AIADMK walks out of TN Assembly

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AIADMK walks out of TN Assembly

The principal opposition party in Tamil Nadu, AIADMK on Friday walked out of the Assembly in protest against the Speaker Appavu’s refusal to allow them to speak.

Ahead of Finance Minister Palanivel Thiaga Rajan’s presentation of the DMK government’s first Budget, Leader of the Opposition K. Palaniswami stood up and started speaking.

The Speaker Appavu refused permission to Palaniswami, saying that the latter can speak on Monday as the Budget will have to be presented first.

Appavu then asked Rajan to present the state’s first paperless electronic Budget.

In protest, the AIADMK members walked out of the House.

Blocking my Twitter account is interference in political process: Rahul Gandhi

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Blocking my Twitter account is interference in political process: Rahul Gandhi

Rahul Gandhi on Friday released a video statement slamming Twitter for blocking his account and alleged that Twitter was taking sides in the politics of the country.

Rahul in the video statement said, “By shutting down my Twitter they are interfering in our political process

“A company is making its business to define our politics. And as a politician I don’t like that. This is an attack on the democratic structure of the country. This is not an attack on Rahul Gandhi.”

He said that he has 19-20 million followers and they have been denied the right to an opinion.

“So, this is not only patently unfair, this is their breaching the idea that Twitter is a neutral platform. And for the investors this is a very dangerous thing because taking sides in the political contest has repercussions for Twitter,” he added.

Rahul Gandhi alleged that the democracy is under attack, opposition was not being allowed to speak in Parliament. The media is controlled.

“And I thought there was a ray of light where we could put what we thought on Twitter. But obviously, that’s not the case. It’s obvious now that Twitter is actually not a neutral, objective platform. It is a biased platform. It’s something that listens to what the government of the day says,” he added,

“As Indians, we have to ask the question: Are we going to allow companies just because they are beholden to the Government of India to define our politics for us? Is that what this is going to come to? Or are we going to define our politics on our own? That’s the real question here.” Rahul Gandhi said.

Twitter has blocked accounts of Rahul Gandhi and many Congress leaders for violating their policy. The Congress has alleged that it was being done on the behest of the government.

BJP government in cahoots with Twitter: Priyanka Gandhi

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BJP government in cahoots with Twitter: Priyanka Gandhi

A war of words erupted between the Congress and Twitter India on Thursday, after the micro-blogging platform reportedly blocked the partys official handle along with the accounts of scores of senior Congress leaders, days after it blocked ex-Congress chief Rahul Gandhi for posting an image of the parents of a minor girl who was allegedly raped and murdered in the national capital recently.

Reacting to Twitter’s action, Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra alleged, “While the BJP government in cahoots with Twitter lock down the voices that cry for justice, let’s not forget the real issue.

“The real issue is the brutal rape and forced cremation of a 9-year-old Dalit girl in the heart of India’s national capital.”

“The real issue is the Delhi Police disallowing the lodging of an FIR for 15 hours. @narendramodi why have you not uttered a single word about this heinous crime against an innocent child?” she added.

Earlier, the Congress accused Twitter of locking the accounts of Rahul Gandhi, Randeep Surjewala, Ajay Maken, K.C. Venugopal, Manickam Tagore and many other party leaders, along with seven Congress handles.

Rahul leads oppn march against govt, says ‘murder of democracy’

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Rahul leads oppn march against govt, says ‘murder of democracy’

Members of Parliament and leaders of various opposition parties took out march from Parliament to Vijay Chowk on Thursday to protest against the curtailment of the monsoon session.

The MPs held banners and placards calling to withdraw farm laws and “murder of democracy” were written.

Leading the protest, Congress Leader Rahul Gandhi alleged, “We have to come out here to speak to the press as we in Opposition are not allowed to speak in the Parliament. This is a murder of democracy.”

Rahul Gandhi alleged that the voice of 60 per cent of the country has been crushed, humiliated and yesterday in the Rajya Sabha, they (women MPs) were physically beaten. Parliament session is over, but as far as 60 per cent of the country is concerned, there has been no Parliament session.

