India

Jeypore (Odisha), Mar 8 (PTI) Sharpening his attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the Rafale deal, Congress president Rahul Gandhi Friday accused him of having prepared the new contract for purchase of fighter jets from France, sidlining the official negotiating team in order to benefit Anil Ambani.

Gandhi, who addressed a Congress rally and interacted with women on the International Women's Day here, said public sector Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), which produces fighter aircraft, was ignored by Modi in Rafale deal.

New Delhi, Mar 8 (PTI) Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Friday condemned the violence against Kashmiris and said India belonged to its citizens from every corner of the country.

Gandhi's reaction come after two Kashmiri vendors selling dry fruits were thrashed by a group of saffron-clad men in Lucknow on Wednesday.

Chennai, Mar 8 (PTI) Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K Palaniswami Friday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to confer Param Vir Chakra, the country's highest military honour, on Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman, captured by Pakistan after a dogfight in the skies and released later.

In a letter to Modi, Palaniswami said the IAF pilot, a native of Tamil Nadu, displayed amazing poise and confidence in the face of adverse condition and it would be appropriate he be awarded the highest military honour.

Raipur, Mar 8 (PTI) A hardcore Naxal, who was carrying a reward of Rs 8 lakh on his head, Friday surrendered before the police in Sukma district of Chhattisgarh, officials said.

According to Sukma police, the Naxal, identified as Madkam Arjun, has been active in South Bastar division since the last 18 years.

New Delhi, March 8 (PTI) The Delhi Cabinet Friday approved recommendations of a fare revision committee to hike auto-rickshaw tariffs by Rs 1.50 per kilometre.

The meter-down charge of Rs 25 per two kilometre has also been revised by the committee to Rs 25 for 1.5 kilometre, said Transport Minister Kailash Gahlot.

The revised charges will be implemented after the Transport Department's notification, Gahlot said.

Chennai, Mar 8 (PTI) The three mediators appointed by Supreme Court to resolve the Ayodhya dispute have a common thread -- all hail from Tamil Nadu.

The Supreme Court Friday referred the politically sensitive case for mediation and appointed retired apex court judge FMI Kalifulla as the head and senior advocate Sriram Panchu and spiritual guru Sri Sri Ravi Shankar as two other members of the panel for the purpose.

New Delhi, Mar 8 (PTI) Delhi minister Rajendra Pal Gautam on Friday dubbed the Modi government as "anti-Dalit, OBC and tribals" and said these sections of the society should vote the BJP out of power in the upcoming general election.

Gautam, the social welfare minister of Delhi, was addressing a press conference, along with Samajwadi Party (SP) leader Dharmendra Yadav, on the BJP-led central government's decision to bring an ordinance restoring the 200-point roster on faculty appointments in universities.

Ahmedabad, Mar 8 (PTI) Patidar community leader Hardik Patel Friday moved the Gujarat High Court to stay his conviction in a 2015 rioting case.

The plea seeking a stay on his conviction by a lower court would come up for hearing in the coming days.

Hardik has been convicted in a case of rioting and was sentenced to two years of imprisonment, which bars him from contesting an election.

Coimbatore, Mar 8 (PTI) CPI(M) General Secretary Sitaram Yechury Friday alleged that the Election Commission was deliberately delaying the announcement of the Lok Sabha election dates to favour the ruling BJP.

Addressing a public meeting here tonight, he said that in 2014, the EC had announced the date as March 5 for the general elections.

But despite the date being March 8, the Commission was yet to announce the dates.

Muzaffarnagar (UP), Mar 9 (PTI) A 15-year-old girl was allegedly raped by four youths in a field at gunpoint in Uttar Pradesh's Muzaffarnagar district, police said on Saturday.

The incident occurred at a village in Mansoorpur area on Friday, the police said.

According to a complaint, the teenager had gone to the fields to collect fodder when the four accused came and took her to nearby sugarcane field. The accused raped her at gunpoint and threatened her with dire consequences if she informed anyone, a police officer said.