Bachchan's detractors the 'Taliban of untouchability': Modi

AHMEDABAD: Lashing out at those objecting to Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan's presence at a government function in Mumbai, Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi has dubbed them as "Talibans of untouchability".

Writing on his blog, Modi described 67-year-old Bachchan as a great artist with legendary humility and even taller achievements who has chosen to celebrate the glorious heritage of Gujarat even while facing a lot of criticism from many quarters. "This is inspiring", he said on Sunday.

A controversy erupted over Bachchan attending at a government function in Mumbai where Maharashtra chief minister Ashok Chavan was also present. A section of Congress took objection to his presence as he is the brand ambassador for BJP-ruled Gujarat.

The Bachchan-Congress row took a new twist on Sunday with the megastar claiming that his son Abhishek's posters were removed from the venue of WWF's Earth Hour event in Delhi on Saturday evening attended by Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit and saw a "pattern" behind such acts.

Modi said the anti-Gujarat game plan behind the opposition and the controversy over senior Bachchan stood exposed in daylight now.

"These 'Talibans of Untouchability' have lost all their sensibilities in their pursuit of anti-Gujarat attitudes.

"They may well in future tell us not to eat even salt. They may even ban the eating of Amul butter and milk and order our young people not to wear denim jeans! And guess why? Because Gujarat produces these things," he said.

"Friends, my heart is still unwilling to believe that these Talibans are unaware of the damage they are causing to this nation and to our society," said Modi.

The Gujarat chief minister also wrote about his marathon grilling by the Supreme Court-appointed SIT in connection with a Gujarat riots case.

"I have cooperated with the process of law and accepted its supremacy. I heartily express my thankfulness to the people for their support and prayers in this difficult moment," his blog entry read.

Modi was grilled for over nine hours on Saturday for his alleged role in the Gulbarg Society massacre in which 69 people, including former Congress MP Ehsan Jafri were killed.

Sealink row: Amitabh hasn't committed a crime, says Thackeray

MUMBAI: Coming out in defence of old friend Amitabh Bachchan, Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray on Saturday said the actor has done nothing wrong by attending the inauguration of the second phase of the Bandra-Worli Sea Link.

"Amitabh hasn't committed a crime by attending the event," Thackeray said in an editorial in party mouthpiece 'Saamna'.

Lambasting Congress for "treating the actor as an untouchable", Thackeray said "Shah Rukh Khan, who took cudgels on behalf of Pakistanis, will do for Congress, which is allergic to Amitabh."

"Amitabh attending the function only added to the prestige of the event," Thackeray said on the actor sharing the dais with Congress leaders at the sealink function.

Bachchan is not a thief, dacoit or a terrorist, Thackeray said.

The presence of Bachchan at the inauguration of second phase of the Sea Link a couple of days back had sparked a controversy with Congress leaders from Mumbai taking objection to chief minister Ashok Chavan sharing platform with the actor who is a brand ambassador for BJP-ruled Gujarat.

"Amitabh is targeted because he is brand ambassador of Gujarat. Ambani and Tata who live in Mumbai have invested heavily in Gujarat. Will anyone from Congress ask them why were they investing in Narendra Modi's Gujarat," Thackeray said.

The actor belongs to the nation and will remain so, he said.

Gujarat riots: Modi likely to appear before SIT today

AHMEDABAD: Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi is likely to appear before the Special Investigation Team on Saturday in connection with a 2002 post-Godhra riot case, sources in the SIT said.

The date was also confirmed earlier by Modi's lawyer Mahesh Jethmalani, who said March 27 was the mutually agreed date on which the BJP leader would appear before the Supreme Court-appointed probe team.

The venue and time of the deposition have been kept a closely-guarded secret.

Earlier, confusion prevailed over his appearance before the SIT with its chief R K Raghavan saying he would depose on March 21. But later, Modi in an open letter claimed that he was not summoned on that date.

SIT has summoned Modi to depose in connection with a complaint of Zakia Jaffery, widow of former Congress MP Eshan Jaffery, who was killed in the riot at Gulburg Society along with 69 others.

If the chief minister appears before the probe panel, this will be for the first time that he would present himself for questioning in the post-Godhra riots that took place eight years ago.

Jeep in minister Pallam Raju's convoy hits auto, 5 dead

HYDERABAD: Five persons in Andhra Pradesh's East Godavari district lost their lives on Thursday afternoon after a jeep that was part of the convoy of minister of state for defence M M Pallam Raju hit an auto.

Police said five persons including four women, who were travelling in the three-wheeler, were killed in the mishap that took place in Perumallapuram in Todangi Mandal.

Seven persons including three policemen were also injured in the accident. They have been admitted to a government-run hospital in Kakinada.

Police said the minister, who was on his way to attend an official programme at a village near Kakinada town, was unhurt. Shocked over the accident, the minister got down from his car and supervised the relief operations.

He, however, had to face the ire of the relatives of the victims who rushed to the scene after learning about the mishap.

SC's interim relief to Andhra on Muslim reservation

NEW DELHI: The Andhra Pradesh government on Thursday received a major boost with the Supreme Court, in an interim order, upholding the validity of 4% reservation provided to backward members of Muslim community in the state.

A bench of Chief Justice K G Balakrishnan and Justices J M Panchal and B S Chauhan, however, referred the issue to a Constitution bench to examine the validity of the impugned Act since it involved important issues of the Constitution.

The SC said that the reservation will be available to 14 groups in Muslim community.

The bench passed the direction while dealing with a Special Leave Petition (SLP) filed by the government against an order of Andhra Pradesh High Court which had earlier struck down the provision as being unconstitutional.

Raghuvanshi sacked as Maharashtra ATS chief

MUMBAI: In a major shake-up in the Mumbai Police, Additional Director General K P Raghuvanshi was today removed as the head of Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS), days after he was criticized by the Centre for disclosing some information following the arrest of two suspected terrorists here.

He will be replaced by Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime) Rakesh Maria, a home department source said.

"Raghuvanshi has been relieved of the responsibilities of the ATS chief. Joint Police Commissioner Maria will take over," the source told PTI.

Raghuvanshi has been shunted to the state’s law and order department as Additional Director General (Law and Order).

Maria met home minister R R Patil after the reshuffle. The Union home ministry had come down heavily on Raghuvanshi for disclosing "more than sufficient" information to the media after the arrest a few days ago of two terror suspects, who, police said, were planning to attack the ONGC office and shopping centres in the metropolis. The disclosure resulted in a central Investigative team losing out on a vital Pakistan link to the terror module.

Joint Police Commissioner (Law and Order) Himanshu Roy is likely to replace Maria.

The Maharashtra government had last week said it would discuss possible action against Raghuvanshi. Chief minister Ashok Chavan had said though the state government has not received any directive regarding Raghuvanshi, he was aware that the Centre was unhappy with the way certain information was given away soon after the arrests.

Raghuvanshi was appointed the ATS chief on June 11 last year after the Bombay High Court pulled up the authorities over the crucial body remaining headless since the killing of Hemant Karkare in 26/11 terror attacks.

A 1980 batch IPS officer, Raghuvanshi was the first to head the ATS when it was formed in 2004. Earlier, he had worked with CBI for a brief period.

Mulayam Yadav not allowed to unveil statue in UP

LUCKNOW: It seems that statue war has broken out in Uttar Pradesh as Samajwadi Party (SP) president Mulayam Singh Yadav was on Tuesday not allowed to unveil the statue of Ram Manohar Lohia in Lucknow.

Sources said the Samajwadi Party supremo was manhandled by the state police as he tried to inaugurate the statue at a government hospital in the city.

Mulayam Singh Yadav was about to unveil the statue, when the police personnel following stopped him from doing so.

"The political scene in the country is changing. They did it due to the chief minister. Someone could have died had they pulled the ladder. Police officers were pulling the ladder even while we were inaugurating the statute with flowers," said Mulayam Singh Yadav.

"They were even collecting the flowers to show the chief minister that they have tried their best to restrict me," he added.

Samajwadi Party spokesperson Mohan said, "Mulayam Singh Yadav was manhandled," adding that the attitude of the state government was not right.

The district administration said Mulayam Singh Yadav was trying to unveil a status on government property.

The state government had not given its nod to the Samajwadi Party to carry on with the ceremony.

Earlier, Mayawati herself has been embroiled in a statue row, with courts being forced to intervene to stop her from going ahead with a multi-crore statue building spree.

US Congress passes historic health care bill

WASHINGTON: The Democratic-controlled Congress handed President Barack Obama a huge victory on Sunday night extending health care to tens of millions of uninsured Americans and cracking down on insurance company abuses, a climactic chapter in the century-long quest for near universal coverage.

Widely viewed as dead two months ago, the Senate-passed bill cleared the House on a 219-212 vote, with Republicans unanimous in opposition.

Congressional officials said they expected Obama to sign the bill as early as Tuesday. He was expected to make a statement following the vote.

The stakes could not have been higher for Obama's presidency. Republicans hoped that by blocking the legislation, they would be able to thwart the president's ambitious domestic agenda, including immigration reform and climate change legislation.

Obama watched the vote in the White House's Roosevelt Room with Vice President Joe Biden and about 40 staff aides. When the long sought 216th vote came in - the magic number needed for passage - the room burst into applause and hugs. An exultant president exchanged a high-five with his chief of staff, Rahm Emanuel.

"We proved that we are still a people capable of doing big things," the president said a short while later in televised remarks. "We proved that this government - a government of the people and by the people - still works for the people.

While national health care has been a goal of presidents stretching back decades, it has proved elusive, in part because self-reliance and suspicion of a strong central government remain strong in the US.

After more than a year of political combat - certain to persist into the fall election campaign for control of Congress - debate on the House floor fell along predictable lines.

Immediately following the vote, Democrats turned back a Republican move to undo the bill by a vote of 219-212. Republicans argued the legislation would permit the use of federal money to pay for abortions.

"We will be joining those who established Social Security, Medicare and now, tonight, health care for all Americans," said Speaker Nancy Pelosi before the vote, referring the government's pension program and health insurance for the elderly established nearly 50 years ago.

"This is the civil rights act of the 21st century," added Rep. Jim Clyburn, the top-ranking black member of the House.

Republicans readily agreed the bill would affect everyone in America, but warned repeatedly of the burden imposed by more than $900 billion in tax increases and Medicare cuts combined.

"We have failed to listen to America," said Rep. John Boehner, leader of a party that has vowed to carry the fight into November's midterm elections for control of Congress.

Earlier in the day, the House argued its way through a thicket of Republican objections toward an evening vote on the bill to extend coverage to 32 million Americans who lack it, ban insurers from denying coverage on the basis of pre-existing medical conditions and cut deficits by an estimated $138 billion over a decade.

A shouting band of protesters outside the Capitol dramatized their opposition, and one man stood up in the House visitor's gallery shouting, "Kill the bill" before he was ushered out _ evidence of the passions the yearlong debate over health care has stirred.

Obama lobbied by phone from the White House, then took the crucial step of issuing an executive order that satisfied a small group of Democrats who demanded that no federal funds be used for elective abortions.

Over and over, Democrats stressed the historic nature of the day. The measure represents the biggest expansion of the social safety net since Medicare and Medicaid were enacted in 1965 during President Lyndon B. Johnson's administration to provide government-funded health care coverage to the elderly and poor.

"Health care isn't only a civil right, it's a moral issue," said Democratic Rep. Patrick Kennedy. He said his late father, Sen. Edward M Kennedy, had worked his entire career for nationwide health care, and President John F. Kennedy before him.

