YSR Telangana party Cheaf YS Sharmila has appoligied to trangenders community.

YSR Telangana Party leader chief Y.S. Sharmila has apologized after the transgender community rally over they feel she insulted us in some way while referring to BRS.

Talking to the media, Sharmila said, “Y.S. Sharmila doesn’t have an ego in her mind over the transgender community and It is not my opinion to be angry about them and damage those communities with unconditional words. Shanker Naik who is present in MLA there has used bad words regarding my character and then I lost my control.  Hijras have their own special place and we always respect them as sisters I was criticizing the MLA only. My focus is on MLA at that time, not on you all sisters. I will definitely take care of your problems and I see your welfare. KCR and BR’s government has not done much for your community.”

In a speech during her padayatra in Mahabubabad, she referred to MLA Shankar Naik as ‘Kojja’, a derogatory Telugu term, and hit out at him for not fulfilling promises to the people of Telangana.

In Mahabubabad’s speech, Y.S. Sharmila used the word ‘Kojja’ to insult the MLA Shankar Naik because not fulfilling the promises which were given to the public before the elections, So that the Telangana transgender committee in Warangal and Hyderabad objected to the word and They need an apology from her.

” We are living in this society in an honest and proper way with respect too. We have the right to speak when we have trouble, we are also respectable citizens as you are in the nation.” The team leader of the transgender community told the media on a local channel.

PM to address 12 post-budget webinars

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, starting from Thursday and till March 11, will address 12 post-budget webinars, which would focus on key priority areas outlined in the budget like green growth, skill development, and ease of living through technology, among other aspects.

The webinars will be focussed on synergizing efforts of various ministries and departments and all concerned stakeholders towards the preparation of action plans with quarterly targets so that the implementation is front ended and smooth with the timely achievement of intended outcomes, a statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said.

The webinars will be attended by Union Ministers concerned, key stakeholders from government departments, regulators, as well as academia and trade and industry associations.

The webinar on green growth would be held on February 23, while the one on agriculture and cooperatives will be held on February 24.

The webinar on “Harnessing Youth power-Skilling and Education” would be held on February 25, and the one on “Reaching the last mile. Leaving No Citizen Behind” would take place on February 27.

Another webinar touching upon the subject “Unleashing the Potential: Ease of living using Technology” would be held on February 28, while another one on “Urban Development with focus on Planning” would take place on March 1.

The remaining webinars would be as per the following schedule: “Developing Tourism in Mission Mode” on March 3, “Infrastructure and Investment: Improving logistic efficiency with PM Gatishakti National Master Plan” on March 4, health and medical research on March 6, the financial sector on March 7, women empowerment on March 10, and on the PM Vishwakarma Kaushal Samman (PM VIKAS) on March 11.

Arunachal important state from strategic viewpoint: President Murmu

President Droupadi Murmu on Monday said Arunachal Pradesh is a “very important state” from a strategic and geographical point of view, adding a good infrastructure is essential for the national security and economic development of the state.

Addressing the 37th Statehood Day celebrations of Arunachal Pradesh in Itanagar, the President said the Central government has approved schemes worth over Rs 44,000 crore for the development of the national highways in the state.

Murmu said the country’s easternmost frontier state has become a power surplus one with the commissioning of 600 MW Kameng Hydro Power Station.

She expressed confidence that the recently inaugurated all-weather Donyi Polo Airport would improve the connectivity of the state and also give a boost to trade and tourism.

Saying that the development of any society cannot be inclusive without the development of women, she noted that about 47 percent of representatives of Panchayats in Arunachal Pradesh are women.

The President said that women of Arunachal Pradesh are achieving success in every field and expressed confidence that women from across the country would take inspiration from Anshu Jamsenpa who is the first woman to summit Mount Everest twice in five days and Tage Rita Takhe who is promoting women’s participation in enterprise and taking local agro-based products of Arunachal Pradesh to the international market.

The President, who arrived in Itanagar on a two-day visit to the northeastern state, said that in India, the first rays of the Sun fall on Arunachal Pradesh.

The different tribes of Arunachal Pradesh, their cultural heritage, and their unity in diversity, inspire all of us. It can be said that the society of Arunachal Pradesh is the microcosm of India, she pointed out.

