14:04 ‘IAS officer’s resignation not in country’s interest’ : Former Deputy Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir Kavinder Gupta on Wednesday expressed disappointment over former IAS officer Shah Faesal’s decision to quit government service, and said such a decision is not in the interest of the country.
Speaking to ANI, Gupta opined, “Faesal must work for the country instead of resigning from the post. Such a decision is not in the country’s interest. We want such people to work for the country’s welfare instead of speaking in support of militants, supporting militants is like supporting Pakistan. His father was too killed by the militants. He should work for the country.”
Faesal, who joined the service in 2010, announced his resignation on January 9 over “unabated killings” in the Valley and “lack of any sincere reach-out from the Union government.”
The 35-year-old alleged “insidious attacks on the special identity of the J&K State and growing culture of intolerance and hate in the mainland India in the name of hypernationalism.”
He went on to add that “voices of reason in this country cannot be muzzled for long and the environment of siege will need to end if we wish to usher in a true democracy.”
13:52 All missing Cong MLAs will be back tomorrow: K’taka minister : Karnataka minister, Zameer Ahmed Khan (pictured) on the poaching threat: “Who is scared today? Had we been scared, it would’ve been us in the resort sitting with our MLAs. But it is BJP who is sitting with their MLAs in a resort. Yes, two to three MLAs are in Mumbai. All of them are coming back and they will return by tomorrow.”
A Karnataka Congress Legislature Party meeting has been called on 18 January in Bengaluru. A political crisis in brewing in Karnataka, where two Independent MLAs Tuesday withdrew support to the seven-month-old ministry amid trading of poaching charges by the ruling coalition and the BJP.
13:13 Cong reassures aggrieved MLAs, calls for K’taka legislature meet : A Karnataka Congress Legislature Party meeting has been called on 18 January in Bengaluru. A political crisis in brewing in Karnataka, where two Independent MLAs Tuesday withdrew support to the seven-month-old ministry amid trading of poaching charges by the ruling coalition and the BJP.
Union minister D V Sadananda Gowda had said on Tuesday that the BJP would stake claim to power in Karnataka if the Congress-JDS coalition government falls.
Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy however reiterated he enjoyed the support of 120 MLAs and alleged that Yeddyurappa was making “futile attempts” to destabilise his government.
In the 224-member Assembly, BJP has 104 members, Congress-79, JDS 37, BSP, KPJP and Independent one each, besides the Speaker.
A group of Youth Congress workers Wednesday protested outside a resort in Haryana where the BJP’s Karnataka MLAs have been camping in an “effort to thwart any poaching attempt” by the ruling JDS-Congress coalition.
Around 20 Youth Congress workers led by Haryana Pradesh Congress General Secretary Pradeep Singh raised slogans against the NDA government outside the five-star ITC Grand Bharat resort located on the outskirts of Gurgaon.
The protesters alleged that the BJP was “disrespecting the Constitution and murdering democracy” in the country.
Meanwhile, sources said BJP’s Karnataka unit chief B S Yeddyurappa is likely to hold a meeting with the party MLAs who are camping at the resort and discuss the prevailing situation in the state. They said the 104 BJP legislators will stay put till the top leaders in the party give their nod to return to Karnataka.
Mobile phones of the first-time MLAs have been “kept aside” to safeguard them against any poaching attempt, the sources said. — PTI
Image: Karnataka Congress leader and the party’s firefighter, DK Sivakumar.
12:52 Scrap sedition law, a colonial hangover: Sibal: Senior Congress leader Kapil Sibal Wednesday demanded that the sedition law be scrapped as those in power are “manipulating” it. He also called for a change in the government to save the country. “Scrap sedition law (section 124A,IPC), a colonial hangover.
“Real sedition is when those in power manipulate institutions, misuse the law, breach peace and security by inciting violence. Punish them in 2019. ‘Sarkar badlo Desh bachao’ (change government, save country),” Sibal said on Twitter. His reaction come two days after former JNUSU president Kanhaiya Kumar and others were slapped sedition charges in a charge sheet filed in the court. — PTI
12:49 More than 150 people diagnosed with scrub typhus in Mizoram: At least 152 people have been diagnosed with the scrub typhus disease at Thenzawl town in Serchhip district, Mizoram health department officials said on Wednesday. Scrub typhus, also known as bush typhus, is a disease caused by a bacteria called Orientia tsutsugamushi and the bacteria is carried and spread by mites, they said. The officials said that the scrub typhus outbreak began in November 2018. — PTI
12:26 Jaitley in New York for cancer treatment, may not be back for budget: Finance minister Arun Jaitley is unlikely to be in the capital to present the government’s interim budget — its last before the Lok Sabha elections — on February 1 as he has developed another serious ailment for which he will likely undergo surgery in the United States. Jaitley has already left for New York for treatment of soft tissue cancer in his thigh, a type of tumour which can spread to other parts of the body quickly. Read the report here.
