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The Supreme Court on Friday dismissed the plea of BJP leader G Janardhana Reddy for letting him go to Ballari to campaign for his brother, who is a candidate for the upcoming assembly elections in Karnataka.

The BJP has been facing intense criticism from the Congress since it named Janardhana Reddy’s brothers – Gali Somashekhara Reddy and Karunakara Reddy – as its candidates for the assembly election.

Janardhana Reddy, a former minister who has bulk of accusations against him, was soon seen campaigning across the district for the BJP.
He was barred from entering his home-town Ballari, the heart of his mining empire. However, on Wednesday, he was seen just outside the district, campaigning for his friend V Sriramulu, the BJP candidate in Molakalmuru.

The Reddy brothers – MLA and ministers during the earlier BJP government in the state – have been accused of conducting largescale illegal mining across the iron-ore-rich district of Ballari.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday shared the stage with one of the Reddy brothers in Ballari.

Calling Delhi Chief Minister and AAP supremo a habitual liar, founder party member Kumar Vishwas said that his statements against Union Minister Arun Jaitley — relating to the alleged irregularities in the Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA) — were based on information he received as a party worker.

“Yaa to unhone (Kejriwal) tab jhoot bola tha yaa abhi bol rahe hai. Ab jab mai kaagzaat maang raha hoon to vo de nahi rahe hai. Ye aadatan jhoota aadmi hai, jiski vajah se abhi ye paristithiyan hai. (Either he lied previously or is lying now. He is not giving the documents. He is a habitual liar, due to which the current situation arose),” he told the Delhi High Court on Thursday.

While regretting the damage and injury caused to Jaitley, Vishwas, a rebel party leader, told Justice R S Endlaw that “personally, he also does not want to take the matter further”.

“However, I need to know first, on what ground the allegations were made against Jaitley. Being a small party worker, we need to follow instructions from the top leadership,” he said. Vishwas was present in court pursuant to the court’s April 26 directions.

He also claimed that Kejriwal told them he has documents related to the alleged financial irregularities in the DDCA during the BJP leader’s tenure as president from 2000-2013. The leader further said that before making any statement or apology, he wants to know if Kejriwal had lied before he apologised to Jaitley or if the reason for his apology amounted to a lie.

Vishwas, who addressed the court in Hindi, said he was trying to contact the AAP supremo on the issues, as he was not included when Kejriwal and the other four leaders decided to issue the apology.

However, Jaitley’s counsel Manik Dogra, said he wants Vishwas to apologise. “(Whether) he toed the line of his party leader or not is different thing,” he said, adding that Vishwas had claimed to have seen the documents while making the allegations. Vishwas said he needs time to decide the statement he will make to dispose of the civil suit against him. The court granted him time till May 28.

On April 26, the high court had directed Vishwas to appear before it and explain whether he wants to cross-examine Jaitley.

Jaitley had filed a civil defamation suit in December 2015, claiming Rs 10 crore as damages from Kejriwal and the five AAP leaders. The others had tendered an apology last month.

The Congress on Thursday complained to the Election Commission against the BJP’s Karnataka unit for “getting published false and misleading advertisements” in newspapers to malign the public image of Congress President Rahul Gandhi and Chief Minister Siddaramaiah.

The Congress said it was a violation of the Model Code of Conduct as the print advertisements were published with an intent to malign their leaders’ images by “levelling false and unverified allegations and distortions against them”.

The party urged the EC to enquire into and take strict and prompt action against the state BJP leadership. It also said this is “clearly a sign of BJP’s frustration”.

Congress leaders, including Abhishek Manu Singhvi, Rajeev Shukla and Pramod Tiwari, submitted a memorandum to Chief Election Commissioner Om Prakash Rawat.

“We bring to your kind notice the blatant violation of the Model Code of Conduct by the Karnataka BJP in the ensuing Assembly elections.

“Your kind attention is drawn to specific incidents of publishing false and misleading advertisements in various newspapers on Thursday across the state with the object of securing votes by casting undue influence on unsuspecting voters,” said the memorandum.

“The Karnataka BJP has made false, baseless, unfounded and unsubstantiated allegations using cutouts, shadow images and likeness of Rahul Gandhi and Siddaramaiah being fully aware that the Model Code was in force,” it added.

Singhvi later told reporters: “We told the EC about the highly objectionable advertisements being released in Karnataka. They are highly objectionable not only because they are a direct violation of the MCC but also of the criminal law.

“The Indian Penal Code and Representation of the People Act have been quoted… there are provisions to prevent inflammatory, provocative, divisive and personal enmity between groups.”

Singhvi claimed that attempts to gain electorally were happening in a brazen manner.

“We have demanded and immediate stop on these. Also, we are advising our Karnataka leaders to take action, including filing of an FIR and following it up.”

(IANS)

Bharatiya Janata Party legislator from the Jayanagar assembly segment, B.N. Vijaya Kumar, died here early on Friday, a party official said. He was 60.

The two-time lawmaker was in the fray from the same constituency for the May 12 Karnataka Assembly elections.

“Vijaya Kumar was admitted into a nearby hospital after he collapsed on Thursday evening following a cardiac arrest while campaigning in his constituency,” the official told IANS.

He died at the state-run hospital after efforts to revive him failed, a doctor said.

The party’s state unit chief B.S. Yeddyurappa mourned the death. “I am deeply pained at the untimely demise of my friend and party stalwart Vijaya Kumar…,” Yeddyurappa tweeted.

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah also expressed his condolences over Kumar’s demise. “..I express my condolences to his family and loved ones. Vijaya Kumar was a sincere and hard working political leader,” he tweeted.

