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Rahul Gandhi’s visit to Mumbai and his statement Mumbai for all Indians provokes Shiv Sena as Bal Thackeray has asked Sena workers to show black flags to Rahul during his visit to the city. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) criticised Congress leader Digvijay Singh’s visit to the family of an alleged Indian Mujahideen (IM) operative, and accused it for "vote bank politics".
The Hindutva activists damaged minority worship places and institutions in Kumpala. They threw stones on Mosques, Church and an orphanage. The Congress leader Digvijay Singh’s planned visit to Azamgarh a UP town caused tensions as the Ulema Council opposing the Congress leader visit to Sanjarpur to meet the families of those accused in terror attacks. The pro-Hindu outfits also slammed Singh’s trip as an attempt to secure Muslim votes.
"The Sangh Parivar has asked its volunteers in Maharashtra to try to prevent the spread of anti-north Indian and anti-Hindi feelings. RSS leader Ram Madhav said RSS was opposed to discrimination on the basis of language and demanded steps to check disturbances on the sensitive issue. Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan is under severe criticism of Shiv Sena for his sympathetic support to Pakistani cricketers against the IPL decision of their exclusion from the league.
Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram said the paramilitary forces are not engaged in any “battle” in the naxal-affected States, and “The Centre sends paramilitary forces at the request of the State governments, which remain under the control of the State governments” he further stated that thirty-three districts remained seriously affected by naxal violence and Maoists were present in 50 others. In there areas the writ of civil administration does not run.
India Inc's hiring activity has increased considerably since September last year and the current recruitment level is one of the highest globally, says a survey by international recruitment firm Antal. The survey stated that Indian firms plan on increasing their hiring activity even more, with 78 per cent expecting to hire managerial staff over the next three months. Rising food inflation is still a concern for India as it is a hurdle in a smooth progress of the economy.
India proposed Pakistan to resume talks while Pakistan seeks clarity of the content of the talks. Pakistan foreign office clarifies that it seeks a result oriented talks over all disputes including water issue and Kashmir dispute.
Chief Justice of India (CJI) K G Balakrishnan said there is an urgent need to ban websites that circulate pornography and hate speeches and emphasized the need for cyber law enforcement in India. The terrorists who attacked Mumbai on November 26, 2008 could have been guided by an Indian handler whose true identity was yet to be ascertained, home minister P Chidambaram has said. Mumbai police investigators also came to conclusion that Indian national played a key role in 26/11 incident.
India and Germany wants to enhance bilateral relations further and in this regard they are working to finalize accord for the cooperation in different fields.
Regional Summary:
The BJP in Madhya Pradesh has elected 100 Muslim representatives in urban local bodies, 82 Muslims, including 36 burqa-clad women, were elected on the BJP symbol in the recent elections to 268 urban bodies. Samajwadi Party expelled Amar Singh and Jayaprada from the party on the charges of indulging in anti party activities and damaging its political interests and image.
The Trinamool Congress opposed increase in the prices of LPG and other petroleum products recommended by an expert panel headed by former Planning Commission member Kirti Parikh, saying a new burden of raised prices would hit the common people hard. Dispute over formation of the new state of Gorkhaland disrupted the law and order situation in Darjeeling, West Bengal. Protests and demonstrations hurt the peace and security of the region.
A Report on Nutritional Crisis in Maharashtra’, prepared by Pune-based NGO Support for Advocacy and Training to Health Initiatives (SATHI) found that 45,000 children dying each year due to malnutrition in Maharashtra. The state government spends just 0.08% of its gross domestic product on the Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS)