Amidst growing outrage over last week’s verdict on the Bhopal gas tragedy, the Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh, stepped in on Monday and directed the group of ministers (GoM) headed by the Union home minister, Mr P. Chidambaram, to report to the Union Cabinet within 10 days after assessing the “options and remedies available”.
Contrary to what has been reported so far — that the GoM under Mr Chidambaram was reconstituted following the trial court’s order in the gas leak case last week — the GoM was set up on May 26 while the Bhopal court order came on June 7. Therefore, its reconstitution had nothing to do with the Bhopal court’s verdict, said sources.Moreover, for all the chest-beating on the part of the BJP for the gas victims, it has now come to light that a BJP-led Madhya Pradesh government had rejected in 2008-09, a proposal to set up an empowered commission to look after the interests of those affected by the 1984 gas leak.
Sources told this newspaper that the proposal to set up such a commission had been made by the previous GoM headed by the senior Congress leader, Mr Arjun Singh since 2004. At present, Mr Singh himself is being slammed for his role in allowing the former Union Carbide Corporation chief, Mr Warren Anderson, to escape.
With the proposal for the empowered commission not passing muster with the BJP-led state government, the Centre was unable to push ahead with it, said sources. The Centre was chary of being accused of disturbing the federal structure if it went ahead with the commission without the state government’s concurrence.
“Not everybody agreed on the commission and, in particular, the then state government did not support it,” said sources. The state government reportedly took the plea that it would take care of the issues and thus no commission was needed.
Showing posts with label Prime Minister. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Prime Minister. Show all posts
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Terror only issue with Pak: SM
The external affairs minister, Mr S.M. Krishna, on Monday said a meeting between the Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh, and his Pakistani counterpart, Mr Yousaf Raza Gilani, on the sidelines of the two-day 16th Saarc summit had always been in the air.
The spirit of it was to keep up bilateral contacts at a high level even if no concrete forward movement on key questions was expected. A sense of engagement might be better than its absence, he observed.
Responding to a question on whether India would agree to hand over Ajmal Kasab, the lone terrorist captured after the 26/11 Mumbai attack, to Pakistan following the demand to that effect made by the Pakistan’s interior minister, Mr Rahman Malik, the external affairs minister said, “Late last night I received the six dossiers forwarded by Pakistan, and have not had the time to apply my mind. The decision would naturally be taken after due consultation among the various arms of the government. However, the Kasab trial is in an advanced stage in India. We should complete our own process first before taking a call on other matters.”
A high-level source noted that the dossiers from Islamabad were a response to the material India had sent them earlier, and related to the trial of the Pakistani conspirators of 26/11.
He indicated that “terrorism” was the only issue of substance to talk to the Pakistan Prime Minister about at this stage.
It is understood top Indian officials and ambassadors in the region are unable to grasp the reasons for holding a bilateral meeting with the Pakistan Prime Minister at this stage.
Those who deal with Pakistan on a regular basis best understand the futility of engagement at the highest level at the current juncture, sources said.
Asked if agreeing to meet Mr Gilani in Thimpu amounted to Dr Singh accepting the contours of the Pakistani “roadmap” for resumption of the composite dialogue process suspended by India after the attacks on Mumbai in November 2008, a leading source said, “It is too early to go that far. We do need to understand first how far Pakistan wishes to advance the relationship, and whether it is capable of taking the necessary steps.”
The Pakistan “roadmap” was enunciated at a meeting of the foreign secretaries of the two countries on February 25.
It envisaged a meeting between the two Prime Ministers, taking advantage of their presence at the Saarc summit.
The spirit of it was to keep up bilateral contacts at a high level even if no concrete forward movement on key questions was expected. A sense of engagement might be better than its absence, he observed.
Responding to a question on whether India would agree to hand over Ajmal Kasab, the lone terrorist captured after the 26/11 Mumbai attack, to Pakistan following the demand to that effect made by the Pakistan’s interior minister, Mr Rahman Malik, the external affairs minister said, “Late last night I received the six dossiers forwarded by Pakistan, and have not had the time to apply my mind. The decision would naturally be taken after due consultation among the various arms of the government. However, the Kasab trial is in an advanced stage in India. We should complete our own process first before taking a call on other matters.”
A high-level source noted that the dossiers from Islamabad were a response to the material India had sent them earlier, and related to the trial of the Pakistani conspirators of 26/11.
He indicated that “terrorism” was the only issue of substance to talk to the Pakistan Prime Minister about at this stage.
It is understood top Indian officials and ambassadors in the region are unable to grasp the reasons for holding a bilateral meeting with the Pakistan Prime Minister at this stage.
