All SP, BSP candidates win in UP council polls
Lucknow : All the eight candidates of the ruling Samajwadi Party (SP) and three of the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) emerged victorious as results...
‘Lal salaam’ to Jyoti Basu on social networking sites
By IANS,
Kolkata: Tributes have been pouring in for veteran Marxist Jyoti Basu on social networking portals, with hundreds of his followers posting photos, comments and condolences on various micro blogging sites.
"May his soul rest in peace forever," a social networking group on Facebook site reads, terming the 95-year-old leader who died Sunday as "a classic personality and a true leader" of the nation.
Many visitors and members of the groups mourning Basu's death also posted links to other web items and news on the sites.
IC-814 hijack: BJP hits back at Congress criticism
New Delhi: The BJP on Friday hit back at the Congress' criticism of its handling of the 1999 IC-814 hijack crisis, and said the...
Madhya Pradesh’s Gond party splits fourth time in two years
By IANS,
Bhopal : The Gondwana Gantantra Party (GGP), launched in 1991 to revive the Gond identity as a unified voice, has split again - for the fourth time in two years, with former legislator Manmohan Shah Batti announcing a new political outfit, Gondwana Party of India (GPI).
Having announced the launch of the new outfit on Republic Day at Chhindwara, Batti, however, refused to divulge the reasons behind taking such a step.
नोट-बंदी : ओवैसी के बाद अख़्तरूल ईमान भी जमकर बरसे, नीतिश को बताया मोदी...
TwoCircles.net Staff Reporter
किशनगंज : प्रधानमंत्री नरेन्द्र मोदी अपने नोट-बंदी के फैसले के तुरंत बाद ही वो ऑल इंडिया मजलिस-ए-इत्तेहादुल मुस्लिमिन के मुखिया असदुद्दीन ओवैसी...
Voting begins low-key in Kashmir
Badgam (Jammu and Kashmir) : Voters trickled out in twos and threes Tuesday morning at almost all the polling stations to elect representatives for...
Comparing performance of PM with CM: How appropriate?
By Soroor Ahmed, TwoCircles.net,
The media, especially the private television channels, have set an unhealthy precedent by initiating comparison between the performance of a particular state government with that of the Union government.
पूर्व रॉ चीफ़ का सवाल : जब कश्मीरी हमारे नहीं, तो कश्मीर हमारा कैसे?
अफ़रोज़ आलम साहिल, TwoCircles.net
दिल्ली: कश्मीर में तीन दशक बाद मिलिटेंसी फिर से बढ़ रही है. खासतौर पर युवाओं में इसका उत्साह काफी बढ़ता हुआ...
Mahila Congress activists protest against Sushma Swaraj
New Delhi: Activists of the All India Mahila Congress on Tuesday held a demonstration to demand the resignation of union minister Sushma Swaraj and...
Karunakaran praises Congress, Sonia as he seeks return
By IANS
New Delhi : Stepping up his overtures to the Congress, former Kerala chief minister K. Karunakaran Thursday heaped praise on the party and its president Sonia Gandhi. But son K. Murlidharan sounded a jarring note.
Karunakaran, who left the Congress two years ago to form the Democratic Indira Congress-Karunakaran (DIC-K) and later joined the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), argued that the Congress was the only party with a national spread although it has weakened "a bit" in some places.
JD-S sets terms, BJP says deal non-negotiable
By IANS
Bangalore/New Delhi : The Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S) Thursday said the Bharatiya Janata Party could not be trusted to maintain peace and communal harmony in Karnataka even as the BJP maintained their 20-month-old power transfer deal was not negotiable.
Chief Minister H.D Kumaraswamy met Governor Rameshwar Thakur in the evening to inform him of the political developments in the wake of all 17 BJP ministers submitting their resignations to him Tuesday to force him to transfer power to the BJP.
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.
Left parties’ ‘insulting’ behaviour angers Somnath
By IANS,
New Delhi : Angered over the constant needling of the Left parties who sought an adjournment motion on the anti-Christian violence in Orissa and Karnataka, Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee Friday abruptly left the house, alleging that the chair was being insulted.
State reorganization committee proposal annoys Pro-Telangana leaders
By TCN Staff Correspondent,
Election Commissioners to visit Jammu and Kashmir
By IANS,
New Delhi : Chief Election Commissioner N. Gopalaswami and election commissioners Navin Chawla and S.Y. Quereshi will visit Jammu and Kashmir Wednesday to review the poll preparations in the state, said officials Tuesday.
The Election Commission will review the situation in the state Wednesday with the representatives of the political parties and superintendents of police (SP) in Kashmir division, said EC officials here.
A similar meeting would also be held Thursday with political parties' representatives and SPs of Jammu division.
Allies, chief ministers line up for NDA rally
By IANS,
Ludhiana : If the BJP-led NDA rally in this industrial city of Punjab was meant to be a show of strength -- it succeeded amply in doing so.
Bharatiya Janata Party's prime ministerial candidate L.K. Advani, party chief Rajnath Singh and senior BJP leaders were present in strength.
Bihar Chief Minister and Janata Dal-United leader Nitish Kumar was the star attraction at the rally after attempts by other political parties, including the Congress, to woo him for a possible post-May 16 alliance for government formation at the centre.
