Advani resignation urged to facilitate Babri probe

CHENNAI, Sept 19: The Communist Party of India (CPI) today demanded the resignation of the Union Home Minister L K Advani as the Babri Ma...

CHENNAI, Sept 19: The Communist Party of India (CPI) today demanded the resignation of the Union Home Minister L K Advani as the Babri Masjid demolition case, in which he was charge-sheeted, is scheduled to come up for hearing soon in Allahabad High Court.

Briefing mediapersons at the end of the 17th Congress, spokesman Shameem Faizee said the CBI’s proceedings would be hindered if Advani continued in the Home Ministry. In CPI’s view, the CBI would find it difficult to “discharge its duties impartially”.

CPI’s demand came in the wake of Advani’s reported remark at Hyderabad on Thursday that the Communists co-operated with the Nizam who fought against the merger of Hyderabad with the Indian Union. In a strongly worded rejoinder at a news conference yesterday, CPI General Secretary A B Bardhan accused Advani of seeking to rewrite history and added that 4,000 Communists died in the struggle against the Nizam.

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The CPI Congress, which elected the National Council of the party, has drawn up a programme toconduct mass movements from Oct 12, protesting against the BJP-led Government’s failure to contain the inflationary trend.

In a resolution, the party urged the Government to support the small scale industries in the areas of finance, infrastructure and marketing and demanded statutory support for the implementation of the national floor-level wage that is linked with cost of living index.

Expressing concern at the “anti-public sector policy” of the BJP-led Government, the CPI asserted that the Government of the day did not possess the mandate to give away the assets of the nation for the sake of meeting the budgetary deficit.

The CPI also underlined the need to maintain a stable relationship with China “in our own interests,” and added that the present belligerent stand was needless.

Police personnel seen to control the situation during a massive protest over the statehood demand and the inclusion of Ladakh under the Sixth Schedule, in Leh on Wednesday. (ANI Video Grab)

Statehood protest takes violent turn in Ladakh, BJP office set ablaze in Leh

India2 hr ago

Protests in Ladakh turned violent as students and youth organisations demanded statehood and Sixth Schedule status. Two elderly protesters fainted, prompting a shutdown call. A BJP office and security vehicle were set on fire. Activist Sonam Wangchuk urged for a peaceful approach. The demand for Sixth Schedule status is due to Ladakh's tribal-majority population and direct central administration.

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