BJP Sunday Announce Narendra Modi appointed the head of the party's campaign committee ?

                                                   

By (Poltics Aajkal Network)
Despite the absence of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) veteran LK Advani, the Bharatiya Janata Party’s National Executive meet entered second day on Saturday.

The meet, which began at 11 am, will evolve a strategy for the 2014 Lok Sabha polls and possibly discuss its prime ministerial candidate. The other items on the agenda on Saturday are several resolutions ranging from issues related to national pride and security, among others, which will be passed by the members.

It will also pass resolutions on the manner in which corruption and malgovernance were eating into the national polity and how constitutional bodies were being tampered with to protect corrupt leaders in power. At the three-day conclave in Goa, which got underway on Friday, the absence of the leaders was made up by Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, whose arrival in Goa resulted in a section of the BJP leadership playing cheerleaders for him.

Modi, as he entered the meeting venue at the Marriott Hotel here on Friday, was welcomed by loud cheers and slogans, a reaction that was not witnessed at the arrival of any other party leader. Party workers present at the venue shouted slogans hailing Modi.

A string of party leaders like LK Advani, Varun Gandhi, Jaswant Singh, Shatrughan Sinha and Uma Bharati expressed their inability to attend the meet, some citing ill-health.

The non-arrival of key leaders did not appear to dampen the spirits of the BJP, especially after the arrival of Modi at Goa's Dabolim airport. Insiders in the BJP camp have tipped Modi to be appointed the head of the party's campaign committee. A decision on this, which was likely to be taken on Friday, has now been deferred and can be taken on Sunday.

While BJP leaders have been showering praise on Modi and his potential to lead the party on the national stage, others have lashed out at their over-enthusiasm.

"We don't need Modi. There is no need to outsource leaders in Bihar. (Chief Minister) Nitish Kumar is charismatic, popular and capable of handling everything," Janata Dal-United (JD-U) spokesperson Neeraj Kumar told reporters in Patna, after BJP leader Rajiv Pratap Rudy claimed that JD-U cadres felt that Modi's charisma was needed to improve the its poll prospects in the Lok Sabha polls.

In New Delhi, Congress leader Rashid Alvi also took at dig at the BJP's Modi mania. "If BJP leaders are falling ill because of Narendra Modi, then the BJP must think what impact would he have on the nation. My full sympathies with those BJP leaders who aren't well," he taunted.

Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar said that Modi was all about hype.

"Experience shows that whenever a lot of hot air is created about something, that balloon always bursts," Pawar said.

IPL Spot-Fixing: Arrest looms large as Delhi police seize Raj Kundra's passport

                                                     By (Politics Aajkal Network)

claim that Delhi police have seized Rajasthan Royals co-owner Raj Kundra's passport and asked him not to leave the country till the spot-fixing probe is over.

It was also reported that Kundra might be arrested as Delhi police have not ruled out the possibility of his arrest.

Earlier, it was learnt that Rajasthan Royals owner Raj Kundra and his business partner-friend Umesh Goenka might be questioned again on Thursday in connection with the IPL spot-fixing scandal and allegations that Kundra was into betting. Both were quizzed by a special cell of Delhi police yesterday for almost 12 hours.

The questioning also came following the claims made by a cricketer Sidharth Tiwari and to know about the ownership pattern of the team.

A senior Delhi Police official refused to clear the air on Kundra, who said he owns 11.7 per cent stake in Rajasthan Royals, whether he is a "suspect or complainant", stating he was an "important person" needed for questioning.

Police sources claimed that Kundra was into betting but not into fixing. Their questioning was basically into betting, police sources said.

The questioning of both Kundra and Goenka began around 10 am and continued till late in the evening.

Sources said the name of Goenka, with whom Kundra owns a company dealing in steel business, came during the recording of statement of Rajasthan Royal player Sidharth Trivedi, a prosecution witness in the case.

In his statement recorded before a magistrate, sources said, Trivedi claimed that Goenka approached him and sought details about the cricket pitch in Ahmedabad and details about team formations.


According to police sources, Kundra was called over phone to appear before investigators who wanted to ask about the ownership details of Rajasthan Royals.

"Kundra told police that he owned 11.7 per cent while Suresh Chelaram, co-brother of Lalit Modi owned 43 per cent and Manoj Badale has 34 per cent. Rupert Murdoch`s son Lalchan Murdoch also has stake in the team," a senior police official said.