Poll panel blames DMK MP for delay in prosecuting Jaya
By IANS
New Delhi : Ticked off by the Madras High Court for failing to promptly register a case of electoral malpractice against former Tamil Nadu chief minister J. Jayalalitha in 2001, an embarrassed Election Commission Monday sought to put the blame for its failure on DMK parliamentarian C. Kuppuswami.
In an affidavit, the commission told the Supreme Court that before the poll panel could begin prosecuting Jayalalitha in 2001, DMK MP Kuppuswamy had moved the Madras High Court for a direction to prosecute her.
The Owaisi factor in the coming Bihar Assembly Elections
The “Unity of Muslims” can never defeat the BJP but Owaisi’s sudden landing in Bihar with exclusionary rhetoric will communalise the electioneering rather than...
Three North East Council officials charged in scam
By IANS,
Shillong: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has filed a charge-sheet against five people, including three officials of the North Eastern Council (NEC) and a college principal, involved in fraud in a development project, a CBI official Monday said.
Srikrishna panel to travel and elicit opinion on Telangana
By IANS,
Hyderabad : Members of the Srikrishna committee, looking into demands for and against separate statehood to Telangana, will travel by train next month to seek the opinion of the people.
The five-member committee headed by Justice B.N. Srikrishna will travel from Shadnagar town in Mahabubnagar district to Kadapa in September. The committee will stop at different places both in the Telangana and Rayalaseema regions to feel the pulse of the people.
Union budget has some welcome features: Karunanidhi
By IANS,
Chennai : DMK president M. Kaurnanidhi Monday said the interim union budget for 2014-15 has a few welcome features though it lacked lots...
‘Ghar wapsi’ not conversion, says VHP
Hyderabad : Demanding a legislation to ban religious conversions, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) Monday said "ghar wapsi" cannot be termed conversion.
A joint meeting...
Modi’s olive branch to Muslims: Community needs to monitor ‘initial promise to substantial praxis’
Dr Syed Zafar Mahmood,
In a conclave titled 'How government and business can change to provide Indian youth with the opportunities they deserve' organized in Ahmedabad on 29 June 2013 by Citizens for Accountable Governance and inaugurated by Mr APJ Abdul Kalam, I had made a 30 minute PowerPoint presentation 'Ek Bharat' in the presence of Mr Narendra Modi as he aspired for the prime ministerial position. He sat through the presentation, listened to my words, watched each of the 65 slides and later commented from the stage: "Dr Zafar Mahmood has pointed out some issues, these are thought provoking; one must try to understand others". The presentation can be seen at http://im.rediff.com/news/2013/jul/01s_zafar_mahmood_talk.pdf and Mr Modi's comments are available at http://www.ndtv.com/video/player/news/narendra-modi-is-shown-presentation-on-2002-riots-in-gujarat/281295.
गुड़गांव में मुस्लिमों के घर पर चले बुल्डोज़र
सिद्धांत मोहन, TwoCircles.net
गुड़गांव: दिल्ली से सटे हरियाणा के गुड़गांव में मुस्लिमों के घर तोड़े जाने का नया मामला सामने आया है. गुड़गांव में बसे...
‘Congress will back constitutionally passed Jan Lokpal bill’
By IANS,
New Delhi : Delhi Congress chief Arvinder Singh Lovely Friday said the Jan Lokpal bill will be fully supported by his party if...
One more minister joins Karnataka cabinet
By IANS,
Bangalore : The week-old Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) council of ministers in Karnataka was expanded Saturday with the induction of party legislator Katta Subramanya Naidu as cabinet minister.
Naidu was administered the oath of office by Governor Rameshwar Thakur at Raj Bhavan in the presence of Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa and other cabinet ministers. Naidu could not be sworn with the rest of the ministers May 30 as he was not keeping well.
Big jolt to Congress in Telangana as MP, MLA join TRS
Hyderabad : In yet another major setback to the Congress in Telangana, a member of parliament and a state legislator from the main opposition...
TRS rebuffs Congress, says not to merger
Hyderabad : In a huge setback to the Congress, the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) Monday ruled out a merger with it.
After six-hour long meeting...
How can the Congress shed its ‘Muslim party’ image?
By Amulya Ganguli for IANS:
Ever since the A.K. Antony committee identified the Congress's Muslim "appeasement" tag as a major reason for its electoral reverses,...
Karunakaran discharged from hospital
By IANS,
Vellore (Tamil Nadu): Senior Congress leader and former Kerala chief minister K. Karunakaran was discharged from hospital Thursday evening, family sources said.
He left for Kerala in a special saloon car attached to a train accompanied by his children, Muralidharan and Padmaja, his personal physician Unnikrishnan and a medical team from the Christian Mission College (CMC) Hospital, sources added.
Karunakaran was admitted to the CMC Hospital on Sep 1 in an unconscious state due to neurological complications.
BJP to launch agitation for women’s reservation
By IANS
New Delhi : Accusing the government of avoiding a solution to the issue of women's reservation in parliament and state assemblies, the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Friday said it will organise a massive rally next month to demand 33 percent reservation for women.
BJP spokesperson Sushma Swaraj told presspersons Friday, "The women's reservation issue has been pending for the past 11 years. There have been three broad proposals presented till now but the issue has not been resolved."
Modi declassifies Netaji files, family members welcome move
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday declassified 100 files on Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, a top freedom fighter who raised an army...
Narrow escape for Mayawati’s plane
Lucknow : Former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Mayawati had a narrow escape late Sunday when the front wheel of her charter plane got stuck...
Goa government’s fate to be decided Monday
By IANS
Panaji : The week starting Monday will decide if Goa will stay with the Congress, go over to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) or come under president's rule.
While the BJP-led alliance has better chances of coming to power, all other possibilities are also being speculated here.
Currently, the hastily cobbled Goa Democratic Alliance (GDA) led by BJP (14 legislators) has the Save Goa Front and Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (2 each), United Goans Democratic Party (1) and an independent.
Gunfight continues at Indian consulate in Afghanistan
Kabul: Gunshots continued to ring out Monday at the Indian consulate in Afghanistan's Mazar-e-Sharif city that a group of armed men attacked a day...
‘PK’ angers Hindu groups
Agra/Bhopal : The “provocative, yet gentle” Aamir Khan-starrer “PK” has already crossed the Rs.200 crore mark at the domestic box office, but the Rajkumar...
Rohith Vemula’s brother to get job: Delhi government
New Delhi : The Delhi government said on Wednesday it would give a job to the brother of Dalit research scholar Rohith Vemula of...
Vayalar Ravi named minister for overseas Indian affairs
By IANS,
New Delhi : Veteran Congress leader Vayalar Ravi was Thursday named minister of overseas Indian affairs.
Vayalar Ravi had held the important portfolio in...
Caste to play key role in Andhra Pradesh
By Mohammed Shafeeq, IANS,
Hyderabad : The battle lines in south coastal Andhra Pradesh and the Rayalaseema region going to the polls in the second phase Thursday have been drawn on the basis of caste.
While caste was not a major factor in the first phase of elections in Telangana and north coastal Andhra, the second phase is going to be altogether different. Elections are being held in the state both for its 42 Lok Sabha seats and for the 294-member state assembly.
It won’t be right to vote against UPA: Subhas Chakraborty
By IANS,
Kolkata : West Bengal Left leader Subhas Chakraborty Wednesday once again indicated that it would not be correct to vote against the Congress-led government along with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the July 22 confidence motion.
Chakraborty, a Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) state secretariat member, had Monday said in a letter to party general secretary Prakash Karat that the communists would have to answer embarrassing questions from the people if its MPs voted against the Congress.
BJP rules out alliance with Trinamool, JD-U
New Delhi : The BJP on Saturday ruled out any possibility of an alliance with the Trinamool Congress (TMC) and the Janata Dal-United in...
Mulayam flays Mayawati for plot allotment probe
By IANS
Lucknow : Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav Thursday came out in support of those officials of his regime who have been indicted by the Uttar Pradesh government for out-of-turn allotments of prime residential plots here to his close lieutenants including party general secretary Amar Singh.
"The inquiry is politically motivated and (Chief Minister) Mayawati's objective is to only harass those who were close to me," Yadav told mediapersons here.
The allotments of 28 plots had come under scrutiny by a high-level probe ordered by the new government.
Congress, NCP announce alliance for Maharashtra polls
By IANS,
New Delhi : The Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) late Tuesday formally announced they will contest the Oct 13 Maharashtra assembly polls together.
The Congress and the NCP will contest 174 and 114 seats respectively, Chief Minister Ashok Chavan, state Congress president Manikrao Thakre and NCP leader Praful Patel told mediapersons at the Congress headquarters here.
The two parties will start announcing lists of their candidates from Thursday.
Bengal communists join march against Indo-US naval exercise
By IANS
Kolkata : Leaders and activists of West Bengal's ruling Left Front Tuesday set out for Vishakapatnam in Andhra Pradesh to join a protest gathering there against five-nation joint naval exercise, also involving the navies of India and the US, in the Bay of Bengal.
The group, comprising 85 members from all constituents of the Left Front and led by Communist Party of India (CPI) general secretary A.B. Bardhan, will reach Visakhapatnam Sep 8 via Kharagpur in West Bengal, Cuttack and Bhubaneswar in Orissa and Vizianagaram in Andhra Pradesh.
CPI-M likes to live in mind control world: Congress
By IANS,
New Delhi : The Congress Monday took a dig at the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) for terming former Speaker Somnath Chaterjee as a person who defected to the ruling establishment, saying that the Left wants to live in a mind-control world.
"The Left wants to live in a mind-control world where anyone who disagrees with anything which they say is deemed to be a defector," Congress spokesman Abhishek Manu Singhvi said in response to questions.
Gujarat guv speaks on Lokayukta issue: I’ll reply to appropriate authority
By TCN Special Correspondent,
Counting begins in Kerala
By IANS,
Thiruvananthapuram : Counting of votes began Friday to elect a new Kerala assembly.Kerala went to the polls on April 13.window.onload = function()...
