Rahul to visit K’taka on April 5 to take on BJP over disqualification row

TB Team
-
0
Rahul to visit K’taka on April 5 to take on BJP over disqualification row

The Congress is planning a mega program for April 5 to retaliate on the disqualification of Rahul Gandhi from the very place where the contentious speech was made in Karnataka, sources confirmed on Tuesday.

The party is planning to have Rahul Gandhi deliver his address.

Gandhi faced disqualification for his speech in Kolar city in Karnataka. Hence, the Congress wants to hold the event at the same venue and use it to its advantage, sources confirmed.

He delivered the speech which resulted in his disqualification during the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. He was seeking votes for the Congress candidate, former Union Minister K.H. Muniyappa.

During his speech, Rahul Gandhi stated, “Neerav Modi, Lalit Modi, and Narendra Modi, all have the same surname and all are thieves. All these thieves have looted the country.”

He reiterated this at the function in Sir M. Visvesvaraya stadium in Kolar during the roadshow of Mulabagal and at a public rally in Corporation Grounds in KGF.

K’taka BJP activist murder case: NIA seizes PFI office

TB Team
-
0
K’taka BJP activist murder case: NIA seizes PFI office

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) probing the murder of BJP Yuva Morcha activist Praveen Kumar Nettaru has seized an office of the Popular Front of India (PFI) in Sullia town of Dakshina Kannada district, sources said on Monday.

According to sources, the PFI office in Sullia was used for carrying out terrorist activities. The office was located on the first floor of the Tahira complex on Aletti Road in Gandhinagar.

A copy of the seizure has been sent to the owner of the property, the District Commissioner, Superintendent of Police of Dakshina Kannada district. The order maintains that the property should not be leased or rented out. Directions have been given against shifting any property from the office or taking up renovation work.

Sources explained that the conspiracy to murder Praveen Kumar Nettaru was hatched in the office. Praveen was hacked to death by assailants in their third attempt.

The NIA sleuths had submitted a charge sheet against 20 persons with the Special NIA court in Bengaluru. The charge sheet contains 1,500 pages and statements from 240 witnesses.

NIA had earlier sealed the Mittur Freedom Community Hall in Idukki village near Bantwal town in connection with a murder case in February.

Praveen was hacked to death at the height of the hijab and halal crisis in the state on July 26, 2022. The incident had taken place in Bellare near Sullia in Dakshina Kannada district.

The Socialist Democratic Party of India (SDPI) had announced a ticket for Shafi Bellare, an accused in the Nettare murder to contest in the upcoming Assembly election in Karnataka. The development raised a debate in the state.

Shafi Bellare is presently lodged in a prison in connection with the murder. He was arrested by the NIA and is currently in its custody.

Democracy under attack, says Rahul

TB Team
-
0
Democracy under attack, says Rahul

A day after he was disqualified from the Lok Sabha following his conviction in a defamation case, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday said that democracy is under attack and that he is “not scared to ask questions about the relationship between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Adani Group”.

He made the remarks while addressing a press conference in Delhi.

“My voice is being suppressed,” Rahul Gandhi said and claimed that he spoke to the Speaker against the false accusations made by four ministers but was not allowed to speak.

He also alleged that the “relationship between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Gautam Adani is not new”.

“I will not stop asking questions about whose money is the Rs 20,000 crore that has come out from shell companies,” he added.

The senior Congress leader further said that he is here to defend the voice of the nation, adding: “I am not scared of prison sentence disqualification and others I am not that type of person and they do not understand me.

“I am not going to back down and will be on the principle.”

Rahul Gandhi was on Friday disqualified as a member of Lok Sabha a day after his conviction in the 2019 “Modi surname” defamation case.

The Gandhi scion who represents the Wayanad parliamentary constituency of Kerala was disqualified under provisions of Article 102 (1) (e) of the Constitution of India read with Section 8 of the Representation of the People’s Act.

Rahul was on Thursday sentenced to two years in jail by a Surat court in the case filed on a complaint by BJP MLA Purnesh Modi.

PM arrives in K’taka; inaugurates hospital, to dedicate Metro line in B’luru

TB Team
-
0
PM arrives in K’taka; inaugurates hospital, to dedicate Metro line in B’luru

Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Karnataka on Saturday to participate in various inauguration programs in the Bengaluru and Chikkaballapur districts of the state.

Upon his arrival at HAL Airport here, the Prime Minister was welcomed by Chief Minister Basvaraj Bommai and Governor Thawar Chand Gehlot. Minister for Housing V. Somanna was also present on the occasion. The PM then flew down to Chikkaballapur in a special chopper.

PM Modi has dedicated Madhusudan Sai Medical Sciences and Research Institute of Satya Sai Ashram at Muddenahalli in Chikkaballapur taluk.

He is expected to inaugurate Whitefield (Kadugodi) to KR Puram Metro Line in Bengaluru. The 13.71-kilometer stretch with 12 stations is built at a cost of Rs 4,249 crore.

The Whitefield (Kadugodi) station has been decked up for the inauguration. The stretch will provide much-needed succor to the tech population which complained of traffic jams.

PM Modi will take a metro ride after the inauguration. He will also address the BJP Maha Sangama public rally in Davanagere city in central Karnataka. The entire city is painted with saffron flags.

PM Modi will arrive at Shivamogga airport from Davanagere and fly back to New Delhi.

Karnataka polls: Siddaramaiah to contest from Varuna, D.K Sivakumar from Kanakpura

TB Team
-
0
Karnataka polls: Siddaramaiah to contest from Varuna, D.K Sivakumar from Kanakpura

A list of 124 seats of Karnataka Assembly polls saying Siddaramaiah from Varuna and D.K. Shivakumar from Kanakpura has been revealed by Congres.

Former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has expressed his desire to contest from two seats.

Besides, H.K Patil, Rizwan Arshad, Kaneez Fatima, U.T Khader, H. Nagesh, and Dinesh Gundu Rao have also been given tickets.

The party’s Central Election Committee met on March 17 and deliberated on each seat.

Congress’ state chief Shivakumar has ruled out the possibility of any alliance in the state.

According to sources, some sitting MLAs may not be given a chance to recontest.

Currently, the Congress has 68 MLAs in the 224-member House. The state screening committee has already prepared a list comprising names for most of the constituencies.

More than 1,300 applications for the 224 seats were received by the party.”The people of the state are determined for a change as they are fed up with the corruption of the BJP government,” Shivakumar said.

People didn’t forgive Rahul in 2019, will also punish in 2024: Nadda

TB Team
-
0
People didn’t forgive Rahul in 2019, will also punish in 2024: Nadda

BJP chief J.P. Nadda slammed Rahul Gandhi on Friday by highlighting all the remarks that he made from the 2019 Lok Sabha election to date.

Nadda said the people of India did not forgive him in 2019 and will severely punish him in 2024 as well.

In a seven-thread tweet, Nadda expressed his disappointment with the Congress leader.

“By comparing OBC communities to thieves, Mr. @RahulGandhi has shown a pathetic and casteist mindset. However, his latest tirade is not surprising. For the last many years, he has always reduced levels of political discourse. Let me explain how in the thread below.

“Lies, personal slander, and negative politics are integral to Mr. @RahulGandhi. Let us go back to the time before 2019 – he was the newly minted Congress President and through the pre-election season his core issue was – the cooked Rafale scam. Wherever he went he spoke of it.

“Mr. @RahulGandhi’s negative politics and cooked-up Rafale scam faced a setback in the court of law. Our highest court of the land, the Honourable Supreme Court gave a very clear verdict on the Rafale issue and did not believe the corruption bogey Mr. Gandhi raised.

“Mr. @RahulGandhi’s acerbic Chowkidar Chor Hai remarks were also not appreciated by the Supreme Court and for that HE APOLOGIZED.

“In the run-up to 2019 polls, @RahulGandhi kept repeating – Chowkidar Chor Hai notwithstanding the harm he was doing to political discourse. He went on ranting against PM @narendramodi even if it meant he was defeated in his own seat and his party wiped out nationally.

“So much for Chowkidar Chor Hai that neither Congress leaders nor Congress allies appreciated this deep slander against PM @narendramodi. In fact, this issue was also taken up in CWC where the senior Congress leaders even supposedly expressed their unhappiness on it.

“Now, Mr. @RahulGandhi calls the entire OBC community thieves. He gets flak in the Courts but he refuses to apologize thus showing how deep-rooted his hatred for OBCs is. The people of India did not forgive him in 2019…in 2024 the punishment will be more severe.”

Oppn vs govt stalemate to continue in Parliament today

TB Team
-
0
Oppn vs govt stalemate to continue in Parliament today

A stalemate is likely to continue in Parliament on Friday with the opposition continuing with its demand for a JPC in the Hindenburg-Adani row, while the BJP will carry on pressing for an apology from Congress leader Rahul Gandhi over his remarks made in London.

Opposition MPs will on Friday move suspension of business notices in the Rajya Sabha and adjournment notices in the Lok Sabha on the Adani issue.

The Thursday meeting of the floor leaders at the Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar’s chamber in Parliament premises could not end the impasse as both sides remained rigid on their demands.

Dhankhar rejected the suspension of business notices given by the members of the opposition on the demand of JPC in the Adani issue.

Following this, Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge said that the stalemate can only end with the constitution of the JPC.

On his part, Leader of the House Piyush Goyal said that Rahul Gandhi should apologize for his London statement.

Dhankar said both sides are rigid and should hold a dialogue to end the stalemate.

Attempt to influence judiciary, say Cong leaders on Rahul’s conviction

TB Team
-
0
Attempt to influence judiciary, say Cong leaders on Rahul’s conviction

Congress party on Thursday said that the sentencing of MP Rahul Gandhi to two years of jail by a Surat district court in a defamation case is an attempt to “influence” the judiciary and that “democracy is in danger”.

“There is an attempt to suppress the media, there is an attempt to influence the judiciary and they are taking action against the people of different political parties at this level,” Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel said while reacting to the development.

“We keep saying our democracy is in danger as there is pressure on the judiciary, ECI, ED and they’re all misused. All decisions are made under influence. Such comments are common. Rahul Gandhi is a courageous man and only he can compete with the NDA government,” Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot said.

Meanwhile, Law Minister Kiren Rijiju said that he will speak on the matter only after seeing the order.

“I’ll see the details of the order before I say anything. Whatever Rahul Gandhi speaks, it always affects the Congress party and the entire nation in a negative way. Some Congress MPs told me that because of his attitude, Congress is suffering,” Rijiju told mediapersons outside Parliament.

Earlier in the day, the Surat District Court sentenced Gandhi to two years in jail in a 2019 criminal defamation case filed against him for his alleged “Modi surname” remarks.

Moments later, the court granted him bail and stayed its order for a period of 30 days so the Congress leader can appeal in a higher court.

Govt to seek Parliament’s approval for union budget today

TB Team
-
0
Govt to seek Parliament’s approval for union budget today

Amid continued disruptions in proceedings of both houses of Parliament with both the ruling BJP and opposition Congress refusing to climb down from their positions, the government will try to get the budget passed in Parliament on Thursday.

While the Congress is seeking a joint parliamentary committee probe in the Adani matter, the BJP has disrupted proceedings, seeking Congress MP Rahul Gandhi’s apology over his remarks on democracy in London.

On Wednesday, the government had got the budget for Jammu and Kashmir passed in Lok Sabha amid noisy protests by the Congress-led opposition without any discussion.

Even the demands for grants for 2022-23 were cleared in the din.

BJP has issued a whip to its members in both Houses to remain present on Thursday and Friday.

According to sources, the government plans to guillotine demands for grants of all ministries and get the finance bill cleared in Lok Sabha.

