Jammu, 29 January 2012. Union Minister for New and Renewable Energy and president of the National Conference Farooq Abdullah today said the report of interlocutors on Jammu and Kashmir should be tabled before the Cabinet Committee on Security for its review.

“The report on Jammu and Kashmir prepared by the three-member team of interlocutors must be first tabled before the Cabinet Committee on Security so that it can be reviewed,” Farooq told reporters on the sidelines of a function in which a large number of PDP workers joined the NC here this evening.

He said the report should be made public so as to hold a debate on it.

The Union Minister said after a review, the report could be discussed in Parliament, adding: “I will speak to the Union Minister for Home P Chidambram, to whom the report has to be submitted by the interlocutors, also on the issue.”

On the devolution of powers to panchayat members, Farooq said: “The elected panches and sarpanches will soon be empowered. The Speaker has to decide on the distribution of powers to the panchayat members and legislators.”

He said they both must play a constructive role in an overall development of the state.

On renewable energy projects, the Union Minister said: “The Centre is ready to provide 90 per cent funds but unfortunately so far no project has been sent by the state government to my ministry.”

On a survey conducted by the New Delhi-based Institute of Research on India and International Studies (IRIIS) in Kashmir, in which it was referred that corruption was the main issue before the youth, Farooq said: “I have not read the report. You better ask this question to the state government.”

Earlier, over 35 panches and sarpanches from Mendhar tehsil in Poonch district joined the National Conference at the party headquarters.

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2012/20120130/j&k.htm#4

More than 63 lakh voters are expected to exercise their franchise in the elections in which the ruling BJP is locked in a close fight with the Congress.

Polling parties have reached their destinations in high-altitude and remote areas, state’s Chief Electoral Officer Radha Raturi said.

With electioneering for the Assembly elections coming to an end last evening, most of the candidates today remained busy in door-to-door campaigning.

A total of 788 candidates are trying their luck with the BJP and Congress both contesting all the 70 seats.

The star campaigners from both parties crisscrossed the hill state. With the EC enforcing the model code of conduct to check money power, the cacophony of electioneering was missing.

Stating that elaborate arrangements have been made for the smooth conduct of polling, Raturi said the poll personnel deployed in high-altitude areas have been provided with sleeping bags, snow-boot and jackets. An Indian Air Force helicopter has also been stationed at Sarsawa for rescue purpose to meet any eventuality, she said. (PTI)

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2012/20120130/main4.htm

New Delhi, 30 January 2012. At a time when the BJP is missing its patriarch and former Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee whose charisma and mass appeal were considered great vote-catchers, BJP chief Nitin Gadkari is hopeful that the party’s second generation leaders, like Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj, her counterpart in the Rajya Sabha Arun Jaitley and Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi, will help in filling the vacuum.

Mr Gadkari is also of the view that senior leaders, including BJP parliamentary party chairman L.K. Advani, senior leaders Rajnath Singh and M.M. Joshi are also “effective” leaders like Mr Vajpayee.

“… it is unfortunate that Vajpayeeji is not in good health… we all miss his active involvement… but then the party has many capable second generation leaders, who have been inspired by Vajpayeeji and will lead the party and the nation in future,” said Mr Gadkari.

It could be mentioned that Mr Vajpayee’s name tops the list of BJP star campaigners for the Assembly polls in five states including Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Punjab. During the 2009 Lok Sabha polls the BJP had issued an appeal on Mr Vajpayee’s behalf to voters of Lucknow (Mr Vajpayee’s constituency) to vote for the BJP candidate.

Mr Gadkari, who has been campaigning in the poll-bound states along with senior leaders of the party, also sees the Assembly polls in five states as the “semi-finals” before the 2014 General Elections. Hopeful that his party will perform well in the five states, particularly in UP and will retain power in Uttarakhand and Punjab (with ally SAD), Mr Gadkari said the “aam admi now knows the real face of the Congress-led UPA government.”

Criticising the ruling Congress for failing at all fronts including economy, bringing down inflation, action against corrupt and implementing development schemes in rural areas, Mr Gadkari said his party has a vision document for the nation. “… you need a vision based on ground realities and effective people to implement it… making tall promises helps no one,” said the BJP chief.

http://www.asianage.com/india/2nd-generation-will-fill-atal-void-826

Galeries Royales St Hubert

Grasmarktstraat

Grote Markt – Life-size christmas stable with the three sages 

Grote Markt - The nativity scene

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Harjinder Singh
Man in Blue

Chandigarh, January 29. Politicians coming to Punjab are spicing up the poll campaigning by adding wee bit of local flavour to it. That’s right! The national level political figureheads, finding their way into Punjab just before the elections, have come out with a perfect recipe for successful poll campaigning. They are topping up the poll preparations with some ‘karak’ Punjabi ‘tadka’.

Just in case you still don’t know what’s cooking, go to one of the election rallies. You will find political icons offering a taste of Punjab through their attire, speeches and even songs before the commencement of the rallies.

Be it Dr Manmohan Singh, Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Hema Malini or even Mayawati, the success mantra is “When in Punjab, do as Punjabis do”.

No wonder, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in Amritsar launched a scathing attack on Parkash Singh Badal-led government in Punjabi. Watching the Prime Minister deliver his nearly 35-minute speech in chaste Punjabi, everyone in the crowd could associate himself with him.

For so many others, it is more than striking the right cord with the audience by interacting with them in their language; it’s all about telling people strategically they are one of them by tying turbans and wearing salwar-kameez.

Sonia Gandhi wrapped herself in the hues of Punjab by wearing a salwar-kameez at the Kapurthala rally on January 19, after relegating her customary sarees to the closet.

Hema Malini also played her role of a star campaigner for Punjab dexterously by donning a salwar-kameez at a Ludhiana rally.

In a long ‘kurta’ teamed with a pink dupatta, Hema started her speech with “Sat Sri Akal”. Her speech also referred to the oft-quoted title of Sher-e-Punjab as she talked about her actor hubby.

Rahul Gandhi too slipped into the shoes of Punjab da puttar. Putting on his thinking cap, the AICC general secretary turned into a turbanator at the Tarn Taran rally. He adjusted himself with the audience by adjusting his turban gracefully.

UPites may love listening to their own songs on headphones attached to mobile phones, while cycling their way to work.

But when it comes to Mayawati and her rallies in Punjab, nothing less than bhangra beats suffice. It was bhangra pop at Mayawati’s rally in Kharar as high-wattage speakers blared out hit Punjabi songs before her arrival at the venue.

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2012/20120130/punjab.htm#1

Over 20 million voters are eligible to vote for more than 1,800 candidates vying for 187 assembly seats.

Five states are holding local elections over the next month – a test for India’s governing Congress party.

The first round of the polls in Manipur over the weekend was marked by violence when suspected rebels attacked a polling station and killed four people.

Some of the dead in the north-eastern state were polling officials, reports say.

As well as elections in Manipur, Punjab and Uttarakhand, voters in Uttar Pradesh and Goa will also vote in the next few weeks, with results due on 6 March.

Monday’s polls in the politically crucial northern state of Punjab are expected to see a keen contest between the ruling coalition – led by the regional Shiromani Akali Dal party – and the main opposition Congress party. There are 117 seats in the state assembly.

Hundreds of policemen and paramilitary soldiers have been deployed in Punjab to ensure peaceful polling.

In mountainous Uttarakhand, the ruling Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is fighting to gain a second term in power in face of opposition from the Congress party. The state has 70 assembly seats.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his government have been on the defensive in recent months, as Congress struggles to get its anti-corruption bill through parliament.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-india-16784154

Chandigarh, January 28. As Punjab braces for a cliffhanger, the winning issues remain unclear. Though Punjabis are concerned about macro issues, local ones are also important. If a large number of people agree that the development has occurred during the SAD-BJP rule, an equal number of people still want change. Still others are trying to figure out whom to support and what the trend is.

On the border with Pakistan, Subhash Chander of Khoji Chak village in Boha constituency of the Majha region says “development te hoi hai”. In fact, Subhash’s life has changed for the better after the construction of a bridge over the Ujh River. This was a demand of the villagers since independence.

However Subhash, a Punjabi, wants to be certain that he is on the winning side. “Trend hi ban gaya hai, loki ek vaar ek sarkar nu dekhda ne, duji vaar duji nu”, he says adding, “It is the same in Himachal also”. He is still undecided and does not know whom to support.

In Majitha, SAD youth wing president Bikram Majithia claims if the SAD is confident of holding its own it is because of the development. “This is why anti-incumbency is not a factor in these elections”. Majitha claims the party’s hold on the Majha region will continue despite Congress claims that it is set to witness a role reversal. The Congress had won only two of the 23 seats up for grabs from this region in the last polls.

Though the Congress seemed clearly ahead in Majha in the run-up to the polls, it is set to lose a few seats in Gurdaspur parliamentary constituency mainly because of rebel candidates who are busy canvassing in Pathankot and Sujanpur.

In Malwa, the SAD-BJP combine seems to be in a good position at a number of places and is clearly ahead in Bathinda and Mansa districts because of careful nurturing by Bathinda MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal. At Talwandi Sabo, Gurmail Singh has no doubt that the power position will improve, adding that the prices of his land have also risen accordingly.

The Malwa region is crucial to the Congress. Pro-peasant policies of the former Congress government had led to a Congress landslide in the Malwa region with Akali ‘jathedars’ biting dust. The Congress is expected to protect part of its fort with the party expected to do well in Patiala parliamentary constituency due to the “Amarinder factor” and also in Sangrur due to wrong distribution of tickets at the instance of SAD MP Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa.

The Congress seems to be on the comeback trail in Doaba with the party going strong in Jalandhar though chinks in ticket distribution could prove costly at a few seats. The BJP is looking weak in the Doaba region, which is likely to help the Congress.

Pradesh Congress president Captain Amarinder is confident rebels won’t make a dent in the Congress fortunes. “What we will lose in Bathinda we will make up with Akali constituencies of Tarn Taran, Khekaran and Khadoor Sahib looking good for us”, he said indicating the party is looking at resurgence in Majha and Doaba and an even sharing of honours in Malwa to pull through.

However at the end of the day besides local issues everyone is careful of being in tune with the overall trend.

“Candidate selection is important”, says Giani Kartar Singh in Jalandhar Cantonment who points out that the former hockey star Pargat Singh is doing well in a traditional Congress seat. But Balkar of Bassi Pathana in Fatehgarh Sahab voices the thoughts of many when he quips “Hawa da ain mauke tak intazar karange” (we will wait for the wave till the last minute). This will ensure the election will remain a cliffhanger.

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2012/20120129/main2.htm

Pudukottai, 29 January 2012. A. Kalaimani, a Dalit woman village panchayat president of Karu Vadatheru village panchayat near Vadakadu, was allegedly prevented from hoisting the tricolour on the Republic Day by a group of caste Hindus.

The group belonging to the Kallar community, led by Kumar, son of Rangammal, who is the vice-president of the village panchayat, allegedly pushed aside Ms. Kalaimani when she was about to hoist the national flag on the village panchayat office campus.

The village panchayat president told The Hindu on Saturday that she planned to hoist the tricolour at three places – the village panchayat office campus; Raja Kudiyiruppu, a residential colony; and the panchayat union primary school at Kanniyankollai.

But, in view of the problem at the village panchayat office, she allowed the group to hoist the flag at the school and cancelled her programme at the residential colony.

She has lodged a complaint with the Vadakadu police and submitted petitions to District Collector B. Maheswari and Superintendent of Police R. Tamil Chandran.

Ms. Kalaimani said that she had alerted the police a week ago, seeking protection for the smooth conduct of the celebrations. To her surprise, no police personnel were deployed in time.

Police sources said that the matter was under investigation.

The district wing of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) strongly condemned the police for not registering a case against those who prevented the Dalit president from hoisting the tricolour.

Led by M. Balasundaramurthy, union secretary of the CPI (M), they staged a demonstration in front of the police station at Vadakadu demanding immediate action. M. Chinnadurai, district secretary of the party, was among those who participated.

http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Tiruchirapalli/article2840615.ece?homepage=true

 Brussel (Dutch), Bruxelles (French) Brussels (English) Central Station
Brussel is in ‘Vlaams Brabant’ and is originally a Nederlands (Dutch) speaking city

Street opposite Central Station (Grasmarkt ?)
I had some time between meetings and went for a wander through the small historical centre of Brussel

Galeries Royales St Hubert 

 Galeries Royales St Hubert

To see more Belgiun pictures go to:

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Harjinder Singh
Man in Blue

Chandigarh, January 28. In a landmark judgment, a local court today awarded death sentence to a drug peddler and 15 years of rigorous imprisonment (RI) to a Burundi national in a Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) case dating back to November 2007. The two were convicted on January 19 and the quantum of sentence was pronounced today.

Paramjit Singh of Amritsar and Festus Nenson of Republic of Burundi, were nabbed with 8 kg heroin on November 30, 2007. Narcotics Control Bureau’s (NCB) counsel Kailash Chander said Paramjit was earlier arrested for drug peddling in Delhi in 2003 and awarded 10 years’ imprisonment. However, after coming out on parole, Paramjit again started the drug peddling, following which the court awarded him death sentence. “This is for the first time that a court has awarded death sentence to a drug peddler in Chandigarh,” the NCB counsel said.

Festus, apart from 15 years of imprisonment, has been fined Rs 1.5 lakh.

Both the accused were present in the court when the quantum of sentence was pronounced.

The NCB officials had nabbed the duo after intercepting them at the grain market in Sector 39. Paramjit had arrived in his car to deliver the consignment to Festus.

Previous convictions in drug-peddling cases

July 30, 2011: Israeli national Lior Avi Ben Moyal, his Czech accomplice Andreevi Jiri and Kullu resident Narender Kumar were awarded 6 yr-RI for possessing 154.5 kg of charas valued at Rs 20 crore in the international market

March 31, 2011: Nigerian national John Kennedy was awarded 12 years’ imprisonment along with two Ludhiana residents, a father-son duo, for possessing 8 kg heroin

January 19, 2010: Three persons, including a Nigerian named Ozirazaq, were awarded 10 years in jail along with a fine of Rs 1.5 lakh each for smuggling contraband

May 30, 2009: Two Nigerian nationals Many Isioma and Victory were awarded 10 years’ rigorous imprisonment along with Rs 1 lakh fine for possessing 4.15 kg heroin

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2012/20120129/main4.htm