Daily News Magazine from India & around the world.

The Government swung into action to ready the land acquisition law that is in the making for the past five years after Sonia Gandhi last week stressed its urgency to protect farmers and fertile land, but Railway Minister and Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee now wants not to hurry with it.

It is the same, Mamata who has been harping on replacement of the British legacy of the Land Acquisition Act of 1984 with a pro- people land law, but she now wants a bill for the purpose proposed to be brought in the upcoming Parliament session sent to a standing committee. Since she may not be attending the Cabinet meetings in near future, she got in touch with Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee in Kolkata on Sunday to suggest that the new law should not be enacted until the West Bengal elections are over next year.

A Kolkata daily quoted a Trinamool minister without identifying him state: " Given the sensitivity attached to land acquisition in Bengal, we don't want to take any risk during the Assembly polls. So it is better if the bill is sent to a standing committee. By the time the committee gives its opinion on the bill, our Assembly polls will be over."
Read more...

Delhi legislators cutting across party lines on Thursday refused to start a discussion on law and order in Delhi, condemning police commissioner Y. S. Dadwal who didn’t turn up despite being invited.

The discussion has been rescheduled for Monday after Dadwal failed to turn up even after the assembly was adjourned for 30 minutes and he was called again.

Normally, heads of government departments are invited to listen to what legislators have to say and they usually attend unless busy.

Dadwal gave the assembly the miss even in the last session but came after the House was adjourned over his absence. Dadwal sent his second- in- command, special commissioner ( administration) Neeraj Kumar, to attend the session.

Before adjourning the House, Speaker Yoganand Shastri asked chief minister Sheila Dikshit to ensure that the commissioner turned up in 30 minutes.

Coming out of the House after Dadwal didn’t arrive even after the adjournment, Dikshit told reporters that all legislators wanted the commissioner to attend and that it was a serious issue.

Speaker Shastri called it a contempt of the assembly as he came out of the House after adjourning the session till Friday afternoon.

“What’s the point if all of us here voice our worries over worsening law and order while the man in charge of ensuring safety of citizens is not present to hear us,” said leader of Opposition V. K. Malhotra. “ Dadwal’s absence in the assembly is a serious issue of contempt of the House and an insult to the CM,” he added.
Read more...

After the BJP made conciliatory noises over the nuclear liability Bill, the Left parties also appear ready to blink.

If the BJP’s grouse was the “ India- centric” focus of the Bill, the Left parties want the foreign suppliers of raw materials to also be liable in case of a disaster.

The four Left parties debated the parliamentary standing committee report on the Bill on Thursday and came up with a specific objection — the usage of the word “ and” in clause 17.

The clause talks about the liability of foreign suppliers and says under sub-clause (a) that they are liable only if they have a written contract with the nuclear plant operator specifying this.

The standing committee report has recommended that a sub-clause (b) should be included, saying foreign suppliers are also liable if there is a latent or patent defect, supply of sub- standard material, defective equipment or services or gross negligence on the part of the supplier.

But it has also added an “and” between subclauses (a) and (b), which implies that the supplier is liable only if all these issues are mentioned in the written contract.

“ We are all aware that no American supplier will sign such a written contract with the Indian government operator. The entire Bill has been designed to protect them on the insistence of the American government.

We are happy the standing committee included clause (b) but it should delete the ‘ and’ which renders it ineffective,” CPM general secretary Prakash Karat said.

However, Karat’s tough stand against the Bill as well as the Indo- US nuclear deal appears to have diluted considerably.

Queried on whether the Left parties would support the Bill if the UPA accommodated the “ and” deletion, he said: “ We will be willing to consider it.” The Left parties have also raised other objections, including the cap on liability on the part of the operator.

The standing committee recommendations revised the cap from the original Rs 500 crore to Rs 1,500 crore, but the Left parties feel there should not be a cap limiting this amount at all.
Read more...

Telugu Desam Party announced the complete Andra Bandh for 19th July, 2010 when TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu and 74 partymen arrested by Maharashtra Police at Dharmabad during the protest over an irrigation project in Babli were remanded to two days judicial custody after they refused to take bail.

TDP senior leaders in Hyderabad held an emergency meeting at the party headquarters here this evening and finalised the action programme. They also had a teleconference with Chandrababu Naidu who was remanded to two days judicial custody by a court in Dharmabad in Maharashtra.

“We appeal to the people to co-operate and make the agitation a success,” Yanamala said. Meanwhile, information reaching here said the arrested TDP leaders were refusing to be lodged as separate groups in different prisons in Maharashtra.”

We shall all stay together. Take us to only one prison wherever it is,” they reportedly told the Maharashtra police.”We have been informally told by the police that they will continue our detention in the Dharmabad ITI itself.

