LIVE! Trump adds India to list of nations he says poaching US jobs

LIVE

Tue, 23 February 2016

Trump adds India to list of nations he says poaching US jobs

Timeline Refresh

23:55 Ebola nurse admitted to London hospital for third time

A 39-year-old Scottish nurse, who recovered from Ebola twice, was today admitted to a special isolation ward in a London hospital for a third time since her return to the UK after contracting with deadly virus in Sierra Leone in 2014.

Pauline Cafferkey was initially admitted to Glasgow's Queen Elizabeth University Hospital but was later transferred to the Royal Free Hospital here. A spokesman for the Royal Free said: "We can confirm that Pauline Cafferkey is being transferred to the Royal Free hospital due to a late complication from her previous infection by the Ebola virus.

She will now be treated by the hospital's infectious diseases team under nationally agreed guidelines." Her condition was described as "stable" before she was put on a Royal Air Force Hercules aircraft to fly to Royal Free Hospital for specialist treatment.

Donald Trump, the Republican presidential frontrunner, has added India to the list of countries that he believes is taking away jobs from the US and has pledged to bring those back if elected president.

"What I did on June 16, we came out and we started talking about trade, how we're being ripped off with China, ripped off with Japan, ripped off with Mexico at the border and then trade, ripped off by Vietnam, and by India, and by every country," Trump told his supporters at a massive rally in Las Vegas last night attended by thousands of people.

"Every single country because they're all represented by these people that we think are representing us. That's why when I say I am self-funding, folks, it means much more than you think. It means much more, I'm telling you," he said.

After jumping into the presidential race last June, Trump has been regularly singling out China, Japan and Mexico and occasionally Vietnam for taking away American jobs. But this is for the first time in recent months that Trump has added India to that list.

The police has shortlisted photographs of eight persons, yet to be identified, who are suspected to be outsiders, allegedly involved in anti-national sloganeering at the controversial JNU event.

The matter has been communicated to the concerned authorities so that the youths can be identified at the earliest, a police source said today. Of the eight persons in the shortlisted photographs, a few can be seen to have wrapped a muffler around their face.

The police have questioned several persons in connection with the same, the source added. Earlier, Delhi Police Commissioner B S Bassi had also said that some of the youths who allegedly raised seditious slogans at the JNU event were outsiders and the police are trying to find them out.

Once identified, the youths are likely to face arrest in connection with the sedition case which led to the arrest of JNUSU president Kanhaiya Kumar.

JUST IN: The Delhi police has arrested Yashpal Singh (in the photograph, bearded) one of the lawyers caught on camera assaulting students and media-persons in the Patiala House court in New Delhi on Monday, when JNU student union leader Kanhaiya Kumar was being presented before the judge on Tuesday evening.

More details are awaited.

US confectionery giant Mars has ordered a full recall of a number of its most popular chocolate bars in the UK, and several other European nations.Customers are warned not to eat any Mars or Snickers bars or Celebration boxes with best before dates from June 2016 to January 2017, as they may contain plastic.

The massive recall covers millions of products sold in 55 countries, including the UK, Germany, Spain and France, which are all made at Mars Inc's factory in the Netherlands.

Read this story HERE

JNUSU President Kanhaiya Kumar,arrested in a sedition case, has claimed he is a victim of conspiracy and falsely implicated by "fabricating" evidence. The jailed students leader, who has moved the Delhi high court for bail, alleged that a doctored video, which seeks to superimpose utterances that may have been made elsewhere by others, was being circulated to falsely implicate him in the case.

His petition contended that the charge of sedition has not been made against him merely for raising slogans against the government as that action was not accompanied by violence or incitement.

"It is alleged that the petitioner (Kanhaiya) raised slogans on the evening February 9 at JNU. However, the petitioner strenuously denies that he raised any slogan that would fall within the mischief of section 124 A (sedition) of the IPC...

"The petitioner, however, submits that he is a victim of conspiracy where certain vested elements are seeking to fabricate evidence against him and circulate a doctored video which seeks to superimpose utterances that may have been made elsewhere by others, on him," the bail plea, filed by Kanhaiy asaid.

Five JNU students who have been charged with sedition and resurfaced back on campus after being on a run for over 10 days today said they have nothing to hide and are open to any questioning by the police.

The students also maintained that they will not appear before the university probe panel as they have lost faith in the varsity administration. "We have nothing to hide. We disappeared only because of security reasons as we were concerned about what happened to Kanhaiya could have happened to us as well. When we saw normalcy returning on campus, we came back," JNUSU General Secretary Rama Naga told reporters.

"We have nothing to hide. If police wants to question us they can, we are open to it but since we have not been issued summons there is no point of surrendering," he added.

Earlier in the day, a bench of justices B D Ahmed and R K Gauba agreed to grant urgent hearing to the plea of Umar Khalid and Anirban Bhattacharya, which said that there is a threat to their lives and sought police protection while surrendering.

However, the Delhi high court refrained from giving any specific direction on granting any interim protection from their arrest, with Justice Pratibha Rani saying "let the matter be heard tomorrow."

19:43 Former CJI Dattu to be next NHRC chairman

JUST IN: Former Chief Justice of India H L Dattu will be the next chairman of the National Human Rights Commission.He joined the Supreme Court as a judge in December 2008.

Born on December 13, 1950, he enrolled as an advocate in 1975 and began practising in Bangalore and dealt with all types of matters -- civil, criminal, tax and constitutional cases. From 1983 onwards, he appeared in various capacities before the Karnataka high court, including as a government pleader for Sales Tax department, standing counsel for Income Tax department and later as a government advocate.

After being designated as a senior standing counsel for I-T department in 1995, Justice Dattu was elevated as a judge of the Karnataka high court. He was elevated as the Chief Justice of the Chhattisgarh high court in February 2007 and shortly afterwards shifted in the same capacity to the Kerala high court.

Pakistani authorities have conducted raids in some cities of Punjab province and arrested several suspects in connection with the attack on an Indian air base in Pathankot last month, a media report said.

"The raids were conducted in Sialkot, Gujranwala, Jhelum and Dina cities in Punjab province during the last two days, and some suspects were arrested," an unnamed Interior Ministry official was quoted as saying by the BBC Urdu.

