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Left, allies will jointly decide: Karat

Hindu - ‎17 hours ago‎

This was stated here on Friday by Communist Party of India (Marxist) general secretary Prakash Karat. "We will not abandon our friends. ...

Karat slams door on Cong, opens window for JD(U) Economic Times

Somnath dismisses Karat's 'pro-Congress' charge Times of India

No problem if Cong supports Third Front Govt: Karat Indian Express

Press Trust of India - Hindu

all 114 news articles »

Prakash Karat Rules Out Supporting Congress Led Government

myPOPKORN - ‎Apr 23, 2009‎

Apr 23, 2009: There is no question of supporting a Congress led government at Centre, CPI (M) general secretary Prakash Karat has said. ...

Allies press Congress to yield PM post Times of India

UPA allies reach out to Left but Karat says no govt with Cong Press Trust of India

Tug of war continues in UPA Economic Times

Hindu - SINDH TODAY

all 169 news articles »

Third Front will not form government:Pawar

Business Standard - ‎6 hours ago‎

PTI / New Delhi April 25, 2009, 14:48 IST NCP leader Sharad Pawar today expressed doubts about CPI(M) General Secretary Prakash Karat's assessment that ...

Exert pressure on Sri Lanka, says Karat

Hindu - ‎17 hours ago‎

... CPI(M) general secretary Prakash Karat called for "maximum pressure" by the Government of India as far as military operations were concerned. ...

CPI(M) flays BJP for going back on stand to renegotiate N-deal Press Trust of India

Thaindian.com

Discussions about alliance with Left after polls: Rahul Gandhi

SINDH TODAY - ‎7 hours ago‎

He was asked to comment on Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) general secretary Prakash Karat's statement that the Left would not be averse to the ...

No apologies for Bofors; it was a lie: Rahul Gandhi Mangalorean.com

Rahul blasts Left, dubs them prisoners of past Mangalorean.com

all 299 news articles »

BBC News

It'sa three-way contest: Karat

Hindu - ‎Apr 14, 2009‎

KOLKATA: Communist Party of India (Marxist) general secretary Prakash Karat on Tuesday ruled out any political understanding with the Congress, ...

Buddha as PM? Karat won't say no Expressindia.com

Power-share pill in Karat dose Calcutta Telegraph

Formation of Third Front will in no way help BJP: Karat Times of India

BBC News - Hindu

all 6,718 news articles »

Hindu

Left plays Cong card to split Opposition

Calcutta Telegraph - ‎18 hours ago‎

Bhattacharjee's comments came on a day party chief Prakash Karat stuck to his insistence on a non-Congress government "with the Congress remaining outside ...

Buddhadeb not in race for prime ministership SamayLive

all 13 news articles »

ABC News

ELECTION EYE - Left says may join government

Reuters India - ‎Apr 22, 2009‎

"We will consider joining government at the centre," Prakash Karat, general secretary of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), said. (Economic Times). ...

Video: Sri Lankan civilians trapped in 'no fire zone' - 25 Apr 09 Al Jazeera

No Lanka response in truce talks Peninsula On-line

N-deal: Left lambasts Speaker's view

Times of India - ‎Apr 20, 2009‎

... the Indo-US nuclear deal was a mistake has opened him to a severe attack from his erstwhile party boss Prakash Karat and leaders of other Left parties. ...

After ten bouts, two veterans hang up the glove Hindu Business Line

Mangalorean.com

Millions vote in step two of Election 2009

Mangalorean.com - ‎Apr 23, 2009‎

But Prakash Karat, general secretary of the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M), insisted that his party would not help the Congress to get back to ...

Sitaram Yechury - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Sitaram Yechury (Telugu: సీతారాం యేచూరి) (born August 12, 1952) is an Indian politician and one of the best known communist faces in the ...
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Sitaram Yechury

Sitaram Yechury was born on August 12,1952. After school education in Andhra Pradesh, Hyderabad. he had to move to Delhi due to disruption of academic life ...
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Special: Sitaram Yechury on polls, Third Front

9 Mar 2009 ... Bank nationalisation happened because of the Left, CPI(M) politburo member Sitaram Yechury tells Saubhadro Chatterji in an interview.
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Retain paramilitary forces in Darjeeling after polls: Yechury‎ - 26 minutes ago

New Delhi, April 25 (IANS) Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) politburo member Sitaram Yechury Saturday asked the Election Commission to ensure the ...

Thaindian.com - 7 related articles »

Yechury asks Hill to back Third Front‎ - The Statesman - 19 related articles »

Congress not in a position to gain majority: Yechury‎ - Hindu - 10 related articles »

The Telegraph - Calcutta (Kolkata) | North Bengal & Sikkim ...

21 Apr 2009 ... Siliguri, April 20: CPM politburo member Sitaram Yechury today said Jaswant Singh's candidature only brought back memories of the days when ...
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The Hindu : National : Only an alternative government can reverse ...

29 Mar 2009 ... Mr. Yechury said neither the Congress nor the BJP was capable of ... Mr. Yechury said that once the economy was well stimulated the funds ...
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Sitaram Yechury | Top News

11 Mar 2008 ... Sitaram Yechury hits back at Rahul Gandhi New Delhi, Apr 25: Senior Communist Party of India- Marxist (CPM) leader Sitaram Yechury on ...
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Sitaram Yechury Profile

Sitaram Yechury (born August 12 1952) isIndian politicianonethe best known communist facesthe country He issenior memberthe politburothe Communist Party.
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Rahul echoing father's sentiments on Bengal: Yechury

Latest news, breaking news - Rahul echoing father's sentiments on Bengal: Yechury.
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sitaram yechury News

Patnaik and Yechuri indicated that the issue of BJD joining a third front would be formalised after the elections.Orissa assembly elections are held in ...
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Yechury :

CPI(M) politburo member Sitaram Yechury is hopeful that the committee formed to look into the possibility of identifying land for return to unwilling ...
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Anand Sharma slams Left

The Statesman - ‎18 hours ago‎

KOLKATA, April 24: While stating that the Left Front is not in a position to rule India, AICC spokesperson, Mr Anand Sharma, lambasted the much projected ...

Third Front and the Left Merinews

There is no entity as the Third Front: Congress Indian Express

all 4 news articles »

Left should have the figures before bargaining: Congress

Hindu - ‎4 hours ago‎

Lucknow (IANS) Taking a swipe at the Left for saying it may seek outside support from the Congress if the Third Front forms the government, ...

No problem if Cong supports Third Front Govt: Karat Indian Express

Karat slams door on Cong, opens window for JD(U) Economic Times

You can be outside govt; not inside it Chandigarh Tribune

People's Democracy - Thaindian.com

all 114 news articles »

AIFB leader clarifies remarks on Buddhadeb

Hindu - ‎Apr 23, 2009‎

"We in the Left Front have full faith in each other [constituents] as well as in the Chief Minister," Mr. Ghosh, one of the senior-most leaders of the Left ...

OUR SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT Calcutta Telegraph

Ghosh blames media for sparking off controversy The Statesman

Land, glamour spell trouble for CPM

The Statesman - ‎18 hours ago‎

If electoral arithmetic is anything to go by, the Left Front candidate appears to be way ahead, but the figures appear to be too illusory in the changed ...

Rahul takes on Left, Jaitley backs Modi as future PM

SamayLive - ‎26 minutes ago‎

In Kolkata, Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi criticised the performance of the Left Front government of West Bengal but said at the same time that ...

Comments on Lalu misunderstood: Pranab Mukherjee

Times of India - ‎Apr 22, 2009‎

Nor was there any condition that the Left Front government in West Bengal would have to be sacked if it fared poorly in the Lok Sabha polls. ...

Trinamool tie-up not binding in post-poll scene, says Pranab Daily News & Analysis

Will Paswan, won't Paswan? The Statesman

Left grapples with Nitish's development, Lalu's caste equations Business Standard

Indian Express - IBNLive.com

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Cities/Rahul-tears-into-retrograde-Left/articleshow/4446446.cms

Pranab rules out taking Left support to form govt.

Hindu - ‎Apr 24, 2009‎

Mr. Mukherjee said at another election rally at Arambagh in Hooghly district that he saw no chance of the Third Front coming to power at the Centre as ...

Pranab calls for life term for Left butchers Times of India

Congress did not approach Left for support in 2004: Pranab Press Trust of India

No Left support to form government: Pranab Mukherjee Thaindian.com

all 19 news articles »

Friday, April 24, 2009

Will Congress yield PM post to Pawar or Maya?

Assertive allies want non-Congress PM

Though the Congress party could not win absolute majority in the 2004 Lok Sabha elections and had to take the support of its allies, none challeged its claim for the prime miniter's post. Hence, Manmohan Singh's elevation to the post was a smooth affair. But 2009 could spell trouble for the Congress if it failed to improve on its 2004 tally of 145 seats . Some of its major supporting parties are in no mood to accept Congress supremacy. They are insisting that the top post should go to a leader of one of the supporting parties. In the event of the Congress not getting a majority on its own, it could be in a position to form the government only with the support of the Left parties.

The Left has already made it clear that the Congress's leadership is not acceptable to it. Since the Left had to withdraw its support to the Congress-led government last year, it cannot be expected to prop up another government led by the Congress. Naturally, the Left may demand that the next government has to be led by a leader from non-Congress parties as a precondition for its support to the government. The Left is unlikely to push its own candidate for the top post as it has not yet decided whether or not to join the next government. It has taken the position that the choice of prime minister should be made after the elections.

Let's talk elections

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A little-known group of Muslim clerics on Saturday appealed to people in Uttar Pradesh to not vote for either the BJP or the BSP in Uttar Pradesh, accusing the parties of creating hatred among communities.

Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi on Saturday said he was not ready to be prime minister yet and added that the issue of post-poll alliances would be decided by "senior leaders" of his party after the Lok Sabha elections!

SITARAM YECHURY, the replacement for Comrade SURJEET, echoed the same statement in a Press Meet in New Delh!! The CPI(M) on Saturday said if the BJP leader L K Advani "agrees with the clean chit" given to him by ex-RSS chief K S Sudharshan on Babri Masjid demolition, then his political standing will be "at stake" as he had launched a countrywide Rath Yatra to build a Ram temple in Ayodhya.Yechury chose to attack BJP leader and RSS PRIME MINISTER in Waiting. The MOTTO remains the same, SECULARISM, the EFFICIENT LINK for Never to be DECOUPLED LEFT and CONGRESS as the are the POSTER CHILDREN of Fascism as well as Zionism, Imperialism as well as ILLUMINATI. In this sense, RSS is at least honest in their Agenda as they never hide their GOAL of a NUCLEAR MINDU RASHTRA and ETHNIC CLEANSING of Muslims!

The CPI(M) on Saturday assessed the apparent toning down of criticism by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh of Left parties as an "admission" that Congress was not going to come to power.

"It is an admission on their part that they are not in a position to come to a majority on their own," CPI(M) leader Sitaram Yechury said.

He was replying to a question whether the Prime Minister, who had earlier criticised Left parties and later said it was a privilege to work with them, was actually offering an olive branch to them.

"Does Advani agree with the clean chit" given to him by Sudharshan, CPI(M) leader Sitaram Yechury asked.

"If he does, then his political standing will be at stake. He had himself launched the Rath Yatra with the slogan of 'Mandir Wahin Banayenge' (we will build the Ram temple at the same site)", Mr. Yechury told reporters here.

He was asked to comment on the reported "clean chit" given by the former RSS chief to Mr. Advani in the demolition case.

"See who is giving clean chit to whom. There is an entire case (against Mr. Advani), there is a chargesheet. The entire country knows about the criminal conspiracy to demolish the mosque," the CPI(M) leader said.

Urging the EC to take necessary steps to instill confidence among the electorate, Mr. Yechury said the CRPF should not only be deployed in Darjeeling but should also hold flag marches in the affected areas.

The CRPF should also be kept deployed beyond the election date of April 30 "to prevent post-poll violence", he said.

Regarding the law and order situation in Lalgarh where some incidents of Maoist violence has been reported, he said he had raised the matter with the EC and suggested certain steps which should be taken.

Referring to a "hate speech" reportedly delivered by a Trinamool Congress candidate against Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, Mr. Yechury said the statement, which was "aired by a private TV channel, is on record and we hope the EC will not only take cognizance of our complaint but take action against the candidate."

He said the speech violated the model code of conduct as well as sections of the Indian Penal Code.

Pre POLL Power Yoga is in vogue thanks to the Brahaminical Head Yoga Guru Ramdev Baba Media heads, Intelligentsia, Politicians and shankaracharya. Indian failure to DEFEND the Tamils stranded in CROSS Fire in Srilanka, has devastated UPA bases in South while UP and BIHAR have EXCOMMUNICATED UPA as well as NDA. But the media is engaged to project UPA Lead and NDA running close! Desi ILLUMINATI as well as Media wants CONTINUTI of US ISRAEL colonial RULE to sustain the Culture of GENOCIDE, ETHNIC Cleansing and MASS Destruction! however, BJP on Saturday demanded that the Sri Lankan government initiate a dialogue with Tamil representatives to solve the ethnic strife in that country and asked LTTE to stop using civilians trapped in the war zone as a human shield!

Marxists are OVER BUSY to Practice PRANAYAM and changing the ASAN every moment to hold its RED bases to have a say in Indian politics and to hold the Indian nation HOSTAGE. I dare to say that the Bengali Brahamin Marxists are also very precise in YOGA as they PERFORM the sacred RITUALS of Hindutva and Blackmails the SC, ST, OBC and Muslims with FULLEST Possible SEGREGATION!

Not only SRILANKA, UPA LEFT NDA combined the ZIONIST BRAHMINICAL Manusmriti Hegemony has ENDANGERED the Entire Divided GEOPOLITICS Bleeding. MOSSAD and CIA are in their best FORM to DESTROY India as well as PAKISTAN while ILLUMINATI remains SOVEREIGNas IPL CHEER SHOW reflects very well. We the SLUM DOG COMMON Indians are Predestined to be Sacrificed sooner or later! AICC general secretary Rahul Gandhi gave a clear hint on Saturday that the Congress would not hesitate to garner Left support in forming the government in the event of a hung parliament after general elections!

The CONTRADICTORY statements of the LEFT and UPA leaders EXPOSE them in COMPROMISING situation while any Hollywood or Tollywood background Music may be quite Entertaining! All signs are emerging of a UPA LEFT Coalition in New Delhi, IRRELEVANT of Third front or Fourth Front, as FRACTURED MANDATE is more than SURE as Nationalities and Identities would ensure the Majority of VOTES and Mayawati has to be stopped at all cost! The Election Commission on Saturday slapped a notice on senior Congress leader Digvijay Singh for violating the model code of conduct by allegedly threatening to use the CBI against Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati. In a public meeting held on April 20 at Hardoi in Uttar Pradesh, Mr. Mr. Singh had reportedly said if Ms. Mayawati attempted to harass Congress workers, she should understand that the case against her was pending with CBI and the Congress could get back though it did not want to misuse the probe agency. The EC said that it has seen the video recording of the speech of Mr. Singh at the public meeting and that he has violated the model code of conduct. Giving time to Mr. Singh till Sunday to explain as to why action should not be taken against him for violating the mode code, the EC said it would decide the matter without any further notice if he failed to give his explanation.

Thus, BJP on Saturday said that it was flexible on the issue of taking support of regional parties to form a government in the Centre after the Lok Sabha polls, senior leader Arun Jaitley said here.

"I would not like to disclose our strategies at this juncture. One has to be flexible in this (seeking support from regional parties) matter," Mr. Jaitley told reporters.

He hoped that many partners leaving UPA may join NDA after the polls and that Naveen Patnaik-led BJD would realise its mistake of breaking ties with BJP once the election results are out on May 16.

According to Mr. Jaitley, a low percentage of voting in two of the five phases of the Lok Sabha polls is a cause of concern for the Congress party as the track record of BJP and its NDA partners is much higher, with more than 80 per cent of votes are polled in favour of the lotus party and other non-Congress parties.

Jyoti Basu and comrade Surjit began the Power game in the centre to hold STATE POWER for the Brahmins only in West Bengal, Tripura and KERALA!

Thus, BUDDHA Deb Bhattacharya the CHANGED Face of the Projected prime Minister of Third Front seems to ABDICATE the cahnce for PRANAB Mukherjee. At the same time PRAKASH KARAT and Sitaram Yechuri, the JNU Clan bargains hard in New Delhi and sing the Marxist song REDICTIONED, NEVER SAY NEVER AGAIN!

But the VEDIC HYMNS are more SACRED for the TRI IBLIS TRIO: Adwani, Pranab and Buddha ! None of them say anything wroneg against each other! Adwani tags with him Narendar Modi, the Illuminati favourite.

No Political party, no Intelligentsai and no Media dares to say anything which may MOBILISE the ABORIGINAL, INDIGENOUS and MINORITY communities to Destroy the Manusmriti Apartheid ZIONIST Fascist Imperialist anti national hegemony!

Pranab calls for life term for Left butchers! Sonia Gandhi is delvering FIRE and Fire while Rahul Gandhi RIPPED through RURAL bengal exposing the LEFT Front Government ruling Bengal fot three decades. RSS is equally VIOLENT against the Left.

But the AXIS of TRI IBLIS Stanic Order setting Bengal`s DESTINY on DEFAULT plays the MAGIC Wand to SUSTAIN the Manusmriti Rule in India as well as Bengal. Bengali Brahmins have the KEY ROLE in the KURUKSHETRA of VARNA YUDDHA this time.

Two days after saying in Kolkata that the Congress was open to Left support to form the next government at the Centre, senior Congress leader Pranab Mukherjee on Friday ruled out the possibility.

"The Congress had always formed government at the Centre without the support of Left parties. In 2004, they themselves came forward to support the Congress-led UPA to stop the BJP and save their existence," Mr. Mukherjee said in a poll rally at Parul village near Bhatar in Burdwan district.

He said the Left parties were not a political force in the national arena and do not exist outside the three states of West Bengal, Kerala and Tripura.

Meanwhile, Tougher H-1B visa norms to hit Indians hard!