Obama has said often that presidents of both parties have tried without success to achieve national health insurance, beginning with Theodore Roosevelt early in the 20th century.

The 44th president's quest to succeed where others have failed seemed at a dead end two months ago, when Republicans won a special election to fill Edward Kennedy's Massachusetts Senate seat, and with it, enough votes to prevent a final vote.

But the White House, Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Reid soon came up with a rescue plan that required the House to approve the Senate-passed measure despite opposition to many of its provisions, then have both chambers pass a fix-it measure incorporating numerous changes.

The house approved the fixes shortly after passing the bill on Sunday night.

Under the legislation, most Americans would be required to purchase insurance, and face penalties if they refused. Much of the money in the bill would be devoted to subsidies to help families at incomes of up to $88,000 a year pay their premiums.

The legislation would also usher in a significant expansion of Medicaid, the federal-state health care program for the poor.

The insurance industry would come under new federal regulation. They would be forbidden from placing lifetime dollar limits on policies, from denying coverage because of pre-existing conditions and from canceling policies when a policyholder becomes ill.

Parents would be able to keep older children on their coverage up to age 26. A new high-risk pool would offer coverage to uninsured people with medical problems until 2014, when the coverage expansion goes into high gear.

Once enacted, the two bills would create a series of so-called "insurance exchanges" beginning in 2014 where self-employed people and small businesses could pool together to shop for health care coverage.

To pay for the changes, the legislation includes more than $400 billion in higher taxes over a decade, roughly half of it from a new Medicare payroll tax on individuals with incomes over $200,000 and couples over $250,000.

Raj Thackeray comes under fire for calling CST as VT

MUMBAI: Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray, who forced filmmaker Karan Johar to apologize for calling Mumbai as 'Bombay' in his film ‘Wake Up Sid’, is now the target of critics for calling the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (CST) by its former name VT (Victoria Terminus).

The bustling terminus, designed by Frederick William Stevens, a consulting architect in 1887-1888, was renamed as Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus in 1996 but the abbreviation VT has stuck and Raj proved he is no exception.

"At a recent function here, Raj repeatedly called CST as VT. He has no right to preach others," former minister Nawab Malik said.

Raj was addressing a gathering at the railway station, recalling his visits to the terminus during college days. The MNS chief in those days travelled by the Harbour line to CST for three years while studying at the JJ School of Arts.

Lashkar has 20 Indian, 320 global targets: US lawmaker

WASHINGTON: Pakistan-based terrorist group Lashkar-e-Taiba has identified as many as 320 targets across the globe, 20 of which are in India, a top US lawmaker has said.

"In the wake of the (26/11) Mumbai attack, investigators uncovered in controller records and e-mail accounts a list of 320 locations worldwide deemed by the LeT as possible targets for attack. Only 20 of the targets were located within India," Congressman Gary Ackerman said before a Congressional hearing last week.

"The LeT has been attacking US forces in Afghanistan almost from day one and their forces are present throughout Afghanistan. The LeT has been slaughtering Indians by the score for decades. The LeT has put the world on notice that they intend to escalate the carnage and spread it worldwide," he said.

"This group of savages needs to be crushed. Not starting in a month, not in a year, not when the situation stabilises in Afghanistan, not when things are under control in Pakistan, now, today and everyday going forward. We're not doing it, and we're not effectively leading a global effort to do it. And we are going to regret this mistake. We're going to regret it bitterly," Ackerman said.

Noting that it would be unfair and wrong to suggest that the LeT problem is strictly confined to Pakistan and Middle East, he said, adding in fact, one of the key facilitators of the Mumbai attack was an American of Pakistani extraction, referring to David Coleman Headley.

"Unfortunately, the LeT enjoys a substantial global network stretching from the Philippines to the United Kingdom," Ackerman said.

According to Ackerman, though after 9/11, Pakistan officially banned the LeT, the reality is that like other Islamist terrorist groups, LeT maintains a clear public presence and a vast recruiting network by providing extremely useful charitable and social services to millions of impoverished people in that country.

"Public estimates suggest LeT operates some 2,000 offices in towns and villages throughout Pakistan, as well as maintaining ties with the Pakistani military. There is, in fact, no reason to doubt that Pakistan's military is likely paying compensation to the families of the terrorists killed in the Mumbai attacks. These are our allies in the war on terror," he said.

"Operational funding for the LeT comes from charitable fundraising amongst the general population in Pakistan, but also depends heavily upon contributions by Pakistani businessmen living abroad and other wealthy individuals from the Persian Gulf. Let us note too, these states are also our allies in the war on terror," Ackerman said.

New interceptor missile fails to take off

BALASORE: India's new Advanced Air Defence (AAD) interceptor missile, capable of destroying hostile missiles, on Monday encountered coordination problem and failed to take off during a planned launch from the Integrated Test Range at Wheeler Island off Orissa coast.

"Coordinated exercise between target missile Prithvi from Chandipur and the indigenously built interceptor from Wheeler Island could not take place properly during the planned trial," defence sources said.

Though Prithvi - the target missile - was test-fired at 10.02 hrs from a mobile launcher from ITR's launch complex-3 at Chandipur-on-sea, 15 km from here, the interceptor missile failed to blast off, they said.

Though the exact reason behind interceptor missile's failure to take off was yet to be ascertained, preliminary analysis suggested that the target missile might have deviated from its stipulated trajectory, leading to lack of proper coordination, the sources said.

The trial, aimed at developing a multi-layer Ballistic Missile Defence (BMD) system, was originally scheduled to be held on Sunday from the two different sites of the ITR but had to be put off due to some technical snag in a sub-system at Wheeler Island, they said.

Wheeler's Island is located about 70 km across the sea from Chandipur and the AAD missile was to intercept the target at an altitude of 15 to 20 km over the sea.

