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Demonetization ‘hasty, immature decision’ that hurt the poor: Mayawati

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Lucknow: Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati on Wednesday lashed out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the first anniversary of demonetization, saying the “hasty and immature” decision had hurt millions of poor in the country “very dearly”.

In a statement, the former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister said the scrapping of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes on November 8 last year had put the common man in huge discomfort and added that people were still reeling under the aftermath of demonetization.

She also lashed out at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for observing November 8 as “anti-black money day” and suggested that they should rather observe it as “sorry for demonetization day”.

She said the note ban move was cosmetic and aimed at hoodwinking people of the country on action against graft and added that the “Paradise Papers” had “exposed” the BJP and its leaders on their claimed commitment against corruption at high places.

Demonetization, she went on to allege, was to benefit some top notch businessmen and industrialists, and instead of wiping out corruption in the country, it had in fact created new ways and means to amass black money and also safeguard ill-gotten money.

The BSP supremo claimed that it was her party that spoke “factually and technically correctly” on the bane of demonetization, something that was now being proved as correct after one year.

Will the BJP now seek forgiveness of the people of India for their folly, she went on to ask and said the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) would continue to expose the wrong policies of the BJP-led government at the Centre before the people of the country.

(IANS)

Saudi Arabia princes detained, ministers dismissed

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by Al Jazeera

Saudi Arabia has dismissed a number of senior ministers and detained nearly a dozen princes in an investigation by a new anti-corruption committee, state media reported on Saturday.

Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, a billionaire businessman who owns the investment firm, Kingdom Holding, was among those held, according to Reuters news agency, citing an unnamed senior official.

The senior ministers who were sacked include Prince Mitaab bin Abdullah, the head of the National Guard, and Adel Faqih, the economy minister.

Abdullah al-Sultan, commander of the Saudi navy, was replaced by Fahad al-Ghafli.

In a statement on the official Saudi news agency, SPA, King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud alluded to the “exploitation by some of the weak souls who have put their own interests above the public interest, in order to illicitly accrue money” for the creation of the anti-graft committee.

Anti-corruption probe
Saudi-owned Al Arabiya news channel reported that at least 11 princes, four current ministers and several former ministers had been detained in the anti-corruption probe.

Saudi authorities have not confirmed the names of those detained. However, 14 former and current ministers, officials and businessmen were mentioned on social media as being among those held.

One of those mentioned is Waleed al-Ibrahim, chairman of the Middle East Broadcasting Center (MBC), under which Al Arabiya operates.

According to Al Arabiya, the new committee, which is headed by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, is looking into the 2009 floods that devastated parts of Jeddah, as well as the government’s response to the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) virus outbreak.

King Salman issued a statement saying that the committee shall “identify offences, crimes and persons and entities involved in cases of public corruption”.

The committee has the power to issue arrest warrants, travel bans, disclose and freeze accounts and portfolios, track funds and assets, and “prevent their remittance or transfer by persons and entities, whatever they might be”, according to the statement.

‘Accelerated change’
The shake-up of the Saudi government comes just months after King Salman replaced his nephew Mohammed bin Nayef with his son Mohammed bin Salman as the kingdom’s crown prince.

Mohammed bin Salman has been responsible for pushing through a number of changes both at home and abroad since he became first in line to the Saudi crown.

Ian Black of the London School of Economics said the move fit a “pattern of accelerated change” since Mohammed bin Salman became heir to the throne.

“We’ve seen since June this year, very far-reaching changes,” he said, adding: “That was when Mohammed bin Salman, the son of King Salman, was appointed crown prince.

“Since Mohammed bin Salman became the crown prince in June, we’ve seen a lot of upheaval. We’ve seen the announcement of this very ambitious Saudi plan to transform the country, the Saudi economy, Vision 2030.”

The dismissal of Mitaab bin Abdullah as National Guard minister came shortly after a missile attack by Yemen’s Houthi rebels on Riyadh’s King Khaled International Airport.

However, Black said the two were probably not related as the sacking came bundled with changes to other ministerial portfolios.

