Jayalalithaa Seeks Explanation From PM, Chidambaram In 2G Scam

Taking on the UPA government, Jayalalithaa-led AIADMK on Saturday demanded an explanation from Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Congress President Sonia Gandhi and Home Minister P Chidambaram on former Telecom Minister A Raja's charges in 2G spectrum scam of "Himalayan proportions".
"The Prime Minister and the Home Minister have not given any reply even days after the former Telecom Minister had named them in connection with the scam of Himalayan proportions," said a resolution adopted at AIADMK Executive Council meeting chaired by party General Secretary Jayalalithaa in Chennai.

It said the "Congress President and UPA Chairperson has not expressed her opinion," on the issue so far.

"People have a right to know the truth in this matter. The Executive insists that in deference to people's views, the Prime Minister, the Home Minister and the Congress President should immediately reply to Raja's charges," the resolution said.

In his deposition before the court early this week, Raja had dragged the Prime Minister and Chidamabaram, the then Finance Minister, in 2G case, saying the issue of sale of equity by spectrum licencees was discussed with them.

The resolution comes close on the heels of Jayalalithaa asking her party MPs to take on Congress on a host of issues, including 2G spectrum and spiralling prices of commodities, in Parliament session beginning Monday.

Posted in: Breaking News

Ind vs Eng Live: Raina Departs Post Dravid's 50

India opener Rahul Dravid and Yuvraj Singh are at the crease against England on the second day of the second Test at Trent Bridge in Nottingham on Saturday. Earlier James Anderson scalped Suresh Raina. Live Score

India started the day with an overnight score of 24/1 in reply to England's first innings total of 221. There was some bad news in store for India as paceman Praveen Kumar was fined for showing dissent during the first day's play.

The two got busy eating into a scanty first innings total that England had posted on Day 1. England were clearly frustrated as on Saturday their review against Laxman in James Anderson's over got turned down. With this they have utilised both their reviews and that to unsuccessfully.
Post the drinks breaks Laxman went on to complete his half-century even as England bowlers were struggling to get a wicket. But Laxman's delight was short lived as England paceman saclped him on 54 with an away moving ball that took an edge ofhis bat to land in keeper Matt Prior's gloves when India's total was 93.

Then it was the turn of the Master Blaster, Sachin Tendulkar, to make an appearence in the middle. And Tendulkar, who is still one short of his 100th international ton, started his innings in style, hitting a four off Bresnan on the fifth ball that he faced during the day.

Tendulkar and Dravid were at the crease and India were on 117/2 when lunch was taken on the second day.

Minutes into the second session Sachin Tendulkar was seesn walking back on a scanty 16 on board. And once again it was Stuart Broad who managed to disappoint his fans just like he did during the first innings of the Lord's Test. An away moving ball was edged by Tendulkar and England captain Andrew Strauss made no mistake in the slips. India lost their third wicket on 119.

Rahul Dravid, who has been playing the role of the opener with elan in the absence of regular openers Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir, reached his half-century with precision.

However, his partner in he middle Suresh Raina didn't last long and fell to a James Anderson ball, which would have been better left than played as it was wide outside off. He prodded it and there was virtually no foot movement and Eoin Morgan did the rest at gully. India lost their fourth wicket on 139/4.

Posted in: Breaking News

Yeddyurappa Falls In Line, says Will Quit On Sunday

In signs that he might be relenting after a tense standoff, Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa on Saturday said he would tender his resignation tomorrow, falling in line with the directive of the party leadership which took a tough stand.

As the fresh affirmation by the 68-year-old Yeddyurappa somewhat eased the crisis for the BJP in the first state ruled by it in the South, the party's central observers Arun Jaitley and Rajnath Singh were locked in hectic consultations in choosing his successor.

According to party sources, Yeddyurappa will have a say in the selection of the new chief minister but he may not get the post of the state BJP president for which he is pushing hard. He is understood to have given three choices for the leadership to consider. (Read: Who is B.S. Yeddyurappa?)

The names doing the rounds to succeed Yeddyurappa are State BJP president K S Eshwarappa, Lok Sabha MP Sadanand Gowda, Ministers Jagadish Shettar, Shoba Karandlaje, V S Acharya and Suresh Kumar S and party national general secretary and MP Ananth Kumar.

