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Asaduddin Owaisi: AIMIM will contest BBMP polls

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asaduddin-owaisi

Mysuru: All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) president and Member of Parliament Asaduddin Owaisi on Saturday said that his party would field candidates in the upcoming elections to the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP).

The Hyderabad-based party had performed well in the elections to the Aurangabad Municipal Corporation held recently.

Owaisi, who is on a private visit to the city, hit out at the Congress and the state government for imposing a ban on his entry to Bengaluru city.

The emergence of AIMIM in Maharashtra has started to haunt the Congress, Owaisi said and added that the party (Congress) had not learnt a lesson from the poll debacle in Maharashtra.

In an interaction with media persons, he said that Muslims and dalits face common issues like poverty, high rate of school dropouts, less graduates and social discrimination.

Owaisi said that there was no law and order problem after he addressed a meeting near Bhatkal in Uttara Kannada district.

Owaisi said that he has appealed in the High Court against the ban order.

“I can speak in the Indian Parliament, but not on the streets of Bengaluru… they are afraid of me,” the MP added.

“If they (Congress) have done so much (for dailts and Muslims), why is that in 2009 and 2014 elections not even a single Muslim was elected to the Parliament from Karnataka…How many Muslim MLAs are there in the Assembly…?” he asked.

He charged that successive state governments have failed to develop areas with a large Muslim population in the Hyderabad-Karnataka region of the state like Kalaburagi, Bidar and other places.

(Agencies)

Bengaluru: Six-year-old girl raped by high school boys

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rape-case

Bengaluru: A 6-year-old girl was allegedly raped by two high school boys at Bannerghatta near here, police said today.

The incident took place yesterday when she was playing with her brother and the boys, they said.

The boys took the girl to an isolated place nearby and raped her. Her brother who arrived at the scene searching for her soon rushed home and informed his grandparents about the incident, police said.

The girl was immediately taken to a doctor for medical examination by the police who visited her soon after getting to know about the incident.

“A case has been registered under Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act and various sections of IPC,” Bangalore (Rural) Superintendent of Police, Ramesh Bhanot, told PTI.

“Both accused are minors. One of them was arrested yesterday, while search is on for the other who is absconding,” he said.

(PTI)

Modi’s helpless wife moves State Information Commission with fresh RTI

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Jashodaben

Ahmedabad: Jashodaben, wife of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, filed a fresh RTI application at the State Information Commission in Gandhinagar Saturday, challenging the Mehsana RTI appellate authority’s February 6 order, which denied her information she had sought under RTI in November, 2104, on her security and privileges as PM’s spouse.

In the February order, Mehsana District Police Superintendent J R Mothalia had denied Jashodaben the information, arguing that it came under LIB department and as per a 2005 circular of Gujarat Government’s home department, the LIB was exempted from providing the information.

Distressed by the stonewalling of attempts made by her to seek information under RTI twice, Jashodaben may go to Delhi to meet the Prime Minister, said her nephew, Sandip Modi, who is also her advocate.

Jashodaben has also objected to her being referred to by her maiden name, instead of her married one. In her application, she has reasserted her legally married name of Jashodaben Narendrabhai Modi, overturning the RTI reply, given to her by Mehsana Public Information Officer, which simply referred to her as “Shrimati Jashodaben, daughter of Chimanlal Modi”.

Jashodaben came to the Information Commissioner’s office with Sandip Modi Saturday to file the application. Sandip Modi told The Sunday Express, “We have filed an application, challenging the order given to us in February. How can they (authority) change the status of her name — Jashodaben Narendrabhai Modi?”

(Agencies)

Nepalese slam Indian media, #GoHomeIndianMedia trends

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GoHomeIndianMedia

Kathmandu: The Indian media is facing flak for its coverage of the earthquake disaster in Nepal with complaints in the social media that it was treating the tragedy as a “public relations exercise” on behalf of the Indian government.

As Nepal picks up pieces in the aftermath of last month’s devastating earthquake that killed over 7,000 people and injured more than 14,000, some have picked holes in the “relentless and aggressive” coverage by the Indian media.

By Sunday evening #GoHomeIndianMedia, which was created on Twitter for slamming the Indian media, was the top trending hashtag in Nepal with more than 60,000 tweets on the topic.

As grief-stricken people in Nepal took to social media in droves to complain what they called as Indian media’s “insensitive” reportage of the worst earthquake to hit the Himalayan nation in 80 years, the criticism ironically came on the occasion of the World Press Freedom day today.

At the same time, there have been critical responses to the negative reactions in the social media with comments like the Indian media coverage being “largely responsible” for how the rest of the world saw the Nepal tragedy and even driving global response.

