Fought hard but failed to send Adityanath 'back to Gorakhpur': Akhilesh

 

While the BJP threw a pantheon of star campaigners, Akhilesh Yadav's was virtually the lone face of his Samajwadi Party in the Uttar Pradesh elections. From distributing tickets to choosing allies, it was the SP president's one-man show. At 48, he is a year younger to Yogi Adityanath, the UP chief minister and the man he hoped to send back to Gorakhpur. That didn't happen and the BJP appeared set for another term in office. Yadav fought hard, but his party trailed well behind the BJP. Born in Saifai on July 1, 1973, Yadav entered politics in 2000, winning a Lok Sabha bypoll from Kannauj and is now the MP from Azamgarh.

He contested his debut assembly election this time, picking Karhal, a segment in his father's Mainpuri parliamentary constituency. ADVERTISING The SP president, who burnt his fingers by partnering with the Congress in the 2017 UP polls and had joined hands with Mayawati's Bahujan Samaj Party in last general election, this time chose to enter into an alliance with a string of small regional parties. Briefly, he outmanoeuvred the BJP by inducting ministers Swami Pradesh Maurya, Dara Singh Chauhan and Dharam Singh Saini in an attempt to get the Other Backward Classes (OBC) on his side.

BJP's win in UP due to communalism, control of media, money power: CPI(M)

 

The CPI(M) on Thursday said the BJP's emphatic victory in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls is due to communal polarisation, control of sections of media and money power. The BJP raced towards a second straight win in politically crucial Uttar Pradesh and dominated the score chart in three other states, while the Aam Aadmi Party announced its national presence with a landslide victory in Punjab. "The BJP has won a second successive victory in the UP elections. With intensified communal polarisation, control over large sections of media and immense money power, the BJP retained government with a reduced majority.

Despite the immense economic hardships faced by the people, relief measures like provision of free foodgrains have had an impact," a statement by the CPI(M) said. On the Punjab results, the Left party said it is a "decisive change" to reject traditional parties. "In Punjab, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) secured a sweeping victory. The people of Punjab have voted for a decisive change, rejecting the two traditional parties -- Congress and Akali Dal," it said. The party added that democractic forces have to redouble their efforts to fight the BJP. "Overall, these results indicate the continuing dominance of right-wing politics. The Left and democratic forces will evolve fresh strategies and redouble their efforts in the fight against the Hindutva-Corporate regime, its policies and growing authoritarianism," it added. 

Best of BS Opinion: Vivad Se Vishwas scheme, Das' 2 years as RBI guv & more

 

Having neglected to influence ranchers with huge concessions on the new homestead laws, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is swearing by the figures of speech in the Bharatiya Janata Party's playbook, marking protestors "against public" and the ideological groups backing them "plotters". What's next? FIRs? Captures under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act? Such instinctive doubt of the populace has been a staple of the duty divisions, which ricochets between the assaults and reprieve plans, to hit testing assortment targets.

The most recent endeavor to entice dodgers, Vivad Se Vishwas, has demonstrated not any more effective than its all the more mundanely named archetypes, primarily in light of the fact that crooks respond charge specialists' doubt with revenue. Rather than pursuing such plans, a more prominent spotlight on gathering charge contribution without question may yield better outcomes, A K Bhattacharya proposes in his segment. Peruse it here.

Different perspectives inspect Shaktikanta Das' two years as Reserve Bank of India lead representative, the hugeness of the blackout of Google's administrations and the Competition Commission of India's endeavors to be "productive". Kanika Datta summarizes the perspectives.

