At least 17 waitresses nabbed from an illegal bar in Maharashtra escaped from a correctional home here early Wednesday after throwing chilli powder in the eyes of the watchman, an official said. Eight were later caught.
The incident took place at the Vatsalya Mahila Vastigriha (VMV) in the city, according to a police complaint lodged by the hostel authorities.
VMV head Nalini Patil told mediapersons the incident occurred when the lone security guard opened the main gate to allow the milkman to enter around 4.30 a.m.
“Suddenly, the girls who were hiding sprang and threw chilli powder on his face, blinding him and taking advantage of the darkness, escaped” Patil said.
Afterwards, the watchman informed the hostel officials who alerted the Sakarwada police station.
A police search team was organised which fanned out in the localities and also flashed wireless messages to all police vans to check important roads and exits from the city.
The prompt action bore fruit and eight were caught loitering or hiding in the Panchati area.
Investigating officer Suresh Padvi said the hunt for the remaining nine was on.
Patil said these waitresses were among the 41 women who were nabbed following a police raid few days back on a clandestine bar in Thane district.
Following a court order, the women were shifted to VMV, Nashik.
Patil said the women often said they wanted to be reunited with their families and children and demanded they be released from the hostel at the earliest.
17 waitresses escape from Nashik correctional home, eight caught
Andhra Pradesh died, Telangana Born
Seemandhra is burning and many ended their life to stop this division of Andhra Pradesh. Meanwhile, Kiran Reddy, one of the personal choices of Sonia Gandhi’s to be selected as the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh has resigned as state chief minister and sat on dharna in Delhi against division of the state. He turned from a Congress regional leader to a disgruntled rebel in his nearly 39-month tumultuous tenure. Reddy’s government had faced a serious threat to its stability with Jaganmohan Reddy, the aggressive and charismatic son of late Y S Rajasekhara Reddy.
The government, however, survived the no-trust motion on the floor of the House due to the merger of actor-turned-politician Chiranjeevi’s Praja Rajyam with Congress and Jagan being jailed in an alleged corruption case. He became the first Congress Chief Minister in the history of the grand old party to stage a sit-in in the heart of the national capital against the high command’s decision to carve out Telangana, embarrassing it in no small measure. fifty three-year-old Reddy might have earned the wrath of the Congress leadership for his strident stand against division of AP, but he has now positioned himself as a champion of ‘Samaikyandhra cause’ seeking to upstage the likes of charismatic and resourceful Y S Jaganmohan Reddy, who is also fighting for the same political space. The selection of Reddy for the post of Chief Minister was surprising even to Congress insiders in 2010 as he had never been a minister and not known to be a mass leader. Political analysts had predicted that the cricketer-turned- politician would not remain in office for more than a few months given the fluid political situation in Andhra Pradesh on account of the raging separate Telangana agitation and the Jagan factor.
At least, Kiran Kumar Reddy has the guts to oppose Congress party’s decision which no other politicians have within Congress and that makes me happy. At least, he should be happy on moral grounds. The time has come, for people to throw BJP and Congress parties out of power. People of entire country should get rid of both these selfish, time- serving parties. This illegal act of dividing Andhra Pradesh is the result of wicked, dishonest and egotistic of people joining hands for the hungry for power parties.
Meanwhile, citizens of this country are fed up with the behaviour of the members of 15th Lok Sabha and they are looking forward to the general elections. The blacking out the live broadcast, whether due to a genuine technical glitch or, as is widely suspected, a premeditated and thoroughly miscalculated act, is very unfortunate as it casts a bad light on the birth of Telangana. The proceedings of this historical moment, irrespective of the commotion and unruly behaviour in the house, should have been available for the nation to witness and for history to chronicle. Now, it is Telangana and its people who will have to bear the stain despite the fact that the majority of the house asserted the creation of the new state.
Modi attacks Congress but his party leaders are hand in glove with Congress Party. BJP and all who are showing care for Telangana is actually power hungry people. If you deny power to them they will attack you furiously. There is great example of Harshavardan and Goel in Delhi. They are behaving like a cat which scratches lamp post. Another sample of Congress and BJP being hand in gloves is voting for Lok Pal and Telangana ills in parliament. These two parties are fooling public. They wouldn’t have played with the sentiments and livelihood of Andhra Pradesh people without having a consensus. People should not vote any of those MPs who are part of the conspiracy in passing the Telangana bill after black out and in closed doors.
