Nagpur: The Maharashtra Assembly made history by passing the much-awaited anti-superstitions bill in the ongoing winter session of the state legislature here yesterday. The bill had been on the back and front burners of the government at various occasions since the past nearly 15 years. It was only after the murder of its chief proponent, Narendra Dabholkar Aug 20 in Pune that the government swung into action and promulgated an ordinance, followed by a bill, passed by the legislative assembly.
It will now come up before the legislative council next week for passage after which it will be enforced as a law.
“I am confident that it will be passed even by the legislative council (upper house) next week. I appeal to the opposition parties to co-operate with the government on the issue,” legislator and state Congress president Manikrao Thakre said, lauding the government for the step.
Bharatiya Janata Party state president Devendra Fadnavis alleged though the bill was supposed to be passed unanimously in the house, it was passed on the majority of the ruling Congress and Nationalist Congress Party and in the absence of Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan and opposition leader.
Suspected LeT operative arrested
New Delhi: A suspected Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) operative, preparing to strike in the national capital and several other states, has been arrested from Haryana, police said yesterday.
Mohammad Shahid, 32, a resident of Choti Mewli village in Mewat and the imam of the local mosque, was arrested from his house on December 9, for his alleged links with the Pakistan-based terrorist organisation.
“He was regularly talking to Javed Baluchi, another LeT commander who is based in Pakistan. We have recorded some conversations between the two,” a police official said. Shahid is in police custody till December 21, he added.
According to another officer, an input was received November end that members of the LeT group were trying to motivate youths for strike in Delhi, Haryana and Rajasthan. Shahid was introduced to Baluchi by another Mewati, whose name police refused to reveal.
Telangana bill rocks Andhra Houses
Hyderabad: Both houses of the Andhra Pradesh legislature were rocked by protests yestas legislators from Telangana, across party lines, demanded immediate debate on the bill for a separate state while the lawmakers from Seemandhra wanted a resolution to be passed to stop the state’s bifurcation.
The state assembly was adjourned twice while the legislative council was adjourned for the day as lawmakers from Telangana and Seemandhra (Rayalaseema and coastal Andhra regions) trooped into the wells of the two houses. With the central government sending Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Bill, 2013, by a special flight Thursday night, the lawmakers from Telangana demanded that the bill be taken up immediately for debate. IANS
