IAC activists demonstrate outside magistrate's office in Farrukhabad

FARRUKHABAD, UP: Activists of Arvind Kejriwal-led India Against Corruption on Saturday sat on a dharna in front of the city magistrate's office to press for permission to hold their proposed demonstration on November 1.

The Farrukhabad administration had denied permission to the IAC to hold demonstration to make fresh expose against alleged irregularities by Zakir Husain Memorial Trust of law minister Salman Khurshid, IAC sources said.

IAC convenor Laxman Singh along with his associates started the dharna in front of the magistrate's office.

The city magistrate later granted permission to the IAC activists to hold the November 1 programme, they said.

IAC member Sanjay Singh, meanwhile, told reporters in Lucknow that Kejriwal's programme would be held in the home district of Khurshid at all cost even if they have to land in jail.

Singh said IAC has written a letter to chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav requesting to give permission for Kejriwal's programme in Farrukhabad.

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Nitin Gadkari's stay as BJP chief will help Congress: Digvijay Singh

"If Gadkari continues as BJP president, it will help in exposing the main opposition party's corrupt face in the public," Digvijay Singh said.

GUNA (MP): Congress will benefit if Nitin Gadkari's continues as BJP president since it will help in exposing the main opposition party's "corrupt face" in the public, party general secretary Digvijay Singh said on Saturday.

"Continuance of Gadkari as BJP president is in the interest of the Congress as it will help the party in exposing BJP's corrupt face in the public," he told reporters at his ancestral hometown Raghogarh before leaving for Indore.

Gadkari is facing flak over allegations of dubious funding of his company. The main opposition party has rallied behind Gadkari and ruled out his resignation over the charges.

To a question, the Congress general secretary said after the proposed reshuffle of Union Cabinet, Rahul Gandhi could be seen playing a bigger role in the party.

Singh sought to downplay pre-poll surveys predicting victory for BJP in Gujarat, saying they are incorrect and Congress is contesting the assembly election due in December with an aim to register win.

Asked about reports that he would contest the next Lok Sabha polls from Rajgarh, the former Madhya Pradesh chief minister said he was ready to fight from any other seat except Rajgarh.

Referring to the global investors meet being organised at Indore from Sunday, Singh demanded that the Shivraj Singh Chouhan-led government make public how many agreements it had signed prior to the meet.

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Indonesia arrests 11 suspected terrorists planning attack on US embassy

JAKARTA: Indonesian police arrested 11 suspected terrorists on Saturday allegedly planning attacks on the US embassy and an American consulate, a spokesman said.

"The group's objectives were to attack the US embassy in Jakarta and consulate-general in the eastern Javanese city of Surabaya," national police spokesman Suhardi Alius told reporters.

Alius said the group was also targeting a building in the capital near the Australian embassy where US mining giant Freeport-McMoRan has an office.

"We also confiscated an explosive device from a home in the town of Madiun in eastern Java, as well as explosive materials and a bomb-making manual," Alius said.

Anti-terror police Detachment 88 made the arrests in four cities, including Jakarta, in a sweep on the island of Java, saying the detained belonged to a new network known as Hasmi.

Explosive materials were also secured from a location in Solo, central Java, and in Bogor on the outskirts of the capital.

Indonesia was rocked by a series of deadly attacks blamed on the al-Qaida-linked Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) last decade, including the 2002 Bali bombings that killed 202 people, mostly foreign tourists.

Indonesia has not seen a major attack since 2009 and authorities say a long crackdown on terrorism has debilitated JI.

But smaller terror cells aspiring to an Islamic caliphate through violent means have emerged, though none have carried out any serious attacks.

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Won't hesitate to stall Parliament if it helps fight graft: BJP

CHANDIGARH: BJP on Saturday said it won't hesitate to stall Parliament again if it helps fight corruption.

BJP spokesperson Rajiv Pratap Rudy claimed that two years ago by stalling the winter session of Parliament over the 2G spectrum scam issue, there had been a net benefit of Rs 2 lakh crore to the country.

