Press "Enter" to skip to content

LIVE! Wine, women, poor in newly minted TN CM's to do list

13:47  Wine, women, poor in newly minted TN CM’s to do list :  On the first working day after Edappadi Palaniswami won the trust vote and took over as Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, five important files have been signed.

According to reports, Palaniswami is occupying J Jayalalithaa’s chambers at the state secretariat and got to work this morning. 

The first thing he did was to give his consent to close another 500 TASMAC shops. The Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation (TASMAC) is a company owned by the state government, which has a monopoly over wholesale and retail vending of alcoholic beverages and controls IMFL trade in the state and operates more than 6,000 shops across the state.
  
The AIADMK buoyed up its women’s voter base by increasing maternity assistance from Rs 12,000 to RS.18,000 and offering a 50 per cent subsidy for working women to buy two wheeler.

The CM also doubled the dole to unemployed youths doubled and ordered the construction of 5000 houses at a cost of Rs 1.70 lakh per house for fishermen.

The Palaniswami government on Saturday won the confidence vote in the Tamil Nadu assembly by a comfortable 122-11 margin after high drama and bedlam in the House.

The vote was preceded by eviction of principal opposition Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and walkout by its allies, which have 98 legislators in the 234-member House, in protest.

Former Chief Minister Panneerselvam could muster only 11 votes, ending the prolonged stalemate triggered by his rebellion and by conviction of All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam chief V K Sasikala after being elected the Legislature Party leader.

Governor Ch Vidyasagar Rao, while appointing Edappadi K Palaniswami as the chief minister after he was propped by Sasikala, had given him 15 days time to prove his majority.

The vote was taken after two adjournments due to pandemonium and charges of attacks by DMK members.

image

13:05  Virat Kohli joins Rs 100-cr club with Puma deal:  Virat Kohli has become the first Indian sportsperson to sign a Rs 100-crore endorsement deal with a single brand. The Indian cricket captain has struck an eight-year deal with sports lifestyle brand Puma worth about Rs 110 crore. Kohli is now set to join the likes of Jamaican sprinters Usain Bolt and Asafa Powell, and footballers Thierry Henry and Oliver Giroud – among others – as a global ambassador for the brand.

The unusually long eight-year deal – which could go on to cover the 28-year old’s remaining career with the Indian team – involves a fixed payment and royalty depending on the brand’s business performance.

Kohli will work with the German company to launch a signature line of sports lifestyle products with a special logo and brand identity. Bulk of the endorsement deal, estimated between Rs 12 to 14 crore annually, is locked up in fixed payout. — The Times of India

12:53  The moon may become a planet :  The Earth’s moon could be among more than 100 planets added to the solar system, according to leading scientists at Nasa, reports the Independent. Along with Titan and Enceladus, which orbit Saturn and Europa, and Ganymede, which orbits Jupiter, the moon has all the features of a planet.Alan Stern, principle investigator of Nasa’s New Horizons mission to Pluto, along with five colleagues, has written a manifesto rewriting the definition of what constitutes being a planet.
image

12:43   Shurhozelie Liezietsu elected as new Nagaland CM:  

Ruling Naga Peoples Front chief Shurhozelie Liezietsu has been elected as the new Nagaland chief minister, taking over from TR Zeliang, who resigned on Sunday. 

Nagaland has been in a state of turmoil ever since the Nagaland Tribal Action Committee began their agitation demanding the resignation of Zeliang over his decision to conduct civic bodies’ elections with 33 per cent reservation for women. 

image

12:38  BSP-SP has destroyed Bundelkhand, claims PM Modi:  

Addressing a rally in Jalaun, Prime Minister Narendra Modi slammed SP and BSP governments for ruining Bundelkhand region.

Here’s what he said:

>> BSP-SP has destroyed Bundelkhand

>> The condition of UP has deteriorated over the years and Bundelkhand is worst affected

>> BJP will listen to problems of Bundelkhand if the party comes to power. The BJP government will form Bundelkhand Development Board which will be directly monitored from CM office

>> BSP no longer Bahujan Samaj Party…it is now Behenji Sampatti Party. Can those keen on filling their own coffers solve your problems

12:08  BSF siezes fake Rs 2,000 notes amounting to Rs 96,000 along Bangladesh border:  

Border Security Forces seized a consignment of fake Rs 2,000 denomination notes near Bangladesh border on Monday. Sharif ul Shah, 32, was arrested for trying to smuggle in the Fake Indian Currency Notes totaling Rs 96,000 suspected to have come in from Pakistan.

