Top stories on December 17 in a capsule

Farm loan waiver process starts in MP as Cong takes reins of Hindi heartland

In a highlight for the Congress party in the state of Madhya Pradesh, immediately after assuming the office of the Chief Minister, Kamal Nath signed the files for farmer loan waiver up to Rs 2 lakh on Monday. The step comes after the Congress party took charge in three states after Nath and Bhupesh Baghel swore in as Chief Ministers in Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, while Ashok Gehlot and Sachin Pilot took over the reins of Rajasthan as CM and Deputy CM. The swearing in ceremonies witnessed the presence of major opposition leaders like Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu, Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumarswamy and NCP chief Sharad Pawar among other leaders, in a display of unity before 2019 Lok Sabha polls. Meanwhile, the absence of West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee and Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati was much talked about, however both the leaders sent a representative to attend the events. The newly inducted leaders were also congratulated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi through microblogging site Twitter. 

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1984 Anti-Sikh riots: BJP hail Sajjan Kumar's conviction, demand Gandhi to resign

Political parties spar against one another after Congress leader and former Lok Sabha MP Sajjan Kumar was declared guilty by the Delhi High Court in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots case on Monday. Taking a direct hit at the Congress, BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra demanded party President Rahul Gandhi to resign and slammed his decision of electing Kamal Nath as Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister. “Sajjan Kumar has been sentenced to life imprisonment, but Rahul Gandhi is imprisoned by his conscience,” Patra said. BJP’s ally in Punjab, Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) also welcomed the verdict with Union Minister Harsimrat Kaur saying, “Finally the wheels of justice moved”. While, the top leaders of Congress remained unavailable for comment, Punjab CM Capt. Amrinder Singh expressed contentment at the decision. Kumar, along with two other MLAs were accused of killing 5 members of a Sikh family in Delhi Cantonment area, after the assassination of ormer Prime Minister Indir Gandhi.

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Centre introduces fresh Triple Talaq bill in Lok Sabha

In the fifth day of the ongoing Winter Session of Parliament, a fresh Triple Talaq bill was introduced in the Lok Sabha by Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad on Monday despite opposition from the Congress party. In the new formulated law, giving instant divorce will be termed illegal and the husband will be imprisoned for three years. Upon introduction of the bill, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor raised objections saying, “The bill is based on the grounds of a specific religion and it is a violation of Sections 14 and 21 of the Constitution.” Earlier a bill was cleared by the Lok Sabha but following protests from the opposition parties, the bill was stalled in the Rajya Sabha. Thereafter an ordinance was passed by the Union government on September, including the provision of bail and was signed by President Ram Nath Kovind.

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Cyclone Phethai hits Andhra Pradesh coast, kills 1

Cyclone Phethai made landfall in the state of Andhra Pradesh on Monday, killing one person in Vijayawada city, during to a landslide caused by heavy rains. The cyclone storm moved rapidly towards the northern Bay of Bengal with a wind speed of 70-90 Kmph. Following the calamity, holidays were declared for schools and colleges while over 23 trains were cancelled between Visakhapatnam and Kakinda and flight services were affected. In response to the cyclone's update Minister Nara Lokesh said, “Response teams and officials numbering more than 10,000 are stationed as part of disaster preparedness.” Apart from Andhra Pradesh, the cyclonic storm is expected to cause heavy rainfall in neighboring states of West Bengal, Odisha, Puducherry and Jharkhand.

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Kohli faces ire of seniors, fans for clashing with Australia during Test series

Virat Kohli’s heated exchange with Australian Captain Tim Paine in the ongoing India vs Australia Test series, has been under the scanner after cricket veterans and fans alike have slammed the Indian captain of being ill-mannered. On Monday, during Day 4 of the second test at Perth, Kohli and Paine retorted to ‘chest bumping’ and sledging with umpire Chris Gaffaney issuing warnings for both the players. Reacting to the episode, former Indian batsman and commentator Sanjay Manjrekar said, “Some of Kohli’s antics and behavior on the field would have created quite a bit of stir and got lot more criticism, if he was not such a good player.” Former Australia captain Ian Chapell also warned Kohli on his negative captaincy. Meanwhile, veteran Bollywood actor Naseerauddin Shah criticized the Indian skipper and called him ‘world's worst behaved player.’ The Indian team is scheduled to play two more Test matches.

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