New Delhi, Mar 9 : Senior BJP leader and Union Minister for Road Transport Nitin Gadkari on Thursday said that the saffron party would come back to power at the Centre for a second consecutive term with a bigger majority.
Mr Gadkari said this disagreeing with the comments of BJP general secretary Ram Madhav that the BJP would need support of allies to form Government after elections.

Talking to UNI in an interview at his residence, Mr Gadkari charged the opposition of dividing people on the basis of communities and castes and creating fear among minorities for electoral gains.
He made it clear that the BJP is against terrorists and not Muslims.
He also made it clear that the people of the country do not have faith in the NYAY scheme of the Congress.

Describing legislature, executive, judiciary and the media as four pillar of democracy. Mr Gadkari said all these four pillors need to work together to check the fall in the level of public discourse.

Asked about the statement by BJP general secretary that he would be happy if the BJP is able to get 271 seats on its own, Mr Gadkari said,”I do not agree with the assessment that the BJP would find it difficult to form a government. I feel that the BJP will come back to power with a full majority based on the work doen by the Narendra Modi government in the last five years. Infact, it is my belief that the BJP will form Government at the centre with a bigger majority compared to the 2014 Lok Sabha election.”

In a recent interview, BJP general secretary ram madhav had said that the BJP could fall short of majority in the coming elections and would need support of allies to form a Government at the Centre.

On political pundits projecting that in case the NDA feels short of a majority, he could emerge as a Prime Ministerial face of the BJP, Mr Gadkari said, “I am a loyal soldier of the party. I am confident that the BJP will get a full majority and that Mr Narendra Modi will be the Prime Minister. I never had any ambition of becoming Prime Minister nor do I have any such ambition now.”

He said that he would be happy if he is given the same portfolio in the BJP Government so that he can carry forward his unfinished work in the next five years. At the same time, he added that it was the prerogative of the Prime Minister to allocate a portfolio.

Mr Gadkari said that in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP had come to power riding on the negativity that had been prevailing during the UPA rule following scams like the Commonwealth games scam, the 2G scam. It was a positive vote for the BJP. In 2019 Lok Sabha elections, he said the BJP would return to power based on the tremendous work doen by the Narendra Modi Government at the Centre.

Mr Gadkari said the NDA Government had done a lot of work for the benefit of all sections of society in the last five years.

“We will come back to power based on the tremendous work done by the NDA Government in the last five years. In fact, the work that we have done in the last five years was not done in the last 50 years.”

I feel that the face of the Nation has been changed in the last five years. A lot of work has been done in the social sector. A lot of economic and administrative reform measures like the GST have been taken during the NDA rule. After teething problems witnessed in the Goods and services tax regime, the process of GST has been simplified,”Mr Gadkari said.

New Delhi, May 9 : The political temperature in the National Capital is soaring along with the mercury level ahead of the May 12 Lok Sabha elections, with AAP calling Prime Minister Narendra Modi chief of ‘fenkupanthi’ (braggart) community.
The AAP statement comes a day after the Prime Minister, while addressing a rally at Ramlila Maidan here in support of the BJP candidates in an apparent reference to AAP, said the ‘nakampanthi’ model has destroyed the people of Delhi.
Attacking Mr Modi over his ‘nakampanthi’ jibe, senior AAP leader and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh
said that it is not a ‘nakampanthi’ government but a ‘karampanthi’ one.
“Hum nakampanthi nahi, karampanthi sarkar hein. Humare Pradhan Mantri fenkupanthi sampraday ke pramukh hein . (We are not failure but hard working government. Our PM is chief of ‘tall promises’ community). Whatever he (Modi) said yesterday there was no facts and truth, only false allegations,” Mr
Singh told reporters here.
Claiming that 2019 Lok Sabha elections is a fight between ‘fenku sampraday (braggart community) and ‘karampanthi’ ( hard working), the AAP leader said, the May 12 elections will be in favour of ‘karampanthi’ and against ‘fenkupanthi’.
Charging the BJP with cheating people of Delhi, Mr Singh said,”for years you have made statehood issue. In last elections (2014), Mr Modi himself promised to give full statehood to Delhi but in yesterday’s rally, he did not speak even a single word on this.”
He also attacked the Congress on the issue of full statehood.
Taking a dig at PM’s nakampanthi jibe, Mr Singh highlighted various works done by AAP in last four years.
“To hide your (Modi) failures, you are levelling false allegations on AAP government. Despite of your various obstacles in our work what we have done you don’t know,” he said.
Elections to seven parliamentary seats in Delhi will be held on May 12.

