Fadnavis to have Cyber Cops as guests today

In a policy that could be summed up as ‘tit for tat’, the Shiv Sena-led Maha Vikas Aghadi government will deploy the police, the Economic Offences Wing and the Anti-Corruption Bureau to initiate action against BJP leaders in various cases. Days after former Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis dropped his ‘pen drive bomb’ in the assembly, the cyber police on Saturday issued a notice under section 160 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) to Fad- navis asking him to appear at their BKC Office on Sun- day in the phone-tapping case.

The notice was in connection with a pen drive submitted to the Union home ministry by Fadnavis last year, containing purported conversation on the alleged police transfer racket. This was after the former additional director general of police in charge of state intelligence, Rashmi Shukla, booked for illegal phone tapping, had submitted her report to the former director general of police, Subodh Jaiswal. Thereafter, a threemember committee, headed by the director general of police, had probed the matter and concluded that Shukla had illegally tapped phones, exceeding the permission granted by the home department.

The Maha Vikas Aghadi government, which has been alleging revenge politics by the BJP-led government at the Centre by deploying

MVA TIT-FOR-TAT TACTICS: Notice served on former CM in connection with pen drive containing purported conversation on alleged police transfer racket; initially, he was summoned to BKC office, now the sleuths will meet him at his residence

Fadnavis to have...

Central probe agencies against its leaders, has decided to reciprocate by initiating action against BJP leaders by state agencies.

“As the leader of the opposition, I have the privilege of not revealing where I got the information from but I have been home minister in the past and I understand my responsibility. If an offence was falsely registered and if police want some help, I will respond. Therefore, I will go to the police station on Sunday,” said Fadnavis. “Had the government caught the scamsters and those being probed by the CBI on time and not brushed the matter under the carpet for six months, then I need not have exposed it,” he claimed, adding, “the government wants to protect them and someone who exposed this is being called to the police station.”

However, late on Saturday evening, he said he would not be visiting the BKC police station because he had learnt from the Mumbai police that he would not be required to do so; instead, they would come to his house. “Just received a call from Joint CP,Crime. He told I’m not required to go toBKC police station. Instead, they will only come to take the required information. I have cancelled all my Pune programs for tomorrow. I’ll be at my residence. They can come anytime. Jai Hind, Jai Maharashtra!” he tweeted.

The BJP, which had proposed a show of strength at the BKC Cyber Office, will protest against the police again on Sunday.

However, the ruling MVA has strongly justified the action of the police serving Fadnavis a notice for recording his statement in the phone-tapping case. The chief spokesman of the state Congress, Atul Londhe, tweeted, “If Fadnavisji is saying that CRPC 160 is to help in the investigation, then why did not he reply to the questionnaire sent to him by the police? Isn’t demonstration in front of the police station an obstacle in the investigation? Devendraji, are you bigger than the law?”

A senior minister told The Free Press Journal, “MVA leaders are targeted and jailed in alleged corruption cases by Central probe agencies. The BJP has put in place a strategy whereby its leaders first announce the list of MVA leaders said to be under the scanner of Central probe agencies and later, give out the date of arrests. NCP Minister Nawab Malik was

arrested by the Enforcement Directorate, linking the land transaction to terror funding. This was because he was vocal against the BJP and the Central probe agencies.”

“The names of Transport Minister Anil Parab and Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut have also been announced as those staring at arrest. If they have the CBI, ED and income tax, the state government has the police, Economic Offences Wing and the ACB. BJP leaders should not underestimate the powers of these agencies,” he said. Another minister said the BJP should cease issuing threats and instead, prepare to face action from state agencies. He has ruled out Fadnavis’s claim of a conspiracy against the BJP, saying that the state agencies will take action in accordance with suitable provisions under various laws.

Rush for Nuke-proof...

From Italy to Sweden, Belgium to Britain, the spectre of nuclear war, which had seemed a relic of the past, is permeating a new generation of European consciousness. And it is prompting a new look at defense infrastructure, survival guides and fallout shelters that not long ago were the purview of camouflage-wearing, assault-weapon-toting survivalists or paranoid billionaires, adds the New York Times.

