Politics

Sharad Pawar gets I-T notices They love some people, says Pawar

TAKING a swipe at the Centre, Nationalist Congress Party President Sharad Pawar on Tuesday said the Income Tax Department has sent notices to certain leaders as “they love some people”. Pawar, along with his daughter Supriya Sule, MP, besides Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray and his son and Tourism Minister Aditya Thackeray have been served notices by the I-T Department seeking clarifications on their polls affidavits filed in the previous elections...

Impasse in LS ends after Thakur apologises over his remarks

LOK Sabha proceedings resumed after repeated adjournments on Friday after witnessing four adjournments following Opposition protests over certain remarks by Union Minister Anurag Thakur. Later Thakur expressed anguish. The ruckus began during the procedure for the introduction of the Taxation and Other Laws (Relaxation and Amendment of Certain Provisions) Bill, 2020. The Congress and the Trinamool Congress strongly protested certain remarks by BJP members, including by Union Minister Anurag Singh ..

Ready to face political storms, fight coronavirus too: Uddhav

FACING flak from detractors on both political and coronavirus fronts, Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Sunday said a conspiracy is afoot to malign Maharashtra. “Whatever political storms come, I will face... I will fight coronavirus too,” Thackeray said in a televised public address. A day after COVID-19 cases in Maharashtra crossed the 10-lakh mark, Thackeray said his Government has done effective work to tackle the pandemic. Speaking against the backdrop of political criticism over demolition ..

Fighting for principles: Sibal

SENIOR Congress leader Kapil Sibal, one of the 23 leaders who have written to party chief Sonia Gandhi seeking an organisational overhaul, said on Wednesday that when fighting for principles, opposition is often voluntary and support is often managed. After a stormy Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting on Monday, Sibal made the remarks in a cryptic tweet. “When fighting for principles in life, in politics, in law, amongst social activists, on social media platforms, opposition is often voluntary, ..

SC disposes of ‘infructuous’ plea against merger of 6 BSP MLAs with Cong in Rajasthan

THE Supreme Court on Monday disposed of as “infructuous” a BJP MLA’s plea seeking stay on Rajasthan Speaker’s decision, which allowed six BSP MLAs to merge with the Congress, in view of the High Court order. A bench of Justices Arun Mishra, Vineet Saran and M R Shah was informed by senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for the Speaker, that earlier in the day that the Rajasthan High Court has passed an order on the plea filed by BJP MLA Madan Dilawar...

CWC to meet today amid talks of leadership change

THE Congress Working Committee (CWC) would hold its meeting here on Monday amid talks of a leadership change in the party at the top, regarding which many Congress leaders have written to Sonia Gandhi even though the party has denied existence of any letter in this regard. However, the party said that the meeting of the highest decision-making body of the Congress will discuss the current political issues. However, the issue of leadership still remains an important topic within the CWC. “A CWC meeting ..

BJP, JD(U), LJP to fight Bihar polls together, says Nadda

ALL the three NDA constituents in Bihar - the BJP, the JD(U) and the LJP - will together fight the coming Assembly polls in the State with Chief Minister Nitish Kumar as the face of the alliance, BJP president J P Nadda said on Sunday and expressed confidence that they will emerge victorious. Nadda’s remarks at a virtual address to the Bihar BJP executive meeting come amid a bitter war of words between Kumar’s Janata Dal (United) and Chirag Paswa..

Congress to move confidence motion in Raj Assembly today

THE Ashok Gehlot-led Congress Government will move a confidence motion in the Rajasthan Assembly during the session beginning on Friday, a party leader said. This was announced on Thursday at the Congress Legislature Party meeting chaired by Gehlot. Just hours earlier, the Opposition BJP said it will move a no-confidence motion during the session...

