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CBI conducts raids at former environment minister Jayanthi Natarajan’s Chennai residence

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CBI conducts raids at former environment minister Jayanthi Natarajan’s Chennai residence

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Searches in connection with Natarajan’s approval to divert 55.79 hectares of forest land in Jharkhand’s Singhbhum district in violation of the forest conservation law when she was minister

Former Union environment minister Jayanthi Natarajan – who had a bitter falling out with the Congress party in 2015 – was on Saturday raided by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in connection with a corruption case that raises serious questions over her decision to divert forest land in Jharkhand during her ministerial stint in UPA-II government.

The CBI has registered a case of corruption against Natarajan and raided her Chennai residence. The premier investigation agency has alleged that Natarajan, as Union environment minister in Dr Manmohan Singh’s UPA-II government, had abused her official position while giving clearances to Electosteel Casting Limited, a private company in Jharkhand, in violation of the existing mining laws, environment laws and directions of the Supreme Court.

“Jayanthi Natarajan accorded the approval for diversion of 55.79 hectares of forest land for non-forestry use to ECL, though the same had been rejected by the earlier minister of state (Jairam Ramesh)… without any change in the circumstances after rejection,” the CBI said in its FIR against the former Congress leader.

The central anti-corruption probe agency had registered five Preliminary Enquiries (PEs) in 2015 to probe alleged irregularities committed by Natarajan and others while giving clearances to several projects.

Soon after the irregularities had become public, Natarajan had sought to project her innocence by writing a damning letter to Congress president and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi alleging that all major decisions of her ministry were taken at the behest of party vice president Rahul Gandhi. Natarajan, who had been with the Congress for nearly 30 years and was once a close-aide of both Sonia and her husband, former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, had also alleged that while Rahul had first asked her to protect the environment, he had then gone public and criticised her for stalling crucial development projects in the name of conserving the environment so that he could woo Indian industrialists in the run up to the 2014 Lok Sabha polls.

Natarajan had then quit the party after making a public outburst against Rahul and it though it was rumoured that she might be joining the BJP, the saffron party – along with some other political parties – had begun taking digs at the minister and the Congress party for imposing a “Jayanthi tax” on industries that sought forest and environment clearances from the UPA government during her stint as environment minister.

Natarajan had later also called on BJP national president Amit Shah but the saffron party, it was indicated then, was not keen on absorbing her because it was felt that the allegations against her could become a problem for the BJP at a later stage and also because she didn’t bring any substantial political strength to the table.

CBI sources said that Natarajan may soon be summoned for interrogation in the case and that former director of Electosteel, Umang Kejriwal, had also been named in the FIR.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

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Mohan Yadav to take oath as next Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh

Prior to this, his predecessor Shivraj Singh Chouhan insisted he was not running for the position of chief minister.

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Days after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) overthrew the Congress in Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh and stormed back to power in the state, Mohan Yadav Is named chief minister of Madhya Pradesh on Monday. In the three states, this is the second announcement.

A BJP legislative party gathering in Bhopal was held, ten days after the election results were declared, selected him for the position. Prior to this, his predecessor Shivraj Singh Chouhan insisted he was not running for the position of chief minister.

Narendra Singh Tomar, the union minister who resigned after being elected to the house, is appointed as the new assembly speaker. 

The outgoing deputy chief ministers are Jagdish Devda, the finance minister and two-time Mandsaur MLA, and Rajendra Shukla, the outgoing MLA for public relations from Rewa.

After being named as the next CM of Madhya Pradesh, Mohan Yadav said, he is a party employee of modest size. He also said, he want to thank the central leadership as well as the state leadership. Yadav futher mentioned, he will try to fulfil his responsibilities with your love and support. I am the chief minister-elect, he added.

The winning MLA-elects received information on the names by BJP observers, which included national secretary Asha Lakra, BJP OBC Morcha president K Laxman, and Haryana state minister Manohar Lal Khattar.

Under the Shivraj Singh Chouhan cabinet, Mohan Yadav was the minister of higher education and was supported by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh.

Once sworn in, Yadav would follow Sunderlal Patwa, Uma Bharti, Babulal Gaur, and Shivraj Singh Chouhan as the fifth chief minister from the BJP. Chouhan was the CM for more than 16 years out of these.

