Shivraj Patil resigns as Karnataka Lokayukta
Barely two months after he was appointed Lokayukta of Karnataka, Justice Shivraj Patil today resigned after a controversy erupted over allotment of housing sites for him and his wife allegedly in violation of rules. 71-year-old Patil, a former Supreme Court judge who was made Karnataka's ombudsman on August 3 succeeding Santosh Hegde, called on Governor H R Bhardwaj and submitted the papers.  Stung by the the allegations against him, a visibly upset Patil announced his resignation at a news conference after describing the campaign against him  as"malicious"."This malicious campaign has deeply hurt and pained me. In this uncongenial atmosphere I have deemed  it appropriate to submit my resignation,"he said.

Narendra Modi ends his three-day Sadbhavna fast
Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, today evening, ended his three-day long Sadbhavna fast.  Modi's initiated  his‘sadbhavna’ fast to promote“peace, harmony and unity” across the state of Gujarat. Many top BJP leaders made an appearance at the venue and lend their support to the'Sadbhavana mission'. Among the most prominent BJP leaders, who arrived at the Gujarat University Convention Centre, included Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Sushma

Swaraj, former BJP president Venkaiah Naidu, party MP and actor Hema Malini and national spokesperson Nirmala  Gadkari expresses solidarity with earthquake victims Sitaraman.
BJP President Nitin Gadkari today asked BJP workers in the earthquake-affected areas to extend every possible  assistance in relief and rehabilitation operations. In a statement, Gadkari conveyed his heartfelt sympathies to the families of those killed and injured in the earthquake in Sikkim, Assam, Nepal, Bihar and other areas. "I appeal to the BJP workers in the earthquake affected regions to extend every possible assistance in relief and rehabilitation operations,"he Lokayukta Patil may clarify allegations tomorrow said.

Lokayukta Patil may clarify allegations tomorrow
Karnataka Lokayukta Shivaraj V Patil is expected to respond in detail tomorrow to allegations of flouting rules in acquisition of plots of land for himself and his wife here, amid intense speculation on whether he would quit the post. Sources close to the former Supreme Court judge, who took over as Lokayukta from Santosh N Hegde six weeks ago, said he is upset and hurt by the charges and claimed that he is contemplating to resign.

Baba Ramdev to begin yatra against corruption today
Yoga guru Baba Ramdev will embark on a "1,00,000 km long yatra"  today from Jhansi in Uttar Pradesh'to awaken  people about corruption and black money'. Earlier, Ramdev paid rich tributes at the samadhi of Rani Laxmi Bai on  arrival in Gwalior on Monday. Then he left for Jhansi. The Yoga guru told media on this occasion that there were  "two kinds of people in this country, honest and traitors". He claimed that all honest people were with him in his  fight against corruption and blk money. Yoga guru Baba Ramdev will embark on a "1,00,000 km long yatra"  today from  Jhansi in Uttar Pradesh'to awaken people about corruption and black money'. Earlier, Ramdev paid rich tributes at  the samadhi of Rani Laxmi Bai on arrival in Gwalior on Monday. Then he left for Jhansi.

Congress dismisses Jethmalani's submission against Patel
The Congress Monday dismissed the allegation by Rajya Sabha member Amar Singh's counsel Ram Jethmalani that senior party leader Ahmed Patel was the source of the money in the 2008 cash-for-votes scam, and said the party was prepared for its government's fall in the event of losing the trust vote. Answering queries about Jethmalani making  a U-turn before a Delhi court and claiming that Congress leader Ahmed Patel was the source of the money allegedly
given to three Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MPs in 2008 as bribe ahead of the trust vote by the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government, Congress spokesperson Renuka Chowdhury said, 'These are serial accusations'. 'We have no insecurity...We have nothing to do with it. Please try to understand that after much wait and thought process, we decided to take up the challenge of no-confidence on the floor of the house. We were very secure and were prepared  to pay the price if the government fell. There is no such insecurity. You have to look at who had insecurity,' Chowdhury said.

More aid to Sikkim, will visit state soon: Mamata
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee Monday said her government, which has extended support to quake-hit  Sikkim, will continue its rescue and relief aid and she will soon visit the neighbouring state too. 'We have already sent food and medical packs. These have already reached. I had a talk with (Sikkim Chief Minister Pawan Kumar) Chamling last (Sunday) evening. We will continue providing all support to the rescue and relief work there. Whatever is necessary, we will do,' she said. Banerjee said disaster management personnel and relief materials that had to wait till Monday morning due to inclement weather and land slides have reached the affected areas in Sikkim.
She also said she wished to visit Sikkim to monitor the relief work. 'If possible, I will try to visit the place tomorrow (Tuesday). Since the place is even far away from Gangtok and roads have been badly affected, it will take time to reach there.'

