Prez not to vote in ongoing lS polls
New Delhi: President Pranab Mukherjee on Friday decided not to vote in the ongoing lok Sabha elections in order to express his “neutrality in the political fray”. He had completed all the formalities for voting through postal ballot, thus making him the first Head of the State to do so but he decided not to exercise his franchise now keeping in tradition with his predecessors. “The President in order to express his neutrality in the political fray has decided not to cast his ballot,” President’s Press secretary Venu Rajamony said here.
Khemka blames Haryana Govt
Chandigarh: Haryana’s whistleblower IAS officer Ashok Khemka has accused the State Government of victimising him and sitting over his performance appraisal report for the period 2012-2013, the time he acted against land scams and cancelled mutation of the land deal between Robert Vadra and DlF. In a letter to Haryana Chief Secretary SC Choudhary, Khemka, who had in March sought a central deputation, said the Centre had not included his name in the offer list because of “missing Performance Appraisal Reports (PARs)” for the years 2011-12 and 2012-13 and absence of vigilance clearance by the State Government.
PM’s failure led to Kejri, Modi: Baru
New Delhi: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s “failure” to be assertive against corruption led to his Government’s undoing and “rise” of Narendra Modi and Arvind Kejriwal, according to his former media advisor Sanjaya Baru. He, however, said, “If he had got serious about tackling corruption, the Government would have fallen. There was a lot at stake with allies like the DMK and Sharad Pawar.” Singh believed that people saw him as an honest person and that the accusations were against other people. “What could I do about itIJ” Singh was quoted as having told Baru.
Jagan rules out support to Cong
Hyderabad: YSR Congress Party has categorically ruled out to any Congress-led Government at the center blaming it for the dividing Andhra Pradesh “irrationally and undemocratically”. Reacting to the reports on party’s stand on issue of supporting a Government at the Centre, the YSRCP said that party Chief YS Jaganmohan Reddy expressed his anguish over distortions and imaginary conclusions of his remarks. Spelling party’s position in Hyderabad on Friday said, “Since Congress has split the State undemocratically and irrationally, our support to the party is ruled out”.