Archives for January 2019

[Nasheman news] New Delhi Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan on Monday again suspended four TDP and AIADMK for two consecutive sittings for causing “grave disorder” in the house.

The Speaker’s action came as members of the two parties were agitating near the Speaker’s podium shouting slogans in support of their demands like special status for Andhra Pradesh and against the proposed dam on the Cauvery river in Karnataka, issues on which they have been protesting ever since the start of the session.

The House could not proceed with the Question Hour as there was pandemonium and the Speaker adjourned it till noon. The situation was no different when the House resumed and Mahajan issued a warning and suspended the four members of both the parties including AIADMK leader P. Venugopal and TDP’s N. Shivaprasad.

Last week, the Speaker had suspended 45 Lok Sabha members belonging to AIADMK and the TDP.

“You have come to the well of the House and you are abusing the rules by persistently and wilfully obstructing the business. By your wilful and persistent obstruction, grave disorder is being occasioned. I am, therefore, constrained to name you under Rule 374A. 

“Therefore, all of them stand automatically suspended from the service of the House for two consecutive sittings of the session under provision of Rule 374A. They may forthwith withdraw from the precincts of the House,” she said.

Mahajan requested the suspended members to withdraw themselves from House but they did not relent and continued with their protest.

Mahajan then adjourned the House till 12.30 p.m.

By Sanu George (12:08) 

Thiruvananthapuram (IANS) At a time when politicians are seen to increase their personal wealth when in public life, a Congressman in Kerala, currently on a sabbatical from politics, is seeking to build a self-sustainable housing facility for the homeless in his home town in Kollam district, about 70 km from the state capital.

What’s more, he is doing this on his ancestral property of about one acre and 10 cents (4,451 sq m) that he has divided between 20 beneficiaries, with each getting four cents. The market value of the land is about Rs 8 crore ($1.1 million).

Speaking to IANS, 42-year-old Niyaz Chithara said he is an advocate by training and has taken a break from active politics to ensure his “Gandhigram” project materialises.

“I was shocked to see a mentally challenged four-year-old boy waiting at the Mudackal panchayat with an old lady. When I spoke to the old lady, she said she was the boy’s grandmother and she had come to see if the village council has any scheme for the poor and homeless. I came to know that the boy’s mother had deserted the child and his father was bedridden due to an accident,” Chithara said.

Returning home, Chithara said that he was too pained and remembered the words of Mahatma Gandhi: “You must be the change you want to see in the world.”

“I did not take much time to decide that I will play my role for the upliftment of the downtrodden. I decided that the ancestral share of mine, which was 110 cents of land in the Chithara village council, would be gifted to the landless and I started work to accomplish this,” Chithara said.

A former chairman of the Government Law College and an office bearer of the Youth Congress, he soon send out postcards to all the landless families in two nearby village councils.

“I got a response from 300 people and I called all of them to an auditorium. I then spoke to each of them and made my own assessment of who should get the four cents. I selected 19 beneficiaries (the 20th was the mentally-challenged child) across caste, creed, community and religion. I registered the land in the names of the women in the respective families,” said Chithara.

The only condition that he has put up is that these beneficiaries should build a home through any of the government schemes and if they do not do it in three years, the land will be taken back. And once the home is built, it should not be sold or transferred for 15 years.

“I decided to take on the responsibility of building a home for the young mentally challenged boy and will approach people to give a helping hand. We plan to build a 500 sq ft home at a cost of Rs 5 lakh. Next week, the official handing over of the land to the 20 beneficiaries will be done by (Leader of Opposition) Ramesh Chennithala, while (state Congress president) Mulapally Ramachandran will hand over the first instalment of assistance to build the home for the boy,” said Chithara.

Chithara has already spent Rs 5 lakh to level the entire plot and dig a pond.

“In the Gandhigram village, I am planning a library, a place for the women to start their own vocation and an anganwadi, so that the small community gets an inbuilt facility for all their basic needs,” said Chithara.

[Nasheman news] LucknowA cold wave intensified across Uttar Pradesh on Monday, forcing the closure of schools in the state capital and some other places, weather officials said.

According to the officials, rains on Sunday added to the winter chill.

While it was expected to be sunny on Monday, the weatherman said the winter chill would continue for the next few days. 

More than four dozen trains were running behind their schedules and two others were cancelled. 

Fog has been reported from most highways and outskirts of cities and towns.

The maximum temperature recorded in the last 24-hours was 21 degrees Celsius while the minimum on Monday as 5.4 degrees celsius. 

State Met Director J.P. Gupta informed that the sudden chill was due to a western disturbance over the Himalayas.

The Regional Met Office has predicted scanty rains with thundershowers at some places in the state. 

By Subhash K Jha 

[Nasheman news] MumbaiActor Alok Nath, who has been accused of rape by writer-director Vinta Nanda and has been granted anticipatory bail, has surfaced from hiding to speak, albiet conditionally.

“The honourable court and my lawyers have advised me to keep completely silent for now. In fact I’ve been quiet throughout. Maybe, some words escaped my mouth in my state of angst. But otherwise I’ve been lying absolutely low for the last three months,” Alok said. 

“It is not right for me to make any comment at the moment. But yes, we (Alok and his team of lawyers) got anticipatory bail, and we’re very grateful for that. Now, when I am in a position to speak I will have a heart-to-heart with you.”

Alok did however expressed gratitude to his wife Ashu. 

“She has been a pillar of strength for me. I am grateful to God that in my journey she has been my co-traveller throughout. She has been with me always. And my truth is her truth, and that’s God’s truth. So I am grateful to God for that.”

Alok says his next legal move would depend on the court order.

“I cannot preempt anything right now. But one thing I can tell you. This battle will reach its logical conclusion, and the truth, whatever it is, will be revealed.”