Tough road ahead in UP: BJP needs strong faces to challenge Opposition

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January 13, 2019

In just about three months, India will voice its opinion if Narendra Modi will stay for another term or there will be a new face to hold the reins of the country. In view of the upcoming Lok Sabha polls, the political parties are busy rearranging their organisations in order to bring forth faces that have the potential to win elections. The party leadership is also under deep pressure to repeat 2014 polls performance or give even the best in UP. Meanwhile, internal politics is at its peak in the BJP, where the candidature of both the current Agra and Mathura MPs Ram Shankar Katheria and Hema Malini are at stake. BJP needs real good faces that can challenge the Opposition and make it a huge win for the party. In a bid to win seats, they may have to show a way out to the sitting MPs who have earned the unpopularity among the people in their last term. The party leadership is also under stress to repeat or give even the best performance even as the Modi-magic appears to be on its faded side. Both Modi and Rajnath Singh won from Uttar Pradesh to assume the portfolios of the Prime Minister and the Home Minister but with the Samajwadi Party(SP), Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), and Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) alliance almost ready and the Congress also planning to join them, it will be a tough road ahead for the BJP.

BSP supremo Mayawati has already announced her candidates for Agra City and Fatehpur Sikri, while RLD may contest the Mathura seat. Samajwadi Party will soon announce its candidates for the rest of the districts in Braj region and it is quite probable that lacking ground support in this region, it is likely that the Congress will support the candidates fielded by the alliance. Katheria has been a two-time MP from Agra but, third time may not be the same for him as his popularity has fallen among the public. Besides, even in the party circles, the local leaders are trying to convince the party high command that fielding Katheria will be a losing proposition for the BJP. On the Mathura seat, the sitting MP Hema Malini is staking her claim for re-election asserting that she wants to finish the developmental work she had started in the region; however, looking at overall conduct of her as an MP, she has failed to win the confidence of the people. She might have been accepted as an actress but not as a politician; moreover, somehow, she has managed to sail on then Modi magic but this time it’s not the same scenario. UP Energy Minister and local MLA Shrikant Sharma, who was once seen as a chief ministerial candidate for the state, may stake his claim for the Agra ticket. In Firozabad and Mainpuri, votes could go in the favour of the alliance which will probably allot these seats to the SP candidates considering its popularity in the region.

In Fatehpur Sikri, sitting MP from the BJP Babulal Chaudhary has always been at loggerheads with the party leadership and could lose his ticket. Sources indicate that the Congress may field its UP President Raj Babbar from this seat while the BSP has announced the name of Seema Upadhyay, who has already been an MP from Fatehpur Sikri once. The BJP is still in search of a winning candidate. In the meantime, Congress is going to fight on all the 80 seats of Uttar Pradesh in 2019 Lok Sabha Polls. Whereas, Akhilesh Yadav and Mayawati have agreed to contest on 38 seats each. Recently, Congress has done excellent in four core states of BJP and shunted them out of power. Rahul Gandhi is not only gaining popularity but he has also proven his potential. He has matured with the time and many regional parties have all their support for him. This is the first time in Indian politics that Congress is voluntarily supported and endorsed by many state-level regional parties. Somewhere, Modi has utterly failed on his “Congress-Mukt Bharat” slogan; rather people chose to throw BJP out of power straight by slapping against their arrogance. Congress has fully prepared for the elections. Congress emerged No. 1 party in Uttar Pradesh in 2009 Lok Sabha elections, maybe they will fight on their own and win twice those number of seats in the upcoming elections. In 2009, the Congress had won 21 seats in the state. No wonder if the other two regional giants have decided to contest 38 seats each out of the 80 Lok Sabha seats in Uttar Pradesh. They will not contest Amethi and Raebareli. Although there is no formal alliance between SP-BSP and Congress, the decision to stay away from Amethi and Raebareli is significant since the two seats are old bastions of the Gandhi family. BJP’s Smriti Irani may contest against Rahul Gandhi but chances of her winning are very thin; whereas, the Raebareli voters may hardly switch their loyalties to other political parties. The two alliance leaders also made it clear that the alliance would continue till the next assembly elections in the state. The alliance is likely to be a cause of worry for the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which had not only swept the state during the 2014 general elections, catapulting it to a historic mandate in Lok Sabha, but had also won the assembly elections in the state with a thumping majority. On a broader note, other regional Opposition parties such as West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress (TMC) and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) congratulated Mayawati and Yadav, on coming together for an electoral alliance. The BJP is also a little worried about them coming together. The entire focus is that if these two parties come together, there could be an amalgamation of OBC, Dalits, and Muslim votes. If these three segments get together, there could be a potential challenge to the BJP in UP. That is why at this moment this new development appears to be important for everybody. In the 2017 assembly election, the BJP benefited from development schemes like Ujjwala Yojana providing free cooking gas. Will it repeat the same now with more developmental projects is not sure, because the killings in the name of cow and Yogi Adityanath’s motor mouth statements have hurt many of his voters? The lower middle class have their own concept of development, the middle class has its own and so does the higher class. When it comes to pumping money in developmental projects, one segment which really benefits is the bureaucracy. There is rampant corruption in UP. It is very difficult to handle corruption in UP under BJP government too. The Prime Minister’s image is another issue, right now the focus is whether this alliance on the ground stands or not. Interesting to see how regional starwort kicks out the ruling party and shunt their chances ahead.

