Diesel price in Delhi will be hiked by 57 paise after including taxes, to Rs 57.28 per litre.
Diesel price was hiked by 50 paise a litre effective midnight on Saturday, excluding state levies, the second increase in rates three weeks.
The monthly hike in price came after several rounds of discussions that oil minister Dharmendra Pradhan held with state-owned oil firms on continuing with the UPA government’s reform measure.
Diesel price in Delhi will be hiked by 57 paise after including taxes, to Rs 57.28 per litre, while it will cost Rs 65.84 a litre in Mumbai as against the earlier price of Rs 65.21.
“Even after the current increase, under recovery (loss) on retail diesel shall stand at Rs 2.80/litre,” Indian Oil Corp, said in a statement announcing the hike.
A central team of BJP, along with state leaders, outside the SSKM Hospital where they met party supporters injured at Sandeshkhali in North 24-Parganas, Saturday. Express: Subham Dutta
Summary
sandeshkhali z To ask Centre to step in if state fails to act
Sharpening its aggressive stance against the ruling Trinamool Congress party in West Bengal, a five-member central team, which visited several villages of Sandeshkhali in North 24-Parganas that witnessed violent clashes between BJP and TMC on May 26, said “the government in Bengal is sponsoring anarchy in the state” and that the BJP would seek “central intervention” to control their “act of terror”.
The team’s visit to the area, where more than 20 people, including supporters and workers of the BJP, were attacked in firing allegedly by TMC workers, was followed by a visit to the injured at the city’s government hospital and a meeting with Chief Secretary Sanjay Mitra.
The team comprised party vice-presidents S S Ahluwalia and Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, party spokesperson Meenakshi Lekhi, central observer for West Bengal Siddharth Nath Singh and Asansol MP Babul Supriyo.
BJP’s state unit president Rahul Sinha also accompanied the team.
Buoyed by its performance in the recently concluded Lok Sabha elections, in which the BJP increased its vote share from 6 per cent to 18 per cent, the team said they will seek intervention of the Prime Minister, Home Minister as well as the SC/ST Commission if the state government did not take action in 24 hours.
Siddharth Nath Singh said, “We will not allow West Bengal to become Waste Bengal. We will fight. If no action is taken in 24 hours, we will send the SC/ ST Commission and invoke the related law. The attackers used countrymade weapons. They did not try to kill them, they wanted them to be invalid. Each victim has several pellets in his body. It is unlikely they would be able to walk.”
According to Naqvi, the law and order situation in the state was worse than what it was under the Left Front rule. “It was not an act of violence, it was an act of terror. The women and minors were not spared either. This is the worst kind of post-election violence. After the results were declared, no other state witnessed the kind of violence that happened in Bengal,” added Naqvi.
Sending out an ultimatum to the government, the BJP leader said: “We are giving 24 hours to arrest the perpetrators, failing which we will seek the Centre’s intervention.”
Lekhi said the delegation will submit a report to party president and Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh. “We will submit the report to the party president. We will also seek the intervention of the Prime Minister, Home Minister as well as the SC/ST Commission,” said Lekhi.
“Even today one of our workers was murdered in Ketugram in Burdwan. The attacks on our people are taking place across Bengal continued…
MNS chief Raj Thackeray at a rally in Mumbai on Saturday.
Summary
MNS sources claimed that Thackeray is weighing the options of contesting either from Mahim, which includes Shivaji Park area, where he resides, or Nashik.
Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray on Saturday announced that he would contest the upcoming Maharashtra Assembly elections and would lead the government if voted to power.
He will become the first person from the Thackeray clan to contest an election. His uncle Bal Thackeray and estranged cousin Uddhav Thackeray have never contested an election.
MNS sources claimed that Thackeray is weighing the options of contesting either from Mahim, which includes Shivaji Park area, where he resides, or Nashik.
“In the upcoming Assembly elections, Raj Thackeray will himself contest the elections. All of us together, if we are able to earn the confidence of the people and they give us the desired mandate, then Raj Thackeray will be at the helm of affairs,” the MNS chief said while addressing a public rally at the Somaiya ground in Sion.
This was Thackeray’s first public interaction after the abject performance of his party in the recently held Lok Sabha elections, where all the 10 party candidates lost their deposit.
During the rally, Thackeray was supposed to elucidate the party’s future course of action. Thackeray, who seemed to be losing the initiative after the poor performance of his party, seemed to have grabbed the bull by the horns by ending his 25-minute speech with the announcement of his intention to fight elections. Party sources claimed that the intention to contest elections was to infuse enthusiasm within the demoralised cadre.
During his speech, Thackeray also praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Taking a swipe at the Shiv Sena, he claimed that it was only because of a single individual that the BJP as well as its allies got the mandate that they did. “All those who were elected in this election managed to do so only because of Narendra Modi’s name. I spoke to some BJP leaders and even they were surprised at how much votes they got,” Thackeray said.
He tried to underplay the success of the Shiv Sena-BJP in the state by claiming that it was the government that lost. “In electoral politics if we see the overall situation, it is not the opposition that wins, it is the government that loses,” Thackeray said.
He claimed he was not interested in contesting the Lok Sabha elections, but had to listen to his partymen. “I was thinking that we should not contest these elections. There were some in my party who were keen. Then the meeting with Nitin Gadkari happened and we decided to fight the elections,” Thackeray said.
A central BJP team visited Sandeshkhali in North 24-Parganas district on Saturday and took stock of the ground situation at Rampur village where 26 of their supporters were injured in an armed attack by Trinamool cadres on May 17 for the 'crime' of celebrating the BJP's victory in the Lok Sabha polls.
The team lashed out at the state government for the "collapse of the law and order situation in the state" that they said was now "worse than what it was during the 34-year CPI(M) regime".
The delegation also warned the Trinamool leadership that the party wonft take things lying down if violence targeting BJP supporters continued.
"Bengal is the only state in the country where our supporters are being attacked. We warn the state government that the BJP will not sit idle if the attacks continue," senior party leader Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said while standing in the terror-struck village.
"The situation in Bengal is extremely serious. The law and order situation has completely collapsed. All the goons of the Left Front are now under the patronage of the Trinamool and getting protection from the police," Naqvi added.
He also said that the team would tell the party's top leadership that Bengal "needs special attention" and senior BJP leaders would "visit the state more frequently".
The BJP team also visited the SSKM hospital in Kolkata where 13 of the 26 injured are under treatment.
Promising “full support from the Centre” to the BJP supporters facing “Trinamool terror,” Naqvi urged them to “fight back the Trinamool goons”.
Apart from Naqvi, the team included Darjeeling MP and BJP national vice-president SS Ahluwalia, party spokesperson Meenakshi Lekhi, party’s Bengal in-charge Siddharth Nath Singh and Asansol MP Babul Supriyo.
The BJP delegation got a firsthand view of “Trinamool terror” when villagers showed them bullets and empty cartridges found in the village after the Trinamool cadres’ firing at the villagers.
“They were threatening us since the results were out on May 16. But we could not imagine that they would open fire at villagers for merely bursting fire crackers to celebrate Narendra Modi’s swearing in,” Shibnath Mondal, two of whose nephews sustained bullet injuries and were in hospital, said.