While grateful for the aid and help in rescue efforts, some sections of the media were panned on the social media for pitching the tragedy as a “Public Relations exercise” for the Indian government.

“…Media humiliated poor Nepal in order to take credit & cheap publicity in the hour of crisis. Sad,” said one tweet.

In a blog published on CNN, Sunita Shakya of Nepali origin writes, “Your media and media personnel are acting like they are shooting some kind of family serials.”

She also goes on to describe a couple of instances where she says the reporter did not do enough to help the injured person in need.

“Thanks to tons of reporters who came to Nepal from those rescue planes of India, you took a seat where a victim could be transported to hospitals/ health camps. Thanks to you all reporters, you took a seat where a bag of food and supplies could be placed to send to those hardly hit places,” she added.

Kunda Dixit, a veteran journalist, was quoted has having said that some Nepalis, not all, feel India media is a bit patronising in their attitude and that is perhaps why such sentiments are being expressed. That is how a section of the Nepali media also feels, according to Dixit.

The Indian media was accused by the Twitterati of being insensitive to survivors, asking them irrelevant questions such as “How are you feeling?” and not rendering help to those needing immediate medical aid.

“If your media person can reach to the places where the relief supplies have not reached, at this time of crisis can’t they take a first-aid kit or some food supplies with them as well,?,” asked Shakya.

Some tweets said that Nepal is a sovereign country and not a “satellite state”.

Dear@narendramodi our Dharahara may have fallen not our sovereignty! Sinerely Nepalese #GoHomeIndianMedia, said one tweet while another sarcastically said, “Mr. @narendramodi please call your media back. They r just hurting us more.”

“The height of event management!!! Shame on media’s sycophancy,” read another tweet.

“#GoHomeIndianMedia is about Indian Media. It has nothing to do with Indian Government. Indian Government was the first to reach Nepal,” was another tweet.

Ajay Bhadra Khanal, a veteran journalist, was quoted as having said that the Indian media’s “aggressive presence” and the way they are highlighting only their government’s role in resuce and relief efforts has affected the perception among Nepalis of the Indian government.

Here are some of the tweets:

A tweet from a person followed by Indian Embassy Kathmandu shows how serious the matter is #GoHomeIndianMedia pic.twitter.com/2i5s2Zd2KF

— I Blocked Aajtak (@umeshd516) May 3, 2015

Stop your Media-quake!! We are already in pang by devastating Earthquake and your news are not helping the victims!! #GoHomeIndianMedia

— सूचना घिमिरे ツ (@artless77) May 3, 2015

Dear Indian media, we shall welcome you back once you learn the basics and ABCs of journalism. For now leave. #GoHomeIndianMedia

— prakriti khadka (@khadka_prakriti) May 3, 2015

#GoHomeIndianMedia @aajtak @abpnewstv @IndiaToday Mr. @narendramodi please call your media back. They r just hurting us more

— लुरे (Nishan Aryal) (@fantastic_fan) May 3, 2015

According to the Nepalese police, the death toll recorded in Nepal till date is 7,040 and nearly 14,123 people have been left injured.

(PTI)

One in four Indians admit to practicing untouchability: Survey

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caste

New Delhi: 65 years after untouchability was abolished, one in four Indians admit to practicing it in some form in their homes– a shocking fact revealed by a pan-India survey that was flagged at a seminar of Dalit intellectuals, writers and academicians here.

Indians belonging to virtually every religion and caste group, including Muslims, Christians, Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, admit to practicing untouchability, shows the India Human Development Survey (IHDS- 2).

The survey was conducted by National Council of Applied Economic Research (NCAER) and University of Maryland, US and its full results are to be released later this year.

The issue was highlighted at a seminar “Rise of the Oppressed: Impact of Dalit Literary and Cultural interventions in Maharashtra and Beyond over the weekend.

Speakers including former member of Planning Commission Bhalchandra Munagekar Y S Alone, Professor of Art and Aesthetics, JNU, and Waman Kendre, Director of National School of Drama, Suhas Borkar of Working Group on Alternative Strategies, called for waging a war on “the mindset of social injustice”.

After Borker spoke about the findings of the survey, other speakers including Mungekar, who is a member of the Rajya Sabha, said that the revelations were quite shocking.

Munagekar recalled the pain and hardship he and his family had to undergo due to the stigma of being a Dalit. He, however, said that the writings of Babasheb Ambedkar and Jnanpith Award winner V S Khandekar had greatly influenced his way of thinking.

Alone said dismantling of hegemony of the upper castes began with the rise of the Ambedkar movement in the country.

Kendre dwelt upon the tradition of great Dalit writers and poets like Namdev Dhasal, Annabhau Sathe, Daya Pawar, Shantibai Kamble and Narayan Surve among others and how their revolutionary writings brought about a resurgence and gave a sense of self-confidence to the Dalits.

Smita Patil, Assistant Professor, School of Gender and Development Studies, IGNOU spoke about the contribution of Dalit women writers.

Speaking about the impact of Dalit literature beyond Maharasthra, Ram Chandra, Associate Professor of Language, Literature and Cultural Studies at JNU, called for rejection of the “exploitative and unjust” Hindu caste system.

The seminar was organised by Maharashtra Sanskritik Ani Rannaniti Adhyayan Samiti and Working Group on Alternative Strategies.

(PTI)

Rahul attacks government on real estate bill, calls it pro-builders

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Rahul Gandhi

New Delhi: Firing yet another salvo at Narendra Modi government, Rahul Gandhi today claimed it had diluted provisions of Real Estate Regulatory Authority Bill making the legislation pro-builders from being pro-buyers.

After meeting several NCR flat buyers today, the Congress Vice President, who has been attacking the Centre over land bill issue and the plight of farmers, said that he had learnt that it is not just farmers and tribals but also the middle class people that are “suppressed” on matters related to land.

Assuring homebuyers that he would stand by them, Gandhi said that it was due to lack of transparency, the buyers were left in a quandary.

“They are told that you will get the flat on a particular day but for years they don’t get the flat. They are told the super duper area of the flat would be so much but what is delivered is different,” he said.

He said that someone was promised that the flat will have a good view, but a few months after the flat was delivered, another building came up and the view was blocked.

He said the government was trying to destroy the Bill which Congress led UPA had brought to regulate the real estate sector.

“Main dilution is that there was clear transparency. The carpet area that you sign is what would be given. They have diluted and from pro-buyer, made it pro-builder,” he said.

Attacking the government, he said, “What it is doing against farmers and tribals, it is also doing against the middle class”.

“I have assured them that the way I stand with farmers and tribals I stand with them also,” he told reporters.

(Agencies)

Voting in Karnataka could be made compulsory

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COMPULSORY-VOTING

Bengaluru: Karnataka is scheduled to make voting compulsory. According to reports, the government proposes to penalize citizens for not voting, and incentivize voting by providing rewards.

A senior official in the rural development and panchayat raj ministry said the state government has floated the idea of making voting mandatory in panchayat elections with a tentative fine of up to Rs 500 or two-day imprisonment for those who don’t vote.

It is also said that the government may ask applicants to show certificates of voting while issuing ration cards or driving licences. However, citizens who have genuine reasons for being unable to vote will be exempted. People who choose the NOTA option will get voting certificates.

All these proposals are, however, still in a nascent stage and may not apply for the upcoming gram panchayat elections in May. “We are still in the process of framing rules for the new legislation which will take some time. We have decided to seek suggestions from an expert committee in implementing the new rules,” rural development and panchayat raj minister H K Patil told a daily newspaper.

As of now, he said, the government is readying the voting certificates that will be issued to all voters who get their fingers inked in the gram panchayat elections.

(Agencies)

Only grabbing headlines: Arun Shourie attacks Modi government

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Asked if the Modi government had done enough to put India on growth path, Mr. Shourie said that it was “all hyperbole.”

arun-shourie

Arun Shourie, a Minister in the Vajpayee Cabinet, hit out at the Narendra Modi government on Friday, saying its economic policy was “directionless” while the social climate was causing “great anxiety” among the minorities.

Mr. Shourie said the one-year rule of Modi was “good in parts”, his transformation as Prime Minister was good in foreign policy, but the promised turnaround in the economy had not happened.

“The government seems to be more concerned with managing headlines than putting policies in place. The situation is like the many pieces of a jigsaw puzzle lying in a mess with no big picture in mind about how to put them together,” he told a private news channel. Mr. Shourie, who is not active in BJP these days, said despite promises, the fears of foreign investors on retrospective taxes and incentives for manufacturing have not materialised on the ground. “They (investors) require stability and predictability,” he said, adding that the concern expressed by banker Deepak Parekh on the situation on the ground should be seen as a “wake-up call“.

Asked if the Modi government had done enough to put India on growth path, Mr. Shourie said that it was “all hyperbole.”

“Such claims are meant to grab headlines but lack substance,” he said. “The government is talking big on economic matters, but nothing is happening on the ground. Delivery is missing,” he added.

In an apparent reference to Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, he said the government lacked a stable approach in dealing with investors and that “lawyerly arguments” would not convince them. He was also critical of handling of the tax issues which was keeping foreign investors away. “First it alienated them but now it has made them laugh. You come out as bullies.”

(PTI)

Dawood Ibrahim wanted to surrender: former Delhi Police chief

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Neeraj-Kumar-Dawood-Ibrahim

New Delhi: Former Delhi police commissioner Neeraj Kumar has claimed that underworld don Dawood Ibrahim, the mastermind of the 1993 serial blasts in Mumbai that claimed around 300 lives, wanted to surrender but the CBI did not agree to it.

Neeraj Kumar also claimed to have spoken to Dawood Ibrahim three times in June 1994.

“I spoke to a jittery Dawood three times in June 1994… He seemed to be toying with the idea of surrendering but had one worry – his rival gangs could finish him off if he returned to India. I told him his safety would be the responsibility of the CBI,” Neeraj Kumar has told Hindustan Times.

“Dawood was worried that his rivals may kill him if he would come back. I played along and told him that the CBI would take care of his safety if he were to return but before we could actually talk terms of surrender, my bosses in the CBI told me to back off,” Neeraj Kumar says in the HT interview.

In June 1994, Neeraj Kumar was with the CBI and he was leading the agency’s probe into 1993 Mumbai blasts.

Reacting to Neeraj Kumar’s claims, former CBI director Vijay Rama Rao said, “No such offer of surrender came from Dawood Ibrahim. If it’s the case, it was not brought to my knowledge.”

“Let all facts come out. Without entire facts be known, it would be premature and incorrect to say anything,” BJP leader Nalin Kohli said.

Last December, the Modi government, in bilateral talks with Pakistan, had sought custody of Dawood Dawood Ibrahim.

Intelligence sources also said that Dawood is a special guest staying in Pakistan’s much guarded defence area and so much is the secrecy that Pakistan sees that Dawood and his kin fly to Saudi Arabia for pilgrimage in charter flights.

(Agencies)

Punjab Minister kicks up row, says Moga victim's death God's will

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MOGA-RAPE

Moga: Punjab Education Minister Surjit Singh Rakhra today triggered a controversy by making an insensitive comment that the death of the teenage girl, who was molested and thrown off a bus belonging to the ruling Badal family, was God’s will. ‘Nobody can stop accidents. Whatever happens does so by God’s will.

“We can always meet with an accident. We will do more for the people….What has happened is unfortunate. You cannot go against nature’s will,” he said.

Rejecting government compensation and demanding action against the owners of the vehicle, family members of the girl have refused to perform her last rites.”There is no headway on this issue (on the cremation),” Moga SSP Jatinder Singh Khehra said.

The body of girl has been kept in a mortuary at Singhawala village here.All attempts by the state authorities to persuade the bereaved family to cremate her proved futile after they rejected a compensation of Rs 20 lakh, a government job for her mother, her free treatment and holding trial of the case in a fast track court.

The family was insisting that the owners of the bus, Orbit Aviation, be booked in connection with the offence and its road permits be cancelled, a demand vociferously supported by AAP.

“I want justice. I want justice for my daughter. FIR should be registered against those whom the bus belonged to,” victim’s father had said yesterday.

When he was asked whether he wanted registration of FIR against Sukhbir Badal, he had said, “FIR can be lodged against him (Sukhbir) after all he is a human being.””Is there nobody in the world who can lodge FIR against him (Sukhbir),” he had questioned yesterday.

The 13-year-old victim and her mother were thrown off the moving bus by a group of men, including the conductor, after they resisted molestation attempts on Thursday.

Meanwhile, Punjab Congress led by its chief Partap Singh Bajwa has given a call for ‘Rail Roko’ agitation for an hour starting at noon to protest against the “deteriorating” law and order situation in the state and to draw attention to the farmers’ problems.

“The deteriorating law and order situation will be part of the ‘Rail Roko’ agitation whose main focus will be the demands of the farmers,” he said.

Congress Spokesperson Randeep Surjewala charged that the family has refused to cremate the victim as the police is pressuring them to arrive at a compromise.

“Ministers of Akali Dal-BJP government are giving out insensitive statements. This is inhuman and completely reflects the arrogance of power that has surpassed the basic tenets of humanity,” he said.

SAD MLA Joginder Singh Jain accused the opposition parties of adding fuel to the fire.

“The government has taken all action possible within its limits till now. The opposition parties including AAP and Congress are simply adding fuel to the fire.

They are misleading the family and bringing disrepute to the girl’s modesty,” he said.

As far as the compensation issue is concerned, he said “It has been given as ex-gratia and not as a bribe. The opposition is watching the drama        and doing nothing. They (family) have not refused to take compensation from us. Infact they were the ones who demanded money and a job.”

“We got a special exemption from the government to give a job in the corporation to their 16-year-old son,” he said.

(PTI)

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