India News

Guwahati: A business conference organized by Confederation of Indian Industries (CII) to explore and promote trade opportunities between India and ASEAN was recently held in Guwahati.

During the conference both sides discussed different aspects like banking, agriculture and tourism to boost trade.

“I think there are many ideas; there is a great potential for cooperation between Vietnam and Assam. I have many ides, which are very useful and feasible. That will further promote cooperation in this area,” said Vu Quang Diem, Vietnamese Ambassador to India.

The issue of improving the connectivity between Assam and South East nations dominated the talks.
 
“After the announcement of look east policy, our businessman community is very happy and excited. They also want to do business and if something is good and cheap in Thailand or china, we can bring it here and sell and similarly if something is good here we can go and sell there,” said D.K Sharma, General Secretary of North East Chamber of Commerce and Industry (NECCI).

Earlier this year, India had signed a Free Trade Agreement with the ASEAN countries.

Source ANI

Khongjom Bazar (Manipur): Thousands of students and teachers formed a human chain from Thoubal Haokha till Khongjom Bazar in protest after miscreants set fire to another school in Manipur.

It is suspected that the supporters of class boycott campaign set ablaze Khongjom Standard English School on the night of November 16.

The fire burnt down five classrooms and one Computer lab room, destroying three computers as claimed, one microscope and several other valuable practical equipments, amounting to Rs. 10 lakhs.

“This has hurt the sentiments of the Private school owners and the students, resulting them to come out on the street to demonstrate and appealing the concern not to repeat the extreme act again,” said B. Surchandra Sharma, Private Schools Development Council of Thoubal.
 
Purnima Naorem, a student from Khongjom Standard English School, said: “As a student, I feel very much shocked finding the burning down of the school. I’m presently a student of Class – X, and will appear in my matriculation exam shortly. Though the examination is very near, and course of our syllabus is not completed, I wonder how we are going to appear our exam. Thinking of this situation, I feel angry.”
 
Nearly four lakh students of different classes have been away from their educational institutions for quite some time.
 
Apunba Lup, AMSU, MSF, KSA and the JACs of Rabina and Sanjit are the class boycotting bodies.

Meanwhile, the Government is trying to persuade them to come to a solution.

Source ANI

New Delhi: Former firebrand BJP leader and former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Kalyan Singh on Tuesday condemned the Liberhan Commission report, describing it as politically motivated. He denied that the December 6, 1992 demolition of the Babri mosque was orchestrated or pre-planned. 
 
“The report is baseless, meaningless. It stinks of politics, as making accusations against me, Advaniji, Uma Bharti or others could be understood, but the inclusion of Vajpayeeji’s name is condemnable.”
 
“There was no planning. Nothing was pre-planned. The incident happened due to suppression of hundreds of years Hindu sentiment. It was just its outcome. But nothing was planned.”
 
Targetting the Congress regime, Kalyan Singh said even as the Babri demolition incident took place on Dec.6, 1992, the script for the construction of Ram Temple was being written for many decades even under the Congress party’s rule.
 
“Statue’s foundation, opening of the lock, and Shilaynyas all these things occurred during Congress’ regimes. It should explain were all these things intended for the cause of temple or the mosque?”
 
Meanwhile, Kalyan Singh asked members of the Muslim community to come forward and help their Hindu brethren in the construction of the Ram Temple at the disputed site.
 
“No power on earth can prevent the construction of the Ram temple and the ‘Garbh Grah’ (sanctum sanctorum). The temple will come up on the very place where the statues are placed at present, not the mosque,” said Kalyan Singh, adding: “At the same time, I appeal to the Muslims that they should come forward to help build the Ram Temple. The active contribution of the temple would help in bringing animosity down and ensuring peace between the two communities. I still suggest that a solution to the issue should be reached by discussion between members of the Hindu and Muslim communities.”  
 
“I did ensure there were ample security arrangements for the Babri mosque, but couldn’t save it. I did permit use of baton-charge and tear gas. But I didn’t not give permission to shoot in any situation, as it could have meant death of a large number of Kar Sewaks (volunteers) of the hundreds of thousands converged there. I didn’t opt to take lives of Kar Sewaks and prevented genocide.”
 
“The structure (mosque) was to go after all due to the deep anguish among Kar Sewaks,”
 
Singh supported his logic stating that things do take place even when there are security arrangements and cited the example of the assassination of the former U.S President John F.Kennedy (November 1963) and India Prime Minister Indira Gandhi (October 1984) who were killed despite security arrangements being in place. 
 
Kalyan Singh said not all depends upon the Centre on what action it takes on the Liberhan Commission’s report. If it does take any action, he said he was ready to go to jail.
 
“If the Centre wants to start a case, he was ready to go to jail for Ram Temple. “We are ready to accept the challenge. For me that day (Babri demolition day) was not a day of national shame, but rather of national pride. The mosque was constructed to humiliate Hindus,” Kalyan Singh remarked.
 
“I never wanted it to happen. But the structured crumbled down. I don’t have any regret. No repentance, no sorrow, now grief. I stated that before Librehan Commission,” Singh told apress conference in the capital.

Source ANI

New Delhi: Even as the details of the Liberhan Commission’s findings are yet to be revealed to the public due to the availability of limited copies of the English version, the 13-page Action Taken Report (ATR) of the government have been put in the public domain.
 
Justice M S Liberhan had submitted his findings to the government on June 30 this year after an inquiry spanning nearly 17 years.
 
TIMES NOW channel, on Tuesday, claimed to have accessed the ATR, which clearly stops short of suggesting action against any specific person.
 
The ATR doesn’t name any individual against whom fresh action needs to be taken – on the basis of the Liberhan report – for the demolition of the Babri mosque demolition in Ayodhya on December 6, 1992.
 
The ATR recommended that no fresh charges will be formed against ‘anybody’.
 
The ATR also states that ''''No political leader who holds a position of power in the government will be allowed to simultaneously hold any position in religious organisations’. It mentions of a new law to ensure that those guilty of using religion or caste for political gain would face exemplary punishment.
 
On the issue of action to be taken against people behind the demolition, the government thinks it would not be prudent on its part to register fresh cases as there are multiple cases still pending against the accused in courts.
 
The ATR says that the government will work towards expediting the ongoing trial in the lower courts in Uttar Pradesh.
 
Besides, the report supports legislature to enable Central government to take over administration of a specified area for riot control and set up specialised investigating squads to investigate communal riots.

Source ANI

Washington: The reconstitued India-US CEOs’ Forum met in Washington, on Monday and will meet Indian Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh and US President Barack Obama at the White House today.

The Co-chairs of the Forum from the Indian side are Mr. Ratan Tata, Chairman, Tata Sons Limited and from the US side; Mr. David Cote, CEO, Honeywell Inc. Names of other members are given below.

CEOs from both sides discussed how to deepen the economic partnership between the two countries to achieve its full potential.

The outcome of their discussions was reported by the the co-chairs to Deputy Chairman of Planning Commission Dr.M.S.Ahluwalia and Mr.Michael Froman, Deputy National Security Advisor to the President for International Economic Affairs, US Commerce Secretary Mr. Gary Locke, US Trade Representative Ambassador Ron Kirk, Director of national Economic Council Mr. Larry Summers and US Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner.

The CEOs are expected to meet with Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh and President Barack Obama today.

Frontier areas of bilateral cooperation such as biotechnology, IT, pharmaceuticals, healthcare and high tech manufacturing are represented in the CEO Forum. Of the 24 CEOs, five are women reflecting the fact that women are increasingly making a mark in business in both countries.

From the Indian side: Mr. Mukesh Ambani, Chairman and MD, Reliance Industries Limited, Mr. O.P. Bhatt, Chairman, State Bank of India, Mr. S. Gopalakrishnan, CEO and MD, Infosys Technologies Limited, Mr. Analjit Singh, Chairman and Managing Director, Max India Limited, Ms. Kiran Mazumdar Shaw, Chairman and MD, Biocon Limited, Ms. Preetha Reddy, Managing Director, Apollo Hospital Group, Mr. Sunil Bharti Mittal, Chairman and Group Managing Director, Bharti Enterprises, Ms. Chanda Kochhar, Managing Director and CEO, ICICI Bank Limited, Mr. Deepak Parekh, Chairman, HDFC Limited and Mr. Ashok Ganguly, Chairman, Firstsource Solutions Limited.

From the US side: Mr. Louis R. Chenevert, President &CEO, United Technologies Corp, Mr. Richard T.Clark, Chairman, President and CEO, Merck, Mr. James Dimon, Chairman and CEO, JP Morgan Chase, Mr. Paul T. Hanrahan,President and CEO, AES Corporation, Dr.Paul E. Jacobs,Chairman and CEO, Qualcomm Inc, Ms. Ellen J. Kullman, CEO, DuPont, Mr. Andrew N. Liveris, Chairman and CEO, Dow, Mr. Terry McGraw, CEO, The McGraw-Hill Companies, Ms. Indra K. Nooyi,Chairman and CEO, PepsiCo, Mr. Vikram Pandit, CEO, Citigroup and Mr. Michael Splinter, President and CEO, Applied Materials.

Source ANI

Dharamsala: Following his trip to Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh, Tibetan spiritual leader-in-exile Dalai Lama on Tuesday made his first public appearance and also began his three-day long teachings.

Hundreds of Tibetans expressed their delight to see Dalai Lama preach in Dharamsala.

“Today Dalai Lama is making his first public appearance in Dharamsala after making a successful trip to Tawang. So we are all very happy to see him here,” said Lobsang.

The Dalai Lama has lived in Dharamsala with thousands of his followers ever since they fled their homeland after a failed uprising against Chinese rule in 1959.

