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‘The American’ leading al Qaeda in Somalia awaits terrorism charges back home

September 5, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Washington, Sep 5 (ANI): The man who grew up in Daphne, Alabama, as Omar Hammami, but is now reported to be a member of al Qaeda-linked Somali terrorist group al-Shabaab under the name Abu Mansour al-Amriki, told a school newspaper after 9/11 attacks that it was “difficult to believe a Muslim could have done this”.

According to FOX News, eight years later he is professing to launch attacks himself and calling on others to join the fight, as terror-related charges await him at home in Alabama.

Abu Mansour al-Amriki or “The American” has become one of the most recognizable and outspoken voices of terrorist propaganda, the report said.

He has been in war-torn Somalia for several years, fighting the secular government there with a group known as al-Shabaab, which has ties to Al Qaeda and was labeled a terrorist organization by the US Government last year, but only recently has he taken on a starring and jarring role in al-Shabaab’s outreach efforts the report added.

The FBI has been looking into him for several years. In fact, a grand jury in Mobile, Alabama., has already indicted him on charges of providing material support to terrorists, a source said.

Al-Amriki first surfaced in October 2007, when Al-Jazeera TV aired a report about the “common goal” of al Qaeda and hard-line militants in Somalia. The report described al-Amriki as a fighter and military instructor, but he concealed his face with a cloth wrap throughout the report.

In April, he showed his face for the first time, during a highly polished, 30-minute recruitment video posted online. It featured anti-American hip-hop and sporadic images of Osama bin Laden.

In the video, he purportedly led a group of al-Shabaab militants in an ambush of pro-government forces in Somalia.

Speaking about one man killed in the fight, he said: “We need more like him, so if you can encourage more of your children and more of your neighbors, anyone around, to send people like him to this jihad, it would be a great asset for us.” (ANI)

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Radio Pakistan unhappy over criticism of Jaswant Singh book on Jinnah

September 3, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Abohar, Sep.3 (ANI): The expelled Bharatiya Janata Party leader Jaswant Singh has got a new fan in Punjabi Durbar programme of Radio Pakistan.

In its latest edition, the Punjabi Durbar programme has described all political parties of India be it Bharatiya Janata Party, Congress or Shiv Sena being anti-Pakistan for voicing objection to Jaswant Singh’s book- “Jinnah-India, Partition, Independence”.

In its recent Punjabi Durbar Programme, Radio Pakistan said that Jaswant Singh has paid a huge price for his biography of Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the founder of Pakistan.

Many Indian scholars have expressed sympathy with Jaswant Singh, but have taken exception to Pakistan Radio describing all Indian political parties as anti-Pakistan.

Anil Kumar, a historian and a commentator on current affairs has stated that political parties in India have tried their best to cultivate good relations with Pakistan ever since independence.

“India has been maintaining friendly relationship with Pakistan since 1947. India parted with funds held by united India, when Jinnah demanded it. Even after Pakistani aggression in 1965 and 1971, India returned to Pakistan the territory which was in India’s possession in the hope that there would be cordial relations between the two countries,” he said.

“Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Manmohan Singh have been continuously trying to maintain good relations with Pakistan, but Pakistan continued terrorist attacks in India,” Anil Kumar added.

“India is a secular country. There are more Muslims in India than the total population of Pakistan. Moslems are happy to be in India. Many feel that they are safer than in Pakistan, which is being subjected to violence by the Taliban,” said Anil kumar, who is, an expert on Indo-Pak affairs.

India is continuing talks at different levels despite incidents like Mumbai terror attacks and Pakistan’s ongoing support to militancy in Kashmir.

It is surprising that broadcasters of Radio Pakistan expect political parties in India to sing praise of Jinnah, who was chiefly responsible for the division of the sub-continent on the basis of religious identities.

They accept Jinnah’s contribution during the freedom struggle against the British Raj, but are critical of his role in dividing the country. (ANI)

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What ex-RSS chief Sudarshan said about Jinnah is right: Bhagwat

August 29, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

New Delhi, Aug.28 (ANI): Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) Mohan Bhagwat said on Friday that what his predecessor K.S. Sudarshan had said two days ago about Pakistan Founder Mohammad Ali Jinnah is right.

“What Sudarshanji said is right, RSS holds all in high esteem,” said Bhagwat

He further said that the perception of the Muslim community about RSS is changing

Surdarshan said on Monday that Jinnah was committed to an undivided India.

