by Editor | Aug 28, 2024 | News, Politics
New Delhi: Twelve candidates including nine from BJP, two from its allies in the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and one from Congress have been elected unopposed to Rajya Sabha in the elections to vacant seats in the Upper House of Parliament.
With the BJP gaining numbers in the upper House of Parliament and strength of its allies also going up, the party-led National Democratic Alliance now has a majority, which will help the ruling alliance get bills passed smoothly.
Among those elected unopposed are Union Ministers Ravneet Singh Bittu from Rajasthan and George Kurien from Madhya Pradesh. Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi has been elected to Rajya Sabha from Telangana.
The BJP candidates elected unopposed also include Mission Ranjan Dass and Rameshwar Teli from Assam, Manan Kumar Mishra from Bihar, Kiran Chaudhary from Haryana, Dhiryasheel Patil from Maharashtra, Mamata Mohanta from Odisha and Rajeeb Bhattacharjee from Tripura.
NCP’s Nitin Patil got elected from Maharashtra and Rashtriya Lok Morcha leader Upendra Kushwaha has been elected from Bihar. NCP and RLM are allies of the BJP.
The NDA had support of 110 MPs before the results of Rajya Sabha polls, including nominated members and this number has now gone up to 121. With the Upper House of Parliament now having 237 members, the majority mark is 119. There are eight vacancies including four from Jammu and Kashmir.
by Editor | Aug 28, 2024 | News, Politics
New Delhi: In view of the forthcoming Jammu and Kashmir and Haryana assembly polls, Congress leader and Lok Sabha LoP Rahul Gandhi has shortened his duration of USA visit to 5-7 days, said sources.
As per the sources, Rahul Gandhi’s US visit, which is scheduled in September, was about to last around 10-12 days but it has been shortened to 5-7 days. As per the changes, many of his programs have been cancelled.
This will be Rahul Gandhi’s first visit ever since he became leader of the opposition in Lok Sabha. The sources added that LoP Rahul Gandhi will address the Indian diaspora in Texas.
The sources also said that amid Gandhi’s planned visit, Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra will kickstart the campaigning for the party in the second week of September.
Priyanka Gandhi Vadra can address 5 to 7 road shows and more than 15 election rallies in both the states, out of which more than a dozen rallies are scheduled in Haryana.
In the midst of the assembly elections, Congress has tied up with the National Conference for the Jammu and Kashmir polls, while in Haryana, it has decided to contest the elections alone, dismissing all speculations of tying up with the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).
by Editor | Aug 28, 2024 | News, Politics
New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Wednesday held that even in money laundering cases, bail is a rule and jail is an exception, and granted relief to Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren’s aide in an illegal mining related case registered by the Enforcement Directorate.
A bench of Justices BR Gavai and KV Viswanathan said the court has held that even in cases under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), “bail is a rule and jail is an exception.”
The bench said no person should be deprived of its liberty and section 45 of the PMLA which lays down twin conditions for bail of an accused in a money laundering case does not rewrite the principle to mean that deprivation of liberty is the norm.
The top court referred to the August 9 verdict in the money laundering and corruption cases involving former deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia to say that liberty of the individual is always the rule and deprivation of it by procedure established by law is the exception.
“Twin test under section 45 of the PMLA does not take away this principle,” the bench held.
It granted bail to one Prem Prakash, who is alleged to be a close aide of Soren by the ED and has been accused of being involved in illegal mining in the state.
by Editor | Aug 28, 2024 | News, Politics
Panaji: Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Wednesday handed over the Indian citizenship certificate to a 78-year-old Pakistani Christian under the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, making him the first such person from the coastal state.
Joseph Francis Pereira went from Goa to Pakistan for studies before liberation and subsequently took up a job there. He attained Pakistani citizenship and lived in Karachi before returning to India in 2013.
The chief minister said that though Pereira was married to a Goan woman, he faced hurdles in getting Indian citizenship till the central government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi amended the Citizenship Act, 1955. He gave the certificate to Pereira in the presence of state tourism minister Rohan Khaunte.
The CAA was enacted in December 2019 to grant Indian nationality to persecuted non-Muslim migrants from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan who came to India on or before December 31, 2014. These include Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, Buddhists, Parsis and Christians.
The 1946-born Pereira is married to Maria from the coastal state and entered India on September 11, 2013, after retirement, according to government records.
Originally from Paroda village in South Goa, Pereira now resides in Cansualim, in the same district, with his family.
CM Sawant told reporters that Pereira is the first Goan to get this certificate but many people across India have taken advantage of the amendment in CAA to get Indian nationality.
He said there are many Goans who can be given citizenship in a similar way under the CAA.
As per the certificate, Pereira has been registered as a Citizen of India under the Provisions of Section 6 B and fulfilling the conditions under section 5 (1)(c) of the Citizenship Act, 1955 with effect from the date of entering India.
by Editor | Aug 28, 2024 | News, Politics
Dispur: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Wednesday said that the Assam government’s priority to focus on the marriage reigstration bill and its next step is to ban polygamy.
“Assam government is not decided on the whole UCC, we are focusing on the Muslim registration bill which we made compulsory, we have said that the registration of the marriage and divorce will be done by sub-registrar rather than ‘Kazi’. Our next step is banning polygamy which will be coming in anytime we are just waiting for any judicial comment on Uttarakhand UCC we are looking closely.
CM Himanta Biswa Sarma stressed that the Assam government’s “line of action” is different and they are looking at other issues.
“We are not looking to bring a comprehensive UCC because our line of acion is different. We are working against child marriage. We are working against the exploitation of women. Our stand is completely different.” Sarma said.
Sarma said that the Assam government has four to five agendas on which the government is working.
“Our next action will be banning polygamy. We are also working to regulate inter-religion marriages. Till next April there are four and five agendas.” Sarma said.
