Two killed as Sikh protestors, police clash near Punjab town
Chandigarh : At least two people were killed and nearly 70 injured on Wednesday in bloody clashes between Sikhs protesting against the desecration of...
Political parties welcome arrest of MNS chief
By IANS,
New Delhi : Political parties across the spectrum Tuesday welcomed the arrest of Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray following the attacks on north Indians by his party cadre in Mumbai on Sunday.
Following are the reactions:
बीएचयू में ‘हिन्दू स्टडी ‘ का पाठ्यक्रम शुरू, बना देश की पहली यूनिवर्सिटी
न्यूज़ डेस्क।Twocircles.net
बनारस हिंदू विश्वविद्यालय अपने नियमित पाठ्यक्रम में "हिंदू स्टडीज" कोर्स को शामिल करने वाला देश का पहला विश्वविद्यालय बन गया है। विश्वविद्यालय...
Legal battles Mamata’s Achilles’ heel?
By Anurag Dey,
Kolkata : The legal woes of West Bengal's Mamata Banerjee government seem to be unending. Constantly embroiled in legal battles, it has...
President’s Rule imposed in Delhi
By IANS,
New Delhi : President Pranab Mukherjee has imposed President's rule in Delhi and accepted the Arvind Kejriwal government's resignation, authorities said Monday.
"The President,...
Shahabuddin’s wife files nomination from Bihar’s Siwan
By IANS,
Patna : Hina Sahab, wife of jailed Siwan MP Mohammad Shahabuddin, Monday filed her nomination papers as the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) candidate from the Siwan constituency.
She was accompanied by Railways Minister and RJD chief Lalu Prasad and hundreds of party workers and supporters, who shouted slogans in support of her husband Shahabuddin, currently lodged in Siwan jail.
The RJD had nominated Hina Sahab to contest from Siwan before the Patna High Court dismissed his plea to suspend his conviction in a criminal case so that he could contest the Lok Sabha elections.
Congress leads in two Lok Sabha seats in Andhra by-polls
Hyderabad, June 1 (IANS) The ruling Congress party established initial leads in two Lok Sabha constituencies and was also ahead in four assembly seats as counting of votes for by-polls to four parliamentary and 18 assembly constituencies in Andhra Pradesh began Sunday.
The Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) was ahead in two Lok Sabha and three assembly constituencies while the main opposition Telugu Desam Party (TDP) candidates were leading in three assembly segments.
Shivraj Patil should have resigned earlier: Lalu
By IANS,
New Delhi : Railway Minister Lalu Prasad Sunday said Shivraj Patil's resignation as home minister over the Mumbai terrorist attack came "very late".
“He offered his resignation very late. Whatever is happening in the country is our priority... the ministerial post doesn't matter,” the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief told reporters here after Patil submitted his resignation.
At least 183 people, including 22 foreign nationals, were killed in the terror attacks in India's financial capital since Wednesday night.
Timeline of coal block allocation case
A special court here on Wednesday summoned former prime minister Manmohan Singh, industrialist Kumar Mangalam Birla and former coal secretary P.C. Parakh and others...
In Pictures: Evicted thrice in 5 years, displaced women in Assam village decry poor...
Since the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) came to power in Assam in 2016, several poor families in Dholpur char have been evicted thrice— the...
I am on good terms with Amar Singh, says Jaya Bachchan
By IANS,
New Delhi: Samajwadi Party MP Jaya Bachchan said Friday that she was on very good terms with expelled party leader Amar Singh and felt his absence in the party.
"I am still on very good terms with him," she told journalists during an interaction at the Indian Women's Press Corps here.
Answering queries, Jaya Bachchan did not rule out the possibility of joining Amar Singh in his future political endeavours.
She said there was very little time before her Rajya Sabha term gets over and she did not plan too much in advance.
Modi conveys disapproval over separatist’s release
New Delhi : Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday conveyed his strong disapproval and sense of outrage of the entire Lok Sabha over the...
Fertilisers scarcity, Koda scam cause two Lok Sabha adjournments
By IANS,
New Delhi : The Lok Sabha was Tuesday adjourned tice - first over the issue of shortage of fertilisers, and later over the Congress's alleged hand in the multi-crore scam involving former Jharkhand chief minister Madhu Koda.
The entire opposition, led by the Samajwadi Party and the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), came down heavily on the government during zero hour for not ensuring supply of adequate fertilisers to farmers, particularly in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh.
JD-U takes early leads in Bihar assembly by-polls
By IANS,
Patna : Bihar's ruling Janata Dal-United (JD-U) has taken a clear lead on five seats in the by-elections to 18 assembly constituencies in the state, counting for which was underway Thursday.