“Jinnah had many facets. If you look at history, he was once associated with Lokmanya Tilak and was totally committed to undivided India,” Sudarshan said when asked if he considered the Muslim League leader secular.

“And when Gandhiji started the Khilafat movement, with the idea that currently we are opposing the British and if Muslims join in then their support will help gain independence. But at that time Jinnah opposed it saying that if the Caliph in Turkey has been dethroned, what has India got to do with it. That time nobody listened to him, which saddened him. So, he quit the Congress and left for England and only returned in 1927.

“After returning in 1927, Britishers brainwashed Jinnah and prompted him to put forth the demand for a separate state of Pakistan for Muslims,” Sudarshan added.

Sudarshan said that everybody knows history, and added had Gandhiji been adamant, like when he was on giving crores of rupees to Pakistan, then the partition would not have taken place. “But he did not do it because Nehru was his weakness.”

Commenting on Singh’s expulsion from BJP, he said: “It is an internal matter of the party.”

RSS spokesperson Ram Madhav had then sought to clarify Sudarshan’s remarks, saying the former Sangh chief did not mean to say that Jinnah wasn’t responsible for the partition of the Indian subcontinent.

Bhagwat had on August 18 called for an end to factionalism in the BJP, the political wing of the Sangh Parivar, and said the party leadership should make way for younger leaders.

The expulsion of Jaswant Singh, two days after the launch of his latest book-Jinnah: India -Partition – Independence, has been criticised by senior leaders Arun Shourie and Yashwant Sinha. Shourie has called on the RSS to take over the leadership of the BJP. (ANI)

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Pak-trained militants spreading Islamic radicalism in Central Asia

August 18, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Kosh-Korgon (Kyrgyzstan), Aug.18 (ANI): Some Central Asians are reported to have acquired training from the Taliban in Pakistan and Afghanistan and are now spreading Islamic radicalism in the region.

Kyrgyz security services recently tracked down three locals soon after their arrival. They stormed a building along the Kyrgyz-Uzbek border where they were staying, killed two of them, while a third blew himself up.

The security operation was one in a recent spate of firefights and attacks in Central Asia that have raised concerns that homegrown militants with experience in Afghanistan and Pakistan may be trying to move north to take on the region’s brittle governments, reports the New York Times.

Senior officials and analysts across Central Asia have said in recent weeks that there is evidence that some Central Asians who were allied with the Taliban are retreating from Afghanistan because of pressure from the NATO mission there.

“Our belief is that because of the blow they suffered in Afghanistan, they left for a calmer place in Central Asia where they could resume operations – either to regroup or to even open up a new front,” said Kadyr K. Malikov, director of the Independent Analytical Research Center for Religion, Law and Politics in Bishkek, the Kyrgyz capital.

The officials and analysts said one result could be a strengthening of Islamic movements in Central Asia, especially here in the Fergana Valley, which includes parts of Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan. All three countries are former Soviet republics with secular leaders and Muslim populations.

The valley has long been considered one of the region’s most unstable areas because of poverty, militancy and loose borders.

Warnings about the spread of Islamic radicalism to Central Asia are not new, and the region’s governments have long used this supposed threat to justify severe restrictions on political freedom.

But if these recent signs point to a revival, it could pose difficulties for the United States and other NATO members, which have military bases throughout Central Asia that support operations in Afghanistan.

Whatever the deeply held views of people here, some experts and opposition politicians in Central Asia said the danger of a renewed Islamic insurgency was being overstated.

They pointed out that these countries are secular in character because of their decades in the Soviet Union and that it would be all but impossible for the Taliban to gain a foothold here because they are rooted in an ethnic group, the Pashtuns. (ANI)

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Prakash Karat says people voted back Congress for a stable government

June 23, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

New Delhi, June 23 (ANI): Communist Party of India (Marxist) General Secretary Prakash Karat has said the Congress party won the recently held general elections as a result of people’s concern for a stable and secular government.

Talking to reporters here on Monday, Karat said, “Congress party’s success is mainly due to the fact that people were concerned having a stable and secular government in the center. The divisive communal politics of the BJP was rejected by the people and this was to the benefit of the Congress party.”

Karat also accepted that the Third Front failed to create a viable and credible alternative to the alliances led by the Congress and the BJP.

