Why 'chowkidar' is silent: Rahul on PNB fraud

Agencies
February 25, 2018

Mulawad, Feb 25: Continuing to target the prime minister in his campaign in poll-bound Karnataka, Congress president Rahul Gandhi today asked why Narendra Modi, who had described himself as the country's "chowkidar", was "silent" on the PNB fraud.

He also asked Modi as to why he was not taking any action regarding the alleged sudden increase in turnover of a company owned by BJP president Amit Shah's son Jay Shah.

"Modi ji comes to Karnataka and speaks about corruption. He had told the country not to make him prime minister but make him the chowkidar (watchman) of the country," Gandhi said.

In a Congress rally here, he said, "On one side there is his party's (former) chief minister (B S Yeddyurappa) who had gone to jail and on the other side are the other four former ministers of the BJP government who had gone to jail; sitting in between them, Modi speaks about corruption."

"Shah's son converts Rs 50,000 to Rs 80 crore in three months and the chowkidar of the country doesn't get it inquired and doesn't even utter a word," he alleged.

The BJP chief has rejected allegations of corruption against his son Jay Shah, who has filed a criminal defamation suit against a news portal which claimed his business fortunes had zoomed after the BJP came to power in 2014.

Gandhi is on the second leg of his three-day tour of northern parts of Karnataka. This is his second visit to the state in less than a fortnight.

Karnataka is slated to go to polls in a few months.

Hitting out at Modi on demonetisation, the Congress president said, "Modi ji told the country to stand in line (queues at banks) for the fight against corruption. You would have not seen a single rich person or someone wearing suit-boot in the line." 

He alleged that all the "thieves" in India had converted their black money into white with the help of Modi.

Attacking the prime minister on the Punjab National Bank (PNB) fraud issue involving jewellery designer Nirav Modi, Gandhi questioned his silence.

"Nirav Modi has indulged in the theft of Rs 22,000 crore, he runs away from the country, but the chowkidar of this country does not even utter a word," he said.

Breaking his silence over the Rs 11,400-crore fraud at India's second-biggest PSU bank, Narendra Modi on Friday had warned of strict action against those involved in financial irregularities and said loot of public money would not be tolerated.

Gandhi, invoking 12th century social reformer Basaveshwara from Karnataka, said "Nudidante Nade" (practise as you preach), and asked the prime minister to walk the talk on such issues.

"Modi ji Nudidante Nade," he said in Kannada.

Basaveshwara is revered by the dominant Lingayat- Veerashiva community. They are predominantly present in northern parts of the state.

He also accused the prime minister of "failing" to fulfil the election promise of providing two crore jobs to youths in the country every year.

The Congress leader also said despite schemes such as Make in India, Start-up India and Stand-up India, "whatever you buy, from watches to shirts to shoes, every thing is Made in China".

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News Network
March 16,2020

Madikeri, Mar 16: Three suspected cases of COVID-19, who returned from a foreign country recently have been admitted to the isolation ward of the district hospital here, the district administration said on Monday.

The samples of the suspected cases have been sent for lab tests and the reports are being awaited, sources said.

As many as 74 people have been placed under home quarantine in Kodagu (also known as Coorg) as a precautionary measure following their return from abroad, a press note from the Deputy Commissioner Annies Kanmani Joy said.

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News Network
May 29,2020

Thiruvananthapuram, May 29: Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said that fishing in Kerala coast and southeast Arabian Sea has been completely banned from Thursday midnight as the state is expected to receive rainfall early next month.

"India Meteorological Department (IMD) has informed that southwest monsoon will arrive in Kerala coast by the first week of June. The state will receive rainfall in the next five days. Fishing in Kerala coast and the southeast Arabian sea to be completely banned from midnight," Vijayan said.

On Thursday, the IMD announced that conditions are favourable in Kerala for the onset of the southwest monsoon on June 1.

"A low-pressure area is likely to form over the southeast and adjoining east-central Arabian Sea from May 31 to June 4, 2020. In view of this, conditions are very likely to become favourable from June 1, 2020 for the onset of southwest monsoon over Kerala," the IMD said in its bulletin.

It also stated that the southwest monsoon has further advanced into some parts of Maldives-Comorin area, some more parts of south Bay of Bengal, remaining parts of Andaman Sea and Andaman and the Nicobar Islands. 

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News Network
March 24,2020

Bengaluru, Mar 24: Eight new positive coronavirus cases were confirmed in Karnataka on Tuesday, taking the tally to 41 in the state, the health department said.

"Till date 41 COVID-19 positive cases have been confirmed in the state which includes one death and 3 discharged," the department said.

According the department bulletin, 37 positive patients are in isolation at designated hospitals and their condition is stable.

Of the 41 confirmed cases, six are transit passengers hailing from Kerala who have landed in airports and being treated in Karnataka.

Among the eight passengers confirmed on Tuesday also three men and a woman are from Kasaragod in Kerala with a history of travel to Dubai and Saudi Arabia respectively.

All the four had landed in Mangaluru, where they are being treated.

The others are: two men, aged 40 and 65, from Uttara Kannada district in Karnataka with travel history to Dubai;

a 56-year-old woman, a resident of Chikkaballapura district, who is a family member and co-passenger of person who tested postive with travel history to Mecca, and a 56-year-old woman, resident of Bengaluru, a contact of another person who has tested positive for the virus,

Among the 41 cases, 24 has been reported from Bengaluru, five from Dakshina Kannada, three each from Kalaburgai and Chikkaballapura, two each from Mysuru and Uttara Kannada, and one each from Kodagu and Dharwad.

All the three discharged patients are from Bengaluru, while one death was reported in Kalaburagi earlier this month, which was the country's first COVID-19 related death.

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