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Andhra CM’s Uncle Arrested In Former MP’s Murder

By LokMarg 16th April 2023

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Sunday arrested YS Bhaskar Reddy, uncle of Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, in connection with the alleged murder of former MP YS Vivekananda Reddy, said sources.

The deceased YS Vivekananda Reddy was a former MLA, a former member of the Lok Sabha and the Andhra Pradesh Legislative Council. He was found dead at his residence on March 15, 2019.
Further details are awaited in the matter.

In January, the Supreme Court asked Telangana High Court to consider afresh, on merit, the CBI’s plea seeking cancellation of bail to Gangi Reddy in connection with the alleged murder of YS Vivekananda Reddy.

A bench of justices MR Shah and CT Ravikumar observed that in a case where an accused is released on default and thereafter on the filing of the chargesheet, a strong case is made out from the chargesheet and his bail can be cancelled on merit.

Initially, a case was registered by the local police in Pulivendula.

Subsequently, a case under Section 302, read with Section 120-B of the Indian Penal Code, was registered. A special Investigation Team was constituted by the state government to probe the alleged killing.

During the course of the investigation, the respondent accused was arrested on March 28, 2019. The statutory period of 90 days lapsed on June 26, 2019.

On the very next day of lapsing of 90 days, the respondent accused filed a bail application for default bail, which was allowed by a local court in Pulivendula on June 27, 2019. The accused was released on bail as per the order.

Subsequently and pursuant to the order passed by the High Court dated March 11, 2020, an investigation in the case was given to CBI, which alleged that the investigation revealed that a conspiracy was hatched between four accused along with some other persons to kill the deceased and there were some influenced persons behind the said conspiracy.

CBI filed the initial chargesheet on October 26, 2021, and named the accused. Thereafter the CBI filed an application before the Special Court for cancellation of the bail granted to the respondents, which came to be dismissed by the learned Trial Court vide order dated November 30, 2021.

Thereafter, CBI moved to the High Court which also rejected the agency’s plea. (ANI)

Seize My House 50 Times, Will Continue To Raise Public Issues: Rahul

By LokMarg 11th April 2023

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday, lashed out at the Bharatiya Janata Party-led Centre and said that irrespective of the attacks the ruling party unleashes at him, the former MP is not going to stop from raising the issues of the public, and nobody can stop him from representing his erstwhile Lok Sabha constituency Wayanad.

He was addressing a public meeting at Wayanad, after holding a road show in the constituency along with his sister and party leader Priyanka Gandhi.
“Now when I am not an MP, I thought about what it means to be an MP. It means to be a people representative. For that, you have to understand the emotions, sufferings, and difficulties of the people. You should have the ability to touch and treat people like equals, and at times as your superiors. So, a true representative of people develops by giving things that you desire, by fighting for what the people desire, by becoming less arrogant and more humble,” he said while addressing the people at Wayanad.

This is his first visit to his erstwhile Lok Sabha constituency Wayanad after his disqualification from Lok Sabha as a court in Surat convicted him in a defamation case on the ‘Modi surname’ remark.

Spelling out the job of an MP, he said, the main task of the member of Parliament is to raise the issues of the people without fear.

Terming the position of MP as just a “Tag”, he said, “MP is just a tag, a position, a post. BJP can take away my tag, my position, my house, or put me in jail, but they cannot stop me from representing the people of Wayanad. To represent the people of Wayanad, means to represent their issues. There are practical things, buffer zone, night roads, and medical colleges. And I will keep on working on these issues. Don’t think that if I am not an MP, they have disqualified me, and our relationship has ended. Not for 3-4 years, not for my entire life, my relationship won’t be changed,” he said.

The former MP said that he finds it surprising that BJP has not been able to “understand” their opponent even after so many years.

“I have been fighting out the BJP for quite some years. And it surprises me, that in so many years they have been unable to understand their opponent. They do not understand that their opponent will not be intimidated. They think that sending police to my house will make me scared, taking away my house will make me disturbed. I was actually happy, that they took away my house. It was not interesting for me to live in that house. I saw hundreds of hundreds of people losing their house in Wayanad during the floods,” Rahul Gandhi said.

He further added, “Seize my house 50 times, but I will continue to raise the issues of the people of Wayanad and the people of India. You make people fight, and you abuse and threaten people, I will keep fighting for the people and respecting every single community, religion and idea. You continue to be as nasty and evil as you want, and I will continue to be as kind as I can. Because this is a fight between two visions of India. So, we are not scared of your intimidation, in fact, we find it quite amusing”.

