Congress protests PM's remark that Italian court held Sonia guilty

May 9, 2016

New Delhi, May 9: Congress today created pandemonium in Rajya Sabha, forcing two adjournments in the pre-noon session over Prime Minister Narendra Modi's allegation during an election rally that an Italian court had named Sonia Gandhi in the AgustaWestland chopper bribery case.

soniagThey asked how could the Prime Minister make such allegations when Defence Minister had not stated this in his reply to debates on the controversy in both Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha last week and sought to know which court was Modi quoting.

Congress members trooped into the Well of the Upper House shouting slogans like "Pradhan Mantri jhoota hai (Prime Minister is liar)" and demanding an apology from him, forcing Deputy Chairman P J Kurien to first adjourn the proceedings for 10 minutes and then till 1200 hours.

The party members said when the government during the reply to debate on the controversy in both Houses did not draw any reference to Gandhi, how could the Prime Minister make a such a statement outside, and that too when Parliament was in session.

Raising the issue, Leader of the Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad (Cong) said no member in Lok Sabha or Rajya Sabha during the debate on AgustaWestland deal said the UPA leadership took money.

Maintaining that the Congress had demanded stringent action against any leader or officer found guilty in the bribery case, he said Modi had during poll rallies in Kerala and Tamil Nadu said that it was not his statement but an Italian court has said that Gandhi was guilty in the case.

He asked why did Modi not intervene in the debates on the issue in either of the House and say this. Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar had not named any UPA leader in his reply, Azad said.

CBI, which is conducting an inquiry in the case, falls directly under the Prime Minister, he said and asked will the investigating agency not be influenced by such statements.

Anand Sharma (Cong) said the Prime Minister should come to the House and substantiate the statement he has made.

As Kurien ruled out Sharma's notice under rule 267 to suspend business to take up the issue, Congress members trooped in the Well raising slogans against the PM.

Kurien said what is being attributed to the Prime Minister was said outside the House and the Congress party can reply to that outside as well.

"The Chair cannot take cognizance of it," he said, adding "I cannot do anything."

"Is Chair responsible for political speeches," he asked as he urged members to return to their places and allow Zero Hour to be taken up.

Anand Sharma asked if the Prime Minister was pre-empting the CBI investigation since the probe agency comes under him.

Modi, he said, has made a statement which contradicts what the Defence Minister had said on the floor of the House. He went on to state that Prime Minister's statement was violative of norms and dignity of the house.

Kurien however said the Chair cannot ask the Prime Minister to come and make a statement on the issue.

Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said while no one guilty in the deal will be spared, no innocent will be touched.

As the Congress members shouted slogans against Prime Minister, Naqvi asked Chair to rein them in saying the BJP was also capable of shouting slogans.

According to him, Modi had said "what the world is talking and what the Italian court has said."

Prime Minister did not make any policy announcement outside the House and so has not violated any rule. "It was an election rally speech," he said.

As the din continued, Kurien adjourned the House for 10 minutes.

When the members re-assembled, Pramod Tiwari (Cong) raised a point of order saying when the House was in session, whatever Modi has said is the statement of the government.

He said the Prime Minister's statement contradicts what the Defence Minister has said in Parliament. "Either the Prime Minister is lying or the Minister of Defence is lying," Tiwari said.

On Tiwari's point of order, Kurien said: "Chair does not take cognizance of what has been said (outside the House) and reported by newsapers. I don't take congnizance".

Anand Sharma (Cong) said since the Prime Minister has contradicted the statement of the Defence Minister, "the Prime Minister must come (in the House) or withdraw his statement." Modi's statement was misleading and factually incorrect, he added.

The Deputy Chairman asked Sharma to give notice if the Prime Mininster has violated any rule. "If any member has violated any rule, give notice. I will examine," Kurien said.

Naresh Agrawal (SP) said the Defence Minister had given statement on AgustaWestland case in the House and later outside Parliament he said certain people were given important postings.

"If the Defence Minister had give (additional) statement he should have given it in the House," the SP member said.

Aiming at taking forward the House proceedings, Kurien asked Sukhendu Sekhar Roy (TMC) to raise his Zero Hour mention.

As Congress members shouted slogans, Roy asked the Chair to invoke Rule 255. However, Kurien did not agree.

Roy there was a precedent as the rule was invoked during a discussion on women's reservation bill in 2010. Follow the precedents or it will be "discrimination", Roy, who was suspended under that rule for a day last week, said, as Congress members continued sloganeering.

Soon, Congress members trooped into the Well raising slogans against the Prime Minister and Kurien adjourned the House till noon.

The Lok Sabha too saw Congress members raising the issue of the Prime Minister making allegations against party chief Sonia Gandhi with regard to the Agusta Westland case.

As soon as the House met for the day, Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge said the Prime Minister has been making allegations against Gandhi during election rallies in Kerala and Tamil Nadu.

Asking "which court has indicted" Sonia Gandhi, Kharge said it was a serious issue and that the party might be forced to move privilege motion against the Prime Minister.

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News Network
March 13,2020

Bhopal, Mar 13: The Madhya Pradesh Economic Offences Wing (EOW) on Thursday decided to verify facts afresh in a complaint against former Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia and his family, in which they are accused of falsifying a property document while selling land.

The development came after Mr Scindia quit the Congress and joined the BJP on Wednesday. 22 MLAs who belong to his camp also resigned, threatening the survival of the Kamal Nath government in the state.

"Yes, an order has been given for re-verification of facts in the complaint filed by Surendra Shrivastava," an Economic Offences Wing official told PTI.

An EOW release said Mr Shrivastava on Thursday filed a new complaint against Mr Scindia and his family, alleging that by falsifying a registry document, they sold him a piece of land at Mahalgaon which was smaller by 6,000 sq feet than the original agreement in 2009.

He had lodged the complaint first on March 26, 2014. But it was investigated and closed in 2018, the EOW official said. "As he again petitioned us today, we will re-verify the facts," the officer said.

Jyotiraditya Scindia's close aide Pankaj Chaturvedi alleged that it was political vendetta.

"The case had been closed for want of evidence. Now for vengeance, it is being reopened. We have full faith in the Constitution and law. We will get justice and Kamal Nath government a befitting reply," Mr Chaturvedi said.

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News Network
February 12,2020

Washington, Feb 12: US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday he would sign a trade deal with Prime Minister Narendra Modi if 'it was the right one'.

The two countries have been trying to reach a limited trade pact with lower tariffs, but talks have run into problems over issues with data privacy and e-commerce controls.

Trump further said that he is looking forward to his visit to India later this month where millions of people would welcome him. "He (Modi) is a great gentleman and I look forward to going to India. So, we'll be going at the end of the month," Trump told reporters in his Oval Office, a day after the White House announced dates of his anticipated India trip.

Responding to a question, the president indicated that he is willing to sign a trade deal with India if it is the right one. "They (Indians) want to do something and we'll see... if we can make the right deal, (we) will do it," said Trump, a fortnight ahead of his visit to the country as the 45th US president.

India's new Ambassador to the US, Taranjit Singh Sandhu told PTI that Trump's forthcoming visit is a "reflection of the strong personal rapport" between Trump and Modi. "It also demonstrates their strong desire to take the relationship to new heights," said Sandhu, who had presented his credentials to Trump in Oval Office last week.

Over the last three years, Trump and Modi have developed a personal friendship and in 2019, the duo met four times including their joint address before a strong 50,000 crowd of Indian Americans in Houston.

This year, they have spoken over the phone on two occasions, including the one over the weekend. "Just spoke with Prime Minister Modi," Trump told reporters on Tuesday in response to a question on his India visit.

Excited to travel to India later this month, said Trump referring to his conversation with Modi during which the prime minister apparently told him about the hundreds and thousands of Indians who would be there to welcome him in Ahmedabad.

Trump jokingly told reporters that now he will "not feel good" about the size of the crowd that he addresses in the US which is usually between 40,000 to 50,000. "He (Modi) said we will have millions and millions of people. My only problem is that last night we probably had 40 or 50,000 people... I'm not going to feel so good... There will be five to seven million people just from the airport to the new stadium (in Ahmedabad)," Trump said.

"And you know (it) is the largest stadium in the world. He's (Modi) building it now. It's almost complete and it's the largest in the world," Trump said. The two leaders are expected to joint address a massive public rally at the newly build Motera Stadium in Ahmedabad.

Being built at an estimated cost of USD 100 million, the Motera Stadium with a seating capacity of 100,000 spectators will be the world's largest cricket stadium overtaking the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Australia.

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Ahmed Ali
 - 
Wednesday, 12 Feb 2020

Waste of money and time.....!!!

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Agencies
January 8,2020

New Delhi, Jan 8: Jawaharlal Nehru University Students Union (JNUSU) President Aishe Ghosh has filed a complaint over the violence that took place at the varsity campus on Sunday.

"I am filing this complaint for the incident in which a mob conspired and acted with common intention to assault, intimidate and attempt to murder me, and request you to register an FIR and apprehend culprits at the earliest," the complaint read.

She said that on January 5, in the afternoon, she received information from students in the campus that some students affiliated to ABVP along with other unidentified men and women had gathered with weapons like rods, sledgehammers and lathis near Ganga Bus Stop.

"I along with Nikhil Mathew (MA Labour Studies) who was also present there, were surrounded by a group of persons of that mob most of whom were wearing masks. The mob of 20-30 persons dragged me behind a car standing near the 24*7 and surrounded me and despite my pleading did not let me go and attacked me with rods while I had fallen down. I remember that one of the people was of medium height wearing a brownish-red sweatshirt with UCLA written on it. I saw his face as he was facing me and did not have a mask on and can identify him if I see him," Ghosh wrote in her complaint.

"I was attacked by the above-mentioned persons collectively and was hit on the head multiple times with iron rods. I fell to the ground and my head started bleeding, and some of them kicked me and hit me with the rod on my hand and rest of the body including my head, chest and back."

"I am attaching with this complaint a copy of the MLC which details my injuries. Nikhil Mathew tried to save me but was also hit with an iron hammer and other weapons on his head and arms. The intention of the group of men and their acts was definitely to murder me and other persons associated with me," she said.

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