Shivaji ‘shorter’ than Sardar Patel? Sena targets BJP over statues’ height

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November 19, 2018

The Shiv Sena on Monday asked Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to declare that the proposed statue of Maratha king Chhatrapati Shivaji off the Mumbai coast will be the tallest in the world, and not be “scared” of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP chief Amit Shah over the issue.

The Shiv Sena said Nationalist Congress Party’s (NCP) Maharashtra unit chief Jayant Patil had claimed the height of the Shivaji statue had been decreased to ensure that the ‘Statue of Unity’, dedicated to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, remained the tallest.

It said Fadnavis should use the same courage that he displayed in announcing a quota for the Maratha community, and not be “scared” of Modi and Shah over the issue of the Shivaji statue’s height.

Decreasing the height of the Shivaji statue to make Sardar Patel’s statue look taller showed a “narrow and distorted mindset”, the Shiv Sena said in an editorial in party mouthpiece Saamana.

“Fadnavis should use the same courage that he showed while granting reservation to the Maratha community and fearlessly announce that the Shivaji statue would be the tallest in the world, and not get scared of Amit Shah and Modi. This will not diminish the prestige of Sardar Patel,” it said.

The Shiv Sena reminded Fadnavis that earlier, then Union finance minister Chintamanrao Deshmukh in the Jawaharlal Nehru government had shown courage to tender his resignation, to ensure Mumbai stayed with Maharashtra.

It ruled that while the ‘Statue of Unity’ had already been unveiled and opened for public viewing, not a single brick had been laid for the construction of the Shivaji statue.

There are now doubts being raised whether there was an internal conspiracy to make the Shivaji statue seem like a dwarf compared with the structure dedicated to Sardar Patel, the Shiv Sena said.

The Shivaji statue should be larger than that of any other leader and all parties should come together for it, said the Shiv Sena, which is an ally of the BJP at the Centre and in Maharashtra.

Prime Minister Modi had on October 31 inaugurated the imposing 182-metre statue of Sardar Patel, the first home minister of independent India, in Gujarat’s Narmada district.

The Congress and the NCP had said in the Maharashtra Assembly in July that the height of the Shivaji statue, to be built in the Arabian Sea off the Mumbai coast, was being reduced, a claim rejected by Fadnavis, who had asserted that it would be the tallest in the world.

According to the state government’s reply submitted earlier to an RTI query, certain height specifications of the proposed Chhatrapati Shivaji Memorial had been changed to reduce the cost of the project.

In the new design, the height of the Shivaji statue would be reduced by 7.5 metres, although the sword he wields would be taller than in the original design.

However, these changes will not alter the total height of the Shivaji statue, which would be 121.2 metres. The height of the entire structure, including the pedestal, would be 212 metres, the government said in its RTI reply.

The height of the Chhatrapati Shivaji statue had now been reduced to 75.7 metres from the earlier 83.2 metres. But in order to maintain the statue’s overall height of 121.2 metres, the length of the sword had been raised from 38 metres to 45.5 metres, the government said.

“The height of the pedestal has been reduced to 87.4 metres from the earlier 96.2 metres. This change in the pedestal’s height will save Rs 338.94 crore,” it had said.

Opposition leader hits out at Kerala CM over Sabarimala issue

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Afternoon Voice

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November 19, 2018

Leader of Opposition in the Kerala Assembly Ramesh Chennithala on Monday attacked Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan over the police action against Lord Ayyappa devotees at Sabarimala Sannidhanam and asked if Kerala was under the rule of Hitler.

The senior Congress leader alleged the government was trying to “brand” Ayyappa devotees as Sangh Parivar activists and thus helping RSS recruit people to its fold.

“It is police high-handedness. Innocent devotees who sought shelter at Valiya Nadappandhal (covered pathway) were also arrested. They all are not Sangh Parivar activists who reached there to create trouble. Is Kerala under the rule of Hitler (Nazi ruler Adolf Hitler),” Chennithala told reporters.

He urged the government to take action only against protesters who reach the hill shrine for disrupting peace there.

Arresting real devotees, who climb the hills to offer prayers, could not be accepted, Chennithala said.

The temple had opened Friday evening for the 64-day annual pilgrimage season as the stand-off continued over entry of menstrual age women into the shrine following a Supreme Court order on September 28.

