WION Gravitas, 21st January, 2019

Gravitas: US based cyber expert claims EVMs hackable

Fineprint: Congress leader Kapil Sibal attends EVM 'Hackathon' in London

<p>The Congress attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday over the Bulandshahr violence, asking if "this was the change" he had promised the country, and demanded an inquiry into the incident under the supervision of a sitting high court judge.</p>

<p>Congress president Rahul Gandhi said the killing of a policeman during the violence was shameful. He wondered if the police are in such a state in Prime Minister Modi and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's rule then how much terror the common man would be feeling.</p>

<p>"Police official Subodh Singh's killing by a frenzied mob is painful and shameful," Gandhi tweeted.</p>

<p>"If in Modi-Yogi rule, police are in such a state then how much terror the common man would be feeling," he said.</p>

<p>Senior Congress leader Kapil Sibal slammed Adityanath, alleging he was watching a sound and light show in Gorakhpur with his Chhattisgarh counterpart Raman Singh when the violence happened on Monday.</p>

<p>"Prime Minister Modi before the 2014 elections used to say repeatedly that we will usher in change and also politics of change. I don't know how much change has come," Sibal said at a press conference.</p>

<p>"But from 2014 till now, we have seen no change, but revenge, not change, but fear, not change, but hidden corruption, not change, but politics over Ram, politics over Hanuman... Is this the change that Modi ji had promised.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Look what kind of a change he has brought about in Bulandshahr," he said.</p>

<p>Sibal said state agencies and the CBI cannot be trusted for a probe and, therefore, an investigation under the supervision of a sitting high court judge should be conducted.</p>

<p>In Hyderabad, Union minister and BJP leader Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi too condemned the incident and termed it inhuman. "It is an inhuman act. Whoever is responsible for the criminal, violent act, stern measures should be taken against them."</p>

<p>A mob of some 400 people, including right-wing activists, fought pitched battles with police on Monday in Siana area of Bulandshahr district, apparently after right-wing activists were angered by the discovery of cow carcasses strewn in a nearby jungle.</p>

<p>They set fire to dozens of vehicles, hurled stones and also fired guns at police who retaliated with gunfire. In the violence, Inspector Subodh Kumar Singh, the station house officer of Siana, and 20-year-old Sumit Kumar were killed.</p>

<p>Sibal claimed that UP minister Om Prakash Rajbhar has alleged that people from Bajrang Dal, VHP, RSS were behind the planned conspiracy and this resulted in the death of Singh.</p>

<p>Expressing grave concern over the law and order situation in UP, Sibal said, "Your police personnel is being killed by those people who are associated with you."</p>

<p>He cited increasing shootouts and killings in UP to stress the "worsening" law and order situation. He alleged that such things are happening wherever the BJP is in power.</p>

<p>Sibal also hit out at Adityanath for giving "poisonous speeches" in Telangana and Rajasthan during poll campaigns.&nbsp;</p>


The Congress attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday over the Bulandshahr violence, asking if "this was the change" he had promised the country, and demanded an inquiry into the incident under the supervision of a sitting high court judge.

The Congress attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday over the Bulandshahr violence, asking if "this was the change" he had promised the country, and demanded an inquiry into the incident under the supervision of a sitting high court judge. Congress president Rahul Gandhi said the killing of a policeman during the violence was shameful. He wondered if the police are in such a state in Prime Minister Modi and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's rule then how much terror the common man would be feeling. "Police official Subodh Singh's killing by a frenzied mob is painful and shameful," Gandhi tweeted. "If in Modi-Yogi rule, police are in such a state then how much terror the common man would be feeling," he said. Senior Congress leader Kapil Sibal slammed Adityanath, alleging he was watching a sound and light show in Gorakhpur with his Chhattisgarh counterpart Raman Singh when the violence happened on Monday. "Prime Minister Modi before the 2014 elections used to say repeatedly that we will usher in change and also politics of change. I don't know how much change has come," Sibal said at a press conference. "But from 2014 till now, we have seen no change, but revenge, not change, but fear, not change, but hidden corruption, not change, but politics over Ram, politics over Hanuman... Is this the change that Modi ji had promised. Look what kind of a change he has brought about in Bulandshahr," he said. Sibal said state agencies and the CBI cannot be trusted for a probe and, therefore, an investigation under the supervision of a sitting high court judge should be conducted. In Hyderabad, Union minister and BJP leader Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi too condemned the incident and termed it inhuman. "It is an inhuman act. Whoever is responsible for the criminal, violent act, stern measures should be taken against them." A mob of some 400 people, including right-wing activists, fought pitched battles with police on Monday in Siana area of Bulandshahr district, apparently after right-wing activists were angered by the discovery of cow carcasses strewn in a nearby jungle. They set fire to dozens of vehicles, hurled stones and also fired guns at police who retaliated with gunfire. In the violence, Inspector Subodh Kumar Singh, the station house officer of Siana, and 20-year-old Sumit Kumar were killed. Sibal claimed that UP minister Om Prakash Rajbhar has alleged that people from Bajrang Dal, VHP, RSS were behind the planned conspiracy and this resulted in the death of Singh. Expressing grave concern over the law and order situation in UP, Sibal said, "Your police personnel is being killed by those people who are associated with you." He cited increasing shootouts and killings in UP to stress the "worsening" law and order situation. He alleged that such things are happening wherever the BJP is in power. Sibal also hit out at Adityanath for giving "poisonous speeches" in Telangana and Rajasthan during poll campaigns.

'Is this the change PM Modi promised?' Congress on Bulandshahr violence

<p>Congress leader and former Union minister Kapil Sibal has accused the CEO of French aviation company Dassault of trying to hide the truth in the 2016 sale of 36 Rafale planes to India and warned that the company is "falling into its own trap."</p>

<p>"Dassault Aviation CEO Eric Trappier has deliberately tried in recent interviews to 'muddy the waters' over the Rafale deal and Dassault now is trying to hide the truth. Unfortunately it is falling into its own trap," Sibal told reporters here Tuesday night.</p>

<p>"I would warn Dassault that the more they continue to hide the deal, the more likely it is that they will get into serious trouble in time to come," he said.</p>

<p>He said, "we are asking the CEO of Dassault not to muddy the water. We want an inquiry as there is corruption at the highest level in the deal."</p>

<p>Congress party has escalated its campaign against the Modi government over the Rafale deal in recent weeks, with its president Rahul Gandhi alleging that the government forced Dassault Aviation to make Reliance Defence its offset partner for the deal.</p>

<p>However, the BJP and Reliance Defence have dismissed all the allegations as false.</p>

<p>Under Indian defence procurement rules, foreign companies winning contracts must "offset" or reinvest half the total value - in this case around eight billion euros - in joint ventures or purchases with Indian firms.</p>

<p>Sibal said he was also worried about "what is happening in the economic field and sought to know why the banks are selling their non-productive assets to two or three entities and who is backing the bidders.</p>

<p>"There are various forms of corruption, some hidden and some open."&nbsp;</p>


Congress leader and former Union minister Kapil Sibal has accused the CEO of French aviation company Dassault of trying to hide the truth in the 2016 sale of 36 Rafale planes to India and warned that the company is "falling into its own trap.

Congress leader and former Union minister Kapil Sibal has accused the CEO of French aviation company Dassault of trying to hide the truth in the 2016 sale of 36 Rafale planes to India and warned that the company is "falling into its own trap." "Dassault Aviation CEO Eric Trappier has deliberately tried in recent interviews to 'muddy the waters' over the Rafale deal and Dassault now is trying to hide the truth. Unfortunately it is falling into its own trap," Sibal told reporters here Tuesday night. "I would warn Dassault that the more they continue to hide the deal, the more likely it is that they will get into serious trouble in time to come," he said. He said, "we are asking the CEO of Dassault not to muddy the water. We want an inquiry as there is corruption at the highest level in the deal." Congress party has escalated its campaign against the Modi government over the Rafale deal in recent weeks, with its president Rahul Gandhi alleging that the government forced Dassault Aviation to make Reliance Defence its offset partner for the deal. However, the BJP and Reliance Defence have dismissed all the allegations as false. Under Indian defence procurement rules, foreign companies winning contracts must "offset" or reinvest half the total value - in this case around eight billion euros - in joint ventures or purchases with Indian firms. Sibal said he was also worried about "what is happening in the economic field and sought to know why the banks are selling their non-productive assets to two or three entities and who is backing the bidders. "There are various forms of corruption, some hidden and some open."

Sibal accuses Dassault Aviation's CEO of trying to hide truth in Rafale deal

<p>Former Union Minister P Chidambaram will appear before the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on June 5. The Patiala House Court said that until then&nbsp;no coercive action can be taken against him.&nbsp;The court also gave protection from arrest to P Chidambaram until next hearing.</p>

<p>The court has asked the Enforcement Directorate to come up with a reply on the anticipatory bail plea moved by P Chidambaram by June 5.</p>

<p>Chidambaram moved an anticipatory bail plea in Delhi's Patiala House Court in Aircel-Maxis case. He was represented&nbsp;by Kapil Sibal in the court today.</p>

<p>Former Finance Minister P Chidambaram's son Karti Chidambaram was arrested by the CBI in February in connection with the case.</p>

<p>The matter pertains to grant of Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) clearance to firm M/S Global Communication Holding Services Ltd. for investment in Aircel by P Chidambaram during his tenure as the Finance Minister in the Manmohan Singh-led UPA government.&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Former Union Minister P Chidambaram has moved an anticipatory bail plea in Delhi's Patiala House Court in Aircel-Maxis case. Kapil Sibal to argue for him in the case. <a href="https://t.co/EMO2BpftMx">pic.twitter.com/EMO2BpftMx</a></p>
— ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/1001679898044399617?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 30, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<p>In September 2015, the CBI had filed its status report regarding a probe into the FIPB approvals in the case. The agency had in June 2016 also issued a notice to A Palaniappan, director of Chess Management Services, a company promoted by Karti.</p>

<p>According to reports, Rs 26 lakh was allegedly paid by Aircel Televentures Limited to ASCPL during the FIPB approval. The Advantage Strategic Consultancy Pvt Limited (ASCPL) is allegedly linked to Karti Chidambaram.</p>

<p>The Aircel-Maxis case of alleged money laundering is currently under probe by the ED&nbsp;and the CBI.&nbsp;</p>


In September 2015, the CBI had filed its status report regarding a probe into the FIPB approvals in the case

Former Union Minister P Chidambaram will appear before the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on June 5. The Patiala House Court said that until then no coercive action can be taken against him. The court also gave protection from arrest to P Chidambaram until next hearing. The court has asked the Enforcement Directorate to come up with a reply on the anticipatory bail plea moved by P Chidambaram by June 5. Chidambaram moved an anticipatory bail plea in Delhi's Patiala House Court in Aircel-Maxis case. He was represented by Kapil Sibal in the court today. Former Finance Minister P Chidambaram's son Karti Chidambaram was arrested by the CBI in February in connection with the case. The matter pertains to grant of Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB) clearance to firm M/S Global Communication Holding Services Ltd. for investment in Aircel by P Chidambaram during his tenure as the Finance Minister in the Manmohan Singh-led UPA government. Former Union Minister P Chidambaram has moved an anticipatory bail plea in Delhi's Patiala House Court in Aircel-Maxis case. Kapil Sibal to argue for him in the case. pic.twitter.com/EMO2BpftMx — ANI (@ANI) May 30, 2018 × In September 2015, the CBI had filed its status report regarding a probe into the FIPB approvals in the case. The agency had in June 2016 also issued a notice to A Palaniappan, director of Chess Management Services, a company promoted by Karti. According to reports, Rs 26 lakh was allegedly paid by Aircel Televentures Limited to ASCPL during the FIPB approval. The Advantage Strategic Consultancy Pvt Limited (ASCPL) is allegedly linked to Karti Chidambaram. The Aircel-Maxis case of alleged money laundering is currently under probe by the ED and the CBI.

Aircel-Maxis case: Chidambaram gets temporary relief from arrest

<p>Supreme Court Constitutional <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/told-sonia-gandhi-rahul-not-to-go-ahead-with-impeachment-notice-says-mamata-banerjee-132617">Bench has dismissed petition </a>moved by the Congress to dismiss the Chief Justice of India(CJI) Dipak Misra.</p>

<p>Congress lawyer Kapil Sibal has withdrawn plea to impeach the CJI.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Two Congress Rajya Sabha MPs&nbsp;Partab Singh Bajwa and Amee Harshadray Yajnik had moved the apex court to impeach CJI&nbsp;Dipak Misra.</p>

<p>Vice President Venkaiah Naidu had earlier rejected the motion to impeach Misra in the Rajya Sabha calling it "timely and not hasty", adding that it was in "strict conformity with the provisions of the Constitution and the Judges Inquiry Act of 1968."</p>

<p>Congress and Opposition parties had decided to move the Supreme Court against the Vice-President's move.</p>

<p>Later speaking to reporters, Kapil Sibal questioned the Bench, saying: "I had put forth seven questions to the Bench, I want to know how the bench was set up."</p>

<p>"No judicial order was passed," he added.</p>


Rajya Sabha MPs Partab Singh Bajwa and Amee Harshadray Yajnik had moved the apex court to impeach CJI Dipak Misra.

Supreme Court Constitutional Bench has dismissed petition moved by the Congress to dismiss the Chief Justice of India(CJI) Dipak Misra. Congress lawyer Kapil Sibal has withdrawn plea to impeach the CJI. Two Congress Rajya Sabha MPs Partab Singh Bajwa and Amee Harshadray Yajnik had moved the apex court to impeach CJI Dipak Misra. Vice President Venkaiah Naidu had earlier rejected the motion to impeach Misra in the Rajya Sabha calling it "timely and not hasty", adding that it was in "strict conformity with the provisions of the Constitution and the Judges Inquiry Act of 1968." Congress and Opposition parties had decided to move the Supreme Court against the Vice-President's move. Later speaking to reporters, Kapil Sibal questioned the Bench, saying: "I had put forth seven questions to the Bench, I want to know how the bench was set up." "No judicial order was passed," he added.

Congress withdraws petition to impeach CJI Dipak Misra in Supreme Court

<p>Hours after Vice President and Rajya Sabha Chairman M. Venkaiah Naidu rejected the impeachment motion against Chief Justice of India (CJI) Dipak Misra, the Congress on Monday decided to file a petition in the Supreme Court.</p>

<p>Speaking to media senior Congress leader and Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal said, "We will certainly file a petition (in Supreme Court) against this and would want the CJI to not take any decision with respect to it, be it the listing or anything else, we'll accept whatever Supreme Court decides."</p>

<p>On April 20, the opposition parties led by Congress moved the impeachment motion in the Rajya Sabha, seeking the removal of CJI Misra under Article 217 read with article 124 (4) of the Constitution of India.</p>

<p>The motion was signed by 64 sitting members of the House.</p>

<p>However, Naidu rejected the impeachment motion saying that it lacked substantial facts to hold CJI Misra guilty of misbehaviour.</p>

<p>As per Article 124 (4), "A Judge of the Supreme Court shall not be removed from his office except by an order of the President passed after an address by each House of Parliament supported by a majority of the total membership of that House and by a majority of not less than two-thirds of the members of that House present and voting has been presented to the President in the same session for such removal on the ground of proved misbehaviour or incapacity."</p>


Venkaiah Naidu rejected the impeachment motion saying that it lacked substantial facts to hold CJI Misra guilty of misbehaviour

Hours after Vice President and Rajya Sabha Chairman M. Venkaiah Naidu rejected the impeachment motion against Chief Justice of India (CJI) Dipak Misra, the Congress on Monday decided to file a petition in the Supreme Court. Speaking to media senior Congress leader and Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal said, "We will certainly file a petition (in Supreme Court) against this and would want the CJI to not take any decision with respect to it, be it the listing or anything else, we'll accept whatever Supreme Court decides." On April 20, the opposition parties led by Congress moved the impeachment motion in the Rajya Sabha, seeking the removal of CJI Misra under Article 217 read with article 124 (4) of the Constitution of India. The motion was signed by 64 sitting members of the House. However, Naidu rejected the impeachment motion saying that it lacked substantial facts to hold CJI Misra guilty of misbehaviour. As per Article 124 (4), "A Judge of the Supreme Court shall not be removed from his office except by an order of the President passed after an address by each House of Parliament supported by a majority of the total membership of that House and by a majority of not less than two-thirds of the members of that House present and voting has been presented to the President in the same session for such removal on the ground of proved misbehaviour or incapacity."

