Telangana row: Congress downplays Kiran Reddy’s protest

New Delhi: Congress today sought to downplay public protest by its Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Kiran Kumar Reddy over Telangana issue, saying the party has given right to the partymen to express their views on bifurcation of the state.

AICC General Secretary Digvijaya Singh, who is in-charge of Andhra Pradesh, also insisted that there was no threat from Reddy to quit the party.

Kiran Kumar Reddy. AFP

"We have given the right and freedom to all Congressmen in the state of Andhra Pradesh to air their views regarding bifurcation of the State. Not for anything else," Singh told reporters here.

He was commenting on a sit-in here earlier this week staged by Reddy who also met President Pranab Mukherjee to seek his intervention to stop division of the state.

Singh said Reddy has not made any comment against Congress President Sonia Gandhi.

The government decided to go ahead with the Telangana bill despite the Andhra Pradesh Assembly rejecting it and Reddy leading the opposition to the proposed bifurcation.

On BJP, Singh said the principal opposition party has expressed support to the Telangana bill and must walk the talk.

"BJP has committed to support the Telangana State and they should do now what they have promised. They should walk the talk," he added.

PTI

Aseemanand interview: RSS to take legal action

Jaipur: RSS today claimed the reported interview of Samjhauta blast accused Aseemanand was a conspiracy "hatched" to gain political mileage ahead of polls and said it will initiate legal action against those involved in targetting its leadership.

"This is a conspiracy and it appears that it was hatched to gain political advantage ahead of elections.

Swamy Aseemanand. Ibnlive

"This is not the first time that false allegations are being levelled against the RSS leadership, but action will be taken surely," RSS spokesperson Ram Madhav told reporters here.

He said allegations against RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat are false and Aseemanand himself has said that "the interview is fake".

"This appears to be a conspiracy against the RSS leadership and all those who have been affected will take legal action," he said.

In the purported interview, Aseemanand claimed that RSS leadership had sanctioned the "Hindu terror conspiracy" that included the blasts in Samjhauta Express train.

Madhav said that lawyers will be consulted for the legal action and it will be announced at an appropriate time.

He was in the city to attend a 'Pathsanchalan' of the RSS volunteers.

PTI

I challenge Mulayam to an open debate on Ram Temple: Beni Prasad Verma

Lucknow: Union Steel Minister Beni Prasad Verma today challenged SP supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav to an open debate on the issues of development and Ram temple.

"I challenge Mulayam Singh to come to an open debate on development and Ram temple," Verma said, adding that despite failing to take good care of Uttar Pradesh Yadav is dreaming of looking after the country.

Beni Prasad Verma. AFP

Reiterating his charges that BJP and Samajwadi Party have a "secret understanding", he said, "Both (BJP's prime ministerial candidate Narendra) Modi and Mulayam Singh are holding rallies and targeting each other... This is nothing but shadow fighting."

Verma, who had recently attracted the opposition ire for distributing gifts to journalists in a steel council meet, justified it saying that "no rule has been flouted".

"No rule has been flouted in distribution of gifts to journalists and others in the state capital a few days ago," he said.

Admitting that the number of members in Steel Consumers' Council was more this time, he said there was no bar on numbers. "The numbers this time is more because Dalits and backwards have also been given representation in the council," he said.

PTI

Telangana: Sonia ignored protests, says Cong MP

Vijayawada: Congress MP Lagadapati Rajagopal today took a swipe at Sonia Gandhi, saying she "ignored" the groundswell of support against division of Andhra Pradesh by not listening to the party leaders on the issue.

"Unfortunately, the Congress high command did not listen to feelings of union ministers from Seemandhra, of Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy, state ministers, PCC president, MPs and MLAs," Rajagopal told reporters here.

Sonia Gandhi. PTI

He alleged that leaders who have become "politically irrelevant" were drafted in to formulate a proposal to divide Andhra Pradesh.

"...Some of the Union ministers who never won any direct election and some others who have lost confidence of the people and searching for new constituencies are actively involved in the process of bifurcation of the state," the MP said.

He said Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi has always lent patient hearing to the party members.

"In many meetings of Congress, Rahul asked the party members to listen to and understand feelings of the common man. Rahul always advocated distribution of power to people to strengthen democracy," Rajagopal said.

The MP was referring to the Union Cabinet's move to clear the Telangana Bill yesterday even though Andhra Pradesh Assembly had rejected the draft legislation.

He also attacked Union Finance Minister P Chidambaram on the issue.

"Chidambaram never respected his colleagues from Seemandhra region on the issue....Our Union ministers from seemandhra are demoralised," Rajagopal said.

He also appealed to President Pranab Mukherjee to listen to his "conscience" and reject the bill.

On tabling of the bill in Rajya Sabha next week, the MP said, "We are moving with a strategy to get the support of some opposition parties to not allow the bill in Rajya Sabha."

He also urged Union ministers from Seemandhra region to enter the Upper House to stall the proceedings.

PTI

Mulayam alleges that BJP uses Ram Temple issue for electoral gains

Lucknow: Arguing that the BJP did not accept his offer for "land" at a place "other than the disputed site" for building the Ram temple, SP supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav accused the saffron party of using the temple issue for electoral gains.

Mulayam alleged that BJP never had the intention to build the temple, despite "collecting donations" for it from across the world.

Mulayam Singh. PTI

"When I was the (Uttar Pradesh) Chief Minister, I told BJP that I was ready to give land at any other place other than the disputed site... if you win the case in the court, there will be two temples, but they did not concede," he said, while addressing a national farmers' conference here.

The saffron party never had any intention to construct the temple, otherwise it would have accepted his proposal, he said, and alleged that it was using the issue for electoral gains.

"BJP took donations from all over the world in the name of the temple. When I went to London, I came to know that donation was collected there," he said, and asked BJP to give an account of foreign and domestic donations collected for the temple.

Speaking on the issue of farmers, Mulayam held the BJP and BSP responsible for the plight of the farmers.

"If farmers are not happy and prosperous, then the country will not become great," he said, even as some farmers raised slogans over dues in cane payments during the programme.

The SP supremo said if the country has to become a superpower, then Uttar Pradesh has to become number one. He also said that the SP government was taking steps to resolve the problems in power sector, and promised this would be done in the next one and a half years.

PTI

Chhattisgarh: Raman Singh presents Rs 54,710 cr budget

Raipur: Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh Saturday presented Rs 54,710 crore tax-free budget for 2014-15 in the state assembly.

Raman Singh who is ruling the state since December 2003 and also holds the finance portfolio, unveiled a series of tax reliefs for industries and cottage sector to revive them from recession.

Raman Singh. PTI

In a major decision for the farm community, which makes up roughly 80 percent of the state's total population, the chief minister made a budgetary provision of Rs.140 crore for "interest free short-term crop loans".

The key trade bodies and the business personalities in the state have hailed the budget as "balanced and growth-oriented" with the opposition Congress terming it "disappointing, directionless, anti-farmer and anti-poor".

Highlighting the priorities of his government, Raman Singh said he was committed to eradicating poverty, hunger and malnutrition. He emphasised on "strengthening of human resources, especially the marginalised sections of society and prosperity of farmers, which will lead to better development of the state. This will be achieved through people-oriented, transparent and accountable administration".

The budget has made a provision of Rs.3,900 crore for providing rice at Re.1 per kg to 85 per cent families of the state under "Mukhyamantri Khaddyanna Suraksha Yojana" towards implementation of the The Chhattisgarh Food and Nutrition Security Act.

A provision of Rs.8,459 crore has been made for the agriculture and allied sectors.

The chief minister announced about providing incentive to farmers at Rs 300 per quintal for paddy procurement of 2013 Kharif and provisioned Rs 2,400 crore for the same in the budget.

The total outlay for the social sector has been pegged at Rs.20,851 crore, which includes 12 percent for school education, eight percent for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes development, five percent for health and three percent for women and child development.

The state government has offered several bonanzas in the education sector and announced free education to girl students of government colleges up to graduation.

Interest rates have also been further reduced to one percent for education loans under the "Mukhyamantri Uchcha Siksha Krinn Anudan Yojana" while giving interest-free education loans under the scheme for students of Naxal-affected districts.

IANS

JD(U) will regret parting ways with BJP: Arun Jaitley

Patna: Taking an apparent swipe at JD(U), the Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha, Arun Jaitley, today said that those who had parted ways with BJP would regret their decision following the general elections later this year.

"They will regret the decision to part ways with us and ask themselves as to why they had done so," Jaitley told BJP workers at a state-level function here without, however, identifying any party.

Arun Jaitley. AFP

The event had been organised as part of the drive to collect iron and related material for construction of a statue of independent India's first Home Minister, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, in Gujarat. The statue is the brainchild of Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi.

"We did not walk away from our alliance [with JD(U)], but the decision (leading to the ending of the partnership) will nonetheless benefit us and we will perform impressively in Bihar," Jaitley said.

The senior BJP MLA in Bihar Assembly, Ashwani Chaube, will not have to carry out his threat to resign from the House as BJP will do well in the general elections on 40 seats in Bihar, Jaitey added.

Jaitley sought to downplay the threat to BJP from Congress or a likely Third Front configuration, saying that Congress does not inspire confidence among the people while the Third Front was a "losers' front".

"The general elections will prove whether Congress has more votes or hoardings," he said.

As to the Third Front, the senior BJP leader has said earlier that JD(U) would be "squeezed out" in Bihar while Samajwadi Party faced a similar position in Uttar Pradesh.

The designs for the creation of a Third Front would not succeed, he said, adding that the "Third Front is a failed idea".

He was referring to JD(U) leader Nitish Kumar's bid to cobble together a formation of 11 regional and Left parties as an alternative to BJP and Congress-led alliances at the national level.

Any experiment with a Third Front would not be in the national interest and could instead prove to be detrimental to the economy and security of the country, Jaitley said.

He claimed that the people were keen to elect the BJP-led NDA at the Centre under the leadership of Modi.

Exuding confidence about his party's prospects in the upcoming general elections, he said that the outcome of the exercise would be unprecedented and beyond the expectations of all.

The 2014 general elections will turn out to be BJP's best- ever performance and the worst in Congress's history, Jaitley added.

PTI