Legislators of Opposition parties on Friday staged a demonstration in the Vidhan Sabha complex here demanding the ouster of Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari for his alleged remarks about icons of the state. The legislators led by Leader of Opposition Ajit Pawar, LOP in legislative council Ambadas Danve, state Congress chief Nana Patole, Rohit Pawar, among others raised slogans outside the House on the last day of the winter session. The opposition legislators holding black caps and a banner shouted slogans demanding Koshyari's removal. The Opposition has been seeking the ouster of the governor since his recent remark that Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj was a "hero of the past".
2022 was a year when the government used India's soft power diplomacy both at home and abroad to create a non-stop cultural calendar of events for 365 days. While it appealed to the sense of pride and patriotism of the domestic population by urging them to be part of the Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav, a series of events to celebrate 75 years of Indian independence, it highlighted the country's rich culture and heritage to the global audience. In a testament to the scale of these engagements, the culture ministry held more than 136000 events under Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav including several mega programmes such as Har Ghar Tiranga. The campaign reached 23 crore households and six crore 'Selfie with Tiranga' were also registered digitally. The official website also had a feature of 'Pin a Flag', which accumulated more than five crore entries. The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) also undertook various activities as part of Har Ghar Tiranga which included hoisting of high flag mast of 15 m
The nine state assembly polls in 2023 will tell us which way the political winds are blowing before the country goes to polls in general elections 2024
The Chief Minister of Assam might be in the BJP today. But he has skills he learnt at the feet of top Congress leaders like Tarun Gogoi, with whom he worked for many years
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On completion of 100 days of Bharat Jodo Yatra, Rahul Gandhi on Friday said that China is constantly preparing for war while the government is asleep
Hitting back at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for his remarks that India is ignoring the threat of war from China, the BJP on Friday said he is trying to spread confusion and demoralise soldiers and added it is not Jawaharlal Nehru's India of 1962. "This is Modi's India, this is new India. Now if anyone raises an eye against the country he gets a befitting reply," he asserted. Addressing the press on the sidelines of his Bharat Jodo Yatra earlier in the day, Gandhi alleged that China is preparing for war and the Indian government is sleeping over it and trying to ignore the threat. Hitting back, BJP spokesperson Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore said, "Rahul Gandhi feels there should be proximity with China. Now he has developed so much proximity that he knows what China will do." "During his yatra, Rahul Gandhi has make comments about Indian security and border areas to spread confusion ('bhram') in the country and demoralise Indian soldiers. This is not India of his great grandfather Neh
Union Home Minister Amit Shah will be attending the Eastern Zonal Council meeting scheduled to be held in Kolkata on Saturday, a senior state government official said. Shah is scheduled to arrive in the city for the meeting on Friday night, he said. "The office of the Union home minister has confirmed that Shah will chair the meeting on Saturday," the official told PTI. Shah is slated to meet chief ministers of West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha, and Sikkim and hold discussions on unsettled issues between these five states, including those related to boundaries and completion of the eastern freight corridor. Alongside the CMs, chiefs of all central armed forces are expected to attend the meeting at the West Bengal secretariat, he said. The meeting, which was earlier scheduled for November 5, was postponed due to Shah's unavailability, owing to prior engagements.
Six non-BJP ruled states -- West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Telengana, Kerala and Jharkhand -- have not reduced the VAT on petroleum products, leading to higher prices of petrol and diesel there, Petroleum Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said on Thursday. Puri said in Lok Sabha that the central government has reduced excise duty on petroleum products and some other states, following cues, reduced their Value Added Tax (VAT). Six states -- West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Telengana, Kerala and Jharkhand -- have not reduced the VAT, he said amidst vocal protests by the opposition members. "Some of them are charging VAT at the rate of Rs 17 and other non-BJP states are charging at Rs 32. So, there is a differential. When the member was saying that today the cost of petrol is Rs 100 per litre in some places -- in some places which are non-BJP states -- and in other states, it is Rs 8-10 cheaper," he said. The minister said, currently the petrol price in India is one of the
Rahul Gandhi would contest the 2024 Lok Sabha elections again from Amethi with which the Nehru-Gandhi family has old ties, Uttar Pradesh Congress leader Ajay Rai claimed on Wednesday. Rai, the regional head of the party in UP, also said that it is his appeal to the people of Amethi to send Rahul Gandhi to Delhi by electing him as an MP again with a huge margin. "The Gandhi-Nehru family has old relations with Amethi...no one can weaken it. Rahul Gandhi will contest from Amethi in 2024," Rai told reporters here. There has been no word from the party so far on the former Congress president fighting the next parliamentary elections again from Amethi. Rahul Gandhi, who had won the Amethi parliamentary seat for three times in a row, was defeated by BJP leader and Union minister Smriti Irani in 2019 elections. He is currently representing Kerala's Wayanad constituency in Lok Sabha. Rahul Gandhi's parents Rajiv Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi had won from Amethi in the past. Speaking about the
Himachal Pradesh's new chief minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu has announced a review of all recent decisions by the previous government and also ordered the sacking of officials who were re-employed or given extensions, prompting the BJP to accuse him of "vendetta". According to the orders issued on Monday night, the services of heads and members of boards and committees have been terminated with immediate effect and recruitments for government jobs -- unless done through the state recruitment board or commission -- put on hold. The new Congress government also scrapped notifications for the creation and upgradation of institutions and sought fresh proposals. However, these orders do not apply to government medical colleges and health institutions. Sukhu told reporters that a five-member committee reviewed the notifications for opening and upgradation of institutions -- apparently referring to educational institutes -- and found that these were opened only on paper and were ...
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Bhupendra Patel was sworn in as CM in Gandhinagar on Monday at a ceremony attended by PM Narendra Modi and top BJP leaders, including Union ministers and chief ministers of state ruled by the party
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Himachal Pradesh election result 2022: Exit polls have predicted the return of the BJP. Stay tuned for Himachal Pradesh Assembly election result LIVE updates
Locals say two factors played an invisible role in the BJP's defeat: one, the turnout of women in this time was 17% higher; second, the Agnivir scheme in a state that sends a large number of soldiers
In the shadow of their triumphs, the limitations of the Modi magic outside Gujarat, and of Kejriwal beyond Delhi, have been exposed
Patel's work was hyper-local - which left leaders like Narendra Modi and Amit Shah to emphasise how the BJP had managed to propel India to the centre stage globally
Counting of votes for a new assembly in Gujarat got underway Thursday, with early trends pointing to a sweeping victory for the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) that has not lost an election in the state since 1995. The BJP was leading in 42 seats, while Congress was ahead in six and the AAP was winning four seats, according to early trends reported by the Election Commission. Television channels, however, reported that BJP was ahead in more than 100 seats, the Congress in about 50 and the AAP was struggling to take its tally into double digits. The results of the two-phase elections, held earlier this month, will be watched more for the performance of the Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) that seem to be locked in a battle to grab the status of the main opposition party in the state. While the Congress was not expected to replicate its creditable performance of the last Assembly elections in 2017, a good showing by AAP would have helped its leader Arvind Kejriwal cement his