A controversy has erupted over BJP President Amit Shah landing in the yet to be opened Kannur airport, with a Kerala minister slamming him Sunday for threatening to oust the LDF government despite it allowing him

to arrive there as part of state's 'tradition of hospitality.'

     

State Finance Minister T M Thomas Isaac tweeted that though the state had shown the 'tradition of hospitality' by permitting Shah to land in the airport, which had not been formally inaugurated, the BJP leader had threatened to oust the left ruled Kerala government.

     

The official inauguration of the Kannur airport, the fourth in the state, is scheduled to be held on December 9.

      

But, by arriving in a special flight there yesterday to inaugurate the BJP's new district committee office, Shah has unofficially become the first passenger to land in the airport at Mattanur in Kannur.

     

Isaac said shah's "empty threats" were out of frustration as the saffron party is yet to get more members in the state Assembly.

     

Former Union minister, O Rajagopal, is the lone MLA of the BJP in the house.

     

"Amit Shah permitted to land in Kannur airport which is yet to be opened. That is our tradition of hospitality. But he is threatening to oust Kerala government.

     

Such empty threats do not frighten us. Try to win few seats in Assembly. Your frustration is understandable," Isaac tweeted.

     

Hundreds of party workers had gathered Saturday at the airport to welcome Shah who was in Kerala on a day's visit.

     

After inaugurating the party office located at Thalikkavu, he had made a scathing attack on the CPIM-led LDF government in the state over the Sabarimala women's entry issue and pledged BJP's support for it.

     

Main opposition Congress took on the LDF government for allowing the BJP Chief to use the airport.

     

Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee president, Mullappally Ramachandran alleged that Shah landed at the airport following an 'understanding' between him and Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.

     

"At a time when the Kannur airport is scheduled to be inaugurated on December 9, it was specially opened for Amit Shah. Usually, it is done so during emergency situations," he said in a statement.

     

Amit Shah had arrived in Kannur Saturday on a day's visit to Kerala to attend a party function in that city and the 90th Mahasamadhi observance of saint social reformer Sree Narayana Guru at Varkala near Thiruvananthapuram.

     

Later, in a hard-hitting speech, Shah had warned Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan that he would have to pay a "heavy price" if the (attack on Ayyappa devotees) continues, as BJP workers "would not hesitate to pull down the government." 

A parliamentary panel, of which former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is a member, has called Reserve Bank of India governor Urjit Patel for the third-time to brief it on the government's demonetisation move.

 

The 31-member Parliamentary Standing Committee on Finance, headed by Veerappa Moily, has been deliberating on the issue for almost two years.

The government had scrapped Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes on November 8, 2016 and announced issuance of new Rs 500 and Rs 2,000 notes. 

Patel has been called on November 12 to brief the committee's members on demonetisation of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes and the "ramifications thereof", according to the panel's meeting notice.

The RBI governor will also brief the committee on the banning of the Unregulated Deposit Schemes Bill and related issues.

"Members wanted some more information and details about demonetisation, especially on its impact. Therefore, the RBI governor has been called," Moily said when contacted.

He said perhaps this was for the first time when an RBI governor has been called by a panel for three times on the same issue.

Prior to this, Patel shared details related to demonetisation with the panel in January and July last year.

The panel could not adopt a draft report on the note-ban in August as BJP MPs in the panel, led by Nishikant Dubey, stalled the process.

However, Moily has repeatedly said no report on demonetisation was tabled before the panel.

So far, the panel has adopted more than 60 reports on various issues, unanimously. -- PTI 

Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena on Sunday said that Ranil Wickremesinghe was sacked due to his "arrogant" behaviour, and asserted that former strongman Mahinda Rajapaksa has been made the new premier in strict accordance with the Constitution.

 

In his first address to the nation after the dramatic move to sack Wickremesinghe on Friday night, Sirisena said Wickremsinghe's political conduct since the victory in 2015 was unbecoming. 

"He appeared to treat Sri Lanka's future as a joy ride for a coterie of people around him who had no sense of the common man's thinking," he said.

 

"He completely destroyed the concept of good governance while corruption and waste became rampant. He was making arrogant arbitrary decisions making a mockery of collective responsibility," Sirisena charged.

