bjp-chooses-vijender-gupta-as-leader-of-opposition-for-delhi-assembly

BJP chooses Vijender Gupta as leader of opposition for Delhi assembly

New Delhi, Feb 18 (ANI): Vijender Gupta, one of the three successful BJP candidates in Delhi Assembly, was on Wednesday named by the party as the Leader of Opposition. Gupta, a member of the BJP's National Executive, was elected from West Delhi's Rohini constituency and has also been the president of the BJP's Delhi branch.The Bharatiya Janta Party suffered a rout in the recently held Delhi Assembly polls, with only three of its candidates securing a seat in the elections. The Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party won 67 out of the 70 seats on offer in the Delhi polls, becoming the first non-Congress and non-BJP party to rule the city. Feb 18, 2015
bihar-crisis-bjp-mlas-walk-out-from-all-party-meeting-called-by-state-assembly-speaker

Bihar Crisis: BJP MLAs walk out from all party meeting called by State Assembly Speaker

Patna, Feb 18 (ANI): The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLAs on Wednesday boycotted the all-party meeting which was called by the State Assembly Speaker Uday Narain Choudhary ahead of the Assembly session. The State Assembly will be meeting on February 20 for Chief Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi to prove his majority. Meanwhile, the Patna High Court on Wednesday will pronounce its judgment on the petition filed by the BJP which has challenged the Speaker's decision to recognize the Janata Dal (United) camp led by Nitish Kumar as the principal opposition. Feb 18, 2015
pm-modi-vows-to-protect-all-religious-minorities

PM Modi vows to protect all religious minorities

New Delhi, Feb 17 (ANI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday vowed to protect all religious groups, an apparent response to a series of attacks on Christian institutions in New Delhi fuelling concerns that minorities are being targeted by Hindu zealots. Modi was speaking at an event organised by the Christian community to celebrate the beatification of two Indians by Pope Francis late last year in New Delhi. Critics say that Modi's government, which is led by the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), has failed to protect religious minorities and rein in Hindu extremists who have been emboldened by its election victory last year. Earlier this month priests, nuns and parishioners clashed with police as they staged a protest in New Delhi over a series of vandalism and arson attacks on churches. Religious conversions have become a divisive political issue since hardliners with links to the BJP said Hinduism was under threat and started a campaign to convince Christians and Muslims to change their faith. Feb 17, 2015
politicians-express-outrage-after-indian-origin-boy-shot-dead-in-us-and-hindu-temple-vandalized

Politicians express outrage after Indian origin boy shot dead in US and Hindu temple vandalized

New Delhi, Feb 17 (ANI): In a shocking case of intolerance, a Hindu temple was vandalized with hate speech in Washington. The incident happened when unidentified miscreants sprayed swastika and painted "Get Out" on one of the walls of the temple in the Seattle Metropolitan area. The incident shocked the community in the area, prompting authorities to launch an investigation. In a separate incident, a 28-year-old Indian-American, who was shot by unknown gunmen in his family-owned liquor shop in the US, has succumbed to his injuries. Amit Patel from Edison was shot and killed in New Jersey inside Roseway Liquors in Irvington on Sunday. Politicos have expressed outrage over the incidents. Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut on Tuesday said it is extremely important to maintain religious harmony in the U.S. Bharatiya Janata Party spokesperson Sambit Patra also said that the law should take its own course and the culprits should be punished. Senior Congress leader P.C. Chacko said the United States has no right to speak about others when they themselves are not able to protect minority communities on their own territory. Feb 17, 2015
reactions-come-in-over-indias-nuclear-deal-with-sri-lanka

Reactions come in over India's nuclear deal with Sri Lanka

New Delhi/ Chennai, Feb 17 (ANI): Congress party took a dig at the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party after the Narendra Modi-led government signed a nuclear energy agreement with Sri Lanka. This deal is India's first breakthrough with the new government of the tiny Indian Ocean island where China has been building ports and highways in a diplomatic push in recent years. Under the deal, India will help Sri Lanka build its nuclear energy infrastructure, including training of personnel, the Indian foreign ministry said. Later, India could also sell light small-scale nuclear reactors to Sri Lanka which wants to establish 600 MW of nuclear capacity by 2030, a Sri Lankan official and an Indian analyst said earlier. Meanwhile, Tamil Activist Thirumurugan Gandhi also the founder of May 17 Movement for the cause of Eelam Tamil society's struggle for a separate Eelam Nation, criticised the growing ties between the two nations. Feb 17, 2015
akhils-movie-launch-in-a-grand-manner

Akhils movie launch in a grand manner

The much-awaited debut film of Nagarjuna's younger son Akhil Akkineni was launched on Valentine's Day. He will romance legendary Bollywood actor Dilip Kumar's granddaughter Sayesha Saigal in the film. The launch of Akhil's first film was held at the Shilpakala Vedhika in Hyderabad on 14 February. It was a starry event, which witnessed the presence of Nagrjuna, Amala, Naga Chaitanya, Venkatesh, VV Vinayak, Nithiin, Sayesha Saigal and many others. This movie is an romance and action-oriented film with high comic quotient. The movie is directed by VV Vinayak and produced by actor Nithiin. Rajendra prasad is playing a Akhil's father in this movie. Feb 16, 2015
bihar-deadlock-manjhi-meets-rajnath-in-delhi

Bihar deadlock: Manjhi meets Rajnath in Delhi

New Delhi, Feb 16 (ANI): Bihar Chief Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi, who is under sharp criticism from the Janata Dal (United) for being defiant, met Home Minister Rajnath Singh. Manjhi's meeting with Singh assumes significance as the JD (U) has alleged that the former is working at the behest of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Manjhi is presently in the national capital to attend the wedding reception of BJP president Amit Shah's son. Senior JD (U) leader and former Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar had earlier accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP of 'attempting to throttle democracy'. Feb 16, 2015
regional-parties-accuse-modi-government-of-political-turmoil-in-bihar

Regional parties accuse Modi government of political turmoil in Bihar

Patna, Feb 15 (ANI): Janata Dal United (JD-U) and its alliance Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), on Sunday blamed Narendra Modi-led federal government for political tension in Bihar. During a joint news conference, JD-U, RJD, Congress party and Communist Party of India (CPI), accused Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for political uncertainty in Bihar. A RJD leader, Ramchandra Purve, said that earlier of transfer of powers was smooth in Bihar and hit out at BJP alleging it for creating tension. However, BJP refuted the allegations. Feb 15, 2015