The AICC Chief Secretary and in charge of the political affairs for the State of AP of Congress party Digvijay Singh announced today that the Congress party will not go back their word like other political parties on the issue of bifurcation of the State.

Digvijay Singh also said that the Chief Minister Kiran Kumar Reddy and his family members are loyal to the Congress party.  The expressed his confidence that Kiran Kumar may be having some difference of opinion but it does not mean that he will go against the party’s decision.

He also said that the agenda of today’s meeting of Coordination Committee at Delhi is for real coordination but not to replace the Chief Minister.

The cautiously worded statements of Digvijay Singh suggests Kiran Kumar Reddy and his supporters that as a person having gained from the grace of the high command to hold a position, Kiran Kumar Reddy cannot be disloyal to the party to oppose the high command’s decision.  Removing Kiran Kumar Reddy is not on agenda means it also could have taken place on the agenda.

As it is clear with the moves of the Congress party, coordination committee meeting is being held at Delhi wantonly to pacify the Chief Minister and other Seemandhra leaders so that they will not become hindrance to the bifurcation note when it comes to the AP Assembly.  Kiran Kumar Reddy who has been opposing the high command has also written letters to the President and the Prime Minister that the process of bifurcation is not going in the best interests of the people of the State and not as per the rules laid down in the Constitution.

The announcement of Digvijay Singh makes a clear suggestion to Kiran Kumar Reddy that he should behave himself to reciprocate the grace of the Center that made him CM and to obey the orders like a good boy but not like a problematic child.

Chief Minister Kiran Kumar Reddy is going to Delhi after one and half months’ gap.  Kiran Kumar Reddy is will attend the Cooardination Committee in the evening today.  The agenda of the Cooardination committee is to see that the process of the State bifurcation will go smoothly at the State level.

Kiran Kumar Reddy will be accompanied by eight more Ministers from Seemandhra.  Kiran Kumar is planning to talk against bifurcation in a strong note.  He will present his own argument explaining the committeeabout the loss the two states are going to sustain incase the bifurcation happens.

The talk is that the high command of the congress party is trying to reason with Kiran Kumar to turn to its side.

The coordination committee meeting should in fact be held at Hyderabad.  The reason for conducting the meeting at Delhi and making Kiran Kumar to visit Delhi are indicating that the high command wants to tackle its problem with the Chief Minister of AP in pushing through the bifurcation process.

PCC President Botsa went to Delhi on Thursday.  Kiran Kumar Reddy who is leaving for Delhi today is going to stay on Saturday there to meet Prime Minister Manmohan Singh regarding the Center’s aid to the cyclone hit.

BJP today demanded upgrading of security for its Prime Ministerial candidate Narendra Modi citing the Patna blasts and media reports that there is a heightened threat to him.

BJP alleged that there was “gross negligence” on the part of the Centre and the Bihar government as even standard operating procedures for security like frisking, sanitisation of the area and metal detectors were not used at the Patna rally.

The party alleged that this was done by both the Congress and JD(U) due to political rivalry.

“We cannot do politics on terror. The country has lost two Prime Ministers due to terrorism and we should learn lessons from this. We hope the Centre will take note of the threat to Narendra Modi and not do politics on the issue of security. We demand that Modi be provided adequate security,” BJP spokesperson Prakash Javadekar said.

He maintained that the lapses in security at the October 27 rally were “glaring” and these should not be repeated. The main Opposition also insisted that the involvement of terror groups as also Pakistan and ISI should be probed by the government.

“The attack was planned and part of a conspiracy to liquidate Modi, BJP President Rajnath Singh, Arun Jaitley and the top party leadership of Bihar. The terrorists wanted to kill these leaders and also cause a stampede,” Javadekar said.

BJP Parliamentary Board had yesterday passed a resolution on the issue. The party has demanded that the Centre also give directions to the states to provide the requisite security to Modi whenever he visits. Modi is expected to address around 100 rallies across the country in the run-up to the Lok Sabha polls.

The party also sought to know why the Congress has fallen silent after an initial formal condemnation of the blasts.

“What does the Congress have to say in the light of new facts which have emerged about the blasts,” Javadekar said, adding that the government should not be soft on terror.

Asked what kind of security BJP wants for Modi, Javadekar said, “Government knows what should be done”.