Each minister was aware that the telecast will be stopped. Sushma Swaraj in her enthusiasm to become Chinnamma (for Telangana) went ahead with her speech. AP politics will become murkier. Congress and BJP will not be supported by the people of Seemandhra. Kiran Kumar Reddy also may not get enough support from his own people. Chandrasekar Rao has to wait and see how far he will be successful. Chandra Babu Naidu may get the advantage. Andhra politicians are divided too. They are greedy and money minded. They have spent little time for their people and have spent more time in promoting their businesses. No other linguist state would show the kind of disunity as Andhra Pradesh has displayed when faced with a crisis situation. Kiran Kumar Reddy was the only sane voice from the Congress’ side. The people of Andhra Pradesh should give a fitting reply to the Congress party in the coming elections. They along with BJP have paved the way for the ruin of a prosperous state.
Article empowering Parliament to undertake division of a state unilaterally without the consent of the state legislature needs a thorough review by the Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court. In India, there is a possibility of a Union Government that has no representation from south of Vindhyas. A greater drama came to end with this. Finally, on very sorry state and painful note, we can say “Telangana is born as state”. Let Andhra people show their hard work in building up their own state which is also a dream project. Let go Telangana.
If PM’s killers are released, can common man expect justice? Rahul slams Jayalalithaa’s decision
Rahul Gandhi today said he was sad that seven people convicted of killing his father, former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, were being released by the Tamil Nadu government.
“My father became a martyr. We are against the death penalty. (But) If a Prime Minister’s killers are being released, what kind of justice should the common man expect?” Mr. Gandhi said, hours after the Jayalalithaa government announced that all the convicts would be freed, a politically significant decision ahead of the national election, due by May.
The convicts have been in jail for 23 years. One of them, Nalini Sriharan, was granted mercy in 2000 on the intervention of Rahul’s mother and Rajiv Gandhi’s widow, Congress president Sonia Gandhi.
The Supreme Court on Tuesday spared three of the convicts, Nalini’s husband Murugan, Santhan and Perarivalan, from execution, citing the 11-year delay in a decision on their mercy plea, and left it to the Tamil Nadu government to release them.
Shortly after Rahul Gandhi’s comments, his Congress party officially denounced the Jayalalithaa government’s decision, calling it “irresponsible, perverse and populist.”
Congress leaders from Tamil Nadu, however, may find it difficult to share this view given the largely pro-Lankan Tamil sentiment in the state. Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated by a woman operative of the Lankan Tamil separatist outfit LTTE, who greeted the Congress leader with a sandalwood garland and a bomb strapped to her chest during a rally in 1991.
The case has been inextricably linked to Tamil Nadu’s electoral politics over the years, with all parties joining calls to release the convicts.
“Our grief arises out of the fact that Rajiv Gandhi was killed brutally. I can’t say I am unhappy. It’s the decision of the Supreme Court, so it is not a matter of happiness or unhappiness. I am neither happy nor unhappy. If they walk free, they walk free after 23 years in prison. If court decides that 22 years of imprisonment is sufficient, then that’s it,” union minister P Chidambaram, who is from Tamil Nadu, said. “I do not see this as cynical politics.”
Jayalalithaa’s rival Karunanidhi of the DMK said, “It’s not a prompt decision by the state government. They ridiculed me when I proposed their release.”
Telangana Bill has to wait another day in Rajya Sabha, PM reaches out to BJP
The Rajya Sabha has been adjourned for the day without being able to take up the Telangana bill that the Lok Sabha approved on Tuesday under controversial circumstances, with live telecast cut off.
The BJP wants a constitutional amendment in the Bill, which would not only require two thirds majority to clear, but will also need to go back to the lower house for ratification. It has sought a total of 20 amendments to help pass the bill in the Rajya Sabha.
There are two days remaining of this the last session of Parliament before national elections due by May.
Sources say Congress President and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi has requested the PM to give special category status to Seemandhra. This is being seen as an attempt to meet half way the BJP’s demands for a special package.
The BJP had helped pass the bill in the Lok Sabha. Now it wants a constitutional amendment to empower a common governor to be custodian of security for the 10 years that the two states will share a common capital in Hyderabad. It also wants included a compensation package for Seemandhra, the non-Telangana region of Andhra Pradesh which fears a smaller share of water, power and revenue once the new state is carved out.
The government must pass the bill in both Houses of Parliament by Friday. Disruptions have continued in both houses.Prime Minister Manmohan Singh reached out to the BJP, meeting senior leaders Arun Jaitley and Venkaiah Naidu to break the impasse.
The BJP has asked the Rajya Sabha chairman to ensure proper discussion on the bill. It wants to ensure all parties get a chance to debate the bill, unlike the way it was passed in the Lok Sabha yesterday with many parties protesting. Union minister Rajeev Shukla on will bring introduce the bill in the Upper House on Thursday.
Kiran Kumar Reddy resigned as Chief Minister and quit his Congress party. “Linking the bifurcation of the state to political gains is wrong,” Mr. Reddy said. “I tried my best to prevent Telangana. Sorry, I couldn’t.”
