Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath today accused the previous governments in the state of discriminating on the basis of caste and religion and said that secularism does not mean being obsessed towards one particular faith.

Adityanath also claimed that due to vote-bank politics,patriots like Ram Prasad Bismil, Ashfaqullah Khan and Abdul Hamid did not find their due place in textbooks.

Replying to a discussion during the Motion of Thanks on the governor's address in the UP Legislative Council, Adityanath said that his government did not discriminate on the basis of religion or caste.

But, the previous governments had shown discrimination, he alleged.

"If we are really secular, then this does not mean that we should be obsessed towards one particular community," Adityanath said.

Attacking the Samajwadi Party and Bahujan Samaj Party, he alleged the previous governments in UP had divided the society on the basis of caste and religion.

Adityanath went on to say that 'it was because of the vote bank politics that Ram Prasad Bismil, Ashfaqullah Khan and Abdul Hamid never got any place in textbooks'.

"Our government believes in 'Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas' There is no caste or religion for us," Adityanath said.

He also expressed concern over the exodus of youth from the state.  -- PTI

The Central Reserve Police Force has submitted a detailed report to the home ministry stating the circumstances that led to the killing of 25 of its personnel by Naxals last month in Sukma district of Chhattisgarh.

The report talks about the apparent failure of the commanders on ground against the huge build up of the Maoists and they being able to study the pattern of movement of the patrol party that led to the deadly incident on April 24 near Burkapal in Sukma, officials said.

They said the report chronicles the sequence of events that led to the incident and added that the attacking Naxals took aid of locals to target the patrol party.

The report, they said, will now be studied by the ministry after which some heads may roll and some senior officers could be posted in the Bastar region of the state to lead the operations.

The Central Reserve Police Force has deployed 28battalions (about 28,000 personnel) for conducting anti-Naxal operations in Chhattisgarh.  -- PTI

Fifteen teams of the Army will be deployed in key offices of the Reserve Bank of India by Thursday to beef up security as well as help the central bank to speed up disposal of demonetised currencies.

Army sources said two teams had already been working with the RBI and the additional manpower will help the bank in shredding of the demonetised notes.

A total of 15 teams will be deployed in major RBI offices across the city by April 25, they said.

The sources added that army personnel will basically be responsible for ensuring adequate security so that the process to dispose of the demonetised notes can be expedited.  -- PTI

A Pakistani woman parliamentarian has claimed that the 2012 Taliban attack on Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai was 'scripted'.

Mussarat Ahmadzeb, a member of parliament from Imran Khan-led Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party, said that the entire saga of Malala writing for BBC and later the attack were part of a plan.

"The attack on Malala was scripted way before the incident (in 2012)," she told right-wing Urdu newspaper Ummat in an interview.

Ahmadzeb, who is the daughter-in-law of former ruler of semi-autonomous state of Swat, doubted if any bullet was lodged in Malala's head.

'She (Malala) was shot in the head but no bullet was found in the Computerised Tomography (CT) scan in Swat. But yes, then the bullet got stuck in her head in CMH (combined military hospital) Peshawar,' she later said in a tweet.

She also accused that medics involved in the treatment of Malala were given land by the government to build houses.

"The medics who did the CT scan along with the doctor who examined her, all were awarded plots by the government," the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaaf lawmaker said.

Ahmadzeb claimed that Malala could not read and write when she was shown as writing stories for BBC as Gul Makai.

She alleged that an American lived in the house of Malala for three months to train her for the future role.

It was not immediately clear why the lawmaker was giving the statement attacking Malala and her efforts.

Meanwhile, PTI spokesperson Shafqat Mahmood said that his party had already disowned Mussarat in 2014 along with two other lawmakers for violating party discipline.

"During the protest against election rigging, three MNAs (Members of National Assembly) -- Mussarat Ahmadzeb, GulzarAhmed and Siraj Muhammad -- refused to abide by party laws(and were disowned)," Mahmood told media.

Yousafzai, 19, became a global symbol of the fight forgirls education after being shot in the head in October 2012 for opposing Taliban restrictions on female education. -- PTI

An Army Major, who had tied a Kashmiri man to a jeep in Kashmir, has been awarded by Army Chief General Bipin Rawat for his 'sustained efforts' in counter-insurgency operations.

