NEWS IN BRIEF – JUL 08, 2013
1. 9 blasts rock Bodh Gaya in first terror strike on Buddhist site, 2
Monks Injured; Attack Seen As Jihadi Backing For Rohingyas Of
Myanmar: Bodh Gaya: In the first major terror attack on a Buddhist holy
site in India, the temple town of Bodh Gaya, the seat of Buddha’s
enlightenment, woke up to serial blasts on Sunday. Nine bombs went off
in four locations spread over a radius of 1km from the Mahabodhi temple.
[TOI p1]
2. Arrested IM men revealed Gaya plot in 2012, Delhi, Mumbai could be
next on outfit’s hit list: New Delhi: After February’s Dilsukhnagar blasts
in Hyderabad, the Bodh Gaya blasts are the second successive incident
where attacks have occurred at a site which arrested Indian Mujahideen
(IM) operatives have revealed to be reconnoitered. [TOI p7]
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3. CM ignored threat to temple: BJP : Patna: Former Bihar deputy CM and
BJP legislative party leader Sushil Kumar Modi on Sunday blamed CM
Nitish Kumar for the security lapses at Bodh Gaya. Modi, who returned to
Patna after inspecting all the nine blast sites, said the attack had occurred
despite the fact that the state government had received leads and alerts
from the Intelligence Bureau (IB) and the National Investigation Agency
(NIA) nine months ago. [TOI
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4. Cong-BJP Spat Over Multiple Blasts, UPA ignored intelligence
inputs: Prasad; BJP attempting to communalise politics ahead of LS
polls: Digvijaya :NEW DELHI : BJP and Congress exchanged barbs
after the serial blasts in Bodh Gaya over identity of those responsible for
the attack, with BJP also slamming the Nitish Kumar-led Janata Dal
(United) government. [ET p2]
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5. JD(U) suspects ‘conspiracy’ : Patna: Within hours of the Bodh Gaya
blasts, the ruling JD(U) suspected ‘conspiracy’ behind the tragic incident.
On a day when his government came under attack from the opposition for
ignoring the intelligence alerts about possible terror attacks in Bodh Gaya,
chief minister Nitish Kumar moved swiftly to contain the political fallout of
the serial blasts and flew to the holy town. [TOI p8]
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6. Digvijaya hints at Hindu outfits’ role : New Delhi: Senior Congress
leader Digvijaya Singh on Sunday asked non-BJP ruled states, including
Bihar, to be on high alert for possible terror attacks, implying the role of
Hindu outfits in the serial blasts that rocked Bodh Gaya. “The non-BJP
ruled states must be careful and more so, Nitish Kumar should be more
careful,” Singh told reporters. [TOI p7]
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7. In IB’s Ishrat tapes, ‘Machlee No. 5’ is terror code for Modi : New
Delhi : “Paanch number machlee (fish No.5)” was the code name
allegedly given to Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi by Lashkar-e-
Taiba’s Pakistani commander Muzammil, records of intercepted telephone
conversations he had with two of the men killed along with Ishrat Jahan
have revealed.[HT p1] http://www.hindustantimes.com/Indianews/
NewDelhi/In-IB-s-Ishrat-tapes-Machlee-No-5-is-terror-code-for-
Modi/Article1-1088885.aspx
8. Monsoon Session now likely to start only after Aug 15 : With no
substantive politically -sensitive bill now on the UPA government’s
agenda and the food security ordinance already that the government is in
no hurry to convene the Monsoon Session of Parliament.[AA p1]4
9. Rajan leads race for RBI guv post : New Delhi: With less than 60 days
to go, government’s chief economic adviser Raghuram Rajan is seen as
the frontrunner to be the next Reserve Bank of India governor, the most
sought after job in the financial sector. [TOI p15]
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10. RBI top post : Saumitra Chaudhuri frontrunner : New Delhi : Planning
Commission member Saumitra Chaudhuri has emerged as the frontrunner
for the post of next Reserve Bank of India governor. The government
plans to issue the orders once the appointment committee of the Cabinet
formally approves Chaudhuri’s name. The term of present Governor D
Subbarao ends on September 5.[IE p1]
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/rbi-top-post-saumitrachaudhuri-
frontrunner/1138989/
11. Congress stirs caste pot, seeks numbers : New Delhi : In an
acknowledgement of the overwhelming influence of the caste factor in
electoral politics, the Congress has sought a break-up of various castes in
all the 543 Lok Sabha constituencies from its state units in preparation for
the next general elections.[HT p8]
http://www.hindustantimes.com/India-news/NewDelhi/Congressstirs-
caste-pot-seeks-numbers/Article1-1088856.aspx
12. BJP’s UP Planks: Polarisation and Governance, Timing seems to be
influenced by Ishrat case : NEW DELHI : When Amit Shah took over as
BJP general secretary of Uttar Pradesh, it was fairly clear that polarisation
of the polity on communal lines was on the cards even though party
seniors said that governance would be the cornerstone of the campaign.
For sometime it looked as though BJP would be content in foregrounding
governance and backgrounding Hindutva. [ET p2]
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13. Road clear for Modi, hint new RSS-BJP talks : NEW DELHI: Last
week’s back-toback parleys involving top BJP leaders LK Advani, MM
Joshi and Rajnath Singh and RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat indicate a new
course in the party’s ties with its ideological parent to brace up for the Lok
Sabha polls in 2014.[HT p8] http://www.hindustantimes.com/Indianews/
NewDelhi/Road-clear-for-Narendra-Modi-hint-new-RSS-BJPtalks/
Article1-1088659.aspx
14. Rajnath says temple not poll, political issue, agenda progress :
Amritsar : A day after endorsing party general secretary Amit Shah’s
views on construction of a temple at the disputed site in Ayodhya, BJP
president Rajnath Singh Sunday said Hindutva “was never the political
agenda” of the BJP and that “Ram temple would not be an electoral nor a
political issue” for the party in the coming Lok Sabha polls.[IE p1]
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/rajnath-says-temple-not-pollpolitical-
issue-agenda-progress/1138986/
15. Cong MPs breaking own tradition : Advani : New Delhi : Upset with
Congress MPs not attending an official function in Parliament to
commemorate the birth anniversary of Jan Sangh founder Syama Prasad
Mookerjee, senior BJP leader LK Advani on Sunday lamented the new
generation (of the ruling party) was departing even from the tradition of
their own elders.[Pioneer Daily p5]
16. Airport officer told me to take off clothes : Azad : New Delhi : Having
encountered a nightmarish experience at the Heathrow Airport in London
on Saturday, former Indian cricketer Kirti Azad is yet come to terms with
the ordeal that he along with his wife and son had to encounter before
taking a flight back home.[IE p2]
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/airport-officer-told-me-to-takeoff/
1138982/
17. As Indira talked polls, officials advised continuing Emergency : New
Delhi : In what indicates the bureaucracy’s reluctance to lift Emergency,
internal government documents of 1977 reveal that the Ministry of Home
Affairs had at least twice recommended continuing it. One of these
recommendations came after then prime minister Indira Gandhi had
already announced that the Lok Sabha elections would be held in March
1977.[IE p1] http://www.indianexpress.com/news/as-indira-talkedpolls-
officials-advised-continuing-emergency/1138988/
18. Aspirant Who Thinks Only of Gujaratis Unfit to be PM : New Delhi :
Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati has dubbed Gujarat Chief Minister
Narendra Modi’s ‘rescue of 15,000 Gujaratis’ in Uttarakhand as a
narrowminded act. Mayawati said that such a mentality showed that Modi
was unfit to rule in a secular and fair manner. [ET p2]
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19. Mayawati reaches out to upper castes again : Lucknow : Signalling a
return to her ‘social engineering” experiment to garner the support of sarv
samaj (all sections) ahead of the 2014 Lok Sabha election, Bahujan
Samaj Party president Mayawati on Sunday promised to work for the
welfare of all if the ‘balance of power’ shifts in her party’s favour and it is
able to form the next government at the Centre.[The Hindu p5]
20. UP: HC says 24-hour power supply to VVIP areas illegal : Allahabad :
The Allahabad High Court has held that 24-hour power supply to certain
districts and cities in the state because of “VVIPs and protocol” was
“arbitrary, illegal and illogical”.[IE p2]
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/up-hc-says-24hour-powersupply-
to-vvip-areas-illegal/1138978/
21. Maya says she’s in race for PM : Lucknow: Bahujan Samaj Party chief
Mayawati on Sunday became the first top-ranking politician to unveil her
