Modi visits Rajghat, pays tributes to Gandhi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Rajghat - the memorial of Mahatma Gandhi on Thursday morning to pay tributes to the Father of the Nation on his birth anniversary.

Mr. Modi visited Rajghat ahead of the launch of Swachh Bharat Abhiyan.

Mr. Modi had declared that the mission will be launched Oct 2 and that a "clean India" will be the best tribute to Mahatma Gandhi on his 150th birth anniversary in 2019.

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Modi hard sells India to big US business

Hard selling India with assurances of a business-friendly environment and a stable and simpler tax regime, Prime Minister Narendra Modi invited top US business to come and invest in India.



Addressing the US-India Business Council comprising 300 top US companies doing business with India here Tuesday, he promised to replace bureaucratic red tape with a red carpet.



The role of the government should be that of a facilitator, Modi said wrapping up his five day trip to the US all through which he has made a strong pitch for investment in India with a promise of extensive use of technology better infrastructure and labour reforms.



He invited US business leaders to come to India and join the "Make in India" campaign saying its a win-win situation as India is moving ahead with great speed.



Since coming to office four months ago, Modi said his government had cleared a record number of foreign investments though admittedly it had not been possible to make a great many changes in such a short span.



Before coming to Washington Monday, Modi had breakfast meetings in New York with 11 CEOs, including those of Google, Citigroup and Pepsico.



It was followed by one-on-one meetings with six other CEOs of companies like Boeing, IBM, GE and Goldman Sachs.



There too he had made the same pitch: India is open-minded and wants change. "We want change, but a change that is not one sided" and he is discussing with citizens, industrialists and investors how to go about it.



USIBCs Indian-American chairman Ajay Banga, who is also the CEO of MasterCard, expressing confidence that India-US trade can grow five fold from the current $100 billion in five years said: "The best days of US-India relations are coming."



US Chamber of Commerce president Tom Donohue also welcomed Modis commitment to replace "the red tape with the red carpet" and the governments commitment to labour and tax reforms.



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12 killed, 45 injured in train collision near Gorakhpur in UP

At least twelve persons were killed and 45 others injured when two speeding passenger trains collided near Gorakhpur late last night, a railway official said today.



At least twelve persons have died and among the 45 injured, 12 are grievously injured, railway spokesperson Anil Saxena said.



Krishak Express, travelling from Varanasi to Gorakhpur, hit Barauni Express, going from Lucknow to Barauni, from behind at a place, about 7 km from here at around 11 pm, Chief Public Relations Officer Alok Singh said.



Singh said three coaches of Barauni Express were thrown off the track following the collision.



Railway officials have rushed to the spot and rescue work was in full swing. The injured have been admitted to a nearby hospital.



The railway has also set up helpline for inquiries for various cities -- Gorakhpur (05513303365, 09794846980), Lucknow (05222233042), Chhapra (09006693233) and Benares (09919041978), the spokesperson said.



"The railway has suspended the drivers of Krishak Express for overshooting the signal", Saxena said.



"An inquiry has been ordered by the railway under Commissioner Rail Safety P K Bajpai to ascertain the cause of the incident," he said.



Movement of trains on Gorakhpur-Varanasi track has been disrupted following the incident and few trains have been diverted.



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$10,000 reward for serving summons to Modi

The civil rights body behind a lawsuit filed against Prime Minister Narendra Modi in connection with the 2002 Gujarat riots case has offered a reward of USD 10,000 to anyone who could serve him with the court summons.



New York-based legal advisor Gurpatwant Singh Pannun told reporters here yesterday that American Justice Centre (AJC) is offering a reward of USD 10,000 to anyone who will serve the summons on Modi during his various public engagements in the city over the period of next two days.



The reward will be given to the person who serves the summons and brings a pictorial and video proof that the summons have been served. The group has also hired process servers to serve the summons.



The group said that service in the lawsuit in being governed under the New York State laws, which provide that the service can be accomplished from a distance of even 10 feet and "papers can be thrown" over the individual concerned. This will be taken as the summons having being served.



The summons against Modi were issued Thursday by the US Federal Court for the Southern District of New York for his alleged role in 2002 communal riots in Gujarat when he was the chief minister.



These have been issued on a civil lawsuit filed against Modi by the AJC along with two survivors of the post-Godhra violence under the Alien Tort Claims Act and the Torture Victim Protection Act. Seeking compensatory and punitive damages, the 28-page complaint charges Modi with committing crimes against humanity, extra-judicial killings, torture and inflicting mental and physical trauma on the victims, mostly from the Muslim community.



Modis arrival in the US provides a special opportunity to charge him under the Alien Tort Claims Act and the Torture Victims Protection Act (TVPA).



These laws were enacted to enable victims of human rights abuses to pursue justice against their tormentors even when the crimes were committed outside the US. AJC President Joseph Whittington said that while serving the summons on Modi will not be easy, it will be a symbolic victory for the victims of the 2002 riots.



