Govt in power betrayed voters’ trust

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November 27, 2018

Before 2014, BJP in the Opposition and the other social workers, yoga guru, and some spiritual leaders gagged up against Congress accusing them of corruption. The anger was created against them so that BJP can come to power. Anyhow, with loads of chest-beating against Gandhi family, Narendra Modi succeeded in getting a majority — this time the votes were not given on the merits of BJP but the anger against Congress. It’s been almost five years of BJP ruling; it is the same election speech by Modi and the similar attack on Congress but we all need to see the carpet beneath the BJP is exactly similar as Congress. We should never think that BJP is not corrupt. Take the example of Gali Janardhana Reddy who was able to perform Rs 500 crore wedding of his daughter just a few days after demonetisation and all the money was paid in cash (new currency). During those days, common men struggled to withdraw a single hundred rupee from the banks.

There was massive corruption in the flagship project of Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s government golden quadrilateral in which the whistleblower Satyendra Dubey was shot dead in Gaya. Another example is Gujarat fisheries scam of Rs 400 cr, in which two BJP state ministers were caught and there was another controversy that Rajasthan CM Vasundhara Raje had helped Lalit Modi escape from India. You will find many more similar cases; for example, Operation West End (Defense Ministry NDA 2001). The fact that people chose BJP thinking of Modi as a potential candidate who assumed to have developed Gujarat. But Gujarat development claims got exposed time and again. BJP supports industrialists by all means and those industrialists became funders to Modi and BJP. Crores of funds were spent on making Modi a brand; randomly some authors were paid to write books on him. He was projected larger than life, and soon his lies got exposed and he became famous as “Feku” (serial liar). BJP and the Modi government have spent a whopping Rs 3,755 cr in advertising the achievements. Be it Congress, BJP, AAP, RJD, SP, BSP, YDP, AIADMK, TDP, or Parties like Trinamool Congress, you will find skeletons of corruption in their backyard. Perhaps, BJP is successful in suppressing the issues related to scams of their era. BJP has always claimed that it is not corrupt, that it was a party with a difference. In the campaign of 2014 elections, Narendra Modi campaigned vociferously against the Congress for its multiple scams. Many people believed him when he said, Na Khaunga Na Khane Doonga (I will neither make money nor let others do so). Three and half years down the line, the Modi government has betrayed all the trust. At the central government level and the state level where the BJP is in power, charges of corruption have been flying thick and fast. The Modi government has not yet appointed a Lokpal, the overarching ombudsman who would look at allegations of corruption against public servants at the national level. This is bizarre considering Modi and BJP vocally supported the anti-corruption movement of Anna Hazare back then. The closeness of Adani Group to the higher echelons of BJP has resulted in largesse being bestowed on his enterprises at a huge cost to the taxpayers. Talking about MP or Rajasthan, corruption is all time high there. The Vyapam scam that deserves special mention was an admission and recruitment scam involving high profile politicians, senior officials, and businessmen in the Indian state Madhya Pradesh. The scam involved a collusion of undeserving candidates, who bribed politicians and officials through middlemen, to get high ranks in these entrance tests. Mysterious deaths of around 40 people took place due to this scam.

Apart from that, the seats were sold, corrupt leaders of other party are given a berth in BJP, the party has got aligned with corrupts to stay in power. The saga is never ending, but this time again they are making use of Hindu sentiments by revoking Lord Rama to their advantage. Let’s see what happens in the future!

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

Woman cheated of Rs 19.15 lakh by ‘foreign’ national

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Afternoon Voice

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November 27, 2018

A 42-year-old housewife from Thane in Maharashtra was allegedly cheated of Rs 19.15 lakh by an unidentified man who claimed himself to be based in the US, the police said on Tuesday.

The accused, who gave his name as Derrick Joe, came into contact with the woman who had just started her own business dealing with international clients, a police official said.

According to police, the accused identified himself as the son of a friend of the woman’s father who is based in the US.

The accused stayed in touch with the woman through social media.

He told her that he was into the business of wines.