Malegaon case: SC asks Bombay HC to deal with Purohit’s plea

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Afternoon Voice

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November 19, 2018

The Supreme Court on Monday asked the Bombay High Court to deal with the plea of Lt. Col. Prasad Shrikant Purohit, one of the accused in the 2008 Malegaon bast case, that he was being prosecuted in the matter without any valid sanction.

A bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi directed the high court that Purohit’s plea be dealt with on November 21.

A special court on November 2 had commenced the formal trial against Purohit, Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur and five other accused after framing of charges under various penal law in the Malegaon blast case.

Purohit, in his plea, referred to the earlier apex court order by which the trial court and the Bombay High Court were directed to deal with the claim of Purohit that he was being prosecuted under penal laws including the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act without any sanction from the authorities.

The plea also alleged that the charges have been framed against Purohit and others by the trial court which had commenced the trial without dealing with the claim on sanction.

Six people were killed and over 100 injured when an explosive device strapped on a motorcycle went off near a mosque in Malegaon, a town about 200 km from north Maharashtra, on September 29, 2008.

Rajasthan Polls: Amit Shah to be Raje’s last hope?

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Afternoon Voice

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November 18, 2018

BJP president Amit Shah, who is known to hit the right chords with his strategies for the election campaigns, on Sunday declared to address the youths in the poll-bound Rajasthan on November 21. Considering the elections stepping at the doorsteps in the state next month, it is believed to be a swift plan of action to rectify the flaws by the Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje. Here, for BJP, the matter of concern is that will Amit Shah’s teeny-weeny effort before the polls be able to camouflage for Raje’s list of flops in the state? However, a few BJP leaders seemed to be reluctant about speaking up as they chose to remain tight-lipped on the same.

The main event will be held at Tagore School Auditorium in the state capital Jaipur where nearly 4,000 youths will participate. The event will be live streamed and Shah will take questions from the youths present there and other locations including Bharatpur, Udaipur, Kota, Jodhpur, Ajmer, and Bikaner will be registered beforehand and they will not be able to ask a question during the programme, Shah noted at a press conference. Apart from these places, town hall meetings will be held in other 200 locations across the state, Union Minister Rajyavardhan Rathore said. Nonetheless, the reports reveal that the questions can be asked only through social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook.

The BJP ministers in a recent public address claimed that both central and state governments have expeditiously and transparently implemented developmental schemes in the last five years; they also accused Congress of indulging in what he termed was “vulture politics”. The party leaders also insisted that the Rajasthan government has taken various labour reforms to boost investment and industrial production besides creating job opportunities in the state and progressing as fast as a developing state by shedding away the ‘Bimaru tag’.

Vivek Singh, a businessman from Mumbai expressed, “I visited Rajasthan just a week back and stayed there for a couple of days. I feel really disappointed to say that I saw no such infrastructural development that the incumbent government claims. While cities like Udaipur and Jaipur will look very developed at first glance, but the reality will struck you if you go towards a little interior side. The roads are difficult to walk on and I saw women walking long to get drinking water. I wonder how the most interior parts of the state are living their lives!”

Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje on November 17 filed her nomination papers from Jhalrapatan. Along with that, BJP also released its third list of eight candidates for the Rajasthan assembly election which fielded Surendra Pal Singh from Karanpur.

Rajasthan (Karanpur) BJP Minister Surendra Pal exclaimed, “Rajasthan has seen a massive progress under the BJP rule and youth in the state are full of praises for the government and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. We have 100 per cent fulfilled the previous manifesto. Those who are accusing the BJP government might not have received the benefits but there are many who’ve been beneficial. We will definitely work for the rest in the upcoming years as per our election manifesto and we will undoubtedly win the Assembly Election!”

In a reaction to BJP’s step, the Congress immediately on the same day, released its third list of 18 candidates for the ensuing Rajasthan Assembly elections. The party has fielded among others Amit Chachan from Lohar, BD Kalla from Bikaner West in place of Yashpal Gehlot, who will be contesting from Bikaner East in place of Kanhaiyalal Jhawar etc.

A few days ago, former Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot, who will be contesting the Assembly polls in reply to BJP’s proclamation, targeted Raje for deliberately bringing to halt, curtailing, and destroying many welfare schemes such as free medicines schemes, pensions for the marginalised sections, loan relief for farmers, incentives for the rural poor, financial assistance for cattle sector, etc. those were brought by the previous Congress state government that brought a lot of relief to various sections of the poor of Rajasthan.