Top military brass against permanent commission to women officers

NEW DELHI: Women may have had a long history in military, right from the days of Joan of Arc or even Jhansi ki Rani, but the Indian military brass remains dead against granting permanent commission (PC) to women officers across the board due to what they call `operational, practical and cultural problems'.

Women are being inducted into armed forces as officers since the early-1990s, and many of them have served with distinction, but they can only don their uniforms for a maximum of 14 years even now as short-service commission (SSC) officers. At the most, they can become Lt-Colonels and their equivalents in IAF and Navy in these 14 years.

Many women officers, serving and retired, do not agree with the `double standards' practised in armed forces. "On one hand, the forces keep cribbing about the shortage of officers. On the other, they are perfectly willing to let go of this (women) well-trained and available human resource,'' said a Major.

The government in 2008 did issue orders for PC for women officers but, in what many saw as mere lip-service to gender equality, it was restricted to just the legal and education wings of the three Services, as also IAF's accounts branch and Navy's `naval constructor' department.

The reason was plain and simple. These wings do not involve command of men or battalions. "Women officers have neither been trained for command nor given the responsibility so far,'' a senior officer told TOI on Friday.

"We are going in for having a large SSC base and a lean PC cadre. Granting PC to existing women SSC officers will hit the entire restructuring process. Grant of PC to women must be based on military needs and organisational requirements, not social considerations or pressure exerted by some groups. It has to be a gradual process,'' he added.

But how gradual will the process be? The 2009 batch of SSC women cadets currently undergoing training in the Officers' Training Academy at Chennai or IAF Academy at Dundigal, for instance, will be given the option to choose PC in the legal or education branches just a year or two before they complete 10 years in service. As per existing policy, no serving women officer can get PC.

Some women officers contend they often face a condescending attitude from their colleagues and seniors in the predominantly-male environment of the 13-lakh strong armed forces, where they constitute barely 2.5% to 6% of the officer cadre. Women, of course, are not inducted as PBORs (personnel below officer rank).

"In many fields, like engineering, signals or even flying, women have done better than their male counterparts. So, what is the problem if they are given PC? It's tough to get a second career at 35-40,'' says a woman officer.

Yes, there are operational problems, with the overwhelming chunk of the Army deployed along the borders or in counter-insurgency operations, but women officers can certainly be considered for PC in wings like engineering, ordnance, intelligence, signals, logistics, air traffic control and the like, which will not take them directly to the battlefront.

The military brass, however, holds it's essential to obtain feedback on the performance of women based on the now revised pre-commission training (from the earlier 24 weeks to the present 49 weeks), detailment on courses such as junior command course and assess their performance as sub-unit commanders especially in field areas for holding higher ranks and grant of PC.

AI-IA merger only helped pvt airlines: Panel

NEW DELHI: Faulting the merger of Air India and Indian Airlines, the committee on public undertakings (COPU) on Friday described it as a marriage between "incompatible individuals" that helped neither. The merger, instead, increased losses and put the carriers at a disadvantage to private operators.

Releasing its report on AI-IA becoming one, COPU chairman V Kishore Chandra Deo said the two airlines had suffered in terms of brand value and lost traffic to private competitors while no effort was made to monitor the merger.

The report calls for action against "agencies and individuals responsible for taking a whimsical decision so no PSU suffers such losses in the future".

The report is likely to be more grist to the cold war between Congress and NCP as the civil aviation ministry is headed by Praful Patel, a senior NCP leader. Saying the merger was a policy decision "spearheaded by the ministry in-charge", it says all losses attributable to the merger should be recouped. However, the sweeping criticism may not be easy to quantify in monetary terms.

The the committee on public undertakings (COPU), in its report on the IA-AI merger points out that Indian Airlines had unparalleled recall value but was suddenly rebranded and "Indian" appeared without any convincing rationale.

Though the committee headed by the senior Congress MP does not recommend de-merger, it says after the National Aviation Company of India Ltd (NACIL) — merged entity of erstwhile Air India and Indian Airlines — came into being, both carriers suffered losses as prime commercial routes were allocated to private airlines.

The COPU report has recommended that NACIL remain the holding company but Air India and Indian Airlines have separate managing directors. It also called for a fresh timeline for working out the merger and a review of route and slot allocations and improved efficiency norms to be put in place.Another recommendation is that NACIL should develop its maintenance and repair and overhaul unit into a business entity catering to the industry as a whole. Suggesting the merger was thrust on the two carriers, the report said there was no mechanism to ensure accountability of the entire amalgamation process.

While asking the government to apprise it about the action taken against individuals responsible for the merger act, the panel urged stringent punitive measure so that such decision leading to intangible loss to a PSU does not recur in future.

Deo said any fresh infusion of capital should be through a proper mechanism and its utilisation must be ensured. The committee further observed that there is urgent need for route rationalisation and allocation. The Committee observed that utilisation of aircraft is at a low of nine hours per day while the benchmark is 16 hours per day.

"Hence, NACIL should take necessary steps to increase the utilisation of aircraft," it said.

The committee also emphasised the need for corporate work culture, and training and fair treatment to loyal employees. It said the assurance made to the employees before the merger of the two organisations that no employee would be placed at a disadvantage at any stage, must be honoured.

Resolving Kashmir will not satisfy LeT: Experts

WASHINGTON: A resolution of Kashmir dispute between India and Pakistan would no longer satisfy Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and the terrorist outfit responsible for 26/11 and attack on Indian Parliament would continue to pose a serious threat to both India and the western world in particular the US, top experts have told American lawmakers.

"There is no doubt in my mind that we have to find ways to resolve the issues relating to Kashmir. But I think resolving Kashmir is not going to solve the problems relating to LeT," Ashley J Tellis, senior associate at the prestigious Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, told US lawmakers at a Congressional hearing on Thursday.