Those who deal with Pakistan on a regular basis best understand the futility of engagement at the highest level at the current juncture, sources said.
Asked if agreeing to meet Mr Gilani in Thimpu amounted to Dr Singh accepting the contours of the Pakistani “roadmap” for resumption of the composite dialogue process suspended by India after the attacks on Mumbai in November 2008, a leading source said, “It is too early to go that far. We do need to understand first how far Pakistan wishes to advance the relationship, and whether it is capable of taking the necessary steps.”
The Pakistan “roadmap” was enunciated at a meeting of the foreign secretaries of the two countries on February 25.
It envisaged a meeting between the two Prime Ministers, taking advantage of their presence at the Saarc summit.
Monday, April 12, 2010
Pak to send Sania gold crown
The Pakistan President, Mr Asif Ali Zardari, and the Prime Minister, Mr Yousuf Raza Gilani, are to send separate gifts plus greeting cards to Shoaib Malik and Sania Mirza for their marriage.
“The President has also joined the Prime Minister in dispatching the gifts along with greeting cards to the couple,” an official at the presidency said.
He said a proposal was under consideration to confer on Sania Mirza a civilian award in the near future to firm up the position that Pakistan stands for promoting peace and establishing people-to-people contact.
“The President has issued directives to his principal secretary, Mr Salman Farooqi, to send a gift, salaami (cash) and a greeting card to both Shoaib Malik and Sania Mirza,” the official at the presidency said.
Pakistan’s population welfare minister Ms Firdous Ashiq Awan said she would present Shoaib and Sania with gold crowns on their arrival in the country after their wedding.
Ms Awan, who represents Shoaib’s hometown of Sialkot in parliament, said she plans to attend the wedding on April 15.
“I am going to India on April 14 to attend Shoaib and Sania’s marriage,” she said, adding that the marriage will help improve relations between India and Pakistan and bring the people of both countries closer to each other.
“I will hold a ceremony in Sialkot to place gold crown on the heads of Shoaib and Sania,” she said.
Ms Awan said she would also present gifts on behalf of the President and the Prime Minister of Pakistan to the couple.
Mr Gilani, who wanted a delegation of MPs to visit Hyderabad, thinks it is impossible to dispatch such a large number of persons in their official capacities due to security clearances with India.
Meanwhile, the Pakistan government on Sunday contacted its high commissioner to India, Mr Shahid Malik, directing him to ensure the recovery of cricketer Shoaib Malik’s passport from the Indian authorities after it was seized by the police when his ex-wife Ayesha Siddiqui filed a case against him in Hyderabad.
Interior minister Rehman Malik has contacted the Pakistan high commissioner in India on the phone to get back Shoaib Malik’s passport," an official statement issued here said. "The Pakistan high commissioner in New Delhi has been directed to take immediate action to get back Pakistan cricketer Shoaib Malik’s passport, seized by the Indian police," it added.
Because of security concerns, senior Pakistan Punjab minister, Mr Raja Riaz has said the valima (feast) ceremony would be cerebrated at the Governor’s House in Lahore.
At the same time, several dozen MPs have expressed their desire to be part of an official delegation that would participate in the marriage ceremony.
“The President has also joined the Prime Minister in dispatching the gifts along with greeting cards to the couple,” an official at the presidency said.
He said a proposal was under consideration to confer on Sania Mirza a civilian award in the near future to firm up the position that Pakistan stands for promoting peace and establishing people-to-people contact.
“The President has issued directives to his principal secretary, Mr Salman Farooqi, to send a gift, salaami (cash) and a greeting card to both Shoaib Malik and Sania Mirza,” the official at the presidency said.
Pakistan’s population welfare minister Ms Firdous Ashiq Awan said she would present Shoaib and Sania with gold crowns on their arrival in the country after their wedding.
Ms Awan, who represents Shoaib’s hometown of Sialkot in parliament, said she plans to attend the wedding on April 15.
“I am going to India on April 14 to attend Shoaib and Sania’s marriage,” she said, adding that the marriage will help improve relations between India and Pakistan and bring the people of both countries closer to each other.
“I will hold a ceremony in Sialkot to place gold crown on the heads of Shoaib and Sania,” she said.
Ms Awan said she would also present gifts on behalf of the President and the Prime Minister of Pakistan to the couple.
Mr Gilani, who wanted a delegation of MPs to visit Hyderabad, thinks it is impossible to dispatch such a large number of persons in their official capacities due to security clearances with India.
