BJP releases Nitish Kumar’s 2003 speech praising Modi

June 17, 2013

Nitish_Kumar_speachNew Delhi, Jun 17: The bitter falling out between BJP and JD(U) was evident with the saffron party releasing Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar's 2003 speech in which he praised Gujarat CM Narendra Modi as a leader with a future outside the state.

The BJP move to embarrass Kumar - who has made opposition to Modi a cornerstone of his "secular" politics - is intended to argue that the Bihar CM was not always opposed to the saffron strongman.

As the speech delivered at the inauguration of a railway project is well after the 2002 riots, the BJP's intent is obvious. "I am certain that Narendrabhai will not be confined to Gujarat for long and the country will get the benefit of his services," Kumar is quoted as saying.

JD(U) sources were, however, quick to argue that the BJP move smacked of its desperation after the breakup of the alliance and amounted to trying to shoot a messenger who bears bad news. "This won't take away from the fact that Modi is a deeply divisive and polarizing leader," a senior JD(U) leader said.

Meanwhile, BJP president Rajnath Singh said he was "saddened" by the "unfortunate" walking out of JD(U) from NDA and maintained that it would weaken the fight against Congress.

However, Singh also got a taste of continuing rumblings in BJP with veteran leader L K Advani reported to have brought up Modi's elevation as head of the party's campaign committee as a reason for the breakup of the alliance with JD(U).

Advani and leader of opposition in Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj see the end of the alliance as a highly unfortunate development although the mood of other leaders, including those from Bihar, has turned more aggressive. "The breakup of NDA is sad and unfortunate," Swaraj said on Twitter.

Rajnath, however, had a different take on the events and said, "We always treated JD(U) as a younger brother and our relationship of 17 years was not a political but an emotional one. It was never made under pressure."

Singh was speaking at a programme organised by the BJP's youth wing. "When a coalition is formed, it is based on trust and mutual understanding. When that goes, it is really sad. We can be betrayed but we will never betray," he said.

He said if Modi was being considered communal because of the 2002 post-Godhra riots, there have been thousands of riots in 24 years of Congress rule since independence.

Singh pointed out that in 2000, BJP was a bigger party than JD(U) in Bihar as it had 60 seats while JD(U) won only "36-37 seats". But still, BJP chose a JD(U) leader to become chief minister, he said.

He warned JD(U) that a party which does not care for the feelings of the people in a democratic country cannot survive for long.

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Agencies
January 5,2020

Bikaner, Jan 5: A government-run hospital in Bikaner saw the death of at least 162 children, higher than the number of deaths in Kota's JK Lon Hospital in December.

"In December, we received 2,219 children from different hospitals out of which 162 children died in the Intensive Care Unit here. None of them was born at the hospital," said Dr HS Kumar, Principal, Sardar Patel Medical College, PBM Hospital.

He, however, denied any negligence on the part of the hospital and said that all efforts were made to save every single life.

The official said that all the deceased children had taken birth at the Primary Healthcare Centres (PHC) and the Community Health Centres (CHC) and were referred to the PBM Hospital in a critical condition.

"Their condition was critical and they breathed their last during treatment," he said.

At least 110 children have lost their lives at JK Lon government hospital in Kota, Rajasthan.

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News Network
June 19,2020

Jun 19: Billionaire Mukesh Ambani on Friday announced that his oil-to-telecom conglomerate Reliance Industries is now net debt-free after raising a record Rs 1.69 lakh crore from global investors and a rights issue in under two months.

Reliance raised Rs 1.15 lakh crore from global tech investors by selling a little less than a quarter of the firm's digital arm, Jio Platforms Ltd, and another Rs 53,124.20 crore through a rights issue in the past 58 days.

Taken together with last year's sale of 49 per cent stake in fuel retailing venture to BP Plc of UK for Rs 7,000 crore, the total fund raised is in excess of Rs 1.75 lakh crore, the company said in a statement.

Reliance had a net debt of Rs 1,61,035 crore as on March 31, 2020. "With these investments, RIL has become net debt-free," it said.

"I have fulfilled my promise to the shareholders by making Reliance net debt-free much before our original schedule of March 31, 2021," Ambani said.

Jio Platforms - which houses the country's youngest but largest telecom firm Reliance Jio, raised Rs 1,15,693.95 crore from leading global investors including Facebook, Silver Lake, Vista Equity Partners, General Atlantic, KKR, Mubadala, ADIA, TPG, L Catterton and PIF since April 22, 2020.

Saudi Arabian sovereign wealth fund PIF buying 2.32 per cent stake in the unit for Rs 11,367 crore on June 18 "marks the end of Jio Platforms' current phase of induction of financial partners," the statement said.

Alongside, Reliance launched India's biggest right issue, which was subscribed to 1.59 times.

Though the rights issue size was Rs 53,124 crore, the company has got only 25 per cent of the money as the remaining is to be paid only next fiscal.

Ambani had at the company's annual general meeting on August 12, 2019, announced a roadmap for Reliance to become a net debt-free company before March 31, 2021.

"We have a very clear roadmap to becoming a zero net-debt company within the next 18 months that is by March 31, 202," he had said last year highlighting strong interest from strategic and financial investors in consumer businesses, Jio and Reliance Retail.

In the statement on Friday, he said he was both delighted and humbled to announce the fulfillment of the promise.

"Exceeding the expectations of our shareholders and all other stakeholders, again and yet again, is in the very DNA of Reliance," he said.

"Therefore, on the proud occasion of becoming a net debt-free company, I wish to assure them that Reliance in its Golden Decade will set even more ambitious growth goals, and achieve them," he added.

He said over the past few weeks, phenomenal interest was received from the global financial investor community in partnering with Jio.

"As our fundraising milestone from financial investors is achieved, we sincerely thank the marquee group of financial partners and warmly welcome them into Jio Platforms," he said.

"I also express my heartfelt gratitude to all the retail and institutional investors, both domestic and foreign, for their overwhelming participation in our record-setting Rights Issue," he added.

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News Network
June 23,2020

New Delhi, Jun 23: The Delhi High Court Tuesday granted bail to Jamia student Safoora Zargar, who is pregnant and was arrested under anti-terror law UAPA in a case related to communal violence in northeast Delhi during protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act, as Solicitor General Tushar Mehta did not oppose it on humanitarian grounds.

At the outset of the hearing, Mehta, representing Delhi Police, submitted that Zargar can be released on regular bail on humanitarian grounds and the decision has not been taken on merits of the case and should not be made a precedent.

Justice Rajiv Shakdher, who conducted the hearing through video conferencing, released Zargar, who is 23-week pregnant, on bail on furnishing a personal bond of Rs 10,000 and surety of like amount.

The court said she shall not indulge in any activity for which she has been charged with and shall not hamper the investigation or influence the witnesses.

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