Kundra, a British national, has 42 per cent stake in the steel business with Goenka who has 16 per cent shares in the firm, they said.

Dawood, Chhota Shakeel behind IPL spot-fixing: Delhi Police

                                        

By ( Politics Aajkal Network)
In a sensational twist to the IPL spot-fixing scandal, Delhi Police today said that Sreesanth and two players were acting at the "command" of underworld don Dawood Ibrahim and Chota Shakeel, among India's most wanted, as it invoked the stringent MCOCA against 23 accused in the case.

Police claimed it has "concrete" evidence like intercepted telephonic conversations to link Sreesanth and some others with D-company.

Under MCOCA, the accused face a maximum sentence of life imprisonment along with fine of Rs five lakh.

Police's disclosure came in a court which extended till June 18 the judicial custody of Sreesanth and 22 others against whom Maharasthra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) was invoked. A total of 26 people have been arrested by Delhi Police since May 16 in the case.

"Since the accused persons were acting on command of people based abroad like Dawood Ibrahim Kaskar and Chota Shakeel who have a continuous past record of organised crimes, provisions of MCOCA have been invoked against the accused," police told Additional Sessions Judge Sanjiv Jain.

The court, in its order, referred to the approval granted by Joint Commissioner of Police Special Cell for invoking section 3 and 4 of MCOCA and also a report citing reasons for the same.

"It has been stated that the approval for invoking MCOCA has been accorded by Joint CP (Special Cell) on the premise that the arrested persons/accused through extensive use of electronic and via media were in communication with each other and with their other associates, who are still absconding, including those associates who are based abroad.

"The illegal organised betting syndicate in India is being controlled by persons based abroad. The arrested accused persons have been found playing role of conspirators while others have been found acting as facilitators," the court quoted from the report.

"This organised crime syndicate besides controlling illegal betting was indulging in fixing performance of players and also the rates of betting," police told the court.

Under the MCOCA, charge sheet can be filed within a maximum period of 180 days as against 60-90 days under provisions of IPC. The police custody can be extended till 30 days under MCOCA whereas under IPC, it can only be extended for 15 days.

The accused face a maximum sentence of life imprisonment along with fine of Rs 5 lakh under section 3 of MCOCA while the jail term can go upto ten years along with fine of Rs one lakh and properties of the accused can also be attached under section 4.

IPL 2013 Final: Mumbai vs Chennai-who win Today

By ( Politics Aajkal Network)

Kolkata: Embroiled in the spot-fixing scam, becoming champions for a third time would be a daunting task for the Chennai Super Kings when they take on the formidable Mumbai Indians in the summit clash of the scandal-marred Indian Premier League, here on Sunday.

The arrest of its management official M Gurunath, who is the son-in-law of the team owner and BCCI President N Srinivasan, on the suspicion of betting would have surely dented the morale of the Mahendra Singh Dhoni-led side.

It will be a huge challenge for the players and their skipper to cope up with the situation and play their natural game against a team, which is keen to win that elusive trophy.

Chennai have been a part of four consecutive, five overall, finals but it is the best chance for Mumbai to take a good shot at the title, avenge their 2010 final defeat.

It is one trophy that is missing from the cabinet of the milestone man of Indian cricket. He had a heartbreak as Mumbai Indians captain in 2010 when the team lost to Dhoni`s men by 22 runs.

It was CSK`s first IPL title and since then Dhoni`s team has grown in stature.

On paper, it`s a battle of equals with both Chennai and Mumbai boasting explosive Twenty20 specialists in Michael Hussey, Dwayne Smith, Ravindra Jadeja and Kieron Pollard.

Both teams have a penetrating pace attack with Albie Morkel and season`s find Mohit Sharma doing a tidy job for Chennai, while Mitchell Johnson, Lasith Malinga and Pollard make a terrific trio in the Mumbai ranks.


In conditions where spin-bowling could prove to be a decisive factor, Chennai have a star-studded line-up in Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja but Mumbai can match them with the experienced duo of Harbhajan Singh and Pragyan Ojha.

The return to form of Harbhajan (3/23), who had a man-of-the-match performance against the Rajasthan Royals last night, would augur well for Mumbai even as they face injury concerns with regards to Ojha who has hurt his elbow.

