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November 2003
Who is the most bankable star in Bollywood?
Sunday, November 30, 2003
Aishwarya Rai Price tag: Rs 1.5 cr Rs 2 cr. Her international agents, William Morris Agency, peg her rate in the $1 million - $3million bracket. Box office collections 2002-03: Devdas : Rs 33 cr, Dil Ka Rishta : Rs 6 cr, Kutch Naa Kaho : Rs 8 cr. Forthcoming: Khakee , Bride and Prejudice Verdict: Other than Devdas , hazel-eyed Ash did not have much to show at the domestic box office over the last one year. Ketan Mehta’s 1857: The Rising controversy apart, the former Miss World hogged international limelight with critically acclaimed Bangla film, Rituporno Ghosh’s Chokher Bali , and Gurinder Chaddha’s Bride and Prejudice. The Crown for India’s No.1 Actress earlier with Madhuri Dixit - now rests firmly on her head. Bipasha Basu Price tag: Rs 60 lakh Rs 80 lakh Box office collections: Zameen : Rs 10 cr, Jism: Rs 10 cr, Aankhen : Rs 18 cr Forthcoming releases: Aethbaar , Ishq Hai Tumse , Nehle Pe Dehlla , Rudraksh, Khushboo, Jaane Hooga Kya?, Miya Anari Biwi Khiladi Verdict: Considered to be most cost effective lead actress in the industry today who can carry a movie on her shoulder. No wonder, the dusky beauty has her hands full with more than half a dozen projects. Preity Zinta Price tag: Rs 80 lakh to Rs 1 crore Box office performance: Koi Mil Gaya : Rs 45 cr, The Hero: Rs 24 cr, Armaan: Rs 8 cr Forthcoming releases: Kal Ho Na Ho , Lakshya , Dil Ne Jise Apna Kaha Verdict: She has worked with leading stars like Aamir, Hrithik, Amitabh and Shah Rukh over the last couple of years. This has seen her stock in the trade rise. Her pay cheque and valuation is set to rise after success of KMG.
NSE tightens norms for NRIs
Sunday, November 30, 2003
In a bid to exercise control on trading by non-resident Indians (NRIs) in the derivatives segment, the National Stock Exchange (NSE) has directed that NRIs can only trade through trading members (a sub-group of NSE members). As an additional measure to track their trades, NSE has decided to allot a unique client code to NRIs. This means that an NRI's trades cannot be cleared by a professional clearing member. NRIs will have to approach a trading member of the exchange, and the NSE will assign a unique client code to each NRI, the exchange advised its member-brokers. NRIs can change their clearing member if they wish or even have their trades cleared by more than one clearing member. But in this case all such clearing members will have to give separate applications to the exchange for allotment of a unique client code. "Thus each and every clearing member is required to communicate to the exchange the details of their NRI clients," the NSE said. The measure seems to be a step towards exercising total control over the movement of NRI money in the derivatives markets, after the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) banned overseas corporate bodies--owned and controlled predominately by people of Indian origin--from trading in the Indian markets. Meanwhile, to ensure that these requirements meet with no resistance, the NSE has told its member-brokers that non-compliance with these requirements would be treated as a violation. Earlier Sebi had mandated NRIs to make a disclosure that their position--along with that of others acting in concert--in index-based contracts does not exceed 15 per cent of the total open interest of all derivative contracts on the particular underlying index. In the case of stock option and single stock futures contracts, Sebi's guidelines stipulate that the gross open position across all derivative contracts on a particular underlying stock of a NRI should not exceed the higher of 0.1 per cent of the free float market capitalisation (in terms of the number of shares), or 0·5 per cent of the open interest in the derivative contracts on a particular underlying stock (in terms of number of contracts).
Naxals attack Cong candidate's convoy , 7 killed
Sunday, November 30, 2003
Raipur, Nov 30 Six policemen, including an Assistant Platoon Commander, and a civilian were killed when naxalites set off a landmine blast targeting a convoy of Congress candidate from Bijapur assembly constituency in Chhattisgarh, who escaped unhurt, last evening. Outlawed People's War Group naxalites carried out the attack at around 1815 hrs in Kungupalli village in naxal-infested Bastar district when Congress nomiee Rajendra Pambhoi was returning after electioneering, Bijapur SP J S Watti told today by telephone. The security personnel jeep, which was following Pambhoi's car, was blown to pieces, he said. The killed were Assistant Platoon Commander Ramesh Kumar Nirmal, Head Constable Pawan Kumar and Constables Disali Ram, Visambhar Bhedia, Samar Singh Ekka and Rajendra Singh, all belonging to the 5th battalion of Chhattisgarh armed police. The driver of the jeep, a civilian, who was yet to be identified, was also killed in the attack, the SP said. The Congress candidate, who himself informed police about the attack, is on the hit list of naxals which had earlier attacked his house at Bhopalpatnam.
Telgi case: Sharma interrogated by SIT
Sunday, November 30, 2003
The Special Investigating Team, (SIT) questioned former Mumbai police commissioner R S Sharma in the multi-crore Telgi scam today. This is the third time that Sharma, who is to retire today, has been questioned. Sharma has been served by a departmental chargesheet and has till December 5 to answer. Since being removed as police commissioner, he has served as Maharashtra's additional director general for training and he is now in charge of security at the Maharashtra Road Transport Cooperation.
Crucial Assembly polls in four states tomorrow
Sunday, November 30, 2003
New Delhi, Nov 30 The stage is set for the much-hyped elections to the Delhi, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh assemblies tomorrow in which the BJP is engaged in a crucial battle with Congress to wrest power to bolster its prospects in the Lok Sabha polls next year. Projected by many as "semi-finals" to next year's "finals" (general elections), the elections would reflect the political preference of voters and also decide the fate of political leaders of the Hindi heartland including Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Digvijay Singh, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Ajit Jogi, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit besides BJP's Uma Bharti, Madan Lal Khurana and Vasundhara Raje Scindia. Over 5,000 candidates are vying to win the confidence of an estimated nine crore voters in the four states. The maximum number of 2171 candidates are in the fray for the 230 member Madhya Pradesh assembly, followed by 1541 for the 200 strong Rajasthan House, 819 for the 90 seats at stake in Chhattisgarh and 817 for the 70 constituencies in Delhi.
Cheating by tricky politicians increasing:CEC
Sunday, November 30, 2003
New Delhi, Nov 30 Chief Election Commissioner J M Lyngdoh, who lays down office in February next, is of the view that "tricky politicians" keep on cheating and "the cheating is increasing everyday". Observing that there was a need to change the system, Lyngdoh said "we need better people in power and it is upto the voters to insist on getting better people". Replying to a question in an interview to 'Indian Currents' magazine on Chhattisgarh Government's controversial programme of distributing school bags with pictures of Chief Minister Ajit Jogi, the CEC said "tomorrow somebody will out do him (Jogi). These are all little tricks of politicians, irrespective of their political affiliations". On the effectiveness of affidavits by candidates detailing criminal cases pending against them and assets, Lyngdoh said "let us see. It is too early to say whether it has any lasting effect. I hope it has. We hope at least it may trigger some public debate on the merit of candidates, People are beginning to debate....."
AIDS drugs to be provided in govt hospitals
Sunday, November 30, 2003
New Delhi, Nov 30 In a major initiative to tackle the dreaded AIDS, Government today announced that it will provide drugs for the disease in government hospitals as pharmaceutical industries pledged to lower their prices if incentives were provided. Addressing a press conference on the eve of World AIDS Day here, Union Health Minister Sushma Swaraj said that the programme to provide AIDS medicines in government hospitals would first begin in the six high-prevalence states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Manipur and Nagaland. The programme is expected to begin from April next and about one lakh AIDS patients are likely to access the drugs through government hospitals and ante-natal clinics in the first year. Swaraj said that representatives of pharmaceutical industry requested that they be provided with fiscal incentives structure equivalent to the incentives available to them through the Clinton Foundation. The Minister said that the industry agreed not only to bring down the prices to that of Clinton Foundation but also to lower them further for domestic consumption.
Mishra appointed new CBI director
Sunday, November 30, 2003
Uma Shankar Mishra has been appointed as the new Centra Bureau Investigation (CBI) director. Mishra will take over from P C Sharma, who retires as the director of the country's premier investigating agency on December 6. Mishra was chosen among four probable candidates for the post.
Pak lift ban on Indian overflights: Musharraf
Sunday, November 30, 2003
Islamabad, Nov 30 Removing another irritant in normalisation of ties with India, President Pervez Musharraf today announced that Pakistan would lift ban on Indian flights over its air space. The announcement comes on the eve of the second round of talks on resumption of civil aviation links between the two countries in New Delhi where a Pakistani delegation has already arrived. "As a gesture of goodwill, Pakistan will agree to the resumption of overflights with India in the (two-day) talks being held in New Delhi" from tomorrow, Musharraf said while addressing a delegation from the Pakistan and India Young Professionals Organisation here, the official APP news agency reported. Musharraf, who made the announcement five days after the two countries started observing the ceasefire along their borders, also hoped that the recent thaw in relations in the wake of the ceasefire along the borders would culminate in the resumption of dialogue to resolve all disputes between the two countries. "Pakistan is sincere in its efforts for peace in the region," APP quoted him as saying. Pakistan, however, he said, wanted peace with "honour, dignity and sovereign equality" like all other nations.
Pak heading for clash with India in ChampTrophy
Sunday, November 30, 2003
London, Nov 30 Pakistan's win over New Zealand in the first one-dayer at Lahore has set the team on course for a clash with arch-rivals India in the group stages of the next year's ICC Champions Trophy cricket tournament. A victory in the second of the five-match one-day series tomorrow would guarantee Pakistan third spot in the official International Cricket Council (ICC) ODI rankings, which means the side would be grouped with India (6th) in the 12-team competition in England next September. If Pakistan lose tomorrow's match, they will fall to fourth in the ratings behind Sri Lanka and will play England (5th) and Zimbabwe (9th) in the first round of the Champions Trophy.
Campaigning ends for Monday's polls in 4 states
Sunday, November 30, 2003
New Delhi: The heat and dust generated by two weeks of acrimonious electioneering focusing among other issues on the cash-on-camera scam involving BJP leader Dilip Singh Judeo settled on Saturday evening for Monday's Assembly polls in Delhi, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, seen as "semi-finals" to next year's Lok Sabha elections. As the clock struck 5 p.m., the blaring of loud speakers and public meetings in support of candidates came to a close and their supporters fanned out for door-to-door canvassing to woo an estimated nine crore voters in four states where Congress is trying to retain power. While Congress has brought up corruption as its main poll plank in the wake of cash-on-camera scam involving Judeo, who subsequently resigned from the Union Ministry, its main rival BJP sought to cash in on lack of development in these states and "achievements" of the NDA government at the Centre. Maintaining a watchful eye, the Election Commission strictly enforced the model code of conduct restraining the Centre from issuing advertisements tom-tomming its achievements, preventing Chhattisgarh Government from distributing school bags carrying Chief Minister Ajit Jogi's photo and even issuing a notice to Congress President Sonia Gandhi for using a state helicopter. The panel also transferred some officials in Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh for violation of the poll code. Elaborate arrangements have been made to conduct free and fair polls in the four states whose outcome may set off fresh political alignments ahead of the next Lok Sabha elections. Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) have been introduced in all the four states to help the voters choose easily the candidates of their choice from the over 5,000 aspirants. Among those whose fate would be sealed in Monday's elections are chief ministers of the four states - Digvijay Singh (Raghogarh), Ajit Jogi (Marwahi), Ashok Gehlot (Sardarpura) and Sheila Dikshit (Gole Market). BJP general secretary Shivraj Singh Chauhan, senior party leader Nand Kumar Sai, executive-turned-politician Mahendra Jhabak and BJP MP Kirti Azad's wife Poonam are the main candidates contesting respectively against Chief Ministers of Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan and Delhi. Other prominent candidates in the fray are BJP's chief ministerial candidates Vasundhara Raje from Jhalarpatan against Congress MP Rama Pilot in Rajasthan, Uma Bharati from Bada Malhera in Madhya Pradesh against Jagdish Shukla (Cong), Madan Lal Khurana against Congress student leader Alka Lamba from Moti Nagar in Delhi. Both BJP and Congress fielded several film stars for their campaign, which also witnessed whirlwind tours to the four states by Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Deputy Prime Minister L.K. Advani and Congress president Sonia Gandhi.
IA withdraws 7-day scheme from 3 sectors
Saturday, November 29, 2003
INDIAN Airlines (IA) has decided to withdraw the seven-day advance purchase ticket scheme (D-7) on specific flights between three sectors, namely, Mumbai-Calicut, Chennai-Mumbai and Cochin-Mumbai, from December 1 this year. Official sources told Business Line that the decision was taken to withdraw the D-7 promotional fare scheme as other promotional schemes already exist on these sectors. In a statement, the airline has said that the D-7 scheme stands withdrawn on flights IC-596/598/595 and 597 on the Mumbai-Calicut sector while it has also been withdrawn on flight IC-571 operating on the Chennai-Mumbai sector. The airline has also decided to revise the fares on the seven and 21-day advance purchase scheme from December 1 this year. IA has announced that from December 1 this year, a one-way Delhi-Bangalore ticket booked seven days before travel will now cost Rs 8,750, up from the existing fare of Rs 8,540, while the same on the Delhi-Chennai circuit will cost Rs 7,800, up from Rs 7,390 at present. Similarly, passengers booking their ticket at least 30 days before travel will pay Rs 4,500 for the Delhi-Chennai sector, up from the existing fare of Rs 3,710.
Sexual misconduct: Indian prof pleads not guilty
Saturday, November 29, 2003
A visiting professor from India accused of sexual misbehaviour has pleaded 'not guilty'. Debasis Chaudhuri, 41-year-old professor of computer science at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln, sat in the courtroom before his name was called with his elbows on his knees and his head resting on cupped hands. When his name was announced at the trial last week, a prosecutor read the charges against Chaudhuri - attempted first degree sexual assault, third degree sexual assault and second-degree false imprisonment, a media report said. Chaudhuri answered "yes" in response to the court's question of whether he understood the charges brought against him, Daily Nebraskan reported. The University of Nebraska had relieved Chaudhuri, who was on a nine-month teaching stint with the university since August and was appointed to teach an undergraduate computer science class, of his duties once the police arrested him last month and brought up the charges. Chaudhuri, who has a wife and child in India, was arrested at his home in Lincoln on October 12 and charged with first-degree sexual assault of a university student. The assault allegedly occurred on October 9 in Chaudhuri's Fergusan Hall office when she had gone there to discuss her grades. The student told the police that Chaudhuri pinned her to a chair, fondled her and forced her to give her phone number. The victim also said she thought she was going to be raped, the newspaper reported. According to police reports, the student's cell phone bill indicated Chaudhuri called her up 11 times on the day of the assault. The professor claimed he had lost his mind for a few moments because of the woman's "inappropriate dress." The case has been posted for trial on January 20. If convicted of the main charge of first-degree sexual assault, Chaudhuri could face up to 20 years in prison, a fine of $ 25,000 and payment of restitution to the victim. If convicted of third-degree sexual assault, he could face a minimum of one year in prison and a fine of $ 1,000 or a combination of the two. For the second-degree false imprisonment charge, Chaudhuri could face up to one year in prison, up to $ 1,000 in fine and be ordered to pay restitution to the victim. Prior to the incident, some of Chaudhuri's students were planning to file a complaint against him because his heavy accent made lectures difficult, the paper said. He came to the university to participate in research with other professors with whom he shared a common interest in the field of image processing.
Trai shifts focus to Net telephony
Saturday, November 29, 2003
MUMBAI: The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) has discussed the issue of allowing unrestricted internet telephony as a means to accelerate growth in internet and broadband in the country. These and other issues have been discussed by Trai in its consultation paper on internet and broadband issued on Friday. Currently internet telephony usage is restricted to calls outside the country. Calls have not been permitted within the country since it would clash with the interests of the national long distance operators. The latter have paid huge licence fees for the NLD licences. The other issue that the consultation paper raises includes promoting the availability of low cost internet access devices, fostering local development and manufacturing of equipment via government incentives and taxation policy, government to promote internet through greater usage in transactions, promoting access to and development of local content. Besides, the paper also raises the issue of definition of broadband and time bound targets, fostering roll-out of internet and broadband through a multitude of access paths, using the appropriate technology at the right time. Comments on the consultation paper have to be sent to Trai by December 21. Earlier Trai had set a task force on how to promote growth of the internet. Based on its recommendations certain policy measures were taken including setting up of national internet exchange in the country and de-licencing of WLAN band for restricted usage. The Trai’s concern over broadband growth in India is fuelled as the current internet subscriber base is only 0.4% of the population. The growth rate of internet subscribers has become low, even negative in recent months. The use of broadband services is on an even smaller scale, that is 0.02%. This is in sharp contrast with the penetration in adjoining Asian countries and if we want leadership in knowledge-based services the situation must change, states a release issued by Trai.
Drought issue dominates Rajasthan polls
Saturday, November 29, 2003
The state of Rajasthan is not unfamiliar with droughts. Of the past 50 years, 40 have been hit by scarcity. Significantly in this election, the drought is the main poll issue because ever since the Gehlot government assumed office, in its five-year tenure, it has faced four years of drought. As the water minister, who helped Rajasthan face four years of drought, C P Joshi is aware that the head that wears the crown is an uneasy one. However, the Congress has decided to make the state's worst natural calamity its crowning achievement. In this election, the Gehlot government's management of drought is the party's main poll plank. "I think that the biggest achievement of the government was drought management," said Joshi. BJP contradicts However, realising that the Congress' strength could also be its weakness, the BJP too has chosen to focus on what it claims is drought mismanagement. In fact, the party's saffron agenda is largely absent from its campaign in Rajasthan. "The Rajasthan government hasn't spent a single paisa on tackling the drought. Even the grain that the Centre sent was not distributed properly. Work at the relief sites was hogged by Congress workers," alleged Chandra Bagoria, BJP candidate. With both parties bickering over drought management in the state, the voters final say on December 1 will be the last word on what has been the most contentious issue in this election.
Four killed after being thrown out of running train
Saturday, November 29, 2003
NASIK: Four youths were killed and one was injured after they were allegedly thrown out of a running train by some passengers near Nandgaon in Bhusawal section of Central Railway, police said here on Saturday. The incident occurred in the wee hours of Friday when the youths, travelling in 5250 UP Darbhanga-Kurla Pawan Express, got into an altercation with some long-distance passengers over seat-sharing, they said. This led to a brawl between the youths and the passengers, who threw them out in a fit of rage, police said. Police have found bodies of four youths near rail track. The injured youth, Devendra Survade was found lying near the track by the driver of another train. He has been admitted to Bhusawal railway hospital, police said. The five youths hailing from Bhusawal were proceeding to Mumbai in search of jobs, they said. The deceased were identified as Praveen Onkar Javare (19), Sachin Dattu More (20), Dilip Laxman Survade (18) and Nitin Dhakane (21). The matter is being investigated by police.
'Janasheen' wrecks Celina's love life
Saturday, November 29, 2003
New Delhi: Distance makes the heart grow fonder? Not quite. While Feroze Khan's 'Janasheen' may catapult bikini-girl Celina Jaitley to sex symbol status, it could cost her the man in her life. The former Miss India, who dropped business partner Sanjay Narang to find solace in the arms of Dubai-based Swiss businessman Alex, admits the relationship is on the rocks. In fact her boyfriend, thoroughly miffed at Celina's hectic schedule, has even stopped communicating for the last many days. According to Celina: "It's just that I am so busy. Locations are so far off that most of the time I spend travelling. As a result I don't often get a chance to speak to Alex at leisure. Although he kept telling me that he wasn't happy, there was very little I could do." While the Bollywood siren was reportedly calling up her lover and asking after his well being, he felt it wasn't enough. "Like any other man in love, he craves time and attention and the physical distance between us is causing a lot of problems. Being so far from each other, I am afraid he will soon get used to the idea of not having me around. I desperately want to avoid that and have promised to call him more frequently. I am also planning to take some time off and go to Switzerland to see him," she says. But rumours of a torrid affair with co-star Fardeen Khan on the sets of 'Janasheen' have nothing to do with the crisis in her love life, insists Celina. "At the moment I am seriously involved with Alex and am not looking around for someone else. However that could change if I have a break-up. As far as Fardeen is concerned, he is a sweet and sexy guy. We have been very friendly but I am not having an affair with him. Just because we share some real intimate moments on screen doesn't mean we also cosy up off it", she quips.
CAT scam: IIMA professor to challenge retest
Saturday, November 29, 2003
Ahmedabad: Expressing dissatisfaction over the decision to conduct retest of the Common Admission Test on February 15 following the nationwide leak of question papers last Sunday, a senior professor of Indian Institute of Management has allegedly decided to file a PIL challenging the decision. In an email notice circulated last evening, IIMA professor J P singh said, "the retest was not necessary and would be a harassment to the 1.25 lakh students and their families apart from being a financial burden for the institutions." Singh also said in the email that "the IIMs should treat the cancelled tests of November 23 as the first cut eligibility amd hold a second test for fewer number of students." However, neither Prof Singh nor IIMA director Bakul Dholakia were available for comment on the controversial email. The examination department of the IIM yesterday also declared that candidates appearing for the February 15, 2004 retest would get their admission cards by January 10 and those who do not get them by Jan 23 should intimate the concerned IIM by Jan 31. Prof Singh, teaching corporate governance, corporate leadership and corporate growth for the past 19 years with IIM reportedly also communicated with Prof Dholakia about the PIL he wanted to file. The CAT exams were cancelled on Sunday last following the sensational paper leak that was busted by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) even as the exams were in progress. CBI has arrested Dr Ranjit Singh and many others for their alleged role in the paper leak and though the agency had initially given a clean chit to all IIMs faculty in connection with the case, it later clarified that the clean chit was only given to IIMA.
Rookies deflate Indian bowlers
Saturday, November 29, 2003
Brisbane, Nov 29 The touring Indians lost three wickets in seven balls after their bowlers were put on the rack by a second-grade Queensland side on the opening day of a three-day side game here today. The ragged Indian bowling attack once again let a batting reputation grow at their expense and their batsmen did little better in the seven possible overs to crumble to 17 for 3 at close against Queensland Academy of Sports XI. Lee Carseldine, playing his first game of the season after recovering from a knee injury, smashed a brilliant century as the home team cheekily declared at 304 for 6, half an hour before close of play. The hosts backed their decision sensationally, removing Indian openers and wicketkeeper Deep Dasgupta in the space of seven balls. Scott Bryant, a left-arm paceman of Zimbabwe-origin, removed Akash Chopra and Deep Dasgupta off successive deliveries in his second over though the Indian stumper was unlucky as he had played fully stretched forward. India suffered another blow at the other end when Virender Sehwag (6) edged a flick down the legside off Joe Dawes for wicketkeeper Chris Hartley to complete a very good catch.
India, E U to cooperate to fight global terrorism
Saturday, November 29, 2003
New Delhi, Nov 29 India and European Union today agreed on an 18-point agenda for action including increased cooperation to counter global terrorism and intensify steps to promote peace, stability and reconstruction of Afghanistan and Iraq. A joint statement issued at the end of the 4th India-EU summit today also decided to continue high-level dialogue on multilateral trade issues, launch a 14 million euro trade and investment development programme to promote economic cooperation besides efforts to double bilateral trade to 50 billion dollars. The statement issued at the conclusion to two-day summit between Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and European Union President Romano Prodi decided to ensure an early launch of 30 million euro scholarship programme for the Masters and doctoral level to promote academic networking. Two agreements were signed including the one for the Eu-India trade an Investment Development programme. Another agreement was inked for India-EU customs cooperation. The two sides have also decided to have a Maritime transport agreement which would help modernise Indian maritime industry, reduce shipping times and costs and provide stability for economic operators. The customs cooperation agreement would improve trade facilitation and fight against fraud related to the Indian and European legislation by providing a legal basis for mutual administrative assistance.
