External affairs minister S.M. Krishna on Wednesday met Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj and discussed a number of issues, including the alleged killing on Indian fishermen by the Lankan Navy. The BJP said Mr Krishna was “gracious enough” to visit Ms Swaraj to allay her concerns on issues, including plight of Indian students in the US, efforts to bring back Indians from Egypt and the fate of three Indians held hostage by Somali pirates. Mr Krishna drove to Ms Swaraj’s residence after she requested a meeting. He informed her he had sent foreign secretary Nirupama Rao to Sri Lanka to take up the issue of killing of Indian fishermen. Writing on a micro-blogging website, she said: “The minister told me a joint working group that has been constituted to sort out such issues.”
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Gogoi admits corruption under his rule
age correspondent
Guwahati
Feb. 2: Assam chief minister Tarun Gogoi on Wednesday admitted that corruption has taken place under his rule, but it was decentralised and money was misappropriated at the grassroot level.
Launching a counter-attack on the Opposition Asom Gana Parishad that did not allow the Assam Assembly to work for second consecutive day on Wednesday, Mr Gogoi told reporters, “I never said that there was no corruption during our government but then two terms of AGP were also not free from corruption.”
Reacting to the demand of Opposition parties to expel the corrupt ministers whose role is suspected in the multi-crore NC Hills scam and the CAG audit report wherein a misappropriation of more than `2,000 crores is feared, Mr Gogoi said, “We are ready for any discussion on corruption or other issues, but then why is the AGP trying to stall the proceedings? The AGP must have been sleeping for the past nine years of my government and only now has realised the issue of corruption as elections are round the corner.”
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Assam: EC reviews poll preparedness
age correspondent
Guwahati
Feb. 2: In what has pushed the state into the election mode, the full bench of the Election Commission led by Chief Election Commissioner S.Y. Quraishi arrived here on Wednesday for a two-day visit to review the preparations for Assam’s Assembly elections.
Soon after they reached Guwahati, the EC was scheduled to hold meeting with all the deputy commissioners, superintendents of police and senior police and civil officers at Administrative Staff College, Khanapara.
Mr Quraishi told reporters, “We will be holding meetings with political parties, civil and police officials besides influential organisations and teachers also.”
The two election commissioners, V.S. Sampath and H.S. Brahma, accompanied him.
The elections to the 126-member state legislature are due before May.
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Top court for ATR in Amar Singh CD case
age correspondent
new delhi
Feb. 2: The Supreme Court on Wednesday sought an action taken report from the Centre on showcause notice to Reliance Infocom issued in 2006 in the wake of the top court order regarding tapping of the phone of former SP leader Amar Singh, allegedly without authorisation.
The ATR was sought following a PIL seeking lifting of the top court ban on publication, telecast and broadcast of the contents of the Amar Singh CDs allegedly containing his interaction with several politicians, film personalities and public figures.