Politics

New Delhi, January 22: An angry Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Friday night strongly condemned Karnataka Governor H.R. Bhardwaj’s giving the go-ahead for prosecution of Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa as “constitutionally improper and politically motivated” and said he “flaunts his political association on the sleeve”.”Let us remember the governor is a political appointee. He flaunts his political association on the sleeve… His utterances, vocabulary show distinct political colour to his conduct,” senior BJP leader Arun Jaitley said here.

Bangalore, January 21: The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party late Friday called for Karnataka “bandh” (shut-down) Saturday against Governor H.R. Bhardwaj permitting prosecution of Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa over land scandals.

“We will organise Karnataka bandh tomorrow (Saturday),” party spokesperson S. Prakash told IANS, within hours of Bhardwaj announcing that he had sanctioned filing of criminal cases against Yeddyurappa.

Chennai, January 21: AIADMK General Secretary Jayalalithaa today charged Chief Minister M Karunanidhi with doing little on issues concerning the Tamil people.

“We know why Central government is doing nothing to bring down the prices of essential commodities, particularly vegetables, food and petrol. We also know why not a finger was raised by the Indian government to prevent the massacre of innocent Tamil civilians during the final phases of Ealam War.

The reason is Karunanidhi did not make a demand for any of these,” Jayalalithaa said in a statement here.

Bangalore, January 21: JDS leader H D Deve Gowda today slammed the Karnataka cabinet’s resolution asking H R Bhardwaj to drop proceedings for prosecution of Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa on corruption charges, saying it was “an attempt to obstruct the governor from discharging his constitutional duty”.

Speaking to reporters here, the former prime minister defended the governor’s remarks “ulta chor kotwal ko dante” (thief chiding the police) made yesterday and demanded that Bhardwaj dismiss the government.

Badaun (UP), January 21: Describing Azam Khan, who has been booked for sedition for his remarks on Kashmir, as a “true patriot”, SP supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav today said he would challenge in court the FIR against the party leader.

“Azam is a true patriot. The FIR on charges of sedition lodged against him was on the basis of a channel report, which Azam has already contradicted,” Yadav told reporters here.

The Samajwadi Party leader said that he would soon call a meeting of the party to discuss the issue and lashed out news channels.

Chennai, January 21: AIADMK General Secretary Jayalalithaa today charged Chief Minister M Karunanidhi with doing little on issues concerning the Tamil people.

“We know why Central government is doing nothing to bring down the prices of essential commodities, particularly vegetables, food and petrol. We also know why not a finger was raised by the Indian government to prevent the massacre of innocent Tamil civilians during the final phases of Ealam War. The reason is Karunanidhi did not make a demand for any of these,” Jayalalithaa said in a statement here.

New Delhi, January 21: Nine political parties, including four Left parties, on Thursday announced a week-long nation-wide agitation against price rise. The United Progressive Alliance government was callous to the plight of people groaning under spiralling prices of food items, they alleged.

New Delhi, January 21: All India Congress Committee general secretary Rahul Gandhi arrived here on Friday to take part in a national executive meet of the Indian Youth Congress, under way at the Shantigiri Ashramam in Edathala near Aluva.

Mr. Gandhi arrived in an Indigo flight (6E 315) from Delhi and emerged from the airport in a car through an exit near the domestic terminal, accompanied by a huge convoy of security vehicles.

Bangalore, January 21: Attacking both the Congress and BJP
for the current ”crisis” and ”anti-people” policies, former

Prime Minister and Janata Dal(Secular) leader H D Deve Gowda

today said the third alternative is must for the country.

Both the Congress and the BJP have failed totally on all
fronts. Both the national parties are responsible for the
current crisis in the country. All secular non-Congress and
non-BJP parties should come together to fight against them,’’
Mr Gowda told reporters here at the party’s National Plenary
Session.

New Delhi, January 20: Newly-appointed Road Transport Minister C.P.Joshi Thursday said his ministry will promote the use of new technologies to help develop good quality roads and ensuring greater transparency in its functioning.

‘Making quality roads and greater transparency in the functioning of the ministry will be my main priority. It is a challenging portfolio,’ Joshi said after taking charge of his new portfolio. He earlier headed the rural development ministry.

New Delhi, January 20: Gurudas Kamat Thursday assumed charge as Minister of State for Home Affairs.

He was a Minister of State in the Telecom Ministry before the cabinet reshuffle effected by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Wednesday.

Kamat, who is a five-time Congress MP from Mumbai, later called on Home Minister P. Chidambaram, apart from interacting with his ministry’s officials.

New Delhi, January 20: Senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader L.K. Advani Thursday criticised Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for issuing “irresponsible statements” on the issue of black money stashed away in foreign banks.

“The Supreme Court Wednesday observed that the stashing away of the money to foreign banks was plunder of the country,” Advani said at a function organised by the youth wing of his party here.

“And today, at the first meeting of the reshuffled cabinet of the UPA II, the government was forced to discuss the issue of black money stashed in foreign soil,” he added.