Even on Saturday, two weeks after the attack, tension was palpable in Rampur village. “Some policemen were posted in our village after the violence, but Trinamool cadres are threatening us with dire consequences once the police camp is removed,” Kabita Sardar, a woman, told Naqvi.
Jhuma Sardar, a middle-aged woman, pleaded for protection before the central BJP leaders who met the villagers on the balcony of Purba Rampur Free Primary School. “Please help us. We are terrorised,” she said.
“An era of misrule has descended upon Bengal. The police registered FIRs against those who were injured,” Babul Supriyo said, adding, “This cannot go on. We have to stop it. You must stay united and fight the goons back.”
State BJP president Rahul Sinha assured the villagers by saying, “New Delhi is with you… the entire BJP leadership is with you. Do not succumb to their threats. The fight has just begun. We have to look forward towards toppling this government in 2016.”
Diesel price in Delhi will be hiked by 57 paise after including taxes, to Rs 57.28 per litre.
Diesel price was hiked by 50 paise a litre effective midnight on Saturday, excluding state levies, the second increase in rates three weeks.
The monthly hike in price came after several rounds of discussions that oil minister Dharmendra Pradhan held with state-owned oil firms on continuing with the UPA government’s reform measure.
Diesel price in Delhi will be hiked by 57 paise after including taxes, to Rs 57.28 per litre, while it will cost Rs 65.84 a litre in Mumbai as against the earlier price of Rs 65.21.
“Even after the current increase, under recovery (loss) on retail diesel shall stand at Rs 2.80/litre,” Indian Oil Corp, said in a statement announcing the hike.
New Delhi, May 31 (PTI) After winning four Lok Sabha seats, Aam Aadmi Party's national convenor Arvind Kejriwal has decided to focus on Punjab, keeping the assembly election in mind.
Kejriwal will visit the state for a day on Tuesday and will also take stock of party's performance.
"They will meet volunteers, members, party supporters and take stock of the party?s performance in the state.
New Delhi: Dismantling a legacy of UPA rule, the newly formed Narendra Modi-led NDA government on Saturday abolished all EGoMs (Empowered Group of Ministers) and GoMs (Group of Ministers) for expeditious decisions and greater accountability.
An official statement from the Prime Minister's Office said, "This decision would expedite the process of decision making and usher in greater accountability in the system."
"The ministries and departments will now process the issues pending before the EGOMs and GOMs and take appropriate decisions at the level of ministries and departments itself," said the statement.
It said wherever the ministries face difficulties, the Cabinet Secretariat and the Prime Minister's Office will facilitate the decision-making process.
There were nine empowered groups of ministers (EGOMs) and 21 groups of ministers (GOMs) in operation. They were to take decisions on various matters -- and several of them on matters seen as tricky -- before coming up before the cabinet for consideration.
In a way, this decision also poses greater accountability on PM Modi himself as he will now have to adjudicate matters where there are differences among cabinet colleagues, rather than let a panel of colleagues deliberate on them first.
The idea of such ministerial panels first cropped up and was implemented during the regime of National Democratic Alliance (NDA) under Atal Bihari Vajpayee. More then were added under Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's United Progressive (UPA) Alliance government.
Since neither the Bharatiya Janata Pary (BJP) nor the Congress party had the numbers to form governments of their own and relied on their allies, these ministerial groups were to let coalition leaders deliberate key matters before bringing them to the cabinet.
Pranab Mukherjee, now India's president, P Chidambaram and AK Antony of the Congress party and Sharad Pawar of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) led the maximum of these ministerial groups -- that at one point had swelled to as many as 60.
The EGOMs, in particular, were even bestowed with the authority to take decisions and a subsequent discussion and approval by any cabinet committee, presided over by the prime minister, was a mere formality.
The subjects of the EGOMs included issues like corruption, effective management of drought, pricing of natural gas and ultra mega power projects, while those of the GOMs included strategy for water management, national war memorial and administrative reforms.
Many of them were dismantled after they served their purpose and new ones were added.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi earlier today met BJP general secretaries and discussed organisational matters apart from measures to strengthen the party ahead of assembly elections in some key states.
Modi spent over an hour with the ten party general secretaries over breakfast at his residence here seeking suggestions from them on improving governance and strengthening the party. He asked the party leaders to act as a bridge between the people and the government.
This is the first such meeting called by Modi after he took charge as Prime Minister on Monday.
Modi will meet more party workers and leaders at the BJP headquarters at Ashok Road tomorrow evening, in a bid to touch base with them and thank them for their strenuous efforts in ensuring the success of the party in Lok Sabha elections.
The meeting is believed to be an attempt to ensure that organisational strength of the BJP is not weakened in the wake of massive mandate the party received in the recent Lok Sabha elections.
Mumbai: Undaunted by the political drubbing in the recent Lok Sabha elections, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray projected himself as a chief minister for the ensuing assembly elections in Maharashtra.
Thackeray, 45, declared that he would not only contest the assembly elections, but also head the government, if his party was voted to power.
The development - which was greeted with scorn by the Congress - came even as the Bharatiya Janata Party and Shiv Sena were still debating over who should be projected as the chief ministerial candidate.
If he does contest the elections, Thackeray would become the second from the Thackeray family to contest an election. Earlier, his cousin and senior MNS leader Shalini Thakre had set a precedent.
"Raj Thackeray will directly contest the assembly elections. People really love us. But if we succeed in winning their trust and they give a verdict in favour of my party, that I shall lead the MNS government," he declared to a thunderous ovation from a huge gathering in his first rally after the Lok Sabha elections.
Lauding Prime Minister Narendra Modi for leading the BJP-led NDA to a spectacular victory in 2014 Lok Sabha, Thackeray said that it was the "Modi effect" which had prompted him to take the electoral plunge in state politics.
"We may suffered a setback. After a careful study of the Lok Sabha results, I am confident that MNS will surge ahead in the assembly elections. That's why I have taken this decision (to contest elections)," Thackeray said.
The announcement which took political circles by surprise is likely to force the BJP-SS and its allies to re-think on their strategies to grab power from the Congress-NCP alliance which has been ruling the state continuously since 1999.
Nephew of the late Shiv Sena supremo Bal Thackeray, Raj Thackeray had quit the party in 2006 following irreconciliable differences with cousin Uddhav Thackeray, who is now the Shiv Sena president.
An unabashed admirer of Modi, Raj Thackeray had openly supported the BJP leader for PM, but still put up 10 candidates against the NDA in the state, all of whom were routed.
After massive public outrage, the Uttar Pradesh government has recommended a CBI probe into the gangrape and murder of two teenaged girls in the Badaun. In a fallout of the deteriorating law %26 order situation, the UP government replaced the state's Chief Secretary as well as the Bareilly Commissioner. Meanwhile a fifth accused has been arrested while two others remain on the run.
New Delhi: Diesel prices were Saturday hiked by 50 paise a litre, excluding state levies, the second increase in rates three weeks.
The monthly hike in price came after several rounds discussions that the new Oil Minister Dharmendra Pradhan held with state-owned oil firms on continuing with the reform initiated by the UPA government.
