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Amrish Puri cremated

     Mumbai: The undisputed king of Bollywood's baddies, Amrish Puri, who died after a long illness, was on Thursday cremated here. Several Bollywood bigwigs and Puri's friends from the film world arrived at his residence to pay their last respects. "He was one of our top stars. Industry can never make such men again and again," said director Ramanand Sagar. "He had his unique personality, and he was famous because of hisunique self," said famous Bollywood screen villain Prem Chopra. Famous for his role as underworld don Mogambo in the 1989 movie "Mr India", Puri slipped into a coma after a blood clot in his brain. The man everyone loved to hate was one of the first Bollywood stars to successfully cross into Hollywood he played bad guy Mola Ram in Steven Speilberg's "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom". Puri shaved his head for the role and it created such an impression that he kept his head shaved thereafter. He became one of the most popular villains in Hindi cinema, usually playing the evil gang leader or unyielding father of the heroine, occasionally with a slick comic touch. Born on June 22, 1932, Puri did not make his film debut until he was almost 40 with the 1971 film "Reshma aur Shera", a Romeo and Juliet-style love story set in the deserts of Rajasthan. He made more than 200 other movies, but was rejected early in his career whenever he tried auditioning to play a hero.

J and K says Indus Water Treaty unfair (Go To Top)

     New Delhi: Jammu and Kashmir Planning and Development Minister Muzaffar Hussain Baig today said that it was the duty and responsibility of the Centre government to protect the interests of people in J and K while talking to Pakistan over the Baglihar Dam issue. Baig said this in an interview with ANI TV in the Capital where he had come to participate in the "Pravasi Bhartiya" programme. Baig said that Pakistan has all along been telling the world that it believed in protecting the Kashmiris' rights and interests, it should prove it by softening its stance over the Baglihar Dam so that power generation is increased in the state. "This is the only power project on which the Kashmiris bank their hopes of overcoming the problem of power shortage." Ruling out any role of the Kashmiris in the Indo-Pak talks over Baglihar, the minister said that these talks are held between the governments of two countries "so we don't see any role for ourselves, even though our state is directly affected." He added: "We believe that the Centre government will take care of our interests." Alleging that the Indus Water Treaty was "unfair" and that the Indian government signed it without taking Kashmiris into confidence, he said, "we are not demanding that the treaty should be repealed or changed.......we are simply saying that the Indian government keep our interests in mind wherever it holds parleys with the Pakistan government to resolve the issue."

Prime Minister's balancing act during Kolkata visit (Go To Top)
by Gautam Ghosh

     Kolkata: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has done a fine balancing act to placate both the CPI(M) and Trinamul Congress during his just-concluded two-day visit to the city to safeguard the Congress' political and economic agenda. Singh, who went out of the way to keep Trinamul Congress chairperson Mamata Banerjee in good humour by formally inviting her to return to the parent party and join his Cabinet, was also all praise for CPI(M) politburo member and chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee for "the initiative and boldness" he has shown to accelerate the reform process in Bengal. The Prime Minister's one-to-one meeting with the veteran Marxist and former chief minister, Jyoti Basu, was also a clever ploy to ensure the CPI(M)'s unwavered support to the UPA government headed by him. Singh's political mission has been largely successful, although the ruling Marxists here are still doubtful about any positive fallout of his economic agenda.

      Singh's description of Bhattacharjee as "the most dynamic chief minister in the country" was obviously an attempt to remove misgivings among the domestic and foreign investors about the CPI(M)'s policies and programmes. The Prime Minister showered lavish praise on Bhattacharjee shortly after he met Ms Banerjee at Raj Bhavan where he urged her to join his government to meet the CPI(M)'s challenge. The Trinamul Congress leader had led a party delegation to Singh to hand over funds raised for the tsunami victims. But as she began to make potshots at the ruling Marxists on law and order, health and educational issues, the veteran Congressman turned tables on her with an open invitation to join his Cahinet.

      Singh was well-aware of the fact that Ms Banerjee's current political compulsions would not allow her to accept his plea. Nevertheless he went ahead with his offer which eventually had the desired effect on the Trinamul Congress leader. Ms Banerjee remained non-committal about Singh's request after she came out of Raj Bhavan, but her beaming face indicated that she was not ruling out the possibility of her return to the Congress in the event of a future political realignment at the national level. She also knew that the Prime Minister's invitation to her to join the Cabinet had the sanction of Congress chairperson Sonia Gandhi with whom she has been maintaining a personal rapport.

     According to informed sources, Ms Banerjee may contemplate a return to the parent party only after she is convinced that the latter is in a position to follow its independent political agenda without caring for the CPI(M)'s support. Aware of the steady erosion in the BJP's support base in different states after the Lok Sabha polls, she intends to keep a close watch on the party's performance in the coming Assembly elections in Bihar and Jharkhand before redrawing her political strategy. There is also every possibility of Trinamul Congress entering into an informal seat-sharing deal with the Congress in the Calcutta Municipal Corporation polls scheduled for June.

     Political observers feel the Prime Minister's overtures to Ms Banerjee were a calculated move to keep pressure on the CPI(M) leaders not to cross "Lakshmanrekha" while criticising the UPA government's policies and performance. Basu reiterated his party's commitment to unconditionally support the Congress-led government during his tete-e-tete with Singh at his Salt Lake residence yesterday, thereby pouring cold water on the hardcore leaders' threats to revoke the support.

     The CPI(M) is apparently happy over the good conduct certificate given by the Prime Minister to the state government headed by Bhattacharjee. However, the party does not see eye-to-eye with Singh on some crucial economic issues. For instance, the Marxists do not feel there is any "unanimity" between them and the Congress as claimed by the Prime Minister at the CII-organised Partnership Summit. The state CPI(M) organ, "Ganashakti," also criticised Singh for quoting from Marx in a wrong context. The CPI(M) organ has made it clear that the party does not fully support the Prime Minister's contentions about foreign investment and collaboration.

      The state Congress has also been left high and dry after the Prime Minister's visit as he failed to give any definite direction to the party workers. The Congress workers' conference, addressed by Singh, was poorly attended and marked by infighting. Party MP from Berhampore Adhir Chowdhury launched a scathing attack on former PCC chief Somen Mitra and leader of the Congress legislature party Atish Sinha in the presence of senior leaders at the conference. The Congress supporters were also thoroughly disappointed at Singh's failure to criticise the ruling CPI(M). The Prime Minister's subsequent meeting with Ms Banerjee and his invitation to her to join the Cabinet has only added to the Congress workers' confusion.