Category: News

UBT Sena's Sudhakar

BJP Shares Video Of UBT Sena’s Sudhakar Partying With Dawood’s Aide Salim

By LokMarg

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Nitesh Rane during the legislative session on Friday made serious allegations against Uddhav Thackeray group office-bearer Sudhakar Badgujar in Nashik by showing some photos with Salim Kutta, the close aide of the 1993 bomb blast accused Dawood Ibrahim.

“Salim Kutta the close aide of the 1993 bomb blast accused Dawood Ibrahim during his parole organised a party and leaders of Uddhav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena were reportedly present. I have the videos of the party…It all should be investigated,” Rane said.

Rane showed the photos of Badgujar with Salim Kutta and demanded action against the Shiv Sena (UBT) leader.

“If political leaders associate themselves with terrorists, our state and country will not be safe.”

Salim was found guilty of taking part in the plot that resulted in the 1993 serial blasts and of distributing explosives and ammunition.

On March 12, 1993, Mumbai (then Bombay) was rocked by a series of bomb blasts which killed 257 persons, injured more than 700 persons and destroyed property worth approximately Rs 27 crore. The case was handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on the request of the state government.

A number of accused persons were convicted in the case including Mustafa Dossa and Abu Salem on June 16, 2017. Wanted terrorist Dawood Ibrahim allegedly planned the attacks. (ANI)

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Congress MP Dhiraj Prasad Sahu

Money Has Nothing To Do With Cong: Dhiraj Sahu On IT Raids

By LokMarg

Commenting on the recent Income Tax raids on his premises, in which crores of rupees were unearthed, Congress MP Dhiraj Prasad Sahu for the first time responded, saying that the money has nothing to do with the grand old party or any political party.

“In the last 30-35 years of my political career, this is the first time that this kind of incident has taken place, due to which I am hurt. What is happening today makes me sad. I can admit that the money that has been recovered belongs to my firm. The cash that has been recovered is related to my liquor firms; it is the proceeds from the sale of liquor,” Sahu told ANI on Friday.

“My elder brother has been in politics and we have done a lot of development work. My father used to help the poor and we have opened many colleges and schools. I have a liquor business, which is run by my family and relatives,” he said.

He further said that his firm has been in business for over 100 years.

“You may also know that transactions in liquor business are done in cash only. My firm has been in business for over 100 years. The money that has been seized belongs to him,” he added.

Sahu further asserted that the money that had been recovered from his premises had nothing to do with Congress or any other political party.

“This money has nothing to do with Congress or any other political party as is being said…The money is not all mine, it belongs to my family and other related firms…I-T has raided now, I will give account for everything,” he added.

When asked about the BJP’s allegation of the cash being black money, Sahu said that let the Income Tax Department decide whether it is ‘Kaala Dhan’ or ‘Safed Dhan’.

“I have already said that the money is from the business firms of my family…Let the side of the Income Tax Department come whether it is ‘Kaala Dhan’ or ‘Safed Dhan’. I am not in the business line. The members of my family will answer this,” he said.

“I don’t know how people are viewing this but I can confidently say that this money has nothing to do with Congress or any other political party,” he added.

Income tax officials last week concluded an IT raid at Congress MP Dheeraj Sahu’s premises in Odisha’s Balangir. The Income Tax Department has, so far, netted Rs 351 crore in cash during its searches at Boudh Distillery Private Limited, a company based in Odisha. The company is allegedly linked to Dhiraj Sahu.

The Congress, meanwhile, has distanced itself from the mega cash haul from the MP’s home claiming that only Sahu can explain money recovered from the premises linked to him. (ANI)

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Sabarimala temple Hindu Aikya Vedi

Hindu Aikya Vedi Protest Against Lack of Facilities At Sabarimala Temple

By LokMarg

Alleging a lack of basic facilities in Sabarimala temple, Hindu Aikya Vedi held a protest march against the Kerala government on Friday in front of the Travancore Devaswom Board head office here.

The protests came days after a surge in pilgrims strained the crowd management system in the hill temple, causing long queues and several hours of waiting for the pilgrims to get the Darshan.

However, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said on Wednesday that the situation at the Lord Ayyappa temple was under control and asserted that the government machinery was intervening diligently in temple matters.

The Hindu Aikya Vedi General Secretary Sudhakaran said that the state government was not providing proper facilities for pilgrims visiting the Sabarimala temple.