The top alter clarifies why Governor Das may need to disappoint the public authority while loosening up the boost. Peruse it here

Corporate predominance has numerous drawbacks yet the concise blackout of Google's administrations demonstrated why rivalry is basic in the worldwide advanced space, says the second alter. Peruse it here

The Competition Commission of India has communicated its aim to contemplate investor and speculation arrangements by private value speculators to comprehend market real factors about exercise of control better. Different controllers, particularly those directing authorized ventures, should be correspondingly productive, Somasekhar Sundaresan says. Peruse it here

A parallel economy: Bootleggers flourish in Bihar's liquor crackdown

 

In the dead of night, Rajesh (name changed) visits a cemetery in his town in focal Bihar four times each week. "A ruined spot like that is sheltered to get my week by week transfer of liquor," he said. "We continue evolving areas. In some cases we meet somewhere down in the farmlands."

Clad in some oily shorts and a torn T-shirt, Rajesh, in his mid-40s, is a grease monkey however his greatest income - over Rs 1 lakh a month- - originate from smuggling in the express that was pronounced dry in 2016. "Try not to pass by my clothing," he said with a giggle, crouching on a little stool in his carport where this columnist met him toward the beginning of October.

In front of the 2015 get together races in Bihar, boss priest Nitish Kumar had vowed to boycott the utilization of liquor in the state if reappointed. One of the points was to control abusive behavior at home, frequently connected with over the top drinking. After he cleared the races and expected his third sequential term as boss priest, Kumar reported disallowance in the state.

Before the alcohol boycott, Bihar burned-through near 25 million liters of liquor every month, according to state extract office figures imparted to IndiaSpend. The exact year, the assessed all-India figures for liquor utilization remained at about 5.4 billion liters. Not long after the boycott was affected, unlawful alcohol exchange began multiplying in the state.

With state races under way, peddlers are doing energetic business. "This is an ideal opportunity to bring in cash," Rajesh said. "Lawmakers need to disseminate liquor among electors during their mission. Deals soar in front of a political race. We raked in tons of cash during the 2019 general political race as well."

IndiaSpend is investigating the effect of the alcohol boycott in Bihar in a two-section arrangement against the background of the get together decisions. In the initial segment, we clarified how preclusion has pushed the utilization of less expensive hooch and medications. In this finishing up part, we take a gander at the state's flourishing equal economy of unlawful alcohol, and how the crackdown against violators has excessively influenced the minimized social gatherings, for example, the mahadalits (the most denied among the dalits) and the ancestral networks that have been customarily occupied with the alcohol business.

CR Patil takes charge as new chief of Bharatiya Janata Party's Gujarat unit

CR Patil assumed responsibility as the new head of BJP's Gujarat unit at the gathering office on Tuesday. He is a Lok Sabha MP from Navsari.
Patil has been named instead of Jitu Vaghani, who finished his residency as gathering's Gujarat unit president.
"Congrats to Shri CR Patil on being named as the new leader of the BJP. All the best for Gujarat BJP to push ahead under your authority," tweeted Vaghani.
On Monday, the BJP named CR Patil and Jamyang Tsering Namgyal, both Lok Sabha MPs, as leaders of its Gujarat and Ladakh units."BJP national president Jagat Prakash Nadda has designated CR Patil and Jamyang Tsering Namgyal as leader of Gujarat and Ladakh BJP units individually," said an announcement gave by BJP national general secretary Arun Singh.

(Just the feature and image of this report may have been adjusted by the Business Standard staff; the remainder of the substance is auto-created from a coordinated feed.)

