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Thu, 29 November 2018

Trump calls off meeting with Putin at G20 summit

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23:44 Bringing ordinance only option for building Ram temple, govt should show urgency: VHP

The government should show the same urgency in bringing an ordinance for the construction of a Ram temple in Ayodhya as it did to amend the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, senior VHP leader Alok Kumar said Thursday.

He also said passing an ordinance in Parliament was the "only option" left to facilitate the temple's construction.

The VHP will organise a massive rally at the Ram Leela ground here to press for a law for the temple's construction. This rally will be held on November 9, two days before Parliament's Winter Session begins, the organisation's international working president said.

Kumar expressed hope that the BJP-led NDA government will bring the Bill in the Winter Session, as, he claimed, the saffron party was part of the Ram Janambhoomi movement in 1992.

"They (BJP) fought with us, shoulder-to shoulder, during the 1992 Ram Janambhoomi movement, and the construction of temple is part of the party's manifesto. I am hopeful that the government will bring law in the upcoming Winter Session," he said at an event in New Delhi.

Referring to the passage of Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Amendment Bill in Parliament, Kumar claimed that the Bill was passed even when a review petition was listed before the Supreme Court.

"The way the government showed urgency in passing bill to overturn a Supreme Court order concerning certain safeguards against arrest under the scheduled caste and scheduled tribe law and to restore in its original, why can't it be done in this (temple's) case?" he asked. -- PTI

United States President Donald Trump cancelled a planned meeting with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin at the G-20 summit over Moscow's detention of a group of Ukrainian sailors.

"Based on the fact that the ships and sailors have not been returned to Ukraine from Russia, I have decided it would be best for all parties concerned to cancel my previously scheduled meeting in Argentina with President Vladimir Putin," he wrote on Twitter.

"I look forward to a meaningful Summit again as soon as this situation is resolved!," Trump added, shortly after taking off for the weekend summit in Buenos Aires.

22:51 Rahul's gotra is 'gotra Itlus': UP BJP leader

The BJP on Thursday coined a new 'gotra' for Congress president Rahul Gandhi, mocking his Italian lineage through his mother and party leader Sonia Gandhi.

Uttar Pradesh Bharatiya Janata Party chief Mahendra Nath Pandey called it "gotra Itlus.

This is the latest remark in the row over Gandhi's gotra.

A priest at Pushkar lake in Rajasthan recently said Gandhi gave out his gotra during a ritual as Dattatreya, who are Kashmiri Brahmins.

Some BJP leaders challenged the "claim", reminding that Gandhi's paternal grandfather was a Parsi, not a Hindu with a 'gotra'.

Pandey told reporters that Gandhi has "no gotra", going by the traditional male lineage.

"And if we take his gotra going by his mother, it should be gotra Itlus," he said.

Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje had said Tuesday that the 'gotra' mentioned by Gandhi while offering prayers at Pushkar was that of former prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru and not of the Congress president.

"Motilal Nehru, Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi, Sanjay Gandhi, Maneka Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi have come and offered prayers at the ghat and it is recorded with us," Pushkar priest Dinanath Kaul had said.

The priest claimed he possessed old records showing this. -- PTI

Rajnikanth and Akshay Kumar starrer '2.0' portrays the ill-effects of "unregulated growth of mobile services" and objections of the telecom industry are bogus, the film's production house Lyca Productions has said.

Telecom industry body Cellular Operators Association of India had earlier this week requested the Central Board Of Film Certification to revoke the certification of the film, saying its trailers show mobile phones and towers in a bad light.

In a strongly worded letter to the CBFC, Lyca said the COAI has "no rudimentary knowledge of law and film production" and "they appear to be a puppet in the hands of a rival film producer".

"The theme of the film is not against development or mobile services, but against unregulated growth of mobile services. While the objections of the COAI is bogus and empty and revolves around 'no effect' of electronics waves on human beings and commercial view of its members, we as film producer have chosen a subject that has fantasy and fiction as well," Lyca said in the letter dated November 26.

The film, with a reported budget of around Rs 600 crore, released Thursday.

Meanwhile, COAI director General Rajan S Mathews said the filmmakers have clarified that the movie is fictional and not based on scientific evidence.

"We have raised concern before appropriate authorities. We hope people will understand that it is fiction and not ask for removing cell phone towers. In case there is unwanted activity against networks then it will be for the government to handle it," Mathews said.

In its letter, Lyca said the producers of the film need not accept COAI's views that there are no ill-effects of mobile towers.

"We are under no obligation to toe the line with the said association... the film does not hunt or defames anyone," Lyca said, adding that it does not make documentaries or had been appointed as an 'agent' of any telecom association.

"The COAI has claimed that radiations on human being are a subject matter of various researches. The very fact that a cell phone tower is ordered to be distanced from habitation prima facie shows that it has an impact on living beings," Lyca said. -- PTI

Among the thousands of farmers who descended in Delhi from across the country Thursday for the Kisan March on agrarian crises, were also people from Maharashtra's Palghar town who wanted to save their land, which is likely to be acquired for the bullet train project.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe had on September 14, 2017 launched the Rs 1.10 lakh crore Ahmedabad-Mumbai High Speed Rail Network.

The train, expected to cover the distance of over 500 km between the two cities in less than three hours, is scheduled to run by August 15, 2022 to mark India's 75th year of Independence.

Kakde Thapar, 45, from the same taluka, said the bullet train is planned to go past her Komgaon village and if that happens her only two acre land would also be gone.

Thapar, who has eight children, said her family of 10 lives off the rice and the vegetables her husband grows in their land. The family consumes most of it and the remaining is sold in the village, she said.

"What will I do with the money, where would I go with it? If we are left with our land, we may do something with it, the money would perish soon," she told PTI.

Around 150 people, including women, under the banner of All India Kisan Sabha from Palghar, which has a population of around 30 lakh, have pitched tents at Ramlila Ground here for the Kisan March.

A retired plumber, H D Karbad, is apprehensive of the government keeping its promise on the compensation to locals who would lose land.

"They are assuring jobs and monetary compensation but I doubt. Even tribals will lose their land," said 62-year-old Karbad, from Dhamangaon.

Asked why is she resisting giving up her land when the government is offering compensation, Mangli Laxmankom, 40, said people in her Kompada village in Wada taluka do not want the money, neither are they willing to give up their land.

"Officials looking after the bullet train project have come to our village but people are reluctant," she claimed.

Several of these people had also participated in the mega farmers' rally in Mumbai in March this year over their demands of a complete waiver on farm loans and fair prices for their produce, among others.