(Any suggestions, comments or dispute with regards to this article send us on feedback@www.afternoonvoice.com)

Digital platform helps Maha save Rs 12k cr in farm loan

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January 13, 2019

Maharashtra has managed to save Rs 12,000 crore in farm loan waiver alone by adopting a digital platform that helped eliminate bogus claimants, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said on Sunday.

The state had, in June 2017, announced a farm loan waiver worth Rs 34,022 crore amid rising incidents of farmer suicides due to crop failures or falling prices and rising input costs.

The scheme made each farmer with a debt of up to Rs 1.5 lakh eligible for the write-off. Maharashtra was following other states like UP, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh among others.

“Our farm loan waiver scheme was executed on a digital platform and by that we could save Rs 12,000 crore just because of digital intervention. Had it been the regular way, we would have ended up paying Rs 12,000 crore more to the people and that is the power of digitisation,” he said at an industry event organised by corporate lobby CII, without offering any details.

He further said that the state is launching a programme which is a virtual life cycle management for every farmer.

“From sowing to harvesting, everything will be managed through a digital platform and that will give advantage to farmers to make this sector more sustainable, predictable,” he said, adding it will be launched Monday.

Fadnavis further said the state has collaborated with the World Economic Forum for Fourth Industrial Revolution and has started pilot project to introduce drones in agriculture.

“We are trying to make agriculture more precision-oriented so that we bring down the cost, make it predictable and connect farmers directly to technology,” he said.

The state aims to cover all the villages under its broadband connectivity programme by the end of this year.

“As part of Bharat Net, we have started our Maha Net, which has already reached out to 60 percent of our targeted villages and by the end of this year we will be reaching rest of the villages. Hopefully our fibre will reach every single village. And with this robust connectivity, we will empower every single citizen to leverage on digital governance and digital economy,” he said.

He further said his government’s Aple Sarkar Service Kendra has also provided internet access to villages.

Man arrested for obtaining passport under another name

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January 13, 2019

A 30-year-old man who was allegedly trying to leave the country after obtaining passport in a his new name which hadn’t been officially changed was arrested in Latur district of Maharashtra Saturday.

Narsing Jairam Bhuyekar was arrested at Udgir by the Anti-Terror Cell of police, an official said Sunday.

He had allegedly obtained passport with the name ‘Mohammed Rehan Ibne Adam’.