That Eden is a happy hunting ground for Mumbai (five wins from six outings) would certainly give Rohit Sharma`s team an edge.

Dwayne Smith`s red-hot form would be another advantage as Mumbai would hope the West Indian would fire again and steer the side without gifting his wicket away.

Smith`s 44-ball 62 (second successive half-century) was once again the highlight of the last night`s second qualifier before Mumbai.

Incidentally, Sharma was part of the triumphant Deccan Chargers in 2009 and it would be a second IPL final for the Mumbai skipper. The only issue he would have to address is the team`s tendency to choke in the middle.

It has been a frustrating month for Sharma as the batsman has not been able to convert his starts with his last half-century (79 unbeaten) coming against Kings XI Punjab way back on April 29.

Sharma`s woeful form with the bat continued in the last match as well when his middle stump was rattled by Siddharth Trivedi.

Mumbai would hope that the skipper get into the act especially on the stage that matters the most.

Chennai is a team full of stars with Orange Cap holder Micheal Hussey leading the run charts with 732 runs (@56.30) as `Mr Cricket` would look to contribute again along with another Dhoni`s trusted lieutenant Suresh Raina who has 548 runs (45.66) including an unbeaten 100.

In bowling, Dwayne Bravo has been Dhoni`s go to man with 28 wickets. Dhoni will also look up to the young Mohit who has impressed with 19 scalps from 17 matches.

But it`s the duo of Ashwin and Jadeja who will be encouraged by the Eden conditions as they would look to get maximum out of the spin-friendly Eden conditions.

Chennai Super Kings: MS Dhoni (C), Michael Hussey, Murali Vijay, Suresh Raina, Ravindra Jadeja, Subramaniam Badrinath, Dwayne Bravo, Albie Morkel, Chris Morris, Ravichandran Ashwin, Mohit Sharma, Akila Dananjaya, Faf du Plessis, Ben Hilfenhaus, Jason Holder, Nuwan Kulasekara, Ben Laughlin, Dirk Nannes, Anirudha Srikkanth, Baba Aparajith, Imtiaz Ahmed, Shadab Jakati, R Karthikeyan, Ronit More, Ankit Rajpoot, Wriddhiman Saha and Vijay Shankar.

Mumbai Indians: Rohit Sharma (C), Dwayne Smith, Aditya Tare, Dinesh Karthik (wk), Kieron Pollard, Ambatti Rayudu, Harbhajan Singh, Mitchell Johnson, Lasith Malinga, Pragyan Ojha, Rishi Dhawan, Ricky Ponting, Glenn Maxwell, Jacob Oram, Sachin Tendulkar, Abu Nechim, Amitoze Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Yuzvendra Chahal, Munaf Patel, Javed Khan, Sushant Marathe, Akshar Patel, Jalaj Saxena, Pawan Suyal and Suryakumar Yadav.

Chhattisgarh attack: Will never bow down before Naxalism, says PM

By (Politics Aajkal Network)

Raipur: Following the tragic and dastardly attack on Congress leaders and activists by Naxals in Chhattisgarh, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Sunday said that the country will never bow down before Naxalism.

"This incident should inspire fight against forces of extremism," PM said.

Speaking to the media, the Prime Minister said Naxalism problem needs to be dealt with sternly.

Condemning yesterday's barbaric killings, Dr Singh said that those who have lost their lives in this barbaric attack are martyrs of democracy.

Dr Singh announced an ex gratia relief of Rs 5 lacs from the PM's National Relief Fund to the families of those who have lost their lives.

Dr Singh and Congress president Sonia Gandhi reached here on Sunday to offer their condolences and support to the families of those killed and injured.

Congress president Sonia Gandhi said, "I appreciate courage and bravery of Congress leaders in Chhattisgarh."

At least 27 people, including senior Congress leader Nand Kumar Patel, Mahendra Karma, were killed and several others injured including senior party leader VC Shukla when heavily-armed Maoists ambushed a convoy of party leaders inside a dense forest in Chhattisgarh's Bastar district.

The body of Chhattisgarh Congress chief Nand Kumar Patel, who was kidnapped along with his son after Maoists ambushed a convoy of party leaders, was found on Sunday in a forest in Bastar district.

BJP seeks aggressive strategy to fight Naxalism

By (Politics Aajkal Network)
New Delhi: Condemning the Maoist attack in Chhattisgarh, the BJP on Sunday expressed its "shock" and concern over frequent targeting of political activist by Naxals and called for an aggressive, unified and non-partisan strategy to fight the menace.

"It is shocking and most unfortunate. We condemn this outright," senior party leader and leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj tweeted.
Party spokesperson Prakash Javadekar also condemned the attack and sought an aggressive and unified strategy to counter the Naxal threat.
"We condemn this dastardly and cowardly attack. Of late naxalites are targeting elected representatives and political leadership. This new aggressive strategy of Naxalites is a real threat to the Constitution and the rule of the law. It is a challenge to sovereignty," he said.

BJP pointed out that last year, the son of a Chattisgarh minister was killed while there have been attacks on BJP activists in Andhra Pradesh and Chhattisgarh.The party also referred to an earlier Maoist attack on TDP chief Chadrababu Naidu.

The party wished speedy recovery for those injured and condoled the death of the Congress leaders.

"Everybody must appreciate and agree on this basic fundamental challenge thrown up by Naxalites. It is not state specific but an inter-state issue. Yesterday's attack took plae in Sukma which is on the Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Chhattisgarh border", Javadekar said.

Noting that Naxals commit a terror act in one state and flee to another, BJP said this calls for a unified strategy by the Centre to deal with the menace.

"It is not development issue. It is about the Naxal belief to change power through violence," he said.

He cautioned that Congress should not play politics on this issue.

Another senior party leader Ananth Kumar said the entire nation should stand up and resolve to "weed out this menace of Naxalism and violence from our motherland".

Maoist attack in Chhattisgarh: Senior Congress leaders among 18 killed

By (Politics Aajkal Network)
Raipur: In an unprecedented attack, Naxals on Saturday targeted a convoy of Congress leaders in Chhattisgarh's Jagdalpur district, killing the party's senior leader Mahendra Karma, who was the guiding force behind Salwa Judum.

The attack by nearly 100 to 150 ultras claimed 18 lives and injured 20 others, including former union minister VC Shukla. Joint Secretary (Naxal management) in the Union Home Ministry MA Ganpathy told a news agency in New Delhi that most of the dead and injured were Congress leaders and workers, adding four to five of those killed in the attack were personal security officers of the Congress leaders.

The Maoists also kidnapped PCC chief Nand Kumar Patel and his son after attacking the Congress leaders at Darba Gati Valley in Jagdalpur district, police said. Patel's son, Umesh, has, meanwhile, appealed to Naxals to free his father and brother unharmed. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has also urged attackers to release at the earliest all those who may have been abducted in Chhattisgarh.

The Home Ministry is rushing paramilitary forces to Chhattisgarh to help launch a combing operation for release of abducted leaders. Over 600 Central Reserve Police Force personnel have been mobilised to sanitise the attack site, according to reports.

A former Congress MLA Udya Mudaliyar was also shot dead by the Maoists who attacked the convoy at around 1730 hours when they were returning from a "Parivartan" rally.

Karma, a former home minister of the state who was a guiding force behind "Salwa Judum" (anti-Naxal operation by vigilante groups), was killed when a large number of Maoists opened fire on the rally. The burst of gunfire was preceded by a blast.

Shukla was reported to be at Darba Ghati police station and the nature of his injuries could not be ascertained immediately. The Maoist attack took place in a dense forest near National Highway 202 connection Chattisgarh with Bhadrachalam district of adjacent Andhra Pradesh.

The Congress had launched Parivartan Yatra on April 12 in the state where Assembly Elections are due by year-end.

Chhattisgarh Congress media cell president Shailesh Trivedi said it was matter of investigation whether Naxals were involved in the attack.

He alleged the state's BJP government did not provide adequate security to Congress' Yatra despite opposition from Naxals.

"Naxals have opposed both BJP's Vikas Yatra and Congress' Parivartan Yatra. However, the state government provided security only to BJP's Yatra and not to the one organised by Congress. Had it been provided security, today's incident would not have happened," he said. Police sources said another former Congress MLA Phulo Devi Netam from Bastar, a prominent tribal leader, was also wounded in the firing by Maoists, police sources said.

Minister of State for Home RPN Singh will be leaving for Jagdalpur on Sunday as Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde is now abroad.