The Election Commission was likely to countermand the poll in Jayanagar Assembly seat on account of Kumar’s death as a candidate in the fray.

The CBI has filed a case against Air One Aviation Pvt Ltd, its Chief Security Officer Prasun Roy and journalist Upendra Rai for obtaining access to highly sensitive areas of national importance, an official said on Thursday.

The agency on Thursday also searched eight places in Delhi, Noida, Lucknow and Mumbai in connection with the case.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) also named some unidentified public servants and others in its FIR.

Prasun Roy and Upendra Rai, owner of Printlines Media Group and formerly employed with Tehelka, along with some public servants and other private persons were being questioned by the CBI at its headquarters here, the official said.

The CBI is also probing allegations of “dubious financial transactions” against them.

The Ministry of Women and Child Development will hold National Conferenceof 244 Districts under Beti Bachao Beti Padhao (BBBP) in New Delhi on Friday (May 04).

The Nodal Officers of 244 Districts, State Nodal Officers and Senior officers will be present in the day-long Conference. The Union Minister for Women and Child Development, Smt Maneka Sanjay Gandhi would be the Chief Guest and the Minister of State for Women and Child Development, Dr.Virendra Kumar would be the Guest of Honour.

WCD Secretary Rakesh Srivastava will share the journey so far under BBBP. The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and Ministry of Human Resource Development will share experiences from their sectoral interventions on improving the Sex Ratio at Birth and initiatives to encourage girl child education.

In an interactive session, theDistrict Collectors of select BBBP districts from different parts of the country would share the innovative interventions undertaken in the past three years. Haryana will share State Level experience. Representative civil society partners would also participate in the Conference.

The Conference will provide an opportunity for experience sharing and will motivate the new districts to plan and execute the programme successfully. The participants in the Conference will include Principal Secretaries, Departments of WCD/Social Welfare, Education and Health from various states/UTs, and Deputy Commissioners/Collectors and District Magistrates from 244 districts.

The Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the All India expansion of BBBP scheme in 640 districts across thecountry (as per Census 2011) on 8th March, 2018 at Jhunjhunu, Rajasthan. The new 244 Districts from across the country will be covered under Multi-Sectoral Intervention. This is in addition to the already covered 161 Districts. Remaining 235 Districts will be covered through Media campaign and advocacy outreach.

Hindusthan Samachar/Shri Ram Shaw

Condemning the BJP-PDP government in Jammu and Kashmir for ‘its amnesty scheme to stone pelters’, JKNPP supporters held a massive protest in Exhibition Ground, Jammu on Thursday (May 03).
They torched the effigy of the state government amidst slogans seeking dismissal of the ‘dirty combine of opportunist parties’ in the state.
Expressing concern over the deteriorating situation of law and order in the valley, they said that Kashmir had witnessed glorification of secessionists, pro-Pak slogans and unfurling of Pak, ISIS flags during congregations, frequent terror attacks on defence camps, assault on pilgrims, civil unrest, clashes, lynching and killings of security personnel, torching of police stations and mob attacks on security forces.
They said that the pardon to 9,730 stone pelters by BJP-PDP govt had further emboldened the subversive elements in the valley which could be gauged by the horrifying incident on Wednesday.
Two children were injured when their school bus carrying more than 50 children came under attack by stone-pelters in Shopian triggering widespread condemnation.
There is complete madness how they are targeting school children, agitated protestors remarked.
In March this year, recovery of dozens of mobile phones, SIM cards, pen drives, I-pads, digital cards, Hizbul posters, Pak flags, Jihadi literature and Hard disks from Central Jail Srinagar by the NIA teams during their raid had made a sensational expose of the involvement of administrative authorities in the govt, without whom the proliferation of ‘pro-jehadi’ material would have not been possible, they said.
“There seems to be a larger conspiracy to communalize the situation. The CB has been influenced by the sinister alliance and the policy of public suppression and harassment adopted by the JnK Police in Kathua case narrated the saga of corrupt rule in the State,” JKNPP leader Harsh said.
Hindusthan Samachar/Ranjit/Balwan/Shri Ram\

The Supreme Court on Thursday asked Karnataka to release at least 2 tmc of Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu and warned it of “serious consequences” if it fails to release the water.
The apex court posted Tamil Nadu’s petition for framing of scheme for release of Cauvery water as per the February 16 judgment for hearing on Tuesday. It also asked the Centre to file an affidavit by Tuesday stating the steps taken to frame the scheme.
Attorney general K K Venugopal told the court that the scheme has to be approved by the Cabinet which could not meet because of non-availability of PM, who after coming from foreign visit has gone to Karnataka for election campaign.
AG requested the court to postpone the hearing on this issue to after May 12, the date for Karnataka assembly elections.
TN counsel Shekhar Naphade accused Centre of playing politics over Cauvery water and said such attitude towards TN would amount to end of federalism in the country as well as rule of law.
The counsel said that apart from the summer temperature, the temperature over Cauvery water is rising in TN.
Naphade asked the SC what do we tell people of TN as no scheme is framed even two months of SC judgment on Cauvery water sharing?
Last month, the apex court had asked the Centre to frame a draft scheme by May 3 for the implementation of the judgment on the distribution of Cauvery water between Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Kerala and Puducherry.
During the hearing, the top court had repeatedly told Tamil Nadu that it agrees with its grievances and criticised the Centre for not acting swiftly to frame a scheme.
“You have to frame the scheme and there is no escaping this task,” the top court said to the Centre.