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9:29 PM

Congress to observe day-long 'Satyagraha'

Congress to observe day-long 'Satyagraha' across country in protest against Rahul Gandhi's disqualification

 

9:27 PM

Union Health Minister Dr Mansukh Mandaviya on spike in Covid19 cases

Union Health Minister Dr Mansukh Mandaviya in Varanasi, UP said, "Currently, in the country, a variant of Covid19 that is circulating is a mutated version of the Omicron sub-variant. We need to remain alert but there is no need to worry. Each new variant is isolated and it is tested whether our vaccines are effective against it or not. Our vaccines have been found effective against all Covid19 variants found till now."

 

9:27 PM

Covid Scare: The cases are likely to be of the XBB.1.16 variant of Omicron, says Dr Dhiren Gupta

The COVID19 situation is changing for the past week with a rise in cases. The cases are likely to be of the XBB.1.16 variant of Omicron, and the symptomatology is likely to be the same. Those with co-morbidities & senior citizens should take more precautions, said Dr Dhiren Gupta, Senior Consultant, Dept of Paediatric Emergency and Critical Care, Sir Gangaram Hospital.

 

9:26 PM

Rahul Gandhi has not been disqualified by the GoI. He has been convicted by the court: Assam CM

"Rahul Gandhi has not been disqualified by the GoI. He has been convicted by the court because in his speech he used unparliamentary, defamatory words against the OBC community and as a consequence of the pronouncement of the Court, he has been disqualified. This is a judicial process and there is nothing political about it," said Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma.

 

9:24 PM

"Rahul Gandhi isn't first to face disqualification" tweets Union min Anurag Thakur

8:58 PM

Nitu strikes historic gold at IBA Women's World Boxing Championships

8:45 PM

"Don't believe any fake news on Amritpal's arrest": Punjab Police

8:40 PM

Lights at Delhi's Akshardham temple turned off for an hour from 8.30 pm to 9.30 pm to mark the Earth Hour

8:38 PM

Lights switched off at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus from 8.30 pm to 9.30 pm to mark Earth Hour

6:24 PM

JP has changed 'politics of perception' to 'politics of performance', says PM

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said the Bhagwant Mann government in Punjab will not hesitate in taking tough decisions to maintain law and order as he asserted that those who were trying to spoil the atmosphere in the state are on the run. Kejriwal's remarks come in the wake of Punjab police action against radical preacher Amritpal Singh and elements of an outfit, headed by him, named 'Waris Punjab De.'

6:22 PM

Delhi Govt orders all the govt hospitals to hold a mock drill on March 26

5:46 PM

BJP has changed 'politics of perception' to 'politics of performance', says PM

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday addressed a public rally in Karnataka's Davanagere as part of his visit to the poll-bound state. "Karnataka has decided to bring back the double engine government in the state," PM Modi said while addressing the public rally titled 'Vijaya Sankalp Yatre Maha Sangama' in Davanagere.

Before the public rally, PM Modi held a mega road show. A huge crowd could be seen gathered to offer a grand welcome to the Prime Minister. The Karnataka assembly elections are likely to be held in April-May.

 

An official announcement of the poll schedule by the Election Commission is expected soon. Political parties including the BJP and Janata Dal-Secular have already intensified their campaign in the southern state. The polls are being seen as particularly crucial for Congress for its national ambitions for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.

5:26 PM

Congress Workers Protest In Kolkata Over Rahul Gandhi's Disqualification As MP

5:24 PM

Sentence awarded to Rahul Gandhi seems excessive, says Prashant Kishor

Political strategist turned activist Prashant Kishor on Saturday termed as "excessive" the two years' imprisonment awarded to Rahul Gandhi in a defamation case.

3:58 PM

Political malice and hatred do not benefit country: Mayawati on Rahul disqualification

A day after Rahul Gandhi was disqualified from Parliament, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) president Mayawati on Saturday referred to the Emergency as she took a swipe at both the Congress and the BJP, saying political malice and hatred had not benefited the country in the past and neither will in the future.

 

She said the Congress must think whether what happened during the Emergency in 1975 and what is happening now with its leader Rahul Gandhi are justified.

 

In a series of tweets, Mayawati said the Congress earlier and the BJP government now, due to their "politics of extreme selfishness", hardly focussed on public welfare and removal of serious problems of poverty, unemployment and backwardness.

 

"It is very sad and unfortunate," she said in a tweet in Hindi.

