From the Newsroom: Rajinikanth not to launch political party

In your evening news brief, From the Newsroom, Rajinikanth not to launch political party; India likely to extend a ban on flights from Britain; Madhya Pradesh Cabinet okays ordinance on the bill against religious conversion through fraudulent means, and Karnataka Legislative Council deputy chairperson S L Dharme Gowda found dead near a railway track.

Here is the top news of December 29, 2020:

India's Civil Aviation Minister on Tuesday said the country was likely to extend a ban on flights from Britain that it has imposed in a bid to contain a new strain of the coronavirus.

"I foresee a slight extension of the temporary suspension. I don't expect that extension to be a long or indefinite extension," Hardeep Singh Puri told reporters.

India last week suspended all flights from Britain until the end of the month.

Tamil superstar Rajinikanth on Tuesday announced that he will not launch a new political party to contest the 2021 assembly elections, citing his poor health and Covid-19 as reasons for going back on the promise he made on the last day of 2017.

In a three-page statement posted on his verified Twitter page, Rajinikanth apologised to his fans, supporters and people who stood by him over the past three years for his decision. He also said he would continue working for the people of Tamil Nadu without launching a political party.

“I regret to announce that I am not able to take the political plunge by launching a political party. Only I know the pain that I go through while announcing this. This decision would come as a disappointment to my fans, and people. I apologise to everyone,” he said.

The Madhya Pradesh cabinet on Tuesday gave nod to an ordinance on the bill against religious conversion through fraudulent means, including those for the sake of marriage, that stipulates a jail term of up to 10 years for violators.

The ordinance on the Freedom of Religion Bill, 2020, has been sent to state Governor Anandiben Patel for approval, state Home Minister Narottam Mishra told reporters.

64-year-old Karnataka Legislative Council deputy chairperson S L Dharme Gowda was found dead near a railway track at Gunasagara in Kadur taluk in the wee hours of Tuesday. It is suspected that he died by suicide.

He had reportedly left his farmhouse at Sakharayapattana after 10 pm on Monday. After he failed to return home, family members began searching for him and found him dead on a railway track between Gunasagara and Kabli.

According to sources close to Dharme Gowda, he had asked the driver of the car to park the vehicle near the railway track at Gunasagara and had reportedly told the driver on the pretext of meeting someone.

Karnataka on Monday decided to reject “outright” the K Kasturirangan Committee report on conserving the Western Ghats, just ahead of the National Green Tribunal’s (NGT) December 31 deadline for its implementation.

A Cabinet sub-committee headed by Forest Minister Anand Singh took a stand against the implementation of the report.

The Kasturirangan Committee has recommended that 20,668 sq km spread across 11 districts in the Western Ghats cradling 1,592 villages be declared as an Ecological Sensitive Area (ESA), which will come with restrictions that the government believes will hamper developmental works.

Source: DHNS/PTI/Reuters