“We are extremely concerned by the nuclear safety, security and safeguards risks caused by the Russian invasion on Ukraine,” the European Union said in statement on Wednesday.

“Picture it like a chalet, but underground,” said Mathieu Séranne, the founder of Artemis Protection, a French maker of prefabricated luxury bunkers with air-filtration systems, which cost at least a half-million euros per shelter.

Almost all of the roughly 650 bunkers in use after World War II in Britain were no longer operational, some were tourist attractions and at least one was now used as a fine wine cellar. The few that still worked served government officials, says the NYT report. Outside the bunkers, others are seeking protection from iodine pills, which, when taken correctly, can help absorb radiation in the thyroid and help prevent cancer from exposure to it.

% rate on PF deposits...

in mind the prevailing international conditions and the market situation.

Taking a swipe at the government, the Congress on Saturday said the reduction in EPFO interest rate was a "return gift" of the

BJP to people following its victory in the justconcluded Assembly polls. "The income of 84 per cent people of the country has decreased. Is it right to attack the savings of crores of employees on the basis of an electoral victory?" asked Congress general secretary and chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala. Provident fund savings are mandatory; at least 12 per cent of an employee's basic salary is compulsorily deducted and is saved in provident fund; to this, an employer cocontributes an equal amount.

HC refuses to cancel...

approach,” the bench noted, adding, “however, there are some defects in the modern approach, namely lack of infrastructure i.e. internet access, availability of devices etc.”

The judges further took into account the fact that because of the mass vaccination drive and the drop in the death rate, schools had now been partially opened.

“It is true that due to Covid-19 pandemic, for two years, education for all classes has been in online mode. The said education mode was adopted in the interest of students and to keep students in the flow of education,” the bench said, adding, “When the situation was normal, in some parts of the state, physical classes were held.” Addressing the contention of Pawar that several students had committed suicide because of the declaration of offline exams, the bench said that newspaper reports indicated that they committed suicide for want of proper infrastructure for online classes.

The bench noted that the state had taken the decision to conduct exams offline after consulting experts in the field, and that it had also increased the number of examination centres from 3,036 to 12,561. “It is directed to adhere to strict Covid protocol at examination centres. The timespan for each paper has been increased and the syllabus for the examination has also been reduced. All the measures taken by the exam board show that while deciding on offline mode examination, they have considered all aspects,” the bench noted from the state affidavit.

“Now the situation is normalising and Covid-19 cases are reducing. Due to vaccination and medication, the recovery rate is higher and death rate is low. There are problems with the online mode of education in rural areas for lack of internet connection and electricity. Some poor students do

not have the money to buy Android mobiles,” the bench observed.

“It is the duty of the state government to consider the interests of students appearing for the examination. After the perusal of records, we find that the state has taken adequate measures to safeguard the interest of students,” the bench said, adding, “Mere fear of one student cannot put at stake the interests of 14,82,198 students appearing for the Class 12 exam, without any reasonable, valid grounds.”

Rahul to be the...

and future alliances with other parties, but it was thrown into dustbin while considering the tie-ups with other parties in the recent elections.

The report was never tabled or discussed in any subsequent meetings.

In the last CWC meeting on October 16 last year, former Rajya Sabha Opposition leader Ghulam Nabi Azad, as leader of the G-23 rebel group, asked about the report but his questions were met with “stoic silence”.

“Even the summary of the report was not verbally shared with the CWC,” one of the members said. The pro-Grandhi camp, however, claims that the report was never meant for the consumption of the CWC or any other leaders.

Senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor, a member of the G-23, had on Thursday, tweeted the party could not avoid change. Some of the rebel leaders met at Azad's residence on Friday evening to discuss the way forward, while expressing dismay at the Congress leadership for not taking any corrective steps to revive the party.

The Gandhi family loyalists refuse to put the blame on Rahul for the debacle. D K Shivakumar, the party's trouble-shooter from Karnataka, on Friday affirmed that the Congress cannot be united without the first family and it was "impossible for it to survive without them."

After a wipe-out in five assembly elections and losing Punjab, one of the last major states under its control, to the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), and failing to put up a strong fight in the three other states, where it had hoped for a comeback - Uttarakhand, Goa and Manipur -- Gandhis are facing all round criticism.

