Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Tuesday said that police have begun an investigation into the Mohali blast stating that those who attempted to spoil the atmosphere of the state will not be spared.
Mann, according to sources, has also called for a meeting at his residence today with DGP and other senior officers to seek a report on the course of action taken so far. “Police is investigating the blast in Mohali. Whoever tried to spoil the atmosphere of our Punjab will not be spared,” Mann posted on Twitter today.
On Monday night, a minor blast occurred outside the Punjab Police Intelligence Headquarters in Mohali. There was no casualty or loss of life but police said it has not ruled out a terror angle in the incident, in which they say that the attack took place from outside the building with a rocket-propelled grenade.
“A minor explosion was reported at the Punjab Police Intelligence headquarters in sector 77, SAS Nagar at around 7:45 pm. No damage has been reported. Senior officers are on the spot and an investigation is being done,” Mohali police had said on Monday.
On being asked whether it can be considered a terrorist attack, Mohali SP (HQ) Ravinder Pal Singh told the media persons,” It can’t be ignored. We are investigating it.”
Chhota Shakeel’s relative and Dawood’s aid Salim Qureshi alias Salim Fruit is detained by the National Investigation Agency (NIA). In the recent past, they conducted raids at over one dozen locations in Mumbai against Pakistan-based gangster Dawood Ibrahim’s associates and a few hawala operators. The central agency also said it has seized several incriminating documents from him.
NIA raided several locations on the premises of associates of underworld don Dawood Ibrahim. Raids are being done in Nagpada, Goregaon, Borivali, Santacruz, Mumbra, Bhendi Bazar, and other places. Meanwhile, the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court in Mumbai ordered a detailed medical checkup of Maharashtra minister Nawab Malik after he complained they had hurriedly discharged him from the hospital.
Nawab Malik told the court that the ED officials forced doctors to discharge him because of which they released him from the hospital on Thursday. He is also said to have told the court that the jail officials had not taken him to the hospital for 18 days until he felt so weak that he couldn’t walk and had to be taken in a wheelchair earlier this week.
Malik claimed his creatinine levels had plunged, and he needed medical treatment. The raids are also to connect the dots: they would question Salim fruit Mallik’s involvement in money laundering and Maha Vikas Aghadi leaders connect with Dawood.
Key points:
Suhail Khandwani, managing trustee Mahim Dargah & Haji Ali Dargah also taken into custody by National Investigation Agency.
NIA detains one Sameer Angora from Delite Apartments in Bandra, as it conducts raids at multiple locations across the city today.
A person namely Kayyum in the Mahim area of Mumbai has been detained by National Investigation Agency (NIA).
NIA detains Salim Fruit following a raid at his residence in Mumbai. He is an associate of Dawood Ibrahim. Some important documents were also seized.
Several Hawala operators & drug peddlers associated with Dawood & NIA registered in this regard in February. Raids began on Monday: National Investigation Agency (NIA).
Sri Lankan Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa resigns amid massive protests over economic crisis 4
Sri Lankan Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa resigned on Monday, hours after his supporters attacked anti-government protesters outside embattled President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s office, leaving at least 78 people injured and prompting authorities to impose a nationwide curfew and deploy army troops in the capital.
At least two Cabinet ministers have also announced their resignations.
Prime Minister Mahinda, 76, sent his resignation letter to the President Gotabaya Rajapaksa after violent scenes were witnessed in Colombo.
The violence occurred as pressure mounted on the embattled government led by his younger brother and President Gotabaya to form an interim administration to overcome the worst economic crisis facing the country.
Sri Lanka is currently in the throes of unprecedented economic turmoil since its independence from Britain in 1948. The crisis is caused in part by a lack of foreign currency, which has meant that the country cannot afford to pay for imports of staple foods and fuel, leading to acute shortages and very high prices.
Thousands of demonstrators have hit the streets across Sri Lanka since April 9 seeking the resignation of President Gotabaya and Prime Minister Mahinda, as the government ran out of money for vital imports; prices of essential commodities have skyrocketed and there are acute shortages in fuel, medicines and electricity supply.