Rebel Congress leader Sachin Pilot meets Rahul, Priyanka amid hints of breakthrough

AHEAD of the crucial Rajasthan assembly session from August 14, rebel Congress leader Sachin Pilot on Monday met party leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra here, amidst indications of a possible breakthrough. Top Congress sources said the meeting took place a little after noon at Rahul Gandhi’s residence and a “positive outcome” was expected. Sources also confirmed to PTI that Pilot has been in touch with the top Congress leadership and a formula for his return was being worked out...

Ex-Mah CM Shivajirao Patil Nilangekar no more

VETERAN Congressman and former Maharashtra Chief Minister Shivajirao Patil-Nilangekar died due to age-related issues in Pune on Wednesday, family sources said here. He was 90 and is survived by four sons - Dilip, Ashok, Vijay, Sharad, and a daughter Chandrakala Dawle, besides grandchildren including two who are Bharatiya Janata Party politicians. Last month, Patil-Nilangekar tested COVID-19 positive and had fully recovered from it. His body was taken to his native Nilanga village where he was accorded ..

Kashmiris suffer most at the hands of Pak backed ultras, say PoK leaders

AS PEOPLE in Jammu and Kashmir are observing the first anniversary of abrogation of Article 370, exiled political leaders and activists from Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK) have accused Islamabad of instigating unrelenting violence along the Line of Control (LoC) as a part of its wider agenda of hampering peace in India. ..

‘If party forgives rebels, I will welcome them back’

Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot said, he would welcome back the rebels into the party if Congress high command pardoned them. Answering queries from reporters on Saturday, Gehlot seemed to have softened his stand about the dissidents who had been gunning for him. Since the power tussle between him and Sachin Pilot resurfaced this month, the Congress veteran has used harsh words against his former deputy, once even referring to hi..

Gehlot, all MLAs of his camp shift to hotel in Jaisalmer

FEARING “horse-trading” ahead of the Assembly session, the Rajasthan Congress on Friday shifted the party MLAs to Jaisalmer from Jaipur where they had been staying at a hotel for over a fortnight. Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and other senior party leaders, including AICC General Secretary Avinash Pande and spokesperson Randeep Surjew..

‘Raj Cong MLAs to stay together till Aug 14’

CONGRESS MLAs huddled in a hotel here for the last fortnight will continue to camp together till the Rajasthan Assembly meets on August 14, a party leader said Thursday. This was discussed at the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) meeting held at the Fairmont hotel on the outskirts of the city, where MLAs loyal to Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot are staying since the July 13...

Raj Governor again returns Assembly session proposal

RAJASTHAN Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Wednesday met Governor Kalraj Mishra after he returned for the third time the State Government’s proposal to convene an Assembly session. “The love letter has already come. Now, I am only going to have tea with him,” Gehlot told party workers at the State Congress office before heading for the Raj Bhawan...

Gehlot Govt for holding Assembly session on 31st

THE Rajasthan Government on Tuesday sent a revised proposal for an Assembly session to Governor Kalraj Mishra, sticking to its demand that the sitting should begin on July 31 and refusing to mention if it would seek a trust vote. Sources said the Cabinet took the stand after discussing the suggestions made by Mishra when he returned a proposal from the State Government to summon a Vidhan Sabha session. Amid nationwide protests by Congress workers..

BJP MLA slams Speaker for not taking action on plea to disqualify BSP MLAs

AMIDST a political crisis in Rajasthan, BJP MLA Madan Dilawar on Sunday took aim at Assembly Speaker C P Joshi, saying he did not take any action on a petition seeking disqualification of six BSP legislators for their merger with the Congress...

Will meet President if required: Gehlot

THE Congress party will meet the President of India and if required will also stage a protest outside the Prime Minister’s residence in connection with the ongoing situation in Rajasthan, said Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Saturday. Gehlot’s said this at the Congress Legislative Party (CLP) meet held at Hotel Fairmont in Jaipur, which was attended by several party MLAs, after Governor Kalraj Mishra had questioned the State Government over the need to convene an Assembly session urgently. “We will ..

