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In all, 17 people, including Hardik Patel, were charged with arson, rioting, and criminal conspiracy A Gujarat court on Wednesday sentenced Patidar agitation spearhead  Hardik Patel and two of his associates to two years in jail on charges of vandalising a BJP legislator's office in Mehsana district in 2015. This was after a rally demanding reservations for Patidar youth in government jobs and educational institutions turned violent in Visnagar town. A mob of around 3,000 to 5,000 people vandalised BJP MLA Rushikesh Patel's office. In all, 17 people, including Hardik Patel, were charged with arson, rioting, and criminal conspiracy. Patel was arrested and released on bail, and subsequently barred by the court from entering Mehsana district. Article Source :  BS  

Govt ready for debate on any issue raised by political parties: PM Modi Calling for extensive discussion in Parliament's  Monsoon session  which began on Wednesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi asserted that his government was ready for debate on any issue raised by political parties. Modi told reporters that discussion on several issues is necessary in national interest and urged political parties to make maximum use of the time available in the session, which will continue till August 10. He said he had always hoped for a productive session and striven for this and his government would continue to do so. "Any party wants to raise any issue, this government is ready for a discussion," he told reporters just before the beginning of the session. Article Source →  BS

The workers were protesting against Agnivesh and were raising slogans like, 'Agnivesh Go Back!' Social Activist  Swami Agnivesh  was on Tuesday thrashed by workers of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) and the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM), the youth wing of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Agnivesh was in Jharkhand's Pakur to attend an event and was in his hotel when a mob of the ABVP and Yuva Morcha workers surrounded him. The workers were protesting against Agnivesh and were raising slogans like, "Agnivesh Go Back!!" Reacting to the incident, Agnivesh said that there was no police personnel present outside the hotel and that he wanted to establish a dialogue with the mob. However as soon as he stepped out of the hotel, he claimed that the mob began thrashing him. "There was no police personnel present there. Even when I repeatedly called the Superintendent of Police and the District Magistrate, they didn't tu...

Modi says he also walks "on a track inspired by the Panchtatvas or 5 elements of nature..." The PM appealed to every Indian to "devote some part of the day towards fitness" Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday shared a video that showed his morning exercises, including yoga and breathing practices, responding to Indian cricket team skipper Virat Kohli, who had thrown a fitness challenge at him. On Twitter, Modi said he also walks “on a track inspired by the Panchtatvas or 5 elements of nature - Prithvi, Jal, Agni, Vayu, Aakash. This is extremely refreshing and rejuvenating”. The Prime Minister appealed to every Indian to “devote some part of the day towards fitness”. In a separate message, he nominated Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy, table tennis player and 2018 Commonwealth Games gold medallist Manika Batra and the "entire fraternity of brave IPS officers, especially those above 40" for the #fitnesschallenge, which has ...

In a joint petition in Supreme Court, the Congress and the Janata Dal (Secular) had sought a stay on the oath-taking taking ceremony of BJP's chief ministerial candidate Yeddyurappa Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader  B S Yeddyurappa  took oath as the 23rd chief minister of Karnataka on Thursday after the Supreme Court, in a post-midnight hearing, decided not to put a stay on the swearing-in. Top BJP leaders, including Union Ministers JP Nadda, Dharmendra Pradhan and Prakash Javadekar were present at Raj Bhavan in Karnataka during the swearing-in ceremony. Earlier, while hearing a plea filed by Congress, the Supreme Court refused to stall the swearing-in of Yeddyurappa. The court, however, made it clear that the swearing-in and the government formation would be subject to the final outcome of the case before it. The top court sought the letters which Yeddyurappa had written to Karnataka Governor informing him his election as BJP legislature party and pos...

