Indian News Briefly | DesPardes.com

DEC 3: Former external affairs minister Natwar Singh met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, fuelling speculation about his resignation.

Singh, who was accused by his close aide and India's Ambassador to Croatia Anil Mathrani of receiving oil allotment from Saddam's regime for his "personal services", drove to the Prime Minister's official residence for a meeting that lasted about 40 minutes.

Though there was no official word on what transpired at the meeting, sources said he is not resigning, according to media reports.

Earlier, putting up a brave front, Natwar Singh told reporters on the margins of a function in New Delhi that he would "face" the "struggle".

"There is a struggle, we will face it," he said when asked whether he found himself in a situation of "struggle" like Mangal Pandey, the hero of India's first independence struggle of 1857, because of the latest developments.

Singh refused to make any further comments, including whether he would send a legal notice to Mathrani for comments attributed to him by a news magazine alleging that he had received oil vouchers for himself and his Congress party.

Related stories:

Foreign aide sinks Natwar

Advani asks Sonia, to quit post

"Natwar did get oil vouchers"

Natwar Singh's Barrel Sinks

New Delhi, Dec. 2: India�s ambassador to Croatia Anil Mathrani, a member of the Congress Party and a close associate of Union minister K. Natwar Singh, rocked Parliament and the government on Friday by maintaining that the �green signal for the (oil) vouchers� was given during Mr Natwar Singh�s visit to Iraq in January 2001. He said that �one was given to him (Natwar Singh) by name� for his �personal services� and the other �the Iraqis kept for the friendly Congress Party.�

The revelations made in an interview to India Today brought Parliament to a standstill on Friday and forced a quick statement from Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in both Houses, in which he said that �the Enforcement Directorate will take cognizance� of Mr Maharani's statements and �no one who is guilty will go unpunished.� The Opposition stepped up the pressure, with Mr L.K. Advani demanding Congress president Sonia Gandhi�s resignation as chairperson of the National Advisory Council. BJP leader Arun Jaitley went to the extent of calling for Mr Natwar Singh�s immediate arrest.

While news television channels played clips from the taped interview through the day, Mrs Sonia Gandhi and Mr Natwar Singh both stayed away from Parliament on Friday. Both Houses were finally adjourned for the day after several interruptions as the Opposition demanded immediate action following Mr Mathrani�s interview to India Today. �The Iraqis needed a green signal (for oil allocations) and it was provided by Natwar. He organized the delegation and introduced the ones who would execute whatever was given,� he said.

Mr Mathrani said Mr Jagat Singh and Mr Andaleeb Sehgal had accompanied the official Congress delegation and at the discussions with the Iraqi leaders �the members increased from four to six.� Mr Mathrani said that after the meetings �they would disappear. Nobody knew what they were doing, They kept to themselves � Natwar, Jagat and Sehgal... By this time it was becoming quite clear that they were looking for trade.�

Late on Friday evening, in a telephonic interview to NDTV, Mr Mathrani denied having given any interview to India Today and said his �off-the-record� comments had been �totally distorted.� He told NDTV: �I gave no interview to India Today. It was an off-the-record conversation and it is completely unethical to have clandestinely recorded an off-the-record conversation and publish it. This is a complete breach of privacy.�

Jagat Singh - Natwar's son

He �vehemently� and �unequivocally� denied ever saying that �oil vouchers were allotted to the Congress Party or Mr Natwar Singh when he led a delegation to Iraq in January 2001. �This is a complete distortion of facts and total falsehood and fabrication.� �The magazine has reported and presented my off-the-record conversation totally out of context. It has completely misrepresented my comments in the off-the-record conversation and totally distorted it,� he said.

Former Maharashtra chief minister A.R. Antulay, who was also a member of the delegation, was unwilling to talk on this visit when contacted by this newspaper. He, however, did say that the only official meeting that was organized by Mr Natwar Singh was with Mr Tariq Aziz. �I asked him if there was any other program, and he said if there was he would let me know. Since this did not happen I spent the time visiting religious places in Iraq,� Mr Antulay said. He said he had no idea what Mr Natwar Singh, the head of the delegation, did during that time, and was unwilling to confirm, or for that matter deny, the presence of Mr Jagat Singh and Mr Sehgal in Baghdad.