Manish Sisodia moves bail plea in excise policy case

TB Team
-
0
Manish Sisodia moves bail plea in excise policy case

Former Deputy Chief Minister of Delhi Manish Sisodia on Tuesday moved a bail plea in a court here in connection with the now-scrapped excise policy case being probed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED).

The Rouse Avenue Court while issuing notice to the central agency, listed the matter for the next hearing on March 25.

On March 17, the court extended the AAP leader’s ED custody in the same case till March 22.

The court had, on Monday, sent Sisodia to judicial custody till April 3, in the same case by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

After the CBI arrested the AAP leader on February 26, the ED also arrested him in the same case on March 9.

During the last hearing in the ED case, the court was apprised by the ED that important details have come up during Sisodia’s custody and he had to confront other accused persons.

The probe agency had informed the court that voluminous data from the former Deputy Chief Minister’s email and mobile is also being forensically analyzed.

Mamata Banerjee to protest in Delhi over pending Central dues to Bengal

TB Team
-
0
Mamata Banerjee to protest in Delhi over pending Central dues to Bengal

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee will stage a two-day sit-in demonstration in Delhi this month to protest against the pending Central dues to her state.

Addressing reporters at the Kolkata airport before departing for Bhubaneswar, Banerjee said that she will stage the sit-in on March 29-30.

“Despite doing excellent work in the 100-day job scheme under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, we have been denied our Central dues on this count. We are yet to receive our pending dues under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana.

“We have spent money from our own exchequer in setting up 12,000 km of additional rural roads. We have received international accolades for our successes. But still, we have been denied our legitimate dues,” the Chief Minister said.

She went on to say that the demonstration will start at 12 noon at the base of the statue of B.R. Ambedkar and will continue till 7 p.m. on March 30.

PM to give integrated pack house to Purvanchal this year

TB Team
-
0
PM to give integrated pack house to Purvanchal this year

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will gift a new Integrated pack house to the farmers of east Uttar Pradesh during his proposed visit to Varanasi on March 24.

The facility, to be the third such one in the state, will be used for the storage and packaging of vegetables and fruits, and to boost agricultural exports from the region.

The packed house was built on a 4,461 square feet area in Karkhiyaon at Rs 15.78 crore.

It is equipped with state-of-the-art equipment with the aim to ramp up the supply of Banarasi langar mango, cauliflower, green chili, and tomato, which are grown in abundance in east UP, to Japan, Australia, Korea, and Europe.

Single-window clearance has been put in place for faster documentation. Farmers will be trained to ensure that their produce matches international standards. After Saharanpur and Lucknow, this will be the third integrated pack house in the state and the first in the Purvanchal region said an official.

Dr. C.B. Singh, Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) deputy general manager, said only good quality and disease-free fruits would be stored at the pack house, and even the equipment used in the facility was made in India.

Rahul Gandhi, Kharge arrive in K’taka, to address public rally (Ld)

TB Team
-
0
Rahul Gandhi, Kharge arrive in K’taka, to address public rally (Ld)

Congress superior leader Rahul Gandhi has reached Karnataka on Monday to speech a public rally of youths arranged in Belagavi city.

Karnataka Congress President D.K. Shivakumar and Leader of the Opposition in Karnataka Assembly Siddaramaiah welcomed Rahul Gandhi at the Sambra Airport.

AICC President Mallikarjun Kharge, who accompanied Rahul Gandhi, also extended a warm welcome.

The Belagavi city is decked up with posters, welcoming cut-outs, and banners for the grand welcome of Rahul Gandhi. The party sources claimed that more than 1 lakh youths are participating in the convention.

The visit of Rahul Gandhi assumes significance as there are 18 assembly seats in the Belagavi district and Congress had won only five of them in the last assembly elections.

The Congress, which is confident of returning to power, wants to increase its tally in Belagavi districts by winning seats in two digits. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had held a 10.8-kilometer roadshow in Belagavi and addressed a huge public rally already.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah has also held a series of meetings with BJP leaders in the district. Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai is also making repeated visits to Belagavi.

The Ruling BJP which had a strong base in Belagavi is facing a setback with the deaths of Belagavi MP Suresh Angadi and minister Umesh Katti.

Rahul Gandhi is expected to make a big-poll promise. Rahul Gandhi is visiting the state for the first time after Bharat Jodo Yatra.

UP Congress to woo Most Backward Castes

TB Team
-
0
UP Congress to woo Most Backward Castes

The Uttar Pradesh Congress proposes to hold a convention of the Most Backward Classes (MBCs) in Lucknow in April.

Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee (UPCC) Organisation Secretary, Anil Yadav, said, “We are going to hold a large convention of the Most Backward Classes in Lucknow in the last week of April to work out their problems and the issues that the leaders of these parties want to raise in the state. We will hold an internal meeting with prominent leaders of these castes in the first week of next month before holding the convention.”

The Congress has been working among the MBCS and meetings with at least 12 caste groups have been held in the past month.

“A major chunk of Most Backward Classes identifies them with the BJP and has not associated with the Samajwadi Party. These caste groups have been with Congress for decades earlier. We want to bring them to the Congress fold,” said a party leader.

The Congress is apparently banking on MBCs to make its presence felt during the next Lok Sabha elections in 2024 in Uttar Pradesh.

TDP MLA attacked in Assembly at Jagan’s behest: Chandrababu Naidu

TB Team
-
0
TDP MLA attacked in Assembly at Jagan’s behest: Chandrababu Naidu

Telugu Desam Party (TDP) national president N. Chandrababu Naidu on Monday alleged that a TDP MLA in the Andhra Pradesh Assembly was attacked by ruling YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) MLAs at the behest of Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy.

The former chief minister alleged that the attack on Dalit MLA, Dola Bala Veeranjaneya Swamy, was pre-planned and carried out with encouragement from the chief minister.

Strongly condemning the attack on TDP MLA inside the Assembly, he termed it the darkest day in the history of the Assembly.

Never in the history of Andhra Pradesh, has an MLA attacked inside the House and today is the darkest day in the Assembly’s history, Chandrababu Naidu said.

He stated that Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy will remain as a tainted chief minister who spoiled the image of the legislative bodies. “With the physical attack on the MLA right on the floor of the Assembly, the people clearly understood the policies of the YSRCP,” he said.

Terming the ongoing session of the Assembly as a “Kaurava Sabha”, Chandrababu Naidu felt that Jagan has gone “totally mad” with the latest results of the elections to the Legislative Council.

The state Assembly on Monday witnessed unprecedented scenes when the TDP members were staging a protest by surrounding Speaker Tammineni Seetharam. They were demanding the government withdraw an order imposing restrictions on public meetings on roads.

Amid the ruckus, an MLA of the ruling party rushed to the Podium and pulled back Swamy, who fell down. Another YSRCP MLA had also joined the manhandling. MLAs of both parties blamed each other for the attack.

Oppn MPs give suspension notices in Parliament over Adani issue

TB Team
-
0
Oppn MPs give suspension notices in Parliament over Adani issue

Opposition MPs of Congress, AAP, and other parties on Monday moved for the suspension of business notices in both Houses of Parliament to press for the constitution of a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) to probe into the Hindenburg report on the Adani group.

Congress MP in the upper house Ranjeet Ranjan, Sanjay Singh of AAP, and other opposition members moved the notice under rule 267.

In the Lok Sabha, Congress MP Manickam Tagore moved the adjournment notice on the Adani row.

Taking a strong stand, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge said that his party will not stop questioning the Centre over the issue.

The Congress claimed that Delhi Police’s ‘cheap theatrics’ show how rattled the Prime Minister is with questions on Adani, adding that it’s not the fault of the police but their political masters.

“Rahul Gandhi and Congress will not get scared by the police visit as it was done only to divert attention from the Adani issue. We will continue to question them (the BJP) on Adani, no matter how much they want to save him,” Kharge said.

Delhi excise policy case: Kavitha likely to appear before ED today

TB Team
-
0
Delhi excise policy case: Kavitha likely to appear before ED today

K. Kavitha, the daughter of Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao, is likely to join the second round of questioning by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with the Delhi excise policy scam.

On Thursday, her second round of questioning had to be done which she skipped saying that she would reply through emails or question her at her own residence.

After that, the ED sent her another summon to join the investigation on March 20.

During her first appearance, she was reportedly confronted with Hyderabad-based businessman Arun Pillai, who had represented the South Group.

The group is alleged to have given kickbacks of Rs 100 crore to the AAP leaders, which was allegedly used during the Goa Assembly polls.

Pillai has reportedly said that he was Kavitha’s associate. On Wednesday, the ED recorded the statement of Buchchi Babu, the BRS MLC’s former auditor and also a member of the South Group.

Kavitha has maintained that she has never met former Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, who has been arrested by the CBI and the ED in connection with the case, claiming that her name was being unnecessarily dragged into the matter.

According to the ED, Kavitha is also one of the representatives of South Group in the excise policy case.

OPS moves Madras HC against AIADMK general secretary poll

TB Team
-
0
OPS moves Madras HC against AIADMK general secretary poll

Deposed AIADMK leader and former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu O. Panneerselvam (OPS) has moved the Madras High Court against the election to the post of party’s general secretary.

The former Chief Minister said that the elections were a “sham”. The petition is likely to be heard as an urgent matter on Sunday morning before Justice Kumaresh Babu.

The urgent hearing is sought as the nominations for the post of general secretary of the party end by 3 p.m. on Sunday. The urgent plea by O. Panneerselvam is made to pre-empt Edappadi K. Palaniswami (EPS) being made the party general secretary.

AIADMK interim general secretary, Edappadi K. Palaniswami (EPS) filed his nominations for the post of general secretary for the elections to be held on March 26. Senior leaders of the AIADMK, Natham R. Viswanathan and Pollachi V. Jayaraman accompanied EPS while filing his nomination papers.

Candidates can file nominations from March 18 onwards and till 3 p.m. on March 19. Scrutiny of nominations will take place on March 20.

An official release said that candidates can withdraw the nominations on March 21.
The counting of votes will be undertaken on March 27.

Meanwhile, police have intensified the security at the AIADMK headquarters as the submission of applications for the post of general secretary has begun.

The decision to conduct the elections for the post of general secretary has commenced following the Supreme Court verdict that affirmed the September 2 verdict of the division bench of the Madras High Court that had validated the AIADMK general council meeting of July 11, 2022.

Prez Murmu reaches Kanyakumari as part of 6-day South visit

TB Team
-
0
Prez Murmu reaches Kanyakumari as part of 6-day South visit

President Droupadi Murmu, who is on a six-day visit to Kerala, Lakshadweep, and Tamil Nadu, on Saturday reached Kanyakumari.

Tamil Nadu Governor R.N. Ravi, Minister Mano Thangaraj, district collector Sridhar and other officials welcomed her at the airport.

The President was accorded a warm welcome at the Vivekananda rock memorial where she will spend time at the meditation hall. She will also pay a visit to the iconic Tiruvallur statute and return to Thiruvananthapuram in a chopper.

Heavy security is in place in Kanyakumari and traffic is diverted in many places of the district near the beach road.

Y.S Jagan desire PM Modi to sort out post-bifurcation issues

TB Team
-
0
Y.S Jagan desire PM Modi to sort out post-bifurcation issues

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy met Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Delhi on Friday and pleaded to him about their issues and resolve those even after 9 years after the state’s bifurcation.

In the epistle which was deposited to Prime Minister Modi, AP CM Jagan reminded him that some of the issues were not settled in spite of several meetings on those problems held by the Chairmanship of the Union Finance Secretary.

Jagan has requested Prime Minister Narendra Modi about the pending money of Rs. 36,625 core under Resource Gap Funding for the term year 2014-15 and increase the deposit limit of Rs. 17,923 crore that has been decreased from the Rs 42,472 crore post Covid-19 pandemic, also side compensate moneyof Rs 2600.74 crore spend by the state government on Polavaram Project.

1...222324...281Page 23 of 281