"There was a huge gap in policy agreement between the two of us. I believe the cultural and policy differences between us contributed to this political and economic crisis," he said.

 

Sirisena on Friday night sacked Wickremesinghe and appointed Rajapaksa as the new prime minister. Next day, he suspended parliament till November 16 after Wickremesinghe sought an emergency session to prove his majority.

The president also withdrew Wickremesinghe's personal security and vehicles in order to accord them to his 72-year-old successor, who staged a dramatic political comeback on Friday.

In the address, Sirisena came down hard on Wickremesinghe over the Central Bank bond scam when his appointee and friend governor Arjuna Mahendran was accused of wrong doing in the Central Bank's bond issues of February 2015 and March 2016.

 

"The country was plunged into an unprecedented economic crisis due to the bond scam," he said. 

 

Sirisena said Wickremesinghe must take the responsibility to have Singapore extradite the former Central Bank governor Mahendran to Sri Lanka to face trial as they are good friends.

 

Sirisena also accused the UNP leader of treating very lightly the alleged plot to assassinate him. 

"I received information that senior policemen who were doing investigations were deliberately avoiding meeting officials of the Attorney General's Department," he said.

 

"Having taken into consideration all crisis, the political and economic as well as the assassination plot on me, I was only left with one alternative which was to appoint former President Mahinda Rajapaksa as the prime minister," Sirisena said. -- PTI

The United States is not going to put pressure on India to buy F-16 fighter jets or any other defence system, a senior US diplomat has said in Mumbai.

United States Consul General in Mumbai Edgard Kagan said India has purchased more than USD 15 billion worth of American defence materials and the US is "very proud" of the expanding defence ties between the two countries.

Asked if there was a threat of the US imposing trade sanctions on India after its multi-billion deal with Russia for the S-400 air-defence system, he did not give a direct answer.

"The idea that the US is going to pressure India to buy the F-16 or any other system is not true. We believe that American military systems bring tremendous capability to India or any other country which buys that.

"But we recognise that India makes its decisions on its own grounds," he said.

Kagan said it was important to recognise that decisions have consequences and India was very well aware where the US stands on a variety of issues.There are also matters that both countries can work closely to resolve, he said.

India recently concluded a USD 5 billion deal to buy the S-400 air defence missile system from Russia which could attract US sanctions under the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act or CAATSA instituted by the US Congress on arms purchases from Moscow.

American lawmakers, however, have allowed the possibility of a presidential waiver.

Kagan said the US is "very proud" of the expanding defence partnership with India.

"The fact is that India has purchased over USD 15 billion worth of American defence materials and there hasn't been one hint of a scandal. 

"There hasn't been one suggestion of any impropriety and that's very significant.The American defence procurement are transparent... All details are published on the US site," he said.

This gives certainty to the people buying American products, the US consul general said. -- PTI

Aam Aadmi Party national convenor Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday targeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi over alleged corruption in the multi-crore Rafale jet deal with France, saying he should not fear a CBI probe if he is honest.

 

Referring to the Union government's mid-night decision to send CBI chief Alok Verma on indefinite leave last week, Kejriwal claimed Verma was "suspended" as Modi feared he was to register an FIR in connection with the deal and launch an investigation.

"It is a Rs 36,000-crore fighter aircraft scam. An honest CBI chief was removed at 3 am as he wanted to lodge FIR against the prime minister the next morning. The prime minister should not be afraid of a CBI probe, if he is honest," Kejriwal said at a public meeting in Jaipur in poll-bound Rajasthan.

His supporters chanted that Modi is a "thief".

Verma was sent on leave after a feud erupted between him and his deputy, Special Director Rakesh Asthana, with the government saying the decision was taken to protect institutional integrity of the agency.

The government has also repeatedly denied allegations of corruption in the Rafale deal.

Referring to himself, Kejriwal said the people of New Delhi can proudly say that their chief minister is honest. Can they say the prime minister is "honest", he asked the crowd.

"The CBI conducted raid at my residence. I cooperated with the sleuths, offered them tea and sweets. All they found were four mufflers. People of the New Delhi can proudly say their chief minister is honest," he said.

Kejriwal asked the people whether they have got quality education, better healthcare, free water and cheaper electricity under the rule of the BJP or the Congress, whom they have voted to power in Rajasthan alternately in recent elections.

Making a case for his AAP, he suggested to the people that they should vote for the party, like the people of Delhi have done, and dislodge both BJP and Congress from governance in Rajasthan. -- PTI

A sub-inspector of Jammu and Kashmir Police on his way home was shot dead by terrorists in Pulwama district in South Kashmir on Sunday, officials said.

 

The body of sub-inspector Imtiyaz Ahmad Mir, who was posted with the CID in Srinagar's Sheergadi, was recovered from the Chewa Kalan area of the district, the officials said.

 

He was targeted when he was returning home, they said.

 

The police have registered a case and investigating has been taken up, the officials said. -- PTI  

Around 80 women suspected to be members of an all-female Islamic State terror cell are believed to be on their way back to the United Kingdom, many with children, after being detained in Syria following the collapse of the dreaded terror group.

Two sisters from east London, a white convert daughter of a former British Army paratrooper and an IT graduate whose mother works  in the state-funded National Health Service (NHS) are part of the alleged cell, which is linked to some of the world's most infamous terrorists, according to an investigation by The Sunday Times.

"The vast majority of those returning to Britain from Syria are women and children," an unnamed UK security service official was quoted as saying.

"The more concerning cases particularly the men have not been returning. But we will speak to everyone because they may have been involved in terrorist activity," the official said.

One of the women has reportedly told relatives in Britain that as many as 80 British women and children expect to return imminently, while others will be home by the end of the year. 

She said she recently had her British passport handed back and that British officials had issued her child with new travel documents. She also expects to be DNA-tested to prove she is the child's mother.

The disclosure comes as Britain and other European governments face growing pressure to repatriate the jihadi brides from detention camps in northern Syria controlled by Kurdish forces. 

The joint investigation by The Sunday Times and Sabado, a Portuguese news magazine, has identified up to six women from Britain who married into a notorious cell of fighters from east London linked to Mohammed Emwazi, known as Jihadi John. 

They and other female returnees face arrest on their arrival, as well as possibly having their children removed. But UK government officials concede that successful prosecutions could prove problematic because of the difficulty in "collecting evidence in theatre".

At least 900 British Muslims, including up to 150 women, are believed to have travelled to join jihadist groups in Syria and Iraq.

Officials say about 360 Britons remain in the region and are of "national security concern". -- PTI 

Bahujan Samaj Party president Mayawati Sunday condemned Bharatiya Janata Party chief Amit Shah's remarks on the Sabarimala verdict, saying the court should take cognisance of the "irresponsible and provocative statement".

   

In a statement, the BSP supremo said that Shah's remarks showed "the democracy of the country is in danger".

 

Addressing a gathering in Kerala's Kannur on Saturday, Shah listed court verdicts which have not been implemented, including on 'Jallikattu' (traditional bull taming sport of Tamil Nadu) and prohibiting loudspeakers in mosques, and said "impractical" directions should not be given by courts and they should pass orders that can be implemented.

 

"The statement of the ruling party president is condemnable and irresponsible. Court should take cognisance. It shows the democracy of the country is in danger. Autonomous institutions such as CBI, CVC, ED and RBI are facing crisis due to wrong perspective of the government and ego," Mayawati said.

"On this serious matter of Sabrimala temple, BJP leader's speech is provocative and an attempt to take political mileage in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan polls," she said, terming it "unconstitutional and unparliamentary".

 

"If the BJP is not satisfied with the SC decision allowing women's entry into the temple, they should approach court and not create chaos on roads or threaten to dismiss elected government," Mayawati said, adding that the BJP wanted to divert attention of the people from core issues by raking up religious matters.

On September 28, the Supreme Court paved the way for entry of women of all ages into the Ayyappa temple at Sabarimala in Kerala.

 

A five-judge constitution bench headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra, in its 4:1 verdict, said that banning the entry of women of menstrual age into the shrine is gender discrimination and the practice violates rights of Hindu women. -- PTI 

Comedy star Jim Carrey took a sly dig at current United States government and President Donald Trump saying people need to understand that being "shameless" does not make a nation superpower. 

 

The 56-year-old star, who was presented with the Charlie Chaplin Britannia Award for Excellence in Comedy, however, did not mention Trump's name in his acceptance speech. 

