BJP accuses Sonia of forcing CMs to retract praise
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday assured Nagaland Chief Minister TR Zeliang and Manipur Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh that all the North Eastern states would be consulted before the Central government finalised the peace treaty with the Nationalist Socialist Council of Nagaland (Isak-Muivah), officials said. The reported assurances came a day after Congress President Sonia Gandhi accused Modi of failing to takes its chief ministers in the North East into confidence about the deal. The Bharatiya Janata Party later accused Gandhi of forcing the Congress chief ministers to retract their statements expressing appreciation for the accord. The treaty, reached last week, is seen as a major step towards ending one of India’s longest-running insurgencies.
Six people detained for aiding Udhampur gunmen
The Jammu and Kashmir Police on Saturday detained at least six people for allegedly aiding the militants who ambushed a Border Security Force convoy in the Udhampur district of the state last week. The names of those detained had been revealed by Mohammed Naved, who was captured after the attack, officials said. Naved told investigators that the gunmen had infiltrated Kashmir through the Gulmarg-Uri sector, officials said.
Editors Guild criticises I&B Ministry
The Editors Guild of India on Saturday criticised the information and Broadcasting Ministry for the show-cause notices issued to three television channels for their coverage of the execution of 1993 Mumbai blasts convict Yakub Memon. Calling for the immediate withdrawal of the notices to ABP News, AAJ Tak and NDTV, the Guild said that it was shocking that they were issued under regulations meant for cable television channels. “Those regulations were never meant to be used to stop the free and vigorous discussion of matters of public interest,” the Guild’s President, N Ravi said. "Viewpoints unacceptable to the government ought not to be penalised.”
70 Vyapam scam-accused write to President
Seventy people accused in the multi-crore-rupee Vyapam cash-for-jobs scam in Madhya Pradesh have written to President Pranab Mukherjee, seeking permission to commit suicide. The petitioners alleged that they were victims of “judicial disparity” as some of those accused of similar crimes in the scam had been granted bail while they continued to remain in custody. The letter added that their families were suffering due to their absence and that their economic conditions were deteriorating.
Nitish criticises appointment of Bihar governor
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar criticised the Centre's decision to appoint Ram Nath Kovind as governor of Bihar on Saturday, saying that he had not been consulted on the matter. Kovind is a leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party’s Uttar Pradesh unit. Nitish Kumar accused the Central government of not following the precedent set for such appointments, adding that he had learned of the decision through news reports,. However, a senior Union Home Ministry official said that there was no provision that required the chief minister to be consulted about such decisions. Kumar’s Janata Dal (United) said that it would raise the issue in Parliament.
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday assured Nagaland Chief Minister TR Zeliang and Manipur Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh that all the North Eastern states would be consulted before the Central government finalised the peace treaty with the Nationalist Socialist Council of Nagaland (Isak-Muivah), officials said. The reported assurances came a day after Congress President Sonia Gandhi accused Modi of failing to takes its chief ministers in the North East into confidence about the deal. The Bharatiya Janata Party later accused Gandhi of forcing the Congress chief ministers to retract their statements expressing appreciation for the accord. The treaty, reached last week, is seen as a major step towards ending one of India’s longest-running insurgencies.
Six people detained for aiding Udhampur gunmen
The Jammu and Kashmir Police on Saturday detained at least six people for allegedly aiding the militants who ambushed a Border Security Force convoy in the Udhampur district of the state last week. The names of those detained had been revealed by Mohammed Naved, who was captured after the attack, officials said. Naved told investigators that the gunmen had infiltrated Kashmir through the Gulmarg-Uri sector, officials said.
Editors Guild criticises I&B Ministry
The Editors Guild of India on Saturday criticised the information and Broadcasting Ministry for the show-cause notices issued to three television channels for their coverage of the execution of 1993 Mumbai blasts convict Yakub Memon. Calling for the immediate withdrawal of the notices to ABP News, AAJ Tak and NDTV, the Guild said that it was shocking that they were issued under regulations meant for cable television channels. “Those regulations were never meant to be used to stop the free and vigorous discussion of matters of public interest,” the Guild’s President, N Ravi said. "Viewpoints unacceptable to the government ought not to be penalised.”
70 Vyapam scam-accused write to President
Seventy people accused in the multi-crore-rupee Vyapam cash-for-jobs scam in Madhya Pradesh have written to President Pranab Mukherjee, seeking permission to commit suicide. The petitioners alleged that they were victims of “judicial disparity” as some of those accused of similar crimes in the scam had been granted bail while they continued to remain in custody. The letter added that their families were suffering due to their absence and that their economic conditions were deteriorating.
Nitish criticises appointment of Bihar governor
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar criticised the Centre's decision to appoint Ram Nath Kovind as governor of Bihar on Saturday, saying that he had not been consulted on the matter. Kovind is a leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party’s Uttar Pradesh unit. Nitish Kumar accused the Central government of not following the precedent set for such appointments, adding that he had learned of the decision through news reports,. However, a senior Union Home Ministry official said that there was no provision that required the chief minister to be consulted about such decisions. Kumar’s Janata Dal (United) said that it would raise the issue in Parliament.
