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OCTOBER 4
Akali threat may force BJP to reconsider merger of Udham Singh Nagar in Uttaranchal
"It would be better for the government to postpone the decision to carve out the controversial states like Uttaranchal and Vananchal as it affects the coalition's survival," a BJP strategist felt.
Vajpayee initiates talks with Akalis
BJP spokesman Kishan Lal Sharma also said 'there is no danger to the Vajpayee government'.
Sonia factor set to blow off Shekawat in Rajasthan, says CMS survey
The survey shows that Chief Minister Bhairon Singh Shekawat is stuck with the image of a non-performer, the nuclear tests have been discounted by the voters, and Muslims and Scheduled Castes are flocking back to the Congress. It also indicates that the Rajasthan verdict could have disastrous consequences on the BJP's fortunes at the national level.
BJP, Congress gird up their loins for November encounter
For the BJP, it is its first trial of strength after taking over the reins at the Centre, and the results will be an indicator of the people's mood towards them. And for the Congress, it will be the first electoral contest for Sonia Gandhi after taking over as party president.
Ajit Singh, Sonia discuss electoral tieup
The talks assume significance as Ajit Singh, soon after
reviving the Lok Dal on Thursday, did not rule out the possibility of his party having a truck with the Congress and other secular parties to dislodge the BJP both at the Centre and in Uttar
Pradesh.
Electronic voting machines to be used in 16 constituencies in coming assembly polls: Gill
The machines would be used in five constituencies each in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan and six constituencies in Delhi, said the chief election commissioner.
No compromise on deleting Article 356, says Karunanidhi
The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam president said his party will never compromise on its demands for deletion of Article
356 from the Constitution, ensuring state autonomy and more powers to the state governments.
RSS wants Bangladeshis, English driven out
In his annual Dassera address, RSS chief Rajendra Singh stressed the need not to get carried away by the economic reforms initiated by previous governments. Drinking Coca-Cola or Pepsi and wearing Peter England shirts should not be mistaken for reforms, he said.
Laloo warns his MLAs not to quit the party
Some RJD legislators who have been kept out of the Rabri Devi government gave indications of breaking away from the party following the statement of the BJP's Bihar unit leader Sushil Kumar Modi that they are exploring the possibility of an 'alternative government'.
Vajpayee rules out signing CTBT if talks fail
"Everything depends on the success of talks (with key
countries)... Certain points are yet to be cleared. If the talks
succeed, India will think of signing the CTBT,'' the prime said soon after his return to New Delhi from a foreign trip to New York and France.
MDMK set to join Vajpayee's ministry
MDMK deputy general secretary and Tindivanam MP Chenji
Ramachandran would be the party's nominee.
Minorities in Gujarat under sustained attack
A report compiled by a three-member team of the Nishant Natya Manch and the Progressive Organisation of Women, which visited several areas of Gujarat from August 23 to 30, says a concerted campaign appears to be underway, starting from the state, to turn the country into a 'Hindu Rashtra'.
President warns of looming water crisis
'If the right steps are not taken even now, it is predicted that the per capita availability of water in India in 2001 will be half its 1947 level', environmentalist Anil Aggarwal said.
Censor board to view Jinnah on Monday
The film has had a rough time in Pakistan, Jinnah's land, which banned the film on its founder ostensibly because it was pro-India. The Central Board for Film Certification chairman is scheduled to view the film on Monday before deciding on its viewability in India.
THE REDIFF COLUMNISTS
Slips and Shuffles
The prime minister would love to shuffle his Cabinet. If his hands weren't tied.
Let not Ravana get a whiff of Sanjeevani!
'Laloo Prasad Yadav has outdone Ravana in one respect -- he didn't need a long war to reduce his realm to ruin... Tradition says the siege of Lanka lasted 18 months, it was, perhaps asking too much for the Vajpayee ministry to do the same cleansing act in a mere six months,' says T V R Shenoy.
