January 2024 - Page 2 of 39 - Lokmarg

Parliament’s Budget Session To Begin On Wednesday

By LokMarg 30th January 2024

The budget session of Parliament, the last session before Lok Sabha polls expected to be held in April-May this year, will commence on Wednesday with President Droupadi Murmu addressing a joint sitting of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha in the new Parliament building.

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will present the interim budget on February 1.

The government convened an all-party meeting ahead of the session and struck a conciliatory note with the opposition, stating that it had urged the presiding officers of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha to revoke the suspension of MPs, who had been suspended during the winter session of Parliament.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi told reporters after the all-party meeting that it was held in a conducive atmosphere.

“All (suspensions) will be revoked. I have spoken with the (Lok Sabha) Speaker and (Rajya Sabha) Chairman, I have also requested them on behalf of the government…This is the jurisdiction of the Speaker and the Chairman. So, we have requested both of them to speak with the concerned privileged committees, revoke the suspension and give them the opportunity to come to the House. Both of them agreed,” Joshi said.

Asked if the suspended MPs will come to the House from tomorrow, Joshi said “yes”.

An unprecedented 146 opposition MPs were suspended from Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha during the winter session of Parliament for “violating rules”.

Joshi said that 45 leaders from 30 parties, including the ruling BJP, attended the meeting. “The meeting was held in a conducive atmosphere. This is a short session and the last one of the 17th Lok Sabha. We have requested the MPs to not come with placards,” Joshi said.

Congress leader Pramod Tiwari said that inflation and unemployment are two important issues that the party would raise in the budget session.

“Inflation and unemployment are two important issues which we will raise in the upcoming session. Investigative agencies are being misused. The latest example of the way ED is working is that of Jharkhand’s CM Hemant Soren. Apart from this, atrocities continue in Manipur. I specifically want to say that the debt burden on the country is increasing,” he said.

“I have raised issues regarding economic situation, federal structure, violent attacks on Rahul Gandhi’s Yatra in Assam, doubling the income of farmers, ED-CBI raids, caste census among others,” he added.

Asked about Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge’s remarks that there will be “no more polls if PM Modi wins,” Tiwari alleged that the government doesn’t believe in democracy.

“What if they change the election process? The public should use its rights and root out the Modi government,” he said.

Congress MP K Suresh accused the BJP government of using central agencies as weapons against the opposition. “They want to destabilise the opposition as they are scared of opposition unity.”

TMC MP Sudip Bandyopadhyay alleged that the government is not willing to answer questions.

“We also raised the issue of suspension of 150 MPs but the attitude of the government is not to reply to any question.”

The budget session will conclude on February 9.

The Committee of Privilege of Rajya Sabha held 11 suspended members guilty of breach of Privilege and contempt of the council but Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar invoked his authority and revoked the suspension of all 11 members.

The decision was taken to enable the members to attend the historic Special address by the President in the New Parliament Building, sources said.

The committee of Privileges of Rajya Sabha held 11 members – Jebi Mather Hisham, L Hanumanthaiah, Neeraj Dangi, Rajmani Patel, Kumar Ketkar, GC Chandrashekhar, Binoy Viswam, Sandosh Kumar, M Mohamed Abdulla, John Brittas, and AA

Rahim – guilty of breach of privilege and contempt of the Council.

It had further recommended that the period of suspension already suffered by the members be treated as sufficient punishment for the transgression.

Taking note of the situation that the suspended Members would not be able to attend the Special Address of the President to both the Houses of Parliament assembled together, the Committee presented the report to the Chairman Rajya Sabha.

The Chairman invoked the authority vested in him to revoke their suspension enabling the members to attend the Special address by the President. (ANI)

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There Are No Rifts In Our Family: Basant Soren

By LokMarg 30th January 2024

Reacting to the remarks made by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Nishikant Dubey that rifts are happening in the family of Chief Minister Hemant Soren over his wife’s (Kalpana Soren) candidature on becoming the next Jharkhand CM, Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) leader Basant Soren on Monday said that this is not the family of BJP MP where rifts keep on happening adding that Jharkhand Mukti Morcha is united on all issues.

Basant Soren, who is also the brother of Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren, said that any decision that will be taken will have the party’s and state’s welfare in mind.

In a telephonic conversation with ANI, JMM MLA from Dumka, Basant Soren said, “Our family is united. The decision which is good for the party and state’s welfare will be taken.”

