NEWS IN BRIEF – DEC 31, 2011
1. After RS debacle, Cong battles to regain ground on Lokpal, Hopes
Poll Boost Will Check Didi: New Delhi: With the Lokpal fight set to drag
into the new year, Congress has crafted a fresh plan to pass the anti-graft
legislation, hoping elections to five states will boost its Rajya Sabha tally.
They could also end up adding new partners to the UPA coalition — a
scenario that could reduce its reliance on Trinamool Congress. [TOI p1]
2. It was clear match-fixing in RS: Team Anna : New Delhi: Parliament
fiasco over the Lokpal Bill gave some much-needed oxygen to a flagging
Anna Hazare movement. A day after Anna Hazare called off his fast due
to lack of popular support, Team Anna regained its combative mood on
Friday, alleging the government had “fixed” the Rajya Sabha proceedings
on Thursday night. [TOI p14]
3. Oppn Sees Opportunity in Trinamool Congress, Oppn on the lookout
for neutral issues like Lokpal to bring anti-Cong parties on same
platform: NEW DELHI : With the Lokpal fiasco in the Rajya Sabha
magnifying the vulnerability of the Manmohan Singh government, its own
ally, the Trinamool Congress, and the Opposition appeared determined to
fuel two larger reinforcing realities. [ET p2]
4. Flee-Dom at Midnight: Jaitley, Both prime minister and finance
minister were ‘not mere mute witnesses, but were key players in the
conspiracy’: Swaraj: NEW DELHI : BJP on Friday said the lack of
numbers for the UPA and stiff resistance from an ally were the main
factors that forced the government to call off a vote on the Lokpal bill in
the Rajya Sabha. “Jawaharlal Nehru gave the expression freedom at
midnight. [ET p2]
5. We had objected at Cabinet meeting itself, says TMC : New Delhi :
Two days before the Lokpal Bill was introduced in Parliament, the
Trinamool had objected to the inclusion of the Lokayukta chapters in the
draft. This happened at the December 20 cabinet meeting which cleared
the draft.[IE p1]
6. Jaya eyes Centre: Will be part of next govt : Chennai : AIADMK
general secretary and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa on Friday
said her party would be part of the next government to be formed at the
Centre after the general elections in 2014, urging her party cadre to begin
work in this regard from now itself.[IE p11]
7. BJP blames PM for ‘midnight fraud’ : New Delhi: BJP squarely blamed
the Lokpal fiasco in the Rajya Sabha on PM Manmohan Singh and finance
minister Pranab Mukherjee as the party on Friday launched a bitter
assault on the government accusing it of perpetrating the biggest fraud at
the stroke of midnight. [TOI p14]
8. Lokpal is dream of every youth, not just mine: Rahul :
SAHARANPUR: A day after the government deferred the vote on the anticorruption
legislation in the Rajya Sabha, Congress general secretary
Rahul Gandhi on Friday vowed that his party will definitely bring a strong
lokpal. “Ham mazboot Lokpal la kar hi rahenge (we will bring a strong
Lokpal),“ he said.[TOI p14]
9. Govt Misused Parliamentary Procedures: Team Anna: NEW DELHI :
Team Anna on Friday amplified the Opposition’s charge that the
happenings in the Rajya Sabha on Thursday midnight was scripted by the
government. “It’s a conspiracy against the people. Ruling party has a
control over parliamentary procedures. It has misused the procedures,
ensured that the voting doesn’t happen,” said Team Anna member Arvind
Kejriwal. [ET p2]
10. We’re open to talks with Kashmir separatists: PC : NEW DELHI: Union
home minister P Chidambaram on Friday disclosed that the channels of
communication with some of the separatist groups in J&K were still open
and there was a possibility of negotiation with them in the new year if they
came forward for dialogue.[HT p9]
11. Govt no to army chief plea for DoB change : NEW DELHI: India looks
set to get a new army chief in the new year. The defence ministry has
rejected army chief Gen VK Singh’s statutory complaint to change his date
of birth (DoB) from May 10, 1950 to May 10, 1951. Under the
circumstances, Singh will retire in May on turning 62.[HT p1]
12. Govt orchestrated the whole thing : BJP : New Delhi : Attacking the
government for “running away“ from a vote on the lokpal bill in the Rajya
Sabha, the BJP demanded on Friday that it step down and seek a fresh
mandate.[HT p8]
13. Cyclone kills 35, batters Auroville : Puducherry/Chennai: Packing
winds at 140km per hour, Cyclone Thane pummelled the Tamil Nadu
coast and Puducherry on Friday morning, killing 35 and wreaking untold
devastation. The French quarters of Puducherry, including Auroville, was
a tangle of uprooted trees and electric poles. [TOI p1]
14. ‘No party wanted Bill passed’, Lokpal Debate Just An Act, Says City:
New Delhi: Some of them had waved the tri-colour at the height of the
Anna tide in Ramlila Maidan. Others tuned into the Lokpal debate only
when Parliament took it up. But regardless of their interest in the issue,
most Delhiites felt dismay at the fate of the Lokpal Bill on Thursday night.
