Saradha chitfund scam: ED questions Matang Singh’s aide Khyati Sadana

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February 18, 2015

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Wednesday questioned Khyati Sadana, an aide of former Union Minister Matang Sinh, in connection with the multi-crore Saradha chitfund scam.

The ED had earlier issued notice to Sadana and another aide of Sinh, Rupendranath Singh, and summoned them to appear before it.

Sinh, who is the first former union minister to be arrested in the case, was recently sent to CBI custody till February 11 by court.

He was reportedly charged with criminal conspiracy, cheating and misappropriation of funds related to Saradha Realty, one of the companies of the group which is being probed by the agency, CBI sources said.

The ED also froze his property worth Rs. 90 crore.

Sweeper arrested for making MMS of software company employee

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Afternoon Voice

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February 18, 2015

A sweeper was on Tuesday arrested for allegedly making an obscene MMS of a woman working in a software company, at RDC Rajnagar area in Ghaziabad, police said.

According to the complaint lodged by the woman at Kavi Nagar police station, she caught the sweeper filming her from an adjacent toilet when she had gone to relieve herself.

The woman, a resident of Khurja in Bulandshahr district, sounded an alarm after which her colleagues nabbed Ashish, the accused, and handed him over to the police.

Dinner diplomacy in Bihar ahead of CM Manjhi’s floor test

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Afternoon Voice

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February 18, 2015

Amid the political crisis in Bihar, JD(U), BJP and RJD are hosting dinners for their legislators to keep them together and ensure that they do not go against the party wishes during chief minister Jitan Ram Manjhi’s floor test on February 20.

“The aim of these dinners and lunches is to foster unity among the legislators before Manjhi takes the majority test on the floor of the assembly,” a senior JD(U) leader said.

The dinner diplomacy was kick-started on Tuesday evening with a feast thrown by JD (U) MLC Vinod Singh at the house of former minister Gautam Singh. Both are considered close to former chief minister Nitish Kumar, who has been re-elected JD(U) legislature party leader and has staked claims to the chief minister’s post.

Apart from Kumar and other JD(U) legislators, senior leaders from allied parties — RJD, Congress and CPI — were seen attending the dinner, signalling the existing bonhomie among them and their support for Kumar.

The series of feasts continued on Wednesday with parties thrown by RJD Legislature Party leader Abdul Bari Siddiqui in the afternoon and senior JD(U) leader and former minister Vijay Kumar Chaudhary in the evening.

Chaudhary was chosen the leader of JD(U) legislature party in the assembly recently.

Controversial ex-IPS officer DG Vanzara walks free; says “Acche Din” have arrived

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Afternoon Voice

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February 18, 2015

Controversial ex-IPS officer D G Vanzara, an accused in the fake encounter cases of Ishrat Jahan and Soharabuddin Sheikh, walked out of the Sabarmati Central Jail after spending almost seven and half years in prison. Soon after his release, an elated Vanzara said, “Surely, Acche Din (Good days) have returned for me and other Gujarat police officers.”

The former Gujarat top cop alleged that the state police was targeted for “extra legal political reasons”. “Police of every state in the country fought against terrorism. But Gujarat Police was targeted by the previous political regime not for a day but for last eight years,” said Vanzara.

“Maximum number of encounters took place in Uttar Pradesh, while in Gujarat it was the least. But then also Gujarat Police was targeted for extra legal political reasons,” he said. Earlier in the day, the former DIG was greeted by hundreds of his supporters outside the jail.

A local court here had granted him bail in the Ishrat Jahan case on February 3, while he had earlier got bail from a Mumbai court in the Soharabuddin Sheikh and Tulsi Prajapati case, which were clubbed by the Supreme Court. Vanzara will have to leave Gujarat, as the court while granting him conditional bail, had asked him not to enter the state.