While granting damages, the court said that “reputation is the most valuable asset of a person.”

A Bengaluru court has found news media giant Asianet News Network and its Kannada news channel Suvarna News liable for defaming actor-politician Divya Spandana by wrongfully telecasting news stories linking her to the IPL spot-fixing scam in 2013. The court has ordered the news channel to pay damages worth Rs 50 lakh to the actor.

In the order dated April 26, the VIII Additional City Civil Court and Sessions Judge Patil Nagalingegouda also restrained Asianet and Suvarna News from telecasting any programs linking her to the match-fixing and spot-fixing scandals without any proof.

“On perusal of the records, it is clear that plaintiff has a blemishless record and known as a good actress in the Kannada film industry and she has also worked as a Member of Parliament,” the court observed.

Divya Spandana had filed a defamation case against Asianet News Network Pvt Ltd and Suvarna News 24×7 in 2013 after the Kannada news channel telecast a news segment alleging her involvement in the 2013 IPL spot-fixing scandal. Suvarna News had run news segments containing visuals of Divya Spandana at various IPL matches and had alleged that she was involved in the spot-fixing scandal. Divya Spandana was the brand ambassador of Royal Challengers Bangalore team for the first five IPL seasons.

During the trial, Divya Spandana’s legal counsel Pramod Nair had contended that she was not involved in IPL in 2013 in any manner, as she was then campaigning for Karnataka assembly elections that year.

Asianet and Suvarna News contended that news channels were entitled to broadcast news relating to public events and public figures and that they had not made any direct reference to Divya Spandana. The channel’s representative also argued that the broadcast had not caused her any damage. They also stated that the inquiry by police in the case had revealed the involvement of two Kannada film stars in the scam.

The 2013 Indian Premier League spot-fixing and betting case came to light when the Delhi Police arrested three cricketers, S Sreesanth, Ajit Chandila and Ankeet Chavan, on the charges of spot-fixing. All three of them were a part of the IPL team Rajasthan Royals. Suvarna News in its news segments alleged that one of the cricketers had revealed to the police that two Sandalwood women actors were also involved in the scam.

However, the court noted that Divya Spandana was not associated with the IPL in 2013 and that the persons nabbed by Delhi and Mumbai police in relation to the scam had not named her as the actor involved in spot-fixing. The court observed that the channel had telecast the news with Divya Spandana’s pictures at IPL events.

“There are no records produced on behalf of the defendant to show plaintiff being a brand ambassador of Royal Challengers Bangalore Team was involved in betting and spot-fixing scandal as transmitted in the questioned program by the defendants. Hence, this Court is of the opinion that act of defendants is in complete violation of the journalistic ethics and deliberately to destroy the popularity of the plaintiff and act of defendant is mala fide with an intention to defame her dignity,” he further observed.

The court also stated that the “reputation is the most valuable asset of a person” and is “much more valuable than any amount of money.”

“When the above said questioned program/still images do have the tendency to destroy such reputation, the injury complained of by the plaintiff would be irreparable,” the court said.

Agencies

The TN govt has claimed that the KC Valley project was in violation of SC order on Cauvery dispute in February, 2018.

In the latest episode of the Cauvery water dispute Tamil Nadu has objected to Karnataka’s controversial Koramangala-Challaghatta (KC) Valley treated water project. The Tamil Nadu government on Tuesday filed a petition with the Supreme Court alleging that the project violates the Supreme Court order. Tamil Nadu claimed that the apex court had ordered Karnataka to discharge all treated water into the river. 

“In the guise of utilising sewage water, the scheme provides for pumping surplus water of Varthur tank to a series of tanks in Kolar district for increasing the utilisation and thus preventing the surplus of Varathur tank flowing to Pennaiyar river. It is another devise for increasing the irrigation and other new uses,” the TN government told the apex court.

“It is stated that transferring the sewage of Bangalore city which is generated from Cauvery water supply is in violation of the Judgment dated 16.2.2018 passed by this Hon’ble Court,” the petition added.

The KC Valley Project transports treated (primary and secondary) water from Sewage Treatment Plants in Bellandur and Varthur lakes in Bengaluru to 126 minor irrigation tanks in the perennially arid district of Kolar. The decision was made in a bid to solve the water woes of the district. It was thought the water, which would be fit only for agricultural use would also improve the groundwater table.

The project had turned controversial when activists based in Kolar opposed the move over fears of receiving polluted water. They demanded that the water be treated in a tertiary treatment plant and adhere to the guidelines prescribed by the Central Pollution Control Board. Their stand was vindicated when a study conducted by the Indian Institute of Science found that the water being released into the lakes contained higher than permissible amounts of E.coli bacteria, heavy metals and dissolved oxygen.

Since their demands fell on deaf ears, they had moved the Karnataka High Court against the state government and had obtained an interim stay. Recently, the Supreme Court had lifted a stay on the project asking the High Court to decide on the matter comprehensively in a speedy manner.

However, activists in Kolar are not pleased with the stand of the TN government. Anjaneya Reddy, the petitioner in both the HC and Supreme Court and an activist with Shashwatha Neeravari Horata Samiti, said, “There is no merit in the Tamil Nadu government case, as earlier in a case in the SC against Karnataka government of contaminating the Cauvery water flowing into Tamil Nadu from the KC Valley and Hebbal-Nagwara catchments. Then the Karnataka government had replied in court stating that this water will be treated and supplied to the drought-prone districts. To this, the TN government had not objected. This was three years ago. The fresh objection is only for political reasons.”

Agencies

Rahul Gandhi, while welcoming the SC decision to review the Rafale deal on 10 April, claimed a moral victory and said that the court has made it clear that PM Modi ‘committed theft’.

Congress President Rahul Gandhi in an affidavit on Wednesday tendered “unconditional apology” to the Supreme Court for “incorrectly attributing” a remark on the Rafale order to it.

Rahul Gandhi has filed a three-page affidavit stating his unconditional apology to the apex court.

In the affidavit, Gandhi stated that he had “unintentionally and inadvertently” linked its Rafale case order to his “Chowkidar chor hai” phrase against Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

“(Rahul Gandhi) unconditionally apologises for the wrongful attributions to this Hon’ble Court. The Deponent further states that any such attributions were entirely unintentional, non-willful and inadvertent,” the new affidavit said according to a report in meida.

Gandhi further said that “he holds the court in the highest esteem and respect” and “never sought or intended to, directly or indirectly, commit any act that interferes with the process of administration of justice.”

He also requested the top court to close the contempt proceedings against him. The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear the matter on Friday.

On April 30, Abhishek Manu Singhvi, counsel for Rahul Gandhi had said that the Congress president will file a fresh affidavit with an apology after BJP MP Meenakshi Lekhi on Tuesday told the Supreme Court that Gandhi has only expressed regret even as he “deliberately” put words in the mouth of the court.

In an earlier affidavit, Gandhi had said that he had no intention of dragging the court into politics and alleged that it was the petitioner, BJP MP Meenakshi Lekhi, who is playing politics.

Rahul Gandhi, while welcoming the Supreme Court’s decision to examine fresh revelations on the Rafale deal on 10 April, claimed a moral victory and said that the court has made it clear that Prime Minister Narendra Modi “committed theft”.

“The Supreme Court has made it clear that ‘chowkidarji’ (watchman) has committed a theft,” Gandhi told reporters during a rally in Amethi.

Lekhi file a criminal contempt petition against Gandhi, following which, the court said the remark was “incorrectly attributed” to it.R