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Arjun Munda wins trust vote

     Ranchi: Jharkhand Chief Minister Arjun Munda today won the trial of strength in the state Assembly. As soon as the proceedings started the NDA's candidate Inder Singh Namdhari was elected Speaker of the Jharkhand assembly by voice vote amidst protests by the opposition UPA. Munda proposed Namdhari's name. The battle of numbers shifted in NDA's favour as NCP MLA Kamlesh Singh was readmitted to the hospital and couldn't attend the assembly session. Namdhari defeated the UPA candidate Annapoorna Devi who is a RJD MLA. The ruling NDA had appealed to the opposition not to fight for the post of Speaker and elect Namdhari unanimously. Jharkhand has been witnessing a long political drama full of controversies. It started with the state governor inviting the UPA leader Shibu Soren to form the government even as the NDA had paraded a tally of 41 MLAs before him. Later, after the intervention of President A P J Abdul Kalam and the Supreme Court, the date for trial of strength of the Soren government was advanced to Mar. 11. The proceedings on that day didn't yield anything and Soren tendered his resignation at the instructions of the central government. The governor then invited NDA leader Arjun Munda to form the government and set Mar. 21 for his trust vote. But Munda said that he would prove his majority on Mar. 15 itself. With the battle of numbers giving a clear victory to the NDA, the state might see exchange of strong words between the ruling coalition and the opposition in coming days.

GP Koirala meets Patil, thanks India for its stand on Nepal  (Go To Top)

     New Delhi: A Nepalese delegation, led by former Prime Minister G P Koirala, on Tuesday met Home Minister Shivraj Patil and thanked him for the stand taken by the Dr. Manmohan Singh government for restoration of democracy in the Himalayan kingdom. Nepal's King Gynendra "has taken a hardline stand and imposed censorship on the media. We want that emergency should be lifted," the leaders said during their 30-minute meeting with Patil and impressed upon him the need for restoration of democracy in that country. They also felt the Maoists had gained strength in Nepal and said the problem should be tackled politically. The Nepalese leaders told the Home Minister that a large number of people from the neighbouring country had taken shelter in India. The delegation also complained about the "authoritarian" attitude of the King, who had become "very unpopular for unleasing a reign of terror" The delegation included former minister Mahant Thakur, Sujata Koirala (both Nepali Congress), Rajendra Mahto, Hridesh Tripathy, both from Nepal Sadbhavana Party, Ram Baran Yadav, former minister, and five others. March 15, 2005

Uproar in Gujarat Assembly, Congress MLAs suspended (Go To Top)

     Gandhinagar: Opposition Congress MLAs were suspended for the remaining budget session of the Gujarat assembly following a commotion amid uprooting of mikes and damage to furniture by the opposition legislators who were whisked away by the marshals. The House was thrown into turmoil after an issue of education in Rajkot city was raised during the Question Hour in the second session. Leader of the Opposition Arjun Modhvadia interrupted when Education Minister Anandiben Patel was replying to the question and told her to stop lecturing. Modhvadia used rude words while addressing the Education Minister and did not heed to the Speaker Mangaldas Patel's instruction to take back his words. Modhvadia, however, cited there was no provision in the Assmebly rules whereby he had to take back his words and he was backed by other Congress MLAs who made loud protests. The Speaker suspended Modhvadia for the day and instructed him to be escorted by the House marshalls but he (Modhvadia) did not budge from his seat and had to be lifted out by them. Seeing his leader being taken out, a Congress MLA rushed towards Irrigation Minister Narrotam Patel in an aggressive manner but was promptly stopped by marshalls who took him also out of the House.

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