New Delhi, Oct 18: Former Union minister Nayaran Dutt Tiwari passed away on Thursday evening at the Max Hospital in Delhi’s Saket after a prolonged illness. Tiwari passed away on his 93rd birthday. He was hospitalised and put in intensive care at the same hospital in September last year after suffering from a brain stroke.

Tiwari had joined the Congress in 1963 and is the only Indian politician to serve as the chief minister of two states – Uttar Pradesh and later, Uttarakhand. He was considered close to the Gandhi family and was elected the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh in 1976. He was elected as the state CM for the second time in 1984 and during this tenure, helped Congress win the state elections held months after Indira Gandhi’s assassination the same year.

His tenure lasted for a little over one year and in 1985, Tiwari was replaced. However, he returned to power for the third time in Uttar Pradesh in 1988 for a tenure that lasted about seven months.

During his time with Congress, Tiwari was elected to both the houses of Parliament. In 1980, he was elected to the 7th Lok Sabha and served as a union minister in several portfolios in the 1980s: starting with Planning, and also remained Deputy Chairman of Planning Commission.

Between 1985 and 1988 he served as a member of Rajya Sabha.

In 2002, the Congress stalwart became chief minister of Uttarakhand and till date, is the only chief minister in the state to complete a five-year term.

Tiwari has also served as the Governor of Andhra Pradesh between 2007 and 2009. However, he resigned after he was caught in a controversy after a sting operation at Raj Bhavan.

Tiwari was hit by controversy when lawyer Rohit Shekhar had filed a paternity suit claiming Tiwari was his biological father. In a petition to the Delhi court, Shekhar had claimed that he was born out of an illegitimate relationship between the Congress veteran and his mother Ujjwala.

The claims were dismissed by Tiwari but the Congress leader was asked to undergo DNA tests by the High Court. These tests confirmed that Rohit was his biological son and an order was passed by the Delhi High Court on the same in 2014.

Earlier this year, Rohit had joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the presence of party president Amit Shah, ahead of the assembly elections in the state.

Courtesy: www.financialexpress.com

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.



Bengaluru: The Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) has issued a clarification stating that it was fully prepared to host the IPL playoffs and final matches in Bengaluru but the fixtures were allotted to other venues.

In a media note, KSCA said it was disappointed with the decision. The association stated that its president, former India cricketer Venkatesh Prasad, had been in touch with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and had formally conveyed the association’s readiness and interest in hosting the matches at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium.

KSCA said the IPL matches held in Bengaluru this season were appreciated for smooth conduct, crowd management and overall experience for spectators. It said this reflected its ability to handle high-profile matches.

The association also stated that it had sent a detailed communication to the BCCI explaining its preparedness and the operational arrangements followed during the current IPL season. According to KSCA, these systems have been in place since the start of the Indian Premier League in 2008 and were followed consistently, including during previous playoff matches hosted in Bengaluru.

The clarification added that the communication sent to the BCCI was only meant to provide factual and operational details and to bring clarity on logistical and stakeholder-related requirements involved in hosting such matches.

KSCA said that although it had shown willingness and preparedness, the BCCI has decided to allocate the playoff matches to other venues. It added that the reasons for this decision have not been formally shared with the association, but it respects the authority of the board in taking such decisions.

The association further said it remains ready to host matches of national and international importance and will continue to cooperate with the BCCI, franchises, government authorities and other stakeholders for conducting cricket events.

The statement was issued by KSCA official spokesperson Vinay Mruthyunjaya, who also thanked the media and cricket fans for their continued support.