BJP promising corruption-free government in Manipur
Imphal : The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is promising a corruption-free government in Manipur if it is voted to power after the February 2017...
Conversion row continues to rock parliament
New Delhi : The row over religious conversion continued in parliament Monday, with the Rajya Sabha being stalled again, while the Congress staged a...
Two months jail for Andhra minister
By IANS,
Hyderabad : A special court here Wednesday sentenced a cabinet minister in Andhra Pradesh to two months' simple imprisonment for alleged violation of the foreign exchange regulation law.
Gadkari calls on Advani
By IANS,
New Delhi : The newly-appointed president of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Nitin Gadkari Sunday called on senior party leader L.K. Advani at his official residence here.
Gadkari Saturday called on former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee after being elected the party chief.
Gadkari left for Nagpur Sunday.
Gadkari said that the two leaders had been "a source of inspiration" for him.
The BJP president-elect said he was new to the capital but felt confident of performing his responsibilities after getting the blessings of senior leaders.
LTC scam: Trinamool says BJP using CBI for vendetta
Kolkata : The Trinamool Congress Friday accused the Narendra Modi government of using the CBI for "political vendetta" after the probe agency booked one...
Samajwadi Party spokesman sacked
By IANS,
Lucknow: Barely a day after contradicting Samajawadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav's son Akhilesh Yadav, party spokesman Mohan Singh was Thursday removed from his post.
Attacks on Uttar Pradesh protesters wrong: BJP
By IANS,
New Delhi: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Monday condemned the beating up of a protester by Congress leaders at party leader Rahul Gandhi's Uttar Pradesh rally.
160 villages electrified last week: Government
New Delhi : The union power ministry electrified 160 villages in the country last week, the ministry said on Monday.
"Of the electrified villages, 57...
Muslim MPs spent just 17% of constituency fund in 2009-10
By Mumtaz Alam Falahi, TwoCircles.net,
In another shameful revelation, Muslim Members of Indian Parliament have been found doing very little for the people of their constituencies. The Muslim Members of Lok Sabha, the Lower House of Indian Parliament, spent just 16.86% of the annual central government fund for their constituencies in the year 2009-2010.
Sudanese student contests JNU elections to restore democracy back home
By Prashant K. Nanda, IANS
New Delhi : Khalid Abdallah, a 29-year-old Sudanese student of the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), is contesting the prestigious student union election this year to learn politics in India and restore democracy in his north African nation.
"Like Pakistan, my country is suffering from dictatorship. People in Sudan need efficient people to restore democracy and my contest in JNU elections is a step in that direction," Abdallah told IANS.
Modi to visit Turkey this year: Turkey ambassador
New Delhi : Turkish Ambassador to India Burak Akcapar said here on Thursday that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Turkey this year and...
No comments, says BJP, but Congress, Left attack Advani
By IANS,
New Delhi: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chose not to comment on a senior police officer deposing Friday against party leader L.K. Advani in the Babri mosque demolition case, but the Congress and Left sharpened their attack on the BJP veteran.
BJP spokesperson Ramnath Kovind told reporters here that the party will not comment on the deposition of senior Indian Police Service (IPS) officer Anju Gupta in a Rae Bareli court Friday.
Arrogance may hurt Congress: Mulayam
By IANS,
New Delhi/Lucknow : Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav warned Wednesday that the "arrogance" of the Congress was going to hurt it badly.
Students hold demonstration on 3rd anniversary of Jamia Milia police action
The Delhi Police's action against protesting students in 2019 was marked by hundreds of students at Jamia Millia Islamia on Thursday.
TCN News
NEW DELHI...
World snooker: Advani cruises into knock-out stage
By Anand Philar, IANS,
Hyderabad: Pankaj Advani, the 24-year-old from Bangalore, lit up the rather damp day with two century breaks en route to a 4-1 win against Qatar's Ali Obaidly and qualify for the knock-out phase in the men's section at the 35th ONGC-IBSF World snooker championship here Wednesday.
No regrets on not becoming PM, says Pranab
By IANS,
New Delhi: UPA presidential candidate Pranab Mukherjee says he has no regrets that he could not become India's prime minister.
Congress rules out reviving POTA
By IANS,
New Delhi : A day after serial bombings in Ahmedabad killed nearly 40 people, the Congress party Sunday ruled out reviving the Prevention of Terrorism Act (POTA) despite demands from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
"When was POTA able to prevent a terror strike?" Congress spokesperson Manish Tewari told IANS. "The BJP's demand for POTA is completely ridiculous."
