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The Lok Sabha Secretariat has issued notices to 20 rebel Trinamool Congress MPs and sought their replies within seven days on petitions filed by TMC leader Abhishek Banerjee seeking their disqualification under the anti-defection law, sources said. The notices, dated August 25, forwarded a copy of Banerjee's petition dated June 18 filed against the MPs, who joined the NCPI, under Rule 6 of the Members of Lok Sabha (Disqualification on Ground of Defection) Rules, 1985. The Secretariat has asked the MPs to furnish their comments on the petition within seven days of receipt of the notice, the sources said. The development comes a day after the Supreme Court agreed to hear Banerjee's plea seeking an expeditious decision on the disqualification petitions. A bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana agreed to hear Banerjee's plea questioning the alleged delay in deciding the disqualification proceedings. The apex court, while issuing notice to t
The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) on Monday called for a protest march in Delhi on September 5, accusing the Centre of failing to honour the promises made on July 25 to convince the outfit to withdraw its 36-day agitation against examination irregularities. The march, to be held on Teachers' Day, will begin at India Gate and proceed towards the Delhi Police Headquarters, the CJP announced in a statement. It said the march would be led by families of students who died by suicide following the cancellation of NEET exam and the subsequent re-test, and those who were allegedly subjected to police excesses during the July agitation. The decision was taken at a meeting of the CJP National Working Committee on Monday, a month after the outfit called off its agitation following negotiations with the Centre. "Our patience cannot be mistaken for weakness. Our good faith cannot become an opportunity for the government to betray the young people of this country," the CJP, which began as a satiri
Activist Sonam Wangchuk on Thursday called for a "peaceful revolution" in the way India chooses its political leadership, saying the country needs a major change if it is to remain a "respectable nation" by 2047. In a video message ahead of Independence Day, Wangchuk also called for "India's second Independence movement", urging citizens to suggest "selfless, fearless men and women of character and substance" who can help shape the country's future. He said he had been unwell over the past few days and had spent time thinking about the country and its future. "Fifty years ago, the neighbouring countries that were behind us, or were equal to us, have now gone miles away from us," he said, naming Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. "If we talk about per capita GDP, and if this continues, then in 2047, we will not be a developed country, but we will not even be able to show our face in the world market," he said. Wangchuk congratulated those who had sought change
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Thursday referred to the BJP-RSS as a "bunch of jokers" who have no understanding of India and scoffed at Prime Minister Narendra Modi's handling of foreign policy which he claimed was all about hugging leaders. Addressing the Rachnatmak Congress National Convention here, the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha also claimed that the RSS as an original force is dead and has now become an "instrument of large capital -- Mr Adani and Mr Ambani". Talking about the media toeing government's line on various issues, he said he understands their limitations but asserted that national spirit was about not allowing a "bunch of clowns to create an order over us". He also said it has somehow been ingrained in Modi's mind that foreign policy is about hugging leaders. Gandhi then hugged Rachnatmak Congress chief Sandeep Dikshit to show what foreign policy was about for the current government. "Imagine the ignorance....where did he get the idea that foreign policy w
Eight Nepalese political parties have announced the formation of a new alliance named the 'Progressive Front' based on "shared political issues and common agendas." The alliance was announced at a programme held in Kathmandu on Saturday comprising Janata Samajbadi Party (JSP), Janamat Party (JP), Aam Janata Party (AJP), Nagarik Unmukti Party Nepal (NUPN), Pragatishil Loktantrik Party (PLP), Nepal Sanghiya Samjawadi Party (NSSP), Bahujan Samajbadi Party Nepal (BSPN) and Khmbuwan Rastriya Morcha (KRM). According to a statement issued by the Progressive Front, the alliance is preparing to move forward on the basis of shared political issues and common agendas. The formation comes amid ongoing efforts among Madhesh-based parties and some other fringe parties to forge political collaboration and cooperation. The front aims to work for the formation of a "just, inclusive and discrimination-less unified society" by ending all types of discrimination and anomalies irrespectiveof the people
Prime Minister Balendra Shah 'Balen' is set to hold separate bilateral meetings focussing on bilateral relations with the Indian and Chinese ambassadors to Nepal on Monday, the first such one-on-one diplomatic engagements after more than 100 days in office. After meeting the Indian envoy first, followed by the Chinese counterpart, Shah will also meet with the US Embassy Charge d'Affaires on Tuesday. In a departure from a long tradition of individual meetings, Shah, who was sworn-in on March 27 after a landslide win, held a joint courtesy meeting on April 8 with as many as 17 Kathmandu-based Ambassadors and Heads of Diplomatic Missions, including those from India and China, at Singhadurbar, the prime minister's office. On Sunday, Foreign Ministry sources said Shah will meet Indian Ambassador Naveen Srivastava on Monday morning and Chinese Ambassador Zhang Maoming later that afternoon. It will be followed by a meeting with the US Embassy Charge d'Affaires Scott Urbom on Tuesday and .
