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French Ex-President Sarkozy Held On Funding From Gaddafi

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Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy has been taken into police custody for questioning over allegations that he received funding from the regime of the late Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi for the 2007 presidential election campaign.

Sarkozy, 63, was summoned to a police station in Nanterre and was being questioned in relation to “irregularities” over the financing of his 2007 campaign that swept him to power for a single five-year term, Le Monde daily reported citing court sources.

An inquiry was opened in April 2013 into allegations that Sarkozy’s campaign had benefited from illicit funds from Gaddafi but it was the first time that he is being questioned over the matter. He has denied any wrongdoing.

The development came several weeks after a former associate, Alexandre Djouhri, was arrested in London and later released on bail. One of Sarkozy’s former ministers and a close ally, Brice Hortefeux, was also being questioned on Tuesday, the BBC reported.

The former President can be held by police for up to 48 hours before facing magistrates.

French law bans candidates from receiving cash payments above 6,300 pounds, but the massive donation is said to have been laundered through bank accounts in Panama and Switzerland.

A document made public in Paris apparently showed that the French leader and the former Libyan dictator made an illegal financial deal, reports say.

Written in Arabic and signed by Mussa Kussa, Gaddafi’s intelligence chief, in 2006, it referred to an “agreement in principle to support the campaign for Sarkozy for a sum equivalent to 50 million euro”.

A bundle of evidence was originally leaked by senior members of Libya’s National Transitional Council to French investigative news site Mediapart, according to a Daily Mail report.

A governmental briefing note among papers sent to Mediapart pointed to numerous visits to Libya by Sarkozy and his colleagues which were aimed at securing funding, it said.

(IANS)

Coalition blues hit Yogi govt in UP; minister calls BJP arrogant, power drunk

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Lucknow: Coalition blues hit the Yogi Adityanath government in Uttar Pradesh on Monday as senior cabinet minister and Suhaildev Bharatiya Samaj Party (SBSP) President Om Prakash Rajbhar accused the BJP of “not respecting its alliance partners”.

Predicting bad days for the Bharatiya Janata Party, the minister alleged that the ruling party had “lost its mental balance in the wake of the brute majority handed over to it in the UP Assembly”.

The remarks came on a day when the BJP government completed one year in office and rolled out grand celebrations on the occasion.

Rajbhar also created a flutter in political circles by announcing that his support for the BJP’s Rajya Sabha nominees was still uncertain.

He said his party could have got at least 30,000 votes for the BJP in the Phulpur and Gorakhpur Lok Sabha by-elections but he was not even asked to campaign.

“The BJP’s humiliating defeat in the by-elections is a result of its arrogance and reflects that within one year they have lost the trust of the people,” Rajbhar told IANS on phone.

He accused the BJP government of paying attention only to temples and doing nothing for the poor, backwards, Dalits and farmers. “A lot is being said, claimed and written but on the ground nothing is seen.”

The minister, whose party has four members in the UP Assembly, added: “For now we are with the NDA but the BJP is not following the coalition dharma.”

He also told IANS that till BJP President Amit Shah speaks to him to settle the issues raised by him, his legislators will not participate in the Rajya Sabha biennial polls slated for March 23.

(IANS)

Lalu convicted, Mishra acquitted in fodder scam

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Ranchi: A special CBI court here on Monday convicted RJD chief and former Bihar Chief Minister Lalu Prasad in the fourth fodder scam case but acquitted another former Chief Minister Jagannath Mishra.

Judge Shuvapal Singh delivered the judgment relating to fraudulent withdrawal of Rs 3.13 crore from December 1995 to January 1996 from the Dumka treasury. The verdict, scheduled on March 15, was deferred four times.

The judge delivered the verdict alphabetically but Lalu Prasad — who was the Chief Minister when the wrongdoing took place — reached the court after it was delivered. Mishra was, however, present in the court.

Lalu Prasad was admitted to the Rajendra Institute of Medical Science (RIMS) on Saturday after he complained of constipation. His lawyer was present when the verdict came.

