Congress leader Shashi Tharoor said that the Bharatiya Janata Party-led government should reconsider on what grounds they wanted to talk about the Indian economy, citing the recent Reserve Bank of India report that stated 99.3 per cent of the demonetised currency notes were back to the banking system.

He said, "People were made to go through such difficulty because of demonetisation, and 99.3 per cent of the demonetised currency is back, does the government have any answer as to why people were made to suffer?"

He further underscored that the economic indicators reflect that the Indian economy is suffering under the regime of the National Democratic Alliance. 

Tharoor said, "When you see the Gross Domestic Product figures, you notice that the growth was more under the United Progressive Alliance than under the NDA. Look at all the figures, such as inflation. Even the price of gas cylinders has increased. On what grounds does the government want to talk on economy? We are ready to talk. We think the last four years had not been good for the country. "Acche Din" was only for the people who were getting the money, not the one who was spending."

Patidar leader Hardik Patel unveiled his "will" Sunday, the ninth day of his indefinite fast demanding reservation for the community and farm loan waiver.

  

The quota leader has divided his property among his parents, a sister, 14 youths killed during the quota agitation in 2015 and a' Panjrapole' (shelter for ill and old cows) near his village, a Patidar leader said.

"Hardik Patel has expressed his wish to donate his eyes in case of his death," Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti spokesperson Manoj Panara told reporters at Hardik's residence near Ahmedabad where he has been observing fast since August 25.

While leaders and representatives from various political parties, including the Trinamool Congress, Nationalist Congress Party and Rashtriya Janata Dal, have visited the 25-year-old quota spearhead in the last nine days, the BJP government has so far not intervened.

Outbreak of water borne diseases in Kerala have claimed seven lives since August 29, prompting the state government to issue an alert to the people

to maintain extra vigil.

    

Three people died of leptospirosis (rat fever) on Sunday, health officials said adding number of fever cases were also on the rise.

    

Around 350 people with suspected symptoms of leptospirosis took treatment in different parts of the state, and out of this more than 150 cases were tested positive in the last five days, health officials said.

    

Most cases of leptospirosis were reported from Kozhikode and Malappuram districts.

Former President Pranab Mukherjee on Sunday inaugurated projects under the Smartgram Yojana along with Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar in Gurugram, two days after his office categorically denied there were plans between his foundation and the RSS to collaborate on social projects.

Under the Smartgram Yojana, Mukherjee had adopted villages in Alipur, Daula, Harchandpur, Tajpur and Roz Ka Meo (in Mewat) in 2016 to create affordable and effective infrastructure for the rural population.

On August 31, the former president brushed aside reports that the Pranab Mukherjee Foundation may collaborate with the RSS in Haryana to launch a series of projects and that he had invited several junior and senior RSS workers for Sundays event.

In a statement issued by his office, Mukherjee categorically clarified that there is neither any existing collaboration nor is there any such move in the offing. He said he would visit Gurugram at the invitation of the Haryana government to inaugurate a series of projects which began two years ago.

British Prime Minister Theresa May has ruled out a second referendum on Britain's exit from the European Union, saying it would be a "gross betrayal" of democracy.

May said she would not "give in to those who want to re-open the whole question with a second referendum," adding that "to ask the question all over again would be a gross betrayal of our democracy -- and a betrayal of that trust."

Her comments came after "the People's Vote" campaign group, which is calling for a second Brexit referendum, recently secured a $1.3 million donation from British fashion mogul Julian Dunkerton.

UK voters in June 2016 voted yes in a referendum to leave the European Union, more than four decades after joining. Brexit is due to take place on March 29, 2019, followed by a 21-month transition period when the divorce comes into effect.

All 21 people on board a Nepalese passenger plane had a miraculous escape when the aircraft skidded off the recently repaired runway of the Nepal's international airport here and got stuck in a grassy field nearby, officials said Sunday.

The Tribhuvan International Airport was closed for some 12-hours that left thousands of people stranded after a Yeti Airlines aircraft skidded off its runway on Saturday night.

All passengers and crew members on board were safe in the incident that brought the airport services to a halt, forcing inbound aircraft to be diverted to New Delhi, Dhaka and Lucknow, the Himalayan Times reported.