In recent weeks, Saudi Arabia announced an end to its long-standing ban on allowing women to drive, and Mohammed bin Salman has also promised to return the country to a “moderate” form of Islam.

Since 2015 Saudi Arabia has been at war against Houthi rebels, who control much of northern Yemen on the kingdom’s southern border.

What does this mean? Al Jazeera’s senior political analyst Marwan Bishara explains:

“There have been signs over the last two and a half years that more of this is coming. [Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman] is raising the leverage of power in Saudi Arabia. He certainly has the blessings of his father, King Salman, and he’s determined to make all kinds of changes in Saudi Arabia itself and in Saudi foreign policy, which led to the war in Yemen and the Gulf crisis.

But internally this is new. Not only do we have a new chapter opening up in Saudi Arabia, we have a whole new book, a whole new political alphabet with one exception: It’s still all done in secrecy. Why those 11 princes, why those four standing ministers? Is it really just to consolidate power or is there more to it?

Why isn’t there more transparency and sharing of evidence about the setting up of the committee? We really are on the brink of dramatic changes.

In 2015, Mohammed bin Salman became minister of defence. Just a few months ago, he became the head of all the internal security forces because they got rid of Mohammed bin Nayef, then crown prince. Now he’s taken control of the third most important security apparatus within the country, so he has defence, he is in control of interior, and now he is in control of the guards.

Clearly, he has the stage set. Clearly all the heads of all the major media networks, newspapers, and commentators were all already groomed, set in motion in order to defend the crown prince and his policies. There are already new songs for the crown prince and his glory, so internally they are definitely setting the stage in terms of the three security apparatuses, the media and so on.

President Trump has given his blessings and support to the crown prince with the hundreds of billions of dollars of promised contracts, so he’s certainly supporting his various ambitions in the region, most importantly that of the confrontation with Iran in the region. This is something that Trump really wants as well as apparently a promised rapprochement with Israel.

In the tradition of Saudi Arabia, revolting against the royals is not a good idea. It’s never been recommended. But does it all end with this or will it lead to more? I think it will lead to more, but will it then lead to discontent among Saudis? It just might.”

Saudi air strikes ‘rain down’ on Yemen’s capital Sanaa

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Yemen’s capital was struck by overnight air raids that continued well into the next day, targeting the defence ministry and a popular public square [Mohammed Huwais/AFP]

by Al Jazeera

The Saudi-led coalition bombing Yemen carried out at least 29 air strikes on Sanaa province, hours after Houthi rebels fired a ballistic missile towards the Saudi capital Riyadh.

Residents told Al Jazeera that bombs “rained down” on several neighbourhoods of the capital on Sunday, targeting a stage in al-Sabeen square used by Houthi rebels for military parades, the nearby presidential palace, the national security headquarters and the interior ministry.

The Houthi-run Saba news agency reported more than 15 air strikes in Sanaa and a further 14 in the districts of Sinhan and Bani Bahloul.

Fatik al-Rodaini‏, an activist based in the capital, told Al Jazeera some of the raids targeted Sanaa’s old city, a UNESCO world heritage site.

“This is the worst day I’ve experienced since the start of the war,” Rodaini said.

“I am fearing for my children’s lives. They haven’t gone outside all day. Just a few minutes ago I was thinking of letting them run to the shops but we heard another loud explosion and my wife said ‘no’.

“The Saudis don’t care about our children, our future, our lives. They know that civilians live in close proximity to government buildings yet they continue to target those areas – they just don’t care.”

Hours earlier, the Saudi military confirmed intercepting a ballistic missile that was fired from Yemeni territory towards the kingdom.

‘Riyadh sleeps peacefully’
Colonel Turki al-Maliki said Saudi forces intercepted the ballistic missile with a surface-to-air Patriot missile, which caused it to shatter into fragments in an “uninhabited area” east of Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport.

The Houthis – a group of rebels who control Saada province, the capital Sanaa, as well as other parts of central Yemen – claimed responsibility for the attack, vowing to target the capitals of all Arab countries that are bombing the country.

“Riyadh slept in peace and comfort and last night due to the efforts of the Saudi armed forces,” al-Maliki said.

“We will continue to target the Houthis and their missiles that are sponsored by the Iranians,” he added.