Ahead of the muchawaited launch of Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM) from Sriharikota spaceport, the ISRO scientists are busy making last-minute preparations for the satellite launch  and also seeking divine intervention to make the mission a success.

As per the common practice, ISRO chairman Dr G Radhakrishnan performed special poojas to the prototype of PSLV-C 25 rocket at the temple of Sullurpet village deity, Changala Parameswari, located in Sullurpet town on Monday morning.

Generally, Dr Radhakrishnan performs pooja in the local temple after visiting Tirumala.

But this time, he offered prayers at the local temple and then flew to Tirumala.

Speaking to reporters in Tirumala, Dr Radhakrishnan said the present mission isa long one and the first of its kind for the ISRO. “The spacecraft will be moving towards Mars by September 2014,” he said.

On ISRO’s future plans, Dr Radhakrishnan said they would be launching the GSLV P5 communication satellite in December.

“It is a test for our cryogenic stage,” he said. Dr Radhakrishnan was accompanied by his wife and a team of 18 ISRO scientists.

SRIHARIKOTA: A day after the last of diwali rockets was fired in this part of the country, “the big one” blasted off from the first launch pad in Sriharikota on Tuesday afternoon, firing the ambition of a nation, and the imagination of many others. After 45 minutes, the first phase of India’s first Mars mission was pronounced a success.

“I am happy to announce that the Mars orbiter mission first phase is a success,” said Indian Space Research Organisation chairman K Radhakrishnan soon after the rocket injected the spacecraft into an Earth orbit about 45 minutes of flight. About 90 minutes after a drizzle raised minor concerns about weather among lay people, the 44.4m PSLV-C25 carrying in its head India’s first Mars orbiter, lifted off from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre at 2.38pm.

Drowning the cheers at the mission control, about 7km away, and the nearby media centre,” the rocket rose to the sky with a roar, spewing fire and smoke. Soon it disappeared into the clouds, only to re-emerge after a few second to another round of applause.

About 58 top scientists of the Indian Space Research Organisation remained glued to their computers in the mission control that displayed the performance of the rocket as it shed its first and second stages one by one.

The nail-biting — albeit expected – phase came soon after the third stage of the rocket burned out, and the blip on the tracking screens disappeared. As Isro chairman K Radhakrishnan had explained earlier, the rocket would be on a coasting phase for almost 28 minutes, 10 minutes of which will be a “total blind phase.” The mission control witnessed some silent moments during this period. And, when mission director P Kunhikrishnan reported that the first of the two ships in the South Pacific Ocean had picked up signal from the rocket, the scientists lit up.

About 35 minutes into the flight, the rocket was cruising at an altitude “slightly higher than the expected trajectory,” as a scientist put it. “But it will self-correct its course,” he assured. And correct it did, after the fourth stage engine fired on its own, bringing the rocket back to life. Soon, the orbiter was injected into an elliptical Earth orbit in what Kunhikrishnan called a “precision exercise.” What follows in the next 10 days would be six crucial “orbit raising operations,” in the wee hours of November 6, 7, 8, 9, 11 and 16.

And then, at 12.42am on December 1, the orbiter will leave the earth’s orbit for a 300-day journey to the red planet. “It’s only the beginning; Bigger challenges are ahead, said the Isro chairman. “We expect the orbiter to be in Mar’s orbit on September 24, 2014.”

NEW DELHI: A domestic help working at BSP MP Dhananjay Singh’s residence was on Tuesday found dead with several injuries on the body following which police has detained the leader’s wife Jagriti Singh for questioning.

According to police sources, Jagriti Singh had been allegedly torturing her maid, who was working at her residence, for the past 10 months. The police received a call from the servant’s quarter of house number 175, South Avenue in south Delhi on Monday night informing them about maid’s death.

The maid died early this morning due to injuries allegedly inflicted by the MP’s wife, they said, adding injury marks were visible on the arms, legs and chest. “We have detained her (Jagriti Singh) for questioning,” added the officer. Jagriti Singh will be formally arrested once police establishes the exact cause of death after postmortem which would take place later in the day, they said, adding the MP’s wife is being questioned.

Jagriti Singh is a dental surgeon at RML hospital in Delhi. She had also contested elections a few years ago.

Meanwhile, Dhananjay Singh, MP from Jaunpur, said that he came to know about the case today itself. “I got a call three days back from Jagriti that the maid was injured after she fell from the terrace. Yesterday evening, I again got a call saying she has died, I rushed from my constituency,” Dhananjay Singh told reporters.

Singh and his wife are involved in divorce proceedings for the past seven months.

The Supreme court on Friday adjourned the hearing of four petitions challenging the Centre’s decision on  bifurcating the State, to November 18.

The bench comprising Justice H.L. Dattu said that it will take time for detailed observation on the objections raised by all the four petitioners.
YSR Congress party leader D A Somayajulu on Monday filed a PIL in the Supreme Court contending the Centre’s decision saying it was an arbitrary and irrational decision resulting in large scale protests, loss of life and revenue across the State.
He sought directions for declaring the Cabinet resolution of October 3 as being unconstitutional.
The court adjourned his plea and also the three other pleas by TDP leader Payyavula Kesav, YSRCP leader Raghurama Krishna Raju and  Krishnamurthi to November 18.

BCCI President and India Cements Managing Director N.Srinivasan is going to appear before CBI special court today at Hyderabad.

As per the Charge Sheet by CBI on YS Jagan’s disproportionate assets case a quid pro quo of Rs.140 crores took place for the allotment of water from Krishna and Kagna rivers violating the rules and for extending the lease of 2.60 acres of land at Chouduru in Kadapa district.

In the Charge Sheet, in addition to YS Jagan and Vijayasai Reddy, BCCI President and India Cements MD Srinivasan and IAS officers Samuel and Adityanath Das were included who were sent summons on 25th September to attend on 1st November.

As per the CBI Charge Sheet, the India Cements invested Rs.95 crores in Raghuram Cements, Rs.40 crores in Jagati Publications and Rs.5 crores in Carmel Asia Holdings.

Srinivasan is already facing legal problems in the case of spot fixing charges leveled on his son in law Gurunathan Meiyappan.  Srinivasan who was forced to resign from BCCI was later permitted by the Supreme Court of India to take charge as the President of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).

The Telangana political JAC Chairman Professor Kodandaram hoisted JAC flag at Hyderabad Gun Park calling it a day on which the Telangana people are let down. He called it a day of conspiracy against Telangana.

Kodandaram speaking on the occasion said that the formation day of Telangana will be conducted in a grand way in the State of Telangana.  He assured that Telangana State will be a realty in spite of the conspiracies against it by Kiran Kumar and Jagan.

Telangana Jagruti President Kavitha and Vimalakka and leaders of Praja Front paid homage to the martyrs of Telangana at Gun Park and they too expressed their strong belief that the fight for the Telangana State will be won.

TRS senior leader Nayini Narasimha Reddy and other party supporters hoisted black flag in Telangana Bhawan to protest the formation day celebrations of Andhra Pradesh.

Andhra Pradesh State formation day is celebrated in NTR Stadium at Indira Park in Hyderabad in which the Chief Minister Kiran Kumar Reddy attended as chief guest to hoist national flag and to get salute from the armed forces.  Students of different schools participated in the cultural programs dancing and singing praising Telugu Thalli and Bharata Mata attracted the participants of the program.

Kiran Kumar Reddy spoke on the occasion.  He said that he prays Telugu Thalli to see that it will not be the last celebration of AP formation day.  He said that the State of AP was the first to form on the basis of the language.  He said that the unity of the Telugu people is the cause for making the State politically and financially strong.  He also said that a doubt is in the minds of the people of Andhra Pradesh whether a celebration will be there next year or not.  He reminded the speech of Indira Gandhi in the Parliament to keep the State united.

Kiran Kumar Said that the State could build projects like Nagarjuna Sagar, Sriramsagar and Srisailam project and could maintain law and order because it has been a united state.

Other prominent personalities attended the program are Government Chief Secretary Mohanty, DGP Prasada Rao, Minsiters Raghuveera Reddy, Sailajanath, Ganta Srinivasa Rao, Pitani Satyanarayana, TG Venkatesh and Danam Nagender.

Similar activities of AP State formation day are held by Telugu Desam Party in NTR Trust Bhawan and Lok Satta party in their office.

Telangana Jagruti Students tried to stop the car of the Collector who was going to the Collectorate to attend State formation day celebrations.  Police arrested the protesters after which the scheduled program went on smoothly.