Wednesday, May 29th, 2019
Naveen Patnaik sworn in as Odisha Chief Minister for a record fifth straight term
Naveen Patnaik, who led the Biju Janata Dal to a sweeping win in the Odisha Assembly election, was sworn in on Wednesday as Chief Minister for a record fifth consecutive term. Governor Ganeshi Lal administered the oath of office and secrecy at the IDCO Exhibition Ground. The ceremony For the first time, the 72-year-old was sworn in at an open venue; his earlier ceremonies, in 2000, 2004, 2009 and 2014, all took place at the Raj Bhavan. Around 7,000 guests attended, among them industrialists, journalists, artists and intellectuals, as wellRead More
Mamata Banerjee skips Modi’s swearing-in, rejects BJP claim on Bengal killings
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said in Kolkata on Wednesday, May 29, that she would not attend Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s swearing-in ceremony in Delhi on Thursday. Why she pulled out In a Twitter post, the Trinamool Congress chief said she had seen media reports within the past hour in which the BJP was claiming that 54 people had been killed in political violence in Bengal. She called the claim completely untrue, saying there had been no political murders in the state and that her government had no recordRead More
Arun Jaitley asks Modi to leave him out of new cabinet, citing health
Former Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Wednesday asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi not to include him in the new cabinet, pointing to his health. He made the request in a letter to Modi from New Delhi on May 29. What the letter said Jaitley wrote that he had faced serious health problems over the previous year and a half, and that his doctors had helped him recover from most of them. The senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader said he had already made the same request to Modi in person beforeRead More
Families of slain BJP workers in Bengal among special guests at Modi swearing-in
Fifty-four special guests have been invited to watch the new Council of Ministers, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, take the oath on Thursday, a senior BJP leader said. They are relatives of BJP workers who, according to the party, were killed in incidents of political violence in West Bengal over the past few years. They will sit alongside leaders of the BIMSTEC countries and a large number of celebrities and lawmakers. A message to Bengal The BJP says it has lost many of its workers in the state duringRead More
Ministers seek bigger role for Jyotiraditya Scindia as Kamal Nath faces dissent in MP
Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath is facing dissent within the Congress after three ministers in his government demanded that Jyotiraditya Scindia be put in charge of the state party unit, following the Congress’s heavy defeat in the state in the Lok Sabha election. The demand Reports suggested Scindia was the most likely choice to take over the state Congress and lift the morale of party workers. Women and Child Development Minister Imarti Devi said Scindia was an energetic leader and Congress president Rahul Gandhi should give him a biggerRead More