Nasheman

India's largest selling Urdu weekly, now also in English

You are here: Home / Archives for Nasheman

Congress releases final list of candidates for Gujarat polls

by

New Delhi: The Congress today released its final list of 14 candidates, besides leaving two seats for its allies, on the last day of filing of nominations for the second phase of Gujarat assembly elections. The party had late last night released its third list of 76 candidates.

In the fourth and final list of candidates, the party released 14 new names, besides changing its candidate for Manjalpur constituency where Chirag Zaveri has been fielded in place of Purvesh Borela. The Congress also kept two seats of Morvahadaf (ST) and Vaghodia for the Bharatiya Tribal Party, headed by former JD (U) MLA Chhotubhai Vasava, which has allied with the party.

The Congress has entered into a seat-sharing agreement with Vasava’s newly-formed party giving it five seats in the Gujarat assembly polls. Vasava, a tribal leader and MLA from Jhagadia in Bharuch district, floated a party after a split in the JD(U) and will contest from the seats of Jhagadia, Dediapada, Mangrol, Morva Hadaf and Vaghodia.

The Congress, which has been seeking to dislodge the BJP from power in the western state, earlier announced the names of 86 candidates in two phases. The Congress has been out of power in the crucial state for over two decades.

The polling for the two-phase election to the 182-member Gujarat Assembly will take place on December 9 and 14 and votes will be counted on December 18. Eighty-nine seats of Saurashtra and South Gujarat region are going to polls in the first phase, while the remaining 93 seats in central and northern region would go for polls in the second phase.

(PTI)

Jignesh Mevani to contest as Independent with Cong’s support

by

Ahmedabad: Dalit leader Jignesh Mevani today announced his decision to contest the Gujarat polls from the Vadagam (SC) seat of Banaskantha district as an Independent candidate with outside support of the Congress.

The moves come after sitting MLA Manibhai Vaghela said the state Congress asked him not to contest the polls from the seat “as a part of an agreement” with Mevani. Vaghela said the Congress has given an indirect support to Mevani for Vadgam seat, reserved for a Scheduled Caste (SC) candidate.

“The party has asked me not to contest from the Vadgam seat this time. Though Mevani will contest the polls as an Independent, he will have Congress’ support. Thus, there won’t be any Congress candidate on this seat,” Vaghela told PTI.

Mevani today announced that he will file his nomination as an Independent candidate for the Vadgam seat. In a message posted on social media, the face of the Dalit agitation in Gujarat claimed that he decided to jump into the poll battle after being “persuaded” by youth and numerous agitators.

He even requested other opposition parties as well as aspiring independents not to file their papers. “Since the ruling BJP is our key enemy, I request aspiring candidates of other parties and independents not to file their papers, so that we can have a direct battle with the BJP. This is people’s battle against dictatorship and we will continue our fight after winning this election,” he said.

Mevani will be in a direct contest with BJP’s Vijay Chakravarthi. Earlier this month, Mevani had a meeting with Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi during the latter’s visit to south Gujarat. After the meeting, Mevani had said that the opposition party gave him an assurance that more than 90 percent of his demands will be incorporated in its manifesto.

Stopping short of declaring an open support to the Congress after the meeting, Mevani had said that he would ask his community members to defeat BJP in the Gujarat polls. Mevani, who has been critical of the ruling BJP in the state and shot to fame after the Una Dalit flogging incident last year, had discussed 17 demands of his community in the meeting with Rahul Gandhi.

The Dalit leader maintained that he had no plans to join any political party. Of the three young caste leaders, OBC leader Alpesh Thakor has already joined the Congress, while Patidar community leader Hardik Patel recently announced his decision to back the opposition party after accepting its proposed reservation formula.

The 182-member Gujarat Assembly will go to the polls in two phases – on December 9 and 14. The counting of votes will be taken up on December 18.

(Agencies)

SC dismisses plea by Bengaluru woman claiming to be Jaya’s daughter

by

(Photo: PTI/File)

New Delhi: The Supreme Court today refused to entertain a petition of a woman who claimed to be the daughter of late Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa.

A bench of Justices M B Lokur and Deepak Gupta also refused to allow the plea of the woman to conduct DNA test for the purpose of proving her parentage.

