Nasheman

India's largest selling Urdu weekly, now also in English

You are here: Home / Archives for News & Politics

AAP warring factions fail to make any headway in talks

by

Yogendra-Yadav-Prashant-Bhushan

New Delhi: Reconciliation talks between the two warring factions in AAP, appeared to have been collapsed today with chief minister Arvind Kejriwal insisting on Yogendra Yadav and Prashant Bhushan quitting the National Executive, ahead of the crucial National Council meeting on March 28.

Sources said Yadav and Bhushan made it clear that there was no valid ground for them to step down from the 21 member National Executive and the rival camp should instead address the issues raised by them.

Kejriwal, a key aide of his said, remained firm that the two should quit the National Executive before the National Council meeting on Saturday.

Last ditch efforts by party Lokpal Admiral Ramdas to push for reconciliation failed to make any headway with both camps sticking to their stands.

However, Ilyas Azmi, member of the Political Affairs Committee (PAC) said patch up efforts were still underway. “We will keep trying till the last minute,” he said after the PAC meeting here.

Ahead of the meeting, Ramdas, a former Navy chief, held deliberations with Kejriwal for more than an hour, during which he is understood to have conveyed to the party leader to take steps to restore unity and peace in the party.

“He (Kejriwal) is not willing to concede and has been demanding resignation of Bhushan and Yadav. Even Ramdas tried to intervene, but it is heading nowhere,” said a leader close to Yadav.

Those backing Bhushan and Yadav said that the two leaders will not concede to the demands of Kejriwal.

The internal rift figured in the PAC, the highest decision making body, where majority of the members reasserted their strong support to Kejriwal.

The party’s NC is expected to deliberate on the issues in the party. Both Kejriwal and Yadav are trying to consolidate volunteers support ahead of the meeting.

The talks that began last week with the aim of bridging the trust deficit between the two groups after Yadav and Bhushan were ousted from the PAC showed no signs of rapprochement.

Yadav and Bhushan have been pressing for resolution of key issues like implementation of critical matters such as volunteer participation in AAP’s decision making, autonomy to its state units, bringing the party under the ambit of RTI and appointment of Lokayukta at the state level.

Late in the night, Yogendra Yadav said, “A fake campaign is being run in my name. Callers with false identities proposing me as national convenor. Ridiculous. Outrageous. BEWARE!(sic).”

“More info about fake campaign coming in. If anyone calls you on my behalf and solicits support for me against AK (Arvind Kejriwal), please note the no and report,” Yadav tweeted.

The tweets came in the backdrop of reports that calls are being made and messages sent to AAP volunteers and National Council members purportedly on behalf of Yadav, projecting him as the National Convenor replacing Kejriwal.

Earlier, reports surfaced that AAP leader Shanti Bhushan was going to hold a meeting with the dissidents, a day before the party’s National Council meet on March 28, to discuss the issues of ‘swaraj’ and ‘internal democracy’.

Shanti Bhushan has, however, denied the reports.

(PTI)

Congress leaders want CBI probe into past cases involving BJP, JD(S)

by

Photo: IE

Photo: IE

Bengaluru: The Congress legislators on Wednesday unanimously urged Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to hand over to the CBI for investigation certain issues and cases that have occurred during the BJP and JD(S) rule in the past.

A list of 11 issues and cases, including the accusation of receiving Rs 150 crore kickback from mine owners against JD(S) leader H D Kumaraswamy, rape case against H Halappa, the Padmapriya suicide case and the BBMP fake bill scam, was circulated at the Congress Legislature Party meeting chaired by Siddaramaiah at the Vidhana Soudha.

Another list of three cases that were handed over for CBI probe in the last two years by the Siddaramaiah government was also circulated. These are the Soujanya murder case, irregularities in the Ramanagar-Channapatna Urban Development Authority and Mandya Urban Development Authority.

Many legislators, including Energy Minister D K Shivakumar, chief whip P M Ashok, P M Narendraswamy, Pramod Madwaraj and A Manju, said the government should pay back the Opposition in the same coin, by ordering a CBI probe into the cases of the past.
Shivakumar said the ruling party should effectively counter the Opposition by raising issues and cases of the past. Manju said the BJP and the JD(S) had politicised the IAS officer Ravi’s case. The issues that have been listed are fit for CBI investigation. But the BJP and the JD(S) governments in the past had refused to hand them over to the federal investigating agency despite the Opposition demand, he said.

Earlier, Siddaramaiah explained the circumstance that forced his government to hand over the Ravi case to the CBI. Opposition parties, the BJP and the JD(S), targeted the government, he said.

