Archives for February 2019

Nasheman News : Foiling an alleged opposition BJP’s bid to topple it recently, the ruling JD-S-Congress government in Karnataka is bracing up for a 10-day stormy budget session of the state legislature here from Wednesday.

“The ruling allies are upbeat on holding the budget session and passing the finance bill after Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy presents the state budget for fiscal 2019-20 in the assembly on Friday and debate next week,” a Congress official told media here on Monday night.

The session will begin with the customary address by state Governor Vajubhai Vala to the joint legislature on Wednesday and a debate on the motion of thanks to it (address) initiated on Thursday.

“As Kumaraswamy holds the finance portfolio, he will present the budget for the second fiscal year in succession after he read a full budget on July 6 for fiscal 2018-19,a a Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S) official told reporters.

With speculation that 4 Congress “rebel” legislators continued to be defiant, the ruling ally is desperately wooing them to ensure their presence in the lower house for passing the budget after debate on it next week.

“Though the four MLAs did not participate in the January 18 legislature party meeting here for “personal” reasons, they being non-communicable for long has been worrisome. We hope they will attend the session” said the party official.

The four rebel lawmakers are Ramesh Jharkiholi, Mahesh Kumatalli, Umesh Jadhav and B. Nagendra.

Ramesh was dropped as Municipal Administration Minister from the cabinet in a reshuffle on December 22. His younger brother Satish Jharkiholi replaced him but was made Minister for Forests, Ecology and Environment.

“As the party will issue whip for the presence of all its members in the assembly for passing the budget, the rebels will face expulsion from the party if they defy and abstain without credible reason acceptable to our legislative leader (Siddaramaiah) and Speaker Ramesh Kumar,” asserted the official.

In the 225-member assembly, including one nominated from the Anglo-India community, the Congress has 80, including the speaker, JD-S 37, BJP 104 and remaining are an independent and one each from BSP and KPJP (Karnataka Pragnyavanta Janata Paksha).

The withdrawal of support by Independent H. Nagesh and regional outfit KPJP R. Mahesh on January 15 to the 8-month-old coalition government has queered the pitch, as it survives on a slender majority of 116, with 113 required for a simple majority.

Though the BJP has assured the beleaguered allies that it would not bring a no-confidence motion in the assembly during the budget session, the state Congress leaders are wary of the 4 rebels, as their absence or defying the whip would defeat the money bill, resulting in a trial of strength as the ruling majority slips to 112, one less than the 113 half-way mark.

“The budget will get passed and the tottering government may survive the day if Nagesh and Mahesh vote in favour of it on the day of passage,” admitted the JD-S official.

Mahesh was also dropped from the cabinet on December 22. He was the Minister for Forests, Ecology and Environment.

Nagesh felt betrayed that he was not made a minister despite supporting the allies in forming the government after winning the trust vote on May 25.

With Congress President Rahul Gandhi directing the state Congress leaders, to allow the coalition government run at any cost, at least till the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, due in April-May, party’s senior leader, minister and trouble-shooter D.K. Shivakumar has been roped in to rein in the rebels, ensure the budget is passed and the government survives.

“The onus of preserving and running coalition government is on the Congress, which extended unconditional support to our party to form it (government) solely to keep the BJP out of power for another five years. As we could win only 37 seats in the May 2018 assembly elections, coming to power has been a divine reward for our leaders and cadres,” the JD-S official reiterated.

The JD-S has also made the budget passage and continuation of the coalition government criteria for holding talks with the Congress on sharing of the 28 Lok Sabha seats in the southern state for the parliamentary polls.

“As stakes are higher for the Congress, it is up to its high command and state leaders to ensure the seats are shared on the respective strengths, with winnability as the criterion for deciding candidates and constituencies than all other factors,” the JD-S official added.

In the 2014 general elections, the BJP won 17, Congress 9 and JD-S 2 out of 28 parliamentary seats in the state.

The Supreme Court on Tuesday directed Kolkata Police Commissioner Rajeev Kumar to cooperate with the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in its probe into the Saradha chit fund scam even as the apex court ordered that Kumar must not be arrested by the agency.

The court also summoned Rajeev Kumar, Chief Secretary and the Director General of Police to appear before it on February 20, which is also the next date of hearing in the case.

A three-judge bench of the Supreme Court further directed Kumar to make all the documents related to the chit fund scam available for probe.

Rajeev Kumar’s questioning by the CBI will be done in Shillong, as it is a neutral place, the court said.

The CBI earlier on Tuesday filed an affidavit in the Supreme Court alleging there were several incriminating materials that were collected during the investigation by the CBI against the senior police officials as well as senior politicians in the Saradha chit fund scam.

