LIVE! JPC report on Citizenship Amendment Bill adopted amid Oppn protest

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Thu, 03 January 2019

JPC report on Citizenship Amendment Bill adopted amid Oppn protest

Timeline Refresh

23:46 Why is 'critically ill' Parrikar continuing as Goa CM? asks Cong

Amid controversy over a purported audio tape of a Goa minister on the Rafale deal, the state Congress sought to know Thursday why Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar has not been replaced despite being unwell for 11 months.

Goa Pradesh Congress Committee president Girish Chodankar said when Union minister Arun Jaitley underwent a surgery for kidney transplant last year, his portfolios were temporally assigned to another minister, but Parrikar has continued to head key departments despite not being well.

The Bharatiya Janata Party has retained 'critically sick' Parrikar in the chair for almost 11 months, he said and wondered if this has something to do with the information mentioned in the audio tape cited by the main opposition party in the Rafale deal.

The Congress had on Wednesday released the audio tape in which Goa minister Vishwajit Rane is purportedly heard telling an unidentified person that Parrikar has Rafale files, due to which, he has managed to continue in the chair.

Parrikar, a former Defence minister, and Rane, who quit the Congress and joined the BJP after the 2017 Goa polls, have claimed the tape is 'doctored'.

However, speaking at a press conference on Thursday, Chodankar claimed the audio clip is authentic and said the unidentified person in it is a journalist.

"That time, we had doubts Parrikar had secret (Rafale) documents due to which he has managed to retain the chair. After the Cabinet meeting - in which the issue was reportedlydiscussed, our doubts were confirmed," he added.

Chodankar said there is no doubt that the voice in the clip is that of Rane.

"It is very clear that the voice is very much that of Vishwajit. Just to divert the attention they are claiming that it is manufactured in the studio of a Congressman," he said.

The GPCC chief was asked about message doing the round that the audio was dubbed in a studio owned by Goa Congress spokesperson Siddhanath Buyao.

"There is a confirmation that the discussion about Rafale had happened in the Goa Cabinet. I don't know why the Rafale issue has to be discussed in the state Cabinet," said Chodankar.

The Congress leader said the other man in the tape is a journalist, but did not reveal his identity.

"There are so many names (of journalists), but I don't know who is he," he said, referring to the journalist named as 'Mr X' in the conversation released by the Congress.

Congress spokesperson Jitendra Deshprabhu said 'Mr X' in the tape is a journalist who is not based out of Goa.

"Ultimately the truth has to come out. Mr X is not controlled or governed by the Health minister. He is very much a mediaperson like you," he said at the press meet.

Deshprabhu declined to name the journalist, saying "If I speak about him then I would be exposing him."

The spokesperson also said the audio tape is authentic.

"The tape should be examined by the topmost agencies which are neutral. There are many agencies which can do it," Deshprabhu said. -- PTI

A Joint Parliamentary Committee examining the controversial Citizenship Amendment Bill has adopted amid protests by opposition MPs its report that will be tabled in the Lok Sabha on January 7, sources said.

Barring a few minor changes, the JPC will recommend for introduction of the original form of the proposed legislation, which seeks to grant Indian nationality to people belonging to minority communities, other than Muslims, in Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan.

"We have adopted the report in the JPC meeting today and we will submit it in Lok Sabha on January 7," Bharatiya Janata Party MP Rajendra Agrawal, who heads the panel, told PTI.

Agrawal said members of the JPC can give their dissent notes till 3 pm, on Friday.

Opposition MPs, including those belonging to the Congress and the Communist Party of India-Marxist, have protested the adoption of the JPC report without discussions.

In protest, Congress Rajya Sabha member Bhubaneswar Kalita walked out of the JPC meeting, the sources said.

Agrawal said there were detailed discussions during the panel's last meeting held on December 31 and clause-by-clause amendments initiated by the opposition members were defeated.

The BJP has an edge in the 30-member JPC. The ruling party has 14 MPs in the panel.

The Congress has four members while the Trinamool Congress and the Biju Janata Dal have two MPs each. The Shiv Sena, the Janata Dal-United, the Telangana Rashtra Samiti, the Telugu Desam Party, the CPI-M, the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, the Samajwadi Party, the Bahujan Samaj Party have one member each in the panel.

The bill seeks to amend the Citizenship Act, 1955, to grant Indian nationality to people belonging to minority communities -- Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians -- in Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan after six years of residence in India instead of 12, even if they don't possess any proper document.

This was an election promise of the BJP in 2014.

The Congress, the Trinamool Congress, the CPI-M and a few other parties have been steadfastly opposing the bill claiming that citizenship cannot be given on basis of religion.

After the report is submitted in Lok Sabha on January 7, it is to be seen whether the bill could get through during the Winter Session of Parliament, which comes to an end on January 8, sources said.

Various members from opposition parties have been asserting that citizenship is a constitutional provision and it cannot be based on religion, as India is a secular nation.

An Opposition MP said if the bill in its present form comes into effect, then it will nullify the Assam Accord under which anyone entering the state illegally after March 1971 should be declared foreigner and deported.

A large section of people and organisations in the Northeast have opposed the bill, saying it will nullify the provisions of the Assam Accord of 1985, which fixed March 24, 1971, as the cut-off date for deportation of illegal immigrants irrespective of religion.

Even the governments of Meghalaya and Mizoram have strongly opposed the bill and adopted resolutions against it.

The JPC has already taken six extensions from the Lok Sabha Speaker. Last time it had sought time for the presentation of the report was on the 'first day of the last week of the Winter Session, 2018'. -- PTI

Senior Karnataka minister D KShivakumar was on Thursday grilled for about three hours by the Income Tax department for alleged tax evasion, officials said.

Shivakumar, a frontline Congress leader in the state,was summoned for questioning as part of a 'routine process' following searches at various properties linked to him on August 2, department sources said.

The minister had already appeared before I-T officials twice in July and August last year.

The searches were conducted after Shivakumar hosted 44 Gujarat Congress MLAs at a resort on the city outskirts to forestall alleged attempts by the BJP to poach them ahead of the Rajya Sabha polls which the then Congress president Sonia Gandhi's political secretary Ahmed Patel won.

Last September, the Enforcement Directorate hadregistered a money laundering case against him and a fewothers for allegedly indulging in hawala transactions.

The I-T department had accused Shivakumar and his associate S K Sharma of transporting 'huge' amounts of unaccounted cash on a 'regular basis' through hawala channels with the help of three other accused. -- PTI

Bharatiya Janata Party president Amit Shah has reportedly asked the party's Maharashtra MPs to be prepared to contest the ensuing elections alone in the state.

Shah gave this message at a meeting with Maharashtra BJP MPs in Delhi Wednesday, said an MP who was present.

"Shah asked us to prepare for the possibility of contesting elections alone in the state if needed," the MP said.

"The BJP president told us that efforts are on to have an alliance with the Sena but if that did not materialise, we should be prepared to fight the polls alone," he said.

