New Delhi: The Communist Party of India (Marxist), or CPM, on Tuesday demanded that Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi quit office, taking moral responsibility for the killing of a college girl and three others in a fake encounter five years ago.
The politburo demanded “immediate action to arrest and prosecute all the police personnel involved in these murders”. Meanwhile, the BJP defended Modi, citing a Central government affadavit filed in the Gujarat high in the month of August.
“It is clear from the affidavit filed by the UPA government in Gujarat high court that the two killed in the encounter had LET links and had plans to carry out terrorist operations,” said party spokesperson Ravi Shanker Prasad.
The S.P. Tamang report had alleged that Ishrat Jahan and three others were killed by police in a fake encounter, terming them as terrorists. The Gujarat government rejected the report on Tuesday.
— Staff Writers
Sonia Gandhi meets YSR associate over CM issue
New Delhi: Congress president Sonia Gandhi, who has been consulting senior party leaders to finalize the successor to Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy, met the late Andhra Pradesh chief minister’s long-time associate and Rajya Sabha MP K.V.P. Ramachandra Rao on Tuesday.
After an-hour-long meeting with Gandhi, Rao said the Congress chief would take a decision on the next chief minister after “consulting the prime minister (Manmohan Singh), party general secretaries in charge and others.” Meanwhile, law minister M. Veerappa Moily, who is also the party general secretary in charge of Andhra Pradesh said: “No sooner the mourning period is over, we will resolve this (leadership) problem.” The mourning period ends on Thursday.
— Liz Mathew
Mayawati earns SC ire over memorials
New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday came down heavily on the Mayawati government for reportedly going ahead with the construction of memorials in violation of its order.
A Bench of justices B.N. Agarwal and Aftab Alam expressed concern about the huge expenditure being incurred from the public exchequer for constructing such memorials and questioned the legality of such a move. The Uttar Pradesh government gave a written undertaking to stop the construction till the apex court adjudicates on the case. The matter is set for next hearing on 29 September.
— Manish Ranjan