Senior Advocate Indira Jaising, who appeared for the woman, had also sought cremation of Jayalalithaa as per Hindu rites since she was an Iyengar Brahmin. The court, however, said the petitioner is at liberty to approach the high court.

(Agencies)

Heera Group’s Dr. Nowhera Shaikh to join Indywood’s Billionaires Club

by

Over 50 billionaires and tycoons from 100 plus countries, including Heera Group’s Dr. Nowhera Shaikh, are expected to join an exclusive Billionaires Club spearheaded by NRI industrialist Sohan Roy’s Indywood.

The launch of the club will be held as part of Indywood Film Carnival and is expected to give a boost to foreign direct investment in entertainment sector in the country. The launch will be held at Ramoji Film City in Hyderabad on December 1.

According to Sohan Roy the club is a novel initiative and aims to attract tycoons, investors and corporates from across the world to the entertainment industry in India.“There are a lot of opportunities in the entertainment sector especially movies, animation and graphics. The Indian film industry according to a report prepared by Deloitte-Indywood is expected to grow at 11 per cent CAGR reaching $3.7 billion by 2020. In the coming years, the volume of foreign direct investment will play a decisive role in conceiving and implementing mega projects. Billionaires Club is a new step in this direction to educate movers and shakers about the vast opportunities in the sector and how it can be tapped effectively,” he said.

Roy said the Indywood consortium will produce 1,000 movies in the next five years and many of the mega film projects would be produced by renowned billionaires and investors. “The Indian film industry is the largest in the world in terms of number of films produced with around 1,500 to 2,000 movies being produced every year in more than 20 languages. Despite this, the Indian film industry’s gross realisation has been substantially lower than its global counterparts,” said Roy.

Egyptian air raid kills ‘terrorist’ mosque attackers

by

Wounded people are evacuated from the scene of the mosque attack on Friday [The Associated Press]

by Al Jazeera

The Egyptian army says an air raid killed some of the attackers involved in Friday’s massacre when at least 305 people died in a bomb-and-gun attack on a mosque.

In a statement late on Friday, army spokesman Tamer Rifai said the Egyptian air force chased down the assailants who, according to officials, arrived in four 4WD vehicles and carried out the attack during noon prayers.

“The air forces chased the terrorists and discovered and destroyed a number of vehicles that were involved in carrying out the brutal terrorist attack … Those on board were also killed,” Rifai said.

The massacre occurred in Bir al-Abed, a town in North Sinai province.

The mosque – about 40km west of el-Arish, the provincial capital of North Sinai – was frequented by followers of Sufism, a more mystical form of Islam.

No group has claimed responsibility, but according to a statement on Saturday from Egypt’s public prosecutor, the attackers were carrying a flag representing the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant group (ISIL, also known as ISIS). The government declared a three-day period of mourning for the victims.

Egyptian state media MENA said 120 people were also wounded in the attack.

President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi condemned the assault, which he described as “criminal” and “cowardly” in a televised statement on Friday.

He said the attack “will not go unpunished”.

“The armed forces and the police will avenge our martyrs and restore security and stability with the utmost force,” Sisi said.

Egypt has for years battled an armed, anti-government campaign on the rugged and thinly populated Sinai Peninsula. The campaign has gained pace since the military overthrew democratically elected President Mohamed Morsi of the Muslim Brotherhood in mid-2013.

In 2014, following a suicide bombing that killed 33 soldiers, Sisi declared a state of emergency on the peninsula, describing it as a “nesting ground for terrorism and terrorists”.

Previous attacks in Sinai mostly aimed at security forces and members of Egypt’s Coptic Christian minority.

However, mosques in North Sinai’s Sheikh Zuweid town have also been hit.

The Bir al-Abed mosque was an easy target because it was outside the province’s main cities.

The mosque may also have been targeted because it was attended by members of the Sufi sect, who are considered infidels by armed groups such as ISIL.

In 2016, ISIL fighters released images purportedly showing the execution of a 100-year-old Sufi religious leader, whom they accused of “witchcraft”.

Timothy Kaldas, a professor at Nile University in Cairo, told Al Jazeera that Friday’s assault “fits the pattern of ISIS attacks”.

“Potentially, it’s another attack against Sufis in northern Sinai. Potentially, it’s retaliation for tribes co-operating with the state in the crackdown on ISIS,” he said.

