9 Newz:

One year of Maa Mati Manush in Bengal

jennie — Thu, 17 May 2012 08:02:53 +0000

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee completes a year in office on May 20 saddled with a debt burden of over Rs two lakh crore, a not too happy relationship with ally Congress and criticism on handling of some issues.

Speaking about the achievements of her government, Banerjee told a news agency: “We have been working with devotion, dedication, accountability and transparency. Whatever I do I take it as a challenge.”

Banerjee, who coined the ‘Ma, Mati Manush’ (mother, land, people) to oust the Marxists from the state, said. “I want my partymen to emulate my example.”

The first task that Banerjee had to grapple with was the inheritance of a debt of more than Rs two lakh crore from the erstwhile Left Front government which her Trinamool Congress routed after over three decades.

One year of ‘Maa Mati Manush’ in Bengal
Banerjee has sought to set the situation right by demanding from the Centre a three-year moratorium on the Central loan interest payment and debt restructuring.

To this end, she has held several rounds of meetings with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee.

It is not, however, clear what the Centre will do on her financial demand.

Banerjee, however, did not make her alliance partner Congress happy by steadfastly opposing FDI in retail, the pension bill, hike in petrol prices, her reservations on the Teesta water treaty and more recently the NCTC.

One year of ‘Maa Mati Manush’ in Bengal
Within two months after taking office on May 20, Banerjee was able to broker the tripartite Gorkhaland Territorial Administration Agreement which was signed on July 18 at Darjeeling.

The GTA, which replaced the Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council formed in 1988, offered maximum possible autonomy to the hills under the central and state laws and Banerjee promised a package for the hills to push it on the road of development.

The high point in a year’s rule was Time Magazine bracketing her with among others, US President Barack Obama and US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who also personally met her recently and expressed interest about US investments in the state.

The other highpoint in the early days of Trinamool Congress rule was tackling the Maoist problem in junglemahal comprising West Midnapore, Bankura and Purulia.

Top Maoist leader Kishenji was killed on November 24 last year, while dreaded women leaders Jagori Baskey and Suchitra Mahato surrendered to the chief minister.

Her government, however, faced severe criticism on several fronts, including a controversial government order on newspapers that government-run libraries were allowed to keep and more recently the arrest of a professor for forwarding a cartoon by email and the arrest of a scientist for taking part in an anti-eviction drive, besides her remarks on the Park Street rape case.

“I never boasted of solving all the problems in one year. But I dislike the motivated campaign of lies,” the chief minister said in her defence.

Banerjee has also had to battle to attract investment, though remaining inflexible about land and anti-SEZ policies while making it clear that her government was not going to give SEZ status to Infosys.

Jnanpith award-winning writer Mahasweta Devi, who supported Banerjee during her days of agitation, however. said, “If the new government has performed so well in the first year, it is the people who will judge whether there has been a real change in their lives.”

Industrialists were more charitable towards the new government.

Harsh Neotia, chairman of the Ambuja Realty Group said “The government has shown urgency and energy to push for peace in junglemahal and Darjeeling. This will create a positive climate for development”.

He also said it was positive that the new government has made certain laws to hold land in excess of ceiling limit for approved industrial projects.

Sanjiv Goenka, the chairman of the RP-Sanjiv Goenka Group said “It is a good year. We are committed to invest in the state.”

Asked whether the state government’s land policy would be a hindrance for investment, he told a news agency from the US, “You cannot see one specific thing that way. You have to see the whole package. I will invest in West Bengal.”

While conceding that a year was too little to judge the new government, WBPCC president Pradip Bhattacherjee said, “The high hopes and expectation that were aroused after the political change effected last year has started evaporating. The Congress as an alliance partner is not being given sufficient importance. We don’t feel that we are working as an ally.”

Veteran Left Front and former PWD minister Kshiti Goswami leader belonging to the RSP said “Mamata Banerjee has the intention to do something good for the state. She has the passion, she has the commitment.

“People generally love her and still regard her as the girl next door though she has incurred their anger on certain issues. We (The Left Front) have lost the confidence of the people and we have a long way to go before we come back,” he said.

LeT planning to attack Wagah Border

jennie — Thu, 17 May 2012 07:57:24 +0000

India and Pakistan have tightened security on both sides of the Wagah International Border in view of intelligence warning about a possible terror attack on the key trading post between the two nations.

The development comes in view of an alert issued by the Pakistan security agencies that militant outfits including Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) could target the trading post. Consequently, more Pakistan Rangers have been deployed at the post with India also deploying an additional battalion of the Border Security Force (BSF).

