Alagiri used harsh words against Stalin: DMK chief Karunanidhi

Chennai: In his first reaction on the Alagiri suspension issue, DMK chief M Karunanidhi on Tuesday said that he was suspended because he used "harsh words" against Stalin.

"Alagiri came to my house on January 24 and complained regarding Stalin and troubled me and used harsh words. Alagiri told me Stalin will die in three months. No father can tolerate such words against his son," Karunanidhi said, explaining.

"I do not know why Alagiri has nurtured such hatred against Stalin for many years. Alagiri should have met me in person and spoken about any issues he had about his suspension.

But he has been talking to the media. He is still under temporary suspension, party will take a call on expulsion," the DMK chief added.

Alagiri was suspended from the DMK on Friday, January 24.

In a statement, the DMK said that action against Alagiri had been taken for going against the party stand in the public domain.

Arvind Kejriwal retweets controversial comment on Narendra Modi, Rahul Gandhi

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal today refused to comment on a new controversy he has scripted by retweeting a music director's apparent observation about the BJP's Narendra Modi and the Congress' Rahul Gandhi. 

Last night, Mr Kejriwal had retweeted music director Vishal Dadlani, who said on Twitter, "Stuck between a moron and a murderer....what now, India!?"  

Mr Dadlani's tweet came soon after an interview of Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi was aired by a private TV channel, and was part of a stream of reviews on Twitter. (Rahul Gandhi accuses Narendra Modi of 'abetting' Gujarat riots)

It was an apparent reference to Mr Modi, the BJP's prime ministerial candidate and Mr Gandhi, who has not been named his party's prime ministerial candidate but is largely seen as the man who will get the job if the Congress retains power in the general elections due by May. (Will consider Prime Minister's post if MPs want: Rahul Gandhi)

The music director, a prominent supporter of Mr Kejriwal's Aam Aadmi Party, has made provocative comments before, but it is the Delhi Chief Minister's endorsement of the tweet that has raised eyebrows.

The BJP's Nirmala Sitharamam has warned the chief minister that he must be "careful about what he tweets."

"He has no business to retweet and strike this language on a public domain...he is not doing public discourse any favour," she observed. 

Arvind Kejriwal, after his spectacular electoral debut in the Delhi polls last month and the announcement that his AAP will contest many Lok Sabha seats, has been seen as a possible challenger to the two seasoned politicians. (One month of Kejriwal's government: 5 hits, misses)

His one month in office, which he marks today, has seen more controversy. The 33-hour protest in the heart of Delhi and his staunch defence of his law minister Somnath Bharti, who has been accused of vigilantism and of being racial and sexist, have earned Mr Kejriwal criticism. (Aam Aadmi Party completes one month in government: Rate its performance)

In yesterday's interview, Rahul Gandhi said his Congress had offered support to the minority Kejriwal government in Delhi to see how it would prove itself.

Mr Gandhi also accused Narendra Modi's government in Gujarat of "abetting" the communal riots of 2002. Mr Modi's political rivals have long alleged that he allowed or actively encouraged the attacks. He has always denied this, and a Supreme Court inquiry found no evidence to prosecute him.

Pope Francis praises internet, calls it a 'gift from God'

Washington: Pope Francis has reportedly said that the internet is a "gift from God", in a statement for the Catholic Church's World Communications Day. 

The Pope while acknowledging the benefits of internet said that internet created a sense of unity among human family, adding that unprecedented advances in technology and digital media have made it easier to engage with people of different religions. 

Meanwhile, Pope Francis also pointed out the drawbacks of using internet and said that the speed of social media does not allow users to engage in self-reflection, Verge reported.

The 77-year-old Pope focused on internet's ability to resolve religious, economic, or political issues among various groups, through effective communication.

Calling it a digital world that is capable of creating an environment rich in humanity, Francis reiterated that the internet is a network not of wires but of people.

Rakhi Sawant thanks Uddhav Thackeray for comparing her to Arvind Kejriwal

Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray has poured scorn on Arvind Kejriwal in an editorial in his party mouthpiece Saamna, comparing him to dancer-actor Rakhi Sawant and calling him a "circus ringmaster leading a fair of madmen."

"Even an item girl Rakhi Sawant can govern better than Kejriwal. Small-time actors take to item performances after failing to get decent work. Arvind Kejriwal's item performance too will last as long as this spectacle does", Mr Thackeray said.

"Thanks to Uddhav ji for giving me this compliment," Rakhi Sawant responded, adding that she felt bad about her name being "dragged into everything."

Mr Thackeray's vitriolic piece against the Delhi Chief Minister and his Aam Aadmi Party comes in the middle of a debate on degenerating political discourse ahead of the national election three months away. 

This week, Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde had called the Delhi Chief Minister a "yeda (mad) CM" and Mr Kejriwal's Law Minister Somnath Bharti was pilloried by many and admonished by his own party for saying he would "spit" on Arun Jaitley and Harish Salve.

Mr Thackeray found himself echoing the words of Mr Shinde, a senior Congress leader, and even criticised the AAP chief for his "singular and derogatory references" to the home minister. "What culture is this? This is the language of white collar criminals and thieves," he said.

Several parties including the Shiv Sena's long-time ally BJP and the Congress have criticised Mr Kejriwal for his 33-hour protest in Delhi against the city's police. The sit-in protest in the capital's most protected zone inconvenienced hundreds of commuters and strained security forces ahead of Sunday's republic Day celebrations.