This is second case in which Mishra has been acquitted. Both Lalu Prasad and Mishra are facing five cases each in the fodder scam in Ranchi.

There were 31 accused in this case, of which 19 were convicted and 12 acquitted.

According to Lalu Prasad’s lawyer, the CBI court will pronounce the quantum of sentence later.

(IANS)

MNS chief Raj Thackeray calls for ‘Modi-mukt Bharat’

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Mumbai: Launching a scathing attack on the BJP-led NDA government, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray has called for opposition unity and a “Modi-mukt Bharat” by 2019.

Addressing party workers at a rally at Shivaji Park in central Mumbai on Sunday, Thackeray said, “The country is fed up with the false promises made by (Prime Minister) Narendra Modi and his government.”

All opposition parties should come together to get rid of the BJP-led NDA government to ensure a “Modi-mukt Bharat”, he said, while reminding the audience of the BJP’s “Congress-mukt Bharat” slogan.

“India got its first independence in 1947, second in 1977 (after the post-Emergency election) and 2019 can bring a third independence if India becomes Modi-mukt,” the MNS chief said.

If the Modi government was ousted and an inquiry was ordered into demonetisation, it (the note ban) might turn out to be the biggest scam in the country since 1947, he said.

Quoting an ISRO report, Thackeray said, “A large-scale desertification of Maharashtra is going on due to depletion of groundwater. After Rajasthan, our state has reported the second highest rate of desertification in the country.”

He went on to question Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis’s claim of digging of 56,000 wells in the state.

The MNS chief said he was in favour of building a Ram temple in Ayodhya, but it should not be used as an election issue.

“The Babri Masjid demolition case is in the Supreme Court and it will be deliberately discussed in the coming days to instigate communal riots,” he claimed.

“The Ram mandir should be built, but it should not be used as an election plank to divide society and win votes,” he said.

Taking a dig at Modi’s foreign tours, Thackeray said the Prime Minister was apparently visiting those countries to get “flour for pakoda” as the visits had not fetched any investments.

The MNS chief also said films like ‘Toilet Ek Prem Katha’ and ‘Padman’ were a covert propaganda for government schemes.

Bollywood actor Akshay Kumar, who starred in both the films, was trying to follow in the footsteps of Manoj Kumar, an actor who was popularly known as Bharat Kumar, he added.

“But Akshay Kumar is not even an Indian citizen. He holds a Canadian passport and Wikipedia describes him as an Indian-born Canadian actor,” Thackeray said.

Taking potshots at Fadnavis, who recently featured in a video song about river conservation, the MNS chief said, “There are so many problems in the state, but apparently the CM is busy singing songs.”

Thackeray also questioned the government’s decision to accord a state funeral to Bollywood actor Sridevi last month. “Sridevi was a great actor, but what did she do for the country that her body was wrapped in the Tricolour?” he asked.

The media might have covered her funeral extensively at the government’s behest to divert the people’s attention from the Nirav Modi-Punjab National Bank scam, he said.

The government was trying to control the media, the judiciary and agencies like the CBI, Thackeray said, alleging that the media was under tremendous pressure from the BJP-led government.

Incidentally, Thackeray had met Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) president Sharad Pawar on Saturday, ahead of Sunday’s rally.

He, however, described the meeting at Pawar’s residence in south Mumbai as a courtesy call.

(PTI)

Kejriwal apologizes to Gadkari to end defamation case

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New Delhi: Making yet another U-turn, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Monday apologized to BJP leader Nitin Gadkari for making unverified allegations of corruption against him after which the Union Minister withdrew his defamation case.

The development came days after the AAP leader regretted having accused Akali Dal leader Bikram Majithia of drug trade without evidence.

In a letter to Gadkari, Kejriwal said he was feeling sorry for making “certain statements, without regard to its verifiability, which seem to have hurt you…

“I have nothing personal against you. I regret the same. Let us put the incident behind us and bring the court proceedings to a closure.”