He had converted to Islam in 2010 and took the new name, but as required under the law, he did not notify the change through a government gazette, the police official said.

To get the passport, he allegedly provided documents such as PAN card and Aadhar card which bore his new name.

As the name on the passport application was not his original name, local police submitted adverse inquiry report, but Bhuyekar still managed to obtain passport through an agent, he said.

A native of Medak district in Telangana, Bhuyekar moved to Udgir a few years ago and embraced Islam, the official said. He later married a Muslim woman.

He allegedly told police that he wanted to visit Saudi Arabia for the Haj pilgrimage.

A case was registered against him under the Passport Act and also for forgery and cheating under the IPC.

“We are investigating why he did not change his name through government gazette and whether he was in touch with any foreign national,” the official added.

Rohingya and Bangladeshi immigrants must be evicted from Jammu: Bajrang Dal

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January 13, 2019

Activists of right wing group, Rashtriya Bajrang Dal (RBD), on Sunday staged a demonstration here against illegal Rohingya and Bangladeshi immigrants and gave Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satya Pal Malik a week’s ultimatum to deport them.

The protesters, some of whom wielded tridents, placards and the national flag, assembled outside a mall along Narwal bypass, not far from where a settlement of Rohingya Muslims is located. They raised slogans in support of their demand for eviction of the illegal immigrants and later dispersed peacefully.

RBD state president Rakesh Bajrangi said that the protest should serve as a “warning” to the governor led administration. He further claimed that the presence of Rohingyas and Bangladeshi nationals in the state posed a threat to the national security.

The RBD has given the governor a week’s time to take measures for the early deportation of the Rohingyas and Bangladeshi nationals. If the government fails to fulfill the demand then there will be a bigger agitation involving local residents. Bajrangi claimed these illegal immigrants were involved in criminal activities like drug peddling and posed a threat to the region’s culture.

ED arrests ex-manager of Maha co-op society in money laundering case

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January 13, 2019

The Enforcement Directorate on Sunday said that it has arrested an ex-manager of a Maharashtra-based cooperative society for his alleged involvement in laundering crores of funds using the overseas hawala route.

The agency said Machindra Khade was arrested by it under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA)for his “involvement in facilitating illegal cash deposits in various bank accounts of the society which were subsequently layered and then fraudulently remitted to Hong Kong by submission of fake import documents in the guise of import of diamond”.

It said the accused was former manager of Renukamata Multi-State Cooperative Urban Credit Society.

The agency had begun probing the cooperative society based in Ahmednagar district of Maharashtra on the basis of an FIR filed by the state police.

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) said its probe found that Khade “opened and operated” multiple bank accounts in the name of persons/company which were used for depositing huge cash in the society’s account maintained with banks having core banking and Real Time Gross Settlement (RTGS) facility.

“In this way, the beneficiaries’ transactions were successfully camouflaged as the RTGS/NEFT transactions would invariably reflect the name of the cooperative society. Khade was instrumental in contacting people and pursuing them in opening bank accounts for monetary consideration,” it alleged.

The agency claimed Khade obtained the signatures of account holders on blank RTGS slips that he kept in his custody.

“As and when there was a demand, the accused would take out these blank RTGS slips and fill the amount and beneficiary details in the slips. He used to take commission of Rs 50 per one lakh of such transactions which involved deposit of cash till the stage of RTGS,” the ED charged.

“In this manner, funds of Rs 120 crore were deposited in these accounts and then transferred through RTGS/NEFT to different shell companies and finally out of India to Hong Kong-based companies on the strength of forged bills of entry,” it said.

Khade at present is in ED custody.

Rajkumar Hirani accused of sexual assault, filmmaker terms #MeToo story ‘malacious’

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January 13, 2019

Rajkumar Hirani has been accused of sexual assault by a woman who worked with him on his 2018 film “Sanju” and the filmmaker has denied the allegations, terming them “false” and “malicious” and aimed at destroying his reputation.

