FORMER UNION MINISTER SATISH SHARMA DIES
NEW DELHI: Former union minister Satish C Sharma, a loyalist of the Nehru-gandhi family, died after a brief illness on Wednesday. He was 73.
Sharma was suffering from cancer and was ailing for some time.
Several senior Congress leaders tweeted to condole the death of the leader, who was a close friend of late prime minister Rajiv Gandhi. Sharma held both Amethi and Rae Bareli Lok Sabha seats at different times, before Congress president Sonia Gandhi and former party chief Rahul Gandhi contested from the seats. Sharma, a commercial pilot, was given a Rajya Sabha berth which he held between 2010 and 2016, before he left active politics.
Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala tweeted, “Capt. Sharma epitomised dedication and loyalty. Condolences to the family and friends.”
Congress general secretary Jitin Prasada tweeted, “Sharma was always warm and encouraging towards his younger colleagues.”
CPI(M) chief Sitaram Yechury tweeted, “Sad that Captain Satish Sharma departed .... ”
NEW DELHI: Two Union ministers on Wednesday took a swipe at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi over his remarks in Puducherry that there was no separate ministry for fisheries like agriculture. The Congress leader was holding an interaction with the fishermen in the UT when he said, “When farmers have an issue, we go to the agriculture minister. But when fishermen have an issue, they do not have a minister to go to,” Gandhi said.
Responding to this, Union minister for ministry of fisheries, animal husbandry and dairying, Giriraj Singh through a tweet in Italian, said: “Caro Raul (@Rahulgandhi), Non esiste un Ministero della pesca separato in Italia. Viene sotto Ministero delle Politiche Agricole e Forestali (Dear Raul (Rahul), there is no separate Ministry of Fisheries in Italy. It comes under the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry).”
Singh was joined by Union minister Smriti Irani who accused the Congress leader of “spreading lies”. “Dear @girirajsinghbjp, they only know one thing. Spreading lies, fear and misinformation,” she posted on the micro-blogging site.
GUWAHATI: Four journalists, including a woman, were among six persons arrested on Wednesday for allegedly trying to malign Assam minister Himanta Biswa Sarma by sharing a photo of him along with his daughter with a “salacious intent”, police said. This came after the minister’s wife filed a complaint with the Dispur police station under the POCSO Act. The journalists were produced before the court of the Chief Judicial Magistrate, which remanded them to five days in police custody. Sarma alleged that this was a clear case of political conspiracy but to “stoop so low and not spare even my minor daughter, reflects a very low mentality”. He said “we could not sleep the whole night”.