LIVE! Rahul's gesture of hugging PM sent a good message: Pawar

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Sat, 21 July 2018

Rahul's gesture of hugging PM sent a good message: Pawar

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22:56 Rahul's gesture of hugging PM sent a good message: Pawar

Rahul Gandhi's gesture of hugging Narendra Modi in the Lok Sabha yesterday has sent a good message, NCP supremo Sharad Pawar today said, while advising the prime minister not to target political rivals from "foreign soil".

"Yesterday, a young man hugged an elderly person. One needs to understand that this has sent out a good message," Pawar said, speaking at an NCP conclave here.

Gandhi, after tearing into the NDA government's policies and programmes during the discussion on no-trust motion in Parliament yesterday, which was eventually defeated, walked across the aisle to where Modi was sitting and hugged him.

Pawar also praised Gandhi's statement that the prime minister might hate him, but he does not reciprocate in the same way. "This is a good message, that despite political differences, everybody should unite for the country's progress," Pawar said.

Modi should understand the difference between election rallies and government functions, he said.

"When you go abroad, you are the prime minister and our representative. But you raise domestic political issues and target your political adversaries on foreign soil, constantly referring to a 'family'," said the former Union minister,

Pawar said he himself may have had differences with the Congress leadership in the past, but he always recognises the role party leaders like Mahatma Gandhi, Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Jawaharlal Nehru and other played in the freedom struggle.

"Indira Gandhi worked for uplift of poor and raised the country's prestige on the global platform," Pawar, a former Congressman who left the party in the 1999, said.

"It was wrong (for Modi) to target Indira Gandhi and Congress on foreign soil," he said.

Noting that rupee was weakening, unemployment was rising and the economy was in trouble, Pawar said programs and policies should be criticised but there should not be personal attacks.

Referring to National Conference leader Farooq Abdullah's speech in the Lok Sabha yesterday, Pawar said it is a matter of pride for the country that Abdullah said he would live and die as an Indian.

He also targeted the BJP over cow vigilantism. "I am not promoting non-vegetarianism, but it is not correct to target people for their eating habits," Pawar said.

Referring to a lynching case in Maharashtra's Dhule where five members of a nomadic tribe were killed, Pawar said the current rulers want the poor and backward sections of the society "terrorised".

When a Union minister felicitates the accused in a lynching case, what message the government is trying to send, he asked, in apparent reference to the controversy involving Jayant Sinha. -- PTI

Retirement fund body EPFO's payroll data suggests that as many as 4,474,859 jobs created during September 2017 to May this year.

However, the retirement body lowered earlier estimate of new members enrolment by 9.57 per cent, from 4,126,138 to to 3,731,251 for September 2017-April this year.

According to the payroll data released by the Employees' Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) last month for September to April, as many as 4,126,138 new member were enrolled for its social security schemes to provide benefits, including provident fund, insurance and pension.

According to the latest data released yesterday the new members enrolment in May is the highest so far in last eight month at 7,43,608.

During May, the maximum number of enrolment of 2,51,526 were recorded in the age bracket of 18 to 21 years followed by 1,90,090 in 22 to 25 years age group.

The payroll data statement says that the data is provisional as updation of employees records is a continuous process and gets updated in subsequent months.

It also stated that the estimates may include temporary employees, whose contributions may not be continuous for the entire year.

For each age-wise band, the estimates are net of the members enrolled and ceased during the month as per the EPFO records, it added.

The EPFO manages social security funds of workers in the organised/semi organised sector. It runs three social security scheme Employees' Provident Fund Scheme 1952, Employees' Deposit Linked Scheme 1976 (EDLI) and Employees' Pension Scheme 1995. It manages the accounts of over six crore members and a corpus of over Rs 10 lakh crore.

Earlier this year, the EPFO had started the practice of updating payroll data on its official portal. The body had also lowered its payroll data estimates earlier. -- PTI

Conceding a year long demand, sanitary pads were exempted from GST as the GST Council reduced tax rates on an array of daily use appliances and products.

While GST on sanitary pads was cut from 12 per cent to zero, rakhis were exempted from the tax, finance minister Piyush Goyal told reporters.

"Sanitary napkins have been exempted from GST," Goyal said.

Among items on which GST was reduced include footwear, small televisions, water heater, electric ironing machines, refrigerators, lithium ion batteries, hair dryers, vacuum cleaners, food appliances and ethanol.

"GST Council cuts tax rate on an array of products. Rakhis have been exempted from GST, tax on ethanol has been cut to 5 per cent, small handicrafts have been exempted," Goyal said.

Besides, tax rates on worked up Kota stone, sand stone and similar quality of local stones were cut from 18 to 12 per cent, with the purpose of avoiding classification disputes.