Meanwhile, the Pakistan government on Sunday contacted its high commissioner to India, Mr Shahid Malik, directing him to ensure the recovery of cricketer Shoaib Malik’s passport from the Indian authorities after it was seized by the police when his ex-wife Ayesha Siddiqui filed a case against him in Hyderabad.
Interior minister Rehman Malik has contacted the Pakistan high commissioner in India on the phone to get back Shoaib Malik’s passport," an official statement issued here said. "The Pakistan high commissioner in New Delhi has been directed to take immediate action to get back Pakistan cricketer Shoaib Malik’s passport, seized by the Indian police," it added.
Because of security concerns, senior Pakistan Punjab minister, Mr Raja Riaz has said the valima (feast) ceremony would be cerebrated at the Governor’s House in Lahore.
At the same time, several dozen MPs have expressed their desire to be part of an official delegation that would participate in the marriage ceremony.
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
Maoists kill 76 in savage attack
Bhopal/New Delhi, April 6: At least 76 security force personnel were killed on Tuesday when Naxalite guerrillas used guns and explosives against a surrounded Central Reserve Police Force contingent in the Mukarna forest near the village of Chintalnar-Tarmetla in Dantewada district, which lies in Naxalite-affected Bastar region of Chhattisgarh. It was one of the most savage ambushes mounted by the Naxals.
The attack came 48 hours after Union home minister P. Chidambaram visited West Bengal and told state chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee that as far as Maoist violence was concerned, "the buck stops with the chief minister".
It was early on Tuesday morning that the Maoists launched the attack on the CRPF personnel, who were returning from a search operation following "information" that they had received on the Naxalites. However, it was a "well-laid trap" that the security forces appeared to have walked into as the Maoists fired at them from atop a hillock.
Nearly 1,000 Maoists are believed to have been involved in the massacre, outnumbering the approximately 100 security personnel. The area where the combing operation was being carried is known to be a Maoist stronghold.
Chhattisgarh additional director-general of police (anti-Naxal operations) Ram Nivas told this newspaper that the Naxalites, who were heavily armed, ambushed a CRPF contingent in a forested area in Dantewada district on Tuesday morning. He said it would not be possible to give a full account of what happened as they were still in the process of assessing the situation.
The Naxalites detonated a landmine, triggered blasts and opened fire at the trapped CRPF men. The Maoist guerrillas outnumbered the security personnel and were able to inflict heavy casualties by surrounding the CRPF contingent. An injured jawan later said there were about 1,000 Maoist guerrillas firing at the patrol party.
An official source in Raipur said a helicopter was sent from Jagdalpur, the Bastar district headquarters, to rush those injured in the attack to hospital. Requesting anonymity, he said the CRPF contingent had gone on an "Operation Green Hunt" mission into the jungle and while returning "walked into the Naxalites’ trap and were massacred".
He said there is something drastically wrong with the anti-Naxal operations. It will have to be investigated, the source said, including how well motivated were the CRPF men and whether or not they were given proper jungle and guerrilla warfare training before being posted in the Naxalite-affected area. Even the performance levels of their supervisors comes under the scanner, he added.
While state police officials said the security personnel were on a mission that is part of the on-going "Operation Green Hunt" targeting the Maoists, the Centre maintained it wasn’t part of this exercise.
Following the attack, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh spoke to Mr Chidambaram and also chaired a meeting of the National Security Council to take stock of the situation. Mr Chidambaram admitted that "something has gone drastically wrong" and added that the killings "show the savage nature of the CPI (Maoist)".
The bodies of the slain security personnel are expected in the national capital on Wednesday with the Centre having dispatched an AN-32 aircraft to transport the bodies. According to the home ministry, all security personnel involved in the search operation have been accounted for though the Maoists took away all their weapons.
In Chhattisgarh, a joint team of the BSF and state police swung into action after the bloody attack and arrested 12 suspected Maoists besides seizing their weapons from the Koilibeda area in Kanker district. Belonging to the Panidobir "dalam (unit)" allegedly led by Ram Singh, the joint team caught him along with his assistant Darsu.
The security personnel were returning after their early morning operation when they were ambushed. Literally surrounded by the Maoists, the personnel found themselves taking heavy fire and also stepping on pressure bombs. Among those who fell was a deputy commandant and an assistant commandant of the CRPF.
Dantewada SP Amresh Mishra said the Naxals first blew up a vehicle carrying CRPF personnel near Chintalnar-Tarmetla village in the district. Immediately after the blast, the CRPF personnel and a few policemen tried to take cover but then came the heavy firing from hundreds of Naxals, all well-entrenched atop a hillock.
