Oppn forces election, fields K Suresh as its candidate for LS Speaker's post
New Delhi, Jun 25 (PTI) Accusing the ruling National Democratic Alliance of not following the convention of giving Lok Sabha Deputy Speaker's position to the opposition, the INDIA bloc on Tuesday fielded Congress leader K Suresh as its candidate for the Speaker's position against Om Birla.
Congress leader K C Venugopal and DMK's T R Baalu walked out of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh's office, refusing to endorse NDA candidate Birla without being offered the Deputy Speaker's position.
Venugopal said the BJP refused to give a commitment on offering the Deputy Speaker's post to the opposition.
Union ministers Amit Shah and J P Nadda besides Singh tried to persuade opposition leaders to endorse the NDA nominee but in vain.
Union ministers Piyush Goyal and Lalan Singh accused the Congress of putting up conditions, adding the ruling alliance was willing to discuss their demand when the election for Deputy Speaker's takes place.
Sources said over 10 sets of nominations were filed in support of Birla's candidature, including from Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union ministers Shah, Singh and Nadda, and BJP allies like TDP, JD(U), JD(S) and LJP (R).
Three sets of nominations were filed in support of Suresh, a Dalit leader and eight-term MP.
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.
Man arrested with Rs 2.54-crore heroin in Mumbai
Mumbai (PTI): Police have arrested a man and seized over 500 grams of heroin worth Rs 2.54 crore in the illicit market from him in Mumbai, officials said on Friday.
The police's Anti-Narcotics Cell (ANC) made the drug seizure in Santacruz in the western suburbs. The operation was conducted by the Kandivali unit of the ANC on Thursday as part of a special crackdown against drug trafficking in the area, they said.
Acting on specific inputs, an ANC team conducted a raid in Santacruz (East) and intercepted a man. During a search, the team recovered 508 grams of high-grade heroin from his possession, an official said.
The seized contraband, a highly addictive, opioid drug derived from morphine, is estimated to be worth Rs 2.54 crore in the international market, he informed.
Following the seizure, a case was registered against the man under relevant sections of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985, and he was formally placed under arrest in the early hours of Friday.
The police are currently investigating the source of the drug and trying to identify the intended recipients of the consignment, he said.