SC allows Rajasthan HC to pass orders on plea of Pilot, 18 MLAs; directions subject to its verdict

The Supreme Court on Thursday allowed the Rajasthan High Court to pronounce order on plea of 19 dissident Congress MLAs, including sacked deputy CM Sachin Pilot, against the Assembly Speaker’s notice for initiating disqualification proceedings against them, but said that it would be subject to the outcome of the petition before the top court. Rajasthan Assembly Speaker CP Joshi however failed to get any interim relief on his plea alleging that the High Court cannot interdict the disqualification proceeding..

45 new RS members take oath

FORTY-FIVE of the 61 newly elected members of Rajya Sabha took oath on Wednesday, with Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu urging them to uphold rules and procedures when discharging their duties as lawmakers and not fall prey to disruptions. Among the 45 were arch-rivals Jyotiraditya Scindia and Digvijay Singh, with the scion of the erstwhile Gwalior royal family taking oath first and the former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister following him...

HC order on petition filed by Pilot, 18 other dissident Congress MLAs today

THE Rajasthan High Court will on Tuesday resume hearing the petition filed by Sachin Pilot and 18 other dissident Congress MLAs, challenging the disqualification notices issued to them by the Assembly Speaker. The hearing remained inconclusive on Monday and Chief Justice Indrajit Mahanty said it will be concluded on Tuesday. The order is..

MHA seeks report from Raj Govt over alleged phone tapping

THE Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on Sunday sought a detailed report from Rajasthan Government over the alleged phone tapping issue in the State, said sources. The Ministry has asked Rajasthan Chief Secretary to submit the report by next week over the issue after the Special Operations Group (SOG) in Rajasthan on Friday lodged a case against Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat for trying to destabilise the Ashok ..

No ‘Operation Lotus’, MVA Govt to fall on its own: Fadnavis

SENIOR BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis on Friday said that no “Operation Lotus” was happening in Maharashtra as the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) Government will collapse on its own due to its “internal contradictions”. Fadnavis made this statement while speaking to reporters in New Delhi, after a meeting with Union Home Minister Amit Shah. ..

Pilot camp moves HC, challenges notice seeking MLAs’ disqualification

SACHIN Pilot and 18 other dissident leaders on Thursday moved the High Court, challenging the notices from the Rajasthan Speaker over a Congress move to disqualify them from the State Assembly. The matter came up first before the court of Justice Satish Chandra Sharma at about 3 pm, but the dissidents’ advocate Harish Salve sought time to file a fresh petition. At about 5 pm, an amended petition was submitted. The court referred it to a two-judge divi..

Cong MLAs holed up in Jaipur to meet again today

THE Rajasthan Congress Legislature Party will once again meet on Tuesday, said party spokesperson Randeep Surejewala while urging State Deputy Chief Minister Sachin Pilot to come and discuss issues with an “open mind”. The meeting will be held at the hotel on the Delhi highway where the party MLAs are currently lodged. “The CLP meeting will be held on Tuesday...

Crisis deepens in Rajasthan for Cong

THE crisis in Rajasthan Congress has deepened with State Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and his Deputy Sachin Pilot at loggerheads. While Gehlot is blaming BJP for trying to destabilise the State Government by poaching MLAs, Pilot is camping in Delhi to speak to the party leadership regarding the political turmoil in the State. According to sources, Pilot has sought an appointment with party’s interim President Sonia Gandhi but time for the meeting has not yet been given by her. As of now, many MLAs, ..

28 Ministers take oath in MP Cabinet expansion

AS MANY as twenty-eight new Ministers took oath of office during a ceremony held at Madhya Pradesh Raj Bhawan in the State capital on Thursday. Out of 28 ministers, 20 are Cabinet rank ministers and 8 are Ministers of State. In this Cabinet expansion of the Shivraj Singh Chouhan Government, the stamp of Jyotiraditya Scindia’s influence is clearly visible as dozen of his loyalists among the new inducts. Of the new ministers, 16 are BJP legislators, while 12 are former Congress MLAs -- most of them ..