The CBI in its affidavit also claimed that Kolkata Police Commissioner Rajeev Kumar had destroyed the evidence in the chit fund scam when he headed the SIT.

The agency said that when the investigation was being done by the SIT, crucial evidence such as laptops, mobile phones etc were handed over to the main accused in the Saradha scam case by the investigating officer of West Bengal Police. It said the “crime” was committed under the direct supervision of Rajeev Kumar.

Attorney General KK Venugopal told the court that the material including copies of call records handed over by SIT to CBI was doctored.

Venugopal further pleaded before the Supreme Court to initiate contempt of court proceedings against the alleged contemnors, which the court declined observing that the contempt petition will be dealt with later.

The court, however, issued a notice to Rajeev Kumar, the DGP and the West Bengal government on the contempt plea.

The CBI had on Monday moved the Supreme Court seeking directions to Kolkata Police Commissioner Rajeev Kumar to cooperate with the investigation in the Saradha chit fund case.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta representing the probe agency sought directions to Kumar to cooperate with the investigation and surrender all the evidence related to the chit fund case, stating that the top cop was a “potential accused”.

Hearing on the CBI plea, CJI Gogoi had said, “If Kolkata Police Commissioner even remotely thinks of destroying evidence, bring the material before this Court. We will come down so heavily on him that he will regret.”

The court further permitted the CBI to bring the material on record to support its claim that the West Bengal Police Commissioner was trying to destroy evidence.

The drama started on Sunday afternoon when a team of 40-odd CBI officers reached Kumar’s residence, and a team of Kolkata Police officers rushed there to inquire if they had the documents required to question the CP.

Later, a small team of the agency officials was taken to the Shakespeare Sarani police station for further discussions. Soon, more CBI men arrived at the Loudon Street home of Rajeev Kumar and a commotion ensued. Some CBI men were then bundled into police jeeps and taken to the police station.

After the CBI-police face-off, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee began a sit-in in front of the Metro Cinema to protest “insults” faced at the hands of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP chief Amit Shah. She accused both the BJP leaders of organising a “coup” on West Bengal.e

Nasheman News :  BJP President Amit Shah on Monday launched a scathing attack on Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu and made it clear that the doors of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) were closed forever for him.

Exuding confidence that the NDA will retain power and Narendra Modi will become Prime Minister again after the 2019 elections, he predicted that the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) chief will once again try to come into NDA fold.

“I want to assure the people of Andhra Pradesh and BJP workers that we have closed NDA’s doors forever for Naidu. He will not find a place in the alliance,” he told a public meeting at Palasa town in Srikakulam district while flagging off a ‘bus yatra’ of state BJP President Kanna Laxminarayana.

Recalling that Naidu started his political career as an MLA of Congress, the BJP chief said he always switched loyalties to enjoy power.

“He later joined the TDP formed by N.T. Rama Rao (NTR) and enjoyed power. When he got the opportunity, he betrayed NTR who had promoted him, captured power and the entire party,” said Shah.

“Chandrababu Naidu kept wandering for 10 years. When he realised that he can’t come to power on his own, he joined hands with Modiji and NDA. Now he has left NDA and making allegations against Modiji.”

The BJP chief alleged that Naidu joined hands with the Congress which had insulted Telugu people and did injustice to Andhra Pradesh. 

He recalled that TDP was floated by NTR on the slogan of ‘Telugu pride’. “Now after the drubbing in Telangana elections, he is trying to form Mahagathbandhan.”

Shah said Naidu was trying to mislead the people of Andhra Pradesh. 

On the TDP chief’s allegation that the Centre did injustice to Andhra Pradesh, Shah challenged him to compare the help extended by NDA to the state during last five years with the help received during 55 years of Congress rule. 

He claimed that NDA had given 10 times more help than the Congress. During the 10 years of Congress rule, Andhra Pradesh got only Rs 1.17 lakh crore while the NDA government in last five years provided Rs 5.56 lakh crore.

“You should tell people why you severed ties with the Modi government which provided more funds to the state. It is clear that you are not bothered about development. you are only interested in corruption,” Shah asserted.

The BJP leader said that the NDA government fulfilled 10 of the 14 commitments in the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act 2014. He listed out 20 national institutes set up in the state in last five years.

Claiming that Modi was ready to give more money than the state would got under the Special Category status, he said Naidu did not send the proposals to the Centre and as a result the state was deprived of the funds.