“The government has failed even to provide enough drinking water for the pilgrims in the Sabarimala temple. Many pilgrims have been able to get the Dharshan after many hours of waiting. Some of them had to return without having a darshan. KSRTC buses are charging 35 percent more than the normal price,” Sudhakaran said.

Meanwhile, on Friday, the division bench of the Kerala High Court, hearing a suo moto case related to the rush and crowd in Sabarimala, issued a slew of directions for crowd control at the hill shrine during the Mandalam-Makaravilakku season.

The court has directed the Executive Magistrate to ensure that the price list and cleanliness of the hotels in Erumeli are correct.

It has also directed the Panchayat Secretary to ensure that no additional fees are charged to parking grounds and notice should be given to grounds operating without a license under the Erumeli Gram Panchayat.

The division bench stated that the High Court Registrar had received 300 complaints regarding the inconveniences at Sabarimala. The Devaswom bench also directed that the pilgrims should be given facilities as per the court order.

However, the government has replied that the pilgrims are trying to portray that there are problems with crowd management in Sabarimala.

A mismanagement-related situation erupted at Sabarimala following the sudden surge of pilgrims a few days ago. The hill shrine generally witnesses a heavy rush during the Mandalam-Makaravilakku season, which began on November 17 this year.

After the incident, the Kerala government has come under attack by opposition parties, including the BJP and Congress.

Meanwhile, the Southern Railway will operate a Vande Bharat Sabari special train between Chennai Central and Kottayam to cater to the extra rush of passengers during the ongoing Sabarimala season. (ANI)

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India's Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan

India’s CDS Gen Chauhan Lays Wreath At Hiroshima Peace Park During Japan Visit

By LokMarg

India’s Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan, during his Japan visit, laid a wreath at the Hiroshima Peace Park in Japan in remembrance of the victims of Hiroshima, defence officials said.

He also laid floral tributes at the Gandhi Statue, aimed at enhancing peace and tranquillity in the region.

Further, the CDS was also given a detailed brief at the Hiroshima Museum. The Indian CDS is on a bilateral visit to Japan to strengthen military ties between the two nations, the officials also said.

Earlier, on Tuesday, CDS General Chauhan also visited Japan’s Yokosuka Base, strengthening the defence ties between the two countries.

He was given an overview of the Japan Maritime Self-Defence Force mission by Vice Admiral Saito Akira, Commander-in-Chief, the Self-Defence Fleet.

The visit was aimed at reinforcing strategic cooperation while highlighting the growing importance of the India-Japan defence partnership.

Chauhan departed from New Delhi for Japan on Sunday (December 10) night to discuss defence ties between the two Asian countries, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) said in an official press release.

The visit is aimed at further robust defence ties between the two nations and underscores the growing importance of India-Japan defence cooperation.

During his visit, General Chauhan is scheduled to interact with the senior military leadership of Japan and will visit defence formations and establishments. The key highlights of the tour include a call-on with the Minister of Defence, Minoru Kihara, a meeting with the Chief of Staff, Joint Staff, Japan Self-Defence Forces General Yoshida Yoshihide, besides interactions with Commissioner of Acquisition Technology & Logistics Agency (ATLA) Fukasawa Masaki, and also with Vice President of the National Institute of Defence Studies (NIDS), Japan Major General Adachi Yoshiki.

Additionally, the CDS will interact with the faculty and research scholars at NIDS and also visit military establishments. The meetings and interactions will be aimed at fostering mutual understanding, exchanging views on regional security, contributing towards strengthening bilateral defence cooperation, and cooperating in the field of defence equipment and technology, the ministry said.

The CDS will also visit Japan Maritime Self-Defence Force (JMSDF) units and undertake interactions with the Commander in Chief Self-Defence Fleet at Funakoshi JMSDF Base.

The press statement read, “India and Japan celebrate 71 years of diplomatic ties in 2023. This visit underscores the commitment of both nations to strengthen the special strategic and global partnership. Demonstrating the enduring camaraderie that has flourished between India and Japan over the past 70 years, the visit will further boost bilateral cooperation on a host of strategic issues, particularly in defence collaboration.” (ANI)

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Salim Malik

Delhi Court Sends Parliament Attack Accused Lalit Jha To 7-Day Police Remand

By LokMarg

The Patiala House Court here on Friday granted seven-day custody of Lalit Jha, the accused in the Parliament security breach case, to Police.

Lalit Jha was brought to the concerned judge of Patiala House Court. He was also provided legal aide counsel, Advocate Umakant Kataria.

