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Tag: Cong

  • Cong says committed to secularism, promises ‘Rohith Vemula Act’ if voted to power

    Cong says committed to secularism, promises ‘Rohith Vemula Act’ if voted to power

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    Nava Raipur: The Congress on Sunday promised to bring in a special legislation called the “Rohith Vemula Act” to redress the discrimination faced by students from SC, ST, OBC and minority communities in educational institutions, and asserted that it shall commit to secularism in letter and spirit and will be at the forefront to protect the rights of minorities.

    In its social justice and empowerment resolution passed at its 85th plenary session, the Congress committed to conduct a socio-economic caste census along with the decennial census.

    The party said it has advocated reservations for economically weaker sections (EWS) of the society but the BJP’s policy on EWS quota has excluded even the poor SCs, STs and OBCs from availing benefits under EWS quota.

    The Congress said it considers poor belonging to all communities to be economically weaker and therefore poor SCs, STs and OBCs cannot be excluded from the EWS quota.

    “Congress party would ensure that economically weaker section category students are given age relaxation on par with the age relaxation given to SCs and STs for entering into government services,” the resolution said.

    Reiterating its demand for a caste census, the Congress alleged in its resolution that the BJP has consistently refused to conduct the caste census which would be crucial to revising the benchmark for socio-economic and educational backwardness.

    “Indian National Congress commits to conduct a socio-economic caste census along with the decennial census. The caste census shall also enumerate de-notified tribes and nomadic tribes,” the resolution said.

    The Congress also committed to creating a dedicated ministry for the empowerment of the OBCs, saying it will focus on expanding educational and employment opportunities of OBCs and provision of civic amenities in their habitations.

    The slew of promises and reservations in internal party organisation for the SCs, STs, OBCs and minorities is seen by many political observers as the Congress’ attempt to re-establish and strengthen its support base among the marginalised sections of the society which has eroded in the last few years.

    Noting that the National Commission for Minorities plays an important role in protecting the rights and livelihoods of Minorities, the Congress said it is committed to according constitutional status to panel to endow it with powers to serve the community better.

    The Congress also committed to implementing special welfare scheme for minority welfare based on the recommendations of the Sachar committee.

    The Multi-Sectoral Development Programme (MSDP) and the 15-point programme for minorities as enunciated by Indira Gandhi, reformulated by Rajiv Gandhi and effectively implemented by Manmohan Singh shall be implemented in full, the party resolution said.

    The party also said it is committed to giving constitutional status to the National Commission for Women to enhance its effectiveness.

    “Congress party shall commit to secularism in letter and spirit and would be in the forefront to protect the rights of minorities,” the resolution said.

    Hitting out at the BJP, the Congress said the promise of “Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas” by the BJP has proved beyond doubt that it is nothing but a massive act of deception.

    “Mob lynching particularly against minorities, atrocities against SCs and STs and violence against women have touched record highs in the last nine years. The sense of insecurity and agony among these communities/groups is extremely high because they are being continuously targeted with hate and gruesome violence by the BJP-RSS and their affiliates,” the party alleged in its resolution.

    The Congress party committed to further strengthening the legal mechanism for ensuring protection of rights of these communities.

    The Congress said it shall be vigilant and strive relentlessly for delivering justice to the victims of atrocities by ensuring the effective implementation of the SC and ST (Preventions of Atrocities) Act, 1989.

    “To redress the discrimination faced by the students from SC, ST, OBC and minority communities in educational institutions, the Congress party commits to enact a special Act called the Rohith Vemula Act to protect and safeguard their right to education and dignity,” the resolution said.

    Vemula, a research scholar of the University of Hyderabad, allegedly hanged himself in a hostel room in 2016.

    The death of the 26-year-old Dalit student on January 17, 2016 triggered a nationwide agitation against casteism in institutions of higher learning.

    The Congress also promised to set up a National Council for Social Justice on the lines of National Development Council, which it said would not only review the progress and gaps in implementing India’s social justice policies and legislations but also tangibly safeguard, strengthen and defend the rights and entitlements meant for SCs, STs, OBC, and minorities throughout India.