This comes just over a week after another seizure was made along the Bangladesh border on February 8 in Murshidabad from Azizur Rahman (26), who hails from Malda in West Bengal. 

image

11:45  Zakir Naik’s NGO money trails leads ED to Pakistan, Dawood:  

Was the controversial preacher a part of the hawala racket being masterminded from Karachi?

Security agencies monitoring Karachi-based businessmen close to D-Company and a `terror outfit masquerading as charitable and social organisation’ for funding Mumbai-based IRF.

Three days after controversial preacher Zakir Naik’s chief financial officer Aamir Gazdar was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate for alleged money laundering , the trail has led the sleuths to Pakistan and the D-Company. 

In what could turn out to be a massive hawala racket in India, the ED is probing a few businessmen in Karachi, known to be close to Dawood, who have purportedly “moved” large amounts of money into Naik’s Islamic Research Foundation accounts.

image

11:33  PM, Amit Shah are ‘terrorists’ misleading people of UP: SP:   Samajwadi Party spokesman Rajendra Chaudhary courted controversy by branding Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP President Amit Shah as ‘terrorists’, adding that they are trying to mislead voters in Uttar Pradesh to gather support for the party.

Speaking to the press on Sunday, Chaudhary stated that misleading voters is a political crime, a crime which is being committed by Shah and Prime Minister Modi, adding that the two ‘magicians’ from Gujarat are trying their level best to change the face of politics in UP.

“The people of UP will not disrespect politics at any cost. Nobody should take UP voters for granted; they know everything about politics,” claimed Chaudhary.

The UP assembly polls has turned into a battleground of words, added Chaudhary, further claiming that the State has seen a wave of development under Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, adding that Prime Minister Modi’s blame-game has no base.

“Our Prime Minister feels that holding a top position nationally has a lot of impact on states. This is not true. I feel he has no regrets in lying,” added Chaudhary.

image

11:23  Declare trust vote null and void: DMK moves HC :  Tamil Nadu’s main opposition party, the DMK, will approach the Madras High Court against the vote of confidence for the Edappadi Palaniswami government.The DMK wants the trust vote to be declared null and void.

Palaniswami won the trust vote in the Assembly on Saturday. 122 MLAs voted for him while 11 voted for O Panneerselvam. After his victory, the chief minister went to Chennais Marina Beach to pay tributes to former AIADMK supremo Jayalalithaa.

DMK MLAs demanded a secret ballot in the floor test called by chief minister Edappadi Palanaswami to prove majority of his government. Amid the chaos DMKs Stalin alleged his shirt was torn. He was later arrested at Marina Beach.

Also read: Why Palaniswami could win the trust vote

Image: DMK treasurer Stalin on Saturday said that he was manhandled and his shirt was torn. 

11:09  International action against Hafiz Saeed needed: India :  Effective action mandated internationally against Hafiz Saeed and his terror outfit is a logical first step in bringing them to justice, says the MEA. “Saeed is an international terrorist, the mastermind of the Mumbai attack and responsible for unleashing a wave of terrorism against Pakistan’s neighbours,” India says. 
image

10:59   A mountain to climb – Uttarakhand is still waiting for a visionary leader :  Party loyalties tend to be fickle at election time. Denied a party ticket, many an electoral aspirant blithely crosses over to the rival camp to obtain one. Failing that, they turn ‘rebel’ and contest the seat as an ‘Independent’, their energies focused on defeating the official party candidate even if their own chances of victory are remote. Read more

10:33   Does PM Modi want to be a municipal commissioner: Congress on ‘diwali electricity’ remark:  More flak for PM’s electricity for cemeteries comment: The Congress on Monday took a jibe at him asking if he wanted to become a municipal commissioner, since he was showing a keen interest on local issues as distribution of electricity.

Responding to Prime Minister Modi’s ‘Diwali, Ramzan bhed-bhav remark’ Congress leader Salman Khurshid told ANI that this kind of language should not be used to by the leader of the nation and added that he should learn to be a Prime Minister.