12:06 K C Venugopal, Karnataka Congress in-charge: I’m in touch with all our MLAs, this drama is going to end in a day or a two. We are all together, there is no internal fight in Congress. This is all baseless.
11:44 Sheila Dikshit set to takeover as Delhi Cong prez: Sheila Dikshit ahead of taking charge as president of Delhi Congress: Politics is full of challenges, we will strategise accordingly. BJP and AAP both are a challenge; we will meet the challenges together. There is nothing on alliance with AAP yet.
11:27 I’m in touch with ‘missing’ Cong MLAs, don’t worry: Kumaraswamy: A day after two independent MLAs from Karnataka quit the HD Kumaraswamy government, 99 BJP MLAs who flew to Delhi over the weekend are still holed up at a five-star resort in Gurugram. The MLAs are at the resort since the weekend, when the BJP had a two-day leadership conclave. The 99 MLAs are occupying 60 of its 100-odd rooms, say reports.
The chief minister has maintained a confident mien saying that they will remain in control despite the two independent MLAs quitting the coalition.
The Congress party, the alliance partner in the coalition government with the JD-S has moved its MLAs to a hotel in Mumbai. Reports say that three of the MLAs are missing. However, Kumaraswamy rubbished the rumours saying, “The MLAs (Congress MLAs in a Mumbai hotel) are unreachable to the media, not to me. I am in touch with everybody and I am speaking to everybody, they will come back. Our coalition is going on smoothly. I was relaxed and I am relaxed. Don’t worry, be happy.”
The seven-month alliance of the Janata Dal Secular and the Congress party in Karnataka has been suffering from berth pangs right from the inception with many MLAs unhappy at being denied ministerial berths, making them open to poaching.
10:47 Punjab: Aam Aadmi Party MLA from Jaito, Master Baldev resigns from the party.
10:45 Don’t take political mileage from Kanhaiya case: Sena to BJP:
The Shiv Sena on Wednesday said the BJP has no moral right to criticise student leader Kanhaiya Kumar, who has been charged with sedition, after teaming up with the PDP in Jammu and Kashmir.
The Sena also asked the ruling BJP to refrain from taking political mileage from the sedition case against Kumar, a former president of the Jawaharlal Nehru University Students’ Union.
The BJP committed a “sin” by aligning with People’s Democratic Party chief Mehbooba Mufti, it said, claiming that she considered Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru as a martyr.
The BJP was part of the PDP-led government in Jammu and Kashmir but pulled out of the coalition last year.
“The BJP committed the biggest sin of aligning with Mehbooba Mufti, who considers Afzal Guru a freedom fighter and a martyr. Now the BJP, for its own benefit, should not try and take political mileage out of the sedition case filed against Kanhaiya,” the Sena said in an editorial in party mouthpiece ‘Saamana’.
“Kanhaiya Kumar speaks well. Since he represents the harried and unemployed youth, he cannot give slogans hailing Afzal Guru or independence for Kashmir. Anyway, what moral right does the BJP have to condemn Kanhaiya Kumar?” it asked.
— PTI
10:24 Former PepsiCo CEO Indra Nooyi in the running to head World Bank:
Indra Nooyi, the former PepsiCo CEO, is reportedly being considered to become the next head of the World Bank.
The New York Times, citing several people familiar with the matter, said that Nooyi has been courted by Ivanka Trump as an ally to the Trump administration. However, the report said the process for picking the next World Bank chief remain fluid and is still in the early stages.
Nooyi stepped down from her job as PepsiCo’s chief executive in October. She led the snacks and beverage company for 12 years.
It is unclear whether Nooyi would accept the job, according to the report. However, Ivanka Trump has referred to Nooyi as a “mentor” and an “inspiration.”
The report comes a day after the White House denied that Ivanka Trump, the daughter of US President Donald Trump and a senior advisor to him, was in the running for the World Bank job. Instead, the White House confirmed Ivanka was overseeing an internal search for candidates.
The bank’s presidency became vacant after Jim Yong Kim announced last week he was stepping down effective Feb 1.
10:00 After weak opening, rupee rises 13 paise to 70.92 vs USD in early trade: The rupee opened on a weaker note but soon pared the losses and appreciated by 13 paise to 70.92 against the US dollar in opening trade Wednesday, driven by gains in domestic equities and weakening of the greenback in overseas markets.
