Politics

As soon as the Council assembled in the morning, members of the BJP and other Opposition parties raised the issue of compensation for farmers who had lost their crops in unseasonal rains in October and November.

The BJP MLAs on Tuesday marched to the Assembly with flex boards carrying a report published earlier in the Sena mouthpiece demanding Rs 25,000 per hectare aid for farmers hit by untimely rains.

The petition was filed by Bahujan Samaj Party’s Nawab Kazim Ali who had alleged that Abdullah was born in 1993 instead of 1990 which he had mentioned in his poll affidavit.

Addressing a press conference, BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra accused the opposition parties of misleading people and trying to 'bifurcate' the country in the name of Hindus and Muslims.

The BJP boycotted the tea party in the evening in protest against various issues, including the Sena's alliance with the Congress which had 'insulted' Hindutva icon VD Savarkar.

December 19 has been chosen as the day of the protest as three freedom fighters -Ram Prasad Bismil, Ashfaqullah Khan and Roshan Singh — were hanged by the British on this day in 1927, the Left parties said.

Former minister and BJP MLA from Mumbai Ashish Shelar also requested Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray to implement the amended law in Maharashtra.

Gote, who recently joined the NCP, dubbed the then CM's official residence, where 'conspiracies' were planned according to him, as 'Varsha night club'.

Speaking at the Bharat Bachao rally, Rahul Gandhi said it is Narendra Modi and his “assistant” Amit Shah who should apologise to the country for destroying its economy.

Many activists were seen tearing copies of the Bill, which proposes citizenship to persecuted religious minorities from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan.

Karnataka CM BS Yediyurappa said cabinet expansion will be taken up and those disqualified MLAs, who made it to the assembly in the bypolls, will get preference.

It would be interesting to see whether the saffron party opts to consolidate its organisation till the next polls or appoints a combative leader as its state president to take on the Kamal Nath government.

Despite Congress leaders being convinced that Priyanka Gandhi's proactive role is forcing the state government to go on the backfoot, several political experts warned that the party must reach out to its ground-level cadre.

The Shiv Sena has kept the home ministry, that was a key sticking point with Sharad Pawar’s Nationalist Congress Party. However, no deputy chief minister has been announced, contrary to the expectations.

Attacking the Congress and the NCP, he said despite fighting the elections against the Shiv Sena, the two parties joined hands with the saffron party for political gains.

The Lok Sabha passed the Bill with 311 votes in favour and 80 against it a little past midnight after a debate that lasted more than seven hours.