The government has come under enormous pressure to remove Mr Natwar Singh from the Cabinet. He has reportedly been directed to remain silent and not give any interviews to the media. He remained at his residence for the better part of the day, and only issued a brief statement to deny the �outrageous allegations against the Congress Party and myself.�

THUS SPOKE ANIL

That Natwar and the Congress never knew about the deals is hogwash. Of course Natwar knew

The green signal for the vouchers was given during this (2001) visit

I remember seeing Saidi... Yes, he had something to do with it. Hundred per cent

EVENING SOMERSAULT

Anil Mathrani said on Friday: I gave no interview to India Today... The magazine has reported and presented my off-the-record conversation totally out of context. It has completely misrepresented my comments in the off-the-record conversation and totally distorted it. It is completely unethical to have clandestinely recorded an off-the-record conversation and to publish it. This is a complete breach of privacy. I vehemently deny ever saying that oil vouchers were allotted to the Congress Party delegation led by Shri Natwar Singh... I also completely and unequivocally deny that I said oil vouchers were allotted to Shri Natwar Singh during the delegation�s visit to Iraq as reported in the story. (Deccan Chronicle/PTI)

Advani asks Sonia to quit post

Dec. 3: Former BJP Deputy Prime Minister and now Leader of the Opposition L.K. Advani has demanded the resignation of Congress president Sonia Gandhi as chairperson of the National Advisory Board.

Mrs Sonia Gandhi was dragged into the Volcker controversy proceedings in the Lok Sabha following an interview given by India�s ambassador to Croatia Aneil Matherani, who was a member of the Congress goodwill delegation to Iraq in 2001. According to Matherani, it was an "off the record" interview to India Today, and should not have been made public, he said.

Mr Natwar Singh, in fact, was the first to disclose, at a time when he was vehemently denying the findings of the Volcker report, that he had visited Iraq with a �letter from Mrs Sonia Gandhi� addressed to former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, says Deccan Chronicle.

He also painted himself as a staunch Sonia Gandhi loyalist following the charges, adding that he had been a minister in the Union government only twice, once at the instance of Rajiv Gandhi and now under Mrs Sonia Gandhi. �I have the complete support of the Prime Minister and Mrs Sonia Gandhi,� he had declared, maintaining at the same time that he would defend the Congress Party, which had also been named as a recipient of oil vouchers in the Volcker report, and would not allow it to be so blamed, says the newspaper.

Advani

Pointing out that Mrs Sonia Gandhi had distanced herself from her loyal minister at a public function in New Delhi where she said she was �very angry and hurt� that �someone misused� the name of the Congress if the Volcker documents were authentic, she also denied a personal relationship with Mr Natwar Singh by saying that the two �had a close working relationship.� She also assured the audience at the Hindustan Times Leadership Summit that she would not protect �anyone indulging in such activities.�

Mr Matherani, in his interview, has now taken the story further by pointing out that Mr Natwar Singh had consulted Mrs Sonia Gandhi at virtually every level, and had introduced her to top Iraqi leaders visiting New Delhi at the time, the news report says.

"Mr Matherani pointed out that Mrs Sonia Gandhi, along with Mr Natwar Singh, had met former Iraqi vice-president Taha Ramadan on November 27, 2000. He said that after this Mr Natwar Singh had said that he had met the Iraqi oil minister in Delhi as well. After this he was given an invitation letter signed by then Iraqi deputy prime minister Tariq Aziz, and that he accepted this �because when Sonia Gandhi met Ramadan during his India trip, an invitation to visit Iraq was extended to the Congress president and the Congress delegation.�

Mr Matherani has been quoted having said that Mrs Sonia Gandhi had approved acceptance of the invitation and a four-member delegation to visit Iraq on a goodwill mission. He said the Congress Party had paid for the tickets for the delegation and the gifts. �A letter was drafted on behalf of the Congress president by Natwar Singh for Saddam Hussein,� he said. The envoy, who was very close to Mr Natwar Singh at the time, went on to say that no one could suspect Mr Natwar Singh as �people were afraid of him and respected him because of his proximity to Sonia Gandhi.�

Mr Matherani, in the interview to India Today, has laid some stress on the close relations between Mr Natwar Singh and the Congress president. The envoy also recalled that Mr Natwar Singh had introduced arms dealer Vipin Khanna to Mrs Sonia Gandhi as well, whose son�s name has figured in the ongoing investigations into the Volcker deal. Interestingly, Mr Matherani has said that �the fact that the Congress name has figured was known to them� as far back as October 2004. �That Natwar and the Congress never knew is hogwash,� he said.

Related stories:

"Natwar did get oil vouchers"

Envoy secures UN docs on Natwar Singh

Congress lawyers knock at Annan door

Natwar without portfolio now

Natwar 'in the dock'

�Petro bribe� scandal in focus

India successfully tests surface-to-air missile
BHUBANESHWAR, Dec 3 (AFP) India on Saturday successfully tested a domestically developed surface-to-air missile at a coastal range in the eastern state of Orissa, a defence official said.

The 700-kilogramme (1,540 pound) Akash, which can track 100 targets simultaneously with onboard radar, can move at a speed of 600 meters (yards) a second and deliver a 55-kilogram warhead across 27 kilometers in 50 seconds. It was the fourth test of the Akash missile this year .