We will certainly file petition in Supreme Court: Kapil Sibal on CJI impeachment

<p>Former AAP leader Shazia Ilmi has tendered an apology to senior advocate Amit Sibal, son of former union minster Kapil Sibal, in a criminal defamation case against her.</p>

<p>Shazia Ilmi joined the BJP in 2015.</p>

<p>AAP chief and Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal and his deputy Manish Sisodia had earlier apologised to senior Congress leader Kapil Sibal in the same case.</p>

<p>Amit Sibal had filed a defamation suit against Arvind Kejriwal for alleging that Kapil Sibal had a conflict in seeking to revise a tax demand on telecom major Vodafone.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Arvind Kejriwal had written to Union Minister Nitin Gadkari and Kapil Sibal expressing regret for ''unverified allegations" made against them.</p>

<p>After the AAP chief tendered apologies to the two leaders, the defamation cases filed against him were withdrawn.</p>

<p>Arvind Kejriwal had also apologised to Finance Minister Arun Jaitley who had accused of financial irregularities in the DDCA during his tenure as its President. A bitter legal battle between the two over defamation cases in the courts came to an end after the union minister accepted the apology tendered by the Delhi chief minister.</p>

<p>Kejriwal had earlier also apologised to Akali Dal leader Bikram Singh Majithia which resulted in the resignation of prominent AAP leader Bhagwant Mann.</p>


Former AAP leader Shazia Ilmi has tendered an apology to senior advocate Amit Sibal, son of former union minster Kapil Sibal, in a criminal defamation case against her

Former AAP leader Shazia Ilmi has tendered an apology to senior advocate Amit Sibal, son of former union minster Kapil Sibal, in a criminal defamation case against her. Shazia Ilmi joined the BJP in 2015. AAP chief and Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal and his deputy Manish Sisodia had earlier apologised to senior Congress leader Kapil Sibal in the same case. Amit Sibal had filed a defamation suit against Arvind Kejriwal for alleging that Kapil Sibal had a conflict in seeking to revise a tax demand on telecom major Vodafone. Arvind Kejriwal had written to Union Minister Nitin Gadkari and Kapil Sibal expressing regret for ''unverified allegations" made against them. After the AAP chief tendered apologies to the two leaders, the defamation cases filed against him were withdrawn. Arvind Kejriwal had also apologised to Finance Minister Arun Jaitley who had accused of financial irregularities in the DDCA during his tenure as its President. A bitter legal battle between the two over defamation cases in the courts came to an end after the union minister accepted the apology tendered by the Delhi chief minister. Kejriwal had earlier also apologised to Akali Dal leader Bikram Singh Majithia which resulted in the resignation of prominent AAP leader Bhagwant Mann.

Defamation case: Shazia Ilmi apologises to Kapil Sibal's son

<p>BJP leader Smriti Irani on Thursday called out senior Congress leader and former union minister Kapil Sibal questioning a land deal he was allegedly involved in.&nbsp</p>

<p>Irani accused Sibal of being involved in a land scam during his time as law minister in 2013.&nbsp</p>

<p>She said that in November 2013, Sibal and his wife had secured the ownership of a company named Grand Castello from a person who was being probed by the CBI for bribery allegations at the time and against whom South African journalists had levelled charges of money laundering.</p>

<p>"The person who was being probed by CBI for bribery during UPA govt & against whom South African journalists leveled charges of money laundering, from him Kapil Sibal & his wife got ownership of a company named Grand Castello," Irani said.&nbsp</p>

<p>She further went on to explain how Grand Castello, which was out of business in FY 2013-14, purchases a piece of land which eventually costs Rs 45.21 crore.</p>

<p>Given that he was the law minister at the time, how could he associate with such an individual, Irani asked. "Sibal must answer this question," she said.</p>

<p>Kapil Sibal, however, has since addressed the accusations and said "A person who does not know the meaning of money laundering is making allegations? Yes I bought the company, does anyone mind? I paid & did so from my earnings, tax for which was paid by me, but no one saw it: Kapil Sibal on Smriti Irani's allegations against him"</p>

<p>He further criticised Irani for not addressig the current critical issue and added "We thought she'll talk about the #CBSEPaperLeak but it seems she isn't worried about the students who'll have to re-appear for their exams: Kapil Sibal, Congress on Smriti Irani's allegations against him."</p>


She said that in November 2013, Sibal and his wife had secured the ownership of a company named Grand Castello from a person who was being probed by the CBI for bribery allegations at the time and against whom South African journalists had levelled charges of money laundering

BJP leader Smriti Irani on Thursday called out senior Congress leader and former union minister Kapil Sibal questioning a land deal he was allegedly involved in. Irani accused Sibal of being involved in a land scam during his time as law minister in 2013. She said that in November 2013, Sibal and his wife had secured the ownership of a company named Grand Castello from a person who was being probed by the CBI for bribery allegations at the time and against whom South African journalists had levelled charges of money laundering. "The person who was being probed by CBI for bribery during UPA govt & against whom South African journalists leveled charges of money laundering, from him Kapil Sibal & his wife got ownership of a company named Grand Castello," Irani said. She further went on to explain how Grand Castello, which was out of business in FY 2013-14, purchases a piece of land which eventually costs Rs 45.21 crore. Given that he was the law minister at the time, how could he associate with such an individual, Irani asked. "Sibal must answer this question," she said. Kapil Sibal, however, has since addressed the accusations and said "A person who does not know the meaning of money laundering is making allegations? Yes I bought the company, does anyone mind? I paid & did so from my earnings, tax for which was paid by me, but no one saw it: Kapil Sibal on Smriti Irani's allegations against him" He further criticised Irani for not addressig the current critical issue and added "We thought she'll talk about the #CBSEPaperLeak but it seems she isn't worried about the students who'll have to re-appear for their exams: Kapil Sibal, Congress on Smriti Irani's allegations against him."

Smriti Irani accuses Kapil Sibal for involvement in land scam

<p>After Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal issued series of apologies to BJP, Congress and&nbsp;Akali Dal leader, Congress has advised him to change his name to &quot;Arvind Sorry Kejriwal&quot;.</p>

<p>The party also said that Kejriwal will also have to apologise to the people of Delhi and country for &quot;deceiving&quot; them.</p>

<p>Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjwala said, &quot;There is a sorry Chief Minister in the country. He should change his name to Arvind Sorry Kejriwal. This is just the beginning of his trail of saying sorry, and not the end. He also has to apologise to the people of Delhi and the country, whom he has deceived&quot;.</p>

<p>Kejriwal had on Monday written to Union Minister Nitin Gadkari and Congress leader Kapil Sibal expressing regret for &#39;&#39;unverified allegations&quot; made against them.</p>

<p>Also read:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/arvind-kejriwal-writes-to-nitin-gadkari-regretting-unverified-allegations-36355" target="_blank">Arvind Kejriwal writes to Nitin Gadkari regretting &#39;unverified allegations&#39; </a></p>

<p>Also read:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/after-nitin-gadkari-kejriwal-apologises-to-senior-congress-leader-kapil-sibal-36370" target="_blank">After Nitin Gadkari, Kejriwal apologises to senior Congress leader Kapil Sibal</a></p>

<p>After the AAP chief&nbsp;tendered apologies to the two leaders, the defamation cases filed against him were withdrawn.</p>

<p>Kejriwal had earlier also apologised to <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/after-kejriwal-apology-to-majithia-bhagwant-mann-resigns-as-aap-president-in-punjab-35998" target="_blank">Akali Dal leader Bikram Singh Majithia</a>&nbsp;which resulted in the resignation&nbsp;of prominent AAP leader&nbsp;Bhagwant Mann.</p>

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After Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal issued series of apologies to BJP, Congress and Akali Dal leader, Congress has advised him to change his name to 'Arvind Sorry Kejriwal'

After Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal issued series of apologies to BJP, Congress and Akali Dal leader, Congress has advised him to change his name to "Arvind Sorry Kejriwal". The party also said that Kejriwal will also have to apologise to the people of Delhi and country for "deceiving" them. Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjwala said, "There is a sorry Chief Minister in the country. He should change his name to Arvind Sorry Kejriwal. This is just the beginning of his trail of saying sorry, and not the end. He also has to apologise to the people of Delhi and the country, whom he has deceived". Kejriwal had on Monday written to Union Minister Nitin Gadkari and Congress leader Kapil Sibal expressing regret for ''unverified allegations" made against them. Also read: Arvind Kejriwal writes to Nitin Gadkari regretting 'unverified allegations' Also read: After Nitin Gadkari, Kejriwal apologises to senior Congress leader Kapil Sibal After the AAP chief tendered apologies to the two leaders, the defamation cases filed against him were withdrawn. Kejriwal had earlier also apologised to Akali Dal leader Bikram Singh Majithia which resulted in the resignation of prominent AAP leader Bhagwant Mann.

Change name to Arvind 'Sorry' Kejriwal: Congress

<p>Former Union Minister and senior Congress leader Kapil Sibal blamed the Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and the Prime Minister&#39;s Office (PMO) for the<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/pnb-scam-fraud-came-to-light-due-to-alertness-of-nda-govt-says-union-minister-prakash-javadekar-33092" target="_blank">&nbsp;PNB Bank fraud</a>.</p>

<p>While addressing a press conference he said the Finance Ministry and the PMO&nbsp;were aware of the scam and they &quot;turned a blind eye&quot; to&nbsp;it.&nbsp;He said, &quot; they were aware that our country was being looted and they are aware even now&quot;.</p>

<p>He also asked the government to release the details of the people who are in debts in jewellery&nbsp;business.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Taking a jibe at the &quot; ease of doing business&quot;&nbsp; he&nbsp;said &quot;anyone can come and borrow loans from our banks and evade without repaying it. This is not the kind of ease of business that we want from our country&#39;&#39;.&nbsp;</p>

<p>He also blamed the Prime Minister for encouraging &#39;&#39;crony capitalism&#39;&#39; in the country and&nbsp;said that the PM institutionalised c<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/pnb-scam-a-type-of-crony-capitalism-cpi-m-33028" target="_blank">rony capitalism</a>.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Hitting out at PM Modi&#39;s pakoda comment, Sibal said &quot; Our guard is very busy these days in giving advice to the people for making pakodas&nbsp;but while he is asleep the thief managed to slip away&quot;.</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="hi">Humaare desh ke jo chowkidar hain, woh pakode banaane ki salah de rahe hain. Aaj ki paristithi yeh hai ki chowkidar so raha hai aur chor bhaag gaya hai: Kapil Sibal, Congress. <a href="https://t.co/mPDsuy3NcX">pic.twitter.com/mPDsuy3NcX</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/964758299139805184?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 17, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<p>Sibal responded to the allegations on previous UPA government for&nbsp;PNB Bank fraud case and said that the credit given before 2014 was not outstanding.&nbsp;</p>

<p>While speaking on the<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/former-allahabad-bank-director-says-he-resigned-as-he-was-pressured-to-give-loan-to-gitanjali-gems-33085" target="_blank"> resignation of the Former bank director</a>, Dinesh Dubey, Sibal said: &quot; Today anything can be made to say by the help of police, One should check his resignation letter to know the reality&quot;.</p>

<p>Sibal also assured that they will bring the reality of the case in case the&nbsp;NDA&nbsp;fails to do so.</p>


While addressing a press conference he said the Finance Ministry and the PMO were aware of the scam and they 'turned a blind eye' to it

Former Union Minister and senior Congress leader Kapil Sibal blamed the Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) for the PNB Bank fraud. While addressing a press conference he said the Finance Ministry and the PMO were aware of the scam and they "turned a blind eye" to it. He said, " they were aware that our country was being looted and they are aware even now". He also asked the government to release the details of the people who are in debts in jewellery business. Taking a jibe at the " ease of doing business" he said "anyone can come and borrow loans from our banks and evade without repaying it. This is not the kind of ease of business that we want from our country''. He also blamed the Prime Minister for encouraging ''crony capitalism'' in the country and said that the PM institutionalised crony capitalism. Hitting out at PM Modi's pakoda comment, Sibal said " Our guard is very busy these days in giving advice to the people for making pakodas but while he is asleep the thief managed to slip away". Humaare desh ke jo chowkidar hain, woh pakode banaane ki salah de rahe hain. Aaj ki paristithi yeh hai ki chowkidar so raha hai aur chor bhaag gaya hai: Kapil Sibal, Congress. pic.twitter.com/mPDsuy3NcX — ANI (@ANI) February 17, 2018 × Sibal responded to the allegations on previous UPA government for PNB Bank fraud case and said that the credit given before 2014 was not outstanding. While speaking on the resignation of the Former bank director, Dinesh Dubey, Sibal said: " Today anything can be made to say by the help of police, One should check his resignation letter to know the reality". Sibal also assured that they will bring the reality of the case in case the NDA fails to do so.

Kapil Sibal blames FM, PMO for PNB Bank fraud

<p>Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley hit out at the Congress for opposing the <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/triple-talaq-bill-tabled-in-rajya-sabha-28436" target="_blank">Triple Talaq Bill</a>.</p>

<p>Jaitley said that the support that the Congress party extended for the Triple Talaq bill in Lok Sabha was a sham. He further blamed the party for disrupting the Upper House and not letting an end to the &quot;injustice&quot;.&nbsp;</p>

<p>He said &quot; It is clear that the Congress Party is opposing the Triple Talaq Bill. The support they extended in Lok Sabha was a sham. Today was a golden moment for the House to end the injustice, but because of Congress it could not happen.&quot;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">It is clear that the Congress Party is opposing the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TripleTalaqBill?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#TripleTalaqBill</a>. The support they extended in Lok Sabha was a sham. Today was a golden moment for the House to end the injustice, but because of Congress it could not happen : Union Minister Arun Jaitley <a href="https://t.co/6VCnKq8or3">pic.twitter.com/6VCnKq8or3</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/948528094943432705?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 3, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<p>Earlier in the Upper House of Parliament, Jaitley called the opposition&#39;s demand of Standing Committee as &quot;invalid Resolution&quot;. He said that such motion should be given 24 hours in advance.&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">The house is taken by surprise that a motion is suddenly moved, it has not been submitted a day before. The motion has to be give at least 24 hours in advance: Arun Jaitley on Anand Sharma&#39;s notice <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TripleTalaqBill?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#TripleTalaqBill</a> <a href="https://t.co/GbQZw3Nskk">pic.twitter.com/GbQZw3Nskk</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/948494898117754881?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 3, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">The whole country is watching that in the other house you supported the bill and in this house you are trying to derail the bill: Arun Jaitley in Rajya Sabha <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TripleTalaqBill?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#TripleTalaqBill</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/948495761234251778?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 3, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<p>He also gave reasons for why the bill should not be referred to the Select Committee.</p>

<p>Referring to the six-month injunction to the bill he said that the country expects an urgency from the Parliament. He added that the Legislature must act with a sense of responsibility.&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Reason why it should not be referred (to select committee) is that when the practice was declared unconstitutional, 2 of the judges held it as unfair &amp; used their extraordinary power to suspend it for 6 months, which expire on 22 Feb: Arun Jaitley in RS <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TripleTalaqBill?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#TripleTalaqBill</a> 1/2</p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/948497931883048960?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 3, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Judges said, &#39;we are now suspending it for 6 months &amp; we beseech all parties, therefore within this period come out with apt legislation.&#39; So, there is an urgency that country expects from Parl. Legislature must act with sense of responsibility: Jaitley in RS <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TripleTalaqBill?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#TripleTalaqBill</a> 2/2</p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/948498346775162880?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 3, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<p>Congress leader Kapil Sibal responded to Arun Jaitley.&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">He (Arun Jaitley) referred to judgement of SC, I want to correct the record because I appeared in the case on behalf of Muslim Personal Law Board. What he said was in context of the minority judgement: Kapil Sibal, Congress in Rajya Sabha <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TripleTalaqBill?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#TripleTalaqBill</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/948499858817613826?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 3, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<p>Sibal later said that they agree with the bill, but not with the criminalisation.</p>