Parrikar files Rajya Sabha papers from UP
Lucknow : Newly sworn-in Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar Monday filed his nomination papers for the Rajya Sabha elections from Uttar Pradesh.
Flanked by union Micro,...
Is Haryana heading for early assembly polls?
By Jaideep Sarin, IANS,
Chandigarh : If the moves by Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda are an indicator, the state could go in for assembly elections much earlier than scheduled.
Buoyed by the success of the ruling Congress in Haryana in the recent Lok Sabha elections - in which the Congress won nine out of the 10 parliamentary seats, the Hooda government is gearing up to get assembly polls advanced, party sources said.
In normal course, the state assembly polls are scheduled for February next year - still a good eight months away.
Kiran Bedi loses from Krishna Nagar by 2,277 votes
New Delhi : Kiran Bedi, the BJP's chief ministerial candidate for the Delhi assembly elections, Tuesday lost by 2,277 votes to the Aam Aadmi...
BJP says Advani is trying to curb unrest in party
By IANS,
New Delhi : The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) said Wednesday that its leader L.K. Advani's admonition of senior colleagues was aimed at curbing dissidence in the party still stunned by its Lok Sabha defeat.
BJP vice president Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said Advani's comments this week followed unending infighting ever since the party lost the battle for power in May.
"After the Lok Sabha elections, some leaders in the party have been giving random statements to the media," Naqvi told IANS, explaining why Advani had gone public with what he said Monday and Tuesday.
A mix of experience and youth in cabinet: PMO
By IANS,
New Delhi : It was a mix of experience and youth as 22 ministers were sworn as ministers, the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) said Sunday.
‘Over Rs.79 crore unaccounted cash seized so far’
New Delhi: The Election Commission has so far seized unaccounted cash amounting Rs 79.20 crore as part of efforts to check illegal flow of...
Haryana Congress legislators seek unseating of Bhajan Lal
By IANS
Chandigarh : Three legislators from the ruling Congress in Haryana Wednesday moved separate petitions with Haryana Assembly Speaker Raghubir Singh Kadian, seeking the unseating of former chief minister and senior Congress leader Bhajan Lal and two other sitting legislators.
12 hours after arrest, court releases Dalit intellectual Teltumbde
Pune (Maharashtra), Feb 2 (IANS) In a huge embarrassment for Maharashtra government, a Pune court ordered the release of Dalit intellectual Prof Anand Teltumbde,...
Manipur’s 10-day economic blockade begins, affects normal life
Imphal : Several tribal groups began a 10-day economic blockade of Manipur from Thursday midnight. This caused fuel shortage and a spike in prices...
Tension in Ghaziabad after Ambedkar statue vandalised
Ghaziabad : The defiling of a statue of the chief architect of the Indian Constitution and Dalit icon Bhimrao Ambedkar here has led to...
BJP insists on Tharoor’s resignation
By IANS,
New Delhi : The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Friday threatened not to let parliament function till Minister of State for External Affairs Shashi Tharoor resigned over the IPL controversy.
"Why should we listen to his statement? He should quit. We will not allow the house to function till he quits," said BJP deputy leader Gopinath Munde.
Munde accused Tharoor of misusing his office to promote the Indian Premier League (IPL) Kochi franchise and said the government was trying to protect him.
BJP questions Akhilesh’s statement over police recruitment
Lucknow : The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has questioned Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav's announcement that 35,000 new policemen will be recruited soon...
Congress targets Modi over Bhagwat’s remarks on quota
New Delhi: The Congress on Monday slammed RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat's remark on quotas and also targeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the issue,...
Nandigram will have peaceful poll: Bengal chief minister
Kolkata, May 9 (IANS) Nandigram in East Midnapore district of West Bengal will have a peaceful panchayat poll Sunday, Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee has asserted.
"Nandigram will have a free and fair poll. I assure there will be no violence during the poll. Instead people there will be in a festive mood," Bhattacharjee told reporters at a press meet Friday.
Logjam continues in Odisha assembly
Bhubaneswar : The impasse in the Odisha assembly over the power tariff hike continued for the second consecutive day on Thursday as the opposition...
Hurriyat criticises Pakistan-based militants for poll boycott
By IANS,
Srinagar : The separatist Hurriyat Conference Thursday criticised the Pakistan-based militant conglomerate, the United Jehad Council (UJC), for asking Kashmiris to boycott the Lok Sabha polls.
Acting chairperson of the moderate Hurriyat group Maulana Abbas Ansari said the UJC led by Syed Salahuddin was confused as the umbrella organisation of various militant groups chose not to interfere in the 2008 assembly elections.
Gujarat Congress begins poll preparation with focus on villagers
By IANS,
Ahmedabad : With elections to parliament round the corner, the Gujarat Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC) has drawn up plans to take the poll campaign to the grassroot level by reaching out to villagers across the state.
GPCC members met here Tuesday night and decided to launch a Gujarat Navnirman Yatra from Sep 14 to Oct 9 in all the state assembly constituencies so as to highlight the problems faced by farmers as well as issues like deteriorating law and order situation, unemployment and inflation.
Budget session likely to be stormy, Congress to target government
New Delhi: The budget session of parliament starting on Tuesday is expected to be stormy with the Congress and some other opposition raring to...
