Nasheman News : Son of Tej Bahadur Yadav, the Border Security Force Constable who made news as his video on the bad quality food served to soldiers became viral, was found dead at his residence in Haryana.

Rohit, son of dismissed Tej Bahadur Yadav, the Border Security Force Constable, was found dead at his residence in Shanti Vihar in Rewari, Haryana.According to the police official, “We received a call that Rohit has committed suicide. At the crime spot, we discovered that the room was locked from inside. The body was lying on the bed. There was a pistol in his hands. His father has gone to attend Kumbh Mela. We have informed him.”Tej Bahadur Yadav had posted four videos on the social media in January, 2017, that showed him complaining about the unpalatable food at his camp along the Indo-Pakistan border in Jammu and Kashmir. The videos triggered outrage across the nation, but the BSF dismissed his allegations. He was later dismissed from service.

Even Bhadur’s family had talked to the media after the infamous episode and told that Bahadur indeed ate a low-quality food and because of this, his health has been affected.

Nasheman News : The Delhi High Court on Friday granted bail to alleged hawala dealer Muhammad Aslam Wani, who is accused of money-laundering.

The court allowed bail plea of Wani asking him to furnish a personal bond of Rs 3 lakh and two sureties of like amount.

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) in September 2017 filed a chargesheet against Wani and Kashmiri separatist leader Shabir Shah under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

Wani was arrested on August 6, 2017. He had reportedly confessed that he had passed on hawala money amounting to Rs 2.25 crore to Shah.

Shah was arrested on July 25, 2017, on charges of money-laundering in previous case when the Delhi Police Special Cell arrested Wani.

Both of them have denied the charges.

Nasheman News : Rejecting the farm loan waiver as a permanent solution, the BJP on Friday said that the Centre will announce relief measures in Budget 2019 that will boost farmers economically.

Addressing a press conference, the Bharatiya Janata Party farmer’s cell chief Virendra Singh Mast said that the party would also hold a two-day national convention for farmers in February in Uttar Pradesh’s Gorakhpur, which would be addressed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

“We have sent several requests to the government regarding farmers. In coming Budget you can see it’s reflection,” he said.

“The Modi government has taken historical steps to improve the condition of the farmers and in the coming days some decisions will be taken to economically strengthen them,” Mast, an MP from Bhadohi in Uttar Pradesh said.

He, however, did not disclose what kind of measures the Centre was likely to announce.

Asked about agrarian unrest and the Congress’ promise of loan waiver that worked for it in the recently concluded Assembly polls in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh where the BJP was ousted from power, he said that loan waiver is not a permanent solution but a temporary arrangement.

“Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had announced a loan waiver of Rs 56,000 crore but what happened. Did it benefit farmers? This is not a permanent solution,” he said.

Announcing the two-day National Convention for Farmers in Gorakhpur, he said that the Prime Minister will address the valedictory session on February 24.

He said the party would organise a press conferences on farmers issues across the country in February and would reach out to the farmers with steps taken by the government in the last four-and-a-half years.

Three “missing” Karnataka lawmakers remain a big worry for the Congress even though the party says it has successfully dodged the BJP’s “Operation Lotus” to topple its coalition government in a coup.

The Congress has ordered all its legislators to show up at a meeting in Bengaluru where attendance is a must and absence will be seen as exit from the party.

The “rebel” Congress legislators are believed to be in a hotel in Mumbai, along with two independent lawmakers. Reports say a BJP parliamentarian, Sanjay Ramchandra Patil, visited the hotel this morning to meet them. Among the legislators is Ramesh Jarkiholi, who was openly upset about being denied a place in Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy’s recent cabinet expansion.

Former chief minister Siddaramaiah, who is the leader of the Congress Legislature Party, said he had asked Ramesh Jarkiholi’s brother Satish Jarkiholi to call him. So far, it doesn’t seem to have produced any results.

Ramesh Jarkiholi, worryingly for the Congress, has been incommunicado since Tuesday. On Wednesday, two legislators who had gone into “hiding” with him returned to Bengaluru and surfaced near a Congress meeting.

All of Wednesday, Satish Jarkiholi, a first-time legislator who was made a minister in the cabinet rejig even as his brother was dropped, reportedly tried to get him to come around.

“I’m not ordering the legislators to be present. It’s the BJP’s allegation,” said Mr Siddaramaiah, hitting out at the BJP’s BS Yeddyurappa, who has been accused by the Congress of trying to induce its lawmakers to cross over.

“Yeddyurappa was chief minister and has been accusing me of poaching MLAs. Does he have any self-respect,” Mr Siddaramaiah asked.