“He offered to send the woman gifts through a parcel, which she refused. However, the accused insisted and told her that he was sending her a parcel containing leather bags, purses, wrist watches, chain lockets, and laptops,” the official said.

On August 28, the woman received a call from a man who identified himself as Delhi-based Central Excise Assistant Commissioner Sumit Kumar.

“Kumar told the woman that her parcel had landed in Delhi and that she would have to pay Rs 68,000 towards excise duty,” the official said.

When she refused to accept the parcel, he threatened to arrest her.

“Scared by Kumar’s threat, the woman transferred the money to his bank account, but was never given the parcel,” he said.

Kumar then kept extracting money from the woman under one pretext or the other.

Realising that she was cheated, the woman approached the police.

A case has been registered under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and Information Technology (IT) Act, the official added.

Govt ‘hiding’ SBCC report contents even from senior Mins: Oppn

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Afternoon Voice

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November 27, 2018

Opposition Congress and NCP on Tuesday alleged that the Devendra Fadnavis-led Maharashtra government was keeping even senior ministers in the dark about the contents of the State Backward Class Commission (SBCC) report recommending quota for the Maratha community.

Criticising the government for not tabling the report in the state Legislative Assembly, Leader of Opposition Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil and NCP leader Ajit Pawar said the BJP-led dispensation was “under depression” over the issue.

Earlier in the day, the Maharashtra Assembly was adjourned twice over the issue of tabling in the SBCC report in the House.

Talking to reporters here, Vikhe Patil and Pawar justified their demand that the SBCC report regarding Maratha quota be tabled in the House. Both the opposition parties have been demanding since last week that the report be tabled in the Legislature.

“The government plans to have a budget session in February before the code of conduct comes into force for the Lok Sabha polls. Immediately after the Lok Sabha elections, there would be a code of conduct for the Assembly polls. We want the Maratha quota law to be discussed and implemented so that it is not challenged in the court,” Vikhe Patil said.

Pawar wondered why Fadnavis was angry when the opposition persisted with its demand that the report be tabled in the House.

“He (Fadnavis) has accused us of being a roadblock in the implementation of the quota. Why would we do that? We had introduced 16 per cent quota for Marathas in education and jobs. But unfortunately, it did not stand in the court,” he added.

Pawar said that Fadnavis claimed in the Lower House that his government has provided educational benefits to backward class Muslims, like 50 per cent fees in professional courses being paid by the government.

“But such schemes are only on paper and not seen on the field,” he said.

Vikhe Patil and Pawar claimed that even the senior ministers have been kept in the dark about the contents of the SBCC report.

“What is Fadnavis trying to do by hiding the report from his ministers?” they asked.

The government had received the report on November 15 and it was placed before the Cabinet on November 18.

The Maratha community, which constitutes over 30 per cent of the state’s population, has been demanding a quota for a long time and its agitation for the same in July and August this year had taken a violent turn.

Man kills cop executing arrest warrant

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Afternoon Voice

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November 27, 2018

A head constable of police was killed and his two colleagues were injured when they were allegedly attacked by a 32-year-old history-sheeter in Maharashtra’s Yavatmal district Monday, the police said on Tuesday.

The police personnel, including head constable Rajendra Kudmethe (51), had gone to arrest Anil Meshram in Hiwri village against whom a court had issued a warrant, a police officer said.

When the police personnel reached the house of Meshram, he and his mother Indira Meshram (62) came out armed with wooden clubs.

“When the police personnel tried to arrest Meshram, they were attacked by him and his mother,” the officer said.

He said the trio were rescued by villagers and rushed to the hospital, where Kudmethe was declared dead.

The injured constables are identified as Madhukar Mukhe (52) and Pramod Fufare (31).

The accused is on the run while his mother Indira was arrested, the officer said.

A case has been registered in this regard, he said.

1 killed after oil tanker bursts into flames in Wadala

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Afternoon Voice

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November 27, 2018

A massive fire broke out in Mumbai’s Wadala area after an oil tanker burst into flames after crashing underneath the city’s overhead monorail line, resulting in the death of the tanker driver.

