NDA MPs will give declaration on black money: Advani

Senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader LK Advani on Sunday concluded his 38-day Jan Chetna Yatra -- to draw public attention to the issues of black money and corruption -- with a public rally at the Ramlila Maidan in the capital.

While addressing a rally at Ramlila Maidan Advani said his yatra was a success but he missed ailing Atal Bihari Vajpayee on the nationwide tour. He said he has conducted six nationwide journeys in the 60 years of his joining politics. "I received overwhelming welcome in various states. But this was the first yatra when Vajpayeeji was not with me," he said.

"This yatra has been unique in many ways," Advani said.

He also said that the yatra is over but our fight against corruption h as not ended.

Advani further said that National Democratic Alliance (NDA) MPs will submit a declaration in parliament stating that they have no hidden foreign bank accounts. He said the declaration would read, "I solemnly declare that I don't have directly or indirectly any bank account or asset illegally held outside India."

Advani said the declaration would be given to Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar and Rajya Sabha chairman Hamid Ansari within a week after the start of the winter session on Tuesday.


The rally was attended by top BJP leaders including Nitin Gadkari and Ananth Kumar and leaders of opposition in the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha Sushma Swaraj and Arun Jaitley, respectively.

Janata Dal-United (JD-U) chief Sharad Yadav also addressed the rally and charged the Congress with being soft on its leaders accused of corruption, including in the 2G and cash-for-votes scams.

"The government lodges us in jail when we raise our voices against corruption," Yadav thundered at Advani's rally here.

Yadav, who is also convenor of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA), said the government was soft on Congress leaders who are allegedly involved in corruption scams.

"There is only one Congress member in jail and that is Suresh Kalmadi. Look at the cash-for-votes scam. Not even one Congress member was arrested. And opposition leaders who blew the lid were jailed," he said.

"You (the Congress) have committed the sin and remember you will be punished for your sins. That is the intention of Advani's yatra," Yadav said, putting a united face of the NDA ahead of the winter session of parliament that begins Tuesday.

Sushma Swaraj blamed the "wrong policies" of the UpA for rising prices and accused Prime Minister Manmohan Singh of leading the "most corrupt" government.

In her speech at the rally Swaraj said the prime minister puts the onus of scams on his colleagues.

She said women were badly hit due to the price rise.

"Women suffer the first blow of price rise. Fuel cost is rising. (The government) cannot hear cries of women. Prices are increasing due to corruption and wrong policies of government," Swaraj said.

The leader of opposition in the Lok Sabha said people had given their verdict to Manmohan Singh to lead but he had become leader of the "most corrupt government".

She said Advani had embarked on his country-wide yatra to highlight the failures of the government.

"(The) Yatra has ended but not the struggle," Sushma Swaraj said.

Advani's yatra, which started Oct 11, reached Delhi on Sunday after rolling across 22 states and five union territories.

Former Telecom Minister Sukhram slapped, kicked by man in court premises

elhi: Former Telecom Minister Sukhram was today slapped and kicked by a man inside the premises of a Delhi court just moments after he was sentenced to five years rigorous imprisonment in connection with a corruption case dating back to 1996.

The assailant, identified as Harvinder Singh, was immediately nabbed and whisked away by the police. He had been thrown out of the court earlier in the day after he misbehaved with the former minister and complained about the court order taking so long.

Sukhram has been convicted yesterday by the court for taking Rs. 3 lakh as bribe to give a lucrative contract to a private firm in 1996. Apart from the five-year jail term, he will also have to pay a fine of Rs. 4 lakh.

The former Telecom Minister had earlier pleaded for leniency in the court on grounds of his old age, while the CBI called him a "habitual offender" and sought maximum punishment for him.

Sukhram, 86, had been held guilty for misusing his official position during his tenure as Telecom Minister in P V Narasimha Rao's Cabinet in giving a contract worth Rs. 30 crore to private firm Haryana Telecom Limited (HTL) to supply 3.5 Lakh Conductor Kilometers (LCKM) of Polythene Insulated Jelly Filled (PIJF) cables to the telecom department.

Reacting to the Sukhram verdict, BJP president Nitin Gadkari said, "The way in which the court has taken the time to punish the guilty is important. The judicial system needs changes otherwise people will lose faith.''

Sukhram was charged on Thursday under various provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act and the Indian Penal Code. These offences under which he has been convicted usually entail a maximum sentence of a seven-year jail term.

Appearing for Sukhram, his counsel had pleaded to Special Judge R C Pandey, "I (Sukhram) am an 86-year-old person and attending the trial for past 12 to 13 years. I suffer from old age-related ailments and have lost my wife. Therefore, a lenient view may be taken."

He also submitted that "age is a good consideration for leniency".

