SC refuses to stay ordinance on NEET
New Delhi : The Supreme Court on Thursday refused to interfere with operation of the ordinance providing that states could hold their own entrance...
In J&K, two cabinet ministers break law, smoke cigarette in Public
By Raqib Hameed Naik, TwoCircles.net
Srinagar: In a major embarrassment for ruling People Democratic Part in Jammu and Kashmir, two of...
People have decided to vote out Congress: Jayalalithaa
Chidambaram (Tamil Nadu) : AIADMK general secretary and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa Tuesday said Indians are of the view that the corrupt...
Congress asks spokesman Moily to take a break
By IANS,
New Delhi : Congress spokesman Veerappa Moily has been asked to step down from his post as head of Congress media cell, party sources said here Saturday, a day after he criticised Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. Moily however said he had relinquished the post long ago to concentrate on the Lok Sabha poll campaign.
Railway budget disappointing: Nitish Kumar
By IANS,
New Delhi : The railway budget for 2012-13 presented in parliament Wednesday does not adequately address safety issues and is disappointing, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar said.
BJP demands probe into companies of Mayawati’s brother
BY IANS,
New Delhi: The BJP Monday demanded a probe into "questionable financial transactions" by companies allegedly owned by BSP chief Mayawati's brother.
Modi’s swearing-in was distant action for media persons
New Delhi : The scene of action at the Rashtrapati Bhavan during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's swearing-in Monday was a distant spectacle for the...
Left-Karunanidhi talks fail to end n-deal impasse
By IANS,
Chennai : The impasse over the India-US civil nuclear deal that has been plaguing Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's government did not end Sunday even after a meeting of communist leaders Prakash Karat and D. Raja with Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi, who warned a snap poll would only benefit "communal forces".
"We have explained in detail why we cannot agree to the nuclear deal. But discussions in this matter will take place again," Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) general secretary Prakash Karat told reporters after the meeting with Karunanidhi.
Two-thirds of Jammu electorate vote by 3 p.m.
Jammu : Two-thirds of the electorate had exercised their franchise by 3 p.m. Thursday for the Jammu Lok Sabha seat even as queues could...
No question of supporting UPA’s policies, says
By IANS,
New Delhi : The Left parties Monday said they could not support the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) as their policies were very different.
The Left said the UPA was pursuing the policies of globalisation, liberalisation and privatisation, which they were opposed to.
Rajiv Gandhi’s would-be assassin to enter poll fray in Punja
By Jaideep Sarin, IANS,
Chandigarh : As a 24-year-old, he hogged national headlines as the would-be assassin of then prime minister Rajiv Gandhi at Delhi's Rajghat, the memorial of Father of the Nation Mahatma Gandhi. But nearly 25 years after that incident, Karamjit Singh wants to fight with the ballot rather than the bullet.
Now a practicing lawyer in Sunam town in Punjab's Sangrur district, 180 km from here, Karamjit Singh says that he will file his nomination for the Patiala Lok Sabha seat next month.
Will never ride Nano, is made of peoples’ blood: Mamata
By IANS,
Kolkata : For Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee, riding the little Nano is a big 'No-No', as it is made with the "blood of people".
Participating in a phone-in programme on a Bengali news channel, Banerjee was categorical that she will never travel in the small car from the Tata Motors stable.
"Which car I ride is my fundamental right. But I will not ride the car which has been manufactured with the blood of people," Banerjee said in reply to a query.
1,473 voters in Madhya Pradesh reject all candidates
By IANS,
Bhopal : A total of 1,473 voters in Madhya Pradesh trooped out of polling centres Thursday without voting because they did not find a suitable candidate to support, an official said Saturday.
The voters came to the polling booths, got their names registered and then left without voting for anyone in the Lok Sabha elections.
According to the State Election Commission, this was done under Section 49(0) of the Conduct of Election Rules.
The section allows a person to register his/her presence at the polling centre and then not vote for any candidate.
Central forces at all polling booths in Bengal’s Maoist areas
Kolkata: The Election Commission Tuesday said all the polling booths in West Bengal's Maoist-hit Junglemahal region, that goes to polls Wednesday, will have central...
Feb 13 incidents in Lok Sabha referred to privileges committee
By IANS,
New Delhi : The ruckus in the Lok Sabha Thursday over the Telangana bill has been referred to the privileges committee of the...
मिसाल : शेर खान ने गोद लिया था बेटा पप्पू सिंह, अब कश्मीरा से...
आकिल हुसैन। Twocircles.net
उत्तर प्रदेश के गाजीपुर जिले में एक शादी सामाजिक सौहार्द की मिसाल बन गई है। एक मुस्लिम पिता ने अपने...
