBI petitions challenging the discharge of Union ministers Yashwant Sinha and Madan Lal Khurana and 17 other politicians in the Rs 640 million Jain hawala case.

Manohar Joshi lauds action against Ghulam Ali, Husain
The Maharashtra chief minister has endorsed the stand taken by Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray not to allow performances by Pakistani artistes and sportspersons in Maharashtra.

Sarpotdar let off in arms possession case for lack of evidence
Shiv Sena member of Parliament Madhukar Sarpotdar has been exonerated in the arms-possession case registered during the Bombay communal riots of 1992-93 for lack of evidence. Subedar Das and Lt R A Goswami, who arrested him, were summoned from Kashmir before the court to give evidence. However, they could not identify him in the witness box, and told the court that Sarpotdar had been detained "during darkness".

Pawar takes apart BJP-Sena at MPCC meet
Sharad Pawar on Tuesday launched a blistering attack on the Bharatiya Janata Party-led government at the Centre as well as the Bharatiya Janata Party-Shiv Sena alliance government in Maharashtra, and described both as fascist powers.

Congress unjustified in flaying Fernandes
Whatever be the faults of the BJP-led government, it is quite clear that India has to take bold and decisive steps towards the country's security. And, in the considerably endangered security environment of South Asia today, the defence minister's statements seem to be not without reason.

Only Congress can provide a secular alternative, says Moopanar
The Tamil Maanila Congress leader reiterated that the Congress alone could form an alternative and secular government at the Centre. "Tell me, is there any other party?" he quipped.

Moopanar's meeting with Sonia sets off speculation
He called on the Congress president and held discussions with her on political developments. Though political circles attached considerable importance to the meeting, Congress spokesperson Ambika Soni declined to say anything on the subject, apart from recalling that they have an old association.

UF blasts BJP over Presidential form of govt
Front leaders have came down heavily on the BJP for its attempt to review the Constitution to usher in the Presidential form of government.

Petroleum minister demands CBI probe into Karunanidhi's assets
Vazhapadi K Ramamurthy on Tuesday demanded that the Centre order a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation into the assets owned by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi and constitute a special court to try the charges levelled against him by Jayalalitha.

Kaiga project is 100 per cent safe, says Kumaramangalam
"It is the safest among all such plants in the western region," the Union minister for power said of the atomic power project which is coming up 30 km from Panaji, in Karnataka's border region of North Kanara.

Judge indicted for 'rewriting over-ruled verdict'
The Supreme Court has indicted a judge of the Calcutta high court for 'rewriting an over-ruled judgement of his own'. ''We are constrained to observe that it was not competent on Justice Ajit Kumar Sengupta's part to have presided over the bench in which the impugned judgement was passed as he had already expressed his opinion in the earlier writ petition which was over-ruled,'' the apex court ruled.

Mariam Rasheeda can go home, finally!
A court in Kerala granted the Maldivian national, the second accused in the ISRO espionage case, permanent exemption from personal appearance in three defamation suits, the last cases against her on Indian soil.

Pak scientist says he never offered to make nuke bombs for Iraq
Pakistan's top nuclear scientist Dr Qadeer Khan has described as ''baseless, ill-founded and concocted'' an American magazine report that he offered Iraq to develop a nuclear bomb.

US firms helped China along on road to superior missiles, says Republican congressman
US satellite companies helped China 'perfect' its strategic missiles through technology transferred with the approval of the Clinton administration, says Republican congressman Dana Rohrabacher.

Naidu faces UF leaders's flak
Samajwadi Party president Mulayam Singh Yadav and United Front chairman H D Deve Gowda termed Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu as an 'opportunist' for deserting the combine and supporting the Bharatiya Janata Party.

Tribal women win battle against bottle
Even as the men in Gumla district of Bihar were demanding unfettered access to the reserve forests for picking up ingredients to brew liquor, the women launched a movement to keep them off the bottle.

THE REDIFF SPECIAL

'Today, things have crossed the limits, young people are doing everything in public'
A most reasonable man, is Shantaram Nandgaonkar, head of the Shiv Sena's thought police. He isn't out to spoil your happiness, no way. "We are not against holding hands," he says, the soul of permissive generosity, "but we want to stop all this nonsense behaviour that is happening in the concerts, kissing and hugging in public spaces are very shabby behaviour. We want to protect our culture against Western influences.

