Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday said the "involvement" of a prominent Congress leader in the Rs 5,600 crore drug bust in north India is "extremely dangerous and shameful". Shah also said that everyone has seen the plight of the youth of Punjab, Haryana and the entire north India due to drugs during the Congress rule. "While on one hand the Modi government is adopting a zero-tolerance policy for a 'drug-free India', the involvement of a prominent Congress leader in the Rs 5,600 crore drug consignment seized from north India is extremely dangerous and shameful," the minister wrote on X in Hindi. He said that while the Modi government is taking the youth towards sports, education and innovation, the "Congress wants to take them into the dark world of drugs". "Our government is determined to make India a 'drug-free country' by destroying the entire drug network, without looking at the political position or stature of the drug dealers," he added. In one of Delhi's biggest drug busts, police seized over 560 kilograms of cocaine and 40 kilograms of hydroponic marijuana estimated to be worth around Rs 5,620 crore earlier this week. The BJP on Thursday alleged that the kingpin, Tushar Goel, arrested in connection with the seizure of drugs is the chairman of the Delhi Youth Congress' RTI cell, a claim refuted by the opposition party as baseless. The Indian Youth Congress (IYC) said in a statement that Goel was expelled from the organisation on October 17, 2022, for anti-party activities soon after BJP spokesperson and MP Sudhanshu Trivedi charged the opposition party with having links with drug dealers. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
04 October,2024 04:35 PM IST | New Delhi | PTIUnion Health Minister J P Nadda on Friday alleged that the Congress cannot run the Himachal Pradesh government without the Centre's support even for a day. Addressing a programme organised by the state unit of BJP in Bilaspur, Nadda said the central government gives Rs 500 crore as revenue deficit grant and Rs 800 crore as grant for payment of salaries and pension. Claiming that Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu speaks in "two languages", the BJP national president said, "In Himachal Pradesh and during elections, he says the state gets nothing from the Centre, while in Delhi, he expresses gratitude for the financial help and pleads for more." "Congress cannot run a government in Himachal Pradesh even for one day without the help of the Centre but the state government has no account of where the money is being spent," he said. Nadda said Sukhu "has broken all records" of previous Congress governments by not giving monthly salaries to state government employees on the first day of this September, terming it to be the "biggest disaster" of the current government. The minister also claimed that in Congress-ruled states, drug addiction is rising. Drugs worth Rs 5,600 crore belonging to a Congress leader was seized recently, he said. "Congress means corruption, criminalisation and commission," the BJP leader added. The Congress government in the state was a "reverse-gear government", where all development work started by the previous BJP government have been stalled or stopped, Nadda said. Giving a "report card" of the 100 days of the Union government, the health minister said that six crore people have been linked with the Ayushman Bharat scheme that provides Rs 5 lakh health cover every year. Approval for infrastructure projects worth Rs 3 lakh crore, 12 industrial smart cities, eight high-speed national road corridors and eight railway lines has been given by the central government, he said. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
04 October,2024 04:31 PM IST | Shimla/Bilaspur | PTIThe Supreme Court on Friday said it will lay down the law on the issue of high courts revoking orders dictated in open courts after the top court came across a case in which the Madras HC quashed a money laundering case against a former IPS officer and later modified its direction and reheard the matter. A bench of Justices Abhay S Oka and Augustine George Masih stayed the proceedings in a money laundering case against former IPS officer M S Jaffer Sait registered in connection with an alleged illegal allotment of a Tamil Nadu Housing Board plot. The top court posted the matter for hearing on November 22. The apex court was hearing a plea filed by Sait, who contended that his case was reheard within days after allowing his plea for quashing of the proceedings in the matter. The SC bench had earlier sought report from from the Madras High Court's Registrar General on the issue. On September 30, after inspecting the report from the HC, the top court had called the decision of the