Live: Russia may try to split country, says Ukraine intelligence
Live news updates: India will resume scheduled international flights from Sunday; Joe Biden meets Ukraine ministers and Polish president.
 "Live: Russia may try to split country, says Ukraine intelligence")
Explore Business Standard
Explore Business Standard
Live news updates: India will resume scheduled international flights from Sunday; Joe Biden meets Ukraine ministers and Polish president.
1 min read Last Updated : Mar 27 2022 | 11:51 PM IST
11:51 PM
Jammu and Kashmir Police on Sunday said innocent people need not to worry about attaching properties of those giving shelter to militants, saying it has the skill and knowledge to segregate the chaff from grains.
Honest and innocent citizens don't have to worry a bit about the implementation of #law regarding action against house owners in whose house #terrorists come to hide at gunpoint. Law already provides protection to such persons and police will go by law, Kashmir Zone Police said on its Twitter handle.
The police said it is also aware that agents of terrorists and separatist leaders from time to time cleverly push terrorists into innocent citizens' houses to damage them.
@JmuKmrPolice has the skill and knowledge to segregate the chaff from grains. But law will not spare the rest, it said.
Police has warned that properties of people providing shelter to militants or their associates will be attached under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).
However, they said action will be taken only if the house owner "wilfully harboured terrorists" and there was no duress.
11:50 PM
El Salvador's congress granted President Nayib Bukele request to declare a state of emergency early Sunday amid a wave of gang-related killings over the weekend.
Fourteen people were killed Friday and 62 people died Saturday, a scale of violence that has not been seen for years. By comparison, there were 79 homicides in the entire month of February.
Bukele announced the request Saturday in his social media accounts, and congress approved it early Sunday. The decree would suspend constitutional guarantees of freedom of assembly and loosen arrest rules for as much as thirty days, but could be extended.
The homicides appeared linked to the country's notorious street gangs, who effectively control many neighbourhoods in the capital. The National Police reported they has captured five leaders of the Mara Salvatrucha or MS-13, who they claimed ordered the weekend killings.
Bukele announced the request in his social media accounts, and taunted those who opposed the measure, saying: Is the opposition coming out to defend the gang members?
While Bukele has tried to project a tough attitude on crime, the country's enormously powerful street gangs have proved a double-edged sword for him.
We must remind the people of El Salvador that what is happening now is due to the negligence of those who protected criminals," the conservative Arena party said in a statement.
That was an apparent reference to a December report by the US Treasury Department that said Bukele's government secretly negotiated a truce with leaders of the gangs. That contradicted Bukele's denials and raised tensions between the two nations.
11:43 PM
After Home Minister Amit Shah announced that the Chandigarh administration employee's service conditions will be aligned to that of the central civil services, Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia on Sunday took a dig at the BJP, saying it is scared of the "rising footprints" of the AAP
Taking to Twitter soon after the home minister's statement in Chandigarh, the senior Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader said Shah did not take away Chandigarh powers when the Congress was ruling in Punjab.
But soon after the AAP formed its government in Punjab, the home minister announced the move as "the BJP is scared of rising footprints" of the AAP, Sisodia said.
Earlier in Chandigarh, Shah said that the service conditions of employees of the Chandigarh Union Territory administration will now be aligned to that of the central civil services and this will benefit them in a "big way".
He also said that women employees will now get child care leave of two years from the current one year.
"I want to give a good news to employees of the Chandigarh administration. From today, service conditions of employees of the Chandigarh administration will now be aligned to that of the central civil services. You (employees) are going to benefit in a big way," Shah said.
11:26 PM
Chief of French Navy Admiral Pierre Vandier is set to begin a three-day visit to India on Monday with an aim to explore further boosting bilateral maritime cooperation, especially in the Indo-Pacific region, people familiar with the development said.
As his visit comes in the midst of the crisis in Ukraine, both sides are expected to deliberate on the possible implications of the conflict for the Indo-Pacific region, they said on Sunday.
Admiral Vandier is scheduled to hold wide-ranging talks with his Indian counterpart Admiral R Hari Kumar as well as Army Chief Gen MM Naravane and Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari.
"The visit is aimed at further enhancing bilateral maritime security cooperation," said one of the people cited above.
The visit by the French Navy Chief comes over a month after External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar travelled to Paris.
During the visit, Jaishankar said India looks at France as a "trusted" partner in countering myriad security challenges from the seabed to space and from cyber to oceans.
The maritime cooperation between India and France has witnessed a major expansion in the last few years.
The Indian and French navies in April last year carried out a mega wargame in the Arabian Sea in the backdrop of growing concern over China's growing maritime presence in the Indian Ocean region.
11:16 PM
An influential Indian-American Congressman said on Sunday that the United States is in favour of a negotiated end to the Ukrainian war and that has to be with Russian President Vladimir Putin as a settlement.
Democratic Congressman Ro Khanna made the remarks in an interview to Fox News, a day after US President Joe Biden in his unscripted remarks in Europe indicated that he wants Putin to be out of power.
"For God's sake, this man cannot remain in power," Biden had said.
His comment drew widespread international attention, with observers wondering if Biden was advocating for a regime change in Moscow.
The White House later pushed back, and clarified that Biden is not advocating regime change.
Khanna reiterated that the US was in favour of a negotiated end to the Ukrainian war and that has to come with Putin as a settlement.
I think the White House has been clear, they have been disciplined and they've said, we need a negotiated end to this war. That has to be with Putin as a settlement. It's not the policy of regime change. There's no support in the Democratic Congress for a regime change. We've been the party against regime change for the past 20 years, Khanna explained.
He, however, acknowledged that Putin would take advantage of the situation.
10:56 PM
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Sunday concluded his "productive" visit to the Maldives during which he held discussions with the country's top leadership on wide ranging issues related to bilateral cooperation.
"Completed a productive visit to Addu, Maldives. Thank President @ibusolih and Foreign Minister @abdulla_shahid," he tweeted.
In another tweet, Jaishankar said he is "leaving Addu with so many warm memories".
During his visit here, Jaishankar called on President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih and held discussions with Foreign Minister Abdulla Shahid on wide ranging issues related to bilateral cooperation.
He also inaugurated a number of India-supported projects and firm up several agreements to further bolster bilateral cooperation.
Tweeting a video clip, Jaishankar said, "For those who want to see Indian project delivery abroad now, see the clip on the Maldives Police Academy inaugurated today."
The Maldives is one of India's key maritime neighbours in the Indian Ocean region and the bilateral defence and security ties have been on an upward trajectory in the last few years.
10:50 PM
CBI sleuths probing the Birbhum carnage on Sunday interrogated arrested local Trinamool Congress leader Anarul Hossain and other accused persons, besides recording the statement of those who were injured in the violence.
Experts of the Central Forensic Science Laboratory (CFSL), Delhi, who arrived here on Friday, collected samples from the place of occurrence in Bogtui village, which is almost deserted following the gruesome incident on the night of March 21.
CBI officers also visited the village near here, where eight people were charred to death after their houses were set on fire, in a suspected fallout of a local TMC panchayat leader's murder.
A team of CRPF personnel are providing security to the sleuths of the central agency, who are investigating the case on a Calcutta High Court order.
Earlier, a state government formed SIT was conducting an enquiry.
Anarul Hossain, who was arrested by the police within hours of a directive by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday to hunt down all accused including her party workers and leaders, was taken to the CBI camp office from Rampurhat police station in the morning and was interrogated by the agency's officers.
Hossain, a former TMC president of Rampurhat block-I, was questioned along with two others accused, a CBI officer said.
The Calcutta High Court had directed the state police to hand over custody of all arrested persons in connection with the case to the CBI.
Another team of CBI officials visited the Rampurhat hospital on Sunday and recorded the statement of the four injured persons.
"They spoke to the patients; I was there," Superintendent of the government hospital, Dr Palash Das, told reporters.
The sleuths could not question a woman, who has suffered over 60 per cent burns, as her condition is still not okay to take questions.