They have been shifted to an undisclosed location for interrogation, the official added. Pakistan has also started investigations regarding the telephone numbers provided by India and used in planning the attacks on the Pathankot airbase. The authorities are looking for those involved directly in the attacks or the facilitators of the attackers, the BBC said. Special teams comprising police and other law-enforcers are conducting raids across the country, especially in central Punjab cities. "It is suspected that the arrested people have been in contact with the alleged extremists in the near past," the official said, adding that these people went underground when news stories were run by the media after the attacks. He said these suspects had stopped the use of their mobile numbers (SIMs) and because of this locating them had become very difficult. He, however, said those points are being searched for the suspects where they had last used the said mobile numbers.

19:15 Jat stir: Khattar heckled during Rohtak visit

Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar was today heckled and shown black flags by an angry mob when he visited Rohtak, the epicentre of Jat quota stir, even as the violence-hit state showed signs of return to normalcy.

There were no reports of fresh violence though the situation remained tense in Jat dominated areas like Rohtak and Sonipat, nine days after the agitation erupted leaving a trail of destruction.

The death toll in the violence has been put at 19. People had a slight respite as Jat protesters slowly lifted the road and rail blockades set up at various places during the quota stir.

Since track inspection in the affected areas is still underway after the dharnas were called off, Railways cancelled the services of about 210 trains including Kalka Shatabdi, Ludhiana Shatabdi and Himalayan Queen. In Hissar, Jat protestors lifted their dharna from the railway track at Mayyar clearing the Delhi-Hissar rail route.

People took to streets and pelted stones on security forces at several places of Kashmir, including Pampore where a 48-hour gunbattle between three terrorists and army ended yesterday.

The protests and clashes were reported from Anantnag, Kulgam and Shopian districts besides Pulwama district where Pampore is located, and shops and business establishments remained closed in several parts over the killing of the terrorists, officials said.

The gunbattle left five securitymen, including two army captains, dead along with three terrorists who were holed up inside the Jammu and Kashmir Entrepreneurship Building building located along the Srinagar-Jammu National Highway.

Even when the encounter was underway, hundreds of people in Pampore tried to march towards the site yesterday but were prevented by the security forces who used force to disperse them.

The protests today again erupted with the mobs indulging in stone-pelting on police and paramilitary forces who had been deployed in strength in the sensitive areas including district headquarters of Anantnag, Pulwama, Kulgam and Shopian to maintain law and order, officials said.

The government will induct woman personnel in all fighter streams of the armed forces, President Pranab Mukherjee said today as he underlined various initiatives taken to ensure safety and security of women.

"Government has approved the induction of women as Short Service Commission officers and as fighter pilots in IAF. In the future, government will induct women in all the fighter streams of our armed forces," Mukherjee said.

Hitting back at the BJP for its criticism of his government, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar said the way JNU students' union president Kanhaiya Kumar was "beaten up" in the presence of police shows there is "jungle raj" in Delhi. "There is no rule of law in Delhi. Delhi Police comesunder central government's jurisdiction. Whatever happened in Delhi shows that there is jungle raj in Delhi," he claimed.

He condemned the assault on Kanhaiya in the Patiala House Court in Delhi and attacked the BJP for highlighting even "small incidents" in Bihar.

"They (BJP leaders) speak on even small incidents in the state. But what happened during the production of Kanhaiya Kumar in the court? This shows there is 'jungle raj' in Delhi," he said.

Hyderabad ranks highest among Indian cities on a quality of life survey by consulting firm Mercer, but is only at number 138 on a global list of 230 cities. Pune follows at 145.Big metros Delhi and Mumbai rank 154 and 152 respectively. Vienna, Austria's grand capital on the Danube river, offers the highest quality of life of all cities in the world, the survey says, while Iraqi capital Baghdad is at the bottom of the list.

A senior government official in Uttar Pradesh was caught on camera, urinating at the holy Ganga-Yamuna-Saraswati Triveni Sangam, which is sacred to millions of devotees.

In a photo that went viral on social media, Allahabad ADM (Nazul) OP Shrivastava was caught relieving himself at the Triveni Sangam. A probe has been ordered into the matter after massive outrage was expressed on social media.

As part of its nationwide programme against the recent Jawaharlal Nehru University episode, the Assam unit of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad on Tuesday took out a protest march in Guwahati carrying a 100-metre long model of the Tricolour.

Over 500 members of the ABVP participated in the rally, led by the unit's national secretary Hari Barikar. The members appealed to the youth to remain prepared to protest the country from divisive forces and also demanded for exemplary punishment against those who raised slogans against the country.

In a statement issued, the ABVP said that the section of anti-national elements who had gathered and raised slogans against India in the JNU campus while observing martyr's day for Afzal Guru, were posing a threat to the integrity and unity of the country.

The youth wing of the Bharatiya Janata Party also lambasted the Left parties for raising the question of freedom of speech and argued that the Right to Freedom of Speech did not allow people to make slogans such as 'India go back', which were raised at the JNU campus.

-- K Anurag in Guwahati

17:02 Umar Khalid has to surrender, orders Delhi HC

The Delhi high court hearing the petition of JNU student Umar Khalid, who has been charged with sedition in the JNU row, has directed that the JNU student has to surrender and follow due procedure. Khalid and Anirban Bhattacharya had moved the Delhi HC seeking their protection before they surrender in the case. The court will now continue hearing their plea tomorrow along with Kanhaiya's bail plea.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal joined the protest march at Jantar Mantar in support of the Hyderabad University student Rohith Vemula who committed suicide earlier. Addressing students, the Delhi CM said, "In Rohith Vemulas case, two Union ministers interfered in the case regularly. He was suspended after that."

While addressing the march, the Delhi CM was heckled by a protester. When he was tried to stop, Kejriwal said, "Let him protest.we believe in freedom of expression."

Earlier, Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi had also attended the march and slammed the NDA government for keeping mum on the Dalit student's suicide. The Congress VP also said that it the RSS only wanted to propagate old ideologies and try to silence those who wanted to speak and think of a new future.

A Delhi court today reserved its order for March 9 on a criminal complaint filed by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley against Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and five other AAP leaders for allegedly defaming him in the DDCA controversy.

Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Sumit Dass, who had earlier reserved the order for pronouncement today, fixed it for the next date on the complaint in which Jaitley has alleged that Kejriwal and other AAP leaders had made defamatory statements that he and his family had made pecuniary gains by associating with M/s 21st Century Media Pvt Ltd, a sports management firm.

The court had on February 15 reserved its verdict after hearing the arguments on the complaint, perusing the annexures filed with it and the statements of complainant witnesses recorded in the matter.

