In a scathing attack on the Congress after its leader Veerappa Moily accused Indian Air Force chief BS Dhanoa of “lying” on the Rafale deal, the BJP Thursday said it “totally exposes” the opposition party feeling “shattered” by the ongoing probe into the VVIP chopper contract.

In Hyderabad, Moily on Thursday had accused Dhanoa of “lying”, a day after the latter called the Rafale deal a “game changer” and the Supreme Court verdict on it a “very fine” judgment. 

“Comments of a senior leader like Moily totally exposes the Congress as he calls the IAF chief names. It shows its desperation is complete and it is totally shattered by the speed of inquiry that the government is doing against corruption,” Union Minister Prakash Javadekar told reporters.

He was apparently referring to the CBI probe into the purchase of VVIP choppers from AgustaWestland when the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) was in power. 

Moily had also demanded that Prime Minister Narendra Modi apologise for having sacrificed the security of the nation by entering into the deal. He said the IAF chief along with the head of Dassault Aviation, the manufacturers of Rafale fighter jets, had visited public sector HAL’s Bengaluru headquarters days before the Paris agreement and found it a “competent body with necessary expertise”.

“Today, to say it is fine (the SC judgement)…I think that IAF chief is not fine….He is not fine, he is lying. He is suppressing the truth. He is a party to suppressing the truth,” Moily told reporters here.

Later, talking to a TV news channel, Moily said, “Apology has to be given by Narendra Modi for having sacrificed the security of the nation, having sacrificed the exchequer.” He said Congress president Rahul Gandhi, who has been assailing the prime minister over the deal, need not apologise for the “bold stand” he has taken on the “scam of the century”. Instead, Gandhi should be appreciated, he said.

The BJP has been demanding an apology from Gandhi for attacking Modi over the Rafale deal even after the Supreme Court’s verdict which found no wrongdoing in it.

“Even the words expressed by the Supreme Court you have heard is based on falsehood and web of lies made by the government of India,” he said.
Moily said Modi gave a “certificate of incompetency” to HAL.

Dhanoa had on Wednesday hailed the SC order and deprecated attempts at politicising defence purchases, suggesting that this had earlier led to the delay in the Army acquiring the Bofors gun. “I am not going to comment on the judgment but the Supreme Court has given a very fine judgment. It has also said that this plane is badly needed,” he had told reporters in Jodhpur. 

Agencies

Nasheman News : Seventy people, including four children and five women were confirmed dead on Thursday while 56 were reported injured in a massive blaze in the Bangladesh capital that engulfed several multi-storey buildings in the Chawkbazar area of the old city.

The fire began in one building from a reported transformer blast, before spreading to at least seven-eight other buildings. Police said Bangladesh Air Force helicopters had to be used to douse the flames, Dhaka Tribune said. 

According to the Fire Service Control Room, 37 units from 31 stations worked for five hours to douse the blaze that started at 10.35 pm in a chemical unit in the Haji Wahed Mansion at Nanda Kumar Lane in Chawkbazar’s Churihatta. 

Muradul Islam, officer-in-charge (investigation) of Chawkbazar police station, said 67 bodies have been kept at the morgue. Of which, 58 are men; five women and the rest of them are children. He said so far, they have been able to identify only 19 victims. 

The injured were being treated at Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) and Mitford Hospital. 

Earlier, Dhaka Fire Service Control room official Mizanur confirmed the death of 70 people to the newspaper. 

While visiting the spot, Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal told the media that the fire has been brought under control completely. Road, Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader also visited the spot in the morning.

According to Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) registrar a total of 56 people were treated at the hospital. 

Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) officials said the fire spread rapidly due to the multiple chemical godowns that were situated in the area. 

The devastation was so huge that the mansion housing a warehouse of plastic products appeared to have tilted around 1.45 a.m., the media report said. 

A Fire Service Control Room official Mahfuz Riben confirmed: “We have so far recovered all 69 bodies.” An hour later one more body was recovered.

The Dhaka Metropolitan Police said the blaze spread rapidly due to multiple chemical godowns situated in the area. Fire Service Deputy Director Dilip Kumar Ghosh confirmed that the fire was finally doused completely around 3 a.m.

The death toll in the devastating inferno will rise, warned fire officials, who have been working throughout the night to douse the devastating blaze that first broke out in a three-storey building situated at the intersection of roads leading to Rahmatganj, Churihatta and Chawkbazar areas.

Numerous people, including women and children, were also injured and admitted to nearby hospitals, including Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) and Sir Salimullah Medical College Hospital (Mitford Hospital).

“Our priority right now is to douse the fire completely and tend to the wounded,” Dhaka South City Corporation Mayor Sayeed Khokon said.

Khokon and MP Haji M. Salim who had rushed to the spot, however, did not respond to questions about the warehouses in the buildings in Old Dhaka where chemicals are kept in unsafe conditions.

Wednesday night’s fire reminded many Old Dhaka residents of the Nimtoli fire tragedy that took place barely one kilometre from the spot on June 3, 2010 and killed at least 124 people.