"We need to be clear: Shamelessness is not, and will never be a superpower. It is the mark of a villain, kidnapping children is not what great nations do. One half of America at this moment believes there is a sinister deep state diabolically plotting to what? Give them healthcare? We in America are misinformed. 

"Reality shows have warped our idea of what a hero is or what the truth is so tonight I'd like to dedicate this award to those who remind us of our virtues, who remind us of the truth, to Sir Charles Chaplin, who battled McCarthyism into exile, to Christopher Steele who tried to pull a thorn out of the paw of an ungrateful beast, to Christine Blasey Ford (and) to Colin Kaepernick. He'll stand for the anthem when the anthem stands for him," Carrey said. 

The actor concluded saying he was not his usual funny self in the speech because his aim was to "get the balance back". 

"Dumb and Dumber" director Peter Farrelly presented the award to Carrey. -- PTI    

Congress MP Shashi Tharoor has once again triggered a controversy a new analogy on Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Speaking at the Bengaluru Literature festival, Tharoor said he recalls an old news article where an "unnamed RSS source" had compared Modi with a scorpion sitting on a Shiv Linga.

"There's an extraordinarily striking metaphor expressed by an unnamed RSS source to a journalist. The RSS source said Modi is like a scorpion sitting on a Shiv Linga. You cannot remove him with your hand and you cannot hit it with a chappal (slipper) either," he said.

Tharoor claimed that this quote of the unnamed RSS source was quoted in a news article that he had read some years ago.

Elaborating on the metaphor, Tharoor said, "If you think about it, it is a very profound understanding of the relationship. If you remove a scorpion with your hand, you will get stung very badly. But if you hit a Shiv Linga with a slipper, you undermine all the sacred tenets of the faith you all know on which the scorpion is sitting on."

Tharoor said this may well be "an interesting clue" to the complex dynamics that exists between the Hindutva movement and the Moditva expression of it.

Meanwhile, Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad demanded an apology from Congress chief Rahul Gandhi. 

"Rahul Gandhi, you claim yourself be to a Shiv bhakt (devotee). Please reply to this very horrific denunciation of Lord Mahadev," the minister said.

After 'Hindu Pakistan', now Tharoor slams BJP with 'Taliban in Hinduism' jibe

Tharoor had recently courted a huge controversy with remarks that the BJP, if voted to power again, will rewrite the Constitution and pave the way for creation of a "Hindu Pakistan".

India needs to behave "differently, more decisively and punitively" in the face of international transgressions of its interests, former foreign secretary S Jaishankar said Sunday.

 

Speaking on the "Agenda for Global Aspirations of India" at the India Ideas Conclave here, the former diplomat cited names of world leaders such as US president Donald Trump to state that the world was becoming increasingly nationalistic.

"In a world becoming increasingly nationalistic, you cannot play well without a strong nationalistic leader," he said.

Jaishankar stressed that India should continue to play its role in shaping the agenda on world issues like it did on environment pollution and terrorism.

He also asserted that India needs to make difficult choices on regional and international matters if it wants to realise its global aspirations.

"It is important for this country to behave differently, more decisively and punitively when the occasion warrants," he said when asked about how to deal with international transgressions, which some countries such Israel have done effectively.

The ex-foreign secretary said in past two years a "willingness" to deal with such matters was visible.

"Historically, we tend to be mistaken towards inaction. We tend to be in a difficult situation and then say the risks of action are so high, let us not do it and find a more engaging way. We are trying to get over it," he said.

The traditional concepts are no longer effective in guiding policy making, he said and added "world believes you if you live up to your aspirations".

"A country which can not protect itself or seen to be protecting itself and seen to be exacting a price from those who harm it... There is a credibility issue there," Jaishankar said. -- PTI  

Sri Lankan Parliament's Speaker Karu Jayasuriya on Sunday recognised Ranil Wickremesinghe as the country's prime minister in a major relief to the embattled UNP leader, who was sacked as the premier by President Maithripala Sirisena.

   

In a letter to Sirisena, Jayasuriya questioned Sirisena's decision to suspend the House till November 16, saying it will have "serious and undesirable" consequences on the country.

 

He asked the president to restore Wickremesinghe's privileges as the leader of the government who has "obtained a mandate to secure democracy and good governance".

The speaker said a prorogation of Parliament should be one in consultation with the speaker.