He was arrested on April 24, 2007 by CID crime in connection with the 2005 Sohrabuddin Sheikh encounter case, and since then he was behind bars. Vanzara, during his stint in the city crime branch as head of State Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS), was made an accused in the fake encounter cases of Sheikh, Prajapati and Jahan by the CBI.

He was Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) in the city crime branch, when Mumbra-based college girl Ishrat, Javed Shaikh alias Pranesh Pillai, Amjadali Akbarali Rana and Zeeshan Johar were killed in an encounter with Gujarat Police on the outskirts of Ahmedabad on June 15, 2004.

Uber given 7 days to furnish details for licence

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Afternoon Voice

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February 18, 2015

US-based radio taxi service Uber has been given a seven-day final ultimatum by Delhi government to remove deficiencies in its application for running cabs in national capital, failing which its plea will be rejected.

Uber, which was banned two and half months ago after one of its drivers allegedly raped a woman, had applied for licence on January 22 to operate app-based taxi booking service through its subsidiary Resource Expert India Pvt Ltd.

The government however had issued a ‘deficiency memo’ on January 24 asking it to furnish all details before it as mentioned in recently introduced ‘Modified Radio Taxi Scheme (2006),’ an official said.

The scheme was finalised on January 1 following the outrage over rape of the woman on December 5 last allegedly inside the Uber cab.

App-based taxi operator ‘Taxi For Sure’ and another operator had also applied for licences and similar ‘deficiency memo’ were served to them as well.

“We have issued them a deficiency memo on January 24 and a reminder was also sent in this regard on February 11. Since no reply was received on any of the two communications, we have given them a final opportunity to furnish the details within seven days,” said a senior transport department official.

Sources said that the three app-based taxi providers in their applications did not provide full details for procuring a licence according to laid down rules.

“In Uber’s application, certificate/undertaking for parking of radio taxis was not provided. They also did not mention telephone number, e-mail address and address proof of their registered office in Delhi. Besides, call centre management details were also not provided in the application,” a top source said.

The sources also said that in the application of Taxi For Sure, details of drivers and undertaking of induction schedule were not provided.

“Certificate/undertaking for parking of radio taxis was not provided in Taxi For Sure’s applications. Call centre arrangement details and print out of web portal were also not provided,” the source added.

Our mothers are not baby factories: RSS Bhagwat to Sakshi

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Afternoon Voice

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February 18, 2015

Days after Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Sakshi Maharaj made controversial remarks asking Hindu mothers to produce at least four kids, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat has reportedly said, “our mothers are not baby factories”.

“Hamaari maatayen factory nahin hain, bachcha paida karna vyaktigat nirnay hai (Our mothers are not factories to produce babies, it’s a personal decision to give birth to a child),” the RSS chief said.

The remarks were made by the RSS chief in Kanpur on Monday during talks with delegates related to the Sangh Parivar, according to news reports.

In an apparent reference to BJP MP Sakshi Maharaj, Bhagwat said that one should think carefully before making such statements.

The Unnao MP had triggered a controversy last month after he said that every Hindu woman should give birth to at least four children to protect Hindu religion.

He said that out of four children, one should join armed forces, one should be put in company of saintly men and two should take care of family.

On the issue of equal representation of women, the RSS chief reportedly said, “Sabhi ko manch par dikhna chahiye.”

Rs. 1.21 cr bid for PM Narendra Modi’s pinstripe monogrammed bandhgala suit

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Afternoon Voice

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February 18, 2015

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s pinstripe monogrammed bandhgala suit, which hogged limelight during President Barack Obama’s visit, went up for auction in the diamond city on Wednesday.

As the auction is underway in the diamond city, Rajesh Juneja from Surat bid a whopping Rs. 1.21 crore for Modi’s Navy blue suit. Juneja gave a written bid offering Rs. 1.21 crore for the suit which was the star attraction at the three-day auction which opened.

Earlier, NRI businessmen Viral Chowksi offered Rs. 1.11 crore, while before him textile trader Suresh Aggarwal made an offer of Rs. one crore for the two-piece suit.