The chief minister, however, did not react to the demand from the legislators to hand over the list of 11 cases to the CBI.

Some legislators also took exception to the ministers for not properly defending the chief minister in the Ravi case. Some ministers behaved as if they did not belong to this government. They were least bothered about the issue and made no effort to counter the Opposition. Some ministers give prominence only to the Opposition party leaders and neglect the ruling party MLAs. Action should be taken against such ministers, Ashok is learnt to have said.

Rajarajeshwarinagar MLA Munirathna demanded that the government recommend a CBI probe into the accusation that he had kept hundreds of BBMP files at his residence. The Lokayukta had subsequently raided his residence.

The chief minister turned down the demand for increasing the legislators’ annual area development fund to Rs five crore from Rs two crore.

(Agencies)

Cricket World Cup 2015: Australia beat India to reach final

by

australia-world-cup

by Stephan Shemilt, BBC Sport

Australia powered into the World Cup final with a 95-run victory over defending champions India in Sydney.

Steve Smith struck a fluent 105 from 93 balls and Aaron Finch 81 as Australia posted 328-7, the highest score in a World Cup semi-final.

India made a solid start to their reply but lost four wickets for 32 runs and fell well short on 233 despite captain MS Dhoni making 65.

Australia will meet fellow co-hosts New Zealand in Sunday’s final in Melbourne.

They will do so looking for their fifth World Cup crown – no other team has more than two – and on the back of a seventh semi-final win in as many attempts.

For India, the defence of the trophy they won on home soil four years ago and a run of 16 consecutive wins in major one-day tournaments – the World Cup and Champions Trophy – is over.

They can reflect on how their top order fell apart after openers Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma put on 76 inside 13 overs, but perhaps Dhoni’s biggest mistake was calling incorrectly at the toss.

As a result, India, who failed to win any of the 10 matches on their tour of Australia that preceded the World Cup, were made to bowl first on a Sydney pitch that was full of runs.

Even then, Australia failed to fully capitalise on the second-wicket stand of 182 between Smith and Finch, as Michael Clarke’s men were stunted by the off-breaks of Ravichandran Ashwin and a curious collective failure against back-of-a-length bowling.

In all, four Australia batsmen were undone by the short ball, the first being David Warner, offering a leading edge to Umesh Yadav.

That brought Smith to join Finch, who began with uncertainty and rarely looked at his best, but showed tenacity to support his free-scoring partner.

With his familiar shuffle across the stumps, Smith whipped, clipped and pulled three-quarters of his runs through the leg side to become only the fifth man, and first Australian, to score a hundred in a World Cup semi.

As Smith and Finch traded sixes, Australia looked set to move out of sight, but Smith’s hook to deep square leg off Yadav signalled a slowing of the pace.

Four wickets for 51 runs left Shane Watson and James Faulkner to rebuild momentum, with Mitchell Johnson’s nine-ball 27 carrying Australia to a score they would have earlier seen to be the bare minimum.

And Clarke’s men were made to look vulnerable by Rohit and Dhawan, the former going after the short ball, the latter targeting Faulkner with drive after drive.

Fortune also seemed to be going India’s way in what became an increasingly bad-tempered contest. Rohit was reprieved in the first over when an edge off Mitchell Starc was adjudged not to have carried to Watson at first slip, while Dhawan was dropped by a flying Brad Haddin off Josh Hazlewood.

Hazlewood, though, returned to have Dhawan sky a catch to cover and, after Johnson’s extra pace caused Virat Kohli to top-edge and removed Rohit’s leg bail, Australia were rampant.

When Suresh Raina edged Faulkner, all seemed to rest on Dhoni, but his acceleration did not come until the 43rd over, with 121 required and only four wickets in hand.

Glenn Maxwell’s direct hit ensured the assault was not sustained and any slim hopes India maintained departed with their captain.

Police books Asiya Andrabi for hoisting Pakistani flag

by

Asiya Andrabi, chief of Kashmiri women's separatist group speaks during news conference in Srinagar

Srinagar: Senior Hurriyat leader and Dukhtaran-e-Millat chief, Aasiya Andrabi, was booked Wednesday under Unlawful Activities Prevention Act for hoisting Pakistani flag in Srinagar.

An affliate of pro-Pakistan separatist, Syed Ali Geelani’s Hurriyat, Asiya hoisted the flag on Monday when celebrations were held across Pakistan on its national day.

“A case has been registered against Andrabi at Nowhatta Police station under Section 13 of Unlawful Activities Prevention Act,” PTI wire, quoting an unnamed police officer, said.

