638

#Bihar: CM Nitish Kumar Terms Government Transfers 'Unnecessary', Hints At Cabinet Expansion

Putting an end to the row triggered by his recent directives to hold the transfers of state revenue and land reform department officials, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar said he was informed that some transfers were done unnecessarily. 

"We have been informed that several transfers were done unnecessarily. This is the reason we have stopped it. We will do it again," Nitish Kumar said.

The Chief Minister's statement came while he was addressing the media on the sidelines of Kargil Vijay Diwas celebrations held at Kargil Chowk in Patna.

610

#Logjam in Parliament as Shah urges Oppn to allow truth to come out on Manipur issue; AAP MP Sanjay Singh suspended

As the logjam in Parliament persisted for the third day, Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday asked the opposition to allow a debate on the Manipur issue to begin but both sides stood rigid on their stand while AAP MP Sanjay Sanjay Singh was suspended during uproar in the Upper House for the rest of the monsoon session.

Relentless protests from opposition members, who insisted on a statement from Prime Minister Narendra Modi before any debate, marred the proceedings in both Houses while charges and countercharges flew thick and fast outside Parliament.

The Congress alleged that the prime minister was "scared" of a discussion in Parliament, but the BJP claimed the opposition was running away as it does not want certain facts to come to the fore.

609

#Ajit Pawar Urges NCP Supporters To Refrain From Demanding CM Seat For Him After Strain On Ruling Alliance

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar has chided the leaders of the breakaway Nationalist Congress Party for their persistent clamour that he should become the Chief Minister, sources said here on Tuesday. For the past three weeks, some sections of the NCP (AP), including MLC Amol Mitkari have been predicting that he would or should become the next CM soon, unnerving Chief Minister Eknath Shinde's Shiv Sena.

Ajit Pawar is understood to have conveyed to his party leaders to "refrain from repeatedly raising the issue of his becoming the CM" as it was resulting in strains among the 3-party ruling alliance, said a party leader. Even the Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) allies Congress-NCP (SP)-Shiv Sena (UBT) frequently needled the Shinde camp with sombre predictions over the CM's fate.

608

#UP News: Ignored By Unified Opposition, Miffed Maywati To Join State Govt If BSP Balances Power Scales

After facing mass exodus of its legislators in states like Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) supremo Mayawati has decided to be part of government if the party becomes balance of power.

The BSP chief on Tuesday said it has been seen often that her party legislators are being lured in other states by big parties in the name of participation in government. She said such cases have happened in Rajasthan, MP and Chattisgarh earlier.

440

#'Don't lecture us... Manipur conflict is your legacy': BJP unleashes brutal attack on Congress

“The current conflict in Manipur is a legacy of the Congress party,” said BJP as it unleashed a scathing attack on the grand old party.

“Pitting one ethnic group against the other was the only way Congress knew how to remain in power,” said BJP’s Amit Malviya, who also asked Congress “lecturing on violence in Manipur” to check their track record.

The BJP leader shared a comparative graph of casualties in the north-east under the Modi government and the previous regime.