Prime Minister is better, watches Television

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who had gone through a coronary bypass surgery on Saturday at AIIMS, is making speedy recovery. On Monday, Dr Singh watched the Republic Day parade on TV from his hospital bed. Congress chairperson Sonia Gandhi visited Dr Singh and inquired about his health.

AIIMS authorities said the Prime Minister continues to make “excellent progress” and had “some semi-solid food” on Monday. He had been on a liquid diet till Sunday evening after the surgery. Authorities said several invasive monitoring lines have been removed and the Prime Minister will be given physiotherapy once he is out of the ICU to enable early mobilisation. Though the date of discharge has not been finalised, considering his progress, doctors do not think that Dr Singh would have to stay in the hospital for long. “The PM is showing further improvement in his health. In the morning he watched the Republic Day function on television,” said AIIMS medical superintendent D. K Gupta.

Dr Singh, 76, underwent an 11-hour bypass heart surgery at the AIIMS. He is expected to be in the hospital for about a week.

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Rahul is the future of country: Congress

“Rahul Gandhi is absolutely the future of the country,” said the Congress at a time when speculation about a prime ministerial candidate is gaining ground once again in party circles.

“Rahul Gandhi is a practical person, he is not greedy for power. He is honest, loyal to the country, we are proud of him,” said AICC media department chairperson M. Veerappa Moily here on Tuesday.

Replying to questions about whether the party sees him as a potential candidate for the top post, Mr Moily said, “He is definitely the future of the country, working on the ground, hundred per cent he fills the bill.” Though the party does not want to project him as its prime ministerial candidate “at this juncture”, perhaps due to the coalition compulsions, the rank and file is clear that he will lead the party and the government.

Asked who would be the party’s prime ministerial candidate if it retains power after the general election next year, Mr Moily said: “This is a decision to be taken by the Congress president and MPs.”

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Patil tired of dressing down

Speculation over the continuance in office of beleaguered Union home minister Shivraj Patil is gaining ground in political circles with the Congress leadership assessing whether a change is required at this juncture. Sources said this was because competence was not the only criteria for the post and that the “confidence” of the leadership was equally important.

A special meeting of the Union Cabinet has been called on Wednesday to discuss the terror attacks.

“There is no forward movement on this issue (continuance of Mr Patil in his post) at this juncture,” well placed sources said here on Tuesday, adding that “he may go or may not go”. The leadership does not want to take a decision under pressure either from the BJP or from RJD leader Lalu Prasad Yadav.

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Rahul turns 38, Congress celebrates

Hundreds of his supporters celebrated the day, distributing sweets, bursting crackers and cutting cakes but Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi was now here to be seen on his birthday on Thursday.

The scion of the Gandhi family was not present in his Tughlak Lane residence, though it was thronged by his supporters as they carried gifts for their leader. According to sources, the Amethi MP was in Delhi but keeping away from the limelight.

However, the Indian Youth Congress (IYC) and National Students Union of India (NSUI) leaders celebrated the day.

“The day is being celebrated in all districts across the country in different ways. While some groups are cutting cakes to mark the occasion others are holding relief camps to give medical aid to needy children,” IYC president Ashok Tanwar said.

Mr Gandhi’s Tughlak Lane residence here had a regular stream of visitors since morning. A crowd of around 300 people gathered at the All India Congress Committee (AICC) headquarters here to celebrate his birthday. They burst crackers, danced and distributed sweets. Several hoardings and posters were put up at the AICC office and also on Tughlak Lane.

A host of important Congress leaders sent bouquets for Mr Gandhi. Among them were Andhra Pradesh chief minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy, Union ministers V. Narayanasamy and Santosh Mohan Dev, as well as MPs and MLAs from different parts of the country.

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Assam admits project funds went to militants

The Assam government said here on Thursday that the political leaders of the North Cachar Autonomous District council have siphoned off Rs 10 crores by clearing old fake bills of contractors in order to facilitate fund to the Dimasa militant. Disclosing this to reporters, Assam government spokesman and minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said: "This is what the Assam governor, Lt. Gen. Ajay Singh (retd), who is the constitutional head of the district councils, has reported to the Assam government."

He said: "The council leaders hurriedly cleared the controversial bills of two contractors, R.S. Gandhi and Ali, worth Rs 10 crores, which was pending for the past several years. These contractors paid the majority of the fund released by the council to the Dimasa rebels." Denying the charges of the council leaders against him of having nexus with Dimasa rebels, Mr Sarma said: "It has become a fashion among my political opponents in Assam to drag my name in all militant-related controversies."

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Google invites Congress, BJP to campaign via YouTube

The presidential election campaign in the United States this time is being fought as much in the party primaries as on YouTube, the enormously popular Google-owned site where anyone can post a video free of cost. In the run-up to the next general elections in India, we may see a similar online video war between the Congress and the BJP.

Google announced the launch of YouTube's India operations on Wednesday. However, it has already broached the use of YouTube with the BJP and the Congress in their campaigns for the coming general elections.

"We will provide space to the parties for telecasting video campaigns. We can also create customised interactive platforms for them," says Google India managing director Shailesh Rao.

