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Govt on back foot over Rail Budget ‘leak’
Cong stakes claim to LS Oppn leader’s post
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The rise & rise of Shah
NIA wants more power to probe cases on foreign soil
Ministry tells MCI to expedite MBBS seat enhancement
Maoists striking roots in Assam, Gogoi tells Modi
Defamation suit
No hint from Centre to quit: Sheila
SC notice to Salman in black buck case
Court summons Shankaracharya
preity-ness spat
Anurag hits back at Capt
Price rise: Centre blames hoarders
Goa minister’s morphed picture
M’rashtra may declare some parts drought-hit
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Govt on back foot over Rail Budget ‘leak’
New Delhi, July 9 The government was also directed by Deputy Chairman PJ Kurien to set up a gender sensitive committee in Parliament. The issue of the committee’s formation was raised during the Zero Hour by CPM leader Sitaram Yechury when a mention was made about the persisting crimes against women. He said while Parliament had enacted a law providing for establishment of gender sensitivity committees at all workplaces, it itself did not have any such panel. His remark prompted Kurien to say the Government should “act” on the suggestion as early as possible. Yechury was speaking after Rajni Patil (Congress) voiced concern over incidents of rape and other crimes against women. Earlier, the Congress members created uproar in the House over the alleged leak of the Rail Budget and forced two adjournments during Question Hour and later created din during the Zero Hour as well. During Zero Hour, Congress members, including Madhusudan Mistry, Satyavrat Chaturvedi and V Hanumantha Rao, wanted to raise the issue of alleged leakage of Rail Budget, but Kurien said the party’s privilege notice was still under consideration of Chairman Hamid Ansari and hence, he would not be able to allow any discussion on it. Not satisfied, Congress members continued to raise the issue and were also supported by SP members Ramgopal Yadav and Naresh Aggarwal. Responding, Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said as per “well-settled” traditions and precedence, if a privilege notice is issued and under consideration of the Chair, “its content is not allowed to be mentioned or raised”. He said if the privilege notice was accepted, it went to the Privileges Committee of Parliament. The government also found itself on the back foot when CPM member P Rajeeve, citing media reports, claimed that the Home Ministry had destroyed over 1.5 lakh crucial files on the instruction of the Prime Minister, triggering uproar and adjournment of the House. Raising the matter during the Zero Hour, Rajeeve said the destroyed files included some historical documents relating to Mahatma Gandhi’s assassination and the Cabinet discussions held immediately thereafter. He alleged that instructions to destroy the files were given by the Prime Minister immediately after taking oath, even as the claims were dismissed by the government. “I would like to know why this decision was taken in a hurry,” Rajeeve said with several members from the Opposition benches associating themselves with his concern. “You cannot scrap history by destroying secret files,” JD(U) leader Sharad Yadav said. Replying on behalf of the Government, the Law Minister dismissed the charges, saying, “The Prime Minister had given no such instructions.” Earlier, the House was adjourned twice during the Question Hour, after noisy scenes were witnessed after opposition parties, including the Congress and the TMC protested the ugly episode that had unfolded in the Lower House yesterday and the alleged leak of rail budget papers. Cong forces adjournments
As per well-settled traditions and precedence, if a privilege notice is issued and under consideration of the Chair, its content is not allowed to be mentioned or raised. Ravi Shankar Prasad, union law minister
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Cong stakes claim to LS Oppn leader’s post
New Delhi, July 9 The letter signed by 60 MPs — Congress (44) and its pre-poll alliance partners — was submitted to the Speaker this morning by Congress’ Leader in Lok Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge, Deputy Leader Amarinder Singh and Chief Whip Jyotiraditya Scindia. “We have presented our letter to the Speaker saying the LoP post is our right under the 1977 Act. The Speaker will take a view on the issue,” Kharge said. The Congress has made four points in the letter – the Salaries and Allowances of LoPs Act 1977 defines the LoP as leader of the single largest party in opposition to the government and does not mention 10% strength of the House as a requirement for the same; the Congress was part of a pre-poll UPA alliance which crossed the 10% threshold (55 MPs) even if the number argument was to hold; the Congress had earned 19% vote share this time in the Lok Sabha elections whereas the BJP got the LoP’s post in the last LS with just 18% vote share and there are now four laws which make the appointment of the LoP necessary to select authorities such as the Lokpal, Chief Information Commissioner, CVC and the chairman of the NHRC. These arguments have been made to counter the BJP’s stand that 10% strength of the House is a necessity for any party to claim the LoP’s post. The Congress said it was ready for a legal battle to get the LoP’s post if the Speaker ruled against
it.
