Politics

Khobragade departed for India, asked to leave US: MEA

New Delhi, Jan 10 (ANI): The foreign ministry on Friday said that Devyani Khobragade, at the centre of the fraud visa row has been transferred to New Delhi from New York. Khobragade has reiterated her innocence on charges filed against her of visa fraud and underpaying her nanny, according to the ministry. The Indian diplomat is flying back to India and will take up her duties at the Ministry of External Affairs, but for now, her children will remain in US. Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Syed Akbaruddin confirmed that Khobragade has departed for home.

Jan 10, 2014

Devyani on her way to India, father thanks people for support

New Delhi, Jan 10 (ANI): As Indian diplomat Devyani Khobragade has been granted full diplomatic immunity and is returning back to India, her father Uttam Khobragade, a retired IAS officer thanked all political parties, the media and the people of India for their month-long support to Devyani and his family. Only the Indian judicial system can adjudicate cases such as Devyani's, he said.

Jan 10, 2014

2014 Lok Sabha Elections: Kiran Bedi Chooses Narendra Modi Over Arvind Kejriwal for Stable Future Govt [VIDEO]

Backing Narendra Modi, social activist Kiran Bedi, who has been a key aide of anti-graft crusader Anna Hazare, declared that she would vote for the NDA prime ministerial candidate in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls.

Jan 10, 2014

BJP welcomes Kiran Bedi s tweet, JD (U) says Bedi inclined towards party from beginning

New Delhi/ Nagpur, Jan 10 (ANI): After Kiran Bedi tweeted in favour of BJP PM candidate Narendra Modi, the party welcomed it with fervor. BJP leader Subramanian Swamy welcomed the move and said that people like VK Singh and Kiran Bedi should join the party and that AAP is nothing more than sham. Party's Vice President Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said that the move came in the flow of the increasing popularity of Modi. Meanwhile, JD (U) leader Shivanand Tiwari said that Bedi was inclined towards BJP from the very beginning and that this was not surprising.

Jan 10, 2014

Alleged Maoists kill two farmers in Odisha

Odisha, Jan 10 (ANI): Suspected Maoists in Koraput district of Odisha killed two farmers after an alleged civil dispute. The farmers were attacked at their paddy threshing field in Bagem village about 3 kms from Narayanpatna block. The bodies of Siba Habika (60) and Linga Habika (30) were found with their throats slit. Police suspected personal enmity to be the cause behind the murders, but the villagers suspect that this is the brutality of Maoist who dominate the area. On Monday, the armed rebels had also attacked two villagers from Balipeta village in Narayanpatna block after branding them as police informers.

Jan 10, 2014

Cabinet approves BWA spectrum refund to BSNL and MTNL

New Delhi, Jan 10 (ANI): The Cabinet approved a proposal to refund state-run telecom companies for surrender of broadband wireless access (BWA) spectrum. The Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) and the Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Limited (MTNL) did not take part in the 2010 spectrum auction. Both the BSNL and the MTNL surrendered their spectrum and sought refunds of payments made. The government also gave its nod to the formulation of a comprehensive regulatory framework for television rating agencies.

Jan 10, 2014

Attorney General Office takes step back, says no irregularities in coal scam

Ranchi/ New Delhi, Jan 10 (ANI): The office of Attorney General denied that the country's top law officer has admitted to irregularities in the coal allocation scam. Earlier, the Attorney General Goolam Essaji Vahanvati accepted that 'something had gone wrong' during the allocations of the coal blocks in the past. Vahanvati, who is the representative of the union government in the Supreme Court, had reportedly said that there were discrepancies despite decisions taken 'in good faith'. Later in the day, however, an advocate from Vahanvati's office, Rohit Sharma, rubbished such reports, saying that the law officer had infact supported the coal block allocations in the Supreme Court.

Jan 10, 2014

Narendra Modi interacts with 60 young volunteers to discuss polls strategy

New Delhi, Jan 10 (ANI): As part of efforts to boost its campaign on social media, Narendra Modi met volunteers to discuss the strategy for 2014 general elections. Nearly 60 volunteers from across the country were invited at the BJP office in New Delhi to discuss ways to engage the voters, specially the youngsters. Goyal indirectly said that BJP was ready to learn from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which has created waves across the country after its victory in Delhi Assembly polls. The BJP also refuted media reports that Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) was upset with the party's polls strategy.

Jan 10, 2014

No enquiry commission set on him over snooping row: Amit Shah

Lucknow, Jan 10 (ANI): Former Gujarat Home Minister Amit Shah said that the Centre has not yet constituted a Commission to inquire into the snooping scandal involving him and Chief Minister Narendra Modi. On December 26, the union Cabinet had decided on to set up a Commission of Inquiry to probe charges of spying on a young woman in 2009 allegedly at the behest of Modi and Amit Shah. The Gujarat government has set up a two-member panel of former judge Sugunaben Bhatt and a retired bureaucrat, KC Kapoor to probe charges.

Jan 10, 2014