The announcement of the hike gave clear indications that the BJP government will continue with reforms of the previous Congress regime.
The UPA had in January 2013 decided to raise diesel prices in small doses of upto 50 paise every month till such time that the subsidy on nation's most consumed fuel is eliminated.
The hikes, effective from midnight tonight, are excluding state sales tax or VAT and actual increase will be higher and will vary from city to city, the oil companies announced.
Diesel price in Delhi will be hiked by 57 paise after including taxes, to Rs 57.28 per litre, while it will cost Rs 65.84 a litre in Mumbai as against Rs 65.21 at present.
Price of diesel were last hiked on May 13 when rates went up by Rs 1.09 a lite, excluding local levies. That hike which translated into Rs 1.22 in Delhi after including VAT, made up for rate hikes for two months as government deferred rates in April due to general elections.
Before today's increase, diesel prices had risen by a cumulative Rs 9.55 a litre in 15 instalments since January 2013.
"Even after the current increase, under recovery (loss) on retail diesel shall stand at Rs 2.80/litre," Indian Oil Corp, the nation's largest oil firm, said in a statement announcing the hike.
Besides diesel, the oil firms are losing Rs 32.87 a litre on kerosene and Rs 432.50 on LPG (per cylinder).
"For the year 2014-15, the Corporation is expected to incur under-recovery of around Rs 53,600 crore on sale of three sensitive products (Industry around Rs 101,700 crore)," the statement said.
A central BJP team visited Sandeshkhali in North 24-Parganas district on Saturday and took stock of the ground situation at Rampur village where 26 of their supporters were injured in an armed attack by Trinamool cadres on May 17 for the 'crime' of celebrating the BJP's victory in the Lok Sabha polls.
The team lashed out at the state government for the "collapse of the law and order situation in the state" that they said was now "worse than what it was during the 34-year CPI(M) regime".
The delegation also warned the Trinamool leadership that the party wonft take things lying down if violence targeting BJP supporters continued.
"Bengal is the only state in the country where our supporters are being attacked. We warn the state government that the BJP will not sit idle if the attacks continue," senior party leader Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said while standing in the terror-struck village.
"The situation in Bengal is extremely serious. The law and order situation has completely collapsed. All the goons of the Left Front are now under the patronage of the Trinamool and getting protection from the police," Naqvi added.
He also said that the team would tell the party's top leadership that Bengal "needs special attention" and senior BJP leaders would "visit the state more frequently".
The BJP team also visited the SSKM hospital in Kolkata where 13 of the 26 injured are under treatment.
Promising “full support from the Centre” to the BJP supporters facing “Trinamool terror,” Naqvi urged them to “fight back the Trinamool goons”.
Apart from Naqvi, the team included Darjeeling MP and BJP national vice-president SS Ahluwalia, party spokesperson Meenakshi Lekhi, party’s Bengal in-charge Siddharth Nath Singh and Asansol MP Babul Supriyo.
The BJP delegation got a firsthand view of “Trinamool terror” when villagers showed them bullets and empty cartridges found in the village after the Trinamool cadres’ firing at the villagers.
“They were threatening us since the results were out on May 16. But we could not imagine that they would open fire at villagers for merely bursting fire crackers to celebrate Narendra Modi’s swearing in,” Shibnath Mondal, two of whose nephews sustained bullet injuries and were in hospital, said.
Even on Saturday, two weeks after the attack, tension was palpable in Rampur village. “Some policemen were posted in our village after the violence, but Trinamool cadres are threatening us with dire consequences once the police camp is removed,” Kabita Sardar, a woman, told Naqvi.
Jhuma Sardar, a middle-aged woman, pleaded for protection before the central BJP leaders who met the villagers on the balcony of Purba Rampur Free Primary School. “Please help us. We are terrorised,” she said.
“An era of misrule has descended upon Bengal. The police registered FIRs against those who were injured,” Babul Supriyo said, adding, “This cannot go on. We have to stop it. You must stay united and fight the goons back.”
State BJP president Rahul Sinha assured the villagers by saying, “New Delhi is with you… the entire BJP leadership is with you. Do not succumb to their threats. The fight has just begun. We have to look forward towards toppling this government in 2016.”
New Delhi: Dismantling a legacy of UPA rule, the newly formed Narendra Modi-led NDA government on Saturday abolished all EGoMs (Empowered Group of Ministers) and GoMs (Group of Ministers) for expeditious decisions and greater accountability.
An official statement from the Prime Minister's Office said, "This decision would expedite the process of decision making and usher in greater accountability in the system."
"The ministries and departments will now process the issues pending before the EGOMs and GOMs and take appropriate decisions at the level of ministries and departments itself," said the statement.
It said wherever the ministries face difficulties, the Cabinet Secretariat and the Prime Minister's Office will facilitate the decision-making process.
There were nine empowered groups of ministers (EGOMs) and 21 groups of ministers (GOMs) in operation. They were to take decisions on various matters -- and several of them on matters seen as tricky -- before coming up before the cabinet for consideration.
In a way, this decision also poses greater accountability on PM Modi himself as he will now have to adjudicate matters where there are differences among cabinet colleagues, rather than let a panel of colleagues deliberate on them first.
The idea of such ministerial panels first cropped up and was implemented during the regime of National Democratic Alliance (NDA) under Atal Bihari Vajpayee. More then were added under Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's United Progressive (UPA) Alliance government.
Since neither the Bharatiya Janata Pary (BJP) nor the Congress party had the numbers to form governments of their own and relied on their allies, these ministerial groups were to let coalition leaders deliberate key matters before bringing them to the cabinet.
Pranab Mukherjee, now India's president, P Chidambaram and AK Antony of the Congress party and Sharad Pawar of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) led the maximum of these ministerial groups -- that at one point had swelled to as many as 60.
The EGOMs, in particular, were even bestowed with the authority to take decisions and a subsequent discussion and approval by any cabinet committee, presided over by the prime minister, was a mere formality.
The subjects of the EGOMs included issues like corruption, effective management of drought, pricing of natural gas and ultra mega power projects, while those of the GOMs included strategy for water management, national war memorial and administrative reforms.
Many of them were dismantled after they served their purpose and new ones were added.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi earlier today met BJP general secretaries and discussed organisational matters apart from measures to strengthen the party ahead of assembly elections in some key states.
Modi spent over an hour with the ten party general secretaries over breakfast at his residence here seeking suggestions from them on improving governance and strengthening the party. He asked the party leaders to act as a bridge between the people and the government.
This is the first such meeting called by Modi after he took charge as Prime Minister on Monday.
Modi will meet more party workers and leaders at the BJP headquarters at Ashok Road tomorrow evening, in a bid to touch base with them and thank them for their strenuous efforts in ensuring the success of the party in Lok Sabha elections.
The meeting is believed to be an attempt to ensure that organisational strength of the BJP is not weakened in the wake of massive mandate the party received in the recent Lok Sabha elections.
MNS chief Raj Thackeray at a rally in Mumbai on Saturday.
