Union Law Minister H Bharadwaj on Monday slammed Chief Election Commissioner N Gopalaswami for 'overstepping his powers' by recommending the removal of Election Commissioner Navin Chawla to President Pratibha Patil."The CEC overstepped his powers. His allegations are unfortunate. He cannot behave like a political boss," Bharadwaj told mediapersons in New Delhi on Monday. He added that Chawla will take over as the next CEC once Gopalaswami demits office on April 20.
An Indigo aircraft flight E-664 mmade and emergency landing at New Delhi airport. The National Security Guard and Delhi police's quick response team have been called in.
The Centre on Saturday rejected the Bharatiya Janata Party's demand for immediate removal of Election Commissioner Navin Chawla, on the basis of Chief Election commissioner N Gopalaswami's recommendation, stating that the positions held by the three election commissioners are constitutional posts.Replying to a question raised by rediff.com, Home minister P Chidambaram said, "They hold constitutional positions and neither you nor I can change that position".
With Chief Election Commissioner N Gopalaswami recommending the removal of his colleague Navin Chawla, the Bharatiya Janata Party on Saturday demanded "firm action" on the issue saying the "credibility" of the poll panel is "at stake".
The recommendation comes about three months before Gopalaswami is to demit office on April 20 and is based on a petition by the BJP which had complained against the "partisan" functioning of Chawla. The BJP had alleged that Chawla was close to the Congress party
He admitted that the new chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir Omar Abdullah has been in touch with him to update the right to information act and bring it at par with the one operating at the central level.
The Maharashtra Government said on Thursday that the Union Home Ministry has warned it of a possible hijack at the Mumbai airport and advised the authorities to keep a watch on private aircraft.The Union home ministry on Thursday evening has denied that it has at any point of time sent any advisory to the Maharashtra goverment about a hijack threat to the Mumbai airport.
In a move aimed at avoiding pressure from regional allies seeking seats in several states, the Congress on Thursday ruled out a national alliance in the coming Lok Sabha elections, limiting adjustments to the states. "We do not have an alliance at the national level. We have alliance partners and seat adjustments at the state level..." All India Congress Committee general secretary Janardan Dwivedi told reporters after a meeting of the Congress Working Committee in New Delhi.
Rashtrapati Bhavan has ordered a probe in the Hashmat Ullah Khan controversy who had been conferred the Padma Shri award from the state of Jammu and Kashmir. Investigations have shown that there is no person named Hashmat Ullah Khan.
Former chief minister of Karnataka and media in-charge of the Congress party, Veerapa Moily has welcomed decision of the Bhartiya Janata Party chief Rajnath Singh who rushed to Bangalore to find out the details of the action of the Sri Ram Sena which beat up women at a pub in Manglore.
President Pratibha Patil has conferred police medals on sixteen officers of the country's premier investigative agency, the Central Bureau of Investigation
Sources in the party say the Congress ranks are divided over the issue. While one group of leaders backs Pranab for the prime minister's post and feels that this should have been done way back, another section is glad that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh didn't pass over the baton to the External Affairs Minister.
Congress sources said the prime minister wanted to wait till after the Republic Day celebrations on January 26 but he felt uneasy on Friday morning and doctors attending upon him did not want to take any chances and decided to go ahead with the surgery.
President Pratibha Patil has cleared the names of slain former Maharashtra Anti-Terrorist Squad chief Hemant Karkare, sub-inspector Tukaram Gopal Omble and National Security Guard commando Major Sandeep Unnikrishnan, who laid down their lives during the Mumbai terror strikes, for Ashok Chakra. A senior Rashtrapati Bhavan official told rediff.com, "All that I can tell you is that she has cleared the file and it has been sent to home ministry."
So when Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dixit was felicitating the bravery award winning children, Rahul was forced to stay indoors. Three plain-clothed policemen were hand-picked by the special branch to ensure that the media never had a glimpse of the teenager.
Senior Congress leader and spokesperson Satyavrat Chaturvedi has denied that he has been removed from his post or asked not to hold media briefings.
The Delhi Police, which had recommended a bravery award for its inspector M C Sharma who was killed in a gun battle against alleged terrorists in New Delhi's Jamia Nagar in September, is still in the dark about whether its most decorated officer will get an award. "Since there is no official limit to the number of Ashok Chakra and other awardees, we will have to wait for the formal announcement," Delhi Police Public Relations Officer Rajan Bhagat told rediff.com.
When Kuber Singh, a student of Goenka Public School in Gurgoan, was extended the invitation to attend the American presidential inaugration he did not know whether he would be interested at all. Kuber eventually left for Washington, DC to be a part of one of the greatest event in recent history.
The Sanjay Dutt case is different from the Navjyot Singh Sidhu case and both should not be clubbed together, feels the Bharatiya Janata Party.
Former vice president Bhairon Singh Shekhawat on Thursday sought to end speculation that he is an aspirant for the National Democratic Alliance's prime ministerial candidate. There have been reports for the past two days that Shekhawat might contest Lal Kishanchand Advani as the prime ministerial candidate.
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