Punjab Governor vs Chief Minister Over Foreign Trip For School Principals

Punjab Governor Banwarilal Purohit on Monday questioned a government appointment and the selection of school principals for a foreign trip, drawing a sharp response from Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann who said his government is only answerable to Punjabis and not a Centre-appointed governor.

The row erupted after Mr Purohit wrote a letter to Mr Mann asking for details on the selection of government school principals sent to Singapore for a training seminar, saying he has received complaints of "malpractices and illegalities".

The governor also questioned the appointment of Gurinderjit Singh Jawanda as the Punjab Information and Communication Technology Corporation Limited chairman and pointed out that his name figured in a kidnapping and property grabbing case.

Claiming that Mr Mann "never cared to reply" to his letters in the past, Mr Purohit told the Chief Minister that people did not elect him to run the state according to his "whims and fancies" and that as per the Constitution, he is "bound to furnish" any information sought by Raj Bhavan.

He asked Mr Mann to reply to his letter within a fortnight, failing which he would seek legal advice for further action.

Taking to Twitter, Mr Mann said his government is accountable only to 3 crore Punjabis.

"Honourable Governor Sir, your letter was received through the media... all the issues mentioned in the letter are State subjects... According to the Constitution, I and my government are accountable to 3 crore Punjabis and not any governor appointed by the central government. Treat this as my reply," the chief minister said in a tweet in Punjabi.

The Punjab government had sent 36 government school principals to a professional teacher training seminar in Singapore from February 6 to 10.

"I have received complaints in respect to the selection of principals for sending them to Singapore for training. The complainants point out certain malpractices and illegalities in the selection of these principals. The allegation is that there is no transparency," Mr Purohit said in his letter.

"I, therefore, request you to send me the criteria and details of entire selection process. Please also give detail if it was widely published throughout Punjab. As per news reports... the first batch has come back, (so) please let me have details of total expenditure incurred on travelling and boarding lodging and expenses towards training," he said.

The governor said he has also received a complaint regarding Jawanda's appointment as the Punjab Information and Communication Technology Corporation Limited chairman.

"As per another complaint I came to know that you have appointed Sh. Gurinderjit Singh Jawanda, as Chairman, of Punjab Information and Communication and Technology Corporation Ltd., which is a very important and prestigious Corporation of Punjab. As I have been made aware that the name of Sh. Gurinderjit Singh Jawanda appears in a kidnapping and property grabbing case, please send me full detail of this case," Mr Purohit said.

Further in his letter, Mr Purohit expressed displeasure over Mr Mann choosing to "ignore" his letters in the past.

"In one of the letters addressed to me, you had mentioned that because of the heavy mandate by the people of Punjab you are the Chief Minister , I fully agree with you on this count but you should also keep it in mind that people of the State elected you for running the administration as per the Constitution and not as per whims and fancies.

"As per Art. 167 of the Constitution of India, you are bound to furnish me full details and information asked by me, but you have not furnished the same and never cared to reply and treated all my queries with contempt," Mr Purohit stated.

He said he did not reveal his previous letters to the press to maintain cordial relations between Chief Minister's Office and Raj Bhavan, but he was "compelled" to do so now as "it appears to me that you have decided to ignore my letters".

"In spite of my detailed letter dated 14-12-2022, you chose to ignore all misdeeds of Kuldeep Singh Chahal, IPS. You have not only promoted him but also posted him as Commissioner of Jalandhar and that too the orders being issued just before 26th January, knowing very well that Governor is to unfurl the national flag at Jalandhar," Mr Purohit said.

"On this issue, it seems that this officer was your blue-eyed boy and you chose to ignore facts that were brought to your notice by this office," he charged.

Mr Chahal, a Punjab cadre IPS officer, was removed from the post of Senior Superintendent of Police, Chandigarh, for his alleged "misconduct" last year. He was promoted to the rank of Deputy Inspector General after he was sent back to Punjab.

In a letter dated January 4, Mr Purohit said, he wrote about the presence of a non-appointee of the government, Naval Aggarwal, in meetings of senior officers where sensitive and confidential matters related to the country's security were discussed.

He also pointed out that he had written to Mann regarding the "illegal" appointment of the Punjab Agricultural University vice-chancellor in November last year, seeking details of advertisements and on the issue of 2 lakh Scheduled Caste students being "compelled to discontinue their studies due to non-disbursal of scholarship".

Asking Mr Mann to furnish information on all these issues within a fortnight, Mr Purohit said, "If you fail to provide this information within the stipulated time period... I will be compelled to take legal advice for further action since I am duty-bound to protect the Constitution."

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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Uddhav Thackeray's Outreach To North Indians Settled In Mumbai

Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray on Sunday said his party doesn't discriminate between Marathi-speaking people and north Indians settled in Mumbai, remarks viewed as an outreach to the key vote bank ahead of the crucial city civic polls.

Addressing a gathering of north Indians, the former Maharashtra chief minister called for unity and said Hindutva doesn't mean spreading hate and dividing people. "I fell out with BJP but I never abandoned Hindutva. The BJP is not Hindutva. Uttar Bharatiyas want answers on what Hindutva is. Hating each other is not Hindutva. We don't discriminate between Marathi-speaking and north Indian people residing in Mumbai," Mr Thackeray said and appealed to the community to sink the past misunderstandings.

Significantly, the Shiv Sena has always projected itself as the sole guardian of the sons-of-the-soil and had led violent agitations against north Indians in the past.

Mr Thackeray said he walked out of the alliance with BJP to protect his dignity and joined hands with the NCP and Congress to form the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) after the 2019 Assembly polls.

".....Otherwise I would have been a slave with a belt around my neck just like some of my people have now become," he said in an apparent reference to the rebel Shiv Sena MLAs who belong to the Balasahebanchi Shiv Sena faction led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.

Mr Thackeray said he becomes a victim of the smear campaign whenever he meets north Indians or Muslims and questioned are raised on his Hindutva.

"My meeting with you has been criticised. If I meet Muslims, it is said I have given up Hindutva. When PM Narendra Modi came to Mumbai two days back, whose kitchen did he go to? If I had done that I would have been called anti-Hindu. But if the prime minister does that then it is said he has a big heart. I want to make it clear we have nothing against the Bohra community. They are with us," he said.

During his latest visit to Mumbai, the Prime Minister inaugurated the new Marol campus of the Aljamea-tus-Saifiyah Arabic Academy, a prominent educational institution of the Bohra community, and said he had come there as a family member of the community.

Mr Thackeray accused the BJP of creating a rift among Hindus.

"I come here to open your eyes and not provoke you. Shiv Sena never discriminates among people while helping them when it comes to blood donation or taking patients to hospitals in their ambulances. If we are together for five years why should we be separate during elections? "he asked.

He said everyone should come together to protect the freedom achieved from the British and ensure we don't become slaves of our own people.

"These people don't have the daring to call for elections- be it for Lok Sabha, Maharashtra Assembly or municipal corporations. They don't have guts to face challenges and they call themselves leaders of Hindus," he said targetting the BJP.

Mr Thackeray also said that unity among people is the "security kavach" for him.

He took a dig at Maharashtra governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari quitting the office, saying it was a good day for the state.

"Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj's coronation was performed by a priest from north India, and today the person who insulted Shivaji Maharaj has been sent back," he said.

In the 2017 Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation polls, the BJP made giant strides by winning 82 seats, just two seats behind the Shiv Sena in the 227-member civic body.