aspiration for the most important political job in the country, saying she
was throwing in her hat for prime ministership. She said this while
attacking the BJP’s presumptive candidate for the post, Narendra Modi,
describing him as “narrow-minded” and “unfit for the job”. [TOI p9]
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22. Mayawati tries to woo Muslims, upper castes : Lucknow: BSP chief
Mayawati on Sunday used a Brahmin outreach rally to declare that she
was a contender for prime ministership. The event saw the chanting of
mantras and blowing of conch shells by pandits in saffron outfits. But the
enthusiasm was not as strong as it was in a similar conventions in 2007,
when the Brahmin-Dalit combination helped BSP win assembly polls with
a clear majority. Still, it was a far cry from BSP’s earlier position, ‘Tilak,
tarazu aur talwar, inko maaro joote chaar.’ [TOI p1]
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23. UP to weed out duplicate voters : Noida: The Uttar Pradesh election
commission has orderedthedistrict administrationsof Gautam Budh Nagar,
Ghaziabad and Baghpat to identify voters in their electoral rolls who are
registered in Delhi as well. Names of all such voters will be retained only
in electoral rollsof those assembly segmentswherethey reside at present,
while all duplicate registrations will be deleted. [TOI p6]
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24. For iron to build Sardar Patel statue, Modi goes to farmers :
Gandhinagar :AS the head of the BJP election campaign committee,
Narendra Modi is set to canvass for more than votes in the coming
months. He is also seeking iron. The Gujarat chief minister is building the
“tallest statue in the world” for Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, and his men will
be launching a countrywide campaign with farmers soon to collect iron
from their farming tools for it. [IE p9]
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/for-iron-to-build-sardar-patelstatue-
modi-goes-to-farmers/1138798/
25. CJI-designate wants quotas for judges : New Delhi : Chief Justice of
India designate Justice P Sathasivam is in favour of virtual reservation in
appointment of judges in the higher judiciary by giving more
representation to Other Backward Classes, Scheduled Castes, Scheduled
Tribes and minorities.[AA p5]
26. Beni continues tirade against Mulayam : Gonda : An unstoppable Beni
Prasad Verma again targeted Mulayam Singh Yadav on Sunday when he
took a jibe at his friend -turned-foe, saying he would welcome the SP
supremo with garlands if he becomes country’s next Prime Minister after
the 2014 elections.[AA p2]
27. Bengal housing scam comes back to haunt Gautam Deb, Jyoti
Basu’s son : Kolkata : Gautam Deb, state housing minister during the
erstwhile CPI(M) rule, was grilled by the CID a few days ago in connection
with a housing scam that set a cash-strapped West Bengal government
back by a whopping Rs 20 crore. But this may only be the tip of an iceberg
that needs further investigation and perhaps an inquiry commission, says
Trinamool Congress MP and former union minister of state for urban
development, Sougata Roy.[Millennium Post p1]
http://www.millenniumpost.in/NewsContent.aspx?NID=32135
28. Vigilance lodges FIR against BSP leader : Lucknow : The Vigilance
Establishment, on Saturday, lodged an FIR against former minister and
BSP general secretary Naseemuddin Siddiqui at City Kotwali police
station of Banda district. Siddiqui belongs to the same district.[IE p3]
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/vigilance-lodges-fir-against-bspleader/
1138973/
29. Will not enter into any sort of alliance with the BJP : Omar : Srinagar
: The ruling National Conference(NC) will never be part of NDA, the party
working President and Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah
categorically made it clear here on Sunday.[Millennium Post
p5]http://www.millenniumpost.in/NewsContent.aspx?NID=32070
30. Omar lashes out, says peace not permanent : Srinagar :Pressing the
Centre for resolution of “basic political issues” of Kashmir, J&K Chief
Minister Omar Abdullah Sunday called the hanging of Parliament attack
convict Afzal Guru a “provocation” from New Delhi and said that peace in
the Valley was not permanent.[IE p1]
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/omar-lashes-out-says-peacenot-
permanent/1138987/
31. TMC: Poll panel will have to hide after elections : Kolkata: A day after
West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee vowed to take “revenge
democratically” against the “whims and fancies” of the state poll panel, a
leader of her Trinamool Congress on Sunday said the panel would have to
“hide behind a veil” after the panchayat elections. [TOI p11]
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32. Mamata discusses poll issues with Jagan’s mother : HYDERABAD:
West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Sunday called up YSR
Congress Party honorary president YS Vijayamma and held talks on the
national political scenario. “She proposed that TMC, YSR Congress and
other such parties can come together for the snap polls, which are likely to
be held in November,” YSRCP said in a release.[HT p8]
33. EX-BJP minister Raghavji expelled on sodomy charge : Bhopal : The
BJP on Sunday expelled senior leader Raghavji from the party when an
FIR was lodged against him on charges of sodomy, after stripping him of
his finance minister’s portfolio on Friday. Madhya Pradesh BJP president
Narendra Singh Tomar announced his expulsion at a hurriedly-called
press conference at the party office within two hours of the lodging of the
FIR.[HT p8] http://www.hindustantimes.com/India-news/Bhopal/BJPexpels-
ex-minister-Raghavji-on-sodomy-charge/Article1-
1088731.aspx
EDITORIAL
34. On the road to 2014 : Arun Jaitley : The results of the 2004 general
elections indicated that the national election results were the net
aggregate of the results of all states. There was no all-India pattern.
Neighbouring states had voted in opposite directions. The 2009 general
election results, however, presented a different analysis. In most parts of
the country there was a visible pro-incumbency trend. The Congress did
better than its otherwise natural strength in the states. The urban
constituencies voted overwhelmingly in favour of the Congress. The
performance of the Congress in states like Haryana, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh,
Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Gujarat was much better than its
strength in the legislative assemblies of those states.[HT p10]
http://in.news.yahoo.com/road-2014-183000523.html
35. What about the Right to Good Governance? : Joginder Singh :
Abraham Lincoln once said: “You can fool some of the people all of the
time, and all of the people some of the time, but you cannot fool all of the
people all of the time.” But our leaders believe that they can do so. The
Government announces many schemes supposedly to alleviate poverty or
provide welfare services but they are rarely implemented. Recently, the
Union Government said that it would like to pass a law on the right to 25
litres of water every day for each citizen. But Right to Life and Liberty are
already guaranteed in the Constitution, and includes Right to a Good
Life.[Pioneer Daily p8]
36. BJP’s temple gamble a Cong opportunity : D K Singh : Though it may
sound strange, BJP’s chief election campaigner Narendra Modi’s
pointsman in Uttar Pradesh Amit Shah’s declaration of intent on Ram
temple in Ayodhya has been welcomed with glee in both Opposition and
ruling camps. [IE p3] http://www.indianexpress.com/news/bjpstemple-
gamble-a-cong-opportunity/1138959/
