EYEING ON NATIONAL POLITICS
CHENNAI: The AIADMK will have a bigger role in the national politics after the Lok Sabha polls, party’s general secretary Jayalalithaa said on Wednesday.
“It is not the question of me looking for a bigger role. A bigger role awaits the AIADMK at the national level,” she said.
“It is my message today. You can draw your inferences,” she said responding to a question about her role and the kind of alliances she was looking for at the national level.
Ms. Jayalalithaa, who was unanimously elected the general secretary of the party for the sixth time, called upon the party cadres to remain united as “the party had a bright future not only in Tamil Nadu, but also at the national level.”
She said the public meeting organised by the party in Theni district to mark the beginning of the birth centenary of former Chief Minister C.N. Annadurai on September 14 could be the beginning of the election campaign.
Asked whether any progress had been made to open channels with the Left parties and the PMK, since she had said she was not averse to an alliance with these parties, she said, “As and when any development takes place we will certainly keep you informed.”
“Anyway, nothing can be kept hidden or secret from the media,” she quipped.
To a question on bringing together the opposition parties that were independently staging agitations against the DMK government, she said, “If these parties come forward we are ready to cooperate with them.”
Asked whether there would be a message for the friendly parties at the Theni public meeting, she said at present the meeting was confined to celebrating the birth centenary of Annadurai.
Ms. Jayalalithaa said there was no need to move a no-confidence motion against the DMK government, since people had already lost confidence in it. “It is on its last leg,” she added.
The Indo-U.S. nuclear deal, she said, was a clear sell-out.
“It is quite clear that according to this agreement there will be no more nuclear tests. India has bartered away its sovereignty rights. Therefore, my objection, rather the AIADMK’s objection. We will continue to oppose it,” she said.
Earlier Vishalakshi Nedunchezhian, the election commissioner, said as per the party rule 20 (2) Ms. Jayalalithaa had been elected unanimously.
Presidium chairman E. Madhusoodhanan, treasurer O. Panneerselvam and headquarters secretary K.A. Sengottaiyan, greeted Ms Jayalalithaa
SOURCE --THE HINDU
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4 TRS members quit Lok Sabha
NEW DELHI: Four members of the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) submitted their resignations from the Lok Sabha on Monday in protest against the delay in the creation of a Telangana State. Following their example, TRS legislators will resign from the Andhra Pradesh Assembly in Hyderabad on Tuesday.
The TRS MPs — K. Chandrasekhar Rao, Vinod Kumar Boianapalli, Ravinder Naik Dharavath and T. Madhusudan Reddy — submitted their resignations to Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee soon after the House convened for the day. Later in the evening Mr. Chatterjee accepted the resignations.
The four MPs first trooped into the well of the House but returned to their designated places when the Speaker told them that nothing they said from the well would go on record. Raising the Telangana issue, Mr. Rao said that when the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government was formed, clear-cut assurances had been given on the formation of a Telangana State.
“The Congress has betrayed the people of Telangana,” Mr. Rao said before proceeding to the Speaker’s podium to submit his resignations. Other TRS members followed him before leaving the House shouting “Jai Telangana” slogans.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and some of its allies in the National Democratic Alliance also walked out of the House to express solidarity with the TRS members. source--THE HINDU
Rare political consensus: UPA in poll mode
Friday, February 29, 2008 (New Delhi) There's been lots of debate on the economic merits of Friday's Budget, but everyone agrees on the political logic behind it.
It's a typical election year Budget that puts money into lots of voters' pockets. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has expressed his happiness on the Budget.
''This is an outstanding budget which lives to the reputation that this government works for common man. It's an aam admi's Budget, farmer's Budget and middle class Budget,'' said Dr Manmohan Singh, Prime Minister.
A beaming UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi termed the Budget as revolutionary.
''The move to waive off farm loans is revolutionary. It's a historic day,'' said Sonia Gandhi, Congress president.
Railway Minister Lalu Prasad hailed the Budget in his own inimitable style.