The Cockroach Janta Party will function as a pressure group for now, as that is what India needs at the moment, CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke said on Wednesday. Speaking to reporters ahead of the CJP's core team meeting in Maharashtra's Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Dipke said the discussions will focus on the dwindling trust of people in institutions like the media and judiciary. The meeting will also take up issues like ethanol-blended fuel and rising unemployment, he said. "For now, CJP will be a pressure group, as what India needs now is a pressure group," Dipke asserted. CJP chief spokesperson Saurav Das said activist Sonam Wangchuk will continue to be their mentor and they will seek advice from him. Das further said they will push for withdrawal of FIRs against students who took part in the recent protests led by the CJP against the NEET paper leak and other exam irregularities. "We are talking with government representatives on this issue," he said. Das also said they are worki
Former West Bengal governor and senior Congress leader D Y Patil passed away due to prolonged illness at his residence in Maharashtra's Kolhapur on Tuesday, family sources said. He was 92. The veteran leader, who founded several educational institutions in the state, is survived by his sons, former minister and Congress leader Satej Patil, Sanjay Patil and Ajinkya Patil. Hailing from Kolhapur, Patil served as an MLA from 1967-78 before turning his focus to the education sector, founding the D Y Patil University, which offers courses in medicine, engineering and several other disciplines. A Padma Shri awardee, Patil had served as the governor of Tripura, Bihar and held additional charge of West Bengal.
Fresh off leading a high-decibel protest over the NEET paper leaks, Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke now finds himself targeted over the funding for his studies abroad, which he asserted was facilitated through a scholarship and an education loan. In an exclusive interview with PTI at his home in Maharashtra's Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar on Monday, Dipke also dismissed exiled Bangladeshi author Taslima Nasreen's comment drawing a parallel between the CJP's Delhi protest against exam irregularities and the 2024 stir that ousted Sheikh Hasina's Awami League regime. "Protests in Bangladesh, Nepal are being used to defame us; we are different," he asserted. He remained unfazed by the Right to Information (RTI) query into his educational expenses and finances, insisting that he has not faced any personal attacks so far. A Surat-based RTI activist on Saturday said he had sought a probe into the finances of Dipke's father, a retired government employee who sent his son abr
The draft electoral roll will be published on July 31 as the first phase of Special Intensive Revision (SIR) has been completed in Haryana. Haryana Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) A Sreenivas said here on Saturday that 20,629 Booth Level Officers (BLOs) distributed enumeration forms to more than 2.06 crore electors, out of which about 1.72 crore enumeration forms have been digitised. However, the names of over 33.84 lakh could not be recorded. Of these, nearly 13.75 lakh had permanently shifted, 7.66 lakh were found to have passed away, 2.04 lakh were already registered as electors, 9.36 lakh were found absent, while nearly 1 lakh electors did not submit their enumeration forms due to other reasons. Sreenivas said the draft electoral roll will be published on July 31 and will be made available on the official website and at all designated publication centres. He said that claims and objections may be filed from July 31 to August 30. If the name of any elector does not appear in the .