The Army Chief's 'Commendation Card' for Major Leetul Gogoi comes even as a Court of Inquiry into the tying of the Kashmiri man to the jeep's bonnet purportedly as a shield against stone-pelters was going on.

"Major Gogoi has been awarded Chief of Army Staff's Commendation Card for sustained efforts in counter-insurgency operations," Army spokesperson Aman Anand said.

Gogoi was awarded during Gen Rawat's recent visit to Jammu and Kashmir.

A video, showing the man tied to the army vehicle during polling in the Srinagar Lok Sabha by-election on April 9, had triggered a public outcry, prompting the Army to institute a probe.  -- PTI

JUST IN: Radha Mohan Singh, minister of Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare, has been given additional charge of ministry of consumer affairs, food and public distribution as Ramvilas Paswan is presently undergoing treatment abroad.

He will be designated as Minister without portfolio for period of his indisposition. -- ANI

IMAGE: Radha Mohan Singh

Tamil Nadu CM Edapaadi Palaniswami is scheduled to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi on Wednesday.

Palaniswami, of the AIADMK Sasikala faction, is likely to extend support of the faction's 122 MLAs and 26 MPs for the presidential polls, which will be conveyed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi when they meet.

Modi also met former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister O Panneerselvam last week on Friday and has been assured of support from the OPS faction as well, with its 10 MLAs and 11 MPs.

Basically, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is assessing the political feedback and getting assurances from smaller parties of the southern states.

Last week, Modi had a meeting with YSR Congress leader Jagan Reddy and with Telangana Rashtriya Samiti leader K Chandrasekhar Rao as well. Telugu Desam's Chandrababau Naidu has already extended support to the BJP.

This means, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana will be extending their support to the BJP's presidential candidate.

The EPS-Modi meet will be a political victory for Union Minister M Venkaiah Naidu who has been negotiating with the Sasikala faction
to garner support for the BJP.

The vote share of the Sasikala faction of the AIADMK is roughtly 1.2 per cent due to the AIADMK's strength in the Tamil Nadu assembly.

If this is interpreted differently, Palaniswami will plead with the Centre and also the BJP not to dismiss the state government after the Presidential elections. There are speculations making rounds in Tamil Nadu that the BJP is ending its ties with the O Panneerselvam group.

-  R Rajagopalan in New Delhi.

File pic.

Senior AAP leader Kumar Vishwas, who had recently aired his differences with the party leadership, skipped a major party event, sparking whispers that the truce in the organisation may be short-lived.


Sources said poet-turned-politician Vishwas who had differed with Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal over the party's stand on blaming electronic voting machines alone for its poor performance in recent civic polls, stayed away from AAP's Delhi unit convention yesterday.


Attended by the party's top brass, including Kejriwal, the convention organised in west Delhi saw attendance of a sizable number of volunteers. Vishwas and a member of the Political Affairs Committee (PAC), the party's top decision-making body, were also invited for the event, sources said, but he chose to stay away.


At a press conference today, the party parried questions related to Vishwas' absence from the event. Senior AAP leader Ashutosh said apart from Vishwas, several other members of the PAC were not present for the convention.


"He (Vishwas) is upset with the news plants in a section of media that he plotted a coup in the party," a party leader said. Vishwas is believed to be upset with the leadership as several assurances about looking into the "communication gap" between party leadership and volunteers still persists. Interestingly, at yesterday's event, Kejriwal announced that he would interact with 'mandal' presidents on the first Sunday of every month.


Earlier this month, Vishwas had also said that the AAP was getting "Congressised" to an extent and that a "coterie" surrounding Kejriwal was hatching conspiracies against him.


Vishwas was also adamant on strict action against Okhla MLA Amanatullah Khan who had accused him of plotting a coup.


To placate Vishwas, Khan was suspended from the party who had then said the Okhla MLA was being used as a "mask" to target him. However, with his absence from yesterday's event, it appears that Vishwas is still upset.


