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Delhi elections: BJP's Nupur Sharma to take on Kejriwal

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Nupur Sharma, a former Delhi University Students Union president, was associated with Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad, the student wing of the BJP.

Nupur Sharma, a former Delhi University Students Union president, was associated with Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad, the student wing of the BJP.

New Delhi: The BJP Monday fielded a young party member Nupur Sharma to take on Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Arvind Kejriwal in New Delhi seat in Delhi assembly polls. The party’s first list of 62 candidates included new entrants Kiran Bedi, Krishna Tirath and Vinod Kumar Binny.

The list includes former union minister and Congress leader Tirath from Patel Nagar. Tirath got the BJP ticket on the day she declared her association with the party, creating a record of sorts.

Bharatiya Janata Party’s chief ministerial candidate Kiran Bedi, a former IPS officer, has been fielded from Krishna Nagar, a “traditional” seat of the party. Bedi joined the BJP Jan 15.

Binny, a former AAP MLA, will contest from Patparganj. He joined the BJP Sunday.

Briefing reporters after the meeting of party’s central election committee and parliamentary board, BJP leader and union minister J.P. Nadda said that party’s Delhi unit chief Satish Upadhyay will not contest the polls.

“He has a huge responsibility. He will not be fighting the election,” Nadda said.

Those fielded by the BJP also included Vijendra Gupta from Rohini, Jagdish Mukhi from Janakpuri, Karan Singh Tanwar from Delhi Cantonment and M.S. Dhir from Jangpura.

Dhir is a former speaker of Delhi assembly and had won the 2013 election as an AAP nominee.
Elections to 70-member Delhi assembly will be held Feb 7.

Nupur Sharma is a former Delhi University Students Union (DUSU) president. She was associated with Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), the student wing of the BJP. Her name was being considered by the party against Kejriwal even in 2013 elections.

On November 6, 2008, when she was DUSU president, she led an ABVP mob into an arts faculty seminar room in the university, where some students and teachers groups had invited Zakir Hussain College professor and former accused in the Parliament attack case SAR Geelani to participate in a seminar titled ‘Communalism, Fascism and Democracy: Rhetoric and Reality’.

While a number of them vandalised the venue, an ABVP activist spat on Geelani’s face. Sharma herself was seen heckling Geelani.

Late that night, she was on a popular television show where the anchor asked whether she, a student, would apologise to Geelani, the professor.

“I am not going to apologise… What for?” she quipped. Later in the show, she ventured, “I’ll take a stand. The whole country should spit at him. Who invited him to the university to speak on terrorism?”

(With inputs from IANS)

England outplay India to claim bonus point

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England-India

Brisbane: A brilliant all-round performance by England helped them thrash India by nine wickets and in the process gain a bonus point in the third match of the One-Day International (ODI) tri-series, also involving Australia, at the Gabba here Tuesday.

Pacers James Anderson and Steven Finn played a starring role as England bowled India out for a paltry 153 in 39.3 overs and an unbeaten 131-run partnership between Ian Bell (88 not out) and James Taylor (56 not out) saw them reach the target with 22.3 overs to spare.

Stuart Binny removed opener Moeen Ali in the third over to provide the Indians with a ray of hope but that was all quashed by a clinical innings from Bell and Taylor.

The Indian bowlers looked toothless and were taken to the cleaners by the English duo, who looked in complete control throughout.

India’s chances of making it to the final now look slim after consecutive losses to hosts Australia and England.

Australia are top of the pile with two wins from as many chances while England are second in the points table.

Earlier, Finn ran through the Indian top-order, ending up with figures of five for 33 from his eight overs.

Anderson, who is coming back from an injury lay-off, started India’s fall by taking Shikhar Dhawan’s (1) wicket in the third over and then came back to finish off the tail to take four wickets giving away just 18 runs from his 8.3 overs.

A 56-run partnership between Ajinkya Rahane (33) and Ambati Rayudu (23) for the second wicket, and a 70-run stand between Stuart Binny (44) and captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni (34) were the only talking points in a dismal batting performance by the Indians.