GST on 17 items including paints, refrigerators, washing machines, vacuum cleaners, storage water heaters, TVs up to 68 cm was reduced from 28 to 18 per cent.

Image: Akshay Kumar and Sonam Kapoor in film PadMan.

After Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan called his actions and statements anti-national, Congress leader Digvijay Singh today said he would appear before police and they could arrest him.

"I have taken the oath to follow Constitution. So I have decided to present myself before the law to protect the unity and integrity of India....I would present myself at TT Nagar Police Station (in Bhopal) on July 26," Singh said in a letter to Chouhan.

"Meanwhile, submit the evidence of my being anti-national to your administration, so that they can file a case and arrest me," the senior Congress leader said.

Chouhan had slammed the former chief minister for `visiting the homes of slain terrorists' and talking about "Hindu terrorism" two days ago.

"Talking about Hindu terrorism is an insult to the country and its culture....He is the kind of person who visits the homes of terrorists killed by police and glorifies them. Many times, such acts of Digvijay-ji seem anti-national," a BJP release quoted Chouhan as saying at Satna on July 19.

In apparent reference to Singh's calling Osama bin Laden as "Osama-ji", Chouhan asked, according to the BJP release, if adding the honorific `Ji' for a terrorist was not an anti-national act.

In his letter, Singh said, "Being the chief minister, it is your constitutional duty to take legal action if any such case falling under the category of anti-nationalism comes to your knowledge."

If the chief minister does not have any evidence against him, then he should apologise, Singh demanded. -- PTI

A 19-year old youth was today given death penalty by a court for raping a seven-month-old child in Alwar district of Rajasthan in May, the first such sentencing in the state after a law entailing capital punishment to those convicted of raping a child below 12 years of age came into force, according to police.

A special court hearing cases of SC/ST Act and POCSO Act in Alwar sentenced to death Pintu, who was found guilty of raping the infant in Laxmangarh area in Alwar on May 9.

Special Judge Jagendra Agrawal, who had conducted daily hearings in the case, found the youth guilty on July 18 and announced the quantum of punishment today.

Pintu was convicted under IPC sections 363, 366 A (related to abduction of minor) and 376 AB (for rape on woman under twelve years of age) and 5(M)/6 of POCSO Act. The death penalty was awarded under the IPC section 376 AB, SHO of the Laxmangarh police station Prahlad Sahay said.

It is the first such case in Rajasthan after the criminal law (amendment) ordinance, which introduced IPC Section 376 AB came into force on April 21 this year under which the provision of death penalty for raping a girl below 12 years of age was introduced, according to DGP OP Galhotra.

"The local police had filed a challan against Pintu under sections of POCSO Act and IPC on June 6," IG Jaipur Hemant Priyadarshi said.

The ordinance was brought in after the outcry over the gangrape and murder of an eight-year-old girl in Kathua in Jammu and Kashmir. -- PTI

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister and Telugu Desam Party president N Chandrababu Naidu today said his party will not join the National Democratic Allaince even if the Bharatiya Janata Party approaches it for the 2019 general elections.

He said the party's no-confidence motion against the government was a battle of "morality versus majority".

Asserting that the TDP had joined the NDA in 2014 only to ensure justice to the people of the state, Naidu said, "We are not power hungry. We never aspired for cabinet berths."

"We waited four years for them (BJP government) to do justice to Andhra Pradesh, but they betrayed the people of the state. How can we be sure that they will not do it again," he said.

"Yesterday's no-confidence motion was a battle between our morality and the majority of the BJP," Naidu told a press conference here, as he thanked the other opposition parties for supporting the TDP's no-trust motion.

The NDA government yesterday defeated the no-confidence motion after a marathon debate that lasted for nearly 12 hours. When the division was held at 11.10 pm last night, the ayes for the no-confidence were 126 and the noes 325.

On the BJD staging a walkout from Parliament during the debate on the no-confidence motion yesterday, exposing chinks in Opposition unity, Naidu said, "He (BJD chief Naveen Patnaik) is an old friend... They will be taken on board."

The TDP chief had in May vowed to unite regional parties to take on the BJP in 2019 Lok Sabha elections and had said that his party would play a pivotal role at the Centre.

Naidu today reiterated that he has no prime ministerial ambitions.

Asked if the TDP would join the NDA for the 2019 elections if the BJP promises other benefits to Andhra Pradesh, he said, "No. I just want that justice is done to my state." -- PTI

18:48 No GST on sanitary napkin

In a major step, the GST Council has exempted sanitary napkins from goods and services tax, Delhi finance minister Manish Sisodia told the media.

Earlier, there was a 12% levy of tax on sanitary napkins.

The body of a Jammu and Kashmir police constable, who was abducted by terrorists from his residence in Kulgam district, has been found, a police official said today.