In an interview with Al Jazeera earlier this month, Mohammed Abdul Salam, a spokesman for the Houthi rebels, threatened to escalate operations on the Yemeni-Saudi border and target deep inside the kingdom.

“The Saudis started the war. Our response will continue and increase, whether it’s targeting deep inside Saudi Arabia, targeting military positions where Saudi jets fly from, or military bases inside Yemeni territory,” Abdul Salam said.

“Abu Dhabi and others that target Yemen are – as far as we’re concerned – a fair military target. Any country that targets Yemen will be struck by our missiles.”

Yemen, which sits on the southern edge of the Arabian Peninsula, has been engulfed in war since September 2014, when Houthi fighters swept into the capital and overthrew President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi’s internationally recognised government.

Concerned by the rise of the Houthis, believed to be backed by regional rival Iran, Saudi Arabia and a coalition of Sunni Arab states launched an intervention in 2015 in the form of a massive air campaign aimed at reinstalling Hadi’s government.

Since then, the Houthis have been dislodged from most of the south, but remain in control of Sanaa and much of the north.

India, NZ battle-ready for series finale

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(AP Photo/Tsering Topgyal)

Thiruvananthapuram: With series levelled at 1-1, India and New Zealand will aim to outplay each other in the third and final Twenty20 International match to seal the series at the Greenfield International Stadium here on Tuesday.

But the spectators might not witness full 20-overs each side because the series decider here is under rain threat.

The meteorological office here has also predicted that the weather will be generally cloudy with a few spells of rain or thundershowers starting from Sunday till Wednesday.

Apart from this, it will be a thrilling contest between the two team which are evenly matches on the paper as well as on the field.

To clinch the series, India have to display a better show in both batting and bowling department while New Zealand would like to continue with the same momentum.

India, comprehensive beat the visitors in the first match at the Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium in Delhi. In the second match, New Zealand bounced back in style and defeated India by 40 runs.

Opting to bat first on winning the toss, the visitors rode on an unbeaten quickfire century by opener Colin Munro to post 196/2 in their allotted 20 overs. Munro batted through the innings, smashing 109 runs off 58 deliveries.

In reply, the hosts could only manage to post 156/7.

So, in order to beat the visitors, Indian batsmen have to click this time. The middle-order batsmen like Shreyas Iyer, Manendra Singh Dhoni, Hardik Pandya have to click in unison.

The bowling department was also seemed struggling on the flat pitch. Apart from pacer Jasprit Bumrah, no other bowlers troubled the batsmen in the previous match.

Spinners also failed to step up to the occasion and were smashed all around the park. But, in the decider, the gloomy conditions and pitch might favour India.

India skipper Virat Kohli also have to make the plan for the Duckworth Lewis method which might come in the play.

New Zealand, on the other hand, displayed a brilliant performance. There only problem is the consistency.

In the first match New Zealand were outplayed in every department of the game and in the second match they grouped together and showed their class. So, in order to seal the deal this time they have to repeat the same performance.

The fans might see a interesting battle between both the teams if India and New Zealand played as per the expectations.

Squads

India: Virat Kohli (Captain), Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, Lokesh Rahul, Manish Pandey, Shreyas Iyer, Dinesh Karthik, MS Dhoni (WK), Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj.

New Zealand : Kane Williamson (c), Mitchell Santner, Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee, Ross Taylor, Trent Boult, Tom Bruce, Colin de Grandhomme, Martin Guptill, Matt Henry, Tom Latham, Henry Nicholls, Adam Milne, Colin Munro, Glenn Phillips (wk).

(IANS)

Drishyam Play Launches Its Latest Song “Main Banjar”

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Drishyam Play recently launched its latest song “Main Banjar”, a haunting composition by Santosh Jagdale featuring the soulful vocals of Mohan Kannan & thought – provoking lyrics by Mukta Bhatt. “Main Banjar” also features in Drishyam Films’ next Kadvi Hawa, directed by Padmashree Nila Madhab Panda of “I Am Kalam fame.” Drishyam Play is an initiative designed to curate & promote fresh music from different parts of our country, beautifully fused with soulful lyrics & earthy vocals.

Drishyam Play, the latest initiative of Drishyam Films that curates & promotes fresh music from different parts of our country, launched its latest song “Main Banjar” on their YouTube channel recently. The song will be featured in Drishyam Films’ upcoming film, Kadvi Hawa.

Directed by acclaimed filmmaker Padmashree Nila Madhab Panda (of I am Kalam fame), Kadvi Hawa deals with the issue of climate change and stars Sanjay Mishra, Ranvir Shorey & Tillotama Shome in lead roles.

“Main Banjar”, composed by Santosh Jagdale is a haunting ballad which features the soulful vocals of Mohan Kannan & some thought – provoking lyrics by Mukta Bhatt.

The talented Mohan Kannan who has lent his melodious vocals to “Main Banjar” averred, “I’m very proud to be a part of this intense song written brilliantly by Mukta Bhatt & composed wonderfully by Santosh Jagdale. At a time when most songs & films are made on love & romance, it’s great to have a topic like climate change and its repercussions forming the basis for the creative expressions.”

Here are more details on the song: Music by Santosh Jagdale, lyrics by Mukta Bhatt, sung by Mohan Kanan, oud & Bazouki by Tapas Roy, live Rhythms & Percussions arranged & conducted by: Dipesh Varma & strings section written & conducted by Jitendra Thakur.
Drishyam Play was launched in Sept, 2017 with the inspirational song “Khidki” composed by Amit Trivedi & sung by Mohan Kannan.

Drishyam Play envisions being a unique launch pad for promising musicians, composers, writers & vocalists to establish themselves in a highly competitive music industry.

The project is also an effort to bring back some elements and the old world charm of all the genres like Sufi, Folk, Ghazal, Thumris. Drishyam Play will be an indigenous process to select & curate tracks that will eventually become an integral part of the movies produced by Drishyam Films.

Grandson of HD Deve Gowda to Contest in Next Assembly Elections in Karnataka

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Hassan: Grandson of JDS national president HD Deve Gowda, Prajwal Revanna has reportedly obtained green signal from his grandfather to contest in the next assembly elections in Karnataka.

Speaking to media persons here in Haradarahalli in Hassan, Bhavani Revanna, mother of Prajwal said her son would contest in the next assembly elections and he has obtained permission for this from party supremo HD Deve Gowda.

Deve Gowda will decide the constituency in which Prajwal should contest in the state assembly elections scheduled for early 2018. He is very likely to contest either from Belur constituency or Rajarajeshwari Nagar in Bengaluru.

(Agencies)

DIFF 2017 was an eventful affair that included an exciting line – up of film screenings, panel discussions and much more

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The day started with the screening of Deepak Rauniyar’s White Sun, the Oscar Nominated film from Nepal. The other screenings of the day included Pushpendra Singh’s Ashwatthama, Ektara Collective’s Turup, Rahul Jain’s Machines & Iram Haq’s What Will People Say which drew in audiences in large numbers.

Actor & director Konkona Sen Sharma presented a screening of her acclaimed feature. A Death In The Gunj and in the Q & A that followed, she enthusiastically responded to the audiences questions.

Noted actor Adil Hussain conducted a Masterclass session. Titled The Freewheelin’ Adil Hussain, the session saw the actor speaking about his process & journey as an actor.

A Panel discussion titled Charting Troubled Waters saw noted filmmakers from 5 different countries speak about what independent filmmaking stands for in their respective countries. Moderated by noted film writer & critic Aseem Chhabra, the panel included filmmakers Yaniv Berman (Land Of The Little People, Israel), Lijo Jose Pellissery (Angamaly Diaries, India), Mano Khalil (The Swallow, Switzerland) & Yoshinori Sato (Her Mother, Japan).

A discussion on Women In Cinema was also conducted which included celebrated women filmmakers & actors including Konkona Sen Sharma (A Death In The Gunj), Ritu Sarin (When Hari Got Married) founder & director of DIFF), Sayani Gupta (The Hungry), Rasika Duggal (The School Bag), Bornila Chatterjee (The Hungry), Ekavali Khanna (What Will People Say), Maheen Mirza (Turup) & Rinchin (Turup). The discussion touched on a diverse range of topics such as equal pay for women and bridging the gap between mainstream & independent cinema.

