Archives for March 2023

Jhargram: Two people were killed in elephant attacks in West Bengal’s Jhargram district, police said on Tuesday.

The deceased were identified as Sujit Mahato and Namita Mahato, they said.

Sujit, a resident of Indkhara village, was returning home on his bicycle through a forest road after work around 8 pm when he was attacked by an elephant that strayed away from its herd.

The elephant picked up Sujit with its trunk, and banged him on the road from a height, killing him on the spot, officials said.

The incident triggered panic in the area, they said.

The second incident happened in Balia village in Manikpara. Another elephant killed Namita in a similar manner near her house, they added. 

New Delhi: Indian team’s star hockey player Rani Rampal has become the first woman in the sport to have a stadium named after her, in Rae Bareli.

The MCF Rae Bareli has renamed the hockey stadium as ‘Rani’s Girls Hockey Turf’.

Rani shared photos on her social media handles, where she is seen interacting with the players and inaugurating the stadium alongside other staff members.

“Words seem too less to express my happiness and gratitude as I share that the MCF Raebareli has renamed the hockey stadium to “Rani’s Girls Hockey Turf to honour my contribution to hockey,” Rani wrote on her Twitter handle.

Expressing her gratitude further, she said, “It is a proud and emotional moment for me as I become the first woman hockey player to have a stadium to my name. I dedicate this to the Indian women’s hockey team and I hope this inspires the next generation of women hockey players!”

Rani made a comeback to the Indian team during the tour of South Africa earlier this year, when she was included in a 22-member squad.

Rani was returning to the squad after last playing against Belgium in the FIH Women’s Hockey Pro League 2021-22, where she won her 250th cap for India.

The 28-year-old had been dealing with a injury since the Tokyo Olympics and was subsequently left out of the World Cup and Commonwealth Games 2022 squads.

New Delhi: Several opposition party leaders on Tuesday held a protest in the corridors of Parliament House and raised slogans demanding a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) probe into the Adani issue.

They also hung a banner that read “We want JPC” from the first floor of Parliament building.

TMC MPs held a separate protest in Parliament complex and demanded that Prime Minister Narendra Modi break his silence on the Adani issue.

Accusing the government of helping businessman Gautam Adani by not ordering a probe into allegations of fraud levelled against his group, the party demanded that Adani be arrested.

Leaders of opposition parties had earlier met in Parliament complex and decided to press for a JPC probe into the Adani issue.

Leaders of opposition parties, including the Congress, DMK, RJD, CPI-M, CPI, NCP, Shiv Sena (UBT), JDU, JMM, IUML, AAP, MDMK, attended the meeting in the chamber of Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge.

Both houses of Parliament were adjourned till 2 pm Tuesday amid uproar over the Adani issue and demand by ruling party members that Rahul Gandhi apologise for his democracy remarks.

“This morning Leader of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha, @kharge ji was given permission by the Chairman to speak. He got up to do so but was not allowed by sloganeering BJP MPs. Chairman then adjourned RS. How can the logjam be broken if Modi Govt behaves like this,” AICC general secretary Jairam Ramesh said on Twitter after the House was adjourned.

The opposition parties have been demanding a JPC probe into the Adani Group issue, saying only a JPC can bring out the truth in the matter, after US based Hindenburg Research report made allegations of financial irregularities and stock manipulation by the Adani Group.

The Adani group has denied the allegations and said no wrongdoing has been done by it.

Supreme Court Of India

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday refused to consider individual cases seeking acceptance of demonetised currency notes of Rs 1,000 and Rs 500 denominations.

A bench comprising BR Gavai and Vikram Nath, however, allowed the individual petitioners to approach the government with a representation.

The top court directed the government to decide the representation and consider the individual grievances, if made, within a period of 12 weeks.

“After the judgement of the constitution bench, we do not find it will be permissible for us to exercise our jurisdiction under Article 142 of the Constitution in individual cases to accept demonetised currency notes,” the bench said.

It also clarified that in the event any of the petitioners are not satisfied with the action by the Union of India, they would be at liberty to approach the high court concerned.

In a majority verdict, the top court had upheld the government’s 2016 decision to demonetise the currency notes of Rs 1,000 and Rs 500 denominations.

A five-judge Constitution bench had said the Centre’s decision-making process could not have been flawed as there was consultation between the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and the Union government.

The court had said the notification dated November 8, 2016, which announced the decision to scrap the high-value currency notes, cannot be said to be unreasonable and struck down on the ground of decision-making process.

Army chief Gen Manoj Pande

Gurugram: Army chief Gen Manoj Pande on Tuesday said India will continue to face terrorism and internal security challenges in the future and the security forces of the country will “unitedly” tackle them.

He was speaking after inaugurating the All India Police Commando Competition organised by the federal contingency force National Security Guard (NSG) at its garrison in Manesar here.

Gen Pande said the new-age technology has enabled the enemy to perpetrate its activities using drones, internet, cyberspace and social media.

“You all know that terrorism and internal security situation is affecting our country in different ways. We are facing these challenges unitedly. Due to this, the (security) situation is improving in various states.

“These challenges will continue in the future too. Some of these challenges will be there for a long time, some will be present indirectly while some will remain secretly”, he said.