In 1950, the Chinese troops marched into Tibet and occupied it. An estimated 134,000 Tibetans live in exile, a majority of them in India and Nepal.

Tibetans have accused China of repressing the religious aspirations of the Tibetans, specially, the exiled spiritual leader the Dalai Lama who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989.

Beijing calls the Dalai Lama a dangerous "splittist" plotting Tibetan independence, a charge he denies. He says he is merely seeking autonomy for Tibet.

Source ANI

Pusparampara (Tripura): Members of the banned National Liberation Front of Tripura (NLFT) recently raided Pusparampara village in North Tripura district and kidnapped eight tribals, including four women, at gunpoint and shot them in a nearby jungle.

The victims were relatives of seven NLFT militants who had surrendered earlier and it is believed that the NLFT targeted them in retaliation against the surrenders.
 
The militants also seriously injured a few villagers.

“We saw around five, six persons firing indiscriminately and my children ran for their lives and I followed them, but was hit by a bullet,” said Gayarung Reang, a victim.
 
This is the first major incident of militancy in Tripura this year.
 
The attack has been widely condemned by the people, and in protest against the massacre, a 24-hour bandh was called in Kanchanpur subdivision.
 
“They are scared and evacuating the village as militants may attack again. Temporary security force camps are being set up but people have go out of the village for farming and there is every possibility of being target of militants,” said Balijoy Reang, another victim.
 
NLFT operates out of Bangladesh and police suspect the militants from across the border carried out the attack and then returned to the other side.

Source ANI

Mumbai: With the first anniversary of the Mumbai massacre approaching, some of the unsung heroes of the 26/11 attacks recalled their experiences.

On the night of November 26, 2008, when reaching home safely was everyone''s top priority, Susheela Pyarelal Sharma, 55, worked overtime to scrub Chatrapati Shivaji Terminal clean.

Susheela, a sweeper in the Chatrapati Shivaji Terminal, accompanied by a few more women, cleaned and scrubbed the platforms on the night of the serial bomb blasts so that early morning travellers would not have to walk on dried blood.

“That night, around 9 pm we went to eat food and around 9:30 pm people started coming from the main line. All of a sudden, we heard the sound of the bomb blasts that made the public go berserk with fear and all of them started running. We also got scared and ran away,” Susheela recounts.

“We later returned to the station around 1:30 am and were asked by the officials to clean up bloodstains from the station. It took us four hours to clean the stains from the station. There were blood all over the place,” she adds.

Another unsung hero who risked his own life during the Mumbai terror attacks to save the lives of others is, Mohammad Toufik Shaikh, a tea stall owner near the Chatrapati Shivali Terminal.

Shaikh, who was present at the railway station on that fateful day, warned the passengers about the attacks and also took the injured people to the nearby hospital.

"It was a horrible night and no country should ever witness such a night. Tragedies like these only cause deaths and such incidents must be stopped before they can take place. It is the duty of every individual to come forward and help others,” Shaikh said.

“One must not just think about saving his own life but must also think about saving the lives of others," Shaikh added.

Although Shaikh has received awards from a few private organizations, he has yet to get any recognition from the government.

Source ANI

New Delhi: The United Progressive Alliance government finally tabled  the much-awaited Librehan Commission Report on  the Babri mosque demolition after the Opposition staged an uproar  over its leakage  to the media before its tabling  in Parliament. 

Union Home Minister P .Chidambaram presented the Librehan Report along with a 13-page Action Taken Report (ATR) in the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday after Question Hour at 12.00 p.m.

The decision to present the report today itself was taken by the Cabinet.

Earlier in the day, Parliamentary Affair Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal, announced that the Government would table the report in Parliament at noon after Question Hour.

Minutes after the tabling of the report, proceedings in the Rajya Sabha were adjourned till 2.00 p.m. after Samajwadi Party leader Amar Singh and BJP leader S.S.Ahluwalia scuffled over sloganeering in the House.

BJP leaders reportedly raised slogans “Jai ShriRam”, which was objected to by Amar Singh. He rushed to Ahluwalia’s seat and this led to the scuffle.

Other members approached the two leaders in the Well of the House.The whole incident took place during a discussion on the Babri report.

Samajwadi Party  leader Ram Gopal Yadav, BJP leaders Najma Heptullah and Venkaiah Naidu were seen sorting out the matter and separating the two leaders.

Source ANI

Agartala: To tighten security along the Indo-Bangla border, the Border Security Force would set up nine more Border Outposts (BOPs).

The locations of 17 BOPs would also be changed along the 856 km long border in Tripura to prevent insurgents from sneaking into the Indian Territory.

Talking to reporters here, Director General of BSF Raman Srivastava said, "We are looking for new lands near International border for setting up of 26 BOPs so that insurgents cannot sneak into Indian Territory."

Srivastava who arrived here on Monday held a series of meetings with top BSF officials of the state.

The visit of Srivastava is significant in view of the Bangladeshi security forces'' mounting pressure on the Indian terrorists taking shelter and training in that country.

Source ANI

Washington: Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao has told media persons here that the Indian Government has expressed its concern to Washington over US arms supply to Pakistan.

Addressing a press conference here last night, Rao said Indian Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh has expressed his concern over the misuse of arms supplied to Pakistan by the United States.

Rao, who is accompanying Dr. Singh on his four-day visit to Washington, said that until Pakistan takes meaningful action on tackling India''s concerns on terrorism, bilateral relations couldn''t be normalised.

"Peace with Pakistan but it is difficult to carry forward the process of normalization unless and until of course Pakistan is able to move meaningfully on tackling our concerns about terrorism directed against India," Rao said.

She confirmed that during his meetings with various American dignitaries, Dr. Singh has voiced concern over US arms supply to Pakistan and highlighted the fact that these arms can be used against India.

"The issue of arms supply to Pakistan and assistance in that area from the United States was also mentioned in the conversation and attention was drawn to our concerns that such equipments have been used against our country in the past and that we continued such worries today and for the future also, " Rao said.

“Yes, on Pakistan, the US is receptive and sensitive to India''s concerns regarding Pakistan, its inability to curb terrorism emanating from its borders. The cooperation we have had with the Americans has been very good, we have expressed our concerns with candour about Pakistan misusing aid that it gets from the US against India,” said Rao.

“We have been very specific in our articulation about misuse of aid, especially the military aid that Pakistan gets. The US is also fully aware of our position that we cannot begin the composite dialogue process till such a time that Pakistan delivers on the Mumbai issue,” she added.

Rao underscored India’s mounting exasperation over lack of adequate action by Pakistan against the Mumbai terrorists and the larger anti-India terror infrastructure.

“For this dialogue to regain momentum, we will need to have progress by Pakistan to take action against terrorism,” Rao said after Singh’s meeting with several Congressmen and Defense Secretary Robert Gates.

“We need to have a closure. We have to take into account the public mood, the mood in the Parliament; a composite view has to be taken. The Americans are aware about all this. There has been no pressure on us at all,” Rao said.

Some 200 million dollars worth of equipment and services are already in the pipeline for Pakistan has started to arrive, but American officials have declined to provide full details, saying many of the more sophisticated items were classified.

U.S. military aid is meant to help Pakistan mount a long-awaited ground offensive against Taliban fighters in their South Waziristan stronghold along the border with Afghanistan, where U.S. and NATO forces are fighting a growing insurgency.

The Indian Foreign Secretary also said that the situation in Afghanistan also came up for discussion between Dr. Singh and the senators, House representatives and think tanks.

She said that India had explained that it is ready to help build Afghanistan.

There was, however, no mention about consulates, and the overall response from the American side was that Indian opinion on Afghanistan was sought, said Rao.

"Both India and United States could work together to help advance development and prosperity for the people of Afghanistan," Rao said.

India is one of the biggest donors in Afghanistan and its influence -- 1.2 billion dollars in aid towards targets ranging from highway construction to new consulates -- is viewed with suspicion by many actors in the region -- from Islamist militants to Pakistan.

Rao said Dr. Singh underlined his government''s commitment to Afghanistan, and added that India did not see Afghanistan as "a theatre of influence."

Rao also said that India was not looking at finalising negotiations with the US on a pact on reprocessing of spent fuel, a key step in implementation of the nuclear deal, during summit talks between Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and President Barack Obama.

"As far as reprocessing talks are concerned, these are ongoing and we were not looking at finalising them tomorrow. In any case, it is a ongoing process and as I mentioned to you and that these talks have progressed well and, there are a number of issues that were being discussed between the American side and our side and our experts have been engaged very intensively in these discussions and I am happy to report that much progress has been made and we will be finalising these issues very shortly, "she said.

Source ANI

Washington: Visiting Indian Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh told a distinguished gathering at the Centre of Foreign Relations (CFR) here on Monday that his country was very concerned about terrorists and insurgents, who were once very active along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, stretching their influence into mainland Pakistan.

“Terrorist groups who were once active in Pakistan’s Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) that border Afghanistan, are now active and have acquired a grip in mainland Pakistan,” said Dr. Singh during a question and answer session with noted diplomat and president of the CFR, Richard Haas.

“That is a cause for concern and steps should be taken to bring them under control. Failing to do so, will have phenomenal consequences for the security and stability of both India and Pakistan,” he added.

He also said that Pakistan was not doing enough to curb terrorism or to bring the perpetrators of the terrorist attack on Mumbai last year to justice.

Asked by Haas whether he was justified in taking the steps that he and his government did to calm tempers and reactions in the wake of the incident, Dr. Singh said: “There was enormous pressure on me at that time and in hindsight, I must say that I resisted that pressure successfully. The decisions that were taken, on balance, suggest that they were the right decisions.”

While refusing to speculate about how India would react or deal with such incidents in the future, the Prime Minister said: “I won’t speculate about we (India) will or will not do in the future, but I must say that the world community has an obligation to exert pressure on Pakistan to control the terrorists and end terrorism on its soil.”

Asked whether he subscribed to view that the Mumbai terror attack was planned in Pakistan, he said he and his government had no doubt on this score.

“The terrorists and attackers perpetrated the crime with the active support of the authorities in Pakistan.

Without mincing words, he said: “ Pakistan has not acted as it should have acted against the terrorists. Nor has it used its machinery to bring to book the perpetrators responsible for killing 2000 people, innocent people, including some foreigners, in India.”

He reiterated that Pakistan must be pressurised much more to bring to book all the perpetrators, people responsible for this horrible crime, adding that India has submitted “impeccable evidence” about the conspiracy being hatched in Pakistan and that it was connived by people still roaming freely in Pakistan.

Source ANI

New Delhi: Former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Kalyan Singh on Tuesday admitted to have instructed the District Magistrate not to shoot as it could have led to multiple casualties of Kar Sewaks.  

 

“Had I directed to shoot, it would have led to thousands of deaths,”said Kalyan Singh on a private channel.

 

“There were necessary security arrangment for the Babri mosque but I couldn’t save it from demolition,” said Singh said.

 

However, Kalyan Singh also quipped that former Prime Minister “Indira Gandhi was also assassinated despite security arrangements.”

 

Kalyan Singh was the Chief minister of Uttar Pradesh in 1992 when Babri mosque was demolished on Dec.6 by thousands of agitated Kar Sewaks.

Source ANI

New Delhi: The United Progressive Alliance government finally presented the much-awaited Librehan Commission report over the Babri mosque demolition after the Opposition stage uproar on Monday over the leakage of repot to media before tabling it in Parliament as per the propriety. 

 

Union Home Minister presented the Librehan report along with the 13-page Action Taken Report (AT) in the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday after the Question Hour at 12.00 p.m.

 

The decision to present the report today itself was earlier taken in a meeting of the Union Cabinet meet.

 

Earlier in the day, Parliamentary Affair Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal, announced that the Government will table the report in Parliament at 12.00 noon after the Question Hour. The Government will table the English version today.

 

Meanwhile, minutes after tabling after the report, the Rajya Sabha proceeding had to be adjourned till 2.00 p.m. after Samajwadi Party leader Amar Singh and BJP leader Ahluwalia got into scuffle over sloganeering in the House.

 

Meanwhile, minutes after tabling after the report, the Rajya Sabha proceeding had to be adjourned till 2.00 p.m. after Samajwadi Party leader Amar Singh and BJP leader Ahluwalia got into scuffle over sloganeering in the House.

 

BJP leaders reportedly raised slogans “Jai Shriram”, which was objected to by Amar Singh. He rushed to Ahluwalia’s seat and it led to scuffle.

 

Soon, other members of both the parties approached the two leaders into the well of House and started pushing each other. The whole incident took place while the discussion on the Babri reports was on.

 

SP leader Ram Gopal Yadav, BJP’s Najma Heptullah and Venkaiah Naidu were seen sorting out the matter and separating the involved leaders.

Source ANI

New Delhi: Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS), the mother organization of Bharatiya Janata Party, on Tuesday owned the Ayodhya movement but refused to apologise about what happened in Ayodhya in 1992 which led to demolition of the Babri mosque.

 

“We fully own up the movement. We mobilize people. People should respect the sentiment of crores of people,” said Ram Madhav, the RSS leader and former spokesman of the Sangh on a private channel.

 

“We are not going to apologise. Our agitation echoed the sentiment of the people at the time. It was a spontaneous act of anger by people,” Madhav added. 

 

Questioning the integrity of the Librehan Commission, Madhav described it as politically influenced and disputed the reported charge in the Librehan report that there was a pre-planned conspiracy for the demolition of Babri mosque.

 

“Librehan’s is a politically motivated report. We are not apologetic over what happened,” said Madhav while adding: “To say there was a conspiracy, is not right. We dispute that.”

 

“There is a case going on in Allahabad court. Let the court decide,” he added.

 

A section of the media on Monday reported that the  Justice Liberhan Commission has named former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajapayee along with Leader of Opposition L.K.Advani and senior BJP leader Murli Manohar Joshi as being responsible for spearheading the Karseva movement to demolish the the Babri Masjid in December 1992.

 

The Masjid was demolished by Karsevaks on December 6, 1992.

 

The report quoting the commission’s report said the entire build-up to the demolition was meticulously planned and there was reportedly nothing to show that these leaders were either unaware of what was going on or were innocent bystanders to any wrongdoing.

 

The Justice Manmohan Singh Liberhan Commission was set up by the then P.V.Narasimha Rao Government on December 16, 1992.

 

After 17 years and 42 extensions the commission submitted its report on June 30 this year.

Source ANI

Poonch (J-K): A free artificial limbs camp has been organised by the Indian Army in association with an NGO in Jammu and Kashmir''s Poonch district.

Around 120 people, most of whom have lost their limbs in cross border firing, mine accidents, terrorist attacks or crossfire, turned up on Monday, the first day of the five day camp.

"We had organised a similar camp last year also and we provided limbs to around 150 people that time. While this year around 120 people gave their measurement on the first day of the camp itself and we hope the numbers would increase in the next four days," said Satish Dua, Commander of 93 Infantry Brigade.

"We have arranged for a special team from Jaipur comprising of 12 technicians and we are successfully conducting the camp. We are taking patients measurement and by tomorrow we will provide them with the artificial limbs," said Jagbir Singh, president of the NGO ''Pritam Spiritual Trust''.

Mohammad Afzal, whose one leg was injured and had to be amputated during a cross border firing incident, as got himself an artificial limb.

"Today there are more than 100 people who have come out here to get artificial limb and the foundation also helps us in many ways. We are very thankful to them," he said.
Another Project on Wheel was also flagged off wherein needy people were given wheel chairs.

"I came to know about this camp, they gave me this cycle, and now I am very happy and hope I can lead a better life," said Mohammad Sadiq, a beneficiary.

Source ANI

Aurangabad: Onion prices have fallen with rains halting in Maharashtra.

Farmers earlier could not bring their onion stock to the market due to heavy rains, resulting in a steep rise in the prices of onions.

With the weather being favourable now, the farmers have now started selling their stocks, sending the onion prices crashing.

"Due to rainfall last week the farmers could not take out onions for sale. Earlier due to scarcity of onions, the price had gone up to Rs 2,000- 2,700. Now the the price has fallen to Rs 800-1,200," said Ilyas Jamadar, an onion trader.

The prices of onions had almost doubled in India in the wake of the post-monsoon rainfall that lashed large parts of Maharashtra last week.

The rains not only damaged the onion crop, the storms were so bad that onions in storehouses were also affected.

There had been a steep rise in onion prices in the country. This was ascribed to unfavourable weather conditions, especially heavy rains damaging the crop in the onion belt of the country including Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh, besides Maharashtra.

Source ANI

Panaji: Veteran Bollywood actress Waheeda Rehman inaugurated the 40th edition of the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) by lighting the lamp at a glittering function here on Monday.

Information and Broadcasting MInister, Ambika Soni and Goa Chief Minsiter Digambar Kamat were also present on the occasion.

Often referred to as the ''India''s Cannes'' for its mix of world and Indian cinema, the IFFI-2009 will offer nearly 300 films over ten days.

The IFFI will also roll out a special segment ''Golden Jubilee in Indian Cinema'' where yesteryear actors like Sharmila Tagore, Asha Parekh and Soumitro Chatterjee will be honoured with a screening of three films of each.

Speaking on the occasion, Ambika Soni said she is film buff and also urged everyone to relish the bouquet of films offered at the fest.

"The IFFI, has been greatly contributing towards enriching this industry, so as to showcase the modern and aesthetic and acknowledge you and provide an opportunity where filmmakers and film lovers can come together and share in the celebration of a medium that has now become an inclusive part of our daily lives. The primary objective of our film festival is to showcase outstanding films from around the world to the discerning viewers," Soni added.

India has looked to build a film festival along the lines of Cannes, turning to Goa to provide a picturesque backdrop to a celebration of cinema.

But the festival has been criticised in the past for ignoring regional language films from across the country.

Bollywood forms a part of the Indian section in the festival, where popular films such as Dev.D and Oye Lucky Lucky Oye, will also be screened.

Source ANI

Dhanbad: Bollywood actress Mahima Chaudhary was on Monday caught up in a scuffle between Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) activists in Jharkhand ''s Dhanbad district.

Chaudhary was campaigning for a Congress candidate along with other party workers as they ran into activists of rival BJP.

Police said around 10,000 people clashed and the matter is being investigated.
The actress however escaped unhurt as the people around her covered her when the activists went berserk.

The first phase of the poll will take place on November 25 for 26 of the 81 seats.
Four former ministers, six former MPs and a former Speaker are among the 470 candidates in the fray during this phase.

During the first phase, 30 constituencies will vote, in the second phase 15 constituencies will go to poll, in third phase seven seats will vote, and 14 and 15 constituencies will vote in the fourth and the fifth phase.

Counting will be held on December 23.

As Jharkhand is one of the Naxal affected states, the Election Commission has decided to deploy Central Police Forces (CPF) and the State Armed Police (SAP) drawn from other states.

Source ANI

Kabul/New Delhi: The first shipment of Afghan apples for sale in the Indian market – branded the ‘the Silk Road Harvest’ - left Kabul for New Delhi by an Air India Flight on November 11, 2009.