''I give full marks to the Budget and it's not just Chidambaram alone who is responsible. Even we have made our suggestions to make it a people-friendly Budget,'' said Lalu Prasad, Railway Minister.
BJP criticises
However, senior BJP leader Yashwant Sinha played down the hype around the Budget.
''Whatever they announced in the Budget, they have done so in the last year of their government,'' said Yashwant Sinha, Spokesperson, BJP.
Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar said: ''I feel that after this massive relief, the farmers will be able to get back into the credit cycle. Now, farmers will be able to acquire money for next year's crop. A big burden has been taken off the farmers. This is a progressive move.''
CPI's Gurudas Dasgupta described the Budget as an ''election stunt''. ''The finance minister has announced everything except the date of elections,'' he said.
Shiv Sena's Anant Geete sought to concur with the BJP's stand, saying that the government has woken up rather late in the day.
He also claimed that the loan waiver would not in any way ameliorate the plight of farmers in Vidarbha who are in deep debt.
BJD's Tathagat Satpathy disapproved of the loan waiver saying that the government should not encourage ''bad habits'' but invest in agriculture heavily to make it more viable.
Election oriented Budget
Almost all parties felt that it was a totally election oriented Budget.
CPI leader D Raja described the budget as a ''positive step'' but added that Finance Minister P Chidambaram could have ''gone further and done something more for the farmers.
''There has been no change in the corporate tax structure. The Budget has only increased the disparity between rich and poor,'' Raja added.
He said that the loan waiver announced in the Budget is based on the current prices, however, for countering future prices a National Rural Debt Relief Commission should be set up.
The CPI leader expressed disappointment over the ''small increase'' in the allocation for National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA).
''This Budget has reflected the tone tenor and content of a Budget before a general elections,'' said Sitaram Yechury, Leader, CPI(M).
For some time, there has been speculation that the government will present a populist Budget, and then perhaps, give the go-ahead to the contentious nuclear deal and face early elections.
Step one has been taken, will the government take the next two steps. (With PTI inputs)
Mumbai court upholds gag order against Raj
Monday, February 25, 2008 (Mumbai) A Mumbai sessions court has upheld a gag order against Raj Thackeray that prevents him from making provocative statements to the media or addressing public rallies.
The court has said that it's up to the state government to decide whether to extend the order.
According to sources, the police will serve a formal notice to Thackeray.
Raj Thackeray had challenged the order saying he had not been given a chance to explain himself
New Pakistan PM from PPP
Press Trust of India
Friday, February 22, 2008 (Islamabad)
Opposition has decided that the Prime Minister would be from Pakistan People's Party (PPP). This was conveyed by PML-N joint secretary Siddique-ul Farooq.
Shahbaz Sharif, brother of former premier Nawaz Sharif would be the Chief Ministerial candidate in Punjab province.
Pakistan's two main opposition parties stepped up efforts today to identify a consensus candidate for Prime Minister and hammer out a power sharing formula after the former rivals agreed to form a coalition government.
The newly elected PPP members met to discuss the agreement between Zardari and Sharif.
The PML-N, which emerged as the second largest party in the National Assembly or lower house of parliament, was also well placed in the politically crucial Punjab province.
Observers had expected the differences between the PML-N and PPP on the reinstatement of judges deposed during last year's emergency to come in the way of an understanding between them in forming a government.
Sharif had insisted that he would not compromise on the reinstatement of the judges while Zardar had only committed the PPP to working for the independence and autonomy of the judiciary.
Following Thursday's meeting, Sharif had said ''there is no disagreement on the restoration of the judiciary'' and the modalities would be worked out in Parliament.
Meanwhile, cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan is however pitching for Aitzaz Ahsaan, the president of the Supreme Court Bar Association, who led the lawyers' movement against Musharraf last year.
Ahsaan had earlier ruled himself out. (With Bureau inputs)
Congress woo Dalits in Bundelkhand
Friday, January 18, 2008 (Rahul Srivastava)
Congress MP Rahul Gandhi's journey into the drought-hit Bundelkhand region of Uttar Pradesh has become the party's biggest hope of wooing back Dalit voters who have long shifted their loyalties to the BSP.
