Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh minister Shivpal Singh Yadav's letter to US President Barack Obama on cabinet colleague Azam Khan being detained at Boston airport has triggered a controversy with opposition parties and civil society activists terming it objectionable.
In a petition sent to Governor BL Joshi, activist Urvashi Sharma termed the letter written by the Public Works Department (PWD) minister as unconstitutional and against diplomatic norms under which external affairs is a central not a state subject.
"This is highly objectionable and cannot be wished away," Sharma told reporters, "No leader from any state can directly address the head of any other state like this."
Leaders cutting across party lines also come down heavily on Shivpal Yadav. "This government and its ministers are known for their illegal and anti-constitutional acts so the letter written by Shivpal Singh Yadav comes as no surprise," said senior Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) leader Naseemuddin Siddiqui....
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05:58 PM, May 01, 2013
Lucknow: After Uttar Pradesh played host to the world's largest religious congregation during Mahakumbh in Allahabad, Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav and Urban Development Minister Mohammad Azam Khan have been invited by the Harvard University to share the story of organising the 55-day event. Azam Khan, who was in charge of the Mela, has said that they have been invited by the Harvard University and information department sources indicated on Sunday...
04:17 PM, Mar 24, 2013
The Uttar Pradesh government had demanded 50 trains to clear the massive rush during the Maha Kumbh but got only 12 before the stampede on the Allahabad junction, in which 36 persons lost their lives, state minister Azam Khan said on Wednesday. ...
10:49 PM, Mar 06, 2013
The Kumbh Mela administration on Saturday banned photography at all bathing ghats at the religious congregation, officials said. ...
12:26 AM, Feb 24, 2013
Yet another fire broke out at the Kumbh Mela area in Allahabad on Saturday afternoon, injuring two sadhus, an official said. The fire broke out in Sector 9 of the Kumbh Mela area, injuring two sadhus who were cooking food, though it was brought under control quickly, Sector Magistrate Vidya Shankar Singh said. A leaking gas cylinder appears to have caused the incident, Singh said. ...
05:28 PM, Feb 16, 2013
Lucknow DIG Navneet Sikera flouted an Allahabad High Court order when he made a visit to the Maha Kumbh Mela during the last 'Shahi Snan' (holy dip) on Friday. Sikera brought his relatives and friends to the VIP bathing ghat in his official car. ...
02:11 PM, Feb 15, 2013
A fire at the Maha Kumbh Mela left one dead and injured five others, hours before pilgrims gathered for the last Shahi Snan on Basant Panchami on Friday, just five days after the Allahabad railway station stampede. ...
08:03 AM, Feb 15, 2013
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav on Thursday rejected the resignation of Cabinet Minister Mohammad Azam Khan as the chief of Kumbh Mela Organising Committee. ...
07:53 PM, Feb 14, 2013
The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) on Thursday protested in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly over the stampede in Allahabad during the Maha Kumbh Mela. ...
11:29 AM, Feb 14, 2013
In a major tragedy on the most auspicious day of the Maha Kumbh on Sunday, 36 pilgrims were killed in a stampede at the Allahabad railway station. ...
11:58 PM, Feb 12, 2013
CNN-IBN's senior special correspondent Shreya Dhoundial joined IBNLive readers for an interaction on the Allahabad stampede. ...
05:05 PM, Feb 12, 2013
Even as the blame game continues between the UP government and the Railways over responsibility for the stampede at Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh Governor BL Joshi has stoked controversy. He has commented that stampedes do tend to happen when crowds gather. ...
01:00 PM, Feb 12, 2013
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav reached Swaruprani Bakshi hospital in Allahabad on Tuesday to meet the people injured in Sunday's stampede at the railway station and said that such tragedies are very painful and his administration would try its best to prevent such incidents. ...
12:58 PM, Feb 12, 2013
Preity Zinta, Ekta Kapoor, Emraan Hashmi and Huma Quraishi were spotted praying in the Ganges during the Maha Kumbh Mela. ...
11:53 AM, Feb 12, 2013
Tonight at 10:30, CNN-IBN Deputy Editor Sagarika Ghose discusses with a panel of experts whether the Kumbh stampede could have been avoided. You can send your viewpoint and questions on the issue here or tweet them to us
@Face_the_Nation or
@SagarikaGhose.
10:14 AM, Feb 12, 2013
The UP government in Allahabad railway station stampede incident has said that responsibility can be fixed only after the probe is complete. ...
11:31 PM, Feb 11, 2013
A day after the stampede at the overcrowded Allahabad Railway Station claimed 36 lives, Railway Minister PK Bansal on February 11 said it was not possible for railways to run trains every 10 minutes to clear the heavy rush of Kumbh passengers. ...
03:22 PM, Feb 11, 2013
In a major tragedy on the most auspicious day of the Maha Kumbh on Sunday, at least 36 pilgrims were killed and over 30 people were injured in a stampede at the Allahabad railway station. Authorities fear the death toll could rise further and 17 bodies are still to be identified. Eyewitnesses say a police lathicharge triggered the chaos. ...
02:43 PM, Feb 11, 2013
Azam Khan resigned as the Kumbh incharge following the stampede. ...
02:24 PM, Feb 11, 2013
Condoling the loss of lives in the stampede at Allahabad, BJP President Rajnath Singh on Monday said the incident could have been avoided if adequate precautions had been taken at the railway station teeming with thousands of Kumbh pilgrims. ...
12:15 PM, Feb 11, 2013