"Resolving the Kashmir problem by itself is not going to remove this threat because the aim of these groups is to leverage themselves into a position of power inside Pakistan and to take control," said eminent Pakistani scholar, Shuza Nawaz, Director, South Asia Centre, the Atlantic Council of the United States.

Both Nawaz and Tellis were responding to concerns of the US Congressmen at the hearing if LeT would abandon terrorism if Kashmir dispute was resolved; given that Lashkar was initially popped up by the ISI of Pakistan for the specific purpose of targeting Kashmir and India in particular.

"I always find it interesting that the people conducting the murder and mayhem (in the Valley) today are not Kashmiri. The people who actually are deprived of all their political rights, they are not conducting the murder and mayhem," Tellis said.

"The murder and mayhem is being conducted by groups that have absolutely no connections to Kashmir. To my mind that is story, the fact that this is a group that has operations in 21 countries, that has an ideology that is completely anti-western, that is opposed to modernity and secularism and all the kinds of values that we take for granted. This group is not going to be satisfied by dealing with the issue of Kashmir," Tellis said.

Testifying before the same committee, Lisa Curtis of the Heritage Foundation, referred to the Musharraf formula on resolving the Kashmir dispute; which the then Pakistani President made in a statement in December 2006.

"He (Musharraf) made a very important statement in December of 2006, where he said Pakistan would be willing to give up its claim on Kashmir if four things happen. He said, if the Line of Control that divides Kashmir was made irrelevant, which means people could freely pass back and forth could pass back and forth," said Curtis, who is known as an American authority on South Asia.

"Two, (Musharraf said) if Kashmir was given greater autonomy. Three, if both sides could figure out a joint mechanism to interact, to have the two sides of Kashmir, Pakistani Kashmir and Indian Kashmir interact. So he made a very forward looking proposal. And as we know by Steve Coll, who wrote about this in the New Yorker Magazine not too long ago, they were very close to coming to some kind of agreement or understanding on Kashmir," Curtis said.

Except for Congressmen Dan Burton tended to agree with the observations made by these eminent experts. Burton, who is well-known for his anti-India approach at the Congress, believed otherwise.

"I wish all of the experts and the people in the governments involved, as well as the US would make as their number one goal resolving the issues that have been prevailing for a long, long time. And that is resolving the issue of Kashmir," he argued.

"I think the only way to do that is to get the Pakistani government and the India government and the people in Kashmir together and resolve some way for them to solve that problem in Kashmir that's been existing since 1948. Until you get that done, you're not going to solve this problem.

India can't attack Pakistan because if they do, Pakistan's got the ability to retaliate with a nuclear weapon and vice versa. So the killing's going to go on and the festering that's created from this impasse is just going to grow," he said.

Noted Pakistani scholar Shuja Nawaz said, "LeT represents -- a word that's been used often -- a Frankenstein's monster created for the purpose of assisting the Kashmiri freedom movement but that ended up becoming a powerful Sunni Punjabi movement with an independent agenda that appears to have taken on a broader regional role."

It was born out of the US-backed Afghan jihad against the Soviets, and built on the training provided by that war to Punjabi fighters who could then inculcate Kashmiri fighters in their ways.

Successive civil and military leaders of Pakistan supported the movement as a strategic asset to counter a powerful India to the East and to force it to negotiate for a settlement of the disputed territory by waging a war of, quote, "a thousand cuts", he told the lawmakers.

"Over time, however, the sponsored organisation took a life of its own, finding the economically disadvantaged area of Central and Southern Punjab to be a fertile territory for recruitment of Jihadi warriors," he said over time, the ISI began losing its control as the LeT became self sufficient.

"But the realisation that the LeT had become autonomous was slow in being understood or accepted in the ISI and by the military leadership of Pakistan under General Pervez Musharraf," he said.

"General Musharraf did make an effort to lower the political temperature in Kashmir and began distancing the state from the LeT. However, the process was not handled as well as it could have.

Similar to the disbanding of the Iraqi army after the US invasion when thousands of trained soldiers and officers were let go, the LeT was cut loose without a comprehensive plan to disarm, re-train, and gainfully employ the fighters."

A dangerous corollary was the induction into the militancy of some former members of the military who had trained and guided them in their war in Kashmir, Nawaz said.

Congressman Gary Ackerman said there is a temptation to think that the LeT is really India's problem, that the LeT is just interested in the so-called "liberation" of Jammu and Kashmir.

"While it's true that the primary area of operations for the LeT has historically been the Kashmir Valley and the Jammu region, the LeT has also undertaken repeated and numerous mass casualty attacks throughout India and, in particular, directed at the Indian government. But the idea that this group can be appeased on the subject of Kashmir is dangerous nonsense," he said.

"The LeT's true goal is not Kashmir, it is India. And the LeT is not shy about announcing that its intention is to establish an Islamic state in all South Asia. Neither does it hide or try to play down its declaration of war against all Hindus and Jews, who they insist are "enemies of Islam", Ackerman said.

India to Pak: Give voice samples of 26/11 suspects to neutral country

NEW DELHI: Home Minister P Chidambaram and Pakistan high commissioner Shahid Malik were engaged in an unusual exchange of words on Friday with the minister stating that all militant outfits across the border are supported by ISI and the envoy rebutting any involvement of state actors in terror acts against India.

Chidambaram, who chose not to make any mention of Pakistan in his opening remarks at a conclave here, voiced New Delhi's concerns over Pakistan-sponsored terrorism during the question and answer session.

"It is no secret that every militant organisation in Pakistan is supported by the ISI," he said while taking the names of Lashkar-e-Taiba, Jaish-e-Mohammad and some other groups operating in that country.

In a bid to counter the charge, the Pakistan envoy raised the issue of alleged Indian involvement in Balochistan and about the activities of Indian consulates in Afghanistan. Islamabad has alleged that the Indian consulates were stirring up trouble for Pakistan, a charge denied by India.

"There are no state actors involved in any act detrimental to the interests of India," he said.

