Politics

Bhopal, November 12: A defamation case against former RSS chief K S Sudarshan was filed on Friday in a court here for his derogatory remarks against Congress president Sonia Gandhi.

The case was filed by local Congressman, Pradeep Sharma, in the the court of chief judicial magistrate (CJM).

The publication of Sudarshan’s remarks against Gandhi had deeply hurt him, Sharma said.

The petitioner prayed to the court to examine the charges filed against the former RSS chief and

–Agencies

New Delhi, November 12: The RSS today expressed regret over the controversial statement of its former chief K S Sudershan against Congress president Sonia Gandhi and again made it clear that it does not represent the views of the organisation.

“As the joint general secretary of RSS, I express my heartfelt deep regrets over the alleged statement (of Sudershan), which had hurt the sentiments, and the subsequent developments that are unfortunate,” Sangh leader Suresh Bhaiyyaji Joshi said in a statement.

He appealed to all to maintain peace and restraint.

New Delhi, November 12: With DMK firmly backing A Raja, the Congress it appears is virtually finding itself in a bind to defend the Telecom Minister.

The opposition has been baying for the minister’s blood more so after the CAG report which found fault with Raja’s handling of 2-G spectrum deal.

The Congress too has given ample hints that if Raja would have been its minister, he would have been removed long back like the party did in the case of Ashok Chavan and Suresh Kalmadi.

New Delhi, November 12: Both Houses of Parliament were adjourned till Monday as no business could be transacted on Thursday, with the Opposition sticking to its demand for removal of Telecommunications Minister A. Raja and Congress members protesting the remarks of the former Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh chief, K.S. Sudershan, against party president Sonia Gandhi.

Friday has been declared a holiday for the MPs on account of the Chhath festival, which is widely celebrated in Bihar, Jharkhand and eastern Uttar Pradesh.

New Delhi, November 11: In a sharp reaction to government’s refusal to go for a JPC probe into the 2G Spectrum allocation, BJP today said the UPA regime had become a “complete prisoner” to alliance politics and had even made CBI and CVC “pliable” to survive.

An aggressive Opposition has been mounting immense pressure on the government in Parliament for ouster of Telecom Minister A Raja over 2G spectrum scam.

New Delhi, November 11: The Congress Thursday steered clear of the demand from the opposition for Telecom Minister A. Raja’s ouster over the 2G spectrum allocation controversy, and said it was for ally DMK to take a call on his continuation.

Party general secretary Janardan Dwivedi told reporters here that the matter concerning 2G allocation was in the Supreme Court and the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report on the issue had not been placed before parliament.

New Delhi, November 11: Expelled Samajwadi Party MP Amar Singh told the Supreme Court that he and actress Jayaprada faced disqualification from Parliament if they voted in favour of the Women’s Reservation Bill as the party was strongly against the quota.

Appearing for Singh, senior counsel Harish Salve told a Bench of Justices Altamas Kabir and Cyriac Joseph that one of the main issues on which they were expelled was the differences over support extended to the Women’s Reservation Bill by the duo, to which the party was fiercely opposed to.

Ahmedabad November 11: Narendra Modi is on a major PR drive to win back some of the international goodwill which he had lost in the aftermath of the Godhra riots in 2002.

The BJP government has planned major initiatives in the next three months to enable Modi turn a new leaf from a hardline Hindutva leader to a believer of Gandhian values and one whose interest lies in the business and cultural development of the state.

First up is the Global Bird Watchers’ Conference, 2010, to be held at the Khijadiya Bird Sanctuary in Jamnagar district from November 25 to 27.

New Delhi, November 10: The BJP core group today decided that it will demand the resignation of Telecom Minister A Raja in the wake of his reported indictment by CAG in 2G spectrum allocation and reiterate its demand for JPC probe into the issue as also CWG and Adarsh housing society scams.

The core group of BJP leadership met at senior party leader L K Advani’s residence to discuss the party’s strategy in the ongoing winter session of Parliament.

Mumbai, November 09: The Maharashtra Congress Legislature Party (CLP) late Tuesday authorised Congress president Sonia Gandhi to take a decision on the successor to outgoing Chief Minister Ashok Chavan.

The CLP meeting here, in the presence of two Congress central observers Pranab Mukherjee and A. K. Antony, passed a one-line resolution authorising the party chief to decide on the issue.

The meeting of a majority of the Congress legislators was held in the state legislature building at Nariman Point.

Mumbai, November 09: Senior Congress leaders Pranab Mukherjee and A K Anthony arrived here tonight from Delhi and would be meeting Congress legislators to elicit their opinion on choosing a successor to Ashok Chavan who resigned as Maharashtra Chief Minister.

Mukherjee and Anthony, Congress observers, were received at the city airport by Chavan, Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee chief Manikrao Thakre and Mumbai Regional Congress Committee chief Kripshankar Singh.

They later drove to Vidhan Bhavan where they would be meeting Congress leaders.

–Agencies

New Delhi, November 09: Senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Sushma Swaraj said Tuesday her meeting with US President Barack Obama was “very fruitful” as he was “very receptive and responsive” to the issues raised by her, including terrorism, India’s sensibilities about China, the Bhopal gas tragedy and outsourcing.

“Not only did he understand the issues but said (he will) try to address them as far as possible,” Swaraj told reporters here.

Patna, November 09: Congress today rubbished reports of its parleys with RJD and ruled out any post-poll pact with the Lalu Prasad Yadav-led party in Bihar.

“We rule out post-poll pact with the RJD of Lalu Prasad,” state Congress President Choudhary Mehboob Ali Kaiser told reporters, scotching reports of top leaders of the two parties holding talks in this connection.

New Delhi, November 09: The Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) Tuesday said Suresh Kalmadi’s resignation as secretary of the Congress Parliamentary Party meant “nothing” and asserted it would still raise the corruption issue in parliament.

“Stepping down from Congress Parliamentary Party means nothing,” BJP spokesperson Prakash Javadekar told a TV channel. The announcement of the resignation came just as the winter session of parliament began Tuesday.

New Delhi, November 08: The Congress Monday termed as “very satisfying” US President Barack Obama’s speech in the Central Hall of parliament, saying it was for the first time Washington had supported India’s case for a permanent seat in the UN Security Council.

“The speech was very satisfying from India’s point of view,” Congress spokesperson Shakeel Ahmed told.

He said apart from mentioning the membership of Security Council, Obama had referred to terrorist activities on Pakistani soil and had spoken of India’s arrival on the international stage and as a global power.

New Delhi, November 07: Opposition parties have decided to raise the issue of corruption during parliament’s winter session beginning Tuesday and will try to pin down the government on controversies relating to Mumbai’s Adarsh housing society, the Commonwealth Games and 2G spectrum allocation.

The main opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) said that corruption will be the key issue during the session.

New Delhi, November 07: Omar Abdullah was the only Chief Minister invited to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s private dinner in honour of US President Barack Obama tonight.

Omar was seen chatting for a while with Obama and his wife Michelle at the dinner.

Kashmir’s famed beauty is believed to have figured in the chit-chat during which Omar remarked that he hoped that the US first couple would visit the state some day.

–Agencies

Jaipur, November 07: In the wake of the name of a RSS leader figuring in the chargesheet in the Ajmer blast case, former Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundara Raje today accused the Congress government of “misusing” the Anti-Terrorism Squad for its political interest.

Raje, also BJP General Secretary, said the Congress was doing such things to “make stronger its hold on Muslim community”, which, she claimed, was coming closer to BJP following the efforts of RSS leader Indresh Kumar, who has been named in the chargesheet.

Nagpur, November 07: BJP national president Nitin Gadkari on Sunday refuted media reports stating that he had allegedly recommended allotment of a flat in the controversial Adarsh Co-operative Housing Society to benefit party’s national executive member Ajay Sancheti. “Neither I nor any of my relatives have flats in Adarsh Society and I have not recommended anyone’s name for allotment of flat in the said society in Mumbai,” Gadkari told PTI.

New Delhi, November 07: Senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader L.K. Advani Sunday hoped that Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama will be able to go back to his homeland in an honourable and dignified way.

In the latest post on his blog, Advani also hoped that “China will realise that its expansionist statements in relation to Arunachal Pradesh and tacit support to Pakistan’s hostile attitude towards India are stumbling blocks” in the way for the two countries that the world perceives as the emerging great powers of Asia in the current century.

Lucknow, Novenber 06: A local court has fixed November 12 as the next date of hearing in a case against Samajwadi Party Chief Mulayam Singh Yadav over his remarks after the Allahabad High Court’s verdict on the Ayodhya title suit.

The court is hearing the matter on a private complaint filed against Yadav under IPC section 153-A (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion) by President of the Hindu Mahasabha’s Meerut wing Ravi Chauhan.

Srinagar, November 05: Union Minister for New and Renewable Energy and President of the ruling National Conference Farooq Abdullah today said his party’s “biggest aim” is to solve the Kashmir issue.

“Our party’s biggest aim is to solve the Kashmir issue and we have given a lot of sacrifices for it,” Abdullah said here while interacting with party workers.

Abdullah, whose party heads the coalition government with Congress in Jammu and Kashmir, stressed upon the ministers and the legislators to help solve the issues of people without any delay.

Ayodhya, November 05: BJP today demanded the Centre’s intervention in the ongoing negotiation process of the Ayodhya dispute.

“During Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s regime in the NDA government, the negotiation started by Kanchi Shankaracharya Jayendra Saraswati was almost finalised, now it the responsibility of union government to restart the movement from the same place where it stopped,” BJP national general secretary and Member of Parliament Vinay Katiyar Katiyar told PTI.

Lucknow, November 05: After revoking the expulsion of its senior leader Azam Khan, Samajwadi Party Leader of Opposition in the Assembly Shivpal Singh Yadav has offered to quit his post for the expelled leader.

“I can quit my post of leader of opposition in the state Assembly for Azam Khan in the interest of party”, Shivpal Singh Yadav said.

Ahmedabad, November 05: Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi’s absence from campaigning for the Bihar Assembly elections has come as a blessing in disguise for Shahnawaz Hussain and Rajiv Pratap Rudy.