 

"Political malice, hatred, etc. towards each other have neither benefited the country in the past nor is it going to benefit it in the future," the former Uttar Pradesh chief minister said.

 

She said it is clear that had successive governments in the past 75 years worked with honesty and integrity according to the sacred intention of the Constitution and democratic norms and traditions, "India would have become a truly leading and ideal humanitarian and developed country."

 

Gandhi, who represented Wayanad in Kerala in Lok Sabha, was disqualified from Parliament on Friday, a day after a court in Gujarat sentenced him to two years' imprisonment in a criminal defamation case.

3:53 PM

"My name is not Savarkar, won't apologise": Rahul Gandhi on disqualification

A combative Rahul Gandhi tore into Prime Minister Narendra Modi a day after the top opposition leader was disqualified from parliament. Gandhi claimed the Prime Minister is scared of his next speech and used a Veer Savarkar reference to answer why he didn't apologise over his remarks in London and during the defamation trial in which he was convicted. The BJP, meanwhile, doubled down on its attack on Gandhi, claiming the Congress was trying to project him as a victim for electoral gains. "I have been disqualified as the Prime Minister is scared of my next speech. I have seen fear in his eyes. That's why they don't want me to speak in the Parliament," said the Congress leader. Responding on the BJP's calls for apology, he said, "My name is not Savarkar. I am a Gandhi. I won't apologise." 

 

He also denied the BJP's charges that he had sought the intervention of international forces in the domestic affairs of the country. He said he had asked the Speaker to let him respond on the floor of the House to the allegations over his London remarks. "BJP leaders claimed that I am helping anti-India forces. I told the Speaker that it is my right to respond to these allegations. But he didn't allow me," he said. "I have only one step and that's to fight for truth and to defend democratic nature of this country. Disqualify me for life, jail me for life, I will continue going."

 

 

3:08 PM

Couple having links with Papalpreet Singh detained in Jammu

Police on Saturday detained a couple from R S Pura on outskirts of Jammu for allegedly having links with Papalpreet Singh, the brain behind on-the-run radical preacher Amritpal Singh, an officer said.

 

The couple -- Amrik Singh and his wife Sarabjeet Kour, residents of R S Pura -- were handed over to the Punjab Police after being detained, the police officer said.

 

2:55 PM

Rahul's utterances on Modi surname abusive, not critical, says Ravi Shankar Prasad

Rahul's utterances on Modi surname abusive, not critical; BJP to launch stir against his insult to OBCs: Ravi Shankar Prasad in Patna. 

 

2:53 PM

Sentence awarded to Rahul excessive, Centre should have shown a big heart: Prashant Kishor

Political strategist turned activist Prashant Kishor on Saturday termed as "excessive" the two years' imprisonment awarded to Rahul Gandhi in a defamation case and urged the ruling dispensation to show "a big heart" on the Congress leader's disqualification.

 

Kishor, who is now touring Bihar, his home state, as part of "Jan Suraaj" campaign, also underscored that the Congress did not seem to be well prepared to reach out to the masses with the message that it has been wronged.

 

"I am not a legal expert but with due respect to the process of law, the sentence awarded to Rahul Gandhi seems to be excessive. In the heat of elections, people say all types of things. This was not the first instance and not going to be the last", asserted the IPAC founder who has, in his professional capacity, worked with many political parties, including the BJP and the Congress.

2:44 PM

Arbitration award: DMRC urges SC to consider curative petition in DAMEPL matter

The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) has urged the Supreme Court to urgently take up its curative petition against the top court's 2021 order dismissing its plea that had sought a review of a verdict that upheld a 2017 arbitration award in favour of the Delhi Airport Metro Express Private Limited (DAMEPL), a Reliance Infrastructure subsidiary, enforceable against it.

Attorney General R Venkataramani told a bench headed by Chief Justice DY Chandrachud on Friday that the DMRC's curative petition was pending before the apex court since August last year.

He told the court that the matter needs to be considered urgently and referred to a March 17 verdict of the Delhi High Court that directed the Centre and the city government to attend to the DMRC's request for extension of sovereign guarantees or subordinate debt to enable it to make payment of the dues of an arbitral award passed in favour of the DAMEPL

2:42 PM

PM inaugurates new Metro line in Bengaluru, takes a ride with staff, workers, students

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday inaugurated the 13.71 km Whitefield (Kadugodi)-to-Krishnarajapuram Metro Line here, which has 12 stations, and was built at a cost of Rs 4,249 crore.

He also took a ride on the Metro and interacted with people from different walks of life, including Bengaluru Metro rail staff, metro construction workers and students.

The Prime Minister walked up to the ticket counter and then passed through the entry gate, as a common passenger would, to board the Metro train.

2:42 PM

PM's effigy burnt during Cong protest at Wayanad against Rahul Gandhi's disqualification

Wayanad on Saturday witnessed strong protests, including the burning of an effigy of Prime Minister Narendra Modi by Congress workers and its youth and student wings, over the disqualification of Rahul Gandhi as an MP who represented the constituency.

Congress leaders, including MLA T Siddique, who were part of the protest march to the office of BSNL in Kalpetta in Wayanad, were by force removed from the site and carried away by the police to their bus.

Besides them, several Youth Congress (YC) and KSU leaders were also arrested and removed from the protest site.

2:36 PM

Plea moved in SC challenging automatic disqualification of MPs on conviction

A day after Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's disqualification from Parliament, a petition has been moved in the Supreme Court challenging the validity of provisions mandating "blanket and automatic" disqualification of legislators upon conviction and sentence.

The plea, filed by advocate Deepak Prakash on behalf of Aabha Muralidharan, prayed that automatic disqualification under Section 8 (3) of the Representation of People Act (RPA), 1951, should be declared as ultra vires of the Constitution, for being arbitrary, illegal and violative of fundamental right to equality.

2:34 PM

PM inaugurates new Metro line in Bengaluru, takes a ride with staff, workers, students

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday inaugurated the 13.71 km Whitefield (Kadugodi)-to-Krishnarajapuram Metro Line here, which has 12 stations, and was built at a cost of Rs 4,249 crore.

He also took a ride on the Metro and interacted with people from different walks of life, including Bengaluru Metro rail staff, metro construction workers and students.

The Prime Minister walked up to the ticket counter and then passed through the entry gate, as a common passenger would, to board the Metro train.

2:34 PM

Differences between govt and judiciary doesn't mean confrontation: Law Minister Kiren Rijiju

Denying any clash between the government and judiciary as speculated in the media, Union Law and Justice Minister Kiren Rijiju on Saturday contended that differences were inevitable in a democracy but they should not be construed as confrontation.

The Minister inaugurated the Chief Judicial Magistrate court, Mayiladuthurai, in the presence of Chief Justice of India Justice D Y Chandrachud, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin and Acting Chief Justice of Madras High Court Justice T Raja here.

"We have differences, but it doesn't mean there is confrontation. It sends a wrong message across the world. I want to make it clear that there is no problem between different organs of the State. There are signs of robust democratic actions, which are not a crisis," he emphasised.

2:32 PM

CJI deplores 'absymal' women-men ratio in legal professsion; voices concern against stereotypes

Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud on Saturday flagged the "abysmal" women-to-men ratio in the legal profession and called for ensuring equal opportunities for women, asserting that there was no dearth of young, talented women lawyers.

 

Recruiting chambers were being "skeptical" about employing women, assuming that their "familial" responsibilities would come in the way of their profession, he said.

 

2:22 PM

Rahul willingly insulted the backward classes, lied about his UP speech, says BJP

Rahul willingly insulted the backward classes, trying to play martyr due to Karnataka polls, says BJP. BJP MP Ravi Shankar Prasad also said that Rahul Gandhi lied about his UK speech.

2:08 PM

Rahul tried to divert and mislead people, says BJP

Rahul Gandhi tried to divert and mislead people, insulted OBCs, says BJP.

1:51 PM

'Conspiracy' to stop power subsidy scheme, still Kejriwal accused of 'fighting': Delhi CM

Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday asserted that his government would not let the "conspiracy" to stop the power subsidy scheme in the national capital succeed and said he would defend like a rock the rights of the people of Delhi.

A day after Power Minister Atishi alleged in the Delhi Assembly that officials were trying to stop the power subsidy scheme at the behest of Lt Governor VK Saxena, Kejriwal warned him not to complain later about "dignities" being breached.

1:23 PM

This is the whole drama that is been orchestrated to defend the PM, says Rahul Gandhi on his disqualification

This is the whole drama that is been orchestrated to defend the Prime Minister from the simple question- Who's Rs 20,000 crore went to Adani's shell companies? I am not scared of these threats, disqualifications or prison sentences, says Congress leader Rahul Gandhi.