08:16
Karthick Dharman
Posted in: Amazing Catches EverSaturday, 10 March 2012
'Uprising Day' Plans Muted By China Clampdown
TAERSI, CHINA: As the anniversary of the Dalai Lama's flight into exile, March 10 has traditionally been a flashpoint for unrest in China's vast Tibetan-inhabited regions.
But the monks at Taersi Buddhist Monastery in the northwestern province of Qinghai have no plans to mark the day their revered spiritual leader fled Tibet following a failed uprising against China's rule in 1959.
"No, no, we have no activities planned to commemorate this day," said one monk at Taersi, home to more than 3,000 monks and one of the most influential institutions in the Dalai Lama's Gelugpa school of Tibetan Buddhism.
"Right now our monastery is under strict supervision, it is not proper to speak of such things at this time," the monk told AFP, refusing to give his name out of fear for his safety.
Chinese authorities launched a huge security clampdown ahead of the sensitive anniversary, known in Tibetan areas as " uprising day".
It comes after a year in which more than 20 Tibetans, most of them monks, have set fire to themselves to protest Beijing's rule, sparking international condemnation of what critics call religious and cultural repression.
Beijing has heaped blame for the incidents on the Dalai Lama, who lives in exile in India, accusing the 76-year-old Buddhist leader and his followers of plotting to create "turmoil" in China's Tibetan-inhabited areas.
Tibetan Buddhist clergy are under particularly close scrutiny -- the government closely monitors their activities, stationing its representatives in monasteries and nunneries in the region and organising "political re-education" classes.
Nonetheless, photographs of the Dalai Lama, often banned in China's Tibetan-inhabited regions, are on open display in some of the vast halls at Taersi, also known by its Tibetan name of Kumbum monastery.
Visitors are shown locked rooms where monks bow and pray before even more photographs of the spiritual leader.
Monks in Taersi said security surrounding the monastery has been heavy since March 2008, when deadly riots erupted in Tibet's capital, Lhasa, and spread to other areas.
But while there have been a number of self-immolations in neighbouring Sichuan province, only one has been reported in Qinghai, which has a relatively large population of other ethnic groups including the dominant Han Chinese.
"What is particularly significant I think is that there haven't been any self-immolations in the Tibetan autonomous region, which is after all an area where half of Tibetans live," said Barry Sautman, an expert on Tibetan issues.
He said there was a difference between "those areas that are multi-ethnic or urban, or quasi-urban", where most of the self-immolations had occurred, and the sparsely populated countryside where very few Han people live.
Beijing insists that Tibetans enjoy religious freedom and have benefited from improved living standards brought on by China's economic expansion.
At the Taersi monastery, there is little evidence of any ethnic tensions, and the Tibetan monks say they coexist peacefully with their Han Chinese and ethnic Mongolian counterparts.
But they are also highly aware of the debate surrounding their revered spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, in Beijing.
"We are awaiting his return to Tibet," said one.
"The government accuses him of wanting Tibetan independence, but the Dalai Lama has always said he wants more autonomy for Tibet, he wants something like the 'one country, two systems' China gave Hong Kong."
But the monks at Taersi Buddhist Monastery in the northwestern province of Qinghai have no plans to mark the day their revered spiritual leader fled Tibet following a failed uprising against China's rule in 1959.
"No, no, we have no activities planned to commemorate this day," said one monk at Taersi, home to more than 3,000 monks and one of the most influential institutions in the Dalai Lama's Gelugpa school of Tibetan Buddhism.
"Right now our monastery is under strict supervision, it is not proper to speak of such things at this time," the monk told AFP, refusing to give his name out of fear for his safety.
Chinese authorities launched a huge security clampdown ahead of the sensitive anniversary, known in Tibetan areas as " uprising day".
It comes after a year in which more than 20 Tibetans, most of them monks, have set fire to themselves to protest Beijing's rule, sparking international condemnation of what critics call religious and cultural repression.
Beijing has heaped blame for the incidents on the Dalai Lama, who lives in exile in India, accusing the 76-year-old Buddhist leader and his followers of plotting to create "turmoil" in China's Tibetan-inhabited areas.
Tibetan Buddhist clergy are under particularly close scrutiny -- the government closely monitors their activities, stationing its representatives in monasteries and nunneries in the region and organising "political re-education" classes.
Nonetheless, photographs of the Dalai Lama, often banned in China's Tibetan-inhabited regions, are on open display in some of the vast halls at Taersi, also known by its Tibetan name of Kumbum monastery.