Navneet Rana dares Uddhav Thackrey to contest elections against her 6
Till today we saw the leader crying on the hospital bed. After being discharged from hospital on Sunday, Independent MP Navneet Rana launched a scornful attack on Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, condemning him for misusing his power. Rana alleged they tortured her in the lockup for chanting Lord Ram’s name.
Rana also challenged CM Uddhav Thackeray to prove himself by contesting an election and winning against her from any district of the state. She said she will make sure of Uddhav’s defeat. “If you have the guts to contest elections from any district in the state. I will contest against you. Then see who the people of the state choose,” Rana said.
The Amravati MP was admitted to Lilavati Hospital for spondylitis treatment, she had to sleep on the floor in jail which gave her body pains.
Devendra Fadnavis of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) said that the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government has crossed the limits on cruelty. A day prior to making this statement, he visited MP Navneet Rana in a Mumbai hospital.
The vice president of the Maharashtra division of BJP, Chitra Wagh, also met Navneet Rana while she was in Lilavati Hospital. Wagh said, “Hearing the heartless treatment meted out to a woman MP by the Thackeray government, the city was outraged. Hearing Hanuman’s name, only Ravana would have been so angry. The government should not forget that Navneet Rana is not alone and not weak, either.”
The entire episode began with MP Navneet Rana and MLA husband Ravi Rana announcing their plans to chant Hanuman Chalisa in front of CM’s residence ‘Matoshree’, which ruffled the feathers of the Shiv Sainiks. They staged a protest outside the Rana duo’s residence. The duo called off their plans to recite Hanuman Chalisa. However, in a dramatic turn of events, the Rana couple was arrested on April 23 and slapped with charges of sedition. The court, after 12 days, granted bail to the duo.
Sharad Pawar: The unnamed king of Maharashtra Politics 8
Presently, Maharashtra politics has seen its new low; there are unnecessary commotions and endless attacks from the opposition party. Maharashtra’s political corridors collude with vengeance and revenge. BJP never imagined that they would lose power in such disgrace. Mumbai is considered the financial capital and most powerful among all other metropolitans. One who rules here is the king.
Pawar has kept BJP out of power and made them sit in opposition. In Maharashtra, Pawar’s powers know no bounds. This man is the unnamed king of state politics. He is the kingmaker behind the scenes. Nobody can match the political acumen of Sharad Pawar in whole Indian politics, not even the one they call Chanakya these days.
This is the reason the opposition and its IT cell are hellbent on circulating obnoxious WhatsApp forwards against him to misinform people about his corruption and alleged Dawood links. The social media trolls are not only cruel, but they are mean because their only focus is on mindless attacks to humiliate veteran leaders. BJP might think they and their newly found loudspeaker can really gain something by attacking Pawar, then they should know Pawar’s NCP has certain fixed and assured seats in Maharashtra and Pawar is popular among them.
Pawar is a proven wheeler-dealer in Maharashtra politics. He can foresee the political changes. Devendra cannot afford to stay out of power because there is a lot of internal pressure on him. His own party workers blame him for his arrogance that forced Shiv Sena to part in its ways. Since then, the BJP IT cell across India is assigned to ransack Maha Vikas Aghadi and its leaders. Party funds fueled these IT Cells with the basic raw material of its ideology. All the BJP karyakartas, whether they are IT cell workers District level committees or Party General Secretary, adhere more to the ideology of divide.
In such circumstances, projecting Shiv Sena as a party that has shed Balasaheb’s Hindutva and Congress-NCP as Muslim sympathiser is easy marketing. As a tool for this mission, they pitched in Hanuman Chalisa and hired Ranas’ and Raj Thackeray to spread the word. Both created ruckus but one landed in jail and another one was not taken seriously but his own people. So, this stunt also reached cold storage. So, the next agenda is to prove Uddhav Thackeray and Sharad Pawar have underworld links and money laundering, so far CBI, ED and IT departments could not stand much on their claims but such attacks are bound to continue till the 2024 elections.
