Chidambaram bungled issue: AP MPs - The Hindu

The Hindu : News / National : Chidambaram bungled issue: A.P. MPsArchivesSubscriptionsRSS FeedsSite MapePaperMobileSocialSEARCHHomeNewsOpinionSportBusinessArtsLife & StyleS & TEducationHealthClassifiedsToday's PaperTopicsInternationalNationalStatesThe India CablesThe Pakistan Cables  Cities: BangaloreChennaiCoimbatoreDelhiHyderabadKochiMaduraiMangaloreThiruvananthapuramTiruchirapalliVijayawadaVisakhapatnam News» NationalNEW DELHI, July 5, 2011Chidambaram bungled issue: A.P. MPsJ. BalajiShare  ·  Comment  ·  print  ·   Even as three Ministers from Andhra Pradesh — K. Jana Reddy, Ponnala Lakshmaiah and Baswaraju Saraiah — arrived here on Monday night and started informal consultations with the Congress leadership on Telangana, some party MPs have gone hammer and tongs at Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram for “messing up the whole issue.”

Andhra Pradesh Congress MPs' Forum convener Ponnam Prabhakar, who submitted his resignation to Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar, told The Hindu that Mr. Chidambaram's approach to the issue from the beginning was “very casual” and he was not giving the respect due to the elected representatives of the Telangana region. It was he who made the announcement on the formation of Telangana and now he was going back on the issue. The Home Minister was not respecting the sentiments of the four crore people of Telangana. The issue had not come up overnight and the demand for carving a separate State out of Andhra Pradesh had been pending for over 50 years, and so far over 600 persons had died for the cause of Telangana. It would be unfair if the Centre continued to delay a decision, said Mr. Prabhakar.

Nagar Kurnool MP M. Jagannath rejected Mr. Chidambaram's stand that some parties were to give their opinion on the separate State issue. All the parties had already given their views to the Centre (to the Pranab Mukherjee committee) and there was no reason for any further delay, he said.

Mr. Jagannath charged Mr. Chidambaram with misguiding Congress president Sonia Gandhi and confusing her from taking a final decision on the subject.

Congress member from Peddapally G. Vivekanand said the party legislators from Telangana were firm on quitting their posts.

My job over: Srikrishna

Meanwhile, Justice B.N. Srikrishna, who headed the committee that went into the demands for a “separate Telangana” and a “united Andhra Pradesh,” commenting on the latest developments, said he had no further role to play as he had already submitted his report. “It is for the government to take a political decision on the three best options recommended by the committee,” he said.

Committee member-secretary V.K. Duggal pointed out that no one — either those supporting Telangana creation or opposing it — had expressed any reservations, nor did they challenge the panel report. “We have given the best options for the way forward.”

Mr. Duggal replied in the negative to a question on the view that an unpublished Chapter 8 of the committee's report could be the reason for the Centre not yet acting on its recommendations. “Some of the points mentioned in Chapter 8 have already been incorporated in the final report and I don't think this is the reason,” he said. The committee decided to give Chapter 8, which dealt with law and order and some other sensitive subjects, separately. Later, the Centre decided not to release it.

We'll support Bill: BJP

Referring to the stand taken by Congress leaders from Telangana, the Bharatiya Janata Party accused the UPA government of misleading Telangana people, and said even the Congress legislators had stopped believing it.

Party spokesman Prakash Javadekar asked the Centre to table the Bill on Telangana in the coming Parliament session and promised BJP support. It would be passed easily with the support of the two parties. He said the BJP's agitation would continue until the separate State was formed.

Keywords: Telangana agitation, statehood demand, Srikrishna report

RelatedNEWSCrisis looms as 81 Telangana MLAs, some MPs submit resignations Centre yet to take final view on Telangana: Chidambaram TOPICSIndiaAndhra Pradesh
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Casey Anthony trial delayed by unexplained "legal issue" (Reuters)

ORLANDO, Florida (Reuters) – The Saturday session of Casey Anthony's first-degree murder trial was scuttled by an unspecified "legal issue" announced by Judge Belvin Perry.

The delay could push back the end of the trial in which Anthony is accused of smothering her 2-year-old daughter Caylee on June 16, 2008 and hiding the body in the woods while claiming the little girl had been kidnapped by a nanny.

Asked to identify the legal issue which delayed the trial, neither defense lawyer Cheney Mason nor prosecutor Jeff Ashton would comment.