Noting that it is enriched with mountains, dense forests, lakes, waterfalls, and flora and fauna, this state is a rich biodiversity zone. Expressing her satisfaction that the Arunachal Pradesh government has adopted the “Pakke Declaration” to meet the challenges of climate change and conserve biodiversity, she said that it is also happy to note that drone technology is being used by the state government for agriculture, horticulture, health services, and environment protection.

She said these are important steps for environmental conservation.

The President said that the entire northeastern region, including Arunachal Pradesh, is playing an important role in India’s development.

Several meetings of the G-20 are also being held in the northeastern states, the President said, adding that she was confident that these meetings would give a boost to the culture and tourism of the region and generate investment opportunities in the region.

On Tuesday, the President will address the special session of the state Assembly. Arunachal Pradesh became a full-fledged state on February 20, 1987.

PM condoles death of BJP leader, former Governor O.P. Kohli

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday condoled the death of former Governor and BJP leader O.P. Kohli.

In a tweet, the PM said: “Saddened by the passing away of Shri OP Kohli Ji. He played a key role in strengthening our Party in Delhi. As MP and Governor, he focused on issues of public welfare. He was also passionate about the education sector. My thoughts are with his family. Om Shanti.”

Kohli passed away earlier on Monday. He was 87. The Governor of Gujarat from 2014 to 2019, he also held charge of Madya Pradesh and Goa.

A former Rajya Sabha member and ex-president of BJP in Delhi, he was also an academician.

Upendra Kushwaha resigns from primary membership of JD

JD(U) rebel leader Upendra Kushwaha on Monday resigned from the primary membership of the party.

The decision was taken after a two-day meeting of his supporters in Patna’s Sinha Library and the announcement was made at a press conference, during which Kushwaha also said that he will soon resign from the post of MLC as well.

“I have requested the speaker of Bihar Vidhan Parishad to give me the time so that I can hand over the resignation letter to him. As far as the primary membership of the party is concerned, I have informed Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and national president Lalan Singh,” he told reporters.

Kushwaha also hinted that he will form a new political party in the state, adding that his supporters have authorized him to select a name and flag.

“When I merged my party RLSP with the JD(U), the initial period in the party was good. Nitish Kumar then announced to hand over his political legacy to Tejashwi Yadav in 2025. I informed him that it would deeply hurt JD(U). The party will be destroyed after Tejashwi becomes the Chief Minister of Bihar but he ignored my suggestion. I do not want the boat of JD(U) to drown but Nitish Kumar has already drowned it,” he said.

“The Samata Party and JD(U) emerged against the ‘Jungle Raj’ of Lalu Prasad Yadav. Now, Nitish Kumar has joined hands with him. The moves of Nitish Kumar will destroy his political legacy in Bihar. He is taking decisions only on the suggestions of two to four leaders who are surrounding him.”

Reacting to his relationship with the BJP, Kushwaha said that he has learned from his elder brother (Nitish Kumar).

“He (Nitish Kumar) did the meeting with the party’s alliance partners (BJP) in the evening. After one hour, he held a meeting with the RJD and formed the government the next day at 10 a.m.”

Kushwaha, for the last month, had shown a rebellious attitude against Nitish Kumar.

He had raised strong objections over the announcement of Nitish Kumar who said to hand over his political legacy to Tejashwi Yadav in 2025.

Kushwaha claimed that the Lav-Kush equation of JD(U) will be badly hit after his decision as the Lav-Kush people are arch-rivals of the Yadavs in Bihar.

Kamal Haasan tells cadre to hoist MNM flags at their homes on Founding Day

South Indian superstar and Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM) founder President Kamal Haasan has called upon his cadres to hoist the party flags in their homes on February 21 to mark Founding Day.

“Like beautiful white clouds let our Maiam flags fly across Tamil Nadu,” he said in a statement on Monday while also urging the MNM cadres to visit villages where the party has not developed

He said that with the feeling of ‘our party, our flag’, the cadres of MNM must fly the party flag at more places than those of other political outfits.

Kamal Haasan launched MNM on February 21, 2018, in Madurai as a political alternative to the DMK and the AIADMK.

However the superstar did not taste success in any of the electoral hustings for the party and in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls and in the 2021 Assembly elections, the party lost miserably.

Kamal Haasan also lost in Coimbatore to Vanathi Sreenivasan, the BJP Mahila Morcha leader. He has now extended his support to the DMK, and Congress combine.

