NEWS IN BRIEF – DEC 12, 2011
1. UPA isolated as key oppn parties flock to Anna meet, BJP, Left, JDU,
SP Share Dais At Daylong Fast: New Delhi: Anti-corruption crusader
Anna Hazare made an impactful return to the “anshan- andolan” (fastingprotest)
arena on Sunday, drawing an enthusiastic and youthful crowd to
Jantar Mantar and rallying major non-Congress parties to his cause and
by his side. [TOI p1]
2. Parties use stage, grind own axe : New Delhi : The show of strength by
major political parties, including BJP and Left, was driven by the
recognition that activist Anna Hazare had struck a chord with the people
on the issue of corruption. But party leaders used the opportunity not just
to express solidarity with Hazare’s campaign, but also to
3. 8 parties on Anna stage, Cong feels heat : New Delhi : Despite
differences over the details of their positions, the presence of
representatives of eight political parties on Anna Hazare’s stage at Jantar
Mantar on Sunday is likely to push their pet political agendas. [TOI p2]
4. Team Anna’s new call : Make laws in streets : New Delhi : From the
beginning of the proceedings today, speakers from Team Anna appeared
to be pressing home one point above all: they had returned to Jantar
Mantar with an agenda larger than the (Jan) Lokpal. The Bill must be
passed this winter session, or else there would be a “jail bharo aandolan”,
said Anna.[IE p1]
5. t the Congress in a tight spot in Parliament on this issue as the total
strength of these parties adds up to 201 MPs in the Lok Sabha. Leaders of
BJP (115), SP (22), JD(U) (20), CPM (16), BJD (14), TDP (6), CPI (4) and
Akali Dal (4) shared the platform with Hazare.[IE p3]
6. Govt Likely to Relent on Anna Demands : New Delhi : The Opposition
has backed Anna Hazare’s demands for the inclusion of the prime
minister, lower bureaucracy and citizen’s charter within the ambit of the
Lokpal. However, it urged his team to exhibit flexibility and leave the nittygritty
of the law to Parliament, reports Our Political Bureau from New
Delhi. [ET p1]
7. Team Anna back to targeting Sibal : NEW DELHI: Team Anna
continued its diatribe against telecom minister Kapil Sibal, this time over
his moves to “censor“ content on Internet and limit the number of SMSes
during a day to control its “popular anti-corruption movement“.[HT p10]
8. How many of politicians with Anna use white money : Jammu :
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Sunday accused
the politicians who have joined Anna Hazare’s protest at Jantar Mantar in
Delhi of being hypocrites and claimed that many of them, if not all, receive
black money to fund their election campaigns.[IE p3]
9. Left and Right rally around Anna, want CBI free of govt : NEW
DELHI:Eight months after his fast at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar brought
corruption into national focus, social activist Anna Hazare returned to the
same venue on Sunday and shared the stage with senior opposition
leaders, who backed his key demands on the lokpal bill.[HT p1]
10. ‘Rahul behind U-turn on Bill’ : New Delhi: Team Anna members on
Sunday launched a scathing attack on the government and the Congress
Party. Anna himself led the charge, criticizing Prime Minister Manmohan
Singh. [TOI p2]
11. Jantar Mantar debate insult to House: Cong, Party Attacks Oppn For
Attending ‘Premature’ Meet: New Delhi: Even as major op position
parties turned up in support of Anna Hazare on Sunday, Congress
rejected the anti-graft campaigner’s one day fast for a strong Lokpal bill
terming the move “premature and an “insult to Parliament”. [TOI p9]
12. ‘No clause for presumptive loss in I-T Act’, Finmin Doubts CAG’s 2G
Report, Hopes To Use Move As Breather: New Delhi: The finance
ministry’s assertion that “presumptive loss” does not appear in any
statutory provision provides a key argument in favour of the Joint
Parliamentary Committee on telecom concluding that the Comptroller and
Auditor General Vinod Rai exceeded his brief in calculating a Rs 1.76 lakh
crore loss in the 2G spectrum scam. [TOI p8]
13. Firm India forces climate breakthrough at Durban, Principle Of Equity
Must In Future Talks: New Delhi: The Durban climate talks finally ended
more than 36 hours after the scheduled close on Sunday with the world
agreeing to a new global climate change regime that will come into effect
from 2020.[TOI p1]
14. Essar-Loop may be spared PCA charges :New Delhi : The Central
Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is likely to file on Monday its charge sheet
against Essar-Loop in connection with the 2G spectrum allocation scam.
The agency is not likely to invoke sections of Prevention of Corruption Act
(PCA) which will help the promoters and the directors of the two
companies to get bail unlike Unitech and Swan Telecom directors.