The poll defeat has revived searing criticism of the top leadership and growing clamour for a complete overhaul and a leadership change by a number of party leaders - a demand that was so far confined to the "G-23" or group of 23 rebels who had

written to Sonia Gandhi two years ago. "There will be no course correction," said senior Congress leaders, who were ready to speak out against the Gandhis' leadership but did not want to come on record. Since the CWC will have a closeddoor meeting in the AICC headquarters here, some are expected to speak out, questioning the way Rahul conducted the party for the last two years after quitting as the Congress president over the Lok Sabha poll defeat.

Silent 8% Muslims...

Muslims voted for the BJP,” the survey noted. A CSDS-Lokniti survey of 2019 had indicated 14 per cent support for the BJP. When CSDS posed a question to the community before the 2019 Lok Sabha election on whether they supported another term for the Modi government, 26 per cent Muslims said “yes”, whereas 31 per cent of the Hindu respondents felt that the government should not get another term.

With a substantial percentage of Muslims quietly supporting the BJP, the party’s narrative that the community is anti-BJP and should join the ‘mainstream’ appears to be misplaced. These surveys indicate that the community is willing to support the BJP, but that there has to be a reciprocal “two-way traffic” and the BJP’s posturing that it stands for ‘vikas of all’ should translate into action.

Owing to the perceived political irrelevance of the Muslims since 2014, because of the countermobilisation of Hindus, there is again concern within the community over the futility of extending support to the anti-BJP formations in the state. Many political observers suggest Muslims should increasingly explore the possibilities of opening up to the BJP. It is reasoned that supporting the non-BJP governments (SP, BSP, Congress) out of fear, stemming from the much-publicised BJP bogey, has not helped the Muslims, as their socioeconomic condition has gone from bad to worse over the decades.

There is a feeling in the community that they will have to revisit their strategy of “tactical voting” against the BJP, as has been drilled into their minds by the Opposition parties.

So, they will have to stop treating the “secular” formations as their messiah and the BJP as their arch enemy. There is no doubt that Muslims have benefited as much as Hindus from the various welfare schemes during the last five years in UP.

But still, they are not gung-ho about the idea of reciprocal support to the BJP during elections. This mindset has to change, it is pointed out. The problem with Muslim thinking is that it is moulded by the hardliners within the community. It gets swayed by the anti-BJP rhetoric and shoots itself in the foot by pledging support to whoever seems capable of beating the saffron brigade. But, this polarisation doesn’t give the desired dividend to parties chosen by the Muslims as their benefactor. In the end, their support turns out to be a kiss of death for the anti-BJP formations. Therefore, the community should not be concerned about the demise of the so-called secular parties, it is pointed out. Their concern should be about the increasing irrelevance of their votes in the Hindi heartland.

Mumbai CP quizzed...

Pandey via WhatsApp calls recorded without Pandey’s knowledge, in which the latter allegedly offered to resolve the issue between Singh and the Maharashtra government amicably, after Singh wrote to Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, raising charges of extortion against Deshmukh in March last year. Later, Pandey immediately recused himself from the enquiry he was conducting against Singh. Earlier this month, a CBI team had questioned Deshmukh inside Arthur Road Jail, in connection with the corruption case registered by the agency against him. A special Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court had allowed the CBI to question Deshmukh, lodged in Arthur Road Jail, between March 3 and March 5, in presence of a jail officer. The CBI move to question Deshmukh came after its searches in Nagpur and Mumbai at the premises of people linked with Deshmukh, including chartered accountants, last month. In October last year, the CBI had arrested a Thane resident, Santosh Jagtap, in the corruption case. A non-bailable warrant (NBW) was also issued against him by the court. In August, a CBI team had conducted searches at Jagtap’s premises and had also seized Rs 9 lakh. The investigation had indicated that Jagtap played the role of a middleman in the transfer and postings of officers. On April 21 last year, the CBI had registered a corruption case against Deshmukh and others under the IPC sections related to criminal conspiracy and section of the Prevention of Corruption Act for “attempt to obtain undue advantage for improper and dishonest performance of public duty”.