Anna backs Bedi, says ‘Gang of Four' defaming his team

Anna Hazare on Monday accused the government of attempting to “defame” Kiran Bedi, and alleged that a “Gang of Four” within the Congress was attempting to break up his team of anti-corruption activists.

In his first reaction since The Indian Express published, four days ago, details of how Bedi bought discounted airline tickets but submitted inflated invoices to claim full fare and, at times, Business Class reimbursement, Hazare wrote on his blog that people accusing Bedi “of being involved in air-travel corruption” are actually opposed to the Jan Lokpal Bill.

Bedi has “time and again made it clear that if she has used the money for the benefit of her family then the government should take help of one of its inquiry agencies and if found guilty should take stringent actions against her”, Hazare wrote in his post, titled ‘Rise and fight against Gang of Four!’.

“But the government doesn’t seem forthcoming in taking such a step. To accuse and humiliate seems to be the mantra of the few. This is not the first time that such accusations have been leveled against Kiran Bedi. Every member of `Team Anna’ had to face accusations and character assassination by the ‘gang of four’. Who are these people? Those are the very same people who are not in favor of Janlokpal Bill.”

The Gang of Four, Hazare said, had accused Shanti Bhushan and Prashant Bhushan “on the CD issue” with the intention of spreading “dissension in Team Anna” and “misconceptions among people”. They were responsible, he said, for lathicharging women and children at Baba Ramdev’s rally, for arresting him before his proposed fast, for leveling allegations against Justice Santosh Hegde, and for the slipper attack on Arvind Kejriwal.

“Why do people stoop to so such low level? They have their own reasons. They are afraid if Janlokpal Bill is passed they will be stripped off their power. They will no longer be able to take bribe. Hence under any circumstances they will see to it that the Janlokpal Bill as a law does not come into existence. They will keep blaming Team Anna so they can go on doing corruption,” Hazare wrote.

He did not clarify who the ‘Gang of Four’ were.

However, the “righteous” were in a majority in the government, Hazare said, and hoped they would ultimately prevail over the “gang”, whom he likened to “goons”.

“The number of Ministers who are opposing Janlokpal Bill in Cabinet is handful. It is similar to a village where there are 2 to 4 goons who hold the entire village to ransom. In government there is a majority of people who are righteous but can’t go against these ruffians. Leaving aside these specific 4 to 6 people no one points a finger at us,” he wrote.

Hazare announced he would write to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh asking that the “draft for the Janlokpal Bill to be passed should be put on the internet”. If the Bill is not passed in winter session, Hazare said, he would tour the states going to polls. He asked people to write to PM and Sonia Gandhi demanding the Jan Lokpal — “from all over India 35 to 40 lakh resolutions should reach the government”.

Source http://www.indianexpress.com/news/anna-backs-bedi-says-gangof-four-def.../864992/

Hasan Ali wife goes before ED after HC order

The Bombay High Court on Thursday directed Reema Khan, the wife of Hasan Ali Khan, to appear before Enforcement Directorate for questioning. Later in the day, Khan appeared before the agency. She has also been asked to appear for questioning on August 1, August 3 and August 5. The court has also directed the ED to issue a notice to Khan if further investigation was required.

The court was responding to a petition filed by Khan for quashing proceedings initiated against her under Prevention of Money Laundering Act. “Since the Supreme Court is presently monitoring the investigations, no relief can be granted,” the judges noted.

Reema’s counsel Ishwariprasad Bagaria contended that the alleged offences were said to have been committed before 2000, when Khan had not married Hasan Ali. Bagaria also argued that since an SIT was being formed for investigating the money laundering case, Khan need not appear before the ED. However, the HC asked, “But has the SIT actually taken over the case? The order of the apex court might be there, but it has not been implemented as yet.”

Source http://www.indianexpress.com/news/Hasan-Ali-wife-goes-before-ED-after-HC-order/823933/

2G scam: Kanimozhi seeks bail before court, blames A Raja for conspiracy

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi's daughter and DMK MP Kanimozhi on Friday appeared before a special court, responding to summons for her alleged involvement in the 2G spectrum scam and sought bail on grounds of being a woman.

