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Advani wants Pak to do more to check infiltration
New Delhi, June 30 (ANI): Lal Krishna Advani, named deputy prime minister as part of a cabinet reshuffle, said on Sunday his appointment should end speculation about differences between him and Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee. Advani, who is hawkish on relations with Pakistan and a hardline advocate of Hindu revivalism, was appointed on Saturday as deputy prime minister. He will continue in his job as home minister. "Basically I think the PM has decided this in order to put an end to all the scanners about the differences between him and me," Advani said. Advani, 74, had long been the unofficial number two in the government. "Prima facie, I do not think there is any great change in work profile, though it would mean functioning with a sense of responsibility much greater than in the past" he added. The appointment also clearly designated him heir-apparent to the 77-year-old Vajpayee, whose office earlier this month issued a denial to a report that his health was failing. His appointment was announced ahead of a major reshuffle due on Monday meant to tone up the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the coalition government it heads. Vajpayee has long been expected to reshuffle his team after the state poll setbacks, which many party members blamed on Finance Minister Yashwant Sinha's economic policies that they said alienated the middle classes, the BJP's core constituency. But the reshuffle was delayed due to the military standoff with Pakistan, which eased only after Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf promised to stop militants crossing into Kashmir to join a revolt against Indian rule. "Pakistan has still to demonstrate its earnestness and sincerity about stopping cross border terrorism," Advani said. "What it has done till now is good so far as it goes because it has been done only under pressure of the international community but I think much more needs to be done to indicate that it is really interested in stopping cross border terrorism and the moves it has made are not just tactical concessions made to international pressure," he added. Close to a million men are mobilised at the border and India has said it would keep its army there until it was convinced Musharraf would deliver on his promise.(ANI) Mamata has "political dialogue" with PM, Thakur men on rampage
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to top New Delhi, June 28 (ANI): A day before a major cabinet reshuffle is scheduled, leader of a key regional ally of the ruling coalition met Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee at his residence on Sunday. Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Mamata Banerjee, leader of Trinamool Congress who is likely to be inducted into the cabinet, said she came for a "political" discussion with the Prime Minister. "I didn't come to discuss the portfolio, the Prime minister had asked me for a discussion. Since I respect him, I came, and yes, political discussion did take place," she said. Banerjee held railway ministry before she quit the ruling National Democratic Alliance only to join back after some time. Meanwhile, supporters of Health Minister C.P.Thakur went on the rampage in Patna after media reports said the minister was on his way out. Thakur's supporters ransacked offices of Vajpayee's Bharatiya Janata Party. Vajpayee, under pressure to revive his party's fortunes after a string of setbacks in state elections, is also sending some of his younger ministers back to work for the BJP to rejuvenate it ahead of national elections due by 2004. Among those are the 52-year-old rural development minister Venkaiah Naidu who will take over as party president from the 72- year-old Jana Krishnamurthy. Law Minister Arun Jaitley also said he was stepping down from the government to work for the BJP. According to a senior party source Vajpayee was also expected to swap Finance Minister Yashwant Sinha with External Affairs Minister Jaswant Singh. Singh is seen as more effective than Sinha and analysts said the expected swap underscored a new focus on domestic economic reforms after an easing in a military standoff with nuclear-armed rival Pakistan over disputed Kashmir. Vajpayee has long been expected to reshuffle his team after the state poll setbacks, which many party members blamed on Sinha's economic policies that they said alienated the middle classes, the BJP's core constituency. But the reshuffle was delayed due to the military standoff with Pakistan, which eased only after Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf promised to stop militants crossing into Kashmir to join a revolt against Indian rule. Close to a million men are mobilised at the border and India has said it would keep its army there until it was convinced Musharraf would deliver on his promise.(ANI)
Ajai Raj Sharma new BSF chief Go to top New Delhi, June 30 (ANI): Fifty-seven-year-old Ajai Raj Sharma took over as director general of Border Security Force (BSF) on Sunday. Sharma was police commissioner of Delhi before he was shifted to the paramilitary force. Sharma succeeded Gurbachan Jagat who passed on the baton at a ceremony in New Delhi. "It's a matter of great privilege for me to lead one of the world's biggest paramilitary forces that is the Border Security Force and it's an equal privilege for me to succeed my friend and batchmate Mr Gurbachan Jagat who's had a glorious career, a glorious innings, both in J-K and here in BSF," Sharma told reporters after taking charge. Sharma belongs to the 1966 batch of the Indian Police Service. Among his major achievements when he was chief of Delhi police was the busting of cricket betting scandal in 2000 involving Hansie Cronje, who early this year died in an air crash.(ANI)
Vajpayee holds another round on cabinet reshuffle
Go to top New Delhi, June 30 (ANI): Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee on Sunday held another round of discussions with some of his senior ministers for cabinet reshuffle and expansion. He also conferred with Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee, who is expected to be given an important portfolio. The meeting lasted about 40 minutes. Later, Mamata told reporters that she had "political discussions" with the prime minister but refused to divulge the details. A few minutes later began a marathon meeting which was attended by Deputy Prime Minister L.K. Advani, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pramod Mahajan, External Affairs Minister Jaswant Singh and Defence Minister George Fernandes. The meeting which lasted 90 minutes was reportedly held to finalise the reshuffle. Meanwhile, reliable sources said another round of discussions was slated for late in the evening. They said that two PMK leaders - NT Shanmugham and AK Murthy - might be inducted into the cabinet, while around five ministers, including Maneka Gandhi and CP Thakur, may be dropped. The fate of Urban Development Minister Ananth Kumar too appeared uncertain as plans were afoot to move him to the party organisation. (ANI)
Orissa Buddhist ruins being renovated to attract tourists Go to top Bhubaneswar, June 30 (ANI): Tourism Minister Jagmohan on Saturday visited the 2,200-year old ruins of a Buddhist site in Orissa. The 3rd century BC ruins at Ratnagiri, Udayagiri, Lalitgiri, located on three hills of the Assia range about 90 kilometers northeast of state capital Bhubaneswar, are regarded as the earliest Buddhist monastic complex. Chinese traveller Hiuen T'sang found it to be the seat of a flourishing Buddhist university called Puspagiri. The Buddhist Stupa or pillar at Lalitgiri and extensive ruins of brick Pagodas, sculptured stone portals and esoteric Buddhist images at this site are now being renovated and restored by the Archaeological Survey of India. Spelling out a programme to develop the complex as a major tourist site, Jagmohan said: "We have worked out a scheme and our broad view will be to keep the monuments in all absolute glory. And then around it at a distance of at least about a kilometre there should be no structure around it and we will only landscape that area. And at the point where there is some sort of a structure of Yatri Niwas (guest houses run by the Tourism Department), all human activity will be concentrated at that point.. where some sort of tourist cottages will be built." The rock edicts, pillars and Stupas at the complex are believed to have been built soon after the bloody Kalinga War of 261 BC by Emperor Ashoka who later converted to Buddhism.(ANI) |