<p>He said &quot; We are for this bill, as SC deemed the practice as unconstitutional and that is what the bill says, we agree with it, but when it comes to criminalization, neither minority nor majority judgement (of SC) mentioned it, that is what we oppose.&quot;&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">We are for this bill, as SC deemed the practice as unconstitutional &amp; that is what the bill says, we agree with it, but when it comes to criminalization, neither minority nor majority judgement (of SC) mentioned it, that is what we oppose: Kapil Sibal, Congress <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TripleTalaqBill?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#TripleTalaqBill</a> <a href="https://t.co/Th6dkvfmya">pic.twitter.com/Th6dkvfmya</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/948556188848828416?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 3, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad cited a recent incident of Triple Talaq. He said Congress which supported the Triple Talaq in Lok Sabha took a completely divergent view in Rajya Sabha. He added that the Congress supported the bill in Lok Sabha because&nbsp;they were in less number.&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Even y&#39;day, triple talaq happened in UP. Congress which supported <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TripleTalaqBill?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#TripleTalaqBill</a> in Lok Sabha, took a completely divergent view in Rajya Sabha. They supported it in LS in compulsion since they were less in no. Let the country know Cong&#39; hypocrisy &amp; double standard: RS Prasad <a href="https://t.co/9UgXx3dBby">pic.twitter.com/9UgXx3dBby</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/948508721931370496?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 3, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<p>Trinamool Congress MP Derek O Brien referred to the bill as &quot;faulty&quot; and&nbsp;said that the bill should be consulted with stakeholders.</p>

<p>He said that &quot; We are all for this bill, it is a faulty bill. No womens&#39; groups, stakeholders were consulted. All we ask for is that talk to stakeholders&quot;.</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">We are all for this bill, it is a faulty bill. No womens&#39; groups, stakeholders were consulted. All we ask for is that talk to all stakeholders: Trinamool Congress MP Derek O&#39; Brien <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TripleTalaqBill?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#TripleTalaqBill</a> <a href="https://t.co/7Dj8GAeD8y">pic.twitter.com/7Dj8GAeD8y</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/948512112350916608?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 3, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<p>SP leader Naresh Agrawal doubted on the women who were present in Rajya Sabha to observe the tabling of the bill.</p>

<p>He said &quot; What is the guarantee&nbsp;that the women present (in the Rajya Sabha to observe tabling of Triple Talaq) were Muslim. Did you see? Who knows they might be members of BJP <em>Mahila&nbsp;morcha</em>?</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="hi">Iski kya gurantee hai ki woh Muslim thi? Aapne dekha? Kya pata BJP ke mahila morcha ki sadasya hon?: Naresh Agrawal, SP on Muslim women who were present in Rajya Sabha to observe tabling of <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TripleTalaqBil?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#TripleTalaqBil</a> <a href="https://t.co/Pz1Gl2zns2">pic.twitter.com/Pz1Gl2zns2</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/948514185113100289?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 3, 2018</a></blockquote>
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<p>The leader of Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad said &quot;This government is trying to mislead Muslim women and the general public,&quot;&nbsp;&quot;What are they giving to Muslim women. They are merely projecting themselves as their &#39;messiah&#39;, but they are in fact only trying to befool the Muslim women,&quot; &quot;When the husband of the Muslim woman goes to jail as per the law, who will run the family. We wanted the government to have provisions for the welfare of women.</p>

<p>West Bengal Chief Minister Mamta Banerjee said &quot;We did not oppose the triple talaq bill because we are for women. I know many Muslims who abide by the law. This bill, brought by the BJP government, is a defective one. &quot;Instead of protecting the Muslim women, it will cause them harm. The BJP is playing petty politics with the bill,&quot;.</p>

<p>The Triple Talaq bill was tabled in the Rajya Sabha today by&nbsp;Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad.</p>

<p>Disruptions followed as soon as the Bill was tabled leading to&nbsp;adjournment of the Upper House&nbsp;till 11 am Thursday.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>


The Triple Talaq bill was tabled in the Rajya Sabha today by?Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad

Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley hit out at the Congress for opposing the Triple Talaq Bill. Jaitley said that the support that the Congress party extended for the Triple Talaq bill in Lok Sabha was a sham. He further blamed the party for disrupting the Upper House and not letting an end to the "injustice". He said " It is clear that the Congress Party is opposing the Triple Talaq Bill. The support they extended in Lok Sabha was a sham. Today was a golden moment for the House to end the injustice, but because of Congress it could not happen." It is clear that the Congress Party is opposing the #TripleTalaqBill. The support they extended in Lok Sabha was a sham. Today was a golden moment for the House to end the injustice, but because of Congress it could not happen : Union Minister Arun Jaitley pic.twitter.com/6VCnKq8or3 — ANI (@ANI) January 3, 2018 × Earlier in the Upper House of Parliament, Jaitley called the opposition's demand of Standing Committee as "invalid Resolution". He said that such motion should be given 24 hours in advance. The house is taken by surprise that a motion is suddenly moved, it has not been submitted a day before. The motion has to be give at least 24 hours in advance: Arun Jaitley on Anand Sharma's notice #TripleTalaqBill pic.twitter.com/GbQZw3Nskk — ANI (@ANI) January 3, 2018 × The whole country is watching that in the other house you supported the bill and in this house you are trying to derail the bill: Arun Jaitley in Rajya Sabha #TripleTalaqBill — ANI (@ANI) January 3, 2018 × He also gave reasons for why the bill should not be referred to the Select Committee. Referring to the six-month injunction to the bill he said that the country expects an urgency from the Parliament. He added that the Legislature must act with a sense of responsibility. Reason why it should not be referred (to select committee) is that when the practice was declared unconstitutional, 2 of the judges held it as unfair & used their extraordinary power to suspend it for 6 months, which expire on 22 Feb: Arun Jaitley in RS #TripleTalaqBill 1/2 — ANI (@ANI) January 3, 2018 × Judges said, 'we are now suspending it for 6 months & we beseech all parties, therefore within this period come out with apt legislation.' So, there is an urgency that country expects from Parl. Legislature must act with sense of responsibility: Jaitley in RS #TripleTalaqBill 2/2 — ANI (@ANI) January 3, 2018 × Congress leader Kapil Sibal responded to Arun Jaitley. He (Arun Jaitley) referred to judgement of SC, I want to correct the record because I appeared in the case on behalf of Muslim Personal Law Board. What he said was in context of the minority judgement: Kapil Sibal, Congress in Rajya Sabha #TripleTalaqBill — ANI (@ANI) January 3, 2018 × Sibal later said that they agree with the bill, but not with the criminalisation. He said " We are for this bill, as SC deemed the practice as unconstitutional and that is what the bill says, we agree with it, but when it comes to criminalization, neither minority nor majority judgement (of SC) mentioned it, that is what we oppose." We are for this bill, as SC deemed the practice as unconstitutional & that is what the bill says, we agree with it, but when it comes to criminalization, neither minority nor majority judgement (of SC) mentioned it, that is what we oppose: Kapil Sibal, Congress #TripleTalaqBill pic.twitter.com/Th6dkvfmya — ANI (@ANI) January 3, 2018 × Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad cited a recent incident of Triple Talaq. He said Congress which supported the Triple Talaq in Lok Sabha took a completely divergent view in Rajya Sabha. He added that the Congress supported the bill in Lok Sabha because they were in less number. Even y'day, triple talaq happened in UP. Congress which supported #TripleTalaqBill in Lok Sabha, took a completely divergent view in Rajya Sabha. They supported it in LS in compulsion since they were less in no. Let the country know Cong' hypocrisy & double standard: RS Prasad pic.twitter.com/9UgXx3dBby — ANI (@ANI) January 3, 2018 × Trinamool Congress MP Derek O Brien referred to the bill as "faulty" and said that the bill should be consulted with stakeholders. He said that " We are all for this bill, it is a faulty bill. No womens' groups, stakeholders were consulted. All we ask for is that talk to stakeholders". We are all for this bill, it is a faulty bill. No womens' groups, stakeholders were consulted. All we ask for is that talk to all stakeholders: Trinamool Congress MP Derek O' Brien #TripleTalaqBill pic.twitter.com/7Dj8GAeD8y — ANI (@ANI) January 3, 2018 × SP leader Naresh Agrawal doubted on the women who were present in Rajya Sabha to observe the tabling of the bill. He said " What is the guarantee that the women present (in the Rajya Sabha to observe tabling of Triple Talaq) were Muslim. Did you see? Who knows they might be members of BJP Mahila morcha? Iski kya gurantee hai ki woh Muslim thi? Aapne dekha? Kya pata BJP ke mahila morcha ki sadasya hon?: Naresh Agrawal, SP on Muslim women who were present in Rajya Sabha to observe tabling of #TripleTalaqBil pic.twitter.com/Pz1Gl2zns2 — ANI (@ANI) January 3, 2018 × The leader of Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad said "This government is trying to mislead Muslim women and the general public," "What are they giving to Muslim women. They are merely projecting themselves as their 'messiah', but they are in fact only trying to befool the Muslim women," "When the husband of the Muslim woman goes to jail as per the law, who will run the family. We wanted the government to have provisions for the welfare of women. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamta Banerjee said "We did not oppose the triple talaq bill because we are for women. I know many Muslims who abide by the law. This bill, brought by the BJP government, is a defective one. "Instead of protecting the Muslim women, it will cause them harm. The BJP is playing petty politics with the bill,". The Triple Talaq bill was tabled in the Rajya Sabha today by Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad. Disruptions followed as soon as the Bill was tabled leading to adjournment of the Upper House till 11 am Thursday.

Government, Opposition spar over triple talaq

<p>Former telecom <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/2g-scam-verdict-a-raja-kanimozhi-15-other-accused-acquitted-of-graft-charges-27341">minister Kapil Sibal who had famously</a> declared in 2011 that there was &quot;zero loss&quot; to the exchequer in the 2G scam said today that he was right all along.</p>

<p>&quot;Today it has been proved that my &#39;zero loss&#39;&nbsp;claim was correct. Not a single paisa was stolen,&quot; he said.</p>

<p>&quot;Vinod Rai(ex-CAG chief) should apologize&nbsp;to the nation as there was no wrongdoing in the case,&quot; he added.</p>

<p>The Comptroller and auditor general of India(CAG) chief Vinod Rai in his report had pegged the loss to the Union exchequer at Rs 1.76 lakh crore due to the 2G scam but Kapil Sibal had slammed the report at the time, saying not a single rupee was stolen.</p>

<p>The 2G scam had shaken the UPA government at the time leading to the ouster of&nbsp;A Raja as telecom minister. Kapil Sibal took over charge as telecom minister after Raja&#39;s exit from the cabinet.</p>

<p>Raja was later jailed for 15 months as the case continued. He later got bail in the case. DMK leader Kanimozhi was also jailed in the case.</p>

<p>In 2011, Time magazine had listed the scam at No.2 on their &quot;Top 10 Abuses of Power&quot; list after the Watergate scandal.</p>


The Comptroller and auditor general of India chief Vinod Rai in his report had pegged the loss to the Union exchequer at Rs 1.76 lakh crore due to the 2G scam

Former telecom minister Kapil Sibal who had famously declared in 2011 that there was "zero loss" to the exchequer in the 2G scam said today that he was right all along. "Today it has been proved that my 'zero loss' claim was correct. Not a single paisa was stolen," he said. "Vinod Rai(ex-CAG chief) should apologize to the nation as there was no wrongdoing in the case," he added. The Comptroller and auditor general of India(CAG) chief Vinod Rai in his report had pegged the loss to the Union exchequer at Rs 1.76 lakh crore due to the 2G scam but Kapil Sibal had slammed the report at the time, saying not a single rupee was stolen. The 2G scam had shaken the UPA government at the time leading to the ouster of A Raja as telecom minister. Kapil Sibal took over charge as telecom minister after Raja's exit from the cabinet. Raja was later jailed for 15 months as the case continued. He later got bail in the case. DMK leader Kanimozhi was also jailed in the case. In 2011, Time magazine had listed the scam at No.2 on their "Top 10 Abuses of Power" list after the Watergate scandal.

Watch: 'My 'zero loss'?claim was correct,' Kapil Sibal on 2G scam verdict

<p>In a 1552-page verdict, Patiala House court special judge OP Saini said there was &quot;no evidence of Raja&#39;s no-holds-barred immersion in any wrongdoing, conspiracy or corruption.&quot;</p>

<p>The judge in his report said many facts in the chargesheet were &quot;factually incorrect&quot;, like &quot;finance secretary strongly recommending revision of entry fee, deletion of a clause of draft LOI of Raja, recommendations of TRAI for revision of entry fee etc.&quot;</p>

<p>The judge added: &quot;I have absolutely no hesitation in holding that the prosecution has miserably failed to prove any charge against any of the accused, made in its &quot;well choreographed chargesheet&quot;.</p>

<p>&quot;There &nbsp;is &nbsp;no &nbsp;evidence &nbsp;on &nbsp;the &nbsp;record &nbsp;produced &nbsp;before the Court &nbsp;indicating any criminality &nbsp;in &nbsp;the &nbsp;acts allegedly committed &nbsp;by &nbsp;the &nbsp;accused &nbsp;persons &nbsp;relating &nbsp;to &nbsp;fixation &nbsp;of &nbsp;cutoff date, &nbsp;manipulation &nbsp;of &nbsp;first-come,&nbsp;first-served &nbsp;policy, allocation of spectrum to dual technology applicants, ignoring ineligibility of STPL and Unitech group of companies and Unitech group of companies, non-revision of entry fee and transfer of Rs 200 crore to Kalaignar TV,&quot; the court verdict said.</p>

<p>&quot;The chargesheet of the instant case is based mainly on misreading, selective reading, non-reading and out of the context reading of official records,&quot; it said.</p>

<p>The verdict said the chargesheet was based on &quot;oral statements&quot; made by witnesses during the investigation, which the witnesses did not own up in the witness-box.</p>

<p>&quot;There is no material evidence on record to show that Raja was the motherlode of conspiracy in the case,&quot; the judgement said.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

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<p>All 17 accused in the 2G scam, including former Telecom Minister A Raja, DMK Member of Parliament Kanimozhi and three companies, have been acquitted of corruption charges. (ANI)</p>
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Patiala House court special judge OP Saini said the chargesheet was based on 'oral statements' made by witnesses during the investigation

In a 1552-page verdict, Patiala House court special judge OP Saini said there was "no evidence of Raja's no-holds-barred immersion in any wrongdoing, conspiracy or corruption." The judge in his report said many facts in the chargesheet were "factually incorrect", like "finance secretary strongly recommending revision of entry fee, deletion of a clause of draft LOI of Raja, recommendations of TRAI for revision of entry fee etc." The judge added: "I have absolutely no hesitation in holding that the prosecution has miserably failed to prove any charge against any of the accused, made in its "well choreographed chargesheet". "There is no evidence on the record produced before the Court indicating any criminality in the acts allegedly committed by the accused persons relating to fixation of cutoff date, manipulation of first-come, first-served policy, allocation of spectrum to dual technology applicants, ignoring ineligibility of STPL and Unitech group of companies and Unitech group of companies, non-revision of entry fee and transfer of Rs 200 crore to Kalaignar TV," the court verdict said. "The chargesheet of the instant case is based mainly on misreading, selective reading, non-reading and out of the context reading of official records," it said. The verdict said the chargesheet was based on "oral statements" made by witnesses during the investigation, which the witnesses did not own up in the witness-box. "There is no material evidence on record to show that Raja was the motherlode of conspiracy in the case," the judgement said. All 17 accused in the 2G scam, including former Telecom Minister A Raja, DMK Member of Parliament Kanimozhi and three companies, have been acquitted of corruption charges. (ANI) ×

