BJP prez Rajnath Singh arrives on 2-day visit to Bihar

BJP president Rajnath Singh today arrived here on a two-day visit to bolster the party's preparations for the next general elections post the separation with NDA partner JD(U).

Singh was accorded a warm reception by the Bihar BJP leaders at the Jai Prakash Narayan International Airport, from where he drove to Sanjay Gandhi stadium to address party workers later in the day.

BJP, JD(U) blame each other as the 17-year-old alliance ends

Patna: The National Democratic Alliance is coping with the bitter end to the 17-year-old alliance between the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Janata Dal United. Both the parties are blaming each other as Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has sacked all 11 BJP ministers in his Cabinet and seeks a trust vote this week.

"The alliance is no more beneficial to either of the parties. So, we have decided to part ways," said JD(U) chief Sharad Yadav said. Nitish Kumar ended his 17-year-old alliance with the BJP and making it clear that Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi's elevation has filled the JD(U) with apprehension about the future of the alliance, also accusing the BJP of succumbing to the 'autocratic personality cult' with no respect for democratic process.

LK Advani resigns from all posts in BJP

New Delhi: Senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader LK Advani on Monday resigned from all party posts just a day after party President Rajnath Singh made Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi the chief of Central Election Committee for the 2014 Lok Sabha elections.

The resignation of Advani, who was reportedly sick and ignored by the party top leadership at the two-day National Executive meet in Goa, brings the split within the party out in the open. Advani's resignation has stunned the BJP leaders to silence, who are refusing to speak on the issue. BJP leader Venkaiah Naidu met Rajnath Singh a few minutes after Advani's resignation.

Will give development to Muslims instead of skull caps: BJP

Patna: Senior BJP leader CP Thakur on Sunday said the party wants to win the hearts of Muslims through development in the party-ruled states, and does not want to "mislead them by providing skull caps". "The BJP neither intends to mislead Muslims by providing skull caps for them in the party-ruled states nor wants to advertise their photographs with the minority people in the newspapers.... all the BJP wants is carry out development and welfare works for the minorities and win their hearts in the process," Thakur, BJP national vice-president said at the meeting of the party's minority front in Patna.

Salman Khurshid arrives in China on two-day visit

BEIJING: External affairs minister Salman Khurshid arrived here on Thursday on a two-day visit for talks with Chinese leaders, just days after the resolution of a row over Depsang Valley in Ladakh where the troops of People's Liberation Army intruded recently.Besides talks with his counterpart Wang Yi, Khurshid is expected to meet new Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, who is planning to visit India later this month, making it the first stop of his maiden foreign tour.

Bribes were taken in the VVIP helicopter deal, admits AK Antony

Defence Minister A.K. Antony Monday confirmed that corruption had taken place in the controversial helicopter deal with Italian company AgustaWestland. He added that a new defence procurement policy would soon be ready.

"Yes, corruption has taken place in the helicopter deal and bribes have been taken. The CBI is pursuing the case very vigorously," Antony told reporters here.

Indian media: Failings of a new forum

The Press Council of India, in the midst of a raging controversy, is operating along the lines of the British Press Council. The latter was wound up a few years ago because it had failed to be an effective instrument for raising press standards. Now a new forum to deal with complaints has emerged, though India is still at the council stage, grappling with problems which the British Press Council faced and failed to sort out.

But it seems that the Press Council of India is not making any headway either, nor is it having any impact on newspapers. So the second question is: what should be the arrangement? The first point concerns dealing with the powers of the Council's chairman, Justice Markandey Katju, who is making himself busy in many areas, particularly in the forbidden field of politics. This was never anticipated either by the British Press Council or that of India.