Rift between JDU and BJP in Bihar; meeting of RJD at Rabdi Devi’s residence.

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August 9, 2022

Amid reports of an ongoing rift between Janata Dal-United (JD-U) and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Bihar, MLAs and leaders of the Rashtriya Janata Dal arrived at the residence of Rabri Devi, wife of party chief Lalu Prasad Yadav in Patna on Tuesday.

The meeting of the RJD convened by its leader Tejashwi Prasad Yadav, the son of Lalu Yadav also saw leaders of the CPI ML and Congress – part of Mahagathbandhan, the grand Opposition alliance in the state, according to Ajit Sharma, Congress Bihar legislature party leader The RJD leaders arriving for the meeting were asked to hand over their mobile phones ahead of the meeting.

Rumours of a growing rift between the BJP-JDU) ie the NDA alliance in Bihar intensified after Kumar skipped a key meeting of the NITI Aayog, headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Sunday and JD(U) leader RCP Singh tendered his resignation from the party.

Singh, once considered a close aide of Nitish Kumar had announced his exit from the party after being served a notice seeking an explanation on allegations of corruption.

The RJD-led Opposition in the state has meanwhile said that it will welcome any re-alignment in Bihar’s ruling coalition without the BJP.

“For a long time the people of Bihar had been wanting the government with BJP to go and a people’s government to be formed. The BJP which has captured the Parliament wanted to do the same in Bihar assembly but we will not let their intentions succeed. We will support the overthrow of the BJP from power,” said Mahboob Alam, MLA of the CPI (ML) who arrived for the RJD meeting today.

Bihar Congress chief Madan Mohan Jha said “There seems to be a situation of instability and in such a situation then definitely something will come out. The Central government has been using the central agencies. The situation has never been right for the past one year.”

The Vikassheel Insaan Party chief Mukesh Sahani had earlier said that the BJP is indulging in politics of finishing its own alliance partners in many states.

“It tried to break the JD(U) but Kumar took action. Earlier too, it did politics through Chirag Paswan. It’s better to take timely action,” Sahani said.

Separately, chief minister Nitish Kumar has also called a meeting at his official residence here of members of both houses of Parliament and the state legislature.

JD(U) MLC Kumud Verma and party MP Sunil Kumar were seen arriving at the residence of Chief Minister.

The RJD had emerged as the single-largest party in the 2020 Assembly elections in which the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) won 125 seats- BJP won 74 , the JD(U) bagged 43, the Vikassheel Insaan Party got 4 and Hindustan Awaam Party (Secular) bagged 4 seats.

Pakistani citizens are taking their financial woes online and criticizing the country’s PM

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ANI

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August 9, 2022

Pakistani Money Inflation — Image: Agencies

Pakistani citizens are taking their financial woes online and criticizing the country’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) top leader Maryam Nawaz for doing nothing for the relief of the masses, media reports said.

This comes as Pakistan is grappling with a worse economic crisis and the deepening political turmoil is spawning doubts about the government’s ability to make tough decisions going forward and tackle the longstanding structural issues of the economy responsible for the recurring balance-of-payments crisis.

A video is going viral in Pakistan where a Karachi woman could be seen slamming the government after skyrocketing inflation. The woman asks the government whether she should end her children’s lives by stopping to feed them, ARY News reported on Monday.

The woman, identified as Rabia from Karachi, could be seen crying and complaining about the financial problems she was facing after the rise in inflation. In a viral video posted on Twitter, she criticised Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and PML-N top leader Maryam Nawaz for doing nothing for the relief of the masses.

She said that the rulers should tell her how to manage her expenses after rising the prices of essential commodities.

“What should I do, paying house rent, hefty electricity bills, purchase milk and medicines for my kids, feed my children or should I kill them?” Rabia said that she is the mother of two and one of these kids is having fits while the medicine prices for his treatment went high during the last four months.

“Can I avoid purchasing medicines for my child?” “The government has almost killed the poor people. Are you really afraid of being questioned by Allah Almighty or not?” Meanwhile, Pakistan Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif’s coalition government, which took over in April 2022, is grappling with multiple political and economic crises.

Its current account deficit has surged to USD 17.4 billion or 4.6 per cent the size of the economy during the last fiscal year on the rising trade deficit.

A surging current account deficit amid depleting dollar inflows from multilateral and bilateral lenders, as well as shrinking foreign investment have brought the foreign exchange reserves and rupee under enormous pressure over the last several months.

It has stoked rapid inflation, forced the State Bank to boost borrowing costs to a multiyear high and eroded investor confidence in the economy.

Maharashtra Cabinet Expansion 18 ministers take oath in Mumbai

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ANI

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August 9, 2022

The much-awaited expansion of the Maharashtra Cabinet took place on Tuesday with a total of 18 MLAs -9 each from the BJP and from the Chief Minister Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena faction sworn in as ministers in a grand ceremony in Mumbai’s Raj Bhavan.

Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari administered the oath of office to 18 MLAs as ministers.

The Cabinet expansion comes over 40 days after Chief Minister Shinde and Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis were sworn in after a rebellion led by the former toppled the Udhav Thackeray led Maha Vikas Aghadi-government in the state.

The BJP MLAs set to get cabinet berths to include- Chandrakant Patil, Sudhir Mungantiwar, Girish Mahajan, Suresh Khade, Radha Krishna Vikhe Patil, Ravindra Chavhan, Mangal Prabhat Lodha, Vijaykumar Gavit and Atul Save.

Leaders from Shiv Sena inducted include Dada Bhuse, Shambhuraje Desai, Sandeepan Bhumre, Uday Samant, Tanaji Sawant, Abdul Sattar, Deepak Kesarkar, Gulabrao Patil and Sanjay Rathod.

MLAs of the Eknath Shinde camp arrived at Sahyadri Guest House in Mumbai this morning to attend a meeting.

On June 30, Shinde took oath as Maharashtra Chief Minister and Devendra Fadnavis his deputy.

Later, Devendra Fadnavis and Eknath Shinde met with Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari and staked claim to power.

On June 28, Devendra Fadnavis met Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari and asked him for a floor test.

The next day, Uddhav Thackeray offered his resignation to the Governor as the Chief Minister of Maharashtra.

On August 6, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde had said no ministerial-level powers have been given to the secretaries except in quasi-judicial matters.

The Opposition in the state had accused the Chief Minister of functioning as a two-member cabinet and having designed the decision-making powers to the bureaucrats. He said these constituencies included those held by Shiv Sena leaders who have now joined Team Shinde.

Assam Rifles troops attacked by militant groups, one JCO injured in Arunachal

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ANI

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August 9, 2022

lkjsdahdkjsa — Assam Rifles troops attacked by militant groups, one JCO injured in Arunachal 5

Almost a week before the 75th Independence Day of the country, an incident of firing on Assam Rifles troops by militant groups from across the Indo-Myanmar Border took place in the gen area of Arunachal Pradesh’s Tirap Changlang on Tuesday, Defence PRO of Tezpur informed.

According to the Defence PRO, the incident took place while the troops were undertaking enhanced patrolling activities in view of heightened vigil for the forthcoming Independence Day.

One Junior Commissioned Officer (JCO) sustained a minor injury in his hand. No other injury or damage has been reported so far.

Enhanced surveillance by own troops to continue.

PM Modi pays tribute for those participated in “Quit India” movement

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PTI

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August 9, 2022

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday paid tributes to those who participated in the Quit India movement and said it brought together people from all sections of society.

The decisive campaign against British rule was launched this day in 1942 on Mahatma Gandhi’s call at the Bombay session of the Congress on August 8 in his famous ”do or die” speech.

An alarmed British government arrested the top leadership of the Congress but people embraced Gandhi’s call. ”Remembering all those who took part in the Quit India Movement under Bapu’s leadership and strengthened our freedom struggle,” Modi tweeted, posting a clip of his earlier address in which he had spoken about it.

Modi also shared great socialist leader Jayaprakash Narayan’s remark ”August 9 has become a burning symbol of our national revolution”. ”Inspired by Bapu, the Quit India Movement witnessed remarkable participation from people across all sections of society including greats like JP and Dr. Lohia,” Modi tweeted. The prime minister also posted a picture

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday paid tributes to those who participated in the Quit India movement and said it brought together people from all sections of society.

The decisive campaign against British rule was launched this day in 1942 on Mahatma Gandhi’s call at the Bombay session of the Congress on August 8 in his famous ”do or die” speech.

An alarmed British government arrested the top leadership of the Congress but people embraced Gandhi’s call. ”Remembering all those who took part in the Quit India Movement under Bapu’s leadership and strengthened our freedom struggle,” Modi tweeted, posting a clip of his earlier address in which he had spoken about it.

