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Vyapam scam: Deaths of 25 accused 'natural', says Minister Babulal Gaur

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Babulal Gaur

Bhopal: Amid fresh Opposition demands for a CBI probe into the high-profile MPPEB scam in the wake of deaths of 25 accused and witnesses, Madhya Pradesh Home Minister Babulal Gaur today termed them as “natural” deaths and ruled out probe by the central agency into the scandal.

“All deaths are natural deaths,” Gaur said when asked about the deaths of so many people in the scam so far.

“The accused fell sick and died,” he said reiterating that all these are “natural” deaths. Two more accused in the Madhya Pradesh Professional Examination Board (MPPEB) scam, also known as Vyapam scam, died in Gwalior and Indore yesterday, adding another murky dimension to the massive scandal in which 25 accused and witnesses have died so far.

Referring to the Congress’ demand of handing over the probe to CBI, Gaur said that even Supreme Court had rejected the demand and added that the inquiry into the scam is presently going on under the strict monitoring of Madhya Pradesh High Court.

“There is no need for a CBI probe,” he said.

The death of 40-year-old Dr Rajendra Arya at Birla Hospital in Gwalior yesterday was reported after his condition suddenly deteriorated, while that of Narendra Singh Tomar (29) in Indore jail was under mysterious circumstances.

Arya, who reportedly held an MBBS degree, had allegedly helped two students clear Pre-Medical Tests (PMTs) conducted by MPPEB in 2007 and 2008, respectively.

Tomar, who was posted as Assistant Veterinary Officer at Raisen before being embroiled in the MPPEB scam, was an accused in the Pre-Medical Test conducted by MPPEB in 2009. Tomar was said to have arranged for impostors who had written the papers in place of genuine aspirants.

Three days back, the Special Investigating Team (SIT) probing the scandal had submitted to the MP High Court that 23 deceased in the MPPEB scam had died unnatural deaths so far. Some reports have claimed 40 such deaths.

The most high-profile death was that of Shailesh Yadav, son of Madhya Pradesh Governor Ram Naresh Yadav. Shailesh, 50, was found dead at his father’s residence in Mall Avenue area of Uttar Pradesh capital Lucknow on March 25 this year.

Ram Naresh Yadav, also a former chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, was himself made an accused in the MPPEB scam before getting relief from the court.

Vyapam scam is a massive admission and recruitment scandal involving politicians, bureaucrats and middlemen. Several politicians, including former education minister Laxmikant Sharma, a host of officials and scores of aspirants have been arrested in the case.

Accusing the chief minister of trying to cover up, Congress leader Digvijay Singh said the party has lost faith in the SIT appointed by the court.

“More than 41 people who were accused have died mysteriously. But unfortunately the Chief minister is trying to cover up and we are fighting the battle in court.

“We have lost total faith in the SIT appointed by the honourable High Court. They themselves have conveyed the helplessness to guide the STF investigation. So we have no option but to go to Supreme Court,” he said.

BJP leader Kailash Vijayarga said, “I have got to know that Narendra Tomar has committed suicide. Police is investigating the matter and it is true that it’s an abnormal death but I cannot ascertain the exact number of deaths of the people connected in the Vyapam Scam”.

BJP leader GVL Narasimha Rao said a large number of people have been arrested in the scam.

Vyapam Scam is one of the most extensive investigations that have been done in the country so far, he said.

“The Jabalpur HC had examined this matter several times and expressed complete trust in the investigation. The HC has constituted a special investigative team headed by a retired judge of High Court and there is a Special Task Force which is reporting to the SIT. It is one of the most robust investigations to get to the truth. Things like these will be certainly be taken cognisance of by the SIT,” Rao said.

Terming the way the case is being handled as very “saddening”, senior advocate Vivek Tankha said, “I haven’t seen such a scam in the whole world.