Dhoni made the brave decision to bat after winning the toss on a quick and bouncy Gabba wicket.

The decision backfired almost immediately. Dhawan’s woes Down Under continued with the left-hander edging an Anderson delivery with the score on one.

Rahane and Rayudu did the hard bit of negating the new ball and just when it looked they were starting to look comfortable, Rahane stepped out of the crease to hoick Finn, only managing to sky a catch to mid-on.

Rahane’s wicket led to a domino effect as India lost Virat Kohli (1), Suresh Raina (1) and Rayudu in the space of three runs to slump to 67 for five in 18.6 overs.

Dhoni and Binny came together to provide some much-needed rearguard action for India.

But again the Indian duo couldn’t kick on after making a solid start and once Dhoni fell, another string of wickets followed him.

Binny fell thanks to a brilliant catch by English captain Eoin Morgan and to sum up India’s innings Mohammed Shami fell the ball after to bring an end to the innings.

Brief Scores: India 153 all out in 39.3 overs (Stuart Binny 44, Mahendra Singh Dhoni 34; Steven Finn 5/33, James Anderson 4/18) lost to England 156 for one in 27.2 overs (Ian Bell 88 not out, James Taylor 56 not out; Stuart Binny 1/34).

(IANS)

Noam Chomsky: Obama's drone program 'the most extreme terrorist campaign of modern times'

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Famed linguist takes aim at western hypocrisy on terrorism.

Noam Chomsky speaking in May, 2014. (Photo: Chatham House/fickr/cc)

Noam Chomsky speaking in May, 2014. (Photo: Chatham House/fickr/cc)

by Andrea Germanos, Common Dreams

World-renowned linguist and scholar Noam Chomsky has criticized what he sees as Western hypocrisy following the recent terror attacks in Paris and the idea that there are two kinds of terrorism: “theirs versus ours.”

In an op-ed published Monday at CNN.com, Chomsky notes how the deadly attacks on Charlie Hebdo and a supermarket last week sparked millions to demonstrate under the banner “I am Charlie” and prompted inquiries “into the roots of these shocking assaults in Islamic culture and exploring ways to counter the murderous wave of Islamic terrorism without sacrificing our values.”

No such inquiry into western culture and Christianity came from Anders Breivik’s 2011 attack in Norway that killed scores of people.

Nor did NATO’s 1999 missile strike on Serbian state television headquarters that killed 16 journalists spark “Je Suis Charlie”-like demonstrations. In fact, Chomsky writes, that attack was lauded by U.S. officials.

That civil rights lawyer Floyd Abrams described the Charlie Hebdo attack as “the most threatening assault on journalism in living memory,” is not surprising, Chomsky writes, when one understands “‘living memory,’ a category carefully constructed to include Their crimes against us while scrupulously excluding Our crimes against them—the latter not crimes but noble defense of the highest values, sometimes inadvertently flawed.”

Other omissions of attacks on journalists noted by Chomsky: Israel’s assault on Gaza this summer whose casualties included many journalists, and the dozens of journalists in Honduras that have been killed since the coup in 2009.

Offering further proof of what he describes as western hypocrisy towards terrorism, Chomsky takes at aim at Obama’s drone program, which he describes as “the most extreme terrorist campaign of modern times.”

It “target[s] people suspected of perhaps intending to harm us some day, and any unfortunates who happen to be nearby,” he writes.

Janardhan Reddy gets conditional bail in illegal mining case

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G. Janardhan Reddy has been granted conditional bail in Obulapuram Mining Company scam today.

G. Janardhan Reddy has been granted conditional bail in Obulapuram Mining Company scam today.

New Delhi: The Supreme Court today granted bail to mining baron and former Karnataka Minister Gali Janardhan Reddy, who is an accused in the illegal mining case involving his Obulapuram Mining Company (OMC).

The apex court granted bail after CBI submitted that the investigation in the case involving Reddy is complete and both the charge sheet as well as the supplementary charge sheet have been filed.

Taking on record the submission of the agency, a bench headed by Chief Justice H L Dattu said, “Since investigating agency has no objection in granting bail, we are granting bail to the petitioner (Reddy).”

The bench also comprising justices A K Sikri and Arun Mishra also noted the submission of Additional Solicitor General Maninder Singh and Reddy’s counsel Dushyant Dave that he has been in jail for around four years.

While granting bail, the bench imposed certain conditions including that Reddy will be released from jail on furnishing two sureties of Rs 10 lakh each and that he shall not leave the country without the permission of the court while directing him to surrender his passport.

The bench further said that he should not in any way try to influence the witnesses or tamper with evidence.

Reddy had moved the apex court in 2013 challenging the High Court’s decision to reject his bail petition.

He is facing several criminal cases and was lodged in a jail in Andhra Pradesh. He was arrested in 2011.

Janardhan Reddy and his brother-in-law B V Srinivas Reddy, Managing Director of OMC, were arrested by CBI on September 5, 2011 from Bellary in Karnataka and brought to Hyderabad.

In the OMC case, the company is accused of changing mining lease boundary markings and indulging in illegal mining in the Bellary Reserve Forest area, spread over Bellary in Karnataka and Anantapur district of Andhra Pradesh.

(PTI)

‘Tell us who pays you’: Tony Blair pressured over alleged paymasters

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Tony Blair pictured at the Munich Security Conference 2014. (Photo: Marc Müller/cc)

Tony Blair pictured at the Munich Security Conference 2014. (Photo: Marc Müller/cc)

by RT

Conservative MPs will launch a campaign on Monday to force Tony Blair to reveal how much he earns and who pays him.

Tory MP Andrew Bridgen is tabling an Early Day Motion (EDM) in the House of Commons, demanding that former prime ministers be bound by the same rules of transparency and oversight as serving politicians.

While the EDM is unlikely to be passed by parliament, it follows growing concern over Blair’s work for authoritarian governments and controversial corporations.

Blair’s business transactions have been linked to the governments of Saudi Arabia, Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan – all three of which are widely known for their human rights abuses.

“Tony Blair has embarked on a career of personal enrichment and has blurred the lines between his public and private interests,” Bridgen told The Sunday Times.

“No other former prime minister has gone to work for other sovereign states. Mr Blair is still in public life, but is not bound by its principles, and that needs to be changed,” he added.

Blair, who was last year awarded GQ’s Philanthropy Award, has come under intense scrutiny as he has been linked to a string of authoritarian regimes and less-than-ethical companies.

A consortium of energy companies, including BP, hired him last year to work on a new gas pipeline which will go from Azerbaijan to Italy via Turkey.

The project has come under fierce criticism for the environment destruction it may cause and for the wealth it will give Azerjaijan’s controversial leader, Ilham Aliyev.

Aliyev, whose government has imprisoned bloggers and journalists, was compared to a mafia don from The Godfather by US diplomats in a Wikileaks cable published in 2010.

The former prime minister’s consultancy, Tony Blair Associates, reportedly earns £7 million a year for advising Kazakhstan’s strongman president, Nursultan Nazarbayev.

Nazarbayev’s government has been accused of human rights abuses after its courts forcibly closed much of the country’s independent media and his troops massacred dozens of striking oil workers at a peaceful protest in Zhanaozen, in western Kazakhstan, in December 2011.

As if the list of unscrupulous customers wasn’t long enough already, Tony Blair Associates has also been linked to a Saudi Arabian oil company founded by the son of Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah.

A leaked contract, which emerged last November, showed that Blair had been hired by PetroSaudi to help facilitate a deal between the oil firm and Chinese state officials.

Blair, who also serves as a Special Envoy for the Middle East Quartet, was reportedly paid £41,000 a month to carry out these duties, and took a 2 percent cut from each successfully orchestrated deal.