Chidambaram said he had hoped not to enter into a public debate with the envoy who was only stating his government's position but wanted to put their assertion to test.

He said Pakistan should give voice samples of the list suspects given by India to match them with the voice transcripts of the 26/11 handlers in a neutral country to know whether they are state actors.

Chidambaram was asked how India would respond if there was another terror attack on the lines of 26/11.

He said if it was established with a reasonable degree of certainty that the attacks originated from Pakistani soil, "then we will respond swiftly and decisively".

The minister made it clear that "war is not an option" so the two countries, both nuclear powers, "must talk when we can" and, at other times, "we have to be vigilant".

"We cannot change our neighbour", he said adding Pakistan has been a "very difficult neighbour from 1947".

He indicated that there may be another around of talks between foreign secretary Nirupama Rao and her Pakistani counterpart Salman Bashir. There is speculation that this may take place later this month.

Malik contended that it was Rao who had telephone the Pakistan foreign secretary for talks. "We hoped something positive will come out of it and we welcomed the opportunity".

India said terrorism will be one of the main agenda and the Pakistani side said it too had its own concerns and willing to discuss it.

"We repeatedly asked India to share with us real time information on terrorism," he said in an apparent reference to Pakistan's claim that the 10 dossiers provided by India contained only "literature" and nothing concrete for them to act upon.

Responding to a questioner who objected to the term 'jehadi terrorism', Chidambaram said Hafiz Sayeed, the 26/11 mastermind as also LeT and JuD leaders have been repeatedly talking about 'jehad' to justify their acts of terror.

Russia's Putin in India to sign arms deals worth crores

NEW DELHI: Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin was to seal a series of multi-billion dollar arms deals on Friday during a visit to India aimed at boosting ties with Moscow's old Cold War ally.

According to Russian officials, Putin will sign more than a dozen pacts amounting to 10 billion dollars, including an accord to resolve the troubled sale of a refitted Soviet-era aircraft carrier, the Admiral Gorshkov.

Other deals include a contract to sell India 29 MiG fighter jets and an agreement to install additional nuclear power units in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu, where it is already building two reactors.

The sale of the Admiral Gorshkov has been marred by a series of price disputes and delayed deliveries, fuelling concerns in Moscow that India could be tempted to end its dependence on Russian military equipment.

Putin's foreign policy aide Yury Ushakov said the new accord would "suit both sides" and help put the dispute behind them. "We have an enormous interest in India," he told reporters ahead of Putin's arrival in New Delhi.

Russia supplies 70 percent of India's military hardware but in recent years New Delhi has looked to other military suppliers including Israel and the United States.

The strong ties between Moscow and New Delhi date back to the 1950s after the death of Stalin. But India has in recent years also taken care to balance this friendship by fostering closer relations with Washington.

India's foreign ministry spokesman Vishnu Prakash described Russia as a "valued partner and time-tested friend." "We have a similar outlook on a whole host of regional and international issues," Prakash said.

Together with Brazil and China, Russia and India are part of the so-called BRIC grouping of major developing economies seeking to promote a multipolar world economy not dominated by the United States.

At just over 7.5 billion dollars in 2009, trade turnover is minuscule and the two countries will aim to increase it to 20 billion dollars by 2015.

According to Indian officials, energy is emerging as a new focus of cooperation between oil and gas-rich Russia and energy-starved India, which is always on the lookout for new fuel sources to power its growing economy.

Foreign ministry official Ajay Bisaria noted that New Delhi had invested 2.8 billion dollars in an oil field on Sakhalin island off Russia's east coast and was in talks with energy firms Rosneft and Gazprom for more blocks in north Russia.

"India has had an energy strategy of investing in equity in that region and this continues," Bisaria said.

Russia is expected to begin construction soon of another nuclear power facility in the eastern India state of West Bengal.

Putin, who last visited India as Russian president in 2007, is scheduled to meet his Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and President Pratibha Patil.

India has only 129 cops per 1 lakh people

NEW DELHI: Less than a month after the terror attack on popular German Bakery in Pune, the government on Wednesday admitted that shortage of manpower had made it difficult to safeguard "all public places" in the country.

Although the shortage of manpower is a country-wide phenomenon, Maharashtra, which witnessed the latest terror attack despite having intelligence alert, presented a dismal picture with the highest number of police vacancies (49,252) in the country.

Stating that suspected main targets in Pune were put under police protection, minister of state for home affairs Ajay Maken said, "However, due to obvious limitations of manpower, it was not possible to bring all public places under security cover."

In his written reply to a question in Rajya Sabha, he while referring to the German Bakery incident said: "The terrorists succeeded in attacking a soft target". The minister also mentioned that the incident took place there despite having intelligence inputs. He said: "There were intelligence inputs to indicate that certain places in Pune and some other cities in India were on the target list of terrorist outfits. Accordingly, on October 9 last year as a preventive step, the State Police had issued detailed security guidelines to major commercial establishments including the German Bakery".

Though the government had, time and again, stated about shortage of manpower while referring to existing vacancies of over 2.67 lakh of police personnel across the country, the admission of difficulties in bringing all public places under police security highlights a different aspect of the problem.

It also raises questions on the necessity of sparing nearly one lakh police personnel across the country for security to VVIPs at the cost of security to common people/public places.

Of late, the home ministry has streamlined the security cover of VIPs by weeding out some protectees — having no threats — from the list of protected persons. But similar exercises have not been done in states for years, forcing a significant chunk of cops to be deployed for protecting a number of VIPs who avail such cover as a mere status symbol.

The situation of manpower shortage has become so critical over the years that the country has merely 129 cops per one lakh of population as against the United Nations norm of 220 police personnel per one lakh of population.

Trouble in BJP over women's bill, party decides to issue whip

NEW DELHI: Trouble is brewing for the Women's Reservation Bill with a section of BJP MPs in Lok Sabha expressing their opposition to the measure and threatening to vote against it and the party on Thursday decided to crack on the dissenters by issuing a whip to them to back it.

