Modi govt gives Governor post to ally TDP, names Gajapathi Raju as Goa Guv
NDA
constituents to the post of governor, choosing
TDP
member and former union civil aviation minister
Pusapati Ashok Gajapathi Raju
for the Goa Raj Bhavan. Raju had quit his post as union minister in March 2018 when Chandrababu Naidu walked out of the alliance in protest against the Centre's refusal to give special status to Andhra Pradesh.
Apart from Raju, President of India Droupadi Murmu has also appointed former Jammu and Kashmir Deputy Chief Minister Kavindar Gupta as Lieutenant Governor of Ladakh. Gupta, who has also served as Speaker of the J&K Assembly in the past, replaces Brig (Retd.) BD Mishra who resigned from his post. Ashim Kr Ghosh, a veteran
BJP
leader and former chief of party's West Bengal unit, will be Governor of Haryana.
Ashok Gajpathi Raju, 74, hails from the royal family of Vizianagaram in Andhra Pradesh. Apart from his stint as civil aviation minister in the Modi government from May 2014 to March 2018, Raju has also been a minister in Andhra Pradesh from September 1999 to May 2004, holding important portfolios like Finance, Excise, Legislative Affairs and Revenue.
by Taboola
by Taboola
Sponsored Links
Sponsored Links
Promoted Links
Promoted Links
You May Like
Experts Shocked by New ED Treatment (Works Instantly)
fridayplans
Learn More
Allies are usually interested in ministerial posts and the appointment of Raju as a governor is an exception.
Like the NDA-I government, the civil aviation ministry is with TDP in the present dispensation as well with K Ram Mohan Naidu occupying the minister's post.
Live Events
The appointment of Gupta as LG is also a deviation from the norm as he hails from the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir of which Ladakh was a part before August 5, 2019 when Article 370 was abrogated and it was turned into a union territory. As per convention, the Governor is from another state. The political situation in Ladakh has changed since 2019 and BJP has faced opposition from the people on a host of issues. BJP had also lost the Ladakh Lok Sabha seat in 2024.
Professor Ashim Kumar Ghosh is a veteran BJP leader from West Bengal. He held the post of state unit chief from 1999 to 2002. He will replace Bandaru Dattatreya who is leaving before completing five years. He became Haryana Governor in July 2021. BJP is serving its third term in the state.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
38 minutes ago
- Time of India
Committed to eradicating evil practices life black magic: State govt to Kerala HC
Kochi: A new affidavit submitted by the state govt in high court on Tuesday indicates that the govt seems to have significantly softened its stand on a legislating against black magic, witchcraft, sorcery and other inhumane practices carried out under the guise of supernatural powers. A previous affidavit filed by home department deputy secretary had asserted that the council of ministers, on July 5, 2023, had decided not to proceed with the Kerala Prevention and Eradication of Inhuman Evil Practices, Sorcery and Black Magic Bill, 2019. It was also contended that this was a policy decision which may not be interfered with by the court. Upon perusing the affidavit, the division bench had noted that it failed to clarify whether the state endorsed such practices or had merely chosen not to eradicate them. HC had also directed home department to file a detailed affidavit clarifying the state's stand on the issue and the steps it proposes to take. In Tuesday's affidavit, filed by home department additional chief secretary Biswanath Sinha, the state clarified that although the proposed legislation has been deferred, the govt has no intention of stepping back from the subject. The matter remains under active consideration, and the state remains committed to evolving a legal framework that will effectively curb harmful practices while fully respecting constitutional rights and cultural sensitivities. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like เปรียบเทียบสเปรด: ระหว่าง Bitcoin และ Ethereum CFDs IC Markets อ่านเพิ่มเติม Undo The affidavit also outlined the challenges in legislating against such practices, particularly in balancing constitutional religious freedoms with the need to prevent abuse and harm. It emphasised that it is extremely difficult to draw a legally sustainable distinction between faith, belief and superstition. A matter of deep spiritual belief for one individual or community may be viewed as superstition by another. Any legislative attempt to regulate or prohibit practices considered superstitious requires legal clarity and cultural sensitivity and must therefore be preceded by careful and detailed deliberations, the affidavit stated.
New Indian Express
38 minutes ago
- New Indian Express
Chhattisgarh deports 30 undocumented Bangladeshi immigrants
RAIPUR: Chhattisgarh on Tuesday deported 30 Bangladeshi nationals following an ongoing verification exercise in the state, with the individuals being sent back to their homeland. The undocumented Bangladeshi migrants were taken by flight to Guwahati, where they will be handed over to the Border Security Force (BSF), a police officer said. After initiating the necessary action and completing the process of deportation, all illegal immigrants will be sent across the border into the neighbouring country. The thirty immigrants found staying 'without valid documents' were traced from the districts of Raipur, Durg, Rajnandgaon and Raigarh. They were apprehended following intelligence inputs and some complaints received from local inhabitants about the foreigners staying illegally. According to a senior intelligence officer, some Bangladeshis had even procured Indian passports in Chhattisgarh, travelled to their country, and returned to the state. On Tuesday, the issue of Bangladeshi and Rohingya undocumented immigrants was raised by senior BJP MLA Ajay Chandrakar in the House, claiming that their strength is consistently on the rise in different districts of the state. Chandrakar claimed that illegal immigrants are accessing the benefits of government schemes after they secured documents illegally on the basis of 'false documentation' and the official machinery failing to enforce stringent regulations.
Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
Trump's Epstein dilemma: When the conspiracist-in-chief can't kill the conspiracy
YouTuber Coffeezilla has sparked fresh debate after pointing out a missing minute in newly released Epstein jail footage. The DOJ says the case is closed, but online users remain skeptical as conspiracy theories surge again. For a president who has long thrived in conspiracy, chaos and disinformation, the Jeffrey Epstein case has become an uncharacteristic vulnerability. Donald Trump , a master manipulator of narrative and outrage, now finds himself at the mercy of the very conspiratorial forces he once weaponized. And this time, they're not buying what he's selling. As CNN reported Monday, Trump is 'increasingly frustrated' by a controversy that refuses to go away. The justice department's recent memo closing the Epstein case - denying the existence of a client list or evidence of murder - was intended to put an end to the speculation. Instead, it has inflamed it. 'This was a conspiracy theory that Donald Trump, Pam Bondi and these MAGA extremists have been fanning the flames of for the last several years,' House minority leader Hakeem Jeffries told reporters Monday, 'and now the chickens are coming home to roost.' The drama has pitted the president against the online influencers and true believers who form the MAGA movement's ideological core. It's a rare moment where Trump is no longer seen as the avenging outsider taking on the deep state - but as part of the cover-up. 'People are really upset at the outright dismissal of it,' Natalie Winters, a correspondent for Steve Bannon's 'War Room' podcast, told The New York Times. 'I have never seen such sustained wavering.' by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Что происходит при сжигании лаврового листа? Undo A fracturing movement From Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene warning of 'significant' fallout, to Elon Musk calling Epstein Trump's 'Achilles' heel,' the backlash has broken into the open. And while Trump still commands loyalty in public from party leaders like House Speaker Mike Johnson and Senators Lindsey Graham and John Cornyn, cracks are showing beneath the surface. MAGA influencers are in revolt. Attorney general Pam Bondi, once cheered for promising to 'review' Epstein's alleged client list, is now facing demands for her resignation. Bondi's prior remarks - including on Fox News in February - are circulating online as evidence of betrayal. "Don't sit there and tell me there's nothing when you told me there was something,' Jack Posobiec said Monday on 'War Room.' Even Trump's daughter-in-law, Lara Trump, is treading cautiously. 'I do think that there needs to be more transparency on this,' she said on Benny Johnson's podcast. She stopped short of condemning the administration but made clear that the calls for disclosure are not going away. The deep state, reversed Trump has spent years convincing his followers that America is run by hidden elites, and that only he could bring them to justice. The Epstein conspiracy - implicating shadowy networks, intelligence agencies, and sex trafficking of minors - became a foundational myth in MAGA lore. As the Atlantic's Michelle Goldberg observed, Epstein is not just a case. He's a symbol: 'The fantasy of Trump as a warrior against sex trafficking [is] a way for his followers to manage their cognitive dissonance about his obvious personal degeneracy.' The MAGA faithful were promised that returning Trump to office would blow the lid off Epstein's secrets. Instead, they got a DOJ memo and a president insisting, 'nobody cares about Epstein.' 'He's massively misreading his base on this one,' conservative commentator Liz Wheeler wrote on X. 'It could cost him the midterms.' The MAGA identity crisis Steve Bannon warned at the Turning Point USA conference that if just 10% of the base sits out the 2026 midterms, Republicans could lose 40 House seats. A narrative collapse like this one could be the tipping point. 'This gets to the heart of who is in control of the country,' said Winters. 'If you're not exposing it, either you're a liar, or you're ineffective, or you're compromised.' Trump's attempt to pivot - now blaming the Epstein controversy on Obama, Hillary Clinton, and a 'Radical Left' conspiracy to discredit him - is being met with rare disbelief from his base. 'It's bizarre,' said Winters. 'I just don't know.' How can people be expected to have faith in Trump if he won't release the Epstein files? Elon Musk on X The real-world consequences The Epstein fallout isn't just a MAGA psychodrama. It has implications for national governance and the rule of law. As the New York Times' Jess Bidgood noted, the justice department, tasked with investigating real crimes and protecting civil liberties, now finds itself crippled by infighting and distrust. 'Vitriol ricocheting through the management suite risks detracting from the core missions of the DOJ and the FBI,' CNN reported. The spectacle of a president turning on his own conspiracy-driven followers while defending a Justice Department accused of suppressing evidence has further eroded trust in government institutions. This, too, is a legacy of Trumpism: a movement that undermines belief in shared facts, then loses control when its own alternate realities break down. What comes next? Trump may yet ride this out. His command over the GOP remains formidable. But the Epstein crisis marks a shift. His power to bend the narrative may be waning, not because the media or Democrats finally broke through - but because his own supporters feel betrayed. And that is the most dangerous kind of disillusionment for a populist: not from without, but from within. As Axios summed it, 'Even MAGA's most loyal foot soldiers are struggling to explain how top Trump officials could close the Epstein case after promising - for years - that it would expose shadowy global elites.' That's the real scandal now: not Epstein, but the broken promise that he would be the key to everything.