The first bid was made for Rs. 11 lakh by a Surat-based chartered accountant Pankaj, while few minutes later, second bid of Rs. 51 lakh was made by Raju Agarwal, an estate dealer.

“I have offered Rs. 1 crore. This is work of charity and when the Prime Minister is doing for a great cause like cleaning of Ganga, I decided to go ahead and buy the suit,” said Suresh Aggarwal.

Giving a new dimension to the controversy, NRI Gujarati businessman Ramesh B Virani, who had participated in the Gujarat Vibrant Summit, said he had gifted the suit to Modi when had he gone to invite the Prime Minister for his son’s wedding.

“t that time, he (Modi) told me that he has a very busy schedule ahead and also that he will be donating the suit. I said there is no problem with that. I told him that I want him to wear the suit on the day of my son’s wedding as a blessing,” he said.

The suit that created waves and kicked up a political storm was auctioned today along with 455 items that Modi had received as gifts during his nearly nine-month long tenure to generate funds for the Prime Minister’s ambitious ‘Clean India Mission’.

Among other items up for auction are two T-shirts presented to Modi in Australia. The tees with Modi written over them were presented to the PM by the cricket board.

Meanwhile, reacting to the auction, Trinamool Congress leader Derek O’Brien termed the exercise as damage control public relations and said it has nothing to do with Ganga cleaning.

PM Modi wore the deep blue bandhgala suit for a joint appearance with US President Barack Obama at Hyderabad House when he stepped out for a ‘Chai Pe Charcha’ meet and a press conference with the US President in New Delhi last month.

Surat Municipal Commissioner Milind Toravane said the event is being organised at SMC’s Science Convention Centre at city-lights road in Surat as the Prime Minister’s Office(PMO) had decided to hold the auction event in the city.

Modi, during his chief ministerial tenure in Gujarat, had initiated a trend to auction the gifts that he received in a year and it was donated to Kanya Kelavani Yojna for girl child education, he said.

RSS must motivate the youth

By

Mahendra Singh

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February 18, 2015

The RSS has criticized the Aam Aadmi Party’s agenda of luring voters by promising freebies to them. People had voted for the party as it had promised to offer them free power and water. Even Prime Minister Narendra Modi had taken a jibe at AAP for indulging in politics of populism. Modi asked how can a state which is dependent on electricity from outside offer free power? The question which arises in my mind is why do people fall prey to such tactics adopted by political parties?

Why people have become so blatantly selfish. Have we failed to educate the masses? Yes, we have never made any effort to educate the masses and ensure that they follow the correct path. They were never taught the lesson of discipline and realistic expectations. RSS has also warned that AAP’s move to offer freebies will only affect the nation’s economic growth. “Aapke bache itne lalchi aur khudgarz kaise ban gaye”. “Humne unko itna mufat khor kaise banne diya. Unko acche sanskar kyon nahin de paye hum?”.

The introspection now must proceed along these lines.
If RSS wants, I can join them to assist in training the youth. Now, let us elicit the views of the RSS about keeping the bars open 24×7. It is said that we must wake up at 5 am after getting adequate sleep and perform Yoga. How can you do that if you order your last peg or “butter naan” at 4 am? If someone says, no it is only for tourists then we do not realize that they are more health conscious than us and refrain from drinking the entire night.

Attendance at bars located in foreign countries is very thin on Sunday night because every one needs to go for work next morning. Healthcare should be the topmost priority of any government. The government must not commercialise healthcare services.

RSS says that it is a social and cultural organization promoting character among our youth. On the other hand, one of its key members is engaged in government formation in J&K. RSS does not want the BJP to dilute its stand on key issues like Article 370 or the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA).

