India involved in terrorism, says Pakistani official
Pakistan on Saturday expressed concern over Union Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar’s remarks that terrorists needed to be “neutralised only through terrorists”. Parrikar’s remarks confirmed that India was involved in terrorism within Pakistan, said Sartaj Aziz, the Adviser on Foreign Affairs to Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. Asserting that Pakistan was pursuing a policy of good relations with India, Aziz said that it was “vital for the two countries to work together” to defeat terrorism.
Jayalalithaa sworn in as Tamil Nadu CM
All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam leader J Jayalalithaa was sworn in as the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu on Saturday. State Governor K Rosaiah administered the oath of office to her and 28 other ministers at an auditorium at the Madras University in Chennai. Jayalalithaa was disqualified from holding public office after a trial court in Bengaluru convicted her in a disproportionate assets case in September. However, the Karnataka High Court acquitted her of the charges earlier this month.
Delhi statehood needs consensus: Jaitley
Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Saturday said that granting full statehood to Delhi would require a national consensus. “Until that is done, full statehood rights cannot be given to Delhi government,” he said. Jaitley said that since Delhi was a Union Territory with an elected government, some constitutional rights had been granted to it, but the remaining rights of administration lay with the Centre. The Finance Minister’s remarks came days after the Union Home Ministry issued a notice saying that the postings and transfers of bureaucrats fell under the jurisdiction of the state’s Lieutenant-Governor. State Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has accused the Central government of trying to run the state by proxy.
Rafale deal is opaque, says Congress
The Congress on Saturday alleged that there was no transparency in the deal signed by India to acquire 36 Rafale fighter jets from France. Party spokesperson T Vadakkan questioned the Narendra Modi-led government’s decision to bypass the defence procurement procedure in the absence of an inter-governmental agreement with France. He said that there was no clarity on either the pricing or the amount of technology that would be transferred through the agreement. “Modi government must clarify whether the French government will give a sovereign guarantee,” he said.
House panel seeks public views on Land Bill
The Joint Parliamentary Committee examining the amended Land Acquisition Bill has sought the views of the public on the legislation. The Lok Sabha secretariat uploaded a copy of the bill to its website and asked all individuals, organisations and stakeholders to submit their inputs by June 8. The 30-member panel has been asked to submit its report on the bill by the first week of the Monsoon Session of Parliament, which will commence in July. Most opposition parties and some allies of the ruling National Democratic Alliance government, including the Shiv Sena, have opposed various sections of the amended bill.
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Pakistan on Saturday expressed concern over Union Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar’s remarks that terrorists needed to be “neutralised only through terrorists”. Parrikar’s remarks confirmed that India was involved in terrorism within Pakistan, said Sartaj Aziz, the Adviser on Foreign Affairs to Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. Asserting that Pakistan was pursuing a policy of good relations with India, Aziz said that it was “vital for the two countries to work together” to defeat terrorism.
Jayalalithaa sworn in as Tamil Nadu CM
All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam leader J Jayalalithaa was sworn in as the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu on Saturday. State Governor K Rosaiah administered the oath of office to her and 28 other ministers at an auditorium at the Madras University in Chennai. Jayalalithaa was disqualified from holding public office after a trial court in Bengaluru convicted her in a disproportionate assets case in September. However, the Karnataka High Court acquitted her of the charges earlier this month.
Delhi statehood needs consensus: Jaitley
Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Saturday said that granting full statehood to Delhi would require a national consensus. “Until that is done, full statehood rights cannot be given to Delhi government,” he said. Jaitley said that since Delhi was a Union Territory with an elected government, some constitutional rights had been granted to it, but the remaining rights of administration lay with the Centre. The Finance Minister’s remarks came days after the Union Home Ministry issued a notice saying that the postings and transfers of bureaucrats fell under the jurisdiction of the state’s Lieutenant-Governor. State Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has accused the Central government of trying to run the state by proxy.
Rafale deal is opaque, says Congress
The Congress on Saturday alleged that there was no transparency in the deal signed by India to acquire 36 Rafale fighter jets from France. Party spokesperson T Vadakkan questioned the Narendra Modi-led government’s decision to bypass the defence procurement procedure in the absence of an inter-governmental agreement with France. He said that there was no clarity on either the pricing or the amount of technology that would be transferred through the agreement. “Modi government must clarify whether the French government will give a sovereign guarantee,” he said.
House panel seeks public views on Land Bill
The Joint Parliamentary Committee examining the amended Land Acquisition Bill has sought the views of the public on the legislation. The Lok Sabha secretariat uploaded a copy of the bill to its website and asked all individuals, organisations and stakeholders to submit their inputs by June 8. The 30-member panel has been asked to submit its report on the bill by the first week of the Monsoon Session of Parliament, which will commence in July. Most opposition parties and some allies of the ruling National Democratic Alliance government, including the Shiv Sena, have opposed various sections of the amended bill.