"They had promised to fulfil the demands in three months but that has not happened," said Chandrakant Raghu Gorkhana, 43, from Dahanu taluka of Palghar town. -- PTI

Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Thursday alleged that demonetisation "like the Rafale deal was a crime against India and a huge scam", and said the guilty will be investigated and punished.

The Congress chief also questioned why former chief economic adviser Arvind Subramanian did not resign when he "disagreed" with the demonetisation decision and said former defence minister Manhar Parrikar did the same in the Rafale deal.

"Demo like Rafale (deal) was a crime against India and a huge scam. Parrikar distanced himself from Rafale to save his skin. Mr Subramanian is doing the same with Demo. I wonder why he didn't resign when he disagreed so much? Don't worry India, the guilty will be investigated and punished," he said on Twitter.

Gandhi tagged a news report which questioned whether the chief economic adviser ever supported the note-ban decision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

In another tweet in Hindi earlier, Gandhi took a swipe at Modi's "achche din' (good days) promise and tagged a song sung by a Rajasthan local.

"This gentleman of Rajasthan has spoken out what is in the hearts of people in the country. Hear out the song and you'll love to repeat it," he said in his tweet in Hindi.

The Rajasthan local, in his song, takes a dig at Modi's 'achche din' promise saying the country is still waiting for them. -- PTI

Indian captain Virat Kohli was Thursday slammed by cricket fans for wearing shorts at the toss for the warm-up game against Cricket Australia XI ahead of the four-Test series in Sydney.

The four-day game, which started after the first day was washed out due to rain, though has not been accorded a first-class status.

A photograph of Kohli in shorts attending the toss with CA XI captain Sam Whiteman was posted on BCCI's Twitter handle.

Fans soon took to the social networking site and criticised Kohli, calling it a "disrespectful act". One of them pointed out how Indian batting great Sunil Gavaskar had slammed Pakistan opener Fakhar Zaman for not wearing his cap properly at Asia Cup earlier this year.

Cricket is also called the 'gentleman's game'.

"This @imVkohli bad attitude is showing no any respect for game and their legacy why @bcci @icc @accessonline n other cricket members think about this. Where is #sunilgavaskar who taunted in #Aisacup to Pakistani player for their cap??? What @imVkohli is showing," a twitter handle that goes by the name @VeeG48 wrote.

Another wrote, "Disgraceful and disrespectful... There was time captains used to wear Blazers during toss.... This behavior is absolutely unpardonable...."

In-form skipper Kohli (64) and teenage prodigy Prithvi Shaw (66) were among the five Indian batsmen who struck fifties before the visitors were bowled out for 358 on the second day of the rain-hit practice game at the Sydney Cricket Ground. -- PTI

Photograph: BCCI

Industrialist Vijay Mallya left the country in "normal course" and not under suspicious circumstances as claimed by investigating agencies, his lawyer told a court here Thursday.

A special court for Prevention of Money Laundering Act cases is hearing the Enforcement Directorate's plea to declare Mallya a fugitive under the Fugitive Economic Offenders (FEO) Act.

Arguing before judge M S Azmi, Mallya's lawyer Amit Desai said his client is a non-resident Indian with a permanent address in London and he had substantial business overseas as well as in India.

Mallya is accused by the ED of defaulting on bank loans to the tune of Rs 9,000 crore. He is also accused of diverting some of the loan amount.

Advocate Desai, while opposing the ED plea, said that Mallya had cooperated with the Debts Recovery Tribunal in its proceedings in relation to the loans given to his firms.

He left the country for London on March 2, 2016 via Germany, where he attended a conference of World Motorsports as a director, Desai said. Mallya was then one of the owners Force India, a Formula One team, he added.

The investigating agencies had claimed that he left the county under suspicious circumstances.

Desai, however, argued that "Mallya left the country in normal course and before any case was registered against him."

Further, FEO Act is a draconian law as it permits confiscation of a person's property even before the trial starts, he said.

"As per the criminal procedure, property is confiscated only after the accused is held guilty. Under this law, the question of confiscation of property comes even before the first witness is examined," he said.

ED counsel D P Singh rebutted Mallya's defence that he cannot return to India because of the conditions of the bail granted by a court in the United Kingdom which restrain him from leaving the country.

Mallya can give an undertaking before the UK court that he wants to return to India, Singh said.

The arguments will continue on Friday. -- PTI

Fire broke out on the set of Shah Rukh Khan-starrer film Zero in Mumbai's Film City Thursday, police said.

The actor was present on the set when fire broke out in the evening but was unhurt and left the set later, police said.

There are no reports of any casualty, Vinay Rathod, deputy commissioner of police, said. It is not yet clear what caused the fire, he added.

The fire was confined to electric wiring, electric installation, lights, shooting materials, ropes and curtains, he said.

Smoke was seen billowing out of the studio, he said.

Four engines were rushed to the spot.

Zero is slated for release on December 21. In the film, Shah Rukh Khan plays a vertically challenged man who falls in love with a NASA scientist. -- PTI

Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi on Thursday expressed "apprehension" over young lawyers' unwillingness to become judges, saying one reason was that the higher judiciary was "losing its aura and majesty".

The CJI said that as good judges, like Justice Kurian Joseph who retired on Thursday, are going away, there was need for more replacements for which the Supreme Court collegium has been working day in and day out to find the right man.

"Good judges are going away. We need replacements and this is what I want to share with the bar. I am afraid. I am apprehensive. The younger lot in the bar are not willing to become judges.

"One of the reasons is that the office of a judge in the higher judiciary is losing its aura and majesty," the CJI said at the farewell to Justice Kurian by the Supreme Court Bar Association on his last day as a judge.

The CJI said that it was the aura and majesty of the higher judiciary that attracted the talent of the bar as lawyers were willing to work hard and make sacrifices in terms of money.

He said the bar can help restore the aura by understanding and appreciating the compulsion and hardwork as well as the commitment of the judges.

"Your cooperation and understanding of the work of a judge can go a long way in restoring the aura back," he said.

Justice Kurian also stressed on the need to encourage young lawyers while addressing the huge gathering at the event.

"Justice (late) V S Malimath once said to me and which I always remember is that when youngsters are arguing before the court and are performing well, we must encourage them and extend our appreciation. It will give them encouragement, inspiration and help in taking their life forward," he said.

Apart from that, Justice Kurian also spoke briefly on how unnecessary litigation was "killing" judicial time, the need for compassion to be shown by courts and judges and his passion for mediated settlement of disputes and arbitration awards.