[TOI p4]
15. Yet another increase in CNG prices : New Delhi : Indraprastha Gas
Limited (IGL) on Friday announced yet another increase in the prices of
compressed natural gas (CNG) by Rs.1.75 per kg in Delhi and Rs.2 per kg
for neighbouring townships of Noida and Ghaziabad. [The Hindu p1]
16. Ahead of polls, Maya sacks 4 more netas, Ten Ministers Shown Door
In Past 6 Days: Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh chief minister Mayawati sacked
four more ministers on Friday, taking the number of her ministerial
colleagues shown the door in the past six days alone to 10. [TOI p11]
17. BSP leader, son quit, join SP : Lucknow: Former Bahujan Samaj Party
general secretary Naresh Agarwal and his son Nitin joined the Samajwadi
Party on Friday. Apart from the Agarwal duo, two other BSP turncoats,
Rajeshwari Devi, a sitting BSP MLA from Sandi assembly constituency in
Hardoi and MLC Raj Kumar Agarwal also joined SP. [TOI p11]
18. EC Enhances Cash Carrying Limit to . 2.50Lakh : CHANDIGARH :
Relenting to the business community’s demand, the Election Commission
has enhanced the limit of carrying cash from . 1 lakh to . 2.50 lakh during
the period when model code of conduct is in force.[ET p3]
19. Goa NCP legislator pacheco resigns : Panaji : Former tourism minister
of Goa and controversial NCP leader Fransisco “Mickky” Pacheco on
Friday resigned as a member of the Legislative Assembly, two months
ahead of the state elections.[AA p2]
20. Shatru, Varun not ‘free’ for campaign : Lucknow : With elections just
one month away, the BJP seems to have upset its two major star
campaigners, Shatrughan Sinha and Varun Gandhi.[AA p2]
21. Diggy praises Rahul over sub-quota : Saharanpur : Referring to the
recent Union Cabinet nod to allow 4.5 per cent sub-quota for minorities
from among the 27 per cent reservation for OBCs, AICC general secretary
in-charge for Uttar Pradesh Digvijay Singh, who accompanied Mr Rahul
Gandhi to the rally, said this had been possible because of the young
leader’s initiative and the share could also increase in future as per the
findings of the caste survey.[AA p2]
22. For Punjab Congress, it’s over to Delhi : Chandigarh : It’s over to Delhi
for Punjab Congress as all leaders of the state Congress are busy with
intense lobbying for party tickets. The fact that the Assembly elections in
the state are exactly a month away but Congress leaders are absent from
their constituencies has created a political lull for the Congress in the
state.[AA p2]
23. Lokayukta ‘no’ to Delhi request for illegal colonies scam report : New
Delhi : Delhi Lokayukta Manmohan Sarin has turned down a strange
request from the Divisional Commissioner ana Revenue Secretary of the
Delhi Government to return the investigation report over issuance of
provisional regularisation certificates to some non-existent unauthorized
colonies in South Delhi.[The Hindu p4]
24. Centre sowing seeds of another partition : Joshi : Lucknow :
Terming the provision of religion-based reservation as a ploy of the
Congress to garner Muslim votes in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections,
senior BJP leader Murli Manohar Joshi asked the community how long it
would allow the so-called secular parties to treat them as a vote
bank.[Pioneer Daily p16]
25. Supreme Court insulated 2G case from interference :New Delhi : The
year 2011 was a watershed for the Supreme Court, and its judges, led by
Chief Justice of India S.H. Kapadia, left their mark on all walks of life,
especially in exposing corruption in high places and ensuring filing of three
charge sheets in the 2G spectrum allocation case.[The Hindu p11]
LEGAL/CRIME NEWS
26. Justice Pal sworn in as Gujarat HC Judge : Ahmedabad : Justice
Mohinder Pal, who has been transferred from the Punjab and Haryana
High Court to the Gujarat High Court under controversial circumstances,
was on Friday morning administered the oath of office by acting Chief
Justice H C Bhaskar Bhattacharya at an official function.[IE p2]
