DMK President M.K. Stalin on Wednesday asked the Tamil Nadu Governor to sack Health and Family Welfare Minister C. Vijayabaskar and Director General of Police T.K. Rajendran if they don’t quit on their own after raids by the CBI.

Stalin said in a statement that the continuation of Vijayabaskar and Rajendran would be a blot on democracy and the police administration.

“If they do not resign, then the Governor (Banwarilal Purohit) should dismiss them without any delay,” he said after the Central Bureau of Investigation raided offices and homes in Tamil Nadu in connection with a gutkha scam.

Stalin said the CBI raids had brought shame to Tamil Nadu.

He alleged that the AIADMK government had tried various measures to stall investigation into the scam.

On Wednesday morning, CBI officials from New Delhi searched several places in Tamil Nadu including the houses of the Health Minister and Rajendran.

The case is related to an Income Tax Department raid on the offices, residences and godowns of a gutkha manufacturer in Tamil Nadu in 2016.

A diary seized then listed alleged bribes paid to officials amounting to Rs 39.31 crore.

The Tamil Nadu government has banned the manufacture and storage of gutkha — a tobacco product — since 2013. However, the product was reportedly available in the market with the alleged connivance of police officers and others.

DMK legislator J. Anbazhagan, on whose petition the Madras High Court ordered a CBI probe, also sought the resignation of Rajendran and Vijayabaskar.

“The probe seems to be proceeding on the right track under the CBI. Whether a case will be filed against the scamsters or not will have to be seen,” Anbazhagan told IANS. “If no case is filed, then we may have to approach the Madras High Court again.”

Several political parties had demanded a CBI probe into the issue but the AIADMK government did not agree.

In June, the Enforcement Directorate registered a money laundering case against unnamed government officials in Tamil Nadu based on a first information report (FIR) registered by the CBI in May.

Despite opposition from opposition parties, Rajendran was given a two-year extension in 2018.

 Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, who is now actively involved in an ambitious multilingual web series based on his book ‘Why I Am A Hindu”, says any criticism of the current government is frowned upon nowadays.

Tharoor’s next book on the four years of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government is all set for release.

Being known to be a vocal voice of dissent against the Narendra Modi government, does the author-politician foresee controversy for his new book?

He said: “Not from the readers, the people who read my books… No, they won’t see anything worthy of dissent. However, I can’t predict how the Government in power would react to the book.

“Nowadays, any hint of dissent is frowned upon by the government. Unfortunately, any criticism of the government’s policies, no matter how healthy and just, is taken as an attack on individuals who run the Government. This was not the case when we, of the Congress (I), were in power,” Tharoor said.

“Criticism of the government, was in fact, encouraged then. Now when we are in the opposition, the rules have changed,” he added.

As though the erudite and articulate parliamentarian-academic didn’t have enough on his plate, he has now involved in an adaptation of “Why I Am A Hindu”, for which he will also turn narrator.

He says he agreed to the web series because he believed in the producer, Sheetal Talwar.

“When Sheetal Talwar came to me, I liked his conviction. He made no tall promises. But he assured me the essence of my book would be captured in the series. I have not read the screenplay yet.

“But I’m confident it will do justice to my thoughts on Hinduism. Nowadays this question of who is a real Hindu is being asked constantly. I want my thoughts on this subject to reach out a wider public than the one afforded by a book.”

Tharoor, who deals simultaneously and actively with his parliamentarian duties, has also authored a large volume of fictional and non-fictional work.

“If we include the book that is coming out in the next few months, it is 17 books. I’ve various other duties and obligations, including an ongoing legal battle to prove my innocence in the case where I’m being made out to be the person that I am not.”

Adding to his schedule is now the web series, which he says is important to him.

“There are many misconceptions about Hinduism in the current times. I am going to be the narrator for the English version of the series. A very distinguished voice will join in for the Hindi version,” he said.

Cinema is one of the pleasures that Tharoor has forfeited in the pursuit of a larger good.

“In the past few years, my work as a parliamentarian and my writings have occupied a large part of my time. Then there are various other imperative pursuits.

“For these, I’ve given up many pleasures, including cinema and cricket. But there is no regret over these losses. I cannot be a rubber stamp politician. Politics is a tool for me to try and improve the status quo to the best of my abilities. Likewise my writing, Tharoor said.

“It is important for me to ensure the thoughts in my book on Hinduism are put out there on a platform where the optimum would be able to receive them,” he added.

Tharoor’s tweets are perceived as works of art, carved and polished with the most chiseled words.

Taking the compliment graciously, he said: “It’s kind of you to say that. But the truth is, I don’t toil over the tweets.

“The medium demands brevity and one has to finish what one has to say in the shortest possible way.”

In the meanwhile, there are miles and miles to go before Tharoor takes a long nap.

With the January 2014 case pertaining to the death of his wife Sunanda Pushkar ongoing against him, he admits the bandwidth of his creativity is somewhat shrunk.

“There is much more that I want to do. But current circumstances restrain me from expressing myself fully. Because of the legal issues, I am not even allowed to speak about the case,” he said.

“My one reassurance in this whole situation is that the people I meet do not seem to believe in what I am being accused of. Wherever I go, I am met with the same warmth and goodwill that I experienced before,” Tharoor said.

Reported By : Faizan Rizwan and Vani B T

The Karnataka High Court has given an ultimatum to the state government to place on the floor of the legislature the report of the Minorities Commission (Anwar Manippady Report) on embezzlement of Wakf Properties within four weeks starting 30th August 2018.

In its order dated 30.8.2018, the high court also stated that “failing to comply with its 10.9.2015 order” (to place the Anwar Manippady Report), it will take a serious view and ordered that the case be posted for 3rd October.

The 30.8.2018 order stated, “The state has faulted in complying with its own undertaking (that it will place the said report on the floor of the legislature). Thus, a contempt of court is prima facie made out. But, still in order to be fair to the accused persons, this court grants them four weeks time to comply with the order dated 10.9.2015, failing which a serious view shall be taken by this court,” the order stated.

This 30.8.2018 order of the Karnataka High Court is a resounding slap on the face of the state government which has repeatedly failed to place the Anwar Manippady Report on Embezzlement of Wakf Properties to the tune of Rs 2.30 lakh crores.

BJP urges the state government to comply with the High Court order and take appropriate steps to place the Anwar Manippady report on the floor of the legislature.

“The High Court has stated that it will take a serious view if the report is not placed. At the same time, BJP hereby warns the Congress-JDS government of a state- wide agitation if the report is not placed in the legislature,” the BJP leaders added.

It may recalled that the present coalition government as well as the previous Congress government had refused to place Anwawr Manppady report on the floor of the legislature in-spite of having given a written undertaking to the high court.

The previous Congress government had also defied the orders of the then Chairman of the Legislative Council to place the report in the Upper House of the Legislature. Even the report of the Upa Lokayukta Justice Anand has been suppressed by the Congress government headed by Sri Siddaramaiah.

The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) elections for mayor and deputy mayoral position, will be held on September 28.

Mayor’s post has been reserved for the General category (woman) while deputy mayor’s post has been reserved for a candidate from the general category.

The JDS and the Congress are in power in the BBMP for the last three years. All these years the Congress candidate has been elected as the Mayor while the JDS has been allocated the deputy mayor post.

There are 259 voters who will cast their vote for the elections this time. This includes 198 councillors, MLAs, MLCs and MPs. Though BJP is the single largest party in the BBMP council, winners have to get 130 votes. Congress, along with JD(S) has 137 votes, while BJP has 122 votes, including 101 BJP councillors.