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Nitin Gadkari clarifies on Congress dig over Covid vaccine production

Union Minister Nitin Gadkari on Wednesday clarified that he was not aware of the Centre’s efforts to ramp up vaccine production, after Congress leaders took a dig at his suggestions on scaling up vaccine production by giving license to more companies to manufacture anti-covid shots.

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Nitin Gadkari

Union Minister Nitin Gadkari on Wednesday clarified that he was not aware of the Centre’s efforts to ramp up vaccine production, after Congress leaders took a dig at his suggestions on scaling up vaccine production by giving license to more companies to manufacture anti-covid shots.

The Road and Transport minister took to Twitter and said he was unaware that the Ministry of Chemicals has started these efforts before he had given a suggestion at the conference organised by Swadeshi Jagaran Manch. 

Yesterday while participating at the conference organised by Swadeshi Jagaran Manch, I had made a suggestion to ramp up vaccine production. I was unaware that before my speech Minister for Chemical and Fertilizers Shr Mansukh Mandviya had explained government’s efforts to ramp up vaccine production. After the conference, he also informed me that the government is already facilitating vaccine manufacturing by 12 different plants/companies and rapid ramp-up of production is expected in near future as a result of these efforts, he wrote.

I was unaware that his ministry has started these efforts before I had given suggestion yesterday.  I am glad and congratulate he and his team for this timely intervention in the right direction. I feel important to put this on record, he added.

Addressing vice chancellors of universities in India virtually on Tuesday, Gadkari had said that if the demand of vaccines is more than its supply, then it creates a problem. So, instead of one company, 10 more companies should be allowed to make vaccines by paying 10 percent royalty to the original patent holder of the vaccine. Let them supply in the country and later, if there’s a surplus, they may export. It can be done in 15-20 days, he was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.

Referring to Gadkari’s suggestion on shortage of vaccine, Senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh took a dig at him saying that former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had already written a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi in April on ways to mitigate the vaccine shortage faced by India. This is what Dr Manmohan Singh had suggested on April 18th. But is his Boss listening? he tweeted.

Earlier, Manmohan Singh had suggested that any vaccine that had been cleared for use by credible authorities such as the European Medicines Agency (EMA) or the US FDA should be allowed to be imported without insisting on domestic bridging trials.

Read Also: Very heavy rain likely in some parts of Delhi, India Meteorogical Department issues orange alert

Meanwhile, several states have flagged a vaccine shortage and have not been able to start vaccinating the 18-44 age group even as the daily Covid caseload is rising in India. So far, only three vaccines- Covaxin, Covishield, and Sputnik V. have been given emergency approval in the country.  However, Sputnik V is still not widely available in the country.

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Pawan Khera faces fresh setback as Supreme Court refuses relief in passport row case

Congress leader Pawan Khera faces fresh setback as Supreme Court refuses interim relief and directs him to seek bail from Guwahati High Court.

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Pawan Khera

Congress leader Pawan Khera suffered another legal setback on Friday after the Supreme Court of India declined to extend protection in a case linked to his remarks about Himanta Biswa Sarma’s wife.

A bench of the apex court refused to interfere with an earlier order that had stayed the transit anticipatory bail granted to Khera by the Telangana High Court. This decision leaves the Congress leader open to possible arrest by Assam Police in connection with the case.

During the hearing, Khera’s counsel sought interim protection, but the court declined the request and advised him to approach the appropriate court in Assam for relief. The bench clarified that the Guwahati High Court should decide any bail plea independently and on its merits.

“Am I a terrorist?” remark during hearing

While seeking protection, Khera’s legal team expressed concern over the urgency of the situation. In court, his counsel remarked, “Am I a terrorist?” highlighting the plea for temporary relief until a fresh bail application could be filed.

The Supreme Court also raised concerns over the submission of incorrect documents during the proceedings, adding another layer to the legal complications faced by the Congress leader.

Case linked to remarks on CM’s wife

The case stems from a press conference held earlier this month, where Khera made allegations regarding the citizenship status and financial assets of the Assam Chief Minister’s wife, Riniki Bhuyan Sharma.

He had claimed that she possessed multiple passports and owned undisclosed overseas properties. These allegations were strongly denied by the Chief Minister’s family, who termed them fabricated and misleading.

Legal battle intensifies

Earlier, the Telangana High Court had granted Khera temporary transit anticipatory bail, allowing him time to seek relief from a competent court in Assam. However, the Supreme Court stayed that order following a challenge by Assam authorities, escalating the legal battle.

With the latest ruling, Khera is now expected to move the Guwahati High Court for anticipatory bail as the case continues to unfold.

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Congress suspends 5 Haryana MLAs over cross-voting in Rajya Sabha polls

Congress suspends five Haryana MLAs for cross-voting in Rajya Sabha elections, citing serious indiscipline and anti-party activities.

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The Congress has suspended five of its MLAs in Haryana for cross-voting during the recent Rajya Sabha elections, taking disciplinary action over what it described as “anti-party activities”.

The move came after the state unit reviewed the conduct of certain legislators during the polls, where some were found to have voted against the party’s authorised candidate.

Five MLAs suspended after disciplinary process

According to party sources, the MLAs were issued show-cause notices seeking an explanation for their actions. After reviewing their responses, the Congress disciplinary committee recommended suspension.

The decision was approved by the party leadership, including Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, and has been implemented with immediate effect.

Party calls it ‘grave indiscipline’

Haryana Congress chief Udai Bhan said the action was necessary to uphold party discipline, stressing that defying the official party line during elections weakens organisational unity.

He said the party takes such violations seriously and will continue to act against any form of indiscipline.

Leadership backs strict action

Senior Congress leader and Leader of Opposition Bhupinder Singh Hooda supported the decision, saying it was taken after due consideration.

He noted that while Rajya Sabha elections are conducted through an open ballot system, allowing legislators some flexibility, the party retains the authority to initiate internal disciplinary action in cases of deviation.

Background

The action follows cross-voting reported during the recent Rajya Sabha elections in Haryana, which led to internal concerns within the party. The development has highlighted organisational challenges and prompted the leadership to take corrective steps to reinforce discipline.

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Harivansh set to be elected Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairperson unopposed

Harivansh is set to be elected unopposed as Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman after no opposition nominations were filed before the deadline.

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Former Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman Harivansh is set to be re-elected to the same post unopposed in the election due to be held later today.
The date has been fixed by the Chairman under the relevant rules governing the conduct of business in the Upper House.
According to sources, the deadline for submitting motions for the election was 12 noon on April 16. A total of five notices were received within the stipulated time, all proposing Harivansh for the post.

Multiple nominations, single candidate
The motions were submitted by members across parties, including Jagat Prakash Nadda, Nitin Nabin, Nirmala Sitharaman, Sanjay Kumar Jha, and Jayant Chaudhary, each backed by seconding members.
All five motions explicitly state that Harivansh be chosen as the Deputy Chairman of the Rajya Sabha.

No opposition nomination filed

Notably, no motion was submitted by the Opposition before the deadline. This effectively clears the path for a unanimous election, as there is no contest for the position.
As per parliamentary procedure, motions will be taken up one by one. Once any one motion is adopted by the House, the remaining motions will not be put to vote.

Likely to be elected by voice vote
In line with established practice, the first motion — expected to be moved by Nadda — may be adopted through a voice vote. Following this, the Chairman will formally declare Harivansh as elected Deputy Chairman.
After the declaration, Harivansh will be escorted to the Chair by members from both the Treasury and Opposition benches, adhering to parliamentary convention.

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