Shah said Naidu had welcomed the special package in the Assembly but when he realised that people were unhappy with his governance, his attempts to make his son the Chief Minister, corruption in construction of capital Amaravati and Polavaram project, he started making false allegations against the BJP to gain public sympathy.

The BJP chief said both TDP and YSR Congress were parties of family rule and can’t do any good to the state. He appealed to people to give a chance to BJP.

Shah later interacted with BJP leaders from four Lok Sabha constituencies: Visakhapatnam, Vijayanagaram, Anakapalli and Araku.

Nasheman News : Karnataka Chief Minister and Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S) leader H.D. Kumaraswamy on Monday offered his support to his West Bengal counterpart Mamata Banerjee in her protest against the CBI.

“What happened in West Bengal is an attack on a state’s federal rights guaranteed by our Constitution. We stand with West Bengal CM,” Kumaraswamy tweeted.

Banerjee has been staging a protest against the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in Kolkata since Sunday against its attempt to question Kolkata Police Commissioner Rajeev Kumar in connection with a Ponzi scheme case.

JD-S chief H.D. Deve Gowda called the CBI’s methods “unconstitutional” and alleged that similar situations were faced during the Emergency days (1975-77).

“I am shocked on learning about the CBI rushing to arrest the Police Commissioner and subsequent developments in West Bengal. The country has faced similar kind of unconstitutional methods during the Emergency.

“The situation in West Bengal is similar to that of the Emergency days,” Gowda tweeted.

MNS chief Raj Thackeray paid a visit to social activist Anna Hazare whose fast entered the sixth day on Monday and asked him to break the fast and instead, work to “bury the BJP government” in 2019.

Speaking with mediapersons after his meeting with Hazare, Thackeray said, “BJP doesn’t care if he lives or dies. I told him not to risk his life for these useless people. I told him, ‘Let’s go to people to bury them in the upcoming election.’ BJP used people and then dumped them. Prime Minister Modi is a liar. He’s the biggest such liar to acquire PM’s post. In December 2013, he had supported Lokpal. Now he is in power, but doesn’t do anything,” said Thackeray.

Thackeray also attacked Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal saying like Modi, Kejriwal too used Anna and now doesn’t bother to check how he’s doing. “People didn’t know how he (Kejriwal) looked before Anna agitation. Now he doesn’t bother to pay a visit and see how he’s doing. Both Kejriwal and Modi used Anna and dumped him.” said Thackeray.

Hazare, who is staging a hunger strike at his village Ralegan Siddhi over non-appointment of Lokpal by the central government, said BJP came to power “using Lokpal agitation” and now seems to have developed an “allergy” for Lokpal.

Talking to the media after Thackeray’s visit, Hazare said that he had received a communication from BJP that a Union minister was planning to visit him and discuss issues. But the activist refused instead asking the BJP interlocutor to clear the government’s stance on Lokpal appointment and other demands such as increasing support prices of farm produce.

“What’s the use of coming here and meeting me when nothing is being done to appoint Lokpal? It only sends a wrong signal to people. I have asked them to clear their stance on Lokpal first,” said Hazare, who did not name the Union minister who had contacted him through an emissary. He said that he was willing to continue his fast and was confident that he can fast for five more days.

He said that the BJP governments at the centre and the state “misled” him for last years by making promises and not fulfilling them.

“The entire country knows how they (BJP) came to power. During the Lokpal and Lokayukta agitation, people of the country stood up. Based on that anger, you came to power and now you have betrayed the movement. People have seen that those in power now such as Arun Jaitley and Sushma Swaraj were speaking in the parliament in support of Lokpal in December 2013. Now they have developed an allergy for Lokpal,” said Hazare.

Agencies

Nasheman News :In wake of Union Minister Nitin Gadkari’s recent remarks perceived as against his partys top leadership, Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Monday urged him to also comment on the “Rafale scam” and the agrarian crisis, saying he was the only BJP leader with “some guts”.

“Gadkari Ji, compliments! You are the only one in the BJP with some guts.

“Please also comment on: The Rafale Scam & Anil Ambani, Farmers’ Distress and Destruction of Institutions,” tweeted Gandhi tagging a media report on Gadkari telling party workers that “one who can not take care of his home, can not manage the country”.

Gandhi and the Congress have been terming the deal to purchase Rafale fighters from France to be the “biggest defence scam”. 

Interacting with BJP workers in Nagpur, Gadkari on Saturday had asked them to pay attention to their domestic responsibilities.

“…One who can not manage his home can not manage the country,” he had said, a statement which some had seen to be directed at Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Following the BJP’s defeat in the Assembly polls to the Hindi heartland of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh in December, Gadakri then had remarked that the leadership should own up to failures.