B4U India

Lok Sabha likely to be dissolved on October 27

Mon, 06 Oct 2008 05:25:00 -0400

The stage is being set for holding the next general elections in 2009.

Highly placed political sources said that the current Lok Sabha would be dissolved on October 27, to allow various political parties enough time to prepare their respective strategies for next year’s polls.

The Parliament is set to meet on October 17 at a time when the festive season will be in full swing. The special session will be a combination of both the monsoon and winter sessions and is scheduled to end on November 21.

Old timers do not recall any sitting of Parliament during the festival season. Usually, the winter session of Parliament begins in the third week of November.

Keeping the holidays in view, both Houses of Parliament will effectively meet for 24 days.

The Cabinet Committee on Parliamentary Affairs had decided to schedule a meeting of Parliament on October 17 well after India secured a waiver on its proposed civil nuclear cooperation deal with the United States from the 45-nation Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) and had it notified.

Interestingly, the Lok Sabha Secretariat has termed the special session as the "second part" of the 14th session of the present Lok Sabha. Implicitly, the two-day special session for the trust vote in July has been referred to as the first part of the session.

The UPA Government has used this time after the first part of the 14th session of the present Lok Sabha, to go ahead with the next steps on the US-India nuclear deal i.e. to secure an IAEA India-specific safeguards and a waiver from the NSG, ensure that Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh’s fourth visit to the United States went off smoothly and ink three landmark agreements with France, including one for civil nuclear cooperation.

Domestically, the government has sought to rein in inflation, bring down the prices of essential commodities, take steps to improve the law and order situation in several states, including Karnataka and Orissa, which recently faced the brunt of anti-Christian attacks, besides tightening security along the country’s borders to prevent further infiltrations and violations of a November 2003 cease-fire.

The opposition, on the other hand, has blamed the government for avoiding a continuous session to save itself from a discussion on some crucial details of the nuclear deal, the price rise and a review of law and order across the country.

Highly placed sources also said that the Congress has hired a well-known public relations firm to draw up a blue print for next year’s elections, which in all probability, will be held in February 2009.

The UPA Government need not fear being cornered by the opposition on the nuclear deal as according to Rule 338 of the Rules of Parliamentary Procedure, the same question cannot be raised twice during a session.

In other words, the Opposition will not be able to bring another no-confidence motion against the government during the sandwiched session.

Part two of the special session will conclude on November 23.

The official statement to convene the parliamentary session was made by the Lok Sabha secretariat on the day when some political parties led by the Left Front called on President Pratibha Patil urging the government to immediately convene a session.

The Indian Parliament normally meets thrice a year. While the budget session is held in two parts beginning February and concludes in April-May, monsoon session starts in July and concludes in September, while winter session starts in November and concludes by December-end. (ANI)

Palestinian Authority President to arrive in India today

Mon, 06 Oct 2008 05:25:00 -0400

Palestinian National Authority President Mahmoud Abbas will arrive in India on a four-day visit today.

Abbas is likely to discuss the issues related to West Asia peace process with Indian leaders during his visit. He will also discuss how to further strengthen contacts between India and Palestine.

The Palestinian leader is also expected to apprise Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh, and other leaders about the latest developments in the region.

President Abbas is scheduled to meet President Pratibha Patil, Vice-President Hamid Ansari, United Progressive Alliance (UPA) chairperson Sonia Gandhi, Leader of the Opposition L.K. Advani and other leaders.

Besides, Abbas will also lay the foundation stone of the Chancery-cum-Residence complex of the Embassy of Palestine, being built as a gift of the government and people of India in the diplomatic enclave of Chanakyapuri in New Delhi.

Mohmoud Edwan, spokesman of President Abbas, said that the visit would strengthen the historical ties between Palestine and India.

Officials at the Palestinian Presidency said India, which has been a steadfast supporter of the Palestinian cause, has helped Palestine in various fields and it is likely to take up projects in the Palestinians areas.

Besides, the official said, it also sponsors studies of several Palestinian students in its country, especially technical education. This will have a very positive impact on the lives of ordinary Palestinians, they added.

This will be his second visit to India. Earlier, he first visited India in May 2005. (ANI)

Kashmir valley remained peaceful during curfew today

Mon, 06 Oct 2008 05:24:00 -0400

Kashmir valley remained peaceful during curfew since Sunday morning.

No untoward incident has been reported from any of the ten districts in the valley including Srinagar, Anantnag and Baramulah, where curfew have been imposed to thwart a march by separatists to Lal Chowk in Srinagar on Monday.

Elaborate security arrangements by the administration include deployment of paramilitary forces and other vital installations to the State.

Meanwhile, Principal Secretary Home Anil Goswami has sought people’s cooperation to maintain peace. He said if the situation remains normal, the curfew would be lifted soon.

People have been advised to seek help from main police control room and other respective police stations in case of emergency.

Separatist leaders had planned a march to Lal Chowk to support their demand for right to self-determination. (ANI)

Durga Puja begins today

Mon, 06 Oct 2008 05:24:00 -0400

Durga Puja, Bengali''s famous festival kicked off on Maha Sasthi day today.

The celebrations formally started with ‘Devi Bodhon’, a ritual to propitiate and welcome goddess Durga and her four children. While the idols of the goddess were a huge attraction, so was the craftsmanship of the numerous marquees under which they were housed.

The puja, besides being a religious festival, provides a common platform for people cutting across religious lines to immerse themselves in cultural activities.

According to Hindu mythology, the festivities and prayers begin with the symbolic arrival of the goddess on earth on the sixth day of the first quarter of the moon and ends on Dashami or the tenth day.

However, the puja rituals begin from Mahasaptami, which falls on Monday.

Traditionally, every pandal has an idol of Goddess Durga depicting her as slaying the demon Mahishashur. She is shown astride a lion and wields an array of weapons in her ten arms.

Eastern, South Eastern, Metro Railways and state buses have decided to run additional services during the puja days.

The four-day long festivity kicked off this evening. (ANI)

Tatas could have been more accommodative to solve Singur: Congress

Mon, 06 Oct 2008 05:23:00 -0400

West Bengal Pradesh Congress spokesman and senior party leader Sudip Bandyopadhyay in a statement on Sunday said that the Singur crisis could have been solved had the Tatas been accommodative in giving up land more than 70 acres from within the 1,000-acre “Nano” project area to the unwilling farmers.

Bandyopadhyay said that giving up some more land on the part of Tatas was possible considering that the company had been manufacturing at least 10 different models in its factory at Pune whose land area measured only 1050 acres.

He claimed, "On a 1050-acre land the Tatas are manufacturing at least 10 models of car - Safari, Indica, Sumo, Fiesta and heavy and medium vehicles like trucks. But to produce just one model of car the company has acquired 997.11 acres of fertile farmland of which 645.67 is the core area to produce the car."

Bandyopadhyay had visited the Tata Motors factory in Pune in November, 2006.

On October 3, Tata Group chairman Ratan Tata decided to pull-out “Nano” small car project out of Singur, following a meeting with West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee in Kolkata.

Trouble began after the West Bengal Government acquired 1000 acres of farmland for the Tata Motors'''' small car plant at Singur last year.

The State Government offered compensation, which some farmers rejected.

Trinamool Congress led by Mamata Banerjee then took up the fight of the farmers, demanding that at least 400 acres of the acquired land be returned to farmers. (ANI)