In an area where regional pride is crucial, the Congress has gone against its stand of opposing smaller states to push for separate statehood for Bundelkhand.
Rani Laxmi Bai's famous Jhansi fort formed the backdrop as the Congress wore war paint and sang a new tune. In Bundelkhand, Congress' novice warrior Rahul Gandhi went straight for the jugular, citing his father Rajiv Gandhi's famous quip about corruption and governance.
''My father had said that only Rs 15 of the 100 sent by the Centre reaches the public. But here only Rs 5 reaches the public. I will request the UP Chief Minister to come here and see people's sufferings and how her government is performing,'' said Rahul Gandhi.
The Congress strategy is clear. The Centre is likely to announce a financial package for the draught-hit Bundelkhand region and Rahul Gandhi is here to claim credit. The Congress wants to get its Dalit vote back and stop Mayawati's ever-growing bandwagon.
''Idea is to fine tuning of future politics, which is the constituency we can get back and which is the one we lost to other party,'' said Salman Khurshid, leader, Congress.
Regional pride, statehood are critical issues in Bundelkhand and the Congress will cash in on it. Though it has opposed breaking up of states before, here it has changed track.
''We are trying to be practical and sensitive to regional concerns,'' added Salman Khurshid.
It seems that Gujarat elections have become a turning point for the Congress party. The party was opposed to smaller states, for example Telangana. But now it has realised that regional pride cannot be ignored. So it is appealing to regional forces to improve its political appeal.
CPI(M) describes Manmohan's visit to China as successful
New Delhi (PTI): In the midst of strains with the UPA on the Indo-US nuclear deal, the CPI(M) has come out with a rare praise of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, describing his visit to China as "highly successful".
In an editorial in the party weekly 'People's Democracy', Politburo member Sitaram Yechury hailed the visit for its positive contribution towards improving relations between two Asian giants.
"By all accounts Prime Minister's visit to the People's Republic of China was highly successful and has positively contributed towards carrying forward the improvement of relations between the two Asian giants," he said.
He said the most important aspect was the enlargement of the canvas on which improvement in relations was being sought and concerns shared.
"This recognition in itself will go a long way in the movement towards global multi-polarity," Yechury added.
Observing that bilateral trade had grown rapidly with the 2010 projections of 40 billion US dollars being achieved last year itself, he said "there is now bound to be a serious rethink in India on the question of visa restrictions and the black-listing of certain Chinese companies even after they have qualified global tenders, as it happened in the offshore seaport in Kerala."
He said while those seeking improvement in India-China relations would be disappointed over the border dispute, "what is important to understand is that while continuing the dialogue on it, both countries appear to have converged on the understanding that cooperation in other fields must proceed and be strengthened."
Despite major geopolitical irritants between them, he said Taiwan continued to be an important economic partner of China.
In this context, he pointed out that China and Russia took seven long decades to resolve their border dispute.
Malaysia denies ban on Indian workers
Malaysia has told the Indian government that it has imposed no ban on Indians. This was announced a short while ago by the Union Minister for Overseas Indian Affairs Vylar Ravi.
Ravi said that the Malaysian government at a press conference, has clarified there is no ban on Indians working there or their work visas being denied.
Also Defence Minister A K Antony who had recently visited Malaysia denied there was any talk of a ban on Indian workers during his visit.
Since Tuesday there's been confusion over whether Indians have been banned or not after reports that the government had issued a ban order in December after ethnic Indians protested in Kuala Lumpur.
The Malaysian Home Minister Radzi Sheikh Ahmed told the media on Wednesday that the government has been disturbed by these reports and felt that the confusion could have been caused by a move to temporarily ban workers from Bangladesh.
The minister said: ''Let me state categorically that the Home Ministry has never come out with any ruling that we have stopped the intake of foreign workers from India.''
There are about 1 lakh 40 thousand Indian immigrants working in Malaysia. Most of them work in low-paying jobs as waiters, barbers and gardeners. Very few hold top professional posts in banks and information technology industries.