2G case verdict report: Many facts in chargesheet were 'factually incorrect', says judge

<p>Special court judge OP Saini <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/2g-scam-verdict-a-raja-kanimozhi-15-other-accused-acquitted-of-graft-charges-27341">while pronouncing the 2G verdict said</a> the prosecution has miserably failed to prove any charge, declaring all the accused were&nbsp;&quot;not guilty&quot; in the case.</p>

<p>The scam came <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/my-zero-lossclaim-was-correct-says-kapil-sibal-27343">to the limelight in 2010 over alleged irregularities</a> in allocation of 2G spectrum by former telecom ministers A Raja.</p>

<p>Former Comptroller and auditor general of India(CAG) chief Vinod Rai in his report in 2010 had said the scam had cost the Union exchequer Rs 1.76 lakh crore.</p>

<p>Apart from Kanizmozhi, the Enforcement Directorate(ED) had named DMK supremo M Karunanidhi&#39;s wife Dayalu Ammal an accused in the case in which it had alleged that Rs 200 crore was paid by Swan Telecom (P) Ltd (STPL) promoters to DMK-run Kalaignar TV.</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Tamil Nadu: DMK workers celebrate in Coimbatore after Patiala House Court acquitted all in <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/2GScamVerdict?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#2GScamVerdict</a> <a href="https://t.co/9LttRdjZyV">pic.twitter.com/9LttRdjZyV</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/943722949600714752?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 21, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>DMK leader Kanimozhi was sent to Tihar Jail in the 2G scam case in 2011 but she got bail later.</p>

<p>In its final report, the ED named 10 individuals and nine companies as accused and listed had filed chargesheet under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act.</p>

<p>Others acquitted in the case were former telecom secretary Siddharth Behura, Raja&#39;s erstwhile private secretary R K Chandolia, Swan Telecom promoters Shahid Usman Balwa and Vinod Goenka, Unitech Ltd MD Sanjay Chandra and three top executives of Reliance Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group (RADAG) -- Gautam Doshi, Surendra Pipara and Hari Nair.</p>

<p>Directors of Kusegaon Fruits and Vegetables Pvt Ltd Asif Balwa and Rajiv Agarwal, Kalaignar TV director Sharad Kumar and Bollywood producer Karim Morani are also acquitted in the case.</p>

<p>Besides them, three telecom firms - Swan Telecom Pvt Ltd (STPL), Reliance Telecom Ltd and Unitech Wireless (Tamil Nadu) Ltd -- were also accused and acquitted in the case.</p>

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<p>A special court today acquitted all accused in the 2G scam case (WION)</p>
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In its final report, the ED named 10 individuals and nine companies as accused and listed had filed chargesheet under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act.

Special court judge OP Saini while pronouncing the 2G verdict said the prosecution has miserably failed to prove any charge, declaring all the accused were "not guilty" in the case. The scam came to the limelight in 2010 over alleged irregularities in allocation of 2G spectrum by former telecom ministers A Raja. Former Comptroller and auditor general of India(CAG) chief Vinod Rai in his report in 2010 had said the scam had cost the Union exchequer Rs 1.76 lakh crore. Apart from Kanizmozhi, the Enforcement Directorate(ED) had named DMK supremo M Karunanidhi's wife Dayalu Ammal an accused in the case in which it had alleged that Rs 200 crore was paid by Swan Telecom (P) Ltd (STPL) promoters to DMK-run Kalaignar TV. Tamil Nadu: DMK workers celebrate in Coimbatore after Patiala House Court acquitted all in #2GScamVerdict pic.twitter.com/9LttRdjZyV — ANI (@ANI) December 21, 2017 × DMK leader Kanimozhi was sent to Tihar Jail in the 2G scam case in 2011 but she got bail later. In its final report, the ED named 10 individuals and nine companies as accused and listed had filed chargesheet under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act. Others acquitted in the case were former telecom secretary Siddharth Behura, Raja's erstwhile private secretary R K Chandolia, Swan Telecom promoters Shahid Usman Balwa and Vinod Goenka, Unitech Ltd MD Sanjay Chandra and three top executives of Reliance Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group (RADAG) -- Gautam Doshi, Surendra Pipara and Hari Nair. Directors of Kusegaon Fruits and Vegetables Pvt Ltd Asif Balwa and Rajiv Agarwal, Kalaignar TV director Sharad Kumar and Bollywood producer Karim Morani are also acquitted in the case. Besides them, three telecom firms - Swan Telecom Pvt Ltd (STPL), Reliance Telecom Ltd and Unitech Wireless (Tamil Nadu) Ltd -- were also accused and acquitted in the case. A special court today acquitted all accused in the 2G scam case (WION) ×

2G case verdict: Prosecution failed miserably, says judge

<p>In exactly a week from now, we shall know whether the Lotus has bloomed or the Hand has swept aside its rivals in Gujarat. We shall also know whether Rahul Gandhi begins his new innings as Congress president with a morale-boosting win or a defeat for which his minions will need to scamper to find scapegoats. And, we shall know too if Prime Minister Narendra Modi approaches the forthcoming electoral challenges after having being endorsed as Gujarat&rsquo;s Pride or rejected in his own backyard. Both sides are confident of a decisive victory, but that is only to be expected. One has to lose and will lose. After all, while many scenarios have been discussed, none has ventured to suggest a hung Assembly where the winner-loser is unclear.</p>

<p>Election campaigns are composed of several issues, and it is rare for just one or two of these to determine the outcome. The 2014 Lok Sabha poll was one such exception where corruption and policy paralysis alone doomed the Congress. Various other matters, factual or perceptional, became subordinate to this twin overriding narrative. In the Uttar Pradesh Assembly election held earlier this year, the two issues that tamed the Samajwadi Party were minority appeasement and poor law and order.</p>

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<h5>The Gujarat campaign began in a simple enough manner, giving hope to the plethora of commentators of a fairly accurate assessment.</h5>
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<p>The Bihar Assembly poll was fought and won by the Lalu Prasad-Nitish Kumar combine (which has since evaporated) on pure caste arithmetic. Aside these, elections are contested and decided on multiple grounds, and this makes the democratic exercise all the more challenging &mdash; and even more challenging to predict. Rare is that political commentator who is able to say, with some amount of accuracy, that a particular issue would be the dominant factor. In hindsight, once the results are known, there are many to &lsquo;analyse&rsquo; the impact of one strand or the other.</p>

<p>The Gujarat campaign began in a simple enough manner, giving hope to the plethora of commentators of a fairly accurate assessment. Led by Prime Minister Modi, the Bharatiya Janata Party went on an overdrive, listing its achievements in the State over the two decades of its rule &mdash; especially the period 2002-14 when Modi was the Chief Minister. The Gujarat Model of development was showcased, the ease of doing the business ranking of the World Bank was flaunted, the upgrade in the country&rsquo;s ratings by Moody&rsquo;s was quoted, the robustness of the Indian economy was pointed out, and the &lsquo;exemplary&rsquo; law and order situation in the State was underlined. The Congress sought to pick holes in the Gujarat Model by citing matters of unemployment, poor social welfare indices, farmers&rsquo; distress etc.</p>

<p>Thereafter, as the campaign picked momentum, the issue of reservation for the Patidar community gained ground. While it was there from the beginning, the matter received heft after the Congress and Patidar leader Hardik Patel joined hands officially. Once the Congress formally endorsed Patidar reservation, the BJP swung into action, first by projecting that the Patidars were a divided lot and that the sensible among them &mdash; who according to BJP leaders were in a majority &mdash; would remain loyal to the BJP. Second, the ruling party forcefully projected the &lsquo;impossibility&rsquo; of the reservation in constitutional terms and said the Congress was taking the Patidars for a ride.</p>

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<h5>The BJP had been keeping an eye on Rahul Gandhi&rsquo;s sudden devotion to temples; by some accounts, he has visited more than a dozen of them during his campaigns in the State.</h5>
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<p>So far, the going was simple enough and the commentators were still a happy lot. The BJP pitched for inclusive development (reminding voters of its past record and promising more of the same for the future) while the Congress aggressively pushed for reservation as an affirmative action to benefit the Patidars who form nearly 12 per cent of the population in Gujarat. The caste rainbow of Patidar-OBC-Scheduled Caste, which the Congress had quickly put out, was supposed to extinguish the BJP&rsquo;s flame of hope. Then, the development versus reservation narrative began to change.</p>

<p>For some time, the BJP had been keeping an eye on Rahul Gandhi&rsquo;s sudden devotion to temples; by some accounts, he has visited more than a dozen of them during his campaigns in the State. But after his trip to the Somnath temple, the party got an opportunity to say something. Somebody supposedly from the Congress leader&rsquo;s side entered his name as a non-Hindu visitor to the temple. BJP leaders were quick to demand an explanation. The Congress fell in the trap and one of its senior functionaries claimed that Rahul Gandhi was a &ldquo;<em>Janeu-</em><em>dhari</em> (sacred thread wearing) Hindu&rdquo;. To top this, Rahul Gandhi said he was a Shiva devotee! His acolytes then went on to speculate on the religious affiliations of both the Prime Minister and BJP president Amit Shah.</p>

<p>The sudden turn towards religion, on which the Congress generally finds itself on the defensive given that the BJP leaders make no bones about where their inclinations lie, shaped the narrative even more decidedly when senior Congress leader and noted lawyer Kapil Sibal demanded that the Supreme Court postpone the hearing on the Ayodhya temple-mosque dispute case, and take it up after the 2019 Lok Sabha election. The direct linkage of the dispute with politics left the Congress red-faced. Worse, even the litigants who had hired Sibal condemned the senior advocate&rsquo;s stand and said they wanted an early hearing and quick settlement of the issue.</p>

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<h5>The manner in which the BJP latched on to the issue at his public rallies and converted it into a major talking point, should have alerted the Congress against more self-goals.</h5>
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<p>The manner in which the BJP, especially Prime Minister Modi, latched on to the issue at his public rallies and converted it into a major talking point, should have alerted the Congress against more self-goals. After all, it suited the opposite party to target the BJP on the issues of reservation and lack of real and inclusive development. But, perhaps already confident that they were winning Gujarat, senior Congress leaders breached the red line. Mani Shankar Aiyar called the Prime Minister &ldquo;<em>neech</em>&rdquo;, &nbsp;a term which Modi and his team ran swiftly to the electorate and termed it as a slight to his social status of being an OBC. Now, the BJP used the occasion to not just strike at the Congress for its &lsquo;elitist&rsquo; and &lsquo;feudal&rsquo; mindset but also quoted the abuse as an insult to Gujarati asmita (pride).</p>

<p>Had these blunders come in the early stages of electioneering, the Congress could have had a better chance of glossing over them or having them dominated by other, fresher issues. But they have come towards the end stages of campaigning, and their recall value is, therefore, more likely. Does this mean that religion and personal abuse will eventually determine the outcome? The Congress must be hoping to the contrary, and the BJP praying that the issues click.</p>

<p><em>(Disclaimer: The author writes here in a personal capacity).</em></p>


The Congress aggressively pushed for reservation as an affirmative action to benefit the Patidars who form nearly 12 per cent of the population in Gujarat

In exactly a week from now, we shall know whether the Lotus has bloomed or the Hand has swept aside its rivals in Gujarat. We shall also know whether Rahul Gandhi begins his new innings as Congress president with a morale-boosting win or a defeat for which his minions will need to scamper to find scapegoats. And, we shall know too if Prime Minister Narendra Modi approaches the forthcoming electoral challenges after having being endorsed as Gujarat’s Pride or rejected in his own backyard. Both sides are confident of a decisive victory, but that is only to be expected. One has to lose and will lose. After all, while many scenarios have been discussed, none has ventured to suggest a hung Assembly where the winner-loser is unclear. Election campaigns are composed of several issues, and it is rare for just one or two of these to determine the outcome. The 2014 Lok Sabha poll was one such exception where corruption and policy paralysis alone doomed the Congress. Various other matters, factual or perceptional, became subordinate to this twin overriding narrative. In the Uttar Pradesh Assembly election held earlier this year, the two issues that tamed the Samajwadi Party were minority appeasement and poor law and order. The Gujarat campaign began in a simple enough manner, giving hope to the plethora of commentators of a fairly accurate assessment. × The Bihar Assembly poll was fought and won by the Lalu Prasad-Nitish Kumar combine (which has since evaporated) on pure caste arithmetic. Aside these, elections are contested and decided on multiple grounds, and this makes the democratic exercise all the more challenging — and even more challenging to predict. Rare is that political commentator who is able to say, with some amount of accuracy, that a particular issue would be the dominant factor. In hindsight, once the results are known, there are many to ‘analyse’ the impact of one strand or the other. The Gujarat campaign began in a simple enough manner, giving hope to the plethora of commentators of a fairly accurate assessment. Led by Prime Minister Modi, the Bharatiya Janata Party went on an overdrive, listing its achievements in the State over the two decades of its rule — especially the period 2002-14 when Modi was the Chief Minister. The Gujarat Model of development was showcased, the ease of doing the business ranking of the World Bank was flaunted, the upgrade in the country’s ratings by Moody’s was quoted, the robustness of the Indian economy was pointed out, and the ‘exemplary’ law and order situation in the State was underlined. The Congress sought to pick holes in the Gujarat Model by citing matters of unemployment, poor social welfare indices, farmers’ distress etc. Thereafter, as the campaign picked momentum, the issue of reservation for the Patidar community gained ground. While it was there from the beginning, the matter received heft after the Congress and Patidar leader Hardik Patel joined hands officially. Once the Congress formally endorsed Patidar reservation, the BJP swung into action, first by projecting that the Patidars were a divided lot and that the sensible among them — who according to BJP leaders were in a majority — would remain loyal to the BJP. Second, the ruling party forcefully projected the ‘impossibility’ of the reservation in constitutional terms and said the Congress was taking the Patidars for a ride. The BJP had been keeping an eye on Rahul Gandhi’s sudden devotion to temples; by some accounts, he has visited more than a dozen of them during his campaigns in the State. × So far, the going was simple enough and the commentators were still a happy lot. The BJP pitched for inclusive development (reminding voters of its past record and promising more of the same for the future) while the Congress aggressively pushed for reservation as an affirmative action to benefit the Patidars who form nearly 12 per cent of the population in Gujarat. The caste rainbow of Patidar-OBC-Scheduled Caste, which the Congress had quickly put out, was supposed to extinguish the BJP’s flame of hope. Then, the development versus reservation narrative began to change. For some time, the BJP had been keeping an eye on Rahul Gandhi’s sudden devotion to temples; by some accounts, he has visited more than a dozen of them during his campaigns in the State. But after his trip to the Somnath temple, the party got an opportunity to say something. Somebody supposedly from the Congress leader’s side entered his name as a non-Hindu visitor to the temple. BJP leaders were quick to demand an explanation. The Congress fell in the trap and one of its senior functionaries claimed that Rahul Gandhi was a “Janeu-dhari (sacred thread wearing) Hindu”. To top this, Rahul Gandhi said he was a Shiva devotee! His acolytes then went on to speculate on the religious affiliations of both the Prime Minister and BJP president Amit Shah. The sudden turn towards religion, on which the Congress generally finds itself on the defensive given that the BJP leaders make no bones about where their inclinations lie, shaped the narrative even more decidedly when senior Congress leader and noted lawyer Kapil Sibal demanded that the Supreme Court postpone the hearing on the Ayodhya temple-mosque dispute case, and take it up after the 2019 Lok Sabha election. The direct linkage of the dispute with politics left the Congress red-faced. Worse, even the litigants who had hired Sibal condemned the senior advocate’s stand and said they wanted an early hearing and quick settlement of the issue. The manner in which the BJP latched on to the issue at his public rallies and converted it into a major talking point, should have alerted the Congress against more self-goals. × The manner in which the BJP, especially Prime Minister Modi, latched on to the issue at his public rallies and converted it into a major talking point, should have alerted the Congress against more self-goals. After all, it suited the opposite party to target the BJP on the issues of reservation and lack of real and inclusive development. But, perhaps already confident that they were winning Gujarat, senior Congress leaders breached the red line. Mani Shankar Aiyar called the Prime Minister “neech”, a term which Modi and his team ran swiftly to the electorate and termed it as a slight to his social status of being an OBC. Now, the BJP used the occasion to not just strike at the Congress for its ‘elitist’ and ‘feudal’ mindset but also quoted the abuse as an insult to Gujarati asmita (pride). Had these blunders come in the early stages of electioneering, the Congress could have had a better chance of glossing over them or having them dominated by other, fresher issues. But they have come towards the end stages of campaigning, and their recall value is, therefore, more likely. Does this mean that religion and personal abuse will eventually determine the outcome? The Congress must be hoping to the contrary, and the BJP praying that the issues click. (Disclaimer: The author writes here in a personal capacity).

