All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) Chief Badruddin Ajmal on Wednesday sparked a controversy claiming that the Parliament building and the areas surrounding it in the national capital have been built on the Waqf property, news agency ANI reported.Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, October 16, Ajmal claimed that the area around Vasant Vihar up to the airport has been built on Waqf property."There are voices and a list of Waqf properties across the world is out: the Parliament building, surrounding areas, and periphery around Vasant Vihar up to the airport have been built on Waqf property. People also say that the airport has been built on Waqf property," the AIUDF chief said."It is bad to use the Waqf land without permission. They will lose their ministry very soon over this Waqf Board issue," he added.Meanwhile, Members of Parliament (MP) from the Opposition have written to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, alleging "gross violation" of the parliamentary code of conduct during the meeting of the Joint Parliamentary Committee on Waqf (Amendment) Bill 2024, ANI stated.The MPs alleged numerous violations of the parliamentary code of conduct and rules of procedure by Committee Chairperson Jagdambika Pal during the panel meeting held on Monday, October 14, in New Delhi. Opposition MPs write to Lok Sabha Speaker over Waqf Bill "The proceedings of the committee were conducted in a biased and partisan manner by Chairperson Jagdambika Pal. The invitation extended to (former chairman of the Karnataka State Minorities Commission) Anwar Manippady to depose evidence before the committee by the chairperson is not within the scope and ambit of the Committee," the letter stated.The opposition MPs also claimed that a note titled 'Presentation on the Waqf Bill 2012 based on Karnataka Waqf Scam Report 2012' contained no observations on the Waqf Bill but only "politically motivated allegations" against leaders of the Karnataka Congress, including party chief Mallikarjun Kharge, reported ANI."At the beginning of his remarks, Manippady circulated a note titled 'Presentation on the Waqf Amendment Bill 2012 based on Karnataka Waqf Scam Report 2012' to the committee members. The note contained no observations on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024. Instead, it was full of politically motivated allegations against leaders of the Karnataka Congress, including Mallikarjun Kharge, Leader of Opposition (Rajya Sabha). Despite vehement protests by several committee members that Kharge occupies a constitutional position of high dignity and is not present in the meeting, the witness was allowed to speak by the Chairperson. Further, he refused to provide adequate time to committee members to lodge their protests," read the letter."The Chairperson's decision to allow the witness to continue speaking goes against basic rules of procedure as outlined in 'Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in Lok Sabha' (MN Kaul and SL Shakdher). The rules clearly state that matters which are sub judice, cannot be discussed incidentally. Further, the position of Leader of Opposition is a position of high dignity as defined by Kaul and Shakdher. Subsequently under Rule 353 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in Lok Sabha, defamatory or incriminatory allegations cannot be made against any person unless the member is given adequate advance notice," the letter read.The opposition MPs in the letter also stated that the Members of the Committee were deprived of their fundamental right to voice their concerns and thoughts in a space which is expected to operate with the highest alignment to democratic values."We believe that it is imperative to infom you of the situation, as it not only involves an insult to the Leader of Opposition, Rajya Sabha, but paves a way for a marked departure from the spirit of bipartisanship and dignity expected from a parliamentary committee," read the letter. Heated debate over Waqf Bill, 2024 The letter further stated, "We request your immediate intervention in the matter, and expect you to remind the Chairperson of the Committee of his duty to be bipartisan and uphold parliamentary norms. It will be very difficult for Members of Parliament across party lines to continue working on the Joint Parliamentary Committee in the current partisan and politically motivated environment."The Joint Parliamentary Committee meeting on the Waqf Bill at Parliament Annexe, witnessed a heated exchange between ruling party MPs and opposition MPs, leading to an intense debate and the opposition MPs staging a walkout of the meeting.However, opposition MPs, who previously walked out on Tuesday alleging the use of abusive language from a BJP MP and biased behaviour returned to participate in the meeting again. The opposition MPs who had walked out of the meeting earlier in the day also alleged that the Chairman of the committee Jagdambika Pal was being biased on many issues and not giving instructions to BJP/NDA MPs.The opposition MPs had earlier on Monday also walked out of the JPC meeting on Waqf Bill over allegations made by Anwar Manippady, former Chairman of the Karnataka State Minorities Commission and the Karnataka Minorities Development Corporation.According to the MPs, Manippady deviated from the agenda of the meeting and made a series of allegations against the Karnataka Government and levelled allegations against Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge. The opposition MPs said that the allegations were irrelevant and unacceptable. (With ANI inputs)