The Malaysian Works Minister Samy Vellu, who is in New Delhi to attend the conference of overseas Indians, had denied the reports on Tuesday.
The minister has met foreign Minister Pranab Mukherjee and will be meeting Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress
PM wishes Sonia speedy recovery
Press Trust of India Tuesday, January 1, 2008 (New Delhi) Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Tuesday spoke to Congress president Sonia Gandhi, who was admitted to a hospital here due to a ''mild breathing difficulty and a chest infection'', and extended new year greetings.
Singh spoke to 61-year-old Gandhi over phone and enquired about her health, sources said.
The prime minister also wished her speedy recovery besides extending his new year greetings, they said.
The UPA Chairperson was admitted to Sir Ganga Ram Hospital late on Monday night after she suffered an asthma attack, the sources said.
Now her condition is stated to be stable, the sources said.
Gandhi was having ''cough and mild breathing difficulty'' when she was admitted, the statement said, adding that treatment has started and ''her condition is better now''.
However, there was no word on when she is likely to be discharged from the hospital.
''There is nothing to worry,'' sources at her 10 Janpath residence said. Her children Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka, who were away on a vacation, are expected back either today or tomorrow, they said
Centre issues ultimatum to Taslima
(New Delhi) This time it is not the Marxists but the UPA government that has decided that controversial Bangladeshi writer Taslima Nasreen cannot return to her adopted city of Kolkata.
Moreover, Nasreen has been told that if she wants to live in Delhi, she will not be allowed to take part in any public functions.
Speaking exclusively to NDTV's Managing Editor Barkha Dutt, Taslima Nasreen said that the decision had been communicated officially to her by a senior official of the Ministry of External Affairs.
Nasreen also claimed that her security was cited as the reason for the Centre's decision.
The controversial author, who has already withdrawn parts of her writing considered offensive to certain Muslim groups, has been in hiding for the past month.
Breaking down on the telephone, she claimed that she was being made to live under house arrest.
''I appeal to the government to change its mind,'' she said.
Nasreen also asserted that she will leave India if she is refrained from returning to Kolkata.
The author has been in a government safe house since November and has courted trouble over her perceived anti-Islamic writings.
Meanwhile, the CPM, which had sent Taslima off to Jaipur last month, washed its hands off her, saying that this was between Taslima and the government.
''It is between Taslima and the Central government and we have nothing to do with this,'' said Shyamal Chakravarthy, Leader, CPM.
The Congress party too reiterated its earlier stand that no one who is allowed to stay in India can hurt the sentiments of the people.
BJP holds onto majority: Exit poll
Sunday, December 16, 2007 (Ahmedabad) According to the NDTV-GfK Mode exit poll, the BJP has managed to hold on to majority with the party winning 90-110 seats as compared to the 127 seats in 2002 after the completion of second and final phase of polling.
The poll projects Congress to win 70-95 seats, which is a clear gain of over 19 seats from the 51 it won in the last assembly polls.
However, according to the exit poll, the BJP continues to lose ground after the second phase of the Gujarat Assembly elections.
There is a four per cent swing of Patel votes away from the BJP in the phase two, as compared to eight per cent in phase one, the poll suggested.
Significantly, 13 per cent of Tribal votes have swung away from the BJP. However, Congress could garner only four per cent of the Tribal votes in this phase, while the rest (9 per cent) swung in favour of others.
Though, Scheduled Tribes have deserted Chief Minister Narendra Modi, Patels are still with the BJP.
In central Gujarat, there is an overall swing of seven per cent away from the BJP, while in north Gujarat, it is only 0.5 per cent.
Fifty-two per cent of the respondents in the exit poll rated Modi's performance as good, 33 per cent said average and 15 per cent rated him as bad.
Giving a thrust to Modi's development plank, 58 per cent of those polled said that electricity supply in Gujarat was better, 30 per cent said worse, while 12 per cent felt that it remained unchanged.
Interestingly, when it came to controlling communal tension 44 per cent said said it was better under Modi, 40 per cent said worse, while 16 said it was same.
