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Rahul Gandhi receives death threat, Congress asks to beef up security

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Rahul-Gandhi

Puducherry: An anonymous letter threatening to kill Rahul Gandhi at an election meeting in Puducherry has been received by a senior Congress leader V Narayanasamy.

The Congress Vice President is scheduled to address an election rally of the Congress-DMK alliance tomorrow at Karaikal in Puducherry.

After the death threat letter surfaced, a delegation of top Congress leaders met Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh in New Delhi today and urged him to beef up Rahul’s security. Singh assured the delegation there will be prompt action and security enhancement.

Narayanasamy, an AICC General Secretary and a former Union Minister, told PTI from Karaikal over phone that he had received an ‘unsigned letter’ at his Puducherry residence on May 5, threatening him and Rahul Gandhi.

He said the letter written in Tamil stated that “your party is responsible for closure of industries in Puducherry. We will attack you and your former Prime Minister’s son and be blasted while attending a meeting.”

Narayanasamy said he had filed a complaint with police and had also informed the party high command.

The Congress delegation including Ahmed Patel, Political Secretary to Congress President Sonia Gandhi; treasurer Motilal Vohra and Congress Deputy leader in Rajya Sabha Anand Sharma met Singh and apprised him about the threat to Rahul’s life.

“The Home Minister has assured prompt action and security enhancement. He has also assured us that the agencies of Centre and and states and SPG will be alerted to the threat that has been received,” Sharma told reporters after the 20- minute meeting with the Home Minister.

The Special Protection Group (SPG) guards the Prime Minister, the former prime ministers and their immediate family. Sonia Gandhi and her two children–Rahul and Priyanka –are SPG protectees.

Rahul’s father and former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated during a suicide bombing in Sriperumbudur near Chennai in Tamil Nadu on May 21, 1991 shortly before he was to address a Lok Sabha poll rally.

(PTI)

Shah, Jaitley produced ‘forged’ degrees of PM: AAP

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aap

New Delhi: Sticking to its charges despite BJP going public with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s degrees and marksheets, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) today alleged that the documents produced by Amit Shah and Arun Jaitley were “forged”, saying there were “glaring discrepancies” in them.

Addressing a press conference here, AAP leader Ashutosh said Modi’s name does not match in the BA marksheet and that of the MA degree and even claimed that there were discrepancies in the year of passing as well.

“Nakal ke liye bhi akal ki jarurat hai (One needs brains even to copy). The BA marksheet is dated 1978 while the degree is of the year 1979. His name in the BA marksheet is Narendra Kumar Damodardas Modi while in Masters degree, it is Narendra Damoderdas Modi,” said the AAP leader.

He said there were discrepancies in the PM’s name even at the BA level with it being recorded as ‘Narendra Kumar Damodardas Modi’ in one of the marksheets while it was spelt as ‘Narendra Damoderdas Modi’ in the degree certificate.

Even in BA marksheets, another AAP leader Dilip Pandey said, surname is spelt “Modi” in one case while it changes to “Mody” in another.

Ashutosh said striking off the part of one’s name was not possible without an affidavit and asked Jaitley and Shah to produce copy of the affidavit.

“His MA degree says he had done his post-graduation in ‘enture political science’. Is that even possible. There are lot of glaring discrepancies in his degrees and masters’ degree,” said Ashutosh.

The AAP leader also said Modi had failed once while doing the BA degree.

“We have proved that the degrees are forged. Amit Shah, Arun Jaitley and Modi should apologise for this forgery which is a crime,” Ashutosh added.

He said he has filed RTI seeking copies of enrolment register and convocation register for PM’s degree from Delhi University.

He also asked the BJP leaders to come with the AAP leaders to Delhi University and jointly check out the facts about Modi’s educational documents there.

Earlier in the day, BJP chief Amit Shah and Finance Minister Arun Jaitley displayed Modi’s degrees during a press conference and demanded an apology from Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal accusing him of defaming the Prime Minister.

(Agencies)

Modi running a one-man ‘Presidential government’: Arun Shourie

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arun shourie

New Delhi: Former Union minister Arun Shourie on Friday hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi accusing him of “narcissism” and of running a one-man “Presidential government” the direction of which was “dangerous” for India.

Shourie, a Cabinet minister in the Vajpayee government who has drifted away from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in recent years, called the Modi government “a Presidential government without checks and balances” and said that the direction of the government under his supervision “is not good for India”.