Summary
MNS sources claimed that Thackeray is weighing the options of contesting either from Mahim, which includes Shivaji Park area, where he resides, or Nashik.
Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray on Saturday announced that he would contest the upcoming Maharashtra Assembly elections and would lead the government if voted to power.
He will become the first person from the Thackeray clan to contest an election. His uncle Bal Thackeray and estranged cousin Uddhav Thackeray have never contested an election.
MNS sources claimed that Thackeray is weighing the options of contesting either from Mahim, which includes Shivaji Park area, where he resides, or Nashik.
“In the upcoming Assembly elections, Raj Thackeray will himself contest the elections. All of us together, if we are able to earn the confidence of the people and they give us the desired mandate, then Raj Thackeray will be at the helm of affairs,” the MNS chief said while addressing a public rally at the Somaiya ground in Sion.
This was Thackeray’s first public interaction after the abject performance of his party in the recently held Lok Sabha elections, where all the 10 party candidates lost their deposit.
During the rally, Thackeray was supposed to elucidate the party’s future course of action. Thackeray, who seemed to be losing the initiative after the poor performance of his party, seemed to have grabbed the bull by the horns by ending his 25-minute speech with the announcement of his intention to fight elections. Party sources claimed that the intention to contest elections was to infuse enthusiasm within the demoralised cadre.
During his speech, Thackeray also praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Taking a swipe at the Shiv Sena, he claimed that it was only because of a single individual that the BJP as well as its allies got the mandate that they did. “All those who were elected in this election managed to do so only because of Narendra Modi’s name. I spoke to some BJP leaders and even they were surprised at how much votes they got,” Thackeray said.
He tried to underplay the success of the Shiv Sena-BJP in the state by claiming that it was the government that lost. “In electoral politics if we see the overall situation, it is not the opposition that wins, it is the government that loses,” Thackeray said.
He claimed he was not interested in contesting the Lok Sabha elections, but had to listen to his partymen. “I was thinking that we should not contest these elections. There were some in my party who were keen. Then the meeting with Nitin Gadkari happened and we decided to fight the elections,” Thackeray said.
A central BJP team visited Sandeshkhali in North 24-Parganas district on Saturday and took stock of the ground situation at Rampur village where 26 of their supporters were injured in an armed attack by Trinamool cadres on May 17 for the 'crime' of celebrating the BJP's victory in the Lok Sabha polls.
The team lashed out at the state government for the "collapse of the law and order situation in the state" that they said was now "worse than what it was during the 34-year CPI(M) regime".
The delegation also warned the Trinamool leadership that the party wonft take things lying down if violence targeting BJP supporters continued.
"Bengal is the only state in the country where our supporters are being attacked. We warn the state government that the BJP will not sit idle if the attacks continue," senior party leader Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said while standing in the terror-struck village.
"The situation in Bengal is extremely serious. The law and order situation has completely collapsed. All the goons of the Left Front are now under the patronage of the Trinamool and getting protection from the police," Naqvi added.
He also said that the team would tell the party's top leadership that Bengal "needs special attention" and senior BJP leaders would "visit the state more frequently".
The BJP team also visited the SSKM hospital in Kolkata where 13 of the 26 injured are under treatment.
Promising “full support from the Centre” to the BJP supporters facing “Trinamool terror,” Naqvi urged them to “fight back the Trinamool goons”.
Apart from Naqvi, the team included Darjeeling MP and BJP national vice-president SS Ahluwalia, party spokesperson Meenakshi Lekhi, party’s Bengal in-charge Siddharth Nath Singh and Asansol MP Babul Supriyo.
The BJP delegation got a firsthand view of “Trinamool terror” when villagers showed them bullets and empty cartridges found in the village after the Trinamool cadres’ firing at the villagers.
“They were threatening us since the results were out on May 16. But we could not imagine that they would open fire at villagers for merely bursting fire crackers to celebrate Narendra Modi’s swearing in,” Shibnath Mondal, two of whose nephews sustained bullet injuries and were in hospital, said.
Even on Saturday, two weeks after the attack, tension was palpable in Rampur village. “Some policemen were posted in our village after the violence, but Trinamool cadres are threatening us with dire consequences once the police camp is removed,” Kabita Sardar, a woman, told Naqvi.
Jhuma Sardar, a middle-aged woman, pleaded for protection before the central BJP leaders who met the villagers on the balcony of Purba Rampur Free Primary School. “Please help us. We are terrorised,” she said.
“An era of misrule has descended upon Bengal. The police registered FIRs against those who were injured,” Babul Supriyo said, adding, “This cannot go on. We have to stop it. You must stay united and fight the goons back.”
State BJP president Rahul Sinha assured the villagers by saying, “New Delhi is with you… the entire BJP leadership is with you. Do not succumb to their threats. The fight has just begun. We have to look forward towards toppling this government in 2016.”
Back-channel negotiations between the Congress and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) over government formation in Delhi are underway following assessment in both political outfits that the BJP could be major gainer in case elections are held in the Capital in the near future.
Congress sources said several AAP leaders are in regular touch with party general secretary Shakeel Ahmad and Delhi unit chief Arvinder Singh Lovely to explore the possibility of once again “doing business” with each other and stop the BJP from coming to power in the city.
A former Lok Sabha MP from an eastern state and a non-UPA party is also mediating with the Congress on behalf of AAP.
The change of stand in both camps is primarily attributed to their dismal performance in the just-concluded parliamentary polls, and also apprehensions that some of their legislators might cross over to the BJP in the coming days.
The saffron party won all seven Lok Sabha seats in Delhi and led in 60 segments, while AAP was ahead in 10. The Congress was third on all seats.
While AAP has 27 legislators (the 28th, Vinod Kumar Binny, was expelled by the party) in the 70-member Delhi assembly, the Congress has eight.
The BJP-SAD alliance, on the other hand, has 29 (three of the, initial, 31 BJP legislators have resigned after being elected MPs). There are three independent MLAs.
Congress legislators have also told the central leadership that it would be “extremely difficult” for them to retain their seats if assembly polls are held here in October-November along with Maharashtra and Haryana.
These MLAs have expressed anguish over party general secretary Ajay Maken’s tweet that there is no question of the Congress supporting AAP again. The leadership had then deputed two representatives to do “damage control” and pacify the agitated MLAs with an assurance that “doors are still open for such a move”.
Officially, the Congress was non-committal on supporting the AAP. “We haven’t taken any decision so far,” Ahmad told HT.
Riding on the Modi wave that swept the BJP to power in the general elections, the saffron party is in favour of early polls in Delhi.
AAP leader and former Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal had recently written a letter to lieutenant governor Najeeb Jung, requesting to put on hold for a week any decision to dissolve the assembly, if at all he was considering it. However, he later withdrew the proposal following Maken’s tweet.
There is intense pressure on Kejriwal, too, from some of his legislators to work out a “compromise formula” with the Congress to stop the BJP “juggernaut”.
New Delhi: Diesel prices were Saturday hiked by 50 paise a litre, excluding state levies, the second increase in rates three weeks.
The monthly hike in price came after several rounds discussions that the new Oil Minister Dharmendra Pradhan held with state-owned oil firms on continuing with the reform initiated by the UPA government.
