BJP MLA in Jail for Murder

A fast track court in Orissa on Tuesday sentenced Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislator Manoj Pradhan to seven years imprisonment in a murder case during the 2008 communal riots in Kandhamal.

Judge Sobhan Kumar Das of the fast track court I in Kandhamal handed down the sentence to Pradhan and another accused, Prafulla Mallik, for the murder of Pariskhita Digal in Barpenga village on August 25, 2008, defence lawyer Ajit Patnaik told IANS.

The court asked them to pay a fine of Rs6,000 as well, he said.

Kandhamal district, about 200 km from here, witnessed widespread violence after the murder of Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) leader Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati and four of his aides at his ashram on August 23, 2008.

More than 25,000 Christians were forced to flee their homes after their houses were attacked by rampaging mobs that held Christians responsible for Saraswati's killing, although the police blamed the Maoists.

Pradhan represents G Udaygiri constituency in the state assembly.

Spy scandal won't damage U.S. ties, says Russia

Russia's Foreign Ministry on Wednesday said that the US arrests of suspects in an alleged Russian spy ring would not have a negative impact on Russian - US relations.

The FBI has arrested 10 people for allegedly serving for years as secret agents of Russia's intelligence organ, the SVR, with the goal of penetrating U.S. government policymaking circles.

According to court papers unsealed Monday, the FBI intercepted a message from SVR headquarters, Moscow Center, to two of the defendants describing their main mission as "to search and develop ties in policymaking circles in US." Intercepted messages showed they were asked to learn about a broad swath of topics including nuclear weapons,US arms control positions, Iran, White House rumors, CIA leadership turnover, the last presidential election, the Congress and political parties.

Eight of 10 were arrested Sunday for allegedly carrying out long-term, deep-cover assignments in the United States on behalf of Russia.Two others were arrested for allegedly participating in the same Russian intelligence program within the United States. An 11th defendant, who allegedly delivered money to the defendants, is at large.The court papers cited numerous examples of communications intercepted in the FBI probe that spelled out what the 10 allegedly were trying to do.

The timing of the arrests was notable given the emphasis that Presidents Barack Obama and Dmitry Medvedev have placed on "resetting" U.S.-Russia relations. The two leaders met just last week at the White House after Medvedev visited high-tech firms in California's Silicon Valley, and both attended the G-8, G-20 meetings over the weekend in Canada.

Intelligence on Obama's foreign policy positions, particularly as they relate to Russia, appears to have been one of the top priorities for the alleged spies, according to the filings.Each of the 10 was charged with conspiracy to act as an agent of a foreign government, which carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison on conviction.

Naxals butcher 26 CRPF men in Chhattisgarh

Red terror struck again in Chhattisgarh on Tuesday with Naxalites killing at least 26 CRPF personnel. This is the fourth major attack on security forces in the past three months in the state.

According to reports reaching here, a 63-strong CRPF party from 39th battalion was returning after a road opening duty in an area under Dhaurai police station in Narayanpur district of the state, at about 3 pm. Naxals may have been watching the pattern and deployed around 100 cadres to ambush the CRPF party as it returned on Tuesday afternoon.

CRPF men were securing the area ahead of a two-day Naxal-sponsored bandh starting on Wednesday. The Maoists opened fire from a hilltop when the paramilitary men were returning from their duty on foot, CRPF chief Vikram Srivastava said.

There was high casualty as the personnel appear to have once again disregarded standard operating procedures (SOP) by walking too close together.

Reinforcements were on the way and IAF helicopters would be used to evacuate the injured and bring back the dead to Raipur, said home ministry sources. There is no confirmation of casualties on the Maoists’ side.

The series of high-casualty attacks over the last few months has exposed the vulnerability of the CRPF personnel, mainly on account of their failure to follow SOP.

For the Centre, this represents yet another embarrassment and showcases its lack of intelligence inputs and cluelessness in tackling the Maoists. After the Dantewada attack, there was expectation the response mechanism would improve.

Strongly condemning the attack, the BJP said the ‘heinous crime’ proved once again that there was a need for closer Centre-state co-ordination and a decisive fight to end the menace.

“BJP strongly condemns this heinous crime. We have maintained that there is a need for firm action and for closer Centre-state coordination to strengthen the fight against Naxalism,” BJP spokesperson Shahnawaz Hussain said.

“The time has come for a decisive battle against Maoist violence. Such attacks are a big challenge and should be addressed accordingly,” Mr Hussain said.

The attack comes nearly three months after the April 6 Dantewada massacre by Maoists which left 75 CRPF personnel and one Chhattisgarh policeman dead.

Opposition calls 'Bharat Bandh' on July 5

The issue of fuel price hike has brought almost the entire opposition together with the BJP-led NDA and Left parties giving a call for a nation-wide strike on July 5 demanding a rollback.

The NDA and the Left parties made separate announcements in this regard and JD-U chief Sharad Yadav claimed that it was the first such instance of opposition unity after the "JP movement" in the mid-seventies.

"There has been no difference among the entire opposition on the issue of fuel price hike. Every party has condemned it and demanded a rollback," Yadav, who is the NDA convenor, told reporters.

His call for a 12-hour 'Bharat Bandh' came hours after the Left and non-BJP opposition parties called a 12-hour nation-wide strike on July five to protest the government's decision to increase the prices of petroleum products.

All essential services like supply of water, milk, electricity, hospital and emergency services will be exempt from the 'hartal', they said.
Several opposition parties have already declared that they would raise the issue vociferously in Parliament with the monsoon session expected to commence by July-end.

"Check prices or leave the chair (Dam roko ya gaddi chhoro), Price Rise affects all communities (Hindu Muslim Sikh Isai, sabke ghar me hai mahangai," will be the Opposition's slogans during the agitation, Yadav said.

He said an effort for a joint protest by the Opposition over the fuel price hike was made during budget session of Parliament in March this year, but it could not materialise.
Besides the four Left parties, the AIADMK, TDP, Samajwadi Party, BJD, JD(S) and INLD "have decided to call for a country-wide hartal on July five", a joint statement by top leaders of CPI(M), CPI, RSP and Forward Bloc said here.

Yadav, who made efforts for the entire opposition to come together for the bandh, downplayed non-inclusion of his party's name as also that of NDA in the Left parties' statement on the strike.

"There are so many internal contradictions in the country. But the issue of fuel price hike is a very serious issue. People's interest come before parties...It was necessary for all parties to come together so that people can express their anger over the issue," Yadav said.

The Left leaders have said they were in discussions with some other "secular opposition" parties to join the hartal, which will be held from 0600 hours to 1800 hours.
However, there is no word from RJD, LJP and BSP so far on whether they would join this Bharat Bandh on July 5 or not. Yadav said CPI(M) leader Prakash Karat and SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav were talking to RJD supremo Lalu Prasad and LJP chief Ram Vilas Paswan over the issue.

Jaswant Singh back in BJP after nine months

Expelled BJP leader Jaswant Singh today rejoined the party nine months after he was summarily thrown out for writing a controversial book on Pakistan founder Mohammed Ali Jinnah.

At a function organised to announce his re-induction into the party fold, 72-year-old Singh profusely thanked senior BJP leader L K Advani for taking the initiative to bring him back to the BJP of which he was a founder member.

"It is good to be back in familiar surroundings... I wish to unreservedly express my gratitude to Advaniji who took the initiative," Singh said. Among others present were party President Nitin Gadkari and Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj.

Recalling his expulsion from the party at its 'Chintan Baithak' in Shimla in August last year, the MP from Darjeeling said, "I was hurt and humiliated by what I had encountered."

Advani said he was "very happy" that Jaswant Singh, whom he had met as an RSS pracharak in Rajasthan, has rejoined the party.

"I am very happy. With happiness there is also a sense of relief. I welcome him," he said.

Gadkari said the "past is past" and hoped that Singh will work to make the party's future bright.

He said this was a day of "great happiness" for him and the party workers.

Singh was expelled from the BJP in August 2009 for praising the Pakistan founder in his book "Jinnah - India,
Partition, Independence".

While holding Jawaharlal Nehru and Sardar Patel responsible for partition, Singh maintained that Jinnah was secular, a position that was unacceptable to the Sangh Parivar. Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi had banned Singh's book in his state.

After his expulsion, BJP also asked Singh to step down from the Chairmanship of Parliamentary Public Accounts Committee but he refused.