Connect with us
Tuesday,25-February-2025
Breaking News

National News

Sharad Pawar writes to PM Modi, enquires after his Mom’s wellbeing

Published

on

Nationalist Congress Party President Sharad Pawar has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi enquiring after the condition of his ailing mother, Hiraba and wishing her a speedy recovery and good health, here on Thursday.

“I read that your mother has been admitted to the hospital and am relieved to know that she is stable and recovering. I know how close you are with your beloved mother and the special bond you share with her and understand this difficult phase in your life,” said Pawar, 82.

Penning a brief letter to the PM, Pawar said: “A mother is the purest soul on Earth. Your mother has been the constant source of energy and sustaining force in shaping your life…”

It may be recalled that on December 28, Hiraba, 100, was rushed to a private hospital in Ahmedabad for certain health-related issues while Modi had air-dashed from New Delhi to remain at her bedside on Wednesday afternoon.

The U.N. Mehta Hospital later said in a bulletin that Hiraba’s condition was stable, even as a concerned Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel and other dignitaries visited the hospital.

National News

Delhi CM Rekha Gupta tables CAG report in Assembly; Speaker says ‘blocking it a criminal offence’

Published

on

New Delhi, Feb 25: Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Tuesday tabled the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report in the Assembly, amid constant rounds of political sparring and squabbling between Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the BJP.

Soon after the address of Delhi Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena, the CM tabled the CAG’s ‘Performance audit report on regulation and supply of liquor in Delhi.’

A total of 14 CAG reports, pertaining to various departments of Delhi government, are to be tabled in the Assembly and as reports suggest they will be tabled in a staggered manner.

The tabling of the CAG report on the Arvind Kejriwal government’s liquor policy assumes significance as this was allegedly the ‘biggest scam’ during the AAP’s tenure and earned it huge backlash and anger from the common public.

A couple of its top leaders were arrested for the corruption-laden excise policy, which was later revoked. Delhi’s Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia had to give up his chair.

In the run-up to Assembly elections, the ‘liquor scam’ became a major poll plank as the BJP succeeded in conveying the message that the AAP government facilitated wide-scale corruption with its excise policy. The previous dispensation also stonewalled the tabling of the CAG report in the state Assembly.

Delhi Speaker Vijender Gupta termed the blocking of the CAG report in the Assembly a ‘criminal offence’. He said that the AAP government deliberately blocked the CAG report from coming into public domain and its act also drew harsh criticism from the High Court.

Earlier, when the House proceedings began, the AAP legislators created ruckus in the House by chanting slogans and protesting against the BJP government’s move to insult Dr B.R. Ambedkar and Shaheed Bhagat Singh.

They also tried to disrupt the L-G’s address to the Assembly. Despite directions from the Speaker, the unrelenting AAP MLAs continue to make noise.

Following this, at least a dozen AAP MLAs were suspended for the day.

Continue Reading

National News

Rajasthan Assembly: Six suspended Cong MLAs stopped from entering House, deadlock continues

Published

on

Jaipur, Feb 25: The six suspended Congress MLAs were not allowed to enter the Rajasthan Assembly on Tuesday as they tried to forcibly make their way into the House but were stopped by marshalls.

The deadlock in the Rajasthan Assembly continued for the fifth day, with tensions escalating over state Minister Avinash Gehlot’s remark about former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.

Although Congress MLAs have ended their sit-in protest in the House, they are firm on their demands, vowing to disrupt proceedings until the suspension of six MLAs is revoked and the Minister issues a formal apology.

The Congress MLAs ended their sit-in on Monda, but is likely to continue its boycott of the Assembly on Tuesday, said party workers.

The crisis deepened further when accusations of insulting the Speaker were added to the ongoing conflict between the ruling party and the opposition. The situation worsened after Monday’s session was adjourned, as Dotasra allegedly used offensive language against the Speaker, intensifying the dispute. As a result, the reinstatement of the six suspended Congress MLAs remains stalled.

Having left the House, the suspended MLAs are now barred from returning until further resolution.

Dotasra reiterated Congress’ stance, stating, “Until the Minister’s remarks are expunged from the records and an apology is issued, we will not participate in Assembly proceedings.”

He further asserted that if the party’s 66 MLAs are unable to attend, they will take their fight to the streets. This statement reinforces the Congress’ strategy of boycotting the Assembly.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Jogaram Patel placed the blame squarely on Dotasra, alleging that he reneged on an agreement made in the Speaker’s chamber. “It was agreed that Dotasra would express regret for approaching the Speaker’s table inappropriately, but he later refused,” Patel said.

He also condemned Dotasra’s remarks about the Speaker, calling them “highly inappropriate and unacceptable”.

Patel accused the Congress leader of deliberately orchestrating the standoff to stall legislative proceedings.

“The people of Rajasthan are watching. What public interest issue justifies this ongoing disruption?” he questioned.

Continue Reading

National News

Delhi Assembly: 12 AAP MLAs suspended for the day

Published

on

New Delhi, Feb 25: A total of 12 Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLAs were suspended from the Delhi Assembly for unruly behaviour during the Lt. Governor’s address on Tuesday.

Lieutenant Governor (L-G) Vinai Kumar Saxena was making the customary address in the Assembly when the AAP MLAs resorted to massive sloganeering.

The opposition MLAs were raising Jai Bhim slogans and protesting the removal of Bhagat Singh and Ambedkar’s pictures from the Delhi Chief Minister’s office.

The AAP MLAs tried to disrupt the L-G address. Despite repeated directions from the Speaker, the AAP MLAs continued to make noise.

Speaker Vijender Gupta then ordered the suspension after taking the names of the protesting AAP MLAs. Amid the ruckus, the House was adjourned till noon.

The Leader of the Opposition (LoP), Atishi was also one of the suspended MLAs.

The others were: Gopal Rai, Anil Jha, Jarnail Singh, Vishesh Ravi, Som Dutt, Surender Singh, Veer Singh Dhingan, Mukesh Ahlawat, Virender Singh Kadian, Kuldeep Kumar, and Chaudhary Zubair Ahmad.

The AAP MLAs alleged that the BJP-led government had removed photographs of Dr B.R. Ambedkar and Bhagat Singh from the Chief Minister’s Office. On Monday, former Chief Minister Atishi shared a photo of herself seated in the CM’s office with portraits of Ambedkar and Bhagat Singh in the background. She contrasted this with a photo of the new Chief Minister, Rekha Gupta, where portraits of Mahatma Gandhi, President Droupadi Murmu, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi were displayed instead.

The BJP quickly hit back, releasing a picture that showed the photographs of Ambedkar and Bhagat Singh on an adjoining wall.

A video later also showed photos of Mahatma Gandhi, President Murmu and PM Modi behind the Chief Minister’s chair with photos of Ambedkar and Bhagat Singh placed on the adjoining walls.

The Delhi Assembly’s three-day session began on Monday with the oath-taking ceremony of the newly elected MLAs and the nomination of the House Speaker and Deputy Speaker.

The BJP government has decided to submit the CAG reports in the Assembly on Tuesday. The report says that the “actual implementation was sub-optimal and objectives behind the policy were not achieved.

Continue Reading

Trending