SNOKE IN RASUWA NOT VOLCANO SAYS OFFICIAL Kathmandu, 20 Dec.: The rumours of a volcano eruption in the Langtang National Park Area, that made breaking news on Thursday, were found to be baseless, RSS reports from Rasuwa. After seeing a huge cloud of smoke emitting at around 10 this morning, most of the local people in National Park Area thought that it could be a volcano eruption, and the incident stole limelight of one and all round the day. After the news spread like wildfire, the District Administration Office, Rasuwa, requested the Nepal Army to make an aerial inspection of the site to confirm whether it was actually a wildfire or volcano eruption. Assistant Chief District Officer Gautam Rimal confirmed that it was indeed a forest fire, and not volcano eruption. The locals and officials here were already panicking since the news spread about volcano eruption in their surrounding. Chief of district police office Sudip Giri said that the reasons behind the fire in the forest are awaited. Police personnel have been deployed to find the truth, he said. According to Giri, the police personnel are expected to reach the site, which is at a remote area of Bidrim VDC, after a three-day trek from the district headquarters Dhunche. Rimal said that the rumours of volcano eruption were baseless and urged the people not to believe in such. nnnn NC’s MAHAT SAYS MAOIST PACKAGE A PARADOX Kathmandu, 20 Dec.: Nepali Congress leader Dr Ram Sharan Mahat has said that the UCPN-Maoist was just a 'package of paradox, RSS reports.' Speaking at an interaction organised by the Reporters' Club on Thursday, leader Mahat argued that the President should stop extending deadline for a national consensus but appoint a prime minister of political consensus as per the parties' majority in the dissolved Constituent Assembly, in accordance with the spirit of Article 38 (2) of the Interim Constitution. If Nepali Congress President Sushil Koirala was acceptable to Chairman of the UCPN-Maoist, Pushpa Kamal Dahal, Koirala should be given chance to lead the government. But Maoist Chairman cannot change his views time and again, he stressed. On the occasion, Minister for Peace and Reconstruction Top Bahadur Rayamajhi, however, claimed that there was no alternative to continuation of the incumbent government if constitutional and democratic norms are to be followed. According to him, the PM would step down once the parties would forge the deal in a package. Nnnn SUNSARI ACCIDENT CLAIMS VICTIM Kathmandu, 20 Dec.; A cyclist was killed after a night bus knocked him at Duhabi-4 of Sunsari district along the Duhabi-Itahari road section on Thursday morning, rSS reports from Itahari.. The deceased has been identified as Dinesh Thapa (15) of Hattimudha, from Morang district According to an eyewitness, the bus (Na 4 Kha 3589) belonging to Deepjyoti Night Bus Service knocked Thapa down. The bus driver allegedly took the bus in back gear and killed Thapa. The local residents gathered at the site had disrupted the road for around five hours since 6:00 am chanting various slogans against local police administration, today. The road was opened after local people agreed to remove the body following words from the police that action would be taken against the bus driver. The Area Police Office, Duhabi, impounded the bus and arrested the driver for necessary action. Nnnn SECOND STUNT VICTIM DEAD Kathmandu, 20 Dec.: Bharat Singh Thapa of Byas municipality-11, who was seriously hurt in fire incident, breathed his last on Wednesday evening, RSS reports from Tanahu.. Thapa who was injured in the incident died during treatment at Life Care Centre in Kathmandu. Earlier, another injured Suresh Panta (28) of Byas-1, Bhadgaun breathed his last while undergoing treatment at Bir Hospital on December 13. Both Pant and Thapa who were injured at the tunnel on Tuesday while supporting Mirlung’s Shumsher Bahadur Lamsal who was attempting to set a new world record of riding a bike through a 105-meter fire tunnel in 20 seconds on December 11 were airlifted to Kathmandu for treatment. Police have arrested proprietor of fire sports organising institution Gandaki Computer Training Centre Basanta Sadashanker for investigation. nnnn HINDUS WIN IN GUJARAT Kathmandu, 20 Dec.; Hindu nationalists won a resounding victory Thursday in state elections in western India, buttressing the political strength of Narendra Modi, the Hindu ideologue and polarizing figure whose supporters believe could become prime minister in 2014. AP reports from New Delhi.. With nearly all results counted, news reports from Gujarat state, where Modi has served as the state´s chief minister since 1998, gave his right-wing Bharatiya Janata Party 122 seats in the state parliament, up from 117 seats in the last election. Its closest rival, the Congress party, was expected to take 56 seats, six seats less than it held before. The Congress, which leads India´s national government, has seen its position dramatically weakened in recent years, its reputation battered by clumsy political maneuvering, weak leadership and a seemingly endless stream of corruption scandals. Indian state of Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi greets his supporters after casting his vote in the second phase of Gujarat state assembly elections in Ahmadabad, India, Monday, Dec. 17. (AP) The BJP´s top leadership has long presented Modi as a potential future prime minister. On Thursday, as supporters danced in front of party offices holding signs calling for Modi to take the country´s top position, party officials dodged questions of his role in the next national elections, expected in 2014. Modi himself made clear he was thinking of the future. "No need of looking behind, FORWARD! We want infinite energy, infinite courage, infinite patience..." said a quote on his personal Twitter site. Behind Modi, though, lies one of the grimmest times in recent Indian history, when marauding mobs of Hindus killed and burned their way through Muslim