On the impact of PILs on judicial time, Justice Kurian said, "I find that a vast number of the cases are unnecessarily entertained as in the public interest." -- PTI

The militaries of China and India should "work hand in hand" for the benefit of people of the two countries, the Chinese defence ministry said on Thursday, as the armies of the two countries are all set to resume joint military exercises next month after a gap of a year following the Doklam standoff.

The 7th India and China joint military exercises, 'Hand in Hand', focussing on counter-terrorism operations will be held in southwest China's Chengdu city from December 10 to December 23, defence ministry spokesman Col Ren Guoqiang told a media briefing in Beijing.

Each side will send 100 troops to take part in the 14-day drill, he said.

The exercises will be held after a gap of one year as both the sides were locked in a 73-day standoff in Doklam in the Sikkim sector of the border in 2017.

"The two sides are preparing for the exercises now. The drill will promote understanding between the two militaries and improving their capabilities in fighting terrorism," Col Ren said.

"True to its name, 'Hand in Hand', we believe China and Indian militaries should work hand in hand for the benefit of people in both the nations," he said, adding that the exercises will include live shooting and adoptive and basic training.

After the Doklam standoff, the militaries of the two neighbours made efforts to improve the strained relations following the first ever informal summit between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping in the Chinese city of Wuhan in April this year.

The two sides participated in the 9th Defence dialogue held here on November 13. Defence Secretary Sanjay Mitra and Lt Gen Shao Yuanming, Deputy Chief of Joint Staff Department of Central Military Commission, participated in the talks and discussed bilateral relations, military ties, border control as well as regional and international issues.

The two sides agreed to follow the consensus reached by the top leaders of the two countries to promote military relationship under the principle of maintaining peace and tranquillity and enhancing the trust, friendship and cooperation, Col Ren said. -- PTI

Kashmir recorded a 33.7 per cent turnout, while the Jammu region witnessed 85 per cent voting in the fifth phase of panchayat polls which passed off peacefully Thursday, officials said.

While the turnout was high in the first three phases in Kashmir despite the militant threats and boycott by the main regional parties - the National Conference and the Peoples Democratic Party, the voting percentage in the region has ebbed since then.

The state recorded an overall turnout of 71.1 per cent in this phase, Chief Electoral Officer of the state Shaleen Kabra said.

The polling began at 8 am and ended at 2 pm in 2,512 polling stations, including 1,743 stations in Jammu division and 769 in Kashmir division, he said.

Reasi district in Jammu region recorded the highest polling of 89.1 per cent, while Pulawama district in central Kashmir recorded the lowest at 0.5 per cent, the official said.

Giving district-wise details, Kabra said in Kashmir region, Kupwara witnessed 42.5 per cent polling, Bandipora 34.6 per cent, Baramulla 32.9 per cent, Ganderbal 20.3 per cent, Budgam 34.8 per cent, Pulwama 0.5 per cent and Anantnag 10.1 per cent.

In Jammu region, Doda saw 83.3 per cent voter turnout, Ramban 85.2 per cent, Udhampur 82 per cent, Reasi 89.1 per cent, Jammu 88.9 per cent, Rajouri 82.8 per cent and Poonch 84.5 per cent, he said.

In the first phase of the panchayat polls held on November 17, an estimated 74.1 per cent polling was recorded across the state, including 64.5 per cent in Kashmir division and 79.4 per cent in Jammu division. -- PTI

The Centre has granted sanction to the Central Bureau of Investigation to prosecute Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Kumar Jain in a case related to alleged possession of assets disproportionate to his known sources of income, officials said on Thursday.

The CBI has claimed that Jain allegedly purchased 200 bighas of agricultural land in the names of companies controlled by him in Delhi during lasts five years and 'laundered black money' to the tune of several crore of rupees.

"Ministry of Home Affairs has granted sanction of prosecution to prosecute Satyendra Kumar Jain, Minister in Government of NCT of Delhi, in a case registered by CBI in August 24, 2017 for acquiring assets disproportionate to his known sources of income," the official said. -- PTI

Delhi's air quality continued to remain in the 'very poor' category on Thursday due to unfavourable meteorological conditions that slowed down dispersion of pollutants even as authorities forecast 'significant deterioration' in pollution levels over the weekend.

The overall air quality index of Delhi was recorded at 353, according to Central Pollution Control Board data.

An AQI between 0 and 50 is considered 'good', 51 and 100 'satisfactory', 101 and 200 'moderate', 201 and 300 'poor', 301 and 400 'very poor', and 401 and 500 'severe'.

The CPCB said seven areas in Delhi -- Ashok Vihar, Anand Vihar, Jahangirpuri, Mundka, Rohini, Vivek Vihar and Wazirpur -- recorded 'severe' air quality.

Twenty areas in the national capital recorded 'very poor' air quality while it was 'poor' in six areas, it said.

The level of PM2.5 -- particles in the air with a diameter of less than 2.5 micrometres -- was recorded at 206 and the PM10 level was recorded at 360, it said.

In NCR, Ghaziabad, Faridabad and Noida recorded 'very poor' air quality while Gurgaon fell into the 'poor' category, CPCB data showed.

According to the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, the wind speed and ventilation index are 'extremely unfavourable' for dispersion of pollutants.

Ventilation index determines how fast pollutants can get dispersed.

The ventilation index of around 6,000 sqm/second gets rid of pollutants, but it fell to 2,500 sqm/second on Thursday in the city.

According to the Centre-run System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting (SAFAR), the air quality is 'very poor' and likely to improve due to a slight increase in the wind speed.

It will, however, remain in the 'very poor' category for the next two days.

"Due to cold front up in the north, the wind speed has increased, so a decline (in pollution levels) is expected. However, at the time of withdrawal (of high wind speed) after two to three days, a lot of moisture may enter Delhi which is not favourable for the air quality. The contribution from stubble burning is nil," the SAFAR said.

The government agency SAFAR further said the air quality of the national capital is expected to 'significantly deteriorate' on Sunday due to a decline in temperature which might lead to entrapment of pollutants.

It, however, said the air quality even after 'significant deterioration' is likely to stay in the 'very poor' level and not reach the 'severe' category.

The CPCB has come out with a list of nearly six lakh diesel and petrol vehicles that are over 10-years-old and will not be allowed to ply in Haryana.

The list gives details of the registration mark series, name of the authority and registration numbers of these vehicles plying in Haryana, including NCR cities of Gurgaon, Sonipat and Bahadurgarh.

As many as 2,87,613 petrol vehicles that were older than 15 years have been listed while 3,07,453 diesel vehicles more than 10-years-old have also been named, the CPCB said on its website. -- PTI

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has asked the state police to install closed-circuit television cameras along the state's border with Jharkhand in a bid to check untoward incidents and prevent the entry of alleged miscreants, reports ANI.

Speaking at an administrative review meeting in Purulia on Tuesday, Banerjee questioned the police officials about checking or vigil watch in the districts which share its borders with neighbouring Jharkhand.

"Purulia is the border area of Jharkhand. Do we keep a watch there? Is customs checking (naka) done there? Do we check any gun being imported from other areas to here? Jhargram Purulia route is connected with Bankura's Jhilimili and that is connected to Jharkhand," she said.

Banerjee underlined that protecting the corridor of the border is akin to cleaning the corridor of a house, while sensitising the police about their duty to protect nearby border regions.

"We know geography very well so you (police) have to know your nearby borders. Whenever I am cleaning my house, I also clean my corridor. The border is your corridor. So you have to install CCTVs and watch towers there (along West Bengal-Jharkhand border)," she added.

Punjab minister Navjot Singh Sidhu played-down on Thursday his appearance in a photograph with a 'pro-Khalistan leader' Gopal Singh Chawla during his visit to Pakistan for the groundbreaking ceremony of the Kartarpur corridor.

"They showered so much love there. Every day ten thousands pictures were clicked. Among them who is Chawla or Cheema that I do not know," Sidhu said after returning from the neighbouring nation.

Sidhu was strongly criticised by the opposition parties for the photograph.

The Shiromani Akali Dal on Thursday asked the Punjab cabinet minister whether 'India is his priority or not'. -- PTI

A day after his friendly pitch, Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan has again said that people in Pakistan want peace with India.

"The mindset of people here has changed," the Pak PM said.

On solution to the Kashmir issue, Khan said nothing is impossible.

"Let us talk. I am ready for talks on any issue. There can't be a military solution for Kashmir," said Khan.

On India's concern that Pakistan hasn't been able to rein in the non-state actors, Khan said, "It is not in our interest to allow use of Pakistan's territory for terror outside."

"There are UN sanctions against Hafiz Saeed. There is already a clampdown on the JuD chief," he said.

Khan said gesture for peace can't be one-sided.

"We are willing to wait for (general) elections to get over in India for a gesture from New Delhi," he said.

"I will be happy to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi and talk to him," Khan said. -- PTI

A lioness was found dead in Gujarat's Gir forest on Thursday, taking the death toll of big cats to 30 since September, officials said.

The carcass of the lioness, aged between 9 and 12 years, was found at the Tulsishyam Range of the forest near the border of Amreli district, Chief Conservator of Forests, Junagadh Wildlife Circle, D T Vasavada said.

"A preliminary investigation has revealed that the feline died due to natural causes. There were no injury marks on the carcass," he told PTI.

The carcass has been sent for postmortem to ascertain the exact cause of death, Vasavada added. Prior to this, 29 lions, including cubs, have died in and around the Gir forest during the last three months due to infighting, pneumonia, Canine Distemper Virus (CDV) and Protozoa infection.

As many as 23 big cats had died in Gir in a short span of three weeks in September.

Later, six lion cubs were found dead in different parts of the forest on separate occasions.

Following the outbreak of CDV infection in September, 36 lions were captured and shifted to three rescue centres as a precautionary measure.

Vasavada said all these lions were doing well after being vaccinated and that a decision to release them in the wild will be taken soon. -- PTI

The Supreme Court on Thursday issued an order stating that students aged 25 years or above can appear for the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test in 2019.

The apex court also directed the National Testing Agency to extend the November 30 deadline for submitting NEET forms by one week for prospective candidates.

However, the top court bench, headed by Justice Arjan Kumar Sikri, stated that admission to the courses will be based on the final verdict of the top court, which is currently hearing petitions challenging the upper age limit for taking the test fixed at 25 years for general category students.

This decision from the top court came after a petition was dismissed by the Delhi high court challenging the decision to fix the upper age limit 25 years and 30 years for general and reserved categories, respectively, for undergraduate medical courses such as MBBS and BDS.

16:22 Sensex soars by 453 points

Just In: Sensex soars 453.46 pts to close at 36,170.41; Nifty rallies 129.85 pts to reclaim 10,800 level.

The Bombay high court on Thursday continued its earlier order restraining the Mumbai police from filing its charge sheet or taking coercive steps against actors Ranveer Singh, Arjun Kapoor, Deepika Padukone and director Karan Johar and others accused in an obscenity case.

The celebrities had approached the high court in 2015 after a case was lodged against them in February that year under Indian Penal Code Sections 292 and 294 pertaining to obscenity.

A charity event by the name of 'Roast' was arranged by comedy group AIB in December 2014. The video of the event was uploaded by the AIB in January 2015. The video was removed a few days later after it faced ire for its alleged vulgar and obscene content.

In February 2015, an activist, Santosh Daundkar, filed a complaint before a court seeking direction to police to lodge a First Information Report against AIB's founders and the show producers and celebrities who took part in it.

A magistrate court had then ordered that an FIR be registered against 10 people, including AIB founder Rohan Joshi, film-maker Karan Johar, and actors Ranveer Singh, Arjun Kapoor and Deepika Padukone.

After the FIR was lodged, the accused persons moved the high court seeking for the case to be quashed. In 2015, the HC had directed police not to take any coercive steps or file charge sheet in the case.

When the petitions came up for hearing on Thursday, Daundkar's advocate Aditya Pratap sought for the stay on the probe to be vacated and to permit the police to finish its investigation and file a charge sheet.

A division bench of Justices B P Dharmadhikari and S V Kotwal, however, refused to do so and said since the petitions are directed to be tagged with a public interest litigation on the same issue, the HC registry department shall do the needful and place matters before the appropriate bench.

Farm loan waiver up to Rs 2 lakh, free laptops to degree students, regulation of liquor sale, free distribution of cows to one lakh people every year are some of the main promises in the BJP's manifesto for the December 7 Telangana assembly polls.

The manifesto, released Thursday by state BJP president K Laxman, also promised a legislation to prevent "forcible religious conversions" made by offering money and other inducements.

Steps would be take to send back Rohingyas and those who "illegally entered" from Bangladesh, it said.

It also promised free distribution of quality seeds and free bore or well or a pumpset to every farmer.

Alongside free laptops to degree students, the manifesto said girl students from seventh standard to 10th standard will get free cycles. Girl students of degree and above courses will get 'scooties' (two-wheelers) with 50 per cent subsidy.