Unclear whether SC will make public foreign accounts list
By Biswajit Choudhury,
New Delhi:Even as the entire list of black money account holders is due to be submitted Wednesday it is unclear if the...
A BJP MP gives support to Hazare – in writing
By IANS,
Agra : The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP from Agra city has given his complete and unqualified support to the Jan Lokpal bill of Team Anna, that too in writing.
Maoist rebels blow up RJD leader’s Jharkhand home
By IANS,
Ranchi : Maoist rebels have blown up the ancestral house of Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Suresh Yadav in Jharkhand's Latehar district and assaulted his family members, police said Saturday.
Around 100 rebels belonging to the outlawed Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) surrounded Yadav's house in Hotwag village in Latehar, around 170 km from here, and blew it up late Friday night, a police official said.
The rebels used detonators and beat up the family members, the official said. A car parked outside the house was also set on fire.
BJP uses horse carts to protest fuel price hike
By IANS,
Chandigarh: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) here Thursday took out a procession on horse carts to protest the central government's decision to hike fuel prices in the country.
"This procession is part of our national campaign launched against the hike in the prices of petrol, diesel and other essential commodities. The UPA (United Progressive Alliance) government is not at all bothered about the common man whose life has become very miserable," BJP national general secretary Vijay Goel told reporters here.
Over 35 horse carts were used in the procession.
Gadkari may be chief but Advani era continues in BJP
By Arun Anand, IANS,
New Delhi : Nitin Gadkari, 52, might be the new chief of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) but it is 82-year-old L.K. Advani, a veteran of many political battles within and outside the party, who has emerged as the most formidable leader within the party.
The recent developments within the party are a clear indication that the Advani era has not yet ended,despite prediction of many political pundits after the BJP lost miserably in May 2009 general elections.
Mulayam to adopt wait and watch policy
By IANS,
New Delhi : Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Mulayam Singh Yadav Sunday said his party will decide on which political combine to support only after the election results are out and reiterated that he will go with the front that promises to dismiss the Mayawati government in Uttar Pradesh.
"We will decide after (the) elections... and we would like a secular government," Yadav said in an interview to IBN7 channel.
"I will not go with the one which will not dismiss (Mayawati government)."
BJP, Congress hail quashing of Section 66A
New Delhi : The Congress on Tuesday said scrapping Section 66A of the IT Act was a "welcome decision", while the ruling BJP maintained...
First phase of Bihar elections (Factfile)
By IANS,
New Delhi : The first of the six phases of the month-long elections to the Bihar state assembly is to be held Thursday.
Here is a factfile of the first phase:
100 Samajwadi Party workers detained on way to Mayawati’s village
By IANS,
Ghaziabad : About 100 Samajwadi Party (SP) activists, including five MPs and two state lawmakers, were detained at the Uttar Pradesh border Sunday when they were headed for Mayawati's village Badalpur here. They were later allowed to go back.
Superintendent of Police (City) Vijay Bhushan said the detained parliamentarians were Mohan Singh, Dharmendra Yadav, Om Prakash Singh, Vir Pal Singh and Bhagwan Singh Shakhya. The detained legislators included Madan Chauhan from Garh Mukteshwar.
Bengal to move apex court over high court’s Nandigram order
By IANS
Kolkata : The West Bengal government is getting ready to approach the Supreme Court against the Calcutta High Court order to continue the CBI probe into the March 14 police firing in Nandigram and pay compensation to the victims.
According to home department sources, the state government would file a special leave petition in next two days.
Third front formed in Assam to fight general elections
By IANS,
Guwahati : A third political front has been formed in Assam with the Asom United Democratic Front (AUDF), the Left parties and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) formally working out a seat sharing arrangement to fight the upcoming general elections.
At a meeting that ended late Wednesday, the AUDF, the Communist Party of India (CPI), the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) and the NCP agreed to have mutually acceptable candidates in eight of the 14 parliamentary seats.
45 percent polling in Himachal by early afternoon
By IANS
Shimla : Despite extreme cold conditions, 40-45 percent of the voters had cast their ballot by 2 p.m. in the first phase of polling for the Himachal Pradesh assembly Wednesday.
Voting in the three seats of Bharmaur, Lahaul & Spiti and Kinnaur is being held five weeks before the rest of the state, as these areas tend to get snowbound early in winter.
The other 65 assembly seats in the state will go to the polls Dec 19. Counting will take place Dec 28.
Voting began Wednesday at 8 a.m. and will close by 5 p.m.
Pakistan aiding terrorists’ infiltration into India: Shinde
By IANS,
New Delhi : India's Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde Sunday targeted Pakistan for its help to terrorists infiltrating from across the border into the country.
Jharkhand BJP to hold protests over price rise July 7
By IANS,
Ranchi : The main opposition Bharatiya Jananta Party (BJP) in Jharkhand Monday said it would hold demonstrations across the state July 7 to protest the rising prices of essential commodities.
"We have decided to launch an agitation against price rise. On July 7, our party members will demonstrate in all 212 blocks of the state in front of the Block Development Office," state BJP president P.N. Singh to IANS.
The decision was taken at the party's two-day executive committee meet that concluded Sunday.
Chavan new Maharashtra chief minister, dejected Rane revolts
By IANS,
Mumbai : Industries Minister Ashok Chavan was Friday named chief minister of Maharashtra to succeed Vilasrao Deshmukh, who quit in disgrace after the Mumbai terror attacks. But the decision by Congress president Sonia Gandhi sparked a revolt by the veteran Narayan Rane, who too was in the race for the top post.
Court verdict on Karnataka rebel legislators Friday
By IANS,
Bangalore: The Karnataka High Court will give its verdict Friday on an appeal by 11 Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislators against their disqualification.
Ranchi tense, schools shut
Ranchi: Tension prevailed in this Jharkhand capital on Tuesday after beef was found at a temple four days ago following which a communal clash...
Mamata doles out bonanza for Bengal government employees
Kolkata: In a bonanza for West Bengal government employees, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday announced a new pay commission and a 10 percent...
Dhumal hopes Anand Sharma will help Himachal
By IANS,
Shimla: Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal Saturday expressed hope that the elevation of Anand Sharma to cabinet rank in Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's government would benefit Himachal Pradesh, his home state.
"We hope Sharma's presence in the union cabinet would ensure all-round development of the state through more liberal central assistance and schemes. Such assistance would justify the special category status given to the state," Dhumal told reporters here.
"Now, we expect him to take all pending issues to the logical conclusion," Dhumal added.
How should companies fund politicians? Here’s a formula
By Devirupa Mitra, IANS,
New Delhi : Now that most large political parties have released their poll manifestos, Robinder Sachdev is busy analysing them, not to cast his vote, but to advise corporate houses on which party they should fund, to what extent, and what the chances of various parties are.
The 44-year-old communications expert, who runs the city-based think tank The Imagindia Institute, says his team's mission is to help corporate houses, targets of political parties for election funding.
Antulay won’t confirm resignation, government to clarify remarks
By IANS,
New Delhi : Minority Affairs Minister A.R. Antulay Friday refused to either confirm or deny whether he had submitted his resignation to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, as the government said it would issue a statement on the snowballing controversy over his remarks on Maharashtra's slain police officer Hemant Karkare.
Though government sources said that Antulay had indeed resigned, the man in the eye of the proverbial storm said enigmatically: "I will not confirm or deny it."
Rajya Sabha adjourned again over women’s bill
By IANS,
New Delhi : The Rajya Sabha was adjourned for the second successive day Tuesday as a handful of opposition members noisly voiced their protest against passing the historic women's reservation bill.
When the house assembled in the morning, chairman Hamid Ansari read out a condolence message on the Chilean earthquake and then announced question hour.
PM calls for ‘new beginning’
By IANS,
New Delhi : Prime Minister Manmohan Singh called for a "new beginning" as he entered parliament house Monday for the first session of the 15th Lok Sabha.
He briefly addressed the media at the car park and said the new session should be a new avenue of parliamentary democracy and also called for a "new beginning".
He was received by Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal, Minister of State in the Prime Minister's Office Prithviraj Chavan and Minister of State, Planning and Parliamentary Affairs V. Narayansamy.
‘Parliamentary panel members should declare conflict of interest’
New Delhi : Amid a controversy over the presence of a beedi baron on a parliamentary panel on tobacco, Parliamentary Affairs Minister M. Venkaiah...
What does EWS quota mean for SC, ST, OBCs?
The Supreme Court's reservation for economically weaker sections, especially for the forward castes, has sprung up a debate that it will only create...
Jayalalithaa to make public appearance on May 22
Chennai : AIADMK general secretary and former Tamil Nadu chief minister J. Jayalalithaa will make a public appearance on May 22, perhaps the first...
Before seeking pistol licence, ensure toilet at home in MP
Neemach (Madhya Pradesh) : In a novel initiative, police in Madhya Pradesh's Neemach district have asked people to ensure they have toilets at home...
‘मुज़फ़्फ़रनगर दंगा मुसलमानों को गुलामी से आज़ादी की तरफ़ ले गया’
आस मुहम्मद कैफ़, TwoCircles.net
मुज़फ़्फ़रनगर (बुढ़ाना) : मुज़फ़्फ़रनगर दंगे ने न सिर्फ़ मुसलमानों को तबाह किया, बल्कि इसके साथ-साथ पश्चिमी उत्तर प्रदेश की ‘मुसलमान-जाट एकता’...
UPA did not take strict steps to fight terrorism: Raman Singh
By IANS,
Lucknow: Terming Manmohan Singh a weak prime minister, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh Monday accused the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government of not taking strict steps to fight terrorism.
"Under the leadership of a weak prime minister, the Congress-led UPA government has failed completely in combating terrorism," he said at an election rally in Uttar Pradesh's Mainpuri district.
The Congress-led UPA government only cared about votes and was not bothered about the security of the country, he added.
Moonshine and blankets to win polls in Assam
By Syed Zarir Hussain, IANS,
Jorhat (Assam): Shakuntala Murmu was seething with anger to find her husband returning home inebriated late in the night. She was all the more furious as she knew he would be coming home drunk for at least a week as, come election time, Assam tea garden workers are much wanted and politicians go out of their way to entertain them.
The second and final phase of parliamentary elections in Assam is scheduled for April 23, while the first phase was over April 16.
Congress manifesto released at ‘dhaba’
By Rajeev Khanna, IANS
Ahmedabad : Call it a commitment to Mahatma Gandhi's ideals or plain gimmick, the Congress party released its manifesto for the Gujarat assembly elections at a dhaba in Rajkot district of Saurashtra.
Senior party leader Sushil Kumar Shinde was quick to point out: "We have always followed the principles of Mahatma Gandhi. I feel happy releasing the manifesto in a dhaba instead of a five star hotel."
Mulayam’s love for poetry
By IANS,
Agra : Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav Sunday released a book of poetry and surprised many with his love for literature and critical appreciation of poetry.
Amar Singh stuns by resigning party posts
By IANS,
New Delhi: Samajwadi Party (SP) leader Amar Singh Wednesday threw the political establishment into a bout of fevered speculation when he announced his surprise resignation as general secretary of his party and other posts, citing health reasons.
"I hardly had any rest. Doctors told me it is not good. At the age of 53, I am entitled to earned leave and need to give more priority to my family. After 20 years of hard work, they (the family) should get priority over Mulayam-ji and the party," Amar Singh, one of the visible and quoted politicians of the country, told NDTV.
Bail pleas of four accused in Malegaon 2006 blast case rejected
Mumbai : A special court here on on Monday rejected the bail applications of four accused in the Malegaon 2006 serial bomb blasts case.
The...
JD-S heads towards break-up in Karnataka
By IANS
Bangalore : The Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S) in Karnataka Wednesday moved closer to a split as a large number of its leaders, unhappy with the way party president H.D. Deve Gowda was running the organization, met here to draw up plans to go their own way.
Around 20 JD-S legislators met under the leadership of M.P. Prakash and decided to boycott the party's executive committee meeting here Thursday.
They decided to meet again in a week's time to firm up future course of action, Prakash told reporters after the meeting.
No post-resignation tweets from Tharoor
By IANS,
New Delhi : For a voracious tweeter, Shashi Tharoor has not tweeted anything since the final run up to his resignation as minister of state for external affairs.
Tharoor was quite regular at updating his statements, work or visits with over 725,000 followers. However, there has been no update from him since Friday.
Tharoor quit Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's government Sunday after being linked to an Indian Premier League (IPL) cricket row.
He last tweeted Friday at 11.16 p.m. -- when it was thought he was trying his best to weather the political storm.
Threat to expose Mayawati cowed her down, says Amar Singh
By IANS,
Lucknow : Samajwadi Party general secretary Amar Singh Monday said it was his threat to expose Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati that prompted her to sit quiet on the complaint of fraud against him.
Filed by lawyer Shiv Kant Tripathi in a Kanpur police station, the FIR accused Amar Singh of playing financial fraud to the tune of Rs.500 crore (Rs.5 billion) through amalgamation of his own pocket companies.
Singh, however, charged Mayawati of masterminding the FIR through Tripathi, whom he accused of a "shady" past.
Death, even by hanging, does not deter those bent on suicide
By John Dayal
I am deeply saddened at the court ruling, and within minutes of it, the dismissal of mercy petitions on behalf of...
Samajwadi Party workers clash with police during protest
By IANS,
Lucknow: Hundreds of Samajwadi Party (SP) activists clashed with police here in Uttar Pradesh Friday while protesting the hike in petrol prices, an official said.
Buddhadeb stays away from CPI-M politburo meeting
By IANS,
New Delhi : Smarting from its electoral drubbing, the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) politburo met Monday without two crucial members -- West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharya and Kerala Home Minister Kodiyeri Balakrishnan.
Dismissing speculation that Bhattacharya had stayed away as a sign of protest over the way the party had handled its election strategy, a party leader said he was in Kolkata to look after the "law and order situation in the post poll scenario".
Sonia, Rahul greet people on Eid
New Delhi : Congress president Sonia Gandhi and party vice-president Rahul Gandhi Tuesday greeted people on the occasion of Eid-ul-Fitr.
The Congress chief extended her...
Mamata-Modi link in Nano relocation: CPI-M leader
BY IANS,
Kolkata : Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee was hand-in-glove with Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi to ensure that Tata's Nano project shifted to the western state, a senior Communist Party of India (CPI-M) leader alleged here Sunday.
"Modi and Banerjee were in talks for the past two months to facilitate the Nano factory's relocation from West Bengal's Singur to Gujarat's Sanand. Everything was pre-planned and based on discussions between the two," CPI-M Gujarat state secretary Arun Mehta told reporters here.
बसपा की सिरदर्द बनी बुढ़ाना विधानसभा, 5 माह में चौथी बार बदला गया प्रत्याशी
आस मोहम्मद कैफ, TwoCircles.net
मुज़फ्फरनगर : बुढ़ाना विधानसभा पर अब एक बार फिर बसपा ने अपना प्रत्याशी बदल दिया है. यह वही विधानसभा है जहां...
