'School expenses rise by 160% in 8 years'

NEW DELHI: While politicians battle it out over inflation and the prices of onions and brinjals, the probable blow for the Indian middle class with its obsession for a 'good' education are the rising school expenses. According to an ASSOCHAM survey, the costs of sending a child to school have risen by 160% in the last 8 years. What's more, this figure is exclusive of the tuition fees hiked every now and then. The survey, done under the aegis of the Social Development Foundation of ASSOCHAM on 'Rising school expenses vis-a-vis dilemma of young parents' says annual school expenses for a single child excluding tuition fees have risen from Rs 25,000 in 2000 to Rs 65,000 in 2008 while the average annual income of fairly well-off parents has not risen by more than 30% in the same period. The average tuition fees for a private school is Rs 35,000 per year, with Rs 30,000-35,000 per year as expense for a host of 'overheads'. An estimated 3 crore children in the country study in private schools, says the survey. The 2,000 working parents across were surveyed across nine cities—Delhi, Mumbai, Lucknow, Dehradun, Pune, Bangalore, Kolkata, Chennai and Chandigarh—during April and May this year. One in 10 respondents said the cost of schooling did affect the choice of school. These were parents of young enough kids who had the option of changing schools. Sixty-five per cent respondents said more than half of their salary was spent on their children's education while 50% conceded schooling was actually a 'strain' on the family budget. Nearly 60% of parents felt education had become a business and that the high tuition fees did not actually indicate the academic standards of a school. Rather, it indicated a demand-supply function so that school managements could effect erratic fee hikes every year—something parents can not protest. Even private preparatory schools charge Rs 25,000 a term, the survey says. Said a parent with two children studying in a very reputed chain of schools, 'Every year there is a hike. Every few days there is something or the other in school for which I have to cough up more money.' Transport has emerged as one of the most expensive components of a child's schooling with an average annual cost of Rs 12,000 per child. Packed lunches cost Rs 9,600 per year per child and shoes cost Rs 4,000-5,000 per year per child. Said Rakhi Sengupta, whose daughter studies in a reputed private school in south Delhi, 'It's all a racket but we can do nothing about it.' This 'brand consciousness" too finds a mention in the survey.

Gay pride out on Capital's streets

NEW DELHI: With the gay community taking small steps out of the closet, the city took a giant leap of pride on Sunday. As a group of some 600-700 homosexual men, lesbians and transgender people marched the streets of central Delhi, cheering diversity and shouting slogans against section 377 of the IPC, a decent number of city people turned out to walk with and celebrate the community which has long been at the receiving end of the law as well as social scorn in this country. There was no active hostility in the heart of the Capital as a rainbow group of gay activists, NGO workers, expat professionals, foreign tourists, eunuchs and ordinary people joined a 2.5 km march from the Barakhamba Road to Jantar Mantar. Demanding equal treatment and basic rights, India's first national gay pride parade ended with a tribute to the victims of section 377, a colonial-era provision in Indian law that prohibits "carnal intercourse against the order of nature".

SP open to giving fresh look to nuclear deal

NEW DELHI: Samajwadi Party, whose 39 MPs can play a crucial role in helping the government if the Left parties withdraws support, on Monday said it would be open to giving a fresh look at the Indo-US nuclear deal, a statement that is seen as not being opposed to the Congress. "There is no talking point or meeting point. If there is some point which we have not taken care of or missed or if something is brought to our notice, we are open to going through it," SP leader Amar Singh said on Monday on arrival from his trip abroad. His remarks assume significance in the context of speculation that SP may side with Congress in case of a trial of strength in Lok Sabha if the Left parties, with 59 MPs, withdraw their outside support. He said that his party had a stated position and could not change it overnight and Congress has not provided any position or reason for that. Singh said he would consult his party colleagues and also meet CPM General Secretary Prakash Karat. No formal dialogue between his party and the Congress has started on the issue, he added. He said his party would decide on its stand at the meeting of the UNPA on July 3.

BJP announces first list of candidates for LS polls

New Delhi, June 26: BJP on Thursday announced its first list of candidates for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, fielding its prime ministerial candidate L K Advani from Gandhinagar in Gujarat. "The countdown to the end of the UPA rule has begun from today. Our prime ministerial candidate L K Advani would be contesting from the Gandhinagar parliamentary seat," party general secretary Anant Kumar said while announcing the list at the party headquarters here. The list also included the names of five other candidates -- Navjot Singh Sidhu (Amritsar), Vinod Khanna (Gurdaspur), Shripad Y Naik (Panaji), Anurag Thakur (Hamirpur) and T P S Rawat (Pauri). The decision was taken at the meeting of Central Election Committee (CEC) here today, he added. The CEC chaired by party president Rajnath Singh was followed by a meeting of the central election management committee and the party`s core group. "The present political scenario and the ensuing instability in the Centre was discussed threadbare. The core group also delved upon the situation arising if the Manmohan Singh government was reduced to a minority," sources said. Today`s meetings were attended by party`s senior leaders L K Advani, Venkiah Naidu, Murli Manohar Joshi, Vinay Katiyar, Anant Kumar and Sushma Swaraj among others. Party representatives from Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Gujarat and Goa unit were also present in the meetings. The party plans to announce all seats by the end of August and the state units have been asked to send their inputs on candidate selection by then, party leader Venkiah Naidu told reporters after the meeting. "After the Gujarat and Karnataka successes, the party is now following the experiment at the Centre. We would have an early lead in announcement of leader which is L K Advani, candidates, manifesto, preparation and the campaign," Naidu told reporters. Advani is slated to formally launch the Lok Sabha campaign for the party from Kanpur tomorrow. Today is also the 33rd anniversary of the imposition of emergency and the leaders in today`s meeting were reminded of the importance of announcing the candidates today, Naidu added. The party plans to send one central leader of the Central Election Management Committee to each state to finalise the preparation for the Lok Sabha elections. The lists for the states going to assembly polls will be announced only later. "A 30-point recommendation has been sent to each state unit to prepare for the polls. They have been asked to highlight the local issues to supplement the party manifesto," Naidu said.