The court had earlier recorded the statements of Jaitley and other complainant witnesses in the case.

The Nagpur bench of Bombay high court has adjourned the hearing on criminal contempt petition against noted author Arundhati Roy for four weeks as her plea challenging the proceedings is still pending before the Supreme Court.

A division bench comprising justices Bhushan Gavai and Pradeep Deshmukh, after hearing Roy's counsel yesterday, made it clear that the judicial propriety demands that they must wait for the outcome of the special leave petition filed by the author, which is currently pending before the apex court.

The contempt notice was issued against Roy by HC Justice Arun Chaudhari in last December for her views published in a weekly magazine on the arrest of alleged naxal sympathiser and Delhi University professor GN Saibaba and subsequent rejection of his bail plea early last year.

The high court had observed that Roy's article was "prima facie with a mala fide intention to interfere in the administration of justice".

16:15

Just In: Sensex plummets 378.61 points to end at 23,410.18; Nifty cracks below the 7,200-mark by tumbling 125 pts to 7,109.55.

16:10 North Korea offered -- then rebuffed -- peace talks with US

North Korea quietly reached out to US officials through the United Nations in New York last fall to propose formal peace talks on ending the Korean War, a response to President Barack Obama's comments that the US was willing to engage Pyongyang as it has with other rogue regimes, senior US officials told CNN.

That effort fell short, the officials said, with the North Koreans refusing to include their nuclear program in any negotiations as the US required and soon after testing a nuclear weapon.

15:51

'If not Umar, what should youth be? How unfortunate would be a nation which has only obedient, conformist minds as its youth -- youth who fight only for placements with fat pay packets; who are ready to turn into cogs and wheels of the machinery, which turns profit for a few and crushes the rest of humanity.

'It is this lot, which has exchanged its soul for comfort, which is clicking away its nationalism on Facebook and Twitter. It is this horde, which is angry with Umar that he refused to join them,' writes Apoorvanand in the Indian Express. You can read it, here.

15:49 Modi's suit owner to donate Rs 200 crore for 10,000 girls

The man who bought Narendra Modi's famed suit that had 'Narendra Damodardas Modi' monogrammed as pinstripes on it for Rs 4.31 crore, Lavjibhai Badshah would donate Rs 200 crore to 10,000 girls (Rs 2 lakh each) across the country.

The Surat diamond baron, builder, private airline owner and philanthropist, Patel aka Badsaha, made this surprise announcement at Vatsalya Gram, Vrindavan, during his visit on Tuesday.

He said he would launch this program in Surat on March 13 and parents of 10,000 girls, selected from across the country, would be paid Rs 2 lakh each so that they do not have to bother about their upbringing and marriages.

Soon after the 2008 Mumbai terror attack the then chief of Pakistan's ISI conceded that some of the powerful spy agency's retired members were engaged in training those involved in the heinous crime but refused to

take action, a former CIA chief has said in a new book.

In his latest book 'Playing to the Edge', Michael Hayden, the former CIA Director, expressed his deep frustration of the "duplicity" of the Pakistani leadership when it came to taking action against terrorist groups in particular al Qaeda, Taliban, LeT and the Haqqani network.

Arguing that the Pakistan Army is built to fight against India and not terrorists, the top leadership in the country, in particularly those from its military in the past one decade, have repeatedly expressed its inability to take on the terrorist groups in the tribal regions as desired by the US,

he wrote.

Union Finance Minister and senior leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party Arun Jaitley reaches Patiala House court in a hearing of the defamation case he has filed against Arvind Kejriwal and other senior Aam Aadmi Party leaders.

The Patiala House court will pronounce its order on March 9.

The order will be on whether Delhi CM and five other AAP members can be summoned to appear in court for the criminal defamation case

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley had in December last year filed both civil and criminal defamation cases against Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and five other AAP leaders for allegedly defaming him and sought Rs 10 crore in damages and their prosecution for offences that entails a punishment of up to two years in jail.

"It is available on the records of the DDCA that what to talk of imagining taking of any pecuniary benefit, throughout his tenure as the President of DDCA, the complainant has not even legitimate reimbursement of his expenses from the DDCA," he said in his complaint.

15:00 President's address a big disappointment: Cong

Congress today said the President's address in Parliament was a "big disappointment" and there was "nothing new" to offer to the public.

"There was nothing new in the speech. It was full of slogans like 'sabka saath, sabka vikas'. There was nothing which will give any relief to the people. The atmosphere is tense in the country. There was nothing on this and also no mention of tension with neighbouring countries," Congress

leader Rajiv Shukla said outside Parliament.

He said, "Every thing is cliche, same thing we are hearing again and again. It is a big disappointment."

"There are other problems like price rise, problems with neighbouring countries. There was nothing on these issues," he said.

14:58

Just In: In a significant development, Haj affairs has been transferred from the ministry of external affairs to the ministry of minority affairs, writes Syed Faisal Ali, group editor with Roznama Sahara.

14:54 The Cabbage Walker from Kashmir

There's a strange phenomenon that can be can be seen occasionally in Srinagar's Lal Chowk, of a local, dressed in the typical pheran or overcoat, wheeling a cabbage on special rollers, oblivious to the stares and the glint of suspicion people's eyes, intent on his piece of performance art.

'Kashmiri Cabbage Walker', as he calls himself, could 'be mistaken for a mischievous character with a toy bomb -- chances of being detained are higher than being considered a fool,' writes Parul Abrol in narrative.ly.

'By incorporating an absurd act into the realm of the Kashmiri quotidian, and subsequently normalizing that act,' he says.

'I am trying to expose something that is far more absurd to the point of perversion,' he tells Parul.

Read more about the man who refuses to show his face in photographs or reveal his name, age, occupation and other details that could reveal his identity, here.

'Support to Kanhaiya' and 'Azaadi' slogans were raised at Kashmir University in Srinagar as a show of support for the arrested JNUSU leader Kanhaiya Kumar.

'Tum kitne Kanhaiya pakdoge, har ghar se Kanhaiya nikalega (How many Kanhaiya's will you arrest, each home shall produce a Kanhaiya)' and 'Hum chahate azaadi (We want freedom)' slogans were also raised.

JNUSU President Kanhaiya Kumar was arrested on charges of sedition for allegedly shouting anti-India slogans.

Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi joined the march to Jantar Mantar in the national capital to be held in solidarity with Hyderabad University student Rohith Vemula, the Dalit scholar who committed suicide on January. Speaking during the march, the Congress vice-president said, "Rohith Vemula talked about future of India, but RSS doesn't support that, says will crush and kill you if you talk of it."

He added that the government today in Parliament spoke of its achievements, but there wasn't a single mention about Rohith or the Jat stir. "Entire speech was about the past, this is exactly what RSS propagates -- its outdated ideology."

Pakistan parliament today became the first in the world to completely run on solar power, a venture supported by China with USD 55 million funding.

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in a simple ceremony switched on solar-powered building of the parliament in capital Islamabad.

First announced in 2014, the venture has been funded by the Chinese government as an act of friendship, with the solar power plant costing around USD 55 million.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi today reached out to the opposition in Lok Sabha on the first day of the Budget Session by walking up to them and exchanging pleasantries.

As soon as the House adjourned for day, Modi walked up to the opposition benches greeting leaders like Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav, Jai Prakash Yadav of the Rashtriya Janata Dal, P Karunakaran pf the Communist Party of India-Marxist and leader of the Congress party in Lok Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge.

Before the prime minister walked up to the leaders, Congress President Sonia Gandhi and her deputy Rahul Gandhi had left the Lok Sabha chambers.

Earlier, Sonia and Rahul were seated on the last row in the opposition benches but later moved ahead.

Four top lawyers have been appointed by the lieutenant governor of Delhi to represent the Delhi police in JNU students union leader Kanhaiya Kumar's bail plea which got underway in the Delhi high court this morning.

Among the four is Prime Minister Narendra Modi's trusted advocate Tushar Mehta, reports Neha Manchanda in India Samvad.

'The letters in possession of India Samvad reveal that Tushar Mehta, Additional Solicitor General of India will appear on behalf of police in Delhi High Court to argue the sedition case slapped against JNU student leader. Mehta has been PM Narendra Modi's trusted lawyer in Gujarat and was elevated to the rank of Additional Solicitor General soon after Modi took the oath of the Prime Minister in May 2014,' reports Neha, pointing out that usually, Delhi's standing counsel appears as the prosecutor on behalf of the police in criminal matters.

You can see the documents published by India Samvad in support of their report as well the report, here.

Eleven rifles were found at the home of Jason Brian Dalton, the Uber driver charged with the murder of six people, a law enforcement official told CNN.

Dalton was charged Monday with six counts of murder, two counts of assault with intent to commit murder and eight firearms charges.

Read the full story HERE.

The Consulate General of India in Dubai has urged all holders of the Persons of Indian Origin card to apply for conversion to Overseas Citizen of India card by the March 31 deadline as the PIO card will not be valid for travel to India after the deadline.

Rahul Srivastava, Consul, Visa, CGI, said applicants who are UAE residents should visit the consulate early to avoid any last-minute rush or delays.

It takes a scheduled time of a maximum of two months for the OCI card to arrive from India, but officials have managed an average turnaround time of 30 days.

Still, applicants are advised to complete the formalities in time. After the deadline, a visa will be required to travel to India if the passenger doesn't have an OCI card, and the applicant will be considered as applying for a fresh OCI, which normally costs Dh1,020.

There is no fee to convert a PIO card into an OCI card, only a Dh6 Indian Community Welfare Fund fee is charged in such cases.

Applicants whose visas are issued from Abu Dhabi and Al Ain must visit the Embassy of India in Abu Dhabi. For those who visas are issued from any other emirate, they can visit the consulate in Dubai.

Read full story HERE.

To mark the 68th birthday of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa tomorrow, a massive sapling plantation drive would be taken up in 6,868 temples across the state by the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department.

"Arrangements have been made to plant saplings of vilvam (bael) in Shaivite temples and punnai (Alexandrian Laurel) and Magizham (ape flower tree) in Vaishnavite temples," a release from the HR and CE Department, which manages a large number of temples across the state, said today.

The saplings will be planted in 6,868 temples in all 32 districts of the state, it added.

The trees are considered sacred and can be found in many places of Shaivite and Vaishnavite places of worship.

Special prayers were held at 122 temples yesterday coinciding with Jayalalithaa's star birthday, as per the Tamil almanac, it said.

13:36 Modi, RSS get unexpected empathy

The turmoil in the Jawaharal Nehru University and the caste war in Haryana are bound to attract a lot of attention abroad. When the government projects India as the 'fastest-growing big economy' of the world, it whets outsiders' appetite in a world steeped in recession and bleak outlook, especially in the western countries or China that are unabashedly looking for market openings for their exports.

So, developments in India that impact on its political or social-economic stability arouse curiosity abroad, says Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar on Rediff Blogs, here.

13:32 Parliament adjourned till 11 am tomorrow

Both Houses of Parliament have been adjourned till 11 am on Wednesday.

The President addressed both Houses of Parliament today and advised them to create mutual cooperation.

The Delhi high court today agreed to give an urgent hearing to a plea seeking immediate arrest of the five JNU students accused of raising anti-India slogans.

The petition, which will be heard today, was filed before a bench of justices B D Ahmed and R K Gauba and it also sought a direction to the Jawaharlal Nehru University to allow Delhi Police to enter its premises to arrest the five students -- Umar Khalid, Anant Prakash Narayan, Ashutosh Kumar, Rama Naga and Anirban Bhattacharya.

"Direct respondent 4 (JNU) to permit respondent 3 (Delhi Police Commissioner) to enter premises of Respondent 4 and to arrest the respondents 5 to 10 (JNU students) and other accused person connected with the said case," the plea said.

People raised 'murdabad' slogans and gheraod Haryana CM ML Khattar's car while he was inside the Canal guest house in Rohtak.

The chief minister is visiting Rohtak which has seen the brunt of the Jat reservation protest and had asked the people of the state to maintain law and order and call off the agitation.

Barring an hour long relief, curfew remained in force in Rohtak, which has been the epicentre of the pro-quota agitation in Haryana and has seen loss of lives and maximum damage to property.

An Indo-Canadian Sikh comedian was forced to take off his turban here during a security check, weeks after a Sikh-American actor was barred

from boarding a flight in Mexico for refusing to take off his turban.

Jasmeet Singh, who's known on the internet as "JusReign," posted about the incident on Twitter, NewYork Daily reported.

"So the (agents) made me take off my turban in extra screening or they said I wouldn't be able to be let through to catch my flight," he tweeted.