Pannun said, "as a Prime Minister, Modi will be immune from the acts he has committed as a Prime Minister but not for the acts that he has committed as the Chief Minister of Gujarat when the riots happened."



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PM Modi 'ring fenced' against summons

India today made it very clear that Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who arrived here on a five-day visit, was "ring fenced" and there was no question of anyone serving any summons on him and that an action in the matter was underway.



Indias strong reaction came a day after a federal US court issued summons against Modi on his alleged role in 2002 communal violence in Gujarat when he was the state chief minister.



Even the White House downplayed the issue, with its Press Secretary Josh Earnest saying that it (lawsuit) was not going to have any impact on Prime Minister Modis very important visit and added that sitting heads of government also enjoy personal inviolability while in the US, which means they cannot be personally handed or delivered papers to begin the process of a lawsuit.



Asked about the summons, External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Syed Akbaruddin said, "Indian representative is ring fenced. There is no question of anyone serving any summons on Indias sovereign representative. Lets make it very clear, there will be no such issues. State Department has also clarified today."



He said the government will handle the process in accordance with the procedure and an action was underway on that.



The summons against Modi were issued by US Federal Court for the Southern District of New York following a lawsuit filed by the New York-based American Justice Center (AJC), a non-profit human rights organization, along with two "unnamed" survivors of the 2002 Gujarat violence.



Earlier, the Spokesperson had termed the case as "frivolous and malicious attempt to distract attention from the visit of the Prime Minister to the United States General Assembly and a bilateral summit with the president of the United States.



"The India-American community in the US is also eagerly looking forward to the Prime Ministers visit and has prepared a rousing reception for him.



"The allegations in the case are baseless and similar to other such allegations made in the past against the Prime Minister. A Supreme Court of India-monitored investigation has comprehensively examined and dismissed these allegations as baseless," he said.



"It is unfortunate that vested interests are raking up the matter only to vitiate the atmosphere during the visit. Appropriate steps are being taken to address the matter," he added.





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Pakistan 'spoiled the talks' by talking to Hurriyat: Swaraj

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj today said Pakistan "spoiled the talks" by talking to Hurriyat leaders just ahead of Foreign Secretaries of the two nations were scheduled to meet in Islamabad last month.



"New (Narendra Modi) government has given a new signal. So they (Pakistan) spoiled the talks, they spoiled the game," Swaraj told Indian reporters here after her meeting with the IBSA Foreign Ministers on the sidelines of the ongoing UN General Assembly session.



Swaraj was asked to comment on Pakistans National Security and Foreign Affairs Adviser Sartaj Azizs remarks that talks between the two countries can happen only if New Delhi takes the initiative since India was the one which cancelled the August 25 talks.



Swaraj said: "No question of first or second. As far as our reaction is concerned we have said repeatedly that if a reaction had to come it had to come at this time only. The initiative was there from our side," she said.



She said it was Prime Minister Narendra Modi who had invited Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif for his swearing-in ceremony.



During the bilateral meeting between the two prime ministers it was discussed that trade should start immediately at the Wagah-Attari border, said Swaraj.



She said Sharif had suggested that foreign secretaries should meet for bilateral talks and "we agreed to that."



"But just as the talks are about to happen on the 25th (August), four days prior to that the (Pakistani envoy) is talking with Hurriyat leaders, then who spoiled the game," she asked.



Aziz had also remarked that there was nothing new in Pakistani officials talking to Hurriyat leaders and such talks have been happening for the last 20 years.



Swaraj said as far as talks with Hurriyat leaders are concerned, the leaders who came from Pakistan used to talk with the group.



But "for the first time Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif came to India and he did not talk to them because he understood Indias signal. Things began from there," she said.



"But before any talks, the ambassador has met with the Hurriyat leaders, that has never happened," Swaraj said.



Swaraj said she has not talked to Aziz yet but the two were present for the Commonwealth and SAARC Foreign Ministers meetings yesterday.



Swaraj had last met Aziz on September 12 at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Summit in Dushanbe where the two had exchanged pleasantries during a break at the summit.



"When you are sitting at the same dinner table you have some civilities. We exchanged pleasantries" she said of her meeting in the Tajik capital.



Ahead of participating in the SAARC meeting, Aziz told a group of Indian reporters that an India-Pakistan talks can happen only if New Delhi takes the initiative.



He said there is no possibility of a meeting between Modi and Sharif.



On being asked that India was upset over Pakistani envoy Abdul Basits talks with Hurriyat leaders, Aziz said "it was an over-reaction by India."



"Hurriyat talks were nothing new. (Pakistan officials) have been meeting Hurriyat leaders since last 20 years. There will be no initiative from our side. Initiative has to come from India." On India having concerns over ceasefire violations at the border, Aziz said there were not any violations by Pakistan.



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Live blog: Mangalyaan - India's Mars mission

After a 300-day flight and covering a distance of 680-million km after its launch on November 5, 2013, the Rs 450-crore Isros Mars Orbiter Mission entered the Martian orbit at 7.18am.

