N-pact no bar for strategy: Pranab
New Delhi, Oct. 20: The American nuclear deal and the IAEA safeguards agreement include specific provisions to ensure there will be no hindrance to India’s strategic programme, and the country retains the freedom to take action on its strategic programme, external affairs minister Pranab Mukherjee told Parliament on Monday.Omitting any reference to nuclear testing in his suo motu statement, Mr Mukherjee said the agreements with the United States and France, as well as the proposed pact with Russia and the safeguards agreement, were “fully consistent” with India’s national interest, and “with the assurances that [Prime Minister Manmohan Singh] had given to Parliament.”
He said: “Our foreign policy will be determined at all times by our own assessment of our national interest. This initiative in no way constrains our ability to pursue an independent foreign policy. It does not in any way affects our strategic autonomy. In fact, it does the opposite, by increasing our foreign policy options,” he asserted. Mr Mukherjee said when these agreements are brought into force, they will provide the legal framework to negotiate and finalise commercial arrangements to source nuclear fuel for India’s strategic fuel reserve, as well as other nuclear equipment and technologies. “We will honour our commitments and imple-ment these agreements in good faith… and have no doubt our partners will similarly discharge their commitments and obligations,” he said. This comes as an assurance from the external affairs minister after much upheaval.
PM bid to dispel fears
Mumbai/New Delhi, Oct. 20: The Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh, told the Lok Sabha on Monday that the government’s “first concern” has been to “ensure the stability of the banking system”. Making a suo motu statement, he said that India was “not directly exposed to the sub-prime mortgage assets” and that the country’s banks were “financially sound, well capitalised and well regulated”.
Admitting that the financial crisis has had “ripple effects” on India, Dr Singh said the government has taken numerous steps to “minimise the impact”. He admitted that the global turmoil has led to a contraction in corporate credit. This, he said, has impacted external commercial borrowings and international suppliers credits used by the corporate sector. This, in turn, has produced a liquidity crisis, he added.
AP MPs clash in Parliament
New Delhi, Oct. 20: Two senior Congress MPs, Mr L. Rajagopal and Mr V. Hanumanth Rao, clashed in the Central Hall of Parliament on Monday.ῠ The two Congress MPs virtually came to blows following heated arguments on Telangana. However, other senior Congress MPs intervened to separate the two MPs. As the arguments between the two leaders reached a flashpoint, Mr Rajagopal dared Mr Hanumanth Rao to come out and settle scores. That was when other senior MPs stepped in to save the situation.
The ugly scenes surprised the MPs in the Central Hall, which included the Union minister, Mr Jitin Prasad and Mr Sachin Pilot. It all started on a lighter note, when the Congress MPs from Andhra Pradesh, Mr L. Rajagopal, Mr K. Keshav Rao, Mr Vithal Rao and Mr Bala Shourie, besides the CPI deputy general secretary, Mr S. Sudhakar Reddy, were discussing the Telangana issue.
Mr Hanumanth Rao had just stepped in when Mr Keshav Rao referred to Mr Rajagopal’s statements opposing Telangana. He objected to the statements being made by Mr Rajagopal, opposing separate Telangana.ῠ An infuriated Rajagopal told Mr Hanumanth Rao that he cannot be prevented from taking a position on an important issue. It was then that Mr Hanumanth Rao made references to Mr Rajagopal’s possession of waqf land.
Hitting back at him, Mr Rajagopal advised him to join the Telangana Rashtra Samiti, if he was so committed to Telangana and amid frayed tempers, the two virtually came to blows when senior Congress MPs stepped in to cool down the tempers.
Goud goes Left, right to get Telangana state
New Delhi, Oct. 20: The Nava Telangana Praja Party president, Mr T. Devender Goud, on Monday met the Leader of Opposition, Mr L.K. Advani and the CPI general secretary, Mr A.B. Bardhan to press for introduction of a Bill on statehood for Telangana in Parliament.ῠ Mr Goud was supposed to meet Mr Advani as head of a large delegation of the pro-Telangana parties. However, since the delegation’s arrival was delayed by the late arrival of the train, Mr Goud, who had an appointment with Mr Advani, went ahead to meet him and represent on the issue of Telangana.