Child Trafficking

India has been identified as a source, transit and destination point in the international circuit; large numbers of children are also trafficked within the country. According to a study conducted by Shakti Vahini in 2006, “Trafficking in India”, 378 of the 593 districts in India are affected by human trafficking. 10% of human trafficking in India is international, while almost 90% is interstate. Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, West Bengal and Tamil Nadu are the states from where the maximum numbers of people are trafficked to other states. Intra state/inter district trafficking is high in the states of Rajasthan, Assam, Meghalaya, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra. States like Delhi and Goa are ‘receiver’ states. Trafficking of women and children from the North-Eastern states of India and the bordering countries in the north-east is a serious issue but has so far not drawn public attention. There was no evidence of trafficking in Jammu & Kashmir. Intra country trafficking has not been documented to the extent that cross border trafficking has been. However, Shakti Vahini conducted a study in 2006: “Trafficking in India”. The study reports that 378 of the 593 districts in India are affected by human trafficking. India’s porous border with Nepal, Pakistan and Bangladesh are the major reasons citied for the prevalent high levels of children being trafficked every year.Children are trafficked for several reasons including sexual exploitation; adoption; entertainment & sports (for example, acrobatics in circus, dance troupes, beer bars; as camel jockeys); marriage; labour; begging, organ trade (though only anecdotal evidence of this is available); drug peddling and smuggling. Trafficking of children usually happens through well organized networks. Family, relatives, friends, community leaders, brokers, the pimps and owners of brothels, the police, political connections and the criminal nexus: all or any of these have been found to be involved in the process of child trafficking.
LEGAL PROTECTIONThough there is an ‘Immoral Traffic Prevention Act’ that exists in India, it only refers to trafficking for prostitution and so does not provide comprehensive protection for children. Nor does the Act provide a clear definition of ‘trafficking’. There is a UN Convention against Transnational Organised Crime (the Palermo Protocol) that will, when implemented, give a comprehensive definition of trafficking, but this has still not been ratified.SAVE THE CHILDREN'S RECOMMENDATIONS FOR CHANGEThe UN Convention against Transnational Organised Crime (the Palermo Protocol) should be ratified to clearly define Trafficking and to cover all its forms.· Effective law enforcement agencies should be set up to work against traffickers and exploiters with appropriate redressal mechanisms and victim assistance programmes.· There should be effective monitoring of trafficking· There should be more coordination between the Ministries of Tourism, Labour and Surface Transport to combat domestic and cross border trafficking.TRAFFICKING AND CHILD DOMESTIC WORKERSHomes in urban areas employ ‘live in’ domestic workers, the majority of whom come from West Bengal Bihar, Jharkand; or Orissa. ‘Agents’ provide the links between employers and employees and it is reported that many of these girls are trafficked/bonded in connivance with their parents. The Government of Delhi in 2006 estimated that in Delhi alone there were 700,000 girls working in homes. Children are reportedly trafficked into Rajasthan from West Bengal and Bihar as child labour; and to Surat from Rajasthan to work in the diamond cutting industry. In Orissa, trafficking for labour is concentrated in pockets of districts in the coastal areas as reported in the CRSA.TRAFFICKING AND CHILD MARRIAGEDue to a demographic imbalance in Haryana (850 girls/1000 boys), men find it difficult to find a bride. The easy way out has been through a network of touts who help men, young old and widowed men to find wives from West Bengal, Assam and Bihar. An estimated 5000 girls were sold in the Mewat region of Haryana (Tribune 8 April 2004).
CAUSES FOR TRAFFICKINGEconomic FactorsPoverty, often cited as a major reason responsible for trafficking in children, is not the only cause. Loss of traditional sources of livelihood, growing unemployment, forced migration, the commodification of children and growing consumerism resulting from globalisation have all contributed to the increase in child trafficking. The socio-economic situation and geographical location of the family add to the vulnerability. While both boys and girls are victims of trafficking, girls are more vulnerable, especially to trafficking for sexual purposes .Cultural, Religious and Social FactorsAnecdotal evidence suggests that through the outlawed religious practices like the ‘Devadasi’ and ‘Jogin’ sytems, temple priests have used their position to traffick girls for prostitution.Traffickers sell girls to the Bedia and Bacchara communities who live in Madhya Pradesh, and the border districts of Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra and to the Rajnats of Rajasthan , families where prostitution is traditional means of earning a livelihood.A myth that makes young girls vulnerable is the widespread belief that sex with a virgin girl will cure men of STD and HIV/Aids.Geo-political FactorsIndia shares a porous border with over seven countries all of which is not fenced. With the connivance of border police on either side, it is not difficult to enter India. Political instability and economic compulsions are reasons for young girls from Nepal, Bangladesh, Myanmar and even as far Uzbekistan, to be sold to traffickers. Trafficking from these countries is a one way route, ‘into India’.

Joint Briefing after the nuke deal meet

Pranab Mukherjee head of the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) - Left Committee on India US Civil Nuclear Cooperation, with Left Party's Sitaram Yechury address the media after their meeting at the former's residence in New Delhi on Wednesday, June 25, 2008

UPA-Left coordination committee meet on nuclear deal postponed

The UPA-Left coordination committee meeting on Indo-US civil nuclear deal, which was scheduled to take place today, has been postponed to June 25.
New Delhi, June 18 : The UPA-Left coordination committee meeting on Indo-US civil nuclear deal, which was scheduled to take place today, has been postponed to June 25.
On Monday, External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee met CPI-M General Secretary Prakash Karat and sought the Left's support for an India specific safeguards agreement with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
Mukherjee reiterated the government's request to allow them to finalise the India-specific safeguards agreement before IAEA Director General Mohamed El Baradei completes his term in July.
Mukherjee is believed to have told Karat that the communists' apprehension that finalising the IAEA pact would put the contentious agreement on autopilot is wrong.
According to sources, Mukhhrjee told Karat that the Left has to trust the government and that the government has not taken any steps without the communist allies' consent so far.
Karat reportedly told Mukherjee that the Left still has apprehensions over the deal but he would discuss the minister's new appeal with the other Left allies.
The Left parties, which extend crucial outside support to the government, have been strongly opposing implementation of the deal with the US, arguing that it would compromise the country's security interests and independent foreign policy.
Left parties have warned the government of serious consequences if it implemented the deal and the two sides are currently engaged in talks to end the deadlock.
ANI

Political Parties go communal over land transfer to Amarnath Shrine

The transfer of forest land to Amarnath Shrine Board has triggered a communal divide in the Valley and the political parties PDP and Congress are responsible for it. The police have been forced to use lathis, tear gas shell and blank firing to control the mob that went berserk in several parts of the state. Normal life has come to standstill in Jammu & Kashmir.The tension began when then J&K Governor Lt. Gen. S K Sinha had approved the transfer of 100 acres of forest land to Shri Amarnath Shrine Board. Separatist parties such as Hurriyat Conference has alleged that it is a conspiracy to settle non-local Hindus in the Valley.According to latest reports, the Gulam Nabi Azad government in J&K has decided to stop the constructions on the transferred land. The decision was taken by the CM after an all-party meeting. Meanwhile, Hindu groups have threatened protests and agitations if the transferred land is taken back from the Amarnath Shrine Board.

Malaysian players accused of fixing the Azlan Shah Tie against India

In a shocking development, the Mayalsian Hockey Federation has accused some of its players of fixing the crucial match against India in the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup last month. India had won the match 2-1 and entered the final , which was won by Argentina. Even the International Hockey Federation (FIH) has taken note of the allegations.The Malaysian Hockey Federation has lodged a formal police complaint and also launched its own inquiry into the allegations. The latest development shocked the hockey fans across the world. The India team management has denied knowledge any such developments. Chairman of the selection committee, Aslam Sher Khan categorically said that there was no Indian involvement.

LJP MP from Balia Surajbhan Singh convicted of murder

BEGUSARAI: Controversial Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) MP from Balia Suraj Singh alias Surajbhan Singh and two others were on Tuesday held guilty by a fast track court of murdering a farmer over a land dispute 16 years ago. Apart from the MP, fast track court judge R P Dubey convicted Jaijairam Singh and Radhe Singh. The quantum of sentence will be announced on Wednesday. Surajbhan and five others were charged with shooting down Rami Singh at Madhurapur-Purvatola village under Teghra police station of Begusarai district on January 16, 1992 to avenge the killing of an associate Ramadhar Singh in a land dispute. While an accused Pappu Singh had sought separate trial, two others -- Suro Singh and Shanker Singh -- were killed in an encounter. The Patna High Court had recently directed the fast track court judge to complete the trial and pronounce the judgement by June 30. While 13 witnesses deposed before the court for defence, 11 appeared for the prosecution out of which two later turned hostile.

'Migrant Thackerays came to Mumbai for jobs'

MUMBAI: The Thackerays came to Mumbai two generations ago for jobs and as such have no right to assault those coming to the financial capital in search of livelihood. This claim has been made in an article published in this month's issue of Nationalist Congress Party's mouthpiece Rashtravadi , whose chief Sharad Pawar is an old friend of Shiv Sena supremo Bal Thackeray. Hari Narke, professor at Mahatma Phule chair in Pune University and a renowned scholar on Ambedkar, has written the strong-worded article. Narke has flayed Maharashtra Navnirman Sena Chief Raj Thackeray, who is Bal Thackeray's nephew, over attacks on migrants in Mumbai. "Raj should read the autobiography of his grandfather Prabodhankar Thackeray (Bal Thackeray's father). Prabodhankar, who studied in Madhya Pradesh, has written how he travelled in other states for livelihood", Narke says. "This proves that the Thackerays, who are not original inhabitants of Mumbai, came to this city in search of livelihood", the scholar says. Incidentally, Prabodhankar's literature was published in 1995 by Maharashtra Government at the behest of Narke, the article says. "Who gave those, who came to Mumbai two generations ago to earn their livelihood, the right to beat up others who also come here in search of jobs?", Narke has questioned. "It does not behove people who live 24 hours a day seeped in history to forget the history of just over two generations", Narke said.