This very special consignment was seen off at a function at the airport by the Afghan Minister for Agriculture, India’s Ambassador in Afghanistan and farmers from the provinces of Kandahar, Ghazni, Paktia and Wardak.

According to a Ministry of External Affairs press release issued on Monday (November 23), in the Indian market, Afghan farmers will be able to receive four times the current low price that they are receiving for their apple exports. USAID experts in the Afghan Ministry of Agriculture have assisted with technical advice and marketing linkages with supermarkets and fruit markets in Delhi. The Government of India facilitated the mandatory Pest Risk Analysis for Afghan apples and will assist Afghanistan in training Afghan experts in meeting the phyto-sanitary standards required.

India provides a large and growing market for Afghan agricultural products, several of which – including Kandahari Anars and Kagazi Badams – have excellent brand value in the Indian market. Regional trade and transit arrangements for the transport of Afghan agricultural produce to the Indian market would facilitate both the growth of regional trade and prosperity, as well as the process of stabilization of Afghanistan and its reemergence at the cross-roads between Central and South Asia.

The growth of the Afghan agriculture sector is a key part of the efforts of the Government of Afghanistan to accelerate the process of reconstruction and development, provide an alternate source of livelihood for its predominantly rural population and counter the pernicious influence of terrorism, extremism and the narcotics trade.

Cooperation with Afghanistan in the agricultural sector is a key part of India’s commitment to assisting the Afghan people in building a democratic, pluralistic and prosperous Afghanistan. Indian projects in the sector include the Salma Dam in Herat province, a cold storage facility in Kandahar, numerous Small Development Projects including establishment of demonstration nurseries, bore wells, culverts, canals, water supply projects and small water reservoirs, discussions on Indian assistance in establishment of an agricultural and technological university in Kabul, training of Afghan experts and provision of scholarships for Afghan students to study in India, and provision of high-protein biscuits to Afghan schoolchildren under a WFP programme and are all examples of India’s commitment to helping Afghanistan in this important area that is of immediate consequence for its people, and for the international efforts to bring back peace and stability to Afghanistan.

It is hoped that the Silk Road Harvest is merely the first step in a process of freer and easier movement of goods in the region, which would allow Afghanistan to overcome artificial constraints on the development of its agricultural sector, improve trade and transit facilities, and contribute to the peace and stability of our region and the prosperity of its people.

Source ANI

New Delhi: Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) chief Ajit Singh has threatened to launch road blockade in Uttar Pradesh if the state government fails to resolve the issue with sugarcane growers in the next two days.

Talking to reporters here on Monday, Singh said: "We are giving two days time to the mill owners and the state government to talk to farmers and start the mills else we will start ''chakka jam'' (road blockade) from November 26."

Lok Sabha was adjourned on the first day of the winter session on Thursday, following uproar by opposition leaders demanding hike in sugarcane prices.

Sugarcane farmers of Uttar Pradesh, who are caught between the central government''s Fair and Remunerative Price (FRP) and the state government''s State Advised Price (SAP) mechanism, have been asking the government to fix the prices of sugarcane at rupees 280 per quintal.

The central government has announced a price of rupees 129.85 per quintal for sugarcane during the 2009-10 crushing season under FRP system.

Source ANI

Girdih (Jharkhand): Maoists blew up a primary school building in Dumri village of Giridih district in Jharkhand today.

 

According to sources, the building was meant to be used as a temporary shelter by security forces during the assembly elections.

 

There are no reports of casualties.

 

The rebels have blown up over 30 school buildings in Jharkhand in the last five years.

Source ANI

Amritsar: Marking 334th martyrdom day of Guru Teg Bahadur, the ninth master of the Sikhs, a religious procession was taken out in Amritsar, the city of Golden Temple, on Monday.

The procession or, the Nagar Kirtan carried the Guru Granth Sahib (the holy scripture of the Sikhs) in a golden palanquin which passed through various bazaars of the Amritsar.

“Panj Piaras” (the Five Sikh beloved) carrying holy maces led the procession.
 
Religious societies, jathas (groups), associations and children sang “Shabads” (, schools and society bands, besides senior members of the SGPC participated.

Free stalls of tea, cold drinks, fruits, sweets and water were set up the by the devotees on the occasion. All Gurdwaras were illuminated on Monday night.

Source ANI

New Delhi: The Government will present the Liberhan Commission report related to Babri mosque demolition at 12.00 (afternoon) on Tuesday in the Lok Sabha, a decision in this regard has reportedly been taken during the Cabinet meet called on to discuss the tabling of the report and Action Taken Report (ATR).

 

The Parliament on Monday witnessed uproar from the Opposition on the alleged leakage of the Liberhan Commission report on the Babri mosque demolition even before it was table in the Parliament.

 

Later in the day, the Union Government opted to hold an emergency meet and clear the report and Action Taken Report (ATR). It was intended to table the report and ATR in the Parliament on Tuesday itself.

 

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, presently visiting Washington D.C., called up Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee and asked him to convene a Cabinet meeting to clear the report and the ATR.

 

Earlier, on Tuesday morning, ahead of the beginning of Lok Sabha, Bharatiya Janata Party called on its Parliamentary Board meet in the capital to discuss its strategy to be adopted in the Parliament in the case the Liberhan Commission report is tabled or not.

Source ANI

New Delhi: The Congress-led United Progressive Alliance Government, which is faced with the heat of the Opposition over leakage of Liberhan Commission report related to Babri mosque demolition, may table the report on Tuesday in the Lok Sabha. 

 

The Parliament on Monday witnessed uproar from the Opposition on the alleged leakage of the Liberhan Commission report on the Babri mosque demolition even before it was table in the Parliament.

 

Later in the day, the Union Government opted to hold an emergency meet and clear the report and Action Taken Report (ATR). It was intended to table the report and ATR in the Parliament on Tuesday itself.

 

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, presently visiting Washington D.C., called up Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee and asked him to convene a Cabinet meeting to clear the report and the ATR.

 

 The decision came after hectic parleys within the government and the Congress, with senior Ministers consulting party president Sonia Gandhi.

 

Questioning the breach of parliamentary privilege and delay in action on a report that took 17 years to finalise, Bharatiya Janata Party was joined by the Samajwadi Party and the Left parties in demanding immediate tabling of the Liberhan report.

Source ANI

On what to look out for during Prime Minister Singh’s state visit beyond the symbolism of the visit itself, Burns told CFR that there would be two important aspects -- First, the areas where both countries and their respective governments could and should be working together.

”For instance, we should have further cooperation on education, on space, on science and technology, on agriculture. There''s our defense relationship where India is foregoing its long-term dependence on Russian military technology. There''s now an opportunity for India to select and decide to purchase the most sophisticated American military technology that would cement our military ties. So there are a number of opportunities here on the positive side of the relationship,” he said.

The second thing to watch out for was the looming differences in the relationship, and what steps these partner countries would take to deal with them.

For instance, he said there was the issue of climate change, where, despite some better dialogue in the last few months, the two countries are very far apart on a global solution at Copenhagen and beyond.

Trade was another area where bilateral differences haven’t really sunk.

“If the world trade talks are going to be revived, can India and the United States cooperate more effectively? And [there''s] the possibility that we may not see eye-to-eye on Iran. Now, India has been very careful. It''s not a supporter of the Iranian government, but if President Obama decides to go in the direction of economic sanctions against Iran, will India agree to join those sanctions? So, as is so often the case in diplomacy, success or failure will not be a question of just how well we do together on the issues where we agree, but it''s how well we can manage the issues where we disagree,” Burns said.

He also said that it would be a great strategic mistake for the United States to view India through the prism of Pakistan or Afghanistan.

Burns said: “One of the great conceptual breakthroughs that we said publicly, "we''re going to de-hyphenate America''s relations with India-Pakistan."

He said Washington’s relationship with India and with Pakistan is fundamentally different.

“While Pakistan is an enormously important country to the United States, we shouldn''t subordinate the U.S.-India relationship to it, and I do see over the last six or seven months, many Americans inside our government and outside our government being very critical of India,” he said.

“It is in the American interest to separate these two countries. Obviously we need to have a strong partnership with Pakistan on military and economic engagement. But our relationship with India will be very different. It will be focused on the broader problems of the region, so India is a very valued partner,” Burns said.

He also said that the U.S.-India civil nuclear agreement is a major step forward for both countries, and is clearly in the interests of both countries.

“I hope the Indian government will be patient and understand that I''m sure the Obama administration will meet all the commitments that have been made by the U.S. government in years past. Having said that, it''s going to be important to work on these technical details,” Burns said, adding that the highest hurdles have been surmounted.

He also said that he admired Prime Minister Singh and his commitment to peace, his restraint in the wake of the Mumbai attacks.

The United States, he said, needs to be very clear about openly and publicly supporting a much greater Pakistani cooperation with the Indian government on the Mumbai issue.

“There''s no question the attackers came from Pakistan. They were inspired by Pakistani terror groups , and therefore, the Pakistani government has an obligation to crack down on those groups, not to allow the people who perhaps were the masterminds of this attack to be walking around free and able to produce further future terrorist attacks,” he said.

He did not see the United States openly mediating between India and Pakistan on critical issues like Kashmir, but added that Washington is uniquely positioned in South Asia.

“We can be a quiet advocate for the two countries to find a way forward to avoid the worst-case situation, which would be a nuclear war between the two, to avoid confrontation, to avoid conflict, and to work out a process where Indians and Pakistanis can come together,” Burns said.

Source ANI

Washington: Nicholas Burns, the lead negotiator on the U.S.-India nuclear deal in the Bush administration, has said that Washington must reassure New Delhi that it is a "valued strategic partner."

