QBullet: Protests Stall Budget Session; Rajinikanth Invokes MGR
Here are the top stories of the day.
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1. Protests Over Bank Scam, Andhra Package Derail Parliament
The first day of the second half of the Budget Session of Parliament was washed out on Monday, 5 March, as Opposition parties in both Houses protested over a range of issues, from the Punjab National Bank scam to the demand for a special package for Andhra Pradesh.
Relentless sloganeering on the over ₹12,800-crore Punjab National Bank (PNB) scam and the issue of a special package for Andhra Pradesh forced adjournments in both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha.
Lok Sabha was adjourned for the day after protests by the Congress over the PNB scam, and demands by NDA-ally TDP for a special package for Andhra Pradesh.
(Source: The Hindu)
2. Want to Revive MGR's Rule, Says Rajinikanth
Actor Rajinikanth on Monday, 5 March, proclaimed that he wanted to revive MGR’s rule in Tamil Nadu, adding that he took the political plunge only to fill the leadership vacuum in the Dravidian heartland.
“Some say not everyone can become like MGR (the AIADMK founder and former chief minister MG Ramachandran). There can never be anyone like MGR in the next 100 or even 1,000 years. MGR is a ‘yuga purushan’. If someone says he wants to become like MGR, then he is a fool. MGR’s rule took care of the poor, the downtrodden and the middle-class. I have faith that I too can provide that rule,” he said.
“People ask if I am coming to politics now because there is a vacuum. Yes, there is a vacuum. There is a vacuum for good leaders and leadership. There were two great leaders – Jayalalithaa and M Karunanidhi (who is inactive on account of his old age). Tamil Nadu needs a leader, a leadership. I am coming to fill that vacuum,” he said.
(Source: The Hindu)
3. Shopian Attack: Situation Tense as Death Toll Reaches Six, CM Upset Over Killing of Civilians
Taking cognisance of the Shopian militant attack that took place on Sunday, 4 March, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti has expressed disappointment on the deaths of four alleged civilians and asserted that the four individuals were caught in the crossfire between the army and the militants.
“Deeply distressed by more deaths of civilians caught in the crossfire in Shopian. My heartfelt condolences to the deceased’s families,” Chief Minister Mufti tweeted.
The criticism on the alleged killings of civilians also came from Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) chairman Yasin Malik who was detained while attempting to organise protests. Malik, along with his group of supporters had reached Badshah bridge and were on the way to march towards Lal Chowk in Srinagar.
(Source: The Indian Express)
4. Chidambaram Passed Order on 2014 LS Result Day to Benefit Private Firms: BJP
The BJP on Monday, 5 March, sought to corner former finance minister P Chidambaram, alleging that he granted seven private firms, including PNB scam-accused Gitanjali Gems, gold import benefits on the day of counting of 2014 Lok Sabha poll votes and asked the Congress how much "cut" was given to whom for the decision.
Senior party leader and Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad targeted the Congress and Chidambaram, whose son Karti Chidambaram has been arrested by the CBI in a corruption case, at a press conference which was described by the BJP as an "expose on the politics of lies and deceit" of the Opposition party.
Prasad alleged that the then Congress-led UPA government "destroyed" the economy by not letting the real stressed assets get reflected in banks' books and said total advances given by banks in the last six years of its rule rose to Rs 52.15 lakh crore from Rs 18.06 lakh crore in 2008.
(Source: The Times of India)
5. Nagaland: BJP Breaks 15-Year Alliance With NPF, Set to Form Govt With NDPP in State
Efforts by TR Zeliang and Naga People’s Front to both cajole and coerce its long-term ally BJP has come to nought as the saffron party and the Nationalist Democratic People’s Party (NDPP) are headed to the ruling bench in the Nagaland Legislative Assembly.
Curtains fell on the drama over the formation of government with Assam minister and BJP leader Himanta Biswa Sarma reaching Kohima to iron out the fine details of the coalition, christened People’s Democratic Alliance. With this decision, the BJP broke its 15-year alliance with the NPF.
(Source: The Indian Express)
6. 'It's Like Snake, Mole Have Come Together': Yogi on SP-BSP Bypoll Pact
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Monday, 5 March, said the coming together of the Samajwadi Party (SP) and the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) for the Lok Sabha bypolls in Gorakhpur and Phulpur was like a snake and a mole joining hands in the face of adversity.
Elections to the BJP-held seats – vacated by Adityanath and his deputy Keshav Prasad Mauyra – will take place on 11 March.
“Their (SP and BSP) condition is like snake and mole, who are running here and there to save their lives. I pity them but they have looted the state and played with the future of young people and farmers,” Adityanath said at a public meeting in Jeetpur, which is part of the Pipraich Assembly segment of the Gorakhpur Lok Sabha constituency.
(Source: Hindustan Times)
7. ED Probes Karti's Fund Transfers to P Chidambaram
Sources in the Enforcement Directorate (ED) said they were looking at the bank details showing a transfer of ₹1.8 crore from an account of Karti Chidambaram to one belonging to his father and former finance minister P Chidambaram.
This is part of the ED’s investigation against Karti, who is also being probed by the CBI in the INX Media case.
However, sources familiar with the transaction and its purpose said it was part of the repayment of a loan advanced by Chidambaram to his son for the construction of a house. They said a total of ₹2.8 crore was loaned through three cheques in 2004 to Karti, of which ₹1.8 crore was repaid in five instalments. This was an arrangement between a father and a son; the transactions were reflected in the balance sheet and had nothing to do with the INX media case, they added.
(Source: The Hindu)
8. KCR to Meet Stakeholders to Chalk out Agenda for Third Front
Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) president and Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao on Monday, 5 March, announced a series of meetings with various organisations and individuals to chalk out the agenda for the Third Front, which he says will be a political alternative to the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party at the national level.
A spokesperson from the chief minister’s office (CMO) said that as part of the strategy KCR, as he is popularly known, would first meet retired officers from all-India services such as the IAS, IPS, IFS and IRS, who held important positions at the Centre in the past.
“As these officials had seen political developments closely at the state and the central levels, the chief minister feels their input would be of great help in forming the alternative political front, which he is ready to lead,” the spokesperson said.
(Source: Hindustan Times)
9. Haryana Shooter Creates History, Is Youngest Indian to Win World Cup Gold
Manu Bhaker, 16, etched her name in the history books by clinching women's 10m air pistol gold at the International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) World Cup in Guadalajara, Mexico, on Sunday, 4 March. She became India's youngest and probably world's third youngest shooter to win a World Cup gold.
Rifle shooter Gagan Narang and pistol shooter Rahi Sarnobat were India's previous youngest World Cup gold medallists at 23 in 2006 and 2013 respectively. Singapore's rifle shooter Lindsay Veloso and USA's shotgunner Vincent Hancock, both aged 15, had won World Cup gold.
The Jhajjar girl, who started shooting just two years ago, scored 237.5 in the final to beat local favourite Alejandra Zavala Vazquez by a meagre 0.4 point difference in a dramatic fashion.
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