Now it is the decision of the people of Andhra to support the Bandh or not as first we shall find out whether this bandh is for the benefit of the state or the benefit of the party.

Readers are welcome to write their views in the comments section.
Read more...

Bharat Bandh against price rise are not supported by major political parties because of the political contradictions and electoral compulsions of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.

BSP in Uttar Pradesh has not yet revealed its decision to support the bandh tomorrow. BSP does not want to attend the bandh with its main rivals SP which is supporting the movement in full fledged way tomorrow.

In Bihar, the RJD and the LJP chief opposition party distanced itself from the bandh, however JDU would support the bandh.

LJP leader Ram Vilas Paswan said,''We are not involved in bharat bandh. We cannot go with the BJP. We have already announced Bandh on July 10 against inflation.''He said clearly, How can we stand with BJP and JDU.

Immaterial of these supports, bandh is going to take place tomorrrow and trasnport in capita is expected to hot severely. The four Left parties - CPM, CPI, RSP and Forward Bloc - will organise a protest demonstration at the busy ITO Chowk, which connects east Delhi with the heart of the Capital.


The participating parties which have confimed their support to this movement are BJP, Shiv Sena, Samajwadi Party, JD(U), CPM, CPI, Forward Block, RSP, AIADMK, PMK, MDMK, TDP, BJD, JD(S), AGP, Akali Dal and INLD.
Read more...

Nation is going to observe Bharat Bandh on 5th July, 2010 which was called by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and later joined by Samajwadi Party against price rise in petroleum prices. Samajwadi Party on Thursday appealed to the Rashtriya Janata Dal, the Lok Jan Shakti Party and the Rashtriya Lok Dal to follow suit.

he BJP president said Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi few days back released the UPA Government’s Report Card and both have categorically admitted that checking price rise has been the major failure of the Government.

“They committed to take steps to control prices. It is shocking that instead of bringing down the prices, the petroleum prices hike shall fuel the price rise further.

Meanwhile, a 12-hour nationwide ‘hartal’ (general strike) on the same day (July 5) has been called by the Left and other Opposition parties against the recent fuel price hike.

The four Left parties – Communist Party of India, CPI (Marxist), Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP) and Forward Bloc – have given the call for the strike. Besides, the AIADMK, Telegu desam Party (TDP), Samajwadi Party, Biju Janata Dal (BJD), Janata Dal (Socialist) and INLD have also supported the strike call.

New Petrol Prices has been increased by Rs 3.5 and Diesel Price by Rs 2 which is clear invitation to the rise in prices of essential commotions, eatables.

It seems sometimes opposition is necessary to carry out activities like these, may be BJP is doing this to gain people trust however this would help out the common man if they are successful in pushing the increased prices back but the question is , Is it really going to happen?
Read more...

Results of Rajya Sabha Elections which held today are coming in. Till now the news is that Lok Janshakti Party chief Ram Vilas Paswan, BJP spokesman Rajiv Pratap Rudy, Ram Kripal Yadav of the RJD and RP Singh of the Janata Dal have registered win in Bihar ; however the official confirmation would only be coming in the evening.

There are 18 Seats for which these Rajya Sabha Elections are contested which are as follows :

Bihar : 5 Seats
Rajasthan : 4 Seats
Karnataka : 4 Seats
Orissa : 3 Seats
Jharkhand : 2 Seats

Some of the intersting results which people would be waiting are Ram Jethmalani, from BJP in Rajasthan, Vijay Mallya, who is contesting as an Independent in Karnataka, former BJP President M. Venkaiah Naidu in Karnataka, Oscar Fernandes of the Congress in Karnataka, and Commerce Minister Anand Sharma of the Congress in Rajasthan.

We will update this space as more results are announced before the official news.
Read more...

Union agriculture minister Sharad Pawar’s business interests are as complex as his politics.

According to the election affidavit filed by the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) president, his investments and assets included shares in Panchshil Hotels Ltd, Baramati Agro Limited, Exactus Corporation Ltd, Karha Developers and Miners Pvt. Ltd. He also listed stakes in Lap Finance and Consultancy Pvt. Ltd and Namratta Film Enterprises Ltd. These two companies hold more than 16 per cent stakes in City Corporation Ltd which had bid for the Pune IPL team.

Pawar claims in the poll affidavit that he holds 1.47 lakh shares in Panchshil Hotels Ltd.

Pawar’s next big investment is Exactus Corporation Ltd, which provides legal process outsourcing to companies in the US, the UK and the European Union. His son-in-law is on the strategic advisory board of the company.

The firm’s website says: “ Sadanand is a significant investor in the company and has interests in the travel, education and financial sectors in India and Singapore. He is also actively involved in non- governmental institutions engaged in rural educational development programmes.” Pawar’s investment in Exactus Corp comprises 75,000 shares valued at Rs 16 lakh.