Opinion: Gujarat elections, a litmus test for Rahul

<p>Obstacles in elections always come out of the blue. They are sudden and have the capacity to change the narrative. Indian elections are far more prone to react to lose talk and emotional pitch. Both Kapil Sibal and Mani Shankar Aiyyar&rsquo;s comments proved once again that elections can go off the course if organisations fail to control leaders of their extra-curricular activities.</p>

<p>Many in BJP rejoiced that Congress handed over a &#39;<em>Maut Ka Saudagar</em>&#39; moment to them on a platter till Nana Patole, BJP MP resigned from Lok Sabha calling BJP anti-farmers. It is too early to know about the nature and depth of the damage and whether it is <em>Maut ka Saudagar</em> part 2, it definitely tells us a few things about current politics.</p>

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<h5>Despite analysts making broad observations about highly charged urban Gujarat, rural and economic issues have found resonance in the state.</h5>
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<p>Despite analysts making broad observations about highly charged urban Gujarat, rural and economic issues have found resonance in the state. It, for this reason, BJP clung to mandir and &#39;<em>neech</em>&#39; remarks quickly because it could harness latent Gujarati pride. Lastly, the industry which has worked well pillorying Rahul Gandhi have a cause to worry.</p>

<p>Even social media&rsquo;s response to this issue in Gujarat and rest of India remained very different. Rahul is a dynast and not like Modi who has become Prime Minister out of his own might and will. The only difference is that for the first time instead of being seen as a child of privilege, Rahul is getting sympathy for a simple reason that the people feel that he has received more than his share of brickbats.</p>

<p>BJP should be wary of it. Indira became authoritarian from being strong in a very short period of time. Rajiv Gandhi from being the most honest and fresh politician became a symbol of corruption. The liberal and new age Nehru became weak within a decade and division of power between Sonia and Manmohan led to the theme of PM without authority in 2014 Lok Sabha elections.</p>

<p>Rahul who has portrayed as <em>Pappu</em> and a dynast has the capacity to become an underdog. It should worry the government, whether Gujarat is retained or not. It should worry Modi too though he is quick to change and responded pretty quickly to <em>suit boot ki Sarkar</em> jibe which had pinned him as pro industrialist. It is for this reason land bill is still in cold storage.</p>

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<h5>Politicians like Mani Shankar and Kapil Sibal enjoyed a good amount of autonomy under Sonia which I don&rsquo;t think will continue under Rahul Gandhi.</h5>
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<p>Internally, what we see today is a different Congress. Politicians like Mani Shankar and Kapil Sibal enjoyed a good amount of autonomy under Sonia which I don&rsquo;t think will continue under Rahul Gandhi. Within hours, Mani Shankar Aiyyar was suspended, apology issued and BJP was asked to extend a similar courtesy to Congress when their senior leaders abuse Gandhi&rsquo;s in person.<br />
&nbsp;<br />
BJP on the other hands remain fixated on the power of emotional issues. Its campaign which had been lacklustre only picked up after <em>neech</em>&nbsp;and <em>mandir</em> made it to the public domain. Prime Minister was quick to seize the opportunity and milked the statement to best of his abilities. It remains to be seen whether it can recreate the magic of <em>maut ka saudagar</em>&nbsp;once again.</p>

<p>The controversy shows that BJP wants to ensure that its national campaign remains centred around cultural nationalism and Ayodhya issue. The success of Gujarat will show the way to BJP for 2019 campaign. During 2014, the campaign was around delivering a prosperous India. 2019 may be about strong and united India if the emotional pitch of PM works in Gujarat. Whatever may be the result, the election would be interesting and polarised.</p>

<p><em>(Disclaimer: The author writes here in a personal capacity).</em></p>


In 2014 the campaign was around delivering a prosperous India. 2019 may be about strong and united India if the emotional pitch of PM works in Gujarat

Obstacles in elections always come out of the blue. They are sudden and have the capacity to change the narrative. Indian elections are far more prone to react to lose talk and emotional pitch. Both Kapil Sibal and Mani Shankar Aiyyar’s comments proved once again that elections can go off the course if organisations fail to control leaders of their extra-curricular activities. Many in BJP rejoiced that Congress handed over a 'Maut Ka Saudagar' moment to them on a platter till Nana Patole, BJP MP resigned from Lok Sabha calling BJP anti-farmers. It is too early to know about the nature and depth of the damage and whether it is Maut ka Saudagar part 2, it definitely tells us a few things about current politics. Despite analysts making broad observations about highly charged urban Gujarat, rural and economic issues have found resonance in the state. × Despite analysts making broad observations about highly charged urban Gujarat, rural and economic issues have found resonance in the state. It, for this reason, BJP clung to mandir and 'neech' remarks quickly because it could harness latent Gujarati pride. Lastly, the industry which has worked well pillorying Rahul Gandhi have a cause to worry. Even social media’s response to this issue in Gujarat and rest of India remained very different. Rahul is a dynast and not like Modi who has become Prime Minister out of his own might and will. The only difference is that for the first time instead of being seen as a child of privilege, Rahul is getting sympathy for a simple reason that the people feel that he has received more than his share of brickbats. BJP should be wary of it. Indira became authoritarian from being strong in a very short period of time. Rajiv Gandhi from being the most honest and fresh politician became a symbol of corruption. The liberal and new age Nehru became weak within a decade and division of power between Sonia and Manmohan led to the theme of PM without authority in 2014 Lok Sabha elections. Rahul who has portrayed as Pappu and a dynast has the capacity to become an underdog. It should worry the government, whether Gujarat is retained or not. It should worry Modi too though he is quick to change and responded pretty quickly to suit boot ki Sarkar jibe which had pinned him as pro industrialist. It is for this reason land bill is still in cold storage. Politicians like Mani Shankar and Kapil Sibal enjoyed a good amount of autonomy under Sonia which I don’t think will continue under Rahul Gandhi. × Internally, what we see today is a different Congress. Politicians like Mani Shankar and Kapil Sibal enjoyed a good amount of autonomy under Sonia which I don’t think will continue under Rahul Gandhi. Within hours, Mani Shankar Aiyyar was suspended, apology issued and BJP was asked to extend a similar courtesy to Congress when their senior leaders abuse Gandhi’s in person. BJP on the other hands remain fixated on the power of emotional issues. Its campaign which had been lacklustre only picked up after neech and mandir made it to the public domain. Prime Minister was quick to seize the opportunity and milked the statement to best of his abilities. It remains to be seen whether it can recreate the magic of maut ka saudagar once again. The controversy shows that BJP wants to ensure that its national campaign remains centred around cultural nationalism and Ayodhya issue. The success of Gujarat will show the way to BJP for 2019 campaign. During 2014, the campaign was around delivering a prosperous India. 2019 may be about strong and united India if the emotional pitch of PM works in Gujarat. Whatever may be the result, the election would be interesting and polarised. (Disclaimer: The author writes here in a personal capacity).

Opinion: Rahul, the underdog?

<p>While addressing a rally in Gujarat&#39;s Dhandhuka, Prime minister Narendra Modi has said that he has no objection to Kapil Sibal representing the Muslim community in Ayodhya case.</p>

<p>However, he questioned how is the case connected to Lok Sabha elections.</p>

<p>PM Modi said,&quot;how can he say do not find a solution to this until next election?&nbsp;how is the case connected to Lok Sabha?&quot;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">No objection that Kapil Sibal is fighting on behalf of Muslim community but how can he say do not find a solution to this (Ayodhya issue) until next election? How is it connected to Lok Sabha elections?: PM Modi in Gujarat&#39;s Dhandhuka <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GujaratElection2017?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#GujaratElection2017</a> <a href="https://t.co/oFzXCyEWRW">pic.twitter.com/oFzXCyEWRW</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/938305769019248641?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 6, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>The Sunni Waqf Board which&nbsp;is being represented by Kapil Sibal in the Ayodhya case has also disapproved Sibal&#39;s request to the Supreme Court for conducting the judgment after July 2019.</p>

<p>Haji Mehboob from The Sunni Waqf Board has said that Sibal asking for a delay in the judgment was wrong and that they want the court to pronounce the judgment as soon as possible.</p>

<p>He said: &quot;Yes Kapil Sibal is our lawyer but he is also related to a political party, his statement in Supreme Court yesterday was wrong, we want a solution to the issue at the earliest.&quot;&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Yes Kapil Sibal is our lawyer but he is also related to a political party, his statement in SC yesterday was wrong, we want a solution to the issue at the earliest: Haji Mehboob,Sunni Waqf Board <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Ayodhya?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Ayodhya</a> <a href="https://t.co/CMN8MXr5ta">pic.twitter.com/CMN8MXr5ta</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/938314276044984321?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 6, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>Mehboob had previously dissociated himself from Sibal&#39;s&nbsp;statement, saying &quot;we have got nothing to do with the statement&quot;.</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">We have got nothing to do with his statement as we are not connected to any political party or do politics. Every Hindu and Muslim of the country wants a solution to the issue soon: Haji Mehboob,Sunni Waqf Board on Kapil Sibal <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Ayodhya?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Ayodhya</a> <a href="https://t.co/AxWFB3mAoS">pic.twitter.com/AxWFB3mAoS</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/938344493572485120?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 6, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra recited a poetry on Kapil Sibal&#39;s request for extending the judgment of the Babri Masjid.</p>

<p>He sai&nbsp;&quot;<em>Badalte hue mausam ka balata hua parwana hun mai, Gujarat mein janeudhari hindu hun toh UP-Bihar mei maulana hun main</em>&quot;</p>

<p>Targetting Rahul Gandhi he said while Rahul Gandhi is a &quot;janeudhari&quot; hindu in Gujarat, he becomes a&nbsp;Muslim&nbsp;in UP-Bihar.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="hi">Badalte hue mausam ka badalta hua parwana hun main, Gujarat mein janeudhari hindu hun toh UP-Bihar mein maulana hun main: Sambit Patra, BJP on Rahul Gandhi <a href="https://t.co/FNXrvX36fJ">pic.twitter.com/FNXrvX36fJ</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/938324815689129984?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 6, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>Union law minister Ravi Shankar Prasad has Sibal&#39;s representation&nbsp;&quot;irresponsible and unfair&quot;. He said that &quot;Sibal must not forget that he had been the law minister in the past.&quot;&nbsp;</p>

<p>Prasad said he will ask Rahul and Sonia Gandhi to present their stand on the Ram Janambhoomi case.&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">As a lawyer <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/KapilSibal?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#KapilSibal</a> can argue any matter but he should not forget that he has been the law minister in the past. What does he mean, when he says don&#39;t hear the matter till 2019 as it will have an impact outside? It is unfair and in many ways irresponsible: RS Prasad <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Ayodhya?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Ayodhya</a> <a href="https://t.co/KfDBz8fRxI">pic.twitter.com/KfDBz8fRxI</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/938318660149551104?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 6, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">I am going to ask Rahul Gandhi &amp; Sonia Gandhi, please explain your party&#39;s position on should the Ram Janambhoomi case be heard at the earliest or not?: RS Prasad, Union Law minister</p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/938318923614765056?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 6, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>Earlier, BJP president Amit Shah had asked&nbsp;Congress to clear its&nbsp;stand on temple issue. He said at a point when Rahul&nbsp;Gandhi is visiting temples in Gujarat, Kapil Sibal is asking for a delay in Ram Janambhoomi case.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Senior advocate Kapil Sibal who is representing the Sunni Waqf Board in&nbsp;<a href="http://www.wionews.com/videos/a-wion-perspective-ayodhyas-temple-of-harmony-7163" target="_blank">Ayodhya Babri Masjid case</a>&nbsp;had asked the Supreme Court yesterday to take up the matter on July 15, 2019, once all the pleadings are complete.&nbsp; &nbsp;</p>

<p>He told the Supreme Court that serious repercussions will be created outside the court, whenever the matter is heard. To preserve the decorum of law and order, the court should conduct the proceedings after all pleadings are complete.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The Supreme court has fixed the<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/babri-masjid-ramjanmabhoomi-dispute-a-timeline-25799" target="_blank">&nbsp;Ayodhya dispute matter</a>&nbsp;for further hearing on February 8, 2018.</p>

<p>Twitterati also reacted to Kapil Sibal&#39;s request to extend the court proceedings t0 2019.&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Every Sensible Person Wants To Speed Up The Judicial Process But This Hypocrite Kapil Sibal Threatens To Walk Out So That <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Ayodhya?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Ayodhya</a> Ram Mandir Verdict Can Be Delayed To Post 2019 Elections. Hypocrite Congress Can Stoop To Any Low For &quot;Vote Bank&quot; Appeasement. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RamMandir?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#RamMandir</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/KapilSibal?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#KapilSibal</a> <a href="https://t.co/d9IiE2UbN6">pic.twitter.com/d9IiE2UbN6</a></p>
&mdash; Sir Ravindra Jadeja (@SirJadeja) <a href="https://twitter.com/SirJadeja/status/938016714654183426?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 5, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Those who think India&#39;s only enemy are Pakistan &amp; China must not forget Congress. Thanks to lord Ram coz of him many traitors like Kapil Sibal are exposed over Ram Mandir debate in <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Ayodhya?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Ayodhya</a> . These hypocrites have made <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RamTemple?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#RamTemple</a> issue a laughing stock. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/KapilSibal?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#KapilSibal</a></p>
&mdash; Ravi ???? (@hypernationlist) <a href="https://twitter.com/hypernationlist/status/938023344800067584?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 5, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">From defending <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/kanhaiyakumar?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#kanhaiyakumar</a> to <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/HardikPatel?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#HardikPatel</a> from supporting <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TripleTalaq?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#TripleTalaq</a> &amp; <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/AIMPLB?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#AIMPLB</a> to <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SunniWaqfBoard?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#SunniWaqfBoard</a> in <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Ayodhya?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Ayodhya</a><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/KapilSibal?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#KapilSibal</a> has a long list of Such clients. HIS CHOICE.<br />
May Ram Lalla bless him!</p>
&mdash; Monika Arora (@advmonikaarora) <a href="https://twitter.com/advmonikaarora/status/937942658114138112?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 5, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>&nbsp;</p>


While addressing a rally in Gujarat's Dhandhuka, Prime minister Narendra Modi has said that he has no objection to Kapil Sibal representing the Muslim community in Ayodhya case. He, however, questioned how is the case connected to Lok Sabha elections

