Darjeeling, Aug. 20: Bimal Gurung today said fighting with the state government over the Gorkhaland demand was a “mistake” as a separate state can be achieved only through the Centre.

While addressing a programme organised by the Gorkha Janmukti Yuva Morcha to celebrate Bhasa Divas, Gurung said: “We were fighting with the Bengal government and this was a mistake because even if Bengal wants, it cannot give Gorkhaland. Statehood can be given only by the Centre and I am 110 per cent confident that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will live up to his words.”

At a public meeting in Siliguri on April 10, Modi had said; “The dream of the Gorkhas is my dream.”

Gurung also spoke about the need to maintain peace in the hills. “There must be peace in the hills. Our party, since its inception (in 2007), has always talked about the need for peace. There was lot of bloodshed in Nagaland, but ultimately, they had to come to the negotiating table,” he said.

During the last phase of agitation in 2013, nearly 1,000 Morcha supporters were arrested, including senior leaders.

“Right now, tourists are coming to Darjeeling hills. Funds are also flowing to the GTA. The GTA is a test of our administrative ability and very soon, we will be administering a state,” Gurung said at the Gorkha Rangamanch Bhavan.

The Morcha chief, who had famously said that Gorkhaland would be created by March 10, 2010, today said: “… we have not lost hope and we will not do anything that will go against our community.”

Gurung said he will meet Sikkim chief minister Pawan Chamling in Gangtok tomorrow and not on August 23. Sources said Chamling is scheduled to leave for Delhi tomorrow.

Gurung will meet Chamling to drum up support for the inclusion of 10 Gorkha communities in the ST list.

Morcha aid

Gurung, the chief executive of GTA, today handed over cheques of Rs 2 lakh to each of the next of kin of the 34 people who died in the June landslides. The GTA has decided to give additional help of Rs 50,000 each to Vivek Rai, a Class VI student from Kalimpong, and Selushna Thapa, a first-year student from Mirik, who lost their parents in the landslides.

Ruling BJP on Thursday suffered a setback in Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje’s pocket-borough of Dholpur and Jhalawar where it was defeated in the civic polls, though the party emerged ahead in around 60 municipal bodies out of 129 in Rajasthan.

Congress, which was routed in the Lok Sabha elections last year, has made significant gains attaining or nearing majority in around 40 bodies and was neck and neck with BJP in 17 bodies. In seven civic bodies, Independents were holding sway.

While BJP won 1,416 wards of the 3,300 whose results were declared so far, Congress bagged 1,146 wards.

Congress won majority in two civic bodies in Jhalawar district represented by Chief Minister Raje in Assembly and her son Dushyant Singh in Lok Sabha, while BJP won three. In Dholpur, Congress secured majority in all three civic bodies of Badi, Dholpur and Rajakhera. Raje belongs to the erstwhile royal family of Dholpur. BJP also lost majority in Baran district’s two civic bodies which falls in Parliamentary constituency of Dushyant Singh.

Calling the results as a “vote of no confidence” against BJP Government in Rajasthan, Congress state unit president Sachin Pilot said the vote difference between BJP and Congress has reduced to 1 per cent from 26 per cent in the Lok Sabha elections in 2014. “Congress won in the home turf of chief minister who is facing corruption charges. Voters have understood and are looking at Congress with hope,” Pilot said at a press conference here.
Results for 3,300 wards of total 3,351 have been announced so far, a spokesman of State Election Commission (RSEC) said here.

Independent candidates won 697 wards whereas NCP, BSP, CPI and CPI(M) got 19, 16, 5 and one seats respectively.

New Delhi: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday extended full support to his Bihar counterpart Nitish Kumar’s bid for another shot at power as the two leaders attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for announcing a Rs 1.25 lakh crore package for the election-bound state.

Sharing a public platform for the first time, the two also made a common cause over special category status for Bihar and full statehood for Delhi.

Kejriwal also agreed to visit Bihar at Kumar’s invitation, hailing him for his “committment” to fighting corruption when the two Chief Ministers came together at a function to give away awards to people of Bihar and Poorvanchal (eastern Uttar Pradesh) living in Delhi, who have made significant contributions in various fields.

tate to ensure the victory of Kumar’s party JD(U) in the assembly elections in the same manner in which they helped catapult his own party to power in Delhi where it won 67 of the 70 assembly seats.

Attacking the Prime Minister over his announcement of a whopping Rs 1.25 lakh crore package for Bihar, both questioned whether Modi was trying to “buy out” Bihari voters and accused him of “insulting” them.

Citing a number of poll promises made by Modi in the run-up to the Lok Sabha polls, Kejriwal asked how will people of Bihar believe he will give the state so much money.

“Modi should tell whether he will give this money after winning the polls or losing it. He is not going to give either way. Not to speak of Rs 1.25 lakh crore, he will not give them even Rs 1.25,” Kejriwal said.

Kumar took serious exception to the manner in which Modi made the announcement and wondered whether he thought Bihar was being put to “auction”.

New Delhi, Aug 16 (PTI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi today wished Arvind Kejriwal on his birthday and the Delhi Chief Minister immediately responded with thanks and desired to meet him to discuss the situation in the national capital.

“Spoke to Delhi CM Shri @ArvindKejriwal & wished him on his birthday. My prayers for his long life and good health,” the Prime Minister tweeted.

The Chief Minister thanked the Prime Minister for the wishes.

“@narendramodi Thank u so much sir for your wishes. I am touched. I look forward to meeting u soon to brief u on Delhi’s situation,” Kejriwal said.

The exchange came amid a standoff between the Centre and Delhi government over struggle of power in the national capital and other issues.

New Delhi, Aug 12 (PTI) In a spirited fight back, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj today tore into Congress, saying it had helped Bofors accused Ottavio Quattrocchi and Bhopal gas leak accused Warren Anderson flee from India and roped in Rajiv Gandhi in this regard.

Making a statement in Lok Sabha, she specifically responded to Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi’s charge that she had got money to help Lalit Modi by telling him to ask his “mamma” as to “how much money had been taken from Quattrocchi” and “why did ‘daddy’ (Rajiv Gandhi) get released the killer of 15,000 people (in Bhopal gas leak),” an apparent reference to Anderson.

Swaraj, who has been battling demands for her resignation over alleged ‘quid pro quo’ in relation to Lalit Modi, said, “this is called quid pro quo… Rahul should ask (his mother), why they did the quid pro quo” with regard to Quattrocchi and Anderson.

While she spoke amid slogan-shouting by Congress members, Sonia Gandhi was seen listening to the speech in rapt attention using headphone.

Swaraj also targeted former Union Minister P Chidambaram, saying he had failed to bring back Lalit Modi from United Kingdom as he did not try for his extradition as suggested by the host government and confined his requests to deportation.

“For four years, you (Congress government) did nothing.

You remained inactive. There was no effort for extradition.

You are asking me how he (Lalit Modi) got right of residency (in UK). He got it during your time. Whatever happened, it was during your tenure,” she told the Congress. .

New Delhi, Aug 12 (PTI) Signs of a thaw emerged in Lok Sabha with the government accepting Opposition demand to discuss an adjournment motion on External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj’s alleged role in Lalit Modi controversy.

Swaraj herself requested Speaker Sumitra Mahajan to accept the Opposition demand soon after the House assembled for the day, the penultimate day of the Monsoon Session which has remained stalled over Congress protests on the Lalit Modi and Vyapam issues.

The External Affairs Minister’s request prompted Parliamentary Affairs Minister Venkaiah Naidu to tell the House that the government was ready to discuss the issue under an adjournment motion, a matter which was not acceptable to it so far.

As the Opposition began their protests, Swaraj requested the Speaker to accept the notice of adjournment motion given by Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge that was related to her.

Making an earnest appeal, Swaraj said the adjournment motion should be “accepted as it is”.

Let only the Opposition participate in the debate and no one from the government would be part of it, she said.

“My only request is that the Opposition should be present in the House when I give the reply,” Swaraj said.

However, Kharge insisted that the Prime Minister Narendra Modi should be present during the debate and should reply.