One of the Congress lawmakers gone AWOL is B Nagendra, who vehemently denies he is in touch with the BJP. “I went to Mumbai for personal reasons. I have business there and go there from time to time. Don’t take it in any other way that I was in contact with someone. I’m not against anyone. I’m not going to BJP. I don’t know about Ramesh Jarkiholi,” Mr Nagendra told reporters.

The Congress rebels camping at a luxury hotel in Mumbai and 104 BJP lawmakers sequestered at a resort in Gurgaon near Delhi this week set the stage for what many believed was a Karnataka coalition crash engineered either by the BJP or within the Congress. The speculation peaked after two independent lawmakers withdrew support from the Kumarasamy-led Congress-Janata Dal Secular government.

The Congress repeatedly called it a redux of “Operation Lotus (the BJP’s election symbol)” – the name given for the BJP’s alleged attempts to lure away lawmakers from the Congress-Janata Dal Secular government.

After the return of two of the missing Congress lawmakers, the ruling coalition leaders said the BJP had aborted its coup attempt.

The JDS-Congress alliance has 118 lawmakers in the 225-member Karnataka assembly, where the majority mark is 113.

Accusing BJP chief Amit Shah of trying to topple the Karnataka government by kidnapping his party MLAs, senior Congress leader BK Hariprasad on Thursday said it’s because of his deed that the BJP president is suffering from swine flu. Shah was on Wednesday night admitted to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) after being diagnosed with swine flu.

“Bogus Chanakya tried thrice and failed. They are daydreaming. Amit Shah has kidnapped four Congress MLAs and their family members will file habeas corpus. That’s why Amit Shah is suffering from swine flu so he should calm down,” said Hariprasad.

The HD Kumaraswamy-led Karnataka government faced a setback recently after two independent MLAs decided to withdraw support. The crisis deepened further after it was reported that a few Congress MLAs were in Mumbai and were in touch with BJP leaders. The Congress alleged that the BJP was trying to poach its MLAs to topple the state government ruled by JD(S)-Congress alliance.

The BJP, however, rejected the allegations and instead accused the grand old party of trying to lure its MLAs in Karnataka.

Agencies

Congress Should Support Me : Raj

By: Rizwan Asad

Nasheman News : Prakash Raj happens to be a multilingual actor having created a niche for himself as in actor in Kannada, Malyalam, Telugu, Tamil & above all Hindi.

And now Prakash Raj has taken a leap in the political firmament too. Presented herewith is the 1^st ever press conference account today of Prakash Raj’s opinionated personal nuggets & pearls of wisdom before, after & during his leap into his latest entry in the political arena. Tune in!

 “Ever since I was that high I have never taken a decision on the predestined journeys of my life, whereas in contrast my journeys have always taken firm decisions for me.”  

 “To cite an example on New Year’s night I had made an announcement that I wanted to be with you people but before that an attempt to become parliamentary members has its own requirements.” “People may question me as to why I want to be with the people of Bengaluru Central? But let me explain that many people don’t know that Bengluru Central is my very own constituency, as I was born here, brought up here, educated here & took up theatre here & not only these but the cinema industry is also in my very own constituency.”

 “Besides all the above mentioned factors even my childhood friends, relatives & everybody is here. So it was but natural that I decided to come back to my roots when I decided to take a plunge in the ever competitive political field.  Actually speaking Bengaluru Central is like a mini India as many languages are spoken here and it also happens to be a very secular urban seat.” 

“And now the million dollar question that is put before me is that why am I contesting for the assembly elections? So you see that during the assembly polls when I travelled all over the state & saw the communal politics right at that moment I decided against electoral politics. As I just wanted to be a catalyst, in fact I wanted to be the voice of the people. That apart over the past 6 months I felt that every people’s voice should be heard.” 

The next million dollar question that is put before me is that why did I ever decide to be an independent candidate? My frank & honest answer to that is if I get into any political party I won’t survive for more than 3 months, so why join any party at all. The true fact is that I want to be the voice of the citizens. Today, any parliamentarian who stands for a party and the ones who gets lakhs of votes, just fly to Delhi and the minute they go to Delhi they become one vote for their party. I decided on independent to become a questioning rational voice. In the next 3 months parties have to put forward their policies. In the next 4 months I shouldn’t just be just asking but also answerable too. You have seen me as an actor & activist always questioning while travelling.”

 “In India today not even a single political party will have a majority & they are just trying to survive. In fact they are just trying to protect each other & nobody is interested in the well being & welfare of the people. If they are secular let us support them why should I lose my voice. If any party with secular policies decides to support me I will welcome them but I will never join them. If the Congress party feels that I will eat in their votes then why can’t they come & support me.”