Mr Advani assured Mr Goud that the BJP was committed to creation of separate Telangana at the Kakinada resolution adopted by the Andhra Pradesh BJP executive committee.ῠ The Bharatiya Janata Party has also made it clear that if the Congress-led UPA government introduces the Bill, then the NDA will support it.
SP builds bloc against Congress
New Delhi, Oct. 20: The Samajwadi Party is working hard to form a pressure group to contain the Congress in a post-poll scenario. While its seat-sharing talks with the Congress remain inconclusive, SP general secretary Amar Singh is holding talks with the Lok Janshakti Party, Trinamul Congress and Uma Bharti’s Bhartiya Janshakti Party for seat sharing in Lok Sabha and Assembly polls.
The SP, which retains a strong base in Uttar Pradesh, is sending contradictory signals to the Congress.ῠ Mr Amar Singh earlier told the Congress it could not get more than 10 seats in UP, but SP supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav said later more seats could be considered.ῠ The Congress has demanded 31 seats in UP. The SP hopes a bloc of like-minded parties will increase its clout after the elections. “If successful, it will try to give shape to an anti-BJP, anti-Congress combine, on the lines of what the CPI(M)’s Prakash Karat had tried earlier,” a source said.
In Madhya Pradesh, it is trying to forge an alliance with the LJP and Uma Bharti’s outfit; in Bihar with the LJP again; while in Parliament it will try to work with the Trinamul Congress. One of the main reasons for this is that Mr Amar Singh is keenly aware that a majority of Congress leaders are “not comfortable” with him. Party sources said this was also a major reason why the SP failed to get a berth in the Prime Minister, Drῠ Manmohan Singh government since it had “insisted on the inclusion of Amar Singh.”
Katara may lose LS seat
New Delhi, Oct. 20: Controversial BJP MP Babubhai Katara, allegedly involved in the human trafficking case, may lose his Lok Sabha membership following a strong recommendation for expulsion by a House committee for his “grave misconduct”. The Lok Sabha committee headed by senior Congress MP V. Kishore Chandra Deo to inquire into misconduct of members has recommended expulsion of Mr Katara, stating that “he needs to be meted out the severest of punishment.” “Katara has committed an act of grave misconduct as well as contempt of the committee and of the House which has threatened to erode the credibility of Parliament as an institution,” the committee said in its report.
NBW issued against Raj
Mumbai/Ahmednagar, Oct. 20: A non-bailable warrant issued by a Jamshedpur court against Mr Raj Thackeray for allegedly making derogatory remarks against Biharis was received by the Mumbai police on Monday and authorities said the Maharashtra Navanirman Sena chief may be arrested. Thackeray, who is on a tour of the Konkan region, meanwhile fuelled a controversy when he said in Ahmednagar the Maharashtra government does not understand the language of non-violence any more and that his outfit will have to adopt such means that will make authorities understand the gravity of their demands.
As the Chief Minister Mr Vilasrao Deshmukh faced mounting pressure to take action against the estranged nephew of Shiv Sena supremo Bal Thackeray, Mumbai police said it was “closely monitoring the situation and consequently make the arrest.” The warrant against Mr Thackeray for allegedly making derogatory remarks against members of the Bihari community was brought here by the Jamshedpur police and will be served on the MNS leader later in the week as Mr Thackeray is presently out of the city, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zone V) Mr Milind Bharambe said.
“The non-bailable warrant issued by a court in Jamshedpur was received by us today but we will execute it during the course of this week,” he said. The senior police inspector of Shivaji Park police station Mr Vilas Gaurav said, “We will closely monitor the situation and consequently make the arrest.”
