Category: National

The statement could have been dismissed as the gymnastics of a distorted mind, except that it comes fast on the heels of Oli’s unfortunate unilateral action regarding a territorial dispute with India, he says

Nepal Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli is trying to do everything to alienate his country from India, former Member of Parliament Karan Singh has said in a personal statement. Dr. Singh, who is also related to the Nepal royals, said Mr. Oli’s claim about Lord Ram’s supposed Nepalese origin was ‘bizarre’.

“This outrageous statement will have hurt the sentiments of a billion Hindus living not only in India and Nepal but around the world. The statement could have been dismissed as the gymnastics of a distorted mind, except that it comes fast on the heels of Oli’s unfortunate unilateral action regarding a territorial dispute with India,” said Dr. Singh, who had in the past served as an envoy of India to Nepal to deal with sensitive issues.

Mr. Oli on Monday had remarked that Ramchandra, the lead protagonist of the epic Ramayana, was born in a village near the border town of Birgunj and had described India’s Ayodhya as part of a ‘fake’ Indian narrative. In response, Dr. Singh said the statement showed that Mr. Oli was “trying to do whatever he can, even going to the extent of an absurd statement regarding Ayodhya and Sri Ram, to widen the distance between India and Nepal”.

Dr. Singh described, the current official policy of Nepal as ‘ominous’ and urged the people on both sides to “do whatever possible to recreate the friendly age-old ties between our two countries.” He had earlier argued that the territorial dispute over Kalapani could have been avoided if India had activated diplomatic channels on time.

With inputs from The Hindu

PTI

New Delhi: The Delhi Technological University (DTU) on Tuesday said it is cancelling its end-semester exams scheduled from July 18.

The announcement came after the Delhi government’s decision to cancel all forthcoming semester and finals exams of universities under it due to the COVID-19 situation.

“In view of the recent announcement directions by the Govt of NCT of Delhi to cancel all semester examinations, it is decided that the end term examinations of even semester 2019-20 for intermediate semesters of all programmes, including Ph.D Course Work, and all semesters of ex-students commencing from July 18 stand cancelled,” the varsity said.

The varsity said guidelines for assessment of various courses pertaining to intermediate semesters of all programmes will be notified in due course, it said.

PTI

Mumbai: In a shocking incident, a newborn baby girl was found buried near a house in Nanded district of Maharashtra, police said.

Aurangabad MP Imtiaz Jaleel, who shared the video of the newborn being dug out by a villager, said he had spoken to Nanded SP and sought a thorough probe in the matter.

“If we are really serious about protecting the girl child, there should be exemplary punishment for the accused,” the Lok Sabha member said.

PTI

Bihar: More than 20 people, including four senior office-bearers of the BJP, have tested positive for COVID-19 at the party’s headquarters, said its Bihar unit chief Sanjay Jaiswal on Tuesday.

Reports in a section of the media here, however, stated that the number of people found infected was as high as 75.

Jaiswal, nonetheless, maintained “only 24 samples are positive. These reports are of preliminary rapid tests and we are still awaiting the results of the comprehensive QT-RPR. None of those who have tested positive are having any symptoms. Yet, by way of abundant caution, they have all quarantined themselves at home”.

He said the samples were collected on Monday upon the request of the party office, after it was learnt that a person who visited the premises recently had tested positive.

“Samples of 110 people were collected. These included not just party functionaries but all other staff members hired for running errands,” he said.

Although Jaiswal did not disclose how many party functionaries were among those who tested positive, BJP spokesman Nikhil Anand confirmed these included “four office-bearers”.

Party sources said the office-bearers were state vice-presidents Radhan Mohan Sharma and Rajesh Sharma, state general secretary Devesh Kumar and state general secretary (organisation) Nagendra.

The party office premises situated on the Bir Chand Patel Marg were, meanwhile, being thoroughly sanitised.

RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav took potshots at the saffron party, saying “their office has become a corona hotspot and they are busy conducting virtual rallies and spreading infections thereby”.

“I wonder to which jamaat (creed) these BJP leaders belong,” Yadav quipped, the pun alluding to the infamous Tablighi Jamaat congregation in Delhi.

However, Jaiswal rubbished the allegation and asserted that no crowds gather at the party office during the virtual rallies.

“All senior leaders address these through Internet from their homes. Strict instructions have been in place to follow social distancing norms and wearing of masks at the party office,” he added.

The shameful incident happened on July 4 at around 4 am when the man went to a dairy in Sundar Nagar and allegedly performed unnatural sex with a cow.

Bhopal: In a horrifying incident of bestiality, a 55-year-old man has been arrested for allegedly raping a cow at a dairy in Sundar Nagar in Bhopal. According to the police, the shameful incident happened on July 4 at around 4 am when the man went to a dairy in Sundar Nagar and allegedly performed unnatural sex with a cow.

The incident came to light after the cops examined the CCTV footage of the area.

“On July 4, a man named Sabir Ali, 55 entered a diary in Sundar Nagar. The dairy owner Ram Yadav caught him but later allowed him to go. The next day, Yadav checked CCTV footage and found Ali doing an unnatural act (sex) with the cow,” Alok Srivastava, Ashoka Garden Police Station In-Charge, Bhopal told ANI.