Image: Kumar Vishwas, Arvind Kejriwal and Manish Sisodia in the heady days after the AAP win in Delhi

National Conference President Farooq Abdullah today said the Kashmir issue is "political" and delay in its resolution would only deteriorate the situation further.

"Kashmir is a political issue and needs to be resolved on first priority so that people in the state can live in peace. As long as its resolution is delayed, the situation is bound to deteriorate further instead of getting back on track," the former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister said interacting with party workers and delegations from various parts of the state.

Abdullah, a Lok Sabha MP, also blamed the "wrong policies" of the Centre and the state government for the prevailing uncertainty in the hinterland and along the borders in J-K.

"The Centre is playing a vote bank politics by pursuing a hardened policy on Kashmir. The state government, on the other hand, is only concerned to save its chair and dancing to the tunes of the RSS," Abduallah said and accused the PDP-BJP coalition of bringing the state on the "path of destruction".

He alleged that the central and the state government have "miserably failed" to uphold 2003 ceasefire along the borders and improve situation in the state.

Senior BJP leaders Shatrughan Sinha and Sushil Kumar Modi were today engaged in a twitter war over the party's stance on RJD President Lalu Prasad and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on the issue of corruption.

"Enough of negative politics and mudslinging by opponents on our political leaders, be it Kejriwal, Laloo Yadav or Sushil Modi," Sinha said in a tweet drawing sharp reaction from senior BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi who sought removal of "gaddars" (traitors) from the house.

Actor-politician Sinha, who is a second term Lok Sabha member of BJP from Patna Saheb, has been sulking ever since he was ignored during 2015 Bihar assembly poll. His statements and freewheeling exchange of pleasantries with rivals, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and RJD President Lalu Prasad, have on several occasions put the party in an embarassing situation.

"Our BJP surely believes in honesty & transparency, which seldom go together, but must go together. An allegation is ONLY THAT unless proved!," Sinha further tweeted.

His assertions drew sharp criticism from senior party leader Sushil Kumar Modi, who has levelled series of allegations against Lalu Prasad and his family of acquiring "benami" property worth Rs 1000 crore.

"Jis Lalu ki Benami sampati ke bachao me Nitish Kumar nahi utre, uske bachao mein BJP ke 'Shatru' kuud pare (Lalu in whose defence against benami properties Nitish Kumar did not jump, BJP's 'Shatru' has taken a plunge)," Sushil Modi said in a tweet message apparently targetting Sinha.

He also said "it's not necessary that those who are popular should be relied on...'Gaddars' (traitors) should be removed from the house at the earliest," Sushil Modi said.

When his reaction was sought on Sushil Modi's comment, Shatrughan Sinha popularly known as "Bihari Babu" told PTI over phone, "I do not want to make any comment. I am still fond of Sushil Modi. I have just spoken logically."

However, sources close to him made stinging remarks on Sushil Modi particularly on his "traitor" comment. Sinha's comments gave opportunity to RJD and JD(U) to attack Sushil Modi. RJD spokesman and MLA Shakti Singh Yadav said that Sinha had the habit of speaking the truth.

"He has spoken his 'Maan ki Baat' with which many other BJP leaders agree but do not have courage to speak," he said. JD(U) Bihar chief spokesman Sanjay Singh also had kind words for Shatrughan Sinha. "The man who launched BJP when it was merely a party of two MPs has been sidelined within the party. This reflects character of BJP," Sanjay Singh said.

Update: President Pranab Mukherjee is hosting a high tea on May 25, to bid farewell to his press secretary Venu Rajamony, who will demit office on May 29. He has been appointed India's ambassador to the Netherlands. Rajamony, a career diplomat, is from the 1986 batch of the Indian Foreign Service.

The All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) filed an affidavit in the Supreme Court today in the triple talaq matter, which is being heard by the court. The AIMPLB in its affidavit, said, it will issue an advisory requesting persons who perform nikah to follow certain steps. These include:
-- Person performing nikah to advise the bridegroom that in case of differences leading to talaq, the bridegroom shall not pronounce divorce thrice (triple talaq). 
-- Person performing nikah will advise both bride and bridegroom to incorporate a condition in the nikahnama to exclude resorting to the nikah in one sitting since its an undesirable practice in the Shariat.
-- Socially boycott triple talaq offenders -- those who give triple talaq. 

