tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-73316206993336339452024-03-11T08:53:51.598+05:30north east online - north east india newsnorth east india news, northeastindia news, north east india online resource, seven sister states of north east india, north east india news, events, galleries, stories.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger3624125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7331620699333633945.post-50822267690856532872013-03-04T13:38:00.001+05:302013-03-04T13:38:13.372+05:30Bangladesh riots evokes fear among West Bengal border villagers<p>South Dinajpur (West Bengal), Mar. 3 (ANI): Villagers in West Bengal’s South Dinajpur District have expressed fears about cross-border violence, after riots struck neighbouring Bangladesh.</p><p>Haripukru Village is one such village where these fears are being aired frequently.</p><p>"A civil war has started in their country. Violence can strike our village during night-time. We are very afraid of this. We are constantly worrying about this. We arte reading newspapers, watching news on television sets to know what is happening there," said Nipendera Nath Mandal, a local.</p><p>Muslim residents said they were relying on the Border Security Force personnel to protect them in case of any skirmishes. However, they claimed that the cross-border violence had not hit the village yet.<br />"There are reports about violence in Bangladesh. Mosques and temples are being ruined. We are till present unaffected by these riots. But if anything occurs here, we will inform our border security personnel," Ravi Islam, another local.</p><p>A Bangladeshi Islamist party leader, Delwar Hossain Sayedee, was sentenced to death on Thursday over abuses carried out during the country''s independence war, triggering riots that killed at least 30 people.</p><p>Sayedee, 73, vice-president of the Jamaat-e-Islami party, was found guilty by the Bangladesh War Crimes Tribunal of mass killing, rape, arson, looting and forcing minority Hindus to convert to Islam during the 1971 war of separation from Pakistan, lawyers and tribunal officials said.</p><p>After he was convicted and sentenced, police clashed with activists from Sayedee''s party and violence raged in more than a dozen areas around the country, police, witnesses and media reports said.<br />At least three policemen were among the dead and around 300 were wounded, they added.</p><p>Protesters, who said the verdict was politically motivated, set fire to a Hindu temple and several houses in southern Noakhali region, reporters said. In the southeastern region of Cox''s Bazar, they attacked a police camp, killing one.</p><p>Two policemen were killed when Islamists stormed a police station at Sundarganj in northern Gaibandha district, police said. "We have been virtually besieged. It''s a horrible situation," station officer Manzur Rahman told Reuters.</p><p>Members of the religious party - known simply as Jamaat - called for a national strike on Sunday and Monday, raising fears of more violence. Sayedee was the third senior party member convicted by the tribunal. (ANI)</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7331620699333633945.post-34415916262845876752013-03-04T13:37:00.003+05:302013-03-04T13:37:35.639+05:30Girl student forced to drink alcohol, raped in Arunachal<p>Itanagar: A girl student of Class VI was allegedly raped by a constable of the Indian Reserve Battalion after he forced her to drink alcohol at Longding district of Arunachal Pradesh, official sources said on Monday. </p><p>The student of a government higher secondary school, who was raped on March 2 recovered consciousness yesterday at the community health centre where she was taken to after being found lying beside the Circuit House, the sources said. The victim has been sent for medical examination. </p><p>The IRB constable, Lukbom Yonggam, was arrested on Sunday after locals caught him, they said.<br />The locals gheraoed the police station demanding punishment for the constable. The police fired in the air after a mob assaulted the constable last evening when he was being taken to the community health centre for medical examination, the sources said.</p><p>Army doctors treated the constable at the police station due to security reasons, they said. Local MLA Thangwang Wangham said that the culprit should be dealt with an iron hand and asked the people not to aggravate the situation and let the law take its own course. </p><p>PTI</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7331620699333633945.post-89424600647521553312013-03-04T13:37:00.001+05:302013-03-04T13:37:10.909+05:30Neiphiu Rio to be sworn in as Nagaland CM on Tuesday<p>Kohima: Neiphiu Rio will be sworn in as the Chief Minister of Nagaland for the third consecutive term on March 5 at the Raj Bhavan here, official sources said on Sunday.Governor Nikhil Kumar will administer the oath of office and secrecy to Rio, who was earlier elected as leader of the Democratic Alliance of Nagaland (DAN) legislature party, and 11 cabinet ministers. </p><p>The list of the cabinet ministers is likely to be submitted to the Governor by tomorrow, the sources said. </p><p>The Naga People's Front (NPF)-led DAN, having 40 elected members, along with the support of seven Independents, had staked claim to form the government yesterday. </p><p>Rio is the only leader to have led the regional party to victory in the Assembly elections for the third time in the 50-year history of Nagaland statehood. </p><p>PTI</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7331620699333633945.post-17891769699748448562013-02-26T09:40:00.001+05:302013-02-26T09:40:36.062+05:30Bedrock of Naga Society<p>State exists not only for mere life but also for the sake of good life. - Aristotle</p><p>The 16-Point Agreement of 1960 came about when the Nagas were going through the worst of times. But it was also one of the best things to have happened to the Naga people because it led to the birth of Statehood - on whose firm foundation our society is built. In a larger form of things, due to the Agreement, for the first time, the world recognised the territory of the Nagas as Nagaland.</p><p>But of late, there has been an increasing tendency to criticise the 16-point Agreement signed between the Naga People's Convention (NPC) and the Government of India that led to the creation of Nagaland State on December 1st 1963. The criticism implies that the 16-point agreement was a mistake, as the demand of the people was for complete independence from India. When carefully analysed, much of this criticism is bereft of historical facts and emanates from a section of frustrated politicians solely for the sake of narrow political and personal gains. Such groundless criticism can be safely ignored. However, what is of greater concern is that similar comments are also being made by impartial persons who have no political axe to grind and who genuinely have the interests of Nagas at heart. They too seem to believe that the 16-point agreement compromised the demand for a sovereign Naga nation. The voice of such persons deserves attention. It is, therefore, necessary that the truth should be stated and the record set straight. Let us talk on facts, not emotions. Emotions have a way of hiding the truth. </p><p>Sovereignty : Myth and reality<br />The fundamental assumption underlying the notion that Statehood compromised the sovereignty of Nagas, is that the Nagas were a separate independent entity from time immemorial till the British rulers conquered them. Therefore, when the British left India in 1947, the Nagas should have reverted to their independent status. Prima facie, this sounds an attractive proposition, but is it really true? Let us not be misled by words like 'time immemorial'. Did we have an independent political existence at all immediately before the British rule or even during the British days? Were we really an independent nation? A political entity or a nation has to be based on historical facts. It presupposes the existence of a definite political structure that governs a clearly demarcated area of land which is inhabited by a people who accept this arrangement and have close contacts with each other. It also demands that the political structure would be either a monarchy, a democracy, an autocracy, an oligarchy, a dictatorship or any other structure that is universally accepted by political scientists as an 'independent, self-governing and well defined political entity' or a 'nation'. Other areas in the North-East like Assam, Manipur, Tripura and the Kacharis had their territories and their kingdoms. Did we? The stark and inescapable truth is that neither did we have a definite and unified political structure and nor did we exist as a nation. We were actually a group of heterogeneous, primitive and diverse tribes living in far-flung villages that had very little in common and negligible contact with each other. Education did not exist and awareness about the world outside was totally absent. Each village was practically an entity in itself. A village does not make a nation. The main 'contact' between villages was through the savage practice of headhunting. Mutual suspicion and distrust was rife. People led an insular and isolated life. Interecine warfare was the order of the day. There was no trust or interaction between different tribes. In these circumstances, the question of a unified 'Naga nation' did not arise. No one can dispute these historical truths. There is enough documentation recorded by the British administrators, some as late as the end of the 19th century, which gives the correct picture as it existed. We cannot ignore such historical evidence and rely on emotional outbursts alone.