1. New China border posts to monitor India project: Beijing: China hasNestablished its highest border police station at 5,373m above the sea level on its border with Bhutan in Shannan prefecture. It has also set up an allfemale police station in Tibet’s Nyingchi Revive Her Drive prefecture, which borders Arunachal Pradesh in India. [TOI p9]
2. Embassy attack: Israeli NSA to meet PC :New Delhi: Days after an Indian journalist was arrested for the terror attack on an Israeli diplomat, the national security adviser of Israel Yaakov Amidror will on Monday meet home minister P Chidambaram and his counterpart Shivshankar Menon. [TOI p11]
3. Unlike winter session, NDA not to boycott PC, Will Take On Minister
Over Federalism Debate: New Delhi: Preparing to take on the UPA
government as Parliament opens for the Budget session on Monday,
opposition NDA on Sunday worked out an aggressive strategy with the
focus on “assault on federalism”. [TOI p13]
4. Sibal Rejects Nitish’s Varsity Demand Again, HRD minister says
central university will come up in Gaya, not Motihari: NEW DELHI :
5. HRD minister Kapil Sibal has made it clear that the permanent campus of
the Central University of Bihar will be in Gaya. In a letter to chief minister
Nitish Kumar, he reiterated the rationale behind the Centre’s decision and
appealed to Kumar to not let politics come in the way of providing quality
education. [ET p3]
6. NDA to raise federalism, NCTC issues : New Delhi : It may not be
giving much consideration to the concept of an alternate front, but the BJP
is determined to queer the pitch for the government in the budget session
beginning on Monday by playing on the fears of regional parties on the
issue of federalism and try and herd them together onto a common
platform against the UPA.[IE p3]
7. Mamata may oppose Food Bill over cost-sharing : New Delhi : After
opposing the UPA government, in which her party is a partner, on the
issues of foreign direct investment in retail, plan to set up National
Counter-Terrorism Centre, and hike in prices of petroleum products, West
Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee could open a new front against
the Centre over the ambitious food security law. In doing so, she would
again join hands with the Opposition-led states that are already opposing
the National Food Security Bill.[IE p3]
8. No coercion, quash FIR: Maxis to CBI : NEW DELHI: Armed with a
favourable verdict from an international tribunal, Maxis Communications
has approached the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to deny the
coercion allegation in its 2006 acquisition of Aircel Ltd and submitted
evidence and clarifications to claim that there were no grounds for an FIR
against it.[HT p3]
9. Woman power goes up in UP Assembly : Lucknow : The newly
constituted 16th Assembly of Uttar Pradesh has 35 women members, that
is the highest number of women MLAs in the history of the state Assembly
since Independence.[IE p3]
10. Suspense over key UP posts, babus wait and watch : LUCKNOW:
The bureaucrats of Lucknow are living in suspense. Who gets preference
in the new regime over the key postings remains the key question. With
the law and order front being the toughest challenge for the new
government, selection of officials will be a crucial process in the coming
days. [HT p3]
11. Two-third of Cong’s UP candidates lost deposits, BJP accounts also
in red : New Delhi : The Congress didn’t just lose in 323 of the 351 seats
it contested in Uttar Pradesh. In 247 of those, or about 68 per cent of its
seats, the Congress candidates even forfeited their deposits. The BJP
fared only slightly better. Of the 398 candidates fielded by it, 230 lost their
deposits, working out to 58 per cent of its candidates.[IE p1]
12. Cong’s RS chances slide in 3 states : NEW DELHI: To scuttle the
Congress’s chances of winning seats by securing votes from elsewhere,
the ruling parties in at least three states-Odisha, Karnataka and West
Bengal -are looking for suitable independent candidates to contest for
marginal Rajya Sabha (RS) seats.[HT p9]
13. BSY rebellion fizzles out, won’t quit BJP: Bangalore: Former
Karnataka chief minister B S Yeddyurappa’s rebellion fizzled out even
before he could fire a shot at his Hubli rally. Following BJP’s Dharmendra
Pradhan’s advice, Yeddyurappa said he won’t quit the party. Instead, he
would work as a party worker and tour the state to strengthen the BJP.