The Jetstream 41 was carrying 21 passengers from Nepalgunj to Kathmandu.

Normal operation of domestic and international flights has resumed at 8:25 am Sunday after almost 12 hours, according to a TIA duty officer. The Yeti airlines aircraft that slipped to the grassy field adjoining the runaway has been removed to the parking lot.

After skidding off the runway, the aircraft had reached the grassy field nearby.

Bodies of 14 newborns in a various stages of decomposition were found wrapped in plastic bags in a vacant land in Haridebpur area in southern Kolkata during a cleaning programme on Sunday, police said.

  

The bodies wrapped in plastic bags were found on the grassy land on Raja Rammohan Roy Sarani under the Haridebpur Police station area when labourers were cleaning it, a senior officer of Kolkata Police said.

"Some abortion racket operating nearby could be behind it," he said.

Some of the bodies appeared to be in a semi-decomposed state, while a few were fully decomposed, the officer said.

"We have no clue where from they (the bodies) have come. Going by circumstantial evidences, it seems that they were dumped there as the land was lying abandoned," the officer said.

City Mayor Sovan Chatterjee and Commissioner of Police Rajeev Kumar have reached the spot on receiving information. 

Expelled Dravida Munnetra Kazagham leader MK Alagiri on Sunday asserted that he will definitely hold a rally at his late father M Karunanidhi's memorial on September 5.

"I am the son of Karunanidhi. I do what I say," Alagiri told reporters when asked about the rally.

On August 25, Alagiri, the elder son of Karunanidhi, had said that his rally on September 5 would be a threat to the DMK.

"Yes definitely, it (rally) will be a threat. I have never aspired for any post in the party ever, even when Karunanidhi was alive. Stalin is in a haste to claim the presidency," said Alagiri, who was ousted from the party in 2014.

The political battle between the brothers intensified after Alagiri on August 13 claimed that his father's "true relatives" were on his side.

However, Stalin, in a clear majority, was elected as the party president by the DMK general council on August 28. 

The Telangana cabinet met in Hyderabad on Sunday amid speculation that Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao plans to dissolve the assembly and hold early elections in the state but it ended without taking a decision on the issue.

There will be another cabinet meeting soon to take more decisions, Deputy Chief Minister Kadiam Srihari was quoted as saying when he was asked the cabinet discussed dissolving the assembly.

The hour-long meeting at the Pragati Bhavan, the chief ministers official residence, decided to construct a community building for backward classes on 75 acres of land in Hyderabad at a cost of Rs 70 crore.

Telangana Rashtra Samithi leaders had earlier said KCR, as the chief minister is called popularly, will announce the cabinets decisions later in the day at a public meeting called Pragathi Nivedana Sabha near Hyderabad.

TRS workers carrying pink flags and wearing pink scarves -- the partys colours -- gathered at the rally in Ranga Reddy district. The party claims that 25 lakh people will attend the rally, making it the biggest mobilisation of people by any political party in India.

Iconic Irish rock band U2 called off a performance in Berlin  saying the lead singer, Bono had "suffered a complete loss of voice".

  

According to CNN, the group issued a statement, signed by Adam Clayton, Larry Mullen and The Edge, said they are seeking medical advice.

"We don't know what has happened and we're taking medical advice. We're so sorry for tonight's cancellation. 

"Bono was in great form and great voice prior to the show and we were all looking forward to the second night in Berlin, but after a few songs, he suffered a complete loss of voice," the statement said.

The band members said they will keep their fans in the loop about another gig which would be arranged.

"As always, we appreciate our audience's understanding and all our fans' support in Berlin and those who traveled from afar. We will update you very soon," the statement added.

The Mercedes Benz Arena, where U2 performed August 31 and September 1 as part of its eXPERIENCE & iNNOCENCE tour, tweeted: "Get well soon, Bono."

U2 is on tour until November 10 and is next due to perform September 4 at Cologne in Germany. 

Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman met Satya Pal Malik, the Governor of Jammu and Kashmir in Srinagar on Sunday. 

Sitharaman and the Army chief General Bipin Rawat, flew down to the state capital this morning. The governor, union minister and the army chief discussed the security situation in the state.

The defence minister, in her day-long trip to Srinagar, visited the Balbir forward post in the state along with General Rawat. She met the troops of the 28th Infantry Division.

