CIC show-cause notice to RBI Guv for no wilful defaulters' list

The Central Information Commission has issued a show-cause notice to Reserve Bank of India Governor Urjit Patel for 'dishonouring' a Supreme Court judgment on disclosure of wilful defaulters' list.

The CIC has also asked the Prime Minister's Office, the Finance Ministry and the RBI to make public the letter of former RBI governor Raghuram Rajan on bad loans.

Irked over the denial of information on the disclosure of the names of wilful defaulters who have taken bank loans of Rs 50 crore and above by the RBI in spite of a Supreme Court order, the CIC has asked Patel to explain why a maximum penalty be not imposed on him for 'dishonouring' the verdict which had upheld a decision taken by then Information Commissioner Shailesh Gandhi, calling for disclosure of names of wilful defaulters.

Patel, speaking on September 20 at the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC), had said the guidelines on vigilance, issued by the CVC, were aimed at achieving greater transparency, promoting a culture of honesty and probity in public life and improving the overall vigilance administration in the organisations within its purview, the CIC pointed out.

"The Commission feels that there is no match between what RBI Governor and Deputy Governor say and their website regarding their RTI policy, and great secrecy of vigilance reports and inspection reports is being maintained with impunity in spite of the Supreme Court confirming the orders of the CIC in the Jayantilal case", Information Commissioner Sridhar Acharyulu said.

He concluded that it did not serve any purpose in punishing the CPIO for this defiance, because he acted under the instructions of the top authorities.

"The Commission considers the Governor as deemed PIO responsible for non-disclosure and defiance of SC orders and CIC orders and directs him to show cause why maximum penalty should not be imposed on him for these reasons, before November 16, 2018," Acharyulu said.  -- PTI

Prime Minister Narendra Modi wants to do to India what dictator Adolf Hitler did to Germany, senior Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge on Sunday said.

The Lok Sabha MP from Karnataka was speaking at a 'Samvidhaan Bachao Parishad' organised in Bandra, Mumbai, by the Mumbai Congress.

He said the country was deteriorating under Bharatiya Janata Party rule but added that the Congress would never let the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, the BJP and PM Modi succeed in destroying the Constitution the way other institutions were being destroyed.

"The Constitution does not belong to the people of a particular caste, religion or community but belongs to every Indian equally. Which right to freedom has been respected in parliamentary democracy by the BJP government?" he questioned.

"The BJP hasn't been able to walk 4 steps in the right direction in the past 4 years. They don't have any right to point a finger at the Congress and ask us what has been done in the past 70 years," Kharge, Congress general secretary in charge of Maharashtra said.

Kharge claimed that since the BJP came to power, it had destroyed freedom of speech and expression was constantly curbing the press.

"The BJP is trying to bring dictatorship in the country. PM Modi wants to do to India what Adolf Hitler did to Germany. The Constitution is in danger and we need to fight the BJP's attempts to destroy it," he claimed.

Mumbai Congress chief Sanjay Nirupam, speaking at the function, said there had been repeated attacks on the principles which formed the foundation of the country.

"Constitution of India is the soul of the country which is being killed today. Since the past 4 years, the BJP has launched a new rule according to its own will which is not in sync with the law and order of the country," he said.

Nirupam said the Congress will ensure that the message of the Samvidhaan Bachao Parishad reaches masses effectively.

Congress MP Hussain Dalwai said the country will be safe only if its Constitution is protected, and urged people to fight and protect it.  -- PTI

The Uttar Pradesh Bharatiya Janata Party will soon be appointing about 100 women as 'teen talaq pramukhs' across the state to ensure rehabilitation of the victims and their children, a party leader said on Sunday.

Nazia Alam, secretary of UP BJP minority wing, who will be the overall in-charge, said triple talaq pramukhs will be appointed for each of the 93 'organisational districts' and six regional units of the saffron party in the state.

"Educated women who have sound knowledge of Shariat and law and who can bring a social change in the lives of the victims of triple talaq will be appointed as pramukhs," Alam told PTI.

"Each of the 93 organisational districts and six regional units will have a triple talaq pramukh and some of the victims are already working with us to eradicate this social evil," she added.

Alam said the candidates will likely be finalised after Diwali followed by a survey in December to ascertain the total number of triple talaq victims in the state.

"We will carry out a survey, by the end of December, to know the exact number of victims of triple talaq in every district. Our work is likely to begin after Deepawali," she said.

She further said that efforts will also be made to assist the integration of talaq victims with Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY) in a bid to make them self-dependent.

