Ranchi: BJP on Monday withdrew its support to the nearly five-month-old JMM-led government in Jharkhand reducing it to a minority, following which Chief Minister Shibu Soren was asked by the Governor to prove his majority on the floor of the Assembly by May 31.
With 14 MLAs, Congress saw a possible role in the formation of a stable government. "We are watching the developments. We are putting our minds together to save Jharkhand from collapse," Congress in-charge for the state K Keshav Rao told reporters in New Delhi.
In Ranchi, Congress spokesman Radhakrishna Kishore said, "If secular parties, including the JMM, send any proposal for formation of a secular dispensation, the party will look into it and place it before the Central leadership."
In the 82-member assembly, the Soren government now has support of 25 MLAs, including 18 of its own, five of the AJSU and two others. The BJP has 18 members. The JD(U), which has 2 MLAs, also decided to follow suit and withdraw support to the government.
JMM legislative party leader and Soren's son Hemant said the Governor had acceded to the chief minister's request to give him seven-days time to prove his majority in the assembly.
Soren took oath as chief minister on December 30 last year with the support of the BJP, AJSU and others.
Raja has done no wrong: PM
NEW DELHI: Assuring that corruption would be dealt with at any level, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Monday said auction of airwaves to telecom firms was above board and gave a clean chit to Communications Minister A. Raja, pending conclusion of a probe.
"What he (Raja) did was implement a policy that was already in place," the prime minister told a press conference here, referring to the process followed for auction of spectrum for second-generation (2G) telecom services at prices prevailing in 2001.
"It would have been unfair to new entrants if a new yardstick was used."
The question was raised in the wake of charges that precious airwaves for 2G were sold to telecom firms at throwaway prices, resulting in losses worth billions of dollars, seen in the light of $15 billion the government will get from 3G spectrum auction.
Both the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) have called for Raja's resignation, calling 2G auction a 15-billion scam.
"If the minister refuses to resign, the prime minister should sack him," the BJP said.
But the Prime Minister said no policy was flouted.
"You have to look at it in proper perspective," he said, adding both the watchdogs, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) and the Telecom Commission, had approved the policy on 2G auctions.
He said since complaints were received and the matter was being probed by the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), it would be improper to comment any further.
"Our government has been very clear right from the beginning that corruption is a problem. If I come to know that there is any involvement at any level, we will take action," Manmohan Singh said.
This was the first formal press meet to mark the completion of one year of his second term as prime minister of the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government.
Equipped to handle operations and fleet maintenance: Air India
BANGALORE: In the wake of crash of one of its flights from Dubai at Mangalore, Air India on Monday rejected
reports that operational and engineering infrastructure of its budget carrier was inadequate and did not meet required norms.
The airline said it was well equipped to handle operations and fleet maintenance to established standards. Apart from independent administrative and technical staff, Air India Express has fully trained and qualified pilots and engineers to run operations, the airline said in a release.
On the Air India express flight which claimed 158 lives, the airline said "regrettably, in certain sections, this
accident is being used to malign functioning of Air India Express".
The track record of Air India Express has been outstanding with its technical dispatch reliability being above 99.5 per cent. Manufacturers of the fleet - Boeing have also been very appreciative of Air India Express on this aspect, the release said.
Meanwhile, India said that it has decided to release an immediate interim payment of Rs 10-lakh to the family members of each victim of the Mangalore aircrash. Besides, the family members of victims below 12-years of
age would be provided Rs five-lakh as interim compensation, the airline said.
"To provide immediate relief to the family members of the deceased and injured passengers, Air India Charters has
decided to release an interim payment of Rs 10-lakh. For passengers below the age of 12, it has been decided to provide a relief of Rs five-lakh," Air India spokesperson Harpreet Singh De told reporters here.
Air India will pay an interim compensation of Rs two-lakh to the family of each injured passenger, she said.
The bodies of 122 passengers who died in the Mangalore plane crash have been handed over to their family members and
relatives, she said, adding 22 bodies are yet to be identified.
M’lore crash: AI fights off inefficiency accusations
Mumbai: Air India on Monday said its subsidiary Air India Express' flight operations were in conformity with regulatory requirements and all its pilots and engineering staff are fully-qualified and trained to run operations in tune with international procedures.
"We wish to reiterate that Air India Express meets all regulatory requirements and has been always well-equipped to handle the operations and maintenance of its fleet to established standards," an Air India statement said.
The statement was issued after a section of the media reported that the commander of the Air India Express IX-812, which crashed in Mangalore last Saturday, had allegedly not followed the DGCA-laid down procedures for landing.
"Apart from independent administrative and technical staff, Air India Express has fully-trained and qualified pilots and engineers to run their operations," it said.
Moreover, Air India Express, being a part of the National Aviation Company of India Limited (NACIL) group, is fully supported by Air India in terms of infrastructure and services, the airline said.
It also said that Air India Express is an airline with an independent Air Operator Permit, owned and operated by a subsidiary of NACIL.
