[Nasheman news] New DelhiTop BJP leadership including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Amit Shah on Friday hailed Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman for her reply in the Lok Sabha, saying she demolished Congress’ lies and misinformation campaign on Rafale fighter jets deal.
Soon after Sitharaman’s speech, Modi tweeted: “Defence Minister @nsitharaman’s speech in the Parliament demolishes the campaign of calumny on Rafale.”
He also posted the video of her reply after a debate in the lower House on the Rafale deal.
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) President Amit Shah said: “A LIE goes only so far and no further. Defence Minister Smt @nsitharaman ji has completely demolished Congress party’s lies and misinformation campaign on Rafale with her excellent speech loaded with facts.”
Shah tweeted and congratulated Sitharaman for “bringing the truth to the nation”.
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley tweeted: “Well done! Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman ji, for an outstanding performance. You demolished the fake campaign. We are all proud of your performance.”
Goa’s iconic Raj Bhavan building now on state’s tourism map
[Nasheman news] Panaji Goa’s iconic Raj Bhavan, a 16th century colonial structure, is now on Goa’s tourism map.
The structure houses the official residence of Goa’s governor, as well as a sea-facing view overlooking the Dona Paula bay and a stunning historic chapel.
It was formally opened on Friday for the ‘Raj Bhavan Darshan’ tour in association with the Goa Tourism Development Corporation, which functions under the aegis of the state Tourism Ministry.
“The tour will enable tourists to gain a historic view of Raj Bhavan as well as enjoy the beauty of the place,” said corporation chairperson Dayanand Sopte.
“We will also be adding more elements, such as short programmes depicting the cultural aspects of Goa, to these tours so that visitors learn more about the true Goa,” Governor Mridula Sinha said at the inauguration ceremony.
The tours will be open to the general public and tourists only on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
Tax raids on Karnataka actors, producers continue in Bengaluru
[Nasheman news] Bengaluru Searches by the Income-Tax sleuths of four top Kannada film actors and three producers continued on the second day in their premises across the city for alleged tax evasion, an official said on Friday.
“The searches are on in all the premises of the actors and producers. We cannot say if they conclude by Friday, as the officials are going through voluminous files, documents and other materials related to source of income, investments and collections,” the official told IANS on the condition of anonymity.
The four Kannada or sandalwood super stars are Shivaraj Kumar, his younger brother Puneeth Kumar, Sudeep and Yash. The three film producers are Rockline Venkatesh, C.R. Manohar and B. Vijay Kiragandhur.
“A press note can be issued only after the searches are completed,” added the official.
About 30 teams consisting of 5-6 officers in each team from the Income Tax (Investigations) cell began the search and seize operation on Thursday at 8:00 a.m. in 27 locations across the city where the actors and producers have their offices and residences.
The searches are being conducted under Section 132 of the Income-Tax Act, 1961, after warrants were issued to the actors and producers in advance.
Super stars Shivaraj and Puneeth are the sons of Kannada matinee idol and thespian Rajkumar.
According to sources in the Karnataka Film Chamber of Commerce (KFCC), the searches were in connection with a couple of recent films with which the actors and producers concerned were associated.
“The films were produced with mega budgets and sold to distributors and exhibitors at a high premium. As they were a superhit at the box office, the collections were also huge. The tax sleuths are verifying accounts and transactions incurred in the films,” a KFCC source told IANS on Thursday.
Some of the blockbusters are Manohar’s ‘Villain’, starring Shivaraj and Sudeep and Vijaykumar’s ‘KGF’ by Yash. Venkatesh’s ‘Nata Parahumana’ with Puneeth as its hero is yet to be released.
Ram temple not narrative for Lok Sabha polls: Rahul
New Delhi (IANS) Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Friday said the narrative for upcoming Lok Sabha elections will not revolve around the Ram temple but issues such as jobs, farmers problems and “corruption in the Rafale deal”.
“The narrative is very simple for 2019 elections. Jobs for India’s youth. What will set the narrative is destruction of economy by (Prime Minister) Narendra Modi,” Gandhi said.
“The third narrative is education and healthcare for India’s people. And the last is immense corruption done by Mr. Narendra Modi where he stole Rs 30,000 crore from the nation in the Rafale deal and gave it to his friend,” he added.
The Congress President’s remarks came in response to a media query outside Parliament as to whether the Ram Mandir issue at Ayodhya would affect the upcoming general elections.
Gandhi said that the Ayodhya issue is being heard by the Supreme Court. “Let’s see what Supreme Court will do on Ram temple,” he said.
Union Minister Smriti Irani, who was on Friday visiting Amethi in Uttar Pradesh, the parliamentary constituency of Rahul Gandhi, attacked the Congress President over his remarks.
“Rahul Gandhi has made it clear today that he has no connection with Ram lalla, he has nothing to do with Mandir,” Irani said.