Since leaving office in 2007, Blair has amassed millions of pounds in fees collected through his consultancy firm.

Some have speculated that the former prime minister’s personal fortune could amount to £100 million, but he has implied it is closer to £20 million.

This figure will raise eyebrows, however, as it is reported his personal expenses run into the millions.

Blair’s private jet alone is worth £30 million and reportedly costs £7,000 for every hour it is in the air.

Since leaving government Blair has also claimed a taxpayer-funded allowance for ex-prime ministers, in addition to other state subsidies.

A Freedom of Information request in 2012 revealed Blair was costing the taxpayer £400,000 a year in pensions, public duties allowances and security costs.

Richest 1% wealthier than the rest of the world combined

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Dollars

by teleSUR

In new report released to coincide with the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Oxfam reveals that inequality is rising to staggering levels.

The spotlight will be on the world’s richest and most powerful as they gather in a billionaire’s playground in Switzerland this week, as a new report reveals that by next year 1 percent of the world’s population will own more wealth than the other 99 percent.

Anti-poverty charity Oxfam released its latest report “Wealth: Having it all and wanting more” Monday just days ahead of the World Economic Forum, whose annual meeting in ski resort Davos aims to set the global agenda for issues ranging from the global economy to climate change.

Executive director of Oxfam International, Winnie Byamyima, who will be co-chairing the event, has assured that she will use her position to draw attention to rising inequality as she did last year when her charity revealed that the richest 85 people in the world hold the same wealth as the poorest 50 percent.

“Do we really want to live in a world where the 1 percent own more than the rest of us combined? The scale of global inequality is quite simply staggering and despite the issues shooting up the global agenda, the gap between the richest and the rest is widening fast,” Byamyima said.

“In the past 12 months we have seen world leaders from President Obama to Christine Lagarde talk more about tackling extreme inequality but we are still waiting for many of them to walk the walk. It is time our leaders took on the powerful vested interests that stand in the way of a fairer and more prosperous world,” she added.

The report examines how extreme wealth is passed down generations and how policies stay favorable to the interests of the wealthy. More than one-third of the 1,645 billionaires listed by Forbes inherited some or all of their riches.

Furthermore, the report details the massive sums billionaires spend on lobbying Washington and Brussels policy makers to protect their interests.

Twenty percent of the richest have interests in the financial and insurance sectors, a group which saw its cash wealth increase by 11 percent March 2013 to March 2014. These billionaires spent US$550 million lobbying policy makers in 2013.

During the 2012 U.S. elections, the financial sector also gave US$571 million in campaign contributions.

Filmmaker and BJP loyalist Pahlaj Nihalani appointed new Censor Board chief

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Pahlaj Nihalani. Photo: Rajeev Bhatt

Pahlaj Nihalani. Photo: Rajeev Bhatt

New Delhi: Bollywood film producer Pahlaj Nihalani, also brother-in-law of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and former Union minister Shatrughan Sinha, is the new chairperson of the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC).

Days after it accused UPA of politicizing the Censor Board, the BJP-ruled government chose to follow its predecessor and pack the panel with those who have links with the saffron party.

Among those appointed on the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) include an RSS ideologue, a BJP general secretary, the BJP Lok Sabha candidate from Howrah and a playwright who has scripted a movie on PM Narendra Modi.

The government appointed him within a week after Leela Samson resigned from the post accusing the government, politicians and religious groups of “coercing” the board to give certification to films.

Nihalani will hold the post in an honorary capacity from Monday for a period of three years or “until further orders, whichever is earlier,” the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting stated.

Known for producing several blockbusters, including Bollywood star Govinda’s 1992 mega-hit “Aankhen”, Nihalani also produced a full-length music video titled “Har Ghar Modi, Ghar Ghar Modi” ahead of the 2014 Lok Sabha polls.

The government also appointed nine new members as the posts fell vacant after the sitting members resigned. Almost all new members are associated with the BJP.

