QBullet: Hardik Goes with Congress; Violent Protest in Chennai Uni
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1. Gujarat Elections: Hardik Patel Accepts Congress Quota Formula, BJP Calls It an 'Offer by Fools and Accepted by Fools'
Ending months of speculation, Patidar leader Hardik Patel on Wednesday said they had accepted a Congress “formula” on granting reservation to the Patel community and other non-reserved categories “at par with OBC reservation”. However, he said Patidars were “not going to openly support the Congress or canvass for them” but underlined that their “fight against BJP” in the Gujarat assembly polls next month would “directly or indirectly” benefit the Grand Old Party.
The development came even as an FIR was lodged against Hardik and his aides Dinesh Bhambaniya and Dinesh Patel for holding a public event without permission in Punjab’s Mansa.
Source: The Indian Express
2. Arson on Sathyabama University Campus After Girl Caught Copying Kills Herself
Protests erupted at Sathyabama University on Old Mahabalipuram Road (OMR) on Wednesday night after an 18-year-old first year computer science student committed suicide in her hostel after being caught copying in an exam, police said. After dinner, as the news spread, several students torched furniture at the college and the hostel. A police team conducted an inquiry but no one was arrested.
Police identified the deceased as Duvvuru Monica Reddy of Andhra Pradesh and said she was writing the chemistry paper in her semester exam when she was found copying. The invigilator informed other officials and she was asked to leave the hall, a police officer said.
Source: Times of India
3. 26/11 Mastermind Hafiz Saeed to Walk Free? Pakistan Court Orders His Release
A Judicial Review Board of Pakistan province on Wednesday issued orders to release Jamaat-ud-Dawah (JuD) headman Hafiz Saeed from house arrest, news agency PTI reported. Saeed, the mastermind behind the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack, had been under house arrest since January.
The judicial board rejected Pakistan government’s plea asking to extend the period of confinement by another three months and said, “The government is ordered to release JuD chief Hafiz Saeed if he is not wanted in any other case.”
Source: The Indian Express
4. Padmavati Row: Gujarat Bans Release of Movie; Haryana to Wait for Censor Board Decision
Making its stand clear on the ongoing controversy over Padmavati, the Gujarat government imposed a ban on the release of the period drama directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali in the poll-bound state. Expressing his reservations about the movie, Chief Minister Vijay Rupani said the film was against public sentiments and would not be screened in Gujarat until the matter got resolved.
However, Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar took a moderate stand, saying the decision to allow screening of the Shahid Kapoor, Ranveer Singh and Deepika Padukone starrer would be taken only after the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) arrived at a conclusion.
Source: The Indian Express
5. BrahMos Test-Fired From Sukhoi Fighter Jet for First Time
India successfully launched the world’s fastest supersonic cruise missile from a Sukhoi-30 warplane for the first time against a target in the Bay of Bengal, the defence ministry said on Wednesday.
The 290 km-range BrahMos missile, an Indo-Russian joint venture, is now ready for induction into the Indian Air Force, a top government official said. The specially modified Su-30 fighter took off from the Kalaikunda air base in West Bengal to launch the weapon against a decommissioned boat.
Source: Hindustan Times
6. Parliament's Winter Session Likely to Start on 15 December, May Spill Over to January
The Winter session of the Parliament is likely to start from 15 December, a day after the second and final phase of polling in Gujarat, and end on 5 January, said government sources.
The cabinet committee on parliamentary affairs, headed by home minister Rajnath Singh, met here on Wednesday to finalise the schedule.
Sources said that the dates of the session were finalised but not declared as they had been sent to President Ram Nath Kovind for his approval and issue of summons.
Source: Hindustan Times
7. Lalu's Son Tej Pratap Threatens to 'Thrash' Bihar Dy CM Sushil Modi, Torch His House
RJD chief Lalu Prasad’s elder son Tej Pratap Yadav allegedly threatened to assault Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi and vowed to set his house on fire at his son’s wedding on 3 December.
The remarks triggered uproar after television news channel on Wednesday showed the RJD leader uttering the threat at a public meeting in Aurangabad in south-central Bihar.
“I will thrash him at his own house and set things on fire at his son’s wedding to expose his ill-gotten wealth,” Tej Pratap is heard saying in the news clips.
The ruling BJP-JD(U) alliance called former state health minister Tej Pratap’s rant an example of the RJD degrading the political discourse.
Source: Hindustan Times
8. Funeral Ire on VIP Culture
A distraught doctor on way to a funeral in Patna via Calcutta confronted a Union minister after multiple flight delays in the Manipur capital were blamed on the security arrangements for the President of India.
A video clip showed Dr Nirala Singh, a postgraduate student at the Regional Institute of Medical Sciences in Imphal, admonishing KJ Alphons, the minister of state for tourism, after her flight to Calcutta, from where she was to fly to Patna, was held up.
When the minister tried to pacify her, saying arrangements would be made for her trip, she demanded an assurance in writing. In the video, she is seen telling the minister: "You give it to me in writing... I had to go to Patna at 2.45 pm, I know the body will degrade. I know, I am a doctor."
Source: The Telegraph
9. New Ordinance to Strike Loan Defaulters Another Body Blow
The government on Wednesday recommended an ordinance to significantly tighten the norms to bar promoters of companies facing insolvency proceedings from bidding for the ailing entities, in a move that will shut out several business families from vying with competitors and overseas funds.
Apart from seeking to ban bidding by wilful defaulters, the Insolvency & Bankruptcy Code will be amended to disqualify a tainted promoter in control of an entity that has been a 'non-performing asset' for a "prescribed period", which may be fixed at one year. A continuous loan default for 90 days forces banks to classify a borrower as an NPA.
Source: Times of India
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