Politics

New Delhi, January 28:CBI today questioned Sadiq Pasha, a close aide of former Telecom Minister A Raja, in connection with the 2G spectrum allocation scam.

Official sources said Pasha was questioned by the agency about his links and possible business deals with the former minister.

Pasha owned certain firms which had alleged links to certain relatives of Raja. Pasha’s firms were also raided by the CBI late last year.

His firm is also under the scanner of the Enforcement Directorate as part of its probe into the scam.

Mumbai, January 28: The Maharashtra government has acquired a reputation as bad as ‘Munni’ from the recent Bollywood mega-hit “Dabang”, Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray said Friday.

In a hard-hitting editorial in party mouthpiece ‘Saamna’, Thackeray listed the failures and scams afflicting the state government, and added that with Tuesday’s burning of Nashik additional district collector Yeshwant Sonawane by the petrol mafia, the state government’s reputation has gone for a toss and sullied like that of ‘Munni’.

New Delhi, January 28: A day after he held Hindu Mahasabha founder Veer Savarkar responsible for the two-nation theory, Congress leader Digvijay Singh blamed Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader L.K.Advani’s ‘Rath Yatra’ for the genesis of terrorism in parts of India.

“L.K Advani’s Rath Yatra has given birth to terrorism in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Gujarat and the whole of the region,” Singh said, addressing a ‘National Meet on Tracing Sangh Terror Trail and Stories of Innocent Muslim Boys’ organised by civil society group Anhad.

Banglore, January 28: The Justice Somasekhara Commission of Inquiry into a series of attacks on churches in parts of Karnataka in 2008 has given a “clean chit” to the ruling BJP and Sangh Parivar outfits.

“There is no basis to the apprehension of Christian petitioners that politicians, BJP, mainstream Sangh Parivar and state government directly or indirectly are involved in the attacks”, the one-man commission said in its final report submitted to the Government today.

Mumbai, January 28: Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray today criticized Maharashtra Government over killing of Additional Collector Yashawant Sonawane, saying the gruesome murder has ruined the state’s image.

“If a collector level officer is not safe in the state then the Chief Minister and Home Minister should explain who is safe here. Corrupt and unethical practices have brought shame on the state,” Thackeray said in an editorial in party mouthpiece ‘Saamana’.

Shimla, January 27: Faction-ridden Congress today captured the Shimla Zila Parishad winning posts of chairperson and vice-chairperson after union minister Virbhadra Singh and state Opposition leader Vidya Stokes arrived at a consensus on candidates name.

Aniruddh Thakur of Congress defeated Indu Verma of BJP for the post of chairperson, while Prahalad Kashyap of Congress defeated the BJP-backed candidate Surinder Singh for the post of Vice chairperson.

Faizabad, January 27: Accusing the Mayawati government of “cheating” dalits, National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC) Chairman P L Punia today alleged that the community was facing “maximum” exploitation and harassment under her regime.

“In spite of the fact that the UP government is headed by a dalit, 90 per cent of the complaints (of atrocities against the Dalits) are from UP,”, punia told reporters here.

Punia, a former IAS officer and a Congress MP from Barabanki (UP), had earlier worked as a principal secretary in Mayawati government.

Mysore, January 27:A contrite Karnataka Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa Thursday acknowledged he had made mistakes and said he would not repeat them.

“I have committed several mistakes. I will not commit any more mistakes,” he told reporters here after attending a ‘yagna’, a Hindu ritual offering oblations to fire god ‘Agni’.

Yeddyurappa said: “From now on I will take everyone, including those criticizing me, along and work for the development of the state.”

Mumbai, January 27: Congress General Secretary Rahul Gandhi today indicated major changes in the organizational set up of the Youth Congress and party’s frontal students’ wing NSUI saying office-bearers would hence forth be elected directly by members of these organizations.

Addressing a ‘Adiwasi Melawa’ (tribal youth meet) in this naxal-infested district in Eastern Vidarbha, Gandhi said the previous practice of nominating leaders (presidents) of these two organizations will be done away with, and now onwards, the members will elect their own leader.

New Delhi, January 27: BJP had already failed in their Ekta Yatra which aimed to hoist the tiranga at Srinagar’s Lal Chawk on the Republic Day. UPA government succeeded in preventing them (BJP leaders) to enter Srinagar. But now BJP lashed out at the central and the state government and vowed to take them (UPA government) to the court.

After their overnight detention, senior BJP ledaers like Sushma Swaraj, Arun Jaitley hoisted the national flag at Kathua in Jammu.

New Delhi, January 27:The Congress Wednesday said the Bharatiya Janata Party’s ‘Ekta Yatra’ to Srinagar was aimed at diverting attention from terror-related charges faced by people linked to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).

The Jammu and Kashmir government stopped the BJP activists’ march to maintain law and order in the state, the party said.

Bangalore, January 26: In an apparent snub to Governor H R Bhardwaj, Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa and his cabinet colleagues today stayed away from the customary ‘At Home’ hosted by him on the occasion of Republic Day amid the ongoing bitter political battle between the two.

It came just hours after the Governor in his customary address during the Republic Day function, where he shared dais with Yeddyurappa, warned against any complacency in rooting out corruption and lauded the Lokayukta for doing his best in cleansing the system.

New Delhi, January 26: The Congress Wednesday said the Bharatiya Janata Party’s ‘Ekta Yatra’ to Srinagar was aimed at diverting attention from terror-related charges faced by people linked to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).

The Jammu and Kashmir government stopped the BJP activists’ march to maintain law and order in the state, the party said.

New Delhi, January 26: As the BJP”s Ekta Yatra enters the final stage, Home Minister P Chidambaram today appealed to BJP leaders Arun Jaitley and Sushma Swaraj to give up the “path of confrontation” and not push any “political agenda” that will affect peace in Jammu and Kashmir.

The Home Minister noted that the Jammu and Kashmir government has made it clear that it would neither let any yatra to Srinagar nor would it allow any assembly at Lal Chowk.

Tiruchirapalli, January 25:Volunters of the ruling DMK led by Party District Secretary and State Transport Minister K N Nehru placed a wreath on the memorial of Keelapazhur Chinnasamy and Viralaimalai Shanmugam to pay their homage on the Martyrs Day (Mozhipor Thiyagikallukku Anjali) here today.

Volunteers the AIADMK led by District Secretaries R Manohran and Subb alias Subramanian placed wreath on the memorials followed by those from Marumalarchi DMK,Viduthalai Chiruthaikal Katchi, Puthiya Tamizagham Party, Pattali Makkal

Puducherry, January 25:As many as 18 volunteers of the Communist Party of India (CPI), dalit wing, were arrested when they crushed the free dhotis and sares provided to the Adi Dravidar people under their feet demanding a judicial probe.

According to party sources, worst quality materials were being supplies in the Rs 9.5 crore scheme.

Demanding a judicial probe or CBI probe, the volunteers sought permission to burn the clothes which were denined by the police and hence, they crushed them under their feet in front of the District Collectorate here.UNI

New Delhi,January 25: The Bharatiya Janata Party(BJP) Tuesday demanded the government should disclose the names of ‘those people who are holding accounts in foreign banks and facing criminal and tax cases in India’.

‘The people of India expect that at least the names of those facing criminal cases or tax litigation be disclosed,’ BJP general secretary Ravi Shankar Prasad told reporters here.

New Delhi, January 25: Amid high drama, BJP leaders Sushma Swaraj, Arun Jaitley and Ananth Kumar were stopped at Jammu airport today and not allowed to enter the city to participate in a massive rally planned in Jammu tomorrow, triggering vehement protests.

The three leaders, who arrived here to throw their weight behind the party”s controversial Ekta Yatra, were asked to return to Delhi which they refused as hundreds of BJP workers outside the airport shouted slogans and waved flags.

Srinagar, January 25: BJP yatra stopped at Jammu and Kashmir’s Lakhanpur border with Punjab, its leaders Sushma Swaraj, Arun Jaitley, Ananth Kumar and Anurag Thakur arrested.

The first batch of 500 Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) workers, led by Sushma Swaraj and Arun Jaitley, Tuesday crossed the bridge that connects Punjab to Jammu and Kashmir.

Amritsar MP Navjot Singh Sidhu said that amongst those who crossed the bridge into Jammu and Kashmir also included senior leaders like Arun Jaitley, Ananth Kumar and Shanta Kumar. They removed the barricades and concertina wires.

Chandigarh, January 25: The BJP today asserted that there was no change in its plan to hoist the tricolour at Lal Chowk in Srinagar tomorrow and said it was the government’s duty to maintain law and order.

“There is no change in the plan. We are proceeding ahead to unfurl the national flag at Lal Chowk tomorrow. It is for the Central and the J&K Government to see whether they want to embolden the separatists by stopping us or let the nationalism prevail,” senior BJP leader and Punjab’s Local Bodies Minister Manoranjan Kalia told PTI on phone.

Bangalore, January 25: BJP today demanded “unconditional apology” from the UPA government for its attempts to stop the ‘Tiranga yatra’ and termed its actions as “atrocious, heinous and undemocratic”.

Senior party leader M Venkaiah Naidu said the yatra would continue, adding, some BJP workers have already reached Jammu and others are trying to be there.

New Delhi, January 25: As the BJP’s Ekta Yatra enters the final stage, Home Minister P Chidambaram today appealed to BJP leaders Arun Jaitley and Sushma Swaraj to give up the “path of confrontation” and not push any “political agenda” that will affect peace in Jammu and Kashmir.

The Home Minister noted that the Jammu and Kashmir government has made it clear that it would neither let any yatra to Srinagar nor would it allow any assembly at Lal Chowk.

Patna, January 25:RJD supremo Lalu Prasad today flayed police lathicharge against the farmers during protest against inadequate land acquisition at Nabi Nagar in Bihar’s Aurangabad district two weeks ago and equated the incident with ‘Nandigram’ violence in West Bengal four years ago.

Claiming one person was killed in police action at Nabinagar, Prasad said “the Bihar government should put in place a proper land acquisition policy to prevent places in state from becoming Nandigram”.

New Delhi, January 25: Intensifying its attack on Governor H.R. Bhardwaj, legislators of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party in Karnataka on Monday decided to stage a demonstration in front of the Raj Bhavan in Bangalore on Tuesday seeking his recall.

The protest is against Mr. Bhardwaj for giving sanction to prosecute Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa on allegations of corruption, party sources said.The BJP will hold its legislature party meeting at a hotel located near Raj Bhavan in the morning and later stage the protest, they said.

Srinagar, January 25: In a day of high drama, three top BJP leaders were prevented from leaving Jammu airport and later arrested to thwart the party’s controversial flag-hoisting in Srinagar on Jan 26. Even as the BJP dug in its heels, its top ally, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar expressed open disapproval of the move.