The actor-politician campaigned actively for the Congress leader EVKS Elangovan for the February 27 Erode East bypoll.

Ahead of presenting K’taka budget, CM Bommai offers special worship

Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai offered special worship before presenting the budget for the financial year 2023-24, the last budget of the ruling BJP government in Karnataka on Friday.

CM Bommai visited Srikanteshwara temple located in Muthappa Block of R.T. Nagar and Maruthi temple near Balabruyi in Bengaluru.

He got special worship done for the people of the state at the temples and sought blessings. Later, he waved at the media and showed the victory symbol before entering the Assembly. “I prayed to God for the wellbeing of the people of the state,” he said before presenting the budget.

Sources reveal that CM Bommai and the party have made it a popular budget and the party is all set to pitch the budget presented as the assurance for the upcoming elections.

CM Bommai presented a Rs 2,65,720 crore budget last year. The government had claimed that it had reached 91 percent targets and ensured 75 percent progress. BJP insiders said that the size of this budget is going to be Rs 3 lakh crore.

The Chief Minister was a member of the GST Council and presently he is the President of the Group of Ministers for GST Reforms. He had taken strict steps to ensure meeting tax targets. He is also likely to announce community-based major schemes in view of the upcoming elections.

Yogi govt to appoint Udyami Mitras to implement investment proposals

The Yogi Adityanath government in Uttar Pradesh will be appointing Udyami Mitras (friends of entrepreneurs) soon for the implementation of Rs 33.52 lakh crore investment proposals received through the Uttar Pradesh Global Investors Summit-2023 that was held in Lucknow from February 10 to 12.

The Udyami Mitras will be appointed by Invest UP under the Mukhya Mantri Udyami Mitra Yojana, and the CEO of the department.

According to the official spokesman, the Udyami Mitras will contact investors, listen to their problems, get them solved, and explain to them in detail about the facilities available to them.

As many as 105 Udyami Mitras will be appointed on a one-year contract in the first phase, according to a press release. Seventy of these posts will be for the districts, 10 for the Invest UP office and headquarters, and 25 posts for working with various industrial development authorities.

They will be given an honorarium and allowances of Rs 70,000 per month each.

The candidates will be able to apply online on the Invest UP website or on the portal developed for the purpose. The Udyami Mitras must have an MBA degree with at least 60 percent marks and be in the 25-40 year age group. The candidate should be fluent in Hindi and English, and should also know typing in both languages.

Apart from this, preference will be given to the candidates knowing a foreign language. The candidate must have good knowledge of computers and experience in Microsoft Office.

Those applying should have an MBA degree with a minimum of one year of experience as a management trainee/ analyst/ associate in a banking/consulting/market research organization, or investor-friendly related private or public company.

They should also have studied or have work experience in infrastructure and industrial development, defense, aerospace, civil aviation, warehousing, and logistics, information technology (IT), information technology-enabled services (ITES), data center, data science, artificial intelligence, biotechnology, machine learning, data governance, startups, handloom, and textile.

Lakshman Prasad Acharya takes oath as Sikkim Governor

Lakshman Prasad Acharya on Thursday took oath as the new Governor of Sikkim during a ceremony at Raj Bhawan here.

Sikkim High Court’s Chief Justice Biswanath Somadder administered Acharya the oath of office and secrecy in the presence of Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang, cabinet ministers, and other dignitaries inform a State government Press release.

The new Governor signed the solemn oath/affirmation for the assumption of office.

After the swearing-in ceremony, Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang introduced the Governor to the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly, the Deputy Speaker, the Council of Ministers, Members of Parliament for Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, Judges of the High Court of Sikkim, and other dignitaries present.

The newly sworn-in Governor was given a ceremonial guard of honor by Sikkim Police. Acharya succeeds Ganga Prasad as the 17th Governor of Sikkim.

As per the government release, Acharya is the former State Vice-President and Member of the Legislative Council (MLC) of the Bharatiya Janata Party from the Varanasi Division Graduates Constituency in the Varanasi district.

Punjab CM keen to replicate Telangana irrigation model

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann said on Thursday that he is looking to replicate the successful irrigation model of Telangana in his state to recharge groundwater and properly channel river water.