How can action be taken against the Minister without the Prime Minister being present and answering to the debate, he wondered.

In a setback to India’s bid for a permanent seat in an expanded UN Security Council, the US, along with Russia and China, has opposed negotiations to reform the powerful UN body, refusing to contribute to a text that will form the basis for the long-drawn reform process.

UN General Assembly President Sam Kutesa achieved a breakthrough of sorts by circulating a text to UN members that will form the basis for the negotiations on the reform of the Security Council. Kutesa had appointed Jamaica’s Permanent Representative Courtenay Rattray to chair on his behalf the Intergovernmental Negotiations on Security Council Reform.

Kutesa, in a letter dated July 31 to all UN members, said he is also circulating letters containing the positions of groups and Member States that indicated they did not wish their proposals to be included in the body of the negotiating text. These countries include US, Russia and China.

American Ambassador to the UN Samantha Power said in her letter to Kutesa that the US is “open in principle” to a “modest” expansion of both permanent and non-permanent members but the condition that “any consideration of an expansion of permanent members must take into account the ability and willingness of countries to contribute to the maintenance of international peace and security and to the other purposes of the United Nations.”

Power added that “we believe that consideration of new permanent members must be country-specific in nature.” She also reiterated that the US remains opposed to “any alteration or expansion of the veto”.

Sources told PTI that the US opposition to aspects of the reform process can be perceived as a “duplicity” since President Barack Obama has reaffirmed his support for a reformed UN Security Council with India as a permanent member.

Russia, which has also supported India’s candidacy as permanent member, said in its letter to Kutesa that the “prerogatives of the current Permanent Members of the Security Council, including the use of the veto, should remain intact under any variant of the Council reform”.

“The intergovernmental negotiations on the UN Security Council reform should proceed in a calm, transparent and inclusive atmosphere free from artificial deadlines,” it said.

India has maintained that the process to expand the powerful UN body “cannot be seen to be an exercise ad infinitum” and a results-based timeline is crucial to achieve a concrete outcome.

“Those who ask for not imposing artificial timelines may be advised to desist from inflicting artificial delays on this process,” India’s Ambassador to the UN Asoke Kumar Mukerji has said in the past.

Sources said that India feels that the 70th anniversary of the UN, being commemorated this year, is an appropriate milestone to propel the reform process, which should be completed within the next one year.

New Delhi, Aug 11 (PTI) The Delhi High Court today observed there was “nothing wrong” with the AAP government referring to itself as ‘Kejriwal sarkar’ as all governments do that.

“All governments do that. We have seen that. Nothing wrong with that,” a bench of Chief Justice G Rohini and Justice Jayant Nath said in response to a petitioner’s objection to the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government referring to itself as ‘Kejriwal sarkar’.

On the allegations against Delhi government that it continues to violate the Supreme Court’s ruling that taxpayers’ money cannot be spent to build image of political leaders, the bench sought the Centre’s response on what steps it was taking to implement the apex court’s guidelines.

The court also sought Delhi government’s reply to Congress leader Ajay Maken’s affidavit claiming that the city government was still issuing advertisements in violation of Government Advertisement (Content Regulation) Guidelines, 2014.

The guidelines were approved by the apex court by its order of May 13.

Maken has also termed as “incorrect” the city government’s claim, of July 29 that it has taken down the advertisements which were violating the guidelines.

He placed before the court pictures taken post July 29 of various advertisements which were allegedly violating the guidelines.

His counsel today told the court that advertisements in violation of the guidelines as well as allegedly glorifying Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and the party were still being put up.

The court listed the matter for further hearing on September 1.

The AAP government had on August 3 informed the court that it had spent Rs 22 crore on advertisements in the three months after the apex court’s ruling of May 13.

The city government had, however, denied the allegation that huge amount of money was being spent on advertisements glorifying Kejriwal and the party and said it was spending Rs eight crore per month and that too on ads related to its policies.

The AAP government’s response had come in the backdrop of the court’s July 29 direction which had asked them to give details of money spent on advertisements allegedly glorifying Kejriwal and AAP.

Hitting out at BJP over the execution of 1993 blasts case convict Yakub Memon, MNS president Raj Thackeray on Monday alleged that the BJP-led governments at the Centre and state wanted “riots to break out in the country”.

“Yakub Memon was a terrorist but his hanging episode was converted into a drama by both the Centre and the state government. Looking into the events preceding and following the hanging of this traitor who killed so many people, I feel that both governments only wanted riots to break out in the country,” he said.

The 47-year-old firebrand leader was addressing a gathering of party supporters in adjoining Thane. He alleged that the media was being fed with the details of Memon’s activities ahead of the July 30 hanging and the journalists, too, enthusiastically lapped them up.

“On the day of Yakub’s hanging, newspapers printed so many pictures of this traitor, while we could barely see photos of a nationalist like APJ Abdul Kalam (who was laid to rest on July 30),” he said.

Raj also blasted his long-time friend, Bollywood superstar Salman Khan, over his tweets, that were perceived as being in favour of Yakub (some of which were withdrawn later), ahead of the execution.

“Salman is a man without brains, while his father is a respectable man. He does not read newspapers and does not know the law and thus went on tweeting in his (Yakub’s) favour.

Then there are people who sent letters to the President seeking mercy for the traitor. How can anybody question a Supreme Court order?” he asked.

Justifying his visit to the actor’s residence after he was pronounced guilty in the hit-and-run case, Raj said he has very old family ties with his father Salim Khan and thus went there to be with him at the time of crisis.

The MNS president also trained his guns at Gujaratis living in Mumbai, saying they have gone “out of control” ever since Narendra Modi, who hails from the state, became Prime Minister.

He took a dig at Gujaratis over their predominately vegetarian food habit, seeking to know how they can discriminate among people on the basis of what they eat? Taking a jibe at Modi, Raj said the Prime Minister does not speak on anything, he just makes declarations. “His ‘Man Ki Baat’ programme has turned into ‘Moun Ki Baat’.” Raj hailed Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis’s initiative to bring new industries in the state but insisted that Marathi youths be given employment in these units.

NEW DELHI (Reuters) – The government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi began a last push before the end of a stormy parliament sitting to pass a major tax reform aimed at boosting economic growth, but an opposition party dug in its heels to stop the bill.
Aimed at creating a customs union for India’s 1.2 billion people, the Goods and Service Tax (GST) is the biggest revenue shake-up since independence from Britain in 1947. Supporters say it will add up to two percentage points to economic growth.
A series of obstacles to the prime minister’s ambitious agenda of economic reform has increased a sense among debt-laden domestic companies suffering subdued earnings that India’s fledgling economic recovery could take longer.
Indian shares fell about 1 percent on Tuesday led by declines in banking stocks along with jitters over the parliament showdown and China’s yuan devaluation.
As monsoon rain lashed the colonial-era parliament building, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley introduced the bill in the Rajya Sabha to yowls of protest from members of the opposition Congress party. Seconds later, the speaker adjourned the chamber, putting off any discussion until Wednesday.
The Congress party is demanding the resignation of senior BJP leaders it accuses of graft before allowing parliament to work. It also wants changes to the bill, which it says has been diluted to win support from states.
“They don’t want the Indian economy to grow,” Jaitley said, barely audible above opposition shouts of “this will not go on”. He called the protest “merely a pretext”.
Congress leader Anand Sharma said the obstruction replicated tactics by the BJP, which blocked GST and other reforms when Congress ruled India for a decade, before being defeated by Modi last year.
Modi made the constitutional amendment to allow the new tax the main goal of the summer sitting of parliament, which ends on Thursday.
Failure to pass the GST bill now will make it hard for Modi to meet a self-imposed 2016 deadline for implementing it. In a research note, DBS Bank said any holdup “will be negative for market sentiment and could further delay the recovery process”.
Even so, many foreign investors still see India as a bright spot in the world economy and expect Modi’s reforms to prevail eventually.
The government has already passed the bill in the lower house. It does not have a majority in the Rajya Sabha, where it needs two-thirds of votes to pass the amendment. That is only possible if most parties support it, or if Congress abstains.