The Rajkot administration on Saturday blocked mobile internet services in the district after Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti leader Hardik Patel threatened to disrupt the one-day international cricket match between India and South Africa, to be played at the Saurashtra Cricket Association stadium on Sunday. Patel had threatened to block the cricketers from reaching the stadium if details of ticket sales were not made public. He alleged that the Saurashtra Cricket Association had sold tickets to Bharatiya Janata Party workers, who would then protest during the match and later blame the Patidars for it.
Maharashtra: CM says BJP-Shiv Sena alliance will last
After rumours of an impending split in Maharashtra’s Shiv Sena-Bharatiya Janata Party alliance, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said on Saturday that the two parties will stay together until the next assembly election, scheduled for 2019. Fadnavis said, “We had a cabinet meeting this week attended by the Shiv Sena ministers. We also had informal meetings after that. So, please remove the notion from your mind that [Shiv Sena chief] Uddhavji [Thackeray] is going to announce withdrawal of support.”
Bihar: Sonia targets Modi, BJP over intolerance
Congress President Sonia Gandhi on Saturday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government of trying to incite the people of the country on communal lines. Referring to incidents such as the Dadri lynching, Gandhi said that a communal frenzy is being created, innocents are killed on rumours and intellectuals are targeted under the Bharatiya Janata Party rule. Addressing an election rally in Bihar, she also hit out at Modi over the steep prices of essential commodities, including vegetables and pulses, saying that the life of common people had become difficult.
Punjab: AAP says Badal trying to 'disturb peace’
The Aam Aami Party on Saturday said that Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal was trying to disturb peace in the state. AAP spokesperson Sanjay Singh said that the situation in Punjab was critical after two people died in police firing on Wednesday following protests over rumours of the desecration of a holy book. Singh said, "The Akali-BJP-combine government led by Badal is trying to disturb the hard-earned peace in Punjab tactfully with an aim to divert the attention from its anti-people policies, which has adversely affected all occupations ranging from labour, farmers to businessmen."
Rajasthan: Lokayukta probe ordered into mines scam
Rajasthan governor Kalyan Singh on Saturday ordered a Lokayukta probe into the alleged irregular allotment of mines, on the recommendation of Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje, who cancelled 548 letters of intent and 53 prospective licences. Raje decided to act on the basis of an interim report of a review committee that she had set up on October 5 and the opinion of the anti-corruption bureau. The Congress party had earlier alleged a scam of Rs 45,000 crore in the allocation of mines in Rajasthan and demanded the immediate resignation of Raje.