Hurt my knees: Kharge to speaker after Parl showdown

The Allahabad high court has come to the aid of three minor children, who were expelled from a school for allegedly bringing non-vegetarian food in their tiffin, and asked the district magistrate to ensure they are admitted to another school within two weeks.

 

Hearing a writ petition filed by one Sabra and three others from Amroha, a bench comprising Justices Siddharth and SC Sharma directed the district magistrate of Amroha to get these children admitted in some other school affiliated to the CBSE within a period of two weeks and file an affidavit of compliance before this court.

It is alleged in the petition the Principal of the school had objected to the children getting non-vegetarian food in school and expelled them.

Counsel for the petitioner submitted that the right to education of the children has been affected by the conduct of the school.

In its order on December 17, the court directed that the court will be heard afresh on January 6, 2025. 

"In case no affidavit is filed by the district magistrate, Amroha, he shall be personally present on the next date," it said. -- PTI  

Congress president and Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge on Thursday submitted a privilege notice against Home Minister Amit Shah for his remarks against B R Ambedkar.

In his notice submitted to the RS Chairman, Kharge alleged that the remarks made by Shah were an insult to the architect of the Constitution and amounted to breach of privilege and contempt of the House.

"I hereby give a notice of question of privilege against Shri Amit Shah, Minister of Home Affairs under Rule 188 of Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the Council of States (Rajya Sabha)," Kharge said in his notice.

He said on December 17, Shah during his reply in the Rajya Sabha on the discussion on 'Glorious journey of 75 years of the Constitution of India', had referred to Ambedkar which was "insulting and defamatory".

"...it is well established that any misconduct in the presence of the House or casting reflections and making defamatory statements constitute a breach of privilege and contempt of the House," he noted.

Kharge also claimed that the wording as well as the tone and tenor of the remarks made by the Home minister "are clearly satirical and made in a very bad taste".

"To use the name of Dr B R Ambedkar, the chief architect of Constitution of India, is a clear cut insult to Dr Ambedkar. There remarks which have been made on the floor of the House are outright derogatory in nature and affront to Dr Ambedkar," he claimed in his notice.

Noting that such a conduct by the home minister is tantamount to breach of privilege and contempt of the house, Kharge said, "In view of the foregoing I request that privilege proceedings may be initiated against Shri Amit Shah, Minister of Home Affairs." 

Sharing Kharge's privilege notice in a post on X, AICC general secretary Jairam Ramesh said, "The Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha and Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge ji has submitted a privilege notice against the Union Home Minister for his insulting remarks on Dr. Ambedkar in the Rajya Sabha on Dec 17, 2024". -- PTI

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Wednesday said he is ready to form a committee headed by a retired judge to look into the Waqf properties issue.

 

The chief minister also assured the Karnataka Assembly that the government will not remove those temples which are built on Waqf properties. In case notices have been served to them, then they will be withdrawn, he said.

Replying to the question raised by the opposition BJP on the Waqf land issue in the ongoing Assembly session on Thursday, the chief minister said, "Revenue Minister Krishna Byre Gowda has given a detailed reply to the charges of the opposition party.

"If they are not content with our reply, the government is ready to form a committee headed by a retired judge," the chief minister told the house.

He also made it clear that the matter is not a prestige issue.

Siddaramaiah said the central government had enacted the Wakf Act in 1954, which the state government cannot amend.

"The BJP-led government was in power in the state from 2008 to 2013 and from 2019 to 2023. The BJP has been in power at the Centre since 2014. Then, without thinking about amending the Wakf Act, they are now raising a controversy,  he alleged.

Siddaramaiah said the BJP, in its election manifesto, had said that it would discuss with Muslim religious leaders and clear and protect the encroached Waqf properties.

The government has clearly answered all the questions of the opposition. This should remove the confusion among the people, he added.

Siddaramaiah also assured the House that the government will not touch Waqf lands sanctioned under the Inam Cancellation and Land Reforms Act.

According to him, of the total 1.28 lakh acres of Waqf property, 47,263 acres are under the Inam Cancellation and 23,623 acres under the Land Reforms Act, and 3,000 acres have been used for public purposes. About 17,969 acres of Waqf land has been encroached on by private individuals.