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TMC MP targets Speaker, apologises
New Delhi, July 9 Soon as he said this, the entire Treasury side was up in arms against the Speaker even as PM Narendra Modi watched in silence. The Speaker adjourned the proceedings which reconvened at 12 noon and saw Banerjee apologising for his act. Though the House functioned smoothly thereafter, the clashes between the TMC and BJP continued through the day with TMC’s Kakoli Ghosh Dastodar slamming BJP members for using objectionable words against her in the House yesterday. “I am an Indian woman. I ask you to see me as you would see your sister,” she said during discussions on price rise in the Lok Sabha today. Earlier in the day, Kalyan Banerjee and TMC chief Mamata Banerjee’s nephew and first-time MP Abhishek Banerjee trooped in the Well carrying placards and raised anti-Modi slogans. The Speaker was quick to read out the dos and donts for the MPs and reminded them that use of placards inside the House was not permitted. It was when she was warning the protesters against violating rules of the House that Banerjee accused her of being Modi’s Speaker. Alongside, the agitators shouted “Prime Minister hai, hai”, “Parliament par BJP ki goonda gardi nahi chalegi”, promoting the Speaker to adjourn Question Hour. Later in the day, Parliamentary Affairs Minister M Venkaiah Naidu, in the backdrop of disruptions by TMC members, appealed to the opposition to cooperate in smooth functioning of the Houses. Naidu urged people to “keep a close watch on the turn of events in Parliament and decide if they were appropriate.” “The government presented Rail Budget yesterday which was aimed at putting back on tracks the derailed Indian Railways in the interest of country’s economic development. If any party had any objections, they could raise the same during the debate,” Naidu said in reference to TMC’s allegations of neglect of Bengal. He said maximum rail projects were under implementation in Bengal and Bihar. Anti-Modi slogans raised
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The rise & rise of Shah
Ahmedabad, July 9 The BJP’s owes its rise in Gujarat to Modi-Shah duo, who were able to cement the gains the party made during the tenure of the former founder leader Keshubhai Patel as the Chief Minister in 1995 and again in 1998, shutting all the challenges from the Congress. At Modi’s behest, Keshubhai made Shah the chairman of the state-owned Gujarat State Financial Corporation in the mid-nineties, which had a lot of influence on the industrial sector. Shah not only showed his skill as a good organiser and fundraiser for the party, he also managed to dry up the Congress’ resources in the state and divert the funds to the BJP. To an extent, both Shah and his political mentor Modi rose in the party ranks through organising rath yatras. Like Modi demonstrated his skill as the “sarathi” of veteran leader LK Advani’s Ram rath yatra and later Murli Manohar Joshi’s rally from Kerala to Kashmir, Shah’s best opportunity to show his organising skills came in the 2002 “Gujarat Gaurav Rathyatra” of Modi that virtually sealed the Congress fate in Gujarat. Much maligned from the post-Godhra riots in February-March, 2002, Modi and the BJP’s stake depended on “Gujarat Gaurav” rallies that took Modi through the length and breadth of the state and Shah, along with the former national vice-president Purshottam Rupala, showed his skills of managing a mega event for the party. Though they were known to each other since the early eighties, Shah came close to Modi with the “Gujarat Gaurav” rally. After the December 2002 state Assembly elections, Shah was inducted into the Cabinet by Modi as the Minister of State for Home, the office he held till 2009 when he was forced to quit after being chargesheeted by the CBI in the Sohrabuddin Sheikh fake encounter case. He also managed to erode the Congress influence from various co-operative banks, and through these control over the farmer vote bank, systematically reducing the Congress’ vote share from the farm sector. It was Shah again who later lured Amin to the BJP fold breaking the backbone of the Congress on the eve of the December 2012 Assembly elections and ensuring third straight victory for Modi in the state. Shah took over as the president of the GCA after Modi resigned from the post after becoming the Prime Minister. It was his organising skills and Modi’s confidence that the party made him the in-charge of the Lok Sabha elections in Uttar Pradesh. In UP, Shah apparently followed the rules that Modi had set for the BJP in Gujarat — personal contacts and optimum booth management — and saw the party come out with flying colours. Shah had not only represented Sarkhej Assembly constituency, which has a large concentration of Muslim voters, thrice till he was forced to shift to Naranpura in the heart of Ahmedabad following the abolition of Sarkhej in the delimitation of constituencies in 2012, he managed to secure the highest victory margin among all BJP candidates in the state in 2002, even bigger than Modi. Controversial past