While addressing a rally in Gujarat's Dhandhuka, Prime minister Narendra Modi has said that he has no objection to Kapil Sibal representing the Muslim community in Ayodhya case. However, he questioned how is the case connected to Lok Sabha elections. PM Modi said,"how can he say do not find a solution to this until next election? how is the case connected to Lok Sabha?" No objection that Kapil Sibal is fighting on behalf of Muslim community but how can he say do not find a solution to this (Ayodhya issue) until next election? How is it connected to Lok Sabha elections?: PM Modi in Gujarat's Dhandhuka #GujaratElection2017 pic.twitter.com/oFzXCyEWRW — ANI (@ANI) December 6, 2017 × The Sunni Waqf Board which is being represented by Kapil Sibal in the Ayodhya case has also disapproved Sibal's request to the Supreme Court for conducting the judgment after July 2019. Haji Mehboob from The Sunni Waqf Board has said that Sibal asking for a delay in the judgment was wrong and that they want the court to pronounce the judgment as soon as possible. He said: "Yes Kapil Sibal is our lawyer but he is also related to a political party, his statement in Supreme Court yesterday was wrong, we want a solution to the issue at the earliest." Yes Kapil Sibal is our lawyer but he is also related to a political party, his statement in SC yesterday was wrong, we want a solution to the issue at the earliest: Haji Mehboob,Sunni Waqf Board #Ayodhya pic.twitter.com/CMN8MXr5ta — ANI (@ANI) December 6, 2017 × Mehboob had previously dissociated himself from Sibal's statement, saying "we have got nothing to do with the statement". We have got nothing to do with his statement as we are not connected to any political party or do politics. Every Hindu and Muslim of the country wants a solution to the issue soon: Haji Mehboob,Sunni Waqf Board on Kapil Sibal #Ayodhya pic.twitter.com/AxWFB3mAoS — ANI (@ANI) December 6, 2017 × BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra recited a poetry on Kapil Sibal's request for extending the judgment of the Babri Masjid. He sai "Badalte hue mausam ka balata hua parwana hun mai, Gujarat mein janeudhari hindu hun toh UP-Bihar mei maulana hun main" Targetting Rahul Gandhi he said while Rahul Gandhi is a "janeudhari" hindu in Gujarat, he becomes a Muslim in UP-Bihar. Badalte hue mausam ka badalta hua parwana hun main, Gujarat mein janeudhari hindu hun toh UP-Bihar mein maulana hun main: Sambit Patra, BJP on Rahul Gandhi pic.twitter.com/FNXrvX36fJ — ANI (@ANI) December 6, 2017 × Union law minister Ravi Shankar Prasad has Sibal's representation "irresponsible and unfair". He said that "Sibal must not forget that he had been the law minister in the past." Prasad said he will ask Rahul and Sonia Gandhi to present their stand on the Ram Janambhoomi case. As a lawyer #KapilSibal can argue any matter but he should not forget that he has been the law minister in the past. What does he mean, when he says don't hear the matter till 2019 as it will have an impact outside? It is unfair and in many ways irresponsible: RS Prasad #Ayodhya pic.twitter.com/KfDBz8fRxI — ANI (@ANI) December 6, 2017 × I am going to ask Rahul Gandhi & Sonia Gandhi, please explain your party's position on should the Ram Janambhoomi case be heard at the earliest or not?: RS Prasad, Union Law minister — ANI (@ANI) December 6, 2017 × Earlier, BJP president Amit Shah had asked Congress to clear its stand on temple issue. He said at a point when Rahul Gandhi is visiting temples in Gujarat, Kapil Sibal is asking for a delay in Ram Janambhoomi case. Senior advocate Kapil Sibal who is representing the Sunni Waqf Board in Ayodhya Babri Masjid case had asked the Supreme Court yesterday to take up the matter on July 15, 2019, once all the pleadings are complete. He told the Supreme Court that serious repercussions will be created outside the court, whenever the matter is heard. To preserve the decorum of law and order, the court should conduct the proceedings after all pleadings are complete. The Supreme court has fixed the Ayodhya dispute matter for further hearing on February 8, 2018. Twitterati also reacted to Kapil Sibal's request to extend the court proceedings t0 2019. Every Sensible Person Wants To Speed Up The Judicial Process But This Hypocrite Kapil Sibal Threatens To Walk Out So That #Ayodhya Ram Mandir Verdict Can Be Delayed To Post 2019 Elections. Hypocrite Congress Can Stoop To Any Low For "Vote Bank" Appeasement. #RamMandir #KapilSibal pic.twitter.com/d9IiE2UbN6 — Sir Ravindra Jadeja (@SirJadeja) December 5, 2017 × Those who think India's only enemy are Pakistan & China must not forget Congress. Thanks to lord Ram coz of him many traitors like Kapil Sibal are exposed over Ram Mandir debate in #Ayodhya . These hypocrites have made #RamTemple issue a laughing stock. #KapilSibal — Ravi ???? (@hypernationlist) December 5, 2017 × From defending #kanhaiyakumar to #HardikPatel from supporting #TripleTalaq & #AIMPLB to #SunniWaqfBoard in #Ayodhya#KapilSibal has a long list of Such clients. HIS CHOICE. May Ram Lalla bless him! — Monika Arora (@advmonikaarora) December 5, 2017 ×

How is Ayodhya case related to 2019 elections? PM Modi asks Kapil Sibal in Gujarat election rally

<p><a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/how-is-ayodhya-case-related-to-2019-elections-pm-modi-asks-kapil-sibal-26043" target="_blank">How is Ayodhya case related to 2019 elections? PM Modi asks Kapil Sibal in Gujarat election rally</a></p>

<p>While addressing a rally in Gujarat&#39;s Dhandhuka, Prime minister Narendra Modi has said that he has no objection to Kapil Sibal representing the Muslim community in Ayodhya case. However, he questioned how is the case connected to Lok Sabha elections.</p>

<p><a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/no-exemption-in-odd-even-scheme-delhi-governments-pollution-action-plan-to-ngt-26038" target="_blank">&#39;No exemption&#39; in odd-even scheme: Delhi government&#39;s pollution action plan to NGT</a></p>

<p>The Delhi government today&nbsp;<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/oxygen-chamber-in-gurgaon-a-respite-from-pollution-25018">told the National Green Tribunal(NGT)</a>&nbsp;that there would be no exemption&nbsp;for vehicles in the odd-even scheme when it implemented next time. The Kejriwal government submitted its&nbsp;<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/delhi-pollution-children-are-inhaling-cigarette-the-moment-they-are-born-24287">action plan to combat pollution</a>&nbsp;in the national capital.</p>

<p><a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/us-move-to-recognise-jerusalem-as-capital-of-israel-will-lead-to-escalation-of-tension-china-26028" target="_blank">Jerusalem status: &#39;Concerned about possible escalation of tension,&#39; says China</a></p>

<p>China said today US President Donald Trump&#39;s decision to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel would lead to &quot;possible escalation of tensions&quot;. Britain which is the&nbsp;<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/donald-trump-tells-mideast-leaders-he-will-move-embassy-to-jerusalem-breaking-with-us-policy-25980">principal ally of the United States&nbsp;</a>expressed &quot;concern&quot; and said Jerusalem should be part of the &quot;final settlement between the Israelis&nbsp;and the Palestinians&quot;&nbsp;</p>

<p><a href="http://www.wionews.com/cricket/ipl-franchises-allowed-to-retain-5-players-26046" target="_blank">IPL franchises allowed to retain 5 players: Rajeev Shukla</a></p>

<p>Providing a long-pending solution to the Indian Premier League (IPL) teams to retain their big players, the governing council on Wednesday announced that the franchises can retain a maximum of five players by virtue of a combination of pre-auction retention and Right To Match (RTM) cards for the upcoming 2018 edition.</p>

<p><a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/metoo-time-magazine-announces-silence-breakers-as-person-of-the-year-26051" target="_blank">#Metoo: Time magazine announces &#39;Silence breakers&#39; as &#39;Person of the Year&#39;</a></p>

<p>Time Magazine&nbsp;<a href="http://www.wionews.com/photos/asians-featured-on-time-magazine-cover-page-as-person-of-the-year-589#photo-30703">has designated &quot;silence breakers</a>&quot;&nbsp;who triggered the sexual harassment revelations as &quot;Person of the Year&quot;. Time magazine publishes the &quot;Person of the Year&quot; on 6th December every year. It has decided to bring the&nbsp;Harvey Weinstein sexual harassment case into focus this year.&nbsp;</p>


How is Ayodhya case related to 2019 elections? PM Modi asks Kapil Sibal in Gujarat election rally While addressing a rally in Gujarat's Dhandhuka, Prime minister Narendra Modi has said that he has no objection to Kapil Sibal representing the Muslim community in Ayodhya case. However, he questioned how is the case connected to Lok Sabha elections. 'No exemption' in odd-even scheme: Delhi government's pollution action plan to NGT The Delhi government today told the National Green Tribunal(NGT) that there would be no exemption for vehicles in the odd-even scheme when it implemented next time. The Kejriwal government submitted its action plan to combat pollution in the national capital. Jerusalem status: 'Concerned about possible escalation of tension,' says China China said today US President Donald Trump's decision to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel would lead to "possible escalation of tensions". Britain which is the principal ally of the United States expressed "concern" and said Jerusalem should be part of the "final settlement between the Israelis and the Palestinians" IPL franchises allowed to retain 5 players: Rajeev Shukla Providing a long-pending solution to the Indian Premier League (IPL) teams to retain their big players, the governing council on Wednesday announced that the franchises can retain a maximum of five players by virtue of a combination of pre-auction retention and Right To Match (RTM) cards for the upcoming 2018 edition. #Metoo: Time magazine announces 'Silence breakers' as 'Person of the Year' Time Magazine has designated "silence breakers" who triggered the sexual harassment revelations as "Person of the Year". Time magazine publishes the "Person of the Year" on 6th December every year. It has decided to bring the Harvey Weinstein sexual harassment case into focus this year.

WION Evening News brief, 6 December, 2017

<p>The Supreme court has fixed the<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/babri-masjid-ramjanmabhoomi-dispute-a-timeline-25799" target="_blank"> Ayodhya dispute matter</a> for further hearing on February 8, 2018.</p>

<p>Senior advocate Kapil Sibal who is representing the Sunni Waqf Board in&nbsp;<a href="http://www.wionews.com/videos/a-wion-perspective-ayodhyas-temple-of-harmony-7163" target="_blank">Ayodhya Babri Masjid case</a> has asked the Supreme Court&nbsp;to take up the matter on July 15, 2019 once all the pleadings are complete.&nbsp; &nbsp;</p>

<p>He told the Supreme Court that serious repercussions will be created outside the court, whenever the matter is heard. To preserve the decorum of law and order, the court should conduct the proceedings after all pleadings are complete.&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Ayodhya Dispute: Kapil Sibal told SC that whenever this matter is heard,there are serious repercussions outside court and to preserve the decorum of law and order,and that he personally requests court to take this matter up on July 15, 2019, once all the pleadings are complete</p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/937976294670663680?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 5, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>Earlier during the proceeding in the Supreme Court, Sibal read out the details of exhibits filed by the contesting defendants in the Allahabad High Court.&nbsp;</p>

<p>He told the three-judge bench in the Supreme Court that all the pleadings were not complete.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Additional Solicitor General (ASG) Tushar Mehta who is representing the State of Uttar Pradesh negated the arguments presented by Kapil Sibal. He told the Supreme Court that all the related documents and requisite translation copies are on record.</p>

<p>Raising doubts over ASG Mehta, Sibal questioned how come more than 19,000 pages of documents can be filed in such short time.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Sibal told the Supreme Court that he and other petitioners have not been served relevant documents of pleadings.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Meanwhile, the petitioners who had filed their pleadings in Allahabad High Court, have asked the Supreme Court for a reasonable time to translate, file and serve the copies of all the exhibits and relevant documents.&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Ayodhya dispute: Petitioners are pleading in SC for reasonable time to translate, file and serve the copies of all the exhibits and relevant documents, which were filed before the Allahabad High Court bench at Lucknow.</p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/937983384004861952?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 5, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Good news is that the Supreme Court has taken the formula proposed by us on record: Wasim Rizvi,Shia Waqf Board Chairman on Ayodhya hearing <a href="https://t.co/tSVdBti2a3">pic.twitter.com/tSVdBti2a3</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/937984538873012225?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 5, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>Kapil Sibal, Rajiv Dhawan along with other petitioner counsels have also demanded for a larger bench of judges. They have demanded a bench of at least seven judges.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Ayodhya dispute: Advocates Kapil Sibal, Rajiv Dhawan along with other petitioner counsels want a larger bench of atleast 7 Judges to hear this matter.</p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/937987471597379584?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 5, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p><em>(With inputs from ANI)</em></p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>


Senior advocate Kapil Sibal who is representing the Sunni Waqf Board in?Ayodhya Babri Masjid case has asked the Supreme Court?to take up the matter on July 15, next year,?once all the pleadings are complete.

The Supreme court has fixed the Ayodhya dispute matter for further hearing on February 8, 2018. Senior advocate Kapil Sibal who is representing the Sunni Waqf Board in Ayodhya Babri Masjid case has asked the Supreme Court to take up the matter on July 15, 2019 once all the pleadings are complete. He told the Supreme Court that serious repercussions will be created outside the court, whenever the matter is heard. To preserve the decorum of law and order, the court should conduct the proceedings after all pleadings are complete. Ayodhya Dispute: Kapil Sibal told SC that whenever this matter is heard,there are serious repercussions outside court and to preserve the decorum of law and order,and that he personally requests court to take this matter up on July 15, 2019, once all the pleadings are complete — ANI (@ANI) December 5, 2017 × Earlier during the proceeding in the Supreme Court, Sibal read out the details of exhibits filed by the contesting defendants in the Allahabad High Court. He told the three-judge bench in the Supreme Court that all the pleadings were not complete. Additional Solicitor General (ASG) Tushar Mehta who is representing the State of Uttar Pradesh negated the arguments presented by Kapil Sibal. He told the Supreme Court that all the related documents and requisite translation copies are on record. Raising doubts over ASG Mehta, Sibal questioned how come more than 19,000 pages of documents can be filed in such short time. Sibal told the Supreme Court that he and other petitioners have not been served relevant documents of pleadings. Meanwhile, the petitioners who had filed their pleadings in Allahabad High Court, have asked the Supreme Court for a reasonable time to translate, file and serve the copies of all the exhibits and relevant documents. Ayodhya dispute: Petitioners are pleading in SC for reasonable time to translate, file and serve the copies of all the exhibits and relevant documents, which were filed before the Allahabad High Court bench at Lucknow. — ANI (@ANI) December 5, 2017 × Good news is that the Supreme Court has taken the formula proposed by us on record: Wasim Rizvi,Shia Waqf Board Chairman on Ayodhya hearing pic.twitter.com/tSVdBti2a3 — ANI (@ANI) December 5, 2017 × Kapil Sibal, Rajiv Dhawan along with other petitioner counsels have also demanded for a larger bench of judges. They have demanded a bench of at least seven judges. Ayodhya dispute: Advocates Kapil Sibal, Rajiv Dhawan along with other petitioner counsels want a larger bench of atleast 7 Judges to hear this matter. — ANI (@ANI) December 5, 2017 × (With inputs from ANI)

Ayodhya case: Supreme Court defers case to February next year

<p>BJP President Amit Shah has asked&nbsp;Congress to clear their stand on temple issue after&nbsp;<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/ayodhya-case-next-hearing-in-supreme-court-in-february-2018-25932" target="_blank">Kapil Sibal asked for a delay in Ramjanambhoomi case</a>.&nbsp;</p>

<p>He said at a point when Rahul&nbsp;Gandhi is visiting temples in Gujarat, Kapil Sibal is asking for a delay in Ram Janambhoomi case.&nbsp;</p>

<p>He said, &quot; Today a surprising stand was taken in Supreme Court by Congress leader and Sunni Waqf Board lawyer Kapil Sibal Ji, he said hearing should be deferred till&nbsp;2019 LS polls. Congress should clear its stand on this.&quot;&nbsp; &quot;Rahul Ji should tell us what is his view on this.&quot;&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Rahul ji is visiting temples in Gujarat but on the other hand Kapil Sibal is being used to delay Ram janmbhoomi case. Rahul ji should tell us what his view on this is: Amit Shah <a href="https://t.co/dDwuV1YfXl">pic.twitter.com/dDwuV1YfXl</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/938020019715186688?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 5, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>Senior advocate Kapil Sibal who is representing the Sunni Waqf Board in&nbsp;<a href="http://www.wionews.com/videos/a-wion-perspective-ayodhyas-temple-of-harmony-7163" target="_blank">Ayodhya Babri Masjid case</a>&nbsp;has asked the Supreme Court&nbsp;to take up the matter on July 15, 2019 once all the pleadings are complete.&nbsp; &nbsp;</p>

<p>He told the Supreme Court that serious repercussions will be created outside the court, whenever the matter is heard. To preserve the decorum of law and order, the court should conduct the proceedings after all pleadings are complete.&nbsp;</p>


BJP President Amit Shah has asked?Congress to clear his stand on temple issue after?Kapil Sibal asked for a delay in Ramjanambhoomi case

BJP President Amit Shah has asked Congress to clear their stand on temple issue after Kapil Sibal asked for a delay in Ramjanambhoomi case. He said at a point when Rahul Gandhi is visiting temples in Gujarat, Kapil Sibal is asking for a delay in Ram Janambhoomi case. He said, " Today a surprising stand was taken in Supreme Court by Congress leader and Sunni Waqf Board lawyer Kapil Sibal Ji, he said hearing should be deferred till 2019 LS polls. Congress should clear its stand on this." "Rahul Ji should tell us what is his view on this." Rahul ji is visiting temples in Gujarat but on the other hand Kapil Sibal is being used to delay Ram janmbhoomi case. Rahul ji should tell us what his view on this is: Amit Shah pic.twitter.com/dDwuV1YfXl — ANI (@ANI) December 5, 2017 × Senior advocate Kapil Sibal who is representing the Sunni Waqf Board in Ayodhya Babri Masjid case has asked the Supreme Court to take up the matter on July 15, 2019 once all the pleadings are complete. He told the Supreme Court that serious repercussions will be created outside the court, whenever the matter is heard. To preserve the decorum of law and order, the court should conduct the proceedings after all pleadings are complete.