The Bharatiya Janata Party, which shares power with the Balasahebanchi Shiv Sena faction, has said it would register a record win in the Mumbai civic polls, due since early last year.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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"7 दिन में मंदिर हटा लें, वरना..." : MP में रेलवे ने बजरंगबली को नोटिस जारी कर दी चेतावनी

मध्यप्रदेश के मुरैना में सबलगढ़ तहसील मुख्यालय में एक अनोखा मामला देखने को मिला है, जहां भगवान बजरंग बली के नाम पर नोटिस जारी किया गया है. सबलगढ़ में 11 मुखी हनुमान मंदिर को रेलवे विभाग अपनी जमीन पर बता रहा है. रेलवे ने इसे अतिक्रमण करार देकर उसे हटाने के लिए नोटिस जारी किया है. मंदिर हटाने के लिये भगवान बजरंगबली के नाम से नोटिस जारी कर चेतावनी दी गई है कि मंदिर सात दिन में हटा लिया जाये अन्यथा तोड़ने की कार्रवाई की जाएगी.

उत्तर मध्य रेलवे के वरिष्ठ खण्ड अभियंता जौरा, अलापुर द्वारा 8 फरवरी को यह आदेश जारी कर मंदिर की दीवार पर चस्पा कर दिया था. श्रद्धालुओं द्वारा इसकी तीखी आलोचना की जा रही है. उत्तर मध्य रेलवे द्वारा ग्वालियर से श्योपुर तक नेरोगेज से ब्रोडगेज रेल लाइन का अपग्रेडेशन किया जा रहा है.

उत्तर मध्य रेलवे (झांसी मण्डल) के जनसम्पर्क अधिकारी, मनोज सिंह ने बताया, "यह नोटिस बजरंग बली के नाम से नहीं था. यह नोटिस पुजारी मंदिर बजरंग बली के नाम से था. लिपिकीय त्रुटी की वजह से यह गलती हुई है. जैसे ही हमारे संज्ञान में यह आया, इसे तुरंत संशोधित करके 10 तारीख को ही नोटिस जारी कर दिया."

मुरैना के अतिरिक्त जिला दण्डाधिकारी नरोत्तम भार्गव ने कहा, "रेलवे के अधिकारियों से हमारे एसडीएम की बात हुई है. उनका कहना है कि उस मकान से जुड़े लोगों की कोई जानकारी नहीं मिल रही थी. ऐसी स्थिति में बजरंग बली के नाम से नोटिस दिया था. अभी रेलवे अधिकारियों ने संशोधित नोटिस जारी कर दिया है."

मुरैना जिले की सबलगढ़ तहसील मुख्यालय पर रेल लाइन के किनारे 11 मुखी हनुमान जी का मंदिर का निर्माण करीब 40-50 साल पहले किया गया था. स्थानीय लोगों का कहना है कि इस मंदिर को वे करीब 40-50 साल से देख रहे हैं और इसमें पूजा-पाठ कर रहे हैं.
 

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"I Am Ram Vilas Paswan's Political Heir," Claims Brother Pashupati Paras

Union minister Pashupati Kumar Paras on Sunday asserted that he was the "political successor" of his elder brother Ram Vilas Paswan, whose son Chirag could lay claim "only" to the financial assets (sampatti) of the late leader.

Mr Paras made the averment here in reply to queries from journalists about his relationship with his nephew, against whom he had raised a banner of revolt two years ago and split the Lok Janshakti Party floated by his late brother.

"I will explain why I call myself the political successor of 'bade saheb'. He started off as an MLA from Alauli in Bihar in 1969 and gave up the seat in 1977 upon becoming the MP from Hajipur. He asked me to contest from the assembly seat and I followed his orders though I was in a government job," said Mr Paras, who now represents Ram Vilas Paswan's Lok Sabha seat.

The Union minister, who made his parliamentary debut in the Lok Sabha polls of 2019, when his brother announced his decision to opt for the Rajya Sabha, claimed that it was at "bade saheb's insistence" that I had to move to Delhi, depite not being very keen to do so.

"I was initially reluctant. I had even suggested that beta (son - Chirag) or bhabhi ji (sister in law - Chirag's mother) be considered as the Hajipur candidate.

"I was having a great time in Bihar, serving as a minister in the Nitish Kumar government and heading the LJP state unit. But 'bade saheb' was insistent. The massive wave in support of the NDA had still not picked up and he was of the view that only I could retain his seat for the party. I had made no secret of my unwillingness to enter the fray even during the campaign," said Mr Paras.

