< Indian Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, smiles as his son, India's ruling Congress party candidate Abhijit Mukherjee looks on during an election campaign at Haridevpur village in Birbhum on Monday. န Photo : APKolkata, 11 April : Taking party’s internal assessment about the poll outcome, Union finance minister and Congress crisis manager Pranab Mukherjee said in Kolkata on Monday that the “Congress and Trinamool (TMC) alliance would dislodge the Left Front government.’’
Interestingly, Mukherjee who dismissed widespread dissent and independent candidates as a non-issue, said: “Like being a good railway minister, Mamata Banerjee would be a good chief minister of West Bengal.’’
Mukherjee also dismissed the Left, especially CPI(M) allegations, that Trinamool has links with Maoists. “We are sure she doesn’t have any link with them,’’ he said, strongly implying that Mamata does not have any conflict zone with prime minister Manmohan Singh’s line that “Maoists are the greatest internal threat.’’
Significantly, Mukherjee’s backing up Mamata has been a major shift from the Congress which till the other day had had some feeling of being hurt about being given only 65 seats.
Mukherjee also sought to signal a message to both Trinamool and Congress dissidents, many of whom are contesting as independents, all over Bengal that they should abide by the message of high anti-incumbency factors: listen or get pushed into political oblivion.
“So far we cannot take any other measure than expelling them from the party, Surely we cannot hang them, but they will face the consequences,’’ he said.
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Bangladesh government bans cell phones in classrooms
Dhaka, 11 April : Bangladesh government has imposed a blanket ban on the use of mobile phones in classrooms. The education ministry issued a circular on Monday banning use of cell phones in classrooms either by students or teachers.
The government move comes a day after child parliamentarians suggested taking steps in this regard. The circular said use of mobile phones in classrooms by some teachers was creating hindrance in learning lessons by the students. The circular instructed the educational institutions to take necessary steps in this regard.
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65 % turnout in last phase of Assam's Assembly Elections
PTI, Guwahati, 11 April : An estimated 65 per cent of voters today exercised their franchise in the second and last phase of Assam assembly elections amid sporadic incidents of violence.
Polling was held in 64 assembly constituencies in 14 districts of the state. A total of 96,77,113 electorate cast their votes to decide the fate of 596 candidates, including two-time former chief minister and Opposition AGP leader Prafulla Kumar Mahanta, AGP president Chandra Mohan Patowary and senior ministers Himanta Biswa Sarma and Rockybul Hussain.
Peaceful polling for 62 assembly seats was held in the first phase on April 4 which recorded a high voter turnout of nearly 74 per cent. န Photos : PTI, Reuters Also read "India state elections : Assam holds final phase of polls" in BBC South Asia
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PM Manmohan takes postal ballot route for Assam elections
IANS, Guwahati, 11 April : Indian Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh Monday cast his vote through a postal ballot in the second and final phase of assembly polls in Assam.
His absence disappointed voters at the Dispur Government Higher Secondary School where he has voted in the past. Mamohan Singh is a voter in the Dispur assembly seat in which Akon Bora is the Congress party’s candidate. The prime minister is a Rajya Sabha MP from Assam since 1991 and has a rented accommodation near the state secretariat in Guwahati that is shown as his home address in the records.
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Government steps likely to bring down inflation: FM Pranab
Kolkata, 11 April : Indian Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee today said that while food inflation has come down, it still remained a matter of grave concern and steps are being taken to bring it down.
Kolkata, 11 April : Indian Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee today said that while food inflation has come down, it still remained a matter of grave concern and steps are being taken to bring it down.
"Food inflation has come down from 20% in February 2010 to 8.9% in March 2011. But still it is very high," Mukherjee said here today. He said that all the necessary economic measures had been taken to bring down inflation. "We have taken both demand and supply side measures to bring inflation down."
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Supreme Court defers hearing on Dr Binayak Sen’ bail plea
New Delhi, 11 April : The Supreme Court on Monday adjourned till 15 April the hearing on the bail plea of rights activist Dr Binayak Sen, sentenced to life imprisonment for colluding with Maoists, after Chhattisgarh government sought more time to argue its case.
A bench of Justices H.S. Bedi and C.K. Prasad deferred the hearing on the plea of Chhattisgarh government which had been directed on 11 March to submit within four weeks its response to the bail application of Dr. Sen.
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Director Goutam Ghosh turns actor in Srijit's upcoming film
PTI, Kolkata, 11 April : In a role reversal, 'Moner Manush' director Goutam Ghosh is all set to face the camera in Srijit Chatterjee's upcoming film 'Baishe Srabon'. Srijit, best known for the success of his first film 'Autograph', is from among the new crop of talented directors in Bengal.Ghosh, who captured the life and time of saint-poet Lalan Faqir in his Golden Peacock winning film 'Moner Manush', will essay the role of a poet in the movie.
"I am doing the role of a poet of the Hungry Generation in the film of Srijit (Chatterjee). When he narrated the character I felt I knew this man." Ghosh told PTI.
"I decided to face the camera at the insistance of Srijit and bumba (Prosenjit Chatterjee) who has an important role in the film," Ghosh said.
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Third phase of Bru refugees repatriation to begin tomorrow
PTI, Aizawl, 11 April : The third phase of repatriation of Bru refugees, lodged in the six relief camps in North Tripura, to Mizoram is scheduled to begin from tomorrow, a top police official said today.
PTI, Aizawl, 11 April : The third phase of repatriation of Bru refugees, lodged in the six relief camps in North Tripura, to Mizoram is scheduled to begin from tomorrow, a top police official said today.
Though no law and order problem was being apprehended from the Bru militants side, elaborate security arrangements were still being made, Mamit district Superintendent of Police H Sangawia said. The district is located on Tripura border.
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Bangladesh' elite anti-crime RAB force in fresh controversy
Anisur Rahman, Dhaka, 11 April : Already embroiled in a controversy over alleged extra-judicial killings, Bangladesh''s elite anti-crime Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) has been slapped with a case for shooting and maiming a teenage boy. Mother of 16-year-old Limon Hossain filed the case against six RAB personnel at a southwestern Jhgalakathi court late yesterday saying the special police shot her innocent son from a close proximity leading to imputation of his legs, officials and reports said here today.
Immediately after the case was lodged, magistrate Nusrat Jahan ordered an investigation into the complaints.
The development came two weeks after the elite troops raided a Jhalakathi village to hunt a gangster and allegedly shot college student Hossain suspecting him to be his associate. Police chief Hassan Mahmud Khondker yesterday said he already ordered an investigation into the incident that sparked a massive media outcry. Quasi judicial Human Rights Commission chief Professor Mizanur Rahman visited Hossain now being treated at a government facility in Dhaka and demanded an immediate home ministry investigation and stern action against the "culprits".
RAB, however, insisted that Hossain was an associate of a gangster whom they looked for. The Amnesty International earlier said more than 600 people were believed to have killed by RAB personnel since 2004 when the Battalion was created and "suggestions that these deaths in custody are just unrelated random incidents, as opposed to targeted executions, are simply not credible"...... READ FULL STORY
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