Union minister P Chidambaram told that Mr. Reddy should have been asked to resign “much sooner.”
Protests against Telangana took an ugly turn in the Rajya Sabha, as a TDP MP, C Ramesh, tried to snatch papers from the Secretary General, and ended up hitting him on the chin. The MP apologised to the house later. There were repeated disruptions in both houses.
Death for three men who gang-raped teen, poured acid on her and gouged out her eyes
Three men who gang-raped a 19-year-old girl in Delhi in February 2012, poured acid on her and later gouged out her eyes with a screwdriver have been sentenced to death by a city court.
The teenager’s mutilated and decomposed body was found in a village in Haryana three days after she was kidnapped on her way home from her office in Gurgaon. Her body also bore cigarette burn marks.
According to the prosecution, the convicts repeatedly raped and brutalized her for three days before she died. Two of the convicts were brothers. The prosecution said they had planned revenge on the girl, who had rejected their advances.
The Delhi Police had asked for the death sentence for the rapists saying their crime was in the rarest of rare category. The prosecution also told the court that the convicts had not shown any remorse during the trial. The trio was convicted on Thursday.
The girl, who worked as a data entry operator in Gurgaon, was kidnapped by the three men near her house in Qutub Vihar area of Delhi. She was allegedly raped and tortured till she died on February 9, 2012.
All in the name of democracy: After pepper spray; now netas strip, slap
Who better than the elected representatives can put “sincere” efforts to make India live up to its promise of being a ‘land full of surprises’. Be it MPs or MLAs, all of them strive to improve our image, each passing day.
Even before the country could digest the utter senseless act by Andhra MP L Rajagopal, when he used the pepper spray to terrorize the Parliament into submission against the creation of Telangana, others of his ilk have raised the bar on what all is acceptable inside the hallowed precincts of Parliament and state assemblies, where people’s representatives gather to find solutions to the problems faced by the teeming millions.
After the Lok Sabha passed the Telangana Bill amid a controversial media blackout and slogan shouting, the ‘scene’ shifted to the Rajya Sabha today.
As expected, it was pandemonium from the word go. Things turned for the worse after Telugu Desam Party (TDP) MP, CM Ramesh, snatched papers from Secretary General Shumsher K Sheriff’s and hit at the mike on his table.
Ramesh lost his cool when Deputy Chairman P J Kurien asked Sherrif to read the message from Lok Sabha, which obviously included a mention about passage of the Telangana Bill.
And, for the record – just for it – Rajya Sabha is the “House of Elders”.
While the drama in Parliament is far from over, matters were no better in the Jammu and Kashmir assembly today.
Here, PDP MLA Syed Bashir slapped an assembly security official at least thrice when the latter tried to force him out of the house on the orders of the Speaker. Bashir had tried to storm into the well of the house.
Bashir has been at the forefront of the Opposition’s attacks on the National conference government over the controversy surrounding the molestation charges against former health minister Shabir Khan.
But Bashir’s antics can’t hold a candle to the level of theatrics witnessed in the Uttar Pradesh assembly.
In Lucknow, two Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) MLAs chose to remove their kurtas inside the Assembly to protest against the anti-farmer policies of the Akhilesh Yadav government.
As soon as the proceedings of the joint house began at 11 am, BSP members climbed on their benches displaying banner and placards to highlight what they called the failure of the Samajwadi government and demanded dismissal of the government.
Not willing to be outsmarted, RLD MLAs – Veer Pal and Sudesh Sharma – took off their kurtas to treat the house with a good view of their naked torso; all for a cause of course – they were demanding payment of sugarcane dues.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Mohammad Azam Khan counter-attacked and said they were shameless people, who have no right as they have looted the people of the state.
Later, Khan, while talking to reporters, quipped that it would have been better if the MLAs had taken off their pyjamas as well.
The address by Governor B L Joshi could not be heard amid the din and lasted for barely three to four minutes after which he left.
It is not the first time that MPs and MLAs have resorted to theatrics, bordering hooligan, inside the house and let’s be assured that it would not be the last time.
From MLAs doing half-monty to a CM sleeping on the streets, it is all done in the name of democracy and the ‘Aam Aadmi’. And, they say democracy is maturing by the day.
Chidambaram wants to boost revenue by taxing my speeches: Modi
Continuing his verbal spat with Finance Minister P Chidambaram, BJP’s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi on Wednesday said the union minister is working hard to boost the country’s revenues by imposing service tax on his speeches.
“The Finance Minister claims to be doing a lot of hard work. Last evening I was informed on what he is working so hard…To increase India’s revenue, he has decided to impose service tax on my speeches,” Modi said.
“Even my speeches are contributing to the nation and I am happy to know this,” he said while addressing a seminar on ‘Financial Services- a key driver for economic growth’ at Gujarat International finance Tec-city (GIFT).