"If by obstructing Parliament, resources of the exchequer are filled, BJP will not hesitate...," he told reporters here, adding the party also cannot remain silent to "monumental corruption" witnessed during Congress-led UPA government.

Rudy termed Sunday's reshuffle of Union Council of Ministers, Rudy as an "exercise in vain" and said the Manmohan Singh government, from which Trinamool Congress has pulled out, "should have sought a "fresh mandate" before going into this exercise (reshuffle)".

"After TMC's withdrawal...government lost its credibility. BJP feels this (reshuffle) is an exercise in vain," Rudy said.

The Prime Minister also came under sharp attack from the BJP leader who said Singh was known as an economist and for his honesty but in UPA-II that has "changed".

Rudy also said the PM was a Cambridge University scholar, had served in prestigious positions, including finance minister, finance secretary, governor of RBI etc and "nowhere in the world do we have a Prime Minister who is so qualified".

"But after promising growth rate of 9.2 per cent, it is hovering around 5.2 per cent", he added.

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Chandrababu Naidu in 'good health', to resume his march

HYDERABAD: Telugu Desam Party president N Chandrababu Naidu is hale and hearty, his son Nara Lokesh has said.

"My father is in good health. There is no cause for concern. His foot march will continue," Lokesh announced at Gadwal this evening.

Full details about his father's condition would be revealed after the doctors' report was received, Lokesh added.

The TDP chief Chandrababu took a day's break from his ongoing "Vastunna Meekosam" foot march in Mahbubnagar district on Saturday following the minor injury he sustained to his back late last night.

Telugu movie star NTR Junior, Chandrababu's nephew and upcoming film hero Nara Rohit and a host of others called on the TDP supremo at Gadwal on Saturday.

Officials from the Mahbubnagar district administration also called on the leader of opposition to enquire about his health.

A team of specialist doctors that took an X-ray of his back after midnight on Friday and early this morning at Gadwal, where Chandrababu was camping, established that there was no fracture, but only a sprain.

"He was suffering from cramps following the fall he had late last night. There was also a muscle sprain," TDP sources said.

Though a determined Chandrababu wanted to continue with his foot march even on Saturday, he agreed to take a day's break for rest on the advise of doctors as well as pressure from party leaders.

The former chief minister suffered a minor injury to his back in a freak mishap when the dais, from where he addressed a public meeting at Gadwal in Mahbubnagar district, collapsed suddenly late on Friday night.

Soon after the incident, Chandrababu walked for about a kilometer, but later gave up following severe pain in the back. A team of doctors from Hyderabad rushed to Gadwal to conduct tests on the leader of opposition. An X-ray was taken after midnight to determine whether there was any fracture.

This morning a digital X-ray was also taken and it was concluded that there was no fracture, TDP MLA Errabilli Dayakar Rao said. Chandrababu's wife Bhuvaneswari and son Lokesh were in Gadwal to attend on him.

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Engineer jailed for 5 years in Pakistan returns home to warm welcome

MUMBAI: 32-year-old Bhavesh Parmar, who was jailed in Pakistan for five years after he "inadvertently" crossed over to the country in 2007 by Samjhauta Express, returned home to a warm welcome here on Friday.

"It feels good to be back. I am happy," Bhavesh, a software engineer, told reporters after his arrival at the Mumbai airport.

His mother Hansa Kanti, who had gone to receive him at the Wagah border on Thursday, said he immediately recognized her despite a five-year-long gap.

"There was too much of crowd. However, he recognized me when we had a first eye-contact when he crossed over into the Indian territory," Kanti told reporters at her residence in suburban Vile Parle.

Bhavesh, who was accompanied by local MLA Krishna Hegde and MP Priya Dutt from Delhi, returned home in the presence of his neighbours, who cheered his home-coming. They garlanded him and also distributed sweets.

His mother thanked Vile Parle MLA Krishna Hegde and MP Priya Dutt for their help.

She, however, said that her son was finding it difficult to communicate as he was "giving short answers without constructing a sentence."