According to early trends, the opposition Rashtriya Janata Dal was leading on three seats and its ally Lok Janshakti Party was ahead in two constituencies.
The by-elections for 18 seats were held in two phases in the state. In the first phase, polls were conducted in seven constituencies Sep 10, while the rest went to polls Sep 15.
Orissa protests JMM’s greater Jharkhand demand
By IANS,
Bhubaneswar : Protests were staged across Orissa Tuesday against the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha's (JMM) reported demand for a greater Jharkhand by carving out parts of the state.
Hundreds of activists of Orissa's ruling coalition brought out protest rallies in various places in Sundergarh, Keonjhar and Mayurbhanj - the three districts JMM chief Shibu Soren reportedly wants as part of greater Jharkhand.
"We cannot give an inch of land from Orissa to Jharkhand," Biju Janata Dal (BJD) leader Ananda Mohanty, who led a protest march in Sundergarh's Rourkela city, told IANS.
National Conference to challenge Azad
By IANS,
Jammu : The National Conference, which had not fielded any candidate against Ghulam Nabi Azad of the Congress during the April 2006 by-election, will challenge the former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister in his Bhaderwah constituency in the forthcoming assembly elections.
The National Conference has announced that former advocate general Mohammad Aslam Goni will contest from Bhaderwah.
Congress frowns upon Maken’s letter opposing caste census
By IANS,
New Delhi : The Congress Friday expressed disapproval of Minister of State for Home Ajay Maken urging young members of parliament in a letter to oppose demands for inclusion of caste in the census.
"No one who is sitting in a responsible position in the government should make such a statement," Congress general secretary Janardan Dwivedi, who heads the party's media department, told reporters here.
Restrictions in Srinagar ahead of separatist protest march
Srinagar (IANS): The Jammu and Kashmir government on Sunday imposed restrictions in parts of the Srinagar city to prevent protests against the killings of...
Sonia called Sushma to end parliament logjam
By IANS,
New Delhi: Congress president Sonia Gandhi had reached out to BJP leader Sushma Swaraj in an attempt to find a solution to the logjam in parliament over the coal blocks allocation issue.
I have nothing to add, will speak to Krishna: Tharoor
By IANS,
New Delhi : Minister of State for External Affairs Shashi Tharoor, who was pulled up for his remarks questioning the country's visa regulations on social networking site Twitter, Tuesday said he had nothing to add after the statement by his senior minister but said he would discuss the issue with him.
"(I) Was travelling out of range & (and) missed brouhaha," Tharoor, who is currently on a holiday in Rajasthan, posted on his Twitter account Tuesday.
Former INLD leader joins Congress
By IANS,
Chandigarh : Sampat Singh, a former leader of the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) in Haryana, Monday joined the Congress at a ceremony here attended by Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda.
Singh, a former finance minister in the Om Parkash Chautala government and a Jat leader, said: "I have joined the Congress just as a party worker and have no big expectations. Whatever duty the party would assign me, I would do it with full discipline and loyalty.
BJP wants to rule Kashmir – with Hindu chief minister
Srinagar/Jammu : The BJP declared Thursday that it was determined to govern Jammu and Kashmir amid speculation that the National Conference would ally with...
Not scared of anyone: Karan Johar
Mumbai: Filmmaker Karan Johar says he is not scared of anyone and is proud of his opinions and about having a voice, after his...
BJP will protect backward class reservation: Gadkari
By IANS,
Agra : Bharatiya Janata Party president Nitin Gadkari Saturday said if his party was voted to power in Uttar Pradesh, the reservation for backward classes would be protected.
Patna’s air 5 times above safe levels, 2.5 times worse than Delhi’s
By Rohan Bapat
In 2016, the air in Bihar’s capital, Patna, was classified the world’s sixth-most polluted in a World Health Organisation (WHO) ranking of...
Samajwadi Party to be briefed on nuclear deal ‘facts’
By IANS,
New Delhi : The Samajwadi Party, believed to have agreed to back Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's government in the wake of Communists probably withdrawing their support, will get a briefing Wednesday on "facts” about the contentious India-US civil nuclear agreement.
Samajwadi Party general secretary Amar Singh, who has declared that his party would review its stance opposing the deal if the government comes out with more facts, will meet National Security Adviser (NSA) M.K. Narayanan during the day.
Digvijay accuses Madhya Pradesh chief minister of land grab
By IANS,
Bhopal : Congress general secretary Digvijay Singh Wednesday alleged that Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and his wife had forcibly acquired land in Vidisha district.