Before the Sena, writer Chetan Bhagat, once an AAP supporter, had described Mr Kejriwal as the "item girl of politics" on an NDTV show.

Karunanidhi's son MK Alagiri suspended from all DMK posts

Chennai: Former Union Minister MK Alagiri has been suspended from all posts of the Dravida Munnettra Kazhagam party (DMK). In a statement issued by the DMK on Friday, the party said that action against Alagiri has been taken for going against the party stand and for giving out statements contrary to party in the public domain.

DMK chief M Karunanidhi had earlier issued a veiled warning to his son and rebel leader Alagiri for his interview to a Tamil channel against his younger brother MK Stalin.
ALSO SEE DMK tussle: Alagiri meets Karunanidhi after he was warned
Karunanidhi had also recently suspending five supporters of Alagiri's Madurai unit for putting up posters supporting him. Thereafter, in a statement had said that anyone flouting party discipline will face an expulsion from primary membership adding that this had been the "rule in DMK yesterday, today and tomorrow".

However, when asked about them, Alagiri did a U-turn and said those workers weren't his supporters and the party had taken disciplinary action against them.

ALSO SEE Tamil Nadu: Alagiri vs Stalin war divides DMK
The Madurai unit of the DMK was disbanded a few days ago after which Alagiri spoke to a Tamil channel saying he wouldn't accept anyone other than his father as DMK chief.

Karunanidhi suspends elder son from DMK

CHENNAI: DMK chief and former chief minister M Karunanidhi Friday has suspended his elder son  MK Alagiri, from all party posts.

In a statement issued here, party general secretary K Anbazhagan said Alagiri was creating confusion in the party by urging party cadres not to work and criticising the disciplinary action taken by the party against some members for their anti-party activities.

He said the continuation of Alagiri in the party is not proper and would destroy the party discipline.

Hence Alagiri is temporarily suspended from the party.

"The members should accept this decision taken in the interests of the party and should stand united for the functioning of the party," Anbazhagan said.

Earlier in January, Karunanidhi had warned Alagiri and others that the party take action against those who voiced views contrary to the official line.

Alagiri, the then south zone organising secretary of DMK, had opposed an alliance with DMDK in the coming Lok Sabha polls.

Alagiri's opposition came after Karunanidhi had earlier said he would be happy if there was an alliance between the two parties.

Karunanidhi termed Alagiri's views regrettable and condemnable, saying they were contrary to the views expressed by him as party president.

The DMK chief's decision to suspend Alagiri was reportedly taken in consultation with his younger son and heir apparent MK Stalin, strengthening the belief that Alagiri is paying the price not for "anti-party activities" but for a series of confrontations with his younger brother that escalated after the ailing, aging Karunanidhi officially proclaimed Stalin as his heir.

The feud between Alagiri and Stalin is of long duration, and manifested violently back in February 1997 when the Tamil daily Dinakaran published a poll showing that Stalin was universally preferred to his elder brother. Incensed at the poll and accompanying article critical of Alagiri, his supporters attacked the Madurai office of the paper and set it on fire, killing three. Ironically, Dinakaran is part of the Sun TV media group owned by Karunanidhi’s grand-nephew Kalanidhi Maran; this fact led Alagiri to accuse his father and younger brother of using a captive mouthpiece to malign him.

Alagiri, the second son of Karunanidhi, did not have an official role in politics till late 2007, when he shifted base to Madurai and organized by-poll victories in 2008. During this phase he earned a reputation for harnessing muscle power to harass opponents and extend the DMK’s grip over the region.

For his efforts, he was rewarded with a Lok Sabha ticket from Madurai during the 2009 general elections. When he won, as he was expected to, the DMK used its influence as a UPA ally to get him a berth as Cabinet Minister for Chemicals and Fertilizers.

In New Delhi, Alagiri soon won a reputation for sloth, rarely if ever attending office, never participating in debates, and refusing to answer questions raised against his ministry. His tenure ended in March 2013 when his junior minister Srikanth Jena cited various irregularities in the ministry’s functioning, which in turn sparked allegations of corruption to the tune of hundreds of crores. Alagiri was removed from his post and Jena was rewarded with independent charge of the ministry.

Alagiri returned to his Madurai base, and made attempts to get back into the state political scene but was consistently sidelined by Karunanidhi and Stalin. This in turn led Alagiri to make a series of vitriolic statements against his father and younger brother, under the guise of criticizing the party functioning. The DMK leadership – that is to say, Karunanidhi and Stalin – issued several warnings against the rebellious elder son; it all boiled to a head when, heedless of the latest warning to not criticize party decisions, Alagiri went ahead and spoke out against the DMK’s projected alliance with the MDMK for the upcoming general elections.

It remains to be seen how Alagiri, never known to take things lying down, reacts to the official action. He has a muscular hold over Madurai and neighboring regions, and could conceivably mount a successful rebellion in that region against his father’s party.

Delhi Law Minister Somnath Bharti did no wrong - AAP panchayat rules

As the law came down on Delhi Law Minister Somnath Bharti and some from his own party endorsed calls for action against him, the top brass of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) decided to stand by him.

Emerging from a meeting of party leaders, Yogendra Yadav told reporters that there were three issues before them: whether Bharti’s actions violated procedure, whether his remarks smacked of racism, whether he misbehaved with women. And based on “evidence so far”, he said the answer was in the negative on all three counts.