"He was very talkative earlier. But he is a bit reluctant to talk now," she said.

According to her, Bhavesh had gone into depression after his father died in 2006. "He suffered a double-blow. Since his father was ill, he had to quit from a multi-national company. But in two months time his father passed away and he went into depression as he was unemployed too," she recalled.

Meanwhile, Hegde said that if Bhavesh was facing any psychological problems, he was ready to bear the expenses of the treatment.

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SP's appeasement policy to be blamed for communal violence in UP: BJP

NEW DELHI: Condemning the communal violence in Faizabad and Barabanki districts of Uttar Pradesh, BJP on Friday alleged that Samajwadi Party's "appeasement" politics was responsible for such incidents.

Expressing concern at the increasing frequency of such violence in the state since Akhilesh Yadav government came to power, the party alleged that "radical elements among the minority community" were involved in them and demanded stern action against the culprits.

"BJP strongly condemns the communal violence in Faizabad and Barabanki and demands stern action against the culprits who had attacked the Durga puja procession on Dussehra...More than 35 communal incidences in less than 11 months have taken place in UP after Akhilesh Yadav took over as chief minister.

"There is a deliberate design to create communal strife all over UP," BJP spokesperson Prakash Javadekar said here.

He alleged that Faizabad is not the only place in the state which has witnessed communal violence. He recalled a case of stone pelting and killing of a devotee in Badarsa on Dussehra, desecration of Durga idol in Rudoli, among other cases.

Javadekar maintained that in the last 75 days, there have been communal riots in five places in Uttar Pradesh and seven people have lost their lives.

BJP alleged that that "radical elements among the minority community" are involved in them. The Opposition said a communal atmosphere has been created in UP with the blessings of the SP government.

In Kanpur, former BJP president Rajnath Singh charged the Akhilesh Yadav government with failing to curb the communal riots in the state

Alleging that, "Whenever the Samjwadi Party comes in power, communal riots increase", Singh said "the Samajwadi Party has failed on each and every front.... It is the duty of the elected government not to be biased against any cast, creed or religion."

Javdekar said, "What is worse is that police are unable to react even when they are attacked, leave alone taking action when attacks take place on festivities. Their hands are tied."

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Ferrari's support for Italian naval guards kicks up diplomatic row

Row hits India GP: Ferrari to race with Italian navy flag

NEW DELHI: Formula One team Ferrari's decision to carry the seal of Italian navy in the Indian Grand Prix as a mark of support for the Italian naval guards held here is leading on to another diplomatic spat between the two nations.

Reflecting New Delhi's unhappiness, official spokesperson in the ministry of external affairs Syed Akbaruddin said, "using sporting events to promote cause which are not of a sporting nature is not in keeping with the spirit of sports."

While Indian officials said that the gesture was not in the right spirit, Italian foreign minister Giulio Terzi has complimented Ferrari for the move.

"This shows that the entire country stands behind the marines" said Terzi.

Terzi had recently said that he was astounded by the "dithering" of the Indian judiciary in the case.

Announcing their decision to race with the flag of the Italian navy on their cars at this weekend's Indian Grand Prix, a Ferrari team official on Thursday said, "First of all, we just wanted to pay tribute to all the Italian Navy which is one of the excellences of Italy and it's just a sign of hope that a solution can be found about the case that involves two Italian sailors."

Ferrari had created a flutter by announcing on their official website that it will show its support for Italian sailors by racing with military symbols on its cars' livery at the second edition of the Indian GP, to be held at the Buddh International Circuit from October 26-28.

The two naval guards Massimiliano Latorre and Salvatore Girone on board the Italian ship 'Enrica Lexie', are accused of killing Indian fishermen off the coast of Kerala. While a chargesheet has been filed against them by the local cops, Italy has approached the Supreme Court saying that Indian authorities have no jurisdiction in the matter.

They were detained on February 19 and were sent to Central Prison in Thiruvananthpuram. Later on, they were granted bail in June but on the condition that they must remain in Indian territory.