The BJP top brass swung into damage control and decided to issue a whip to its MPs to make them toe the party line.

Facing rebellion, top party leaders including the Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj, Leader of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha Arun Jaitley and former party chief Rajnath Singh met the dissenting MPs on Thursday morning and sought to allay their fears over the bill which seeks to reserve one-third of the seats in Lok Sabha and state assemblies for women and will unseat that number of men.

"We will issue a whip to party MPs when the bill comes up in Lok Sabha," Swaraj said after the meeting. Defiance of the whip can attract disqualification provisions against the members. BJP MPs had supported the measure in Rajya Sabha.

Prominent among those opposing the bill are MP from Gorakhpur, Yogi Adityanath, former union minister Hukumdeo Narayan Yadav, an old socialist from Janata Dal parivar, and party's chief whip in the Lok Sabha Ramesh Bais.

Some of the party MPs are even said to have threatened to vote against the measure when it is taken up in the Lower House. The support of BJP, which has 116 members in Lok Sabha, is crucial for the passage of the Constitutional amendment bill.

4 students held for smearing colour on Maya's poster

LUCKNOW: Four students of UP Sainik School have been arrested and sent to juvenile home for allegedly smearing colour on chief minister Mayawati's posters here during Holi.

The four, who are appearing for their XII board exams, were arrested on Holi night on charges of damaging public property and a case had been lodged against them under the Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act. They have beet sent to a reformatory home for juveniles, official sources said today.

While police claimed that the students were caught damaging the public property, school authorities alleged that the police was settling scores.

"It doesn't seem that our students would do such an act," school spokesman K K Tiwari said.

He said that on Holi night these students had gone out of the hostel to purchase some medicine. "While they were returning back, the students were stopped by police, who alleged that they had damaged posters of the CM and booked them on charges of damaging public property."

"Why these students, who are meritorious and passed their high school examination with more than 85 per cent marks indulged in such activity. They are being framed by police," father of a student Rajkumar alleged.

"With board examinations going on, our children are brought to school from juvenile home to appear in the examination. They are being treated like murderers," Rajkumar alleged.

The bail application of the four students would be heard in juvenile court today.

Women's Bill row: MPs protest eviction of 7 Rajya Sabha members

NEW DELHI: Forcible eviction of seven Rajya Sabha members opposing the Women's Reservation Bill triggered massive uproar in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday, forcing two adjournments till 2pm. The Speaker later adjourned the House for the day.

When the House reassembled at noon after the first adjournment, members of SP, RJD, JD(U) and LJP rushed menacingly to the well shouting 'marshal bulao' (call the marshals), prompting Speaker Meira Kumar to immediately adjourn the House till 2pm.

The Speaker could not even order laying of papers due to vociferous protests led by SP and RJD chiefs Mulayam Singh Yadav and Lalu Prasad, who too were in the well. Noticing the aggressive nature of the protests, Kumar adjourned the House almost immediately after she came in.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi, Leader of the House Pranab Mukherjee and Leader of Opposition Sushma Swaraj were present in the House.

After the adjournment, Yadav and Prasad were seen urging Swaraj to take up the issue of using marshals to remove the suspended members from Rajya Sabha yesterday.

BJP leader Yashwant Sinha was heard asking the RJD and SP chiefs to go to the President and withdrawing support from the UPA.

R R Patil attends Mumbai terror attack proceedings

MUMBAI: In a rare gesture, Maharashtra home minister R R Patil on Tuesday attended the proceedings in the 26/11 terror attack case along with minister of state for home Ramesh Bagwe in a special court here.

Patil's visit assumes significance in the wake of the prosecution opening its final arguments against lone surviving Pakistani gunman Ajmal Kasab and two Indian nationals Faheem Ansari and Sabauddin Ahmed.

Unprecedented security measures were undertaken in view of the ministers' visit.

While Kasab is charged with killing 166 persons in the attack, Sabahuddin and Ansari are facing charges of drawing maps of targets and passing them on militant outfit LeT for executing the terror strikes

Women's Bill row: 7 MPs suspended in Rajya Sabha

NEW DELHI: Seven members of Rajya Sabha belonging to SP, RJD, LJP and an unattached MP were suspended on Tuesday for remaining part of the Budget session for their unruly behaviour in the House on Monday over the Women's Reservation Bill.

The suspended members are Subhash Yadav (RJD), Sabir Ali (LJP), Veerpal Singh Yadav, Nand Kishore Yadav, Amir Alam Khan and Kamal Akhtar (SP), and Ejaz Ali(Unattached).

The motion for their suspension was moved by Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Prithviraj Chavan and was passed by a voice vote.

The action was taken under Rule 256 of the House, for showing total "disregard for dignity of Council and authority of the Chair" by obstructing the business of the House.

On Monday, these members had indulged in unprecedented unruly scenes and even tried to attack Chairman Hamid Ansari when the Womens' Reservation Bill was moved by the government.

Both Houses of Parliament were adjourned till 2pm following uproar over the Women's Reservation Bill.

RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav led the protests in the Lok Sabha against the Women's Reservation Bill forcing the Speaker to adjourn the House.

Earlier in the morning, Sharad Yadav, Lalu Prasad and Mulayam Singh Yadav, who are opposing the Women's Reservation Bill had met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and informed the PM of their differences towards the bill.

On Monday, SP and RJD MPs had held the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha to ransom by disrupting proceedings where the landmark legislation was to be discussed and adopted.

SC challenges HC verdict bringing CJI office under RTI ambit

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Monday filed an appeal before itself challenging the judgement of Delhi High Court holding that the office of the Chief Justice of India came under the ambit of the RTI Act and was liable to reveal information under it.

