The picturesque landscape of Pettimudi was flattened into a rough patch of boulders and mud with parts of asbestos and tin sheets seen scattered around.
The picture of Shah and Mamata sharing a lunch led to talks in the political circles about a possible scale down in their attacks on each other.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, who inaugurated the celebrations, clarified that the Governor was not invited due to "protocol" issues.
Meanwhile, Uttarakhand, Kerala and Delhi have already announced cut in value added tax on petrol.
Factionalism between OP Panneerselvam and Edappadi Palaniswami, the dominance of the BJP, the ruling DMK having a strong face in the form of CM Stalin, 'community and region-based politics', corruption charges against former ministers, and lack of a proper ideology are the major challenges the party is facing in the state.
Amid shocking visuals of ward boys playing doctors in a hospital in Bulandshahar, the Uttar Pradesh government on Thursday "removed" the Chief Medical Superintendent and suspended a ward boy. "The ward boy, who was putting stitches, has been suspended and the CMS has been removed," said Health Minister Ahmad Hasan.
Bharatiya Janata Party's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi said in Korba in Chhattisgarh on Friday that chief ministers of Congress ruled states refrain from going among the people fearing that people may throw stones at them.
Two motorcycle-borne persons allegedly attacked Goswami's car in Mumbai and tried to break its glass window when he and his wife were on their way home in the early hours of Thursday, police said and added that both the attackers have been arrested.
Chief ministers of non-Congress states on Monday accused the Centre of not consulting states on key security issues wherein the state's powers are "abrogated" while United Progressive Alliance ally Trinamool Congress opposed National Centre for Counter Terrorism as it "upsets" the federal structure.
After the debacle in Uttar Pradesh, the Congress is now facing the problem of some of its chief ministers being in a state of crisis, due to "decision deficits" and dissidents.
Strengthening of counter terror capabilities and the intelligence apparatus, Maoist violence, police reforms and capacity building will be high on the agenda at the chief ministers' conference on internal security, which will be inaugurated by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in Delhi on Monday. The day-long conference will also deliberate on how India is being affected due to its troubled neighbourhood and its obvious consequences in the country like cross-border terrorism.
Conceding the demand of three chief ministers including ally Mamata Banerjee, the Centre has convened a stand-alone meeting on May 5 to discuss National Counterterrorism Center which has been held up due to stiff opposition from several states.
The Lokayukta Court in Bengaluru on Monday adjourned to April 11 further hearing on a private complaint against External Affairs Minister S M Krishna and two other former Karnataka Chief Ministers, accusing them of involvement in illegal mining.
Accusing the Congress of pursuing a "divisive agenda", the Bharatiya Janata Party on Monday asked its chief ministers to trash Union Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde's directive -- that no innocent Muslim youth should be wrongfully detained in the name of terror.
Asking the government to keep the implementation of National Counter-Terrorism Centre in abeyance, the Bharatiya Janata Party demanded that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh immediately convene a meeting of chief ministers to discuss the contentious issue threadbare.
The Bharatiya Janata Party on Monday demanded that Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde be sacked immediately -- for asking chief ministers to ensure that no innocent Muslim is detained or questioned -- claiming that he is attempting to divide the country on communal lines.
Amid escalating row over the Centre's proposal for the setting up of a National Counter Terrorism Centre, the Congress on Saturday struck a conciliatory note, saying the government will definitely try to address concerns raised by United Progressive Alliance ally Mamata Banerjee and chief ministers of non-UPA states on the issue. "If so many chief ministers have expressed their concerns, the central government will talk to them, will certainly try to resolve their concerns."
Police sources said the state forces exchanged fire for about 40 minutes.
Secretaries were told to give their proposals at least 10 days ahead of a tour.
Cutting across party lines, chief ministers of various Indian states on Thursday paid glowing tributes to Y S Rajasekhara Reddy, while many states declared mourning and a Holiday, as a mark of respect to the leader killed in a helicopter crash.
'Last few weeks have been horrible in Delhi with pollution levels'
He said, "I had to chase state chief ministers rather than them asking."
Dr Singh is likely to discuss the measures to be adopted to maintain law and order with the chief ministers.
The inauguration of the state-of-the-art infrastructure surrounding the historic Kashi Vishwanath Temple near the iconic Dashashwamedh Ghat comes ahead of the assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh early next year.
The mining scam in Karnataka brought down BS Yeddyurappa from the chief minister's seat. Now it threatens to expose the state's 3 former chief minister S M Krishna, H D Kumaraswamy and N Dharam Singh. Vicky Nanjappa reports
"If you show us (threaten us with) ED, we will also send proof against BJP leaders to the agency. A section of BJP ministers and leaders is hand in glove with the coal mafia. They even stayed at hotels run by them during elections," she said.
The Management Aptitude Test will be held on September 2, 2007.
The chief ministers of Congress-ruled states have toed the Centre's line on the Lokpal bill opposing bringing the prime minister under its ambit while those from states where Bharatiya Janata Party is in power have sought wider deliberations before a final view is taken.
The Bombay High Court on Wednesday directed the Central Bureau of Investigation, the investigating agency in Adarsh Housing Society scam, to look into the allegations of involvement of Union ministers Vilasrao Deshmukh and Sushil Kumar Shinde, and submit a progress report by next week.
Former India spinner Harbhajan Singh expressed his concern over rising levels of pollution in New Delhi and urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to take all necessary steps to address the problem.
'Want PM Modi to leave election management and start corona management'
Asserting that India is on track to vaccinate its entire adult population by December, top officials on Monday said a blueprint is in place to ensure a total supply of 187.2 crore doses by the year-end that would be enough for the country's 94 crore 18-plus population.
Chidambaram will look at recovery issues with state govts, pending projects, and flow of credit to micro & small enterprises, weaker sections and minority community.
Addressing the 83rd Congress plenary, party president Sonia Gandhi said that there can be no tolerance for corruption. She hit out at the Opposition for not taking action against its leaders involved in corruption.
Completing a full term as chief minister of Maharashtra has always eluded the incumbent leader due to various reasons from controversies to factionalism in the ruling party.
"In the states where we are in power, the party chief ministers must work in tandem with the party presidents," Sonia Gandhi said, asking partymen to prepare for the challenges ahead. Her comments came in the backdrop of setbacks in several party-ruled states last year and in view of the upcoming assembly polls in ten states this year, followed by the Lok Sabha elections next year.
An alert of "very heavy" rainfall in Mumbai has been issued by the Indian Meteorological Department's regional centre on Tuesday, with the rains expected to intensify in the next 24 hours.
A complaint was on Wednesday filed in the Lokayukta court against four former Karnataka chief ministers, including former prime minister H D Deve Gowda and External Affairs Minister S M Krishna, for alleged irregularities in the Bangalore-Mysore expressway project.