Chennai, January 20: With her plans of stitching together a partnership with the Congress failing to materialise, AIADMK chief J Jayalalitha on Wednesday maintained she had not made any announcement on an alliance with the national party.

“Whenever the Centre acted against the welfare of the common man, the AIADMK has strongly voiced its opposition,” Jayalalitha said in Chennai. “I have never said there was any alliance between the AIADMK and the Congress.”

West Bengal, January 20: In a blunt message to West Bengal government to stop unabated political violence,Home Minister P Chidambaram today told Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee that armed cadres of parties cannot be allowed to take law into their hands and must be reined in.

Chennai, January 20: Seems like the preparations for the upcoming Assembly Elections in Tamil Nadu has started and AIADMK has taken the first step. After rubbishing reports that her party would have an alliance with the Congress for the coming Assembly polls, AIADMK chief J Jayalalithaa targeted arch rival and ruling party DMK claiming it has failed to curb price rise in the state.

Attacking the DMK ahead of the elections in the state, Jayalalithaa said that many members from the party have joined AIADMK in order to protest the ways of the ruling party in the state.

Chennai, Januray 19: AIADMK General Secretary J. Jayalalithaa Wednesday said the party will focus on price rise, 2G spectrum scam, corruption and the misdeeds of the ruling DMK government in the coming assembly polls.

Speaking to reporters, she was non-committal on the party’s alliance with Vijaykant’s DMDK party.

jayalalithaa said Union Communications Minister Kapil Sibal has committed contempt of court by rubbishing the loss estimates of the comptroller and auditor general (CAG) in the allocation of 2G spectrum since CAG is a constitutional body.

New Delhi, January 19: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Nitin Gadkari said Wednesday that his five-day goodwill visit to China further strengthens the cordial relations existing between the BJP and the Communist Party of China (CPC).

“It is an important visit for the BJP delegation and for me personally,” he told a group of party workers Wednesday night before leaving for Beijing.

Gadkari is accompanied by his wife Kanchan Gadkari and a delegation of senior party leaders.

New Delhi, January 19:Three new ministers of state were inducted, three promoted to cabinet rank and some major portfolios changed hands Wednesday in the much-anticipated shuffle of the ministerial pack that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh described as minor and his critics as too timid.

Chennai, January 19: AIADMK General Secretary J. Jayalalithaa Wednesday said the party will focus on price rise, 2G spectrum scam, corruption and the misdeeds of the ruling DMK government in the coming assembly polls.

Speaking to reporters, she was non-committal on the party’s alliance with Vijaykant’s DMDK party.

jayalalithaa said Union Communications Minister Kapil Sibal has committed contempt of court by rubbishing the loss estimates of the comptroller and auditor general (CAG) in the allocation of 2G spectrum since CAG is a constitutional body.

Chennai, January 19:AIADMK General Secretary J. Jayalalithaa Wednesday said the party will focus on price rise, 2G spectrum scam, corruption and the misdeeds of the ruling DMK government in the coming assembly polls.

Speaking to reporters, she was non-committal on the party’s alliance with Vijaykant’s DMDK party.

jayalalithaa said Union Communications Minister Kapil Sibal has committed contempt of court by rubbishing the loss estimates of the comptroller and auditor general (CAG) in the allocation of 2G spectrum since CAG is a constitutional body.

Lucknow, January 19:Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati Wednesday sacked state minister Ashok Kumar Dohre for allegedly committing forgery and financial irregularities, an official said here.

“Dohre, who was holding charge of the ministry of Land Conservation and Water Resources, was found to have gone to the extent of forging letter-heads of the agriculture minister to throw his weight on officials of the agriculture ministry from whom he would seek undue favours,” a government spokesman said.

Abohar (Punjab), January 19: Mystery shrouds the death of Surinder Jakhar, chairman of fertiliser major IFFCO and son of former Lok Sabha speaker Balram Jakhar, as police await forensic reports to confirm that he accidentally shot himself with his own gun in Punjab earlier this week, an official said Wednesday.

Jakhar died of bullet injuries Monday. Soon after the incident, police said he seemed to have shot himself accidentally while cleaning his firearm at his farmhouse here in Maujgarh village in Firozepur district.

Lucknow, January 19: Congress yesterday alleged that after the deposition by Aseemanand, allegedly involved in Samjhauta Express blast, before a court it was clear that RSS and BJP were sheltering people involved in terrorist activities.

“It is Sanghi terrorism,” Congress General Secretary Digvijay Singh charged.

He told reporters here that those involved with Malegaon blast accused Sunil Joshi were being murdered.

“Sunil Joshi case should be investigated by a central agencies as the local police will not be able to investigate properly,” Singh said.

New Delhi, January 19: Throwing the ball in BJP’s court over the controversy surrounding the appointment of P.J. Thomas as Central Vigilance Commissioner (CVC), senior government officials on Tuesday said that the NDA government itself did nothing when it was in power on sanctioning prosecution against Mr Thomas as they could find nothing against him.

The Jammu and Kashmir government decided not to allow the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) Tiranga Yatra to enter the state and also disallow any separatist march in city centre, Lal Chowk on Republic Day (Jan 26), highly-placed official sources said.