Month: February 2024

Samantha Ruth Prabhu

Samantha Reveals Her Weight, Metabolic Age

By LokMarg

Actor Samantha Ruth Prabhu has kickstarted her Thursday with a “best kind of mornings.”

She took to Instagram to share photos of her working routine with a caption that read, “Forever seeking the morning sun. The best kind of mornings.”

Samantha posted photos of herself on Instagram on Thursday morning. While she did not divulge her location, she did share photos of herself working out, the lush flora she is surrounded by, her weight, and her metabolic age.

In the first photo, she can be seen working out outside, with the sea and nature as a backdrop.

She also dropped pictures of some birds and of a beautiful pool amid lush foliage.

One of the photos showcased her weight, which is 50.1 kg, and metabolic age of 23 at the age of 36.

Meanwhile, on the work front, she was recently seen sharing screen space with Vijay Deverakonda in ‘Kushi’.

Written and directed by Shiva Nirvana and produced by Mythri Movie Makers, ‘Kushi’ was released in theatres on September 1, 2023, in Telugu, Tamil, Kannada and Malayalam.

Samantha will be seen in the Indian adaptation of the action series ‘Citadel’ opposite Varun Dhawan.

Recently, she finished the shoot of the series.

After wrapping up the shoot, Samantha penned a lengthy note by sharing the pictures from the sets.

She wrote, “And it’s a wrap on #CitadelIndia. A break doesn’t seem like a bad thing at all when you know what’s coming @rajanddk @mensit… The family I didn’t know I needed. Thank you for helping me fight every single battle and never ever giving up on me.”

Samantha Ruth Prabhu even declared her role in Citadel as a “role of a lifetime”. Hold on. There’s more to it. Samantha concluded her post with these words, “I wish more than anything in the world to make you proud.. Thank you for the role of a lifetime.. i.e. until you write me the next”.

Created by Raj Nidimoru and Krishna D.K. The action-packed series is an Indian adaptation of the Russo Brothers’ series of the same name. Priyanka Chopra and Richard Madden headlined the international version. (ANI)

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Fair and Remunerative Price (FRP) of sugarcane

CCEA Decides To Increase Sugarcane FRP

By LokMarg

After the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs increased the Fair and Remunerative Price (FRP) of sugarcane, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Thursday that the government is committed to fulfilling every resolution related to the welfare of our farmer across the country.

“Our government is committed to fulfilling every resolution related to the welfare of our farmer brothers and sisters across the country. In this context, a historic increase in the price of sugarcane has been approved. This step will benefit crores of our sugarcane-producing farmers.,” PM Modi posted on X.

Earlier on Wednesday, the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi approved the Fair and Remunerative Price (FRP) of sugarcane for Sugar Season 2024-25 at Rs 340 per quintal at a sugar recovery rate of 10.25 per cent. This was the historic price of sugarcane, which is about 8 per cent higher than the FRP of sugarcane for the current season (2023-24). The revised FRP will be applicable from October 1, 2024.

“At 107 per cent higher than the A2+FL cost of sugarcane, the new FRP will ensure the prosperity of sugarcane farmers. It is noteworthy that India is already paying the highest price of sugarcane in the world and despite that, the government is ensuring the world’s cheapest sugar for domestic consumers in Bharat,” a Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs release said.

“This decision of the Central Government is going to benefit more than 5 crore sugarcane farmers (including family members) and lakhs of other persons involved in the sugar sector. It re-confirms the fulfilment of the Modi ki Guarantee to double farmers’ income,” the release said.

With this approval, sugar mills will pay FRP of sugarcane at Rs 340 per quintal at recovery of 10.25 per cent. With each increase of recovery by 0.1 per cent, farmers will get the additional price of Rs 3.32 while the same amount will be deducted on the reduction of recovery by 0.1 per cent. However, Rs 315.10 per quintal is the minimum price of sugarcane which is at recovery of 9.5 per cent. Even if sugar recovery is lesser, farmers are assured of FRP at Rs 315.10 per quintal.

According to the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, In the last 10 years, the Government has ensured that farmers get the right price of their crops at the right time. 99.5 per cent of the cane dues of the previous sugar season 2022-23 and 99.9 per cent of all other sugar seasons are already paid to farmers leading to the lowest cane arrears pending in the history of the sugar sector.

With timely policy interventions by the government, sugar mills have become self-sustainable and no financial assistance has been given to them by the government since 2021-22. Still, the Central Government has ensured ‘Assured FRP and Assured Procurement’ of sugarcane to farmers, the CCEA said.

The FRP has been determined based on the recommendations of the Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP) and after consultation with state governments and other stakeholders. (ANI)

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The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) J-K poll

BJP’s Preparations In Full Swing To Woo Farmers Through Gram Parikrama Yatra

By LokMarg

The Bharatiya Janata Party is having an important dialogue with the farmers of 1.25 lakh villages across the country through the “Gram Parikrama Yatra” program. This program started on February 12 and will continue till March 12, the entire program will last for one month.

The Bharatiya Janata Party has made complete preparations to woo the farmers before the Lok Sabha elections and that is why it is continuously organizing various programs to communicate with the farmers.

The National President of the BJP’s Kisan Morcha, Rajkumar Chahar, said, “We are communicating with the farmers through Gaon Parikrama Yatra and Kisan Chaupal. Our objective is to take suggestions from the farmers and to know what they want from Modi ji so that the “Sankalp patra” will be prepared. These things can be added in preparation for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. Could include him in Modi’s guarantee.”

The programs held across the country were broadcast on 900 screens, that is, by installing one screen in one district, the village parikrama yatra and Kisan Chaupal was telecasted live with the labourers and farmers.

Communication with the farmers has been done by distributing leaflets about the work done by the Modi government for the welfare of farmers and circling the village is being done under the Gram Parikrama yatra. Under Kisan Chaupal, to establish communication with the labourers and farmers, if there is any ex-serviceman or martyr’s family in the village and to honour those who are progressive farmers.

A Gram Parikrama Yatra started on February 12 in Sukh Teerth of Muzaffarnagar in Western Uttar Pradesh. In this journey, about 20,000 farmers participated in the first rally. The program was addressed by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath in the program, BJP Kisan Morcha National President Rajkumar Chahar. Apart from BJP Uttar Pradesh chief president Bhupendra Yadav and Dharampal Singh, local leaders were present and dialogue was also held with the people of the village.

“There is no opposition of any kind anywhere in the Gaon Parikrama Yatra because of the work done by the Modi government in the last 10 years, ranging from the Kisan Fasal Yojana, Kisan Samman Nidhi, crop insurance, Kisan Rail Deep Irrigation, Nano Urea and its 50 per cent subsidy to 300 units for free. Farmers are very excited about electricity, and MSP is given on crops. Under Modi’s government, MSP has increased by 1.5 times and 2 times. We are reaching 1.25 lakh villages.” BJP Kisan Morcha National President Rajkumar Chahar said.

“MSP seems to be the main issue at the moment. There is a lot of purchasing on MSP on some crops in Punjab. MSP has continuously increased in production. Exports are also big and the government itself is continuously sitting in Chandigarh for talks. The solution will be found through talks. The government has been taking decisions in the interest of farmers earlier and will continue to take them in future also. Some issues need good discussion in the interest of farmers, like the issue of MSP” he added.

Rajkumar Chahar, told ANI that a Lebi movement had already taken place once in the country. The wheat purchasing centre is also called ‘Lebi’ in the local language.

“It was Indira Gandhi’s government when the farmers did the ‘Lebi Movement’ in Uttar Pradesh. Because the MSP rate was low and wheat was being sold in the market at one and a half times the expensive price, at that time Indira Gandhi’s government forcefully harassed the farmers and purchased it at cheap prices. The issue of MSP is the main issue and the government will not rush on it. Its conclusion will come only through meaningful discussion,” Rajkumar Chahar said. (ANI)

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ED Kejriwal

ED Issues Seventh Summon To Kejriwal To Appear On Feb 26

By LokMarg

The Directorate of Enforcement on Thursday issued the seventh summons to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal to appear before the agency. Sources say the Delhi CM has been asked to appear before the ED on February 26.

