Raj ka Gunda Raj

The Mumbai police has told the Bombay high court that it has not found any evidence against Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray in connection with the violent agitation by his party for enforcing Marathi signboards in shops. Joint Commissioner of Police K L Prasad, in an affidavit, has also said the letters written by Raj asking shopkeepers in the city to put up Marathi signboards “do not make out any cognisable offence” as per law and judiciary separtment’s opinion. The Federation of Retail Traders Welfare Association had moved the high court in August seeking to restrain MNS from indulging in violence over the signboard issue. At the last hearing, the court had asked the government why no action was taken against Raj Thackeray. The hearing of the case has been adjourned till November 29. Earlier, Prasad’s remarks about Mumbai that the city does not belong to anyone’s father had triggered an angry reaction from Raj Thackeray.

The Jewel of Medina, a story of Ayesha, Prophet Mohammed’s third wife penned by American author Sherry Jones in the form of historical fiction, has been objected to by some Muslims in the United States. The book was published in America on October 6 but its publication in Britain has been delayed fearing protests. Muslim groups allege that the book is blasphemous and have branded the author an enemy of Islam. The controversy is getting quite like the Danish cartoon controversy which raised protests from many Islamic countries and India. According to American think-tank Stratfor, “The tone of the book is not the real issue. To many Muslims, not only is it offensive to ridicule Mohammed but it is forbidden and considered a dire insult to portray the Prophet in any way outside the context of Islamic writings. This insult is magnified when Mohammed is depicted having intimate relations with his wife, a revered figure in Islam who is referred to in many Islamic writings as Um ul Mumineen (Arabic for ‘Mother of the Believers’). Because of this, in all probability many Muslims — not just a few radicals — will find the book offensive.” Stratfor quotes an associate professor of Islamic history at the University of Texas at Austin who said Muslims would find the book very offensive. He has likened it to soft-core pornography. However, the author and publisher have argued that the book respectfully portrays Prophet Mohammed and his relationship with Ayesha — in stark contrast to the Danish cartoons that sparked so much protest and violence. Random House scrapped its plans to publish the book in the US because they thought Muslims could find book’s contents offensive. Later, Beaufort Books announced its publication. The book has been published in Serbia where it has drawn criticism. The book was withdrawn from the market in Serbia but, pirated copies are available. On September 27, according to the Stratfor report, three men were arrested outside the house of British publisher Martin Rynja of Gibson Square. They were reportedly forcing a small incendiary device through the front door mail slot of the home, which also serves as the headquarters for Gibson Square publishers. Three men were arrested shortly after the incident and have been charged in connection with the crime. The suspects reportedly have indicated that the attack was indeed related to the publication of The Jewel of Medina. In view of the past experience of controversies over Salman Rushdie’s Satanic Verses and Danish cartoons, Stratfor thinkers Fred Burton and Scott Stewart argue that “The Jewel of Medina has the potential to cause problems for many years. Though this issue might fade quickly from public consciousness in the West, the subject matter of the book has the potential to inflame Muslim activists again in the future.” Stratfor claims that in the case of the Prophet cartoons, Pakistani religious leaders admitted that they intentionally stirred up emotions connected with the publication of the images after the initial furore died down. It is thus quite possible that The Jewel of Medina will be used in the same way, but this timeframe could span decades. In the case of The Satanic Verses, large-scale protests condemning the book and Rushdie occurred as recently as fall 2007, 19 years after the novel’s publication.” Stratfor writers claim, “We are not necessarily predicting an immediate open season on Sherry Jones or the publishers of the book, but precautions should obviously be taken to prevent them from becoming the next Theo van Gogh [the Dutch film-maker who was killed for making a controversial film on Islam]. And as the ancillary attacks in the Rushdie case (among others) have shown, other people also can become victims, and violence can be channelled in unexpected ways and appear in unexpected places.” On the wider implication of the book the Stratfor report concludes, “When it comes to perceptions of blasphemy and other affronts that some see as warranting death, fatwas often are carried out with extreme brutality — and those targeted have not always been directly associated with the initial offence. Considering past examples and the probable emotions The Jewel of Medina will raise in the Islamic world, revenge for offended religious sensibilities might be brutal, and it might be a long time coming.”

While the downturn in Aviation sector and issue of Jet Airways lay off have become the biggest talk in India, the Air India is reportedly planning to give 3-5 years leave without pay to around 15,000 of its total staff. According to PTI sources, it was confirmed by Air India CMD Raghu Menon on Thursday. Union Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel later clarified that there won’t be any job cuts within Air India and the employees would be taken back on the same pay if they desire to return after the specified leave period.

Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray gave an ultimatum to Jet Airways to reinstate all sacked employees within 48 hours. Raj threatened Jet Airways of dire consequences if the airlines fails to comply with his ultimatum. Jet Airways has already fired 800 employees and is planning to sack another 1,100 within a few days. Meanwhile, the ruling CPI(M) in West Bengal has openly supported the sacked employees and decided to block all Jet Airways flights from Kolkata if the airlines does not reinstate the sacked employees with immediate effect. Shiv Sena in Mumbai has also supported the terminated Jet Airways employees. Meanwhile, the Centre has sought a detailed report from the Labour Secretary on Jet Airways lay off issue.

 

BJP bring stronger law than POTA

Rajnath singh is saying lie, because when Atal Bihari Bajpeyee was Prime Minister and LK Adwani was Home Minister then that time they release the natorious terrorist and Jaswant Singh reach them safly in Afganistan. BJP has no moral and I think they can’t save Hindu as well as Hindustan. BJP has no right to say like Rajnath said today. Bharatiya Janata Party president Rajnath Singh on Thursday said if the they come to power in the Lok Sabha elections they will formulate a law, which is more stringent than Prevention of Terrorism Act. “We will enact a law which is more stringent than POTA to fight terrorism,” Dr Singh who is in Ahmedabad to attend a party function told reporters in a reply to a question whether POTA will be brought back if BJP comes to power. Rajnath Singh said the United Progressive Alliance government lacks strong will to counter challenges posed by terrorists. He said the government is also practicing “cultural terrorism” by targetting the cultural beliefs and icons of the majority of Indians. “The biggest threat the country is facing today is jihadi terrorism. The UPA government’s evasive response and lack of strong will to counter the challenges posed by different terrorists groups has crated an atmosphere of insecurity and fear in the country,” Rajnath Singh said. “Terrorism is a global issue and countries which became notorious for supporting terrorism in the name of jihad are also feeling its heat now. According to media reports Pakistan has also started mobilising public opinion against terrorism,” Rajnath Singh said. “On the other hand the UPA government, it seems is suffering from acute psychological disorder, which does not allow it to think beyond its vote bank considerations,” Rajnath Singh said. “The vote bank considerations of the UPA were evident in the recent National Integration Council meeting held at New Delhi where it tried its best to keep terrorism out of the official agenda,” he said. “UPA cannot see the difference between terrorism and Musilims and is treating the issue with the angle of vote-bank politics,” he said. He said the UPA government is not only allowing terrorists to thrive in the country, but is also practicing “cultural terrorism”. “It is shocking to see the government has grossly misinterpreted the Kamban Ramayana and told the Supreme Court that Lord Ram himself had destroyed the Ram Sethu hence it cannot be worshiped,” he said. “This is not the first time that the UPA government has insulted people’s beliefs. Earlier, it had said before the court that Lord Ram was a fictitious character,” he added. “We condemn such submission made by the UPA government in the court. They are playing with the religious sentiments of more than a billion people,” he said. Regarding the current economic scenario in the country, Rajnath said, “The UPA in its 42 months rule has pushed the country towards ‘stagflation’. Stagflation means stagnation of growth and increase in inflation. We will revive the sagging Indian economy.” “When the UPA government is committing blunders on economic front, the BJP-led governments in various states are scripting new success stories by creating an atmosphere conducive for investment,” Rajnath said. “The success of Narendra Modi-led BJP government in bringing the Nano car project from West Bengal to Gujarat is a shining example to prove this point,” he added.

 

Global Market Meltdown

The global market meltdown has taken a toll on Singapore Nifty or SGX Nifty with the index falling by 6 percent on Thursday. The stocks were down by 200 points at 3,139. The Singapore Nifty (SGX Nifty) was expected to fare better than Indian stock market, but that was not the case. Meanwhile, BSE Sensex continued moving downwards with losing over 710 points in the first hour of trading. The Nifty too lost over 220 points. RBI’s decision to cut the CRR (Cash Reserve Ratio) failed to bolster the market or improve the confidence of the investors. The bloodbath at Dalal Street continues…

The financial tsunami continued to play havoc in the US market. The recession fears loom large over the United States, as Dow Jones witnessed its biggest drop in the past 21 years. The Dow dropped 733.08 points or 7.9% to 8577.91 causing panic in markets across the world. If we believe the indications, the US economy is heading towards its deepest recession since the Great Depression in 1980s. The global crude oil prices reached a 13-month-low of $75 per barrel. Other indexes including the Standard & Poor’s 500 stock index, fell sharply. Investors across the globe lost about $1.1 trillion during the US market crash on Wednesday. This is the second time in stock history that investors lost over $1.1 trillion in a day. Asian markets too witnessed a decline. India’s BSE Sensex crashed by over 600 points, while Tokyo’s Nikkei Stock Average fell by 9.7%.

The Reserve Bank of India sprung a surprise by slashing the cash reserve ratio (CRR) by 100 basis points or 1 percent. The CRR now remains at 6.5%. The CRR rate cut will be with retrospective from October 11, 2008. The CRR cut is expected to release Rs. 40,000 crore into the market. The RBI has also raised the ceiling on FCNR (B) deposits by 50 basis points. The international ceiling rate on NRE(R)A deposits has been raised by 50 basis points. The hike in FCNR (B) and NRE(R)A was taken to ease the pressure on Rupee, which has declined significantly against the USA Dollar. The CRR rate cut is seen is a positive step by the RBI to improve liquidity and confidence.

 

LTT supporters Threten UPA

Tamil Terorrist threaten UPA Government.