Sachin Pilot-led Cong camp releases video showing 16 MLAs sitting together

• 

Rajasthan's vice president serve Sachin Pilot-drove Monday discharged a video appearing at any rate 16 MLAs sitting together, clearly parading the help he has in his battle against Congress boss priest Ashok Gehlot.
This comes hours after the Congress held an assembly party meeting. Gathering pioneers said 106 of 122 MLAs joined in, a case challenged by the Pilot camp.
The 10-second video was shared late around evening time on Pilot's authentic WhatsApp gathering.
In the video, in any event 16 MLAs are seen sitting together in a nearby circle. Pilot isn't found in the video. Six others can be found in the video yet they couldn't be recognized. A portion of the MLAs found in the video are Indraraj Gurjar, Mukesh Bhakar, Harish Meena.
Likewise READ: Rajasthan emergency: Ashok Gehlot claims greater part, Sachin Pilot disobedient
The travel industry Minister Vishvendra Singh tweeted the video with the subtitle "Family". Ladnun MLA Mukesh Bhakar tweeted, "…Loyalty in Congress implies Ashok Gehlot's servitude. That isn't adequate to us."
Pilot has been disturbed since he was denied the Rajasthan boss priest's post after the December 2018 get together decisions. On Sunday, he professed to have the sponsorship of 30 Congress MLAs and "a few independents".
Those near him contested Gehlot's case that his administration had a greater part and said this is demonstrated in the get together and not at the CM's home.
Sources near him have likewise precluded the chance of Pilot joining the BJP.

In the 200-part Rajasthan Assembly, the Congress has 107 MLAs and the BJP 72. Before, the decision party has asserted the help of 13 independents, two MLAs each from the CPM and the Bharatiya Tribal Party, and one from the Rashtriya Lok Dal.

BJP-led Uttarakhand govt abolishes quota in promotion for employees

International News
Uttarakhand government on Wednesday abrogated reservation in advancement in the state government occupations. The Trivendra Rawat-government took the significant choice on fruition of three years of its residency.
Following the express government's structure, the representatives from the General-OBC classes finished their strike. The state government likewise gave orders in regards to departmental advancement board of trustees (DPC).
The administration workers from General-OBC classification in the state had been arranging a dissent, requesting the usage of the Supreme Court's choice on the issue.
The strike seriously influenced the work in government workplaces. The state Chief Secretary had on Tuesday called the striking workers for talks. During the gathering, the Chief Secretary consented to lift the prohibition on advancements.
Boss Minister's Secretary Radhika Jha interfaced with the representatives. She guaranteed that the request to evacuate the boycott in advancements would be given with quick impact.

Plus, leaves will be conceded to the striking representatives for the time of the strike. The express government's structure said that according to the Supreme Court's choice, the legislature has abrogated the advancement boycott dated September 11, 2019. Furthermore, the state government request dated September 5, 2012 restricting reservation in advancements has additionally become effective. Further move will be made according to the request…Read More

DefExpo 2020 attracts more than 1,000 defence companies: Rajnath Singh

Current Affairs
Proceeding with the act of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) protection pastors moving the biennial DefExpo barrier gear display to their home state, Defense Minister Rajnath Singh will commence DefExpo 2020 in Lucknow on Wednesday.
In 2016, at that point protection serve Manohar Parrikar moved DefExpo from New Delhi to Goa, in the midst of tremendous resistance from ecological activists. After two years, Nirmala Sitharaman moved DefExpo 2018 to Chennai. Like Parrikar and Sitharaman, Singh asserted on Tuesday that the present form of DefExpo had broken every single past record. Tending to the media in Lucknow, alongside his co-have, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, the safeguard serve expressed that in excess of 1,000 guard firms — including 856 Indian and 172 outside organizations — would take part in Defexpo.
"In the DefExpo 2018, held in Chennai, 702 organizations had taken an interest. In this manner, this has become by a long shot the greatest ever DefExpo to be held in India," expressed the protection service in an official discharge on Tuesday.
The service likewise guaranteed that exhibitors had booked 42,800 square meters of presentation space this year, 60 percent higher than the 26,774 square meters booked in Chennai. Safeguard priests and military head of 40 nations will go to the occasion this year, the Ministry of Defense (MoD) said. 200 memoranda of undertaking (MoUs) are relied upon to be inked, manufacturing new business coordinated efforts.

