The BJP on Wednesday expelled its MLA Shobharani Kushwah from the party for cross-voting in the Rajya Sabha elections in Rajasthan.

In a letter to Kushwah, BJP Central Disciplinary Committee secretary Om Pathak said separate action would be taken against her for violation of discipline.

“You are expelled from the party with immediate effect and also relieved of other responsibilities given by the party,” the letter read.

In the Rajya Sabha elections held on June 10, Kushwah had voted in favour of Congress candidate Pramod Tiwari in violation of the party whip. The BJP had issued a show-cause notice the same day and had suspended Kushwah.

The MLA had to reply to the notice by June 19, but before that, she issued a statement to the media targeting the BJP. The MLA said the party asked her to vote for such an independent candidate in the Rajya Sabha elections who was openly discussing cross voting.

Shobharani Kushwah is the wife of former BSP MLA B L Kushwaha, who was disqualified as a legislator in December 2016 after being convicted in a murder case.

She win the bypoll necessitated by the disqualification on a BJP ticket in 2017. In 2018, she won the seat again in the assembly elections.

India reported 8822 new coronavirus infections being reported during last 24 hours, India’s tally of COVID-19 cases rose to 4,32,45,517 on Wednesday, while the count of active cases increased to 53,637, according to Union Health Ministry data updated at 8 am

The death toll due to the disease has climbed to 5,24,792 with 15 fatalities being reported in a span of 24 hours.
The count of active cases now comprises 0.12 per cent of the total infections, while the national COVID-19 recovery rate was recorded at 98.66 per cent, the health ministry said

An increase of 3089 cases has been recorded in the active COVID-19 caseload in a span of 24 hours, the data showed

The daily positivity rate was recorded at two per cent and the weekly positivity rate at 2.35 per cent, according to the ministry

The number of people who have recuperated from the disease has surged to 4,26,67,088 while the case fatality rate was recorded at?1.21 per cent, as per the data

According to the ministry, 195.5 crore vaccine doses have been administered in the country so far under the nationwide COVID-19 vaccination drive

India’s COVID-19 tally had crossed the 20-lakh mark on August 7, 2020, 30 lakh on August 23, 40 lakh on September 5, 50 lakh on September 16, 60 lakh on September 28, 70 lakh on October 11, 80 lakh on October 29, 90 lakh on November 20 and the one-crore mark on December 19, 2020

The country crossed the grim milestones of two crore cases on May 4, 2021 and three crore on June 23

Fifteen new fatalities due to the disease were reported in the country ? seven from Kerala, four from Maharashtra, two from Delhi and one each from Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan

A total of 5,24,792 COVID-19 deaths have been reported so far in the country, including 1,47,875 from Maharashtra, 69,842 from Kerala, 40,108 from Karnataka, 38,025 from Tamil Nadu, 26,223 from Delhi, 23,525 from Uttar Pradesh and 21,206 from West Bengal

The health ministry stressed that more than 70 per cent of the deaths occurred due to co-morbidities
“Our figures are being reconciled with the Indian Council of Medical Research,” the ministry said on its website, adding that state-wise distribution of figures is subject to further verification and reconciliation.

Several Congress leaders, including K C Venugopal and Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, were detained for violating prohibitory orders outside the heavily barricaded party headquarters on Tuesday, day two of Rahul Gandhi being questioned by the ED.

Ahead of his second day of questioning, the former Congress chief joined senior party leaders at a ‘dharna’ at the Congress headquarters. Several Congress leaders were detained by Delhi Police and taken away to different police stations.

Among those detained were Gaurav Gogoi, Deepender Singh Hooda, Ranjeet Ranjan, Manickam Tagore and Imran Pratapgarhi.

This is the second day of the Congress’ protests against the questioning of Rahul Gandhi by the ED in a money laundering case related to the National Herald newspaper.

Gandhi was questioned for over 10 hours on Monday. The Congress has said it will not be cowed down by intimidatory tactics of arrests or “false” cases against its top leaders.

Union minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi on Monday alleged that the Congress and corruption are “made for each other”, and claimed that the opposition party was carrying out a “satyagraha for corruption”.
The minority affairs minister’s attack on the opposition party came after Congress leaders took to the streets on Monday as Rahul Gandhi appeared before the Enforcement Directorate for questioning in a money laundering case.

Naqvi said that with the family facing allegations, the Congress was “fabricating agitation”. He said this proves that the Congress and corruption are “made for each other”.

