NEWS IN BRIEF – OCT 16, 2011
1. Court seals escape route, Yeddy held in land scam, Arrest May Undercut BJP’s Stand On Graft: Bangalore: After avoiding court hearing, pleading for bail and going missing for four hours, former Karnataka chief minister B S Yeddyurappa was arrested on Saturday on charges of illegally garnering prize real estate for himself and his family, an embarrassment that could dent BJP’s anti-graft crusade and jolt the party’s only southern government. [TOI p1]
2. Yeddy Surrenders to Jail, Ex-Karnataka CM Charged In Land Case; Arrest Comes In Middle Of Advani Yatra:
Banglore: Former Karnataka chief minister and Bharatiya Janata Party leader BS Yeddyurappa surrendered before the Lokayukta court in Bangalore hours after he was denied bail and issued an arrest warrant in two cases of corruption for illegally denotifying land in and near Bangalore. [ET p1]
3. BSY’s arrest takes sheen off Advani’s yatra, Conflict With Modi & RSS, Absence Of Clear Candidate For PM’s Post Give Bad Publicity
To Drive :
New Delhi: The timing couldn’t have been worse. Former Karnataka CM B S Yeddyurappa’s arrest in a graft case threatens to derail BJP veteran L K Advani’s “anti-corruption” yatra while providing Congress an opportunity to hit back at its saffron rival. [TOI p17]
6. Advani ‘yatra’ against corruption : New Delhi : OnOctober 10, a day before veteran ‘yatri’ L.K. Advani was to start his 40-day journey — the sixth in a political series that began in 1990 — he said that the “ethical decline” of the United Progressive Alliance began in July 2008 when the Manmohan Singh government sought a trust vote in the Lok Sabha and won it by bribing MPs.[The Hindu p8]
7. May run for PM in 2014 if healthy : New Delhi : Ending conjectures on his candidature for the country’s supreme political office, BJP patriarch LK Advani has said he will decide on the issue depending on his “health” and “capability” to contribute to the 2014 Lok Sabha polls.[HT p8]
8. Ambala was just the tip of the iceberg, says Antony :New Delhi: Holding that the recent seizure of RDX in Ambala, which could have unleashed havoc in New Delhi, was just “the tip of the iceberg”, defence minister A K Antony on Saturday urged people to remain vigilant to thwart the nefarious designs of terrorists. [TOI p13]
9. Lokpal not the only solution: Montek : New Delhi: Planning
Commission deputy chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia has argued that
Lokpal is only one of the options to curb corruption, suggesting there is a
need for a multipronged strategy to tackle the menace. [TOI p19]
10. Adopt my ‘success model, says Modi : Jaipur : Gujarat Chief Minister
Narendra Modi presented his “vision” of development here on Saturday
citing success stories from his State and suggesting that the model could
be adopted elsewhere in the country. [The Hindu p5]
11. None but PM fears RTI, quips Advani : New Delhi : A day after Prime
Minister Manmohan Singh advocated taking a “critical look” at the Right to
Information (RTI) Act, senior BJP leader LK Advani on Saturday criticised
him and said his party was opposed to any such move as it had proved to
be an effective tool for transparent governance.[Pioneer Daily p1]
12. UPA is totally paralysed: LK : BHOPAL : Senior Bharatiya Janata Party
leader L.K. Advani on Saturday said that the Manmohan Singh-led UPA
government at the Centre is completely paralysed and is the most corrupt
since Independence.[AA p2]
13. House panel to go for Rahul lokpal formula : New Delhi :The
parliamentary panel, examining the Lokpal Bill, may propose that the
watchdog be made a constitutional body and the Lokayuktas in the states
be set up through a single stroke. If Anna Hazare’s team accepts the
proposal – suggested by Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi in
Parliament – at the final meeting, which will probably be held in early
November, it may clear the decks for the bills, including the one to amend
the Constitution, during the winter session next month.[HT p1]
14. Credit for success of anti-graft stir is only Anna’s: RSS : NEW DELHI:
Weeks after RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat’s statement that RSS cadre had
actively participated in the Anna Hazare movement sparked a row, the
Sangh on Friday gave him sole credit for the movement’s success.[HT p9]
15. RTI not to blame for inefficient govt: Aruna : Panaji: Transparency
advocate Aruna Roy on Saturday slammed Prime Minister Manmohan
Singh’s statement that the Right To Information Act was adversely
affecting government functioning, saying the government has “always
been inefficient”. [TOI p1]
16. Transparency helps honest bureaucrats : Panaji: Stating that
transparency benefits the system, Magsaysay awardee Aruna Roy said,
“We reject the suggestion that transparency makes bureaucrats inefficient.
