Yes, Prime Minister!
Inder Kumar Gujral will be sworn in as India's 12th prime minister at 1000 hours IST on Monday.
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Moopanar adamant about not joining United Front govt
'Though Mr Moopanar's response was not positive, I am not in the habit of taking 'no' from anyone... I will persuade him till he joins us,'' the prospective prime minister said.
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'I learnt more from the ten months of the Deve Gowda govt than I did in fifty years of public life'
Says Inder Kumar Gujral as he is formally elected leader of the United Front parliamentary party.
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Economic reforms to continue: Gujral
The likely prime minister says he is hopeful of establishing better coordination and understanding with the Congress.
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Parliament will convene on Monday for special session
The Budget is on the agenda. But can it be passed now that Finance Minister P Chidambaram has opted out of the government?
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Industry will be disappointed if Chidambaram is not finance minister
Industry leaders hope the Budget and the Finance Bill will be passed by Parliament, retaining its essence, even if Chidambaram is not at the finance ministry.
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Cracks appear in DMK-TMC alliance over Moopanar's decision
TMC leaders believe DMK leader and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi did not adequately back Moopanar in the UF leadership race.
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APRIL 20

It's Gujral!
The search for Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda's successor took many tortuous turns, but in the end the external affairs minister emerged as the consensus candidate.
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TMC pulls out of government!
In protest against the manner in which G K Moopanar was denied the prime minister's post, the party has decided only to support the United Front government from outside.
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High drama and political cunning mark Gujral's selection
The Left parties played a stellar role in denying G K Moopanar the prime minister's post.
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'I will give the country a clean government'
Inder Gujral tells his first press conference after his selection as UF leader.
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'I bow to the people of India in humility'
Inder Gujral has long shown that his disarming charm conceals a quiet inflexibility when the case demands it.
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Kesri happy with Gujral's selection
Asked whom the Congress would have preferred as the new leader between G K Moopanar and Gujral, Kesri replied he might have welcomed Moopanar's selection as the UF leader.
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BJP wants President to resolve political impasse by Monday
Failing which the party would not be obliged to ensure the smooth transaction of financial business during the special three day session of the Lok Sabha.
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Moopanar still a Congress MP!
Was that the reason why the Tamil Maanila Congress leader lost out in the race to become prime minister?
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We should review the Constitution or else, we will continue to be in this mess
Former Union finance minister C Subramaniam prescribes solutions for the national crisis.
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Our leaders have exposed themselves to be power hungry pygmies who do not have the courage to face the electorate
V C Bhaskaran reviews the United Front drama of replacing its leader.
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Kesri jo kehta hai karta nahin, aur jo karta hai kehta nahin
Rajiv Shukla provides an insider's glimpse of Congress politics.
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The middle class is determined to marginalise the Congress in the next polls
Mani Shankar Aiyar on the era of coalitions.
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Any which way, Kesri comes on top
Saisuresh Sivaswamy's commentary on the political drama in Delhi.
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OTHER STORIES

Husband-wife dispute turns communal in Kerala
The CPI-M clashes with Muslim fundamentalists over what is really a domestic affair.
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Indo-Pak talks a significant step forward: US
''One would hope that whatever the political configuration that emerges in India, they will continue to support this process," said Undersecretary-designate Thomas Pickering, who had a brief stint as US ambassador in New Delhi.
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APRIL 19

'Moopanar is a good
manager of men
Cho Ramaswamy maps the road ahead for Indian politics.
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United Front plans to form next government by Sunday
The search for Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda's successor gained momentum as the United Front declared its intentions of forming a new government by the weekend.
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Congress sends President a letter, pledging support to a UF government
On the condition that the Front elects a new leader, of course.
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Kesri's letter beats Left parties into line
The United Front is ready to accept Congress support, but it has no intention of going in for a coalition with it.
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Vajpayee urges President to call for fresh polls
''The Congress-United Front combine will not be able to provide a stable government; so they should be advised to seek a fresh mandate,'' the former prime minister told the President.
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'We want an assurance from the Congress that this government lasts for a longer time'
Commerce Minister B B Ramaiah tells the Rediff Chat.
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Right from the day JP made him Janata Party president, Chandra Shekhar has fancied himself as the only man to make an authentic prime minister of India
Janardan Thakur on the wily Old Turk's gambit.
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Saving the Budget was thought to be such a national
necessity that short-circuiting the Constitution was
regarded as no sin
Ashok Mitra on why the Budget should not be passed.
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OTHER STORIES

