It is turn of the Public Now....



Thank you Mr Bookwala for posting this news to the list.

Let us hope that in this tactical war of the sorts the welfare of the farmers is
not

grilled further. Not only Rs 2700 to farmers I am of the view that farmers must

get free electricity and water in their fields from the state. I am asking the

leaders of this country to think hundred times before they contest coming

elections because they will now onward have to really be on their toes and

perform. Their performance would mean that they are working like servants

of society 24 hours with love and selfless attitude of the party and politics.

Over a 1000 million people in India has continued to live in grief and pain as

MINORITY HAS RULED THE MAJORITY RIGHTS and a majority has been

treated continuously as Slaves and exploited by the Minority that controlled.

To reciprocate Nature is life and the reverse is Death...



Gone are now the previous old days of ruling the masses like Lords. Times

have changed and this time it is going to to unprecedented and unexpected

sudden shift in the whole game and it is going to be public and public and

poor people of this country who will not stop and will want those governing

with a sly hand to be out and out of this sphere immediately and will stop

at nothing till corrupt politicians are seen amazed at the crossings..

Let us work together for better times.








Najmudin Bookwala <ngbk2000@...> wrote: By: A Mid Day Correspondent
November 1, 2003

From the appointment of the new state Director General of Police to
fixing the procurement price for cotton, the Congress and Nationalist
Congress Party (NCP) now not only differ on every decision, they have
started openly cribbing about each other.

New DGP S M Shangari was kept biting his nails till the last minute
as Chief Minister Sushilkumar Shinde did not sign on the file
recommending his appointment despite receiving it a couple of days in
advance.

Angst was writ large on his deputy Chhagan Bhujbal's face when the
media quizzed him on Wednesday at the weekly briefing. He said no
decision had been made and hastily left the dais even as the CM kept
looking at him.

Shangari's appointment took time even though Shinde had consulted NCP
chief Sharad Pawar much earlier. Pawar, sources said, advised Shinde
to go by seniority, but Shinde still played the waiting game.

Bhujbal, however, is still happy that at last, he could prove to
everyone that it is the CM and not he who is the final authority
while making appointments in the police force. "Good he took so long.
At least there will be no allegations against me," he is said to have
told his colleagues.

At the same briefing, Excise Minister Anil Deshmukh and Food and
Civil Supplies Minister Sureshdada Jain, both belonging to NCP, sat
behind Shinde and according to sources, kept sending notes to him
seeking a last-minute hike for the procurement price for cotton.

The Cabinet meeting preceding the media briefing had been a stormy
one where the CM was urged by NCP ministers to offer a higher price
than Rs 2,500 per quintal.

Rural Development Minister R R Patil had made it clear he would
settle for nothing less than Rs 2,700 and put his views in the
Cabinet in a forthright manner, only to be stubbornly refused by
Shinde.

The spat continued at the briefing, where Shinde shrugged and said
the decision to offer higher procurement price would mean a cut in
the budget for all development works.

A NCP minister later said Shinde's remark was completely off the
mark. "Cotton crop all over the world has suffered. It's only in
India and more so in Maharashtra that the crop has done fairly well.

So cotton is going to fetch a high price in the international markets
this year, much higher than what we are offering to our farmers. Even
in the worst of the scenarios, we will get at least Rs 2,400 per
quintal, giving us a loss of Rs 70 crore. What's Rs 70 crore in an
election year?" he asked.

Another NCP minister said Congress and especially Shinde were playing
too hard after the spat between state Congress president Ranjit
Deshmukh and NCP.

"How long shall we suffer this? Not long," he said, suggesting there
will be a review of ties after the Assembly elections in five states
in December

http://web.mid-day.com/news/city/2003/november/67674.htm


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By: A Mid Day Correspondent
November 1, 2003

  From the appointment of the new state Director General of Police to
fixing the procurement price for cotton, the Congress and Nationalist
Congress Party (NCP) now not only differ on every decision, they have
started openly cribbing about each other.

New DGP S M Shangari was kept biting his nails till the last minute
as Chief Minister Sushilkumar Shinde did not sign on the file
recommending his appointment despite receiving it a couple of days in
advance.

Angst was writ large on his deputy Chhagan Bhujbal's face when the
media quizzed him on Wednesday at the weekly briefing. He said no
decision had been made and hastily left the dais even as the CM kept
looking at him.

Shangari's appointment took time even though Shinde had consulted NCP
chief Sharad Pawar much earlier. Pawar, sources said, advised Shinde
to go by seniority, but Shinde still played the waiting game.

Bhujbal, however, is still happy that at last, he could prove to
everyone that it is the CM and not he who is the final authority
while making appointments in the police force. "Good he took so long.
At least there will be no allegations against me," he is said to have
told his colleagues.

At the same briefing, Excise Minister Anil Deshmukh and Food and
Civil Supplies Minister Sureshdada Jain, both belonging to NCP, sat
behind Shinde and according to sources, kept sending notes to him
seeking a last-minute hike for the procurement price for cotton.

The Cabinet meeting preceding the media briefing had been a stormy
one where the CM was urged by NCP ministers to offer a higher price
than Rs 2,500 per quintal.

Rural Development Minister R R Patil had made it clear he would
settle for nothing less than Rs 2,700 and put his views in the
Cabinet in a forthright manner, only to be stubbornly refused by
Shinde.

The spat continued at the briefing, where Shinde shrugged and said
the decision to offer higher procurement price would mean a cut in
the budget for all development works.

A NCP minister later said Shinde's remark was completely off the
mark. "Cotton crop all over the world has suffered. It's only in
India and more so in Maharashtra that the crop has done fairly well.

So cotton is going to fetch a high price in the international markets
this year, much higher than what we are offering to our farmers. Even
in the worst of the scenarios, we will get at least Rs 2,400 per
quintal, giving us a loss of Rs 70 crore. What's Rs 70 crore in an
election year?" he asked.

Another NCP minister said Congress and especially Shinde were playing
too hard after the spat between state Congress president Ranjit
Deshmukh and NCP.

"How long shall we suffer this? Not long," he said, suggesting there
will be a review of ties after the Assembly elections in five states
in December

http://web.mid-day.com/news/city/2003/november/67674.htm

RAIPUR : It will be Shyama Charan Shukla versus his younger brother
Vidya Charan Shukla in the forthcoming Assembly elections in
Chhattisgarh on December 1.

  In order to counter the growing influence of Vidya Charan Shukla
and his Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) in the state, the ruling
Congress has decided to pitch veteran Congress leader Shyama Charan
Shukla against him.

  Both the Shukla brothers have been old-time Congress supporters -
until recently.

  Vidya Charan left the Congress fold five months ago due to
differences with Chief Minister Ajit Jogi and joined the NCP.

  In a bid to stop him from making a dent in the Congress vote bank,
the party appointed Shyama Charan, former chief minister of
undivided Madhya Pradesh and currently a member of Parliament,
chairman of the state election committee.

  "The decision was taken by the central leadership of the party at
the behest of Chhattisgarh unit of the Congress a couple of days
back," a senior Congress leader of the state said.

  Clearly, the Congress finds the going is not so easy in the run-up
to the state's first election since it was carved out of Madhya
Pradesh in November 2000.

  The NCP has emerged as a formidable force to contend with, sounding
alarm bells in the Congress camp as well as the BJP.

  Vidya Charan is said to have a strong hold over the upper caste
voters in the state, with a loyal following in the state capital
Raipur and its adjoining districts like Rajnandgaon and Dhamtari.

  Vidya Charan appeared confident of beating the Congress at its
game.

  He said: "No doubt Shyama Charan Shukla is an experienced and
seasoned politician. But he will not be able to influence the
prospects of the NCP in any way.

  "What to talk of Shyama Charan, Jogi's name has been tarnished so
much that nobody can save him from losing the elections."

  Shyama Charan seemed equally unperturbed.

  "It hardly matters if I am pitched against my brother. I will do
what my party has asked me to do," he said.


Bk

New Delhi, Oct 23: In a rebuff to Sharad Pawar-led NCP, Congress has
dismissed suggestions of anyone other than Sonia Gandhi being
projected as the party's prime ministerial candidate in the next
elections saying a "surrogate does not serve the purpose".

Describing Gandhi as an "outstanding leader" of Congress, its chief
spokesman S Jaipal Reddy also said the party would emerge as the
single largest and "we never depended upon the NCP as an ally in the
next Lok Sabha polls, but I am not ruling that either".

"A person who commands popular confidence, who has command over the
party should lead the government. A surrogate does not serve the
purpose," he said in a television interview.

Reddy stated this when told that Congress prospects might improve
considerably if the party were to announce that Gandhi would not be
its candidate for prime ministership.

Questioned about the Congress' "faltering relationship" with NCP and
that it had failed to attract any allies since the Shimla conclave
in July, he said the Congress hoped to win more than 200 seats in
the polls.