Kaldas said ISIL has been “more willing to target civilians, as we saw with a lot of attacks on the Egyptian-Christian community in the past year”.

Rallies by Jats, BJP MP: Mobile Internet services suspended in Haryana

by

Chandigarh: The Haryana government has suspended mobile Internet services in 13 districts for three days, apprehending law and order problem in view of two public rallies by a Jat body and ruling BJP’s Kurukshetra MP on November 26.

MP Raj Kumar Saini, who was opposing quota for Jats, had announced a “Samanta Maha Sammelan” in Jind while All India Jat Aarakshan Sangharsh Samiti national president Yashpal Malik had also announced a rally in Rohtak district’s Jassia on the same day.

Internet services on mobile networks, except voice calls, in the districts of Jind, Hansi, Bhiwani, Hisar, Fatehabad, Karnal, Panipat, Kaithal, Rohtak, Sonipat, Jhajjar, Bhiwani and Charkhi Dadri shall remain suspended for three days until the midnight of November 26, an official order said yesterday.

The order, which came into force yesterday, was issued by Additional Chief Secretary (Home Department) S S Prasad. “The order is issued to prevent any disturbance of peace and public order in the jurisdiction of state of districts as mentioned…,” it said.

It said there was a likelihood of tension, danger to human life and property, disturbance of public peace and tranquility in Haryana by protestors and anti-social elements during the two public rallies on Sunday. Yesterday, a group of Jats who were opposing Saini’s rally at Jind clashed with the police and blocked the Jind- Chandigarh National Highway in Jind.

The police had to resort to mild lathi-charge to disperse the protesters and the highway was cleared for normal movement of vehicular traffic after a while. Jat leader Sandeep Bharti, who led the protesters, was demanding cancellation of Saini’s rally.

Bharti alleged that Saini was known for his anti-Jat rants and accused him of spreading communal hatred by making inflammatory and derogatory statements against the community. Officials said the situation remained tense in Rohtak and Jind.

(Agencies)

Vijay, Pujara put India in commanding position

by

Nagpur: Indian top-order batsmen Murali Vijay and Murali Vijay continued to pile domination on Sri Lanka, posting 185/1 at Tea on Day 2 of the second Test at the Vidarbha Cricket Association (VCA) Stadium here on Saturday.

Vijay (106 not out) brought up his 10th Test ton, while Pujara (71 not out) scored his 18th half-century in the longest format of the game to help India trail by 20 runs when umpires called it an end to the second session.

The top-order Indian batsmen moulded a healthy unbeaten 178-run partnership for the second-wicket, leaving the Sri Lanka bowlers frustrated.

Resuming the play, the Saurashtra batsmen stood tall on the stumps sending the loose deliveries to the fence. His 183-ball innings was laced with nine boundaries.

The Tamil Nadu batsman, who marked his return in the Test cricket with a century looked to be the aggressor out of the two, occassionaly steeping out of the crease to sent the ball to the fence.

Vijay’s 194-ball innings saw nine boundaries and one hit over the fence.

On the other hand, Sri Lanka bowlers were left in misery, failing to find the trick to clinch wickets on the second consecutive session of the day.

Brief Scores: Sri Lanka: 205 vs India 185/1 (Vijay 106 not out, Pujara 71 not out, Gamage 1/33).

(IANS)

Rs 1 cr for whoever slaps Lalu Yadav’s son Tej Pratap, announces BJP leader

by

Patna: A BJP leader on Friday announced a “reward” of Rs one crore to anyone who slaps RJD leader Tej Pratap Yadav for his objectionable comments against Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi.

However, the BJP state unit distanced itself from the comments and issued a statement condemning the remarks of Anil Sahni, the party’s media in-charge for the Patna district.

The BJP said it will take disciplinary action against Sahni for his “reckless utterances”.

“We will give a reward of Rs one crore to anybody who slaps Tej Pratap Yadav. The RJD leader had threatened to thrash our respected Deputy CM inside his house (during the marriage of his son on December 3). We wish to pay Yadav in the same coin,” Sahni had said.

“We will also organise demonstrations in front of Yadav’s house to put pressure on him to apologise to Sushil Modi,” he had said.

The BJP leader was reacting to a recent video footage in which Yadav, the elder son of RJD supremo Lalu Prasad and a former state minister, was purportedly shown threatening to disrupt Sushil Modi’s son’s marriage and using the words “ghar mein ghus kar maarenge (will beat inside his house)”.