Expedite process to approve BBMP’s ad bylaws : HC
The High Court of Karnataka on Thursday said it expected the State government to expedite the process of approving the Outdoor Signage and Public Messaging Bylaws 2018, which was sent by the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike for final consent of the State after considering the objections and suggestions for the draft bylaws notified in October last year.
A Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Dinesh Maheshwari and Justice S. Sujatha made the observation in this regard when the government counsel said the State required about four weeks to examine the bylaws.
When it was pointed out to the court that illegal posters and flexes were being put up now and then in different parts of the city, the Bench asked what the city police were doing as they are supposed to keep a vigil against such illegal activities, using closed-circuit camera surveillance system and patrolling.
The Bench adjourned till January 7 the hearing on the PIL petition related to illegal hoardings, banners, flexes, etc, while indicating that it will pass orders on the applications filed by the individual advertising agencies and their association seeking permission to be part of the PIL proceedings.
150 shanties gutted in Noida blaze
Nasheman News : Around 150 hutments in Noida were gutted in a massive fire that broke out on Friday morning, police said.
The incident took place at Sarfabad village in Sector 49 of Noida.
Fourteen fire tenders were pressed into service which took nearly three hours to douse the flames.
Chief Fire Officer (CFO) Arun Kumar Singh said that one person, identified as Amzad Dafadar, had been injured in the incident. Dafadar was admitted to the Noida district hospital.
While the reason of the blaze has not yet been established, prima facie it appears that a gas cylinder burst led to the fire, an official told IANS.
Did Sri Lankan woman pray at Sabarimala? She denies
Nasheman News : A 47-year-old Sri Lankan woman, who is said to have prayed at the Sabarimala temple on Thursday night, said on Friday that she was denied a ‘darshan’ by the police.
While TV channels showed a woman having ‘darshan’, a furious Sasikala vehemently denied this had happened.
“I was not allowed darshan by the police and I was sent away,” Sasikala told the media.
Her husband, identified as Sharavanan, said it was only he who prayed at the temple, not his wife.
State Devasom (Temple) Minister Kadakampally Surendran said: “We need not find out if she had darshan or not. The government does not need to know. Women are free to pray. How can we stop women from praying at the temple?”
The TV visuals, however, show a woman moving to have ‘darshan’ but with a different holy kit compared to the one Sasikala was carrying when she spoke to the media.
Before dawn on Wednesday, two Kerala women in the hitherto banned age group (10-50) prayed at the temple, leading to violent protests from those opposed to women’s entry into the shrine.
Sitharaman dismisses allegation of corruption in Rafale deal
Nasheman News : Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Friday dismissed all allegations of corruption in the Rafale fighter jet deal and hit back at Congress saying while Bofors deal was a scam, the Rafale deal was in national interest which would bring Narendra Modi back as Prime Minister.
“Bofors was a scam, but Rafale was a decision taken in national interest. Rafale will bring back Modi to build a new India and remove corruption,” she said in a reply lasting over two-and-a-half hours in the Lok Sabha to a debate on the deal with French manufacturer Dassault.
The Minister said there was a difference between defence dealings and dealing in defence.
“We deal in defence with national security as a priority,” she said.
She said the first Rafale fighter jet will be delivered in September this year and the remaining 35 aircraft will be delivered by 2022.
Sitharaman also accused the Congress of shedding crocodile tears for HAL.
“Congress government gave 53 waivers to HAL while we have given contracts worth Rs 1 lakh crore,” she said.
Modi hiked benchmark price of Rafale deal from euro 5.2 bn to 8.2 bn: Congress
Nasheman News : Claiming “fresh revelations” in the Rafale fighter jet deal, the Congress on Friday alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi increased the benchmark price of the deal from euro 5.2 billion to 8.2 billion, resulting in a loss to the exchequer.
“Fresh revelations further expose brazen corruption practices in Rafale deal. The entire spectrum of deception lies at the doorstep of the Prime Minister, who overruled the objections raised and recorded by the ‘Negotiations Team’ in Rafale deal,” the party said ahead of the resumption of the debate on the deal in the Lok Sabha on Friday.
Addressing a press conference in Parliament, senior Congress leader and Rajya Sabha member Ghulam Nabi Azad said: “The Modi government has gone to the extent of even submitting false affidavits to mislead the Supreme Court to hide the truth of the Rafale scam. This kind of government should be terminated.”
Attacking the Modi government, he said the country has now understood how big the Rafale scam is.
“The Modi government is doing everything in its might to hide it,” Azad said. “Therefore, we have always believed that JPC (Joint Parliamentary Committee) is the only appropriate medium to look into the matter.”
Accusing the BJP-led government of increasing the benchmark price of the Rafale deal, he said: “The Prime Minister increased the ‘Benchmark Price’ from from euro 5.2 billion to euro 8.2 billion.”
Senior Congress leader and Lok Sabha member Mallikarjuna Kharge accused Modi of lying to Parliament and the Supreme Court.
Kharge said: “They submitted false affidavits regarding CAG (Comptroller and Auditor General) report and is claiming to have got a clean chit from Supreme Court.
