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December 7
Basu, Naidu UF candidates for the prime ministership
United Front sources said the move to project a prime ministerial candidate
will keep the Front united during the general election. It
will also put an end to various senior leaders's post-election
claims for the prime minister's post.
VHP launches offensive against Christians
The Hindu fundamentalist party's working president Ashok Singhal said, ''It is high time we took on Christians, who are out to demolish Hinduism by resorting to largescale conversions.''
10 killed, 64 hurt in 3 train blasts
At least 10 people were killed and 64 others injured in bomb blasts in three trains in Tamil Nadu and Kerala today, as various Muslim organisations observed the fifth anniversary of the demolition of the Babri Masjid.
Govt intimidating Justice Jain says Congress
A large number of CBI officers have started harassing Justice
Jain, though he had made it clear that he had not leaked his report,
Congress Working Committee member Arjun Singh told a news
conference on Saturday.
'We sacrificed the govt rather than jeopardise national unity'
'To accept the Congress demand for compromise would have meant accepting the sweeping conclusion about the Tamil people as well as the DMK. This would have been a direct attack on our own national unity.' CPI leader A B Bardhan tells The Rediff Chat.
'If the Congress MPs had not been kept confused, they may have changed sides'
Rajiv Pratap Rudy, one of the leaders of the first-term MPs forum, in a revealing interview.
'When you change an organisation, vested interests are bound to try and hit back'
Urging the media not to resort to 'cantankerous criticism', Prasar Bharati CEO S S Gill outlines his plans for Doordarshan in an interview to Pritish Nandy.
Army chief admits 'Arjun' has 'certain minor flaws'
''We do not want to give a system which would have any problems,'' says General Ved Prakash Malik.
Karnataka: Bangarappa quits Congress
Madhya Pradesh: Digvijay Singh rules out snap assembly poll
Manipur: 30 killed as militants ambush reserve battalion convoy
December 6
Will Sonia run?
One day after the Lok Sabha was dissolved, most Congress leaders have begun turning their heads in veneration towards the party's indisputable power centre, Sonia Gandhi. Congressmen believe Rajiv Gandhi's widow should lead the party's electoral campaign.
Mulayam's 'selective' support for Congress
''If the Congress is an untouchable, why was its support taken by the UF government?'' the Samajwadi Party chief asked.
No truck with Congress: JD
JD president Sharad Yadav said his party would fight both the BJP and the Congress.
Gujral's Jalandhar seat may strain BJP-Akali ties
The ruling Akali Dal has made repeated offers to I K Gujral supporting his candidature from Jalandhar to express its gratitude -- he had waived Rs 85 billion aid to Punjab. Its ally, the BJP has been reluctant to agree to the Akalis's generosity.
BJP to kick off poll campaign at Bhubaneswar
The party's three-day national executive session in Orissa will finalise the various campaign committees and go to the people with the specific appeal, ''Give us a decisive victory.''
Congress's document on LS dissolution to be out on Saturday
The decision was taken at the two-hour CWC meeting presided over by party president Sitaram Kesri.
Poll panel bans transfer of officials
As the candidates's election expenditure ceiling of Rs 450,000
is highly unrealistic, the Commission has decided to give them some
concessions.
December 6, 1992: A memoir
Five years ago, the foundations of the Indian nation-State were rocked by the demolition of the Babri Masjid in Ayodhya. How did it happen? Who masterminded the assault on the 16th century structure? Why did the forces of law and order collapse suddenly? Rediff On The NeT brings you an eyewitness account of the demolition. An account that casts fresh light on those tumultuous events that winter's day.
The Killing fields of Rayalaseema
The volcanoes of rivalry keep erupting in Rayalaseema, Andhra Pradesh, and the lava of hatred, powered by fiery politics, continues to claim countless lives.
Most recently in Hyderabad when a car bomb claimed 24 innocent lives.
New York-based human rights body flays Gujral govt
Human Rights Watch has criticised the United Front government for its ''failure'' to make progress in advancing human rights in the country during this year.
Declare Kashmiri Pandits as 'internally displaced people': congressmen
This would force the Indian government to provide adequate humanitarian assistance to its members, currently living as refugees in Jammu and New Delhi, said Frank Pallone and Sherrod Brown in a letter.
December 5
President dissolves Lok Sabha; elections in February
Now that the political crisis has given way to an election, leaders have begun working overtime for a realignment of political forces. There is a distinct possibility that Laloo Yadav, Mulayam Singh Yadav and G K Moopanar will cross over to a Congress-led front soon.