In the last nine years though there has been little progress made in addressing the issues that led to the Nimtoli fire, or many smaller subsequent fires that took place, the media report added.

 Nasheman News : Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath here on Wednesday said despite the states finances not being in good shape, his government would fulfil its promise of loan waiver for farmers.

Taking part in a discussion on farmers’ issues in the Assembly, Nath said loans of 25 lakh farmers would be waived by March 5. He underlined that the state’s financial situation was not good but the government was committed to fulfilling the promise made to farmers. 

Responding to the Bharatiya Janata Party’s question why enough amount was not allocated for loan waiver in the state budget, Nath said it would be clear on March 5 how loans would be waived. 

The Congress has promised to waive up to Rs 2 lakh loans of 55 lakh farmers in Madhya Pradesh. The government has sought applications from the needy farmers in this regard.

Nasheman News :‘Namumkin ab mumkin hai’ (Impossible is possible now) will be the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) major poll campaign tagline for the 2019 general elections. The BJP is seeking a second term for Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The message through the slogan is clear. The things that looked impossible during the 10-year UPA rule have been made possible in the five-year regime of Modi. At the campaign, the party would list the government’s achievements, like 10 per cent reservation for poor in general categories, affordable medicine scheme and low-cost insurance plans.

A website, “http://www.narendramodi.live”, dedicated to providing videos of the Prime Minister’s speeches at election rallies and official visits, on Wednesday posted four scuh videos with the tagline “Namumkin ab mumkin hai”.

These videos show how the Modi government has turned impossible things, like providing affordable medicine and quality healthcare, safety net through insurance at low premium, ensuring a facilitating environment for entrepreneurs and reservation on the economic grounds, have become possible.

In one such video, an elderly man claims reservations on economic grounds is impossible in India. Responding to it, a youth says, “Namumkin ab mumkin hai”. It has been done now.

In another video, a woman tells her husband he was being misled by someone that an accidental death or disability insurance cover worth Rs 2 lakh for an annual premium of Rs 12 only can be availed. “In Rs 12 you can’t even buy handkerchief and you are talking about insurance,” the wife says.

The husband responds, “Yes, it is possible”, referring to the Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana (PMJJBY) and the Atal Pension Yojana (APY).

The video also talks about an assured monthly pension of Rs 3,000 for informal sector workers under the Pradhan Mantri Shram Yogi Maan-Dhan (PMSYM) scheme.

Besides this, the BJP is already running a media campaign with slogan “Abki Baar, Phir Modi Sarkar (This time, again Modi government)”. In 2014, BJP’s “Abki Baar Modi Sarkar” campaign slogan had caught the imagination of common voters.

“Abki Baar Modi Sarkar” slogan was created by Ajay Singh, Spicejet promoter and once the OSD of late Pramod Mahajan. The BJP is also running different campaigns with slogans “Saaf Niyat, Sahi Vikaas”, “Kaho dil se NaMo phir se” and several others.

Nasheman News :  West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday said the BJP is trying to “divide India” in the wake of Pulwama terror attack while she and other parties in the opposition alliance are fighting to keep the nation united.

Criticising incidents of violence against the Kashmiris in different parts of the country, Banerjee said action should be taken against the terrorists responsible for the attack in the Valley, but blaming an entire community or a state is not correct.

Banerjee also took a swipe at Meghalaya Governor Tathagata Roy for tweeting that he was “inclined to agree” to the appeal made by retired colonel of Indian Army to “boycott everything that is Kashmiri”.

Referring to a Kashmiri doctor in Kolkata, who was threatened by a group of people to leave the city a day after the Pulwama attack, Banerjee said her government has taken strong action against the offenders and provided adequate security to the Kashmiris residing here.

“In Kolkata only one incident happened. But we have taken strong action. We have provided all the security. The Kashmiris are all safe here. They are happy to stay here because it is a peaceful place,” she said.

She also revealed that the city police has been asked to take stringent action against the “BJP hooligans” who attacked city-based civil activists for taking out an anti-war rally on Wednesday.

Nasheman News : A day after appointment as AICC secretary, attached to party general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Kumar Ashish was sacked from the position by Congress President Rahul Gandhi, here on Wednesday. He has been replaced by Sachin Naik.

Though no reason was cited for Ashish’s sacking by the party in its release, sources say his blotted past could have prompted the Congress President’s decision.

As a youth Congress leader in 2005, Ashish had been booked by the Patna police for alleged involvement in the Bihar board examination papers leak. Even then, he had been sacked by the party. 

As part of efforts to ramp up the party organisation in Uttar Pradesh ahead of Lok Sabha elections, Rahul Gandhi had on Tuesday replaced AICC secretaries Prakash Joshi and Naseeb Singh with six new faces to assist party general secretaries Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and Jyotiraditya Scindia.

A party release said Zubair Khan, Kumar Ashish and Bajirao Khade would be party secretaries attached to Priyanka Gandhi, party in-charge of eastern UP.

Rana Goswami, Dhiraj Gurjar and Rohit Chaudhary were appointed secretaries attached to Scindia, in-charge of western UP.

Priyanka Gandhi and Scindia were appointed General Secretaries last month.

Nasheman News :Prime Minister Narendra Modi still remains popular with the masses but it would be difficult for the BJP to replicate its 2014 success in Uttar Pradesh, says a survey on the evolving political scenario in the state ahead of the upcoming elections.

The survey also says that the tension after the Pulwama terror attack will have a significant bearing on the upcoming general elections.

Released on Wednesday, the survey report by market research and brokerage firm CLSA says that the BJP would find it difficult to replicate its 2014 success, though it could still win over half of the Lok Sabha seats in the country’s most populous state.

“Our discussions with various politicians, including those of the BJP, indicate that the BJP would likely win 40-45 seats (out of 80) in UP, on the higher side against 73 back in 2014,” the report adds.

A CLSA team travelled across Uttar Pradesh over the past two weeks to reach its conclusions. 

During the course of its survey, it also found that Modi still remains popular on the ground across different castes, a factor that could translate into more votes in the caste-sensitive state.

And in what may come as good news for the Opposition, the CLSA report says the entry of Priyanka Gandhi — which has already energised the Congress cadres — may hurt the prospects of the Samajwadi Party-Bahujan Samaj Party (SP-BSP) combine and give the BJP a tough fight. 

The SP and the BSP have joined hands to corner the Muslim and Dalit votes. 

“Though the alliance is a formidable opposition to the BJP, the entry of Priyanka Gandhi can still take away some of SP-BSP vote share. If not formal, at least, an informal alliance with the Congress will be required for the combine to work,” the CLSA report says.

The survey adds that a possible alliance of the SP-BSP with the Congress can turn the tables and limit the gains made by the BJP, preventing a clean sweep of sorts registered by the party in the last general elections.

“We understand that the SP-BSP might tie-up with the Congress, at least informally, which could possibly limit the gains for the BJP,” says the report.

There is also a possibility of disgruntled party workers from the SP and the BSP, after the two joined hands, shifting to the Congress, which might help the BJP. 

But CLSA says that cow vigilantism in the state has badly hurt farmer sentiments turning a large section against the ruling party. 

Vigilantism has prevented farmers from selling their cattle and the excess cattle are, in turn, destroying farm produce.

The confusion in the state and the emerging political scenario does not portent good for the markets. 

The CLSA survey says that in the short term, domestic equity flows will likely reflect these political uncertainties over the next three months, driving the market lower.

Nasheman News : Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to inaugurate the direct income support scheme – PM KISAN – on Sunday by releasing the first instalment to the beneficiary farmers, an official said.

Modi will address the two-day national conclave of the BJP Kisan Morcha on Sunday and later release the money – Rs 2,000 per land holding – electronically to the bank accounts of farmers, mostly from Uttar Pradesh, with the click of a button. 

The UP government is working on war-footing to upload details of eligible farmers on the central database by Friday.

The BJP government intends to ensure release of first instalment to all eligible farmers – small and marginal – before the model code of conduct kicks in. 

In the interim budget, the Modi government announced direct income support of Rs 6,000 per year to 12.5 crore small and marginal farmers with land holding up to 2 hectares under the PM Kisan Samman Nidhi Yojana. 

With the JD(S) and Congress yet to formalise a seat-sharing arrangement for the 28 Lok Sabha seats, Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy on Tuesdaysaid the JD(S) were not beggars to be bullied by their alliance partner. “If the Congress has decided to give us three or five or seven seats, I would like to say that we are not beggars. I would like to clearly state this,” Deccan Chronicle quoted him as saying. The CM, who was responding to a query by reporters in Mysuru, added, “The Congress leaders have not discussed this with me, so I have not thought of it.”

Former CM Siddaramaiah, however, appeared to ease the tension. Reacting to the CM’s statements, Siddaramaiah, who was in Bengaluru at a Youth Congress meeting, said, “No one needs to beg from anyone. This is a coalition government and neither JD(S) nor the Congress is a beggar.’’

The decision to form a pre-poll alliance for the 2019 Lok Sabha polls were taken by the top brass of the two parties in a press conference just a week after Kumaraswamy won the floor test after days of political uncertainty in Karnataka in mid-2018. The press conference was addressed by CM Kumaraswamy, KC Venugopal, former CM Siddaramaiah, DK Shivakumar and Congress Lok Sabha leader Mallikarjun Kharge.

At present, after the recent bye-poll victories, the Congress has 10 seats while the JD(S) has two.

According to the political grapevine, former Prime Minister and JD(S) patriarch HD Deve Gowda has agreed to lower his initial demand of 12 seats to 10 seats with the Congress maintaining that they will not give up any of the seats they currently hold.

With the JD(S)’s stronghold being limited to the Cauvery delta region of Old Mysuru, the party is assured of the seats in the Vokkaliga dominant regions. Other than that, they are seeking seats from Bidar, Vijaypura and Shimoga. With Deve Gowda touted to leave his stronghold of Hassan for his grandson Prajwal, the Congress might leave Bengaluru North seat, too, for the JD(S).

Agencies