In New Delhi, Union home secretary Gopal Pillai admitted an element of failure in the anti-Naxal operation had led to the incident. He said the massacre has strengthened the government’s resolve to give a "firmer and fitting reply to the murderers".
The home secretary, however, ruled out the use of air power in the fight against Naxalites. "I don’t think we need to use air power at the moment. We can manage with what we have. Our strategy is unfolding and we should be able to manage without air power," he stated.
The home ministry has sought details of the intelligence received by CRPF personnel which prompted such a large number of them to enter an area which did not fall within the parameters of the planned anti-Naxal offensive by the Centre. "Some information was planted on the security personnel which was so attractive that a large team went inside the jungle," home ministry sources said.
The Maoists laid the trap over days of planning, government sources said. A court of inquiry has been ordered into the incident to establish whether it was an intelligence failure on the part of the security forces, who probably did not verify the intelligence inputs they received nor reconnoitre the area, thus falling into the trap. It will also establish the sequence of events that led to the attack, a home ministry official said.
CRPF special director-general Vijay Raman rushed to the spot along with senior Chhattisgarh police officers to take stock of the ground situation. Speaking from the spot, he said on Tuesday evening it would not be possible to discuss anything at this stage.
A high alert has been declared in Mandla, Dhindori, Balaghat, Sidhi, Shahdol, Singrauli, and Umaria districts of Madhya Pradesh. These districts are known for Naxalite activity. One CRPF battalion has been deployed for Naxal-infested areas in the state.
The attack came 48 hours after Union home minister P. Chidambaram visited West Bengal and told state chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee that as far as Maoist violence was concerned, "the buck stops with the chief minister".
It was early on Tuesday morning that the Maoists launched the attack on the CRPF personnel, who were returning from a search operation following "information" that they had received on the Naxalites. However, it was a "well-laid trap" that the security forces appeared to have walked into as the Maoists fired at them from atop a hillock.
Nearly 1,000 Maoists are believed to have been involved in the massacre, outnumbering the approximately 100 security personnel. The area where the combing operation was being carried is known to be a Maoist stronghold.
Chhattisgarh additional director-general of police (anti-Naxal operations) Ram Nivas told this newspaper that the Naxalites, who were heavily armed, ambushed a CRPF contingent in a forested area in Dantewada district on Tuesday morning. He said it would not be possible to give a full account of what happened as they were still in the process of assessing the situation.
The Naxalites detonated a landmine, triggered blasts and opened fire at the trapped CRPF men. The Maoist guerrillas outnumbered the security personnel and were able to inflict heavy casualties by surrounding the CRPF contingent. An injured jawan later said there were about 1,000 Maoist guerrillas firing at the patrol party.
An official source in Raipur said a helicopter was sent from Jagdalpur, the Bastar district headquarters, to rush those injured in the attack to hospital. Requesting anonymity, he said the CRPF contingent had gone on an "Operation Green Hunt" mission into the jungle and while returning "walked into the Naxalites’ trap and were massacred".
He said there is something drastically wrong with the anti-Naxal operations. It will have to be investigated, the source said, including how well motivated were the CRPF men and whether or not they were given proper jungle and guerrilla warfare training before being posted in the Naxalite-affected area. Even the performance levels of their supervisors comes under the scanner, he added.
While state police officials said the security personnel were on a mission that is part of the on-going "Operation Green Hunt" targeting the Maoists, the Centre maintained it wasn’t part of this exercise.
Following the attack, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh spoke to Mr Chidambaram and also chaired a meeting of the National Security Council to take stock of the situation. Mr Chidambaram admitted that "something has gone drastically wrong" and added that the killings "show the savage nature of the CPI (Maoist)".
The bodies of the slain security personnel are expected in the national capital on Wednesday with the Centre having dispatched an AN-32 aircraft to transport the bodies. According to the home ministry, all security personnel involved in the search operation have been accounted for though the Maoists took away all their weapons.
In Chhattisgarh, a joint team of the BSF and state police swung into action after the bloody attack and arrested 12 suspected Maoists besides seizing their weapons from the Koilibeda area in Kanker district. Belonging to the Panidobir "dalam (unit)" allegedly led by Ram Singh, the joint team caught him along with his assistant Darsu.
The security personnel were returning after their early morning operation when they were ambushed. Literally surrounded by the Maoists, the personnel found themselves taking heavy fire and also stepping on pressure bombs. Among those who fell was a deputy commandant and an assistant commandant of the CRPF.
Dantewada SP Amresh Mishra said the Naxals first blew up a vehicle carrying CRPF personnel near Chintalnar-Tarmetla village in the district. Immediately after the blast, the CRPF personnel and a few policemen tried to take cover but then came the heavy firing from hundreds of Naxals, all well-entrenched atop a hillock.