He further alleged that he was not asked to speak in parliament, and accused the BJP leaders of “lying” about him.

“I went to Parliament and asked the Prime minister some questions about a businessman. I asked Mr Modi please explain your relationship with Mr Adani. I showed how the defence relationship between India and Israel was transformed, and the rules of the airports were changed, to help Mr Adani. The Prime Minister did not answer. The first time you saw, the government himself not allowing the Parliament to function,” Rahul Gandhi said.

The former Congress President added that the more BJP attacks him, the more he will continue to walk on the right path.

“The rule is that if anyone says anything about an MP, he has the right to reply. I went to Speaker with that rule, also but still, I was not allowed to speak. And because the government was uncomfortable with the type of issues I raise, I was removed from the Parliament. Doesn’t matter, it is the biggest gift that you can give me. Because now, I know that if BJP is attacking me, taking my house, and removing me from Parliament, I am doing the right thing. I am not going to stop,” he added. (ANI)

Surat Court Extends Rahul’s Bail Till April 13

By LokMarg 3rd April 2023

The hearing in the case challenging Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s conviction in the 2019 defamation case will next be held on May 3 at the Surat District and Sessions Court, which on Monday extended his bail till April 13.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi today reached Surat where he filed an appeal seeking a stay on his conviction by a Surat magistrate court for the defamation case over his remark on the ‘Modi surname’. The court had earlier given time of 30 days to the Congress leader to appeal its order.
After the Surat court’s verdict, Rahul Gandhi was disqualified as MP from Lok Sabha.

Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and senior leaders including chief ministers of Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Himachal Pradesh reached Surat from their respective states had accompanied Gandhi to the Gujarat court. Priyanka was seen with Rahul Gandhi aboard an IndiGo flight from Delhi.

The former MP from Wayanad was convicted and sentenced to two years in hail by the court of Chief Judicial Magistrate H H Varma on March 23 in a defamation case over his ‘Modi surname’ remark in 2019 in Karnataka.

The defamation case was filed against Gandhi by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA and former Gujarat minister Purnesh Modi for saying “How come all thieves have the common surname Modi?”

The Bharatiya Janata Party came down heavily on Rahul Gandhi for accompanying his family and party leaders to file an appeal in the appellate court in Surat against his conviction by a magistrate court in the 2019 criminal defamation case.

BJP spokesperson held a press conference earlier today to lash out at Rahul Gandhi and alleged that the Congress leader is going with his family and some chief ministers “with pomp and show” to “repeat and add to the insult” of the OBC community.

“Rahul Gandhi, his family members, CMs Ashok Gehlot & Bhupesh Baghel are going to Surat & will be creating mayhem in the name of appealing (against the two-year sentence) verdict. What’s the need for this ruckus?” Patra said.

“Rahul Gandhi, is it not true that you used a casteist remark against the OBC community? You called them a thief and abused them. You are going to Surat with your family, and some chief ministers with pomp and show. Do you want to pressurise the judiciary? Appealing is a democratic right. You are going to augment the insult that you have thrown to the OBC community by going and staging this kind of protest in Surat. Are you trying to pressurise the Indian judiciary through these gimmicks of yours?” Patra said.

Further slamming Rahul Gandhi over his “arrogance”, the BJP leader alleged that he was not ready to apologise to the lower court for his remark.

“The lower court had given him (Rahul Gandhi) the opportunity to apologise, but he denied stating that he is Rahul and will not apologise. Rahul and responsibility never go together. Why is this arrogance? The Supreme Court had pulled him up for his remarks over Narendra Modi. He wasn’t ready to apologise in Supreme Court, but the court made him apologise in written in the form of affidavit,” Patra said.

Union Law Minister Kiren Rijiju alleged that the Congress party is doing drama to “threaten the judiciary”. “They (Congress) are doing a drama to threaten the judiciary. I condemn it. If a court has convicted somebody, then the drama is basically about pressuring. Congress party considers a family above the country…” told reporters outside Parliament today.

Rijiju also posted a tweet saying, “Rahul Gandhi might be going to Surat to file an appeal. It is not required of a convict to go personally to file an appeal. Generally, no convict goes personally. His going personally with a motley group of leaders and aides accompanying him is only a drama.”

The Union Minister said, “What Rahul Gandhi is doing is also a childish attempt to bring pressure on the appellate court. All courts in the country are immune from such tactics.”

Union Minister Anurag Thakur also hit out at the Congress. “India won’t tolerate the insult of backwards…Earlier, PV Narasimha Rao, P Chidambaram, DK Shivakumar went to jail too, how many Congress people went with them? Is one family bigger than the country?,” Thakur asked.

However, the Congress leaders said that they are accompanying Rahul Gandhi to show solidarity with him.

Chhattisgarh chief minister and Congress leader Bhupesh Baghel questioned the BJP’s logic. “I am going with my leader (Rahul Gandhi), how can this be pressure on the judiciary? They (BJP) are creating a ruckus in West Bengal and Bihar. Till now no appeal has come from PM Modi and Amit Shah…,” Baghel told reporters.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said, “We will not debate the court’s decision but will fight against injustice. It is not a show of strength. He is our leader. Everyone goes to stand by a leader. The family members go along when there is even a normal case. This is a party and we are fighting for the country. We will reach there. It is the decision of the whole party, he has not called us.”

Himachal chief minister Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu, who is also accompanying Rahul rubbished the allegation of “drama” levelled by the BJP.

“No one can pressurise judiciary. We are going to Surat. Congress is the main opposition party and Rahul Gandhi is big leader of our party. This is not a political drama. We stand by him…,” Sukhu said.

Meanwhile, there was heavy security deployed in Surat where Congress party workers gathered outside District and Sessions Court in support of their party leader. “Given the presence of Rahul Gandhi in Surat district court the Surat city police have deployed the police force wherever there is a possibility of movement. We will also be starting frisking and checking,” Sagar Bagmar, DCP Zone-4 Surat told ANI. (ANI)

Modi Should Be Pitted Against An Opp Face In 2024: Owaisi

By LokMarg 9th January 2023

All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi has said the BJP will have a clear edge over the Opposition forces in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections if a particular face is pitted against Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

In the latest episode of ‘Podcast with Smita Prakash’, the AIMIM chief said the Opposition needs to galvanise in each Lok Sabha constituency to defeat the BJP.
Owaisi said, “The Opposition should look to put up a tough fight for all the 540 parliamentary constituencies. If a single opposition face fights against BJP, the latter will benefit. If it’s Modi versus (Arvind) Kejriwal or Rahul Gandhi, the PM would be at an advantage.”

In 2019, the Opposition had formed a grand alliance in a bid to unseat the Modi government. However, the alliance did not succeed in its objective and eventually fell apart.

With the focus now on the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, the AAP recently claimed the battle for 2024 will be one between Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The AAP claimed that the BJP and PM Modi are shaken by Kejriwal’s growing popularity, his model of governance in the national capital and the AAP expanding electoral footprint in the country.

A known baiter of the BJP at the Centre, Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao, too, remodelled his party, the Telangana Rashtra Samithi into the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) and got recognised as a national party in a bid to upstage the saffron party in the LS polls.

On whether Trinamool Congress (TMC) chief and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee should be pitted against PM Modi, the AIMIM chief said, “Mamata Banerjee (recently) held a meeting with Union Home Minister Amit Shah. So one is not certain if she should be the Opposition face against PM Modi.”

The West Bengal CM had earlier called on the chief ministers of all Opposition-ruled states to come together and put up a united fight against the BJP in 2024.

“CM Banerjee passes a resolution in the Parliament against BJP, but then praises PM Modi,” said the AIMIM chief. (ANI)

Rahul Will Be Invited For Ram Temple Darshan: Fadnavis

By LokMarg 7th January 2023

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Friday said Congress leader Rahul Gandhi asks questions that he should have raised 10 years ago.

Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a conference he attended in Madhya Pradesh on Saturday, the Maharashtra deputy CM said, “It seems Rahul Gandhi is recalling old issues all of a sudden. He is asking questions that he ought to have raised 10 years ago. Perhaps, he is not aware that the construction of the Ram temple (in Ayodhya) is going on with full vigour. He, too, will be invited for a darshan (visit) once the temple is complete.”

Earlier, Union Home Minister Amit Shah had responded to Rahul’s “tareekh nahi bataenge” jibe at the BJP, saying the Ram temple in Ayodhya will be ready on January 1, 2024.

Addressing a rally in South Tripura on Thursday, Shah said, “The Congress hindered the construction of the Ram temple by placing legal obstacles. It was only after the Supreme Court cleared the decks for construction of the Ram temple that work on the project began in right earnest under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Modi-ji presided over the ‘Bhoomi Pujan’ (ground-breaking ceremony) for the temple.”

Invoking Rahul’s jibe at the BJP ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, Shah retorted, “During the 2019 election campaign, Rahul Gandhi used to say ‘mandir wahi banaenge…taarikh nahi bataenge’ (they will make the temple in Ayodhya, but won’t give the date)’. Today, I would like inform Rahul Gandhi and other Opposition leaders that a sky-high Ram temple will be ready for the people in Ayodhya on January 1, 2024.” (ANI)

2024 LS Polls: BJP’S OBC Morcha To Launch Campaign ‘Gao-Gao Chalo, Ghar-Ghar Chalo’

By LokMarg 5th January 2023

As the countdown for the Lok Sabha elections due next year began with the start of 2023, the BJP has stepped up its preparations to reach out to all sections of society. The party’s OBC Morcha has decided to launch the ‘Gaon-Gaon Chalo, Ghar-Ghar Chalo’ program in March-April.

According to the sources, the OBC Morcha, an important part of the BJP, has started putting in efforts to reach out to the voters of the nine states that will go to Assembly elections this year.
The Assembly elections are scheduled this year in Tripura, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Mizoram and Telangana.

“With the support of the OBC community, the BJP wants to form the government in the states because there is 40 to 50 per cent participation of the OBC community in all the states and the Centre,” a source said.

“The OBC Morcha will start the ‘Gaon-Gaon Chalo Ghar Ghar Chalo’ programme in the middle of March-April keeping in view the elections. Through this programme, OBC people be informed about the work done by the government for them which include decisions like 27 per cent reservation being given in NEET, and reservation being given in central education schemes,” the source added.

All the decisions pertaining to further preparations will be taken at the meeting of the OBC National Working Committee.

“All the office bearers will go to every village and distribute these achievements to the people through pamphlets,” the source said.

There will be a meeting of the national office bearers of the OBC Morcha in Haryana at the end of January in which decisions will be taken on the number of villages to be visited, the chunk of people to be contacted etc.

“The OBC morcha believes that since PM Modi came to power, the pride of OBC society has been restored and they are happy. The government has introduced many important schemes for the community. The OBC Morcha is continuously meeting intellectuals, and all BJP committees and are also engaging in public relations campaigns,” the source said.

The OBC Morcha has been given the responsibility of reaching out to the community in all the states. The Morcha members have already travelled to 25 states. It will soon travel to Jammu Kashmir and the Northeast as well. (ANI)

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SC Declines Azam Khan’s Plea Seeking To Transfer Cases Out Of UP

By LokMarg 4th January 2023

Supreme Court on Wednesday declined to entertain Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan’s plea seeking to transfer certain cases against him from Uttar Pradesh to another state.

The Supreme Court asked Azam Khan to approach the concerned High Court and directed that his petition may be taken up on an expeditious basis.
The SP leader is currently facing nearly 90 cases including a case of hate speech, corruption, and theft.

The Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly Secretariat earlier in October announced the disqualification of Khan from the House after a court sentenced him to three years in jail in a hate speech case.

The case of hate speech was registered against Azam Khan in April 2019 for levelling serious allegations against administrative officials posted in Rampur, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath during an election meeting.

During the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, Khan was booked for making inflammatory speeches while addressing a public meeting in Khatanagaria village of the Milak Kotwali area.

A video of Khan’s statement also surfaced on social media. Khan was released from jail earlier this year after the Supreme Court granted him an interim bail in a cheating case. He spent nearly two years in jail.

He had won the Rampur Sadar Assembly seat in the last UP Assembly polls for a record 10th time.

After becoming an MLA, he resigned from the Lok Sabha. In June this year, BJP’s Ghanshyam Lodhi wrested the Rampur parliamentary seat from the Samajwadi Party, defeating his nearest rival by over 42,000 votes in a bypoll. (ANI)

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Parliament Passes Maritime Anti-Piracy Bill

By LokMarg 21st December 2022

The Rajya Sabha on Wednesday passed a bill that provides for the prosecution of persons for piracy-related crimes and promotes the safety and security of India’s maritime trade including the safety of the country’s vessels and crew members.