The mission begian at 4:17 am and conclude by 8:15 am in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Indian Space Telemetry and Tracking Command Network (Istrac), Peenya.



7: 48 am: All engines are working fine, says ISRO

7: 45 am: ISRO fires all engines. Gives command to Mangalyan to enter Mars orbit.

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Indian men shoot bronze in 10m air pistol, Jitu enters finals

Indian men settled for a bronze medal after narrowly missing the silver in the 10m air pistol event at the Ongnyeon shooting range, continuing their good run in the 17th Asian Games, here today.



Their latest shooting star Jitu Rai also entered the eight-man final as the second best qualifier, a day after clinching the 50m gold, to make it a satisfactory morning.

Rais precise shooting, that helped him garner 585 points and qualify with a point behind Kazakhstans Rashid Yunusmetov, backed up by Samaresh Jungs 580 (who finished 9th) and Prakash Nanjappas 578 (14th), albeit with an injured leg, helped India garner 1743 points, the same as second placed China, for the bronze.



India and China were level on points and the silver was decided by the number of Xs (bullseye) in the tens in which the latter tallied one more - 65 to Indias 64.



The gold was won by hosts South Korea with a combined tally of 1744, leading Samaresh to later say that "why only silver, we narrowly missed the gold too".



Rai, who had provided India with their first gold in these Games on day one of competitions yesterday, has a very good chance of adding another to his and the countrys tally later this morning when the eight-man finals take place.



Rais sequence of hits at the target were 97, 99, 95, 98, 97 and 99 and he even expressed his disappointment despite scoring tens at times.



Burly Samaresh, the 2006 Commonwealth Games Gold Finger, came up with 97, 97, 97, 96, 96 and 98 to finish one slot outside the finals qualification.



He later said, "I am pretty happy to finish with a medal and not exactly disappointed (at not making the finals)."



"Why only silver, we missed out on the gold too by one point. But thats how it goes," he said.



Like all other shooting contingent members, he too had to return to India after the World Championships in Spain to get Korean visas in the absence of their accreditations with them but, unlike a few of the rest, said he was quite happy to spend a day at home after spending several days overseas.



Asked about his immediate future, he said, "I am not even looking at the Rio qualifications now. If I get a quota I will go and shoot there. Its two years away. I will be taking part in the nationals."



Nanjappa, a CWG gold medal winner, was hampered by a leg injury which he had sustained just before the Granada worlds while running on the road as part of the physical fitness training process in Hanover, Germany.



"I shot in the world championships with this ligament strain on my left leg. I did so again today after removing the cast and took some time to shoot well," he said.



Nanjappa said another problem he faced, like fellow shooter Shweta Chaudhry, was that he could not use his new weapon, a different brand of Italian make to the one he had been using in the past, during yesterdays practice as "it had been held up at the Korean Customs and got released only late yesterday".



"We provide our federation with the details of the weapon we are using and the federation forwards the information to the Indian Olympic Association. For my part I had informed the federation well in advance."



"The weapon, if its new, has a different feel to it. I used it at the World Championships," he added.



Saying he was disappointed at not making the finals, Nanjappa said the team could have won the silver if not gold.



"We should have done better. I took time to settle down. I had not done any physical fitness routine like running for several days because of my doctors advice following the leg injury," he pointed out.



Having completed his campaign here, he has set his immediate future sights on the upcoming nationals in Delhi and the National Games next year in Kerala.



"These two and one more qualification tournament would decide the teams for the World Cups to get our quota places for the Rio Olympics," he said.

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Counting begins in 10-state bypoll, stakes high for BJP

Counting of votes began on Tuesday in three Lok Sabha and 33 assembly constituencies spread across 10 states where bypolls were held on September 13, with stakes high for BJP.


The three Lok Sabha seats are in Vadodara (Gujarat), vacated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Mainpuri (Uttar Pradesh) and Medak (Telangana) while 11 assembly constituencies are in UP, nine in Gujarat, four in Rajasthan, two in West Bengal, five in Northeastern states and one each in Chhattisgarh and Andhra Pradesh.

24 of these assembly seats were held by BJP and one each by its allies Apna Dal and TDP.

After BJPs near-total sweep of the 80 seats in Uttar Pradesh in Lok Sabha polls just four months ago, it is to be seen whether the party can retain its 10 seats. One seat was earlier with its ally Apna Dal.

Last month, the saffron party had received a jolt in assembly byelections suffering a 4-6 defeat at the hands of the RJD-JD(U)-Congress alliance in Bihar and yielding two strongholds to Congress in Karnataka and Madhya Pradesh.

The bypoll results, seen as yet another test of Narendra Modi governments popularity since it assumed power in May, are also important as BJP is preparing for polls in Haryana and Maharashtra next month where it hopes to oust the Congress.

Around 53 per cent votes were polled in the seats in UP, including Mainpuri vacated by Samajwadi Party supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav. SP has fielded Tej Pratap Singh Yadav, the grandson of Mulayams elder brother and the challenge for it is not just to win the seat again but also to maintain the big margin.

The 11 assembly seats in UP, whose outcome may be a pointer to which way the political wind is blowing in the run up to 2017 assembly polls, are Saharanpur Nagar, Noida, Thakurdwara, Bijnor, Nighasan, Balha, Sirathu, Rohaniya, Hamirpur, Charkhari and Lucknow East.

In Rajasthan, it is a close contest between main opposition Congress and the ruling BJP, which would try to retain all four seats and maintain a tally of 163 in the House of 200. The four assembly seats in Rajasthan saw a voting figure of 66 per cent.

The counting of votes would begin in four district headquarters of Jhunjhunu, Ajmer, Kota and Bharatpur tomorrow at 0800 hrs, Chief Electoral Officer Govind Sharma said in Jaipur.

Trinamool Congress is hoping to retain two assembly seats of Basirhat Dakshin and Chowringhee in West Bengal in the face of Saradha chit fund scam that has already ensnared some of its leaders.

In Gujarat, Narendra Modis successor as chief minister Anandiben Patel is facing her first big test with the bypolls in Vadodara LS seat and in nine assembly constituencies, all held by BJP earlier.

It is the first election in Gujarat in more than 12 years that BJP fought without its star campaigner Modi. In Medak, TRS K Prabhakar Reddy contested against BJPs T Jayaprakash Reddy in Medak, the seat vacated by K C Chandrasekhar Rao on becoming Telangana Chief Minister.

TDP is trying hard to prove it wont be easy to conquer its bastion Nandigama assembly in Krishna district where it is in a direct fight against Congress.

Congress again faces challenge in Assam against BJP as well as perfume baron Badruddin Ajmals All India United Democratic Front. The assembly seats were bypolls were held are Lakhipur and Silchar, both held by Congress earlier. Jamunamukh was held by AIUDF.Counting of votes will also be held for Rangang-Yangang seat in Sikkim, Manu in Tripura and Antagarh in Chhattisgarh.

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Cilic crushes Nishikori to claim U.S. Open title

NEW YORK, September 9, 2014 (Reuters)

- Croatias Marin Cilic swept past Japans Kei Nishikori 6-3 6-3 6-3 to win the U.S. Open on Monday and reach the pinnacle of the sport one year after a doping ban kept him out of the years final grand slam.

The big-serving Croatian overwhelmed a weary Nishikori in one hour, 54 minutes to clinch a ruthless victory and deny his 10th-seeded opponents bid to become the first Asian man to win a grand slam.

With the win, 14th seed Cilic becomes the first Croatian to win one of the sports four grand slam championships since his coach Goran Ivanisevic celebrated a Wimbledon victory in 2001.

"This is all hard work in these last several years and especially this last year," said Cilic. "My team has brought something special to me, especially Goran, we were working really hard but the most important thing he brought to me was enjoying tennis and always having fun."

"I enjoyed my best tennis over here and played the best ever in my life."The final marked the first time since the 2005 Australian Open that at least one of tenniss big three of Novak Djokovic, Rafa Nadal and Roger Federer was not playing for the title.

The two players walked onto the Arthur Ashe Stadium court under overcast skies and much more forgiving conditions than the sweltering heat they faced through much of the fortnight.

While both men were playing in their first grand slam final it was Nishikori who displayed more jitters as Cilic quickly found his range and unloaded on his helpless opponent by blasting 17 aces to Nishikoris two.

Nishikori had his opportunities with nine break chances but could convert just one while Cilic was five of 11 and enjoyed a 38-19 edge in winners.

"Its a really tough loss but I'm really happy coming to my first final," said Nishikori, who appeared to run out of gas after beating three consecutive top-10 opponents and having to endure a pair of five-setters. "Sorry I couldn't get a trophy today but for sure next time.

"It was a really fun two weeks here. I hope I can be coming back next year."

PRETTY NERVOUS

Cilic had Nishikori on the back foot from start to finish, speeding through the opening set in 33 minutes.

The 14th seed, using his huge wingspan to reach out and bash forehands across court and a booming serve to score easy points, again had an early break in the second and added another to goup 5-2.

Nishikori mustered a fightback to score his only break of the match and close to 5-3 but the relentless Cilic broke right back for a 2-0 lead killing any momentum his reeling opponent was building.

With a maiden grand slam within sight, Cilic kept his foot on the gas and grabbed an early break in the third.

The only nerves Cilic would show came when he double faulted on his first match point.

But it was only a momentary lapse as he buckled down and finished off a reeling Nishikori with a backhard winner before letting out a mighty scream as he fell onto his back and raised his arms in celebration.

"You never know when the nerves are going to kick in," said Cilic, who returned to competition last October after a four-month ban for what he always maintained was the result of ingesting a banned substance through a tainted supplement.