The announcement of the hike gave clear indications that the BJP government will continue with reforms of the previous Congress regime.
The UPA had in January 2013 decided to raise diesel prices in small doses of upto 50 paise every month till such time that the subsidy on nation's most consumed fuel is eliminated.
The hikes, effective from midnight tonight, are excluding state sales tax or VAT and actual increase will be higher and will vary from city to city, the oil companies announced.
Diesel price in Delhi will be hiked by 57 paise after including taxes, to Rs 57.28 per litre, while it will cost Rs 65.84 a litre in Mumbai as against Rs 65.21 at present.
Price of diesel were last hiked on May 13 when rates went up by Rs 1.09 a lite, excluding local levies. That hike which translated into Rs 1.22 in Delhi after including VAT, made up for rate hikes for two months as government deferred rates in April due to general elections.
Before today's increase, diesel prices had risen by a cumulative Rs 9.55 a litre in 15 instalments since January 2013.
"Even after the current increase, under recovery (loss) on retail diesel shall stand at Rs 2.80/litre," Indian Oil Corp, the nation's largest oil firm, said in a statement announcing the hike.
Besides diesel, the oil firms are losing Rs 32.87 a litre on kerosene and Rs 432.50 on LPG (per cylinder).
"For the year 2014-15, the Corporation is expected to incur under-recovery of around Rs 53,600 crore on sale of three sensitive products (Industry around Rs 101,700 crore)," the statement said.
New Delhi, May 30: The BJP has touched base with Jayalalithaa and Naveen Patnaik, the chiefs of the AIADMK and the Biju Janata Dal, to fish for numbers to tide the government over a possible crunch in the Rajya Sabha.
Union minister Arun Jaitley, who will also be the leader of the upper House, began the exercise with a phone call to the Tamil Nadu chief minister on Thursday. The call was described by sources as “extremely cordial”.
Jayalalithaa is now scheduled to call on the Prime Minister on June 3, offering Modi a chance to restore a friendship scarred by rancorous exchanges on the campaign trail and her boycott of his oath-taking ceremony to protest the invite to the Sri Lankan President. Jayalalithaa is expected to raise a host of state-related issues with Modi. Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik will also be in the national capital on a similar mission.
The calls come just before the first session of the 16th Lok Sabha, where the BJP will be the dominant force.
But the ruling coalition is short of a majority in the Rajya Sabha, which poses a headache as at least two ordinances will have to be converted into laws by getting them passed in both Houses. One relates to the appointment of the principal secretary to the Prime Minister and the other to Telangana and Seemandhra.
In the Rajya Sabha, the BJP and its pre-poll allies have 56 MPs — 60 less than the majority mark of 116 as the effective strength of the upper House is 231 because of 14 vacancies.
In such a situation, the role of the AIADMK, Trinamul and the BJD becomes significant. The three parties have 26 MPs in the Rajya Sabha: Trinamul has 12, the AIADMK 10 and the BJD four.
BJP sources said they were not including Trinamul in their calculations because of Mamata Banerjee’s “political imperatives” that stem from the decisive minority vote in Bengal. That reduces the size of the regional block to 14 and the BJP needs to find another 46 to make up the shortfall.
A cocktail of regional parties can provide 17 votes, and the Samajwadi Party and the BSP — known for “pragmatism” in crunch situations — together account for 23. Even then there is a shortfall of six — which makes Trinamul’s dozen MPs a crucial factor.
The BJP’s Rajya Sabha strategy could be impacted by its tactics in the Lok Sabha where three posts have to be filled: those of the Speaker, the deputy Speaker and the leader of the Opposition.
The last one has caught the BJP’s political imagination. “The post (the leader of the Opposition) is potentially ripe for realpolitik,” said a BJP leader.
With confusion clouding the post — whether a party needs at least 55 MPs or not to get it — the BJP is banking on the Speaker’s “discretion”.
The “discretion” caveat assumes significance against the backdrop of suggestions that Trinamul, AIADMK and the BJD might coalesce into a larger Opposition bloc and stake claim to the post.
The BJP is considering veteran Sumitra Mahajan for the Speaker’s post and is not averse to the Congress nominating the deputy Speaker. But on the Opposition leader’s post, the scope for manoeuvres with an eye on potential cushions is expected to be explored.
The development comes a week after senior AAP leader Shazia Ilmi walked out of the party.
Differences in the AAP ranks came to the fore yet again after senior leader Yogendra Yadav and Naveen Jaihind submitted their resignations from party committees on Saturday.
While Yadav, who was the AAP’s Lok Sabha candidate from Gurgaon, offered to resign from the party’s Political Affairs Committee (PAC), Jaihind, who fought the general elections from Rohtak, also submitted his resignation from the AAP’s National Executive.
The development comes a week after senior AAP leader Shazia Ilmi walked out of the party.
Confirming that the two leaders had submitted their resignations, an AAP leader said, “They have given their resignations from the PAC and the National Executive, not from the party. But their resignations have not been accepted. Their resignations will be discussed in a meeting of the National Executive. The two leaders had some differences over the party’s functioning in Haryana. Today’s development seem to be an outcome of that.”
Senior AAP leader Sanjay Singh said, “Yadav’s resignation has not been accepted by the party. We will talk to both of them. They are still a part of the party.”
But Yadav could not be reached despite repeated attempts. He stated his stand on social media, “Rumours about my quitting AAP are baseless. I am very much with the party and committed to working for it harder than ever.”
Jaihind said, “He (Yadav) gave his resignation from the PAC at a party meeting in front of me. I offered to resign because I did not want Yogendraji to resign because he had problems with me. He should not have submitted his resignation.”
Jaihind, however, maintained that he was not leaving the party. “I have always worked as a volunteer and will continue to do so,” he said.
The resignations, AAP leaders said, seems to have been sparked by a showcause notice sent to Jaihind after Yadav filed a complaint against him.
Speaking to Newsline, Jaihind said that he had received a showcause notice from the party on May 28 . “A couple of days ago, I had received a call from the party saying that he (Yadav) had objected to my meeting party volunteers across Haryana, including a few in Gurgaon.
Following this, I received a showcause notice from the party on May 28… ,” Jaihind said.
In his reply, Jaihind, on Friday, said the meetings saw demands for expanding the PAC, regular discussions on the AAP’s functioning, concerns being raised on some hardworking volunteers being sidelined and the manner in which party tickets were distributed.
NEW DELHI: With the NDA government today deciding to scrap all 30 GoMs and EGoMs set up by previous UPA regime, Congress defended the ministerial groups saying they were necessitated due to the complexities of issues having inter-ministerial connotations.
Congress leader Manish Tewari, however, stopped short of criticising the decision and said it is the prerogative of the government to run the administration in the manner in which they want.
"But may I respectfully point out that GoMs and EGoMs were constituted primarily because most issues these days are complex. The issues have inter-ministerial connotations and implications.
"Therefore by having an inter-ministerial group, empowered or otherwise, you would bring to the table in a cohesive manner expertise across different ministries," he told a newschannel.
Announcing the decision to scrap nine Empowered Groups of Ministers (EGoMs) and 21 Groups of Ministers (GoMs), the PMO had said this would expedite the process of decision-making and "usher in greater accountability in the system".
It said wherever the ministries face difficulties, the Cabinet Secretariat and the Prime Minister's Office will facilitate the decision-making process.
The step is aimed at reducing the levels of decision- making and streamline the system. The Prime Minister's Office and Cabinet Secretary will do the "hand-holding" and intervene whenever necessary, they said.
Any inter-ministerial dispute can be solved by the Committee of Secretaries, headed by Cabinet Secretary, which is already in place, the sources said.
On the GoMs which existed during the 10 years of Manmohan Singh government, the sources said a number of them had hardly met and only a few had delivered decisions.
KOLKATA: Slamming the Mamata Banerjee regime in West Bengal on law and order, the BJP on Saturday dubbed it as a government of "anarchy and violence" and said it would seek the Prime Minister's intervention if post-poll violence is not contained.
"It is a government of anarchy, violence and arrogance. Post poll violence is taking place with the patronage of the Trinamool Congress government. No action is taken against those who perpetrate violence," BJP vice-president Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi told a news conference here.
He said, "Barring Bengal, BJP workers were not attacked in any other state in post-poll violence."
Naqvi warned the TMC government saying BJP would not keep quiet on violence against its party men.
During the day, a five-member BJP delegation visited Sandeshkhali in North 24 Parganas district where 30 BJP workers were injured in firing allegedly by Trinamool Congress supporters on May 28.
The team comprised party spokeswoman Meenakshi Lekhi, vice-presidents SS Aluwahlia, Naqvi, in charge of the state Siddharth Nath Singh and BJP MP Babul Supriyo
The team visited the injured in the hospital and spoke to their family members.
(BJP vice-president Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi with party MPs at a news conference in Kolkata after visiting the violence-affected areas of Bengal)
"The kind of violence prevailing in West Bengal is a matter of concern. Law and order is a state subject. The state needs to protects its citizens by virtue of establishing the rule of law," Lekhi told reporters here.
"If this state-assisted violence continues, then BJP will seek intervention of the National Commission of Scheduled castes and Scheduled tribes, Union home ministry and the Prime Minister's Office to contain the violence if the state government is not in a capacity to contain it," Lekhi said.
The team also submitted a memorandum to chief secretary Sanjoy Mitra and urged him to take action within next 24 hours.
Naqvi alleged that the Trinamool Congress regime was worse than that of the previous Left Front government.
The team, Naqvi said, would submit a report to the party president and Union home minister Rajnath Singh after returning to Delhi.
Asked whether the team felt that the present law and order situation called for central intervention, Naqvi said, "We will submit the report to the party president. This is not an act of violence, but an act of terror. We want that action should be initiated within next 24 hours."
Asked about the response of the chief secretary, Singh said, "He has not been that responsive. But we will wait and watch what action is taken."
Assuming charge as the new Chief Secretary of Uttar Pradesh, Alok Ranjan on Saturday said that a message will be given out to those criminals that they will be dealt with firmly.
When asked to comment on the recent spate of criminals acts taking place in the state pertaining to rape cases as shown in television channels, Ranjan said, "I will sit with my team officials and discuss. A strong message must be given and we must solve it. Crime needs to be fought with, criminals need to know that their actions won't be forgiven and will be dealt with strongly."
He also stressed on improving the public service delivery and the GDP in the state.
"Public service delivery needs to be improved. Since this is a big state we have to see that the GDP, infrastructure and power sector is developed. We want to create a situation here in the state that it becomes an investment hot spot that will accelerate the growth," he added.
Earlier, the Akhilesh Yadav Government in Uttar Pradesh had on Saturday replaced the Chief Secretary of the state by naming Alok Ranjan as the new Chief Secretary of Uttar Pradesh replacing Javed Usmani.
An IAS officer of 1978 batch, Ranjan was earlier serving as Infrastructure and Industrial Development Commissioner (IIDC).
A website quoted as saying Ranjan a graduate from Delhi's prestigious St Stephen's college and MBA from IIM-Ahmedabad, Ranjan has served as agriculture production commissioner (APC) in the state.
In April last year, Ranjan was made officiating chief secretary of UP in the absence of Jawed Usmani who had accompanied chief minister Akhilesh Yadav to United States.
The ministries and departments will now process the issues pending before EGoMs and GoMs and take appropriate decisions at the level of ministries and departments itself. (Source: PTI)
Summary
Narendra Modi abolishes all 30 GoMs an EGoMs to ensure fast decision-making and an increase in accountability.
To expedite decision-making in the government and usher in “greater accountability” in the system, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday abolished all exsiting Empowered Group of Ministers (EGoMs) and GoMs, which had become a symbol and an instrument of policy paralysis during the previous UPA government.
Ministries and departments will now process the issues pending before the EGoMs and GoMs and take appropriate decisions at their level.
“Wherever the ministries face any difficulties, the Cabinet Secretariat and the Prime Minister’s Office will facilitate the decision-making process,” said an official release, emphasising that the move to abolish the existing nine EGoMs and 21 GoMs was mean to “empower the ministries and departments”.
The move is apparently in keeping with Modi’s motto of “minimum government, maximum governance” and “decisive government”, which he had emphasised throughout his campaign.
While the concept of such panels was born during Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s government, as a means to sort out inter-ministerial conflict of views on important policy issues, under the UPA, the number of such GoMs and EGoMs had mushroomed to over 80 at one point of time. The panels had held up decisions on many issues in the name of consultation, particularly as they were not given any timeline.
Many such panels hardly ever met. For instance, the GoM on interlinking of rivers did not have a single meeting, said sources. The GoMs on many other subjects like setting up of the Amritsar-Kolkata Industrial Corridor, pension and post-retirement medical schemes for Food Corporation of India employees, amendment to the Minimum Wages Act, 1948, and on enhancement of age of superannuation of non-teaching and public health specialists of the Central Health Service too never met. Some GoMs like the one on domestic workers met just once.
With a powerful Congressman and Cabinet minister like Pranab Mukherjee heading over 50 EGoMs and GoMs at one stage, the then PMO was virtually left with no remit to vet any decision of these panels.
Many of these GoMs were also headed by then defence minister A K Antony, who was known to be a status-quoist with little enthusiasm for innovative ideas.
The dismantling of the EGoMs and GoMs is likely to restore the authority and supremacy of the PMO, with the PM having the last word on policy-making in the event of differences among ministries. Manmohan Singh’s image as a weak PM was built on the argument that he did not have the last word when it came to crucial issues of governance.
“The prime minister has to be the guiding force of any government in terms of outlining its vision for the country and drawing up the roadmap to achieve it, but it’s the ministries and departments that have to implement them. The continued…
LUCKNOW: Under attack from opposition parties, Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav on Saturday decided to recommend a CBI probe into the gang rape and murder of two dalit sisters in Badaun.
"The chief minister has decided to recommend a CBI probe into Badaun incident as demanded by family members of the victims demanded," an official release said here.
"The formalities in this regard will be completed soon," it added.