The Centre on Sunday said it would bring in a legislation to stop triple talaq, if necessary, "but after allowing the Muslim community to reach a positive conclusion following internal deliberations."

"The government has made the stand very clear saying that we want this (triple talaq) to end."

"If necessary, the (Central) government will bring in a legislation, but after allowing the community to reach a positive conclusion after internal deliberations," Union Minister for Urban Development M Venkaiah Naidu told reporters yesterday.

A video showing the anthem of Pakistan Occupied Kashmir being played before the start of a cricket match in south Kashmir's Pulwama district has gone viral on social media, prompting the police to initiate a probe.   

Just In: Air India's Bhubaneswar-bound flight AI 669 returns to Mumbai airport due to suspected fire in cockpit, makes emergency landing.

Spotted on a Mumbai autorickshaw: 'Horn mat bajao, Sonu Nigam so raha hain'.


To contextualise this, last month, Nigam, in a series of tweets, raised questions on the Azaan call in the morning from mosques and said it was forced religiousness.

God bless everyone. Im not a Muslim and I have to be woken up by the Azaan in the morning. When will this forced religiousness end in India, Nigam tweeted.

He further wrote, And by the way Mohammed did not have electricity when he made Islam Why do I have to have this cacophony after Edison?

The 43-year-old singer said he doesnt believe that temples and gurudwaras should wake up people with loud noises either. He went on to call it gundagardi (hooliganism).

I dont believe in any temple or gurudwara using electricity To wake up people who don't follow the religion .Why then..? Honest? True?

Gundagardi hai bus, he posted.

Left workers clashed with police during their 'march to Nabanna' (the state secretariat) programme today, prompting security personnel to use water cannons, batons and tear gas to disperse them.


The Left activists tried to break police cordons at different points including Mayo Road, Duffrin road, Hastings and Santragachi. They allegedly hurled stones at the police prompting the force to fire tear gas shells and order lathi charge. Water cannons were also used to disperse the workers at Santragachi in Howrah.


Meanwhile, at least 12 CPI-M leaders including three MLAs -- Sujan Chakraborty, Ashok Bhattacharya and Tanmay Bhattacharjee -- were detained when they tried to enter the state secretariat ahead of the 'March to Nabanna' programme.


The Left leaders headed for 'Nabanna' from the assembly in three cars and managed to cross the security cordons. The police, however, recognised them at the north gate of the secretariat and a scuffle took place between them there.


The leaders were then detained and taken to Shibpur police station in Howrah. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was not present at the secretariat as she was in Birbhum district for an administrative meeting.

"'Modi has made mistakes and overpromised. However, his cautious and careful approach have insulated him from criticism," says Aakar Patel. Read his column here.

A special court today dismissed the bail plea of an alleged middleman arrested in the Election Commission bribery case, involving AIADMK (Amma) faction leader T T V Dhinakaran. Special Judge Poonam Chaudhry said it was not appropriate to grant bail to Sukesh Chandrashekar at this stage as it was a serious crime and he could tamper with the evidence.

The court also said the investigation of the Delhi Police Crime Branch was going on and the agency was probing the recovered CD containing alleged conversation between Dhinakaran and Chandrashekar, who was arrested on May 16.

The court, which was scheduled to hear today the bail plea of Dhinakaran and his close aide Mallikarjuna, listed the matter for May 26 after the leader's counsel sought an adjournment.

File pic.

Update in the coal block allocation case: Special CBI court sentenced former coal secretary HC Gupta and other former officials to 2 years in prison, but grants him bail. Two former officials -- KS Kropha, KC Samria and Gutpta -- were all granted bail on a personal bond of Rs 1 lakh and one surety of the like amount.

Coal scam: Former coal secretary, 2 ex-bureaucrats accused of causing loss to exchequer sentenced to two years in jail. 

The hearing in the Sheena Bora murder case has been adjourned till June 12 in the Mumbai's special Crime Branch of Investigation court on Monday. Judge Mahajan, who is hearing the case, has been transferred to Aurangabad, so a new judge will hear the matter on the given next date.

The Indian Premier League cup was taken to Mumbai's Siddhivinayak temple, a temple dedicated to Lord Ganesh, to seek blessings, after Mumbai Indians won the IPL 2017 title last night. A police posse accompanied the cup to the temple as priests 'blessed' it.

Mumbai Indians came up with a brilliant fightback after being restricted to a paltry 129 for 8 to beat Rising Pune Supergiant by one run in the final of the Indian Premier League in Hyderabad on Sunday night.

Chasing 130 for victory, Pune were done in by veteran Australia fast bowler Mitchell Johnson (3 for 26), who struck twice in the final over, and excellent bowling by Jasprit Bumran (2 for 26) and Lasith Malinga (0-21), as Mumbai bagged their third IPL crown in the ten editions of the Twqenty20 tournament.

The victory also earned Rohit Sharma's team sweet revenge for the three defeats they suffered against Pune in the league stage of the tournament and Qualifier 1.

The Maharashtra Assembly passed unanimously the State Goods and Services Tax Bill today, the last day of a special session of the state Legislature. After the passage of the bill in the Lower House, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis thanked everyone for their cooperation.


Read:What goes up, what goes down under new GST rates

Bollywood movie Neerja, which grossed an estimated Rs 125 crore in worldwide earnings and bagged the National Award for Best Hindi Feature Film, among several other film awards, could be headed for a legal battle with the family of braveheart flight purser Neerja Bhanot all set to take the producers of the box-office hit film to court.


The main contention of the Bhanot family is that the makers of the successful film did not honour their commitment to share 10 percent of the box office collections with the Neerja Bhanot Trust and the family.


"I will not comment on this issue at this stage. All I can tell you is that we will not tolerate injustice,' Aneesh Bhanot, brother of Neerja Bhanot, said.


Aneesh refused to give any details about the legal case, saying that the family lawyer will be able to give the exact status. Sources, however, said that the family is moving the Punjab and Haryana High Court in this regard and a legal notice has already been served on the makers of Neerja.


The film starred actress Sonam Kapoor, who played the lead role of Neerja Bhanot and even got a special mention by the jury of the National Film awards for her acting, the film bagged the 'Best Feature Film in Hindi' award at the 64th National Film Awards in April this year.


While on Neerja, do read: If at all there is a God, for me it is Neerja

Update: Union minister Harsh Vardhan today took over at the environment ministry following the death of incumbent Anil Madhav Dave.   

The Shiv Sena on Monday said the Election Commission (EC) should take strong note of the false promises given to the voters during the time of campaigning by the candidates.

The Sena's reactions came after party chief Uddhav Thackeray urged the poll panel to bar the Prime Minister and Chief Ministers from holding campaign rallies to ensure a level playing field for various political parties.

"The EC should take strong note of it that false promises are given to the voters and none of them are being satisfied," Shiv Sena leader Manisha Kayande told ANI.

She dubbed the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) as an "election oriented party" that only make promises to win elections."

Modi-ji made tall claims such as building Ram temple in Ayodhya, reducing inflation, solving Kashmir issue, promote " jai jawan jai kisan" even this motto is not taken into consideration.

He also said that he will get all the black money from Swiss bank. But nothing of that has followed," she added.She further said that the Shiv Sena, like other opposition parties are demanding that there should be a complete loan waivers and start afresh for the farmers.

Thackeray had accused the functionaries of ruling parties of not meeting their poll promises.

The Tamilar Munnetra Padai, a pro-Tamil group protested against Tamil superstar Rajnikanth's possible entry into politics in Chennai today, stating that he was a Kannadiga.

The launched a protest outside his residence, following which security carted them away, as they shouted slogans against him.

The protestors claimed that Tamil Nadu should be ruled only by the Tamils and being a Kannadiga, Rajinikanth should not come into the state politics.

Security was already beefed up outside Rajinikanth's residence ahead of the protest.

Earlier on Friday, while addressing the final day of Rajni-darbar the Tamil superstar said, after living in Tamil Nadu for 43 years and receiving the fans' appreciation, he has now turned into a 'true-Tamilian.'

"I am 67 years old. I lived in Karnataka for 23 years and in Tamil Nadu for 43 years. I have lived and grown with you. You have been truly loving and welcoming and made me a true Tamilian. If I have to live anywhere in this world that will be in Tamil Nadu," he said.

After facing a drubbing in the Punjab assembly polls earlier this year, the Aam Aadmi Party has commenced restructuring of its state unit from top to bottom. "All the volunteers who had done excellent performance during the elections will be given suitable responsibilities in the party," the AAP's state unit co-president Aman Arora said while addressing a meeting of party volunteers in Ludhiana last evening.

President Pranab Mukherjee has cancelled his visit to Kanchipuram scheduled for Wednesday to address the 1000th birth anniversary of Saint Ramanujacharya. 

The Delhi high court today sought responses from former Telecom Minister Dayanidhi Maran, his brother and industrialist Kalanithi Maran and others on a CBI plea challenging their discharge in the Aircel-Maxis graft case.   

Hopes of finding an Indian climber who went missing on Mt Everest, have dimmed as the crucial 24-hour period since his disappearance has passed, a mountaineering official said.   

'More than a billion gallons of waste enter the river every day. Can India's controversial prime minister save it?'

A police constable, who took away four service rifles from a police post in Budgam district of Kashmir, has reportedly joined militant outfit Hizbul Mujahideen. Constable Syed Naveed Mushtaq had fled with four INSAS rifles from the guard post at a FCI godown in Chandpora in Budgam on Saturday, a police official said. He said there were intelligence inputs suggesting that Mushtaq had joined the militant group.

There have been several instances of Jammu and Kashmir policemen fleeing with service rifles and joining various militant outfits.

Constable Naseer Ahmed Pandit, a resident of Pulwama district, had decamped with two AK rifles on March 27, 2015 from the residence of PDP Minister Altaf Bukhari and was subsequently killed in an encounter in Shopian district in April 2016.

BJP's Arun Jaitley has filed a fresh Rs 10 crore suit against Arvind Kejriwal after the Deli CM's counsel Ram Jethmalani used the word 'crook' while during cross-examination in court.
 
India Today reports that Jaitley's lawyer Manik Dogra said that they have filed a fresh suit for defamation against Arvind Kejriwal seeking Rs 10 crore in damages for ex-facie defamation as his lawyer Ram Jethmalani, in the open court, called Jaitley a crook.

Dogra added that the statement by Jethmalani was recorded in the judicial order, where he had stated that he used the words on "specific instructions of his client" Kejriwal.

The fresh defamation suit by Jaitley will now be a separate case from the ongoing defamation suit against Kejriwal and five other Aam Aadmi Party leaders, also of Rs 10 crore.

Last week, the Delhi High Court saw Jaitley losing his cool when Jethmalani, 93, used the word "crook" to describe him.

Jaitley, who appeared before Joint Registrar Deepali Sharma, asked Jethmalani whether the word was used as per instructions from Kejriwal.

Jethmalani replied saying the said word has been used by him on instructions from his client (Kejriwal). "If this is so, I would aggravate the charges against the defendant (Kejriwal)," said an upest Jaitley, adding there was a limit to personal malice.

However, Anupam Srivastav, advocate on record for Kejriwal since the beginning of the suit, submitted that Jathmalani had no instructions to use the word against Jaitley.

Jethmalani went on to say that in a suit for defamation, the personal character of the plaintiff is extremely important. "I am conducting a case, wherein I intend to prove that he (Jaitley) has no reputation whatsoever.
This man does not even deserve a paisa from this suit against the defendants," he added.

In December 2015, Jaitley had filed the first civil defamation suit seeking Rs 10 crore damages from Kejriwal and five other AAP leaders - Raghav Chadha, Kumar Vishwas, Ashutosh, Sanjay Singh and Deepak Bajpai - for accusing him of financial irregularities in the Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA) of which he was the President from 2000 to 2013.