16 October,2024 08:04 PM IST | Guwahati | mid-day online correspondentAll India Congress Committee (AICC) state in-charge Ramesh Chennithala accused the Mahayuti government of "misleading" people and making "false promises" a day after the Maharashtra Assembly election schedule was announced, news agency ANI reported.Chennithala was speaking to media in Delhi after attending a meeting of the Congress screening committee, called to likely decide the candidates for the upcoming Maharashtra Assembly election.The state in-charge said that several topics were discussed on Wednesday, October 16. "We will have to chair one more meeting. A CEC (Central Election Committee) meeting will be there after this," he said.Chennithala also lashed out at the Eknath Shinde-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government, saying, "The Mahayuti (alliance) is giving fake promises to people. They were in power for a long time but until now they did not take any decisions. Now as the Maharashtra Assembly election is coming, how come the cabinet took 200 decisions? They (Mahayuti) are trying to mislead the people, they don't have to implement this [promises] so they are making false promises."After the meeting, Leader of Opposition (LoP) in Maharashtra Assembly and Congress leader Vijay Wadettiwar also hit out at the Mahayuti government, stated ANI. "Every state is being looted and wealth is being deposited in Gujarat. Maharashtra is also going to be looted the same way and 80 per cent of contractors from Gujarat are working in Maharashtra, so Marathi people are hurt."Earlier in the day during a press conference, Chief Minister Shinde said, "Our two years of work and performance is the face of our alliance. The MVA (Maha Vikas Aghadi) should announce their face as the leader of the opposition. We are presenting our two-year performance card. It is not easy to present your report card after two years of government because to produce such a detailed report card, the government has to perform well." His deputy Devendra Fadnavis was also present at the press conference, stated ANI. 288 seats in fray for Maharashtra Assembly election The election for the 288-member assembly in Maharashtra would will be held in a single phase on November 20, with the counting of votes to take place three days later.In the 2019, Maharashtra Assembly election, the Congress and undivided Shiv Sena had won 154 out of 288 seats. They later formed MVA with undivided Nationalist Congress Party (NCP). However, this time, following the split in the two parties, Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray), NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) and Congress are in alliance to counter the Mahayuti alliance, comprising Shiv Sena headed by CM Shinde, Ajit Pawar's NCP and BJP.In the Lok Sabha election held this year, MVA won 30 of the state's 48 Lok Sabha seats while the ruling alliance won 17. One seat went to an Independent candidate. (With ANI inputs)
16 October,2024 07:26 PM IST | New Delhi | mid-day online correspondentThe Delhi Police has registered an FIR in connection with bomb threats to flights and launched a probe into the matter, official sources said on Wednesday, reported the PTI. Several domestic and international flights in the last couple of days received bomb threats leading to emergency landings and diversions. According to sources, an FIR has been registered at the IGI airport police station as different flights received the threats through a social media handle in the last two days, as per the PTI. A Bengaluru-bound Akasa Air flight with more than 180 people on board returned to the national capital following a bomb threat. These aircraft were scheduled to fly to different countries and states, a police officer said. In the past two days, nearly a dozen Indian flights, including some international flights, received bomb threats but nothing suspicious was found in the planes. The Delhi Police said the number of FIRs may increase. Meanwhile, the issue of multiple hoax threats to various airlines came up before a parliamentary committee on Wednesday as the civil aviation secretary told parliamentarians that the accused are being identified and action will be taken against them, the news agency reported. The Ministry of Home Affairs on Wednesday sought a report from the Ministry of Civil Aviation on a series of bomb threats to various airlines across the country, reported the ANI. According to the ANI, a senior official has confirmed that MHA has instructed the Ministry of Civil Aviation, Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), Bureau of Civil Aviation, National Investigation Agency (NIA) and Intelligence Bureau (IB) to submit a report on bomb threats that have been received recently. "Senior officials of MHA have instructed all concerned security agencies in the aviation sector to prepare a report on the matter and submit it at the earliest. The investigation will be monitored by the central intelligence agency to find out if it was a conspiracy to damage the reputation Indian aviation sector," said the official, as per the ANI. The official further said that they have also alerted cyber units to be on alert and track the social media accounts posting threats. Most of the accounts that have posted threats were found to be operated from outside the country. They have got these accounts suspended as soon they come to notice, the ANI reported. (with PTI and ANI inputs)