In an article on HuffPost India, the woman, who calls herself “an assistant”, alleged that Hirani sexually abused her more than once between March and September 2018.

She detailed her allegations in an email dated November 3, 2018, to Hirani’s frequent collaborator and “Sanju” co-producer Vidhu Vinod Chopra.

After the article went viral on the Internet, the filmmaker released a statement in which he said he was “shocked” when the claims were brought to his notice two months ago.

He said that he suggested the case be referred to a “committee or a legal body” but the complainant chose to go the media instead.

“I was completely shocked when these allegations were brought to my notice about two months back. I had suggested immediately that it is essential to take this matter to any committee or any legal body.

“The complainant has chosen to go to the media instead. I want to very strongly state that this is a false malicious and mischievous story being spread with the sole intention of destroying my reputation,” Hirani said in a statement.

The woman said that on April 9, 2018, the director first passed a sexually suggestive remark to her and later sexually assaulted her at his home-office.

The woman said Hirani was a father figure for her.

“My mind, body and heart were grossly violated that night and for the next 6 months,” the email read.

Chopra’s wife, film critic Anupama Chopra, who is a director at Vinod Chopra Films Pvt Ltd, “Sanju” scriptwriter Abhijat Joshi, and Vidhu Vinod’s sister Shelly Chopra were also marked on the email.

The development comes close on the heels of Hirani’s name been dropped from the new poster and trailer of “Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga”, directed by Shelly Chopra.

A still from the film’s teaser, which released on 27 June, 2018, carried Hirani’s name as co-producer.

Hirani’s is the latest name to be called out in India’s #MeToo storm, which has engulfed many a stalwart such as Nana Patekar, Alok Nath, Vikas Bahl, Sajid Khan and former Union minister M J Akbar.

Ranting on public platform not enough, police action needed: Pooja Bhatt on #MeToo

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January 13, 2019

Actor-filmmaker Pooja Bhatt says she is happy that #MeToo movement has helped women come out with their stories of harassment but believes allegations need to be followed up with serious action instead of “ranting on public platform”.

A string of cases gave birth to India’s #MeToo chapter last September, with women from all walks of life coming forward to demand for a safer work environment.

“One should take names. One should file a case and take the person to court. Just ranting on a public platform with no thought towards the consequences, I think, is a bit too much,” Pooja told agencies.

She contends that the movement should not be limited to social media and rather be dealt properly with the help of law.

“If a man has made an overture at you and is harassing you, there is a law that protects you. Ranting on Twitter and not backing it up with a police complaint (does not help)… I am not interested in a media trial,” she adds.

The actor-director said that she too has been a victim of sexual harassment.

“It’s a fallacy, I have had my share. Which woman has not dealt with somebody putting their hand on the butt? When I used to go to school by train, I have got my butt pinched. But we were trained to take on that person.”

In 2002, Pooja had confessed that she was in an abusive relationship with an actor. She said that she was then accused of washing her “dirty linen in public” by the industry.

“I felt I must talk about it as I represent courage and strength to the world. That time it was not considered fashionable to talk about it. I got a lot of flak for it. Saif Ali Khan and John Abraham were couple of few people who stood up for me. Everyone from Shekhar Suman to Ruby Bhatia said, ‘How can I talk about all this in public?’ For me, it was not about him or me, it was about something larger. We need to empower our women to speak,” she added.

On the work front, Pooja’s home production film “Cabaret” is currently streaming and she is set to make a comeback to acting with “Sadak 2”. The actor will also be seen in a web series based on Abheek Barua’s book, “A City of Death”.

No better place to make my India debut than New Zealand, says Gill after India call-up

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January 13, 2019

Considered the ‘next big thing’ in Indian cricket, Shubman Gill has broken into the national team sooner than he expected and says there can’t be a better place to start his international career than New Zealand, where he was named player of U-19 World Cup, 12 months ago.

The last one year has seen the 19-year-old opener take giant strides.

The Mohali-based cricketer has followed his U-19 captain Prithvi Shaw to make the Indian team, albeit in the shorter formats, after a ‘dream’ 2018 when he bagged a lucrative IPL contract following a stellar World Cup and made 790 runs in 10 innings at 98.75 in Punjab’s latest Ranji Trophy campaign.

He was also part of the Rahul Dravid India A side that toured New Zealand last month.

“It is a big advantage (to be picked for the New Zealand tour). I played well there in the U-19 World Cup and now again I have got the opportunity,” Gill told agencies on Sunday after getting the news of his life, late last night.

” As I have done well there, I can say that there isn’t much adjustment needed in the technique. If I get an opportunity, I will have just need to handle the pressure that comes with playing for India. Mentally, it will be different for sure but I am ready.”

He is a supremely gifted and confident cricketer but the occasion got the better of him when he was informed about his selection.

“It was late in the night. My heart started beating faster. The messages started pouring in and I rushed to tell my father. It was a special moment,” said Gill.

Even senior Punjab teammate Yuvraj Singh and his IPL captain Dinesh Karthik, who was amongst the first few to congratulate Gill, knew it was only a matter of time before he reaches the biggest stage and that would probably happen after the World Cup in May-July.

“The call was unexpected but I understand the circumstances in which I have been picked. I have a pretty set target in mind. I have done well at all the levels I have played in so far and that has given me the belief that I can also excel in international cricket,” said Gill, who is known to pace his innings brilliantly.

“Definitely, I have gained maximum exposure from IPL and Ranji Trophy experience has also helped immensely. Though, it all started with the win in the U-19 World Cup where we experienced the media pressure for the first time. The atmosphere that is created during the U-19 World Cup does help you at higher levels,” added Gill.

1956 Olympian footballer Zulfiqar passes away

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January 13, 2019

Former Indian footballer Mohammed Zulfiqaruddin, who was part of the fourth place finishing team in the 1956 Olympics in Melbourne, passed away here Sunday.

He was 83 and survived by three sons and two daughters.

India lost to Bulgaria 0-3 in the bronze-medal match in Melbourne to finish fourth, a result considered one of the finest moments in the country’s football history.

Zulfiqaruddin also represented India in the 1958 Tokyo Asian Games and the Merdeka Cup in Malaysia, a release from Telangana Football Association said.

He was the captain of Andhra Pradesh in the Santosh Trophy from 1955 to 1967. He also captained AP Police team from 1954 to 1967 and won IFA Shield, Durand Cup and Rovers Cup tournaments.

A condolence meeting was held on Sunday at the Telangana Football Association office and it was attended by the office bearers.

10-year-old Shaw becomes youngest Khelo champ

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January 13, 2019

Abhinav Shaw became the youngest gold medallist at the Khelo India Youth Games when he teamed up with Mehuli Ghosh to help West Bengal win the 10m air-rifle mixed team event on Sunday.

The 10-year-old from Asansol raised his game enough in the final to ensure Mehuli Ghosh classy display would not result in any medal other than her second gold, a media release issued here said.

The sixth-standard student had to bide his time to get on the range and display his talent, not being among the 16 shooters chosen to compete in the individual events in either Junior (under-21) and Youth (under-17) categories.

He was not about to let it go.He dealt with the qualification and the final with a calm that would be the hallmark of any marksman.

The pint-sized but hugely talented young star made his team-mate, state and parents proud.

A shy lad, embracing quiet, he has taken rapid strides in the direction his father Rupesh and coach Joydeep Karmakar, who missed Olympic bronze in 2012, have chosen for him.

It was clear that the Karmakar-trainees complemented one another well.

In the final, where each series has a time limit, Mehuli decided to let her young teammate take the first crack.

“I take a little longer than him to line up my shot. He shoots pretty quickly and when we have a minute to complete our series, it helps to have him go first since he shoots quickly,” said Mehuli.