When asked about Nishikant Dubey’s claim over the rift in his family, Basant Soren said,” Do you have any doubt that the family is not united? This is not Nishikant Dubey’s family but Jharkhand Mukti Morcha. These things (rift) happen in his family only. Jharkhand Mukti Morcha is a united family.”

On allegations that Centre is harassing Hemant Soren due to his tribal status, Basant Soren said, “We are not saying this. People of Jharkhand are saying this. This is the public’s opinion.”

Earlier today, BJP MP Nishikant Dubey claimed that Dumka MLA Basant Soren and Hemant Soren’s sister-in-law Sita Soren are refusing to accept the proposal of Kalpana Soren becoming the next Jharkhand Chief Minister.

“According to the current information, MLA Sita Soren ji and MLA Basant Soren ji have refused to accept Chief Minister Hemant Soren ji’s wife Kalpana Soren ji or other MLAs as the Chief Minister. Both the MLAs are absent from the legislature party meeting being held in Ranchi,” Nishikant Dubey posted on X.

Earlier today, Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren chaired a meeting with ministers of his ruling coalition amid allegations by the BJP that the JMM chief was “absconding” to avoid the Enforcement Directorate’s probe into an alleged land scam case.

The chief of Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) was seen coming out of his residence in Ranchi today ahead of the meeting.

Soren, in a letter to the Enforcement Directorate, said he would record his statement before the agency officials at 1 pm on Wednesday, January 31 at his residence in Ranchi. (ANI)

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Ramdev’s Wax Impression Unveiled, At Madame Tussauds Museum

By LokMarg 30th January 2024

Yoga guru Baba Ramdev became the latest global icon to find pride of place at New York’s Madame Tussauds Museum, as his wax statue was unveiled on Tuesday.

On Tuesday, the Yoga guru’s wax impression was unveiled at an event in Delhi in the presence of Baba Ramdev.

Baba Ramdev’s wax figure has been carved in the Vrikshasana pose, which involves s standing on one leg with the other leg bent and the sole of the foot resting against the inner thigh of the standing leg.

On the occasion, Baba Ramdev said, “I feel honoured that my wax statue is being installed at Madame Tussauds in New York. It’s not just a piece of recognition for me but is also a recognition of yoga and ayurveda and India’s eternal culture. This also shows that not only are icons from Bollywood, Hollywood, and the world of politics celebrated and recognised but a seer can also claim similar recognition.”

At the event, Baba Ramdev also put a ‘tika’ on the forehead of his wax impression while unveiling it.

Baba Ramdev has now joined the league of other prominent Indian personalities whose wax statues were earlier installed at Madame Tussauds Museum in New York.

His wax statue will be placed at the museum in Times Square, Manhattan. (ANI)

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I Had Greatest Difficulty Signing Simi In ‘Karz’: Ghai

By LokMarg 30th January 2024

Renowned filmmaker Subhash Ghai recalled the difficulties he faced in persuading Simi Garewal to play the role of Kaamini in ‘Karz.’

He told ANI, “I faced the greatest difficulty in signing Simi because she refused to play this role.

He recalled that she said, “Subhash this story is good but I cannot play the role because I would be shown like a vamp.’ Then I had to eat at her place for five nights. I had to do PR to convince her; this is what happened. I told her think over it as that role was very good. She said that no, I would choose some other character. She did not have much work at that time but yet she had her convictions.”

He also shared that he assured Simi Grewal that he would maintain her dignity in the film.

“I made her understand that I would maintain your dignity and told her that she should not worry; I had seen this character differently and even you suit this role,” he added.

Sharing details of how he managed to bring actors on board to play different characters in the 1980 film ‘Karz’, he said, “When I was writing the script of ‘Karz,’ Kamini had an important role in it, who also has dignity. As a director-writer, it’s a lot of hard work to write a character that has dignity and also has done murder. She is a negative character, but at the same time, she is ambitious. When we have to create a character, we have to do a lot of hard work, which is not seen on the screen. Characters are so distinctive. The characters of Tina Munim and Simi Garewal are different. And ‘Karz’ is a music replay of the story; you replay the story through music.”

Talking about the success of the film, Subash said, “I am very surprised that this film was released in 1980, today, even kids know me as ‘Karz wale uncle.’ Even today, people watch it, enjoy it and I’m surprised the film didn’t get very immediate results at the box office at the release time. But people told me that you had made the film 10 years before it should have been made. Even today, the picture is as fresh as it was in 1980.”