The family of two murdered teenage girls had demanded a CBI probe into the incident saying they had no faith in local police which was "hand in gloves" with the accused.
A team of National Commission for Women (NCW) had also faulted the local police.
The chief minister had on Friday ordered the constitution of fast track court to ensure justice to the victims' family and announced a compensation of Rs five lakh each to them.
Social media slams Akhilesh's comment on rape, lawlessness in UP
BSP supremo Mayawati too had pressed for a CBI probe in the matter while demanding of imposition of President's rule in the state over alleged failure of the Samajwadi Party government to maintain law and order.
Union women and child welfare minister Maneka Gandhi had on Friday told said that if family members of the girls want, she would recommend a CBI probe into the incident.
The two teenage dalit sisters, who were cousins aged 14 and 15 years, were allegedly gang raped and murdered with their bodies found hanging from a mango tree in Katra village.
The girls went missing on May 27 and their bodies were found hanging on May 28.
All the five named in the FIR including constables Sarvesh Yadav, Chhatrapal Yadav and three brothers Pappu Yadav, Awadhesh Yadav and Urvesh Yadav have been arrested. The FIR was registered against seven including two unnamed.
While services of Sarvesh and Chhatrapal have been terminated, sub-inspector Ram Vilas Yadav had been suspended.
New Delhi: Dismantling a legacy of UPA rule, the newly formed Narendra Modi-led NDA government on Saturday abolished all EGoMs (Empowered Group of Ministers) and GoMs (Group of Ministers) for expeditious decisions and greater accountability.
An official statement from the Prime Minister's Office said, "This decision would expedite the process of decision making and usher in greater accountability in the system."
"The ministries and departments will now process the issues pending before the EGOMs and GOMs and take appropriate decisions at the level of ministries and departments itself," said the statement.
It said wherever the ministries face difficulties, the Cabinet Secretariat and the Prime Minister's Office will facilitate the decision-making process.
There were nine empowered groups of ministers (EGOMs) and 21 groups of ministers (GOMs) in operation. They were to take decisions on various matters -- and several of them on matters seen as tricky -- before coming up before the cabinet for consideration.
In a way, this decision also poses greater accountability on PM Modi himself as he will now have to adjudicate matters where there are differences among cabinet colleagues, rather than let a panel of colleagues deliberate on them first.
The idea of such ministerial panels first cropped up and was implemented during the regime of National Democratic Alliance (NDA) under Atal Bihari Vajpayee. More then were added under Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's United Progressive (UPA) Alliance government.
Since neither the Bharatiya Janata Pary (BJP) nor the Congress party had the numbers to form governments of their own and relied on their allies, these ministerial groups were to let coalition leaders deliberate key matters before bringing them to the cabinet.
Pranab Mukherjee, now India's president, P Chidambaram and AK Antony of the Congress party and Sharad Pawar of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) led the maximum of these ministerial groups -- that at one point had swelled to as many as 60.
The EGOMs, in particular, were even bestowed with the authority to take decisions and a subsequent discussion and approval by any cabinet committee, presided over by the prime minister, was a mere formality.
The subjects of the EGOMs included issues like corruption, effective management of drought, pricing of natural gas and ultra mega power projects, while those of the GOMs included strategy for water management, national war memorial and administrative reforms.
Many of them were dismantled after they served their purpose and new ones were added.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi earlier today met BJP general secretaries and discussed organisational matters apart from measures to strengthen the party ahead of assembly elections in some key states.
Modi spent over an hour with the ten party general secretaries over breakfast at his residence here seeking suggestions from them on improving governance and strengthening the party. He asked the party leaders to act as a bridge between the people and the government.
This is the first such meeting called by Modi after he took charge as Prime Minister on Monday.
Modi will meet more party workers and leaders at the BJP headquarters at Ashok Road tomorrow evening, in a bid to touch base with them and thank them for their strenuous efforts in ensuring the success of the party in Lok Sabha elections.
The meeting is believed to be an attempt to ensure that organisational strength of the BJP is not weakened in the wake of massive mandate the party received in the recent Lok Sabha elections.
NEW DELHI: AAP received a jolt after senior party leader Yogendra Yadav and Haryana convener Naveen Jaihind tendered their resignation from party's Political Affairs Committee and National Executive respectively over alleged bickering between the two.
Both have, however, clarified that they have not resigned from the party, but from the posts they held.
"Rumours about my quitting AAP are baseless. I am very much with the party and committed to working for it harder than ever," Yadav tweeted. However, when asked why he quit as the PAC member, he declined to comment.
Party spokesperson and Delhi unit secretary Dilip Pandey clarified that the duo had resigned as members of the PAC and NE and not from the party.
Pankaj Gupta, party's national secretary, said that the issue will be on the agenda of National Executive whenever it meets.
"@AapYogendra and @naveenjaihind are still with @AamAadmiParty... and resignation given from PAC & NE resp. to be discussed in NE meeting," Pandey tweeted.
Senior party leader and PAC member Sanjay Singh told reporters that Yadav's resignation will not be accepted.
Yadav, who unsucessfully contested from Gurgoan parliamentary seat, is a senior leader and member of the supreme decision making body, the PAC. He is also party's Haryana incharge.
Jaihind, who has been associated with the party even before it was formed, is Haryana convenor and was handpicked by party chief Arvind Kejriwal to contest against Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda's son Deepender Singh Hooda from Rohtak.
Jahind said that he was served a showcause notice on May 28 after Yadav allegedly lodged a complaint against him.
"We had a meeting with the volunteers who were of the opinion that party decisions should be taken after consultations within members.
"Yogendra Yadav lodged a complaint against me and PAC served me a notice, in Arvind Kejriwal's absence, for instigating the volunteers. Today Yadav demanded that action should be taken against me in 48 hours," Jaihind said, adding that he received a mail from the party on May 28.
He has also responded to the show-cause notice and termed the allegations as "baseless".
"The PAC and NE should jointly take responsibility of the party's defeat in the Lok Sabha and some leaders should quit." Jahind said in the reply to the notice on his Facebook page.
Doing away with one of the relics of coalition politics, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday abolished all 30 ministerial groups to ensure that his colleagues heading various portfolios take faster decisions with more accountability.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi gestures during his arrival at the Prime Minister's Office at South Block in New Delhi. (AFP Photo)
There were 9 empowered groups of ministers (EGOMs) and 21 groups of ministers (GOMs) in operation. They were to take decisions on various matters – and several of them on matters seen as tricky — before coming up before the cabinet for consideration.
"This (the decision taken on Thursday) would expedite the process of decision making and usher in greater accountability in the system," an official statement from the Prime Minister's Office said.
"The ministries and departments will now process the issues pending before the EGOMs and GOMs and take appropriate decisions at the level of ministries and departments itself."
In a way, this decision also poses greater accountability on Modi himself as he will now have to adjudicate matters where there are differences among cabinet colleagues, rather than let a panel of colleagues deliberate on them first.
The idea of such ministerial panels first cropped up and was implemented during the regime of National Democratic Alliance (NDA) under Atal Bihari Vajpayee. More then were added under Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government.