"I think both of us were pretty nervous in the first set especially.

"Everything I was working for and dreaming came today and I feel for all the other players that are working hard, I think this is a big sign, a big hope that if you are working hard things are going to pay off."





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OC from BBMP must for City high-rises

Those constructing high-rise residential and commercial buildings within the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) limits should obtain Occupancy Certificate (OC) from the BBMP, failing which power connection will not be given to such structures.



In a letter to the Bangalore Electricity Supply Company (Bescom) managing director, BBMP Commissioner M Lakshminarayana said that the BBMP Council had passed a resolution that Bescom should provide electricity only to those buildings within the BBMP limits which have the OC.



The letter further says this decision was taken to curb illegalities, such as encroachment and building plan violations. The letter has brought the focus back on the controversy as to who should issue the OC to these high rises.



Successive BBMP commissioners had accused the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) of violating the jurisdictional sanctity by sanctioning building plan, Commencement Certificates (CC) and the OC to buildings within BBMP limits.



Finally the BBMP Council passed a resolution. But the BDA continues to issue building plans, CC and OC.



For instance, the BDA had sanctioned the building plan and issued CC and OC to Mantri Developers for their Mantri Tranquil project.



The BDA ignored the fact that the project was within BBMP limits and that the C and D blocks of the Mantri Tranquil were built on the storm water drain.



Now, Bescom has disconnected power to the two residential blocks comprising some 400 apartments based on BBMPs recommendation and notices to the residents.



This has left the occupants without electricity for the last 16 days. They are depending on the diesel generator sets.



Speaking to Deccan Herald, Lakshminarayana said the BDA or any other civic agency does not have the jurisdiction to issue CC or OC to buildings within BBMP limits.





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Onus on PM, CMs to decriminalise politics, says SC

A five-judge Constitution bench of the Supreme Court on Wednesday put moral pressure on the prime minister and chief ministers to re-think on continuance of any member facing trial for heinous offences and corruption cases as a minister.



However, the bench presided over by Chief Justice R M Lodha did not give any ruling to bar the "tainted" members from induction into the council of ministers.



It noted that the prime minister and chief ministers, who are seen as trustees of the Constitution, should act in "the interest of national polity of the nation-state" as they are under the gaze of the watchful eyes of the people of the country.



"The repose of faith in the prime minister by the entire nation under the Constitution has expectations of good governance which is carried on by ministers of his choice.



It is also expected that the persons who are chosen as ministers do not have criminal antecedents, especially facing trial in respect of serious or heinous criminal offences or offences pertaining to corruption," the bench said.Need good governance



"In a democracy, the people never intend to be governed by persons who have criminal antecedents. This is not merely a hope and aspiration of citizenry but the idea is also engrained in apposite executive governance," the bench added.



The court said that the prime minister has been regarded as the repository of constitutional trust and the framers of the Constitution left many a thing unwritten by reposing immense trust in the prime minister.



"There can be no dispute over the proposition that unless a person is convicted, he is presumed to be innocent but the presumption of innocence in criminal jurisprudence is something altogether different, and not to be considered for being chosen as a minister to the council of ministers because framing of charge in a criminal case is totally another thing," it said.



The court also said that framing of charge in a trial has its own significance and consequence as it is a judicial act by an experienced judicial mind (a trial judge) on examination of a charge sheet.



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PMO denies Modi ticked off Rajnath's son; Amit Shah too comes to rescue

In an apparent bid to scotch rumours of a major rift in the Central government, the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) and BJP president Amit Shah on Wednesday came out in strong defence of Home Minister Rajnath Singh by dismissing reports of his son's inappropriate conduct as baseless.



Minutes before Prime Minister Narendra Modi's office issued a statement, Singh told reporters outside his North Block office: "If charges against any family member are proven, I will quit politics and sit at home."



The home minister decided to quell the buzz in the corridors of power for more than a fortnight now, as latest reports hinted at Singh holding another senior minister responsible for spreading unverified stories that his son was recently ticked off by Modi for inappropriate political behaviour. The reports also said that Singh took up the matter with Modi and Shah, which was confirmed by the former.



The PMO rubbished the reports, describing them as "plain lies, motivated and constituting a malicious attempt at character assassination and tarnishing the image of the government". Sending out a strong message that rumour-mongering would not be tolerated by the NDA government, the PMO clarification stated that "those indulging in such rumour-mongering are damaging the interest of the nation".



Amit Shah, following Modi's line, openly denounced the reports. "Rajnath Singh's political life is an example of decency, dignity and honesty. Any allegations against him are baseless and instigated by an intent to tarnish the image of the party. I condemn it strongly. I feel personally hurt by the incident," Shah said in a party release.



The BJP chief accused a section of the media of targeting Union ministers through "unfounded and baseless reports".