BJP is in alliance with the Shiv Sena in Maharashtra and at the Centre. The Sena has been critical of BJP and its leaders have spoken of contesting the Lok Sabha elections alone.

Targeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Shiv Sena on Thursday wondered when would the Ram temple be constructed in Ayodhya if not during the tenure of the BJP-led government.

Shiv Sena has also backed the opposition's demand for a JPC probe in the Rafale fighter aircraft purchase deal.

"Shah said that if need be, we should be prepared to contest all 48 Lok Sabha seats in Maharashtra," the MP said.

A senior Maharashtra BJP leader told PTI that Shah was 'very clear' in telling the party MPs from the state to 'be prepared for going it alone' in case no tie-up happens with the Shiv Sena. -- PTI

20:41 Modi-Trump bromance ends on sour note

The highly disparaging remarks to by United States President Donald Trump on Wednesday regarding Prime Minister Narendra Modi and India's role in Afghanistan come as a shocking revelation.

Trump was talking to the press following his first cabinet meeting of 2009 at the White House in Washington.

No Indian PM has been reduced to look silly like this by any American president in history.

Trump's remarks came in the course of his rambling speech regarding the failure of the war in Afghanistan. He spoke every bit as an embittered man who realises that the war has been lost.

Part of the reason why he summarily put Modi on the mat could have been that Trump also realises the great urgency of extracting Pakistan's cooperation in the Afghan endgame.

Trump's thesis was that foreign leaders take America for a ride.In this vein, Trump mocked Modi for funding a library in Afghanistan under Indian aid and bragging about it repeatedly in private conversations (Trump apparently mistook for a library the Indian-built parliament building in Kabul, which Modi inaugurated in a grand ceremony on Christmas Day in 2015.)

Anyway, Trump claimed that Modi was 'constantly telling me he built a library in Afghanistan'. He then rubbished Modi's vanity, saying, "You know what that is? That's like five hours of what we spend (in Afghanistan.) And we're supposed to say (to Modi), 'Oh, thank you for the library'. I don't know who's using it in Afghanistan.'

This is the first time the US belittled the Indian assistance to Afghanistan, which is estimated to be close to $2 billion.

The American mantra has been that India was rendering invaluable help to Afghanistan. But now that the war is about to end, we are probably getting a candid version of what the Americans really thought of the quality of the Indian aid.

Yet, Trump has forgotten that in his own Afghan strategy of August 2017, he had given fulsome praise for India's role in Afghanistan.

Read the full blog by M K Bhadrakumar

20:12 Advocate H S Phookla resigns from AAP

Senior Supreme Court advocate H S Phoolka, who is representing the victims of the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, resigned from the Aam Aadmi Party on Thursday.

Phoolka said in a tweet that he has submitted his resignation to party chief Arvind Kejriwal.

'I have resigned from AAP & handed over resignation to Kejriwal ji today. Though he asked me not to resign but I insisted. Will be briefing media tomorrow at 4pm at Press Club, Raisina Rd, New Delhi to explain the Reason of leaving AAP & my further plans.'

Phoolka is believed to have resigned because of the 'changes in recent resolution' moved by an AAP MLA to strip former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi of Bharat Ratna.

The senior advocate had also said that he would resign from the party if it chooses to ally with the Congress, whom he calls the 'perpetrators' of the 1984 anti-Sikh riots. -- with agency inputs

19:59 Pakistan abolishes on-arrival visa for Afghans

Pakistan on Thursday abolished the long-standing facility of on-arrival visas for Afghan nationals, authorities said, citing security risks amid a spike in terror attacks.

Earlier, Afghan nationals were granted a 30-day visa on arrival at the entry points but now they will be required to apply for a visa from Pakistani missions in Afghanistan, Federal Investigation Agency's Director Immigration Ismatullah Junejo was quoted as saying by the Express Tribune.

The Immigration Wing of the FIA cited increased security risks from the western border as a reason for the move.

Furthermore, the government also restricted the movement of Afghan nationals in Pakistan and stopped issuance of visas at airports and border crossing points.

Once issued a visa, the Afghan nationals will be allowed entry into Pakistan.

Upon entry, they will be asked to fill out details including the time period and place of stay. The details will be forwarded to security agencies for verification, the report said.

Once the details are verified, the Afghan nationals will be issued residence and travel permits, the report added.

Pakistan has the largest refugee population in the world, according to the United Nations.

Most of these refugees -- 2.7 million to be precise -- are Afghan nationals who fled their country due to war, violence and ensuing economic turmoil.

The UN surveys estimate that 60 per cent of the Afghan refugee population is Pakistan-born. Citizens from 24 countries are now issued 'on-arrival' visas in Pakistan.

They include citizens from Australia, Canada, China, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Belgium, Greece, Iceland, Italy, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Norway, New Zealand, the United States, the United Kingdom, Thailand, Spain, and Singapore, immigration officials said.

Last month, the Pakistan Army said that the fencing of a substantial portion of the over 2,600-km-long Afghan border has been completed and the rest will be finished by the end of the 2019.

Pakistan and neighbouring Afghanistan have long been saying that militants in both countries cross the porous border for terror attacks. -- PTI

A 36-year-old man, who accidentally swallowed a toothbrush while cleaning his throat on the advice of a quack, had it removed by doctors at the AIIMS through a non-surgical procedure.

The 12-cm-long toothbrush was removed by performing an endoscopy, a procedure in which a snare was used to pull it out from the upper abdomen.

A resident of Seemapuri in Delhi, Avid had swallowed the toothbrush on December 8 while thoroughly cleaning his throat. He did not tell anyone about it immediately. But, the next morning when he woke up with pain in the stomach, he was taken to the nearest Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital.

Avid still did not inform the doctors that he had accidentally swallowed a toothbrush.

The doctors there tried to offer him relief by administering pain killers but that did not work. An Xray and a CT scan of the chest was done but the cause of the pain could not be ascertained, Dr Praveen Aggarwal, head of the department of emergency medicine at AIIMS, said.

Then a CT scan of the abdomen was done which revealed the presence of foreign object there. Then Avid confessed to having accidentally swallowed a toothbrush.

"As there was no facility of performing endoscopy there at the GTB Hospital at that time, he was referred to AIIMS. He was brought to the emergency department where the doctors again performed a CT scan of the abdomen to check whether the foreign object had caused any perforation or rupture in the internal organs.

"Also it was to be seen whether it had moved to the intestines. But then the tests revealed that the foreign object was stuck in the abdomen and had caused no perforation," Dr Aggarwal said.

On December 10, the toothbrush was pulled out by gastroenterologists performing an endoscopy, he said.

Avid was discharged the same day and is doing fine.

In a similar incident, another patient, a native of Agra, Gaurav, who also had accidentally swallowed a toothbrush while clearing his throat underwent endoscopic removal of the item.

Dr Aggarwal asked people to be careful when cleaning their tongue with a brush. -- PTI

Following the Bharatiya Janata Party's poor show in the recent state polls, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh-backed students' outfit Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad will launch a nationwide campaign against NOTA before the Lok Sabha elections.