All Kerala MPs on other side of Modi divide
Thiruvananthapuram : Now that the dust has settled down after the Lok Sabha polls and the spotlight shifts to parliament, there is one thing...
बवाना की झुग्गियों में आग ‘राख’ के साथ छोड़ गई कई सवाल
तन्वी सुमन। Twocircles.net
भारत के बड़े शहरों में आए दिन झुग्गी झोपड़ी में आग लगने की खबर आती रहती है। हर बार अधिकारियों...
BJD will ‘explore all possibilities’ after results
By IANS,
Bhubaneswar : Orissa's ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) Saturday distanced itself from speculation that it has developed an understanding with the Congress on the issue of government formation in the centre and the state but said it would explore "all possibilities" after the results.
"We stand by what we had said earlier," BJD secretary general Damodar Rout told IANS, adding that his party was hoping to form the government of its own in the state and would support a non-BJP and non-Congress government in the centre.
Arjun Singh bats for Rahul as prime ministerial candidate
By IANS,
New Delhi : Senior Congress leader and Human Resource Development (HRD) Minister Arjun Singh Monday said there was nothing wrong in projecting Congress MP Rahul Gandhi as the party's next prime ministerial candidate.
"He (Rahul) has all the qualities of his father (former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi)," Singh told reporters.
"He is making sincere efforts to acquire all the information and knowledge that is required (for the top job)," Singh said.
Two days ‘Idea of India’ conclave organised to mark one year of Modi govt
By TwoCircles.net Staff Reporter,
New Delhi: A number of civil society groups and activists came together to organise two conclave on the theme Idea of India’ at New Delhi’s Constitution Club on Saturday and Sunday.
The Idea of India Collective is a large inclusive collective of persons, including thinkers, students, activists and concerned citizens, who have come together around the core conviction that central to our idea of India is the affirmation of its diversity.
JD(U) hints at softening of opposition to women’s bill
By IANS,
New Delhi : With the numbers favouring the passage of the women's reservation bill in the Rajya Sabha Monday, the Janata Dal-United (JD-U), a prominent party opposing it, Sunday indicated a softening of its position.
JD-U chief whip in the Rajya Sabha Ali Anwar Ansari said the party will consider the opinion of Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar in support of the bill, which seeks to reserve 33 percent seats for women in parliament and state legislatures.
Gopalaswamy visits Gujarat to probe bogus electoral list
Ahmedabad, Sep 27 (IANS) Chief Election Commissioner N. Gopalaswamy arrived here Thursday to investigate the state's fraudulent electoral list.
Two teams of the Election Commission have already visited Gujarat. The upshot of these visits was that an extensive survey done in July found that 285,000 voters in the electoral list were dead.
The Election Commission is also looking into the inclusion of voters who do not reside in Gujarat any more. There were also a large number of duplicate names that are being scrutinised.
Madhya Pradesh minister arrested for misbehaving with poll official
By IANS,
Bhopal : Madhya Pradesh Tourism Minister Tukoji Rao Puar and a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate were arrested from Dewas town Tuesday for misbehaving with an election official.
Police had Sunday registered a complaint against Puar and BJP candidate Phool Chand Verma for obstructing government work and misbehaving with the official.
Bengal experiencing near dictatorship: Activist Shabnam Hashmi
Kolkata: Describing BJP leader Narendra Modi as the biggest threat to secularism in India, noted social activist Shabnam Hashmi Saturday also charged the the...
Ban VHP: Citizens for Justice and Peace
By TwoCircles.net staff reporter,
Mumbai (Maharashtra): The Citizens for Justice and Peace has condemned Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) International General Secretary Praveen Togadia’s hateful statements following Bangalore and Ahmedabad serial blasts, and demanded the central government to ban the Hindu extremist organization.
The Kite soars high: With two seats, MIM marks debut in Maha assembly polls
By TwoCircles.net Staff Reporter,
Mumbai: Winning two seats, the Hyderabad-based All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) made inroads into the dominantly saffron Maharashtra assembly on Sunday.
Draft bill ignores key issues of child trafficking, says MP
New Delhi : Rajya Sabha member Rajeev Chandrasekhar has pointed out several flaws and criticised the Draft Trafficking Of Persons Bill, 2016, saying the...
1984 riots: When silence spoke so unmistakably
By Sanjay Suri
President Zail Singh could not get through to then prime minister Rajiv Gandhi when he needed most to, when thousands upon thousands...
‘SP misusing state machinery to manipulate elections’
New Delhi, (IANS) : Urban Development Minister M. Venkaiah Naidu on Monday accused the Akhilesh Yadav-led Samajwadi Party of misusing the administration and its officers...
CPI-M taps secular forces in UPA; options open, NCP tells Congress
By IANS,
New Delhi : While the Communist Party of India- Marxist (CPI-M) Thursday revealed that it was in touch with "secular democratic forces" within the United Progressive Alliance, the Nationalist Congress Party sought to goad the Congress to fight the Lok Sabha polls jointly by saying that it has "other options".
"We are in touch with all the secular democratic forces within the UPA as part of our efforts to form a third viable alternative at the centre," CPI-M politburo member M.K. Pandhe told IANS over phone from Mumbai.