"There is a Supreme Court order to protect these. Once it is registered as a Waqf property, it will always be a Waqf property," he said. -- PTI

Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Thursday alleged that BJP MPs were pushing him and stopping him and other opposition MPs from entering Parliament. His remarks came after some BJP MPs claimed that Gandhi pushed an MP, resulting in their leader Pratap Sarangi getting injured.

Sarangi was taken to hospital after getting injured in the melee when the protesting INDIA bloc and the BJP MPs came face to face in front of Makar Dwar in Parliament. 

"I was trying to enter Parliament and the BJP MPs were stopping me, pushing me and threatening me," Gandhi told reporters in Parliament premises.

Asked if Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and Wayanad MP Priyanka Gandhi had also been pushed, Rahul Gandhi said, "It has happened but we don't get bothered with this pushing around." 

"This is the entry to Parliament, we have a right to go inside and the BJP members were stopping us from going inside," he alleged and pointed to the Makar Dwar.

Gandhi said the central issue is that they are attacking the Constitution and insulting the memory of Ambedkar. -- PTI

As parallel protest from both ruling party and Opposition continued outside parliament a fresh controversy broke out. 

Bharatiya Janata Party MP Pratap Chandra Sarangi on Thursday alleged that he was hurt after getting a push from Congress leader Rahul Gandhi. 

Singh claimed that he was standing on stairs when another member of Parliament fell on him, leading to an injury on his head. 

 

 "Rahul Gandhi pushed a member of Parliament who fell on me after which I fell down. I was standing near the stairs when Rahul Gandhi came and pushed an MP who then fell on me," Singh told reporters. 

 

 As this happened, the BJP MP was rushed for treatment in an ambulance. 

 

 Reacting to this, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, in his defence, said that he was trying to get inside the Parliament when he was also pushed and threatened by the BJP MPs who were protesting near the entrance. He also alleged that Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge was also pushed. 

 

 "This might be on your camera. I was trying to go inside through the Parliament entrance, but BJP MPs were trying to stop me, push me and threaten me. This has happened...Yes, this has happened (Mallikarjun Kharge being pushed). But we do not get affected by jostling. But this is the entrance and we have the right to go in. BJP MPs were trying to stop us from going in..." Gandhi told reporters.

 

 He added that the central issue remains that the BJP was attacking the Constitution and insulting the memory of Ambedkar.

Two passengers, a man and a child, were still missing a day after a Navy craft carrying out engine trials rammed into their ferry off Mumbai coast, police said on Thursday.

Of the 113 persons on board both the vessels, 13 died and 98, including two injured, were rescued, they said.

The two missing persons have been identified as 43-year-old Hansraj Bhati and seven-year-old Johan Mohammad Nisar Ahmed Pathan, the police said.

A search operation was underway with help of the Navy and Coast Guard, they said.

Thirteen persons, including a Navy personnel and two contractual naval employees, were killed when the Navy craft dashed against the passenger ferry 'Neel Kamal', carrying more than 100 passengers from the Gateway of India to the Elephanta Island, on Wednesday afternoon. -- PTI

Dressed in blue, a colour associated with B R Ambedkar, Opposition INDIA bloc members on Thursday took out a protest march in Parliament premises demanding the resignation of Home Minister Amit Shah for his remarks related to the architect of the Constitution.

 

BJP-led NDA parliamentarians also carried out a march within Parliament premises raising slogans and carrying placards demanding an apology from the opposition Congress for allegedly insulting Ambedkar.

Congress leaders, including Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, marched from Ambedkar's statue within Parliament complex to Parliament House raising slogans of 'Jai Bhim' and carrying photographs of the leader. 

A massive political row erupted on Wednesday as the Congress and other opposition parties launched an all-out attack on Shah for his remarks on Ambedkar and demanded his sacking, while Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other top BJP leaders rallied to his defence and said he has exposed Congress' "anti-Ambedkar" stand. -- PTI 

Anjali Singh/Business Standard

In a pioneering move, myTVS, Indias largest digital platform for the automotive aftermarket, on Wednesday announced entering quick commerce for distributing automotive parts and lubricants -- myTVS Hypermart being the brand name -- for passenger and commercial vehicles.

Deliveries, to retailers and other business partners, will be in one-two hours of getting orders.

"This model marks a milestone as we roll it out in a phased manner," said G Srinivasa Raghavan, managing director, myTVS.

Aiming to expand supply-chain partnerships with parts-retail networks, the platform, which connects manufacturers, retailers, and garages, has streamlined operations for 22,000 retailers and 30,000 garages nationwide.

myTVS, which rang up revenues of Rs 1,900 crore in FY24 and services about 4 per cent of the countrys vehicle-park, is aiming to expand the coverage to 10 to 12 per cent in two years. It is targeting a compound annual growth rate of 30 to 35 per cent.

myTVS aims to tackle the fragmented nature of the automotive aftermarket, which has been a hurdle for both retailers and customers, by improving efficiency and delivery time, and combating the issue of spurious parts. This will be done through standardised nomenclature and a centralised supply chain.

In the pilot phase, the model demonstrated profitability per store within three months and superior returns for partner retailers. One retailer, for example, reduced inventories worth Rs 3.2 crore to nearly zero, freeing up Rs 2.5 crore in cash flow within four months.

With a catalogue of over 12 million parts, myTVS will initially establish 50 dark stores, branded myTVS Hypermart, by March next year in Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Maharashtra, and Gujarat. Over the next three years, the company will add 200 stores across India.

With plans to grow its dark-store network to over 250 in three years, the platform is positioned to drive a 30 per cent reduction in supply-chain costs. Retailers can now access the myTVS digital catalogue and meet orders.

The company has said the increase in logistics cost due to this delivery model will be minimal because last-mile deliveries will be managed by an electric-vehicle fleet. However, the company did not state the amount of increase.

A man has been arrested in Bareilly for allegedly threatening to kill Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and police officials.

 

According to police, Anil dialled 112, an emergency service number, and claimed that he would shoot the chief minister on January 26. He also threatened the station in-charge of Izzatnagar police station and other officers, they said.

"After receiving the threat on Tuesday night, police launched a search operation, but the accused's phone was switched off. Following extensive efforts overnight, Anil was located and arrested on Wednesday," said SHO of Izzatnagar Police Station Dhananjay Pandey.

An FIR has been registered, and the accused is being interrogated. He will be produced before a court here later on Thursday, the police officer said.

The threats raised tensions in the area, creating fears of communal unrest.

"Prompt action was taken to prevent escalation and maintain peace. We are also investigating the accused's intent and mental state," the SHO added.

Anil initially filed a complaint with a local PRV team on Tuesday evening, claiming his friend had borrowed his motorcycle and failed to return it, police said.

However, when they questioned him, he started hurling abuses and issued threats. Around 11 pm, Anil called 112, issuing the death threat, the police said. -- PTI

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Deputy CM Eknath Shinde visited the memorial of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh founder Dr K B Hedgewar in Nagpur on Thursday morning and paid tributes to him.

They also paid respects at the memorial of MS Golwalkar, the second Sarsanghchalak of the RSS.

State assembly speaker Rahul Narwekar, council's deputy chairperson Neelam Gorhe and various other legislators of the ruling BJP and Shinde-led Shiv Sena also paid homage at the memorials of Dr Hedgewar and Golwalkar.

They also met with the Sangh office-bearers who gave them a brief introduction of the RSS. 

The winter session of the state legislature is currently underway in Nagpur. -- PTI 

Babasaheb Ambedkar's grandson Prakash Ambedkar alleged on Wednesday that Union Home Minister Amit Shah's remarks on the father of the Constitution reflected the BJP's "same old mentality".

Several MPs of the INDIA bloc staged a protest in Parliament premises demanding Shah's apology for his remarks on B R Ambedkar which they claimed were an insult to B R Ambedkar.

The Congress also demanded that Shah apologise publicly and in Parliament.

"Before the BJP came into existence, its forerunners Jan Sangh and RSS had opposed Babasaheb while the Constitution was being adopted," Prakash Ambedkar, who heads Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi, told reporters in Pune.