In New Delhi, Union home secretary Gopal Pillai admitted an element of failure in the anti-Naxal operation had led to the incident. He said the massacre has strengthened the government’s resolve to give a "firmer and fitting reply to the murderers".
The home secretary, however, ruled out the use of air power in the fight against Naxalites. "I don’t think we need to use air power at the moment. We can manage with what we have. Our strategy is unfolding and we should be able to manage without air power," he stated.
The home ministry has sought details of the intelligence received by CRPF personnel which prompted such a large number of them to enter an area which did not fall within the parameters of the planned anti-Naxal offensive by the Centre. "Some information was planted on the security personnel which was so attractive that a large team went inside the jungle," home ministry sources said.
The Maoists laid the trap over days of planning, government sources said. A court of inquiry has been ordered into the incident to establish whether it was an intelligence failure on the part of the security forces, who probably did not verify the intelligence inputs they received nor reconnoitre the area, thus falling into the trap. It will also establish the sequence of events that led to the attack, a home ministry official said.
CRPF special director-general Vijay Raman rushed to the spot along with senior Chhattisgarh police officers to take stock of the ground situation. Speaking from the spot, he said on Tuesday evening it would not be possible to discuss anything at this stage.
A high alert has been declared in Mandla, Dhindori, Balaghat, Sidhi, Shahdol, Singrauli, and Umaria districts of Madhya Pradesh. These districts are known for Naxalite activity. One CRPF battalion has been deployed for Naxal-infested areas in the state.
Thursday, April 1, 2010
All children should have access to education: Manmohan
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Thursday said the government was committed to ensuring that all children irrespective of gender and social category have access to education and fund constraints would not be allowed to hamper implementation of the Right to Education Act.
Addressing the nation as the Right to Education Act went into force on Thursday, he said, “the government is committed to ensuring that all children irrespective of gender and social category, have access to education.”
“Our government, in partnership with state governments, will ensure that financial constraints do not hamper the implementation of the Right to Education Act” he said.
Adding a personal touch to the importance of education, the Prime Minister recalled his own childhood days as someone born in a family of modest means who had to walk a long distance to go to school. “I read under the dim light of a kerosene lamp. I am what I am today because of education,” he said.
“I want every Indian child, girl and boy, to be so touched by the light of education. I want every Indian to dream of a better future and live that dream”, Dr. Singh said.
Recalling the desire of Gopal Krishna Gokhale about 100 years ago when he had urged the Imperial Assembly to confer on the Indian people the Right to Education, Dr. Singh said about 90 years later the Constitution was amended to enshrine the Right to Education as a fundamental right.
“Today, our government comes before you to redeem the pledge of giving all our children the right to elementary education,” Dr. Singh said adding “this demonstrates our national commitment to the education of our children and to the future of India “.
Pointing out that India is a country of young people, he said “it is the belief of our government that if we nurture our children and young people with the right education, India’s future as a strong and prosperous country is secure.”
Dr. Singh said the government at the Centre, in states and union territories and authorities at district and village levels must work together as part of a common national endeavour to realise the Right to Education and asked the states to join in this national effort with “full resolve and determination“.
Noting that success of any educational endeavour was based on the ability and motivation of teachers and the implementation of the Right to Education is no exception, he asked the teachers across the country to become partners in this effort.
At the same time, Dr. Singh said it was also incumbent upon all to work together to improve the working conditions of teachers and enable them to teach with dignity, giving full expression to their talent and creativity.
Parents and guardians too have a critical role to play having been assigned school management responsibilities under the Act, he said adding “the needs of every disadvantaged section of our society, particularly girls, Dalits, adivasis and minorities must be of particular focus as we implement this Act.”
Addressing the nation as the Right to Education Act went into force on Thursday, he said, “the government is committed to ensuring that all children irrespective of gender and social category, have access to education.”
“Our government, in partnership with state governments, will ensure that financial constraints do not hamper the implementation of the Right to Education Act” he said.
Adding a personal touch to the importance of education, the Prime Minister recalled his own childhood days as someone born in a family of modest means who had to walk a long distance to go to school. “I read under the dim light of a kerosene lamp. I am what I am today because of education,” he said.
“I want every Indian child, girl and boy, to be so touched by the light of education. I want every Indian to dream of a better future and live that dream”, Dr. Singh said.
Recalling the desire of Gopal Krishna Gokhale about 100 years ago when he had urged the Imperial Assembly to confer on the Indian people the Right to Education, Dr. Singh said about 90 years later the Constitution was amended to enshrine the Right to Education as a fundamental right.
