West Bengal: Chief Minister Banerjee skips NITI Aayog meeting
After skipping the meeting of the NITI Aayog held to discuss the Land Acquisition Bill, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday said that her government was already following an “alternative” land policy in the state. Banerjee said that the policy implemented in the state allowed for the direct purchase of land, “without any forcible acquisition”. She further said that West Bengal could not “wait indefinitely” for the Central government to finalise its own policy on land acquisition. The Trinamool Congress leader had on Saturday written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressing her opposition to the Bill, which is currently being examined by a Joint Committee of Parliament. She was one of the four non-Congress chief ministers to have not attended the meeting of the NITI Aayog.
Delhi: Kejriwal rejects nepotism charges over official’s appointment
Delhi Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party leader Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday rejected charges of nepotism in the appointment of Swati Maliwal as the head of the Delhi Commission for Women. Kejriwal denied that Maliwal was related to him, and added that she had a long record of “activism” in various spheres. The AAP later claimed that it had “not heard” of any decision by the Delhi government in appointing Maliwal. “However, if this is the case, we welcome the move,” party leader Dilip Pandey said. He further claimed that Maliwal, the wife of party leader Naveen Jaihind, was not a member of the AAP itself.
Karnataka: Government using Lokayukta to target Opposition, says BJP
The Karnataka unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party on Wednesday accused the Congress-led government in the state of using the Lokayukta to target members of the opposition. Leader of the Opposition in the state assembly Jagadish Shettar also accused the government of attempting to shield the Lokayukta, Justice YB Rao, from being probed by investigative agencies. Shettar claimed that Rao’s son, Ashwin, had extorted nearly Rs 200 crore from government officials. He added that the government had not yet referred the case to the Central Bureau of Investigation, even though it had the power to do so. However, state Home Minister KJ George refuted the allegations, saying that the BJP was using the issue of corruption to corner the Siddaramaiah-led government in the state.
Gujarat: Women police officers probing Asaram case receive threat letter
Two women police officers in Gujarat investigating the case of rape registered against self-styled godman Asaram Bapu had received a letter threatening them, the Ahmedabad Crime Branch said on Wednesday. According to a statement released by city police, the two officers were threatened with dire consequences for their role in the investigation against Asaram. While Police Inspector Divya Raviya was the Investigating Officer in the case against the godman, Assistant Commissioner of Police Kanan Desai was her superior officer when the charge-sheet against Asaram was filed last year. Police officials said that round-the-clock security had been provided to the two officers, adding that they had begun their investigations into the letter. Nine witnesses in the cases against Asaram and his son Narayan Sai have been attacked so far, with three of them having died.
Bihar: Lalu accuses BJP of making ‘false promises’
Rashtriya Janata Dal chief Lalu Prasad Yadav on Wednesday accused the Bharatiya Janata Party of making “false promises” to the public, saying that the party had reneged on its electoral pledges. Saying that the people of the country had realised that the promise of ‘acche din’ was just a slogan, Yadav accused the BJP of trying to win votes “in the name of caste and religion”. He further alleged that the party was not revealing the findings of the Socio Economic and Caste Census so that it did not have to prepare a “pro-poor budget”. Yadav’s remarks came ahead of the upcoming assembly elections in Bihar.
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After skipping the meeting of the NITI Aayog held to discuss the Land Acquisition Bill, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday said that her government was already following an “alternative” land policy in the state. Banerjee said that the policy implemented in the state allowed for the direct purchase of land, “without any forcible acquisition”. She further said that West Bengal could not “wait indefinitely” for the Central government to finalise its own policy on land acquisition. The Trinamool Congress leader had on Saturday written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressing her opposition to the Bill, which is currently being examined by a Joint Committee of Parliament. She was one of the four non-Congress chief ministers to have not attended the meeting of the NITI Aayog.
Delhi: Kejriwal rejects nepotism charges over official’s appointment
Delhi Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party leader Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday rejected charges of nepotism in the appointment of Swati Maliwal as the head of the Delhi Commission for Women. Kejriwal denied that Maliwal was related to him, and added that she had a long record of “activism” in various spheres. The AAP later claimed that it had “not heard” of any decision by the Delhi government in appointing Maliwal. “However, if this is the case, we welcome the move,” party leader Dilip Pandey said. He further claimed that Maliwal, the wife of party leader Naveen Jaihind, was not a member of the AAP itself.
Karnataka: Government using Lokayukta to target Opposition, says BJP
The Karnataka unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party on Wednesday accused the Congress-led government in the state of using the Lokayukta to target members of the opposition. Leader of the Opposition in the state assembly Jagadish Shettar also accused the government of attempting to shield the Lokayukta, Justice YB Rao, from being probed by investigative agencies. Shettar claimed that Rao’s son, Ashwin, had extorted nearly Rs 200 crore from government officials. He added that the government had not yet referred the case to the Central Bureau of Investigation, even though it had the power to do so. However, state Home Minister KJ George refuted the allegations, saying that the BJP was using the issue of corruption to corner the Siddaramaiah-led government in the state.
Gujarat: Women police officers probing Asaram case receive threat letter
Two women police officers in Gujarat investigating the case of rape registered against self-styled godman Asaram Bapu had received a letter threatening them, the Ahmedabad Crime Branch said on Wednesday. According to a statement released by city police, the two officers were threatened with dire consequences for their role in the investigation against Asaram. While Police Inspector Divya Raviya was the Investigating Officer in the case against the godman, Assistant Commissioner of Police Kanan Desai was her superior officer when the charge-sheet against Asaram was filed last year. Police officials said that round-the-clock security had been provided to the two officers, adding that they had begun their investigations into the letter. Nine witnesses in the cases against Asaram and his son Narayan Sai have been attacked so far, with three of them having died.
Bihar: Lalu accuses BJP of making ‘false promises’
Rashtriya Janata Dal chief Lalu Prasad Yadav on Wednesday accused the Bharatiya Janata Party of making “false promises” to the public, saying that the party had reneged on its electoral pledges. Saying that the people of the country had realised that the promise of ‘acche din’ was just a slogan, Yadav accused the BJP of trying to win votes “in the name of caste and religion”. He further alleged that the party was not revealing the findings of the Socio Economic and Caste Census so that it did not have to prepare a “pro-poor budget”. Yadav’s remarks came ahead of the upcoming assembly elections in Bihar.