The Sri Lankan army’s ongoing war with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam is fast becoming a major political issue in India. In Tamil Nadu, there are CDs in circulation showing the damage done by the Sri Lankan army while recapturing territory held by the LTTE in the north in the past one year. The plight of two lakh Sri Lankan Tamil refugees is moving public opinion in the state. Recent reports from Colombo that Tamils are being subjected to racial profiling have caused strong reactions, forcing political leaders to act. At an all-party meet in Chennai on Tuesday chaired by Chief Minister M Karunanidhi, a resolution was adopted that if the central government does not ensure a ceasefire in Sri Lanka within two weeks, all members of Parliament from the state would resign. Leaders of the Congress, Communist Party of India and CPI-Marxist were also present at the meet. Opposition parties including the J Jayalalitha-led All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, the Vaiko-led Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and the Bharatiya Janata Party stayed away from the meet. On Wednesday, Karunanidhi’s daughter and Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam Rajya Sabha member Kanimozhi resigned from the Rajya Sabha. Her act is symbolic (she submitted her resignation to the party chief only) but nevertheless it’s a strong political gesture. There are 39 MPs from Tamil Nadu in the Lok Sabha and one from Puducherry. Out of 40 MPs, except two MDMK MPs, the remaining 38 have threatened to resign within two weeks if the issue of human rights of Sri Lankan Tamils is not addressed by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. It is unlikely that the 38 MPs will carry out their threat — since it would reduce the United Progressive Alliance government to a hopeless minority. But Karunanidhi has sent a strong message from Chennai to New Delhi that it’s no longer possible for India to ignore ‘Tamil’ sentiments. And that message should be sent to Colombo, immediately. But Karunanidhi’s critics say they may be reasons other than Tamil sentiments for his move. Janata Party President Subramanian Swamy dubbed the all-party meeting on Sri Lankan Tamils as a ‘flop’ exercise because the principal opposition party, the AIADMK boycotted it. According to an AIADMK Rajya Sabha MP, “Karunanidhi has made a smart move. He is in a win-win situation. If the central government puts pressure on the Sri Lankan government to go slow in their war against LTTE, he will claim victory and if it carries on with its current policy of clandestine support to finish off the LTTE, Karunanidhi will get an excuse to drift away from the UPA.” A senior Tamil MP, talking off the record, alleges, “Karunanidhi has assessed that the UPA is not strong. As elections are close, Karunanidhi has to do something to boost his party’s dwindling credibility. He has decided to remain close to the Left parties and the Pattali Makkal Katchi, which makes them a formidable force. By isolating the Congress, Karunanidhi is virtually eliminating one enemy (Congress) from the electoral field.” The AIADMK and the BJP think the resignation move is a ploy for the DMK to move away from the Congress. A senior AIADMK leader says, “When Karunanidhi wanted a plum portfolio for his party in the Union cabinet he threatened to resign immediately but on the Sri Lankan Tamil issue, he is giving two weeks notice. The Tamil people do not need such drama. As you know, the Congress members were present at the meeting in Chennai. They could not have attended without Congress President Sonia Gandhi’s permission. Does it mean that she is endorsing the Tamil Eelam issue? We would like to now.” He also asks why Karunanidhi is complaining now when his ministers in the central government were tacitly endorsing Indian support to Sri Lanka for the last two years. The resolution also binds Union Finance Minister P Chidambaram and Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss. The resolution also demanded that defence equipment supplied by India to Sri Lanka should not be used against the Sri Lankan Tamils. The war in Sri Lanka is fast becoming a hot button political issue in the state with the pro-LTTE Tamil parties propagating that ‘Sri Lankan Tamils are being killed by the Sri Lankan army trained by India’. This is hurting the feelings of Tamils, says a security analyst and a retired army officer based in Chennai.

 

News: 15 October

The crisis within the Jet Airways has just begun, it seems. Jet Airways CEO Wolfgang Prock-Schaeur revealed that his airlines will terminate 1,900 out of a total of 13,000 employees in a phased manner. According to Jet CEO, those employees were hired as part of the expansion plan, but it was held back for some reason. He also said that 800 employees have already been served termination notice and 1,100 more will soon get the boot. Mr. Wolfgang Prock-Schaeur termed the process of termination of employees as completely legal and maintained that adequate compensation will be given to sacked employees as per the contract. He also said that decision to fire the employees had nothing to with the alliance with Kingfisher Airlines. “It was a tough decision, but we had to take it. We have sacked employees for the first time in 15 years”, said Mr. Wolfgang Prock-Schaeur.

The current turmoil within the Jet Airways, has taken an interesting turn with MNS (Maharashtra Navnirman Sena) chief Raj Thackeray deciding to support the sacked Jet Airways employees. Jet Airways has sacked around 1,000 employees today, who were on probation and were supposed to get their confirmation letter on November 1. After getting a snub from Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel, the sacked Jet Airways employees decided to approach MNS chief Raj Thackeray, who in return echoed their sentiments. Raj Thackeray warned the Jet Airways of dire consequences if the sacked employees are not reinstated with immediate effect. “No Jet Airways flight will be allowed to take off from Mumbai if needed”, thundered Raj Thackeray. A MNS delegation will meet Jet Airways management tomorrow to discuss the issue.

As the Jet Airways sacked around 1,000 employees without giving any prior notice, the sacked staff went on a rampage outside the Jet Airways office in Mumbai. All sacked employees were on probation and they were supposed to get their confirmation letter on November 1, but they never expected a sudden termination letter as ‘Diwali Gifts’. The employees are now considering legal options, as Jet Airways did not keep its promise of one month termination notice to its employees. The sacked Jet Airways employees included the cabin crew and customer service officers. They are in a state of shock at this latest development. The Jet Airways Chairman Naresh Goyal defended the decision to lay off around 1,000 staff saying they were non-permanent and unconfirmed employees. He also said that his company would do everything possible to reduce costs. The Jet Airways also decided to reduce its flights by 10-12 percent during the coming winter. According to latest reports, Jet Airways will sack more employees in the categories of cabin cockpit crew and management. Kingfisher Airlines also said that it would soon fire a sizable number of employees to reduce costs. Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel has refused the government intervention on this matter, saying the companies reserve the right to hire/fire their staff. The sacked Jet Airways employees have decided to approach MNS chief Raj Thackeray for his support to their cause.

Alibaba.com is the official website of the Alibaba Group, which is considered as the world’s largest B2B marketing website. Alibaba.com is a big name in the field of B2B e-commerce. Jack Ma, a former English teacher from the eastern Chinese city of Hangzhou founded Alibaba.com in 1999 along with 18 other founder members. Today, Alibaba.com has over 32 million registered users from over 240 countries and regions. Alibaba.com has offices in over 30 cities across China as well as in Taiwan, Hong Kong, Europe and the US. The company has around 7,000 full-time employees today. Alibaba.com connects millions of buyers and suppliers through three marketplaces – http://www.alibaba.com/, http://www.alibaba.com.cn/ and http://www.alibaba.com.jp/. Alibaba.com is a certified B2B marketing website is considered as the most trusted among all available e-commerce websites.

Captain GR Gopinath, vice chairman of Kingfisher Airlines, is planning to buy back Air Deccan. He is reportedly unhappy over the alliance between Kingfisher Airlines and Jet Airways struck a couple of days ago. Gopinath is planning to offer a package to buy back Air Deccan from Kingfisher Airlines. Currently, UB Group Chairman Vijay Mallya has 65% share in Kingfisher Airlines, while Captain Gopinath has only 5.58% stake.

In a shocking development, Father Chellan, the lone eyewitness in the sensational nun rape case in Kandhamal, Orissa, refused to cooperate in the investigation, saying he did not have faith in the system. Father Chellan’s refusal to help the Orissa Police, came as a shocker for all and it provided ammo to critics who have already raised questions on the alleged rape of the nun. In 1999, a similar incident occurred in Baripada, where a nun alleged that she was raped by Hindu extremists. But the later the allegations turned out to be false. Although the state police have arrested eight persons in connections with the nun rape case in Kandhamal, Father Chellan’s refusal to cooperate with the police, raised several questions that remain unanswered.

The Jet Airways has decided to lay off over 800 employees citing reasons of ill health and cost-cutting measures. Jet Airways’ decision to fire over 800 employees sent a panic across the aviation industry. The cabin crew and customer service officials will be fired as part of a cost-cutting exercise. According to sources, Kingfisher Airlines is also planning to lay off a sizeable number of staff soon. According to major Ailrlines in the country, the aviation sector is in a bad shape and it requires a bailout package to move up. Airlines across the world are suffering huge losses due to the steep rise in jet fuel. Aviation Minister Prafulla Patel has expressed concerns over the latest deveopment and assured that he would take up the case with the Finance Minister.

India continued their dominance on the third day of the Commonwealth Youth Games on Tuesday and consolidated their position atop the standings, taking their medals tally to seven golds, five silver and four bronze. England closely follow the hosts with six golds, one silver and two bronze. India bagged four golds, four silvers and four bronze at the Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex at Balewadi on Tuesday to add to their Mondays tally of three golds and one silver. Meanwhile in girls’ badminton event, Beijing quarter-finalist Saina Nehwal eased past Deborah Godfrey of South Africa to 21-7 21-4 to storm into the pre-quarterfinals, while national champion Guru Sai Dutt beat Joel Debel of Seychelles 21-04 21-02 to move into third round. Not considered as India’s forte, athletics however earned India a gold through Maharashtra’s Dheeraj Mishra who leapt 15.42m to emerge on top in the triple jump. England’s Benjamin Williams (15.41m) finished second, while Boipelo Molahatlhego of South Africa secured the bronze with a distance of 15.20m. Indians also bagged two silver and three bronze medals in athletics. Though the hosts missed a gold in the men’s hammer-throw which was topped by Peter Smith of England with a distance of 68.38m, Indian duo of Narayan Chandrodaya (68.38m) and Ejaj Ahmed (64.97m) took the silver and bronze respectively. The other silver came from Gayathri Govindharaj, who with a timing of 14.00s finished second in 100m hurdles. Kierre Beckles (Barbados) and Australia’s Brianna Beahan took the gold and bronze respectively. The other two bronze medals came through Jasdeep Singh (shot put) and Poonam Rani (women’s javelin). Meanwhile, India shooters continued to shine for the second day in succession with Hyderabad’s Kynan Darius Chenai bagging a gold in the boys trap event and Ankush Bharadwaj clinching his second medal, a bronze in 10m Air Pistol event. Mistake-ridden Darius, however, had a nervous final round where he shot 17, while the eventual bronze medalist Michael McNabb of Australia shot 19. But his earlier rounds scores of 111 was enough for the Hyderabad sharp shooter to finish on top with 128. Having shot a poor 106 in the earlier rounds, Australian McNabb’s splendid comeback in the final round took his tally to 106 and thus a bronze. Malta’s Ryan Bugeja, who shot on par with the Indian with the final round score of 17, had to settle for the silver medal after finishing one point shy of Darius. Monday’s gold medalist in 50m pistol event, Bhardwaj added a bronze to his tally after firing 94.9 in the final round to finish with a total of 645.9. Gold went to James Hendry Matthews of Canada with a final score of 96.1 and a total of 653.1. Singapore’s Chen Christopher finished with the silver with a total score of 650.7 and in the final he shot 95.7. Loss of concentration due to a lighting problem cost Rushad Damania of India a medal, who missed the bronze by a margin of less than two points in the boys 50m rifle prone event. Bad light forced Rushad to change his place and he shot 97.3 in the final to take his total to 679.3. But Rory McAlpine of Scotland with a final round score of 99.4 took his tally to 681.4 en route to a silver, while James Huckle took the gold with 687.6. India had a poor fifth place finish in the girls 50m rifle prone event with Aparajita Tivary totalling 579. Kay Copland (Scotland) clinched the gold with 585, while Nurfarah Afiqah of Malaysia took the silver totalling 582. Sheree Cox of England had to contend with the bronze, finishing one point adrift of the Malaysian. Monday saw shooting earn two gold for India with Bhardwaj emerging winner in a two-way race in the 50m pistol and Rahi Sarnobat in the girls 25m pistol. Taking advantage of the thin participation, India also bagged two gold medals in wrestling event. Ajit Patil opened the medal account in wrestling for the hosts when he emerged on top in the 39- 42kg category which saw representation from four countries. In his first round bout, the Kolhapur lad beat Pakistan’s Salamat Ali 8-0 to ensure a medal for India and then knocked out England’s Jack Longthrone 6-1 in the second bout to finish on top in the round robin. In the gold medal bout, the Bombay Engineering Group (BEG) grappler pinned down Jonathan Babulall of Canada to pocket the gold. In the 46kg category, which saw a three-way race, Delhi’s Deepak Kumar emerged on top. Trained under his father Ramnath, the gold on Tuesday was his third international medal. He has a gold in a Russian meet in 2007, while in Uzbekistan last year he had bagged a bronze. Yukar Sibi and Laxmi N fetched two silvers for India in the men’s 62kg and women’s 53kg categories of weightlifting. The Army Sports Institute’s (ASI) girl Sibi lifted 112kg in snatch and 147kg in the clean and jerk category to finish with a total of 259kg and settle for a silver behind Aricco Jumitih of Malaysia. Uganda’s Charles Ssekyaaya took the bronze. Laxmi, who trains in SAI Bangalore, lifted 149kg (snatch 67kg, jerk 82kg) to finish with 149kg for the silver. Zoe Smith of England took the gold, while Bangladesh’s Fayema Akther had to settle for the bronze. The top two seeded paddlers Neha Aggarwal and Soumi Mondal also maintained their winning streak to make the last eight of the table tennis event.

In one of the largest layoffs in Indian aviation sector, Jet Airways hands in the pink slip to more than 800 cabin crew and customer care executives. Earlier CNBC-TV18 had reported that Jet Airways and Kingfisher Airlines had announced a cost-cutting collaboration on Monday October 13. Meanwhile, sources say that Kingfisher Airlines is also likely to lay off employees. Sources further reported that Jet and Kingfisher would meet to discuss route rationalization in the next two to three days. Here is a verbatim transcript of Karma Paljor’s comments on CNBC-TV18. Also watch the accompanying video. Q: Explain the likely quantum of attrition from a Kingfisher perspective and how important is the alliance factor, considering small players are meeting to form an alliance, which is similar to the Jet Kingfisher pact? A: Yes, this is in line with what the Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) have been talking about. Jet Airways said that they were would lay off some 800 odd staff and this is not the confirmed staff, this is the staff which was on probation, which was taken for expansion plan. Sources said that those on probation, those who are taken to fly the new routes that they are going to charter may be dismisses. The US operations has been suspended, due to which a sizeable chunk of around 800 staff would be asked to go off, which means that they will not be confirmed. These staff were essential for expansion. All the experienced staff is going to move to international operations to fly to Europe now.. So as far as Kingfisher is concerned we are expecting the same. The aviation industry is expected to incur a loss of over Rs 4,000 crore. It is a very difficult time for them right now. The CEOs are meeting to discuss this issue with the Aviation Minister in Hyderabad. Q: There are also newspaper reports that Captain Gopinath may be actually vying a Deccan buyback with support from some PE players and that he is unhappy over the Jet alliance and he also looking at meeting Vijay Mallya today. Did you pick up anything from your sources? A: Captain Gopinath said he was going to meet Vijay Mallya, where the Kingfisher Airlines chairman would try and explain the model that they working out with Jet Airways. But he may be very clear that should Vijay Mallya and Naresh Goyal plan to kill the low cost model of Air Deccan or Kingfisher Red which they call it now, then he would certainly try and combat and buy Kingfisher Red back from Vijay Mallya, so that would be a significant move. But the clause being that Captain Gopinath would need the funds to do that and since he has made this Air Deccan dream come true a lot of people would love to back him at this point. Q: Getting back to the labour issue considering that assurances were given to employees post the pact. Do you see a lot of trouble brewing in right now that this news of lay off has come in? A: I don’t think so. As far as the Jet Airways and Kingfisher are concerned, most of the employees that they are going to lay off were on probation and Jet Airways made this statement that they were laying off probationers. So I don’t think there will be any problems. They said that they would give them good compensations. Q: Are you also picking up any news on the small players now forming an alliance of their own, which includes Indigo? A: Possible at this point but we will really have to see how they can get together. The aircraft, fleet size and the make will have to match Boeing. If SpiceJet is flying all Boeing fleets then Indigo would be flying then all the Airbus fleets. So all these factors will have to be taken in to see how they can really come together.