Fear of Modi more among BJP leaders: Aiyar
By IANS,
New Delhi: Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar said the fear of Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi emerging as a national leader was more prounced in the BJP ranks than in the Congress.
BJP too favours caste-based census
By IANS,
New Delhi: The Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) Wednesday said it was in favour of including caste as a criterion in the ongoing national census and added that the enumeration exercise should be used to ascertain the number of people living below poverty line.
Party leader S.S. Ahluwalia said data collected during the 1931 census on caste were used to provide reservation benefits. He said the country's population had grown manifold since independence.
"The caste criterion in the census can be considered by the government," he said.
Karat to PM: Forget US obsession, take up people’s issues
By IANS,
New Delhi : Accusing Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's government of being "obsessed with its vision of becoming a strategic partner of the US", Communist leader Prakash Karat Friday warned that ignoring people's issues would benefit “rightwing forces” in electoral politics.
Delhi varsity contractual employee accuses DUSU president of assault
New Delhi : A contractual worker employed by the Delhi University was on Monday allegedly assaulted by Delhi University Students Union president Satender Awana...
When will Tamil Nadu get justice on Mullaiperiyar, wonders Karunanidhi
By IANS,
Chennai : Facing flak from the opposition after Tamil Nadu agreed in the Supreme Court to refer the Mullaiperiyar dam row to a five member constitution bench, Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi Friday hoped the saying "justice delayed is justice denied" would not come true for his state.
"The state had approached the Supreme Court in December 1998. Eleven years later when all were expecting Tamil Nadu to get justice, the decision to refer the case to a constitution bench surely makes us wonder for how many more years one has to wait," he said, according to a statement issued here.
Minor fire at South Block, no damage
New Delhi : A minor fire broke out at South Block, which houses the ministries of defence and external affairs, on Sunday but was...
Send notice to Mayawati on statues: BJP tells poll panel
By IANS,
New Delhi : The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Tuesday urged the Election Commission to serve a notice to Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati for using public money to install statues, including of herself, in Lucknow.
"We request the Election Commission to serve a notice to Mayawati on the issue. Mayawati's statue with the elephant, which is the symbol of the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), defies the Election Commission's model code of conduct (whenever elections take place)," BJP spokesperson Ravi Shankar Prasad told reporters.
Jaitley scotches speculation, supports Sushma
New Delhi: Hordes of journalists turned up at North Block on Tuesday expecting Finance Minister Arun Jaitley to clarify his stand on the link-up...
Freedom House report declaring India only a “partly free” democracy a recognition of reality:...
TCN News
Indian American Muslim Council, an advocacy group dedicated to safeguarding India’s pluralist and tolerant ethos Tuesday expressed its concurrence with the annual report...
Congress to hold rally in ‘terror-tainted’ Azamgarh
By IANS,
Lucknow : The Congress party plans to hold a rally this week in Uttar Pradesh's Azamgarh district, where a number of residents have been arrested for terrorist attacks and the Muslim community is complaining of victimisation.
"Digvijay Singh, along with our state president Reeta Bahuguna Joshi and other leaders, will hold the rally in Azamgarh town on Dec 20," state congress spokesperson A.P. Singh told IANS Wednesday.
Digvijay Singh is Uttar Pradesh Congress in-charge and former Madhya Pradesh chief minister.
Munda completes one year amid political turbulence
By Nityanand Shukla, IANS,
Ranchi : Arjun Munda completed one year in office as Jharkhand chief minister Sunday, overcoming political turbulence and bickering among the alliance partners.
Vijayan attacking Church to divert attention: Congress
By IANS
Thiruvananthapuram : Pinarayi Vijayan, the Kerala secretary of Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M), was attacking the Church to divert attention away from the probe he was facing in the irregularities in the SNC-Lavlin contract, the Congress said Thursday.
"The Central Bureau of Investigation is soon to question him in the SNC-Lavlin case. To soften the impact of that and to raise passion in his party, he attacked a Catholic bishop last week. The attack was planned well by Vijayan," Congress spokesperson M.M. Hassan told reporters here.
Hundreds of demonstrators across U.S. protest Facebook’s role in anti-Muslim hate speech, violence by...
The protests were organized by India Genocide Watch and featured speakers demanding that Facebook’s founder-CEO Mark Zuckerberg end his company’s complicity in extreme Hindu right-wing...
Samajwadi Party lost by-polls with heavy margins
By IANS,
Lucknow : The Samajwadi Party's rout in the two Lok Sabha and three assembly seats in Uttar Pradesh has given a big blow to party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav. The heavy margin of defeat has come as a shock to him.
