New Delhi: After initially denying and calling it “fake news”, the Congress on Monday admitted that party Vice President Rahul Gandhi did meet the Chinese Ambassador Luo Zhaohui last week, seeking to put to rest a controversy over the meeting.

“Various ambassadors and envoys keep meeting Congress President Sonia Gandhi and Vice President Rahul Gandhi from time to time on courtesy basis, particularly those of G5 nations as also of the neighbouring countries…be it Chinese ambassador or Bhutanese ambassador or former NSA Shiv Shankar Menon,” party spokesman Randeep Singh Surjewala said.

Interestingly, hours earlier Surjewala had tweeted denying such a meeting between Gandhi and the Chinese envoy when some news channels went on air with the report.

He had alleged in the morning that the report was “planted” by the External Affairs Ministry and Intelligence Bureau sources. “They should re-verify that we still have diplomatic relations with all our neighbours,” Surjewala had said.

However, later in the day Surjewala had no explanation on why the denial was issued in the morning.

He sought to clarify that his statement that it was fake news was in the context of news channels terming the meeting as “anti-national”.

Significantly, the Chinese embassy which had posted on its website about the July 8 meeting between Gandhi and Luo, later withdrew it.

In the afternoon statement Surjewala said: “Nobody should try to sensationalise such normal courtesy calls to term them as events like the ‘sources’ from the Home Ministry are trying to do.”

“Rahul Gandhi as other opposition leaders are fully aware of our national interests and are concerned about the grave situation on the Indo-Chinese border as also the situation arising in Bhutan and Sikkim,” he added.

Speaking more specifically, he said: “So, the envoys met Rahul Gandhi, not only the Chinese envoy, but also the Bhutanese envoy, as also former National Security Advisor Shiv Shankar Menon,” he said.

Last week, around the time Prime Minister Narendra Modi met with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Hamburg, Rahul Gandhi had questioned the “silence” of the Prime Minister on the border stand-off.

(IANS)

Vijay Mallya. Photo: Reuters

New Delhi: Embattled businessman Vijay Mallya, who was held guilty of contempt, today failed to make a personal appearance before the Supreme Court despite being directed to do so.

A bench comprising of Justices A K Goel and U U Lalit fixed the matter for hearing on July 14 and sought the assistance of the Solicitor General in the case.

The apex court had on May 9 held Mallya, who is presently in the United Kingdom, guilty of contempt on a plea by the consortium of lender banks, led by the State Bank of India, for his failure to furnish details of all his Indian as well as offshore assets.

It had directed Mallya to appear before it today to argue on the quantum of punishment.

The offence of contempt of court entails a maximum imprisonment of up to six months or a fine of upto Rs 2,000 or both.

India had recently asked Britain to ensure early extradition of Mallya, who is an accused in a bank loan default case of over Rs 9,000 crore involving his defunct Kingfisher Airlines.

The apex court’s order had come on a plea by the consortium of banks, led by the State Bank of India (SBI), which had said that Mallya had allegedly transferred USD 40 million received from British firm Diageo to his children in “flagrant violation” of various judicial orders.

The banks had argued before the court that Mallya had wilfully disobeyed the orders and made “vague” disclosure about his assets.

The top court had on March 9 asked the liquor baron about the “truthfulness” of the disclosure of assets by him and the transfer of money to his children.

The bench had reserved its order on two pleas of lending banks seeking contempt action and a direction to Mallya to deposit USD 40 million received from offshore firm Diageo respectively.

The banks have alleged that Mallya had concealed the facts and diverted the money to his son Siddharth Mallya and daughters Leanna Mallya and Tanya Mallya in “flagrant violation” of the orders passed by the Karnataka High Court.

In October last year, the court had rapped Mallya for not making full disclosure of his overseas properties and had asked him to do so within a month.

The bench had also pulled up Mallya for not giving details of USD 40 million which he had allegedly received from Diageo in February last year, saying it was of the “prima facie view” that proper disclosure as per its earlier order was not made.

The banks had on August 29 last year told the Supreme Court that Mallya had deliberately not made full disclosure of his assets including the USD 40 million he received on February 25 from Diageo.

(Agencies)

Mangaluru: Desperate BJP playing communal tactics in Karnataka for political gain as it is very likely to be defeated by Congress party in next state assembly elections, said Karnataka Chief Minister, Congress party leader Siddaramaiah speaking in a party convention held at outskirts of Mangaluru city on Friday. Congress workers, leaders, candidates who contested in the elections and other from Kodagu, Dakshina kannada and Udupi districts gathered at Adyar garden near Mangaluru city.

Siddaramaiah asked his party workers not to allow BJP to win next assembly elections in 2018 and Lok Sabha elections scheduled to be held in 2019. Congress party led state government has fulfilled 95% of assurances made prior to the last state assembly elections and would continue with its same trend in the future also, he added.

All India Congress Committee General Secretary KC Venugopal, KPCC President Dr G Parameshwara, Congress Leader UT Khader and others were present in the convention.

(Agencies)

Mumbai: It is just the size of a pregnancy detection kit and can help police detect the most contentious contraband in the country – beef.