"The airline's operations are, therefore, independently audited by Regulatory Agencies and the audits have been cleared regularly from inception to the satisfaction of the Regulatory Agencies," the national carrier said.
Air India Express' track record has been outstanding with its technical dispatch reliability being above 99.5 per cent, the statement said, adding Boeing, the manufacturers of the fleet, has also been very appreciative on this aspect.
"Air India Express has always been a world class international low cost carrier ever since its inception," it added.
BJP withdraws support to Shibu Govt; Cong may prop it up
After dilly-dallying for nearly a month, the BJP on Monday withdrew support to the Shibu Soren Government in Jharkhand reducing it to a minority.
In the wake of the announcement, Congress indicated its willingness to prop up the government, if asked.
Deputy Chief Minister and BJP leader Raghuvar Das handed over the letter withdrawing support to the Soren government to Governor M O H Farooq.
"I have handed over the letter, which contains the signature of all 18 BJP MLAs, withdrawing support," Das told reporters at the Raj Bhavan.
The Governor said he will "study it."
Frustrated over JMM backtracking on its power-sharing agreement in Jharkhand, the BJP had decided on Sunday to withdraw support after a defiant Soren asserted that he would continue as the chief minister and was in touch with Congress.
The BJP parliamentary board had on April 28 decided to withdraw support to the JMM government after Soren voted against the party-sponsored cut motion against the UPA Government in Lok Sabha a day earlier.
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However, the decision was put on hold when JMM Legislature party leader and Soren's son Hemant wrote a letter to BJP chief Nitin Gadkari pledging support to a BJP-led government.
But, the JMM backtracked and demanded rotational power sharing with each party leading the government for 28 months.
This was agreed to by BJP on the understanding that Soren will quit as Chief Minister by May 25 after which Munda will head the new coalition government.
As the deadline for his stepping down approached, Soren made it clear on Friday that there was not going to quit.
"The question of a change of government comes if there is no development. But now development is going on," he had told reporters.
The Chief Minister had on Saturday went a step further saying he was weighing all options, including cutting a deal with the Congress to continue in power.
The Soren government now has 27 MLAs, including 18 of its own, five of the AJSU, two of JD(U) and two others in support in the 81-member House.
Das also claimed the JDU, which has two MLAs, supported BJP's decision to withdraw support as it was a part of the NDA.
The BJP, he said, took the extreme step because of the alliance partner JMM's varying statements.
Asked whether the BJP would prefer President's Rule, Das said it depended upon Raj Bhavan.
"I don't deny any possibility, but we would like a strong and stable government," he said.
BJP's National General Secretary, Arjun Munda, who was present at Raj Bhavan, refused to comment when asked why his deal with Soren failed.
To a question, he said, "The Congress is creating a vicious political atmosphere in the state ... the Raj Bhavan should keep democratic values in mind before taking any step."
Three ministers from the BJP, Baijnath Ram, Barkuanr Gagrai and Nilkant Singh Munda were also present when Das handed over the letter to the governor.
Business News
Ambani brothers make investors richer by Rs 18,000 crore
MUMBAI: Investors of the Ambani brothers group companies grew wealthier by a cumulative Rs 18,000 crore in a single day on Monday, driven by the massive spurt in the stocks of RIL and ADA Group companies following their decision to smoke the peace pipe by terminating all the non-compete agreements effected in January 2006.
The market capitalisation of Reliance Industries, the country's most valued firm, soared by Rs 8,405 crore to Rs 3,34,060 crore at the end of the trade today up from Rs 3,25,655 crore on Friday.
Shares of RIL surged 2.58% to settle at Rs 1,021.45 on the Bombay Stock Exchange. During the trade the stock jumped 5.34% to touch an intra-day high of Rs 1,049.
Meanwhile, the shares of ADA Group companies made their investors richer by Rs 9,552.09 crore with their combined m-cap soaring to Rs 1,18,525.98 crore today.
RNRL's market valuation rose by Rs 1,641.29 crore to Rs 8,908.72 crore, with the scrip surging as much as 22.58% on the BSE.
The market valuation of other ADAG stocks also saw considerable growth today with RCom and Reliance Power adding the most. M-cap of RCom rose by Rs 2,992.75 crore to Rs 30,526.86 crore, while RelPower saw a growth of Rs 2,612.51 crore with its m-cap settling at Rs 35,844.14 crore.
In a surprise move yesterday, the Ambani brothers decided to bury their differences by terminating the 'non-compete clause' from their July 2005 family MoU -- which bifurcated the Reliance empire between the brothers --to create an environment of harmony, co-operation and collaboration between their groups, saying this would eliminate any room for further disputes.
PETA set to launch stock market punch on corporates
Des Moines: An animal rights group known for provocative protests is trying a more staid tactic to influence companies: buying stock.
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals now owns a piece of at least 80 companies, including McDonald's and Kraft Foods.
PETA is known for such stunts as having its members strip to protest the fur industry.
Senior PETA campaigner Ashley Byrne says buying stock gives PETA a new forum to present its ideas. She also says it's paying off.