Related story:

India successfully test-fires BrahMos

No play still in India-Sri Lanka Test
CHENNAI, Dec 3 (AFP) - Incessant rain and thunder showers wiped out the morning session of the second day's play in the first cricket Test between India and Sri Lanka on Saturday.

With the outfield waterlogged and little chance of the sun breaking through to dry the ground, there was unlikely to be any play on the second day after the first day was washed out.

"Natwar did get oil vouchers, " uproar in Parliament
DEC 2: A statement by India's Ambassador to Croatia Anil Mathrani, that Natwar Singh had been given oil vouchers by Saddam Hussien's regime in Iraq for his "personal services", a claim caused an uproar in Parliament today.

Mathrani, a former Secretary of the Congress Foreign Affairs Cell who accompanied Natwar to Baghdad as part of a party delegation in January 2001, said the two oil voucher allotees --Singh and the Congress party-- whose names figured in the Volcker report were "exactly the same". "One has been given to him (Natwar) by name and the other is in the name of the Congress party," he said in a telephonic interview to India Today.

Asked if the vouchers did not go to the Congress but to Natwar, Mathrani was quoted as having said "naturally...In my view both are exactly the same."

Denying the "outrageous allegations", Natwar said "My conscience is clear. I am ready to face any inquiry, which is time-bound, so that my name is cleared at the earliest. "...Mr Aniel Mathrani's outrageous allegations against the Congress party and myself...are totally false and malicious. I shall consult my lawyer for further action," he said.

Qatar Airways increase flights to India

DEC 1: Qatar Airways will increase the number of flights to India by 50 per cent, offering more services to major destinations in the country such as Mumbai, New Delhi, Hyderabad, Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram. During this period, the airline will offer two daily flights between Doha and Mumbai, 10 weekly flights between Doha and New Delhi, seven weekly flights to Hyderabad and Cochin and higher seat capacity on the Doha-Trivandrum route. All these flights will be non-stop to and from Doha.

The extra capacity to Mumbai is applicable until the end of the winter season on March 25. The additional flights to Hyderabad and Cochin would remain operational until January 31 and Trivandrum until March 25.

India successfully test-fires BrahMos

BHUBANESWAR, Nov 30 - India on Wednesday successfully test-fired an army version of its supersonic BrahMos cruise missile that was jointly developed with Russia.

The missile was tested from India's Chandipur-on-sea site, 200 kilometers northeast of Bhubaneswar.

The missile has a range of 290 kilometers and can carry a 300-kilogram (660 pounds) conventional warhead and can be launched from land, ships, submarines and aircraft.

The eight-meter (26-foot) missile weighs about three metric tons.

Indo-Pak peace march in Dec

JAIPUR � The Indo-Pak peace activists plan to take out a peace march along the Rajasthan-Sindh border in December.

Speaking to newsmen in Jaipur on Monday, India filmmaker Tapan Bose and Pakistani journalist Shahid Faiz of the Indo-Pak People's Forum for Peace and Democracy, said a peace march would be taken out from Jodhpur on December 17 and would end in Munabao on December 23, culminating into a peace fair to be held at the zero line on the Rajasthan-Sindh border.

Faiz said that a similar peace march from Hyderabad (Sindh) would also reach Munabao on the Pakistani side of the border on the same day.

Faiz said these peace marches were taken out to put pressure on both Indian and Pakistani governments to open Rajasthan-Sindh border at more points.

Bose said during the peace march they would stop at various villages to hold cultural programs and debates to foster better Indo-Pak relations.

Faiz said opening of the Rajasthan-Sindh border would not only help in developing close ties between the people of the two countries but also help generate more employment opportunities for the people of both sides.

Another peace activist Munawar Rahi said a peace park would be developed in the border district of Barmer.

He informed that the Ramsar village body has allotted land for the proposed 'Bageecha-e-Aman' (Garden of Peace). (Source: Khaleej Times)

Temple receives body parts from devotees
A Temple

NOV 30 � A Kali temple near small town in UP, about 100km from north of Lucknow, is in the news as devotees offer parts of their bodies to please the female deity, reports PTI.

"As many as eight people have so far offered their tongues at the temple since I assumed the role of its caretaker," the temple priest Siyaram Mali told PTI.

People from remote corners of Uttar Pradesh as well as neighboring Madhya Pradesh flock here to witness what he termed as a "religious ceremony".

Mali had all the details about the devotees, who had offered their tongues at the temple and displayed the list on being asked.

It included one Rajesh Singh, a carpenter by profession from Datia in Madhya Pradesh and also Ram Prakash, Pappu, Suman Gupta and Sushil, all of whom hailed from Maholia Sivpar village, where the temple is located.

Besides the list also had names of persons who belonged to Hardoi town, Mali said.

Claiming that the devotees performed the act without any coercion, the priest said it was just to please the deity.