In an effort to end the speculation on whether or not he would step down from his post, Yeddyurappa released a press statement that he would quit office on July 31.

In the signed statement that was read out to the media outside the Chief Minister's residence by loyalist Minister Basavaraj Bommai, Yeddyurappa said he had already issued a statement on Thursday that he would tender his resignation on July 31 following the decision of the party's parliamentary board and instruction from BJP central leaders.

But, he said, despite the statement, "even now, some media are misleading the public that I am not resigning".

"I, hereby, again clarify that I am submitting my resignation on the afternoon of 31-3-2011", he said.

Asked if Yeddyurappa's demands were accepted by the party high command, Water Resources Minister Bommai said the Chief Minister had a closed-door meeting with Jaitley and Rajnath and he does not know what transpired between them.

"..but certainly talks are going on in right way...positive way. Every thing will be solved", Bommai said in his comments, which are seen as softening of his stand by the Chief Minister.

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China Premier Vows To Punish Those To Blame For Train Crash

BEIJING: China's premier Wen Jiabao pledged on Thursday to "severely punish" those responsible for a deadly train crash that has sparked public fury and triggered fears over the safety of high-speed rail.

At least 39 people were killed and nearly 200 injured in Saturday's collision on the outskirts of the eastern city of Wenzhou, the worst accident ever to hit China's rapidly expanding high-speed network.

Wen, a popular figure with China's masses, visited the scene of the crash as the government tries to assuage mounting anger which has dominated the media and the blogosphere in recent days.

"We will severely punish those responsible for the accident and those who hold responsibilities of leadership in accordance with the country's laws," he told reporters at the accident site.

"The high-speed railway construction of China should integrate speed, quality, efficiency and safety. And safety should be put in the first place," said Wen, who has ordered an "open and transparent" probe into the incident.

The accident has raised questions over whether safety concerns may have been overlooked in China's rush to build the world's biggest high-speed rail system, a feat it has achieved in just four years.

China's state-controlled media has been unusually outspoken in its coverage of the accident, defying directives not to question the official line.

A comment piece on the front page of the People's Daily, the Communist party mouthpiece, said Thursday that China "needs development, but does not need blood-smeared GDP."

"Development is of overriding importance. But development should not be pursued at all cost," said the article, which was attributed to "the newspaper's commentator".

"While developing, (we) must... put human safety as the top priority and... balance speed, quality and benefits. We must never solely pursue speed or sacrifice life for money."

Wen, who typically makes highly publicised visits to disaster sites, will meet with the injured as well as relatives of the victims during his trip to Wenzhou, the official Xinhua news agency reported.

He also urged efforts to "make China's high-speed railway exports really safe" -- after observers said that the accident could scuttle Beijing's ambitions to sell the technology overseas.

Officials with the Shanghai Railway Bureau told investigators that "design flaws" in signalling equipment were to blame for Saturday's crash, Xinhua said Thursday, the first public admission that the Chinese-made system was at fault.

The system "failed to turn the green light into red" after being struck by lightning, it quoted Shanghai Railway Bureau head An Lusheng as saying.

Three senior railway officials have already been fired over the disaster, and Beijing has ordered an "urgent overhaul" of national rail safety.

But that has done little to calm the furious response from the public and the media.

Anger has been compounded by allegations that authorities tried to cover up evidence by burying the wreckage, although officials said this was to help rescuers access the crash site.

Thousands of people have posted on China's hugely popular micro-blogs, demanding to know why the driver of the second train, who was killed in the accident, was not told to stop in time.

China has ploughed huge sums of money into its high-speed rail network, which covered 8,358 kilometres (5,193 miles) by the end of 2010 and is expected to exceed 13,000 kilometres by 2012 and 16,000 kilometres by 2020.

A new $33 billion high-speed link between Beijing and Shanghai opened to passengers amid much fanfare on June 30 -- a year ahead of schedule -- but has suffered power cuts and delays.

The high cost of the network has sparked fears over corruption, and China's state auditor has said construction companies and individuals last year siphoned off 187 million yuan ($29 million) from the Beijing-Shanghai project.

The revelation followed the sacking of former railway minister Liu Zhijun in February, who allegedly took more than 800 million yuan in kickbacks over several years on contracts linked to China's high-speed network.

Shortly after his sacking, the railway ministry said trains would run between 250 and 300 kilometres per hour on the new Beijing-Shanghai link, which is designed for a maximum speed of 380 kph, for safety reasons.

Posted in: Breaking News

Indian Couple Challenges British Immigration Law

LONDON: An Indian woman who lives in Britain and wants her husband to join her there cannot do so because a new immigration law requires him to speak English. The couple have now challenged the law in court.

British citizen Rashida Chapti, 54, applied for her husband Vali Chapti, 57, to join her in Britain.

The couple have been married for 37 years and have six children together. Vali Chapti is an Indian national and does not speak, read or write English.

They have now challenged the rule at a court in Birmingham. They said the law "contravenes their rights to a family life, their right to marry and constitutes discrimination", according to the Daily Mail.

Rashida Chapti has been travelling between India and Leicester for 15 years.

The rule came into force in November 2010. It says English language is a primary requirement for migrants applying to come or stay in Britain as a spouse.

Manjit Gill, representing the couple, told the Birmingham court the requirement was a breach of their human rights.

He said it contravenes several articles of the European Convention on Human Rights - including the right to family life, the right to marry, and to be free of discrimination.

Posted in: Breaking News

Maruti's Manesar Plant Workers Go On Strike Again

NEW DELHI: Just over a month after they called off a 13-day-long stir that resulted in a loss of about Rs 630 crore, workers at Maruti Suzuki India's Manesar plant went on strike again this afternoon.

The workers resorted to a strike when five of them were suspended for "allegedly assaulting a supervisor" yesterday.

When contacted, a company spokesperson said: "One of the supervisors was assaulted by workers yesterday and when disciplinary action was being taken by way of suspension today, they have struck works at the plant. The number of workers on strike are much less this time."

It is understood that the five suspended workers had been issued a showcause notice by the management.

The workers, however, insisted it is not a full-scale strike.

"We observed a one-hour tool-down strike protesting against forcible eviction of four colleagues by police," a worker at the plant said.

Out of them, three are office bearers of the Maruti Suzuki Employees Union (MSEU), including General Secretary Shiv Kumar, he added.

A production loss of about 50 units was suffered on account of the one-hour tool-down strike, a worker said.

Earlier, on June 4, workers at the plant had gone on a 13-day-long strike demanding the recognition of a new union, the Maruti Suzuki Employees Union (MSEU).

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Toronto Girl Is Miss India-Canada, Lisa Ray Honoured

TORONTO: Nineteen-year-old Akhina Mooken has been crowned as Miss India-Canada 2011.

The Toronto-area girl defeated 15 contenders from across Canada to win the crown at the 21st annual Miss India-Canada Pageant here.

Actress Lisa Ray, who was the guest of honour at this year's event, was presented with the Special Achievement Award for her contribution to cinema. Toronto-born Ray, who has just recovered from a cancer of white blood cells, thanked the organizers for the award.

One of the major cultural events of the Indo-Canadian community across Canada, the annual beauty pageant draws a huge response as it features high-voltage musical performances, songs, catwalks and quizzing of the contestants.

Many of the past winners, including Kamal Sidhu, Ruby Bhatia and Gita Bali , went on to make a name for themselves in Bollywood, music and television.

During more than four hours which involves cocktails, dinner, dances and music, contestants were first put through three segments of the pageant - Indian Dress, Evening Gown, and Talent.

They were then shortlisted to five. After intervals of music and dance, the five finalists were put though the final question-and-answer session.

Nineteen-year-old Akhina Mooken, who was finally crowned Miss India-Canada, will have a free trip to India, apart from various awards.

Bestowing the crown on her, event organizer Sanjay Agnihotri said Mooken will work with with various social organizations in Canada and India.

Started by the late Punjabi businessman Kush Agnihotri, the Miss India-Canada pageant is the biggest and oldest Indian beauty show in North America.