“We failed to create an alliance at national level, which was viable and credible. We have recognised that,” he added.

Once seen as vital for any national coalition building, communist parties were left badly bruised in the general election, losing even in West Bengal, which they have ruled for more than three decades. (ANI)

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Govt. backed ‘moral police’ Basij may be behind brutalities on Iranian protestors

June 20, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Washington, June 20 (ANI): Basij, a semiofficial force of volunteers on whom the Iranian Government has relied for years to enforce a variety of laws and religious codes, have been accused of committing much of this week’s violence in the country.

The protests across Iran have been largely peaceful during the daytime, but Iranians shudder at the violence unleashed at night by Basijis, who indulge in beating, looting and sometimes gunning down protesters they tracked during the day.

One of the more dramatic video clips from Iran this week showed a man in an upper-floor window firing onto demonstrators outside a building near Tehran’s Azadi Square, killing at least one and wounding others, the Washington Post reports.

The building was a base for the Basij. Protesters say they have raided university dorms, beaten women and smashed their way into private homes. Many said they fear the Basij will be used to carry out even worse violence as the protests continue.

But although the Basiji fear looms large in the minds of their countrymen, Iranians and analysts said it is hard to pin down the number of members, their precise activities and whether they are all as loyal to hard-line government factions as many believe.

Joining the Basij can be as simple as going to a local mosque and receiving a membership card. Training and membership are often informal, said Gary Sick; an Iran expert at Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs, adding that some who carry out activities associated with the Basij may not be official members.

The term Basij means mobilization, and is originally referred to people too young or too old to join the army during Iran’s eight-year war against Iraq.

Then-leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini called for 20 million Iranians-half the country’s population at the time-to volunteer. Many were preteens and teenagers who, swept up in a religion-infused passion, famously walked onto minefields, unarmed, allegedly with plastic keys to heaven around their necks.

After the war, they became known for enforcing moral codes. For years, the word “Basiji” has struck fear into the hearts of more secular Iranians, who know them as young men who stop them on the street for failing to follow the dress code or fraternizing with the opposite sex. (ANI)

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India to bring culprits of Vienna violence to justice: Krishna

May 25, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

New Delhi, May 25 (ANI): External Affairs Minister S. M.Krishna on Monday said the Indian Government would take all necessary steps to bring the culprits of the Vienna violence to justice.

In a statement issued in response to questions on the attack in a gurudwara in Vienna, Austria, Krishna said: “Since it was first reported, my ministry has been carefully monitoring developments following the attack in the gurudwara yesterday afternoon (local time) in Vienna. Our Cd’A ad interim in Vienna has been in regular contact with the ministry.

At the very outset, I would like to convey my deep condolences at the unfortunate passing away of Sant Rama Nand who had been seriously injured in the attack and succumbed to injuries around midnight local time. Our Mission in Vienna will make necessary arrangements to enable his body to be brought back home.

The attack in the Gurudwara in Vienna is a matter of deep concern and regret, especially since many people have been injured and Sant Rama Nand has lost his life. There is no place for violence in a secular society like India’s and certainly no excuse whatsoever for the violation of the sacred premises of a gurudwara for narrow sectarian or other purposes.

Our embassy in Vienna is in close contact with the Austrian Foreign Office, the Viennese police and the Austrian authorities. We are receiving the cooperation of the Austrian authorities and are determined to ensure that the perpetrators of this completely mindless and wanton attack are brought to justice.

My Ministry is continuing to monitor developments and necessary follow up action will be taken.”

Violence flared up across Punjab yesterday and on Monday when news of clashes between two different Sikh groups in a gurudwara in the Austrian capital filtered in.

The violence in Vienna occurred soon after the second in command of the Dera Saccha Khand Baland (a Sikh school of thought), Sant Ramanand and Sant Niranjan Dass were invited to deliver a sermon at the gurudwara. They were allegedly assaulted by at least six followers of the gurudwara with knives and guns.

Over 20 people were injured in the attack.Sant Ramanand, 57, later succumbed to injuries in a hospital.The condition of Sant Niranjan Dass, 68, was described as stable after undergoing emergency surgery.