To say (Arundhati) Roy's latest venture into fiction has been long awaited is an understatement. An instant best seller, The God of Small Things -- which Junot Daz calls "one of the single most important novels written in English" -- won the Man Booker Prize and quickly went on to become a global literary phenomenon. After working on the new novel for ten years, last August Roy texted her British agent, David Godwin, with one word: "Done.' Godwin got on the first plane to Delhi. He was nervous when she handed him the manuscript. "But then I read the opening,' he says, "and thought, Yeah, we're back."

When The Ministry of Utmost Happiness comes out this month, it will be published in 30 countries.From the novel's beginning -- "She lived in the graveyard like a tree" -- one is swept up in the story. "She" is Anjum, born a hermaphrodite in Old Delhi, who, after being raised as a boy named Aftab, goes to live as a woman in a nearby home for hijras (the South Asian term for transgender women). Headstrong and magnetic, she becomes the spokesperson for the hijra community. But after barely surviving a Muslim pogrom in Gujarat, Anjum renounces everything to set up a solitary new life in a cemetery, where she builds a guesthouse among the gravestones that gradually becomes home to a colorful cast of characters.

.. 20 Years After The God of Small Things, Arundhati Roy on The Ministry of Utmost Happiness. Read the interview here.

The family of the late IAS officer Anurag Tiwari, who was found dead outside Meera Bai VIP guest house in Hazratganj area of Lucknow, will meet UP CM Yogi Adityanath today. The UP CM will meet the mother and younger brother of the deceased officer at 11 am today.

Tiwari was posted as food and civil supplies commissioner in Bengaluru and was staying at a guest house for the last two days with a batchmate. He stayed in room number 19.

LDA vice chairman and Tiwari's batchmate PN Singh had booked the room in his name and was with him night before his death. On the day of his demise, while Singh went to play badminton around 6am at a Gomtinagar stadium, Tiwari stepped out for a morning walk. He had barely covered a distance of 300 metre from his room when he collapsed on the road.

According to reports, it is being suspected that Tiwari died of seizure after he suffered from a fit, however final decision will be taken post the results of autopsy reports. Tiwari, an engineer by qualification, became an IAS officer in July 2007.


Image: The family of IAS officer Anurag Tiwari, who was found dead by a road, at the PM's residence today.

Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh and the other accused in the Disproportionate Assets (DA) case, moved the special CBI court for bail in New Delhi today. The Special CBI Court has issued a notice to the CBI to reply on the bail plea of all the accused including Virbhadra and his wife Pratibha. The next date of hearing is 29th May.

Earlier on May 8, Virbhadra and other accused were summoned by the court in regard to the same case. Pratibha Singh withdrew her plea, which had alleged that the CBI hadn't obtained permission from the state government to procure documents used to prepare the chargesheet.

Pratibha's counsel had earlier on April 24 argued whether witnesses and documents that were collected during the investigation could be part of the chargesheet and if the court could read them for the purpose of taking cognizance.

Downplaying allegations against State Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Chief BS Yedyyurappa of eating breakfast brought from a nearby hotel at a Dalit household in Tumakuru, the BJP while defending its chief said the allegations are purely politically motivated.

"The Congress and the JD (U) are losing ground in Karnataka. To compensate for this, they are fabricating charges against Yeddyurappa. The allegations are totally false," BJP leader S Prakash told ANI.

Drawing upon the former Chief Minister's efforts in uplifting the socially backward strata in the state, Prakash said the former has always propagated social harmony, rather than gaining support purely as a means of 'votebank politics'.

"During his tenure as CM, Yeddyurappa implemented around 25 to 30 schemes for the welfare of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes. It is this popularity that is being targeted by the opposition. I'm sure the Dalit community will not misunderstand," he added.

During his visit to Tumakuru district on Friday, the former Chief Minister who was accompanied by other party members visited the residence of a Dalit family where he allegedly ate 'idlis' from a nearby restaurant and not the food prepared by the family, thus inviting trouble on grounds of promoting untouchability and caste discrimination.

Claiming his act would spark off negativity in the community, a young man from the family lodged a complaint with the police.