Yadav said a judicial probe was already underway. “If the probe finds him guilty on any count, we will take suitable action.”

On January 16, Bharti led a raid on an alleged drug-and-prostitution ring in Khirki Extension in south Delhi after receiving “complaints from residents”. Flagging down a police van, Bharti stopped four Ugandan women and took them to AIIMS and forced them to give urine samples for a drug test. The women have since recorded statements before the police. Bharti also quarrelled with police who, citing lack of a warrant, refused to conduct a search on a house he suspected was a den of vice.

On Thursday, hours before the AAP leaders went into a huddle, a court in Saket sought a reply from the DCP (South) within two days on the status of the inquiry into the midnight raid by Bharti and his men. The directions came four hours after the SHO of the Malviya Nagar police station told the court that they were conducting an inquiry into complaints of several Ugandan woman that they had been assaulted by men, allegedly led by Bharti.

The Delhi Commission for Women too has summoned Bharti to depose before it on Friday. Sources in the DCW said that if he did not turn up, then it will take up the matter with Lt Governor Jung.

AAP leaders including Yogendra Yadav, Sanjay Singh, Gopal Rai, Manish Sisodia and Bharti met at the party’s Hanuman Road office in central Delhi.

The meeting was called just hours after Kejriwal met Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung. Earlier in the day, Congress and BJP leaders had met Jung and Delhi Police Commissioner B S Bassi to demand Bharti’s arrest. “If the SHOs have been asked to go on leave pending inquiry, so should Bharti,” Delhi Congress leader Arvinder Singh Lovely said.

This was evident after the Law Minister skipped a crucial meeting on the draft Delhi Lokayukta Bill, which is likely to be given approval by the state cabinet on Friday. The Bill modelled on the AAP’s model Jan Lokpal Bill is likely to be tabled in the Assembly early February.

A senior AAP leader said, “While the AAP meeting in Hanuman Road will primarily revolve around the Jan Lokpal and the LS elections, Somnath Bharti’s conduct will also be discussed, which is why he was called.” The leader said that Kejriwal’s defensive stand on Bharti did not have many takers in the AAP. The CM had staged a two-day protest outside Rail Bhawan, demanding action against police officers, including one who refused to give in to Bharti’s demands on the night of January 16.

According to sources in the party, the Political Affairs Committee (PAC) had already agreed that Bharti had used “unparliamentary language” against Leader of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha, Arun Jaitley. Bharti has also been asked to watch his language in public.

Opinion polls predict BJP sweep in UP, AAP in Delhi

NEW DELHI: Massive gains indicated for BJP in politically crucial Uttar Pradesh, BJP along with its existing allies seems poised to get past the psychologically crucial 200 Lok Sabha seats.

The CSDS- CNN-IBN opinion election tracker indicated that at the lower end, the party will win 152 of 450-odd seats spread over 13 states including Delhi. Congress may get 55-113 seats in these states.

The poll did not give seat projections for Punjab, Chattisgarh and Jharkhand, but indicated a clear edge for BJP.

It also did not give seat shares for Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh and Haryana where Congress has incumbency to deal with.

The CSDS predicted a 41-49 total for BJP in UP. Although anther survey, conducted by Nielsen for ABP News channel, put the party's share at 32 in UP, the overall trend reflected in the two exercises suggest that the BJP may pull off its best performance since its power run in the politically crucially state in the 90s.

As per the CSDS survey, Congress which had surprised itself by winning 21 seats UP in 2009, is likely to come down to 4-10 .

The election tracker also predicted a saffron sweep of Rajasthan. The soundings suggest that the BJP which won a landslide in the assembly polls can hope to win 20-24 of the 25 seats in the state. The estimated tally for Congress in the state is 0-2.

It predicted that BSP and SP which have dominated UP between them will also suffer reverses. The survey forecast 10- 16 seats for Mayawati's party, while predicting a much lower 8-14 for Mulayam Singh Yadav. Others are expected to win 2-6 seats.

The opinion poll conducted by Nielsen for ABP News channel also indicated huge losses for Congress whose tally may shrink to 8. The pollster said that Congress will not be able to take its tally beyond 12 even if continues its alliance with Ajit Singh's RLD.

Like CSDS, it also predicted setbacks both BSP and SP, with estimated totals of 15 and 14, respectively.

Signficantly, the Nielsen polls suggest that AAP could win two seats with 6% support on its maiden foray into UP.

The findings of the CSDS, which had forecast 4-6 seats for AAP and I-3 for for BJP in Delhi, suggest that Arvind Kejriwal's government enjoys the support of 74% of the people. CM's personal popularity stands even higher, at 76%. Kejriwal is also marginally ahead of BJP's PM candidate Narendra Modi as the most preferred PM nominee. The Delhi CM was endorsed by 34% against 32% who signaled their support to Modi.

The Gujarat CM comes across as more popular than BJP which, according to CSDS, is favoured by 30% of Delhi population.

With 8% support, Rahul Gandhi has emerged as the distant third.

It was UP which helped BJP emerge as the second largest party and the principal opposition at the Centre by electing 51 of its nominees in the 1991 election at the height of the pro-Ram mandir sentiments. The state also helped BJP emerge as the single largest formation at the Centre in the 1996 by contributing 52 seats. Its share had jumped to 58, excluding two Independents who won on its symbol, in 1998 when the party formed the government.