“Today, our government comes before you to redeem the pledge of giving all our children the right to elementary education,” Dr. Singh said adding “this demonstrates our national commitment to the education of our children and to the future of India “.
Pointing out that India is a country of young people, he said “it is the belief of our government that if we nurture our children and young people with the right education, India’s future as a strong and prosperous country is secure.”
Dr. Singh said the government at the Centre, in states and union territories and authorities at district and village levels must work together as part of a common national endeavour to realise the Right to Education and asked the states to join in this national effort with “full resolve and determination“.
Noting that success of any educational endeavour was based on the ability and motivation of teachers and the implementation of the Right to Education is no exception, he asked the teachers across the country to become partners in this effort.
At the same time, Dr. Singh said it was also incumbent upon all to work together to improve the working conditions of teachers and enable them to teach with dignity, giving full expression to their talent and creativity.
Parents and guardians too have a critical role to play having been assigned school management responsibilities under the Act, he said adding “the needs of every disadvantaged section of our society, particularly girls, Dalits, adivasis and minorities must be of particular focus as we implement this Act.”
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Manmohan to meet Lalu, Mulayam
Driven up the wall on the Women's Reservation Bill, the Rashtriya Janata Dal and the Samajwadi Party on Monday said they would withdraw support to the United Progressive Alliance government if the law was passed its present form.
Both RJD chief Lalu Prasad and SP supremo Mulayam Singh called on Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to convey their decision and concern over the stand taken by the UPA government. Soon after, the Prime Minister hurriedly met leaders belonging to the Bahujan Samaj Party, arch-rival of the SP.
Dr. Singh is said to have decided to meet Mr. Prasad, Mr. Singh and Janata Dal (United) chief Sharad Yadav, who too is waging a war on the issue separately, ahead of Tuesday's all-party meeting in an obvious bid to placate them well aware that withdrawal of support could pose problems to his government.
Later in the evening, Mr. Prasad called on President Pratibha Patil to explain the party's opposition to the Bill.
Mr. Prasad and Mr. Yadav jointly declared their intention to withdraw support to the government. Both said the Congress was behaving autocratically and sought to ride roughshod over them.
The RJD has four members and the SP 21 in the Lok Sabha and both parties had given the President letters of their unilateral support to the government. They were not part of the list submitted by Dr. Singh while staking claim to form the government.
Together the RJD and the SP have 15 members in the Rajya Sabha, where the Congress is already in a minority and this shortfall will only make floor management a difficult proposition should the Opposition press for a division on routine affairs.
Both Mr. Prasad and Mr. Singh stressed that they could reconsider their decision only if the government accommodated their view and effected amendments in the Bill allowing for sub-reservation for women belonging to the deprived sections.
Acting in tandem, these two leaders charged that the Prime Minister had not cared to heed their request to convene an all-party meeting to build consensus. Asked if they intended formalising their decision by calling on the President, the RJD chief asked: “Isn't my public proclamation sufficient?”
Mr. Prasad was particularly severe, charging that the UPA's action to deny reservation to women from Dalits, backward classes and minorities amounted to “political dacoity.”
Notwithstanding the decision of these two parties, Dr. Singh discussed the fallout with senior colleagues.
Should they formally withdraw support, the UPA will be left with about 290 members in the 543-member Lok Sabha, just a tad above the half-way mark.
Both RJD chief Lalu Prasad and SP supremo Mulayam Singh called on Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to convey their decision and concern over the stand taken by the UPA government. Soon after, the Prime Minister hurriedly met leaders belonging to the Bahujan Samaj Party, arch-rival of the SP.
Dr. Singh is said to have decided to meet Mr. Prasad, Mr. Singh and Janata Dal (United) chief Sharad Yadav, who too is waging a war on the issue separately, ahead of Tuesday's all-party meeting in an obvious bid to placate them well aware that withdrawal of support could pose problems to his government.
Later in the evening, Mr. Prasad called on President Pratibha Patil to explain the party's opposition to the Bill.
Mr. Prasad and Mr. Yadav jointly declared their intention to withdraw support to the government. Both said the Congress was behaving autocratically and sought to ride roughshod over them.
The RJD has four members and the SP 21 in the Lok Sabha and both parties had given the President letters of their unilateral support to the government. They were not part of the list submitted by Dr. Singh while staking claim to form the government.
Together the RJD and the SP have 15 members in the Rajya Sabha, where the Congress is already in a minority and this shortfall will only make floor management a difficult proposition should the Opposition press for a division on routine affairs.
