Press Trust of India

DMK president M. Karunanidhi Tuesday said his party will not be affected when it contests the general elections without aligning with any national party.

Asked whether the DMK would suffer a setback by not aligning with any national party, Karunanidhi said: “No setback. There will not be any setback for us.”

On reports that some Congress party members were saying that their party would align with the DMK, he said: “As far as we are concerned, we are not expecting anyone (for alliance). We are not waiting for the arrival of any party.”

Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi Tuesday condemned the Maoist attack in Chhattisgarh and expressed anguish at the death of paramilitary and police personnel.

A Congress statement said Gandhi offered his condolences to the families of the security men who lost their lives.

“Condemning the senseless act of violence, Gandhi offered his heartfelt condolences to the families of the brave soldiers who lost their lives, and said that his thoughts and prayers were with them in this hour of terrible grief,” the release said.

Former India pacer Venkatesh Prasad, who was sacked by the BCCI in 2009 as the country’s bowling coach, Tuesday said he would love to return to his former role.

“I would love to be the bowling coach of India again. It will be an honour,” Prasad told reporters here,

Speaking about bowling in the death overs, Prasad said that bowlers needed to train hard to master the art and be more consistent.

“The bowlers need to be more consistent in the death overs. They need to train in an environment where you constantly trying variations and yorkers.”

The Gurgaon police commissioner Tuesday rewarded a taxi driver for his bravery after he nabbed an armed criminal, who with his associates, attempted to rob him of his vehicle.

Taxi driver Veerpal, 35, from Rasulpur village in Palwal was rewarded with a 1st class police appreciation certificate and Rs.2,500 in cash.

Three people had Feb 24 hired his taxi from Palwal for Sohna in Gurgaon.

The Congress Tuesday appointed senior leader N.V. Raghuveera Reddy as president of its Seemandhra unit.

Congress president Sonia Gandhi telephoned him to congratulate on his appointment to the top post, party sources said.

The party has still not named the chief of its Telangana unit.

Raghuveera Reddy, a former state minister, told reporters in Anantapur that he is taking up the responsibility at a difficult time. He vowed to strengthen the party with the support of all leaders and workers of the party.
(IANS)

Bharti Airtel, a leading telecommunications services provider with operations in 20 countries across Asia and Africa, and popular English football club Manchester United have announced details of a new mobile application designed to get fans in Africa closer to the club.

Manchester United’s new club application offers the most comprehensive mobile access available, giving fans the latest club news, exclusive videos, match highlights, live in-game updates, player profiles and much more.

Of the 162 parliamentarians involved in 306 criminal cases, 76 are charged with serious crimes like murder, attempt to murder and kidnapping, the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) and National Election Watch (NEW) said Tuesday.

The analysis of the Lok Sabha MPs elected in 2009 comes a day after the Supreme Court directed that criminal cases against MPs and MLAs should be completed within a year from the date of the trial court framing charges.

The fourth international exhibition and conference on civil aviation, India Aviation-2014, will be held at Begumpet Airport in Hyderabad from March 12-16.

More than 250 exhibitors including Airbus, Boeing, Bombardier, Dassault and Rolls Royce are participating in the event. The biggest aircraft in the world, Airbus A-380 and Dreamliner Boeing 787, will be special attractions at the air show.

The show will be open to the general public on March 15 and 16. The initial three days are reserved exclusively for the business community in which big deals are expected to be signed.

BJP leader Arun Jaitley Tuesday welcomed the Supreme Court directive on expeditious trial in criminal cases involving elected representatives, saying “it was a step in the right direction”.

“Criminalisation of politics has been a very serious issue confronting Indian polity. The malady has been that people with criminal track record and pending charge sheets are fielded by political parties,” Jaitley said on his blog.

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has received nearly Rs.15 million ($246,000) as donations in the first 10 days of March from within the country and outside, party sources said.

Interestingly, on March 5, when AAP convener Arvind Kejriwal was detained in Gujarat, it received a staggering Rs 24,26,481.

After a stunning debut in Dec assembly elections, the party is set to expand on the national political landscape and take on the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party in the April-May general elections.

From March 1 to March 10, the year-old-party received Rs.14,535,050.

A total of eight first information reports (FIR) have been registered against political parties for violating the model code of conduct prior to the Lok Sabha elections, the poll panel said Tuesday.

The model code of conduct came into force March 5 with the Lok Sabha election scheduled in the national capital April 10.

While one FIR has been registered against the Congress, seven are against other parties.

“No FIR has been registered against the Aam Aadmi Party and the Bharatiya Janata Party,” Chief Nodal Officer Ankur Garg told mediapersons.

The Meghalaya government will put all power projects on fast track to meet the power shortfall in the mountainous state, Chief Minister Mukul Sangma said Tuesday.

“We will expedite all power projects on a fast track under joint ventures to increase our generation and avail 12 percent free and cheaper power,” Sangma told the assembly in his reply to the Calling Attention motion moved by lone Garo National Council legislator Clifford R Marak.

The Lok Sabha polls in Assam will not be a mere battle of the ballot for the state’s most prominent regional party Asom Gana Parishad (AGP). The party will actually be fighting a battle for its very existence in the state.

Born out of the six-year-long anti-foreigners agitation between 1979 and 1985, the AGP is battling for its survival following its dipping popularity among people in the last few years.

The ruling Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) Tuesday announced names of three candidates for the Lok Sabha polls.

The three include party chief Shibu Soren who would contest from Dumka.

“Guruji (Shibu Soren) will contest from Dumka, Vijay Hansda is to contest from Raj Mahal and Jagannath Mahato will fight from Giridih,” general secretary of the party Suprio Bhattacharya told reporters.

He said: “We will decide name of Jamshedpur Lok Sabha seat in a day or two.”

Two people have been arrested for operating a fake Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) website and promising jobs in the premier investigative agency, authorities said Tuesday.

“A case has been registered on the information that an alleged fraudulent recruitment racket in the name of CBI was being carried out through a website www.cbirecindia.com,” the CBI statement said.

Using technical evidence, the two accused were tracked down to Ahmedabad, Gujarat. Searches were conducted at their premises and the duo were arrested.
(IANS)