A legislation has been introduced in the US Senate on reforming the H-1B and L1 visa programmes, popular among Indians, under which the American firms looking for skilled foreign professionals are required to make a "good faith" attempt to recruit local workers first.
Given that the skilled professionals from India are the one who account for the maximum number of H-1B and L1 visas, Indian professionals followed by those from China are likely to be hit the most if the legislation introduced by Senators Chuck Grassley and Dick Durbin is passed by the Congress and then signed into law by the President.

The bill, introduced on Thursday, requires all employers who want to hire an H-1B guest worker to first make a good faith attempt to recruit a qualified American worker. Employers would be prohibited from using H-1B visa holders to displace qualified American workers.

"Our bill will put a stop to the outsourcing of American jobs and discrimination against American workers," Senator Durbin said in a statement. "The H-1B visa programme should complement the US workforce, not replace it," he argued.

The bill prohibits the practice of 'H-1B only' ads and prevents employers from hiring additional H-1B and L-1 guest workers if over 50 per cent of their employees are H-1B and L-1 visa holders, Grassley said in a statement. It gives power to the Department of Labour to investigate, audit and penalise abuse of H-1B and L1 visa employers.

Meanwhile, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said Thursday,`Pakistan is beginning to recognize the severity of the threat posed by an extremist insurgency that is encroaching on key urban areas'!Clinton told a House appropriations subcommittee that the Obama administration is working to persuade the Pakistani government that its traditional focus on India as a threat has to shift to Islamic extremists.

"Changing paradigms and mindsets is not easy, but I do believe there is an increasing awareness of not just the Pakistani government but the Pakistani people that this insurgency coming closer and closer to major cities does pose such a threat," she said.

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton is criticizing the Bush administration for what she called a failed eight-year effort to isolate Iran.

In congressional testimony Thursday, she said the approach of President Barack Obama's predecessor did not deter Iran "one bit" in its ambitions to acquire nuclear weapons and support terrorist organizations such as Hezbollah and Hamas. She said Iran's nuclear program has continued unabated.

Clinton said former President George W. Bush's policy only increased concerns about Iranian influence.

The Obama administration is trying a different approach, reaching out and trying to engage in a dialogue with the Iranians.

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton is telling Congress that the core goal of President Barack Obama's anti-terror strategy is to defeat al-Qaida and prevent its return to Afghanistan.

Clinton testified Wednesday before the House Foreign Affairs Committee, where Chairman Howard Berman told her the panel is concerned about Islamic extremists gaining momentum in Pakistan. The California Democrat said the U.S. cannot allow the extremists to take over Pakistan or to operate with impunity on Afghanistan's border.

Clinton asserted in response that the international community is working closely together to address the problem of extremism in both Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Pranab Mukherjee said at another election rally at Arambagh in Hooghly district that he saw no chance of the Third Front coming to power at the Centre as indicated by the voting trends.

In two of the three CPM-ruled states – Kerala and Tripura – the voting trends indicated that the Third Front was not able to take off, Mr. Mukherjee, also the External Affairs Minister, told election meetings in Hooghly and Burdwan districts.

After the results come out, it would be proved that the Third Front was not at all a viable political alternative and was merely an imaginary thing, he said.

Left should have the figures before bargaining: Congress

Lucknow (IANS) Taking a swipe at the Left for saying it may seek outside support from the Congress if the Third Front forms the government, Congress spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi on Saturday said that the Communists should "first have the figures" before seeking a bargain.

"It is the dog that wags the tail, not the tail that wags the dog. The Left should have ample figures so that someone should ask for their support,"Mr. Singhvi said caustically, while addressing a press conference at the party's state headquarters here.

He was answering a query on Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) leader Prakash Karat statement that the Left-led Third Front was determined to form a non-Congress government at the centre, but would not mind taking outside support of the Congress.

Mr. Karat has repeatedly said the Left will not support a Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government, though some of his senior colleagues have said this would be decided after the polls.

Mr. Singhvi also termed the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) a "copy-cat" party. "The BJP has copied most of our initiatives like the NREGS (National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme) and the farmers' loan waiver scheme in its manifesto. In a way, they are trying to make a fool of the country,"Mr. Singhvi said.

Commenting on party general secretary Rahul Gandhi's comment in West Bengal Saturday of not being experienced enough to become the prime minister yet, Mr. Singhvi said: "This is the culture and humanity of our party and leaders. Our leaders are not like (BJP leader L.K.) Advani who pats his back himself."

Mr. Singhvi accused the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) government in Uttar Pradesh of not having utilised the funds sanctioned by the central government for development schemes.

"Chief Minister Mayawati's interest is in building parks and stone memorials and the state government has not implemented various central schemes," he said.

Now, Jaitley endorses Modi as PM candidate
25 Apr 2009, 1834 hrs IST, PTI

VADODARA: Narendra Modi got yet another endorsement from a key BJP leader as party's future prime ministerial candidate, with Arun Jaitley today BJP general secretary Arun Jaitley with Gujarat CM Narendra Modi during the inauguration of a BJP national executive meeting in Bangalore on Friday. (TOI File)
saying that he would be happy to see the Gujarat chief minister occupy the top post after L K Advani.

"Modi has ruled Gujarat state which has now become role model for other states in the country," Jaitley told reporters here.

"I along with other BJP workers will be very happy if Shourie's wishes would come true," he said when asked to comment on colleague Arun Shourie's comment hinting Modi could be BJP's prime ministerial candidate in the next general elections.

"Gujarat has the opportunity to elect PM this time and next time also you will have the opportunity to elect the PM from this state," Shourie had told reporters in Ahmedabad on Friday.

Jaitley said at present BJP's Prime Ministerial candidate was Lal Krishna Advani. The former union minister said he will be very happy if Modi becomes prime minister after Advani.

"Modi has been working very hard for making Advani the Prime Minister of the country as he has been extensively touring various parts of the country and campaigning for the party," Jaitley said.

'Recovery of US mkt linked to developing mkts'

The recovery of American economy is closely linked with the economic recovery in other parts of the world, in particular the previously rapidly-growing markets, the US Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner said on Friday. The US economy is currently facing its worst ever crisis after the Great Depression of 20th Century, and has been in depression since December 2007.

Recovery in the United States depends significantly on establishing recovery in those large and previously rapidly-growing markets, the Treasury Secretary told foreign journalists after his ministerial level meeting with the G-7 countries.

Clinton to Iraqis: US not going to abandon you

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton sought to assure Iraqis on Saturday that the Obama administration would not abandon their country even as it presses ahead with plans to withdraw American troops amid a recent surge in violence.

Clinton said the drawdown would be handled in a "responsible and careful way" and would not affect efforts to improve Iraq's security forces, or complete reconstruction and development projects.

But Iraqis, and particularly their security forces, need to overcome sectarian and other differences if they are to build a united, secure nation, she said.

"Let me assure you and repeat what President Obama said, we are committed to Iraq, we want to see a stable, sovereign, self-reliant Iraq," she told a nervous but receptive crowd at a town hall meeting at the U.S. Embassy in the capital.

"We are very committed, but the nature of our commitment may look somewhat different because we are going to be withdrawing our combat troops over the next couple of years," Clinton said.

On her first trip to Iraq as America's top diplomat, Clinton said the country has made great strides despite a recent surge in violence. High-profile attacks this past week primarily targeted Shiite worshippers. More than 150 people, many of them Iranian pilgrims, have died.

UK economy shrinks most in 30 years!

The British economy shrank at a stunning pace of 1.9 per cent in the first quarter of this year-- the most in 30 years-- even as the Government is hopeful of economic revival by the end of 2009.
The latest official data show that the recession-hit UK economy contracted by 1.9 per cent in the first quarter of 2009. The contraction is the highest since 1979.

"Gross Domestic Product (GDP) contracted by 1.9 per cent in the first quarter of 2009, compared with a decrease of 1.6 per cent in the fourth quarter.

"The increased rate of decline in output was due to weaker services and production output," UK's Office for National Statistics said in a statement today.

The British government while presenting the nation's budget this week said the economy is anticipated to contract 3.5 per cent this year and forecast recovery by the end of 2009.

Elaborating on the first quarter GDP, the Office for National Statistics said, "Total production output weakened further in the first quarter, decreasing by 5.5 per cent, compared with a fall of 4.5 per cent in the previous quarter."

Services output weakened by 1.2 per cent compared with a fall of 0.8 per cent in the fourth quarter"

Sensex hits six-month high of 11,329

market sustained its weekly gaining streak for the seventh straight week as the benchmark Sensex settled at a six-month high of 11,329.05 at the weekend on several positive developments amid on-going Parliamentary elections in the country.
Passing through a bearish mode in the initial three days, the signs of improvement in economy and a fresh rate cut by Reserve Bank on April 21 with inflation ruling virtually at zero level boosted the market sentiment after midweek.

In the week to April 25, the Bombay Stock Exchange 30-share barometer bounced from its weekly low of 10,715.66 and ended with a net gain of 305.96 points, or 2.78 per cent, over its last weekend's close.

Similarly, the National Stock Exchange 50-share Nifty also jumped by 96.35 points, or 2.85 per cent, to end the week at 3,480.75 from its last close.

Brokers said Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) remained the net buyers in the week and are expected to step up their activity in the coming days as the April series of derivatives expires on Thursday.

They said bull operators are likely to cover their shorts or rollover nifty positions in the next series in the light of possibility of further reduction in interest rates as the inflation remained at 0.26 per cent for the week ended April 11, 2009.

Forces missed Prabhakaran by whisker: Lankan army
Pudukudiyyirippu (Sri Lanka) Tamil Tigers supremo Velupillai Prabhakaran and his top aides were recently missed by a whisker by the security forces, a top Sri Lankan commander said, claiming that the rebel leader had limited options either to give up or commit suicide.
"We got to know that Prabhakaran had moved through the Pudukudiryirippu-Iranmalai road on a day between March 29-31, just about two days before the army fully laid seige to that area," said GoC 58 Division Brig Shavendra Silva.

"Yes I regret we missed him by a whisker or else things could have been over faster," he said, adding Prabhakaran cannot escape through the road.

Silva said things have come to such a head that women had to hide their son in a hole dug in and covered by the kitched fire place to escape the prying LTTE men on the look out for new Tiger fighters near the 'no-fire zone'.

The senior LTTE leader Daya Master also told the army during interrogation that "only sea tiger leader Soosai, the coordinating LTTE army head Pottu Amman and Prabhakaran's son Charles Anthony are going to stay with him".

"The rest of the senior aides will try to escape as I did," Shavendra Silva quoted Daya Master, the former LTTE media coordinator, to say.

"Yes Prabhakaran lived around here not far ago and people suffered here under him," Silva told reporters who visited the war one.

According to another senior military officer, Prabhakaran is facing "reverses after reverses" in his struggle for a separate Eelam state.

Many Tiger cadres have been forced to give their lives "under duress", since Prabhakaran introduced suicide bombers, mostly young women, and targeted major government installations, including military headquarters and international airport in Sri Colombo, he said.

The media were also allowed a brief chat with the famished looking IDPS passing through the Pudukudiyirippu area.

"The LTTE does not have to tell us anything. We dare not to try to escape as they have sophisticated weapons and we had to wait for our time to come to escape," Arumugam, an IDP, said.

Global crisis appears to be easing: US
Washington There are signs that the global downturn in economic activity is easing, US Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner said.
"Without underestimating the challenges we still face, there are signs that the pace of deterioration in economic activity and trade flows has eased," Geithner said in a statement at the end of a Group of Seven meeting.

"Some measures of spending in the US and other economies may have begun to stabilize. Financial conditions in some markets have shown modest improvement and there are signs that the US housing markets are beginning to stabilize."

At the same time, Geithner cautioned against any simple optimism that the worst global slump since the 1930s would be over quickly.

"We are right to be somewhat encouraged but we would be wrong to conclude that we are close to emerging from the darkness that descended on the global economy (in September)," he said.

Geithner was speaking after a gathering of the G7 -- Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States -- and before going into a meeting of the Group of 20, which includes the G7 and the largest developing countries.

The G7 meeting, held traditionally ahead of the IMF and World Bank's over the weekend, reviewed progress on measures agreed at the G20 London summit earlier this month to tackle the crisis.

Sonia reaches Gujarat, targets Modi's 'Nano dream'
Jetpur (Guj) Attacking the BJP for L K Advani's remarks that if voted to power his party will not abrogate the nuclear deal, Congress chief Sonia Gandhi accused the saffron party of changing its stand on the issue.
"Now they (BJP) are saying that nuclear deal is acceptable to them. These same people did not allow Parliament to function for days and months on the same issue," Sonia said addressing a public meeting in Jetpur.

BJP's prime ministerial candidate L K Advani had recently said in an interview that BJP, if voted to power, will not abrogate the nuclear deal as "we realise it's not easy to do so".

"After all, it's an international agreement and one signed between two countries and their governments," Advani had said.

On terrorism, Sonia said, "Those pointing fingers at us should introspect terrorist incidents that had happened during their rule. It was due to our policy that after the Mumbai terror attack, Pakistan has for the first time accepted that its soil was used for terrorism against us".

Sonia also raised the issue of loan given for the Nano car project without naming either the Tatas or Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, who had said that the Congress president must do her "homework" before coming to the state.

"The government here has given loan worth crores of rupees to industry and they have to repay it after 20 years. But they are ignoring farmers," she said.

The Gujarat government has given a loan to Tatas for relocation of Nano car project from Singur in West Bengal to Sanand in the state, which is to be repaid after 20 years.

"We do not have any problem against setting up of industries. But, I feel miserable when farmers are ignored," Sonia said.

She alleged that the state BJP government was looking for excuses for not implementing the loan waiver scheme introduced by the UPA government since the past two years.

Raising several local issues, Sonia targeted Modi claiming incomplete construction of Narmada dam canals, state government's indifference towards diamond workers who lost their jobs due to recession, corruption in 'Sujalam Suflam Water Project' and closing down of local industries.

"It was the Congress government that had started building the Narmada dam. I have learnt that people here are yet to get the water of dam as the state government has not built a small canal network. They have laid pipelines but the water has not reached you," Sonia stated.

"Before claiming the success of the Narmada Dam one should ask farmers whether they have received the water or not", she said.

I'm not ready to be PM: Rahul Gandhi

Kolkata Congress star campaigner Rahul Gandhi dismissed talk of his becoming Prime Minister in the near future, saying he did not have the experience required for the top post "right now" and would refuse to accept it.
"Now I would refuse," he said at a press conference in Kolkata flanked by External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee on being asked whether he was prepared to accept Prime Ministership in the near future.

He went on to explain that this was because of two reasons. "One is that I am working in the organisation of the Congress party which I think is fundamental for this country. I think it is very important that a strong, progressive, pro-poor youth organisation is developed in this country and that is a very, very big priority of mine."

"Number two is I don't think I have the experience to be the prime minister of the country right now," said 39-year-old Gandhi, who has batted strongly for Prime Minister Manmohan Singh continuing in the post if the UPA returns to power.

During the nearly hour-long press meet, Gandhi responded to a volley of questions ranging from the situation in Sri Lanka to the Left Front government performance in West Bengal.

"Chahe mera naam Gandhi ho ... kuch or ho ... mere principles, mere kam, mera jo feelings hai, wo ek hai (Irrespective of what my name or family is, my principles and work ethic remains the same). Aap mujhe Gandhi dekte hai, what can I do? I can't change my family. There is nothing I can do about it?" he said.

When pointed out that his family was still in the shadow of the Bofors controversy and 1984 anti-Sikh riots with critics saying that he stood on a pile of rubbish and asked whether he was prepared to apologise, Gandhi said, "There's absolutely nothing that I have to apologise about Bofors."

"I don't appreciate the terminology that you stand on a pile of rubbish. That's not the right word usage." On Bofors issue, he said, "It's a complete lie. It is a calumny being used by the opposition for 20 years."

To a question on LTTE and demand for extradition of its chief V Prabhakaran, Gandhi said "LTTE is branded as a terrorist organisation. The LTTE personally is responsible for killing my father and so I am not personally a very big supporter of LTTE."

However, he maintained that the rights of the innocent Tamil people need to protected. "They are not to be touched. When it comes to protecting the rights of the Tamil civilians in Sri Lanka I am absolutely certain that it is of prime importance. There are Tamil civilians in Sri Lanka who are suffering because of the war taking place there, It is our duty to reduce that suffering. The government has tried earlier by putting pressure and has now sent two officials (National Security Advisor M K Narayanan and Foreign Secretary Shiv Shankar Menon)."

"We are very concerned about the plight of Tamil civilians. We are going to do everything to reduce their suffering."

On the demolition of the Babri Masjid, Gandhi said "Babri Masjid was broken by the politics of BJP and politics of division."

When told that he was attacking the Left when the Prime Minister has said that he was open for an alliance with in the post poll scenario, Gandhi said, "I am not attacking the Left, right, left and centre."

Asked whether the Congress was keeping its doors ajar for a post-poll understanding with the Left parties, Gandhi said that its was open to anyone who wants to join it.

"I am nobody to keep the doors open for anybody. I think that there are senior members of the Congress party. There is the Congress president, there is the prime minister. I am a campaigner. I would not be able to tell you whether we are keeping the door open or closed. As a general principle, the door is open for anyone who wants to join us," he said.

Persisting with its attack on the Left Front government over the implementation of the Centre's flagship National Rural Employment Guarantee scheme, he said "I am questioning the pro-poor record of the CPI(M) here."

He said his perception was that Uttar Pradesh and Bihar were the worst states in the implementation of such programmes, but "I was shocked by what I saw in West Bengal.

"I am pointing out at the tremendous amount of wastage that is taking place. I am pointing out places where we have sent hundreds of crores of rupees for housing and fifty per cent of the money has not been used."

Gandhi said, "if after the elections we end up joining each other, it does not change the reality that the Left Front government, in my eyes, is not helping the poor."

He said he was shocked to see that the benefits of the pro-poor scheme were not reaching the people in districts like Purulia.

"My view is that the communist parties have to focus on the poor. That is a positive thing. I don't see that focus here... There is no difference between Purulia and Kalanhandi in Orissa and Bundelkhand in UP."

Asked about his view of the state government's handling of Nandigram, where the agitation over land led to the death of 14 persons in police firing in 2007, Gandhi said "there is need for a balance between growth, on one hand, and the rights of the people who are harmed, as a result of the growth.

"Nandigram is a place where the balance is mismanaged. If the government is insensitive and does not go case by case problems come. This will occur more and more."

Rivals attempting to murder Anil Ambani, allege his group
Mumbai Anil Ambani led group alleged on Friday that business rivals may be behind an "attempt to murder" the industrialist by trying to sabotage his helicopter, even as the police were questioning four employees of an aircraft maintenance company.
"The planned manner in which the pebbles and gravel were put in the filler cap at a height of 10-feet in the gear box and the gear box cap was closed thereafter, clearly shows that some persons, possible business rivals, were attempting to take away the life of Anil Ambani, India's second richest with a networth of USD 10.1 billion.

"This is clearly an attempt to murder," Capt. R N Joshi of Anil Ambani group company, Reliance Transport and Travels, said in a complaint to Maharashtra Chief Minister Ashok Chavan and the Mumbai Police Commissioner Hassan Gafoor while requesting an investigation by the crime branch.

Shortly after the complaint was made, Gafoor ordered the transfer of the case, lodged after a complaint by the aircraft maintenance company Airworks India Ltd, to the crime branch.

In his complaint, Joshi, a senior pilot, said the entire incident would not have been possible "without active involvement and aid of the persons working for Airworks, without the permission of cooperation of which no one could have had access to the said helicopter Bell-412," which Anil was scheduled to fly this morning.

When contacted, Airworks Director Ravi Mennon said that the company had discovered the matter and had informed the police and the client (Anil Ambani group) and "we're fully cooperating with the authorities".

Mennon, however, declined to comment on the allegations of involvement in the entire incident of Airworks, which maintains about 60 aircraft and choppers belonging to industrial houses including Reliance Industries, Sun TV, Bajaj, DLF and Essar.

The police had registered a case of mischief last night on a complaint by Airworks technician S R Surve under Section 440 of IPC, which stipulates that mischief committed after preparation made for causing death or hurt.

The tampering of the helicopter that was parked along with about two dozen other flying machines in Santa Cruz under the supervision of Airworks was detected around 1700 hrs on Thursday.

Anil was to fly along with his eight-nine top executives at 0930 hrs to his office at Dhirubhai Ambani Knowledge City in Navi Mumbai.

The Mumbai police had, in June 2005, given elaborate security cover to Anil after intercepting some conversation that indicated that the younger Ambani scion could be in danger. The security cover that lasted for a few months then was provided weeks before Anil and his elder brother Mukesh Ambani reached an agreement to divide the Reliance empire.

Ambani's sole helicopter is expected to be flight ready only after four-five days after the technicians flush out the oil and clean the engine. Along with Anil, top executives of Reliance Communication and Reliance Power were therefore forced to skip the chopper ride and travel by road.

Joshi, in his complaint, said that some senior technician, who were preparing the helicopter for its flight on Friday, noticed that the filler cap on the combining gear box at the top of the chopper did not appear to be fitted in the correct position.

"When he opened the filler cap in order to refit correctly he was shocked to notice that there were pebbles and gravel in the filler neck... this mischief could not have been noticed in a routine check," he said.

The helicopter has two engines and it was clear that gravel and pebbles were put in a planned manner "with the assistance/guidance of somebody who has knowledge of helicopters because helicopter could have easily taken off with the above material...But shortly after taking off, the pebbles would have entered into the gear box and would have caused mid-air loss of power which would have forced landing of helicopter resulting in loss of lives of inmates".

Meanwhile, Airworks said in a statement: "Fortunately an Airworks technician discovered the tampering... before any potential damage was caused... Airworks has taken the matter extremely seriously and are fully cooperating with airport and police authorities as well as security agencies".

PM admits failure by promising to revive economy: BJP

New Delhi The BJP termed the Prime Minister's claim to revive the economy in 100 days as an "admission" of the government's failure and asked him to explain as to why the economy was allowed to deteriorate in the first place.
"Congress and the Prime Minister must first explain why it allowed the economy to deteriorate for 1,826 days (during UPA rule) before making a false promise of reviving the economy in 100 days," BJP spokesperson Prakash Javadekar told reporters in New Delhi.

He said "the slogan of 100 days is an admission of utter failure of the UPA government on the economic front. The government touted itself as having three economic wizards in Manmohan Singh, P Chidambaran and Montek Singh Ahluwalia...the country witnessed the all-out failure of this economic trio."

Pak army's movement towards Swat halted by Taliban: Report

Islamabad Taliban fighters prevented a convoy of security forces from entering their stronghold in the northwestern Swat valley, a day after the Pakistan Army chief pledged to eliminate militants who challenge the writ of the state.
A convoy of seven army trucks was stopped by armed Taliban militants at Qambar, a small town near Mingora, the main city in Swat valley, witnesses and Taliban spokesman Muslim Khan said.

Witnesses said the convoy withdrew from Qambar after the Taliban forced the troops to go back, averting any clash. There was no official reaction to the Taliban preventing the convoy from entering Swat. Sources said local authorities were consulting Taliban leaders to convince them to allow the convoy to move into the area.

The Taliban action could lead to a worsening in the situation as army chief Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani announced on Friday that his force is "determined to root out the menace of terrorism" and "would not allow the militants to dictate terms to the government or impose their way of life on the civil society".

Taliban spokesman Muslim Khan told reporters that the deployment of additional troops in Swat is against a peace deal signed in February to introduce Islamic laws in Malakand division, which includes Swat.

Khan said the militants could not allow the troops to be deployed in Swat after the peace agreement. Official sources, however, said the agreement allowed the free movement of security forces.

The Taliban and security forces declared separate ceasefires after the peace deal but militants continue to occupy many parts of Swat, local residents said.

Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani said on Friday that his government could review the peace deal in Swat if the Taliban did not stop interfering in the administration's affairs.

Interior ministry chief Rehman Malik has also warned the Taliban to vacate all villages in Swat.

However, local residents said the Taliban now control over 80 per cent of Swat, which was a popular tourist destination till about two years ago, and patrolling all the key roads in the valley.

They said the Taliban had also set up their own courts despite the agreement that envisages the constitution of Qazi or Islamic courts in Swat.

Hundreds of Taliban from Swat who entered Buner district, some 100 km from Islamabad, have withdrawn from the area in the wake of threats of action by the security forces.

'If proven 'juvenile', Kasab might get only 3 yrs in prison'

Mumbai Accepting the prosecution's plea, a special court ordered an inquiry to check whether the prime accused in Mumbai terror attack case, Mohammed Ajmal Amir Kasab, is a juvenile (below 18 years of age).
Special public prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam asked for the inquiry, saying that Kasab should get a fair trial and the accused should not get an opportunity to plead later that the trial had been vitiated as he was a juvenile.

In case the inquiry holds that he is a juvenile, he will be referred to a juvenile court for trial under the Juvenile Justice Act which provides for maximum punishment of three years, his lawyer Abbas Kazmi said.

"I am of the opinion that in view of the peculiar nature of the case, the court will have to order an inquiry to determine his age," Judge M L Tahaliyani observed.

The nature of the inquiry would be two fold – direct evidence and scientific tests. The court has allowed the prosecution to examine on April 28 the prime witnesses – jailor and doctor of the hospital where Kasab was admitted after his arrest on November 26 last year.

The scientific examination in the inquiry would include Ossification (bone test) and dental tests to determine Kasab's age. Prosecutor Nikam said that normally a person gets wisdom tooth after attaining the age of 17.

In this case, test would be conducted to see if he had the wisdom tooth.

Prosecution's case is that Kasab is a major and had told a doctor of Nair hospital where he was admitted for treatment of bullet injuries that he was 21. He had also stated the same age to the jailor who entered it in jail register when he was sent to jail custody earlier.

The court ordered jail authorities to take Kasab for Ossification test and dental examination to determine his age. On a query by reporters, prosecutor Nikam refused to disclose the place where the tests would be done.

The court also did not mention where such tests would be held. The radiologist and the dentist, who will conduct the tests, have been asked to submit a report on or before April 28.

Kasab will be taken for scientific tests under heavy security because there was a threat to his life. The court ordered the inquiry after prosecutor Nikam moved an application urging that the age of the accused may be determined before the charges are framed against him.

He said, "We believe in a fair trial and a message should go around that India was just not a banana country but the one that encouraged complete transparency in the legal system."

Earlier, Kasab had pleaded that he was juvenile and that the case should be transferred to Juvenile court. The court rejected his plea, saying he did not appear to be a juvenile but if it felt any time during the trial that an inquiry should be held to determine his age, it would do so.

Surrendered terrorist 'sings', says he was trained in Pak
Srinagar Militant groups operating in Jammu and Kashmir have set up their own separate training centres across the line of control but the Taliban do not operate in the Kashmir valley, a surrendered Pakistani militant said.
"Every group has its own training mechanism. Each 'Tanjeem' (group) has its own character and agenda," Syed Moinullah Shah, a Hizbul Mujahideen militant who was part of the group of 31 militants who crossed over to Indian side of Kashmir told the media in Srinagar.

Giving graphic details of the training imparted to militants in Pakistan, Shah said the recruits undergo training of three separate durations - 21 days, 40 days and three months.

Even after being trained at the camps across LoC these militants are not given any details about any specific mission or targets in Kashmir.