India’s Arvind Adiga created history by winning the Man Booker Prize 2008 for his much-publicized debut novel “The White Tiger”. Arvind Adiga’s book “The White Tiger” is all about the poverty in India and the wealth gap between the rich and the poor. The Chairman of the judges described Arvind Adiga’s “The White Tiger” as a revelation of “the dark side of India”. The Booker Awards ceremony was held in London’s Guildhall. “The White Tiger” narrates the story of a village boy Balram Halwai, who became an entrepreneur through villainous means. According to Arvind Adiga, most of the poor people in India can make it to the top either through crime or politics. It’s a dream came true for Arvind Adiga, who beat five other competitors including India’s Amitabh Ghosh (Sea of Poppies), Steve Toltz of Australia (A Fraction of the Whole), Sebastian Barry of Ireland (The Secret Scripture), and British writers Linda Grant (The Clothes on Their Backs), and Philip Hensher (The Northern Clemency). Arvind Adiga is the third writer to win the prestigious Man Booker Prize on debut after Arundhati Roy (1997) and DBC Pierer (2003). He is the fifth Indian-origin writer to win the coveted award after V.S. Naipul, Salman Rushdie, Arundhati Roy and Kiran Desai. Arvind Adiga, who was born in Chennai, dedicated his award to New Delhi, where he has lived for many years.

Congress President Sonia Gandhi has decided to take heads on Uttar Pradesh CM Mayawati. Sonia defied the prohibitory orders (Section 144) imposed by Mayawati government and entered Rae Bareli amid a huge welcome crowd. People defied Section 144 to welcome Sonia Gandhi and shouted slogans against Mayawati. “Rai Bareli is my Karmabhoomi. No one can stop me from coming to my home. I am ready to go to jail on this issue if required”, thundered Sonia Gandhi. Earlier Sonia Gandhi had cancelled her public rally in the wake of prohibitory orders imposed in the area. Although Mayawati had diverted Sonia Gandhi’s route to Rae Bareli, a defiant Sonia took the same route and snubbed Mayawati and her administration. The UP police was pain to explain why they could not stop Sonia from entering Rae Bareli and meeting with the public despite the prohibitory orders. Sonia did not comment on the cancellation of land allotment for the Rail Coach Factory, terming it “sub-judice”. Meanwhile, Congress legislator Ashok Singh and eight of his supporters were booked by the UP government for vandalism against the state government. Manuwadi Sonia breaks the law so every indian can break law as pr their comfort.

 

Mamata apprise PM on Singur situation

SP General Secretary Amar Singh along with Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banjeree met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and President Pratibha Patil on Tuesday and apprised them of how farmers faced a tough time in Singur due to anti-farmer policies of the West Bengal government.

“I met the PM and President on behalf of SP and TC along with Banerjee and apprised them of how farmers in Singur and common man suffered due to failure of the state government and Tatas to honour an agreement brokered by West Bengal Governor Gopal Krishna Gandhi on return of farmers’ land,” Singh said.

Banerjee and her party were not anti-industry but only wanted return cultivable land to farmers, as per the terms of the agreement signed between her and the state government.

Accusing the Tatas of ditching people of West Bengal, especially Singur, over their failure to honour the terms of the agreement and leaving the state for Gujarat, Singh wondered whether Ratan Tata wants to be industrialist or a politician.

“Ratan Tata spoke about Good M (Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi) and Bad M (Mamata Banerjee). On what basis did he make this comment. Mamata Banerjee only wanted the surplus land of farmers to be given back to them, while we all know how ‘good’ Modi is.

“We want Tata’s reply by this evening whether he wants to remain an industrialist or a politician,” Singh said.

The SP general secretary, who had last month shared the dais with Mamata when she was agitating in Singur against Tatas Nano Car project, had said at that time that “they (Tatas) have acquired 1,000 acres. Trinamool Congress has only asked them to return the excess land to farmers”.