The governmenthas alwaysbeen inefficient. Papers accessed by us
through RTI have proved this.” Roy was speaking at the International
Centre Goa in Dona Paula. [TOI p21]
17. Anna upset, Prashant exit from team likely : New Delhi: Anna
Hazare’s team appeared on the brink of a split on Saturday after he
indicated that Prashant Bhushan could be dropped from his core group.
The Gandhian also offered to bury the hatchet with Congress if it helped
pass the Lokpal Bill during Parliament’s winter session. [TOI p1]
18. Bring corporates under RTI: Nitish: New Delhi:Bihar chief minister
Nitish Kumar on Saturday made a strong push for expanding the scope of
Right to Information (RTI) Act, demanding that corporate sector and
public-private-partnership (PPP) projects be brought under it, and joined
the debate that started with the UPA expressing misgivings about the
application of the transparency law it had enacted itself. [TOI p13]
19. Anna stir is Brahminical: Agnivesh, ‘Arvind Kejriwal Must Apologize
For Saying Hazare Is Above Parliament’: New Delhi: Swami Agnivesh,
sidelined by Team Anna because of their suspicion that he was a
“government mole”, hit out on Saturday at his former comrades, accusing
them of promoting a cult around Anna Hazare and behaving like
Brahmanvadis. [TOI p15]
20. Won’t oppose Cong if it brings strong Lokpal: Anna : New Delhi:
Prashant Bhushan’s Kashmir plebiscite remark has upset Anna Hazare.
Talking on his fate as the member of his team core committee ,the
Gandhian said, “After it (committee) meets, I will take a decision.” [TOI
p19]
21. Anna effect in J&K too : Srinagar: The Anna Hazare saga continues.
The social activist whose anticorruption crusade stirred the nation and
shook the government drew huge crowds in the just-concluded Hisar
bypoll. [TOI p15]
22. RSS: We are close to Anna, denial hutrs : New Delhi : The RSS on
Saturday said it was very much a part of Anna Hazare’s campaign, with
general secretary Suresh Bhaiyyaji saying the activist’s denial and his
suggestion that it was a conspiracy was “beyond my comprehension“ and
caused “immense pain to me“.[HT p1]
23. UPA will provide quota for Muslims, says Khursheed : Lucknow :
With the Muslim voters poised to play a crucial role in the coming Uttar
Pradesh Assembly elections, Union Minority Affairs and Law and Justice
Minister Salman Khursheed reiterated on Saturday that the United
Progressive Alliance government had decided to give reservation to the
minority community. No time frame was fixed by the Union Minister.[The
Hindu p8]
24. Thousands trapped without food, water : CHENNAI: As protesters
blocked entry points to the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant (KNPP) in
Tamil Nadu for the third day in a row, the troubles of the 1,000 families
trapped inside the complex worsened with water, milk and other essential
supplies beginning to run out.[HT p1]
25. Adarsh Case of Fast Corruption & Slow Investigation : Mumbai : In
stark contrast to the making of Adarsh society that was characterised by
speedy clearances at all levels despite umpteen violations and regulation
breaches, the unravelling of the scam is now turning out to be a long
winding process.[The Sunday Standard p6]
26. Mamata U-turn: Calls Maoists supari killers, ‘Disarm & Talk In 7 Days
Or Face War’: Jhargram: As a champion of farmers’ rights, Mamata
Banerjee may have been soft on Naxalites, but on Saturday she made it
clear that as chief minister she would’nt brook any ideology promoting
violence. After her most vitriolic tongue-lashing, she gave the Maoists a
seven day deadline to drop arms and join peace talks. [ET p1]
27. Will reach Chandigarh via Delhi: New Delhi: With exit polls projecting a
victory for Kuldeep Bishnoi, the Haryana Janhit Congress (HJC)- BJP
candidate in Hisar Lok Sabha bypoll, the younger son of former Haryana
CM Bhajan Lal sees it as a new beginning of consolidation of non-Jat
votes in the state. About 78% of voters in Haryana are non-Jat. Bishnoi,
who left Congress and formed HJC, said his win could change power
equations in his home state. [TOI p19]
28. If I win, It won’t be just because of Anna : New Delhi :Even as the
impending Hisar election result is being seen as a test case for the
electoral impact of social activist Anna Hazare, late Haryana chief minister
Bhajan Lal’s son Kuldeep Bishnoi plays down the Anna impact in the
result, which will be out on Monday. [HT p8]
29. Anna begins maun vrat today, cites health : Ralegan Siddhi :A day
after he fuelled speculation about cracks in Team Anna, after he publicly
distanced himself from Prashant Bhushan over the latter’s stand on
Kashmir, Anna Hazare today declared that he would go on an indefinite
maun vrat (vow of silence) from tomorrow, but added that he was doing
this for health reasons and not as a form of protest.[IE p9]
30. Centre must keep eye on China : Gogoi : Guwahati :While expressing