The PMKVY is the flagship scheme of the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship with the objective to enable a large number of Indian youth to take up industry-relevant skill training that will help them in securing a better livelihood.

"We will also seek information from the victims as to what do they actually need, be it education and health-related needs for their children or employment-related things for themselves," she said.

Nazia further said that the minority wing of the BJP will also launch awareness campaigns to dispel the wrong notions surrounding the holy Quran and Shariat.  -- PTI

Two unidentified men, who were assaulted by a mob at Assam's Cachar district after they were found carrying arms and ammunition, have succumbed to injuries, a police officer said on Sunday.

The men, suspected to be terrorists, were rescued by the police on Saturday evening and taken into custody from a bus stop at Harinagar in Lakhipur sub-division of the district, he said.

They were then admitted to Silchar Medical College Hospital in a serious condition.

"As the two men are yet to be identified, we could not inform their family members. They were badly beaten up by the mob at the bus stop and were taken to the hospital in a critical condition," the officer said, adding that the duo succumbed to the injuries on Saturday night.

Cachar Superintendent of Police Rakesh Roshan hadearlier told PTI that three AK-56 rifles, one Chinese-make LMG, one 12 bore single barrel and one 5.56 mm rifles were seized from the possession of the two men.      

Roshan also credited local people for the apprehension and said the duo had come from Dima Hasao district.

The incident comes three days after five Bengali-speaking individuals were gunned down by a group of assailants at Tinsukia district.  -- PTI

Senior Nationalist Congress Party leader and former deputy chief minister of Maharashtra Ajit Pawar can be arrested 'anytime' in the alleged irrigation scam, state Bharatiya Janata Party president Raosaheb Danve has said.

The NCP, however, said Pawar had no role in the alleged scam and accused the ruling BJP of trying to vitiate the political atmosphere ahead of elections.

Pawar was among NCP ministers who were in-charge of the irrigation department at different times between 1999 and 2014 when the Congress and the NCP were part of the coalition government in the state.

The scam, pegged at Rs 72,000 crore, relates to alleged corruption and irregularities in approval and execution of various irrigation projects in the state during the Congress-NCP rule.

It was probed by the ACB.

"Police have reached the door steps of Ajit Pawar in the irrigation scam. Therefore, his condition is such that there is a sword hanging on his head and he can be arrested anytime," Danve said.

He was addressing a gathering in industrial town of Pimpri-Chinchwad near Pune Saturday evening in the presence of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.

When contacted, Leader of Opposition in the Legislative Council Dhananjay Munde of the NCP said the matter is being investigated since the last four years and it has been proved that Pawar had no role to play in the issue.

"This is an attempt to vitiate the atmosphere since elections are approaching. Those who have had relations with the accused in naptha racket (related to fuel adulteration) and who used power take benefits of government schools should not teach us but look at themselves," Munde said.  -- PTI

High drama prevailed on Sunday at the Signature Bridge with Delhi Bharatiya Janata Party president Manoj Tiwari and scores of supporters staging a protest for allegedly not being invited to inaugural event of the newly-built city landmark.

Tiwari and his supporters reached up to the venue of the inaugural function.

A scuffle broke out between supporters of Tiwari and the Aam Aadmi Party after Tiwari was allegedly stopped by the police and AAP supporters from attending the event.

Speaking to the media following the tussle, Tiwari said, "I am a Member of Parliament from this area. I got the work for this bridge restarted and this is how Arvind Kejriwal is treating me."

"I was invited to the inauguration event. So what is the problem? Am I a criminal? Why have the police surrounded me? I'm here to welcome him (Arvind Kejriwal). The AAP and police have misbehaved with me," he further said, while lashing out at the AAP government.

Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and his deputy were not present when the protest took place.

Tiwari had expressed displeasure over not being invited to the inaugural function and took a dig at Kejriwal government saying he will be present at the bridge to welcome the chief minister, who is scheduled to inaugurate the bridge on Sunday.

'I will be present at Signature bridge to welcome the Chief Minister. After all I am MP of the area. It took 15 years and Rs 1500 crore to build the bridge, its shameful,' Tiwari had tweeted.

Tiwari is MP from North East Delhi and the bridge comes in his constituency.

Replying to Tiwari's tweet, Sisodia had said that entire Delhi including he (Tiwari) were invited to the inauguration function and expected him to maintain dignity of the event. The bridge will be thrown open for public on Monday.  -- PTI, ANI

Four coaches of Jan Sadharan Express derailed near central cabin Danapur station in Patna at around 3:50 pm today.