Sharad Pawar’s leaders are devoted to him and equally the Shiv Sainiks are loyal to Uddhav Thackeray. MLAs on the fence are aware of Pawar’s political acumen. Remember that many Congresses and NCP leaders defected to BJP before assembly elections in 2019. Pawar made sure that most of them lose the election. Even if they have won, Pawar’s brainchild MVA has kept them out of power and also makes their return journey more complicated. As of now, Sharad Pawar holds the cards of King making in Maharashtra. Shiv Sena is too much dependent on him for their future ahead. Without his cooperation, there can be no government in Maharashtra. All eyes of opposition are on him and that is the reason he is the most trolled minister on social media. Sharad Pawar is the central figure in Maharashtra politics. He knows the politics of Maharashtra to the microscopic details. He can turn the table to his desires.
There is really no one like Sharad Pawar – whether in the art of politics or in the knowledge of Maharashtra. I am privileged to hear him speak on his journey as a journalist with Sakal newspaper. People might not know the true side of him, but I could see it. I recently went to see Mr Pawar. There were hundreds of people queuing up to meet him. From morning 7 am till noon he was continuously greeting various visitors. I thought he might be disturbed by ongoing political attacks from the opposition. But to my surprise, he was very calm and at peace while greeting everyone. A seasoned and veteran politician without him Maharashtra politics would be orphaned. He gave us time to talk about various things, there I discovered that journalist in him.
Sharad Pawar is among the few politicians in India who is known across the nation. He has been there, done that, and seen it all: in Mumbai and Delhi, within and outside the Congress, with or without the Gandhi’s, in his own small party or regional coalitions. Pawar, the politician, always believed to be on his terms, from the grassroots to the peaks of Power. One can understand the political rivalry, and anger of the opposition, but the people of Maharashtra fail to understand why BJP is hyperactive now and why are they randomly attacking the veteran?
Let me remind you, Prime Minister Narendra Modi poured praises on Pawar, claiming that even if they are from two different parties and have two different ideologies, their aim is one—India’s progress, when India is progressing even Maharashtra is also progressing under Sharad Pawar’s guidance. PM Modi hailed Sharad Pawar’s positive politics frequently by calling him his political guru, maybe this was the reason the BJP government gave Padma Vibhushan to Sharad Pawar. Why are state BJP leaders now contradicting their own leader lords?
Sri Lanka's Opposition rejects President Rajapaksa's offer to form an interim government 10
Sri Lanka’s main Opposition SJB said on Sunday that it has rejected an offer by embattled President Gotabaya Rajapaksa to its leader Sajith Premadasa to head an interim government, amid continued political uncertainty in the country which is now under a state of emergency.
“Our leader refused to accept the president’s offer,” Tissa Attanayake, the national organiser for Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) told reporters.
Rajapaksa had called over the telephone both Premadasa and Harsha de Silva, the SJB economic guru, on the prospect of forming an interim government which had been a demand endorsed by the powerful Buddhist clergy as well as the group which had broken away from the ruling Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) coalition.
The SJB announced on Saturday that they would back the proposal from the lawyers’ body BASL which had advocated for the setting up of an interim government for a period of 18 months with a move to abolish the presidential system of governance.
They had also called for the repealing of the 20th Amendment to the Constitution which conferred unfettered powers to Rajapaksa in 2020.
The Bar Association of Sri Lanka (BASL) calls for the restoration of the 19 Amendment to the Constitution which had empowered Parliament over the president.
The SJB is to have a discussion with the BASL on this proposal, the SJB leader Harin Fernando said.
The 19A adopted in 2015 pruned presidential powers by empowering Parliament above the executive president.
However, the 19A was scrapped after Gotabaya Rajapaksa won the November 2019 presidential election. Meanwhile, former President Maithripala Sirisena also met Premadasa on Saturday to ask the SJB to take over the interim government.
Premadasa, 55, has already announced that he would not be a party to any government headed by the two Rajapaksas – Gotabaya and Mahinda.
The SJB, which has handed over to the parliamentary Speaker motions of no-confidence against the SLPP coalition government and President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, is putting pressure on parliamentary Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena to advance the date of its debate.
