The AICC general secretary Digvijay Singh, who had raised a storm by calling the home minister P. Chidambram “intellectually arrogant”, has said that he doesn’t regret the remark and still stands by it. He also added that he simply articulated the views of the party. His criticism of Mr Chidambaram’s handling of the Maoist menace, however, was rejected by the party.

The Karnataka unit of the Congress demanded the imposition of President’s Rule in the state invoking the use of Article 356, if the chief minister B.S. Yeddyurappa did not tender his resignation over the “illegal mining” issue.

An MCD employee, who lost his vision in a mishap, has been awarded a compensation of Rs 30.57 lakhs by a Motor Accident Claims Tribunal (MACT). The victim had met with the accident last year. In a recent order, presiding officer Gurvinder Pal Singh directed the insurance company to pay the victim, Bali Ram Singh, the amount within a month after holding the autorickshaw driver responsible for the accident.

At least 20 pillars on the airport express Metro line needed strengthening as an “abundant precaution”, reveals an RTI reply.
The Delhi Metro had to use over 20 times more steel and over double the concrete used initially in the pillars to give them desired strength. However, no agency was held responsible for the loopholes in the work that cost Rs 6 crores.

Trying to play vote bank politics, the JD(U) on Friday appeared to be soft on Maoists and blamed the Centre’s new economic policy and exploitation of tribals by corporates for the rise of Naxalites in Bihar. JD(U) chief Sharad Yadav in a press conference strongly opposed the use of the Army against Maoists.

In a bizarre case, unidentified thieves managed to escape with Rs 22 lakhs from a cash van on its way to deposit the amount in an ATM in broad daylight at Sector 18 in Noida on Friday. The cash was meant for an ATM of a multi-national bank.

AICC general secretary Digvijay Singh on Friday appreciated SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav’s apology to Muslims for associating with Mr Kalyan Singh, a one-time poster boy of the Sangh Parivar. However, he made it clear that the Congress would not have any alliance with the SP even after the apology and will go alone in the coming Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections.

In a breather for Delhiites, diesel will cost Rs 2.50 less per litre, which will come into effect from July 20.
Reacting to the Delhi government decision, the Delhi Petrol Dealers Association said the decision will bring the much desired relief to the common man. However, it renewed the demanded to bring parity in VAT rates of diesel between Delhi and Haryana.

INDEPENDENT FILMS from India have got a showcase in Britain with a new film festival.

Thousand of Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS) activists vandalised a media group’s office in the heart of the city on Friday evening after it reported the alleged links of RSS in various blasts across the city.