43-year-old Kanimozhi appeared along with Kalaignar TV Managing Director Sharad Kumar, another accused in the case. The third accused, Cineyug Films Director Karim Morani, who too had been summoned, however, sought exemption from appearance on medical grounds.

Kanimozhi was accompanied to court by several party leaders, including DMK MP T R Baalu.

Soon after the court proceedings began, senior advocate and former Union Law Minister Ram Jethmalani filed a bail plea on her behalf contending that she "has no role, whatsoever, in the scam."

He contended that apart from having a 20 per cent stake in Kalaignar TV, she does not have any role in running its day-to-day affairs. He also said that the entire conspiracy in the spectrum allocation was done by former telecom minister A Raja.

She is neither a board member nor had attended any board meeting of the channel, said Jethmalani, adding that being a woman she deserves to be granted bail.

"The overt act committed by the company can't be attributed to a person who is a mere shareholder and did not take part in any decision which indicates about her complicity in the case."

"I have not absconded nor interfered with the evidence. I was just summoned and I obeyed court orders. I have no wrong intention and bail is my right. It should be granted," Jethmalani said.

As Jethmalani argued for her, Kanimozhi looked calm and composed. The argument on her bail plea, besides proceedings relating to other accused, who appeared in the court were continuing.

Among those who were present in court was DMK MP and former communications minister A. Raja. Others chargesheeted by the CBI - Raja's personal aide R.K. Chandolia, former telecom secretary Siddhartha Behura and Swan Telecom promoter Shahid Balwa - were also in court.

Karunanidhi's wife Dayalu Ammal was listed as a witness.

Kanimozhi was named co-conspirator along with Sharad Kumar, Morani, and Asif Balwa and Rajiv B. Agarwal of Kusegaon Realty in a supplementary chargesheet. The probe agency says she has a 20 percent stake in the TV venture.

Asif Balwa and Agarwal were also present in court.

Vinod Goenka of Swan Telecom, Sanjay Chandra of Unitech and three officials of Reliance ADAG: Gautam Doshi, Hari Nair and Surendra Pipara are also accused in the case.

Raja, Chandolia, Behura, Shahid Balwa, Asif Balwa, Agarwal, Goenka, Chandra, Doshi, Nair and Pipara are in judicial custody.

The case relates to alleged irregularities in the allocation of airwaves to telecom operators that caused huge losses to the national exchequer.

Source http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics/nation/2g-scam-kanimozhi-seeks-bail-before-court-blames-a-raja-for-conspiracy/articleshow/8176265.cms

Japan quake's economic impact worse than first feared

Japan's economics minister warned on Tuesday that the economic damage from last month's earthquake and tsunami is likely to be worse than initially thought as power shortages will crimp factory output and restrict supply chains.

The more sober assessment came as Japan raised the severity of its nuclear crisis at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant to a level 7 from 5, putting it on par with the Chernobyl nuclear disaster in 1986.

The Bank of Japan governor said the economy was in a "severe state," while central bankers were uncertain when efforts to rebuild the tsunami-ravaged northeast would boost growth, according to minutes from a meeting held three days after a record earthquake struck Japan on March 11.

The government and main opposition party have agreed to a spending package to get some reconstruction work started, but setting a large additional budget will be difficult due to Japan's large debt burden.

"After a natural disaster, people tend to refrain from spending and you get a sense that factory output will shrink," Economics Minister Kaoru Yosano told reporters after a cabinet meeting.

"In some areas, the impact could be very big."

Japan is facing its worst crisis since World War Two after a 9.0 magnitude earthquake and a tsunami towering more than 10 meters battered its northeast coast, leaving nearly 28,000 dead or missing and rocking the world's third-largest economy.

The government estimates the material damage alone could top $300 billion, making it by far the world's costliest natural disaster.

Measuring the impact on consumer sentiment, factory production and the supply chain is proving more difficult, but as the crisis drags on at the nuclear power plant, the damage to the economy looks to be more severe.

Toyota Motor Corp (7203.T) on Monday warned that the uncertain supply of parts from Japan could threaten its output of vehicles through July.

The evidence of deeper and long-running output disruptions because of a shortage of key parts -- including semiconductors -- from Japan comes as major automakers grapple with complications caused by parts factories that have been shuttered or are running with limited power in Japan.