Notably, Karz was released in 1980. The film was directed by Subhash Ghai and produced by Akhtar Romani.

The movie stars Rishi Kapoor, Tina Munim, Simi Garewal, Pran, and Raj Kiran in key roles.

The story revolves around Monty Oberoi (played by Rishi Kapoor), a young musician who starts having recurring nightmares about a past life. As he delves deeper into these nightmares, he discovers that he is the reincarnation of Ravi Verma, a man who was betrayed and murdered in his previous life. Monty seeks to unravel the mystery behind his past life, including the circumstances leading to Ravi Verma’s death and the people responsible for it.

Simi Garewal played the role of Kamini Verma, the main antagonist in the film.

The music of ‘Karz’ became immensely popular, with the song ‘Om Shanti Om’ being particularly iconic.

The film has been remade and adapted several times, showcasing its enduring popularity over the years. (ANI)

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Rahman Using AI To Recreate Voices Of Late Bamba Bakya, Shahul Hameed

By LokMarg 30th January 2024

Music maestro AR Rahman’s latest song ‘Thimiri Yezhuda’ from Rajinikanth-starrer ‘Lal Salaam’ features voices of late singers Bamba Bakya and Shahul Hameed. Wondering how is it possible? Well, don’t be surprised as we are living in the age of AI.

Rahman in a post on X admitted using AI. He also shared that he took permission from the families of the late singers’ to use their voices for the track.

“We took permission from their families and sent deserving remuneration for using their voice algorithms ..technology is not a threat and a nuisance if we use it right…(folded hands emoticon),” Rahman wrote.

He also added the hashtags respect and nostalgia in the post.

While some liked the use of AI in ‘Thimiri Yezhuda’ song, there’s a section of society that called out the makers for this move and said he could have given an opportunity to aspiring singers.

Singer Bamba Bakya died in 2022 due to a cardiac arrest. Meanwhile, Shahul Hameed died in a car crash in 1997, near Chennai. (ANI)

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Jyotika, Suriya’s Finland Trip Is So Much Fun

By LokMarg 30th January 2024

Power couple Suriya and Jyotika recently visited Finland.

Jyotika took to Instagram on Monday evening to share a video that showcased glimpses from their trip.

She wrote, “2024 – a year full of travel. January : Finland (Arctic circle).”

The video begins with footage of snowfall with text that reads, “Life is like a rainbow; let’s start finding its colours. I found my white.”

From living in an igloo to admiring the Northern Lights, the actor-couple posted numerous photos from their romantic getaway.

The video also includes a selfie of the couple.

Jyotika can be seen entering an igloo.

The video also included short footage of the couple enjoying dog sled ride together. The couple was seen having a fun time near a bonfire in the snow.

Jyotika and Suriya got married on September 11, 2006. They have two children, a daughter, Diya, and a son, Dev. The power couple appeared in seven films together, with the first being ‘Poovellam Kettuppar.’

Meanwhile, the ‘Jai Bhim’ actor will also be seen in ‘Suriya 43,’ alongside Dulquer Salmaan, Vijay Varma, and Nazriya Fahadh.

Suriya and Sudha Kongara are returning for ‘Surya 43,’ following the 2020 film Soorarai Pottru, which earned him a National Award for Best Actor.

He also has action drama film ‘Kanguva’ in his pipeline. Directed by Siva, the film also stars Disha Patani in the lead roles. (ANI)

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Chandigarh Mayor Election: BJP’s Manoj Sonkar Wins

By LokMarg 30th January 2024

The Bharatiya Janta Party’s (BJP) Manoj Sonkar won the Chandigarh mayoral elections on Tuesday, the first election battle against the INDIA bloc by defeating the Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) Kuldeep Kumar.

Meanwhile, BJP secured 16 votes for its mayor candidate Manoj Sonkar and Kuldeep Singh, the joint candidate of Congress and AAP was able to manage 12 votes. 8 votes were declared invalid.

After BJP’s Manoj won the Chandigarh mayor election, a ruckus broke out in the House. Congress and AAP councillors accused the BJP of cheating and not following the due electoral process

Reacted to the allegations of AAP, newly-elected Chandigarh Mayor Manoj Sonkar said that levelling allegations is the AAP-Congress job.

“Wherever they don’t have their way, they level allegations…Everything is on camera. But when they couldn’t digest their defeat, they created this atmosphere and started blaming us,” Sonkar said.

He further alleged that AAP-Congress leaders started tearing ballot papers and jostling people around after the name of the Mayor was announced.