The opposition leaders demanded that farm laws should be withdrawn immediately and said they were opposing the curtailment of the monsoon session which was scheduled till Friday.

Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut said, “The opposition did not get a chance to present their views in the house and the incident against women MPs yesterday was against democracy as it felt like we (opposition) were standing at the Pakistan border.”

Opposition leaders are likely to meet the Chairman of the house to complain about Wednesday’s incidents. Ahead of the march, the opposition MPs held a meeting in Parliament.

The Parliament was adjourned sine die on Wednesday but the opposition alleged that when they were opposing the Insurance Bill in the House, the women MPs were manhandled by male marshals.

Congress MP Chhaya Verma, who is the Congress Whip said, “I was pushed by male marshals and subsequently I fell on Phulo Devi Netam who fell on the floor in the House while I was trying to make way.”

NCP chief Sharad Pawar had said, “In my entire parliamentary career, I never saw the way the women MPs were attacked today in the Upper House. More than 40 men and women were brought into the House from outside. It is very sad and painful, its an attack on democracy.”

Congress Chief Whip Jairam Ramesh said, “Insurance Amendment Bill to privatise GIC was passed in RS with a large force of security personnel present. The Govt refused to send it to a Select Committee, a demand by all Opposition parties including those close to the BJP. What happened this evening was worse than atrocious.”

Rahul Gandhi prays at Mata Kheer Bhawani temple in Kashmir

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Rahul Gandhi prays at Mata Kheer Bhawani temple in Kashmir

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday paid obeisance at the Mata Kheer Bhawani temple in Jammu and Kashmir’s Ganderbal district.

Rahul reached the Tullamulla town in Ganderbal district Tuesday morning and offered prayers inside the Mata Kheer Bhawani complex.

Authorities had made elaborate security arrangements during Rahul’s visit to the temple.

Traffic was allowed only one-way during the visit of the Congress leader on the Srinagar-Ganderbal road to ensure that Rahul’s cavalcade moved smoothly on the 22 km long one-way stretch to Tullamulla town.

Rahul arrived here on Monday on a two-day visit. He was in Srinagar to attend Ghulam Ahmad Mir’s son’s wedding. Mir is the president of Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee.

This is Rahul Gandhi’s first visit to the Valley since the Centre abrogated Article 370.

K’taka CM Bommai to seek BJP high command’s help to counter dissident voices

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K’taka CM Bommai to seek BJP high command’s help to counter dissident voices

As all efforts to assuage the disgruntled leaders upset over the cabinet portfolio allocation seems to be failing, Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai is preparing to visit New Delhi to find a solution to quell the dissidence in the party.

Bommai has already announced that he would be making a Delhi trip over the issue of Mekedatu in the coming week. The party insiders said that meeting party high command over rising dissidence is also one among the top agendas of Bommai’s Delhi trip.

He is going to convey the message that it is not possible to quell the dissidence at the state level and party high command should intervene, they added.

Bommai already held a first round of talks with MTB Nagaraj, the minister for Municipal Administration who has been venting out in public that he did not get what he wished for. “I have been demoted by the BJP government. If nothing changes, I will take my call,” he stated.

MTB Nagaraj resigned as a cabinet minister from the Congress-JD (S) coalition government to join the BJP.

Anand Singh, a three-time MLA from Vijayanagar, has made his displeasure public as soon as he was allocated the Tourism portfolio. Party sources said he is simmering with discontent and even contemplating resigning. “I was the first one to resign from the Assembly to bring the BJP to power. Eight days later everyone followed. Is there no contribution from me to the party,” he questioned.

MTB Nagaraj is the richest man in the cabinet and Anand Singh is also quite resourceful, Bommai is trying hard to convince them but they seem to be not relenting, say sources.

In another development, prominent Backward Class leader B. Sriramulu ironically stated that he is neither satisfied nor disappointed with the allocation of cabinet berth. Sriramulu’s supporters staged a protest in Ballary alleging that their leader was snubbed by the party.