16 October,2024 06:48 PM IST | New Delhi | mid-day online correspondentExternal Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar on Wednesday departed to Delhi from Islamabad after attending the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit, news agency ANI reported.He thanked Pakistani Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif and Deputy PM and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar for their hospitality at the SCO Summit.In a post on X, he said, "Departing from Islamabad. Thank PM Shehbaz Sharif, DPM & FM Ishaq Dar and the Government of Pakistan for the hospitality and courtesies." Departing from Islamabad. Thank PM @CMShehbaz, DPM & FM @MIshaqDar50 and the Government of Pakistan for the hospitality and courtesies. pic.twitter.com/wftT91yrKj — Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) October 16, 2024 Earlier in the day, during his address at the 23rd Meeting of the SCO Council of Heads of Government in Islamabad, EAM called for "introspection if friendship between the two nations has fallen short" or "good neighbourliness" is missing, reported ANI."If we fast-forward from the inception of the Charter to the situation today, these goals and these tasks are even more crucial. It is, therefore, essential that we have an honest conversation," Jaishankar said."If trust is lacking or cooperation inadequate, if friendship has fallen short and good neighbourliness is missing somewhere, there are surely reasons to introspect and causes to address. Equally, it is only when we reaffirm our commitment most sincerely to the Charter that we can fully realise the benefits of cooperation and integration that it envisages," he added. During his SCO Summit address, the minister also termed cross-border terrorism, extremism and separatism as the "three evils" that hinder trade and people-to-people relations between countries, stated ANI, adding that he took a veiled jibe at Pakistan and said that if activities across borders are characterised by terrorism, extremism and separatism, they are "hardly likely to encourage trade, energy flows, connectivity and people-to-people exchanges in parallel.""We all realise that the world is moving towards multi-polarity. Globalisation and rebalancing are realities that cannot be denied. Cumulatively, they have created many new opportunities in terms of trade, investment, connectivity, energy flows and other forms of collaboration. There is no question that our region would benefit immensely if we take this forward. Not just that, others too would draw their own inspiration and lessons from such efforts," he said in his address at the SCO Summit. (With ANI inputs)
16 October,2024 05:33 PM IST | Islamabad | mid-day online correspondentThe Ministry of Home Affairs on Wednesday sought a report from the Ministry of Civil Aviation on a series of bomb threats to various airlines across the country, reported the ANI. In the last 48 hours, around 13 bomb threats have been received by various airlines on domestic and international routes, all found to be hoaxes. According to the ANI, a senior official has confirmed that MHA has instructed the Ministry of Civil Aviation, Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), Bureau of Civil Aviation, National Investigation Agency (NIA) and Intelligence Bureau (IB) to submit a report on bomb threats that have been received recently. "Senior officials of MHA have instructed all concerned security agencies in the aviation sector to prepare a report on the matter and submit it at the earliest. The investigation will be monitored by the central intelligence agency to find out if it was a conspiracy to damage the reputation Indian aviation sector," said the official, as per the ANI. The official further said that they have also alerted cyber units to be on alert and track the social media accounts posting threats. Most of the accounts that have posted threats were found to be operated from outside the country. They have got these accounts suspended as soon they come to notice, the ANI reported. On Wednesday, several flights continued to receive bomb threats. A Mumbai to Delhi IndiGo flight was diverted to Gujarat's Ahmedabad following a security threat, the officials said. The IndiGo flight 6E 651 was isolated upon landing, ensuring the safety of all passengers and crew on board. In an official statement, IndiGo airlines said, "Flight 6E 651, operating from Mumbai to Delhi, was redirected to Ahmedabad due to a security-related alert. The aircraft was isolated, and all passengers were safely disembarked. Ensuring the safety and security of our customers and crew remains paramount in all facets of our operations. We worked closely with the relevant authorities, and standard operating procedures were followed. We sincerely regret any inconvenience this situation may have caused our customers and appreciate their understanding." Another IndiGo flight, 6E 074 from Riyadh to Mumbai also received a bomb threat following which the flight was diverted to Muscat in Oman. A Spicejet flight SG116 from Darbhanga to Mumbai received a bomb threat via social media platform. The flight landed at Mumbai airport on priority basis, the officials said. Another Spicejet flight SG124 from Leh to Delhi also received a bomb threat via social media and the flight later landed at Delhi, the officials said. In an another incident, an Akasa Air flight QP 1335, flying from Delhi to Bengaluru on October 16, 2024, and carrying 174 passengers, 3 infants and 7 crew members on board, received a security alert, the airline said. (with ANI inputs)