The Buddhist clergy too has intensified pressure on Rajapaksa to implement the interim government plan. The government hemmed in by a month of street protests has imposed a state of emergency, which gives the security forces sweeping powers to crack down on dissent.
Sri Lanka is currently in the throes of unprecedented economic turmoil since its independence from Britain in 1948. Thousands of demonstrators have hit the streets across Sri Lanka since April 9, as the government ran out of money for vital imports; prices of essential commodities have skyrocketed and there are acute shortages in fuel, medicines and electricity supply. Despite mounting pressure, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and his elder brother and Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa have refused to quit office.
In a special Cabinet meeting on Friday, President Rajapaksa declared a state of emergency with effect from Friday midnight. This is the second emergency declared in just over a month. Rajapaksa had declared an emergency on April 1 also after a mass protest opposite his private residence. He had revoked it on April 5 following severe criticism of his move.
Cyclone Asani to intensify into a severe cyclonic storm in the Bay of Bengal warns IMD 12
India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Sunday said that the cyclonic storm named ‘Asani’ is expected to further intensify in the next 24 hours. Earlier on Saturday, the department had predicted that a depression has formed over the southeast Bay of Bengal about 170km west of Car Nicobar and is likely to intensify into a cyclonic storm by May 8.
Speaking to ANI, Senior Scientist, Umashankar Das said, “The deep depression has intensified into a cyclonic storm named ‘Asani’. It’s moving at 16 kmph in a northwest direction. It is at 970 km in the southeast direction from Vishakapatnam and 1,020 km in the southeast direction from Puri.” “We are expecting it’ll move in northwest direction till May 10 evening. Possibility, it’ll further intensify into a severe cyclonic storm in the next 24 hours,” he added.
However, the scientist denied the possibility of landfall and said that it will recurve and move parallel to the Odisha coast. Das predicted rainfall by the evening of May 10 and said that a yellow warning has been issued for three districts of Odisha.
“Rainfall will commence on 10th May evening, a yellow warning for rainfall issued has been for three districts — Gajpati, Ganjam, and Puri. On May 11, heavy rainfall warning has been issued for five districts — Jagatsinghpur, Puri, Khurda, Cuttack and Ganjam,” he said. On the contrary weather condition in some parts of the country, the IMD predicted heatwave conditions in the isolated pockets likely over Vidarbha from May 8 to 12, West Rajasthan from May 8 to 12, South Haryana and East Rajasthan from May 9 to 12, West Madhya Pradesh on May 8 and 9, South Punjab and Jammu division during May 10 to 12.
Lower taxes on hybrid cars can help faster adoption of EVs in India: Honda 14
Lowering taxes on hybrid vehicles can lead to faster adoption of electric vehicles in the country, according to a senior official of Honda Cars India Ltd (HCIL).
The automaker noted that hybrid technology is currently best suited for Indian conditions as it is not dependent on external charging infrastructure.
The total tax incidence on hybrid vehicles in the country is 43 per cent, which is inclusive of GST, while battery electric vehicles attract a tax of about 5 per cent.
”There is a big gap (in taxes). So, yes it would be a welcome step if the government could support us (by reducing tax on hybrid vehicles as well) …We request the government if they could consider it,” Honda Cars India Ltd (HCIL) Vice-President (Marketing and Sales) Kunal Behl told PTI.
He further said: ”We believe if they (government) can reduce it, the adoption of the electric vehicles would be very fast.” Behl noted that hybrid vehicles could help in the transition to fully electric vehicles while at the same time helping in cutting down vehicular emissions and fossil fuel consumption.
”We really respect the government’s understanding that they want to bring down the emission levels…they want to reduce the consumption of fuels, so both these objectives are met by the hybrid vehicles. So, I am sure there could possibly be a thought which goes in the government into relooking into favourable conditions where customers can adapt to such technologies faster,” he stated.
Honda believes that hybrids are the best solution for the country as buyers do not encounter range anxiety issues and there are no curbs on the performance of the vehicle as well, Behl noted.
”According to us in the current scenario there is nothing better than this (hybrid).. it is the best solution right now,” he added.