    The council will also undertake surveys across the country to study inequalities and comprehensively map the socio-economic and political status of these sections in India and publish a “state of social justice report”, along the lines of the National Economic Survey, a day before the Budget is presented every year, the resolution said.

    To ensure that the judiciary is reflective of the social diversity of India, the Congress said it shall consider reservations for SCs-STs-OBCs in the higher judiciary.

    The Congress also promised a national legislation to make ensure that a portion of the Union budget is earmarked in proportion to the population of SCs and STs in the country, to foster their sustainable development and to bring them on par with rest of the society.

    The Congress also asserted that it committed to completely eradicate manual scavenging.

    Noting that India has witnessed ordeals experienced by millions of migrant workers during the period of COVID-19 pandemic, the party alleged that their utter neglect by the BJP Government forced them to walk, long distances which is still fresh in our minds.

    Congress believes it is time to pass a legislation to guarantee the right to work in urban areas that provides work on demand to urban poor, particularly inter and intra state migrants, unorganized casual workers and the homeless, the resolution said.

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    ( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

  • Babri demolition: AIMIM slams Cong ad featuring PV Narasimha Rao

    Babri demolition: AIMIM slams Cong ad featuring PV Narasimha Rao

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    The All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) on Sunday called the inclusion of former Prime Minister PV Narasimha Rao’s image in an advertisement of the Congress party’s plenary an indication of its ‘secularism’.

    “The inclusion of PV Narasimha Rao says everything we need to know about Congress party’s “secularism”. As Prime Minister, Narasimha Rao played an essential role in the demolition of Babri Masjid. It should not be forgiven or forgotten, the party tweeted.

    Even in 2020, when Telangana chief minister K Chandrashekhar Rao and the ruling TRS gave a call for an state assembly resolution to give Bharat Ratna to the former PM, AIMIM MLAs boycotted the proceedings.

    Narasimha Rao is often criticised for ‘not doing enough’ to stop the demolition of the Babri Masjid which took place on December 6, 1992, when he was the country’s Prime Minister.

    The Babri Masjid was illegally demolished on December 6, 1992, by a large group of activists from the Vishva Hindu Parishad and other organisations. The 16th-century Babri Masjid in the Uttar Pradesh city of Ayodhya had been the site of a long-running socio-political dispute, and it was targeted after a political rally organised by Hindu nationalist organisations turned violent.

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    ( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

  • ED raids on Chhattisgarh Cong leaders ‘politically motivated’: CM Baghel

    ED raids on Chhattisgarh Cong leaders ‘politically motivated’: CM Baghel

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    Raipur: Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel on Monday called the Enforcement Directorate’s raids at the premises of Congress leaders in the state a “politically motivated” move and claimed the Bharatiya Janata Party was afraid of the Congress and misusing central agencies to crush the voices of political opponents.

    Their intention is to impact the Congress’s upcoming plenary session in Raipur where a roadmap for the 2024 general elections will be discussed, Baghel said addressing a press conference at the party’s state headquarters ‘Rajiv Bhawan’.

    AICC general secretary and state in-charge Kumari Selja, Chhattisgarh Congress chief Mohan Markam, state ministers and other party leaders were also present during the press conference.

    The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Monday conducted searches at multiple locations in Chhattisgarh, including at premises linked to Congress party leaders, as part of an ongoing investigation into the coal levy money laundering case, officials said.
    The raids come ahead of the three-day plenary session of the Congress from February 24 in Raipur.

    “Whenever the Congress takes any major step, such acts (raids by central agencies) happen The BJP-led Centre is scared of the Congress. The BJP was nervous when the Congress took out the ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’ and now they are afraid of the plenary session going to be held in Raipur,” Baghel said.

    They have resorted to low-level acts to create hindrances ahead of the conclave out of their frustration, he claimed. “But, we are not afraid of such acts and we will emerge stronger and make the event a grand success. When we were not afraid of the Britishers, then why should we be afraid of them (BJP),” Baghel said.

    The CM termed the raids as “politically motivated” and said the action was carried out to garner political benefits.