Congress leader Gurmeet Singh Kunnar asserted, “Amit Shah can bring no change to the mindset of Rajasthan youth and his address will fail to gather a crowd. The former Congress government in the state brought really beneficial welfare schemes for the youth and farmers. Before getting into the power, BJP promised to give more facilities to the citizens — be it increasing farmers’ income, employment opportunities to the youth, free medicines, better infrastructure, or crediting Rs 15 lakhs to each bank account — the people have got nothing while inflation and costly fuel have made their lives difficult. This time, the voters are not going to be influenced with all their jumlas.”

It strikes across that the BJP and Congress both are leaving no stones unturned to gear up with its electoral agenda before the elections to lure the voters. The Assembly polls in Rajasthan will be held on December 7.

Twinkle Mehta & Moumita Mukherjee

CBI vs CBI: The Never-ending saga — Part II

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Vaidehi Taman

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November 18, 2018

In the previous part, we were talking about the corruption allegations on Nageshwar Rao and his involvement. In a note submitted to the Cabinet, the Finance Department of the Tamil Nadu government insisted that a portion of the premium price shall be shared with the state government as the relaxation of this condition will fetch a higher price for the said land. The note stipulated that ‘therefore, as a pre-condition to the permission to grant of NOC, the government may insist that out of the sale proceeds, an appropriate premium should be paid to the government/SIDCO for lifting the rights to enable the deployment of the funds for the development of MSME sector’.

But, the word “appropriate premium price” was mysteriously missing in the follow-up order issued granting NOC. Sources say that the Finance Department raised a red flag about this omission but to no avail. In the secret note sent to the CM, it has been mentioned that the Finance Department has specifically mentioned that an appropriate percentage of share on the premium price will be decided by the MS&ME department depending on the rights foregone. Hence, the MS&ME department should be determined with the benchmark price to decide the premium value to share it with the state government. But the Cabinet Note was prepared without indicating benchmark price or percentage of share on the premium price shall be shared with the state government. In the Cabinet Meeting, it was decided to fix this share as 10 per cent. There was no other modification suggested in the cabinet meeting. However, in the Minutes of the Cabinet Meeting, this has been altered as 10 per cent of the share on the surplus of the land value after meeting the loan, instead of 10 per cent of the premium price fetched on such disposal.

This secret Finance Department note wonders why a decision taken in the cabinet meeting was specifically altered.

Highly placed sources revealed that the conspiracy to confer the prime land of 11.021 acres at Guindy was hatched by former Chief Secretary R Ram Mohana Rao and executed by his lieutenants Niranjan Mardi IAS and Hans Raj Verma IAS. Hans Raj Verma IAS was the then Chairman, SIDCO and Niranjan Mardi IAS was the then MS&ME Secretary. It was Niranjan Mardi, who specifically changed the wording different from the one actually in the cabinet decision and the subsequent NOC issued. On March 7, 2013, the consortium of the Banks headed by the State Bank of India, conducts a meeting along with other stakeholding banks. The meeting was presided over by Leon Therattil, Deputy General Manager and officials of SBI, Pegasus, HTL participated. N Ramadoss, the Chief Manager of SBI, reported in the meeting that four prospective buyers are readily available and the sale can be closed quickly. It was also decided in the meeting not to go for open auction and close the sale as a private treaty. It was resolved in the meeting that all offers should be finalised by 2 pm on March 15, 2013. It was also resolved to accept offers that are more than Rs 250 crores. It is pertinent to note that the upset price of Rs 250 crores is being decided in 2013 whereas the price offered by RMZ Millenia in 2007 was Rs 298 crores. On March 15, 2013, the offers received in sealed cover were opened in the presence of the SBI officials. As per the minutes of this meeting, only one offer was received from M/s VGN Developers private limited for Rs 272 crores. There was no whisper about the four offers readily available as told by Ramadoss, Chief Manager. The meeting, in which VGN representatives also attended, unanimously resolved to accept the offer of VGN. Even after the government issued a NOC allowing HTL Limited to convert the land proposed to be sold to residential purposes, no open auction was adopted and instead, the land was sold in a private treaty.