10:41 PM
An influential Indian American Congressman on Sunday said India ought to be condemning Russian President Vladimir Putin for his invasion of Ukraine and New Delhi should not be getting oil from Russia or China.
Ro Khanna, who represents Silicon Valley in the US House of Representatives and has been critical of India's current policy on Russia, said it is time for New Delhi to pick sides.
I've been clear actually on India, and I think India ought to be condemning Putin and India ought not to be getting oil from Russia or China. We ought to rally the world to isolate Putin, Khanna told Fox News in an interview.
Khanna is also the vice chair of the US India Caucus, the largest country-specific caucus in the House of Representatives.
First India should condemn Putin in the UN for the blatant human rights violations. Second, they need to realise, they have to pick sides, he asserted.
We, the United States, were with them when China invaded India. Putin wasn't there. And it's time for them to buy weapons from the United States, not Russia. We've got to look at how we can facilitate that and make that easier. We need India as an ally ultimately to contain China, Khanna said.
In recent weeks, several top American Senators have expressed deep disappointment over India's position on the Ukrainian crisis. This includes Senate John Cornyn, Republican co-chair of the Senate India Caucus and Indian American Congressman Dr Ami Bera.
10:39 PM
Ahead of the two-day nationwide strike called by trade unions on March 28-29, the Maharashtra government on Sunday invoked the Maharashtra Essential Services Maintenance Act (MESMA) barring employees of state-run electricity companies from joining the protest.
Maharashtra Power Minister Nitin Raut confirmed the invocation of MESMA.
According to government sources, electricity consumption in Maharashtra has already gone up at present and there is also a coal shortage in the state.
Staging a strike at this juncture will cause inconvenience to farmers, industries and the people in general, the sources said.
The government has so far ensured that there is no load shedding in Maharashtra despite the coal shortage and financial concerns. However, if the strike happens at this juncture, it will result in load shedding.
The government does not want this to happen. People should not be inconvenienced and hence, MESMA has been invoked in the state today, the minister said.
Sources also said that the government is open to talking with representatives of unions of employees attached to the state's power companies like Maharashtra State Power Generation Company, Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company and Maharashtra State Electricity Transmission Company over their concerns.
The employees are against the alleged privatisation of power companies in the state and, therefore, want to join the nationwide strike called by the trade unions.
10:27 PM
Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on Sunday said that attempts are being made through foreign money to change the government in Pakistan.
He claimed to be in possession of evidence that he said would prove his point, the Dawn reported.
"The letter I have is proof and I want to dare anyone who is doubting this letter. I will invite them off the record. We have to decide for how long we will have to live like this. We are getting threats. There are many things about foreign conspiracy which will be shared very soon.
"Mostly inadvertently, but some people are using money against us. We know from what places attempts are being to pressure us. We have been threatened in writing but we will not compromise on national interest," he said, in his address at the party rally in Islamabad, Dawn reported.
"The nation wants to know who the man sitting in London is meeting with and whose directions the characters based in Pakistan are following? I am revealing the proofs we have. I cannot talk more in detail because I have to protect the interest of my country. I cannot talk about anything that harms my country. I could have told you about it. I do not fear anyone but I care about Pakistan's interest," he added.
At the rally, billed as one of the "biggest" rallies in his party's history at the Parade Ground in Islamabad as the Opposition gears up to oust him from office through the no-confidence motion, the voting for which is scheduled to take place on Monday, Imran Khan had earlier called out the "corrupt" opposition leaders and said that whether he loses his government or his life, he will never forgive them, Geo News reported.
10:25 PM
MPs from various parties are on a two-day visit to Baramati in Pune district of Maharashtra to study various development works.
Baramati is the home turf of Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) president Sharad Pawar.
"MPs from various parties came to Baramati on a two-day study tour to see various development works, executed by Ajit Pawar and the Baramati model, which was put forth by NCP chief Sharad Pawar," said Baramati MP Supriya Sule, daughter of the NCP chief, on Sunday.
The delegation of MPs visited various works in the fields of education, agriculture, artificial intelligence, innovation, and investment in MIDC areas, she said.
