Rs 2,000 aid to BPL families announced not eyeing elections’
Nasheman News : Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K. Palaniswami on Tuesday said the Rs 2,000 assistance to 60 lakh below the poverty line (BPL) families was not announced with an eye on the Lok Sabha elections.
On Monday, Palaniswami made the announcement to provide financial assistance to the BPL families in the state affected by the cyclone Gaja, drought and failure of rains.
Speaking in the Assembly, Palaniswami said many districts are suffering from drought and agricultural workers are not getting sufficient wages. People affected by the cyclone Gaja in several districts of the state don’t have jobs.
Taking these factors into account, the government announced Rs 2,000 financial grant to the BPL families, he said.
“The aid will be given to all the BPL families regardless of their political affiliation.”
He said the outlay for this will be Rs 1,200 crore and will be made in the supplementary demands for grants to be made this fiscal.
Karnataka BJP seeks judicial probe into audio tape
Nasheman News : The BJP’s Karnataka unit on Tuesday sought a judicial inquiry into the audio tape in which state Assembly Speaker K.R. Ramesh Kumar’s name figured in an alleged conversation between party leader B.S. Yeddyurappa and JD-S legislator Naganagouda Kandakur’s son Sharanagouda.
“The Speaker should order a House committee probe or judicial inquiry into the audio tape as we do not trust the (state) government to hold a fair probe by its police monitored SIT,” Bharatiya Janata Party MLA J.C. Madhuswamy said in the Assembly amid a ruckus between the ruling and opposition members.
Echoing Madhuswamy, another BJP MLA Suresh Kumar said his party feared a Special Investigation Team (SIT) probe would lead to a witch hunt against its members.
“Hence, we urge a judicial probe into the audio tape,” Kumar told the Speaker.
On the Speaker’s directive, Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy on Monday ordered the SIT probe into the audio tape he released on February 8 to expose Yeddyurappa’s alleged attempt to lure Kandakur to join the BJP.
The Speaker has asked for the inquiry report in the next 15 days.
Rejecting the BJP’s demand, Kumar said an SIT probe was desirable as a judicial inquiry would be delayed.
Kumar adjourned the House proceedings when the ruling and opposition members levelled charges and counter-charges during the debate on the issue.
Congress misleading people on Rafale issue: Rajnath
Nasheman News : Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday accused the Congress of misleading people by raking up the Rafale fighter jet deal issue repeatedly.
The Minister’s remarks during Zero Hour in the Lok Sabha, prompted the Congress to criticise the government and stage a walkout from the House.
“The issue has been discussed in detail in the House and the Supreme Court has also put the matter to rest. The Congress has been raking up the issue every now and then. But the truth will remain true,” he said.
Politics is not done by by misleading the people. A person should have the guts to speak the truth, Singh added.
To this, Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge reiterated his party’s demand to constitute a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) to probe the deal.
“The Prime Minister does not have the courage to constitute a JPC. You constitute a JPC, we will prove the misdeeds,” he said.
Kharge had earlier said that if the Prime Minister has nothing to hide, then he should come forth and announce the JPC probe for a detailed inquiry into the matter.
Kumarswamy accuses Modi of playing cheap politics
Chief minister H D Kumaraswamy has accused the government in the center led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi of exhibiting low class politics for not inviting him for the official programme of the PM in Hubballi – Dharwad.
Speaking to the media on Sunday, February 10, Kumaraswamy said, “The state bears its share of 50% on all railway projects. Still no official invitation is sent to me for the government programme in which the Prime Minister was participating. This shows the petty politics played by the Prime Minister. I do not have any ill-feeling or objection for the BJP party event that they are organizing. However, they should have had the basic courtesy of inviting me for the government function.”
The programmes attended by Modi on Sunday, February 10 in the twin cities of Hubballi – Dharwad included the foundation stone laying ceremony of the proposed new IIT building at Dharwad and gas pipeline projects, in addition to addressing a political rally in Hubballi.
The Congress leaders also cried foul on the behaviour of the central government and said that it is an insult to the chief minister Kumaraswamy. KPCC president Dinesh Gundu Rao said that the Modi government is taking the credit of the establishment of IIT in Dharwad but they have forgotten that the state government has provided 500 acres of prime land for this dream to become a reality.
Joining in the bashing of Modi, D K Shivakumar, minister for water resources said, “The protocol is not followed in this case. Just printing the name of H D Kumaraswamy is not enough. He is the chief minister of the state and should have received a personal invitation. The CM wanted to take part in the event. But he was ignored. This is a huge insult to our state.”
Speaker orders probe into audio tape released by HDK
The Karnataka Assembly Speaker on Monday ordered an inquiry into an audio clip, released by Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy last week to expose the BJPs alleged attempts to lure a JD-S MLA, that mentioned his name.
In the clip former Chief Minister and BJP leader B S Yeddyurappa allegedly mentioned Speaker K R Ramesh Kumar’s name while in conversation with Nanganagiuda Kandakur’s son, Sharanagouda, on February 7.
Playing the clip to the media here on February 8, Kumaraswamy and Sharanagouda alleged that Yeddyurappa agreed to pay an unspecified amount if Kandakur left the Janata Dal-Secular and joined the Bharatiya Janata Party.
“I have asked the Chief Minister to form a Special Committee to inquire into the contents of the audio tape in which my name was mentioned,” Kumar told the members, after Congress Minister for Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Krishna Byre Gowda raised it in the Lower House of the Assembly.
Kumar also said the Committee must submit its report in the next 15 days.
Sharanagouda also claimed that Yeddyurappa told him that the Speaker could be booked by paying Rs 50 crore for not invoking the anti-defection law against Kandakur in the event of his defecting to the BJP from the JD-S.
Terming the reference to him in the audio tape as contempt of the House, Kumar said he was pained by his name being mentioned in the episode.
“Whichever MLA took my name in the audio tape must step out of politics or I should be out of politics. Such a statement is a contempt of the House,” Kumar told the legislators as the issue rocked the proceedings of the Budget Session.
The purported audio tape in Kannada was said to have been recorded on February 7, between Yeddyurappa and Sharanagouda at a guest house at Devadurga in Raichur district, about 480 km from here.
Yeddyurappa, however, on Sunday claimed that the audio tape was fabricated and its contents doctored though it was in his voice and accused Kumaraswamy of blackmailing him.
“I met Sharanagouda at Devadurga on February 7 and discussed many things. But the content in the audio tape is fabricated and its voice doctored,” Yeddyurappa told reporters at Hubballi.
Recalling what transpired between him and Sharanagouda, Yeddyurappa said he would retire from politics if Kumaraswamy would prove that he told Sharangouda money (Rs 50 crore) would be given to Kumar for not invoking the anti-defection law if Kandakur joined the BJP.
Global energy arena changing: Modi
Nasheman News : Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said globally the perception of energy consumption and supply is changing and nations are coming together to tackle climate change.
“Winds of change are evident in the global energy arena. There is a shift in energy consumption from West to East,” Modi said addressing the Petrotech Expo Mart being organised here.
“Energy supply, energy sources and energy consumption patterns are changing. Perhaps, this could be a historic transition,” he added.
The Prime Minister also said that signs of convergence between cheaper renewable energy, technologies and digital applications was also becoming evident.
“This may expedite the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Nations are coming together to tackle climate change,” he stated.
Talking about energy justice in India which has been given top priority by the government, Modi stated that many policies have been developed and implemented.
“We need to move to responsible pricing, which balances the interests of both the producer and consumer. We also need to move towards transparent and flexible markets for both oil and gas,” he noted.
Saudis don’t know where Khashoggi’s body is: Minister
Nasheman News : Saudi Arabia does not know where murdered journalist Jamal Khashoggi’s body is, the Kingdom’s Foreign Affairs Minister Adel al-Jubeir has said, despite having in custody the Saudi team that killed him.
In an interview to US’ CBS’ “Face the Nation” show that was broadcast on Sunday, Al-Jubeir said: “The death of Jamal Khashoggi was a mass-massive tragedy. It was a mistake…. committed by officials of the Saudi government acting outside their scope of authority.”
He said that 11 individuals have been charged with the crime and the trials have begun. “We have said we will investigate. We will hold those accountable- those responsible accountable and we will punish them.”
Khashoggi, a Washington Post columnist and a supporter-turned-critic of Saudi Prince Mohammad bin Salman, was murdered inside the Kingdom’s consulate in Turkey’s Istanbul on October 2 and his body was reportedly dismembered with a bone saw. His remains are yet to be found.
Al-Jubeir told the US programme that “we don’t know” where is Khashoggi’s body and that the public prosecutor responsible for the case had sought evidence from Turkey but had received no response.
“We are still waiting to receive any evidence they (Turkey) may have.”
On being asked why those in detention can’t reveal where Khashoggi’s body was, Al-Jubeir said: “We are still investigating. We have now a number of possibilities and we’re asking them what they did with the body.
“… I think this investigation is ongoing, and I would expect that eventually we will find the truth.”
The minister again denied the Crown Prince’s involvement in the murder. “Nobody in Saudi Arabia knew about the murder except the people who did it.”
He also dismissed the New York Times’ report detailing how US intelligence intercepted communications of Bin Salman telling a top aide in 2017 that he would “use a bullet” on the journalist if he did not return to the Kingdom.
“This was not a government sanctioned operation. We have an investigation and we have a trial. And many things have been put out that turned out to be incorrect.”
The US’ Central Intelligence Agency has, however, concluded the Saudi operation was likely directed by the Crown Prince.
‘Political obituary’ of Rahul Gandhi written today: Akali Dal leader
Nasheman News : A Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader said on Monday that Congress President Rahul Gandhi’s “political obituary” had been written with the launch of his sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra into active politics.
“Aaj bhog pai gaya hai Rahul Gandhi ji da (Today, the political obituary of Rahul Gandhi has been written),” Bikram Singh Majithia told the media here while reacting to Priyanka Gandhi’s first roadshow in Lucknow after becoming the General Secretary in charge of East Uttar Pradesh.
Majithia, who is Union Minister for Food Processing Harsimrat Kaur Badal’s younger brother, said that by launching Priyanka Gandhi, the Congress party has itself admitted to the political failure of Rahul Gandhi.
“The Congress has admitted on its own that Rahul is a failure and things are not working (for the party). So they have brought in the sister now. The writing is on the wall for the Congress,” Majithia, a former cabinet minister in Punjab, said.
“It does not matter to us. The Congress can decide who it wants to bring forward. Whether it is Rahul Gandhi or (mother) Sonia Gandhi or (brother-in-law) Robert Vadra, we have nothing to do with this,” he added.
Modi launches various projects in Karnataka
Nasheman News : Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived here in Karnataka on Sunday to launch development projects and address a BJP rally.
After laying the foundation stone for the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) campus building in Dharwad, he dedicated to the nation the 1.5 million tonne Mangaluru and the 2.5 million tonne Padur strategic reserve petroleum facilities of the Indian Strategic Petroleum Reserves Ltd (ISPRL) as well as the doubled 18 km Chikjajur-Mayakonda section of railway track.
He also initiated the electrification project of the 346-km-long Hospeta-Hubballi-Vasco da Gama railway line.
Prime Minister Modi also witnessed the e-griha pravesh (house warming) of 2,384 houses built at Dharwad under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana.