No Gandhi can save a dead Congress: Maneka Gandhi

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January 16, 2014

In probably the sharpest attack so far on the country’s first family – the Gandhi family – one of its prominent member and senior BJP leader Maneka Gandhi on Thursday said that neither Sonia Gandhi’s son Rahul nor his sister Priyanka can save Congress.

Coming down heavily on the ruling party, Maneka said, “Congress has party has looted the country in the past ten years. People are so fed with the Congress rule that they are not going to vote for the party in the next elections. No Gandhi can save a dead Congress.”

The senior BJP leader called Congress a sinking ship and said, “Nobody can now save Congress. Corruption and scams have badly tarnished the party’s image and its leaders have constantly looted and cheated the nation in all these years. Congress is in such a situation that no one, not even Rahul Gandhi neither his sister Priyanka can save the party.”

When asked how would she react to media reports that Congress apex leadership is mulling to give a bigger role to Rahul Gandhi, Maneka said, “It will make no difference as who leads the pack of forty thieves.”

When she was reminded that even the Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh has recently praised Rahul’s “outstanding potential”, the BJP leader said, “I want to ask if the person who said all this has really served as the Prime Minister of the country. The whole country knows that both Sonia Gandhi and her son Rahul has kept the reins of power in their own hands. So what difference it will make as who gets what responsibility.”

Calling Congress a party of bad people, Maneka said, “The party urgently needs to change its image and people’s perception about it.”

When asked to comment on reports that Congress is planning to give a major election-related role to Priyanka Gandhi to revive its fortunes in the upcoming polls, “I don’t want to comment on her role. Congress has been projecting Rahul Gandhi for the past ten years but what happened? The situation is so worse for the party that even Priyanka Gandhi’s glamour can’t save the Congress now.”’

Finally, when asked to react on the comparisons being made between Narendra Modi and Rahul Gandhi, she said, “Rahul is no match for Modi ji. It is like a battle between a lion and a bird. Modi Ji is an elected leader with huge experience, while Rahul has failed on all fronts. Obviously, he is no match for Modi ji.”

Virbhadra Singh files defamation case against Arun Jaitley, PK Dhumal

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Afternoon Voice

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January 16, 2014

Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh has filed a defamation case against Bharatiya Janata Party leaders Arun Jaitley and PK Dhumal. The three opposition leaders have alleged that the Congress leader accepted Rs. 1.5 crore and Rs. 2.4 crore through cheques in his and his parliamentarian wife Pratibha Singh’s name from Venture Energy and Technology Pvt Ltd, which was executing a power project in the state.

Thakur last week had asked Virbhadra to quit and sought a CBI probe in corruption charges against him.

“Virbhadra Singh claims he is innocent. Why is he shying off from a CBI probe,” Thakur said.

The Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Jaitley said: “Virbhadra Singh has dared anyone to either lodge an FIR against him or prove the allegations of corruption”.

“The Congress party and Virbhadra Singh have decided to brazen out the allegations of corruption. Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi will hide behind silence,” Jaitley wrote on a blog post.

Former Himachal CM Dhumal has claimed that despite most ministers opposed to re-allocating the project to Venture Energy and Technology Pvt Ltd, Virbhadra went ahead with the decision in 2005.

Danish woman’s alleged rapist swapped clothes with her, left evidence: cops

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Afternoon Voice

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January 16, 2014

Police investigating the alleged gang-rape of a Danish woman in Delhi on Tuesday night say they have crucial evidence after learning that one of the alleged rapists allegedly pulled on the woman’s track pants and left her his pair of jeans.

The attacker’s jeans and the woman’s clothes will provide DNA evidence, said police sources.

Two men have been arrested and two others detained for the alleged assault on the 51-year-old tourist near Delhi’s Connaught Place area.

The woman was allegedly attacked by a gang of eight men after she lost her way to her hotel in Paharganj, a popular backpacker area. All eight have been identified. The woman had approached them for directions after visiting a museum, but they took her to a secluded spot before raping her.

The woman, who had arrived in Delhi that day after visiting the Taj Mahal in Agra, returned to Denmark yesterday.

She told the police she was held by the men between 4 and 7 pm after which they abandoned her. She then took an auto-rickshaw to her hotel where she confided in a fellow tourist, who asked the owner to phone the police. She says she was robbed and beaten too.

The Danish foreign ministry has said that it is in contact with the Delhi Police to ensure the “prosecution of the guilty.”

“We have in our travel advice referred to the particular risk there is in India for sexual crimes. Obviously we will look at whether we need to sharpen it further,” Denmark foreign ministry spokesman Ole Eberg Mikkelsen said.

The incident has left Delhi’s ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on the backfoot weeks after it won massive popular support in state polls with its promise to make the city safer for women.

Will build a house in Amethi to stay unlike Rahul: Vishwas

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Afternoon Voice

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January 16, 2014

Taking a swipe at Rahul Gandhi, AAP leader Kumar Vishwas on Thursday said he would build a house in Amethi and live with the people, unlike “Yuvraj” who stays in ‘Rajmahal (palace)’.

Stating that he would not leave Amethi, Vishwas, who is likely to contest the Lok Sabha polls in an Aam Aadmi Party ticket from here, said, “I am a servant and not Yuvraj. I will build a house here to stay.”
“He (Rahul) claims that the people of Amethi are his family… But he stays in ‘Rajmahal’ and travel by air while the people here do not have roof over their head… Which type of family relation is this?” he asked.

Mounting attack on the Congress vice president, Vishwas said, “Rahul used to tell tales of development in Amethi but it is not seen anywhere here… He used to lure people by only assurances but now people have started understanding the reality. Now he is resorting to a lot of gimmicks.”

Trying to corner Rahul over the issue of corruption, the AAP leader said he used to talk about corruption but forgot that maximum number of corruption cases came to the fore in the government “patronised” by him.

1,400 kg butter idol of goddess in Himachal Pradesh

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Afternoon Voice

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January 16, 2014

Large numbers of devotees are thronging the Brajeshwari Devi temple here every day to pay obeisance and have glimpse of a 1,400 kg butter idol, temple official said on Thursday.

The 14 quintal butter idol, made by 18 priests, will remain on the ‘pindi’ or iconography of the goddess till January 20, temple official Pawan Patial told a news agency.

He said the butter idol was made by using ‘ghee’ donated by the devotees. The priests, with a unique technique, purified it with water 108 times.

According to legend, when the goddess was injured during a fight with demons, her wounds were treated with butter on Makar Sankranti by gods.

The butter, when removed from the ‘pindi’ on January 20, will be distributed among the devotees. It’s a belief that the butter treats chronic skin ailments and joint pains.

One of the busiest shrines in north India, the Brajeshwari Devi temple sees a majority of pilgrims from Punjab, Haryana, Uttarakhand, Delhi and Uttar Pradesh.

Lalu Prasad Yadav’s book to ‘expose big names in politics’

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Afternoon Voice

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January 16, 2014

Rashtriya Janata Dal chief Lalu Prasad plans to write a book to expose his rivals.

“I have decided to write a book to expose those who conspired to frame me in fodder scam and sent me to jail,” Lalu Prasad said.

“My book will also reveal a few interesting aspects of Indian politics, including the 1974 student movemement against Emergency as I was part of it under the leadership of socialist veteran Jai Prakash Narain,” he said.
Lalu Prasad said he was made a political victim of propaganda by powerful people, who were threatened by his commitment for social justice.

“My book will be full of real stories and different political ups and downs of over four decades in Bihar and the country. It will also expose big names in politics on how they rose to the peak of power politics,” Lalu said.

He hinted that he will start writing the book after the General Elections as he is currently busy forming a strong secular alliance with the Congress and the Lok Janshakti Party to take on communal forces.

Lalu Prasad was forced to resign as chief minister in 1997 after he was framed in a fodder scam and his wife Rabri Devi succeeded him as the Bihar chief minister.

AAP MLA Binny revolts against party, calls Kejriwal ‘dictator’

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Afternoon Voice

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January 16, 2014

In what has brought the internal rift within the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) to the fore, one of its prominent faces and its MLA from Lakshmi Nagar Vinod Kumar Binny on Thursday launched a major assault on the party led by Arvind Kejriwal and called him a “dictator.”

Binny, who was reported to be upset with the AAP apex leadership ever since he was denied the cabinet berth, accused the party of “cheating” the people of Delhi by backtracking on its election promises.

