Shamed And Crippled
With Tehelka.com's spy-camera taking a heavy political toll after the damning revelations of corruption in defence deals, the beleaguered Atal Bihari Vajpayee Government will have an uphill task restoring its credibility and undoing the damage to its image.

BJP: Old Hype

Interview:
Bangaru Laxman

Jaya Jaitly:
Jhola To Purse

Opposition: On A Roll

INDIA TODAY-ORG-MARG Poll: Outraged !

Defence Establishment
: Surgery For Graft

Interview: G. Fernandes

Barak Missiles:
Off The Mark

Tehelka:
Sting Theory

Highlights Of The Findings

Rakesh Kumar Jain: Gasbag Man

Wheeling A Good Deal
The battle for BALCO degenerates into a political chess match between Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Ajit Jogi, and Union Disinvestment Minister Arun Shourie. Jogi holds most of the aces at the moment--but will he play them all when it could mean loss of investments to the state?

The New Targets
The 60,000 policemen in Kashmir are caught in a dilemma. On the one hand, they are the target of militant attacks, and, on the other, the Army sees them with suspicion. It is not just themselves, but their families that the policemen worry about as they struggle to battle militancy and falling morale.

Crisis Of Confidence While stock prices haven't recovered since the collapse of March 2, the panic has spread from Mumbai to Kolkata. Underlying the fear is a deepening fear of the Securities and Exchange Board of India's will or capacity to regulate the stockmarkets.

Escape to Victory
Down and virtually out, India create a miracle at the Eden Gardens to stun the Australians and break their winning streak.

Mixing Metaphors Music, dance, and tourism synthesise in the famed textile centre of Maheshwar to provide sustainable synergies for its growth.

STATES: CHHATTISGARH

Q. What have you got against the BALCO deal?
A. The absolute lack of transparency, underhand deals, corruption and undervaluation of the property. Two, the state Government was not taken into confidence. Three, legal and constitutional rights of tribals are being trampled upon.

Q. How serious is your offer to buy out Sterlite? And why was the offer made so late?
A. We have collected the money and are also putting the offer in a formal petition to the Supreme Court. I had asked Arun Shourie to give me 24 hours to find a new buyer but they hurried the deal. Now I have made the offer to protect the self-respect of every Chhattisgarhi.

Q. You'll have to deal with Sterlite if you want to buy them out.
A. Why should I, just because the Union Government has made an illegal deal? The Sterlite representative met me for help but I made it clear to him that we will not relent on the matter of the government being the majority stake holder.

Q. But the deal requires a strategic partner with experience.
A. Simply because someone has made the Centre happy by bribing does it become a strategic partner? Workers will run BALCO if Chhattisgarh is allowed to buy it.

Q. Your allegations against the PMO are still unsubstantiated.
A. When the Bofors scandal broke out, the Congress government set up probe by a joint parliamentary committee (JPC) because we had nothing to hide. Let a JPC probe the present deal and I'll reveal the name of the person in the PMO involved and produce evidence.

MetroScape
Pop Corn
"You are the best audience in the whole world," the Vengaboys tell raving crowds
in Delhi.
more...

Looking Glass

Delhi Exhibition:
Pop To Classic

Delhi Restaurant:
San Gimignano

Mumbai Accessories Store: Watches Of Switzerland

Bangalore Concert: Deep Purple

A bloody crackdown on Naxalites in the south-eastern fringes of Uttar Pradesh proves that only developmental programmes, not guns, can help fight the menace. INDIA TODAY's Special Correspondent Subhash Mishra explains why in
Despatches.