He requested them to abandon such attempts since similar rumours were making the rounds, some of them even reaching gossip columns of newspapers, about other ministers being pulled up by the PM for different acts of ommission ranging from not turning up in formal attire, to courting businessmen.



Since coming to power in May, this is the second reported attempt which betrayed a deep rift within the BJP.



Early on, Union Road and surface transport minister Nitin Gadkari's house was reportedly bugged, which set tongues wagging in political circles and in the government though an official denial was promptly issued. Curiously, both Rajnath and Gadkari are senior leaders and part of Modi's core team.



The buzz about Singh first emanated a few weeks ago after a gossip item appeared in an English newspaper, which was followed by a column in another newspaper, and finally a pink daily on Wednesday reporting that a miffed Singh had initiated steps to call the reports a bluff.



In a brief statement to the media, Singh said, "In the last 15-20 days, there have been continuous rumours about me and my family. I thought rumours have no basis and they will end soon.



But the rumours are gaining momentum day-after-day. I want to assure the nation that the day the allegations, prima facie or otherwise, are proved against me or my family, I will quit politics and public life and sit at home".



On who could be spreading the rumours, the minister said it was for investigative journalists to dig out.



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Woman found murdered, husband's role suspected

A 24-year-old woman was found murdered at her house in Madiwala police limits on Tuesday.The victim is Munilakshmi, a resident of Bandepalya.



Munilakshmi, a homemaker, was married to Anil Kumar four years ago. Kumar is the son of the victim's aunt. He works in a factory in Bangalore and hails from Chikkaballapur. The couple have a two-year-old daughter, police said.



The couple were not on good terms over the last few months and there used to be regular fights between them. Kumar had taken to alcohol and had borrowed loans from various sources as he was facing a financial problem, police said.



The couple fought over a petty issue on Tuesday afternoon. He strangled her and went out of the house along with his daughter. He locked the house from outside and went to the residence of the victim's sister in Madiwala. He left his daughter there and told his sister's family that he will be back after some time.



The family members grew suspicious as he did not return. They kept calling him, but his cellphone was not reachable.They called up Munilakshmi, but there was no response from her.They went to the house, broke open the door, went inside and saw her lying dead on the floor, police said.



The police suspect the involvement of Kumar as he is absconding.He will be arrested shortly, DCP(Southeast)Rohini Katoch Sepat said.



Youth rapes minor, held



A youth was arrested for allegedly raping a minor girl in Peenya on Wednesday. The suspect is Santosh, a resident of Sapatagiri Layout.



According to police, Santosh developed a friendship with his 13-year-old neighbour. He would meet the girl whenever she was alone in the house and managed to have a physical relationship, which resulted in her pregnancy, police said.



Her parents took the girl to a nearby hospital on Wednesday after she complained of stomach pain.After examining her, the doctors told the parents that she was pregnant.They were shocked and questioned her.



She disclosed her affair with Santosh, police said. Based on a complaint, the police booked Santosh and arrested him.



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BWSSB billing mess: Consumers levied BCC charges again

Stumped by their first-ever water bills, BWSSB consumers in the City's new BBMP areas are crying foul.



Reason: Having promptly paid the Beneficiary Capital Contribution (BCC) to the Board, fixed the meters and got their connections legalised last year, they are now being levied the same charge a second time.



It is now learnt the double billing has everything to do with a major scam unearthed in the BWSSB's Greater Bangalore Water and Sanitation Project (GBWASP) in January 2014. The Board's audit section had found that two staff members had siphoned off Rs 10 lakh by issuing fake bank acknowledgements (challans) to unsuspecting consumers who had paid the BCC in the KR Puram division.



The BCC was not deposited in the BWSSB's bank account. It was feared that several crores of rupees may have been unaccounted for. But the BWSSB is now not sure whether a consumer's challan is fake or real. So, it has done the easiest thing: Include the BCC in every bill under the head "arrears."



When contacted, BWSSB Engineer-in-Chief T Venkataraju told Deccan Herald that if the consumer produced the challan as documentary evidence, the Board would check whether the money is actually credited to its bank account. If the challan is real, the money would be adjusted in the next billing cycle.



But several consumers, particularly in the KR Puram division, are unaware of this option. Many have actually paid the BCC amount again as the bill does not explain what the "arrears" actually means.



Bill recalculation



Consumers who did question the local BWSSB office were asked not to pay the full amount and instead write to the BWSSB chairman with the BCC paid receipt. J Krishna Murthy, a resident of Shastrinagar near HAL, had paid Rs 5,000 as BCC for his house on a 30' X 40' plot. But his first water bill amount was Rs 4,656, way above his monthly water charge of Rs 93. On approaching the local BWSSB office, the bill was recalculated and he had to pay only Rs 644.



However, Abdul Salam, a resident of the adjacent Annasandrapalya, had no such luck. His bill amount was a hefty Rs 8,095, of which Rs 7,291 was shown as other charges and Rs 122 as arrears on those charges. He too had paid the BCC years before. Since he did not question the billers, he was given no explanation or assurance of a refund.



