Former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy has strongly refuted allegations of bribery by the Adani Group for solar power purchases during his government. He claimed his name was not mentioned in a US court's indictment and that meetings with Adani Group chairman Gautam Adani were not unusual for a chief minister. Reddy said the power supply agreement was between the state's DISCOMs and SECI, with no third-party involvement. He also defended the deal, calling it 'historic' and highlighting the cost savings for the state. Meanwhile, former CM N Chandrababu Naidu has alleged irregularities in the deal and promised to act upon the alleged charges.
If Meena resigns, it is likely to put pressure on other ministers whose areas also saw poor performance in the general elections.
Karnataka has commenced a survey for the sub-classification of Scheduled Castes (SCs) in the state, which will continue until May 17. The exercise, led by a one-man commission headed by retired High Court Judge Justice H N Nagamohan Das, aims to gather empirical data on 101 castes within the SC list and provide clear recommendations on sub-quotas. The survey will be conducted in three phases, with designated camps for those who miss the first phase and online registration for those residing outside their towns. The Supreme Court's August 1, 2024, verdict upholding the constitutionality of sub-classification within SCs provided the legal basis for this initiative. The commission aims to address discrepancies in the status of certain SC castes and provide a comprehensive report within 60 days.
TTD Board member Bhanu Prakash Reddy has apologiesed for the incident and stated that the trust would conduct an inquiry in this regard and take appropriate action.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has accused the Border Security Force (BSF), central agencies, and the BJP of fanning tension in Murshidabad by allegedly facilitating cross-border influx from Bangladesh. She also urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to keep the Union Home Ministry under control. Banerjee has announced a compensation of Rs 10 lakh each for the families of three people killed during the violence and directed the state chief secretary to initiate a probe into the role of the BSF.
Experts say the state's economy is grappling with hidden debt, rising welfare costs, and lack of transparency.
Four devotees, including three women, died and several more were injured in a stampede at the Lord Venkateswara Swamy temple in Tirupati on Wednesday night. Hundreds of devotees had turned up for the 10-day Vaikunta Dwara Darshanam, which begins on January 10.
Andhra Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan on Monday expressed concern over the law and order situation in the state and said if he was the state home minister, 'things would be different', remarks seen as direct criticism of Vangalapudi Anitha, who is holding the department currently.
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Kiran Kumar Reddy held meetings with Congress president Sonia Gandhi and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in New Delhi on Sunday.
Kalyan urged everyone to come together to put an end to the desecration of the 'Sanathana Dharma' (Hinduism) in any form.
This is also the first time that Naidu has been arrested on corruption charges in his political career spanning over 40 years.
V Vijayasai Reddy, a prominent leader of the YSRCP, has resigned from the Rajya Sabha and announced his retirement from politics, citing personal reasons. The YSRCP, while stating that it does not approve of his decision, respects his choice. Reddy has been a key figure in the party's efforts to secure YS Jagan Mohan Reddy's position as Chief Minister, facing numerous challenges and criticisms. However, he has stated he will pursue a future in agriculture. His resignation has sparked reactions from various political leaders, with some expressing concern and others highlighting the political implications.
Those arrested have been identified as Vipin Jain and Pomil Jain, former directors of Bhole Baba Dairy, Apoorva Chawda from Vaishnavi Dairy and Raju Rajasekharan from AR Dairy, they said.
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Sunday snubbed the Rashtriya Janata Dal, headed by his arch-rival Lalu Prasad Yadav, stating that he had forged alliances 'by mistake' with the opposition party which 'did nothing' while in power.
Heavy overnight rains severely affected parts of the city on Monday, leading to water-logged roads, inundated residential areas and traffic pile-up, as the city braces for more spells in the coming days.
'Modi's charisma may have weakened as last year's Lok Sabha poll results showed but in the eyes of the Sangh Parivar, it has not waned.' 'Minus a strong BJP government at the Centre for another decade and more, there is apprehension that an anti-Hindutva government could reverse many of the ideological gains that the Modi dispensation has achieved through its three terms,' points out N Sathiya Moorthy.
In a breather to filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma, the Andhra Pradesh high court on Monday restrained the state police from taking coercive steps in cases registered against him in the state, for a week.
Stalin's comments came two days after Naidu said there was a need to manage the population in Andhra Pradesh given there will be an increase in the aging population.
The ruling Yuvajana Sramika Rythu Congress described it as the 'social cabinet', with 70 per cent representation to the BC, SC, ST and minority communities.
Reddy's appeal comes days after Naidu alleged during a NDA legislative party meeting that the previous YSRCP government did not even spare Sri Venkateswara temple and used substandard ingredients and animal fat for making laddus.
Andhra Pradesh may witness a spell of President's rule in the wake of the resignation of Chief Minister Kiran Kumar Reddy.
The chief minister said after consultation, the government will take its decision with respect to the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams, the official custodian of world-renowned Sri Venkateswara Swamy temple in Tirupati.
Devendra Fadnavis, thrice Maharashtra chief minister, approaches Vasantdada Patil and Sharad Pawar's records.
Sources close to Reddy confirmed that his visit to the hill shrine has been cancelled, but did not immediately divulge the reason behind the decision that came just a couple of hours before he was supposed to depart to the temple town.
Five years after suffering a humiliating defeat at the hands of a much younger Jagan Mohan Reddy, Telugu Desam Party supremo N Chandrababu Naidu on Tuesday was on course to lead his party towards a landslide victory in the Andhra Pradesh assembly polls, with allies Bharatiya Janata Party and Janasena Party (JNP) in tow.
Legislators from the Andhra-Seema belt say that Kiran Kumar Reddy ready knew about the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh since December. Vicky Nanjappa reports
With this, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has also sent a strong message to ally, Janata Dal-United President and Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, that their partnership remains intact and that they will be formidable partners at the hustings.
The DGP was on the "hit list" of the YSR Congress for some time now, as they were perceived to be close to the previous Telugu Desam Party government.
Shivakumar took stock of the incident in which five people lost their lives.
Amid concerns among devotees on the quality of ghee used in the famous Tirupati 'laddu prasadam', the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) has said sanctity of the sacred sweetmeat has been restored.
According to weather officials, wind speeds along and off the Odisha-West Bengal coasts are anticipated to reach 60 km/h from October 23, increasing to 120 km/h from October 24 night to October 25 morning.
According to the officials of Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams, one of their sanitary workers was badly injured due to the storm and calamitic conditions in the state.
TDP spokesperson Anam Venkata Ramana Reddy in a press conference claimed that the adulteration has been confirmed by a Gujarat-based livestock laboratory, on the ghee samples provided by the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams, which manages the famous Sri Venkateswara Swamy temple.
Naidu claimed that the previous YSRCP government did not even spare Sri Venkateswara temple and used substandard ingredients and animal fat for making laddus.
As soon as the Telugu Desam swept the 2024 Andhra Pradesh assembly election winning 135 out of the state's 175 seats, banners went up in Amravati, Vijayawada and Vishakapatnam, declaring that 'Boss is Back!'
Reddy faced the biggest challenge of his political life in 2015 when he was allegedly caught on camera trying to bribe a nominated MLA to vote in favour of the TDP in a legislative council election.
The Congress's strategy is to get the bill passed in the Rajya Sabha and then try its luck in the Lok Sabha, where it is unsure of the Bharatiya Janata party's support for it. This, say sources, is the GoM's face-saver plan, as the Rajya Sabha's okay will keep the Bill alive for the 16th Lok Sabha.
A day after six persons died in the Tirupati stampede, the Andhra Pradesh government on Thursday announced a judicial inquiry into the incident that seems to have been the result of a policeman's innocuous act of opening the gate with the intention of aiding a sick woman.
With the number of Members of Legislative Assembly from the Seema-Andhra region exceeding those from Telangana, it is very likely that the resolution favouring Telangana will be struck down in the Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly.
Ramoji Rao lived as the interface between business and politics and was an active participant in both for most of his remarkable life.