The newly appointed members will continue to hold the post for a period of three years or until further orders, the ministry stated.

Telugu actor-turned-filmmaker Jeevitha is one among the nine members. The actor, who landed in a controversy after getting embroiled in a check bounce case a few years ago, had joined the BJP ahead of the general election.

Former national secretary of the BJP Vani Tripathi Tikoo, George Baker, who contested the Lok Sabha polls from Howrah in West Bengal on a BJP ticket and Ramesh Patange, who has links with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, have all been appointed members of the CBFC.

(Agencies)

Dalits angry as Bihar court acquits 24 accused in 1999 massacre

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jehanabad-massacre

Patna: Family members of the Dalits who were killed in 1999 in Bihar’s Arwal district, allegedly by activists of outlawed Ranvir Sena, are disheartened over the release of all the accused.

Additional District and Sessions Judge Raghvendra Kumar Singh of Jehanabad district civil court on 13 January acquitted 24 accused in Shankarbigha massacre case citing lack of evidence against them.

Etwaria Devi, in her late 50s, lost her husband Ganga Paswan and another relative Nanhu Paswan in the massacre of 22 Dalits on January 25, 1999, at Shankar Bigha village.

The surviving family members are not only upset and sad over the verdict, they are also angry and feel there is nobody to do them justice.

“There is no one to do justice to the poor like us. We have only pain and misery in our life,” said Etwaria Devi in a choked voice.

Another resident of the village, Rajmani Devi, whose husband, father-in-law, mother-in-law and sister-in-law were killed in the massacre, said: “Who cares for justice to the poor? We have lost hope. It is bad news for us that all accused were acquitted.”

Both of them said they have no hope left as money and muscle power of the powerful feudal forces were responsible for the gruesome incident.

Lakshman Ram, a village elderly, said most of the villagers were unhappy and angry over the court acquittal.

“The villagers are not ready to accept that the accused have been let off…,” said villager Ram, who also had lost a relative.

Outlawed Ranvir Sena men had allegedly killed 22 Dalits Jan 25, 1999, in Shankar Bigha village in Jehanabad. The Sena was a private army of landed upper caste Bhumihars.

The victims were landless agricultural workers and were all Dalits.

Police had filed an FIR against 29 accused in the case.

Shankar Bigha is located near Lakshmanpur-Bathe where the Ranbir Sena killed 61 agricultural workers belonging to backward communities in December 1997.

(With inputs from IndiaToday)

Indian-American Frank Islam receives Martin Luther King Jr Award

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frank_islam

by Lalit K Jha

Washington: An eminent Indian-American entrepreneur and philanthropist has been presented with the prestigious Martin Luther King Jr Award in recognition of his contribution to the legacy of the civil rights pioneer through his efforts in international service and civil engagement.

Azamgarh-born Frank Islam was given the annual award yesterday by the president of the Memorial Foundation, Harry Johnson, for working to keep the “dream alive.”

Islam said he was proud and humbled to have received the award. He noted there is an “indelible connection” between Martin Luther King and Mahatma Gandhi.

“King visited India in 1954, studied the non-violent movement and patterned the protests he led after those of Gandhi. As an Indian-American, I am proud and humbled to receive this award which honours the memory of one great man directly and another indirectly,” he said.

“King and Gandhi have been beacons to me in my personal life and charitable and philanthropic involvement. I have given to numerous causes to support humanitarian efforts and to advance the interests of the under-served in the world,” Islam said during his speech.

King Peggy (Peggieliene Bartel) was honoured with Dorothy I Height Leadership Award.

The annual awards ceremony was started in 1991 to honour the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr and the legendary Dorothy I Height and their impacts both at home and abroad.

Born to a peasant father, Islam moved to US when he was 15 years old, with less than USD 500 in his pocket, to become an entrepreneur. He bought a struggling IT company in Maryland in 1993 with USD 50,000 raised by mortgaging his house.