Five Indians killed in haj fire identified
A tentative list of the 383 people missing has also been prepared.
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Poor information irks foreign hostages's kin
Two years after, Kashmiri authorities continue with assurances as hostages's relatives land in the valley.
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US Congressmen received illegal contribution from Khalistani groups: report
The Council of Khalistan has funneled at least $ 65,000 to the Republican Party and several congressional candidates.
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PoK not part of its territory: Pakistan
The Pakistan government says people in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir cannot be granted rights under the Pakistani constitution because they are not part of the country.
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Asian immigrants being harrassed by Uganda police
At least 10 Asians are currently languishing in police cells on 'flimsy charges,' according to the Indian Association in Uganda. The arrested are mainly from India and Pakistan.
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'Media friendly' Kumaratunga tries to gag a bound Sri Lankan press
The President, it would appear, has frequently used criminal defamation laws and emergency regulations to keep journalists in check.
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Iranian regime prepares for presidential poll
Iran's ruling elite is running scared. With a presidential election just weeks away, the Irani regime is anxious about its political future.
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APRIL 18

Biju Patnaik dead
A political legend passes into the ages. Former Lok Sabha Speaker Rabi Ray pays homage to the fallen leader.
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Work on haj fire death list begins
More than half the 343 dead are believed to be Indians, but it will still take days before a positive identification is made.
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THE CONGRESS CRISIS

Collision Course
The Congress and the Left parties appear set for a clash over the next United Front government.
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Congress and UF continue informal talks
The Left digs in its heels on the withdrawal of letter issue.
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'The BJP does not find the same hostility to us as there was 10 months ago'
Bharatiya Janata Party leader K R Malkani explains his party's position on the ongoing political crisis.
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'I honestly believe that Dr Tanwar's case weighed with Kesriji when he gave the letter to the Rashtrapatiji'
A R Antulay tells the Rediff Chat.
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Deve Gowda mishandled ties with Congress: Indrajit Gupta
That is why the United Front has now proposed an ''institutionalised machinery'' to Congress leaders, for better coordination in future, says the home minister.
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'God and the Congress have spoiled everything'
A pall of gloom has descended over Hardanahalli, caretaker Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda's native village.
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When Rahu enters the mind, politicians walk on their head
K N Rao predicts the immediate future for the body politic.
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OTHER STORIES

CBI to complete Bofors probe in country by month-end
CBI director Joginder Singh himself has taken over the case.
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Kerala Muslim women step up campaign for the right to enter mosques
What worries religious leaders is the uprising now taking place among Sunni Muslim women, who are considered more orthodox and obedient than the rest
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Off the streets and into school
The Under Privileged Children's Educational Programme in Bangladesh does not provide food but bolsters the streetchildren's chances by giving them an education.
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Nike's labour practices are not the way to just do it
Nike is not the only MNC to exploit Third World workers and it is not even the worst. But activists say that being a major employer of low-wage labour in developing countries, where Nike goes other manufacturers follow.
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APRIL 17

More than 100 Indians die in Haj fire
The other dead were Bangladeshis and Pakistanis. About 1,300 people are injured in the disaster.
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THE CONGRESS CRISIS

A Change of Heart
The Congress may join the United Front government, especially if G K Moopanar succeeds H D Deve Gowda as UF leader.
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Left wants Congress to give six month assurance to United Front government
These leaders feel the UF should take Sitaram Kesri's commitments with a pinch of salt because they think he is an opportunist who will not hesitate to again pull down the government when it suits him.
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'Why should I be scared of the BJP?'
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu tells Rediff On The NeT, in an expansive interview.
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'The UF has forfeited its right to form the government'
BJP vice-president Krishan Lal Sharma tells the Rediff Chat.
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The President has made 'closed room' deals possible -- all in the name of saving the Budget!
T V R Shenoy on the week's political developments.
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The night of the long knives
Varsha Bhosle on Friday's parry-and-thrust in Parliament.
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Pawar's timing for taking on Kesri is not right
Saisuresh Sivaswamy's daily commentary on the political drama in Delhi.
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'Rahul Gandhi will come into the limelight soon and rescue the Congress'
Hyderabad astrologers predict the immediate future for the body politic.
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OTHER STORIES