"We are not given any specific target to hit. Once we come to this side of LoC we are given missions by Commanders who are already located here. They tell us where to go and what to do," he said.

During his brief interaction with media in presence of Brigadier General Staff of 15 corps Gurmeet Singh, Shah ruled out role of Taliban in the Kashmir.

"Taliban do not operate here. They are separate and have different set up. They are involved in Afghanistan and certain parts of Pakistan," Shah said.

Shah was produced before the media by Army came waving hands at reporters. During his 10 minutes of appearance before the media, he only answered some basic questions about himself, training and his group.

But as soon as he started giving details about the surrender, he was whisked away by the Army from the media. "Please appreciate that he is of immense intelligence importance to us," Brigadier Singh said while asking his men to take him away.

"There were 31 militant belonging to four different groups including HM, LeT, JeM, and Pir Panchal Regiment (PPR) of which six were killed in an avalanche. Rest were all porters, ice cutters and guides who went back to Pakistan," he replied to a question.

He said he was disillusioned about the reports of atrocities on Kashmiris by Indian Army only after coming to the state.

"I realised that people were doing their jobs and there were no atrocities as claimed by Kashmiri preachers who come to Pakistan seeking our support in jihad," Shah told reporters when asked why he decided to surrender.

Fangless Cobra: unit formed to battle terror guards VIPs

Bhupendra Pandey
Posted: Dec 05, 2008 at 0201 hrs IST

Lucknow Way back in 1991, the state government had set up a commando unit to combat terrorism. Since then, Uttar Pradesh has seen several terror attacks, but the unit has not been used even once. The last time it was in news was when six of its men were killed by dacoit Thokia in Chitrakoot in 2007.
The peple in the unit, named the Cobras, however, say that they function as anything but an anti-terror force. The quality of the unit's manpower is suspect, their training highly irregular — many of them don't even have the standard commando gear — and are used as glorified security guards for VIPs.

Further, the commandos, who number a little over 200 and are divided in two companies, do not have their own independent set up. They have been given some space in the 32 battalion of the Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC). They do not even have any dedicated facility for specialised anti-terror training.

Former state DGP V S Mathur, who had established the Cobra, said: "My purpose was to train the UP Police with specialised skills to combat terrorism. The commandos were picked up from different battalions of PAC and supposed to undergo training at Bareilly and Sitapur centres at least twice a year. But they are not relieved for the training."

The Cobras start their career with a three-month training at the National Security Guards centre at Manesar in Haryana. A senior officer with the NSG (Headquarters) said the jawans were trained in physical fitness, obstacle courses, shooting skills, operational capabilities and coordination exercises.

But because of the demands of training NSG's own men, the centre cannot provide the Cobra jawans certain types of specialised training. "They are not trained in operations like hostage-rescue and room-intervention," the NSG officer said. Once back to the state, they don't get regular training, leading to deterioration of their physical fitness, shooting and combat skills.

A group of commandos attached with a wing of the Uttar Pradesh Police said they had never been sent for proper refresher training courses since 2000. "We are supposed to go to the Sitapur police training centre every month. The centre has a shooting range and an obstacle course which, in any case, are not sufficient for training," said a commando.

The commandos on VIP duty, moreover, are rarely relieved for training. The commandos deputed with Special Task Force (two platoons) and the Anti-Terror Squad (one platoon) are sent to Sitapur, but infrequently.

Additional Director General (PAC) P P S Sidhhu said: "Earlier, the commandos were not provided training in a consistent manner. But for the last eight months, they are being sent for one-month physical training course. The shooting practice is done annually at the Sitapur police centre." What Siddhu failed to mention was that the annual shooting practice was a part of the training of every policeman — there was nothing special about it. In NSG, the shooting practice is part of the daily training of the commandos.

According to the NSG officer, the commandos they train for states are supposed to undergo training every month with complete commando gear — uniform, assault vest with pouches containing magazines, wireless sets and grenades, web belt, alert bag, combat knife, concealed holster, personal ballistic carrier, tactical boots, drop holster, bulletproof helmet, multi-purpose tools like wire-cutter and screw-driver and tactical lights.

"In UP, however, only a few platoons have the complete commando gear. I had volunteered to become a commando, but was actually functioning as a bodyguard," said a commando.

Red alert in Lucknow airport
The Amausi airport in Lucknow was crawling with personnel from the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) and the local police on Thursday, following a warning issued by the Bureau of Civil Aviation regarding terror attacks on New Delhi, Bangalore, and Chennai airports. The warning has been issued after a mail, stated that on December 6, terror groups might strike at these airports to hijack a plane, said a senior official.

"Though there was no direct reference to the Lucknow airport, every airport in the country has been put on red alert. Surveillance has been all over the airport. The red alert will continue at least till December 7," he added.

Inspector General (Lucknow Zone) A K Jain, who rushed to the airport on Thursday, has called a high-level meeting to assess the security arrangements. "We will hold a meeting on Friday to assess the vulnerable spots where additional security is required."

Security strengthened in Ayodhya Ayodhya:
The security forces have been put on high alert after reports from a Central intelligence agency that there is a possibility of terror attacks in Ayodhya on December 6, the 17th anniversary of the demolition of Babri masjid.

Faizabad Senior Superintendent of Police R K S Rathore said: "The state police and paramilitary forces in Ayodhya have started security drills. We are conducting regular checks in trains passing through Ayodhya, on the highway, hotels, dharamshalas and the roadside food joints."

Deputy Inspector General of Police (Faizabad Range) B P Tripathi said police camps, equipped with metal and explosive detectors, have been established at different security points in Ayodhya. Closed-circuit television cameras have also been installed at important locations, he added. "We have alerted the Central forces deployed in the acquired area along with PAC commandos. We have also deployed Special Operation Group and local intelligence unit personnel in the red and yellow security zone of Ayodhya," said Rathore.

Rs 2 lakh aid for kin of victims
The state government gave Rs 2 lakh as compensation to the nearest kin of the four residents of Sant Kabeer Nagar district, who were killed in the Mumbai terror strikes last week. The two injured residents of Balia district received Rs 50,000 each. The deceased are Akhlaq Ahmed, Maqsood Ahmed, Firoz Ahmed and Hidayatullah. The injured from Balia are Suryabhan Gupta and Bechan Prasad Gupta. - ENS
http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/Fangless-Cobra-unit-formed-to-battle-terror-guards-VIPs/394503/

Rahul tears into retrograde Left
25 Apr 2009, 0424 hrs IST, Prithvijit Mitra, Subhro Maitra & Pinak Priya Bhattacharya, TNN

MALDA/MALBAZAR/PURULIA/BANKURA: Rahul Gandhi tore into Left Front during his whirlwind campaign in Bengal on Friday, barbs laced with stinging
statistics and a new confidence in his voice. "When I went to China last year, communist leaders there asked me why CPM in Bengal banks on 40-year-old slogans," Rahul said at a Malbazar rally, cheered on by thousands.

Rahul, who flew into Bengal on Friday, was no longer a probationer politician', as some had called him during his initiation in the 2004 Lok Sabha election. This was a seasoned politician, a practised speaker who knew how much and what to pack into a 15-minute speech.

In Purulia and Bankura, the Congress youth mascot spoke of hunger, poverty and the state government's failure to implement the 100-day rural job guarantee scheme. In Malbazar, he spoke of tribal land rights and hunger deaths in closed tea gardens.

Bengal got a picture of an increasingly assertive and aggressive Rahul, who, it is clear, is headed for a bigger role in the national arena. And his decision to hold a press conference in Kolkata on Saturday indicates the importance he and Sonia Gandhi are giving to the Trinamool Congress alliance.

Rahul hit where he knew it would hurt most. "What sort of communists are they?" he repeatedly asked. "Communists struggle for the poor. But this (LF) government has been doing things that hurt the poor. We had sent Rs 30 crore for housing for the poor under Indira Awas Yojana. Thirty per cent of the amount was not spent. The same happened with employment schemes," said Rahul, slamming CPM for sticking to "an age-old, rejected variety of communism" that stunted growth.

The one-time UPA allies came in for stinging criticism for their "40-year-old retrograde policies" and "cowardice" over the nuclear deal. "The communists are still holding on to dated ideas about world politics. They refused to support us on the nuclear deal, claiming we were being armtwisted by the US. In the new world, no one can be browbeaten, but they refused to see this. We went ahead with the deal as it was for the betterment of the people. Left Front needs to update itself."

Everywhere Rahul Gandhi went during his whirlwind campaign, the atmosphere was electric. Thousands stood for hours in the sweltering heat for a glimpse. Women climbed on chairs with children in arms for a better view, men rushed the bamboo barricades. Rahul triggered a cheer whenever he waved to the crowd, or sprinkled some Bengali on his speeches.

"Maldar jonoshadharon ke janai amar namoskar," was his opening line in Malda. In Bankura, it was " Bankurar manuser joi ho", driving the crowd wild.

In his trademark starched kurta-pajama and a Tricolour angavastram reminiscent of his late father Rajiv Gandhi Rahul invoked youth power. Only the young and the liberal, he said, could see through the "evil designs" of the "Communist government" and bring it crashing down.

