Congress puts up brave face after Anna's poll threat

New Delhi: The government on Tuesday seemed unaffected by Anna Hazare’s statement that he will campaign against Congress in the upcoming polls in five states of the country.

“Congress will go back to the people with its achievements. We are not concerned if anybody targets someone, we are connected with people of the country…when the time comes people will show who they support,” Law Minister Salman Khurshid told TV channels.

Khurshid said that ‘everybody’ is entitled to have own views and the Congress is not concerned as it works for the people and is serious about the bringing the Lokpal Bill in the Winter Session of the Parliament.

Another party leader Rashid Alvi, “It is unfortunate that Anna is saying this, the parliament passed a unanimous resolution; the PM gave him respect.”

“The BJP is against Congress, RSS is against Congress now if Anna also comes out against Congress, it won’t affect the party,” he added.

Will expose Robert Vadra next: Subramanian Swamy

Lucknow: Janata Party President Subramanian Swamy on Saturday said he was gathering proof of corruption against Congress chief Sonia Gandhi's son-in-law Robert Vadra.

"I am in the process of gathering evidences to prove his (Robert Vadra) involvement in corruption...As of now, I am not going to disclose anything further in this regard," Swamy told reporters at a press conference in Lucknow.

Declining to share the "nature of the scam" Vadra is allegedly involved in, Swamy said: "Whenever I make an attempt to expose corrupt individuals, my integrity is questioned."

"When I exposed A. Raja's involvement in the 2G scam, the opponents termed me an anti-Dalit. Likewise, when Kanimozhi was arrested in the scam, it was said that I acted against her just because she was a woman, and I hated women in general...it's all baseless. I always substantiate my charges with the documents I collect on my own," he said.

Pulling up the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for its probe into the 2G scam, Swamy added: "Even as there are records indicating P. Chidambaram's role in the scam, he has not been made the co-accused in the case...I will try to make him a co-accused in the case."

He said his party would contest 50 seats in the upcoming Uttar Pradesh assembly elections, and that he was ready to make "adjustments" with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in this regard.

"Now, it depends on BJP to decide on the matter," said Swamy.

Andhra Pradesh: 18-year-old girl kills self for Telangana

Hyderabad: Apparently upset over delay in the formation of a separate Telangana state, an 18-year-old girl student allegedly committed suicide by immolating herself at Koheda village near here today, the second such death in two days, police said.

D Bhavani, a first-year intermediate student, shut herself in a room at her house, doused herself with kerosene and set herself on fire at around 9.30am, Hayathnagar Inspector of Police B Bhasker said, adding the girl died on the spot.

The girl was alone in the house as her parents and family members had gone to a nearby market to make purchases for Dusshera festivities, he said.

Bhavani had purportedly written (in Telugu) on the room wall that she was taking the extreme step as "there was a failure in declaring a separate Telangana state and no one was responsible for her death", police said adding that a case has been registered.

The incident triggered protests with suspended Telugu Desam Party MLA Nagam Janardhan Reddy, who visited the girl's family, and villagers holding road blockade on the Koheda-Vijayawada state highway.

Some pro-Telangana activists also allegedly pelted stones on private buses.

A pro-Telangana student Ravinder, who set himself on fire in Medak district reportedly for the cause of Telangana, had succumbed to his injuries at a hospital here yesterday.

Pro-Telangana organisations and groups claim that over 600 people, mostly students, have ended their lives in support of the demand for separate statehood since November 2009.

Telangana crisis: PM steps in, tries to soothe Congress leaders

Hyderabad: Stepping in to defuse the Telangana crisis, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Monday said he understands the separate statehood demand and gave an assurance that the Centre will make all efforts to find a solution to the contentious issue soon.

Meeting a delegation of Congress leaders from agitation-hit Telangana region in Andhra Pradesh, Singh also told them that he would talk to Congress President Sonia Gandhi in this regard and put all their demands before the party's Core Committee.

As the general strike in Telangana entered its 22nd day, the leaders, including senior Minister J Geetha Reddy and K Jana Reddy, briefed Singh about the situation in the region and the urgent need for Centre's intervention as people were not in a mood even to celebrate upcoming festivals.