He said that "as such it is not a case where government has lost any money. The CBI allegation was that he (Sukhram) took a bribe but no financial loss has been caused to the government exchequer."

Responding to this, the CBI prosecutor had argued that Sukhram is a "habitual offender" as he has been sentenced in two other cases also and deserves no leniency.

On the age issue, the CBI counsel had said, "Age is always a consideration but the court should see the age of the accused at the time of committing the offence. But, at present every case is taking 10-15 years and the plea that I am an old person and, therefore, a lenient view should be taken, is not a correct proposition of law governing the sentence of the accused after he is convicted".

The CBI also said, "We should not forget that he was an MP and a minister and has betrayed the confience of the public at large."
Rebutting Sukhram's argument that no financial loss was caused to the exchequer, the CBI said under provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act, dealing with the misconduct of a public servant, pecuniary advantage caused to an accused tantamount to causing corresponding loss to the exchequer.

The CBI, in its chargesheet filed in 1998, had accused Sukhram of showing undue favour in awarding the cable supply contract to HTL. Sukhram had been put on trial along with HTL
chairman Devinder Singh Choudhary who died during the trial.
In 2009, Sukhram had been held guilty of possessing disproportionate assets worth Rs. 4.25 crore.
In 2002, he was awarded a three-year jail term under the Prevention of Corruption Act in a separate case relating to equipment supply for causing a loss of Rs. 1.66 crore to the state exchequer. He had allegedly caused undue benefits to Rama Rao, managing director of Hyderabad-based Advance Radio Masts. He is currently out on bail.
A seven-time MLA and three-time MP, Sukhram was expelled from the Congress even though his son Anil Sharma was a minister in the V B Singh government in Himachal Pradesh.

In 1997, he had floated Himachal Vikas Congress. He was inducted in the cabinet of BJP-HVC government led by Prem Kumar Dhumal on March 24, 1998, but had to resign when charges were framed against him in corruption cases.

Sen sends resignation letter to Prez

Justice Soumitra Sen of the Calcutta High Court appears to have succeeded in avoiding impeachment with his resignation reaching President Pratibha Patil on Saturday (September 3) and rendering the removal proceedings in Lok Sabha infructuous. Any doubts about the veracity of his resignation, which was faxed to Rashtrapati Bhavan on Thursday, were removed with the original handwritten letter under his signature being delivered to the President's office this morning.
Justice Sen's impeachment is on the Lok Sabha schedule for Monday but constitutional experts said tonight that the resignation had rendered impeachment proceedings infructuous. The Rajya Sabha had impeached him last month. Highly placed sources confirmed tonight that the proceedings in the lower house may now be dropped enabling the judge to avoid the ignominy of being the first judicial officer to be impeached by Parliament.
Attorney General G E Vahanvati had opined yesterday that the impeachment proceedings, having already been completed in the Rajya Sabha, should be completed by the other house. This opinion appears to have been based on the premise that the resignation letter faxed by Sen to Rashtrapati Bhavan on Thursday could not be taken cognisance of since such letters must be written in the hand of the judge as per Art 217 (a) of the Constitution.
That criterion was fulfilled today and as constitutional expert P P Rao noted, "impeachment proceedings are intended to remove a judge from the post. But once he has resigned you cannot remove him. Therefore, the proceedings become infructuous." Another expert K K Venugopal said that once a High Court judge submits resignation it would operate straightaway. However, if the resignation mentions a prospective date, it is open to a judge to withdraw it before it is accepted."
However, former Lok Sabha Secretary General Subash Kashyap was of the opinion that, "if the resignation is found to be mala fide, the President may say this is only to avoid (impeachment) proceedings in which case she may allow the Lok Sabha to continue the proceedings." He also said the Speaker would have to be guided by the opinion of the Attorney General.

AP health minister's shocking U-turn

After saying that there was no negligence on the part of the Kurnool Government hospital for the sudden death of 12 infants in less than 48-hours, Andhra Pradesh Health Minister Ravindra Reddy on Saturday (September 3) did a U-turn saying that there was a marginal human error and laxity. Admitting that there was an error on part of the hospital, the minister added that he would get the laxity corrected. He added, "Disciplinary action against errant officials will be taken if they are found guilty. Decision will be taken after I get a report from the collector." Earlier, the minister had said that it was not the hospital negligence that killed the infants, but was due to God's error. Four infants died on Wednesday followed by eight on Thursday at the government-run hospital, around 180 km south of Hyderabad. Government had sent a team led by Director of Medical Education Sampath Kumar to the hospital to hold a preliminary inquiry. The inquiry prima facie established that there was no negligence or any other mistake on the part of the doctors or the hospital staff. In July, of the 187 infants admitted to the Kurnool hospital, 44 died. In August, 201 infants were admitted, of which 61 died, according to official data.

టిటిడి పాలక మండలి.. గోవిందా.. గోవిందా..