The MPs deliberated on various aspects of these projects and their implementation.
10:24 PM
Congress leader and former Odisha minister, Ripunath Seth, died following a cardiac arrest at his native place in Bargarh district on Sunday, his family said.
The 64-year-old former minister had complained of chest pain after which he was rushed to a private hospital and then shifted to Barpali Community Health Centre where he died.
Seth, who was elected to the Odisha Assembly from the Bijepur constituency in 1995, had started his political career as the chairman of Barpali notified area council (NAC).
He had also unsuccessfully contested from the Bijepur seat in 2019 against Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik.
Leaders cutting across party lines and people of the Barpali area gathered at the late politician's residence to pay their last respects.
The chief minister expressed grief over Seth's death.
10:23 PM
The opposition BJP in Rajasthan on Sunday demanded the arrest of the Congress MLA's son accused of raping a 15-year-old girl, with one office bearer asking Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra to visit the state, reminding her of her "Ladki Hoon, Lad Sakti Hoon" campaign.
BJP state secretary Jitendra Gothwal challenged Gandhi to come to Jaipur, and tweeted that he has sent her a train ticket.
Congress MLA from Rajgarh constituency (Alwar) Johari Lal Meena's son Deepak Meena and four other people have been booked for allegedly raping the minor girl in February 2021. The case was registered on Friday on the basis of a complaint lodged by the girl's family. Police have identified Deepak Meena as the key accused.
"Congress MLA's son has raped a minor in Rajasthan. The minor girl is not able to fight against the power of the MLA. @priyankagandhi ji, I am sending a train ticket for you. Come to Jaipur immediately. 'There are girls in Rajasthan too and they are not able to fight'," Gothwal said in a tweet in Hindi.
Gandhi had come out with the poll slogan "Ladki Hoon, Lad Sakti Hoon (I am a girl and can fight)" ahead of the Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh.
Sikar MP Swami Sumedhanand said law and order has deteriorated in the state.
"The accused should be arrested. The party is going to take up the issue to mount pressure on the government," Sumedhanand told reporters here.
"Atrocities against women have increased, but the government is not bothered," he added.
10:22 PM
The Congress on Sunday appointed Jenny Thummar as the president of the Gujarat Pradesh Mahila Congress.
Congress president Sonia Gandhi appointed Thummar as head of the party's women's wing in the state where polls are slated to be held later this year.
She replaced Gayatriba Waghela as head of the Gujarat Pradesh Mahila Congress.
"I thank Hon'ble Congress President, Smt. Sonia Gandhi ji and Shri @RahulGandhi for the organisational change in Gujarat. My best wishes to Ms @Jenny_IYC for being appointed as @GujaratPMC President," Mahila Congress chief Netta D'Souza tweeted.
Last week, the Congress appointed 25 vice-presidents and 75 general secretaries to the party's revamped Gujarat unit.
9:52 PM
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Sunday sacked Mukesh Sahani, a cabinet minister and founding chief of Vikassheel Insaan Party, who was brought into the NDA in the thick of the last assembly elections by the BJP, which is now at odds with him.
According to highly placed sources, Kumar recommended Sahani's expulsion from the cabinet to the Governor in the evening, after a written submission to the effect by the BJP, hours after the minister for fishery and animal husbandry was given the ultimatum to withdraw forthwith a recent notification.
State BJP spokesman Arvind Kumar Singh said in a statement our Bihar unit chief had asked Sahani, who seems hell-bent upon stabbing those in the back who healed his wounds, to mend his ways. But he did not. He brought in a notification which had greatly angered the machhuara' (fishermen) community in whose name he had sought to build his political edifice.
Sahani, a former Bollywood set designer, had entered the BJP's bad books after he repeatedly attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath while campaigning for assembly elections in the adjoining state where his party contested more than 50 seats but sunk without a trace.
A self-proclaimed leader of the fishermen's community who uses the nickname Son of Mallah, Manjhi had twisted the knife by fielding candidates against a number of BJP nominees in elections for 24 legislative council seats.