'The people of India need a reprieve from political instability'
Prime Minister Gujral and Finance Minister Chidambaram, who met the
President on Tuesday and at noon today, told him that an early Presidential
decision would contain the impact of political developments on the stability of the rupee.
Criminals will be kept out of polls
Election Commissioner G V Krishnamurty said the Commission proposes to conduct three-day elections in states with more than 40 seats.
Polls may not trigger new tie-ups
The pressure of an impending election is unlikely to spark new political alliances of convenience, with all the major parties taking a rigid stand.
Lok Sabha dissolved for fourth time
On three of the four occasions, a mid-term poll was necessitated
after the Congress pulled the plug.
House with shortest tenure
The eleventh Lok Sabha had a special session for the first time in parliamentary history, and it witnessed four confidence motions.
Mindless Bihar caste war cripples law and order
Besides central Bihar, such violent extremist uprisings have been witnessed in Bhojpur and Gaya districts. South Bihar districts like Palamu, Hazaribagh and Chotanagpur have also been affected.
Nepal furious with Jain panel report
The Commission's interim report features a letter written by the Research and Analysis Wing. Cititng ''unverified information'', the letter alleges that Nepal's Queen Aishwarya Devi had asked King Birendra's honorary aide-de-camp ''to arrange for the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi for which Rs 10 million would be made available''.
Gujarat CM expands ministry
Dilip Parikh has ignored supporters of his second in command, Atmaram Patel, and suggested that he might go in for an assembly election.
Indira Gandhi's death was tigers's loss: National Geographic
Project Tiger, begun by Indira Gandhi in 1973, saw the tiger population double up to 1984. But after her death, tigers and their habitats have been under severe threat.
Maharashtra: New district to be carved out of Akola
December 4
Cabinet asks President to dissolve Parliament
President K R Narayanan has summoned Prime Minister Gujral and Finance Minister Chidambaram at noon on Thursday. The dissolution of the eleventh Lok Sabha is now expected to be a formality. Unless, of course, Rashtrapati Bhavan has something up its sleeve.
Polls may bring another hung House
That the President would dissolve the Lok Sabha seems imminent. And the focus is soon shifting to the post-poll scenario, which does not appear to be very different from the present situation where no party is in a position to form the government.
'A mid-term election will be a disaster for the country'
TMC leader Peter Alphonse, in an exclusive interview.
DMK peeved as UF keeps options open
''No non-BJP regime is possible without the Congress support. By keeping the dissolution option open, other UF constituents seem ready to let down the DMK, precisely as they had dumped H D Deve Gowda after the fall of his regime earlier this year,'' complains a DMK ideologue.
'The Jain Commission's finding that the DMK helped the LTTE acquire arms to fight the IPKF smacks of treason'
Cho Ramaswamy is disturbed by some of Justice Jain's conclusions.
Banned CPI-ML plans to avenge Monday's massacre
Official sources in Bihar said that they have definite information that
bloodshed might occur either at Aurangabad, Bhojpur,
Gaya, Jehanabad or Patna.
Bloodbath at midnight
Blood-stained earth and the heart-rending wails of women and children greet visitors to Lakshmanpur-Bathe village in Jehanabad district where the Ranvir Sena allegedly massacred 61 people on Monday night.
INS Delhi takes Asia-Pacific show by storm
India's biggest warship has been widely hailed by regional defence planners and observers as being the crowning glory of naval warship design and construction capability.
Pak won't sign CTBT
Pakistan will not unilaterally sign the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty as it would amount to ''political and military suicide'' says Foreign Minister Gohar Ayub Khan.
Partition has played havoc with land; spare the hearts
Fifty years ago, Mukhtar Karim was anxiously awaiting the passing out parade at the Indian Military Academy, Dehra Dun, when he was asked to leave for Pakistan at a few hours's notice.
Assam: Clarify stand on electoral roll issue in 48 hours, state told
Gujarat: Parikh orders probe into gangster's death
Karnataka: Separate Kodagu state strike call evokes good response
Kerala: Tide turns against Nayanar
Manipur: Keishing has till December 10 to prove majority
Tamil Nadu: Coimbatore toll touches 20
December 3
Congress tries to prop up Moopanar
Considering the lacklustre response to the Congress's numbers game, senior party leaders seem to be making another political somersault. In what is seen as a last-ditch effort, they are planning to prop up Tamil Maanila Congress president G K Moopanar as the leader of a new coalition government.
Pak president Leghari resigns
The president became a casualty after joining the tug of war between prime minister and chief justice on the side of the latter. Unfortunately, the powerful army stood by the democratically-elected government.