However, the CBI is likely to slap charges under IPC provisions against
Essar-Loop officials.[IE p4]
15. No deadline for revoking AFSPA in state says Omar : Jammu : Nearly
two months after saying the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA)
would go from parts of Jammu and Kashmir “within days“, chief minister
Omar Abdullah on Sunday said “no deadline“ had been fixed for revoking
the act.[HT p10]
16. RLD hopes to be key player in UP : NEW DELHI: After finalising
electoral tie-up with the Congress ahead of the next year’s Uttar Pradesh
Assembly elections, the Ajit Singh-led RLD is hopeful of becoming a key
player in the state politics. The RLD camp is awaiting the return of
President Pratibha Patil in the national capital to see Mr Singh taking oath
as a Union minister.[AA000 p2]
17. Tension high, TN leader attacked : Thiruvananthapuram : The Kerala-
Tamil Nadu border town of Kumily and surrounding areas in Idukki district
continued to be tense for the sixth consecutive day on Sunday after the
Mullaperiyar dam controversy boiled over to the streets as a fight between
the people of the two states.[IE p2]
18. BSY lobbies JD-S, Cong for CM Gowda : Hassan (Karnataka):Seeking
to ensure unanimous election of Karnataka chief minister Sadananda
Gowda in the December 22 Legislative Council byelection, his
predecessor B.S. Yeddyurappa on Sunday said he had requested leaders
of JD-S and Congress not to field their candidates in the poll.[AA p2]
19. Govt’s showpiece land bill to be delayed : NEW DELHI:A piece of
legislation that the Congress wants to highlight as party general secretary
Rahul Gandhi’s success in resolving the explosive land acquisition issue is
getting delayed over “contentious provisions“.[HT p13]
20. As going gets tough, Congress plans more meets : NEW DELHI: At a
time when the UPA government is facing consorted opposition attack and
perceived to be suffering from policy paralysis, the Congress party is
planning a heavy-duty orientation programme for its MPs to bolster its
defense.[HT p15]
21. Stage set for Sadananda Gowda’s election : Bangalore : Getting to
rest speculations about his desire to stage a comeback as the Karnataka
Chief Minister, tainted former CM BS Yeddyurappa today revealed that he
had spoken to opposition leaders including former Prime Minister and
Janata Dal (secular) supremo Deve Gowda, state Congress party chief G
Parameswar, CLP leader Siddharamaiah and Independent MLA B
Sreeramulu for unanimously choosing Chief Minister Sadananda Gowda
for the vacant seat in the legislative council.[The Tribune p2]
22. Sreeramulu to meet Gowda : BELLARY: Ahead of the crucial
Legislative Council election, newly-elected Independent MLA B.
Sreeramulu announced that he will meet JD(S) supremo H.D. Deve
Gowda in Bengaluru on Monday to hold discussions on the subject.[AA
p2]
23. Senior SP leader Rashid Masood to join Congress : Lucknow : In a
setback to Samajwadi Party ahead of the Uttar Pradesh Assembly
elections, its senior leader Rashid Masood announced his decision to
resign from the party and quit Rajya Sabha before joining Congress.[HT
p10]
24. Eye on UP polls, SP threatens to withdraw support to UPA govt :
New Delhi : Even as the Congress is making all efforts to strengthen its
position by joining hands with Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) chief Ajit Singh
ahead of the crucial Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections next year, it has
some reasons for discomfort as well. The Samajwadi Party (SP) is learnt
to have formally communicated its threat to withdraw support to the
UPA.[IE p7]
25. BJP to finalise candidates list for UP polls: New Delhi : New Delhi :
BJP’s Central Election Committee is expected to meet here on Tuesday to
finalise the list of candidates for next year’s Uttar Pradesh Assembly
elections. After a series of hectic parleys, State BJP’s core committee last
week suggested to central leadership a panel of probable candidates for
over 150 seats.[Pioneer Daily p5]
26. Kalyan Singh to go it alone in UP polls : Sultanpur : The Jankranti
Party headed by Kalyan Singh will go it alone in the upcoming Uttar
Pradesh Assembly elections with Ayodhya, price rise and corruption as its
main poll plank.[The Hindu p5]
27. JD(U) to Contest UP Elections in Alliance with BJP : NEW DELHI :
Setting at rest all speculation of going it alone in the forthcoming Uttar
Pradesh Assembly elections, JD(U) on Sunday said it had decided to
contest the polls in alliance with its NDA partner BJP.[ET p2]
28. Relief in sight for Gr Noida flat buyers as UP clears plan : Noida: In
what could cap the land row in Noida Extension and bring relief to
homebuyers, the housing department of the Uttar Pradesh government on
Sunday approved the Greater Noida Master Plan 2021.[TOI p1]
29. Rahul meets UP clerics on RTE, Leans Towards Keeping Madrassas
Out Of Education Law: Lucknow: A major sticking point between the
Centre and All India Muslim Personal Law Board seemed set for a
resolution with Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi leaning towards
keeping madrassas out of the Right to Education following a meeting with
the board president, Maulana Rabe Hasan Nadvi, here on Sunday.[TOI
p10]
30. BSP MP held for double murder : Lucknow: Mafia don-turned- Bahujan
Samaj Party MP Dhananjay Singh was arrested on Sunday in connection
with a double murder case that took place in his constituency Jaunpur in
2010. [TOI p8]
31. Govt wants additional land from DDA for industry: New Delhi: The
Delhi government has sought 2,800 acres of additional land from DDA to
facilitate setting up of new industries besides asking for certain changes in
land use in the Master Plan of Delhi-2021, to fuel industrial growth. [TOI
p5]
LEGAL/CRIME NEWS
32. CBI arrests 13 for Bharatpur communal violence: Jaipur : The CBI on
Sunday arrested 13 people in connection with communal riots in
Bharatpur that left 10 people dead in September. “Those arrested are
civilians from both Mev and Gujjar communities,“ according to a CBI
spokesperson.[HT p10]
33. Gujarat Bar to block transfer of judge : Chandigarh :Trouble is brewing
for Justice Mohinder Pal, who was transferred from the Punjab and
Haryana High Court to the Gujarat HC in October “in public interest”.[IE
p6]