Senior party leader from Mysuru A. Ramdas did not turn out to welcome Bommai, when he took charge as the Chief Minister. Sources in the party confirmed that even as Bommai tried to get in touch, Ramdas has avoided it.

Senior BJP leader Apachu Ranjan’s followers are planning a car rally from Madikeri to Bengaluru to protest against the non-inclusion of their leader into the cabinet.

Meanwhile, former minister C.P. Yogeshwar has camped in New Delhi to meet top leaders over the issue of non allocation of cabinet berth. He is expected to stay in Delhi for two days. If the high command hears him out, then all other disgruntled elements would parade to New Delhi, party sources said.

In another important development, powerful BJP MLA Ramesh Jarkiholi, who was dropped from the cabinet following the sex-cd case when B.S. Yediyurappa was the Chief Minister, had been meeting former Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar. Shettar declined a cabinet berth as he called Bommai his junior.

BJP MLA Balachandra Jarkiholi, brother of Ramesh Jarkiholi has been trying to arrange a meeting of former minister C.P. Yogeshwar, Chief Minister aspirants Aravind Bellad, Basavanagouda Patil Yatnal, former minister Sreemanth Patil and MLA Mahesh Kumatalli. Party sources also said that Balachandra Jarkiholi is in touch with Yediyurappa’s son B.Y. Vijayendra.

State intelligence has briefed about all these developments to Bommai. Party sources explained that he has decided to deal with the situation without giving any room for further developments. Sources further stated that Bommai would discuss counter strategy to deal with the existing situation, including reallocation of ministries.

Telangana releases Rs 500 cr for ‘Dalit Bandhu’ in Huzurabad

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Telangana releases Rs 500 cr for ‘Dalit Bandhu’ in Huzurabad

The Telangana government on Monday released Rs 500 crore for implementation of its ambitious ‘Telangana Dalit Bandhu’ scheme in Huzurabad Assembly constituency, where by-elections are likely to be held soon.

Unfazed by the criticism from the opposition and some NGOs, the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) government is going ahead with the implementation of the scheme on pilot basis in Huzurabad.

The Government Order (GO), issued by the Scheduled Castes Development Department, permitted the Telangana Scheduled Castes Co-Operative Development Corporation (TSCCDC) to release Rs 500 crore to Karimnagar District Collector for implementation of the scheme on a pilot basis in saturation mode.

Acting on the GO, the TSCCDC Managing Director released the money to the Collector.

The state cabinet last month decided to implement the scheme on a pilot basis in Huzurabad from August 16.

The government said that Dalit Bandhu scheme is aimed at providing financial assistance of Rs 10 lakh to each of the identified Dalit families and to promote entrepreneurship among them.

Under the first phase, 100 families from each of the 119 Assembly constituencies will be identified. The government has announced allocation of Rs 1,200 crore for the scheme.

However, the government rolled out the scheme from Alair constituency on August 5 with the release of Rs 7.60 crore to extend the financial assistance to 76 Dalit families in Vasalamarri village of Yadadri Bhuvanagiri district.

A day after Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao visited his adopted village and interacted with Dalit families, the government had issued an order for implementation of the scheme.

The Chief Minister during his visit to the village had announced that Rs 10 lakh will be deposited in the bank account of each beneficiary family from August 6. He said the beneficiaries would be free to spend the money the way they want but advised them to use it to create source of revenue.

Huzurabad seat became vacant last month with the resignation of former minister Eatala Rajender. He also quit the TRS to join Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Rajender’s resignation from the TRS and the Assembly came after he was dropped from the Cabinet by KCR following allegations of land encroachment.

The opposition parties have termed the ‘Dalit Bandhu’ scheme a political stunt. NGO Forum for Good Governance urged the Election Commission to stop its implementation in Huzurabad saying it was clearly aimed to lure the voters. Some activists have also moved the high court challenging the implementation of pilot project in Huzurabad.

