SC told, Maha govt took steps to protect north Indians

Maharashtra government today told the Supreme Court that it has taken effective steps for protection of lives and religious faith of north Indians and non-Marathis in the wake of an alleged hate campaign launched by Raj Thackeray-led MNS.The state government said several agitators were arrested and cases were registered against Maharashtra Navnirman Sena Chief Raj Thackeray for disrupting the Railway Recruitment Board Examination on October 19, 2008, and making allegedly derogatory statements.The apex court was also told that the Chhat Puja, practiced by the people of Bihar and eastern Uttar Pradesh, was held peacefully this year and the previous year in which three to four lakh devotees assembled at various places in Mumbai and no untoward incident had occurred.“This was mainly due to strong punitive as well as preventive action taken by the Mumbai Police. The diligence of Mumbai Police played a crucial and diligent role in maintaining law and order on sensitive occasions,” Maharashtra government said in an affidavit placed before a Bench comprising Chief Justice K G Balakrishnan and B S Chauhan.The court was hearing a PIL filed in November 2008 by Delhi-based trader Salek Chand alleging attacks on north Indians by MNS have led to a chain reaction elsewhere in the country and threatened to destroy the nation’s unity and integrity.Advocate Sugriv Dubey alleged the affidavit was an “eyewash” as attacks on north Indians are taking place and the state government has failed to take effective action MNS chief.However, the Bench said the affidavit clearly metions the steps taken against the culprits and measures taken for the Chhat Puja.“Chhat Puja has gone smoothly,” the Bench said.

The advocate said action have been taken against innocent persons but the state government has not taken adequate steps relating to the murder of two doctor brothers from Uttar Pradesh.

The petitioner had alleged the state police remained a mute spectator when two north Indian doctor brothers -- Omprakash and Mayur Dubey -- were killed by a mob on provocation by Raj Thackeray last year.

However, the state government in the affidavit said the duo were murdered and their uncle was seriously injured in an attack which was the outcome of a political rivalry and competition and the incident had nothing to do with MNS agitations against north Indians.

Former jharkhand CM Madhu Koda Arrested

Former Jharkhand Chief Minister Madhu Koda was on Monday arrested by the state Vigilance Commission, nearly two months after a case was registered against him in a multi-crore hawala scam."We have reached at a stage when his arrest was necessary. We had taken the arrest warrant from the competent court," Inspector General of Police, Vigilance, M V Rao said.38-year-old Koda, who is being jointly investigated by the vigilance commission, Income Tax department and Enforcement Directorate, was arrested from the Chaibasa district of the state.Koda had repeatedly avoided appearing before the Enforcement Directorate and the state vigilance commission in connection with the disproportionate asset and the Prevention of Money Laundering case against him and his close associates. Sources in the ED said the Directorate will also join the questioning of the former CM.During raids on his premises, the IT department had claimed to have found evidence of hawla transactions and illegal investments running into more than Rs 2,000 crore. The Enforcement Directorate had registered a case against him on October 10.

Everybody free to take own decision: Uddhav on Smita

Everybody is free to take own decision, Shiv Sena said on reports that Smita Thackeray was on way to joining Congress."I am not going to say anything on the issue. I will continue doing my work," Sena executive president and Smita's brother-in-law Uddhav Thackeray said.Asked to comment on Smita's interview to a newspaper, Uddhav said, "Let her decision, whatever it is, be announced, then I will speak."In the interview, Smita, Sena chief Bal Thackeray's daughter-in-law, said she is upset with Sena and gave indications that she is keeping her options open including joining Congress."She is not involved in power struggle. She wants to move forward in politics. But there was no good response from Shiv Sena to her desire. It is not that she has left the Shiv Sena, but her options are open," her son Rahul told reporters. He was replying to questions on media reports that Smita, estranged wife of Jaydev Thackeray, was all set to join Congress, whose leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi she has praised.

Babri report: ATR doesn't suggest punitive action

The Liberhan Commission Report on the Babri mosque demolition has been tabled after 17 years in Parliament. Discussion on the report will be taken up in both Houses on December 1.Home Minister P Chidambaram tabled the report along with the government's Action Taken Report (ATR), and the question now: will there be any punitive action based on the report?

The Liberhan Report holds 68 people, including former prime minister Atal Behari Vajpayee, responsible for "bringing the country to the brink of communal discord."

The government's ATR does not recommend any punitive action against these 68 persons, in fact, it doesn't single any of them out. The Law Minister says the Liberhan Commission was a fact-finding commission and has told NDTV to expect follow-up action based on the commission's conclusions.The ATR also says the government is contemplating a bill to check communal violence. The Liberhan Commission calls for a special separate law providing for punishment for misusing religion to acquire political power.Apart from the general recommendations, the ATR makes note of the commission's suggestions on civil services, riot control, intelligence agencies, Centre-state relations, religious and cultural sites and the Press and lists action take on these.

On Tuesday morning, there were unruly scenes in the Rajya Sabha immediately after the home minister tabled the report. BJP leaders raised slogans, members rushed into the well of the House. There was a scuffle between BJP and Samajwadi Party members and the Upper House was adjourned.The fact that the media had access to the report before it was shared in Parliament led to the entire Opposition uniting to declare this was a breach of protocol. The Home Minister said that there are two copies of the report, one is with the government, and that nobody in his Ministry leaked the Liberhan Report to the press.

The report describes the demolition as "a tailor-made exercise" fuelled and executed by the BJP. The report slams the then UP Chief Minister Kalyan Singh in particular, accusing him of lulling his administration into "ineffectiveness" till the demolition was complete.

Bal Thackeray attacks Sachin's India

Has the Shiv Sena's ageing tiger bitten off more than he can chew? In an article in the Shiv Sena mouthpiece, party chief Bal Thackeray has hit out at Sachin Tendulkar on comments made to the media last week.
"Mumbai belongs to India. That is how I look at it. I am a Maharashtrian and I am extremely proud of that. But, I am an Indian first," Sachin had said.
It's this comment by Maharashtra's own mulga Sachin Tendulkar that angered Bal Thackeray.
In the editorial published in Saamna, Thackeray targeted Tendulkar saying: "You said you are proud of being Marathi but are an Indian first. This has hurt the Marathi people. From the cricket pitch you have entered the political pitch. You also said that all Indians have an equal right on Mumbai. What was the need for this? You have become "run-out" on the Marathi pitch. People praise you when you hit fours and sixes. But if you speak against the rights of Marathi people, they will not tolerate it."
Perhaps sensing that the comments may not have gone down well, on camera the Sena's comments were quite tame.
"Sachin was born in Mumbai, his father fought many times for Marathi. But, this is a separate issue. Shiv sena has right to speak on Marathi and Maharashtrians. Balasaheb has only given him advice as he loves Sachin," said Shiv Sena spokesperson Sanjay Raut.
The reaction, both political and outside, have been swift and critical. And it is a clear indication that the Shiv Sena chief has underestimated Sachin's popularity.
"I agree with Sachin's comment. He spoke from the bottom of his heart and it is true. The Shiv Sena is using it to play political games," said Maharashtra Chief Minister Ashok Chavan.
"Maharashtrians will feel hurt that Saamna has targeted Sachin. He is a genuine hero. I am a Maharashtrian and I am proud of him," said Anil Dharkar, a columnist.
"This is extremely dangerous and childish: to start making this Mumbai, Maharashtra, India issue. Where is the controversy? Why make one when none exists? Does he want Maharashtra to secede from India?" said veteran journalist Bachi Karkaria.
Raj Thackeray had targeted Amitabh Bachchan and now his uncle Bal Thackeray is targeting Sachin Tendulkar. As both parties fight over the Marathi vote, targeting an icon seems to be the easiest way to catch the public eye.

'Will quit politics if charges are proved'

Terming the money laundering charges against him as a "political conspiracy", former Jharkhand Chief Minister Madhu Koda on Saturday said he would cooperate with the probe into them and would quit politics if they were proved to be correct. "This (the charges) is a political conspiracy as people don't want me to succeed as an independent legislator," Koda, a Lok Sabha MP, told newsmen here. Koda said he would continue to co-operate with the investigating agencies probing into the charges against him. Income Tax sleuths have been questioning him on and off from October 31 in connection with the Rs 2000 crore alleged hawala transactions and illegal investments after they conducted raids in 70 premises across the country and claimed to have found evidence in the case. The ED has issued fresh summons to Koda, the third in a week, to appear before it in Ranchi on November 19. Earlier the ED had served him summons on November 13 and 15.

Koda, who yesterday wrote to the ED expressing his inability to appear before it in Delhi owing to the ensuing assembly polls in the mineral-rich state, reached here last night. The ED has made only one arrest - that of Vikas Sinha, the brother of Koda's aide Binod Sinha since the scam surfaced.