Sushma terms appointment of Lokayukta in Gujarat a breach of constitution
Terming the appointment of Lokayukta in Gujarat to be a breach of constitution, Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha,  Sushma Swaraj, on Monday said Chief Minister Narendra Modi was not even asked on the matter. Swaraj, who attended Modi's fast on the final day here, said: "Does it happen in any state that the Lokayukta is appointed and the Chief Minister is not even asked once? Recently the government version of the Lokpal Bill was introduced in the parliament. Many of my colleagues from the parliament like Gopinathji and Balbir Punj are seated here. The drafting  committee of the Lokpal has a lobby for the government version. We are literally fighting there to reduce this muscle power in the drafting committee." "To find a Lokpal for self it is fine to promote one's own views in the drafting committee, and to appoint a Lokayukta for Gujarat do not even listen to the Chief Minister. This is a breach of constitution," she added.

Poll panel to keep eye on cash flow in Hisar
With the Oct 13 by-election to the Hisar Lok Sabha seat in Haryana being a high stake one, the Election Commission of India has directed income tax officials to keep a close watch on cash flow in the runup to the campaigning. Haryana chief electoral officer Sumita Misra Monday asked Director General of Income Tax (Investigation), north-west region, Jaswant Singh to keep close surveillance over airports and state-bound flights, railway stations, hotels, farm houses, hawala agents, financial brokers, cash couriers and other suspicious agencies or persons used for movement of undisclosed cash. The bypoll for the Hisar seat, which fell vacant due to the death of sitting MP and former Haryana chief minister Bhajan Lal June this year, is being seen as a key contest. While the ruling Congress, which has announced three-time former MP Jai Prakash as its candidate for the contest, would want to win the seat to establish its popularity, it faces tough contest from the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) and the Haryana Janhit Congress-Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) combine.

Gujarat not against Muslims, says Sushma Swaraj
Ahmedabad, Sep 19 (IANS) There is no discrimination in Gujarat against Muslims, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Sushma Swaraj said Monday. 'Gujarat is a state where there is no discrimination against Muslims. No plan is made thinking whether Hindus will benefit or Muslims,' she said on the sidelines of Chief Minister Narendra Modi's three-day fast.

Modi basks in spotlight, but riot shadow remains
Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi sat on a three-day fast for "harmony" in Ahmedabad after the Supreme Court referred to a lower court a case in which he was accused of complicity in the 2002 violence.

Modi basks in spotlight, but riot shadow remains
Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi sat on a three-day fast for "harmony" in Ahmedabad after the Supreme Court referred to a lower court a case in which he was accused of complicity in the 2002 violence.

Krishna could meet Khar on sidelines of UNGA
External Affairs minister S M Krishna could meet his Pakistani counterpart Hina Rabbani Khar on the sidelines of the annual UN General Assembly, a top Indian official said on Tuesday. Indian envoy to the UN Hardeep Singh Puri said while there is no word yet of a formal bilateral meeting between Krishna and Khar, the "possibility" of a meeting in a social set-up "is very likely." "There will be situations where they will meet at social events, various receptions, most certainly," Puri told a group of Indian journalists here ahead of Prime minister Manmohan Singh's September 22-25 visit to the UN.

Karuna hints at political delay in Kani's bail
The DMK's ties with the Congress could be on the boil again over what it perceives to be a "political delay" in its chief M Karunanidhi's daughter and Rajya Sabha MP Kanimozhi getting bail in the 2G scam. Karunanidhi has sent a missive to a top UPA leader through a special messenger, pointing out that she has been in jail for more than 120 days and her plea was getting delayed for "one reason or another." Karunanidhi has got very upset, said DMK sources, after his daughter's bail proceedings, which were due to come up last week got delayed once again.

Modi’s fast dilutes BJP’s anti-graft pitch
The BJP needs a new Atal Bihari Vajpayee, not a Narendra Modi struggling to live down a gory past to qualify as Prime Minister. In this context, the three-day “amity” fast he undertook in Ahmedabad hasn’t helped the Gujarat CM or his party, place as it did the focus back on the widely televised 2002 pogrom now at the centre of several closely watched court cases. Modi should be encouraged if he’s indeed moving towards an inclusive agenda. But tentative moves symbolized by two open letters aren’t proof enough of a changed persona. Politics isn’t about making people read between the lines. It is about talking upfront which Modi’s shy of doing, conscious perhaps of keeping the Hindutva core of his support base while seeking to expand his popular reach.

Mayawati now wants quota for Jats, writes to PM
Uttar Pradesh CM Mayawati on Monday shot off another letter to PM Manmohan Singh demanding reservation for the Jat community. This is her third letter to the PM in the span of a week. The last two days, in separate letters to the PM, she had sought reservations for Muslims and the poor among upper castes. In Monday's letter, Mayawati drew attention to the plight of the Jat community and their inadequate representation in the central government. Stating the Centre had included Jats of Rajasthan in the OBC category, she said the community in UP should be given the same status. The CM's letter is perceived as an attempt to wean away the community from the control of Chaudhary Ajit Singh's Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD).