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2:58 PM

Never questioned intention of opposition leaders: Rajnath Singh slams Rahul Gandhi

Defence minister Rajnath Singh on Saturday hit out at Congress MP Rahul Gandhi for his recent remarks on threat by China and said that politics cannot be done on false claims for long.

 

Speaking at the FICCI Annual Convention and AGM in the national capital, Singh said Gandhi's remarks were in bad taste and made it clear that the Centre has never questioned the intention of leaders in the opposition.

 

"We have never questioned the intention of leaders in the opposition, we have only debated on the basis of policies. Politics is done by speaking the truth," he said.

 

"The word 'Rajneeti' is derived from Raj and Neeti. They mean to carry out. The aim of politics is to create a political system for the welfare of society. Its purpose is not to raise suspicion on intentions whether it's Galwan or Tawang, our defence forces have done miraculous jobs,"Singh said.

2:55 PM

RERA becomes functional in Bengal, says top official

The West Bengal Real Estate Regulatory Authority (WBRERA) is finally up and running, nearly 18 months after the Supreme Court struck down the state's own regulations introduced as a substitute for the central law, a senior official said.

In May last year, the top court had declared the West Bengal Housing Industry Regulatory Act (WBHIRA) as unconstitutional.

"The WBRERA is now in place and we have very recently commenced functioning. Until the IT backbone is ready, consumers will be able to file complaints against builders, agents and others physically. The website is expected to be operational within a fortnight," Sandipan Mukherjee, who assumed charge as WBRERA chairman, told PTI.

West Bengal was perhaps the only state where the Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act, 2016, passed by Parliament, had not become functional.

2:50 PM

No praise enough for bravery displayed by Indian armed forces in Galwan, Tawang: Rajnath

The bravery and valour displayed by the armed forces during the Galwan valley clashes and the recent face-off in the Tawang sector of Arunachal Pradesh is commendable and any amount of praise for them is not enough, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said on Saturday.

 

Singh's comments during an address at industry chamber FICCI came a day after Congress leader Rahul Gandhi accused the government of downplaying the threat posed by China along the Line of Actual Control and saying it was "asleep" and not ready to accept the situation.

 

The defence minister also took an indirect dig at Gandhi for "doubting" the government's intention in the handling of the border row with China and said politics can not be done on the basis of "falsehood".

 

"Any amount of praise is not enough for the armed forces the way they displayed bravery and valour, be it in Galwan or Tawang," Singh said.

 

2:43 PM

MVA leaders demand removal of Maha Governor over his remarks against national icons

Leaders of the opposition Maha Vikas Agadhi (MVA) in Maharashtra on Saturday demanded removal of Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari over his remarks against Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and social reformers Mahatma Phule and Savitribai Phule.

 

The MVA, comprising the Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray), Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and Congress, made this demand at a rally held here at the end of their 'Halla Bol' protest march against the Eknath Shinde government over the governor's remarks and other issues.

 

NCP chief Sharad Pawar, party leader Ajit Pawar, former chief minister Uddhav Thackeray and state Congress president Nana Patole spoke at the rally held near the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT), where the protest march concluded.

 

The foot march had begun from near J J Hospital at Byculla around noon.

 

Speaking on the occasion, Ajit Pawar said, "The governor should be sacked in order to save Maharashtra."

2:32 PM

If journalism falters, democracy will collapse: Justice Srikrishna

Former Supreme Court judge B N Srikrishna has called for preserving the independence of journalists to ensure smooth functioning of democracy in the country.

If journalism as a profession falters, democracy will collapse, Justice Srikrishna said Friday night after presenting the RedInk awards for excellence in journalism, instituted by the Mumbai Press Club.

Speak the truth to the powers that be," he said. "Two professions have to be necessarily independent, a judge and a journalist. If they falter, democracy collapses, he added.

Justice Srikrishna said a journalist who loses his independence is as bad as a judge who has lost his independence.

Remember, you are in a profession where honesty is really the best policy, said the noted jurist, who headed the Srikrishna Commission that investigated causes and apportioned blame for the Mumbai riots of 199293.

We all know about the four pillars of democracy: judiciary, legislature executive and the press or the fourth estate. If the first three cozy up, it is the duty of the fourth estate to take them to task, he said.

2:27 PM

Pune: BJP protests against Pak minister Bilawal Bhutto over his remarks on PM Modi

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Saturday staged a demonstration here against Pakistan Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto for his remarks against Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

 

BJP's Maharashtra chief Chandrashekhar Bawankule, several party MLAs and other leaders took part in the protest at Tilak Chowk in the morning. They burnt Pakistan's flags and also raised anti-Pakistan slogans. "We will not tolerate any statement against our prime minister. PM Narendra Modi is the one who is striving hard to save our Hindu religion, and Pakistan is unable to see it. That is why they are making such statements. In future, we will not tolerate such remarks from Pakistan," Bawankule said.

 

BJP state women's wing head Chitra Wagh, former Pune mayor Murlidhar Mohol also took part in the protest.

 

2:21 PM

SC dismisses plea against Rahul Gandhi's election from Wayanad in 2019 Lok Sabha polls

The Supreme Court has dismissed a plea challenging the election of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in 2019 from Wayanad Lok Sabha constituency in Kerala.

 

A bench of justices A S Bopanna and Dipankar Datta rejected the petition filed by Saritha S Nair, who had moved the apex court against an October 31, 2019 decision of the Kerala High Court by which her election petitions challenging the Lok Sabha polls in Wayanad and Ernakulam also were dismissed.