16 October,2024 05:01 PM IST | New Delhi | mid-day online correspondentNayab Singh Saini has been appointed as the leader of the Haryana BJP Legislature Party during a meeting led by Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Chandigarh, reported news agency ANI. Saini is set to take the oath of office as Chief Minister (CM) of Haryana on Thursday. In a pivotal moment for Haryana's political landscape, Amit Shah, caretaker CM Saini and other party leaders arrived at Raj Bhavan in Chandigarh to stake claim to form the government, marking the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) third consecutive term in the state, ANI stated. Meanwhile, BJP Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA) Anil Vij expressed confidence in the BJP leadership amid support of independent legislators. "All the MLAs have unanimously elected him [Nayab Singh Saini] as the leader of the BJP Legislative Party and he will take oath as the Chief Minister tomorrow... I have fulfilled all the responsibilities entrusted to me by the party. Tomorrow's programme will be historic...," he said. Three independent MLAs: Savitri Jindal, Rajesh Joon, and Devender Kadyan have also announced their support to the Haryana BJP Legislative Party and will submit letters of endorsement to the Governor on Wednesday. While speaking to ANI, Savitri Jindal, who has been elected from the Hisar Assembly seat, extended her unconditional support for the government, stating, "I am giving my support to the Haryana government without any conditions. We want good development of Hisar and Haryana. I have full faith that CM Nayab Singh Saini will do overall development of Haryana..." Rajesh Joon from Bahadurgarh Assembly seat talked about his alignment with the BJP's policies and his dedication to improving his constituency, said, "I am supporting the BJP and will meet the Governor and submit the letter of support. I have supported the BJP because I liked its policies and for the development of my area..." Devender Kadyan from Ganaur Assembly seat expressed similar sentiments, reinforcing their collective decision to back the BJP for regional development and said, "Today all 3 independent MLAs are going to submit a letter of support to the Governor. For the development of our area, we have decided to support the BJP government..." After being chosen as the leader of the legislative party, Nayab Saini will take oath as the Chief Minister of Haryana on October 17. ON Wednesday, Nayab Singh Saini articulated a commitment to advancing Prime Minister Modi's vision to make Viksit Bharat by 2047. He said, "The people of Haryana have placed their faith in the policies of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and formed the BJP government for the third time and the people have resolved to carry forward the vision of Prime Minister Modi to make India developed by 2047." (With inputs from ANI)
16 October,2024 04:41 PM IST | Panchkula, Haryana | mid-day online correspondentThe Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved a 3 per cent hike in Dearness Allowance (DA) for government employees, news agency ANI reported.During a press briefing after the Cabinet meeting on Wednesday, Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said that the DA hike was effective from July 1, 2024.The Dearness Relief for pensioners has also been revised by 3 per cent, Vaishnaw said."The Union Cabinet, chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, has approved an additional instalment of Dearness Allowance (DA) to Central Government employees and Dearness Relief (DR) to pensioners w.e.f. 01.07.2024 representing an increase of three percent (3 per cent) over the existing rate of 50 per cent of the Basic Pay/Pension, to compensate against price rise," as per a government release.The combined impact on the exchequer on account of both DA and DR would be Rs .9,448.35 crore per annum, it added.As per the release, this increase is in accordance with the accepted formula, which is based on the recommendations of the 7th Central Pay Commission. This will benefit about 49.18 lakh central government employees and 64.89 lakh pensioners.The Dearness Allowance/Dearness Relief is paid to central government employees/pensioners to adjust the cost of living and to protect their basic pay/pension from erosion in the real values.These are revised twice a year from January 1 and July 1 based on increase in 12 monthly average of All India Consumer Price Index for Industrial Workers (AICPI-IW) published by the Labour Bureau.Since the hike is effective from July 2024, the employees will get arrears for July, August and September.