Posted in: Breaking News

Implications Of RBI Move Positive For Markets Over Long Term: Nilesh Shah, Envision Capital

ET Now: How have you been reading into the RBI's move because market clearly has not digested it too well. What according to you could be the implications both in the short as well as the long term?

Nilesh Shah : Well, the RBI's move is structurally very positive. The implications of this in the long run will be very very good. However, in the short term it will open up several challenges for the Indian consumer as well as corporate India. Basically the intention of an aggressive rate hike is to slow down demand. And we clearly believe that this will have implications in terms of demand, may be slowdown the line and so to that extent while companies have seen de-rating in terms of valuations and margin compression, we think that these rate hikes will have implications in terms of demand slowdown and so to that extent you could basically see a muted earnings growth for this fiscal.

ET Now: What has been your portfolio strategy of late, are you buying defensives or are you now thinking out of the box and you are revisiting infra/real estate and machinery space?

Nilesh Shah : Well, it is a simultaneous strategy. We continue to look out for growth-oriented businesses. We will continue to kind of explore opportunities which would be disproportionate beneficiaries of the India growth story. Clearly, financials and consumers and have been proven to be extremely defensive in this environment because these are the kind of companies which are demonstrating visible growth for the last few quarters, and I think that has really been an extremely good place to be in. On the other hand, the entire infrastructure pack and the engineering pack has been beaten down. We have begun a process now very closely examining companies in the space, be it companies which are either asset plays or material plays or component plays or services plays. And while we have not begun to invest in the segment in a big way, but we have basically commence starting in terms of what can be really the long term potential of these companies. And which are the companies which will turn out to be winners in the long term despite the kind of macro headwinds which they are currently facing today.

ET Now: Let us talk about the index levels. Are you convinced that perhaps 5200 to 5300 is a strong support base for the Nifty?

Nilesh Shah : In the current environment we believe that 5200 is an extremely good support base. At those kind of levels themarkets basically begun to trade at 15 times which is in line with the long term averages or below the long term averages. So barring anything catastrophic which could happen at the global level, we clearly believe that the level of 5200 should act as a good support for the market.

ET Now: Bankers are still feeling that they will be able to pass on the price hike as well as bank stocks have not really cracked much up until now what is your thought on that?

Nilesh Shah : I think that there are two or three things which we need to look at in the backdrop. First of all is that banking stocks have been reasonable outperformers, most of the private sector bank. And particularly in the last leg, a lot of private sector banks did rally significantly from the lows which they had in February, March. I clearly believe that the success of rate hikes have been an important trigger for price corrections, but purely from a fundamental point of view we are beginning to see slippages in NIMs for the banks. Clearly a lot of the private sector banks have seen slippages of anywhere between 25 to 50 bps reduction in their NIMs over the last one to two quarters. And we think that there could be further slippages over the next two quarters. Second is that there would definitely be stress in terms of the asset quality. I think clearly what we are basically going to see is margin compression happen for banks. In terms of demand for credit clearly the Reserve Bank of India itself has basically tone down or brought down its estimate for credit growth for the current financial year. To that extent we are clearly going to see that while banks have a pricing power, but what they do not have control over is basically the demand for credit. I think that is going to be a challenge for banks in the current financial year.

Posted in: Breaking News

BBC Reporter Killed In Afghan Suicide Strikes

KANDAHAR: Triple suicide blasts and shootings killed 19 people including a local BBC reporter in an ongoing attack Thursday that was the deadliest to hit Afghanistan in more than a month.

The Taliban claimed responsibility for the coordinated assault in Uruzgan province, that began with suicide bombings on official buildings in the local capital Trinkot and the base of a militia commander who provides security to NATO convoys heading towards the country's besieged south.

The latest unrest comes at a critical juncture in the nearly 10-year war on Taliban-led insurgents, as thousands of US surge troops prepare to go home and other Western nations announce limited withdrawals of soldiers.

All foreign combat forces are due to leave Afghanistan by the end of 2014 and last week a first tranche of handovers from NATO to Afghan forces took place in seven parts of the country.

"The fighting is still continuing, 19 people have been killed so far," said provincial governor spokesman Milad Modaser, warning that the toll may rise.

Provincial health director Khan Agha Miakhail said 37 people had been wounded and that there were children among the dead.