Koda, who was the chief minister between September, 2006 and August 2008, had won the Singhbhum Lok Sabha seat and has put up six candidates in the ensuing assembly elections.
His wife Gita is contesting the Jagannathpur assembly seat, which Koda had won in 2000 and 2005 which led to his being appointed a minister in Babulal Marandi and Arjun Munda goverments before he himself becoming the chief minister as an independent MLA.
He was the mines minister in the Munda regime and retained the portfolio after taking over the reins from him.
The IT department claimed that the alleged deals in the allotment of mine leases had occurred during that period.

MNS blows ‘Marathi Manoos’ bugle again

After putting the Indian democracy to shame in the Maharashtra Assembly, Raj Thackeray’s Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) has racked up the Marathi issue again. The pro-Marathi party has now written to the general manager of nation’s largest public sector bank.the State Bank of India (SBI) threatening him not to allow non-Marathis to sit for job openings in the bank’s Maharashtra branches.MNS has in the past also created ruckus at several examination centres by beating up non-Marathi applicants. The party had earlier demanded reservations for Marathis in all the jobs in Maharashtra.In the recently concluded Maharashtra Assembly Elections the Raj Thackeray-led party won 13 seats. Four of party MLAs were soon suspended from the House after they opposed Samajwadi Party’s Abu Azmi’s decision to take oath in Hindi language against their wish. The altercation later saw MNS MLAs beating Azmi in the Assembly making a mockery of Indian democracy.

Azmi wants Raj Thackeray arrested for attack

Mumbai, Nov 10 (IANS) Samajwadi Party leader Abu Asim Azmi, who was Monday attacked by Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) legislators in the assembly, Tuesday reiterated that Raj Thackeray should be arrested for the assault.

Azmi said he was not satisfied with the suspension of the four MNS legislators who attacked him in the assembly for taking his oath in Hindi instead of Marathi.

He pointed out that since MNS chief Raj Thackeray had 'instigated and inspired' the attacks, he should be held responsible for the actions of his party legislators and be arrested immediately.

The Samajwadi Party leader said several experts had told him that the suspension of the legislators for four years could be revoked if the MNS tenders an apology.

'The shocking thing is that if a duly elected legislator can be openly attacked inside the legislature, then what safety can the government assure the common masses of Maharashtra?' Azmi, the leader of the three-member Samajwadi Party group in the assembly, told IANS Tuesday.

As Azmi started speaking in Hindi Monday in defiance of MNS supremo Raj Thackeray's appeal to legislators to take oath only in Marathi, a group of first-timer MNS legislators pounced on him.

MNS member Ramesh Banjle first uprooted the microphone and threw it away. Others from MNS surrounded Azmi, pushing and punching him. MNS legislator Ram Kadam slapped Azmi and hit him on the chest and shoulders.

Even as all political parties condemned the attack, the House unanimously approved the suspension of the four legislators for four years and banned their entry into Mumbai and Nagpur whenever the sessions are held in these cities.

Besides Kadam, the others suspended are Shishir Shinde, Vasant Gite and Ramesh Banjle.

But Azmi dismissed speculation that Monday's incidents could lead to a re-alignment of political forces in the state.

'My party remains with the Third Front and there is no truth in speculation that we may join the government,' he said.

Maharashtra House suspends four MNS MLAs for 4 years

Four MNS MLAs -- Shishir Shinde, Ramesh Wanjale, Vasant Gite and Ram Kadam-- were on Monday evening suspended from the Assembly for four years for assaulting Abu Asim Azmi. They were also charged with assaulting Meenakshi Patil, an MLA who assisted Azmi.earlier today, there was pandemonium on the opening day of the Maharashtra Assembly session in Mumbai. Raj Thackeray’s Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) demanded that all MLAs take the oath in Marathi.As Samajwadi Party MLA Abu Asim Azmi, who had earlier raised the MNS’ hackles by demanding Assembly documents in Hindi, took the oath in Hindi, MNS MLAs stormed the well of the House.

They pulled away the podium and flung it aside, raising slogans and flashing placards.Ruling alliance MLAs, including Meenakshi Patil of the Peasants and Workers Party, then helped Azmi take the oath.Throughout, banners were flung at them and Azmi was abused.As he made his way back to his seat, MNS MLA Ram Kadam assaulted him, forcing an adjournment of the House.Later, Chief Minister Ashok Chavan tabled a resolution asking the Speaker to take action against the MNS MLAs. The Bharatiya Janata Party supported this while the Shiv Sena condemned the MNS MLAs’ behaviour.