Dismissing claims of disrespecting the family, a BJP spokesperson painted the allegations as a political move, adding that those who raised the issue must immediately apologise to the family.

Yeddyurappa had received flak over a similar situation earlier in Tumakuru where he was photographed eating "tatte idli" at a Dalit's house at Gubbi.

After being a part of American history for 146 years, the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey circus performed their last show on Sunday in the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum.The decision came from its parent company, Feld Entertainment, after a long standing slump in ticket sales as the business became increasingly unsustainable.

The circus had been butting heads with PETA and other animal rights groups for a while. After much protests and prolong condemnation, elephants were removed from the performing schedule of the circus.

For ring master Johnathan Lee Iverson, the journey with the circus began early on as a 9 year old boy seated in the audience. The world is losing "a place of wonder," the New York Times reported the ringmaster, days before the final performance.

The circus which began in 1871 as as P. T. Barnum's Grand Traveling Museum, Menagerie, Caravan & Hippodrome was bought by its current parent company, Feld Entertainment in 1967.

The trial in the politically- sensitive 1992 Babri Masjid demolition case by a special CBI court will resume on Monday, following a Supreme Court order to it to hear the case on a daily basis and deliver the verdict in two years.

The Supreme Court had on 19 April directed the special court to start the proceedings in the matter within a month and deliver its verdict within two years.

The CBI court during its first hearing in the state capital granted bail to five Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) leaders named as accused, including Ram Vilas Vedanti, who appeared before it Saturday.

Besides Vedanti (59), those who appeared before the CBI court on Saturday were VHP leaders Champat Rai (71), Baikunth Lal Sharma (88), Mahant Nritya Gopal Das (79) and Dharmdas Maharaj (68). The sixth accused, Satish Pradhan, did not appear.

United States First Lady Melania Trump and President Donald Trump's daughter Ivanka Trump eschewed the strict Saudi Arabia dress code while attending different events in the country.

Melania and Ivanka, who are accompanying Trump on his first international trip as President, were seen without headscarves during Trump's key speech in front of heads of state in Saudi Arabia on Sunday.

Melania on Sunday visited the American International School in Riyadh and an all-women General Electric service center without a headscarf.

"Enjoyed talking to the incredible women working hard @GE_Saudi service center. Great strides being made towards the empowerment of women," Melania tweeted.

"Had the honor of visiting 1st all-women process service center in #Riyadh, #SaudiArabia. Thanks to @GE_Saudi for the invite!" she said in another tweet.

Similarly, Ivanka Trump was also seen without a headscarf while attending a women's empowerment roundtable at Tuwaiq Palace with civil society leaders, prominent businesswomen and female Saudi elected government officials, CNN reported.

"Today I met with Saudi Arabian women leaders and learned directly of their accomplishments, challenges & vision for the future. #POTUSAbroad," Ivanka tweeted.

The two ladies had also arrived in Saudi Arabia on Saturday with their hair being uncovered.

Trump had previously slammed former first lady Michelle Obama for refusing to wear a head scarf in Saudi Arabia.

"Many people are saying it was wonderful that Mrs. Obama refused to wear a scarf in Saudi Arabia, but they were insulted. We have enuf enemies," Trump said in a tweet on January 29, 2015.

However, Melania and Ivanka are not the only women, who did not cover their hair upon arrival in the conservative Islamic kingdom, as former U.S. state secretary Hillary Clinton, former first lady Laura Bush, British Prime Minister Theresa May and German Chancellor Angela Merkel had also not covered their hair in Saudi Arabia.

The benchmark BSE Sensex rallied over 227 points in early trade today on buying in FMCG, banking and IT stocks by investors enthused by global rally in stock markets.

The BSE 30-share index surged 227.44 points, or 0.75 per cent, to 30,692.36 points. The gauge had gained 30.13 points in the previous session on Friday.

All sectoral indices led by FMCG, realty, capital goods, metal and auto were in the green, rising up to 1.76 per cent. Also, the NSE Nifty gained 62.55 points, or 0.66 per cent, to 9,490.45 points.