Page 10 - National Politics

I-T dept has withdrawn Rs 65 cr from banks 'undemocratically', alleges Cong

The Congress on Wednesday alleged that the Income Tax department has "withdrawn" a sum of Rs 65 crore from its accounts in different banks "undemocratically" even when the case pertaining to their return for previous years is sub judice. Party treasurer Ajay Maken has claimed that "democracy will be over if the action of probe agencies goes unchecked" and said the Congress has full faith in the judiciary. "The Income Tax department had written to various banks to withdraw a sum of Rs 65 crore from different bank accounts of the Congress and Indian Youth Congress in view of the demand raised by the Income Tax authorities earlier, despite the appellate authorities hearing the case," Maken told PTI. He said even when the Income Tax Appellate Tribunal, which the Congress had moved against the Income Tax department's claim of Rs 210 crore as recovery for "discrepancies" in previous tax returns has been stayed and a lien has been marked, the tax authorities have resorted to "undemocratic

TMC MP Mimi Chakraborty resigns from Lok Sabha, says 'politics not for me'

Announcing her resignation from the Lok Sabha, Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP, Mimi Chakraborty, on Thursday said "politics is not for me."Mimi Chakraborty said, "Politics is not for me. You have to promote someone here (in politics) if you are helping someone...Besides being a politician, I also work as an actor. I have equal responsibilities. If you join politics, you are criticised whether you work or not. I spoke with Mamata Banerjee regarding the issues I had. I wanted to tell her about my resignation from a party that gave me an opportunity to go ahead. I had also told her in 2022 about my resignation from the post of an MP. She had rejected it at that time. I will complete the further process after whatever she says."She further said that she was facing a lot of hurdles in giving service to her constituency."I have faced several hurdles in serving the people. I have given my resignation two days ago. CM Mamata Banerjee has not accepted my resignation. I have never spoken ill ...

Congress delaying investigation of 40% commission charges: Ex-CM Bommai

The Karnataka High Court on Wednesday ordered the government to submit the probe report within six weeks

We are firmly with 'INDIA': AAP on decision to contest all Punjab seats

Aam Aadmi Party on Saturday emphasised that it was firmly with the INDIA bloc and asked the Congress for a quick decision on seat-sharing, even as it defended the move to go it alone in Punjab saying local units of both parties wanted to fight the Lok Sabha elections separately. AAP convenor and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, while addressing a programme in Punjab earlier in the day, announced that his party will declare its candidates for all 13 Lok Sabha seats in the state and the lone Chandigarh parliamentary seat in the next 10-15 days. The local units of both Congress and AAP in Punjab favoured fighting election separately, the Aam Aadmi Party, which had earlier called for an alliance with the Congress in Delhi, Gujarat, Goa and Haryana, said in a statement. "So we have decided to honour that. Regarding other states, talks are ongoing," the statement said. "We are firmly with the alliance. Our shared goal is to defeat the BJP. Time is thus of paramount importance if the

'Outdated' Cong cannot question 'Modi's guarantees', says PM in Rajya Sabha

Modi said his government will strive to provide a "Modi kavach", or shield, to empower the people of India, especially the neo-middle class

Minister Lekhi hits out at audience for not chanting 'Bharat mata ki jai'

Union Minister Meenakshi Lekhi on Saturday lashed out at a section of the audience at a youth conclave here for not chanting the "Bharat Mata Ki Jai" slogan despite she repeatedly asked them to do so. A visibly irked Lekhi asked them whether Bharat was not their mother and even suggested a woman, who was reluctant to raise the slogan, to leave the venue. The conclave was organised by certain right-wing outfits. Concluding her speech, the senior BJP leader chanted "Bharat Mata Ki Jai" and asked the audience to repeat it. As the response from the audience was not as expected, she asked whether Bharat was not their home. "Is Bharat only my mother or your mother as well? Tell me...Tell me...Is there any doubt? No doubt?...Enthusiasm needs to be expressed," the Union Minister of State for External Affairs & Culture said. She repeated the slogan and said that the response from the left side audience was still poor. Pointing at a woman in the audience, Lekhi said, "the lady in yellow .