The delegation that included Ministers, MPs and an MLC told the Prime Minister that the Centre should announce a time-frame for taking a decision on the separate issue as time is running out.

"We briefed the Prime Minister of what is happening in Andhra Pradesh, in Telangana region. He knows the Telangana issue and the problems. We briefed him in detail about the strike that is being supported by every section of the society," Geetha Reddy told reporters after the 30-minute meeting at the PM's 7, Race Course Road Residence.

"He expressed his understanding and sympathies to us. He said we need to solve the problem. He also told us that we will try to solve it as soon as possible," Geetha Reddy said.

The leaders told Singh that they would assure that the safety and security of people of non-Telangana regions in Hyderabad would be protected if a separate Telangana state is formed.

They also asked Singh to advice Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy not to show "apathy" towards the Telangana region.

Govt removes R 32 BPL cap, to set up new panel

New Delhi: Under attack over the Rs32 per capita per day cut off for poverty line, the government on Monday decided to remove the condition. The development came after a meeting between Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia and Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh in which they claimed that they have resolved the issue.

"We are clearly, categorically, and unequivocally saying that there is no link between the state wise poverty estimates and the selection of beneficiaries. A new expert committee will be set up so that no poor and deprived household is excluded," said Ramesh while addressing a press conference jointly with Ahluwalia.

"No caps will be externally imposed. The Planning Commission and the Rural Development Ministry will work out a new method so that no poor household is excluded," said Ramesh.

Clarifying that the Planning Commission had not fixed the Rs 32 cap to be categorised as a BPL, Ahluwalia said, "This is the lowest level. This is not the view of the Planning Commission. It was fixed in 1973. Clearly it is rock bottom level of existence. Planning Commission has not taken the view that benefits should be restricted to BPL."

Addressing the media, Ahluwalia also said that these figures were not used for extending benefits to the deprived sections of the population.

"People allege that the Planning Commission is trying to understate poverty which is simply not true...," he said while addressing a joint press conference with Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh.

Ahluwalia, who returned from his 10-day-long foreign visit on Saturday, had met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on the issue on Sunday.

Earlier on Monday, Ahluwalia had said: "Jairam and I had a very good meeting. I think we have resolved a number of important issues... actually all the important issues. I think we are in complete agreement," Ahluwalia told reporters after the meeting.

"There is broad consensus on the linkage between poverty line and rural development," Ramesh said after the meeting, which among others was attended by Plan panel members Abhijit Sen, Mihir Shah, Syeda Hameed and Narendra Jadhav.

He had discussed with Singh the fallout of the controversy relating to the affidavit in the Supreme Court, which said that persons consuming items worth more than Rs 32 per day in urban areas (Rs 26 in rural areas) are not poor.

Planning Commission had come under flak following the affidavit submitted in the Supreme Court, which said that persons consuming items worth more than Rs32 per day in urban areas (Rs26 in rural areas) are not poor.

As per the affidavit, a family of five spending less than Rs 4,824 per month (at June, 2011, prices) in urban areas will fall in the BPL (Below Poverty Line) category. The expenditure limit for a family in rural areas has been fixed at Rs 3,905.

The number of poor entitled to BPL benefits, as per the affidavit, has been estimated at 40.74 crore, as against 37.2 crore estimated at the time of accepting the Tendulkar Committee report.

Rahul asked panel to rethink

Congress General Secretary Rahul Gandhi is believed to have intervened in the matter and has reportedly asked the Plan panel to do a rethink on its definition of poverty.

Even Ramesh had earlier expressed disagreement over the Commission's formula for arriving at the poverty line of Rs 32 a day and Rs 26 a day in urban and rural areas respectively.

Besides, National Advisory Council (NAC) member Aruna Roy and Harsh Mander challenged the Rs 32 per person poverty definition of the Commission.

Sonia opposed Commission's poverty definition 

Other members of the NAC, which is headed by Congress President Sonia Gandhi, too had opposed Commission's definition.

Ridiculing the Commission's poverty line, NAC member N C Saxena had said, "On Rs 32 a day, you know only dogs and animals can live... People who are spending below Rs 32 they are poorest of the poor. You can call them destitute; you can call them people living in sub-human level."

Concerned over the public outcry, Information and Broadcasting Minister Ambika Soni had said, "The Planning Commission had given an affidavit. When we asked for information from the panel regarding it, we were told that it is an initial document and not the final document."

These figures, she had said, "could undergo a change, who knows some other statistics may come up, which is acceptable to the Planning Commission. There is concern among people. There is certain disquiet in the civil society and some sections. They believe the statistics are perhaps somewhat removed from reality."

Black money case: SC quashes bail granted to Hasan Ali

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday cancelled the bail of alleged money launderer Hasan Ali Khan, described as the country's top tax evader.

The Bombay High Court judgement granting bail to Hasan Ali needs to be "interfered" with, a bench headed by Justice Altamas Kabir said.

Hasan Ali, who is being investigated by the Enforcement Directorate under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act for allegedly stashing away money in tax havens, was granted bail by the Bombay High Court Aug 12.

India test fires nuclear-capable Agni-II ballistic missile

Balasore (Orissa): India's nuclear-capable, surface-to-surface Agni-II ballistic missile, with a strike range of 2000 kms, was on Friday test-fired as part of user trial by the army from the Wheeler Island off Orissa coast.

The indigenously developed missile was fired by personnel of the Strategic Forces Command (SFC) of the army from Launch Complex-IV of the Integrated Test Range (ITR) at about 0930 hours, defence sources said.

Agni-II, developed as one of the key weapon systems of country's nuclear deterrence programme, is already under production and has been inducted in the Indian Armed Forces.

The two-stage solid fuel propelled Agni-II missile, developed by Advanced System Laboratory (ASL) and other DRDO laboratories, has a length of 20 metres, diameter of one metre and weighs around 17 tonnes, they said.

It is equipped with a special navigation system to achieve high degree of accuracy. The system is also equipped with anti-ballistic defence counter measures. It can be transported both by rail and road, they said.

The last trial scheduled on August 29 this year was aborted due to some technical problem, the sources said.

A user trial of the missile conducted on May 17 last year from the same base was successful.

NIA releases one of the three accussed in Delhi High Court blast

Jammu: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has released Shariq Bhat, arrested in connection with the email claiming responsibility for the Sept 7 Delhi High Court blast, police said on Saturday.

A senior police officer in Kishtwar, around 230 km north-east of Jammu, said that Shariq was released on Friday night.

He was first detained Sept 10 and later remanded in police custody.

Two others arrested in the same connection, Abid Hussain and Aamir from Kishtwar, are still in NIA custody in Delhi.

"We wish him good luck for the forthcoming exams," the Kishtwar police officer said. Shariq is a Class 11 student and his final exams are scheduled next month.

"I had firm belief in Allah that he would save and protect my innocent son," Shariq's father Mohammad Rafi Bhat told reporters in Kishtwar. "But we all in the family have to work hard to bring him out of this mental trauma."

The three youths were arrested after the NIA traced an email sent to media houses a few hours after the Sept 7 Delhi blast to a cyber cafe in the town. The email had claimed that the blast was carried out by the terror group Harkat-ul-Jehadi Islami (HuJI).

Fifteen people were killed and several others disabled in the blast outside the Delhi High Court.

Telangana row: AP strike paralyses normal life; buses, autos stay off roads

Hyderabad: Life remains crippled in about half of Andhra Pradesh including Hyderabad as about 8.5 lakh staff members of various government departments and other allied agencies have been striking work seeking statehood for Telangana.

Normal life in 10 districts of Telangana has almost come to a halt with public transportation going off track.

About 10,000 buses plying on the roads of Telangana have remained in bus depots and the inter district transportation has come to a halt. Even the auto rickshaws remained off the roads and petrol pumps remained partially closed on Saturday. 

With the Telangana joint action committee calling for a two-day “rail roko” from Saturday, the public transport link between South and North India is likely to remain muted.

