Dissident Congress leader Kalikho Pul was on Friday night sworn in as chief minister of Arunachal Pradesh after more than two months of political crisis, shortly after the Supreme Court paved the way for government-formation and President's rule was lifted from the state.
The special investigation cell of the Arunachal Pradesh police on Tuesday arrested former state chief minister and senior Congress leader Gegong Apang from Itanagar in connection with Rs 1,000 crore Public Distribution System scam.
The party maintained that it will respond to the apex court's judgement after studying its order in detail and claimed the verdict was not a setback to it.
Joshi's reaction came after Gandhi termed as "very serious" the issue of China releasing a "standard map" that laid claim over Arunachal Pradesh and Aksai Chin, and claimed the neighbouring country has already taken India's land in Ladakh and Prime Minister Narendra Modi should speak on the issue.
Congress stalwart Gegong Apang, who served as the second longest serving chief minister in the country with a record 22 years, mostly with the party, has resigned and joined the Bharatiya Janata Party.
The petition seeking urgent hearing was mentioned before Chief Justice T S Thakur, at his residence, who directed the matter to be listed for hearing on Wednesday.
Facing a rout in other parts of the country, Congress retained power securing three-fourth majority in the Arunachal Pradesh Assembly snapping up 40 of the 60 seats and leading in two.
The average age is 56, making the Lower House the oldest in India's parliamentary history and a year older than the previous Lok Sabha.
Voting was underway on Friday in 102 Lok Sabha seats spread across 21 states and Union territories in the first of the seven phases of the world's largest electoral exercise, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi urging voters to exercise their franchise in record numbers.
Locals, along with many other dignitaries, paid floral tributes to the former chief minister at his official residence.
Reacting to the SC verdict ordering revival of the previous Nabam Tuki-led Congress government, Pul, who had led the Congress rebels then, said, "(Our) government will remain.
He termed the situation with China as 'very dangerous' and said India under Modi does not have any clear cut strategy on China, which is testing the country and will not sit silent.
Khandu, a Monpa Buddhist of Tawang, is likely to take oath as the new chief minister later Monday evening.
In underlining the role of border villages as custodians of India's frontiers, New Delhi is following China's example in Tibet.
Minister of State for Home Kiran Rijiju had said the cabinet was forced to take the decision because of a constitutional breakdown as six months had lapsed between two sessions of the state assembly.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, his cabinet colleagues Amit Shah, Nitin Gadkari, Rajnath Singh, chief ministers of Nationalist Democratic Alliance-ruled states and prominent personalities from industry and Bollywood on Thursday attended the grand swearing-in of Devendra Fadnavis as Maharashtra Chief Minister in Mumbai.
Governor V C Pande did not specify whether he would ask Congress Chief Minister Mukut Mithi to resign or prove his majority in the House.
Four-time Odisha MP Pinaki Misra's wedding to firebrand TMC MP Mahua Moitra in a quiet, intimate ceremony that chose privacy and tradition over fanfare, was a reflection of his personal style.
Member of Parliament from Arunachal Pradesh Tapir Gao said on Wednesday that a teenager, identified as Miram Taron, was abducted by the People's Liberation Army from Lungta Jor area under Siyungla area on Tuesday.
Kalikho Pul trekked a long way in his political career to become the eight chief minister of the state, a position he could hold only for six months.
Terming the state "pride" of the country, Modi said it is the gateway of the nation as it guards the frontier. It is the duty of the government to develop the state at any cost, he said.
The apex court's verdict came as a shot in the arm for the Congress, paving the way for the return of its dismissed government headed by Nabam Tuki.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has sent a judicial request to the United States seeking information from private investigator Michael Hershman, who has claimed to possess crucial details about the Rs 64-crore Bofors bribery scandal of the 1980s. Hershman, the head of the Fairfax Group, had previously expressed his willingness to share information with Indian agencies, alleging that the investigation into the scam was derailed by the then Congress government. The CBI's request comes after previous attempts to obtain information from US authorities yielded no results. This move highlights the continued efforts to uncover the truth behind the decades-old scandal, which has had a significant impact on Indian politics.
The Congress on Thursday renamed the Rahul Gandhi-led Manipur-Mumbai yatra starting on January 14 as the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra, which will travel through 100 Lok Sabha segments in 15 states including Arunachal Pradesh, and asserted it will prove to be as 'transformative' as his earlier cross-country march.
"The voting percentage is likely to go upwards when reports from all polling stations are obtained as polling is scheduled till 6 pm in many constituencies. Final figures will be known on Saturday after the scrutiny of form 17A," the EC said.
Protests in Mumbai and Jammu denounce the Chinese government after Chinese soldiers clashed with Indian troops in Arunachal Pradesh.
Congress retained absolute majority power in Arunachal Pradesh, known as its safest haven by securing 42 seats in the 60-member house and leading in one seat till last report poured in.
Police opened fire when protesters tried to attack the private residence of Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu at ESS sector in Itanagar in the afternoon.
The main opposition party alleged "trampling" of democracy by the BJP-led government which hit back by reminding that Congress had "butchered" democracy by misusing Article 356 about 100 times.
The apex court asked what difference would it have made if the sitting was held as originally scheduled.
The Congress High Command needs to take some urgent steps to quell dissidence within ruling Congress in Arunachal Pradesh, where public campaign against the incumbent Chief Minister Jarbom Gamlin has triggered street clashes and created law and order problem besides creating tension between different tribes.
The ruling Congress in Arunachal Pradesh has said that it was opposed to construction of a dam by China in the upper reaches of the Brahmaputra River.
Among the major winners include Chief Minister Pema Khandu (Mukto seat in Tawang district, bordering China), his third victory in a row.
After Arunachal Pradesh slipped out of its control and Uttarakhand was placed under President's rule, the Congress president took matters into her own hands.
Dorjee Khandu, who led the Congress to an absolute majority in the assembly elections in Arunachal Pradesh, was on Saturday elected the Congress Legislature Party leader, paving the way for his second stint as chief minister. Khandu's election was announced by central observer V Narayanasamy after all the 42 Members of Legislative Assembly, in a resolution, authorised Congress president Sonia Gandhi to take a decision on the leadership.
Voters include 8.4 crore men, 8.23 crore women and 11,371 from third gender. There are as many as 35.67 lakh first time voters, besides 3.51 crore young voters in the age group of 20-29 years.
Ramesh told PTI that an east-to-west yatra, probably from Pasighat in Arunachal Pradesh to Porbandar in Gujarat, was being considered but its format could be a bit different from the Bharat Jodo Yatra.
Voting will be held in a single phase in all these states.
The internal bickering in the ruling Congress in Arunachal Pradesh manifested into public outcry against the 'misrule' of Chief Minister Jarbom Gamlin by the powerful Nyshi community in the state. The All Nyishi Students' Union and the Nyshi Elite Society are spearheading the 'oust Gamlin' campaign raising an eyebrow about the possible involvement of Gamlin's bte noir and senior minister Nabam Tuki.
The Supreme Court on Thursday virtually paved the way for government formation in Arunachal Pradesh by vacating its order on maintenance of status quo.
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