"In this context continuing the prorogation of parliament until November 16 will have serious and undesirable consequences for our country and I kindly request you to reconsider same. 

 

"I consider it is my duty to draw your attention to the convention that a prorogation should be one in consultation with the speaker," Jayasuriya said.

The speaker also questioned Sirisena's decision to withdraw the security of Wickremesinghe.

Jayasuriya reminded Sirisena of certain forcible takeovers of state institutions since former strongman Rajapaksa was named Wickremesinghe's successor by the president on Friday night. -- PTI  

Former Chhattisgarh chief minister Ajit Jogi has said though he will fight the Congress tooth and nail in the upcoming state assembly polls, he will not speak against the Gandhi family, with whom he shared warm relations during his long tenure in the grand old party.

The real contest in next month's state assembly polls would be between his party, the Janta Congress Chhattisgarh, which has formed an alliance with the Mayawati-led Bahujan Samaj Party, and the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, Jogi told PTI.

"I have left the Congress and will campaign against the party in the assembly election, but will not speak against the Gandhi family, which has always loved me," he said.

Jogi was the first chief minister of Chhattisgarh after the state was carved out of Madhya Pradesh. He was then with the Congress.

Jogi left the Congress in 2016 and floated his own party.

Asked about the allegations against United Progressive Alliance chairperson Sonia Gandhi's son-in-law Robert Vadra, the veteran leader said, "I will not speak anything against any member of the Gandhi family even during elections. I have shared warm relations with the family for decades."

The four members of the Jogi family belong to three political parties. While Jogi and his son are in the JCC-J, Jogi's wife and daughter-in-law are in the Congress and the BSP respectively.

Hitting out at the Congress, Jogi said it was a spent force which was nowhere in the contest in Chhattisgarh.

"The Congress neither has any face nor any organisation in the state. It has no leader and has become useless," he said, while asserting that the fight in the upcoming polls was between his party and the BJP.

"It is a one-on-one contest between the JCCJ-BSP alliance and the ruling BJP and we will definitely win the election," Jogi said.

He maintained that he was the chief ministerial face of the alliance, but added that he had still not decided whether to contest the assembly polls or not.

"We are fighting the Congress and the BJP tooth and nail and our alliance will severely harm the poll prospects of both parties," Jogi said. -- PTI

Union Minister for Railways Piyush Goyal on Saturday said that the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led central government has changed the functioning of the Indian Railways and removed the railway budget as it was being used as a 'political tool'.

"There has been a dramatic shift both in concept and execution of policies by this government as compared to the previous governments over the years. Over the last 65 years, every railways budget that came in was a political tool, based on which elections were fought and promises were made," Goyal said while addressing the India Ideas Conclave 2018 in New Delhi.

"Prime Minister Narendra Modi changed the functioning of the railways. We got rid of the railway budget to remove political interference and started prioritising what is good for India instead of any political class of people. The investments made over the past four-and-a-half years reflect a huge focus on three aspects: Safety, Passenger Services and lastly Returns on Investment," he added.

The Union minister further stated that Modi has focused on a variety of programs that not only provide inclusive and sustainable growth but make India a power to be reckoned with on an international stage. -- ANI

Prime Minister Narendra Modi today Sunday credited Sardar Valabhbhai Patel with uniting India after partition and said it was his timely intervention which helped save Jammu and Kashmir from "aggression".

 

In his monthly 'Mann ki Baat' radio address, he also urged the youth to participate in large numbers in the 'run for unity' being organised on October 31 to mark the birth anniversary of Patel.

Modi said, "If we are able to see a united India now, it was entirely on account of the sagacity and strategic wisdom of Sardar Patel."

He said this year, October 31 will be special as the statue of unity will be dedicated to the nation as a "true tribute" to Sardar Patel

Erected on the banks of the River Narmada in Gujarat, the structure is twice the height of the Statue of Liberty in the United States. 

 

"This is the world's tallest statue. Every Indian will now be proud to see the world's tallest statue here on Indian soil. Sardar Patel, a true son of the soil will adorn our skies too," he said.

 

Modi will be dedicating the statue on coming Wednesday.

 

He hoped that the statue will become a new tourist destination.

 

In his address, the prime minister also paid tributes to late Prime Minister Indira Gandhi on her death anniversary, which is also on October 31.