Constable Saleem Shah, who was on leave, was abducted by terrorists from his residence in the Mutalhama area of Kulgam district in south Kashmir last night, he said.

A case has been registered and efforts are underway to nab the killers of the constable, he added.

Actors Kangana Ranaut and Hrithik Roshan, who have been engaged in a public war of words over their alleged affair, will battle it out at the box office as their films are scheduled to hit the cinema houses in January next year.

Kangana's one of the most ambitious projects "Manikarnika: The Queen Of Jhansi" is set to clash with Hrithik' "Super 30" on January 25, 2019.

"Manikarnika" was apparently set to release this year in April and was later pushed to August 15 and then to September.

But today, Zee Studios and the film's producer Kamal Jain took to Twitter that it would release during the Republic Day weekend.

Directed by Krish, the film will see the "Queen" star in the role of Rani Laxmibai.

Hrithik's "Super 30", helmed by Vikas Bahl, is a biopic on Patna-based mathematician Anand Kumar, who trains a batch of 30 aspiring IIT candidates every year.

The two actors have been at loggerheads since the time Kangana hinted at Hrithik being her "silly ex" in an interview in 2016.

Their feud turned nasty after they slapped legal notices on each other. -- PTI

Communist Party of India leader D Raja slammed the Biju Janata Dal, Odisha's ruling party, for staying away from the debate on no-trust motion against the National Democratic Alliance government in the Lok Sabha, and said it has lost the opportunity to highlight alleged neglect of the state by the Centre.

"The BJD should have participated in the debate over the no-confidence motion in the Lok Sabha yesterday. It is unfortunate that the regional political party chose to keep away from discussion," Raja, CPI's national secretary, told reporters.

The BJD should also have taken a critical view on the NDA government as it has all along been accusing the Centre of neglecting and discriminating against Odisha and has been criticising it on several issues affecting the state.

"Friday's debate in Parliament had provided the BJD with a good chance to project its views in the interest of the state, but the party failed to do so," he said, adding that it could have raised issues related to Mahanadi, Polavaram project and its demand for grant of special category status.

Defeating the BJP in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls is important for the country's future and the BJD should also understand this and contribute towards strengthening the secular and democratic forces, he said.

To gear up for the 2019 Lok Sabha polls and forge unity among like-minded parties in Odisha, the CPI would launch a campaign from August 1 to 14 by holding seminars and meetings to highlight the need to "save the constitution and the country," he said.

Thereafter, it would organise meetings at the constituency levels before fine-tuning its strategies for the general election, Raja said.

The Lok Sabha and assembly polls in Odisha are scheduled to be held together next year. -- PTI

Drawing a parallel between the FIFA World Cup final and the no-confidence motion, the Shiv Sena today said Prime Minister Narendra Modi might have emerged victorious like France, but Congress chief Rahul Gandhi won many hearts like runners-up Croatia.

"In the football World Cup final, France won (the title), but Croatia is remembered for the manner in which they played. Rahul is now being talked in the same way. When one plays such politics, he moves four-five steps ahead," Shiv Sena spokesperson Sanjay Raut said.

Responding to Gandhi's hug to Modi, Raut said such gestures were meant to attract attention. If Gandhi did so to give a jolt to Modi, then he has succeeded, Raut told a news channel.

The Rajya Sabha MP said Gandhi should be congratulated for donning a new avatar during the debate in the Lok Sabha on the no-trust motion on Friday.

A combative Gandhi had launched a vitriolic attack on the Modi government on multiple issues, from farmer distress to the Rafale jet deal.

"Modi's speech was like a prime minister's speech... Modi ji is Modi ji. It would not be right to compare Modi ji with anybody. But, even Rahul's speech is being discussed at the same level," the Sena leader said.

Raut described the defeat of the no-trust motion as not surprising since the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance enjoyed a comfortable majority in the Lower House.

"Power has its own strengths and there is the fear element as well. The country frequently listens to the PM, but heard Rahul (in his new form) for the first time," he added.

The no-confidence motion against the Modi government was defeated by a margin of 325-126. The no-trust motion -- moved by former BJP ally Telugu Desam Party -- saw Shiv Sena abstaining from voting. The voting took place after an acrimonious debate that witnessed political gamesmanship with Gandhi hugging the PM who hit back, saying he was in a hurry to unseat him and grab his chair.

In last Sunday's World Cup final, France defeated underdogs Croatia 4-2.

While Les Bleus received accolades for its performance, it was Croatia -- a tiny European nation with a population of around 4.5 million -- that won the hearts of millions of soccer fans across the globe for the way it played in the showpiece tournament. -- PTI

Accusing Rahul Gandhi of "concocting" a conversation with French President Emmanuel Macron, Union Minister Arun Jaitley today said the Congress president has seriously hurt the image of an Indian politician before the world at large.