Visitors are shown locked rooms where monks bow and pray before even more photographs of the spiritual leader.
Monks in Taersi said security surrounding the monastery has been heavy since March 2008, when deadly riots erupted in Tibet's capital, Lhasa, and spread to other areas.
But while there have been a number of self-immolations in neighbouring Sichuan province, only one has been reported in Qinghai, which has a relatively large population of other ethnic groups including the dominant Han Chinese.
"What is particularly significant I think is that there haven't been any self-immolations in the Tibetan autonomous region, which is after all an area where half of Tibetans live," said Barry Sautman, an expert on Tibetan issues.
He said there was a difference between "those areas that are multi-ethnic or urban, or quasi-urban", where most of the self-immolations had occurred, and the sparsely populated countryside where very few Han people live.
Beijing insists that Tibetans enjoy religious freedom and have benefited from improved living standards brought on by China's economic expansion.
At the Taersi monastery, there is little evidence of any ethnic tensions, and the Tibetan monks say they coexist peacefully with their Han Chinese and ethnic Mongolian counterparts.
But they are also highly aware of the debate surrounding their revered spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, in Beijing.
"We are awaiting his return to Tibet," said one.
"The government accuses him of wanting Tibetan independence, but the Dalai Lama has always said he wants more autonomy for Tibet, he wants something like the 'one country, two systems' China gave Hong Kong."
Posted in: Day To Day World News
Pakistan's SC Targets Army
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan's powerful military establishment is under rare scrutiny from the country's top court, which after a gap of 16 years has opened an investigation into allegations the army funneled money to politicians to influence elections.
The case has showcased the emerging power of the Supreme Court, which is also hearing a contempt case against the prime minister that could see him imprisoned. The court's activism has led to some uncomfortable headlines for politicians and pierced the perception of the generals' invulnerability.
But it's unclear who, if anyone, will be held accountable.
Indeed, some critics say by moving against the generals now, the court is just seeking to deflect criticism that it focuses solely on the alleged misdeeds of the elected civilian government and wants to dislodge President Ali Zardari, with the supposed nod from the military itself.
The court is also demanding answers from the army and spy agencies over the fate of hundreds of "missing" Pakistanis: suspected militants or separatists picked up and held by military authorities for months and years in secret detentions.
Analysts say the developments are part of jostling between the army, the court and the government, with each wanting to stake a claim on its sphere of influence. There seems to be a balance among them so far, with no side willing or strong enough to strike a decisive blow against another. Speculation of a military coup or the imminent ousting of the government, frequently raised in the media just a few months ago, has receded.
The court is acting on a petition filed in 1996 by former Air Vice Marshal Asghar Khan, demanding it investigate what he claimed were payments to right-wing politicians made by the army-run Inter-Services Intelligence spy agency, known as the ISI. The money was to be used to ensure that the Pakistan People's Party - currently in power - would not win the 1990 general elections.
Without explaining why, the court began hearing the case last month. Testimony this week has shone a light on longtime allegations that the ISI has tried to influence elections.
On Thursday, Yunus Habib, a 90-year-old banker from the state-owned Mehran Bank, testified that he doled out the equivalent of $1.5 million in bank funds to politicians and ISI officers on the orders of then army chief Gen. Aslam Beg and President Ghulam Ishaq Khan, who was considered close to the army.
Some of the politicians who allegedly took the funds remain powerful political players, including opposition leader and former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. He has denied taking any money.
On Friday, former ISI chief Lt. Gen. Asad Durrani testified that he was directed by Beg to distribute the money among politicians from the Islami Jamhoori Ittehad, a right-wing political alliance allegedly set up by the military establishment to counter the PPP. He said Beg told him the money had been collected from the business community in Karachi.
The alleged bribes didn't give the alliance victory, however. It won 53 seats in the National Assembly, 49 less than the PPP that went on to form the government.
What happens next is uncertain.
Khan's lawyer Salman Raja said he wanted criminal cases brought against all those who distributed and received the money. That would roil the political scene and likely be opposed by the army. Moreover, the nature of the evidence against them is unclear.
Retired justice Tariq Mahmood said the case was a "morale booster" for the current government, but that it was unlikely anyone would be put on trial. "The government now has a chance to bring the intelligence agencies ... under its control," he said.
Political analyst Moeed Pirzada said the case put both the military and Nawaz Sharif on the defensive, which benefits the current PPP government, but would likely remain inconclusive. He said the court saw the case as "an opportunity to assert itself" following criticism by some over its pursuit of President Asif Ali Zardari.
Supreme Court justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudry has been accused of pursuing a vendetta against Zardari's PPP government. Zardari opposed Chaudry's reinstatement to the job in March 2009. The court has ordered Prime Minister Yusaf Raza Gilani to reopen a corruption probe against Zardari.
Gilani has refused, arguing that Zardari has immunity from prosecution so long as he remains president. If found guilty of contempt for ignoring the order, Gilani could be imprisoned for six months and lose his job.
The case has showcased the emerging power of the Supreme Court, which is also hearing a contempt case against the prime minister that could see him imprisoned. The court's activism has led to some uncomfortable headlines for politicians and pierced the perception of the generals' invulnerability.
But it's unclear who, if anyone, will be held accountable.
Indeed, some critics say by moving against the generals now, the court is just seeking to deflect criticism that it focuses solely on the alleged misdeeds of the elected civilian government and wants to dislodge President Ali Zardari, with the supposed nod from the military itself.
The court is also demanding answers from the army and spy agencies over the fate of hundreds of "missing" Pakistanis: suspected militants or separatists picked up and held by military authorities for months and years in secret detentions.
Analysts say the developments are part of jostling between the army, the court and the government, with each wanting to stake a claim on its sphere of influence. There seems to be a balance among them so far, with no side willing or strong enough to strike a decisive blow against another. Speculation of a military coup or the imminent ousting of the government, frequently raised in the media just a few months ago, has receded.
The court is acting on a petition filed in 1996 by former Air Vice Marshal Asghar Khan, demanding it investigate what he claimed were payments to right-wing politicians made by the army-run Inter-Services Intelligence spy agency, known as the ISI. The money was to be used to ensure that the Pakistan People's Party - currently in power - would not win the 1990 general elections.
Without explaining why, the court began hearing the case last month. Testimony this week has shone a light on longtime allegations that the ISI has tried to influence elections.
On Thursday, Yunus Habib, a 90-year-old banker from the state-owned Mehran Bank, testified that he doled out the equivalent of $1.5 million in bank funds to politicians and ISI officers on the orders of then army chief Gen. Aslam Beg and President Ghulam Ishaq Khan, who was considered close to the army.
Some of the politicians who allegedly took the funds remain powerful political players, including opposition leader and former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. He has denied taking any money.
On Friday, former ISI chief Lt. Gen. Asad Durrani testified that he was directed by Beg to distribute the money among politicians from the Islami Jamhoori Ittehad, a right-wing political alliance allegedly set up by the military establishment to counter the PPP. He said Beg told him the money had been collected from the business community in Karachi.
The alleged bribes didn't give the alliance victory, however. It won 53 seats in the National Assembly, 49 less than the PPP that went on to form the government.
What happens next is uncertain.
Khan's lawyer Salman Raja said he wanted criminal cases brought against all those who distributed and received the money. That would roil the political scene and likely be opposed by the army. Moreover, the nature of the evidence against them is unclear.
Retired justice Tariq Mahmood said the case was a "morale booster" for the current government, but that it was unlikely anyone would be put on trial. "The government now has a chance to bring the intelligence agencies ... under its control," he said.
Political analyst Moeed Pirzada said the case put both the military and Nawaz Sharif on the defensive, which benefits the current PPP government, but would likely remain inconclusive. He said the court saw the case as "an opportunity to assert itself" following criticism by some over its pursuit of President Asif Ali Zardari.
Supreme Court justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudry has been accused of pursuing a vendetta against Zardari's PPP government. Zardari opposed Chaudry's reinstatement to the job in March 2009. The court has ordered Prime Minister Yusaf Raza Gilani to reopen a corruption probe against Zardari.
Gilani has refused, arguing that Zardari has immunity from prosecution so long as he remains president. If found guilty of contempt for ignoring the order, Gilani could be imprisoned for six months and lose his job.
Posted in: Day To Day World News
US Wants Relations With Pakistan On Upward Trajectory: State Dept
WASHINGTON: As Pakistan conducts a Parliamentary review of its bilateral ties with US, a State Department official said Washington wants to have its relationship with Pakistan always on an upward trajectory.
"We obviously always want our relationship with Pakistan to be on an upward trajectory," the State Department spokesperson, Victoria Nuland told reporters at her daily news conference yesterday.
US, she said, wants to improve its relationship with Pakistan.
However, Nuland refused to answer questions related to the announcement of appointment of a new ISI chief.
