Cricketer-turned-politician Kirti Azad joins Congress
New Delhi : Darbhanga MP Kirti Azad, who was suspended by the ruling BJP for anti-party activities, joined the Congress on Monday.
Azad, a former India cricketer and a member of the 1983 World Cup winning team met Congress president Rahul Gandhi in the morning and was inducted into the party.
"Today in front of Rahul Gandhi I joined the Congress, I felicitated him in traditional Mithila style," Azad tweeted, along with photographs of him with the Congress president.
Azad was to officially join the opposition party on Friday, but the programme was cancelled in the wake of the Pulwama terror attack.
He was suspended by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in 2015 after he levelled allegations against Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley in connection with alleged irregularities in the Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA).
Azad is currently serving his third term in the Lok Sabha, representing the Darbhanga constituency in Bihar.
He is the son of late Bhagwat Jha Azad, a veteran Congress leader who also served as the chief minister of Bihar for a brief period.
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Commercial LPG price hiked by Rs 993 per 19-kg cylinder
New Delhi (PTI): The price of commercial LPG was hiked by the steepest ever Rs 993 per 19-kg cylinder on Friday, marking the third straight monthly increase due to rising global energy prices linked to the West Asia conflict.
A 19-kg commercial LPG - used by establishments such as hotels and restaurtants - now costs a record Rs 3,071.5 in Delhi as against Rs 2,078.50 previously.
Rates were last increased by 195.50 per cylinder on April 1. Prior to that, prices had gone up by Rs 114.5 per 19-kg cylinder on March 1.
In three increases, commercial LPG rates have gone up by Rs 1,303.
Prices of domestic cooking gas LPG - the one used in household kitchens - remained unchanged. Domestic LPG rates were last hiked by Rs 60 per 14.2-kg cylinder on March 7. It costs Rs 913 per 14.2-kg cylinder in Delhi.
State-owned Indian Oil Corporation, Bharat Petroleum, and Hindustan Petroleum revise ATF and LPG prices on the first day of every month based on international benchmarks and the exchange rate.
Global oil prices have shot up almost 50 per cent after the war in West Asia disrupted energy supply chains.
Petrol and diesel prices continue to remain frozen after a Rs 2 per-litre reduction in March last year; petrol currently costs Rs 94.72 per litre in Delhi and diesel Rs 87.62.