THE REDIFF INTERVIEW
'Nobody can afford to destabilise the Rabri Devi government'
'The BJP has no regard for democratic norms and conventions. Advani and company have again approached Narayanan with the ridiculous plea that Governor S S Bhandari has been threatened in Patna,' says RJD leader Raghuvansh Prasad Singh, in an exclusive interview.
Maharashtra: Thackeray sees media hand in Sena's troubles
OCTOBER 3
Advani at loggerheads with Narayanan
Home ministry sources said Advani is of the opinion that Narayanan 'erred' when he dismissed the Cabinet decision on Bihar by basing his arguments on the Sarkaria Commission recommendations on Centre-state relations.
UP becomes Crime Inc
While the Kalyan Singh government was overjoyed at the elimination of dreaded criminal Sri Prakash Shukla, what has come as a source of embarrassment was the gangster's links with nearly half a dozen ministers in the state cabinet. The Special Task Force, created by the UP police to fix top gangsters and contain organised crime, is understood to have mentioned these ministers in a confidential report submitted to the government.
Ex-defence officers feel signing CTBT is no big deal
While the armed forces are maintaining a stoic silence over the quetsion as per their etiquette, former defence officers are convinced that there is no harm in signing the CTBT at this juncture.
Long and winding road...
The struggle for a separate state of Jharkhand has been waged for 80 years now. A peek at the movement's history as the central government gets ready to overrule the Bihar assembly's rejection of the Jharkhand bill.
A state forever in crisis
The nineties will be seen as the decade of the rise and fall of Laloo Prasad Yadav.
It's all in good spirit
Kerala folklore is full of references to chathan, yakshi, marutha, and other pre-Aryan spirits helping people with black magic. While most of these beliefs have died out in the wake of urbanisation, some, like the worship of chathan, have been adapted to cater to the needs of the modern age.
THE REDIFF PROFILE
Mr Powerful
After having guided the BJP from its miserly share of two Lok Sabha seats in 1986 when he assumed charge as party president, L K Advani is considered to be the real power in Delhi. "Performance could be the best insulator," for the government, says a BJP source, and that obviously would be upper-most on Advani's mind.
THE REDIFF COLUMNISTS
Sex, Lies and Videotape
'Exactly what has China done for the sake of good relations with India? For instance, during the CTBT negotiations in 1996, it was China that insisted on the infamous 'entry into force' clause. That is, effectively China ensured that the CTBT would not become effective until India signed it. This is a blatant contravention of the Vienna Convention,' says Rajeev Srinivasan.
An evil empire grows
'The law enforcers and the law breakers are actually on the same side. In fact, in the same business. Extortion and bribery. It is the same system that bullies beggars, extorts hawkers, kills stray dogs, beats up homosexuals, collects hafta from sex workers. This is the system that will not allow you to take a single step unless you grease it,' says Pritish Nandy.
THE REDIFF SPECIALS
Smaller states: Does size matter?
'"Ultimately," says one former CabSec, "what matters is the government. A big state has huge advantages, but if the big states do not make use of these advantages, they are bound to suffer." "Maharashtra had some great administrators, men who went beyond politics to give the state a solid base in industry," says another former CabSec. "Similarly, Karnataka shot ahead because of the far-sightedness of Devraj Urs. Which north Indian state can boast of such great men?'
At least one tiger is killed by poachers every day
"Though Indian wildlife protection laws are considered amongst the most stringent in the world, the lack of a trained enforcement staff force has rendered these laws weak, almost non existent," reveals one wildlife expert.
Kerala: Strict law to ban defections in local bodies
OCTOBER 1
Indian team to finalise long-term military-technical document with Russia
"This document will cover military supplies, technical cooperation, exchange of specialists and experts and it will be valid till 2010 AD," a senior defence ministry official told Rediff On The Net.
'Delhi prefers Congress in assembly poll, wants Sonia as PM if BJP govt falls'
A survey conducted by the Centre for Media Studies clearly shows that the Congress has won back the confidence of minorities, particularly Muslim voters.