Illegal connections



For the acutely water-starved new BBMP areas, the supply of Cauvery water under the GBWASP had come as a huge saviour. But despite laying the water pipelines at high cost and making available about 3.59 lakh connections, only 65 per cent of the consumers paid up the BCC to get legal connections. The rest preferred to bypass the house connection and take the water directly from the mainlines.



The GBWASP benefited residents of seven erstwhile City Municipal Councils of Yelahanka, Byatarayanapura, Bommanahalli, Mahadevapura, KR Puram, Rajarajeshwarinagar and Dasarahalli and the Town Municipal Council of Kengeri.



Residents here were earlier dependent on borewells and had no water bills to pay. Water supplied through the Cauvery Stage IV Phase II was initially given free of cost. BWSSB officials found to their shock that many were not prepared to regularise the connections.





source Deccan Herald - News http://ift.tt/1AVFx0W

DVS son faces arrest on rape charge

Union Railway Minister DVSadananda Gowda's son Karthik Gowda, who was engaged to a girl at Kushal Nagar on Wednesday, faces arrest as the Bangalore City Police registered cases of rape, abduction and cheating against him.



"We booked Karthik Gowda under IPCSections 376 (rape) and 420 (cheating) after a small time actor Maithreyi Gowda lodged a complaint accusing him of having raped her besides cheating," said a senior police officer.



Maithreyi Gowda was sent to Ambedkar Medical College for Venereal Disease Research Laboratory (VDRL) Test. If the test result is proved to be positive, then Karthik will also be subjected for VDRL Test which will confirm if the two had physical relationship, said a police officer.



The police are expected to arrest Gowda soon, which is mandatory as per the revised law, said the police. She referred Karthik as her husband in the complaint.



Maithreyi approached the RTNagar police along with her advocate Akash and lodged a three-page complaint. She claimed in the complaint that one of her friends, Kushal, introduced Karthik to her at a Coffee Day at Sanjayanagar on May 8, 2014. Later, they became friends and started an affair. They got married at his residence in Mangalore on June 5, 2014, she claimed.



Karthik assured Maithreyi of marrying her and entered into a physical relationship.He cheated her later by distancing himself and getting engaged to another girl, she claimed.



Akash said they included every minute detail in the complaint."We have stated the places these two visited, how they met each other, became friends and how he misled her and raped her.



We have also mentioned the subsequent developments at later stages, how he managed to change Maithreyi's mind and how he made her fall to his intentions and how she chose the wrong path due to his pressures," he said.



" Though he did not indulge in physical abduction, he misled her by claiming that he would marry her and failed to keep up his promise. Misleading and using a person for a specific agenda also amounts to abduction," Akash justified.



Maithreyi claimed that she trusted him fully as he was possessive of her.He claimed that his parents were fond of him and he would convince them about their relationship. He claimed that he did not like any girl even as his parents were searching for an alliance, she added.



"He tied the sacred thread at his residence in Mangalore which is the only proof of wedding. We did not register the wedding as I married him purely based on trust. He wanted to have physical relationship with me.I could not resist his pressure, agreed for it only after the wedding," she claimed.



Maithreyi said she felt like committing suicide after meeting his mother on August 11. His mother said she would never approve of the wedding as it was purely done by Karthik and Maithreyi.The wedding was invalid as no elders ever approved it, Maithreyi claimed.



Reacting to the development, Karthik Gowda claimed to be innocent and said, "I am busy with myself and my work and not aware of anything."



source Deccan Herald - News http://ift.tt/1tLpK1l

Centre scraps 1 LPG cylinder/month rule

Ahead of the Assembly elections in four crucial states, the NDA government on Wednesday lifted the restriction of one cooking gas cylinder per month to a household, allowing consumers to avail 12 cylinders in their quota at any time of the year.



An official statement said that according to the Union Cabinet decision that, "while 12 subsidised LPG cylinders per annum will continue to be supplied to all domestic consumers, there will be no separate monthly restriction of one cylinder per month," an official statement said.



A decision to cut yearly LPG cylinder quota from 12 to six in a bid to reduce oil subsidy bill had cost the previous UPA government dearly as the Congress-led alliance lost in four state Assembly elections of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Delhi in 2013.



The NDA government is going to face Assembly polls in Maharashtra, Haryana, Jammu and Kashmir and Jharkhand this year and it does not want issues surrounding cooking gas to affect its poll fortunes, sources said.



On the other hand, lifting the supply restriction is bound to cheer consumers during the festive season.



'Decision to help people'



Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad later told reporters: "The Cabinet came to a conclusion that this system is causing problem to the people. Sometimes people do not need one.



Sometimes, during festive season demand is more. So, there was a feeling that if someone has not taken one cylinder on a given month, then in remaining months he wont get it."



After Wednesday's decision, consumers can avail their quota of 12 cylinders at the rate of Rs 414 each in Delhi at anytime of the year.



