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Returning awards amounts to dishonouring recognition: Shashi Tharoor</br> Taking a contrary stand on return of Sahitiya Akademi awards by eminent writers, former Union Minister Shashi Tharoor today commented that although writers have every right to stand up for their freedom of expression, returning the awards amount to "dishonouring" the recognition. "Personally, I regret the fact that a section of writers have returned the Akademi awards. Award is a recognition of intellectual, literary, creative or academic merits. It is not a political act," he told PTI on the sidelines of a function here. "Sahitya Akademi is actually an independent institution, and the concerns we have are political ones. For writers, I think there is no need to confuse these two. One should oppose the present climate…one should stand up for freedom…but one should not dishonour the award," he said. (Reuters)
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AAP 'army' to ensure Ghulam Ali's concert goes well in Delhi </br> The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) will deploy its "army of workers", if necessary, to ensure that ghazal maestro Ghulam Ali's concert goes well in the national capital, senior party Sanjay Singh said today. He, however, said that the primary responsibility of ensuring law and order and that the show is held without any disruption, lies with the Delhi Police. "In Maharashtra, there is BJP's police under Devendra Fadnavis, and in Delhi it is Modi's police and the Home Ministry under Rajnath Singh which is looking after Delhi's security. "If need arises, we will deploy our army of party workers to ensure that the programme goes fine. We will not allow any kind of disruption in the event," Sanjay Singh said. (PTI)
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PM salutes former Prez A P J Abdul Kalam on his 84th birth anniversary </br> Prime Minister Narendra Modi today paid tribute to late President Dr A P J Abdul Kalam on his 84th birth anniversary. "Salutations to Dr A P J Abdul Kalam on his birth anniversary", Prime Minister Modi said in an official release. Modi will also unveil a statue of the former President and inaugurate a photo exhibition in the capital as part of Kalam's birth anniversary celebrations. Bharat Ratna awardee Kalam, who passed away on July 27, was the 11th President of India from 2002 to 2007. (PTI)
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10. Bihar election results: A loose grouping of Samajwadi Party, Janadhikar Morcha of Madhepura MP Pappu Yadav and two others was counted as a challenge particularly to grand secular alliance but not much impact was visible except in Madhepura and Kosi area in the last phase. The six Left parties came together to form a separate Front but their chance is rated very low. AIMIM of Hyderabad MP Asauddin Owaisi fielded six candidates in muslims dominated Seemanchal area to test the poll water in Bihar. (ANI)
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US to ask Modi govt to turn ideals of tolerance into reality </br> A top American diplomat on religious freedom has said the US will encourage the Modi government to turn the ideals of "tolerance and civility" into reality across the country, days after the Prime Minister called for communal harmony in the backdrop of the Dadri lynching incident. "Just after this controversy over beef incidents, the Prime Minister called for civility and tolerance between the different communities. We are going to encourage the Prime Minister and the government to take those ideals and turn them into reality all across the country," US Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom, David Saperstein, told PTI. The India section of the report, which includes the UPA rule till May 26, says that in 2014, India witnessed religiously motivated killings, arrests, riots and coerced religious conversions and the police in some cases failed to respond effectively to communal violence. (PTI)
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Shiv Sena slams Sharad Pawar, likens NCP to "blood sucking leech" </br> In a vitriolic attack on Sharad Pawar for equating the Shiv Sena to "ants that will be stuck to jaggery of power," the ruling alliance partner today described NCP as "blood sucking leech" waiting to join hands with the BJP to be a part of Maharashtra government. "Before calling others ants, it would have been better if Pawar had self-introspected. The NCP is infamous for sucking the blood of Maharashtra like leeches. These are leeches whose stomach will remain empty despite sucking out all the blood of the state," the Sena said in stinging remarks in an editorial in party mouthpiece 'Saamana'. Pawar had recently said that power was like a block of jaggery and termed the BJP and Shiv Sena as ants drawn to it, sucking as much sweetness as they could. (PTI)
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Kerala Assembly Speaker courts controversy </br> Kerala Assembly Speaker N Sakthan has got embroiled in a controversy after his driver was seen helping him wear his footwear at a function at the Assembly complex here. The incident occurred during a function held in connection with the harvesting of paddy cultivated inside the Assembly garden yesterday in which the speaker took part. Visuals aired by television channels this morning showed the speaker's driver, squatting on the floor and putting on the straps of Sakthan's sandals as many people looked on. State Agriculture Minister K P Mohanan had also attended the function. (PTI)
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'US was planning $500 mn military aid for India after the 1962 war </br> Anticipating an attack on India by China after the 1962 war, the then John F Kennedy administration was planning a USD 500 million military aid package for India including help to increase arms production and creation of six mountain divisions, a new book has said. The package, which was shelved due to Kennedy's assassination, also included an aid of USD 120 million to be equally split between the United States and Britain. But India under Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru wanted an aid package of USD 1.3 billion. Following intense negotiations between New Delhi and Washington, the two countries agreed on a military aid package of USD 500 million, former CIA official Bruce Riedel writes in his latest book. (AP)
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Returning Akademi awards politically motivated: Kirron Kher </br> Actor and BJP MP Kirron Kher today termed the act of authors returning Sahitya Akademi awards as "politically motivated". "I think the intellectuals who are giving up their awards are completely politically motivated, it's quite obvious. So many people died in 1984 in Delhi… around 3,000 Sikhs. But no one gave back the award that time," Kher said. "They are now screaming about Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP and RSS, so they are obviously politically motivated. It's so obvious you know. Rub the surface and the truth comes out," she said while claiming that the "truth" will come out soon.(PTI)
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Nitish claims BJP will end quota if it gets the numbers in RS </br> Stepping up attack on reservation issue, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar today claimed that BJP will "end" quota by bringing changes in the Constitution once it gets the numbers in Rajya Sabha, and asked the people to be cautious of its designs. "These people would end the reservation for SC, ST and backward class once they are able to cobble up majority in the Rajya Sabha and that's why they want their government in Bihar as it would help them better their position in the upper house. Once they have the numbers in Rajya Sabha, they would effect changes in the Constitution," Kumar said at an election meeting here. The BJP does not have majority in the upper house but it would also tinker with the existing provisions on land acquisition once they have the numbers, he claimed. (PTI)