Although its returns from the state dipped to 25 in 1999, party managed to retain power after the mid-term polls in 1999 because of the combination of Atal Bihari Vajpayee's appeal and because of its success in cashing in on the nationalist sentiments triggered by Pakistan's aggression in Kargil.

With no similar wind at its back, party crashed to a shock defeat in 2004 when its tally slumped to 10 in 2004 elections. Failure in UP in 2009 was a major factor in party's defeat in 2009.

The CSDS poll also suggested that BJP's decision to project Modi as its PM candidate has paid off. In UP 35% backed him as their preference for the top job, while in Rajasthan 27% of the BJP supporters gave him the credit for party's massive win in the assembly elections. As against this, 12% identified CM Vasundhara Raje as the main factor.

Even in Delhi the 2% gap that separates him from Kejriwal can provide comfort to BJP, considering that the party's support stands at 30% in the city-state.

FLASH NEWS: Blast in front of police headquarters shakes Egyptian capital Cairo smashing windows and forcing open doors

A dawn blast in front of Cairo's police headquarters has rocked the Egyptian capital, smashing windows and forcing open doors, according to witnesses.

The explosion was reported just after 6.30am local time today and was reportedly followed by gunmen opening fire on buildings, according to witnesses who spoke to state TV.

It was caused by a car bomb which went off in front of the city's police headquarters, according to the international news agency AFP.

The blast comes a day before the third anniversary of the uprising which toppled the Egyptian autocratic ruler Hosni Mubarak in 2011.

Political tension is still high in the country after the overthrowing of the democratically-elected Islamist President Mohammed Morsi in July last year.

A Muslim Brotherhood-led coalition had planned nationwide protests today after Friday prayers.

The high-profile target should have been one of the most secure in the capital and bomb squad investigators are reportedly at the scene.

Videos and photos from the scene this morning showed the building still standing but with black scorch marks around scores of blown-out windows.

The footage showed several wrecked and charred floors of the high-rise security building with the pavement outside littered with shuttered glass, pieces of bricks and rocks.

Many of Cairo's eight million inhabitants were woken by the blast and reported a plume of smoke rising over the city centre.

State TV reported a large number of ambulances have been sent to the scene and police sealed off the area as hundreds of people gathered.

No injuries have yet been confirmed, but the Egyptian news channel CBC reported at least two people had died and 47 were injured, citing as its source the Egyptian Ministry of Health.

Dwarka Shankaracharya Swaroopanand Saraswati loses cool when asked about Narendra Modi as PM

When a news channel reporter prodded Dwarka Peeth Shankaracharya Swaroopanand Saraswati to know his views on Bharatiya Janata Party prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi, the seer lost his cool and slapped the reporter instead.

The seer was in Jabalpur in Madhya Pradesh to attend a religious programme.

While the religious leader tried to brush off the matter, saying he did not want to discuss politics, the incident has taken political colours with both Congress and BJP taking different stands.

The Congress jumped to the seer's defence saying that such questions should not be put before religious leaders in the first place.

State Congress leader Mayan Aggarwal said, "Sadhus should not be asked political questions in the first place. Secondly, the seer had slapped the reporter only lovingly and this should be blown out of proportion."

Aggarwal also added that the seer felt bad at being asked about Modi as he wanted the discourse to be around religious issues.

However, the state unit of BJP has taken the matter lightly. Without hitting on the seer directly, party's state spokesperson Hitesh Bajpai said, "We believe that religious leaders are flag-bearers of religion, ethics and truth. They should be epitome of forgiveness. Questions from media are of prime importance and should not be brushed aside."

The seer himself is unfazed. Clarifying on the matter, Shankaracharya Saraswati said, "I slapped the reporter and told him 'you are talking about him (Modi) so that he can remain a topic of discussion'."

On his seething anger at the mere mention of Gujarat Chief Minister, the seer said, "I've no objection in Narendra Modi becoming PM, but he must clarify to people what he wants

Tamil Nadu govt allocates Rs 32 crore for modernization of rice mills

CHENNAI: As part of her government's efforts to better the services of public distribution system (PDS) in Tamil Nadu, chief minister J Jayalalithaa on Wednesday allocated Rs 32 crore for modernization of rice mills in six districts.

Seven rice mills -- those in Ammanpettai and Pattukkottai (Thanjavur district), Kadachanendhal (Madurai), Erukkur (Nagapattinam), Neyveli (Cuddalore), Pollachi (Coimbatore) and Cheyyar (Tiruvannamalai) -- would be modernized.

The initiative would help the family card holders get best rice under the PDS. "Consumers can be supplied with high quality rice only when the paddy procured from the farmers undergoes speedy milling and is turned into superior quality rice," the release said.

AAP dharna: Delhi Police files case against protest

Delhi Police has registered an FIR against unknown persons in connection with Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's dharna outside Rail Bhavan here that witnessed many violent scuffles in the high-security area where prohibitory orders were in place.

The case was registered at Parliament Street Police Station last night under section 186 (obstructing public servant in discharge of duty) and section 333(voluntarily causing grievous hurt to deter public servant from duty) of IPC, police sources said.

The two-day dharna by Kejriwal witnessed several altercations between police and AAP workers and at least 31 people, including policemen and media personnel, were injured.

"The cases registered in connection with the agitation on January 20th and 21st in the area of Parliament Street Police Station will be investigated on merit," a statement released by Delhi Police said.

Kejriwal's dharna in the heart of the capital came to an abrupt end last night after two police officers were sent on leave under a neat compromise with the Centre over his demand for suspension of five officials for alleged dereliction of duty.

The over 30-hour protest outside Rail Bhavan in the Raisina Hill area that virtually morphed into a demand for control over Delhi Police and threatened to disrupt the Republic Day celebrations on Sunday ended following an assurance from the Lt Governor Najeeb Jung.

Kejriwal announced that he was calling off the protest following the "victory" achieved by the people of Delhi.

Under the compromise, the SHO of Malviya Nagar, who refused to raid an alleged drug and prostitution ring on the orders of Law Minister Somnath Bharti, and PCR van in-charge of Paharganj, where a Danish woman was gangraped last week, were sent on leave, paving the way for an end to the confrontation with the Centre.

Govt set to ban opinion polls before Lok Sabha elections

NEW DELHI: The government is considering a ban on opinion polls with the notification of Lok Sabha elections in line with the views of the election commission. The proposed ban may be implemented before the dates of the parliamentary elections, likely to be held in April-May, are announced.

In its draft legislation on debarring charged MPs/MLAs from contesting elections, the law ministry has included a provision that provides for a ban on opinion polls from the date of notification of polls. The draft bill has been circulated to other ministries for opinion.

A senior law ministry official said the draft legislation is ready and once views are obtained from other ministries, it would be placed before the Cabinet for its approval. The EC has already given a similar opinion favouring a ban on opinion polls and keeping charged lawmakers out of elections.

As of now, the EC has banned publication of any poll results before 48-hours of polling. There is already a ban on exit polls till the final round of polling is over.

The government is also considering seeking passage of the draft bill in the Parliament's special session it will convene in February along with a vote on account. Besides this bill, the government is likely to push five key anti-graft legislations for passage in the forthcoming session.

The government had prepared a draft bill on debarring chargesheeted lawmakers from contesting elections following a PIL in the Supreme Court seeking the apex court's direction to the government on the issue. The PIL, filed by Public Interest Foundation, has also prayed for setting up fast track courts for trial of such lawmakers who have been booked for heinous crimes.

The SC bench has posted the PIF case for final hearing on March 10 and has sought the law commission's views whether a lawmaker can be disqualified if any court has framed charges against him in serious crimes and also in case he files a false affidavit in declaring his criminal antecedents.

In case the SC ruling on debarring charged MPs/MLAs from contesting elections comes on March 10, it would be binding on the government to implement it in the forthcoming parliamentary elections.

The government has referred all issues related to electoral reforms to the law commission, including the matter of disqualification of charged lawmakers from contesting elections.

The commission is yet to finalize its recommendation. Sources in the law ministry said the law commission is yet to conclude its consultations with all stakeholders and it may take a few months to compile its report.

The EC has been seeking a ban on opinion polls since 2004. After a round of consultations with all national and state parties in November last year, the EC once again wrote to the government to enact a law banning opinion polls from the date of notification of elections. All parties, except the BJP, were in favour of a ban.

44% of voters in India's top metropolises say they will vote AAP for Lok Sabha: TOI poll

NEW DELHI: India's biggest metropolises are eagerly looking forward to the Aam Aadmi Party going national and expect it to make a big splash in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, but a majority still view Narendra Modi as a better prime ministerial prospect than Arvind Kejriwal with Rahul Gandhi a distant third.

That's the message from an opinion poll across the country's eight most populous cities — Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Pune and Ahmedabad — conducted exclusively for TOI by market research agency IPSOS.

The survey found that a third of the respondents thought AAP would win between 26 and 50 seats, another 26% felt it could win 51-100 seats, 11% said it would bag more than 100 and 5% even predicted a majority for the party. Put together, that means three-fourths of all those polled believe AAP will win more seats in 2014 than any party, barring what Congress and BJP won in 2009.

Given that 44% of those polled said they would vote for an AAP candidate if there was one in their constituency, and another 27% said they might, depending on the candidate, it is not difficult to see why the respondents rate AAP's electoral prospects so high.

As for prime ministerial preferences, 58% picked Modi, 25% were for Kejriwal — despite AAP making it clear he is not in the running — and only 14% thought Rahul Gandhi would make the best PM. In Chennai and Mumbai, Kejriwal was preferred over Modi, and even in Modi's home turf, Ahmedabad, 31% thought Kejriwal was the best choice.

Modi mocks PM at NRI meet, says 'good days ahead' after LS polls

NEW DELHI: BJP leader Narendra Modi on Thursday chose a global NRI meet to hit out at Prime Minister Manmohan Singh who had said that "we are set for better times".

"I agree with the Prime Minister. Good days are ahead for India. I don't want to say anything more. We should wait for four to six months. But good days are coming," the BJP's prime ministerial candidate said, indicating that his party would form the next government at the Centre after the Lok Sabha polls.

Modi's jibe at Singh came a day after the Prime Minister sought to dispel apprehensions among the Indian diaspora on the state of the economy, saying that the country was heading towards "better times" and there was no reason to despair about its present or worry about the future.

Addressing a press conference last week, the Prime Minister had said that "we are set for better times" as the cycle of global economic growth is turning for the better.

