BJP, AAP hit out at Robert Vadra, Sonia meets him

November 3, 2014

New Delhi, Nov 3: The BJP and the AAP Sunday lashed out at Congress president Sonia Gandhi's son-in-law Robert Vadra, a day after Vadra snapped at a TV crew on being questioned over his controversial land deals in Haryana.

Robert VadraThe Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) denounced Vadra and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) accused the Gandhi family of "arrogance".

Sonia Gandhi Sunday visited her daughter Priyanka and son-in-law's residence, as the Congress came to the defence of Vadra, who the party otherwise said was a private citizen.

Congress sources said Gandhi spent nearly half an hour at the Lodhi Estate residence, but what they may have discussed was not known.

On Saturday, a visibly angry Vadra snapped at a TV crew when asked about his controversial land deals in Haryana.

Vadra thrice asked the reporter "Are you serious?" and once "Are you nuts?" before pushing away the journalist's microphone and calling him an "idiot". He then walked away, followed by his guards.

Information and Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadekar said action will be taken if a complaint is registered with the ministry.

"We will take action if a complaint is filed. The media should be allowed to do its work," Javadekar said.

BJP spokesman Sambit Patra said: "It was the sheer frustration of Robert Vadra that became manifested as inappropriate behaviour against a journalist.

"Vadra was the one who had called India a 'Banana Republic' and we Indians as 'mango people'. It is time we make him realise that India is no more a Banana Republic which was ruled by the first family of the Congress."

Congress spokesman Randeep Surjewala chided the journalist for not giving "personal space and liberty" to a person "neither in public nor (holding) any public office".

"Unpleasantness of repeatedly asking questions at private functions, like what happened with Robert Vadra, must be avoided at all times," he said.

Surjewala said that on numerous occasions, "fringe elements affiliated to the BJP-RSS-Shiv Sena have attacked news media offices in Delhi and Mumbai without any reason or provocation".

Another BJP leader, Shahnawaz Hussain, said Vadra was not a private person.

"He considers himself to be a very special person. According to (Congress leader) Digvijaya Singh, he is a private person. But his behaviour does not show that he is a private person," Hussain said.

AAP leader Yogendra Yadav said Vadra's snapping at the journalist showed the Gandhi family's "arrogance was intact" and "they needed to be taught more lessons".

The new BJP government in Haryana has announced that Vadra's land deals will be probed.

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News Network
February 16,2020

New Delhi, Feb 16: Just an hour ahead of the swearing-in ceremony, Arvind Kejriwal invited the people of Delhi again for his oath-taking ceremony at Ramlila Maidan today.

Referring himself as "son of Delhi", the AAP convener today tweeted saying, "Delhiites, your son is going to take oath as Delhi chief minister for the third time. You must come to bless your son".

The AAP national convener will be sworn-in as the Chief Minister of Delhi for the third time in a row.

Arvind Kejriwal is scheduled to take oath along with other ministers at Ramlila Maidan.

On Saturday, Kejriwal, through a tweet, has said that autorickshaw drivers, students, teachers, doctors, labourers, etc will be the "chief guests".

The guest list put out by the AAP includes ''Delhi ke Nirmata''- people who contributed to the development of the city during the last five years.

These include Sumit Nagal, a Delhi government school student and an international Tennis player, Laxman Chaudhry an auto driver, Manu Gulati a teacher and "one of the many architects of Delhi Governance Model", Dalbir Singh a farmer, Ratan Jamshed Batliboi - the architect of the famous Signature Bridge among others.

By winning 62 seats by cashing in on the plank of development, his party nearly repeated its 2015 performance, sweeping the Assembly polls in the face of a high-voltage campaign by the BJP, which had fielded a battery of Union Ministers and Chief Ministers in its electioneering, spearheaded by Home Minister Amit Shah.

The BJP marginally improved its tally, managing just eight seats from its 2015''s tally of three seats. The Congress failed to open its account in the second successive election.

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News Network
March 5,2020

Mumbai, Mar 5: Jet Airways founder Naresh Goyal and few others have been booked by the ED in a money laundering case even as the agency is conducting searches at his premises, officials said on Thursday.

They said a criminal case against the former chairman of the airlines has been filed under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) after taking cognisance of a recent Mumbai Police FIR filed against him.

The Enforcement Directorate carried out raids at Goyal's premises in Mumbai on Wednesday and also questioned him after filing the case, they said.

The action is continuing, they added.

The Mumbai Police FIR pertains to charges of alleged fraud by Goyal and others against a Mumbai-based travel company.

Goyal has earlier been grilled by the central probe agency in a case filed under the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA) in September last year.

The agency had carried out similar raids, under the FEMA, in August last year against Goyal, his family and others.

ED has alleged in the past that the businessman's empire had 19 privately-held companies, five of which were registered abroad.

The agency is probing charges that these firms allegedly carried out “doubtful” transactions under the guise of selling, distribution and operating expenses.

The ED suspects that expenses at these companies were allegedly booked at fake and high costs and as a result, they “projected” huge losses.

Alleged shady aircraft lease transactions with non-existent offshore entities are also under the ED scanner and it is suspected that Jet Airways made payments for lease rental to “ghost firms”, which purportedly routed the ill-gotten money in Goyal's companies.

A full-service carrier, Jet Airways shut its operations in April last year after running out of cash.

A month earlier, Goyal had stepped down as the chairman of Jet Airways.

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News Network
April 3,2020

New Delhi, Apr 3: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday urged people to gather together for a unique exercise on April 5 at 9 pm to show they were together in the fight against coronavirus.

"On this Sunday, April 5, we will challenge the darkness of coronavirus threat together. On April 5, at 9 pm, I need your 9 minutes. At 9 pm, turn off all the lights in your houses and light a Diya, candle, torch or flashlight for 9 minutes at your doors, or balcony," Modi said.

The Prime Minister further said that this will send out a message that nobody among the 130 crore Indians is alone in this fight against the deadly infection.

"I have one more prayer to all of you, nobody has to gather at any place during this event. Everyone will light a Diya only at their doors, windows or balconies. The Laxman Rekha of social distancing must be followed," Modi said.
Earlier, the Prime Minister had said that 130 crore Indians are together in this fight against coronavirus and praised the countrymen for following the lockdown.

"Today when crores of people are inside homes, then some of us may think how will they fight this battle against COVID-19 alone. Such questions might come up in your mind? But please remember, none of us is alone. The strength of 130 crores of Indians is with each one of us," he said.

He also expressed gratitude towards countrymen for participating in 'Janata curfew' on March 22 and said it has become "an example for all countries" today as they are following it.

In his address to the nation on March 24, the Prime Minister had announced a 21-day lockdown in the country to contain the spread of novel coronavirus, which has infected over 2,000 people in the country.

During the last "Mann Ki Baat" on COVID-19 related issue, the Prime Minister had apologised to the countrymen for taking the tough decision of enforcing complete lockdown in the nation. "My conscience says you will forgive me," he had said.

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