In an interview given to the Council of Foreign Relations (CFR) here during Indian Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh’s visit to Washington, Burns, who was US Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs in the Bush Administration and is now a professor at the Harvard University’s Belfer Center, said: “We have not yet heard a clear statement from the Obama administration that India''s rise to power is in the strategic interest of the United States."

Admitting that Dr. Singh’s visit might highlight disagreements on climate change and global trade talks, Burns, however, said: "For a relationship that had been filled with good news and a series of positive developments really from President [Bill] Clinton''s last years in office throughout the [George W.] Bush administration, one of the challenges now will be to deal with these differences."

He also said that it was not completely fair to say that the Obama administration has neglected and paid insufficient attention to India, or that it does not have a clear policy on India.

“Many Indians in and out of government are complaining that they feel that the Obama administration has not paid sufficient attention to India. I would say in response to that that it''s not totally fair; the president did make Prime Minister Singh his first state visitor, which is a great act of symbolism that sends the message that India is important to the United States,” said Burns.

“Secretary [of State] Hillary Clinton had a very successful trip to India during the summer, so I would not say that the Obama administration has neglected India. But, we have not yet heard a clear statement from the Obama administration that India''s rise to power is in the strategic interest of the United States. That was clearly the policy of the last two presidents. I happen to believe that as we look around the world and look for partners and allies to help us cope with these enormous global challenges, India can be one of our great partners,” he added.

He said that the Obama administration needs to reassure the Indian government and the Indian people that India is a priority.

Second, he said there is a danger of focusing too much on Pakistan and China, and that an unintended signal might be that India is no longer as important in American eyes, particularly given President Obama''s trip to Beijing just this past week where there is a suspicion among some in the world of a G-2 grouping, a condominium of Chinese and American interests.

“There is a great sensitivity in India as to some of the things that were said, even in the joint statement by the two countries. The Obama administration needs to be very careful to recalibrate and make it crystal clear that India is a valued strategic partner. So, I do not think the Obama administration has mishandled relations, and they have a number of very good people focused on it, but they have not perhaps articulated in the fullest extent why India is important,” said Burns.

“I look out at a world which is very complex, where we face a great number of transnational challenges-terrorism, proliferation, climate change, pandemics, food shortages, just to name a few, and  India is going to be critical to the resolution of all those problems,” Burns added.

“We cannot resolve them any of them without India''s participation with us, and as fellow democracies, and with the very strong bonds that the Indian American community has created for us, this is a real opportunity for President Obama, and I''m not sure they''ve grasped it yet,” he said.

Source ANI

Washington: The United States has thanked India for extending hospitality to Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, a comment and a situation that isn’t going to please China, which views the latter as a renegade and a splitist.

House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Monday thanked India for extending hospitality to the Dalai Lama, saying: "India is a country that is value based."

These were the welcoming remarks that she made while receiving Prime Minister Manmohan Singh at Capitol Hill. 

She said that from Martin Luther King who received inspiration from Mahatma Gandhi, to the present generation, Americans have learnt "about non-violence and how to get results (by using non violence).
 
Pelosi invited the Prime Minister to revisit the US soon and address the joint session of Congress.

She also made a mention of the Mumbai attacks saying "Almost one year to the day when India suffered the terrible loss of Mumbai, we gather today to see how we can learn from that experience."

An awkward statement, but nonetheless an acknowledgement that the Mumbai attack is not being ignored in America.
 
Dressed in a grey trouser suit, Pelosi seemed almost deferential in her manner.

She reminded members of the press "the red carpet has been laid for the Prime Minister from the White House to the Capitol Hill" as Dr Singh "is perhaps one of the most respected leaders in the world."

The Prime Minister thanking the Speaker said that he was honoured and was here to give a new thrust to Indo-US relations.

Source ANI

Washington: Stating that the edifice of the India-US partnership is founded on many pillars, Indian Prime Minister Dr. Manmhan Singh said on Monday that one of these pillars was the large Indian-American community, which has contributed enormously and significantly to building ties between the two countries.

Addressing the Council of Foreign Relations here, Dr. Singh said the strength and vitality of the Indian and American people has contributed to a relationship that is based on pragmatism and principle; and strengthened by shared values and common interests.
 
“Our ties draw heavily on the strength and vitality of the Indian and American people. The 2.7 million strong Indian American community has made good the enormous opportunities provided to them in their adopted home. They are a powerful factor in drawing our two countries together,” Dr. Singh said.  
 
He also said that US President Barack Obama’s advocacy of an inclusive approach to problem solving and primacy to dialogue as an instrument of policy, could create many more opportunities for both “democracies to work together in realizing the vision of a shared destiny for all humankind.”   
 
“Collaboration and cooperation between our two countries will be indispensable for shaping a global society that is responsive to the needs and aspirations of the 21st century and where countries can pursue their legitimate interests in a secure and just environment,” he concluded.

Source ANI

Washington: Expressing his appreciation for the cooperation that India has received from the United States in the area of counter-terrorism in the recent past, particularly in the context of the 26/11 attacks on Mumbai, the Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh, said on Monday that he was convinced that both countries had the wherewithal to expand cooperation in this area further.

“I am convinced that we can do much more together on a sustained basis to combat increasingly sophisticated terror networks, transnational criminal groups and cyber terrorism,” Dr. Singh told the Council of Foreign Relations (CFR) here. 
 
He further said that defence and strategic dialogues have added important dimensions to Indo-US ties.

He also said that maritime security, including countering piracy and protecting sea-lanes of communication in the Indian Ocean and beyond, was another area where the two countries could and should expand cooperation.

Source ANI

Source ANI

Washington: Indian Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh on Monday once again called on the United States and other developed countries to take a leadership role in ensuring that reform takes place in the United Nations and its Security Council.

“We have made some progress in moving towards a more representative mechanism to manage global economic and financial issues. The same cannot be said about governance of the political and security order.  There is a need to reform the United Nations and its Security Council,” Dr. Singh said in an address to the Council of Foreign Relations (CFR).
 
He said that in his interactions with US President Obama, he had found a shared thinking on the moral imperative of putting the poor at the forefront of the global agenda. 

“In Africa, Asia and elsewhere, they must have access to education that gives them bankable skills, to nutrition and to healthcare,” he said. 

He said that the social agenda has come to dominate the domestic political discourse in both countries.

“This was the verdict of our general elections held in May 2009, and I believe it was also of yours.  The time is opportune for us to substantially enhance our cooperation in the critical areas of education, health, energy, science and technology and agriculture,” he said.  

India, he said, has embarked on its largest education expansion program since independence.

“There are plans to set up more than 40 new universities and institutions. We would like to benefit from the great American university system, which attracts a large number of Indian students every year,” he added.

American agricultural science and technology can help India usher in a second Green Revolution, he said, and added that India’s competitive advantages in the pharmaceutical and medical services industries too can support healthcare reform in the United States.
 
“We can cooperate in the development, production and deployment of green technologies. In this context, we should fully harness our bilateral civil nuclear cooperation agreement to shape the nuclear renaissance in the energy industry,” he said.

Source ANI

Washington: Expressing confidence and optimism about the future of the India-US partnership, visiting Indian Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh told a distinguished gathering at the Council of Foreign Relations (CFR) here, that there is a growing convergence of “our national interests, both within the bilateral framework and on regional and global issues, but the immediate challenge before us is to bring the world to full recovery from the global economic and financial crisis.”

Acknowledging the changes taking place in global economic and political structures and the growing interdependence among nations, Dr. Singh said this should be seen as an “opportunity to look beyond bilateral engagement to establish a strategic partnership of global dimensions.”

“If we are to effectively tackle the multiple challenges that confront the world, India and the United States, as two leading democracies, must work together,” he emphasized. 
 
India, he said on Monday, was playing its own part in the process of global recovery.

He said that despite the slowdown, the Indian economy grew by 6.7 percent last year and was expected to grow by 6.5 percent in 2009-10. 
 
“India and the United States have strong compulsions to work towards an open and liberal regime for transfers of goods, services, investments and technology. This will stimulate recovery in the global economy, create jobs and spur growth in our own economies,” the Indian Prime Minister said..  
 
Stating that nowhere are the changes more visible than in Asia and calling for the creation of an open and inclusive regional architecture in the Asia-Pacific, Dr. Singh said the India-US partnership can contribute to an orderly transition to the new order and be an important factor for global peace and stability. 

He said both India and the United States can draw strength from their common values of respect for cultural diversity, democracy, freedom of expression and the rule of law.

“Our two nations have been shaped by the thoughts and ideals of two apostles of peace of the 20th century, Mahatma Gandhi and the Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. We should advance these ideals as fundamental rights of all people,” he said.

He concluded by saying that India’s economic transition is gathering pace and that it would be faster in the years ahead.

“The unshackling of our markets; the latent  demand, particularly of the rural economy; and the fact that our domestic savings rate is 35 percent of our GDP all suggest that we can achieve a sustained growth of nine percent per annum over the next couple of decades,” he said.

This, he said, would create the resources to make development process more inclusive and sustainable.   

The India-US partnership can promote global cooperation in dealing with issues that the world has to face together, whether it is hunger, global security and terrorism, nuclear disarmament, climate change or the spread of pandemics.

Source ANI

Washington: Building blocks for deepening Indo-US economic cooperation were put in place on Monday with the signing of a dozen agreements and memoranda of understanding between different Indian and US partners in the presence of Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Dr. Montek Singh Ahluwalia and India''s Ambassador to the United States Meera Shankar.
 
A press release issued by the U.S. Embassy here said these included eight agreements between American and Indian companies/institutions, facilitated by the Confederation of Indian Industry, which would benefit both sides.