He said Shah's statement has brought the same old mentality of the BJP to the fore.

"There is nothing new in the statement. They are not able to execute their old plans. Not because of Congress, but because of Babasaheb Ambedkar and they will continue to sulk," said Prakash Ambedkar.

Congress general secretary-in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh had shared a video snippet on X from Shah's speech in Rajya Sabha.

"Abhi ek fashion ho gaya hai - Ambedkar, Ambedkar, Ambedkar, Ambedkar, Ambedkar, Ambedkar. Itna naam agar bhagwan ka lete to saat janmon tak swarg mil jata (It has become a fashion to say Ambedkar, Ambedkar, Ambedkar, Ambedkar, Ambedkar, Ambedkar'. If they had taken God's name so many times, they would have got a place in heaven)," Shah had said, taking a swipe at the opposition. -- PTI

Shreya Nandi/Business Standard

Amid an 'unusual' 331 per cent year-on-year surge in gold imports in November, the Directorate General of Commercial Intelligence and Statistics (DGCIS) under the department of commerce has initiated a thorough review of the import data for the yellow metal, sources said on Wednesday.

"Upon noticing the unusual surge, the DGCIS has taken up a detailed examination of the gold import data, with reconciliation to be done against data received by the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs," a commerce ministry source told Business Standard.

Trade data released on Monday showed that Indias trade deficit reached a record high of $37.8 billion in November, influenced by a rise in merchandise imports, especially inbound shipments of gold.

According to the data, India imported $14.9 billion worth of gold, comprising 21 per cent of merchandise imports that month.

Department of Commerce officials said that the surge in gold imports was influenced by nearly a 30 per cent increase in prices.

A Bloomberg news report said that India's record gold imports were primarily due to a calculation error. Officials reportedly double-counted gold shipments in warehouses after a change in methodology in July. Efforts are underway to reconcile the data, which may have been overestimated by as much as 50 tonnes in November.

If the error is identified, trade figures are likely to be revised, and traders may see a correction in the foreign exchange rate. This would also ease mounting speculation about the state of the economy, as economists pondered whether the surge in gold purchases signalled distress and a need to hedge against inflation, or prosperity in the hinterland triggered by a healthy crop.

At least five terrorists were killed in an encounter with security forces in Kulgam district of Jammu and Kashmir on Thursday, officials said in Srinagar.

Two security forces personnel sustained injuries in the operation that was launched in the early hours of Thursday, they said.

Security forces launched a cordon and search operation at Kadder in the Behibagh area of the district on Wednesday night following information about the presence of suspected terrorists there, an official said.

The search operation turned into an encounter as the terrorists opened fire on security forces and they retaliated.

"Bodies of five terrorists are lying in the orchards but have not been retrieved yet," the official added. -- PTI

The drivers of a couple of boats who were among the first to reach the site of the accident between a ferry and a Navy craft off the Mumbai coast said they never witnessed such a horrific event in their lives.

   

Thirteen people died and 99 were rescued in the incident that occurred on Wednesday, the Navy said. The Navy craft undergoing engine trials lost control and collided with a passenger ferry that was carrying passengers from the Gateway of India to Elephanta Island, a popular tourist destination.

Arif Bamane, a driver of the Mumbai Port Trust (MBPT) pilot boat Poorva, said, "When we reached there, the situation was tragic and completely chaotic. People were screaming for help, and some were crying,".

He added that they prioritised rescuing women and children.

Bamane said a fishing trawler and another tourist boat had already arrived at the scene before them.

Bamane said he and his team were heading to Mumbai from Jawahar Deep on Wednesday evening when the control room gave the information about the accident. They were instructed to reach the spot near JD5 as quickly as possible.

He said their boat had only four people aboard, but they did their best to rescue the stranded individuals before other boats arrived. Among those crying for help, there were three to four foreigners, he said.

"We tried to save as many people as possible," Bamane said, adding that they rescued about 20-25 people, who were later transferred to naval boats that arrived at the scene.

With 18 years of boat driving experience, Bamane said he had witnessed small rescue operations before but Wednesday's incident was the most horrific and tragic. This is the biggest rescue operation that I have seen so far, he said.

He recalled a small girl lying motionless as water had entered her lungs. They performed chest compressions on her and helped her breathe again. Slowly, her breathing became normal, he said.

Iqbal Gothekar, a driver of a small tourist boat, told PTI that about 25-30 minutes after his boat departed from Elephanta Island at around 3.35 pm, he learned of the incident and was one of the first to reach the accident site.

Gothekar, who has been a boat driver since 2004, said the people on the capsized boat were frantically waving their hands for help.

He said by the time they reached the spot, a fishing trawler had also arrived.

A native of Raigad district, Gothekar stated that his boat rescued 16 people, bringing them safely to the Gateway of India. The rescued individuals were taken to a police post.

"In my career, I have never witnessed such an incident," Gothekar said while recounting the event.

Shakti is one of the five poll guarantees made by the Congress party before coming to power which offers free ride for Karnataka women in non-luxury buses. 

The scheme was launched on June 11, 2023, 22 days after the formation of the government. 

The government said it will reimburse the expenditure incurred by these corporations through the implementation of the Shakti scheme. 

Replying a starred question raised by BJP MLA Arvind Bellad in the ongoing Karnataka assembly session, on December 16, transport minister Ramalinga Reddy said since the launch of the scheme till November this year, Rs 6,543 crore was paid to the four transport corporations namely Bangalore Metropolitan Road Transport Corporation, Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation, North West Karnataka Road Transport Corporation and Kalyana Karnataka Road Transport Corporation. 

As on October, the total balance amount payable to these corporations for their expenditure on Shakti scheme was Rs 1,694.42 crore. 

The government owes BMTC Rs 280.82 crore, KSRTC Rs 683.21 crore, NWKRTC Rs 394.7 crore and KKRTC Rs 335.67 crore as of October. 

According to the transport department officials, since the launch of the scheme on June 11, last year to December 15 this year, 350.9 crore free bus rides were undertaken thorough the Shakti scheme, which costs the state exchequer Rs 8,481.68 crore. -- PTI

The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny, to be published under Penguin's 'Hamish Hamilton' imprint, is described as a "sweeping tale of two Indians in the United States navigating the many forces that shape their lives: country, class, race, history and the complicated bonds that link one generation to the next".   

"Using the comic lens of an endlessly unresolved romance between two modern Indians, The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny examines Western and Eastern notions and manifestations of love and solitude as they play out across the geographical and emotional terrain of today's globalised world. I think only a novel can get at the raw truth regarding what people are privately thinking and negotiating," Desai said in a statement. -- PTI

The BJP office, located at Indira Market in the Chittu Pandey area, was demolished under the anti-encroachment drive by a joint team from the Ballia Municipal Corporation, district administration and police on Tuesday. 

Chanting slogans of "Down with the district administration," Singh, who is the party's district vice president,  condemned the demolition and claimed that he had been operating the office for the past 40 years, which was destroyed without any prior warning or discussion.

He also raised banners at the protest site, one of which read, "Mass protest against the unjust and arbitrary action by the district administration."

"They (municipal corporation) should have spoken to me before demolishing it. They are government employees, and I am a government party official. The government is mine; they should have sat down and discussed it with me," Singh told media in Ballia.

The BJP functionary further accused the district administration of acting under the influence of the Samajwadi Party. -- PTI

The matter came to fore after a video made rounds on social media on Monday, they said.

In the video, a person was seen roaming in the Bhairavnath temple premises wearing shoes and tampering with the idols of the temple using a stick, they said.

The whole incident was recorded in the CCTV camera installed in the temple premises.

The priests of Kedarnath temple also expressed their displeasure over the matter, after which the police came into action and immediately launched a probe.

In the preliminary investigation, the police found that the video was old and the person seen in the video is a laborer of a company engaged in Kedarnath reconstruction work.

After this, a case was registered against the labourer, Sajjan Kumar, the concerned contractor and the company under Section 298 and 331 (hurting religious sentiments, trespassing) of the BNS, the police said. -- PTI