Thiruvananthapuram mayor injured in scuffle, in hospital

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM:

City mayor VK Prasanth, owing allegiance to CPI(M), suffered injuries in a scuffle that broke out between CPI(M) and BJP councillors during a special sitting of the corporation to mark its second anniversary. An injured Prasanth was rushed to a local hospital. The trouble broke |out after the BJP insisted on a discussion on the way the High Mast Lighting programme was being carried out in the city.

French foreign minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said on Saturday the purchase of 36 Rafale fighter jets would bolster India’ssecurityanditwasa“winwin partnership” for both the countries.

The Congress and the BJP havebeenexchangingbarbsover theRafaleaircraftdeal,withCongress vice-president Rahul GandhiaccusingPrimeMinisterNarendraModiofallegedlychanging the“entiredeal”tobenefitabusinessman, a charge debunked by the ruling party. India hadinked an inter-governmental agreement with France in September last year for procurement of 36 Rafale fighter jets at a cost of around₹58,000crore,nearlyoneand-a-half years after Modi announced the proposal. The deliveryofthejetsis scheduledto begin from September 2019.

To a question on the row over the fighter jet deal, Drian said, “I readthestatementofthedefence minister of India, who explains how the purchase of 36 Rafales hasbeenaverygoodopportunity for India’s security and a very good opportunity to work in the contextofMakeInIndiaaswell.”

AtthelaunchofBonjourIndia 2017-18, afour-month-longevent to mark Indo-French partnership, he told reporters, “It (the Rafale deal) is really a win-win partnership.”Drianadded,“Bonjour India is a big symbol of an Indo-Frenchmomentleadingup to the visit of President Emmanuel Macron.”

NEWDELHI: