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Tue, 11 June 2024
This is what the Reasi attack terrorist looks like
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Joe Biden's son Hunter Biden/Democratic National Convention/Pool via Reuters
23:58 Joe Biden's son Hunter Biden convicted on all 3 charges at federal gun trial
Hunter Biden, the eldest living son of the US president, has been convicted of all three felony charges related to the purchase of a revolver when, prosecutors argued, the president's son lied on a mandatory gun-purchase form by saying he was not illegally using or addicted to drugs, CNN reported.
The jury, which deliberated for just under three hours, returned guilty verdicts on all three charges, which stemmed from a revolver Hunter Biden bought in October 2018 at a Delaware gun shop.
The first two counts were for lying about his drug use on a federal background check form, and the third count was for possessing a gun while addicted to, or using, illegal drugs.
His trial on gun charges began on June 3.
According to CNN. the former president's son is accused of lying on federal documents regarding his drug usage at the time of the weapon's purchase, obtaining a revolver illegally while under the influence of narcotics. -- ANI
Telangana BJP MLA T Raja Singh (left)/Courtesy Raja Singh on X
23:55 Hyderabadi who made threat calls to MLA Raja Singh traced to Saudi, held
A 40-year-old man was arrested in Hyderabad on Tuesday for allegedly making threatening calls to Telangana BJP MLA T Raja Singh, the Hyderabad police said.
The Hyderabad Cyber Crime Police traced the accused Mohammed Wasim, 40, using call data analysis to Jeddah in Saudi Arabia and arrested him when he arrived at RGI airport in Hyderabad.
He was continuously making calls to the MLA from random numbers by using Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) calling applications, and abused him in "filthy language and threatened' him, an official release said.
Raja Singh, who represents Goshamahal constituency, in a complaint to the police had earlier stated that he received calls from a number and the caller issued threats to harm him and his family, before the assembly elections last year, and the caller even threatened that before counting day they would kill him and his family.
In the complaint, the BJP MLA further stated that the caller had threatened that he even had a plan to kill Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, during his election campaign in Goshamahal constituency. -- PTI
23:36 This is what the Reasi attack terrorist looks like
The Jammu and Kashmir Police on Tuesday released a sketch of a terrorist involved in the attack on a passenger bus in Reasi district and announced a Rs 20 lakh reward for information about him.
On Sunday, terrorists opened fire at the 53-seater bus carrying pilgrims when it was en route from the Shiv Khori temple to the Mata Vaishno Devi shrine in Katra near Teryath village in the Poni area.
The bus, which was ferrying pilgrims from Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Delhi, plunged into a deep gorge following the gunfire, killing nine people and injuring 41 others.
"Reasi police announce a reward of Rs 20 lakh for any fruitful information about the whereabouts of the terrorist involved in the recent attack on the yatri bus in the area of Pouni," a police spokesman said.
The sketch of the terrorist was prepared based on the description given by eyewitnesses, he said and appealed to people provide information. -- PTI
Chinese President Xi Jinping/Florence Lo/Reuters
23:32 Chinese 'dissident' naval officer enters Taiwan by speedboat
A Chinese ex-navy captain, claiming to be a defector, caught Taiwan's navy off-guard by driving his speedboat directly to a pier outside the capital Taipei on Sunday.
The intrusion by a mainland Chinese man amid high-security measures in the midst of recurring tensions with China came in for strong criticism from Taiwan's top politicians.
China views Taiwan as a rebel province that must be reunified with the mainland, even by force.
The man, identified as Ruan, 60, was spotted 11 km off the coast of Tamsui in New Taipei.
After entering the Tamsui River, which leads to downtown Taipei, the boat hit a ferry at the pier, according to the coastguard, the Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post reported on Tuesday.
Ruan, who claimed to be a former Chinese navy captain, said he left Ningde port in China's coastal city of Fuzhou a day earlier.
However, Taiwan's coastguard said no food or drink was found on the boat and the man did not appear to have a tan. According to the coastguard, the man said he was persecuted by mainland authorities for "making improper statements' and that he wished to flee to Taiwan. -- PTI
23:16 Lt General Upendra Dwivedi is next Army chief
Lt Gen Upendra Dwivedi will be the next Chief of Army Staff succeeding incumbent Gen Manoj Pande, the government announced on Tuesday night.
Lt Gen Dwivedi is currently serving as the Vice Chief of Army Staff.
Gen Pande will retire on June 30.
In appointing Lt Gen Dwivedi, the government has followed the seniority principle.
"The government has appointed Lt Gen Upendra Dwivedi, presently serving as Vice Chief of the Army Staff, as the next Chief of the Army Staff with effect from the afternoon of June 30," the defence ministry said.
In a rare move, the government last month extended Gen Pande's tenure by one month days before his superannuation.
Gen Pande was to retire from service on May 31.
The move triggered speculation that Lt Gen Dwivedi may be overlooked for the top post.
The senior-most official after Lt Gen Dwivedi is Lt Gen Ajay Kumar Singh, the Southern Army Commander.
Both Lt Gen Dwivedi and Lt Gen Singh are course mates and were to retire together on June 30.
Former Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad/File image
23:02 Ravi Shankar, Chugh BJP's observers for election of next Arunachal CM
The Bharatiya Janata Party on Tuesday appointed former Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad and its national general secretary Tarun Chugh central observers for the meeting of its Arunachal Pradesh MLAs to elect the state's next chief minister.
The party in a statement said the two leaders will oversee the meeting where the MLAs will elect their leader, the new CM.
They are likely to travel to Itanagar on Wednesday.
The BJP has returned to power in the north east state by winning 46 seats in the 60-member assembly.
Incumbent chief minister Pema Khandu may retain his position, sources said. -- PTI
File image/PTI Photo
22:41 Man climbs atop mobile tower in Chandigarh, demands meeting with Punjab CM
A man climbed atop a 125-ft-high mobile tower in Chandigarh on Tuesday, insisting on meeting Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann for the resolution of his land dispute.
Five hours later, police managed to convince him to come down.
He was brought down with the help of a skylift ladder.
Chandigarh deputy superintendent of police Gurmukh Singh said information was received around 8:30 am that a man had climbed atop the mobile tower in Sector 17.
A fire brigade and an ambulance were deployed near the spot, he said.
The man, Vikram, a resident of Haryana's Jind, is embroiled in a land dispute in Punjab's Mansa district and claimed that no action had been taken on his complaint in the matter, the DSP said.
The police team repeatedly requested Vikram to come down but he refused to budge from his demand to meet the chief minister for the resolution of the land dispute, Singh said.
The DSP said he spoke to Vikram on the phone and told him that he had spoken to the officer on special duty to the Punjab chief minister and his issue would be resolved.
Singh also assured to take Vikram to the chief minister's residence. Around 1:30 pm, Vikram finally heeded police requests and agreed to come down.
He was taken for a medical checkup after he came down, Singh said. -- PTI
Representational image
22:20 1 terrorist killed in encounter in J-K's Kathua
A terrorist was shot dead by security forces during an encounter after ultras on Tuesday evening opened fire at a village in Kathua district of Jammu and Kashmir, the police said.
The terrorists struck Saida Sukhal village near Koota Mode in the Hiranagar sector, a police spokesperson said, adding that details of the incident are awaited.
Officials said police and other security forces were rushed to the village following suspicious movement of three persons around 7.45 pm.
A couple of gunshots were heard, believed to be fired by the suspected terrorists, after some people raised an alarm, they said.
One terrorist was killed in the exchange of firing and a search operation is on to track down the other terrorists believed to be holed up in the village, the officials said.
File image
22:12 Blue water phenomenon attracts villagers in Maha's Dharashiv
The flow of blue water after heavy rainfall in Mhasla village in Dharashiv district of Maharashtra drew attention when videos of the unusual occurrence went viral on social media platforms on Tuesday.
The spot inspection suggested that the blue hue was not a natural phenomenon.
An official said a colour box had accidentally fallen and mixed with the rainwater, causing the colour change.
"There was lightning reported in the area, but the blue water is the result of rainwater mixed with the contents of a colour box," an official from Tuljapur tehsil said. -- PTI
Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde/ANI Photo
21:27 '400 paar' fuelled Constitution, quota fears: Shinde
Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Tuesday said there was apprehension among people about changing Constitution and removing reservations following the '400 paar' pitch in the recent Lok Sabha elections.
The BJP had set itself a target of winning 400 plus seats, including its NDA partners' haul.
"We suffered losses at some places because of the false narrative (by the opposition). We also bore the brunt in Maharashtra," Shinde said at a meeting of the Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices in Mumbai.
"Due to "400 paar' (slogan), people thought that there may be some "gadbad' (hanky-panky) in future on issues like changing the Constitution and removing reservations," said Shinde, whose party Shiv Sena won seven of the 49 Lok Sabha seats in the state. -- PTI
BJP leader Uma Bharti/ANI Photo
20:56 Security officer gets calls from Pak, Dubai for Uma Bhartis location
An officer deployed for the security of former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister and Bharatiya Janata Party leader Uma Bharti received phone calls from Pakistan and Dubai, with the callers seeking her location, Bharti's office said in a statement on Tuesday evening.
The callers repeatedly asked about the location of Bharti.
The BJP leader enjoys Z plus security.
The callers introduced themselves as being from the crime branch and claimed they wanted her location for interrogation, the release stated.
A senior state intelligence officer said a case would be registered with the crime branch.
The release said that a search of the Truecaller IDs for both WhatsApp numbers revealed one to be of M Hussain from Pakistan and the other to be of Abbas from Dubai.
This entire information, including the WhatsApp numbers and names, has been immediately sent by the inspector deployed for security to the director general of police and ADG (intelligence), it stated. -- PTI
US national security advisor Jake Sullivan/ANI Photo
20:30 US national security advisor Sullivan likely to visit India next week
US national security advisor Jake Sullivan is likely to visit India next week to review overall progress in implementation of the ambitious iCET initiative, people familiar with the matter said on Tuesday.
The top Biden administration official will hold wide-ranging talks with NSA Ajit Doval, primarily focusing on cooperation under the US-India Initiative on Critical and Emerging Technologies, they said.
If the visit takes place, then it will be the first trip to India by a senior American official after the Modi government came to power for the third term.
Sullivan's visit to India was discussed during a phone call between US President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Narendra Modi last week.
Biden called up Modi to congratulate him on his re-election for a third term.
"President Joseph R Biden, Jr spoke today with Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India to congratulate him and the National Democratic Alliance on their historic victory in India's general election," the White House said in a readout following the call.
The US national security advisor called off a visit to India for the review of iCET twice this year in view of the US administration's focus on the evolving situation in West Asia arising out of the Israel-Hamas conflict. -- PTI
Narendra Modi signs the register after being sworn in as PM, June 9, 2024/ANI Photo
20:08 Remove 'Modi ka Parivar' tag, PM tells followers
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday urged his supporters to remove "Modi Ka Parivar" suffix from their social media handles, saying the election win of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance has effectively conveyed the message it was meant to.
BJP members and his supporters in huge numbers had identified themselves on social media platforms as "Modi Ka Parivar" (Modi's family) in March following opposition leader Lalu Prasad Yadav's barb at him for having no family of his own.
The prime minister had retorted that the people of India are his family.
In a post on X, Modi said on Tuesday, "Through the election campaign, people across India added 'Modi Ka Parivar' to their social media as a mark of affection towards me. I derived a lot of strength from it. The people of India have given the NDA a majority for the third consecutive time, a record of sorts, and have given us the mandate to keep working for the betterment of our nation."
He added, "With the message of all of us being one family having been effectively conveyed, I would once again thank the people of India and request that you may now remove 'Modi Ka Parivar' from your social media properties. The display name may change, but our bond as one Parivar striving for India's progress remains strong and unbroken." -- PTI
TDP chief Chandrababu Naidu/ANI Photo
19:54 Chandrababu Naidu to be sworn in as Andhra CM tomorrow
TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu is set to be sworn in as the chief minister of Andhra Pradesh on Wednesday for a fourth term.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Union Ministers J P Nadda and Bandi Sanjay Kumar as well as several other leaders are expected to attend the swearing-in ceremony.
Amit Shah, who is scheduled to arrive here tonight, will be meeting Naidu at his residence, NDA sources said.
After a request made by the NDA leaders, Governor S Abdul Nazeer on Tuesday invited Naidu to form the government.
Later in the evening Naidu met Nazeer at Raj Bhavan in Amaravati.
The TDP chief is scheduled to take oath at 11.27 am near Medha IT Park opposite Gannavaram Airport in Kesarapalli on the outskirts of Vijayawada. -- PTI
File image/Umar Ganie for Rediff.com
19:36 J-K: 2 held for drinking liquor on shikara ride
Two people have been arrested for allegedly consuming liquor during a shikara ride in Dal Lake in Srinagar, the police said on Tuesday.
The step was taken by the city police after a video of the episode made rounds on the internet, they said.
Consuming liquor in public places as prohibited in Jammu and Kashmir.
"The Srinagar police have taken cognizance after a video of unidentified individuals indulging in offensive behaviour in a shikara in Dal Lake in an inebriated state went viral across social media platforms," a police spokesperson said in posted on X.
He said a case under relevant sections of law was registered and two accused persons were arrested.
"Two accused have been arrested while more suspects are being questioned. Further investigation into the matter is going on," he added.
Last weekend, a video surfaced showing a group of tourists consuming liquor during a shikara ride in Dal Lake, leading to an outcry from civil society and religious leaders. -- PTI
Malawi Vice President Saulos Chilima/Reuters
19:31 Malawi Vice President Saulos Chilima, nine others killed in plane crash
Malawi Vice President Saulos Chilima and nine other people, including his wife, were killed as the plane they were onboard crashed in the Chikangawa mountain range, CBS News reported, citing the government.
Malawi President Lazarus Chakwera declared Tuesday a national day of mourning.
The announcement was made in a statement released by the Office of the President and Cabinet.
The statement reads, unfortunately, all on board have perished in the crash, which happened on Monday morning after the military aircraft took off from Malawi's capital Lilongwe.
Saulos Chilima and others onboard the aircraft were travelling to attend the funeral of Malawi's former attorney general when their plane dropped off the radar, according to CBS News report.
Air traffic officials said the plane was not able to land at Mzuzu airport, about 200 miles north of Lilongwe, due to poor visibility, and the pilot had been advised to head to the capital when the flight disappeared. -- ANI
Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra/File image/ANI Photo
18:47 Had Priyanka fought from Varanasi....: Rahul Gandhi
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said Tuesday that had his sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra contested the Lok Sabha polls from Varanasi, Prime Minister Narendra Modi would have lost by two or three lakh votes.
Addressing a thanksgiving meeting in Raebareli, he said the INDIA coalition parties fought the election unitedly in Raebareli, Amethi and other parts of the country to reduce the strength of the BJP-led NDA in Parliament.
Gandhi said he and other party parliamentarians would not "fall victim to arrogance" over the poll outcome and work for the cause of the masses.
The Congress leader accused Modi of ignoring the common people and giving prominence to top industrialists and other personalities during the consecration ceremony at the Ram temple, and said the masses taught them a lesson by ensuring the BJP's defeat in Ayodhya.
In her brief speech, Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi thanked the people of Amethi and Raebareli for ensuring the party's victory in these constituencies. -- PTI
18:24 Policeman among two arrested with heroin worth Rs 25 crore in North Tripura
Two persons, including a police constable, were arrested with heroin worth Rs 25 crore in North Tripura, officials said on Tuesday.
Acting on a tip-off, a vehicle coming from Mizoram's Champhai district was intercepted at Damcherra on Monday, they said.
"On searching the vehicle, heroin weighing more than 2 kg, worth around Rs 25 crore, was found," superintendent of police Bhanupada Chakraborty said.
There were two persons in the vehicle -- Sahidul Rahaman (35), a constable of Tripura police, and Jasimuddin (36), a resident of Sepahijala district, and they were arrested.
Chakraborty said the vehicle was heading to Sonamura in Sepahijala.
"This was the biggest seizure of drugs in the state in the recent past. We suspect the involvement of organised gangs in heroin smuggling," he said. -- PTI
BJP's Mohan Charan Majhi (right) will be CM of Odisha/ANI on X
18:12 BJP's Mohan Charan Majhi to be Odisha CM
Bharatiya Janata Party leader Mohan Charan Majhi will be the new chief minister of Odisha, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh announced in Bhubaneswar on Tuesday.
The Keonjhar MLA was selected for the top post at the BJP legislature party meeting in Bhubaneswar.
Apart from Singh, Union minister Bhupender Yadav attended the meeting as observer. -- PTI
PM Narendra Modi hold first cabinet meeting of third term in New Delhi/ANI Photo
17:53 28 Modi ministers face criminal cases: ADR
Twenty-eight ministers in the third Narendra Modi government have criminal cases against them with 19 of them facing serious charges such as attempted murder, crimes against women and hate speech, poll rights body Association of Democratic Reforms said.
Among the ministers facing the most severe allegations, two have declared cases related to attempt to murder under Indian Penal Code section 307.
They are Shantanu Thakur, minister of state for ports, shipping and waterways, and Sukanta Majumdar, minister of state for education and Development of North Eastern Region, the ADR said.
The ADR report also highlighted that five ministers have cases related to crimes against women.
They are Minister of State for Home Bandi Sanjay Kumar, Thakur, Majumdar, MoS for Petroleum and Natural Gas and Tourism Suresh Gopi and Tribal Affairs Minister Jual Oram.
Additionally, the ADR report identifies eight ministers with cases related to hate speech.
A total of 28 out of 71 ministers (39 per cent) have declared criminal cases, it said. -- PTI
Outgoing Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik
17:35 Outgoing CM Patnaik invited to BJP govt swearing-in ceremony in Odisha
The Bharatiya Janata Party, all set to form its maiden government in Odisha, on Tuesday invited Biju Janata Dal president and outgoing chief minister Naveen Patnaik for the swearing-in ceremony scheduled on June 12.
The first invitation card for the ceremony was, however, given to Lord Jagannath in Puri, and it was delivered at the 12th-century shrine by some newly elected MLAs.
A five-member delegation led by the BJP Odisha unit president Manmohan Samal, went to Naveen Niwas, the residence of Patnaik, and formally invited him to attend the swearing-in ceremony to be held at 5 pm on Wednesday.
Senior leaders such as Suresh Pujari, Basanta Panda, Samir Mohanty and Nityananda Gond accompanied Samal.
"Naveen Babu has accepted the invitation and assured us that he would attend the ceremony," Samal told reporters. -- PTI
Lalu cuts his cake and eats it too. Seen here with Rabri Devi and Tej Pratap
17:10 Lalu turns 77 today
RJD chief Lalu Prasad celebrated his 77th birthday on Tuesday by cutting a 77-pound cake in the presence of his family and leaders of his party. A large number of RJD workers also gathered outside 10 Circular Road, the official residence of his wife and former CM Rabri Devi, where he lives, and distributed sweets.
Union minister Jyotiraditya Scindia is the son of Madhav Rao Scindia
17:06 Rahul names 14 dynasts in Modi 3.0 ministry
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday targeted the Modi government over dynastic politics and dubbed the NDA ministry a "parivar mandal" as he pointed out several ministers in the Modi 3.0 government who hail from political families.
"Those who call the tradition of struggle, service and sacrifice of generations as nepotism are distributing the will of power to their 'sarkari parivar' (government family)," Gandhi said in a post in Hindi on X.
"This difference between the words and actions is called Narendra Modi," he added.
In his post, Gandhi named H D Kumaraswamy, son of former prime minister H D Deve Gowda, Jyotiraditya Scindia, son of former Union minister Madhav Rao Scindia, Kiren Rijiju, son of first pro tem speaker of Arunachal Pradesh Rinchin Kharu, Raksha Khadse, daughter-in-law of former Maharashtra minister Eknath Khadse, Jayant Chaudhary, grandson of former prime minister Chaudhary Charan Singh, Chirag Paswan, son of former Union minister Ram Vilas Paswan, and J P Nadda, son-in-law of former MP and Madhya Pradesh minister Jaysree Banerjee as part of NDA's "Parivar mandal".
To the list, he added Ram Nath Thakur, son of former Bihar chief minister Karpoori Thakur, Ram Mohan Naidu, son of former Union minister Terren Naidu, Jitin Prasada, son of former MP Jitendra Prasada, Rao Inderjit Singh, son of former Haryana chief minister Rao Birendra Singh, Piyush Goyal, son of former Union minister Ved Prakash Goyal, Ravneet Singh Bittu, grandson of former Punjab chief minister Beant Singh, Anupriya Patel, daughter of Apna Dal founder Sonelal Patel, and Kirti Vardhan Singh, son of former Uttar Pradesh minister Maharaj Anand Singh.
Rajnath Singh and Bhupender Yadav are observers
16:45 BJP legislature party meeting to choose Odisha CM begins
The BJP legislature party meeting to select the chief minister of Odisha began here on Tuesday evening, a party leader said. Union ministers Rajnath Singh and Bhupender Yadav are attending the meeting as observers, he said.
16:35 Massive power outage in Delhi, temperature 42C
Electricity went out in several parts of Delhi this afternoon after a power grid in UP's Mandola -- which supplies 1,500 megawatts of electricity to the national capital -- caught fire.
The temperature in the city hovered around 42 degrees Celsius.
Delhi Power Minister Atishi said, "A fire broke out in a sub-station of PGCIL in Mandola, Uttar Pradesh, from where Delhi gets 1,500MW of power and due to the fire there, there has been a power cut in many parts of Delhi.
"This is a very serious issue. I will seek time today from the new power minister of the central government Manohar Lal Khattar, the chairman of PGCIL and the chairman of NTPC. There is very limited electricity production in Delhi, most of the electricity in Delhi comes from different states... It is a matter of great concern that today the national level power infrastructure of our country has failed."
KBK Indographics
16:27 Domestic passenger vehicle sales up 4% in May
Automakers dispatched over 3.47 lakh passenger vehicles to dealers in domestic market in May, recording an year-on-year growth of 4 per cent over same month last year, industry body SIAM said on Tuesday.
The overall passenger vehicle (PV) dispatches from companies to dealers stood at 3,47,492 units last month, as compared to 3,34,537 units in May 2023. The dispatches were the highest ever for the month of May so far, driven by robust offtake of utility vehicles.
16:07 TMC MP files 2nd complaint over stock fiddling
TMC MP Saket Gokhale said on Tuesday that he has filed a complaint with the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) alleging "stock market manipulation", and demanded an investigation into statements by senior BJP leaders "asking people to invest in stocks, hinting at election results". Gokhale stated that this matter would be taken up in Parliament if necessary, as there was "something very rotten about stock market fluctuations" on June 3 and June 4 after rigged exit polls".
The BJP has dismissed the allegations as "baseless" and "an attempt to gain media attention".
"I have filed a new second complaint with SEBI regarding stock market manipulation, specifically demanding an investigation into statements made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah asking people to invest in stocks, hinting at election results. These statements by Modi & Shah constitute illegal investment advice under the SEBI (Investment Advisers) Regulations, 2013," he posted on X.
Gokhale also said, "Further, I have also asked SEBI to investigate whether any entities linked to Modi, Shah, or BJP made substantial gains/profits during the stock market volatility on June 3 and June 4", the day Lok Sabha election results were declared. The TMC MP also claimed that "Indian investors are reported to have lost over Rs 30 lakh crore on the back of statements made by Modi and Shah as well as due to rigged exit polls. PM Modi and BJP do not run a brute-majority government anymore. Along with SEBI action, this matter will also be taken up in Parliament if required."
West Bengal BJP leader Shishir Bajoria has dismissed the allegations as "baseless" and said markets go up and down by its own dynamics. "It is a democratic country, anybody can complain. But it seems Saket Gokhale is trying to become popular with his own leader Mamata Banerjee, who has termed the government as undemocratic and unconstitutional. Markets go up and down by its own dynamics and election results are also dynamics," he added. PTI
15:35 Not in Modi's DNA. but listen to Bhagwat: Sibal
Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal on Tuesday took a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi over Mohan Bhagwat's remarks expressing concern over peace eluding Manipur, saying it is "not in the DNA" of the PM to listen to the advice of the opposition but he should heed the words of the RSS chief.
Sibal cautioned the new NDA government of not repeating what had happened in the last 10 years of the BJP-led government. "I have been saying this for months, with statements, an environment of 'us versus them' is being created. We need to take the country forward. I welcome the statement of Mohan Bhagwat," he said.
Bhagwat on Monday expressed concern over peace eluding Manipur even after one year and said the situation in the strife-torn north eastern state must be considered with priority.
Addressing a gathering of RSS trainees at the concluding programme of organisation's 'Karyakarta Vikas Varg- Dwitiya' at the Dr Hedgewar Smriti Bhavan premises in Reshimbagh in Nagpur, Bhagwat said conflict in various places and in society is not good.
Addressing a press conference here, Sibal said, "I have been repeating this for many months. When I was in the Rajya Sabha, in 1998-2004, there was a Vajpayee government. I heard his speeches many times, he used to call the Opposition 'Pratipaksh', he used to say you are not our virodhi. PM Modi made the Opposition 'Virodhi'."
"We raised concern about Manipur, Bhagwat ji has also said it now. You don't listen to us because you are not used to listening to us but listen to him. It is not in your DNA to listen to us. Manipur should be given priority. I had asked for removal of CM N Biren Singh, but you could not remove the former wrestling body chief, what will you do about the CM," Sibal said.
The former Union minister called for Opposition's voice to be heard, saying that only then will the country move forward.
Amit Shah with Chandrababu Naidu. File pic
15:22 Shah heads to Andhra, likely to meet Naidu
Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday will travel to Andhra Pradesh where he is likely to meet TDP chief and chief minister-designate N Chandra Babu Naidu ahead of his swearing in, sources said.
The TDP, Jan Sena Party and BJP alliance comfortably won the just-concluded assembly elections in Andhra Pradesh. Shah is travelling to Andhra Pradesh this evening, sources said without disclosing further. He is expected to have a meeting with Naidu ahead of the latter's swearing-in on Wednesday. PTI
Amit Malviya
14:45 RSS complainant does U-turn on Malviya sex charge
Days after BJP's IT-cell head Amit Malviya filed a defamation suit, RSS member Santanu Sinha clarified on Tuesday that his social media post on 'sexual exploitation' of women was not intended to malign Malviya's image.
Sinha also called it humiliating that the Congress party was spreading a "hate campaign" against Malviya and the BJP. He also criticised the state (West Bengal) BJP unit, saying that he was "astonished" to see that no one from the state unit tried to know the "purport of the post but played a dubious role."
