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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)

7 Killed As Small Plane Crash-Lands In Philippines

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A small plane crash-landed on a house shortly after it took off from Plaridel airstrip in Bulacan province of Manila on Saturday, killing seven, authorities said.

The Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) said all six people, including the two pilots aboard the six-seater twin-engined Piper PA-23 Apache plane, were killed.

Police said the plane landed on a house and erupted in flames. A resident of the house was also killed, Xinhua reported.

CAAP spokesman Eric Apolonio said the plane, operated by Lite Express, crashed in a residential area a few minutes after it took off at 11.21 a.m. It was reportedly bound for Laoag City in Ilocos Norter province.

BJP Dividing Country: Rahul Gandhi

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New Delhi: Congress president Rahul Gandhi during 84th Plenary of Indian National Congress at Constitution Club in New Delhi on March 16, 2018. (Photo: IANS)


Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Saturday said the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) has adopted divide and rule policy by following the ideology of hatred.

Addressing the party leaders and workers at Congress’ 84th Plenary Session here, he said the BJP was spreading hatred and dividing the society.

“The country is being divided and people are made to fight each other,” he said, asking his party men and women that the Congress “works to bring people together and not to divide them on the basis of caste, religion or region”.

Referring to the Congress’ party symbol of hand, Gandhi said, “This is the symbol that holds the country together, shows us the way, and will take India forward.

“The difference between our party and the ruling party is that they follow the ideology of hatred while we follow the ideology of love, fraternity and brotherhood.”

Taking a potshot at the Narendra Modi government over unemployment and condition of farmers in the country, he said crores of youth in distress cannot find a way out.

“They don’t understand from where they will get jobs. When will the farmers of the country get the right price for their produce?”

Farmer commits suicide in Uttar Pradesh

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Muzaffarnagar: A 36-year-old farmer allegedly committed suicide by setting himself ablaze at his house in Mujahidpur village in the district here, the police said today.

The cause behind the suicide was yet to be identified, they said.

According to police, Sonu took the extreme step when his wife and two children were locked in another room.

The body has been sent for post-mortem, and police said they are investigating the matter for further details.

(PTI)

Bhagwant Mann resigns as AAP’s Punjab unit chief

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Chandigarh: Sangrur MP Bhagwant Mann today resigned as the AAP’s Punjab chief, a day after party supremo Arvind Kejriwal’s apology to SAD leader Bikram Singh Majithia drew flak from state unit leaders.

Mann announced his decision to resign on Twitter which read:

“I m resigning as a president of AAP Punjab … But my fight against drug mafia and all kind of corruption in Punjab will continue as an ‘Aam Aadmi’of Punjab,” he tweeted.

Delhi Chief Minister Kejriwal had yesterday tendered an apology for levelling charges of involvement in drugs trade against former Punjab minister Majithia.

In his apology, Kejriwal said he had learnt that his allegations were unfounded.

(PTI)

Irrfan Khan breaks silence, says diagnosed with neuroendocrine tumour

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Mumbai: Bollywood star Irrfan Khan on Friday revealed he has been diagnosed with neuroendocrine tumour and is going out of the country for treatment.

“The unexpected makes us grow, which is what the past few days have been about. Learning that I have been diagnosed with neuroendocrine tumour as of now has admittedly been difficult, but the love and strength of those around me and that I found within me has brought me to a place of hope,” he said in a statement.

“The journey of this is taking me out of the country, and I request everyone to continue sending their wishes. As for the rumours that were floated, neuro is not always about the brain and Googling is the easiest way to do research 😉 To those who waited for my words, I hope to be back with more stories to tell,” 51-year-old Irrfan added.

Neuroendocrine tumours are described as rare and can occur anywhere in the body. Most neuroendocrine tumours occur in the lungs, appendix, small intestine, rectum and pancreas. They can be non-cancerous or malignant.

However, in Irrfan’s case, he has not yet revealed which stage of the condition he is suffering or whether it is malignant or not.

His revelation comes days after the internationally known acclaimed actor left fans, friends and colleagues worried by informing them via social media that his life had been shaken up by a “rare disease”.

Irrfan began his statement with an emotional quote by Margaret Mitchell — “Life is under no obligation to give us what we expect.”

(IANS)

TDP exits NDA, decides to move no-trust motion

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New Delhi: Andhra Pradesh’s ruling Telugu Desam Party (TDP) on Friday pulled out of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and was set to move a no-confidence motion against the government over its refusal to grant special category status to the state, party leaders said.

TDP Rajya Sabha MP Y.S. Chowdary told IANS: “Yes our party (TDP) has pulled out of the alliance with the NDA.”

Chief Minister and TDP President N. Chandrababu Naidu took these decisions during a teleconference with politburo members, senior party leaders and MPs on Friday.

Immediately after the decision, TDP, which has 16 members in the Lok Sabha, submitted a notice to the Speaker to move the no-confidence motion.

Party MP Thota Narasimham told reporters that they were collecting signatures of 54 MPs, which is required to move the no-trust motion.

On March 8, the TDP had pulled its two Ministers — Ashok Gajapathi Raju and Y.S. Chowdary — out of the Narendra Modi government but had stopped short of walking out of the alliance.

Raju held the Civil Aviation Ministry while Chowdary was the Minister of State for Science and Technology.

The TDP is the first party to leave the coalition since it came to power at the Centre in 2014.

Naidu decided to write a letter to Bharatiya Janata Party national President Amit Shah, informing him of the circumstances which forced TDP to exit the NDA.

The TDP President told the politburo members that he would also write to other constituents of the NDA to explain why he joined the front four years ago and what made the party to pull out.

Naidu had said on Thursday that the TDP was ready to support a no-confidence motion moved by any party.