Yadav’s comments drew strong reaction from Sushil Modi, who urged Lalu Prasad to persuade his son against making provocative speeches.

However, in response to Sahni’s remarks, a strongly-worded statement was issued by BJP state unit spokesman Suresh Rungta, who said, “Sahni has spoken in his personal capacity. The party condemns his statement and has nothing to do with it”.

“The BJP has always been a votary of decorum and decency in public discourse… Sahni will therefore certainly face disciplinary action by the party,” Rungta added.

(PTI)

Padmavati: Police lathicharge Karni Sena members in Rajasthan’s Bhilwara

by

Gurugram: Members of Rajput Karni Sena on Saturday launched a fresh protest against Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s ‘Padmavati’ on Saturday.

In Haryana’s Gurugram, the Karni Sena workers protested outside the deputy commissioners’ office against the release of the movie.

“Have submitted a memorandum to deputy commissioner to ban ‘Padmavati’ in Haryana. We want a 100 percent ban and not a conditional ban on the movie,” Karni Sena President Mahipal Singh Makrana said in Gurugram today.

In another incident, the Mewar Regional General Assembly and the Karni Sena called for a bandh in Rajasthan’s Bhilwara today. Apart from Bhilwara, the shutdown was also observed in Mandal and Hamirgarh towns.

During the demonstration, members staged a protest outside a Bhilwara movie theatre. The Sena members, as they continued the campaign against the movie, clashed with the staff of the theatre and created a ruckus inside it.

The members even took out protest rallies against the movie.

As the protest intensified, the police resorted to lathicharge the protesters and arrested several members of the fringe outfit, said a report.

A week ago, the Karni Sena had vowed to stall the release of the movie and issued a warning that they would not allow it to hit theatres even if changes are made in the film by the makers.

“My party members and I are totally against the film Padmavati’s release. Even after the changes, we will not allow it to hit the theatres. We will come out on the streets along with other social organisations and protest against it if it gets a release date,” Karni Sena chief Lokendra Singh Kalvi told reporters.

The warning from Kalvi came after the producers of Padmavati reportedly said that they would take a call on its release only after the Censor Board’s go-ahead.

Padmavati- based on the life of a Rajput Queen Rani Padmavati – is in the eye of the storm following protests from right-wing groups over alleged tampering with historical facts, a charge which Sanjay Leela Bhansali has categorically denied.

The film features Deepika Padukone in the titular role as Rani Padmavati, alongside Shahid Kapoor as Maharawal Ratan Singh and Ranveer Singh as Sultan Alauddin Khilji.

The release of the film, which was earlier slated for December 1, has now been deferred as the filmmakers are yet to secure a censor certificate.

The Rajput Karni Sena had even called for a Bharat Bandh on December 1 to protest against the controversial film over what it calls ”blatant distortion of facts” by its makers.

(Agencies)

Delhi 4-Year-Old Accused Of Raping Classmate

by

Representational Image

New Delhi: Delhi Police on Thursday said that it is looking for CCTV footage to confirm allegations that a four-year-old boy raped his classmate of the same age in a Delhi school.

As per an FIR filed by her parents, the girl had complained of pain in her private parts after coming back from school last Friday. The next day, she said that a boy in her class had used his fingers as well as a sharpened pencil to sexually assault her on the premises of Delhi’s Maxfort School in Dwarka.

The boy has been booked for rape after Rockland Hospital confirmed sexual assault and Delhi Police is now looking for video evidence of the incident. “Various aspects are being analysed. We are also looking for CCTV footage or if anything was captured. The medical report of the victim will also be looked into,” Delhi Police’s spokesperson Dependra Pathak said.

Pathak also added that the possibility of school staff’s role would be looked into. This after the parents of the girl had accused the school management of laxity. They have said a school teacher and the school coordinator, on being told about the incident, feigned ignorance and offered no concrete assistance.

The school principal too – reportedly – did not provide any relief, and further refused to divulge details of the accused student.

In a statement to the media, the girl’s mother said that she has asked the school authorities to sack the principal, the teacher concerned and the counsellor, issue a public apology on Facebook and refund her two years’ school fee with interest.

(Agencies)

KNOW US

GET INVOLVED

PROMOTE

Archives