Age doesn't matter, says Hansika Motwani

Seventeen-year-old actress Hansika Motwani has been paired with actors who are more than double her age, but she feels age has nothing to do with acting.
"I am not Hansika when I am playing a role. It is the character I am playing, so the age of my co-star does not matter to me at all," Hansika told IANS.
Hansika started her career as a child artiste in Bollywood and worked in films like Koi... Mil Gaya, Escape from Taliban, Jaago and Aabra Ka Daabra.
She debuted as a full-fledged actress at the age of 16 with an actor who was more than double her age, composer-turned-singer-turned-actor Himesh Reshammiya in Aap Kaa Surroor.
"As an actor you have to play a character when you are asked to. Even if it is a 70-year-old character you have to perform it."
Now Hansika will be seen with the 40-plus Govinda in the forthcoming comedy Money Hai To Honey Hai. She doesn't mind the age gap and says getting an opportunity to work with a senior actor like him was a privilege.
"I consider myself very lucky to have worked with Govinda sir. I have learnt so much from him and it will definitely be useful to me in future. I think it is a big opportunity for any actor to work with him."
Hansika is playing the role of a television actor in the comedy.
"I play the character of Ashima Kapoor who is a television actor and wants to make it big in the film industry. The film is about the journey of the actress into the film industry."
She has also acted in serials like Des Mein Nikla Hoga Chand, Hum Do Hain Na and Tum Bin.
Hansika gives credit to her family for shaping her career. "I idolise my mother and attribute my success to her. Without my mother and my family's support, I would not have reached this place."

Age doesn't matter, says Hansika Motwani

Musharraf could be impeached in July

Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf could be impeached in July, albeit via an indirect route, with parliament washing its hands of the issue, a repor in Islamabad said Tuesday.
The ruling coalition might ask the four provincial assemblies to pass resolutions calling for the president's impeachment in the hope that he would then step down.
The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) that leads the coalition discussed the proposal with alliance partner Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N), The News quoted a senior PML-N leader as saying.
According to him, the PPP leadership was trying to bring the PML-N around to the view that instead of tabling an impeachment motion in parliament, pressure should be built by issuing anti-Musharraf statements, followed by resolutions against him in the provincial assemblies, where the coalition commands a two-thirds majority.
"The PPP strongly believes that either Musharraf will soon bow out or the proposed resolutions, when passed, will leave him with no option but to say goodbye to the presidency," the PML-N leader said.
Party chairman Muhammad Zafarul Haq confirmed that in principle the PPP wanted Musharraf to quit on his own. The other parties in the coalition also favoured the president's impeachment at the earliest because he was considered the main source of political instability in the country.
Haq also admitted to differences between his party and the PPP on the methodology of proceeding against Musharraf but expressed confidence that a consensus would soon be evolved.
"We want him to resign before we go for the option, which will set a bad tradition in Pakistan's parliamentary history," PPP spokesman Farhatullah Babar said, when asked about PPP's stance on Musharraf's impeachment.
"The message from the ruling coalition is loud and clear from day one. When no one is there to defend him in parliament or outside, how can he survive?" Babar asked.

GJM dharna in Delhi for separate statehood

Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) activists agitating for a separate state on Tuesday took their protest to the national capital by organising a dharna in New Delhi and accused the Left Front government in West Bengal of aiding "fanatic" organisations to create a rift among people.
The agitation at the Jantar Mantar in New Delhi was organised by Delhi unit of GJM, which is spearheading the movement for separate statehood to Gorkhaland.
Protesters raised slogans like 'hum Chini nahin, Nepali nahin, Bengali nahin, hum Gorkha hain' (We are not from China, Nepal, Bangladesh but we are Gorkhas) were raised.
Addressing the agitators, GJM General Secretary Roshan Giri alleged that the Bengal government was aiding "communal and fanatic" organisations like 'Amar Bengali' and 'Jana Chetna Manch' to create a divide among people living in plains and the hills.
"They are using these organisations to suppress our movement which we will not allow," he said.
He said GJM will intensify its agitation further if their demands for a separate state was not met.
Raju Chhetri, Secretary of Delhi unit of GJM, said they condemn the "insensitive and irresponsible" comments made by West Bengal minister Subhash Chakravorty and the way Bengal government was "repressing our peaceful and democratic movement".
The Delhi unit leaders of CPI-ML also joined the dharna and confirmed their support for the demand.

Uttar Pradesh to file FIR against Jaya Bachchan

The Uttar Pradesh government on Tuesday directed the city police chief to file a First Information Report (FIR) against Samajwadi Party's Rajya Sabha MP Jaya Bachchan for allegedly concealing information about her property in 2006 while filing her nomination.
The principal secretary to the state assembly has directed the Lucknow Senior Superintendent of Police to file the FIR against the actress-turned-politician. She had allegedly concealed information about her property in her June 1, 2006 affidavit while filing her nomination.

RBI raises repo, CRR by 50 basis points each to tame prices

Under relentless pressure to control inflation, RBI on Tuesday hiked both short-term lending rate and mandatory cash reserve for banks by 50 basis points each, a move that could force banks to raise interest rates on loans to corporate and consumers.
It has been decided that the short-term lending rate (repo) is increased from 8 per cent to 8.50 per cent with immediate effect, RBI said in a notification in Mumbai.
Besides, the Cash Reserve Ratio, the amount that banks need to maintain with RBI, will be increased by 50 basis points to 8.75 per cent in two stages, effective from a fortnight beginning from July 5 and July 19.
The RBI's decision came within days of the Finance Ministry saying that monetary steps are the first line of defence in fight against inflation which touched 13-year high of 11.05 per cent for the week ended June 7.
The RBI had earlier increased the repo rate by 0.25 per cent to 8 per cent on June 11.

A struggling Sania Mirza managed to edge past Colombia's Catalina Cas-tano in a tough three setter to advance to the second round of the women's singles event at the Wimbledon Championships in London on Tuesday.
Sania, seeded 32, had to toil to earn a 7-6(3) 3-6 6-2 win in the first round against her 29-year-old opponent, who is ranked 146 in the WTA charts.
Both the players were erratic and exchanged many a breaks throughout the match, which lasted two hours and 16 minutes.
Sania, who did not have ideal preparations for the third Grand Slam of the year, even took a medical break in the second set while trailing 1-5.
After pocketing the first set, Sania allowed the Colombian to draw parity but unleashed some furious forehand winners in the deciding set to go on top.
The Indian broke Catalina in the third game of the final set to create lead but dropped the next when the Colombian fired a backhand winner.
Sania again broke her in the fifth and seventh as Catalina could not cash in on the opportunities she created.
Sania was leading 5-2 and comfortably won the set and match looked certain but again error prone Indian gave chances to her opponent to comeback by dropping her serve in the eight game.
However, Sania closed it in the ninth to move to the second round.

Mulayam, Amar deny ties with Congress

Picking signals of disquiet amongst constituents of the fledging United National Progressive Alliance (UNPA) over its party’s reported closeness with the Congress, Samajwadi Party (SP) leaders Mulayam Singh Yadav and Amar Singh closed ranks on Monday by asserting that there was no truth in such reports.
In a telephonic interview from the United States, SP general secretary Amar Singh told NDTV that he had not been in touch with any Congress leader and that such suggestions were only being debated in the media.
Speaking to reporters in Lucknow, SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav said that the UNPA partners would adopt a common approach after analyzing the political situation at a meeting scheduled for July first week.
Reports of growing bonhomie between the Congress and SP had come to threaten the very existence of the UNPA — with the Asom Gana Parishad — a constituent partner- having warned that it would "disassociate itself " from the grouping in the event of a decision by the SP to extend support to the Manmohan Singh government on the nuclear question.
"I do not know about the SP, but the AGP will walk out of the UNPA in the event of any formal understanding being reached with the Congress at either the national or state level", AGP acting president Brinadaban Goswami said.
Speaking to HT, Goswami said he would raise this issue at next month’s meeting of UNPA partners.
Coming out in strong defense of the relevance of the UNPA, Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) chief Om Prakash Chauthala said that "unlike the wishy washy approach of the Left parties", the UNPA partners were firm in their opposition to the nuclear deal and would even compel the government to take a vote of confidence in parliament. "The UNPA partners stand together solidly like a rock", he said.
UNPA coordinator and former MP, N Ramamohan Rao did not see much amiss about the SP-Congress affair, as "even the Left parties were supporting the UPA government, while fighting against it on public issues".
Each constituent has its perceptions, but the real picture of the UNPA will emerge only in the post-election scenario, he said.
Jharkhand Vikas Party (JVP) President Babulal Marandi also believes that there is no more than media speculation to reports about the possibility of a Congress-SP tie-up.SP leader Shahid Siddiqui said the enemity between the Congress and SP had been overcome — that there was nothing more to the story.

Sonia Gandhi takes centrestage

Consensus building within the UPA on the India-US nuclear deal in defiance of the Left and at the risk of early elections is proving to be difficult even with Sonia Gandhi taking the centrestage to resolve the vexed issue.
The UPA leaders who drove down to 10 Janpath on Monday included NCP’s Sharad Pawar, RJD’s Lalu Yadav and LJP’s Ram Vilas Paswan. Pawar was later closeted at his residence with CPM general secretary Prakash Karat for over an hour.
Coupled with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s vigorous defence of the deal, the outcome of Sonia’s meetings with the UPA allies made doubly difficult her task of blending national interest with the political interests of the coalition she presides over.
In separate interactions with Sonia, the allies backed the deal but advocated a dialogue with the Left to avoid early elections. Weighing heavily on their minds were the rising prices, without controlling which they saw little prospects in the polls.
This inflation issue was flagged by RJD chief Lalu Yadav, who had recently told HT that the deal was in national interest that has to be given precedence over party ideology.
Emerging from the meeting, the three points Lalu made were: the time is not right for elections; there is need to contain inflation and nothing should be done to dilute the 2004 mandate of keeping the BJP out of power.
On the Left's apprehensions that the US would use the deal to compromise India's foreign policy, Lalu said the deal wasn't just about dealing with Washington; it would open the gates for nuclear trade with countries like France and Russia.
On his part, Pawar was tight-lipped about his discussions with Sonia and Karat. "In a democracy, dialogue is both important and necessary," was all he said, adding, to a query, that he was hopeful that a "way out" would be found through dialogue.
Sources close to Pawar said the NCP leader appreciated the government's compulsions to push the deal and the Left's reasoning against the move. He felt the parting of ways, if at all, with the communists should not be bitter -- as there might be a need to work with them after the elections.
Counted among those who worry over the minorities' reaction to the deal, Paswan advocated the seemingly difficult middle path of accommodating the Left and having the deal. "The government is not going. We will remain together. There is nothing that cannot be resolved with dialogue," he said.
In this context, there has been some talk of certain formulae being mooted to break the logjam but there has been no agreement on them so far.
With no assured backing from the 39-member Samajwadi Party, whose support can help the UPA get within striking range of a simple majority in Lok Sabha, the lack of consensus in the ruling coalition could be interpreted as a setback of sorts for the Congress.
The government cannot take the risk of a trust vote in the House without the pre-requisites of committing the UPA constituents to the deal and seeking on that basis the backing of the SP.
But here too, the sailing isn't smooth as Mulayam Singh Yadav, whose party opposed the pact in the House, was non-committal on rethinking its line without consultation with its UNPA allies, including the anti-Congress TDP and the INLD.
DMK chief M. Karunanidhi's final word on the deal would also have to be factored in by the UPA chairperson. There was no immediate confirmation of an early visit to Delhi by the Tamil Nadu chief minister to help settle the issue.
The crucial UPA-Left meeting on the deal remains scheduled for June 25 though Pawar would then be in London. But the panel's convenor, Pranab Mukherjee, will return from Australia by then and another important Congress interlocutor AK Antony has cancelled a foreign tour to be at hand for consultations.

Darjeeling indefinite bandh relaxed for 60 hours

Kolkata/ Siliguri, June 22: The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM), spearheading an agitation for a separate Gorkhaland state, relaxed its indefinite bandh in the Darjeeling hills for 60 hours beginning this evening even as it decided to send two teams to talk to the West Bengal government as well as the Centre.
GJM general secretary Roshan Giri said while the date of visit of the team bound for Kolkata has not been decided yet, the team for Delhi would leave tomorrow.
Giri said the Kolkata-bound team would talk to Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee on the various demands.
The 60-hour breather, from 6 pm today till 6 am on Wednesday, was decided at the central committee meeting at the "request from different quarters including ministers and MPs and also considering the overall situation", he said.
GJM press secretary Benoy Tamang said the blockade of the national highway 31A, linking Siliguri to Gangtok, would be lifted during the relaxation period enabling resumption of vital supply of essential commodities to Sikkim.
The indefinite bandh had started on June 16.

Leaders get threats for blocking N-deal

NEW DELHI: Four top Communist leaders Sunday received death threats by mail for blocking the India-US civil nuclear deal and for allegedly 'harassing' Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's government.
Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) leaders Prakash Karat and Sitaram Yechury and Communist Party of India (CPI) leaders A.B. Bardhan and D. Raja got identical copies of the letter in flawed English, sources in both groups said.
"May god bless this country to eliminate these r------ by any means. People are fed up with you. Enough is enough," read the letter, apparently written by Vinay Kateri from Mumbai.
Confirming that he had received the letter, Raja said. "These kind of things keep happening in politics. We do not take it seriously."
A CPI-M source said Karat too had got the hand-written letter along with a computer printout.
Accusing the Left leaders of 'hijacking the national interests', the letter asked the Communists, who are bitterly opposed to the nuclear deal, not to behave like 'terrorists'.
"Do not hold this country for ransom. Do not behave like terrorists," the letter said. It said the Communists were 'suffering from blood cancer, namely anti-American virus'.
"People of this country are tired with the r------- behaviour and for harassing the government for the last four-and-a-half years." A noting in the letter says a copy had been sent to the Congress office.
Alleging that the Left had blocked economic reforms and foreign direct investment, it warned that the Karat and his party would not get not even 15 Lok Sabha seats in any future election.
There was, however, a word of appreciation for Yechury. "Of the four, we consider Yechury as a just and a reasonable person. Please try to convince the three remaining r------," it said.

J&K encounters: 4 LeT militants, CRPF jawan killed

Srinagar, June 22: Four Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) militants and a CRPF jawan were killed and three securitymen were injured in two separate encounters in Jammu and Kashmir on Sunday. Two LeT militants and a CRPF jawan were killed while two policemen and a CRPF personnel were injured in a five-hour long fierce gunbattle in Chaterhama-Burzahama area on the Srinagar-Ganderbal road, a spokesman said. The encounter broke out around 9:00 am when a joint search party of 137th Battalion CRPF and local police was fired upon by militants hiding in a house in the locality, CRPF spokesman P Tripathy said. In the ensuing gunbattle, two unidentified militant and a CRPF jawan were killed while a CRPF jawan and two police personnel were injured. The deceased CRPF jawan was identified as K C Sahu, a resident of Orissa. The injured jawan, G K Sharma, suffered a bullet injury on his shoulder and was admitted to a hospital. In another operation, two militants of Pakistan-based LeT outfit were killed in a gunbattle at Nariwan village in Shopian district this morning, Deputy Inspector General of Police, South Kashmir, Muneer Khan said. Following a tip-off, police and Army personnel cordoned off the area and came under fire from hiding militants. Two militants were killed in the retaliatory action and two weapons were recovered from their possession, Khan said.

Pranav arrives in Australia to review bilateral ties

Canberra, June 22: External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee arrived here Sunday for a two day visit. India and Australia will review the entire gamut of bilateral ties, including greater cooperation in the energy and minerals` sector. The two countries are also expected to sign two key treaties to cement their growing relations during the visit. Mukherjee, will hold talks with his Australian counterpart Stephen Smith on Monday under the second round of the framework dialogue and call on Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, official sources told here. An extradition treaty and a pact on mutual legal assistance to aid in any criminal cases are expected to be signed between the two sides tomorrow, Deputy High Commissioner of India, Vinod Kumar, said. Mukherjee`s visit to Australia is the first by him amid the political turmoil back home due to the Indo-US nuclear deal. This will also be the seventh high-level visit from India to Australia this year.

Bhojpuri scholars want boycott of vulgar songs

Bhojpuri scholars and intellectuals here Wednesday urged people to boycott vulgar Bhojpuri songs and encourage youths to listen to folk songs. Bhojpuri Academy president Gopalji said vulgar songs should be boycotted since they were defaming Bhojpuri culture. He added that lyricists and playback singers should popularise folk songs instead.
“Double-meaning Bhojpuri songs are giving a bad name to Bhojpuri culture. There is an urgent need to discourage people from listening to such songs,” said Ram Updesh Singh Videh, a retired bureaucrat and Bhojpuri scholar.
Bhojpuri scholar Girishchandra Dubey said a list of the obscene songs should be made and people should be asked not to listen to them. He added that a campaign against vulgar Bhojpuri songs will create awareness about their bad affect on society.

GJM Bandh: Life Paralysed Sikkim cut off

SILIGURI: Life in Darjeeling hills continued to remain paralysed and Sikkim was cut off from the rest of the country as Gorkha Janamukti Morcha (GJM)-sponsored indefinite bandh demanding Gorkhaland entered the seventh day on Sunday, officials said. GJM press secretary Benoy Tamang ruled out any immediate possibility to call off the bandh or declaration of recess to help people buy food and essentials. Tamang said that hundreds of youths, including girls, volunteered to get themselves enrolled in the Gorkhaland Personnel (GLP) wing on Sunday morning and were undergoing physical fitness test. The GLP, a proposed force of 5,000 youths would be formed to control traffic, ensure discipline, take up social welfare measures, ensure that tourists were not harassed and tackle anti-socials for making Darjeeling hills a land of peace, he said. Tamang congratulated the hill people for observing the bandh peacefully for the greater cause of statehood despite facing hardships. There was no report of any untoward incident, police said.

Oil Surge: India Advocates Price Band

JEDDAH: India on Sunday advocated for a price band for crude oil and blamed the speculators for the surge in global crude prices saying this is threatening to 'wipe out' economic gains of developing countries. "The only way forward is for the both producers and consumers to find common ground... We propose that we adopt a price band mechanism," Finance Minister P Chidambaram said at the meeting of the energy ministers. Rejecting suggestions that rising demand was leading to spurt in crude prices, he said "the causes for the current pandemonium in oil prices lie elsewhere: in unregulated over the counter markets and future trading in oil" and urged the oil producing and consuming nations to wrest control over oil trading from the hands of the speculators. The surge in global oil prices had prompted government to increase fuel prices early this month that led to inflation surging to a 13-year high at 11.05 per cent in India. "Three weeks ago, India passed on barely nine per cent of the required price increase to the consumers: the result is that the inflation measured by wholesale prices has crossed 11 per cent," he said adding that even oil producers like Russia, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia and Venezuela faced double digit inflation rates. He warned the oil producing nations that "if the global economy slows down or slips into a recession due to high oil prices, that will eventually hurt all of us... We firmly believe that the current level of international oil prices is in the interest of neither oil producing countries nor the consuming countries." Wondering as to how oil prices have doubled from 70 dollars a barrel from August 2007, Chidambaram said, "there is ample evidence that large financial institutions, pension funds, hedge funds etc have channelised billions of dollars -- nay, trillion of dollars -- into commodity investments and commodity derivatives." It is the common knowledge that these financial transactions are unregulated and highly opaque, the Finance Minister, who accompanied Petroleum Minister Murli Deora to the meeting, said, adding the demand for oil generated by these funds is purely speculative.
As per the price band mechanism, proposed by Chidambaram, consuming countries will guarantee that oil prices will not fall below an agreed level and producing countries will guarantee that oil prices will not rise above a guaranteed level. "In the band between these two levels, let prices be determined by market forces. This is the only way to shelter the world from volatility and unpredictability in oil prices," he said. Asserting that India has rediscovered its inner strengths in the recent years and acquired the capacity to end poverty, the Finance Minister said, "I speak with great anguish because the goals that we have set for ourselves are in great peril (because of surging oil prices)." Pointing out that high oil prices have improved the balance sheets of oil-producing nations and companies, Chidambaram also called upon the oil producers to fund capacity expansion. "Fresh investments are not materialising perhaps because of anticipated fall in demand. This is plainly wrong. The cyclical behaviour of oil markets is amply established and we know that oil production provides attractive returns in the long run," he said.

Prakalp: Hindi Metal This Way Comes!