LeT planning to attack Wagah Border?
The warning from the Pakistan intelligence agencies comes at a time when both sides are trying hard to reduce the trust deficit and normalize bilateral ties that were hit badly after the terror attacks in Mumbai.

In past, several Pakistan-based terrorist outfits have carried out attacks to derail peace efforts being taken by the both the countries. Pakistan has issued similar terror alerts in past also fearing an attack from the Teherek-e-Taliban Pakistan, which did not materialise.

LeT planning to attack Wagah Border?
New Delhi has recently allowed Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) from Pakistan and is considering opening up more trading points. It has also offered to supply Pakistan fuel and Liquefied Petroluem Gas (LPG) to help it deal with its energy crisis. Also, in a first in many decades, India recently exported bananas and newsprint to Pakistan this month.

MCA lodges police complaint against SRK bans him for life

jennie — Thu, 17 May 2012 07:27:03 +0000

The Mumbai Cricket Association officials have lodged a police complaint against Kolkata Knight Riders IPL franchise team co-owner Shah Rukh Khan for his alleged misbehaviour last night at the Wankhede Stadium and decided to ban him for life from entering the premises.

“We have lodged a complaint against him at the Marine Drive Police station (for his alleged misbehaviour against MCA officials),” informed MCA secretary Nitin Dalal.

The Bollywood star had an altercation with the security and officials of the association after the Knight Riders had swamped Mumbai Indians, according to MCA treasurer Ravi Savant.

“He misbehaved and abused the MCA security personnel as well as MCA officials, including our president Vilasrao Deshmukh, after the IPL match (between KKR and Mumbai Indians). We have decided to ban him for life from entering the stadium in future,” said Savant, who alleged that the actor was in a totally inebriated state.

Giving the background to what happened after the KKR`s 32-run rout of MI in the last IPL game of the season at the Wankhede stadium, Savant said that Shah Rukh and his posse of bodyguards had gone up to the teams` dressing room and then come down and started to step on to the ground.

“The MCA security personnel told them they cannot do so as the match was over which led to Shah Rukh abusing them as well as the MCA officials. There was manhandling too by his people. We have decided to ban him from all future matches at the stadium. We are also going to lodge a police complaint against him,” said Savant.

Savant also said that one of the members of the MCA`s managing committee who is also a top police official, Iqbal Sheikh, tried to intervene and pacify the actor but could not do so as he was in no mood to listen to anyone.

Asked whether MCA would lodge a complaint with the BCCI over one of the IPL team`s owner`s behaviour, Savant said all the altercation had taken place in the presence of IPL CEO Sundar Raman and BCCI`s media manager Devendra Prabhudesai.

“Of course we will lodge a complaint with the BCCI also,” said Savant.

Dalal said the MCA is scheduled to have a managing committee meeting next week and would discuss the scandal.

The controversy vis-a-vis Shah Rukh has come a few days after the cash-rich T20 league was rocked by a sting carried out by a private TV channel in which five players were caught allegedly in trying to indulge in corrupt practices.

Jayasurya Anandi to dance in Jhalak Dikkhla Jaa

jennie — Wed, 16 May 2012 07:35:05 +0000

We know that popular dance reality show ‘Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa’ has changed address by shifting from Sony to Colours. We also know that Madhuri Dixit has been retained as one of the celebrity judges along with Remo D’Souza and that filmmaker Karan Johar would be making the third celebrity judge in the show.

What we don’t know are 12 celebrities who will be participating on the show as contestants. According to a leading tabloid, while the list has been kept a secret, some of the names of probable participants have been revealed.

From a well known cricketer to a popular bahu to a dancer to a ghazal singer; all have been approached for the show.

Sources close to the show have revealed that cricketer Sanath Jayasurya, actress Pratyusha Banerjee, Isha Sharwani, singer Talat Aziz, stand up comedian Bharti have been approached by the channel for this season.

Bhojpuri star Ravi Kisen’s name is also doing the rounds.

While no confirmation has come from either the channel or the celebrities, it would be interesting to see Jayasuriya do a tango on the dance floor, and Pratyusha Bannerjee who is best known for her role as Anandi in ‘Balika Vadhu’ don a different avatar for the show.

US sanctions Dawood Ibrahim s two top aides

jennie — Wed, 16 May 2012 07:23:33 +0000

The United States on Tuesday designated underworld don Dawood Ibrahim’s two close aides as key drug traffickers and placed sanctions on them aimed at constricting their access to business and financial networks.

The Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control designated Chhota Shakeel and Ibrahim ‘Tiger’ Memon as Specially Designated Narcotics Traffickers for their roles as part of ‘D Company’, a criminal group run by Dawood.

It said Mumbai-born 57-year-old Chhota Shakeel is Dawood’s lieutenant who coordinates for D Company with “other organized crime and terror groups.”

The department said Memon, 52, is a trusted lieutenant of Dawood and controls D Company’s businesses across South Asia and is also wanted by India for his involvement in the 1993 Mumbai bombings that killed more than 250 people.

“Treasury continues to target the nexus of crime and terrorism in South Asia with today’s action against one of the world’s most notorious criminal organizations,” said OFAC Director Adam Szubin.

US sanctions Dawood Ibrahim`s two top aides
Interpol has issued provisional arrest warrants or “red notices” for both Shakeel and Memon.

Dawood was named as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist in October 2003, and in June 2006, he was named as a drug trafficker.

Also in June 2006, the Dawood group was named as a Significant Foreign Narcotics Trafficker.

US sanctions Dawood Ibrahim`s two top aides
Drug trafficking activities of D Company include the smuggling of heroin and hashish from Afghanistan and Thailand to the United States, Western Europe, the Middle East, Latin America, and Africa, the department said.

As a result of today’s action, US persons are prohibited from conducting financial or commercial transactions with Chhota Shakeel and Memon, and any assets they may have under US jurisdiction are frozen.

Chishty apologises for ridiculing Indian judiciary

jennie — Wed, 16 May 2012 07:16:08 +0000

Pakistani national Dr SM Khalil Chishty, who was released on bail by the Supreme Court and subsequently returned home late Tuesday after spending nearly 20 years in jail in Ajmer, has apologised for his remarks on judiciary.

Chishty had, during an interview with a Hindi news channel last week, ridiculed the Indian judiciary.

Chishty was shown saying the Indian judiciary was full of ganwars (ill-informed) and uneducated people, that leads to delay in disposal of cases. He had specially attacked the lower judiciary which, he alleged, failed to decide his case for 20 years.

Chishty apologises for ridiculing Indian judiciary
However, after arriving in Pakistan the microbiologist said, “I wish to clarify that I did not mean to be disrespectful to the Indian judiciary, I am a law abiding man with utmost respect for judiciary. If my remarks hurt anyone please accept my deepest apology.”

Chisty also said that he will return to India as ordered by the Supreme Court.

“I am grateful to the Indian Supreme Court for allowing me to return home for five months and for expediting the special leave petition which is scheduled for hearing on 20th of November 2012.

Chishty apologises for ridiculing Indian judiciary
“I look forward to returning as ordered by the Supreme Court of India and having my name exonerated,” 82-year-old Chisty said in an open letter.

Chisty is facing life sentence in a murder case. He was on May 10 permitted by the Supreme Court to visit Pakistan for a temporary stay.

As per the apex court’s direction, Chisty will have to deposit his passport at the Indian High Commission in Pakistan and return to India by November 1.

Chisty came to Ajmer in 1992 to visit his ailing mother. However, he allegedly got himself involved in a brawl in which one of his relatives was killed.

The apex court granted him bail on April 9 and since then he was living with his brother’s family in Dargah area in Ajmer.

Meanwhile, as per reports Ajmer lawyer Devendra Singh Chauhan has filed a petition in a fast track court accusing Chishty of scandalizing the Indian judiciary. The court will hear the petition on May 28.

After elephants Maya s Noida park under scanner

jennie — Wed, 16 May 2012 07:06:07 +0000

Fresh trouble is brewing for former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Mayawati. Reports said on Wednesday that the Samajwadi Party government in the state had ordered a probe against the construction of Dalit Prerna Sthal (BSP memorial park) at Noida.

As per reports, the investigation would focus on Rs 54 crore loss due to green violations during the construction.

It may be noted that the park was constructed on a green belt and is adjacent to Okhla Bird Sanctuary.

After elephants, Maya’s Noida park under scanner
On Tuesday, Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav had claimed that an alleged financial fraud to the tune of Rs 40,000 crore could emerge in installation of statues of elephants and also stone memorials by the previous Mayawati government in the state.

Akhilesh made the claim a day after a search was carried out on Monday by police at the office of Rajkiya Nirman Nigam (RNN) in Gomti Nagar for alleged irregularities in erection of statues of elephants at parks in Lucknow and Noida.