YouTube could become the quickest and cheapest mass based electronic means of reaching out to young urban voters in this country.

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Land grab FIR on minister's son

The war bet ween the BSP and the Congress seems to be intensifying with the Mayawati government registering a case of land-grabbing against Siddhartha Jaiswal, son of Union minister of state for home Sriprakash Jaiswal, in Kanpur.

Mr Siddhartha Jaiswal told reporters on Thursday that the cases against him were "baseless and politically motivated."

The Kanpur Development Authority (KDA) on Wednesday registered as many as 18 cases in various police stations of Kanpur against influential persons who have illegally grabbed land owned by the government.

Eight cases have been registered at the Chakeri police station, five at the Naubasta police station, two each at Maharajpur and Kalyanpur and one at the Bidhnoo police station.

The case against Mr Siddhartha Jaiswal has been registered at the Chakeri police station.

Chakeri's station house officer, Mr Krishna Govind Sharma, said: "Eleven people have been booked in the eight cases registered here.

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Cut prices by Apr 15, or we'll agitate: CPM

The CPI(M) said on Sunday that it would launch a nationwide agitation along with like minded parties if the UPA government failed to take measures to control the rising prices of essential commodities by April 15.

The Marxist threat comes on the eve of a meeting called by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to review the situation arising out of surging prices, particularly of some food and metal items, in the backdrop of spiralling inflation.

The 19th national congress of the CPI (M), now in session here, adopted a resolution expressing grave concern at the galloping prices and called upon the government to "shed its neo-liberal approach and initiate immediate steps to check the price rise." Briefing the media later, politburo member Sitaram Yechury said his party congress wanted the UPA government to strengthen the public distribution system, ban futures trading in essential commodities, restructure customs and excise duties on oil imports and punish hoarders.

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Sonia names new chief of Andhra Congress

Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Tuesday night named Andhra Pradesh higher education minister D. Srinivas the new president of the Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee.

On the other hand, Mumbai Regional Congress Committee (MRCC) president Gurudas Kamat resigned, but the party high command has not decided whether or not to accept it.

Mr Kamat, a sitting Lok Sabha member, sent his resignation letter to the central leadership about eight days ago on the ground that he has completed five years in office and does not want to continue for long, like other leaders in the party.

Congress president Sonia ed five years in office and does not want to continue for long, like other leaders in the party.

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Left pushes for a Third Front

The four major Left parties on Sunday stressed the need to create and present a third alternative before the people.

Leaders of the Communist Party of India, the Communist Party of India (Marxist), the Revolutionary Socialist Party and the All India Forward Bloc came together on the occasion of the 20th party congress of the CPI held here.

Delivering the inaugural address, CPI general secretary A.B. Bardhan, said every effort should be made to build a Left democratic alternative to the Congress as well as the BJP."We should present an alternative programme," he said.

Mr Bardhan also warned that the controversial Indo-US nuclear deal was an attempt to cap a strategic partnership with the United States. "We have no problems with the India-specific safeguards agreement (with the IAEA), our opposition is to the Indo-US nuclear agreement as such," he said.

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Sonia rules out early LS election

Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Tuesday ruled out early parliamentary elections."We have a little over a year left of this Parliament," she said. Mrs Gandhi also indicated that this year's Union Budget would be the centre piece of the party's campaign plank as it reflected the interests and needs of all sections of the population.

Addressing the Congress Parliamentary Party meeting at the Central Hall of Parliament on Tuesday, Mrs Gandhi said: "Inevitably, we have also to start preparing for the Lok Sabha polls next year. We will go into these polls with an outstanding record of achievements, both in terms of government programmes and of legislation enacted. These achievements should earn us the trust and mandate of the people once again. These achievements give us a firm sense of self-confidence to take on our political opponents." In an apparent reference to the string of electoral setbacks, Mrs Sonia Gandhi said there was a need for much more careful selection of candidates and strategies.

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Goa House prorogued, BJP wants floor test

Congress and NCP central observers negotiated hard all day to resolve a crisis in the Goa government while the Winter Session of the Assembly was abruptly prorogued on Thursday afternoon.

By late Thursday evening, constituents of the new group that precipitated Wednesday's events softened their stance on pulling down the government and said they expected "something to come out of the discussions" being held all day in two hotels in Goa.

"There are functional problems with the government.

Both high commands should realise this and take steps to resolve them," said Independent legislator Vishwajit Rane. He resigned as health minister on Wednesday night, along with the NCP's tourism minister, Mr Francisco Pacheco, and revenue minister Jose Philip D'Souza, withdrawing support to the coalition.

NCP civil aviation minister Praful Patel told the media he was "hopeful of a solution within the framework of this government". Mr Patel held talks with Goa chief minister Digambar Kamat on Thursday evening. While the NCP high command was unhappy with the unilateral decision of its Goa legislators to quit, Mr Patel, after holding talks with them, conceded they had grievances. "These issues will have to be resolved," he said.

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Image and Article source: Asian Age
Article taken from the issue: 18 Jan 2008