No casualties reported.

Further details awaited. -- ANI

Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Sunday termed as 'nonsense' his Delhi counterpart Arvind Kejriwal's claim that stubble burning in Punjab was solely responsible for the high pollution levels in the national capital, and wondered can the Aam Aadmi Party leader 'really' be an Indian Institute of Technology graduate.

Taking a dig at Kejriwal for his 'preposterous' logic that the satellite pictures of stubble burning in Punjab was proof of it being the primary cause of the Delhi's severe pollution, he said even a school kid would know better.

"Can he (Kejriwal) really be an IIT graduate," asked the Punjab chief minister.

In a statement issued in Chandigarh, Amarinder Singh presented certain figures to rubbish Kejriwal's 'ludicrous' claims and asked the Delhi chief minister to stop indulging in 'political theatrics' and check facts before blaming Punjab.

The Punjab chief minister said the Air Quality Index (AQI) of Delhi remains more than 300 even during December and January every year, when there is no stubble burning in the neighbouring states.

This clearly indicates that the national capital's air quality is impacted by its own sources, which are predominantly vehicular emission, construction activities, industrial activities, power plants, burning of municipal solid waste and sweeping activities, Singh said.

Terming Kejriwal's comment as yet another attempt by the Delhi chief minister to divert public attention for his own government's 'abysmal failure on all counts', Singh alleged, "Having failed to deliver on governance to the people of the national capital, the chief minister was, as usual, trying to take refuge in falsehoods and fabrications."

Singh also said according to the latest report on air pollution by the India Meteorological Department, winds over Delhi-NCR had changed from north-westerly to easterly, so there was hardly any influence from stubble burning in Punjab and Haryana.

"Yet, Delhi's air quality continued to be 'very poor', with an average PM2.5 concentrations of 208 microgrammes per cubic metres on November 2, which was caused mainly from local vehicular and industrial emissions, he claimed.

"What is more, the increase in concentration of PM2.5 due to stubble burning is proportionately less as compare to PM10. Thus, the contribution of stubble fire in the increase of PM2.5 is less, whereas, the Ambient Air Quality in Delhi witnesses an increase in the PM2.5 during the winter months," the Punjab chief minister observed

In particular, Delhi's AQI crosses the 400 mark due to high emissions from activities of a large population in a confined area of NCR and inversion phenomenon of the climate

During October, the wind velocity became static and decreased to less than 2 km/hr, Singh said, referring to available scientific data.

He asserted that had stubble burning been the reason for Ambient Air Quality deterioration then it should have impacted the air quality index of cities in Punjab in the first place.

The data clearly indicated that Arvind Kejriwal's government had "failed"completely in addressing the problem of pollution in the national capital, Singh said, adding the Delhi chief minister was, 'quite obviously, hunting for scapegoats to put the blame for his own failures'.

The Punjab chief minister warned that the people of his state would not take politely the AAP leader's attempts to pin the blame for his own 'failures' on their state.

"Kejriwal will see in the Lok Sabha elections what Punjab thinks of him and his party," Singh said and asked the AAP national convener to be prepared for 'treatment worse than what he saw in the state polls last year'.  -- PTI

China on Sunday said it supported Pakistan's 'quest for peace through dialogue' to settle the outstanding disputes with India and backed Islamabad's engagement with the Nuclear Suppliers group.

According to a joint statement issued in Beijing after Prime Minister Imran Khan's talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang, China backed Pakistan's efforts to improve ties with India to settle 'outstanding disputes', without directly mentioning the Kashmir issue.

"China appreciates Pakistan's quest for peace through dialogue, cooperation and negotiation, on the basis of mutual respect and equality, and supports Pakistan's efforts for improvement of Pakistan-India relations and for settlement of outstanding disputes between the two countries," the joint statement said.

In recent years, China has refrained from taking a public stance on the India-Pakistan ties, expressing hope for resolution of the disputes through dialogue.

On the Kashmir issue, China's oft repeated stand was that it should be resolved peacefully through dialogue.

India too supports dialogue as the way to resolve the issue with Pakistan but maintains that the talks and terrorism cannot go together.

Also significantly, China tacitly expressed its backing for Pakistan's efforts to secure the NSG membership.

China has been blocking India's entry into the NSG on the ground that New Delhi is not a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) even though majority of the 48-member group supported India's entry into the elite nuclear club.

Pakistan too has applied for the NSG membership.

