Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar-led Mahagathbandhan won the trust vote today after the Opposition staged a walkout. During the debate on the motion of confidence, Nitish said leaders like A B Vajpayee and L K Advani “treated him with respect”, and added that he had snapped ties with the BJP in 2013 “in protest against these senior leaders being sidelined.” Further lambasting the Opposition, the Bihar CM said the BJP’s “only task is to create disturbances in the society.” Earlier in the day, the CBI launched search operations at 25 locations across Delhi, Gurgaon, Patna, Katihar, and Madhubani against RJD leaders in connection with the “land for jobs” case it is probing against former Bihar chief minister Lalu Prasad Yadav and his family members. Hitting out at the BJP, veteran RJD leader and former CM Rabri Devi said the raid “is just to scare us.” Congress spokesperson Jaiveer Shergill quit the party today and said he had been sidelined from party events and press conferences, just because “I don’t pander to somebody’s whims and fancies”. His resignation comes on a day Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot reacted to reports that he has emerged as Congress president Sonia Gandhi’s choice to ‘lead’ the party. By electing a non-Gandhi to the top post – after a long gap of over 24 years – the Congress can hope to blunt the BJP’s attack over dynastic politics. While the party’s critics can still say that he is the choice of the Gandhis, and precisely because the veteran poses no threat to Rahul, Gehlot is more than just a family retainer. The Kerala High Court today stayed the Kozhikode district sessions court order granting anticipatory bail to writer and social critic Civic Chandran in a sexual harassment case, saying that prima facie, the order was “irregular” and that “irrelevant materials (were) considered” to grant bail. The bench of Justice Kauser Edappagath stayed the order after the state government moved an appeal against Kozhikode District and Sessions Judge S Krishna Kumar’s order. Meanwhile, the sessions court judge has been transferred as presiding officer at Kollam labour court. In Express Opinion today John Brittas writes: Debate on revdi culture highlights bitterness between Centre and states Pooja Pillai writes: For Minister Ajay Mishra Teni, a lesson on dogs and kindness Sunil Alagh writes: To hoist the flag or not to — the choice is clear Political Pulse “Nee Yaaru kelakke (Who are you to ask)?” Siddaramaiah‘s characteristically aggressive response to questions over his dietary intake before temple visits – since seized upon by the BJP – has now become a popular social media campaign. The conflict fits right into the increasingly polarised political battleground in Karnataka, which heads to polls next year. The BJP, trying to project Siddaramaiah as not a practising Hindu but one who visits temples only when elections are around the corner, sees it as an opportunity to bounce back from a recent textbook uproar. But Siddaramaiah supporters say the BJP is rattled following the huge celebrations for his 75th birthday recently, which drew over five lakh people, underlining his popularity among backward classes and minorities. Kiran Parashar reports. She is an MLC, a former MP, and the daughter of Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, who is popularly known as KCR. Kalvakuntla Kavitha now finds herself in the eye of a storm after BJP leaders in New Delhi accused her of being involved in the Delhi liquor policy row. The allegations have surfaced at a time the BJP is trying to make inroads in Telangana and the ruling party, the TRS, is pushing back and the fight between the two parties have turned acrimonious. Read Sreenivas Janyala’s report on Kavitha’s electoral debut and setback. Express Explained Gautam Adani-led Adani Group, a conglomerate with diverse business interests, on Tuesday acquired 29.18 per cent stake in the television channel NDTV Ltd, and said it will launch an open offer as required by the SEBI to buy another 26 per cent in the company. In a notice to the stock exchanges, NDTV said the acquisition was executed without any input from, conversation with, or consent of NDTV founders Prannoy Roy and Radhika Roy. The Roys continue to hold 32.26 per cent stake in NDTV. So, how did the deal happen? Will Adani be able to get a controlling stake in NDTV? We explain. A former senior Twitter executive has alleged that the Indian government “forced” Twitter to hire individuals who were “government agents”, and who got access to vast amounts of user data on the social media platform, according to a whistleblower disclosure with United States regulators. The allegations have come at a time when Twitter is involved in a legal battle with the Ministry of Electronics and IT (MeitY) over its content blocking orders. What has the whistleblower said? Who could these alleged “government agents” possibly be? How could the revelations impact Twitter’s ongoing legal actions? Read here.