Pakistan-US relations have been buffeted by several crises since last year, including the gunning down of two Pakistani men by a CIA contractor in Lahore, the killing of Osama bin Laden by American commandos in Abbottabad and a cross-border NATO air strike that killed 24 Pakistani soldiers in November.
Gilani ordered a Parliamentary review of bilateral relations and new "terms of engagement" for the US will be unveiled after a joint session of the two houses of Parliament that is likely to be held later this month.
"We obviously always want our relationship with Pakistan to be on an upward trajectory," the State Department spokesperson, Victoria Nuland told reporters at her daily news conference yesterday.
US, she said, wants to improve its relationship with Pakistan.
However, Nuland refused to answer questions related to the announcement of appointment of a new ISI chief.
Pakistan-US relations have been buffeted by several crises since last year, including the gunning down of two Pakistani men by a CIA contractor in Lahore, the killing of Osama bin Laden by American commandos in Abbottabad and a cross-border NATO air strike that killed 24 Pakistani soldiers in November.
Gilani ordered a Parliamentary review of bilateral relations and new "terms of engagement" for the US will be unveiled after a joint session of the two houses of Parliament that is likely to be held later this month.
Posted in: Day To Day World News
By Retiring, Rahul Dravid Has Sent Team A Message: Sourav Ganguly
In Pics: Rahul Dravid's glorious Test career | Rahul Dravid Profile | Statistical highlights of Rahul Dravid's Test career | Dravid bids adieu
I can't say if it's a good time to quit because there is no such thing! Like other areas of life, when you do something with real passion and devotion, it's really hard to move away from it. But he has taken a really hard decision and sent a message to the team.
I believe Dravid formed one of the four pillars around which revolved India's efforts to rise to the top of world cricket. The team was going through a rebuilding phase when Dravid and me joined the team and all of us worked really hard to turn out fortunes around.
My first encounter with Dravid was way back in 1990-91 during India's Under-19 tour to England. His talent was already apparent then but we didn't stay in touch after that. The next time I really got to know him was during our debut series against England in 1996.
That Lord's Test will remain one of our fondest cricketing memories. Both of us were feeling the nerves in the middle but kept egging ourselves on. He was really unlucky not to complete a well-deserved century. Without a shadow of a doubt, he was the best No. 3 batsman in Test cricket of his generation. But to his credit he worked on improving his batting in one-day cricket.
He was also a team man to the core. He didn't blink an eyelid when the team needed his services as a wicketkeeper during the 2003 World Cup. We played as a complete unit, which proved to be one of our strengths.
He knows that once again it's time for a change and he needed to step away. I applaud him for his courage.
Posted in: Day To Day Sports News
CA's Trophy That Was Never Handed To Tendulkar
CA planned to present the batting legend a nice little memento after he scored his 100th international hundred during the just concluded tour Down Under, the 'Australian' reported.
Cushioned in a metal box, the trophy, featuring a golden Kookaburra ball on a plinth, criss-crossed Australia and followed Tendulkar at every venue only to fail to find the intended recipient.
"Cricket Australia said the Sachin Trophy was en route from Brisbane, where India played their last tri-series league match, to Melbourne (the venue of first tri-series finals), perchance India made the finals," the newspaper said under the headline 'Sachin gives us a Godot moment'.
Tendulkar, however, received a special presentation from the South Australian Cricket Association (SACA) at the Adelaide and was also presented with a sculpted bust of Don Bradman in Sydney.
Interestingly, the plaque on the bust presented to Tendulkar read "in whom Sir Donald Bradman saw something of himself", the newspaper said.
While Tendulkar raised hopes of getting to the elusive feat during the Test series against Australia, with a fluent 73 in the series opener at Melbourne and another 80-run knock during the second Test at Sydney, he looked a distant shadow of his self in the ODI tri-series that followed.
Tendulkar scored 143 runs in seven outings in the tri-series at an average 20.42 with his highest being the 48 against Sri Lanka at Perth.
Posted in: Day To Day Sports News
India Seek Redemption At Asia Cup
Hosts Bangladesh will take on Pakistan in the opening fixture of the four-nation tournament which will conclude on March 22.
Bangladesh have not won a single ODI series in the four they played last year, even losing 2-3 to Zimbabwe in a five-match rubber when they visited the African country. They lost by identical 0-3 to Australia and Pakistan and 1-2 to West Indies, all at home.
The hosts were also mired in controversies in the run-up to the tournament with young wicketkeeper-batsman Mushfiqur Rahim in the dock after voicing his concerns about player payments in the Bangladesh Premier League and had a 24-hour wait before he was made captain.