"The communists never want the development of the country; they only want their party to flourish. They forget that India is no longer what she was 70 years ago. The world has taken note of our power and is afraid of us."

Cries of "Rahul, we love you" were often heard. "He is so fair and cute. And he speaks so well. I wish his voice was a bit more manly, but he is a darling," said second-year student Reshmi Choudhury, who waited under the scorching sun for an hour. Her classmate Anuradha had a different take. "Rahul has the makings of a good politician. It was evident from his speech that he has done quite a bit of homework on Bengal politics," she said. Housewife Smita Mondol of Madabnagar was not too bothered about Rahul's political future. "He is so good-looking. Babar motoi dekhte , (he looks like his father)," said Smita. "Na, babar cheyeo bhalo (better than his father)," felt Jayesha Biwi.

Septuagenarian Younis Ali came all the way from Sekhpura, in Manikchak, after offering his Friday namaaz just to catch a glimpse of the "future PM". " Dekhlam, tobe dur theke " (Saw him, but only from a distance)," Ali rued.

The Congress leader had evidently done his homework well. On the Malda dais, Rahul was flanked by Congress candidates for the Malda South and North seats Abu Hasem Khan Choudhury and his niece Mausam Noor, both from the Ghani Khan clan. In Bankura, he made it a point to have Trinamool congress leader Kashinath Mishra at his side.

And he knew which nerves to touch. "It's a shame that Purulia is still one of the country's most backward areas. Here poor people can't eat even once a day. Maoists have taken advantage of the deprivation and lack of development to strike root here," he said, adding he found Bengal "even more backward than Uttar Pradesh".

"I work in UP but Bengal seems worse," he said at Malbazar in North Bengal. "The government looked on passively while thousands of workers in Jalpaiguri's 16 closed tea gardens died of malnourishment. And in the school dropout rate, Bengal is second only to Bihar." Over the years the Left Front government has failed to utilize several thousand crores of central funds for development sent from New Delhi, he said. "As much as 40% of the funds go back unutilized. It's among the highest in the country. In Bengal, people have got just 20 days' work under the 100-day rural work guarantee scheme whereas in Congress-run Andhra Pradesh, it's near 100%," Rahul said.

"The time has come for the people of Bengal to vote for change. You, the youth, have always shown the way to the rest of the country. Do it again."

(With inputs from Debajyoti Chakraborty in Purulia and Bankura)

Pranab calls for life term for Left butchers
25 Apr 2009, 0422 hrs IST, Someswar Boral & Debajyoti Chakraborty, TNN

BIRBHUM/ BURDWAN: "Please do not acquit these butchers. But as they have become old, don't sentence them to death, send them to exile forever,"
argued the lawyer Pranab Mukherjee before the "people's court" at Birchandrapur in Birbhum on Friday. Addressing a public meeting here, Pranab appealed to the people to "send the Communist Party to exile from the Lok Sabha".

Though he had hurriedly left the meeting at Sainthia on Wednesday, on Friday the external affairs minister spent about 20 minutes bashing CPM while addressing the meeting in the Bolpur constituency area, from where Asit Mal is contesting on a Congress ticket. Apart from Mal, the Trinamool candidate from Birbhum, Satabdi Roy, was also present.

"The condition in our neighbourhood is not good," argued Pranab. "Unrest prevails in Sri Lanka, Pakistan and several other countries. So, in this context, you should not elect an unstable government and a weak Prime Minister," he said.

A large crowd had gathered at the meeting venue, braving the heat. As soon as Pranab and Satabdi reached the dais, the crowd went wild. The situation got so worse that Pranab himself had to reprimand the unruly party workers through the microphone. But he got irritated on seeing a party volunteer trying to control the

mob with a stick. The angry minister cried out to the policemen present: "Catch that boy with a stick and bring him here." Policemen had to finally remove the barricade to avert a stampede.

Pranab was seen at Bhatar in Burdwan on Friday afternoon, campaigning for Congress candidate Nargis Begum. He was accompanied by Rabindranath Chatterjee, the Congress MLA from Katwa.

He criticized the Left for supporting the government at the Centre and withdrawing it later. "Nobody had asked the Left to support us. They themselves supported us and then, turned back," he said. "Congress and Trinamool had forged an alliance at the grassroots level unofficially for the panchayat polls. We realised that people want an alliance and so, are respecting their wish this time," he added.

He also slammed the Left-run government for its "failure in implementing the 100-day job scheme". "States like Andhra Pradesh have given people work for 83 days, Tamil Nadu 93 days and Punjab 80 days. But Bengal has failed miserably," he alleged. "They have also failed to use the funds under the Bharat Nirman Scheme. The power situation is horrible," he said.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Cities/Kolkata_/Pranab_calls_for_life_term_for_Left__butchers/articleshow/4446445.cms

500 Rahuls on the march in Barasat
25 Apr 2009, 0421 hrs IST, TNNKOLKATA: Earlier it was Mamata Banerjee, now it's Rahul Gandhi. More than 500 Youth Congress supporters organized a procession at Barasat in North
24-Parganas on Friday, wearing Rahul Gandhi face masks. As the procession marched on, common people also joined in, apparently enthused by the face masks. The local Trinamool Congress and SUCI supporters also participated in the rally.

The rally was part of the Aam Aadmi Ka Sipahi an All India Youth Congress campaign that is led by Rahul Gandhi. Led by Samrat Topadar, a local member of Youth Congress, the rally started at Barasat station around 4.30 pm and ended at the Pradesh Congress office, after moving all over town for about an hour.

Topadar said the objective of the procession was to protest against CPM atrocities in the state and to ensure that the CPM does not succeed in booth-jamming. "The CPM has resorted to booth rigging and is spreading terror. They have snatched the democratic rights of the people. They are an anti-progressive power and should not be allowed to come to power. Through this rally, we want youths to come up who would follow Rahul Gandhi's ideology," he said. Topadar said a similar rally would be organized in Barrackpore soon.

No cakewalk for Pranab
Apr 23rd, 2009 | By Elections2009 | Category: Key constituencies
Indrani Dutta, Jangipur

Jangipur was just a speck on the country's map until senior Congress leader Pranab Mukherjee won his first Lok Sabha seat in 2004, defeating Abul Hasnat Khan of the CPI (M).

Since then, this predominantly rural and semi-urban constituency, some 60 km from Baharampur in West Bengal's Murshidabad district, has been much in the news.

People of this area take pride in the fact that they decide the fate of one of the country's most influential politicians. Mr. Mukherjee will be taking on Mriganka Bhattacharyya of the CPI(M) this time from Jangipur.

Familiar to people

Mr. Bhattacharyya, chairman of the Jangipur Municipality for several terms, is regarded by many locals as a man-of-action.

Well-known to the electorate, he is predictably basing his campaign on his 'familiarity and closeness.'

So, if the catchline in Mr. Mukherjee's campaign is 'kachcher manus, kajer manus' (a man close-at-hand, a-man-of-action) for Mr. Bhattacharyya, it is simply 'gharer manus' (a-man-about-the-house). The emphasis is on his residency in Jangipur — something that his opponent cannot boast of. Indeed, Mr. Mukherjee has said that while he had tried to do his best in five years, he could not do more, since he had to be away.

The central issue for both the candidates is development, alongside specific issues such as checking erosion caused by the Ganga and the Padma rivers. Large sections of the electorate feel Mr. Mukherjee has largely fulfilled the promises made in 2004. The beedi workers of the Jangipur Assembly segment, seem particularly happy that a senior Congress leader has tried to help the region, earlier marked by exploitation and abject poverty.

Jangipur constituency is a Muslim-majority one. Following delimitation, several Assembly segments have been included here and some of these are causing worry to Mr. Mukherjee and his poll-managers.

Parts of Farakka and Aurangabad have been carved out and Lalgola and parts of Baharampur brought in.

Some of the new areas are those where the May 2008 panchayat elections did not throw up very good results for the Congress. Naturally, these areas receive greater attention from Mr. Mukherjee. Incidentally, since 1977, Jangipur has sent a Congress candidate to Lok Sabha only twice.

http://blogs.thehindu.com/elections2009/?p=1958

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Prakash Karat
Prakash Karat
General Secretary, Communist Party of India (Marxist)
Preceded by	Harkishan Singh Surjeet

Born	7 February 1948 (1948-02-07) (age 61) Rangoon, Burma
Political party	Communist Party of India (Marxist)
Spouse	Brinda Karat
Children	None
Residence	New Delhi
Religion	Atheist^{[citation needed]}
As of January 27, 2007 Source: [1]

Prakash Karat (Malayalam: പ്രകാശ് കാരാട്ട് ), born in February 7, 1948 (On official record October 19, 1947) in Rangoon, Burma) is a communist politician in India and the current General Secretary of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) since 2005. ^[1]^[2]^[3]

[hide]

[edit] Education and early career

Prakash Karat was born in Rangoon (Yangon), Burma on February 7, 1948. His father worked with the British Railways. The Karats are Nairs from Elappully, Kerala. Prakash Karat lost his father while still in school and moved to Madras with his mother Radha and sister Kamala. The sister died in her teens and the mother took up a job as an LIC (Life Insurance Corporation of India) agent. Karat was educated at the Madras Christian College as an undergraduate student of Economics,where he won the prize for the best all round achievement and was a resident of St.Thomas's Hall. He graduated with a gold medal and won a scholarship to Britain's University of Edinburgh, for a Masters' degree in politics. It was at Edinburgh that he met with Professor Victor Kiernan, the famed Marxist and became a strident communist. His political activism began with anti-apartheid protests at the University, for which he was expelled. The expulsion was later reversed based on his good behaviour.^[4]. Karat returned to India in 1970 and joined the premier institution, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi. Karat was one of the founders of the Students Federation of India (SFI), the CPM's student wing, in Jawaharlal Nehru University. He was involved with student politics and was elected the third president of the Jawaharlal Nehru University Student's Union. He also became the first President of the Students Federation of India between 1974 to 1979. He worked underground for one and a half years during the Emergency in India in 1975-76. He was arrested twice and spent 8 days in prison.^[4].