Islam sold of his IT company in 2007 to spend the rest of his life in philanthropy, both in India and the US, and lends his palatial house for fund raising activities — for both political and charitable events.

He is a board member of several think-tanks, academic and cultural organisations including Kennedy Centre for Performing Arts, the Brookings Institute and US Institute of Peace.

(PTI)

Kiran Bedi BJP's chief ministerial candidate in Delhi; hoarding vandalised outside party office

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Kiran Bedi

New Delhi: Former IPS officer Kiran Bedi, who joined the BJP less than a week ago, will be the party’s chief ministerial candidate in the Feb 7 Delhi assembly polls, taking on her former anti-corruption stir colleague Arvind Kejriwal of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).

She will contest from Krishna Nagar seat in east Delhi. It was earlier held by Harsh Vardhan, the chief ministerial candidate in the December 2013 elections and now a union minister.

Making the announcement after a meeting of the party parliamentary board, Bharatiya Janata Party chief Amit Shah expressed confidence that the decision will result in the party getting full majority.

“The BJP parliamentary board has decided that the party will fight the forthcoming polls under leadership of Kiran Bedi. Kiranji will also be the chief ministerial candidate,” Shah said at a late night press conference.

“I feel the name that the BJP has decided will meet the peoples’ expectations and our decision will definitely lead to victory,” he added.

Shah said that workers were feeling enthused since Bedi took membership of the party. “It has raised their morale,” he said.

Bedi joined the BJP Jan 15.

Shah dismissed suggestions that there were differences among party leaders over Bedi’s projection as the chief ministerial candidate.

“Every worker is one on this,” he said.

Hoarding Vandalised

Hours after the announcement, however, a hoarding of Bedi outside the BJP office here was vandalised.

Some vandals had cut out the faces of Bedi and party president Satish Upadhyay from a hoarding that was put up outside the office of BJP’s state unit at 14, Pandit Pant Marg following the announcement.

The banner showed Upadhyay and Bedi on one side and Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP president Amit Shah on the other with the lines “Kiran Bedi ji ka Bhajapa me hardik swagat hain” (A hearty welcome to Kiran Bedi in BJP) written in the centre.

The incident appears to be giving credibility to some media reports that the decision to opt for Bedi — considered to be an “outsider” — over other senior leaders has divided the party, with one section overjoyed and the other left sulking.

The BJP’s decision on naming Bedi, 65, as chief ministerial candidate came after the party leadership felt that they needed a credible local face to take on Kejriwal, who has strong anti-corruption credentials. AAP finished close to the BJP in the 2013 assembly poll.

The party’s decision came just two days before the end of nomination process for the Feb 7 polls to the 70-member assembly.

Bedi has been an anti-corruption activist, a former tennis player and her innings in Delhi Police is still widely remembered in the city. She initiated prison reforms in the Tihar Central Jail when she was heading it.

She has won the Ramon Magsaysay award, an honour she shares with Kejriwal. Both were part of the anti-corruption agitation led by Gandhian Anna Hazare.

Since her induction in the BJP, Bedi has talked about her priorities — as a likely candidate to lead the party’s campaign.

Asked about the change in BJP’s stance of not projecting a chief ministerial candidate, Shah said the party had also projected chief ministerial candidates in states such as Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh.

“There is an atmosphere. A decision is taken after taking into account all factors… the political factors,” he said.

Before it took decision to induct Bedi and project a local face, the BJP in Delhi appeared to bank mainly on Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Answering a query about Bedi being an “outsider”, Shah said that the party had provided platform to people from various fields and they had delivered successfully.

“The decision was taken with consensus. It has support of all,” he said.

Shah said the party would continue to have a tie-up with the Shiromani Akali Dal in Delhi.

On Bedi, he said: “She has lived in Delhi throughout her life. She is a well-known name in the fight against corruption and in service of people.”

Answering a query, he said the decision to field Bedi from Krishna Nagar, a “traditional seat” of the party, was taken so that she could devote time to campaign in all the seats.

(IANS)

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