"After finding absolutely nothing wrong because a turban is just cloth and the whole thing is stupid I ask for a mirror to tie it back again.

"The agent tells me there are no mirrors and that I can just walk down the terminal to the nearest restroom without my turban on," Singh tweeted.

12:47 Jat stir: CM Khattar meets locals in Rohtak

Haryana CM Manohar Lal Khattar meets locals affected due to Jat Reservation protest in Rohtak.

'In ghatnao ke peeche kaun taqatein hai uski jaanch karayi jaayegi (There are forces behind these events that will be investigated into),' Haryana CM ML Khattar told the gathering in Rohtak.

Barring an hour long relief, curfew remained in force in Rohtak, which has been the epicentre of the pro-quota agitation in Haryana and has seen loss of lives and maximum damage to property.

12:29 NTPC's 5 pc stake sale gone in 2 hours

The government's 5 per cent stake sale in India's largest power producer NTPC got off to a thumping start today with the institutional investors portion getting oversubscribed within two hours of opening of trade.

Of the over 32.98 crore shares on offer for institutional investors, bids for over 38.92 crore shares or 1.18 times the shares on offer have come in during the first two hours of trade.

Bidding would open for retail investors, for whom 20 per cent shares are reserved, tomorrow. The government is selling over 41.22 crore shares or 5 per cent stake in NTPC at a floor price of Rs 122 a piece.

If fully subscribed, the stake sale would fetch Rs 5,030 crore to the exchequer.

In the secondary market, the scrip was trading at Rs 124.70, down 1.69 per cent over the previous close. The share sale is the first under SEBI's revised offer for sale rules that allow the bidding for shares spread over two days.

Days ahead of the Union Budget, Moody's Investors Service today said India's fiscal metrics will remain weaker than its peers in the near term even if Finance Minister Arun Jaitley was to stick to fiscal consolidation road map.

Jaitley in his Budget for 2016-17 on Monday will reveal if the credit-positive five-year trend of narrowing budget deficits -- from 6.5 per cent of GDP in fiscal 2010 to 4.1 per cent in 2014-15 -- will continue.

He will also say if the government was on track to reduce deficits to 3.9 per cent and 3.5 per cent of GDP this fiscal year and the next respectively.

Moody's said the importance of the upcoming budget lies in its message on the government's fiscal consolidation plans. The government's fiscal deficits have reduced over the last five years, and this has supported the stabilisation of government debt ratios.

Without fiscal consolidation going forward, India's government finances will continue to compare poorly to peers.

'I urge all members of Parl to discharge their duties with mutual accomodation and co-operation,' President Pranab Mukherjee said as he concluded his speech to the joint sitting of both Houses of Parliament .

Speaking about India's defence status, President Pranab Mukherjee said, 'Let me congratulate the security forces in successfully foiling the attack at the Pathankot airbase.'

He added, 'Terrorism a global threat, strong counter-terrorism measures necessary worldwide to eradicate it completely.'

'Defence procurement procedure has been streamlined with a focus on indigenously designed, developed and manufactured weapon systems,' he said.

'My Govt believes in a prosperous future for our neighbourhood,' President Mukherjee added.

'My Government has continued to pursue a bold and proactive foreign policy,' he added.

'My Government is committed to the principle 'Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam' the world is one family,' the President stated.

Water supply was partially restored in some parts of north and central Delhi this morning, even as Delhi Water minister Kapil Mishra said there

would be limited supply till the Munak canal, damaged in the Jat stir in Haryana, is repaired.

"Till the time Munak is totally repaired, supply will be limited," Mishra tweeted and advised people to use water judiciously.

The Delhi Jal Board teams had restored the three water treatment plants to varying capacities last evening with Wazirabad plant operating at 60 per cent and Okhla plant at 50 per cent capacity.

President Pranab Mukherjee, addressing members of both Houses at a joint sitting in Parliament said: 'My government in particular is focused on the welfare of poor, farmers and jobs for the youth.

'My government is determined to making this goal possible through financial inclusion and social security.

'My government in particular is focussed on 'garibon ki unnati', 'kisano ki samridhi' and 'yuvaon ka rozgar (uplift of the poor, farmers' welfare and employment for youth).'

'My government's innovative initiatives have helped India jump 12 places in the latest rankings by World Bank on ease of doing business,' the President states.

'The Make in India initiative has achieved 39 per cent increase in FDI inflow despite adverse global investment climate,' the President told the Parliament.

'MGNREGA scheme has been revamped to ensure efficient disbursements of wages and creation of productive assets,' he added.'Make in India initiative has achieved 39 per cent increase in FDI inflow despite adverse global investment climate.

'People's participation in policy making using "mygov" website has now taken firm roots.

'My government firmly believes that economic development and environmental protection can co-exist.'

'My Government's mission of skilling India has gained momentum; 76 lakh people have been trained last year,' President Mukherjee said. 'In 2015, India witnessed the highest ever generation of electricity,' he added.

'While measures have been taken to eliminate scope of corruption, govt has been unsparing in punishing the corrupt,' the President said.

'My government is taking the benefits of Digital India to rural India,' Mukherjee said.

11:51 Haryana CM Khattar reaches Rohtak

Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar reaches Rohtak to take stock of the situation.

Barring an hour long relief, curfew remained in force in Rohtak, which has been the epicentre of the pro-quota agitation in Haryana and has seen loss of lives and maximum damage to property.

11:44

Just In: Institutional portion of NTPC's Rs 5,030-crore public offer is fully subscribed.

11:42 Delhi gets back partial water supply

Water supply was partially restored in some parts of north and central Delhi this morning, even as Delhi Water minister Kapil Mishra said there would be limited supply till the Munak canal, damaged in the Jat stir in Haryana, is repaired.

"Till the time Munak is totally repaired, supply will be limited," Mishra tweeted and advised people to use water judiciously.

The Delhi Jal Board teams had restored the three water treatment plants to varying capacities last evening with Wazirabad plant operating at 60 per cent and Okhla plant at 50 per cent capacity.

The Chandrawal water treatment plant is being operated at full capacity, Mishra said.

He said there was news of some water being released from Haryana last night and expressed hope that water supply can be partially restored in west Delhi by the evening.

On Monday, columnist Rupa Subramanya posted a tweet, since deleted following a barrage of criticism and abuse, questioning the authenticity of the photograph of activist Soni Sori.

Her Twitter bio, incidentally, identifies her as 'columnist@foreignpolicy'.