In a 40-minute interview to Karan Thapar for India Today TV’s “To The Point” programme, he analysed the two years of Modi government and warned that over the next three years he expected “a more systematic attempt to curb civil liberties” and an increase in “decentralised intimidation” besides “choking” of “inconvenient voices”.

Bracketing Modi with leaders like Indira Gandhi and Jayalalithaa, Shourie accused the prime minister of indulging in narcissism, which he described as both “self-love to an exaggerated extent and insecurity”, and Machiavellism, which meant that he “exploits events to his benefit”, according to a press release issued by the channel.

The former minister, who has criticised Modi in the past also, said that the prime minister’s “attitude to people is to use and throw them”. He treats people “like paper napkins” and was “remorseless”, he alleged.

Shourie also referred to the raging controversy over the AugustaWestland helicopter deal and criticised the Modi government for not appealing against the acquittal by the Italian trial court of the company’s two former chiefs Giuseppe Orsi and Bruno Spagnolini.

According to him the reference by the Italian appeals court judge to the Indian government being unhelpful in the matter was specific to the Modi government.

Commenting on Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar’s speech in Rajya Sabha on the helicopter deal, Shourie used a Hindi metaphor to say it was like digging a mountain to find not a mouse, but an “invisible chouha (mouse)”.

He compared Modi’s two years as prime minister “as a boxing match with everybody” and said that he had not “had the focus we expected of him”. This was a “great opportunity completely missed”, he added.

The press release quoted the former minister as saying that one of the problems was that Modi “is getting inputs from very few people and they are, additionally, the people he has chosen”.

Shourie saw “a clear line of logic” that linked ghar- wapsi, love-jihad, beef ban, the return of awards, the campaign against anti-nationalism, the focus on ‘Bharat Mata ki jai’ and student protests. This was “deliberately orchestrated by the government”.

Shourie said the intention was to create “confrontation and polarisation” as he accused Modi of deliberately dividing India, calling it a policy of “divide and rule”.

While accepting that under Modi corruption at the Centre had diminished or disappeared, he said that nothing was deliberately done in the states, citing Vyapam scandal in Madhya Pradesh, Lalit Modi episode and Saradha scam.

The former minister described as “unconstitutional” the imposition of President’s rule in two Congress-ruled states of Uttarakhand and Arunachal Pradesh. The “deliberate” BJP policy of attracting and inviting defectors would “undermine” the party, he said.

Shourie was sharply critical of Modi’s handling of relations with Pakistan, saying, “we have made fools of ourselves in the eyes of Pakistan”.

Shourie said there was no consistency or logic to Modi’s Pakistan policy which had “confused” India. He was sharply critical of “U-turns” in handling Pakistan.

Attacking the prime minister’s policy towards China also, he said that it was comparable to Jawaharlal Nehru’s policy towards the big neighbour.

Both believed that “they could charm the dragon” and both turned out to be wrong, he said, adding that Modi’s policy could encourage China to claim that Kashmir is not a bilateral but a trilateral matter with Beijing being the third party because of its presence in the Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.

Speaking about the economy, the former World Bank economist said he believed that the claim of 7.6 per cent GDP growth was similar to the “exaggerated claims” of investments made during the Gujarat investment summits.

According to him the government had failed to be radical in its policies and had failed to handle tax issues, including retrospect taxation and the banking crisis.

Shourie accused the government of “gross negligence” and of being “irresponsible” in handling the banking crisis.

(PTI)

JNU hunger strike enters 10th day, Kanhaiya withdraws

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Kanhaiya-Kumar

New Delhi: The indefinite hunger strike by JNU students entered the 10th day today even as students’ union president Kanhaiya Kumar withdrew his fast due to medical reasons.

So far, six students have withdrawn their fast against the punishment by the university in connection with the February 9 event during which anti-national slogans were allegedly raised, while 14 others are continuing with the hunger strike.

Kanhaiya, who is out on bail after his arrest in a sedition case, was yesterday discharged from AIIMS after treatment for mild dehydration and ketosis.

“Kanhaiya was back on campus last night and due to his health condition doctors advised him to discontinue with the fast. He has been advised bed rest for few days and also has to undergo some medical tests. While he has withdrawn the fast, he will continue with the agitation,” a statement from the JNU Students Union said.