"I can't tell ya," Ashton said. Mason said nothing.

At the 9 a.m. trial starting time, the lawyers and Perry disappeared into a side room to talk in private. They emerged 40 minutes later for Perry to make the announcement to spectators and then to the jury in its holding room.

Earlier, the prosecution and defense lawyers argued about whether defense expert Dr. Kenneth Furton would be allowed to testify about opinions that were not disclosed to prosecutors in advance.

Perry said the "legal issue" which required Saturday's recess was unrelated to the Furton issue.

Prosecutors say Anthony smothered Caylee with duct tape to free herself to "live the good life." Prosecution evidence suggests she drove around for several days with Caylee's body in her car trunk, then dumped the remains in the woods near the Anthony home outside of Orlando.

The child's disappearance came to light on July 15, 2008 when Casey's mother, Cindy Anthony, called 911. Cindy Anthony said she was frustrated because her daughter had made excuses for a month as to why she couldn't see or speak to her granddaughter.

She said she became alarmed when she found Casey Anthony's abandoned car at an impound lot, smelling to her and several other witnesses as if it contained a dead body.

Casey Anthony initially told detectives that Caylee had been kidnapped by a nanny and that she was searching for her daughter on her own. After a five-month nationwide search, Caylee's body was discovered by a meter reader.

When the trial opened, defense lawyer Jose Baez told jurors that Caylee accidentally drowned in the family's backyard pool, but that her death went unreported. He also claimed that Casey Anthony's seemingly uncaring attitude while she partied in nightclubs was a result of a history of sexual abuse.

Saturday's delay could push back the end of the trial which began with opening statements on May 24. Perry had expected to keep the court in session until at least mid-afternoon in order to end the testimony portion by the end of next week.

On Friday, Perry said he expected to be handing the case to the jury for deliberations late next Friday or on Saturday.

The trial will resume Monday at 8:30 a.m.

(Writing and reporting by Barbara Liston; Editing by Mary Wisniewski and Ellen Wulfhorst)

Cash recovery: Police to issue notices to 2 key members of Sathya Sai Trust - Times of India

HYDERABAD: Andhra Pradesh Police is all set to issue notices to two key members of the Sathya Sai Central Trust, and question them in connection with the transportation of Rs 35.5 lakh cash in a vehicle from Puttaparthi town in Anantapur district to Bangalore.

Police have sought legal opinion in this regard and once they get it, they would move forward on issuing notices and to question the two trust members R J Ratnakar (who is nephew of late Sathya Sai Baba) and Venu Srinivasan, a senior police officer said.

"We cannot rule it (questioning the trust members) out. We are exploring the possibilities and are now seeking legal opinion. We are in the process (of questioning) towards that. Based on the legal opinion which will be known tomorrow... we will move ahead," said the official, who is supervising the investigations into the seizure of Rs 35.5 lakh from a vehicle allegedly belonging to the Sathya Sai Central Trust.

The four-wheeler, carrying Rs 35.5 lakh in cash, was confiscated during checking at Kodikonda checkpost under Chilamanthur police station limits bordering Karnataka on June 18.

Police so far have arrested three persons, including its driver Harishnanda Shetty, besides Venu Srinivasan's driver Chandrashekhar alias Shekhar and one engineer Sohanshetty in connection with the cash seizure.

As part of probe into the seizure of the cash, police interrogated Pradhan, the chief security officer of 'Yajur Mandir' -- the private chamber of Sai Baba.

Police were also in the process of questioning two more persons who were identified as Sadashiv and Venkatesh (a personal assistant of Srinivasan).

Meanwhile, in the wake of trust member V Srinivasan's name making rounds in the case, TVS Motor Company clarified that 'V Srinivasan', being referred in sections of the press, is wrongly being quoted as the chairman of TVS Motor Company - Venu Srinivasan.

A statement issued on Tuesday night said "Several reports have appeared across sections of the press with regard to irregularities in the 'Sri Sathya Sai Central Trust' alleging the involvement of Venu Srinivasan, Chairman of TVS Motor Company."

"TVS Motor Company hereby clarifies that the said V Srinivasan, being referred to in sections of the press, is wrongly being quoted as the Chairman of TVS Motor Company, Venu Srinivasan."

This is "factually incorrect as Venu Srinivasan is not a trustee of Sri Sathya Sai Central Trust," the statement added.