"We have a strategy in all the states where we are weak. We have a
redoubtable reliable ally in Laloo Yadav. We need to fix up our
alliance in UP.... We have an option with Mulayam Singh Yadav.... We
have our strategy in all the states where we are weak," he said.

Besides, Reddy said, the Left parties "out of their unselfish
ideological commitment, made an announcement that they would
consider an alliance or an alignment with Congress in the post-poll
situation".

On the economic front, Reddy said Congress was prepared to disinvest
profitable public sector undertakings "provided their long term
prospects are not bright".

Commenting on the coming assembly elections, he said in the four
Congress-ruled states the party would prove that there is no anti-
incumbency factor operating against it.

On Gandhi's performance as leader of Opposition and party president,
he said she has proved to be "enormously successful" in keeping the
party together. She is "too correct a parliamentarian to speak in
impromptu interventions.... Her interventions were well considered
and.... They hit and also hurt".

Disagreeing with the view that Gandhi had no answer to the country's
problems, he said she has been consistent in articulating
an "alternative liberal vision" that Congress offers to the country.

Bk

Mumbai, Oct 28: In an attempt to take wind out of its alliance
partner NCP's sails, the ruling Congress legislators from Vidarbha
today demanded a price of Rs 2,500 per quintal for cotton and
threatened to resign over the issue if the DF government fails to
accede to their request.

"We demand that cotton growers should get Rs 2,500 per quintal for
the commodity purchased by the government. Similarly, the government
should continue with its monopoly cotton procurement scheme",
Congress legislator Laxmanrao Tayade, who attended the meeting of
party MLAs, told reporters here.

The Congress MLAs huddled together at the residence of Minister of
State for Energy Manikrao Thakre to deliberate over the matter after
getting wind that NCP legislators from the backward region of the
state are slated to meet tonight to discuss the issue of cotton
price.

Besides Thakre, Congress ministers in the DF ministry including
Babasaheb Dhabekar, Vasant Purke, Bandu Sawarbandhe, and Vasudha
Deshmukh attended the meeting.

Both Congress and NCP--the ruling partners in the DF government--
have swung into action after the BJP strongman from Vidarbha Nitin
Gadkari threatened to resort to an agitation if government fails to
announce remunerative prices for the commodity.

With assembly elections slated for next year, the political parties
are attempting to derive political mileage over the issue,
concerning lakhs of cotton cultivators in Vidarbha and Marathwada
regions.


Bk

Dear Bharat Kumar,

With my due respects to every citizen of my great Bharat..

People in this country have been manipulated to such a degree
that they have formed a habit that is very hard to die. It is like a
mad man continues with his tantrums without ever realizing this many
years that his acts are insane and he is cured of his disease.

Why do politicians plan such dirty games of alliance and device plans
and why is lure of seats of power so strong in their hearts..? This is
because of a fact that we have reduced politics to pure business and
elections are hardly won by the strengths and merits of a candidates
but how much adept they are in throwing dust into the eyes of millions..
and how they use corrupt ambitious large corporate sector money and
power of media to distract the masses into believing their claims. And
masses true to their habit forget to see their hidden agenda and act time
and again like a sleepwalker..

Just to give  you one example: Give any simple man support  of media
and money power of large corporate sector and he may knock down in
election his opponent even if his rival happens to be a known National
figure for decades. Now Corporate sector has openly entered into this power
game and they all want to hve their puppets in ruling government..Our
leaders are not able to shake off the grip of such Corporate sector because
they allowed this themselves and we all know why.

Is this not strange that Sharad had a lot to say about Sonia's Videshi issue
but did failed to realize that Videshi is  Challa  rahen hein is desh ko. All
large
corporate and media tycoons have their lords sitting out of India and all is
happening on set designs. Other day I saw on TV a staged glittering show
where Finance Minister and Deputy PM were invited as special guests to
honor some select people. It was so amusing to watch them bemused and
spellbound all the time they were there and in the end a model like half
dressed Urvashi came on stage and just in a foto finish manner danced her
position with the FM for the foto session and even looked askantly then how
close she was. And the message was clear the Lords of Indian Corporate
segments were there hoping for BULAND BHARAT KI BULAND TASVEER-
KARLO DUNIA MUTHI MEIN....

Until we awaken masses in all states and help them to see what they
have not been told delibrately and unless we awaken the conscience
of the people to take back what belongs to them..and unless we help
people to see what is black and what is white nothing much can happen.
But before one steps ahead to do this he or she would need facts and
must also possess a burning desire to set the country again on the
right track and free our societies from the dirty claws of disinformation
and exploitation that a billion of people in my country are subjected to..

We can do a lot together..


Ashok Sharma




Bharatkumar <bharatkumar007@...> wrote:
NEW DELHI : The BJP is not entirely confident that along with its
current NDA allies, it can form a government after the next general
elections.

So, sources said, the party is in close touch — directly and through
intermediaries — with Mulayam Singh Yadav's Samajwadi Party, Sharad
Pawar's Nationalist Congress Party and J Jayalalithaa's AIADMK, with
the long-term objective of getting them to back the NDA.

   The BJP's gameplan is to ensure that these three parties help keep
the Congress' numbers down, so that the BJP again emerges as the
single largest party.

   In UP, the BJP by ``helping'' the SP to form the government is
hoping that it won't come to an arrangement with the Congress in the
state.

In Maharashtra, the NCP gave evidence of its affection for the BJP
by helping to sabotage the Congress candidate's chances in the
Solapur LS by-election and in the forthcoming assembly elections, it
is putting up candidates in Chhattisgarh in the hope that it will
cut into the Congress votebank, apart from the fact that Sharad
Pawar again recently raised the foreign origin issue.

Bk


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Dear  Bk,

So  I  guessed right about a month earlier and  did perhaps discuss this
once with a friend from this list when Sharad first fired the first Salvo on
Sonia  Nationality issue. I had thought then that there must have happened
by and between  NCP leader and BJP and this is  first sequence of plan
that we see and story will unfold later.

I am with you to see and defeat all such communal forces that flare up
the harmony of the country in name of beating the drums of religion or
Mandir Masjid issue. We are being pulled back into a dark abyss and
must soon realize that it is in no interest for individual and nor do it does
any good to the country.

But in the last let me say this- Should we not allow all thugs and such
enemies of  harmony and peace  to  huddle  together. It will be  better
for a billions  of Indian citizen to handle them all once for all collectively.
So,  let  them  gather  together and  may be it is the plan of Nature to
collect all divisive  forces  together  before sounding a biguell of making
finally their flag down for all time to come.


Ashok Sharma


Bharatkumar <bharatkumar007@...> wrote:
Friends,Countrymen,Indians and Wellwishers

I am not happy that NCP is thinking of a possible tieup with BJP.

BJP is not at all a good choice at all,they are the one who want to
diverge the mind of people on temple and masjid issue and the cause
of godhra and hell lot of things.

They are the one who cause blood shed.

I strongly object and want u all members to think abt it and
respond  back.


Jai Hind Jai Rashtravadi

Rashtravadi in True Sense

BharatKumar S Bhandary (Bk)


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[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Friends,Countrymen,Indians and Wellwishers

I am not happy that NCP is thinking of a possible tieup with BJP.

BJP is not at all a good choice at all,they are the one who want to
diverge the mind of people on temple and masjid issue and the cause
of godhra and hell lot of things.

They are the one who cause blood shed.

I strongly object and want u all members to think abt it and
respond  back.


Jai Hind Jai Rashtravadi

Rashtravadi in True Sense

BharatKumar S Bhandary (Bk)

NEW DELHI : The BJP is not entirely confident that along with its
current NDA allies, it can form a government after the next general
elections.

So, sources said, the party is in close touch — directly and through
intermediaries — with Mulayam Singh Yadav's Samajwadi Party, Sharad
Pawar's Nationalist Congress Party and J Jayalalithaa's AIADMK, with
the long-term objective of getting them to back the NDA.

   The BJP's gameplan is to ensure that these three parties help keep
the Congress' numbers down, so that the BJP again emerges as the
single largest party.

   In UP, the BJP by ``helping'' the SP to form the government is
hoping that it won't come to an arrangement with the Congress in the
state.

In Maharashtra, the NCP gave evidence of its affection for the BJP
by helping to sabotage the Congress candidate's chances in the
Solapur LS by-election and in the forthcoming assembly elections, it
is putting up candidates in Chhattisgarh in the hope that it will
cut into the Congress votebank, apart from the fact that Sharad
Pawar again recently raised the foreign origin issue.

Bk

--- HAMSA LATHA <sampat32@...> wrote:
---------------------------------



(This job is open for Indian Residents &  Indian
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Terms of Service.
Reply
Please Send me details on palkar@...

