Archives for 2020

JDS president H D Deve Gowda on Monday dissolved the party unit in Kerala and appointed former minister Mathew T Thomas as the new president.

BENGALURU: JDS president HD Deve Gowda on Monday dissolved the party unit in Kerala and appointed former minister Mathew T Thomas as the new president. In a statement, Gowda said he has dissolved the Kerala Pradesh JDS unit with immediate effect as the unit president C K Nanu has not taken any steps to strengthen the party.

“On the contrary, he has acted to destabilize the party and has not consulted the core committee,” he said. Nanu was issued notice by B M Farooq, JDS national working president on September 24, but he had not replied to it. Gowda said he has appointed Mathew Thomas as president of the ad-hoc committee of the Kerala Pradesh JDS and also appointed other members of the committee. Jose Thettayil has been appointed as vice president.

New Delhi: The Peace and Harmony Committee of the Delhi Assembly will resume its hearing of witnesses on complaints against social media giant Facebook on Monday.

The committee has called Prabir Purkaystha, editor of online portal NewsClick, and Pratik Sinha, co-founder of Alt News, for examination, it said in a statement.

“The Delhi Legislative Assembly’s committee, after careful deliberations of the allegations in the complaints levelled against Facebook, has taken prompt cognizance of the issue and set its mechanism in full swing,” the statement said.

The committee had summoned Facebook India vice president and managing director Ajit Mohan at its previous meeting on September 23, which was deferred after the panel was stopped by the Supreme Court from taking any “coercive” action.

The top court had directed the committee not to take any coercive action against Mohan till October 15 in connection with its summons asking him to depose before it with regard to the northeast Delhi riots.

Chennai: Popular actor-turned politician Khushbu Sundar is likely to join the BJP today, in a big catch for the ruling party in Tamil Nadu ahead of polls next year. She has been with the Congress close to six years since 2014. While she had recently denied such reports, she chose a “no comment” response on Sunday as she took off to Delhi. To a specific question if she’s still in the Congress, Ms Sundar said, “I don’t wish to say anything”. With the Congress out of power since 2014, her political career graph was appearing somewhat stunted of late.

The BJP may also rope her in for the 2021 assembly elections to break new ground in Tamil Nadu, a state that has been elusive for the party. “Khushbu will change the perception of the BJP in Tamil Nadu,” said sources in the BJP’s Tamil Nadu unit.

The popular star has hopped parties in the past. She had joined the DMK in 2010 when DMK was in power, particularly after she took up the role of late rationalist leader Periyar’s wife Maniammai in a biographical film largely funded by the Tamil Nadu government. At that time, she had said, “I think I made the right decision. I love to serve people. I want to work for the betterment of women.”

However, four years later, when she left the Dravidian party, she had said, “Hard work for the DMK had been a one-way path.” The same year in 2014 she joined the Congress after meeting Sonia Gandhi. The actor had then said, “I finally feel I am home. Congress is the only party that could do good for the people of India and unite the country.” But Ms Sundar was not given a ticket for the 2019 Lok Sabha polls which the DMK-Congress alliance swept in the state, nor was she chosen for the upper house.

Such was the popularity she enjoyed, that when she was a star, fans had even built a temple in her honour. But she faced bitter criticism and protests for her comments on chastity. With state elections eight months away in Tamil Nadu, the BJP with its limited reach in the state could see Ms Sundar’s star power as quite a catch. The party doesn’t have any charismatic leader in the state yet.

This also comes at a time the ruling AIADMK is uncomfortable about continuing its alliance with the BJP following its collapse in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls and speculation that the national party could tacitly back superstar Rajinikanth who is likely to launch his party ahead of the polls.

Jaipur: Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Sunday directed officials to get the killing of a temple priest in Karauli district probed by the CID-CB.

He also condemned the BJP’s “attempt to give a communal colour” to a land dispute between two families, which led to the death of the priest.

“It is condemnable that the BJP gave a communal colour to the tragic incident between the Meena and Vaishnav communities of a land dispute case between two families in Bukna villlage of Sapotara. This has undermined the image of Rajasthan unnecessarily,” Gehlot said in a statement.

He said the priest’s death was not the result of a caste conflict, neither a pre-planned incident. The dispute between the two families over taking the possession of a piece of land resulted in the tragic incident.

On October 6, a day before the incident, the panchayat had agreed in favour of priest Babu Lal Vaishnav, in which a majority of people of the Meena community were present.

Directions have been issued to get the case investigated by the CID-CB. Superintendent of Police (SP) Vikas Sharma has been assigned the task, the statement said.

Gehlot said the Congress government has always been striving to give protection to priests and the land that comes under various temples.

Owing to the land dispute, Vaishnav was allegedly set on fire and he died at the SMS Hospital here on Thursday. It is alleged that five people, trying to occupy the cultivated land near the temple, set ablaze the priest by spraying petrol. Two have been arrested.

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday described the prestigious Blue Flag certification for eight Indian beaches as a wonderful feat, and said it showcases the importance India attaches to protecting such spots and furthering sustainable development.

Eight beaches in India have been awarded the prestigious Blue Flag certification, the environment ministry said on Sunday.

“Eight of India’s serene beaches get the prestigious Blue Flag Certification. This showcases the importance India attaches to protecting such spots and furthering sustainable development. Truly a wonderful feat!” the prime minister tweeted, tagging a report in this regard.

Terming it a “proud moment” for the country, Union Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar said the certification is a global recognition of India’s conservation and sustainable development efforts.

Ahmedabad: A 16-year-old boy was nabbed on Sunday from Mundra in Gujarat for allegedly issuing threats against cricketer Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s minor daughter, police said.

“The class 12 student from Namna Kapaya village was detained for questioning in connection with a disgusting threat message that was posted on the Instagram account of Dhoni’s wife Sakshi Dhoni a few days back,” Kutch (West) superintendent of police Saurabh Singh told reporters.

The teenager “confessed” to have posted the threatening message on the Instagram account after the IPL 2020 match between KKR and CSK cricket teams, police said.

Ranchi police had shared information regarding the boy with Kutch (West) police and asked them to confirm if he was the one who had posted the threat message, Singh said.

“We detained him for questioning after Ranchi police informed us that the accused hails from Mundra in Kutch district.

“We have confirmed that the boy is the same who had posted the message. He will be handed over to Ranchi police as the FIR was lodged in that city,” the SP said, adding that a team of Ranchi Police is likely to reach Kutch tomorrow to take custody of the teenager.

Dhoni is captaining the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) cricket team in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020 season.

The nature of the threat had caused a huge outrage on social media, with several cricketers, politicians and celebrities expressing disgust and demanding action.