Jammu and Kashmir has been under Governor's Rule since the BJP-PDP coalition collapsed in June. Sources say, Sitharaman and the Governor took stock of security issues, in the wake of the announcement by the government, to hold local panchayat elections in the state. 

A GoAir plane flying from Bengaluru to Pune on Saturday had to make an emergency landing at the Bengaluru airport, minutes after taking off, due to engine shutdown midair.

Following the technical glitch, the plane was forced to make an emergency landing at the Bengaluru airport. While the plane was midair, the pilots were informed of the vibration in engine 1 which led to the oil chip detection alarm. And finally, the shutdown of engine 1 while the plane was still in midair. 

The GoAir flight G8-283 then made an emergency landing and all the passengers upon landing safely were accommodated in other flights. 

India is expected to convey to the United States during the upcoming 2+2 talks that it is going ahead with the Rs 40,000 crore deal with Russia to procure a batch of S-400 Triumf air defence missile systems, notwithstanding the American sanctions on military transactions with Moscow, official sources said Sunday.

  

They said India is likely to seek a waiver from the Trump administration for the mega deal, citing its requirement for the missile system in the wake of the evolving regional security architecture as well as considering its close defence ties with Russia.

India has almost concluded the S-400 missile deal with Russia, and we are going ahead with it. Our position on the issue will be conveyed to the US, said a high-level official source.

The US has imposed military sanctions against Russia under the stringent Countering Americas Adversaries Through Sanctions Act law for its annexation of Crimea as well as alleged meddling in the American presidential election in 2016.

CAATSA mandates the Donald Trump administration to punish entities and countries engaging in significant transaction with the defence or intelligence establishment of Russia.

Randall Schriver, the Pentagons senior official handling issues relating to Asia, said Thursday that the US cannot guarantee that India will be exempted from sanctions if it purchases weapons and defence systems from Russia. 

The US has been indicating that it does not want India to finalise the deal with Russia.

A designated PMLA authority has held that 41 properties worth about Rs 1,210 crore, attached by the Enforcement Directorate in the name of absconding diamond jeweller Mehul Choksi and his associated firms, are money laundering assets and ordered that their attachment should continue.

  

The central probe agency had provisionally attached 15 flats and 17 office premises in Mumbai, a mall in Kolkata, a four-acre farm house in Alibaug and 231 acres of land at locations like Nashik, Nagpur, Panvel in Maharashtra and Villupuram in Tamil Nadu, in February this year under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act in connection with the about $2 billion alleged fraud at a Mumbai-based branch of the Punjab National Bank.

"Considering the material in the original complaint (by the ED).. I find that immovable properties provisionally attached are all involved in money laundering.

"I, therefore, hereby confirm the attachment of properties...and order that the said attachment shall continue during investigation for a period not exceeding ninety days or the pendency of proceedings relating to any offence under the PMLA before a court and become final after an order of confiscation is passed by the special court," a recent order issued by Member (Law) of the Adjudicating Authority of the PMLA, Tushar V Shah, said in a recent order.

The Authority is a quasi-judicial body that adjudicates over PMLA attachment of assets made by the ED.

Official sources said the ED will now move to seize these properties and put up its possession signages at these locations.

Former president of Jawaharlal Nehru University Student Union Kanhaiya Kumar is all set to contest the 2019 Lok Sabha election from Bihar's Begusarai constituency. An informal understanding has been reached within the Left parties on his candidature.

Kanhaiya will contest the election on a ticket from the Communist Party of India. He is a native of Beehat panchayat in Begusarai district.

Kanhaiya was arrested in February 2016 by the Delhi Police after being accused of being involved in a controversial event in JNU wherein anti-India slogans were allegedly raised, a charge vehemently denied by Kanhaiya.

A general secretary of Bihar CPI, Satyanarayan Singh said, "All Left leaders from Bihar to Delhi are in favour of his candidature from Begusarai in the 2019 Lok Sabha election."

The Congress has asked the Narendra Modi government why it inked a deal with France's Dassault Aviation to buy just 36 aircraft when 126 fighter jets were required.

  

The party's national spokesperson, Priyanka Chautrvedi, asked if there's any urgency, why the government did not ask the French company to supply all the aircraft in one go.