Kalyan completes a lacklustre one year in office
The UP chief minister has, no doubt, achieved milestones in certain areas, but the image of a tough administrator had taken a beating, leave alone the political dissension within the BJP that has left the chief minister and some of his notorious cabinet colleagues locked in a clearly visible cold war. But even on the administrative front, he had failed to pursue his agenda of a corruption-free and fear-free society.
Congress in Goa believes there's plenty in a name
The kind of remedy the party has in mind, of course, is to
have a legal right over certain names, which can influence
or confuse the voter. The second option is to amend the Election Symbols Order 1968, prohibiting any political group from using name or a surname of any individual in its nomenclature.
Something is rotten in the Hindi heartland
A statistical look at some of the unflattering similarities between Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.
Lankan army makes up for setback by capturing Mankulam from LTTE
A Sri Lankan military statement said Mankulam town on the Vavuniya-Killinochchi highway fell to advancing troops at 0900 hours on Wednesday. The rebels had held the heavily fortified town since January, despite repeated assaults by troops to capture it. However, military analysts said the capture of Mankulam was small consolation for the loss of the bigger and more strategic Killinochchi town, 30 km northwards.
Mahatma's memorial in Madras runs to seed
As dusk falls over the teeming metropolis, the
memorials to Dravidian leaders C N Annadurai and M G Ramachandran
on the Marina, awash with designer lights, draw faithfuls and
tourists, but Gandhi Mandapam
near the Raj Bhavan presents a picture of silence,
with a few fluorescent lamps and a lone watchman keeping a vigil against the dark.
Controversy haunts Mysore's glorious landmark
Mysore palace, which attracts million of tourists for its architectural splendour and for the world famous Dasara festivities, has a glorious past.
Ayyappa devotees rise against liquor baron's golden offering
A decision to decorate the Sabarimala sreekovil (sanctum sanctoram) with gold leaves has sparked a storm as the Rs.17.5 million required for the operation comes from liquor baron Vijaya Mallya.
THE REDIFF INTERVIEW
'Even if this government goes against the grain and does sign the CTBT, there is no surety of ratification as of today'
'Countries like China and Russia will not ratify unless the US does so. An Indian signing of the treaty or an Indian pledge to do so can help the ratification of the treaty, or to get a majority in the Senate, but not guarantee it. A lot depends on what happens behind the scenes, what the Clinton administration does. Yet, there is the risk that the treaty will not come into force.' Achin Vanaik,former journalist and a confirmed peacenik, explains the fallout of India signing the CTBT.
THE REDIFF COLUMNISTS
Can We Please Not Give A Damn About Cricket?
'On the evidence of the recent Commonwealth Games alone, we have world class weight-lifters, shooters, badminton players. And a hockey team that may be showing signs of turning a big corner. It's too bad all that gets blacked out by meaningless, forgettable cricket in Toronto. It's too bad we care so much about meaningless cricket in Toronto. In fact, it's too bad we play so much meaningless cricket,' argues Dilip D'Souza.
The 20 billion rupee question
'Mulayam's suggestion merits deeper reflection. But before we do so, let us put the matter in perspective. First, Pakistan has not asked for the loan. And there is nothing to suggest that, if offered, the loan will be accepted. Secondly, Pakistan's economic problems are so humungous that Rs 20 billion
would be neither here nor there. Pakistan requires a bail-out that only its petroleum-rich friends in the Organisation of Islamic Conference or the IMF or the United States
could extend it.' Mani Shankar Aiyar makes a counterpoint.
THE REDIFF SPECIALS
Betting still a blot on cricketing escutcheon
Opinion varies on the exact amount of money that changes hands during a major tournament, but it is accepted that it easily runs into millions of rupees. Naturally, allegations fly quick and fast about the nexus between players and the big boys of the betting world.
SEPTEMBER 30
Left moots third front to oust BJP
According to CPI-M general secretary Surjeet, who is now directly liasing with Congress president Sonia Gandhi on the formation of an alternative government at the Centre, the important partners in the front could include the Telugu Desam Party, the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, the Janata Dal and the Samajwadi Party.
