NDA names Jaswant Singh as its vice-presidential candidate

July 16, 2012

jaswant

New Delhi, July 16: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Jaswant Singh was today chosen by the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) as its unanimous candidate for the August 7 Vice-Presidential election against UPA nominee Hamid Ansari.

The opposition alliance said it had reservations over the re-nomination of Mr Ansari, particularly the manner in which he conducted the Rajya Sabha when the Lokpal Bill was discussed and the Women’s Reservation Bill was passed.

“We have decided not to give them (UPA) a walkover... We have unanimously decided that Jaswant Singh will be the NDA candidate in the Vice-Presidential poll,” L K Advani, NDA Working President, announced after an NDA meeting.

Mr Advani said JD(U) chief Sharad Yadav had also raised concerns over Mr Ansari’s conduct in the passage of the Women’s Reservation Bill in the Rajya Sabha where marshals were used to oust those opposed to the legislation.

He said the same concerns were shared with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh when he had called him on Saturday to seek support for Mr Ansari’s candidature.

Mr Advani said Mr Yadav, also the NDA convenor, was initially approached to contest the Vice Presidential election, but he declined citing his interest in active politics.

The BJP leader indicated that the NDA would reach out to all such parties which have not committed their support to the UPA nominee.

Reacting to his nomination, 74-year-old Jaswant Singh said, “It is a matter of great respect that the NDA has unanimously chosen me as their candidate for the post of Vice President. It is a big responsibility and also a challenge”.


Earlier:

Jaswant or Sharad for VP race? NDA to decide today

New Delhi, July 16: Even while toying with the idea of making senior leader Jaswant Singh contest for the post of vice-president, BJP is not likely to take any decision until it has full knowledge of the likely stand of regional satraps Mamata Banerjee, J Jayalalitha and Naveen Patnaik. Sources said the NDA meeting on Monday morning will take a call on whether or not to formally announce the candidature of Singh who seems to be keen to contest.

While BJP is said to have even contemplated fielding NDA convener and JD(U) leaderSharad Yadav, he refused to talk about it saying the picture would become clear only after the meeting on Monday. Yadav, however, did say that the vice-presidential polls were different from the elections for president in which JD(U) has gone its own way by supporting Pranab Mukherjee.

"The issue of vice-presidential election and Pranab Mukherjee are separate. I have never supported Congress's political line since I joined politics. We have supported Mukherjee for his political experience only," Yadav told reporters. This has been interpreted by some as an indication of support for BJP in case it decides to contest but Yadav did not confirm this saying that all options were still open.

Later in the evening, he told TOI that it would be wrong to say BJP had already made up its mind to contest and that the final decision would be taken only after the meeting. Shiv Sena has already announced support for the NDA candidate.

Sources said that with Banerjee's choice Gopal Gandhi declining to contest, Jaswant may have to take the field if Jayalalitha and Patnaik fail to come up with a candidate to put up a token fight.

PM Manmohan Singh had called Yadav for JD(U) support but he remained non-committal. UPA candidate Hamid Ansari can sail through even without support from Banerjee, one of the reasons why Yadav doesn't seem keen to contest. While BJP's Najma Heptullah too is said to be keen to contest, sources said the outcome would hinge on the stand taken by smaller parties like Patnaik's BJD and Jayalalitha's AIADMK. "The party may decide to support their candidate to ensure a decent contest," said a leader.

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News Network
January 17,2020

Mumbai, Jan 17: A 68-year-old convict of the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts case, Jalees Ansari, went missing on Thursday morning while being on parole, officials said.

Ansari, a resident of Mominpura in Agripada here who is serving a life term, is suspected to be involved in many bomb blast cases across the country, an official said.

He was on parole for 21 days from the Ajmer Central Prison, Rajasthan, and was expected to surrender before prison authorities on Friday, he said.

During the parole period, he was ordered to visit the Agripada Police Station everyday between 10.30 am and 12 pm to mark his attendance, he said.

