Mamata calls for a stop to shutdowns
KOLKATA:West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee Tuesday urged the parties to do away with the “politics of bandhs (shutdowns) and strikes” and requested an all-party meet to discuss the issue.She also said legislation was needed to bring and end to shutdowns, blockades and strikes.”The culture and heritage of our state should not be destroyed by the politics of bandhs. We need to revive our heritage and culture. There is a need to do away with strikes and lockouts and the way ahead is to keep the industries open. Frequent shutdowns badly affect industry and commerce,” said Banerjee here.With frequent political rallies and processions crippling the traffic leading to the common man’s sufferings, she proposed identification of parts of the city where such rallies and meetings would be confined to and said an all party meeting would be called for the purpose.”In the last 35 years when they (Left Front) were in power, we (Trinamool Congress) were never allowed to express our views. But we will follow the path of democracy and call them and seek their suggestions. So far as possible we will try to go ahead, taking everybody along.”(IANS)
Tribals demand CBI probe into Saraswati murder, hold rally
PHULBANI(Orissa):Demanding CBI probe into killing of VHP leader Laxamananda Saraswati, tribals in sensitive Kandhamal district on Tuesday sought President Pratibha Patil’s intervention into the matter saying the Crime Branch of Orissa Police had “failed” to nab the real culprits. The tribals carrying saffron flags held a rally under VHP supported Swami Laxamananda Saraswati Shrandhanjali Samiti (SLSS) here marking third anniversary of Saraswati’s killing. Saraswati along with his four associates was gunned down at his ashram at Jalespeta in the district on August 23, 2008. The killing sparked large scale violence in the district where at least 38 people were killed and hundreds of houses and churches were damaged by the rioters. The memorandum addressed to the President comprised six-point charter of demands include CBI enquiry in to the killing, halt to cow slaughter and its illegal trade, halt to religious conversion and release of innocent and poor tribals booked on charge of involvement in the riot. They too demanded stringent action against persons misusing caste certificates. (PTI)
11 die as monsoon swamps north, central regions
NEW DELHI: A reinvigorated monsoon on Tuesday swamped large parts of north and central India killing 11 people while a sudden downpour in Delhi gave volunteers a tough time draining out water from fasting Anna Hazare’s dais at Ramlila Maidan.Five people perished in Uttarakhand and three each in Uttar Pradesh and Chhattisgarh as mercury hovered close to normal levels at many places in the region.The national capital’s maximum temperature settled at 34.5 deg C, a notch above the normal, while the minimum was recorded at 26.1 deg C, usual for this time of the year, the India Meteorological Department said.The city received a rainfall of 5.7 mm in the last nine hours, while the humidity settled at an uncomfortable high of 93 per cent.Taken aback at the sudden shower, volunteers of ‘India Against Corruption’ used buckets and other means to drain water out from Hazare’s dais.Three children drowned as flood situation remained grim in Uttar Pradesh with major rivers overflowing at a number of places in the state.Three boys, aged between 12 and 15 years, drowned in Jalalabad area in Shahjahanpur district, officials said.River Ganga was flowing above the red mark at Fatehgarh, Ballia and Gumtia (Kannauj) while Ramganga and Yamuna had crossed the red mark at Dabri in Shahjahanpur and Mathura respectively.Ghaghara, which had flooded a number of villages in Gonda and Barabanki districts, was flowing above the danger level at Elgin Bridge, Ayodhya and Turtipar in Ballia.(PTI)
7 Jagan-loyalist Cong MLAs do rethink on resignation
HYDERABAD: The hope in YSR Congress seems to be fading in less than 36 hours as at least seven out of the 26 MLAs who had resigned from the assembly protesting the inclusion of late Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy’s name in the CBI FIR in Kadapa MP Jaganmohan Reddy’s illegal assets case seeking to retracing their step. The seven MLAs got in touch with the Speaker’s office on Tuesday and were understood to have requested not to proceed further on their resignations, official sources in the Legislature Secretariat said.
The seven MLAs’ move has come as a big jolt to the Jagan camp as it has been claiming that some more legislators were ready to quit from the House over the CBI case issue. The main reason for the Congress MLAs seeking to return to their parent party is the reluctance of Jagan to assure them re-nomination either in by-elections or next assembly elections. (PTI)