The famous pilgrim place of Lord Shiva, the Somnath temple in Gujarat will now be off-limits for non-Hindus as authorities have decided against entry to people following other faiths without prior permission.
Noting that communalisation and criminalisation have "greatly vitiated" the political system of the country, Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee warned on Sunday that the future of democracy can face serious problems if urgent corrective steps are not taken.
"Personally I have lost my father for the second time in Jyoti Basu's death," former Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee on Sunday said expressing his deep shock over the Marxist patriarch's death.
Bansuri Swaraj is banking on Narendra Modi's popularity, and the fact that the New Delhi electorate is known to vote on national rather than local issues for the Lok Sabha polls.
In a stinging attack at his former party, Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee said on Tuesday that the Communist Party of India-Marxist has reduced itself to a "non-actor" in national politics after withdrawing support to the Congress-led coalition describing the action as a "big blunder".
Somnath Chatterjee said as speaker of Parliament of the world's largest democracy, having to undergo frisking at the airport was an affront to India.
The NDA leaders also took strong exception to the Speaker informing the media about the tape recordings of the proceedings he sent to Advani on the "behaviour" of the opposition MPs in the House.
A number of high-profile electoral battles, starring veterans and debutants, formidable opponents and unlikely contestants, feature in Tuesday's outcome.
Speaker Somnath Chatterjee, who has so far maintained silence about his expulsion from the Communist Party of India Marxist, is planning to write a letter to party General Secretary Prakash Karat, according to sources.
Singh, who drove to Chatterjee's residence in New Delhi, did not speak to the waiting media persons after the meeting that lasted about 10 minutes.
Under fire for his alleged role in leading a midnight raid to bust a sex and drug racket in the city, Delhi Minister Somnath Bharti has accused the media of spreading rumours against him even as he claimed that he had not violated any laws during the incident.
Speaker Somnath Chatterjee on Monday said that his intention was 'not to punish anybody per se' while proceeding against 32 opposition Members of Parliament for their disorderly conduct.Chatterjee said that he told the leaders that the MPs could raise any issue they like. "You will embarrass the government, but it is not the duty of the Speaker to extricate the government from any problem or to save the government. Let the govt go if they have no majority," Chatterjee said.
Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee will soon decide the fate of the 19 Members of Parliament who defied their party whips during the trust vote on July 22. These MPs can be disqualified under the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution.
Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee and other passengers onboard a Jet Airways flight had a narrow escape on Sunday when their plane had to abort landing and take a 'go-around' after the pilot spotted another aircraft on the runway.The Southern China Airlines was on the ground and was taxiing for take off on runway 29. The aircraft came onto the runway due to some apparent communication gap.
Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee on Tuesday appeared lukewarm to the speculations on bringing him back to the Communist Party of India-Marxist, saying that he would not appeal to the party.
According to police sources, Bharti is believed to be hiding somewhere near Agra.
Speaker Somnath Chatterjee will quit office on August 12, sources said.
Admitting that there was a "serious problem" with Delhi Law Minister Somnath Bharti's attitude, AAP leader Ashutosh today defended him, saying he has been told about it, and maintained that it would be wrong to call him racist.
Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday launched the final leg of his campaign for the Gujarat assembly elections after offering prayers at the famous Somnath temple at Veraval.
Under attack from veteran leader Somnath Chatterjee over the Left's electoral debacle, Communist Party of India - Marixst general secretary Prakash Karat on Sunday remained tightlipped about criticism of his leadership and said his party would react to it. "I won't respond. My party will react (to Chatterjee's charge)," Karat told reporters. "He (Chatterjee) is not in the party. So I don't need to react," he said.
The estranged wife of former Delhi law minister Somnath Bharti on Monday told the Supreme Court that she was not ready to undergo mediation to settle the domestic violence and attempt to murder case lodged by her against the Aam Aadmi Party leader.
Daily life was partially affected in West Bengal on Wednesday due to a 12-hour shutdown called by the Bharatiya Janata Party, protesting the police action against demonstrators during a march to the state secretariat.
'As soon as I came to know, I deleted that post. Everyone who knows me, also knows very well that I can never make personal and indecent comments towards any woman. I wanted to know how this happened,' she said.
Former Lok Sabha Speaker and expelled Communist Party of India-Marxist leader Somnath Chatterjee on Monday said Jyoti Basu, whom he considered as his 'political guru', had asked him to preside over the crucial trust vote debate in the lower house in 2008, saying that the party cannot give any direction to him as he held a constitutional office.
The party fielded Maneka Gandhi from Sultanpur, while Uttar Pradesh minister Jitin Prasada has replaced Varun Gandhi in Pilibhit.
"After the 12-day session, Feb 26 will be the last day for me," he told a select group of journalists describing s "the worst period of my life" his tenure in the post which came to him "unexpected and unsolicited".
As a newspaper article with critical references to him created a flutter in the House on Friday, Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee said on Saturday that he had never held that he was above criticism.
'You can see both being used in our textbooks already and that will continue in new textbooks'
Left parties are pre-poll allies of the Congress, which is leading the United Progressive Alliance government at the Centre.
Former Delhi Law minister Somnath Bharti broke down during questioning by investigators, who on Wednesday took him to his Dwarka residence where he came face to face with his wife in connection with the dowry harassment and attempt to murder case.
The Lok Sabha speaker also expressed fear over "growing" judicial intervention in political matters.
Communist Party of India-Marxist general secretary Prakash Karat on Saturday said his party has not taken any decision yet to ask Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee to quit office. "No, that is not correct. There is no such decision as yet," Karat told PTI over phone when asked whether the party has asked Chatterjee to step down and that he would quit on Monday.
'BJP insiders acknowledge that the party needs to be helmed by someone who can match Arvind Kejriwal's stature.' 'A Sudhanshu Trivedi or Bansuri Swaraj could bring the freshness the party needs in Delhi,' points out Aditi Phadnis.
Pressure mounted for removal of Delhi Law Minister Somnath Bharti on Wednesday after one of the African women assaulted in a midnight raid in south Delhi accused him of having led the group that barged into her house and attacked them.
Right-wing activist Kajal Hindustani, who was arrested for allegedly delivering a 'hate speech' that caused a communal clash in Una town of Gujarat's Gir Somnath district, was on Thursday granted bail by a sessions court.
Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee, who was expelled by the Communist Party of India-Marxist for refusing to quit his post despite the party directive, has expressed his desire to quit politics and do charitable work, former CPI-M MP Saifuddin Chowdhury claimed.
Maintaining that contrary opinions should not be ignored, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Saturday said former Lok Sabha Speaker and expelled Communist Party of India - Marxist leader Somnath Chatterjee had "risen above his party and his ideology to do what he believes is right".
Delhi Police have registered an FIR against former state law minister and Aam Aadmi Party legislator Somnath Bharti over domestic violence allegations levelled against him by his wife, Lipika Mitra.
Aam Aadmi Party, set to form a government after its Delhi assembly election win, may keep three of its former ministers out of its new cabinet and is likely to give a "more prominent" role to senior party leader Manish Sisodia, sources said on Tuesday.
Megha Engineering had emerged as the second-biggest buyer of electoral bonds and donated the highest amount of about Rs 586 crore to the Bharatiya Janata Party, according to the data released by the Election Commission on March 21.