The company, which has forayed into the mainstream hybrid segment with the introduction of City e: HEV, plans to ultimately transition to full battery electric vehicles as per the global vision of its Japan-based parent company.
Honda globally plans to launch 30 EV models by 2030, with an annual production volume of more than 20 lakh units.
The auto major aims to invest around USD 40 billion over the next 10 years in the EV space.
”The global direction is towards electrification..we believe Indian customers really want to be part of the electric journey..it matches our journey towards carbon neutrality…If the taxes go down I am sure people will adopt it at a faster clip..,” Behl said.
Till the time complete transition happens toward electric cars over the next few years, the automaker plans to keep introducing internal combustion engine cars in order to cater to the customer demand.
As part of the strategy, Honda Cars India plans to get into the fast-growing mid-size SUV segment next year. It also plans to keep refreshing its sedan lineup as per the market requirements, Behl noted.
”We have strong market share in the sedan segment .. so we would definitely not like to leave the sedan market ..at the same time we realise that SUV is an important market and customers expect Honda to come into this so that is why we will come up with a strong model..” he added.
When asked about the possible impact of the government’s plans to make six airbags mandatory in passenger vehicles, Behl noted that the industry as a whole has been going through rough times for the last few years.
Transition to BSVI emission norms, COVID-19 impact, semiconductor shortage, and rising input costs are the major challenges plaguing the auto industry, he noted.
”Every kind of regulation has a cost attached to it..so yes the government’s direction is understood, it is a very nice direction and it also matches Honda’s direction of carbon neutrality and zeroes traffic fatalities so we are also in line with that..we also want to comply to the regulations but looks a little too early for us as well,” Behl said.
Currently, the debate is going on regarding the issue and whatever the decision comes, the company is going to stick to that for sure, he added. On the chip shortage, Behl noted that the problem is expected to continue for the next couple of months.
”So it is very difficult to predict the growth outlook… As far as the previous year is concerned there is definitely going to be growth for the industry and the company will also follow a similar kind of growth as the industry…it is very difficult to give an outlook as the situation remains very dynamic,” he added.
Between April 2021 to March 31, 2022, the company dispatched 82,074 units to dealers.
BJP Tajinder Pal Singh Bagga was dragged out by the Punjab Police 16
Tajinder Bagga was arrested in the morning from his home following due process of law, the Punjab Police said while claiming that despite being served five notices, he did not join the investigation. Last month, the Punjab Police filed charges of making provocative statements, promoting enmity and criminal intimidation. The case was registered on a complaint of AAP leader Sunny Ahluwalia, a resident of Mohali.
The FIR registered on April 1 referred to Bagga’s remarks on March 30, when he was part of a BJP youth wing protest outside the Chief Minister’s residence in Delhi. The Delhi BJP spokesperson came under fire from the AAP, which is ruling both Delhi and Punjab, for his tweet against Kejriwal over ‘The Kashmir Files’ film. Tajinder Pal Singh Bagga was seen being dragged out by the Punjab Police from his residence in the national capital on Tuesday in connection with a case registered against him in Mohali last month.
In a video statement, Delhi BJP spokesperson Naveen Kumar Jindal claimed around 50 cops barged into Bagga’s Delhi home at around 8:30 in the morning and arrested him. “He couldn’t even wear his turban,” he said. Bagga’s father supported the claim and said that he was punched in the face when he attempted to capture the incident on video.
Talking to news agency ANI, he said, “This morning, 10-15 police personnel came to our home and dragged Tajinder out. When I picked up my mobile phone to record a video of the incident, police took me to another room and punched me in the face.” As the situation spiraled with the AAP and the BJP trading charges, the Delhi Police registered a case of kidnapping based on a complaint by Mr Bagga’s father that some people came to his house in Delhi’s Janakpuri around 8 am and took away his son.
The Punjab police team taking Mr Bagga to Mohali was stopped en route by Haryana cops after the Delhi police registered a kidnapping case based on a complaint by Mr Bagga’s father. Haryana police surrounded the Punjab police vehicle carrying Mr Bagga and escorted them off the highway to a police station in Kurukshetra. They have called the Delhi police as well.
Aam Aadmi Party leaders have defended the arrest saying the Punjab police are acting in an unbiased way and the action was taken after Mr Bagga refused to cooperate with the investigation even after notices were sent five times. AAP spokesperson Saurabh Bhardwaj has said they have collected information about Mr Bagga who he claims uses “obscene, toxic and hateful language” on social media.
Delhi police claimed they were not given any prior information regarding the arrest. Punjab police have, however, refuted the allegation saying prior intimation was given and one of their teams has been at the Janakpuri police station since last evening. Bagga was to be taken to a Punjab court. The complaint against him was registered with the cyber cell at Sahibzada Ajit Singh Nagar in Punjab’s Mohali district.
Last month, former AAP leader Kumar Vishwas and Congress leader Alka Lamba too were named in police cases over “inflammatory statements” against Arvind Kejriwal.
Tejinder Bagga can do anything to remain in controversy? 18
Tajinder is popular on Twitter as a BJP troll and leader. He is the Spokesperson of the Delhi Bhartiya Janta Party and the founder of Bhagat Singh Kranti Sena. He started supporting BJP leader Narender Modi in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections. He is an elevated troll who has managed to catch the attention of people with his gimmicks that he times well, not allowing a single issue to pass? He was first noticed when he barged into a live interview of Prashant Bhushan when he was talking about a referendum on Kashmir.
Now the next step was to keep up the visibility. He acquired an online presence where his one and only aim was to troll those who speak against the BJP or Modi. Soon he was a face that other BJP trolls came to follow and it was a matter of time before the PM himself honoured him with a follow. Now he flashes away as he was honoured by addition to the super-elite group of trolls who were personally felicitated by the Prime Minister. Then he went on to use his t-shirt business to create fandom and impact with tees with pro-Modi messages. Look at where his sincerity has got him! A common man can achieve anything even without achieving anything in BJP if he or she has the ability to attack opponent voices.
BJP could not digest Punjab going to Aam Aadmi Party, and Tajinder Bagga tried to incite violence in Punjab. Punjab Police registered a case against him, sent summons five times and followed the entire legal process. But BJP and Amit Shah’s Delhi Police took Punjab Police hostage illegally to save Bagga. Delhi BJP workers held a protest against the Aam Aadmi Party over the arrest of Bagga. The BJP in its press conference also said Punjab Chief Minister and AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal believes in vindictive politics.
Pritpal Singh Bagga, the father of arrested BJP leader Tajinder Pal Singh Bagga, alleged that Punjab Police personnel barged into his Delhi home and dragged his son away without giving a proper reason. Pritpal Singh further alleged that when he protested, he was punched in the face by a Punjab Police officer. Whereas these allegations stand no grounds. Bagga tried creating unrest in Punjab and the police came and arrested him, to avoid arrest one can say anything in defence.
After a violent confrontation and allegations of abduction against the Punjab Police, BJP leader Tajinder Bagga has been handed over to Delhi Police by the Haryana Police. He was arrested on Friday morning from his Delhi house and was being taken to Punjab to be produced in the Mohali court. The Punjab Police was stopped by the Haryana Police for questioning. Bagga is being taken to Delhi now. Haryana minister made a claim that Tajinder Bagga was kidnapped, and will hand him over to Delhi police. Delhi police brought Bagga back to the national capital after the Haryana police handed him over. Delhi police have also filed an FIR against Punjab police for the alleged kidnapping of Bagga.
Aam Aadmi Party leaders have defended the arrest saying the Punjab police are acting in an unbiased way and the action was taken after Bagga refused to cooperate with the investigation even after notices were sent five times. AAP spokesperson Saurabh Bhardwaj has said they have collected information about Bagga who he claims uses “obscene, toxic and hateful language” on social media.
Bagga was to be taken to a Punjab court. The complaint against him was registered with the cyber cell at Sahibzada Ajit Singh Nagar in Punjab’s Mohali district. The charges against Bagga include making provocative statements, promoting religious enmity, and criminal intimidation. Bagga buys controversies to remain in the limelight and other political parties buy the bate.
