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Himachal crisis: All MLAs sorted out differences & will work under Sukhu's leadership, says Shivakumar

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Shimla, Feb 29 (IANS) Asserting that the political crisis in Himachal Pradesh has been almost averted, Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar who was sent to the hill state as an observer, said that all Congress legislators have sorted out all their differences, and they would work together under the leadership of Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu.

Setting aside speculation of “dissent” among MLAs and ministers against the Chief Minister, Shivakumar, who was accompanying another observer — former Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, said: “Chief Minister Sukhu has accepted that some failures have happened, but they will not continue further. We have spoken to all MLAs personally. We have spoken to the PCC president and the CM. One round of discussion will happen later.

“All of them have sorted out their differences. They’ll work together. We are forming a coordination committee between the party and the government with five to six members. They will all work together to save the party and the government,” he added.

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On the resignation of Cabinet minister Vikramaditya Singh, Shivakumar said he had already withdrawn the resignation.

On the continuation of the incumbent Chief Minister in the future too, he preferred not to comment but added: “All Congress MLAs are united and all is well in Himachal. The Congress would continue for a full five years.”

Shivakumar and two other observers were deployed by the high command to tackle the situation in Himachal, which unfolded after the debacle in the poll for lone Rajya Sabha seat in the state.

He said they held meeting with all party MLAs in the presence of Chief Minister Sukhu, state party chief Pratibha Singh, and party’s central observer, Bhupinder Singh Hooda.

“It is unfortunate that Congress lost the Rajya Sabha seat for which the CM had taken full responsibility,” he said.

He said a coordination committee was being constituted to take care of all the issues in the future.

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It comprises the Chief Minister, the Deputy Chief Minister, the state party chief besides three other members nominated by the central leadership.

Meanwhile, responding to a question on the political turmoil in the state, Himachal Pradesh unit Congress president Pratibha Singh said: “We regret that we could not make our candidate, who is an eminent lawyer (Abhishek Manu Singhvi), win the Rajya Sabha seat. Now we have the challenge of the upcoming Lok Sabha elections for which have started working. We will work hard and win all the four seats.”

Earlier on Thursday, to save the government, Speaker Kuldeep Singh Pathania declared the six rebel legislators cease to be members of the Assembly with immediate effect, saying “the MLAs defied party whip to vote in favour of the government on Financial Bill”.

He clarified that all six MLAs, who contested on the Congress symbol, attracted provisions of anti-defection law against themselves.

“I declare that the six persons cease to be members of the Himachal Pradesh Assembly with immediate effect,” he told the media here. The order was pronounced by the Speaker on the petition of Parliamentary Affairs Minister Harsh Vardhan Chauhan, who sought the disqualification of six MLAs under the anti-defection law.

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They also voted against the party to support BJP’s lone candidate for the Rajya Sabha.

The six Congress MLAs who faced action are Sudhir Sharma (Dharamsala) and Rajinder Rana (Sujanpur), both ministerial aspirants; Inder Dutt Lakhanpal (Badsar); Ravi Thakur (Lahaul-Spiti); Chaitnaya Sharma (Gagret); and Devender Bhutto (Kutlehar).

In the 68-member Assembly, the Congress had 40 MLAs, while the BJP had 25 and three independent MLAs.

Now, after the Speaker disqualified the six rebel Congress MLAs who voted in favour of the BJP, the strength of the House will come down to 62.

The halfway mark will be 31 and the majority will be 32, just two less than Congress’ strength.

–IANS

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MP CM to thank Centre for three new criminal laws in Assembly on Tuesday

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Bhopal, July 1 (IANS) Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav will address the Assembly on Tuesday to thank the Central government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the implementation of three new criminal laws — the Bharatiya Nayay Sanhita (BNS), the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), and the Bharatiya Sakhya Adhiniyam (ASA), which replaced the Indian Penal Code (IPC), Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), and the Indian Evidence Act, respectively, with effect from July 1.

Calling the three new laws a historic step, CM Yadav said India finally has its own laws to provide justice to its people, adding that July 1 will be remembered as a significant day for both the nation and the state.

“I will address the Assembly on the three new criminal laws on Tuesday and thank Prime Minister Narendra Modi for this historic step,” CM Yadav told mediapersons after the first day of the monsoon session of Madhya Pradesh Assembly.

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Meanwhile, the police said the first FIR under the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita (BNS) was lodged at the Hanumanganj police station in Bhopal at 12:16 a.m. on Tuesday against a person for using abusive language, just 16 minutes after the new laws came into force.

The second and third FIRs under the new laws were also registered in Bhopal at the Nishatpura police station (12:20 a.m.) and Shahjahanabad police station (12:22 a.m.).

A total of 10 FIRs were registered in the next hour, including eight in Bhopal.

ADGP (law and order) Jaydeep Prashad said, “Over 60,000 police personnel have been trained on the new criminal laws. More training sessions and awareness programmes are underway.”