The land in question was a high-value property. The land has a permissible built-up space of 2.5 times of the land area. Since the land has been reclassified from ‘industrial’ to ‘residential’, the market value of the land would be more than the guideline value fixed by the government. Further, the land is situated in Guindy, which has a locational advantage, nearby airport, metro connectivity, etc.

As per the advertisement placed in the newspapers at that time for a realty project just near to the land of VGN in dispute, the asking price was Rs 12,000 per square feet. As per the government records, the guideline value of the land is as follows:

April 1, 2003, to July 31, 2007, — Rs 2,200

August 1, 2007, to March 31, 2012, — Rs 4,600

From April 1, 2012, — Rs 8,500.

This guideline value is for a land, which is classified as ‘Industrial’ under SIDCO Industrial Estate, under Industries Special Type I. The conversion as ‘Residential’ should have shot up the guideline value too; however, the sale price was finalised far below the market/guideline value. The consortium of banks headed by the SBI had fixed the reserve price for the said land at Rs 250 crores and finalised the deal on June 19, 2013, for Rs 272 crores. But as per the registration department records, the guideline value of the said land comes to Rs 376.26 crores on the date the sale was finalised. The VGN Developers private limited paid stamp duty for Rs 376.26 crores and not for the actual sale price of Rs 272 crores.

On the same day, the deal was finalised, the VGN Developers mortgaged the property to IL&FS Trust company for Rs 280 crores. While it is the normal banking standard to pay 80 per cent of the mortgaged property value as a loan, the VGN purchased a property for Rs 272 crores and mortgaged the same for Rs 280 crores. The entire transaction smelt of a huge scam and after a detailed investigation, a story was published in savukku on November 17, 2014.

The connected documents were also passed on to the CBI officials for further action at their end. But after dragging its feet for more than 18 months, the CBI finally on December 28, 2016, registered an FIR against 1) Leon Therattil, DGM, SBI, (2) Ramadoss, Chief Manager, SBI, (3) D.P.Gupta, Chief Operating Officer HTL, (4) D.Prathish, Managing Director, VGN Developers.

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

Marathas to get reservation in jobs and education institutes: Maha CM

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Afternoon Voice

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November 18, 2018

The Maharashtra government has accepted the State Backward Class Commission’s report and decided to give quota in jobs and educational institutes to the Maratha community, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said Sunday.

The reservation will be granted to the community under a new category called ‘Socially and Educationally Backward Class’ (SEBC) as per the recommendation of the commission, he said.

The politically dominant Maratha community constitutes over 30 per cent of the state’s population.

Speaking to reporters after a cabinet meeting on the eve of the winter session of Maharashtra legislature here, Fadnavis said, “The state cabinet has accepted the backward class commission’s report for Maratha reservation.

“Quantum of reservation will be fixed by the cabinet sub-committee assigned to chalk out technical aspects of the bill (granting quota) which will be tabled in the coming session,” he said.

After the commission submitted its report to the government earlier this week, Fadnavis had hinted that the demand for quota would be fulfilled.

The Maratha community has been demanding quota for a long time and its agitation for the same in July and August this year had taken a violent turn.

According to government sources, the commission’s report has said that Marathas are a “socially and educationally backward class of citizens” with minuscule representation in government and semi-government services.

A socially and educationally backward class can be extended benefits of reservation under Articles 15(4) and 16(4) of the Constitution, and in view of such extra-ordinary and exceptional condition, the state government is liable to take action, the report has said, sources maintained.

Asked whether the proposed reservation for Marathas will cross the 50 per cent ceiling set by the Supreme Court, Fadnavis said the commission has described the condition of Maratha community as “extra-ordinary and exceptional”.

“Even though the case of Tamil Nadu, where reservation has crossed 50 per cent mark, is pending in the apex court, it has not been struck down. We are confident of extending reservation to Marathas,” he said.

As per the opinion of the Advocate General, the state does not need permission of the central government for granting quota, he further said.

The Backward Class Commission had been asked to prepare a report on social and economic backwardness of the Maratha community.

Asked about the demand for reservation by the Dhangar community, Fadnavis said the Dhangars are presently in the VJNT (Nomadic Tribes) category and have 3.5 per cent reservation but they want quota under the Scheduled Tribes category.

“This comes under the Centre’s purview. We will make the recommendation to the Centre,” he said.

