Tag Archives: CM

Kapu community stokes quota flame, sets train bogies and police stations on fire

February 1, 2016 Newsroom24x7 Network Leave a comment

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Kakinada : Kapu community stoked the quota issue and raked it up into violent protest by setting ablaze half a dozen of train bogies and a couple of police stations on fire. The event took place on Sunday as, an agitation by the Kapu community for quotas in government jobs and educational institutions in Andhra Pradesh turned violent, resulting in agitators setting fire to two police stations and at least six compartments of a train in East Godavari district. This was a follow-through support initiative, rendered to a Kapu Leader — ex-Minister Mudragada Padmanabham, who, instigated the large crowd of people, attending a Kapu ‘Garjana’ meet at V Kottur village. The Leader motivated the gathering to revolt against the present scenario and go ahead with agitation using tools such as block of roads and railway lines. The call was laden with adamance, as Kapu supporters were asked to stay firm on their agitation until the AP government issued orders to include Kapus in the backward class list.

A human-chain of Kapu community volunteers gathered at the national highway with violence on their mind. Thousands of people blocked traffic on the Chennai-Kolkata national highway and also brought rail traffic to a grinding halt. The protesters clashed with police personnel injuring ifteen of them. They also damaged 25 police vehicles.

Police was unawares of the strong agitation-builtup, and, the large crowd demanded for additional police forces, which were immediately pooled in from nearby areas and rushed to East Godavari.

Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu convened an emergency meeting with his cabinet colleagues in Vijayawada to take stock of the situation.

Late Sunday night, Padmanabham called off the blockade, with the caveat that he would launch an indefinite fast if the government did not comply with their demands.

India

SC stays ban, Maharashtra Dance Bars can reopen

October 16, 2015 Newsroom24x7 Network Leave a comment

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Mumbai : Supreme Court suspended the ban on dance bars in the state of Maharashtra on thursday and paved way for reopening of such dance bars, thereby bringing back the bar dancers into mainstream of earning for a living.

However, the stay on ban has come with a caveat – stating performances will not be obscene, individual dignity of women performers must not be harmed, and in any such eventuality, the licencing authority could regulate such situations and work in favor of the women dancers.

This comes in as a relief news for the people in business of restaurants and bars which had been making a living and providing opportunity of employment to the bar dancers, the enterprises which had to shut shop of diversify into other business models ever since the ban got imposed. Now, Maharashtra’s dance bars may soon spring back to life with the Supreme Court staying the operation of a state law banning it on the condition that performances will not be obscene.

The ruling state government stated its disagreement over SC stay order, as, reacting to the order, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said the state government would press its demand in the apex court for continuing the ban on dance performances in bars and other places..

The order, however, came with a rider that performances should not be even remotely expressive of any kind of obscenity and gave the licencing authority the power to regulate those.A division bench of the court comprising Justices Dipak Misra and Prafulla Chandra Pant stated that the step has been very approriate and in a proper direction wherein the provisions section 33 (A)(1) of the Maharashtra Police (second amendment) Act of the order would come as a big relief to thousands of bar dancers and restaurateurs. The bench added the rider, saying, no performance of dance will be remotely expressive of any kind of obscenity. The licensing authority can regulate such dance performances so that individual dignity of woman performer is not harmed.

The apex court has now fixed the petition filed by Indian Hotel and Restaurant Association for final hearing on November 5 and said that the matter pertaining to the similar issue had already been decided by this court in 2013.

The Maharashtra government had in 2005 brought an amendment to the Bombay Police Act to ban dance performances in bars on the grounds of obscenity and that it was promoting prostitution which was challenged in high court by an association representing restaurants and bars. In support of this amendment, the state police had cracked down on dance performances in bars for the first time in 2005. Elite establishments, including five star hotels, were, however, exempted. Thereafter, the state brought in a law banning dance performances in all establishments.The Bombay high court quashed the government’s decision in April 2006 and declared the provision as unconstitutional, holding it was against Article 19(1)(g) of the Constitution which allows citizens to practise any profession, or to carry on any occupation, trade or business. The state government had moved the Apex court against the high court’s order the same year. The Supreme Court upheld the Bombay high court verdict in July 2013 quashing the state government’s order and said the ban violated the constitutional right to earn a living.