The country has earlier witnessed ‘satyagraha’ against corruption, but the country is witnessing the Congress’ culture of “satyagraha for corruption” for the first time.

The Congress’ attempt to show strength on the streets during investigation into a corruption case shows its brazen attitude despite indulging in graft, Naqvi told reporters.

“The Congress has become a ‘crew of corruption’ and a champion of converting corruption into revolution,” the senior BJP leader said.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was questioned by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in a money laundering probe linked to the National Herald newspaper after the MP reached the agency’s headquarters here accompanied by a battery of party leaders and supporters.

Five people were arrested over the weekend in Noida for allegedly smuggling liquor from Delhi into Uttar Pradesh, officials said on Monday.
Over 15 cartons of liquor were also seized on Saturday and Sunday and three vehicles in which the alcohol was being transported were also impounded, officials from the Gautam Buddh Nagar excise department said.

Two people in one vehicle were arrested on Saturday during inspection at the Noida-Delhi border. Three people in two different vehicles were arrested on Sunday, District Excise Officer Rakesh Bahadur Singh said.

Bringing liquor meant for sale in Delhi to Uttar Pradesh is prohibited and legal action is being taken against offenders for denting the state’s revenue, the excise officer said.

Only one unsealed bottle is permitted if somebody from Delhi is entering UP through Noida, Singh said.

Over 70 people have been arrested since April at the border points of Delhi in Noida by the excise department, with the help of the local police, as crackdown continued on liquor smuggling, according to the officials.

The UP government instructed officials for the crackdown keeping in view the revenue loss to the state as heavy discounts on alcohol rates continued being offered in Delhi, they said.

Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra visited party president and their mother Sonia Gandhi at the Sir Ganga Ram Hospital here on Monday, a day after she was admitted to the facility owing to post-Covid issues, sources said.

The Enforcement Directorate on Monday questioned Rahul Gandhi in a money laundering probe linked to the National Herald newspaper, an occasion for the party to galvanise its workers with protests rolled out in many cities.

The Congress president was admitted to the Sir Ganga Ram Hospital here on Sunday.

Congress general secretary and chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala had on Sunday said that Sonia Gandhi was stable and would be in the hospital for a few days.

“Both Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi visited the hospital in the afternoon and met with Sonia Gandhi,” a hospital source said.

Rahul Gandhi, who had entered the headquarters of the federal agency in central Delhi around 11.10 am, was put to questioning about 20 minutes later after he finished some brief legal proceedings and marking his attendance.

He left the ED office for lunch around 2:10 pm and the session is expected to continue once he returns, officials said.

Sonia Gandhi, 75, had tested positive for COVID-19 on June 2 and was recuperating. She was to appear before the ED on June 8 and had sought more time from the probe agency, which has now issued a fresh summons to her to appear on June 23.

The Sensex further plummeted over 1,394 points in early trade on Monday, while the Nifty slumped to the 15,800 level, tracking weak global markets and unrelenting foreign fund outflows.
Weakness in index majors Reliance Industries and ICICI Bank also weighed on the domestic equity markets.

The 30-share BSE benchmark was trading 1,394.17 points lower at 52,909.27. The Nifty tanked 399.55 points to 15,802.25.

All the 30-share Sensex pack of firms were trading lower in early trade, with Bajaj Finserv, Bajaj Finance, ICICI Bank, State Bank of India, Reliance Industries, Kotak Mahindra Bank, Tech Mahindra and IndusInd Bank emerging as the major laggards.

The BSE benchmark index had ended 1,016.84 points or 1.84 per cent lower at 54,303.44 on Friday. The broader NSE Nifty plunged 276.30 points or 1.68 per cent to 16,201.80.

Elsewhere in Asia, markets in Seoul, Tokyo, Hong Kong and Shanghai were trading with deep cuts in mid-session deals.

Stock exchanges in the US ended sharply lower on Friday. “The near-term market trend is weak. The May US inflation print at 8.6 per cent against the market expectation of 8.3 per cent is likely to turn the Fed more hawkish.

“Such a scenario would be negative for risky assets like equity, particularly in the context of declining global growth. The Indian market will stabilize only when the US market stabilises,” said V K Vijayakumar, Chief Investment Strategist at Geojit Financial Services.

Meanwhile, international oil benchmark Brent crude fell 1.37 %  to USD 120.31 per barrel.

Foreign institutional investors (FIIs) remained net sellers in the capital market, as they sold shares worth Rs 3,973.95 crore on Friday, as per exchange data.