US moves closer to granting Clinton waiver on sanctions
US lawmakers have approved an amendment by Sen Sam Brownback that allows sanctions on India and Pakistan, imposed following nuclear tests by the two countries, to be waived for one year. The bill must now go before the full congress.
Russia to ignore US pressure, continue arms supplies to India
On the eve of the forthcoming visit of an Indian defence delegation to Moscow, the Voice of Russia has said the Kremlin will go ahead with an agreement regarding the supply of 10 new Su-10 fighter planes, new generation of submarines and high-tech missiles to India, despite the US pressure not to do so.
Advani promises inquiry into attacks on missionaries
The Congress has accused the VHP and the Bajrang Dal of launching organized attacks on Christian institutions and demanded that the central and state governments take action against these elements.
BJP demands white paper on Article 356
The party, which is still cut-up over the President's rejection of its proposal to dismiss the Bihar government, wants a debate 'in the right perspective' on all the 110 or so instances since
Independence when elected state governments were dismissed.
Vajpayee happy with progress of Indo-US talks
Former American secretary of state Henry Kissinger hosted a breakfast meeting in honour of the Indian prime minister. Among the invitees were bankers, media representatives, Frank Wisner, and Rupert Murdoch.
Agitation against UP Reorganisation Bill
The Uttarakhand Kranti Dal proposes to launch an agitation from October 2 against the amendments moved by the Uttar Pradesh government to the Uttaranchal Bill.
Gen Karamat denies rumours about martial law
The chief of army staff said the people spreading such rumours were enemies of Pakistan.
LTTE wrests back town from Lankan army
Sri Lanka's northern town of Killinochchi has
fallen to the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam after two days
of fierce fighting, in a major setback to the government's military campaign against the rebels.
Lankan plane with 55 on-board missing after takeoff from Jaffna
Lionair, which owns the missing plane, is one
of the two private companies providing civilian air service between Colombo and Jaffna. The planes' normal flight path is over the sea just along the coast, past areas held by rebels, and naturally suspicion has fallen on the LTTE.
THE REDIFF COLUMNISTS
Postmortem
'Hindutvawad gained strength from what's perceived as the utter bias of leftists/secularists towards minority feelings, with scant regard for Hindu sensitivities. And, the disputing camp has always held any thought/act by right-wingers as Nazism. It's a clash of mindsets,' says Varsha Bhosle.
THE REDIFF SPECIALS
We are not fragile
'The alarmists of different kinds have a shared concept of Indian culture as terribly flimsy and brittle. This is where, I believe, my main difference is with the fearful: in the recognition of our ability to be welcoming to new influences without losing what we value and have reason to treasure. There are good reasons to recognise the robustness of our culture.' Amartya Sen, the world-renowned economist, assesses the millennium.
Andhra Pradesh: Naidu rules out early assembly elections
TODAY'S WEATHER
Wet spell continues in Andamans
Heavy rainfall is likely at isolated places in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, coastal Andhra Pradesh, Rayalaseema, coastal Karnataka and Kerala during the next 48 hours.
SEPTEMBER 29
Vajpayee blasts P-5 for enforcing nuclear hegemony
"For 50 years, world peace has been secured on the tenures
principle of nuclear deterrence. But this cannot be durable basis of peace. The conscience of humanity demands that the world move away from deterrence to disarmament," the prime minister said in his address to the Asia Society in New York on Monday.
Charges framed in Coimbatore blasts
The Tamil Nadu police's chargesheet accuses 166 persons, including Al-Umma leaders S A Basha and PDP chief Abdul Madani, and says there was a seven-member suicide squad ready for Advani.
Advani insists Rabri ought to have been sacked
The Congress made it clear that it was in favour of retaining Article 356 as well as the post of governor, but said misuse of the provision should be prevented.
Bihar minister revolts against RJD
Programme Implementation Minister Aklu Ram Mahato gave a call to all MPs and MLAs of the Jharkhand region to assemble in Bokaro on October 2 to decide the course of action on the Jharkhand issue.
Akali Dal-B to share seats with BJP in Delhi, Rajasthan
Punjab Chief Minister and Shiromani Akali Dal-Badal president Parkash Singh Badal has said his party would enter into a seat-sharing agreement with the BJP in the coming assembly elections in Delhi and Rajasthan.