Clear your stand on temple issue: Amit Shah to Rahul Gandhi

<p>Assam Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma clarified on Thursday that his&nbsp;tweet &#39;cancer divine justice for our sins&#39; was misconstrued, and that it was meant to motivate teachers and serve the poor.</p>

<p>The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader took to Twitter to offer an explanation after he was slammed by Congress leaders and other prominent personalities on the social media platform.&nbsp;</p>

<p>In a series of tweets, Sarma wrote&nbsp;in his defence:&nbsp;</p>

<p>&quot;Go through my speech. I never said that sin cause cancer.it was a speech to motivate teacher. Serve poor or otherwise, you may face karmic deficiency and suffer in next life. Science can not promote human value. Religion might. Good night.&quot;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Go through my speech. I never said that sin cause cancer.it was a speech to motivate teacher.serve poor or otherwise you may face karmic deficiency and suffer in next <a href="https://t.co/H4KfY7M9HQ">https://t.co/H4KfY7M9HQ</a> can not promote human value.religion might.good night <a href="https://t.co/YTxbCZZnD9">https://t.co/YTxbCZZnD9</a></p>
&mdash; Himanta Biswa Sarma (@himantabiswa) <a href="https://twitter.com/himantabiswa/status/933417370785157120?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 22, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>&quot;Not arguing with anyone. Only availing a huge opportunity to speak a little bit about Hindu philosophy. We accept that even Lord Krishna died because of karmic deficiency. That&rsquo;s is our philosophy.&quot;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Not arguing with anyone. Only availing a huge opportunity to speek little bit about Hindu philosophy. We accept that even Lord Krishna died because of karmic deficiency. That&rsquo;s is our philosophy <a href="https://t.co/7Cpec6Kioq">https://t.co/7Cpec6Kioq</a></p>
&mdash; Himanta Biswa Sarma (@himantabiswa) <a href="https://twitter.com/himantabiswa/status/933529084126097408?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 23, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>&quot;You have to realise the difference between sin and karma. Politics can come and go. But what is written on Bhagavadgita, is for me the final truth.&quot;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">You have to realise difference between sin and karma.politics can come and go. But what is written on Bhagavadgita,is for me the final truth <a href="https://t.co/pxb3qB8MF4">https://t.co/pxb3qB8MF4</a></p>
&mdash; Himanta Biswa Sarma (@himantabiswa) <a href="https://twitter.com/himantabiswa/status/933558907317846016?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 23, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>&quot;Sir, please do not distort. Simply I said that Hinduism believe in karmic law and human sufferings are linked to the karmic deficiency of past life.Don&rsquo;t you belief that too? Of course in your party, I do not know whether Hindu philosophy can be discussed at all&quot;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Sir, please do not distort. Simply I said that Hinduism believe in karmic law and human sufferings are linked to karmic deficiency of past life.Don&rsquo;t you belief that too?Of course in your party I do not know whether Hindu philosophy can be discussed at all <a href="https://t.co/P7CMBIRCYQ">https://t.co/P7CMBIRCYQ</a></p>
&mdash; Himanta Biswa Sarma (@himantabiswa) <a href="https://twitter.com/himantabiswa/status/933365188140580864?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 22, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>&quot;Do not belittle Hindu philosophy in such simplistic way. If you call me anytime to your studio, I will argue with you that karmic law do exist. You can not written of teachings of Bhagavadgita by using the word pumpkin of the day etc&quot;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Do not belittle Hindu philosophy in such simplistic way. If you call me anytime to your studio,I will argue with you that karmic law do exist. You can not written of teachings of Bhagavadgita by using the word pumpkin of the day etc <a href="https://t.co/wpKz7rpLYn">https://t.co/wpKz7rpLYn</a></p>
&mdash; Himanta Biswa Sarma (@himantabiswa) <a href="https://twitter.com/himantabiswa/status/933396141739196416?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 22, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>&quot;Should I deserve this tweet for quoting Bhagavadgita before a new batch of teachers and asking them to teach poor students sincerely. I do not know when quoting Hindu philosophy to inspire a batch of teachers suddenly become a sin in this country&quot;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Should I deserve this tweet for quoting Bhagavadgita before a new batch of teachers and asking them to teach poor students sincerely. I do not know from when quoting Hindu philosophy to inspire a batch of teachers suddenly become a sin in this country <a href="https://t.co/wpKz7rpLYn">https://t.co/wpKz7rpLYn</a></p>
&mdash; Himanta Biswa Sarma (@himantabiswa) <a href="https://twitter.com/himantabiswa/status/933406146680852481?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 22, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>&quot;Did my speech was on cancer? Who told you? I simply asked a new batch of teachers to work sincerely &amp; work for poor.In that context, I argue that if we do not work sincerely in next life we might face karmic deficiency &amp; that may lead to sufferings .what is insensitive about this?&quot;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Did my speech was on cancer? Who told you? I simply asked a new batch of teachers to work sincerely &amp; work for poor.In that context I argue that if we do not work sincerely in next life we might face karmic deficiency &amp; that may lead to sufferings .what is insensitive about this? <a href="https://t.co/jlCAbEdh7s">https://t.co/jlCAbEdh7s</a></p>
&mdash; Himanta Biswa Sarma (@himantabiswa) <a href="https://twitter.com/himantabiswa/status/933410722184249344?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 22, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>All these tweets came in response to&nbsp;Congress leader P Chidambaram and Kapil Sibal&#39;s tweets.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Chidambaram wrote:&nbsp;&quot;Cancer is divine justice for sins` says Assam Minister Sharma. That is what switching parties does to a person.&quot;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">&#39;Cancer is divine justice for sins&#39; says Assam Minister Sharma. That is what switching parties does to a person.</p>
&mdash; P. Chidambaram (@PChidambaram_IN) <a href="https://twitter.com/PChidambaram_IN/status/933340495069220864?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 22, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>While Kapil Sibal wrote:&nbsp;&quot;Hemanta Biswa Sarma says that cancer is divine justice for sins committed. That such a person is a minister is divine injustice.&quot;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Hemanta Biswa Sarma says that cancer is divine justice for sins committed .<br />
<br />
That such a person is minister is divine injustice .</p>
&mdash; Kapil Sibal (@KapilSibal) <a href="https://twitter.com/KapilSibal/status/933551318454517761?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 23, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>It all started when Sarma spoke at event in Guwahati about karma and sin. His speech:&nbsp;&quot;God makes us suffer when we sin. Sometimes we come across young men getting inflicted with cancer or young men meeting with accidents. If you observe the background, you will come to know that it`s divine justice, and nothing else. We have to suffer that divine justice.&quot;</p>

<p>The BJP leader further elaborated at the event, saying that the sins could be of this lifetime or previous life, or could be of the parents for which the person has to pay.</p>

<p>&quot;That divine justice always will be there. Nobody can escape the divine justice that will happen,&quot; he added.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>


Himanta Biswa Sarma said his speech, in which the offending quote appeared, has been meant to motivate teachers, serve the poor

Assam Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma clarified on Thursday that his tweet 'cancer divine justice for our sins' was misconstrued, and that it was meant to motivate teachers and serve the poor. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader took to Twitter to offer an explanation after he was slammed by Congress leaders and other prominent personalities on the social media platform. In a series of tweets, Sarma wrote in his defence: "Go through my speech. I never said that sin cause cancer.it was a speech to motivate teacher. Serve poor or otherwise, you may face karmic deficiency and suffer in next life. Science can not promote human value. Religion might. Good night." Go through my speech. I never said that sin cause cancer.it was a speech to motivate teacher.serve poor or otherwise you may face karmic deficiency and suffer in next https://t.co/H4KfY7M9HQ can not promote human value.religion might.good night https://t.co/YTxbCZZnD9 — Himanta Biswa Sarma (@himantabiswa) November 22, 2017 × "Not arguing with anyone. Only availing a huge opportunity to speak a little bit about Hindu philosophy. We accept that even Lord Krishna died because of karmic deficiency. That’s is our philosophy." Not arguing with anyone. Only availing a huge opportunity to speek little bit about Hindu philosophy. We accept that even Lord Krishna died because of karmic deficiency. That’s is our philosophy https://t.co/7Cpec6Kioq — Himanta Biswa Sarma (@himantabiswa) November 23, 2017 × "You have to realise the difference between sin and karma. Politics can come and go. But what is written on Bhagavadgita, is for me the final truth." You have to realise difference between sin and karma.politics can come and go. But what is written on Bhagavadgita,is for me the final truth https://t.co/pxb3qB8MF4 — Himanta Biswa Sarma (@himantabiswa) November 23, 2017 × "Sir, please do not distort. Simply I said that Hinduism believe in karmic law and human sufferings are linked to the karmic deficiency of past life.Don’t you belief that too? Of course in your party, I do not know whether Hindu philosophy can be discussed at all" Sir, please do not distort. Simply I said that Hinduism believe in karmic law and human sufferings are linked to karmic deficiency of past life.Don’t you belief that too?Of course in your party I do not know whether Hindu philosophy can be discussed at all https://t.co/P7CMBIRCYQ — Himanta Biswa Sarma (@himantabiswa) November 22, 2017 × "Do not belittle Hindu philosophy in such simplistic way. If you call me anytime to your studio, I will argue with you that karmic law do exist. You can not written of teachings of Bhagavadgita by using the word pumpkin of the day etc" Do not belittle Hindu philosophy in such simplistic way. If you call me anytime to your studio,I will argue with you that karmic law do exist. You can not written of teachings of Bhagavadgita by using the word pumpkin of the day etc https://t.co/wpKz7rpLYn — Himanta Biswa Sarma (@himantabiswa) November 22, 2017 × "Should I deserve this tweet for quoting Bhagavadgita before a new batch of teachers and asking them to teach poor students sincerely. I do not know when quoting Hindu philosophy to inspire a batch of teachers suddenly become a sin in this country" Should I deserve this tweet for quoting Bhagavadgita before a new batch of teachers and asking them to teach poor students sincerely. I do not know from when quoting Hindu philosophy to inspire a batch of teachers suddenly become a sin in this country https://t.co/wpKz7rpLYn — Himanta Biswa Sarma (@himantabiswa) November 22, 2017 × "Did my speech was on cancer? Who told you? I simply asked a new batch of teachers to work sincerely & work for poor.In that context, I argue that if we do not work sincerely in next life we might face karmic deficiency & that may lead to sufferings .what is insensitive about this?" Did my speech was on cancer? Who told you? I simply asked a new batch of teachers to work sincerely & work for poor.In that context I argue that if we do not work sincerely in next life we might face karmic deficiency & that may lead to sufferings .what is insensitive about this? https://t.co/jlCAbEdh7s — Himanta Biswa Sarma (@himantabiswa) November 22, 2017 × All these tweets came in response to Congress leader P Chidambaram and Kapil Sibal's tweets. Chidambaram wrote: "Cancer is divine justice for sins` says Assam Minister Sharma. That is what switching parties does to a person." 'Cancer is divine justice for sins' says Assam Minister Sharma. That is what switching parties does to a person. — P. Chidambaram (@PChidambaram_IN) November 22, 2017 × While Kapil Sibal wrote: "Hemanta Biswa Sarma says that cancer is divine justice for sins committed. That such a person is a minister is divine injustice." Hemanta Biswa Sarma says that cancer is divine justice for sins committed . That such a person is minister is divine injustice . — Kapil Sibal (@KapilSibal) November 23, 2017 × It all started when Sarma spoke at event in Guwahati about karma and sin. His speech: "God makes us suffer when we sin. Sometimes we come across young men getting inflicted with cancer or young men meeting with accidents. If you observe the background, you will come to know that it`s divine justice, and nothing else. We have to suffer that divine justice." The BJP leader further elaborated at the event, saying that the sins could be of this lifetime or previous life, or could be of the parents for which the person has to pay. "That divine justice always will be there. Nobody can escape the divine justice that will happen," he added.