Expressing sorrow over the killing of Ramanand, Krishna said: “There is no excuse whatever for the violation of sacred premises of the gurudwara to sub serve narrow sectarian interests and other purposes.” By Naveen Kapoor (ANI)

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Mahant Gyandas statement on Ram Mandir triggers tension in Ayodhya

May 22, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Ayodhya, May 22 (ANI): The convener of the ‘religion protection organization’, Mahant Gyandas, has triggered a fresh controversy in Ayodhya by saying that the Ram temple will be built in the city.

He said a final decision about what approach to take for fulfilling the Ram temple dream will be taken in March 2010 when the saints from across the country will gather in Haridwar to take a dip in the holy Ganges on the occasion of ‘Maha Kumb’.

“It will be a battle till the end. Whatever we do, but the Ram temple will be constructed. If Ram temple is not constructed in Ayodhya, where will it be made, not in Mecca-Medina. This belongs to us and we should get it. It belongs to the Hindus and Ram temple will be made,” Gyandas said.

He added that the Hanumangarhi temple would be the new center for struggle to make the Ram temple.

His statements have triggered fresh tension in the area.

Reacting to Gyandas’s statements, Mohammad Hashim Ansari the complainant in the Babri Mosque demolition case said that the stones for the temple construction should be kept where they are and till the time the judgment of the court is not given.

“If the nation wants a secular government then the mosque should be made where it originally was. If instead of the mosque temple is constructed then history will have to be repeated,” said Ansari.

Ayodhya’s Police Superintendent Gyaneshwar Tiwari visited the Mahant Gyandas’ residence to enquire about issue. (ANI)

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JD (S) ready to support UPA

May 19, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

New Delhi, May 19 (ANI): Janata Dal (Secular) Karnataka unit President H D Kumaraswamy on Tuesday agreed to support the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) at the Centre.

Kumaraswamy, who won the Bangalore rural Lok Sabha seat by a huge margin of over one lakh votes, said, “The Congress has sought the JD (S)’ support because of its secular image.”

He also said that their expectation from the new government is to get “more benefit for Karnataka’s development.

Kumaraswamy and his father, H. D Deve Gowda, are considered one of the architects of the Third Front.

Gowda has yet again proved his credentials as a Vokkaliga strongman by his victory in Hassan by a margin of 2.91 lakh votes against the BJP’s K H Hanumegowda. (ANI)

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New government begins taking shape

May 19, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

New Delhi, May 19 (ANI): Political activity in the national capital has picked up with various parties jostling and lobbying for their representatives’ inclusion in the new cabinet.

With the Congress Parliamentary Party (CPP) convening a meeting of its victorious parliamentarians in Parliament House, the major contenders bidding for inclusion are Rashtriya Janata Dal chief and former Railway Minister Lalu Yadav, who has been a steady supporter of the Congress, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief and former Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar and Tamil Nadu’s ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), which defied political odds and emerged victorious in the general elections.

The Congress, which has achieved a decisive popular mandate, is debating over whether it needs to include Samajwadi Party supreme Mulayam Singh Yadav in the cabinet, as his party, which is ready to offer outside support, played a crucial role in extending support to the UPA during the debate over the US-India nuclear cooperation deal.

There is speculation by certain elements within the Congress, who feel that the Samajwadi Party wavered during the elections, and that it would be a better option to rely on leaders of smaller parties like Ajit Singh of the Rashtriya Lok Dal, H D Kumaraswamy of the Janata Dal (Secular) and Omar Abdullah of the National Conference.

The Bahujan Samaj Party, which is led by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati, has said today that it is ready to extend outside support to the UPA Government.

The Congress will also have to be mindful of the fact that it does not enjoy majority status in the Rajya Sabha and that the inclusion of some of these groups in the government would help the Congress to push its program through the Upper House.

Within the Congress, there is a possibility that younger elements like Jyotiraditya Scindia, Milind Deora and Sachin Pilot may be accommodated in the Cabinet.

Insofar as the profile of the cabinet is concerned, the Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh, will have to take crucial decisions like who he would like as his Railway and HRD Ministers and whether to include or not to include Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee in the cabinet. There is also speculation that former Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission and Dr. Singh’s close confidant, Dr. Montek Singh Alhuwalia, will be made the Finance Minister.

As far as the profile of the Prime Minister’s Office is concerned, the expectation is that National Security Adviser M.K.Narayanan will continue in the same assignment as he has been able to maintain an even keel during the management of several crises, and has a background as Director of the Intelligence Bureau and head of the Joint Intelligence Group.

Former PIO and now media adviser to the PM, Deepak Sandhu, is also expected to be retained. The new government will also be on the lookout for a new Home Secretary, as the present incumbent, Madhukar Gupta is to superannuate after receiving an extension. A new Foreign Secretary is expected to be in place by July with the superannuation of present incumbent Shiv Shankar Menon.

Among other expected to get fresh assignments are former Foreign Secretary Shyam Saran, who played a notable role in finalizing the US-India civil nuclear cooperation deal. (ANI)

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SP ready to support Congress: Amar Singh

May 17, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

New Delhi, May 17 (ANI): Declaring his party’s committment to secular politics, Samajwadi Party General Secretary Amar Singh on Sunday said that his party was ready to support the Congress.

“The SP is committed to secular politics. I will meet Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh and External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee today evening, and tell them that our party is ready to lend ‘constructive support’ to the Congress,” Singh said at a press conference here.

When asked about his ‘friendship’ with the Congress leader Digvijay Singh, Singh said he was ready to hold talks.

“Past acrimony should not be the basis of future relationship. I am ready to hold talks with Digvijay Singh,” He added.

Singh had accused Digvijay Singh of spoiling the pre-poll seat-sharing talks between the Congress and Samajwadi Party.

When asked to comment on party leader Azam Khan’s resignation as party General Secretary, Singh said he had no differences with him.

“I acknowledge Khan’s work in the formation of the SP. I also describe Khan as my elder brother. I have no differences with him,” Amar Singh added. (ANI)

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I will accept my defeat in these polls: Paswan

May 16, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Patna, May 16 (ANI): Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) Chief and Union Minister Ram Vilas Paswan, who lost from Hajipur parliamentary constituency in Bihar, on Saturday, accepted his defeat.

Talking to reporters, Paswan said, “I am happy that the secular front will be forming the government and the NDA’s plans have failed.”

“We have done our job. Nobody in Hajipur can say that Paswan has not worked for the development of Hajipur,” he added.

Paswan accepted defeat to former Chief Minister Ram Sundar Das of the Janata Dal-United (JD-U). (ANI)

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NCP will support Manmohan Singh as PM: Pawar

May 16, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Mumbai, May 16 (ANI): Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar has said his party will support Manmohan Singh as Prime Minister.

“After this result, how can anyone else’s subject crop up,” said Pawar, who had made his prime ministerial ambitions clear before the vote count.

A stable government is the need of the hour in these times of global recession, and the people of India have give their mandate to the UPA, Pawar said.

“People were confident that only the UPA could provide a stable government, and with the results and trends available so far, there should be no hindrance to the formation of a stable government,” Pawar told reporters here.

With trends indicating a clear edge to the UPA, an elated Congress on Saturday claimed that it would sweep the elections and hinted at expanding the UPA by including “more secular parties”.

“We will sweep the election. The Congress and its allies will form the government. More secular parties can join us. Discussions are on in this regard,” NDTV quoted senior Congress leader Motilal Vora, as saying.

Answering a question about the Congress’ rise in the Hindi heartland, Vora said, “The Congress is bettering its performance in UP because people have understood that only the Congress can guarantee development for them.”

Vora also praised the Gandhi family and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for a good performance in UP. (ANI)

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‘Lotus will not be allowed to bloom,’ says Paswan

May 15, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

New Delhi, May 15 (ANI): The “lotus will not be allowed to bloom” at the Centre at any cost, said Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) chief Ram Vilas Paswan.

“We will not support BJP at any cost to form a government and will make all efforts to ensure that a secular government is formed,” he told reporters on Friday.

Paswan also confirmed that he had had meetings with Janata Dal (United) (JD-U) chief Sharad Yadav and Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) president Ajit Singh.

LJP secretary general Abdul Khaliq dismissed any possibility of his party switching over to the NDA and downplayed the issue of NDA leaders calling up Paswan.

When asked whether he was still with the UPA, Paswan said: “I am in UPA and also a Minister in the government.” Asked if he would remain in UPA, he said there were two possibilities that could emerge.

“If UPA can get majority, there will be no problem. The other scenario is the UPA does not get majority. In that situation, we three parties in the Fourth Front would jointly take a decision on the methodology of forming a secular government.”

Asked whether the results would have been better if the UPA allies had fought the polls jointly in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, Paswan said: “We wished all fought unitedly. But Congress preferred to contest the elections alone in the two states. But even then, our results will be good.”

“At this stage we want to clarify that LJP, RJD and SP will take decision as a bloc and not as individual parties. SP is not a part of UPA till now. But it will play and important role in forming the next government,” he said.

Regarding the relationship with the Left parties, Paswan said it was not bad, but cordial.

Meanwhile, in Lucknow, the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) has rubbished reports of talking to or joining the BJP-led NDA or the UPA-led by the Congress.

The BSP said no secret meeting had taken place between party chief Mayawati and BJP’s prime ministerial candidate LK Advani.

The BSP’s support is being considered crucial to both the BJP and the Congress.

Party insiders say that Mayawati would prefer “not to support a BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party)-led government that would antagonise Muslim voters.”

The BSP is tipped to get around 30 seats.

In Andhra Pradesh, Telugu superstar Chiranjeevi’s Praja Rajyam Party (PRP) on Friday said it is keeping its doors open for post-poll alliances.

“Any political party has to act in such a way that it should never close any doors post-elections. PRP is also doing the same thing,” PRP general secretary Allu Aravind told reporters here when asked whether it will align with Congress.

Arvind also took a dig at the Third Front and said it was a “fractured front at present as one of its members has packed and taken his baggage out of it” in a apparent reference to the TRS, which switched sides to NDA recently.

There is intense speculation that Congress is trying to reach out to Chiranjeevi to get his support both at the state and the Centre. (ANI)

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Nitish says whoever gives Bihar special status will get his support

May 15, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Patna, may 15 (ANI): Bihar Chief Minister and Janata Dal (United) leader Nitish Kumar on Friday made it clear that whichever coalition gave his state special status could hope for support from him in forming the next government in the Centre.

Speaking at a book release function here, Kumar said that the Prime Minister, Dr.Manmohan Singh, had so far refused to give Bihar a special status.

He also said that the option of who will become the Prime Minister and who will be made Prime Minister is still open.

Earlier, Kumar’s candidature was being spoken of in hushed tones of the probability of a “secular” partner of National Democratic Alliance (NDA) like Nitish Kumar being a Prime Minister nominee with the backing of Third Front partners like Telgu Desam Party (TDP) who are sure to be uncomfortable with signs of the Left coming around to support a Congress-led government.

Kumar has made it absolutely clear that JD(U)’s support cannot be taken for granted and his party will go with “whoever” gives the best bargain.

“We will support the government which gives special status to Bihar. The only condition for our support will be the special category status for Bihar,” said Kumar.

The Third Front has been all along trying to woo the Bihar CM but he has been till now keeping his cards close to his chest.

The Congress’ inclination towards him was made apparent in no uncertain terms by party’s youth icon Rahul Gandhi, who had openly praised Nitish for the development work he is doing in Bihar.

Singh in fact called up Kumar to discuss the relief package given to Bihar after the Kosi floods. (ANI)

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Karat invites Jayalalithaa for Third Front meeting

May 15, 2009 By admin 1 Comment

New Delhi, May 15 (ANI): Communist Party of India (Marxist) General Secretary Prakash Karat called All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) Chief Jayalalithaa on Friday.

Karat has invited Jayalalithaa for the Third Front meeting on May 18. Jayalalithaa has given her assurance to Third Front leaders that she will be in New Delhi on May 18.

Karat is also trying to woo Telugu Desam Party (TDP) Chief Chandrababu Naidu who is also in constant touch with Jayalalithaa.

Earlier, Karat said that leaders of the Left and the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) would meet on May 18 to discuss the possibility of forming an alternative secular government.

Karat said the Left parties will meet in New Delhi on May 17 which will be followed by the CPI (M)’s Politburo meeting on May 18 and Central Committee the following day. (ANI)

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CPI confident of forming govt. at Centre: Raja

May 14, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

New Delhi, May 14 (ANI): Communist Party of India (CPI) leader D. Raja on Thursday exuded confidence about the Third Front forming an alternative government at the Centre, and said the Front would neither support the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) Government nor the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA).

“We are confident that we will be in a position to form an alternative government. We will not support a Congress-led government at the Centre and we will also not allow BJP to take advantage of any situation,” D. Raja told reporters here.