"The first lot of the aircraft will be supplied in 2019 and the rest in 2022. If there is any urgency, the whole lot should have been supplied by 2019," she said.

Chaturvedi asked why the government is "afraid of a Joint Parliamentary Committee probe into the deal, if it's fair".

"A total of 126 aircraft were required, but the NDA government signed a pact for only 36 aircraft. This is strange," she said.

She alleged that the government "sacrificed the country's interests to favour a millionaire friend".

"How the cost per plane soared from Rs 526 crore to Rs 1,670 crore?

The prime minister should explain why the government ignored a public sector undertaking with a 70-year-long clean record and gave the contract to a 12-day-old company which lacks experience," she said.

The Congress leader said though the deal could not materialise during the UPA government's tenure, but it ensured transparency in all matters related to it.

A 20-year-old Muslim woman is set to become the first to wear a hijab in the Miss England finals, a media report said on Sunday.

  

Sara Iftekhar will walk on the ramp in the headscarf this week, hoping to get the crown.

Women have worn the hijab in qualifying rounds of the event, but Sara is the first to wear it for a final, Mirror reported.

The law student, who won Miss Huddersfield and Yorkshire's Miss Popularity round, said: "Everyone is beautiful in their own way, regardless of weight, race, colour or shape."

Hitting back at Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his remarks on loans given during the UPA rule, former Finance Minister P Chidambaram Sunday asked the NDA government to reveal the number of loans given by it which turned into non performing assets.

  

In a series of tweets, the senior Congress leader also questioned why the present dispensation did not recall those loans, given by the previous government, which turned bad.

"How many loans and how much that were given after May 2014 have become non-performing assets?," he said.

Chidambaram said this question was asked in Parliament but there was no answer so far.

The Modi government had assumed charge in May 2014.

Addressing an event, the PM on Saturday blamed the Congress-led UPA government for NPAs, saying action has been initiated against 12 large defaulters with a debt of nearly Rs 1.75 crore, who were given loans before 2014.

Modi said work has been on to recover around Rs 1 lakh crore from another 27 large loan accounts.

Chidambaram said even if it was assumed that the Prime Minister was right when he said that loans given under the UPA have turned bad, how many of those loans were renewed or rolled over (that is 'evergreened') under the present NDA government?

"Why were those loans not recalled? Why were those loans evergreened?," he asked.

The 245-page book with seven chapters titled 'Moving On.Moving Forward: A Year In Office' with 465 illustrations, brings out Naidu's mission of engagement on four key issues with various stakeholders across the country and is in alignment with the mission of a new India in the making.

Pune court gives cops 90 days to file chargesheet against activists. 

An FIR has been registered against former Congress president Sonia Gandhi's son-in-law Robert Vadra and four others in an alleged land-grab case in Gurugram that dates back to 2008.

Apart from Vadra, the FIR also named former Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Hooda, DLF Gurugram, and Onkareshwar Properties, Gurugram.

The FIR stated that Vadra's company, Sky Light Hospitality, allegedly purchased land in various places in Gurugram and sold them at exorbitant prices soon after.

A case has been registered under sections 120-B (Criminal Conspiracy), 420 (Cheating), 467 (Forgery), 468 (Forgery for purpose of cheating) and 471 (using as genuine a forged document) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), and Section 13 of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 (Criminal Misconduct by a public servant) in Kherki Daula police station of Haryana.

BJP leader Jawahar Yadav, while quoting the complainant, said that Vadra's company had allegedly paid over Rs 5.5 crore to Onkareshwar Properties to purchase land in Gurugam's Sector 83. However, a cheque for the same has not been deposited till date, he noted.

"One can surmise that there is a scam involved in the manner in which the Change of Lands Use permission was obtained. Even when the CLU was done, a statement was released from the then chief minister's office that Vadra was the director of this company. Surprisingly, an agreement was reached for the sale of this land for Rs 58 crore. This is not a personal fight; this is our collective fight against corruption. The BJP government in the state and centre will not tolerate corruption at any cost," he added.

However, Vadra, in a statement post the development, claimed that the FIR was filed to divert people from the "real issues."

"Election season, increase in oil prices.... so let's divert real people's issues with my decade-old issue. What's new," the statement read.

