Patel will address press conference
Hardik Patel, the Patel leader, will visit New Delhi on Sunday to meet with Jat and Gujjar leaders about reservations for their communities. Patel, who has led the Patidar community’s agitation for quotas under the Other Backward Class-category, will also participate in a programme being produced by a Hindi television channel. An aide for the community leader said that he will hold a press conference in the afternoon to discuss the outcome of his meetings. The protests by the Patel community turned violent earlier this week after Hardik Patel was detained by the Ahmedabad Police for launching a hunger strike without permission.
Pakistan vows to respond to border attacks
Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif on Saturday said that his country would continue to respond to attacks on its border by Indian forces. Pakistan would “retaliate in full force” if its civilian population was targeted by India, Asif told reporters. He added that Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif would raise the issue of India’s alleged border aggression during a session of the United Nations’ General Assembly next month. Meanwhile, India said that at least four villagers in Jammu and Kashmir were killed by Pakistani forces.
Lalu offers five seats to SP for Bihar elections
Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Lalu Prasad Yadav on Saturday said that he had offered the Mulayam Singh Yadav-led Samajwadi Party five seats for it to contest the upcoming assembly elections in Bihar. The former state chief minister held a late-night meeting on Friday with SP National-Secretary Kiranmay Nanda, who later said that he had called a meeting of the party’s parliamentary board on Sunday to discuss Lalu’s proposal. The RJD leader’s offer came after it was reported that the SP was planning to announce its exit from the “grand alliance” between itself, the RJD and the Nitish Kumar-led Janata Dal (United).
Land notification is illegal, Congress says
The Congress on Saturday said that the notification issued by the Central government on land acquisition was illegal as it had bypassed both Houses of Parliament. Former Union Minister Jairam Ramesh said that the Law Ministry had given a clear opinion on the matter, adding that the existing Land Acquisition Act had to be amended by an ordinance or a bill when Parliament was in session. The Centre had on Friday allowed the Land Acquisition Ordinance to lapse. It had also issued executive orders to extend provisions relating to the compensation portions of the 2013 version of the law to 13 Central Acts, thereby allowing land to be acquired under the legislations.
RSS-affiliated union pulls out of strike
The Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh on Saturday said that it had decided to pull out of the nation-wide strike called on September 2 by 10 other Central trade unions to protest against the labour reforms proposed by the National Democratic Alliance government at the Centre. The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh-affiliated Union said that it had decided to not take part as the Central government had agreed to some of the demands put forward by the unions and had also promised to “continue with discussions on other issues”. Around 40 crore workers are expected to join the proposed strike.
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Hardik Patel, the Patel leader, will visit New Delhi on Sunday to meet with Jat and Gujjar leaders about reservations for their communities. Patel, who has led the Patidar community’s agitation for quotas under the Other Backward Class-category, will also participate in a programme being produced by a Hindi television channel. An aide for the community leader said that he will hold a press conference in the afternoon to discuss the outcome of his meetings. The protests by the Patel community turned violent earlier this week after Hardik Patel was detained by the Ahmedabad Police for launching a hunger strike without permission.
Pakistan vows to respond to border attacks
Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif on Saturday said that his country would continue to respond to attacks on its border by Indian forces. Pakistan would “retaliate in full force” if its civilian population was targeted by India, Asif told reporters. He added that Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif would raise the issue of India’s alleged border aggression during a session of the United Nations’ General Assembly next month. Meanwhile, India said that at least four villagers in Jammu and Kashmir were killed by Pakistani forces.
Lalu offers five seats to SP for Bihar elections
Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Lalu Prasad Yadav on Saturday said that he had offered the Mulayam Singh Yadav-led Samajwadi Party five seats for it to contest the upcoming assembly elections in Bihar. The former state chief minister held a late-night meeting on Friday with SP National-Secretary Kiranmay Nanda, who later said that he had called a meeting of the party’s parliamentary board on Sunday to discuss Lalu’s proposal. The RJD leader’s offer came after it was reported that the SP was planning to announce its exit from the “grand alliance” between itself, the RJD and the Nitish Kumar-led Janata Dal (United).
Land notification is illegal, Congress says
The Congress on Saturday said that the notification issued by the Central government on land acquisition was illegal as it had bypassed both Houses of Parliament. Former Union Minister Jairam Ramesh said that the Law Ministry had given a clear opinion on the matter, adding that the existing Land Acquisition Act had to be amended by an ordinance or a bill when Parliament was in session. The Centre had on Friday allowed the Land Acquisition Ordinance to lapse. It had also issued executive orders to extend provisions relating to the compensation portions of the 2013 version of the law to 13 Central Acts, thereby allowing land to be acquired under the legislations.
RSS-affiliated union pulls out of strike
The Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh on Saturday said that it had decided to pull out of the nation-wide strike called on September 2 by 10 other Central trade unions to protest against the labour reforms proposed by the National Democratic Alliance government at the Centre. The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh-affiliated Union said that it had decided to not take part as the Central government had agreed to some of the demands put forward by the unions and had also promised to “continue with discussions on other issues”. Around 40 crore workers are expected to join the proposed strike.