Prakalp is one of the newer metal outfits from India that is garnering quite a lot of praise from critics and fans of late. Split Magazine caught up with band members Anant Dwivedi, Alister Fernandes, Vineet Nair, Vincent Pereira and Gavril Mankoo, along with manager Ashwin Chinchkhede, for an exclusive interview.
What does ‘Prakalp’ mean, and why did you choose it as your band name?
Anant: Prakalp, in Hindi, has two meanings. It means an undertaken project, as well as the rising. We were formerly known as Apocalypse, but the band line up was different then. And it kept on changing. Once things settled down, we thought Apocalypse didn’t suit our genre, so we wanted a name which was Indian and would perfectly suit our music. Some [other] names we thought of were ‘Astitva’ and ‘Abhaas’. Then we got Ashwin Chinchkhede to manage the band, who thought of this wonderful name. All of us loved it. Why this name? Because, we have undertaken project Hindi Metal!
What inspired you to form and be in a band?
Ashwin: Music was always our passion. Everybody in the band wanted to make music as their profession. We had creativity and a will to perform on stage. Personally, I don’t call it a band. It’s a family, because even when we don’t jam up, we are together and meet each other regularly.
What genre do you feel Prakalp fits into best?
Anant: (Rolls his eyes) We absolutely have no answer for this. We don’t keep a genre in mind when we make new songs, they just happen! We are entertainers, that’s all. We love to experiment and be versatile.
Alister: I think we are a Hindi symphonic metal band with clean/snarling vocals because this is what the people have starting calling us, after Anant’s clean snarls! (Gives Anant a pat on the back smilingly, Anant responds with a ‘fuck you’.)
Your songs have Hindi vocals. How did you guys come upon this concept of writing what are essentially metal songs with Hindi lyrics and Indian classical vocals?
Ashwin: Anant has been learning Hindustani classical singing for a few years is adept at playing the Tabla too. That’s our Indian classical connection.
Anant: When we started listening to rock music and metal, we realised that music, whether Indian classical or heavy death metal revolves around those twelve notes and has the same musical expression, the only difference is that heavy distortion guitars are used instead of a sitar. (Sings the 12 notes, crisply and melodiously, while Vineet provides the beat.) We also wanted to attempt something new by using Hindi lyrics in metal, because Hindi is a powerful language with words that have a very deep meaning, Hindi comes closest to the Sanskrit language, which has evolved from the Devanagri script, one of the oldest scripts in the world.
Alister: Besides, it is our national language and we believe we can speak the Hindi language better than any other foreign language, or at least understand better. When we sing English songs, it’s cool. But Hindi metal rocks. And to a great extent, this experiment of ours has given us quite a satisfactory result.
Gavril: If Norwegian Black Metal bands can make music in their own language, why not us?
Has the metal community in Bombay accepted your kind of music?
Vincent: Well, most of them have, some of them haven’t because they think that we are a Hindi band, and they do not want us to contaminate the metal scene, whereas we try to put a different essence into it. They directly link it to the Bollywood industry, which mainly consists of romantic songs, prancing around trees and wet, transparent saris! Bollywood music has its own fan club, I do not deny it!
Vineet: For us, language is not a barrier, because the music remains the same. Someone introduced us to thrash, death metal, progressive, and so on! All these bands must have faced the same issues that we are facing at some point of time when their genres evolved!
Gavril: And we don’t care about a few narrow-minded opinions.
What are the themes associated with your songs? What inspires your lyrics?
Gavril: The themes are death, revenge, anger, hatred, pain, sorrow, regret, etc. in a good sense. One of our songs, “Maut”, impersonates death and describes how death easily claims its victim. This doesn’t mean that we want people to die. This is reality. Everyone dies.
Vineet: One of our newest songs called “Aatmahatya” portrays the self-inflicted pain a person has to go through when one tries to commit suicide. For suicidal people, death means more to them than life. Imagine the things revolving in their head. This doesn’t mean that we want people to commit suicide. Revenge, hatred, anger, pain, and sorrow are emotions just like love and affection. When people can write about these emotions, then why not the darker aspects of life?
Vincent: Well, our society inspires us! They give us points, and we elaborate on them in our songs!
One of your songs, “7/11″, revolves around the recent train blasts in Bombay and is a favourite among those who have heard Prakalp play. Your reflections?
Anant: It is sad, what happened. This song is a message to the terrorists that when unnecessary killings are done, people suffer. Stop it! It’s dedicated those people who have lost their lives without any fault of theirs. We want this song to be on the lips of everyone who is against terrorism, not because it’s our song, but because we want terrorism to stop.
Vincent: Hope it does not get us kidnapped!
Ashwin: Fuck the terrorists.
How did it feel to be featured in the Global Metal Documentary, directed by Sam Dunn?
Anant: It was a thrilling experience! Dr. Sam Dunn and his crew members are a very professional and hard working lot. We are amazed to see ourselves being featured in the documentary alongside bands that we look up to! Demonic Resurrection and Bhayanak Maut have been our sources of inspiration.
Vincent: Sam is a great guy and has an amazing personality. He is just too soft spoken to be a metalhead. No sarcasm involved.
Alister: It was a dream come true, as the man has interviewed members of bands like Black Sabbath, Slayer and Iron Maiden!
Vineet: Bhenchod, that guy is tall! Check out the pictures!
Some people feel that you are over-rated and didn’t deserve your place in the documentary.
Gavril: It was purely on talent that we were selected. Anant can play the drums while singing. Vincent eats bass, Vineet is superb and Alister kicks ass! We practice hard, and are improving day by day. We are one of a kind, with a different concept. And if some deserving band wasn’t selected, it was not our fault. It was Sam Dunn’s decision.
Revenge, hatred, anger, pain, and sorrow are emotions just like love and affection. When people can write about these emotions, then why not the darker aspects of life?
How has Prakalp managed to achieve impressive milestones [such as the documentary] in such a short time?
Anant: I thank the other band mates who took such a bold step by doing what nobody dares, or wants to do, for that matter. In today’s scenario, where people really don’t get much paid gigs, one has to rely on competitions. We really worked hard on the technical part of our music. We really waited a lot to get in competitions. Thanks to our supporters who always stood by us. We have amazing friends!
Is there a debut Prakalp album or EP in the works?
Ashwin: We are already working towards it, but due to certain constraints, we have kept it on hold for some time. But, we are seriously looking forward to launch it some time from now. Currently, we are working on our originals. Watch out for them!
Hailing from Vasai means that power cuts and load-shedding may surely be hampering your practice and jam sessions. How do you guys manage?
Vincent: Yeah, power cuts suck! They are a major issue and we have to work around it as per the whims and fancies of those electricity board assholes!
Gavril: Apart from load shedding issues, all the band mates are students, and so one has to keep a track of their daily routine. We make sure that we at least practice for an hour everyday.
Vineet: We write lyrics when there is no power, and work it out on the acoustic guitar, and set the drum patterns.
Alister: Fuck electricity, we don’t give a damn. We practice any way!
Which gigs have been your most memorable?
Ashwin: The Nagpur gig, chiefly because of two reasons. One, extreme climate, for which Prakalp was not ready, and two, financial crisis! The gig remains in my memory because we were completely stripped of cash, and we had to wait and hope for someone to win in some category to get the money required to head home. Anant won the award for the best vocals and received Rs. 1,000, which bought our tickets to come home.
Vincent: VCET! We had performed in front of an 800-strong crowd. Some guys were using Pyros in the crowd! They even waited for us even when the lights went out. VCET rocks!
Alister: Also the VCET chicks were hot! They couldn’t stop screaming our name.
Gavril: SIES, Powerchords.
Do you feel that there is any scope for more bands to pick up Hindi Metal?
Anant: We do feel so, because we are doing something different, and we are getting a lot of appreciation for our music. Earlier, we faced a problem as to which songs we should cover, as we had no band to cover! Hopefully, the new bands shall get inspired by our choice of music. We want to pave the way for other bands that want to take up Hindi metal, but are a little hesitant to do so. We do not believe in following a trend. We want to set a trend so that other Indian music lovers can start appreciating this form of music and support original music.
What do you guys think of the currents state of the Indian rock/metal scene?
Alister: The Indian rock and metal scene is growing at a very rapid speed. Indian bands are getting global recognition. People are beginning to appreciate good rock music. It’s a very healthy trend.
Which Indian bands, according to you, rock?
Gavril: Bands like Demonic Resurrection, Pin Drop Violence, Parikrama and Pentagram, Devoid, Bhayanak Maut, Infernal Wrath… the list goes on!!
What difference has Prakalp made in your lives?
Alister: It has made me more mature. My outlook towards people has changed. And it has inspired me to grow my hair.
Vincent: It has made me famous, a better performer, and a hit among the chicks. (Laughs)
Gavril: Prakalp has changed the way I thought of music and increased my dedication to music.
Anant: It has given me confidence, and given me lifelong friends, my partners in crime.
Vineet: Yes, drinking partners! Seriously, helping hands in a crisis, whom I can completely rely upon.
Ashwin: It has made me a great manager of a great band! Have learnt time management, money management and resource management.
Finally, is there anything you’d like to say to the people reading this?
We would like to thank our friends, fans, and heroes. Guys, we live to perform and entertain you. Please keep supporting us; we are where we are because of you! We hope to move forward with your best wishes, and we will never ever forget you. Please interact with us, criticise us, whatever. We are always available.

Killer Tomatoes: Can Chimp Live Forever?

The now defunct, Delhi-based Killer Tomatoes, whose name was probably inspired by the late ’70s Hollywood spoof Attack of the Killer Tomatoes, were renowned for their live shows and funk-soaked music.
A corny declaration of “Killer Tomatoes in the house”, proclaimed by singer Dinesh, greets us to the stop-start rhythm of “Can Chimp Live Forever?”. Featured in the ‘Great Indian Rock IV’ compilation, the song is buoyed by the hard-to-get-out-of-your-head chorus line ‘Drown me in your wishing well’. There is an early Jane’s Addiction and Red Hot Chili Peppers influence running through and the skittering guitar playing style of Sajid Akbar is pure Tom Morello. The band’s quirkiness comes across readily and is, perhaps, what makes them so endearing to the listener.
While the band is no longer together, this song provides a taste of their whimsical attitude and an indication of what a fun band they must have been to watch on stage.

Prime Minister condolences death of senior journalist Barun Sengupta

The Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh has expressed his sincere condolences on the passing away of Shri Barun Sengupta, a distinguished journalist and the Founding Editor of Bartman. Describing Mr. Sengupta as a gifted writer, a perceptive analyst and a patriotic Indian, the Prime Minister said that in the passing of Mr. Sengupta, Indian Journalism has lost a gifted and dedicated journalist. The Prime Minister conveys his sincere condolences to all his readers, admirers, friends and family.