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan left for US on Sunday along with his wife for "medical treatment".

Sources at the chief minister's office said that 73-year-old Vijayan will undergo treatment at Mayo Clinic on September 3. 

He was originally scheduled to go for treatment on August 19 and return by the middle of this month, but had to postpone the trip due to the unexpected massive floods that ravaged the state and claimed more than 400 lives.

The CM had undergone a routine annual medical check up at Apollo Hospitals at Chennai on March 3.

A day before his journey, Vijayan called on Governor Justice  P Sathasivam and briefed him about his US visit. The CM also updated the Governor about the steps initiated by the government for rebuilding Kerala and for rehabilitation of the flood affected people, a release from the Raj Bhavan said.

A 27-year-old woman allegedly strangulated her seven-month-old daughter in southeast Delhi's Hazrat Nizammudin as she believed that the baby was responsible for her family's hardships, the police said on Saturday.

 

The incident took place on August 20 and the accused has been identified as Adiba Khan, they said.

Khan initially told the police that her daughter drowned in a bucket of water at their residence, DCP (southeast) Chinmoy Biswal said.

The accused said she and her husband rushed the baby to a hospital where she was declared brought dead, he added.

However, the post-mortem report stated that the cause of death was fatal pressure on the neck, the DCP said.

Police questioned Khan, who was in the house at the time of the incident.

On sustained interrogation, the woman confessed that she killed her daughter as she believed that her family was facing medical and financial issues since the baby was born, Biswal said.

Khan used a dupatta to strangulate the baby, he added.

After strangulating her daughter, the accused put her body inside a bucket of water to show that she died due to drowning, the DCP said.

Then she rushed to inform her husband, a tailor, at his shop. The duo rushed the baby to a hospital where she was declared brought dead, he said. -- PTI 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said he did not have an operational bank account before he became an MLA as he never had enough money.

   

Reminiscing his school days, Modi recounted how Dena Bank used to offer a scheme under which students were given a piggy bank and an account was opened for them.

 

"They gave one to me, but mine was always empty. Later, I left the village. The bank account continued and bank officials had to carry forward that account every year. The bank officials were looking for me to close the account," Modi said.

He recounted how the officials located him after 32 years and approached him for closing the account.

 

"After 32 years, they got to know I was at a particular place so the bank officials came there and said please sign, we need to close your account," he said adding that after he became MLA in Gujarat and started drawing a salary, he had to open an account.

 

"...before that, there was no (operational) account," he said during his speech at the launch of India Post Payments Bank. 

The prime minister on Saturday launched the payments bank of Indian postal department that will take banking to doorstep of every citizen through an unmatched network of post offices and almost 3 lakh postmen and 'Grameen Dak Sewaks'.

Taking note of the emotional connect of 'daakiyas' with the local communities, Modi said the faith of people on government may wobble, but certainly not in case of the postman.

"Decades ago, when a postman went from one village to another...dacoits and robbers would never attack the postman because they knew that he was probably carrying money sent via money order by a son (who worked in the city) for his mother in the village," he added. -- PTI 

An encounter is underway between security forces and terrorists in Shopian district in south Kashmir. 

Security forces had launched a search operation in Laddi Imamsahab village after receiving inputs of presence of terrorists in the area, news agency ANI said.

During the search operation, the terrorists opened fire at the search party, triggering a gun battle.

More details are awaited.

Former Attorney General of India Soli Sorabjee has hailed the Chief Justice of India's office's decision to propose the name of Justice Ranjan Gogoi as the next head of the judiciary of the country.

The CJI's office recommended Justice Gogoi's name on Saturday.

"He is the senior most judge after Justice Dipak Misra. So, he should take charge. I don't see any problem in that. There is nothing that will disqualify him from being the next Chief Justice. He is a very far-sighted judge. He keeps an open mind. He is a very fair judge. He is not at all bothered about what the government would feel. He is independent and that's what we want - independent, intelligent and courageous. That's what we want the Chief Justice of India to be and that's what Ranjan Gogoi is," Sorabjee told ANI.

Senior advocate KTS Tulsi also called it "great news."