16 October,2024 04:19 PM IST | New Delhi | ANIThe Gujarat Government defended its decision to demolish a Dargah and other structures in Gir Somnath, stating that the lands were of governments abutting the waterfront Arabian Sea where the encroachments were removed, reported news agency ANI. "The removal of encroachments has been part of a continuous drive undertaken by the revenue authorities of District Gir Somnath to ensure that the valuable government land abutting the waterfront (Arabia Sea) is freed up of encroachments," Gujarat Government said in an affidavit. The affidavit by the state government was filed in a reply to a petition by Summast Patni Muslim Jamat through advocate Anas Tanwir, which sought to initiate contempt proceedings against Gujarat authorities for wilfull and deliberate contravention of the order, dated September 17. The Union Government, however, expressed its unconditional apology for any alleged contemptuous conduct, emphasising its respect for the Apex Court and stating that it does not seek to affect SC's majesty. In its defence, the Gujarat Government opposed the claims made by the Jamat, arguing that it was "unfortunate" for the petitioner to attribute a communal motive to the demolition actions. "In Phase-1 of the removal of encroachments, on October 8, 2023, 26 encroachments were removed from Revenue Survey No 1852 of Village Prabhas Patan, out of which one encroacher belonged to a member of the Hindu community and 25 encroachments belonged to members of the Muslim community. Phase-1 cleared 15,000 square metres of government land of encroachments," Gujarat Government said. The affidavit detailed subsequent phases of demolition, noting that in Phase-2, 174 encroachments, including temples were removed, all belonging to the members of the Hindu community. In Phase-3, 155 encroachments were cleared from public roads, with 147 belonging to Hindus and eight to Muslims. The government reiterated that these actions were part of a systematic effort to reclaim government land. "Thus, the removal of encroachments has been part of a continuous drive undertaken by the Revenue authorities of District Gir Somnath to ensure that the valuable government land abutting the waterfront (Arabia Sea) is freed up of encroachments," Gujarat Government said. The Gujarat Government stated that prior to the demolitions on September 28-29, 2024, notices were issued on September 5 under Section 202 of the Gujarat Land Revenue Code (GLRC) to inform encroachers about the illegal status of their structures. The government also added that the petitioner lacked standing in this case and had not stated while filing for the petition how they were adversely affected by the demolitions. During proceedings on Wednesday, Senior Advocate Sanjay Hegde, representing the Summast Patni Muslim Jamat, requested additional time to file a rejoinder and said that the state’s only defence centred around the proximity of the land to the Arabian Sea. A bench of justices BR Gavai, PK Mishra and KV Vishwanathan adjourned the matter after three weeks, as per ANI. The Supreme Court had previously ruled against staying demolitions but indicated that if it found evidence of contempt regarding its orders, it would take serious action against responsible officials and may restore demolished structures. On September 17, SC directed that there shall be no demolition anywhere pan India without seeking leave of the court till next hearing date. The court clarified that its order would not be applicable if there is an unauthorised structure in any public place such as road, street, footpath, abutting railway line or any river body or water bodies, and also to cases where there is an order for demolition made by a Court of law, as per ANI. The petitioners alleged that Gujarat authorities conducted illegal demolitions early morning on September 28, 2024, targeting centuries-old Muslim religious sites, such as mosques, eidgahs, mausoleums, dargahs and residential places of Mutawallis of the dargahs without prior notice or opportunity for hearing. "The respondents herein, by carrying out the said demolitions, have blatantly defied the aforementioned order, thereby lowering the majesty of the court in the eyes of the general public, relaying utter disrespect to the orders of the court," the petitioner said. The Summast Patni Musslim Jamat represents the Patni Muslim community in Prabhas Patan and seeks protection for religious sites of historical and spiritual importance. "These include Haji Mangroli Shah Baba's tomb, dargahs, mosques, and graveyards that have been used and revered by the local Muslim community for over a century. The tomb and surrounding graveyards have existed since the time of the state of Junagadh, with the matter of their ownership and usage being resolved as early as 1903 by a legal resolution passed under the supervision," the petitioner said. (With inputs from ANI)
16 October,2024 03:48 PM IST | New Delhi | mid-day online correspondentA helicopter carrying Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Rajiv Kumar and Additional Chief Election Officer (CEO) of Uttarakhand Vijay Kumar Jogdand made an emergency landing in Uttarakhand, the officials said on Wednesday. The helicopter was on its was to Munsiyari in Uttarakhand when it made an emergency landing in Pithoragarh district, an official said. "All the people on board the helicopter are safe," the Uttarakhand government said. Further details will be updated.