TODAY'S COLUMNS

Pakistanis gave a rousing reception to Indian artists -- and we misbehaved with Ghulam Ali!
'I first heard his famous ghazal Hungama hai kyon barpa, thodi si jo pee lee hai in a defence mess on the Pakistan border in Ladakh. There were Indian military officers listening to it with me that freezing winter night, at an altitude of 15,000 feet. If Ghulam Ali keeps our soldiers protecting the nation's border happy, what right do Shiv Sainiks have to prevent him from singing in Bombay?' asks Rajiv Shukla.

Moorish Architecture And Olympic Pentathletes
'Oh, they make it sound so wonderful! Yes sir! You've never heard such effusive, breathless praise before: for buildings and swimming pools and lawns, as also for the essentially intangible commodity a week is. You can live in a suite instead of a hotel room! You get maid service! You can exchange your week in Goa for one anywhere else in the world!' Dilip D'Souza on the bizarre world of time share resorts.


Andhra Pradesh: YSR is state Congress chief

Assam: UMF withdraws support to AGP-led govt

Maharashtra: Manohar Joshi to expand and reshuffle cabinet on May 9

Maharashtra: Mayor-in-council will lead to Bombay's separation, says Chavan

TODAY'S WEATHER

Wet weather likely over Arunachal, Assam, Meghalaya...
...Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura, sub-Himalayan West Bengal and Sikkim.

MAY 5

No question of changing Constitution's secular nature, says BJP
Bharatiya Janata Party leaders have sought to dispel fears that the party is keen on removing the word 'secular' from the preamble to the Constitution. Speaking to Rediff On The NeT at Gandhinagar, venue of the party's national council meeting, vice-president K R Malkani said, "By definition India is secular. Even the Vedas say that in this land, there are a variety of races and tribes, and equal protection is given to all of them. So nobody has to teach us secularism. It is in our blood and genes."

PM's all-party meet to seek consensus on crucial bills
Prime Minister A B Vajpayee will convene an all-party meeting around May 15 for bringing about a consensus on certain important issues, including the passing of some important bills, to be taken up in the Budget session of Parliament.

Advani swears by Presidential form of governance, urges Constitutional review
Union Home Minister L K Advani on Monday persisted with his demand for having a 'fresh look' at the working of the Constitution, to explore the possibility of going in for a Presidential form of government without altering its basic structure.

BJP jamboree ends with call to consolidate power
The party's two-day national council meeting ended in Gandhinagar on Monday with a firm resolve to consolidate power at the Centre by fulfilling promises made to the people in the Lok Sabha election.

Vajpayee denies being remote controlled by RSS
Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee on Monday strongly denied the opposition allegation that the Bharatiya Janata Party-led coalition government was being run through 'remote control' by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh.

BJP's political resolution asks cadre to be better than Congress
The party's national council on Sunday hailed as 'historic transfer of power', the formation of the BJP-led government at the Centre, and said it was now seen as a national alternative and a ''principal and stable pole of Indian politics''. In the political resolution which was taken up for discussion, the party called upon its cadre to prove that the BJP was a better alternative to the Congress.

Kesri gets bail in RSS defamation case
A Delhi court on Monday granted bail to former Congress president Sitaram Kesri in a defamation case filed against him by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh for his allegation that the RSS was responsible for the February bomb blasts in Coimbatore that claimed more than 60 lives. Chief metropolitan magistrate Prem Kumar, while granting bail to Kesri, asked him to furnish a bond of Rs 10,000 and a surety of the same amount.

JJ TV FERA case to go to trial shortly
The decks have been cleared for trial in the case relating to the FERA violation to the tune of US $ 680,000 by the defunct JJ TV for providing uplinking facilities and hiring transponder facilities. Former Tamil Nadu chief minister Jayalalitha's close associate Sasikala Natarajan was chairperson and director of the television network.

India faces biggest threat from China, not Pak: Fernandes
The defence minister criticised the country's national security planners for ignoring Beijing's plans for regional hegemony, despite being warned about it for the last five decades.

Congress surprised over Fernandes's views
The Congress expressed surprise over Union Defence Minister George Fernandes's statement on China and cautioned the government in the strongest terms against such 'a destructive approach' and efforts to convert his 'personal agenda' into that of the Bharatiya Janata Party-led government.

US 'appreciates India's serious security concerns'
India has conveyed to the Clinton administration its 'serious security concerns,' arising out of Pakistan's test-firing of medium-range Ghauri missile and its continued nuclear co-operation with China, hoping that these would reflect in the US's foreign policy towards the region.

