Day: July 1, 2012

Bangalore, June 30 (ANI): In an endeavor to bring an end to the ongoing political turmoil in Karnataka and to find a way forward, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has requested all the ministers to withdraw their resignations.
“We have requested them to take back their resignations. I hope they will do,” BJP national general secretary in-charge for Karnataka, Dharmendra Pradhan, told the media here.
Pradhan further expressed the hope that the ongoing problem will be solved positively. He said that after listening to the dissidents he will go back to Delhi to brief the BJP Parliamentary Board and the High Command who will take a decision.
Karnataka BJP strongman B.S. Yeddyurappa’s loyalists today hit out at Chief Minister D.V. Sadananda Gowda, and charged him of running the administration on the diktat of the Janata Dal Secular and not taking his Cabinet colleagues into confidence.
The nine Karnataka Ministers, who tendered their resignations on Friday, ruled out any compromise and reiterated their demand that Jagadish Shettar should be appointed as chief minister of the state with immediate effect.
C M Udasi, who held the PWD Ministry portfolio prior to his resignation, said: “The Chief Minister is mostly running the administration on the diktat of JDS (of former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda) whether it’s issue of development, constituencies and Ministers portfolios.”
He further reiterated that there is a trust deficit and bonding between the Ministers and the Chief Minister and their relations had strained in the last three-four months.
“I can give many examples,” he said.
Udasi recalled that in March this year, Sadananda Gowda had written to BJP President Nitin Gadkari and complained against six ministers.
“The way he (Sadananda Gowda) conducted himself, it’s clear that he does not have confidence in us. We also have trust deficit in him,” he said.
Sadananda Gowda earlier today said that he has been assured by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leadership that the ongoing political turmoil in the state will be resolved smoothly.
Gowda, who met Karnataka Governor H.R. Bharadwaj at the Raj Bhavan here today, discussed the fresh crisis in his government.
“I also discussed with him the present political scenario, wherein I received nine resignations from my Cabinet colleagues. And yesterday night, I had a detailed discussion with the party president and our state in-charge Dharmendra Pradhan. They have expressed that everything will be resolved smoothly,” he said.

Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/bjp-hopes-to-solve-karnataka-political-crisis-mlas-adamant/

Mumbai, June 30 (ANI): Former Maharashtra Chief Minister Ashok Chavan on Saturday appeared before the two member judicial commission probing the Adarsh Housing Society scam in Mumbai.
Chavan, who had to step down as Chief Minister soon after the alleged scam surfaced in November 2010, is one of the 14 accused in the case by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
The CBI, which is probing various irregularities and violation of rules in the construction of the Adarsh Housing Society in South Mumbai, has in its FIR
alleged that Chavan as revenue minister of Maharashtra between 1999 and 2003 had given his consent to the inclusion of civilians in the Adarsh Society which was meant for defense personnel.
Former Maharashtra Chief Ministers Vilasrao Deshmukh and Sushilkumar Shinde had earlier appeared before the commission.
The 31-storey Adarsh Housing Society, claimed to be meant for Kargil war heroes, landed in controversy after media reports said that several politicians, bureaucrats and defence personnel owned flats there.

Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/adarsh-scam-ashok-chavan-appears-before-judicial-commission/

Guwahati, July 1 NNN : The Paresh Barua faction of United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA) will stand oppose to the visit of Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh and UPA chief Sonia Gandhi to Assam on Monday to take the first hand knowledge of flood situation.
However, the anti-talk faction of ULFA will not call bandh this time taking the immense hardship faced by the flood affected people.
It is still unclear what mode of protest the ULFA may carry out if it is not going to be a shutdown.
It can be noted that 22 of Assam’s 27 districts have been under flood. However, the Prime Minister and the UPA chairman will only visit the two worst affected districts, i.e.Tinsukia and Sonitpur.
“As always, we oppose the visit of the rulers of colonial India,” ULFA publicity secretary Arunodoy Dohotia said in an emailed statement. “But we have decided not to enforce a shutdown owing to the critical situation arising out of the devastating floods.”
The worst since 1998, the floods across Assam have claimed 61 lives in the second wave from mid-June.
The Assam government has opened 768 relief camps for thousands of flood affected people. Army and National Disaster Relief Force personnel have since June 27 rescued more than 8,000 marooned people.
In some areas of Tinsukia and Sonitpur districts, the flood-affected people had to be airlifted.
The floods have also been cruel to the 860 sq km Kaziranga National Park with more than 50 animals including four rhinos having either drowned in the submerged park or run over by vehicles while trying to cross over to higher grounds beyond an adjacent highway.

Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/ulfa-opposes-pms-visit/