 

"October 31 also is the death anniversary of our former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. Our respectful tributes to Indira ji too," he said.

The prime minister pointed out that Infantry Day is observed every year on October 27 as the first Indian soldiers had set their foot in Jammu and Kashmir to take on intruders from Pakistan.

 

Quoting late Field Marshal S H F J Manekshaw, he said Patel was "irked" at the delay in initiating military action to evict the aggressors.  

 

He said, in an interview Manekshaw had recalled that as a colonel then he was part of a meeting where Patel was irked on the delay in sending troops to Kashmir.

"During the proceedings, Sardar Patel gave him (Manekshaw) a characteristic glance and reiterated that there should be no delay in our Army operation and that a solution should be sought swiftly. And immediately after that, our troops flew to Kashmir.we've seen how our Army was successful," Modi said.

He recalled that in January, 1947 the Time magazine had profiled Patel and described him as a person who possessed the capability to unite the country and "heal wounds". 

 

Mahatma Gandhi, the PM said, considered Patel as the only one capable of finding a lasting solution to the vexed issue of the states and asked him to act. 

 

"Sardar Patel formulated solutions one by one, weaving the warp and weft of unity on the axis of a single thread. He ensured the merger of all princely states with the Dominion of India. Whether Junagadh, Hyderabad, Travancore, or for that matter the princely states of Rajasthan, if we are able to see a united India now, it was entirely on account of the sagacity and strategic wisdom of Sardar Patel," Modi said. -- PTI 

The body of a minor girl was found stuffed in a trolley bag at a roadside near Yamuna Biodiversity Park in New Delhi on Sunday, a police official said.

   

Police were informed about the incident at 7.30 am and a team from the Timarpur police station visited the spot, the official said.

 

When police opened the unclaimed bag, the body of an almost eight to nine-year-old girl was found, Deputy Commissioner of Police (north) Nupur Prasad said.

 

The police spotted a strangulation mark on the neck of the victim, she said.

 

The body was taken to the Aruna Asaf Ali Hospital.

 

Police are also scanning through profiles of missing girls and trying to identify the deceased, the DCP said. -- PTI 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi presented his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe two handcrafted stone bowls and dhurries made from rose quartz and yellow quartz stone sourced from Rajasthan.

   

A Jodhpuri wooden chest from Rajasthan with traditional work was also presented, an official said.

The gifts were specially crafted on the occasion of Modi's visit to Japan for the two-day India-Japan annual summit. 

The bowls were crafted by master artisan Shabbirhusen Ibrahimbhai Shaikh of Gujarat's Khambhat region, which is known for its practice of stone craft since generations and is also a leading hub for exports of stone products from India. 

"The uniqueness of this craft lies in the fact that the form of the product is scooped out from a block of stone, and then shaped and refined using basic hand tools generally without any lathe machines," the official said. 

Hand-woven by the master weavers of Mirzapur in Uttar Pradesh, the dhurrie designs show the diversity of possibilities available -- from a symmetrical repeating geometric tessellation in one, to stylistic floral motifs arranged around the classical medallion pattern in another. 

"The dhurries use two distinctive Indian colour palettes. While one uses Indigo blues, reds and sprinkles of turmeric yellows, the identifying colours that have marked Indian textiles for centuries, the other uses the muted earthy tones of the Indian landscape," the official said. 

The stone bowls and dhurries were made under the design supervision of the prestigious Ahmedabad-based National Institute of Design. -- PTI 

India on Sunday said it was closely following the political developments in Sri Lanka and hoped that democratic values and constitutional process would be respected in the island nation.

 

In fast paced political developments, Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena suspended Parliament on Saturday, a day after sacking Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and naming Mahinda Rajapaksa as the new prime minister.

"India is closely following the recent political developments in Sri Lanka. As a democracy and a close friendly neighbour, we hope that democratic values and constitutional process will be respected," external affairs ministry Spokeperson Raveesh Kumar said. 

He said India will continue to extend its developmental assistance to the friendly people of Sri Lanka.

India has been involved in a number of projects in the island nation.

Sirisena on Saturday suspended Parliament till November 16 after Wickremesinghe sought an emergency session to prove his majority. Former president Rajapaksa was sworn in as the country's new PM on Friday.

