BJP leader and former Bihar Minister Giriraj Singh said on Wednesday that he was not hiding and that the police could arrest him if they want to. He also said that his comment regarding BJP’s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi’s baiters had been misconstrued.

Giriraj Singh told a news agency, “I am not hiding. If the police wants it can arrest me. I will surrender in court tomorrow.”

He also posted on the micro-blogging site Twitter that his comments had been twisted and that he had faith in the court. He expressed hope that they would understand him.

The BJP leader also clarified that he respected the constitution of India.

The Interpol on Wednesday issued a Red Corner notice against Congress MP in Rajya Sabha KVP Ramchandra Rao in connection with in connection with his role in an international corruption scheme involving bribes worth $18.5 million to government officials to allow the mining of titanium minerals in Andhra Pradesh.

The Red Corner notice against Rao, who is wanted in the United States in the titanium illegal contract case, was issued at the request of Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) which represents Interpol in India has forwarded the RCN to the Hyderabad police for necessary action.

Rao was among six persons, who were charged in the US for their suspected role in titanium contract case.

Rao, 65, and five others were charged with one count each of racketeering conspiracy and money laundering and two counts of interstate travel in aid of racketeering.

Apart from Rao, the others who were charged were Hungarian businessman Andras Knopp, 75, Suren Gevorgyan, 40, of Ukraine, Gajendra Lal, 50, an Indian national and permanent resident of the US who formerly resided in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and Periyasamy Sunderalingam, 60, of Sri Lanka.

Five defendants, excluding Rao, were also charged with one count of conspiracy to violate the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA).

Rao was an official of the state government of Andhra Pradesh and a close advisor to former Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, late Y S Rajasekhara Reddy.

Beginning in 2006, the defendants allegedly conspired to pay at least US $18.5 million in bribes to secure licenses to mine minerals in Andhra Pradesh.

The mining project was expected to generate more than US $500 million annually from the sale of titanium products, including sales to unnamed “Company A”, head-quartered in Chicago.

The indictment seeks forfeiture from all six defendants of more than US $10.59 million.

The indictment alleges that these individuals used US financial institutions to engage in the international transmission of millions of dollars for the purpose of bribing Indian public officials to obtain approval of the necessary licences for the project.

After stoking controversy with her “Muslims should become more communal” remarks, Aam Aadmi Party leader Shazia Ilmi on Wednesday defended her statement saying she was speaking sarcastically.

“I am shocked to see that a statement like this can be so distorted. I was speaking sarcastically,” Ilmi said in her defence.

“I had used the word ‘communal’ in sarcasm, so it is sad that I am being misunderstood,” she said further, adding “AAP doesn’t believe in communalism”.

“I was just saying till when will you vote for the so called secular parties like Congress and SP, who do nothing for you,” Ilmi said, seeking to clarify her controversial remarks.

“Neither is Meera Sanyal or Mayank Gandhi Muslim, nor is Kejriwal. I was asking to vote for them. So how is it communal?” she asked.

In the video which surfaced on Tuesday, Ilmi was shown as saying that Muslims’ votes split as they were “too secular” and they “should become communal” and vote keeping in mind “our own interest”.

“Don’t be much secular. Muslims are too secular and they should become communal. They are not communal and do not vote for themselves. Arvind Kejriwal is ours. Muslims have remained secular for long…have voted for the Congress and helped them win. Don’t be so secular and look at your house (community) this time. Other parties have their vote bank intact and Muslim votes split. This is a controversial statement, but we should look at our own interest,” Ilmi said in the video.

The remarks were slammed by her opponents as well as Muslim leaders.

The BJP condemned Ilmi’s remarks, and said it was planning to file a complaint with the Election Commission.

Congress’ Meem Afzal described the AAP Lok Sabha candidate’s remarks as “childish”.

“Shazia Ilmi’s comments are very childish. I am surprised that someone who belongs to such a secular family said all this,” Meem Afzal said.

Another Congress leader JP Agarwal said, “Bade hi ghatiya shabd hain, yeh (Shazia Ilmi) bhi Togadia ho gayi hain.”

Maulana Khalid Rasheed described Ilmi’s remarks as “objectionable”.

“It’s a highly objectionable comment from Shazia Ilmi… it’s an attempt to communalise elections,” he said.

Foreigners wearing miniskirts and entering Jama Masjid prompted Indian Mujahideen (IM) co-founder Yasin Bhatkal and his aides to commit terror strike at the historic mosque in September 2010, the Delhi Police has told a court.