The Maritime Anti-Piracy Bill, 2022 was passed with a voice vote after a discussion in which members posed their queries and gave suggestions. Lok Sabha passed the bill on Monday.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, who moved the Bill for passage in the upper House, said that the act of piracy on high seas will be an offence punishable with imprisonment for life or death.

“If there is an extradition issue. We will not impose the death penalty,” he said.

The Minister said that the detention of fishermen from Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and other states often by Sri Lanka and the detention of those from Gujarat by Pakistan remains a big concern for us”.

Under the provisions of the bill, participating, organising, aiding, supporting, attempting to commit, and directing others to participate in an act of piracy will be punishable with up to 14 years of imprisonment.

India does not have separate domestic legislation on piracy and provisions of the Indian Penal Code pertaining to armed robbery were being invoked to prosecute pirates apprehended by Indian Coast guards.

In the absence of any specific law relating to the offence of maritime piracy in India, problems were being faced in ensuring effective prosecution of the pirates.

The Bill was referred to the Parliamentary Standing Committee in December 2019.

The proposed anti-piracy legislation will apply to all parts of the sea adjacent to and 200 nautical miles beyond the limits of the Exclusive Economic Zone of India. Special Courts will be designated and established for speedy trial of these cases. Offences under this Act will be deemed extraditable.

As per the Bill, piracy means any illegal act of violence, detention or depredation against a ship, aircraft, person or property, for private purposes, by the crew or passengers of a private ship or aircraft. (ANI)

Oppn Leaders Meet At Kharge Office Ahead Of Parl Session

By LokMarg 14th December 2022

Ahead of the beginning of the day’s proceedings in Parliament, Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge on Wednesday convened a meeting with floor leaders of opposition parties to discuss the December 9 faceoff between Indian and Chinese troops along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Arunachal’s Tawang sector.

On Tuesday, both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha were rocked by the issue with the Opposition staging a walkout after Defence Minister Rajnath Singh made a statement in both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha on the Tawang clash.
“A total of 17 parties attended today’s meeting and decided to raise the issue for discussion if not allowed it has been decided that parties will walk out from the house,” a leader who participated in the meeting told ANI.

The Opposition, the participant said, has also decided that if a discussion is not allowed, they will boycott the House.

The meeting was held in Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge’s chambers to plan the Opposition strategy on India -China tussle and other issues in the House.

Kharge on Tuesday said that the opposition staged the walkout as Singh did not give a clarification on his statement in Parliament on the reports of clashes between the Indian Army and Chinese troops.

Speaking in both Houses separately, the Defence Minister informed that the “Indian Army bravely stopped the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) PLA troops from encroaching on Indian territory, and forced them to withdraw to their posts”.

Meanwhile, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) parliamentary meeting also took place in the Parliament Library building today in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

Singh and National BJP president JP Nadda were also present at the meeting.

The BJP MPs gave a rousing reception to PM Modi and also congratulated the BJP state president of Gujarat CR Paatil for the historic win in the western state.

The Winter Session of the Parliament began on December 7 and will have 17 working days. (ANI)

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Dimple Yadav Takes Oath As Lok Sabha MP

By LokMarg 12th December 2022

Newly elected Samajwadi Party lawmaker Dimple Yadav on Monday took oath as a Member of the Lok Sabha.

She won the Mainpuri parliamentary by-poll in Uttar Pradesh on December 8. This is Dimple Yadav’s second term as a member of parliament in the lower house. She was Lok Sabha MP from Kannauj from May 2012-2019.

The Mainpuri parliamentary seat fell vacant in October following the demise of Samajwadi Party patriarch and Dimple Yadav’s father-in-law Mulayam Singh Yadav.

The bypoll was held on December 5, and over 56 percent of voting was recorded.

Dimple Yadav defeated Raghuraj Singh Shakya of the BJP by a huge margin of over 2.5 lakh votes. Mainpuri is considered a stronghold of the Samajwadi Party.

Mulayam Singh Yadav died on October 10 at the Medanta Hospital in Gurugram at the age of 82.

In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections from Kannauj, Dimple Yadav as a joint candidate of the Samajwadi Party and Bahujan Samaj Party lost to Subrata Pathak of BJP by a margin of over 10,000 votes. (ANI)

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