It's poll time: VHP comes to the aid of BJP
Saturday, November 29, 2003
Despite the ideological disconnect between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), made public by both sides prior to campaigns being launched in poll-bound states, there was quiet camaraderie on the ground. As BJP leaders, from Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee downwards addressed rallies across Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan and Delhi, at the grass roots, opinion mobilisation in the party's favour was being captained by the parishad cadre. On record, senior VHP leaders, maintained they refrained from rendering "direct" support to the BJP during electioneering but accepted that the Right wing canvas was swelling with behind the scenes activities. A reflection of this trend came through Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani's speech in the Capital on Thursday. Mr Advani told a public gathering, "Jai Shri Ram bhi hoga, woh bhi nahi chukega." Mr Advani's response inferred as an endorsement of the Hindutava brand by some political analysts is being viewed by others as strategic use of an emotive issue for electoral advantage. The parishad's most sought-after and self-designed Hindutava ambassador, Dr Praveen Togadia, however, refused to be drawn into the debate. When contacted by The Pioneer on Friday, Dr Togadia said: "Before the Assembly elections are over and counting of votes is completed, I am not going to talk. It is my policy not to say anything now." The, the BJP's star campaigner and Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, during his tour of the poll-bound states, had often mentioned Dr Togadia's name as the "value enhancer" to the BJP pitch for power. The last public statement by Dr Togadia was on October 29 in Chennai where he said, "We will see to it that the political parties which honoured Hindu sentiments win the polls and all parties which insulted Hindus are defeated." Dr Togadia's movement was restricted after Rashtriya Janata Dal president Laloo Prasad Yadav axed his trident distribution bid in Bihar and many Congress-run states also issued warnings to arrest him. According to sources in the VHP, Dr Togadia has been quietly doing the needful to garner votes for the BJP, including addressing people in small groups in the four states. While not actively campaigning, the parishad's top leadership comprising Ashok Singhal, Acharya Giriraj Kishore and Vishwa Hari Dalmia, have been working on target groups, sources added. Observations of BJP president Venkaiah Naidu that, "Religious organisations like the VHP should stay away from politics," have been taken at face value alone by parishad members. The Rashtriya Swyamsevak Sangh, (RSS), on the other hand, stuck to its philosophy of staying away from public gaze and went forward building the Hindu vote bank in villages, districts and semi-urban townships. RSS spokesperson Ram Madhav said the swyamsevaks have been helping BJP candidates understand local issues and accordingly design their campaign strategies. "Since it is the RSS philosophy to stay away from electoral politics we have been working to firm the BJP base," Mr Madav added. http://www.dailypioneer.com/
BJP fields veteran NCP leader’s son in Nagpur
Saturday, November 29, 2003
The BJP seems to have once again pulled off a coup of sorts, fielding veteran NCP leader and Sharad Pawar’s close aide Datta Meghe’s son Sagar Meghe from the Nagpur local bodies’ constituency against the Congress in Nagpur’s biennial legislative council election . The elections are scheduled for December 1. The electoral college for legislative council seats consists of elected representatives of local civic bodies such as the municipal corporation and Zilla Parishads, and voting is done on a preferential basis. Nagpur is the second state capital of Maharashtra and was hitherto considered a bastion of the Congress. However, of late the BJP has emerged as a formidable force in the Nagpur city and is eyeing to better the Congress in the coming polls by dividing the ruling coalition, as it had done in the case of Solapur. In the Solapur parliamentary by-election, which was forced by chief minister Sushilkumar Shinde’s vacating the Lok Sabha seat after his taking over the new office, the BJP had fielded the brother of powerful NCP minister Vijaysinh Mohite Patil. The BJP candidate Pratapsinh Mohite Patil won a hands-down victory by a margin of over 1.25 lakh votes against Congress’ Anandrao Deokate, although the seat was traditionally a Congress fortress. It was NCP’s clandestine support to the BJP candidate because of blood relations that pulled it off. The BJP returned the favour in the ongoing council biennial election when it allowed NCP’s nominee and Vijaysinh Mohite Patil’s son Ranjitsinh Mohite Patil to get elected from Solapur’s local bodies constituency unopposed. The same game-plan is being repeated in Nagpur now, where the BJP hopes to get at least a share of NCP votes in favour of its candidate by counting on the influence wielded by Datta Meghe. The Congress has fielded Avinash Pande. The decision by Mr Meghe’s son to join BJP created a political storm in the state NCP and Mr Meghe has been asked for an explanation. The Nagpur local bodies constituency has 443 votes which include 139 from Nagpur Municipal Corporation, 72 from the Nagpur Zilla Parishad, 13 chairpersons of the Panchayat Samitis and members of ten municipal councils. Congress controls Nagpur municipal corporation as well as other civic bodies, but the BJP has a strong presence there. The only worry for the BJP is that its game-plan has been objected to by its closest and most trusted ally, the Shiv Sena itself. The saffron party has declared that it will not support Mr Sagar Meghe. However, it is yet to decide whether to abstain from voting on the polling day. The BJP is leaving no stone unturned to get the Sena’s backing for its candidate. If the BJP wins the seat, it is likely to reshape political equations in Vidarbha. Like Nagpur, another interesting tussle is on the cards for the two seats of Mumbai’s civic body constituency. Congress has fielded Kamrruddin Marchant, a close aide of the party’s LS member Sunil Dutt. Congress has 59 members in the BMC and is expecting the support of 10 corporators of the Samajwadi Party, which has fielded its own candidate Mohsin Hyder, and 13 corporators of NCP plus four independents. Congress needs 77 first preference votes to ensure its candidate’s victory. On the other hand, Shiv Sena, which has nominated former MLC Arvind Sawant, and the BJP, which has fielded its state unit spokesman Madhu Chavan, have the formidable support of 103 Sena corporators and 36 BJP corporators. There are 228 corporators in the BMC.
Rajasthan: Quick Look
Saturday, November 29, 2003
Date of polling: December 1, 2003 Counting: December 4, 2003 Chief Electoral Officer: Lalit Kothari Based at: Secretariat, Jaipur Electorate: Over 3.35 crore No of EVMs: 36,000 No of polling booths: 35,705 Sensitive booths: 4,529 Hypersensitive booths: 4,410 No of poll personnel: 200,000 Security forces: 70,000 (includes 110 companies of BSF, CISF, Rapid Action Force, Punjab Armed Police, Haryana Armed Police and Border Home Guards) Also Read Close to 9,000 polling stations declared sensitive in Rajasthan Each EVM can accommodate 16 candidates. In seats where the number of contestants exceeds 16, two EVMs would be provided to voters. Some EVMs would be kept in the custody of the deputy commissioner of each district to replace faulty machines. "There would be no problem for those using public transport but private vehicles coming into the state would be thoroughly checked," Kothari told rediff.com. Over 100,000 persons had been arrested and released on bail after they gave an undertaking that they would not try to disrupt the elections.
Campaign in four States ends today
Saturday, November 29, 2003
New Delhi, Nov. 28: Political parties and leaders were on Friday making a last-minute bid to woo the voters in the Congress-held States of Madhya Pradesh, Chhatti- sgarh, Rajasthan and Delhi, where the campaign trail winds down on Saturday evening for the December 1 Assembly polls. BJP leaders, including Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee and Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani, mounted their attack on the lack of development in the States under the Congress rule but Opposition leaders went to town on corruption at the Centre in the campaign, which remained low-key due to election commission restrictions on poll expenditure. In Madhya Pradesh, the main poll issue was the alleged lack of development in the State during the 10-year rule of the Congress. While Vajpayee held the State government responsible for the electricity crisis and inaction to provide roads in the State, Congress president Sonia Gandhi lauded Chief Minister Digvijay Singh’s performance on all fronts. The Congress campaign also relied on the 16 Chief Ministers of the party, including Punjab’s Captain Amarinder Singh. Campaign for the Chief Ministerial post also witnessed a pitched verbal battle between BJP aspirant Uma Bharati and Digvijay singh. Nearly 19,500 personnel from Central Reserve Police Force would assist police in the four States for smooth conduct of the polls. While 65 companies have been deployed in various districts of Chhattisgarh, 55 companies in MP and 10 companies in Delhi have been put in place.
Kal Ho Naa Ho
Saturday, November 29, 2003
Producer/s: Dharma Productions Director: Nikhil Advani Cast: Shah Rukh Khan, Saif Ali Khan, Preity Zinta, Jaya Bachchan, Sonali Bendre Music: Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy Lyrics: Javed Akhtar Kal Ho Na Ho Singers: Sonu Nigam, Alka Yagnik, Richa Sharma, Udit Narayan, Sadhna Sargam, Shankar Mahadevan, Sujata Bhattacharya, Vasundhara Das, Kay Kay, Loy Mendosa, Shaan, Ravi "Rags" Khote The verdict is out: Critics say Kal Ho Na Ho is a great film. The buzz is that the story is very similar to Hrishikesh Mukherjee?s Anand. The first half is very light- hearted and the second half is a tissue-soaker.Shah Rukh Khan, Saif Ali Khan and Preity Zinta are said to be at their scintillating best. Great first film from director Nikhil Advani. Kal Ho Na Ho (Review by IndiaFM.com) As this writer saunters in a preview theatre to watch a select screening of Kal Ho Na Ho, a few questions cross my mind...Will Kal Ho Na Ho match up to the high standards of Karan Johar's earlier flicks, KUCH KUCH HOTA HAI and K3G, in terms of style, substance and success? Will the SRK - Karan Johar combo magic work the third time round? Is Kal Ho Na Ho the 2003 adaptation of Hrishikesh Mukherjee's masterpiece ANAND? If yes, will it pale or shine in comparison? SRK has proved lucky for most first-time directors - Raj Kanwar [DEEWANA], Aditya Chopra [D.D.L.J.], Karan Johar [KUCH KUCH HOTA HAI]. Will history repeat itself as Nikhil Advani makes his directorial debut with Kal Ho Na Ho? Will a supposedly 'sad ending' work at the box-office? And as the magic unfolds on the big screen, the doubts, if any, are set to rest. Yes, Kal Ho Na Ho does live up to the expectations. Will it be as successful as Karan's earlier flicks, only time will tell. Yes, the SRK - Karan Johar magic does cast a spell the third time around. The film works, courtesy SRK's incredible performance and Karan's deft writing. No, Kal Ho Na Ho is not the 2003 version of ANAND. Yes, the protagonist in this film spreads happiness and rallies around, disentangling tribulations, but the similarities end there. The subject that Kal Ho Na Ho boasts of, only a director with mettle would've been able to do complete justice to it. While watching this flick, not once does the viewer feel that it has been directed by a first-timer. And that's a compliment for debutante director Nikhil Advani. As for the 'sad ending' bit, let's put it this way. Sad endings have worked in a big way in the past. Remember ANAND, ANKHIYON KE JHARONKON SE, EK DUUJE KE LIYE, Q.S.Q.T.? Hey, why are we talking of a sad ending here? Kal Ho Na Ho is all about hope and love... and hope never fades and love never dies. New York. For Naina Catherine Kapur [Preity Zinta], life is cold, grey and dull - as it has been ever since her father passed away. Between the constant bickering in her half Punjabi, half Catholic household, her grand-mother's [Sushma Seth] temper, looking after her little sister and brother and helping her mother Jennifer [Jaya Bachchan] deal with the family's financial troubles - Naina has no time for parties, fun or herself. She is 23, going on 50. She is serious, she is boring. Enter Aman Mathur [Shah Rukh Khan]. Like a whiff of fresh air, he moves into their tiny Indian neighbourhood to take it over. Helping others solve their problems and face life's little challenges - Aman has all the answers. Much to Naina's irritation, he insists on interfering in her life too...Aman pushes Naina into doing things that she would never dream of doing. He nags her till she learns to smile. He conspires with her friend Rohit [Saif Ali Khan], an eligible Manhattan bachelor, to help her find happiness. Kal Ho Na Ho is the story of Aman, Rohit and Naina's journey together. How they discover themselves, find the courage to love and come together to celebrate life is what the film is all about. Like Karan's previous flicks, Kal Ho Na Ho is a contemporary film. It does tell the story of an Indian family residing in may be Chelsea or Queens in NY, but the roots are very Indian. The milieu may be western, but writer Karan Johar and director Nikhil Advani have packaged the film with Gujaratis, Punjabis, Sardars, Christians, a video pirate from Mumbai uttering Mumbaiya lingo... Not once do you feel that Kal Ho Na Ho is an English flick in the guise of a Hindi film. It's very much a desi film in a videshi setting. Even the emotional quotient is very Indian. In fact, the structuring of the script is akin to Sooraj R. Barjatya's all-time hit HUM AAPKE HAIN KOUN. The script focuses on light moments from start till pre-climax, but the last half-an-hour takes a U-turn as seriousness sets in. The first half of the enterprise abounds in light moments. Moments that bring about a smile recurrently. But the writer and director have cleverly injected drama in the goings-on in a subtle fashion [the Sushma Seth - Jaya Bachchan track], which adds spice to the proceedings. It is the second half that has its share of serious moments. The love triangle and the complexities of relationships, treated differently, keep the viewer glued to the screen. The culmination to the story - which begins as the engagement song comes to an end - takes the film to dizzier heights altogether. The climax is highly emotional and completely justified, in keeping with the story of the film. The end is pleasant, very family-oriented and will be identified by Indians everywhere, whether in India or on foreign soil. Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy's music is melodious and sounds fresh to the ears. Of the songs, 'Pretty Woman', 'Mahi Ve' and the title track sound pleasant. The choreography [Farah Khan] is topnotch. Cinematography [Anil Mehta] can be compared to the best of international cinema. To state that the film is a visual treat wouldn't be doing justice to the output on screen. The indoor sets [Sharmishtha Roy] meet the demands of the script to the T. Costumes [Manish Malhotra] and make-up [Mickey Contractor] deserves special mention. Nikhil Advani makes a confident debut. Although he shows a flair for light scenes, his handling of the emotional part in the climax indicates that he knows his job well. Karan Johar's overall scripting and the detailing that has gone into some sequences proves that Hindi cinema has writers of calibre. Niranjan Iyengar's dialogues are excellent. One can't imagine Kal Ho Na Ho without SRK. The actor delivers yet another bravura performance that he can be proud of, when he looks back in life. The role gives him immense scope to exhibit a gamut of emotions and the actor carries not just his role, but the entire film on his firm shoulders. Preity Zinta has never looked so pretty, nor has she ever acted with such conviction. This film should consolidate her status as an actress of substance. Saif Ali Khan is a revelation. The actor manages to stand on his own despite towering performances by SRK and Preity. Not only does the actor look suave, he even carries off his role with elan. Jaya Bachchan delivers yet another flawless performance. Sonali Bendre [sp app.] acts her part well. Kajol, Rani Mukerji and Uday Chopra make fleeting appearances, adding to the star-value of the film. Sanjay Kapoor [sp. app.] does well. Rajpal Yadav excels in a cameo. Sulbha Arya's [Kantaben] comedy track, when she suspects SRK and Saif of having an affair, will bring the house down. It's simply hilarious. Sushma Seth is first-rate. Ditto for Reema Lagoo. Lilette Dubey, Delnaz Paul, Satish Shah and Ketaki Dave liven the proceedings. Simone Singh looks gorgeous. Shoma Anand and Dara Singh are adequate. On the whole, Kal Ho Na Ho has all it takes to emerge victorious. At the box- office, the face-value and the track record of its makers have resulted in tremendous hype and hooplah. Keeping in mind its merits and the opening that the film has generated, Kal Ho Na Ho should emerge a winner, setting new records in days to come! Kal Ho Na Ho (Review by fullhyd.com) By Mithun Verma Rating: 3/5 I like Shah Rukh. I like his presence, his charisma, his bank balance and everything that he's good at, off-screen. And before the fans nuke me to hell, let me quickly say that I like his movies too. Mostly because the halls are full of women. 'Mostly' because sometimes I like his movies for other reasons. Just like this one. Preity (as perhaps one of the best dressed characters ever, Naina) is this dopey little professional shouldering the responsibility of a volatile family. The turbulence in the family is due to the frequent duels between her mom (Jaya Bachchan) and her grandma. Having lost her father, Preity's only hope in life is finding a man who would make all the hurt go away. Enter Saif Ali Khan (as Rohit, a mature Sameer from DCH) as Preity's best friend and the guy whose laughter is irresistibly contagious. The entire story is set against the backdrop of a desi New York neighbourhood. It looks like the work of someone who knows his way around. There's this nice urban feel, that too without going overboard. A perfect match for a typical modern Indian. And then, of course, there's Shah Rukh. He's so... wait a minute - I didn't bring him into the story yet, did I? Shah Rukh (as Aman; I can say he's cute but his wife would get upset) moves into the neighbourhood, bringing along bundles of energy, vibrant colors and the first official filmi English song remix-Pretty woman. His whirlpool of joie de vivre sucks everyone into it, including Preity herself. The starry-eyed Preity loses her glasses for, and her heart to, him. Someone will finally fill up that void in her life. Meanwhile, Shah Rukh and Saif get pretty pally. They hit off big-time doing all the stuff grown up men do. Like sleep with each other in their arms, kiss and say 'I love you' etc. For all the men and women who think that it's a little too provocative for Indian audiences, you're wrong! It's a whole lot of laughs and a gala time for us. The combo of Saif and SRK single-handedly is going to make you love the flick. Anyway, the deal is that Saif loves Preity, Preity loves Shah Rukh... and Shah Rukh also loves Preity, but cannot reciprocate. He's terminally ill. No, the illness is not called Hammywayout-amia. So he's hell bent on getting Preity and Saif hooked and, in the process, makes them discover each other. He helps Saif selflessly and eventually succeeds. The movie loses big time in its sense of originality - plotwise and performancewise. We have all seen love triangles before. We have all seen Saif and Preity give terrific performances before and we have definitely seen Shah Rukh make the audience weep and smile with him before. But what makes the movie click is the sleek direction. This new guy seems to be a cross between Farhan Akhtar and Karan Johar. Larger than life yet somehow identifiable. The music, the setup, the characters, the dialogues, the performances, the guest appearances, they're all fairly happening. But somehow SRK manages to remain un-happening. But don't trust me, I said that about DDLJ too! P.S: They don't show SRK dying. You can cancel that order of a Boeing full of tissues. Kal Ho Na Ho (Review by glamsham.com) By Kshama Rao OK, so how is Kal Ho Na Ho, written and produced by Karan Johar and directed by one-time assistant to Johar and Aditya Chopra, Nikhil Advani? It's good. It's certainly better than Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham. It has plenty of touching moments, a generous dose of humour (and most of the time it's at the expense of other people, spoofs of other films, fat people, eccentricities of certain communities etc etc), stunning cinematography (New York has never looked so awesome, George Bush is going to love it), great performances and good music. In short, it has all the sugarcoated ingredients of a typical Karan Johar film - despite all the cliches - suited largely for the palate of an NRI audience. About the story: Naina (Preity Zinta) is a simple, bespectacled girl who leads a fairly boring life. In fact, she claims she leads a sad life. Why? Her mother Jennifer (Jaya Bachchan) runs a hotel, which is incurring losses. She has a younger brother who loves basketball but is physically disabled, a younger sister Gia adopted by her mother and the root cause of all problems according to her dadi (Sushma Seth), who in turn sings songs with two of her girlfriends in a bid to hook the neighbourhood old man (Dara Singh). Naina's father committed suicide and till half an hour before the film, we don't know why? She has a friend though, Rohit (Saif Ali Khan, doing his comic, Dil Chahta Hai number), with whom she attends her evening business management classes and who also thinks Naina can never be happy. But there is one man, Aman Mathur (Shah Rukh Khan) who turns up one fine sunny morning to change Naina's life. He's the neighbourhood oldie's nephew and has come to stay there with his mother (Reema Lagoo). Right from scene one of Aman's entry, Naina's life changes for the better. Aman befriends one and all but Naina of course thinks he interferes too much in her personal life. From getting himself invited for a dinner at Naina's house to addressing her mother as "Jenny", from helping her kid brother to play basketball to getting Naina drunk and 'disco' in a skimpy top, Aman makes Naina's life go topsy-turvy. He makes her to learn to smile, laugh and accept her life with all its follies. Naturally, the girl had to fall in love with Aman. But Rohit also has suddenly discovered he is in love with Naina. Who gets the girl? Aman says he cannot. He's already married to Priya (Sonali Bendre). A grief stricken Naina is back to her rona dhona. But Aman is not willing to give up, if he can't get the girl, he'll help Rohit get her. So after a 'chhe din ladki in' plan, Rohit and Naina have fallen in love! Then what? Now the film, which has had the audiences rolling in the aisles, gets into tragedy mode. Aman is not married. Priya is not his wife, she's his doctor. Aman is suffering from a weak heart and his days are numbered. Worse, Naina gets to know this and Rohit is feeling guilty and now they both know that Aman all along loved Naina. Sigh! They have to get married for its Aman's last wish to see them together. End of story! Yes, in the meanwhile the hate-hate relationship between dadi and Jenny too is sorted out. It's Aman again who makes this truce happen. Apparently, Jenny's husband had an extra-marital affair the result of which is Gia who Jenny adopted. Unable to live with the shame of seeing his wife making a strong decision, he committed suicide! OK, as we said earlier Kal Ho Na Ho is a complete entertainer but we do have a few bones to pick! For one we fail to understand why it was necessary to have New York as the backdrop. We mean Naina could be one of the Bombay girls. Don't we have single mothers, sadder daughters in Bombay or for that matter in any other part of the country? But then, we think we know the answer. New York lends itself to great visuals, you can also have the Patels and the Punjabis settled there love your movie with funny tributes to their communities through song and dance. You can also have 'gay' jokes, which would be more acceptable to the overseas audience. So on so forth. Also, even after the film has gotten over, we are left with the feeling that Rohit is still not convinced about having had to marry Naina. We mean it's a little too much to marry a girl who you know is never going to get over her first love who she's even found out had sacrificed his feelings for her! Aman has come to New York presumably for advanced medical treatment but we hardly see him with his doctor...Last but not the least, Jennifer's very, with-it, progressive woman stance looks out of sync when she weeps in the church saying, "My husband was not bad, he just made a small mistake" which is by the way fathering an illegitimate child! On the plus points is the music by Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy. Hummable! Director Nikhil Advani leaves his individual style of shot taking and handling certain key sequences with the requisite amount of candor and sensitivity. The way the film is edited is refreshing and over all it's a paisa vasool film largely for its key players. A jeans-clad Jaya B is as usual great as Naina's silent supporter who flares up occasionally. Saif as Rohit is expectedly good though we wish his character had evolved into a more sensitive, serious being. For instance, the audience hooted when a grey-at-the-sides Rohit appears in the '20 years later' climax scene. Like he says to Naina in one scene, "Tum mujhe kabhi seriously nahin leti". Exactly, Saif's problem. Preity comes into her own as Naina. She fits the character perfectly, making it strong and vulnerable in right measures. And above all, it's Shah Rukh Khan who gobbles down everyone in sight with his near-perfect performance. Charming and truly sexy, SRK's spirited performance really leaves you both smiling and misty-eyed! Kal Ho Na Ho (Review by moviesabsolute.com) By Rajan Patel Meet Naina (Preity Zinta), part Sardarni part Catholic -- lives in New York but very Indian at heart. Meet Rohit Patel ( Saif Ali Khan), a nice hearted skirt chaser and scion to the richest "Gujju" family in the US. Also please meet Aman ( Shah Rukh Khan), a child at heart, but has a heart like the sky -- his aim in life is to create happiness around him. Naina and Rohit are great friends, while a part time MBA course gets them together each evening, their friendship is very love/hate. More so, Rohit has a deep liking for Naina, something which she doesn't know. Naina and her mother, Jennifer ( Jaya Bachchan) are deeply troubled by the fact that Naina's father committed suicide and Daddi Ma (Sushma Sheth) has always accused Jennifer for the suicide. While Naina and Jennifer are very upset with the goings of a bad family life ( thanks to the Daddi Ma) and business life ( their restaurant business is not going anywhere) there arrives a neighbour in the name of Aman. He brings back the happiness to their lives and in turn Naina falls in love with him. Aman has a life threatening heart disease and hence he lies to Naina that he is already married to Priya ( Sonali Bendre), who in actuality is his heart doctor. Aman wants Rohit and Naina together as he knows ...Kal Ho Na Ho. The story of the movie can be called a "love triangle", but its how the movie is made which is simply amazing. Produced by Karan Johar and director by debutant Nikhil Advani ( Assistant on films like Mohabbatein, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, K3G), his ability as a good director clearly shows in the making of the films. All this with the whole world talking that Johar has "ghost directed" the film. The most beautiful part about the film is that Karan Johar is a master craftsman at writing "emotional moments". His ability of weaving in small nuances via these moments clearly makes him one of the best directors in Bollywood ( now dont say he is only 3 movies old). Having spoken about the emotional moments, the comical moments of the film are par excellence. Both Shah Rukh and Saif are tres fantastique and to their witty best. More so the film is shot in "sync sound", which in non jargonistic terms means "live sound, and little to no dialogue dubbing later on" -- like they do abroad. While purist believe that an actor can elevate his performance in the film via a great "dubbing", i guess that Bollywood is catching up in film making procedures with the west. What is nice is a lot of shots are "long" -- the actors act like they are on stage, less cuts which make the scene more interesting to watch as the actors really shine out. Shah Rukh with his Delhi stage acting background has used this to his great