“Those who are defending the Prime MInister are lying,” he said.
Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala also slammed the Prime Minister and said that fresh revelations further expose the brazen corrupt practices in the Rafale deal.
“The entire spectrum of deception lies at the doorstep of the Prime Minister, who overruled the objections raised and recorded by raised by the ‘Negotiations Team’ in Rafale deal,” Surjewala said.
Hitting out at Modi over the “increased benchmark” price, the Congress leader said: “This fact was also confirmed in November 2018 by Sudhanshu Mohanty, Head of Finance, Ministry of Defence (uptil May 2016), who spilled the beans and indicted the Modi government.”
He claimed that till date the Prime Minister or Defence Minister (Niramala Sitharaman) did not contradict the statement of Mohanty.
Surjewala also accused Modi of waiving the ‘Advance and Performance Bank Guarantee and Sovereign Guarantee’ and said: “Objections on the Defence Ministry file reads no advance and performance bank guarantee has been obtained from Dassault Aviation and the advance payments made prior to delivery are not secured.”
Showing the documents, Surjewala claimed that on December 9, 2015, the Law Ministry flagged the issue of ‘no bank guarantee/sovereign guarantee’ by the French government and noted the concern that the deal involves huge payout from public exchequer without actual delivery in form of advance payments.
“On March 7, 2016, then Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar refused to opine or accept the ‘Letter of Comfort’ in lieu of the ‘Bank-French Government Guarantee,” Surjewala said.
He also said that on August 18, 2016, the Air Acquisition Wing of the Defence Ministry put up a note stating that bank guarantees may be insisted from France as required and the Indian side may bear bank guarantee charges.
“On August 23, 2016, Law Ministry again reiterated to the Defence Ministry about requirement of ‘French Government-Sovereign Guarantee’ as a condition of Defence Procurement Procedure (DPP). And on August 24, 2016 i.e. the very next day, PM Modi, in Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS), accepts the ‘Letter of Comfort’ and waives off the condition of ‘Bank Guarantee/French Government Sovereign Guarantee,” he said.
Surjewala also alleged that Modi ignored that ‘maintenance terms and conditions’ that read “the maintenance terms and conditions including PBG (Performance Based Guarantee) of 36 Rafale IGA was not better than that of 126 MMRCA (Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft) Rafale bid.
He said that the file reads: “The delivery schedule of 36 Rafale IGA was not better than that of 126 MMRCA bid.”
“The Prime Minister proceeded despite delivery delays, comprising national security preparedness.”
He highlighted that the objections on the Defence Ministry file said that as per the prices reflected in Dassault’s financial results, it had sold Rafale at a cheaper rate to Qatar and Egypt as compared to India.
Rahul says will go for criminal investigation in Rafale deal if voted to power
Nasheman News : Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Friday said there will be a criminal investigation into the Rafale deal if Congress comes to power in the 2019 elections, stating that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is being accused of wrongdoings in the deal but is running away from the questions posed to him.
Talking to reporters in the Parliament House complex, he said that Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman should answer the specific questions posed by him to Modi when she replies to the debate on the Rafale deal.
He said Lok Sabha on Wednesday witnessed a discussion on the deal that “PM has personally signed.”
“You witnessed that the government refused to answer fundamental questions. Arun Jaitley did not answer the fundamental questions. The Prime Minister, who is being accused in the matter, chose to run away from the House, did not put his foot in the Lok Sabha,” he said.
Gandhi said Jaitley should answer his questions instead of abusing him.
“The fundamental question here is there should be a JPC (joint parliamentary committee) probe. Supreme Court has said that Rafale inquiry is not in its jurisdiction. If we come to power in 2019, there will be criminal investigation and people responsible will be punished,” he said.
Gandhi said the youth of the country are putting questions to the prime minister.
“Who decided to raise the price of the fighter jet from Rs 526 crore to Rs 1600 crore? Whose decision was this? Was this the decision of the Air Force, Defence Ministry or Prime Minister? We want clear cut answers,” he said.
Gandhi said an important question is if the Defence Ministry had objected to any element of the deal.
“Are there documents with the Defence Ministry that they opposed the deal? She should say there were no objections. If there are objections and file notings, then on what basis did the Prime Minister overrule these questions? I hope she will answer but I have my doubts she will not be able to,” he said.
The Congress chief said the Indian Air Force wanted 126 fighter planes but the government is purchasing only 36 planes. “Were national security considerations taken into consideration (while taking the decision)?”
He alleged that a private entity made Rs 30,000 crore in the offset deal.
He said the contract to manufacture planes should have come to HAL but the planes being procured by government are being manufactured in France.
“The industry should have come to India. Who decided to keep HAL out? This is not Narendra Modi’s money. This your money,” he said.
The Congress leader claimed that former French President Francois Hollande has said that Modi “made it clear” that the deal to purchase fighter jets will go through if the offsets contract is given to the private entity.
He said Sitharaman in her reply should state if Modi pushed the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited out of the deal to manufacture the planes.