PM vows to protect tiger from poachers

     Ranthambore (Rajasthan): After a stock-taking of the endangered tigers at its homeland, Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh vowed to protect the national animal from poachers. Dr. Singh, who was able to see a tiger in the wild said development has to be balanced "without putting undue pressure on forests." "I think this is the challenge which we have to tackle," Singh told a news conference at the end of his two-day visit to the sanctuary. "We have a problem at hand and if we don't tackle it effectively, I think we would be doing an irretrievable damage to our heritage," he added. Although there have been no conclusive reports of a fall in tiger numbers in Ranthambhore, one non-government group said in February that at least 18 of the 47 tigers there could have disappeared in the past year. Earlier this month, the environment ministry said poachers had killed at least 114 tigers between 1999 and 2003 and another 59 tigers had died of natural causes during that period. A century ago, there were some 40,000 tigers in India. Now, officials estimate there are about 3,700 although some environment groups put the number at less than 2,000. The Prime Minister, who was on a "learning mission" on the dwindling tiger population described the situation as "problematic" and emphasised on the need for improvement in national parks management in the country. Dr. Manmohan Singh also held detailed discussions with wildlife officials and experts from across the country during his stay at the sanctury. At dawn today, he, his wife Gursharan Kaur and dozens of security guards and officials left to tour the sanctuary in a motorcade of 15 open jeeps. During the two-and-a-half-hour visit, Dr. Singh was lucky to spot a tigress named "Lady of the Lake". Singh is the most high-profile visitor to Ranthambhore since then-U.S. president Bill Clinton made a trip in 2000 and sighted a tiger he later named "Boomerang" -- now believed to be dead due to old age. While tiger sightings in most Indian sanctuaries are extremely rare, VIP visitors are never disappointed as forest officials ensure a glimpse of the big cat by luring them with prey.

Nitish Kumar will continue to be our CM candidate: NDA (Go To Top)

     New Delhi: The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) on Tuesday declared that JD(U) leader Nitish Kumar would continue to be its Chief Ministerial candidate in the next assembly elections in Bihar even as it had not given up plans to move court to challenge dissolution of the state assembly. "Nitish Kumar will be our Chief Ministerial candidate," BJP President L K Advani said at a press conference called to release report card on UPA government's one year in office. Replying to another question, Advani said moves are afoot to approach court against the way the assembly was dissolved when government formation was on cards. "An opposition government was about to come to power and therefore deliberately without giving any opportunity to any party to try proving majority, the assembly was dissolved", he said attacking the decision taken by the Centre. Singling out Railway Minister Lalu Prasad for attack, especially on the issue of his demand for removal of two Election Commissioners, Advani said if any such thing would have been said by any minister in the NDA regime, he would have been out the next day.

EC meets on fresh polls in Bihar (Go To Top)

     New Delhi: Armed with Centre's communication on dissolution of Bihar Assembly, the Election Commission has started preliminary assessment of the situation in Bihar before announcing the schedule for fresh elections in the state. Commission sources told ANI that it will discuss the government's request to hold fresh elections within the next six months after the President dissolved the State Assembly. The EC will make a preliminary assessment of the security measures, school schedules and weather situation before taking a decision on poll schedule. Meanwhile the BJP-led NDA has launched an all-out offensive against the Congress-led UPA government, with the party releasing its "report card" of one year of Dr. Manmohan Singh government and hitting the streets on the dissolution of Bihar Assembly. The opposition alliance expects that the "murder of democracy" in Bihar would bolster their campaign against the UPA government in the coming elections. Lashing out at the Centre for the dissolution, former Prime Minsiter Atal Behari Vajpayee yesterday called for early elections to take on those "who have tried to throttle democracy". The NDA is also looking for legal options to challenge the dissolution, though legal opinion is divided on the issue.

Internal security, economy in peril under UPA: NDA (Go To Top)

     New Delhi: The BJP-led NDA today released its report card on the Congress-led UPA government's performance saying that it was carrying on the Nehru-Gandhi dynastic rule in which country's internal security was in peril and the economy was in a bad shape. NDA chairman and former prime minister Atal Behari Vajpayee released the report card in the presence of NDA partners, including JD-U president George Fernandes. The Opposition was earlier slated to release the report card on May 22 when the UPA government completed its first year in office, but delayed it without citing any reason. Yesterday, when it called a press meet it was expected that it might release the report card, but the NDA preferred focusing its observations on the developments in Bihar and put the report card sideways. Speaking on the occasion, BJP president LK Advani said that during the past one year UPA's rule the Congress carried on its dynastic hegemony while launching witch hunt against those who belonged in the Opposition parties. Describing Manmohan Singh's government as "misrule", Advani said that it committed several blunders on the foreign policy front. Coming down heavily on Bihar Governor's recommendation for re- poll in the state, Fernandes alleged that the Governor falsely claimed that political parties were indulging in horse-trading of MLAs to form the next government in the state. Sarcastically calling Buta Singh as "Jhoota Singh" (a liar), Fernandes, said: "If there was any horse trading of MLAs in Bihar, the Governor should have given the details in his report submitted to the Centre as to who were involved in the act."

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