Differences over Article 370, AFSPA 'ironed out': Mufti Mohammad Sayeed

February 25, 2015

Jammu, Feb 25: Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) patron Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, who is likely to be the next Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir, said differences with BJP over contentious issues like Article 370 and AFSPA have been ironed out in the Common Mininum Programme.

Mufti Mohammad Sayeed

The 78-year-old former CM said it would be a historic opportunity for the PDP-BJP alliance to remove the decades of mistrust between the two regions of the state.

He also said that with the mandate BJP has at the Centre, the ruling coalition in the state would be able to achieve much more on both peace and development fronts.

“I see this (PDP-BJP coalition) as an historic opportunity to end the decades of mistrust between Kashmir and Jammu regions of the state, Sayeed told PTI here.

Sayeed, whose PDP is all set to form the government with BJP, said the mandate thrown up by the state assembly elections late last year had made it inevitable for the two parties to come together to deliver on peace and development agenda.

PDP won 28 seats and BJP 25 in the 87-member Assembly. Together, they are comfortably placed well above the majority figure of 44 to form the government.

“There is no other option (other than PDP and the BJP alliance). We had offers of support from the National Conference as well as the Congress for government formation but governance is not our only aim. We have to also deliver on the peace agenda,’ the former Chief Minister said.

“With the mandate BJP has at the Centre, we will be able to achieve much more on both peace and development fronts. Any other alternative may not be feasible at all for the state,” he said.

The veteran politician said the PDP-BJP alliance in the state would be a win-win situation for both the parties but more importantly it will be beneficial to the state.

Asked about sharp differences between the PDP and BJP over issues like Article 370 and AFSPA, Sayeed said all the issues have been addressed and shall be reflected in the Common Minimum Programme.

“Please wait for some more time. The differences have been ironed out and everything will be clear in the CMP,” the PDP patron said.

Sayeed is likely to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Delhi tomorrow.While BJP has been advocating repealing Article 370 of the Constitution, the PDP has been a strong votary of strengthening the constitutional proviso that gives special status to Jammu and Kashmir within the Indian Union.

The two parties also had diametrically opposite stands on revocation of controversial Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA), which gives immunity from prosecution to the armed forces, from the state.

Sayeed said a PDP-BJP government can end the perceived regional discrimination in the state and instill a feeling of empowerment among all the people of the state.

“We will ensure that every region gets its due share in development as we managed to do in the short stint in the government from 2002 to 2005,” he said.

Sayeed praised the Prime Minister saying his actions in respect of certain incidents in Kashmir have evoked hope.

“I do not know the Prime Minister personally but the action in Chaterrgam firing incident (last year) and the action against army troops in Macchil fake encounter case indicate that he is serious about human rights issue,” he said.

Two boys were killed in army firing at Chattergam in Budgam district on November 3 last year. Army ordered an inquiry and indicted its troops.

The army court martial also found several army personnel guilty of staging a fake encounter in Macchil in April 2010, killing three innocent civilians for cash rewards and out of turn promotions.

Sayeed also had kind words for National Conference founder Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah saying he took some good steps for the welfare of the people of the state.

“Sheikh Sahib formed the institution of District Development Board. He would listen to the local MLA and issue on the spot instructions wherever needed,” Sayeed said.

The PDP patron played a key role in bringing down the Sheikh Abdullah-led government in 1977. The National Conference founder had been given the reigns of the state by then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi following the 1975 Delhi Accord.

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News Network
January 19,2020

New Delhi, Jan 19: Reacting to a tweet by ace lawyer Indira Jaising urging her to forgive the four men on death row for brutally raping that finally took her life, Nirbhaya's mother said on Saturday: "Even if God asks me, I won't forgive them."

Speaking to news agency, over the phone, the mother who had been fighting for seven long years to send her daughter's killers to the gallows, said, "...even if god comes and asks me to forgive them, I will not. People like these (Jaising) are a blot on the society."

Commenting on Jaising's tweet, she said: "Who is she to tell or suggest to me to forgive them. What relation does she have with me. I have nothing to do with such people. She can be a relative of those (the convicts) that she is having a soft corner for."

"She is an insult to women. She is running a business in the name of human rights. She is a veteran, she should give a message to the society. But she instead will go against her own kind," she added.

Earlier in the day, Jaising had requested Nirbhaya's mother to follow the example of Congress president Sonia Gandhi, who had moved for the clemency of a woman, Nalini Murugan convicted for the assassination of her husband and former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi.

"While I fully identify with the pain of Nirbhaya's mother I urge her to follow the example of Sonia Gandhi who forgave Nalini and said she didn't want the death penalty for her. We are with you but against death penalty," Jaising tweeted on Friday.

A Delhi Court on Friday issued fresh death warrants against the four convicts -- Akshay, Pawan, Mukesh and Vinay in the Nirbhaya gang rape and murder case.

Additional Sessions Judge (ASJ) Satish Kumar Arora fixed 1 February as the date of execution of the four death row convicts. They will be hanged at 6am.

The move came after the prosecution moved an application seeking issuance of fresh death warrants following the rejection of the mercy plea of one of the convicts Mukesh by President Ram Nath Kovind.

The 23-year-old victim was brutally gang-raped and tortured on December 16, 2012, which later led to her death.

All the six accused were arrested and charged with sexual assault and murder. One of the accused was a minor and appeared before a juvenile justice court, while another accused committed suicide in Tihar Jail.

Four of the convicts were sentenced to death by a trial court in September 2013, and the verdict was confirmed by the Delhi High Court in March 2014 and upheld by the Supreme Court in May 2017, which also dismissed their review petitions.

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News Network
April 28,2020

New Delhi, Apr 28: Outstanding loans amounting to Rs 68,607 crore of top 50 wilful bank loan defaulters in the country including firms of Mehul Choksi and Vijay Mallya have been technically written off till September 30, 2019, the Reserve Bank of India said in a RTI reply.

Absconding dimantaire Choksi's company Gitanjali Gems tops the list of these defaulters with a whopping amount of Rs 5,492 crore, according to the list.

This is followed by REI Agro with Rs 4,314 crore and Winsome Diamonds with Rs 4,076 crore.

Rotomac Global Private Limited has funded advances of Rs 2,850 crore which have been technically written off and Kudos Chemie Ltd with Rs 2,326 crore, Ruchi Soya Industries Limited, now owned by Ramdev's Patanjali, with Rs 2,212 crore and Zoom Developers Pvt Ltd with Rs 2,012 crore being the other companies.

Mallya's Kingfisher Airlines figures in the list at number 9, with outstanding of Rs 1943 crore which have been technically written off by the banks.

Forever Precious Jewellery and Diamonds Private Limited has loans of Rs 1,962 crore written off while Deccan Chronicle Holdings Limited have Rs 1915 crore written off loans.

Choksi's other firms Gili India and Nakshatra Brands also have loans of Rs 1,447 and Rs 1109 crore respectively written off.

REI Agro of Jhunjhunwala brothers is already under the scanner of ED. The CBI and ED are also probing alleged fraud by the owners of Winsome Diamonds.

Vikram Kothari's Rotomac is the fourth in the list. He and his son Rahul Kothari were arrested by the CBI for bank loan default.

In the last Parliament session, Rahul Gandhi had asked the government to provide a list of top 50 bank loans defaulters in the country, leading to sharp exchanges and uproar in the Lok Sabha.

"The information on top 50 wilful defaulters and their sum of funded amount outstanding and amount technically/prudentially written off as on September 30, 2019 reported in CRILC by banks, is provided," the RBI said in its written response dated April 24.

In his application, RTI activist Saket Gokhale had sought the list of defaulters as on February 16, but the RBI said the requested information is not available.

The RBI said that according to section 8 (1)(a) of RTI Act 2005 read with para 77 of Supreme Court judgement of December 16, 2015 in Jayantilal N Mistry case, information on overseas borrowers is exempted from public disclosure.

"Data is as reported by banks and RBI will not be held responsibly or accountable for any misreporting and/or incorrect reporting by the reporting entities," the RBI said in the written reply to the RTI query.

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News Network
February 27,2020

New Delhi, Feb 27: Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Thursday attacked the government over the transfer of Delhi High Court Judge S Muralidhar, saying the Centre's attempts to "muzzle" justice and "break people's faith in an upright judiciary are deplorable".

Delhi HC Judge S Muralidhar was transferred to the Punjab and Haryana High Court, days after the Supreme Court collegium made the recommendation.

"The midnight transfer of Justice Muralidhar isn't shocking given the current dispensation, but it is certainly sad & shameful," Priyanka Gandhi tweeted. "Millions of Indians have faith in a resilient & upright judiciary, the government’s attempts to muzzle justice & break their faith are deplorable," she said.

The judge was hearing the Delhi violence case and the late evening notification came on the day when a bench headed by him expressed "anguish" over the Delhi Police's failure to register FIRs against alleged hate speeches by three BJP leaders.

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