On a day-long visit to Telangana to study some irrigation projects in the state, he said that Punjab needs to properly harness river waters to ease the pressure on groundwater due to paddy cultivation

Mann, who along with officials visited Siddipet district, told reporters that the groundwater level in some parts of Punjab depleted to alarming levels due to overutilization of groundwater resources for growing paddy.

He said 3,800 liters of water has been drawn from the ground to grow one kilogram of paddy. “We have reached a situation where 80 percent of the places have gone into a dark zone,” he said.

He said though Punjab is a state of rivers, the state’s canal system was built before partition and this needs to be upgraded.

Stating that Punjab is number one in the country in paddy production, he said his government was taking steps for crop diversification. However, as the Centre provides no Minimum Support Price (MSP) for crops other than paddy and wheat, farmers were reluctant to switch to alternate crops.

Praising Telangana for developing a good system for the recharge of groundwater, he said he would return to Punjab with a lot of learning from here. He was impressed with Telangana’s success in groundwater recharge and building check-dams.

He said if Telangana’s successful model is replicated in Punjab, the state can save money on electricity subsidies and use the same for the welfare of farmers.

The Punjab Chief Minister visited the Kondapochamma Sagar reservoir, built as part of the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Scheme (KLIS), which is claimed to be the largest lift irrigation project in the world. The officials of the irrigation department briefed him about the various aspects of the mega project. With the help of maps and charts, the officials explained to him how the water from the Godavari River is being lifted.

Bhagwant Mann enquired about the working of the entire system built under KLIS and was impressed with the planning and execution by the authorities.

He also visited check-dams constructed at Erravelly to understand the artificial recharge structures developed by the Irrigation department

The chief minister also visited Pandavula Cheruvu in the Gajwel constituency and studied the tank restoration works taken up under Mission Kakatiya.

Neglected tribal glory now being brought to mainstream: PM Modi

Taking forward his pitch for tribal welfare, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said that what was once considered remote and neglected, is now being brought into the mainstream by the government.

Modi aired these views while inaugurating the ‘Aadi Mahotsav’, a 10-day festival showcasing tribal art, cuisine, culture, and traditions organized by the Union ministry of tribal welfare.

Addressing a gathering on the occasion, the prime minister further said that events like Aadi Mahotsav have become a movement in the country and he himself participates in many of them.

“Welfare of tribal society is also a matter of personal relationship and emotions for me,” he said.

Underlining the contributions of the tribal society in the struggle for India’s Independence, Modi lamented the attempt for decades to cover up the glorious chapters of the sacrifice and valor of the tribal community in the pages of history.

He said that for the first time, the nation has finally taken steps to bring these forgotten chapters of the past to the fore.

“For the first time, the country has started celebrating Janjatiya Gaurav Diwas on the birth anniversary of Bhagwan Birsa Munda,” Modi said.

The prime minister emphasized the efforts of the government to promote tribal arts and skill development for the tribal youth.

Referring to the budget for 2023-24, Modi informed that the PM Visvakarma Yojna has been introduced for traditional craftsmen, where economical assistance will be provided apart from skill development and support in marketing their products.

He illustrated this by citing the aspirational districts and blocks scheme where most of the target areas have a tribal majority.

“In this year’s budget, the budget given for Scheduled Tribes has also been increased by five times as compared to 2014,” the prime minister informed.

Modi highlighted that the spotlight has been on the journey of tribal society in the last 8-9 years of his government, adding that it has been a witness to the change where the country is giving priority to equality and harmony.

He highlighted that this is the first time in 75 years of India’s Independence that the leadership of the country is in the hands of a tribal woman who is making India proud at the highest office in the form of President.

The prime minister said that tribal history is getting much-deserved recognition in the country for the first time.

Andhra HC stays show-cause notice issued to employees’ body

Andhra Pradesh High Court on Wednesday granted a stay on the show-cause notice issued by the state government to leaders of the Government Employees Association (APGEA) for meeting the state governor to seek his intervention to ensure payment of salaries and pensions on time.

Hearing a petition filed by APGEA leaders challenging the show-cause notice, Justice Ravinath Tilahari granted a stay and directed the government to file a counter.

A delegation of APGEA leaders led by its president K. R. Suryanarayana met Governor Biswa Bhusan Harichandan on January 19 and submitted a memorandum to him on the problems faced by the employees.

