BJP to rake up Bofors issue in Parliament

April 25, 2012

bofors


New Delhi, April 25: BJP Parliamentary Party today decided to rake up the Bofors pay-offs issue in Parliament in wake of fresh allegations that the then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi may have soft-pedalled the probe to protect Italian businessman Ottavio Quattrocchi.

Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Arun Jaitley spoke during the Parliamentary Party meeting about the allegations related to the Bofors scam made by former Swedish Police chief Sten Lindstrom in an interview.

"The entire government of India at that point in time was out to save Italian businessman Ottavio Quattrocchi, including then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi," BJP spokesperson Ravi Shankar Prasad told reporters later.

BJP will raise this issue in the Rajya Sabha when the working of the Defence Ministry is discussed on May 2. The party also plans to raise the issue in the Lok Sabha but the "mode and manner" in which it will be brought up has not been decided yet.

Asked if Rajiv Gandhi himself was "complicit" in saving Quattrochi, Prasad said, "His government tried to save and protect Quattrocchi, and suppress the investigations. It is clear from the interview that Rajiv Gandhi's government made all efforts to stop the probe, delay proceedings and prevent any action against Quattrocchi."

Alleged anomalies worth Rs 350 crore in a helicopter deal will also be highlighted by BJP in Parliament.

The CD controversy involving Congress MP Abhishek Manu Singhvi also came up during the BJP meeting. Some members felt BJP was being "too soft" on the lawyer. "During the cash-for- query scam, Singhvi had personally been harsh on our MPs involved in the matter and worked for their expulsion. We are allowing him to get away lightly," an MP said.

Senior BJP leader L K Advani also spoke on the Singhvi controversy and about how he had to step down from the post of Chairman of Standing Committee on Law and Justice as the government was wary of the Opposition raking up the issue.

Party sources said BJP has already conveyed to Rajya Sabha Chairperson Hamid Ansari that the controversy about the CD should be referred to the Privileges Committee as if it is morphed, then it is an attempt to tarnish the image of an MP. However, if the CD is not morphed, then Singhvi should face the Ethics Committee, they said.

"We are likely to demand an explanation from Singhvi in the Rajya Sabha on the reason behind his decision to step down from the Law and Justice Committee," an MP said.

Among other issues, BJP also decided to take on the government on the plight of cotton farmers.

"Cotton export ban was lifted, yet the government has not made any efforts to bring the produce to the market. The farmers continue to bear the brunt of this and are facing hardships," Prasad said.

Issues of corruption in the UPA government will also be raised by the Opposition in this session.

In the Rajya Sabha, the discussion on working of Defence Ministry will be initiated by Jaitley on behalf of BJP. The Civil Aviation debate will be led by Rajiv Pratap Rudy, the sources said.

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News Network
March 29,2020

Theni, Mar 29: A young man under home quarantine for coronavirus after return from Sri Lanka suddenly ran out of his house and fatally bit a 80-year old woman in his neighbourhood in a village near here, police said on Saturday.

The woman with injuries in her neck was hospitalised late Friday after the incident but died on Saturday without responding to treatment, they said.

The man, a resident of Jakkamanayakanpatti and engaged in seasonal business in clothing, was overpowered and handed over to police, who arrested him and investigations were on.

He had recently returned from Sri Lanka and directed to remain under quarantine by health authorities as per the protocol for foreign returnees to check coronavirus spread.

He came out of his house on Friday evening and all of a sudden, denuded himself and began running through the street.

Shocked family members including his father gave a chase even as he caught hold of Nachiyammal, seated on her house’s front yard and bit hard her neck.

The man’s kin overpowered him and admitted the woman to nearby Bodi Government Hospital where doctors on Saturday said she succumbed to her injuries, not responding to treatment. Health authorities were unavailable for comments immediately.

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News Network
January 18,2020

Mumbai, Jan 18: Maharashtra Tourism Minister Aaditya Thackeray on Friday said shops, restaurants, malls and pubs will remain open 24 hours on an experimental basis in a few areas of Mumbai from January 26.

The areas where these establishments will remain open all night are Fort and Kala Ghoda in south Mumbai and Bandra Kurla Complex in the west.

Thackeray had batted for all-night-open eateries and other establishments in the city during the earlier BJP-Shiv Sena regime too.

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News Network
March 21,2020

New Delhi, Mar 21: Novel coronavirus cases in India rose to 258 on Saturday after 35 fresh cases were reported in various parts of the country, according to the Health Ministry.

Among the 258 are 39 foreign nationals, including 17 from Italy, three from the Philippines, two from the UK, one each belonging to Canada, Indonesia and Singapore.

The total figure also includes four deaths reported from Delhi, Karnataka, Punjab and Maharashtra.

"The total number of active COVID-19 cases across India stands at 231 so far," the ministry said, adding that 23 others have been cured/discharged/migrated while four have died.

Delhi has, so far, reported 26 positive cases, which include one foreigner, while Uttar Pradesh has recorded 24 cases, including one foreigner.

Maharashtra has 52 cases, including three foreigners, while Kerala has recorded 40 cases, which include seven foreign nationals.

Karnataka has 15 coronavirus patients. The number of cases in Ladakh rose to 13 and Jammu & Kashmir four. Telangana has reported 19 cases, which include 11 foreigners.

Rajasthan has also reported 17 cases, including two foreigners. Gujarat has reported seven cases so far.

Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Uttarakhand have reported three cases each.

West Bengal, Odisha and Punjab each reported two cases while Puducherry, Chhattisgarh and Chandigarh reported one case each.

In Haryana, there are 17 cases, which include 14 foreigners.

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