Actor & Director Konkona Sen Sharma who was extremely delighted to be at the festival averred, “It is my 1st time at Dharamshala and it was magical. I love Tibetian food, the mountains & the independent cinema and I am so excited to be here.”

Winding up the day, founder – director Ritu Sarin averrerd, “It has been an exceptionally beautiful day. Today we had an amazing session with Adil Hussain where he spoke about his practice & his process as an actor. Everyone is enjoying being at the festival. Ashwatthama was highly appreciated and so was Turup. The documentaries Machines & Cameraperson were also screened. And the audiences really had a tough time deciding what to watch.”

This year’s line – up also included 2 award winning documentaries, Kirsten Johnson’s Cameraperson (USA, 2016), Rahul Jain’s Machines (India, 2016) which screened at 10 international film festivals & bagged the World Cinema Documentary Special Jury Award for Excellence in Cinematography at 2017’s Sundance Film Festival.

DIFF 2017 also featured the Indian premiere of Out of This World (USA), a newly restored version of journalist & writer Lowell Thomas’ fascinating account of his travels to Tibet in 1949 (originally released in 1954).

This year’s feature films include Dain Said’s Interchange (Malaysia, 2016), Yaniv Berman’s Land of The Little People (Israel, 2016), Dechen Roder’s Honeygiver Among the Dogs (Bhutan, 2016), Yoshinori Sato’s Her Mother (Japan), Mano Khalil’s The Swallow (Switzerland),KarmaTakapa’s Ralang Roadwhich premiered at this year’s Karlovy Vary Film Festival (an Indian film to be selected at the fest after 13 years) & Deepak Rauniyar’s Oscar entry from Nepal, White Sun which premiered at 73rd Venice Film Festival & bagged Interfilm Award & new voices / new visions grand jury prize at the Palm Springs festival.

DIFF continues its tradition of showcasing experimental films by presenting the South Asia premieres of 3 features by well – known artists & filmmakers: Amar Kanwar’s Such a Morning (India), and Naeem Mohaiemen’s Tripoli Cancelled (Bangladesh), both of which premiered this year at Documenta 14 & Singapore filmmaker Tan Pin Pin’s In Time to Come, which had its world premiere at Visions Du Reel and was in competition at Hot Docs & Sheffield Doc Fest.

This year’s shorts selection was curated by filmmaker Umesh Kulkarni, whilst Children’s Film Programme was curated by children’s media specialist Monica Wahi.

DIFF is presented by White Crane Arts & Media, a trust founded by veteran filmmakers Ritu Sarin & Tenzing Sonam to promote contemporary cinema, art & independent media practices in the Himalayan regions of India.

This year’s festival was once again supported by its long – term partners, Thyssen – Bornemisza Art Contemporary, and the Government of Himachal Pradesh through its departments of Tourism, & Language, Arts & Culture.

The 1st edition of DIFF was held in 2012. Since then, it has become established as one of India’s leading independent film festivals. DIFF’s cutting – edge & eclectic programming, which includes many India premieres, and its policy of inviting as many directors as possible, has made it one of the “go – to” events in any cinephile’s calendar. At DIFF 2016, 100’s of cinema enthusiasts from across India & the world converged to watch films & discuss the state of modern cinema, whilst some of India’s best -known film critics & journalists were on hand to cover the event.

Congress dares Modi to put ‘Paradise Papers’ suspects in dock

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New Delhi: The Congress on Monday dared Prime Minister Narendra Modi to initiate action against the suspected Indian tax evaders who feature in the “Paradise Papers” leak, including one of his ministers, and put the entire facts before the Supreme Court bench overseeing black money investigations.

The Congress also demanded the resignation of Minister Jayant Sinha.

“Will the Prime Minister show the courage of conviction to hand over this entire information to the bench of Supreme Court that is looking at action against black money holders? Will the ‘Compromised Bureau of Investigation’ (CBI) and ED (Enforcement Directorate) take action?” Congress Spokesman Randeep Surjewala said.