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NIA wants more power to probe cases on foreign soil
New Delhi, July 9 Sources said the NIA had sought amendments to the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and requested the ministry to provide the NIA Director General the powers similar to that of state Director Generals of Police and permit an investigating officer dealing with a terrorist case to seize or attach property. “The MHA has assured the agency that they will act on its requests and consult the Law Ministry,” the sources said. “At present, no Indian agency is investigating the attack on the Indian consulate in Herat. Only Afghanistan is probing the incident, the NIA should be allowed to conduct a parallel investigation,” sources said. The NIA was created on the pattern of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, which under the US federal law is mandated to probe crimes committed against US citizens abroad. The NIA also sought permission to send its investigating officers for the follow-up of cases, being probed by foreign agencies. At present, the CBI Director has the power to send his investigating officers abroad to interact directly with the foreign investigating agency. “At present, the NIA can only send Letters Rogatory (LR) to the foreign agency concerned. If “extraterritorial jurisdiction” powers are given to the NIA, it will benefit the foreign agency and the NIA investigating officers. It will allow NIA officers to go abroad, during investigation by the foreign agency, and interact with accused to satisfy their queries,” said the sources. They said an NIA team went to the US to interrogate the 26/11 accused, David Coleman Headley. Such visits should also be allowed for other cases.
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Ministry tells MCI to expedite MBBS seat enhancement
New Delhi, July 9 MBBS seat enhancement requests of around 150 government medical colleges, including GMCH-32, Chandigarh, have been pending with the MCI for a long time with the Council raising objections in
many cases. Health Minister Harsh Vardhan today said: “Nearly 10,000 meritorious students face a bleak future because of the MCI’s obsession with minor details. Most of the deficiencies in the MCI’s reports are about problems with air-conditioning, partition walls in buildings and shortage of faculty. But even though most colleges have complied with the MCI’s demands, there has been no acknowledgement. This can’t be expected of the MCI.” Meanwhile, sources in the MCI today told The Tribune on the condition of anonymity that the Council’s Executive Body at its meeting yesterday approved seat enhancements in most of the 150 colleges in question, including the request from the GMCH-32. The MCI is yet to send intimations in this respect to the Ministry, though Vardhan yesterday got Health Secretary Lov Verma to follow up the issue with the MCI. He has been forwarding the recommendations of the hearing committee and compliance reports submitted by various medical colleges to the MCI, but the Council’s response is awaited.
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Maoists striking roots in Assam, Gogoi tells Modi
Guwahati, July 9 An official source said: “During his first meeting with Modi, Gogoi apprised him about Maoists striking roots in some areas of Assam. He requested Modi for inclusion of two districts — Tinsukia and Dibrugarh — within the ambit of the Integrated Action Plan (IAP) to combat the Left wing extremism
(LWE). “Of late, the trend of Maoists joining hands with militants and insurgents has been noticed. We would urge a comprehensive and coordinated strategy between the Central and state governments to nip this growing nexus of extremists in the bud,” Gogoi told
Modi. He called for the Centre’s help for augmentation of the strength and capacity of the state police forces to deal with the emerging challenges and renewed the state government’s request for assistance from the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) for raising India Reserve battalions in Assam. Gogoi tried to impress upon the PM to formulate special development strategy for Assam with focus on the border areas that have been considered breeding grounds of insurgency due backwardness and unemployment. “Militancy is a reflection of the lack of development that continues to affect the state. However, to ensure sustained development, there need to be an increased emphasis on infrastructure and employment generation,” Gogoi submitted before Modi.