“The way in which this is being handled is very saddening. There is no confidence in the investigation and it is not going in the right direction. In a way we are witnessing the biggest cover up story of India. We are soon going to the Supreme Court. We will inform the SC about the two deaths that have taken place,” he said.

(PTI)

Holy Cow! Chinese inspectors may allow Indian beef exports

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Photo: KOON/AFP/Getty Images)

Photo: KOON/AFP/Getty Images)

New Delhi: Beef may be having rough days under the BJP government, but Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to China last monthmay have cleared the way for export of the holy meat to the world’s biggest market two years after an agreement was signed. Agri-products such as pomegranate, non-basmati rice and okra could also find their way to China as India steps up efforts to reduce the imbalance in bilateral trade.

Beijing will send an inspection team next month to examine meat plants in India so that the facilities can be cleared for exports. Indian bovine meat and meat products have been denied entry into China on grounds of alleged foot-and-mouth disease.”China’s quarantine inspectors are coming to inspect bovine meat facilities in July, which is two years after the memorandum of understanding was signed. We are hopeful that it will clear the way for our agri exports,” said a government official. “This will help address the issue of trade deficit to some extent, which, if not addressed, could reach unsustainable levels.”

India’s trade deficit with China widened to $48 billion in 2014-15 from $36 billion the previous year.

Taking no chances with the bilateral process, India also questioned China’s decision to continue curbs on Indian buffalo meat imports at an agriculture committee meeting of the World Trade Organization in April. China’s demand for Indian buffalo meat is estimated at about $1.5 billion a year.

India became the world’s top beef exporter last year. Bovine meat overtook basmati rice as the country’s single largest agri export item in 2014-15, posting a 10% growth to $4.79 billion.

China is among the top beef consumers and depends on imports to meet domestic demand. India has also asked China to approve the export clearance process for agri items such as pomegranate, okra, non-basmati rice and cucumber. China recently allowed Indian mangoes, basmati rice, rape seed and oil cakes.

“Chinese are mainly non-basmati rice consumers, with their annual imports ranging between $36-40 billion. So we are asking them to certify our clearance procedures for non-basmati rice. They have said that they will look into it,” said the official.

India wants China to allow 17 farm products that it has restricted citing sanitary and phyto sanitary conditions, also considered non-tariff barriers. “Since mango they have already cleared, we are pushing for pomegranate, okra, grapes and cucumbers in the next lot,” said the official.

Indian fruit and vegetables and non-basmati rice have an export potential worth $1-2 billion annually, according to estimates. India has asked China to expedite export clearance for tobacco, bitter gourd, papaya, guava, brinjal, custard apple, cabbage, capsicum and beans, among others.

India’s exports to China fell almost 20% to $12 billion in 2014-15, while imports rose to $60 billion. According to a foreign trade policy statement issued by India’s department of commerce in April, the trade deficit with China could widen to $60 billion in the next two years if the two countries don’t address market access constraints and non-tariff barriers imposed on Indian goods. India has proposed that exports from packaging units with certification from Indian quarantine authorities be recognised by the Chinese authorities.

India has been strongly pushing for elimination of non-tariff barriers by China in various sectors including agriculture, IT, pharma and auto components.

(Agencies)

#SelfieWithDaughter: Careful, Modi has record of stalking, says activist

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#SelfieWithDaughter

New Delhi: Activist and All India Progressive Women’s Association (AIPWA) secretary Kavita Krishnan has sparked a row on Twitter after she accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of having a record of stalking daughters.

During his radio programme ‘Mann Ki Baat’, on Sunday Modi had appealed people to share a selfie with their daughters and tag it as #SelfieWithDaughter to celebrate girl child.

Following PM Modi’s appeal, Kavita Krishnan, posted on her Twitter, “Careful before sharing #SelfieWithDaughter with #LameDuckPM. He has a record of stalking daughters.” leaving Modi supporters red faced.

It may be recalled here that in 2013, two investigative news portals had jointly released audiotapes of conversations between Amit Shah and IPS officer G L Singhal, accusing Narendra Modi’s aide of misusing the official machinery to order surveillance of a young woman at the behest of “saheb” in 2009.

Named “The Stalkers,” a short film of around 50 minutes was played in a press conference held at the Press Club. The story was an outcome of efforts put in by Cobrapost’s Anirudh Bahal and Gulail.com’s Ashish Khetan and Raja Chowdhury.

(Agencies)

Congress leader who complained against Pankaja Munde gets death threats

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Pankaja Munde

Mumbai: Congress leader Sachin Sawant who filed a complaint of corruption against Maharashtra’s Women and Child Development Minister Pankaja Munde on Friday claimed to have received multiple death threats.

“Since Thursday evening, I have got around 40 anonymous threats, mostly threatening to kill me,” said Sawant, the spokesman of the state unit. Mumbai police have provided him security.

“Police have temporarily posted two constables from the local police station at my residence. I shall lodge the detailed written complaint tomorrow morning,” said Sawant, who had on Wednesday filed a formal complaint with the state Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) accusing Munde of irregularities in awarding contracts worth Rs.206 crore (Rs.2.06 billion).

The ACB has sought a report from the state government on the complaint.

The ACB complaint pertains to the minister — daughter of the late union minister Gopinath Munde who was killed in a road accident in New Delhi last year — allegedly sanctioning contracts for buying food-items, water filters, medical kits and books for children without inviting e-tenders, as is mandatory.

Besides Sawant’s complaint with the ACB, former chief minister Prithviraj Chavan demanded a Central Bureau of Investigation probe into the issue.

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has said that there is no “prima facie evidence” of any wrongdoing by his cabinet colleague, but was open to a probe after examining the issue in detail.

Dismissing the allegations against her, Munde said she was prepared to face any probe or enquiry and accused vested political interests of attempts to dislodge her from the ministry and end her political career.

(Agencies)

Maggi will not be banned in Karnataka

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maggi-noodles

Bengaluru: Maggi will not be banned in Karnataka for now, declared minister for health and family welfare U T Khader during a press meet on June 26.

The decision follows a test by a private lab commissioned by the state government that found lead within permissible limits in the noodles.

The government is awaiting the result of a test for monosodium glutamate (MSG) content in Maggi to decide its further course of action, informed the minister.

Speaking on ban on Maggi in the state minister said the Union Government has asked the state government to ban the product. But, it will decide only after monosodium glutamate (MSG) content test in Maggi. The department has sent samples of six products including Maggi to Central Food Technological Research Institute (CFTRI), West Bengal. The reports may come in a week, he added.

However, he claimed that Food Safety and Standards Authority of India have not mentioned anything about MSG. There will be no ban on Maggi without justification, he said.

(Agencies)

CBI probe ordered against Teesta Setalvad's company

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Teesta Setalvad

New Delhi: A CBI probe has been ordered against social activist Teesta Setalvad-owned Sabrang Communications and Publishing Pvt Ltd (SCPPL) for receiving foreign funds from Ford Foundation in violation of the law, a home ministry official said on Friday.

“The CBI has been asked to complete the probe as soon as possible,” the official told IANS, adding that the bank accounts of SCPPL have also been frozen.

“The IDBI bank’s Khar west branch has been asked to freeze the company’s accounts,” he said.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI( has also been asked to give status report of the probe to the ministry on monthly basis.

The SCPPL was not entitled to receive foreign funds as a private limited company which did not have Foreign Contribution Regulation Act, 2010 (FCRA) registration, he said.

(IANS)

Ready to tie up with JD(S) for a non-Congress government in Karnataka: BJP

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JDS-BJP

Bidar: KS Eshwarappa, Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Council, has said that the Bharatiya Janata Party would not hesitate to form an alliance with the Janata Dal (Secular) to bring a non-Congress government to power in Karnataka.

Mr Eshwarappa, who was here on Friday to inaugurate an executive committee meeting of the BJP Slum Morcha, said that his party would do anything to dethrone Congress in the State.

“The Congress is getting the jitters just because JD(S) leader H.D Kumaraswamy and BJP leader B.S. Yeddurappa met in Hubballi. This shows the insecurity of the Siddharamaiah government and his party,” he said. Mr. Eshwarappa said the people were disgusted with the government and wanted it to go.

The BJP would start a campaign seeking the removal of Shivaraj Tangadagi from the State Cabinet as he was facing allegations of supporting rowdy elements who killed Yallalinga, a college student in Koppal district. The Minister who had no time for the victim’s family, went to the jail to console the accused, Mr. Eswarappa said.

“That is because the accused is the Minister’s supporter,” he alleged.

He challenged Mr. Siddharamaiah to settle dues of sugarcane growers before attending the Assembly session on July 29. “Otherwise, we will stall the proceedings,” Mr. Eshwarappa said.

BJP leaders would lead a protest rally from the house of a farmer who committed suicide in Badal Ankalagi village in Belagavi taluk to the Suvarna Vidhana Soudha, the venue of the Assembly session, he said.

The BJP leader alleged that the children of Congress leaders were involved in illegal sand extraction. He also wondered whether the sugar lobby was controlling the government.

“BJP workers and leaders will stage a State-wide protest against the government if it did not issue land ownership rights to slum dwellers in 100 says. We will protest outside the Chief Minister’s residence in Bengaluru,” he added.

(Agencies)

Modi praises Modi: Ex-IPL chief seeks to mend fences with PM

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narendra-modi-lalit-modi

New Delhi: The man who is instrumental in inviting the wrath of the opposition on the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its leader Narendra Modi now appears to be seeking to make amends, after the party said it would seek an interpol ‘red corner notice’ against him.

Lalit Modi, sitting in London, tweeted on Saturday that Prime Minister Modi was a “most savy (sic) man”.

The former chief of the Indian Premier League, embroiled in several controversies and whose passport was revoked by the Indian government, said that “when he (Modi) bats, he will hit the ball out of the park”.

Lalit Modi, who has been putting out reams of information through tweets and other media, was apparently helped by External Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj and Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhra Raje, at a time when he was being sought by the Enforcement Directorate during the previous United Progressive Alliance regime.

Modi’s tweet praising the prime minister came on the day Raje was in Delhi, for an official meeting, but was planning to meet the BJP brass to give her side of the story. According to sources, she was expected to meet the prime minister, but latest reports said that the meeting had not come through.

Raje has accepted that she had signed a document supporting the application of Lalit Modi for a residence visa in Britain. The opposition parties say that at best this points to an impropriety by a leading BJP leader when the IPL chief was wanted by the authorities in India.

Lalit Modi, who has been staying in London for several years, is sought by the Enforcement Directorate for alleged financial irregularities when he was the IPL head.

He has been tweeting regularly, often implying nothing more than a meeting with political figures.

On Friday he said that he and senior Congress leader Kapil Sibal had chatted over three days during a wedding in Istanbul.

Earlier the same day, Modi tweeted that he “bumped into” Congress president Sonia Gandhi’s daughter Priyanka and her husband Robert Vadra in a London restaurant last year.

He did not imply any wrongdoing or impropriety on their part. But the BJP, under attack for “supporting a fugitive”, immediately reacted asking the Congress president to explain what the meeting between the three was all about.

(Agencies)

Maharashtra Minister Pankaja Munde accused of Rs 206 cr 'scam'

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Pankaja Munde

Mumbai: Maharashtra’s Women and Child Development Minister Pankaja Munde was in trouble today following allegations that she cleared purchases worth Rs 206 crore through 24 Government Resolutions on a single day instead of inviting tenders.

The alleged purchases relate to a host of items including snacks and books for children in institutions across the state.

Dubbing it as a “big scam”, Congress and other opposition parties attacked the 8-month-old BJP-led government headed by Devendra Fadnavis.

Former chief minister and Congress leader Prithviraj Chavan demanded a CBI inquiry and said the scam exposed the “true colours” of the government.

Asked if he would demand Munde’s resignation, Chavan said “Be it Pankaja Munde or Vinod Tawade (education minister caught in a row over educational qualification), this government would not remove anyone. After all, this the policy of the Modi government to brazen out all allegations.”

“The scam has exposed the real character of this government. The Minister (Munde) must give an explanation on the issue”, Chavan said.

The scam first came to light on June 15, when the office of Pankaja Munde received a letter from Ahmednagar Zila Parishad president Manjushree Gund complaining about the quality of chikki (a popular snack) distributed to tribal students under the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS). Gund said the chikki was contaminated with clay.

This is the first time that an alleged scam of this magnitude has come to light after the BJP-Shiv Sena government took office.

All purchases were cleared by Munde, daughter of BJP stalwart late Gopinath Munde on a single day on February 13 through 24 Government Resolutions (GR).

As per norms, all government purchases above Rs 3 lakh have to be done through e-tendering. Fadnavis has banned purchases through the rate contract system, in which material is purchased after rates have been negotiated.

Pankaja Munde was unavailable for comments. An official in her department said the minister was out of India and was expected to return on June 28.

Munde said her decision to check corruption had “troubled” some “money-minded” people and that she was not scared of such accusations.

For years the women and child development department had been neglected and was taken “less seriously”, she said, adding that “I as a minister (have) taken some dynamic decision to reduce currption…has also troubled some money minded bunch of ppl (sic) involved…I hv not broken any rules as far I m concerned n also not feared any allegations”.

Senior BJP leader and Maharashtra Minister Eknath Khadse, while responding to the allegations, said,”Opposition keeps on levelling charges. We don’t take them seriously until they submit proof.”

BJP spokesperson Shaina NC said the opposition had levelled allegations “to be in news”. “The opposition wants to be in news. If Munde has done anything, it should be substantiated with proof.”

Accusing BJP and the Centre of double-speak, Congress’ media department chief Randeep Surjewala said,”We hope that BJP and its government will seriously investigate the way they used to say ‘na khayenge, na khane denge’ and will provide a corruption-free government.

“We hope that they will, before 1.25 crore people of India, prove that they do what they say,” he said, adding “as layers and layers of corruption get unveiled, one leader after another of BJP is getting exposed. First it was the External Affairs Minister helping a fugitive of law and a black money hoarder, we also saw forged degrees of Irani and now….Pankaja Munde.”

(PTI)

HC orders Karnataka goverment, EC to conduct BBMP polls by Aug 5

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karnataka-high-court

Bengaluru: The High Court has ordered the state government and the Election Commission to conduct elections to the BBMP by August 5, recently. The court also slammed the government for filing an interlocutory application (IA) in a bid to delay the elections.

Justice B V Nagarathna said, “All IAs, except one filed by Namma Bengaluru Foundation, are dismissed with costs, as these applications are not only an abuse of the process of this court, but contrary to the principle of the finality of litigation, and have taken up considerable time of this court”, in the given judgment.

She directed the authorities to comply with the spirit of a High Court order dated March 30, 2015, and an order of the Supreme Court dated May 5, 2015, by taking steps to hold elections.

The state government, Karnataka State Commission for SC/STs and others had filed impleading applications without any further prayers. This is not only frivolous, but an instance of the court being taken for granted, the judge said.

“The IA filed by state is dismissed with a cost of 10,000, payable to each petitioner. The applications filed by the other applicants are dismissed with a cost of 1,000, payable by each of the applicants to each petitioner, on every application filed by them, other than the Namma Bengaluru Foundation,” the order said.

Further the state Election Commission had objected to the plea, saying it would be held responsible if the elections were not held in time.

(Agencies)

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