"Our economy is in a severe state," BOJ Governor Masaaki Shirakawa told lawmakers on Tuesday.

Many BOJ members said power supply constraints are likely to impact the economy on top of the damage from the quake, minutes from a March 14 meeting showed. The BOJ loosened policy at that meeting by doubling its asset-purchase program to 10 trillion yen ($118 billion).

At its latest policy meeting last week, the BOJ launched an ultra-cheap loan scheme for banks in the area devastated by the quake, and has signaled its readiness to ease monetary policy further if damage from the quake threatens Japan's return to a moderate recovery.

Japan is set to compile an extra budget worth about 4 trillion yen, focusing on removing debris, building temporary housing and restoring infrastructure such as schools. Japan plans to allocate 1 trillion yen to stem job losses and help the unemployed, the Nikkei business daily reported on Tuesday.

This is likely to be the first of several spending packages, but Cabinet ministers, including the finance minister, have said that Japan, which has a huge public debt already twice the size

of its $5 trillion economy, should avoid new bond issuance.

Lending at regional banks rose 1.1 percent year-on-year in March, up from a 0.8 percent rise in February, which may reflect an increase in demand for funding after the quake, a Bank of Japan official told reporters.

Outstanding commercial paper held by banks rose 0.2 percent in March, marking the first rise since September 2008, also likely reflecting the impact of the quake, the official said.

Source http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/04/12/us-japan-economy-idUSTRE73B0O320110412

SC directs food commissioners to visit Dantewada

The Supreme Court has directed food commissioners N C Saxena and Harsh Mandar to visit three interior villages of Chhattisgarh's Dantewada district along with the collector. This comes on a day when a delegation of 10 Congress MLAs made a bid to reach the villages but were turned back citing 'security concerns', 50 kilometres short of their destination.

The three villages - Tadmetla, Morepalli and Teemapuram - have been in the news since March 23 when two newspapers reported that nearly 300 homes here have been allegedly burnt by special police officers. Five days later, a hindi daily reported that six people had died in Morepalli village due to starvation. The villages lie in an area controlled by Maoists and bereft of any civil administration.

While food rations and relief material sent by the administration reached the villages, no senior official has visited yet. On March 26, en route to distribute relief, social activist Swami Agnivesh and journalists were attacked by a mob in Dornapal, that allegedly comprised special police officers in civilian clothes and Salwa Judum members. The same evening, in damage control mode, the government transferred both the senior superintendent of police and the collector of Dantewada.

But the siege like situation continues. On Wednesday, 10 Congress MLAs travelled to Dantewada to visit the villages but could not proceed beyond Polampalli. Bastar Commissioner K Srinivasulu and Inspector General of Police T J Longkumer were travelling with the group. "They blocked our path, citing security concerns. We said we would go ahead even if they did not provide security. They finally arrested and detained us," said Nand Kumar Patel, Congress MLA.

"The police had inputs of disturbances ahead," said Srinivasulu, justifying the decision. "Besides it was already 2 pm, and it would not be safe to travel on an interior road in the evening". (According to one account, the back window his official car was smashed by stone pelted by a group of Salwa Judum supporters. But Srinivasulu said his car was parked near a school and ascribed the 'minor damage to the glass' to mischievous school children).

On Monday, the Home Minister Nankiram Kanwar had read out a statement in Vidhan Sabha, claiming the villages had been burnt by Maoists, not by the police. Nand Kumar Patel said by obstructing members of the opposition and the media, the government was simply trying to cover up excesses by the police. "Is there any place in the country which is made as inaccessible?," said Patel.

Given the Supreme Court directive, it would now become mandatory for Chhattisgarh government to faciliate a visit of the food commissioners, who would assess the reported hunger deaths, and report back to the apex court. The SC directive came in the ongoing hearing in the petition by the Right to Food campaign.

Source http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/SC-directs-food-commissioners-to-visit-Dantewada/articleshow/7823548.cms

All eyes on 2G probe after DMK-Cong deal

The three days of political drama finally ended on Tuesday with the DMK conceding 63 seats for the Congress in Tamil Nadu polls."We are happy to announce the alliance. It's a winning alliance and we will come back to power again," said Gulam Nabi Azad.Now that the seat sharing deal is sealed, the questions being asked are who blinked first and what is the deal that has been hammered out? The deal raises many more questions over the investigations into the 2G scam, like if there will be a slow down in the ongoing CBI investigations into the 2G scam.

Congress sources have said the demand by the DMK is to go slow on the family with regard to the investigations.

Former telecom minister A Raja's arrest and the raids by the CBI on the DMK-owned Kalaignar TV have been seen as attacks on the Karunanidhi family.

But the 2G investigations are under the direct monitoring of the Supreme Court and Congress sources say that it will not be possible for the Congress to intervene at this juncture.

The question however is if the CBI digs deep into the 2G scam, will the alliance be able to survive?

The Congress and the DMK were deadlocked on a deal over sharing of seats in the upcoming Tamil Nadu assembly elections following DMK's decision on Saturday to pull out its ministers from the UPA Government over Congress attitude.

The Congress was insisting on contesting 63 seats whereas the DMK was prepared to give 60, twelve more over the number Congress contested in the last elections. DMK was also not wiling to concede to Congress the choice of seats.

On Friday night, Karunanidhi had accused the Congress of being unreasonable by escalating the demand for seats from 50 to 53 to 57 and then to 60. And after agreeing to settle for 60, the party later raised the demand to 63, he had complained.

DMK's sudden announcement of resignation by its ministers on Saturday took the Congress by surprise. A miffed Congress - used to succumbing to allied pressure - decided to finally take a stand. Congress sources said that what upset it the most was the demand by the party to go slow on the family with regard to 2G investigations. Congress said its hands were tied by the Supreme Court order. It’s when the DMK was unrelenting that Sonia decided to step in.

The DMK-Congess alliance is back on track after Sonia Gandhi decided to step in. An angry Sonia even ticked off Azhagiri and Dayanidhi Maran. Sources said that she accused the DMK of violating the coalition dharma. She went on to suggest that her party was prepared to go it alone in the elections.

This is when the message hit the DMK hard, having realised that things could go worse on the 2G front and that there was no way Congress would relent. Now, the DMK will have to explain its cadre and voters that it did not give in completely to the Congress.

Source http://ibnlive.in.com/news/all-eyes-on-2g-probe-after-dmkcong-deal/145330-37-64.html

106 TN fishermen rounded up

For the first time in the history of the India-Sri Lanka conflict over Tamil Nadu fishermen poaching in Lanka’s northern waters, fishermen of Jaffna on Tuesday took the law into their own hands and caught 18 trawlers, with 106 fishermen from Keechankuppam, Akkaraipet and Karaikal on board, off Point Pedro.

Indian officials in Colombo and S A Mahesh, president of the All Indian Traditional Fishermen Association, confirmed the report.

A Lankan naval spokesman refused to comment as the navy was not involved in the incident. “Local fishermen were involved and they handed over the captured Indian fishermen to the Point Pedro police,” is all he said.

The captured fishermen, who had set off on Saturday, were in custody at the Padithurai police station in Vadamaraachi locality. No incidence of violence had been reported so far.

At an emergency meeting, Tamil Nadu fishermen’s representatives decided to meet Chief Minister M Karunanidhi in Chennai on Wednesday and request him to arrange the release of their colleagues.

Thousands of fishermen of Nagapattinam kept off the sea on Tuesday night as a mark of protest.

Lankan fishermen living near the island’s northern waters, especially in Jaffna and Mannar, have often complained of Tamil Nadu fishermen crowding the area and indulging in bottom trawling, which destroys marine resources by scraping the bottom of the sea.

Source http://expressbuzz.com/nation/106-TN-fishermen-rounded-up/248439.html

Govt to SC: Will reveal names of foreign bank account holders

The Centre on Thursday assured the Supreme Court that it would reveal the names of persons, who have stashed black money in foreign banks after registering a formal case against them. Solicitor General Gopal Subramanium, appearing before a bench headed by Justice B Sudershan Reddy, said government has issued show cause notices against the persons accused of having black money in foreign banks and once a case is registered against them, their names will be made public.

