BJP elects Rajnath as new party President

 New Delhi, Jan. 23: Former Uttar Pradesh CM and Senior BJP leader, Rajnath Singh, was elected unanimously as the party's 12th president on Wednesday. Singh was left as the sole candidate in the fray after outgoing  Nitin Gadkari opted out of the presidential race.

Gadkari decided to quit in the wake of the charges of financial wrong doing leveled against him.

Singh, who has been elected for the second time, will face the challenges of internal rift and reviving the party fortunes in the upcoming Lok Sabha election due in May 2014.

Who is Rajnath Singh?

62 year-old veteran BJP leader, Singh, belongs to Chandauli district of  Uttar Pradesh. He has been associated with the RSS since the age of 13. Singh, who is also Post Graduate in Physics, before joining  to politics was a physics lecturer in the K B Post graduate degree college, Mirzapur in 1971.

In 1991, he became Education Minister in the first BJP government in the state of Uttar Pradesh. Later he became the Chief Minister of state for 2 years from 28 October 2000 to 8 March 2002. 

In 2005, following the resignation of Lal Krishna Advani, he was unanimously elected as the BJP's National President. He was re-elected for the post in November 2006. He handed over the presidentship to the RSS backed Nitin Gadkar in year 2009 after the party's poor performance in Lok Sabha election.

JMM breaks ties with the Govt; Munda resigns, recommends dissolution of Assembly

Ranchi, Jan 8: Political development changed suddenly on Tuesday after Arjun Munda resigned as CM of Jharkhand and recommended for the dissolution of Assembly to the Governor.

Mr. Munda took the decision after alliance partner Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) withdrew its support from the government on Monday. Now, Governor Syed Ahmed has to decide whether to impose presidential rule in the state or dissolve the Assembly to facilitate for the fresh elections.

According to political experts, Congress should approach for the formation of government as BJP and JMM have earlier been given the opportunity for the same.

Earlier on Tuesday at the CM house,  Munda called for an emergency meeting of the cabinet  and conveyed its decision to Ahmed, just an hour before JMM leaders submitted a formal letter of withdrawal of support to the Governor.
 

Meanwhile, accepting Munda’s resignation, governor Ahmed asked him to continue as a care taker Chief Minister until an alternate arrangement was made.

Congress has  not yet  given any formal comment on the development.

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Two Zee News Journos detained on extortion charges

ASHISH KUMAR MISHRA

New Delhi: Zee News Editor Sudhir Chowdhary and Zee Business head Samir Ahluwalia were Tuesday arrested on the charge of  allegedly extorting money from the Jindal Group.

Navin Jindal, who is a Congress MP and chairman of the Jindal Group, had last month filed an FIR against the two for allegedly seeking 100 cr from the company in return of dropping a story which links his firm to coalgate.

Reacting to the arrests, Zee News has accused Congress MP Navin Jindal of  trying to divert the attention from coal scam .

Defending its editors, Zee News CEO Alok Agrawaal said its editors have been illegally arrested."Our executives' arrest is illegal. We strongly condemn arrests of our two executives," he said while addressing a press conference. 

Agrawal accused the UPA-II of "intimidating" the media because of its "mistakes". He added, "Our channel raised fundamental questions about coal blocks allocated to the Jindal group. Jindal's mother pleaded with us to play down the coalgate."

Earlier last month in a press conference, steel tycoon Navin Jindal  had released a CD which allegedly showed footage in which the Zee editors were attempting to strike a deal with his officials, telling them that their  channel would not broadcast stories on the Jindal Group's involvement in the coal scam if the money was paid to them. 

The channel later had sent a Rs 150 crore defamation notice to Naveen Jindal and Jindal Steel & Power Limited for showing doctored evidence to deliberately malign it. In retaliation Jindal too had filed a Rs 200 crore case against  Zee News claiming the TV channel had tried to extort money from his company.

The two editors were arrested Tuesday night by Delhi police after a forensic analysis confirmed that the CD has not been doctored or edited.

Read more at: http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/zee-news-sends-rs-150-crore-defamation-notice-to-congress-mp-naveen-jindal/1/22651

Selectors should talk to Sachin: Gavaskar



Photo: PTI

 ASHISH KUMAR MISHRA

Mumbai: Sachin Tendulkar's continued poor performance with the bat has drawn severe criticism from the critics of cricket indicating it is perhaps time to call a day.Tendulkar scored  just 29 in the last two test played against England.