Opening batsman Tamim Iqbal was dropped by the Board chief, then asked to prove his fitness -- despite being passed fit by the team doctor two days earlier -- and then picked again.
In the middle of it all, chief selector Akram Khan, who happens to be Tamim's uncle, quit over claims of interference.
The young side, however, cannot be taken lightly as Bangladesh can be giant-killers on their day and the other three established sides of world cricket can hardly afford to be complacent.
The unpredictable Pakistan, on the other hand, would want to begin their campaign with a win with a new coach Dav Whatmore taking charge. It will be Whatmore's first assignment with the team and he will be hoping to make an impression straightaway.
Posted in: Day To Day Sports News
Punjab CM Badal Invites Jayalalithaa To His Swearing-In Ceremony
CHENNAI: Punjab chief minister Parkash Singh Badal on Saturday invited his Tamil Nadu counterpart J Jayalalithaa to participate in his swearing-in ceremony on March 14.
The AIADMK supremo, however expressed her inability to attend the ceremony as she was scheduled to begin her campaign for the March 18 Sanakarankoil assembly bypoll on that day.
Having conveyed her inability to attend the swearing-in ceremony though she would have liked to, Jayalalithaa said she will depute her party MPs Dr V Maithreyan and M Thambidurai on her behalf, an official release here said.
She told Badal that her campaign schedule had already been announced.
The ruling SAD-BJP combine had retained its hold in the just concluded Punjab Assembly elections and Jayalalithaa had earlier congratulated Badal on his poll success.
Punjab Assembly Elections 2012
The AIADMK supremo, however expressed her inability to attend the ceremony as she was scheduled to begin her campaign for the March 18 Sanakarankoil assembly bypoll on that day.
Having conveyed her inability to attend the swearing-in ceremony though she would have liked to, Jayalalithaa said she will depute her party MPs Dr V Maithreyan and M Thambidurai on her behalf, an official release here said.
She told Badal that her campaign schedule had already been announced.
The ruling SAD-BJP combine had retained its hold in the just concluded Punjab Assembly elections and Jayalalithaa had earlier congratulated Badal on his poll success.
Punjab Assembly Elections 2012
Posted in: Day To Day National News
Govt Ready For 2G Fight Round-II
NEW DELHI: The government will seek a presidential reference under Article 143 asking Supreme Court to clarify on the constitutionality of the 2G verdict that struck down the first-come-first-served (FCFS) policy for allocating natural resources like airwaves as arbitrary and inherently flawed.
The Cabinet is expected to approve the presidential reference on Saturday evening, with the government likely to seek a review of the SC order that auctions should be the only means by which precious resources like minerals or airwaves are allocated.
The government has filed a review petition in the SC challenging the constitutionality of the February 2 ruling scrapping 122 scam-tainted telecom licences issued during the tenure of jailed ex-telecom minister A Raja. Under Article 143 the president can seek the court's opinion on a matter of "public importance".
The Supreme Court's "advisory jurisdiction" can be invoked under Article 143 and in the past its opinion has been sought in cases like the Ayodhya dispute, which it refused to consider, and on aspects of the implementation of an India-Pakistan agreement on exchange of enclaves along the border with erstwhile east Pakistan.
Sources said the Cabinet will consider the presidential reference that is likely to raise questions over whether the apex court overstepped its jurisdiction in pronouncing on policy on the ground that this is the preserve of the executive. The Centre's review does not contest the decision to cancel licences but argues that ruling all options other than auctions will lead to absurd results.
The government's discomfort with the order is reflected in the review petition and the detailed presentation made to the parliamentary joint committee on telecom in which it has said that the SC violated the principle of "separation of powers" between the judiciary and the executive.
The order is "contrary to settled law" and it is "not permissible for the court to take this exercise upon itself and engage in policy-making, both for the reason that it is not its role to do so and it does not have the expertise to do so," the government told the JPC.
While it did to challenge the cancellation, the Centre has in its review petition sought a relaxation in the four-month deadline set by the court for the licences to be scrapped. The order has resulted in some foreign firms that bought equity threatening their Indian partners with litigation. Others have said they will invoke bilateral agreements.
The SC order is troublesome for the government as it spreads the 2G stain beyond Raja as the FCFS policy for spectrum allocation has been stoutly defended by the Centre. It has been felt that faulting the policy will put top figures in the government - not just an ally like DMK - in the dock as well. The government is keen that this part of the judgement be revised.