The Laxmi Nagar MLA slammed the leadership on a range of issues and said taking support of Congress to form the government was a “compromise of the party’s principles”.

“You (Kejriwal) have become a dictator. Stop fooling the people of Delhi. All decisions in the party are taken in closed rooms by four-five people. Arvind gets angry if people express any differences with him. If anyone speaks against him, he starts shouting,” Binny said in his highly packed press conference.

The 39-year-old-MLA said the party has “forgotten” its ideologies and become “an opportunist outfit” after coming to power.

Posing tough questions on a wide range of issues before the AAP leadership, Binny also threatened to go on a hunger strike from January 27 if Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal did not fulfil promises made in the election manifesto.

Binny, who made serious allegations against Kejriwal and his party, said that the outfit has a secret deal with Congress and it is acting on its dictates.

Binny even attacked the Arvind Kejriwal-led government for backtracking on the promises made on issues, including free water supply and cheap power.

Binny, while asking the media to conduct a comprehensive survey to find out what people of Delhi want, also assured that if he is found to be lying, he would resign as MLA.

“I will start an agitation 10 days later on Jan 27, at Jantar Mantar, if the government does not fulfil the promises made to the people of Delhi,” said the AAP legislator at a press conference here.

Listing his demands, he said he wants the party government to pass Anna Hazare’s version of the Jan Lokpal Bill by Jan 25 or 26, and also start building a women commando force for women’s security.

“You (Kejriwal) have done a lot of agitation against the Congress and the BJP. Now you have to explain and show the people how your thought is different from theirs.”

Though the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) emerged as the single largest party in the Delhi assembly polls with 31 seats, the AAP – which bagged 28 seats – formed a minority government with the outside support of Congress’s eight legislators.

Binny, who defeated Congress heavyweight AK Walia in the December assembly elections, said that according to his sources, Delhi Chief Minister Kejriwal is very close to Congress MP Sandeep Dikshit.

“This is the reason all the decisions being taken in AAP are at the directive of the Congress party. The Congress is ordering, and AAP is following orders,” Binny claimed.

“We had announced publicly that we would not give or take support of any political party. Then what prompted the party to change that decision? Discussions were held behind closed doors,” Binny said.

On the electricity front, Binny said that the government “defrauded” the people of Delhi as the party had promised to halve the bills after coming to power.

“The party has misled the people of Delhi on a number of issues. There is a big mismatch between what the party promised and what the government is doing. People’s issues have gone to the background,” he said.

Travel safely in local trains

By

Lopamudra Ghosh

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January 16, 2014

In a tragic case, Monica More, a sixteen year old girl, lost both her hands at Ghatkopar railway station while catching a train by falling into the gap which lies between the train and the platform. In the process, she lost both her arms. Of course, a compensation of four lakhs was offered to her. However, this incident again brings to the forefront the issue of local train accidents while trying to catch a train in haste. While one can demand a compensation or file a petition against the railway authorities, one cannot ignore the fact that even commuters need to be careful while crossing the tracks.

According to a survey in India, as many as ten people lose their lives in accidents while commuting in local trains in Mumbai. So Monica’s case is nothing new, though very tragic. Just imagine, she was just a sixteen year old. The victim must have had several dreams about her future, many dreams about her career which now will be difficult to materialise. Besides, according to reports published, she herself has to go through the entire process to seek compensation, the process can be weary and traumatic. The process can also elongate causing her to lose hope.

However, let’s not digress from the topic of the issue of local train accidents. I commute in local train from Jogeshwari to Kandivali. While boarding the train at Jogeshwari, I find that commuters often do not use the overbridge and prefer crossing the railway tracks. I often see that when a train is in sight, still commuters continue crossing through the railway tracks until the train is absolutely close to them. This raises the chances of accidents. Besides, often youngsters are found hanging out of the doors of local trains and sometimes indulging in stunts which put their lives at risk. Thirdly, commuters are often in a hurry and catch the train even when it starts moving. This also increases the risk of accidents. So while railway authorities should take adequate steps to curb these accidents, commuters themselves should be careful while commuting.

In a good gesture, many people poured in to the KEM hospital to pay her a visit. Many people donated money to contribute to the victim’s hospital fees. However, inspite of such ‘assistance,’ she is left alone to fight a lifelong battle. Hope Monica gets the maximum support of her near and dear ones throughout her life and hope others learn a lesson from this incident and are more careful while commuting in local trains.

Decentralisation of power

By

Mahendra Singh

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January 16, 2014

Narendra Modi should demonstrate that he believes in decentralizing power by enlisting co-operation of others working for his party. Modi must induct Baba Ramdev as Health minister, Kiran Bedi as Home Minister, Subramanian Swamy as External Affairs Minister into his cabinet. He must select one of our renowned industrialists ( he must decide fast) for becoming industries minister. General VK Singh may be inducted into the Defence Ministry but let us wait for some other deserving candidates name to crop up. The only point which has worked against him is the controversy pertaining to his date of birth. He has been eyeing for a post too quickly.

RK Singh should be ousted from BJP or he must not be offered a plum post as he has already started badmouthing his boss whom he was serving till recently. If Singh had differences, he should have sought a transfer. It’s not about giving credit to Sushilkumar Shinde, who according to me is the worst home minister with dubious loyalty. He only wants to go to Rashtrapati Bhawan therefore he is trying to remain in good books of Sharad Pawar. It is our misfortune that he is continuing with the post of home minister. Baba Ramdev cannot be inducted into Finance Ministry because that is not his core competency, inspite of him having very radical views on tax reforms.

Salman Khan has rightly said that Modi is a good man. Rahul Gandhi had indirectly compared Modi with Aurangzeb which is unjustified. He will be declared as the Congress party’s prime ministerial candidate. Rahul is young and clean but he must refrain from criticizing any one and solely concentrate on implementation of policies and programmes. He can announce the formation of Rahul Brigade and induct youth to work for the sake of nation’s development. Here he can seek the assistance of Priyanka Gandhi for inducting good and strong girls. This brigade (or give another name) is to be trained in disaster management, fire fighting techniques and first aid techniques.

I was so impressed watching our “jawans “of the army rigorously trained in difficult combats. We need a very well trained cadre of youth who will rise to any calamity with power in biceps, smile on face and gold in heart. In the past, I wrote about creating a force of Muslim young girls, burka clad, only eyes visible but with power of a tigress whizzing past on motor cycles assisting the police in maintaining law and order. It will be a force to reckon with and suitable Urdu or Arabic name to match should be provided.

Mulla, Pandit to
Influence ‘aam aadmi’

By

Prakash Jha

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January 16, 2014

The Aam Aadmi Party which had conducted a successful membership drive across India is now adopting a unique strategy to enroll new members. Priests from temples are joining AAP and convincing their disciples to join the party. The party already is aiming big and plans to induct 1 crore people by January, 26. It has already waived Rs 10 membership fee charged for enrolling people.

Ram Sevak Tiwari, a priest from Vakola temple who had joined AAP has already started convincing his disciples to join the party. Ram Sevak would explain in detail about the functioning of AAP and urge them to get registered.

The party had started enrolling people visiting temple two days back. Till date more than 400 people have registered their names and more than thousand people are expected to enroll within a week.

Ram Sevak Tiwari, a priest from Kalina said, “I am hugely influenced by Arvind Kejriwal and his performance. The common man is already fed up with rising corruption and now wants change. Hence I am supporting AAP and want the party to win the general election so that it can work for the welfare of the common man. I also explained to people about the ideology of AAP. I am not forcing them to join the party.”

Dharmedra Singh, a member of the temple said, “Everyone wants a change in governance and is hoping that Arvind Kejriwal will root out corruption from the society. I want all the devotees visiting the temple to become member of AAP.”

Sayad Adam, who enrolled with AAP after visiting temple said, “AAP is a honest party and has immense potential to grow in future. If the party comes to power in the centre then it will root out corruption which will pave way for India’s development. Since I have registered my name, I expect others to do so.”

Abdul Karim, a devotee from Kalina said, “Most of political parties are indulging in caste based politics and appeasing minorities. We want clean governance and only AAP can deliver it.”

Gulam Mohammad, another disciple from Vakola said, “We have full faith in Arvind Kejriwal and his party. I will try my best to enroll more members in AAP.”

The membership drive is soon expected to begin in other temples in the city too. More and more youth are coming forward to join the party and are also enrolling people.