advantage. The music of the film by Ehsaan Shankar Loy has been pretty popular from the day of its release. The audience really freaked out when the songs started and his reaction was really nice to see. Anil Mehta, who was recently responsible for cinematography on "Lagaan" has done a great job. The picturisation of the songs are truly fantastic. To sum it up a great film, with funny as well as emotional moments -- a must watch...you never know..Kal Ho Na Ho ! Ratting ( on 5) The Look 5 Story - 3.5 Performances 4.5 Music - 4 Background Music 3.5 Overall - 4 Kal Ho Na Ho Tagline Aaj, Aaj ek hasee aur baant lo... (Let's share a smile again today) Aaj, ek dua aur maang lo.... (Today, Let's ask for one more blessing) Aaj, ek aanso aur pi lo... (Today shed one more tear) Aaj, ek zindagi aur ji lo... (Today live another life) Aaj, ek sapna aur dekh lo... (Today, live another dream) AAJ.....kya pata, Kal Ho Na Ho.... Kal Ho Na Ho Song Lyrics Song Title Kal Ho Na Ho Theme Song Music Director Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy Singers Sonu Nigam Har Ghadi Badal Raha Hai Roop Zindagi Chaav Hai Kahhi Hai Dhoop Zidnagi Har Pal Yahan Jee Bhar Jiyo Jo Hai Sama Kal Ho Na Ho Har Ghadi Badal Raha Hai Roop Zindagi Chaav Hai Kahhi Hai Dhoop Zidnagi Har Pal Yahan Jee Bhar Jiyo Jo Hai Sama Kal Ho Na Ho Chaahe Jo Tumhe Poore Dil Se Milta Hai Woh Mushkil Se Aisa Jo Koi Kahin Hai Bas Vahi Sabse Hasin Hai Us Haath Ko Tum Thaam Lo Woh Meherbaan Kal Ho Na Ho Har Pal Yahan Jee Bhar Jiyo Jo Hai Sama Kal Ho Na Ho Palko Ke Leke Saaye Paas Koi Jo Aaye Takh Sambhalo Paagal Dil Ko Dil Dhadke Hi Jaaye Par Sochlo Is Pal Hai Jo Woh Dastan Kal Ho Na Ho Har Pal Yahan Jee Bhar Jiyo Jo Hai Sama Kal Ho Na Ho Har Pal Yahan Jee Bhar Jiyo Jo Hai Sama Kal Ho Na Ho Song Title It's The Time To Disco ! Movie Kal Ho Na Ho Movie Director Nikhil Advani Music Director Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy Singers Vasundhara Das , Kay Kay , Shaan , Loy Mendonsa Dil Hai Mera Deewana Kya Kehta Hai Ab Ghabrana Kya Taal Pe Jab Jhoome Badan Hichkichana Sharmana Kya Khul Ke Jhoomon Khul Ke Gaao Aaoo Aaoo Yeh Khul Ke Kaho It's The Time To Disco It's The Time To Disco Kaun Mile Hai Kisko It's The Time To Disco Dil Hai Mera Deewana Kya Kehta Hai Ab Ghabrana Kya Taal Pe Jab Jhoome Badan Hichkichana Sharmana Kya Khul Ke Jhoomon Khul Ke Gaao Aaoo Aaoo Yeh Khul Ke Kaho It's The Time To Disco It's The Time To Disco Kaun Mile Dekho Kisko It's The Time To Disco Balkhata Hai Badan Aisi Jo Taal Hai Saanson Mein Chalti Hai Aandhiyaan Behkata Hai Yeh Maan Ab To Yeh Haal Hai Masti Mein Khoye Hai Hum Yahan Tum Bhi Khoke Mast Hoke Koi Toke To Khul Ke Kaho It's The Time To Disco It's The Time To Disco Keh Do Milo Jis Jisko It's The Time To Disco Josh Mein Naachti Rangeen Shaam Hai Bin Piye Jhoomta Hais Ama Hosh Ka Ab Yahan Bolo Kya Kaam Hai Tez Hai Dhadkane Dil Javan Yuh Hi Reh Hai Theek Hai Na Aur Hai Kehna To Khul Ke Kaho It's The Time To Disco It's The Time To Disco Samjho Zara Tum Isko It's The Time To Disco Dil Hai Mera Deewana Kya Kehta Hai Ab Ghabrana Kya Taal Pe Jab Jhoome Badan Hichkichana Sharmana Kya Khul Ke Jhoomon Khul Ke Gaao Aaoo Aaoo Yeh Khul Ke Kaho It's The Time To Disco It's The Time To Disco Kaun Mile Dekho Kisko It's The Time To Disco It's The Time To Disco It's The Time To Disco Kaun Mile Dekho Kisko It's The Time To Disco Song Title: Maahi Ve Maahi Ve Music Director Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy Singers Sadhana Sargam, Sujata Bhattacharya, Udit Narayan, Sonu Nigam, Shankar Mahadevan Maahi Ve Maahi Ve That's The Way Maahi Ve Tere Maathe Jhumar Damke Tere Kannno Baali Chamke Hai Re Maahi Ve Tere Haatho Kangana Khanke Tere Pairo Payal Chance Hai Re Maahi Ve Naino Se Bole Rabba Rabba Mann Mein Dole Rabba Rabba Amrut Ghole Rabba Rabba Tu Soniye Jind Maahi Ve Soni Soni Aaja Mahi Ve Everybody Sing Soni Soni Aaja Mahi Ve Jind Maahi Ve Soni Soni Aaja Mahi Ve Everybody Sing Soni Soni Aaja Mahi Ve That's The Way Maahi Ve O Tere Aankhen Kali Kali Tera Gora Gora Mukhdha Hai Re Maahi Ve Tere Rangat Jaise Sona Tu Chaand Ka Tukda Hai Re Maahi Ve Tere Gaal Gulabi Rabba Rabba Chal Sharabi Rabba Rabba Dil Ki Kharabi Rabba Rabba Tu Soniye Jind Maahi Ve Soni Soni Aaja Mahi Ve Everybody Sing Soni Soni Aaja Mahi Ve Jind Maahi Ve Soni Soni Aaja Mahi Ve Everybody Sing Soni Soni Aaja Mahi Ve Barse Rangini Kaliyan Hai Mehki Bhini Bhini Baje Mann Mein Halke Halke Shehnaiya Re Jitne Hai Tare Aanchal Mein Aa Gaya Sare Dil Ne Jaise Hi Li Angadayee Re Tu Jo Aayee Sajhke Mehndi Rajke Chal Bajke Oh Soniye Dil Kit No Ka Khaye Dhajke Oh Soniye Jind Maahi Ve Soni Soni Aaja Mahi Ve Everybody Sing Soni Soni Aaja Mahi Ve Jind Maahi Ve Soni Soni Aaja Mahi Ve Everybody Sing Soni Soni Aaja Mahi Ve Chanhda Meri Chanda Tujhe Kaise Mein Yeh Samjhaoon Mujhe Lagti Hai Tu Kitni Pyaari Re Khusiyan Jitni Hai Sab Jitni Hai Sab Dhoondh Ke Laoon Teri Doli Ke Sang Kar Do Sari Re Tu Jo Aayee Sajhke Mehndi Rajke Chal Bajke Oh Soniye Dil Kit No Ka Khaye Dhajke Oh Soniye Jind Maahi Ve Soni Soni Aaja Mahi Ve Everybody Sing Soni Soni Aaja Mahi Ve Jind Maahi Ve Soni Soni Aaja Mahi Ve Everybody Sing Soni Soni Aaja Mahi Ve Tere Maathe Jhumar Damke Tere Kannno Baali Chamke Hai Re Maahi Ve Tere Haatho Kangana Khanke Tere Pairo Payal Chance Hai Re Maahi Ve Naino Se Bole Rabba Rabba Mann Mein Dole Rabba Rabba Amrut Ghole Rabba Rabba Tu Soniye Jind Maahi Ve Jind Maahi Ve Jind Maahi Ve Soni Soni Aaja Mahi Ve Everybody Sing Soni Soni Aaja Mahi Ve Jind Maahi Ve Soni Soni Aaja Mahi Ve Everybody Sing Soni Soni Aaja Mahi Ve Soni Soni Aaja Mahi Ve Soni Soni Aaja Mahi Ve Song Title: Kuch To Hua Hai Music Director Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy Singers Alka Yagnik , Shaan Kuch To Hua Hai Kuch Ho Gaya Hai Kuch To Hua Hai Kuch Ho Gaya Hai Kuch To Hua Hai Kuch Ho Gaya Hai Do Chaar Din Se Lagta Hai Jaise Sab Kuch Alag Hai Sab Kuch Naya Hai Kuch To Hua Hai Kuch Ho Gaya Hai Cheezein Mein Rakh Ke Bhool Jaati Hoon Bekhayaali Mein Gungunati Hoon Ab Akele Mein Muskuraati Hoon Badli Hui Si Meri Ada Hai Kuch To Hua Hai Kuch Ho Gaya Hai Pighla Pighla Hai Dil Mera Jab Se Achcha Rehta Hain Mood Bhi Tab Se Haske Milta Hoon Aaj Kal Sab Se Khush Ho Gaya Hai Jo Bhi Mila Hai Kuch To Hua Hai Kuch Ho Gaya Hai Rang Chamkilay Saaare Lagte Hai Raah Mein Bhikre Tare Lagte Hai Phool Ab Zyaada Pyaare Lagte Hai Mehki Hui Si Jaisi Hawa Hai Kuch To Hua Hai Kuch Ho Gaya Hai Dhyaan Ab Apna Zyaada Rakhta Hoon Sochta Hoon Main Kaise Lagta Hoon Aaina Ho To Dekh Leta Hoon Kaise Yeh Chehra Aisa Khila Hai Kuch To Hua Hai Kuch Ho Gaya Hai Yeh Nasha Jisme Dono Rehte Hai Yeh Lehar Jisme Dono Behte Hai Ho Na Ho Isko Pyaar Kehte Hai Pyaar Mila To Dil Kho Gaya Hai Kuch To Hua Hai Kuch Ho Gaya Hai Song Title: Pretty Woman Music Director Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy Singers Shankar Mahadevan, Ravi Rags Khote Maine Jise Abhi Abhi Dekha Hai Kaun Hai Woh Anjaani Use Jitna Dekhon Utna Sochon Kya Use Main Keh Doon Maine Jise Abhi Abhi Dekha Hai Kaun Hai Woh Anjaani Maine Jise Abhi Abhi Dekha Hai Kaun Hai Woh Anjaani Woh Hai Koi Kali Ya Koi Kiran Ya Hai Koi Kahani Use Jitna Dekhon Utna Sochon Kya Use Main Keh Doon Pretty Woman Hey Pretty Woman Dekho Dekho Na Pretty Woman Pretty Woman Dekho Dekho Na Pretty Woman Pretty Woman Tum Bhi Kaho Naa Pretty Woman Ho Maine Jise Abhi Abhi Dekha Hai Kaun Hai Woh Anjaani Woh Hai Koi Kali Ya Koi Kiran Ya Hai Koi Kahani Use Jitna Dekhon Utna Sochon Kya Use Main Keh Doon Pretty Woman Dekho Dekho Na Pretty Woman Pretty Woman Dekho Dekho Na Pretty Woman Pretty Woman Tum Bhi Kaho Naa O Pretty Woman Yo Pretty Woman Listen Up Girl When U Feel This Way Don't U See The Sunshine Coming Out Today You Got To Feel It Right Just Like Day Agter Night Dont Let The Sunshine Out Of Your Sight Cause I Can Feel You Can You Feel It When I Say That I Can Feel You Here Can U Feel Me When I Say That I Am Crazy About You Pretty Woman Sone Ka Rang Hai Sheeshe Ka Ang Hai Jo Dekhe Dang Hai Kya Kahon Hairaan Main Bhi Hoon Yeh Kya Andaaz Hai Itna Kyun Naaz Hai Iska Kya Raaz Hain Kya Kahoon Woh To Pal Mein Khush Hai Pal Mein Khafa Badle Woh Rang Har Ghadi Par Jo Bhi Dekhoon Roop Uskea Lagti Hai Hai Pyaari Badi Use Jitna Dekhon Utna Sochon Kya Use Main Keh Doon Pretty Woman Pretty Woman Dekho Dekho Na Pretty Woman Pretty Woman Dekho Dekho Na Pretty Woman Pretty Woman Tum Bhi Kaho Naa Pretty Woman Aankhon Mein Hai Nasha Zulphon Mein Hai Ghata Pehle Hamne Ada Yeh Haseen Dekhi Na Thi Kahin Dekhi Jo Yeh Pari Masti Dil Mein Bhari Masti Dil Mein Bhari Hai Yeh Jadogari Ya Nahi Ho Na Tum Janu Kya Hain Naam Na Janu Main Pata Par Itna Hai Maine Jabe Jise Dekhle Ek Nazar Bhar Ke Use Jitna Dekhon Utna Sochon Kya Use Main Keh Doon Pretty Woman Dekho Dekho Na Pretty Woman Pretty Woman Dekho Dekho Na Pretty Woman Pretty Woman Tum Bhi Kaho Naa Pretty Woman Pretty Woman Dekho Dekho Na Pretty Woman Pretty Woman Dekho Dekho Na Pretty Woman Pretty Woman Tum Bhi Kaho Naa Pretty Woman Song Title Kal Ho Na Ho - Sad Music Director Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy Singers Alka Yagnik , Richa Sharma , Sonu Nigam Soni Banno Chan Si Chamke Mathe Uthe Jhumkar Dame Palka Uth Diya Ne Thum Thum Ke Main Vari Vari Java Soni Banno Chan Si Chamke Mathe Uthe Jhumkar Dame Palka Uth Diya Ne Thum Thum Ke Main Vari Vari Java Tu Vekh Tai Lai Aj Raj Ke Apne Sariyan Nu Cheti Apne Nahi Mil De Ja Banno Pave Khushiyan Te Dil Dariyan Tu Pave Armaan Sab Dil De Tu Vekh Tai Lai Aj Raj Ke Apne Sariyan Nu Cheti Apne Nahi Mil De Ja Banno Pave Khushiyan Te Dil Dariyan Tu Pave Armaan Sab Dil De Tum Ho Gham Ko Chupaye Main Hoon Sar Ko Jhukaye Tum Bhi Chup Ho Main Bho Chup Hoon Kaun Kise Samjhaye Ab Dooriyan Itni Hain To Milna Yahan Kal Ho Na Ho Ab Dooriyan Itni Hain To Milna Yahan Kal Ho Na Ho Tu Vekh Tai Lai Aj Raj Ke Apne Sariyan Nu Cheti Apne Nahi Mil De Ja Banno Pave Khushiyan Te Dil Dariyan Tu Pave Armaan Sab Dil De Sach Hai Ke Dil To Dukha Hai Hamne Magar Socha Hai Dil Jo Hai Gham Kyon Aankh Hai Nam Kyon Hona Hi Tha Jo Hua Hai Us Baat Ko Jaane Bhi Do Jiska Nishaan Kal Ho Na Ho Har Pal Yahan Je Bhar Jiyo Jo Hai Sama Kal Ho Na Ho Kal Ho Na Ho Ring Tones 1. Kal Ho Na Ho (Title) Tempo 100 BPM 8.c3 16b2 4c3 32.b2 8.c3 32.b2 16c3 16e1 16d1 16c1 8.b2 16a1 8.b1 16.a1 2b1 8.c3 16b2 8.c3 16b2 8.c3 16b2 16c3 16e1 16d1 16c1 8.b2 16a1 8.b1 16a1 4b1 8g1 8a1 16c3 2.a2 8f1 8g1 16a1 2.g1 8g1 8a1 16c3 4.a2 32g14.f1 8f1 8#a1 16a1 2.g1 Kal Ho Na Ho Music Review Red, Black and White - The three striking colors of KHNH a.k.a. Kal Ho Na Ho! These are the colors that catch your attention through the album cover. This Dharma production has to its credit biggies like Yash Johar as a producer, Karan Johar as a story and screenplay writer, Anil Mehta as the cinematographer and Farah Khan as the choreographer. Star-cast comprises of names like Jaya Bachchan, the Khans - Shahrukh and Saif, and the 'pretty woman' Preity Zinta'. Shankar Ehsaan Loy get the biggest break of their career in this debut venture of Karan Johar's erstwhile assistant Nikhil Advani that has lyrics by veteran Javed Akhtar !! Ok!! So we will again repeat the rumor that KHNH may as well be 'inspired' by yesteryears classic 'Anand' starring Rajesh Khanna and the Big B. And if this is so then we have a analogy right away!! Case in point being the title track by Sonu Nigam that seems to be thematically similar to Anand's thoughtful and poignant track - 'Zindagi Kaisi Hai Paheli Haaye - Kabhi Ye Hasaye, Kabhi Ye Rulaye'. A touching number indeed, it strikes chord immediately. Sonu Nigam is excellent in his rendering and the trio of Shankar Ehsaan Loy do full justice to the poetry of Javed Akhtar saab. A chartbuster all the way!! Sad version (now can we live without them?) of this title track, crooned by Alka Yagnik, Richa Sharma and Sonu Nigam is situational but doesn't create as much as an impact as the main version. We will stick to the original here this time around !! Apart from this there are 4 more tracks in this album - 3 dance tracks and one love duet (now isn't this surprising to have just 6 tracks in a movie that is mentored by the likes of those who have been behind the biggest blockbusters of all time musicals - Kuch Kuch Hota Hai and Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham ). The dance tracks in the reckoning are 'Maahi Ve', 'Its the time to Disco' and 'Pretty Woman'. 'Maahi Ve' is the feel good family oriented song that is primarily a track that can be easily identified with the Johars, Chopras and the Barjatyas. OK!! So we still can't distinguish one from the other, but then are we complaining? Because we are sure that it will be the treatment of this track that will take it some way forward. And with the presence of King Khan (as Shahrukh is popularly called on) can anything really be ordinary? Sadhna Sargam, Sujata Bhattacharya, Udit Narayan, Sonu Nigam and Shankar are the voices behind this number. Vasundhara Das, Kay Kay, Shaan and Loy Mendonsa do their best to infuse freshness in the party track 'It's the time to Disco'. Sad to see but the song just doesn't manage to rise to the occasion even after repeated listening !! At best, it can be categorized as 'above-average' and in any other lesser movie may have been forgotten soon. But then the BIG SCS - Sets, Choreography and Stars have brought even more mediocre songs at the top before. So who knows? Hmmmmmmm...'Pretty Woman'!! So does it ring a bell? Shall we tell you? Ya, this is the track which is an inspiration with a difference!! The difference being that in this case due credit is given to the original composer Roy Orbison who composed for Julia Roberts starrer 'Pretty Woman'. Set to 'bhangra beats' (well, this happens only in India ), our version of this videshi track is sung by Shankar Mahadevan and Ravi "rags" Khote. End result - 'Pretty woman...uh...sorry.. 'Pretty Average'!! Nothing great shakes to cheer about. When everything seems to have fallen into 'average' to 'very average' category comes 'Kuch To Hua Hai'. Welcome to the world of mush where nothing seems to go wrong !! So Alka Yagnik and Shaan delightfully tell each other ' Kuch To Hua Hai' !! A melodious track nevertheless, it is that innocent feel of the lyrics that make the track rise above the average mark !! There is no denying the fact that the sales of the album have been very encouraging so far. In fact it has been one of the most awaited album of the year. Add to that the banner associated with the album, Khan's charisma and aggressive publicity and we may have a blockbuster in hand. But still a regret as KHNH in no way meets the sky high expectations that one normally has from a Johar film that also boasts of Shahrukh Khan in lead.
Campaigning reaches crescendo for December 1 assembly polls
Friday, November 28, 2003
New Delhi, Nov 28 With just three days left for the D-Day, a high-voltage acrimonious campaign reached its crescendo today with leaders of different parties making their last ditch effort to woo nine crore electorate, a day before electioneering ends in Delhi, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh for the December one assembly polls. Congress, which is trying to retain power in all the four states, has made corruption as the main poll plank in the wake of cash-on-camera scam involving former Union Minister Dilip Singh Judeo, but a spirited BJP sought to blunt the Congress campaign harping on "misgovernance." While 2171 candidates were trying their luck for a 230-member house in Madhya Pradesh, 1541 were contesting in Rajasthan for a 200-member house. Chhattisgarh has 819 contestants for a 90-member assembly and in Delhi 817 people are in the fray for a 70-member house. Under the watchful eye of the Election Commission, elaborate arrangements have been made to conduct free and fair polls in the four states, the outcome of which may have a bearing on next year's Lok Sabha elections.
Global bookies fancy Miss India
Friday, November 28, 2003
NEW DELHI: What's the bet Miss India will be Miss World again? If we're talking money, a 16/1 chance. And for now, that's the best. With a week to go for the most watched beauty contest, being held for the first time in China, bookies have whipped out their paraphernalia and are second-guessing the jury. On an online betting site, readabet.com, Femina Miss India World Ami Vashi is at the top of the heap sharing honours with Miss Ireland, Miss Norway and Miss Venezuela. Each is given 16/1 odds for winning the crown. On the lists of 12 popular UK and Australian bookmakers that traditionally take bets on who will win the pageant, Vashi fares consistently well - she is in the first five of most. William Hill puts her at one and Victor Chandler at second only to Miss Venezuela. Miss Norway is a hot favourite too. Readabet reckons that Vashi, who has "come through what is the toughest national contest on the planet", also has India's solid record in the contest backing her. The same reason, however, also makes it tough for her. For, it is felt, though India is always in with a chance, winning the crown a fifth time in this decade will be a bit much.
No condoms please, we are youngsters
Friday, November 28, 2003
NEW DELHI: Why are youngsters condom-shy? Can sex with a virgin cure AIDS? Do only drug-addicts get AIDS? A startling study provides the answers. A joint survey by MTV Networks, UNAIDS and the World Health Organisation, titled 'Staying Alive 2003 Global Sexual Behaviour Survey', reveals that 90 per cent of the young people worldwide know that condoms help prevent HIV/AIDS, but are not using them always. More alarming is the fact that far less youths are actually following through. Only half of the respondents said they used condoms the first time they had sex; over 70 per cent of the respondents who had more than one sexual partner in the past six months did not always use a condom. "This alarming fact shows that there is a huge difference between knowledge and the reality of young educated people actually protecting themselves," says Bill Roedy, President of MTV Networks International, and Ambassador, UNAIDS. "We need to remind young people that protecting themselves against this disease needs to become a daily habit like eating, drinking and sleeping," Roedy adds. The survey, conducted with international research partners Online Testing Exchange (OTX) and Ciao AG, had over 9,000 respondents in 29 countries. The survey indicates sexual behaviour trends among 14-34 year-olds on HIV/AIDS awareness, including condom use, stigma and discrimination, trusted sources of information and sexual history.
Telgi’s diary contains names of 19 Ministers
Friday, November 28, 2003
The Mumbai High Court was today told that a diary of multi-crore fake stamp paper scam kingpin Abdul Karim Telgi contained names of 19 Ministers and policemen in various states, including Karnataka and Maharashtra, involved in the racket, which needed detailed investigation. The allegation, which could shake many a state government if proven, was levelled by the counsel of former Mumbai police Commissioner R S Sharma in a packed courtroom, sending ripples down the corridors of the state secretariat here. Already a former Andhra Pradesh Minister is under arrest and there are allegations that a very senior Minister of Maharashtra took Rs 20 crore bribe to protect Telgi. The High Court, while hearing six petitions, including that of social worker Anna Hazare, asked the Special Investigation Team (SIT) headed by former Inspector General S S Puri, to continue with the probe into the scam, effectively restraining the CBI from taking over the investigations in Maharashtra. The High Court bench comprising Chief Justice C K Thakkar and Justice Abhay Oak said time is not right at the moment, to transfer the investigation to the CBI, although it would consider the matter at an appropriate time. The court, however, directed the SIT to cooperate with the CBI which is investigating the scam in Delhi, Andhra Pradesh and Gujarat. The SIT, on its part, submitted a detailed status report on the investigation. The court has posted the next hearing to January 16. The SIT was set up on October 15 by the state government on the directive of the Mumbai High Court. The scam kingpin Telgi is presently in judicial custody in Bangalore. The contents of the SIT report were not known, but the court was informed by Maharashtra’s Advocate General Goolam Vahanvati that the SIT has so far heard 720 conversations, contained in two compact discs (CDs). These CDs are among the dozen CDs containing telephonic conversations between Telgi and his contacts, which include politicians and police officials, handed over by the Karnataka government to the SIT. An analysis of Telgi’s phone conversations secretly recorded by the Karnataka police had brought to light the involvement of several prominent persons, he said and handed over a confidential report to the court classified as a secret document. The High Court’s directive has vindicated the positions held by both Maharashtra and Karnataka governments, opposing CBI’s intervention at this stage when chargesheets have been filed against Telgi and others in both the states. The BJP-led opposition in both states have charged the respective governments of shying away from CBI probe to protect tainted politicians of the ruling party and top cops. KARNATAKA’S SUBMISSIONS: What perhaps weighed on the High Court’s mind was the Karnataka government’s submissions through its counsel B R Nanjundaiah. He told the court that the Allahabad High Court’s direction to the Centre to launch a CBI probe into the scam was for specific cases and not for the entire scam. It was following the Allahabad High Court’s order that the Centre ordered a CBI probe into the scam, without waiting for the consent of Maharashtra and Karnataka governments. Mr Nanjundaiah told the court that a similar PIL asking for a CBI probe was turned down by the Karnataka High Court recently. He said two chargesheets have been filed against Telgi in Karnataka and the probe was being conducted by Additional Director General of Police, which was at its final stage after submitting nine reports, and prayed for status quo. Maharashtra’s Advocate General Vahanvati, in his submissions, said the government had no objection to a CBI probe and it was up to the High Court to take a decision in this regard. But quite interestingly, most of the petitioners, including Mr Hazare, who had prayed for a CBI probe, today opposed entry of the central agency and favoured continuation of the SIT. Their counsels told the court that both Maharashtra and Karnataka have formed special teams to investigate the case which are doing a fine job and there was no need to disturb their investigation. Curiously, the CBI, during an earlier hearing, had told the court that it was unable to handle the case due to lack of adequate manpower and excess work load. Today, the agency, through Additional Solicitor General Shirish Gupte, informed the court that it was willing to take over the investigations provided the court issued directives in this regard. LAWYER’S BOMBSHELL: It was the submissions of Mr Sharma’s counsel, senior lawyer V R Manohar, which bacame the talking point and evoked intense anxiety. While defending his client, Mr Manohar told the court that Telgi’s diary, which has been seized by police, contained telephone numbers of 19 ministers and top police officials. He wondered why the SIT has not progressed on this matter so far and was targetting his client, instead. Mr Manohar emphasised that Telgi’s links with politicians and police officials needed detailed investigation and not his client’s role, who has been given a clean chit by the government after due consideration of a previous inquiry report. Mr Manohar charged that some petitioners were sidetracking Telgi and settling personal scores with Mr Sharma. His reference was perhaps to Mr Hazare, who filed his petition after the Maharashtra government had given a clean chit to Mr Sharma while appointing him as the Mumbai police chief. Mr Vahanvati told the court that the government has issued a show cause notice to Mr Sharma for his various acts of commissions and omissions as listed by the SIT and his reply is awaited. The court had on November 12 asked the government to take action on the preliminary report of the SIT on Mr Sharma’s role. Mr Sharma was the Pune police chief in 2001-2002 and had guided investigations into the scam.
Advani gives BJP a boost
Friday, November 28, 2003
Intense campaigning by Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani over the past few days is finally yielding results. The BJP rank and file, until recently struggling to make its presence felt in the run-up to the Assembly polls, now appears to have been galvanised as Mr Advani went on addressing one public rally after another in the city. Left: Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani, Union Labour Minister Sahib Singh Verma and BJP's chief ministerial candidate for Delhi Madan Lal Khurana at a campaign rally in the Capital Right: Congress president Sonia Gandhi and Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit at another rally On the concluding day of his campaign on Thursday, Mr Advani finally had the desired numbers present at his rally, shouting the trademark BJP slogan - "Jai Shri Ram". And a visibly happy Mr Advani replied: "Jai Shri Ram Bhi Hoga. Woh Bhi Nahi Chukega (The task of Jai Shri Ram will also be accomplished. It won't be left unfinished)." A thunderous applause followed, indicating that the BJP's electioneering machine is shifting to top gear just in time. This is the first time a senior BJP leader has raised the Ayodhya issue during the campaign phase in the Capital. So far, the BJP has been focusing on the achievements of the Central Government. Starting the day with a well-attended meeting at Avantika Chowk under the Shahbad Daulatpur Assembly seat in outer Delhi, Mr Advani concluded his whirlwind tour of the city at Lajpat Nagar. The party has fielded Kulwant Rana From Shahbad Daulatpur - a stronghold of BJP heavyweight Sahib Singh Verma. When an enthusiastic crowd repeatedly shouted the Jai Shri Ram slogan, the Deputy Prime Minister did not make any mistake in reading their minds as he said with a smile: "Jai Shri Ram Bhi Hoga. Woh Bhi Nahi Chukega." These words had a soothing effect on the gathering. Addressing a public meeting in Lajpat Nagar late in the evening, Mr Advani reiterated that the people's ambition of having a temple in Ayodhya would be fulfilled. He told the gathering that this would be done with everybody's consent and in a peaceful manner. "We are committed to fulfill the people's dreams by making India a developed nation and compete with other nations like the United States and Germany by 2020. Keep this fact in mind while casting your votes on December 1," Mr Advani underlined. Referring to the Congress regimes in the country, Mr Advani said the entire world was aghast at India's backwardness, notwithstanding its abundance of talent and natural resources. "If our talent can constitute the nucleus of the US economy, why can't India make headways enough to emerge as a developed nation even after 55 years of its independence," Mr Advani asked. "The world looks at us as a developing nation, which is not a compliment at all. For them, the term developing means nothing but underdeveloped. So, the task before us is to make India a developed nation, and sooner the better," he added. Referring to the achievements of the Vajpayee-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) Government at the Centre, Mr Advani said: "There has been a sea change in the country's image ever since Mr Vajpayee became the Prime Minister five- and-a-half-years back." "From the construction of highways to providing credit cards to millions of farmers across the country, the BJP has carried out developmental works at an unprecedented scale. The speed will be accelerated as Mr Vajpayee is set to win the 2004 Lok Sabha poll," Mr Advani said.