Earlier, telecom minister Kapil Sibal had said that the SC ruling has implications for other sectors like mining giving the example of a scenario where a private enterprise spends considerable money prospecting and then a decision is taken to auction the finds after the entity has shouldered the risks.
Policy making, the government insists, must take into account the "weighing and balancing of different values and considerations" and this remains the job of an elected executive that is accountable to Parliament.
On the practical aspects of the SC order, the government feels that gap in the cessation of licenses and completion of auctions may result in disruption of services to 69 million subscribers. It also feels it needs to be decided whether auction should determine both price and allotee in all cases or if other considerations like preventing monopolies, ensuring level playing fields and inter-se or priority among bidders can be taken into account.
The impact on tripartite agreements between licensor, licensee and banks and fallout on firms holding 3G spectrum whose 2G licences have been quashed, legalities of other licences are other issues that the government proposes to raise in course of the hearing on its March 2 review petition.
The Cabinet is expected to approve the presidential reference on Saturday evening, with the government likely to seek a review of the SC order that auctions should be the only means by which precious resources like minerals or airwaves are allocated.
The government has filed a review petition in the SC challenging the constitutionality of the February 2 ruling scrapping 122 scam-tainted telecom licences issued during the tenure of jailed ex-telecom minister A Raja. Under Article 143 the president can seek the court's opinion on a matter of "public importance".
The Supreme Court's "advisory jurisdiction" can be invoked under Article 143 and in the past its opinion has been sought in cases like the Ayodhya dispute, which it refused to consider, and on aspects of the implementation of an India-Pakistan agreement on exchange of enclaves along the border with erstwhile east Pakistan.
Sources said the Cabinet will consider the presidential reference that is likely to raise questions over whether the apex court overstepped its jurisdiction in pronouncing on policy on the ground that this is the preserve of the executive. The Centre's review does not contest the decision to cancel licences but argues that ruling all options other than auctions will lead to absurd results.
The government's discomfort with the order is reflected in the review petition and the detailed presentation made to the parliamentary joint committee on telecom in which it has said that the SC violated the principle of "separation of powers" between the judiciary and the executive.
The order is "contrary to settled law" and it is "not permissible for the court to take this exercise upon itself and engage in policy-making, both for the reason that it is not its role to do so and it does not have the expertise to do so," the government told the JPC.
While it did to challenge the cancellation, the Centre has in its review petition sought a relaxation in the four-month deadline set by the court for the licences to be scrapped. The order has resulted in some foreign firms that bought equity threatening their Indian partners with litigation. Others have said they will invoke bilateral agreements.
The SC order is troublesome for the government as it spreads the 2G stain beyond Raja as the FCFS policy for spectrum allocation has been stoutly defended by the Centre. It has been felt that faulting the policy will put top figures in the government - not just an ally like DMK - in the dock as well. The government is keen that this part of the judgement be revised.
Earlier, telecom minister Kapil Sibal had said that the SC ruling has implications for other sectors like mining giving the example of a scenario where a private enterprise spends considerable money prospecting and then a decision is taken to auction the finds after the entity has shouldered the risks.
Policy making, the government insists, must take into account the "weighing and balancing of different values and considerations" and this remains the job of an elected executive that is accountable to Parliament.
On the practical aspects of the SC order, the government feels that gap in the cessation of licenses and completion of auctions may result in disruption of services to 69 million subscribers. It also feels it needs to be decided whether auction should determine both price and allotee in all cases or if other considerations like preventing monopolies, ensuring level playing fields and inter-se or priority among bidders can be taken into account.
The impact on tripartite agreements between licensor, licensee and banks and fallout on firms holding 3G spectrum whose 2G licences have been quashed, legalities of other licences are other issues that the government proposes to raise in course of the hearing on its March 2 review petition.
Posted in: Day To Day National News
Top Woman Maoist Surrenders, Mamata Says Holi Gift
KOLKATA: Top woman Maoist Suchitra Mahato, suspected to have been with rebel leader Kishenji when he was killed during a shootout last year, surrendered here Friday, a development described by West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee as a "big gift for Holi".
"I am happy that Suchitra Mahato came here to surrender today. Very recently she got married. Her husband is also here. My best wishes for the newly-wed couple. They have surrendered, responding to our peace process," Banerjee told a media conference at the state secretariat where Mahato was present with her new husband Pradush Garai.
Squad commander Mahato, widow of slain Maoist Sasadhar Mahato, surrendered with Garai. They got married Feb 25, 2012.