“They started tearing ballot papers and jostling people around after the name of the Mayor was announced…When they can’t run a small city, how can they run a state?…Let them do press conference, we are not wrong. We have won the election,” he added.

The polls were conducted today after the presiding officer fell ill on the initial date, January 8 of holding the polls.

The fresh scheduling of the elections, which AAP MP Raghav Chadha described as the first direct electoral contest between the BJP and the Opposition bloc–INDIA–happened on the order of the Punjab-Haryana High Court.

The Punjab and Haryana High Court on January 24, 2024, announced the decision to hold the Chandigarh Mayoral Elections on January 30 and also vested the responsibility for security in the Chandigarh Police. (ANI)

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SP Announces Names Of 16 Candidates, Dimple To Contest From Mainpuri

By LokMarg 30th January 2024

The Samajwadi Party (SP) has announced the names of 16 candidates for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, to take place in this year.

The SP has fielded Dimple Yadav, wife of former Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav from Mainpuri and Shafiqur Rahman Barq from Sambhal and Ravidas Mehrotra from Lucknow.

Dimple Yadav of the Samajwadi Party won the Mainpuri parliamentary byelection in December 2022, defeating Raghuraj Singh Shakya of the BJP by a margin of 2,88,461 votes.

Considered as SP’s bastion, the seat was held by party patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav and it got vacated after his death on October 10.

Akshay Yadav has been fielded from Firozabad, while from Banda, the SP has fielded Shivshakar Singh Patel.

Barq who at 93 is one of the oldest Parliamentarians has been elected 5 times to the Lok Sabha from Sambhal.

“Hoga PDA ke naam, abki ekjut matdan,” the SP said.

In the current Lok Sabha, the SP, that had fought in alliance with the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) in 2019, has three MPs while BSP has 10 MPs. Sonia Gandhi, who represents the Rae Bareli seat, is the lone Congress MP from the State.

On January 19, the SP and RLD had announced their alliance for the Lok Sabha election, with SP leaving seven seats in western Uttar Pradesh for the RLD.

The SP has offered 11 out of the 80 Lok Sabha seats in Uttar Pradesh to the Congress.

Samajwadi Party (SP) president and former U.P. Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, on Saturday said that their “alliance” is off to a good start in the State.

Both the Congress and the SP are members of the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA), formed to take on the BJP-led Centre.

“Our cordial alliance with the Congress is off to a good start with 11 strong seats. This trend will move forward with the winning equation. ‘INDIA’ team and ‘PDA’ (Picchda, Dalit, Alpsankhyak) strategy will change history,” Yadav said in a post on X. (ANI)

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Black Day For Democracy: Kejriwal On C’garh Mayor Election

By LokMarg 30th January 2024

Delhi Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday alleged the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) indulged in “hooliganism” during the Chandigarh mayoral elections and called the polls a “black day for democracy.”

Addressing a press conference, Delhi CM voiced concerns about the integrity of the democratic process and said the entire country saw what happened in the Chandigarh mayoral polls.

“Gandhiji was assassinated on this date and after 76 years, they (BJP) have murdered the democracy… It is a black day for democracy. They did hooliganism openly and it is captured on camera. The whole country is seeing how they stole votes… Anyone can win or lose elections, the country should not lose… The issue is that they have won the Chandigarh Mayoral elections with open fraud,” Kejriwal said.

AAP chief further questioned what kind of elections were held today.

“The presiding officer (appointed by BJP), did not let any agent participate in the counting (of the mayoral election’s votes) and continued the counting on his own. He declared some of our votes invalid and some as valid, which can clearly be seen in the video. Out of 36, they (BJP) had 16 votes, and we (AAP-Congress) had 20. From those 20, they declared 8 invalid, meaning 25 per cent of votes were declared invalid. What kind of election is this?” he added.

He further said that the BJP is targeting opposition leaders, breaking parties and toppling governments.

“This time under INDIA Alliance, Congress and AAP came together… Their (BJP) intention had been maligned since the beginning… They tried to buy ours and Congress’ councillors. They tried to scare them like they do all over the country… But fortunately, not even one councillor broke down,” AAP chief said.

This came after the BJP swept the Chandigarh mayoral polls, winning all three posts including of mayor, and defeating the Congress-AAP alliance.

Meanwhile, BJP secured 16 votes for its mayor candidate Manoj Sonkar and Kuldeep Singh, the joint candidate of Congress and AAP was able to manage 12 votes. 8 votes were declared invalid.