“I believe every Indian citizen be it Hindu, Muslim or Sikh, Christian anyone, their festivals should be given every possible assistance that is reasonable. And I don’t think so we should be treating these festivals only like festivals. India has traditionally treated all festivals as festivals of everybody… I think Mr. Modi is not learning how to be a Prime Minister which is a very sad thing. A Prime Minister no matter of which party is the PM of the country, but Mr. Modi just isn’t learning to be the PM of the country,” he said.

Further attacking Prime Minister Modi over his ‘diwali electricity’ remark, Khurshid added, “is Mr. Modi wanting to become a municipal commissioner? he is descending to talking about electricity being provided on particular days and in particular places. I have never known this to be an issue with Diwali. Diwali is a festival of lights and in fact not only is electricity provided, but also people add to that by placing enormous number of diyas and various other thing that light up the atmosphere. I have never heard of this issue. And if this is an issue, it is not for the Prime Minister to be raising it but something which has to be handed locally,” he added.

Earlier on Sunday, while addressing a rally in Uttar Pradesh’s Fatehpur, Prime Minister Modi said, “In a village, if a cemetery can be constructed, so should a cremation ground. If electricity is supplied during Ramzan, so electricity should also be supplied during Diwali as well. There should not be any discrimination on the basis of religion and caste.”

image

10:22  Cong’s advise to PM: Look into your ‘Karam Kundali’ :   The Congress Party on Monday tore into Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the wake of the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections saying that the BJP-led NDA Government is going to lose the polls and advised the latter to look into his ‘Karam Kundali’.

“Instead of looking at ‘Janam Kundli’ of Congress Party it is time for BJP to look into their ‘Karam Kundali’ for loss is written there on account of the demons of the demonetisation and complete dejection of people with 30 months of Prime Minister Modi government’s rule,” Congress leader Randeep Surjewala told ANI.

Surjewala further asserted that the third phase of assembly election in Uttar Pradesh has conclusively established that the Samajwadi Party and Congress alliance is winning decisively in the state.

“It is proved by the intemperate language of Prime Minister Modi and by the choice of completely reprehensible language by BJP president Amit Shah. Both Prime Minister Modi and Amit Shah are speaking the language of the leader who has lost the war. BJP will lose all the five states,” he said.

Earlier on Sunday, while addressing a rally in Uttar Pradesh’s Fatehpur, Prime Minister Modi said, “In a village, if a cemetery can be constructed, so should a cremation ground. If electricity is supplied during Ramzan, so electricity should also be supplied during Diwali as well. There should not be any discrimination on the basis of religion and caste.”

The Prime Minister also said the ‘exile of development’ must end in Uttar Pradesh, while appealing the people to cast their vote for a government which ensures safety in the state.

10:18  Sensex falls 40 points on profit booking:  The benchmark BSE Sensex faltered in early trade today, declining by over 40 points on profit booking by investors in recent gainers amid mixed Asian cues. The 30-share barometer fell 40.24 points, or 0.14 per cent, to 28,428.51 with metal, auto, FMCG and banking stocks trading in the red. The index had gained 313.19 points in the previous two sessions. The NSE Nifty was also trading lower by 8.85 points, or 0.10 per cent, at 8,812.85.
image

09:41  Gov Rao seeks report on trust vote ruckus; DMK to stage state-wide hunger stir:  

After Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami won the confidence vote and proved his majority in the assembly, Governor Vidyasagar Rao has sought a report from the assembly secretary on the incidents that took place during the trust motion.

According to sources in Raj Bhavan, the Governor has sought a factual report on the incidents that happened on the floor of the assembly.

Furthermore, Panneerselvam, accompanied by former ministers K Pandiarajan and S Semmalai, briefed the governor about Saturdays incidents and submitted a memorandum to declare the trust vote as invalid. We are demanding a fresh floor test, said Pandiarajan.

Leader of Opposition and DMK working president MK Stalin, who met the Governor immediately after being evicted from the assembly with torn shirt on Saturday, urged him to nullify the entire proceedings to protect the spirit of democracy and the Constitution.

