REPORTER POST Ranchi Nation 02 FREBUARY 2015 BJP, AAP busy with sloganeering, dharna: Sonia Gandhi New Delhi : Congress president Sonia Gandhi, in a sharpened attack on the BJP and the AAP, Sunday accused the parties of "doing nothing" for the people and just being busy in "sloganeering and dharna". "The country cannot be run by sloganeering. Work, and not hollow speeches, would take the nation forward," Gandhi said. She indirectly attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for "only being vocal and doing nothing". Addressing a mammoth election rally, attended by over 15 thousand people, in Mithapur village near Badarpur in south Delhi, the Congress chief said the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Aam Aadmi Party were being run by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and have only one aim - just to oppose the Congress. "They (BJP and AAP) left Delhi on its own. After the previous Delhi election, we supported the AAP for a stable gov- ernment but they ran away. Similarly, the BJP, under President's Rule, did nothing to improve the law and order situation and went on working to achieve its own interest," she charged. Reminding people how Delhi progressed under the Congress with lots of infrastructure, including the Delhi Metro and other fa- cilities, Gandhi said the BJP did not bother to fulfil the promises it had made before the general elections. "Corruption, price rise and crimes against women are on the rise but they are not bothered," she said. "Delhi was provided the Metro train, CNG, 24hour supply of power and water... good healthcare and education was also ensured under the Congress' 15-year rule, but the BJP and the AAP were just trying to befool people," she said. Gandhi raised questions on how the BJP went on promising everything to capture power, and said it has not delivered anything even after being in power for these many months. "Where is the black money which was promised? What are they doing to arrest price rise? We carried out lots of progressive work under then prime minister Manmmohan Singh but they just promise and do nothing," she said. Gandhi also accused the BJP of taking away the good work done by the previous Congress-led governments. "The Food Security Act and the Land Acquisition Act were actualised under our government but now these are being tampered with through the ordinance way. Farmers are not being given proper minimum support price for their produce and they are suffering. Schemes like these are being destroyed," she said. "Farmers are struggling to get fertilisers and seeds for their crops. We took many steps to empower the poor, but today the Modi government is weakening these Acts to take away power from the poor," Gandhi said. The Congress chief also cautioned people to make an informed choice this time, as the BJP or the AAP, if voted to power, would ruin the city further. She said Delhi needs development and good governance. "My appeal to you is to cast every vote in favour of the Congress to bring back the atmosphere of development." Former Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit, Delhi Congress chief Arvinder Singh Lovely and Haroon Yusuf were among the Congress leaders who accompanied Gandhi on stage. Voting for the 70-member assembly will take place Feb 7. Votes will be counted Feb 10. Set up SIT for Sikh 'geno- Delhi polls: Women candidates cide', Badal asks Modi promise the moon on security Chandigarh : Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal Sunday sought the personal intervention of Prime Minister Narendra Modi for constituting a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe all cases related to the 1984 anti-Sikh riots. In a letter to Modi, Badal said the "genocide" of Sikhs was a "preplanned" incident at the behest of Congress leaders. Badal urged the central government to take an immediate call on the recommendations of the Justice (retd) G.P. Mathur panel, constituted by the centre in December last year, to re-investigate several cases related to anti-Sikh violence that broke out in November 1984 after the assassination of then prime minister Indira Gandhi. The chief minister said the Shiromani Aka- li Dal has been struggling to get justice for the victims of the 1984 riots in Delhi and other parts of the country. He said that on the Akali Dal's demand, the Justice Mathur panel was constituted in December 2014, by the central government to examine the possibility of constitution of an SIT for re-investigating the 1984 'genocide'. Badal said the panel had, in its 45-page report, suggested setting up of an SIT. Demanding re-investigation of many cases where crucial evidence was overlooked and cases were closed by Delhi Police even without sending them to courts, Badal said all such cases needed to be re-opened. Accusing the previous Congress-led government at the centre and in Delhi of pushing the anti-Sikh riots cases under the carpet, Badal said the recommendations of the Mathur panel had given new hope to victims of the riots. "By doing so, the government of India will assuage the bruised psyche of the Sikh community and help them get justice," Badal said. Hundreds of Sikhs were targeted and killed in Delhi and other places across India by mobs in the aftermath of Indira Gandhi's assassination by her two Sikh security personnel in October 1984. Many Congress leaders were accused of instigating mobs to target Sikhs during the riots. Congress condemns Parsekar for CCTV advice to Goans Panaji : The opposition Sunday criticised Goan Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar for suggesting the urban dwellers should have CCTVs for safety, saying the government was abdicating its main responsibility to provide security. Parsekar made the suggestion Saturday in the backdrop of a murder of two women Friday during an alleged burglary in a flat at Vasco, a port town, 40 km from Panaji. The Congress party questioned the chief minister's suggestion in the light of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led central government installing thousand of CCTVs recently during the US president's Delhi visit. "In Delhi, the BJP installs 15,000 CCTV cameras for US President Barack Obama's security. But here the chief minister appeals to citizens to install CCTV cameras," Congress spokesperson Durgadas Kamat said in a statement issued here. "It is a highly condemnable comment... Instead of making such loose statements, the government should give free gun licences to citizens so that they can protect themselves and not depend on the chief minister and his government," he added. New Delhi : With women's security being such a big issue in the capital, women candidates in the Feb 7 Delhi assembly polls are promising the moon as far as women's security is concerned. CCTV cameras and marshals in public transport, gender sensitization training for men and even random calls to drivers of cabs with female passengers to check on their safety are just some of the promises they are making to woo the voters. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has pinned its chief ministerial candidate, former IPS officer Kiran Bedi, as the best bet for improving security for women in the capital. The national capital, which has the unflattering reputation of having one of the worst track records as far as women's security is concerned and is dubbed as the "rape capital", has only 19 women candidates - out of 673 - for the elections. Despite being more than vocal about women related issues, the three major parties - the BJP, AAP and Congress - have fielded only eight, six and five candidates respectively. Delhi has 70 assembly seats. There are 13.3 million voters, of whom 5.9 million are women. Congress turncoat and BJP candidate from Patel Nagar Krishna Tirath said: "Women's security is definitely a major issue. The root cause of all trouble is the declining sex-ratio and social evils Court orders trial of man for false complaint New Delhi: A court here has ordered to initiate proceedings against a man for lodging a false complaint against a Delhi Jal Board (DJB) official alleging he demanded a bribe of Rs.600 for allotting him water connection. Special Judge Narottam Kaushal has directed to initiate proceedings against Inder Mohan Verma for leveling false allegation against DJB official Shiv Kumar. Observing that Verma has denied that accused Kumar demanded any bribe, the court entitling benefit of doubt, acquitted the official. "From the testimony of the complainant as noticed above, it is apparent that he is not stating the true facts," the court said in the Jan 24 order. "Either his complaint was false or his testimony before the court on oath is false." According to the prosecution, Verma Oct 3, 2011, lodged the complaint before the Anti-Corruption Bureau of Delhi Police alleging that Kumar, who was working in the office of zonal engineer of DJB, demanded money from him for giving the water connection. 4 MONDAY NEWS IN BREIF Four killed as bus runs over people in Andhra Hyderabad : Four people were killed and two injured Sunday when a bus ran over people near Rajahmundry in Andhra Pradesh, police said. The accident occurred at the Rajahmundry-Morampudi junction when the bus - belonging to a private school - was carrying people to a public meeting of YSR Congress Party in Tanaku in West Godavari district. A 12-year-old boy and a woman were among the dead. The condition of the injured was said to be critical. The bus driver apparently lost control of the vehicle which hit a car and crushed three motorbikes. The bus overturned before coming to a halt. Shocking images of the accident were captured on CCTV cameras. The government has ordered a probe into the accident. CPI-M slams Himachal government over entrance test Shimla: The Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) Sunday condemned the Himachal Pradesh government's decision to conduct a separate entrance test for admission to the private engineering colleges. Himachal Pradesh Technical University in Hamirpur will hold this entrance test which will be separated from the all-India test conducted under the JEE, it said. "It's shocking to note that the government has acted under pressure from the private engineering colleges which want an easy access on to the market of students, who do not get through the all-India test," CPI-M state secretariat member Tikender Panwar said in a statement. Himachal Pradesh has over 34 engineering colleges. Of these, 17 are run by private universities. "In 2014-15, these universities could enroll only 3,055 candidates against the sanctioned capacity of 6,100 seats," the statement said. Party drugs worth over Rs.9 crore seized in Goa Panaji : In one of the biggest raids in recent times, synthetic party drugs worth Rs.9.31 crore were seized by the anti-narcotics wing of Goa Police from an Italian national early Sunday. According to police, the drugs were seized from 54-year-old Italian national Vincenzo Rainton's residence in Anjuna, a coastal village some 20 km north of Panaji, notorious for availability of and trade in drugs. "We found 30,750 square shaped pieces of LSD paper (mood-changing chemicals) and 4.7 grams of LSD liquid in his residence," a police spokesperson said. The value of the seized drugs is Rs.9.31 crore in international market, police said. Rainton has been visiting Goa on business and tourist visa for 14 years, police said. Modi salutes Coast Guard's determination like dowry." Tirath, a former woman and child development minister in the UPA government, told IANS: "When I was a minister at the centre, then I had launched a scheme called 'saksham' for boys, which was aimed at counselling them on gender parity. "I would propose to bring in the same scheme in Delhi. Once we address this issue, then the situation on women's security will automatically improve," she said. Former BJP councillor and candidate from the Timarpur assembly constituency, Rajni Abby, said all laws made for women need to be properly implemented. "Prosecution in such cases should be fast," Abby told IANS. She said innovative measures like more CCTV cameras for the entire city would also be explored. "If so many cameras can be put up for the visit of (US) President (Barack) Obama, then why not every day for women's security?" Abby also has innovative propos- als like making mothers and sisters of rape accused apply for their bail. Last but not the least, she said that the BJP's chief ministerial candidate Kiran Bedi has been in the police and has been a long-time champion of women's security. "She is the best bet to make Delhi safer for women. This (Bedi as chief minister) sends a clear message how seriously we take this issue," she added. As far CCTV cameras go, they seem to be the common promise of all parties. According to Congress candidate from Greater Kailash and President Pranab Mukherjee's daughter Sharmishtha Mukherjee, very strong and concerted efforts have to be made by the state and the police for women's security. "Delhi Police have to increase the number of personnel on public transport. CCTV cameras have to be installed in public transport and not only this, they also have to be monitored," Mukherjee told IANS. New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi Sunday saluted the "determination and bravery" of the Indian Coast Guard on its 38th Raising Day. "I salute the determination and bravery of our coast guard personnel on the 38th Raising Day of the Indian Coast Guard," Modi said. "Indian Coast Guard has left no stone unturned in tirelessly protecting our coasts. We will always remain grateful to them for their valour," he added. The Coast Guard was set up Feb 1, 1977. Kerala vows not to spare any drug traffickers 11 killed in Rajasthan trucks' collision Thiruvananthapuram : The Kerala government Sunday said national and international drug mafia rings are looking at the state as a "fertile ground" for their operations and pledged not to spare anyone involved in drug trafficking. The government's reaction came a day after Malayalam actor Shine Tom Chacko and four women were taken into custody in Kochi for possessing cocaine valued at Rs.1 million in international market. "National and even international drug mafia are looking towards Kerala as a fertile ground for their operations. We are putting up a strong fight against such elements and we will not spare anyone who is part of this," Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala told IANS. The mafia rings are eyeing Kerala because of its tourist potential, he added. Chennithala said his ministry was going ahead with conducting massive awareness campaigns in educational institutions. "We have already launched a massive campaign 'Safe Campus Clean Campus' and it is a two-pronged strategy which includes awareness and police action. What we saw yesterday (Saturday) was police action and this will continue very strongly. Law breakers will be taken to task," the minister said. "Last week, we got together 60,000 students in Kollam district as part of our awareness drive in our fight against all forms of substance abuse. Similar programmes would be held in all districts," he said. B. Unnikrishnan, a director and general secretary of the Film Employees Federation of Kerala, told IANS that what happened with the arrest of the actor should not be taken to generalise issues. "I do not think there is any need for even a caution because we have a very responsible film industry. One stray case has happened and it's too early from any quarter to make sweeping statements about the film industry here," said Unnikrishnan. Rajasthan ex-CM Gehlot tests positive for swine flu Jaipur : Former Rajasthan chief minister and senior Congress leader Ashok Gehlot Sunday said he is suffering from swine flu. "I have tested positive for swine flu. However, I have started treatment on time and now there is improvement," Gehlot tweeted. He criticised the Vasundhara Raje government for not launching awareness campaigns on swine flu. "Why did the state government not launch awareness campaign on swine flu earlier? People are dying because of lack of information and awareness." Thirty-nine people have died in the state till Saturday because of swine flu. Of these, 12 are from the state capital Jaipur. Over 120 people are reported to have been tested positive for swine flu across the state. The state government has set up a control room in the state's largest state-run SMS Hospital in Jaipur where five doctors are deployed round the clock to provide services to people having swine flu like symptoms. Jaipur: Eleven people were killed and 15 injured when a truck carrying over 60 people collided with another in Rajasthan's Jodhpur district Sunday, police said. Most of those killed were aged between 25-30, a police official said. "The accident occurred early Sunday when a truck, carrying around 60 passengers travelling from Jaisalmer to Jaitaran area in Pali district, got hit by another truck coming from the opposite direction," Hanuman Singh, a senior official from the Banar police station, told IANS. The people were voters and going to vote in panchayat (village council) elections," Singh said, adding that most of the deaths occurred while those injured in the crash being taken to a hospital. BSF foils 11 bids by terrorists to enter India Jammu : The Border Security Force (BSF) foiled 11 attempts by terrorists in January to sneak into Jammu and Kashmir from Pakistan, a senior BSF official has said. "Eight of the bids were made in the last 15 days," the official told IANS here. "The (terrorist) groups mostly consisted of six to eight heavily armed militants belonging to the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT)," he added. According to the official, the infiltration attempts were made even as Pakistani border guards shelled Arnia and R.S. Pura sectors. The official said intelligence agencies believed that such attempts were likely to be made in the next few days as well. "We are fully prepared to give them (militants) a hot reception," he said. The official said there were 21 violations of the 2003 ceasefire by the Pakistan Rangers in the three districts of Jammu, Samba and Kathua during January. Indiscriminate firing and mortar shelling by the Rangers last month killed two BSF troopers and a civilian. A dozen civilians were injured. Public and private property was also damaged at many places along the border because of shelling, the official added. The BSF is deployed along the international border that divides Jammu and Kashmir between India and Pakistan. The army guards the Line of Control (LoC).