Manmohan Singh, Banerjee share dais in Kolkata for museum’s bicentenary

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February 2, 2014

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee shared stage in Kolkata on Sunday for the celebration of the Indian Museum’s bicentenary.

Singh, while stressing on the importance of museums, said that museums are institution of learning and knowledge and they have undergone transformation all over the world. He further said, “Museums in the 19th century were seen as collections – great storehouses of objects, artefacts and pieces of art… In the late 17th century, the word museum simply meant a building used for storing and exhibiting objects illustrative of antiquities, natural history, art and the like.”

Singh, who was invited as the chief guest of the occasion, was accompanied by Union Minister Kapil Sibal, Union Culture Minister Chandresh Kumari Katoch, West Bengal Governor MK Narayanan and Planning Commission deputy chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia.

Three days back, Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee had called for a change in Delhi in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.

Meanwhile, Singh arrived in the state capital on Saturday and was received by the Governor and state Co-operation Minister Rachpal Singh at the airport.

West Bengal Pradesh Congress Committee (WBPCC) leader Manas Bhuniya said that a party delegation is likely to meet the Prime Minister on Sunday morning.

Moreover, during his visit to the state, Singh Singh has requested Union Minister Deepa Dasmunsi to end her fast which the latter began on Friday for setting up an AIIMS-like institute in her constituency Raiganj.

Supreme Court allows Centre to go ahead with spectrum auction

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Afternoon Voice

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February 2, 2014

The Supreme Court allowed the Centre to go ahead with the auction of spectrum, slated for Monday.

In a special hearing, the top court rejected any interim relief to telecom companies who sought a stay on the auction. The top court, however, admitted the plea of the companies challenging the auction, which is likely to raise Rs. 49,000 crore for the government.

Telecom operators Bharti Airtel, Vodafone, Loop and Idea had approached the Supreme Court seeking stay of spectrum auction and extension of their licenses by 10 more years.

Senior lawyers Mukul Rohatgi and Abhishek Manu Singhvi, appearing on behalf of the telecom companies, wanted a stay on tomorrow’s auction. However, additional solicitor general KV Viswanathan, appearing for the Department of Telecommunications, opposed it and wanted the auction to be held on Monday.

The Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal or TDSAT dismissed the operators’ pleas on Friday and denied extension of their licenses saying the telecom operators had been holding, for years, spectrum in excess of the contracted quantum. Further, they held on to licenses in the most premium band on rates fixed in 2001.

The licences of Vodafone and Bharti Airtel expire in November this year on completion of the 20-year period as per license conditions.

Idea’s seven licences would expire in December 2015. Loop, which operates in the Mumbai circle, has not participated in the auction process as it was waiting for the outcome of this petition.

However, Vodafone and Bharti Airtel are participating in the auction and have been short-listed as eligible bidders.

AIADMK, CPI announce alliance for Lok Sabha elections

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Afternoon Voice

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February 2, 2014

Attempting to form a “secular and democratic alternative” to dethrone Congress from power at the Centre, AIADMK and CPI announced their decision to enter into an alliance ahead of the coming Lok Sabha polls.

Addressing the press at her Poes Garden residence in Chennai along with CPI leaders AB Bardhan and Sudhakar Reddy, AIADMK chief and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa said, “AIADMK and CPI have decided to enter into an alliance to face the upcoming Lok Sabha elections together.”

Senior CPI leader Bardhan said, “I endorse whatever she has said. Our alliance will lead to victory. We will succeed.”

To a query on the increasing clamour among AIADMK cadres to project Jayalalithaa as their Prime Ministerial candidate, Bardhan said, “If we succeed in the election, as I said the prospects will open up.”

Jayalalithaa intervened to say, “All that will come later. Our aim is to win all 40 seats in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry.”

“Our slogan for the elections is Peace, Prosperity, Progress,” she said, replying a query on what would be the issues her alliance would project for the polls.

Reddy said the alliance is a “secular and democratic alternative” to win the elections.

The AIADMK General Secretary also said that CPI(M) leader Prakash Karat would meet her tomorrow.

Left parties in Tamil Nadu have remained with the ruling AIADMK in Tamil Nadu since the 2011 Assembly polls, while Manidhaneya Makkal Katchi and Puthiya Thamizhagam have left the alliance and joined hands with the DMK.

Today’s announcement emerges as a possible third front in Tamil Nadu politics for the coming Lok Sabha elections, with BJP already announcing its alliance with MDMK, while the Congress is attempting to reach out to partners.

BJP is also trying to rope in PMK and actor-politician Vijayakant’s DMDK.

After national leaders, AAP to reveal its ‘corrupt list’ for states

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Afternoon Voice

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February 2, 2014

After its ‘corrupt list’ targeting national politicians, Aam Aadmi Party says it will release a list of leaders at the state-level with corrupt, criminal or dynastic background and field candidates against them.

“We will release the list of leaders at the state level. There are many leaders in different states whose names have not been announced by the party, but are symbols of corruption, criminalisation of politics and dynastic politics.

“There are legislators who would be contesting Lok Sabha elections from Maharashtra. Some are ministers in the state while others are just MLAs. We would be releasing a similar list of such leaders,” Subhash Ware, a senior AAP leader from Maharashtra, said.

Party sources said with Assembly elections in Maharashtra and Haryana to be held just after the Lok Sabha elections, the party would be focusing on these two states in a big way. AAP has already issued a list of leaders across political

parties, including Sonia and Rahul Gandhi, BJP’s Prime Ministerial candidate Narendra Modi, SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav and BSP supremo Mayawati, apart from several UPA ministers against whom it would be fielding candidates in the Lok Sabha polls.

In Maharashtra, the party is expected to field candidates against Sharad Pawar’s daughter Supriya Sule, former Deputy Chief Minister Chhagan Bhujbal, whose name cropped in the stamp paper scam, or his son Sameer, depending on who contests the Lok Sabha polls.

AAP has already announced Vijay Pandhare, former engineer with the state government who helped unearth the irrigation scam, as a potential candidate from Nashik, currently represented by Sameer.
In Haryana, the party has also short-listed potential candidates against Congress MP Deepender Singh Hooda, son of Chief Minister Bhupinder Hooda, from Rohtak.

Mark Tully’s perception was right

By

Mahendra Singh

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February 2, 2014

Mark Tully has said that rural voters are guided by just two factors, this candidate is my man and he will do my job. How has he enunciated the truth in such simple words? This is the reason he represented BBC and is an acknowledged and admired journalist.

Journalists must be able to view the truth and put it in proper words. They must be careful while issuing statements to ensure that whether it will benefit the contemporary society or create needless turmoil. In contrast, we have a TV journalist of a popular news paper who exhibits unnecessary stridency almost every day. He speaks as if he is fighting a war and persistently obstructs various speakers on the panel. While extinguishing fire, we ensure that air does not find it’s way and cause re-ignition. The TV anchor completely ignores such aspects.

Why point fingers at the rural voters, even the urban voters follow the same practice. Delhi residents recently demonstrated this by voting for AAP as they expected that the party will provide free water, free electricity and regularization in jobs etc. The RBI governor is saying that subsidy for 12 gas cylinders is unjustified but populism must take precedence over propriety especially before elections.

Ministers hire secretaries who are loyal but Shinde got stumped by hiring RK Singh. However, he cannot be blamed because the officers have become very clever and selfish and they have no regard for loyalty. I do not know Tarlochan Singh but I met Gyani a few times in parliament and his eyes resembled like an ocean. They showed vastness and depth. In contrast, the PA to Babuji ( Jagjiwan Ram) sardar Mohinder Singh was a very good gentleman. He simply waved me in without charging even one rupee or accepting even one cup of tea. I could walk few steps and stand in queue up to the room on the right side in which Babuji was meeting people. These days people talk about conducting Janta Durbar and proceed towards the terrace in fear.

I remember the then shipping minister asking me to go and meet Mr X who will perform my work. It is true that in a country like ours, you have to do favour for people sometimes but this should not be made a regular practice. It is necessary to maintain a balance. As the education flourishes, technology will advance, and favouritism will cease to exist slowly. You can’t transform a man into robot. By occasionally favouring someone, you must think , am I harming the interests of many in the society? “Buddhi” and “vivek” are very useful aspects. I read one of my colleagues who wrote about “Karuna” and “Aashish”. Being human is important.

No space for NCP in NDA: Sanjay Raut

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Afternoon Voice

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January 31, 2014

Sharad Pawar is not welcome in the NDA, Shiv Sena said on Friday making it clear that there is no space for NCP in the BJP-led alliance at the Centre or in Maharashtra.

We will not allow NCP to come to NDA. There is no space for Sharad Pawar’s party in the Shiv Sena-BJP alliance in Maharashtra,” said Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut.

Raut’s remarks came close on the heels of a media report that Pawar had a meeting with BJP Prime Ministerial candidate Narendra Modi, which has been slammed as “completely mischievous” and “baseless” by the NCP chief.

“Neither our doors nor our windows are open,” Raut remarked when asked about NCP leaders like D P Tripathi saying that options are open for the party. NCP is the second largest constituent of the Congress-led UPA.

Asked about statements of some NCP leaders like Praful Patel which appeared soft on Modi, he said it was a good thing. “The UPA has become a sinking ship, and when the ship starts sinking, the rats are first to desert it,” the Shiv Sena leader said.

Raut said that at a mega rally held in Kolhapur district in Maharashtra yesterday by the leaders of Shiv Sena, BJP, RPI and Swabhimani Sanghtana, it was declared that their struggle was against the Congress-NCP Government in the state.

NCP is in alliance with Congress and sharing power in Maharashtra since 1999 after Pawar parted ways with Congress on the issue of Sonia Gandhi’s foreign origin.

NCP is part of the UPA at the Centre for the past 10 years.