"The two sides reaffirmed their commitment to multilateral, non-discriminatory arms control and non-proliferation endeavours," the joint statement said.

"They noted with concern the continued pursuit of double standards in the application of non-proliferation norms and procedures and called for policies upholding rule of law and long-standing rules," it added.

China appreciates and supports steps taken by Pakistan for strengthening the global non-proliferation regime, it said.

In this context, China supports Pakistan's engagement with the Nuclear Suppliers Group and welcomes its adherence of NSG Guidelines, the statement added.  -- PTI

Pakistan police on Sunday arrested nearly 250 people from across the country on charges of arson, vandalism and violence during the three-day mass protests following the acquittal of Christian woman Asia Bibi.

A day after striking a deal with the radical Islamist party Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP), the government swung into action as it started a crackdown against the people who vandalised public properties during the protests.

Asia Bibi, a 47-year-old mother of four, was convicted in 2010 after being accused of insulting Islam in a row with her neighbours.

She always maintained her innocence, but has spent most of the past eight years in solitary confinement.

In a landmark judgment last Wednesday, a three-judge bench of the Supreme Court headed by Chief Justice Saqib Nisar overturned the conviction of Aasia Bibi facing execution for blasphemy, sparking protests led by the TLP and other groups across Pakistan.

The protestors led by the TLP and other groups blocked major highways and roads in different parts of the country.

The interior ministry has initiated criminal proceedings against the rioters and booked 5,000 people, including TLP chief Khadim Hussain Rizvi and senior leader Afzal Qadri, on charges of rioting and disrupting peace during the demonstrations.

In Lahore, the police registered 11 cases against 1,500 persons, including the TLP leaders for blocking roads and creating law and order situation.

The FIRs against Qadri and Rizvi have been sealed, The Express Tribune reported.

In Faisalabad, the police registered 29 cases against 3,000 protestors and arrested 218 persons.

In Chiniot, 3 cases were registered and 13 persons were arrested; in Sargodha 2 cases were registered against 300 persons and in Jhang two cases were registered against 150 persons. Twelve of these people were arrested, the report said.

In Okara, FIR was registered against 200 people. 20 people later got bails and released. The Rawalpindi police also registered 18 cases against hundreds of TLP workers while 16 workers were released on Saturday.

In Islamabad, two cases were registered against more than 100 accused, including 20 workers of a religious party.

In Karachi's Gulistan-e-Jauhar and Pehlwan Goth areas, three persons were arrested for firing and forcing people to shut down their businesses.

Prime Minister Imran Khan, who is currently on an official trip to China, reportedly expressed his anger over damage to public and private properties during the three-day-long protests.

Khan ordered the arrest of the people who were engaged in vandalism and directed the federal government to work in collaboration with the provincial governments, the report added.  -- PTI

The Bharatiya Janata Party on Sunday removed its Uttarakhand organisation general secretary Sanjay Kumar from his post after a woman party worker accuses him of sexual harassment.

Once a Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh campaigner, Kumar was holding the responsibility of the organisation for the last seven years.

The victim has alleged that Kumar assaulted her at the party's headquarters in Balbir road, sent derogatory messages and also duped her in the pretext of providing a job.

The issues came to the fore when the victim lodged a complaint before the party members.

Soon after the #MeToo campaign raged in India, many women from all walks of life have opened up about the sexual harassment they faced in the past.

Many women have leveled allegations against those who have allegedly sexually assaulted them.  -- ANI

Women and Child Development Minister Maneka Gandhi on Sunday lashed out at the Bharatiya Janata Party-led Maharashtra government over the 'ghastly murder' of man-eating tigress Avni, calling it a 'straight case of crime'.

Tigress Avni, who is believed to be responsible for the deaths of 13 people in the past two years, was killed in Maharashtra's Yavatmal on Friday as part of an operation.

Avni is survived by her two cubs who are 10 months old.

She was shot dead by sharp-shooter Asgar Ali, son of famous sharp-shooter Nawab Shafat Ali, at compartment no 149 of Borati forest under the jurisdiction of the Ralegaon police station.

Reacting to the killing of Avni, Gandhi in a series of tweets lashed out at the Maharashtra government for giving the orders to kill her despite opposition from several stakeholders.

'I am deeply saddened by the way tigress Avni has been brutally murdered in Yavatmal,' she said in a tweet.

'It is nothing but a straight case of crime. Despite several requests from many stakeholders, (Sudhir) Mungantiwar, Minister for Forests, Maharashtra, gave orders for the killing,' she said in another tweet.