Mali said the doors of the temple are closed by the priests whenever a devotee offers his tongue at the "feet of the Kali".

"A piece of red cloth is tied around the walls of the temple and the kith and kin of the devotee offering his tongue are not allowed to meet him," he said. If one were to believe the devotees and the priest, the deity herself appears before them within 24 hours of such an offering.

'Pawar-play' ends Dalmiya's reign in Indian cricket

KOLKATA, India, Nov 29 - Political heavyweight Sharad Pawar wrested control of India's cricket board on Tuesday, ending Jagmohan Dalmiya's more than 25-year stranglehold on the country's richest sporting body.

Federal agriculture minister Pawar defeated Dalmiya's incumbent nominee, Ranbir Singh Mahendra, 20-11 in the election for the president of the BCCI in Kolkata.

Pawar, 64, won the election on his second attempt after losing out to Mahendra last year. At that time, it was Dalmiya's casting vote that decided the secret ballot which was tied 15-15 with one vote disqualified.

Pawar, a former chief minister of the western state of Maharashtra, currently heads the Mumbai Cricket Association. (AFP)

Big B discharged

NOV 29: Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan, was today discharged from the Escorts hospital here where he was admitted in the morning after he complained of abdominal pain.

Bachchan, wearing a red monkey cap and covered in a cream-color shawl, came out of the hospital shortly after 6:30 pm and got into a car with the help of his actor-son Abhishek Bachchan.

The 63-year-old legendary actor, who underwent a series of tests during the day, was looking very weak. Escorts Director and leading cardiologist Naresh Trehan, said the actor was feeling better than before. "It was just a stomach ache," he added.
Asked whether he was suffering from food poison, Trehan said "something like that.", reports PTI.

Monica�s defense: I was don�s captive

Hyderabad, Nov. 29: �Monica Bedi was in mafia don Abu Salem�s captivity all these years. He used her as a puppet,� her new lawyer Sudhir Batra told the special court for CBI cases on Monday. The court was hearing her bail petition.

Special court judge C.V. Subrahmanyam reserved his ruling on the petition for December 1 after hearing arguments of Mr Batra and CBI�s additional legal adviser Jacob Daniel. Monica had already stated in court that she is single and not married to Abu Salem. Her defence team, appointed by her uncle Purushottam Lal Bedi, is now trying to delink charges against Monica from those against Abu Salem. The tussle between the two teams of lawyers continues.

Mr Batra told the court, �Monica was a young girl when this happened. She was in the captivity of Abu Salem. She was given a passport by Abu Salem. She is innocent. For the same offence, she was in jail in Portugal for three years.� Opposing the bail, Mr Daniel said, �Monica has links with the mafia and she can threaten witnesses if released on bail. She can flee the country as it will be very easy for her to get a fake passport as she already possesses three of them.�

He added, �Even earlier she was not willing to cooperate with the investigation. During extradition she filed a petition in Portugal that she is not willing to go to India. She was extradited on the clause that she shall be tried on the charge of conspiracy and procuring forged passport.

On the issue of her being jailed in Lisbon, Mr Daniel said, �In Portugal she was imprisoned for traveling on a fake passport. Our case is that she had procured a fake passport in Kurnool for which she was not tried.� (Source: Deccan Chronicle)

No place for Lalu�s 200 cows at �10 Janpath�
Laloo's cows

PATNA, Nov 29 � Divested of their sprawling official residence, Lalu Prasad Yadav and his wife and former Bihar chief minister Rabri Devi have been allotted 10 Janpath here � the same address as that of Congress president Sonia Gandhi in New Delhi. But there is a problem: it cannot accommodate their 200 cows.

The palatial bungalow on Circular Road, popularly known as 10 Janpath, was allotted to them yesterday, four days after Rabri Devi was served a notice to vacate 1 Anne Marg, which the couple occupied as chief ministers since 1990.

Rabri Devi has been asked to make way for Nitish Kumar, the new chief minister of Bihar who ended the 15-year reign of the Rashtriya Janata Dal this week.

But though huge, 10 Janpath is less than half the size of the chief minister's official residence spread over five acres.

The couple is now confronted with a problem. How to accommodate the 200 cows, two horses and other pets that live with them at 1 Anne Marg?

The cattle and pets had specially constructed sheds at the chief minister's bungalow, which the state's most famous couple occupied for 15 long years.

Lalu Prasad had moved into 1 Anne Marg along with his wife and nine children on March 10, 1990 when he first became the chief minister of the state.

Though 1 Anne Marg was never notified as the official residence of the chief minister, located in high security area, it was considered the most apt for the person occupying the post.
Three other chief ministers, Bindeshwari Dube, Chandrasekhar Singh and Bhagwat Jha Azad � had lived in the bungalow earlier. (Source: Khaleej Times)