neighborhoods in Gujarat in 2001, leaving more than 1,100 people dead. While he was never charged with a crime, his many critics say Modi did little to stop the three months of rioting. Some have accused him of encouraging the violence. Since then, Modi has been a deeply divisive figure in Indian politics, a man revered by supporters as a defender of Hinduism and reviled by opponents as an ideologue who has taken advantage of his state´s religious divide. While earlier campaigns highlighted his Hindu credentials, this year´s avoided divisive issues. Gujarat has become a wealthy state over the past decade, a magnet for companies eager for business-friendly regulations. His campaign showcased his claims that he molded Gujarat´s transformation, bringing industries, jobs, electricity and water in a country where power outages and joblessness are epidemic. Certainly, Modi is the most powerful man in Gujarat. He runs nearly every major state ministry, and his face is omnipresent on posters. One TV station does little but broadcast adoring reports about him. While Modi is a masterful politician — his latest campaign included high-tech holographic speeches that took his image to dozens of towns and villages at a time — it´s unclear if he could become a national leader. His polarizing history would make it difficult for a Modi-led BJP to forge the alliances it would need. "It´s not going to be that easy for the BJP to settle on Modi" as a national leader, political analyst Zoya Hasan said on NDTV television. The party "desperately needs more alliances to create a government in 2014." His political rivals, not surprisingly, insisted Thursday´s victory did little to push him to national power, since the BJP did not dramatically increase its seats in the state parliament. "This Gujarat election proves that it´s not open skies for Narendra Modi," External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid told reporters. The Gujarat elections were held Dec. 13 and 17, though official counting did not occur until Thursday. <="" p=""> nnnn ________________________________________ Hindu nationalists win in western Indian state ASSOCIATED PRESS (Updated) NEW DELHI, Dec 20: Hindu nationalists won a resounding victory Thursday in state elections in western India, buttressing the political strength of Narendra Modi, the Hindu ideologue and polarizing figure whose supporters believe could become prime minister in 2014. With nearly all results counted, news reports from Gujarat state, where Modi has served as the state´s chief minister since 1998, gave his right-wing Bharatiya Janata Party 122 seats in the state parliament, up from 117 seats in the last election. Its closest rival, the Congress party, was expected to take 56 seats, six seats less than it held before. The Congress, which leads India´s national government, has seen its position dramatically weakened in recent years, its reputation battered by clumsy political maneuvering, weak leadership and a seemingly endless stream of corruption scandals. Indian state of Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi greets his supporters after casting his vote in the second phase of Gujarat state assembly elections in Ahmadabad, India, Monday, Dec. 17. (AP) The BJP´s top leadership has long presented Modi as a potential future prime minister. On Thursday, as supporters danced in front of party offices holding signs calling for Modi to take the country´s top position, party officials dodged questions of his role in the next national elections, expected in 2014. Modi himself made clear he was thinking of the future. "No need of looking behind, FORWARD! We want infinite energy, infinite courage, infinite patience..." said a quote on his personal Twitter site. Behind Modi, though, lies one of the grimmest times in recent Indian history, when marauding mobs of Hindus killed and burned their way through Muslim neighborhoods in Gujarat in 2001, leaving more than 1,100 people dead. While he was never charged with a crime, his many critics say Modi did little to stop the three months of rioting. Some have accused him of encouraging the violence. Since then, Modi has been a deeply divisive figure in Indian politics, a man revered by supporters as a defender of Hinduism and reviled by opponents as an ideologue who has taken advantage of his state´s religious divide. While earlier campaigns highlighted his Hindu credentials, this year´s avoided divisive issues. Gujarat has become a wealthy state over the past decade, a magnet for companies eager for business-friendly regulations. His campaign showcased his claims that he molded Gujarat´s transformation, bringing industries, jobs, electricity and water in a country where power outages and joblessness are epidemic. Certainly, Modi is the most powerful man in Gujarat. He runs nearly every major state ministry, and his face is omnipresent on posters. One TV station does little but broadcast adoring reports about him. While Modi is a masterful politician — his latest campaign included high-tech holographic speeches that took his image to dozens of towns and villages at a time — it´s unclear if he could become a national leader. His polarizing history would make it difficult for a Modi-led BJP to forge the alliances it would need. "It´s not going to be that easy for the BJP to settle on Modi" as a national leader, political analyst Zoya Hasan said on NDTV television. The party "desperately needs more alliances to create a government in 2014." His political rivals, not surprisingly, insisted Thursday´s victory did little to push him to national power, since the BJP did not dramatically increase its seats in the state parliament. "This Gujarat election proves that it´s not open skies for Narendra Modi," External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid told reporters. The Gujarat elections were held Dec. 13 and 17, though official counting did not occur until Thursday. <="" p=""> Nnnn ________________________________________