The health reports of other fasting students mentioned high ketone levels, low BP and weight loss.

JNU Teachers Association has today called for a relay hunger strike in protest against the administration. Alumni of the varsity will also join the protesting students and form a human chain today evening.

The JNU administration had yesterday appealed the students and teachers to not invite outsiders saying it might vitiate the academic atmosphere and peace on campus. The administration also asked the students to refrain from using “direct or indirect coercive measures and come forward for dialogue and discussion”.

Terming the hunger strike to be an “unlawful activity” JNU VC Jagadesh Kumar had earlier this week appealed to students to put forward their demands using “constitutional” means and asked them to come for a “dialogue” to resolve the matter.

Five members of ABVP, who had also gone on hunger strike last week, called off their stir on Wednesday claiming they have got an assurance from the JNU administration that their demands will be considered.

Two other students –Umar Khalid and Anirban Bhattacharya — were arrested along with Kanhaiya in the sedition case.

While Kanhaiya has been slapped with a penalty of Rs 10,000, Umar, Anirban and a Kashmiri student, Mujeeb Gatoo have been rusticated for varying durations.

Saurabh, who is the lone ABVP member in JNU Students Union, has also been slapped with a fine of Rs 10,000 for blocking traffic.

(PTI)

Make Modi’s degree public: Kejriwal to DU

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arvind-kejriwal-manish-sisodia

New Delhi: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday urged Delhi University to make public Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s BA degree.

In a letter to Vice Chancellor Yogesh Tyagi, Kejriwal referred to Modi’s successive election affidavits which stated that he had a Bachelor of Arts degree from Delhi University.

“It will be better if you put on the university website all the documents related to the prime minister’s degree,” he said.

“The people of this country have a right to know how educated their prime minister is.”

The letter comes a day after the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader alleged that Modi didn’t have a BA degree from Delhi University.

He said there were no records in the university and the purported degree of Modi published by some newspapers was forged.

Modi’s election affidavit in 2014 claimed he had both undergraduate and postgraduate degrees. According to the affidavit, he completed a distance education course from Delhi University in 1978 in Political Science.

Kejriwal said in his letter to Tyagi that if Modi didn’t have a BA degree, then he could not be having an MA degree too.

“Gujarat University says he (Modi) has done MA from there. But if he hasn’t even done his BA, how did he get admission in MA? It raises doubts that his MA degree is also forged. It is a very serious matter.”

On Wednesday, three AAP leaders alleged that Delhi University refused to share with them details regarding Modi’s BA degree and told them to approach the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) instead.

The Central Information Commission (CIC) had on April 29 directed the universities of Delhi and Gujarat to respond to the RTI application regarding Modi’s educational qualifications.

Earlier, the Delhi University declined to give information related to Modi’s BA degree despite RTI requests.

The university cited its inability to get the information without a roll number as the reason for the denial.

(IANS)

Keenan-Reuben murder case: All 4 accused get life imprisonment

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keenan-reuben

Mumbai: All four accused have been pronounced guilty and sentenced to life imprisonment by Mumbai special court on Thursday in a 2011 Keenan-Reuben murder case.

Keenan Santos (24) and Reuben Fernandez (29) were stabbed by eve-teasers after a scuffle near a paan shop in suburban Andheri on October 20, 2011.

The duo were attacked when they tried to protect their woman companions from the group of men who were misbehaving with them. The group, after retreating, returned to the spot with over ten aides and brutally assaulted Keenan and Reuben in full public view.

Police had arrested Jitendra Rana, Sunil Bodh, Satish Dulhaj and Dipak Tival the next day after the incident.

In October 2012, the court had framed charges against four accused for murder, conspiracy and molestation.

(Agencies)

Ethics panel recommends Mallya expulsion from Rajya Sabha

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Vijay Mallya. Photo: Reuters

Vijay Mallya. Photo: Reuters

New Delhi: The Rajya Sabha ethics panel has recommended the expulsion of Vijay Mallya “with immediate effect” from the house after his resignation was rejected by Chairman Hamid Ansari.

“Having considered the whole matter, including Mallya’s (resignation) letter, the Committee of Ethics unanimously decided at its meeting on May 3, 2016, to recommend to the house that Vijay Mallya be expelled with immediate effect,” the panel said in its recommendation to the upper house.

