The big news: Amit Shah blames BJP’s provocative remarks for Delhi loss, and nine other top stories
Other headlines: The IMF said India’s economic environment was weaker than what they had forecast, and environmentalist RK Pachauri died at 79.
A look at the headlines right now:
- BJP may have lost Delhi polls due to remarks such as ‘goli maaro’, says Amit Shah: The home minister said party leaders should not have made provocative comments in the run-up to the elections in the national Capital.
- India needs more ambitious structural, financial sector reforms urgently, says IMF: Monetary fund’s spokesperson Gerry Rice said the economic environment in the country was weaker than what they had forecast earlier.
- Environmentalist RK Pachauri dies at 79: The former TERI chief was the chairperson of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change when it won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2007.
- Case filed against former official after NRC data disappears: Simultaneously, a complaint was also filed against former NRC Coordinator Prateek Hajela for allegedly tampering with records.
- Anti-CAA protests in Bengaluru curtailed illegally on December 18, says Karnataka High Court: The court observed that the order does not stand the test of judicial scrutiny, and ruled that petitions challenging it can be taken up for preliminary hearing.
- One coronavirus patient discharged from Kerala hospital, says Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan: Kolkata airport dismissed reports claiming it had detected two positive cases of infection.
- Congress’s loss in Delhi an ‘unmitigated disaster like coronavirus’, says Jairam Ramesh: The former minister claimed the BJP had used the anti-Citizenship Act protests at Shaheen Bagh to polarise voters.
- Hearing on execution dates of 2012 gangrape convicts adjourned till February 17 by sessions court: Meanwhile, Supreme Court reserved order on convict Vinay Sharma’s plea against rejection of mercy plea.
- Give details of criminal cases against candidates on website, social media, SC tells parties: The court said that a party must clarify the reasons for fielding a particular candidate, adding that nominees must be selected on the basis of merit.
- Bureaucrat Rajiv Bansal appointed Air India chief: He succeeds Ashwani Lohani.