Sonia gives all she's got
Friday, November 28, 2003
Congress president Sonia Gandhi had a simple message for voters - to make a distinction between her party and the BJP. Terming the Delhi Assembly elections as a battle between vikas (development) and barbadi (destruction), Ms Gandhi sought to point out on Thursday that the Congress had always been working for the welfare of the poor and the downtrodden while the BJP had always been "dividing society" on communal lines. Launching a scathing attack on the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) Government, Ms Gandhi urged the people to vote for the Congress and not elect "the corrupt and the scandal-hit" BJP in the coming Delhi Assembly polls. Ms Gandhi spoke to packed houses at the three meetings she addressed on Thursday at the Chirag Dilli Maidan in South Delhi, GTB Hospital at Dilshad Garden and the Ramlila Maidan near the Kala Mandir theatre at Mangolpuri in outer Delhi. The mood at each of her three rallies was upbeat as crowds would often break into thunderous applause -- indicating that the Congress had much less to worry than its arch rival. Ms Gandhi, who over the years has learnt to draw similies and use Hindi adages, delivered lines that had the crowds enraptured. One such was: "Babool Ke Ped Mein Aam Ke Phal Nahin Lagte (Mangoes don't grow on a Babool tree)", the Congress president remarked, though in laboured Hindi, while making the corruption charges against the Central Government. "The BJP had promised to provide a clean Government or a 'party with a difference' before it came to power at the Centre. It had promised to curb corruption, but scams after scams and open acceptance of bribe by its leaders speaks loudly of their character," said Ms Gandhi. Highlighting the Sheila Dikshit Government's achievements in Delhi, Ms Gandhi said that quality of life has improved during the five years of Congress rule. "When the Congress came to power in Delhi five years ago, there were a lot of problems like transportation, water, power, environment and unemployment in the Capital. The Congress Government led by Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit had worked hard to improve the quality of life in the city. The supply of power and water has been improved. New schools, colleges, flyovers and transportation have been improved. The pollution level has decreased," said Ms Gandhi. But it was not long before she lapsed into her trademark assault on the BJP. "Woh apne aap ko deshbhakt kahete hain, per kaam karte hain samaj ko todne ka (they call themselves patriots, but follow policies that divide society)," Ms Gandhi charged. "A nation is built through sacrifices made by its leaders, and not just by a ruler," Ms Gandhi said, recalling the contributions of Congress leaders Jawahar Lal Nehru, Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi towards the uplift of the poor and strengthening social amity and justice. She also said under the BJP rule, weaker sections and women were insecure and were the worst sufferers. Lambasting the BJP and its leaders on the issue of corruption, Ms Gandhi described the party as "corrupt and scam-tainted " that did not value the ideals of social unity and equality as it had made no contribution to the freedom struggle. After her speech, Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit introduced the Congress candidates to Ms Gandhi. Earlier, when Ms Dikshit spoke, a wave of sustained applause rolled over the rally venues. During her speeches, Ms Dikshit urged the people to vote for her party for its development work in the last five years. "Our slogan of 'Congress ka haath, gareebon ke saath' is not a political slogan but a pledge which the party has been fulfilling all these years,'' she said, targeting the poor and the downtrodden of the constituency. " Main koi vada nahi karungi, na koi sapna dikhaungi. Hum pehle kam karte hain bad main kahte hain," said Ms Dikshit. She said that there was a clear indication that the BJP had lost ground and the Congress was heading for a thumping victory in the Delhi Assembly polls. Ms Dikshit also announced that the Congress will form a Government in Delhi after the Assembly polls. The Chief Minister said development is the only solution to all problems in the Capital. " We want to provide quality education and jobs to the people of Delhi through development," said Ms Dikshit. In another development, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Nand Kishore Bhatt withdrew his nomination from the Gole Market constituency in favour of Ms Dikshit.
Laloo waving his wand, for Jogi
Friday, November 28, 2003
Bilaspur, Nov. 27: Rotors whirring, the helicopter alighted like a huge bird in the early morning sunshine. As the wheels touched the wind-flattened grass, the door swung open and out stepped the messiah of the downtrodden a picture of poise in a spotless white kurta-pajama. Laloo Prasad Yadav showman par excellence was in Chingarajpara, a mining township nearly 250 km from Bilaspur, to repay his debt to friend Ajit Jogi. The Congress chief minister of Chhattisgarh had camped in Bihar for a fortnight, canvassing for the Rashtriya Janata Dal during the last Assembly elections in 2000. Now Laloo Prasad was here to return the favour. His presence sent a ripple of excitement through the crowd. Chants of Laloo Prasad, zindabad greeted him as he stepped on the podium. More than 1,000 tribal villagers and miners had gathered to hear him speak and laugh at his wisecracks. The Congress is projecting the RJD chief as the champion of the Dalits to mobilise backward votes. Posters around the venue describe him as Garibon aur Daliton ka massiha, jan-jan ka neta (the saviour of the Dalits and the poor and a leader of the masses). The former Bihar chief minister is scheduled to address six rallies in Chhattisgarh. His rallies, if nothing else, would provide the comic interlude in the grim battle for the ballot, which has been reduced to a slanging match between Jogi and the BJP’s Dilip Singh Judeo. Laloo Prasad did not disappoint. Na mange sona chandi, na mange hira moti, main to maangu Ajit Jogi (I don’t want gold or silver, diamonds or pearls, I want Ajit Jogi), he lilted in his quaint Bhojpuri accent, sending the crowd into fits of laughter. By the time the laughter died, Laloo Prasad had already moved on to another role the fire-breathing politician. But the wordplay did not stop. Bhajapa ka safaya semi-final mein hi ho jayega (the BJP will be wiped out in the semi-final round), he thundered and then went on to describe the BJP as a party of corrupt politicians. Bangaru kangaroo jaisa tapka paison ke liye, aur khuda ki kasam, Judeo ne sher jaisa lapka paison ke liye (Bangaru Laxman jumped like a kangaroo to collect the money and Judeo roared like a lion with the bribe), he bellowed over the roar of the crowd. The true character of the BJP, he added, was the Bangaru-Judeo scandal. The Congress feels that Laloo Prasad’s presence will help draw backward votes. The backward and the Dalit segments in the state comprise the Kurmis, Sahus, Satnamis and Jatavs. The dominant caste group among them is the Satnami. There are six constituencies in the state where Dalit voters account for more than 50 per cent of the electorate. Twelve seats are reserved for Dalits. Laloo Prasad’s wit seems to have rubbed off on Jogi in his mission to woo the Dalits. At rallies, the chief minister has been cracking jokes in rustic Chhattisgarhi, taking a leaf out of his friend’s campaign in Bhojpuri Hindi in the villages of Bihar. Moreover, Jogi’s mixed parentage his father is a Satnami and his mother a tribal has brought him closer to the Bihar strongman’s brand of caste politics. Jogi’s detractors are already talking about his new Laloo avatar. Jogi has strange friends like (former Uttar Pradesh chief minister) Mayavati and Laloo, who do not see eye to eye among themselves, said Raman Singh, the state BJP chief. Even the man on the street feels that Jogi is trying to do a Laloo in Chhattisgarh by playing along caste lines and creating social polarisation.
Pilot wages lone battle against princess
Friday, November 28, 2003
In the Jhalawar fort, exquisite mirrors and paintings on the walls of Zanana Khas are a great attraction for tourists. Though this part of Rajasthan still preserves traces of early civilisation, times have changed and women are no longer satisfied with luxuries of those gilded cages like Zanana Khas. Jhalrapatan, a small township located within the confines of a huge wall in the Jhalawar district, bears testimony to this change. The famous 10th Century Sun Temple, which has been witness to many a valiant battle by Rajput kings in this Hadoti region, watches a princess lock horns with a lesser mortal here. BJP's Vasundhara Raje is facing a challenge from Congress candidate Rama Pilot, who has spared no pains to match the might of the princess. Rama's weapons are her late husband Rajesh Pilot's political legacy and the good work done by the Gehlot government. If cold caste calculations have to decide their fates, the princess needs to care for her rival's advantages. Rajesh Pilot was a leader of the Gujjars and around 20,000 of them are there in Jhalrapatan. Add to this, the consolidated Muslim vote of 18,000 and a large chunk of over 35,000 SC-ST voters and Rama gets a base to stand up and count for more. Besides, the Congress hopes to get some Brahmin votes too. But there are some disadvantages too. As soon as the word about Gujjar consolidation spreads, Lodhs, accounting for around 18,000 votes, drifted away from the Congress and the 6,000-Rajput voters also came behind Vasundhara. The BJP also gets a solid backing from the OBCs, balancing the caste equations to some extent. Still the Congress feels that the key to its success lies in the attitude of the Dalits as a division in their votes will mean curtains for its show. Vasundhara's biggest advantage is her projection as the next Chief Minister. But for that, Rama could have easily turned the tide. The prospect of Vasundhara becoming Chief Minister has not only rejuvenated the local BJP cadre but it has also lulled the Congress leadership into inaction, with most leaders thinking of tying down the BJP star campaigner to Jhalrapatan, not defeating her. Little wonder, Rama is raging a lone battle, assisted with son Sachin and some local leaders. Rama is on her toes, visiting dozens of villages daily and meeting people in every locality of the constituency. Her style is different, Rama says, pointing to Vasundhara's whirlwind tours by helicopters. "We are not in politics because of glamour. We are known for our hard work and service. Rajesh always fought for the farmers." She may be poor in comparison to Vasundhara but like all Congress leaders, she knows inverted snobbery pays in India. Vasundhara has booked the media in her favour. "I can't buy ad space. I've to go from cluster to cluster and beg for votes. But she has made my task easy by not working. She might have received around 30 crore as MPLAD and with that money spent properly, things would have been different here," Rama says. The most common grievance among the voters seems to be Vasundhara's failure to bring rail line to Jhalawar. But most of them are committed voters on caste lines and Gehlot's good work or Vasundhara's neglect won't change their minds. In villages like Shyampura and Manda, inhabited mostly by Nagars and Dhakars, Rama is being described as an outsider and people feign ignorance about Rajesh Pilot. But in villages like Kokanda, Jamunia, Danwa, Nara, Durgpura, where Bheels and Meenas dominate, she is being hailed. In the township within the wall, it is difficult to find one trader or even a small shopkeeper who will give any chance to Rama. They say the interest lies only in the margin of victory - 20,000 or 30,000. There are, however, large Muslim clusters where Rama's arrival is a cause for celebration. They have been holding meetings with Gujjars to ensure her victory. In the last Assembly poll, sitting Congress MLA Mohan Singh Rathore got 37.2 per cent votes as against the BJP's 33.92, but Congress rebel Sujan Singh had whittled away 26 per cent votes. Sujan Singh is a Gujjar and he is supporting Rama this time round. Vasundhara, who has repeatedly gained lead in this Assembly segment in the parliamentary election, has not been able to spend much time in the constituency. But the party has maintained an aggressive campaign and her son Dushyant Singh has toured several villages. The Congress is scared of her resources and knows she can alter the dynamics in a day or two.
Australia will miss McGrath and Warney: Ganguly
Friday, November 28, 2003
Brisbane, Nov 28 Indian captain Sourav Ganguly today sought to put the mighty Australians on the backfoot ahead of the four-match Test series, saying the hosts will miss the services of Glenn McGrath and Shane Warne who make a "huge difference" to the team. "McGrath and Warney will be missed, no doubt about it. When they didn't play against England two years ago, Australia suffered in Sydney. They make a huge difference because they pick most wickets or have picked most wickets for their country in the last eight or ten years," Ganguly said. "It is like when teams come to India, they find Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh missing from our line-up. They would be missed but then injury, especially in the case of fast bowlers, is part and parcel of modern cricket," Ganguly said on the eve of their three-day match against Queensland. Fast bowler McGrath, nursing an ankle injury, has ruled himself out of the first two Tests while spin wizard Shane Warne is serving a year's ban for testing positive for a banned drug just before the World Cup in South Africa earlier this year. Ganguly, hoping to beat the Australians on their soil, however, said the home side's back-up bowling has enough firepower to test the best line-up in the world.
