Charges against PM on Coalgate baseless, people around Anna anti-nationals: PMO

June 10, 2012

Anna_Anti_National

New Delhi/ Chennai, June 10: Setting the stage for fresh hostilities, the Prime Minister's office on Saturday aggressively dismissed corruption allegations levelled by Team Anna against Prime Minister Manmohan Singh over coal block allegations for being devoid of evidence.

Minister of state for PMO V Narayanasamy followed up a curt letter to Hazare with a fusillade against the Gandhian leader's associates Arvind Kejriwal and Kiran Bedi, calling them "anti-nationals" and alleging their financial dealings are not above board.

"As regards allegations made against the Prime Minister, they seem to be based on a leaked draft of the CAG on coal block allocations and on media stories. You have provided no evidence to back up these allegations," said Narayanasamy in his letter to Anna Hazare.

Speaking to the media in Chennai, Narayanasamy lashed out at Team Anna, saying Kejirwal needed to explain what had happened to large funds collected by the campaign for a Lokpal and said Bedi has also faced questions over the accounts relating to her travel bills.

Team Anna members Manish Sisodia and Bedi rejected the PMO letter, reiterating plans for a protest from July 25 for passage of the Lokpal Bill around the time Parliament is due to meet for its monsoon session. "Use of hollow words like progressive laws" are not convincing, said Sisodia. "Our protest from July 25 will go on as planned," said Sisodia while Bedi said the letter was 'wishy-washy'.

The sharp exchange is an indicator that the government, already under attack for corruption and glacial governance, is feeling the heat and is likely to increasingly lash out at the activists. The government's efforts to pass the Lokpal Bill have been stymied in the Rajya Sabha where it lacks a majority and where the opposition has supported clauses the Centre is loathe to concede.

Caught between the political opposition in Parliament and Team Anna outside, the government is readying for renewed confrontation with the activists. After the PMO letter rejected the demand for a special investigation team to probe charges leveled by the Hazare group against the PM and 14 ministers, Narayanasamy said, "Anna is a simple man, but he is surrounded by anti-national elements and people who have been supported by foreign forces."

The letter and the remarks make it evident that the row can get uglier. "The government is also determined to ensure baseless and uninformed allegations made against public servants are not allowed to create fear that can lead to paralysis in decision-making and slow down growth and development," the letter said.

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News Network
June 27,2020

Hyderabad, Jun 27: Ahead nurse working with a state-run hospital here died on Friday while undergoing treatment for COVID-19, a hospital official said.

The nurse, who was due to retire this month-end, tested positive about 10 days ago, he said.

The woman, who had been on medical leave for about 20 days, is suspected to have contracted the virus when she attended a private function in a neighbouring district, he said.

She was treated at the hospital for two days after she was found positive for COVID-19.

However, she was shifted to another government hospital as the symptoms continued unabated and sugar levels were high, he said.

The woman, who had comorbidities like diabetes and hypertension, died today.

Meanwhile, about 20 healthcare personnel, including doctors and paramedical staff, have so far tested positive for COVID-19 at the state-run Gandhi hospital, according to a hospital official.

He also said that there are around 50 patients whose family members have not come forward to take them home though the patients can be in home quarantine.

Family members have cited reasons such as residents not allowing a positive patient to return to the villages and presence of children at residences, for not taking them home, he added.

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News Network
January 13,2020

New Delhi, Jan 13: The Supreme Court on Monday commenced hearing on issues related to discrimination against women in various religions and at religious places including Kerala's Sabarimala Temple.

A nine-judge bench headed by Chief Justice S A Bobde said that it was not considering review pleas in the Sabarimala case.

“We are not hearing review pleas of Sabarimala case. We are considering issues referred to by a 5-judge bench earlier,” the bench said.

The apex court had on November 14 asked a larger bench to re-examine various religious issues, including the entry of women into the Sabarimala Temple and mosques and the practice of female genital mutilation in the Dawoodi Bohra community.

While the five-judge bench unanimously agreed to refer religious issues to a larger bench, it gave a 3:2 split decision on petitions seeking a review of the apex court's September 2018 decision allowing women of all ages to enter the Sabarimala shrine in Kerala.

A majority verdict by then Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justices A M Khanwilkar and Indu Malhotra decided to keep pending pleas seeking a review of its decision regarding entry of women into the shrine, and said restrictions on women in religious places was not restricted to Sabarimala alone and was prevalent in other religions as well.

The minority verdict by Justices R F Nariman and D Y Chandrachud gave a dissenting view by dismissing all review pleas and directing compliance of its September 28 decision.

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News Network
July 25,2020

New Delhi, Jul 25: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday accused the government of benefitting by making profits during the coronavirus-induced lockdown when people were in trouble.

He tagged a news report that claimed the Indian Railways was making profit by running 'Shramik trains' for transporting migrants during the pandemic.

"There are clouds of disease and people are in trouble, but one seeks to benefit -- this anti-people government is converting a disaster into profits and is earning," he said in a tweet in Hindi.

The news report claimed that the railways made a profit of Rs 428 crore by running Shramik special trains during the lockdown that transported migrants to their native places.

In another tweet, he lauded the efforts of the Himachal government in conducting a survey to select 'one district, one product', saying he had suggested this sometime back.

"This is a good idea. I had suggested it some time back. Its implementation will need a complete change of mindset," he said on Twitter.

He also tagged a report that stated the state Industries Department is conducting a baseline survey in all districts to select one district, one product for centrally-sponsored Micro and Small Enterprises Cluster Development Programme (MSE-CDP). 

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