    Earlier, Baghel in a tweet said such acts will not weaken the morale of party leaders who are engaged in the preparation of the party’s upcoming plenary session.

    “Today the ED has raided the residence of many of my colleagues, including the treasurer of the Chhattisgarh Pradesh Congress Committee, the party’s former vice-president and an MLA,” he said.

    “There is a plenary session of the Congress in Raipur after four days. Our spirits cannot be broken by stopping our colleagues from engaging in preparations for the session through such acts. The BJP is disappointed with the success of ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’ and the truth of Adani being exposed. This raid is an attempt to divert attention. The country knows the truth. We will fight and win,” the CM tweeted.

    Addressing the press conference, Kumari Selja also targeted the Centre and accused it of adopting oppressive policies against political opponents.

    “It is evident by the oppressive policies of the Narendra Modi-led Centre that it is so afraid of the opposition, particularly the Congress. They are not allowing the opposition to raise their voice inside Parliament as well as outside,” she claimed.

    According to officials, the searches are underway since early morning at over a dozen locations related to MLA Devendra Yadav in Bhilai (Durg district), Chhattisgarh Pradesh Congress Committee treasurer Ramgopal Agrawal, chairman of Chhattisgarh State Building and Other Construction Workers Welfare Board Sushil Sunny Agrawal and party’s state spokesperson R P Singh in Raipur.

    The raids also covered premises of some other ruling party leaders and MLAs.

    The officials said the ED is investigating those who have been “beneficiaries” of the proceeds of crime of the alleged coal levy scam perpetrated during the tenure of the current government.

    The ED investigation relates to “a massive scam in which an illegal levy of Rs 25 was being extorted for every tonne of coal transported in Chhattisgarh by a cartel involving senior bureaucrats, businessmen, politicians and middlemen”, the agency has alleged.

    Nine persons including state administrative service officer Saumya Chaurasia, Suryakant Tiwari, his uncle Laxmikant Tiwari, Chhattisgarh cadre IAS officer Sameer Vishnoi and another coal businessman Sunil Agrawal have been arrested by it till now in the case.



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    ( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

  • Cong alleges Vinod Adani’s ‘central role’ in Adani group’s ‘nefarious activities’

    Cong alleges Vinod Adani’s ‘central role’ in Adani group’s ‘nefarious activities’

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    New Delhi: The Congress on Sunday alleged that Gautam Adani’s elder brother Vinod Adani is at the centre of financial flows that leverage one group of Adani assets to send loans to another, and asked if this was not worthy of an investigation by the SEBI and the Enforcement Directorate.

    Posing a set of three questions to Prime Minister Narendra Modi as part of the party’s “Hum Adani ke Hain Kaun” series, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh alleged that the Adani group has made “misrepresentations” about Vinod Adani’s central role in its “nefarious activities”.

    Recently, Adani Group stocks had taken a beating on the bourses after US-based short seller Hindenburg Research made a litany of allegations, including fraudulent transactions and share-price manipulation, against the business conglomerate whose chairman is Gautam Adani.

    The group has dismissed the charges as lies, saying it complies with all laws and disclosure requirements.

    “Just because the PM is ‘Mauni Baba’ on this issue (like on Chinese incursions) it doesn’t mean we stop asking questions of him. Here is HAHK (Hum Adanike Hain Kaun)-14,” Ramesh said on Twitter and posted another set of three questions to the prime minister.

    In his statement addressed to Prime Minister Modi posted on Twitter, Ramesh cited allegations made by Hindenburg Research claiming that Vinod Adani “manages a vast labyrinth of offshore shell entities” that have “collectively moved billions of dollars into Indian Adani publicly listed and private entities, often without required disclosure of the related party nature of the deals”.

    In its January 29 reply to the charges, the Adani Group stated that “Vinod Adani does not hold any managerial position in any Adani listed entities or their subsidiaries and has no role in their day to day affairs”, Ramesh pointed out.