None of my ministers involved in stamp paper scam: Shinde
Friday, November 28, 2003
New Delhi, Nov 28 Accusing the Centre of waking up late in the multi-crore fake stamp paper case, Maharashtra Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde today asserted that none of his Ministers were involved but said if anybody was guilty, he would not be spared. A day after the indicted police official R S Sharma claimed that some ministers' names had figured in investigations revealing links with the prime accused, Shinde told reporters here that the Special Investigating Team (SIT) was going into the matter and the Mumbai High Court had reposed confidence in the investigation. The Chief Minister said no Minister in his Government figured in the scam. Whosoever was found guilty would be sternly dealt with. "There will be no effort to shield anybody," he said. Stating that the scandal was going on for almost nine to ten years from the time when the Shiv Sena-BJP Government was in power, Shinde said the Centre "woke up" to the scam only twio months ago. "The Government should have taken cognisance in 2001 and ordered a CBI probe," he said.
Inflation breaches 5.0 per cent
Friday, November 28, 2003
New Delhi, Nov 28 Soaring prices of vegetables and fruits, eggs, food products, edible oils, textiles and electricity pushed up inflation to 5.12 per cent for the week ended November 15, substantially higher than 3.39 per cent during the same period in the previous year. The Wholelsale Price Index (WPI) inflation was up by 0.24 per cent from 4.88 per cent a week ago even as prices fell in the case of tea, fish-marine, gur, groundnut oil, ghee, bajra, ragi and condiments and spices. The WPI rose by 0.2 per cent to 176.5 points as compared to 176.1 points in the previous week because of the increase in the indices of all the major groups -- primary articles, fuels and manufactured products. The index was 167.9 points a year ago. There were chinks in the price movement of primary products, market sources said, adding despite abundant rainfall and a bumper harvest during the kharif season, the foodgrain prices had been on the rise. Government revised upwards the point-to-point inflation to 5.02 per cent for the week ended September 20 as compared to the provisional level of 4.72 per cent, while the final WPI stood corrected at 175.6 points as against the provisional mark of 175.1 points.
Maruti rolls out new-look Zen
Thursday, November 27, 2003
New Delhi, Nov 27 Maruti Udyog, India's biggest car maker, today unveiled a new-look Zen, without tinkering with the price, to take on competition posed by Hyundai's Santro and Tata Motors' Indica. Three versions of the car - LX, LXi and VXi - would sport introductory price tags of Rs 3.3 lakh, Rs 3.5 lakh and Rs 3.9 lakh respectively, which remains exactly the same, Maruti Managing Director Jagdish Khattar told a news conference here. Maruti, which is 54.2 per cent owned by Suzuki Motor Corp. (SMC) of Japan, was also working on an altogether new car, he said, decling to give details. The introduction of new Zen, which has been developed at a cost of Rs 35-40 crore, was a step towards turning Maruti into a R&D hub for premium compact cars in Asia. "As per the wish of SMC Chairman Osamu Suzuki, we are working towards the aim of making our Indian operation a R&D hub for premium small cars in Asia. SMC and Maruti engineers working closely to develop a new car," Khattar said. Asked which segment the new car would belong to, he said "I cannot give the details, but the car will be in the mass volume category". The launch of new-look Zen, and efforts of Maruti and SMC engineers to develop a new car were steps in the direction of shifting of R&D base here by 2007-08, he said. He said Zen, which sells around 5,000 units per month, should see a rise of 10 per cent after the launch of the latest variant.
JeM involved in murder of Abdul Gani Lone
Thursday, November 27, 2003
New Delhi, Nov 27 Investigations into the murder of senior Hurriyat leader Abdul Gani lone have found that Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) was involved in it because of his moderate approach. The probe into his gunning down, which has been taken on with topmost priority, has pointed to the involvement of Ghazi Baba, who was later shot dead by security forces in an operation earlier this year, official sources said. Lone was assassinated by militants at a ceremony marking the 12th death anniversary of Mirwaiz Farooq, who was shot dead by by terrorists on May 21, 2002. The sources said investigations found that Ghazi Baba had received a directive from across the border to kill Lone as they feared that he would hold talks with Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, who began his visit to the state the very same day. The claim of the state police was further substantiated by documents recovered from the place where Ghazi Baba killed. The information was decoded from the documents that were seized from the encounter site which further substantiated the claim of the state police, the sources said. Indications were also about the involvement of a senior separatist leader in the criminal conspiracy to eliminate Lone, they said and added that action would be taken once the state police came out with irefuteable evidence.
Maruti to announce price hike
Thursday, November 27, 2003
New Delhi, Nov 27 India's biggest car maker Maruti Udyog today said it will announce a price hike by the end of December. "We will take a decision to this effect by the end of the next month," MUL managing director Jaggish Khattar said. The increase will come into effect from January, 2004, he said without giving any details. About sales during this month, Khattar said they will remain the same as the last month, but will be much higher when compared to November last year.
China welcomes ceasefire
Thursday, November 27, 2003
Beijing, Nov 27 China today lauded India for responding 'actively' and 'positively' to Pakistan's ceasefire proposal and hoped the two South Asian neighbours would resolve their differences peacefully through dialogue. "After Pakistan announced ceasefire, the Indian side has also taken active and positive actions. We welcome the posture of the two sides," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao told reporters here at a bi-weekly briefing. "We endorse all kinds of efforts that are conducive to the relaxation of regional situation and development of bilateral relations," he said while commenting on the November 26 decision of India and Pakistan to stop trading fire along the Line of Control (LoC). "We are supporting a peaceful solution to the disputes between the two countries. We think this is not only in the interest of the two peoples and two countries, but also conducive for the peace and stability in the world and in the region," Liu said. He said Chinese Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing, who met for the first time with India's new Ambassador to China, Nalin Surie here yesterday also expressed the hope that India and Pakistan can proceed from the interests of the stability of the region and maintain a momentum of relaxation to develop bilateral ties so as to resolve their disputes through peaceful means.
One killed, 12 injured in grenade explosion in Srinagar
Thursday, November 27, 2003
Srinagar, Nov 27 One person was killed and 12 others injured when militants hurled a grenade at the busy business centre of Lal Chowk here this afternoon, official sources said. Unidentified ultras hurled a powerful grenade at a BSF picket near Amirakadal bridge in Lal Chowk, the nerve centre of the city, around 1230 hours but the device missed the intended target and exploded on the road causing splinter injuries to 13 pedestrains, the sources said. One of the injured civilians identified as Ranbir Singh, a resident of Amritsar who was working as a watch mechanic at the shop of a Delhi businessman Manjeet Singh, succumbed to his injuries, the sources said. Manjeet had also sustained splinter injuries in the explosion and was undergoing treatment in the hospital along with other injured persons, the sources said.
CAT to be held in February 2004
Wednesday, November 26, 2003
The Common Admission Test for the Indian Institutes of Management has been rescheduled and is expected to be held in February 2004. Officials will be announcing the exact date and other details on Wednesday November 26. Students appearing for the re-examination would not be charged any extra money. The exact date will be decided on Wednesday after consultation with the directors of the six IIMs, Dr Bakul Dholakia, director of IIM, Ahmedabad said after a meeting of the CAT Group comprising chairmen of the admission committees of the six IIMs. He refused to divulge the details of the meeting but said the new session of the IIMs would begin in June as per schedule. The CAT Group comprises Prof Vijay Srichand (IIM-Ahmedabad), Prof Sukhdevan (IIM-Lucknow), Prof Dinesh Kumar (IIM-Kolkata), Prof Ishwar Murthy (IIM-Bangalore), Prof Pranav Pani (IIM-Indore) and a representative from IIM-Kozhikode. The CAT had been cancelled following leakage of the question papers. The CBI, which is probing the incident, has absolved the IIM management of any complicity. Regarding the CBI probe into the paper leak, Prof Dholakia said, "The agency has not only given a clean chit to all the IIMs but also confirmed that none of the locks of the trunk in which the questions papers were delivered from the printing press were tampered with, thus strongly indicating that the paper was leaked before they had been sealed the trunks."
Intense battle for Jat votes in Rajasthan
Wednesday, November 26, 2003
Nagaur, Nov 26 The story doing the rounds in this Jat heartland of Rajasthan is that that the tilt of "baba"'s cap decides fate of ruling Congress in the December one Assembly elections. Veteran Congress leader and speaker of state assembly Parasram Maderna is known as "baba" among his fellow community people who are the deciding factor in about 80 seats in 200-member assembly. The saying among the jats is that if the baba wears his Gandhi cap straight he is favouring congress and if the cap is tilted the jat voters go haywire. "Baba's cap is straight this time" claims PWD minister Harendra Mirdha, son of senior Congress leader Ram Niwas Mirdha, although Maderna is yet to descend in the area for campaiging. What the story goes to show is the intense battle between BJP and Congress for securing a slice of jat votes in the polls. The baba appears to have direct influence in 10 assembly constituencies in Nagaur district which boasts of 35 per cent of jat votes among 17 lakh voters. Besides jats, 25 per cent SC and ST voters and 15 per cent Muslims are the other key factors in the polls.
Campaign into last week
Wednesday, November 26, 2003
New Delhi, Nov 26 As electioneering in Delhi enters the last lap, political parties are poised to unleash their star campaigners in a last-ditch effort to woo the electorate. BJP, which is making an all-out effort to regain power in the national capital after five years, has taken a lead in the campaign trail, like release of lists of candidates and manifesto. The party has already held over 200 public meetings, including the two addressed by Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, and scheduled scores of others to be addressed by the Prime Minister, Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani, party chief M Venkaiah Naidu and other senior leaders over the next week. BJP candidates have also roped in candidates who have also roped in small-screen stars including 'bahu' Smriti Z Irani and Aman Verma of TV soap opera 'Kyun ki saas bhi kabhi bahu thi'. Film-star members of BJP Vinod Khanna, Dara Singh, Shatrughan Sinha and Hema Malini are also due to add glamour to the poll campaign for the battle to capture majority in the 70-member Delhi Assembly. Congress was not only late in releasing the names of its candidates but also in issuing its manifesto and launching campaign in full steam. The party is yet to announce the campaign schedule of its chief Sonia Gandhi for Delhi although she has been addressing rallies in the other three states going to polls.
China "satisfied" with India
Wednesday, November 26, 2003
Beijing, Nov 25 China today said it was "satisfied with the good momentum" in bilateral relations with India and expressed keenness to forge a long-term constructive partnership with New Delhi on the basis of 'panchsheel'. "China is satisfied with the good momentum of the development in China-India relations and stands ready to expand its cooperative relations with India in various fields," the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao said here at a ministry briefing. While positively evaluating the major policy speech of External Affairs Minister Yashwant Sinha on November 21, Liu said Beijing attached importance to the "positive" speech made by the Indian leader. "China attaches importance to the positive speech by the Foreign Minister of India on its China policy. We express our welcome and appreciation to this", Liu said. Describing India as a "very important neighbour" of China, he said the development of friendly relations with New Delhi is an important component of China's diplomacy with its neighbours.
Dell not shifting work from Bangalore to US
Wednesday, November 26, 2003
Bangalore, Nov 25 Dell India today dismissed reports that it was shifting its technical support service for its business customers from Bangalore to the United States. "No, we are not shifting the work. Dell is committed to India and are growing," a spokesperson for the Bangalore-headquartered Dell India operations told today. She said Dell had over 2,000 people working at its customer support centres in Bangalore and Hyderabad. The spokesperson declined comment on reported complaints by its business customers in understanding Indian executives because of differing accents. Dell, the world's largest PC maker, opened its Bangalore centre in April 2001 and rapidly expanded its workforce to over 3,000 employees. A spokesman of the Texas-based company earlier said there were complaints from clients but declined to discuss their nature. However, media reports said these were about differing accents. "Corporate customers were telling us they didn't like the level of support they were getting and in the normal course of business, we made some adjustments," the spokesman was quoted by InfoWorld, which specialises in IT news, as saying. "What (customers) said was, 'You guys have been changing some things and we don't like it as much'," Vice President of Dell's corporate division Steve Felice told 'Mercury News'. About 54 per cent of Dell's 44,300 employees are overseas.
Sachin promises challenging cricket
Wednesday, November 26, 2003
Melbourne, Nov 25 Batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar today dismissed suggestions that Indian batsmen did not cope well with short-pitched bowling and promised some "challenging cricket" in the Test and One-day series against Australia beginning next month. After a masterly innings of 80 runs against Victoria on the first day of the tour-opener here, Tendulkar said, "whatever has happened in the past you cannot always go by that. One can always turn around and start a new chapter". His comments come amid talk among Australians that the strong Indian batting line-up, especially Tendulkar, will be subjected to short-pitched deliveries by the Australian quickies during the series. Former Australian cricketer Dean Jones doubted Tendulkar's ability to handle short-pitched balls saying the little master had a "weakness in the top half of his body". "I tell you what, they (Australians) are going to be bouncing the hell out of him. They believe he has a weakness in the top half of his body," Jones, a former Victorian great, was quoted as saying in the media here. "I don't want to discuss what people feel or say. We are more concerned about what he have on our mind. I think as a team we are really geared up to go out and entertain people and play some challenging cricket," Tendulkar told reporters here. "We have a few plans jotted down for us. We have set team goals and as a team we wouls like to achieve those," he said.
Two burnt to death in Tinsukia, toll 58
Wednesday, November 26, 2003
Guwahati, Nov 26 Anti-Bihari violence continued in Assam with two more persons, both women, burnt alive at Ledo Tirap gate in Upper Assam's Tinsukia district in the wee hours today, taking the toll in the bloodletting in the state to 58. Police said a 60-year old woman and her grand daughter were sleeping inside their house which was torched by unidentified miscreants at around 1:30 am. The charred bodies |