Hic! Brides in Bihar dump drunk grooms

AN increasing number of girls in Bihar are turning away drunk bridegrooms on their wedding day. Several incidents — of the brides refusing to marry the men chosen by their families — have been reported from the rural areas of the state recently. A bride walked out of her marriage venue earlier this week when she saw her groom completely sozzled. The incident took place at Harishankarpur Baghauni village in North Bihar’s Samastipur district. The girl, daughter of a man named Lalo Das, was to get married to a youth from Pusa Chandauli village.Such cases are more seen in rural areas.According to witnesses, the bridegroom started throwing tantrums when the rituals were about to start and looked heavily drunk. He also started abusing the girl’s family over nonavailability of a generator set during the ceremony. Seeing this, the bride refused to take part in the ceremony and walked out of the venue. Her family members then took the bridegroom hostage and tied him to a pillar. He was let off on the condition that his parents would return the dowry they had received earlier. The next day, both the parties met to resolve the issue. However, this was not the first time a groom was being rejected for getting drunk on his wedding day. Earlier this month, 20- year- old Savita Kumari, daughter of Ram Avatar Sah from Manjhaul panchayat in Begusarai district, “ shocked” everybody when she refused to marry Amardip Sah from Navkothi village. Savita took this decision after she saw Sah and his relatives misbehaving with her family under the influence of liquor. Following the commotion, her family also held the groom and other members of the marriage party hostage for a few hours. They were released from captivity only after they reportedly paid the amount spent on the wedding preparations. Last year, residents of a village in Arwal district got a bride married to the ‘ original’ groom’s younger brother after the former arrived in an inebriated condition. Amid high drama, the younger brother agreed to take his drunk brother’s place. The sozzled man later apologised for his behaviour and cried saying he’ll never get a bride again. But booze is not the only reason brides are turning away their husbands- to- be. Pushpa Kumari, a spirited girl in her twenties, had the courage to say no when she found out that her groom was mentally challenged. A resident of Hathi Tola near Patna, she refused to marry Rannjit Kumar when she noticed his unusual behaviour. The incident took place in April this year. “ I complained to my father who found out that the groom was not stable. I saved myself and my family from more trouble,” she said after the ceremony was cancelled. Another bridegroom returned empty- handed in Gopalganj a couple of months ago. A 19- year- old college student put her foot down because the groom was not only unemployed but also ‘ ugly’. Another girl, Manju Lata from Jagtauli village of Gopalganj district, rejected her groom because he was an illiterate man who could not answer some of her questions. Nisha Kumari from Mirhata village in the neighbouring Siwan district also slammed the door on her groom who turned out to be hearingimpaired.

Mumbai Burns : Sikhs oppose Dera Chief's presence

Mumbai simmered on Saturday as thousands of Sikhs, brandishing swords and lathis, blocked railway tracks, damaged Mulund station and shut down swathes of the city over the killing of a community member by bodyguards of Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh on Friday. The ripple was felt across north India — in Punjab and Haryana, angry Sikhs took to the streets demanding the Dera chief be arrested; in Jammu, agitators wielding swords, burnt his effigies and in the Capital, Sikhs shouted slogans and blocked busy thoroughfares. Punjab chief minister Parkash Singh Badal, though known to seek the Dera chief’s blessings whenever Punjab goes to the polls, sensed the general outrage and asked the Maharashtra government to take action against him. Shiromani Gurudwara Prabandhak Committee (SGPC), the highest religious body of the Sikhs, condemned Balkar Singh’s death. Damdami Taksal, a prominent Sikh seminary, also demanded action against the sect chief. On Friday, a handful of Sikhs were protesting outside Nirmal Lifestyle, a mall in the north-eastern suburb of Mulund, against the presence of Ram Rahim Singh when one of his bodyguards opened fire. Balkar, a Sikh businessman, died in the firing. Soon, the news spread and mobs spilled onto Mumbai streets on Saturday morning. When it appeared the situation was spinning out of control in Mumbai, especially in Mulund and the key Eastern Express Highway — which the protesters paralysed for two hours — the police and the RAF hit back, clobbering and teargassing the agitators, some of them old men. An anxious Maharashtra chief minister Vilasrao Deshmukh appealed to the Sikhs to maintain calm and refrain from violence. He announced an ex-gratia payment of Rs 2,00,000 to Balkar Singh’s family. The SGPC also announced a similar amount as compensation. By the evening, the Sikhs suspended all agitation till Monday following Maharashtra deputy chief minister R.R. Patil’s assurance that he would convene a high-level meeting to resolve the issue. Throughout the day, Mulund, the epicentre of the protests, remained paralysed as the protesters squatted on railway tracks and pelted stones at the trains and buses from 11.30 am, damaging all the four railway tracks that pass through the station. Though nobody was grievously hurt, train services had to be stopped for over an hour. A total shutdown was also observed in Kalyan and Ulhasnagar — Sikh-majority areas in Thane district. Security was tightened in Thane, Pune, Akola, Nagpur, and Nanded, state director general of police A.N. Roy said. The protesters wanted Ram Rahim Singh to be arrested — a possibility not entirely ruled out by Patil, who met city Sikh leaders in the evening. He assured the community that all necessary action would be taken against the four accused, arrested for Friday’s firing, under section 302 and the Arms Act. They were remanded in police custody till July 2. All the four, Patil said, are part of Ram Rahim Singh’s security team. The revolver used to fire was seized. Ten more men from his security team were being grilled. “A full-fledged inquiry will be held by the city crime branch and if necessary, the guru could be called in for questioning as well,” Patil said. Sardar Tara Singh, the BJP MLA from Mulund, said: “The agitation was largely peaceful, but in places, it went out of hand.” Apart from Ram Rahim Singh’s arrest, the Sikhs do not want him to set up base in Mumbai. “It is believed that Dera Sacha Sauda is eyeing two to three acres at Khopoli in eastern Mumbai for setting up an office. There are 3.5 lakh Sikhs in the city and if the Dera sets base in the city, daily skirmishes between the two communities could take place,” Tara Singh said. “The government should ensure he is not permitted to own property in Mumbai.” On the immediate agenda, though, is a peaceful resolution of the problem. The state government has bought peace till Monday — the day Balkar’s Singh’s body will be cremated. While the Sikhs took to the streets in almost all parts of Punjab and some parts of Haryana on Saturday, the radical Sikh groups said they wanted the Dera chief behind the bars. Demanding that the Maharashtra government book him for murder, members of the Khalsa Action Committee blocked traffic in Amritsar on Saturday. The youth wing of the Shiromani Akali Dal (Badal) also held a protest in Amritsar. Talking to the media at Amritsar’s Golden Temple, the Punjab chief minister said he had spoken to Deshmukh and the Maharashtra DGP about the incident. Terming it as “tragic and shocking”, Badal said action must be taken against the Dera chief. The Sikhs in Haryana’s Sirsa, where the Dera headquarters are located, blocked traffic on National Highway 10 for six hours. The police were rushed to the spot to prevent any clash between the agitators and the Dera followers. In Punjab, security was beefed up at areas where the Dera has a presence. In Bathinda, the police took out a precautionary flag march and appealed to the people to maintain calm. Reports of protests poured in from Jalandhar and Ludhiana, too.

Fresh Leash Of Hope For Sarabjit

THERE may be a fresh lease of life for Sarabjit Singh and other Indian prisoners on death row in Pakistan prisons. Pakistan Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gillani on Saturday recommended commuting all death sentences in the country to life imprisonment. The government’s decision raised the prospect of Sarabjit’s release. The prisoner has been languishing in a Pakistan prison for 18 years for his alleged role in the 1990 bomb blasts in Lahore and Multan. Gillani told Parliament that he would direct the interior ministry to move a summary to President Pervez Musharraf to commute the sentence of those on death row to life imprisonment. Under Pakistan’s Constitution, the president has the power to commute sentences. Confirming the development, Pakistan’s former federal minister for human rights in the interim government, Ansar Burney, said it was a “ great decision” which would help Sarabjit and other Indian prisoners who had completed their life sentences. Burney said he will inform Sarabjit’s family about the decision. He said the Indian government had requested their Pakistani counterpart for Sarabjit’s release. Back home, the decision has transformed the mood of Sarabjit’s family. Sarabjit’s sister, Dalbir Kaur, said she received a phone call from Burney about the development. Dalbir hoped President Musharraf would commute the sentence of the prisoners on death row, including her brother, to life sentence. Sarabjit’s execution was put off indefinitely recently after India decided to take up the issue with the Pakistan government. Sarabjit has been lodged in Kot Lakhpat Rai jail in Lahore. Dalbir had recently visited Pakistan along with other family members and met Sarabjit in prison.

Mayawati withdraws support

Mayawati announced this in a press conferrence , said CONG. BJP are the same

BREAKING NEWS

UPA tried to tarnish BSP's image; says Mayawati

BREAKING NEWS

BSP withdraws support from UPA
BSP has 19 MPs

RBI acting promptly to curb inflation: FM

New Delhi, June 18: As inflation has touched 8.75 per cent, the highest level during the UPA regime, Finance Minister P Chidambaram on Wednesday said the rate of price rise is high, prompting RBI to tighten money supply.

"Inflation is high. RBI must take steps and it has taken," Chidambaram said after meeting the top brass of the Central Bank of India.

This was the first statement from the Finance Minister after the Reserve Bank hiked its short-term lending rate by 0.25 per cent to 8 per cent putting pressure on interest rates.

Inflation has soared to 8.75 per cent for the week ended May 31. It is set to cross the 9 per cent mark when the official data is released on June 20, which reflect the impact of hike in fuel prices, according to analysts.

The previous high in the UPA regime was 8.33 per cent, as per the provisional figure for the week ended August 28, 2004.

As part of inflation control measures, the RBI had last week increased the repo rate to 8 per cent, prompting the banks to consider a rise in lending rates for consumers and industries.

The continuous rise in inflation has forced the banks to increase interest rates which analyst feel could further add to the cost factor. However, the monetary measures are aimed at cooling the high demand which is pushing up prices.

Most of the banks have the prime lending rates pegged at around 13 per cent. Besides raising the short-term lending rate (repo rate), RBI had also sucked over Rs 27,000 crore out of the Economy by increasing the Cash Reserve Ratio by 0.75 per cent in three phases.

Respect the law, BJP tells Shiv Sena

New Delhi, June 18: Disapproving of Shiv Sena Chief Bal Thackeray's comments about creation of ‘Hindu suicide squads’, the BJP on Wednesday advised its ally to respect the law.
"People should not take law into their hands. It is the duty of the government to counter terror," BJP Vice President Venkaiah Naidu told reporters in New Delhi.

Advising Thackeray to respect the law, he said BJP believes in democracy and the Constitution.

He was commenting on Thackeray's statement in the party mouthpiece Saamna in which he had said that there should be ‘Hindu suicide squads’ to counter Muslim fundametalists and terrorists.

Ranbir's political moves : Jha plans a movie

Acclaimed Bollywood director Prakash Jha took five days off to be in Greece, to finish the scripting of his political parable Rajneeti.

He wants the script to support his lead actor Ranbir Kapoor's character completely.

"It will give Ranbir the chance to do what his other films may not. It's a very challenging role and since he plays a political figure I've to make sure the scripting supports him completely," said Jha.

"I earlier planned to make a quickie before starting Rajneeti. But now I'm going straight into Rajneeti," he added.

Jha's film will combine elements from Rajiv Gandhi's life with the Mahabharata. With the exception of one day's shooting in the US, Jha plans to shoot Rajneeti entirely in Bhopal.

The film will feature Ranbir as a student from an Indian political dynasty studying in the US who's summoned back to take over the political empire in Delhi after a crisis in the family.

"Ranbir will have two co-stars. An Indian and an American actress. We've almost finalized both the ladies, A-listers from Hollywood and Bollywood."

Jha's earlier releases like Apaharan and GangaaJal too had heavy doses of politics.

Woman, wine and melodrama

Television writer-turned-book author, Smita Jain's Kkrishnaa's Konfessions has an oddly spel title. The shocking pink book cover displays a woman with a flirtatious gaze. She's flaunting a glass of wine and a cigar. I meet the 35-year-old writer at her Andheri apartment that's painted in screaming colours. She has been associated with the TV shows Remix, Darna Mana Hai, Bombay Talking, India Calling, Kajjal.. Sabki Aankhon mein Bassi and Kabhi Haan, Kabhi Naa.

Theatrics aplenty
"I always failed to add the over-the top-melodramatic elements to India Calling and Kajjal.., which are expected from TV soaps," she shrugs.

The peculiar spelling of the book's title turns out to be a pun on the letter K, sparked by a numerology fixation, which seems to be pretty rampant in the TV community.

In essence, the book's plot hinges on a TV soap writer Priyaaka Kkrishnaa, who wants to retain her long-running, successful primetime show Kkangan Souten Ke. But then she's afflicted with the classic writer's block. Follow heartache and torment.

"It's an absolute khichdi", Jain cackles. Melodrama, which she couldn't incorporate into her TV shows, is found in generous dollops in her first novel, which could well be adapted into a soap.

The light-eyed debutante author thinks Kkrishnaa's Konfessions will make a better film though.

Coming soon..
Currently, Jain is writing, Sun Yaar.. Chill Maar, a desi telly version of the American sitcom Friends.

Aware that several publishing houses are opening up to a new generation of Indian writers, Jain also has another book in the offing. She reasons, "I guess it's got to do with the fact that today there is a Chetan Bhagat, who writes on subjects people can relate to.. and the books are bought."

She devotes three hours a day to blogging. "People spend a lot of time social networking online..blogs are the best way to make contact with readers," she deduces, quite content to be hammering away at her laptop in an apartment of screaming colours.

Madonna's brother to release tell-all memoir about pop diva

Christopher Ciccone plans to release a tell-all memoir about his superstar sibling Madonna and it will reportedly be published without the pop diva's permission.

The 47-year-old Ciccone is penning it with infamous celebrity biographer Wendy Leigh, who has written intimate biographies on Liza Minnelli and Grace Kelly. To be published by Simon-Schuster, the book is due to be released next month, reports contactmusic.com.

According to reports, the book is "Ciccone's extraordinary memoir based on his life and 47 years of growing up with and working with his sister - the most famous woman in the world."

However, the book is allegedly set to be released without Madonna's consent.

Liz Rosenberg, Madonna's publicist, stated: "Madonna has not cooperated with any biography about herself."

Madonna's relationship with her younger brother is said to have become strained in recent years, even though the pair worked together intimately in the early 1990s, biography,with Ciccone serving as artistic director on the star's 1991 documentary In Bed With Madonna, and designing and directing her Girlie Show tour in 1993.

Gujjar-Raje Govt agreement announcement stalled

Sharp differences have cropped up between Gujjar leaders led by Col Kirori Singh Bainsla and the Rajasthan government over the draft of the agreement which was to be signed between two sides on Wednesday.

Due to the last minute hitch, an announcement of the agreement by Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje and Col Bainsla has been stalled.

Col Bainsla and leader of government delegation, Ram Das Agarwal had declared on Tuesday that the Chief Minister would sign an agreement with Bainsla at CMO which would be followed by the press briefing by both leaders.

But the entire plan went heywire as some of the Gujjar leaders have objected to the language of the draft which does not clearly spell out three things agreed upon by both sides during the final round of dialogue on Tuesday evening.

One of the main negotiators and Gujjar leader, Delhi NCP MP, Rambir Singh Biduri told HT that he had refused to approve the draft which was brought to Bainsla by two senior bureaucrats of the Rajasthan government including SN Thanvi and divisional commissioner Bharatpur, Nirnajan Arya.

Biduri made it clear that Gujjar leaders and the state government had agreed on three things.

First, the Rajasthan government will send letter of recommendation to the Centre to include Gujjars in ST category, which will be based on the Centre’s two letters of Dec 3, 1999 and Jan 23, 2008.

The government had agreed to send a positive reply to Centre's 8-year-old letter of inclusion, exclusion and modifications of SC/ST lists dated December 3, 1999 from joint secretary, ministry of social welfare and empowerment government of India, Dr MS Ahamad to Rajasthan government.

It said, " in case any proposal of your government is left inadvertently, the same may be intimated to this ministry by Dec 22, 1999. If it is not received by the stipulated date then it would be presumed that the enclosed list is complete and no proposal is left out."

The Centre’s enclosed annexure contained 23 castes, including Gujjars, for the inclusion in the ST list.

Another letter from the Government of India dated Jan 23, 1999 also asked the state government to send its positive recommendations about Gujjars, which is obligatory in view of the Constitutional requirement.

Second, Biduri said that government had accepted the plea to withdraw the cases which had been registered against the demonstrators by the police during the agitation.

Third, the government had agreed to create special quota of 5 per cent for Gujjars and three other castes like Gadiya Lohar and Banjara, but now the government was adding more castes, which is violation of the understanding reached with Gujjar leaders.

The government officials had invited journalists for briefing at 12.30 pm but they were still waiting at the CMO.