One 55-yr-old man arrested after CCTV footage showed that he was involved in unnatural sex with a cow at a dairy in Sundar Nagar. Incident took place at around 4 am on 4 July. Case registered. Accused arrested: A Srivastava, Ashoka Garden Police Station In-Charge, Bhopal. pic.twitter.com/DXN29nF01K

— ANI (@ANI) July 7, 2020

“Yadav has filed a complaint in the police station and Sabir Ali has been booked under Section 377. He has been arrested,” he said.

In a similar incident 2 months back, a First Information Report (FIR) was registered after a man identified as Samar Khan raped a cow in Guna district, Madhya Pradesh. A video of the alleged incident had gone viral on social media.

Another horrifying and gut-wrenching case of bestiality had emerged from Kerala’s Kannur in March this year, where a 33-year-old reportedly man raped a cow and tortured it to death.

PTI

Mumbai: Taking aim at the BJP, NCP president Sharad Pawar has said that politicians should not take voters for granted as even powerful leaders like Indira Gandhi and Atal Bihari Vajpayee had been defeated in elections.

Criticising former Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis over his ‘Mi punha yein’ (I will come back) refrain during the last year’s assembly polls, Pawar said that voters thought that this stance smacked of arrogance and felt that they should be taught a lesson.

Pawar also said that that there was not an “iota of truth” in reports about differences in the three ruling allies- Shiv Sena, NCP and Congress- that are part of the Uddhav Thackeray-led Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA).

The former Union minister said this in an interview by Shiv Sena leader and Executive Editor of party mouthpiece ‘Saamana’. The first of the three-part interview series was published in the Marathi daily on Saturday.

This is for the first time that a non-Shiv Sena leader has featured in a marathon interview series in the party mouthpiece. It has so far published marathon interviews of late Bal Thackeray and Uddhav Thackeray.

Replying to a query over BJP’s defeat in the last assembly polls in the state, Pawar said, “In a democracy, you cannot think that you will remain in power eternally. Voters will not tolerate if they are taken for granted. Powerful leaders mass base with like Indira Gandhi and Atal Bihari Vajpayee had been defeated.

“It means that in terms of the democratic rights, the common man is wiser than the politicians. If we politicians cross the line, he teaches us a lesson. Therefore, people do not like the stand that ‘we will come back to power’,” he said.

“No politician should take people for granted. Nobody should take a stand that he would return to power. People thought that this stand smacks of arrogance and hence feeling grew among them that they should be taught a lesson,” Pawar said.

He said the change of government in Maharashtra was not an accident.

“People of Maharashtra voted in line of the sentiment prevailing in the country during the national elections. But the mood changed during the assembly polls. Even though BJP did well in the Lok Sabha polls, it fared poorly in assembly elections in different states. Even people of Maharashtra voted for a change,” he said.

Replying to a query over his reported differences with CM Thackeray on the lockdown in the state, Pawar said, “Absolutely not. What differences? For what? During the entire period of lockdown, I have had excellent communication with the chief minister and continue to do so.”

Pawar, who played a key role in bringing together the Sena, Congress and NCP for formation of government in the state in November last year, blamed the media and said sarcastically that the news gathering activity had been hit by the coronavirus-induced lockdown and they had the responsibility to fill the pages of newspapers.

“I have been reading reports of growing differences among the three allies, but there is not an iota of truth in that,” he said.

Speaking about the style of functioning of Shiv Sena founder Bal Thackeray and Uddhav Thackeray, Pawar said, “Although Balasaheb was never in the seat of power, he was the driving force behind the power. He got power in Maharashtra due to his ideology.

“Today, the government is not because of the ideology.

But the responsibility of implementing that power now lies with Uddhav Thackeray,” he said.

PTI

Tablighi Jamaat: Delhi court allows 62 Malaysians, 11 Saudi nationals to walk free on payment of fine of Rs 7K & Rs 10K each, says lawyer

PTI

Record single-day jump of 26,506 COVID-19 cases pushes India’s tally to 7,93,802; death toll climbs to 21,604 with 475 new fatalities: Government

PTI

Ahmedabad: A Gujarat minister has tested positive for coronavirus, state Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel said on Wednesday.

“The minister has been admitted to a hospital in Ahmedabad after he tested positive for coronavirus,” Patel, who holds charge of the health department, said ahead of the state cabinet meeting in Gandhinagar.

The BJP MLA from Valsad district is the first state minister to have contracted the viral infection.

On Tuesday, a senior Congress leader from Gujarat battling COVID-19 was put on ventilator support.

A BJP MLA from Surat and a Congress legislator from Banaskantha district also tested positive for coronavirus on Tuesday.

PTI

New Delhi: The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has rationalised the syllabus for classes 9 to 12 for the academic year 2020-21 by up to 30 per cent to make up for academic loss caused due to COVID-19, Union HRD Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ announced on Tuesday.

“Looking at the extraordinary situation prevailing in the country and the world, CBSE was advised to revise the curriculum and reduce course load for the students of classes 9 to 12.

“To aid the decision, a few weeks back I also invited suggestions from all educationists on the reduction of syllabus for students and I am glad to share that we received more than 1.5K suggestions. Thank you, everyone, for the overwhelming response,” Nishank tweeted.

“Considering the importance of learning achievement, it has been decided to rationalize syllabus up to 30 per cent by retaining the core concepts,” he added.

Universities and schools across the country have been closed since March 16 when the central government announced a countrywide classroom shutdown as one of the measures to contain the COVID-19 outbreak.

A nationwide lockdown was announced on March 24, which came into effect the next day. While the government has eased several restrictions, schools and colleges continue to remain closed.