The Samajwadi leader had called it a “huge scam”.

After elephants, Maya’s Noida park under scanner
On being asked about the alleged Rs 5,000 crore scam in installation of statues and stones, Akhilesh said media persons should not scale down the magnitude of the scam.

“We have said during election time that large scale scam has been committed. An account of Rs 40,000 crore would emerge and the government would take out the account,” he said.

He said that when the cost is worked out, cost of land is not taken into account. “You will not add the cost of the building which was constructed and later demolished…Wastage into construction of boundary wall again and again is not taken into account,” he said.

“The palm trees which are being talked about… If you take information a number of trees are lying in Jiyamau and large number have been buried in ponds,” he alleged.

“As of now a few elephants have been recovered…If further investigation is done then the number of statues will be much higher. I congratulated police that they investigated the matter,” he added.

Permit denied for Lady Gaga s Indonesia show

jennie — Wed, 16 May 2012 06:41:46 +0000

Pop star Lady Gaga may have to cancel a concert in the Indonesian capital after police declined to give a permit for the show amid protests from Islamic groups.

Islamic organisations have said the 26-year-old singer`s style puts the Muslim country`s morality at risk.

Protesters say they have a particular dislike of what they termed a provocative manner of dress and dance by Lady Gaga that should be considered un-Islamic.

“There is fear of the concert`s consequences, especially from her sexy way of dressing,” an unnamed police official told the al-Arabiya news channel.

The June 3 leg of the “Born This Way Ball” tour sold out in around two hours when tickets went on sale in March.

Cholil Ridwan, chairman of the Indonesian Council of Ulema — the country`s highest Islamic authority on morality — said he had never watched the singer perform and only heard of her “reputation” second-hand, but that the concert intended to destroy Indonesia`s morality.

I will strip for Shah Rukh Khan says Poonam Pandey

jennie — Wed, 16 May 2012 06:27:36 +0000

The relationship between Poonam Pandey and cricket goes a long way. The hottie shot to limelight more because of the game than any other ‘enviable quality’ of hers. And if her latest statement is anything to go by, it clearly appears that the leggy beauty still misses no opportunity to cash in on the popularity of the sport.

This time round, strip queen Poonam Pandey has said that she is a big fan of Shah Rukh Khan and can strip for his IPL team, if SRK asks her to.

Even though Shah Rukh Khan’s IPL team Kolkata Knight Riders have consistently been playing good cricket at the ongoing IPL, the team lost two consecutive matches recently. Being a fan of SRK, Poonam has proposed to lend her services to team KKR, to ‘motivate’ the players.

Talking to a TV channel she said that if Shah Rukh asks her to strip she will definitely do it for him and for his team. She also said that if her stripping will help Shah Rukh’s team in winning cricket match then there is no harm in doing so.

Well, it remains to be seen what SRK has to say about Poonam’s offer.

Nargis has a new man in her life and it s not Shahid

jennie — Tue, 15 May 2012 08:01:22 +0000

Even though Nargis Fakhri is just one-film old, she has been in the news for her link ups since the beginning of her career.

After being linked to Ranbir Kapoor and Shahid Kapoor, news has it that the pretty lady is dating model- turned- actor Shayan Munshi.

According to a DNA report, the couple walked in hand in hand at a suburban eatery recently and was seen cosying up at their table.

“They came in hand-in-hand and looked extremely comfortable. While nibbling their food in a corner at the restaurant, they got too cozy for comfort even for those present in the restaurant,” a source told the daily. The couple were there for breakfast.

“It was evident from their body language that there’s more to their friendship. One hasn’t really seen Shayan cosying up with any one else publicly ever since his split with wife, Piya Rai Choudhary,” added the source.

Nargis had earlier denied dating Ranbir and Shahid. We wonder if she is going to take the same stance this time too or will she accept that Shayan is the new man in her life?

9 Newz:

One year of Maa Mati Manush in Bengal

Related News

LeT planning to attack Wagah Border

Related News

MCA lodges police complaint against SRK bans him for life

Related News

Jayasurya Anandi to dance in Jhalak Dikkhla Jaa

Related News

US sanctions Dawood Ibrahim s two top aides

Related News

Chishty apologises for ridiculing Indian judiciary

Related News

After elephants Maya s Noida park under scanner

Related News

Permit denied for Lady Gaga s Indonesia show

Related News

I will strip for Shah Rukh Khan says Poonam Pandey

Related News

Nargis has a new man in her life and it s not Shahid

Related News