UPA govt.should come down: Uma Bharati

BHARATIYA JANSHAKTI Party chief Uma Bharati on Friday late evening (July 18), said that Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh has failed to take the people of India into confidence over the nuclear deal issue, for which his government should come down (topple) as soon as possible.

Bharati was down in Goa on Friday evening for just one hour, and then proceeded toward Hubli-Karnataka, by roadways to meet her Guru on the occasion of ’Gurupornima’.

She spoke to media after getting down at Margao Konkan Railway station, around 11pm. She left Margao exactly after one hour, after having spent ten minutes in the constituency of chief minister Digambar Kamat.

She lambasted the United Progressive Alliance ( UPA) government over failure of many issues pertaining to country. She even termed Manmohan’s government a ’failure’.

She stressed that the UPA government is a total failure and should come down immediately, and the election should be held without wasting any more time.

When asked why the UPA government is a failure, she said that the nuclear deal documents should have been put on Parliament table, also general public and media should have been taken into confidence. But this government did not do so.

Rumours are making the rounds that she may again join Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). When asked her about this she denied the possibility and said that she believe only in facts and not on rumours.

She also said that her party will fight election in five states viz Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Rajasthan and others. source: http://www.merinews.com

NDA cannot form govt if UPA fails

HERALD
CORRESPONDENT NEW DELHI, JULY 17— Quite conscious that the Bharatiya Janata Party led National Democratic Alliance does not have the number and cannot secure the Left’s support to form the government if the United Progressive Alliance fails in the confidence vote on Tuesday, senior BJP leader M Venkaiah Naidu stressed that his party would seek a fresh mandate through a mid-term polls.“I am saying it on record that the NDA will not try to form a government if UPA falls during the vote of confidence. We will go to the people and convince them about the failures of the UPA government and seek their mandate,” he said while talking to reporters at the BJP headquarters here.He boasted that the NDA may have the numbers to form the government but asserted that “election is the only solution” once the UPA government is defeated in the floor test in Lok Sabha.Already upbeat with victories in the Assembly elections in Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh and the latest in Karnataka, Naidu said the BJP has already got into the election mode for the new Lok Sabha and has even announced its first list of candidates.In reply to a question, he said talks were already on for enrolling more regional parties in the NDA. There may also be some post-poll alliances, he added.

Cancel revoked order on land transfer to Amarnath board: BJP

Demanding that the Jammu and Kashmir government cancel the revoked order on land transfer to the Shri Amarnath Shrine Board, the Bharatiya Janata Party on Saturday asked Muslim organisations across the country to support the cause.

"The revoking of land transfer order to the SASB by the government is unfortunate and shameful," BJP president Rajnath Singh told reporters in Jammu.

Alleging that the government had succumbed to the separatist forces on the issue, Rajnath Singh said the state government and the Centre were equally responsible for the situation arising out of the cancellation of land to the shrine board.

The BJP president said the decision to transfer land to the SASB was taken with a view to providing facilities to the pilgrims through the board. But the state and Central government yielded to separatists' pressure after they launched an agitation in the Valley and revoked the order.

"Since the minority government in the state has no moral authority to cancel the order, the BJP demands the cancellation of the order immediately," Rajnath Singh said.

While welcoming the Muslim organisations which supported the issue, the BJP president appealed to the community to come forward and fight against the decision.

Rajnath Singh vowed to cancel the order, if the people of Jammu and Kashmir helped the BJP come to power in the state. source: rediff.com

4 die in violence during ‘Bharat bandh’

BJP says it will continue its agitation till its demand for the transfer of land to the board is met

NEW DELHI: Violence marred the ‘Bharat bandh’ called by the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Vishwa Hindu Parishad to protest against the non-transfer of land to the Amarnath Shrine Board. Four died in Indore, Madhya Pradesh, where agitators set cars and buses ablaze and clashed with the police.

The BJP said it would continue its agitation till its demand for the transfer of land to the board was met. Protest rallies are being planned in various state and district capitals from July 4 to 11. Party spokesperson Prakash Javadekar said: “Nearly half of Jammu and Kashmir is occupied by Pakistan and huge chunks have been grabbed by China. What is the problem with giving a few acres of land to the Shrine Board?”

Bill boards outside the party’s central office said that “100 crore Hindustanis will not beg for 100 acres of land” and “BJP will not tolerate insult to devotees of Lord Shiva.”

The response to the ‘bandh’ call was partial in most states with shops in some areas voluntarily downing shutters, while in others groups of BJP workers forced them to shut down. Train services were affected in several places.

In Uttar Pradesh, the Shatabdi Express was stopped at Agra Cantonment, the Ahmedabad-Varanasi Sabarmati Express at Orai and the Howrah-Dehradun Express at Mughalsarai, each for a few minutes. More than 50 BJP workers were arrested in and around Lucknow, while in Delhi senior BJP leaders, including Venkaiah Naidu, participated in the protests.

In West Bengal, the ‘bandh’ had little impact, but in Kerala the State-run transport services were partially withdrawn after incidents of stone pelting and in several places protesters blocked highways.

In Karnataka, the response was mixed – while in Bangalore life remained near normal with schools and business offices open as usual, in some districts of Mangalore, Hubli-Dharwad, Udupi and Mysore, bus services came to a halt and business activities shut down. No major untoward incidents were reported barring stone pelting in a few places.

In Maharashtra, VHP supporters reportedly halted traffic on some major roads in North Mumbai causing traffic snarls and delaying office-goers. The police later dispersed the protesters.

Normal life was affected in parts of Punjab with the police using their canes to disperse crowds. Road and train traffic was affected in Ludhiana and Bhatinda and in Ambala protesters burnt effigies.