Participating in the debate on 'no-confidence motion' in the Lok Sabha yesterday Gandhi said that Macron told him that there was no binding secrecy clause in the Rafale deal.

The statement was denied by the French government.

"Rahul Gandhi, by concocting a conversation with President Macron, has lowered his own credibility and seriously hurt the image of an Indian politician before the world at large," Jaitley said in a Facebook post.

The minister also hit out at the Congress president accusing him of trivialising the no-confidence motion debate stressing "facts are always sacrosanct".

"None should ever trivialise the debate. Those who desire to be prime minister never blend ignorance, falsehood and acrobatics."

In the post titled "Frivolity and the No Confidence Motion", Jaitley said the lead participants in the debate are normally senior political leaders. They are expected to raise the level of political discourse.

"A Vote of No Confidence against the Government is a serious business. It is not an occasion for frivolity," he said.

The minister said if a participant in the debate happens to be a president of a national political party nourishing prime ministerial aspirations, every word he speaks should be precious. His facts should convey credibility.

The NDA government yesterday faced the no-confidence motion brought in by opposition in Parliament yesterday. The government won the motion by 325 against 126 votes in the Lok Sabha.

In his speech, Gandhi had launched a frontal attack on the NDA government over unfulfilled promises and questioned the Rafale deal, demanding answers from Prime Minister Narendra Modi on why he allegedly favoured a particular businessman in the contract.

Stating that Gandhi missed a great opportunity, Jaitley said "if this was his best argument for 2019, God help his party".

Attacking Gandhi, Jaitley said his lack of understanding is not only confined to basic issues but also to the niceties of protocol.

"One should never misquote a conversation with a Head of Government or a Head of State. You do it once, serious people will be reluctant to speak to you or speak in your presence," the minister said.

On Gandhi's accusation about secrecy of the Rafale fighter jet deal, Jaitley said the UPA government itself had entered into the secrecy pact.

"Rahul has repeatedly shown that he is ignorant of facts. But to insist on disclosure of financial details, which indirectly involves the disclosures of the strategic equipment on the aircraft, is to hurt national interest. Cost gives away a clue to the weaponry in the aircraft," Jaitley said. -- PTI

Jailed former prime minister Nawaz Sharif's daughter Maryam has refused to shift to the Sihala Rest House, saying she would prefer staying at the high-security Adiala Jail with her father and husband, according to a media report.

Sharif, 68, and his daughter Maryam, 44, were arrested in Lahore on July 13 on their arrival from London after an accountability court found them guilty over his family's ownership of four luxury flats in London. They were later taken to Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi.

Both Sharif and Maryam have been sentenced by the accountability court to 10 and 7 years in prison respectively for corruption charges linked to the Panama Papers scandal.

Maryam's husband Captain (retd) Safdar was sentenced to one year.

Earlier, the Islamabad chief commissioner said Sihala Rest House had been converted into a sub-jail in the suburbs of Islamabad.

The jail authorities wanted to shift the father-daughter duo to the rest house as the prison they are in lacks facilities for female prisoners, Geo News reported.

"Maryam has told the authorities that she would prefer to stay at the Adiala Jail with her husband and father," the report said.

On Monday, Sharif, his daughter and son-in-law filed an appeal in the Islamabad high court against the verdict in one of the corruption cases and had sought their release on bail.

Nawaz and his sons Hussain and Hasan are accused in all three graft cases whereas Maryam and Safdar were accused in the Avenfield case only.

Earlier, media reports said that Safwat Lodge, commonly referred to as Sihala Rest House, located on the premises of Sihala Police College, had been cleaned and decorated with flowers, paintings and photographs.

A total of 2 million rupees have been spent by the authorities on the arrangements, the Geo report said yesterday.

This is the same lodge where former president and PPP co-chairperson Asif Ali Zardari had been detained when his party's government was dismissed in 1996. Other political leaders have also been detained in the rest house in the past. -- PTI

Union Minister Arjun Meghwal today stoked a controversy by linking lynching incidents to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's popularity.

"The more popular Modiji becomes, the more such incidents will happen," Meghwal said.

He further added, "In Bihar election, it was award wapsi, in UP election, it was mob lynching. In 2019 election, it'll be something else. Modiji gave policies and the impact of these is being seen. Incidents (lynching) like these are reactions."

Meghwal was reacting to a lynching incident in Rajasthan's Alwar district where a man, identified as Akbar Khan, was beaten to death by a mob allegedly on suspicion of cow smuggling.

Echoing Home Minister Rajnath Singh, the Union minister for water resources said that the 1984 anti-Sikh riots were the "biggest mob lynchings in the nations history."

"We condemn mob lynching but this isn't a single incident. You have to trace this back in history. Why does this happen? Who should stop this? What happened with Sikhs in 1984 was the biggest mob lynching of this nation's history," Meghwal said.

Countering the Opposition attack on the Bharatiya Janata Party-led government over instances of mob lynching, Singh, while debating during no-trust motion on Friday, said the 1984 anti-Sikh riot was 'biggest' such incident.

Terrorists today attacked a team of security forces in Anantnag district of Jammu and Kashmir by opening fire, but the attack was repulsed by them, police said.

The terrorists attacked the security forces by opening fire upon them at the Bamzoo area of Mattan in south Kashmir district, a police official said.

He said the attack was repulsed by the forces and there are no reports of injuries yet.

The official said said a search operation has been launched to nab the attackers.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi today took a dig at the "unwanted hug" he received from Congress chief Rahul Gandhi in Parliament, and said the coming together of many parties against the BJP will only help the 'lotus' bloom.

Modi's reference was to the coming together of several opposition parties in support of the no-confidence motion moved by the TDP in Lok Sabha yesterday.

The BJP-led NDA won the no-trust vote yesterday.

"We asked the reasons for their no confidence but when they failed to give it they ended up giving an unwanted hug," Modi said, referring to Gandhi's embrace.

Addressing a Kisan Kalyan Rally in Shahjahanpur, Modi said: "There is not just one 'dal' (political party) but dal over dal resulting in "dal-dal" (marshy land) which will only help the 'lotus" bloom."

Lotus is the election symbol of the BJP. -- PTI

West Bengal chief minister and Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee today said that the 2019 Lok Sabha election will be a big blow for the Bharatiya Janata Party.

She also announced that the TMC will start 'BJP hatao, desh bachao' campaign on August 15.

"We will start 'BJP hatao, desh bachao campaign on August 15. The 2019 (Lok Sabha election) will be a big blow, Bengal will show the path," Banerjee said at annual Martyrs Day rally.

Banerjee said that her party will win all 42 Lok Sabha seats from Bengal.

Speaking on growing incidents of lynchings, she said, "The way lynching is happening everywhere in the country, they are creating Talibanis among people. In BJP and RSS, there are good people whom I respect, but some are playing dirty games."

The Martyrs Day rally is organised by the party every year on July 21 in the memory of 13 Youth Congress activists killed in police firing in 1993 during the Left Front regime in West Bengal.

Banerjee was a leader of the Youth Congress at that time.

13:36 Police constable abducted by terrorists in J-K

A Jammu and Kashmir police constable, who was on leave, has been abducted by unknown terrorists from his residence in Kulgam district, a police official said.

Constable Saleem Shah was abducted from his residence in Mutalhama area of Kulgam in south Kashmir last night, he said.

Security forces have launched a manhunt to trace the abducted policeman, the official said. -- PTI

13:32

ED files chargesheet against Virbhadra Singh's son Vikramaditya in a DA case also involving the former Himachal chief minister.

13:28 Ex- BJP leader Chandan Mitra joins TMC

Former Rajya Sabha MP and Bharatiya Janata Party leader Chandan Mitra, Former Communist Party of India- Marxist MP Moinul Hasan, Congress's Sabina Yasmin and Mizoram advocate-general Biswajit Deb have joined the Trinamoll Congress.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will meet Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the BRICS summit to be held in Johannesburg next week, said Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson.

The two leaders will discuss bilateral relations and cooperation within the BRICS framework.

The 10th BRICS summit is scheduled to take place from July 25 to July 27.

Prime Minister Modi will arrive in Rwanda on July 23 for a bilateral visit.

He will then visit Uganda for two days, before arriving in South Africa on July 25.

The meeting of the two leaders comes three months after the informal summit held in China's Wuhan city.

During the prime minister's visit to China in April, both the leaders held delegation-level talks and underscored the need for strengthening bilateral relations between India and China.

While Modi had said that the bilateral relations between the two Asian giants will be based on shared vision and strong relationship, Xi agreed to cooperate and work with India to seek guidance. -- ANI

BJP leader Subramanian Swamy today recorded his statement before a Delhi court in the National Herald case, filed by him against Congress chief Rahul Gandhi, his mother Sonia Gandhi and other accused.

Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Samar Vishal recorded a part of Swamy's statement and posted the matter for hearing on August 25, when it will record the remaining part of his statement.

The BJP leader, in a private criminal complaint, has accused the Gandhis and others of conspiring to cheat and misappropriate funds by paying only Rs 50 lakh, through which Young Indian Pvt Ltd (YI) obtained the right to recover Rs 90.25 crore that Associate Journals Ltd owed to the Congress.

All the seven accused -- the Gandhis, AICC treasurer Motilal Vora, AICC general secretary Oscar Fernandes, Suman Dubey, Sam Pitroda and YI -- have denied the allegations.

The court had summoned the accused persons and YI on June 26, 2014.

