Gita Mehta, a renowned writer and filmmaker, and the sister of Odisha's Chief Minister, Naveen Patnaik, passed away at the age of 80 in New Delhi on Saturday.

Naveen Patnaik is expected to depart for the national capital shortly to attend to the family. Gita Mehta, the daughter of the legendary Biju Patnaik, had been unwell for a period.

Born in 1943 to Biju and Gyan Patnaik in New Delhi, Gita Mehta pursued her education in India and later at the University of Cambridge in the UK. Throughout her career, she authored several notable books, including "Karma Cola," "Snake and Ladders," "A River Sutra," "Raj," and "The Eternal Ganesha." Her contributions to literature and the arts have left an indelible mark on the world.

Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.



New Delhi (PTI): Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla has referred MPs' complaints on the issue involving BJP member Ramesh Bidhuri's use of objectionable words against BSP's Danish Ali to the Privileges Committee, sources said on Thursday.

While Ali and several other opposition MPs, including Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury and DMK's Kanimozhi, demanded action against Bidhuri, several BJP parliamentarians like Nishikant Dubey said the BSP member "incited" the South Delhi MP when he speaking in the House and urged the Speaker to look into this aspect as well.

Sources said the Chair has sent all these complaints to the Privileges Committee headed by BJP MP Sunil Kumar Singh.

In a post on X, Dubey thanked the Speaker for referring the matter to the committee.

"It was possible because the BJP has a majority in Lok Sabha," he said, as he cited several previous incidents to assert that no committee was formed to probe these issues and nor was anyone punished.

In this context, Dubey alleged that the RJD-JD(U)-Congress members were engaged in a fight involving shoes and microphones in 2006, Sonia Gandhi was involved in an incident in 2012 besides the commotion and injuries to parliamentarians in 2014 during the creation of Telangana as a separate state.