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EC notice to RJD over Gujarat riot CD

     New Delhi/Patna: The Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) president Lalu Prasad appears to be in trouble ahead of the second round of polls in Bihar with Election Commission on Saturday serving a notice on his party over the screening of CDs allegedly showing the post-Godhra riots in Gujarat and postponing polls in three seats in view of "inadequate" security arrangements. Bihar Chief Electoral Officer K C Saha issued a notice to RJD state President Abdul Bari Siddiqui seeking to know the "factual position", by this evening about the use of the CDs in Purnea and Kishanganj districts. "RJD has been asked by Saha to explain the position as to whether the CDs are being shown for electoral publicity as also if the party has taken prior permission from the Commission for it," Deputy Chief Electoral Officer S H Mintoo said here. Citing "inadequate" security and law and order arrangements, the Commission postponed till February 18 the polls in Bahera, Ghanshyampur and Jale seats in Darbhanga district, where elections were originally scheduled in the second phase on February 15. EC sources said in Delhi said that the step was taken as there was need to strengthen the law and order arrangements to instil confidence among electorate and also ensure free and fair polls there. Reacting to EC's notice on the CD issue, Prasad distanced his party from it saying "RJD has nothing to do with such CDs and the Election Commission is free to get the matter inquired into. We sent CDs containing qawalis for canvassing support after the permission of the Commission".

Sonia attacks RJD without naming it (Go To Top)

     Katihar (Bihar): Congress chief Sonia Gandhi today attacked the RJD regime vociferously and put the blame of "backwardness and tardy development" in Bihar on the ruling party. Sonia said that the top priority of her party in the state would be to improve law and order and accelerate the pace of development in the event of coming to power in the state. "There is a pressing need for accelerating the pace of development in Bihar and we are concerned about the prevailing situation in the state," said she, while addressing an election rally in Katihar. However, she didn't take the name of the ruling party and continued her tirade against the problem of law and order and development in the state. "In the event of coming to power, Congress will strive for improving the law and order as also in all other fields of life," Gandhi said.

Orissa labourers released by Maoists (Go To Top)

     Sambalpur (Orissa): The CPI (Maoist) extremists released all the fourteen abducted labourers on Friday night, who were kidnapped from Phulkusum and Podanala villages under Kisinda police station on February 9. Susanta Kumar Nath, the Superintendent of Police, Sambalpur said that the ultras freed the labourers, engaged in the construction of a road in the area under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojna, into a forest near the villages where the labourers were staying in camps. According to Susanta, police had mounted an intense pressure on Maoists and the combing operation by Orissa State Armed Police (OSAP) and Greyhound personnel was continuing in the forests. About 50 ultras, some of them masked and carrying weapons, had raided two labour camps in Phulkusum and Podanala villages in Rairakhol sub-division of Sambalpur district and burnt down an excavator and a dumper before leaving the place. They had taken 19 labourers forcibly to accompany them into the deep jungle, out of which five were later released.