On December 19, 2015, it granted bail to Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Vora, Fernandes and Dubey, who have appeared before it pursuant to the summonses.

Pitroda was granted bail on February 20, 2016 after he appeared in the court.

Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Vora, Fernandes, Dubey and Pitroda were summoned for the alleged offences of misappropriation of property, criminal breach of trust and cheating, read with criminal conspiracy of the Indian Penal Code. -- PTI

12:37 AIADMK supported NDA as quid pro quo: DMK

The Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam has lashed out at arch-rival All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam for not voting in favour of the no-confidence motion against the Narendra Modi government, alleging the ruling party in Tamil Nadu supported the National Democratic Alliance as a "quid pro quo" despite several issues.

DMK working president MK Stalin, whose party has no members in the Lok Sabha, had urged the AIADMK to support the no-confidence motion as it has 37 MPs in the Lok Sabha, making it the third-largest party after the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party and opposition Congress.

"Support for Modi Govt in #NoConfidence despite NEET, 15th Finance Commission, GST, Hindi imposition and communal politics is further proof of the quid pro quo arrangement between ADMK and BJP," Stalin said in a tweet late last night.

The no-confidence motion, moved by the Telugu Desam Party, a former BJP ally, against the Modi government was decisively defeated last night.

The government won the motion by 325 against 126 votes.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and AIADMK joint coordinator K Palaniswami had indicated on Thursday that his party might not support the motion as it was moved by the TDP for an issue concerning Andhra Pradesh.

"No party had backed Tamil Nadu on the Cauvery issue when AIADMK lawmakers had stalled Lok Sabha for nearly three weeks seeking the constitution of the Cauvery Management Board and the Cauvery Water Regulatory Committee," Palaniswami had said.

Several AIADMK members opposed the no-confidence motion that came as a boost to the NDA.

The no-trust motion was the first after Modi assumed office in May 2014 and less than a year before the next general elections. -- PTI

Continuing his attack on the prime minister, Congress president Rahul Gandhi today said that Narendra Modi uses hate, fear and anger to build his narrative.

"The point of yesterday's debate in Parliament...PM uses Hate, Fear and Anger in the hearts of some of our people to build his narrative. We are going to prove that Love and Compassion in the hearts of all Indians, is the only way to build a nation," he said on Twitter.

After a no-holds barred and scathing criticism of Modi on several issues in Lok Sabha yesterday during the no-trust motion debate, the Congress chief walked across to the prime minister and hugged him, a gesture which took the House members by surprise.

Modi, who initially looked non-plussed and did not stand up to hug him, recovered quickly and called Gandhi back and patted him on the back.

"This is what it means to be a Hindu," Gandhi said after coming back to his seat amid a big applause from his party members, including his mother Sonia Gandhi and other leaders present.

12:26

Amul's take on Rahul Gandhi's jhappi and wink.

11:28 Over 20 PIOs sentenced in massive call center scam in US

Over 20 persons of Indian-origin have been sentenced up to 20 years in prison in the United States for their involvement in a multimillion-dollar India-based call center scam which defrauded thousands of American citizens of hundreds of millions of dollars.

The prison sentences for the 21 people convicted this week ranges from 4 to 20 years.

"The stiff sentences imposed represent the culmination of the first-ever large scale, multi-jurisdiction prosecution targeting the India call center scam industry," US Attorney General Jeff Sessions said.

Several of the convicted will be deported to India after the completion of their sentence.

"This case represents one of the most significant victories to date in our continuing efforts to combat elder fraud and the victimisation of the most vulnerable members of the US public.

"The transnational criminal ring of fraudsters and money launderers who conspired to bilk older Americans, legal immigrants and many others out of their life savings through their lies, threats and financial schemes must recognise that all resources at the Department's disposal will be deployed to shut down these telefraud schemes, put those responsible in jail, and bring a measure of justice to the victims," Sessions said.

According to US officials, the call center scam defrauded thousands of US residents of hundreds of millions of dollars.

Prosecutors said the Indian call centers used various telephone fraud schemes to defraud mainly vulnerable Americans, including the elderly and legal immigrants.

According to various admissions made in connection with the guilty pleas, between 2012 and 2016, the defendants and their conspirators perpetrated a complex fraud and money laundering scheme in which individuals from call centers located in Ahmedabad frequently impersonated officials from the Internal Revenue Service or US Citizenship and Immigration Services in a ruse designed to defraud victims located throughout America.

Using information obtained from data brokers and other sources, call center operators targeted US victims who were threatened with arrest, imprisonment, fines or deportation if they did not pay the alleged money owed to the government.

Victims who agreed to pay the scammers were instructed how to make a payment, including by purchasing stored value cards or wiring money.

Once the payment was done, the call centers turned to a network of runners based in the US to liquidate and launder the extorted funds as quickly as possible by purchasing reloadable cards or retrieving wire transfers, the Justice Department said.