[TOI p14]
14. 2007 election failures are now hot political properties : NEW DELHI:
In the last municipal elections, many Resident Welfare Associations
(RWAs) had tried to provide an alternative to political parties by propping
their own candidates but had failed miserably. This time, political parties
are wooing the same candidates to join their fold.[HT p2]
15. Early polls possible but not certain, feel parties : NEW DELHI: Early
elections to the Lok Sabha may be possible following the reverses
suffered by the Congress in UP, Punjab and Goa, and if the UPA allies
become recalcitrant. But nothing certain can be said at this stage, feel
political parties.[HT p8]
16. Little chance of BJP win in 2014: RSS : New Delhi : The BJP’s poor
performance in UP has upset its parent body, the RSS. Its mouthpieces
have begun to wonder whether it would be able to win the 2014 Lok
Sabha polls.[HT p8]
17. BJP becoming a party of leaders than workers : RSS : New Delhi:
Just like the Congress, the BJP is suffering from “a disconnect with voters”
in Uttar Pradesh, the RSS has opined. Commenting on the poor
performance of the BJP in Uttar Pradesh in the latest issues of its
mouthpieces Organiser and Panchjanya, the RSS has said it will be
difficult for the saffron party to come to power in the 2014 Lok Sabha
elections unless corrective measures are taken.[IE p3]
18. Mulayam to invite regional leaders at swearing-in : Lucknow : After
securing the chief minister’s chair for his son Akhilesh, Samajwadi Party
president Mulayam Singh Yadav has set his eyes on national politics.
Looking for a bigger role for himself, he will set the ball rolling at the
swearing-in ceremony on Thursday. The occasion will be used to revive
the possibility of a Third Front in the country.[IE p3]
19. Saffron bait for voters: Zero hike in property taxes : NEW DELHI: For
the past two years, the BJP-led MCD has not increased property taxes in
the city. The party hopes to use this fact as a bait for voters. This, despite
the fact that cost of booking halls and parks for social functions has
increased manifold.[HT p2]
20. BJP’s last manifesto: High on tall promises, low on delivery of
services : NEW DELHI: With municipal elections just a month away, the
BJP, which rules the MCD, has not been able to fulfill many of its promises
made in the last elections held in 2007. These promises include the
assurance to provide door-to-door collection of garbage among others.[HT
p2]
21. Big-ticket reforms on hold for a `safe’ budget session : NEW DELHI:
With regional parties, including ally Trinamool Congress, gearing up for a
`federal front’ and the Opposition aiming to corner the Congress after the
assembly polls, the UPA government is bracing for a stormy budget
session of Parliament starting Monday.[HT p1]
22. Didi changes plans after PM calls, Won’t Attend Swearing-In Of
Akhilesh, Badal: Kolkata/New Delhi: It took a flurry of phone calls on
Sunday, first from Prime Minister Manmohan Singh requesting a meeting
and then by finance minister Pranab Mukherjee, for West Bengal chief
minister Mamata Banerjee to scrap her plan to attend the swearing-in
ceremonies of Punjab chief minister Parkash Singh Badal and Uttar
Pradesh’s new incumbent Akhilesh Yadav. [TOI p1]
23. New front may shape up at Badal’s swearing-in: Chandigarh: The list
of invitees to Parkash Singh Badal’s swearing-in as Punjab’s chief minister
for the second time in a row on March 14 includes UPA allies and CMs
unhappy with the Centre. [TOI p14]
24. Illegal mining : BJP man among 2 held : Panna : Cracking the whip on
mining mafia, the police on Sunday arrested a person for firing at cops
probing illegal sand mining, even as a Morena BJP leader was held for
allegedly assaulting officers and forcibly taking away two tractor-trolleys
engaged in stone quarrying.[IE p2]
25. After BJP MLA, CBI grills his aide in Masood case : Bhopal : BJP
MLA Dhruv Narayan Singh’s representative Arun Pandey was on Sunday
questioned by CBI on the law-maker’s relationship” with RTI activist