US experts lukewarm to India's offer on CTBT
"The prime minister could have discussed several subjects of considerable interest on the nuclear issue. People outside India are very interested in hearing why India tested and what it intends to do with its nuclear capability. They want to know if the Indian government is considering how to reduce nuclear dangers. The speech was too minimalist for that," said Michael Krepon, president of the Henry L Stimson Center, a Washington-based non-proliferation think-tank.
Congress won't try to topple BJP just yet
CWC member and former Lok Sabha speaker P A Sangma said the party does not visualise forming a government at the Centre "until we are able to bring back Uttar Pradesh and Bihar to our fold".
Judge rules Bombay police's two encounters were 'fake'
Principal sessions judge A S Aguiar of the city
civil and sessions court, Bombay, who probed into two police encounters in which
alleged gangsters Sada Pawle and Vijay Tandel, and a peanut vendor
Abu Sayma alias Javed Fawda were brutally killed, on Monday stated that
they cannot be said to be genuine encounters.
Ramakrishna Mission wins prestigious Gandhi Prize
The mission, founded by Swami Vivekanand in 1897, was
chosen from among 53 nominees from all over the
world by a jury chaired by Vajpayee. This is the first time
an institution has been chosen for this prestigious award.
'I never thought something like this could happen in our village'
Police say the criminals had originally planned to rob a vet in a nearby village. But as his good luck -- and the nuns' ill luck -- would have it, that attempt failed and they turned their attention to the Priti Sharan Mission. Syed Firdaus Ashraf reports from Jhabua, Madhya Pradesh.
Taslima likely to seek bail
Controversial author Taslima Nasreen may apply for bail before a higher Bangladeshi court to avoid arrest, a family member said.
Pak opposition demands probe against Sharief
The demand comes a day after a British newspaper accused him of tax evasion and siphoning millions of dollars from his country's coffers into personal bank accounts.
Rehabilitation centre to bail out Vrindavan widows
Often discarded by their families, ostensibly to further their quest for moksha (salvation), countless widows have ended up exploited and destitute in the Brajbhumi towns of Mathura and Vrindavan.
Jumbo issue sees settlement in Kerala, finally!
A 34-year-old pachyderm, caught in the cobwebs of a legal battle between its custodians, has finally found a permanent home after five years.
THE REDIFF COLUMNISTS
Circle of Treason
'The prime minister's Bihar blunder is like Bill Gates not knowing how to boot a computer and does no justice to his amassed years of parliamentary experience. Apart from the damage inflicted on the gubernatorial office, it is obvious that the political cost of the Bihar misadventure to the BJP is enormous. The President's Bihar decision, thus, is a landmark one -- it strengthens the prime minister even while weakening his government,' says Saisuresh Sivaswamy.
THE REDIFF SPECIALS
No signing on the dotted line
The ball is now in the court of the interlocutors -- particularly the US -- and the response of the Clinton
administration would be instructive. The choice is to ignore reality and demonise India as the primary problem to nuclear non-proliferation, or
recognise India's restraint and its legitimate security compulsions and encourage it to be part of the solution to managing the nuclear turbulence
in the troubled post Cold War years, says Cdr C Uday Bhaskar.
'The progress of culture, science and mathematics has greatly benefited from learning things across the borders'
'If Westernisation is to be feared, we surely need an analysis that goes beyond the simple identification of the origin of a thing or a thought. Not to be able to distinguish creative influences from debilitating dependence on others would be a blinding mistake.' World renowned economist Amartya Sen assesses the millennium.
Jammu & Kashmir: 7 Vaishnodevi pilgrims killed
Maharashtra: PM's help to be sought on Belgaum
Maharashtra: Agitating staff to face action
TODAY'S WEATHER
More rain in Andhra, Andamans
Heavy rainfall is likely at isolated places in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, coastal Andhra Pradesh, Rayalseema, coastal Karnataka and Kerala during the next 48 hours.
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