HCL and CISCO signed an MOU to work globally in the area of homeland security to jointly deliver security and surveillance technology solutions.

Tata Communications and Tyco Electronics signed a submarine cable supply contract for a new system that is intended for construction in the Gulf area.

The collaboration will provide a boost to the telecommunication systems.

Apollo and StemCyte signed an MOU designed to provide stem cell therapies derived from umbilical cord blood to treat patients with certain malignant blood disorders, inherited disorders and immune deficiency diseases.

Jubilant Organosys and the University of Alabama at Birmingham, Southern Research Institute propose to undertake a joint venture that will focus on leveraging innovation and enabling technologies in areas of oncology, metabolic and infectious diseases and develop them in a unique US-India arbitraged and leveraged partnership accelerating affordable therapies to the patients in India and worldwide.

Infosys and Microsoft Technologies signed an enterprise agreement for fulfilling the procurement and help in use of their technologies.

Cadila Pharmaceuticals Limited and Novavax Inc. joined hands with the vision to enable production of key vaccines in India, including the most recently developed H1N1 pandemic vaccine.

The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and Santech Communications propose to work together to explore the possibility of establishing Santech CII Centre of Excellence on nano-electronics.
 
To promote collaboration on training of young people of different sections of the society in value based leadership, a document was signed between the Aspen Institute USA and the Aspen Institute India.
 
Three other important documents were signed by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry.

These were an MoU with University of Texas at Austin to expand the ongoing cooperation for commercialization of Indian innovations by including capacity building, training of incubation centers and enhancing innovation capabilities of academic research and development institutions; another with the Institute of International Education (IIE), Washington to facilitate exchange of information regarding scholarships and fund options available for cross mobility of students, researchers and faculty, etc. and the third one with Polytechnic Institute of New York University to promote Indian innovation capabilities in the US and to make available to research and development establishments in the public and private sector in India the best practice in innovation from the United States.

The Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) also facilitated a MoU between the International Institute of Information Technology (IsquareIT), Pune and Lawrence Tech University, Michigan, with the purpose of launching MS level courses in the field of automotive engineering.

Source ANI

Washington: President Barack Obama has accepted Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh’s invitation to visit India, and promised to come next year.

 

Addressing a joint press conference with Dr. Singh, President Obama said: “India today is a rising and responsible global power in Asia. Indian leadership is expanding security across the region.I am happy to accept Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s invitation to visit India next year.”

 

Dr. Singh and President Obama also pledged to fully implement the civil nuclear deal signed by the two countries in 2008.

 

Earlier in the day, welcoming Dr. Singh and his wife Gursharan Kaur, Obama said: “Mr. prime minister, yours is the first official visit of my presidency and it is fitting that you and India be so recognised.”

 

“This visit reflects the high esteem in which I and American people hold for your wise leadership. It reflects the abiding bonds, respect and friendship between our people, including our friends in the Indian American community who join us today,” he said.

 

The Prime Minister is accompanied by External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna, National Security Adviser M.K. Narayanan, Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao, and Indian Ambassador to US Meera Shankar and business leaders like Ratan Tata, etc.

Source ANI

Washington: India and United States inked two significant inter-governmental agreements at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce on Monday.
 
The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office signed a traditional knowledge digital library (TKDL) access agreement.

Dr.Samir Brahmachari, Director General of CSIR and Sharon Barner, Deputy Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property, acting on behalf of Under Secretary for Intellectual Property in the US Department of Commerce Mr. David Kappos, signed the agreement.
 
The TKDL access agreement will enable the USPTO to search the extensive database of India’s traditional knowledge painstakingly compiled under TKDL, a collaborative project between CSIR and Department of AYUSH, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

In addition, CSIR would provide training to the USPTO examiners and staff to help them use TKDL tools for search and examination. This would help prevent misappropriation of traditional knowledge through mistaken issuance of patents as had earlier happened with neem and haldi.

A Memoranda of Understanding was signed between the office of the Controller General of Patents, Designs and Trade Marks, Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion Ministry of Commerce and Industry of the Republic of India and the United States Patent and Trademark Office, US Department of Commerce.

The MoU would facilitate comprehensive bilateral cooperation on a range of IPR issues focusing on capacity building, human resource development and raising public awareness of the importance of IPR.
 
Another important Memorandum of Intent was signed to promote two-way investments between ‘Invest in America’ of the International Trade Administration, US Department of Commerce and ‘Invest India’, a joint venture of the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry and various State Governments of the Republic of India and FICCI concerning the promotion of investment in the US and India.

By facilitating exchange of information regarding opportunities for investment and about policies related to investment, this MoI seeks to accelerate the growing investment flows in both directions which are benefiting both countries.

Source ANI

Washington: Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and US President Barack Obama pledged on Tuesday to fully implement the civil nuclear deal signed by the two countries in 2008.

The deal allows the US to sell advanced nuclear related technology to India for use in civilian power.

"President Obama has affirmed that it is common resolve of two governments to operationalise the nuke deal as early as possible," said Dr. Singh when asked about the operationalisation of the deal.

"We should cooperate in addressing global challenges of combating terrorism, making our environment cleaner, and moving towards a world free of nuclear weapons," he added.

To prevent the spread of atomic weapons and pursuing the shared vision of a nuclear arms-free world, President Obama said India could be a full partner of the US in this regard.

"As nuclear powers, we can be full partners in preventing the spread of the world''s most deadly weapons, securing loose nuclear materials from terrorists, and pursuing our shared vision of a world without nuclear weapons," Obama said after his meeting with Dr. Singh.

The nuclear deal is seen as the centrepiece of the strong ties between the two countries in recent years.

Source ANI

Guwahati: Assam’s Revenue Minister Bhumithar Burman said on Tuesday the government was ready to talk to rebels after Nalbari town was rocked by twin blasts recently.

 

Six persons died and around 40 were injured in the twin blasts, which rocked Nalbari town on Sunday.

 

Burman said the provincial government was ready for talks with the rebel outfit United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA), adding that strict action win in the offing against the rebels.

 

"Our government is ready to talk to ULFA. But, they have crossed the limit. We have to take strict action. So we have put the city on red alert. We need to give the people a sense of security," said Burman.

 

Security has been stepped up in the state with the police setting up check posts and frisking people.

 

Bombs hidden in bicycles exploded in front of a police station and a shopping complex in Nalbari, about 70 km (43 miles) west of state capital Dispur on Sunday.

 

A third blast was reported to have happened in a market area five minutes after the first two.

 

Police said the separatist ULFA was behind the blasts, but a senior rebel leader telephoned local newspaper offices and television stations to deny its involvement.

 

The blasts came soon after New Delhi announced the government will provide safe passage to top rebel leaders willing to talk and find a lasting solution to the decades old insurgency in the state.

 

Security forces have placed the entire tea-and oil-rich Assam state on high alert.

Source ANI

Mumbai: Maharashtra Government on Tuesday instituted a special task outfit named Force One to combat militant strikes.

The formal investiture of Force One took place at the Maharashtra SRPF (Special Reserve Police Force) training establishment located in Mumbai''s suburb Goregaon.

This exclusive commando-type unit is similar to the nation''s elite National Security Guards (NSG) to combat militant strikes.

Around 216 personnel from the state police have volunteered to be the regular commandos of Force One.

On the occasion of the formation of this crack outfit, Maharashtra Chief Minister Ashok Chavan said that the need of an elite force arose after last year''s militant strikes that killed more than 166 people in Mumbai.

“Considering that 26/11 attack, it was decided to form this exclusive Force One. Kudos to the volunteering personnel from the police, this outfit has become a reality. And the Home Ministry has timely trained the personnel of Force One,” Chavan said.

Source ANI

Pune: Car designer Dilip Chhabria has revolutionised the automobile market by redesigning the cheapest car in the world, Nano, manufactured by Tata Motors.

Earlier in September, Chhabria''s DC Design and Jagdish Khattar-owned Carnation Auto, a multi-brand automobile solutions hub, had entered into a partnership, under which they would provide customized solutions to Nano owners in the country.

And, for an additional Rs. 80,000, Chhabria has come up with a stylish version of the Nano and named his creation as ‘Hot Nano’.

“Well, this is an investment that we have made in tooling. So, it is going to be producing relatively large numbers. We plan to do 50 or 100 per month once the production is stabilized from January and this is going to be sold to the Carnation set up across India,” Chhabria said.

“Carnation, as you are aware is a multi brand sales and service network and so, a customer can aspire and can get these Nano filled out in any of the cities that carnation operates. I believe they are going to be operational in about 40 cities by March,” he added.

According to Chhabria, the new looking ''Hot Nano'' is designed keeping in mind the majority of the owners of the cheapest car, which is the youth.

He mentioned that the new Hot Nano is stylish in tune with the modern trends and it would be a hit among the youngsters.

“Well, Hot Nano is a customised based package that a customer can aspire, it is reasonably priced and it makes the Nano look unique and different, so that''s the Hot Nano,” Chhabria added.

By supplementing with grills, wide tyres, bumper-side panels and air intake filters, Chhabria has lent a sporty look to Nano, the people''s car.

Source ANI

Sawai Madhopur (Rajasthan): Congress General Secretary Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday commenced his two-day tour of Rajasthan by interacting with the youth from state’s Sawai Madhopur district.

Rahul Gandhi was accompanied by Union Rural Development and Panchayati Raj Minister C P Joshi and MP Bhanwar Jitendra Singh.

He began his mass contact programme in the state by highlighting the changes made in the internal election process of the National Student''s Union of India (NSUI) and the Congress party.

With these as the hallmarks of the party''s set-up, he prompted the youth to join the bandwagon of Congress party.