The report was tabled in the house on Wednesday by panel chairman Karan Singh.

“The committee hopes that by taking such stern action, a message would reach the general public that parliament is committed to take such steps as are necessary against erring members to uphold the dignity and prestige of this great institution.”

The house will now take a call on the recommendation before adopting or rejecting the committee report.

Mallya is accused of defaulting on more than Rs.9,000 crore in loans he had taken from a consortium of banks. He left India on March 2 and is believed to be in the United Kingdom. His passport has been revoked after he failed to appear for three consecutive summons by the Enforcement Directorate.

In an apparent attempt to pre-empt his expulsion, Mallya wrote to Chairman Ansari on Tuesday seeking to resign from the house because he did not want his “name and reputation to be further dragged in mud”.

However, Ansari turned down the resignation on procedural grounds.

(Agencies)

Lalu takes U-turn, endorses baba Ramdev’s Patanjali products

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ramdev-lalu

New Delhi: RJD chief and former Bihar chief minister Lalu Yadav today openly endorsed Yoga guru Baba Ramdev’s products. The former chief minister of Bihar, who met Baba Ramdev in the morning said, “His products are in demand and he is doing good for the country.”

Praising the yoga guru, Lalu said, “People are jealous of Baba Ramdev because he is highly successful.”

Ramdev gifted Patanjali products to the RJD chief and to add a personal touch to the meeting, he even applied cream on Lalu Yadav’s face.

Defending Baba Ramdev over various allegations, the veteran Bihar leader said, ” there is conspiracy against Baba Ramdev, if a person becomes healthy by eating bones, no harm in that.”

Lalu Prasad Yadav had earlier described Ramdev as an industrialist and a capitalist. It seems, the RJD chief appears to have become an ardent fan of the renowned yoga guru.

(Agencies)

Vyapam scam: Prime accused, absconding for three years, arrested

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Vyapam

New Delhi: In a joint operation, Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force and CBI today arrested from Kanpur one of the prime accused in the Vyapam scam Ramesh Shivhare, who had been absconding for the last three years.

“We have arrested Shivhare this morning. He is wanted by CBI in several cases in the Vyapam scam,” Uttar Pradesh DGP Javeed Ahmed told PTI over phone.

CBI sources said here that Shivhare is wanted in five cases probed by it which are related to alleged irregularities in the conduct of Madhya Pradesh Professional Examination Board also known as Vyapam.

They said Shivhare was absconding for the last three years and carried a reward of Rs 10,000.

A native of Uttar Pradesh, Shivhare’s wife was a local body member in Mahoba.

They said Shivhare was one of the kingpins of the scam and was nabbed in a joint operation by UPSTF and CBI from Avas Vikas colony in Kalyanpur area of Kanpur.

He will be produced before a competent court today after which he will be taken to Bhopal, they said.

Shivhare allegedly acted as a middleman and arranged for impostors and dummy candidates to appear in the examination carried out by Madhya Pradesh Professional Examination Board for a certain amount.

A resident of Uttar Pradesh, Shivhare has been evading questioning by authorities probing the case. His application for anticipatory bail was also turned down by the Madhya Pradesh High Court in 2014.

“There is material to indicate the involvement of applicant in the commission of the crime, for which reason, the Investigating Officer has been insisting for attendance of the applicant for quite some time but in vain,” a bench of Chief Justice A M Khanwilkar and Justice Alok Aradhe had said.

(PTI)

Nihal Bitla, the face of Progeria campaign in India, dies at 15

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Nihal Bitla

Mumbai: Nihal Bitla, the 15-year-old from Bhiwandi who made headlines across the world because of his rare genetic disorder called progeria, passed away in his native town of Karimnagar, Telangana, on Monday night.

Progeria is characterised by rapid aging among children; reports from the Progeria Research Foundation in Boston said Nihal had been aging eight times faster than usual. Actor Amitabh Bachchan had portrayed a “progeria child” in a film, Paa, in 2009. Dinesh Chindarkar, who is the foundation’s representative in Mumbai, said Nihal’s family had gone to Telangana for a wedding.

“He fell ill in the evening and was rushed to a local hospital. His father, Shrinivas Bitla, told me he suffered a stroke and passed away around 11.30pm,” Chindarkar said. He said that Nihal and his family were helpful to other affected families.

(Agencies)

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