Pawar has also invested significantly in Baramati Agro Ltd, a company mainly into poultry business. His investment in the Rs 34 crore annual turnover company is 12,750 shares valued at Rs 10 each. The company, which was established in 2002, is headed by Rajendra Pawar.

While Pawar has listed in detail his investments in companies and banks, his daughter Supriya ( left) has not been so forthcoming in her election affidavit filed last year. She merely listed the value of the shares and investments held in her and her husband’s names worth about Rs 87 crore.
Read more...

As they say, change is the only thing which is constant. Here is the wind of change again; cool or hot this would people get to know after some months as Mamta Banerjee's Trinamool Congress has had a Big Clear Victory over the Left.

Trinamool Congress today has won the City Municipal Corporation Polls which consists of 141 Wards. Polling which took place on Sunday, total of 81 civic bodies across 16 districts in West Bengal, Trinamool Congress achieved success in the districts where it alone bagged 20 of 43 municipalities, the results for which were available today.

Left Front also bags wins in 12 municipalities while Congress lagged behind winning only in three.

TC have already won 2/3rd majority in the 141-member KolKata Municipal Corporation and will not require the support of the Congress.

We wish what we are about to say becomes the truth : "Let's Start to Hope for the Good Times Ahead".
Read more...

Results for Kolkata Municipal Corporation Election have been declared. Final Verdict is as Mamata Banerjee's Trinamool Congress has won with 97 Seats out of 141 total seats where as Left Front had to content with 32 Seats only.

These elections were held in 81 civic bodies around the state and the counting has been finished today. Civil Election generally lays the foundation for the Main Stage and also reflects the position of the party.

The split between Congress and TMC had given some hope to the ruling CPM, but the results have belied their hopes as Mamata Banerjee has emerged even more stronger without the Congress.

Based on this performance it might be possible that the TMC leader might decide to go alone in the West Bengal Assembly elections scheduled next year.

Mamata Banerjee commented on the victory and stated it as the semi-final for the West Bengal assembly election next year which is considered as the Grand Finale.
Read more...

SHE’S A perky brunette, a seductive model who invites men into her Moscow apartment for sex.

But if you are a member of Russia’s political opposition, you’d better look out.

The mysterious Katya is no ordinary girlnext- door but the bait in a honey trap involving hidden cameras and cleverly edited Internet videos that has snared up to six prominent critics of Prime Minister Vladimir Putin. She stars in a series of scandalous videos that has caused a stir in the Russian blogosphere and prompted speculation that they were masterminded by agents of the FSB, the successor to the Soviet- era KGB. During the Cold War, the KGB perfected the honey trap — the use of sex and threats of blackmail to compel foreign agents and diplomats to cooperate with the Soviets.

Now those tactics have been updated for the iPhone era and deployed against opponents of Putin’s government, with the apparent aim of embarrassing them and undercutting their moral authority.

In a video that surfaced online last week, three well- known Kremlin critics are shown having sex with a girl, all in the same bedroom though at different times.

They are Viktor Shenderovich, a liberal satirist; Eduard Limonov, founder of the banned National Bolshevik Party; and Alexander Belov, former leader of the nationalist Movement Against Illegal Immigration.

Shenderovich and Belov, both of whom are married, have confirmed to Russian media that they were in the video. “ For over 10 years, I have been commenting on the deeds of Mr Putin and his thuggish administration... ( they) listened indifferently and without denying anything responded with illegal filth,” Shenderovich wrote on his blog.

Limonov, who is divorced, has not confirmed whether he was in the video but wrote on his blog: “ I do not see anything objectionable about the fact that opposition men do not refuse women.” The creators of the video — posted on the website of the obscure group Civil Committee for the Defence of Morality, Law and Civil Agreement — were clearly sophisticated.

The video features multiple camera angles, music and clips from a popular comedy show. The girl’s face is digitally obscured.

“ This needs professionals,” FSB ex- agent turned anti- corruption activist Kirill Kabanov told The New Times . “ You need to observe the target, bug his phones so you know his timetable and then make sure the victim suspects nothing.” Former KGB general Alexei Kondaurov, however, told the weekly it was unlikely that state intelligence was involved.

More likely, it was private security firms who had the appropriate technical equipment.

The Katyagate scandal unfolded in March with a video that showed a man resembling Mikhail Fishman, the editor of the Russian edition of Newsweek , sniffing cocaine on a couch next to a girl in her underwear.

Then two prominent opposition activists said they had been targeted in similar honey traps, with the same girl and the same apartment shown in the Fishman video.

Ilya Yashin, a co- founder of the opposition Solidarity movement, identified the girl as Yekaterina Gerasimova — Katya for short — and said she was a model with whom he had a brief sexual relationship in 2008.
Read more...