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Delhi Lt Governor suspends key aide in Kejriwal’s office
Delhi Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena on Wednesday ordered the suspension of the deputy secretary in Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s office and two sub-divisional magistrates (SDMs) over corruption charges. Prakash Chandra Thakur posted as deputy secretary in the chief minister’s office, Vasant Vihar SDM Harshit Jain, and Vivek...
Assam CM’s wife slaps Rs 100 cr suit against Sisodia
Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia faces a Rs 100 crore civil defamation case by Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma’s wife, Riniki Bhuyan Sharma. Earlier this month, Sisodia had alleged that Chief Minister Himanta Sarma awarded a contract for Covid Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) kits to a company...
ED questions M’rashtra minister for 10 hours, called again
Maharashtra Transport Minister Anil Parab appeared before the Enforcement Directorate on Tuesday in connection with a money laundering probe. He was questioned for 10 hours today and has been summoned again tomorrow. The 57-year-old legislator reached the federal agency’s office in Ballard Estate around 11:20 am, following which his...
Centre tells SC it must be heard before any Agnipath decision
The Centre has filed a caveat in the Supreme Court urging that the court “must hear its side” before taking any decision on the petitions challenging the ‘Agnipath’ military recruitment scheme. So far, three petitions have been filed in the Supreme Court against the ‘Agnipath’ scheme- the centre’s short-term recruitment...
Rahul Gandhi’s ED questioning resumes for fifth day
Even as Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was questioned for a fourth day by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Monday, he has been summoned for Tuesday as well. The Wayanad MP has been questioned for 40 hours in four days so far in a case of alleged money laundering. Last...
Shiv Sena minister Eknath Shinde disappears with MLAs
Maharashtra Minister and top Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde has reportedly moved to a hotel in Gujarat’s Surat with 11 other party MLAs, setting off alarm bells in the Uddhav Thackeray government. Sources say Shinde, who is reportedly upset, is “unreachable”. Palghar MLA Srinivas Vanga, Aligarh legislator Mahendra Dalvi...
Modi bemoans ‘good intentions’ getting caught in politics
Prime Minister Narendra today said it is India’s “misfortune” that good intentions get trapped in politics. His remarks come amid nationwide protests against the Centre’s new military recruitment scheme ‘Agnipath’. The prime minister, however, made no direct reference to the scheme in his speech which was largely focused on...
Crack down on WhatsApp groups over Agnipath protests
Thirty-five WhatsApp groups have been banned for allegedly spreading fake news about the Centre’s new Agnipath scheme, sources have said. The ban comes amid violent protests over the planned short-term recruitment in the armed forces, which is set to start this year. The military has accused coaching centres of...
Next round of Uddhav’s contest with BJP in council poll
The Maharashtra Legislative Council (MLC) elections will witness another contest between the BJP and Congress after the recently held Rajya Sabha elections. A total of 11 candidates are contesting for 10 Maharashtra Legislative Council seats, with the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA allies) – Shiv Sena, NCP and Congress – fielding...
Concessions fail to pacify Agnipath protesters
Despite the Centre’s steps to assuage concerns over the ‘Agnipath’ defence recruitment scheme, there was no let-up in the protests in several states with the job aspirants demanding a rollback of the scheme. The Home and Defence ministries promised new 10 per cent quotas each in jobs for ‘Agnipath’...
Secunderabad violence ‘mastermind’ arrested
An ex-Armyman has been arrested in connection with the Friday’s violence at Secunderabad railway station in Telangana over the ‘Agnipath’ recruitment scheme, the police said. Avula Subba Rao is allegedly the mastermind behind the violence wherein several trains were set on fire by the protesters, while one person was killed...
Speaker responds to CJI’s concerns on parliament debates
Amid concerns expressed in some quarters over the debates in Parliament, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Saturday said quality debates take place in the House and he is working on further improving those. Birla listed several initiatives such as upgrading the library and providing research material to MPs,...
Jaishankar says no question of allowing China to alter LAC
India will not allow any unilateral attempt by China to change the status quo or alter the Line of Actual Control (LAC), External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on Saturday, while asserting that through an enormous logistical effort, the country had countered the Chinese in eastern Ladakh. Talking about...
Owaisi predicts big reward for Nupur Sharma in 6 months
All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi has demanded the arrest of suspended BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma for the alleged objectionable remark against Prophet Muhammad and said that the action should be taken against her according to the law of India. Owaisi further said that Nupur Sharma will...
Protests spread like wildfire, extending to South
At least 250 people have been arrested in Uttar Pradesh over the ‘Agnipath’ protests, which has seen hordes of angry youth, carrying bamboo sticks and stones, storming railway premises across cities and small towns and laying siege to highways. Meanwhile, protests against ‘Agnipath’ left Bihar in flames on Friday...
Navy chief says he did not anticipate violent protests
As the government desperately tries to assuage protestors and list the benefits of the ‘transformational’ new recruitment scheme for armed forces, Aginpath, Navy chief Admiral R Hari Kumar has backed it and said he didn’t anticipate protests like this. Amid widespread violent protests by Army aspirants, the Navy Chief...
Cong seeks parliamentary panel discussion on Agnipath
Congress MP KC Venugopal on Friday urged Parliament’s Standing Committee on Defence Chairman Jual Oram to convene an urgent meeting of all stakeholders and defence experts to discuss in detail the recently announced Agniveer scheme by the Central government. Noting that violent protests are continuing across the country over...
Trains set on fire in UP, Bihar as Agnipath stir spreads
Mob set trains on fire in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar this morning as the protests over the new military recruitment policy, Agnipath, entered the third consecutive day today. The government has defended the scheme, calling it “transformative”. Trains were set afire, public and police vehicles attacked in both states...