The security personnel had been on the lookout for Mahato, who was reportedly injured in the shootout in which Kishenji or Mallojula Koteswara Rao, a politburo member of the outlawed Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist), was killed.
According to the official version, Kishenji died in a battle with paramilitary forces and state police in a forested region of West Midnapore Nov 24. Maoists and human rights groups, however, did not agree.
The Association for Protection of Democratic Rights (APDR) alleged that Kishenji was killed in a "fake encounter", while Telugu poet and Maoist sympathiser P. Varvara Rao charged the state government with murdering him in police custody. Banerjee said Mahato had first surrendered before the inspector general of police and then met her.
Describing the top woman Maoist's surrender as an achievement for the state government and a Holi gift, she said the government would ensure that everything would be done, according to the package, to enable the rebel couple to lead a normal life.
"I am proud that my Maoist brothers and sisters are surrendering. This is an achievement of the government... this is a joint achievement of the government and my brother and sisters," she said.
"At the time of encounter Suchitra also got injured. She got bullet injuries in her waist. We will treat her," Banerjee said.
Standing beside the chief minister, Mahato, dressed in a sari, said: "I have come here as Mamata di (big sister) called for peace and called upon Maoists to come back to the mainstream."
Asked whether she was arrested in the aftermath of Kishenji's killing, Mahato replied in the negative and said: "I came and surrendered today."
To a query from a scribe as to where she had been staying for the last few months, she said she had been living in the village.
However, Mahato refused to answer any more questions, contending that she was not in a position to say anything more now.
Her husband said he had been involved in the Lalgarh movement in West Midnapore district that flared up after alleged police excesses following a landmine blast targeting then chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee's convoy at Salboni Nov 2, 2008.
"There are lot of reasons behind the surrender. We cannot give all details now," he said.
"I am happy that Suchitra Mahato came here to surrender today. Very recently she got married. Her husband is also here. My best wishes for the newly-wed couple. They have surrendered, responding to our peace process," Banerjee told a media conference at the state secretariat where Mahato was present with her new husband Pradush Garai.
Squad commander Mahato, widow of slain Maoist Sasadhar Mahato, surrendered with Garai. They got married Feb 25, 2012.
The security personnel had been on the lookout for Mahato, who was reportedly injured in the shootout in which Kishenji or Mallojula Koteswara Rao, a politburo member of the outlawed Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist), was killed.
According to the official version, Kishenji died in a battle with paramilitary forces and state police in a forested region of West Midnapore Nov 24. Maoists and human rights groups, however, did not agree.
The Association for Protection of Democratic Rights (APDR) alleged that Kishenji was killed in a "fake encounter", while Telugu poet and Maoist sympathiser P. Varvara Rao charged the state government with murdering him in police custody. Banerjee said Mahato had first surrendered before the inspector general of police and then met her.
Describing the top woman Maoist's surrender as an achievement for the state government and a Holi gift, she said the government would ensure that everything would be done, according to the package, to enable the rebel couple to lead a normal life.
"I am proud that my Maoist brothers and sisters are surrendering. This is an achievement of the government... this is a joint achievement of the government and my brother and sisters," she said.
"At the time of encounter Suchitra also got injured. She got bullet injuries in her waist. We will treat her," Banerjee said.
Standing beside the chief minister, Mahato, dressed in a sari, said: "I have come here as Mamata di (big sister) called for peace and called upon Maoists to come back to the mainstream."
Asked whether she was arrested in the aftermath of Kishenji's killing, Mahato replied in the negative and said: "I came and surrendered today."
To a query from a scribe as to where she had been staying for the last few months, she said she had been living in the village.
However, Mahato refused to answer any more questions, contending that she was not in a position to say anything more now.
Her husband said he had been involved in the Lalgarh movement in West Midnapore district that flared up after alleged police excesses following a landmine blast targeting then chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee's convoy at Salboni Nov 2, 2008.
"There are lot of reasons behind the surrender. We cannot give all details now," he said.
Posted in: Day To Day National News
Sp's Akhilesh Yadav To Be Youngest Chief Minister Of Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh is set to get its youngest chief minister in 38-year-old Akhilesh Yadav, with the Samajwadi Party (SP) legislature party on Saturday unanimously electing him as their leader.
Akhilesh, the parliamentarian son of SP chief and former chief minister Mulayam Singh Yadav, is to be sworn on March 15.
The decision to give him the top post was finalised at an hour-long meeting of the newly elected SP legislators in Lucknow on Saturday.