Just because, the nearness of the neighborhood boss clergyman discernibly overshadowed that of the guard serve. Adityanath's appearance decorated all the notices on equivalent terms with that of Singh...READ MORE

Vote for BJP to prevent more Shaheen Baghs: Amit Shah in election speech

Current Affairs
Delhi's kin will forestall "a huge number of occurrences like Shaheen Bagh" in the event that they vote in favor of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on February 8, said Union Home Minister Amit Shah, alluding to the spot in the city where ladies have stayed outdoors since December to challenge another citizenship law.
Shah, at a political decision rally on Sunday, denounced Delhi boss clergyman Arvind Kejriwal, who drives the Aam Aadmi Party, and Congress pioneer Rahul Gandhi of supporting individuals purportedly antagonistic to the nation.
"Is it accurate to say that you are their vote bank? For what reason do Rahul Baba and Kejriwal need to spare tukde posse that raised trademarks for discontinuity of the nation. They do this on account of dread of their vote bank," said Shah in Rohtas Nagar voting demographic, utilizing a Hindi expression his gathering utilizes for gatherings or individuals it says are backstabbing to the nation.
Shah was talking about the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), the disputable law that plans to quick track citizenship for oppressed Hindus, Parsis, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains and Christians who landed in India before December 31, 2014, from Muslim-dominant part Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan. The death of the bill on December 11 a year ago activated exhibitions the nation over. Shaheen Bagh, in south Delhi area, has earned features for fight by ladies who have joined by understudies and activists.

"Your vote to BJP applicant will make Delhi and the nation safe and forestall a large number of episodes like Shaheen Bagh. At the point when you press the catch (of EVM) on February 8, do as such with such outrage that its current (survey result) is felt at Shaheen Bagh," the BJP pioneer said...Read More

BJP wants Sitharaman to give rural, infrastructure push in upcoming Budget

Current Affairs
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has prescribed to Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman that the Union Budget ought to endeavor to move the concentration from macroeconomic parameters, for example, getting control over financial shortfall and expansion, to "genuine issues" confronting the economy.
The gathering has analyzed that accentuation on meeting monetary targets and controlling swelling should be defeated to spike development. It has proposed an expansion connected fiscal arrangement. Strangely, none of the partners the BJP counseled requested any decrease in direct personal assessment, neither hosts the gathering suggested any unwinding.
Sources said the administration right now faces asset limitation, yet much has been done to facilitate the taxation rate of the working classes over the most recent five years. Likewise, it was contended that such a measure influences a constrained section of individuals when the center ought to be to placed cash in provincial territories.
The BJP has proposed that income limitations confronting the administration can be settled through disinvestment of PSUs, monetisation of government resources and improving the essential and auxiliary security markets. The corporate division, it has stated, presently experiences "twin hazard averseness", incorporating with supply credit from banks, prompting deleveraging and issues in capital development.

While this can be tended to by prodding buyer request, the gathering has suggested the legislature should take a gander at NBFCs, where it can expel capital arrangement limitations and unnecessary oversight any place open cash isn't included. outline Party sources said the BJP was focused on its way of thinking of comprehensive development, however with a market agreeable face...Read More

Why has Unnao rape accused been given political protection, asks Priyanka

International News

In an apparent attack at the BJP, Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Tuesday asked why people like BJP MLA and rape accused Kuldeep Singh Sengar are given the "protection of political power", while their victims are abandoned to battle for their lives alone.
Priyanka Gandhi's poser in a tweet came a day after the Uttar Pradesh police filed a murder case against Sengar and nine others following a complaint by the Unnao rape survivor's family, alleging "conspiracy" behind the Sunday's car crash in which the victim was severely injured and two of her family members were killed.The Congress leader also tagged portions of the FIR filed along with the tweet.
"Why do we give people like Kuldeep Sengar the strength and protection of political power and abandon their victims to battle for their lives alone?" Priyanka Gandhi tweeted.
"This FIR clearly states that the family was threatened and apprehensive. It even mentions the possibility of a planned accident," she said, tagging a copy of the FIR.
Unnao Superintendent of Police Madhav Prasad Verma had said on Sunday that the rape survivor, her paternal and maternal aunts along with their advocate met with an accident while on their way to meet her uncle, who is lodged in Rae Bareli jail.