[edit] Personal life

Prakash Karat married Brinda Karat, then a party colleague, in 1975. Brinda has also risen through party ranks and both are active members of CPI(M). They have decided that they will not have any children in the wider interest of the party.

[edit] Communist Party

After returning to India in 1970, Karat joined the Jawaharlal Nehru University and thereafter Communist Party of India (Marxist). He began working as an aide to the party leader A K Gopalan, the legendary communist leader from Kerala. Prakash Karat was elected to the Central Committee of the CPI (M) in 1985 and became a member of the 'Politburo' in 1992. He took over as the youngest-ever General Secretary of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) in 2005 at Talkatora Stadium in Delhi.

[edit] Party Leader

Karat was elected to the Central Committee of the CPI (M) in 1985 and became a member of the Politburo in 1992. The Politburo is the key decision making wing of the party. In 2005, he was elected General Secretary, effectively the most influential position in the party structure. Some analysts claim that Karat ushers in a new generational change within the CPI (M).^[5] In a recent interview he was informed about the sorry state of Indian workers in the Gulf countries like UAE, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, etc., where they are treated like slaves and not paid salaries for months and passports impounded by employers. He agreed that it was more important to raise the Indian workers status world-wide rather than burst nuclear bombs.

[edit] Academic and political writings

Since 1992, Karat has been on the editorial board of CPI(M)'s academic journal, The Marxist. He is also the managing director of Leftword. He is the author of three books.

Language, Nationality and Politics in India (1972)
A World to Win -- Essays on the Communist Manifesto (1999), edited
Across Time and Continents: A tribute to Victor Kiernan (2003), edited

[edit] References

^ The Hindu News Update Service
^ Karat re-elected CPI-M general secretary
^ Prakash Karat is CPI-M general secretary
^ ^a ^b "Prakash Karat". Communist Party of India (Marxist). http://www.cpim.org/bio/prakash_karat.htm. Retrieved on 2008-02-11.
^ "Prakash Karat elected CPI (M) general secretary". The Hindu. 2005-04-12. http://www.hindu.com/2005/04/12/stories/2005041210170100.htm. Retrieved on 2008-02-11.

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Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee

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Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee (Bengali: বুদ্ধদেব ভট্টাচার্য) (also spelt Buddhadeb Bhattacharya) (born March 1, 1944) is an Indian Communist politician, who has served as the Chief Minister of West Bengal (India) since November 6, 2000. He is also a member of the politburo of the Communist Party of India (Marxist).

[hide]

[edit] The Chief Minister

Born in 1944 in north Calcutta, the chief minister belongs to a family which had produced another famous son. Revolutionary poet Sukanta Bhattacharya was his father's cousin. A former student of Sailendra Sirkar Vidyalaya‎. Soon after graduating from Presidency College, Kolkata in 1964, he joined the CPI-M as a primary member. Besides taking active part in the food movement, he also supported Vietnam's cause in 1968. He was appointed state secretary of the Democratic Youth Federation, the youth wing of the CPI(M) that was later merged into the Democratic Youth Federation of India.

In 1977, he was elected as a Legislative Assembly Member for the first time. His constituency then was Cossipore. It was the first time that the CPI(M)-led Left Front came to power in West Bengal. He was given charge of the ministry of information and culture; it was his favorite position and during his tenure he contributed to Bengali theatre, movies and music. After losing the 1982 assembly election from Cossipore, he changed his constituency to Jadavpur in 1987. The move was successful; he won comfortably and regained his post.

Bhattacharya is also known to be a passionate cricket fan. An avid traveller, he has toured extensively in China, the erstwhile Soviet Union, Cuba, Vietnam, Great Britain, France and Singapore. Bhattacharyya and his wife Meera have a daughter, Suchetana who is an environment and wildlife activist. He has refused to move to the designated residence of Chief Minister & continued working from his one bed-room Lower Income Group government quarter at Palm Avenue,Kolkata.

In 1993,Buddhadeb tendered his resignation from the state cabinet due to a significant difference of opinion with Jyoti Basu. However, there has never been any conclusive evidence on reasons behind his leaving the cabinet & party's decision to bring him back within a couple of years.It is during this period, Buddhadeb has written a critique of poetry written by Jibanananda Das, the legendary bengalee poet named "Hridayer Shabdoheen Jyotsna-r Bhitor".

In 1996, the CPI-M won the West Bengal assembly elections for the fifth consecutive time. Bhattacharya was once again appointed information and culture minister, but with additional authority over the home ministry. Basu continued looking after home.

Not only did the two leaders (Jyoti Basu & Bhattacharya) become closer during this period, Bhattacharya also matured as a politician. He is considered to be one of the few leaders who is both moderate and efficient and can balance both the hardliners and liberals in the party. Which was why, since 1996, he was always considered a viable alternative to Basu.

This eventually led to his being promoted the Chief Minister, when Basu finally decided to step down in 2000, ahead of the State Assembly elections due in May 2001. Though Basu was ill and aged, his government was fast losing popularity. There were unsubstantiated media stories about corruption involving Basu's son, and the state economy was generally losing steam. There was an investment flight away from the state, increased joblessness in urban areas, a serious crunch in technical and medical education facilities and a near-breakdown of health services at the time. Bhattacharya was made the Chief Minister with the objective of making the administration look cleaner (he is seen as 'uncorruptible' to this day even by his critics)and more efficient. His clean image was primarily responsible for winning a record 6th term for the Left Front government in West Bengal in May 2001, though with a much reduced majority.

After becoming the chief minister Bhattacharya has liberalised Bengal's economy significantly. He has attracted a lot of foreign investment in Bengal. Many new industries and IT related services have emerged under his leadership. He is generally seen as a Communist leader who is open to reforms. However, his opponents have criticized him for taking farmlands to build industries. Bhattacharya said in return, that these farmlands were not so productive and they will provide better jobs to many poor people. Some communists have also criticized Bhattacharya for pursuing economic reforms. Recently Bhattacharya said that he does not want to unionize the IT industry. Labour unions of Bengal have criticized this decision saying that this will lead to the exploitation of IT workers.

His biggest asset proved to be his clean image, which helped him lead the Left Front to a 7th consecutive term in 2006 Assembly Elections. He personally won from Jadavpur constituency with 127,837 votes. His victory margin went up from 29,281 in 2001 to 58,130 in 2006. His coalition improved its tally from 199 seats (out of 300) to 235 and reduced the other opposition parties to insignificance.

[edit] Controversy

In January 2006 the Supreme Court of India issued notices to Buddhadeb Bhattacharya and others in connection with land allotments made in the Salt Lake City township in Kolkata.^[1]

Buddhadev Bhattacharya's Government came under heavy criticism for police action against demonstrators in Nandigram. He was criticized not only by opposition parties (such as the Trinamool Congress) and other Left Front coalition allies like CPI, RSP and Forward Bloc, who threatened to back out from the ministry on this issue, but also by his mentor and the state's former chief minister, Jyoti Basu. On March 15, 2007 Basu criticized Bhattacharya for failing to restrain the police in Nandigram.^[2] Bhattacharya has expressed regret for the shootings, but claimed that his intention in permitting police action was because Nandigram was an "area where there had been no rule of law and no presence of an administration for not one, two or 10 days but for two-and-a-half months, and many hundreed of villagers were thrown out of nandigram by trinmool partisans, more these villagers taking shelter in a state relief camp outside nandigram, also their land in villages were also captured by the goons."^[3] The CPI(M) has declared that they are totally behind Bhattacharya and have drawn up "plans" to placate his critics in the Left Front.^[4]

[edit] Education

Bhattacharya is an alumnus of Sailendra Sirkar Vidyalaya‎.^[5] He studied Bengali literature at the Presidency College, Kolkata, and secured his B.A degree in Bengali (Honours).^[6]

[edit] References

^ "Court notice to Jyoti Basu", The Hindu, January 24, 2006.
^ Subir Bhaumik, "India strike over police shooting", BBC News, March 16, 2007.
^ "Deaths in violence unfortunate, says Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee", The Hindu, March 16, 2007.
^ Subrata Nagchoudhury, "Party stands by Buddha, gets restive allies to fall in line", indianexpress.com, March 18, 2007.
^ http://www.cpim.org/bio/buddhadeb_bhattacharjee.htm
^ Shri Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee

Preceded by Jyoti Basu	Chief Minister of West Bengal 2000–	Succeeded by Current Incumbent

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