Karunanidhi cleared of corruption charges
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi has been cleared of corruption charges made against him after his earlier tenure as chief minister in 1989-90.
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Air collision avoidance system to be made compulsory in India
To ensure safety in the congested air routes, India will make it mandatory for all aircraft in the country, and those coming in, to carry the Airborne Collision Avoidance System from January 1, 1999.
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BSF tear gas unit cries out for government attention
At the Border Security Force's Tekanpur camp in Madhya Pradesh, a small, dedicated band of jawans work day in and day out with toxic chemicals -- and for their efforts, they get an additional Rs 20 as 'toxic allowance.
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'We are glad we came; this is one chance in a lifetime'
An encounter with Hindi pilgrims from Pakistan.
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APRIL 16

THE CONGRESS CRISIS

The Frontrunner
G K Moopanar is H D Deve Gowda's likely successor as United Front leader.
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BJP refuses to pass Budget
The party says the new United Front government must present a fresh Budget.
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Removing Deve Gowda does not mean "succumbing to Kesri's pressure:" UF
Top United Front leaders are now studying the political implications of the Congress Working Committee resolution to support the Front under a new leader.
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'It was a self-destructive and a suicidal move. Kesri must quit'
Senior Congress leader A R Antulay tells Rediff On The NeT, in an expansive interview.
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Congress to withdraw letter to President
The Congress Working Commitee says its letter staking a claim to form the government was to prevent the Bharatiya Janata Party from exploiting the vacuum following the fall of the United Front government.
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'During the negotiations the Congress insisted the UF extend support for forming a government'
CPI-M general secretary Harkishan Singh Surjeet lets fly at the Congress.
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Nation wants mid-term election, Vajpayee as PM: opinion poll
Half the respondents in a nationwide opinion poll prefer a mid-term poll, with supporters of the Bharatiya Janata Party more keen than others for fresh elections.
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Deve Gowda's exit will ensure clear passage for Budget
Saisuresh Sivaswamy's commentary on the latest political developments.
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The new UF leader will come from south India
K N Rao predicts the immediate future for the body politic.
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OTHER STORIES

Resign if you can't do better, Pak PM told
MQM leader Altaf Hussain has threatened to break the coalition government in Pakistan's Sindh province, if Prime Minister Nawaz Sharief does not take strong action against the killings of four Muhajirs in Karachi last week.
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Tajikstan on the road to peace, finally
After five years of bloody civil war and a loss of at least 60,000 lives, a strife-torn Tajikstan is finally limping along the road to peace.
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So many rules and regulations gives the impression of about a dozen Seshans giving orders
Amberish K Diwanji on the British election campaign.
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APRIL 15

Trouble Ahead!
The Janata Dal may clash with the Federal Front over H D Deve Gowda's successor. JD leaders fear the regional bloc's machinations have diminished the chances of a senior Dal leader like External Affairs Minister Inder Kumar Gujral becoming prime minister.
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United Front to choose Deve Gowda's successor on April 17
The new prime minister may be sworn in on April 20 itself.
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Congress decides to back another United Front govt
The Congress Working Committee's offer depends on a change in the Front leadership.
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It would be better to have another election: Vajpayee
The BJP leader wants a Constitutional amendment to ban mid-term dissolution of Parliament
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BJP asks President to stop "theatre of absurd"
The party has urged President Shankar Dayal Sharma to ensure that political instability is not foisted again on the nation.
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BJP effort to form new front with regional parties
The party appears to be veering around to the view that coalition politics are inevitable in the nation's immediate political future.
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Many of the UF constituents may support BJP to avoid polls
Janardan Thakur on the latest political developments.
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Elections are now an unlikely scenario
Saisuresh Sivaswamy's commentary on the latest political developments.
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In today's fractured polity, the BJP alone satisfies the craving for a stable and strong government
Virendra Kapoor on the latest political developments.
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Fresh elections will not take place until February 1998
K N Rao predicts the immediate future for the body politic.
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Kesri makes his move
If you missed reading our comprehensive coverage of the political developments, why don't you check it out?
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OTHER STORIES

Mercenary's diary proves Pakistan backing North-East militants
Official sources said the diary contained elaborate details of plans to attack the headquarters of an army brigade at Tamulpur in Assam.
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Former Union minister Arvind Netam joins Congress
This is a big setback to the Congress in Madhya Pradesh.
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Kerala is new sanctuary for fleeing Lankan Tamils
Over 1,500 Jaffna Tamils have already bought property in different parts of the state, particularly in Thiruvananthapuram, Kozhikode and Palakkad districts and settled there permanently.
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'Dwyer, not Dyer, was the villain of Jallianwalla Bagh'
Lala Lajpat Rai charged Sir Michael O' Dwyer with having deliberately intensified the policy of divide and rule by keeping apart the Mohammedans from the Hindus and both from the Sikhs.
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