It also promised free houses to all eligible poor by 2022.

Financial assistance of Rs 5,000 per month would be paid towards rent till the construction of such houses, it said.

In addition to implementation of the NDA government's 'Ayushman Bharat' health scheme, the manifesto promised steps to set up generic medicine centres in every mandal (administrative unit).

The unemployed youth will get unemployment dole of Rs 3,116 per month.

For welfare of women, the manifesto promised provision of Rs 1 lakh and one 'tola' (about 12 grams) gold to poor women at the time of marriage under 'Sowbhagya Laxmi' scheme.

The manifesto also promised subsidy to senior citizens for visiting Kailash Mansarovar, Kashi and Puri.

16:10

CBI case to continue on Dec 5 in Supreme Court.

15:58 Pakistan to convert Rishi Kapoor's house in Peshawar into museum

The Pakistan government has decided to convert Bollywood star Rishi Kapoor's ancestral home in the Qissa Khwani Bazar in Peshawar into a museum soon, heeding to a request by the actor.

Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said the Pakistan government will make the actor's house into a museum.

"There was a call from Rishi Kapoor. He requested that his family's home in Peshawar should be made into a museum or some sort of institution. We have accepted his request," he told a group of visiting Indian journalists.

Pakistan's Interior Minister Shehryar Khan Afridi said Kapoor telephoned him to preserve his family's house in Peshawar and we are responding positively to his request.

"He had called me and talked about making his ancestral home into a museum. Now the federal and provincial governments are working on this and will will transform the house into a museum soon," Afridi said.

The Kapoor Haveli in Qissa Khwani Bazar was built by Basheswarnath Kapoor, the father of Bollywood icon Prithviraj Kapoor.

Raj Kapoor, the son of Prithviraj Kapoor, was born in Peshawar on December 14, 1924. The actor-director is best known for a string of hit films he made in the 1950s and 1960s.

The Kapoor family left Peshawar after the Partition in 1947.

-- PTI

A meeting between US President Donald Trump and Russia's Vladimir Putin will take place at this week's G20 summit as planned, the Kremlin said on Thursday, despite US threats to cancel over Moscow's tensions with Ukraine.

"Washington has confirmed the meeting," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists.

Peskov said the meeting in Argentina would start around noon on Saturday with "brief talks between the leaders" followed by broader Russia-US talks that could last around an hour.

Peskov stressed the need for open communication between the leaders, even if they are unlikely to agree on all the issues.

"We need to think about how to start talking about the topics of bilateral relations, the topics of strategic security and disarmament and regional conflicts," Peskov said.

"We don't have to agree on all the issues and indeed that may be impossible but we need to talk. That's in the interests not only of our two countries, it's in the interests of the whole world."

Trump said this week that as a result of Russia's armed seizure of three Ukrainian ships, he was considering pulling out of the one-on-one talks with Putin.

"Maybe I won't have the meeting. Maybe I won't even have the meeting," he told the Washington Post on Tuesday.

15:23 How the CBI vs CBI case unfolds in SC

The CBI vs CBI hearing in the Supreme Court today is being covered minutely by Bar And Bench, which has been carrying live updates on its site.

For instance, Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi quizzed Kapil Sibal, representing Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge: 'Are you saying the CBI director can't be touched by government, transferring him, sending him on leave, suspending him and that it can be done only by Committee?' To which the lawyer answers, 'Yes, that is my submission.'

To follow the updates as they happen, you can read Bar And Bench here.

Pitted against the BJP's lone Muslim candidate in the state assembly polls, Rajasthan Congress chief Sachin Pilot has a poser for the saffron party -- Will Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath come to Tonk to seek votes for Yoonus Khan.

On his campaign trail covering nine panchayats and the city throughout the day on Wednesday, Pilot accused the BJP of playing politics of caste and religion.

In his campaign speeches one after another in Tonk, Pilot is pitching his electoral contest with Khan as a battle of ideologies and not of individuals.

The state Congress president, who is fighting his debut assembly election and that too from a seat outside his regular parliamentary constituency, is drawing massive crowds at meetings in urban as well as rural areas and is convoy is forced to stop every now and then by people wishing to garland him and those raising slogans in his support.

The city is also abuzz with talk of a CM probable contesting from this town, who is his supporters feel could usher in major development works in the city which lags behind in infrastructure and facilities.

"Be it Yoonus Khan or Chenghiz Khan, it doesn't matter. Pilot will win the polls," said Jagdish from Mor Bhatiyan village where Pilot rode a bullock cart in a show of people's affection towards him.

Another supporter at the gathering, Meghraj, said Pilot's win was a foregone conclusion and he would also be the chief minister of Rajasthan.

-- PTI

Tej Pratap Yadav, Rashtriya Janata Dal chief Lalu Prasad's elder son and former Bihar minister, withdrew the divorce petition he had filed in a family court in Patna against Aishwarya Rai, his wife of six months.

Tej Pratap had filed for a divorce from Aishwarya, daughter of RJD MLA Chandrika Rai and grandchild of former Bihar chief minister Daroga Prasad Rai, on November 2 citing "compatibility issues".

Tej Pratap, in his media interactions, said he had married Aishwarya an MBA graduate in May this year under pressure from his parents and could not adjust with her as she came from a different background.

'San Francisco supervisor Aaron Peskin announced at a board of supervisors meeting that he has asked the city attorney to begin drafting legislation to remove Zuckerberg's name from what is now called the Priscilla Chan and Mark Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center,' reports Julia Carrie Wong in The Guardian, London, adding, 'The renaming of the hospital where Chan trained as a pediatrician followed the couple's 2015 donation of $75m, which was hailed as the 'largest single private gift from individuals to a public hospital in the United States'.

Speaking to The Guardian by phone, Peskin says, 'Given the continued scandals that Facebook has been involved in, including the most recent horrendous corporate behavior around engaging in an antisemitic fashion with George Soros, it is unbecoming to have Mark Zuckerberg's name on the hospital.'

However, 'Zuckerberg's name won't be removed from the building anytime soon,' writes Wong. 'Peskin's announcement is only the first step in a very uncertain process,' she points out, here.

Three people were killed in a fire that broke out in a section of the rubber plant at the Reliance Industries' complex in Vadodara on Thursday, the company said.

The blaze erupted in the PBR2 (polybutadiene rubber) plant, the company said in a statement.

"In an unfortunate incident this morning, a fire broke out in PBR2 plant of the Vadodara complex. The fire was restricted to one section of the plant and timely action by Reliance fire fighting team helped in quickly extinguishing the fire," it said.