India, Madhya Pradesh

Jhabua blast is the biggest tradegy of my life, says Shivraj Singh Chauhan

October 15, 2015 Newsroom24x7 Network Leave a comment

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Bhopal : Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan recently met with BJP (Bhartiya Janata Party) members and discussed matters regarding the organisational elections here at Bhopal. Chief Minister expressed his views on the recently occurred Jhabhua blasts, and candidly spoke to party members about how he had personally taken the tradegy and what he felt about it. Elaborating on the blasts, its impact and the damage that was caused to people in the area, Chauhan said that the tragedy that occurred in Jhabua`s Petlawad town was the saddest incident of his life which has posed a challenge to the political leadership and administration. Expressing the fast action that his government had taken to provide relief to the aggrieved, as well as relief measures to the family members of deceased, Chauhan stated that prompt action taken up by his ruling government had provided some reprise to the Petlawad affected families, and the public anger that erupted after blasts in Jhabua district has subsided as people are satisfied the state government is working over their concerns.

Taking a view on law and administration matters concerned with this tragedy, Chauhan stated that all those who had been found responsible for the blast, especially those who were found guilty based on prima facie evidence, have been punished. Further, a reward of Rs.1 lakh has been announced over the head of the main accused. Chauhan said – Our effort is to bring life in Petlawad town on track. A cancer affected child who lost his father in the incident is being sent to Ahmedabad for treatment. The government would bear the entire medical expenditure of the injured.

On his visit to the blast site recently, Chauhan expressed some satisfaction over response that he could gather from the localites. Chauhan said – A candle march has been taken out in Petlawad and the anger has subsided. When I returned from there, people raised slogans to express thanks and satisfaction over my work.

Opposition had been taking a continuous dig at the failure of ruling Shivraj government since the attacks. CM Chauhan took cognizance of opposition’s criticism and clarified to the party members that the Congress must be condemned in in strong words for playing dirty politics on human tragedy.

A total of 88 people were killed and over 100 injured in a gas cylinder blast on Saturday in Petlawad town`s Sethia Hotel and another blast in a nearby godown belonging to Rajendra Kaswa where explosives used in mining were stored.

India

Shiv Sena decides to contest by itself in upcoming KDMC polls

October 13, 2015 Newsroom24x7 Network Leave a comment

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Mumbai : The KDMC polls scheduled in the first week of November might see Shiv Sena poised against BJP during the election of Kalyan and Dombiville Municipal Corporation polls, which presently is shared by Sen-BJP in an alliance. This came in as an aftermath of what can be termed as difference of opinion over recent Pakistan-related row, in which Shiv Sena got ferociously involved. Case in point, firstly the most recent Ghulam Ali fiasco, where the legendary Ghazal maestro was left in the fix at the last moment when Sena protested against the Singer and termed him a bud of Pakistani soil. The next followed yesterday when Sena leaders painted the face black of a senior columnist and former BJP adviser and a close aide of Lal Krishna Advani. The person in concern, Sudheendra Kulkarni organized an event for the launch of a book titled ‘Neither a Hawk, Nor a Dove: An Insider Account of Pakistan’s Foreign Policy’ authored by former Pakistan Foreign Minister Khurshid Mahmood Kasuri. Shiv Sena termed it as an act Pro-Pakistan and protested heavily, claiming that there should be no engagement with Pakistan as long as it supports terror attacks on Indian soil.

Shiv Sena first opposed the launch of Kasuri’s book, then few hyperactive Shiv Sena members threw black paint at former BJP adviser and columnist Sudheendra Kulkarni, who was the organiser of the event where Kasuri’s book was launched. Finally, Kasuri’s book was released last night amidst heavy security, forcing the ruling government to take a stand. Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis criticized the act of protest by Shiv Sena and held the Shiv Sainiks responsible for bringing the state a bad name due to the protests against former Pakistan Foreign Minister Khurshid Mahmood Kasuri’s book launch in Mumbai. Fadnavis stated – We cannot endorse Kasuri, but can’t let our state turn into banana republic. The rule of law has prevailed. I think the way things have happened has brought a bad name to our state. There could have been better ways to put forth a point of view.

In retaliation, Shiv Sena has decided to go it alone in the forthcoming Kalyan-Dombivli Municipal Corporation election and not have any tie-up with the BJP with which it shares power in the state and Centre. The decision was taken last night at a meeting of senior Sena leaders here, a Sena leader said. Shiv Sena has decided to contest all 122 seats by itself. The KDMC elections are scheduled on November 1.

Kalyan and Dombivali are satellite cities adjacent to Mumbai and the Municipal Corporation is currently run by the Sena-BJP alliance.

When BJP was asked to take a stand on this matter, Maharashtra BJP President Raosaheb Danve told media that the party had left the decision on the alliance issue with local BJP unit in Kalyan. ‘We are not going to impose anything on the local unit,’ he added.