He also suggested to the Union Shipping and Transport Minister that “we should put our energy to serve the people of this country in the spirit of mutual respect”.

Consequent to the regret, Gadkari and Kejriwal later filed a joint application in the Patiala House Court, seeking withdrawal of the defamation case.

“Kejriwal has acknowledged that (the) complainant (Gadkari) was hurt on account of unverified allegations and expressed regret, in the larger public interest” and that “the complainant does not wish to pursue the defamation case”, read the application.

In 2014, Gadkari had filed the defamation suit against Kejriwal after he named him in a list of “corrupt politicians”.

Kejriwal has been dragged to courts in several defamation cases by various political leaders, including Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and former Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit.

Last week, the AAP leader wrote to Shiromani Akali Dal leader Bikram Majithia for accusing his of involvement in drug trade without any proof to back the allegations..

The apology triggered a virtual rebellion in the AAP Punjab unit, leaing to the resignation of Bhagwant Mann as its Punjab Unit chief.

(IANS)

Silent on the names of party members to protect them: MEP President Dr. Nowhera Shaik

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Bengaluru: Dr. Nowhera Shaik, President, All India Mahila Empowerment Party said that she won’t be announcing the names of candidates any sooner because she intends to protect them from danger.

Dr. Nowhera Shaik says, “We are contesting for the first time and we need to be extra careful to protect our people who are supporting us in this mission. Our intentions and way for politics is completely different from other parties. For us, safety and empowerment of women in the country is the core agenda. I have been receiving outrageous messages for my decision to step in politics. But, this will not deter us. We will continue to speak out and stand for clean politics and administration.”

Founded by Dr Nowhera Shaik, the party will contest all 224 seats in the Karnataka Assembly polls. With a focus on ensuring women are able to exercise their rights and get a voice in the political space, the party is contesting the Karnataka Assembly seats as a precursor to the Lok Sabha elections in 2019. It plans to contest all the Lok Sabha seats, all 525 of them.

Dr Shaik mentioned, “Though Karnataka Assembly Elections is the first kick-off for us, we intend to contest all Lok Sabha seats and make a mark.”

The party aims to be different from the other parties and hence is still scrutinising the applications received for candidature. The aim is to select people with a clean record and with a goal to serve the nation.

Karnataka Cabinet Agrees To Consider Lingayats As Separate Religion

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Ahead of the upcoming assembly polls, the Karnataka cabinet on Monday agreed to consider the Hindu sect of Lingayats as a separate religion, state Law Minister T.B. Jayachandra said.

“Based on the recommendations of Karnataka State Minorities Commission, the state cabinet has unanimously decided to grant status of religious minority to Lingayats and Veerashaiva Lingayats (believers of 12th century social reformer Basava’s ideologies),” Jayachandra told media after the cabinet meeting.

The state cabinet has also decided to forward the commission’s recommendations to the Central government for approval and notification under the National Commission for Minorities Act, he said.

“The minority status has been granted on the Commission’s view that a proper recognition is to be given to the Lingayats and Veerashaiva Lingayats, on condition that the recognition would not affect the rights of other minorities in the state,” Jayachandra said.

The Lingayat sect, which believes in worshipping Shiva as the universal god, say they were founded by Basava.

(Agencies)

Modi Failed To Fulfil Promises To Farmers, Of Lokpal: Hazare

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Social activist Anna Hazare on Sunday attacked Prime Minister Narender Modi, saying he has failed to fulfill promises made to farmers and on the Lokpal.

Hazare said he will start a ‘satyagrah’ on March 23 in Delhi to highlight the problems faced by the farmers, the Jan Lokpal issue and the need for electoral reforms.

“I will fight for farmers and Lokpal,” he said, adding that he was sitting silent on these issues for the last three years but trying to communicate with BJP-led Central government over them.

But nothing happened, he said, noting: “I have written 21 letters to PM Modi but did not receive any reply till date.”