The Delhi Police while seeking 15-day custody of Jha told the court, “He is a mastermind. We need his custody to unearth the whole conspiracy and main motive behind the incident. We need to travel and take him to different cities and places. We need custody to recover the mobile devices also.”

However, the court sent him to a seven-day police remand.

The security breach happened on the anniversary of the 2001 Parliament terror attack. Two people–Sagar Sharma and Manoranjan D–jumped into the Lok Sabha chamber from the public gallery during Zero Hour, released yellow gas from canisters and shouted anti-establishment slogans before being overpowered by the MPs. Outside it, in another incident, two protestors — Neelam (42) and Amol (25) — protested outside the Parliament with similar gas canisters. However, all four were sent to seven-day custody of Delhi Police Special Cell on Thursday.

Last night, senior police officials, including two Deputy Commissioners of Police (DCP) and Additional Commissioners of Police, interrogated Lalit Jha, during which he narrated the whole incident to officials.

According to sources, during interrogation, it came to light that preparations for the attack were being made months ago. An entry pass was necessary for entry into Parliament; hence, it was not available. Lalit had asked everyone who could arrange the pass so that they could easily enter Parliament.

From a hotel in Rajasthan Lalit was continuously keeping an eye on ongoing developments and police movements through news channels, they said.

According to sources, to unearth more details in the case, the Special Cell of Delhi Police has formed six teams that will go to the locations linked with the accused in Lucknow, Mysore, Karnataka, Rajasthan, Maharashtra and Haryana.

The investigation also revealed that two pairs of shoes were made on special order in Lucknow, as the accused discovered that shoes do not get checked in Parliament and this can be an easy way to carry the smoke canister inside the parliament.

Meanwhile, Special Cell will recreate the scene of Wednesday’s Parliament security breach by taking the accused to the Parliament complex on Saturday or Sunday, sources said.

According to sources, the accused will be taken to Parliament to recreate the scene of the crime. This will help the police find out how the accused entered the Parliament building with colour spray and how they executed their plan, sources from the Special Cell said. (ANI)

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Oman Sultan Haitham bin Tarik

Oman Sultan Haitham Bin Tarik Lands In Delhi For Maiden India Visit

By LokMarg

Oman Sultan Haitham bin Tarik has landed at the national capital airport for his maiden visit to India.

He was welcomed by V Muraleedharan, Minister of State (MoS) for External Affairs and Parliamentary Affairs of India.

Notably, MoS MEA Muraleedharan paid an official visit to the Sultanate of Oman from October 18 to 19 earlier this year.

“His Majesty Sultan Haitham Bin Tarik of Oman arrives to a warm welcome in New Delhi on his first State Visit to India. Received by @MOS_MEA at the airport. The visit will further reinforce the longstanding friendship and cooperation between India & Oman and strengthen bilateral ties,” posted MEA spokesperson, Arindam Bagchi on X.

The Sultan of Oman has begun his three-day state visit to India today.

He is visiting the country with a high-level delegation of senior ministers and officials, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in an official release.

India and Oman share a long-standing friendship rooted in historical, cultural, and economic ties. Moreover, people-to-people contact between India and Oman can be traced back 5,000 years.

The diplomatic relations between the two countries were established in 1955, and the relationship was upgraded to a strategic partnership in 2008.

According to MEA, this will be the first state visit of Oman’s Sultan Haitham bin Tarik to India and marks a significant milestone in the diplomatic relations between India and Oman.

Upon arrival here in the national capital, Oman’s Sultan will also be called on by the External Affairs Minister, S Jaishankar today (Friday), the MEA said in a release.

The Sultan of Oman is visiting India at the invitation of President Droupadi Murmu and will be received by PM Modi and President Murmu at the Rashtrapati Bhavan for a ceremonial welcome on December 16.

He will also visit the National Gallery of Modern Art here and hold a meeting with PM Modi at Hyderabad House on day two of his visit.

During his visit, PM Modi will also host a luncheon in his honour.

The visit will be an opportunity to explore avenues for future collaboration between India and Oman for regional stability, progress and prosperity, the MEA release said.

Oman is India’s closest defence partner in the Gulf region as well, and defence cooperation has emerged as a key pillar of the strategic partnership between India and Oman, according to MEA.

Oman is the only country in West Asia with which all three services of the Indian Armed Forces conduct regular bilateral exercises and service-level staff talks.

Given the strong relationship with Oman, India also extended a special invitation to the Sultanate of Oman to participate in the G20 Summit and meetings as a guest country under India’s G20 Presidency.

