1. BJP Attacks Hamid Ansari For ‘Minorities Insecure’ Remark
India’s next vice president Venkaiah Naidu on Thursday dismissed allegations of insecurity among Muslims as a political propaganda, a day after his predecessor Hamid Ansari flagged a “growing unease” among the country’s minority community.
Though Naidu did not name anyone, his comments are being seen as a response to Ansari, who told a government-run TV channel on Thursday that insecurity was creeping in among Muslims in India and that there was a breakdown of Indian values.
“Some people are saying minorities are insecure. It is a political propaganda. Compared to the entire world, minorities are more safe and secure in India and they get their due,” Naidu said. His political stand left many surprised as it came a day ahead of his swearing in to the country’s second-highest constitutional position, a post neutral of party affiliations.
Source: Hindustan Times
2. EPS Faction Moves a Step Closer to AIADMK Merger
Moving a step closer to the rebel faction led by O Panneerselvam ahead of the rumoured merger, the ruling faction of AIADMK headed by Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami passed a resolution against party deputy general secretary and VK Sasikala’s nephew, TTV Dinakaran, by declaring recent party appointments he made last week null and void.
However, sources in the OPS camp said their conditions are still not met – removal of Sasikala, her family members including Dinakaran from the party and a probe into the death of late chief minister J Jayalalithaa.
Source: The Indian Express
3. JD(U) Crisis: Sharad Yadav Asked Not to ‘Cross Limits’
On the day JD(U) MP Sharad Yadav began his three-day ‘Jan Samvad’ programme in Bihar, the party asked him to refrain from making comments that could damage its image.
This comes closely after Yadav claimed the party broke the “trust of 11 crore people” by aligning with the BJP. He said people felt “cheated” after Chief Minister Nitish Kumar broke away from the Grand Alliance.
Reacting to Yadav’s statement, party spokesperson K C Tyagi said, “The political language being used by him is very objectionable and uncomfortable for the party president (Nitish Kumar) and the government (of Bihar). It will be better if he puts his point of view at the party’s national executive on 19 August. We will ask him to refrain from making statement which crosses limits.”
Source: The Indian Express
4. Chandigarh Stalking: Vikas Barala Admits He Was Driving the Vehicle
Vikas Barala, the son of Haryana BJP’s chief, is learnt to have identified his vehicle and admitted that he was behind the wheel when police officials showed him surveillance footage from Friday night when he and an accomplice allegedly stalked a woman.
Barala, son of Subhash Barala, and Ashish Kumar were arrested for the second time on Wednesday for allegedly stalking and trying to kidnap 29-year-old Varnika Kundu, who was eventually rescued by a police team.
The attempted kidnapping charge was added to the case on Wednesday, after police was accused of going soft given the profile of the suspects.
Source: Hindustan Times
5. India Has Ordered Evacuation of Frontier Sikkim Village: Chinese Media
The army has ordered evacuation of a frontier Sikkim village near the site of a tense India-China border standoff, the People’s Daily newspaper said on Thursday.
The Indian military refused comments on the report by the neighbouring Asian giant’s biggest newspaper, which also happens to be the Communist Party of China’s mouthpiece.
But army sources denied any evacuation or plans for such an action in Sikkim. The People’s Daily tweeted: “Indian troops on Thu orders evacuation of Nathang village, near site of two-month standoff between #Chinese and #Indian armies.”
Source: Hindustan Times
6. 12 Years After Hyderabad Bombing, Court Acquits All 10 Arrested
Ten terror suspects with alleged links to Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami (HuJI) were acquitted by a local court on Thursday, nearly 12 years after a suicide bomber blew himself up on 12 October 2005 in front of the police task force office in Hyderabad. While nine of the accused have spent nearly 12 years in jail, the tenth has been out on bail.
Apart from the suicide bomber, a home guard posted outside the office died in the explosion.
Source: The Times of India
7. Gujarat RS Polls: BJP Thinks EC Verdict on Patel Flawed, Plans Challenge
After losing a Rajya Sabha seat to Congress leader Ahmed Patel by a whisker, following high drama over invalidation of two votes, BJP sees flaw in the manner in which the Election Commission cancelled the ballots.
While EC upheld Congress's complaint that two of its disgruntled MLAs revealed their votes to unauthorised persons before casting them and this tilted the balance in favour of Patel with the total votes dipping from 176 to 174, BJP sources said the decision will be challenged. BJP leaders argue that the Congress registered its complaint much after votes were cast and were in the ballot box.
According to party sources the two votes in question were cast between 9.10 and 9.20 am, the Congress managers registered their complaint around 3 pm.
Source: The Times of India
8. Barala Living in House Meant for Ministers
When an FIR was registered against Vikas Barala for stalking and trying to abduct Varnika Kundu, the document said that he lived in house number 74 in Chandigarh's Sector 7. However, a The Times of India investigation revealed that the house was not allotted to Vikas's father, Haryana BJP chief Subhash Barala.
The property, spread across roughly 1,000 square yards was allotted to Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar's political advisor Deepak Mangla.
Documents accessed by The Times of India show that eight houses in Sector 7 have been categorised as ‘minister house’ and allotted to what is known as the ‘CM, Haryana pool’. No one but ministers and senior functionaries of the state can live here. Sources confirmed to The Times of India that even under the chief minister's discretionary powers, the house can't be allotted to an MLA or a political party chief.
Source: The Times of India
9. No Insurance For Vehicles Sans PUC: Supreme Court
In a move intended to reduce pollution caused by vehicular emissions, the Supreme Court directed the Centre to take steps to refuse insurance cover to a vehicle that does not have a valid pollution under control (PUC) certificate.
A bench of Justices Madan B Lokur and Deepak Gupta passed the order after the Environment Pollution Control Authority (EPCA), set up by the SC, pointed out through amicus curiae Aparajita Singh, that pollution caused by vehicular emissions remained a huge problem.
Source: The Times of India
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