NOTA or none of the above gives voters a right not to vote for any candidate contesting from a particular seat.

The ABVP will urge people to vote in favour of any candidate of their choice instead of opting for NOTA in the upcoming elections, its national secretary Hema Thakur said.

"The ABVP is in favour of abolishing the NOTA option in the upcoming elections in the larger interest of democracy. Even if it is not abolished, we will ask people to vote in favour of any candidate of their choice instead of opting for NOTA," Thakur told reporters here.

The decision to launch the campaign was taken at a four-day national session of the ABVP held from December 27 to 30 in Ahmedabad, she added.

However, Thakur denied that the decision was taken over the BJP's poll performance in the three states. She said that the campaign would also focus on the ABVP's slogan of 'Nation First, Voting Must' to encourage people to exercise their franchise and ultimately achieve the target of 100 per cent voting.

"It is a misconception that the ABVP is a students' wing of the BJP. The ABVP came into existence in 1949 whereas the BJP was formed after several decades in 1980. Some of our policies may be similar. Yes, the ABVP is a part of the Sangh Parivar," she said.

In several seats of Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, votes polled in favour of NOTA were more than the victory margin which could have changed the final results.

In Rajasthan assembly elections, at least 15 constituencies polled more NOTA votes than the victory margin of the wining candidates. While the Congress got 99 seats in the state, the BJP managed 73 seats. -- PTI

Entry of trucks in the national capital may be banned if the pollution level does not reduce by Friday morning, the Central Pollution Control Board-led task force recommended on Thursday.

Noting that "combustion sources require priority attention", the CPCB-led taskforce called for intensification of measures already in force.

"The task force opines that measures already in force must continue with intensified action by implementing agencies particularly with regard to traffic congestion, open burning of waste, industrial emissions," the taskforce said.

"In case the situation does not improve by tomorrow morning (Friday), entry of truck traffic into Delhi (except essential commodities) may be stopped," it said.

The taskforce also urged people to minimise use of personal vehicles and avoid prolonged exposure to the outdoor air.

"The severe condition has continued for 31 hrs consecutively exceeding 300 g/m3 for PM2.5. It is observed that while PM10 levels are marginally exceeding 500 g/m3, PM2.5 levels are much higher reaching up to 350 g/m3," the taskforce said.

Delhi's air quality remained severe for the second day on Thursday due to adverse meteorological conditions as authorities warned that the condition would continue to deteriorate unless sufficient rainfall brings respite by cleansing the air. -- PTI

The printing of Rs 2000 banknote, introduced post-demonetisation in November 2016, has been reduced to the "minimum" by the Reserve Bank of India, a top finance ministry official said Thursday.

Soon after the sudden decision to ban old Rs 500/1000 currency notes by the government, the Reserve Bank had come out with the Rs 2000 currency note along with a new look Rs 500 note as part of its massive remonetisation exercise.

The senior official said the RBI and the government from time to time decides on the quantum of currency to be printed on the basis of money in circulation.

When the Rs 2000 note was launched, it was decided that the printing would be "scaled down" going forward, since the new high currency value note was meant for meeting the remonetisation need.

"The printing of 2000 rupee notes has been substantially reduced. It has been decided to limit the printing of 2000 currency notes to minimum. This is nothing new," the official said.

According to the RBI data, there were 3,285 million pieces of Rs 2000 notes in circulation at end-March 2017. A year after (on March 31, 2018), there was only a marginal increase in the number at 3,363 million pieces.

Of the total currency in circulation amounting to Rs 18,037 billion at end-March 2018, Rs 2000 notes accounted for 37.3 per cent, down from 50.2 per cent at end-March 2017.

The old 500/1000 bank notes that were scrapped in November 2016 accounted for around 86 per cent of the total currency in circulation at that time. -- PTI

Changing its tune after a controversy, Kamal Nath-led Congress government in Madhya Pradesh on Thursday decided to restore singing of Vande Mataram at the state secretariat from next month, but in a new avatar by roping in a police band and local citizens besides adding the national anthem in the exercise.

A controversy had erupted when the new government discontinued the practice of government employees singing Vande Mataram on the first working day of every month at the secretariat in Bhopal.

Vande Mataram was not sung at the secretariat on January 1, snapping a practice that was followed for 13 years and had been started by the previous BJP government.

After facing criticism from the BJP over discontinuation of the practice, the Kamal Nath government, which took charge in December, has now decided to restore the exercise in a new form from from February onwards.

"Under the new programme, the police band will start a march from Shaurya Smarak (memorial for martyred soldiers) at 10.45 AM (on first working day of every month) playing tunes of patriotic songs to reach Ballabh Bhawan (secretariat) along with local citizens and a minister," an official release said.

"Upon reaching the mantralaya after covering a distance of nearly half a kilometer along with the people, the band will play both the national anthem (Jana Gana Mana) and the national song (Vande Mataram)," it said.

The state government release said its ministers will take turn to participate in the programme.

After the row, chief minister Kamal Nath had said his government was not opposed to signing of the national song and it will give a different touch to the practice.

"We have not taken this decision (discontinuation of the practice) under any agenda and we are also not opposed to singing Vande Mataram.

"It is deeply rooted in our hearts and we have sung it from time-to-time. We will start it again but in a different form," Nath had said in a statement.

He had also criticised attempts to politicise the issue. -- PTI

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate eight projects and lay the foundation stone for four other schemes during his visit to Manipur on Friday, officials said.

After arriving at the Imphal International Airport Friday, the prime minister will proceed to Hapta Kangjeibung near here, where he will inaugurate and lay foundation stone of the projects at a public rally, Information and Public Relations department officials said.

The projects which the prime minister will inaugurate include the integrated the check post in Moreh of Tengnoupal district, Dolaithabi Barrage project of Imphal East district, FCI food storage godown in Imphal East district and the Buffer water reservoirs in Ukhrul district, the officials said.

The other projects are the improvement and upgradation of water supply for Churachandpur zone, eco-tourism complex at Thangapat in Kangpokpi district, integrated tourist destination in Noney district and the water supply scheme at JNV, Lambui and its surrounding villages, they added.

Modi will lay foundation stone for four projects -- Infrastructure development of Dhanamanjuri University in Imphal West district, flood lighting of hockey stadium and the main stadium at the Khuman Lampak Sports Complex in Imphal East district and AstroTurf laying in Langjing Achouba of Imphal West district, the officials said.

Security measures have been tightened in the entire state in view of the prime minister's visit, they added. -- PTI

As the debate over President's Rule in Jammu and Kashmir resumed in the Rajya Sabha on Thursday, Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley launched a broadside on the Congress, accusing the party of leaving the Valley alienated with their past "mistakes" which were "hurting" Kashmir.

Jaitley's rejoinder came after Opposition parties, including Congress, as well as National Conference president Farooq Abdullah, continued with their demand that Governor and President's Rule must come to an end in the Valley while calling for early Assembly elections in the state.