He also noted that it was a "glorious coincidence" to have learnt about his induction in the Union cabinet from the home minister on the day of Paswan's birth anniversary.

"Inside Parliament, I am allotted the very seat that he used to occupy while he was a Union minister," said the minister for food processing.

Mr Paras categorically ruled out the possibility of a rapprochement with Chirag, asserting that had it been a crack merely in the party it could have been mended but “the chasm exists between our hearts".

"As a son, he (Chirag) may inherit the wealth of his father. But it is me who is the political successor (rajneetik varis)," he maintained.

He bristled when his attention was drawn towards speculations that the nephew, who has reaffirmed loyalty towards the BJP after Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's exit from the NDA, could be rewarded with a berth in the Union council of ministers.

"Please be informed that there can be no expansion or reshuffle of the Union council of ministers. At least not till the polls to assemblies in a few states in the northeast were held and the ongoing Parliament session was over," he said.

Mr Paras, while talking to reporters, also said it was unbecoming of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar to have uttered "ask my deputy" in response to queries about cabinet expansion.

Responding to questions from journalists on speculations about a state cabinet expansion and the demand by Congress for two more berths, Kumar had said on Saturday, “You people ask this question to the deputy CM."

Mr Paras, in a jibe at Mr Kumar, said, "It shows that he is no longer the powerful CM under whom we had worked. It is his deputy, Tejashwi Yadav of the RJD, who calls the shots. Even the Congress, a junior alliance partner, has expressed disappointment with Nitish Kumar's stance."

"It seems Tejashwi Yadav, too, has some difficult choices to make. Although nobody would be a match to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the RJD will have to decide whether it will be backing Rahul Gandhi or Nitish Kumar in the 2024 polls," added Mr Paras. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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अर्चना गौतम को हैंड पम्प उखाड़ना पड़ा महंगा, गदर स्टाइल में हुईं बिग बॉस 16 फिनाले से बाहर

बिग बॉस 16 में अर्चना गौतम का सफर भी खत्म हो गया है. इस तरह बिग बॉस में अपनी आवाज और तीखे अंदाज की वजह से सुर्खियों में रहीं अर्चना गौतम ने सुर्खियां तो बहुत बटोरीं लेकिन वह ट्रॉफी को चूमने में कामयाब नहीं रह सकीं. वैसे अर्चना गौतम को बिग बॉस 16 के विजेताओं में से एक माना जा रहा था. लेकिन इसके साथ ही उनके फैन्स का भी दिल टूट गया होगा. अर्चना गौतम को हैंड पम्प उखाड़ना महंगा पड़ा. सनी देओल गदर 2 का प्रमोशन करने आए थे. इस टास्क में हर कंटेस्टेंट को हैंड पम्प उखाड़ना था. हैंड पंप के नीचे उनका भाग्य लिखा होना था. लेकिन यहां अर्चना की तकदीर मात खा जाती है.  

अर्चना गौतम ने बिग बॉस हाउस में दमदार गेम खेला. अपने अंदाज और हिंसी करने की वजह से वह घर से बाहर भी हो गई थीं. उन्होंने शिव ठाकरे के साथ हिंसक रवैया अपनाया था, जिसके बाद बिग बॉस ने उन्हें बाहर का रास्त दिखा दिया था.

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फिर वह शो में वापस आई थीं. हालांकि उनके तेवर तो नहीं बदले थे. लेकिन थोड़े नरम जरूर हो गए थे. अर्चना गौतम ने आखिर तक गेम अपने तरीके से खेला और किसी की एक नहीं सुनी. वह दोस्ती में भी कई बार गोता लगा जाती थीं. प्रियंका चाहर चौधरी के साथ उनका दोस्ती और दुश्मनी का रिश्ता रहा और उनकी ट्यूनिंग को फैन्स ने खूब पसंद किया.