high court to re-hear the matter as 'absolutely wrong'. A high court bench of Justices S M Subramaniam and V Sivagnanam had on August 21 quashed the proceedings against Sait on the grounds that the corruption case registered by the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC), which is the predicate offence for the ED case, has already been quashed by the high court. Later, the order was revoked and the matter was reheard and judgment was reserved. According to Sait, a complaint was made in 2011 accusing him of having gotten illegal allotment of Tamil Nadu Housing Board plots at Thiruvanmiyur in Chennai. Based on the complaint, the DVAC registered an FIR under the Prevention of Corruption Act. On May 23, 2019, the high court quashed the FIR. Subsequently, on June 22, 2020, the ED registered an ECIR (Enforcement Case Information Report) based on the case registered by the DVAC. However, the high court quashed the ED case on the basis of previous quashing of the predicate corruption case by the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
04 October,2024 04:27 PM IST | New Delhi | PTICongress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Friday alleged that the Modi government's skill development cooperation is facilitating the recruitment of about 15,000 Indian workers in Israel in the West Asia war. He claimed that earlier youth from the country were duped by dubious agents for going to the Russia-Ukraine war and many lost their lives too. "It speaks volumes about the Joblessness induced by the anti-youth policies of the Modi Government," he said in a post on X. "The fact that young unskilled, semi-skilled and educated youth are willing to risk their lives and serve in war-ridden theatres, at reportedly high salaries, tells you that PM @narendramodi’s lofty claims on Jobs are nothing but Fake Retorts to hide his own failures! "Youth of Haryana who are forced to seek jobs in these conflict zones will teach a befitting lesson to the BJP, tomorrow," Kharge said in his post. "None less than Modi Government's National Skill Development Cooperation is facilitating the recruitment of about 15,000 Indian workers in Israel, amidst the war in West Asia," he alleged. The Congress chief's comments came a day ahead of the Haryana Assembly elections, where his party is seeking to wrest power back from the BJP after a gap of ten years. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
04 October,2024 04:24 PM IST | New Delhi | PTISenthil Balaji, Tamil Nadu Minister for Electricity, non-conventional energy development, prohibition and excise, arrived at the office of Enforcement Directorate (ED) in downtown Chennai's Nungambakkam on Friday as per the condition of bail given to him, ANI reported. Balaji was released on September 26 from the Puzhal Central Prison in Chennai after the Supreme Court granted him bail in a money laundering case related to the cash-for-jobs scam. According to ANI, in his release, Balaji claimed that the case started against him was a "fake case," adding that he will always be obliged to DMK President and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin. "The case which was initiated against me was a fake case and was just a political vendetta. I will overcome and win this fake case legally by facing court. I am obliged to DMK President and TN CM MK Stalin," he said. The TN Minister arrived at the ED office on Friday in his private car and not in the minister's car. Balaji was taken into custody on June 14 in relation to a money laundering case that involved an alleged cash-for-jobs scheme while he served as the Transport Minister for Tamil Nadu under the previous AIADMK government. The Enforcement Case Information Register (ECIR) was filed based on three FIRs lodged against him by the local TN police in 2018 for his alleged involvement in the case while he was the Transport Minister in Jayalalithaa's Cabinet in 2015, ANI reported. The charges against him go back to his tenure as the transport minister during the All India Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) government from 2011 to 2015. He joined the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) in December 2018 and took charge as the electricity minister after the party came to power in May 2021. On September 29, the DMK leader took an oath as the minister in Chief Minister MK Stalin's led government along with three other MLAs, as part of the massive restructuring of the party. According to ANI, as per an official release, Balaji will handle the work in Electricity and Non-Conventional Energy Development, Prohibition & Excise. (With inputs from ANI)
04 October,2024 04:09 PM IST | Chennai | mid-day online correspondentFive people have been arrested for allegedly storing, transporting and selling e-cigarettes in the national capital, police said on Friday. According to the police, 257 e-cigarettes worth around Rs 5 lakh were recovered from their possession along with Rs 4 lakh in cash. Manufacturing, importing, advertising, or selling e-cigarettes is banned in India since September 2019. At around 2 am on October 2, a team out on night patrol spotted an Ertiga car parked at an abandoned place near the Ashok Park Main Metro station, which raised suspicion, Deputy Commissioner of Police (West) Vichitra Veer said. Soon another car stopped near the vehicle and people started to shift boxes into the Ertiga, he said. The police apprehended both the drivers and seized 20 boxes containing 10 e-cigarettes in each of them. They also seized Rs 4 lakh in cash from their possession, the DCP said. "The duo has been identified as Ritik Uppal (22) and Sabi Kumar (32). During interrogation, they named three others -- Aniket (32), Pawan Chaurasia (42) and Dikshant Kumar (28) -- who also stored and sold e-cigarettes," the officer said. "All three have been arrested and 57 e-cigarettes were recovered from their possession," the DCP said. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
04 October,2024 04:04 PM IST | New Delhi | PTIAn IAF helicopter on Friday began its search for two foreign mountaineers who got stranded at Chaukhamba in Uttarakhand's Chamoli district on Thursday. According to information received from the State Emergency Operations Centre (SEOC) here, the search operation for the foreign mountaineers was started at 8 am. One mountaineer is from the US and the other from the UK, it said. The two got stranded after their logistical and technical equipment fell down at Chaukhamba at an altitude of 6,500 meters around 3 pm on Thursday, the SEOC said. As soon as the information was received in this regard, a request was sent by the district magistrate of Chamoli to the Department of Military Affairs (DMA) of the Indian Defence Ministry for heli rescue of the mountaineers at 11 pm on Thursday. The SEOC and the Uttarakhand State Disaster Management Authority are cooperating fully with the IAF in the search and rescue effort, the former said. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
04 October,2024 03:59 PM IST | Dehradun | PTIThe AIMIM has approached the Congress and NCP (SP) seeking an alliance with the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) to contest in 28 Muslim-dominated constituencies in the upcoming Maharashtra assembly elections, reported news agency PTI. Ahead of the upcoming Maharashtra assembly elections, former MP and party leader Imtiaz Jaleel on Friday said the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) has sent a proposal to the presidents of the Congress and NCP (SP) for 28 seats. Talking to the Marathi News Channel, Jaleel said, "We drafted a letter after consulting AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi, and it has been sent to the Congress and NCP (SP). The Shiv Sena (UBT) recently became secular, and we know their stand on various issues," reported PTI. He questioned if the Congress and NCP (SP) could join hands with a party that has recently become secular, "why can't the AIMIM enter into an alliance with the MVA?," reported PTI. "We have given a proposal for 28 Muslim-dominated constituencies, and we can give a good fight on these seats. We have told them (Congress and NCP (SP)) that if too many candidates are in the fray, then the BJP will benefit from it," Jaleel said, reported PTI. He added that the AIMIM has only listed the constituencies, and it can contest on fewer seats as well, reported PTI. The Maharashtra assembly elections to the 288-member assembly are likely to be held in November. In the current assembly, the BJP is the single largest party with 103 MLAs, followed by Shiv Sena 40, NCP 41, Congress 40, Shiv Sena (UBT) 15, NCP (SP) 13 and others 29. Some seats are vacant. Maha Vikas Aghadi leaders meet to discuss seat-sharing Leaders of the Opposition's Maha Vikas Aghadi alliance on October 2 met in Mumbai to continue their seat-sharing talks for the Maharashtra assembly elections. State Congress chief Nana Patole and Congress leader Balasaheb Thorat, state NCP (SP) chief Jayant Patil, and Shiv Sena (UBT)'s Anil Desai and Sanjay Raut were present at the meeting at 'Shivalaya', the office of the Uddhav Thackeray-led party. The talks are expected to conclude before Dussehra, sources told PTI. Congress wants a larger share of seats in Vidarbha and Marathwada and is ready to cede more seats to the Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) in Mumbai and Konkan, they told PTI. The Sena (UBT), however, wants more seats in eastern Maharashtra's Vidarbha region, sources told PTI. The allies have reached a consensus on "90 per cent of seats" in Mumbai, while six seats were under discussion, a Congress leader said. (With inputs from PTI)
04 October,2024 02:39 PM IST | Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar | mid-day online correspondentNCP (SP) president Sharad Pawar urged the BJP-led central government on Friday to amend the constitution to increase the reservation cap in education and government posts beyond the present 50 per cent. According to PTI, Pawar underlined that while giving reservations for the Maratha community, it is critical to ensure that current boundaries for other groups are not violated. He questioned, "If Tamil Nadu can have 78 per cent reservation for various communities, why can't Maharashtra have 75 per cent?" Pawar urged the Centre to take the initiative for this constitutional amendment, saying, "We will support the amendment." He also stated that discussions over seat-sharing among opposition leaders in the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) coalition would resume next week. “I would only advise the leaders to conclude the talks as early as possible so that we can go to the people, who are looking for a change,” he said according to the news agency report. The MVA partners, including the NCP (SP), the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT), and the Congress, fared well in the recent Lok Sabha elections, winning 30 of the 48 seats in Maharashtra. The state assembly elections are scheduled for November. Reportedly, Pawar expressed hope about the public's yearning for change and emphasised the importance of respecting their feelings. He applauded the government's decision to grant Marathi "classical language" status but expressed concern about the dwindling number of pupils learning the language and the closing of Marathi schools. "Discussions on these issues are necessary," he made clear. He accused the state government of diverting funding from important programs to favour populist schemes. "The arrears of government aid to the Sangli cancer hospital is over Rs 4 crore. Across the state, the arrears of aid to cancer hospitals are Rs 700 crore. I was told that since funds needed to be diverted to the populist schemes, the administration was helpless. If this is the situation in the medical field, what can be said about other areas? There are many government-aided hospitals that are not just dedicated to cancer,” Pawar told the news agency. According to the report, Pawar also decried recent incidences of violence against women, such as the example of a sweeper accused of attacking young girls, claiming that, despite financial assistance, women's safety is being disregarded. Regarding Union Minister Nitin Gadkari's comments on the "Ladki Bahin" plan, which affects timely subsidy payments, Pawar pointed out that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has also referred to such schemes as a "Revdi culture" that must be ended. He recognised Gadkari's positive approach to development, particularly road improvements. Reportedly, in response to Gadkari's assertion that the opposition had offered him the Prime Minister's position, Pawar emphasised, "We made no such offer. If we don't have the necessary number of MPs, how can we make such an offer?" When asked about his energy at nearly 84 years old, Pawar joked that it seems to increase with age. He also commented on Modi's campaign efforts, noting the Prime Minister's mixed results in the previous Lok Sabha elections and suggesting he should hold many rallies ahead of the assembly polls, the report added.
04 October,2024 02:25 PM IST | Sangli | mid-day online correspondentFormer Lok Sabha MP and BJP leader Arjun Singh claimed that on Friday at around 8:30 am, a gang of people attacked his office-cum-residence Meghna More in North 24 Parganas, West Bengal, by throwing stones, bombs, and firing several gunshots. Singh claimed that he suffered a splinter wound during the incident. In a tweet along with a video, Singh said, "This morning, while everyone was occupied with Navratri Puja, several jihadis and goons, under the protection of Namit Singh, an accused in NIA cases and son of a local @AITCofficial Councillor¿attacked my office-cum-residence, Mazdoor Bhawan, with the local police looking on." This morning, when everyone was busy in Puja for Navratri, several jehadis and goons under the protection of Namit Singh, an accused in the NIA cases and son of the local @AITCofficial Councillor and supervision of the local police attacked my office-cum-residence Mazdoor Bhawan.… pic.twitter.com/mN1PoCvXaN — Arjun Singh (@ArjunsinghWB) October 4, 2024 He claimed that the police were mere spectators as the attackers displayed their firearms openly. "Around 15 bombs were thrown, and more than a dozen rounds were fired by these people," he said. PTI could not independently verify the authenticity of the video shared by Singh. Onlookers said that smoke engulfed Meghna More located in West Bengal's Jagatdal because of the hurling of bombs, PTI reported. An officer from Jagatdal police station said to PTI that there no injuries were confirmed and the senior police officials, along with additional forces, were present at the scene to conduct an investigation. Singh, who earlier had switched loyalty from the Trinamool Congress to the BJP, lost to TMC's Partha Bhowmick in the recent general elections. Meanwhile, Jagatdal MLA Somenath Shyam claimed that Singh, himself fired four rounds, PTI reported. Shyam said, "After losing his political footing, he is blaming the TMC for problems he created himself, along with other local conflicts unrelated to our party." In a post on X, BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari said, "This morning, prominent goons & renowned anti-socials associated with the ruling Trinamool Congress Party attacked the home of senior BJP Leader & Former MP; Shri Arjun Singh, in Bhatpara; North 24 Parganas district. They even hurled crude bombs. As usual, the Police played the role of mute spectator and didn't do much to deter the criminals." This morning, prominent goons & renowned anti socials associated with the ruling Trinamool Congress Party attacked the home of senior BJP Leader & Former MP; Shri Arjun Singh, in Bhatpara; North 24 Parganas district. They even hurled crude bombs. As usual the Police played the… pic.twitter.com/8699buiARh — Suvendu Adhikari (@SuvenduWB) October 4, 2024 He also claimed that video footage was enough to identify and arrest the attackers for this heinous crime. "I hope DGP@WBPolice will at least try to use the visuals for nabbing these miscreants," he said. (With inputs from PTI)
04 October,2024 02:24 PM IST | Kolkata | mid-day online correspondentLeader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday alleged that the "disease of unemployment" spread by the BJP has put the security of Haryana and the future of the youth in "deep danger", and asserted that a Congress government will ensure that employment returns and every family is prosperous in the state. Rahul Gandhi shared on X a video of his interaction with a group of women during his recent Vijay Sankalp Yatra. Along with the video, Rahul Gandhi said in his post on X, "The disease of unemployment spread by BJP has put the roots of Haryana, the future of the youth and the security of the state in deep danger." "Some sisters of Haryana gave shelter during the Vijay Sankalp Yatra, fed homemade rotis with great love and also explained the complex problems of the state," Rahul Gandhi said. Today, Haryana has the highest unemployment in India, he said. "The reason for this is - BJP has broken the backbone of every system that provides employment to the youth of the state in a decade," Rahul Gandhi alleged. The BJP has broken the back of small businesses with flawed GST and demonetisation, Rahul Gandhi said. It has broken the spirits of youth preparing for the army with Agniveer, he said. The BJP has broken the courage of those doing agricultural business with black laws and broke the dreams of sportspersons by snatching their support, Gandhi further alleged. It has broken families by stopping government recruitment with 'Parivar Pehchan Patra', he said. "The result of this: Youth talent getting wasted in the grip of drugs. Disappointed youth taking the path of crime. Families getting destroyed by the journey of dangers like Dunki," Rahul Gandhi said. The Congress government coming to power in the state will recruit 2 lakh permanent jobs and make Haryana drug-free, he said. "I have promised the sisters of Haryana that I will stop this devastation, I will protect their children - employment will return, and every family will be prosperous," Rahul Gandhi asserted. 'Congress storm' on its way in Haryana: Rahul Gandhi Asserting that a "Congress storm" is on its way in Haryana, Rahul Gandhi on Thursday said his party would form the government which will be one for the poor and farmers, and a 'mohabbat ki dukan' will be opened in every corner of the state. Gandhi was addressing a public meeting in Nuh that had witnessed violence last year after a Vishva Hindu Parishad procession was attacked by a mob, leading to the death of six people, including two home guards and a cleric. The fight is between 'mohabbat' (love) and 'nafrat' (hatred). The Congress spreads love while the BJP spreads "hatred", Gandhi said on the last day of campaigning. (With inputs from PTI)
04 October,2024 02:17 PM IST | New Delhi | mid-day online correspondentADVERTISEMENT