Three contractual workers, who were injured in the mishap, later succumbed to injuries despite best efforts of the medical team, it said.

"Our prayers and sympathies are with their families in their time of grief and we will support the families to overcome their personal tragedy," the company said.

An investigation will be conducted to ascertain the cause of the fire, the statement said, adding that the rest of the complex continued with normal operations.

The Maharashtra assembly unanimously passed a bill proposing 16 per cent reservation for Marathas under socially and educationally backward category.

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who tabled the bill, thanked Opposition members for helping in passage of the bill unanimously.

The bill provides for reservation of seats for admissionin educational institutions and posts in public services to Marathas whohave been declared as socially and educationally backward class of citizens.

Marathas have been declared as socially and educationally backward class of citizens and have inadequate representation in services under the state, the panel report said.

They are entitled to reservation benefits and advantages enshrined in the Articles 15(4) and 16(4) of the Constitution, it said.

The Maratha community, which comprises over 30 per cent of the state's population, has been seeking reservation in government jobs and education for a long time. Their stir for the same in July and August this year had taken a violent turn.

13:56

Maharashtra assembly unanimously passes bill proposing 16 per cent reservation for Marathas under socially and educationally backward category.

13:52 Jaitley defends slashing of GDP numbers in UPA era

A day after the Congress alleged that the government was manipulating GDP data, Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley Thursday called the Central Statistics Office a highly credible organisation. Data released by the CSO Wednesday showed that the economy grew an average 6.7 per cent during UPA I (2005-06 to 2008-09) and UPA II (2009-10 to 2013-14), a percentage lower than the earlier estimate of 8.1 per cent and 7 per cent respectively.

I dont think any service is being rendered by those who discredit the highly credible organisation, CSO, Jaitley said.

The published data, which was calculated based on the new base year of 2011-12, showed that Indias economy grew at a slower pace during the UPA government as compared to the average 7.4 per cent growth rate in the first four years of the present NDA government.

Former finance minister and senior Congress leader P Chidambaram, meanwhile, had tweeted on Wednesday evening: Niti Aayogs revised GDP numbers are a joke. They are a bad joke.

Actually they are worse than a bad joke. The numbers are the result of a hatchet job, he added.

Chief Statistician of India Pravin Srivastava on Wednesday said the new methodology is robust and aligned with UN Standard National Accounts.

We had to recalibrate the entire economy based on the production output and the datasets available using the approach which is internationally acceptedwe are more than confident that what we have produced today is more robust it was a very comprehensive exercise. I believe that what we are seeing is perhaps a better depiction of what was there earlier, Srivastava said.

The Supreme Court told the Uttar Pradesh government on Thursday that the vision document on the Taj Mahal, being prepared by the Delhi School of Planning and Architecture, should be made public.

"There is nothing secret about it," a bench headed by Justice Madan B Lokur said.

The Delhi School of Planning and Architecture told the court that it is in the process of preparing a vision document for the protection and the preservation of the Taj Mahal in Uttar Pradesh's Agra town and will complete it in a few days.

It said the document would be submitted to the state government.

Additional Solicitor General A N S Nadkarni, appearing for the Centre, told the bench that the first draft of the Heritage Plan for Taj Mahal, which is to be submitted to the UNESCO, will be finalised within eight weeks.

-- PTI

The Supreme Court on Thursday commenced hearing on CBI Director Alok Kumar Verma's plea against government's decision to divest him of duties and send him on leave.

Senior advocate Fali S Nariman, appearing for Verma, is advancing arguments before a bench comprising Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justices S K Kaul and K M Joseph which had on November 20 expressed deep anguish over the purported leak of the CBI director's response to the CVC's findings against him.

The bench was also irked over the publication of allegations levelled by agency's DIG Manoj Kumar Sinha in his separate plea.

At the outset, Nariman said the court cannot prohibit publication of the content of the petition as Article 19 of the Constitution is paramount and added, "If I file something tomorrow in the Registry then it can be published."

He also referred to the apex court's 2012 judgment in a case on the issue.

He added that if the apex court later prohibits then the matter cannot be published.

-- PTI

The Devendra Fadnavis-led government has proposed a 16 per cent reservation for the Maratha community in education and jobs.

The government had earlier said that the Bill pertaining to Maratha quota would be introduced in the state Legislature on November 29.

The Maratha community, which constitutes over 30 per cent of the state's population, has been demanding reservation in government jobs and education for a long time.

The community's agitation for the same in July and August this year had taken a violent turn.

12:08 Kisan rally throws Delhi traffic into a tizzy

Farmers from different parts of Delhi who began their march towards Ramlila Maidan on Thursday as part of a massive kisan rally planned in the city, sent traffic into a tizzy in some parts of the national capital.

On Thursday morning, farmers arrived at Anand Vihar railway station where they were welcomed by members of Left-backed students' outfit AISA.

Farmers also reached Bijwasan in southwest Delhi and began their march towards Ramlila Maidan.

Due to this march, traffic on Bijwasan and Dwarka Link Road was affected with police asking commuters to avoid the stretch.

Farmer leaders said they were expecting as many as one lakh farmers at Ramlila Maidan by evening. On Friday, they will march from there to Parliament.

-- PTI

11:31

Supreme Court allows undergraduate medical students of age 25 or above to appear for NEET. The SC bench, however, said that their admission will be subjected to the final outcome of the case on validity of CBSE's decision to fix upper age limit.

11:23 Thick layer of smog engulfs Delhi, air quality 'very poor'

A thick blanket of haze and smog enveloped Delhi and its surrounding regions on Thursday with the pollution further intoxicating the atmosphere and the air quality plummeting to 'very poor' category.

According to System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research, the overall Air Quality Index of the capital in the morning was recorded 335, considered as 'very poor'.

The AQI between the range of 51 to 100 is considered as satisfactory, 101-200 is moderate, 201-300 falls under the category of poor. 300-400 is considered as 'very poor' and range between 401-500 falls under the category as 'hazardous'.

The forecasting agency has predicted that the air quality of the region is likely to show slight improvement due to the change in wind speed.

"The air quality is very poor. It is likely to improve due to a slight increase in wind speed but will remain in very poor for the next two days and then increase. Due to cold front up in the north, the wind speed has increased so a decline is expected. However, at the time of withdrawal after 2-3 days, a lot of moisture may enter in Delhi which is not favourable for air quality. The contribution from stubble biomass is nil," it said.

Richa Bhardwaj, a resident of Pitampura said, "The pollution level is so high that even the masks are not working properly. Being middle class, buying masks every week is pinching our pockets. The government must take some substantial steps in order to curb the menace."

