Modi says fast is not for religion on his 2nd day of fast

Sunday, September 18, 2011

Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi on sunday said that his three-day fast was not aimed at entreat "any particular community or religion". But he admitted people had suffered extreme pain in Gujarat, where the 2002 communal riots claimed at least 1,000 lives, mostly Muslim.

"Sadbhavna Mission is not about any particular community or religion. It is about the people of Gujarat. Gujarat's progress has shown the way forward," Modi said on the second day of his fast, flanked by top Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders.

"Gujarat has suffered immense pain. I empathise with the families that have suffered. I can still feel the pain," Modi said in his address in what was seen as a reference to the Gujarat communal violence in 2002.

"The mission is to unite, not divide. Gujarat is my family, the six crore Gujaratis' happiness and grief, dreams and aspirations are mine," Modi asserted. The fast is taking place at the Gujarat University and is widely seen as a bid to woo the minorities.

Modi cited the achievements of his 10-year reign for the fast aiming for "peace, unity and harmony".

The chief minister also indicated working within the BJP.

"We will work on the differences. And work together to take the BJP forward among the people of India," Modi told a news channel.

Day 2 of the fast may see BJP member and former cricketer Navjot Singh Siddhu at the venue.

The first day saw a galaxy of party stalwarts, including L.K. Advani, Arun Jaitley, Ravi Shanker Prasad, former party president Rajnath Singh, Kalraj Mishra, Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi as well as Rajya Sabha member and TV star Smriti Irani.

AIADMK leader in the Lok Sabha M. Thambidurai and his counterpart in the Rajya Sabha V. Maitreyan were also present.

Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal and Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal also came. However, there was no representative of the Janata Dal-United with which the BJP shares power in Bihar.

The fast is being countered by Modi's Congress rival and one-time Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh colleague Shankarsinh Vaghela at the Sabarmati Ashram.

Vaghela slammed Modi's event with his parallel fast to protest his regime's "corruption and wastefulness".

Police lathicharge supporters
Meanwhile, police had to lathicharge the unruly crowd when it tried to forcefully enter the venue of the fast.

According to the police, the incident happened when thousands of supporters wanted to enter the fast venue. One person was injured in the ruckus.

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Kiran Bedi says : Anna & Youth made Lokpal campaign a success

Saturday, September 17, 2011

Attributing the success of anti-corruption movement to people's participation, Team Anna members and former IPS officer Kiran Bedi on Saturday implored the young delegates at the Mind Rocks India Today Youth Summit 2011 that their support should continue so that the government is forced to legislate a strong Lokpal Bill during the winter session later this year.

"The movement was a success because of you and all credit goes to Anna Hazare," Bedi told the summit, which was held on Saturday in Delhi. She attributed her association with the movement to RTI activist Arvind Kejriwal, calling it an 'opportunity.'

She called for people to end their indifference towards how government is run, else it would give the people in power a free run to do corrupt dealings. They should be held accountable, she said, calling the government draft of the Lokpall bill ineffective.

Bedi said the government proposes to create two CBIs - saying the first CBI will be under the government control, while the other, the new one, would only investigate new cases of corruption. She asserted that a senior minister told her that the government is worried that an independent CBI under Lokpal may reopen old corruption cases like that of Bofors gun deal.

The fear of going to jail and usurping of property created by corrupt means will act as an effective deterrent for people like Suresh Kalmadi and A. Raja, she added.

On being asked what makes her sure the Jan Lokpal will not become corrupt, Bedi said, "It's very transparent. It has a search committee and it is very accountable. All its functioning will become website-oriented. It will be a harbinger of change."

Bedi summed up saying that she is still youthful at heart. Her passion, determination and drive to be just and fearless against pressure and adversaries remain intact. That is so because she trained hard as a sportswoman earlier in her life. She told the youth that what they do now in their formative years will have a lasting bearing on the rest of their life. She shared her experiences with the youth on how to deal with life. 

The former IPS officer, who calls herself a rebel by nature, told the gathering, her passion to stand against the unjust has remained undiminished since her childhood. She attributed this to her devotion to sports. Bedi was an ace tennis player and women tennis's Asian champion at the age of twenty.

Sports gave right focus to immense store of energy in her that helped her lifelong, she said. Bedi feels spiritual, mental and physical are all essential components of education and sports provide best training in the formative years. 

Saying she never lost her focus in life, Bedi said she joined the Indian Police Service at the age of 22 in 1972, a profession considered taboo for women. She added soon she became a role model for men during training years. She called it 'destiny' that she was transferred to Delhi. In 1975, she had a frank talk with the then IG Police (now called Commissioner) Delhi, P.R. Rajgopal, to persuade him to lead the January 26 parade in 1976. "This is one event that announced the arrival of women in the police force," she says raising fist in the air.