On February 14, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) had issued a sixth summons to the Delhi Chief Minister in the money laundering probe related to alleged irregularities in the Delhi Excise Policy 2021-22 case, asking him to join the investigation on February 19.

The fresh summons to the Delhi Chief Minister were issued after he skipped the fifth summons on February 2.

Arvind Kejriwal had earlier skipped five previous summons issued by the ED on February 2, January 18, January 3, November 2 and December 22, calling them “illegal and politically motivated.”.

The ED wants to record Kejriwal’s statement in the case on issues like the formulation of policy, meetings held before it was finalised, and allegations of bribery.

While skipping the fifth summons issued by the ED, Kejriwal termed it “illegal”, saying he was ready to cooperate but the agency’s intention was to arrest him and stop him from election campaigning.

“All five notices sent to me (by the ED) are illegal and invalid in the eyes of the law. Whenever such general, non-specific notices were sent by the ED in the past, they were quashed and declared invalid by courts. These notices are being sent as part of a political conspiracy,” Kejriwal said after skipping the fifth notice.

A day after Kejriwal skipped the fifth summons issued by the Enforcement Directorate, the agency on February 3 approached a Delhi Court against him for “non-compliance with the summons”.

The case is based on a First Information Report (FIR) alleging multiple irregularities in the formation and implementation of the Delhi excise policy (2021-22) by the Central Bureau of Investigation. The policy was withdrawn after allegations of corruption.

In its sixth charge sheet filed in the case on December 2, 2023, naming AAP leader Sanjay Singh and his alleged aide Sarvesh Mishra, the ED had claimed that the AAP used kickbacks worth Rs 45 crore generated via the policy as part of its assembly elections campaign in Goa in 2022.

Two senior AAP leaders — Manish Sisodia and Sanjay Singh — are already under judicial custody in the case. Sisodia, who was the then Delhi Deputy Chief Minister, was arrested by the CBI on February 26 following several rounds of questioning and on October 5, the ED arrested Singh, who is a Rajya Sabha member. (ANI)

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Indian Navy Cabinet Committee CCS

CCS Approves Rs 19,000 Cr Mega Indian Navy Deal For BrahMos Missiles

By LokMarg

In a mega boost for the Indian Navy, the Cabinet Committee on Security has cleared the acquisition of over 200 BrahMos extended-range supersonic cruise missiles for deployment on its warships.

The deal worth around Rs 19,000 crore was cleared in a meeting held on Wednesday evening, top government sources told ANI.

The contract is set to be signed in the first week of March between the BrahMos Aerospace and Ministry of Defence.

The BrahMos is the main weapon for anti-ship and attack operations for the Indian navy warships which have been regularly firing the weapon system.

The BrahMos Aerospace is a joint venture of India and Russia and produces supersonic cruise missiles that can be launched from submarines, ships, aircraft, or land platforms.

The BrahMos missile has been indigenised in a big way by the BrahMos corporation and more parts are being indigenised.

The BrahMos missile is also set to be exported soon to the Philippines which is its first global customer.

Many countries in the Southeast Asian region have started showing serious interest in the missile system for deployment in multiple ways.

Brahmos Aerospace, headed by Atul Rane, is also working towards achieving the USD 5 billion export target set by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The BrahMos Chairman had stated that after the first export deal with the Philippines at 375 million dollars, his team was targeting USD 5 billion by 2025.

The Indo-Russian joint venture company had conducted test firings of the missile with a high level of indigenous content, and the missile is being equipped with an indigenous seeker.

The BrahMos missile system sale to the partner countries is also set to open many more windows for other successful weapon systems like the Akash, ATAGS howitzers and other equipment from the Indian industry.

This Indian defence industry is also working on improving its hardware quality to match global competition and achieve success in export markets.

