Religious leaders to be consulted on national issues: Advani

New Delhi (PTI): BJP's Prime Ministerial candidate L.K. Advani has promised to set up a "consultative mechanism" involving religious leaders if voted to power to discuss "issues facing the nation."

"It will be our endeavour to seek on a regular basis the guidance of spiritual leaders of all denominations on major challenges and issues facing the nation. For this, we shall evolve a suitable consultative mechanism," Mr. Advani said in a letter to religious leaders today.

The letter said to be send to more than 1,000 religiousleaders across the country, says it had been the lifelong ambition of Mr. Advani that "politics, governance and other national affairs should be guided by lofty ideals as enshrined in the concept of Ram Rajya (ideal state), popularised by Mahatma Gandhi."

"At the present crucial juncture in our nation's life, when people are looking for a decisive change, I seek your blessings, guidance and support with 'Sashtang Namaskar' (utmost reverance)," says the letter.

When contacted Mr. Advani's office said the copies of the letter have been send to Baba Ramdev, Shri Shri Ravi Shanker, Maulana Waihuddin and several archbishops of different churches.

Sonia-Advani war of words over PM hots up

New Delhi (PTI): The war of words over Prime Minister Manmohan Singh escalated on Saturday with Leader of the Opposition L K Advani saying Mr. Singh has voluntarily abdicated his authority and the Congress president accusing him of speaking "rubbish".

"You have a situation in which the Prime Minister's office is held by a person who holds office but no authority.

And the person who has the authority has no accountability ...this is no democracy," Mr. Advani told CNN-IBN referring to Sonia Gandhi. He said this has "seriously affected" affected the functioning of the government.

Striking back, Ms. Gandhi in election meetings in Bihar and Jharkhand said Mr. Advani does not have any issues. "So, he is talking rubbish".

"I want to ask Advaniji what are his achievements ? I want to ask during the six-year tenure in Delhi when he was the Home Minister and the Deputy PM, what did he do for the farmers ? What did he do for the poor ? He did not do anything", she said.

Mr. Advani without elaborating said he was aware of some cases "where the PM (Mr. Singh) has proposed some action but he is not able to implement it unless he gets clearance from the Congress president."

Be on guard against divisive forces: Sonia Gandhi

Khunti (Jharkhand) (PTI): Launching a scathing attack on communal forces, Congress President Sonia Gandhi on Saturday warned that such people with a 'mask of patriotism' were internally damaging the unity of the country.

"We should be on guard against such forces who are a threat to both unity and peace. These forces are against the prosperity of the nation," Sonia Gandhi said without naming any party.

Addressing a poll meeting in support of party candidate Niel Tirkey from the Khunti Lok Sabha constituency, Sonia Gandhisaid the people despite having different religious faith, desire peace and communal harmony.

Praising Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's skill in controlling the economic condition of the country amid global slowdown, Ms. Gandhi claimed that in this hour the country required a strong and stable government which the Congress and its allies could only provide.

Kashmiri separatist leader Sajjad Lone to contest election

SRINAGAR (Reuters) - Kashmir's senior separatist leader Sajjad Gani Lone, who has opposed Indian rule in the disputed Himalayan region for decades, in a surprising move on Saturday said he would contest the imminent general elections.

Lone, chairman of the Jammu and Kashmir People's Conference and the first senior separatist to offer to contest an Indian election since a revolt broke out in Kashmir in 1989, said he wanted to take his struggle to parliament in New Delhi.
"Fighting elections is a change of strategy, not ideology," Lone told a news conference.

"I will contest polls with a commitment to use this mechanism as a method to represent the voice of the Kashmiri people and to take the strength and merits of our aspirations to the central stage of India," he said.

Lone, who led some of the massive anti-Indian demonstrations in Kashmir last year, will contest the elections in Baramulla, one of the six parliamentary constituencies in north Kashmir.

His sister, Shabnum Lone, a prominent lawyer, lost the state election last year in the same area.

Hardline separatist Syed Ali Shah Geelani has called for a boycott of the April-May elections, but Lone said there was a need to change strategy after last year's state elections, which despite a boycott call saw a turnout of more than 60 percent.

That was seen as a gain for New Delhi, though many said it was a vote for better governance, not acceptance of Indian rule.

"Those who voted in assembly elections last year have compromised the blood of martyrs. I appeal to people to completely boycott the (general) election," Geelani said on Friday at a rally against the elections, which begin next week.

Lone walked out of Kashmir's main separatist alliance, the All Parties Hurriyat (Freedom) Conference, after his father, senior separatist leader Abdul Gani Lone, was assassinated by unidentified gunmen in 2002.

In 2007 he put forward a peace plan entitled "Achievable Nationhood" to unify the divided territory, claimed both by India and Pakistan, and to give it autonomy.

The nuclear-armed South Asian rivals have fought two of their three wars over Kashmir since independence from Britain in 1947. They began a peace process in 2004 but New Delhi suspended that dialogue after the Mumbai attacks last November.

Officials say more than 47,000 people have been killed in the Muslim-majority region in the revolt against Indian rule. Human rights groups put the figure at around 60,000 dead or missing.

Many Kashmiris said they were disappointed with Lone's decision. "It is a national shame. Today he is standing tall on 80,000 bodies," said Zubiar Ahmad, a resident of Srinagar. "History has never forgiven traitors."

Nano booking receives encouraging response on Day one

Mumbai/Dehra Dun, Apr 9 (PTI) Tata Motors has put 400 Nanos on display at as many outlets in the country and started accepting bookings from today.

"The booking signs are encouraging," a Tata Motors spokesperson told PTI here, without, however, disclosing any figures.

The company started accepting booking forms from today morning onwards through its financiers and Tata group companies such as Croma, Westside and the Nano website. The bookings will conclude on April 25.

"The website has received 2 crore hits. About 3 lakh visitors have walked into showrooms to catch a glimpse of the Nano," the spokesperson said.

Meanwhile, scores of people today rushed to book Nano on the first day of booking in Uttarakhand, where Tata Motors' Pantnagar plant had rolled out the car last month to announce its commercial launch.

Tata Motors dealers said the response was good and that they were receiving hundreds of queries every day about the booking for the world's cheapest car.
Nearly 2000 forms have been sold so far in Dehra Dun alone, they said.

Pranab Mukherji says 26/11 conspirators must face Indian Justice

Indian Foreign Minister Pranab Mukherjee on Friday (January 16) said that the preprators of last year's Mumbai attack must be handed over to face "Indian justice" and clarified that there is "no dilution" of that stand.

"The fact that dastardly terror crimes have been committed in India, therefore the perpetrators must face Indian justice. This is not an either or situation as these things are not mutually exclusive," said Pranab, while addressing media persons in India's national capital.

Indian foreign minister added that perpetrators must be handed over to India.
"We have never given up the demand that perpetrators of the terror acts should be handed over to India. There is no question of that we have given up that demand or we have climbed down," said Pranab.

Mukherjee also asked Pakistan to conduct a sincere and transparent investigation so as to unearth the entire episode.

Students designed a car that can run 180 km per litre of petrol

Mechanical engineering students from the Rashtriya Vidyalaya College of Engineering, Bangalore, have developed a car "Garuda" which is capable of running 180 km per litre of petrol.

The car is the result of 'Project Garuda-RVCE Supermileage Car,' which was conceptualised by Nishant Sarawagi, the team leader, and seven of his mates: Bharat, Kayaan, Darshan, Jacob and Gautham.

Video: ANI






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