NDA widens gap with Oppn in Rajya Sabha

WITH the latest round of biennial polls to the Rajya Sabha over, the BJP-led NDA has further widened its gap with the Opposition in the House, with the BJP now having 86 seats and rival Congress merely 41. The National Democratic Alliance now has nearly 100 members in the 245-member House. If the support of friendly parties like the AIADMK (9), BJD (9), YSR Congress Party (6), and several allied nominated members and smaller parties is counted, then the Modi Government is unlikely to face any serious ..

BJP wins 5 seats, YSR Cong gets 4, Cong bags 3 in Rajya Sabha polls

THE ruling YSR Congress bagged all the four Rajya Sabha seats in Andhra Pradesh and seasoned campaigners like Digvijaya Singh, Jyotiraditya Scindia and Shibu Soren had an easy sailing as the results of the polls to the Upper House were on expected lines barring Gujarat and Manipur which are set for a cliffhanger. Voting was held for 19 seats spread across eight States amid all precautionary measures in view of the COVID-19 pandemic which led to two legislators in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan who were ..

Mamata insulting migrants, running industry of political violence: Shah

WEST Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee “insulted” migrant workers returning to the State on ‘Shramik Special’ trains by calling them ‘Corona Express,’ Home Minister Amit Shah said on Tuesday, as he tried to reach out to the vast constituency of harried migrants and their families...

BJP leader Sonali Phogat, market committee official booked

BHARATIYA Janata Party leader Sonali Phogat has been booked for rioting, obstructing public servant in discharge of duty and other charges on the complaint of an agricultural market committee in Hisar who accused her of slapping and hitting him with a slipper. A case has also been registered against Market Committee Secretary Sultan Singh whom Phogat ..

Adesh Kumar Gupta named Delhi BJP chief, Vishnu Deo Sai to head C’garh unit

THE Bharatiya Janata Party on Tuesday appointed Adesh Kumar Gupta as its Delhi unit chief and Tribal leader and former Union Minister Vishnu Deo Sai as its Chhattisgarh State President, the party said in a statement. Gupta is a former Mayor of north Delhi Municipal Corporation and replaces Manoj Tiwari, a member of Lok Sabha, at the helm in the Delhi BJP...

Sambit Patra admitted to hospital after showing COVID-19 symptoms

BJP national spokesperson Sambit Patra was admitted to a private hospital in Gurgaon on Thursday after he showed symptoms of COVID-19, sources said. A source at Medanta hospital in Gurgaon said Patra was “admitted in the morning and is stable”. BJP leaders and many others posted their wishes for a speedy recovery of the articulate party spokesperson, who is one of the more widely followed Indian politicians on Twitter. Patra is also among the most visible BJP fac..

MVA allies slam President Rule demand; BJP says not in favour

A DAY after a BJP MP demanded President’s rule in Maharashtra, leaders of the ruling Mahavikas Aghadi (MVA) on Tuesday accused the Opposition party of trying to destablise the State Government. The BJP, on the other hand, denied that it wanted President’s Rule, but said the State Government was not doing enough to contain the coronavirus pandemic. BJP’s Rajya Sabha MP Narayan Rane on Monday met Governor B S Koshyari and demanded President’s rule, accusing the Uddhav Thackeray-led Government of failing ..

Uddhav richest among 9 new Mah MLCs: ADR

MAHARASHTRA Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray has declared the highest figure of assets - Rs 143.26 crore - making him the richest among the nine Members of Legislative Council elected unopposed last week, according to an analysis by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) released here on Wednesday. Out of the 9 MLCs elected, 8 figure in the crore-pati bracket, while one - Bharatiya Janata Party’s Gopichand Padalkar - is in the lower lakh-pati bracket wi..

Uddhav Thackeray, eight others take oath as MLCs

MAHARASHTRA Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Monday took oath as a member of the Legislative Council. At a function held at Vidhan Bhawan in south Mumbai, Council Chairman Ramraje Naik Nimbalkar administered the oath to Thackeray and others who were elected unopposed to the Upper House on May 14...

Rs 40,000 cr fund will ensure work for migrants: Nadda

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) President J P Nadda on Sunday said the additional allocation of Rs 40,000 crore for the rural employment guarantee scheme (MGNREGS) will provide adequate work and earning opportunities to migrant families returning home, as he hailed Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his “concern and timely initiative”...

Uddhav Thackeray files nomination for MLC polls

MAHARASHTRA Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray and four other candidates from the ruling alliance filed their nominations on Monday for the May 21 MLC polls. The Chief Minister, who is currently not a member of either of the Houses of the State Legislature, submitted his nomination papers to the election officer here. He was accompanied by his wife Rashmi Thackeray, son and State Cabinet Minister Aaditya Thackeray and Shiv Sena’s Rajya Sabha member Sanjay Raut...

Mah Legislative Council polls on May 21

PAVING the way for Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray to enter the State legislature as a member, the Election Commission on Friday announced holding polls to nine seats of the State legislative council on May 21. The polls were deferred on April 3 due to the coronavirus outbreak. Thackeray, who was sworn in on November 28 las..

Narottam Mishra is new Health Minister of MP

A DAY after formation of five-member Cabinet, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has allotted portfolios to his Cabinet colleagues on Wednesday. Dr Narottam Mishra has been made Minister for Home and Public Health and Family Welfare. Minister Tulsiram Silawat has been given the charge of Water Resources Department while Govind Singh Rajput will look after Food and Civil Supplies, Consumer Protection and Co-operative Department...

Five-member Shivraj Cabinet takes oath

Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan went ahead to form a small-sized Cabinet with just five ministers. The five Cabinet members took oath of office and secrecy in a simple ceremony held at Raj Bhawan on Tuesday afternoon. The distribution of portfolioes among ministers was yet to take place till the time this report was filed. Governor Lalji Tandon administered oath to five Cabinet ministers in presence of Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, former Union minister Uma Bharti, State BJP President ..

Awhad fears threat to life, alleges online intimidation

MAHARASHTRA Housing Minister Jitendra Awhad, whose supporters are charged with roughing up a man from Thane over a social media post, on Thursday shared screenshots of posts by some social media users allegedly threatening to kill him. Awhad alleged that some people were planning to kill him and his residence was recced during the last five years...

Mah Cabinet recommends Uddhav’s name as MLC from Governor’s quota

THE Maharashtra Cabinet on Thursday decided to recommend Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray’s name for being nominated as member of the State Legislative Council from the Governor’s quota. Thackeray, who is currently not a member of either of the Houses of State Legislature, was not present at the Cabinet meeting where the decision was taken...

Salary cuts upto 60 pc for Mah Chief Minister, ministers, officials

SALARIES of ministers, other elected representatives as well as Government officials in Maharashtra for March will be slashed by upto 60 per cent in view of the economic impact of coronavirus lockdown, it was announced on Tuesday. A Government Resolution (GR) issued subsequently said that remaining salary would be paid at a later point. Elected representatives including the Chief Minister, Ministers and MLAs will get their salaries for March with 60 per cent deduction, Finance Minister Ajit Pawar ..

Must extend support to PM, Govt during lockdown: Chidambaram

FORMER Union Finance Minister and Congress leader P Chidambaram on Wednesday described the lockdown announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi as a “watershed moment” in the battle against COVID-19 and called Modi as the commander and the people as “foot soldiers”. In a statement, Chidambaram also ..

Chouhan wins trust vote in MP

Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and his Government won the confidence motion in Madhya Pradesh Assembly on Tuesday unanimously. Opposition Congress MLAs remained absent from the House. The confidence motion was approved with voice votes. After this, House was adjourned till March 27. Before seeking vote of confidence, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan addressed the assembly over threat posed by coronavirus...

Shivraj Singh Chouhan sworn in as MP CM for fourth time

After getting elected as BJP MLAs squad leader, Shivraj Singh Chouhan took oath as new Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh in Raj Bhawan at 9 pm on Monday. Governor Lalji Tandon administrated the oath of office and secrecy to him in a simple programme. This is for the fourth time that Shivraj Singh Chouhan took the oath of Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh...

Rebel Congress leaders from Scindia camp join BJP in Delhi

Bhopal, The rebel ex-MLAs from Jyotiraditya Scindia camp joined the Bharatiya Janata Party in presence of BJP National President J P Nadda in New Delhi on Saturday. On this occasion, Jyotiraditya Scindia was also present. Total 22 ex-MLAs, 16 from Scindia camp, had resigned which resulted into collapse of Kamal Nath government. BJP National President J P Nadda gave membership to them. Union Minister Narendra Singh Tomar, BJP National General Secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya and others were present when ..

Kamal Nath resigns ahead of floor test

Mar 20 A day after the Supreme Court ordered Kamal Nath Government to go for floor test to prove majority by 5 pm on Friday, Chief Minister Kamal Nath resigned on Friday afternoon. The Kamal Nath Government shied away from floor test as it did not have adequate number of MLAs to prove majority in House. With this, now the BJP has started preparations to stake claim to form Government. Addressing the press conference to announce..

Political turmoil in MP continues

WHILE the Supreme Court on Wednesday refused to accept the proposal for producing 16 rebel MLAs of the Madhya Pradesh Congress in judges’ chamber, and observed that they may or may not go to the Assembly but they cannot be held captive, the Rebel MLAs who are staying at a resort in Bengaluru said that they went there voluntarily. Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath and other leaders of the Congress have been claiming that the rebel MLAs were being held in captivity by BJP...

Congress was ‘silent spectator’ when jawans were killed by terrorists in J&K: Sena MP

A SHIV SENA member in Lok Sabha on Wednesday accused the Congress, its ally in Maharashtra, of being a “silent spectator” when jawans were killed by terrorists and the national tricolour was burnt in Jammu and Kashmir. Participating in a debate on the budgetary proposals and demand for grants for the union territories of Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh, Arvind Sawant of the Shiv Sena said the party was thankful to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for taking the “bold step” of abrogating Article 370 provisions, ..

SC seeks response of MP Govt on plea seeking floor test

THE Supreme Court on Tuesday asked the Kamal Nath-led Congress Government in Madhya Pradesh to respond by Wednesday to a plea by senior BJP leader Shivraj Singh Chouhan seeking immediate floor test in the State Assembly. Taking note of the “urgency of the situation,” a bench comprising Justices D Y Chandrachud and Hemant Gupta issued notices to Chief Minister Nath, Speaker N P Prajapati and Principal Secretary of the ..

Governor asks MP CM to prove numbers in floor test today

WHETHER the Kamal Nath Government in Madhya Pradesh will survive or not will be decided via floor test to be held on first day of Assembly’s Budget Session starting on Monday. Past midnight of Saturday, Governor Lalji Tandon passed the order to the State Government that after his speech, floor test will be conducted because State Government has run into minority following resignations of 22 MLAs. Now, eyes are set on Monday when..

MP BJP demands floor test of Govt Delegation hands over memo to Governor

A day after Chief Minister Kamal Nath met Governor Lalji Tandon and reiterated that Congress Government was ready for floor test, on Saturday, Opposition BJP met the Governor and demanded floor test of State Government first when Assembly’s Budget Session starts. BJP said that after resignations of 22 MLAs, Congress Government is in minority. Former CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Leader of Opposition Gopal Bhargava, ex-Ministers Dr Narottam Mishra and Bhupendra Singh, Rampal Singh were part of the BJP ..