Assam health minister clarifies: 'Cancer divine justice for our sins' quote was meant to motivate

<p>With the Gujarat elections just around the corner, a &quot;sex CD&quot; has gone viral on social media.&nbsp;</p>

<p>News reports said the CD showed &quot;intimate moments&quot; between a man and a woman. &nbsp;</p>

<p>The allegation -- which has not been proved -- is that the man in the video is Hardik Patel, the leader of the Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti (PAAS).&nbsp;</p>

<p>Patel reacted to the allegation, tweeting:&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="hi">?? ???? ??????? ?? ?????? ?? ?? ???????? ????? ?? ?? ??? ?????? ???? ??????,????? ?????? ?? ?????? ?? ????? ???? ?? ??? ????</p>
&mdash; Hardik Patel (@HardikPatel_) <a href="https://twitter.com/HardikPatel_/status/930005238991478784?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 13, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>&quot;This is the beginning of dirty politics. Defame me, it will not make a difference,&quot; he said.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&quot;But the women of Gujarat are being insulted,&quot; he added.&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>A prophecy foretold</strong></p>

<p>The interesting thing is Hardik had foretold -- on November 10 -- the release of the sex CD.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Hardik had said then that the BJP would be responsible, and that they would do so for electoral gain.</p>

<p>&quot;The BJP has prepared a doctored sex CD to defame me and it will be released just before the election. What else can one expect from the BJP? So just wait, watch and enjoy,&quot; Hardik had said then.</p>

<p>When he was asked how he knew about the CD, Hardik had said, &quot;This is typical of the BJP.&quot;</p>

<p><strong>The Patidar </strong><strong>agit</strong><strong>ation</strong></p>

<p>Patel had led the massive Patidar agitation in the state in 2015.</p>

<p>The Patidars had been asking for reservations for the community in government jobs and educational institutions.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The Congress has since been courting Patel, who has said that he will work towards beating the BJP in the upcoming Gujarat elections.&nbsp;</p>

<p><a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/congress-invites-hardik-patel-to-contest-gujarat-elections-22699" target="_blank">Also read:&nbsp;Congress invites Hardik Patel to contest Gujarat elections</a></p>

<p><a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/gujarat-elections-cong-gives-3-quota-options-to-patidars-who-say-theyll-get-back-to-them-23775" target="_blank">Also read: Gujarat elections: Cong gives 3 quota options to Patidars who say they&#39;ll get back to them</a></p>

<p><strong>Not the first time</strong></p>

<p>This is not the first time an attempt has been made to defame Patel.</p>

<p>A sex CD was released in 2015 also, with exactly the same allegation -- that it was Hardik in the video.</p>


With the Gujarat elections just around the corner, a "sex CD" has gone viral on social media. News reports said the CD showed "intimate moments" between a man and a woman. The allegation -- which has not been proved -- is that the man in the video is Hardik Patel, the leader of the Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti (PAAS). Patel reacted to the allegation, tweeting: ?? ???? ??????? ?? ?????? ?? ?? ???????? ????? ?? ?? ??? ?????? ???? ??????,????? ?????? ?? ?????? ?? ????? ???? ?? ??? ???? — Hardik Patel (@HardikPatel_) November 13, 2017 × "This is the beginning of dirty politics. Defame me, it will not make a difference," he said. "But the women of Gujarat are being insulted," he added. A prophecy foretold The interesting thing is Hardik had foretold -- on November 10 -- the release of the sex CD. Hardik had said then that the BJP would be responsible, and that they would do so for electoral gain. "The BJP has prepared a doctored sex CD to defame me and it will be released just before the election. What else can one expect from the BJP? So just wait, watch and enjoy," Hardik had said then. When he was asked how he knew about the CD, Hardik had said, "This is typical of the BJP." The Patidar agitation Patel had led the massive Patidar agitation in the state in 2015. The Patidars had been asking for reservations for the community in government jobs and educational institutions. The Congress has since been courting Patel, who has said that he will work towards beating the BJP in the upcoming Gujarat elections. Also read: Congress invites Hardik Patel to contest Gujarat elections Also read: Gujarat elections: Cong gives 3 quota options to Patidars who say they'll get back to them Not the first time This is not the first time an attempt has been made to defame Patel. A sex CD was released in 2015 also, with exactly the same allegation -- that it was Hardik in the video.

Gujarat elections: Sex CD goes viral, allegation is it features Hardik Patel

<p>Congress gave three options to the Hardik Patel-led Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti (PAAS) at a late night meeting here with respect to latter&#39;s quota demand for its community, even as the organisation members said they would consult their leaders and legal experts before taking a decision.</p>

<p>The options were conveyed to the PAAS members by senior Congress leader Kapil Sibal at the meeting which took place at 11:30 PM and ended at about 2 AM.</p>

<p>&quot;We have been given three options by the Congress party on how to provide reservation to our community in educational institutions and government jobs,&quot; PAAS convener Dinesh Bambhania said after the meeting.</p>

<p>He, however, did not divulge the details of the options.</p>

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<h5>The Congress proposal has not touched 49% reservations for SC, ST and OBC which exists in the state. The options that have been given are over and above it</h5>
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<p>&quot;The options that have been given will be kept confidential till we discuss it with Hardik, social leaders of the community, legal experts and then it would be kept before our community. If the community accepts the demand, we will convey it accordingly to the Congress party,&quot; Bambhania said.</p>

<p>He said, &quot;The Congress proposal has not touched 49 per cent reservations for SC, ST and OBC which exists in the state. The options that have been given are over and above it.&quot;</p>

<p>The PAAS convener said the meeting took place in a &quot;very cordial atmosphere&quot;.</p>

<p>&quot;We have rejected the Congress&#39; reservation offer under the Economically Backward Class as it is not constitutionally valid,&quot; Bambhania said.</p>

<p>Sibal, after the meeting, told a press conference that &quot;today&#39;s meeting between Congress leaders and PAAS has brought hope that something can be worked out.&quot;</p>

<p>&quot;We have discussed all the aspects and will do all the things (to provide reservation to the Patidar community) as per the constitution,&quot; the Congress leader said.</p>

<p>He said they would again meet in the next two-three days.</p>

<p>&quot;We expect that the matter will become clear in two to three days,&quot; he added.</p>

<p>The PAAS members met Sibal to discuss modalities of providing reservation to Patidars if voted to power in the upcoming Assembly polls in Gujarat.</p>

<p>The meeting was scheduled at 9 pm but Sibal reached the venue late.</p>

<p>Hardik, the Patidar quota agitation spearhead, who had earlier set a condition that he would support the Congress in the Assembly election, due next month, only if the party committed itself to allotting reservation in education and government jobs to his community, was not present in the meeting.</p>

<p>He had set November 7 as the deadline for the Congress to make its stand clear on the issue.</p>

<p>The polling for the two-phase elections in the state will take place on December 9 and 14 and votes will be counted on December 18.&nbsp;</p>


'We have been given three options by the Congress party on how to provide reservation to our community,' Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti convener Dinesh Bambhania said

Congress gave three options to the Hardik Patel-led Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti (PAAS) at a late night meeting here with respect to latter's quota demand for its community, even as the organisation members said they would consult their leaders and legal experts before taking a decision. The options were conveyed to the PAAS members by senior Congress leader Kapil Sibal at the meeting which took place at 11:30 PM and ended at about 2 AM. "We have been given three options by the Congress party on how to provide reservation to our community in educational institutions and government jobs," PAAS convener Dinesh Bambhania said after the meeting. He, however, did not divulge the details of the options. The Congress proposal has not touched 49% reservations for SC, ST and OBC which exists in the state. The options that have been given are over and above it × "The options that have been given will be kept confidential till we discuss it with Hardik, social leaders of the community, legal experts and then it would be kept before our community. If the community accepts the demand, we will convey it accordingly to the Congress party," Bambhania said. He said, "The Congress proposal has not touched 49 per cent reservations for SC, ST and OBC which exists in the state. The options that have been given are over and above it." The PAAS convener said the meeting took place in a "very cordial atmosphere". "We have rejected the Congress' reservation offer under the Economically Backward Class as it is not constitutionally valid," Bambhania said. Sibal, after the meeting, told a press conference that "today's meeting between Congress leaders and PAAS has brought hope that something can be worked out." "We have discussed all the aspects and will do all the things (to provide reservation to the Patidar community) as per the constitution," the Congress leader said. He said they would again meet in the next two-three days. "We expect that the matter will become clear in two to three days," he added. The PAAS members met Sibal to discuss modalities of providing reservation to Patidars if voted to power in the upcoming Assembly polls in Gujarat. The meeting was scheduled at 9 pm but Sibal reached the venue late. Hardik, the Patidar quota agitation spearhead, who had earlier set a condition that he would support the Congress in the Assembly election, due next month, only if the party committed itself to allotting reservation in education and government jobs to his community, was not present in the meeting. He had set November 7 as the deadline for the Congress to make its stand clear on the issue. The polling for the two-phase elections in the state will take place on December 9 and 14 and votes will be counted on December 18.

Gujarat elections: Cong gives 3 quota options to Patidars who say they'll get back to them

<p>Congress leader and senior lawyer Kapil Sibal on Thursday slammed Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley for his &quot;ease of doing corruption&quot; remark.</p>

<p>Jaitley on Wednesday criticised the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government, saying that ease of doing corruption has now been replaced by the ease of doing business.</p>

<p>The Congress leader said, &quot;He seems to forget that he is not the Finance Minister of only 3.21 taxpayers. He is also the Finance Minister of the millions of people who do business in this country. He must realise the day they feel that there is ease of doing business is the day that they will appreciate the Finance Minister. So, the Finance Minister should not rely on World Bank report given in respect with Delhi and Mumbai which deals with creamy layers of business in our society.&quot;</p>

<p>He further said that &quot;there are millions of people whose business have finished,&#39;&#39; adding that, &quot;until their business is eased, there is no question of ease of doing business.&quot;</p>

<p>After the report of India becoming the first ever country to record the highest jump in World Bank&#39;s ease of doing business ranking, Jaitley took to Twitter and said, &quot;The difference between the UPA and NDA, the ease of doing corruption has been replaced by the ease of doing business.&quot;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">The difference between the UPA and NDA-&ldquo;The ease of doing corruption has been replaced by the ease of doing business&quot;</p>
&mdash; Arun Jaitley (@arunjaitley) <a href="https://twitter.com/arunjaitley/status/925649235906764800?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 1, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>Earlier, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi had said there is no ease of doing business in India, as it has been ruined by the BJP led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government&#39;s decision to roll out the Goods and Services Tax (GST).</p>

<p>In accordance with the World Bank&#39;s &#39;Ease of Doing Business&#39; index, India had risen as much as 30 positions to rank 100th amongst 190 countries.&nbsp;</p>


Arun Jaitley says ease of doing corruption has now been replaced by the ease of doing business.

Congress leader and senior lawyer Kapil Sibal on Thursday slammed Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley for his "ease of doing corruption" remark. Jaitley on Wednesday criticised the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government, saying that ease of doing corruption has now been replaced by the ease of doing business. The Congress leader said, "He seems to forget that he is not the Finance Minister of only 3.21 taxpayers. He is also the Finance Minister of the millions of people who do business in this country. He must realise the day they feel that there is ease of doing business is the day that they will appreciate the Finance Minister. So, the Finance Minister should not rely on World Bank report given in respect with Delhi and Mumbai which deals with creamy layers of business in our society." He further said that "there are millions of people whose business have finished,'' adding that, "until their business is eased, there is no question of ease of doing business." After the report of India becoming the first ever country to record the highest jump in World Bank's ease of doing business ranking, Jaitley took to Twitter and said, "The difference between the UPA and NDA, the ease of doing corruption has been replaced by the ease of doing business." The difference between the UPA and NDA-“The ease of doing corruption has been replaced by the ease of doing business" — Arun Jaitley (@arunjaitley) November 1, 2017 × Earlier, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi had said there is no ease of doing business in India, as it has been ruined by the BJP led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government's decision to roll out the Goods and Services Tax (GST). In accordance with the World Bank's 'Ease of Doing Business' index, India had risen as much as 30 positions to rank 100th amongst 190 countries.

Kapil Sibal slams Arun Jaitley over 'ease of doing corruption' remark

<p>Four states, all non-BJP ruled, moved the Supreme Court on Wednesday seeking to intervene in the hearing on whether the Right to Privacy can be declared as one of the Fundamental Rights under the Indian Constitution.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The states include Karnataka, West Bengal, Punjab and Puducherry.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Senior advocate Kapil Sibal is representing the four states. He initiated his arguments before a nine-judge Constitutional bench headed by Chief Justice J S Khehar and said that the court needs to take a fresh look on the Right to Privacy in the light of technological advancements.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&quot;Privacy cannot be an absolute right. But it is a Fundamental Right. This court needs to strike a balance,&quot; he submitted before the bench, PTI reported.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The top court had set up a Constitution bench on July 18 after the issue was referred to a larger bench by a five-judge bench.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The petitioners have claimed that the collection and sharing of biometric information under the Aadhaar scheme is a breach of the &quot;fundamental&quot; right to privacy.</p>

<p>The Central government on July 19 submitted a report before the Supreme Court saying that Right to Privacy is a common law right and not a Fundamental Right.<br />
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The states include Karnataka, West Bengal, Punjab and Puducherry.

Four states, all non-BJP ruled, moved the Supreme Court on Wednesday seeking to intervene in the hearing on whether the Right to Privacy can be declared as one of the Fundamental Rights under the Indian Constitution. The states include Karnataka, West Bengal, Punjab and Puducherry. Senior advocate Kapil Sibal is representing the four states. He initiated his arguments before a nine-judge Constitutional bench headed by Chief Justice J S Khehar and said that the court needs to take a fresh look on the Right to Privacy in the light of technological advancements. "Privacy cannot be an absolute right. But it is a Fundamental Right. This court needs to strike a balance," he submitted before the bench, PTI reported. The top court had set up a Constitution bench on July 18 after the issue was referred to a larger bench by a five-judge bench. The petitioners have claimed that the collection and sharing of biometric information under the Aadhaar scheme is a breach of the "fundamental" right to privacy. The Central government on July 19 submitted a report before the Supreme Court saying that Right to Privacy is a common law right and not a Fundamental Right.

Four non-BJP ruled states move Supreme Court in favour of Right to Privacy

<p>Supporting the letter written by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) employees to Governor Urjit Patel protesting against operational &quot;mismanagement&quot; post demonetisation, Congress leader Kapil Sibal has said that the RBI was created to be independent of the government which has now been interfered during the drive.</p>

<p>&quot;RBI is created to be entirely independent of the government and this tradition is sought to be interfered with and I think that the feeling of the establishments are justified,&quot; Sibal told ANI.</p>

<p>Further commenting on the silence maintained by RBI governor over the same, Sibal said that the former may have done some things which require being silent.</p>

<p>In a letter, the employees said that the autonomy and image of RBI had been &quot;dented beyond repair&quot; due to mismanagement and termed the appointment of a senior Finance Ministry official for currency coordination as a &quot;blatant encroachment&quot; of the RBI`s exclusive turf.</p>

<p>In a strongly worded letter addressed to Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor Urjit Patel, the United Forum of Reserve Bank Officers and Employees have alleged that post the government&#39;s demonetisation move, the image of the Central bank has been dented beyond repair.</p>

<p>&quot;We request the Governor of the RBI, its highest functionary and protector of its autonomy and prestige, to do the needful urgently to do away with this unwarranted interference from the Finance Ministry and assure the staff accordingly as the staff feels humiliated,&quot; the letter added.</p>

<p>Various employee unions of the central bank have objected to the government &quot;impinging on RBI autonomy&quot; and have written to Patel to take action against the &quot;unwarranted interference&quot;.</p>

<p>Meanwhile, the Finance Ministry has clarified its stand stating that the Government fully respects the independence and autonomy of the Central Bank.</p>

<p>In a statement, the Ministry said that consultations between the Centre and the RBI are undertaken on various matters of public importance, wherever such consultation is mandated by law or has evolved as a practice. &quot;Consultations mandated by law or as evolved by practice should not be taken as infringement of autonomy of RBI,&quot; the statement added.</p>

<p>(ANI)&nbsp;</p>


Referring to the letter written by RBI employees to the bank's Governor, Sibal said the feeling of the establishments was justified

Supporting the letter written by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) employees to Governor Urjit Patel protesting against operational "mismanagement" post demonetisation, Congress leader Kapil Sibal has said that the RBI was created to be independent of the government which has now been interfered during the drive. "RBI is created to be entirely independent of the government and this tradition is sought to be interfered with and I think that the feeling of the establishments are justified," Sibal told ANI. Further commenting on the silence maintained by RBI governor over the same, Sibal said that the former may have done some things which require being silent. In a letter, the employees said that the autonomy and image of RBI had been "dented beyond repair" due to mismanagement and termed the appointment of a senior Finance Ministry official for currency coordination as a "blatant encroachment" of the RBI`s exclusive turf. In a strongly worded letter addressed to Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor Urjit Patel, the United Forum of Reserve Bank Officers and Employees have alleged that post the government's demonetisation move, the image of the Central bank has been dented beyond repair. "We request the Governor of the RBI, its highest functionary and protector of its autonomy and prestige, to do the needful urgently to do away with this unwarranted interference from the Finance Ministry and assure the staff accordingly as the staff feels humiliated," the letter added. Various employee unions of the central bank have objected to the government "impinging on RBI autonomy" and have written to Patel to take action against the "unwarranted interference". Meanwhile, the Finance Ministry has clarified its stand stating that the Government fully respects the independence and autonomy of the Central Bank. In a statement, the Ministry said that consultations between the Centre and the RBI are undertaken on various matters of public importance, wherever such consultation is mandated by law or has evolved as a practice. "Consultations mandated by law or as evolved by practice should not be taken as infringement of autonomy of RBI," the statement added. (ANI)

RBI was created to be independent of the Centre: Kapil Sibal

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