    “Despite the Adani Group’s claims distancing itself from Vinod Adani, in repeated public filings the group has described Vinod Adani as an intrinsic part of the Adani Group. For instance, this memorandum filed with the Bombay Stock Exchange in 2020 for a Rs 400 crore debt private placement clearly states: ‘Adani Group means S.B. Adani Family Trust, Adani Properties Private Limited, Adani Tradeline LLP, Gautam Adani, Rajesh Adani, Vinod S. Adani and all companies and entities controlled directly or indirectly by S.B. Adani Family Trust or Adani Properties Private Limited or Adani Tradeline LLP or Gautam Adani or Rajesh Adani or Vinod S. Adani, separately or collectively,” the Congress leader claimed in his statement.

    Posing questions to Prime Minister Modi, Ramesh asked why is his “close friend lying so blatantly” to investors and to the public.

    “Are the various investigative agencies that you have freely deployed against political parties, media and non-subservient businesspersons ever going to be used to investigate your cronies even when they are caught red-handed?” Ramesh asked.

    On September 16 last year, the Adani Group announced that the Adani family, through Endeavour Trade and Investment Ltd, a special purpose vehicle, has successfully completed the acquisition of Ambuja Cements Ltd and ACC Ltd, he said.

    The acquisition catapulted Adani to the rank of India’s second-largest cement producer, Ramesh noted.

    “The acquirer’s SEBI filing stated in no uncertain terms that ‘the ultimate beneficial ownership of the acquirer is held by Mr. Vinod Shantilal Adani and Mrs. Ranjanben Vinod Adani’. Is it not a laughable falsehood for the Adani Group to now distance itself from Vinod Adani?” he said.

    “An Australian investigation has shown that Vinod Adani’s Pinnacle Trade and Investment, based in Singapore, controls a number of Adani Group assets in Australia. In 2020, Pinnacle entered into a USD 240 million loan agreement with Russia’s now sanctioned VTB Bank, and then went on to lend USD 235 million to a related party, likely connected to the Adani Group according to Forbes magazine,” Ramesh alleged.

    Does this not clearly show that Vinod Adani is at the centre of financial flows that leverage one group of Adani assets to send loans to another, as alleged by Hindenburg, he asked.

    “Is this not worthy of investigation by SEBI and the Enforcement Directorate?” the Congress general secretary said.

    The Congress has demanded a joint parliamentary committee probe into the Adani issue. The opposition party had also stalled proceedings of both Houses of Parliament during the first part of the Budget Session.



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    ( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

  • Men found charred in car: Owaisi targets Cong and BJP, meets bereaved families

    Men found charred in car: Owaisi targets Cong and BJP, meets bereaved families

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    Jaipur: AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi on Saturday alleged that “delay” by the Rajasthan government in acting on the missing complaint lodged by the family members of the two men in the Bharatpur case allowed the accused to flee the state.

    Owaisi also met the families of Junaid (35) and Nasir (25) whose charred bodies were found in a car in Haryana after the two men from Bharatpur district of Rajasthan were allegedly abducted by cow vigilantes. The Hyderabad MP also alleged that such incidents occur because “BJP supports and shelters such organisations due to which police do not take immediate action against them”.

    The Rajasthan Police had on Friday arrested one of the five persons linked to the Bajrang Dal named in the FIR lodged at Gopalgarh police station.

    “Had the Rajasthan government taken immediate action on the missing complaint related to Junaid and Nasir, then they (abductors) would have not been able to cross the Rajasthan border,” Owaisi who is on a two-day tour of the state told reporters in Alwar district.

    He said it was a painful incident.

    “If the BJP keeps sheltering such radicals then it is not right for the country. These incidents occur, only and only, because the BJP helps such organisations, gives them strength and shelters them due to which police and administration do not take immediate action,” Owaisi alleged. He said that it is not a matter of Muslims, but of all those people who believe in rule of law and the Constitution.

    “Nobody has the right to take the law into their hands otherwise where will be the need for police, administration and courts,” he said.

    Later in the day, Owaisi met the grieving family members of Junaid in Ghatmeeka village to express condolences.

    “Junaid had six children and his elder brother, who is mentally challenged, had seven children. He had the responsibility of all the children. One murder has orphaned 13 children. It is a matter of regret that police of Haryana and Rajasthan have given free hand to these goons, terrorists and criminals,” he told reporters in Ghatmeeka village.