Scindia’s induction will strengthen BJP’s resolve to serve MP: Shah

A DAY after switching from Congress to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Jyotiraditya Scindia on Thursday met Union Minister Amit Shah here in the national capital. Taking to Twitter, Shah said that Scindia’s induction into the party will further strengthen BJP’s resolve to serve the people of Madhya Pradesh. “I am sure his induction into the party will further strengthen BJP’s resolve to serve the people of Madhya Pradesh,” he tweeted. Earlier in the day, Scindia also met Defence Minister Rajnath ..

Jyotiraditya gets rousing welcome from BJP workers

A GRAND welcome was given by BJP workers and leaders to Jyotiraditya Scindia when he reached Bhopal on Thursday evening. The rally route from airport till BJP office was flooded with posters of Jyotiraditya Scindia. BJP leaders, including Leader of Opposition Gopal Bhargava, felicitated Jyotiraditya Scindia when he landed at the Raja Bhoj Airport along with Union Minister Narendra Singh Tomar...

MP Speaker asks 22 rebel Cong MLAs to clarify resignations by today

PUTTING the ball in the court of the 22 rebel Congress MLAs in Madhya Pradesh, the Assembly Speaker has asked them to appear before him by Friday and clarify whether their resignations that pushed the 15-month-old Kamal Nath Government to the brink of collapse was voluntary or under pressure. The move by Speaker N P Prajapati came amid high drama when a MP Minister Jitu Patwari was allegedly detained and stopped by the police from entering a resort near Bengaluru in BJP-ruled Karnataka where 19 of ..

Will not spare anyone involved in Delhi riots: Shah

VOWING not to spare anyone involved in the Delhi riots irrespective of their religion, caste or party affiliation, Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday said it will be lesson for the country on what befalls those who indulge in rioting. Replying to a discussion in Lok Sabha on the Delhi riots, Shah said prima facie the violence appears to be a pre-planned conspiracy. Facing Opposition criticism over alleged inaction by the Delhi police during the violence last month, Shah appreciated the police for ..

Congress Government in MP totters

LONG-TIME Congress leader Jyotiraditya Scindia crossed over to the BJP on Wednesday, leaving the Madhya Pradesh Government tottering precariously and both parties scrambling to send their legislators far away from the State capital -- and from the machinations of each other. While Madhya Pradesh’s ruling Congress, pushed to the brink of collapse after the resignation of 22 legislators close to Scindia, herded about 90 of its legislators to resorts near Jaipur, the State’s Opposition BJP sent its MLAs ..

Now Shivraj and Maharaj are together in BJP, says Chouhan

WELCOMING Jyotiraditya Scindia into the BJP, senior party leader Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Wednesday said he was the most popular Congress politician in Madhya Pradesh, which led the saffron outfit to coin a tagline targeting the erstwhile Gwalior royal in the 2018 state polls. In the run-up to the November 2018 assembly elections, the BJP had centred its campaign around a slogan, Maaf karo Maharaj hamara neta toh Shivraj (Sorry Maharaj, our leader is Shivraj)” to take on the Congress. Chouhan was ..

Scindia joins BJP, slams Cong for ‘denying reality’

A DAY after quitting the Congress, Jyotiraditya Scindia joined the BJP on Wednesday in the presence of its President J P Nadda and slammed his former party for “denying reality” and “not acknowledging” new thoughts and new leadership. Scindia, who was also named as its Rajya Sabha candidate from Madhya Pradesh by the BJP, hailed Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his “competence and complete dedication” to serving India and asserted that the country’s future is fully secure in his hands. He vented his ..

Cong panel blames Centre, Delhi Govt for violence

A FACT-FINDING committee of the Congress on Monday submitted a report on the Delhi violence to party’s interim president Sonia Gandhi in which it pointed out the alleged failure of the Central and Delhi Governments in instilling confidence among the people, sources said. The report also pointed to the “inaction” on part of both the Governments to address to the grievances of those who suffered during the Delhi riots, they said...

All MP ministers present in Cabinet meeting submit resignations to CM

IN A major political development which was simmering from last few days, Cabinet Ministers tendered their resignations to Chief Minister Kamal Nath during the Cabinet meeting held late on Monday night. This means that CM Kamal Nath will be forming his new Cabinet soon to adjust the disgruntled MLAs of party apart from independent MLAs, two BSP and one SP MLA as well. Many also see that mass resignation of ministers is the countdown of Congress Government in Madhya Pradesh. After handing over resignations, ..

TMC nominates 4 candidates for RS polls in WB

TRINAMOOL Congress (TMC) chief Mamata Banerjee on Sunday announced the names of Arpita Ghosh, Mausam Noor, Dinesh Trivedi and Subrata Bakshi as the party candidates for the upcoming Rajya Sabha polls. In a tweet, the West Bengal Chief Minister said in keeping with her “constant endeavour” towards women’s empowerment, she was proud that half of the TMC nominees for the March 26 polls were women. While Noor lost from the Malda Uttar seat in last year’s Lok Sabha polls, Ghosh had unsuccessfully contested ..

Altaf Bukhari floats new J&K party

FORMER PDP leader Altaf Bukhari on Sunday launched the Jammu and Kashmir Apni Party (JKAP) here as he vowed to work towards restoring J&K’s statehood and ensure domicile rights of people in jobs and education, while saying demoting the State to a Union Territory was “unpleasant and bitter”. The 60-year-old, who is a graduate in agriculture science, announced the formation of the JKAP at his residence and was flanked by former MLAs and senior leaders of political parties like the National Conference ..

Uddhav announces Rs 1 crore for Ram Temple from his trust

MAHARASHTRA Chief Minister and Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray on Saturday announced Rs 1 crore from his trust for the construction of Ram temple in Ayodhya. Speaking in Ayodhya, Thackeray said, “Today, I want to announce that not from the State Govt, but from my trust, I offer an amount of Rs. 1 crore for the construction of Ram Temple here. It is just a small contribution from our part.”..

Speculations continue over survival of Cong Govt in MP

EVEN as speculations are rife that Congress Government in Madhya Pradesh headed by Kamal Nath will survive or not, the Congress has asserted that its Government is safe and all of its MLAs are united. Meanwhile, BJP has strongly denied the charges levelled by Congress that it wants to destablise the State Government. As the political atmosphere of State got charged after the news that some Congress MLAs were reportedly lodging in Delhi-based hotel and BJP is behind the happenings, senior Congress ..

Don’t spare anyone involved in violence: Kejriwal urges PM

CHIEF Minister Arvind Kejriwal called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday and discussed the situation in the riot-hit north-east Delhi and said he has requested Modi that those responsible for the violence — irrespective of party affiliation — “should not be spared”. It was the first meeting of Kejriwal with Modi after the Aam Aadmi Party returned to power in the national capital for a third consecutive term. The meeting, at the Prime Minister’s Office in Parliament, lasted half an hour...

No Muslim quota proposal before Mah Govt: Uddhav

THERE is no proposal on Muslim Reservation before Maharashtra Government, Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray said here on Tuesday. Thackeray’s remarks came days after Minority Affairs Minister Nawab Malik informed the Legislative Council that the State Government will provide five per cent quota to Muslims in education. The NCP Minister had also said the State Government will ensure that a legislation to this effect is passed soon...

Will see how to provide house to every mill worker, says Thackeray

CHIEF Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Sunday said that his Government will look into how it can provide houses to every mill worker, while lauding their contribution towards the ‘Samyukta Maharashtra’ movement. Thackeray also made an appeal to mill workers that they should not sell the houses allotted to them and shift out of Mumbai...