The “Paradise Papers” are a set of 13.4 million leaked financial documents from law firm Appleby on investments of major multi-national corporations (MNCs) and that of well known individuals in India and abroad in tax havens.

The German newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung obtained the documents and subsequently shared them with the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ).

The Indian Express newspaper carried out the investigation in the case of 714 Indian links, which include Minister of State for Civil Aviation Jayant Sinha and BJP Rajya Sabha MP R.K. Sinha.

The leaked papers allegedly reveal that Jayant Sinha was a director in a US company D. Light Design that has a subsidiary of the same name in Cayman Islands. This subsidiary raised a loan of US$3 million. A loan agreement dated December 31, 2012 was signed with Jayant Sinha as a signatory and a director.

Surjewala said that Jayant Sinha concealed this information of being a director of D. Light Design in his declaration to the Election Commission as also to the Lok Sabha Secretariat and the Prime Minister’s Office.

He said that Jayant Sinha continued as a director of D. Light Design even after being elected as an MP in May 2014 and “continued to receive money and shares” of D. Light Design during this period.

“Jayant Sinha also refuses to disclose the various financial documents that he has signed for or on behalf of Omidyar Network. He is or has been a director of various other companies. Do these companies have any connection to any offshore entities like the Omidyar Network?,” the Congress leader said.

While Jayant Sinha has explained his position through a series of tweets, R.K. Sinha, when confronted by media, wrote on a piece of paper that he is on a “maun vrat” (vow of silence) for seven days for religious reasons.

Surjewala said that R.K. Sinha and his wife Rita Kishore Sinha are owners of an offshore company called ‘SIS Asia Pacific Holdings Ltd’ (SAPHL) in Malta, a tax haven.

He further said that another company called ‘SIS International Holding Ltd’ (SIHL) is incorporated in the offshore tax haven of British Virgin Islands and owns 39,99,999 shares of SAPHL.

“R.K. Sinha neither disclosed this in his election affidavit nor to the Rajya Sabha Secretariat…Is the non-disclosure not an electoral offence? Did the BJP and the Modi government not know about all these offshore tax haven based transactions?” Surjewala demanded to know.

He said that Prime Minister Modi’s “so-called” fight against black money and corruption remains a “complete flop” as it failed to take action in the Panama Papers leak where around 500 names emerged, including those of persons linked to the BJP.

(IANS)

Paradise Papers: Amitabh Bachchan, Jayant Sinha among 714 Indians linked to tax havens

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New Delhi: Minister of State Jayant Sinha, BJP MP Ravindra Kishore, Congress leader Sachin Pilot, former minister P. Chidambaram’s son Karti and Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachhan figure among 714 Indians named in a financial data expose on how the world’s rich and powerful have stashed their wealth abroad to evade legitimate taxes, according to a worldwide investigation whose first lot of revelations was published on Monday.

India ranks 19th among 180 countries, exposed in the cache of 13.4 million documents dubbed as “Paradise Papers”, in terms of the number of individuals and companies who have skirted taxes and invested in offshore companies in tax havens.

It comes a year after Panama Papers leak and two days before the government observes “Anti-Black Money Day” to mark the first anniversary of demonetisation — a move that sought to hit at illicit wealth.

The data relates to two firms – Bermuda’s Appleby and Singapore’s Asiaciti and 19 tax havens across the world that help the global rich to move their money abroad, according to the Indian Express which was part of the world-wide probe carried out by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ).

“Interestingly, it is an Indian company, Sun Group, founded by Nand Lal Khemka, that figures as Appleby’s second-largest client internationally, with as many as 118 different offshore entities,” the newspaper said.

The leaked data indicates that among Appleby’s Indian clients were several prominent corporates and companies which subsequently came under the scrutiny of investigating agencies like the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Enforcement Directorate.

These include firms in the Sun-TV-Aircel-Maxis case; Essar-Loop 2G case; SNS-Lavalin in which Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan was named and then cleared; the Rajasthan ambulance scam which has recently been routed to the CBI and which names a company called Ziquista Healthcare (Sachin Pilot and Karti Chidambaram were earlier honorary/independent directors of the firms respectively); and fresh financial links in a CBI case against YSR Congress chief Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy.