In Gujarat, a BJP-ruled state, life was near normal. Mr. Javadekar said the State would register its protest another day as Jagannath yatras were being taken out at 21 places on Thursday.

Fresh violence
Jammu Staff Reporter writes:

There was no let-up in the violent scenes and blood-letting in Jammu on Thursday.
Sixty five people, including a large number of police personnel, were injured in fresh protests against the cancellation of the order transferring land to the Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board. Army carried out flag marches in curfew bound areas.

Protesters continued to defy the indefinite curfew orders in several areas. Police personnel who tried to implement the curfew earned the wrath of the protesters.

Kathua district, the gateway to the State, was the scene of massive protests. Protesters attacked the vehicles of districts officers. In Lakhanpur town of Kathua district — which borders Madopur area of Punjab — demonstrators set ablaze a toll post where entry tax on goods is collected. In the same district, a police post was also burnt.

On a request from the district administration, the Army carried out a flag march in Kathua town. Rail traffic was also affected in Kathua. Traffic on the Jammu-Srinagar road was blocked, as protesters gathered at Samba, Udhampur and Nagrota.

There were fresh attacks on the properties of Congress leaders. Congress leader Mula Ram’s house was attacked. But the police posted there managed to disperse the crowd.

Around ten police personnel were injured in a number of places in Jammu city when they tried to disperse crowds of protesters. Mobs attacked a police party in sector 2 of Durga Nagar.

A few Congress activists of the region joined the protests on Thursday. Jai Singh, a Municipal corporator belonging to the Congress, came out with scores of his supporters defying curfew orders.

A group of social activists, lawyers , political leaders and academicians issued a joint appeal to the people and the leaders of the agitation to realise that the secular tradition and identity of Jammu was its real strength, which one cannot afford to weaken. source: http://www.hindu.com/2008/07/04/stories/2008070456431200.htm

BJP claims a “wave of support” in Jammu

BJP claims a “wave of support” in Jammu
Special Correspondent the hindu
NEW DELHI: The Bharatiya Janata Party on Wednesday claimed a “wave of support” in Jammu for its demand that the order revoking leasing of land to the Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board be cancelled.

The police fired on “peaceful protestors” in Jammu at “four places,” and in the Kashmir Valley, the State government and the Centre “kneeled before” separatists and fundamentalists by revoking the “legitimate” order on land transfer, BJP spokesperson Prakash Javadekar said.
Mr. Javadekar pointed out that the Ghulam Nabi Azad-led government had been reduced to a minority with the withdrawal of support by the People’s Democratic Party.

In the Centre too, the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance government was facing threat of withdrawal of support by Left parties.

Asked why the BJP was making a fuss now, when during NDA partner National Conference’s rule in Jammu and Kashmir, facilities were provided to pilgrims without transferring land to the shrine board, he said that at that time there was no proposal for transfer of land to the board.

Muslims were not against facilities being provided to those visiting the shrine. Only fundamentalists and separatists had created a dangerous situation in the Valley and the Centre had quietly caved in to their demands, he said.

The BJP expected a total “hartal” in the country on Thursday in response to a call given by it.

Poll tie-up arrangements at preliminary stage: BJP

Poll tie-up arrangements at preliminary stage: BJP

From our Correspondent JORHAT, June 16: The State unit of Bharatiya Janata Party(BJP) hasn’t come up with any definite poll strategy for the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections in Asom. Though the party is harping on terrorism, price rise and foreign policy as the basic issues for the Parliamentary elections, it hasn’t sounded a clear note on alliance with any political parties in the State for the next General Election.“Several parties and organizations have approached us lately and the discussions are at a preliminary stage,” the BJP’s central observer for Asom, Harendra Pratap told reporters here today. Though BJP doesn’t advocate a policy of untouchability, it will do everything in its power to defeat the Congress, Communists and communal forces, he added.Pratap was briefing mediapersons on the proceedings of the two-day executive and office bearers’ meet of the saffron party which concluded here on Sunday. State BJP president Ramen Deka, vice president Palit Kumar Borah and other local functionaries were present at the news conference. Terming the Congress-led Government in Asom as ‘the most tainted and corrupt in the country,’ Pratap called for a polarization of non-Congress and anti-Congress votes in the State. “If we want to save the country from internal threats posed by Pakistani and Bangladeshi fundamentalist forces, the Congress has to be voted out of power in Asom and the Communist parties should be ousted from West Bengal,” the BJP leader said. The UPA allies at the Centre are not taking the sealing of the international border with Bangladesh seriously to stop infiltration, Pratap said, adding that the Asom Government is more concerned about the welfare of illegal Bangladeshi immigrants. The Maoists in Nepal, who are playing into the hands of China, also hold an external threat perception, he maintained. Referring to the high inflation in the country, the BJP’s central observer felt that it would reach a double-digit rate soon as the ‘economy is on the verge of collapse due to the policies of the UPA Government.’ The Assembly election results in the last one year have signalled that the BJP-led NDA is on course of forming the next Union Government, Pratap said. The State BJP president said that the party would press for the removal of all ministers and MLAs who are allegedly involved in the politically-motivated murders in Asom. Education Minister Ripun Bora, who was arrested on a bribery charge, should be arrested for murder too, Deka stressed. “We have adopted a resolution to push for adequate probes and other judicial action against five political murders and other lapses on the part of the State Government and its ministers,” he added. The State BJP chief called Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi the ‘merchant of corruption.’ Gogoi is shielding his colleagues who have failed to deliver on all fronts, Deka said. Asom BJP vice president Borah reeled out statistics to highlight the ‘decaying law-and-order situation in the State since 2003.