Over 200 trains scheduled for Saturday and Sunday in Telangana were cancelled in view of the two-day rail blockade called by Telangana Joint Action Committee (JAC) to demand separate statehood for the region, authorities said on Thursday.

According to a statement from South Central Railway, 55 express and 88 passenger trains have been cancelled.

The railway authorities have also partially cancelled 63 trains, including 33 express trains. They have diverted 55 trains and rescheduled four, which pass through the region.

The rail blockade has also led to cancellation of all 222 MMTS (Multi-Modal Transport System) services in twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad and 102 DHMU (Diesel Hydraulic Multiple Unit) trains in other parts of Telangana.

The workers at Singareni Collieries, one of the biggest coal assets in South India, have been on a strike for 11 days affecting coal supplies to several power generation units in Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra. The impact of drop in coal supply is already being felt with generation dropping in many state-run units.

Meanwhile, the JAC is now working on further intensifying the strike. “The 11-day strike seems to have not shown any impact on the Centre. We have no option but to take up militant movement for achieving statehood to the region. That does not mean we will take up violent movement,” M Kodandaram, chairman of the JAC, said.

The strike is, however, having a major impact on the political equations in the state.

Congress and TDP MLAs and MPs from Telangana now find themselves pushed to a corner. While the Congress leaders are still not able to get the nod of the high command to join the movement, TDP leaders are not being accepted by the people of Telangana.

The TDP is accused of playing a “double-game” by fielding its leaders in both Andhra and Telangana by supporting two different slogans - separate Telangana and united AP.

Sikkim quake: Death toll climbs to 100, PM takes stock of situation

Gangtok/ New Delhi: The death toll in powerful earthquake further shot up to 100, including 61 deaths in Sikkim alone as workers continued to feverishly search the affected areas, a Relief Control Room official said in Gangtok.

Heavy rains and landslides were hampering rescue work and locals were in a state of shock, he said.

More than 3,000 people were rescued in quake-hit areas of Sikkim by defence forces which scrambled hard to clear debris of collapsed structures and landslides.

The National Highway 31-A from Mangan to Gangtok was closed due to blockades caused by heavy landslides but an alternative road was reopened to help rescue teams reach the worst-affected areas.

Besides 61 in Sikkim, the toll in Sunday's strong earthquake has gone up to 12 in West Bengal, nine in Bihar and 11 in Nepal. There was no change in Monday's figure of seven deaths in Tibet.

The 6.8-mangitude quake on Sunday had rattled large parts of India. It also jolted Nepal, Tibet and Bangladesh.

About 2,000 people had taken shelter in makeshift relief camps set up by the government in various parts of the state.

Meanwhile, Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi visited Sikkim on Wednesday to take stock of the rescue and relief efforts.

Students move out of state

Educational institutions remain closed indefinitely. Students from outside Sikkim are moving out of the state for fear of fresh tremors.

People in the worst affected north Sikkim are distraught over the extensive damage to their homes and many passed the nights on pavements.

"We are scared to go inside our house at night and hence are staying in the open...," said Maya Devi, 65, resident of Mangan, the epicentre of the earthquake in north Sikkim.

Road communication between Sikkim and the rest of India has been restored with army soldiers clearing massive landslides on National Highway 31A, the lifeline linking capital Gangtok to Siliguri in West Bengal.

PM takes stock of situation

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has chaired a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs to take stock of the situation arising out of Sunday's earthquake in Sikkim.

Singh, who leaves for New York on a six-day visit on Wednesday to attend the UNGA Summit, discussed with his cabinet colleagues the situation in the northeastern state.

The meeting is understood to have deliberated on the ways to help the quake-affected people and about relief and rehabilitation measures.

Home Minister P Chidambaram, Defence Minister A K Antony and Railway Minister Dinesh Trivedi are among those who attended the meeting.

Prior to the meeting, Singh spoke to Chief Minister Pawan Kumar Chamling and assured him that the Centre would do everything needed to deal with the situation.

Singh has announced ex-gratia relief of Rs two lakh for the kin of those killed in the quake and Rs one lakh for those injured.