With yesterday’s incident of MNS activists attacking candidates from north India sitting for the Railway recruitment exam in Mumbai evoking all-round condemnation, Mr Deshmukh said the police have been instructed to be “very firm” in dealing with the outfit. Several MNS activists have been detained following the incident, the police said.
However, Mr Raj Thackeray today dared Maharashtra government to arrest him and warned the state will have to “regret” the consequences in the event of that. “Arrest me and be ready to bear the consequences…. you will have to regret,” Mr Thackeray, who was attending a ceremony at Bahadursheikh Naka said.”If Raj is arrested, entire Maharashtra will be set on fire,” he added.
Meanwhile, the Lok Sabha was adjourned on the Batla issue over discussion on Batla issue, for an hour, various members rushed to the well of the House flashing copies of a newspaper carrying reports on a “new version” on the encounter by the MNS.
HC objects to Centre’s decision
New Delhi, Oct. 20: The Delhi high court on Monday said that homosexual traits cannot be termed as disease, and objected to the government’s contention describing it as an ailment, which if legalised, would bring “devastation”. “Show us one report which says that it is a disease. A WHO paper says it is not a disease but you are describing it as a disease. It is an accepted fact that it is a main cause of (AIDS) disease but it is not a disease itself,” a bench headed by chief justice A.P. Shah said.
The court’s observation came when additional solicitor general Mr P.P. Malhotra, appearing for the Centre, contended that homosexuality is a disease which is responsible for the spread of AIDS. “AIDS is already spreading in the country and if gay sex is legalised then people on the street would start indulging in such practices saying that the high court has given approval for it,” Mr Malhotra said.
Justice S. Muralidhar, of the bench, said the matter (of legalising gay sex) is still under consideration and the Centre should not make such a submission. The court was hearing a petitions filed by gay rights activists seeking decriminalisation of gay sex among consenting adults. Section 377 of Indian Penal Code provides a punishment upto life imprisonment for indulging in gay sex.
Describing homosexuality as “the most indecent behaviour” in society, the Centre submitted that homosexuals comprise only 0.3 per cent of the population and the right of rest 99.7 per cent population cannot be compromised for them. “Every citizen has the right to lead a decent and moral life in society and the right would be violated if such behaviour (gay sex) is legalised in the country,” Mr Malhotra said.
Centre not to pay extra for Gorshkov
New Delhi, Oct. 20: The government has not agreed to pay an additional cost to Russia to buy the Admiral Gorshkov aircraft carrier, the government has informed the Parliament. It had been decided in 2004, that India would acquire the aircraft carrier from Russia at $974 million. But Russia hiked the price to $1.2 billion for various reasons.
During the Russian defence minister’s visit to India last month, the Indian defence minister Mr A.K. Antony had said India had considered the Russian demand for escalation of cost and that any decision taken by the Ministry of Defence would be forwarded in due course to the Cabinet for approval. The government also informed Parliament that it has imported defence equipment worth Rs 15,026 crores in 2007-08 which is significantly higher than the defence equipment imported in 2006-07 which was Rs 10,022 crores.
Batla row rocks LS
New Delhi, Oct. 20: Attack on some north Indians in Mumbai and “new revelations” about the Batla House encounter in Delhi led to uproarious scenes in the Lok Sabha today. The House was adjourned for an hour soon after it assembled for the day as BSP members Mr Akbar Ahmad Dumpy and Mr Iliyas Azmi rushed to the well of the House flashing copies of a newspaper carrying reports on a “new version” on the encounter.
The BSP members demanded a judicial inquiry into the Batla House encounter. Members of the Samajwadi Party and RJD demanded action against the activists who allegedly beat up some north Indians appearing for a Railway Recruitment Board examination in Mumbai. Speaker Somnath Chatterjee adjourned the proceedings. RJD chief Mr Lalu Prasad and Congress President Sonia Gandhi were seen in animated discussion with NCP supremo Mr Sharad Pawar.