The rupee opened on a weak note at 71.10 at the interbank forex market then lost further ground and touched a low of 71.12. The domestic unit however pared the losses and touched a high of 70.92, registering gains of 13 paise over it’s previous close.
Forex dealers said, selling of the American currency by exporters supported the rupee. The rupee Tuesday plunged by 13 paise to close at 71.05 against the US dollar. — PTI
09:55 Confidential Kotler prize is most famous : A tweeter asked Union minister Smriti Irani: “Madam… I am confused which is more authentic — your Yale degree or this Kotler Award?’
You know the answer when Rahul Gandhi, Sitaram Yechury and Omar Abdullah vie with one another to congratulate the recipient of the “first-ever Philip Kotler Presidential Award’.
The certificate, held by the smiling recipient, reads: “Honourable Prime Minister of India Shri Narendra Damodardas Modi.’Prime Minister Modi has been roasted on social media after the PMO’s Twitter handle posted on Monday three pictures of him posing with the award, and a host of ministers sang hosannas.
“It is an acknowledgement of his selfless service & outstanding contribution”.
This is a momentous achievement, and a proud day for all Indians!’ tweeted junior minister Rajyavardhan Rathore.
But one factor stood out like a sore thumb: no one had any idea what the “first-ever Philip Kotler Presidential Award’ was all about. A person associated with the organisers described it as “a very confidential award’.
Read the column here
09:41 Shah asked me twice to induct Prashant Kishor into JD-U: Nitish:
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Tuesday night claimed that he had twice received suggestions for inducting poll strategist Prashant Kishor into his JD-U by BJP national president Amit Shah.
Kumar, who also heads the JD-U, said this at an event organised by a private news channel while responding to queries as to whether he looked at the poll strategist-turned-politician as his political successor.
Kishor was inducted into the JD-U in September last year and elevated to the post of national vice-president weeks later triggering speculation that he was being thought of by Kumar as his political heir.
“He was not a newcomer for us. He had worked with us in the 2015 assembly polls. For a brief period, he was busy elsewhere. Please let it be known that none other than Amit Shah had asked me twice to induct Kishor in the JD-U,” he said.
“Prashant Kishor has been assigned the task of attracting young talent, from all social segments, to politics which was becoming inaccessible to those not born in political families,” he added.
“I have a lot of affection for Prashant Kishor. But please, let us not talk in terms of successors. This is not a monarchy,” Kumar said.
— PTI
09:22 Another yuvraj: The Bharatiya Janata Party unit in Uttar Pradesh is understandably unhappy with the visit of Lalu Prasad’s son Tejashwi to the state, his hobnobbing with the Samajwadi Party and Bahujan Samaj Party brass and his mockery of the government at the Centre.
A day after his visit to the state, UP BJP chief Mahendra Nath Pandey mocked him, saying both the yuvrajs (Tejashwi and Akhilesh Yadav) had “inherited” power and had done little to improve the lot of their states.
Describing Tejashwi’s comments as maansik dewaaliyaapan (mental bankruptcy), he said the people of the two states knew that these two political families were “responsible for the backwardness of UP and Bihar”.
— Business Standard
09:07 Rahul did not take stand against corruption when it mattered in Bihar: Nitish:
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar attributed his sudden exit from the opposition alliance to Congress president Rahul Gandhi’s “inability” to take a stand on corruption charges against his former deputy and RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav.
Kumar, who also heads the JD-U, claimed that his party was instrumental in the Congress getting 40 seats to contest in the 2015 assembly polls.
The chief minister said he had felt let down by Gandhi, then the party’s vice-president, when he “did not come up with even a statement that could have made me have second thoughts (about leaving the alliance)”.
Kumar had quit the alliance, comprising the JD-U, the RJD and the Congress, in July 2017 after the CBI lodged an FIR against Yadav on corruption charges and the following strife between him and the RJD.
“It has been always my line that there will be no compromise on crime, corruption and communalism. Their (RJD’s) style of functioning was such that it was becoming increasingly difficult for me to work. There was interference at all levels. Their people would telephone police stations with their own decrees,” Kumar claimed.
— PTI
08:44 Sabarimala witnesses clashes as 2 women attempt to enter shrine:
Massive protests broke out near the Sabarimala temple in Kerala this morning after two women tried to trek up to the hill shrine.
The women were surrounded by a large number of protesters around 1 km after they crossed the base camp.
The women were taken to safety by the police in a vehicle. They had earlier refused to return without offering prayers, saying they followed the 41-day penance.
The two women are part of a nine-member group who were on their way to the temple. The group was stopped after they crossed the Pamba base camp.
“There is Ayyappan there. Ayyappan has no objection to women entering the temple. Why are these people protesting then?” one of the women, from north Kerala’s Kannur, told reporters.
The temple has been the site of tension since the Supreme Court ruled on September 28 to end the age restriction on women. The court order has not been accepted by the devotees and protesters who believe women should not be allowed near the shrine’s deity, Lord Ayyappa.
08:16 ‘Cut from list’: Shashi Tharoor says not allowed into temple with Modi:
Congress leader Shashi Tharoor has alleged that he and other local leaders were not allowed to enter Sree Padmanabhaswamy temple during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Kerala visit on Tuesday.
In an attack on Twitter, Tharoor, who is member of parliament from Thiruvananthapuram, accused the Prime Minister’s Office of striking their names from the list of people allowed in the temple when the PM was there.
“Received Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the SreePadmanabhaSwamy temple in Thiruvananthapuram for the unveiling of a plaque of the Swadesh Darshan project. But when the local MP, MLA (Member of Legislative Assembly) and mayor were to enter the temple with him for darshan, we learned that the PMO had cut us from the list,” he tweeted.
PM Modi visited Kerala on Tuesday. He offered prayers at the centuries-old Sree Padmanabhaswamy temple. Governor Justice P Sathasivam and state Devaswom minister Kadakampally Surendran accompanied PM Modi inside the temple.
Shashi Thaoor is one of the most bitter critics of PM Modi and his government’s policy. He has been attacking the government on a host of issues including the implementation of GST and the 2016 note ban. He recently called PM Modi’s party a sinking ship.
07:51 Britain’s Theresa May suffers crushing defeat over Brexit deal:
British Prime Minister Theresa May’s Brexit divorce deal was defeated by a crushing margin in parliament, further complicating the country’s historic exit from the European Union and triggering a no-confidence motion against her government.
May’s bid to get the Withdrawal Agreement, struck between London and Brussels, through a House of Commons was defeated by a margin of 202 to 432 – a majority of 230, the biggest defeat ever suffered by a British premier in modern history.
Within minutes after the defeat, opposition Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn announced that his party would move a motion of no-confidence against May’s government, to be held on Wednesday.
Britain is set to exit the 28-member European Union, which it joined in 1973, on March 29. With just over two months to go until the scheduled departure, Britain is still undecide on what to do.
Hardline Brexiteers and Remainers opposed the agreement for different reasons. Many feared that Britain could lock itself into an unfavourable trading relationship with the European Union.
Over 100 lawmakers of May’s Conservative party – both Brexiteers and Remainers – overwhelmingly voted against the deal, leading to the worst parliamentary defeat for a government in recent British history.
The crushing defeat also marks the collapse of her two-year strategy of forging an amicable divorce with close ties to the EU after the March 29 exit.
Following her defeat in the House of Commons, May said that the MPs have established what they are against but not what they are for.
“The house has spoken and the government will listen. It is clear that the house does not support this deal but tonight’s vote tells us nothing what it does support.
“Nothing about how, or even if, it intends to honour the decision the British people took in a referendum parliament decided to hold,” she said.
— PTI
00:09 25% hike in college seats to enable quota for economically weak :
The human resource developmen ministry announced on Tuesday that it will implement 10 per cent reservation for economically weaker section of the general category from the 2019 academic session and increase around 25 per cent seats in higher educational institutions and universities across the country.
Union human resource development minister Prakash Javadekar informed that the decision was taken at a meeting of officials from the ministry, University Grants Commission and the All India Council of Technical Education.
“The reservation will be implemented from the 2019-2020 academic session itself. Nearly 25 per cent seats will be added to ensure that the reservation does not disturb the existing quota for SC, ST and other categories. There are around 40,000 colleges and 900 universities across the country and supernumerary quota will be provided in these,” Javadekar told reporters.
The minister, however, did not specify the number of seats which will be added.
“The modalities are being worked out and within a week’s time we will have the exact number of seats that will be added. The operation manuals about how to implement the quota will be issued soon. The colleges and universities will also be asked to mention the quota in their prospectus as well and make infrastructural arrangements accordingly,” he added.
Javadekar also said that the private universities are also ready to implement the quota.
The Rajya Sabha on January 9 approved amending the Constitution to provide 10 per cent reservation to general category poor in jobs and education, with the government terming the landmark move as “slog over sixes”.
The quota will be over and above the existing 50 per cent reservation to Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Classes. — PTI
Representative image
Source: Rediff