Debate on fuel prices

NEWS DIGEST

With a government-appointed panel set to submit its recommendations on fuel pricing, the BJP warned the Centre on Thursday against increasing petrol prices further as it sought a discussion in Parliament on the panel report.

The C Rangarajan-headed committee, appointed by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, is understood to have recommended a mix of a marginal increase in fuel prices and duty cuts in its final report likely to be submitted on February 14.

"An increase of 35 per cent in oil prices has hit the common man and the industry alike over the past 20 months, the largest increase in the shortest period," BJP spokesman Prakash Javadekar said in New Delhi.

Curfew in Leh

Curfew was clamped in Leh and its surrounding areas following clashes between Muslims and Buddhists over the alleged desecration of Quran at a mosque in Kargil even as Army and Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) was called in to assist the civil administration as a precautionary measure.

The state police had arrested 31 people so far in connection with the clashes, Inspector-General of Police (Kashmir range) K Rajendra said.

Rajendra said the situation was under control and imposition of curfew and requisitioning of the Army and ITBP had been done as a precautionary measure.

Bengal voter list

Intensive revision of electoral rolls had, so far, led to deletion of 989,000 names of dead, shifted and fake voters in West Bengal where Assembly elections are due, Chief Electoral Officer West Bengal Debasish Sen said on Thursday.

On the other hand, till January 24, 210,000 new names had been included in the electoral rolls, Sen said.

Observing that all new names should be either included or excluded in the rolls by February 10, Sen said the state election department had been asked to prepare the list by February 12 before the stipulated date of the publication of the final electoral roll on February 22.

To a question, Sen said all the 19 election observers, who visited the state for the second time, left for Delhi on Thursday.

Babbar to float forum

Suspended Samajwadi Party MP Raj Babbar on Thursday said he would soon float a "samajwadi manch" to carry forward his battle for a "clean and secular" polity as also to unite all leaders having socialist ideology.

"If I am not expelled from the Samajwadi Party but remain suspended, I will continue to raise these issues through this manch. If expelled, then I have to think what I have to do," Babbar told reporters when asked about his future course of action.

He, however, ruled out joining any other party. "The basic purpose of launching such a manch is to bring all those socialists together with whom I have worked and walked since 1967 when I was part of the Samajvadi Yuvjan Sabha," Babbar said.

The actor-turned politician said he would soon meet all socialist-minded leaders including Sharad Yadav, George Fernandes, Satyadev Tripathy and Mohan Prakash for discussion on samajwad (socialism), "which is not seen anywhere in any party".

West Asia peace

As the recent electoral victory of Hamas radical outfit put a question mark on the future of the West Asia peace process, Israel on Thursday said India could "contribute" by talking to both Palestinians and Israel but asserted that it would not deal with the group till it shuns violence.

But the issue had to be resolved bilaterally between Israel and Palestine, Israeli Ambassador to India David Danieli said in New Delhi.

"We are of the view that the issue should be resolved bilaterally between Israel and Palestinians. We wish it to be done directly across the negotiation table," he said amid apprehensions over the peace process after Hamas' victory.

Umer hails Azad

Hurriyat Conference chief Mirwaiz Umer Farooq has said Pakistan is not comfortable with the idea of an independent Jammu and Kashmir and appreciated the stand of Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad that aspirations of people of all the regions of the state need to be taken care of while deciding the Kashmir issue.

"Why only India? Even Pakistan is not comfortable with the concept of an independent Kashmir," the Mirwaiz said when asked to react on the reported statement of Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf in Davos recently where he had stated that independent Kashmir was not viable.