She said she is going to take up the matter 'very strongly' with Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.

'I am definitely going to take up this case of utter lack of empathy for animals as a test case. Legally, criminally as well as politically,' she said.

She also came down heavily on Mungantiwar for giving order to private marksman Shafat Ali Khan's son to carry out the hunting operation.

'Every time he has used Hyderabad-based shooter Shafat Ali Khan, and this time his son has also appeared in the scene illegally to murder the tigress,' she said in a tweet.

'His son was not authorised to kill. This is patently illegal. Despite the forest officials being committed to tranquilise, capture and qurantine the tigress, the trigger-happy shooter has killed her on his own under orders of Mungantiwar,' she tweeted.

'Shafat Ali Khan has killed 3 tigers, at least 10 leopards, a few elephants and 300 wild boar in Chandrapur, Maharashtra. He is a criminal known for supplying guns to anti-nationals and for a suspected case of murder in Hyderabad,' she said in another tweet.

She questioned Maharastra government's decision to take services of Khan and his son.

'I fail to understand why a state government should even bother about such a man let alone hire his services for illegal and inhuman acts,' she said.

Gandhi also expressed concern over the well being of the two cubs left behind after the killing of their mother.

'This ghastly murder has put two cubs at the edge of a sad death in the absence of their mother,' she said.

Meanwhile, Mungantiwar on Sunday said, Avni was shot dead as a last resort when all attempts to tranquilise her failed and she attacked officials.

Speaking to PTI, Mungantiwar said nobody in the Forest Department wanted to kill the tigress and, thus, hundreds of personnel from the department were trying to capture her alive since the last 3 months.

In September this year, the Supreme Court had said Avni could be shot at sight, which prompted a flurry of online petitions seeking pardon for the tigress.  -- PTI

In a veiled reference to the ongoing Ram Mandir-Babri Masjid case, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Sunday asserted that wishes of scores of Hindu devotees of building a Ram Temple in Ayodhya will soon come true after Diwali.

Speaking at an event in Bikaner, the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister said, "Light a Diya for Lord Ram this time, work there (Ayodhya) will start very soon. We have to take this up after Diwali."

The statement from the chief minister came a day after Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan stated that the Uttar Pradesh government will soon announce a statue for Lord Ram in Ayodhya.

Speaking to ANI on Saturday, Khan said that Lord Ram's statue, which is likely to be built near the Sarayu river in the temple town, should be constructed taller than the recently-inaugurated 182-meter tall statue of Sardar Vallabhai Patel.

Reportedly, saints in Ayodhya have been pressing for construction of a statue of Lord Ram similar to that of Statue of Unity.

Located on Sadhu-Bet Island, Gujarat, the 182-metre tall statue of Unity occupies over 20,000 square metres and is surrounded by a 12 square km artificial lake.

The Statue was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the 143rd birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel - the first Home Minister and Deputy Prime Minister of India.  -- ANI

Two Hizbul Mujahideen terrorists were killed in an overnight encounter with security forces in Shopian district of Jammu and Kashmir, police said on Sunday.

The security forces launched a cordon and search operation in Khudpora area on Saturday evening following information about presence of the terrorists there, a police official said.

He said the search operation turned into an encounter after the terrorists opened fire towards the security forces, who retaliated.

Two terrorists were killed in the encounter while two others managed to escape, he said.

"A couple of terrorists managed to escape from the site as blood trails have been seen there," he added.

The gunned-down  terrorists have been identified as Mohammad Irfan Bhat and Shahid Mir. While Bhat had joined terrorist ranks last year, Mir was part of an arms case from 2004, a police spokesperosn said.

"Incriminating material, including arms and ammunition, have been recovered from the encounter site. Police have registered a case and started investigations," he said.  -- PTI

A highway pile-up involving at least 31 cars killed 15 people in northwest China's Gansu province, officials said, leaving dramatic scenes of twisted and burnt-out wreckage.

The pile-up occurred on Saturday after a heavy truck lost control and crashed into a line of vehicles waiting at a toll station on the Lanzhou-Haikou Expressway, state-run China Daily reported on Sunday.

Officials said another 44 people were injured in the pile-up at the toll station which is close to Lanzhou, capital of Gansu. Investigation into the cause of the accident is underway, the report said.

Last week, 13 people were killed after a fist fight between a woman passenger and a driver caused a bus to plunge from a bridge into the mighty Yangtze River in southwest China.

Deadly road accidents are common in China, where traffic regulations are often flouted or go unenforced.