Amish Gupta, a tea seller in Noida, also complained about the increasing pollution in the national capital and stated that being asthmatic, the toxic air is making it difficult for him to be outdoors for long hours. "My business is such that I have to be outdoors for more than 11 hours in a day. I am asthmatic and sometimes suffer from breathlessness and fatigue. I hope this issue gets resolved at the earliest," he said.

-- ANI

ts two for two for Navjot Singh Sidhu who has landed in yet another controversy on his second visit to Pakistan since September. This time, the Congress leader has been posing with Khalistani Gopal Singh Chawla for a photo which has been uploaded by the latter on social media.

Chawla, a pro-Khalistani militant whose involvement is suspected in the recent attack on a Nirankari gathering in Amritsar, was among those invited for the Kartarpur ground-breaking ceremony in Pakistan.

His presence, along with that of Pakistani army chief Qamar Javed Bajwa, at the civilian event came as a last-minute surprise for India which had sent two Union ministers. Sidhu was present in his personal capacity.

Speaking about his photo with Sidhu, Chawla said, What is the big deal in this? I don't know why I am dragged into everything. Why such links are created I have no intention of creating any terror.

Chawla is the general secretary of the Pakistan Sikh Gurudwara Prabhandak Committee and is known as a pro-Khalistan voice. His name was recently linked by intelligence agencies to the attack on Nirankari Bhawan in Amritsar, in which three people were killed.

Officials had said Chawla was in contact with ISI and Lashkar-e-Tayiba chief Hafiz Saeed to hatch a terror plot, and agencies had also acquired a photo of a meeting between Chawla and Saeed.

PSLVC43 successfully lifts off with 31 satellites, including HysIS, from Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota.

The Hyper Spectral Imaging Satellite (HysIS), an earth observation satellite developed by ISRO, is the primary satellite of the PSLV-C43 mission.

The co-passengers of HysIS include 1 micro and 29 nano satellites from eight different countries. All these satellites have been commercially contracted for launch through ISRO's commercial arm Antrix Corporation Limited.

This is ISRO's second launch in the month. The space agency had launched its latest communication satellite GSAT-29 on board GSLV MkIII-D2 on November 14.

The much-awaited draft Bill which provides for reservation to the Maratha community will be tabled for passage in the Maharashtra Legislature on Thursday.

A two-page action taken report on the State Backward Class Commission's recommendations on Maratha quota will also be tabled along with the Bill, a government source said.

The meeting of the state Cabinet sub-committee, headed by Revenue Minister Chandrakant Patil, over the issue was held late Wednesday evening after being postponed twice in the day.

Patil had said in the Legislative Council on Wednesday that the ongoing Winter session of the state Legislature may be extended, if needed, to pass the Bill which provides for reservation to the Maratha community.

According to the current schedule, the Winter session, which began in Mumbai on November 19, will conclude on November 30.

The previous Congress-Nationalist Congress Party coalition government had granted 16 per cent reservation to Marathas in jobs and education, but it was stayed by the Bombay high court.

The Opposition Congress and the NCP have been demanding tabling of reports of the SBCC recommending quota for Marathas and the Tata Institute of Social Sciences' report on reservation to the Dhangar (shepherd) community.

The Dhangar community has been pressing for reservation under the Scheduled Tribe category.

The Cabinet sub-committee was formed last week to study the SBCC's report on reservation for Marathas in government jobs and education and take a decision on it.

The government had received the report on November 15 and it was placed before the Cabinet on November 18 for approval.

The Maratha community, which constitutes over 30 per cent of the state's population, has been demanding quota for a long time and its agitation for the same in July and August this year had taken a violent turn.

-- PTI

Senior Congress leader and former finance minister P Chidambaram has accused the Niti Aayog of carrying out a hatchet job, demanding that the body be disbanded for slashing the growth rate during UPA regime allegedly at the behest of the Narendra Modi government.

In a series of tweets, Chidambaram said the revision of the GDP figures was worse than a bad joke.

Niti Aayog's revised GDP numbers are a joke. They are a bad joke. Actually they are worse than a bad joke. The numbers are the result of a hatchet job. Now that Niti Aayog has done the hatchet job, it is time to wind up the utterly worthless body, he said.

Chidambarams tweets echoed the scathing attack his party launched against the Modi government on Wednesday, saying the move to downgrade the GDP numbers reflects a desperate attempt to undermine India's growth story over the last 15 years.

The government on Wednesday lowered the country's economic growth rate during the previous Congress-led UPA regime, shaving off over one percentage point from the only year when India posted double-digit GDP growth post liberalisation and from each of the three years with 9-plus per cent expansion.

Recalibrating data of past years using 2011-12 as the base year instead of 2004-05, the Central Statistics Office estimated that India's GDP grew by 8.5 per cent in the financial year 2010-11 (April 2010 to March 2011) and not at 10.3 per cent as previously estimated.

Similarly, 9.3 per cent growth rate each in 2005-06 and 2006-07 was lowered to 7.9 per cent and 8.1 per cent respectively, while 7.7 per cent rate was now estimated for 2007-08 instead of 9.8 per cent.

The revised growth numbers have been released ahead of the 2019 general elections.

09:29 2 terrorists killed in encounter in Pulwama

Two terrorists were killed on Thursday in an encounter with security forces in Pulwama district of Jammu and Kashmir, police said.

"Based on a credible input about the presence of terrorists at Sharshali in Awantipora area of Pulwama district, a cordon and search operation was launched swiftly by security forces in the early hours of Thursday," a police official said.

The official said as the searches were going on, the security forces were fired upon by terrorists. The fire was retaliated by security forces, leading to a gunfight.

"In the ensuing encounter, two terrorists were neutralised and the bodies were retrieved from the site of encounter. Their identities and affiliations are being ascertained," he said.

Incriminating material, including arms and ammunition, were recovered from the site of encounter, he said adding police have registered a case and initiated investigation in the matter.

-- PTI

Over 1,000 policemen will be deployed in the city on Thursday in view of thousands of farmers reaching Delhi as part of the two-day Kisan Mukti March.The farmers will assembly at the Ramlila Maidan in central Delhi and plan to march to Parliament Street the next day. They are demanding a special three-week joint session of Parliament to discuss the agrarian crisis.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (New Delhi), Madhur Verma said police expect a gathering of 12,000 to 15,000 on Thursday. The organisers, however, said they expect 40,000 farmers to march to Parliament Street on Friday.