 A woman belonging to Makhi police station area in Unnao had alleged that Sengar, a four-time MLA who represents Bangermau in the UP Assembly, raped her teenage daughter at his residence in 2017.The case had come to light after the victim allegedly attempted self-immolation outside Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's residence.Sengar, who is an accused in the rape case, was arrested on April 13 last year...Read More

BJP, Congress among parties yet to submit electoral bond details to EC

Current Affairs

The BJP, the Congress and the DMK are among the parties which are yet to submit details of donations received till date through electoral bonds to the Election Commission, sources said Tuesday.
May 30 was the deadline to submit the details as per a Supreme Court directive.Last month, the EC had written to all recognised political parties to comply with the Supreme Court directives.Sources aware of the development said the BJP, Congress and DMK "at least" have not yet complied with the direction.
Lifting the veil of anonymity from the government's political funding scheme, the Supreme Court had on April 12 directed parties to furnish by May 30 all details of funds received through electoral bonds to the Election Commission in a sealed cover.Explaining its stand, the EC said it was "exclusively confined to one of transparency in political funding and not on merits of the scheme".
As per the scheme, electoral bonds may be purchased by a person, who is a citizen of India or an entity incorporated or established in IndiaA person being an individual can buy electoral bonds, either singly or jointly with other individuals.
Only parties registered under Section 29A of the Representation of the People Act, 1951 and which secured not less than 1 per cent of votes polled in the last general election to the House of the People or the Legislative Assembly of the State, will be eligible to receive electoral bonds.

 As per the notification, electoral bonds will be encashed by an eligible political party only through a bank account with an authorised bank.The State Bank of India (SBI) in the 6th phase of sale had been authorised to issue and encash electoral bonds through its 29 authorised branches from November 1-10, 2018.

Nitish Kumar inducts 8 new members in Bihar Cabinet, no berth for ally BJP

Current Affairs

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Sunday inducted eight new faces in his council of ministers — all from Janata Dal (United) — days after he refused to join the new Narendra Modi government after being offered only one berth in the central Cabinet. Allies, Bhartiya

Janata Party (BJP) and Lok Janshakti Party (LJP), were left out of the expansion.Kumar later explained he had offered a single position to the BJP, but the party wasn’t too keen.

“When the alliance formed, the number of ministers and departments were decided. There was large number of vacancies in the JD(U) quota after the general elections. At present, only JD(U)’s quota has been filled. All these portfolios were with us from the beginning,” Kumar said, and added, “There is no issue with the BJP.”

Deputy Chief Minister and senior BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi confirmed the party was offered a seat in the state Cabinet. “The BJP decided to fill it in future,” he tweeted.

LJP chief and Union minister Ram Vilas Paswan also said: “NDA is very much intact. Everything will be sorted. Nitish ji is an important leader of NDA in Bihar.” The BJP and the LJP still have one seat in the state Cabinet according to the “preoperational distribution”.

With the expansion, the number of ministers in the state, including the CM, has risen to 33. A total of 36 ministers, including the CM, can be inducted in the Cabinet.

The new ministers — Sanjay Jha, Neeraj Kumar, Shayam Rajak, Ashok Chaudhury, Bima Bharti, Narendra Narayan Yadav, Ram Sevak Singh, and Laxmeshwar Rai — were administered the oath of office at a function at the Raj Bhavan in Patna by Governor Lalji Tandon. Kumar later rejigged portfolios of some of his ministers.

Concessional income tax rate in traders' list of demands for Modi govt

Economy News

After successfully campaigning for Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the Lok Sabha elections, the more than 60-million traders’ community is ready with its list of demands, including a concessional income tax rate, for the new government.