In its chargesheet filed against Bhatkal and his aide Asadullah Akhtar, the Special Cell of Delhi Police said the accused considered wearing of short clothes by the foreigners as “un-Islamic” and due to this they decided to strike at gate number three of the mosque.

“After the recee carried out by Yasin…., it was decided that gate number three of the Jama Masjid was suitable for shootout as foreigners were found frequenting the place and their wearing of miniskirts/ short clothes while entering the Jama Masjid compound was considered by these terrorists as un-Islamic,” the police said.
Bhatkal and Akhtar were chargesheeted in connection with the September 19, 2010 Jama Masjid terror attack case in which two Taiwanese tourists had sustained bullet injuries.

The police said that two bikers had fired at tourists at the gate number three of Jama Masjid in Old Delhi area and Taiwanese, Ku-Ze-Wei and Ko-chiange, had sustained injuries.

A bomb fitted in a stolen car parked in the area had caused a mild explosion, according to the police.

In its chargesheet, the police said five months after February 13, 2010 bomb blast at Pune, IM’s Indian chief Bhatkal had planned to carry out a terror strike at German Bakery in Paharganj here on August 1, 2010 but the plan was aborted as one of the executors had sustained bullet injuries due to accidental firing.

On February 13, 2010, a powerful bomb blast had ripped through Pune’s German Bakery killing 17 people, including foreigners, and injuring around 60 others.

The Supreme Court on Wednesday appointed a three member panel to frame guidelines to prevent misuse of public funds by government in giving advertisements of leaders for political purposes.

The apex court bench headed by Chief Justice P Sathasivam asked committee to be headed by NR Madhava Menon, former director of National Judicial Academy, Bhopal, to submit its report within three weeks.

The SC said that the existing DAVP guidelines do not cover such advertisements.

The court said that I&B secretary would be coordinating and assisting the committee. The committee will submits its first report to the apex court in three months time.

The Directorate General Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Wednesday amended the rule which bans use of portable electronic devices (PEDs), allowing their usage in all phases of the flight – including take-off and landing – but on a non-transmitting mode, commonly known as the flight mode. The earlier rule prohibited this usage during take-off and landing, but allowed electronic devices to be used during the rest of the flight.

With the implementation of the new rule or Civil Aviation Requirement (CAR), flyers can now turn on their cellphones, tablets or laptops on ‘flight mode’ to work, play video games, listen to music, watch pre-loaded movies or type their emails.

Maintaining that this has been a long-pending demand of the airlines, aviation experts say it would give passengers more time to work or catch up on their chosen form of entertainment. In particular, it would benefit those flying on no-frill carriers which provide no access to any in-flight entertainment.

The aviation regulator has also laid down training guidelines for the flight crew to handle the new facility being given to the air travellers.

The new rule also directs all airlines to report to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) any suspected or confirmed PED interference or smoke or fire caused by them, the sources said.

They said the a section of the CAR relating to air safety has been amended to allow the use of PEDs in “non-transmitting mode, commonly called as Flight/ Airplane Mode.”

The decision was taken after a meeting on the issue last week when scheduled airlines had raised the demand to allow the use of PEDs during all phases of flight.

The DGCA examined their demand in view of the new regulations of the US and EU regulators, Federal Aviation Administration and the European Union Aviation Safety Agency, which allow the use of PEDs on flight mode in all phases of a flight.

In the Hyderabadi heat, the vibe was Antarctic-like on the stage that was shared by Chandrababu Naidu and Pawan Kalyan, the star who launched his own party ahead of this election and pledged his support for the BJP’s prime ministerial candidate.

Mr. Naidu, chief of the regional Telugu Desam Party, found no mention in the speech given by Mr. Kalyan at yesterday’s rally which was attended by both leaders and Mr. Modi. Mr. Kalyan professed that his “Jana Sena Party is in fact a Modi sena.”

Today, there was an attempt to course correct. Mr. Naidu, 64, visited Mr. Kalyan, Telugu cinema’s top star, at his home, delivering the desired result. The actor declared that his Jana Sena Party will throw its weight not just behind Mr. Modi, but the coalition led by the BJP, of which Mr. Naidu is an important member.

Mr. Kalyan’s party is not contesting any seat in this election but he has a massive fan base and is a popular youth icon in both Telangana and Seemandhra, granting him VIP treatment from far more seasoned politicians.

Mr. Kalyan was reportedly upset that a close friend of his, industrialist Potluri Vara Prasad, had not been selected as a candidate for the parliamentary election by Mr. Naidu. There has been speculation that PVP helped fund Mr. Kalyan’s political party.