Oman actively participated in over 150 working group meetings, and nine ministers from Oman participated in various G20 ministerial meetings. (ANI)

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Hardik Pandya IPL 2024 Rohit Sharma

Hardik To Succeed Rohit Sharma As Mumbai Indians Captain For IPL 2024

By LokMarg

Mumbai Indians (MI), the five-time Indian Premier League (IPL) champions, announced on Friday that star all-rounder Hardik Pandya will be leading the team in the 2024 edition of the league.

“Mumbai Indians today announced a significant leadership transition for the upcoming 2024 season. Renowned all-rounder Hardik Pandya is set to take the helm as the captain of the Mumbai Indians, succeeding its longest-serving, one of the most successful and loved captains the illustrious Rohit Sharma,” MI said in a statement.

In November this year, Pandya moved from Gujarat Titans (GT) to his former franchise Mumbai Indians (MI) after a trade between both franchises. The all-rounder spent two momentous years with GT, spearheading their campaign with aplomb. In GT’s debut season in 2022, Hardik ensured a fairytale start, with the team lifting the coveted trophy, while they finished runners-up in their second season after a last-ball defeat in a thrilling final earlier this year.

Pandya has big shoes to fill as the new skipper of MI, as Rohit has led the franchise to five IPL title wins.

In 31 matches for GT from 2022-23, Pandya scored 833 runs at an average of 37.86 and a strike rate of over 133, with six half-centuries and a best score of 87*. He also had 11 wickets for the team, with the best figures of 3/17.

Pandya also played 92 matches for MI from 2015-2021, scoring 1,476 runs at an average of 27.33 at a strike rate of over 153, with four half-centuries and best score of 91. He also took 42 wickets for the team, with the best bowling figures of 3/20.

Pandya has won five IPL trophies, four with MI (2015, 2017, 2019, 2020) and GT (2022).

Commenting on this transition Mahela Jayawardene, Global Head of Performance, Mumbai Indians said, “It is part of legacy building and staying true to the MI philosophy of being future-ready. Mumbai Indians have always been blessed with exceptional leadership right from Sachin (Tendulkar) to Harbhajan (Singh) and Ricky (Ponting) to Rohit, who while contributing to the immediate success have always had an eye on strengthening the team for the future. It is in keeping with this philosophy that Hardik Pandya will assume captaincy of Mumbai Indians for the IPL 2024 season.”

“We express our gratitude to Rohit Sharma for his exceptional leadership; his tenure as the captain of the Mumbai Indians since 2013 has been nothing short of extraordinary. His leadership has not only brought unparalleled success to the team but has also solidified his place as one of the finest captains in the history of the IPL.”

“Under his guidance, MI became one of the most successful and loved teams ever. We will look forward to his guidance and experience on and off the field to further strengthen MI. We welcome Hardik Pandya as the new captain of MI and wish him all the very best,” concluded Mahela. (ANI)

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Bhajanlal Sharma Rajasthan

Bhajanlal Takes Oath As Rajasthan CM

By LokMarg

BJP MLA from Sanganer, Bhajanlal Sharma took the oath as the Chief Minister of Rajasthan on Friday at a swearing-in ceremony in Jaipur.

The oath of office was administered by Rajasthan Governor Kalraj Mishra.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah, along with BJP National President JP Nadda, attended the occasion.

Diya Kumari and Prem Chand Bairwa were also sworn in as Deputy Chief Ministers of the state.

Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha, Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel and Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami also attended the swearing-in ceremony.

Former Rajasthan Chief Minister and BJP leader Vasundhara Raje also attended the swearing-in ceremony, along with Union Ministers Arjun Ram Meghwal and Gajendra Singh Shekhawat. Nitin Gadkari also attended the event.

Bhajanlal Sharma belongs to Rajasthan’s eastern district, Bharatpur and is considered to have strong backing from Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh.

He holds a master’s degree in political science. He won the Sanganer assembly seat by an impressive margin, securing 145,162 votes against his Indian National Congress (INC) opponent, Pushpendra Bhardwaj, who polled 97,081 votes.

Prem Chand Bairwa is the sitting BJP MLA from the Dudu constituency in Rajasthan. Bairwa won the seat in the 2023 Rajasthan Assembly Election by defeating Congress candidate Babulal Nagar with a margin of 35,743 votes.

Diya Kumari who is part of the erstwhile Royal Family of Jaipur, won from the Vidyadhar Nagar constituency in Jaipur against Congress’ Sitaram Agarwal with a margin of 71,368 votes.