The delegation requested the governor to issue necessary advice to the government as he is a competent authority as per the Article 309 of the Constitution to intervene in the affairs of the government employees.

After the meeting, APGEA leaders told media persons that they were compelled to meet the governor as all their efforts to resolve the grievances through the state government had failed.

However, taking serious note of the action of APGEA leaders, the government issued a show-cause notice on January 23 asking them to explain why their association should not be derecognized.

Suryanarayana had challenged the show-cause notice in the high court. On the court on January 31 directed the government not to take action against the APGEA.

During the previous hearing, the judge had posed several questions to the government. He wanted to know if the rights guaranteed by Article 19 of the Constitution are not applicable to APGEA. He asked the government if it mentioned in the show-cause notice what rules the APGEA violated while speaking to the media.

Petitioner’s counsel Ravi Prasad told the court that according to the 1990 Financial Code, salaries to government employees should be paid on the last working day of every month but employees are not getting the current month salaries till the 15th of next month.

Suryanarayana alleged that the state government is not honoring the commitment to pay salaries and pensions on the first of every month. The AGEA leader said the government also withdrew the GPF amount of Rs.415 crore from the accounts of over 90,000 employees without their permission. He termed this a “serious” financial fraud.

ED arrests Kerala ex-principal secy M.Sivasankar in Life Mission case

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has arrested Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s former principal secretary M. Sivasankar in connection with a Prevention of Money Laundering case pertaining to alleged fund irregularities in the state’s flood relief.

He was arrested on Tuesday night.

Sivasankar was summoned by the central agency to join the investigation into the matter on Monday and placed under arrest late on Tuesday night after two days of intense questioning. There are allegations that he was paid a bribe of Rs one crore.

“He was called by the ED to join the investigation on January 31, the day he retired from his service. Sivasankar had sought time to appear after which he was summoned to join the probe in the second week of February,” the source said.

Sivasankar allegedly helped the Unitech builder to get a contract in the life mission case.

Now he will be produced before a Special PMLA court. The ED is likely to seek his two weeks’ custodial remand.

NSA for those using unfair means in exams: CM Yogi

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has asked officials to impose National Security Act (NSA) against those involved in unfair practices in the upcoming UP Board 2023 exams for Class 10 and 12, beginning from February 16.

Moreover, FIRs will also be lodged against room invigilators and center administrators found involved in the activities of cheating.

According to the government spokesman, the chief minister has ordered the officers that static and sector magistrates should be appointed at each examination center by the district magistrates.

Last year, the board suffered a major embarrassment after the English language question paper of Class 12 got leaked in 24 districts.

The spokesman said, “They will be required to report to the district inspector of schools along with the district magistrate after the examination is over so that daily activities can be monitored. On the other hand, for the first time, a separate room will be made apart from the principal’s room for monitoring the exam.”

In addition, the copies will be kept in a double lock cupboard and a CCTV camera will be placed for its monitoring round the clock.

After the appointment of room inspectors in all districts, they will be given strict training before the exam. The sector and static magistrates, center administrators, and external center administrators will also be trained in the district.

Yogi Adityanath has directed that a separate strong room should be made for the safety of question papers having 24-hour deployment of two armed policemen with their CCTV monitoring.

He has also called for installing voice-equipped CCTV, digital voice recorders, router devices, and high-speed broadband connections at examination centres.

“Strict action should be taken against anyone who is absent during this period. In such a situation, the permission of the district magistrate or the additional district magistrate will be necessary while opening the question paper,” the guidelines said.

This year, a total of 58,85,745 students, including 31,16,487 for Class 10 and 27,69,258 for Class 12, have registered for high school and intermediate examinations.

UP Board secretary Divyakant Shukla said that of the total students, 32,46,780 are male and the number of female candidates is 26,38,965.

These candidates will take the exam at 8,753 exam centres, including 540 government, 3,523 private, and 4,690 unaided colleges, spread across the state, he said.

Also, 170 candidates are inmates lodged in different prisons who too have registered for the exams. Of them, 91 have registered to appear in Class 12 exams while 79 have enrolled for Class 10 exams.

Meanwhile, a total of 936 examination centres have been identified as sensitive while another 242 centres have been declared highly sensitive by the board.

Arrangements have also been made for live monitoring through webcasting.