Though the Samajwadi Party candidates polled a fairly good percentage of votes in four of the five constituencies, they failed to get anywhere close to the winning margins of the ruling Bahujan Samaj Party.
IUML will not withdraw minister: Karunakaran
By IANS,
Kozhikode : The Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) will not withdraw its minister from the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government over the India-US nuclear deal, Senior Congress leader K. Karunakaran said here Tuesday.
"In the current circumstances I presume that the Muslim League won't contemplate such a step which is against the national interest," Karunakaran said.
Kadhamal violence to rock Orissa assembly session
By IANS,
Bhubaneswar : The winter session of the Orissa assembly, which is scheduled to begin Wednesday, is likely to be stormy with the opposition Congress party expected to question the government over the communal violence that claimed at least 38 lives and rendered thousands homeless in Kandhamal district.
Political analysts said the opposition is expected to make several attempts to highlight the government's failure during the winter session, which concludes Dec 31, since the general and assembly polls are likely to be held early next year.
‘I don’t like Sonia’s face,’ says JD-U’s Prabhunath Singh
By IANS,
Patna : Raking up the issue of Congress president Sonia Gandhi's foreign origin, a senior leader of Bihar's ruling Janata Dal (United) Sunday said he disliked "her face, voice and language" and termed her popularity and acceptance as a national leader "unfortunate for the country".
"I don't like her face, her voice and her language," Prabhunath Singh, the former deputy leader of the party in the Lok Sabha, told media persons here.
Uttarakhand assembly budget session starts on positive note
Dehradun : The budget session of the Uttarakhand assembly began on Wednesday on a positive note and Chief Minister Harish Rawat thanked the opposition...
BJP set to sweep Himachal polls
By IANS
Shimla : The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was racing towards a landslide electoral victory in Himachal Pradesh Friday, just five days after it retained power in Gujarat.
As officials counted the 3.2 million votes polled in the assembly elections, the BJP was forging ahead in most of the 68 seats. Analysts and politicians said the party might end up winning around 45 seats.
The BJP was poised to reap a rich harvest, garnering a record vote share in the hill state where it has been one of the two dominant players for six decades.
BJP legislator leading farmers’ agitation assaulted
By IANS,
Gandhinagar: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislator Kanubhai Kalsariya, who is spearheading a farmers' agitation against his own party's government for leasing land for a Rs.1,400 crore cement plant being put up by Nirma, was assaulted here Sunday, farmers said.
According to sources close to him, Kalsariya, legislator from Mahua in Bhavnagar district of Gujarat, accompanied by his wife was on his way to Dodia village in his constituency when his car was stopped and he was assaulted by a mob of over 100 people.
Congress warns against politicising terror strike
By IANS,
New Delhi/Mumbai: The Congress Sunday warned against politicising and communalising the terror strike in Pune.
"This is the time to wake up. Anybody who tries to politicise or communalise the terror strike will be rejected (by the people)," Congress spokesman Manish Tewari told a television news channel.
The Congress's reaction came in the wake of Shiv Sena executive president Uddhav Thackeray saying that Maharashtra Chief Minister Ashok Chavan's "immature politics" was "responsible for the Pune terror attack".
Rajya Sabha passes bill to settle disputes between regulators
By IANS,
New Delhi : The Rajya Sabha Monday passed a bill to address disputes among financial regulators like the one over unit-linked insurance plans, with Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee's assurance that the autonomy of these watchdogs will not be compromised.
"There is no question of compromising the autonomy of any regulator," Mukherjee said, as the upper house passed the Securities and Insurance Laws (Amendment and Validation) Bill 2010 to replace an earlier ordinance.
Assembly poll outcomes a blow to Mayawati
By Sharat Pradhan, IANS,
Lucknow : The Bahujan Samaj Party's (BSP) poor showing in the Maharashtra, Haryana and Arunachal Pradesh assembly polls has dealt a blow to Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati and her dreams of ruling the country.
The BSP, which she heads, failed to open its account in Maharashtra - the land of the party's biggest icon B.R. Ambedkar - and failed to score beyond one seat even in Haryana. It is yet to take birth in Arunachal.
Kerala Police begin probe into forged letters to Chidambaram
By IANS,
Kochi (Kerala): Director General of Kerala Police Jacob Punnose Thursday said the police have begun a probe into the forged letters sent on behalf of the chief minister and home minister to union Home Minister P. Chidambaram in connection with the promotion of 15 state police officials.
"We will be sending a top police official to Delhi. A case has been registered and an investigation team has begun its job," Punnose told the media here.
Sheila Dikshit’s security up after threat
By IANS,
New Delhi: Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit's security has been stepped up after the police got an anonymous call stating her life was in danger. But an unruffled Dikshit said she was not worried.
Delhi Police have beefed up Dikshit's 'Z' category security cover following the telephone call Thursday night saying her life was in danger.
"We got a call at 11 p.m. The caller said the chief minister's life was in danger for the next 72 hours. As a precaution we have stepped up her security," a Delhi Police official said.
The police are trying to trace the caller.
End turnaround politics, Bal Thackeray tells Chavan
By IANS,
Mumbai : Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray Friday urged Maharashtra Chief Minister Ashok Chavan to end "turnaround politics" and compared Chavan's U-turn on a proposal to make knowledge of Marathi mandatory for Mumbai's taxi drivers to Michael Jackson's "Moonwalk".
In an open letter to Chavan, Thackeray said that despite the bane of power cuts afflicting the state, most people got a "shock" two days ago when they heard about the government's plans to issue new taxi permits only to people domiciled in the state and having knowledge of Marathi.
Former AAP legislator joins BJP
New Delhi : Former AAP legislator from Ambedkar Nagar, Ashok Kumar Chauhan Saturday joined the BJP.
Elected on an Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) ticket in...
Chhattisgarh: BJP leader among five arrested for attack on church in Narayanpur
On January 2, a mob vandalised a church after around 2000 people, mostly Adivasis held a public meeting in protest in against alleged...
PM rebuts Red attack on N-deal, Sonia warns Congress leaders
By Liz Mathew, IANS
New Delhi : Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Saturday rebutted communist "propaganda" on the Indo-US nuclear deal as Congress president Sonia Gandhi gently warned ministers from the party not to take their jobs for granted.
In speeches at the All India Congress Committee session here, both leaders underlined the most serious issues confronting the government and the Congress that leads the multi-party United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government.
Muslim spiritual heads meet Home Minister, to visit Kashmir for peace efforts
By TCN News
A delegation of heads of eminent Khanqahs and Dargahs led by the...
New Congress headquarters to have six floors
By IANS,
New Delhi : With six floors, the Congress plans to make up in height what it will lose in expanse at its new central office.
The Congress plans to construct a six-storey office on the two-acre plot allotted to it on Kotla Road in central Delhi. Though the party is eligible for a four-acre plot according to its numbers in the two houses of parliament, it already has a plot in Rajendra Prasad Road -- which now houses the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation -- so it can only get two acres more.
Rajya Sabha adjourned over price rise
By IANS,
New Delhi: The Rajya Sabha was adjourned twice Wednesday, over the issue of Telangana and shooting prices of essential commodities.
As soon as the house assembled at 11 a.m., Telugu Desham Party (TDP) members raised the issue of united Andhra, with party member M.V. Mysoora Reddy walking towards the well of the house.
Simultaneously, the Left parties began speaking about price rise, forcing Chairman Hamid Ansari to adjourn the house for half hour.
Nitish Kumar government will fall after polls: Paswan
Patna: The Nitish Kumar government in Bihar will fall after the general election results are out, LJP leader Ram Vilas Paswan said Thursday.
Paswan, whose...
Mamata Banerjee attends cabinet meeting after a month
By IANS,
New Delhi : Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee Thursday attended a cabinet meeting after a month's gap as she had been away in Kolkata to campaign for her Trinamool Congress party for the civic polls in West Bengal.
"Mamataji attended today's cabinet meeting and actively participated in the deliberations," Information and Broadcasting Minister Ambika Soni told reporters after a cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
"She was particularly interested in the national policy on data sharing that the cabinet cleared today," Soni added.
Kerala Police begin probe into assembly ruckus
Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala Police on Sunday inspected the assembly floor to collect evidence -- including video recording -- of the vandalism wreaked in the house...
Police officer killed, dozen others injured in Uttar Pradesh
Mathura : A senior police officer was killed and dozens of people, including at least two senior police officials, were injured on Thursday afternoon...
Ban on ‘Aligarh’ doesn’t seem official: Hansal Mehta
New Delhi: Amidst reports that the Manoj Bajpayee-starrer "Aligarh" will not be screened in the city of Aligarh, the film's director Hansal Mehta has...
Shivraj should resign, demands Congress
Bhopal: The Congress on Thursday demanded the resignation of Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, citing that the Supreme Court has handed over...
Manmohan Singh meets Modi
New Delhi : Hours after rebutting allegations of corruption and policy paralysis against his government, former prime minister Manmohan Singh on Wednesday met Prime...
BJP asks Akhilesh to prove majority
Lucknow: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Sunday asked Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav to prove his majority in the Uttar Pradesh assembly.
The BJP's demand...