In a typical scenario, call centers directed runners to purchase these stored value reloadable cards and transmit the unique card number to India-based co-conspirators who registered the cards using the misappropriated personal identifying information of the US citizens.

The India-based co-conspirators then loaded these cards with scam funds obtained from the victims.

The runners used the stored value cards to purchase money orders that they deposited into the bank account of another person.

The indictment for the case also charged 32 India-based conspirators and five India-based call centeres with general conspiracy, wire fraud conspiracy, and money laundering conspiracy. These defendants have not yet been arraigned.

Earlier, three other Indians were sentenced for their involvement in the same fraud and money laundering scheme. -- PTI

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address a farmers' rally in Shahjahanpur, Uttar Pradesh, on Saturday.

Prime Minister Modi is likely to make some announcements for the welfare of farmers.

A large number of farmers and Bharatiya Janata Party workers from Terai and Rohilkhand regions are expected to attend the rally.

In view of the rainy season, all arrangements have been made by the district administration to ensure smooth conduct of the rally, and waterproof tents have been installed at the venue to avoid any disruption in the rally. -- ANI

JUST IN: A man named Akbar allegedly beaten to death by a mob in Ramgarh of Rajasthan's Alwar district on suspicion of cow smuggling, police said.

The incident happened last night and an investigation is underway.

More details awaited.

The incident comes days after Supreme Court said that 'horrendous acts of mobocracy' cannot be allowed to overrun the law of the land, and asked Parliament to consider enacting a new law to 'sternly deal with mob lynching and cow vigilantism, warning that such incidents may rise like a 'Typhon-like monster' across the country'. -- with ANI inputs

Spain's conservatives will pick a new leader today after ex-prime minister Mariano Rajoy was ousted, with his former right-hand woman Soraya Saenz de Santamaria vying against 37-year-old Pablo Casado, who would take the Popular Party further right.

3,082 delegates will be casting their ballot in Madrid for the successor of Rajoy, who spoke for the last time as PP leader yesterday.

The delegates have a choice between Saenz de Santamaria, 47, who for six-and-a-half years was deputy prime minister, and Casado, a lawmaker who has promised 'hope' with a generational revamp of the party and a step further to the political right.

Both were voted through a first round of unprecedented primaries at the PP. Saturday's victor could become Spain's next prime minister if the PP wins general elections planned for 2020 at the latest. -- Agencies

08:57 Hamas, Israel agree on Gaza ceasefire

A day after an Israeli soldier was killed at the Gaza Strip, Israel and Hamas on Saturday announced a ceasefire ending hours-long Israeli strikes across the border.

Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum took to his Twitter handle and said, 'With Egyptian and UN efforts, [an agreement] was reached to return to the previous situation of a ceasefire between the occupation and Palestinian factions.'

Hamas is the Islamic militant group that controls Gaza and has been waging a war with Israel since its founding in 1987.

On late Friday evening, the Israel Defence Forces announced that their soldier was killed after being shot at in the Gaza Strip, The Times of Israel reported.

'Today, an IDF combat soldier was killed during operational activity near the southern Gaza Strip. During the incident, a terrorist squad shot at IDF troops and the IDF soldier was severely injured. He later succumbed to his wounds,' it said in a statement.

Following this, the Israeli air force launched airstrikes at Hamas targets across the Gaza Strip.

An IDF spokesperson wrote on Twitter, "The IDF struck 60 sites in 3 Hamas battalion compounds. The targets included weapon manufacturing sites, a shaft to a tunnel network, a factory used for underground infrastructure manufacturing, a UAV warehouse, military operations room, training facilities, and observation posts."

The Palestinian health ministry previously stated that four of its nationals were killed by Israeli forces near the Gaza-Israel buffer zone on Friday.

The four Palestinians were killed in two separate incidents, as per the report.

Since March 30, Israeli forces have killed over 150 Palestinians and wounded more than 13,000 people. -- ANI

08:45 Honda recalls over 7K units of new Amaze sedan

Business Standard reports:

Japanese car maker Honda has announced a recall of 7,290 units of the recently launched Amaze compact sedan to carry out a product update of the EPS (Electric-Assist Power Steering) sensor harness.

These vehicles were manufactured from April 17 2018 to May 24, 2018.

'There is a possibility that in some of these cars, the customers may feel the steering heavier and EPS indicator light comes on. Honda will voluntarily replace the EPS column unit after inspection, if required,' the company said in a statement.

The inspection and replacement would be carried out free of cost at authorised Honda car dealerships across India starting July 26 and the owners will be contacted individually.

The customers can check whether their cars are covered under this Product Update campaign by submitting their 17-character alpha-numeric Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) on the special microsite which has been created on the company's website.

Image only for representation.