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"I'm Going Back To Uttarakhand": BS Koshyari After Resigning As Governor

Soon after his resignation as the governor of Maharashtra, Bhagat Singh Koshyari on Sunday said that he is going back to Uttarakhand for eating Kafals.

Noting the similarities between both states, Mr Koshyari said that Maharashtra and Uttarakhand share the same kind of culture.

"When I came here and studied Marathi, I came to know that there are hundred pahadi words in Marathi. I went to the rural areas of Maharashtra, I found people very calm like Uttarakhand. Our culture is the same, if 'Deshpande' is here then we have 'Pandey' and if Raut is here then we have Rawat," Bhagat Singh Koshyari said on the final day of the Uttarakhand Premier League.

"I am going back to Uttarakhand to eat Kafals," he added.

The Rashtrapati Bhavan on Sunday announced the names for appointment on the post of 12 Governors for states and one Lieutenant Governor in the Union Territory of Ladakh.

Mr Koshyari, who served the state for over three years, has been replaced by Ramesh Bais as the new governor of Maharashtra. Koshyari was appointed the Governor of Maharashtra in September 2019.

Earlier, last month, Mr Koshyari had conveyed his desire to be discharged of his duties to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

In a series of tweets, Governor Koshyari had expressed his desire to quit as the constitutional head of the state.

"During the recent visit of the Prime Minister to Mumbai, I have conveyed to him my desire to be discharged of all political responsibilities and to spend the remainder of my life in reading, writing and other activities. I have always received love and affection from the Prime Minister and I hope to receive the same in this regard," tweeted Raj Bhavan.

"It was an absolute honour and privilege for me to serve as the Rajya Sevak or Rajyapal of a great State like Maharashtra - the land of Saints, Social reformers and valiant fighters. I can never forget the love and affection I have received from the people of Maharashtra during the last little more than three years," Raj Bhavan said.

In November last year, he courted controversy after calling Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj an "old icon" while addressing a function at Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Marathwada University in Aurangabad.

An outrage sparked following his remarks on Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, a revered figure in Maharashtra.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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Rahul Gandhi Nearly Quit Bharat Jodo Yatra Over Knee Pain: Congress Leader

Praising Rahul Gandhi's determination, Congress general secretary KC Venugopal on Saturday said during the initial days of the Bharat Jodo Yatra, there was a delicate situation in which the former Congress chief faced severe knee problems that forced him to think about whether he should be replaced by someone else.

Mr Venugopal, a close confidante of Mr Gandhi, said the predicament had even forced Priyanka Gandhi to tell him that her brother might be giving up the nationwide foot march due to the severe pain and hand over the baton of the yatra to senior Congress leaders.

"His knee pain had aggravated when the yatra entered Kerala on the third day of its commencement from Kanyakumari. One night, he called me to tell (me) about the severity of his knee pain and suggested carrying out the campaign by replacing him with any another leader," the senior Congress leader said during a function organised at Kerala Congress headquarters in the evening to honour the Bharat Jodo yatris from Kerala.

Narrating the sequence of events that he had faced when the yatra that began from Kanyakumari in Tamil Nadu on September 7, 2022 entered Kerala, Mr Venugopal said a yatra without Rahul Gandhi was "unimaginable" for the Congress workers and leaders.

"Then came Priyanka Gandhi's call to inform about the severity of knee pain Rahul suffers. She even thought of suggesting to hand over the campaign to other senior leaders," the Congress general secretary said, adding those were anxious moments wherein he stood with folded hands, praying for divine intervention.

Finally, a physiotherapist suggested by Rahul Gandhi joined his medical team and treated him. "With God's grace, his pain was cured," Mr Venugopal told the gathering at the function also attended by senior party leaders including A K Antony.

The yatra led by Rahul Gandhi had entered Kerala on September 10, and it traversed through the state for 19 days.

The Bharat Jodo Yatra had ended on January 30 in an opposition show of strength, with leaders of several parties joining Congress leader Rahul Gandhi as he capped his ambitious 145-day journey that covered some 4,000 kilometres from Kanyakumari to Kashmir.

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