Attacking the Congress, Jaitley stated: "The problem in Kashmir didn't begin in 2014 after the arrival of BJP. Our government had no role in Kashmir's old chapters. It was Congress who has left the Valley alienated, and created hurdles in Kashmir's growth. Their mistakes are hurting Kashmir."

"First free and fair election in Kashmir was held in 1977 when Congress was not in power. It was under Morarji Desai ji. Everyone knows how election processes were done and how governments were formed in the Valley during the Congress rule," the Finance Minister added.

Jammu and Kashmir was placed under President's rule on December 20, 2018, after completion of six month's of Governor's rule.Governor's rule was imposed on June 20, after the state plunged into a political crisis after the BJP pulled out of its alliance with the PDP. -- ANI

Shares of Dena Bank and Vijaya Bank on Thursday tumbled up to 20 per cent after the Cabinet approved their amalgamation with Bank of Baroda. The scrip of Dena Bank plunged 19.78 per cent to settle at Rs 14.40 on BSE. Vijaya Bank tanked 6.76 per cent to end at Rs 47.60. Intra-day, it tumbled 8.12 per cent to Rs 46.90. The scrip of Bank of Baroda closed unchanged at Rs 119.40. "As per January 2 closing price and based on announced swap ratios, Vijaya Bank's 1,000 shares value stands at Rs 51,050 against which its shareholders have been awarded Bank of Baroda's shares worth Rs 47,939, translating into a loss of 6 per cent. -- PTI

Home Minister Rajnath Singh Thursday said the government will have no objection in holding elections in Jammu and Kashmir along with general elections slated later this year if the Election Commission so desired.

Replying to the debate on the statutory resolution on the imposition of President's rule in the state, Singh said the Centre would provide whatever security forces the Election Commission wanted for holding elections in Jammu and Kashmir. The resolution was passed by a voice vote. -- PTI

Majority of the deaths during the single largest murder campaign of the 1940s Holocaust, called Operation Reinhard, occurred during a single three-month period, a new study has found.

The study, published in the journal Science Advances, indicate that the murder rate during Operation Reinhard has previously been greatly underestimated. It also provides new insights into the profound efficiency of Nazi death camps and the systematic manner in which Jewish communities were murdered.

During the Nazi-German campaign to eradicate Jews during the second World War, a great portion of the Holocaust killings occurred during Operation Reinhard, which lasted from 1942 to 1943.

However, detailed records of the killings were largely destroyed by the Nazis, making it difficult to investigate how quickly the genocide was carried out. Deutsche Reichsbahn, the German National Railway, played a critical role in transporting millions of Jewish victims to the death camps, and the "special trains" that transported the victims were kept on strict time schedules.

Yitzhak Arad, an Israeli historian specialising in the Holocaust, compiled Reichsban data on 480 train deportations from 393 Polish towns and ghettos to three key death camps -- Belzec, Sobibor, and Treblinka -- during Operation Reinhard and estimated the number of victims on each transport.

Here, using Arad's data, Lewi Stone estimated the rate at which the Nazis killed Jews during Operation Reinhard, showing that most of the murders occurred in only three months - August, September and October 1942. Of the 1.7 million victims of Operation Reinhard, 1.32 million (78 per cent) were murdered during these three months, or about 15,000 murders per day, every day.

The finding implies that roughly 25 per cent of all Holocaust victims were murdered during these three months of Operation Reinhard in 1942. -- PTI

Image: A still from the film, The boy in the striped pyjamas, on the unlikely friendship between a boy living in a concentration camp and the son of a concentration camp commandant.

Bharatiya Janata Party ally and Union minister Ram Vilas Paswan on Thursday opposed an ordinance on the Ram temple issue and asserted that the Supreme Court's decision on the matter should be final.

"Whatever judgement the Supreme Court gives on the Ram temple issue should be accepted by everyone, be it Hindu, Muslim or any other community. Our stand has been consistent. When the PM said that we will wait for the SC judgement, then all ifs and buts should end," the Lok Janshakti Party president told reporters.

Asked if he would support an ordinance on the issue, Paswan said his stand has been consistent and that he would not support it.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had said Tuesday that the government would not take any decision on the issue till the judicial process is over.

Hindutva groups like the Vishwa Hindu Parishad has been demanding an ordinance to pave way for the temple's construction in Ayodhya.

The LJP is the second major ally of the BJP to oppose an ordinance. Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar had recently said that the contentious issue should be resolved either through a court judgement or mutual agreement among different groups.

The Ram temple title case is in the apex court.

Paswan also supported the Supreme Court judgement allowing women's entry into the Sabarimala temple. The LJP is against any gender discrimination, he said.

The Dalit leader said the BJP may have protested against the implementation of the court's order but the Union government has not interfered in the matter.

"The SC has given its judgement and now two women have even entered the temple. Is the government stopping them from entering the temple?

"There should be no discrimination in the name of gender. Women are going to space, then why can't they enter a temple," he said.

The income tax department on Thursday conducted searches at over two dozen premises of popular hotel and restaurant chains in Tamil Nadu on charges of alleged tax evasion, officials said.

They said the raids are being carried out at 32 locations of companies like Saravana Bhavan, Hot Bread, Anjappar and Grand Sweets.

The residences and offices of the directors of these food chains are being raided by a team of over 100 I-T sleuths, the officials said. These hotels serve some of the best south Indian delicacies, including cakes, pastries and sweets that are even shipped abroad, a senior official said.

The officials added that the department is looking into allegations of suppression of income by these groups by various means and hence decided to conduct searches and obtain further evidences.

The BJP parliamentary board, the top decision-making body of the party, will meet this evening and is expected to deliberate on a host of issues, including the political situation following its loss in the recent state assembly polls. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and party president Amit Shah, besides other senior leaders, are likely to attend the meeting and speak on relevant issues, sources said. -- PTI

The Indian Space Research Organisation is likely to launch Chandrayaan-2, the country's second mission to the Moon, next month, sources in the space agency said Thursday.

"We are all trying hard. Definitely, it should be possible to launch the mission in February," a senior ISRO official said.

It is expected by the middle of next month but no date has been finalised, the sources said.

"There is no impediment. It's on track," the official said.

Chandrayaan-2, a totally indigenous venture, comprises an orbiter, a lander and a rover.

After a controlled descent, the lander would soft-land on the lunar surface at a specified site and deploy a rover, according to the ISRO.

The six-wheeled rover will move around the landing site on the lunar surface in a semi-autonomous mode as decided by the ground commands.

The instruments on the rover will observe the lunar surface and send back data, which will be useful for analysis of the lunar soil.

The 3,290-kg Chandrayaan-2 will orbit the Moon and perform the objectives of remote sensing it.

The payloads will collect scientific information on lunar topography, mineralogy, elemental abundance, lunar exosphere and signatures of hydroxyl and water-ice, the space agency said.

Chandrayaan-1 was India's first lunar probe. It was launched by the ISRO in October 2008 and operated till August 2009.

-- PTI

The Supreme Court said Thursday it will hear "as and when required" a PIL challenging the government's notification authorising 10 central agencies to intercept, monitor and decrypt any computer system.

The matter was mentioned for urgent listing before a bench of Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justice S K Kaul. The petition was filed by advocate Manohar Lal Sharma against whom the apex court had earlier in another case imposed a cost of Rs 50,000 for filing a PIL against Finance Minister Arun Jaitley over an issue related to the Reserve Bank of India's capital reserve.

When the advocate sought an urgent hearing of his PIL against the notification on interception of computers by probe agencies, the bench asked him whether he had complied with the apex court's December 7 order of depositing Rs 50,000. When Sharma said he has deposited the amount, the bench told him, "We will see. As and when required we will list the matter."

However, the lawyer made a brief submission claiming that there have been large-scale illegal surveillance of computers, including that of the members of the judiciary and their family, and other prominent personalities.

According to the government's December 20 notification, 10 central probe and snoop agencies are now empowered under the Information Technology Act for computer interception and analysis, Ministry of Home Affairs officials had said. -- PTI

In a photo going viral on WhatsApp, a Surat-based family invited guests to their son's wedding and asked them to vote for PM Modi as a gift to the newlyweds. Read the report here.

15:29 Norway PM to visit India next week

Norwegian Prime Minister Erna Solberg will pay a three-day visit to India next week during which she will hold talks with her Indian counterpart Narendra Modi on a host of issues with an aim expand the multi-faceted bilateral partnership.

Solberg, who will arrive in India on January 7, will deliver the inaugural address at the Raisina Dialogue and address India-Norway Business Summit during her visit, the Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement.

She will also call on President Ram Nath Kovind and Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu, besides holding talks with Prime Minister Modi. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj will also call on Solberg during her India visit. -- PTI

The multi-agency operations to rescue the miners in Meghalaya failed to make any headway on Thursday, with efforts to pump the water out of the mine not yielding any result.

The divers of the Navy and the National Disaster Response Force were not able to resume the search operation for the 15 trapped miners as they could not go inside due to the high water level. Asked if the divers would take another chance later in the day, operation spokesperson R Susngi told PTI that they would wait, but there was a remote chance of the water level reducing so soon.

The 15 miners remain trapped in the 370-foot-deep illegal rat-hole coal mine in Lumthari village of East Jaintia Hills district since December 13 after water from a nearby river gushed in. The operation to rescue them entered the 22nd day on Thursday.

Fire Service personnel from Odisha resumed work at 10 am and it was found that the water level has risen again, a day after full-day pumping resulted in it receding by 16 inches, Susngi said. One more pump will be put to use at the mine on Thursday and another would will be installed at an abandoned mine, about 100 metres away, he said.

Meanwhile, the high-powered submersible pump from Coal India is yet to begin work, three days after it arrived at the site. Preparation is still going on to get the pump operational, Susngi said.

The spokesperson had said divers would resume operation once the water level at the main shaft decreases to about 100 feet from its current level of over 160 feet. Authorities said there were at least 90 abandoned mine shafts in the area and they were full of water. Rescuers believe that these nearby mines might be interconnected and draining out water in these mines could help in reducing the water level in the main shaft. -- PTI

Lok Sabha has been adjourned for the day after suspended TDP MPs continue to protest in the Well of the house over the issue of Andhra Pradesh.

Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman was today supposed to reply to the Opposition's charges on the Rafale deal controversy. Giver her another day to prepare for the debate.

During the debate on the topic on Wednesday, Congress president Rahul Gandhi levelled several allegations on the Modi government of wrongdoings in the deal and accused it of indulging in crony capitalism.

The Opposition had also objected to Finance Minister Arun Jaitley responding to the charges on Rafale deal, saying that this is a defence issue and the defence minister must answer the questions in the Lok Sabha.

The Lower House witnessed a heated debated amid sloganeering and some opposition members walking up to the well. The Congress and other opposition parties have been demanding a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) to deliberate the Rafale deal.

14:36 Will not let PM ignore farmers: Rahul

Congress president Rahul Gandhi Thursday asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi what action will be taken on the Agriculture Ministry's reported statement that in the absence of effective steps, wheat production could go down by up to 23 per cent by 2050. Gandhi asserted that he will not allow Modi to "ignore" farmers and their issues.

The Congress chief cited a media report which claimed that the Agriculture Ministry has told the Estimates Committee that if effective steps are not taken in a timely manner then by 2050 production of wheat could decrease by up to 23 per cent.

"The very intelligent prime minister who said, 'Climate change hasn't happened. We have changed', should understand that whether he agrees with it or not, the truth does not change," Gandhi said. The Ministry of Agriculture has stated that if effective steps are not taken in a timely manner, then by 2050, production of wheat could decrease by up to 23 per cent, he said.

"The prime minister should tell the country what steps he is going to take. I will not let him ignore the farmers," Gandhi said in a Facebook post. PTI

Image: Congress president Rahul Gandhi at a farmers' protest in 2015.

14:14

Army Sources: One Army jawan dead and one injured in an avalanche in Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir

14:14 SC revives govt's case against Nestle India

The Supreme Court on Thursday revived the government's case in the NCDRC against Nestle India seeking damages of Rs 640 crore for alleged unfair trade practices, false labelling and misleading advertisements.

A bench headed by Justice D Y Chandrachud said the report of CFTRI (Central Food Technological Research Institute, Mysuru), where the testing of the samples of Maggi were done, will form the basis for the proceedings.

The top court had earlier stayed the proceedings before the National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (NCDRC) after Nestle had challenged it.

The Consumer Affairs Ministry had in 2015 filed a complaint against Nestle India before the NCDRC using a provision in the nearly three-decade-old Consumer Protection Act.

In the same year, food safety regulator FSSAI had banned Maggi noodles after it found excess level of lead in samples, terming it as "unsafe and hazardous" for human consumption. -- PTI

Escalating his attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the the Rafale deal issue, Congress chief Rahul Gandhi Thursday said it seems the PM has "fled" his "open book Rafale exam" in Parliament and is instead lecturing students in Punjab.

Gandhi's attack came a day after he said Modi faced an open book exam on the deal in Parliament and asked if he will show up at the exam or send a proxy.

The Congress president had Wednesday also tweeted four questions related to the Rafale deal and demanded answers from the prime minister.

"So it seems our PM has fled Parliament & his own open book Rafale exam & is instead lecturing students at Lovely University in Punjab, today," Gandhi tweeted on Thursday. He also urged students at the university to ask the prime minister to answer the four questions posed by him.

Gandhi had tweeted, "Here are the exam questions in advance: Q1. Why 36 aircraft, instead of the 126 the IAF needed? Q2. Why 1,600 Cr instead of 560 Cr per aircraft. Q4. Why AA instead of HAL? Will he show up? Or send a proxy?" He later tweeted another question, terming it as "The Missing Q3!".