“If any Youth Congress member wants to contest the elections, be it the rich or the poor, a Dalit or an Adivasi, he or she can do so and for any post. Our system will take everybody together and all will be benefited,” Rahul Gandhi said.

He further urged upon the youngsters that if Rajasthan has to progress, its youth will have to come out and participate in politics.

“More and more people have to participate in the election process. We have to strengthen the Youth Congress,” Rahul Gandhi added.

Rahul Gandhi also mentioned that the Congress party has been encouraging the youth to be active in politics in other states as well and expressed his optimistic hopes about the youngsters of Rajasthan.

Source ANI

Bhubaneshwar: Legislative Assembly of Orissa was adjourned on Tuesday following an uproar between the opposition and ruling parties over yesterday’s incident in which several teachers were baton charged by policemen in Bhubaneshwar.

Earlier on Monday, thousands of teachers had staged a protest in Bhubaneshwar demanding regularization of employment in different parts of the state, when the agitated protestors tried to break through the police cordon, forcing the latter use water canons to control them.

The police also had to resort to baton charge injuring hundreds of teachers.

The opposition members in the legislative assembly demanded exclusive discussion on the issue, and said that the teachers deserved their due respect.

“Seeing such unfortunate event, I am unable to understand what the Government is doing. The Government thinks that we have received all the votes, hence we are victorious, and we will be here for the next four years. They should come out of this misconception. The way these teachers were beaten, no one behaves like that even with the animals,” leader of opposition Bhupinder Singh said.

Source ANI

Washington: US President Barack Obama on Tuesday welcomed Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh at the White House, and said that it is fitting that the Indian Prime Minister should be the first State visitor of his administration.

President Obama said the US and India share the bold experiment of becoming democracies after rule being under colonial power and today both know the pain of international terrorism.

Obama recalled it was 60 years ago that President Harry Truman welcomed to the White House the first Prime Minister of newly independent India.

He spoke Tuesday in an elaborate welcoming ceremony in the White House East Room.

Earlier, the White House welcome ceremony for Dr. Singh and his wife Gursharan Kaur has been shifted indoors due to continuous rains here. The gun salute has also been cancelled.

The welcome ceremony has been shifted from the South Lawn to the East Room inside the White House.

The East Room can accommodate a much smaller capacity as compared to the South Lawn that can accommodate over 400 people, which result in a very restricted ceremony for the Indian Prime Minister.

Many Indian American leaders and activists who had travelled from all parts of the country to witness the historic ceremony would now have to stay out of East Room.

Source ANI

Washington: The Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh, said on Monday that India has been committed to the goal of creating a world free of nuclear weapons since it gained independence from Britain in 1947.
 
Addressing the Council On Foreign Relations here, Dr. Singh said: “In my interactions with President Obama, I have found shared thinking on the moral imperative of putting the poor at the forefront of the global agenda. In Africa, Asia and elsewhere, they must have access to education that gives them bankable skills, to nutrition and to health-care.” 
 
“The India-US partnership can promote global cooperation in dealing with issues that the world has to face together, whether it is hunger, global security and terrorism, nuclear disarmament, climate change or the spread of pandemics,” he added.
 
Welcoming President Obama’s commitment to the goal of a world free of nuclear weapons, he said: “India has been committed to this goal since independence. We believe that India’s security will be enhanced, not diminished, by the complete elimination of nuclear weapons the world over.”
 
“There is much that India and the United States can do together to reduce the global risks of nuclear proliferation, including by building a new global consensus on the way ahead," Dr. Singh said.
 
The negotiation of a verifiable Fissile Material Cut-off Treaty in the Conference on Disarmament will be a significant contribution,” he said.
 
“We welcome President Obama’s initiative to host a Summit on Nuclear Security in April next year. Our countries can play a vital role in strengthening global resolve to prevent terrorists from gaining access to materials and technologies related to weapons of mass destruction,” the Prime Minister added.

Source ANI

Srinagar: Executive Council of the Hurriyat Conference (Moderate) has suspended its entire organizational structure including all its office bearers except its chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq.

The gag order comes in the backdrop of some leaders within the Hurriyat making "controversial statements" about the "quiet dialogue" underway between Hurriyat and New Delhi.

The decision to suspend all the office bearers including the chief spokesman, provincial president, office-in-charge, financial head, media advisor and others was taken after a marathon meeting of the executive council of the conglomerate in Srinagar on Monday.

“Names of the new office-bearers will be declared after the festival of Eid ul-Fitr. Who will be delegated which responsibility. The suspension of the structure is not a new thing. The move is aimed at preventing the functionaries from speaking to the media in different voices and it was necessary,” said Molvi Abbas Ansari, a senior leader of the organization.

The internal squabbling has also miffed the local residents.

“It is disadvantageous (internal fighting in Hurriyat) to the people of Jammu and Kashmir. The Central Government has invited them for talks. If they (Hurriyat) continue to squabble the there could be no meaningful dialogue,” said Muhammad Altaf, a local.

The chairman, according to Hurriyat insiders, has directed all the leaders not to issue any statements to the media.

Source ANI

Washington: To have a peaceful South Asia, the Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh, said on Tuesday that Pakistan must make a break with the past, abjure terrorism and come to the table with good faith and sincerity.
 
Addressing the Council On Foreign Relations here, Dr. Singh said: “My government has invested heavily over the past few years in normalizing relations with Pakistan. We made considerable progress on the road to a durable and permanent settlement of all outstanding issues. I have said that we are ready to pick up the threads of the dialogue, including on issues related to Jammu and Kashmir.”
 
“We seek a South Asia of peace, friendship and prosperity, where its borders will be energized by the flow of people, goods and ideas.
 
“For this to happen, Pakistan must make a break with the past, abjure terrorism and come to the table with good faith and sincerity. It is my solemn hope that India and Pakistan can together move forward to write a new chapter in the history of the sub-continent,” he said.
 
“We are three days away from the first anniversary of the heinous and barbaric terrorist attacks on Mumbai. The trauma of that attack continues to haunt us. Terrorism poses an existential threat to the civilized world and must be defeated. We should not harbour any illusions that a selective approach to terrorism, tackling it in one place while ignoring it in others, will work,” the Prime Minster added.
 
Dr. Singh also said that the road to peace in Afghanistan will be long and hard. “But, given the high stakes involved, the commitment of the international community must be sustained by firm resolve and unity of purpose.”
 
“India has enduring civilisational links with Afghanistan. We do not see Afghanistan as a theatre of influence. Our interest is in building a region of peace and stability. India will continue to assist Afghanistan in building its institutions and its human resources,” he said.
 
“It is vitally important that all major regional and international players put their weight behind the government of Afghanistan. This is the only way Afghanistan can meet the daunting challenges it faces,” Dr. Singh added.

Source ANI

New Delhi: Union Law Minister Virappa Moily on Tuesday said that no recommendation made in the Liberhan Commission report has been rejected.

Addressing the media after the report was tabled in the Parliament, Moily said that the Government might go beyond recommendations and pick up from the conclusions.

“We have not rejected the recommendations. Each and every recommendation has been accepted and noted. The Union Government is bound to take positive action,” Moily said.

“It has already formulated the Action Taken report (ATR). The Liberhan Commission is a fact-finding mission and further to that each ministry is expected to take on that and take action,” he added.

Moily also informed that 68 persons have been indicted in the Action Taken Report and Government will take positive action in this direction.

The United Progressive Alliance Government finally tabled the much-awaited report on the Babri Masjid demolition after the Opposition staged uproar over its leakage to the media before its tabling in Parliament.

Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram presented the Librehan Report along with a 13-page ATR in the Rajya Sabha today.

Source ANI

New Delhi: Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) General Secretary Pravin Togadia said here on Tuesday that a meeting of Hindu saints during Poorna Kumbha in Haridwar will decide on the future course of Ramjanmbhoomi movement.

Addressing the media along with Acharya Giriraj Kishore on the backdrop of tabling of the Justice Liberhan Commission report here, Togadia said: “The VHP has requested all Hindu saints who wish to associate themselves with the Ramjanmbhoomi Movement to come to Haridwar during Poorna Kumbha Mela and they will decide movement’s future course of action.”

“The meeting will be held on March 10, 2010,” he added.

“In the run up to this convention, the VHP has decided to add more youth to its cadre, and subsequently the Bajarang Dal rallies will be organised at various parts of the country,” Togadia said.

“The first of such rally will be held at Patna on December 5,” he added.

Togadia also maintained that all mobilisations would be held democratically.

Commenting of indictment of former Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee in the Liberhan report, Togadia said: “If you drag the name of an innocent, then people will be angry.”

Without taking Vajpayee’s name, he said: “How can you name some one who was no where near the spot of incident.”

In the contrary, Achrya Kishore alleged that Vajapayee stood out to maintain his liberal face.

“Vajpayee opposed the movement many times fearing spreading of nation wide riots, I think he was also afraid of six years ban from contesting elections,” he said

“I believe that he came under the influence of Congress party during that time and wanted to maintain his liberal face,” Kishore added.

In the justice Liberhan Commission report, which was tabled before the Lok Sabha on Tuesday, Vajpayee along with Keader of Opposition L. K Advani head a list of 68 leaders of the Sangh Parivaar and bureaucrats who are held culpable for leading the country to the brink of communal discord over the Ayodhya issue.

Togadia reiterated VHP’s commitment to the movement, and said no power, person or commission can stop the construction of Ram Temple at Ayodhya.

“Reports like Liberhan and others come and go, leaders may and go, government may come and go, but Hindu culture of protecting heritage and worship places has been going on for ages,” he said.