Shehla Masood, who was murderd in August last year.[IE p2]
26. Akhilesh tries to rein in young brigade: Lucknow: A day after he was
named the youngest chief minister of UP, Akhilesh Yadav on Sunday sent
out a reassuring message to SP veterans by appointing Rajendra
Chaudhary as the party’s spokesman. [TOI p14]
27. Flying in India set to become more expensive, Hike of 20-30% In Next
Two Mths On Cards: Mumbai: Get ready to pay more when you fly. A
steep increase in airport charges, carbon emission tax and a predicted
jump in jet fuel prices are likely to drive fares up. Industry experts believe
passengers will pay at least 20-30% more on air travel in the coming
months. [TOI p1]
28. FIR filed against ‘unknown cops’ for Ramdev action : New Delhi:
More than two weeks after the Supreme Court asked Delhi Police to
investigate the role of its officers in the brutal crackdown on Baba
Ramdev’s supporters in June last year, the Central district police have
finally registered a case against “unknown Delhi Police officers” for “acts
endangering life or safety of others”. [TOI p1]
29. I don’t need a post, says yeddyurappa : Hubli : After being felicitated
as part of his 70th birthday celebrations “for his contribution to the
development of north Karnataka” amid a mammoth gathering at the Nehru
Stadium here on Sunday, the former Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa
announced that he would continue to work for the “welfare of the people
without expecting any post or rank”.[The Hindu p5]
30. Will SP push Mulayam for PM post? : NEW DELHI: Within the
Samajwadi Party, the way for Akhilesh Yadav’s acceptability as CM is
likely to have been smoothed by the thinking that father Mulayam Singh
should be left free to operate in Delhi as he could be presented as a
candidate for Prime Minister if a leader from outside the Congress or BJP
could make it after the next Lok Sabha poll, whose timing is being hotly
speculated.[AA p2]
31. Swamy party enters NDA : NEW DELHI:The BJP-led NDA decided to
include the Subramanian Swamy-headed Janata Party into its fold. A
decision to this effect was taken at the meeting of NDA floor leaders at
senior BJP leader and NDA working chairman L.K. Advani’s residence, on
the eve of the Budget Session of Parliament.[AA p3]
32. RS : Prakash Ambedkar Cong Maha Candidate? : Mumbai : Prakash
Ambedkar, grandson of Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar and a seniorleader of
the republican movement in Maharashtra, could become the Congress’
surprise candidate for the Rajya Sabha.[AA p3]
33. RSS: Tough for BJP to come to power in 2014 : NEW DELHI:
Questioning the BJP’s performance in the recently held Assembly polls,
including in Uttar Pradesh, the RSS said the saffron party’s performance
in UP shows it is “suffering from Congress patch — disconnect with its
voters”.[AA p2]
34. UPA allies silent on mid-term polls : NEW DELHI : The UPA
constituents have been maintaining a studied silence over talk of a
proposed new front and midterm Lok Sabha polls. The Congress is
pegging its hopes on the division within the regional parties which can give
it much needed time to redraw a strategy for the Lok Sabha elections
slated for 2014.[AA p2]
35. Kangra BJP MP suspended : Shimla : The Himachal Pradesh Bharatiya
Janata Party on Sunday suspended its senior leader and Lok Sabha MP
from Kangra Rajan Sushant from primary membership of the party for antiparty
activities.[The Hindu p7]
36. SP feels new front possible after ’14 polls : NEW DELHI: Though
Samajwadi chief Mulayam Singh Yadav has denied talks on forming a
“third front“ now, the party feels such a bloc is very much possible after the
2014 Lok Sabha elections.[AA p1]
37. Guj polls behind govt U-turn on cotton ban : New Delhi: Protests from
within the government and opposition notwithstanding, the drubbing in the
assembly polls and the coming polls in Gujarat appear to have hastened
the Centre’s decision to revoke the order banning cotton exports.[TOI
p12]
38. SP national secretary removed : Lucknow : The Samajwadi Party on
Sunday removed its national secretary Rajiv Rai from the post following
charges that he was involved in anti-party activities.[The Hindu p5]
39. BSP offers support to Cong in hill state : NEW DELHI: In a heartening
development for the Congress in Uttarakhand, the three MLAs of the
Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) have offered “unconditional support“ to help
the party form the next government in the state.[HT p1]
40. Shiv Sena MLA held in 30cr housing scam : Mumbai: Heavyweight
Shiv Sena MLA and former state minister Sureshdada Jain was arrested
late Saturday night by Jalgaon police for alleged involvement in a Rs 30-
crore housing scam, sending shockwaves through parts of northern
Maharashtra where he holds considerable sway. [TOI p12]
41. Now, PMO eyes a YouTube hit : NEW DELHI: You might have followed
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Twitter, now you can watch him on
YouTube. On Sunday, the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) expanded its
presence in the social media circuit by making its debut on the popular
video-sharing website.[HT p1]
42. Kovur bypoll and acid test for Andhra Congress : Hyderabad : The
by-election in Kovur Assembly constituency in Nellore district is being
seen as an acid test for the ruling Congress in Andhra Pradesh as it takes
on Y S Jaganmohan Reddy’s party, YSR Congress. The by-elections will
be held on March 18 in six Telangana constituencies and one in the
coastal district of Nellore.[IE p7]
43. Uttarakhand : Rawat man could be ‘compromise’ candidate :
Dehradun : A whisper campaign that was going around in political circles
here for the last few days got louder on Sunday, with a new name being
introduced into the Chief Ministerial race.[IE p4]
44. Ex-dacoit, BJP man held for sand mafia link : Bhopal: Cracking down
on the mining mafia behind a slew of attacks on police and civic officials,
the Madhya Pradesh police on Sunday arrested Kuber Singh, a former
dacoit who is a lynchpin of the sand mafia, and BJP leader Hamir Singh
Patel of Morena, who assaulted officials to free two tractor-trolleys
impounded for illegal mining. [TOI p1]
45. Games scam: Charges to be framed : New Delhi: A trial court is going
to frame charges on Monday against six people, including four MCD
officials, for their alleged role in a corruption case involving street lighting
before the 2010 Commonwealth Games. [TOI p1]
46. Trifurcate budget, govt tells MCD : New Delhi: The Delhi government
has directed the MCD to split its annual budget for 2011-12 into three
parts as three new municipalities will come into existence after the civic
polls in April. [TOI p4]
47. Delhi BSP councillors waiting for Maya : New Delhi : The Bahujan
Samaj Party councillors in Delhi are now eagerly awaiting the arrival of
party chief Mayawati in Delhi for some clarity on distribution of tickets for
the upcoming Municipal Corporation of Delhi elections.[The Hindu
48. p4]
49. BSP not to contest civic polls : Lucknow ; Outgoing Uttar Pradesh
Chief Minister Mayawati still smarting under the defeat in the assembly
elections has decided that the Bahujan Samaj Party will not contest the
local bodies polls due to be held later this year.[The Hindu p5]
EDITORIAL / OPINION
50. Bigger Battles Ahead for Samajwadi Party : CHANDRA BHAN
PRASAD : Kudos to the Uttar Pradesh electorate for eliminating fears of
horse-trading by according absolute majority to the Mulayam Singh
Yadav-led Samajwadi Party. With SP, however, fears of yet another spell
of ‘goonda raj’ (rule of the goons) have returned. Violence, it seems, is
synonymous with SP in power, as its intolerant supporters started
reminding us soon after the party’s victory. [TOI p2]
SPORTS NEWS
51. India-Pak World Cup semi fixed, says bookie in sting : London:
Cricket again came under a cloud as the Sunday Times, London, carried
out a sting operation on a Delhi based bookie who claimed last year’s
World Cup semifinal between India and Pakistan at Mohali was rigged.
[TOI p1]
More: Revive Her Drive