The BBC said that one of its Afghan reporters, Omid Khpalwak, was among those killed, apparently while he was inside radio and television offices next to the militia commander's compound.

Khpalwak also worked for Afghan news agency Pajhwok and its regional editor Javid Hamim Kakar confirmed his death.

"His brother confirmed that he died and his body is in the Uruzgan central hospital," said Kakar.

The deadly attacks began at noon with one explosion just outside the gates of the deputy governor's office, which is next to the main hospital for Trinkot.

"There were two blasts at the deputy governor's office. One was detonated by a suicide bomber and the other was caused by an ANA (Afghan army) soldier shooting another suicide attacker," said army spokesman Hekmatullah Kuchi.

"The second suicide blast took place at Matiullah Khan's base, who is not wounded," said Kuchi, referring to a well-known militia commander in the area whose duties include protecting NATO convoys along the highway that runs from Uruzgan to Kandahar city further south.

Public health ministry spokesman Kargar Noorughli said that a policeman and a child had been among those killed in the suicide blast at the deputy governor's office.

An eyewitness who asked not to be named told that five explosions were heard in the area.

"I saw two myself from our roof. One near Matiullah's (place) and the other by the government compound. There was shooting in the streets," she said.

The militia commander's base and the deputy governor's offices are about one kilometre (less than one mile) apart, said Kuchi. Earlier reports said the police chief's office had been targeted.

A spokesman for NATO's International Security Assistance Force said it had sent reinforcements to the scene, including helicopters, to assist in quelling the assault.

Taliban spokesman Qari Yousuf Ahmadi told AFP that the attackers were from the insurgent group, but denied killing the reporter, saying the police were responsible for his death.

"Seven of our volunteers have attacked the deputy governor's office and Matiullah's base," said Ahmadi.

Matiullah Khan commands around 2,000 fighters. His uncle Jan Mohammad Khan, the former governor of Uruzgan and a close ally of President Hamid Karzai, was killed in a gun attack on his Kabul home nearly two weeks ago, five days after the president's half-brother was shot dead in Kandahar.

Matiullah Khan told AFP that the insurgents had attacked just outside his base, launching the assault from the neighbouring television station building.

He said two of his men had been wounded.

"I'm sitting right here in my base. I'm fine and healthy," said Khan.

Khan inherited his militia from his uncle when the latter left his role as governor after being forced out over alleged ties to the drugs trade.

Posted in: Breaking News

I'm Perfectly OK, Says Kalmadi

NEW DELHI: Dismissing reports that he was suffering from dementia, former Commonwealth Games (CWG) Organising Committee chairman Suresh Kalmadi Thursday underwent a brain scan at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) and said that he was "perfectly all right".

"I am perfectly all right, all that you reading outside is wrong... I've come for my routine check-up," Kalmadi, who has been lodged in Tihar Jail in connection with corruption in the preparation for the Games, told a news channel.

"I'll be answering all questions at the right time," he added.

Kalmadi, 67, had complained of dizziness, depression and anxiety. He was taken to the Lok Nayak Jayaprakash Narayan Hospital July 19 where he underwent an MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) scan.

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We Have The Potential To Bounce Back: Laxman

NOTTINGHAM: India's middle-order batsman VVS Laxman insists the world No.1 Test side will bounce back in the four-match Test series against England.

As India head into the second Test starting on Friday at Trent Bridge, Laxman said India, who are known as slow starters, have always done well despite losing the first Test in the past series.

"We have the potential to bounce back and we have done that in the past," Laxman was quoted as saying by the Daily Telegraph. "We lost badly against South Africa in Centurion but came back strongly to draw the Test series for the first time on South African soil," he said.

India suffered a humiliating innings and 25 runs defeat in the first Test at the Centurion but came strongly back to win the second Test in Durban by 87 runs while the third and the final Test in Cape Town ended in a draw.

Laxman hoped that India would put up a good show at Trent Bridge, where they won the second Test match in 2007 to win the 2007 series.

The stylish Hyderabadi batsman does not want to think too much about England bowlers, who played a crucial role in the team's 196-run win over India in the Lord's Test.