At least 14 people were injured after a man on Friday attacked fellow bus passengers with a knife in Germany's Lubek.

Sputnik quoted local media citing the police spokesman, that there are no fatalities.

According to the report, 12 passengers were slightly injured, while two others were seriously wounded.

The attacker was later detained by the police. -- ANI

07:58 17 dead after duck boat capsizes in Missouri

At least 17 people were killed after an amphibious tour boat carrying 31 people capsized on Table Rock Lake near Branson town in Missouri.

The 'Ride the Ducks' boat tipped over when strong winds and large waves swept through the area, as a result killing the driver as well, CNN reported.

Rescue authorities fished out the bodies from the lake and the age range of the deceased varies from one year to 70 years.

A severe thunderstorm warning was issued for Branson at around 6.30 pm on (Friday local time), about 30 minutes before the boat capsized.

There were several reports of trees falling down and structural damage, with winds reaching a high of 63 mph.

Missouri Governor Michael Parson said that nine members of a family were killed in the tragedy.

He also met with first responders, survivors and the victims of the families killed in the mishap.

He stated that there was a forecast of severe storms for southeast Missouri on Friday, while also issuing a warning to residents to take preventive actions and follow weather bulletin reports.

Stone County Sheriff Doug Rader said that the boat was at the bottom of the lake and is likely to be recovered by Monday.

United States President Donald Trump expressed his condolences to those killed in the tragedy.

He tweeted, 'My deepest sympathies to the families and friends of those involved in the terrible boat accident which just took place in Missouri. Such a tragedy, such a great loss. May God be with you all!'

Meanwhile, the White House condemned the incident and said in a statement, 'President Donald J Trump and first lady Melania Trump extend their deepest sympathies to all those affected by yesterday's boating accident on Table Rock Lake near Branson, Missouri. Tragically, a tourism boat sank during a storm while out on the lake, killing 17 people and injuring several others.'

'Our prayers are with the victims and their loved ones. We are thankful for the brave first responders and dive crews, whose quick and decisive actions have saved many lives, and we continue to pray for their safety as their search, rescue, and recovery operations continue.

'Since the incident occurred, the Administration has been in contact with Governor (Mike) Parson and other state and local officials, and the President will continue to monitor and receive regular updates on the situation,' the statement added. -- ANI

01:02 NDA has confidence of 125 crore people: Modi

Soon after his government sailed through the no-confidence motion, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the ruling National Democratic Alliance has the confidence of the Lok Sabha and 125 crore people of India.

'I thank all the parties that have supported us in the vote today. Our efforts to transform India and fulfil the dreams of our youth continue,' Modi tweeted.

Bharatiya Janata Party president Amit Shah said the defeat faced by the Opposition in Parliament is just a 'glimpse' of the 2019 Lok Sabha poll results and a reflection of people's faith in the Modi government and its mantra of 'sab ka sath sab ka vikas'.

He said the outcome of the no-trust vote is a victory of democracy and a defeat of dynasty politics.

'The defeat (of the Opposition) in Lok Sabha today is just a glimpse of next year's Lok Sabha election results. The country has full trust not only the Modi government's mantra of sab ka saath sab ka biswaas.

'This win of the Modi government is a win of the democracy and defeat of dynasty politics,' Shah said in his tweets following the defeat of the no-confidence motion.

He said the Congress, 'which promotes dynasty politics, racism and appeasement', has once again been exposed in its hatred towards the prime minister who comes from a humble background.

'Without a majority and lacking any objective, the Congress party has exposed its political bankruptcy by not just bringing a purposeless motion against the government which enjoys the country's full trust and faith, but has also repeated its age-old history of crushing the democracy,' he said. -- PTI

00:00 PM's speech caused much pain: Naidu

Opposition parties react to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 90-minute address while replying to the motion of no-confidence against his government in the Lok Sabha today.

"The PM in his 2-hour speech didn't address any of the woes of the common man.What the Bharatiya Janata Party says and what it does is a difference between the reality and what they try and conjure up.

"That is the signal that has gone out," Congress's Jyotiraditya Scindia said.

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, whose party Telugu Desam had brought the motion, said, "Entire Andhra Pradesh waited for justice, only to be disappointed again. They have majority but they breached 'neeti'. PM's speech caused much pain."

The Communist Party of India-Marxist hit out at the PM for repeating the 'jumlas' and reading out 'some fudged data' in his reply to the discussion on the no-trust motion.

Reacting to the prime minister's reply, CPI-M General Secretary Sitaram Yechury said the people of the country would defeat the polarisation in the country.

'The PM continues to repeat jumlas and read out some fudged data. The status of the economy and livelihood conditions of our people is a lived reality. People will defeat this economic assault and the frenzied polarisation of our society,' Yechury tweeted. -- ANI, PTI

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