The BJP struck back, fielding its own candidate for by-poll in Bochahan assembly segment which has fallen vacant upon the death of a VIP MLA, and left Sahani blindsided last week when it wrested all the remaining three assembly members who had won on tickets of the fledgling party.
Formerly with the RJD-led Grand Alliance, Sahani had quit the opposition camp after elections were announced, accusing Tejashwi Yadav of giving him a raw deal. A meeting with Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Delhi was followed by his entry into the NDA.
His party won four seats even though Sahani himself lost, but the BJP, which has been working to win over OBCs and shedding its pro-upper caste label, helped him clinch a cabinet berth and facilitated the same by getting him elected to the legislative council.
Recently, Sanjay Jaiswal had also claimed that Sahani had been asked to merge his party with the BJP within six months of the 2020 elections but the VIP chief reneged on the promise as ambition got the better of him.
However, Sahani has denied having struck such a deal and claimed that the terms and conditions of his entry into NDA were known only to Shah.
9:46 PM
Speakers at a national conference on media here Sunday demanded that journalists be given facilities of pension and insurance.
They stressed that media has to thrive for democracy to prosper.
Journalists should be given the facility of pension. Scribes should also get insurance, given the fact that they have to cover difficult situations, said Chandreshwar Prasad Singh, a veteran politician and former Speaker of Jharkhand Assembly.
He was addressing the National Conference on Media as an Actor in Democracy' hosted by the Federation of PTI Employees Unions.
The Press Council of India should act as the guardian for the independence of journalists, said Ashok Updhayay, a veteran editor.
Supriya Shrinate, national spokesperson of the Congress, noted that during the COVID-19 pandemic, journalists worked relentlessly to put out reports.
BJP Rajya Sabha MP Kailash Soni, who chaired the conference, said without the media, democracy cannot stand on its own.
"Media provides the leaders with a direction. Media also plays a constructive role as the opposition in a democracy... Responsible and reliable action is of the greatest importance, he added.
Indian Federation of Working Journalists president K Vikram Rao and the Federation of PTI Employees' Unions general secretary Balram Singh Dahiya also spoke on the occasion.
9:38 PM
State governments can declare a religious or linguistic community as a minority within the said state, the Centre has told the Supreme Court.
The submission was made in response to a plea filed by advocate Ashwini Kumar Upadhyay which challenged the validity of section 2(f) of the National Commission for Minority Education Institution Act, 2004.
Upadhyay, in his plea, challenged the validity of section 2(f) alleging that it gives unbridled power to the Centre terming it "manifestly arbitrary, irrational, and offending".
The Ministry of Minority Affairs in its response said: It is submitted that the State governments can also declare a religious or linguistic community as a minority community within the said state.
For instance, the Maharashtra government has notified 'Jews' as a minority community within the state. Moreover, the Karnataka government has notified Urdu, Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam, Marathi, Tulu, Lamani, Hindi, Konkani and Gujarati languages as minority languages within the state of Karnataka, it said.
"Therefore in view of the states also notifying minority communities, the petitioners' allegation that the followers of Judaism, Bahaism, and Hinduism, who are real minorities in Ladakh, Mizoram, Lakshadweep, Kashmir, Nagaland, Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh, Punjab, and Manipur cannot establish and administer educational institutions of their choice is not correct."
The Ministry submitted that matters concerning whether followers of Judaism, Bahaism, and Hinduism can establish and administer educational institutions of their choice in the said states, and those related to their identification as minority within the state, may be considered at state level.
The affidavit said that the Parliament has enacted the National Commission for Minorities Act, 1992, under Article 246 of the Constitution read with Entry 20 in the Concurrent List in Schedule 7.
"If the view that the States alone has the power to enact law on the subject of a minority is accepted, then in such a case, Parliament will be denuded of its power to enact law on the said subject and this would be contrary to the constitutional scheme," it said.
9:37 PM
Chhattisgarh on Sunday reported 20 fresh COVID-19 cases, taking the state's tally to 11,52,070, an official said.
The death toll remained unchanged at 14,034 as no fresh death was reported due to the viral infection, he said.
The positivity rate, or cases detected per 100 tests, stood at 0.42 per cent, in Chhattisgarh, he said.
The recovery count rose to 11,37,881 in the state after one person was discharged from hospital and 11 people completed their home isolation during the day, leaving the state with 155 active cases, the official said.
Balrampur recorded four cases, followed by three in Raipur, two in Durg and one in Bilaspur, among other districts. No new coronavirus case was reported in 19 districts on Sunday, the official said.
With 4,754 samples examined during the day, the tally of tests carried out so far in Chhattisgarh went up to 1,74,73,030, he added.
Chhattisgarh's coronavirus figures are as follows: Positive cases 11,52,070, new cases 20, death toll 14,034, recovered 11,37,881, active cases 155, today tests 4,754, total tests 1,74,73,030.
9:32 PM
Jammu and Kashmir on Sunday recorded six new COVID-19 cases that pushed its tally to 4,53,658, while no fresh death due to the viral disease was reported, officials said.
The death toll stands at 4,750.
Of the fresh cases, two were reported from the Jammu division and four from the Kashmir division of the union territory, the officials said.
Jammu and Srinagar districts recorded the highest number of fresh cases at two each. Sixteen of the total 22 districts of the union territory did not report any fresh cases.
There are 134 active COVID-19 cases in Jammu and Kashmir. So far, 4,48,774 people have recovered, the officials said.
9:01 PM
The Madhya Pradesh government will start a course in Artificial Intelligence (AI) for students from class 8, which will be the first such initiative in the country, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said on Sunday.
The government will also launch a veterinary telemedicine facility so that livestock keepers can get advice on the phone regarding diseases of cows and other animals.
A similar facility will be launched for farmers so that they can consult experts over the phone regarding agriculture-related problems and diseases of crops, the chief minister told a press conference at Pachmarhi, the lone hill station in MP, located 210 km away from Bhopal.
The two-day brainstorming session of the Madhya Pradesh cabinet held at Pachmarhi ended on Sunday.
The state cabinet also took several other decisions including setting up Sanjivani clinics in urban areas and regarding transportation policy for rural areas.
"A decision has been taken to arrange veterinary telemedicine facility so that livestock keepers can get advice on the phone in case of any ailment to cows and other animals," Chouhan said.
Similarly, telecall arrangements will be made for farmers so that they can get advice about agriculture-related problems and diseases of crops from specialists, he said.
8:59 PM
Strongly defending the state police who have been at the butt of criticism from opposition parties for alleged inaction to prevent the carnage in West Bengal's Birbhum district, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Sunday said the good work done by the force cannot be negated by the fault of its one or two members.
Banerjee, who also holds the Home (Police) portfolio, said action has been taken against those who allegedly did not act in time to prevent arson and violence leading to the death of eight people in Bogtui village after the murder of a local Trinamool Congress leader.
The officer-in-charge of Rampurhat police station has been suspended, while the SDPO of the sub-division has been put on compulsory waiting following the incident on March 21.
"The state police comes to the aid of the people throughout the year, be it law and order or providing assistance to Covid-19 patients. It is not correct to blame the entire force for the fault of one or two," the chief minister said.
Admitting that the police had erred in the beginning, Banerjee said they should have apprehended that something might happen in retaliation to the TMC leader's murder.
"There is a mistake on that front, but we have taken action - the OC and the SDPO have been removed, 22 people including the TMC block president (Anarul Hossain) have been arrested," she said, adding that all the arrested are TMC supporters.
She said the state-appointed SIT had done a lot of work in its investigation which was later handed over to the CBI following an order of the Calcutta High Court.
8:57 PM
AIADMK top leader K Palaniswami on Sunday reiterated that there is no place for V K Sasikala in the party saying no one could give a new lease of life to a matter that has already been settled.
Days after his colleague and party coordinator, O Panneerselvam (OPS) said he personally had respect and admiration for Sasikala, the confidante of late Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa, Palaniswami made it clear that there is no scope for her in the party and added that OPS's remark was personal and not that of the party.