However, Ansari did not visit the police station on Thursday during the designated time, the official said.

In the afternoon, his 35-year-old son Jaid Ansari approached the police station with a complaint about his “missing” father, he said.

According to the complaint, Jalees Ansari woke up in the early hoursand told family members he is going to offer namaz, but did not return home.

On his complaint, the Agripada Police registered a missing case, he said.

The Crime Branch of the Mumbai Police and the Maharashtra ATS have launched a massive manhunt to trace him, he said.

Jalees, who is known as Doctor Bomb, was allegedly connected with terror outfits like SIMI and Indian Mujahidin and taught terror groups how to make bombs, he said.

He was also questioned by the NIA in 2011 in connection with the 2008 bomb blast in Mumbai, he said.

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Agencies
May 26,2020

New Delhi, May 26: The in-fighting among the residents of housing societies over feeding of stray dogs is nowhere near ending, with yet another attack on a pregnant Russian woman again in the national capital region this time in Noida.

The Russian woman residing in a condominium in Noida's Sector 71 was allegedly attacked by two men for feeding foundling canines inside the complex.

"We have initiated an inquiry and a case has been registered against the men for voluntarily causing hurt and criminal intimidation," Amit Kumar Singh, Station House Officer of Phase 3 police station told IANS.

The police said that the victim is married to an Indian man and they live in that society.

The issue was raked up on social media by one of the residents of the society. Her post had even solicited a response and help from the Noida Police Commissioner.

Kaveri Rana Bharadwaj wrote, "Mob led by Vikas Sharma, and Mr. Chauhan beat up a pregnant woman in Jagriti Apartment, Sector 71 Noida. Request you to immediately arrest these men and provide security to the scared woman!"

When contacted, a member of the Resident Welfare Association (RWA) of the society said that the allegations levied by her are false and that he, along with a handful of other people, had only asked her not to feed the dogs.

Vikas Sharma divulged, "The woman was called at the society gate by the members of the RWA. When she was asked not to feed the street dogs, she became aggressive, started fighting with the residents of the society and even pushed a 70-year-old woman. The complaint that she registered against us is false. We did not even touch her."

He added that there are 70-80 street dogs in the society who have lately become extremely aggressive. "The lady was asked not to feed them as people feared stepping out of their houses and getting bitten."

In another incident on Tuesday, a Greater Noida man beat up a Chinese woman for allegedly fostering a stray dog which bit his canine.

Greater Noida District Commissioner of Police Rajesh Kumar Singh told IANS that the man named Amar Pratap Singh of ATS Paradiso misbehaved with the woman after his dog was bit by another dog who she used to feed every day.

The incident happened in the wee hours of the day when the accused took his dog out for a walk. "After his dog was bitten, in a fit of rage, he misbehaved with the Chinese woman." A Non-Cognizable Report (NCR) has been registered and no arrests have been made so far, the police said.

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News Network
May 24,2020

New Delhi, May 24: Overwhelmed by the donations that poured in from the society for his help, Phool Mia, the fruit seller in north Delhi's Jagatpuri area whose mangoes were looted by the ordinary people, said that those who helped him have made his "Eid" and have shown that "humanity is still alive".

Video footage that went viral on social media, shows that scores of passers-by looted the unattended crates of mangoes of a fruit seller after a fight broke out in the neighbourhood. The incident took place on Wednesday.

"My stock of mangoes worth Rs 30,000 was kept there. Some persons were fighting with each other fearing which I left the place to avoid any sort of altercation. When I returned, I saw that they were looting the mangoes kept there. There were 50-100 people who were involved in this act," Phool Mia, narrated the ordeal.

"A video got viral about the incident after which people donated to me on a portal. They empathised with me when I was ruined. I thank the media and all those people who have donated from the bottom of my heart as they made my Eid. Now, I would be able to celebrate Eid with my children. This shows humanity is still alive," he added.

However, four people have been arrested on the basis of video footage, Delhi Police said.

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