Sharat Pradhan

Stories by Sharat Pradhan

Charges framed against 23 in Babri demolition case

Charges framed against 23 in Babri demolition case

Rediff.com   18 Aug 2010

While charges against top Bharatiya Janata Party and Vishwa Hindu Parishad leaders including Lal Krishna Advani, Uma Bharti and Vinay Katiyar were already dropped by the high court, the most prominent among those who were on the firing line was former Faizabad district magistrate R N Srivastava and mafia don turned BJP member of Parliament Brij Bhushan Saran Singh

Aligarh farmers' protest is in disarray

Aligarh farmers' protest is in disarray

Rediff.com   17 Aug 2010

Even after Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati's special envoy Shashank Shekhar Singh struck a midnight deal with protesting farmers in Aligarh, sharp divisions have developed among the agitators on the issue of enhanced compensation for their land acquired to build the Noida-Agra Yamuna expressway.

How Mayawati pacified angry farmers in Aligarh

How Mayawati pacified angry farmers in Aligarh

Rediff.com   17 Aug 2010

Top Uttar Pradesh bureaucrat Shashank Shekhar Singh, who was sent by Chief Minister Mayawati to Aligarh, has managed to defuse the crisis that erupted there after three agitating farmers were killed in firing by policemen on August 15. The farmers were protesting against the inadequate compensation for agricultural land acquired to build the high-speed Yamuna Expressway between Noida and Agra.

Firing on farmers: Mayawati orders judicial probe

Firing on farmers: Mayawati orders judicial probe

Rediff.com   16 Aug 2010

With the opposition led by Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav getting belligerent over the firing on farmers protesting against inadequate compensation for land acquired for the ambitious Yamuna Expressway project, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati has got into a damage control mode.

UP cops open fire at protesting farmers; 2 killed

UP cops open fire at protesting farmers; 2 killed

Rediff.com   14 Aug 2010

Uttar Pradesh cops opened fire in Tappal village of Aligarh district on Saturday night on farmers protesting against inadequate compensation given to them for acquisition of their land for building the much talked about 165-km long Yamuna Expressway between Noida and Agra.

Huge kickbacks in UP sugar mills' sale: says Cong

Huge kickbacks in UP sugar mills' sale: says Cong

Rediff.com   13 Aug 2010

Smelling a major scam in the recent sale of four sugar mills by the Uttar Pradesh government, the Congress on Thursday accused Chief Minister Mayawati of large-scale bungling and manipulation in palming off the mills to handpicked buyers.

Varun's sermons to boost Uttar Pradesh BJP

Varun's sermons to boost Uttar Pradesh BJP

Rediff.com   12 Aug 2010

Having finally acquired some prominence in the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), recently nominated party national secretary Varun Gandhi landed in Lucknow on Wednesday afternoon, only to give sermons to not just party workers, but both colleagues as well as seniors.

Maya at it again, allots Rs 500 cr for memorials

Maya at it again, allots Rs 500 cr for memorials

Rediff.com   10 Aug 2010

Unfazed by the criticism against "overspending" on parks, statues and memorials, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati has once again allocated nearly Rs 500 crore towards her dream projects in the Rs 5,461 crore supplementary budget, which was tabled before the state assembly on Tuesday.

Controversial article: 5 UP ministers face music

Controversial article: 5 UP ministers face music

Rediff.com   7 Aug 2010

A local court in Bahraich, Uttar Pradesh, has directed the police to register a criminal case against five ministers (of the ruling Bahujan Samaj Party) and five other persons on account of their association with a monthly journal that carried an allegedly blasphemous article in its May issue.

Ayodhya title suit: The story so far

Ayodhya title suit: The story so far

Rediff.com   27 Jul 2010

"Was this the place of birth of Lord Ram? Was the Babri mosque built after demolition of temple? And whether the mosque in question was built in accordance with the tenets of Islam?"

Opposition behind attack on my minister: Maya

Opposition behind attack on my minister: Maya

Rediff.com   17 Jul 2010

Addressing a press conference in Lucknow, she said: "The July 12 blast was carried out to target my minister, Nand Gopal Nandi, whose popularity had become an eye sore for the entire Opposition, whom he left far behind at the 2007 state assembly election."