Applicant- SHAILESH VASANT PALKAR.
907, Laxmi- Sundar, Anandnagar, A/P/T- Poladpur, Dist-
Raigad, PIN-  402303
Res/ Sir:
I’ve done many jobs in various newspapers on the post
of sub-editor or news-editor & I’m related to the
field of print journalism about 12 years. You have
required  the experienced person of media. I hereby
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ability any suitable job . I’ll fulfil your
expectations certainly.
BIO-DATA
Name- 	 Shailesh Vasant Palkar.
Address-  907, `Laxmi-Sundar’, Anandnagar, Palkar
Colony,
			 A/P/T- Poladpur, Dist- Raigad, PIN- 402303
Email ID-  palkarsv@...     &
palkarsv@...
Tel- Fax-  02191/ 240363            &
02191/ 241173
Education-  * B.A.(Economics Spl.)
			 * H.S.C. (Tourism & Travel Techniques) 1st Class
			 * Advance Diploma in Computer Applications (I.T.)
Own a computer
Awards/ Prizes-  * `Samajbhushan’ from Mumbai
Vrittapatra Lekhak Sangh (Regd.) Raigad Shakha
			 * 2nd Prize for debate on `AIDS Awareness’
			 organized by Dept. of Broadcasting, Govt. Of India.
			 * Monument from Konkan Marathi Sahitya Parishad
(Raigad District)
			 * Monument from Daily Kinarpatti for best
journalist in Raigad district
Participant-  * Bharat Scout & Guide National Jamboree
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			 * Maharashtra Centre for Enterpreneuorship
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Membership-  1) Raigad  Zilha Marathi Patrakar Sangh
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			 3) Secretary, Konkan Marathi Sahitya Parishad,
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Friends,Indians,Countrymen

This Diwali which leads us into Truth and Light is celebrated on a
nation-wide scale on Amavasya - the 15th day of the dark fortnight
of the Hindu month of Ashwin (Aasho) (October / November) every
year. It symbolises that age-old culture of our country which
teaches us to vanquish ignorance that subdues humanity and to drive
away darkness that engulfs the light of knowledge. Diwali, the
festival of lights even to-day in this modern world projects the
rich and glorious past of our country and teaches us to uphold the
true values of life.

  The word "Diwali" is the corruption of the Sanskrit
word "Deepavali" - Deepa meaning light and Avali, meaning a row. It
means a row of lights and indeed illumination forms its main
attraction. Every home - lowly or mightly - the hut of the poor or
the mansion of the rich - is alit with the orange glow of twinkling
diyas-small earthen lamps - to welcome Lakshmi, Goddess of wealth
and prosperity. Multi-coloured Rangoli designs, floral decorations
and fireworks lend picturesness and grandeur to this festival which
heralds joy, mirth and happiness in the ensuring year.


  This festival is celebrated on a grand scale in almost all the
regions of India and is looked upon mainly as the beginning of New
Year. As such the blessings of Lakshmi, the celestial consort of
Lord Vishnu are invoked with prayers. Even countries like Gkyena,
Thailand, Trinidad, Siam and Malaya celebrate this festival but in
their own ways.


This Diwali festival, it is surmised dates back to that period when
perhaps history was not written, and in its progress through
centuries it lighted path of thousands to attain the ultimate good
and complete ecstasy.
Diwali or more aptly Deepavali is very enthusiastically celebrated
for five continuous days and each day has its significance with a
number of myths, legends and beliefs.

  The First day is called DHANTERAS or DHANTRAYODASHI which falls on
the thirteenth day of the month of Ashwin. The word "Dhan" means
wealth. As such this day of the five-day Diwali festival has a great
importance for the rich mercantile community of Western India.
Houses and Business premises are renovated and decorated. Entrances
are made colourful with lovely traditional motifs of Rangoli designs
to welcome the Goddess of wealth and prosperity. To indicate her
long-awaited arrival, small footprints are drawn with rice flour and
vermilion powder all over the houses. Lamps are kept burning all
through the nights. Believing this day to be auspicious women
purchase some gold or silver or at least one or two new
utensils. "Lakshmi-Puja" is performed in the evenings when tiny
diyas of clay are lighted to drive away the shadows of evil
spirits. "Bhajans"-devotional songs- in praise of Goddess Laxmi are
sung and "Naivedya" of traditional sweets is offered to the Goddess.
There is a peculiar custom in Maharashtra to lightly pound dry
coriander seeds with jaggery and offer as Naivedya.

In villages cattles are adorned and worshipped by farmers as they
form the main source of their income. In south cows are offered
special veneration as they are supposed to be the incarnation of
Goddess Lakshmi and therefore they are adorned and worshipped on
this day.

A very interesting story about this day is of the sixteen year old
son of King Hima. As per his horoscope he was doomed to die by a
snake-bite on the fourth day of his marriage. On that particular
fourth day of his marriage his young wife did not allow him to
sleep. She laid all the ornaments and lots of gold and silver coins
in a big heap at the entrance of her husband's boudoir and lighted
innumerable lamps all over the place. And she went on telling
stories and singing songs. When Yam, the god of Death arrived there
in the guise of a Serpent his eyes got blinded by that dazzle of
those brilliant lights and he could not enter the Prince's chamber.
So he climbed on top of the heap of the ornaments and coins and sat
there whole night listening to the melodious songs. In the morning
he quietly went away. Thus the young wife saved her husband from the
clutches of death. Since then this day of Dhanteras came to be known
as the day of "YAMADEEPDAAN" and lamps are kept burning throughout
the night in reverential adoration to Yam, the god of Death.


  The SECOND day is called NARKA-CHATURDASHI or CHOTI DIWAL which
falls on the fourteenth day of the month of Ashwin. The story goes
that the demon king Narakasur ruler of Pragjyotishpur ( a province
to the South of Nepal) after defeating Lord Indra had snatched away
the magnificent earrings of Aditi, the Mother Goddess and imprisoned
sixteen thousand daughters of the gods and saints in his harem. On
the day previous to Narakachaturdashi, Lord Krishna killed the demon
and liberated the imprisoned damsels and also recovered those
precious earrings of Aditi. As a symbol of that victory Lord Krishna
smeared his forehead with the demon king's blood. Krishna returned
home in the very early morning of the Narakachaturdashi day. The
womenfolk massaged scented oil to his body and gave him a good bath
to wash away the filth from his body. Since then the custom of
taking bath before sunrise on this day has become a traditional
practice specially in Maharashtra.
In South India that victory of the divine over the mundane is
celebrated in a very peculiar way. People wake up before sunrise
prepare blood by mixing Kumkum in oil and after breaking a bitter
fruit that represents the head of the demon King that was smashed by
Krishna, apply that mixture on their foreheads. Then they have an
oil bath using sandalwood paste.

In Maharashtra also, traditional early baths with oil and "Uptan"
(paste) of gram flour and fragrant powders are a `must'. All through
the ritual of baths, deafening sounds of crackers and fireworks are
there in order that the children enjoy bathing. Afterwards steamed
vermiceli with milk and sugar or puffed rice with curd is served.

Another legend is about King Bali of the nether world mighty power
had become a threat to the gods. In order to curb his powers Lord
Vishnu in the guise of a Batu Waman- a small boy- visited him and
begged him to give him only that much land which he could cover with
his three steps. Known for his philanthropy King Bali proudly
granted him his wish. That very moment that small boy transformed
himself into the all-powerful Lord Vishnu. With his first step Lord
Vishnu covered the entire heaven and with the second step the earth
and asked Bali where to keep his third step. Bali offered his head.
Putting his foot on his head Vishnu pushed him down to the
underworld. At the same time for his generosity Lord Vishnu gave him
the lamp of knowledge and allowed him to return to earth once a year
to light millions of lamps to dispel the darkness and ignorance and
spread the radiance of love and wisdom.

This Narakachaturdashi day therefore is dedicated to lights and
prayers heralding a future full of joy and laughter.

The THIRD day of the festival of Diwali is the most important day of
LAKSHMI-PUJA which is entirely devoted to the propitiation of
Goddess Lakshmi. This day is also known by the name of "CHOPADA-
PUJA". On this very day sun enters his second course and passes
Libra which is represented by the balance or scale. Hence, this
design of Libra is believed to have suggested the balancing of
account books and their closing. Despite the fact that this day
falls on an amavasya day it is regarded as the most auspicious.

The day of Lakshmi-Puja falls on the dark night of Amavasya. The
strains of joyous sounds of bells and drums float from the temples
as man is invoking Goddess Lakshmi in a wondrous holy "pouring-in"
of his heart. All of a sudden that impenetrable darkness is pierced
by innumerable rays of light for just a moment and the next moment a
blaze of light descends down to earth from heaven as golden-footed
Deep-Lakshmi alights on earth in all her celestial glory amidst
chantings of Vedic hymns. A living luminance of Universal Motherhood
envelopes the entire world in that blessed moment of fulfillment of
a long-awaited dream of the mortal. A sublime light of knowledge
dawns upon humanity and devotion of man finally conquers ignorance.
This self enlightenment is expressed through the twinkling lamps
that illuminate the palaces of the wealthy as well as the lowly
abodes of the poor. It is believed that on this day Lakshmi walks
through the green fields and loiters through the bye-lanes and
showers her blessings on man for plenty and prosperity. When the sun
sets in the evening and ceremonial worship is finished all the home-
made sweets are offered to the goddess as "NAIVEDYA" and distributed
as "PRASAD". Feasts are arranged and gifts are exchanged on this day
gaily dressed men, women and children go to temples and fairs, visit
friends and relatives. Everything is gay, gold and glitter!

One of the most curious customs which characterises this festival of
Diwali is the indulgence of gambling, specially on a large scale in
North India. It is believed that goddess Parvati played dice with
her husband, Lord Shiv on this day and she decreed that whosoever
gambled on Diwali night would prosper throughout the ensuring year.
This tradition of playing cards- flush and rummy with stakes on this
particular day continues even to-day.

On this auspicious day Lord Shri Krishna around whom revolved the
entire story of our great epic Mahabharat and the philosopher, who
preached Karmayog through his Geeta to Arjun on the battlefield of
Kurukshetra, discarded his body.

Bhagwan, Mahavir, the Jain prophet also attained "Nirvan" on this
day.

Swami Ramtirth, the beloved "Ram Badshah" of millions of Indians was
not only born on this day and took "Sanyas" but also took "Samadhi"
on this day.

Swami Dayanand Saraswati, founder of Brahma-Samaj with his superb
yogic powers greed his soul from his body and mingled with divinity
on this auspicious day of Diwali.

We kindle innumerable lights on this day to immortalise the sacred
memories of those great men who lived to brighten the lives of
millions of their fellow beings.

One very interesting story about this Diwali day is from
Kathopanishad of a small boy called Nichiketa who believed that Yam,
the god of Death was as black as the dark night of amavasya. But
when he met Yam in person he was puzzled seeing Yam's calm
countenance and dignified stature. Yam explained to Nichiketa on
this Diwali day of amavasya that by only passing through the
darkness of death, man sees the light of highest wisdom and then
only his soul can escape from the bondage of his mortal frame to
mingle with the Supreme Power without whose will not an at ton moves
in the world. And then Nichiketa realised the importance of worldly
life and significance of death. Nichiketa's all doubts were set at
rest and he whole-heartedly participated in Diwali celebrations.

The FOURTH day is PADWA or VARSHAPRATIPADA which marks the
coronation of King Vikramaditya and Vikaram-Samvat was started from
this Padwa day.

Govardhan-Puja is also performed in the North on this day. As per
Vishnu-Puran the people of Gokul used to celebrate a festival in
honour of Lord Indira and worshipped him after the end of every
monsoon season but one particular year the young Krishna stopped
them from offering prayers to Lord Indra who in terrific anger sent
a deluge to submerge Gokul. But Krishna saved his Gokul by lifting
up the Govardhan mountain and holding it over the people as an
umbrella.

Govardhan is a small hillock in Braj, near Mathura and on this day
of Diwali people of Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar build
cowdung, hillocks, decorate them with flowers and then worship them.

This day is also observed as Annakoot meaning mountain of food. In
temples specially in Mathura and Nathadwara, the deities are given
milkbath, dressed in shining attires with ornaments of dazzling
diamonds, pearls, rubies and other precious stones. After the
prayers and traditional worship innumerable varieties of delicious
sweets are ceremoniously raised in the form of a mountain before the
deities as "Bhog" and then the devotees approach the Mountain of
Food and take Prasad from it.

Goddess Lakshmi is worshipped in every Hindu household and her
blessings sought for success and happiness. This day is looked upon
as the most auspicious day to start any new venture. In many Hindu
homes it is a custom for the wife to put the red tilak on the
forehead of her husband, garland him and do his "Aarathi" with a
prayer for his long life. In appreciation of all the tender care
that the wife showers on him, the husband gives her a costly gift.
This Gudi Padwa is symbolic of love and devotion between the wife
and husband. On this day newly-married daughters with their husbands
are invited for special meals and given presents. In olden days
brothers went to fetch their sisters from their in-laws home for
this important day.

The FIFTH and final day of Diwali Festival is known by the name
of "BHAYYA-DUJ" in the Hindi-speaking belt "BHAV-BIJ" in the Marathi-
speaking communities and in Nepal by the name of "BHAI-TIKA". As the
legend goes Yamraj, the God of Death visited his sister Yami on this
particular day. She put the auspicious tilak on his forehead,
garlanded him and led him with special dishes and both of them
together ate the sweets, talked and enjoyed themselves to their
heart's content, while parting Yamraj gave her a special gift as a
token of his love and in return Yami also gave him a lovely gift
which she had made with her own hands. That day Yamraj announced
that anyone who receives tilak from his sister will never be thrown.
That is why this day of Bhayyaduj is also known by the name of "YAMA-
DWITIYA" Since then this day is being observed as a symbol of love
between sisters and brothers. It became also imperative for the
brother to go to his sister's house to celebrate Bhayyaduj.

In today's world when pressing everyday problems are teaming as
under all the tender words of personal relationships, the
celebrating of this day has its own importance in continuing to
maintain the love between brothers and sisters for it is the day of
food-sharing, gift-giving and reaching out to the inner most depths
of the hearts.

Diwali on the whole has always been the festival with more social
than religious connotations. It is a personal, people-oriented
festival when enmities are forgotten, families and friends meet,
enjoy and establish a word of closeness.

As a festival of light and beauty it encourages artistic expressions
through home-decorations stage-plays, elocution competitions singing
and dancing programmes, making gift items and making delectable
sweets thereby discovering new talents of younger people. As a
result innumerable communities with varying cultures and customs
mingle together to make Diwali celebrations a very happy occasion
for all.

Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore has so aptly put forth the true
significance of Diwali in these beautiful lines :-
The night is black
Kindle the lamp of LOVE
With thy life and devotion."

""Happy Diwali May Ur Life be lit by the lights and they bring u
Prosperity and Peace...""

Truly Yours

BharatKumar S Bhandary (Bk)

Dear friends,

It is time for disclosures all over the world. Seems a new phase of activity has
stated and a new wind of change has started blowing all over the globe.

Just be ready in India as well for startling disclosures on way that will reveal
to us undreamt of surprizes as how millions of people in India were made to live
a condemned life and who a few gangsters who repeatedly misapropriated huge huge
amounts of public funds that could have made the life of all much better.

Media will play this down because it has a hand in the glove and we need
thousands of Team leaders who would carry the message to the masses and prepared
a beginning of a new ear of wakeful living in India.

Ashok Sharma

Report Fuels Calls for New Diana Probe
Mon Oct 20, 5:08 PM

By AUDREY WOODS, Associated Press Writer
LONDON - A letter reportedly written by Princess Diana expressing fears that
someone was plotting to eliminate her by tampering with the brakes of her car
brought the painful story of her death back to the front pages Monday and
prompted a call for a public inquiry.

AP Photo

The Daily Mirror tabloid said Diana wrote the letter to her butler Paul Burrell
in October 1996 — some 11 months before the Paris car crash that killed the
princess, her companion Dodi Fayed and the car's driver, Henri Paul.

Fayed's father, Mohammed al Fayed — who has long contended the crash was part of
a plot to kill the couple and not an accident — called on Prime Minister Tony
Blair (news - web sites) to hold a full and independent public inquiry or stand
accused of colluding in a cover-up.

The letter confirmed "the suspicions I have so often voiced in public and which
have thus far been ignored," al Fayed, the owner of Harrods department store,
said in a statement.

A French judge has ruled that the driver's use of drugs and alcohol and the
car's high speed caused the accident Aug. 31, 1997 in a Paris road tunnel. There
has never been an inquiry in Britain. A Surrey county coroner said in August he
would hold an inquest into Dodi Fayed's death, but no date has been set for it.
Buckingham Palace has said there will eventually be a British investigation of
Diana's death, since the law requires one, but no date has been announced.

The letter was included in excerpts from Burrell's forthcoming book "A Royal
Duty," published Monday in the Daily Mirror. The paper printed a photograph of
part of the letter.

The excerpts quoted the princess as writing to Burrell that "this particular
phase in my life is the most dangerous."

She reportedly wrote that someone was planning "an accident in my car, brake
failure and serious head injury in order to make the path clear for Charles to
marry."

The newspaper said Diana named the person she believed was plotting against her
but that it could not reveal the identity for fear of a lawsuit. The name was
blacked out in the photo of the letter.

The Daily Mirror quoted Burrell as saying that in the letter containing the
allegation she told him, "I'm going to date this and I want you to keep it ...
just in case."

Clarence House, representing Prince Charles, declined to comment on the latest
claims, and a spokeswoman for Diana's brother, Earl Spencer, said he was aware
of the newspaper story but had no comment.

Al Fayed criticized Burrell for keeping the letter to himself for so long.

"I'm disappointed that it has taken Burrell six years to reveal this
extraordinary correspondence and it raises questions as to what other important
secrets he may be harboring," Fayed said.

He suggested Burrell's silence was the result of pressure from the royal
household and pointed to the former butler's trial on charges of stealing some
of Diana's possessions. Burrell's trial collapsed last year after Queen
Elizabeth II (news - web sites) said he'd told her he was taking the items for
safekeeping.

The book excerpt said Diana suspected listening devices were planted in her home
at Kensington Palace and that he and the princess once rolled up the sitting
room rug and prised up the floorboards but found no such devices.

Burrell said Diana believed she was regarded as a nuisance once she and Charles
were divorced in 1996.

"She certainly felt that 'the system' didn't appreciate her work and that for as
long as she was on the scene Prince Charles could never properly move on," the
former butler was quoted as saying.



Burrell reportedly told the paper he had been uncertain what to do with the
letter.
"That letter had been part of the burden I have carried since the princess's
death," he was quoted as saying. "Knowing what to do with it has been a source
of much soul-searching."
He said he hoped it would bring a British inquest into Diana's death.
Over the past six years, Burrell was quoted as saying, "I have watched and
listened as many individuals have claimed to know the truth about the princess.
I know that what was claimed to be the truth is actually far from it."
"I believe the people of Britain and the wider world who loved the princess
deserve to know the truth about her life."




Ashok Sharma


---------------------------------
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[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

NEW DELHI: While keen on a pre-poll alliance with the Congress in
Maharashtra, Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar on Monday
firmly indicated that he was working for the emergence and victory
of a third front at the national level.



He said he did not visualise either a National democratic Alliance
(NDA) government or one led by the Congress coming to power at the
Centre after the 2004 polls.



"I will be happy if the type of situation as witnessed in 1996
arises,'' when neither the Congress nor the BJP could form a
government.



He said the verdict in the coming assembly elections in five states
might give signals about the future political realignments. In an
acknowledgement that his real power lay in Maharashtra, Pawar did a
virtual turn-around saying that his recent remarks against Congress
president Sonia Gandhi were "casual''.



"It was a casual remark..I had not taken the name of Sonia Gandhi.
You don't talk everything serious in public meetings.. Some jokes
and lighter things are also necessary,'' he said.



Who was the bigger enemy: BJP or Sonia Gandhi? Pawar said in public
life there were no enemies but ideologically he was far from the
BJP. Pawar declined to commit anything when asked whether he would
not raise the foreign origin issue of Ms Gandhi in the Lok Sabha
elections.



He said that his party believed that the country should be led by
those born and brought up here and high posts like president, prime
minister, Lok Sabha speaker and chief justice should be managed by
them.



Sonia bypasses issue: Congress president Sonia Gandhi, who ended her
two-day tour of Maharashtra by addressing a mammonth rally in
Kolhapur on Sunday, ignored the reported criticism of NCP chief
Sharad Pawar about her foreign origin and the demand for snapping
ties with the NCP.



Sonia's attitude is significant considering Pawar's remarks that had
led to a political crisis in the state.

Bk

New Delhi, Oct 20: Sharad Pawar seems to have climbed down a little
on the issue of Sonia Gandhi not being born in India. Today, the
Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief made the first concrete
attempt to reach out to Sonia Gandhi, claiming that he never meant
to attack the Congress President personally.

"It was a casual remark. I had not taken the name of Sonia Gandhi. I
don't raise controversial issues against the Congress in
Maharashtra. You don't talk everything serious in public meetings.
Some jokes and lighter things are also necessary," Pawar said.

Sharad Pawar's apparent softening comes after Sonia Gandhi was in
Maharashtra where she attracted huge crowds. Pawar now wants talks
with the Congress on a pre-poll alliance to begin at once fearing a
break-up in the NCP-Congress could spell doom for the Maharashtra
government.

"We want the Congress to decide whether they want a tie-up. We want
a decision on this soon," he said.

Pawar declined to commit anything when asked whether he would not
raise the foreign origin issue of Sonia Gandhi in the Lok Sabha
elections, but emphasised he does not see the possibility of a
Congress-led Government at the Centre after the next Lok Sabha
polls.

On being asked about possible alliances with the Congress in other
states, Pawar maintained that he's not going to "commit anything at
this juncture".

Relying to a specific query as to who was his bigger enemy, BJP or
Sonia Gandhi, Pawar replied that there are no enemies in public
life. He however maintained that his party is also "fighting
communal forces" and said that the BJP is still the prime enemy for
him.


Bk

"As per Ajit Jogi's campaign he says Asli
Chattisgarihi Mukhyamantri Banega so if its true for
Chattisgarh it applies to All India and one must say
Asli Bharatiya hi PM banega"...... Venkaiya Naidu

NCP is not afraid of one woman but its afraid of India
having a PM of foreign origin irrespective of gender.
Infact we can say that she can announce any other
woman as a congress candidate for PM. and NCP will
take back its foreign origin issue.

santosh deshpande


--- Bharatkumar <bharatkumar007@...> wrote:
> Satara, Oct 18: Congress chief Sonia Gandhi today
> continued her
> tirade against the NCP while addressing a rally here
> today, saying
> that the NCP members were not nationalists in the
> true sense. Sonia
> Gandhi is on a tour of the drought-affected areas in
> the state.
>
> Maharashtra Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde
> announced various
> drought relief packages in the presence of the
> Congress chief. These
> will cost a total of Rs 2500 crore that the state
> exchequer can ill-
> afford. The schemes have been announced without
> discussions with the
> NCP, which is the Congress' ally in the Maharashtra
> coalition
> government. The announced schemes are being seen as
> a populist
> measure which may not be economically viable for the
> state.
>
> Sonia Gandhi had lambasted the NCP yesterday while
> addressing a
> Stree Shakti rally in Beed. While on the one hand
> she slammed NCP
> chief Sharad Pawar for raking up the issue of her
> foreign origin, on
> the other hand she asked why the NCP nationalists
> were afraid of a
> woman coming to power. She said that after marrying
> into the Gandhi
> family she had observed all Indian customs and
> traditions and was a
> true Indian.
>
> Bk
>
>
>


__________________________________
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MUMBAI: The Parel unit of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) has
threatened to launch an agitation against the Brihanmumbai Municipal
Corporation (BMC) for not initiating criminal proceedings against
KEM Hospital's seven employees, who were suspended last month on
charges of corruption and misappropriation of records.

Assistant dean Anant Bhamre and six others were accused of selling
17,000 kg of used x-ray films to a scrap dealer whereas the records
showed a sale of mere 3,000 kg for a sum of Rs 1.5 lakh.

NCP activist Baban Kanavje said his party had submitted a memorandum
to deputy chief minister Chhagan Bhujbal on this issue a fortnight
ago.

"The deputy CM had directed the police to take action. However, the
police have expressed their inability to do anything since the BMC
has not filed a police complaint,'' he said, adding that the NCP
would pressurise the corporation to initiate criminal proceedings
against the accused.

Bk

Satara, Oct 18: Congress chief Sonia Gandhi today continued her
tirade against the NCP while addressing a rally here today, saying
that the NCP members were not nationalists in the true sense. Sonia
Gandhi is on a tour of the drought-affected areas in the state.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde announced various
drought relief packages in the presence of the Congress chief. These
will cost a total of Rs 2500 crore that the state exchequer can ill-
afford. The schemes have been announced without discussions with the
NCP, which is the Congress' ally in the Maharashtra coalition
government. The announced schemes are being seen as a populist
measure which may not be economically viable for the state.

Sonia Gandhi had lambasted the NCP yesterday while addressing a
Stree Shakti rally in Beed. While on the one hand she slammed NCP
chief Sharad Pawar for raking up the issue of her foreign origin, on
the other hand she asked why the NCP nationalists were afraid of a
woman coming to power. She said that after marrying into the Gandhi
family she had observed all Indian customs and traditions and was a
true Indian.

Bk

Dear Friends,
I have just read and signed the petition:
Stop the Importation of Endangered Species!
http://www.thePetitionSite.com/takeaction/605696099
Please help by signing this petition. It takes 30 seconds and will really help.
Please follow this link:
The system centralizes signature collection to provide consolidated, useful
reports for petition authors and targets. Please forward this email to others
you believe share your concern. To view additional petitions, please click here:
http://www.thePetitionSite.com
Thank you

Total Signatures: 2,962
The most recent signatures*  as of 2:52 AM PDT Oct 17, 2003

# 2,962   10/16/03  11:22 PM   Mrs. MaryAnne Gray, HI, US
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# 2,960   10/16/03  11:22 PM   Nicole Grijnsztein, NY, US
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# 2,954   10/16/03  11:21 PM   Jessica Barstow, NC, US
# 2,953   10/16/03  11:21 PM   Justin Grinnell, CA, US
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To add your name to this petition go to:

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Raipur, Oct 15: In a major setback to ruling Congress in
Chhattisgarh ahead of December one assembly poll, prominent tribal
leader and former Union minister Arvind Netam today joined NCP.

