Claiming that neither Congress nor BJP would gain majority in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls, Samajwadi Party supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav today said the Third Front would form the government at the Centre and his party would “play a key role”.
“Congress or BJP is not going to get majority… Third Front will form the government,” he told a party rally here, adding that SP was the biggest party of the bloc.
–PTI
The Supreme Court on Monday issued notices to Narendra Modi’s close aide Amit Shah and other accused in the 2005 Sohrabuddin Sheikh alleged fake encounter case on the plea of CBI seeking transfer of certain documents from Gujarat to a Maharashtra court.
“Issue notice to respondents returnable within four weeks,” a bench of justices Ranjana Prakash Desai and Madan B Lokur said.
Shah was arrested by CBI on July 25, 2010 in connection with the case and had spent over three months in Sabarmati Jail in Ahmedabad before being granted the bail.
Sikhs protested against Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi”s residence on Monday over his remarks on the 1984 riots in an interview with a television channel last week, and also demanded a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the matter. “We want Rahul Gandhi to tell the names of the people who were involved in the Sikh riots, and we know he is still with those murderers. We want a SIT to probe the matter,” said Majinder Singh, a protestor. “This is not the end, after this we will protest against the PM as well.
Special envoy of the Italian government, Staffan De Mistura on Monday said that his government was hoping for speedy resolution of the diplomatic row involving two of its marines charged with the murder of Indian fishermen, an incident that has soured relations between Delhi and Rome. Mistura, who arrived in the capital on Sunday for the hearing said that Italy was determined for an early resolution of the case that threatened to jeopardise the otherwise excellent relations between Italy and India. “Two years have gone without even a chargesheet.
Commenting on the recent spat of words between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Samajwadi party, National Congress Party (NCP) leader Tariq Anwar on Monday said that the BJP was based on hatred, and that the Gujarat riots and the Babri Masjid issue were the best examples to prove that. “The BJP and its supporting parties are based on hatred as they only want to create problems in country,” said Anwar. “The Gujarat riots and the Babri Masjid cases are the best examples of that. This party just believes in the divide and rule policy,” he said. “The public knows and watches everything.
The Delhi Government has written a letter to President Pranab Mukherjee on Monday to take action against former Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit for providing fake provisional certificates to unauthorized colonies in Delhi. Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Manish Sisodia said that Sheila Dikshit had done fake work and action should be taken against her and the Congress. “The previous government did a fake work on the colonies. They provided fake provisional certificates for unauthorized colonies in Delhi and the Lokayukta has decided to put a stop on such actions,” said Sisodia.
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar Monday said the Congress party prevented his state being accorded special category status following pressure from its alliance partners.
“Congress stopped the special category status to Bihar at the last moment,” Nitish Kumar told media persons here.
He said the Congress was behind the game to delay and deny the state its demand for special category status to keep its allies happy in Bihar as part of the politics ahead of the Lok Sabha elections.
The two committees formed by the Pakistan government and the Taliban to hold a peace dialogue will meet here Tuesday, a media report said Monday.
According to a report in Geo News, the decision came following a telephonic conversation between Maulana Samiul Haq, who is a member of the Taliban committee, and Irfan Siddiqui, who is representing the government.
“We want to have an open dialogue with the Taliban committee,” Siddiqui was quoted as saying.
In a first, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal Monday found mention in a speech by Samajwadi Party (SP) president Mulayam Singh Yadav who said he did not want to slap a case on the former, else he would have got Kejriwal arrested for making baseless remarks.
Speaking at a public rally in Gonda, 100 km from here, Mulayam Singh vented his ire on the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader for including his name in the list of corrupt politicians.
An Aam Aadmi Party legislator in Delhi Monday alleged he was approached by BJP leaders, including prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi, in an attempt to buy him off for Rs.20 crore.
Madan Lal, assembly member from Kasturba Nagar, claimed he was first approached Dec 7, a day before the Delhi assembly election results were announced.
He, however, said he has no proof to back his allegations.
Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi Monday said he will talk to opposition leaders to ensure that important bills are passed in the upcoming parliament session.
“I shall talk to the opposition leaders and make them understand that both the government and the opposition will have to work together to pass the bills,” Gandhi told reporters after meeting street vendors who are demanding passage of a bill aimed at protecting their livelihood rights.
“I met street vendors and assured them the street vendors bill will be passed,” he said.
–IANS
Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi Monday promised strict action over the death of a 19-year-old student from Arunachal Pradesh.
Gandhi told a students’ group that he will write to Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde on the issue.
“We submitted a memorandum to Rahul Gandhi and he assured that he will forward the same to the home minister,” J.T. Tagam, former president of the Arunachal Pradesh Students’ Union, told IANS.
Terming itself a “die hard” secular party, the NCP Monday dismissed reports that it was planning to join hands with the BJP in the ensuing Lok Sabha elections.
“We are die hard secularists… we believe in secular principles and will go with secular parties,” said Jitendra Awhad, the working president of the party’s Maharashtra unit.
Awhad categorically asserted that the Nationalist Congress Party would take a stand against communal forces and “would not compromise with BJP under any circumstances”.
Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar should divest himself of the home portfolio, the Nationalist Congress Party said, after a local court directed the police to file an FIR against him in a case involving the death of a prison inmate.
The prisoner, Mahadev Gaonkar, who was lodged in the Aguada Central Jail, died of food poisoning May 31 last year.
The court’s direction followed a private complaint by activist Kashinath Shetye, who prayed for a First Information Report against Parrikar (as home minister) and other officials as being responsible for the death of Gaonkar.
CNG prices will be cut by about Rs 15 per kg and cooking gas piped to kitchens by about Rs 5 after government decided to supply cheaper domestic gas to fuel retailers in cities like Delhi and Ahmedabad.
Oil Minister M Veerappa Moily said the government has decided to raise allocation of natural gas from domestic fields to city gas entities to 100 per cent from current limit of 80 per cent.
This would be done by cutting supplies to non-core sectors like petrochemicals, steel and refineries.
After a bizarre search, the Uttar Pradesh Police has finally tracked down Minister Azam Khan’s stolen buffaloes. Seven buffaloes, owned by the Samajwadi Party leader’s had gone missing from his farmhouse in Rampur on the intervening night of Friday and Saturday.
They managed to rescue the cattle on Sunday following an intensive overnight search.
Dog squads, crime branch sleuths and personnel from various police stations raided slaughter houses and meat shops to collect clues about the stolen bovine, worth several lakhs of rupees, Superintendent of Police Sadhna Goswami said.
The third round of the telecom spectrum auction opened today with bids pouring in for all 22 circles or zones in the 1,800 MHz band and all three zones in 900 MHz band.
“Till now, four rounds of bidding have been completed. Bids have been received in all 22 service areas in 1800 MHz band and in all three service areas in 900 MHz band. Thus, bidding has taken place in all the service areas in both bands,” an official statement said.
The auction started at 9 AM today, it added.
Union Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad on Monday laid the foundation stone of two blocks at the AIIMS that will add facilities of 600 beds and 24 operating theatres at a total cost of Rs 255 crores.
“Together these initiatives constitute a major breakthrough in the development of AIIMS infrastructure which has come under the severe strain due to increasing pressure of teaching, research and patient care activities,” Azad said, adding that the plan and non-plan budget for the current year was Rs 1340 crores.
The Gandhi cap, revived by the Anna Hazare movement and now adopted by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), has become a visible symbol of protest for political parties and other social organisations as well.
Following in AAP’s footsteps, the white-coloured boat-shaped cap, which was first popularised by Mahatma Gandhi during the Indian independence movement, is increasingly being worn by people with their protest messages inscribed on it.
Aam Aadmi Party today accused BJP leaders Narendra Modi and Arun Jaitley of trying to topple the Arvind Kejriwal government, claiming that they are behind moves to lure MLAs to split the ruling party.
AAP MLA Madan Lal alleged at a press conference that a person close to Modi had offered him Rs 20 crore to split the party and promised to make him Chief Minister if he could do so.
Three school students embarked on a “mission” to get-rich-quick by hunting down Dawood Ibrahim and handing over the underworld don to authorities. The sheepish students are now back home after they ran out of money.
The class nine students of St Michael High School in this Bihar capital went missing last week and only returned home after their mission to catch Dawood Ibrahim failed, said police Monday.
Patna police is stunned over their motive and mission.
Police have now appealed to parents to take greater care of their children.
A couple in their 30s stripped in front of Rashtrapati Bhavan after they were denied entry to the President’s house, police said on Monday.
The couple went to the main gate of Rashtrapati Bhavan and demanded to meet President Pranab Mukherjee. When the security personnel at the entry asked for the reason, they failed to say why. “The couple then took off their clothes,” a police officer said.
The stunned security personnel hurriedly made the couple wear some clothes.
An AAP lawmaker alleged on Monday he had been approached by BJP leaders, including Narendra Modi, in an attempt to buy him off for Rs 20 crore.
Madan Lal, MLA from Kasturba Nagar, claimed that he had been first approached on December 7, a day before the Delhi assembly election results were announced.
However, Madan Lal said he has no proof to back his allegations.
Congress MLC KR Amos condemned Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy for his proposed agitation in New Delhi against the proposed division of Andhra Pradesh.
Speaking to media persons here on Monday, Amos said that the Shakti Sthal, the memorial of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, would get desecrated if the Chief Minister held protests at the venue. He accused the Chief Minister of enacting a political drama to save his image in the Seemandhra region. He said that the people of Seemandhra region would teach Kiran Kumar Reddy a fitting lesson during next elections. (INN)
Former minister Dr P Shankar Rao on Monday demanded that Congress High Command take immediate action against Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy.
Speaking to media persons, Shankar Rao said that the Chief Minister was in an inferiority complex and in the grip of a fear that he could not secure his deposit in the next elections. For the same reason, he said that a “sealed cover” Chief Minister had went to the extent of challenging the authority of Congress High Command itself. He said that the Chief Minister’s proposed protest in New Delhi would be a flop show.