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<b>IAS officer Shakuntala Gamlin responds to AAP charges in letter to LG: </b> Refuting allegations of her favouring power companies and tricking the government, Principal Secretary Shakuntala Gamlin has written to Delhi Lt Governor Najeeb Jung clarifying her stand over the charges levelled against her by the AAP government. "The need regarding the issuance of a comfort letter for the purpose of facilitating a loan from the power finance corporation led consortium of institutions and banks to BRPS and BYPL, the two out of three discoms operating in Delhi, had arisen on account of Supreme Court order of February 19 this year, wherein an obligation had been placed on these discoms to repay their current dues to GNCTD and central power utilities. Non-payment of these dues… would have led to regulation by them, resulting in major loadshedding in the national capital." Refuting the allegation that she favoured power companies and had tricked the government into signing documents (comfort letter) which would give Rs 11,000 crore to power firms, Gamlin said. (PTI) (27/05/2015)
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I am a true Muslim, Prophet a 'great yogi': Sakshi Maharaj </br> New Delhi, Jun 15 (PTI) Sparking a fresh controversy, saffron-clad BJP MP Sakshi Maharaj today claimed himself to be a true Muslim and dubbed Prophet Mohammed as a "great yogi" and the biggest practitioner of yoga. "The biggest name in Islam is that of Mohammed and I consider Mohammed saab as a great yogi. A Muslim is one who has 'iman' and that is why called a Mussalman. I am a true Muslim," said the leader, who has made several controversial remarks about minorities in the past. He further said people should stop communalising the sun. "If sun does not rise, the whole world will become blind. Those who communalise sun should not take its light," he said. Ahead of the government's big plans for Yoga Day on June 21, Maharaj said those politicising surya namaskar should know that there are 42 prostrations (sujood) in namaz, which is performed five times a day. (15/06/2015) (PTI)
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<b>Nehru-Gandhi family ensured that Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar lost elections, says BJP: </b> The Congress and BJP have entered into a war of words, vying to claim the legacy of Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar, just days before Rahul Gandhi's forthcoming visit to the icon's birthplace at Mhow here. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) said here today that the Nehru-Gandhi family had made fun of Dr Ambedkar's contribution, only a day after Congress general secretary Digvijay Singh accused the RSS of indulging in doublespeak regarding the architect of Indian Constitution. "Rahul Gandhi is going to visit the birthplace of Dr Ambedkar, but his family has made a mockery of his contribution," Madhya Pradesh BJP chief Nandkumar Singh Chauhan told reporters here. "Due to Nehru-Gandhi family members, Dr Ambedkar couldn't win Lok Sabha elections twice. After he fought Lok Sabha elections from Mumbai and by-elections from Bhandara, Nehru-Gandhi family members ensured that he lost the elections and thus stopped him from entering the lower house of the Parliament," he said. (PTI) (27/05/2015)
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<b>No breakthrough in Gujjar stir, parleys to continue: </b> A breakthrough was awaited for resolving the Gujjar reservation issue as the second round of talks tonight between a delegation of the agitating leaders and a panel of three Rajasthan ministers failed to arrive at a conclusion. The talks between the 13-member Gujjar delegation and the ministerial committee took place at the Secretariat here and lasted for nearly four hours. The parleys will resume tomorrow morning as no conclusion was reached tonight, Himmat Singh, spokesperson of the Gujjar Aakrakshan Sangarsh Samiti, told PTI after the meeting. He said that the Gujjar community members maintained that nothing short of five per cent reservation within the legal limit of 50 per cent would be acceptable to them and it is for the government to offer a workable proposal to meet that demand. (PTI) (27/05/2015)
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<b>To push Ram temple at Ayodhya, team of seers to approach govt: </b> A meeting called by Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) here today decided that a team of religious leaders and seers would approach the government for facilitating the construction of a Ram temple at Ayodhya. Participants at the meet called by the Hindu right wing body discussed the legal aspects vis-a-vis their demand for the construction of a Ram temple at Ayodhya. They said that thousands of people every year visit Ayodhya as they identify the town with Lord Ram. The discussion today, on the second day of the meet, was chaired by Jagadguru Ramanujacharya Swami Krishnacharya. Speaking at the meeting, Swami Avdheshanand Giri said that people across the country were committed to the construction of a Ram temple at Ayodhya. (PTI)(27/05/2015)
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In the wake of the Uri attack and intelligence inputs of a terror threat to the capital, Delhi Police has ramped up security at places that see high footfall. (PTI)
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<b>Sri Jagannath temple admin and Shankaracharya bury hatchets: </b> The year-long impasse involving the Sri Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) and Shankaracharya of Puri Govardhan Peeth over climbing of chariots by the seer ended today with the former softening its stance and inviting the Shankaracharya for the purpose. As per the decision of SJTA governing body, Gajapati Maharaja of Puri Divyasingha Dev, its chairman, called on the Shankaracharya Nischalananda Saraswati here today and extended invitation to visit the chariots in the annual car festival and during the 'Snan Purnima' (bathing festival of the deities), SJTA officials said here. Saraswati claimed the Gajapati Maharaja had admitted to the administrative lapses (on denying him to perform the age-old ritual) and assured him the same would not be repeated in future. The Shankaracharya could visit the chariots with six of his disciples, but only the seer could touch the deities and not others, the officials said. (PTI) (27/05/2015)
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<b> Arvind Kejriwal's AAP 100 days total failure: North Delhi Mayor: </b> North Delhi Mayor Ravinder Gupta today hit out at the Arvind Kejriwal-led dispensation, terming the first 100 days of the AAP government as a "total failure" and alleging that its only achievement was "finding fault" in almost everything and everybody. Gupta claimed that ever since Kejriwal came to power, his party has been embroiled in one or the other controversy, leaving little time for him to concentrate on the citizens of Delhi and their needs. "The only work that the Delhi government has been able to do well during these 100 days is finding fault in almost everything and everybody," he claimed. The Mayor said that the government and his cabinet have "failed badly" in cooperating and blending with the system. He said such a situation has led to frustration among the people who voted Kejriwal to power with such overwhelming majority, but are "yet to see" any result on the ground. (PTI) (27/05/2015)
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<b>BJP has differences with PDP on some issues, says Venkaiah Naidu: </b> TDenying that BJP committed a political mistake by aligning with PDP to form government in Jammu and Kashmir, Union Minister Venkaiah Naidu today admitted that it had differences with the Mufti Mohammad Sayeed-led party on some issues. "We have differences on certain issues. We are trying to sort them out," he told reporters here when asked about developments in the insurgency-affected state after the PDP-BJP coalition came to power. He, however, denied that forming a coalition with PDP was a political mistake. (PTI) (27/05/2015)
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<b>Somnath Bharti moves private resolution against Centre's notification: </b> TAAP MLA Somnath Bharti today moved a private member resolution at special session of the Delhi Assembly to "ignore" a notification issued by the Centre giving absolute powers to the Lt Governor and called it "unconstitutional" and "invalid". "I resolve to ignore notification of Ministry of Home Affairs and directs the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi and its employees to ignore it and to function as if this notification did not exist," Bharti said during the discussion. He claimed that the notification is violative of the provisions of the Constitution of India. (PTI) (27/05/2015)