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HC seeks reply from Jiah’s mother
The couple’s son Suraj had been charge-sheeted by police with abetting suicide of Jiah. Rabia sought one week to file the response and the matter was adjourned to July 16 by Justice S C Gupte. Early this week, another bench had transferred the probe into Jiah’s death from Mumbai Police to CBI. In the trial court, police had charged Suraj with abetting the suicide of the actor. The suit, filed by Aditya, wife Zarina and daughter Sana, alleged Rabia, a UK national, had posted slanderous, defamatory and abusive comments on Twitter which had put the Pancholi family in poor light in the eyes of society. The suit referred to 18 tweets posted by Rabia between March 4 and May 1 which it said were defamatory to the Pancholis. It said in these 18 tweets, Rabia had allegedly made personal comments about the three members of Pancholi family. The suit said that both Aditya and Zarina had been associated with the film industry for 30 years and earned goodwill in the society. However, due to attack on them by Rabia in her tweets, the family was defamed and several fans, relatives and friends are “shocked and disturbed”. The suit quantifies loss of reputation and goodwill to the Pancholi family at Rs 50 crore, damages for loss of business at Rs 25 crore and harassment at another Rs 25 crore. Rabia has alleged that the Pancholis were doing this only to deter her from pursuing legal remedies in a court of law against Suraj Pancholi. Jiah (25) was found hanging from a ceiling fan at her Juhu home on June 3 last year. Police suspected that she had committed suicide after Suraj, with whom she had had a live-in relationship, broke up with her. — PTI Under fire
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No hint from Centre to quit: Sheila
New Delhi, July 9 “No”, she said here when asked whether she was sounded by anyone in the Central government to put in papers after the NDA government assumed power last month. Dikshit, a former Chief Minister of Delhi, today met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Rajnath Singh and described them as “courtesy call” and “good meetings”. Asked whether she was aware of any move by the Centre to transfer her from Kerala to a state in Northeast, Dikshit said she did not know what would happen in future. “I do not know what will happen in next 10 days or 10 months,” she told reporters after meeting the Home Minister. Following the change of guard at the Centre and the new regime’s pressure, five Governors have already resigned.
— PTI Sheila Dikshit on Wednesday sought quashing of the trial court order to lodge FIR against her in a graft case, contending in the Delhi High Court that such proceedings cannot be continued against a governor. Advocate M Pracha, appearing for Dikshit, said as per Article 361(2) of the Constitution there was a bar on criminal proceedings against a governor. |
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Punjabi woman officer keeps family legacy alive
IN the days when not many youngsters from military families are joining the services, a young girl from Mohali has opted to carry forward her family’s military legacy. Lt Gursheen Dhillon has become a fourth generation officer in her family. Recently commissioned into the Army Service Corps, she is at present posted in Sikkim. Her father, Col GS Dhillion, an Ordnance Officer, had joined the Army in 1987 and is still in service. Her great grandfather, Risaldar Nand Singh, had served with the 1st Lancers of the Patiala State Forces for 21 years, after which her grandfather, Col Surinder Singh, responded to the call of arms and joined the Army as an Emergency Commissioned Officer in 1963, serving till 1987. “Gursheen, the elder of the two sisters, had always been mesmerised by the olive green. Her father was keen that she joined the Air Force, but she went in for the Army,” Col Surinder Singh said. Lt Gen Gurmeet Singh is Adjutant General Lt Gen Gurmeet Singh is new Adjutant General at the Army Headquarters. Prior to this, he was the General Officer Commanding, 15 Corps, at Srinagar for about a year. Lt Gen Subrata Saha has taken over from him as the Corps Commander. Commissioned into the Assam Regiment, Lt Gen Gurmeet has had several operational tenures in Jammu and Kashmir, having commanded a brigade and a counter-insurgency force in the state. As Adjutant General, he would be among the Principal Staff Officers to the Army Chief and responsible for manpower planning, discipline and vigilance, ceremonials, welfare and other administrative matters. Molestation: AFT upholds Major General’s conviction Six years after a general court martial (GCM) had dismissed a Major General for allegedly molesting a woman officer under his command, the Armed Forces Tribunal (AFT) has upheld the conviction, but modified the sentence of “dismissal from service” to “deemed removal”. In 2007, a woman Captain posted at Leh had alleged that Maj Gen AK Lal, then General Officer Commanding 3 Infantry Division, had inappropriately touched her while conducting meditation sessions at his residence. The GCM, presided by Lt Gen RS
Sujlana,
GOC 10 Corps, had held Lal guilty of all four charges leveled against him, though he had refuted them. He had challenged the verdict before the AFT, which ruled that in view of Lal’s previous record and since it appeared that he committed a momentary lapse, it would be harsh to forfeit his retirement dues. Army Chief’s farewell visit to Kargil A few days before he hangs up his uniform, Chief of the Army Staff, Gen Bikram Singh, would be visiting Kargil, where he is expected to lay a wreath at the war memorial at Dras. The war memorial is located at the base of many strategic peaks like Tiger Hill, Rhino Horn, Point 5149, Point 5240, Sando Top and Tololing, that had seen some of the most intense battle during the conflict. Army sources said he would be visiting the 1999 battleground on July 24, two days before the Army publicly commemorates the Kargil Vijay Diwas. During the conflict 15 years ago, Gen Bikram Singh was then a Colonel posted at the Military Operations Directorate at the Army Headquarters and the Army’s official spokesperson on the conflict who used to conduct daily media briefings in New Delhi. Before his Kargil visit, the Chief is also scheduled to visit Jammu, Udhampur and Srinagar as part of his farewell tour. Army media outlets meet Chinese counterparts It was a one-of-its-kind interaction in New Delhi when media-information outlets of the Indian Army met their Chinese counterparts last week. A six-member delegation of the People's Liberation Army of China, media cell, held talks with the Indian delegation led by Lt Gen Bobby Mathews, the Additional Director General (public interface) of the Indian Army. The delegation from Beijing was led by Senior Colonel Geng Yansheng, Chief of Information Affairs Bureau of the Ministry of National Defence of China, and it had some questions on how open the media in India was and how matters about the three forces get reported. The Indian side took pains to explain that unlike China, where media was state controlled, the media in India was more of a free-wheeling entity and wrote and broadcast what it felt was in public interest. Vijay Mohan and Ajay Banerjee
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SC notice to Salman in black buck case
New Delhi, July 9 The state government had come to the SC, challenging the Rajasthan High Court’s order suspending his sentence in November 2013. The HC had passed the order on Salman’s appeal against his conviction and plea for letting him go abroad for film shooting. A Bench headed by Justice SJ Mukhopadhaya passed the order as the state contended that the HC ruling was legally unsustainable in such a case involving the hunting of endangered animals. At the time of hunting, he was accompanied by his co-stars Saif Ali Khan, Tabu, Sonali Bendre and Neelam. The state government had charged them with inciting Salman to hunt. |
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Indore, July 9 “The court of Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Deepak Pande issued summons to the Shankaracharya on a complaint filed by a devotee of Sai Baba, Rajesh Shivsangia (50),” his lawyer Ashwin Kumar Adhyaru told reporters. The court took cognisance of the complaint under the IPC and directed the 90-year-old seer to appear before it on the next hearing (August 8). Shivsangia, who runs a gents beauty parlour in Rajwada area, had filed a complaint on June 25 alleging that the religious feelings of himself and lakhs of devotees of Sai Baba were hurt due to the statements made by Shankaracharya. — PTI
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preity-ness spat Mumbai, July 9 "These four photographs, which show bruises on Zinta's hand, were received by us today. We are examining the photographs, which will be crucial pieces of evidence in the case," said a police officer involved in the probe. Meanwhile, the Wadia group today wrote to the Marine Drive police giving details of the witnesses whose statements they want to be recorded in connection with the case. "We had contact details of a few of the nine witnesses whose names had been shared with us by Wadia on July 2. Today we received contact details of the rest from the Wadias," the officer said. — PTI