Modi also shared great socialist leader Jayaprakash Narayan’s remark ”August 9 has become a burning symbol of our national revolution”. ”Inspired by Bapu, the Quit India Movement witnessed remarkable participation from people across all sections of society including greats like JP and Dr. Lohia,” Modi tweeted.

The prime minister also posted a picture of Gandhi at the start of the Quit India movement in Bombay.

e of Gandhi at the start of the Quit India movement in Bombay.

Taliban confirms the killing of TTP commander Omar Khalid Khorasani, seeks probe of the incident

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ANI

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August 9, 2022

The Taliban on Monday confirmed the killing of a top Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) commander, Omar Khalid Khorasani in Afghanistan and sought an investigation of the incident from the Taliban government.

According to Taliban spokesman Muhammad Khorasani, “Senior TTP leader Omar Khalid Khorasani and two other members of the banned outfit were killed in a roadside bomb attack in Afghanistan on Sunday evening.”

In a statement today, TTP officials said that the car carrying Omar came under attack in the eastern Paktika province near the Barmal district on Sunday evening, the Dawn reported.

They urged the Taliban government in Afghanistan to investigate the incident and unearth “spies” who could be responsible for the death of senior TTP leaders, the Dawn reported.

Omar’s real name was Abdul Wali Mohmand and he previously headed the TTP in the Mohmand Agency bordering Afghanistan. Apart from Omar, the two other men killed in the attack have been identified as Mufti Hassan and Hafiz Dawlat Khan.

They were among several TTP leaders who had joined the outlawed Daesh in 2014. Omar Khalid Khorasani, a former journalist and poet, who studied at several madrasas in Pakistan’s Karachi previously headed the TTP in the Mohmand Agency bordering Afghanistan. His real name was Abdul Wali Mohmand.

Recently, a jirga member had posted the TTP leader’s photo on the sideline of its meeting with Pakistan’s side which had held two rounds of talks in Kabul in the first week of June and late July.

Omar and a majority of the TTP members from the Mohmand agency had parted ways with the TTP and formed a splinter faction Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan Jamaat Ahrar (TTP-JA) in 2014.

The then TTP chief Maulvi Fazalullah had sacked him after he had announced the formation of his own group Jamaat ul Ahrar, which comprised almost all the Taliban leaders from the Mohmad Agency.

Omar had accused the TTP leadership of deviating from the outfit’s ideology. The TTP leader’s killing could be seen as a major blow to the group, especially at a time when it is involved in talks with the Pakistani government, the Dawn reported.

Meanwhile, the United States added Omar’s name to the US State Department’s Rewards for Justice wanted list in March 2018. US government had a reward of up to USD 3 million for information on Abdul Wali Mohmand.

“Wali is the leader of Jamaat ul-Ahrar (JuA), a militant faction affiliated with Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan (TTP), a U.S.-designated Foreign Terrorist Organization. Under Wali’s leadership, JuA has been one of the most operationally active TTP networks in Punjab Province, Pakistan and has claimed responsibility for multiple attacks throughout Pakistan,” said Rewards for Justice (RFJ), US Department of State’s premier national security rewards programme.

“Wali reportedly operates from Afghanistan’s Nangarhar and Kunar Provinces. Wali was born in Mohmand Agency, Pakistan. He is a former journalist and poet and studied at several madrasas in Karachi, Pakistan,” RFJ added.

On Monday, another top TTP leader Abdul Rashid, who belonged to Bajaur tribal district, was also killed in a landmine blast in Kunar province. In January this year, the TTP confirmed the death of senior leader Mufti Khalid Balti alias Mohammad Khorasani in the eastern Nangarhar province of Afghanistan.

The ongoing peace talks between the TTP and Pakistan government reached a stalemate as the outlawed group refused to give in on its demand for the reversal of the merger of the erstwhile Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) with the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province.

Despite a series of meetings between the two sides in recent weeks to break the impasse, there has also been a stalemate over the issue of TTP laying down arms in case of a peace deal, The media reported.

Talks between the two sides began in October 2021 to seek a political solution to the issue. The talks that were held at the request of the Afghan Taliban led to a one-month ceasefire in November. However, the truce could not last long as differences emerged soon.

Mumbai Police arrested 3 people for defrauding gangster chota shakeel’s aide

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ANI

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August 9, 2022

Mumbai Police arrested three people on Monday for defrauding gangster Chhota Shakeel’s close aide Salim Fruit of Rs 50 lakh by pretending to save him from the National Investigation Agency (NIA) investigation.