POTA, enacted by parliament in 2002, was repealed when the Congress-led government took power in 2004 following complaints that it had been used to target members of a minority community.
Bhutan announces general election on March 24
By SPA
Gauhati, India : Bhutan will hold its first ever general election on March 24, Reuters quoted the Election Commission as saying today.
Bhutanese will vote to elect 47 members to the National Assembly, the lower house of parliament.
Whom do VHP men pray to in MP’s Bhojshala: Congress leader
Bhopal : Amid a controversy over prayers by Hindus and Muslims at the Bhojshala in Dhar district of Madhya Pradesh, Congress leader Digvijaya Singh...
मुजफ्फरनगर दंगे के आरोपी भाजपा विद्यायक विक्रम सैनी को हुई थी 2 साल की...
स्टाफ रिपोर्टर। Twocircles.net
मुजफ्फरनगर दंगे भड़काने के आरोप में अदालत द्वारा दोषी सिद्ध कर 2 वर्ष की सजायाफ्ता भाजपा नेता विक्रम सैनी की विधायकी चली...
CPI-M condemns police firing on Gujjars
By IANS,
New Delhi : Rajasthan's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government led by Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje was "solely responsible" for the killings of Gujjars in the state, the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) said Sunday.
Condemning the police firings on agitating Gujjars Friday and Saturday that led to the deaths of at least 35 people, the CPI-M politburo said: "The Vasundhara Raje government which has earned notoriety in police firings is solely responsible for the present killings.
Land bill: Shiv Sena to launch awareness drive for farmers
Mumbai : Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray Wednesday asked party workers to travel across Maharashtra to aware farmers about the Centre's proposed land reforms...
Drop Dawood, book preacher Naik: Shiv Sena tells BJP
Mumbai: The Shiv Sena on Monday asked the Centre to abandon plans to catch mafia dons like Dawood Ibrahim Kaskar and Tiger Memon and...
Malegaon 2008 Blasts: Key witness statements nailing Purohit and others go missing from NIA...
By TwoCircles.net Staff Reporter,
Mumbai: In an embarrassment seven statements of witnesses recorded in Malegaon 2008 blasts case have gone missing from the Special National...
AAP video alleges BJP offering bribes — to rule Delhi
New Delhi : The AAP Monday released a video showing a BJP leader offering money to an AAP legislator to induce him to quit...
Youth ministry to launch Rs.15 bn scheme for rural youth
By IANS
New Delhi : The ministry of youth affairs and sports is set to launch a Rs.15 billion sport promotion programme for rural youth.
"Panchayat Yuva Krida Aur Khel Abhiyan (PYKKA) is a nation-wide scheme that aims to improve rural sports infrastructure and organise sports competitions," Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports Mani Shankar Aiyar said here Monday.
Under the scheme, each village panchayat (village council) and each block panchayat would be given one-time seed capital grant of Rs.100,000 and Rs.500,000, respectively.
Amartya an asset, must get second term in Nalanda: Congress
New Delhi : The Congress Friday said economist and Nobel laureate Amartya Sen was a "national treasure" and the government must refrain from politicising...
Parties hoping for divine intervention?
By IANS,
New Delhi : It may all be in the stars. That certainly seems to be the belief of the main political parties in Haryana that have opted to announce candidates only during an auspicious period!
The ruling Congress and the opposition Indian National Lok Dal (INLD)-Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) combine will formally name their contestants after March 27. That's when the Hindu auspicious period of 'Navratras' start.
Obviously, one side will realise in a few weeks that the auspicious period was not so auspicious after all.
-*-
Now, a biker gang for campaigning
Delhi HC refuses to seize AAP accounts
New Delhi : The Delhi High Court Wednesday refused to seize the accounts of the AAP on a plea seeking registration of a criminal...
‘Files pending as Jharkhand top brass focuses on by-poll’
By IANS,
Ranchi : The Arjun Munda government in Jharkhand is busy campaigning for the Lok Sabha by-poll in Jamshedpur resulting in development work coming to a standstill, alleges the opposition.
‘Skill development leads to inclusive growth’
New Delhi : BJP MP Meenakshi Lekhi Wednesday said the dream of inclusive growth can be achieved only through skill development.
"The dream of inclusive...
Qatar releases 23 Indian prisoners
New Delhi : Qatar has released 23 Indian prisoners following Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to the Gulf nation as part of his ongoing...
Cabinet approves amendment in Andhra reorganisation act
New Delhi : The union cabinet Wednesday approved an amendment in the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act to rectify an anomaly in allocating the number...
294 days and counting: Why Churachandpur refuses to bury its dead
By Amit Kumar, TwoCircles.net
Churachandpur, Manipur: September 1 started like every other day at work for Chingneihoih, 22, from Churachandpur. For the...
Chhattisgarh’s new power unit stops, Congress cries foul
Raipur, Aug 19 (IANS) A mega power plant inaugurated in Chhattisgarh and touted as a major step to make the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-ruled state power-cut free, stopped functioning within three hours of activation.
The opposition Congress alleges the plant was opened in haste in order to divert attention from the dissidence plaguing the BJP.
BJP president Rajnath Singh inaugurated the 250-MW plant at Korba, 220 km from here on Friday. Chief Minister Raman Singh said the plant would help Chhattisgarh become self-sufficient in power supply.
On D-Day, candidates make beeline for temples
By IANS,
New Delhi : Do your best and leave the rest to god was the mantra for most of the Lok Sabha candidates in Delhi as they began their day Thursday by offering prayers in temples and performing religious rituals.
"I woke up early morning Thursday, bathed and went to the temple seeking blessings from the almighty. My wife and daughter offered prayers at home and put a tika (vermilion) on my forehead as a winning mark," Ajay Maken, Congress candidate from New Delhi constituency, told IANS.
‘My journalism seems to be the reason for these travel restrictions’: journalist Aakash Hassan...
Independent journalist Aakash Hassan from Kashmir writes for The Guardian and has covered human rights and politics from the region for reputed media outlets...
Gender equality and human rights: “Let different flowers bloom in the garden of God”
By Shobha Shukla
"...All must be encouraged in an understanding of the fact that all human beings are born good, but they may be endowed...
Government committed to ending female foeticide: Sonia
By IANS
New Delhi : Congress president Sonia Gandhi Saturday said that the government was committed to ending female foeticide at all costs and stressed that the policies of the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) were "empowering women on all fronts".
"Female foeticide has to end under all circumstances. It is a serious offence. The government is committed to end this heinous practice," Gandhi said here after giving away the Stree Shakti Puraskar awards to 15 women for their outstanding social service.
India, Pakistan must jointly battle terror: Mufti
Srinagar: Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mufti Muhammad Sayeed on Thursday urged India and Pakistan to work out a joint strategy to combat terrorism...
Government keeping ‘close watch’ on country’s security concerns
New Delhi : The government keeps a close watch on all developments having a bearing on our national security, Defence Minister Manhohar Parrikar told...
Cabinet decides to notify redrawing of constituencies
By IANS
New Delhi : the government Thursday decided to implement the delimitation panel's recommendations that will redraw parliamentary and legislative assembly constituency maps across the country.
The new maps, drawn to reflect India's latest demographic profile, also mean that many leaders will have to look for new seats now.
"The cabinet decided to recommend to the president to notify the recommendations of the Delimitation Commission," Information and Broadcasting Minister Priya Ranjan Dasmunsi told reporters.
Delhi needs full statehood to frame own anti-teror law, says BJP
By NNN-PTI,
New Delhi : Framing a Delhi-specific anti-terror law will be high on the agenda of BJP in the national capital if voted to power, but the party feels that the absence of full statehood will hamper such efforts.
BJP's Delhi Chief Ministerial candidate V K Malhotra said granting of full-statehood status to Delhi would help tackle terror as it would help the city government frame its own anti-terror law.
Two dead in 342 incidents of pre-poll violence in Bengal
Kolkata : Two people were killed in as many as 342 incidents of pre-poll violence in West Bengal since the March 5 announcement of...
Chandrababu Naidu elected national president of TDP
Hyderabad : The Telugu Desam Party' (TDP) on Friday announced its transformation as a national political party and unanimously elected N. Chandrababu Naidu as...
Odisha minister’s attackers held
Bhubaneswar : Police Friday claimed to have nabbed four people who allegedly attacked Law Minister Maheswar Mohanty in Odisha's Puri town last week.
The accused,...
Poll panel files petition against Jayalalitha
By IANS
Chennai : The Election Commission Monday filed a petition in a Tamil Nadu court against AIADMK chief J. Jayalalitha for filing nominations from more than two constituencies in the 2001 assembly elections in the state.
‘Irresponsible’ media coverage of Mumbai violence decried
By IANS
New Delhi : Senior cabinet ministers Thursday voiced their anger over what they termed irresponsible reporting by sections of the media, particularly television, of the Mumbai violence that some felt sparked panic with their repeated airing and led to a mass exodus from Maharashtra cities.
The ministers expressed their outrage at a cabinet meeting presided over by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, a day after Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray was arrested on charges of inciting ethnic hatred and then bailed out.