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Anurag hits back at Capt
New Delhi, July 9 “It’s good to hear Maharajas talk about vegetables. Very good to see senior political leaders discuss pulses and oil…it is a heartening trend,” Anurag said triggering angry reactions on the Opposition side with Leader of the Congress in the House Mallikarjun Kharge standing up to object to Anurag’s use of words with feudal connotations. Even Congress chief Sonia Gandhi, who was present in the House, was seen nodding in disagreement. Though Anurag yielded later, he returned to attack the Congress saying inflation was the legacy of its 10-year rule and it had no right to raise this concern in the House. |
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Price rise: Centre blames hoarders
New Delhi, July 9 He admitted that there was no shortage of supplies but hoarders and intermediaries were taking huge cuts. The government had already initiated steps to sternly deal with them, he said. Congress members staged a walkout as they were dissatisfied with Paswan’s reply, who basically veered around the points he had already made in the past one week at various forums. Paswan argued that the prices of commodities such as onion and potato were high during the lean period of June to September. He promised that his government would create storage.
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Rahul sleeps through price rise debate
New Delhi, July 9 The shot went viral on the social media accompanied by carping comments. While the Congress promptly denied that Rahul was sleeping, the BJP taunted it by saying it was what the party was doing on price rise for the last 10 years. “It is not true. I categorically deny all aspersions,” Congress spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi said.
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Goa minister’s morphed picture
Panaji, July 9 Dhavalikar had recently stoked a controversy by saying that “wearing bikinis should be banned on Goa’s beaches”. Later, Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar had ruled out banning wearing of the swimwear on the state’s beaches. An FIR was filed on Monday under Sections 66(B) and 67 of the Information Technology Act, following a complaint by a local man, Pradeep Bakhle against Goa born Savio Almeida, Ponda Deputy Superintendent of Police Dinraj Govekar said today. — PTI
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New Delhi, July 9 In a written reply, Minister of State for Earth Science Jitendra Singh said: “The rainfall for the country as a whole for the current monsoon season is estimated to be 93 per cent of long period average, which is below normal.” “Quantitatively, the seasonal rainfall (June-September) for the country as a whole is likely to be 93 per cent of the long period average (LPA) within a range of plus or minus 4 per cent,” he said. “The rainfall deficiencies observed over Northwest India, Central India, South Peninsula and NE India were 55 per cent, 61 per cent, 37 per cent and 26 per cent, respectively from respective LPAs. “The observed rainfall deficiency during June was caused by delayed arrival of monsoon over Kerala and slow progress subsequently while covering the country,” Singh said. He added that the formation of cyclone “Nanauk” over Arabian Sea during the second week of June has disturbed the monsoon advancement and hence delayed the arrival of monsoon to the central and north India, thus causing deficient monsoon rains in June. North-West, which covers Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Rajasthan, Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh would get 85 per cent of LPA. Northeast India is expected to get 99% of the LPA while Central India, which covers Gujarat, MP, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra is expected to get 94% rainfall. — PTI
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M’rashtra may declare some parts drought-hit
Mumbai, July 9 “By now the entire state should have received 60 per cent rainfall, but only 20 of the 355 talukas in Maharashtra have received more than 50 per cent rainfall,” an official in the state agricultural department said. Officials say 220 talukas in the state have received about 25% rainfall due to which sowing of kharif crop has not taken place. On the whole, the state has received around 24% rainfall and dams in the state have just enough water for drinking, officials told state Cabinet this week. — TNS
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Govt’s response over demand for discussion
Mumbai, July 9