Betting thrives inside stadium
Chandigarh, Oct. 19: Security agencies monitoring in-stadia internet surfing patterns say a substantial percentage of the web pages visited, while an international cricket match is in progress, belong to offshore betting portals. A senior security official, who scrutinised web pages with unusually high hits during a one day international match in the UK, found that as many as 31 per cent of those with access to the broadband internet service inside the stadium, consistently visited betting and related sites.
“We can only track surfers using the ISP officially arranged by local cricket associations and have no idea about what others, who use satellite links or wireless data cards, do,” said the official, requesting anonymity. He said the surfing patterns include sports journalists using the Wi-Fi Internet service provided inside the media box as well as match officials and others with similar access inside the stadium.
Though the net monitoring was started as an exercise to enhance match and player security, following the increased global terrorist threat, security officials say the results suggest sports writers and match officials are taking advantage of their position to indulge in the lucrative pastime of cricket betting. “Keeping an eye on the progress of the match as a part of their primary profession, these people have a clear (unfair?) advantage because of the mandatory eight-second lag between the actual game and the time the “live” images appear on television screens across the world,” said the official.
Stars can smoke on screen
New Delhi, Oct. 20: India’s film industry, which has been fuming over a ban on smoking scenes in films, has a reason to smile. The health ministry is ready to allow the depiction of iconic characters with a cigarette. So, British statesman Winston Churchill and fictional detective Sherlock Holmes, who cannot be imagined without their cigars and pipes, can now be shown smoking in new films - though with a warning.
“Characters like Churchill and Sherlock Holmes can smoke on screen. People know about them and their on-screen smoking won’t influence the audience behaviour much,” a senior health ministry official said. “This will be made public next month.” The ministry had banned smoking in films but well-known film director Mahesh Bhatt moved court against the government decision. The case is pending in the Delhi High Court for the last two years. The High Court is scheduled to hear the case in the third week of November.
Earlier, the ministry was completely against any smoking scenes in any movie. It had said that all old movies with such scenes would have to be accompanied with a disclaimer that smoking is injurious to health, and new films with such depictions could not be made at all. But now it has made a concession. Ministry officials said if it was essential to show a character smoking, the producer would have to follow some rules.
“If the scripts cannot do away with such a character, then the producer needs to write on the screen that smoking is injurious to health. The movies must carry a disclaimer and warning message at the beginning and end of the film,” the official said. “After the smoking ban in public places, the ministry wants to curb on-screen smoking, but with less fuss. The film fraternity is worried about creative freedom. But what about social responsibility?”
The health minister, Mr Anbumani Ramadoss has been reiterating that on-screen smoking is accountable for over 60 percent new smokers. He has appealed to actors like Shah Rukh Khan and Amitabh Bachchan not to smoke in films. “They are big stars and as celebrities their in-film actions influence youth. I am not interfering in their personal life but appealing as the health minister of the country,” Dr Ramadoss had said. The government has banned smoking in public places and is making graphic health warnings on all tobacco packets a must from December 1.
Goyal says sorry to crew
New Delhi, Oct. 20: Jet Airways chairman Mr Naresh Goyal on Monday apologised to the reinstated airline cabin crew in New Delhi over lunch at a five-star hotel for the agony they had suffered after being sacked earlier. “Mr Goyal assured the reinstated crew that such a thing would never happen again. He apologised to them over the recent happenings and assured them that only performance would count so far as job security is concerned. He also asked them for their feedback on how the company can be made profitable,” sources told this newspaper. Jet Airways spokespersons were unavailable for comment.
According to agency reports, Mr Goyal on Monday met the finance minister, Mr P. Chidambaram, to seek tax concessions on aviation turbine fuel as part of measures to overcome the crisis in Indian civil aviation sector. He is understood to have requested Mr. Chidambaram to consider rationalisation of taxation and levies on ATF. Meanwhile, agencies also quoted Kingfisher Airlines chief Vijay Mallya as saying: “If the slump continues then the number of flights will have to go down. And when we ground planes it will have effects.”
Bishop to give up adoption
Thiruvananthapuram, Oct. 20: The controversial Kochi Bishop, Reverend John Thattumkal, has volunteered to give up his plan to adopt a 30-year-old woman if the Church thought he was wrong.
Rev. Thattumkal said this in a meeting of church leaders held at the Bishop’s House in Kochi on Monday.
The 58-year-old Bishop had raised a storm in the Catholic Church by announcing last week when he announced his plan to adopt a woman who was under the care of a priest of the orthodox sect earlier.
According to Rev. Thattumkal he had noticed ‘divine’ qualities in the woman when he went on a pilgrimage with her family to Rome last year. “I love her like my daughter,” he said. Church leaders, priests and laity were outraged since it violated the canon law which insisted that the clergy should not have family ties. Moreover, the woman was non-Catholic. Church authorities in Kerala have informed Vatican’s Apostolic Nuncio (ambassador) to India, Archbishop P. Lopez Quintana and awaiting word.
All ready to study, at 79
Lucknow, Oct. 20: At 79, he looks every inch the Buddhist monk that he is. His lean frame, bent slightly with the passing years, still retains the grace and sits quietly on his weather-beaten face. Mr Sugudanand, however, stood out in a crowd of thousands when he arrived at the Har Sahay Degree College in Kanpur on Sunday, to take the entrance test for the B.Ed course.
“Initially, we thought he had accompanied one of the students as a guardian, but when he showed us his admit card, we were taken aback. Since there was no electricity in the area at the time of the examination, we put up a separate desk for him in the verandah to enable him to take the test because he suffers from weak eyesight,” said Dr RC Sharma, principal of the Har Sahay Degree College.
Mr Sugudanand, meanwhile, said that he had extensively traveled around the country and wanted to spread the teachings of Buddha by interacting with students. “Almost everywhere, I was told that since I did not have a B.Ed degree, I could not be given permission to take special classes. So I decided to get a B.Ed degree, so that I could teach children,” he said. Asked if he hesitated sitting in the same class as the students who were almost one-fourth of his age, Mr Sugudanand replied, “The day a person stops learning in his life, he would also stop growing,” he said.
Bollywood dream ends in jail
Chandigarh, Oct 20: He sneaked into the country to try his luck in Bollywood, but instead, landed in a juvenile jail in Punjab. Nasir Sultan, a 16-year-old, illegally crossed the India-Pakistan Border near Ferozepur to try his luck on the television song and dance show Sa Re Ga Ma and possibly land a role in a Bollywood film.
Held soon after he crossed the border at Ferozepur, Nasir told the police that the lure of becoming a star like many others who made it big in Hindi films via the TV show, which is even more popular on the other side of the border, was just too much to resist. Dressed for school, books and all, he quietly left his home in Chukiatan - a small township in Pakistan’s North West Frontier Province - and crossed the border without a passport or visa, because, “no one would have made a passport for me. In Pakistan, you need connections to get a passport”.
Walking across the border, the schoolboy called his parents from a phone booth to tell them he was “okay” and would call again once he got to tinsel town. The call proved to be his undoing and Nasir was arrested by the Ferozepur Police on a tip off from the PCO owner. Unfazed by his misfortunes, the boy, who says he would still be willing to risk anything for the chance to meet Shah Rukh Khan, is now lodged at Ferozepur’s Borstal Jail for juveniles.
“He is a simple young boy like my own son and spends most of his time entertaining the other inmates with a medley of Hindi songs he has memorized from the countless Bollywood films he has seen,” said Jinder Singh, the caretaker at the juvenile jail. Meanwhile, back home Nasir’s poor parents are literally running from pillar to post to try and bring their boy back. His father, Sultan Zareen, a gas station attendant, says he has neither the resources nor the influence to secure his son’s release.
Deccan Chronicle