Lalu Convicted, Mishra Acquitted In Fodder Scam (Second Lead)

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A special CBI court here on Monday convicted RJD chief and former Bihar Chief Minister Lalu Prasad in the fourth fodder scam case but acquitted another former Chief Minister Jagannath Mishra.

Judge Shuvapal Singh delivered the judgment relating to fraudulent withdrawal of Rs 3.13 crore from December 1995 to January 1996 from the Dumka treasury. The verdict, scheduled on March 15, was deferred four times.

The judge delivered the verdict alphabetically but Lalu Prasad — who was the Chief Minister when the wrongdoing took place — reached the court after it was delivered. Mishra was, however, present in the court.

Lalu Prasad was admitted to the Rajendra Institute of Medical Science (RIMS) on Saturday after he complained of constipation. His lawyer was present when the verdict came.

This is second case in which Mishra has been acquitted. Both Lalu Prasad and Mishra are facing five cases each in the fodder scam in Ranchi.

There were 31 accused in this case, of which 19 were convicted and 12 acquitted.

According to Lalu Prasad’s lawyer, the CBI court will pronounce the quantum of sentence later.

(IANS)

Ready To Discuss Triple Talaq Bill In House: Minority Affairs Minister Naqvi

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The government is ready to discuss the triple talaq bill in the Rajya Sabha and was open to suggestions from the opposition — but referring it to a Select Committee made no sense, Union Minority Affairs Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi has said.

The Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Bill — commonly called the triple talaq bill as it criminalises “instant” divorce among Muslims — is scheduled to be taken up in the Rajya Sabha in the coming week as part of the government’s business.

“Let’s discuss the bill in the House and the members can move amendments. Nobody can stop a member from moving any amendment,” Naqvi added

“But where is the sense in insisting on refering the bill to a select committee of the House? What will the Select Committee do? Even the House can scrutinise legislation,” he added.

The Select Committee may also invite suggestions from stakeholders such as various Muslim organisations and women’s bodies, which the government has apparently not done.

The opposition, Muslim bodies and women’s rights groups have accused the government of “unilaterally” drafting the legislation without seeking any opinion from the stakeholders or those who would be directly affected by the proposed law.

However, Naqvi said: “We have said it earlier too and reiterate that the government is open to suggestions on the bill from the opposition and others.”

But on the question of negotiating the penal provision — which is the main bone of contention — the minister said the bill would make no sense without this as the practice of triple talaq continues even after the Supreme Court banned it.

Under Section 4 of the bill, “Whoever pronounces talaq upon his wife by words, either spoken or written or in electronic form or in any other manner whatsoever, shall be punished with imprisonment for a term which may extend to three years and fine.”

It also provides for a subsistence allowance for a divorced woman and her children as determined by a magistrate and provides custody of the minor children to the woman in case of divorce.

The government had introduced the triple talaq bill in the Rajya Sabha on January 3 this year during the winter session of Parliament. The Lok Sabha had earlier passed the bill.

Almost all the opposition parties have objected to the penal provision in the bill and had insisted it be sent to a Select Committee of the Rajya Sabha for closer scrutiny. Congress leader Anand Sharma and Trinamool Congress member Sukhendu Shekhar Roy had moved amendments to this effect.

Sharma even suggested the names of the 17 members of the select panel from the opposition’s side, leaving it to the government to give its names.

The government, however, vociferously objected to the proposal, citing various technical reasons. The opposition even demanded voting on the issue on the day the bill was introduced as well as the next day, January 4.

However, on the first day, the treasury benches members created a ruckus, forcing the chair to adjourn the House for the day, saying voting could not be done unless the House was in order.

The next day, the government listed the bill at the bottom of the day’s business, prompting loud protests from the opposition, which wanted it to be taken up early and a vote taken. The chair said he could not help as it was the government’s prerogative at which position to list a bill. Amid pandemonium, the House was adjourned for the day.

The winter session concluded the next day on January 5, and the triple talaq bill is still pending in the upper House.

On March 16, Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Vijay Goel, while announcing the coming week’s business, also listed the triple talaq bill for considering and passing.

(IANS)

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