In the third question, he asked the prime minister to tell why former defence minister Manohar Parrikar keeps a Rafale file in his bedroom and what's in it. -- PTI

Image: PM Modi at the 106th Indian Science Congress in Jalandhar today. Pic: ANI

13:47 Court to hear Randhawa's bail plea on Jan 7

An Uttar Pradesh court on Wednesday fixed January 7 as the next date of hearing on the bail plea of golfer Jyoti Randhawa and another person, who were arrested on poaching charges in Dudhwa Tiger Reserve last week. Bahraich district judge Upendra Kumar posted the hearing of the bail plea next Monday, government counsel Sant Pratap Singh said Thursday. Randhawa, 46, and Mahesh Virajdar were arrested on December 26 on poaching charges near the Motipur range of the Katarniaghat Wildlife Sanctuary.

A vehicle bearing a Haryana registration number, a firearm and other equipment were recovered from them. Both of them are lodged in the district jail. Randhawa was ranked in the top 100 of the Official World Golf Ranking several times between 2004 and 2009. PTI

Sabarimala Karma Samithi worker Chandran Unnithan died of heart attack and not due to injuries he sustained during the clash between BJP and CPM workers in Pandalam on Wednesday, said Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan here on Thursday.

"There was a clash at Pandalam on Wednesday evening. Chandran Unnithan was injured and was taken to Believers Church Medical College Hospital. He later died due to heart attack," said Chief Minister Vijayan, while addressing a press conference.

A clash erupted between BJP and CPM workers in front of the state secretariat in Thiruvananthapuram over the entry of two women-Bindu and Kanakadurga-of the menstrual age group into Sabarimala temple on Wednesday morning.

Protesters also pelted stones, raised slogans and hurled abuses against each other.The victim, Chandran Unnithan, was participating in a march organised by the Sangh Parivar-backed Sabarimala Action Council, which alleged that CPM workers attacked the protesters participating in the rally, leaving Unnithan gravely injured.

Unnithan, who was allegedly injured in stone pelting, was rushed to a hospital but could not be saved. An investigation into the matter is underway.

The clashes broke out just hours after, Bindu and Kanakadurga, who are in their 40s, entered the hill shrine and offered prayers, following which the temple was shut for an hour for 'purification' rituals. - ANI

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has directed all the district magistrates to ensure that stray animals, including cattle, are transported to 'Gau Sanrakshan Kendras' by January 10, an official said Thursday.

Addressing the district magistrates through video conferencing on Wednesday night, Adityanath said they should ensure that farmers and residents do not face any problems due to stray cattle. Kanji Houses in every district would be renamed 'Gau Sanrakshan Kendras'.

"Those leaving their cattle on roads should be dealt with strictly and fine should be imposed on them when they come to take their cattle from such centres," the chief minister said. Adityanath said help from traders, businessmen and people's representatives should be sought in running these 'Gau Sanrakshan Kendras'.

The state government has been under some pressure from farmers protesting over stray cattle destroying their crops. Over the past week, people in at least two villages in western UP's Aligarh and Firozabad districts rounded up stray cattle and locked them up in government schools, refusing to let classes run until the administration did something about the animals. -- PTI

So, here's Madhya Pradesh CM Kamal Nath's promised action on Vande Mataram. "At 10:45 am on the first working day of every month, the police band will play the tunes that encourage patriotic feelings during their march from Shaurya Samarak to Vallabh Bhawan in Bhopal. On arrival at the Bhawan, the National Anthem and Vande Mataram will be sung," Kamal Nath says.

Attacked for breaking a 13-year tradition established by the previous BJP government of "Vande Mataram" being sung in the Madhya Pradesh secretariat on the first day of the month, Chief Minister Kamal Nath today said he would give a "new look" to the national song. He said he would make an announcement soon.

"It is wrong to do politics on Vande Mataram. They do politics on everything from Ram temple to Vande Mataram. I condemn this. I will give a new 'roop' (look) to Vande Mataram," Kamal Nath told reporters.

The row erupted over the ruling Congress, which took power in the state after defeating the BJP in polls last month, announcing that it was putting on hold the tradition of the national song in the secretariat on the first working day of every month.

The Supreme Court is hearing a plea seeking urgent steps to rescue 15 miners trapped inside an illegal coal mine in Meghalaya since December 13.

The Supreme Court asks the Meghalaya government what steps it has taken to rescue the 15 miners, who are trapped in an illegal flooded coal mine in East Jaintia Hills since December 13 last year.

The Meghalaya govt submits before the SC that the state is taking steps to rescue the trapped miners. The state government replied, "72 NDRF personnel, 14 Navy personnel and Coal India personnel are working since Dec 14."

The SC asks, Then, why are they not successful? The Court tells the Meghalaya government that it is not satisfied with the rescue operations.

Reprimanding the Meghalaya govt, the SC said the miners rescue should be prompt and effective. "It's a question of life and death for the trapped miners and every second counts. The Solicitor General must update the court by Friday," the bench comprising Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justice S K Kaul, said.

The PIL filed by Aditya N Prasad also sought a direction to the Centre and other authorities concerned to prepare a Standard Operating Procedure for rescue operations in mining.

The rat-hole mine, located on top of a hillock fully covered with trees in East Jaintia Hills district, had got flooded when water from the nearby Lytein river gushed into it, trapping the miners.

Rat-hole mining involves digging of narrow tunnels, usually three-four feet high, for workers to enter and extract coal. The horizontal tunnels are often termed "rat holes" as each just about fits one person.

Image: Indian Navy personnel prepare diving equipment before entering the coal mine in Meghalaya on December 30. Pic: Reuters

A Chinese lunar rover landed on the far side of the moon on Thursday, becoming the world's first spacecraft to touch down on the moon's uncharted side never visible from Earth, in a major boost to Beijing's quest to become a space superpower.

The lunar explorer Chang'e-4 probe touched down on the far side of the moon and sent photos. The probe, comprising a lander and a rover, landed at the pre-selected landing area at 177.6 degrees east longitude and 45.5 degrees south latitude on the far side of the moon at 10:26 am (local time), China National Space Administration announced.

The probe was launched by a Long March-3B carrier rocket on December 8 from the Xichang Satellite Launch Centre in Sichuan Province. It landed on the Von Karman crater in the South Pole-Aitken basin and then sent back a picture of the landing site shot by one of the monitor cameras on the probe's lander, marking the world's first image taken on the moon's far side.

The picture, published by the China National Space Administration, shows the place where Chang'e 4's rover will be heading to roam and survey. The successful landing formally inaugurated the world's first expedition to the far side that never faces the Earth and is expected to fulfill scientists' long-held aspiration to closely observe the enormous region, state-run China Daily reported.

Tidal forces on Earth slow the moon's rotation to the point where the same side always faces Earth. The other side, most of which is never visible from Earth, is the far side of the moon. -- PTI

File pic.