Khan denies he quit due to Pak's policies on India, US
Pakistani Foreign Minister Gohar Ayub Khan said he would not accept the suggestion that he had to go under pressure from the United States. ''There was no US pressure. The US pressure had ended long ago,'' he said, explaining that the US pressure ended with that country's stoppage of arms supplies to Pakistan.

Banatwalla against world body debating Babri mosque
India Union Muslim League president G M Banatwalla has appealed to Prime Minister Vajpayee to urge the World Archaeology Congress in Croatia not to take up any discussion on the Babri mosque. ''This is especially so when the media reports indicate that the world meet is expected to be dominated by scholars of one set of opinion. This would also lead to a highly partisan approach to the subject,'' he said.

Ethnic violence claims 14 Santhals in Assam, army called in
Suspected Bodo militants went on a killing spree on Sunday, butchering 14 Santhals, including six women and a child, and injuring three others seriously in Assam's Kokrajhar district.

Resign, Patel, resign, don't you have any self-respect?
The voice belongs to Union Commerce Minister and Lok Shakti leader Ramakrishna Hegde who, when in Mangalore the other day, just couldn't help ventilating his emotions.

Congress to fight Tarn Taran, Sham Chaurasi by-polls alone
Punjab Congress president Rajinder Kaur Bhattal said she would appeal to the Bahujan Samaj Party to lend support to its candidates in the Tarn Taran Lok Sabha by-election and the Sham Chaurasi assembly by-poll.

Sonia lets Digvijay Singh go home happily
The Madhya Pradesh chief minister will not have to quit -- at least, for now. "There was no talk of my resignation," Singh told reporters after a half-an-hour meeting with the Congress president.

Karunanidhi rebuts law minister's charges
The Tamil Nadu chief minister on Monday took exception to Union Law Minister M Thambidurai's "sweeping charges" against him and former Union finance minister P Chidambaram at a May Day meeting in Salem last Friday.

Karunanidhi has bought his peace with RSS, charges Swamy
Janata Party president Dr Subramanian Swamy on Sunday alleged that the DMK leader had struck a deal with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh to save his government from dismissal.

Artists come out in strength against attack on Husain's house
Eminent painters Vivan Sundaram, Jatin Das, Anjolie Ela Menon, Manjit Bawa and Manu Parekh on Monday condemned the attack on artist M F Husain's house in Bombay, allegedly by Bajrang Dal activists on May 2, and called for stringent action by the government to stop the increasing attacks on art and artists.

26 rampaging Bajrang Dal activists released
The activists, who were arrested on Friday by the Cuffe Parade police station in south Bombay for allegedly ransacking painter M F Husain's house, have been released on a surety of Rs 1,000 each.

Vajpayee is the weakest PM ever, says Mulayam
Samajwadi Party president Mulayam Singh Yadav on Monday alleged that Prime Minister A B Vajpayee was the ''weakest prime minister the country has had'', and cautioned the people against the ''hidden agenda'' of the Bharatiya Janata Party which was posing a ''threat'' to the country.

Hemanand Biswal is new Orissa PCC chief
Prominent tribal leader and Deputy Chief Minister Hemanand Biswal will be the new Orissa Pradesh Congress Committee president. Congress president Sonia Gandhi has decided to appoint him in place of J B Patnaik, who was till recently holding the posts of chief minister and PCC president.

THE REDIFF SPECIALS

Did Jinnah go to heaven, Gandhi to hell?
The Jinnah film lands in further controversy. But Tariq Azim Khan, director of the Quaid Project, maintains it depicts a correct representation of the Edwina-Nehru association, supported by academic research and historical facts. 'Lord Mountbatten's attitude towards Pakistan or Edwina's affection for Nehru need no corroboration,' he says.

TODAY'S COLUMNS

The war within
'Now you have the amazing sight of the BJP changing its colours from saffron to green -- trying to grab Mulayam Singh's vote bank and woo the minorities and the RSS and Shiv Sena fighting to become the true representative of Hindutva,' says Pritish Nandy.

The impotence of being Subramanian Swamy
'Right now, the BJP government is actually garnering sympathy at the way it is being bullied by its Tamil allies, and he knows any premature move at this may not work to his advantage. But when this edifice crashes, emerging unscathed from the rubble, rather like the roach he was likened to by a Union minister recently, would be none other than Swamy,' says Saisuresh Sivaswamy.

TODAY'S WEATHER
Heat wave continues in Andhra
Hanmakonda, Medak and Rentilchintala in Andhra Pradesh recorded 42 degree celsius on Monday. The mercury continued at 40 degree celsius for the fifth consecutive day in Hyderabad and Secunderabad.

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