</p><p>We continue to claim we were an independent nation till the British conquered us. Did we have a boundary for our nation? As late as the 1940's, when British rule was almost over, large parts of today's Nagaland did not even exist on their maps. Instead of showing villages the maps showed large blank white spaces with the words "Unadministered and Unsurveyed". Did we have a ruler or a Government? The writ of a village chief did not ex- tend beyond his village. Did we have a capital city where the Government sat? The British Deputy Commissioner sat in Kohima out of convenience. Was this the capital of the independent Naga nation that we claim existed before the British? Did we have a currency or a coinage like other kingdoms or nations? We lived on barter till the British introduced the rupee. Did we have armed forces to defend our nation? Did we have common laws, rules and regulations for our nation as a whole? Did we have an administrative apparatus to look after the welfare of the people? Did we have roads that linked the nation? The answer to all these are obviously in the negative. These questions cannot be ignored, especially by those who are educated and claim to be the intelligentsia of our society. Let us face the reality that existed. Let us not distort history and let us not fool ourselves any more. The plain fact is that we never existed as an independent, unified nation at any time in our history. Yes, each village existed Independently, but is that the equivalent of a Naga Nation? Even the names Naga or Angami or Ao or Sema or Chang were unknown to us. We called people of different tribes by other names. We led a primitive and brutish life in our villages, uncivilized and unlettered. The word of Christ was unknown and unheard of. Life beyond the village boundaries was unknown. Justice was rough and summary. Diseases went unchecked. Slavery was common. People lived and died without ever leaving their villages. We had no idea of the concept of a nation or independence or nationhood. Is it right to make these tall claims that we were an independent nation before the British conquered us? At least, let us be honest about our ancestry and our history. We Nagas always prefer honesty to falsehood, however painful the truth may be.</p><p>The then Naga way of life is best summed up by RB McCabe who, writing about the Nagas in the 19th century, says "Grouped in small communities of from 100 to 3,000 persons, the Nagas have remained isolated on their hill tops, only deigning to visit their immediate neighbours when a longing for the possession of their heads become too strong to be resisted".</p><p>Origin of Naga nationalism<br />Beginning from the early 1950s, the Naga "nationalism" gained momentum and was accelerated with the election of A.Z. Phizo as president of the NNC on Dec 11, 1950. Under Phizo's leadership, the Nagas conducted the Plebiscite of May 16, 1951 in which it is claimed 99.9% of the Nagas voted for independence. This Plebiscite emotionally integrated the various Naga tribes, and boosted the morale of the movement.</p><p>Most scholars agree that the whole Naga problem was ineptly handled by the then police and administration. The banning of the NNC in 1952 was a blunder which compelled the leaders to turn underground once and for all. The movement was given its first martyr when an officer of the Assam Police shot dead Zasibito Angami of Jotsoma village on October 18, 1952 during a public demonstration. The ban was a blunder because Delhi did not realise the popular support the NNC had at that point of time.</p><p>An opportunity to settle the problem once and for all came when the prime ministers of India and Burma visited Kohima on March 30, 1953. But the then deputy commissioner of Kohima, for reasons best known to him, did not allow the Nagas to submit a memorandum to the visiting prime ministers. The several thousand Nagas gathered at the venue to receive the VIPs turned and left the ground enmasse when they learned they were not to make themselves heard before the prime ministers. This was, indeed, a turning point in the history of the Nagas.</p><p>It is agreed that political will was lacking somewhere down the line. But more important, awareness of each other's way of life and reasoning was deplorably inadequate and thus, the impasse.</p><p>Division of the movement<br />The abduction, torture and killing of T Sakhrie by his own people saw the splitting of the movement into two with the majority of the Nagas finding themselves literally between the devil and the deep blue sea - on the one hand, the Indian troops harassed, tortured, raped and herded villagers into concentration camps and burned their granaries, and on the other hand, for the first and severest time in the history of Naga movement for self determination, Nagas began to hunt, torture and kill fellow Nagas which, understandably, divided the sympathy of the Naga people. The movement too, was divided and it fell into disarray. Several thousands of Nagas were killed; thousands more were tortured in the most inhuman manner; and the rest - the innocent public - suffered in the agony of having their loved ones killed and tortured - theirs was but to live in perpetual fear. They feared the Indian army, and they also feared their own people in the jungles.They neither liked the hammer nor the anvil.</p><p>And the sorry part of the whole saga of suffering was that there was nothing the world could do. Human rights awareness in these parts of the world in 1950s was almost absent and the innocents cried in silence and shed unseen tears.</p><p>The insensibility of the whole thing became simply mindboggling - but a clear conclusion dawned on the people: If the insanity was allowed to continue any longer, the very survival of the Nagas as a people would be put on the very brink of annihilation.</p><p>The people could not work their fields. They could not live their normal lives. And since agriculture was, as is, the mainstay of the Nagas, the spectre of a widespread famine loomed large on the horizons.</p><p>Hell on earth<br />It became obvious that we had over-estimated our strength and that the Government of India under-estimated our capabilities to fight a long-drawn out battle. At the same time, it also became painfully obvious that the public have suffered enough-too much blood had been shed and too many precious lives have been lost. Wives became widows and children became orphans; there was not a single family in all the Naga villages which had not lost a near and dear one to the atrocities of either Indian Army or the Naga undergrounds. The movement had become a nightmare for the Nagas.</p><p>The then prevailing situation in these hills was worse than the Hobbesian State of Nature where the worst in man was let loose upon their fellow beings. It was worse because fear, hatred and worst of all, suspicion was sown in the minds of the villagers for the first time. Villagers became suspicious of each other as a new group of people popularly known as intiligin (people who were under .he employ of the Military Intelligence) were recruited to spy and report on the activities of the underground as well as the villagers.