11:50 Sabarimala news briefs

Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan in Trivandrum on the entry of women to the Sabarimala Temple: 7 police vehicles, 79 KSRTC buses destroyed and 39 police personnel attacked, till now. Most of the persons attacked were women. Women media persons were also attacked.

PGS Varma, (pictured) member of royal Pandalam family, on the entry of the women: Kerala govt is taking measures every day to send someone there to disturb its rituals. It's festival time when per day 1-2 lakh people used to come to temple, but due to govt action, it has reduced to 10-15,000.

The Supreme Court refuses to give an urgent hearing to a mentioning by lawyer, PV Dinesh, seeking initiation of contempt proceedings against the Sabarimala Temple priest for purification of temple premises after entry of 2 women yesterday. SC said the matter has been fixed for Jan 22.

Dense fog enveloped several parts of the national capital, leading to disruption in flight operations at the Indira Gandhi International Airport here for two hours. According to a source, departures were put on hold from 7.30 am to 9.30 am due to low visibility conditions.

"Departures were put on hold from 7.30 am to around 9.30 am because of low visibility due to fog. In this two hour period, arrivals were operating as usual. The departures resumed at around 9.30 am when the visibility became better," a source said.

The minimum visibility required for take off is 125 metres. "Total eight flights were diverted from Delhi airport between 7.30 am and 9.30 am. Most of these diversions happened due to pilot non-compliance," the source said.

The Palam observatory recorded visibility at 50 metres at 8.30 am while at the Safdarjung observatory, it was recorded at 350 metres. According to the MeT Department, the minimum temperature settled at 6.7 degrees Celsius, a notch below the season's average. The humidity level was recorded at 100 per cent. The weather office has predicted clear skies throughout the day and the maximum temperature is expected to settle around 23 degrees Celsius. -- PTI

File pic

11:09

SC agrees to hear on January 7, the West Bengal BJP's plea seeking permission to hold 'Save Democracy Rally' campaign in the state.

11:05 Sachin arrives at 'Sir's' home for last rites

In Mumbai, Sachin Tendulkar and MNS chief Raj Thackeray arrive at the residence of cricket coach Ramakant Achrekar who passed away yesterday, to attend his last rites.

Ramakant Achrekar, whose contribution was way more than gifting India a 'kohinoor' called Sachin Tendulkar, passed away in Mumbai at the age of 87, on Wednesday.

He belonged to that near extinct tribe of cricket coaches, who gave quintessential talented middle-class boys hope and imparted knowledge that they carried a lifetime.

The picture of Achrekar sporting a half-sleeved cotton shirt, simple trousers and a 'Dev Anand Jewel Thief' cap and perfecting a 14-year-old Tendulkar's forward defense shape at the Shivaji Park Gymkhana, was all about the simple times of '80s.

Those were days when cricket coaching centres were mushrooming throughout the country, an effect of the 1983 World Cup win.

But therein was the difference between Achrekar and other coaches as he never enrolled anyone who didn't have the required merit.

Tendulkar and his elder brother Ajit have time and again recalled how Achrekar would stand behind trees and watch Tendulkar bat to let him play freely. The story of Achrekar putting a one rupee coin over stumps and challenging Tendulkar not to get bowled in order to earn the coin is a part of cricketing folklore.

Tendulkar still maintains that those coins are priceless.

The political atmosphere in Amethi, the Lok Sabha constituency of Rahul Gandhi, is expected to be charged tomorrow when the Congress president and Union Minister Smriti Irani descend there on the same day.

Irani had unsuccessfully contested against Gandhi in Amethi in the last Lok Sabha polls but she been nurturing the constituency in the expectation of taking on the Gandhi scion again in the next elections.

Gandhi will be in Amethi for two days from tomorrow during which he will be attending various programmes of the party.

Irani, Minister for Textiles, will be in Amethi for a day tomorrow to participate in a blanket distribution programme.

The two have been engaged in face-offs over development of Amethi, with Irani maintaining that the constituency had suffered despite Gandhi family representing in the Lok Sabha for decades. -- ANI

The rupee Thursday slumped 22 paise to 70.40 against the US dollar amid strengthening greenback and sustained foreign fund outflows. Forex traders said the dollar strengthening against major global currencies overseas and fall in domestic equities dragged down the local unit, while falling crude oil prices capped rupee's losses. The 30-share BSE index was trading lower by 84.30 points, or 0.23 per cent, at 35,807.22. Similarly, the broader NSE Nifty was trading down 34 points, or 0.32 per cent, at 10,758.50. -- PTI

Rahul Gandhi gets flak for calling PM Narendra Modi's interview with ANI's Smita Prakash as a 'staged' and said that it was conducted by a 'pliable journalist'.

Jaitley tweeted, "The Grandson of the Emergency dictator displays his real DNA attacks and intimidates an independent Editor."

The Congress president Wednesday drew sharp criticism from the National Union of Journalists (India) for his comments. @smitaprakash tweeted, "Dear Mr Rahul Gandhi, cheap shot at your press conference to attack me. I was asking questions not answering. You want to attack Mr Modi, go ahead but downright absurd to ridicule me. Not expected of a president of the oldest political party in the country."

Senior journalist Suhasini Haidar tweeted, "By using terms like "pliable", "presstitute","paid media", our political establishment, aided by their troll armies, show their scant respect for the fourth estate. Shameful comment by the Congress President."

Saying that the Congress president must apologise to journalists for his remarks, BJPs national media head and Rajya Sabha member Anil Baluni said: "This has been the Congresss mindset about independent journalism. Rahul Gandhis DNA is of the Emergency. His party has a history of throttling journalism. He should apologise to the countrys journalists for his petty remarks.

During a press conference on Wednesday, Rahul told reporters: He (Modi) does not have the guts to come and sit in front of you. And I am coming here you can ask me any question I come here once in seven-ten days and you saw the Prime Ministers interview yesterdaymatlab pliable journalist, woh question bi kar rahi thi, pradhan mantri ka answer bi de rahi thi, side mein (she was asking questions as well as giving answers).
‏

The main accused in the Bulandshahr mob violence in which a police officer was killed last month has been arrested. Yogesh Raj, who is Accused no 1, in the killing of the police officer in mob frenzy over alleged cow slaughter, was handed over to cops by leaders of his Bajrang Dal, reports NDTV.

Raj had eluded the police for 30 days and even sent videos from hiding. He was arrested only after the Bajrang Dal, a Hindu right-wing outfit, handed him over.

He is accused of inciting mob violence on December 3 after the discovery of cow carcasses from a forest. He had filed a complaint of cow killing naming 10 accused.

Inspector Singh was targeted by a mob of around 400 people, who hit with rocks and then beat him with sticks. Then they chased his car to a field where he was killed. A 20-year-old local man also died in the violence.

Another man who led the fatal attack on Inspector Singh was arrested on Tuesday. The police said the man, identified as Kalua, had attacked Inspector Subodh Kumar Singh with an axe, chopping off a couple of his fingers and then inflicting a head injury. Thereafter, the officer was shot. Prashant Nutt, the man who allegedly pulled the trigger, was arrested on December 28.