Raja dismissed the exit polls as speculation, and said the actual situation will emerge only after the 16th May results.

“The Left had appealed to the people to vote for an alternative secular government at the Centre and an alternative non-BJP non-Congress government. I think people have given that support. It will be known on the 16th,” he added.

The CPI leader also expressed confidence that new parties would join them in future.

“There are great possibilities of a new alignment being forged after counting of votes. It is expected that new forces will join us, but it is not the time to identify them. You leave it to the parties,”aja said.

When asked about the meeting between BJP’s prime ministerial candidate Lal Krishna Advani and US Charge d’Affairs Peter Burleigh on Wednesday, Raja said no external power should try to interfere in political affairs of the country. (ANI)

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No fissure in LJP, RJD and SP alliance: LJP

May 12, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

New Delhi, May 12 (ANI): The LJP has rejected reports of any cracks in the Lok Janshakti Party, Samajwadi Party and the Rashtriya Janata Dal coalition in UP and Bihar.

“We take exception to news reports carried in the media ascribing motives to absence of Ram Vilas Paswan from the rally held in Rampur on May 11,” LJP Secretary General Abdul Khaliq said.

Khalid said media was speculating too much in LJP chief Paswan’s absence from the Rampur rally, which was prescheduled.

“Ram Vilas Paswan had prior commitments scheduled for the day and the invitation for the rally was received much later. Therefore, it was not possible for him to reschedule commitments already made,” he said.

Leaders of all tree parties will hold a meeting on May 14 to discuss their “future course of action.”

“The leadership of the three constituents would discuss jointly and decide the strategy on the formation of a secular government at the centre after the polling gets over,” Khaliq said.

He added that the three coalition partners would jointly contest assembly polls in Bihar, Jharkhand and UP. (ANI)

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Left parties don’t consider Congress as untouchable : Buddhadeb

May 11, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Kolkata, May 11 (ANI): West Bengal chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee on Monday said the Left parties did not consider Congress party “untouchable”. But they were working to form a Third Front government at the Centre and might join it if they could play any meaningful role in it.

Addressing media men in ‘meet the press’ programme here, Buddhadeb spoke on the role the Left parties are likely to play in the formation of the government at the centre.

Asked if the Left parties could support a Congress-led government, Buddhadeb said: “It is too early to comment who is going to support whom. At the moment we are trying to form a government without Congress and BJP”.

Replying to another question asking if the CPI (M) Left views the Congress to be untouchable, Buddhadeb said, “We don’t believe in untouchability.”

“We are trying to form a Third Front government at the Centre with like-minded secular and democratic parties and the Left will play a meaningful role in it. The Left will join a Third Front government if it can play a meaningful role in policy making and implementation,” Buddhadeb informed. the Chief Minister told the ‘meet the press’ programme at Kolkata on Monday.

“Let the elections be over and results be announced. Right now, we are trying to defeat the Congress and the BJP,” Buddhadeb said while adding that the CPI-M politburo would meet on May 18 after the counting after counting of votes to discuss the matter. (ANI)

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UPA is an “Ulta Pulta Alliance”

May 11, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

New Delhi, May 11 (ANI): Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) spokesman Ravi Shankar Prasad on Monday described the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) as an “Ulta Pulta (topsy turvy) Alliance”.

Hours after Prime Minister Manmohan Singh questioned Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s secular credentials,Prasad said the UPA was a divided house.

“Manmohan Singh looked pessimistic and defeated. The campaign of Congress lacks maturity and no one knows who is saying what. UPA is Ulta Pulta Alliance,” Prasad said at a press conference in the capital.

Prasad said the Congress was confused, with some leaders praising Nitish Kumar and others criticizing him.

“Rahul Gandhi praised Nitish Kumar. He said he (Nitish Kumar) did good work, Sheila Dikshit said the same. But Manmohan Singh said he didn’t do good work and didn’t spend the money the centre gave him. The PM said Nitish is an incompetent chief minister, Rahul says the opposite,” Prasad said.

“It’s not in the DNA of Congress to run a coalition. It believes in the divine right to rule,” he added.

Prasad said the UPA had “collapsed” and the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance “has emerged as the front runner with hope and self confidence”.

“The UPA is an alliance which is non existent and filled with pessimism. I would like to remind the prime minister to look inwards, your house has collapsed like a pack of cards.” (ANI)

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