Minister of State for Civil Aviation Jayant Sinha’s name figures in the record because of his past association with Omidyar Network.

BJP Rajya Sabha member Ravindra Kishore Sinha, a former journalist who founded the private security service firm SIS or Security and Intelligence Services, is heading a group that has two offshore entities in Malta offshore.

Besides corporates, the data revealed details of individuals as well: Amitabh Bachchan’s shareholding in a Bermuda company acquired before the 2004 Liberalised Remittance Scheme kicked in; corporate lobbyist Niira Radia and film star Sanjay Dutt’s wife who figures under her former name Dilnashin.

Jayant Sinha on Monday denied any wrongdoing and said all transactions related to him mentioned in the investigation were “fully disclosed” to relevant authorities and were done in his “official capacity, not personal”.

“These were bonafide and legal transactions undertaken on behalf of highly reputed world-leading organisations in my fiduciary role as Partner at Omidyar Network and its designated representative on the D.Light Board,” he tweeted.

The daily said Jayant Sinha did not mention this in his declaration to the Election Commission when he contested the Lok Sabha polls in 2014, nor to the Lok Sabha Secretariat or the Prime Minister’s Office as a Minister of State in 2016.

But the Minister said all these transactions have been fully disclosed to “relevant authorities through all necessary filings as required”.

“After leaving Omidyar Network, I was asked to continue on the D.Light Board as an Independent Director. On joining the Union Council of Ministers, I immediately resigned from the D.Light Board and severed my involvement with the company.”

But the Congress was not impressed with his defence and demanded Jayant Sinha’s resignation and a “high-level probe” into the scam.

Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said: “Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s so-called fight against black money and corruption remains a complete flop.

“Jayant Sinha refuses to disclose the various financial documents that he has signed for or on behalf of Omidyar Network. He is or has been a director of various other companies. Do these companies have any connection to any offshore entities like the Omidyar Network? Does it not compromise the position of Jayant Sinha as the MoS?” the Congress leader said.

Asked about Sachin Pilot and son of former minister Vayalar Ravi figuring up in the Paradise Papers related to the Rajasthan ambulance scam, Surjewala said: “The CBI and ED probe has already been initiated against Sachin Pilot. Will the government order probe against all those in the list?”

He asked the Prime Minister and the government if he knew about R.K. Sinha and his wife Rita Kishore Sinha’s “international tax havens based entities”.

The BJP Rajya Sabha MP on the otherhand has indicated that he cannot comment because he was on “maun vrat” (silence of vow) for a week.

Asked for his reaction, the MP gestured that he had shut his mouth up and wrote on a piece of paper that he had taken a pledge not to speak for a week for ‘Bhagwat Yagna’.

(IANS)

China objects to Nirmala Sitharaman’s visit to Arunachal Pradesh

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New Delhi: China on Monday objected to Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman’s first visit to Arunachal Pradesh, saying her tour of the “disputed area” is not conducive to the peace and tranquillity in the region.

On Sunday, Sitharaman visited forward army posts in remote Anjaw district of Arunachal Pradesh bordering China to take stock of the defence preparedness.

“As to Indian Defence Minister visit to Arunachal Pradesh, you must be very clear about China’s position,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying told a media briefing.

“There is a dispute on the eastern section of the China-India boundary. So this visit by the Indian side to the disputed area is not conducive to the peace and tranquillity of the relevant region,” she said in a response to a question.

The Indian side should work with the Chinese side to make contribution to properly revolving the issue through dialogue and create enabling environment and conditions, she said.

“Hope India will work with China for the shared goal, seek a solution acceptable to both sides and accommodate our concerns in a balanced way,” she said.

China claims Arunachal Pradesh as part of South Tibet and routinely objects to top Indian officials’ visit to the area.

The Line of Actual Control (LAC) between India and China stretches to 3,488 km. Both sides have held 19 rounds of talks by the Special Representatives to resolve the dispute.

Sitharaman had visited Nathu La area on the India-China border in Sikkim last month and greeted the People’s Liberation Army soldiers across the border.

(PTI)

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