    Haryana and Rajasthan police should arrest such gangs and put them in jail, he said and also targeted the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

    He also addressed a public meeting in Kaman town as a part of his party’s campaign for Assembly elections. Owaisi said that he is overwhelmed by the support of the people of Bharatpur. He said that his party will fight the assembly elections with full strength and emerge victorious.

    Junaid had a criminal record of cattle smuggling and five cases were registered against him at different police stations, a police officer said.

    The last rites of the two, who were related to each other, were conducted on Friday after authorities announced financial assistance of Rs 20.5 lakh to each of the affected families.

    The Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) on Friday demanded a CBI probe into the matter and alleged that the Bajrang Dal’s name was being dragged into the case due to “political bias”.

    Bajrang Dal is the youth wing of the VHP.

    On the victims’ families alleging the Bajrang Dal’s role in the killings, the Rajasthan BJP said it is not justified to malign an organisation before the investigation is completed.

    “Whether the accused have links with the Bajrang Dal or are cow vigilantes, it is a matter of investigation. It is not justified to malign any organisation. It will be better if the police take action against those who are guilty,” state BJP spokesperson Ramlal Sharma told reporters on Friday.

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    ( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

  • ED gets 5-day custody of Sivasankar; Cong, BJP slam Kerala govt seeking CM’s reply

    ED gets 5-day custody of Sivasankar; Cong, BJP slam Kerala govt seeking CM’s reply

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    Kochi: A special court here on Wednesday sent M Sivasankar, former Principal Secretary to Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, to five-day Enforcement Directorate (ED) custody in connection with alleged violation of the Foreign Contribution (Regulations) Act in the Life Mission, a flagship housing project of the state government.

    Sivasankar was taken into custody on Tuesday night by the central agency which has been questioning the former IAS officer for the past three days. His arrest was recorded earlier in the day.

    The PMLA court here today granted till February 20 custody of Sivasankar to ED and issued a direction to produce him before it on that date.

    The ED was directed to provide relaxation time to Sivasankar during interrogation and also medical assistance if needed, court sources said.

    Meanwhile, his arrest triggered sharp political reactions in Kerala as opposition parties slammed the Left government and urged Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan to break his silence on the development.

    The opposition Congress, which had earlier raised several corruption charges in connection with the Life Mission project, today said truth would come out one day even if it is covered by a golden vessel and the arrest of Sivasankar is the latest proof for this.

    Leader of Opposition in the assembly, V D Satheesan said the person, who had been in a key position in the Chief Minister’s office, was earlier arrested in the gold smuggling case and now in the bribery case.

    With his arrest, the scandals that were covered up during the period of the first Vijayan government would come out one by one, he told reporters in Kochi.

    “The Chief Minister has a moral responsibility to answer the questions raised by the Opposition and the people of the state.”

    “If neither the government nor the CM is involved in corruption, why are they afraid of the CBI investigation? If there is nothing to hide, they should be ready to withdraw their petition in the apex court against the CBI probe in the case,” he said.

    Lawyers have been appointed by spending crores of rupees from the people’s tax money and the CM should give an answer to all these questions, the LoP added.

    Senior Congress leader and former home minister, Ramesh Chennithala also wanted Vijayan to break his silence on the matter.

    It is time for those who had said that the charges we raised against the Life Mission project were just politically motivated to give a reply, he said.

    “The Chief Minister is the chairman of the Life Mission. All the present developments are pointing fingers at the CM. So, he should break his silence and react,” he said.

    Noting that the present probe by the central agency was going in the right direction, Chennithala expressed hope that big sharks would be caught in the case soon if there was no political interference.

    “The truth will come out one day even if it is covered by a golden vessel.”

    Both Chennithala and Satheesan also claimed that the ED probe in the Life Mission case was slowed down for some time due to the settlement between the CPI(M) in Kerala and the BJP’s national leadership.

