Army had plotted to topple Rajiv govt in 1987: Retd Gen

CHANDIGARH: Lt Gen P N Hoon, a former Army commander of the prestigious Western Command, has claimed there was a plot to topple Rajiv Gandhi's government in 1987.

He has also claimed that three crack para-commando battalions including one from the Western Command, were told to move for action in Delhi.

The 86-year-old Hoon has alleged that the then Army chief General Krishnaswami Sundarji and Lt Gen S F Rodrigues, the vice chief of Army, who went on to become Army chief were involved in the plot.

Hoon hints in his just-released book, 'The Untold Truth', that the plan for a coup was hatched at the behest of certain very senior politicians who did not share cordial relations with Rajiv. The Lt Gen states that at his farewell function in 1987 hosted by the then Punjab governor Siddharth Shankar Ray in Chandigarh, Giani Zail Singh had blamed Rajiv Gandhi of corruption and negligence. Singh also said Rajiv was unconcerned about the 1984 anti-Sikh riots.

Hoon has claimed that as chief of the Western Command in May-June 1987, he was in Delhi on official work when he received a message that a letter had been received at command headquarters from army HQ seeking three para-commando battalions. The battalions included the First-Para Commando, which was under the Western Command, and the 9th and 10th Para Commando which were under the Northern and Southern Commands.

According to Hoon, these three battalions were ordered to be placed under Rodrigues. He said he immediately briefed Rajiv and his principal secretary Gopi Arora about the development and showed them the letter demanding special forces.

"I also explained to them how dangerous this move could be, not only for the country, but also for our political system," Hoon said. He claims to have ordered the Delhi area commander, which is under the Western Command, not to move any troops without his permission.

Hoon, who retired in October 1987, states that one minister in Rajiv's cabinet, V C Shukla, was aware about the possibility of army action. In chapter-10 titled 'Giani Zail Singh vs Rajiv Gandhi' he said Shukla specially came down to Chandimandir to meet him.

Hoon, however, concluded that Zail Singh didn't take any action against Rajiv's government fearing that it would lead to transfer of power from a democratically elected government to the armed forces.

Air Marshal Randhir Singh, a veteran of many wars, disagrees with Hoon and says there's never been any attempt at military coup. "In India, a coup by the armed forces is not possible because of the kind of legacy training they have inherited," the 94-year-old said.

Terming it Gen Hoon's "own perception," Colonel K S Pathak, senior veteran and one of the founders of country's special forces, says there may have been mobilization of troops in Delhi but it was for other reasons. At the time, there was unrest in Delhi, especially after the Sikh massacre and some other problems. "Mobilization could have been for the state, not to destabilize the democratically elected government," said Pathak who was deployed in the special forces under the Cabinet Secretariat in 1987.

Bihar election Modi’s biggest electoral test: US think-tank

WASHINGTON, Oct 1: The upcoming Bihar Assembly election this month will be the biggest electoral test for Prime Minister Narendra Modi this far, scholars from a top American think-tank have said, noting that the ramifications of its results will be felt far away from the state’s borders.

”No matter what the voters of Bihar decide, the ramifications will be felt far beyond the state’s borders,” scholars Milan Vaishnav and Saksham Khosla from the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace - a top US think tank - wrote in an op-ed on Wednesday.

The Bihar election, which begins on October 12 and concludes on November 8, will be the “biggest electoral test” for the Modi-led BJP government thus far, they wrote. If it prevails, this victory could provide the central government with new momentum. A win would bring BJP closer to a Rajya Sabha majority and boost its chances ahead of state elections in 2016 and 2017.

If it falls short, it would be a big blow, especially because Modi has associated his own reputation so closely with the campaign, even recently announcing a $ 19 billion (Rs 1.25 lakh crore) economic package for the state, the Carnegie scholars wrote. The election could also make or break the careers of the chief minister Nitish Kumar and his new found ally Lalu Prasad Yadav, the think-tank scholars said.

”Kumar’s star, once among the brightest of all state leaders, has dimmed after the 2014 general election debacle. For Yadav, who will likely return to jail to serve time for a corruption conviction, a victory would maintain his and his family’s relevance in state politics,” they wrote.

”Forming an alliance in Bihar would provide Congress some comfort for its spate of recent electoral defeats and boost the standing of the party’s heir-in-waiting, Rahul Gandhi,” they said.

I’ll do in 50 months what others couldn’t do in 50 years: Modi

VARANASI, Sept 18: Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is on a day-long tour of Varanasi, on Friday mocked the opposition for questioning his ambitious Jan Dhan Yojana saying their experiments to alleviate poverty failed to help the poor.

"I am surprised that those who did not open a single account in the banks are showing their concern that the accounts are not being operated properly. I am here to tell them that what they failed to do in 50 years, I will do in 50 months," Modi told a gathering of the rickshaw pullers.

PM Modi said had his critics helped the poor open bank accounts when they were in power he would have been spared the worry. Modi said that more than 18 crore bank accounts have been opened under PM Jan Dhan Yojana and thanked the poor for depositing around Rs 30,000 crore in the banks.

In an indirect attack on the previous Congress-led governments' popular slogan of 'Garibi Hatao', he said poverty has not been eliminated from the country despite all the experiments undertaken so far.

"We have been hearing the slogan of 'Garibi Hatao' for 40-50 years, but nothing concrete was done to eliminate poverty. It has become a tradition to chant in the name of the poor, there is a need to come out of it," he said.

Modi also said education is the best and the least expensive way to fight poverty and urged the people of Varanasi to educate their children.

"The biggest weapon one can use to fight poverty is the education of children. I request you to please educate your children, no matter what the circumstances are," Modi told the gathering.

Modi, who arrived in his constituency for the first time in 2015, also stressed the need for skill development to eliminate poverty and said with the help of technology the poorest of the poor can earn more and become self-reliant.

"Make a little change in their lives by enhancing their skills, and we will get wonderful results," he said.

He gifted 101 e-rickshaws, 101 paddle rickshaws, 150 hand carts, and 250 trolleys to the poor. He also gave away packages to 602 families under Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana.

The PM also expressed hope that equipment distributed will enhance the income of the beneficiaries will make them economically independent and bring about a positive change in their lives.

The PM will also lay the foundation of Integrated Power Development Scheme (IPDS) worth Rs 32,612 crore, ring road and Varanasi-Sultanpur four-lane project.

The BJP, which won 71 out of 78 Lok Sabha seats it contested in Uttar Pradesh last year, is likely to lead an aggressive campaign in the state where it will have to take on the formidable SP alongside Mayawati's BSP in the assembly polls, which are just a little more than a year away.

Modi's visit to this eastern UP town, from where the state's border with Bihar is just about a 100 km away, may also find political resonance in the neighbouring province where assembly elections have been announced.

Pak is our ‘brother’, government must work to improve ties: RSS

NEW DELHI, Sept 5: The RSS on Friday favoured engagement with Pakistan and other neigbours, saying they were “formed out of the same body (India)”, and endorsed the Narendra Modi government’s “direction, intent and commitment” in the past 14 months.

The BJP’s ideological mentor said there was a need to discuss how to improve relations with people related historically and geographically vis-à-vis India’s neigbours.

RSS joint general secretary Dattatreya Hosabale shrugged off the acrimony between India and Pakistan, saying such things happen “in a family ... between brothers” and one should move on and work to improve relationships.

“In Bharat, Kauravas and Pandavas were brothers. Efforts have to be made for dharma sansthapana (to establish order),” he said in reply to how the two nations could maintain brotherly relations in the face of “provocations” by Pakistan.

The Sangh, which expressed concern about the changing “demographic profile” at the three-day RSS-BJP coordination meeting in Delhi, announced its decision to set up a committee to prepare a report on the recently released religion census, which will be discussed at its Ranchi meet in November.

Prime Minister Modi told leaders of the RSS and its affiliates on the concluding day of the event that it was because of the “sanskar” or ethics learnt from the Sangh that he could reach where he did.

He said his government has done a lot of work and exhorted the Sangh to convey the achievements to people across the country. “But a lot more has to be done. We are trying to reach out to the last man of our country and our efforts will finally show,” he was learnt to have said.

The RSS agreed. “Only 14 months have passed. There is more time and a lot more is to be done. Whatever has been done so far, the direction is right, dedication, commitment and achievements are good. We have to move forward. There cannot be 100% satisfaction for everyone,” RSS leader Hosabale said.

He dismissed the opposition’s criticism that the government was run through remote control by the Sangh, following presentations by senior ministers at the meeting.

The RSS said the meeting was not to review the performance of the Modi government.

“We are not an illegal organisation. We are citizens of the country. We have every right to ask ministers, who are also swayamsevaks,” Hosabale said.

The clarification had little effect on the attack launched by the opposition, which had called the meeting an appraisal exercise of the Modi government by the Sangh.

“Modiji can see intolerant non-state actors controlling large territories evrywhr-but not the intolerant non-state actor ctrling him&hisGovt!” tweeted Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi.

RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat is learnt to have expressed satisfaction over the functioning of the government and batted for regular meetings between the Sangh and its affiliates for better coordination.

The RSS advised the government to Indianise the education system, while delegates shared ideas on economic models that would help people in the countryside get better employment and medical facilities.

Hosabale said the RSS would wait for construction of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya in accordance with the government’s time-table since the issue was pending before the Supreme Court.

Three get 20 years in jail for raping Japanese tourist

JAIPUR, Sept 5: Three persons were on Friday sentenced to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment by a court in Jaipur for raping a Japanese tourist on the Jaipur-Ajmer National Highway in February.

The main accused, Ajit Singh Choudhary, and his two friends Abrar and Wahid were awarded a 20-year imprisonment under Section 376 D (gang rape) and others. Three others - Ramveer, Shivraj and Ramraj - were sentenced to two years of imprisonment and were asked to pay a Rs 5,000 fine, while Dharmveer, Ravindra and Rajveer were acquitted, according to special public prosecutor BS Chauhan.

The Japanese woman was raped on the intervening night of February 8 and 9 at Mozamabad near Dudu area on the Jaipur-Ajmer National Highway, nearly 50 kms from Jaipur. Choudhary introduced himself as a tourist guide, took her to a few tourist places during the day on his motorcycle and raped her at night at a deserted place near Mojamabad village in Dudu. He was caught on February 13.

The 20-year old victim had come to Jaipur as a tourist and was visiting Jal Mahal when Choudhary lured her on the pretext of taking her for sight-seeing. She was left at a desolate place after the crime. A passerby noticed her and took her to Dudu Police Station where a case was registered.

A chargesheet was filed in the court within two weeks of the incident.

There were a total of nine accused against whom the police had filed the chargesheet under various sections including 376 D (gangrape), 366 (kidnapping, abducting or inducing woman to compel her for marriage), 342 (wrongful consignment), 120 (B) (criminal conspiracy) and others.

As per section 376 D, when a woman is raped by one or more persons constituting a group or acting in furtherance of a common intention, each of those persons is considered deemed to have committed the offence of rape.