"I want to give a clear message that the post was not aimed to malign Malviya but as caution not to get entangled in a honey trap, which was first brought to light by Tathagata Roy, ex-president of the State unit and former governor of Tripura," Sinha said in a post on Facebook on Tuesday.
"No corner in the post there is any whisper about sexual exploitation of women by Amit Malviya. Rather I have there expressed my fear if Malviya will be drawn to honey trap by the unscrupulous leaders of the party to remain clung to their post despite such debacle in the recently held election," he added.
He also expressed his "heartfelt sorrow", adding that he has not written anything untoward in the post. He further said that he is not withdrawing the post.
"I, a Sangha Swayam Sevak, former State Secretary of ABVP and contestant in the State Assembly election and in the Kolkata Municipal Corporation election, do not want the Bharatiya Janata Party and its office bearers get undermined in any manner by misinterpretation of my post," Sinha said. -- ANI
Gaurav Gogoi with Priyanka Gandhi Vadra in Delhi yesterday
14:18 Will they suspend over 230 MPs this time: Gogoi
The BJP's approach to parliamentary democracy will not change as long as Prime Minister Narendra Modi is at the helm but in footballing terms, the "wall of defenders" is now bigger and much more robust with over 230 INDIA bloc MPs in the Lok Sabha, says Congress' Gaurav Gogoi.
In an interaction with PTI editors at the news agency's headquarters in New Delhi, Gogoi also predicted that the coalition NDA government will not last a full term, saying Modi's leadership style does not inspire confidence that he can complete five years successfully.
"I do see that in the 236 MPs of the INDIA bloc, we will have a Parliament where they cannot bulldoze bills, intimidate us, suspend us. They had suspended 146 MPs (last year), will they suspend 236 this time?" the deputy leader of the Congress in the previous Lok Sabha said.
Gogoi dismissed suggestions that NDA allies TDP's Chandrababu Naidu and JD(U)'s Nitish Kumar gave in to the BJP on government formation, saying they have "extremely shrewd political minds" and should not be judged quickly as "only time will tell what their true intentions are".
Fresh from his Lok Sabha polls triumph from the BJP stronghold of Jorhat in Assam with a massive margin of over 1.44 lakh, the Congress leader said he does not expect the BJP's approach to parliamentary democracy to change till the time Modi is the prime minister.
"He simply does not have the flexibility to change his approach even within his own party... the PMO will direct the cabinet colleagues. Even now his allies will keep demanding special status, caste census, revoking Agnipath but I don't think his approach to allies will change," he said.
"Till the time Modi is there as PM, I don't think their approach to Parliament is going to change. They will still try to bulldoze, suspend, disqualify, poach. But yes, as in football, while there were three defenders (earlier), our wall (of defenders) is now bigger and much more robust," Gogoi said during the interaction.
"That is our (opposition's) role and that is what the public expects from us, that is what the public voted (elected) us for, that is what we hope to do," Gogoi said.
He said the story of this election is that the people of India have taught a "lesson in humility" to Prime Minister Modi.
Gogoi, the son of late Assam chief minister Tarun Gogoi, said that with the numbers that the elections have thrown up and the prevailing circumstances, he does not think Modi has the ability to run a coalition government.
"Mr. Modi doesn't even take his cabinet into confidence. When he did demonetisation, the finance minister did not know. When he abrogated Article 370, his cabinet did not know. When he brought Agnipath, his cabinet did not know. So, someone who cannot even take his cabinet into confidence, how will he take the NDA alliance into confidence?" he said.
Gogoi said that for a coalition government to function smoothly, as it did under former prime ministers Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Manmohan Singh, one needs to have an open mind, an inclusive approach and the ability to listen and be flexible.
14:04 Naidu, Nitish atrupta aatmas after portfolios: Raut
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut on Tuesday claimed that BJP allies Nitish Kumar and N Chandrababu Naidu were "dissatisfied souls" following the allocation of portfolios in the Union cabinet.
Talking to reporters in Mumbai, he also latched onto the term "bhatakti aatma" used by Prime Minister Narendra Modi for NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar, and said this `wandering restless soul' will not rest until the BJP-led governments at the Centre and in Maharashtra were dislodged. "If RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat thought that the NDA government at the Centre was not in the interest of the country, he should pull it down," the Rajya Sabha member said.
"There are two `atrupta aatmas' (dissatisfied souls) in the Centre -- (Bihar Chief Minister) Nitish Kumar and (TDP chief) Chandrababu Naidu. You (BJP) should satisfy these two atrupta aatma. The way portfolios have been allocated, it seems all souls are dissatisfied, especially the NDA allies," Raut said.
In the portfolio allocation on Wednesday, Lalan Singh of Nitish Kumar's Janata Dal-United got the Panchayati Raj, Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying Ministries, while TDP's K Rammohan Naidu got the Civil Aviation Ministry.
JD(S) leader H D Kumarswamy was given the "most rejected" portfolio, Raut commented further.
Kumarswamy has got Heavy Industries and Steel ministries. The BJP kept everything for itself, Raut claimed. Pointing out that there was no Muslim minister in the Modi-led cabinet, the Sena (UBT) leader said it was against the Constitution.
13:27 Annapurna Devi takes charge
Annapurna Devi assumes the office of Minister of Women and Child Development. With her is Smriti Irani who held the portfolio in the last term.
Representational image
13:18 Mom ties up naughty kid, beats him to death
In a horrifying incident a woman allegedly brutally beat to death her eight-year-old son in West Joynagar in Agartala apparently as she could not handle the minor's misbehaviour as per her statement to the police.
The incident took place on Monday evening under the jurisdiction of West Agartala Police Station. The deceased is the son of Ram Gowala and Suprabha Gowala who originally hail from Kailashahar.
According to police, Ram Gowala abandoned the family leaving the accused Suprabha Gowala to care for their son alone. About two weeks ago, Suprabha moved to a rented house in West Joynagar with her son.
It was in this rented home that the gruesome murder took place at around 6 pm, police said. West Tripura Police Station Officer in Charge Paritosh Das said that a case has been filed in the incident under Section 302 of the IPC.
Suprabha confessed to the crime in front of the police, stating that she bound her son with a rope and beat him to death with a bamboo stick.
She claimed that her son caused her unbearable distress, making it impossible for her to work. The child, the woman alleged, would steal money from the house and create trouble when taken to her workplace. Suprabha admitted that she killed her son to free herself from this constant torment. -- ANI
File pic of security forces in Kashmir
13:07 Three held for providing support to terrorists in J-K
Three over ground workers of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) have been arrested in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama district in connection with the recovery of two improvised explosive devices, police said on Tuesday.
The explosive devices, weighing about six kgs, were recovered on Sunday and were destroyed a day later, a police official said. During further investigation following the killing of LeT commander Reyaz Dar and his associate Rayees Dar on June 3, police recovered the explosives from the over ground workers (OGW) network of the slain terrorists, the official said.