"Firstly, it strengthens the judiciary. The convention is being followed. If it had not happened, it would have been a serious problem for not only the judiciary, but the state. I am glad that it is being done. Also, Justice Gogoi is one of the most outstanding judges that you could come across. He is an intuitive judge. He makes up his mind in a matter of seconds. But, he is always open to changing his view if you are able to convince him. He is a brilliant judge in all fields," Tulsi told ANI.

If appointed, Justice Gogoi, who is the second senior-most judge in the court, will be the 46th Chief Justice of India and will replace the incumbent Dipak Misra, who will retire on October 2 this year.

As per protocol, the sitting CJI has to name his successor, after which clearance has to be sought from the Centre and then the President of the country.

It may be noted that Justice Gogoi, along with the other Justices Jasti Chelameswar, Madan B Lokur and Kurian Joseph, revolted against CJI Misra, following which the apex court was thrown into its biggest ever crisis.

Born in 1954, Justice Gogoi was appointed as a permanent Judge of the Guwahati high court on February 28, 2001, and was elevated as a Supreme Court Judge on April 23, 2012. -- ANI

Prime Minister Narendra Modi today will release a book on experiences of M Venkaiah Naidu during his first year as vice president of India and chairman of Rajya Sabha.

   

The 245-page book titled Moving onMoving forward: A year in office brings out Naidu's "mission of engagement" on four key issues with various stakeholders across the country and its alignment with the mission of a new India in the making.

 

Naidu says in the book that his mission of exploring and shaping public discourse over four key issues took him on extensive travels across the country since he was sworn in as vice president on August 11 last year.

 

He identifies these core issues as; unrealised demographic dividend, need for an effective ecosystem for farmers to thrive and bridge the rural urban divide, orienting scientific advancements to better the life of the people, and enhancing public awareness about the rich Indian heritage and inculcating national pride in the country's pluralistic,  inclusive, harmonious world view.

 

Naidu records in the book his excitement over the new role: "I have assumed the office of the vice president at what seems like an interesting moment in the country's history. It is indeed a time of daunting challenges and a time of limitless opportunities.

 

"It is a time when the country is moving forward and I feel privileged to be in this position to serve the country and its people in a new role. It is a moment when the resolute political will to transform the country is finding resonance with the people.

 

"Clearly, there are many more miles to go. We must, as a nation, move on. We must move forward with persistence," he says in the book.

 

Referring to his role as the chairman of Rajya Sabha, Naidu said his dream was to facilitate meaningful debates in which members express their learned and considered views.

 

The chairman records his disappointment over the first two sessions of the House he presided but notes with optimism the new tidings witnessed during the monsoon session that concluded earlier this month.

 

The book has 465 illustrations and seven chapters, including a detailed one on various initiatives taken by him as chairman of Rajya Sabha and refers to the rapidly expanding viewership of RSTV. -- PTI 

Home, auto and other loans would become costlier as the country's largest leading lenders State Bank of India and ICICI banks on Saturday increased their benchmark lending rates or MCLR by up to 0.2 per cent.

   

The new rates will be effective from Saturday.

 

The country's largest lender State Bank of India has increased the lending rate by 20 basis points across all tenors up to three years. 

 

Now SBI's overnight and one-month tenors' Marginal Cost of Funds Based Lending Rate (MCLR) stands at 8.1 per cent as against 7.9 per cent, as per the SBI's website. 

The MCLR for a one-year tenor increased to 8.45 per cent from 8.25 per cent earlier. Most of the retail loans are benchmarked against one-year MCLR.

In case of ICICI Bank, the one-year MCLR was increased by 0.15 per cent to 8.55 per cent, the bank statement said.

 

The MCLR for a three-year tenor of SBI increased to 8.65 per cent from 8.45 per cent.

 

Both the banks had last revised their MCLR in June, just before the second bi-monthly monetary policy review 

 

The rate hike by bank comes a month after the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) hiked benchmark lending rate called repo rate by 25 basis points to 6.5 per cent.

 

The RBI had last raised the repo rate on June 6 by 0.25 per cent to 6.25 per cent. That increase was the first since January 28, 2014, when rates were hiked by a similar proportion to 8 per cent. -- PTI 

Referring to police allegations against the Left-wing activists arrested for 'Maoist links', Dalit leader Prakash Ambedkar on Saturday said why bullets were being used when only an insecticide was needed to "kill rats".

 

His comments come a day after Maharashtra police revealed excerpts from letters allegedly hinting at a plot to assassinate Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

"Does the letter anywhere talk about killing the prime minister? It only spoke of a 'Rajiv Gandhi-style (incident)'. But you added prime minister to it. Only a Tik-20 is needed to kill rats, not bullets," Ambedkar told reporters.

A former MP and chief of Bahujan Mahasangh, Ambedkar is the grandson of Dr B R Ambedkar.

At a press conference in Mumbai on Friday, Additional Director General of Police Param Bir Singh had read out some letters purportedly exchanged between some of the accused.

An email between Rona Wilson, an activist arrested in June, and a Maoist leader, spoke of a "Rajiv Gandhi-type event to end Modi-raj", Singh had said.

"Comrade Kishen and a few other comrades have proposed concrete steps to end the Modi raj. We are thinking along the lines of another Rajiv Gandhi-like incident," Singh quoted the email as saying.

The police have "conclusive proof" to link the arrested Left-wing activists to the Maoists, the ADG had said.

On August 28, the Pune police arrested Varavara Rao in Hyderabad, Vernon Gonsalves and Arun Ferreira in Mumbai, Sudha Bharadwaj in Faridabad and Gautam Navalakha in Delhi.

The raids were carried out as part of a probe into the Elgaar Parishad conclave in Pune on December 31 last year, which allegedly triggered violence at Koregaon-Bhima in the district the next day. -- PTI 

The Pentagon has sought Congressional determination to reprogramme USD 300 million of its Coalition Support Fund for Pakistan because of the latter's "lack of" decisive actions in support of the South Asia Strategy.

"Due to a lack of Pakistani decisive actions in support of the South Asia Strategy, the remaining USD 300 million (actually USD 323.6 million to include non-Pakistan funds) was reprogrammed by DoD in the June/July 2018 time frame for other urgent priorities before the funds expire on September 30, 2018," Pentagon Spokesman Kon Faulkner said.

With this, the Department of Defence has reprogrammed USD 800 million CSF destined for Pakistan. 

This is because US Defence Secretary Jim Mattis has refused to give the necessary certification to the Congress that Pakistan has taken strong steps against terrorist groups like the Haqqani network and Lashkar-e-Taiba.

"This is not a new decision or a new announcement," Faulkner said. 

"In 2018, the DoD Appropriations Act, published on March 23, 2018, you can find the verbiage detailing USD 500 million was rescinded by Congress upon the 2018 DoD Appropriations Act's passage (page 161), which is all public, he said.

"We continue to press Pakistan to indiscriminately target all terrorist groups, including the Haqqani Network and LET in the region," Faulkner said.  

The Department of Defence is awaiting congressional determination on whether this reprogramming request will be approved or denied. -- PTI

Senior Aam Aadmi Party leader Atishi, who is in the middle of a row for dropping her surname Marlena ahead of the Lok Sabha polls, said on Saturday talks should not be on her name change but on her work.

   

She had been named Marlena apparently after Communist thinkers Karl Marx and Vladimir Lenin.

 

The Aam Aadmi Party had rejected reports that it forced Atishi, party's east Delhi Lok Sabha probable, to change her last name because it was "Christian-sounding".

Responding to queries about her name change at a press conference to release the joint manifesto of AAP's student wing Chhatra Yuva Sangharsh Samiti and Left-wing student outfit All India Students Association, Atishi said, "I had left my surname a long time ago. I feel one should not talk about name but about the work we have been doing. The talk should be about issues like women's security, education."

 

As part of the change, Atishi's Twitter is now "@AtishiAAP" from the earlier @Atishimarlena.

 

The AAP leader's profile in the party's official website has also been changed. Campaign leaflets and posters also carry her first name only.

The AAP is yet to officially declare its candidates for the Lok Sabha polls, scheduled to be held next year.

However, they have named Atishi (East Delhi), Raghav Chadha (South Delhi), Pankaj Gupta (Chandni Chowk), Dilip Pandey (Northeast Delhi) and Ghuggan Singh (Northwest Delhi) as in-charges of these constituencies.

 

Party sources had said the five would be declared as AAP's Lok Sabha candidates later. -- PTI