Union Minister Anant Kumar Hegde said the Kerala government has totally failed to handle the Sabarimala temple row and has committed 'daylight rape' on the Hindu people.

"The Supreme Court has given the direction. I totally agree with that, but at the same time since law and order is a state subject, the state government should know how it has to be dealt with," said Hegde.

"The Kerala government had completely failed to manage it diplomatically without hurting the faith of the masses. It is a daylight rape on Hindu people," he said.

His statement comes in the backdrop of two Kerala women, Bindu and Kanakadurga, in their 40s, entering the temple premises for offering prayers during early morning hours on Wednesday. They were accompanied by the police personnel.

Later in the day, clashes broke out between BJP Mahila Morcha workers and the police after they tried to enter the state secretariat in Thiruvananthapuram. They were protesting against the visit of these two women.

Despite the Apex Court's ruling, a string of protests took place at Sabarimala temple and its surrounding areas in the state, wherein several women attempted to visit the shrine but were stopped by Lord Ayyappa devotees.

-- ANI

A complaint has been lodged at a court in Bihar against actor Anupam Kher and others associated with the film "The Accidental Prime Minister", alleging that several public figures have been lampooned in the movie.

Advocate Sudhir Kumar Ojha filed the petition before the chief judicial magistrate's court here and it has been listed for hearing on January 8 before Sub Divisional Judicial Magistrate (West) Gaurab Kamal.

Besides Kher, who has essayed the role of former prime minister Manmohan Singh in the movie, others named in the complaint include actor Akshaye Khanna who plays noted journalist Sanjay Baru - a media adviser to the ex-PM on whose book the movie is said to have been based.

Actors and actresses who have played the roles of UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi, Congress president Rahul Gandhi - then a national general secretary - and Priyanka Vadra have also been named in the petition alongside the movie's producer and director.

Ojha has alleged that he felt "hurt" upon viewing the promos of the movie, set for release on January 11, on TV channels and YouTube.

He also claimed that the film projects the country and a host of its political leaders, ranging from RJD supremo Lalu Prasad and BSP chief Mayawati to former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and his deputy Lal Krishna Advani, in a very poor light.

The petition was filed under IPC sections 295, 153, 153A, 293, 504 and 120B relating to promoting enmity between different groups, sale of obscene objects, insult with intent to provoke breach of peace and criminal conspiracy.

-- PTI

08:27 Veteran actor Moushumi Chatterjee joins BJP

Veteran actor Moushumi Chatterjee joined the BJP on Wednesday.

The 70-year-old actor joined the party in the presence of senior leaders including BJP General Secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya, who is also in-charge for West Bengal.

The actress had fought the 2004 Lok Sabha elections on the Congress ticket from Kolkata north-east seat, but lost.

-- PTI

A shutdown has begun in Kerala. Security has been beefed up after intelligence report of violence.

An activist of Sabarimala Karma Samiti who was injured during stone pelting succumbed to his injuries in the early hours on Thursday, said police.

Reporting on the death, the police said Chandran Unnithan, 55, died in stone pelting. The officials added that two people have been arrested in connection with the death.

The violence broke out in response to two women entering the shrine early Wednesday.

Expressing dissatisfaction over New Delhi's decades-old role in the Afghanistan peace process, US President Donald Trump said he wants the regional countries, including India, Russia and Pakistan to fight the Taliban in the war-torn country.

In his first Cabinet meeting of the year, the US President also referred to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for funding a library in Afghanistan, wondering who would use it in that country.

"Why is not Russia there (in Afghanistan, fighting the Taliban)? Why isn't India there? Why isn't Pakistan there? Why are we (US) there? We are 6,000 miles away. But I don't mind. We want to help our people. We want to help other nations," Trump told reporters in response to a question during the Cabinet meeting.

The US President cited India's efforts towards peace and development in Afghanistan but alleged that the countries were not doing enough in the war-ravaged country and that they were taking advantage of the United States.

Asserting that the Afghan war costs billions of dollars to the US, Trump said, "I want people to treat us fairly". He noted that heads of countries have told him that they are involved in the peace process by "just sending some 100 or 200 soldiers".

The US president referred to his friendly terms with Prime Minister Modi, but appeared critical of a library funded by India in Afghanistan.

"I could give you an example where I get along very well with India and Prime Minister Modi. But he is constantly telling me, he built a library in Afghanistan. Library! That's like five hours of what we spend (in Afghanistan)," Trump told his cabinet colleagues.

"And he (Modi) tells me. He is very smart. We are supposed to say, oh thank you for the library. Don't know who's using it (the library) in Afghanistan. But it's one of those things. I don't like being taken advantage of," he said.

Trump drew a comparison between the expenses being borne by the US and other countries in the Afghan peace efforts.

"What other countries have done for the last long period of time is given us some soldiers and then talk about it like it's the end of the world. And we are subsidizing their military is by billions and billions and billions of dollars, many, many, many times, what those soldiers cost that country," the US President said.

Responding to a question, he said he wants India to be involved in Afghanistan.

Asked if India's role in Afghanistan was going to be security related, Trump said: "We are going to be doing something that is right. We are talking to the Taliban. We are talking to a lot of different people."

"But here's the thing, because you mentioned India. India is there. Russia is there. Russia used to be Soviet Union. Afghanistan made it Russia, because they went bankrupt fighting in Afghanistan. Russia. So you tend to look at other countries. Pakistan is there. They should be fighting. But Russia should be fighting," he said.

-- PTI

00:21 Bhagwat, VHP pitch for Ram temple in Ayodhya

Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh chief Mohan Bhagwat on Wednesday asserted that only a Ram temple will be constructed in Ayodhya.

His comments came a day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi suggested that any decision on an ordinance on the Ram temple could only be taken after the completion of the judicial process, but stressed that the Centre was ready to make all efforts to fulfil its responsibility.

Earlier in the day, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad said Hindus could not wait 'till eternity' for the court's decision on the Ram temple and asserted that the only way forward was to enact a legislation for its construction.

Replying to a query on the Ram mandir issue with just a few months left for the Lok Sabha polls, the schedule of which will bring in force the Model Code of Conduct, Bhagwat said, "Only a temple will come up in Ayodhya."

"We have faith in Lord Ram. It does not take time for time to change," he said.

The RSS chief was speaking to the media after attending a programme in Nagpur.

He said the saffron organisation stood by the statement given by its general secretary, Bhaiyyaji Joshi, on the temple issue.

Joshi had on Tuesday said the general public and also those in power wanted that a Ram temple be built at the disputed site in the holy town of Uttar Pradesh.

Earlier, speaking at a function organised by the Sevasadan Shikshan Sanstha, Bhagwat emphasised on need-based and the practical form of education.

"There is no dispute that the education policy should change and the change should be from the basics," he said.

"It has been said that a new education policy has been introduced, but there is no time for its implementation. Its implementation would depend on what happens next," Bhagwat added. -- PTI

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