Modi’s rally failed to attract crowds at Ramlila ground. The BJP was attacking AAP and its president Arvind Kejriwal which had proved counterproductive for the party. The saffron party also didn’t have a genuine agenda to woo voters. BJP also didn’t go for Delhi polls immediately after the Lok Sabha election verdict and gave enough time to AAP for consolidating its base in Delhi. All these factors proved were responsible for the saffron party’s loss which will have to do some serious rethinking now.

Forty days of Lent

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Afternoon Voice

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February 18, 2015

The season of Lent is the time of preparation for the Holy Week, leading up to Easter. It is also considered a time for sacrifice, prayer and almsgiving. For many of us Christians, it is also a time to give up something we love the most, like eating non-vegetarian foods, chocolates, ice-cream, smoking cigarettes and consuming alcohol. Lent, the period of prayer and fasting in preparation for Easter is 40 days long. But there are 46 days between Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent in the Roman Catholic liturgical calendar and Easter. How can that be?

The answer takes us back to the earliest days of the Church. Jesus’ original disciples, who were Jewish, grew up with the idea that the Sabbath – the day of worship and rest – was Saturday, the seventh day of the week, since the account of creation in the book of Genesis says that God rested on the seventh day. Jesus Christ rose from the dead, however on Sunday, the first day of the week, and the early Christians starting with the apostles (those original disciples) saw Jesus’ resurrection as a new creation and so they transferred the Sabbath from Saturday to Sunday.

Since all Sundays – and not simply Easter Sunday – were days to celebrate Jesus’ resurrection, Christians were forbidden to fast and do other forms of penance on those days. Therefore, when the Church expanded the period of fasting and prayer in preparation for Easter from a few days to 40 days (to mirror Jesus’ fasting in the desert before He began His public ministry), Sundays could not be included in the count.

Thus in order for Lent to include 40 days on which fasting could occur, it had to be expanded to six full weeks (with 6 days of fasting in each week), plus 4 extra days — Ash Wednesday and the Thursday, Friday and Saturday that follow it. Six times six is thirty-six, plus four equals forty. And that’s how we arrive at the 40 days of Lent.

While many of us look forward to the long Easter weekend, ‘Good Friday’, as we all know of, was previously called ‘Black Friday’. The original title to the day also went by other names such as ‘Holy Friday’, ‘Silent Friday’ and ‘Great Friday’, before it was changed to ‘Good Friday’. But why is ‘Good Friday’ named so? The Catholic Encyclopedia notes that the origin of the term ‘Good’ is not very clear. Some say that it is from ‘God’s Friday’ (Gottes Freitag); others maintain that it is from the German ‘Gute Freitag’, and not specially English. However, the explanation still remains unclear. But according to Baltimore Catechism, Good Friday is good because the death of Jesus Christ, as terrible as it was, led to the Resurrection on Easter Sunday, which brought new life to those who believe.

To those who believe in Christianity, ‘Good Friday’ is the day that commemorates the death of Jesus Christ who was crucified. It is an important day for Christians all over the world, as it represents the sacrifices and suffering in Jesus’ life. While one may wonder why it is called ‘Good Friday’ and not ‘Bad Friday’ or ‘Sad Friday’, the belief is that since the day Jesus Christ died is observed as a holy day. Hence, it is called ‘Good Friday’.

Good Friday is followed by Holy Saturday, which marks the Easter vigil. Easter Sunday is a day of celebration of the resurrection of Jesus Christ, the Saviour of the world. “For God so loved the world, that He gave us His one and only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him, shall not perish, but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16).

Jubel D’Cruz

Can Sena be AAP like?

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Afternoon Voice

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February 17, 2015

Will Shiv Sena be able to replicate AAP’s success in the city.