(With inputs from PTI)

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BSP to contest all 182 assembly seats in Gujarat

AHMEDABAD: Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) on Friday said it will put up candidates in all the 182 constituencies in Gujarat for the assembly polls.

"Our leader Mayawati has decided that the party will contest from all the seats in Gujarat on its own and will not to have seat adjustments with any political party," Member of Legislative Council (UP) Dharmaprakash Bhartiya told reporters here.

The party also declared the first list of 50 candidates. In the 2007 Assembly polls, BSP had fielded candidates in 166 seats and secured 2.62 per cent of the total votes.

On the party's prospects, he claimed, "We might not form our government but we will definitely be the king maker in the state.

"We are very clear in our strategy and no political party in the state has yet dared to select their candidates, which shows that they are mired in serious power struggles," he said.

Accusing chief miniister Narendra Modi of adopting 'double standards' on the issue of corruption, he said, "Modi is attacking the UPA government on the corruption issue but here one of his ministers has been allegedly involved in a multi-crore scam."

"Modi should resign on moral grounds," he demanded. He said that BSP chief Mayawati will soon visit Gujarat for campaigning.

"Our leader Mayawati will definitely come, if needed than more than once to the state," he said.

In the 2007 polls, BJP and Congress had cornered 49.12 per cent and 39.63 per cent of the votes respectively, whereas BSP came in the third place with a share of 2.62 per cent of votes.

Assembly elections in the state are scheduled to be held on December 13 and 17 and counting of votes will be held on December 20.

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Centre asks states to facilitate 'reverse vasectomy surgery' of willing Maoists

NEW DELHI: Amid reports that a number of surrendered Maoists want to undergo reverse vasectomy surgery, the Centre on Friday asked nine naxal-affected states to help such ex-naxal cadres with better medical facilities at government's cost so that they can return to their normal family life.

Waking up to the plight of such surrendered Maoists who had to undergo sterilisation as pre-condition for marriage when they were part of the naxals' armed cadre, the home ministry also asked the nine state governments to suitably sensitise district administration so that the issue is addressed with sensitivity.

"It is suggested that the names and addresses of the Maoist cadres who avail of this option ( reverse vasectomy surgery) should not be disclosed", said the ministry's advisory to the states.

A two-page note comprising the advisory was sent to police chiefs and principal secretaries (home) of Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Madhua Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal.

Such an advisory, sensitising the states about the wishes of surrendered Maoists, assumes significance in view of the growing demand of reverse vasectomy surgery by Ultras as they want to return to their normal family life.

Home ministry figures show that as many as 1,980 Maoists had surrendered before state authorities across the country in the past nearly six years. Incidentally, most of the married male Naxals had to go for sterilisation under the CPI (Maoist) dictat to prevent filial attachment of its cadres in future.

The home ministry came to know of this forced practice recently when two surrendered CPI (Maoist) cadres underwent vasectomy reversal surgery in Chhattisgarh.

The home ministry's note to the states said the forced sterilisation of the lower/tribal cadres of the Peoples' Liberation Guerilla Army of the CPI (Maoist) by the top leadership has been in practice for a number of years.

Referring to the practice, the ministry in its advisory note said, "No rehabilitation is complete if the Maoist cadres cannot return to normal family life and have children. Hence there is a need to ascertain the status of the surrendered/arrested Maoist cadres, and wherever necessary , facilitate their return to normal family life".

The ministry felt that this process would also reduce the temptation of the cadres to return to the Maoist fold.

"Hence, the state government should consider facilitating vasectomy reversal operations of willing Maoist cadres", said the ministry.

It said that since most of the sterilisation surgeries are conducted in a crude manner by local quacks, if the reversal operation has to be done in a higher medical centre, the government should bear the cost.

"Further, there is an urgent need to increase awareness and communicate to the Maoist cadres through the government machinery and the NGOs that vasectomy is reversible. This may motivate them to leave the Maoist fold, join the mainstream and start a normal family life", said the ministry's note to states.

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