He said three OGWs have been arrested for providing shelter and logistic support to the slain terrorists. PTI
12:53 Singapore Airlines accident: Lakhs as compensation
Singapore Airlines on Tuesday offered monetary compensation and a full refund of the airfare to the 211 passengers onboard the flag carrier's turbulence-hit London to Singapore flight last month, which led to the death of one passenger and injured many others.
On May 21, Flight SQ321 en route from London to Singapore encountered extreme turbulence. The Boeing 777-300ER aircraft was carrying 211 passengers and a crew of 18 when it made an emergency landing at Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi Airport.
Passengers and crew were thrown up to the plane's ceiling before falling back down, leading to the death of one man and injuries to dozens of others.
In a statement, the SIA said compensation offers were sent to passengers on Monday.
Those who sustained "minor injuries" from the incident were offered USD 10,000 (SGD 13,500) in compensation.
" For those who sustained more serious injuries from the incident, we have invited them to discuss a compensation offer to meet each of their specific circumstances when they feel well and ready to do so," the statement said.
"Passengers medically assessed as having sustained serious injuries, requiring long-term medical care, and requesting financial assistance are offered an advance payment of USD 25,000 to address their immediate needs," the SIA said.
"This will be part of the final compensation that these passengers will receive, it added.
A full refund of the airfare will be offered to all passengers of Flight SQ321, including those who did not suffer any injuries.
They would also receive delay compensation under the European Union or United Kingdom regulations, the SIA said.
No mention of compensation for the 18 crew members on board Flight SQ321 was made, according to a Channel News Asia report.
Singapore's national carrier said it also provided all passengers with SGD 1,000 each upon departure from Bangkok to meet their immediate expenses. It added that it covered the medical expenses of injured passengers and arranged for their family members to fly up to Bangkok when requested.
SIA remains committed to supporting the affected passengers who were on board SQ321, it said. All affected passengers should have received their offers of compensation via email, along with information on how they may proceed with their claims, it added. British passenger Geoff Kitchen, 73, died on board, likely because of a heart attack, while others suffered brain and spinal cord injuries.
12:46 An era of secrecy is over for Modi
"The word 'ally' in a coalition is misleading because it suggests someone who is always for you and with you. This is incorrect. They are always for themselves and sometimes with you," explains Aakar Patel. Read the column here.
12:31 Modi's ministers take charge of their offices
Top BJP leader Amit Shah on Tuesday took charge as the Union Home Minister for the second consecutive term. Shah has been holding the portfolio since 2019. Before taking charge of the ministry, Shah visited the National Police Memorial in the national capital's Chanakyapuri area to pay homage to policemen who had laid down their lives while serving the nation.
The 59-year old Shah was elected from Gandhinagar constituency in Gujarat in the Lok Sabha election. Shah has also retained his other portfolio in the Ministry of Cooperation.
Apart from him, Nadda, Shekhawat, Gopi, Jitendra Singh, Rajiv Ranjan Singh, Rijiju, Scindia, Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Manjhi, among others also took charge of their ministries.
Chandrababu is the NDA's CM candidate in Andhra
12:10 TDP supremo Chandrababu elected CM candidate in Andhra Pradesh
TDP supremo N Chandrababu Naidu was on Tuesday elected as NDA leader in the Andhra Pradesh legislative assembly. In a meeting of Telugu Desam Party, Janasena and BJP legislators, held in Vijayawada, the MLAs elected Naidu unanimously.
Andhra Pradesh BJP chief D Purandeswari and Janasena chief Pawan Kalyan also attended the NDA meeting and supported Naidu as the CM candidate.
Earlier in the morning, Naidu was unanimously elected as TDP legislative party leader, TDP leader K Atchen Naidu said. Similarly, Janasena founder Pawan Kalyan was elected as the party's floor leader in the assembly. PTI
11:54 SC on plea for fresh NEET amid paper leak says...
The Supreme Court on Tuesday sought the National Testing Agency's response to a plea seeking fresh conduct of medical entrance exam NEET-UG, 2024, on the grounds of alleged question paper leak and other malpractices.
A vacation bench of Justice Vikram Nath and Justice Ahsanuddin Amanullah, however, refused to stay the counselling of successful candidates for admissions to MBBS, BDS and other courses. NEET-UG, 2024 was held on May 5 and its results were declared on June 4.
It was expected to be declared on June 14. The National Eligibility cum Entrance Test-Undergraduate (NEET-UG) examination is conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA) for admissions to MBBS, BDS and AYUSH and other related courses in government and private institutions across the country.
The top court tagged the plea filed by Shivangi Mishra and others with the pending one and asked the NTA to file the response in the meantime. The plea alleged that NEET-UG, 2024, was riddled with malpractices as various instances of paper leaks have come to the knowledge of the petitioners.
The alleged paper leak was violative of Article 14 (right to equality) under the Constitution as it gave an undue advantage to some candidates over others who chose to attempt the examination in a fair manner, it said. PTI
11:37 Biannual varsity admissions from this year: UGC
Universities in India will be allowed to offer admissions twice a year on lines of foreign institutions, says UGC chief Jagadesh Kumar.
"Biannual admissions in universities to be offered in July-August and January-February from 2024-25 session, UGC says and adds that industries can conduct campus recruitment twice a year, improving employment opportunities.
Biannual admissions in universities to align India's higher education system with global educational standards, the UGC says.
11:20 Moderate to heavy rains likely in Mumbai on Tuesday: IMD
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast "thunderstorm with moderate to heavy rains" in Mumbai on Tuesday, a civic official said. The island city recorded 37.74 mm of rainfall, eastern Mumbai 17.13 mm and western Mumbai 12.39 mm of rainfall in the 24-hour period ending at 8 am, he said.
There was no rain in most parts of the city since Tuesday morning though the sky was overcast. No major waterlogging was reported in the city due to the rain on Monday night, said another official of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation.
Road traffic was normal though slow at some locations, while suburban train services were running with some delay, officials said. Southwest monsoon set in over Mumbai on June 9, two days prior to the usual date of June 11. PTI
An injured pilgrim being taken to hospital in Reasi
11:16 Bodies of four killed in J-K bus terror attack arrive in Jaipur
The bodies of four people, including a two-year-old boy, killed in a terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir, arrived here by train on Tuesday, police said. According to them, the bodies arrived in Jaipur on the Pooja Express and were taken to Harmada and Chomu by the deceased's family members and relatives.
Cloth merchant Rajendra Saini (42), his wife Mamta (40), their relative Pooja Saini (30) and her two-year-old son Titu are among the nine killed after terrorists opened fire at a bus carrying pilgrims in Jammu's Reasi district on Sunday evening.
The 53-seater bus, on its way from the Shiv Khori temple to Katra, veered off the road following the barrage of gunfire and fell into a deep gorge near the Teryath village of the Poni area. Pooja Saini's husband Pavan (32) has been injured, a police officer said.