The central government should concentrate on job creation, Modi said.
The war of words between Modi and Chidambaram has been going on for some time now in the run up to the Lok Sabha elections.
Commenting on the vote-on-account presented by the Finance Minister, Modi had earlier tweeted: “The only solace one gets from the vote-on-account is that this was UPA’s final act of misery after a decade of decay and policy paralysis.”
“It is upto the people to decide whether the Economist PM & FM have been ‘hard working’ or ‘hardly working’ in their tenure,” Modi had said in another tweet.
Earlier, Chidambaram had said that Modi’s knowledge on economy can be written behind a postal stamp.
Replying to that criticism, Modi had accused Chidambaram of mishandling economy and taunted him a few days ago saying that high growth rate in Gujarat was because of his hard work and not education in Harvard University.
Chidambaram had hit back at Modi in his interim Budget speech saying, “My mother and Harvard taught me the value of hard work.”
Maulana Masood Azhar planning to target elections in India?
Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) leader Maulana Masood Azhar is planning to launch suicide attacks in India during major elections rallies ahead of General Elections, reports claimed on Wednesday.
Azhar, one of the three terrorists released by India to end the Kandahar hijack in 1999, has also planned a plane hijack , with smaller airfields being the target.
Intelligence reports suggest that the JeM founder had recently in a rally held in Muzaffarabad, Pakistan-occupied Kashmir said that he has a team of suicide bombers ready to attack India.
“There are 313 fidayeen (fighters who are ready to die) in this gathering and if a call is given the number will go up to 3,000,” he told the rally held in the city of Muzaffarabad by telephone. A Reuters journalist who was present said a telephone was held next to a microphone which broadcast his comments to loudspeakers.
Earlier reports had claimed that Azhar had vowed to eliminate Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi if he becomes Prime Minister.
According to reports, JeM’s Pakistan-based founder Azhar had issued the warning in the outfit’s online weekly magazine al-Qalam.
Besides JeM founder Massod Azhar, Jamaat-ud-Dawah (JuD) chief Md Hafiz Saeed has also issued similar threats to Modi, who is BJP’s PM nominee for 2014 polls.
Azhar was arrested in Kashmir in 1994 while travelling on a forged Portuguese passport. India freed him and two other jailed Pakistani militants in 1999 in return for 155 passengers held hostage in an Indian Airlines aircraft that was hijacked to southern Afghanistan.
Naxals have close links with foreign Maoist groups
Naxals have close links with foreign Maoist organisations in Philippines, Turkey and a few other countries and possibility of their front outfits getting foreign funds cannot be ruled out, Rajya Sabha was informed.
“The CPI (Maoist) have close links with foreign Maoist organisations in Philippines, Turkey etc. The outfit is also a member of the Coordination Committee of Maoist Parties and Organisations of South Asia. The Maoist parties of South Asian countries are members of this conglomerate,” Minister of State for Home RPN Singh said replying a written question.
The Minister said the recovery of arms and ammunition of foreign origin from Left Wing Extremists in different encounters is an indication of the fact that the outfit is procuring weapons from external sources.
Moreover, the possibility of some front organisations of the CPI (Maoist) clandestinely getting foreign funds cannot be ruled out.
“Inputs indicate that some senior cadres of the Communist Party of Philippines imparted training to the cadres of CPI (Maoist) in 2005 and 2011,” he said.
The LWE groups have participated in seminars conducted in Belgium and Germany. The so-called ‘People’s War’ being waged by the CPI(Maoist) against the Indian state has also drawn support from several Maoist fringe organisations located in Germany, France, Turkey, Italy etc.
Singh, however, said no specific intelligence inputs are available to indicate that the Naxals are getting financial assistance from external agencies or other countries.
Mamata responded to my demands, will support her, not Kejriwal: Anna
Anti-corruption activist Anna Hazare on Wednesday came all out in support of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee saying she should be the next Prime Minister of the country. He also said he will campaign for all Trinamool Congress candidates ahead of the 2014 Lok Sabha elections.
“I support Mamata, not for her party, but I support her views on the society and the country. I support her values and intentions,” Anna said in a joint press conference with Mamata Banerjee.
He said Mamata banerjee was the only Chief Minister who responded to the 17 demands sent in a letter by him to every CM. “These 17 points can help us change the country for the better, Mamata says these will adopted if she comes to power,” Anna said.
He said he had full faith in Mamata. “Many people may question whether Didi would fulfil these demands after coming to power. But I have full faith in Mamata. These 17 points can indeed fulfil the economic needs of the country,” Anna said.
Hitting out at Aam Aadmi Party leader and his former aide Arvind Kejriwal, Anna said there is no question of supporting him. “Arvind Kejriwal didn’t reply to my 17 demands, there’s no question of supporting him,” Anna said.