"I would not put much importance on the way English bowlers bowled. They just bowled at good areas, they got their wickets and rewards. It was not an exceptional bowling attack where they ran through our batting. Had they got us within 150 in both the innings, then I would have accepted that they ran through our batting attack," he said.

Laxman insists that England benefited from injuries to key Indian players, especially pace spearhead Zaheer Khan, who could bowl just 13.3 overs in the match after pulling up his hamstring in the first session on the opening day.

"The difference was the 150-120 runs extra that we gave to England and it was due to the absence of Zaheer Khan. If we had a third regular seamer or someone like Zaheer, who would have run through their batting, the results would have been different."

"We had them at 65 for five and if we had one more fresh bowler, we would have probably bowled them out and then we had to chase something around 260-280 which we would have done easily," said Laxman, whose majestic 281 in the second Test against Steve Waugh's Australia at Eden Gardens in the 2001 is now a folklore in Indian cricket.

India won the match following-on and a Daily Telegraph panel comprising Geoffrey Boycott, Michael Vaughan and Waugh chose the match as the best Test match of all time.

Recalling the match, Laxman said: "To be very honest, when we went into third day's afternoon, when Steve put us in following on, the opening partnership between (Sadagopan) Ramesh and (Shiv Sundar) Das laid the foundation for us."

"And when I walked in on third day evening, I never thought about a turnaround in the Test match. We went out with mind-set to play each ball to its merit and prolong the game as long as possible."

Laxman said he was disappointed missing out on a triple century, but he would cherish the dismissal of Glenn McGrath the last wicket to fall.

"I was disappointed at not getting 300 but saying that McGrath's lbw moment is something we all cherish in our career," he said.

Posted in: Breaking News

Injured Zaheer Out Of Second Test Against England

NOTTINGHAM: India fast bowler Zaheer Khan has been ruled out of the second Test against England at Trent Bridge with a hamstring injury, captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni said on Thursday.

Left-arm quick Zaheer broke down in the first Test at Lord's, which India lost by 196 runs, after taking two wickets for 18 runs in 13.3 first innings overs and didn't bowl again in the match.

The 32-year-old was instrumental in India's seven-wicket win in the corresponding Trent Bridge Test against England four years ago, taking nine wickets for 134 runs in the match.

Now his place is set to go to either fast bowler Shanthakumaran Sreesanth or seamer Munaf Patel.

"I think he is ruled out of this game," Dhoni speaking to reporters at Trent Bridge on Thursday, the day before the second Test starts, said of Zaheer.

"It's always good to have him in the side because he is our most experienced bowler, especially when it comes to England, he has played a lot of cricket over here for counties and the last time India were here (in 2007) he bowled really well.

"It's a bit disappointing not to have him for selection in the first XI but it is something that is beyond our control and it gives a chance to the other bowlers to prove their mettle when it comes to international cricket."

Dhoni added: "Overall it's a win-win situation for the Indian team because we can't really sit and say Zaheer is not there. We have to look at the positive, which is some of the other bowlers will get to have a look at international cricket."

Wicketkeeper-batsman Dhoni, who refused to divulge the identity of Zaheer's replacement at Trent Bridge, said he hoped India's spearhead would be fit in time for the third Test of this four-match series, starting at Edgbaston on August 10.

"We are expecting that. He started light training yesterday (Wednesday) but again it is something we can't 100 percent be sure about but most likely it seems he will."

India also have a doubt over opening batsman Gautam Gambhir, who suffered an elbow injury when hit fielding at short leg at Lord's.

"We'll give him some time, and see how he goes through the net sessions today (Thursday)," Dhoni said of Gambhir.

"He's the only person who can judge the right amount of pain he can go through and still be able to perform."

Dhoni, asked if Gambhir was doubtful for the second Test, replied: "As of now, yes."

If he were ruled out Rahul Dravid, as happened in the second innings at Lord's, would be promoted to open the innings with Yuvraj Singh in line to take Gambhir's place in the team.

Posted in: Breaking News

Cabinet Approves Draft Of Lokpal Bill; PM, judiciary Kept Out

NEW DELHI: The Union Cabinet on Thursday approved the draft of the anti-corruption Lokpal Bill that is to be tabled in Parliament during the upcoming monsoon session.