టిడిడి కొత్తగా ఏర్పాటు చేసిన పాలక మండిలి వివాదాస్పదమవుతోంది.. 7గురి సభ్యులతో మాత్రమే వేసిన ఈ కమిటీ పదవీ కాలాన్ని కేవలం సంవత్సరానికే పరిమితం చేయడం వివదానికి తెరలేపింది. అయితే అధికారుల మాత్రం గతంలో జరిగిన తప్పులు పునారవృతం కాకుండా ఉండేందుకే మార్పులకు శ్రీకారం చుట్టామని చెబుతున్నారు. ప్రభుత్వం కొత్తగా ఏర్పాటు చేసిన టిటిడి పాలక మండలి వివాదాస్పదమవుతోంది.. రెండు సంవత్సరాల పదవీకాలానికి వేయాల్సిన కమిటీని కేవలం సంవత్సరకాలానికి వేయడం ఒక కారణమైతే.. 15 మంది సభ్యులుండాల్సిన స్థానంలో కేవలం 7గురితో సరిపుచ్చడం వివాదానికి మరోకారణం. ఎండోమెంట్ నిబంధనల ప్రకారం 6ఎ గ్రేడ్ కు చెందిన అన్ని ఆలయాల్లో పాలక మండలి తప్పకుండా 15 మంది సభ్యులు ఉండి తీరాలి. వీరిలో 11 మంది అఫిషియల్స్ ఉండగా మిగిలిన నలుగురు అఫిషియల్ సభ్యులు. కానీ ఇప్పుడు 7గురు సభ్యులతో ఏర్పాటు చేసిన పాలక మండలిలో చైర్మన్ తో కలిపి నలుగురు అఫిషియల్ సభ్యుల మిగతా ముగ్గురు ఎక్స్ అఫీషియో సభ్యులు.. ఎక్స్ అఫిషియో మెంబర్లకు ఓటింగ్ ఉండదు కాబట్టి ఉన్న నలుగురిలో ఇద్దరు ఏ ఇద్దరు నిర్ణయాన్ని వ్యతిరేకించినా ఆ నిర్ణయం ఆమోదం కాదు. అపీషియో మెంబర్లు బేసి సంఖ్యలో ఉంటే ఓటింగ్ ఒక్క ఓటుతో నెగ్గే అవకాశం ఉంటుంది.. కానీ ఇప్పుడు పాలక మండలి ప్రకారం అది సాధ్యం కాదు.. అధికారుల మాటలు పెడ చెవిన పెట్టి ప్రభుత్వం వేసిన ఈ పాలక మండలికి వ్యతిరేకంగా టిటిడి సిబ్బంది కోర్టుకెక్కనున్నారు..మరోవైపు టిటిడి పాలక మండిలి నియామకం పై వస్తున్న ఆరోపణలకు ఎండోమెంట్ ప్రిన్స్‌పుల్ సెక్రటరీ సమాధానమిచ్చారు. గతంలో ముగ్గురు అధికారులతో పాలక మండలి నడిపించామని.. ఇప్పుడు 7గురితో నడపడం ఎందుకు సాద్యం కాదని ప్రశ్నిస్తున్నారు. దేవాదయ నిబంధనల ప్రకారం 3 నుంచి 11 మంది సభ్యులను నియమించ వచ్చని అయితే ప్రస్తుతానికి కేవలం 7గురిని నియమించామన్నారు. దీనితో బాటు దేవాలయాల్లో ఎటువంటి పాలక మండలి ఉండాలనే విషయం పై దేవాదయ శాఖ ఉపసంఘాన్ని నియమించింది. ఈ ఉపసంఘ ఈ నెల 9వ తేదీన నివేదిక ఇస్తుంది. నివేదికను బట్టి ఎంత మందిని నియమించాలి.. నియమించే వారిలో.. రాజకీయ వ్యక్తులకు ప్రాధాన్యమివ్వాలా లేక అధికారులకు ప్రాధాన్యమివ్వాలా అనే అంశంలో ఒక నిర్ణయానికి వస్తామని పి.యస్ చెబుతున్నారు. గతంలో పాలక మండలి పదవీకాలాన్ని రెండు సంవత్సరాలు ఉంచబట్టి అరాచకాలు పెరిగాయని.. ఇప్పుడు కేవలం సంవత్సరకాలం పెట్టి ఎటువంటి వివాదాలు లేకుంటే మరో సంవత్సరం పొడిగించే అవకాశముందన్నారు. గతంలో టిటిడిలో వచ్చిన వివాదాలు పునరావృతం కాకూడదనే సి.యం ఈ విధానానికి శ్రీకారం చుట్టారని ప్రిన్స్‌పుట్ సెక్రటరీ రమణాచారి చెబుతున్నారు.

