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Winning allies locked in battle
for Maharashtra CM's post

What is India News Service, Monday, 18 October 2004, 2000 hrs IST


Attempts to break the deadlock over the issue of Chief Ministership of Maharashtra gained momentum on Sunday evening with two senior leaders of Congress and NCP holding parleys with each other.

Congress leader Ahmed Patel and NCP leader Praful Patel met each other to discuss the nitty-gritty of evaluating their respective strength, including those of their allies and independents.

After this exercise, Ahmed Patel briefed Congress President Sonia Gandhi of the outcome while Praful Patel met NCP supremo Sharad Pawar.

Centre reconstitutes states committee: The Centre has reconstituted the standing committee of the Inter-State Council with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh nominating Karnataka Chief Minister Dharam Singh as member in place of former Kerala Chief Minister A K Antony.

Laloo was paid Rs 55-60 cr, alleges fodder scam accused: Accused-turned-CBI approver, Dipesh Chandak, has alleged before a CBI court that the RJD president Laloo Prasad Yadav was paid Rs 55-60 crore from the Bihar Government treasuries during the early 1990s.

Gujral \91humiliated\92 at Wagah:  Former Prime Minister I. K. Gujral, accompanied by Kuldip Nayyar, former MP and veteran journalist, today faced \93humiliation\94 at the hands of the staff posted at the Wagah joint check post on their return from Pakistan this afternoon. They were on a two-day visit to Lahore for a meeting of South Asia for Human Rights

INTACH proposes defence varsity at Kapurthala: The Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) has put a proposal before the Ministry of Defence for shifting Sainik School from Jagatjit Palace in Kapurthala and establishing a national defence university there. Jagatjit Palace is under the purview of the Ministry of Defence.

Badal cries foul, lashes out at EC: Upset over the shattering defeat in both Kapurthala and Garhshankar, the Shiromani Akali Dal chief and Leader of Opposition, Mr Parkash Singh Badal, blamed the Election Commission of India as well as the Punjab Government for \93brazen contempt of democratic norms\94 in the byelections.

Narrow escape for Rajdhani passengers: The Howrah-New Delhi Rajdhani Express had a narrow escape last night when a bomb, carried by a naxalite to be planted on the track on the Gaya-Mughalsarai section, exploded minutes before the train passed.
 
States

Strengthened by poll results, Punjab CM meets Pranab: Enthused by the Congress\92 victory on two Assembly seats in the byelections, the Punjab Chief Minister, Capt Amarinder Singh, today met the Defence Minister and in charge of the Congress for Punjab, Mr Pranab Mukherjee, as part of an exercise to improve his rapport with the party high command.

Seminar focuses on Indian medicine potential: India with its abundant and well-diversified herbal resources can emerge as a world leader in the supply of traditional medicines by focussing on research and development, quality control and standardisation of the manufacturing process.

Cong hobnobs with BJP, Mulayam tells Left: Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav today drew the attention of the Left parties to the manner in which the Congress in the state had joined hands with the BJP and the BSP to stall the election process in his pocket borough \97 Mainpuri.

Haryana to host World Punjabi Conference: The three-day World Punjabi Conference will be held in Haryana, where more than 300 delegates from Pakistan are expected to attend, said the Chairman of the conference and noted Pakistani writer Fakhar Zaman.

Rift in TMC comes out in the open: The infighting in the Trinamool Congress (TMC) has now come out in the \91street\92 following a direct confrontation between the party supremo, Ms Mamata Banerjee and the city Mayor, Mr Subrata Mukherjee, her nominee in the Kolkata Municipal Corporation.