Besides, STF of UP Police and the local intelligence unit (LIU) have also been roped in for monitoring sensitive and highly sensitive examination centres.

Their courage motivates us to build strong India: PM Modi pays tribute to Pulwama heroes

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, and several BJP leaders on Tuesday paid tributes to the CRPF personnel who lost their lives in a terror attack on their convoy in Pulwama on this day in 2019.

PM Modi tweeted, “Remembering our valorous heroes who we lost on this day in Pulwama. We will never forget their supreme sacrifice. Their courage motivates us to build a strong and developed India.”

Shah tweeted, “I pay homage to the brave soldiers who laid down their lives in the ghastly terror attack in Pulwama on this day in the year 2019. The nation can never forget their sacrifice. Their valour and indomitable courage will always remain an inspiration in the fight against terrorism.”

BJP chief J.P. Nadda said, “I pay a heartfelt tribute to all those brave hearts martyred in Pulwama on this day and recall their supreme sacrifice and dedication to our country. Their valour and selfless service to the nation is a source of inspiration for every citizen and will always be remembered”, in his tweet.

On this day in 2019, at least 40 CRPF jawans lost their lives after a suicide bomber drove a car laden with explosives into the convoy. The attack was carried out by the Pakistani terror group Jaish-e-Mohammed, which is led by Masood Azhar based in Bahawalpur (Pakistan).

India avenged the Pulwama terror attack by carrying out airstrikes on Jaba Top in Pakistan’s Balakot, destroying Jadish’s terror training camps.

PM Modi will be forced to face the power of truth: Rahul

Sharpening his attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday said that the PM will have to face the power of truth.

“Truth is patient. Truth is polite. You will be forced to face the power of truth, Prime Minister,” he said

The Congress leader has been attacking the PM on the Adani row.

Gandhi had told a public meeting in his constituency Wayanad on Monday where he said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be the last person he would be scared of.

“It doesn’t matter if he has all the agencies with him, because the truth is not with him. One day he will have to face the truth,” Rahul Gandhi said.

At the public meeting, the Congress leader distributed keys to newly-built homes by the party in his constituency to 25 beneficiaries.

Rahul Gandhi used the latter part of his speech to take on Modi, saying that he spoke at length in Parliament about Modi’s equation with Gautam Adani but the PM didn’t reply to any questions.

“The truth will always come out,” he said.

Azam Khan, son get 2 years in jail

A special MP-MLA court in Uttar Pradesh’s Moradabad has sentenced senior Samajwadi Party (SP) leader Azam Khan and his son Abdullah Azam Khan to two years in jail in a 2008 case.

The two were, however, later granted bail.

A case was registered against Azam Khan, his son, and seven others at Chhajlet police station of Moradabad district on January 29, 2008, after SP leaders staged a dharna on the road to protest the checking of Azam Khan’s car by the police.

The police later booked all the nine accused, including SP leaders Mehboob Ali, Hazi Ikram Qureshi, Paras Jain, D.P. Yadav, and Rajesh Yadav, under sections 341, 353 of the Indian Penal Code and the Criminal Law Amendment Act.

K’taka budget session begins today

The beginning of Karnataka Budgets sessions with main political parties is on Friday, Before the state elections, This is the final Assembly session.

The session will be the last Assembly before the state elections.

It is also going to be the last Assembly session for veteran BJP leader, former Chief Minister and BJP Central Parliamentary Board member B.S. Yediyurappa, who has announced his retirement from four decades of electoral politics.

The political parties are planning a respectful farewell during the session for the Lingayat strongman, who brought the BJP to power for the first time in south India. The BJP leaders are planning a vote of thanks during the discussion on the budget.

Yediyurappa entered politics in 1983. Barring the 1999 elections, he won all elections from the Shikaripura Assembly constituency till 2018. He won the parliamentary elections with one of the highest leads in the country.

He built the party with other senior leaders like late former Union minister Anantha Kumar and others from two seats in the state to present day party which has become a powerful force in the state.

Yediyurappa is now keen on handing over the baton to his son B.Y. Vijayendra, who is presently BJP Vice President in the state. However, the party is yet to take a call on fielding Vijayendra from the Shikaripura constituency, which is represented by Yeddyurappa presently.

Apart from this, Governor Thawar Chand Gehlot will address the joint session.

Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai will present the last budget of the ruling BJP government on February 17. The session will be in motion till February 24. The authorities have clamped prohibitory orders in the two km surroundings of the Vidhana Soudha.

Speaker Visveshwara Hegde Kaegri directed all legislators to participate actively in the last session. The session will debate the Governor’s speech and later the discussion on the budget will take place between February 20 and 24.

The Assembly secretary’s office has received 1,300 questions so far, to be discussed during the session. Some of them will be answered on the floor of the House. Written answers would be provided to the rest. Seven bills will be tabled, including six private universities bills.

Major political parties, the ruling BJP, the opposition Congress and JD(S) leaders have organized various political programs during the time of session. As a result of this, major leaders are likely to remain absent for most of the session Political

Speaker Vishveshwara Hegde Kageri has indirectly referred to this by stating that the attendance of representatives of the leaders in the session is likely to fall in the backdrop of various political engagements.

Bengal BJP upset over Governor’s speech in budget session

West Bengal unit of BJP seems to be frustrated with Governor C.V. Ananda Bose’s speech at the opening of the budget session of the state Assembly.

State BJP leadership feels that the governor could have avoided reading out certain portions of the speech especially those stressing “Union government depriving the state,” “stable law & order situation,” and “excellence in the education sector” among others.

“Agreed that the Governor by convention needs to read out the written speech provided by the state government. However, at the same time, the Governor had the option to avoid reading out the controversial portions by completing the process by reading out the first line and the last line of the speech. However, the Governor chose to read out the entire speech despite the objections from our legislators on the controversial portions,” said a member of the state committee of the party.

According to the leader of the opposition in the state Assembly Suvendu Adhikari, the state government has resorted to blatant falsehood through the Governor’s speech. “There is no reason to believe that the Union government has deprived the state government of its legitimate dues. Rather it is the state government that has misutilised the central funds,” he said.

The state committee member of the BJP also pointed out that the portions of the Governor’s speech that highlighted the level of excellence that the state’s education sector has reached during the current regime were unacceptable. “This is especially unacceptable in the backdrop of the massive corruption in teachers recruitment following which almost the entire education department including the former state education minister is behind the bars,” he said.

He also pointed out that Ananda Bose’s predecessor Jagdeep Dhankhar played the perfect role on such occasions by completing his speech by reading out just the first and last lines on such occasions.

A section of the state BJP leadership also feels that by reading out the entire speech the governor has indirectly given the state’s ruling party an arm to combat the opposition’s persistent movements on the issues of corruption in the state.

Cong furious over expunging of speech parts of Rahul, Kharge

The Congress was furious on Thursday after the presiding officers of both Houses expunged parts of the speech made by Mallikarjun Kharge in the Rajya Sabha and Rahul Gandhi in the Lok Sabha.

Kharge, Congress MP and Leader of Opposition, raised the matter before the Rajya Sabha Chairman. He said that he had not said anything unparliamentary and his speech should be restored.

He said that in the past former Prime Minister, Atal Bihari Vajpayee had used similar words for former PM Narasimha Rao.

Pramod Tiwari of the Congress said that these words were part of the various Assembly proceedings.

Kharge on Wednesday while speaking on the motion of thanks to the President’s Address said, “Wealth of one of the closest friends of the Prime Minister increased by 12 times in the last two and half years. In 2014 it was a Rs 50,000 crore group while in 2019 it became Rs 1 lakh crore group, but what ‘jadu’ (magic) happened was that suddenly in two years assets worth Rs 12 lakh crore came…whether it is due to the favor of friendship.”

On February 7, Rahul Gandhi during the discussion on the motion of thanks in the Lok Sabha, attacked the PM, and said “Earlier he used to travel in Adani’s aircraft and now Adani travels with Modiji in his aircraft. First, the matter was limited to Gujarat then the country and now he has become international.”

On Thursday, Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar rejected the suspension notice under rule 267 moved by Aam Aadmi Party’s Sanjay Singh and BRS’s K. Keshav Rao after which the AAP staged a walkout.

Sanjay Singh said all the notices were rejected and alleged that the government was stalling the discussion on Adani row.

Singh had demanded suspension of business under rule 267 on Wednesday too, but the notice was rejected by the chair following the AAP staged walkout. The notice said that the public sector banks and LIC have lost money in the Adani Group case after the Hindenburg report surfaced.