The petition, which has been filed after CJI K G Balakrishnan had consultation with his fellow judges, raised the point that information held by the CJI is sensitive in nature and its revelation would hamper the judiciary's independence.

The petition, though drafted more than a month ago, was filed on Monday by advocate Devdutt Kamat on behalf of the apex court registry and the case would be argued by the Attorney General G E Vahanvati.

The apex court will be seeking immediate stay on the High Court rulings otherwise it would be under obligation to reveal information under RTI Act.

In a path-breaking verdict, the Delhi High Court had on January 12 held that the office of the Chief Justice of India comes under the purview of the RTI Act and rejected a Supreme Court appeal, saying judicial independence is not a judge's personal privilege but a responsibility cast upon him.

The verdict was being seen as a setback to Balakrishnan who has consistently been maintaining that his office does not come under the transparency law and hence cannot part with information like disclosure of judges' assets under it.

No voting on women's bill today, all-party meet tomorrow

NEW DELHI: The voting on the women's reservation bill in Rajya Sabha will not take place today. The Prime Minister has postponed for today the all-party meet on the issue.

The meeting has probably been put off to buy time for the government to finalise the floor strategy.

The Prime Minister, meanwhile, discussed the floor strategy with key UPA allies, including Sharad Pawar and T R Baalu.

The Lok Sabha has been adjourned till tomorrow while the Rajya Sabha has been adjourned for the fifth time in the day to reconvene at 6 pm.

Earlier, the landmark Women's Reservation Bill was moved for consideration in the Rajya Sabha on Monday amidst unprecedented scenes of pandemonium with members of the SP, BSP and the RJD trying to attack Chairman Hamid Ansari.

While some members, including RJD's Rajniti Prasad, tore the copy of the Bill, Kamal Akhtar and Nand Kishore Yadav of the SP and some others tried to reach the Chair raising slogans against the bill.

The SP and RJD members tried to uproot the mike on the table of the Chairman and threw the stationery placed on it. The security attendants immediately swung into action and shielded the Chairman to prevent the agitated members from climbing on the table.

The unprecedented pandemonium was witnessed as soon as law minister M Veerappa Moily moved for consideration of the Bill which provides for 33 per cent reservation for women in Lok Sabha and state assemblies.

Meanwhile, when the Lok Sabha, which was earlier adjourned twice on the same issue, reassembled at 2pm, members of these parties led by RJD chief Lalu Prasad, SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav and JD(U) president Sharad Yadav, stormed the well shouting slogans.

As the slogan-shouting continued, Trinamool Congress members including its chief and railway minister Mamata Banerjee, were seen singing the famous song -- "We shall overcome some day".

Other Trinamool members, including minister of state for health Dinesh Trivedi, chief whip Sudip Bandopadhyay and cine-star turned MP Shatabdi Roy, were heard singing the song in the House.

As the din continued, Deputy Speaker Karia Munda adjourned the House till 1500 hours.

Earlier in the day, SP, BSP and RJD members on Monday strongly opposed the Women's Reservation Bill in the Lok Sabha, with one of them even trying to climb the Speaker's podium, leading to adjournment of the House for the second time till 2pm. The Rajya Sabha was also adjourned after huge protests.

The bill, created storm in the Lok Sabha soon after Speaker Meira Kumar welcomed a Croatian delegation and read out a reference on International Women's Day.

The moment Kumar called for Question Hour, SP, BSP and RJD members trooped into the Well demanding quotas for OBC, Dalit and Muslim women within the proposed law to reserve 33 per cent seats in Parliament and State assemblies for the fair sex.

The Speaker refused to adjourn the House and carried on with the Question Hour. SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav gestured his party members to move forward and himself marched to the Well from the side of the treasury benches. Dara Singh Chauhan (BSP) and Lalu Prasad and Umashanker Singh (both RJD) followed Yadav.

Mithilesh Kumar (SP) tried to climb the table placed in front of the Speaker prompting Leader of the House Pranab Mukherjee to request Yadav to control his members.

On the SP chief's directive, the members retreated a bit but stayed put in the Well and continued to raise slogans.

The Rajya Sabha was also adjourned after Samajwadi Party members demanded that question hour be suspended to discuss the Women's Reservation Bill. When the house assembled at 11am, Chairman Hamid Ansari read out a message on the international Women's Day saying that among others "women have to be included in the decision making process".

As soon as he finished, Kamal Akhtar and other SP members were on their feet demanding that the report of the National Commission for Religious and Linguistic Minorities headed by Justice (retd) Ranganath Misra be discussed.

Ansari ruled it out on the ground that no notice had been served for this. As a handful of SP members advanced to towards the chairman's podium, Ansari adjourned the House.

Govt to talk to allies on fuel price hike: Pranab

NEW DELHI: Finance minister Pranab Mukherjee on Wednesday said that the government would talk to its allies on the issue of fuel price hike but gave enough hints that a rollback would be difficult.

Party sources said that Mukherjee briefed the Congress MPs about the salient features of the budget in the backdrop of the demands for a rollback in fuel prices and explained why reduction in the excise duty on petroleum products was difficult.

The finance minister informed the Congress MPs about the challenges before the government in the current economic scenario.

Mukherjee is learnt to have told the MPs that since no new taxes have been imposed in the budget and the government is expecting a GDP of 8.5 percent from 7.2 per cent in the outgoing financial year, some steps were required to mop up revenues. This was more so as the government plans to invest heavily in the social sector schemes, the sources said.

He also gave a comparative chart of the fuel price hike done under the UPA and the NDA respectively in which he explained that the rise in prices of petroleum products was far less during the UPA rule as compared to that of the NDA.

Mukherjee also told the MPs that the minimum support price for foodgrains was doubled under the UPA as compared to that under the NDA.

Congress president Sonia Gandhi is expected to explain the party's position on the issue of rollback when she addresses a meeting of the Congress Parliamentary Party on Thursday.