The arrested accused have been identified as Vishal Devraj Singh, Jafar Usmani and Pawan Durijeja, the police said.

This came after the arrest of Mohd Salim Mohd Iqbal Qureshi aka Salim Fruit who is associated with gangster Chota Shakeel.

On Thursday, NIA arrested one Mohd Salim Mohd Iqbal Qureshi alias Salim Fruit, brother-in-law of gangster Dawood Ibrahim’s close aide Chhota Shakeel, said the officials.

The arrest was made in a case relating to the activities of D Company. The case was filed suo moto on February 3 pertaining to terrorist or criminal activities.

“Salim Fruit, a close aide of D Company, played an active role in extorting huge amounts of money in the name of Chhota Shakeel via property dealings and dispute settlements for raising terror funds in furtherance of terrorist activities of D company,” NIA said.

Election Commission issued certificate of Election to Jagdeep Dhankar

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PTI

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August 9, 2022

The Election Commission on Sunday issued a certificate announcing the election of NDA candidate Jagdeep Dhankhar as the 14th vice president of India.

Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar and Election Commissioner Anup Chandra Pandey signed the “Certification of the Election” of Dhankar.

A signed copy of the certificate was handed over to the Union Home Secretary by senior Deputy Election Commissioner Dharmendra Sharma and Narendra N Butolia, senior Principal Secretary in the EC, the poll panel said.

The signed copy will be read out at the time of oath taking ceremony of the new vice president on August 11.

The term of incumbent M Venkaiah Naidu ends on August 10.

Dhankhar won with a huge vote share of 74.36 per cent, the highest in the last six vice-presidential elections, with 528 votes against Alva’s 182 votes.

Maharashtra Cabinet

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Web Team

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August 9, 2022

eknath Devendra — Maharashtra Cabinet 11

List of Cabinet Ministers from the BJP quota

Girish Mahajan

Chandrakant Patil

Sudhir Mungantiwar

Suresh Khade

Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil

Atul Save

Ravindra Chavan

Vijaykumar Gavit

Mangal Prabhat Lodha

List of Cabinet Ministers from the Eknath Shinde faction quota

Tanaji Sawant

Uday Samant

Sandipan Bhumre

Dada Bhuse

Abdul Sattar

Deepak Kesarkar

Shambhu Raje Desai

Sanjay Rathod

Gulabrao Patil

Sena leader Uddhav Thackeray seeks four weeks to submit documents to Election Commission

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PTI

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August 8, 2022

uddhav Thackeray, Shiv Sena — Image: Agencies

The Uddhav Thackeray faction of the Shiv Sena has sought four weeks to submit documents in support of its claim on the election symbol, a party leader said on Monday.

Last month, the Election Commission had asked the rival factions of the Shiv Sena, led by Thackeray and Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, to submit documents by August 8 in support of their claims on the election symbol of Shiv Sena- a “bow and arrow”.

“We have sought four weeks from the Election Commission as the plea to disqualify the rebel MLAs is heard by the Supreme Court. So let the pleas be decided first and this can be decided later,” Anil Desai, a Thackeray loyalist, told agencies On August 4, the Supreme Court asked the EC not to take any precipitate action for now on the Eknath Shinde faction’s plea that it be considered the real Shiv Sena and granted the party’s poll symbol- bow and arrow.

The poll body had asked to submit documents, including letters of support from the legislative and organizational wings of the Sena, and the written statements of the rival factions.

The requirements were made in line with Paragraph 15 of the Election Symbols (Reservation and Allotment) Order, 1968.

Earlier this week, the Shinde faction had written to the EC seeking allocation of the party’s ‘bow and arrow’ election symbol to it, citing the recognition granted to them in the Lok Sabha and the Maharashtra Assembly.

The Shiv Sena split last month when more than two-thirds of the party’s 55 MLAs led by Shinde withdrew their support from the Maharashtra government led by Uddhav Thackeray.

Shinde was sworn in as the Chief Minister on June 30 with the support of the BJP.

Last month, at least 12 of the 18 Shiv Sena members in the Lok Sabha had expressed ‘no confidence’ in floor leader Vinayak Raut and declared Rahul Shewale as their floor leader. Subsequently, Lok Sabha Speaker recognized Shewale as the leader.