Month: August 2018

BJP warming up for Government formation, Madhav preparing ground in Srinagar

Editor

As the annual Amarnath yatra enters to its last phase, the political activities about government formation in the state have picked up momentum with rightwing BJP national general secretary Ram Madhav holds series of meetings with party leaders and ally Sajjad Lone. Madhav held a two hour marathon meeting at Srinagar with party’s senior leaders. The meeting was attended by former Deputy Chief Minster Kavinder Gupta and senior leaders Sat Sharma, Sunil Sharma, Rajiv Jasrotia, Bali Bhagat and others. Sources said the BJP leaders discussed various options on government formation…

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Ram Madhav in Valley, another meet with Sajad Gani Lone

Editor

Amid speculations over the government formation, BJP national general secretary Ram Madhav arrived in the summer capital on Wednesday. Even as BJP leaders said they did not know about Madhav’s visit, sources said the BJP national general secretary met People’s Conference chairman Sajad Lone on Wednesday. Madhav had played a key role in the formation of the previous PDP-BJP coalition government in the state. This is Madhav’s second visit to the Valley after the BJP pulled out of the coalition government with the PDP. He had met Lone during his…

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Valley based traders body to chalk out plan to safeguard Article 35A

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Valley-based traders’ organisations, which remained at the forefront of the recent protests, are now on the job to form a fresh strategy to oppose the attempts towards the abrogation of Article 35A. After taking out a series of protests, the traders will chalk out a fresh plan of action to “safeguard” Article 35A, which was added to the Constitution by a Presidential Order in 1954, and accords special rights and privileges to the citizens of the state. “We are having a meeting on August 9 and will discuss the way…

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Partition wouldn’t have happened if Jinnah had become PM: Dalai Lama

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Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama on Wednesday said Jawaharlal Nehru had a “self-centred attitude” to become India’s first prime minister even though Mahatma Gandhi was in favour of Muhammad Ali Jinnah taking the top post at that time. He also claimed India’s partition would not have happened if Mahatma Gandhi’s wish of Jinnah becoming the prime minister had materialised. The 83-year-old monk was addressing an event at the Goa Institute of Management in Goa’s Sankhalim town, located about 40 km from Panaji. Responding to a student’s question on taking right…

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Police may revolt in J&K if Supreme Court scraps Article 35A: Intelligence Agencies

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Intelligence agencies have warned that there could be a “revolt” in the police ranks and massive unrest in Jammu and Kashmir if the Supreme Court passes an “adverse” order on Article 35A of the Constitution Monday, a news channel reported quoting sources. The top court will hear a petition challenging the constitutional validity of the presidential order of 1954, which defines “permanent residents of Jammu and Kashmir”, and bars non-locals from buying and owning land in the state. The Jammu and Kashmir police are on the forefront in the fight…

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In 25 police districts of J&K, only five officers from Kashmir at helm

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The presence of police officers from Kashmir at key district-level positions in the state, especially in the Valley, is witnessing decline with every fresh transfer order. The transfers effected by the state Home department on Monday have triggered fears among the local officers that they would be dumped to insignificant positions in coming days. “Are not we competent enough to handle crucial assignments? How can officers with four to five years of experience handle crucial and sensitive districts in Kashmir? It is sheer injustice with us,” a group of police…

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Rains bring cheer to a stuffy Kashmir causing water logging, traffic snarls

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A heavy downpour on Tuesday morning brought a much-needed relief from the stuffy weather that had made life difficult for the people of Kashmir in the last four to five days across the Kashmir valley. Although the heavy rain did lead to flooding in the streets and roads in many parts of the city and the rest of Kashmir everyone though welcomed the coolness in the air brought on by the rains. Director MeT department Sonam Lotus took to Facebook and said: “There is significant decrease in rainfall now and…

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Hidden Agenda – Another favor from PDP to BJP, Abstains from voting for Rajya Sabha VC

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In a move to favour the old ally Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Tuesday decided to abstain from voting in the election for the post of Vice Chairman in Rajya Sabha. PDP chief spokesperson, Rafi Ahmad Mir said PDP has decided to abstain from voting for the election of the post of Rajya Sabha Vice Chairman. He said party president Mehbooba Mufti directed PDP’s Rajya Sabha members to abstain after holding consultations with senior party leaders. “A whip has been issued by the party in this…

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Abrogating toxic Article 35A only way to normalize Kashmir; how long should India pay for Nehru’s mistakes? Major General Sheru Thapliyal

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Jawaharlal Nehru was a great man. But he was also a short-sighted politician. More than 50 years after his death, the Indian state is still paying a heavy price for its first prime minister’s myopia on Kashmir. It is not enough for leaders to be virtuous. They must also be visionary. Sadly, Nehru was not. He was admittedly handed a complicated script by Sheikh Abdullah who could never get over his ambition of ruling over an ‘independent’ Valley instead of trying to be the leader of Jammu and Kashmir (read…

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Why is Article 35A important for Jammu and Kashmir?

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The Supreme Court is all set to give the judgment on the petitions filed by an NGO, We the Citizens, who has challenged the validity of Article 35A of the Constitution, granting special privileges to Jammu and Kashmir. What is Article 35A? Jammu and Kashmir’s permanent residents enjoy special rights under article 35A. Only the permanent residents have the right to own immovable property, settle permanently, or avail state-sponsored scholarship schemes. This article also restricts companies from hiring non-resident persons in the state The first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and…

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