Abu Azmi hit by MNS MLAs for taking oath in Hindi
By IANS,
Mumbai : There was pandemonium on the first day of the new Maharashtra assembly Monday when Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) legislators roughed up Samajwadi Party member Abu Asim Azmi for taking the oath of office in Hindi.
As Azmi started to take his oath in Hindi, several MNS members swooped on him and pushed him aside. Legislator Ramesh Banjle uprooted the microphone from the podium.
As Azmi attempted to save himself, MNS member Ram Kadam slapped him and hit him on the face and chest, shocking the 288-member house that had converged for the oath-taking ceremony.
Cow Urine prepared medicine being supplied to Kashmir: Hurriyat (G)
By TwoCircles.net, Staff Reporter
Srinagar : Hurriyat hawk and Senior Separatist Leader, Syed Ali Geelani on Tuesday made an allegation against Indian System of...
Arvind Kejriwal to hold road shows for Yogendra Yadav
Gurgaon : Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief Arvind Kejriwal will hold two-day road shows for the party's Gurgaon candidate Yogendra Yadav from Saturday (March...
Gujarat legislators, MPs meet president over hooch tragedy
By IANS,
New Delhi : A delegation of Gujarat Congress legislators and parliamentarians led by the state Congress chief Siddharth Patel met President Pratibha Patil here Wednesday and sought her intervention in the Ahmedabad hooch tragedy issue which claimed 136 lives.
The president received the memorandum from the legislators and MPs, spoke to them for about half an hour at Rashtrapati Bhavan and assured them that she would look into the matter, a senior Congress party member said.
Opposition has resorted to dirty politics: Mayawati
By IANS,
Lucknow : Facing flak after her party's legislator was arrested for an engineer's murder, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati Thursday accused all opposition parties of mounting a slander campaign against her.
"The allegations of different political parties about arrested MLA Shekhar Tiwari indulging in extortion for my birthday celebrations are absolutely baseless and false," Mayawati told a hurriedly convened press conference here.
Small Acts, Big Rewards: Kifayatullah Malik’s Quest to Empower Underprivileged
TCN News
Bandipora, Kashmir: Growing up in Lawaypora, a small village in bandipora, Kifayatullah was the first child in his family to attend school. His...
Malegaon 2008 Blasts: NIA court rejects Purohit and three others’ bail
Jamiat Ulama-e-Hind, which provided lawyers to the two victims of the blasts for intervention in opposing bail applications of accused claims success for successfully...
India’s action on Sri Lanka resolution condemnable: VCK leader
Chennai: India's decision to abstain from voting on the US resolution against Sri Lanka at the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) is condemnable...
Lok Sabha battle ends, India heads for cliffhanger verdict
By IANS,
New Delhi : India was headed for a badly fractured Lok Sabha making government formation a tough task, television projections late Wednesday showed, as one of the country's most fiercely contested battles for power ended after voting by some 428 million people.
Three projections put the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) slightly ahead of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA), with the Congress tipped to finish as the single largest party in the 545-member Lok Sabha.
BJP demands CPI-M clear stand on India-China ties
By IANS,
Kolkata : Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) heavyweight and former human resource development (HRD) minister Murli Manohar Joshi Sunday demanded that the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) should clear its stand on the Indo-Chinese relationship.
"The CPI-M has not clearly stated its position about the development of India-China relationship. It's not at all transparent whether they (CPI-M) consider Arunachal Pradesh's Tawang and a small village in Sikkim as integral parts of India or they think it's a disputed territory," Joshi said at a press conference here.
Mouths of Islamic clerics also stink, says BJP’s UP chief
Varanasi: In remarks that will trigger controversy, the BJP's Uttar Pradesh unit chief Laxmikant Bajpayi on Tuesday said he found the mouth of Islamic...
Rajya Sabha passes bill on child labour
New Delhi : The Rajya Sabha on Tuesday passed the Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Amendment Bill, which prohibits employment of children below 14...
Congress condemns attack on its youth activists
By IANS,
New Delhi : The Congress Monday alleged that the Left Democratic Front (LDF) government in Kerala has "unleashed a reign of terror" in the state and condemned police baton charge on its youth wing activists demonstrating for a cut in the sales tax on petroleum products.
"We condemn the brutal, vicious and unprovoked attack on the Youth Congress activists in Thrissur and Kollam districts of Kerala. They were holding a peaceful march demanding a cut in the sales tax," party spokesperson Jayanti Natarajan said.
Trans, gender Nonconfirming & Intersex Collectives strongly condemn Kinnar Akhara’s support for Ram temple...
TCN News
We the undersigned strongly condemn the statements made by the representative of the Ujjainbased Kinnar Akhara, Laxmi Narayan Tripathi, supporting the right-wing call for...
Congress-Samajwadi Party close to seat sharing deal: Rahul Gandhi
By IANS,
Lucknow : Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi Friday said the party is in "final talks" with ally Samajwadi Party on seat sharing in Uttar Pradesh for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.
"As soon as we finalise it, we will inform the media," Rahul told media persons in Munshiganj town of Sultanpur district, 90 km from here.
Gandhi, MP from Amethi, reached his constituency on a surprise two-day visit Thursday.
"Yesterday, Gandhi visited a couple of villages and met villagers there," state Congress spokesperson A.P. Singh told IANS.
Himachal Pradesh assembly budget session from Feb 12
By IANS,
Shimla : The budget session of the Himachal Pradesh assembly, beginning Feb 12, is likely to be stormy with the opposition Congress vowing to expose the "failures" of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government.
"The Congress would raise various issues like total failure of public distribution system, deteriorating law and order in the state, and the government taking credit over projects initiated by the previous government," state Congress president Kaul Singh Thakur told reporters.
Congress claims victory in Punjab, Uttarakhand
By IANS,
New Delhi : The Congress Monday claimed victory in Uttarakhand and Punjab assembly polls.
Raja dropped from Tamil Nadu cabinet
By IANS,
Chennai : N.K.K.P. Raja, minister of textiles and handloom, was Thursday dropped from the Tamil Nadu cabinet following allegations that he kidnapped a family.
Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi recommended his removal and Governor Surjeet Singh Barnala accepted the recommendation.
Raja was accused of kidnapping a family to grab its land.
Bouquets, brickbats for Chidambaram as members debate budget
By IANS
New Delhi : Finance Minister P. Chidambaram's budget for 2008-09 came up for discussion Wednesday in the Lok Sabha with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) criticising its "communal" approach and the Congress praising it for boosting development.
V.K. Malhotra, the deputy leader of the BJP in the lower house, initiated the discussion on the annual budget.
Parliament adjourned after Deshmukh’s death
By IANS,
New Delhi : Both houses of parliament were adjourned Tuesday as soon as news came in of the death of union minister Vilasrao Deshmukh in a Chennai hospital.
One day Rahul Gandhi will be PM: Salman Khurshid
By Nabeel Khan, IANS,
New Delhi : It was "very obvious" that Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi would be India's prime minister one day, but for now Manmohan Singh remained the prime ministerial candidate, party leader Salman Khurshid has said.
In a wide-ranging interview here, Khurshid also said that Muslims were leaning towards the Congress in Uttar Pradesh but would vote for it only if they felt it was in a position to win, and so an electoral tie-up was needed with the Samajwadi Party ahead of the Lok Sabha polls.
Turncoats in demand as parties scramble for candidates
By Jatindra Dash, IANS,
Bhubaneswar : Turncoats are in heavy demand in Orissa to fight the Lok Sabha and assembly elections in the state.
Although instances of election-eve shift in loyalty are not unknown, it has assumed epidemic proportions this time, thanks largely to the breakup of the 11-year-old alliance between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD).
The BJD-BJP alliance jointly fought the Lok Sabha polls of 1998, 1999 and 2004 and the assembly elections of 2000 and 2004.
Cattle slaughter ban up to state governments: Shah
Panaji : It was up to the respective state BJP governments to decide on banning cattle slaughter, after taking into account the sentiments of...
EC deploys six choppers for Bastar polling
Raipur : The Election Commission has deployed six helicopters for ferrying 153 polling parties to booths located in the interior pockets of Chhattisgarh's Bastar...
Chhattisgarh has best government-party tuning: BJP
By IANS,
Raipur: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is experiencing the best co-ordination between government and party in Chhattisgarh, party's newly-appointed state in-charge J.P. Nadda said Saturday.
"There is an absolute tuning between the party's state government and state unit which is an example in itself to follow on," Nadda, a BJP general secretary, told reporters after his maiden trip to the state as in-charge.
Kejriwal to tour Haryana from Friday
New Delhi : AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal will embark on a three-day election tour of Haryana starting Friday, a party leader said.
The Aam Aadmi...
Jayalalithaa wants communal violence bill to be dumped
By IANS,
Chennai : Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa Monday urged "right thinking MPs" to dump a proposed bill that ostensibly seeks to curb communal violence.
Old RSS hands dismayed by BJP feud, Jaswant sacking
By Mayank Aggarwal, IANS,
New Delhi : Old hands in the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) mostly do not approve of the ouster of senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Jaswant Singh and are shocked at the continuing feud in a party once known for cadre discipline.
Some of them also feel the BJP should bury the unsavoury episode - of political veteran Jaswant Singh being sacked from the party - at the earliest and usher in a younger leadership.
Six million officials, security personnel deployed for polls
By IANS,
New Delhi : More than six million civil officials and security personnel will be deployed during the upcoming general elections, Chief Election Commissioner N. Gopalaswami announced Monday.
These would comprise four million civil officials and 2.1 million security personnel.
BJP’s gateway to south, or highway to disaster?
By V.S. Karnic, IANS,
Bangalore : The ongoing power struggle in the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) first government in Karnataka threatens to shatter the party's dream to make the state a launch pad for ruling southern India.
The turmoil in Karnataka, proudly proclaimed as the party's gateway to the south, is sure to have a debilitating impact on BJP's future in the state, whatever be the compromise hammered out at Delhi to save the government from going under.
Modi’s Bihar package is mere repackaging: Nitish
Patna: Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Wednesday said the bulk of the Rs.1.25 lakh crore announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi as special package...
Government to blame for cow vigilantes’ violence: CPI-M
New Delhi : The CPI-M on Sunday blamed the Narendra Modi government for the rising number of attacks by so-called cow vigilantes on Dalits...
Speaker’s column: what Somnath Chatterjee said
New Delhi, July 22 (IANS) For the second day Tuesday, Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee had his hands full while presiding over the debate on the crucial vote of confidence for the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government.
His one-liners in Bengali-accented Hindi through the day kept the House in good humour. In his stentorian voice, Chatterjee was either rebuking MPs or asking them to cooperate.
Some of his quotes were :
- "Your shouting is a disease and it is spreading," to members who were disrupting proceedings.
BJP to go alone in Karnataka
By IANS
New Delhi : The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has decided to contest the assembly elections in Karnataka without a tie-up with any party.
"We will contest the coming assembly elections on our own, and there will be no alliance with any party," BJP spokesperson Prakash Javadekar confirmed here Sunday.
Karnataka is under president's rule since November 2007 and has to go to polls within six months, that is, by May, according to the constitution.
‘Book Maharashtra ATS men for implicating innocents in terror cases’
Mumbai : The Jamiat Ulama-e-Maharashtra (Arshad Madni group) on Tuesday demanded action against officials of the state Anti Terrorism Squad (ATS) for "falsely implicating"...
123 will be superior to Hyde Act once finalised: UPA
By IANS
New Delhi : The government Monday clarified that the Hyde Act was a US domestic law and the 123 agreement would be superior to it in terms of the Indo-US civil nuclear deal once it is in place.
In response to Left parties' concerns over the Indo-US nuclear deal and the Hyde Act, the government said its negotiations with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on India-specific safeguards would be finalised only after the 123 agreement is in place, Left sources said.
हाईकोर्ट ने यूपी सरकार को दिया करारा झटका, 94 रासुका रद्द,सिर्फ गोकशी के 41...
विशेष संवाददाता। Twocircles.net
उत्तर प्रदेश की योगी सरकार को इलाहाबाद हाईकोर्ट से बड़ा इटका लगा हैं। इलाहाबाद हाईकोर्ट ने उत्तर प्रदेश सरकार के 94...
Advani ‘aghast’ over attack on Bhutto convoy
By IANS
New Delhi : Indian opposition leader L.K. Advani Friday said he was "aghast" over the terror attacks on the convoy of former Pakistan prime minister Benazir Bhutto that killed at least 165 people.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader said he was relieved Bhutto, 54, had not been injured or killed in the Thursday midnight carnage on the streets of Karachi.
AAP supporters angered with BJP, Congress for government’s fall
By IANS,
New Delhi : Undeterred by a steady drizzle and the cold evening, hundreds of AAP supporters gathered to hear Delhi Chief Minister Arvind...
Rahul Gandhi personally monitors Punjab Youth Congress polls
By IANS,
Amritsar : Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi Tuesday flew down to this Sikh holy city to personally monitor the conduct of elections of the Punjab Youth Congress (PYC) here.
Gandhi, clad in his trademark 'kurta-payjama' and sports shoes, observed the conduct of polls to elect PYC office bearers.
He told youth Congress leaders that he wanted to emulate the "Punjab formula" for youth Congress elections in other states as well.
Bihar’s ruling JD-U gets new chief
By IANS,
Patna: Janata Dal-United (JD-U) president Sharad Yadav Sunday said he had accepted the resignation of Bihar state unit chief Rajeev Ranjan Singh alias Lalan Singh and appointed Vijay Choudhary to the post.
Addressing a press conference here, Yadav said that Choudhary, a former Congress legislator and currently the JD-U spokesman, has been appointed the new president of the JD-U in Bihar, where the party heads the government.
Jairam Ramesh is Congress coordinator for Lok Sabha polls
By IANS,
New Delhi : Congress president Sonia Gandhi Saturday appointed former union minister Jairam Ramesh as the party's co-ordinator for the coming Lok Sabha elections.
"The Congress president has approved the appointment of Jairam Ramesh as co-ordinator for Lok Sabha elections-related affairs," a statement released by Congress general secretary Janardan Dwivedi said.
Jairam Ramesh resigned Wednesday as the minister of state for commerce, industry and power with a view to concentrate on general elections due in April-May.
Campaign for Kerala assembly by-poll ends on Thursday
Thiruvananthapuram: The 39-day campaign for Saturday's by-poll in the Aruvikara assembly constituency reached a crescendo on Thursday, the last day of campaign, with the...
Two ex-cons, spouses to fight LS last phase in Bihar
Patna: Two criminal-turned-politicians, called 'bahubalis' in local parlance, and wives of two jailed leaders will Monday contest the final phase of the Lok Sabha...
Assam legislator booked for rape
Guwahati: A legislator from Assam, Gopinath Das, has been booked for rape following a complaint from a domestic help, police said on Monday.
Das, who...
Yoga Day: Muslims join in, say they feel rejuvenated
Rahul Vaishnav
New Delhi: Like any devout Muslim during the holy month of Ramzan, Irfan Salmani Dehalvi, 42, woke up shortly before dawn, had 'sehari',...
Disturbed JNU emeritus professors write to V-C
New Delhi : Ten emeritus professors of JNU on Tuesday wrote to Vice-Chancellor M. Jagadesh Kumar saying they were disturbed by the curbs on...
Congress wins speaker, deputy speaker’s posts in Arunachal
By IANS,
Itanagar : Candidates of the ruling Congress, Wanglin Lowangdong and Tapang Taloh were Wednesday elected unopposed as the speaker and deputy speaker respectively of the Arunachal Pradesh assembly.
Lowangdong and Taloh, who were elected to the assembly for the second time, were declared elected unopposed to their new posts by the pro-tem Speaker Chow Tewa Mein in the absence of any other candidates for the two posts.
The first session of the fifth assembly, which began Tuesday will continue till Nov 6.
Minority UPA government must resign now, demands Trinamool
By IANS,
Kolkata : The Trinamool Congress Friday demanded immediate resignation of the "minority" UPA central government, saying it had no moral right to continue in office.
Lok Sabha adjourned till Wednesday morning
By IANS
New Delhi : Amid noisy protests from opposition members, the Lok Sabha was adjourned without conducting any business when it resumed the day's session at 3 p.m. after the railway budget presentation Tuesday.
The lower house was earlier adjourned till 3 p.m. soon after Railway Minister Lalu Prasad presented the railway budget for 2008-09 as opposition members created noisy scenes and walked out.
Karat finally shows who’s the boss in CPI-M
By M.R. Narayan Swamy
IANSNew Delhi : Prakash Karat, the quintessential Stalinist in democratic politics, has finally stamped his authority with a decision he alone could have taken: put the hugely popular chief minister of Kerala and his strongman-critic finally in their place by axing them from the party's most important body for indiscipline.
Modi has destroyed Gujarat’s farmers, says Rahul
Yavatmal (Maharashtra) : Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi Friday attacked the BJP's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi, accusing him of "ruining" the farmers of...
Chidambaram, Swami Ramdev should apologise: Vinay Katiyar
By IANS,
Lucknow : Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) general secretary Vinay Katiyar Saturday asked union Home Minister P. Chidambaram and renowned yoga guru Swami Ramdev to "apologise to the country for hurting the sentiments" of people.
He asked them to apologise for participating at a convention of Muslim clerics who recirculated an old fatwa against singing "Vande mataram". The Muslim objection to parts of the national song is almost a century old.
BJP denies differences between Rajnath, Advani
By IANS
New Delhi : The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Thursday scotched rumours of any differences between party chief Rajnath Singh and senior leader L.K. Advani, especially in the aftermath of the appointment of the new Rajasthan state unit president, Om Mathur.
Denying differences between the two, party spokesperson Rajiv Pratap Rudy told reporters here: "Any comment specially on relations between Advani and Rajnath is mere speculation. Advani is to be leader of the party in the next general elections."
Three candidates file nominations for Delhi polls
New Delhi : Three candidates Wednesday submitted their nomination papers for the Delhi assembly polls on the first day of filing of nominations, officials...
‘Forest villages’ in Tripura to curb militancy
By IANS
Agartala : Tripura has undertaken an ambitious scheme to set up 'forest villages' with the twin objectives of flushing out militancy and developing basic facilities in remote areas.
Clubbing together a number of scattered hamlets, the authorities have set up 23 'forest villages' so far, involving 17,000 people.
CPI-M criticizes India’s reaction to Kosovo declaration
By IANS
New Delhi : The Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) has criticised the "hesitation" of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's government to oppose the unilateral declaration of independence by Kosovo from Serbia, alleging it indicated New Delhi "did not want to appear to be in dissonance with the US".
Rajya Sabha takes up TRAI bill
New Delhi : The Rajya Sabha Tuesday took up a bill to amend the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) Act.
The bill replaces an...
Digambar Kamat to be Goa’s new chief minister
By IANS
New Delhi : Congress leader Digambar Kamat will be sworn in Friday as Goa's new chief minister.
BJP attacks government, seeks tabling of Liberhan report
By IANS,
New Delhi : The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Monday launched a scathing attack on the government, demanding the immediate tabling in parliament of the Liberhan Commission of Inquiry report that has reportedly indicted its leaders in the 1992 razing of the Babri mosque.
Led by BJP leader L.K. Advani, the party -- both inside and outside parliament -- accused the government of leaking out the report in a bid to divide the opposition ahead of the staggered Jharkhand assembly elections that start Wednesday.
‘Parties unwilling to include tobacco control in manifestos’
Thiruvananthapuram: Medico-legal experts here have cried foul over the absence of intent betrayed by political parties in their manifestos for the Lok Sabha polls,...
Decision on Lalu after talks with pre-poll allies: Congress
By: IANS,
New Delhi: The Congress Sunday said any decision on including Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad in the government will be taken only after discussions with its pre-poll allies.
"No discussion took place about anybody - this was not on the agenda. After the Congress Parliamentary Party meeting, we will sit with our pre-poll alliance partners and discuss future aspects," Congress spokesperson Janardhan Dwivedi told reporters here after a meeting of the Congress Working Committee.
The Congress Parliamentary Party meeting is scheduled for 11 a.m. Tuesday.
Politics of Marathi language to grab power?
By Md. Ali, TwoCircles.net
Mumbai (Maharashtra): The politics over Marathi language in the state is at its climax and Raj Thackeray and his party Maharashtra Navnirman Sena are riding this political wave.
Stepping into the footstep of his uncle Bal Thackeray, self-appointed protector of Marathi language and culture Raj Thackeray has given "ultimatum" to all the business centers in Maharashtra. He has warned them that if they don't use the signboards in Marathi by 27th August 2008, they will have to face dire consequences by the activists of his party.
EC move to curb bogus voting by ‘veiled’ women
Chandigarh : To check any attempt at bogus voting by women coming in veils to polling booths for casting their votes, the Election Commission...
BJP looks for a Gandhi vs Gandhi in Uttar Pradesh
By IANS,
New Delhi/Bulandshahr : With Rahul Gandhi creating a storm in Uttar Pradesh, particularly among the young and the disempowered with his whirlwind "mass contact" tours, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is trying to counter it with its own Gandhi as the recent visit to western Uttar Pradesh by Varun Gandhi, the party's youngest MP, suggests.
Ram Setu affidavit to wait for PM’s nod
By Faraz Ahmad, IANS
New Delhi : An affidavit on the controversial Sethusamundram Shipping Channel Project (SSCP) to be filed by the government in the Supreme Court will have to wait till Prime Minister Manmohan Singh returns from his China visit Jan 16 and vets it.
The affidavit is unlikely to be filed on the next hearing date, Jan 16, though its draft on the basis of an expert panel's report is ready, official sources said.
Dr Farooq Abdullah refuted to represent his candidature for V.P. post
By TwoCircles.net staff reporter
Srinagar : Chief of National Conference, Dr Farooq Abdullah, strongly denied the reports in a section of the press that he had approached UPA for his nomination as the Vice President of India. Such reports are baseless, incorrect, misleading and politically motivated, said Dr
Srinagar : Chief of National Conference, Dr Farooq Abdullah, strongly denied the reports in a section of the press that he had approached UPA for his nomination as the Vice President of India. Such reports are baseless, incorrect, misleading and politically motivated, said Dr