    However, senior BJP leader and union minister V Muraleedharan rejected the “settlement” charge raised by the Congress and said the retired IAS officer’s arrest is an eye-opener for those who alleged a BJP-CPI(M) understanding.

    “It’s a tight slap on @pinarayivijayan, who is the Chairman of Life Mission Project – who even tried to seize files to stall the investigation. Shame!” he tweeted.

    The union minister also alleged that Sivasankar’s arrest exposed the culture of kickbacks and corruption in the system run by the Vijayan government.

    “The arrest of M Shivshankar, Ex Principal Secretary at @CMOKerala exposed the culture of Kickbacks, Corruption & Rot in the system run by @pinarayivijayan & his cronies,” he said.

    Sivasankar, who retired on January 31, was earlier arrested in a related gold smuggling case involving diplomatic baggage to UAE consulate.

    The CBI had in 2020 filed an FIR in a Kochi court under section 120 B of the IPC and section 35 of the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA), 2010 on a complaint by the then Wadakancherry Congress MLA, Anil Akkara, listing Santosh Eappen, Managing Director of Unitac Builder, Kochi as the first accused and Sane Ventures as the second accused.

    The alleged FCRA violation and corruption in the project had snowballed into a major political issue at that time with opposition parties charging that Swapna Suresh, a key accused in the gold smuggling case, had admitted before an NIA court that she had received Rs 1 crore as commission from the project.

    She had reportedly claimed that the money was for Sivasankar.

    However, Life Mission CEO had submitted before the court that Unitac and Sane Ventures had undertaken the construction based on the agreement entered into with them by Red Crescent and had directly accepted foreign contributions from Red Crescent, which is a foreign agency.

    It also said the companies which signed an agreement with the Red Crescent do not come under the categories of persons prohibited from receiving any foreign contribution as per Section 3 of the FCRA.

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    ( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

  • Cong team meets EC, complains about violence against Oppn candidates in Tripura

    Cong team meets EC, complains about violence against Oppn candidates in Tripura

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    Cong team meets EC, complains about violence against Oppn candidates in Tripura

    New Delhi: A Congress delegation headed by party general secretary Mukul Wasnik met Election Commission officials on Wednesday and complained about violence in Tripura, alleging that Congress workers were being targeted by the ruling party.

    The Congress alleged that it’s party candidates and supporters were being attacked by the BJP cadres.

    The Congress is contesting the Tripura election in alliance with the Left parties which were unseated by the BJP in the last election.

    Tripura goes to the polls on Thursday.

    Unlike the previous elections, triangular or multi-cornered contests would be witnessed in 57 seats between the Bharatiya Janata Party-Indigenous People’s Front of Tripura alliance and the Congress-CPI(M) led Left Front coalition.

    Straight contests between the BJP and the opposition alliance are on the cards in three Assembly segments — Barjala in Agartala, Jubarajnagar in north Tripura and Sabroom in south Tripura.

    The influential Tipra Motha Party, which is now governing the politically important Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council, is contesting 42 seats, 22 beyond the areas inhabited by the tribals, who constitute one third of Tripura’s over four million population.

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    ( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

  • Cong owes answers for the scams during its tenure: Karnataka CM

    Cong owes answers for the scams during its tenure: Karnataka CM

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    Bengaluru: The scams of the previous Congress government are being investigated by the Lokayukta and they owe an explanation for those charges.

    The Congress must reply to the questions regarding the tender scams during their period, said Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai.

    Replying to the corruption charges levelled against the state government by Leader of the Opposition in the State Legislative Assembly, Siddaramaiah and KPCC chief D.K. Shivakumar at a press conference here on Wednesday, he said, “The Congress leaders talk by remembering about the omissions and commissions of their period.

    “The Congress leaders are threatening them with inquiry once they come back to power. That means they are coming to power to loot. They themselves have disclosed their agenda. The 40 per cent commission charges are baseless and they have failed to produce evidence before the court. Enquiry is guaranteed if they file the case with all the specifications. Without doing it, firing in the air will not be helpful,” he said.

    “Making any statement without giving any evidence is of no use. The Congress ruled for five years and they also had called tenders. After the BJP came to power a committee headed by a judge went through all those tenders and everything is now being scrutinized. Now the tender process is very transparent and any one can give a complaint,” CM Bommai said.