For second straight day, Mumbai witnessed protests by Opposition parties and others on Tuesday in support of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), which is seeking the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, and to denounce police crackdown on its stir in Delhi. Thousands of people participated in a march to Parliament on Monday called by the CJP on the first day of the Monsoon session to push for the resignation of Pradhan over the NEET fiasco, but were prevented by Delhi Police from moving ahead, leading to violent clashes and stone pelting. Police used batons and tear gas to disperse marchers. The Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) staged a protest at Shivaji Park in Dadar, central Mumbai, in which party president Raj Thackeray's wife Sharmila also participated. The Shiv Sena (UBT) held a separate demonstration in the Dongri area. An elderly man at the Shivaji Park protest site told reporters that he travelled from Nivali in Akola district of east Maharashtra to Mum
Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke on Tuesday questioned the government's design behind starting talks with his outfit, saying it was engaging in dialogue with CJP while simultaneously carrying out a police crackdown on protesters. "The government wasted our time. They invited our delegation. They seized their mobiles. Ashutosh Ranka and Saurav Das were, in a way, under house arrest at J P Nadda's residence," Dipke said addressing supporters at Jantar Mantar, where the protest over the NEET paper leak issue entered its 32nd day. "The whole plan was to scatter the team, so that when there is chaos, no one is there. That is why they kept them sitting for five hours and wasted our time. You call for talks on one hand, and unleash batons on students on the other hand," he alleged. The Centre has not responded to the allegations. In the first direct contact between the Centre and agitating CJP, Union Health Minister JP Nadda on Monday held talks with two representatives
The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) on Tuesday removed its spokesperson Vijeta Dahiya from the post after a video surfaced showing him eating a burger during the police crackdown on the outfit's 'Chalo Sansad' march. In a statement, the CJP said Dahiya's conduct was inconsistent with the values of the movement. Responding to the criticism, Dahiya said people didn't see that he had not slept for two nights just like those who were at the protest site. "You hold me accountable as if it is my job to be a protester." The CJP has condemned the "deeply insensitive actions" of Dahiya. "We strongly condemn the deeply insensitive actions of our spokesperson Vijeta Dahiya, whose videos surfaced while peaceful protestors and our team were facing brutal police violence. Such conduct is unacceptable, shows a complete lack of judgment, and is wholly inconsistent with the values and principles of our movement," the statement said. "In response, we are removing Vijeta Dahiya as spokesperson of the ..
Several opposition leaders including NCP (SP) president Sharad Pawar and AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal visited the Cockroach Janta Party's protest site at Jantar Mantar here on Tuesday, a day after the police crackdown on its 'Sansad Chalo' march, and extended support to the agitation over alleged irregularities in competitive examinations. Pawar, accompanied by party MP Supriya Sule, met injured protesters and members of the movement and condemned the police action during Monday's attempted march to Parliament. Among other political leaders who visited the protest site were Shiv Sena (UBT) MPs Sanjay Raut and Arvind Sawant, Rajya Sabha MP Mahua Maji, AAP leader Gopal Rai, Kerala Congress (M) leader Jose K Mani, and a delegation of parliamentarians from Left parties. According to a statement issued by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), Pawar said the voices of students demanding a fair and transparent examination system could not be silenced through force and assured that the NCP (SP) wou
BJP MP Nishikant Dubey on Tuesday claimed that Cockroach Janta Party founder Abhijeet Dipke would contest elections on a Bhim Army ticket in the future, as every mass movement produces political leaders. This movement, however, still considers Prime Minister Narendra Modi its leader and looks to him for solving its issues, said the MP from Godda in Jharkhand. "Every movement has produced political leaders. The JP movement produced leaders, including Lalu Prasad Yadav. Arvind Kejriwal also emerged from Anna Hazare's movement," Dubey told reporters in the Parliament House complex. "Abhijeet Dipke may also contest elections in the future. Even in Nepal, those associated with the Gen Z movement eventually joined a political party. Similarly, Abhijeet Dipke will join a political party. I can say with certainty that he will contest elections on a Bhim Army ticket," he said. Thousands joined the Cockroach Janta Party's (CJP) "Chalo Sansad" march on Monday to demand the resignation of Unio
The Maharashtra Congress on Saturday announced the appointment of its block presidents across the state as part of its ongoing "Sangathan Srujan Abhiyan", which it said is aimed at expanding the party's grassroots network. The newly appointed block presidents cover Konkan, North Maharashtra, Amravati, Nagpur, Marathwada and western Maharashtra, excluding Mumbai, Congress state president Harshvardhan Sapkal said in a statement. He said the appointments were made under the party's nationwide organisational restructuring campaign launched by the All India Congress Committee. Sapkal said observers were appointed for every district, who held consultations with local office-bearers and workers before finalising the appointments, adding that the entire process was conducted in a transparent manner. The objective of the exercise was to strengthen the Congress organisation at the grassroots and take the party's ideology to the village level, he said. The newly appointed block presidents wo
His "We the Leaders" movement launched recently was on the "right track" to transition into a political party by July and the goal is to achieve 50 lakh membership, former BJP Tamil Nadu president K Annamalai said on Wednesday. Pointing out that at present 18 lakh members have joined the organisation "without any expectations," Annamalai, in a video interaction on a social media platform, said that membership was taking place not only online but also by meeting the people directly. Stating that the members have joined with the belief that the movement would bring in a big change, he said "after we start this movement as a political outfit, its activities will take on a different nature from this July and people are going to see it." Claiming that his movement "will not fail, will not lie, and will not lead the people to the wrong path", Annamalai said "for us, we are equal to all religions and there is no second thought about that". "Our aim in the coming months is that this ...