Earlier, Stalin announced that his party would hold hunger strikes on February 22 in all the districts to protest the illegal trust vote moved by the CM.

image

09:20  Shivpal will be minister in Akhilesh’s new govt, says Mulayam:  

Mulayam Singh Yadav made it clear that his brother Shivpal will be a minister in Akhilesh Yadav’s new government.

The SP, the party patriarch said, would definitely win. “Samajwadi Party poorn bahumat se jeetegi aur Akhilesh phir se mukhya mantri banega (SP will be voted back to power with a thumping majority, Akhilesh will become chief minister again),” Mulayam told the media after voting in Saifai.

On Shivpal’s role in the new government, Mulayam said he would certainly be part of the new government. He was dismissive of Akhilesh’s veiled attack on uncle Shivpal at a recent campaign rally: “That was meant for some local party workers who had harmed the party,” Mulayam said.

image

09:01  Shashi Tharoor condemns Kerala actress rape:  Congress MP Shashi Tharoor has reacted to the rape of a Kerala actress, saying it was sad. He said, “Sad such an incident has occurred in an educated state like Kerala. Hope that the perpetrators are punished.”

On Friday night, the 30-year-old actor’s SUV was rear-ended by another vehicle while she was returning to Kochi from a shoot in Thrissur. An argument followed and two men entered the car and directed her driver to proceed to Kochi after threatening him. The actor in her complaint said that she was molested and held hostage for over two hours before the men asked the driver to stop the car at Palarivattam near Kochi city and fled the area.

image

08:33  Congress to file complaint with EC against PM over cemetery remarks:  

Coming down heavily on Prime Minister Narendra Modi for drawing a parallel between Hindu and Muslim festivals, the Congress has said that it would file a complaint with the the Election Commission of India to take stock of the matter and urged the former to refrain from making such statements which bring ‘disrepute’ to his post.

“The prime minister is invoking communalism in order to polarise voters. The ECI should take note of this because it is a clear violation of its rules and regulations. He has brought disrepute to his post and has violated the principles for which he took his oath. These conservative ideas are subscribed by the Bharatiya Janata Party, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and the like minded organisations. It seems that the PM is unable to come out of this mentality. We hope the ECI will take action in this,” Congress leader Anand Sharma said.

Earlier on Sunday, while addressing a rally in Uttar Pradesh’s Fatehpur, Prime Minister Modi said, “In a village, if a cemetery can be constructed, so should a cremation ground. If electricity is supplied during Ramzan, so electricity should also be supplied during Diwali as well. There should not be any discrimination on the basis of religion and caste.”

The PM also said the ‘exile of development’ must end in Uttar Pradesh, while appealing the people to cast their vote for a government which ensures safety in the state.

“‘Vikas ka vanvaas’ in Uttar Pradesh must end now. The country is moving ahead at fast pace and so must Uttar Pradesh,” he said. 

08:15  Jet Airways plane escorted by German Air Force after going silent mid-air:  

A Jet Airways flight from Mumbai to London, with more than 300 people, triggered a major scare when it lost contact with the Air Traffic Control after getting intercepted by German fighter jets. The flight then had to be escorted by German Air Force fighter planes before it landed.

The contact was eventually re-established through an SOS channel.

“The contact between Jet Airways flight 9W 118, from Mumbai to London Heathrow, of February 16, 2017, and the local ATC, was briefly lost while flying over German airspace. The communication was safely restored within a few minutes,” Jet Airways spokesperson said.

“As a precaution, the German Air Force deployed its aircraft to ensure the safety of the flight and its guests. The flight with 330 guests and 15 crew subsequently landed at London without any incident,” he added.

Earlier, it was presumed that the aircraft was hijacked by a terrorist group.

image

07:38  Shahid Afridi announces international retirement:  

Legendary Pakistan all-rounder Shahid Afridi announced his retirement from international cricket, ending an illustrious and sometimes controversial 21-year career.

The 36-year-old star had already quit Test and ODI cricket but still skippered the Pakistan Twenty20 team at the 2016 world championships in India.

He stepped down as captain after the tournament but retained hopes of continuing his career in the sport’s shortest format as a player.

Afridi had been a fan favourite since he burst onto the scene in 1996, striking a 37-ball century against Sri Lanka in only his second match to set a world record that was unbeaten for 17 years.

Source: Rediff