First pizza restaurant on Moon

Domino's Pizza has announced plans to launch its first pizza restaurant on the Moon. After rival chain Pizza Hut delivered a pizza to astronauts orbiting the Earth in the International Space Station in 2001, Domino's hit back last year in a series of events to mark the 25th anniversary of its arrival in Japan. And now, the construction firm Maeda Corp has come up with the plan to open a dome-shaped concrete Domino's restaurant on the surface of the Moon. The company estimated that the entire project would budget up to 13.4 billion pounds - of which 4.5 billion will be required to send 70 tons of construction materials and pizza-making equipments across to the moon via 15 rockets. Domino's announced that it will reduce costs by using mineral deposits on the Moon to make the concrete, which is said to be costing around 1.5 billion pounds. An impression of the restaurant made by an artist shows a two-storey dome with a diameter of around 26 metres and a basement level made of steel plating. It also shows an area to prepare pizzas. "We started thinking about this project last year, although we have not yet determined when the restaurant might open," Tomohide Matsunaga, a spokesman for Domino's, told The Daily Telegraph. "In the future, we anticipate there will be many people living on the moon, astronauts who are working there and, in the future, citizens of the moon," he added.

బాబు ఆస్తులు ఇవేనట.. ?

మొత్తం ఆస్తులు 39 కోట్ల 88 లక్షలు...ఇంతకంటే ఎక్కువగా ఉన్నాయని ఎవరు నిరూపిస్తే....వాళ్లకే ఇచ్చేస్తా....ఇవీ చంద్రబాబునాయుడు మాటలు.....కాకపోతే మార్కెట్ విలువ మాత్రం కాదన్నారు. ప్రకటించిన ఆస్తుల్లో తన భార్య, కొడుకు, కోడలు ఆస్తులు కూడా ఉన్నాయన్నారు. టీడీపీ అధినేత చంద్రబాబునాయుడు తన ఆస్తుల వివరాలు ప్రకటించారు. తనకూ, కుటుంబ సభ్యులకు మొత్తం కలిపి 39 కోట్ల 88 లక్షల రూపాయల ఆస్తులు ఉన్నాయని చెప్పారు. చంద్రబాబు ఆస్తుల వివరాలు చూస్తే....23 లక్షల 20 వేల రూపాయల ఖరీదు చేసే ఇల్లు ఉందన్నారు. అయితే అది కూడా విజయ బ్యాంక్‌లో తాకట్టు పెట్టామన్నారు. సొంతకారు ఉందని...దాని విలువ లక్షా యా‍భై రెండు వేలని చెప్పారు. ఇక సేవింగ్ బ్యాంక్ ఎకౌంట్‌లో దాదాపు పదహారు లక్షల రూపాయలు ఉన్నాయన్నారు.
ఇక తన భార్య భువనేశ్వరి పేరు మీద దాదాపు 27 కోట్ల రూపాయల ఆస్తులు ఉన్నాయని బాబు చెప్పారు. హైదరాబాద్ పంజగుట్టలో 650 గజాల స్తలం ఉందనీ....దాని విలువ 73 లక్షల 33 వేలని చెప్పారు. తమిళనాడులో 23 ఎకరాల యాభైవేల గజాల భూమి ఉందనీ..దాని విలువ కోటి 86 లక్షలని చెప్పుకొచ్చారు. అయితే అది యూకో బ్యాంక్ తాకట్టులో ఉందన్నారు. హైదరాబాద్ మదీనాగూడలో ఐదు ఎకరాల పొలం ఉందనీ....దాని ధర 73 లక్షల 80వేల రూపాయలని చెప్పారు. అదీ కూడా బ్యాంక్ ఆఫ్ బరోడా తాకట్టులో ఉందన్నారు. ఇక హెరిటేజ్‌లో 19 కోట్ల 95 లక్షల 49 వేలు పెట్టుబడి పెట్టారనీ....నిర్వాణ హోల్డింగ్స్‌లో పదమూడు కోట్ల 77 లక్షల రూపాయలు పెట్టుబడి పెట్టారనీ బాబు చెప్పారు. తన భార్యకు 65 లక్షల 44 వేల పీఎఫ్ బ్యాంక్‌లో ఉందనీ....26 లక్షల 96 వేల బంగారం, నాలుగున్నర లక్షల వెండి, 91 లక్షల ఖరీదు చేసే కారుతో పాటు కొద్ది మొత్తంలో బ్యాంక్ బాలెన్స్ ఉందని చెప్పుకొచ్చారు. లోకేష్‌కు ఆరు కోట్ల 73 లక్షల ఆస్తులు ఉన్నాయనీ....కోడలు బ్రహ్మిణి పేర మూడు కోట్ల 22 లక్షల ఆస్తులు ఉన్నాయనీ చంద్రబాబు చెప్పుకొచ్చారు.