    He said when Shivakumar was the Water Resources Minister the tender inspection committee was removed as well as TAC. The two-level inspection system was shelved by the corporation. The Congress had opened the avenues for corruption, but the BJP government had re-established the inspection system. So they have no moral rights to talk about corruption.

    Earlier in the day, Shivakumar claimed the chief minister’s office was involved in collecting commissions while clearing old bills and approving new projects.

    The Congress also accused the state government of hurriedly floating tenders at the fag end of its tenure at inflated rates to collect funds for the BJP’s Assembly election campaign.

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    ( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

  • Cong claims Rahul’s plane denied permission to land at Varanasi airport

    Cong claims Rahul’s plane denied permission to land at Varanasi airport

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    Varanasi: The Congress has claimed that Rahul Gandhi’s plane was denied permission to land at the airport here late Monday night, a charge denied by the airport authorities.

    Senior Congress leader Ajay Rai on Tuesday alleged that Gandhi’s plane was scheduled to land at the Babat airport here on his return from Wayanad in Kerala.

    Rai said he and other party leaders were at the airport to receive their leader but his plane was not allowed to land “at the last minute.” Gandhi then returned to the national capital.

    However, Varanasi airport director Aryama Sanyal told PTI that there was no prior information about Gandhi’s arrival.

    The director denied the allegation that they had refused permission for Gandhi’s plane to land.

    The air traffic controller was told that the plan to land at the airport has been cancelled, Sanyal said.

    The former Congress chief was scheduled to visit Prayagraj for a function at the Kamla Nehru Memorial Hospital on Tuesday, Rai said.

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    ( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

  • Maha Cong tussle: HK Patil meets Thorat, says all issues will be resolved amicably

    Maha Cong tussle: HK Patil meets Thorat, says all issues will be resolved amicably

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    Mumbai: The Congress’ Maharashtra in charge HK Patil on Sunday said there was no question of accepting the resignation of Balasaheb Thorat as legislature party leader and asserted all misunderstandings will be resolved amicably.

    Thorat had last week resigned as CLP leader after criticising Maharashtra unit chief Nana Patole’s style of functioning.

    Talking to reporters after meeting Thorat, Patil said the former will attend the All India Congress Committee plenary at Raipur in Chhattisgarh on February 24 and will meet party president Mallikarjun Kharge and AICC general secretary (organisation) KC Venugopal.

    Patil said he had conveyed to Kharge and Venugopal about the “hurt feelings” of Thorat and the recent developments in the state unit of the party.

    “I apprised them about the development’s and hurt feelings. The Congress is a family and such issues crop up. We will resolve them among ourselves,” Patil said.

    He also said such infighting will not hurt the party as “things are good and will improve”.

    “There is no question of accepting Thorat ‘s resignation as CLP leader. I requested him to attend the plenary session, which he has accepted,” Patil said, adding the Maharashtra Legislative Council poll setback for the party involving Satyajit Tambe was not discussed.

    The Congress was left high and dry after its official candidate for the Nashik division graduates seat Sudhir Tambe refused to contest and got his son Satyajit Tambe to stand successfully as an independent.

    After his win, Satyajit Tambe had accused Patole of defaming his family and conspiring to deny him an opportunity to contest the MLC polls.

    The Tambes are kin of Thorat, whose silence during the campaign to the MLC polls as he was recuperating from a shoulder injury, was misinterpreted as silent support by some segments of the party.

    On the friction since the MLC polls, Patil said, “There has been no dialogue between Thorat and Patole. But it will happen.”

    Thorat, who is recuperating from a shoulder injury, refused to divulge details of his meeting with Patil saying it was an internal matter of the Congress.

    “There is no need for the media to blow things out of proportion. I will go to Raipur (for the plenary). All issues raised by me in the meeting with Patil were about strengthening the party,” Thorat said.

    Queried on whether he would continue as CLP leader. Thorat said it was an internal matter of the Congress.

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    ( With inputs from www.siasat.com )