Violations of traffic laws were blamed for nearly 90 per cent of accidents that caused deaths or injuries that year.  -- PTI

In an attempt to avoid violence and unrest in Sabarimala temple, which is slated to open for a special religious ceremony on November 5, the state administration has deployed scores of police personnel in Pamba and surrounding areas.

Speaking to ANI, Inspector General Ashok Yadav said that around 1500 police personnel have been deployed from Pamba to Sannidhanam.

Furthermore, the Pathanamthitta district administration has imposed Section 144 in Sannidhanam, Pamba, Nilakkal, and Elavunkal till November 6.

Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) prohibits any assembly of five or more people in an area where it has been imposed.

Every member of such 'unlawful assembly' can be booked for 'engaging in rioting', the maximum punishment for which is three years.

As a precautionary measure and to avoid any untoward situation, the state security forces have also issued movement orders restricting devotees and media persons from travelling beyond a certain point.

The route will be fully open for all on November 5.

The Sabarimala Temple and surrounding areas witnessed a string of protests in October over the apex court's decision to quash restrictions on the entry of women between the ages of 10 and 50 into the holy shrine.

More than 3000 protesters have been arrested so far for instigating the violence that broke out in the state, while around 529 cases have been registered across the state.

As per reports, the Kerala high court has also directed the state government to report on police action after the violent protests erupted at Sabarimala in October.  -- ANI

Union Minister for Drinking Water and Sanitation Uma Bharti has advocated the construction of a Ram Temple at the disputed site in Ayodhya, and said she is ready to provide any assistance required from her end.

Calling the construction of the temple as her 'dream', Bharti told ANI, "I have actively participated in Ram Janambhoomi Andolan. Hearing of a case is also underway in connection with it on me and L K Advani Ji, and I am proud of it.

"The construction of Ram Temple is my dream and whatever initiative is required from my end I am ready for it."

Amidst demands for an ordinance to permit the construction of the temple before the Supreme Court pronounces its judgement in the Ayodhya title suit, Union Minister P P Chaudhary opined that a law can be made in case of judicial delay.

"Ram Mandir should be constructed, the case is in the Supreme Court and we want it to be decided quickly. I can't say about the government, but my personal opinion is that if there is a judicial delay then a law can be made," he said.

On October 29, the apex court had adjourned the hearing of the case until January 2019.

The court was hearing petitions challenging the Allahabad high court verdict of 2010, which stated that the disputed land in Ayodhya should be divided into three parts for each party - the Sunni Waqf Board, the Nirmohi Akhara and Ram Lalla.  -- ANI

In a remark that could trigger a political row, Andhra Finance Minister Yanamala Ramakrishnudu on Saturday likened Prime Minister Narendra Modi to an 'Anaconda'. 

"Who can be a bigger anaconda than Narendra Modi? He himself is the Anaconda that has swallowed all the institutions. He is swallowing up institutions like the CBI, the RBI," said Ramakrishnudu.

Reacting to Anaconda remark against Modi, state BJP president Kanna Lakshminarayana said TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu was the "king of corruption" and fears that his alleged corruption would be exposed now.

"N Chandrababu Naidu is the king of corruption and will stoop to any level. The man who passed a resolution in the NDA meeting in 2017, that Modi should become prime minister again is now trying to portray the latter as a culprit," said Lakshminarayana.

Krishnudu was recently in news after he faced backlash for asking the cash-starved Andhra Pradesh government to pay his personal medical bills for a root canal treatment he had taken in Singapore.

Under public pressure, Krishnudu had to return the Rs 2.88 lakh to the government.  

A minor girl who was admitted in an intensive care unit of a private hospital in Uttar Pradesh's Bareilly was allegedly gangraped by a hospital staffer and four unidentified men.

A Singh, superintendent of police-city said, "Victim narrated her ordeal after she was shifted to the general ward. A case has been registered and the investigation is underway."

Police further informed that the girl was admitted to the hospital after she was bit by a snake and was put on the ventilator in the ICU ward of the hospital.

However, later was shifted to the general ward, it was then she informed others about the hapless incident, the police said.

Singh said that the police immediately reached the spot after learning about the incident and lodged an FIR and commenced an investigation. -- ANI

In a bid to reduce road accidents caused by stray animals, Uttar Pradesh police has started a drive of tying radium bands on the horns and necks of stray cattle.

The reflective tapes ensure long-distance visibility, especially caused by fog during the winters.