In the 2018 Madhya Pradesh Legislative Assembly election, Mohan Yadav was re-elected, marking the beginning of his political career. He was first elected as an MLA in 2013.

On July 2, 2020, Yadav took the oath of office as a cabinet minister in the government headed by Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, thus solidifying his position of influence within the political landscape of the state.

Mohan Yadav was born in Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh, on March 25, 1965, and has long been connected to the BJP. In addition to his political pursuits, he has a successful business-related career.

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Supreme Court upholds Centre’s decision to scrap Jammu and Kashmir’s special status, PM Modi reacts

Additionally, the Election Commission of India was ordered by the Supreme Court to schedule assembly elections for Jammu and Kashmir by September 30, 2024.

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The Supreme Court on Monday confirmed the Center’s decision to revoke Article 370, which gave the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir unique status.

Additionally, the Election Commission of India was ordered by the Supreme Court to schedule assembly elections for Jammu and Kashmir by September 30, 2024.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi also today celebrated the decision of the Supreme Court against the Center’s plan to repeal Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir. The Supreme Court rendered a decision on an array of appeals contesting the constitutionality of the legislation’s removal of J&K’s special status. 

Taking to X, formerly Twitter, PM Modi wrote, today’s Supreme Court verdict on the abrogation of Article 370 is historic and constitutionally upholds the decision taken by the Parliament of India on 5th August 2019; it is a resounding declaration of hope, progress and unity for our sisters and brothers in Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh.

PM Modi also said, the Court, in its profound wisdom, has fortified the very essence of unity that we, as Indians, hold dear and cherish above all else.

The verdict today is not just a legal judgement; it is a beacon of hope, a promise of a brighter future and a testament to our collective resolve to build a stronger, more united India, he added.

JP Nadda, national president of the Bharatiya Janata Party, said the party was happy with the high court’s ruling.

The Bharatiya Janata Party is pleased with the Supreme Court’s ruling on Article 370. The Supreme Court’s Constitutional Bench has upheld the decision to abolish Sections 370 and 35A, as well as the reasoning behind it, Nadda wrote on X.

Separatism and stone-pelting are now things of the past, according to Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who said that following the abrogation, the rights of the impoverished and downtrodden have been restored.

Now, pleasant music and cultural tourism reverberate across the entire area. The integrity with Bharat is intact, and the ties of oneness have become stronger. Once more, Jammu, Kashmir, and Ladakh are and always will be part of our country, Amit said on Twitter.

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Article 370: PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti put under house arrest ahead of Supreme Court verdict

According to officials, police prevented media from congregating close to the homes of National Conference (NC) president Farooq Abdullah and vice president Omar Abdullah in Gupkar.

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Former CM Jammu and Kashmir and the president of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) Mehbooba Mufti, was placed under house arrest on Monday, December 11.

Her party said that before the Supreme Court’s decision on an array of cases contesting the repeal of Article 370 of the Constitution, which granted Jammu and Kashmir special status, their chief had been kept under hosuse arrest.

Taking to X account (formerly Twitter) of PDP, her party twitted, even before Supreme Court judgement is pronounced, police has sealed the doors of the residence of PDP president Mehbooba Mufti and put her under illegal house arrest.

According to officials, police prevented media from congregating close to the homes of National Conference (NC) president Farooq Abdullah and vice president Omar Abdullah in Gupkar.

Journalists were not permitted anywhere near the NC leaders’ home, and a posse of police officers had been stationed at the Gupkar Road entrance.

Omar Abdullah moved out of his official house in October 2020 and now resides with his father.

However, Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha referred to the reports as baseless and denied that Mufti and Omar Abdullah had been placed under house arrest.

This is completely unfounded. In Jammu and Kashmir, no one has been detained or placed under house arrest for political purposes. It’s a rumor-mongering attempt, he said.

Farooq Abdullah, Srinagar’s Member of Parliament (MP), is in Delhi for the current session of Parliament; his son is in the valley.

After the Centre enacted measures to deprive Jammu and Kashmir of its special status and divide the former state into two Union Territories (UTs)—Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh—Mufti, Omar Abdullah, Farooq Abdullah, and other leaders of the Kashmiri community were taken into custody on August 5, 2019.

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