 

On November 2, 2020, Nair's plea challenging Gandhi's election was rejected by the top court for non-prosecution.

2:17 PM

Security beefed up in Tripura for PM's visit; trains arranged for ferrying people to rally venue

Security has been tightened across Tripura for Prime Minister Narendra Modi's December 18 visit to the northeastern state, where polls are due early next year, officials said.

The PM is expected to land at Maharaja Bir Bikram airport at 2.25 pm and leave for Vivekananda Ground in Agartala, where he would be addressing a rally amid tight security, said District Magistrate (DM), West Tripura, Debapriya Bardhan.

He will also lay the foundation stones for a series of initiatives and inaugurate multiple projects, besides interacting with the beneficiaries of the central and state governments, Bardhan stated.

2:08 PM

PM Modi to launch projects worth Rs 6,800 crore in Tripura, Meghalaya

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit poll-bound Tripura and Meghalaya on Sunday and inaugurate and lay the foundation stones of projects worth more than Rs 6,800 crore there.

 

The Prime Minister's Office (PMO) said in a statement that the projects encompass a wide array of sectors, including housing, road, agriculture, telecom, IT, tourism and hospitality.

 

Modi will also participate in the golden jubilee celebration of the North Eastern Council and attend its meeting in Shillong, it said.

 

In Agartala, the prime minister will launch the "Grih Pravesh" programme for more than two lakh beneficiaries under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana Urban and Rural schemes.

2:07 PM

BJP calls Rahul 'Jaichand', says Kharge should expel him from Congress

The BJP launched a fierce attack on Rahul Gandhi on Saturday for his remark that Chinese soldiers are beating up Indian Army personnel in Arunachal Pradesh and said the Congress should immediately expel him from the party.

 

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia said if Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge is not "remote-controlled" and if the opposition party stands with the country, then Gandhi should be expelled for his comments, which "belittle" India and break the morale of its armed forces.

 

Bhatia likened Gandhi to Jaichand, the king of Kannauj who is projected as a betrayer to the Indian cause in some historical accounts, and alleged that the former Congress chief has constantly tried to break the armed forces' morale, be it after the surgical and airstrikes on terror camps in Pakistan or after the Galwan valley clashes, in which 20 soldiers had laid down their lives.

 

While Gandhi allegedly sought evidence of the armed forces' strikes on terrorists inside Pakistan, he called the prime minister "Surender Modi" after the Galwan fight, the BJP leader said.

 

2:05 PM

Meta to shut down its cameo-like 'Super' app

Meta has announced that it will shut down its cameo-like app, Super, on February 15, 2023.

 

Super is a live-streaming platform for influencers developed by Meta in 2020.

 

The company said that it had hoped to create a virtual meet-and-greet experience that was similar to what users experience at a real-life event like VidCon or Comic-Con, reports TechCrunch.

 

"What we found we'd created, however, was a much greater opportunity for creators and fans to connect in fun and exciting ways," the company was quoted as saying.

1:51 PM

Global biodiversity framework should be based on science, equity: India

The Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) must be framed considering science and equity and the sovereign right of countries over their resources, India has said at the UN biodiversity talks in Canada's Montreal.

 

It has also said the GBF must recognise the responsibility of the developing countries towards poverty eradication and sustainable development.

 

The second part of the Convention on Biological Diversity's (CBD) Fifteenth Conference of the Parties (COP 15) started on December 7, with 196 parties coming together in the hope of finalising negotiations for a new GBF -- a new set of goals and targets that will guide global action on nature through 2030.

 

1:45 PM

Pakistan could reconsider its strategy for dealing with Afghanistan's Taliban rulers: Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari

Pakistan could reconsider its strategy for dealing with Afghanistan's Taliban rulers, Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari has said, as he expressed disappointment over their failure to prevent the banned TTP from conducting cross-border terrorist attacks in his country.

 

Addressing a UN event in New York Bilawal said: "Pakistan will not tolerate cross-border terrorism by the TTP (Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan) or other terrorist groups, like the BLA (Balochistan Liberation Army).

 

He said that Pakistan could reconsider its strategy for dealing with Afghanistan's Taliban rulers, but it could not afford to disengage with Kabul, the Dawn newspaper reported.

 

1:45 PM

Pakistan could reconsider its strategy for dealing with Afghanistan's Taliban rulers: Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari

Pakistan could reconsider its strategy for dealing with Afghanistan's Taliban rulers, Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari has said, as he expressed disappointment over their failure to prevent the banned TTP from conducting cross-border terrorist attacks in his country.

 

Addressing a UN event in New York Bilawal said: "Pakistan will not tolerate cross-border terrorism by the TTP (Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan) or other terrorist groups, like the BLA (Balochistan Liberation Army).

 

He said that Pakistan could reconsider its strategy for dealing with Afghanistan's Taliban rulers, but it could not afford to disengage with Kabul, the Dawn newspaper reported.

 

1:45 PM

Whether it is Galwan or Tawang, Indian forces have proved their bravery, says Rajnath Singh

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Saturday said that whether it is Galwan or Tawang, India's defence forces have have always shown courage and displayed their valour on every occasion.

 

Addressing the 95th FICCI Annual Convention and AGM in the national capital, Singh said, "Whether it is Galwan or Tawang, our defence forces have proved their bravery and valour. I myself could have never imagined that such kind of magical courage they can show at the frontline."

 

The union minister also said that "politics is done by speaking the truth."

 

"We have never questioned the intention of leaders in the opposition, we have only debated on the basis of policies. Politics is done by speaking the truth," Singh said.