Talking about the initiative , Superintendent of Police Dharamvir Singh, told ANI, "There has been an increase in road accidents of stray cattle during the night. So we decided to tie radium bands on their horns and belts on their necks to save them and avoid accidents."

This move comes with the onset of the winter season when numerous cows lose their lives or get injured as a result of coming in contact with vehicles due to the lack of visibility.

Tying radium bands will make it easier for vehicle drivers to spot the cattle from far away and hence help in averting such unfortunate accidents. -- ANI

Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan's birthday bash at a restaurant in suburban Mumbai was stopped by police in the early hours of Saturday for allegedly breaching the time limit.

A police official said that restaurants in the city can not operate beyond 1 am, but the party was continuing well after that.

Khan had reportedly called his close friends in the tinsel town for his53rd birthday celebrations at the swanky restaurant in Bandra.

Loud music was playing when police came visiting, the official claimed.

No case has been registered in this regard, he said. -- PTI

Lawyer-activist Prashant Bhushan said Saturday that the Rafale fighter jet deal involves both financial corruption and compromise with national security, unlike the Bofors scam.

   

Addressing a press conference in Raipur, Bhushan said, "Not only corruption was committed but national security has also been compromised (with the Rafale deal)...Bofors scandal was a Rs 64-crore commission scam, but there was no issue of compromise with national security. In Rafale scam, there is commission scam of Rs 20,000 crore in which national security has (also) been compromised."

 

He was asked whether the Rafale issue is comparable to the alleged scam in the purchase of Bofors howitzers during the Rajiv Gandhi government's tenure in 1980s.

 

Bhushan, along with former Union ministers Yashwant Sinha and Arun Shourie, has moved the Supreme Court seeking a CBI probe into the Rafale deal.

 

The Supreme Court Wednesday asked the Centre for pricing details of the 36 Rafale fighter jets India is buying from France in a sealed cover within 10 days in response to PILs. -- PTI 

Madhya Pradesh CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan's son Kartikey Chouhan submitted before a court in Bhopal on Saturday that Congress chief Rahul Gandhi deliberately linked him with the Panama Papers leak.

 

Kartikey recorded his statement before Special Judge (for cases against MPs and MLAs) Suresh Singh in the defamation case filed by him against Gandhi.

The court fixed December 17 as the date for submission of evidence in support of the complaint, Kartikey's lawyer Shrey Raj Saxena told PTI.

Gandhi made the statement deliberately to defame Kartikey and his father who is the chief minister of Madhya Pradesh since 2005, Saxena quoted the chief minister's son as telling the court. 

The Congress chief clarified later that he named Kartikey out of confusion, but did not tender an apology, the lawyer told the court. 

At a Congress rally at Jhabua in poll-bound Madhya Pradesh, the Gandhi scion had alleged that Kartikey's name figured in the Panama Papers leak, a global investigation into offshore money-laundering entities.

However, the next day the Congress chief said he named Kartikey Chouhan out of "confusion".

On October 30, Kartikey filed a defamation case under sections 499 and 500 of the IPC, against Gandhi.  -- PTI

A highway pile-up involving at least 31 cars killed 15 people in northwest China's Gansu province, officials said, leaving dramatic scenes of twisted and burnt-out wreckage.

The pile-up occurred on Saturday after a heavy truck lost control and crashed into a line of vehicles waiting at a toll station on the Lanzhou-Haikou Expressway, state-run China Daily reported on Sunday.

Officials said another 44 people were injured in the pile-up at the toll station which is close to Lanzhou, capital of Gansu.

Investigation into the cause of the accident is underway, the report said. 

Last week, 13 people were killed after a fist fight between a woman passenger and a driver caused a bus to plunge from a bridge into the mighty Yangtze River in southwest China.

Deadly road accidents are common in China, where traffic regulations are often flouted or go unenforced.

Violations of traffic laws were blamed for nearly 90 per cent of accidents that caused deaths or injuries that year. -- PTI 

Animal rights body People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals India Saturday said the killing of a tiger as part of an operation in Maharashtra should be investigated and treated as a wildlife crime and termed it a "dark day" for the nation.

   

PETA India said the tiger Avni was killed "illegally to satisfy a hunter's lust for blood", in contempt of court and in apparent violation of the Wildlife Protection Act.

 

Tigress Avni, believed to have been responsible for the deaths of 13 people in Maharashtra in the past two years, was shot dead in Yavatmal district of Maharashtra on Friday night as part of an operation, police said Saturday.

