NCP moves disqualification petition against Ajit Pawar, 8 other MLAs
Mumbai (PTI): The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) has moved a petition before Maharashtra Assembly Speaker Rahul Narwekar, seeking disqualification of Ajit Pawar and eight other MLAs who have taken oath as ministers in the Eknath Shinde-led government.
Jitendra Awhad, whom the NCP has appointed leader of opposition in the Maharashtra Assembly after Ajit Pawar joined the ruling alliance, delivered the petition at Narwekar's residence late Sunday night, as per sources.
When contacted, Narwekar's office confirmed the petition has been received.
The NCP's disciplinary committee has also passed a resolution to disqualify the nine legislators.
The committee chief, Jaiprakash Dandegaonkar, submitted a report to NCP president Sharad Pawar late Sunday evening after passing the resolution.
"These actions of the nine MLAs call for immediate disqualification as not only are such defections ipso facto seriously damaging to the party but also that if allowed to continue as members, there is a very real likelihood that they will continue to try and undermine the interests of the party," the resolution said.
The fact that these defections were done in such a secretive manner, "without the knowledge or consent of the party president", amounts to desertion of the party which in turn invites disqualification, it said.
"We take cognisance of the same and direct appropriate steps may be taken in accordance with the party constitution and rules as also the tenth schedule of the Constitution of India. As per the procedure, party president Sharad Pawar has been informed and consulted for the same," the resolution said.
Maharashtra NCP president Jayant Patil on Sunday said his party has moved the disqualification petition against Ajit Pawar and eight others.
He said an e-mail has also been sent to the Election Commission of India informing that the rank and file of the NCP is with party chief Sharad Pawar.
The party founded by Sharad Pawar in 1999 suffered a vertical split on Sunday after his nephew Ajit Pawar broke ranks and joined the Shiv Sena-BJP government as deputy chief minister.
Eight other NCP MLAs, including staunch Sharad Pawar loyalists like Chhagan Bhujbal and Dilip Walse Patil, were made ministers.
Patil said these MLAs "cannot be called traitors as their betrayal has not yet been proved".
"Many are in touch with us," he added.
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Trump says he called off dispatching envoys to Iran talks
Dubai (PTI): US President Donald Trump said he told his top envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner not to travel to Pakistan to negotiate with Iran, stating on Fox News that "they can call us any time they want”.
Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian said his country won't negotiate while the United States imposes a blockade on its ports. Pezeshkian told Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif during a phone call Saturday night that the US “should first remove operational obstacles, including the blockade,” to allow a new round of negotiations, according to the ISNA and Tasnim news agencies in Iran.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi left Pakistan on Saturday evening, two Pakistani officials told The Associated Press. Iran's state-run IRNA news agency said Araghchi is expected back in Pakistan's capital Islamabad on Sunday.
Trump said Thursday that Israel and Lebanon agreed to extend a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah by three weeks after talks at the White House. The meeting was the second high-level negotiation between the two countries this month. The initial 10-day ceasefire had been due to expire Monday.
The Trump administration is placing economic sanctions on a major China-based oil refinery and roughly 40 shipping companies and tankers involved in transporting Iranian oil.
The move announced Friday is part of the administration's threat to impose secondary sanctions on entities doing business with Iran in an effort to cut off Iran's oil exports, which are a key source of its revenue.
Airlines worldwide have begun cancelling flights as the war in the Middle East strains jet fuel supplies and pushes up prices. Experts have offered information to travelers about what to do if a flight is cancelled.
Iran President Masoud Pezeshkian said his country won't negotiate while the United States imposes a blockade on its ports, according to Iranian media.
Pezeshkian told Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif during a phone call Saturday night that the US “should first remove operational obstacles, including the blockade”, to allow a new round of negotiations, the ISNA and Tasnim news agencies reported.
The Pakistani premier described the call as a “warm and constructive discussion”.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi concluded a one-day trip to Pakistan's capital Islamabad on Saturday after meeting with Pakistani military and government officials.
The trip did not produce a breakthrough in efforts to relaunch negotiations after US President Donald Trump canceled a planned trip by his envoys to Islamabad.
Iran's state-run IRNA news agency said Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi will return to Pakistan after his current visit to Oman on his way to visiting Russia.
The report said he was expected to be back in Pakistan's capital Islamabad on Sunday and would join other members of his delegation who had gone to Tehran for consultations and “instructions on the topics related to the end of the war.”