This is the first verbal attack on the Prime Minister by Modi after Singh said that "it will be disastrous for the country to have Narendra Modi as the Prime Minister."

Slamming the UPA government, Modi also said at the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas that the overall atmosphere of divisive politics, policy paralysis and scandals and corruption have severely hit people's perception and trust in the government and its leaders.

Devyani Khobragade case: India asks US embassy to shut its club, follow traffic rules

New Delhi: Adding to the slew of retaliatory measures in response to the treatment meted out to Indian diplomat Devyani Khobragade, India on Wednesday asked the US to stop commercial activities from its embassy premises from January 16. 

Not just this, US diplomatic vehicles will now attract penalty for all traffic-related offences. 

The American Community Support Association (ACSA) facilities at the US embassy include restaurant/bar, video club, bowling alley, sports field, beauty parlour and gym. The US has been asked to provide tax returns to the Indian authorities for commercial activities under ACSA. 

US Secretary of State John Kerry and Ambassador Nancy Powell have expressed regret at the ugly turn of events that led to the humiliation of Khobragade, an incident that caused a major downturn in Indo-US ties at the end of last year.

In another fallout of the India-US stand-off over the handcuffing and strip-search of Khobragade, India had earlier asked the American Center here to obtain a licence by January 20 or cease screening films. 

The Indian move comes days after the External Affairs Ministry set up a group of experts, including in international law, human resource and finance, to discuss how to proceed against the US authorities in the wake of the December 12 handcuffing and strip-search of Khobragade, India's deputy consul general in New York, which caused widespread outrage in India. 

Khobragade, 39, was arrested on December 12 in New York on charges of making falsifying visa documents of her domestic help Sangeeta Richard and for underpaying her in violation of local labour laws. She was released on a USD 250,000 bail bond. Khobragade has denied the charges. The US has expressed regret over the circumstances of the arrest and voiced a desire to move forward on the bilateral relationship.

India has already withdrawn the airport passes given to US diplomats in India and the special diplomatic identity cards issued to them as part of reciprocal measures after the arrest of Khobragade. 

India has demanded the US take back all charges against Khobragade and offer an unconditional apology

India’s fastest internet speed to be 78% slower than global highest

NEW DELHI: India is eagerly awaiting the launch of Reliance Jio's 4G connection, which promises to offer average internet speed of 49Mbps on the go. This is over 12 times faster than the current average of 4Mbps on the country's 3G networks. In theory, Reliance Jio's 4G network will offer maximum speed of 112Mbps.

Download speed of 49Mbps may seem astounding for those in India; however, the country will still lag far behind the leaders in the global internet race.

When Reliance finally rolls out its 4G network, it will still be nearly 30% slower than the UK-based service provider EE's highest download speed of 300Mbps, the maximum internet speed on a mobile network in the world. EE promises average speed of 25-30Mbps across the UK, with speeds as high as 60Mbps in certain cities.

According to latest data compiled by analytics website Speedtest.net, the US town of Ephrata, Washington DC enjoys average internet speed of 85.54Mbps. However, the national average internet speed of the US is 18.5Mbps. On mobile networks, the maximum speed in the country is 58.25Mbps (AT&T 4G, according to data by PCMag).

Google Fiber, the internet titan's pilot internet project, promises maximum speed of 1Gbps (gigabits per second; 1gigabit = 1024megabits) in the US. However, actual speed delivered in Kansas City under this project is 49.86Mbps, the second highest in US according to Speedtest.net data.

South Korea, widely acknowledged as the most 'connected' nation in the world, has highest broadband internet speed of 53.3Mbps and average speed of 13.3Mbps, according to Akamai. On mobile networks, telecom operator SK Telecom in November claimed that it has achieved maximum internet download speed of 225Mbps on its LTE-Advanced (LTE-A) network. LTE-A is a new technology that allows 50% faster data download over mobile networks.

The speed of 225Mbps has been achieved for a demo, while the commercial rollout of the service will be done in the second half of 2014, around the same time when Reliance rolls out its 4G network. This will, in effect, render Reliance's network nearly obsolete in the global race. SK Telecom also plans to offer download speed of 300Mbps on mobile connections, though it has not given a time frame for this.

In Hong Kong too, it's a similar story, with peak speed of 65.1Mbps (the highest in the world) and average speed of 10.8Mbps. The average 4G mobile download speed in the country, according to Akamai, is 20Mbps.

Akamai's data dates back to the July-September quarter, and it is likely that the internet speeds may increase in by the time Reliance's network rolls out.

Another network operator offering 4G in India is Bharti Airtel. The company's network is currently available in cities like Pune, Kolkata and Bangalore and is not available on mobile phones. It offers average download speed of 40Mbps via USB dongles, with theoretical highest speed of 100Mbps.

Thus, it is easy to see that India's fastest consumer internet network will not stand anywhere close to that of mature markets and will even remain far behind upcoming networks in terms of pure download speeds.

Also, the 3G flopshow in India, where only 107 million users (out of an estimated 919 million) use 3G internet on mobile devices, does not bode too well for Reliance's soon-to-be-rolled-out 4G internet. Pricing has been one of the major hindrances for the penetration of 3G, along with patchy network. Thus, Reliance would not only have to maintain a reliable network for its 4G users, but will have to also regulate pricing to promote mass adoption.

With India's growing smartphone market, many a users are likely to spend on high-speed internet on mobile devices for a better user experience, especially since video viewing is expected to be the next big data consumption medium in the country.

BJP targets 272 seats in Lok Sabha, NDA partnership to continue

BHOPAL: Projecting Narendra Modi as the PM-in-waiting, BJP set an ambitious target of 272-plus seats in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections to form a government on its own at the Centre. At the inaugural session of the Madhya Pradesh BJP state executive in Bhopal, party leaders delivered a clear message that it's looking much beyond a target of 180-200 seats in the Lok Sabha. The goal this time was to get a majority government led by Modi. 

"We can, we shall and we must get the maximum number of seats," BJP national general secretary Ananth Kumar said. "Congress is already defeated and has turned irrelevant in today's political context. The challenge before us is to do what Janata Party did in 1977. Get 286 seats and get a clear majority," he said. 

Not just Ananth Kumar, BJP state president Narendra Singh Tomar geared up the state leadership for the ultimate challenge. "So far we contested Lok Sabha elections as part of the NDA alliance. But this time it is a different situation. Our leaders too have dreamt of a BJP government so that all hindrances and challenges faced by our party can be addressed to build the nation we want to," said Tomar, setting the target for the state BJP to win all 29 Lok Sabha seats in MP. To achieve majority in Lok Sabha would not be easy. Hence, the party claims it will fight for every seat in every state. And in BJP-ruled states, the target set is 100% victory. "In Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and Rajasthan, we can get all seats if we work hard enough. In Karnataka, we may have lost the assembly polls but will sweep the Lok Sabha elections along with Maharashtra, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and even Kerala and Andhra Pradesh," Ananth Kumar said. 

TOI asked BJP office-bearers and senior Rajya Sabha MP Raghunandan Sharma if the party will contest as part of the NDA alliance. Sharma said: "No. We have no plans to move away from our alliance partners. They will stay with us even when BJP gets a clear majority." 

The party calculated there is only 60 days to prepare for polls. Madhya Pradesh leaders were cautioned that the code of conduct may be imposed any time after February 15 and filing of nominations could be in March or early April. The country will go for the general elections in the second half of April or early May. 

BJP will tread Janata Party's strategy of 1977 when workers went from house to house seeking for "a vote and a note". BJP workers will ask voters to contribute towards building the Modi government at the Centre. Citizens will be asked to contribute with a note which could be of a denomination between Rs 10 and Rs 1000. 

Briefing state BJP leaders to step out into the field immediately, Ananth Kumar put Modi on the same pedestal as Atal Behari Vajpayee. "We had a phrase to describe Vajpayee. He was a leader who was tried, tested and trusted. The same can be said about Narendra Modi. For 12 years, Gujarat has seen him work for development and governance of the state. And the whole nation watched him too. The need of the hour is a majority government at the Centre. This is a huge country with a population of 121 crore citizens. Such a country needs a party in majority to rule for its progress and well-being," he said.

Rahul Gandhi may take Congress baton at January 17 party session

NEW DELHI: Rahul Gandhi as Congress's PM candidate is an idea whose time may have come.

Just days after PM Manmohan Singh ruled himself out as the leader of a possible Congress-led coalition, chances of Rahul being named as replacement have dramatically brightened, raising the possibility that he may take the baton at the AICC session, set for January 17 in Delhi.

The leadership has hedged its stand on whether Congress will be going into the Lok Sabha elections with a declared PM candidate, but well-placed sources acknowledge that momentum has been inexorably built up for the party to spell out its choice for the top job. "There is a greater recognition among us that times have changed and the party cannot go to elections without a face," said a source.

A final decision is expected to be taken in a meeting ahead of the January 17 session.

TOI had written about the rising possibility of Rahul's projection in its editions on December 27 and again on January 4.

Two factors seem to have brought about the change in party's stand on the leadership issue. While Rahul himself is no longer reluctant to take up the mantle, the party also realizes that despite Arvind Kejriwal's entry in the arena, the 2014 contest will be framed as a Rahul versus Narendra Modi battle irrespective of whether the Congress names its spearhead. The leadership is wary that getting into the ring without a stated choice may create the perception of lack of confidence.

Rahul as PM pick can help party: Congress

Although the party feels that Rahul, ideally, should have been projected in better political climes, they say there can be little downside to his being put up for prime ministerhsip even now, considering that he is in any case facing criticism for failures. Ambiguity over his position in the hierarchy has not buffered him.

The leadership agrees that results of the assembly elections were a pointer to the uphill task that faces the party this year. However, it believes that the Modi-led BJP can still be denied the big trophy by scoring small tactical victories and stitching alliances.

Party tacticians feel that Rahul's projection can help the rearguard battle it may have to wage to stop Modi.

The GenNext leaders in Congress who owe loyalty to Rahul argue that the party should announce the decision on January 17.

A Union minister argued that little would be lost by naming Rahul as PM candidate because he anyway has to lead the party in the future, whatever the result in 2014. A repeat of diarchy or dual power centres like the present scheme where Sonia Gandhi heads the party while a Prime Minister leads the government is not considered feasible. Many believe Gandhi helming the "secular alliance" would change the mood in the coming months.

Even in case of a debacle, leaders believe Rahul would have a perfect grounding as an opposition leader which would project him nationally as the 'shadow PM'. His leadership in difficult times would be the glue to keep the party together given that Sonia Gandhi's health may hamper her active involvement.