Both Mr. Prasad and Mr. Singh stressed that they could reconsider their decision only if the government accommodated their view and effected amendments in the Bill allowing for sub-reservation for women belonging to the deprived sections.
Acting in tandem, these two leaders charged that the Prime Minister had not cared to heed their request to convene an all-party meeting to build consensus. Asked if they intended formalising their decision by calling on the President, the RJD chief asked: “Isn't my public proclamation sufficient?”
Mr. Prasad was particularly severe, charging that the UPA's action to deny reservation to women from Dalits, backward classes and minorities amounted to “political dacoity.”
Notwithstanding the decision of these two parties, Dr. Singh discussed the fallout with senior colleagues.
Should they formally withdraw support, the UPA will be left with about 290 members in the 543-member Lok Sabha, just a tad above the half-way mark.
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Opposition steps up offensive on price hike
Sensing an opportunity to expose the lack of unity in the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) on the issue of hike in the taxes on petroleum products, the Bharatiya Janata Party-led Opposition is drawing up plans to embarrass the government.
The BJP also plans to take Opposition unity on this issue to a new plane even as the Left parties decided to step up pressure on the government leading to its March 12 rally in the capital against rise in the prices of essential commodities.
BJP spokesperson Prakash Javadekar on Tuesday criticised Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for the “arrogance of power” displayed in his assertion that there would be no rollback of the increased taxes on petroleum products announced in the budget.
On Wednesday the party would plan its floor strategy on this issue and other subjects at a meeting of National Democratic Alliance leaders.
The Communist Party of India (Marxist) general secretary Prakash Karat said the party did not accept the argument offered by the government to justify the hike in petroleum products.
In the context of the rise in prices of food items, he said, the effect of the hike on petrol and diesel prices would be felt and cannot be minimised. “People will be put to great suffering if there is further rise in prices, of food items in particular,” he told The Hindu.
As for the Opposition strategy in Parliament, he said while the CPI(M) was trying to bring non-Congress secular parties together, on the issue of price rise, the entire Opposition was agitated and last week’s development in Parliament was an expression of that.
After Tuesday’s strike in Kerala against the hike in fuel prices, the Left Front will hold week-long demonstrations across West Bengal. Between March 3 and 9, the Left parties will conduct processions in various places.
Separately, trade unions across the political spectrum have decided to go on a mass agitation in different parts of the country in the form of road and rail blockades, and satyagraha to protest the rise in prices of essential commodities and now the hike in petroleum products.
All India Trade Union Congress general secretary Gurudas Dasgupta, MP, told The Hindu, that for the first time all trade unions including those affiliated to the Congress and the BJP would agitate on March 5. Lakhs of workers will offer arrest in metropolitan and industrial centres in the country.
Cut motion
The BJP said the party wants to use a cut motion during the vote on the Finance Bill in the second part of the budget session less as a tool to defeat the government and more to show up the fissures in the UPA as the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and the Trinamool Congress have both demanded a rollback of the tax hike.
The party is hoping that Opposition unity would take place automatically and on the spur of the moment as it materialised when one party after another walked out during the budget presentation on February 26 in the Lok Sabha.
The BJP also plans to take Opposition unity on this issue to a new plane even as the Left parties decided to step up pressure on the government leading to its March 12 rally in the capital against rise in the prices of essential commodities.
BJP spokesperson Prakash Javadekar on Tuesday criticised Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for the “arrogance of power” displayed in his assertion that there would be no rollback of the increased taxes on petroleum products announced in the budget.
On Wednesday the party would plan its floor strategy on this issue and other subjects at a meeting of National Democratic Alliance leaders.
The Communist Party of India (Marxist) general secretary Prakash Karat said the party did not accept the argument offered by the government to justify the hike in petroleum products.
In the context of the rise in prices of food items, he said, the effect of the hike on petrol and diesel prices would be felt and cannot be minimised. “People will be put to great suffering if there is further rise in prices, of food items in particular,” he told The Hindu.
As for the Opposition strategy in Parliament, he said while the CPI(M) was trying to bring non-Congress secular parties together, on the issue of price rise, the entire Opposition was agitated and last week’s development in Parliament was an expression of that.
After Tuesday’s strike in Kerala against the hike in fuel prices, the Left Front will hold week-long demonstrations across West Bengal. Between March 3 and 9, the Left parties will conduct processions in various places.
Separately, trade unions across the political spectrum have decided to go on a mass agitation in different parts of the country in the form of road and rail blockades, and satyagraha to protest the rise in prices of essential commodities and now the hike in petroleum products.