“Therefore irrespective of political parties, governments the VHP will remain committed for the construction of the temple,” Togadia added.

He also said the title suite case of the Ramjanmabhoomi Movement before the Lucknow Bench of the Allahabad High Court has entered the arguments stage and his organisation is expecting a logical conclusion to the entire issue through this case.

Source ANI

Ranchi: Security has been beefed up in Jharkhand on Tuesday ahead of the first phase of elections to the provincial legislature to prevent Maoist attempts at disruption. 

Around 470 candidates are contesting in the first phase of the polls for the 26 assembly seats of the State.

Officials are being sent to respective polling booths to ensure peaceful conduct of elections. Huge number of police and paramilitary personnel have been deployed at various polling booths.

“We can’t tell you how many companies are there or where the forces have been deployed, but we will definitely tell you that we have all the necessary amount of forces required. Police have been deployed at all the emergency locations,” said B D Ram, Director General of Jharkhand Police.

Over 300 companies of police and allied security personnel have been placed at the disposal of the Election Commission to ensure free and fair elections.

Despite these measures, fear of Maoists prevails among many locals including the persons assigned to man the polling booths.

“The environment is a bit scary and we are really scared. We will see once we reach the booths. Everyone is scared at home seeing the Maoist terror prevailing around here,” said Dilip Kumar, a designated polling officer.

Maoists have called for boycott of the polls in the areas dominated by them.

Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI (Maoist) leader Mallojulla Koteswar Rao had recently stated that the Congress party and the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) would be ''targeted'' during the elections.

Similarly, Samar Jee also known as Anmol, through a press release, warned that those who take part in the elections would be ''punished'' by the Maoists.

In the General Elections to the Lok Sabha held earlier this year, Maoists had issued a similar call, but the Election Commission was able to ensure peaceful elections.

Over 57 percent of the electorate in Jharkhand voted in the Lok Sabha polls.

The assembly elections for the 81 seats will take place in five phases between November 25 and December 18.

Source ANI

Jammu: Army chief General Deepak Kapoor on Tuesday said that Pakistan wanted to push maximum number of terrorists across the border.

Addressing the media, General Kapoor said: “I want to tell you that, as ceasefire violation is concerned as compared to last year this year the ceasefire violation are less and our efforts are to stop the ceasefire violations from their (Pakistan''s) side. What they (Pakistan) want is to push as many terrorists as possible towards Indian side.” 

General Kapoor was in Jammu city to hand over the ''war memorial'' to the Jammu and Kashmir Government.

He handed over country''s highest war memorial named ‘Balidaan Stambh’ to Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah.

Meanwhile, Omar Abdullah said that decrease in the levels of violence showed the success of the security forces in negating the designs of the infiltrators.

“Levels of infiltrations remain a matter of concern. It has not stopped completely, in fact the levels of infiltrations are higher this year than last year, but levels of violence of this year are lower than last year. So, it obviously shows the success of the security forces in negating whatever designs infiltrators have,” Omar Abdullah said.

Source ANI

New Delhi: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Murli Manohar Joshi on Tuesday demanded formation of a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) to investigate leakage of Liberhan Commission report, which blames BJP leaders for their role in the destruction of an ancient mosque that had sparked widespread riots.

Addressing the media in the national capital, Joshi said that complete investigation should be done about the leakage of the report and Union Government should take the moral responsibility for the same.

“The basic thing to analyze is that how the report was leaked. Who leaked it and why it was leaked, the Government especially the Union Home Minister should take the entire moral responsibility for the report leakage. We demand a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) should be formed to investigate and announce who leaked the report and why,” Joshi said.

The Liberhan Commission, the one-man commission headed by Justice M S Liberhan, probed into the circumstances leading to the demolition of the Babri Masjid on December 6, 1992.

A leading English daily of India reported ysterday that top BJP leaders, Atal Behari Vajpayee, Lal Krishna Advani and Murli Manohar Joshi, the then Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, Kalyan Singh have been found guilty of Babri Masjid demolition.

Earlier on Monday, leaders of the opposition had created an uproar demanding immediate tabling of the report as a newspaper had already published the purported findings, indicting some of the prominent members of BJP.

The report was tabled by the Home Minister in the Rajya Sabha today.

Source ANI

New Delhi: Industrialist Anil Ambani, who heads the Reliance Natural Resources Limited (RNRL), made a surprise appearance at the Supreme Court on Tuesday.

The court was hearing of the gas price dispute row between RNRL and Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) on tapping the gas in the Krishna-Godavari Basin block.

A three-member bench headed by Chief Justice K G Balakrishnan has been hearing the dispute over the supply of 28 million units of gas for 17 years at 2.34 dollars per unit to RNRL from the gas fields off the Andhra Pradesh coast, awarded to his brother Mukesh Ambani''s RIL.

After coming out of the courtroom, Anil Ambani''s legal counsel, Ram Jethmalani spoke very minimal to the media and said that he has not been instructed to hold press conferences.

“I have no instructions from my client to hold press conferences. Secondly, you have already asked him some questions, I hope he has answered them. I had asked Anil Ambani that when I am discussing the MoU (Memorandum of Understanding), you (he) should be present,” Jethmalani said.

Ambani family''s MoU is an agreement on the basis of which estranged brothers Anil and Mukesh Ambani divided the assets of the Reliance business empire between themselves.

Earlier, the Bombay High Court had given its verdict in favour of RNRL, but RIL subsequently challenged it in the Supreme Court.

Source ANI

New Delhi: Parliamentarians of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Samajwadi party (SP) heckled each other as the enquiry report of the Liberhan Commission, which probed the circumstances leading to the demolition of the Babri Masjid in December 1992, was tabled in parliament.

 

As the Home Minister tabled the copy of the report, along with action taken report during the Zero Hour in Rajya Sabha (upper house of Indian parliament), BJP leaders started shouting slogans in praise of Lord Ram.

 

SP leader Amar Singh got infuriated over it and came menacingly towards senior BJP leader S.S. Ahluwalia, who was sitting in the front row along with his party colleagues.

 

A scuffle followed.

 

“When this report was presented then it was natural that Bharatiya Janata party leaders would raise slogans of ''Jai Shri Ram'' (hail Lord Ram). And when BJP parliamentarians were chanting slogans, then Samajwadi party parliamentarians without any provocation entered in a scuffle with us,” said Ahluwalia after the house was adjourned due to the scuffle.

 

Party colleagues separated both the leaders in the house following which it was adjourned.

 

Singh, however, told reporters that he was embarrassed over his behaviour and would thus apologise to the BJP leader as well as to the house for his misconduct.

 

"I will apologise, but I earlier stood up and calmly asked them not to raise slogans ''Jai Shri Ram'' in the parliament. I had no objective to enter into a fight. But when ''Jai Shri Ram'' slogans were raised, our Muslim leaders said that if there would be ''Jai Bajrang Bali'' (hail monkey God Hanuman), then there would be ''Ya Ali'' (hail Ali) as well. So my objective was that the nation should not be divided," said Singh.

 

Singh apologised to Ahluwalia soon after entering the house when it was reconvened.

 

However, a leader of ruling Congress party and a Rajya Sabha member Rashid Alvi said that the scuffle appeared to be a planned one.

 

Liberhan Commission, the one-man commission headed by Justice M S Liberhan, probed into the circumstances leading to the demolition of the Babri Masjid on December 6, 1992.

Source ANI

Chandigarh: Commission head Justice Manmohan Singh Liberhan (retired) asked the media to read the mosque probe report, which was tabled in the parliament on Tuesday, and then put up questions in a bid to resolve the controversy, which spiralled up after the report was leaked to the media.

 

"Read the report first and then if you have any questions after that then I''ll speak. Anyhow, all the questions have been answered in the report itself. I have written it, signed it and submitted it to the Prime Minister," Justice Liberhan said.

 

Union Home Minister Palanippan Chidambaram on Tuesday tabled the enquiry report of the Liberhan Commission, along with action taken report, in parliament.

 

A day before that a leading English daily had claimed that as per a leaked report of Liberhan Commission, top leaders of the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP), Atal Behari Vajpayee, Lal Krishna Advani and Murli Manohar Joshi have been found guilty of Babri Mosque (Babri masjid) demolition.

 

Liberhan Commission, the one-man commission headed by Justice M S Liberhan, probed into the circumstances leading to the demolition of the Babri Masjid on December 6, 1992.

 

The probe panel, which took almost 17 years, recorded the statements of senior BJP leaders Lal Krishna Advani, Joshi and the then chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, Kalyan Singh.

 

On December 6, 1992, the Babri mosque in Ayodhya was destroyed in a fiery campaign to build a temple for Lord Rama at that place.

Source ANI

New Delhi: CPI (M) leader Sitaram Yechury has asked the Congress-led UPA Government to pursue cases against those found responsible for the demolition of Babri Masjid in December 1992 by the Liberhan Commission.

 

“Though justice has been delayed for 17 long years, in this case, justice must be done. If the law has been broken, legal action has to be taken. Concrete action must be taken against the perpetrators on the basis of the evidence gathered in the report,” Yechury said on Tuesday.

 

He said demolition of Babri Masjid was the most serious assault on our secular democratic polity of the country and exemplary punishment should be given to those found guilty.

 

Replying to questions on former premier Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s alleged involvement, Yechury said the full report needed to be studied to confirm whether it contains any such reference.

 

“However, Vajpayee himself has gone on record to say that he was asked to remain in Lucknow and not proceed to Ayodhya, which he did. Who asked him and why?”

 

Yechury also said the P V Narasimha Rao government did not take any action despite being empowered by the National Integration Council in November 1992, days before the December 6 demolition.

Source ANI