After BJP’s Manoj won the Chandigarh mayor election, a ruckus broke out in the House. Congress and AAP councillors accused the BJP of cheating and not following the due electoral process

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Imran, His Top Aide Qureshi Sentenced To 10 Years Jail

By LokMarg 30th January 2024

A Pakistan court has sentenced former prime minister Imran Khan and former Pakistan’s foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi to jail for 10 years each in a case involving leaking of state secrets, local media reported on Tuesday.

A special court established under the Official Secrets Act sentenced Pakistan Tehreeke-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Khan and former Pakistan’s foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi handed out the 10-year jail sentence in the cypher case, Dawn reported.

The verdict was announced by special court Judge Abul Hasnat Zulqarnain during the hearing held at Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi.

The special court had begun the cipher trial afresh last month at the Adiala district jail after Imran and Qureshi were indicted for a second time in the case on December 13, Dawn News reported.

The former premier and Qureshi, who is also behind bars, were first indicted in the case in October. Both had pleaded not guilty. The IHC had termed the government’s notification for a jail trial “erroneous” and scrapped the entire proceedings.

Taking to social media platform X, Khan said, “This is not a trial but a fixed match whose outcome was predetermined by the characters and planners of the London Plan and their seals. That is why I already know the decision of this case.”

He added, “Remember that Cipher is a case which has been declared null and void twice by the Islamabad High Court and ordered to be re-tried because both times the case was tried to be run in violation of the constitution and the law. Then the Supreme Court has also given me bail in this case because the whole building of this case has been built on lies, bullying, conspiracy and deceit.”

The former Pakistan PM also alleged that “these people want to provoke you by giving me a harsh sentence in this case so that you go out on the streets and protest, then add your unknowns to it and do another false flag operation in the style of May 9 to get those results. Attempts should be made which could not be achieved by the earlier false flag operation. Second, they want you people to stay at home on February 8, disappointed and angry.”

He urged, “My Pakistanis! This is your war and this is your test that you have to take revenge for every injustice by your vote on February 8 while remaining peaceful. Innocent Pakistanis imprisoned in jails for the last 8 months will get justice and release now only with your vote. I believe that just as you broke the chains of fear yesterday, you will come out in millions on election day and defeat the planners of the London plan by the power of your vote and tell them that we There are no sheep that can be driven with a stick. I believe that February 8 will be our day of victory. God willing.”

Earlier this month, Pakistan’s caretaker federal government challenged the Islamabad High Court’s (IHC) decision to declare its notification regarding the jail trial of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader in the cypher case as null and void.

It reported that the government filed a petition in the apex court to overturn the High Court’s decision saying that the High Court did not evaluate the facts of the case properly.

It contended that the IHC did not have the authority to declare a special court formed to hold cypher trial of the former premier invalid.

As per Geo News, in November last year, the IHC nullified the notification for conducting PTI founder Imran Khan’s jail trial in the cypher case registered on charges of leaking state secrets.

An IHC division bench, comprising Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb and Justice Saman Rafat Imtiaz, announced the verdict on November 21, 2023 on Imran’s intra-court appeal against a single-member bench’s decision to approve his jail trial in the cypher case under the Official Secrets Act, 1923.

Earlier, allowing Khan’s intra-court appeal, the division bench declared the law ministry’s notification “to be without lawful authority and no legal effect”.

The IHC stated in the three-page short order that the jail trial can be conducted in “exceptional circumstances”.

“In exceptional circumstances and where it is conducive to justice, a trial can be conducted in jail in a manner that fulfills the requirements of an open trial or a trial in camera, provided it is in accordance with the procedure provided by law.

“The court also declared that the November 15 notification issued by the Ministry of Law and Justice after the caretaker cabinet’s approval of the jail trial “cannot be given retrospective effect”.

Geo News reported that Imran’s cypher trial was started afresh, but the IHC declared all the proceedings in the cypher case conducted by a special court after December 14, 2023, invalid.

Last week, state defence counsels had been appointed due to the previously appointed ones who had agreed to conduct cross-examinations not appearing in the next two court hearings.

Imran had said the trial was nothing less than a “joke” because the prosecution and defence team both belonged to the government.

The cypher case involves a diplomatic document that the Federal Investigation Agency alleges was never returned by Imran Khan, with the PTI asserting the document contained a threat from the United States to remove Imran as prime minister. (ANI)

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