Foreign Policy magazine has since issued this statement: 'A recent tweet by a freelance contributor to Foreign Policy, Rupa Subramanya, questioning the authenticity of a photograph of Aam Aadmi Party member Soni Sori -- the apparent victim of an acid-like attack on Saturday, Feb 20 -- has been brought to our attention. Foreign Policy disavows any association with this comment and is currently investigating the matter.'

Subramanya has also put up a lengthy post on her Facebook page explaining her action:

'1. Yesterday I sent out a tweet trying to make a serious point about a complex issue, linked to the alleged attack on Adivasi activist and Aam Aadmi Party politician, Soni Sori.

'2. Even for someone who enjoys the cut and thrust of Twitter, I was shocked and dismayed by the response, much of which has wilfully mischaracterised my intentions and my statement.

'3. Still, I wanted to say that I am sorry for any offence caused by the tweet and the image to which I was reacting. I am therefore deleting the tweet. In retrospect, it was not the best way to make the point I was trying to make. That point was simply to question the authenticity of one of the two images in the tweet to which I was reacting. However, the way in which I chose to do that was open to misunderstanding and misrepresentation.

'4. Anyone who knows me or just my work or even just my activity on Twitter, knows that I am 100 per cent against racism, bigotry, sexism, and hateful prejudice of any kind. Indeed, I often call out such prejudice loudly and publicly. In particular, in the context of Soni Sori, I condemn violence against women in all of its forms.

'5. I support the rights of Adivasis and all disadvantaged groups in our society. I find the attack on Soni Sori to be abhorrent, and, as noted above, was simply trying to highlight legitimate issues about the authenticity of part of a widely shared image, as others have also done. Those who know my work or even my activity on Twitter, know that the tweet in question was entirely in keeping with my overall philosophy of asking difficult questions where I believe that is required. However, as noted above, in retrospect, I could have made that point in a better way which would not be prone to misunderstanding and mischaracterisation. Let me reiterate my apology for any hurt that the tweet has inadvertently caused.

'6. In the past twenty four hours or so since sending out the tweet, I have been inundated with racist, sexist, and other forms of vile and hateful abuse. Even so, I will continue to tweet and make my point of view on Twitter, and will not be intimidated by such abuse.'

"200% we shall oppose the bail plea," Shailendra Babbar, SSP (Delhi Police) said when asked about Kanhaiya's bail plea.

"BS Bassi saying we won't oppose Kanhaiya's bail plea was his personal opinion," Babbar stated whilst clarifying the official stand on the issue.

Just In: Delhi Police opposes bail plea of JNUSU president Kanhaiya Kumar in the Delhi high court. The court directs Delhi police to file before it tomorrow a status report of the investigation in the case.

The court also agreed to give urgent hearing to a plea by 2 JNU students, including Umar Khalid, seeking police protection prior to surrender before cops. The court also agrees to hear another plea seeking directions to the police to arrest five JNU students.

11:15

The following is today's business in the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha according to PTI: The President's address to the joint sitting of both Houses of Parliament.

11:11 Let there be strong criticism of our shortcomings, says Modi

Just In: Just ahead of the Budget session of Parliament, Prime Minister Narendra Modi tells the media: 'Hope there will be extensive discussion on issues of people during Parliament's Budget session'.

'Hopeful of a fruitful Budget session and constructive debate, let there be strong criticism of government and its shortcomings be highlighted. It will strengthen democracy,' Modi said.

10:54 President leaves for Parliament

The Budget session of Parliament is about to begin, and this image is of President Pranab Mukherjee leaving for the House, where he will address the joint session of Parliament.

Ambassador Riva Ganguly Das, currently India's envoy in Romania, will succeed Ambassador Dnyaneshwar Mulay as India's consul general in New York.

Ambassador Ganguly Das joined the Indian Foreign Service in 1986. She has served in Spain, Bangladesh, the Netherlands and Romania. She was India's consul general in Shanghai between 2008 and 2012.

PM Narendra Modi has reached the Parliament on the first day of the Budget Session.

"Sadan ka upyog gehen vichaar vimarsh ke liye hona chahiye. (The House should be used to contemplate and discuss issues of importance.) I wish that the Parliament session will be fruitful and there is constructive criticism as well," the prime minister said.

10:40 Haryana CM Khattar to visit Rohtak today

The situation today remained tense in some parts of Jat dominated areas like Rohtak and Sonipat while curfew was lifted in Jind district even as security personnel stepped up efforts to clear the blockades put up by protesters on various state highways.

Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar is set to visit violence-hit Rohtak district today to review the situation, according to a senior official of the district administration. He would reach Rohtak from Chandigarh by chopper.

Barring a relief of one hour, curfew remained in force in Rohtak, which has been the epicentre of the pro-quota agitation in Haryana and has seen loss of lives and maximum damage to property.

"During the last 24 hours, there has been no report of any untoward incident in the district," said a senior official of the Rohtak police. He said curfew will continue to be imposed in the Jat-dominated district till there was complete normalcy.

"We are giving relief in curfew for like one hour depending upon the situation to allow people to buy essential items," he further said.

Rajan decided to keep RBI's agenda on monetary policy aside, and instead, decided to speak about the makings of a liberal market democracy at DD Kosambi Ideas Festival held on February 20, 2015 in Goa.

Although the RBI governor refrained from making direct reference to any specific event he did say that 'Strong government does not mean one that is only militarily powerful or uses its intelligence apparatus to sniff out enemies of the state.'

Here is the FULL TEXT of his speech.

Bharatiya Janata Party national spokesperson Meenakshi Lekhi on Tuesday gave a notice in the Lok Sabha on the Jawaharlal Nehru University row and the Ishran Jahan case.

With the notice being submitted, these issues are most likely to be raised in the Parliament during the Budget Session which begins from today.

Asserting that the government was ready to discuss the current state of unrest at the JNU, Union parliamentary affairs minister M Venkaiah Naidu earlier said that there were different views on the issue which needs to be addressed and debated.

In a stinging editorial, The New York Times has blamed the Modi government for cracking down on JNU students and stifling freedom of expression in India.

The authoritarian drift of the Modi government has come under sharp criticism by the newspaper which squarely blamed it for the lynch mob mentality witnessed in New Delhi in recent days.

An opinion piece on Kanhaiya Kumar, the JNU student who was arrested on charges of sedition, says that this "confrontation raises serious concerns about Mr. Modis governance and may further stall any progress in Parliament on economic reforms."

