Advani seeks fixed tenure for the House

Gandhinagar, Apr 30 (PTI) BJP‘s Prime Ministerial candidate L K Advani today sought a fixed term for Lok Sabha and state Assemblies and wanted voting to be made compulsory with elections to be scheduled in the month of February.

“I suggest that political parties and the Election Commission should think over whether we can change the Constitution for a fixed tenure for Lok Sabha and Assemblies,” 81-year-old Advani said after casting his vote here.

“We are following the UK pattern which does not suit us and we should change it,” he told reporters.

Advani’s suggestion implies that even if the government of the day loses its majority in Lok Sabha, the House should not be dissolved and a new government should assume office.

Pointing out the difficulties being faced during the summer months, Advani, who is seeking re-election from Gandhinagar, said “Polling percentage dips during the summer and elections should be held in February.” The senior BJP leader also said voting should be made compulsory. “Political parties and the EC should discuss to make voting mandatory.” He said the BJP will emerge as the single largest party and that the NDA will form the government at the Centre.

Advani, alongwith with his wife, cast his vote in the morning. PTI ARU VMN ETB 04301041 DELHI

No swine flu case in India: Govt

New Delhi, Apr 30 (PTI) Government today insisted that no case of swine flu has been detected in the country even as it stepped up efforts to prevent the disease from reaching India and prepared to screen about 50,000 people who have come in from the affected nations.

As part of the efforts, counters have been set up at nine airports across the country to screen people coming from affected nations and a decision has been taken to increase the stockpile of Tamiflu vaccine from one million to 10 million doses to meet any emergency situation.

World Health Organisation appreciated India’s preparedness to tackle the disease if it reaches here, saying the country has “tremendous capacity” in this respect.

Joint Secretary in the Health Ministry Vineet Chaudhary insisted that no flu case has been detected in the country.

On reports about a suspected flu case in Hyderabad, he said: “The patient is not showing any symptoms now. In fact, he had reported to a nearby health centre for check up after he developed flu like symptoms after coming back from Mexico.” National Institute of Communicable Diseases Director Shivlal said as extra precautionary measures, fresh samples have been taken from the Hyderabad resident and are being flown to Delhi. Results will be available in the next 24 to 48 hours.

About 50,000 passengers who have come from countries affected by swine flu have been traced and checks would be carried out on them, Chaudhary said. PTI

India is not safe for 2011 World Cup: Miandad told ICC

Karachi, Apr 30 (PTI) Former captain Javed Miandad argued in International Cricket Council‘s recent Dubai meeting that if Pakistan is unsafe to host 2011 World Cup matches, India is not a safe venue either.

Sources privy to the meeting that took place in Dubai last week said Miandad, now a director-general of the Pakistan Cricket Board, and governing council member Shakil Sheikh made the strong plea that if the ICC had security concerns about having the World Cup matches in Pakistan, the situation in India and Bangladesh was also not encouraging.

“They argued that the security situation in India had also not been very good in recent times and there was no guarantee it would not deteriorate in coming months while the situation in Bangladesh also remained uncertain,” the source said.

The duo claimed that there were also doubts about India hosting the hockey World Cup or Commonwealth Games in 2010.

ICC President David Morgan and CEO Haroon Lorgat told the PCB delegation, led by president Ejaj Butt, that apart from the attack in the Sri Lankan team in Lahore, financial reasons also played its part in the decision to move the 2011 World Cup matches from Pakistan. PTI