In the last 10 innings he has scored only 153 with an average of 15.3, the lowest average of any Indian top-order batsman over the last 10 knocks.

On Sachin's repeated failure, the legendry Sunil Gavaskar said that the selectors should have a word with him about his future plans.

"Tendulkar has been playing for so long and he has been so consistent. This little period of lack of runs or lack of half centuries will give the critics chance to ask questions," Gavaskar said.

"At the end of the day, it is the selectors who will take the call. I think the selectors will probably have a word with Tendulkar about what his future plans are and then take a call," he said.

On the other hand,  playing down  questions over Tendulkar's retirement, the BCCI chief Rajiv Shukla said that one should not overanalysis his performance in haste.

"According to me, he is one person who is of the nature that whenever he thinks that he should hang up his boots, he will hang it. He doesn't require anybody's advice to hang up his boots. He will immediately walk away from the ground the moment he feels that he can't give 100%. But judging someone by one series or two series is not appropriate. He has got a colossal record behind him and while analysing his performance one should always keep in mind his past record also," said Shukla.

The last test hundred hit by Sachin was against South Africa (146)  in Jan, 2011.

(with inputs from Agencies)

Aam Aadmi Party held its first rally as political outfit

ASHISH  MISHRA

New Delhi: The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which was earlier known as India Against Corruption(IAC), held its first rally at Jantar Mantar here on Monday.

While addressing the rally, former IAC activist Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday said,"This party is result of our struggle against corruption.”

Amid thousands of supporters his party member Manish Sisodia announced the name of 23 members of the national executive body that include Prashant Bhushan, Dinesh Waghela, Sanjay Singh, Gopa Rai, Kumar Vishwas and Sisodia himself.

Earlier at the party’s meeting on Sunday, Arvind Kejriwal  was chosen as the national convenor, Pankaj Gupta as the national secretary while Krishana kant  was elected as the treasurer. All of three were elected unanimously by the National Executive Committee. “These people have been authorised by the Executive Committee to take appropriate measures to approach the Election Commission for registration. We have also taken steps to open bank accounts and receive donations,” Prashant Bhushan told media persons.

Reacting to the party's name, Information and Broadcasting minister Manish Tiwari accused Kejriwal of adopting the theme of Congress and said, "Aam Aadmi word has been the synonymous of Congress Party and nobody can overtake it."

 

Mumbai 26/11 attack: Ajmal Kasab hanged till death

 

ASHISH MISHRA

Mumbai: The lone surviving terrorist from Mumbai 26/11 attack, Ajmal Kasab, who was held responsible by the special session court on May 6, 2010,  for waging war against India and killing 166 people, was executed secretly this morning after president of India rejected his mercy plea on Nov. 5.

Confirming the execution, Maharashtra Home Minister R R patil said, "He was hanged at 7:30am this (Wednesday) morning at Yerwada jail in Pune”.

Patil added that this is a tribute to the 166 people and policemen who lost their lives in the deadly terrorist attacks 4 years ago. 

The relatives of victims expressed their happiness over the government decision to hang Kasab and said it's better late than never.

Kasab along with nine terrorists entered Mumbai by a boat on November 26, 2008. He was the only attacker captured alive by the police.

Girls deactivate Facebook accounts, termed arrests unfair

Ashish Mishra

Mumbai: Two Thane girls, who were arrested by the police for posting a comment against the shutdown in Mumbai following the death of Shiv Sena supremo Balasaheb Thakre, deactivated their accounts on the heels of growing anger among Sena’s party members.

21-year-old Shaheen on Monday was arrested for allegedly posting a comment on her Facebook which read- ‘People like Thackeray are born and die daily and one should not observe a bandh for that.’

Her friend Renu was also arrested for liking her comment.

However, within hours of the arrest, both of them were released on bail of Rs 15,000 each. 

Speaking to the media on the issue Shaheen said, “Treatment we got was very unfair. I regret putting up the post.”

Earlier, around 200 Shiv Sena members vandalized Shaheen’s uncle’s medical clinic against her alleged anti-Balasaheb Facebook update. The police made 9 arrests in the connection with this case.

Meanwhile, showing displeasure over the action taken by the police Press Council of India chairperson Markandey Katju on Monday wrote a letter to Maharashtra CM Prithviraj Chavan demanding action against the officials who ordered the arrest.