Odisha to build 89 indoor stadiums with investment of Rs 693.35 cr

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Odisha to build 89 indoor stadiums with investment of Rs 693.35 cr

With the aim to strengthen sports infrastructure in the state, the Odisha government on Monday announced that it will construct 89 multipurpose indoor stadiums in different urban areas across the state with an investment of Rs 693.35 crore.

The state cabinet headed by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik approved the proposal on Monday evening.

The 89 multipurpose indoor stadiums under the ‘urban sports infrastructure development project’ will be completed over the next 18 months. This will provide a major boost to the development of sports in the state, said sports and youth services minister Tusharkanti Behera.

These projects will be taken up in 85 urban local bodies (ULBs) areas including Bhubaneswar, Cuttack and Rourkela under the 5T Initiative to transform the sports field in Odisha, he said.

The state government has been focusing on development of sports in Odisha. In recent years, the state has been recognised as a leading destination for sports events and promotion of sports, Behera said.

“Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) areas act as main centres for the sports related activities including coaching. The project is proposed for ensuring provision of quality sports infrastructure across ULBs of the state,” he added.

The stadiums will have facilities for playing Badminton, Table Tennis, Yoga, Gymnasium, etc. The indoor hall space can be utilised for most of the indoor games and can be converted as per the local popularity of various indoor sports.

The stadiums to be named Biju Patnaik Indoor Stadium will come up at three municipal corporations (Bhubaneswar, Cuttack and Rourkela), 30 municipalities and 52 NACs.

The state government will spend Rs 10.15 crore for construction of each stadium at municipal corporation towns and municipalities while Rs 6.40 crore will be spent for building one such stadium in NAC.

The indoor stadiums are also designed to withstand 200 kmph wind speed. They can be utilised as community shelters during disasters like cyclones, floods etc. In times of pandemics, the stadium can be converted into a 50-bed (NAC model) or 100-bed (municipality model) field hospital, the minister said.

5 held for slogans against Modi-Yogi

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5 held for slogans against Modi-Yogi

The Varanasi police have detained five persons for writing slogans against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on the walls of the Sigra police station.

The five suspects have been detained on basis of the footage obtained from the CCTV cameras.

The slogans were removed soon after they were written. It is surprising that the police could not arrest the accused when they were writing the slogans on the walls of the police station.

The police and intelligence sleuths are now interrogating the suspects to find out if they are linked to some organization or outfit.

Inspector Anup Shukla of Sigra police station said that all of them were from Bihar.

Telangana according utmost priority to handloom sector: KCR

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Telangana according utmost priority to handloom sector: KCR

Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao on Saturday said the state government is according utmost priority to the handloom sector and developing it.

He made these remarks on the occasion of National Handloom Day, noting that Telangana’s exclusive handloom craft mirrors Indian art and culture.

“Under self-governance, the government is giving utmost priority to the handloom sector and developing it in tune with the changed times, the government is also extending a helping hand to the powerloom workers welfare,” said Rao.

With visionary approach and able administration of Minister K. Taraka Rama Rao, the Chief Minister said the handloom sector which collapsed under united AP rule is being revived within a short time.

“The government has taken several measures to promote handloom products; the measures taken by the government for the handloom sector have weaned away handloom workers from committing suicide and instill confidence among them,” said the CM.

According to Rao, weavers’ families are given assurance for their livelihood through Bathukamma and other programmes, including creating confidence and self-respect among them.

Commemorating the handloom day, the state government is honouring handloom artisans by giving away awards under the name of Konda Laxman Bapuji.

“The government is encouraging handloom sector by organizing exhibitions and fashion shows insurance facilities for handloom workers shall be implemented on par with the Rythu Bandhu,” said Rao.

The CM asserted that Telangana is the only state which is giving pensions to handloom workers, highlighting that its innovative schemes can be ideal for other states.

“The government is successfully implementing several schemes for the handloom workers like loan waiver scheme, Nethannalaku Cheyutha, Chenetha Mithra and also providing government share to the handloom societies and providing subsidies for yarn, dyes and chemicals,” said Rao.

Expressing happiness over the positive results of these initiatives, the CM said the state has promoted the socio-economic, political and administrative interests of the Padmashali community.

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