Gen Pande said the “possibility” of terrorist attacks taking place in the country cannot be ignored as he praised intelligence and security forces for foiling and thwarting a number of such designs and networks.

He praised the NSG, a federal counter-terrorist force, for developing special skills in bomb detection and disposal, sniping, countering drones as well as effectively coordinating with other security agencies.

A total of 24 teams from various Central Armed Police Forces and state police organisations are participating in the competition that ends on March 31.

New Delhi: The BJP on Tuesday dubbed Congress leader Rahul Gandhi as the “present-day Mir Jafar of Indian polity” who went overseas seeking help from foreign forces to become a ‘nawab’ in India.

Stepping up its attack on the Congress leader over his democracy in danger remark in London, BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra reiterated the demand for an apology.

“It would not be an aberration to say that Rahul Gandhi is a present-day Mir Jafar of Indian polity. What he has done in London is the same thing that Mir Jafar did,” Patra said at a press conference.

Mir Jafar, who served as a commander in the Bengal army under Siraj ud-Daulah, was the East India Company’s first nawab of Bengal. He had betrayed Siraj ud-Daulah during the Battle of Plassey, paving the way for the British rule in India.

“Rahul Gandhi did the same thing during his visit to London. He invited foreign forces to come to India. Shehzada wants to become a nawab. Shehzada has sought help from the East India Company to become a nawab,” Patra charged.

The BJP spokesperson also alleged that it was not the first time that Gandhi has “spoken against India” overseas.

“This is just not a random issue. This is a consistent conspiracy by the Congress party and the Gandhi family,” he added.

Patra alleged Gandhi insulted and defamed India with his comments about India overseas, saying, “People have not given this right to him.”

He asserted that the BJP will not let the Congress leader get away without an apology for his remarks in London.

“There is no other alternative left before him. He will have to apologise because he has insulted and defamed India . We will make him apologise,” the BJP spokesperson said.

“Since the Congress can not make Shehzada a nawab with the blessings of the people of India, he goes abroad seeking help. This will not be allowed,” he added.

On Gandhi’s comment that his microphone was turned off in Parliament, Patra alleged the Congress leader remains abroad “most of the time”.

Gandhi’s attendance in Parliament is 52 per cent, whereas the national average is 78 per cent. The attendance of lawmakers from Kerala, from where Gandhi is also an MP, is 84 per cent on an average, the BJP spokesperson said.

The Congress MP has participated in just six debates in Parliament so far and asked merely 92 questions since 2019, he added.

“You (Gandhi) don’t ask questions because you don’t have questions. You have just one tape recorder that you play everywhere. You don’t participate in debates and discussions because you have nothing to debate . Your attendance in Parliament is the lowest,” Patra charged.

On Gandhi seeking permission to speak in Lok Sabha on the issue, Patra asked who was stopping him from doing so.

“He will speak only when he comes to Parliament,” he said, taking a jibe at the Wayanad MP.

Gandhi has written to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla seeking permission to speak in the House over his democracy remarks made in London, according to sources.

The Congress MP had met Birla last week after his return from the UK.

MUMBAI: Hitting out at Uddhav Thackeray, Maharashtra chief minister Eknath Shinde  on Sunday evening said that they are not traitors and  took the right decisions by going with the BJP because they fulfilled the dream of late Balasaheb Thackeray by constructing Ram temple and abolished article 370 in Kashmir.

After recent Uddhav Tahckeray’s public rally at Khed, Maharashtra chief minister Eknath Shinde addressed the public rally at the same place and venue on Sunday and criticized Uddhav Thackeray for tying up with Congress party that robbed the country. In this rally Uddhav Thackeray criticized Eknath Shinde calling him and his group as traitor who formed the government with BJP for money and pressure of central agencies.

Chief minister Eknath Shinde said that Uddhav Thackeray was also sitting in the lap of those who carried out bomb blasts in Mumbai only for power.  He said Prime Minister Narendra Modi abolished Article 370 from Kashmir, and even paved the way for building Ram temple.

“These were the dreams of Balasaheb Thackeray and that was fulfilled by PM Narendra Modi. So, how is our stance wrong to go with BJP? We are not traitors and power hungry and selfish people. There is no dishonesty in my blood,” he added.  Eknath Shinde read out his speech and criticized Uddhav Thackeray.

CM Eknath Shinde said that Uddhav Thackeray had earlier said that he would not become the Chief Minister, but he became the Chief Minister of Maharashtra only because Sharad Pawar insisted. While doing this Uddhav Thackeray compromised with his father’s ideology, criticised Shinde.

“The people of Konkan loved Balasaheb Thackeray and vehemently supported his thought and ideology. We are carrying forward the same legacy. We are working for people and do not need to answer all questions of the Opposition,” Shinde said.

CM Eknath Shinde said, “Everyone knows what Uddhav Thackeray did for power. Shiv Sena is dominated by Congress-NCP’s ideology. Shiv Sena lost its ideology for power and compromised the thoughts of late Balasaheb Thackeray. We are true soldiers of Balasaheb Thackeray therefore we broke the ties with Congress and BJP and formed the government with the saffron and Hindutva party. BJP is the natural ally of the Shiv Sena. People voted for Hindutva so it’s our duty to carry for this core ideology of Shiv Sena,” Shinde said.