On the issue of employment generation in Gujarat 42 per cent of those polled said better, 40 per cent termed worse, while 18 per cent said there was no change.
Pak's Jan polls already rigged: UN
Agence France-Presse
Friday, December 14, 2007 (Washington)
A UN human rights envoy told US lawmakers not to send any delegation to monitor the upcoming
election in Pakistan, claiming that it was already rigged by President Pervez Musharraf.
''There is no point in monitoring the elections or watching the poll -- the rigging has already happened,'' said Hina Jilani, a prominent Pakistani attorney who is also the UN special envoy for human rights defenders.
She made the remarks on Thursday after lawmakers at a Congressional hearing on the political crisis in Pakistan sought her opinion on the prospect of monitoring the January 8 polls to elect a new Parliament.
Jilani, co-founder of the Human Rights Commission in Pakistan, charged that Musharraf, who was expected to lift a five-week-old state of emergency tomorrow, had already destroyed institutions such as the judiciary and the press.
Fearing that the Supreme Court would disqualify him from running for re-election, Musharraf sacked and detained independent-minded judges and lawyers leaders who refused to accept his imposition of emergency rule.
''Freedom of assembly is totally curtailed, freedom of expression is curtailed,'' Jilani said.
''Under these conditions, the election that is going to take place on January 8 has very little credibility. Under Pakistan's constitution and the law, the judiciary oversees the elections.
''A judiciary that lacks the confidence of the people and has no credibility, how do you think the elections are going to be credible?'' Jilani asked the lawmakers.
Average turnout as phase 1 poll ends
Tuesday, December 11, 2007 (Ahmedabad)
The polling for the first phase of the crucial Gujarat assembly elections, which concluded Tuesday evening, was marked by an average voter turnout.
The voting in 87 constituencies in 14 districts of Saurashtra, Kutch and south Gujarat started note a very sluggish note thanks to a cold morning but picked up in the afternoon.
The polling was largely peaceful as 580 companies of paramilitary forces, each consisting of 100 personnel, kept a watchful eye.
Nearly 60 per cent of 17.8 million electorate voted on Tuesday to pick a new 182-seat Gujarat assembly, the Election Commission said.
''Nearly 59 to 60 per cent of people voted today,'' Deputy Election Commissioner J P Prakash told reporters at the end of polling. He said the balloting was ''by and large peaceful and orderly''.
There was only one case of violence when supporters of two candidates clashed in Rajkot in Saurashtra region, he added.
Former Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief minister Keshubhai Patel, leading a dissidence campaign against Chief Minister Narendra Modi, decided not to cast his vote and expressed his unhappiness at being sidelines by the party.
Anti-Modi camp
Joining the ranks of rebel leaders coming out of the voting booth was former central minister and BJP MP Kashiram Rana.
''The change will be for the better as the Gujarat voter knows what is best for him and we are proud of this fact. So they will vote for change,'' said Rana.
He has also spoken in support of the anti-Modi camp, led by former chief minister Keshubhai Patel.
Modi's number two and state finance minister Vajubhai Vala was one among the first to cast his vote in Rajkot.
Coming out of the booth he said dissident leader Keshubhai Patel's last minute newspaper ads would make no difference.
''People don't vote after looking at advertisements. They vote after seeing what the government has done. They will vote after knowing what the BJP has done in five years and what the party's manifesto is,'' said Vala.
We have done what we promised and so people are convinced that what the Chief Minister says he does and also does not promise what he cannot fulfill,'' he added.
Saurashtra has been the hub of BJP dissidents and is expected to make things difficult for the party as five rebels contested the elections on Congress ticket.
Another dissident contested as Congress candidate in south Gujarat.
BJP's campaign
The BJP's campaign oscillated between the issues of development and terrorism while the Congress focused on rubbishing Modi's claims of economic progress.
The Congress has said there is a sense of insecurity among the people of the state and the law and order situation is deteriorating day by day.
Apart from the larger issues, caste equations are expected to play a major role in the outcome of the elections in the first phase.