 

"Avni was killed illegally satisfying a hunter's lust for blood, plain and simple, in possible contempt of court and in apparent violation of the Wildlife Protection Act and the guidelines of National Tiger Conservation Authority.

 

"She may not have died instantly but slowly, through pain and blood loss, and likely in front of her now orphaned and vulnerable cubs," said Meet Ashar, Lead Emergency Response Coordinator, PETA India.

 

Ashar said "this matter must be investigated and treated as a wildlife crime".

 

"Whether sanctioned by the state or not, nobody can be above the law. This is a dark day for our nation and we must hang out heads in shame now, and again if this killing goes unpunished," Ashar added.

 

In September this year, the Supreme Court had said Avni could be shot at sight, which prompted a flurry of online petitions seeking pardon for the tigress.

 

For more than three months, Forest Department officials were planning to catch her with the help of latest technology.

 

Trained sniffer dogs, trap cameras, drones and a hang-glider, expert trackers, sharp-shooters and around 200 ground personnel were roped in for the task, officials said.

 

The Forest Department Friday carried out the operation in Borati with the help of sharp-shooter Asgar Ali, they said.

 

"Urine of another tigress and American perfume was spread in some part of the compartment, following which Avni came by sniffing it," one of the officials said. -- PTI 

A delegation of Trinamool Congress leaders today reached Assam's Tinsukia district to meet the family members of those who were killed by suspected militants.

   

Led by Derek O' Brien, the TMC parliamentary party leader in Rajya Sabha, the team comprises the party's Lok Sabha MP Mamata Bala Thakur, Rajya Sabha MP Nadimul Haq and MLA Mahua Moitra.

 

Unidentified gunmen in battle fatigue shot dead five individuals, including three members of a family, near Kheronibari village in Tinsukia district on Thursday night.

 

On Friday, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee expressed anguish over the killings and said an "environment of violence" was prevailing in the country.

 

Trinamool Congress MP Abhishek Banerjee demanded a court-monitored inquiry and called for the resignation of Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal over the incident.

 

A TMC delegation of six MPs had gone to Silchar on August 2 to assess the situation in Assam in the wake of the publication of the complete draft of the National Register of Citizens on July 30 but was stopped at the airport. 

They were not allowed to leave the airport and were sent back the next day. -- PTI 

Congress MP Shashi on Tharoor Saturday mocked Prime Minister Narendra Modi, calling him a "hero on a white stallion with an upraised sword in his hand".

 

Tharoor had waded into a controversy at the Bangalore Literature Festival Sunday last by claiming that an unnamed RSS leader had compared Modi to "a scorpion sitting on a Shivling" and "you cannot remove him with your hand and you cannot hit it with a chappal either".

 

A criminal defamation complaint had been filed against him in a Delhi court earlier in the day for his "scorpion" remark.

 

Tharoor again took a swipe at the prime minister, calling him "a hero on a white stallion with an upraised sword in his hand saying I know all the answers".

 

"Modi is a one-man government and everybody dancing to what he says," he said at an event organised by an industry body, adding India now has the "most centralised PMO" in history.

 

"Every decision is taken by the PMO (prime minister's office). Every file has to be sent to the PMO for approval," he claimed. 

 

On the next parliamentary election, Tharoor said that there will be both pre-poll and post-poll alliances between the Congress and other opposition parties, but Congress president Rahul Gandhi "may not be" the prime ministerial face.

 

The coming Lok Sabha election is important in that it will deny the Bharatiya Janata Party a second term in power, the Congress MP said.

He said the decision on the prime ministerial face of the Congress alliance would be a collective one and "it may not be him (Gandhi). The Congress has a broader notion of a leader unlike the BJP. We had people like Pranab Mukherjee, P Chidambaram and others having tremendous track record".

 

Gandhi is the unquestionable choice of Congress workers as their leader. "If free and fair elections are held among the Congress workers, Rahul Gandhi wins hands down," the Congress MP said.

 

Continuing his criticism of the Modi government, Tharoor said, "We are having a top-down, over-centralised and inefficient government running the country and there is nothing positive in the Indian economy."

 

"Demonetisation was a bad idea implemented badly and GST was a good idea implemented badly," Tharoor said.

 

He said that the Indian stock is down across the globe. "The rupee was heading towards the 'Margdarshak Mandal' (a reference to a BJP panel comprising its elderly leaders)," he quipped and later clarified that the BJP panel had leaders above the age of 75.

 

He said that communalism, cow vigilantism and mob lynching have been so extreme that India had never seen such "bizarre politics in the past".

"There are damning statistics to prove that," he added.