POLITICS

Responding to a question during the 'Question Hour', Rai said: "Those who have left the Kashmir Valley due to oppression... whose land has been forcibly taken away, the government, under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, is quite capable to ensure that their land is returned to them."

"If this is true then I am happy that Rahul ji is now impressed by the services done by me and is serving the Mother Goddess in the similar way. Imitation is the best way of complimenting an effort," the senior BJP leader said reacting to an IANS tweet which apprised of the development. Notably, this is the first time that the former Congress president has sent puja samagri to Amethi temples.

On this occasion, Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the BJP workers in New Delhi. In his speech, the prime minister said that the people of India trust the  BJP and it has been proved after the party retained power in four states that went to assembly polls recently. He also slammed the Opposition parties for blatantly following the evils of "dynastic politics" and "vote-bank politics".

A CBI team took charge of the senior Nationalist Congress Party leader Deshmukh from the Arthur Road Central Jail -- where he has been in judicial custody of the Special PMLA Court since over five months -- and placed him under arrest for further investigations. Through his lawyer Aniket Nikam, Deshmukh had challenged before the Bombay High Court a Special Court's order allowing the CBI to take him into custody.

In remarks at the BJP state headquarters here on the occasion of the party's foundation day ceremony, he said that the partners of the entire NDA had chosen Nitish Kumar as the CM face in Bihar. "BJP top leadership has taken the decision to project Nitish Kumar as Chief Minister of Bihar," he said, without revealing the party's clear stand in the current circumstances where several BJP MLAs are seeking that the Chief Minister should come from BJP.

Congress, in a recent meeting, has unanimously decided that the party will contest the Assembly polls under Kamal Nath's leadership, the BJP unit has always maintained that Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan will remain the party's face for the next elections. "Party has decided with consensus that 2023 Assembly elections will be fought under leadership of Kamal Nath," Congress leader Jitu Patwari

Sawant told reporters in Panaji that the state government's Archives and Archaeology had already begun working on the process of restoration of such temples destroyed in the Portuguese era, for which Sawant in his recent budget speech had allocated Rs 20 crore. "Archives and archaeology are working on it," Sawant told reporters. Sawant holds the Archives and Archaeology portfolio.

Faisal Patel tweeted, "Keeping my options open could mean I'm thinking of quitting public life forever. Tired of working and helping the poor and needy without any recognition.@INCIndia." He, on Tuesday, said that he was being ignored by the party's top brass. "Tired of waiting around. No encouragement from the top brass. Keeping my options open," Faisal said in a tweet on Tuesday.

The activist had demanded details of the funds raised from the public, retired and serving defense personnel, and officials in an attempt to save the decommissioned 'Vikrant' from the scrapyard in 2013-2014. "Somaiya had offered to help out with the fund-raisers and said the amount collected would be handed over to the Maharashtra Governor at Raj Bhavan. Finally, the Raj Bhavan has stated that no such money was received," Raut said.

The controversy started after Chatterjee, late Monday evening, shared in social media a fake post relating to the death of the former prime Minister. Since then the Trinamool Congress secretary and the party spokesman launched scathing attacks against Chatterjee without naming the latter. At around 1 a.m. on Wednesday, Ghosh made a counter post on his Facebook wall on this issue.