Akhilesh's name was proposed by senior leader Mohd Azam Khan. Akhilesh's uncle Shivpal Yadav seconded the proposal, after which the former bowed to his father and touched his feet.
The spadework for Akhilesh's coronation was scripted at a late night parley on Friday between Mulayam Singh, Azam Khan and Shivpal Yadav.
It was at this meeting that the party supremo made "his mind clear about Akhilesh", a close aide of Mulayam Singh said.
With the newly elected party legislators already pitching for Akhilesh as chief minister and with a brute majority of 224 in the 403-seat house, leaders with a different opinion on the matter fell in line.
Both Azam Khan and Shivpal Yadav were reported to be unhappy with the decision to make Akhilesh, a youngster in the party compared to both of them, the chief minister.
"For someone who has grown in front of them, you must understand that it is not easy for anyone to see him as a boss," said a close aide of Azam Khan. The differences were thrashed out Friday night.
An MP from Kannauj, Akhilesh is largely seen as a game changer in UP politics and credited with the massive mandate in favour of the party in the assembly polls.
An environmental engineer from Sydney University, Akhilesh was appointed state president of the SP in 2009. He slogged it out for the party in hostile situations, with Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati at the helm of affairs.
After his elevation as chief minister, Akhilesh would now quit his seat as MP from Kannauj and is likely to contest elections for the state assembly from Jaswantnagar, a seat for long held by Shivpal Yadav.
Before Akhilesh's election as the chief minister, Mayawati was the youngest Uttar Pradesh chief minister at 39 years of age.
Akhilesh stakes claim to form government
Chief Minister designate Akhilesh Yadav met Uttar Pradesh Governor B.L. Joshi and staked claim to form the next government in the state.
Flanked by Samajwadi Party leaders Shivpal Yadav and Mohd Azam Khan, Akhilesh Yadav handed over a letter to Joshi stating he had been elected the party's legislature leader.
The trio reached the Raj Bhawan together.
Later, they posed for the media, with Shivpal Yadav flashing a victory sign. Azam Khan refused to interact with the press and quietly sat in the car even as Akhilesh Yadav shook hands with officials.
Akhilesh, the parliamentarian son of SP chief and former chief minister Mulayam Singh Yadav, is to be sworn on March 15.
The decision to give him the top post was finalised at an hour-long meeting of the newly elected SP legislators in Lucknow on Saturday.
Akhilesh's name was proposed by senior leader Mohd Azam Khan. Akhilesh's uncle Shivpal Yadav seconded the proposal, after which the former bowed to his father and touched his feet.
The spadework for Akhilesh's coronation was scripted at a late night parley on Friday between Mulayam Singh, Azam Khan and Shivpal Yadav.
It was at this meeting that the party supremo made "his mind clear about Akhilesh", a close aide of Mulayam Singh said.
With the newly elected party legislators already pitching for Akhilesh as chief minister and with a brute majority of 224 in the 403-seat house, leaders with a different opinion on the matter fell in line.
Both Azam Khan and Shivpal Yadav were reported to be unhappy with the decision to make Akhilesh, a youngster in the party compared to both of them, the chief minister.
"For someone who has grown in front of them, you must understand that it is not easy for anyone to see him as a boss," said a close aide of Azam Khan. The differences were thrashed out Friday night.
An MP from Kannauj, Akhilesh is largely seen as a game changer in UP politics and credited with the massive mandate in favour of the party in the assembly polls.
An environmental engineer from Sydney University, Akhilesh was appointed state president of the SP in 2009. He slogged it out for the party in hostile situations, with Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati at the helm of affairs.
After his elevation as chief minister, Akhilesh would now quit his seat as MP from Kannauj and is likely to contest elections for the state assembly from Jaswantnagar, a seat for long held by Shivpal Yadav.
Before Akhilesh's election as the chief minister, Mayawati was the youngest Uttar Pradesh chief minister at 39 years of age.
Akhilesh stakes claim to form government
Chief Minister designate Akhilesh Yadav met Uttar Pradesh Governor B.L. Joshi and staked claim to form the next government in the state.
Flanked by Samajwadi Party leaders Shivpal Yadav and Mohd Azam Khan, Akhilesh Yadav handed over a letter to Joshi stating he had been elected the party's legislature leader.
The trio reached the Raj Bhawan together.
Later, they posed for the media, with Shivpal Yadav flashing a victory sign. Azam Khan refused to interact with the press and quietly sat in the car even as Akhilesh Yadav shook hands with officials.
Posted in: Day To Day National News
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