While Rajendra and Mamta were residents of Chomu town in Jaipur district, Pooja was the resident of Ajmera ki Dhani in the Harmada area on Chomu road.
Locals staged a dharna outside the Chomu police station on Tuesday, demanding government jobs and compensation to the family of Rajendra and Mamta, who are survived by their two sons and a daughter. Rajendra was the sole earning member of the family. PTI
10:49 True sevak does not have ahankar: RSS chief
In his first public remarks on the outcome of the elections in which the BJP fell short of a majority in the Lok Sabha, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat said Monday while referring to the bitter poll campaign, that "decorum was not maintained".
Bhagwat also said that a true sevak (one who serves the people) does not have "ahankar' (arrogance) and works without causing any hurt to others.
"Jo vastavik sevak hai, jisko vastavik sevak kaha ja sakta hai, woh maryada se chalta hai' Uss maryada ka paalan karke jo chalta hai woh karm karta hai lekin karmon mein lipt nahi hota. Usme ahankar nahin aata ki maine kiya. Aur wahi sevak kehlane ka adhikari rehta hai (A true sevak maintains decorum while working' The one who maintains decorum does his work, but remains unattached. There is no arrogance that I did this. Only such a person has the right to be called a sevak),: he said.
The RSS Chief also mentioned the violation of the 'Code of Conduct' by various political parties during the Lok Sabha polls. "Elections are an essential process of democracy, there are two parties in it, hence there is competition, if there is competition then there is a task of moving one forward and pushing others backwards. Don't use it, why are people getting elected? They will go and sit in the Parliament and run the country, they will run it by building consensus, our tradition is to run by building consensus.
"The mind and psyche of each person are different, hence it is not possible to have similar opinions, but when people in the society decide to move together despite having different minds, then mutual consent is formed.
"There are two parties in Parliament so both sides are exposed, it is a bit difficult to reach a consensus among people who have come into competition, that is why we take the hope of a majority, there is competition, not mutual war," Bhagwat said.
"The way we started criticizing each other, and the way our actions in the campaign would increase discord in the society, divide two groups, and create mutual suspicion, was also not taken care of, and organizations like Sangh were also drawn into this, technology falsehoods were served with props, absolute lies; gentlemen do not use this science," he added.
The RSS Chief stressed that it is important to follow decorum during the elections. "There is decorum even in contesting elections, that decorum was not followed, because it is necessary to follow decorum because the challenges before our country have not ended," he said.
-- With inputs from the Indian Express
10:35 Gopi takes charge MoS Tourism
Suresh Gopi takes charge as Minister of State (MoS) in the Ministry of Tourism. His boss will be Gajendra Singh Shekhawat who also handles the Ministry of Culture.
10:19 Kashmir on alert over Amarnath Yatra, Eid, Mela
Ahead of the annual Amarnath Yatra and in the wake of the terror attack in which nine people were killed in Jammu's Reasi, the Inspector General of Police Kashmir VK Birdi chaired a security review meeting.
The Shri Amarnath Ji Yatra (SANJY)-2024) is scheduled to begin on June 29 from the twin routes of Baltal in central Kashmir's Ganderbal district and Pahalgam in south Kashmir.
The meeting held on Monday in Srinagar discussed security arrangements put in place for the festivals of Mela Kheer Bhawani and Eid-ul-Adha that will be celebrated later this month.
Range DIGs, District SSPs and other senior officers of PCR Kashmir attended the review meeting.
The district police chiefs briefed the IGP Kashmir about the overall security scenario and the preparations were put in place for upcoming events. SSP Ganderbal gave a detailed briefing regarding the upcoming Mela Kheer Bhawani that will be celebrated on June 13.
The Mela Kheer Bhawani festival, which will , in addition to District Ganderbal, is scheduled to take place at various temples across the Kashmir Valley.
Issues related to law and order, crowd management, traffic control, and ensuring the overall safety of the devotees were also discussed. -- ANI
RIL was among the laggards this morning
10:13 Markets decline in early trade
Benchmark equity indices declined in early trade on Tuesday amid profit taking after a record-breaking rally and selling in bluechips Reliance Industries and HDFC Bank.
Both Sensex and Nifty hit their all-time high levels in early trade on Monday. The 30-share BSE Sensex declined 113.63 points to 76,376.45. The NSE Nifty dipped 29.6 points to 23,229.60. Later, both indices faced heavy volatile trends and were trading between highs and lows.
Among the 30 Sensex companies, JSW Steel, Kotak Mahindra Bank, Asian Paints, Reliance Industries, Axis Bank, ICICI Bank, Bharti Airtel, Tata Motors, HDFC Bank and IndusInd Bank were the major laggards. Larsen & Toubro, Mahindra & Mahindra, Tech Mahindra, UltraTech Cement, Tata Steel and Titan were among the gainers.
10:03 Plane carrying Malawi Vice President goes missing
Vice President of Malawi, Saulos Chilima and nine other people have gone missing after the plane failed to land at a scheduled time on Monday, reported CNN.
The presidential office and cabinet announced in a statement that Chilima and other passengers were on the Malawi Defence Force Aircraft that took off from Lilongwe at 9:17 a.m. local time (3.17 a.m. ET).According to authorities, the plane was supposed to land at Mzuzu International Airport, which is located approximately 380 km (240 miles) north of Lilongwe, reported CNN.
However, it never made it there and is no longer in the zone of the radar. "All efforts by aviation authorities to make contact with the aircraft since it went off the radar have failed thus far," the presidential statement read. -- ANI
09:58 Hardeep Puri welcomes Suresh Gopi to his ministry
Suresh Gopi takes charge as Minister of State (MoS) in the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas Ministry. His boss, Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri was welcomed him to the ministry.
The actor-politician yesterday decried as "grossly incorrect" reports, which indicated that he wanted to give up his ministerial position in the third Narendra Modi-led government.
Gopi, the first-ever BJP Lok Sabha MP from Kerala was among the 71 Council of ministers who were administered oaths by President Draupadi Murmu after Modi was sworn in for a third consecutive term as Prime Minister of the country.
09:48 Delhi records minimum temp of 28C, heat wave likely
The national capital on Tuesday recorded a minimum temperature of 28 degrees Celsius, normal for this time of the year, according to the India Meteorological Department. Humidity was recorded at 37 per cent at 8.30 am.
The weather department has predicted that Delhi will experience a heat wave in many places, with strong surface winds, occasionally gusty, blowing during the day. Delhi has been put on "orange alert" for Tuesday, which stands for "Be prepared" in the IMD colour codes. The maximum temperature is likely to settle around 44 degrees Celsius. PTI
09:29 Jaishankar assumes charge as EAM for 2nd term
Diplomat-turned-politician S Jaishankar on Tuesday assumed charge as external affairs minister for the second consecutive term. Jaishankar, 69, was among the senior BJP leaders, including Rajnath Singh, Amit Shah, Nitin Gadkari and Nirmala Sitharaman, who retained the ministries that they handled in the previous government.
"Assumed charge as the Minister of External Affairs. Thank PM @narendramodi for assigning me this responsibility," he said on X.
As the external affairs minister since 2019, Jaishankar displayed with confidence his ability to clearly articulate India's positions on a range of complex issues at the global stage.
09:22 Does Modi have mandate for 3rd term, asks Pawar
With Prime Minister Narendra Modi taking the oath of office for a historic third successive term, NCP (SP) president Sharad Pawar sought to know whether he had the mandate to lead the country.
The saffron party fell short of majority in the just-concluded Lok Sabha elections and had to take support of its allies to form the new coalition government at the Centre, he noted on Monday.
The senior politician was speaking at a party congregation in Ahmednagar, around 125 km from Pune, on the occasion of the NCP's 25th foundation day where newly-elected party MPs were felicitated.
"Narendra Modi took the oath as Prime Minister (on June 9). But before taking the oath, did he have the mandate of the country? Did the people of the country give him consent? They (BJP) did not have a majority. They had to take the help of the Telugu Desam Party and Bihar Chief Minister (Nitish Kumar)....because of them he could form the government," Pawar said.
The former Union minister also remarked that the new BJP-led NDA government was different from the earlier ones.
08:44 Kanimozhi is DMK's Parliamentary party leader
Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam MP Kanimozhi, who was elected from the Thoothukudi Lok Sabha constituency, has been appointed as the party's parliamentary leader, the DMK said.
She replaces the Sriperumbudur MP T R Baalu, who will now head the DMK in the Lok Sabha.
Dayanidhi Maran, representing the Chennai Central constituency, will be the party's deputy leader in the Lok Sabha, DMK president and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin said in a statement here on Monday.
Former Union Minister A Raja from the Nilgiris constituency will be the Whip in the Lok Sabha while Tiruchi N Siva has been appointed as the DMK leader in the Rajya Sabha.
DMK trade union LPF general secretary M Shanmugam will be the deputy leader in the Rajya Sabha, senior advocate P Wilson the party's Whip in the Rajya Sabha and Arakkonam MP S Jegathratchagan will be the DMK treasurer in both the Houses, the statement said. -- PTI
08:37 JD-U, TDP will be treated as 2nd class citizens: AAP
In a sharp criticism following the announcement of the new cabinet ministers under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government, Aam Aadmi Party leader Atishi expressed concerns about the treatment of coalition partners and said that they will be regarded as "second class citizens" in the government.
"Portfolio allocation shows that @narendramodi does not intend to respect his coalition partners. Both @Jduonline and @JaiTDP should be ready to be treated as second-class citizens in this government," Atishi wrote in a social media post on X.
The new council of ministers comprises 30 Cabinet ministers, 36 Ministers of State (MoS), and five MoS with independent charge.
Modi on Monday retained Amit Shah, Rajnath Singh, Nirmala Sitharaman and S Jaishankar in charge of the four high-profile ministries -- home, defence, finance and external affairs -- respectively in his new government.
The four ministers in charge of these portfolios make up the crucial Cabinet Committee on Security headed by the prime minister.
Among these, the Civil aviation ministry has been given to Kinjarapu Ram Mohan Naidu, who is also the youngest serving minister in the Modi cabinet 3.0.
A close aide of Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, Lalan Singh, JD-U MP-elect from Munger has been given the Union Panchayati Raj ministry.
Apart from this, Jitan Ram Manjhi has been given the MSME ministry (Ministry of Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises) under the NDA government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
A two-time chief minister of Karnataka and state president of Janata Dal-Secular, HD Kumaraswamy is given the Heavy Industries ministry.
Lok Janshakti Party President Chirag Paswan has been appointed as the Minister of Food Processing Industries.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde
01:24 Shinde meets Sena candidates who lost LS polls, discusses assembly election strategy
Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Monday night held a meeting here with Shiv Sena candidates who lost the just concluded Lok Sabha polls.
The Shinde-led Sena, a constituent of the ruling Mahayuti alliance, contested on 15 Lok Sabha seats in Maharashtra and won seven of them.
The Shiv Sena's Lok Sabha candidates who attended the huddle were Mumbai MLA Yamini Jadhav, Rahul Shewale, Hemant Godse, Sadashiv Lokhande, Sanjay Mandlik, Baburao Kohalikar and Hemant Patil, said a party functionary. Another losing nominee of the party, Raju Parve, skipped the gathering as he had to attend the funeral of a relative, he said.
On the occasion, Shinde discussed the party's strategy for the assembly polls in Maharashtra which are due in October, the functionary said. -- PTI
01:01 Mother of two ends life in Noida after husband disallows Instagram
A woman -- mother of two children -- allegedly died by suicide in Noida on Monday after her husband asked her not to use Instagram, the police said.
The family lives in Sadarpur colony under Sector 39 police station limits of Noida, they said.
"On Monday, the woman had an argument with her husband over using Instagram. A little later after their argument, the woman committed suicide by hanging herself from a fan in a room of the house," a police spokesperson said.
A team from the local police station reached the spot after being alerted about the incident and inspected the site, the spokesperson said.
The couple had been married for nine years now with two children, according to an official.
The body was sent for post-mortem and further legal proceedings were being carried out, the police said. -- PTI
Ajit Pawar (left) and uncle Sharad Pawar/File image
00:47 Ajit thanks Sharad Pawar for leading NCP for 24 yrs
NCP leader and Maharashtra deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar on Monday used the party's foundation day platform to thank his estranged uncle Sharad Pawar for leading the party since its inception in 1999, days after the NCP suffered a crushing defeat in the Lok Sabha polls.
Addressing a party function in Mumbai, Ajit Pawar reaffirmed the NCP's stance of not settling for any position lower than a Cabinet berth in the Narendra Modi 3.0 government.
"We made it clear to the BJP that we will not accept any post lower than the Cabinet portfolio. They told us that they need to give Cabinet posts to many of its constituents," he said.
In an apparent bid to dispel perceptions of NCP's disappointment over Cabinet berth allocation, he added, "We are still a part of the NDA."
He also claimed the NDA current strength at 284 will cross the 300 mark in the coming months.
In the recent general elections, the NCP under Ajit Pawar managed to secure only one of the four seats it contested, while the rival faction led by Sharad Pawar won eight out of ten constituencies it contested.
Notably, Ajit's wife, Sunetra Pawar, lost to her sister-in-law and sitting MP Supriya Sule in the Pawar stronghold of Baramati.
"I wish to thank Sharad Pawar for leading the party for the last 24 years, along with those who have remained with it since its inception," Ajit Pawar said. -- PTI
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