"Netam joined NCP along with his several supporters," NCP state
president V C Shukla told here.

Bk

Dear Brother,
  It is very sad thing to hear this,i have called up Mr.Najimuddin
Bookwala,Eminent Leader,as he is out of town,so unable to contact
him.
  Friend as u have mentioned that u have married the girl so no one
can force u to divorce her,u get in touch with a good lawer and file
a case of threatning in the near by police station,if the PSI does
not accept ur case then meet the Police Station Incharge and give ur
request in writing to him against whom u want to file a case.
   On the other hand u also give a written complaint to our Party
President Shri Sharad Chandra Pawar and also to Hon Home Minister
Shri Chaggan Bhujbal and also to shri R R Patil,NCP Mh State
President. If the NCP corporator is found guilty then severe action
would be taken against him/her.

Shri Sharad Chandra Pawar
Ph.Resi:022-23635222
         022-23635244
Ph.Off: 022-22813007

Shri Chaggan Bhujbal
Ph.Resi:022-23630640
         022-23631688
         022-22025014

Shri Najimuddin Bookwala
Ph.Resi:022-26435927
Mob:    9821427592
         022-31046090


Jai Hind Jai Rashtravadi

Bk







--- In nationalistcongressparty@..., shailesh palkar
<palkarsv@y...> wrote:
> To
> sir,
> My wife has been kidnapped by her sister who is NCP
> corporator in Chiplun Municipal corporation, Dist-
> Ratangiri,
> She wants my wife to be married in her caste while I
> have married intercaste with my wife.
> They have registered dovery case in Poladpur Police
> Station against me.
> They want divorce from me.
>  Here I beg your kindly help.
> Plese help me.
> Her Telephone No. is 02355252298
> & name is Mrs. Nita Nayan Sadvilkar.
> My name is Shailesh V. Palkar
> palkarsv@y...
>
>
>
>
_____________________________________________________________________
___
> Yahoo! India Matrimony: Find your partner online.
> Go to http://yahoo.shaadi.com

diwali wishes to all of you..

  i just want to ask onw que.... what happened to the the request that a
chiplunkar made in his mail last week... are higher officebearers of our NCP
aware of this...



Bharatkumar <bharatkumar007@...> wrote:
Friends,Countrymen,Wellwishers

I had recently visited Usmanabad District ,Marathwada,Mharashtra
State for some party work.

I met almost all top leaders of NCP in Usmanabad district on the
list were Dr Padamsing Patil,Shri Pawanraj Nimbalkar--Lokpriya
Neta,Shri Sanjay Desai--NCP President,Usmanabad District.

Every one was happy about our work and have given there goodwishes
for Diwali.

Special thanks to Shri Dilip Deshmukh and Rajesh Shetty (Anna)

Jai Hind Jai Rashtrawadi

Bk


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luv u
mail back

cheers,
A.

////**** ur future lies in ur dreams.... so go to sleep****////


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Friends,Countrymen,Wellwishers

  I had recently visited Usmanabad District ,Marathwada,Mharashtra
State for some party work.

  I met almost all top leaders of NCP in Usmanabad district on the
list were Dr Padamsing Patil,Shri Pawanraj Nimbalkar--Lokpriya
Neta,Shri Sanjay Desai--NCP President,Usmanabad District.

  Every one was happy about our work and have given there goodwishes
for Diwali.

Special thanks to Shri Dilip Deshmukh and Rajesh Shetty (Anna)

Jai Hind Jai Rashtrawadi

Bk

To
sir,
My wife has been kidnapped by her sister who is NCP
corporator in Chiplun Municipal corporation, Dist-
Ratangiri,
She wants my wife to be married in her caste while I
have married intercaste with my wife.
They have registered dovery case in Poladpur Police
Station against me.
They want divorce from me.
  Here I beg your kindly help.
Plese help me.
Her Telephone No. is 02355252298
& name is Mrs. Nita Nayan Sadvilkar.
My name is Shailesh V. Palkar
palkarsv@...



________________________________________________________________________
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Go to http://yahoo.shaadi.com

dear friends,

I still dont understand why Ranjit Deshmukh brings the
controversy of Delhi Speech to Maharashtra. I think
congress is in shock after Solapur by-election and
instead of accepting the defeat gracefully they find
NCP as a reason.

They denied the need of united fight against Narendra
Modi and failed miserabely, now they feel they can
have Maharashtra without SP.

Sonia's origin is definately a sensitive issue but
congress has no option now and unfortunately deaths of
leaders like Sindia and Pilot, congress can not move
even an inch without her.

Even though i dont agree that, her origin is a
political issue, I will always support my leader and
say

  SHARAD PAWAR AAGE BADHO HUM TUMHARE SATH HAI.


santosh deshpande

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Our Political Bureau in New Delhi
Published : October 13, 2003

Rejecting the Congress ultimatum to his party not to rake up the
issue of Congress chief Sonia Gandhi's foreign origin, Nationalist
Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar today said the issue would be
raised during the forthcoming Assembly polls and curtly told the
Congress it was free to take any decision including snapping ties in
Maharashtra as threatened.

"The Congress is free to take any decision including snapping of ties
in Maharashtra. There is no change in NCP's stand on Sonia's foreign
origin," said Pawar, whose party is an alliance partner in Congress-
led Democratic Front government in Maharashtra.

In a clear rebuff to Congress Maharashtra unit chief Ranjit Deshmukh,
Pawar said the Congress leadership in Delhi had not said anything
about the ultimatum.

He said the Congress could take any decision but there was no
question of giving up the issue or diluting his party's stand on the
issue.

"We had to leave the party and form the NCP because we dared to raise
the issue of Sonia's foreign origin issue," Pawar said "Jab tak woh
sarkar chalana hai (in Maharashtra) tab tak chalaenge. Agar nahi
chalana hai to nahi hi sahi" (As long as they want to run the DF
government, we will run it. If they do not want to run it, we have no
problems), the NCP chief said.

Pawar, whose NCP has been sharing power with the Congress since 1999,
said, "We sincerely feel that our country with a population of 100
crore has enough competent leaders who can rule the country and we do
not need any foreign leader to manage its the affairs."

He was speaking on the sidelines of a function to inaugurate a
hospital and an educational institution of the Manikchand Group of
Industries, in Shirur about 60 kms from Pune.

In Delhi, the NCP said it had its own agenda and was not "bonded
labour" simply because it had an alliance with the Congress.

"The NCP is an independent political party and we are not bound to go
by whatever the Congress says. We also have our own views and our own
way of reacting to issues," said Praful Patel, NCP spokesperson.

Yesterday, Jaipal Reddy charged Pawar with seeking to run with the
hares and hunt with the hounds. Pawar made several derogatory
references to Sonia's foreign origins at a rally in New Delhi. He has
also declared that the NCP would set up candidates all over
Chhattisgarh to defeat Congress Chief Minister Ajit Jogi.

Reddy's contention was that everything the NCP was doing was
undermining the Congress, although the NCP was in power in a state
solely because of the Congress.

He had referred to Pawar's acceptance of the vice-chairmanship of the
National Disaster Management Authority, a job that has the rank of a
Cabinet minister, and said the NCP hardly ever joined the rest of the
Opposition in taking up issues that were critical of the BJP-led NDA
government.

"Sharad Pawar deliberately refrained from making any comment on the
Tehelka expose and boycott of George Fernandes," Reddy alleged.

Yesterday, the Congress gave a seven-day ultimatum to the NCP chief
to reconsider his stand or face dire consequences. Today Patel said
such notices were "childish".

This was in response to Maharashtra Chief Minister Sushil Kumar
Shinde's statement that Pawar should desist from criticising the
Congress leadership while he was in a coalition.

The NCP has already proved that if it becomes active, it can do
serious damage to the electoral prospects of the Congress.

Because of the NCP, the Congress suffered serious defeats by large
margins in between 16 and 20 seats in the Gujarat Assembly elections.

It is the Congress's poor performance that put the Narendra Modi
government in power in Gujarat.

The current spat with the NCP is also a result of the humiliating
defeat that the Congress suffered in the Solapur Lok Sabha by-
election for which the NCP was seen as solely responsible.

However, immediately after the by-election, the Congress sought to
make light of Pawar's personal role in the matter, by saying that he
had himself done everything, including expelling some NCP leaders
from the region for working against the Congress-NCP alliance
candidate.

But an attack on Gandhi's foreign origins is not something the
Congress can stomach mainly because of the domino effect it could
have, leading to serious political destabilisation of the Congress.

Significantly, a day after Reddy's condemnation of Pawar's remarks,
there was no organised campaign from Congress leaders in the party's
headquarters criticising Pawar, indicating the party was quick to
strike but afraid to wound.

AND   RIGHTFULLY   SO...
Islamic nations tell U.S. to leave Iraq --Muslim nations have demanded "eviction
of all foreign forces from Iraq" at the start of a summit in Malaysia with only
[U.S. bribed] Turkey defending plans to deploy its troops alongside the U.S.-led
alliance.
Islamic Nations Tell U.S. to Quit Iraq, Support Syria --Muslim nations demanded
"eviction of all foreign forces from Iraq" as they began a summit in Malaysia on
Saturday, with only [U.S. bribed] Turkey defending plans to deploy its troops
alongside the U.S.-led alliance.
OIC Urges 'Eviction' Of Occupation Troops From Iraq --The Organization of the
Islamic Conference (OIC) opened their conference Saturday, October 11, opened
with a call for "the eviction of foreign forces from Iraq".
Iraq Plunged Into Turmoil --Iraq's Shi'ite leader claims he has formed a new
government which will begin operating immediately. Moqtada Sadr's announcement
came at the end of a week of protests directed at the US-led occupation forces.
In other developments, a fire broke out on a pipeline in the Kirkuk oil fields
in northeastern Iraq. Resistance fighters have been 'blamed'.
Shiite Leader Forms Shadow Cabinet, Anti-U.S. Fervor Ups --Hundreds of Iraqis
took to the streets of this Shiite holy city October 11, in support for a shadow
cabinet formed a day earlier by anti-U.S. firebrand Shiite leader Moqtada
al-Sadr.
Iraqi Shia leader calls for rival govt --Iraq's prominent Shiite leader Moqtada
Al Sadr claimed he will form a new government in the country today. According to
the announcement made during Friday's prayers, the government will be a republic
without terrorism and without occupation.
Four arrested in raid by American troops --In three pre-dawn raids near Saddam
Hussein's hometown, US troops on Saturday detained four suspects - two of whom
are believed to be linked to the ousted leader's special security operations
force, according to the US military.
10,000 Iraqis protest Baghdad killings --As many as ten thousand Shiite Muslims
gathered in Baghdad's Sadr city district on Friday after two US soldiers and at
least two Iraqis were killed in what the US military says was an ambush. Shiite
Muslims claimed the deaths occurred in a gunbattle triggered after American
soldiers approached the Baghdad headquarters of a radical Shiite cleric opposed
to the American occupation.
10,000 protest at killing of Shias --About 10,000 Shia Muslim demonstrators
surged on to the streets of Baghdad yesterday. They were protesting against the
Americans after a night that left two US soldiers and two Iraqis dead.
Was It All Worth It? Blair hears war questioned at Iraq service --No amount of
talking about ideals makes this easier, you know the cost in a unique way -
Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams said yesterday. Poodle Tony Blair went
to a sombre service yesterday for Britain's fallen heroes in Iraq - to hear the
war criticised by the Archbishop of Canterbury. Another churchman insisted on
remembering the Iraqi dead alongside our own. And a heckler shouted: "You
bastard!" at Mr Blair as he left St Paul's Cathedral.
Two Iraqi oil pipelines ablaze --Two oil pipelines have burst into flames in
northern Iraq after being hit by blasts on a day when two oil employees were
also killed. [Is Halliburton having the pipelines blown up so that they can
justify the money they 'need' to rebuild them, and make a tidy profit in the
process? Just a thought.]
Bush says Iraq returning to normal [Hello, McFly?!?] --Dictator moves to ward
off criticism of postwar policy --Seeking to bolster public support for his
foreign policy, Dictator Bush on Saturday offered a portrait of Iraq as a
country where life is returning to normal after war, insisting that "Iraq is
making progress" despite a steady drumbeat of bad news.
Many soldiers, same letter --Newspapers around U.S. get identical missives from
Iraq --Letters from hometown soldiers describing their 'successes rebuilding
Iraq' have been appearing in newspapers across the country as U.S. public
opinion on the mission sours. And all the letters are the same. A Gannett News
Service search found identical letters from different soldiers with the 2nd
Battalion of the 503rd Airborne Infantry Regiment, also known as "The Rock," in
11 newspapers. [Will the national media cover this Reichwing campaign of Bush
lies?]
Feds Condemn Robertson for Nuke Comment --The U.S. State Department has
condemned an on-air suggestion by religious broadcaster [and Reichwing whackjob]
Pat Robertson that the agency ought to be blown up with a nuclear device.
World crude-oil prices surge --Energy watchdog sees 'tight crude supplies'
[corpra-terrorist hoarding] this winter --World oil prices surged Friday,
gaining nearly a dollar per barrel and touching nine-week highs amid dealer
worries over thin petroleum stockpiles ahead of winter.
G.O.P. Leadership Interceding in Energy Talks --The top Republicans in the House
and Senate will intercede in talks about a new energy policy to keep
consideration of the legislation from slipping into next year, Congressional
aides said on Friday. Issues include electricity regulation, gasoline additives
and tax breaks for a natural gas pipeline from Alaska.
Ghoulish thought! Cheney visiting to attend GOP fund-raiser --Vice pResident
Dick Cheney will be in Southwest Florida on Oct. 31 to take part in a
fund-raiser for local Republicans. Cheney will meet with at least 1,000
contributors and supporters at the 'Thank You Southwest Florida' dinner at the
Hyatt Regency Resort & Spa on Coconut Point Road in Bonita Springs. [Let the
protests begin! Keep track of protest details with the CLG Actions page.]
http://legitgov.org/action.html
Deception Dollars presented to congress (deceptiondollar.com) On October 6,
2003, activists in Seattle presented Congressman Jim McDermott with 87 one
billion Deception Dollar notes along with a four by three foot poster. On
October 8, Mr. McDermott presented the special edition Deception Dollars and the
poster to Congress.
Redistricting stalled again by House Democrats' walkout --Texas Republicans'
hopes of adopting a new congressional map have been pushed back by yet another
Democratic walkout.
GOP Report Feeds Furor Over Texas Redistricting --The Texas Legislature neared
final passage of a Republican-sponsored congressional redistricting plan last
night amid bitter partisan battling that was further inflamed by an internal GOP
analysis of the plan's likely impact on the state's congressional delegation.
According to both Democrats and Republicans, the plan, if it survives a legal
challenge by the Democrats, could give the GOP a gain of seven or more
congressional seats, virtually assuring the party's continued control of the
House at least through this decade.
Schwarzenegger picks Jeb Bush's budget chief as California auditor
--Gov.-S-Elect Arnold SchwarzeNazi's choice to head the audit of California's
$99 billion budget is known as a fiscal conservative not afraid to cut spending,
say those who have worked with her. Donna Arduin, the budget director for
Florida Gov. Jeb Bush since 1999, will lead the team of auditors combing through
California's budget for 'waste' and 'duplication'.
Schwarzenegger Appoints [Jeb Bush's] Budget Auditor --Donna Arduin, who is on
loan from Gov. Jeb Bush's misministration in Florida where she is budget
director, has pledged to complete her work by January when Arnold Schwarzenegger
is required to submit a spending plan for California.
Gov. Davis Does 'Top Ten' on Letterman --Gov. Gray Davis got a made a cameo
appearance Friday on David Letterman's "Late Show," reciting the "Top Ten." 10.
"When you realize you don't know what you're doing, give me a call."
Half of US voters want Bush out; put Bush and Clark in dead heat: poll --A
rising number of US voters would replace US Dictator George W. Bush in the 2004
s-elections, a new poll said, while Bush is in a statistical dead heat with
Democratic hopeful Wesley Clark. [Will Diebold engage in more vote-fraud, to
ensure another Bush coup d'etat?]
Source Confirms Limbaugh Investigation --Conservative commentator [and Reichwing
whackjob] Rush Limbaugh stunned listeners of his nationwide radio show by
announcing on the air that he's hooked on painkillers and is checking himself
into rehab. Law enforcement sources who spoke on condition of anonymity
confirmed to The Associated Press that Limbaugh was being investigated by the
Palm Beach County, Fla., state attorney's office.
Yucca Mt. nuclear waste parked at school bus stop --Consumers Energy started
shipping a 565,000-pound package filled with concrete and a nuclear reactor
vessel on Tuesday from the closed Big Rock Point nuclear power plant in
Charlevoix, Mich., to a low-level radioactive waste storage facility in
Barnhill, S.C... The truck carrying the vessel broke an axle en route between
Charlevoix and Gaylord, Mich., and it pulled over to the side of a road, where
it was fixed. The company then parked the truck Tuesday night near a gas station
-- that also serves as a bus stop for 13 elementary and high school students --
until the waste could be transferred to a train that stops in Gaylord. Company
officials expected the transfer to take two to four days.
Study heightens fears over GM superweeds --Cross-pollination between GM plants
and their wild relatives is inevitable and could create hybrid superweeds
resistant to the most powerful weedkillers, according to the first national
study of how genes pass from crops to weeds.
Thousands unite to send anti-GE message to Government --Some 9000 protesters
marched through the centre of Auckland today to show the Government the
groundswell of opinion against genetic engineering.
Student Sued Over Paper on Defeating CD Copy Protection --Three days after a
Princeton graduate student posted a paper on his Web site detailing how to
defeat the copy-protection software on a new music CD by pressing a single
computer key, the maker of the software said on Thursday it would sue him.
Moody's Cuts Motorola to Notch Above Junk --Motorola Inc.'s unsecured debt
ratings were cut on Friday to one notch above "junk" status by Moody's Investors
Service, citing the world's No. 2 mobile phone maker's struggle to boost profit
amid intense competition.


