Vis-a-Vis

RAJNATH SINGH BJP president versus general PERVEZ MUSHARRAF Pakistan President

"After informing the international community, India must attack Pakistan to destroy terrorist centres."

"They should change their mindsets about threatening Pakistan. We do not accept threats from anyone."

EPILOGUE: Meanwhile, the war of nerves and bullets continues across the border.

VOICES

"Indira Gandhi was a political leader and a party chief. So she enjoyed the strength of her party. That isn't the case with Manmohan Singh."

Sharad Pawar, Union minister for agriculture

"I am in the evening of my life and shall meet the cosmic master with my head held high. Clean I came into the world and clean I shall depart."

Natwar Singh, former external affairs minister

"Too many educated people don't join politics because we are taught to be intimidated by it. But honestly, it's not that tough."

Naveen Patnaik, Orissa chief minister

"People have misconceptions when you are a politician's son. They think you are a bade baap ka bigda beta."

Rahul Mahajan, son of late BJP leader Pramod Mahajan

"If Pepsi is banned in India, I would go to the US and drink it."

Shah Rukh Khan, actor

THE BUZZ OF THE WEEK

Despite repeated provocation from Natwar Singh, the Congress has merely suspended the former foreign minister and not expelled him, leading to speculation that the high command is well aware that Singh knows too much.

PICTURE SPEAK

IN THE DOCK: Gaganjit

Gaganjit's middle-aged maid-servant has accused him of raping her at his official residence in the MLAs' hostel in Chandigarh. For the police, the victim's statement and the medical report were damning enough for them to book him under Section 376 of CrPC. "Prima facie, it's an open-and-shut case of sexual assault," says a police official.

The DNA test could well be the most crucial evidence to prove Gaganjit's guilt or innocence. Both he and his wife Harpreet Kaur, who was present when the alleged rape took place, vehemently denied the charge, calling it "a conspiracy to finish him politically".

While the shocking charge has resulted in a big embarrassment for the Parkash Singh Badal-led Opposition sad, it has also dealt a severe blow to Barnala's political legacy. Coming barely five months before the assembly elections, the incident is sure to cast a shadow on state politics, considering that it evoked muted response from the ruling Congress and the Akali quarters.

Chief Minister Amarinder Singh has been lobbying with Barnala to lend his weight to a fledgling third front comprising splinter Akali factions, a strategy to damage Badal's support base who shares an uneasy equation with Barnala. Both Amarinder and Badal are mum on the Gaganjit episode. "I will not use this unfortunate incident to demolish the Akalis," says Amarinder, a clear indication of his political gambit to woo Barnala. Clearly, the politics over the rape charge against Gaganjit is more eloquent than the politicians' silence

-By Ramesh Vinayak

AWARDED: Ashok Vajpeyi with Kabir Samman to by the Madhya Pradesh Government, the highest award for poetry in an Indian language.

WON: By Sunil Kumar the 50-kg World Cadet Boxing Championship in Istanbul where he beat Agayev Ilkin of Azerbaijan.

CONFERRED: The G.M. Modi award for innovative science and technology on Kota Harinarayana. He played an important role in the development of the light commercial aircraft.

DIED: Noted writer, journalist and former president of the Asom Sahitya Sabha, Chandra Prasad Saikia, 80.

PICTURE SPEAK

DECIDING FAITH: Vithayathil

"It is God who gives children and so it is a sin to prevent this by abortion or artificial methods," said Major Archbishop and Cardinal Varkey Vithayathil, who heads the church. "At least those who could afford should welcome as many children as they can," he said in a pastoral letter to the faithful.

He has also expressed anxiety that the Catholic community is not growing sufficiently owing to wide-spread adoption of family planning measures.

Although this is the church's long-held position and is in line with the global Catholic church's views on abortion and family planning, the fact that the cardinal has stated this again immediately after his return from Jerusalem and other holy lands has triggered suspicion that this is part of an international agenda of the Vatican.

The Cardinal came down heavily on the government-directed family planning measures. "The state has no right to dictate to couples how many children they should have." Asked if the church had such right, he said, "No. We have only given a call to people who can take their own decision."

But the church's position has triggered opposition. Said Joseph Pulikkunnel, a Catholic scholar and critic of organised church, "The church's worry is that its revenue may dwindle as the population and also the number of faithful fall. They are worried that the faithful, disillusioned with the church leadership, are leaving the flock in large numbers as evident in the growing number of new groups opposed to the official church."

-By M.G. Radhakrishnan

DELHI After reports that United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) had rebuilt its bases in Bhutan and increased grenade attacks on security forces, Union Home Secretary V.K. Duggal said, "We have advised army and other security forces in Assam to suspend their operations against ULFA for a few days." This comes ahead of talks with mediators-writer Indira Goswami and Rebati Phukan-who have been working on ULFA leaders to initiate peace talks. The ULFA had demanded suspension of army operations against them, the release of five of its key arrested leaders and tracing three of its missing cadres during the Bhutan operations.

-By Neeraj Mishra

PICTURE SPEAK

Jayalalithaa

CHENNAI The Jayalalithaa 'gift' case has taken a fresh turn. The CBI claims that the former chief minister received 89 demand drafts worth Rs 2 crore drawn on various banks in Tamil Nadu as well Rs 15 lakh in cash. The chargesheet was on the anvil for a long time, but the agency required the Tamil Nadu Assembly Speaker's nod for prosecution as Jayalalithaa is an MLA. The CBI court has issued summons to her to appear before it on September 14.

-By S.S. Jeevan

Music on the Move
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Index