The officer further said: “Investigations have started into the hoisting of Pakistani flag by the separatist leader on Monday. Further action in the case will be taken as per rules,” he told the wire agency when asked if the separatist leader will be arrested.

Aasiya is the wife of senior Hurriyat leader Ashiq Hussain Faktoo who has been incarcerated for over two decades now. She has been spearheading campaigns against moral waywardness in the region for which police has often kept her in detention.

The controversy erupted following media reports that Andrabi had hoisted flag of Pakistan and sung its national anthem on March 23.

(AM)

Manmohan Singh moves SC against summons in coal block case

by

manmohan-singh

New Delhi: Former prime minister Manmohan Singh on Wednesday moved the Supreme Court challenging the summons issued to him by a special court over the allocation of Talabira II coal block in Odisha to Kumar Mangalam Birla-owned Hindalco in 2005.

The matter is likely to be mentioned for an early hearing on Thursday.

Special Court Judge Bharat Parashar, who is holding trial of cases rooted in coal block allocation scam, on March 11 summoned Manmohan Singh as an accused for allocating the coal block to Hindalco.

Besides the former prime minister, the Special Court also summoned Birla and the former coal secretary P.C. Parakh.

The three were summoned for offences of criminal conspiracy, breach of trust, and under the provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act.

(IANS)

MP Governor's son Shailesh Yadav found dead in Lucknow

by

Madhya Pradesh governor Ramnaresh Yadav.

Madhya Pradesh governor Ramnaresh Yadav.

New Delhi: Madhya Pradesh Governor Ram Naresh Yadav’s son Shailesh Yadav, who is an accused in the Vyapam scam, was found dead in Lucknow on Wednesday.

Shailesh’s body was found on the floor of his room, with reports identifying brain haemorrhage as the cause of death.

The Vyapam scam involved the Madhya Pradesh Professional Examination Board or Vyapam, which holds the exams for positions like medical officers, constables, teachers and auditors for government departments.

The candidates allegedly bribed government officials to make it to the list of those who cleared the test.

(ANI)

CCTV footage at D K Ravi's residence have been deleted by CID sleuths, alleges Ravi's father-in-law

by

hanumantharayappa

Bengaluru: A day after IAS officer D K Ravi death case was handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation by the State Government his father-in-law Hanumantharayappa has accused the Criminal Investigation Department of deleting some footages from the Digital Video Recorder (DVR) of  Close Circuit Television (CCTV) which was taken from D K Ravi’s flat in Nagarbhavi by CID sleuths when they were investigating the case.

On March 16, Ravi was found dead under mysterious circumstances.

According to a State television channel Hanumanthrayappa is said to have stated that the CID officials had taken away the DVR without seeking permission from him.

On Monday, March 23, when the DVR was returned the footages recorded after 10.30 a.m  on March 16 has been deleted, alleged Hanumantharayappa.

When I questioned about the same to CID SP Narayanaswamy he gave me unsatisfactory answer stating that as they were unable to open the DVR they had returned it and that they had not deleted anything.

However, Hanumantharayappa who was not convinced with Narayanswamy’s reply stated that normally backup of footages of 20 days will be available in the DVR.

The DVR returned by the CID has footages of only few days. Infact the DVR which was handed over to the CID has captured the videos of  D K Ravi going to his office, returning from his office and also  talking over his phone after he got down from his car. All these are missing from the DVR which was given back to us, which has led me to believe that the CID sleuths have either deleted those footages or copied them, he alleged.

Though the Government and Police Department claimed that the D K Ravi had committed suicide, his parents, fans and the opposition members stated that he was murdered by few influential people. The death case probe which was first handed over to CID was later handed over to the CBI by the government.

(Agencies)

US to oppose plea to declare RSS a terror group

by

Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh

New York: The US has told a court here that it intends to move for dismissal of a lawsuit for declaring India’s RSS as a “terror group” while seeking time till April 14 to do so.

In a motion filed Tuesday before judge Laura Taylor Swain of the Southern District of New York, US attorney Preet Bharara said the “government requires additional time to finalize its motion and supporting papers”.

The US based rights group Sikhs For Justice (SFJ) has filed a lawsuit in the US court to label the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh as a foreign terrorist organization, according to SFJ attorney Gurpatwant S Pannun. It has sought such a declaration for RSS for allegedly “believing in and practicing a fascist ideology and for running a passionate, vicious and violent campaign to turn India into a ‘Hindu’ nation with a homogeneous religious and cultural identity”.