NCP gives conflicting signals on alliance with Congress

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Afternoon Voice

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January 31, 2014

Congress ally NCP on Friday sent conflicting signals on the issue of alliance in the Lok Sabha polls with party chief Sharad Pawar rubbishing reports of a meeting with Narendra Modi while another senior leader Praful Patel said “options are open”.
“News of my meeting with Narendra Modi in New Delhi on January 17 appeared in a newspaper. (It) is completely mischievous, baseless & false,” the Agriculture Minister said on micro-blogging site Twitter.

Pawar’s tweets followed a front page report in a Marathi newspaper that the NCP chief is understood to have secretly met Modi in New Delhi on that day.

“During state visits or in Chief Ministers conferences in Delhi, I meet CMs and barring these occasions, never met Modi in the last one year,” Pawar, whose party is the second largest constituent of the Congress-led UPA, said in another tweet.

The newspaper report had claimed that the meeting had lasted nearly 30 minutes and those even senior leaders of the NCP and the BJP were not aware of it.

However, reflecting the unease in Congress-NCP ties in Maharashtra and apparently preparing for a tough bargain, Patel said Congress has delayed the seat sharing talks for “far too long” and the party was losing patience.

Pawar, Deora, Athavale among seven elected unopposed to Rajya Sabha

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Afternoon Voice

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January 31, 2014

Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar and senior Congress leader Murli Deora are among the seven candidates from Maharashtra that were on Friday elected unopposed to the Rajya Sabha in the biennial polls.

The other candidates were: Majid Memon (NCP), Hussain Dalwai (Congress), Rajkumar Dhoot (Shiv Sena), Sanjay Kakade (Independent) and RPI leader Ramdas Athavale.

BJP had given nomination to Athavale, whose party is an ally of BJP-led NDA from its quota instead of Javdekar.

The unopposed election was a foregone conclusion as only seven candidates were in the fray for the seven seats from the state and their papers were found valid in scrutiny.

The announcement was made after the time for withdrawal of nomination papers ended at 1500 hours today.

288 members of Maharashtra Legislative Assembly formed the electoral college for the poll but the tally of voters had come down by one due to the demise of Congress MLA Subhash Zanak recently.

The quota for winning candidates was 36.

The elections were necessitated as the expiry of term of sitting members Prakash Javdekar (BJP), Bharatkumar Raut and Rajkumar Dhoot (Shiv Sena), Murli Deora and Hussain Dalwai (Congress), Y P Trivedi and Janardhan Waghmare (NCP) — all from Maharashtra — ends on April 2.

However, Dalwai, Dhoot and Deora were re-elected for another term. After the time for withdrawl ended, Dalwai, Kakde and Memon reached the Vidhan Bhawan to collect their winning certificates.

The Shiv Sena, which has 45 MLAs could only get one candidate elected.

Teesta gets transit bail in case of usurping funds

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Afternoon Voice

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January 31, 2014

The Bombay High Court on Friday granted transit anticipatory bail to social activist Teesta Setalvad and her husband Javed Anand on a complaint lodged against them in Ahmedabad for alleged embezzlement of funds.

Justice Mridula Bhatkar today granted Teesta and Anand relief from arrest for four weeks.

Since the court granted them transit bail, the duo will now have to approach the Gujarat High Court and seek anticipatory bail again as the case is registered there.

One of the riot victims from Gulbarg housing society, which was burnt during the 2002 post Godhra riots, had lodged a complaint with the Ahmedabad police against Teesta, Anand and the NGOs run by them – Citizens for Justice and Peace and Sabrang Trust alleging misappropriation of funds to the tune of Rs 1.51 crores by them.

According to the complaint, the accused persons had allegedly collected funds in the name of converting part of the Gulbarg society into a museum and had allegedly misappropriated funds worth Rs 1.51 crores.

Teesta and Anand’s advocate Arshad Shaikh said that even though the case was registered in Ahmedabad, they could get anticipatory bail from Bombay High Court as there are judgements of the Supreme Court which say that a person can get relief from the High Court in the state where they reside, for a case registered in another state.

According to Teesta and Anand, they have been implicated in the case and are victims of political vendetta. They claim that they are being targeted by the perpetrators of the riots.

In 2006, the social activists decided to build a museum – Museum of Resistance – at the remains of the Gulbarg society. Accordingly in 2009, a part of the plot was sold to Sabrang trust.

However, in 2012, the idea of the museum was dropped as the prices escalated. The same was communicated to the society.

But, according to the complaint filed against Teesta, funds were collected by her despite the idea being dropped.

Bappi Lahiri joins BJP, Rajnath welcomes him

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Afternoon Voice

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January 31, 2014

Music director Bappi Lahiri joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Friday, saying he wanted to “now work for the country and people”.

“After giving 42 years of my life to performing, want to work for the country and the people,” Lahiri said after joining the party in the presence of BJP president Rajnath Singh.

“I felt good after speaking to Rajnath ji, I am joining BJP because they are giving me a chance to serve people,” he said.
Bollywood actors Prashant Narayan and Ashima Sharma, Bollywood writers Sachindra Sharma, of “My friend Ganesha” fame and Tuhin Sinha who wrote “Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai” serial on Star Plus, TV actor Gaurav Chopra and consumer rights activist Rajyalakshmi Rao also joined the party on the same occasion.