Nine people including three women were killed and 33 injured as a bus carrying pilgrims from Uttar Pradesh and Delhi plunged into a deep gorge after an ambush by terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir's Reasi district on Sunday evening, police said, as political leaders cutting across party lines strongly condemn the dastardly attack.
The 14-year political journey of Trinamool Congress leader Mahua Moitra has encountered both upheaval and elevation, as her expulsion from Parliament in a cash-for-query case marked the culmination of her tumultuous parliamentary term.
Payal, who has been residing at 7, Akbar Road bungalow since 1999, however, refused to move out and urged the court to pass an order.
The appeal by the Peoples Alliance for Gupkar Declaration (PAGD) came after a delegation led by its president Farooq Abdullah met Jammu and Kashmiri Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha at the Raj Bhavan in Srinagar.
Services were on Tuesday banned from this year's Ranji Trophy cricket season for skipping a match against Jammu and Kashmir in Srinagar citing security reasons. The decision came soon after the state body's angry outburst against the last-minute pull-out.
Making light of Sunday's incident, in which a shoe was flung towards his son Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, Union Minister Farooq Abdullah said it was "wonderful" that he has joined the elite club of former US President George Bush, Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari and other leaders.
Setting aside their bitterness, both within and outside Parliament, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi shook hands at a function to felicitate NCP supremo Sharad Pawar, who turned 75 on Thursday.
The Election Commission will hold biennial elections on February 13 to seven Rajya Sabha seats, including those held by Union Ministers Vayalar Ravi and Saif-ud-Din Soz as also National Conference leader Farooq Abdullah. Elections would be held for four seats in Jammu and Kashmir and three in Kerala.
He said he hoped a day would come when people would move freely across the Line of Control.
Mallikarjun Kharge, former Congress President Rahul Gandhi, General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra attended the swearing in ceremony, while former AICC President Sonia Gandhi was absent. Chief Ministers of Congress ruled states Ashok Gehlot (Rajasthan), Bhupesh Baghel (Chhattisgarh) and Sukhvinder Singh Sukku (Himachal Pradesh) and several top party leaders were also in attendance.
Gandhi donned a black raincoat over a white T-shirt. The yatra was scheduled to start at 7 am but was delayed by an hour and fifteen minutes apparently due to the inclement weather.
Leaders of several like-minded opposition parties are likely to attend the swearing-in ceremony of Karnataka chief minister-designate Siddaramaiah and deputy chief minister D K Shivakumar on Saturday in Bengaluru.
Amid the ongoing fight for control of the Jammu and Kashmir National Panthers Party (JKNPP), president Vilakshan Singh was expelled from the party by its London-based chief patron Ankit Love who accused him of being a "secret agent" of the Bharatiya Janata Party.
Union Minister for New and Renewable Energy Farooq Abdullah on Friday said the government has installed 18,000 wind mills across the country with production capacity of 10,386 MW.
Singh is accompanied by External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid, Renewable Energy Minister Farooq Abdullah, Human Resource Development Minister M M Pallam Raju and Science and Technology Minister S Jaipal Reddy.
Coinciding with the 96th birthday of late Indira Gandhi, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh inaugurated the first of its seven branches at a function in Mumbai in the presence of United Progressive Alliance Chairperson Sonia Gandhi, coalition leaders Sharad Pawar and Farooq Abdullah, besides Finance Minister P Chidambaram.
Union Minister Farooq Abdullah favoured Shashi Tharoor stepping down to protect the "honour" of the government and said the Kerala MP should have revealed his relationship with Sunanda Pushkar right from the beginning.
Congress on Wednesday downplayed reports of a possible split in its alliance with the National Conference in Jammu and Kashmir even as NC president Farooq Abdullah said that his son and state Chief Minister Omar Abdullah would take the final decision on the ties between the two parties.
Ahead of the day-long Opposition meeting on Friday, Samvad Bhavan, Rajkiye Atithisala and Sadaquat Ashram have got a facelift.
The National Conference, which is emerging as the single largest party in a hung assembly in Jammu and Kashmir, has made a clean sweep of the eight constituencies in Srinagar. Considered to be stronghold of the separatists, the city recorded 20 per cent polling in the final phase of elections held on December 24.
Farooq Abdullah requested the PM to consider the proposal, supported by opposition parties, reports Archis Mohan.
In this interview to Sheela Bhatt, Pilot tries hard to defend his party, government and his leader Rahul Gandhi while talking about Modi.
Abhay Chautala said that Banerjee has told him that she had some preoccupation on that day and she will depute a senior leader of her party for the event while Thackeray told him that if he is unable to attend due to some reasons he will send a senior leader for the event.
For the first time since he made the statement in January that his party will accept the verdict of people in case Narendra Modi becomes prime minister, National Conference chief Farooq Abdullah in this interview to CNN-IBN, calls the Bharatiya Janata Party' 'bitter' veteran Jaswant Singh and senior leader L K Advani secular, but also says that there is indeed a National Democratic Alliance
Former Army chief V K Singh will attend the rally organised by Haryana's main opposition party Indian National Lok Dal in Rewari on Thursday, the party's President Om Prakash Chautala has said.
Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh on Monday convened an all-party meet on the Amarnath issue on August 6.
Sayeed, Abdullah and Bhat appeared together at the centenary celebrations of S P College where they studied 50 years ago.
The Opposition on Monday demanded immediate release of all political detainees in Jammu and Kashmir, especially three former chief ministers Farooq Abdullah, Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti.
Former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Farooq Abdullah, who is opposed to the execution of Mohammed Afzal, has said the death punishment for the Parliament terror attack convict is "too extreme".
According to the Aam Aadmi Party, it has received permission from the authorities concerned to hold the rally of more than 20,000 people.
The Congress is planning to call a meeting of Opposition parties in May. It is possible to keep all possibilities open in case Karnataka yields a hung House, leading to a recalibrated Opposition.
Some of the prominent United Progressive Alliance ministers on Sunday came under fire from Team Anna at the fast venue of Anna Hazare with the activist's close aide Arvind Kejriwal claiming that cases could have been registered against 14 ministers if there was a Lokpal.
As the House proceedings began, National Conference MLC legislator Devender Rana and asked the chairman for his decision on the privilege motion against PDP Member Murtaza Khan for levelling allegations against Union Minister Farooq Abdullah in connection with the alleged scam.
With numbers on its side -- the ruling NDA has about half the votes of the electoral college -- and the possible support of fence-sitters like the BJD, the AIADMK and the YSRCP, the NDA candidate will likely sail through the contest.
Kumar also asserted that his efforts should reap benefits for the younger generation, "for people like (his deputy) Tejashwi Yadav".
Sonia stated that it was not surprising that people would back one of their own, said Tharoor.
Leaders of several Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) parties met on Saturday to take stock of the opposition's preparations leading up to the June 4 counting of votes polled in the Lok Sabha elections, and claimed they will get more than 295 seats, enough for them to form the next government.
Private cars have come under stone-pelting at many places as the miscreants want to enforce shutdown.
"Several innocent people have been killed and I strongly feel violence should come to an end," Abdullah said.
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