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Congress backs Nitish Kumar, reaches out to Yeddyurappa

June 21, 2012

Nithish_Kumar

New Delhi, June 21: BJP biggies may have been the first to congratulate Pranab Mukherjee on his then still-rumoured move to Rashtrapati Bhavan, but the Congress decision to nominate him has created enough bitterness in the two camps that it is becoming a free-for-all.

The Congress has eagerly latched on to the Nitish Kumar-Narendra Modi tussle to egg on the Bihar CM to come out of the NDA. "We will definitely welcome if JD(U) leader Nitish Kumar leaves the NDA. He has rightly said that a country with such diverse cultures and beliefs needs a secular person at the top," AICC in-charge for Bihar Gulchain Singh Charak said.

Asked if he would be taken into the UPA, Charak said it would depend on Kumar accepting the UPA's common minimum programme.

The comment junked the Congress's caution on its political rivals on the grounds that it was seeking votes from all sections, possibly out of the realization that the BJP is sure to field its candidate. Charak's comment contrasted with the party's silence in the wake of Kumar's veiled jibe at Modi.

The bitterness appeared to stem from the BJP belying the Congress's hopes of backing its veteran and instead "poaching" on UPA ally NCP by getting P A Sangma to contest. The Congress seems riled by the BJP deputing Subramanian Swamy as the pointsman to coordinate with allies. He has been attacking party chief Sonia Gandhi.

The AICC could not hide its revulsion on Wednesday when spokesman Rashid Alvi waved off a query by saying, "Subramanian Swamy is irrelevant in Indian politics. I don't want to stoop so low to comment on him."

Observers think the contest could degenerate into a free-for-all. While personal attacks as in the last presidential poll is unlikely with Mukherjee in the fray, Congressmen feel the BJP will use the support for Sangma to bolster its grip on "tribals" and play on the northeast factor. A senior Congress leader said Sangma was the "next Najma Heptullah" with a Rajya Sabha nomination waiting for him.

But the Congress is enthused that saffron attempts to use the election to spread its support base has ended up showing chinks in the NDA's armour with the JD(U) and Shiv Sena breaking rank.

Also, it is reassured that the Trinamool is unlikely to support the BJP candidate despite being at war with the Congress. In fact, TMC's central minister Sultan Ahmed said Mukherjee was an option for the party while ruling out support for Sangma.

On the contrary, leaders wondered if Mukherjee's reported phone call to B S Yeddyurappa was an attempt to play on the faultlines in the Karnataka BJP unit. The former CM is at loggerheads with the official BJP faction led by Sadananda Gowda.

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Agencies
July 30,2020

Kochi, Jul 30: The Kerala High Court on Thursday refused to grant the extension for the stay of a 74-year-old US citizen, Johnny Paul Pierce, who had earlier said that he felt safer to remain in India than in the United States amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

The single-judge bench of Justice CS Dias, which considered the writ petition, observed that the grant or extension of visa to foreign nationals fall exclusively within the domain of the Government of India (GoI) and that judicial review in such matters is minimal.

The power of the GoI to expel foreigners is absolute and unlimited, the bench said.

"In view of the categoric declaration of law by the Supreme Court, the plea of the petitioner to permit him to stay back in India cannot be accepted, as it falls within the purview of the guidelines and the discretion of the Government of India," the order said.

"The petitioner cannot be heard that the guidelines/policies/regulations formulated by the Government of India, that an American national though has been granted a visa having validity of five years has to leave India within 180 days, is irrational or unreasonable," it added.

The High Court, which was hearing a plea to permit the US citizen to stay in India for a further period of six months, said that the petitioner does not have a case that there is an infraction of Article 21 of the Constitution of India.

"The petitioner was well aware of the visa conditions when he arrived in India, and it is too late in the day for him to raise a grievance on the visa conditions," the bench said noting that the petitioner's love for India was heartening.

The High Court also directed the Foreigners Registration Officer to consider the petitioner's representation within a period of two weeks in accordance with the applicable guidelines and policies.

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News Network
April 3,2020

New Delhi, Apr 3: Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind leader Mahmood Madani on Thursday said that misbehaviour with doctors cannot be tolerated as they are working to protect everyone.

"We can only spread awareness about coronavirus that its only cure is by taking precautions. The government shared the precautions that people should not take part in any gathering, be clean and maintain social distance. After the reports, it will clear that how it is spread in the country," Madani told news agency.

"People who are objecting to testing in Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan Hospital are very wrong and they should follow the instructions.

Hospital authorities and administration should talk to them. Today doctors are our soldiers who protect us and wrong behaviour with doctors cannot be tolerated," he added.

He further said that Jamiat wrote to the PM Narendra Modi that they will provide a place for 10,000 people in different states. Our workers also distributed food to one lakh people, he added.

People who attended a religious prayer meeting from March 13-15 at Markaz in the Nizamuddin area of Delhi were sent to Lok Nayak Hospital for coronavirus test on March 30.

The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Thursday said that there are 2,069 coronavirus positive cases in India, including 1,860 active cases, 156 cured/discharged/migrated people and 53 deaths.

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News Network
January 27,2020

Jan 27: Bidders for Air India Ltd. will need to absorb $3.26 billion of its debt, as Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s administration tries once again to sell the national carrier.

The entire company will be sold but effective control needs to stay with Indian nationals, according to preliminary terms published Monday. Bids are invited by March 17 with Ernst & Young LLP India as transaction adviser.

Air India, which started in 1932 as a mail carrier before winning commercial popularity, saw its fortunes fade with the emergence of cutthroat low-cost competition. The state-run airline has been unprofitable for over a decade and is saddled with more than $8 billion in debt.

Indian regulations allow a foreign airline to buy as much as 49% of a local carrier, while overseas investors other than airlines can buy an entire carrier. The government didn’t find a single bidder when it tried to sell Air India in 2018.

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