In Rajasthan, the BJP registered victories on 115 seats, and the Congress came in a distant second with 69 seats.

Rajasthan went to the polls for 199 of the 200 assembly seats on November 25. The majority mark in the state is 100. (ANI)

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Krishna Janmabhoomi-Shahi Idgah Masjid dispute

SC Adjourns Plea Of Mahua Against Expulsion From LS

By LokMarg

The Supreme Court on Friday adjourned for January 3, 2024, the plea of Trinamool Congress Party (TMC) leader Mahua Moitra against her expulsion from Lok Sabha in a cash-for-query case.

A bench of Justices Sanjiv Khanna and SVN Bhatti deferred the hearing, saying it had not gone through the case files.

“I got the file in the morning; I did not have time to scan it. Can we keep it on January 3rd or 4th? I would like to go through this,” Justice Khanna told senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, appearing for Moitra, and posted the matter on January 3.

Moitra approached the top court, challenging her expulsion from the Lok Sabha.

Moitra was on December 8 expelled from the Lok Sabha after a discussion on the report of the Ethics Committee in the ‘cash for query’ that was tabled in the Lower House.

Moitra, who was not allowed to speak during the discussion inside the House, said that the Ethics Committee broke every rule. Speaking outside Parliament on December 8 she had vowed to fight back.

“I am 49 years old and for the next 30 years, I will fight you inside the Parliament and outside; in the gutter and on the streets…We will see the end of you…This is the beginning of your end…We’re going to come back and we’re going to see the end of you,” Moitra had said.

The expelled Lok Sabha MP alleged that she has been found guilty of breaching a code of ethics that ‘does not exist’.

Moitra further alleged that the findings are solely based on the written testimonies of two private citizens whose versions contradict each other in material terms and her right to cross-examine them was snatched.

“None of whom I was allowed to cross-examine. One of the two private citizens is my estranged partner, who, with malafide intention, masqueraded as a common citizen in front of the committee. The two testimonies have been used to hang me there at polar opposites to each other,” she said.

The Ethics Committee report probing ‘Unethical Conduct’ of the TMC MP had recommended that Moitra “may be expelled” from the Lok Sabha and called for an “intense, legal, institutional inquiry” by the central government in a “time-bound manner”.

The report was adopted by a 6:4 majority in the panel last month. The report on Moitra’s cash-for-query case revealed that she visited the UAE four times from 2019 to 2023, while her login was accessed several times. (ANI)

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Venezuelan oil Hardeep Singh Puri

India Will Buy Venezuelan Oil: Hardeep Singh Puri

By LokMarg

India will buy Venezuelan oil, said Petroleum Minister Hardeep Singh Puri on Friday adding that Indian refineries are capable of processing the heavy oil from the South African country.

Speaking to reporters at an event, Puri stated that New Delhi is willing to resume oil import with any nation that is not under sanction.

This comes after the US in October eased sanctions on Venezuela’s oil sector. The sanctions were imposed to punish Maduro’s government following his 2018 re-election.

“India will buy Venezuelan oil. Many of our refineries including one in Paradip are capable of processing heavy oil from Venezuela. We are willing to resume (oil import) with anyone who is not under sanction sanction,” he said.

“We are in a situation where we are using crude oil 5 million barrels/ per day. And it is increasing every day. If Venezuela oil comes to market we will welcome it,” he added.

India last imported Venezuelan crude in 2020 when the U.S. imposed secondary sanctions on the nation/ The U.S. imposed harsh sanctions on Venezuela to punish Maduro’s government following his 2018 re-election.

The South American country is producing some 850,000 barrels per day (BPD) of crude with a target of soon reaching 1 million BPD.

India, the world’s third-largest oil importer and consumer, has embarked on a strategic journey to reshape its energy landscape.

As a nation heavily reliant on overseas oil, accounting for over 80 per cent of its needs, India aims to curtail its crude import bill and bolster its refining capabilities.

This pursuit has led India to explore diverse sources, and one country that has caught its attention is Venezuela.

Venezuela, a historical player in the global oil industry, has been producing oil since 1914. With proven oil reserves of 299,953,000,000 barrels, as of 2016, Venezuela stands as one of the world’s leading holders of oil reserves, representing about 18.2 per cent of the global total.

India, eyeing opportunities to diversify its oil sources and strengthen its refining capabilities, is keenly exploring collaborations and partnerships with Venezuela. (ANI)

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