Read the entire editorial HERE.

Some family members of victims and survivors of the San Bernardino mass shooting will file court papers in support of a judge's order that Apple Inc. help the FBI hack into a locked iPhone as part of the

terrorism investigation, a lawyer and have others said.

A Los Angeles attorney, Stephen Larson, said he represents at least several families of victims and other employees affected by the attack. He said the U.S. Attorney in the case, Eileen Decker, sought his help.

Larson said he will file a brief supporting the Justice Department before March 3.

The victims "have questions that go simply beyond the criminal investigation ... in terms of why this happened, how this happened, why they were targeted, is there anything about them on the iPhone things that are more of a personal victim" view, Larson said.

The appeal from victim family members gives the Justice Department additional support in a case that has sparked a national debate over digital privacy rights and national security interests.

The Supreme Court will hear the plea of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Subramanian Swamy today over the construction of the Ram temple in Ayodhya.

This came after Swamy submitted a petition in the apex court yesterday, stating that the disputed mosque in Ayodhya could be shifted to some place across river Saryu and the Lord Ram temple be constructed at the disputed site.

In response, the court said that the issue would be listed before the bench which is already hearing matters regarding the Ram temple-Babri Masjid row.

Admiral (retd) Ramdas who served in the Indian Navy for nearly forty five years has come down upon the Union government's crackdown on the JNU and its student fraternity. Here are some excerpts from a piece penned by the admiral.

I have been a proud member of the uniformed fraternity for nearly forty five years before retiring as Head of the Indian Navy in 1993.

The present turbulence in our top academic institutions together with continuing manifestations of mob violence, totalitarian behaviour and intolerance, impel me once again, to speak up and share my concerns through this open letter.

My two recent letters to the President and Prime Minister have not elicited more than a routine bureaucratic response. I am well aware that I may be one of the few from the fraternity of retired military veterans who continue to take public positions which might not always be in support of government policy.

However, I see this is both a right and a duty of a former serviceman and a citizen like myself. I am well aware that serving members in uniform cannot express themselves as per the service conduct rules . However, we veterans out of uniform certainly can and must. If people like myself are quiet today, my grandchildren will ask me If not you then who, if not now, then when?

The article can be read in its entirety HERE.

The Delhi High Court on Tuesday is set to hear the bail plea of Jawaharlal Nehru University Student Union president Kanhaiya Kumar, who was arrested on sedition charges.

Amid beefed up security in the high court to avoid any untoward incidents like in the Patiala House court, Justice Pratibha Rani will hear the bail plea at 10.30 a.m.

Kanhaiya had moved the bail plea on Friday after a lower court sent him to judicial custody till March 2.

Counsel Raju Ramachandra appearing for Kanhaiya had told the apex court earlier that the atmosphere of Patiala House Court is not safe for the accused and his lawyers.

Remains of decade-old tram tracks have been discovered underneath the road near South Mumbai's Flora Fountain area.

The tram service in Mumbai, which was introduced on 9th May 1874, was stopped on 31st March 1964.

The first tram began between Parel and Colaba was drawn by six to eight horses. Electrified tram service began on 7th May 1907.

The Colaba junction corner was the main junction of the city's tram network that would run from Colaba to Pydhonie via Crawford Market. The service was later extended to other parts of central Mumbai.

Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar will visit Rohtak on Tuesday to take stock of the situation in the town, following which he will head to the national capital to meet a high-powered government panel for deliberations on the issue.

Khattar along with state agriculture minister O.P. Dhankar and state finance minister Captain Abhimanyu will head for Rohtak this morning.

The Chief Minister has been appealing to the people of the state to maintain law and order and call off the agitation, as the state government was ready to hear their demands.

"No one will be benefited by damaging public property. I urge everyone not to be swayed by unfounded rumours and maintain peace in the state," he said in his appeal earlier.

A Mumbai restaurant will celebrate Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt's release by offering a special culinary delight named 'Chicken Sanju Baba' free of charge to all patrons and fans today.

Noor Mohammadi Hotel, which is located in southern Mumbai, will serve the dish created by Sanjay Dutt, free of cost between 12 p.m. to 12 a.m.

Sanjay Dutt is all set to be released from the Yerawada Central Jail in Maharashtra on Thursday morning.

With the ongoing Jat agitation in Haryana see-sawing and entering its tenth day today, several blockades have been lifted up and efforts are underway to remove the remaining several blockades on roads and routes.

A total of 19 people have lost their lives and around 183 injured in the agitation so far. Haryana government has announced full compensation for damage caused to private properties as well as ex-gratia of 10 lakh rupees to the kin of those killed in the agitation for reservation.

The state government also decided to immediately assess the role of all officers and officials of both civil and police administration for any act of omission and commission during the agitation.

The decisions to this effect were taken in a meeting of the state cabinet which met under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar yesterday.

With the Government having expressed no hesitation in discussing the Jawaharlal Nehru University row in Parliament, the nation braces itself as a turbulent Budget Session will begin today during which, President Pranab Mukherjee will address a joint sitting of the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha.

During the session, the Rail Budget will be presented on 25th and the General Budget on 29th of February.

The first phase of the Session will come to an end on 16th of March and the second phase will begin from 25th April and conclude on 13th May.

The Bills which will come up for consideration and passage in the Rajya Sabha include GST, Real Estate, Anti-Hijacking, National Waterways and Whistle Blowers Protection. In the Lok Sabha, the Lokpal and Lokayuktas Amendment Bill is among others which will be taken up for discussion and passage.

Toronto's Pride organizers say Justin Trudeau will become the first prime minister to participate in the festivities.

Trudeau is expected to march in the parade on July 3.

The city's first-ever Pride Month launches June 1 with a theme of belonging and inclusion.

Along with Trudeau, Finance Minister Bill Morneau, Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne and Toronto Mayor John Tory are also slated to take part in the festivities.

The man who police say roamed Kalamazoo County gunning down random victims this weekend appeared in court Monday to begin answering murder, assault and firearms charges.

The apparently random violence allegedly unleashed by Jason Brian Dalton left even law enforcement chilled. In an interview with CNN affiliate WOOD-TV in Grand Rapids, Kalamazoo County Undersheriff Paul Matyas called the shootings "your worst nightmare."

According to authorities, Dalton, a married father of two, shot eight people in three locations across the county of 321,000 people Saturday evening in what Prosecuting Attorney Jeffrey Getting told CNN on Monday were "very deliberate killings."

In between the killings, the Uber driver picked up fares, according to a source close to the investigation.

08:06 Obama supports Indian energy needs for growth

US President Barack Obama today supported India's massive energy needs necessary for its economic growth to address the challenges of poverty, while stressing on the need to pass on clean coal technologies to fight climate change. "In order to grow the economy, we have got to have energy.

In fact, there are countries like India where it is even more desperate," Obama said in his address to the National Governors Association at the White House. "They (Indians) do not have electricity," he said, adding that India needs access to energy in order to develop.

"And if we are not giving them options, if the only message we have for them is, 'Stay poor,' the we are not going to solve the problem," Obama said. Observing that this is not an either/or issue, Obama said: "We have got to grow the economy, which means we have got to produce energy and we've got to deal with climate change.

"The good news is that technology and research and development are accelerating rapidly, and because of the Paris agreement this would be going to accelerate progress even more," he said.

An Uber driver in Kalamazoo, Michigan, has been arrested after a series of deadly shootings Saturday night, according to authorities.

Jason Brian Dalton, who passed a background check as a driver for Uber, allegedly began a shooting rampage just before 6:00 pm local time Saturday, according to CBS News.

01:58 Meet the greatest pilot in history

His fellow fliers called Eric Brown "Winkle'; apparently this was because he was so short. There wasn't anything diminutive, however, about Brown's career as a pilot. Brown died on the weekend at the age of 97, after a short illness.

During his flying career, he flew 487 different types of aircraft and many of them as a test pilot '" when the designs were still largely experimental and potentially dangerous.

Read this fascinating story HERE

01:43 Pak police kill 12 militants in Karachi

Pakistan police today killed at least 12 militants involved in target killings and seized a large cache of arms in the country's biggest city.

"Eight suspected militants were killed in the Pipri area while four others were later shot dead in Gadap on the outskirts of the city," Senior Superintendent of Police in Malir district, Rao Anwar told reporters.

"They all belonged to outlawed militant outfits and opened fire on the raiding parties of police when they raided their hideouts on creditable tip-offs," Anwar said. "In Pipri, the militants were heavily armed and opened fire after which the police retaliated and killed eight of them," he said.

He said four other militants fled the scene in the cover of darkness but were chased down to Gadap where another encounter took place and they were also killed by the police. Anwar said five of those killed had been identified as Sohail, Khalil, Bilal,Talha and Abdul Salam.

The police official said that the raids were conducted after information provided by two recently arrested high profile terrorists, Naeem Bukhari and Farooq Bhatti, adding that the deceased men belonged to Al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent and Lashkar-i-Jhangvi (LeJ).

01:25 Obama Putin discuss Syrian crisis

In a call initiated by Kremlin, US President Barack Obama today spoke with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin to discuss efforts to establish a nation-wide "cessation of hostilities" between the Syrian regime and its armed opposition, the White House said.

During the call, Obama welcomed that an understanding was reached between the US, Russia, as well as other partners in the International Syria Support Group on the terms and modalities for such a cessation of hostilities in the war-torn country from February 27.

"Obama emphasised that the priority now was to ensure positive responses by the Syrian regime and armed opposition as well as faithful implementation by all parties in order to alleviate the suffering of the Syrian people, galvanise UN-led political process, and focus on defeating ISIL," the White House said.

Obama also stressed the importance of the fulfilment by combined Russian-separatist forces in eastern Ukraine of their obligations under the Minsk agreements, particularly honouring the cease-fire and permitting the Special Monitoring Mission of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe full access to the conflict area including the international border, the White House said.

Lance Naik Om Prakash who was killed while fighting terrorists in Pampore of South Kashmir's Pulwama district was cremated with full state honours at his native Chikker village, about 50 km from here today.

The army contingents presented the guard of honour to the slain soldier while hundreds of villagers gave a tearful farewell to the son of the soil.

Body of the 32-year-old was airlifted to Chail in Solan district and brought to his native village Chikker in Satlai Panchayat this evening.

The army paid tribute to its valiant soldier who laid down his life for the nation with full military honours.

The Commander of Kasauli Brigade, Brigadier Deepak Sharma and General Officer Commanding in Chief, Army Training Brig R S Kochhar, laid wreath on the soldier.

As the doctors at a Delhi hospital said the condition of tribal rights activist and AAP leader Soni Sori was stable and there was no threat to her life, Chhattisgarh police here denied that they had any role in the attack on her.

Sori was flown to Delhi after the attack in which some persons rubbed acid-like chemical on her face. "This is not an acid attack. Someone threw black ink or grease on Soni Sori's face in Dantewada. She is suffering pain because the black material rubbed on her face made scratches," Special Director General of Police (Anti-Naxal operations) D M Awasthi told PTI here. "An FIR has been lodged and we trying to locate the mischief-mongers.

The police is actively searching for them," he said. Rejecting allegations of police's involvement in the incident, Awasthi said, "The police has no role in the incident which is a bodily offence.

The incident is deplorable and we condemn such an incident taking place with any individual, whatever be their leanings or affiliations. Sori is entitled to all rights and protection like any other citizen."

00:15 Rajnath briefs PM on Haryana situation

Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Monday called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi at his residence on Monday evening to apprise the Prime Minister about the situation arising out of the Jat agitation and violence in Haryana.

Meanwhile, a five-member committee set up by the BJP to look into the quota demand, held its first meeting this evening. The committee, headed by Parliamentary Affairs Minister Venkaiah Naidu, took stock of the situation and discussed how to move forward in the matter.

The hour-long meeting was attended by Union Ministers Mahesh Sharma and Sanjeev Baliyan and party leaders Satpal Malik and Avinash Rai Khanna, who are the members of the committee.

Sources said the committee is likely to talk to Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar and other state ministers on Tuesday for ascertaining the state government's views on the issue.

00:05 Top headlines of the last 24 hours

Pathankot mastermind in 'custody' since January 14: Sartaj Aziz
Modi government muzzling voice of Opposition, students: Sonia on JNU row
A flight to Pakistan: Old world charm in a modernising State
48-hour long Pampore encounter ends, 3 terrorists killed
'My son will win the battle against Hinduvta politics'
Pakistan jails 88 Indian fishermen
'My name is Umar Khalid, but I'm not a terrorist'

Timeline Refresh

TOP STORIES