 “In a country when communalism comes people will oppose it. If there is a group of people opposing communalism then why not join them as independent. It is important to stand against communalism but why should one join a party? I agree that the goal is same then let the paths be different.”

 “People are also saying that I’m contesting against 2 national parties, but let me clarify that I am not contesting against anybody I am contesting for the people. I have a team & we have just started 6 months ago. And they thought that I was raising a voice for them but the truth is that I was raising a voice for a movement.”

 “Let me clarify one more thing that I’m not against any religion but when someone says that other religion people are 2^nd class citizens I would say that that it is totally against the Constitution. People keep asking about caste equations but Bengaluru Central is not like that.” “Let me tell you something if I was a calculative politician I would have looked at incentives but I’m not. I am leaving my comfort zone to come to politics. I have an ideology & something to prove & I also have a journey to undertake for the benefit of the people.”

 “Although I know what has to be done & know the issues too but I don’t want to be arrogant & know what to do. From 20^th Jan, 2019 I will seek to make a people’s manifesto. It will be an exercise of 15 days to 20 days.” “Not tapping on minority votes, these equations are important because it has been fought like this & allowed to be fought like this. Let us leave polarizing.Everybody is a citizen of the country let them come, why say that only friends from film line will come.” “There are a lot of issues. Have you read about Sachar report? Has any government done anything for that Community. They spend 60 crores on election but what is happening to MPLAD funds? Look at the government schools & slums, what happened to our tax money? Everybody is a thief. What have they done for the people? Many opportunists have come in the past & doubts are good. To have a doubt is a healthy thing.” 

“Acting was my profession but people don’t see me anymore only as an actor. They also see me as someone who raises a voice for the people. But to support only because I’m an actor is not good.” 

“You see I never spoke in favor of any political party but against those I was clear shouldn’t come to power. Our citizens should be such that they should give a certificate to any work done by the authorities.”“In fact this is not courage it is a practical decision. Doctors, lawyers, actors all of them contest some lose some win. But we are all citizens.”

 “Everybody has a certain time when they change their views & the Gauri Lankesh murder was that for me. It changed my thinking.” 

“On a parting note I would say that they should also be ashamed of operation Kamala. Are they working as an opposition? None of them are worried about working for the people, including those who are angry that they are not offered good posts.”

Nasheman News :  Accusing ailing Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar of avoiding meeting legislators from the Opposition, state Congress President Girish Chodankar on Friday said if Parrikar continues this, the Opposition party would raise a ruckus in the forthcoming state Assembly session.

“Parrikar has been skipping office regularly. When it comes to meeting him, it is only the ruling MLAs and BJP leaders that get preference. Despite repeated official requests, Parrikar has not even had the courtesy of meeting our Leader of Opposition, let alone any Congress MLA,” Chodankar told reporters here.

“If he dodges meeting the Leader of Opposition Chandrakant Kavlekar on Monday during the Assembly Business Advisory Committee meeting, then the Congress MLAs will raise the issue of his inaccesibility in the Assembly session,” he added.

In the Business Advisory Committee meeting, the agenda for the upcoming three-day Budget Session of the state Legislative Assembly, scheduled to be held later in January, is expected to be finalised. 

Both Parrikar, as Chief Minister and Kavlekar as Leader of Opposition, are part of the six-member Committee.

Parrikar is suffering from advanced pancreatic cancer and has been in and out of hospitals in Goa, Mumbai, Delhi and New York since February 2018. While the former Defence Minister, strapped with medical paraphernalia, has been making public appearances now and then, public access to the Chief Minister is limited, much to the chargin of the Opposition members.

According to sources in the Goa Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Parrikar is expected to attend the Assembly session which begins on January 29. 

“The Chief Minister will take part in the Assembly proceedings and will table the budget too, irrespective of health concerns,” a party functionary said on condition of anonymity.

N Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram on Friday accused the government of compromising national security and asked why it bought only 36 Rafale fighter jets instead of 126 required by the Air Force.

His comments come in the wake of fresh revelations on the Rafale deal in a media report which claimed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s decision to but 36 aircraft instead of the 126 asked for by the Air Force pushed the price of each jet up by 41.42 per cent.

“In the light of new facts and revelations in media, the question gains greater urgency: why did the government buy only 36 Rafale aircraft instead of 126 aircraft required by the Air Force?,” Chidambaram asked in a tweet.

“The Government has compromised national security by denying to the Air Force the 7 squadrons (126 aircraft) that it desperately needs,” he said.

Congress leader Jyotiraditya Scindia also took to Twitter to demand answers from Modi on the increased cost of aircraft. “The PM’s unilateral decision to buy 36 Rafales resulted in a price escalation of 41.42 per cent per jet. When will the prime minister answer? he asked.

Addressing a minorities convention in Bengaluru on Thursday, the former Prime Minister said JD(S) is committed to facing the Lok Sabha elections along with Congress to defeat BJP. 

Janata Dal (Secular) supremo HD Deve Gowda on Thursday asked the Congress to cooperate in his fight to defeat communal forces in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.

Addressing a minorities convention in Bengaluru on Thursday, the former Prime Minister said JD(S) is committed to facing the Lok Sabha elections along with Congress to defeat BJP. 

Gowda said (Chief Minister H D) Kumaraswamy’s swearing-in ceremony in May 2018, which was attended by leaders of all secular parties, had sent a strong message that secular forces across the country 
were coming together to defeat the BJP.

Kumaraswamy said he has joined hands with the Congress to keep communal forces away from the power and in the Lok Sabha elections, JD(S) and the Congress will together win all 28 seats in the state. 

Over a fortnight ago, 40-year-old Shivanna, a farmer from Kammagondanahalli in Karnataka’s Tumakuru district was going about his daily routine when he noticed an earth mover bulldozing its way into his farm.

The contractor in-charge of the widening of NH 206 had sent his workers to mow down the four-acre plot he owns in order to begin construction. Just before the earth mover could touch the first coconut tree demarcating his land, Shivanna stood between the vehicle and the tree, and refused to budge.

“How dare you come here and think you can usurp my land. Ask the government to send me my money first or give me another plot of land. Then I will allow you to mow down my precious trees,” Shivanna said.

Just like Shivanna, hundreds of farmers in Tumakuru, Hassan, Chikkamagaluru and Shivamogga districts are about to lose their land for the Union government’s ambitious project to convert NH 206 into a four-lane drive. The National Highways Authority of India (NHA) has taken up the widening of NH 206 along a 215-km stretch, which passes through Tumakuru district’s Tumakuru town, Gubbi, Tiptur and Arsikere, Shivamogga, and Kadur and Tarikere areas in Hassan district.

 Farmers in these regions allege that the government is refusing to pay them the market value for the land they are about to lose. Since January 11, over 150 farmers from these districts have launched an indefinite strike against the government’s decision to go ahead with the project by offering them a “pittance” in return for their land. The farmers have camped outside the Assistant Commissioner of Tiptur’s office and are demanding to meet the NHAI officials.

“More than 80% of the properties they are acquiring is agricultural land. The NHAI is violating laws and not paying us the right amount of money for our land. I own three acres and 10 guntas of land. The central government is saying it will pay me only Rs 5,000 per gunta. I will be getting Rs 1.5 lakh for my land. My family’s livelihood depends on the vegetables and millets we grow. I will not be able to buy even a few guntas of land with this money elsewhere,” says 43-year-old Manohar, a farmer from Tiptur.

Manohar has spent Rs 13 lakh to install borewells on his land and says that the market value for his land is Rs 2 lakh per gunta.

“I own a coconut farm and I also grow areca nuts and vegetables. My family and I have lived happily until now. We will lose everything and will be left in lurch if we do not get compensation. We are not saying that we are opposed to the project. But we need to be able to buy land elsewhere. Either the government gives us the right amount or allot other agricultural land for us,” Shivanna says.

It has been seven days since the farmers began their indefinite strike. The disgruntled farmers have set up a camp along the footpath outside the AC’s office and are even cooking meals and sleeping at the protest venue. Protestors say that they will not allow a single earth mover to begin work until they are rightly compensated.

Speaking to media, Yashoda, the land acquisition officer appointed for the project says that the Centre has fixed the rates in compliance with the Land Acquisition Act 2013. “We have taken the average market value of the land for the year 2016, since that’s when the project was announced. The land value varies from place to place and if notifications have been issued incorrectly, it will be rectified. If the farmers have any problem with the rates, they can approach the court and appeal,” Yashoda added.

Farmers also allege that the NHAI did not conduct an environmental impact assessment and that the new alignment of the highway will cut across three eco-sensitive areas. Farmers also say that if the project is implemented, the man-animal conflict in the region will increase.

“The elephant corridor in Tumakuru will be disrupted. Chowdalapura and Konanakavalu forests in Tiptur and the Bukkapattana forest in Gubbi will be affected. Since environment impact assessment was not done, the government has not even counted the number of trees they will cut down. There is a lot of man-animal conflict in Tumakuru district and several leopards, foxes, snakes and elephants have died. If this road comes in the forest area, there will be increased threat,” Manohar adds.