BJP chief Nitin Nabin to visit UP’s Gorakhpur on Nov 4-5

Amaravati, April 15 (IANS) Ahead of the three-day special session of Parliament, beginning on Thursday, leaders of the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in Andhra Pradesh met on Wednesday.

Chief Minister and Telugu Desam Party (TDP) national president N. Chandrababu Naidu, Deputy Chief Minister and Jana Sena president Pawan Kalyan, state BJP president PVN Madhav, and state TDP president Palla Srinivasa Rao attended the meeting held on Wednesday evening at the Chief Minister’s official residence.

The NDA partners discussed the strategy to be adopted by them in both the Houses of Parliament to support the Constitutional amendment to the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam (Women’s Reservation Act, 2023).

Chandrababu Naidu has already written a letter to heads of political parties in the state and Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha members from the state seeking their support for the amendment bill.

He requested them to extend their support to the amendment bill, which aims to implement 33 per cent reservations for women in legislative assemblies starting from the 2029 elections.

The national president of the TDP appealed to them to strengthen Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s resolve to provide one-third reservations for women in Parliament and assemblies.

Chandrababu Naidu stated that the introduction of the Women’s Reservation Amendment Bill in Parliament on April 16 will be a historic milestone in Indian democracy.

Meanwhile, Andhra Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) president Sharmila Reddy has written a strongly worded open letter to Chandrababu Naidu, warning that the proposed delimitation exercise poses a serious threat to the political and financial future of the state.

In her letter, Y S Sharmila Reddy cautioned that a population-based delimitation would significantly reduce the state’s relative representation in Parliament, thereby weakening its bargaining power at the Centre. She highlighted that such a shift could result in Andhra Pradesh losing thousands of crores in central allocations over time, directly impacting critical projects such as Amaravati capital development, the Polavaram project, and key industrial corridors.

Describing the move as a “structural injustice,” she argued that states like Andhra Pradesh, which have shown responsible governance and population control, are being unfairly penalised. She stressed that reduced parliamentary strength would translate into diminished influence over national policy decisions, funding priorities, and project clearances.

Sharmila Reddy urged the Chief Minister to take immediate and decisive action, including publicly opposing the delimitation proposal, rallying all Members of Parliament from the state to vote against the Delimitation Bill, and convening an urgent one-day session of the State Assembly to pass a resolution rejecting the move.

Calling it a “defining moment” for Andhra Pradesh, she emphasised that the issue transcends party lines and demands a united stand to protect the state’s interests.

Issuing a stern warning, the APCC president stated that if the state government fails to act, the Congress party will launch statewide protests and mass agitation against what she termed as a grave injustice to the people of Andhra Pradesh.

–IANS

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Jaipur, Sep 14 (IANS) Rajasthan Police apprehended Rahul Jha (45), accused of murdering his wife and three daughters in Jaipur, from a hotel in Reengus, said police on Monday.

He was arrested on Sunday night. After committing the murders, Jha reportedly travelled by e-rickshaw to visit three temples in Jaipur and spent the entire day there. During interrogation, police found that Jha had allegedly intended to kill only his wife and eldest daughter. He suspected that his eldest daughter was in a relationship and that a man was visiting their home. According to police, Jha’s wife would defend their daughter, which frequently led to arguments between the couple.

During questioning, Jha told police that he had been under stress over issues involving his wife and eldest daughter. He believed that his eldest daughter was involved in a romantic relationship and had been asking his wife for the past two to three months to counsel her.

According to the investigation, Jha suspected that someone was visiting his daughter at night. He was also reportedly upset that his daughter frequently went out with acquaintances.

Recently, she had participated in the Kanwar Yatra with a male acquaintance. Jha had repeatedly warned her to stay away from strangers, police said.

Preliminary investigation suggests that Jha had planned to kill his wife and eldest daughter. However, he was also concerned about who would take care of his two younger daughters if he was arrested and jailed after the killings. Police suspect that this concern led him to kill the younger daughters as well.

According to investigators, Jha had brought two large stones from outside the house and carried one of them inside. He first attacked his wife and then killed his eldest daughter.

He subsequently attacked his other two daughters, who were sleeping in a downstairs room. The woman and her three daughters were found murdered at their house in the Kardhani area of Jaipur.

During interrogation, police also questioned Jha about why he did not kill his 85-year-old father.

According to police sources, Jha’s father receives a monthly pension of Rs 33,000. Investigators found that the plan was for Jha’s brother to take care of their father after the rest of the family was killed. This was reportedly the reason his elderly father was spared.

Police investigation also revealed that Jha frequently visited the Khatu Shyam Ji temple. He had reportedly visited Khatu Shyam Ji just five or six days before the murders. When police began gathering information about Jha from neighbours and acquaintances after the crime, they learned about his frequent visits to Khatu. A police team subsequently visited Khatu Shyam Ji and examined CCTV footage.

Jha was spotted near a hotel in the footage. Based on his movements, police then examined CCTV footage from Reengus railway station. Investigators reportedly found Jha wandering around the railway station and the Bikaner bus stand throughout the day. These movements helped police trace and apprehend him at a hotel in Reengus.

–IANS

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New Delhi, Sep 1 (IANS) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday expressed deep sorrow over the devastating earthquake in Afghanistan, as the death toll rose to 812, and conveyed India’s readiness to provide humanitarian aid.

Taking to social media platform X, PM Modi said, “Deeply saddened by the loss of lives due to the earthquake in Afghanistan. Our thoughts and prayers are with the bereaved families in this difficult hour, and we wish a speedy recovery to the injured. India stands ready to provide all possible humanitarian aid and relief to those affected”.

Earlier in the day, External Affairs Minister (EAM) S. Jaishankar also expressed deep concern over the devastating earthquake in Afghanistan’s Kunar Province, which has claimed more than 812 lives so far.

“India will extend assistance in this hour of need. Our condolences to the families of the victims. And our prayers for early recovery of the injured”, he said.

Meanwhile, rescue teams are navigating remote areas with limited communication to assess the full extent of the damage and provide aid, with officials noting that the toll is preliminary as efforts continue, official media added.

The 6.0-magnitude earthquake struck the eastern part of Afghanistan at 11.47 p.m. local time on Sunday, at a depth of eight km, according to the US Geological Survey, Xinhua news agency reported.

Afghanistan is especially vulnerable to earthquakes as it sits on top of several fault lines where the Indian and Eurasian plates meet. The mountainous terrain of eastern Afghanistan is also prone to landslides, making it harder for emergency services to carry out rescues.

A series of earthquakes in the western parts killed more than 1,000 people last year, underscoring the vulnerability of one of the world’s poorest countries to natural disasters.

A magnitude 6.3 earthquake had struck Afghanistan on October 7, 2023, along with strong aftershocks. The Taliban government had estimated that at least 4,000 perished. It was the deadliest natural disaster to strike Afghanistan in recent memory.

Over the past decade, more than 7,000 people have been killed in earthquakes in Afghanistan, the UN’s Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs reports. There are an average of 560 deaths a year from earthquakes.

An earthquake in May 1998, in Takhar and Badakhshan provinces in northern Afghanistan, killed about 4,000 people. Nearly 100 villages and 16,000 houses were destroyed or damaged, and 45,000 people were made homeless.

–IANS

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