Maurya quits, Rai in SamataNEW DELHI: In the first major fallout of Sonia Gandhi's moves to join the mainstream politics, former union minister, B P Maurya, resigned from the party's primary membership.In another development, long time Congressman Kalpnath Rai announced his decision to join Samata Party. Severing his 30-year-long association with the Congress, Maurya claimed the party would suffer "irreparable damage" by handing over its reins to Sonia Gandhi."Leftists kill nineJEHANABAD: Nine people were gunned down and two seriously injured by CPI-ML (liberation) activists in Bihar's Jehanabad district on Friday night in an apparent retaliation to Lakshmanpur Bathe carnage by a private army of landlords. Over 50 armed men waylaid a jeep, dragged its occupants out and shot dead nine of them near village Rampurchauran. Two persons were seriously injured.Sonia campaignCHENNAI: The election campaign for the Congress will be set rolling by Sonia Gandhi when she arrives at Sriperumbudur, about 50 km from here, on Sunday. According to party sources, Sonia, accompanied by her daughter Priyanka Gandhi arrived here from New Delhi on Saturday night. After an overnight stay she will motor down to the Rajiv memorial at Sriperumpudur to pay homage to her late husband.Quake kills 47BEIJING: Forty seven people were killed and more than 2000 others injured as a strong earthquake measuring 6.2 on the Richter scale jolted north China's Hebei province on Saturday. Many Beijing residents said they felt the tremors, which occurred 0920 hrs IST, Xinhua said. The quake hit North China with the epicentre located at Shangyi county of Zhangjiakou city.