Unique mix of RDX-petrol used in UP blast

Unique mix of RDX-petrol used in UP blast

Rediff.com   16 Jul 2010

A unique blend of RDX and petrol provided the high-intensity lethal explosive for carrying out last Monday's blast in Allahabad that left one dead and five, including a Uttar Pradesh minister, severely injured.

'Attack on minister planned by jailed SP leader'

'Attack on minister planned by jailed SP leader'

Rediff.com   15 Jul 2010

The Uttar Pradesh police on Thursday claimed to have found the culprits behind the bomb attack on Institutional Finance Minister (stamps and registration) Nand Gopal Nandi.The police claimed that the attack was planned by jailed Samajwadi Party leader Dilip Misra (block pramukh of Chaka). Nandi and seven others were seriously injured in a blast outside his Allahabad residence that claimed one life.

Mulayam apologises for alliance with Kalyan

Mulayam apologises for alliance with Kalyan

Rediff.com   15 Jul 2010

In an obvious bid to win back his Muslim supporters, Samajwadi Party president Mulayam Singh Yadav on Thursday publicly tendered an apology for his political liaisons with former Bharatiya Janata Party leader Kalyan Singh.Singh was the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh when the Babri Masjid was demolished by angry karsevaks on December 6, 1992.Without referring to Kalyan directly, Mulayam issued a personally signed press statement saying, "I must confess that it was a blunder."

Bomb attack on UP minister: No headway in probe

Bomb attack on UP minister: No headway in probe

Rediff.com   14 Jul 2010

The Uttar Pradesh police have refused to divulge details about their investigation into the bomb attack on the state's Institutional Finance (stamps and registration) Minister Nand Gopal Nandi, in which one person was killed and many others injured.Sleuths of the Anti-Terrorism Squad and Special Task Force have failed to make any headway in the case.

UP minister survives bomb attack; one killed

UP minister survives bomb attack; one killed

Rediff.com   12 Jul 2010

UP Stamps and Registrations Minister Nand Gopal Gupta 'Nandi' and seven other people were injured in a bomb blast outside his residence in Allahabad on Monday. One of the injured victims later succumbed to his injuries.The blast took place in the Mutthiiganj locality of Allahabad at 11.45 am after Nandi stepped out of his residence to visit a nearby temple.Three government employees and Indian Express journalist Vijay Pratap Singh were seriously injured in the blast.

Congress party positions up for sale in UP?

Congress party positions up for sale in UP?

Rediff.com   11 Jul 2010

It begins with the position of All India Congress Committee member for which there was a price tag of Rs 1 lakh, followed by UPCC membership for Rs 50,000, District Congress Committee membership for Rs 5000 and Block Presidentship for Rs 20,000.

Sahara propels Queen's Baton into controversy

Sahara propels Queen's Baton into controversy

Rediff.com   10 Jul 2010

The Queen's Baton might have traversed 170,000 Km across the globe without raising a speck of dust, but a barely 24 hour halt in Lucknow propelled the prestigious Commonwealth Games symbol into the thick of a controversy with none other than the Sahara India group in the eye of the storm.

PM's security curbs killed son, parents tell Sonia

PM's security curbs killed son, parents tell Sonia

Rediff.com   9 Jul 2010

The death of their only son due to roads being blocked for Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's convoy in Kanpur on July 3 has provoked the parents to make a humble appeal to United Progressive Alliance chairperson Sonia Gandhi. "We have sought to draw Sonia Gandhi's attention to the plight of common citizens during such VVIP visits," Aman's mother Usha Sharma Khan, a junior employee in the Kanpur based Ordnance factory, said.

SP leaders accuse Maya of giving them the 'itch'

SP leaders accuse Maya of giving them the 'itch'

Rediff.com   8 Jul 2010

Samajwadi Party on Thursday accused the Uttar Pradesh government of using dirty drain water to disperse protesting SP workers during the Bharat bandh on Monday.