Best of BS Opinion: The post-May 2024 dilemma, measuring corruption & more

Here is the best of Business Standard's opinion pieces for today

Republic Day 2024: Beating Retreat ceremony gets underway in Delhi

Amid strains of soulful music, the Beating Retreat ceremony, which marks the culmination of Republic Day celebrations, got underway at the Vijay Chowk here on Monday. The Raisina Hills in the heart of the national capital reverberated with the sound of captivating and foot-tapping Indian tunes played by military and paramilitary bands. President and Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces Droupadi Murmu arrived at the venue in the traditional 'buggy' adding to the old-world charm of the event that traces its origins to the early 1950s. Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and several union ministers, Chief of Defence Staff Gen Anil Chauhan, the three service chiefs, senior officials, besides the general public are attending the mega event. The Delhi Police has made elaborate traffic arrangements for the ceremony. In an advisory issued on Friday, police had said that traffic restrictions will be in place from 2 pm to 9.30 pm on

Affiliates of RSS, BJP gear up for LS polls with interim Budget plans

The interlocutors are conscious that the exercise on February 1 will only be an Interim Budget, and a full Budget will be presented sometime in July

Rahul Gandhi urges West Bengal to lead fight against injustice nationwide

Amidst differences in opposition bloc INDIA over seat sharing with TMC in Bengal for Lok sabha polls, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Sunday called on the Bengal and Bengalis to spearhead the battle against prevailing injustices in the nation. Gandhi's statement, delivered during the ongoing 'Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra' in North Bengal, followed closely after Chief Minister and TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee's announcement that her party would contest the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections independently in the state. Expressing gratitude for the warm reception in West Bengal, Gandhi remarked, "Bengal holds a special place. Bengal led the ideological fight during the Independence struggle. It is the duty of Bengal and Bengalis to lead from the front to combat injustice, foster unity, and curb hatred in the present circumstances." He emphasised, "If you don't rise to the occasion, people will never forgive you. It is not about any single individual; it is about Bengal showing the way and leadin

Kharge to launch Uttarakhand's Congress poll campaign from Dehradun

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge will arrive here on Sunday to address a public meeting and launch the party's campaign in the state for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. "He is going all over the country. We are grateful that he has chosen Uttarakhand to give his call for a change," senior party leader and former chief minister Harish Rawat said. "Justice is what Rahul Gandhi's Nyay Yatra is all about. The party president's programme is a part of it," he said. "All sections of society are asking for justice, be it women, unemployed youths or farmers." Kharge's meeting will be held in the Bannu School ground in the Race Course area. The party had sought the district administration's permission to hold the public meeting on the Parade ground but it was not allowed as the venue has been renovated as part of the Dehradun Smart City project and no major public programmes are being held to protect it. The Congress alleged that it was the BJP government's conspiracy to sabotage the party's

People may not consider it appropriate: Cong on Nitish's imminent switch

With Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's return to the BJP-led NDA imminent, Congress' Bihar in-charge Mohan Prakash on Saturday said this time the people of the state may not consider this an appropriate step and will give their verdict in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls. He also exuded confidence that the Congress MLAs would not switch and stay united, asserting that "no one will be able to take even a twig away from the Congress". Bihar is witnessing a political storm with the JD(U) president appearing to be inching towards his second political volte face in less than three years that will also impact the opposition INDIA bloc and its fight against the BJP in the general elections. Asked about the Bihar political developments, Prakash said, "There's no 'shunyata' (vacuum) in politics. The people of Bihar are more politically aware than in other states and they will decide on this matter in the polls." On Kumar's imminent switch from the 'Mahagathbandhan' camp to that of the BJP, he

Political parties defending those who break rules of House is not good: PM

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said political parties backing members who break the rules of the House and defending their conduct does not augur well for Parliament and state legislatures. In an online address to the 84th All India Presiding Officers' Conference (AIPOC) here, Modi said young elected representatives should be given more opportunity in legislative committees, so that they can participate more in policy-making. "There was a time when, if any member in the House broke the rules and action was taken against that member, senior members of the House would talk to him so that in future he did not repeat the mistake and break the rules of the House. "But these days some political parties stand in support of such members and defend their mistakes. The situation is not good for Parliament or state legislature," Modi said. He also said that work was underway on 'One Nation, One Legislative Platform' through the E-Vidhan and Digital Sansad initiative. In the last te

BJP meeting underway in Bihar as political uncertainty in state continues

Leaders of the BJP in Bihar gathered here on Saturday to discuss the political situation in the state, amid indications that former ally, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, was planning yet another volte face. We have come here to deliberate on the upcoming Lok Sabha polls. The current situation in Bihar will also be taken up for discussion, state BJP president Samrat Choudhary told reporters ahead of the party meeting at its Veerchand Patel Marg office. The meeting is also being attended by the party's MPs. The BJP has the largest number of 17 MPs in Bihar, where the total number of Lok Sabha members is 40. The JD(U), headed by Kumar, has 16 while another NDA ally LJP, now split up between the uncle-nephew duo of Pashupati Kumar Paras and Chirag Paswan, has six. Earlier, the party's state in-charge Vinod Tawde had slammed the Congress for driving Kumar, the JD(U) president, towards a break up with the INDIA coalition of which he was widely regarded as the architect. Party leaders have s

SC grants protection from arrest to Umar Ansari in Violation of MCC case

The Supreme Court on Thursday granted protection from arrest to Umar Ansari, son of gangster-turned-politician Mukhtar Ansari, in a criminal case registered against him during the 2022 assembly elections for alleged violation of the model code of conduct. A bench of Justices Hrishikesh Roy and P K Mishra issued notice to the Uttar Pradesh government on his plea challenging the Allahabad High Court order. Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for Ansari, submitted that the main accused has been granted regular bail in the matter. The Allahabad High Court on December 19 last year had rejected the anticipatory bail application of Ansari, and said that looking at the facts and circumstances of the case, the offence is made out. An FIR was lodged on March 4, 2022 at Kotwali police station in Mau district against Abbas Ansari (SBSP candidate from Mau Sadar seat), Umar Ansari and 150 unknown people. It was alleged in the FIR that on March 3, 2022 at Pahadpura ground, Abbas Ansari, Umar

BJP dividing country in name of caste, creed, religion: Rahul Gandhi

Soon after the Congress' 'Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra' entered Arunachal Pradesh on Saturday, its leader Rahul Gandhi accused the BJP of "dividing the country in the name of caste, creed and religion". While interacting with the residents of Doimukh, he alleged that the BJP "instigates people to fight among themselves in the name of religion and language". The BJP works for the interest of a few businessmen, not for the interest of the people who are suffering a lot. The Congress, on the other hand, works to unite the people and for their betterment, Gandhi said from the top of a vehicle in which he was travelling as part of the yatra. The Congress leader said the 6,713-km-long 'Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra', which began from Manipur on January 14 and will culminate in Mumbai on March 20, is aimed at "raising the sufferings of the people of the northeast region". We gave statehood to Arunachal Pradesh and our party is always ready to raise the issues of the poor and to work for the betterment

ED threatening leaders who want to join Shiv Sena (UBT): Sanjay Raut

Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut on Saturday accused the Enforcement Directorate (ED) of threatening political leaders who want to join the Uddhav faction by sending them notices

SP, RLD announce alliance for Lok Sabha polls; latter gets 7 seats in UP

The Samajwadi Party and the Rashtriya Lok Dal on Friday announced their alliance for the Lok Sabha polls, with the RLD saying that the other party will leave seven seats in western Uttar Pradesh for its nominees. SP president Akhilesh Yadav and RLD chief Jayant Chaudhary announced the tie-up for the elections later this year on social media. "Congratulations to everyone on the alliance of RLD and SP. Let us all unite for victory," Yadav said in a post on X. Reposting this tweet, Chaudhary said, "Always ready to protect national and constitutional values. We expect all workers of our alliance to move forward together for the development and prosperity of our region." He also posted pictures of the two leaders shaking hands. An RLD spokesperson told PTI that the seat-sharing deal was finalised at a meeting between the two leaders. "The RLD will contest seven seats in western Uttar Pradesh," he said. But the spokesperson did not name the specific seats.

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Eknath Shinde's was real Shiv Sena when new faction emerged: Maha Speaker

Speaker Narwekar's ongoing verdict comes on the deadline date set by the Supreme Court, for him to decide the fate of the rival Sena factions, which had filed a clutch of cross-petitions against each