Azam Khan unhappy about Akhilesh Yadav donning skull cap during flag-off ceremony of Haj pilgrims

September 11, 2013

akhileshLucknow, Sep 11: Uttar Pradesh Urban Development Minister Azam Khan, who is being blamed for UP Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav wearing a skull cap at a ceremony to flag off Haj pilgrims in Lucknow on September 9, is clearly unhappy about the incident.

"There was no plan for the chief minister to wear a skull cap while flagging off the first batch of Haj pilgrims from the state," said Khan. According to Khan, a young man from the crowd made Akhilesh put on the skull cap and Akhilesh didn't resist. Both Akhilesh and Azam have been attacked in social media over the UP CM donning a skull cap.

But Khan made it clear he was not happy. After the event, he called the young boy and took him to task for doing this. "I don't believe that you need to wear a cap to show your concern for minorities," he said and posed a question to the Muslim community: "What if someone puts a tilak on your forehead? Will you accept it? You can't force your religious culture and beliefs on someone, everyone should respect the religious beliefs of different sections of society."

Khan is not happy with the recent communal flare-up in UP and blames both Hindus and Muslims for not having enough tolerance. "Society as a whole needs to be more tolerant, be it Hindu or Muslim. And if you can't do that, you have no right to live. There has to be some level of humanity," he lamented.

Recent reports have portrayed Khan as having a poor relationship with Akhilesh Yadav. Four state Cabinet meetings have taken place in the last two months but Azam, a senior minister in the state government, has not participated in them. On Tuesday, too, there was a Cabinet meeting but Azam preferred to stay put at his official residence at 3, Vikramditya Marg. Khan accepts there is a distance in their relationship but argues that it is of his own creation. "There are lots of reports in the media about our relationship. Earlier the same media was saying that I am present everywhere and am virtually running the government," he said. To counter that allegation, Azam has now decided to stay away from these meetings as much as possible. However, he denies any rift between him and Akhilesh Yadav. "These are all rumours. As a chief minister, Akhilesh has got all the qualities of an administrator and leader and is doing his best." Azam Khan's praise for the CM comes at a time when he is drawing flak from the Opposition, and from his father Mulayam Singh Yadav, for not being able to manage the law and order situation in the state.

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News Network
July 1,2020

New Delhi, Jul 1: Jet fuel or ATF price on Wednesday was hiked by 7.5 per cent, the third increase in a month, while petrol and diesel rates were unchanged for the second day in a row.

Aviation turbine fuel (ATF) price was hiked by Rs 2,922.94 per kilolitre (kl), or 7.48 per cent, to Rs 41,992.81 per kl in the national capital, according to a price notification by state-owned oil marketing companies.

This is the third straight increase in ATF prices in a month. Rates were hiked by a record 56.6 per cent (Rs 12,126.75 per kl) on June 1, followed by Rs 5,494.5 per kl (16.3 per cent) increase on June 16.

Simultaneously, non-subsidised cooking gas LPG rates were increased by Re 1 to Rs 594 per 14.2-kg cylinder in the national capital. Prices were up by Rs 4 in other metros mostly because of different local sales tax or VAT rate.

On the other hand, petrol and diesel prices were unchanged for the second day in a row.

This, after diesel rates scaled a new high after prices were hiked 22 times in just over three weeks.

In Delhi, a litre of petrol comes for Rs 80.43 per litre, while diesel is priced at Rs 80.53 per litre.

Rates vary from state to state depending on the incidence of local sales tax or VAT.

While the diesel price had been hiked on 22 occasions since June 7, petrol price had been raised on 21 occasions.

The cumulative increase since the oil companies started the cycle on June 7 totals to Rs 9.17 for petrol and Rs 11.14 for diesel.

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January 31,2020

New Delhi, Jan 31: Slamming the BJP over the Jamia firing incident, Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Friday said such incidents were possible with the ruling party's leaders inciting people to shoot, and asked Prime minister Narendra Modi to answer whether he stands with violence or non-violence.   

Her attack on the government comes a day after tensions in the Jamia area spiralled on Thursday after a man fired a pistol at a group of anti-CAA protesters, injuring a student, before walking away while waving the firearm above his head and shouting "Yeh lo aazadi" amid heavy police presence in the area.

"When the BJP government ministers and party leaders incite people to shoot, give provocative speeches, then all this becomes possible. The Prime Minister should answer what kind of a Delhi he wants to build?" Priyanka Gandhi said in a tweet in Hindi.

Does the PM stand with violence or non-violence, she asked.

"Does he stand with development or with anarchy?" the Congress general secretary said.

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February 16,2020

Varanasi, Feb 16: Amidst continuing protests against the amended citizenship law, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said his government stood by the decision despite all pressure.

"Be it the decision on Article 370 or the Citizenship Amendment Act, it was necessary in the interest of the country. Despite pressure, we stand by our decision and will remain so," he said.

Modi was addressing a public meeting in his Lok Sabha constituency.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi also asserted that the trust set up for construction of the Ram temple in Ayodhya will work "rapidly".

"A trust has been formed for construction of a grand Ram temple in Ayodhya. This trust will work rapidly," he said at a public meeting during his day-long visit to his Lok Sabha constituency.

The government had recently set up the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra on the Supreme Court's directive to the Union government to form a trust that can look into the construction and management of the temple.

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