The Prime Minister and the judiciary have been excluded from the ambit of the Lokpal Bill.

According to this draft, the body will have a chairperson and eight members, including four judicial members.

Information minister Ambika Soni said the chairperson would be a serving or retired Supreme Court judge. She said the Cabinet had approved the draft with minor changes.

Civil society members have expressed their unhappiness with the draft. Kiran Bedi said, the current government draft was fractured and unhealthy. She said the bill was not in favour of the common man.

The decision to review the Lokpal Bill comes as social activist Anna Hazare continues to pitch for a stronger version of the law to be presented for consideration of Parliament, contending that the official version falls "far short" of people's expectations.

"Congress claims 'Congress ka haath, aam admi ke saath (Congress hand is with common man). We sincerely hope that aam admi's corruption will also be addressed through Lokpal Bill," the Times Now television channel quoted Hazare, as saying on Wednesday.

He said that the government is being given a rare opportunity to change the history of India and the nation would be indebted to it if they present a strong Lokpal Bill.

He reiterated that the current Lokpal Bill "falls far short" of the expectations of the people, and added that it was "too weak and ineffective and had a very narrow jurisdiction."

Arvind Kejriwal, another activist opposed to the current Lokpal Bill, said there was "nothing for a common man and added that the issue of corruption has been completely left out of it.

Lawyer Prashant Bhushan said: "The government claims that it first wants to tackle high-level corruption."

However, none of the large scams of recent times like the Adarsh Housing scam, the Commonwealth Games scam, the Reddy brothers scam, mining scam, Jharkhand Mukti Morcha scam, Cash for vote scam, fodder scam, Taj corridor scam none of these scams are covered by government's Lokpal. So, what is covered under Government's Lokpal?"

Kejriwal argued if the government presents a Bill with faulty structures, then even the Standing Committee will not be able to do much.

"Parliament and the Standing Committee have their limitations. The Standing Committee may negate a law or it may suggest some amendments, but the standing committee does not have the jurisdiction to rewrite a law. It cannot completely replace a law. It cannot change the basic structure of a law," said Kejriwal.

Posted in: Breaking News

Karnataka CM Yeddyurappa Sends Resignation To BJP Chief

BANGALORE: Tainted Karnataka chief minister BS Yeddyurappa tendered his resignation on Thursday, following his indictment by the Lokayukta over illegal mining in the state.

The chief minister, however, has sent his resignation letter to the BJP national president Nitin Gadkari instead of the governor. According to sources close to him, Yeddyurappa would officially resign on July 31.

A strong believer of astrology, Yeddyurappa has been advised by a known astrologer to resign on July 31 as it could "bring him bright chances to return to power some time later."

Earlier, briefing mediapersons, BJP spokesperson Ravishankar Prasad said that the party decided that it was time for a change in the Karnataka BJP leadership. He also said that Arun Jaitley and Rajnath Singh will go to Bangalore on Friday to choose an alternative leader.

The BJP top leadership LK Advani, Sushma Swaraj, Arun Jaitley, Rajnath Singh and Venkaiah Naidu who met in New Delhi rushed its troubleshooter and party's general secretary Dharmendra Pradhan to convince Yeddyurappa to step down gracefully.

His intervention succeeded, however, the chief minister
is expected to put forth his demands before the party observers Arun Jaitley and Rajnath Singh when they arrive here on Friday.

Though the news of CM's resignation spread like wild fire, excise minister M P Renukacharya, a close aide of Yeddyurappa, maintained that the CM had not resigned and would not do so. Since he returned from Delhi this morning, Yeddyurappa was busy meeting his close associates and garnering support. He had also announced he would go ahead with scheduled plans of his cabinet meeting.

Therefore, submitting his resignation to Gadkari is seen as his ploy to buy some more time before tendering it to the governor.

The party still has not finalized an alternative name to succeed Yeddyurappa. State BJP president KS Eshwarappa, rural development and panchayat raj (RDPR) minister Jagadish Shettar and party's national general secretary Ananth Kumar are the front-runners for the post. Former president D V Sadananada Gowda, Yeddyurappa's favourite, is seen as a dark horse.

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