The march will be the second major farmers protest in the national Capital in two months. On October 2, at least 20 people including police personnel were injured in a clash between protesters and security personnel at the Delhi-UP gate border on NH-24 when the Delhi police denied entry to thousands of farmers into the city.

We will depute our men to handle the gathering. Additional force and traffic diversions will be put in place only if required. So far no traffic restrictions have been imposed around Ramlila Maidan. On Friday, the farmers plan to march up to Parliament Street. The march will be monitored to avoid the possibility of any untoward happening, Verma said. He added that the police are ready to tackle any possible situation.

Organised under the banner of the All India Kisan Sangharsh Coordination Committee, an umbrella body of about 200 farmer organisations from across the country, the two-day march is being billed as a reminiscent of a similar protest march from Nashik to Mumbai by over 35,000 farmers from across Maharashtra in March this year.

The organisers said the farmers will start entering Delhi after 5pm on Thursday from Anand Vihar, Nizamuddin, Brijwasan, Majnu Ka Tila and Kishangarh, to reach Ramlila Maidan. Police also keep a watch on these areas to manage a peaceful protest.

Demonetisation was a massive, draconian, monetary shock that accelerated economic slide to 6.8 per cent in the seven quarters after it against the 8 per cent recorded prior to the note ban, former Chief Economic Advisor Arvind Subramanian said.

Breaking his silence on the November 8, 2016 decision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, he says that he does not have a strongly-backed empirical view apart from the fact that the welfare costs, especially on the informal sector, were substantial.

"Demonetisation was a massive, draconian, monetary shock: In one fell swoop, 86 per cent of the currency in circulation was withdrawn. The real GDP growth was affected by the demonetisation. Growth had been slowing even before, but after demonetisation, the slide accelerated.

"In the six quarters before demonetisation, growth averaged 8 per cent and in the seven quarters after, it averaged about 6.8 per cent (with a four quarter window, the relevant numbers are 8.1 per cent before and 6.2 per cent after)," Subramanian says in the chapter "The Two Puzzles of Demonetisation -- Political and Economic".

The former CEA says he does not think anyone disputes that demonetisation slowed growth. Rather, the debate has been about the size of the effect -- whether it was 2 per cent points, or much less. "After all, many other factors affected growth in this period, especially higher real interest rates, GST implementation and oil prices."

Referring to the BJP's victory in Uttar Pradesh assembly elections, shortly after demonetisation, he says it was widely seen as a verdict on the note ban.

An Air India plane carrying 179 passengers struck a building at Stockholm's Arlanda airport with its wingtip as it taxied to gate on Wednesday, but no injuries were reported, police said.

"The 179 passengers could disembark from the plane on a mobile staircase and thereafter enter the terminal," police wrote in a statement. The cause of the accident was not immediately known, police said.

Several police cars and fire trucks were parked by the plane. According to airport operator Swedavia's website, the flight had originated in New Delhi.

The countdown for the launch of earth observation satellite HysISalong with 30 satellites from eight countries on board ISRO's trusted workhorse PSLV-C43 is progressing well as the launch is scheduled at 9.58 am today from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre at Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh.

The Hyper Spectral Imaging Satellite (HysIS), an earth observation satellite developed by ISRO, is the primary satellite of the PSLV-C43 mission.

The mass of the spacecraft is about 380 kg, the space agency said adding that the satellite would be placed in 636 km-polar sun synchronous orbit with an inclination of 97.957 degree.

The primary goal of HysIS, whose mission life is five years, is to study the earth's surface in visible near infrared and shortwave infrared regions of the electromagnetic spectrum.

PSLV is a four stage launch vehicle with alternating solid and liquid stages. PSLV-C43, which is the 45th flight of the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle, is the 'Core Alone' version of PSLV. It is the lightest version of the launch vehicle.

This will be ISRO's second launch in the month. The space agency had launched its latest communication satellite GSAT-29 on board GSLV MkIII-D2 on November 14.

The Congress on Wednesday accused the Modi government of "manipulating" GDP data of previous years and said it reflects an desperate attempt to undermine India's growth story over the last 15 years.

Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala termed the step a "classic" case where "the operation is successful but the patient is dead".

"The entire GDP back series data released today reflects the desperate attempt of a defeatist Modi Government to undermine India's growth story over last 15 years. Modi Government and its puppet Niti Aayog want the people to believe that 2+2=8.

"Such is the gimmickry, jugglery, trickery and chicanery being sold as 'back series data'," he said in a statement.

There was no immediate reaction from the BJP on the Congress's claims and allegations.

The Congress leader said the economic mismanagement under the Modi government has led to economic anarchy and jugglery of GDP figures.

"Manipulated back series data' will not change Modi government's exit date'. (Prime Minister Narendra) Modiji's new definition of GDP is 'Gimmickry Data Product'," he said.

Surjewala alleged a failed "Modinomics plus a Pakoda economic vision" has put India's economy in complete turmoil, and the prime minister and his finance minister have caused economic "mayhem" by the "ill-conceived" decisions of demonetisation, a "flawed" GST coupled with "tax terrorism".

"Faced with utter and complete rejection of the 'voodoo economics' of the Modi-Jaitley duo, they are resorting to malicious and fraudulent jugglery of GDP figures to hide the enormous body blow caused by them to India's economy," he said.

Surjewala alleged that since the advent of the NDA government in May 2014, there has been a determined effort to run down the record of the two UPA governments under Manmohan Singh during 2004-2009 and 2009-2014.

A lot of confusion was sown and the Modi government added to the confusion by changing the base year from 2004-05 to 2011-12, he said.

The Congress leader said his party has repeatedly pointed out that when the base year was changed, the government should follow the healthy international practice and revise the numbers for the previous years.

"We had demanded that the back series data of GVA and GDP should be calculated and released so that meaningful comparisons can be made," he said, adding that the back series data as released by National Statistical Commission in August 2018 is available in public domain and numbers prove that the truth cannot be suppressed.

The opposition leader claimed that UPA-1 and UPA-2 delivered the highest decadal growth of 8.13 per cent at factor cost since Independence and during this period 140 million people were lifted out of poverty.

When the UPA demitted office, economic growth had recovered to 6.39 per cent at market prices in 2013-14. Besides, the fiscal deficit had been reduced to 4.48 per cent and the current account deficit contained at 1.7 per cent, he claimed.

"The revised New Series' computed today by the Ministry of Statistics and Niti Aayog has completely undermined the NSC (National Statistical Commission), the autonomous body for deciding data transparently and in accordance with global standards of calculating GDP as per Market Price Linked Methodology. -- PTI

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