Any requirement beyond this will have to be purchased at market price of Rs 920 per 14.2-kg cylinder.



source Deccan Herald - News http://ift.tt/1tLpLSU

Four arrested, 203 stolen bikes recovered

The City police have recovered 203 stolen motorcycles following the arrest of a four-member gang.



The kingpin Yograj, 34, a resident of Dasarahalli, had created hundreds of fake registration certificate (RC) books and obtained smart cards for stolen bikes.His aides arrested are Mohammed Sadiq, 21, Mubarak, 19, Salman, 20, and Irfan, 19, all residents of JJ Nagar.



Besides recovering 203 two-wheelers from Bangalore Rural, Hassan, Chikmagalur, Kolar, Mandya, Hospet and other places, the JJNagar police also seized duplicate Regional Transport Office (RTO) rubber stamps, RCbooks and smart cards.



Yograj used to buy vehicles from four of them who used to steal two-wheelers using duplicate keys from parking lots and those parked in front of residences. The modus operandi being he used to go to different places in the State and make note of two-wheelers registration numbers and return.



Later, he changed the registration number of the stolen vehicles with the registration number he had jotted down and would seek details of registration numbers by applying through B-extract, an online portal of the RTO.



After availing details, he used to make duplicate RC books, including details obtained through B-extract. However, he would retain the engine and chassis numbers of the stolen vehicles, the police said.



"After obtaining smart cards for the vehicles, he used to sell them by advertising in websites or through used vehicle dealers. The buyers had no clue from the smart card they were buying a stolen vehicle."



Yograj, the police said, was eluding arrest for the past four years. However, based on suspicion, he was arrested along with his associates who confessed to the crime.



The police, tracking down the number of cases registered, found that a total of 81 cases of two-wheeler thefts were registered in the various police stations across the City.



Police Commissioner M NReddi announced a cash prize of Rs 1 lakh for JJ Nagar police. Investigation is on to check if Yograj had contacts with the staff of the RTOs.



Held for house theft



The police arrested Shariff Pasha, 33, a resident of JJ Nagar, in connection with a robbery case in Hosaguddadahalli in the Byatarayanapura police limits around four months ago.



He had made away with Rs 20.5 lakh in cash from the house. Based on a tip-off, Pasha was arrested and Rs 15 lakh in cash recovered from him.



He told the police that he had committed the crime along with three juveniles. The police have arrested the juveniles and are investigating further.





source Deccan Herald - News http://ift.tt/1AVFwKm

Cong banks on fresh faces in Assembly elections

Faced with years of anti-incumbency in Haryana and Maharashtra, the Congress is banking on fresh faces to turn the tide in its favour in the upcoming Assembly elections.



A number of sitting MLAs could face the axe as the party has set tough criteria for selection of candidates in the poll-bound states of Haryana and Maharashtra.



Habitual party hoppers and those who have worked against the party or its candidates could be denied a ticket.



"Winnability is the key criteria and not all sitting legislators would be re-nominated," a senior Congress leader involved in the candidate selection process said.



The problem for the Congress is acute in Maharashtra where factionalism is rife and unpopularity of some ministers is at an all-time high.





source Deccan Herald - News http://ift.tt/1AVFwtM

12 ministers in Modi Cabinet facing cases

If Prime Minister Narendra Modi takes Supreme Court observations on excluding Ministers with criminal antecedents seriously, he has a tough call to take as 12 of 45 ministers in his Cabinet have criminal cases against them and two of them — Uma Bharti and Gen V K Singh - have charges framed against them.



If Gopinath had been alive, he would be the 13th such minister. While Minister of State Nihal Chand faces allegation of rape though there is no case against him presently.



Though there is no concrete order on the removal of ministers with criminal antecedents, the Supreme Court verdict puts the onus on prime ministers and chief ministers to take a call on such ministers.



This is the second major judgment on the issue of criminalisation of politics, the first being the one on disqualification of an MP or MLA if he/she is convicted for more than two years.



The Supreme Court had initially barred people to contest from jails but it was later changed. The 12 ministers with criminal cases in the NDA government include Muzaffarnagar-riots accused Sanjeev Balyan, Nitin Gadkari, Ramvilas Paswan, Maneka Gandhi, Harsh Vardhan, Dharmendra Pradhan, Upendra Kushawa, Danve Raosaheb and Juel Oram.



Water Resources Minister Bharti has two cases, including the Babri Masjid demolition case in which charges have been framed. Former Army chief VKSingh faces trial related to a case filed during a series of protests in Delhi. Bharti has a total of 13 cases, including those of attempt to murder and causing communal disharmony.



Most of the ministers have cases related to political protests. Eight ministers have declared serious criminal cases, including attempt to murder, causing communal disharmony, kidnap and electoral violations.



Kushwaha and Paswan have cases of electoral malpractices while late Munde had a case related to kidnapping against him.



source Deccan Herald - News http://ift.tt/1qz1QFY