</p><p>The Government of India was clear that sovereignty was not possible under any circumstances. And also sensing the mood of despondency among the people, it made clear that status quo should continue and the Naga Hi1Is would remain as a district of Assam. It seemed as if the Naga people had no future. It seemed as if the Nagas were destined to be lost in the multitude of people with alien culture, different thinking and aspirations.</p><p>Necessity of the times<br />It also appeared that the Naga movement initiated by Phizo had reached a dead end. And it was at this time that a few educated and patriotic persons who felt that the Naga people took stock of the then prevailing situation, and resolved that even if Independence was no possible, the land, identity and individuality of the Naga people should never be compromised with by remaining as a district of Assam.The choice was between survival and annihilation - the choice was between being submerged forever in Assam, or being recognised as a distinct entity having the freedom to exercise our traditional rights and respected as a people, or being trampled under the weight of dictatorship.<br />People's conventions<br />The generations of today cannot imagine the distress that the leaders of those days went through to take these choices. Many of these leaders were killed just because they voiced their feelings and convictions. But it is to their eternal credit that they did not take any decisions hastily or without consultations. They were, true to the spirit of the Naga ancestors, genuine democrats. They consulted and discussed all these issues in minute details with all the different tribes and even with those living outside Nagaland. Their sole intention was to ameliorate and alleviate the sufferings of the people and their efforts would be better appreciated when considered alongwith the fact that transport and communication as well as security in those days was nothing to write home about. However, the conviction that each and every group of Nagas should be thoroughly consulted before taking such a momentous decision as drawing up any agreement with the Government of India, overcome all hesitations and difficulties. Moreover, the leaders of that period took utmost care to ensure the voice and opinions of the villagers were heard, and a consensus was reached. After due deliberations, and ensuring that all the different tribes made their feelings known, the Naga People's Convention was formed and a series of meetings were held at Kohima in 1957, at Ungmna in 1958 and at Mokokchung in 1959 to seek the opinion of the people before responding to the invitation of the Government of India. It was understood from the very beginning that decisions would only be taken with the approval of the majority, and though not easy by any means to bring about a consensus opinion among the various, hitherto not too familiar tribes, a unanimous decision was worked out at long last. And after protracted negotiations with the Government of India, the 16-Point Agreement was signed in 1960 and the State of Nagaland born in 1963.</p><p>Covenant to end a war<br />This Agreement is a remarkable document and it was the first of its kind signed by the Government of India with any section of its people. Nagaland is the only State born out of an agreement. This is indeed remarkable in the days when Delhi followed an iron-hand policy as far as integration of the country was concerned. Statehood of Nagaland was the amalgamation of the aspirations of the people especially their aspirations to live in peace, normalcy and prosperity. It was a covenant without a battle to end a senseless war, and credit must go to the Naga leaders who had the rational desire and human instinct to escape from the senseless conditions of war that prevailed at that point of time. And it gave the Nagas worth and significance in the eyes of the world.</p><p>Statehood-bedrock of Naga society<br />Statehood also gave the Nagas a sense of unity, identity and political entity for the very first time. Tuensang and Mon areas were merged with the new State and the representatives of these areas were represented for the first time in policy-making for the development of the people. It established parliamentary democracy in our society and ensured that the destiny of the Nagas would be decided and charted by the Nagas themselves and not by someone alien to their ways of life. At the same time, recognising the need to preserve our culture, traditions and customary laws, a special provision was added to the Constitution of India. Article 371 A of the Constitution gaurantees that, unless the Legislative Assembly of Nagaland so decides, no Act of the Indian Parliament would apply to the State of Nagaland in respect of</p><p>i) religious and social Practices of the Nagas<br />ii) Naga customary laws and procedures<br />iii) administration of civil and criminal justice involving decisions according to Naga customary laws and<br />iv) ownership and transfer of land and its resources.</p><p>In all respects, this is no mean achievement. But it is easy to belittle these achievements today and cast unwanted and unfair aspersions on the leaders who made it possible. It is also easy to sit in the comforts of one's home, enjoy the fruits of Statehood and make unfair comments, forgetting all the trials and tribulations that went into giving the Nagas an honourable place in the Indian Union.</p><p>37 years of Statehood<br />It has indeed, been a long and winding road for the Nagas in the last 37 years od Statehood. But nevertheless, we have come far and we have reasons to boast of our achievements.</p><p>In 1963, the population of the State stood at 3.69 lakh out of whom barely 18% or sixty-six thousand people were literate. There was not a single college in the whole State and there were only two Government High Schools, 11 middle schools and 180 primary schools.There were only two civil hospitals and a handful of smaller hospitals and dispensaries in some few places.Basic amenities such as water and electric supply were non-existent. Black-topped roads stretched for hardly 168 kilometres and the remaining roads barely reached a few administrative headquarters. The total fund allocation for the entire Naga Hills Tuensang Area in 1963 amounted to a paltry Rs 3.88 crore with a few hundred Government servants running the affairs of the State Government.</p><p>The State Legislative Assembly has voted a budget of Rs 1,725 crore for the year 2000-2001. And this directly reflects on the amount of investment and the degree of development the people of Nagaland has made in the last three-plus decades. Houses even in the remotest areas have CGI roofings with roads leading to them. Schools, play grounds, electricity and health care facilities have been provided to one and all. Our literacy rate stands at 83% ranking among the highest in the whole country. Above all, we have our own elected legislators and about a lakh of government servants to run the government thereby enabling us to determine our own destiny.</p><p>Criminalisation of the Cause<br />What has happened to the movement for independence is clearly visible today. All idealism seems to have been lost and the goals for which thousands suffered and sacrificed their lives appear to have been completely forgotten. The movement has now degenerated into sheer terrorism with killing of innocents, extortion, looting, intimidation and threats becoming the order of the day. Gun culture is all pervading and the price for dissent is death. People are afraid to express their opinions, and the straight-forwardness that characterised Naga society appears to have vanished. Leaders who head the movement now do not seem to have the vision, the wisdom, the democratic credentials and the compassion that are required to lead a people and run a nation. They impose their decisions through threat. They do not command respect - they demand it from the people at gun point.</p><p>What was once a movement of the people by the people for the people, is now reduced to meaningless terrorism with the so-called national workers embarking on a spree of extortion and self-agrandisement. A movement which once had volunteers sacrificing their everything is now reduced to goondaism. This is amply shown by the fact that cadres of the different factions of the underground go around villages demanding that they should be fed and supplied with rations and money, as if the villagers owe them.</p><p>In other words, the movement initiated and nurtured by the people has gone against the same people, and those criminalising the once noble movement force themselves to believe, or suffer from delusions, that they have the sympathy of the public.The recent resolution of the village representatives from the 1068 villages at the VDB Conference speaks volumes about the attitude of the people towards violence.