Kerala govt tables solar scam report in assembly amidst uproar

Agencies
November 9, 2017

Thiruvananthapuram, Nov 9: Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Thursday tabled the judicial commission report on solar scam and said it has found that his predecessor Oommen Chandy and his staff provided all help to accused Saritha S Nair and her company to dupe people.

Vijayan presented the four-volume report by Justice G Sivarajan and a Memorandum of Action taken by the government in this regard on the floor of the House during the special session.

It is for the first time in the history of the Kerala Assembly that a special session was convened to table the report of a judicial panel.

Detailing the content of the report, he said the Commission had found out that former chief minister Chandy and his personal staff had provided all help to Solar Scam accused Saritha S Nair and her company to dupe their customers.

The Commission also recommended a probe into various allegations raised in a letter written by Saritha under CrPC, IPC and other related rules, Vijayan said.

Besides bribery charges against various opposition leaders, the Commission report also found that they had got "sexual pleasure" from the accused, he said.

"The Commission has pointed out that this (sexual pleasure) comes under the ambit of illegal gratification pointed out in the Prevention of Corruption Act," he said.

Vijayan said the government would initiate legal proceedings, including under the Prevention of Corruption Act, against all persons, who are found by the Commission as having indulged in corruption.

An order has been issued forming a Special Investigation Team to probe various aspects of the solar scam based on the findings and recommendations of the Commission, the left leader said.

"The government's policy is that justice should be equal to all...That is why the government has taken the stand that further proceedings will be initiated only after receiving clear legal opinion in this regard," Vijayan added.

As soon as the Chief Minister stood up to table the report, Opposition members protested stating that Vijayan had committed a breach of privilege of the House by briefing the media last month about the content of the Commission's report before tabling it in the Assembly.

However, the Chief Minister denied the charges and said he did not go into the merit of the report during the media brief and the panel report became a public document when it was presented in the cabinet.

"It may be for the first time in the history of the state Assembly that the report of an enquiry commission is being tabled here within such a short span of time," Vijayan said.

He said the government decided to table it fast as it had received a number of requests to get a copy of the report from various persons including opposition leaders.

The state government had also sought a legal opinion from Supreme Court former judge Justice Arijit Pasayat before issuing further orders based on the report, the Chief Minister added.

Leader of Opposition in the assembly Ramesh Chennithala said they would oppose any move by the government to use the Judicial report as a weapon for "political revenge".

He also alleged that Vijayan's media briefing on the report amounted to "disrespect" to the House and "violation" of its code of conduct.

Justice G Sivarajan had submitted his report to the government on September 26, four years after the previous UDF government constituted the commission when charges surfaced about duping of several persons of crores of rupees by Saritha S Nair and her accomplice Biju Radhakrishnan by offering solar panel solutions.

The commission, set up in October 2013, had held 353 sittings, examined 214 witnesses and 972 documents.

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News Network
February 1,2020

New Delhi, Feb 1: India has uplifted 271 million people out of poverty, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said on Saturday.

In her second Budget presentation, the finance minister said the Budget for 2020-21, is woven around aspirational India, economic development and caring society.

The government aims to achieve seamless delivery of services through digital governance, she added.

"We shall strive to bring ease of living for every citizen," Sitharaman said.

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Agencies
July 7,2020

Washington, Jul 7: The US military "will continue to stand strong” in relationship to a conflict between India and China or anywhere else, a top White House official said on Monday, after the navy deployed two aircraft carriers to the South China Sea to boost its presence in the region.

"The message is clear. We're not going to stand by and let China or anyone else take the reins in terms of being the most powerful, dominant force, whether it's in that region or over here,” White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows told Fox News.

“And the message is clear. Our military might stands strong and will continue to stand strong, whether it's in relationship to a conflict between India and China or anywhere else,” Meadows said in response to a question.

He was told that India banned Chinese apps because Indian soldiers were killed by Chinese troops last month and asked what's mission of the two aircraft carriers - the Ronald Reagan and the Nimitz - and what's America's mission.

The troops of India and China are locked in an eight-week standoff in several areas in eastern Ladakh including Pangong Tso, Galwan Valley and Gogra Hot Spring. The situation deteriorated last month following the Galwan Valley clashes that left 20 Indian Army personnel dead as the two sides significantly bolstered their deployments in most areas along the LAC.

The Chinese military on Monday began withdrawing troops from the Galwan Valley and Gogra Hot Spring after National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi held lengthy talks on Sunday. Doval and Wang are also the special representatives on the India-China boundary talks.

The United States has sent two of its aircraft carriers to the South China Sea. “Our mission is to make sure that the world knows that we still have the preeminent fighting force on the face of the globe,” Meadows said.

President Donald Trump has invested more in the US military, more in not only the hardware, but the men and women who serve so sacrificially each and every day, he said. “He (Trump) continues to do so,” he added.

China is engaged in hotly contested territorial disputes in both the South China Sea and the East China Sea. Beijing has built up and militarised many of the islands and reefs it controls in the region. Both areas are stated to be rich in minerals, oil and other natural resources and are vital to global trade.

China claims almost all of the South China Sea. Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan have counter claims over the area.

Appearing on the same Fox News on Monday talk show with host Brian Kilmeade, influential Republican Senator Tom Cotton said that the US aircraft carriers are headed to the South China Sea to thwart off any Chinese misadventure against Taiwan or other countries in the region.

"That's one of the reasons why we have those aircraft carrier groups in the South China Sea. I mean, look what China did in the southwest. It's essentially invaded India over the last few weeks and killed Indian soldiers,” Cotton said.

"No country on China's periphery, right now, is safe from Chinese aggression. All those countries want a close relationship with the United States. We ought to have one,” Cotton said.

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News Network
March 4,2020

Bhopal, Mar 4: Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister  Kamal Nath on Tuesday asserted that there was no threat to his government.

Nath's comments came when he was asked about reports of alleged 'poaching' attempts being made by the opposition BJP in the state.

“The legislators are telling me that they are being offered so much money. I am telling the MLAs to take it, if they are getting this free money,” Nath told reporters here on the sidelines of a programme.

Congress veteran Digvijaya Singh on Monday alleged that his party MLAs were being offered “huge money by BJP leaders” as part of the saffron party's “poaching” attempt to destablise the Kamal Nath government.

When Nath was asked about any threat to the stability of his government in Madhya Pradesh, he said, “There is nothing to worry about.”

Reacting to Nath's statement, state BJP spokesman Rajneesh Agrawal told PTI that his party has nothing to do with the allegations.

“In fact, these speculations and allegations are part of the internal bickering of among Congress leaders to get nominated for the Rajya Sabha polls,” he said.

After Digvijaya Singh's remarks on Monday, senior BJP leader and former chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan accused the Congress veteran of making false statements to create sensationalism.

“Speaking lies to create sensationalism is Digvijaya's habit. Probably some of his (Digivijaya's) works were not done and he wants to create pressure on the CM to get them done,” Chouhan alleged.

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