Venkatswamy offered home ministry to support BJP: Surjeet
The senior Congress leader was told by the BJP that the party
had already mustered the support of 247 MPs, said
the CPI-M general secretary.
Chief Justice Verma cleared in 'misappropriation' case
The Supreme Court today exonerated Chief Justice of India J S Verma of the allegation that he had committed criminal misappropriation of public funds by illegally withdrawing the daily allowance of Rs 250 as the Rajasthan high court chief justice.
At least 60 massacred in worst-ever Bihar caste feud
Nearly 250 Ranbir Sena activists, equipped with firearms, raided the Lakshmanpur-Bathe village at midnight and attacked the CPI-ML supporters. Several women and children were among those killed.
Under easy patronage Naxalites fill their coffers and spread more terror in Bihar
The Maoist Communist Centre and Party Unity -- Naxalite groups
that have struck terror in south-central Bihar comprising the
districts of Gaya, Hazaribagh, Jehanabad and Palamu -- are said to
collect huge sums of money from local businessmen, contractors,
government officials and industrial units. Reports say their
annual booty could be around Rs 300 million.
Women MPs vow to make reservation a poll issue
Communist Party of India's Geeta Mukherjee, who piloted the women's reservation bill, said, ''As elections seem inevitable, it is the most opportune moment to individually approach all the MPs to get them to state their positions. These signed statements on the bill can later be used to nail an MP down in case he goes back on it.''
Highest compensation awarded to police brutality victim
Terming the custodial death of a youth in Balia district of Uttar Pradesh as 'politically motivated' and an instance of police highhandedness at its worst, the National Human Rights Commission has recommended the biggest ever interim compensation of Rs 500,000 to the victim's father.
Madhya Pradesh: 30 criminals surrender
Tamil Nadu:Coimbatore limping back to normalcy
Tamil Nadu:Veerappan has no takers
December 2
Congress MPs willing to split: BJP
Party sources said they are now confident that at least 250 MPs will back a Vajpayee-led government.
UF demands polls; Congress, BJP confident
The Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party were today optimistic that they would be able to form a government at the Centre even as the numbers game has thrown up clear signals that the country was on the brink of another general election.
Mulayam hints at ties with Congress to face polls
''In case an election is forced upon us, I am ready for realignment of secular forces to give a blow to communal forces,'' the defence minister told Rediff On The NeT.
Lok Sabha may be adjourned sine die tomorrow
The reconvened winter session is expected to be adjourned within a few minutes, after the Gujral government tables its resignation.
Laloo regains hold; guns for CBI official
Reports about the fate of a key official investigating the Rs 9.5 billion fodder scam -- CBI Joint Director (east) U N Biwas -- leave little doubt about the Bihar
leader's growing clout.
Karunanidhi declines to comment on DMK-TMC ties
The Tamil Nadu chief minister also refuses to speak about TMC leader Peter Alphonse's statement that a secular government, with the DMK's outside support, should be formed at the Centre.
Posthumous Prosecution
'If some faulty finding is decided as the necessity of the day,' says Ashok Mitra. 'It should begin with Indira Gandhi... Judges do go astray; sometimes they are commandeered to go astray. But a democratic polity must not yield to the antics of those who are currently playing to the gallery.'
'Let them not demolish the mosques in Kashi and Mathura or the country will face another Partition'
The shadowy Al-Umma group has been reported to be involved in Sunday's communal riots in Coimbatore that has claimed at least a dozen lives. A few weeks before violence singed the Tamil Nadu town, A Ganesh Nadar spoke to Al-Umma officials to find out more about the organisation.
Pak crisis takes a new turn as judiciary comes together
Contempt of court petition is also dropped.
I did not play any role in St Kitts case: Rao
The former prime minister's counsel told the Delhi high court that when the files pertaining to V P Singh's son Ajeya Singh's passport documents were brought to Rao, he did not even touch them.
Surrender of dacoits off due to outrageous demands
The proposed surrender of Chambal dacoits in Bhind today has been cancelled by the Madhya Pradesh police in view of the impractical conditions put forth by the major gangs.
Assam: Gandhians appeal to Bodos to release colleague
New Delhi: Delhi CM's nephew suspect in murder case
New Delhi: Bus strike called off
Meghalaya: Minister quits UDF government
Orissa: One held for assault on actress
Tamil Nadu: 1 killed in police firing asCoimbatore violence unabated
Uttar Pradesh: 26 die in hailstorm
West Bengal: Alarming rise in custodial deaths
West Bengal: Film producer Bimal Dey dead
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