The political turmoil came amid growing tensions between Sirisena and Wickremesinghe on several policy matters.

Reacting sharply to his sacking, Wickremesinghe asserted that the swearing-in of Rajapaksa is "illegal and unconstitutional" and he will prove his majority in Parliament. -- PTI

The finance ministry has sought inputs from different central ministries for Arun Jaitley's budget speech, which would be the last budget of the current Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance government before the 2019 general polls.

   

Earlier this month, the ministry began the budgetary exercise for 2019-20. 

During the process, meetings will be held with ministries of steel, power, and housing and urban development to finalise revised expenditure for the current fiscal and projections for the next financial year.

 

The meetings are scheduled to continue till November 16.

The finance ministry has requested the ministries to send material related with their departments that may merit inclusion in the finance minister's budget speech for 2019-20 by November 15, according to a communication by the finance ministry to all secretaries.

 

In view of the upcoming general elections, the government is likely to come out with an interim budget also referred to as vote-on-account.

 

The general budget is presented on February 1.

 

Finance Minister Jaitley is scheduled to present his 6th consecutive budget.  

 

As per practice, a vote-on-account or approval for essential government spending for a limited period is taken in an election year and a full-fledged budget presented by the new government.

 

While P Chidambaram had presented the previous UPA government's vote-on-account in February 2014, Jaitley presented a full budget in July that year. 

Narendra Modi-led government scrapped a colonial-era tradition of presenting the budget at the end of February.

 

With the preponement of budget, ministries are now allocated their budgeted funds from the start of the financial year beginning April.

 

This gives government departments more leeway to spend as well as allow companies time to adapt to business and taxation plans.

 

Previously, when the budget was presented at the end of February, the three-stage Parliament approval process used to get completed some time in mid-May, weeks ahead of the onset of monsoon rains.

 

This meant government departments would start spending on projects only from August-end or September after the monsoon season ended. -- PTI   

Activist Rahul Easwar has been arrested by the Kerala Police for allegedly making provocative statement on the Sabarimala issue.

"I am being arrested now by kerala police," Easwar said on Twitter.

"Police not allowed me to take breakfast, 1st promised that they will take me to kims hospital. Changed promise and taking me to central police station near high court kochi. Is this not human rights violation," he siad in another tweet

Earlier, a case was registered against Easwar for his statement that he had a contingency plan to force the closure of Sabarimala temple by spilling blood on its premises by some devotees in case any woman in the 'barred' age group managed to reach it.

He has been charged under IPC Section 153 (Wantonly giving provocation with intent to cause riot).

Easwar had claimed that 20 Lord Ayyappa devotees opposing the entry of women in the age group of 10 and 50 were ready to inflict knife injuries on themselves on the temple premises which would have forced the priests to close the gates on account of impurity.

     

"Had their blood fallen on the floor of the temple, that would have forced the priests to shut the shrine for three days for purification rituals," Easwar, President of the 'Ayyappa Dharma Sena', had told reporters in Kochi.

Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan's former wife and British-Pakistani journalist Reham Khan on Saturday asserted that there is no democracy in the country at the moment and it is more of martial law that is governing the nation.

"The way we are being told that dams will be built. Then they say they have brought money. What type of democracy is this where without asking people, without taking their suggestion, without taking parliament in confidence, the decisions are being made.

"This is not democracy; I think they should accept that there is naked martial law in Pakistan, she said.

Criticising her ex-husband for allegedly talking about Pakistan's poverty at an international platform, she said, "It is a very unfortunate situation in Pakistan nowadays.

Prime minister going to Saudi Arabia and openly telling about Pakistan's situation and saying that there is no money in the country. I believe no one who does a business or is an investor, insults their own country or venture at an international platform.

"Reham further demanded that there should be a discussion in parliament regarding the same.

"The way we have received these funds through begging and on what terms we have got it must be discussed in parliament. If Nawaz Sharif would have done so and have not discussed it with parliament, the situation would have been different, the 45-year-old journalist said.

During a public address on Wednesday, Prime Minister Imran Khan had thanked Saudi Arabia for easing the pressure on Pakistan by extending financial help to the cash-strapped nation.  -- ANI

United States President Donald Trump has reportedly declined India's invitation to be the chief guest at the Republic Day celebrations, a report in NDTV says.