Maharashtra Police have confirmed they ordered 45 of these beef detection kits to be carried around in mobile vans to sniff out cow meat.

“The kit will detect the proteins in the meat and give a result in 30 minutes. If the detector shows a change in colour, then the test is positive,” said Maharashtra forensics science laboratary director Krishna Kulkarni.

The samples which test positive will be taken to labs for further analysis, he said adding the kit will help police register an FIR based on a prima facie report.

The Maharashtra lab hit upon the idea has several cases on possession of beef were getting stuck in courts because of backlogs in labs.

The Shiv Sena has criticised the move. “This is not the job of the police,” Shiv Sena leader Neelam Gorhe said.

“All this violence surrounding this issue is very sad and disturbing. Shiv Sena has taken a clear stand this,” she added.

About 100 police personnel will be taught how to operate these kits of which the first batch of 25 have already started training. The anti-beef unit will be selected on the basis of their educational qualifications.”Constables and officers with a degree in the field of science will be selected,” Kulkarni said.

(Agencies)

New Delhi: The Enforcement Directorate today conducted raids at three Delhi farmhouses of Misa Bharti, RJD MP and daughter of party chief Lalu Prasad, her husband and a firm linked to them, in a money laundering case probe.

Sleuths of the central probe agency swooped on the farmhouses in Ghitorni, Bijwasan and Sainik Farms areas here early morning.

The farmhouses are linked to Bharti, her husband Shailesh Kumar and M/s Mishail Printers and Packers Private Limited.

Two more premises are under the scanner of the agency and can be searched later, an ED official said.
The searches are connected to a money laundering probe being conducted by the agency against two brothers, Surendra Kumar Jain and Virendra Jain, and others who are alleged to have laundered several crore rupees using shell companies.

The Jain brothers were arrested by the ED under provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

One of the firms that the arrested duo dealt with was M/s Mishail Printers and Packers Private Limited. Bharti and her husband are alleged to have been directors of this firm in the past.

The agency said it was detected that 1,20,000 shares of M/s Mishail Printers and Packers Private Limited were bought during 2007-08 at a rate of Rs 100 per share by four shell companies — M/s Shalini Holdings Limited, M/s Ad-Fin Capital Services (India) Pvt. Ltd, M/s Mani Mala Delhi Properties Pvt. Ltd., and M/s Diamond Vinimay Pvt. Ltd.

These 1,20,000 shares, it said, were bought back by Bharti at Rs 10 per share.

The ED had also arrested Rajesh Agarwal, a Chartered Accountant allegedly linked to Bharti, who provided accommodation entries (black funds) of about Rs 60 lakh to M/s Mishail Printers and Packers Private Limited.

The firm, it said, was registered at 25, Tughlaq Road here till the shares were bought back by Bharti. In 2009-10, the address was changed to Bijwasan, it added.

(PTI)

Mumbai: Incensed by pro-Narendra Modi slogans at a party-controlled BMC function on Wednesday, the Shiv Sena today said “Modi bhakts (supporters)” would lead to his fall just like those of late PM Indira Gandhi led to hers.

The Sena’s latest outburst was triggered by pro-Modi slogans of the BJP corporators rending the air during a cheque-handing ceremony at the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation headquarters on Wednesday.

In the function, Maharashtra Finance Minister Sudhir Mungantiwar had handed had over a cheque of the first tranche of the GST (Goods and Services Tax) compensation to the civic body on Wednesday.

“Today, those who are unnecessarily shouting pro-Modi slogans, are actually maligning his image. There was a time when the slogans in the name of Indira Gandhi were chanted too. Her ‘bhakts’ had insulted the nation by shouting slogans like ‘Indira is India’ and that insult triggered a spark of revolution which culminated into her defeat,” the Sena said in an editorial in the party mouthpiece ‘Saamana.’

Sena said one should understand the difference between being proud of Narendra Modi and being frenzied about it.

“The truth is that Indira Gandhi not only won the war against Pakistan in 1971 but also made Pakistan go down on their knees by dividing that country. We want to tell the BJP leadership that Gandhi still lost and that was because of the excessive ‘Indira bhakti’ (worship) displayed by her supporters,” the edit said.

At a time when the world was against Modi, the Sena stood by him whereas those who are now shouting pro-Modi slogans preferred to remain silent that time out of fear, it said.

“Our friend (the BJP) should remain cautious of its own ‘bhakts.’ Those shouting pro-Modi slogans today may become the reason for his own downfall tomorrow,” the edit said.

The function held at the civic body was attended by several leaders of the BJP and the Sena, including its chief Uddhav Thackeray.

When Mungantiwar was presenting the cheque, some BJP corporators and party workers started chanting “Modi-Modi,” prompting the ruling Sena camp to raise counter-slogans. During the ruckus, a BJP corporator was reportedly manhandled by some Sena workers.

“What was the need to chant Modi’s name? The chief minister and the BJP president should ask themselves this question. This (GST compensation) money neither came from the BJP’s treasury nor will it go to the Sena’s treasury. The money will be used for the welfare of Mumbai,” the Sena said.

(Agencies)