Muslim MPs meet PM for comprehensive minority programs in 12th Plan
By TCN Staff Reporter,
Suicidal to stagger polls in Maoist areas: CEC
By Murali Krishnan, IANS,
New Delhi : Chief Election Commissioner N. Gopalaswami Saturday defended the poll panel's move to include most Maoist affected constituencies in the first leg of Lok Sabha elections, saying it would have been "suicidal" if this was spread over another phase.
"We applied our minds to this issue carefully. It would have been suicidal if we had shifted some of the affected constituencies to another phase. Our security forces would have been sitting ducks then," Gopalaswami told IANS in an interview.
Congress uneasy over Karunanidhi’s inaction against separatists
By IANS,
Chennai : Congress party leaders in Tamil Nadu say they are uneasy over Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi not taking any action against separatist elements in the state, especially after their party headquarters came under attack from supporters of common ally Viduthalai Chiruthaikal Katchi (VCK).
"We are uneasy over the chief minister's continued inaction against fissiparous elements trying vainly to garner support for the banned Tamil Tigers," Congress legislature party leader D. Sudarsanam told IANS.
BJP demands ban on contraceptive ads
By IANS,
Panaji : The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Thursday sought a ban on contraceptive pill advertisements on television, saying it encouraged unprotected sex and increased the possibility of AIDS.
Speaking during Question Hour in the Goa assembly, BJP's Damodar Naik said the state health department should urge the central government to ban "I-Pill ads".
"On one hand you promote the use of condoms to prevent AIDS and on the other hand television channels are promoting I-Pill. The state government should talk to the central ministry and ban these advertisements," Naik said.
Congress hasn’t been good for armed forces: V.K. Singh
New Delhi : The Congress has not been a good party for the armed forces, former army chief Gen. (retd) V.K. Singh has said.
In...
Want to choke black money, opposition wants shutdown: Modi
Kushinagar (Uttar Pradesh) : Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Sunday that he had called for an end to corruption and black money but...
Lalu, Rabri, Paswan held; shutdown evokes total response
By IANS,
Patna: Opposition Rashtriya Janata Dal's (RJD) dawn-to-dusk state-wide shutdown to protest rising prices of essential items evoked a total response Thursday, affecting normal life in Bihar. RJD chief Lalu Prasad, his wife Rabri Devi and Lok Janshakti Party chief Ram Vilas Paswan were arrested, along with dozens of other leaders, in state capital Patna.
The leaders were released in the evening.
CBI files 11th charge sheet in Jagan case
Hyderabad : The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) Tuesday filed 11th charge sheet against YSR Congress chief Y.S. Jaganmohan Reddy in 'quid-pro-quo' investments case.
The...
UPA playing politics on terrorism: Rajnath Singh
By IANS,
Raipur : The Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government is "soft on terrorists because of vote bank politics", Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) President Rajnath Singh said here Saturday.
Singh was in the Chhattisgarh capital on a daylong trip to finalise the party's manifesto in the state, where assembly polls are due by the year end.
Special session of Maharashtra Legislature to ratify GST
Mumbai : A special session of the Maharashtra Legislature opened here on Monday morning to discuss and (later) ratify the Goods and Services Tax...
Apologise for ‘anti-Marathi’ remarks: Raj Thackeray tells Jaya Bachchan
By IANS,
Mumbai : Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray Monday demanded an unconditional apology from actor and MP Jaya Bachchan for her alleged "anti-Marathi" utterances and threatened to prevent the screening of all films starring any of the Bachchans here.
Thackeray's scathing attack came at a press conference here in response to Jaya's remark Sunday that north Indians in Maharashtra would prefer to speak in Hindi and not Marathi. She was reportedly speaking at a function to promote her son Abhishek's upcoming film "Drona".
Congress has no information on film on Sonia
By IANS,
New Delhi : The ruling Congress party seems to be unaware about filmmaker Jagmohan Mundhra's announcement that he has the go-ahead from party chief Sonia Gandhi to roll out his movie on her next year.
"I do not have any information about it," Congress spokesperson Manish Tewari said Monday when asked about Mundhra's remarks in Cannes Sunday that Gandhi has given him the "go ahead" for the movie based on her life.
Ironically, the Congress party earlier sent a legal notice to Mundhra, asking him to stop the film as he did not have Gandhi's consent.
PM raps Maharashtra on violence against non-Maharashtrians
By IANS,
New Delhi : Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has rapped the Maharashtra government on the violence in Mumbai against non-Maharashtrians and conveyed the "sense of the cabinet" on the need to control this.
"The prime minister informed the cabinet that he had written a strongly-worded letter to the Maharashtra chief minister and that he would convey the sense of the cabinet to the Maharashtra government," Finance Minister P. Chidambaram said here Friday.
He was briefing the media on the deliberations of a cabinet meeting here late Thursday, presided over by Manmohan Singh.
Lok Sabha forms committee to probe misuse of MPs’ privileges
New Delhi, May 16 (IANS) Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee Wednesday set up an 11-member committee headed by V. Kishore Chandra S. Deo of the Congress to probe cases of misconduct of members of the house including misuse of parliamentary privileges and facilities.
The move comes after Babubhai Katara, a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP from Gujarat was caught at the Indira Gandhi International Airport here April 18 while attempting to smuggle out to Canada a woman and a boy on the passports of his wife and son.
Former Kashmir minister launches new political party
By IANS,
Srinagar : Former Jammu and Kashmir urban development minister Ghulam Hassan Mir Wednesday launched his own political party named Jammu and Kashmir Democratic Party.
Mir, Former senior leader of the ruling alliance partner Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), is the sitting legislator from north Kashmir's Tangmarg constituency in the 87-member state legislative assembly.
He won the 2002 election on a PDP ticket. The next assembly elections are due here later this year.
Show human face, stop killings, have dialogue: Mirwaiz Farooq
By Sarwar Kashani
Srinagar : Moderate separatist leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq invokes former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee to restore peace to the troubled Kashmir...
BJD pledges support to Advani
By IANS
Bhubaneswar : Orissa Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik said Tuesday that his party, the Biju Janata Dal, will support Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) choice of L.K. Advani as prime ministerial candidate.
"We will support L.K. Advani as prime ministerial candidate," Patnaik told the media here.
Foreigners’ names on voter roll will be deleted: Kamat
By IANS,
Panaji: Names of foreigners on the electoral rolls in Goa will be deleted as soon as possible, Chief Minister Digambar Kamat told the state assembly Wednesday.
Kamat was speaking at a discussion on electoral issues during the monsoon session of the Goa legislative assembly.
"I will ask the chief electoral officer to delete all the names of foreigners on the voting roll," Kamat said in response to a question from Bharatiya Janata party (BJP) legislator Francis D'Souza.
Amit Shah’s elevation shows Modi’s growing hold on BJP
By Prashant Sood,
New Delhi : Amit Shah's elevation as the BJP president is a reflection of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's growing hold over the...
Would desperate Mamata be able to save face in another battle?
By Mithun Dasgupta, IANS,
Kolkata : After Dada episode, Didi is heading into yet another tussle between the Trinamool Congress and its estranged ally the Congress.
Our duty ends with advice: poll panel chief
By IANS,
Bangalore : Chief Election Commissioner N. Gopalaswami Tuesday said it was for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to accept or reject its advisory on withdrawing Varun Gandhi as the party's candidate in the Lok Sabha polls in view of his alleged anti-Muslim speech.
"We have seen the tape (of Varun Gandhi's speech). We have issued the advisory," Gopalaswami said here.
Assam governor Razi asked to quit
By IANS,
New Delhi : Assam Governor Syed Sibtey Razi has been asked to demit office following complaints that his aides and staff allegedly made money for transfers and postings when he was governor of Jharkhand, said highly placed government sources.
Razi, who was sworn in as Assam's governor on July 27 and has been apparently camping in Delhi, has reportedly sought more time before putting in his papers, sources told IANS.
सुल्तानपुर में ‘मलंग’ खुर्शीद की पिटाई से मौत
आकिल हुसैन। Twocircles.net
उत्तर प्रदेश में मॉब लिंचिंग की घटनाएं बढ़ रही है। ताज़ा मामला उत्तर प्रदेश के सुल्तानपुर जिले का हैं जहां एक...
Rajya Sabha adjourned for day over Antulay, insurance bill
By IANS,
New Delhi : The Rajya Sabha was finally adjourned for the day a little after 3 p.m., as the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party and Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) MPs disrupted proceedings throughout over the remarks of Minority Affairs Minister A.R. Antulay on the death of Maharashtra police officer Hemant Karkare during the Mumbai terror attacks and the insurance bill, respectively.
Budget to benefit agrarian rural economy of Odisha: Pradhan
Bhubaneswar : Union Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Monday said the Budget 2016-17 will largely benefit agrarian rural economies of Odisha.
He said the thrust...
Delhi polls between promise-keepers and liars: Amit Shah
New Delh : BJP president Amit Shah Thursday said the Delhi election was a fight between two ideologies - one that makes and keeps...
Samajwadi Party in damage control mode over manifesto
By IANS,
Lucknow : The Samajwadi Party leadership Sunday got into a damage control mode after embarrassment over their stand in the election manifesto against "unmindful use of computers" and against proliferation of "expensive English-medium schools".
The party leadership denied they had any intention to ban computers or to abolish English-medium educational institutions in the state, and chose to blame it all on the media.
AIADMK cadres expelled for interacting with Natarajan
By IANS
Chennai : AIADMK general secretary J. Jayalalitha has expelled eleven party cadres from Tiruchirapally for hobnobbing with M. Natarajan, the estranged husband of her long-time companion N. Sasikala.
Natarajan is a former Tamil Nadu government official. He was Jayalalitha's manager in the late 1980s and his wife got close to the AIADMK leader at the time. Natarajan parted ways with both Jayalalitha and Sasikala in the 1990s.
Jayalalitha Monday stripped the 11 AIADMK men of their party posts and primary memberships for interacting with Natarajan.
मौजूदा नतीजों से खुलता उत्तर प्रदेश विधानसभा चुनाव का रास्ता
सिद्धांत मोहन, TwoCircles.net
चार राज्यों और एक केन्द्रशासित प्रदेश में चुनाव के नतीजे सामने आ चुके हैं. असम में भाजपा ने जीत दर्ज की है....
SC raps Rajasthan over headless state rights panel
New Delhi : The Supreme Court on Friday slammed the Rajasthan government for not appointing chairman of the state Human Rights Commission, a...
Mayawati expels party legislator for attempt to rape
By IANS,
Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister and Bahujan Samaj Party president Mayawati Friday expelled legislator Shahnawaz Rana from her party for an alleged attempt to rape two women.
Jayalalithaa moves SC for bail
New Delhi : Former Tamil Nadu chief minister J. Jayalalithaa, currently lodged in Bangalore jail following her conviction in a disproportionate assets case, Thursday...
Power crisis: Sisodia protests at Harsh Vardhan’s residence
New Delhi : AAP leader Manish Sisodia with other party members staged a protest outside union Heath Minister and Delhi BJP chief Harsh Vardhan's...
Jail for life for gang-rape convicts: CPI-M
By IANS,
New Delhi : The CPI-M Friday demanded that those convicted for aggravated sexual assault, including gang-rape, should be sentenced to rigorous imprisonment for as long as they live.
Madhur Bhandarkar supports ‘visionary’ Modi
New Delhi : Bollywood filmmaker Madhur Bhandarkar Wednesday supported BJP's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi, and called him a "visionary leader", after a section...
Jaswant Singh meets Amar Singh
By IANS,
New Delhi : Amid hectic political parleys over the India-US nuclear deal, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Jaswant Singh Wednesday met Samajwadi Party general secretary Amar Singh, BJP sources said.
BJP spokesman Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi refused to comment on the reported meeting. Other BJP leaders also refused to talk about it. Some of them said they were not aware of any move by the BJP to woo the Samajwadi Party.
Myth of elections as savior of democracy
Today in India, what we need is a nation that is full of wisdom, with transparent democracy, true freedom for all, equal justice, adequate...
Former BJP leader Dayashankar Singh arrested
New Delhi : Former BJP leader Dayashankar Singh, whose abusive remarks against BSP chief Mayawati caused an outcry, was arrested on Friday in Bihar...
Justice not done to Netaji in free India: Bengal governor
Kolkata : Observing that justice was not done to Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose in post independence India, West Bengal Governor K.N. Tripathi Tuesday called...
Ban futures trading in commodities: CPI-M
By IANS
New Delhi : The Left made a forceful plea in parliament Tuesday for banning futures trading in commodities saying it was contributing to the spiralling prices of foodstuff and essential commodities.
"Speculators indulging in futures trading are contributing to the price rise," Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) MP Sitaram Yechury maintained while raising the issue during zero hour in the Rajya Sabha.
"We have three demands. The first is to ban futures trading in 24 commodities as speculators are contributing to the price rise," Yechury stated.
Supreme Court directs authorities to take immediate action against hate speech without waiting for...
The order from the apex court of the country came only two days after United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Antonio Guterres criticized India’s rising...
Party colleagues put Advani on the mat on Kandahar
By IANS,
New Delhi : All eyes are on veteran Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader L.K. Advani, under attack from his colleagues who have contradicted his assertion that he did not know about then external affairs minister Jaswant Singh escorting terrorists to Kandahar to swap them for the IC-814 hostages.
On Thursday, Brajesh Mishra, national security advisor (NSA) during the BJP-led NDA government, as well as senior leader Yashwant Sinha asserted that Advani was aware of the decision to swap terrorists for hostages during the 1999 Indian Airlines hijack.
BJP-TDP talks on to save alliance in Seemandhra
Hyderabad : BJP national spokesman Prakash Javadekar Friday met TDP chief N. Chandrababu Naidu to save the alliance between the two parties in Seemandhra,...
Shiv Sena keeps up offensive, Shah Rukh defiant
By IANS,
Mumbai/New York: The Shiv Sena was on collision course Tuesday, taking on Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi and Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan. The actor, who was in New York, said he would "stand up" for his comment on the exclusion of Pakistani cricketers from the Indian Premier League (IPL).
The Shiv Sena said if Shah Rukh failed to apologise for his statement, his next big release "My Name Is Khan" could be banned in Mumbai.
BJP bats for Varun, lashes out at Election Commission
By IANS,
New Delhi : The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Monday backed Varun Gandhi as its candidate in Uttar Pradesh's Pilibhit constituency and said the Election Commission did not have the right to make suggestions on a party's selection of candidates.
"As far as candidature is concerned, I want to say this in clear words that Varun Gandhi will remain our candidate. And we will go for campaigning for him," said party president Rajnath Singh, a day after the Election Commission castigated Varun Gandhi for his communally inflammatory campaign speeches in Pilibhit.
Education in Kerala to be revamped: Minister
Thiruvananthapuram : The Kerala government on Thursday said it has plans to revamp the education system in the state to boost quality of students...
Smriti Irani takes over as BJP women’s cell chief
By IANS,
New Delhi : Television actor-turned-politician Smriti Irani Thursday officially assumed charge as the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) women's cell chief at an event presided over by party president Nitin Gadkari.
"We will aim for the passage of the women's reservation bill in the Lok Sabha under the guidance of our senior leader Sushma-ji," Irani said. The bill has been passed by the Rajya Sabha.
BJP seeks action against Sheila for speech in mosque
By IANS,
New Delhi : The Delhi unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Saturday complained to the Election Commission against Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit accusing her of violating the electoral code of conduct by making a political speech inside a mosque.
Delhi BJP spokesperson Mewa Ram Arya condemned the chief minister for her political speech inside a mosque at Moti Lal Nehru Marg and seeking votes for the party during the Friday prayers.
Don’t make Karnataka another Gujarat, Congress tells BJP
By IANS,
Bangalore : The Congress said Thursday it would offer "constructive support" to the new Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in Karnataka and would do nothing to destabilise it, but warned against any attempts to "communalise" the state or turn it into another Gujarat.
Opposition to nuclear liability bill ‘unfounded’, says Congress
By IANS,
New Delhi: Defending the nuclear liability bill which is facing stiff opposition from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Left parties, the Congress said Monday that their stand was "unfounded" and it was a public interest measure "in tune with international paradigms".
Congress spokesman Abhishek Manu Singhvi described as "totally unfounded" opposition to the bill by the BJP and Left, contending that the bill had provisions for automatic compensation in case of a nuclear accident and there was a second tier of compensation as well.
Maneka suggests measures to curb crimes against women
New Delhi : Women and Child Development Minister Maneka Gandhi Thursday suggested measures to curb atrocities against women including victim protection programme and strengthening...
Communalism should not be education’s agenda: BJP
By IANS,
New Delhi : The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Wednesday said that communalism should not be the agenda of education.
Initiating a debate on the Demands for Grants for the human resource development (HRD) ministry in the Lok Sabha, former HRD minister and BJP leader Murli Manohar Joshi alleged that his successor Arjun Singh tried to play a communal card in order to please the minorities.
Akhilesh kicks off election campaign
Sultanpur, (IANS) : Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav on Tuesday kicked off the Samajwadi Party's election campaign by promising to provide better living...
Left parties’ withdrawal anti-national: Vasant Sathe
By IANS,
Nagpur : Former central government minister Vasant Sathe has described the Left parties' withdrawal of support to the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government on the India-US nuclear deal as “anti-national” in line with “many of their past decisions”.
"The Indian communist parties have a long history of taking wrong and patently anti-national decisions. They do it in haste and repent in leisure,” Sathe told reporters at a meet-the-press programme organised by the Nagpur Union of Working Journalists here Wednesday.
JDU calls for unified opposition in Parliament to logistics deal
New Delhi : The Janta Dal United (JD-U) on Wednesday condemned the signing of the Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement (LEMOA) between India...
Tourist haven Goa caught in its bikini politics
By Mayabhushan Nagvenkar,
A master of witty anecdotes, Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar once liberally used a popular bikini adage to make a point about governance and number crunching. "Statistics are like a woman wearing a bikini. What they reveal is vital. What they hide is even more vital," Parrikar would often say to peals of laughter from his acolytes.
Denied entry again in Delhi Secretariat, media fumes
New Delhi: The Arvind Kejriwal led-government did not allow the media to enter the Delhi Secretariat for the second consecutive day Tuesday much to...
RSS persuades Advani to continue as Leader of Opposition
By IANS,
New Delhi : BJP veteran L.K. Advani Monday gave in to the wishes of his party colleagues and agreed to continue as the Leader of Opposition in the new Lok Sabha after a meeting with Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) leaders.
Advani, 81, agreed to lead the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the 15th Lok Sabha after the RSS suggested he should prevent politicking among party leaders for the post, BJP sources said.
Political parties welcome ban on exit polls
By IANS,
New Delhi : Major political parties Tuesday welcomed the Election Commission's decision to ban publication or telecast of opinion/exit polls 48 hours before the last hour of polling in single-phase balloting.
"We welcome this decision. Opinion polls create distortions. They can have an effect on the trend of polling. It was a feeling of almost all political parties, and the Election Commission has taken note of this feeling," senior Congress leader Salman Khurshid told IANS.
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) vice-president Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi echoed the same view.
BJP questions Congress’s commitment towards Assam
Guwahati: BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad Sunday questioned the sincerity of the Congress-led government at the Centre and in Assam towards development, saying no...
BJP announces five more candidates for Kashmir
New Delhi : The BJP Tuesday came out with five more names for the Jammu and Kashmir assembly polls, including four Muslims and one...
Where Are the Rest? ‘Panchayat’ Celebrates Rural India but Ignores Its Dalits, Marginalised
Adnan Ali, TwoCircles.net
The hit Amazon Prime series 'Panchayat' has become one of India’s most popular web shows, widely appreciated for its simple storytelling and...
Orissa shuts down schools, colleges as protests spread
By IANS,
Bhubaneswar : Orissa has ordered the closure of all schools and colleges in the state for a day Monday in view of the shutdown call of Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) to protest the killing of one of its leaders and four others.
"To avoid any untoward incident, the government has ordered the closure of all educational institutions in the state for a day Monday," an official at Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik's office told IANS.
BJP veteran Rajagopal elected, makes history
Thiruvananthapuram: Former union minister O. Rajagopal was on Thursday elected to the Kerala assembly, giving the BJP its first ever representation in the house.
The...
Acceptance of pluralism core of our unity in diversity: President
Kolkata : Averring that acceptance and belief in pluralism underlines the inherent chemistry of India's unity amidst diversity, President Pranab Mukherjee on Sunday said...
West Bengal residents keep out police, CPI-M
By IANS,
Kolkata : A group of residents in West Bengal's tribal-dominated Lalgarh region Saturday put up two check posts to prevent the police and Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) workers from entering the area.
The check posts were put up by the members of the People's Committee Against Police Atrocities (PCAPA) at Raigarh and Barotelia area of Lalgarh in West Midnapore district.
With Modi posters, BJP turns Delhi saffron
New Delhi : Following its impressive victory in the Lok Sabha election, the BJP has painted the national capital saffron with posters, hoardings and...
Congress furnishes new documents on Dholpur Palace ownership
New Delhi: The Congress on Tuesday stepped up pressure on beleaguered Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje, producing fresh documents in support of its claim...
Fake medicines in Chhattisgarh government hospitals: Jogi
By IANS,
Raipur : Congress leader and former Chhattisgarh chief minister Ajit Jogi said Monday that fake and expired medicines have been dumped in government hospitals in the state.
Meghalaya chief minister Lapang resigns
By IANS,
Shillong/New Delhi : Meghalaya Chief Minister D.D. Lapang Sunday submitted his resignation to Congress president Sonia Gandhi to end a lingering political crisis in the state, a party leader said.
"The party president has accepted the resignation," the leader told IANS on telephone from New Delhi. The state Congress legislators will meet in Shillong Monday to elect a new leader.
Post-Gujarat, Congress uncertain about future
By Liz Mathew, IANS
New Delhi : A Congress party in turmoil after the Gujarat rout is debating how to go ahead with the Indo-US nuclear deal and long-term electoral prospects even as the party rethinks its soured relations with the Left.
Congress leaders who were toying with the idea of going for early parliamentary polls in April-May on the assumption that they would perform well in Gujarat are reviewing their position after suffering an unexpected humiliating debacle.
Only BJP can fight terrorism: Advani
By IANS,
Lucknow : Accusing the Congress-led government of being soft on terrorism, senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader L.K. Advani Saturday said only his party had the strength to meet the challenge.
Addressing a public meeting in Uttar Pradesh's Varanasi district, he said: "The country has seen enough of terrorists and terror attacks and now it needs a party (BJP) that can combat both."
The public meeting, part of the Vijay Sankalp rallies planned by the BJP across the country, was attended by hundreds of party workers.
Thambidurai elected LS deputy speaker
New Delhi : AIADMK leader M. Thambidurai was Wednesday unanimously elected the deputy speaker of the Lok Sabha.
The motion for his election was moved...
Attack on leader kicks up dust in Tamil Nadu Congress
By IANS
Chennai : The factionalism within the Tamil Nadu Congress has led the party to ask the son of the state unit president to explain charges of his involvement in a murder attempt on another leader.
Congress secretary in charge of Tamil Nadu, K. Krishnamurthy, has written to K. Vishnuprasad, son of Tamil Nadu Congress Committee president M. Krishnasamy and a legislator, asking him to explain why he had lodged a police complaint against central minister G.K. Vasan.
History incomplete until Netaji mystery solved: Mamata
Darjeeling: India's history will remain incomplete until the mystery surrounding the disappearance of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose is solved, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata...
Congress fires at BJP over adverse audit report on Gujarat
New Delhi : Using an official audit report on Gujarat, the Congress party lashed out at the Bharatiya Janata Party Monday and said the...
Chiranjeevi to contest from Tirupati
By IANS,
Hyderabad : Actor-politician Chiranjeevi would be contesting from Andhra Pradesh's Tirupati assembly seat, his Praja Rajya Party (PRP) announced Friday while declaring the first list of candidates for the state assembly and Lok Sabha elections.
Unlike other parties, which declared their lists either in Delhi or Hyderabad, he chose Jaggampet in coastal Andhra Pradesh's East Godavari district to announce the candidates for 100 assembly and nine Lok Sabha seats.
Privacy not fundamental right, Centre tells SC
New Delhi: The Centre on Wednesday reiterated its stand that privacy was not a fundamental right, while contesting a bunch of petitions challenging the...
Kalam not to contest presidential polls
By IANS
New Delhi : The presidential race Tuesday appeared to have narrowed down to a straight contest - between United Progressive Alliance (UPA) candidate Pratibha Patil and National Democratic Alliance (NDA)-supported independent Bhairon Singh Shekhawat, with President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam's office signalling his disinterest in a second term.
Some monkey business at Modi’s swearing-in
New Delhi : A curious monkey perched atop a fountain on the roof of Rashtrapati Bhavan caught the eye of the gathering, as it...
Another JNU student joins police investigation
New Delhi : Ashutosh Kumar, a student facing sedition charges for allegedly raising "anti-India" slogans on the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) campus, joined the...
Demand for Jaitley’s resignation is absurd: BJP
New Delhi : Aam Aadmi Party's demand for Finance Minister Arun Jaitley's resignation was "absurd" and a "non-issue" as there was no wrongdoing involved,...
Amarinder refuses to contest from Amritsar seat
Chandigarh : With speculation rife in Punjab's political circles that the Congress wanted to field him from the Amritsar Lok Sabha seat against senior...
Free Hyderabad students, sack vice-chancellor: CPI-M
New Delhi : The CPI-M on Wednesday demanded the release of Hyderabad Central University students and the dismissal of Vice Chancellor Appa Rao whose...
Congress protesters clash with police in Singur
By IANS,
Kolkata : Thousands of Congress workers opposing land acquisition clashed with police near the Tata Motors factory at Singur in West Bengal Thursday.
"There were no prohibitory orders near the plant. Still police beat us with batons leaving dozens of us injured," said Abdul Manna, the Congress legislator who led the protest march.
However, inspector general of police (law and order) Raj Kanojia said: "No one was injured. They blocked a highway near the project for hours and then dispersed."
Sacred cows and commonwealth games
By NM Sampathkumar Iyangar for TwoCircles.net,
Leader of opposition in Delhi Assembly BJP 's VK Malhotra and Congress Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit have demonstrated the real colours of the rulers of the ‘modern and democratic’ country. The leaders, irrespective of the political affiliation, happen to be worshipping sacred cows to remain sacred!
बिहार चुनाव : मेनिफेस्टो में भी करना होगा आदर्श आचार संहिता का पालन
Twocircles.net Staff Reporter
पटना: आगामी बिहार विधानसभा चुनाव में राजनीतिक पार्टियां अपने वोटरों के लिए चांद-तारे तोड़ लाने का वादा नहीं कर सकेंगे क्योंकि चुनाव...
National parties field just three women in Northeast
By IANS,
Agartala : The number of women candidates fighting the upcoming parliamentary polls in the northeast has increased from seven in 2004 to 18 this time, although just three of the women candidates have been fielded by national parties.
HC seeks LG, Delhi government reply on funding civic bodies
New Delhi : The high court here on Wednesday sought response from the Delhi government and the lieutenant governor on BJP MLA Vijender Gupta's...