After results to the Karnataka Assembly election 2018 threw up a hung Assembly on Tuesday, both BJP and Congress-JD(S) combine are targetting each other with allegations of poaching of legislators A day after the  Karnataka election results 2018  threw up a fractured mandate, some members of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) were reported to be claiming that they were in touch with several of elected members of legislative Assembly (MLAs) from the Congress and the JD(S), and that the BJP would definitely form the next government in the state. The BJP, apparently, is in talks with at least seven of the 10 Lingayat legislators of the Congress who are unhappy with the party for dividing the Lingayat community votes and are unwilling to accept Kumaraswamy, a Vokkaliga, as their chief minister. Sources in the BJP told Business Standard that the party was also in touch with about half a dozen JD(S) MLAs who might be willing to abstain from voting at the time of the floo...

Karnataka election result 2018 LIVE updates: With Narendra Modi wave still riding high, trends show BJP snatching another state from Congress Karnataka Legislative Assembly Election 2018  – The high-stakes battle for the 222-seat Karnataka Assembly ended on Saturday and India will soon know the outcome. The counting of votes is underway, and according to the procedure, postal ballots were counted first. Initial trends hint that Karnataka is headed for a hung Assembly. “All arrangements have been made for counting of votes in 222 seats from 8 am onwards at 38 centres in 30 districts, including five in Bengaluru where polling was held in 26 of the 28 segments,” Chief Electoral Officer Sanjiv Kumar said. A record 72.36 per cent of the 50.7 million electors cast their votes, with 27,908 in defence services exercising their franchise through postal ballots. The Election Commission has deployed 16,662 personnel for counting of votes amid tight security. “Postal ballots will...

With just one more day to go for the Karnataka Assembly election, the voter ID card row continues while the Congress corners BJP over an alleged bribery sting. Catch all Karnataka polls updates here With voting just a day away, the BJP and Congress' high-voltage campaign for the  Karnataka Assembly election 2018  has ended. The campaigning in the run-up to the crucial polls saw everything from a cross-fire of barbs to a voter ID row. On the last day, Congress President Rahul Gandhi slammed the Modi government for issues ranging from atrocities against Dalits to the country's foreign policy as he expressed confidence in winning the Karnataka polls "hands down". BJP President Amit Shah, meanwhile, accused the Congress of making desperate attempts to win the election in an "undemocratic" way, adding that such machinations would not work and that his party would win 130-plus seats. On Saturday, voters in the state will decide who got it right. The ...

The CBI probe reveals that the Uttar Pradesh police tried to save Kuldeep Singh Sengar by not naming him in the FIR and chargesheet. Here are the latest updates in the Unnao rape case In a major development in the politically sensitive  Unnao rape case , the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has reportedly confirmed rape charge against Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA Kuldeep Singh Sengar. Citing sources, The Times of India reported that the CBI corroborated the survivor’s charge that Sengar raped her at his home on June 4 last year while his female accomplice, Shashi Singh, stood guard outside the room. The central agency is also reported to have found the local police at fault. According to the report, the police did not name Sengar and some other accused in the FIR, even as the survivor mentioned their involvement several times. In an apparent connivance with the accused persons, the police also reportedly delayed the girl's medical examination and didn...

With Karnataka Assembly election 2018 now on their heads, the BJP and Congress have just one more day to convince and woo voters. Catch all the updates around the Karnataka election here With the Karnataka Assembly election 2018 just two days away, the BJP and Congress' high-voltage campaigning will come to an end on Thursday at 5 pm. Prime Minister Narendra Modi today interacted with BJP Karnataka's SC/ST/OBC and slum morcha workers, slamming the Congress for disrespecting B R Ambedkar while trying to burnish his own government's record regarding welfare of SC/STs and OBCs. Congress President Rahul Gandhi said that he was confident of his party's victory in the Karnataka election. For the BJP, party president Amit Shah and the party's chief ministerial candidate B S Yeddyurappa will be campaigning in the state today, while Congress chief Gandhi and incumbent Chief Minister Siddaramaiah will campaign for their party on the final day. Apart from Pri...