16 October,2024 03:21 PM IST | Mumbai | Prasun ChoudhariIn the wake of the post-monsoon season, the reptilian residents of Vadodara are often spotted in urban spaces. One such case involved the rescue of an 8-foot-long mugger crocodile (Crocodylus palustris) from under Lalbaug bridge in a combined effort by Wildlife SOS-GSPCA and the Gujarat Forest Department. The crocodile has been handed over to the forest department and will soon be released back into the wild. In the early morning hours, passersby near the Rajmal compound spotted a huge 8-foot-long mugger crocodile under the Lalbaug bridge in Vadodara. Seeing the crocodile stranded and distressed, one compassionate onlooker informed Wildlife SOS on its emergency rescue helpline (+91 9825011117), which is operated in collaboration with the Gujarat Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (GSPCA). A four-member rescue team from Wildlife SOS-GSPCA arrived promptly and assessed the situation, as the incident occurred in a busy central location of the city. After almost an hour-long operation, the combined rescue team of Wildlife SOS-GSPCA and the Gujarat Forest Department safely rescued the crocodile. The reptile was later handed over to the forest department for further care and eventual release into its natural habitat. Raj Bhavsar, Project Coordinator at Wildlife SOS and President of GSPCA, commented, “There was a brief spell of a shower during the time of Navratri, due to which the level of the Vishwamitri river had increased. Therefore the surrounding lowland areas including housing societies, factories and roads were flooded. When things went back to normal, the water receded, but in a few places crocodiles got stranded on dry land.” Kartick Satyanarayan, Co-founder and CEO of Wildlife SOS, remarked, “Our collaboration with the Gujarat Forest Department and citizens is crucial in these rescue operations. The cooperation of the onlookers in letting the experts do their job shows how crucial our work has been in spreading awareness about wildlife conservation in urban areas.” Karan Singh Rajput, Range Forest Officer, Vadodara, added, “By working together, the Wildlife SOS-GSPCA rescue team along with the forest department ensured the reptile’s safety while keeping the crowd at bay. The rescue of these crocodiles highlights the critical need for continued collaboration to promote peaceful coexistence between humans and wild animals.”
16 October,2024 02:25 PM IST | Mumbai | A CorrespondentPrime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday congratulated Omar Abdullah on being sworn in as the chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir, and said the Centre will work closely with him and his team for J-K's progress. National Conference leader Omar Abdullah was sworn in as the Jammu and Kashmir CM on Wednesday, the first elected government in the Union territory since 2019 when Article 370 was abrogated. In a post on X, PM Modi said, "Congratulations to Shri Omar Abdullah Ji on taking oath as the Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir. Wishing him the very best in his efforts to serve the people." Congratulations to Shri Omar Abdullah Ji on taking oath as the Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir. Wishing him the very best in his efforts to serve the people. The Centre will work closely with him and his team for J&K's progress. @OmarAbdullah — Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) October 16, 2024 "The Centre will work closely with him and his team for J&K's progress," the prime minister said. Lt Governor Manoj Sinha administered the oath of office and secrecy to Abdullah, who takes over as chief minister for a second term and is the third generation of the Abdullah family to occupy the office -- after his grandfather Sheikh Abdullah and father Farooq Abdullah. Five ministers -- Sakina Masood (Itoo), Javed Dar, Javed Rana, Surinder Choudhary, and Satish Sharma -- also took the oath of office. While Itoo and Dar are from the Kashmir valley, Rana, Choudhary and Sharma are from the Jammu region. The Congress said it will not join the Council of Ministers for the moment. JKPCC chief Tariq Hameed Karra said the Congress will not join the council of ministers in J-K for the moment as it is unhappy that statehood has not been restored. INDIA bloc leaders attended the event in full strength. Among those who had gathered at the Sher-i-Kashmir International Convention Centre (SKICC) were Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and Mallikarjun Kharge, SP chief Akhilesh Yadav, Left leaders Prakash Karat and D Raja, DMK's Kanimozhi and NCP's Supriya Sule. PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti also attended the event. Omar Abdullah's family, including his father Farooq Abdullah, his mother Molly Abdullah, his two sisters, and two sons were present on the occasion. Abdullah was earlier unanimously elected leader of the NC Legislature Party. His first term as chief minister was from 2009 to 2014 when Jammu and Kashmir was a full-fledged state. The National Conference won 42 out of the 90 seats in the recent elections while alliance partner Congress bagged six. Together, the two pre-poll allies hold a majority in the 95-member assembly -- five members are to be nominated by the LG. In 2019, the erstwhile state was bifurcated into the union territories of Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh. (With inputs from PTI)
16 October,2024 02:14 PM IST | New Delhi | mid-day online correspondentADVERTISEMENT