All India Trade Union Congress general secretary Gurudas Dasgupta, MP, told The Hindu, that for the first time all trade unions including those affiliated to the Congress and the BJP would agitate on March 5. Lakhs of workers will offer arrest in metropolitan and industrial centres in the country.
Cut motion
The BJP said the party wants to use a cut motion during the vote on the Finance Bill in the second part of the budget session less as a tool to defeat the government and more to show up the fissures in the UPA as the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and the Trinamool Congress have both demanded a rollback of the tax hike.
The party is hoping that Opposition unity would take place automatically and on the spur of the moment as it materialised when one party after another walked out during the budget presentation on February 26 in the Lok Sabha.
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Obama speaks to Manmohan, condemns Pune blast
US President Barack Obama on Thursday spoke to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and condemned last week’s terror blast in Pune that has claimed 11 lives.
In the brief telephonic conversation, Mr. Obama condoled the loss of lives, the Prime Minister’s Office said.
“The two leaders took the opportunity to review developments in Indo-US relations,” it said.
The Obama administration has offered FBI help in the investigation into Saturday’s blast at the German Bakery, a popular eatery in Pune’s posh Koregaon Park area.
The US State Department has said it is working with India and Pakistan to combat the threats the three countries face from terrorist and extremist groups.
“The information we have shared so far has been quite unprecedented, and we intend to continue to working with the Government of India to try and protect our two societies from these types of attacks,” Acting US State Department Spokesman Gordon Duguid said.
In the brief telephonic conversation, Mr. Obama condoled the loss of lives, the Prime Minister’s Office said.
“The two leaders took the opportunity to review developments in Indo-US relations,” it said.
The Obama administration has offered FBI help in the investigation into Saturday’s blast at the German Bakery, a popular eatery in Pune’s posh Koregaon Park area.
The US State Department has said it is working with India and Pakistan to combat the threats the three countries face from terrorist and extremist groups.
“The information we have shared so far has been quite unprecedented, and we intend to continue to working with the Government of India to try and protect our two societies from these types of attacks,” Acting US State Department Spokesman Gordon Duguid said.
Monday, February 1, 2010
Terrorism, insurgency need to be tackled with firm hand: PM
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Monday emphasised that “terrorism, insurgency and extremism need to be tackled with a firm and yet sensitive hand” as a requirement for rapid economic growth.
“It is one of the primary responsibilities of any government to ensure the rule of law. In addition, an atmosphere of peace and communal harmony is also a pre-requisite for rapid economic growth,” the Prime Minister said while inaugurating a two-day conference of state chief secretaries here.
The first of a kind conference aimed at formalising the process of interaction with states and union territories is expected to serve as a standing forum for exchange of views and provide an occasion for interaction on internal matters.
“The law and order machinery has to be sensitized to the key security concerns that affect us. Terrorism, insurgency and extremism need to be tackled with a firm and yet sensitive hand,” said the prime minister.
“You have to be aware not only of local and regional happenings but also of pan-India and trans-border developments.”
Over the next two days, issues relating to the latest trends in technology, emerging global challenges and opportunities and key security concerns and the role of state governments would be discussed. Global developments that have a bearing on the country would also be deliberated upon.
“It is one of the primary responsibilities of any government to ensure the rule of law. In addition, an atmosphere of peace and communal harmony is also a pre-requisite for rapid economic growth,” the Prime Minister said while inaugurating a two-day conference of state chief secretaries here.
The first of a kind conference aimed at formalising the process of interaction with states and union territories is expected to serve as a standing forum for exchange of views and provide an occasion for interaction on internal matters.
“The law and order machinery has to be sensitized to the key security concerns that affect us. Terrorism, insurgency and extremism need to be tackled with a firm and yet sensitive hand,” said the prime minister.
“You have to be aware not only of local and regional happenings but also of pan-India and trans-border developments.”
Over the next two days, issues relating to the latest trends in technology, emerging global challenges and opportunities and key security concerns and the role of state governments would be discussed. Global developments that have a bearing on the country would also be deliberated upon.
Friday, January 15, 2010
Sheila Dikshit to meet Manmohan on price rise
Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit will meet Prime Minister Manmohan Singh over the soaring prices of food grain in the national capital.
“I am meeting the PM soon,” the chief minister said on the sideline of a function here Thursday.
“We are preparing a full report and will present it to the PM,” Ms. Dikshit said.
In a bid to counter the spiralling prices of sugar in the retail market, the Delhi government has been cracking down on traders hoarding the commodity.
Aiming to bring down sugar prices prevailing at a high of Rs.48 a kg, raids have been conducted at 14 places in the last three days.