Since neither the Bharatiya Janata Pary (BJP) nor the Congress party had the numbers to form governments of their own and relied on their allies, these ministerial groups were to let coalition leaders deliberate key matters before bringing them to the cabinet.
Pranab Mukherjee, now India's president, P. Chidambaram and A.K. Antony of the Congress party and Sharad Pawar of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) led the maximum of these ministerial groups -- that at one point had swelled to as many as 60.
The EGOMs, in particular, were even bestowed with the authority to take decisions and a subsequent discussion and approval by any cabinet committee, presided over by the prime minister, was a mere formality.
The subjects of the EGOMs included effective management of drought, pricing of natural gas and ultra mega power projects, while those of the GOMs included strategy for water management, national war memorial and administrative reforms.
Many of them were dismantled after they served their purpose and new ones were added.
LUCKNOW: Under attack from opposition parties, Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav on Saturday decided to recommend a CBI probe into the gang rape and murder of two dalit sisters in Badaun.
"The chief minister has decided to recommend a CBI probe into Badaun incident as demanded by family members of the victims demanded," an official release said here.
"The formalities in this regard will be completed soon," it added.
The family of two murdered teenage girls had demanded a CBI probe into the incident saying they had no faith in local police which was "hand in gloves" with the accused.
A team of National Commission for Women (NCW) had also faulted the local police.
The chief minister had on Friday ordered the constitution of fast track court to ensure justice to the victims' family and announced a compensation of Rs five lakh each to them.
Social media slams Akhilesh's comment on rape, lawlessness in UP
BSP supremo Mayawati too had pressed for a CBI probe in the matter while demanding of imposition of President's rule in the state over alleged failure of the Samajwadi Party government to maintain law and order.
Union women and child welfare minister Maneka Gandhi had on Friday told said that if family members of the girls want, she would recommend a CBI probe into the incident.
The two teenage dalit sisters, who were cousins aged 14 and 15 years, were allegedly gang raped and murdered with their bodies found hanging from a mango tree in Katra village.
The girls went missing on May 27 and their bodies were found hanging on May 28.
All the five named in the FIR including constables Sarvesh Yadav, Chhatrapal Yadav and three brothers Pappu Yadav, Awadhesh Yadav and Urvesh Yadav have been arrested. The FIR was registered against seven including two unnamed.
While services of Sarvesh and Chhatrapal have been terminated, sub-inspector Ram Vilas Yadav had been suspended.
Kolkata: Slamming the Mamata Banerjee regime in West Bengal on law and order, the BJP on Saturday dubbed it as a government of "anarchy and violence" and said it would seek the Prime Minister's intervention if post poll violence is not contained.
"It is a government of anarchy, violence and arrogance. Post poll violence is taking place with the patronage of the Trinamool Congress government. No action is taken against those who perpetrate violence," BJP Vice President Mukthar Abbas Naqvi told a press conference here.
The BJP notched up a spectacular victory, but barring West Bengal, BJP workers were not attacked in any other state in post poll violence, he said.
Naqvi warned the TMC government saying BJP would not keep quiet on violence against party men.
Naqvi warned the TMC government saying BJP would not keep quiet on violence against party men.
During the day, a five-member BJP delegation visited Sandeshkhali in North 24 Parganas district where 30 BJP workers were injured in firing allegedly by Trinamool Congress supporters on May 28.
The team comprised party spokesperson Meenakshi Lekhi, Vice-Presidents S S Aluwahlia, Naqvi, in-charge of the state Siddharth Nath Singh and BJP MP Babul Supriyo. The team visited the injured in the hospital and spoke to their family members.
"The kind of violence prevailing in West Bengal is a matter of concern. Law and order is a state subject. The state needs to protects its citizens by virtue of establishing the rule of law," Lekhi told reporters here.
"If this state-assisted violence continues, then BJP will seek intervention of the National Commission of SC/ ST, Union Home ministry and the Prime Minister's Office to contain the violence if the state government is not in a capacity to contain it," Lekhi said.
The team also submitted a memorandum to Chief secretary Sanjoy Mitra and urged him to take action within next 24 hours.
NEW DELHI: AAP received a jolt after senior party leader Yogendra Yadav and Haryana convener Naveen Jaihind tendered their resignation from party's Political Affairs Committee and National Executive respectively over alleged bickering between the two.
Both have, however, clarified that they have not resigned from the party, but from the posts they held.
"Rumours about my quitting AAP are baseless. I am very much with the party and committed to working for it harder than ever," Yadav tweeted. However, when asked why he quit as the PAC member, he declined to comment.
Party spokesperson and Delhi unit secretary Dilip Pandey clarified that the duo had resigned as members of the PAC and NE and not from the party.
Pankaj Gupta, party's national secretary, said that the issue will be on the agenda of National Executive whenever it meets.
"@AapYogendra and @naveenjaihind are still with @AamAadmiParty... and resignation given from PAC & NE resp. to be discussed in NE meeting," Pandey tweeted.
Senior party leader and PAC member Sanjay Singh told reporters that Yadav's resignation will not be accepted.
Yadav, who unsucessfully contested from Gurgoan parliamentary seat, is a senior leader and member of the supreme decision making body, the PAC. He is also party's Haryana incharge.
Jaihind, who has been associated with the party even before it was formed, is Haryana convenor and was handpicked by party chief Arvind Kejriwal to contest against Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda's son Deepender Singh Hooda from Rohtak.
Jahind said that he was served a showcause notice on May 28 after Yadav allegedly lodged a complaint against him.
"We had a meeting with the volunteers who were of the opinion that party decisions should be taken after consultations within members.
"Yogendra Yadav lodged a complaint against me and PAC served me a notice, in Arvind Kejriwal's absence, for instigating the volunteers. Today Yadav demanded that action should be taken against me in 48 hours," Jaihind said, adding that he received a mail from the party on May 28.
He has also responded to the show-cause notice and termed the allegations as "baseless".
"The PAC and NE should jointly take responsibility of the party's defeat in the Lok Sabha and some leaders should quit." Jahind said in the reply to the notice on his Facebook page.
In an attempt to deal with the menace of drug addiction, Punjab government has decided to set up a bureau to check the use of narcotics in the state.
The bureau will be headed by 1993-batch IPS officer of IGP rank Ishwar Singh, who was earlier posted as Commissioner of Police, Ludhiana and Jalandhar, a spokesman said here today.
He said the bureau would have district-level field units for first-hand information and quick follow-up action regarding narcotics.
It would be functional soon after the finalisation of the staff by Punjab Police DGP S S Saini, he said.
Singh said drug inspectors from the health department would also be involved to check illicit sale of habit-forming drugs by chemists.
The drug menace was a major issue during Lok Sabha elections in Punjab, with political parties like SAD and Congress exchanging charges over it.
A central team of BJP, along with state leaders, outside the SSKM Hospital where they met party supporters injured at Sandeshkhali in North 24-Parganas, Saturday. Express: Subham Dutta
MNS chief Raj Thackeray at a rally in Mumbai on Saturday.
The ministries and departments will now process the issues pending before EGoMs and GoMs and take appropriate decisions at the level of ministries and departments itself. (Source: PTI)