Already, the party brass had passed a resolution against admitting her into the organisation and it was seconded by the party's district units across the state,
Palaniswami told reporters here when asked if there are chances for her being taken back into the AIADMK.
This decision of the party, as reflected by the resolutions passed by the top leadership and district units, was announced by him and OPS, he recalled. Only two party units (including one in Theni region) did not adopt such resolutions, he said.
To a question on OPS's remark that he has respect for Sasikala, Palaniswami said that politics should be separated from a leader's personal regard for another person. "We should see these things separately. Even as regards Chief Minister Stalin we have nothing personal against him. It is all at the political front. Hence, he (Panneerselvam) may have expressed his view on this basis," Palaniswami said.
Further, the leader of opposition said, "there is no chance for that (inducting Sasikala into the AIADMK) to happen. It's all over...this question has been answered several times before...no one can give a new lease of life to a decision that has been implemented".
While OPS is seen as inclined to consider inducting Sasikala again into the party, it is opposed by Palaniswami who apparently has an upper hand in the AIADMK.
Days ago, Paneersevalam, while deposing before the Justice A Arumughaswamy Commission of Inquiry had said that personally he had respect and admiration for Sasikala. On earlier occasions too, OPS had hinted that he was in favour of considering her re-entry.
8:43 PM
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Sunday sacked Mukesh Sahani, the minister for fisheries and animal husbandry, from his cabinet, highly placed sources said here.
They said the recommendation to this effect has been sent to the Governor following a written submission from ally BJP which had contended that Sahani, who is the founding chief of Vikassheel Insaan Party, was no longer a part of the NDA".
Sahani was inducted into the cabinet at the instance of the BJP which had also got him elected to the legislative council, since he had lost his assembly seat.
8:24 PM
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar was on Sunday assaulted by an unidentified person near Patna, in an incident that has sent shock waves across Bihar.
Officials were tight-lipped about the incident though highly placed sources said it took place in Bakhtiyarpur where Kumar was meeting his old associates.
The chief minister, who has spent his early childhood in Bakhtiyarpur, was paying floral tributes to the statue of a freedom fighter from the area.
CCTV footage shows the assailant, in his late 20s or early 30s, coming from behind and landing a blow on the septuagenarian's face.
Clad in a T-shirt and trousers, the assailant is soon overpowered by the chief minister's security staff who quickly hand him over to the police.
Another footage shows the alleged assailant being dragged away by the policemen who mutter under their breath "paagal hai" (he is crazy).
The identity of the attacker, who is understood to have been taken to a police station, was not known immediately.
8:14 PM
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Sunday dissolved its all units in Rajasthan ahead of restructuring the party organisation in the state.
AAP's new election in-charge in Rajasthan Vinay Mishra announced the dissolution of all units, including the state executive, in a party workers' meeting at Birla Auditorium here.
From today, the state executive, all district units of AAP Rajasthan are dissolved, Mishra, who is a legislator in Delhi, said.
He also said a membership drive will be started in the state.
We will connect people from village to village, house to house and will create a strong organisation in the state, Mishra said.
He targeted the ruling Congress government over unemployment and farmer loan waiver issues.
On the occasion, a large number of people took membership of the AAP.
8:12 PM
Coming down heavily on the Modi government over the frequent rise in fuel prices, the Trinamool Congress Sunday demanded a discussion on the issue in Parliament.
TMC Rajya Sabha MP Derek O'Brien wondered why the BJP government at the Centre was effecting a hike in fuel prices in such a hush- hush manner sans any discussion.
"Sunday morn. Again ! In just 2 weeks after election results, fifth #FuelPriceHike in 6 days," O'Brian tweeted.
"Mr PM and your mantris You blabber about being open to discus ALL issues in #Parliament.You won 4 States. Why be skittish & run away. Come discus PRICE RISE issue in RS next week," he posted in the microblogging site.
BJP state president Sukanta Majumdar said fuel prices are surging in the country due to a rapid hike in global crude oil price.
"Why is the TMC government in West Bengal not effecting a roll back of surcharge on fuel, matching with the Centre's move late last year?" he asked.
8:11 PM
Mumbai's COVID-19 tally reached 10,57,829 on Sunday with the addition of 43 cases, while the death of one patient took the toll to 19,559, a civic official said.
So far, 10,37,981 people have been discharged post recovery, including 26 in the last 24 hours, leaving the metropolis with an active caseload of 268, he said.
With 12,344 samples being examined in the last 24 hours, the number of tests in Mumbai reached 1,65,76,281, he added.
Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation data showed that the city's recovery rate was 98 per cent and the caseload doubling time stood at 20,440 days.
8:03 PM
The government on Sunday proposed certain amendments in the eligibility criteria for setting up an automated testing station to check vehicles' fitness, rules to enable vehicle testing outside the state of registration and the norm to declare a vehicle as end-of-life vehicle.
The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) in a statement said it has issued a draft notification dated March 25, 2022 to bring certain amendments in the rules for "Recognition, Regulation And Control of Automated Testing Stations (ATS), which were earlier published on September 23 2021.
"These draft rules propose amendments in the following aspects -- eligibility criteria for establishing these stations, automatic transmission of test results from equipment to the server, enabling vehicles registered in one state to be tested in another state, and the criteria to declare a vehicle as end-of-life vehicle," it said.
An ATS uses mechanical equipment to automate the various tests required to check the fitness of a vehicle.
According to the statement, certain new equipments have been added for the testing of electric vehicles.
8:02 PM
Defending the rise in fuel prices across India, Union Minister for Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal on Sunday said that the Opposition is blaming the Bharatiya Janata Party-led central government over the hike in fuel prices out of frustration as they lost assembly elections in five states.
The prices of petrol and diesel were hiked again on Sunday, for the fifth time in a week, leading to an increase of Rs 3.70 and Rs 3.75 per litre respectively since Tuesday across the nation.
"It's the Opposition's frustration for losing poll after poll that they're blaming us for the hike in fuel prices citing the end of polls... Why would PM Modi extend the PM Gareeb Kalyan Anna Yojana for 6 more months had it just been for polls," Goyal told ANI.
The minister said the fuel prices were hiked considering the international situation after the Ukraine crisis, despite the fact that the Government of India has tried to keep it under control.
"We are monitoring everything daily and regulating goods as per policy intervention. Fuel prices hiked with speed after the Ukraine crisis, despite which the government has tried to keep it under control. We didn't create this situation; it's not politics if it coincided with polls," he added.
8:00 PM
The Justice B.P. Jeevan Reddy Centre for International Trade and Business Laws will come up at NALSAR University of Law, Hyderabad, with the former Supreme Court judge donating Rs 1.50 crore for its establishment.
On behalf of NALSAR University of Law, the donation cheque was received by its Chancellor, Telangana High Court's Chief Justice, Satish Chandra Sharma, at an event held at Justice Jeevan Reddy's residence on Sunday.
Justice Sharma appreciated the generous donation for establishing the 'Justice B.P.Jeevan Reddy Centre for International Trade and Business Laws (JRCITBL)' at NALSAR with the objectives of undertaking teaching and research pertaining to contemporary issues in international trade and business laws and to conduct seminars, conferences, lectures and short term training programmes.
The centre will also launch and strengthen courses at undergraduate, post-graduate, and doctoral level at NALSAR, publish research work and collaborate with policy makers and will assist in procuring internships at various international and national organisations like IMF,IBRD, WTO, CII, FICCI etc.
Former judges of the Supreme Court, Justice P.V. Reddi, Justice S.S.M. Quadri, Justice B. Sudershan Reddy, and Justice R.Subhash Reddy, the Patna High Court's former Chief Justice L. Narasimha Reddy, Telangana High Court judges Justice Ujjal Bhuyan, Justice A. Rajasheker Reddy and Justice P. Naveen Rao, were present on the occasion.
Topics :Mann Ki BaatJoe BidenCoronavirusRussia Ukraine ConflictIndia economyNarendra Modi
First Published: Mar 27 2022 | 6:18 AM IST