</p><p>Modern concept of Sovereignty<br />Apart from this, we also must be practical enough to realise that independence is not some magic wand that would solve all our problems at one stroke. The world has changed, and national boundaries and territorial sovereignty have little meaning today. Small, under developed and economically poor nations have no future in a world that is increasingly driven by market economy. Inter-dependence has replaced independence as the means to prosperity and economics is the real politics of today. The modern concept of sovereignty is based on economic sovereignty, and not political sovereignty as in the past. The European Union is a prime example. A number of countries have formed the Union to have a common currency and maximise their economic interests. They have abolished all trade, citizenship and commercial barriers among their respective nations. The main reason why nations should merge is that people want prosperity, a better life and rapid economic progress. They do not want to isolate themselves, nor do they want to strive in vain or live in poverty.</p><p>Naga Independence A Hypothesis<br />These are the trends that are dominating the global scenario today and it would be naïve and self-defeating to ignore these developments sweeping across nations the world over.</p><p>In this background, let us seriously introspect on whether Nagaland can survive as an independent nation. There are people who argue that even without a historical legacy, the Nagas must struggle for independence. Under the label of 'scholars' and 'thinkers' there are some busy-bodies who strongly advocate that Nagas are not Indians and that Nagaland is not a part of India. For the sake of academic discussion, let us for a moment agree that Nagas must struggle for sovereignty or independence. Now the question arises- how do we establish an independent Nagaland and run this nation? First and foremost, as an independent country we should be able to stand on our own legs. Are we in a position to do so? Where do we find the resources to manage the manifold and complex activities that are essential for even the smallest nation? Let us take just a few examples of what an independent, country requires:</p><ul><li>Resources to run the Government, General Administration, Judiciary, Police, Civic Services etc. </li><li>Establishing and finding resources for a standing Army, Air Force and other Defence related expenditure. </li><li>Providing education, health care, power, water supply and numerous other developmental activities for the people. (Despite being a small State we have over 60 Departments presently and would need many more as an independent nation.) </li><li>Establishing diplomatic missions, at least with major countries, and expenditure on UNO member-ship etc. </li><li>Finding avenues for employment for our educated youth within the nation, since many avenues that exist at present would not be available.</li><li>Establishing our own Air and Rail services, Postal, Telegraph and Telephone services, Customs and Excise machinery, Banking services, Currency and Coinage, Industries etc.</li></ul><p>The list is endless and could go on and on, but the general picture is obvious. Do we have the resources, the expertise, the professional and technical competence and the machinery to do all this? It is easy to be idealistic and be swayed by wild promises; it is difficult to face hard facts. For instance, in 1999-2000, the budget of Nagaland State was about Rs.1256 crore. Out of this, as much as Rs.1078 crore (86%) came as grants or loans from the Central Government and financial institutions and about Rs. 92 crore from GPF subscriptions of Government employees and recovery of loans. What was our own contribution? The internal revenue generated by the State was as little as Rs. 86 crore (6.8%). Again, much of this accrued as taxes from traders belonging to other parts of the country, which would not be available after independence. Obviously, all grants and loans from India would automatically cease if we became independent. What sort of an economy would we have to sustain a nation? Surely it cannot be an economy built out of extortion. If taxes are to be levied, where is the income for this?</p><p>It is clear that ours would be a bankrupt and insolvent country and the people would not be able to survive. The plain truth is that without economic strength, no nation can survive as an independent entity.</p><p>Nagas can do without that bloody sovereignty if it means pulling the society back by hundreds, if not thousands of years in terms of social evolution. Let us not march backwards but forward alongwith the rest of the world. </p><p>The Last Word<br />Statehood fulfilled the aspirations of the Nagas to a large extent: The identity of the Nagas had been preserved as desired by Naga leaders ever since the feeling of Naga-oneness began. A special provision in the Constitution of India guarantees the protection of the religion, culture and traditions of the Nagas as well as their land and its resources. The 16-Point Agreement was not drafted by blind persons and signed blindly. Every clause was carefully considered and finalised after extensive consultations and with the interests of the Nagas in mind. The leaders of the Naga People's Convention were genuine patriots who fervently desired a bright future for the people. They were practical and realistic and knew that dreams alone cannot provide bread and butter to the people. They were also true democrats. They did not believe in violence, killings and coercion as the means to settle problems. It would be extremely uncharitable and petty to denigrate them and what they did for the Nagas. 'They need our whole hearted gratitude. All of us need to seriously consider these issues before jumping to hasty and wrong conclusions.</p><p>We have a new millennium ahead of us. We have no choice but to look forward, evolving new ideas on how to survive and exist as a people in the next millenium. The Future is the theme, not the past. We cannot now afford to live in the myths of the past. Are we going to prepare to face the challenges of the future in order to survive, or will we live only in the dreams of the past by which we will surely perish. We also have to be in consonance with the historical processes that are emerging and are likely to govern the world society.</p><p>Published by the Nagaland Pradesh Congress Committee (I)</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7331620699333633945.post-28988550459520548242013-02-26T09:24:00.001+05:302013-02-26T09:24:04.997+05:30Delhi gangrape case: Singapore doctor deposes before fast-track court<p>New Delhi, Feb. 25 (ANI): The doctor from Singapore''s Mount Elizabeth hospital, who performed a post-mortem examination of the Delhi gangrape victim deposed before the fast-track court here on Monday.</p><p>A.P. Singh, a defence lawyer for two of the accused in gang rape case, highlighted that 31 of the 90 witnesses mentioned in the chargesheet had now been deposed before the court.</p><p>"Dr. Paul Chui of Mount Elizabeth hospital who conducted the post mortem of the victim had to depose on his report. He went through the cross examination on behalf of the defence counsel through video conferencing," said Singh while interacting with mediapersons outside the Saket District Court complex.</p><p>Singh also shared some details of the cross examination with the doctor, wherein the defence counsel raised doubts on whether the victim was brought to the hospital dead or alive.</p><p>"While commenting on the usage of rod in assaulting the victim the doctor said that it could be accidental and was unable to give a clear cause of death," said Singh.</p><p>A 23-year-old paramedical student was raped, beaten and tortured by six men on a moving bus in South Delhi area on December 16 last year.</p><p>Prosecutors alleged that the six accused, five men and one youth, attacked a trainee physiotherapist and her friend on a bus as they returned home from watching a movie at around 9 p.m.</p><p>The victim later died of internal injuries in a Singapore hospital two weeks later. (ANI)</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7331620699333633945.post-8997983167574033072013-02-26T09:23:00.003+05:302013-02-26T09:23:45.837+05:30Nagaland election: Re-poll in nine booths on Tuesday<p>Kohima: Re-election will be held at nine polling stations in as many assembly constituencies in Nagaland on Tuesday, Election Department said.