In its response filed on behalf of Secretary of State John Kerry, Bharara’s office acknowledged that the government’s deadline to respond to the complaint was Tuesday.

But “in lieu of an answer, the Government intends to move to dismiss the complaint, and requires additional time to finalise its motion and supporting papers,” it said.

“In the event this request is granted, the Government would consent to any reasonable deadline for the filing of opposition papers that plaintiff’s counsel would propose,” it added.

(IANS)

Survivors, families of 1987 massacre seek justice

by

Hashimpura Massacre

New Delhi: Survivors and families of the 42 Muslim men massacred in 1987 at Hashimpura in Uttar Pradesh on Tuesday voiced anguish after a court freed all the accused, calling it a “massacre of justice”.

On March 21, a Delhi court acquitted 16 Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC) personnel of the charges of murder, attempt to murder and more over lack of evidence.

“This decision is like a massacre of justice. We are against such a verdict where all the accused are acquitted after 28 years. We cannot accept it and will move the higher court for justice,” said Zulfiqar Nasir, one of the five men who miraculously survived the massacre.

Nasir and others spoke at a panel discussion on “Justice for Hashimpura” where they expressed unhappiness over the judgement and narrated their anguish.

“As many as 42 people never returned. They were killed by the PAC and thrown into the canal. My brother Kamaruddien, who was 21 then, was among the 42,” said an emotional Riyajuddin.

Narrating his tale of woe, Nasir, who still lives in Hashimpura locality in Meerut, recalled how lucky he was to survive.

“I was in Class 10 then and at home when the army ordered us to open the doors. They then went to the rooftop and rounded up people on the roads,” he said.

“After that they shortlisted the healthy and young men from among women, children and the elderly. We were then handed over to the PAC.”

The PAC took them in a truck to a canal at Muradnagar.

“They shot a man, Yasin, and threw him into the canal. They did this to everyone in the truck. I was lucky to survive even after a gunshot hit me below my right armpit,” he said.

Nasir managed to reach a ‘dhaba’ and got help.

Another survivor, Babudeen, said they suffered for no fault of theirs and still justice had been denied to them.

“We want justice. How can a court let the criminals go scot free citing lack of evidence? People were killed… Evidence is there but it has been overlooked,” added a tearful Mohammad Naeem, another survivor.

The victims’ lawyer, Vrinda Grover, said: “At each stage a fair, rigorous and impartial investigation was systematically thwarted. The material pieces of evidence were either not collected or destroyed.”

According to Rajinder Sachar, the Peoples Union for Civil Liberties conducted an inquiry but the government didn’t take it seriously.

“The report was submitted to then Uttar Pradesh chief minister but it was not acknowledged,” said Sachar, adding the victims should appeal to the higher court for justice.

“Human right violation has certainly taken place. The victims and their family members should be given compensation,” he added.

(Agencies)

Queen, Haider win big at 62nd National Film Awards

by

Queen-Kangana-Ranaut

New Delhi: Kangana Ranaut won the best actress award for her powerful performance in “Queen” at the 62nd National Film Awards where Bollywood movies “Haider” and “Mary Kom” bagged key honours while Chaitanya Tamhane’s “Court” was named the best feature film.

Ranaut, 28, who celebrated her birthday yesterday, got a belated present by winning her career’s second National award in the movie about a girl who goes on a foreign honeymoon alone after being ditched by her fiance just before marriage. She had won her first National award, as best supporting actress, for “Fashion” in 2010.

The Vikas Bahl-directed coming-of-age film was also named the best Hindi feature film.

Vijay was declared the best actor for his poignant portrayal of a woman trapped in a man’s body in Kannada film “Nanu Avanalla Avalu” (I am not a he, but she).

“Court”, which focuses on the flaws in the Indian judicial system, has been winning critical acclaim nationally and internationally. The award is expected to give a major boost to the movie ahead of its theatrical release on April 17.

Shahid Kapoor-starrer “Haider”, a Kashmir-set modern adaptation of Shakespeare’s Hamlet, won five honours. Its helmer Vishal Bhardwaj was named the best music director but lost out the best director award to Bengali filmmaker Srijit Mukherji (‘Chotushkone’).

Bhardwaj was also named for best dialogues in the movie while Sukhwinder Singh clinched the best male playback singer for the song “Bismil”. Its other two wins were in the categories of choreography and costume design.

“Chotushkone”, a film about four directors’ attempt to make four short stories, won two more awards — best cinematography and screenplay (original).

Priyanka Chopra-led biopic “Mary Kom” was named the best popular film providing wholesome entertainment.

KNOW US

GET INVOLVED

PROMOTE

Archives