JD-U, BJP to contest Lok Sabha polls together: Nitish
By IANS,
Patna : Putting an end to speculation, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar Monday said his Janata Dal-United (JD-U) and the BJP will contest the next Lok Sabha elections together.
Modi will be flexible, problematic: Chinese daily
Beijing : Narendra Modi, widely tipped to be India's next prime minister, may show flexibility in economic ties with China but also "create new...
UPA-Left panel meet on n-deal inconclusive
By IANS
New Delhi : The United Progressive Alliance (UPA)-Left committee on the nuclear deal Monday discussed the outcome of the negotiations between India and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on a safeguards agreement, ended without any conclusion and decided to meet again in April.
The panel did not take any decision on whether the government will proceed further on the India-Us nuclear deal or not.
The 15-member panel headed by External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee met at 5.00 p.m. The meeting went on till 6.20 p.m.
पत्रकार निदा अहमद, समाजसेवी सदफ ज़फर और एएमयू के छात्र नेता सलमान को चुनाव...
आकिल हुसैन। two circles.net
उत्तर प्रदेश चुनाव के लिए कांग्रेस ने 125 प्रत्याशियों की पहली लिस्ट जारी कर दी है। कांग्रेस की इस लिस्ट में...
Two Congress ministers to be sworn-in Friday
By IANS,
Kolkata: The Congress late Thursday decided that two of its legislators would take oath as part of the Mamata Banerjee-led ministry in West Bengal Friday.
Left parties meet, reiterate opposition to n-deal
By IANS,
New Delhi : Leaders of the four Left parties met Wednesday afternoon ahead of the crucial meet of the Left-United Progressive Alliance (UPA) coordination committee on the India-US civilian nuclear deal and reiterated their opposition on the issue.
"The Left leaders held a meeting Wednesday and decided that they would not allow the union government to go ahead with the India-specific safeguards agreement with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)," a senior Left leader told IANS.
Only 50 percent crimes reported in Delhi, Mumbai: Survey
New Delhi : Only about 50 percent of crimes and about 12 percent of sexual harassment cases are reported to police in Delhi and...
Former Uttarakhand, UP Chief Minister N.D. Tiwari dead
New Delhi, Oct 18 (IANS) Former Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand Chief Minister N.D. Tiwari died on Thursday -- on his 93rd birthday -- at...
Dikshit, Mukhi to raise voter I-card flaws with poll panel
By IANS,
New Delhi : Discrepancies in voters' identity cards have at last forced both Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit of the Congress and Leader of Opposition Jagdish Mukhi of the Bharatiya Janata party (BJP) to come together and approach the Election Commission.
Both leaders are worried about electoral roll problems as the assembly elections are round the corner.
Mukhi raised the issue in the state legislative assembly, which started its monsoon session Wednesday.
Over 100 BJP workers arrested in Jharkhand
By IANS,
Bokaro (Jharkhand) : Over 100 Bharatiya Janata Party workers were arrested while protesting over rising prices of essential commodities during Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's visit to Jharkhand Tuesday.
The BJP workers were marching to Birsa Munda airport to show black flags to Singh.
Singh was in Jharkhand to lay the foundation stone for the expansion and modernization of the Bokaro Steel Plant.
During Singh’s speech at Bokaro, over 50 BJP workers shouted slogans against rising prices of essential commodities. The police arrested them also.
Government walks the tightrope over numbers game
By Liz Mathew, IANS,
New Delhi, July 18 (IANS) With just four days remaining for the do-or-die trust vote in parliament, the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) is struggling to keep its flock together amid indications of defections and cross-voting in the ruling coalition.
Not Congress, Goa BJP’s own MLAs its bitterest critics
By Mayabhushan Nagvenkar,
Panaji : With deep fissures within the Congress rendering the main opposition party virtually toothless, the main opposition to Goa's ruling Bharatiya...
JD-S legislator quits assembly, may join BJP
By IANS,
Bangalore: Janata Dal-Secular legislator Sanganna Karadi Thursday quit the Karnataka assembly and his party, indicating he would join the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
At Delhi’s ‘Karbala’, remembrance and defiance mark Imam Husain’s Arba’een
By TwoCircles.net Staff Reporter,
New Delhi: On the occasion of Arba'een or Chehlum of Imam Husain, the grandson of Prophet Mohammad (pbuh), Anjuman-e-Haideri called upon...
Amid election heat, Sonia-Modi in war of words
Nuh/Itanagar/Guwahati : The Congress-BJP war of words escalated Monday, with Congress president Sonia Gandhi charging the BJP with indulging in "politics of hate" and...
Modi’s meeting with secretaries deferred
New Delhi : Prime Minister Narendra Modi's scheduled meeting with secretaries of various ministries Tuesday was deferred following the death of union Rural Development...
Court tells Bengal to follow panchayat poll directives
By IANS,
Kolkata : The Calcutta High Court Tuesday directed the West Bengal government to comply with its earlier order regarding the conduct of panchayat polls.
Advani, Rajnath eye 150 seats in Gujarat
By IANS
Ahmedabad : Gujarat's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) sounded the election bugle Wednesday with senior leader L.K. Advani and party president Rajnath Singh asking cadres to ensure the party's victory in the forthcoming assembly polls with 150 of the 182 seats.
Addressing a state-level meet of party workers here, they said it was the cadres' responsibility that the party got the type of "massive mandate" they were seeking and succeeded in forming the government in the state for the third time running.
BJP calls Chawla’s appointment ‘unfortunate’
By IANS,
New Delhi : The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Wednesday said Navin Chawla's appointment as the next chief election commissioner was "unfortunate" and it was an "affront to Indian democracy".
"The appointment (Chawla) is an affront to the Indian democracy. It is unfortunate that he has now been appointed chief election commissioner," BJP's general secretary Arun Jaitley said here.
"He comes to this office with a whole baggage of history of his past and recent conduct," he told reporters.
AAP protests hike in rail fares
Gurgaon: The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Saturday staged a protest here against the central government's decision to hike rail fares.
The demonstrators chanted slogans against...
Lok Sabha election dates likely Wednesday
New Delhi : The Election Commission is likely to announce the dates for the Lok Sabha election Wednesday.
The term of the current Lok Sabha...
Kerala to host South Asia’s largest film market
Kochi: Kochi, the commercial capital of Kerala, will host the Indywood Film Market (IFM) and All Lights India International Film Festival (ALIIFF) 2015 from...
Modi speaks to Nepalese PM, assures all help
New Delhi : Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday reached out to his Nepalese counterpart Sushil Koirala in the wake of another major earthquake...
Voting begins in eight constituencies in Karnataka
By NNN-PTI,
Bangalore, India : Polling for eight constituencies in the by-elections to the Karnataka Assembly began today.
Around 9,500 security personnel have been deployed at Hukkeri, Arabhavi, Devadurga, Karwar, Turuvekere, Madhugiri, Doddaballapur and Maddur constituencies where polling began at 7 am.
Fate of 73 candidates, including state Ministers Balachandra Jarakiholi, Anand Asnotikar, K Shivanagowda Naik, Umesh Katti and Anita, wife of former chief minister H D Kumaraswamy, making her debut into poll politics, would be decided in the by-polls.
Modi’s Muslim aide to link Urdu varsity with industry
By Mohammed Shafeeq,
Hyderabad : Prime Minister Narendra Modi's close Muslim aide Zafar Sareshwala, who took over as the chancellor of the Moulana Azad National Urdu University (MANUU), is keen to link the institution to industry.
मशहूर इस्लामिक विद्वान सिद्दिक हसन का निधन
विशेष संवाददाता। Twocircles.net
जमात-ए-इस्लामी हिंद के पूर्व सहायक अमीर प्रोफेसर के० ए० सिद्दीक हसन का मंगलवार को कोजीकोड में देहांत हो गया। वो भारत...
Maoist violence again in round two of Jharkhand polls
By IANS,
Ranchi : Maoist guerrillas Thursday unleashed a wave of violence in Jharkhand as voting began for eight of the 14 Lok Sabha seats, triggering landmine blasts near polling booths, attacking a paramilitary camp and blowing up a railway station.
Several people were injured in the attacks that spread out in many parts of the state and included intermittent gunbattles that continued for hours in the forested areas of Jamshedpur and Giridih.
Voting ends peacefully in Northeast, heavy to moderate polling recorded
By IANS,
Guwahati : Voting for the first phase of elections in India's insurgency-hit northeast ended Thursday with millions of people casting their votes amid stray incidents of violence and despite the rain in some places.
"Voting has ended rather peacefully in six of the seven northeastern states with heavy polling recorded," an election official said.
According to preliminary reports, an estimated 65 percent polling was recorded in the three parliamentary seats of Silchar, Karimganj, and Autonomous District of Assam.
Hundreds of trees cut down for PM Modi’s rally in Bihar
By Imran Khan
Patna : Hundreds of trees have been cut down, chopped off and uprooted to make space for Prime Minister...
Mixed response to Sonia’s rally
New Delhi : Though the Congress left no stone unturned to ensure that party president Sonia Gandhi's Sunday rally at Ajmal Khan Park here...
225 legislators will oppose Andhra division: Rajagopal
By IANS,
New Delhi : Congress MP from Vijayawada L. Rajagopal said Sunday that 225 Andhra Pradesh legislators would oppose the resolution to bifurcate the state for Telangana if the motion is put to vote in the state assembly.
Stating that the decision to initiate the process for formation of a separate state was taken by the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government and not by the Congress leadership, he demanded that the resolution be moved in the assembly and members be allowed to cast their vote according to their conscience.
Campaign drums yet to be heard in Madhya Pradesh
By Sanjay Sharma, IANS,
Bhopal : Madhya Pradesh will go to the polls exactly a fortnight from now but the campaign drums are yet to be heard.
Activity related to the elections has so far been mainly protests outside the state offices of both the main rivals -- the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress -- over ticket distribution.
But the clear sign of an election being round the corner was the filing of nominations by the contestants of both the parties including the rebels.
AAP MLA gets bail in suicide case
New Delhi : A court here on Thursday granted bail to Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) legislator Sharad Chauhan, who was arrested along with others...
Caste management, not secular alliance, key to victory: experts
By Monobina Gupta, IANS,
New Delhi : In a coalition era, winning elections seems to be about picking up right allies who can shore up dwindling numbers and push you past the electoral goalpost. And caste management, political parties and analysts believe, has now become the key to electoral triumph.
"The Congress has to get its caste arithmetic right," Congress leader and Urban Development Minister Jaipal Reddy told IANS, referring to his party's attrition in the Karnataka assembly polls. "Caste in not a micro but a macro issue in elections."
Congress, Samajwadi Party slam Jayalalithaa
By IANS,
Mumbai : The Maharashtra Congress minority cell and the Samajwadi Party Thursday slammed Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa for her government's decision...
PM’s statement insulting, say Hyderabad varsity students
Hyderabad: Student groups protesting in the University of Hyderabad over the suicide of a Dalit research scholar termed as "highly insulting" Prime Minister Narendra...
MP by-polls: Congress wins Lok Sabha seat, BJP assembly
Bhopal : The Congress won the by-poll held for Madhya Pradesh's Ratlam-Jhabhua parliamentary seat while the BJP won the Devas state assembly seat as...
Trinamool hits out at BJP, dubs Modi ‘NRI’
Kolkata : A day after BJP president Amit Shah vowed to uproot the Trinamool Congress from West Bengal, the state's ruling party Monday hit...
‘Sadhvi can go bathe in Kumbha mela, but my son can’t be moved out...
By Special Correspondent, TwoCircles.net,
Mumbai: The mother of Zabiuddin Ansari alias Abu Jundal, an accused in 26/11 Mumbai attacks has reacted sharply to...
NTR’s son Balakrishna enters politics at massive public meet
By IANS,
Guntur (Andhra Pradesh) : Adding further glamour to Andhra Pradesh politics, former chief minister N.T. Rama Rao's son and popular actor N. Balakrishna Wednesday took the plunge into active politics as the main opposition Telugu Desam Party (TDP) held a massive show of strength to counter superstar-turned-politician Chiranjeevi.
Over a million people attended the mammoth meeting on the sprawling campus of Acharya Nagarjuna University near here as TDP blew the poll bugle to take on the ruling Congress party and its new adversary Chiranjeevi's Praja Rajyam Party.
Holiday mood in Jammu as polling begins
By IANS,
Jammu : The sky was overcast in this winter capital of Jammu and Kashmir Thursday morning and residents took it easy on an extra holiday, while security forces kept their fingers on the trigger as polling began.
Polling for the six Lok Sabha seats in Jammu and Kashmir has been split over all five phases of this April-May general elections, keeping in mind threats to the polls from Islamist militants.
India may approach IAEA this week on safeguards pact
By Pranay Sharma, IANS,
New Delhi : Assured of the Samajawadi Party's support in case of a trust vote in parliament over the India-US nuclear deal, the government could as early as this week approach the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) for an India-specific safeguards agreement as the first step towards making the deal operational.
Simultaneously, the 45-member Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) will also have to be notified for a meeting to discuss and amend its guideline to permit nuclear commerce with India after a 30-year gap.
Love for Kerala doesn’t absolve Tharoor: BJP
By IANS,
New Delhi : Unimpressed by Shashi Tharoor's emotional defence in parliament on the IPL row, the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Tuesday said his love for Kerala doesn't "absolve" the former minister of wrongdoing.
"His love for Kerala, that was the highlight of his speech, doesn't absolve him of corruption charges," BJP deputy leader in the Lok Sabha Gopinath Munde told IANS.
Congress leader chairing Kerala film body criticised
Thiruvananthapuram : A section of the Malayalam film industry has expressed its displeasure at firebrand Congress leader Rajmohan Unnithan being appointed chairman of the...
Tamil Nadu minister quits after expose
By IANS,
Chennai : Tamil Nadu's Minister for Social Welfare A.A. Poongothai resigned Wednesday after telephone intercepts indicated she purportedly spoke to a senior police official to shield one of her relatives facing corruption charges.
Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi was yet to accept her resignation. He told the assembly the matter would be discussed in the cabinet later and "an appropriate decision (would be) taken later".
Anti-conversion row: ‘Not all religious conversions are illegal,’ remarks SC
A two-judge division bench of Justice M.R. Shah and C.T Ravikumar refused to stay the Madhya Pradesh high court order that restricted the state...
BJP confused by Yashwant Sinha’s Tibet stand
By IANS
New Delhi : Former external affairs minister Yashwant Sinha's surprise observations on Tibet, calling for its "complete freedom" from China Monday, has confused his colleagues in India's main opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Going against BJP's stated position on Tibet, Sinha said at a seminar organised by Himalaya Parivar: "Tibet should be given complete freedom and even the Dalai Lama should demand nothing short of this".
Stall army chief’s appointment: Swamy to Pranab
New Delhi : BJP leader Subramanian Swamy Friday appealed to President Pranab Mukherjee to not approve the appointment of the new army chief, arguing...
Modi attacks Nitish & Co, hints at Bihar special package
Muzaffarpur/Patna : Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday denounced Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, only hours after sharing a stage with him, and...
AAP will win Delhi election: Kejriwal
New Delhi: AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal expressed confidence Friday that his party will win Saturday's assembly elections in Delhi and form a government.
"I am...
Mayawati takes oath, inducts 48 ministers
By IANS
Lucknow: Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati was sworn in as Uttar Pradesh chief minister Sunday afternoon, her fourth stint in office. She inducted 48 ministers.
Clad in a pink salwar kameez, the Dalit leader was administered the oath of office by Governor T.V. Rajeshwar at around 1.30 p.m. at the Raj Bhavan.
Among the ministers who took oath were Naseemuddin Siddiqui, Ramvir Upadhyay, Sukhbir Rajbhar, Swami Prasad Maurya, Nakul Dubey, Jaivir Singh and Babu Singh Kushwaha.
Modi ‘personally’ involved in corruption: Rahul
New Delhi : Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was himself involved in graft. He said he...
Rajya Sabha not to sit Aug 23 due to Onam
By IANS,
New Delhi : The Rajya Sabha is likely to have a sitting on Aug 21, a Saturday, instead of Aug 23, a Monday, due to the Onam festival.
The business advisory committee of Rajya Sabha recommended that the house will take up private members business Aug 21, instead of Friday (Aug 20).
The advisory committee recommended that the private members business may be dispensed with in favor of government legislative business on Aug 20. The committee also recommended that there will be no sitting of Rajya Sabha on Aug 23.
Ansari gives nod to CBI for trial, JD-U MP warns of defamation
New Delhi/Patna : Rajya Sabha Chairman and Vice President Hamid Ansari has given the CBI sanction to prosecute Janata Dal-United member Anil Sahani for...
‘We Don’t Employ Jai Bhim Walas’: Mumbai-based Event Management Firm Owner Tells Dalit Employee,...
TCN News
New Delhi: In a shocking incident of alleged caste discrimination and that too in a metropolitan city like Mumbai, a 23-year-old Dalit boy was...
Raj Thackeray calls on ailing Bal Thackeray
By IANS,
Mumbai : Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray called on his ailing uncle, Shiv Sena supremo Bal Thackeray, here Sunday afternoon to inquire about his health.
This is the first time Raj Thackeray met his uncle after he split from the Shiv Sena to launch the MNS almost three years ago.
MNS spokesman Shirish Parker told IANS shortly after the meeting that "it was purely a personal visit" but declined to elaborate further.
Thousands take holy dip in Godavari on second day
Rajahmundry (Andhra Pradesh): Thousands of pilgrims took holy dip in Godavari river here on Wednesday as authorities took steps to improve crowd management, a...
CPI-M manifesto promises end to tax concessions for corporates
By IANS,
New Delhi : The Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M), in its manifesto for the Lok Sabha polls, termed the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) as pro-rich and in a strong stand against corporates proposed stopping further tax concessions to them.
The CPI-M, the country's biggest Left party, also slammed the main opposition BJP for pursuing communal policies. It promised alternative economic policies and promotion of secularism.
CBI questions Kerala CPI-M leader in RSS man’s murder
Thiruvananthapuram: Senior CPI-M leader P. Jayarajan was on Tuesday questioned by the CBI for over four hours in connection with an RSS activist's murder...