<br />Re-election in the nine booths were ordered as the voting was adjourned because of disturbance by miscreants, clashes between supporters of political parties and candidates and damage of EVMs on February 23, a notification of the election department said. </p><p>Election was held in 59 constituencies for the 60-member Nagaland Assembly on February 23. </p><p>Polls to Tuensang Sadar-I was countermanded following the demise of Congress candidate P Chuba Chang on February 22 from where he was seeking re-election. Counting will be held on February 28. </p><p>PTI </p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7331620699333633945.post-59027253972091942952013-02-26T09:23:00.001+05:302013-02-26T09:23:22.392+05:30Mizoram seeks Centre's help on financial situation<p>Aizawl: Mizoram Chief Minister Lal Thanhawla on Monday met Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh in Delhi and sought his help to tide over the financial crisis being faced by the state government.<br />Singh expressed his desire of helping the state as far as he could to overcome the fiscal problems, an official statement said here. </p><p>State finance department officials told PTI that the government has submitted an appeal to the Union Finance Ministry to provide around Rs 500 crore so as to offset the fiscal crunch arising out of the implementation of the Sixth Central Pay Commission recommendations. </p><p>Lal Thanhawla had met UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi last week and sought her support in the matter. </p><p>The Chief Minister and the Prime Minister also discussed how to broker peace with the Kuki National Organisation of Manipur, the statement said. </p><p>Lal Thanhawla on Saturday had discussed the KNO dialogue issue with Union Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde and expressed regret that the Centre and the Manipur government did not properly respond to the peace overtures by the Kuki outfit which, he said, observed the ceasefire with earnest. </p><p>PTI </p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7331620699333633945.post-33573310905383715432013-02-26T09:22:00.001+05:302013-02-26T09:22:52.407+05:30Defence PRO, 5 others remanded to police custody till March 8<p>Imphal: A Colonel-rank Defence PRO in Manipur and five others arrested for allegedly transporting illicit drugs estimated at over Rs 24 crore for smuggling to Myanmar were on Monday remanded to police custody till March eight.<br />Chief Judicial Magistrate, Thoubal, passed the order for police custody of the six, including Manipur Defence PRO Ajay Chaudhury arrested Sunday in Chandel district, following an application by investigating officer A Ghanashyam Sharma. </p><p>Cases have been filed against the six under sections 21 and 29 of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act following the seizure at Pallel in Chandel district yesterday when they were headed in a convoy for the border town of Moreh. </p><p>The police said that the six were to be produced before the court at 1:00 pm, but it was delayed because of a medical checkup at the Kakching police station. </p><p>Colonel Ajay Chaudhury was arrested along with his assistant R K Babalu, IndiGo assistant manager Ngairangbam Brojendro Singh, besides three others, Haopu Haokip, Minthang Bongel and Milan Haokip. </p><p>Among the last three, one is related to a senior state government official and another to a former minister who is now an MLA, but the police refused to identify them. </p><p>Police said the illicit drugs seized would have fetched over Rs 24 crore. </p><p>Yesterday, Chaudhury had claimed that he was unaware that the consignment contained illicit drugs and that he was allegedly cheated by the nephew of a very senior officer into accompanying him, but had not identified to whom he was referring to among those arrested. "Since, he is a friend and he is a relative of someone senior, you will never suspect him of doing anything like this.... Somehow I have been cheated in this," he had said. </p><p>The seized drugs, also called party drugs, included pseudoephedrine tablets Respifed, Omkop, Hilcold, Polyfed and Actidin. </p><p>PTI </p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7331620699333633945.post-68143069587052552532013-02-25T11:34:00.001+05:302013-02-25T11:34:16.987+05:30Rahul to meet PCC chiefs, CLP leaders from Northeast today<p>New Delhi: Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi will hold talks with PCC chiefs and CLP leaders from the Northeastern states here on Monday in a bid to strengthen the party in states ahead of the Lok Sabha elections in 2014. </p><p>This is the second part of such consultations with state leaders, the earlier being held ten days back. State leaders from the Northeast had not attended those deliberations due to the Assembly polls in Nagaland, Mizoram and Meghalaya. </p><p>This is the second such consultation by Gandhi after he was appointed the vice president of the party at Congress 'Chintan Shivir' in Jaipur in January. </p><p>Rahul Gandhi had earlier held freewheeling discussions with the AICC office-bearers about the challenges confronting the party and the way ahead. </p><p>The deliberations with state leaders assume significance as Assembly elections in nine states, including Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Delhi, are scheduled this year while the Lok Sabha polls are nearly 15 months away. </p><p>PTI </p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7331620699333633945.post-74551589712267840632013-02-25T11:33:00.003+05:302013-02-25T11:33:43.898+05:30Alert sounded in Tripura<p>Agartala: An alert was sounded in Tripura following twin blasts in Hyderabad in which 16 people lost their lives, official sources said on Sunday."Following instructions from the central government, we have alerted our security forces so that no sabotage could take place in the state," state Chief Secretary Sanjoy Kumar Panda told reporters here.</p><p>On February 22, BSF Director-General Subhash Joshi here had said high alert had been sounded along India's borders with other countries. </p><p>Tripura has 856-km-long border with Bangladesh. </p><p>PTI </p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7331620699333633945.post-18275364983805481142013-02-25T11:33:00.001+05:302013-02-25T11:33:20.408+05:30India's northeast alerted after Hyderabad blasts<p>Agartala: A high alert has been sounded in India's northeast following the Hyderabad terror attack that killed 16 people, an official said on Sunday. </p><p>"The union home ministry has asked all northeastern states to intensify their vigil," a paramilitary official told a news agency.<br />He said bomb experts and dog squads had been told to scan crowded places. </p><p>Four northeastern states - Tripura, Meghalaya, Mizoram and Assam - share a 1,880-km border with Bangladesh. Mizoram, Manipur, Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh share a 1,640-km border with Myanmar. Most of the international border is unfenced and runs through dense forests and mountainous, making it porous, vulnerable and advantageous for terrorists and others. </p><p>On Feb 21, two powerful bombs, suspected to be planted by terror groups, killed 16 people and injured 117 in Hyderabad. </p><p>IANS </p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7331620699333633945.post-18573564042821195832013-02-24T09:09:00.001+05:302013-02-24T09:09:35.214+05:30Assembly elections 2013: Meghalaya registers 88% voting, Nagaland 83%<p>New Delhi/Meghalaya/Nagaland: Meghalaya recorded 88 per cent polling and Nagaland 83.27 per cent in the assembly elections held on Saturday, which passed off peacefully barring a few minor incidents in Nagaland. </p><p>The counting would be held on February 28. </p><p>Meghalaya recorded a high turnout defying a bandh call by militants in some districts and came close to its last time turnout of 89.04 per cent. </p><p>Nagaland had recorded 86.19 per cent voting in the last assembly polls. In the bye-elections to six assembly constituencies which were also peaceful, Chalfilh in Mizoram recorded 78 per cent voting, Bhatpar in Uttar Pradesh 50 per cent and Moga in Punjab recorded 70.33 per cent polling, Deputy Election Commissioner Alok Shukla told reporters here. </p><p>In the bypolls to three assembly constituencies in West Bengal, Nalhati Birbhum recorded 65 per cent polling, English Bazar in Malda district 75 per cent and Rejinagar in Murshidabad district recorded 72 per cent polling. </p><p>Defying a bandh called by militants in seven districts, 88 per cent of the 15.03 lakh electorate cast their votes to elect 60 members from among 345 candidates in the election to the ninth Meghalaya Assembly today. </p><p>State's Chief Election Officer P Naik said voting was more intense in the Khasi Jaintia Hills region despite a 36-hour bandh called from 6:00 pm yesterday by the banned Hynniewtrep National Liberation Council in seven districts. </p><p>Brisk polling was recorded in Nagaland for 59 seats of the state assembly amidst unprecendented security. Polling has been adjourned in Tuensang sadar seat following the sudden death of Congress candidate P Chuba Chang yesterday. </p><p>Enthusiasm was noticed among the electorate following calls by Nagaland Baptist Church Council and Election Commission for 'one person one vote'. The sources said polling was peaceful across the state barring some skirmishes between party workers and candidates' supporters. </p><p>PTI </p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7331620699333633945.post-17286912139745094792013-02-24T09:08:00.003+05:302013-02-24T09:08:56.421+05:3075% polling in Mizoram bypoll<p>Aizawl: Seventy-five per cent of the electorate exercised their franchise in the Chalfilh Assembly seat in Mizoram on Saturday, a senior poll official said.Joint chief electoral officer H Lalengmawia told PTI that the final figure on the voter turnout would be available only after all polling parties, who were leaving the constituency tonight, arrived here. </p><p>Polling was peaceful, he said. Counting of votes will be held on February 28. </p><p>Seven candidates -- Dr Ngurdingliana of the ruling Congress, Lalvenhima Hmar of the Mizo National Front, Lalhmangaiha Sailo of the Mizoram People's Conference, C Lalchhandama of the Zoram Nationalist Party, C Ramkinlova of the BJP, D K Thanga of the Lok Janshakti Party and lone independent candidate R Lalrohlua -- are in the poll fray. </p><p>The bypoll was necessitated after sitting Congress legislator Chawngtinthanga passed away on September 16 last year. </p><p>PTI </p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7331620699333633945.post-14709211283980029942013-02-24T09:08:00.001+05:302013-02-24T09:08:16.549+05:30Over 88 pc voting in Meghalaya, stray incidents reported<p>Shillong: Over 88 per cent of votes were cast on Saturday for the 60 Assembly seats in Meghalaya where polling was held in a peaceful manner, barring stray incidents. </p><p>Chief Electoral Officer P Naik told a news agency that polling was peaceful in the state except for few stray incidents, detailed reports of which were awaited. </p><p>Chief Minister Mukul Sangma and three ex-CMs -- state Congress chief D D Lapang, party leader S C Marak and United Democratic Party chief Donkupar Roy -- are among the high- profile candidates whose fate were sealed by 15 lakh voters. Defying the 36-hour bandh called by the Hynniewtrep National Liberation Council (HNLC), people in large numbers were still queueing up beyond the stipulated time of 4 PM in several polling stations in the Garo hills, election officials said. </p><p>Reports stated that a woman candidate of BJP has sought repoll in at least four polling stations under Wahjajer constituency in West Jaintia Hills district. </p><p>Police have rounded up eight persons and arrested a BJP supporter for allegedly trying to break the EVM in one of the polling stations there. </p><p>The candidate, VN Lamare, however, alleged that polling agents from the Congress "chased her agents", besides threatening to assault them and demanded repoll from the Election Commission. </p><p>The ruling Congress is the only party contesting all the 60 seats followed by the UDP in 50 seats. The P A Sangma-led National Peoples' Party, in the opposition, is contesting in 32 seats. Election officials said an electorate of 15,03,907, including 7,59,608 women, exercised their franchise in the elections being contested by 345 candidates belonging to 15 political parties and independents, including 25 women. </p><p>Altogether 91 companies of central paramilitary forces have been deployed to maintain law and order in the state.<br />The BSF has sealed the 498 km-long border with Bangladesh and deployed additional forces to prevent any attempt of the rebels to cross over and disrupt the poll process. </p><p>In view of the bandh, the government had deployed around 100 public transport vehicles in the capital city and the East Khasi Hills district for the convenience of voters. </p><p>PTI </p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7331620699333633945.post-15430796151296530992013-02-23T10:54:00.003+05:302013-02-23T10:54:36.943+05:30Voting begins in Meghalaya<p>Shillong: Voting for the Meghalaya Assembly Elections began on Saturday amidst tight security, an official said. </p><p>Men and women in large numbers queued up in front of polling stations well before voting opened at 7 am in the entire state. Polling ends at 4 pm, said chief electoral officer Prashant Naik.<br />The outlawed Hynniewtrep National Liberation Council (HNLC) has called for a 36-hour shutdown from 6 pm Friday to 6 am Sunday (February 24) as part of the outfit's boycott the Assembly polls.</p><p>Over 15 lakh electorate are eligible to exercise their franchise to decide the fate of 345 candidates, including 24 women and 122 independents. </p><p>IANS </p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7331620699333633945.post-25716046666863359832013-02-23T10:54:00.001+05:302013-02-23T10:54:12.652+05:30Nagaland Assembly Elections: Brisk polling reported<p>Guwahati: Polling was in "full swing" on Saturday for the 60-member Nagaland Assembly that began on a peaceful note, an official said. </p><p>People came out in large numbers to exercise their franchise when balloting began at 7 am. </p><p>"Polling is on in full swing in almost all the polling stations of the state. All the Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) are working properly and there is no reports of any incident from anywhere so far," Joint Chief Electoral Officer of Nagaland N Moa Aier told a news agency.<br />"It is difficult to say the exact polling percentage at this moment as we are still collecting reports from various polling stations. However, there is good turnout almost everywhere," he said. </p><p>Nagaland has a total of 1,193,438 electorate, including 589,505 women. </p><p>The election officials are using 2,600 EVMs to conduct the polls in 2,023 polling stations across the state. </p><p>A total of 188 candidates, including only two women, are in the fray to get elected to the 60-member Nagaland Assembly. Forty-nine of the 60 outgoing legislators are seeking re-election. </p><p>The ruling NPF has fielded candidates in all 60 seats while the main opposition Congress has put up candidates in 57 Assembly constituencies. One third of the 60 constituencies will witness straight fights between the NPF and Congress. </p><p>The Bharatiya Janata Party, which won two seats in 2008, has fielded 11 candidates this time. The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), which has two members in the outgoing Assembly, has 15 contenders. </p><p>According to the election officials, over 26,000 security personnel including 225 companies of central paramilitary forces and the state police have been deployed across the state for smooth conduct of elections in Nagaland. </p><p>IANS </p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7331620699333633945.post-29988636099365026042013-02-23T10:53:00.003+05:302013-02-23T10:53:40.546+05:30Mizoram CM meets Sonia over state's financial problems<p>Aizawl: Mizoram Chief Minister Lal Thanhawla on Friday met UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi at her residence and asked for her help to tide over the state's financial problems. </p><p>Thanhawla, who apprised the Congress President about political developments in the state, wanted her support to eliminate the acute financial problems being faced by Mizoram, an official statement said here. The chief minister had submitted an appeal to former Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee asking for around Rs 500 crore for payment of increased salaries to state government employees after the implementation of the Central Sixth Pay Commission recommendations. </p><p>He also appealed for Gandhi's support on the proposal for increasing the posts of IAS and IPS officers in the state, the statement added. </p><p>PTI </p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7331620699333633945.post-57698194242210794772013-02-23T10:53:00.001+05:302013-02-23T10:53:15.829+05:30Delhi gang-rape: Justice Mehra Commission submits report to Home Ministry<p>New Delhi, Feb. 22 (ANI): The Justice Usha Mehra Commission has submitted its report on the December 16 Delhi gang-rape incident to the Home Ministry.