–IANS

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Drugs, contraband valued at Rs 6cr seized in Tripura, Mizoram

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Agartala/Aizawl, July 2 (IANS) Security forces in Tripura and Mizoram seized heroin and areca nuts (betel nuts) valued at over Rs 6 crore and arrested three drug peddlers including a woman in this connection, an official said on Monday.

North Tripura district Superintendent of Police Bhanupada Chakraborty said that acting on a tip off, the police on Sunday night intercepted a vehicle coming from neighbouring Assam and recovered 408 grams of heroin valued at Rs 4 crore.

Two drug peddlers, identified as Sohel Miah and Dilwar Hussain — both residents of the bordering Sonamura subdivision of Sepahijala district, who were travelling in the vehicle, were arrested.

According to police, the drugs, which were coming from Myanmar via neighbouring Mizoram, were intended for Sonamura and then to Bangladesh.

“North Tripura district police alone seized heroin worth Rs 30 crore from various parts of the district in June,” Chakraborty told IANS.

In Mizoram, Assam Rifles, along with police personnel in the state have recovered heroin valued at Rs 56,000 on Sunday at Melbuk in Champhai district from a woman, who was also arrested.

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In another operation, Assam Rifles recovered 273 bags of Areca Nuts worth Rs 1.52 crore at Ruantlang in Champhai district during a special Area Domination Patrol on Sunday.

–IANS

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11 Bangladeshi nationals held in Tripura for illegal entry into India

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Agartala, July 1 (IANS) Eleven Bangladeshi nationals, including six women, were arrested from the Agartala railway station for illegally entering India without valid documents, the police said on Monday.

Acting on a tip-off, Government Railway Police (GRP) personnel arrested the Bangladeshi nationals, aged between 20 and 40 years, from the railway station on Sunday night.

During interrogation, it was revealed that the Bangladeshi nationals were planning to go to Delhi and other Indian cities from Tripura in search of jobs.

With the latest arrests, 22 Bangladeshi nationals have been held from the Agartala railway station in the last three days, while over 81 citizens from the neighbouring country have been arrested in Tripura in the last two months.

All the Bangladeshi nationals had entered Tripura through a clandestine route, intending to go to other states of the country in search of jobs.

–IANS

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ALSO READ:  Bangladeshi smuggler killed in BSF firing along Tripura border, trooper injured; 3 Rohingyas held at Agartala station
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Odisha CM Mohan Majhi says govt's main priority is to listen to people's grievances

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Bhubaneswar, July 2 (IANS) Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Monday said his government’s first priority is to listen to the grievances of the common citizen.

Speaking on the occasion of resuming the Chief Minister’s grievance cell at Unit V here on Monday, CM Majhi stated: “During the previous government, there existed an iron wall between the government and people and I think the grievances of the people could not be redressed due to this reason. Today, the wall has been destroyed. A direct link between the government and people has been established.”

Majhi also stated that he will listen to the grievances of people at the cell here every Monday. Emphasising on the need for a robust grievances redressal process at district level, the Chief Minister said that hearing of grievances at the district level also resumed from on Monday.

Majhi asserted that around 99 per cent of the complaints received on Monday will be solved. As many as 1,540 complaints were registered while 5,000 people visited the cell on Monday.

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The other members of state cabinet including Deputy CM K.V. Singh Deo, Ganesh Ram Singkhuntia, Minister of Forest, Environment and Climate Change Department, Pradeep Bal Samanta, Minister of Department of Co-operation, and Krushna Chandra Mahapatra, Minister of Housing and Urban Development were also present during the hearing of grievances at the cell on Monday.

Notably, the chief minister’s grievance cell started functioning after a gap of almost 16 years on Monday.

Former Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik had reportedly heard grievances at the CM’s grievance cell for the last time in August 2008.

–IANS

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JD(U) MLA hospitalised after fainting at disaster committee meeting in Nalanda

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Patna July 2 (IANS) JD(U) MLA Hari Narayan Singh was hospitalised after his health condition deteriorated during a disaster committee meeting in Bihar’s Nalanda district on Monday.

Singh, who represents the Harnaut Assembly constituency, fainted as soon as he reached the Hardev Bhawan in Nalanda for the meeting. He was rushed to the Sadar Hospital for treatment, from where he was referred to the Medanta Hospital in Patna.

Many JD(U) leaders and workers, including its Legislative Councilor representative Akhlaq Ahmed, gathered at the hospital following the incident. Ahmed said Singh’s health condition worsened as soon as he entered the auditorium for the meeting.

“Singh felt dizzy on his way to the meeting, leading to his hospitalisation. He was already undergoing treatment at the Medanta Hospital in Patna, which is why he was referred there for further treatment,” said Nalanda DM Shashank Shubhankar.

–IANS

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