Thiruvananthapuram, Jan 30 (IANS) Heaping praise on Rahul Gandhi, veteran Congressman and former Defence Minister A.K. Antony on Monday said that "with the Bharat Jodo Yatra ending in Kashmir a new Rahul has taken birth".
Antony said this at a party function and added that this Yatra of Rahul was unique, the country has ever seen.
"With the yatra coming to a close, I am seeing a new Rahul and this Yatra will come to a close only when the present BJP government is sent packing at the upcoming Lok Sabha polls. The yatra has helped Rahul to see an India which has now realised that this is going to be re-birth of him," said Antony, while taking part in a party event here,
"The aim of the Congress for the yatra was a unification of the democratic forces," added Antony, who was caught on the backfoot last week when his son Anil Antony slammed the BBC for the documentary on Narendra Modi.
This outburst saw Antony's colleagues slamming his son, who quit the party posts the next day. This is the first time after his son's episode that Antony was seen on a public platform and that too in the company of leaders who took on his son.
According to media reports, Mann, who was on a eigh-day trip to Germany till September 18, delayed his departure as he was reportedly in 'an inebriated state'. However, AAP has strongly denied the charge, saying Mann was not deplaned at the Frankfurt airport. The party termed it as false and frivolous propaganda by political rivals.
The official added that a case was registered against Shailendra Sharma, the Superintendent and Tax Clerk Raman Agarwal on a complaint alleging that they were demanding a bribe of Rs 50,000 which was reduced to Rs 25,000 from the complainant for getting his mutation file processed. The CBI laid a trap and caught the accused red-handed while demanding and accepting the bribe of Rs 25,000 from the complainant.
Both -- Mandeep, alias Manna Tuffan, and Manpreet, alias Mani Rayia -- were allegedly involved in the murder of gangster Ranbir Singh, alias Rana Kandowalia. Kandowalia, who was facing dozens of cases of murder and attempt to murder, was gunned down outside a private hospital in Amritsar in August last year. The Bhagwanpuria group had taken the responsibility for the murder.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah had ordered a CBI probe into the death of Phogat. The move came after Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant recommended a CBI probe into the case as per demand of Phogat's daughter and people of Haryana.
The two-time chief minister of Punjab had fought the assembly elections in the state earlier this year in alliance with the BJP as well as Akali Dal (Sanyukt). His party - Punjab Lok Congress - though had failed to get even a single seat during the assembly elections.
During deliberations, the Chief Minister envisaged opportunities for mutual collaboration in business and solutions. He said that the alliance could provide on-field handholding to Punjab farmers in best practices of crop management.