The report says that for the last few days, US officials have been indicating that Trump would not fly to India in January as the State of the Union address is scheduled in the winter month.

However, the ministry of external affairs has not released any statement in this regard so far.

The American embassy in New Delhi said only the White House can talk on the President's travel plans.

In early August, White House press secretary Sarah Sanders had confirmed that Trump received an invitation to visit India.

Read the full report HERE

Prime Minister Narendra Modi meets Japan Prime Minister Shinzo Abe at hotel Mount Fuji in Yamanashi.

PM Modi is on a two-day visit to Japan and will attend the 13th India-Japan Annual Summit.  -- ANI

The midnight clampdown by the Narendra Modi government on the Lodhi Road headquarters of the Central Bureau of Investigation, sending director Alok Verma and special director Rakesh Asthana on leave, has shaken the power balance at many levels and in many ways in New Delhi.

First of all, the brute action was designed to show Prime Minister Modi's fabled grip on the bureaucracy.

However, even those who supported the clampdown totally, think that the inevitable action came too late in the day.

CBI's own senior officers have inflicted a huge damage to the agency, leaving other officers wondering how to salvage a situation where the country's premier anti-corruption agency has come to be seen as completely corrupt.

Those who opposed any harsh action by government on a so-called independent institution like CBI, think that under Narendra Modi's watch the institution further lost its remaining credibility, for which the Prime Minister's Office cannot escape blame.

Union Minister for Road, Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari on Saturday said India is a 'rich nation with a poor population' as those who ruled the country earlier benefitted their own families

"Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is not one family's party. It is not a party which does politics on basis of caste, religion, language. Atal Bihari Vajpayee ji was our tallest leader, but BJP was never identified with his or L K Advani ji's name... Today there is Prime Minister Narendra Modi ji and Amit Shah ji. Leadership has kept changing, but this party has never run on any particular person's name. This party functions on the basis of thinking and principles," Gadkari said while addressing the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) in Hyderabad.

"We are a rich nation with a poor population. Those who ruled benefitted their own families. Prime Minister gave birth to a Prime Minister, Chief Minister gave birth to a Chief Minister and so on... Democracy is close to being non-existent. We have to change this," he added.

Gadkari further stated said development of sectors like agriculture, industry, and services are key essentials for any nation to progress.  -- ANI 

Former Delhi chief minister Madan Lal Khurana passed away in New Delhi on Saturday after a prolonged illness, his family said.

Khurana, who was 82, is survived by his wife, a son and two daughters. His another son had died last month.

A veteran of the Bharatiya Janata Party, Khurana was the chief minister of Delhi from 1993 to 1996 and was appointed the governor of Rajasthan in 2004.

"He breathed his last at around 11 pm at his Kirti Nagar residence here," his son Harish Khurana told PTI.

He said Khurana was suffering from a chest infection and fever from last few days and was feeling breathless since Saturday morning, he said.

He had suffered a brain haemorrhage about five years ago and was ailing since then.

His last rites would be held on Sunday, his family said.

BJP chief Amit Shah condoled the BJP leader's death.

'Learnt of the unfortunate demise of former Delhi chief minister and BJP leader Madan Lal Khurana. He will be remembered as an ideal swayamsewak and a dedicated Vidhyarti Parishad worker and a strong pillar of the Jan Sangh and the BJP,' Shah tweeted.

He had a key role in strengthening the organisation in Delhi and was popular as the 'lion of Delhi', he said.

'On behalf of crores of BJP workers, I convey my condolences to the family of Khurana ji and pray for peace of the departed soul,' Shah said.

Textiles Minister Smriti Irani tweeted, 'Saddened by the demise of Madan Lal Khurana ji. As an elder he was a guide with an ever supportive outlook and kind words to spare. My condolences to his loved ones.'

Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari expressed grief over Khurana's death, saying his contribution to the development of Delhi would be remembered.

Union minister Harsh Vardhan also offered his condolences.

'My heartfelt condolences to the BJP parivar and the family of our beloved former chief minister of Delhi & veteran BJP leader Shri Madan Lal Khurana ji who passed away today after prolonged illness. My thoughts and prayers are with his near & dear ones. May his soul rest in peace,' he said.  -- PTI