She never looked back. In 1982, Bedi issued a ticket to the driver of the then prime minister Indira Gandhi when her car was wrongly parked. "She was in power, so was I," Bedi said, asserting the point that policing has to be just and equitable. There cannot be two different standards for the rich and the poor.

She explained that she was perhaps not made the commissioner of Delhi Police, because she would have not bowed down to the will of politicians. Earlier, she was not given the charge of anti-terror wing of Delhi Police simply because she would have released people held illegally in the name of anti-terror investigations, she said.

Motivating the youth, she said, "Had I not been somebody, I would have been nobody. So, I never lost track of my priority. At 16, I knew when to say yes, when to say no... What you did in teenage returns to you at 20-23."

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Blast in Agra Hospital - Three injured - EXCLUSIVE Video

Three people were injured in a crude bomb blast in Jai Hospital in Agra on Saturday, police said.

The Inspector of Agra Zone, PK Tiwari said that the crude bomb was kept in a bag and exploded at the help desk of Jai hospital.

He also said that out of the three people injured, two sustained minor injuries and one person sustained burn injuries. All the three injured are being treated in the same hospital.

Three people were injured in a crude bomb blast in a private hospital in Agra on Saturday, police said.

The Inspector General of Agra Zone, PK Tiwari said that the crude bomb was kept in a bag and exploded at the reception of Jai hospital.

He also said that out of the three people injured, two sustained minor injuries and one person sustained burn injuries. All the three injured are being treated in the same hospital.

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No burden will be added on common man: Railway Minister

Amidst talk of possible passenger fare hike, Railway Minister Dinesh Trivedi today said that nothing will be done to “increase the burden” on common man.

“The easiest way is to raise fares. But that is not the idea,” Trivedi said. He claimed that even railway unions are pressurising him for fare hike.”I have got pressure from the unions for the fare hike but I am not going to do anything which will be a burden on common man,” the minister said,

Asked what was the way out, he said, “I will knock at the doors of the Prime Minister, Finance Minister. I will approach Planning Commission. We will also come out with innovative ways to raise fund.”

Pointing out that bus fares cost more than train’s, he said, “There are people who can afford many-fold hike. But what about people who are in rural areas. Rail is used by poorest of poor and we will not do anything that will create any burden on him. We have to think about them.”He said fuel price and consumption of electricity has gone up. “So why can’t we have our own power plant?”, he asked.

“Before we do that (fare hike) we have to think of all other options.”Trivedi said there is a need for improving catering service and increasing cleanliness in trains and stations.”We have to improve our catering and cleanliness. So before increasing the fares we must give back some thing to the passengers.”

Admitting to a fund crunch, he, however, said safety related work will not suffer due to it. “There will be no compromise on safety.”

On the recent Arakonnam accident, he said the Commissioner Railway safety, Southern Zone, is conducting the inquiry and preliminary report will be submitted. Before that nothing can be said, the Minister added.

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Kanimozi steps towards court for bail

DMK patriarch M Karunanidhi’s daughter and party MP Kanimozhi, arrested for her alleged role in 2G spectrum allocation scam, today moved a Delhi court for bail, her second attempt to get the relief.

Lodged in Tihar jail since May 20 following rejection of her bail plea by Special judge O P Saini, Kanimozhi approached his court for bail a day after the court breached its self-imposed deadline to frame charges in the case. The court listed her bail plea for hearing on October 1.

While refusing bail to various 2G scam accused, the Supreme Court had earlier asked them to move the trial court for bail after framing of charges in the case.

While pleading innocence, 43-year-old Kanimozhi also prayed for bail on account of her being a woman MP and the mother of a school-going child. She moved the court for bail along with Kalaignar TV CEO Sharad Kumar.

Kanimozhi approached the court pleading that neither she nor DMK-run Kalaignar TV received spectrum licence and that she was not the beneficiary of the “loan transaction of Rs 200 crore” in the 2G scam either.

“The petitioner (Kanimozhi) has no role in the alleged conspiracy in allocation of UAS licence, valuable and scarce spectrum in various telecom circles and other undue favours to Swan Telecom Pvt Ltd (accused in the case) during 2007-2008 etc,” said the bail plea filed on behalf of Kanimozhi.

“Neither she nor Kalaignar TV Pvt Ltd is a beneficiary of spectrum licence either,” said he bail plea filed by her counsel V G Pragasam and S J Aristotle.

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