Aam Aadmi Party’s thumping victory in Delhi has changed the course of Indian politics. AAP’s resurgence will pave way for citizen’s participation in active politics. The party has managed to bridge the gap between political leaders and voters. Till now most of the political parties remained inaccessible to voters but AAP’s victory is likely to change that. Mumbaikars have already started talking about the AAP model of governance for the city. They have begun debating whether Shiv Sena will be able to replicate AAP’s success in the city. Of late, there has been a rift between Shiv Sena and BJP in Maharashtra. Sena has been attacking BJP through its mouthpiece Saamna. However, BJP has asked Sena to resolve issues through debate instead of using media to express its views. AV spoke to Mumbaikars to know whether Shiv Sena could sweep polls in Maharashtra like AAP in Delhi. Here is what they had to say.

Dheeraj Patil an engineering student said, “I think people have already given their mandate in the assembly elections. Sena had gone solo in the polls. The party’s performance in BMC is not up to the mark. They have been ruling the Municipal Corporation for a long period of time but have failed to deliver.”

“Youth has distanced themselves from Shiv Sena on account of aggressive stand taken by them towards every issue. I will support a party whom I can approach without any fear. Youth today disapprove of vandalism, tod-fod or Dadagiri which Shiv Sena is famous for”, said Shweta Redij an animator from Mumbai.

Ashutosh Jadhav working for Shiv Sena IT wing said, “Sena should have clear road map for development. The party needs to change its way of functioning. They need to convince people about their work, future plans and policies.”

Shalaka Karande an engineering student from Pune said, “Shiv Sena had filed complaint against two girls for posting comments against Bal Thackeray. How can we expect such an intolerant party to run the government smoothly?”

Further adding she said, “The difference between AAP and Shiv Sena is, that the former took criticism very strongly without getting intolerant, which I doubt the latter can ever follow.”

Shiv Sena is not a better option for Maharashtra at all, a BMM student from Mumbai speaking on the condition of anonymity said.

Further adding, “It is a conservative party. Yuva Sena chief Aaditya Thackeray is portrayed as a youth icon of the party. He talks about improving the city’ nightlife which directly contradicts the party’s conservative image. If I am being offered a choice between choosing Shiv Sena and AAP I would rather chose the latter due to its clean image.”

When asked if Shiv Sena can win Marathi people’s hearts once again, Abhijeet Pharande from Pune said, “Without the leadership of Balasaheb Thackeray, Sena is now a Toothless Tiger.”

When asked whether Sena needs changes in their functionaries he said, “Instead of changing the ground level party cadre’s the party needs to change its leadership which is responsible for the huge disconnect between the party chief and people.”

When we asked him whether MNS should merge with Shiv Sena he replied, “Raj Thackeray as Shiv Sena Chief and Uddhav Thackeray as Chief Minister of State can pose a challenge to the opposition parties. They should work for the welfare of Marathis.”

We asked whether Shiv Sena is losing its foothold in Mumbai and Maharashtra, Pravin Kirnahake, a Sales Executive from a corporate house said, “Shiv Sena’s politics revolve around Marathi people and it has worked for their welfare. However, the party fares poorly when it comes to governance. I don’t think, they possess ideas to attract the youth. Shiv Sena has been in power with BMC from last 20 years and every year Mumbai gets flooded during monsoon.”

“As youth we don’t want Congress to come to power for atleast 10 years. Instead of distributing freebies Shiv Sena should create more employment opportunities for youth. Every party makes promises but fails to fulfil them” he added.

Samarth Devale, a Graphic and VFX student from Mumbai said, “Shiv Sena was formed in Mumbai and has spread across other regions of the country. Remember when Balasaheb used to say “Mumbai Bandh” and the entire city used to shut down. It was Shiv Sena which rescued the lives of Hindus during the 1992-1993 Mumbai riots.”

“Today people oppose politics based on caste or religion. Citizens want better roads, jobs, water, housing and when party fails to fullfill these promises they speak about Marathi Asmita for gaining political mileage” he added

“The difference between today’s Shiv Sena and the one run by Balasaheb is that the party remained connected with every individual, businessmen and celebrities. Arvind Kejriwal had won people’s hearts by connecting with them at the grassroots level. Why can Thackeray emulate Kejriwal?” said Samarth.