Sharat Pradhan And Aditya Kalra

Stories by Sharat Pradhan And Aditya Kalra

Azam Khan is at it again; claims PM Modi met Dawood in Sharif's house

Azam Khan is at it again; claims PM Modi met Dawood in Sharif's house

Rediff.com   6 Feb 2016

Known for making controversial remarks, senior Uttar Pradesh minister Azam Khan outdid himself when he alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had met wanted underworld don Dawood Ibrahim in Lahore at the residence of his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif last December. Sharat Pradhan/ Rediff.com reports from Lucknow.

PHOTOS: When PM Modi was heckled

PHOTOS: When PM Modi was heckled

Rediff.com   22 Jan 2016

Protesters raised slogans whilst attempting to disrupt the prime minister's address at the Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar University in Lucknow.

Maya lights up subdued 60th birthday with Mulayam fireworks

Maya lights up subdued 60th birthday with Mulayam fireworks

Rediff.com   15 Jan 2016

Her tone and tenor was clear and unflinching as she vowed to storm back to power in 2017,

MPs, health officials spar over tobacco pack warnings

MPs, health officials spar over tobacco pack warnings

Rediff.com   8 Jan 2016

Some questions cited concerns that larger warnings can hurt tobacco farmers and boost illicit trade.

Congress threatens GST over government's Gandhi 'vendetta'

Congress threatens GST over government's Gandhi 'vendetta'

Rediff.com   8 Dec 2015

The government wants to introduce a nationwide goods and services tax to revive its stalled reform programme.

Rahman's concert, 76-kg cake: Mulayam's mega birthday bash

Rahman's concert, 76-kg cake: Mulayam's mega birthday bash

Rediff.com   20 Nov 2015

The idea is to reinforce Mulayam's 'dhartiputra' or son-of-the-soil image, say party sources.

Azam Khan rejects rumours of his resignation from SP

Azam Khan rejects rumours of his resignation from SP

Rediff.com   11 Nov 2015

Rumours about senior Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan's resignation from the Akhilesh Yadav cabinet kept doing rounds here Tuesday afternoon, soon after his abrupt departure from SP supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav's residence.

UP government cancels VHP condolence meet in Ayodhya

UP government cancels VHP condolence meet in Ayodhya

Rediff.com   2 Nov 2015

Sensing the Vishwa Hindu Parishad's attempts to rekindle Ayodhya sentiments, the Akhilesh Yadav-led government in Uttar Pradesh has banned a meeting to mark the 25th death anniversary of brothers, Ram and Sharad Kothari, who fell to police bullets while performing the symbolic kar sewa on November 2, 1990 -- two years before the Babri Masjid was brought down.

Akhilesh inducts 12 new faces in ministry; ex-Akali leader's entry baffles all

Akhilesh inducts 12 new faces in ministry; ex-Akali leader's entry baffles all

Rediff.com   31 Oct 2015

Balwant Singh Ramoowalia, whom Samajwadi Party president Mulayam Singh Yadav earlier gave a berth in the Rajya Sabha, was the surprise entry even for senior ministers who were seen asking each other about the background of the man from Punjab.

The Big UP Reshuffle: Mulayam boosts son's profile

The Big UP Reshuffle: Mulayam boosts son's profile

Rediff.com   29 Oct 2015

Even though Mulayam Singh decided which ministers to drop and which ministers to lose their portfolios, the reshuffle is being projected as a reflection of Akhilesh Yadav's assertive self.

Allahabad HC strikes down UPPSC chief's appointment

Allahabad HC strikes down UPPSC chief's appointment

Rediff.com   15 Oct 2015

The Allahabad High Court on Wednesday ordered the cancellation of the appointment of controversial Uttar Pradesh Public Service Commission chairman Anil Yadav, who was accused of turning the state's highest recruitment body into a private fiefdom by handpicking largely Yadavs for all top jobs.

India drafts rules to regulate Uber, other ride-hailing firms

India drafts rules to regulate Uber, other ride-hailing firms

Rediff.com   13 Oct 2015

Uber and Ola both welcomed the move as a step in the right direction.

Snubbed by Sena, Akhilesh welcomes Ghulam Ali with arms wide open

Snubbed by Sena, Akhilesh welcomes Ghulam Ali with arms wide open

Rediff.com   11 Oct 2015

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav made it a point to welcome and felicitate popular Pakistani ghazal maestro Ghulam Ali, who was forced to cancel his show in Mumbai following protests by Shiv Sena.

Muzaffarnagar riots and Dadri killing linked, claims Mulayam

Muzaffarnagar riots and Dadri killing linked, claims Mulayam

Rediff.com   8 Oct 2015

While refraining from naming any one of them, he said, "I will disclose their names once the investigation is complete," he said.

Azam Khan: 'I am well within my rights to write to the UN'

Azam Khan: 'I am well within my rights to write to the UN'

Rediff.com   8 Oct 2015

'I have tried to draw the UN's attention to the very obvious attempt of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to convert a secular India into a theocratic Hindu State.'

Congress MLA, 50 others arrested for Varanasi violence

Congress MLA, 50 others arrested for Varanasi violence

Rediff.com   7 Oct 2015

Congress MLA Ajay Rai was on Tuesday arrested along with 50 others in connection with violence and arson in Varanasi on Monday as the administration cracked down on miscreants in the holy city where the situation was peaceful amid continued police patrolling.

Choking Delhi vows pollution tax, car-free days to improve air

Choking Delhi vows pollution tax, car-free days to improve air

Rediff.com   6 Oct 2015

A directive this year to ban all vehicles older than 15 years has been delayed and previous city governments have often ignored court orders to address pollution woes.

Azam Khan flays Modi, takes up Dadri lynching with UN

Azam Khan flays Modi, takes up Dadri lynching with UN

Rediff.com   5 Oct 2015

Azam Khan, the Uttar Pradesh minister for urban development and minority affairs, has sought intervention of the United Nations to what he terms as "Prime Minister Narendra Modi's bid to turn India into a theocratic majority nation."

Akhilesh flies Dadri victim's kin to Lucknow for meeting, offers them Rs 45 lakh

Akhilesh flies Dadri victim's kin to Lucknow for meeting, offers them Rs 45 lakh

Rediff.com   4 Oct 2015

family of the 50-year-old Mohammad Ikhlaq who was brutally lynched to death by a Hindu mob over beef-eating rumours in Dadri last week were flown in to Lucknow for an audience with Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav at his official residence in Lucknow Sunday morning.

Exclusive! Muzaffarnagar riots: Sahai report absolves UP government, blames others

Exclusive! Muzaffarnagar riots: Sahai report absolves UP government, blames others

Rediff.com   2 Oct 2015

Sharat Pradhan secures exclusive access to the Justice Vishnu Sahai report and discovers it blames two BJP MLAs, a former BSP MP and his cohorts, local intelligence officials and the media for the horrific Muzaffarnagar riots of 2013, but attributes no blame to the Samajwadi Party government in the state.