satisfaction at China’s statement that it would not divert water from the
Brahmaputra, Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi today asked New Delhi
to “keep an eye” on Beijing.[IE p7]
31. Buddha to skip politburo meet again : Kolkata :Despite pressure from
the party leadership, former West Bengal chief minister Buddhadeb
Bhattacharjee will not attend the CPM politburo meeting in New Delhi on
October 17.[IE p6]
32. Mayawati asks party to be ready for mid-term polls : New Delhi :
Bahujan Samaj Party president and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister
Mayawati on Saturday asked party workers and office-bearers to be ready
to face mid-term general elections. Lok Sabha elections are due in
2014.[The Hindu p5]
33. Sushil Shinde assures CM of regular power supply : New Delhi : As
Delhi continues to reel under load-shedding, Union power minister Sushil
Kumar Shinde today assured chief minister Sheila Dikshit of uninterrupted
power supply to the city during festive season.[HT p4]
34. BJP gears up for civic polls, asks councillors to reach out : New
Delhi: With less than a year left for municipal polls, the BJP has started
preparations to retain its bastion in the upcoming elections. On Saturday,
171 BJP councillors met party spokesperson Venkaiah Naidu to discuss
the strategy for the upcoming elections. The state BJP has asked the
councillors to start “connecting with their voters” and expedite work on all
infrastructure related projects. [TOI p10]
LEGAL/CRIME NEWS
35. Bhushan wrong on Kashmir, others too will want to secede, warns
Justice Katju : New Delhi : Former Supreme Court judge Justice
Markandey Katju today said lawyer-activist Prashant Bhushan was
“wrong” to say Kashmiris should be allowed to decide whether they want
to stay with India. He warned that such talk could prompt others to call for
secession.[IE p1]
36. Give concrete proposals on state funding of polls, GoM tells Law Min
: New Delhi : The Group of Ministers on Corruption has asked the Law
Ministry to formulate “concrete proposals” on constitutional and statutory
amendments that would be required to introduce state funding of
elections.[IE p2]
37. SC: Enact law to fix liability for damages Says Compensation Being
Fixed Arbitrarily: New Delhi: The Supreme Court has sought
Parliament’s urgent attention for enacting a law to fasten compensation
liability on the government and its officers in cases where disasters, like
Uphaar fire tragedy, result from their inaction or nonperformance of
statutory duties. [TOI p3]
38. ‘HC should have ordered probe’, Former HC Judges Take Critical
View Of Shivani Judgment: New Delhi: Delhi high court’s verdict in the
12-year-old Shivani Bhatnagar murder case, acquitting former IPS officer
R K Sharma, besides two others, has not only caught people by surprise
but has also evoked a lot of reaction in judicial circles. [TOI p8]
39. Gujarat HC stays arrest of Vijay Kanara : AHMEDABAD: In a new twist
in IPS officer Sanjiv Bhatt’s case, the Gujarat high court has stayed arrest
of lawyer Vijay Kanara who had drafted the affidavit in the name of
constable KD Pant, supporting Bhatt’s claim on the controversial meeting
held by CM Narendra Modi on February 27, 2002, after the Godhra train
carnage.[HT p8]
EDITORIAL/OPINION
40. At 84, LK’s still a whirlwind : YOJNA GUSAI: At Badlu Tola, a small
village in Chapra, people had been waiting for hours to catch a glimpse of
Lal Krishna Advani. They had seen this bade neta only on television and
in newspapers. Local leaders had told them that the senior BJP leader
was embarking on a yatra against corruption. But they were not waiting
merely out of curiosity.[AA p5]
41. Who is bigger? Message or Messenger?: Swapan DasGupta: If the
solitary purpose of the Jan Chetna Yatra being undertaken by LK Advani
was to demonstrate that the India of 2011 is markedly different from the
India of 1990, it could be described as an unqualified success. Whereas in
1990 the Somnath to Ayodhya yatra was cut off in full flow at Samastipur
on the orders of the Bihar Chief Minister, Advani’s fifth yatra had the
satisfaction of being flagged off from Bihar by a friendlier Bihar
CM.[Pioneer Daily p1]
BUSINESS NEWS
42. Reliance industries net jumps 16% to Rs 5703 cr : New Delhi : Sitting
on a cash equivalent of $12.6 bn (Rs 61,490 crore), private sector biggie
Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) on Saturday reported a 16% increase in its
net profit at Rs 5,703 crore for the second quarter of the current year
ending September 30. [HT p8]
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
43. US must learn foreign policy from India, Brazil : NEW YORK: The US
should learn from emerging powers like India and Brazil to put economics
at the centre of foreign policy, if it has to retain its position as a global
powerhouse, secretary of state Hillary Clinton said at a function on
Saturday. [HT p1]