The incident took place last night around 10:47 pm at the Bhakti Park area.

After receiving information, the police immediately cordoned off the area and fire trucks rushed to the spot to douse the flame.

“The tanker was filled with methanol and when we reached the spot it had toppled and was on fire. The driver of the tanker was charred to death. The situation is under control now,” fire service officer AH Sawant told reporters.

Diana used position against me, coach Powar humiliated me: Mithali writes to BCCI

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Afternoon Voice

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November 27, 2018

Senior Indian woman cricketer and ODI captain Mithali Raj on Tuesday lashed out at Committee of Administrators’ member Diana Edulji and coach Ramesh Powar, saying a “few people in power are out to destroy me”.

Breaking her silence on the omission from the World T20 semifinal against England that raised quite a few eyebrows after India’s eight-wicket loss, Mithali alleged that Edulji, who had backed her axing, “used her position against me”.

The 35-year-old was dropped despite scoring back-to-back fifties in the group stage of the competition held in the West Indies.

“For the first time in a 20 year long career, I felt deflated, depressed and let down. I am forced to think if my services to my country are of any value to a few people in power who are out to destroy me and break my confidence,” she wrote in a letter to BCCI CEO Rahul Johri and Cricket Operations GM Saba Karim.

“I would also like to point out that I have nothing against the T20 captain Harmanpreet Kaur except for the fact that her call to support the decision of the coach to leave me out of the eleven was baffling and hurtful.

“I wanted to win the world cup for my country and it hurts me because we lost a golden opportunity.”

She slammed Edulji, a former India captain, for defending the team’s decision to drop her.

“To put things in perspective, I have always reposed faith in Diana Edulji and have always respected her and her position as a member of the COA, Never did I think she will use her position against me, more after hearing what all I had to go through in the Caribbean as I had spoken to her about it .

“Her brazen support in the press with regard to the decision of my benching in the semifinal of the T20 World Cup has left me deeply distressed, more because she knows the real facts having spoken to me.”

On Powar, she narrated a series of instances where she felt slighted by the coach.

“It was embarrassing and very evident to everyone that I was being humiliated. Yet I never lost my cool,” she said.

Cyclone Gaja: ‘Rise above politics’ and extend support, Kamal Hassan to Kerala CM

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Afternoon Voice

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November 27, 2018

Makkal Needhi Maiam president and actor Kamal Haasan on Tuesday appealed to Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan to “rise above politics” and extend support to the people affected by Cyclone Gaja in Tamil Nadu.

Haasan wrote to the chief minister, saying Cyclone Gaja has caused “widespread damage and destruction to life and property” in the Cauvery delta and coastal districts of Tamil Nadu.

He said that his party, Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM), has urged the Kerala government and its people to come forward and assist in a way they deem fit to help Tamil Nadu “stand up on its feet again.”

“Damage to crops, standing trees and boats is so extensive that the very source of life of our farmers and fishermen has been uprooted,” the actor said in a letter to chief minister an veteran communist leader Vijayan.

“We urge you to rise above politics and other affiliations to demonstrate a true spirit of human kindness. Being humane is the fulcrum of humanity,” the MNM chief said.

He said that “human benevolence shines brighter” during such times, adding that the damage caused by the cyclone will take years to overcome.

“However, we can begin now and start the process to rehabilitate and restore a sense of normalcy to our fellow brethren,” Haasan, known to share a good rapport with Vijayan, said in the letter.

Cyclone Gaja crossed the Tamil Nadu coast between Nagapattinam and Vedaranyam on November 16, and left a trail of destruction, besides claiming 63 lives.

Chilli powder attack on CM: AAP playing victim card, detailed probe needed, says BJP

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Afternoon Voice

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November 27, 2018

Delhi BJP legislators on Tuesday sought a detailed probe into the chilli powder attack on Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal to unearth a “conspiracy” by the AAP, which, they said, was playing the “victim card”.

The MLAs met Delhi Police Commissioner Amulya Patnaik and demanded the arrest of an aide of Kejriwal, who, they alleged, facilitated the entry of the man who threw chilli powder on the chief minister at the secretariat.

“It is surprising that the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) and the AAP have not filed a complaint. Do the CMO and the AAP have nothing to do with the safety and security of the chief minister,” Leader of Opposition Vijender Gupta said.

Demanding the arrest of an aide of the chief minister, the BJP leader said the aide had allegedly facilitated the entry of the accused, Anil Sharma, into the secretariat.

“The high voltage drama by the AAP in Delhi, smells (like) a conspiracy to play victim card over the issue,” Gupta said.

Sharma threw the chilli powder at Kejriwal outside his office in the Delhi Secretariat last week. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) described the attack as “politically motivated”, while asserting that the BJP is hatching a conspiracy in collusion with the Delhi Police to attack the chief minister.

On Monday, MLAs of the Kejriwal-led party had slammed the police and the Centre over the attack in the ongoing Special Session of the Delhi assembly.

Top party leaders, including Kejriwal, have accused the BJP of having a hand in attacks on him in past three years.

Kejriwal himself demanded that Prime Minister Narendra Modi resign if he cannot ensure a Delhi chief minister’s security.

Gupta alleged there were “discrepancies in the allegations of the Delhi government, Home department minister Satyendar Jain and the AAP, and still the BJP was being targeted over the issue, although police interrogation of Sharma revealed that he had no affiliation with the (BJP) party.”

Sabarimala: Activist Rehana Fathima arrested for allegedly ‘hurting religious sentiments’

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Afternoon Voice

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November 27, 2018

Activist Rehana Fathima, who had attempted to enter the Ayyappa temple in Sabarimala when it opened for monthly puja last month, was arrested on Tuesday for allegedly hurting religious sentiments through her Facebook posts, police said.

Fathima, 32, was arrested from office in Palarivattom in Kochi, a police officer said.

The activist, a BSNL employee, was booked by police in Pathanamthitta on a complaint by Radhakrishna Menon, alleging that some of her Facebook posts hurt religious sentiments.

She was booked under Section 295A of the Indian Penal Code — deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs.

She was later taken to Pathanamathitta after her arrest, police said.

A controversy had erupted in Kerala after Fathima made an attempt to enter the Sabarimala temple when it was opened for monthly puja in October following the Supreme Court order allowing entry of women in the age group of 10-50.

Anticipating arrest, she had moved the high court seeking anticipatory bail, but it was rejected.

Dismissing the plea, the court had directed that police can take appropriate steps in the case.

Fathima and Hyderabad-based journalist Kavitha were taken to the hills with heavy police protection.

Kartarpur corridor will erase ‘enmity’ between India and Pakistan: Sidhu

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Afternoon Voice

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November 27, 2018

Terming Kartarpur as a “corridor of infinite possibilities”, Punjab Cabinet minister Navjot Singh Sidhu said on Tuesday that such initiative would promote peace and erase “enmity” between India and Pakistan.

Sidhu, who arrived here along with a group of Indian journalists to take part in the groundbreaking ceremony of the Kartarpur Corridor in Narowal, some 120 kms from Lahore, was greeted at the Wagah Border by officials of Pakistan’s Punjab province.

The 4-km-long corridor will connect Dera Baba Nanak in India’s Gurdaspur district with Gurdwara Kartarpur Sahib Narowal in Pakistan. The corridor will provide visa-free access to the Indian Sikh pilgrims to the gurdwara.

Prime Minister Imran Khan will perform the groundbreaking of the corridor on Wednesday.

Sidhu thanked Khan for making this corridor possible which he said will help promote peace between the two countries.

“This will erase enmity between the two nations,” he said.

“The seed Imran Khan had sown three months ago has become a plant. It is a happy moment for the Sikh community that the corridor to reach Kartarpur to get Baba Guru Nanak’s blessing without any hassle,” he told the media at Wagah.

He said the wait of 73 years is over after the opening of the corridor.

He termed it as a “corridor of infinite possibilities” and said through such initiatives, peace would be promoted (between the two countries).

On Monday, Indian Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu and Indian Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh laid the foundation stone of the corridor in Gurdaspur.