The bench also asked the government to ensure that Hasan Ali Khan, a Pune-based businessman, accused of stashing money in foreign banks, does not leave the country.

"It's your duty to ensure that he is available to face prosecution," the court said when Subramanium informed it that Hasan is in India and the government is taking all necessary steps against him.

The court was hearing a petition filed by noted lawyer Ram Jethmalani and some former bureaucrats seeking the court's direction to the government to bring black money, said to be the tune of 1 trillion US dollars, back to the country.

Senior advocate Anil Divan appearing for Jethmalani contended that the government is not taking effective steps in this direction.

Referring to an article in which it was reported that Letters Rogatory have been issued to authorities in five countries -- UAE, UK, USA, Singapore and Hong Kong -- seeking information regarding black money, he submitted that nothing more has been done in this regard.

Countering Divan's arguments, the solicitor general accepted that Letter Rogatory has been issued and said the government has taken "remarkable" steps in the case of black money.

Placing before the court a sealed envelope, Subramanium said all this information has been given in it.

At the end of the brief hearing, the bench asked whether Hasan Ali can be made a party to the proceedings before it.

The court then adjourned the matter for further hearing on March 3.

Source http://www.hindustantimes.com/Govt-to-SC-Will-reveal-names-of-foreign-bank-account-holders/Article1-660660.aspx

Cabinet discusses black money issue

A day after the government came under attack from the Supreme Court over black money stashed abroad, several Ministers on Thursday voiced concern over the issue at the Union Cabinet meeting here but Prime Minister Manmohan Singh made it clear that the details could not be disclosed.

The Ministers noted that the government was facing the flak from virtually all quarters and the impression was gaining ground that the government had something to hide on the issue, sources said.

At the meeting, Dr. Singh pointed out that the government could not disclose the names about whom it had information regarding accounts in foreign banks as it was bound by various treaties.

Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee said the government had received information about the black money accounts in foreign banks as per international treaties and if this is revealed, no government would share such details in future, the sources said.

It was emphasised that the information was shared purely for taxation purposes and the government intends to do the same without making public the names of account holders or other details, the sources said.

Mr. Mukherjee said he would soon hold a press conference to clear the air on the issue.

The Supreme Court on Wednesday pulled up the government for withholding information on black money stashed in foreign banks, saying it is not just limited to tax evasion but a “mind boggling crime” amounting to “theft” and “plunder” of national wealth having security ramifications.

Hours later, the Prime Minister said “some information” about black money accounts had been provided to India “for use in the collection of due taxes. We cannot use the information for any other purposes and that information cannot be made public” as the country cannot violate the obligations under international treaties.

Source http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/article1105247.ece

Kiran Kumar Reddy meets Sonia, discusses Telangana

On the eve of the release of the Justice B.N. Srikrishna Committee report on Telangana, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy on Wednesday met Congress president Sonia Gandhi and is understood to have discussed the political situation in the state.

Mr. Kiran Reddy arrived here on Wednesday morning to participate in Thursday’s meeting convened by Home Minister P. Chidambaram to discuss the contents of the report of the committee.

He met Ms. Gandhi at her 10, Janpath residence for over an hour and is understood to have discussed the political situation in the state arising out of the Telangana statehood demand.

Andhra Pradesh is waiting with bated breath for the release of the report, which is understood to have dwelled into the demands for a separate Telangana state as well as a united Andhra Pradesh.

During the meeting, the Chief Minister is believed to have briefed the Congress president about the elaborate security arrangements made by his government to thwart any violence.

Violence had erupted last year in the Telangana region after the Centre decided to hold wide-ranging consultations with all stakeholders on the statehood demand.

Ahmed Patel, Gandhi’s political secretary, was also present at the meeting.

The issue of Congress MPs and MLAs threatening to resign from their posts if the committee did not recommend a separate Telangana state is also believed to have come up for discussion.

However, there was no official word on what transpired at the meeting.

Meanwhile, the Congress High Command has asked all party MPs from Telangana to be in the capital today for consultations.

The MPs accompanied by PCC chief D. Srinivas are expected to meet Finance Minister and senior Congress leader Pranab Mukherjee later in the day. The MPs may also meet other senior leaders of the party on Wednesday and Thursday.

Source http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/article1034849.ece