"Keep Backbone Straight": Shatrughan Sinha's Dig at Rajiv Pratap Rudy

Agencies
January 22, 2019

Patna, Jan 22: Disgruntled BJP leader Shatrughan Sinha on Monday took a veiled dig at party spokesman Rajiv Pratap Rudy, saying he could only feel sympathy for the former union minister who has been under lot of pressure because of being sidelined.

Mr Sinha, who refrained from mentioning Mr Rudy by name, was criticized by the Saran MP on Saturday when he appeared at the opposition rally in Kolkata and tore into the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Amit Shah with the remark if speaking the truth is an act of rebellion, then count me as a rebel.

I was not surprised by the statement about me by a young spokesperson of the party who has been an old friend. Some people are saying that my young friend has been under lot of pressure because of being sidelined and that we should only feel sympathy for the young man, who seems to have been forced to make statements like these, or probably strives to keep himself relevant, the actor-turned-politician and Patna Sahib MP tweeted.

Mr Rudy had called Mr Sinha very clever and opportunistic referring to his presence by the party's side whenever a whip was issued in the Parliament, in order to avoid disqualification, and added that he was sure the BJP would take cognizance of his presence at the Kolkata rally and take a call.

Mr Rudy, a close aide of veteran socialist leader and former Prime Minister Chandra Shekhar, had joined the BJP in the 1990s and after winning the now abolished Chhapra Lok Sabha seat in 1999 made a minister in the government headed by Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

In 2014, when he won from Saran defeating RJD supremo Lalu Prasad's wife and former Chief Minister Rabri Devi, he again became a Union minister but resigned in 2017 amid speculations that he might have been asked to put in his papers since Prime Minister Narendra Modi was reportedly dissatisfied with his performance.

His recent appointment as a national spokesperson of the BJP is being viewed as a signal that he may not be considered for a ticket in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls. Mr Sinha said in another tweet "as a genuine well wisher, I have only one advice..do not wilt under pressure and keep your backbone straight. And yes, no need to get personal even with adversaries, what to talk of friends. Wishing you all the best and a successful political career ahead."

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Agencies
February 14,2020

Lucknow, Feb 14: Uttar Pradesh doctor Kafeel Khan was on Friday booked under the National Security Act (NSA) over his alleged anti-CAA speech at Aligarh Muslim University on December 12, 2019.

The Uttar Pradesh slapped NSA on Kafeel Khan on Friday even as the doctor waited to be released from jail despite being granted bail on Monday in connection with his alleged inflammatory speech.

SP Crime Dr Arvind said that there were sufficient grounds to book the doctor under NSA.

The suspended pediatrician, Kafeel Khan, was arrested for allegedly delivering a controversial speech during Anti-CAA protests on December 12 at the Aligarh Muslim University or AMU. While he was granted bail on Monday, his family members claimed on Thursday that he was yet to be released.

Dr Kafeel Khan's brother Adeel Ahmed Khan had issued a statement saying that despite being granted bail Mathura jail authorities had not honoured the court's order.

Dr Kafeel Khan was arrested by the UP Special Task Force from Mumbai on January 29 for participating anti-CAA protest at AMU. A case was registered against him at the Civil Lines police station here for promoting enmity between different religions.

After his arrest in Mumbai, Dr Khan was brought to Aligarh, from where he was shifted to the district jail in neighbouring Mathura.

According to police, this was done as a precautionary measure in view of the anti-CAA protests on the AMU campus and at the Eidgah grounds in the old city. Police had said that the Dr Khan's presence in the Aligarh jail could have aggravated the law and order situation in the city.

The doctor was earlier arrested for his alleged role in the death of over 60 children in one week at the BRD Medical College in Gorakhpur in August 2017. Short supply of oxygen at the children's ward was blamed at that time for the deaths.

About two years later, a state government probe cleared Khan of all major charges, prompting him to seek an apology from the Yogi Adityanath government.

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Agencies
June 26,2020

New Delhi, Jun 26: The Road Transport and Highways Ministry has issued a notification to enable citizens with mild to medium colour blindness to obtain a driving licence.

An official release said that the Ministry has been taking measures to enable divyangjan citizens to avail transport-related services, especially driving licence.

It said the ministry received representations that the colour blind citizens are not able to get a driving licence due to requirements in the declaration about physical fitness (Form I) or the medical certificate (Form IA).

The release said that the issue was taken up with expert medical institution and advice sought.

The recommendations received were that mild to medium colour blind citizens be allowed to drive and restrictions should only be on the severe colour blind citizens.

"This is also allowed in other parts of the world," the release said.

The notification seeks to amend Form 1 and Form 1A pertaining to Central Motor Vehicles Rules 1989.

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News Network
June 3,2020

Jun 3: Emphasising that airlines are clearly the safest mode of transportation, IndiGo CEO Ronojoy Dutta on Tuesday said there is no evidence yet of coronavirus infection getting transmitted among passengers onboard an aeroplane.

His comments against the backdrop of instances of some passengers, who had taken flights after resumption of domestic air services on May 25, testing positive for coronavirus.

"Those people had the virus before they got on to the aeroplane. What is noteworthy is that they have done the tracing after that. There is no evidence of transmission onboard there... that is a very encouraging sign on the safety of airline travel," he said during an earnings call.

According to him, airlines are clearly the safest mode of transportation and there is no evidence yet of contamination on an aircraft.

"You can come in contaminated but so far there is no evidence of passing it on to a fellow passenger," he noted.

Amid concerns over the coronavirus pandemic, aviation regulator DGCA has asked airlines to ensure that to the extent possible, middle seat in flights should be kept empty.

In this regard, Dutta said the airline would keep the middle seat empty wherever it can and "where we have to fill the middle seat, we will have the extra protective gown".

To a query about possible hedging of fuel prices, he said it would be a dumb idea and that airlines adjust to ups and downs in fuel prices.

"I can't overemphasise what a dumb idea it will be for an airline to hedge fuel prices. I looked at it from different angles and it is not a good idea... we looked at hedging and we talked about it at the board level and we said no," he noted.

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