[October 10 lead stories:] Bush regime change vision #1: Bush seeking ideas for
regime change in Cuba --Dictator Bush has directed his secretary of state and
his Cuban-born housing secretary Friday to recommend ways to achieve a
'transition to democracy' in Cuba after 44 years under Fidel Castro. [should
read: 'transition to corpra-terrorist hegemony']
Bush Talk of Cuba Sanctions Alarms Canada --Canada expressed concern on Friday
at Dictator Bush's announcement of more measures against Communist Cuba, and
hoped that many Canadian firms doing business with the island would not be
affected.
Bush regime change vision #2: US hawk warns Iran threat must be eliminated --An
American official warned yesterday that the potential threat posed by Iran's
nuclear programme had to be "eliminated" and predicted Tehran would try to
"throw sand" in the eyes of the world to avoid a confrontation at the UN.
Bush regime change vision #3: South American Area Is Cited as Haven of Terrorist
Training --The Bush dictatorship's point man on terrorist financing said on
Thursday that the training and financing of terrorists remained a problem in the
region of South America where the borders of Paraguay, Brazil and Argentina
intersect. [The 'terrorist funding point man' should hurry up and get on the
case of the *problem* of Carlyle group's funding Bush family business partner,
Osama bin Laden. ...our regime change vision: undoing the Bush coup d'etats]



Ashok Sharma


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----- Forwarded message from UN News Service <UNNews@...> -----
Date: Fri, 3 Oct 2003 18:00:24 -0400
From: UN News Service <UNNews@...>
Reply-To: UNNews@...
Subject: SLUMS FORM 40% OF URBAN HOUSING, UN AGENCY REPORTS
To: news11@...

SLUMS FORM 40% OF URBAN HOUSING, UN AGENCY REPORTS
New York, Oct  3 2003  6:00PM
The world's population increasingly favours city life, but 40 per cent of
housing in urban areas can now be classified as slums, the United Nations Human
Settlements Programme (UN-HABITAT) said in a report issued today ahead of World
Habitat Day next week.

Nairobi-based <"http://www.unhabitat.org/">UN-HABITAT has estimated slum
populations by looking at the percentages of poor households lacking access to
permanent housing in compliance with local law, to water within 200 yards
(meters) of a dwelling and to sanitation, electricity and sufficient living
space per person. The theme of World Habitat Day is "Water and Sanitation for
Cities."

"Slums are not inevitable, although they exist," UN-HABITAT Executive Director
Anna Tibaijuka told a news conference today at UN Headquarters in New York.

The first report on slums worldwide, called "The Challenge of Slums: Global
Report on Human Settlements," recommended that increased political will,
investment in infrastructure, pro-active urban planning and the empowerment of
the urban poor were all ways of tackling the slum problem, she said.

Joining her were Jeffrey Sachs, Director of Columbia University's Earth
Institute and Special Adviser to UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan on the
Millennium Development Goals agreed on at a summit in September 2000, and Naison
D. Mutizwa-Mangiza, UN-HABITAT's chief of Policy Analysis.

Mr. Sachs identified urbanization as one of the most powerful trends today, but
he added that while cities promised long-term economic growth, urban migrants
were not finding productive employment or other income-generating activities and
did not have access to the necessary infrastructure. The real challenge lay in
empowering local communities, which involved finding new ways to mobilize
financial resources, he said.

Mr. Mutizwa-Mangiza said Asia had about 550 million people living in slums,
followed by Africa with 187 million and Latin America and the Caribbean with 128
million. Another 54 million people lived in slum-like conditions in the
high-income countries.
  2003-10-03 00:00:00.000

________________

For more details go to UN News Centre at http://www.un.org/news

To change your profile or unsubscribe go to:
http://www.un.org/news/dh/latest/subscribe.shtml

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PUNE: Guardian minister Vijaysinh Mohite-Patil's attempt to
highlight the developmental works done by the Congress-NCP
government in Pune backfired on Friday as the minister did not have
anything to say on the key issues confronting the city.


Patil, who is also the PWD minister, was addressing a press
conference on the developmental works undertaken by his government
in Pune division in the last four years.


While he highlighted the road projects, worth Rs 140 crore,
undertaken in the district, the minister declined comment on the on-
going controversy over the Bharati Vidyapeeth road, where his
colleague and fellow minister, Patangrao Kadam, is pressing for the
deletion of the public road from the city's development plan.


Asked about the government's policy on the proposal to delete the
road (a vital link between Satara road and Ambegaon) from the
development plan, Patil said: "I will communicate your feelings to
the government."



About the inordinate delay in completing the easterly bypass, which
will help divert the traffic from Mumbai to Solapur and Ahmednagar,
the guardian minister was once again at a loss for words.


PWD officials assisting Mohite-Patil said the work was being done by
the Maharashtra state road development corporation (MSRDC) and that
land acquisition hassles had delayed it.



Mohite-Patil also declined to comment on the controversy over the
status of the Rs 260-crore budgetary allocation for the construction
of flyovers in the city.

While senior Congressman and Rajya Sabha MP Suresh Kalmadi recently
charged that the MSRDC had slashed the allocation to Rs 120 crore,
minister of state for PWD Balasaheb Shivarkar claimed that nothing
of this sort had been done.


BK

By: Deepak Lokhande
www.chalomumbai.com
October 10, 2003

The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) wants to `secularise' the
state's madrassas by introducing modern subjects.

NCP state unit chief and Rural Development Minister R R Patil has
written to Chief Minister Sushilkumar Shinde seeking a board for
madrassas and grants which will give the state a say in how they are
run.

State says
Patil said, "At present, madrassas in the state teach only in Arabic
and not much beyond the Koran. They could be used for teaching Urdu
too. They have no uniform syllabus. Through the board, we could
provide a skeletal syllabus that may contain elementary math and
languages of their choice.

"The Madhya Pradesh government has done it and the scheme is working
well. There's no harm in trying it here too."

There are 2,637 madrassas in the state, of which 1,211 are registered
with the government.

About two lakh students are enrolled in these religious schools, most
of which are supported by local Muslims. Maulanas double up as
teachers in the schools and are paid salaries starting at Rs 1,000
depending on the madrassa's size.

The length of a course in a small madrassa, where they teach Koran,
hadith (sayings of the Prophet) and sunah (traditions) is about a
year, while a student may continue up to eight years in a bigger
madrassa, where he learns to recite the Koran by heart.

Jobs for those educated at madrassas are hard to come by, and most
end up as maulanas or madrassa teachers.

There are 10 to 12 big madrassas in the city while the number of
smaller units could be more than 200, according to Ibrahim Tai,
president of the Muslims' Council.

Muslim Council wary of state say in madrassas

The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) wants the state to have a say in
the functioning of madrassas and introduce modern subjects
to `secularise' them.

The state says this has already been introduced Madhya Pradesh, where
it is working well. They feel there's no harm in trying it in
Maharashtra.
Here's what the Muslim Council and the Bharatiya Janata Party say:

Muslim Council: Tai said a grant and a board for madrassas was a
welcome idea as long as the state government did not
enforce "unwanted syllabus on us."

"Our teachings are mainly Islamic. English and knowledge of computers
is being introduced in some madrassas. It will be ideal if the state
could introduce English and teaching of some craft skills. But we
will not tolerate anything else in the name of patriotism. We, as a
community, are being portrayed as anti-nationals, which is not true
and is grossly unfair," he said.

Patil hopes that bringing in a state board will also clear any air
over the use of madrassas for anti-national activities. "At present,
things are being said without any verification. Once we set up an
authority and offer grant-in-aid to registered madrassas, false
propaganda could be negated," he said.

BJP: The Bharatiya Janata Party and other right-wing outfits have
charged that madrassas have been hotbeds for terror activities and
jihadi elements.
Patil said if state control was established, any such activities, if
at all happening in a miniscule number of these bodies, could be
immediately curtailed.

BJP state office-bearer Atul Bhatkhalkar said the proposal to set up
a separate board and offer aid to madrassas smacked of Muslim
appeasement.

"Why a separate board? Why can't they bring them under the existing
boards? This is nothing but Muslim votebank politics and will keep
Muslims away from the mainstream. The party will oppose tooth and
nail any such move," he said.

Article 30 hurdle

Article 30 of the Constitution might hinder the state's madrassa
reform plan. Under the article, all minorities, whether based on
religion or language, have the right to establish and administer
educational institutions of their choice without interference from
the state. However, if and when the state offers aid, it gets a say
in the functioning of the educational institution. This was
underlined by an October 2002 Supreme Court judgement.