1400 HRS.    

10 December, 2013

THE HEADLINES:

• Stalemate continues over government formation in Delhi; Harsh Vardhan says BJP can not stake claim as it does not have numbers. Aam Aadmi Party not to support either BJP or Congress or take support from them.

• Vasundhra Raje stakes claim to form a new government in Rajasthan.

• Lok Sabha adjourned for the day.

• Minister of State in PMO, V Narayanasamy says discussion and passage of Lokpal Bill in Parliament is priority of the government.

• Supreme Court asks Centre to issue a fresh list of persons eligible to use red beacon.

• Sensex loses 130 points; Rupee weakens 12 paise against the dollar.

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Stalemate continues in Delhi on government formation as neither BJP nor Aam Aadmi Party are willing to stake claim to form the new government in the National Capital. Dr Harsh Vardhan who was elected as leader of BJP legislature party said the party is committed to serve the people of the national capital.  He told reporters that the party cannot form government as it is short of majority.

BJP has emerged as the single largest party in Delhi. But we do not have the numbers. Naturally we cannot stake claim to form the government. The ball is not in our court.

Aam Aadmi Party also elected Arvind Kejriwal as its legislature party leader. He maintained that his party would prefer siting in the Opposition rather than giving or taking support from any party to form the government.   Our correspondent reports, hectic consultations are on in both AAP and BJP camps two days after the Assembly elections threw up a split verdict that gave majority to none in the 70-member Assembly. Against this backdrop, political uncertainty continues to prevail with possibility of President Rule and re-election looming large.

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The  leader of Rajasthan BJP legislature party Vasundhara Raje today called on  Governor Margaret Alva to stake claim to form the government in the state. This  follows her party's landslide win in the Assembly polls.  The oath ceremony will take place on December 13. Ms. Raje was elected as the BJP legislature party leader in Rajasthan yesterday.

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Proceedings in both Houses of Parliament were disrupted amidst noisy scenes by several members on various issues including the JPC report on 2G spectrum allocation, Telangana and training of Sri Lankan Navy personnel in India. The Lok Sabha was adjourned for the day while the Rajya Sabha till 2 PM. In the Lok Sabha, members from several parties again rushed to the well of the house as soon as it met after the first adjournment. Members were displaying placards demanding action against the accused in the Muzaffarnagar violence and CBI inquiry into the Chit Fund scam in West Bengal. Members from Andhra Pradesh also trooped into the well of the House, raising slogans and carrying placards of Save Andhra Pradesh. Normalcy was restored in the House briefly when Speaker Meira Kumar referred to the notices for moving No-Confidence Motion against the government by some members from Andhra Pradesh. Later, she adjourned the House for the day as members again rushed to the well. As soon as the Rajya Sabha met after the first adjournment, Ravi Shankar Prasad of the BJP protested against the reported changes made in the dissent note given by him in the JPC report on 2G spectrum allocation. The issue was raised when the JPC report was tabled in the House. Leader of the opposition Arun Jaitley sought a ruling from the Chair questioning whether JPC Chairman has the powers to change the  content of the dissent note. Responding to this, Deputy Chairman P J Kurien said the Chair cannot comment as he has not gone through the report. This led to furore and BJP members trooped into the well raising slogans against the government. Two TDP members also rushed to the well opposing the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh. Taking note of the situation, Deputy Chairman, P J Kurien adjourned the House till 2 PM.

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The BJP has said the government should not expect any cooperation from it in Parliament in view of controversies over the JPC report on 2G spectrum allocation. Talking to reporters after the BJP Parliamentary Board meeting in New Delhi, Ravi Shankar Prasad alleged, the government has tried to cover up the corrupt practices in the allocation of 2G spectrum. He said in spite of documentary evidence, the JPC report has been maneuvered.

Government should  not  expect any cooperation as the brazen manner it has sought to compel the report  being  tabled in the Lok Sabha inspite of repeated objections by senior leaders.  

Mr. Prasad also alleged the government has not learnt any lesson from the recent assembly election. He accused the government of going to any extent to cover up its misdeeds.

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The government has said that discussion and passage of the Lokpal Bill in Parliament is the priority of the government. Talking to reporters outside Parliament House, Minister of State in PMO V Narayanasamy said that the government has given a notice to the Rajya Sabha Chairman for taking up the bill, as it is pending in the Upper House.

As far as the Lokpal Bill is concerned, I gave a notice to the Chairman, Rajya Sabha towards taking up the Lokpal Bill. And, it went to the select committee of Rajya Sabha, the select committee gave recommendations. We accepted one of the recommendations given by them. The government is ready to debate and discuss and then to pass the Lokpal Bill. But the House has to run.

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Social activist Anna Hazare has began his indefinite fast this morning at Ralegan Siddhi in Ahamadnagar District of Maharashtra.  Mr. Hazare started his agitation again for getting the Jan Lokpal bill approved in the ongoing winter session of Parliament. Speaking to the reporters yesterday, Mr. Hazare said that he will end his fast only after Rajya Sabha approves the bill. He also criticized Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress President Sonia Gandhi for the delay in passing the bill. Elaborate security arrangements have been made at Ralegan Siddhi.

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Several terrorist modules have been busted by sharing intelligence inputs between the States and the Central Security and Law Enforcement Agency. Minister of State for Home R.P.N. Singh gave this information in the Lok Sabha today.  In a written answer he informed the House that the terrorists communicate through e-mails, Facebook, chat forms, data card and GPRS.

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The Centre has approved the construction and upgradation of 14 hundred kilometers of roads along the Indo-Nepal border.  This is meant to facilitate an effective movement of the Sashastra Seema Bal, SSB. These roads will be completed by March, 2016.  The cost involved is over 38 thousand crore rupees.  Minister of State for Home Mullappally Rmachandran gave this information in the Lok Sabha today. In a written reply he said the Centre has also approved the construction of a 313- kilometre long road along the Indo-Bhutan border.

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Members of Parliament from Congress and its alliance partners in Kerala today staged a dharna in Parliament House compound. They were demanding a ban on import of natural rubber saying that around one million small farmers are engaged in rubber production in the state.

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The Supreme Court today held that red beacon be allowed to be used only by persons holding constitutional posts and high dignitaries.  A bench headed by Justice G S Singhvi asked the Centre to issue a fresh list of people eligible for using red beacon on their vehicles and asked the Government to amend the rule within three months. The bench also said the state governments cannot enlarge the list of VIPs eligible for red beacon. The court passed the order on a PIL filed by Uttar Pradesh resident Abhay Singh on misuse of red beacon.

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The Maharashtra government today informed the Bombay High Court that it will table the Adarsh inquiry commission report during the ongoing winter Assembly session. Assistant government pleader G W Mattos told this to a division bench of Justices V M Kanade and M S Sonak. The bench was hearing a petition filed by Maharashtra BJP unit seeking a direction to the government to table the report before the Legislature. The government had yesterday sought dismissal of the petition on the ground that under section 3(4) of the Commission of Inquiry Act, it is not mandatory on the state government to table the report

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Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde today said government is examining an NGO's letter on snooping of a woman in Gujarat. Mr Shinde was talking to reporters on the sidelines of the monthly press conference of his ministry in New Delhi. On Telangana Bill, which was recently approved by the Cabinet and was supposed to be referred to Andhra Pradesh Assembly by the President, Mr Shinde said it has not been sent to the Assembly yet. On Lokpal Bill, he said government's intention is very clear and wants to pass the bill in the current session of Parliament.

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Trinamool Congress Chief and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has ruled out alliance with any party and said her party will go alone in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections. Talking to reporters outside Parliament today, she appealed to the regional parties to come together. Ms Mamata attributed the rout of the Congress in the Assembly elections to the wrong policies followed by UPA government. Replying to a question, she said her party is in favour of United Andhra Pradesh.

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President Pranab Mukherjee arrived Johannesburg today to attend a memorial service in honour of South Africa's anti-apartheid icon Nelson Mandela, whose death triggered an unprecedented outpour of rich tributes worldwide.President Mukherjee is one of six heads of state who will address the crowd at the memorial service. Mr Mukherjee will join the heads of governments and states from more than 53 countries, including US President Barack Obama, in the two-hour long memorial service to be held at  FNB Stadium.  President Pranab Mukherjee is accompanied by UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi, Leader of Opposition Sushma Swaraj, Union Commerce Minister Anand Sharma, CPI-M leader Sitaram Yechury and BSP leader Satish Mishra.

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The Prime Minister has assured the family members of Captain Sunil James for his release from Togo jail. The assurance was given by Dr Manmohan Singh to Captain James’ wife and other family members when they met him in New Delhi today. Rakesh Madappa, the brother-in-law of Captain James, told media persons outside Parliament that a Joint Secretary from PMO has been deputed to look into the matter.

The Prime Minister was kind enough to tell us that his office is doing everything that is possible to secure either complete, full and final release of Captain Sunil James, or, on humanitarian grounds, atleast pardon a release for a few weeks so that he could come back to India and fulfill his duties as a father and be able to bury his son.

Captain James was arrested in Togo in July this year on charges of helping pirates when they attacked his ship Merchant Tanker Ocean Centurion off the coast of Togo.

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The Sensex at the Bombay Stock Exchange lost some more ground in afternoon trade, and stood 130 points, or 0.6 percent in negative territory, at 21,197 a short while ago. Earlier in the morning, the Sensex had declined 49 points, or 0.2 percent, to 21,277 on profit-booking by funds and retail investors after recent strong gains, amid weak Asian Bourses. The 30-share Sensex had gained almost 620 points in the previous three trading sessions, and hit a record closing high of 21,326, yesterday.  Stock markets in Japan, Taiwan, South Korea, Singapore, and Hong Kong had posted modest losses of up to 0.4 percent, today, on speculation that the US Federal Reserve may soon start cutting back its monetary stimulus. The US Dow Jones Industrial Average had ended almost unchanged in yesterday's trade.

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At the interbank foreign exchange market, the rupee gave up all its initial gains against the US dollar, on fresh dollar demand from importers, and stood 12 paise lower, at 61.25 to the US currency, in intra - day trade, today. The rupee had closed at 61.13 to the dollar in yesterday's trade. 

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Rajya Sabha  has been adjourned for the day.

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Human Rights Day is being observed today to renew efforts to protect and promote human rights across the world. It commemorates the day the UN General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948 as the common standard of achievement. This year the theme is - "20 years: working for your rights" marking the 20th anniversary of the Office of High Commissioner for Human Rights. In his message, Chairperson of National Human Rights Commission, NHRC, Justice K G Balakrishnan asked people to resolve to help maintain a value-based society and stand up for the promotion and protection of human rights. Observing the day,  the NHRC organised a programme in New Delhi which was addressed by Vice President Hamid Ansari.

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India will clash with Korea in its must-win final Pool-C match of the Men's Junior Hockey World Cup at New Delhi today. The match will be played at the Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium at 8 in the evening. With a victory and a defeat, India is, currently, third in the Group with 3 points. India had lost to the Netherlands, 2-3, in their opener, while they had defeated Canada, 3-2 in their last match on Saturday.