Maha DGP launches novel penned by former IB official

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Afternoon Voice

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November 18, 2018

Maharashtra Director General of Police Datta Padsalgikar unveiled “The Velvet Gloves”, a novel written by former Intelligence Bureau (IB) officer Balakrishna Kamath, at a function here.

The book was released at a function in south Mumbai Saturday.

Besides Padsalgikar, Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad chief Atulchandra Kulkarni, publisher Malini Nair and senior police officers were present.

The plot of “The Velvet Gloves” is about behind-the-curtains tussle between Indian intelligence agencies and the US law enforcement agency FBI.

Padsalgikar said the book shows another aspect of Kamath’s personality, namely, his flair for writing, and he should continue to write.

He described Kamath, as intelligence officer, as somebody who could work magic, finding solutions out of nothings.

The DGP referred to a case where Kamath — who retired as assistant director, IB — had only three scrambled digits to go on, but he cracked the mystery within half an hour, leading to swift arrest of a suspect.

Kamath said that in films intelligence sleuths are portrayed in a glamours way, like the character of James Bond.

But in real life intelligence officer’s work is often hard and monotonous, requiring many sacrifices, he said.

Though the book is a work of fiction, it will offer insight into intelligence operative’s life and its challenges, he said.

Maha to give solar agri pumps at subsidised rates: Bawankule

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Afternoon Voice

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November 18, 2018

The Maharashtra government plans to give 5 horsepower solar agricultural pumps worth Rs 3.5 lakh at a subsidised rate of Rs 20,000 and 3HP pumps costing Rs 1.5 lakh at Rs 15,000 to farmers, state Energy Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule said Sunday.

Speaking at the Agro Vision 2018 here, he said the state government had set a target of distributing one lakh solar pumps of which 10,000 had already been given out.

He said another 25,000 solar pumps will be provided to farmers in the next three months.

Bawankule also spoke about the “Mukhya Mantri Solar Agriculture Feeder” scheme under which solar power projects would be set up on PPP mode to provide farmers with affordable electricity.

The scheme is being implemented by the Maharashtra Energy Development Agency, Mahagenco and Mahavitaran along with private firms.

Pune court remands Varavara Rao in police custody till Nov 26

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Afternoon Voice

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November 18, 2018

Telugu poet Varavara Rao, accused of having Maoist links, was Sunday remanded in police custody till November 26.

Rao was taken into custody in Hyderabad on Saturday after his house arrest ended on November 15 and his petition to quash the transit remand was disposed of by a court there on November 16.

He was brought to Pune on Sunday morning and was produced before District and Sessions judge Kishor D Vadane, who remanded him in police custody till November 26.

District government pleader Ujjwala Pawar, while seeking police custody of 14 days, told the court that Rao had a nexus with top fugitive CPI (Maoist) operatives and was actively involved in the procurement of arms and ammunition, recruitment of students and funding of Maoist activities.

Rao, along with four other activists, was arrested on August 28 after the Pune Police conducted raids at various places in the country in connection with the Koregaon-Bhima violence case.

Police alleged that these activists had links with the Maoists, who backed Elgar Parishad event held in Pune on December 31 last year.

The Parishad, police alleged, led to the violence at Koregaon Bhima war memorial in Pune district the next day.

Western Naval Command organises 3rd Navy Half Marathon

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Afternoon Voice

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November 18, 2018

The third Western Naval Command (WNC) Navy Half Marathon was organised by the Indian Navy in Mumbai on Sunday.

More than 15000 runners registered for the event marking the Golden Jubilee year of the Command.

Speaking to the media on the occasion Vice-Admiral Girish Luthra said, “Around 80 percent of the participants are civilians. People from all sects of the society are a part of this race. People start preparing for this event a few months in advance, in that way they start focusing on their physical fitness, which is a nice and important thing. The primary focus of the event is health and fitness.”

“This is my first time here. I am very happy to be a part of it all arrangements are up to the mark,” said Aarti Deshmukh, a participant.

The event was organised in four categories- Aircraft Carrier Run (21 kilometres), Destroyer Run (10 kilometres), Frigate Run and Dream Run of five kilometres each.

Frigate run was a timed event while the dream run had no time restrictions.

The inaugural edition of the event took place in the year 2016, wherein more than 5,000 people participated.