Politics

Mumbai, June 29: UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi will inaugurate the much-awaited Bandra-Worli sea link on June 30.

The Rs 1,634 crore, 4.7 km Bandra-Worli Sea Link will connect the suburban Bandra with Worli on the south here.

A glittering ceremony will be held during the inauguration ceremony. The cable-supported 8-lane bridge will be beamed up by the laser show tomorrow.

Completed after 10 years, the bridge will be the country’s first-ever open sea link.

New Delhi, June 29: A day after members of the gay community held parades in several cities in anticipation of legalising homosexuality, Congress today refused to take a stand on the issue saying it was still under consideration of the government.

“This is under consideration by the government. It is a normal government process. The party does not have any opinion on it,” party spokesman Shakeel Ahmed told reporters here.

Ahmed was responding to queries about the stand of the ruling party on the controversial Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code which criminalises homosexuality.

Davanagere, June 29: A BJP MLA in Karnataka was today arrested for allegedly making a hate speech during the recent Lok Sabha election campaign.

M P Renukacharya representing Honnali constituency was arrested and produced before the Judicial Magistrate First Class-II Annu Gowda Patil, who granted him bail on furnishing a bond for Rs 15,000 and a surety of as much amount.

Honnali Police had filed a chargesheet against the MLA for his alleged remarks against a particular community, in an apparent bid to counter alleged provocative comments by senior Congress leader Kagodu Thimmappa.

New Delhi, June 29: The Congress Monday condemned the Taliban-imposed jizya – tax enforced on Hindus, Sikhs and Christians in Pakistan in the name of religious minority protection money.

‘We condemn the imposition of jizya by Taliban on religious minorities in Pakistan. Though it is an internal issue of Pakistan, it is also an issue related to basic human issues and the Pakistan government should take every step to stop it,’ Congress spokesperson Shakeel Ahmad told reporters.

Puducherry, June 29: Students Congress Puducherry unit today threatened to resign enmasse, if action was taken against a few under the pretext of indulging in anti-party activites.

It may be noted that show-cause notice answerable in seven days were sent to eight party workers, including a few Students Congress members, who were supporters of former Chief Minister N Rangasamy, for their alleged anti-party activites during the recent Lok Sabha elections.

New Delhi, June 29: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati, who has sparked off a controversy with her statue unveiling spree in Lucknow, will face scrutiny of the Supreme Court on Monday.

The apex court had fixed Monday for the hearing of a PIL which sought a CBI probe against Mayawati for “misusing” crores of rupees of public money for installing statues.

New Delhi, June 29: After reaping the benefits of going it alone in Uttar Pradesh in the recent Lok Sabha elections, the Congress is once again mulling over a similar decision. This time, it’s about Maharashtra.

With barely three months left for the Maharashtra Assembly elections, and faced with growing demands from the party to end the alliance with the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), Congress leaders are in a dilemma.

New Delhi, June 28: Oppressive heat coupled with lack of rains is making life tough for the resident of Delhi. As demand for electricity keeps on rising, authorities have resorted to power cuts across the city.

But now the anger is spilling on to the streets with residents of the National Capital protest against massive power cuts.

A group of agitators ransacked a BSES office in east Delhi’s Laxmi Nagar following power cuts in the area.

The protestors also blocked roads near Vikas Marg and burnt some tyres.

Puducherry, June 28: The BJP Puducherry unit today urged the administration to take steps to curb the menace of anti-social elements in the union territory.

A resolution to this effect was adopted at the party’s executive committee meeting here.

Another resolution urged the administration to implement the promises given to the people, such as rice Rs one per kg and free Colour TV in the next budget session of the territorial Assembly.

New Delhi, June 28: Chief Minister Mayawati on Saturday held a meeting with top BSP functionaries and asked them to launch a nationwide campaign to make people aware about the conspiracy allegedly hatched by the Opposition parties to stop her from becoming the Prime Minister. A booklet on how her rivals conspired to thwart her prime ministerial ambitions was also reportedly circulated at the meeting.

Patna, June 28: The exit of Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) president Lalu Prasad from the railway ministry seems to have put a slew of projects announced by him for Bihar in limbo. State leaders fear the new minister, Mamata Banerjee, may shift some of these projects to her home state, West Bengal.

While the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has warned of statewide agitations if the railway projects meant for Bihar are moved outside the state, Lalu has also expressed his displeasure.

Bhopal, June 27: The Madhya Pradesh BJP President Narendra Singh Tomar took party MP Narayan Singh Kesri’s comment seriously over distribution of tickets after party’s debacle in the Lok Sabha polls in the state, said party state Vice-President Maya Singh here today.

Addressing a press conference after the party’s two-day office bearers’ meeting here, Ms Singh said action might be taken against Mr Kesri after a discussion in the party forum.

Although she did not spell out clearly about the mode of action, but did not rule out about disciplinary action against Mr Kesri.

New Delhi, June 27: The wife of a former MLA who along with her husband allegedly cheated people of Rs 4.75 crore, on Saturday surrendered before the police in the national capital.

Anita, the wife of Ranbir Singh Kharb, who has already been arrested on June 17, surrendered before the officials of the Economic Offences Wing of Delhi Police’s Crime Branch, a senior police official said.

According to the official, their victims were close relatives and friends. The couple allegedly promised investors that they would double their money in three years.

New Delhi, June 27: Congress and BJP on Saturday criticised Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav’s remark that he would bulldoze all memorials constructed by Mayawati government in Uttar Pradesh but both the parties maintained that huge public money was wasted for the project.

Dehra Dun, June 27: Ramesh Pokhryal Nishank today was sworn in fifth Chief Minister of Uttarakhand. Governor of the state BL Joshi administered oath of office and secrecy to him in a ceremony.

Governor on Friday invited him for forming the government. It is worth mentioning here that Nishak met Governor in Nainital and staked claim for forming government.

Nishank was elected leader of BJP legislature party on June 24 after Khanduri announced his resignation.

Lucknow, June 27: Senior IAS officer Ranjit Singh Pankaj has been appointed new Chief Information Commissioner of Uttar Pradesh, a post lying vacant for past eight months.

His name was approved by Governor T V Rajeswar on a recommendation from the state government, official sources said today.

The state government has sent his name to the Governor on June 24 and he gave his consent yesterday, they said.

The 1992-batch officer, who is a Dalit, is at present Secretary Mines.

Srinagar, June 27: Jammu and Kashmir government has decided to set up a committee to update Below Poverty Line (BPL) list in the state.

The committee, comprising officers of Consumer Affairs and Public Distribution (CAPD), Rural Development and Revenue Departments will jointly scrutinise and reconcile BPL lists as prepared by CAPD and Rural Development Departments, an official spokesman said here today.

Srinagar, June 27: Jammu and Kashmir Deputy Chief Minister Tara Chand has asked government agencies to speed-up development work, keeping in mind future needs of the state.

“Develop healthy competition and coordination in completion of projects so that not only they get completed within targeted time-frame, but new development projects are also sanctioned from the Centre”, Chand told officers of National Building of Construction Corporation (NBCC), Jammu Municipal Corporation (JMC) and Urban Environment Engineering Department (UEED) during a meet yesterday.

Itanagar, June 27: Arunachal Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) today claimed that the BJP would be ‘erased’ from northeastern States, including Arunachal Pradesh, in the coming Assembly elections. Addressing a press meet here in Rajiv Gandhi Bhawan, APCC spokesperson Nabam Rebia said the Congress party had captured both the Parliamentary seats, Arunachal East and West in the Parliamentary elections held in May. In the coming Assembly election, he hoped to capture all the 60-Assembly seats in the state.

New Delhi, June 27: An idea of the seriousness of the crisis faced by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) following its electoral setback can be gauged from the stirrings among its Muslim members.

Normally, they remain very much in the background, so much so that their presence in the party is often derisively described as an example of its tokenism towards the country’s multicultural ethos.

New Delhi, June 27: Several MLAs in Delhi assembly today demanded amendments in the relevant law so that they are allowed to use red beacon lights on their vehicles.

Raising the issue in the House, BJP legislator Saheb Singh Chauhan said although an MLA was higher in status in comparison to the Chief Secretary of the state, they were still not allowed to use beacon lights on their vehicles.

Lucknow, June 27: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati didn’t do well in the Lok Sabha elections but she is busy ensuring her presence felt in her state–with lavish memorials of Dalit icons.

As many as 15 memorials, including one of herself, were inaugurated in Lucknow on Thursday. The inaugurations were hurried to avoid any Supreme Court order on a PIL filed by a lawyer against the alleged misuse of funds on the memorials.

Lucknow, June 26: The distrcit administration of Pilibhit which had imposed NSA against the BJP leader and MP Varun Gandhi on March 29 last has forwarded the prosecutiion sanction order to the Uttar Pradesh government for approval.

The order, forwarded by the district magistrate of Pilibhit last evening through a special messenger, if approved, would pave the way for filing a chargesheet against Varun Gandhi facing charges in the wake of his hate speech during the Lok sabha elections.

New Delhi, June 26: Terming the announcements of Union HRD Minister Kapil Sibal regarding scrapping the board examinations and higher education as ”confusing, impractical and directionless”, the BJP today asked Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to stop him from jeopardising the students’ future in the name of beating the 100-day deadline.

Patna, June 26: Neither display of placards nor shouting of slogans against the Nitish Kumar-led government — the month-long monsoon session of the Bihar assembly began on a different note Friday. Peacefully.

Contrary to past practice, when the opposition normally created ruckus in the house, the first day of the session saw the formal commencement marked by a brief address by the speaker Uday Narayan Chaudhary following which he ordered adjournment for the day.