However, during the teleconference on Friday Naidu said that the party should move a motion on its own instead of supporting the one being moved by their rival YSR Congress Party.

The TDP chief said if the TDP backs the no-confidence motion moved by a party whose leader is facing serious charges this would send a wrong signal to the people.

Naidu told politburo members that the TDP would seek support of other parties for the no-confidence motion.

The TDP leaders alleged that YSR Congress was not sincere in the no-confidence motion as its notice had signatures of only five MPs.

During the teleconference, Naidu lashed out at the BJP and accused it of using YSR Congress leader Y.S. Jaganmohan Reddy and Jana Sena party President Pawan Kalyan to weaken the TDP.

He said both Jagan and Pawan had secret understanding with the BJP. He said while Jagan entered into the secret deal to save himself in several corruption cases, Pawan was targeting TDP instead of pulling up BJP and Narendra Modi for not fulfilling the commitments made to Andhra Pradesh.

TDP had been expressing its unhappiness with the BJP over the last few weeks for not fulfilling the commitments made by the Centre to Andhra Pradesh after Telangana was carved out of it in 2014.

Its main demand was special status which would have ensured a large infusion of central funds to help the state tide over the revenue deficit and facilitate development of new state capital Amaravati.

(IANS)

India’s GST one of the most complex, and second highest tax rate in world: World Bank

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The Goods and Services Tax is one of the most complex taxes in the world with the second highest tax rate, the World Bank has said.

The GST was implemented by the Union Government on July 1 last year. GST has the second highest tax rate in the world, the World Bank has concluded after studying 115 countries that have similar indirect tax regimes.

The Goods and Services Tax was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government with five tax slabs that are 0 per cent, 5 per cent, 12 per cent, 18 per cent, and 28 per cent.

Currently, around 49 countries have a single slab tax structure, while 28 countries use two slabs and there are only five countries, including India, which use five or more slabs. The other countries are Italy, Luxembourg, Pakistan and Ghana.

The World Bank’s biannual publication, ‘India Development Update: India’s Growth Story’ expects the economy to clock a growth rate of 6.7 per cent in the current fiscal.

“High compliance costs are also arising because the prevalence of multiple tax rates implies a need to classify inputs and outputs based on the applicable tax rate. Along with the need to apply the correct rate, firms are required to match invoices between their outputs and inputs to be eligible for full input tax credit, which increases compliance costs further,” it added.

The World Bank report further says accelerating the growth rate would also require continued integration into the global economy.

“Key to success is a policy design that minimizes compliance burden, for example by minimizing the number of different rates and limiting exemptions, with simple laws and procedures, an appropriately structured and resourced administration, compliance strategies based on a balanced mix of education and assistance programs and risk-based audit programs,” it said.

“The Indian economy is likely to recover from the impact of demonetisation and the GST, and growth should revert slowly to a level consistent with its proximate factors — that is, to about 7.5 per cent a year,” the report said.

(Agencies)

In 2019, BJP tally may drop by 110 seats: Shiv Sena

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Mumbai: The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party’s tally may drop by 100-110 seats in the next Lok Sabha polls in 2019, if the current trends and the results of the recent bypolls are an indicator, its ally Shiv Sena said in a gloomy prediction here on Friday.

“The twin wins by the Samajwadi Party in BJP bastions like Gorakhpur and Phulpur has created panic in the BJP camp even as they were busy celebrating the party’s victory in a small state like Tripura last week,” the Sena said in a tough edit in the party mouthpieces, ‘Saamana’ (Marathi) and ‘Dopahar Ka Saamana’ (Hindi).

Though the BJP claims that by-elections do not reflect the mood of the country, ever since Prime Minister Narendra Modi took over, the party has lost nearly nine seats in Lok Sabha by-polls, slashing its tally from 282 to around 272 – the half-way mark in the 543-strong Lower House, the editorial said.

“It was barely a year ago that the BJP won the Uttar Pradesh assembly polls, creating a record by winning 325 seats. The saffron-clad Yogi Adityanath, who has never lost the Gorakhpur seat since 1991, became the state Chief Minister. So despite the huge popularity they enjoyed, why was their citadel shattered,” the Sena wondered.

It could be said that in 2014, there was a huge “wave” of popularity and water had blocked the eyes and ears of the masses, leading to (BJP’s) victory, but, now the wave has receded and people can “see” everything clearly, the edit said.

The BJP is now blaming “poor voter turnout”, “lack of enthusiasm” or “a deal between the Samajwadi Party with Bahujan Samaj Party” for its rout in the two critical seats in Uttar Pradesh.

“Since 2014, how many deals has the BJP entered into for power… What about Naresh Agrawal, who was inducted in BJP with such fanfare? In Tripura, the BJP could win only after the entire Congress and Trinamool Congress ‘merged’ with it” the Sena pointed out.

Referring to the polls, the Sena said the SP candidates secured big margins in both Gorakhpur and Phulpur, indicating that the people went out of the way to defeat the BJP in both seats which were won with huge margins of two-three lakh votes in 2014.

On the winning spree of the Rashtriya Janata Dal in Bihar’s Jehanabad and Araria, the Sena said some BJP leaders were living in a fool’s paradise as they attributed it to “a sympathy wave” for the jailed RJD President Lalu Prasad Yadav.

“Lalu is in jail for corruption… and that could be a politics of vendetta. Despite that if he can get ‘sympathy’, then it’s a big blow to both Nitish Kumar and Modi… The outcome has thrown down the BJP from the sky to the ground,” the Sena said.

“Amidst all this, it is clear now, that in 2019, the BJP’s numbers will not be 280, but it will plummet by at least 100-110 seats. The elections are not being fought in Russia, America, Canada, France or Israel, but in India. So they (BJP) should keep their feet on the ground here,” the Sena warned.

(IANS)

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