</p><p>Justice Mehra today said main recommendation that has been said is there should be coordination between the Directorate of Transport and the police because unless they coordinate with each other it is not possible for any vehicle to be on the road.</p><p>"And secondly, without verification of the antecedents of the owner of this bus the inter-state carriage permit was granted by the Delhi transport department. Now, we have come to know that the owner was a resident of Noida, but under the rules if a person is not a resident of Delhi then inter-state carriage transport permit cannot be given," said Justice Mehra.</p><p>"We have said that once a victim makes a statement under 164 CrPC to a magistrate then it should be treated as her examination chief, and to that extent the provision of Section 231 of the CrPC should be amended and this may be incorporated as it is done in the civil procedure code where the affidavit is treated as a examination chief," she added.</p><p>Justice Mehra Commission had been set up under Commissions of Inquiry Act, 1952 to enquire into various aspects of the shocking incident of rape and brutal assault of a 23 year-old student in Delhi and to identify the lapses, if any, on the part of the police or any other authority or person that contributed to the occurrence.</p><p>The Commission was also asked to suggest measures to improve the safety and security of women, particularly in Delhi and the national capital region. </p><p>The victim, a physiotherapy student, was brutally raped and assaulted in a moving bus on the night of December 16, 2012. She died of her injuries on December 29, 2012 in the multi-specialty Mount Elizabeth Hospital in Singapore. </p><p>Her male friend, who was accompanying her that day, was also assaulted by the accused and both of them were thrown out of the bus. (ANI)</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7331620699333633945.post-62237380129772853212013-02-23T10:52:00.001+05:302013-02-23T10:52:52.320+05:30Six journalists injured during Islamist protest in Chittagong<p>Chittagong (Bangladesh), Feb.22 (ANI): At least six journalists were injured after Juma prayers here on Friday.</p><p>According to a report filed by the web site bdnews24.com, the journalists were attacked by Islamists shouting ‘anti-Shahbagh’ slogans.</p><p>Friday’s incident is an off-shoot of the ongoing fundamentalist protests against the nearly three-week-long popular demonstrations in Dhaka’s Shahbagh Square.</p><p>The attack on the journalists reportedly took place at the Andarkilla intersection of the city soon after the afternoon prayers.</p><p>The journalists were covering the event, when they were assaulted.</p><p>Photographers of Jugantor and Inqilab, cameramen of Maasranga, ATN Bangla and ATN News, and the Correspondent of Banik Barta received injuries.</p><p>The Inqilab photographer was rushed to the Chittagong Medical College and Hospital for treatment.</p><p>The Islamist protest rally, however, continued within a police barricade after the incident, the web site reported. (ANI)</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7331620699333633945.post-5631577219734896712013-02-22T11:18:00.001+05:302013-02-22T11:18:20.881+05:30188 in fray in Nagaland Assembly elections<p>Kohima: Nagaland goes to the polls on Saturday to elect 60 members to the 12th Assembly from among 188 candidates with an 11.93 lakh electorate. </p><p>Prominent candidates whose fate will be decided are Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio from Northern Angami II, Speaker Kiyanilie Peseyie from Western Angami, Opposition Leader Tokheho Yepthomi from Dimapur III, Congress president SI Jamir from Dimapur II and former Home Minister Imkong L Imchen from Koridang. </p><p>There are 39 Independents and two women among the contestants. Of the two women nominees, Rakhila has been fielded by the BJP from Tuensang Sadar-II and Dr Yangerla, an Independent is contesting from Mokokchung Town. </p><p>The ruling Naga People's Front is the only party contesting all the 60 seats. </p><p>The opposition Congress is contesting 57 seats, followed by NCP in 15, BJP in 11, JD-U in three, RJD in two and the United Nagaland Democratic Party in one. </p><p>Of the 2023 polling stations, 821 have been identified as sensitive and 662 as hyper sensitive. </p><p>The NPF received a jolt ahead of the election when Home Minister Imkong L Imchen was arrested on February 18 for allegedly carrying over Rs 1 crore in cash, arms and ammunition and liquor in his vehicle. </p><p>In the outgoing 11th Nagaland Assembly, the ruling NPF had 35 members and the support of six Independents, while Congress had 18 members backed by an Independent. </p><p>Altogether 255 companies of central paramilitary forces have been deployed in the state for the elections. </p><p>Counting will be held on February 28. </p><p>PTI </p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7331620699333633945.post-34427248330465988112013-02-21T10:03:00.003+05:302013-02-21T10:03:46.057+05:30JD(U) hopeful of DAN retaining power in Nagaland<p>Kohima: Ruling Naga People's Front ally JD(U) on Wednesday expressed hope that the Democratic Alliance of Nagaland would retain power for the third consecutive term. </p><p>After fielding three candidates -- one each in Wokha, Tuensang and Longleng districts, JD(U) national general secretary Arun Kumar Srivastava said he is hopeful of winning at least two seats and become a part in the next government. </p><p>Polling for the 60-member Nagaland Assembly will take place on February 23.<br />Reacting to recent haul of cash with weapons, particularly from NPF candidates, by security forces in the state, Srivastava alleged that the opposition Congress is using the Centre to influence armed insurgents to intimidate voters for forcefully support Congress candidates. </p><p>In this connection, the JD(U) leader demanded stern action against the Congress and its candidates for breaking the model code of conduct. </p><p>On its part, Congress in Nagaland brought in Union Minister Sachin Pilot at the last moment to campaign for its candidates in Dimapur town this evening. </p><p>Talking to reporters in Dimapur, Pilot avoided questions on the Naga political problem. He, however, said the talks have been positive and it can be expedited further if Nagaland is ruled by a Congress government.<br />He expressed the hope that the party will be able to get a clear mandate so that it can provide overall development in Nagaland and peace in the Northeast region. </p><p>PTI </p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7331620699333633945.post-58559557595362594902013-02-21T10:03:00.001+05:302013-02-21T10:03:11.427+05:30Ex-Nagaland minister held with Rs 1.10 cr cash granted bail<p>Kohima: A court on Wednesday granted bail to former Nagaland home minister Imkong L Imchen who was arrested in Wokha district here for allegedly transporting Rs 1.10 crore in cash and arms and ammunition. </p><p>Imchen was produced before the Wokha district judicial magistrate who granted him bail on 'health ground'. Assam Rifles personnel while conducting searches on vehicles on Monday morning detained Imchen while he was on his way to his Assembly constituency Koridanga in Mokokchung district. </p><p>The Assam Rifles personnel handed him over to the district police who arrested Imchen for allegedly transporting Rs 1.10 crore in cash, arms and ammunition in his vehicle. </p><p>Meanwhile, official sources in the Chief Minister's Office here, has confirmed that the Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio yesterday accepted Imchen's resignation from the council of ministers. </p><p>Rio would now be holding additional charge of the Home portfolio till electioneering is over in the state, they said. After his arrest by the police Imchem had submitted his resignation to the Chief Minister. </p><p>PTI </p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7331620699333633945.post-81708504841260455152013-02-21T10:02:00.001+05:302013-02-21T10:02:38.944+05:30Rahul pledges to work for progressive Meghalaya<p>Mawkyrwat (Meghalaya): Seeking vote for Congress, party vice-president Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday pledged that he and his mother along with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh would work for a "progressive" Meghalaya under a Congress-ruled government. </p><p>"Congress president, the Prime Minister and I, will work to help Meghalaya. We will support Meghalaya and we will support your voice in Delhi. We will do everything we can to make this state progress faster," Rahul told a rally here, 80 km from state capital Shillong. </p><p>Lauding Chief Minister Mukul Sangma and the state government under the Congress rule, Rahul said, "You have your government in Delhi which wants to support the growth of Meghalaya. I want both these governments to work together to bring massive developments to the state." </p><p>Hinting that the state suffers from corruption in high places, Rahul reminded how his father had said that only 15 paisa reaches the last man in the country out of one rupee spent, and said, "We need to change so that our people can benefit." Praising the unique grassroots democracy practice by indigenous tribals in the state which gives the common man his voice, Rahul said, "The west talks about democracy and over here, you have had traditional democracy for hundreds and hundreds of years." </p><p>"What is democracy? Democracy is the voice of the people. It is the voice of every person regardless of who he is whether rich or poor, and this is what you have taught to the rest of the country," he said. </p><p>Stating that the vision of the Congress is also in similar lines with the true democracy of the tribal people in Meghalaya, Rahul said, "I want to thank you for giving this gift to the country. And we for the last couple of years have been running a government in the country which also tries to listen to the voice of the people before taking decisions." </p><p>Assuring that all groups and tribes would be taken into consideration for development in the state, Rahul said, "When we want to talk about development in Meghalaya, we want to say that every single tribe, every single group has to move together forward." </p><p>According to him, the Congress believes that it is everybody's right to have access to development regardless from where they are from or who they are. </p><p>Stating that the decisions on MGNREGA, RTI, or Right to Food, all are the result of listening to the voice of the people, Rahul said, "We do this because we understand that every single person's voice is important." In Williamnagar and Nongpoh, Rahul urged the youths in the state to join his party allowing the Congress to build a better Meghalaya. </p><p>His appeal to youths was clearly a part of coordinated Congress strategy to woo all sections of the society in the battle of ballots. </p><p>Appreciating the youths of the state who are working in every nook and corner of the country today, Rahul said, "When I see the youths of the region working in Delhi and Bangalore, I feel nice. They are working there because they are capable and can compete with the best." </p><p>Urging the youths to join the party, he said, "I want you to enter into the political system." </p><p>"If we really want to change politics, then we have to bring youngsters into the political system. Youngsters who are sensitive to the views of the common man, youngsters who feel the pain of the poor person, youngsters who suffer when they see a bad road, youngsters who suffer when they see that their people do not have the medical facility they need," he said. </p><p>During their campaign meetings, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had highlighted the economic gains made by state during the past five years, while Congress president Sonia Gandhi touched on emotive local issues like illegal mining and illegal immigration at Jowai yesterday. </p><p>Rahul said even though Congress has capable leaders, it needs to produce next generation of leaders from different states to take the country forward. </p><p>"Meghalaya may be small in size compared to Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, but it is an important state. We cannot ignore any state. Every state is important, every culture is important for the India to grow," he said. </p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7331620699333633945.post-9875164828661776392013-02-21T10:01:00.001+05:302013-02-21T10:01:42.247+05:30Cash flow in Nagaland: EC writes to BCAS, FIU<p>New Delhi: Worried over the recent spate of huge cash seizures in poll-bound Nagaland, Election Commission today asked Bureau of Civil Aviation and FIU to conduct detailed inquiries and report to it immediately. </p><p>The state goes to polls on February 23 and two big cash seizures-- one involving state home minister where more than Rs one crore was seized and the other where a Nagaland Peoples Front (NPF) candidate was held for carrying Rs one crore in a helicopter recently-- have prompted the EC to shoot off letters to both the central departments. </p><p>The EC, according to sources, is particularly wary of instances of cash being secretly flown in helicopters, reportedly without the permission of the District Election Officer (DEO) and the Air Traffic Control. </p><p>The EC, in its letter issued to the BCAS today, has asked the department to conduct an inquiry in this regard. Instances have been reported where pilots of privately hired choppers carry political candidates and they do not land but keep the helicopters six inches above the ground thereby stating that they are not landing and only flying sorties. </p><p>Local poll officials have complained to the EC in this regard as the helicopter operators allegedly are not informing them about the scheduled sorties. </p><p>These choppers and such activities are suspected to be in aid of ferrying illegal cash and the BCAS needs to intervene and report the facts to the EC, the Commission said in its letter. </p><p>These choppers are also ferrying political candidates to far-flung villages in the remote state in order to evade the EC surveillance teams. </p><p>In order to curb these, the EC asked the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) under the Finance Ministry to investigate and submit a suspicious transaction report on the operations of all banks of the state.</p><p>The EC suspects that banks are allowing huge cash withdrawals, above Rs 1 lakh, which is being illegally pumped to be used at the hustings. </p><p>The EC, sources said, has taken cognisance of media reports that more than Rs 300 crore has been withdrawn from some banks in the last one week in the state.The FIU has been asked to submit a report on the transactions of all the banks-- both public and private-- during the last one month. </p><p>Another Rs 20 lakh has been seized by the authorities since yesterday in the state, they said. </p><p>Nagaland has a 60-member Assembly. </p><p>PTI </p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7331620699333633945.post-64064265790906427292013-02-21T10:00:00.005+05:302013-02-21T10:00:58.463+05:30Congress hopes all parties will cooperate for smooth functioning of Parliament<p>New Delhi, Feb. 20 (ANI): A day before the commencement of the Budget Session of Parliament, the Congress party on Wednesday expressed the hope that all the political parties will cooperate for smooth proceeding of the session, saying some very critical Bills needed to be cleared.</p><p>"It is a very important session and some very critical Bills are coming up, we hope that we will get cooperation from all the parties," said Congress spokesperson Sandeep Dikshit, while addressing a press conference here.</p><p>Asked about the BJP demand of an apology from Union Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde over his ''Hindu terror'' remark and withdrawal of the controversial comment, Dikshit said that the former has as well as the Congress has given clarification on the statement and there is no need of apology.</p><p>The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has threatened to stall the proceedings over Shinde''s statement, alleging the BJP and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) of holding terror-training camps and promoting "Hindu terrorism" in the country.</p><p>Earlier in the day after the all-party meeting called by Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar, leader of opposition in Lok Sabha, Sushma Swaraj said the BJP too wants the house to function properly, but it will be possible only after withdrawal of the remark and an apology from the Home Minister.</p><p>Shinde had made the controversial remark on the final day of the Congress Party''s Chintan Shivir in Jaipur. (ANI)</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0