Indian systems are also being showcased in foreign countries and some of the public sector units have also opened up offices in prospective markets for sales and support. (ANI)

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Shambhu border Farmer

Farmers Halt ‘Dilli Chalo’ March For Two Days

By LokMarg

The General Secretary of Punjab Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee, Sarwan Singh Pandher, said on Thursday that they have suspended their ‘Dilli Chalo’ protest march for two days to take stock of the ongoing situation on the Shambhu border in Haryana and further decision will be taken accordingly.

The farmer leader condemned the Central Government’s action against the protestors through para-military forces injuring hundreds.

“We had earlier announced that our movement will be completely peaceful but if unrest came up, then we had asked all the youth to stop proceeding and the leaders themselves had decided to take it forward from there. After the talks started, the central government ran away from the talks, then we started getting inauspicious news from Khanuri. This Shubhakaran Singh, his age is 23 years, was shot in his head and three more were seriously injured, so in this kind of situation, to continue the talks. I did not think that we would be able to succeed. Looking at the entire situation, as the centre has fled,” Pandher said while speaking to ANI on Thursday.

“For now, this movement is in a halt for two days. Whatever is going on, it will continue here only. After taking stock of the situation of all the disgusting things that are going on, we will take further decision keeping in mind all these things,” he said.

Pandher further alleged that the security forces attacked the farmers who were moving bare hands and also destroyed their vehicles.

“Farmer leaders have also moved forward, we were moving peacefully, there were few farmer leaders before us, there was tremendous shelling on us, rubber bullets were fired, then we went ahead, then the same was done again. One farmer from Haryana, was put in a sack, his legs were broken and thrown in the fields and other things are also coming in front of us,” he said.

“As we are moving forward with such bare hands, it is still not allowing us to move forward, so the whole country and the world are watching the face of this government, they are getting to know about it and apart from this, the police force in Ghanori moved forward, they moved forward and attacked people, over 30 tractor trolleys have been destroyed, vehicles have been destroyed. this is a condemnable action, the way the Government of India is acting,” the farmer leader remarked.

“It is completely clear that bullets were fired, then you were also on Shambhu, you have seen that we have made complete arrangements when we were remaining completely peaceful, the leader was still giving a speech, then the first tear gas was thrown at us,” he added.

The farmer leader urged the farmers and also people from across the country to come forward and protest against the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led central government.

“This kind of thing is not right, we would like to tell the entire country, whether it is Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Bihar, Orissa, South India, the whole of India. India should rise, protest against the Modi government, it is a big issue for the whole country, MSP legal guarantee,” he said.

He also criticised the Punjab government and the opposition parties in the country including the Congress for not ‘clarifying’ their stance.

“I had said that whatever opposition party there is, currently there are 13 MPs in Rajya Sabha from Punjab, I am not able to see any of their statements. If the Modi government brings a one-day session in the Parliament for the MSP Legal Guarantee Act, then we farmers will cast their votes in favour of MSP. All the opposition parties in the country have not yet clarified what they say,” Pandher said.

The farmer leader further alleged that the central government is trying all ways “to defame the movement”.

“The agencies by the government are using well-planned methods. The kind of people that are being sent, and the way they cut off the media, means that the entire government is trying every possible way to defame the movement. We all were farmers and labourers in the country. This movement has become so big, that it is very important to identify the people who are being sent by the government to handle it and whatever happens, it should not happen again. This government is using force on the farmers and labourers of the country. This matter will have to be answered in the future,” he said.

He also urged to find a solution to the farmers’ demands sooner so that the ongoing ‘unfortunate situation’ can end.

“What suggestions or proposals do you put forward? Will you still ask for a meeting or what do you want to say? Look, the doors are open for the government, we have said that even today we will appeal to the Prime Minister that he intervenes, and talks should continue making the MSP legal guarantee law and on other demands. If they are ready to make a legal guarantee law, then this can end. There can be a happy solution to this issue,” the farmer leader said.

“On Shambhu, the circumstances are absolutely under control except for a few incidents and our people, farmers and labourers, are in complete control. We are again saying that the government sends such people so that our movement gets defamed,” he added.

Pandher reiterated the farmers’ earlier demand that the Prime Minister intervene in the matter and find a solution for the same.

“Now Haryana Force has filed an illegitimate FIR against our people. All the police personnel of Haryana are doing this, here there is a military force, they have entered the territory of Punjab, see here, Men of Haryana’s CID are roaming on the Shambu border, if this happens, then it is the use of force wrongfully. The movement is big and the farmers are not going to give in to their point of view and the farmers and farm laborers are not going to bow down if you file cases. We say that the Prime Minister should come forward and solve all the issues,” the farmer leader said.

Opposition leaders earlier criticized the Centre for the death of a youth at the Khanauri Border crossing in Sangrur district, Punjab, during the ongoing farmers’ protests.

Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann said that he was saddened by the death of a young farmer on the Punjab-Haryana border and asserted that stringent action would be taken against those responsible for it.

Delhi Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party chief, Arvind Kejriwal asked if was it for this day that we fought for independence.

Congress leader Partap Singh Bajwa demanded that an FIR should be registered against the Home Minister of Haryana.

Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah condemned the death of the youth protestor.

Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav called the centre to make decisions to eliminate the problems of farmers.

However, State BJP president Sunil Jakhar said in a post on X, formerly Twitter, on Tuesday that it was “most unfortunate” that the negotiations between the farmers and the central government had “not fructified”. The fourth round of talks between the farmer union leaders and central government ministers ended on Monday with the leaders rejecting the government’s offers. (ANI)

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India-Pakistan relations

India-Greece Ties Can Serve As Anchor: Jaishankar

By LokMarg

Highlighting India’s burgeoning global presence, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar emphasised the nation’s growing interest in the Mediterranean region during his closing remarks at the Raisina Dialogue’s inaugural event on Wednesday.

Jaishankar’s observations underscored the pivotal role the India-Greece partnership plays in shaping the nation’s upward trajectory on the international stage.

“India’s growing interest in the Mediterranean region is an important facet of our steady rise. The India-Greece partnership can surely serve as an anchor,” he said while extending the vote of thanks following Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis remarks at the dialogue.

The Greek PM was the keynote speaker and chief guest of the inaugural session of the Raisina Dialogue.

Further drawing attention to the unique platform of the Raisina Dialogue, Jaishankar credited the event’s success to its diverse participants. Describing it as a “Made in India version of a Global Public Square,” he emphasised how the dialogue has evolved into its current stature due to the collective efforts of the participants, transforming it into a hub of global discourse.

EAM Jaishankar thanked the chief guest, PM Mitsotakis of Greece, and his wife for their participation. He commended the Greek PM for delivering an inspirational and thought-provoking address, especially highlighting the resonance of his message on democracies that deliver, which holds particular significance in the current global context.

Jaishankar then turned the spotlight on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, emphasising his presence as a symbol of India’s growing engagement with the world. “Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s presence amongst us, as always, is a reminder of India’s growing engagement with the world, especially in the last decade. He has shown us why it is as important to listen and reflect as it is to articulate and express,” the EAM said.

Delving into the day’s events, EAM Jaishankar emphasised the intensification of the strategic partnership between India and Greece, emphasising the shared responsibility of the two civilizational states to contribute to the contemporary global order.

“This event takes place at the end of a day which has seen the intensification of the strategic partnership between India and Greece established during Prime Minister Modi’s visit in 2023. As two civilizational states, our countries have a particular responsibility to contribute to the evolution of the contemporary global order,” he said.

“We both naturally tend to take a long view of challenges and a considered one of opportunities. In the flow of history, connectivity has always played a crucial role. It is only to be expected that the talks between the two prime ministers today focused on enhancing the linkage between two global economic centres, India and Europe,” the EAM added.

Highlighting the emerging opportunities, Jaishankar pointed out that as India deepens its footprint abroad, Greece has become a favourable destination.

“Our pharmaceutical industry, our agro-business and aviation are already established there. And the Prime Minister, in his address, mentioned growing Greek investment and interest in India. We expect that a mobility agreement will bring us even closer. Raisina is good for business as well,” the EAM said.

PM Modi and his Greek counterpart, who is currently on a visit to New Delhi, attended the inaugural session of the 9th Raisina Dialogue in the national capital.

