Political updates: BJP red-faced over Eknath Khadse; Congress in trouble in Meghalaya, Chhattisgarh
Eknath Khadse is likely to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi and party president Amit Shah in Delhi
New Delhi: In a big relief for the country’s agrarian economy, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Thursday said that the country will receive above-normal monsoon this year. But for the Congress party, trouble within its state units continues. After Arunachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, there seems to be trouble brewing in the state of Meghalaya where voices of dissent are being heard. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Maharashtra too hasn’t been spared. Senior leader and minister Eknath Khadse, who is facing charges of corruption and misuse of his ministerial position, has put the party in a tough spot.
IMD forecasts above-normal monsoon
India will receive an above-normal monsoon this year, ending the run of two back-to-back poor ones. The rains, expected to set in on 7 June when the monsoon makes landfall in Kerala, will dampen inflationary expectations and bring relief to the agrarian economy reeling under rural distress—caused by a combination of the droughts as well as a collapse in global commodity prices. In its second forecast, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said the odds overwhelmingly favoured an above-normal monsoon—106% of the long period average (LPA). Read more
Congress’s in-house troubles spreading, with Meghalaya next up
The Congress party’s troubles with its state units show no signs of easing—after political and constitutional crises in Arunachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, voices of dissent are growing in Meghalaya. The trouble in Meghalaya comes after the party managed to contain the damage in another Northeastern state, Manipur, after a series of governmental and organisational changes. Read more
Tell Africans India loves you, says Sushma Swaraj
India’s foreign affairs minister Sushma Swaraj sought to resolve the controversy over the attack on Africans in India, ostensibly caused by racism, by asking Indians to reach out to Africans. Read more
Narendra Modi takes a swipe at ‘gareebi hatao’ slogan
Attacking Congress’s “gareebi hatao" slogan, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said the intention of those who gave the slogan may have been good, but the path they chose for delivering the promise was wrong. Addressing a rally in Balasore, Odisha, on the completion of two years of his government, he called for “balanced" development in the country and wondered why the eastern belt had remained backward despite being generously bestowed with natural resources. Read more
Govt to chaperone matrimonial websites
Like a protective parent, India’s government will notify rules to govern matrimonial websites to ensure they aren’t used by those not intent on marriage. The government will make it mandatory for websites to keep IP address records as well as make those looking for a match upload documents proving their identity to be doubly sure that the websites aren’t being “misused", a government official told reporters in New Delhi on Thursday, asking not to be identified. Users of these sites have to verify that they intend to use it as a matrimonial service, the official said. Read more
Congress leader Ajit Jogi threatens to form a new political party
In a setback to the Congress, veteran party leader and former chief minister of Chhattisgarh, Ajit Jogi, on Thursday raised the banner of revolt and threatened to form a new political party. His rebellion against the Congress’s top leadership has come nearly five months after Amit Jogi, his son and party legislator, was expelled for six years over charges that he helped fix the outcome of an assembly bypoll last year. Read more
Pressure builds on BJP to act against Eknath Khadse
The BJP in Maharashtra is under immense pressure to act against its senior leader and minister Eknath Khadse, who is facing charges of corruption and misuse of his ministerial position. A state BJP leader, who did not want to be named, said the central leadership was taking stock of the situation and may decide “on Khadse’s future" in a day or two. Khadse is also likely to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi and party president Amit Shah in Delhi, said this person. Shah, he said, has already asked for a report on Khadse. The minister could well be asked to go, said the leader. Read more
Gulbarg Society massacre: Court convicts 24, acquits 36 accused
A special court on Thursday found 24 people guilty in connection with the 2002 Gulbarg Society massacre case, in which 69 people, including former Congress parliamentarian Ehsan Jafri, were killed. While 11 were convicted for murder, 13 were found guilty of lesser offences, including rioting, but not murder. The court acquitted 36 people, including BJP councillor Bipin Patel and former police inspector K.G. Erda, who were added to the list of accused by a special investigation team (SIT) formed by the Supreme Court to reinvestigate the nine cases of riots that took place in Gujarat in 2002. The SIT trial concluded on 22 September 2015. Read more
Govt will push reforms to make India developed economy: Arun Jaitley
Enthused over encouraging gross domestic product (GDP) numbers, finance minister Arun Jaitley on Thursday said the government will push ahead with its reform agenda to retain the fastest growing large economy tag and help India move towards becoming “a more developed economy". Read more
No third front now, no decision to project Nitish Kumar as PM: JD(U)
Janata Dal (United) or JD(U) on Thursday dismissed the formation of a third front as of now and said it has not taken any decision to project its president Nitish Kumar as the prime ministerial candidate. “Anything like third front is neither in the party’s thinking as of now nor it is in the mind of party’s leadership ... It (third front) is not even in discussion," JD(U) general secretary K.C. Tyagi told reporters on Thursday. Read more
Govt orders sealing of Indo-Bangladesh border in Assam by June 2017
The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government on Thursday ordered complete sealing of Assam’s border with Bangladesh by June 2017, fulfilling an electoral pledge of the BJP within a week of assuming power in Assam to check illegal immigration from the neighbouring country. Home minister Rajnath Singh issued the order at a high-level meeting attended by top home ministry officials. During the meeting, Singh directed that the Indo-Bangladesh border in Assam should be sealed completely, a home ministry official said. Read more
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