Singh said that both PM and President gave them a patient hearing and promised to take action in the matter within the purview of Constitution.

Pointing out that the TC leader has always fought for the rights of farmers, the SP leader said she will also agitate in Noida for the rights of farmers there who have lost their lands because of SEZ projects.

“I have met and told Commerce Minister Kamal Nath and Finance Minister P Chidambaram that the government should review its SEZ policy, as this SEZ is more of a Social Exploitation Zone, which is affecting the farmers,” he said.

Banerjee who was also present alongside Singh told reporters that they have “requested the President and PM to take action under Article 355 in West Bengal over the failure of the state government to honour the agreement which was brokered by Governor.”

Attacking the Left Front government in West Bengal, Banerjee said, “the Left parties had withdrawn support to the UPA government over the nuclear deal while they themselves failed to honour salient features of the agreement they signed with us over returning excess land to farmers in Singur.”

She wondered why the state government did not think of investing in infrastructure during its three decade long rule in the state.

Banerjee also criticised Tatas who she said “have money to publicise against us and there seems to be some politics behind their exit from the state”. She further emphasised that she only wanted a fair deal for the farmers.

 

Nehru nominated for Nobel prize not once, but 11 times

New Delhi: The Nobel Foundation ignored not only Mahatma Gandhi but also India’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, one of 20th century’s leading statesmen, for the peace prize, not once but on 11 occasions.

Though the details of past nominations are kept confidential, the foundation has opened the database for 1901-56. A search through it shows that the name of Nehru was under consideration during the early 1950s when he was building the foundations of a modern India.

In 1950, there were two nominations considered by the Nobel Committee. L R Sivasubramanian, a Delhi University professor of law, and M Venkatarangaiya, a Bombay University professor of political science, sent in the nominations.

Jens Arup Seip, a professor of the university of Oslo, did the evaluation of the nomination.

Coincidentally, the committee also considered nominations of Maharshi Aurobindo, a radical freedom fighter turned spiritual leader, and S. Radhakrishan, another freedom fighter and statesman who was to later become India’s president (1962-67).

In 1950, the most coveted prize in the world went to Ralph Bunche, an American political scientist and diplomat, for his late 1940s mediation in Palestine.

In 1951, Panditji, as he was popularly known, was nominated thrice. The nominations were sent in by Emily Greene Balch of the US, Nobel Peace Prize laureate of 1946, Lewis Hoskins on behalf of the American Friends Service Committee and Shrinavala Sarma on behalf of the “Professors at the University of Madras.”

All three nominations were evaluated by Seip.

Léon Jouhaux, a French trade union leader, won the peace prize in 1951.

Three more nominations in favour of Nehru were sent to Sweden two years later – all from Brussels. “Several Members of the Belgian National Assembly,” “Several Members of the Belgian Senate” and “Several Professors of the university of Bruxelles” were the nominators. K Getz Wold was the evaluator and August Schou also wrote an additional evaluation, according to the database.

The 1953 Peace laureate was George C Marshall, who led the US Army during World War II.

The year 1954 saw two nominations for Nehru, both along with British Prime Minister Clement Attlee “for their work for the peaceful settlement between Great Britain and India in 1947”. Seip himself was one of the nominators.

The honour that year went to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.

Edmond Privat, a professor of the Neuchatel university in Switzerland, again nominated Nehru in 1955. That year, no winner was announced and the prize money was “allocated to the Special Fund of this prize section.”

 

No permission for Sonia’s Bhopal rally

No permission for Sonia’s Bhopal rally
Tuesday, October 14, 2008 20:06 [IST]

Bhopal: The Congress in Madhya Pradesh is finding it tough to get a place for the Oct 19 rally of its president Sonia Gandhi.

While the Congress alleges that the Lal Parade ground, where it proposes to hold the rally and where all the political rallies are normally held, is not being provided to them by the administration under the pressure of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government, the Special Armed Forces (SAF), to which the ground belongs, and the district administration deny the charge.

“We wanted the ground for our presidents rally on Oct 19 but we have been denied it. The state government doesnt want Gandhis rally here,” alleged state Congress chief spokesman Manak Aggarwal.

SAF Commandant Sanjiv Shammi said: “We have requested the Congress to decide some other date because we are going to celebrate the Martyrs Commemoration Day which falls on Oct 21 and the ground would be occupied for the preparations of the same on Oct 19.”

Bhopal District Collector Manish Rastogi, however, said no one had approached him for the permission of any rally on the Lal Parade ground on Oct 19.

“Even otherwise, the ground cannot be spared on this date due to the Martyrs Day function to be organized by the cops,” he said.

Meanwhile, state Congress president Suresh Pachouri said: “The permission for holding the Congress presidents rally was denied by the state government saying the ground was a high-risk area.”

He alleged the permission was denied under pressure from the state government.

 

Blast hits Kanpur

At least six people were injured in a crude bomb blast in Kanpur on Tuesday evening. A blast has been reported from the city of Kanpur on Tuesday evening, when a bomb went off in the Bajaria area of Colonelganj police station. The device was reportedly placed on a rented bicycle. The blast took off at around 7 pm. Reports suggest 6 people have been injured, including a woman and two children. The area- situated in the centre of the city- is highly crowded and minority dominated. Several cracker manufacturing units are located here. It is a densely populated area, packed with slums in narrow lanes. The nature of the explosive is not confirmed, but is suspected to be of crude variant. The blast was a low-intensity one. Official details are awaited. The entire city of Kanpur has been put on high-alert, with the site being cordoned-off. The blast occurred at 6.30 PM this evening. Two of the injured are said to be critical. All of them have been admitted to a city hospital. According to police, the crude bomb was planted on a cycle. The police refused to term this blast as a terror attack and said it could be the handiwork of some anti-social elements. May be possible that after impossing the section 144 by Mayawati in Rai Barely frustrated congress workors are involved in this blast.

Privious blast in Kanpur was on August 24: Bomb making materials found from the spot Two persons were killed in an explosion in a house in the Rajeev Nagar area on Sunday afternoon. The police recovered 3 kg lead oxide, 500 g red lead, 1 kg potassium nitrate, 11 countrymade grenades, several bomb pins, seven timers and batteries from the spot. The deceased have been identified as Rajeev Mishra and Bhupinder Singh. While Rajeev was the son of S S Mishra, the landlord of the house, Bhupinder was a resident of Shastri Nagar. Mishra, a retired Kanpur Electric Supply Company employee, lives in the nearby Nankari village. He had rented a few rooms of his house to several students. Rajeev’s occupied the room in which the blast took place. As he worked in Lucknow, he used to visit the place on Sundays. According to the police, while Bhupinder died on the spot, Rajeev died on his way to hospital. Till last reports came in, the police were conducting a search in Rajeev’s residence. Bhupinder’s house was found locked. Manvendra Singh Chauhan, one of the students, said: “While everybody knew Rajeev, we saw Bhupinder for the first time on Sunday.” IG (Kanpur Zone) S N Singh claimed either low intensity chemical or countrymade bombs caused the explosion. “The recovery shows that a massive explosion was on the cards. We are trying to find the reason behind Bhupinder’s visit to the house on Sunday,” he said. According to a senior police officer, the material found could have been used for several explosions. Of the seven timers recovered, two were attached with batteries with the help of wires. The countrymade hand grenades recovered were similar to those used by the defence forces.

 

Sonia cancels Rae Bareli rally

Sonia cancels Rae Bareli rally after BSP government muscle-flexing

Lucknow, Oct 13 (IANS) Congress chief Sonia Gandhi has cancelled her plans to address a rally and perform a religious ceremony for a rail coach factory in her Rae Bareli constituency Tuesday after the Uttar Pradesh government imposed prohibitory orders in the area late Monday, a party spokesperson said. Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee (UPCC) spokesperson Akhilesh Pratap Singh told IANS that ‘in view of Chief Minister Mayawati’s directions to disallow the rally, our party president Sonia Gandhi has cancelled her plans to address a rally at Lalganj in Rae Bareli’. The move follows the Mayawati-led Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) government imposing prohibitory orders under Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code in Rae Bareli that prevents the gathering of more than five people in the area. The state government acted swiftly after the Allahabad High Court ordered status quo on a piece of land in Lalganj where Gandhi was to perform Bhoomi Poojan for a rail coach factory. Additional District Magistrate D.L. Verma, in a statement, said the state government, ‘using its discretionary powers, has banned any kind of gathering, rally or public address’ in Rae Bareli with immediate effect. According to the UPCC spokesperson, the Congress chief would, however, visit Lalganj to inspect the Lifeline Express Train, a health camp on wheels run by the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation to look after the health needs of people in her constituency. She would also visit some areas of her constituency and meet party workers. However, the proposed Bhoomi Poojan would not be held, Singh said. The Uttar Pradesh government had Saturday night taken back the 400 acres it had allotted to the Indian Railways for the project. The Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court Monday ordered status quo on the land while hearing a writ of Northern Railway (NR) and a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) of villagers of Rae Bareli. The court has given a week’s time to the state government to file a counter affidavit. The Northern Railway (NR) moved the high court seeking a stay on the Uttar Pradesh government’s decision to withdraw the land. Villagers and farmers of Lalganj also filed a PIL stating that the move of the state government would deprive the region of better development and job opportunities. A division bench comprising Justice Pradeep Kant and Shabiul Hasnain, while ordering that status quo be maintained, listed the matter for further hearing Oct 22. ‘The court has given a week’s time to the state government to file a counter affidavit and 24 hours to the petitioners thereafter to file a rejoinder,’ Mohammad Arif Khan, the counsel of the petitioners, told reporters after the hearing. Earlier, the court also summoned records related to the land and made a specific query regarding cancelling the allotment without giving proper opportunity to the petitioners. Meanwhile, the state government, through its counsel, told the court that it will not take back possession of the land from the railway. The railway, a few months ago, had acquired the land after paying compensation of Rs.85 million (Rs.8.5 crore), which the state government Sunday announced it would return. ‘The government also stated that it will not initiate proceedings of allotting the land to anyone else or initiate any construction work on the same,’ Khan added.