Anna Hazare Assembly polls campaign

Anna called off his tour in poll-bound states

With the Congress gearing up for assembly elections in five states, Kiran Bedi today said that anti-corruption crusader Anna Hazare would not campaign in the states going to polls if his health did not permit him to do so."He will not go anywhere till he recovers fully," Ms Bedi said after meeting Anna at Sancheti Hospital in Pune where he was admitted last Saturday.     After Anna ended his fast on the second day of the protest at the MMRDA Grounds in Mumbai on December 28, he declared that he and his team would campaign against the Congress in the upcoming assembly polls over the government's "failure" to bring an "effective and strong" Lokpal Bill. But the 74-year-old anti-corruption crusader is in hospital for what doctors say is "chest congestion" and has been advised bed rest for a month. Close aides are wary of exposing him to the rigours of a campaign until he recovers completely.   After meeting him, Ms Bedi said that Team Anna's core committee would meet in Delhi on Saturday to discuss the future course of action. Shortly after being admitted to hospital, Anna had sought to reassure his supporters, saying, "In a few days, I will be alright. Don't worry about me." But the question mark that now hangs over his campaign will clearly come as a breather for the Congress as it prepares for polls in the five states, particularly in Uttar Pradesh where Rahul Gandhi has hit the campaign trail aggressively over the past few months.

 Police lathicharge rythu porubata

Police lathicharge Telangana Agitators in Warangal

Police lathicharge Rythu porubata: Tension prevailed in Warangal district ahead of TDP chief Chandrababu Naidu's Rythu Porubata in Palakurthy constituency with pro-Telangana activists threatening to disrupt his tour on January 6. Police lathicharged protestors in Jangaon including TRS MLAs T Harish Rao and D Vinaya Bhaskar, on Wednesday.   More than 20 TRS workers suffered serious injuries and were shifted to local hospitals. Trouble began when police obstructed the MLAs' vehicles on the outskirts of Jangaon when they were on their way to take part in a programme organised by TRS politburo member Sunitha Reddy at Lingala Ghanpur in protest against Naidu's tour. Irate TRS activists and the MLAs' supporters shouted slogans against the police action.   The situation soon went out of control as the TRS workers and cops scuffled with each other. When the TRS workers refused to budge, police lathicharged the protesters. In the melee, Harish Rao fell down, while the workers ran helter-skelter. Earlier, Sunitha Reddy was also stopped by the cops on the outskirts Lingala Ghanpur and taken into custody along with 60 of her supporters.   Flaying police action, Warangal West MLA Vinaya Bhaskar called upon the people not to allow Naidu to undertake his tour in the district. While Harish Rao was sent to Bachannapet police station, Bhaskar was taken to Narmetta PS. An attempt was made to shift Harish to Siddipet police station but it met with resistance from his followers following which cops had to again resort to lathicharge. Political JAC chairman Prof M Kodandaram condemned the police action and alleged that CM Kiran Kumar Reddy and Naidu have colluded to dilute the separate Telangana issue.      Video Source:tv9live.    

demand for vikarabad district

Demand For Vikarabad District Pops up

With the Rural Development minister Dokka Manikya Varaprasad started exercise on carving out new districts, a demand for separate Vikarabad district has popped up. An all-party delegation from Ranga Reddy district, including home minister P Sabita Indra Reddy met the chief minister Kiran Kumar Reddy and demanded for creation of Vikarabad district, out of existing Ranga Reddy district. Reportedly, the chief minister did not give any categorical assurance on the creation of a separate district of Vikarabad. The demand for a separate rural district of Vikarabad with some mandals and constituencies in west Ranga Reddy has been hanging fire since 30 years. The pro-Vikarabad district protagonists reason that west Ranga Reddy does not have a major district centre. Their demand is to include eight assembly constituencies of Tandur, Vikarabad, Chevella, Sherlingampalli, Parigi, Rajendra Nagar and Kodangal, 28 mandals and 821 villages under the ambit of separate Vikarabad district. Experts said three municipalities -- Tandur, Sherlingampalli and Vikarabad -- 11 revenue mandals in Vikarabad, 13 in Chevella along with Kodangal, Maddoor and Kosigi mandals in Mahbubnagar and Kohir in Medak could be brought under the new district. They said the radius of the new district spreads around 60 square km. However, this demand did not find favour from leaders belonging to east Ranga Reddy. "Where is the necessity for a separate district," questioned district Congress committee president K M Pratap. TDP MLA from Ibrahimpatnam Manchireddy Kishan Reddy was also against the proposal of a separate district.   It may be recalled that RR district was earlier known as Atraf Balda during the Nizam's rule. This particular zone was separated from Hyderabad in 1978 and was renamed as Ranga Reddy district. Vikarabad was a parliamentary constituency during 1950-1962. Vikarabad MLA G Prasad Kumar said that they would intensify the agitation in support of a separate district as soon as the districts reorganisation committee is set up.

RIL Groups With Network 18: Sells Part of Its ETV Stakes

Mukesh Ambani-led corporate giant, Reliance Industries and Network 18 group today joined hands for a multi-layered deal, under which RIL would sell a part of its interest in Eenadu TV channels and would also fund the promoters of the media group.   RIL did not specify the exact financial details of various transactions. Network 18 group company, TV18, in a separate statement said its board has approved an outlay of up to Rs 2,100 crore for the proposed acquisition of ETV assets. At the same time, RIL group through an independent trust, would provide funding to the promoters of Raghav Bahl-led Network 18 group for acquiring shares in their two companies — Network 18 and TV18 — through their respective rights issues. In all, Network 18 and TV18 would raise about Rs 4,000 crore including Rs 1,700-crore contribution from the promoters.   As per the deal, RIL, which is setting up a pan-India broadband network, would also get access to content and distribution assets of the electronic media group.     RIL said its group companies, through investments of about Rs 2,600 crore, now hold interest in various ETV channels, being operated and managed by Eenadu group. This include 100 per cent stake in regional news channels (ETV Uttar Pradesh, ETV Madhya Pradesh, ETV Bihar ETV Urdu), 100 per cent stake in entertainment channels (ETV Marathi, ETV Kannada, ETV Bangla, ETV Gujarati and ETV Oria), and 49 per cent in two Telugu channels (ETV Telugu and ETV Telugu News).   RIL said that it would be selling “a part of the interest owned by it in the ETV Channels” to TV18 Broadcast Ltd. TV18 said it is acquiring 100 per cent stake in regional news channels, 50 per cent in non-Telugu entertainment channels and 24.5 per cent interest in two Telugu channels. It would get the board and management control of ETV news channels and ETV non-Telugu entertainment channels. RIL funding would not alter promoter, management or editorial control of Network 18 entities, the two groups said.

Jagan Illegal Assets Case: Vijay Sai Reddy Arrested

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) made its first arrest in Kadapa MP and YSR Congress president YS Jagan Mohan Reddy's illegal assets case. The CBI on Monday night arrested V Vijay Sai Reddy, who is named as accused No. 2 in the alleged illegal assets case. He will be produced in the special CBI court on Tuesday. This is the first arrest in the case in which the CBI has named 74 accused including Jagan who is accused No.1. Jagan has been charged with doling out public properties, licences, allotting/ granting various projects, SEZs, mining leases, ports, real estate permissions and other benefits to people of his choice in violation of established norms and procedures in the government in a clear quid-pro-quo basis. The beneficiaries in turn are alleged to have given huge bribes to Jagan under the guise of purchasing shares in companies floated by him at huge and outrageous premiums. Even the Enforcement Directorate has been probing the alleged money-laundering by Jagan. Vijay Sai Reddy is alleged to have played a key role in all these transactions and the CBI is said to have strong evidence against him. The vice-chairman of Jagati Publications Private Limited (JPPL), Vijay Sai Reddy, who has been questioned several times by the CBI at its office, was summoned again on Monday. He reported there in the morning, remained there throughout the day and was arrested at night. Reddy was then shifted to a dingy lock-up in the Central Crime Station. The arrest has come as a clear jolt to the Jagan camp, as his arrest, though it had been on the cards, was not expected by them so soon.

Hyderabad Mayor, Deputy Mayor Elections Today

The stage is set for the election of mayor and deputy mayor of the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) on Tuesday. The two top posts fell vacant after Banda Karthika Reddy and Jaffer Hussain resigned as mayor and deputy mayor respectively a couple of weeks ago. The election would be held at the council hall of the GHMC headquarters at 11 am.   First, the mayor's election would be held which would be followed by the polls for the deputy mayor. In the voice-vote election, 216 voters, including 150 elected corporators and 66 ex-officio members like MLAs, MLCs and MPs in the Greater Hyderabad, would exercise their franchise. Of the total voters, Congress has 93 members, including 52 elected corporators, MIM has 53 along with 43 elected corporators and Telugu Desam Party has the strength of 50, including 45 corporators.     The State Election Commission (SEC) has appointed Neerabh Kumar Prasad, managing director of AP Housing Corporation, as the election observer and Hyderabad district collector Natarajan Gulzar would preside over the special meeting and conduct the election. The Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM) and Congress, which have an alliance, would announce the name of their candidates for mayor and deputy mayor posts a few hours before the election. As part of the agreement, the mayor post would go to the MIM and deputy mayor to the Congress.   The MIM is reportedly considering the names of former mayor and Hussaini Alam corporator Zulfeqar Ali, former deputy mayor Jaffer Hussain and a few others like Mohsin Balala, corporator from Pathergatti, for the mayor post. The MIM candidate would be in the top post for the next two years as per the agreement between the Congress and MIM. The last one year of the five-year term would again go to the Congress candidate.   Meanwhile, the Congress has reportedly decided to give the deputy mayor post to a backward class corporator from peripheral areas of the city. The Congress is reportedly considering the names of Hafeezpet corporator V Jagadishwar Goud, Kukatpally corporator G Vengal Rao and Old Bowenpally corporator and PRP lone corporator M Narsimha Yadav. If the party wants to consider other persons, Golnaka corporator and GHMC floor leader Kaleru Venkatesh and others are in the race.