Byrne says companies such as the Safeway grocery store chain and Ruby Tuesday restaurants have agreed to buy products from companies that practice more humane slaughter methods or supply cage-free eggs and pork.
ICICI Bank eyes No.1 Indian bank position
Mumbai: ICICI Bank, which will see its presence in western India grow with the acquisition of Bank of Rajasthan, has said no to foreign takeovers as it wants to focus on becoming India's top bank in terms of profitability and productivity.
Asked if the latest deal would help her achieve the dream of putting ICICI ahead of number one State Bank of India, she said, "The number one position could be in many ways like productivity, efficiency and profitability.
"We are the number one in many of these parameters.
Clearly, profits will be a key area to our operations," she said, adding that Bank of Rajasthan would help ICICI Bank not only in terms of branch expansion by 25 per cent but also greater visibility in western and northern parts of the country.
ICICI Bank's Board approved takeover of Bank of Rajasthan, which has a branch network of 463, through an all-share deal that values the Udaipur-based bank at a little over Rs 3,000 crore.
Normally it takes 3-4 years in terms of branch expansion of this size and Bank of Rajasthan has given the ICICI Bank the surge, she said. "It is a strategic move for us. The amalgamation gives wide network and reach in northern and western India. There, our network was smaller compared to states say in the south."
Asked if it was the best movement in her 25-year-long career and as the head of India's largest private sector bank, whose reins she took over last year from her mentor K V Kamath, she said, "Yes, it certainly is one of the high points of my career."
On whether ICICI has once again adopted the aggressive approach in expanding through acquisition, she said, "I would like to distinguish between the terms aggression and growth.
Of course, we are a growth-oriented bank and that does not mean that we need to be aggressive. A sound sustainable, profitable growth is what we are looking at."
Sports News
New Delhi: WADA director general David Howman says the International Cricket Council should address India's concerns about the anti-doping agency's whereabouts rule.
Howman, who is in India to attend the seventh Asia-Oceania intergovernmental meeting on anti-doping in sports, says "we know some people are scared (about the clause)."
The controversial whereabouts rule requires elite athletes to make themselves available for out-of-competition testing for one hour a day, 365 days a year.
The International Cricket Council understands the importance of World Anti-Doping Agency's "whereabout clause" and it is their duty to address BCCI's concerns, WADA Director General David Howman said here on Monday.
In the city to attend the seventh Asia/Oceanic Region Intergovernmental meeting on anti-doping in sports, Howman said he had a discussion with the ICC officials during the recent Twenty20 World Cup in the West Indies on the contentious clause and WADA would meet them again to sort out the issue.
"Last weekend during the T20 World Cup, I discussed the issue with ICC officials in Barbados and made them understand the importance of the clause. The discussion was very good and I listened into their concerns," Howman said.
"ICC has made a good progress on the issue. We have made a good progress on the issue. We know some people are scared (about clause). But one needs to understand that it's the international federation (ICC) who ultimately has to look into and address the concerns of the national federations (BCCI and others)," he said.
The controversial clause requires the cricketers in the common testing pool to furnish details of their whereabouts three months in advance to the anti-doping authorities.
Indian players had rejected the clause, saying it's a violation of their fundamental right to privacy and poses a security threat as well and the BCCI had supported their stand.
The ICC had last October decided to "suspend" the clause until the concerns of the Indian players were sorted out.
Howman said 'whereabout' is relatively a new term for the cricketing world and WADA, in its given capacity, will try and bring more light on this issue.
"World over international and national federations are in total compliance with whereabout clause. 13,000 athletes are part of this clause. We have time to time reviewed this clause and will continue to do so. There is no need to fear.
"Cricket is new to this term and we will bring more light on this issue," Howman added.
Lanka defeat NZ in second US T20 clash
Fort Lauderdale (Florida): Sri Lanka beat New Zealand by seven wickets in the second of two Twenty20 matches, part of international cricket's historic attempt to break into the US market.
Sri Lanka triumphed in the low-scoring affair with more than four overs to spare to earn a 1-1 draw in the series on Sunday.
Nuwan Kulasekara tore through New Zealand's top order, taking three wickets in the second over as he removed openers Brendon McCullum and Aaron Redmond along with Rob Nicol.
New Zealand were an embarrassing 13-5 at one stage.
Daniel Vettori and Nathan McCullum were the only New Zealanders to reach double figures, but the 81 runs amassed by New Zealand was no challenge for Sri Lanka even on the slow, lifeless pitch.
Vettori's 27 gave New Zealand a glimmer of hope, and Nathan McCullum's 36 took their total to 81 before they were bowled out in the 18th over.
Mahela Jayawardene got Sri Lanka going with a 12-ball 17.
Thissara Parera added 24 and Tillakaratne Dilshan overcame his struggles to find his timing for an unbeaten 33.
Sri Lanka had lost Saturday's opening game of the series, which marked the first cricket games on US soil between two ICC full members.
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