Seeking a meeting with Modi, trade leader Praveen Khandelwal said they would apprise him of core issues merchants faced and ask for promises be fulfilled in the next six months.

Apart from this, there are a few other demands.

The BJP, in a bid to woo traders, made promises in its manifesto, such as a pension scheme for shopkeepers and a merchant credit card on the lines of the Kisan credit card.

“We will remind the government of all the promises. We will press for a quick implementation of these schemes by including them in the upcoming Finance Bill in July,” said Khandelwal, secretary general, Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT).

In addition, Khandelwal said they would seek a concessional income-tax rate for traders. “Being the unsaid collector of taxes for the government, we will seek a special income tax rate for trading community. There is merit in our demand,” he added.

The CAIT had declared support for the BJP and its allies in the Lok Sabha election. It said the decision was taken after analysing the election manifestos of political parties. Besides, the CAIT will press for a single licence for traders.

“Currently, traders require many licences. There should be a single licence,” he said.

BJP manifesto highlights: Rs 25-trn agri push, pension for small traders

Election News

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday released its poll manifesto for the Lok Sabha elections 2019. BJP president Amit Shah highlighted the government's achievements while Home Minister Rajnath Singh read out the key promises in the manifesto. He also headed the committee that drafted it.
Here are the key takeaways of the BJP's manifesto for Lok Sabha elections 2019:

•   Agri loans available on credit cards up to Rs 1 lakh at zero per cent rate of interest
• Collateral-free credit up to Rs 50 lakh for entrepreneurs
• Promotion of Startups through creation of a ‘Seed Startup Fund’ of Rs 20,000 crore.
• 10 per cent material procurement for the government by MSMEs having at least 50 per cent women in their workforce
• Micro, small and medium enterprises to given Rs 1 trillion worth of credit by 2024.
• A pucca house to every family who are either living in a kuchha house or have no access to housing by 2022.
• Expand Ayushman Bharat to include all Anganwadi workers and ASHA workers
• ‘Jal Jivan Mission’ to be launched to ensure piped water supply to every household in India by 2024...Read More

Cong picks 3 agencies to manage digital, social media campaign for LS polls

Opinion News
The Congress party on Tuesday identified three agencies that would manage its digital and social media campaign for the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. Some more would be hired in the coming days and assigned other tasks.

The publicity committee of the party is headed by party leader Anand Sharma. But there was much disgruntlement in the team — some members complained to Congress President Rahul Gandhi that they were not being kept in the loop. The Congress chief first asked senior leader Jairam Ramesh to take part in the meetings, and when that alone did not help, overseas Congress Chief Sam Pitroda was summoned hastily, which helped break the stalemate.

Scramble to lose

It is unusual for leaders to fight for seats when the chances of victory are bleak. But that's exactly what is happening in the Kerala unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). State leaders are jockeying to contest from Pathanamthitta, the epicentre of the Sabarimala issue.

At least four top leaders including Union Ministers K J Alphons and senior leader K Surendran are vying for a ticket to contest the seat. Interestingly, the BJP has never won a Lok Sabha seat from the state. Also the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and BJP cadres in Kerala do not see eye to eye. Given that, political observers are betting on either the Congress or the Left, despite the mileage BJP gained out of the Sabarimala stir.

Don’t gatecrash


 It’s not unusual to hear stories about students in India gatecrashing weddings. Just for fun or to indulge in a hearty meal when hostel mess food is nothing but torture and the monthly allowance from home is diminishing rapidly. A premier institution in the country has had enough of this...Read More

Voter list misleading calls probe: EC turned into BJP office, says Kejriwal

Current Affairs:

Hours after the EC asked the Delhi Police to investigate "misleading" calls over electoral rolls of the city, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal alleged that the Election Commission has been turned into a BJP office, triggering a blame game between the AAP and the saffron party.

Delhi BJP president Manoj Tiwari demanded cancellation of AAP's recognition alleging that its volunteers were calling people telling them that their names have been deleted from the voters' list and the party convener is getting them added again.

Kejriwal tweeted, "Ur ECs shud resign for converting EC into BJP office. Shameful Modi ji has subverted every institution. We will not allow BJP to succeed in its conspiracies(sic)."

He also attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi asking him not to involve the EC and the police in "wrong, dirty" acts, and said the country is much more significant than any party or individual.
Tiwari accused the AAP of "misleading" people and trying to create "unrest" in the society.


 "Serious offence by a political party, who does not respect the constitution of India...recognition of @AamAadmiParty should be cancelled for misleading citizens and trying to create unrest in the society @DelhiPolice must register Multiple FIRs and culprits should be penalised(sic)," he Tweeted.

BJP trying to make West Bengal a laboratory for its experiments: Congress

Current Affairs:

The Congress Sunday said the BJP was "unsuccessfully" trying to build a laboratory in West Bengal for its experiments, on a day the Bengal government denied permission to UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath to land his chopper in the eastern state.

"What would have happened had he (UP CM) gone? He had also gone to Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh. What did he do? He revealed the caste of Hanuman and you know the results," Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera said at a news conference here.

"People voted for the party it wanted. They (BJP) want to make West Bengal a laboratory for its experiments and they are not achieving any success in it," he said.

The tussle between the TMC and BJP got uglier Sunday, with the West Bengal government denying permission to Adityanath's chopper to land in the state and let him address two scheduled rallies.
Adityanath had to address the rallies via telephone. He later lashed out at the "anti-people" Trinamool Congress (TMC) government in the state, saying the days of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's rule were "numbered".


 Responding to a question on the Centre's decision to accord sanction to prosecute former Union home minister...Read More

BUDGET SESSION 2019 LIVE: PREZ KOVIND LISTS OUT ACHIEVEMENTS OF NDA GOVT

Interim Budget 2019:

The Budget session of Parliament has begun, a day before the Interim Budget 2019 will be presented by Finance Minister Piyush Goyal.
With the Lok Sabha elections around the corner, this year's Budget session is expected to be a stormy one. While the Opposition will seek to corner the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) -led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government on a range of issues, including Rafale, the problem of farmers and unemployment, the government is expected to push its legislative agenda that includes the Triple Talaq Bill and the citizenship (amendment) Bill.
The session will begin with President Ram Nath Kovind's address to the joint sitting of the two Houses. Apart from a vote of thanks to the President's address, the government's legislative agenda for the day includes replacing three ordinances with Bills. These include the triple talaq Bill, companies (Amendment) Bill and Medical Council (Amendment) Bill.

 Ahead of the Budget session, Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged all the political parties to ensure Parliament runs smoothly.

Will be unconstitutional for govt to present full Budget: Yashwant Sinha

Interim Budget 2019:

Former finance minister Yashwant Sinha it would be "entirely improper and unconstitutional" if the Modi government presents a full budget ahead of the Lok Sabha polls, as he asked it to stick to the convention of outgoing dispensations presenting an interim budget.

A strong critic of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance government, Sinha also accused it of "dressing up" economic figures despite the country facing an "unprecedented" agrarian distress, employment not picking up and the huge non-performing asset (NPA) problem being not tackled the way it should have been.

Interacting with reporters at an event in Indian Women's Press Corps, he said Priyanka Gandhi's entry into active politics will have a positive impact and strengthen the Congress.
Taking a swipe at the government over present economic conditions, he said it would now claim by "tweaking" figures ahead of the general election that "river of milk" is flowing in the country and people were never happier.

Amid speculation that the government may present a full budget on February 1, Sinha said there is no precedence of an outgoing government doing so.


 "It would be entirely improper and unconstitutional on the part of this government to present a full budget," he said, adding that it should neither table the economy survey, which is generally presented a day before the budget is tabled, not present the Finance Bill.