Plans for moving "private member resolutions", as reported by TOI earlier, at the AICC session on January 17 are no secret now. Backing away from such overwhelming demand may not make for good optics, likely to be seized upon by the opposition to say that Congress has conceded the battle in advance.

For every 14 days Chinese troops enter Ladakh

NEW DELHI: Chinese troops have been making incursions in Chumar, Rakhi Nullah and Takdip areas in Ladakh almost every fortnight in the past few months, according to security sources. Apart from incursions in Depsang plains of Chumar on December 19-20 and the more recent incursion in the first week of January in Takdip, Chinese incursions had been spotted on December 13 as well in the same areas. 

Sources said the Chinese troops are merely asserting dominance in the area and don't stay for more than an hour because of the bitter cold. Sources said there is nothing alarming in the movements even though incursions have been more frequent in recent months. 

The fact that Chinese side has fully developed road network in these sectors helps them to make frequent visits using vehicles. 

In the first week of January, Chinese troops entered Takdip area of Chumar sector early in the morning and went back only after Indian forces asserted their presence in the area. Troops had made two similar incursions in the Depsang plains on December 13 and December 19 that led to face-offs with troops of Indo-Tibetan Border Police ( ITBP). 

"In the past few months, they have been making cross-border patrols almost every fortnight. They drive their vehicles to the area, stay out for about an hour and then go back after Indian troops march. The bitter cold has prevented them from pitching tents in the area. It's nothing alarming and is in keeping with the tradition of Chinese troop movement in the area," said an officer from the security establishment. 

An escalation of border tensions was seen during April-May last year when a 21-day face-off between Chinese and Indian troops in the same sector had to be resolved through hectic diplomatic negotiations. 

Sources said the tension had been aggravated and went past traditional intensities because of a few structures erected by the Indian Army in disputed parts of the border which was not agreeable to China. The resolution of tension took place only after these structures were dismantled. 

India recently signed the Border Defence Cooperation Agreement with China to ease such border tensions which are often attributed to overzealous field commanders.

Kejriwal sets eyes on UP, AAP to contest all 80 Lok Sabha seats

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) will contest all the 80 Lok Sabha seats from Uttar Pradesh, party spokesman Sanjay Singh said.

Talking to IANS, Sanjay Singh, a close associate of AAP leader and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, said the party was pushing for clean and honest politics and hoped that issues like casteism and communalism will be relegated to the back burner.

He admitted these two issues have long stood ground in the state and that they were major challenges. But, he said, time has come to change traditional politics and the common man has embraced development as a major poll plank.

Sanjay Singh said the party will be finalising names soon and efforts would be made to announce the first list of its Lok Sabha poll candidates by Feb 15.

He underlined that the AAP candidates, like in New Delhi, would be common people, the 'aam aadmi'.

He said the national executive of the party which met in Delhi Sunday has decided to field candidates in 20 states.

It was almost certain that poet Kumar Vishwas would contest against Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi in Amethi constituency, he added.

The AAP spokesman said the party will field candidates against Congress president and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi from Rae Bareli and Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Mulayam Singh Yadav in Mainpuri.

Earlier, Singh said people interested in contesting the Lok Sabha polls can fill forms till Jan 15 and that the aspirants would have to get the endorsement of at least 100 people from their probable constituencies.

Singh also met Shia cleric Kalbe Jawwad Monday and sought his support.

Lashkar agents tried to recruit us: Muzaffarnagar riot victims tell Delhi Police

New Delhi: Days after Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi expressed concerns that Pakistan's spy agency ISI may try to take advantage of communal riots in Muzaffarnagar, it has now come to fore that the terror outfit Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) is actually trying to infiltrate communally sensitive parts of Uttar Pradesh. 

It was reported on Tuesday that two Muslim clerics, who were arrested from Haryana recently for their alleged links with LeT, have revealed to Delhi Police that they paid a visit to the riots-hit Muzaffarnagar and met some victims there. 

The two suspected LeT operatives also told Delhi Police about their plans to recruit Muzaffarnagar riot victims for anti-India activities. 

This was also confirmed by some of the Muzaffarnagar riot victims who said that the two LeT operatives tried to recruit men from the relief camps set up after the September communal clashes. 

When some of them who were allegedly approached refused to work for the terror outfit, the two LeT operatives went to Delhi to continue their recruitment drive.

Delhi Police Special Cell is also believed to have learnt from the riots victims that the two clerics - Hafeez Rashidi and Shahid - made several visits to the relief camps. Delhi Police is also expected to hold a press conference at 1 pm in this regard today. 

The riot victims, who have turned witnesses against the arrested clerics, have reportedly testified before a magistrate, which makes it admissible as evidence in court. 

The fresh revelation lends credence to concerns expressed by Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi during a rally in October when he said that an intelligence officer had told him about Pakistani intelligence ISI trying to recruit young men whose families suffered in the Muzaffarnagar riots.

Rahul faced criticism from various Muslim groups and the BJP, which accused him of trying to politicize the Muzaffarnagar riots. Nearly 60 people were killed in the riots and over 40,000 driven out of their villages and forced to live in relief camps. 

The two clerics arrested from Mewat in Haryana allegedly told the Delhi Police that they had been tasked to recruit young men for terror, and were ordered to visit Muzaffarnagar to identify operatives from disgruntled men in relief camps. 

The two men have also been charged of plotting a terror attack in the national capital.