There were 668 candidates in the fray for the first-round elections, in which 17.80 million people were eligible to vote.
The second phase of polling will be held in north and central Gujarat December 16. The counting of votes will take place December 23.
KEY CANDIDATES:
Arjun Modhvadia (Cong) from Porbandar
Dhiru Gajera (Cong) from Surat city
Dilip Sanghvi (BJP) from Amreli
Himanshu Vyas (Congress) from Wadhwan
I K Jadeja (BJP) from Dhrangadhra
Narattam Patel (BJP) from Chorasi
Purshottam Solanki (BJP) from ghogha
Shaktisingh Gokil (Congress) from Bhavnagar
Vajubhai Vala (BJP) from Rajkot
The stakes are quite high, as this election will be a make-or-break situation for Chief Minister Narendra Modi who has taken up the task to get his party back to power on his personal image.
The Congress, in turn, has campaigned against Modi in a very aggressive manner, along with Gujarat BJP rebels, eight of whom later joined the opposition and are contesting on its tickets.
Congress has tried to accommodate all the other small parties by sharing the seats with them. However, the Bahujan Samaj Party of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati is fighting on its own.
The second phase of polling for the remaining seats will held on December 16 while the counting for votes will take place on December 23.
Rebel factor
One issue that could play spoiler for the BJP in Gujarat is the rebel factor.
Key BJP rebel candidates, who could make a difference to the final outcome:
N K Jadeja, who is a sitting BJP MLA, is contesting on a Congress ticket from Abdasa.
Dhirubhai Gajera, who had initiated the rebellion against the BJP, could have a major impact on the BJP's fortunes in Surat. He's now contesting as a Congress candidate.
Another BJP rebel, who could cause a dent to the party is Gopalbhai Dua, who's contesting on a Congress ticket from Mundra.
Dhanrajbhai Kaila, who quit the BJP recently is contesting as an Independent from Wadhwan. He has a Sangh background and enjoys a strong reputation. He could impact the BJP in the Amreli district of Saurashtra.
BJP rebel Sunilbhai Oza is contesting from Bhavnagar, as a candidate of former BJP leader Uma Bharti's Bhartiya Janshakti Party. (Agencies)
Title.
Tuesday, December 11, 2007 (Buenos Aires)
Argentina's first lady Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner was sworn in as the first elected female President in the history of Argentina.
She was sworn in before Latin American heads of state and Spain's Crown Prince Felipe in the Argentine Congress in Buenos Aires on Monday. Fernandez, dressed in white, took over the presidency from her husband, outgoing president Nestor Kirchner.
In a 50-minute inaugural speech, the new centre-left president, 54, a lawyer by training who rose through political ranks as a Peronist working in both houses of the Argentine Congress, called for business owners and trade unions to put aside their differences in the interest of following ''larger'' goals.
''I know that there is a lot left to do, that we have to deepen some things and to correct others, and I know we are going to do it,'' she said.
In her speech, Fernandez also stressed the historic marker for women's rights represented by her election, and remembered other women who have played a crucial role in the country's history.
''I know (governing) may be harder for me because I am a woman. It is always harder for us, but I believe I have the strength to pull it through,'' said Fernandez.
Only one other woman has been actually elected to higher political office in Argentina, but not to the presidency. Maria Estela Martinez de Peron, the second wife of the late president Juan Peron (1946-55, 1973-74), served as elected vice president and succeeded her husband when he died.
The military dictatorship ousted her in 1976. The near-legendary Evita Peron, first wife of Juan Peron, was politically very active by his side until her death in 1952.
Fernandez also noted how mothers and grandmothers of the Plaza de Mayo have fought for human rights in Argentina since the bloody 1976-83 dictatorship that claimed the lives of an estimated 30,000 political opponents.
Chile is the only other Latin American country currently with a woman president, Michelle Bachelet.
Fernandez won the presidential election October 28 in the first round. She garnered 45 per cent of the vote, nearly twice as much as her closest rival and enough to avoid a runoff.
Her ministers were to be sworn in later on Monday at the seat of the Argentine government in Buenos Aires. She is set to retain many faces from her husband's administration (2003-2007), notably Chief of Staff Alberto Fernandez and Foreign Minister Jorge Taiana.
Some changes have also been announced, and Martin Lousteau, 37, is set to replace Miguel Peirano as finance minister
SC stays Assam Govt’s gag order on NE TV
The Supreme Court has stayed an Assam government order cancelling accreditation to the North East Television (NETV) correspondents to cover the 33rd National Games in Guwahati which began Friday, news agencies reported.
Soldiers use bomb detectors to check for explosives on a road in Guwahati, Monday, February 5, 2007. The rebel United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) withdrew its call for a boycott of India’s biggest sporting event. The decision came as authorities mobilized thousands of paramilitary soldiers to protect nearly 10,000 athletes and officials expected in Guwahati, for the February 9-18 National Games. (AP Photo/ Anupam Nath) A bench of Chief Justice KG Balakrishnan and Justice DK Jain stayed the February 6 order of the state government’s Media Accreditation Committee after hearing NETV’s counsel and issued notice to the parties concerned for their reply.
NETV, in its petition, alleged that the gag order was passed by the Assam government to silence the channel engaged in an unbiased coverage of the recent killing of Hindi- speaking persons by suspected ULFA terrorists, besides other insurgent-related violence in the Northeast states. Its coverage was viewed as a negative publicity to the government, said the petitioner, and claimed that the channel was also highlighting the issues connected with the national games.
Owing to its independent objective view of the issues relating to the northeast, the State government has started harassing it, NETV channel alleged in its petition.
Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi’s spokesperson February 4 had said that NETV reporters would be boycotted during the national games in Guwahati, the petitioner alleged. On February 6, the accreditation cards given to its reporters were cancelled.
Seeking court’s direction to annul the state government’s order, NETV, through counsel Harish Salve, contended that the order had been passed violating its fundamental rights.
Salve argued that cancellation of the accreditation facilities was a serious assault on the freedom of press as guaranteed under Article 19 (1) (a) and Article 19 (1) (6) which granted every individual the right to carry out his or her profession.
According to the petition filed by NETV Managing Director Manoranjana Sinh, the Assam government had not favourably viewed the coverage given by the channel on the largescale killings in the Northeast and had been repeatedly making efforts to browbeat it. The channel claims to have the unique distinction of being the only multilingual channel of the country telecasting live news bulletins in 17 languages of the Northeast.
source--Newswatch
ftikhar Chowdhury officially ousted
Wednesday, December 5, 2007 (Islamabad)
The Pakistan government has formally dismissed former Supreme Court Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chowdhury along with two other deposed judges of the superior judiciary.
The other deposed judges include the lone Hindu judge Rana Bhagwandas, for refusing to have taken oath under the PCO, put in place when Musharraf declared emergency.
They have reportedly been dismissed without any retirement benefits.
In another notification the Pakistan government retired 24 high court judges as well, with effect from November 3, the day emergency was imposed.
India will conduct N-test, if needed: Pranab
Wednesday, December 5, 2007 (New Delhi)
Reiterating government's stand on the Indo-US nuclear deal issue, External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee said that if it is necessary to conduct a nuclear test because of geo-political scenario, India will do it.
''If we conduct a nuclear test, consequences will follow,'' added Mukherjee.
''India is committed to universal disarmament and does not believe in nuclear weaponisation in a massive way,'' said Mukherjee in Rajya Sabha.
On his part, country's top atomic scientist Anil Kakodkar said he was hopeful that the Indo-US civil nuclear deal will get through.
''I am hopeful,'' he told reporters outside Parliament when asked whether he felt that the nuclear deal will get through.
The nuclear deal has raked up a political controversy in the country with BJP and Left parties, key allies of the ruling UPA, voicing their strident opposition to the agreement.
Meanwhile, members of BJP, Left parties and Samajwadi Party staged walkout in Rajya Sabha.
Modi admits to Sohrabuddin killing
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