The Raisina Dialogue is India’s flagship conference on geopolitics and geoeconomics, committed to addressing the most challenging issues facing the global community. (ANI)

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Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh

RSS To Hold Akhil Bharatiya Pratinidhi Sabha In Nagpur From March 15-17

By LokMarg

The annual meeting of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh will be held in Nagpur on March 15, 16, and 17.

Taking to the microblogging site X, RSS Akhil Bharatiya Prachar Pramukh, Sunil Ambekar posted, “Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS): This year RSS’s Akhil Bharatiya Pratinidhi Sabha (Annual General Meeting) will be on 15, 16 and 17th March 2024 at Nagpur.”

The entire year’s program and agenda of the Sangh will be decided in Pratinidhi Sabha, which is the most significant meeting of the RSS.

Earlier, last year, the annual meeting of the RSS was held on March 12, 13 and 14, at Samalkha, Haryana.

During ‘Akhil Bharatiya Pratinidhi Sabha’, a three-day annual meet of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) organized in Haryana’s Samalkha last year, various issues including “population explosion” in the country and “social harmony” were discussed, said the Sangh sources.

According to Sangh sources, emphasis was given to topics like spreading “social harmony” among the masses. Discussion on ways to control the population was also held during the event.

“India is dealing with ‘population explosion’. The solution to this problem and ways to control it were discussed in the meeting. Along with this, issues leading to population explosion were also identified”, said the Sangh sources.

“The imbalance of population in some parts of the country especially in states like Bengal, Assam, and Bihar bordering Bangladesh is also a major cause of concern,” they added. (ANI)

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Arvind Kejriwal

Our MLAs Offered Rs 25 Crore Each: Kejriwal

By LokMarg

A day after going all out against the Centre in light of the Supreme Court order, overturning the verdict of the Chandigarh mayoral polls and calling it in favour of the AAP, the party’s national convenor and Delhi Chief Minister, Arvind Kejriwal, on Wednesday launched a blistering attack on the BJP, accusing them again of trying to induce his MLAs with big-money offers and topple elected governments in Opposition-ruled states.

Speaking on the floor of the Delhi Assembly on Wednesday, Kejriwal said, “Sometimes ‘Adharma’ (immorality) pervades the system to such an extent that we often wonder if truth and honesty have any place in society. Many good people lose their faith in the system and political class due to ‘
Adharma ka bolbala
‘ (free run of immorality). At such times, God restores our faith in the system and the virtues of honesty and probity by removing rotten elements. ‘
Charon taraf adharma ka bolbala hai
‘ (Everywhere one looks these days, immorality seems to be ruling the roost). Many have started to think that there is no sense in treading on the path of honesty and probity when those who indulged in wrong acts are conspiring against them.”

Coming out in support of former Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia, who is currently behind bars in connection with the liquor policy case, the AAP national convenor said, “The man who is responsible for Delhi’s education system and putting it at par with the world’s best (Sisodia) is in jail and the one accused of misconduct with our daughters and sisters (former national wrestling federation chief and BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh) is still out there wielding his political clout and influence.”

Repeating his charge against the ruling party at the Centre, that it was trying to topple elected governments in Opposition-ruled states, the Delhi CM said, “Our MLAs were offered Rs 25 crore (each by the BJP to switch sides). Everywhere you see, Opposition MLAs are being lured away and governments are being toppled. Be it Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Goa, Maharashtra, the Northeast or Uttarakhand…everywhere one looks, elected MLAs are being lured away with black money.”

Notably, the Crime Branch of Delhi Police had issued notices to AAP chief Kejriwal and fellow party leader and minister Atishi at their homes in their absence in connection with their poaching charge at the BJP.

Responding to the Crime Branch notice, Kejriwal claimed it did not mention any FIR, adding that his party wouldn’t cower under such ‘theatrics’ and intimidatory tactics.

Veering to the Chandigarh mayoral polls, the AAP national chief said, “In Chandigarh, the BJP’s representative (presiding officer) manipulated the election results, to the extent that a candidate, who was leading initially by a significant margin, lost and the one who trailed came out eventually as the victor. Something similar played out in neighbouring Pakistan as well.”

On Tuesday, the Supreme Court declared Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) councillor Kuldeep Kumar, jointly supported by the Congress, as the winner of the Chandigarh mayoral polls.

The apex court ruled that the presiding officer had deliberately defaced eight ballots cast in favour of Kuldeep Kumar, rendering them invalid.

“The eight votes which were treated as invalid by making those markings… counting the eight votes for the petitioner (AAP candidate Kumar) will make him have 20 votes. We direct that the election result by the Returning Officer is quashed. The petitioner is declared to be the winner of the Chandigarh mayoral polls,” the bench stated in its order. (ANI)

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When People Cross The Line, They will be held Accountable: Verma On US Action Against Pannun

By LokMarg

US Deputy Secretary of State Richard Verma has assured that the United States would take action against India-designated terrorist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun if he or his associates crossed the line.

In an interview to ANI on Tuesday, the US official said that there is a requirement to operate within the law.

“I’m not going to get into specific cases, but I just kind of go back to what I said about, you know, we have to operate within the law, and we do. And when people cross that line, they will be held accountable,” the US Deputy Secretary for Management and Resources said.

On being asked about the difficulty of Indians to fathom as to why America doesn’t crack down on Khalistani separatists, Verma said that the US government would not tolerate any kind of harassment specially that targeted against diplomats.

“When people say things and we each have different rules when it comes to free speech. We have to assess where the line crosses into conduct, but we won’t tolerate any violence or any kind of harassment directed at officials, and we will crack down on it where the law allows us to do it, and we have done it, and we will continue to do it,” Verma stated.

Verma who is a former ambassador to India, also underscored how the diplomatic security team has done a very thorough job in ensuring not only Indian diplomats, but all diplomats posted in the US are safe and secure.

“Look, we’ve, you know, for those who engage in violence or any attacks, they’re held completely accountable and are…I will say our diplomatic security team has done a very thorough and important job in ensuring not only Indian diplomats, but all those diplomats posted in the United States are safe and secure,” Verma said.

“And there’s no higher priority for us, for the Secretary of State, and we will continue to do that,” he added.

In March last year, alleged pro-Khalistan elements had illegally entered the Indian consulate premises in San Francisco and attempted to set it ablaze. Another attempt at arson on the consulate was made in July last year. Pro Khalistani elements were allegedly behind this attack as well.

Richard Verma, on being asked about the allegations against India over its involvement in the alleged attempt to kill Sikh separatist leader Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, said the concerns were raised with the Indian government at the most senior levels.

“Look, we raised the concerns with the Indian government at the most senior levels. They took it seriously. They’ve launched an investigation, and we look forward to continuing to hear back from the Indian authorities about what they’ve found, but it’s a very important issue, and it’s being addressed,” the US Deputy Secretary of State told ANI.

Gurpatwant Singh Pannun is an India-designated terrorist who holds American and Canadian citizenship. As per the US Justice Department indictment, an Indian national, Nikhil Gupta, who is currently in custody has been charged with murder-for-hire of Pannun.

The US Justice Department had claimed that an Indian government employee, who was not identified in the indictment filed, had recruited the Indian national to hire a hitman to allegedly carry out assassination of Pannun, which was foiled by US authorities.

Richard Verma said the United States was now waiting to hear from the committee of inquiry set up by India to look into the matter.

“Well, as I understand, there is a committee of inquiry that’s looking into this and investigating, and we would expect to hear…Here in India, we would expect to hear back as to what… has been discovered and who’s been held accountable for the activities,” Verma said.

“This is a serious issue. It is being addressed, will be addressed. So let that proceed,” he added.

“But again, I’m here seeing all these incredible kinds of companies and innovators and progress in the relationship, which is also taking place at the same time. So we’ve got to be able to handle multiple sets of issues at the same time, some of which may be very difficult,” he further stated.

In December last year, US Principal Deputy National Security Advisor Jon Finer acknowledged India’s establishment of a Committee of Enquiry to investigate the plot to allegedly kill Pannun in the US. (ANI)

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