LIVE
Wed, 06 March 2019
Kumaraswamy meets 3 rebel Congress MLAs; tries to mollify them

Timeline  Refresh

image
23:05   Siddaramaiah sparks row saying he is scared of people wearing 'tilak'
Senior Congress leader and former Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah has said he was afraid of people wearing tilak on their forehead, a remark that sparked a strong backlash in the social media.

Siddaramaiah's comments have gone viral, with people posting their photos with tilak on their forehead along with hashtag "#SelfieWithTilak' in response.

Speaking at an event at his constituency Badami, the leader of Congress Legislature Party on Tuesday had said he was afraid of people wearing tilak on their forehead.

In the video, Siddaramaiah can be seen talking to a person from the stage, who is said to be a contractor.

"Where are you from? You have applied lot of kunkum (vermilion), will you do it (work) properly? I'm afraid of people who apply kunkum like this. You should do it properly and complete in scheduled time, did you understand," he said, as crowd guffawed.

Later continuing his address to the gathering, he said, "I don't know, people who apply long nama (tilak) on their forehead. I'm afraid of them."

Several twitter users, including some Bharatiya Janata Party leaders, posted their photos with tilak along with hashtag '#SelfieWithTilak' in response to Siddaramaiah's comment.   -- PTI
image
22:08   Kumaraswamy meets 3 rebel Congress MLAs; tries to mollify them
Karnataka Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy on Wednesday met three rebel Congress MLAs in an apparent bid to prevent any possible threat to the coalition government headed by him.

In the meeting aimed at pacifying Ramesh Jarkiholi, Nagendra and Mahesh Kumathalli, Kumaraswamy requested them not to take any decision in haste, sources said.

He asked them not to resign from the Congress and assured them of 'some positive things' in the days to come, they said.

Kumaraswamy's meeting with the MLAs came on a day when Umesh Jadhav, another rebel Congress MLA, joined the Bharatiya Janata Party at Kalaburagi, ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's rally.

According to sources, the coalition leaders are worried about the three MLAs too jumping ship to join the BJP any time as part of the saffron party's alleged plan to destabilise the government in Karnataka.

Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Kumaraswamy said he had gone to the house of an MLA (Jarkhiholi) for breakfast during which various issues were discussed.

"What development has happened to pacify? I had come to have breakfast... there is no need to come here to sort out any major issue.     They are all together and I have been saying it since the beginning. They are in constant touch with me and there are no issues," he said.

Stating that there were no issues even now, he said, "We discussed several matters...on the issue of development of their constituencies and districts. Other than that, no political discussions took place."

Asked about Umesh Jadhav's resignation and joining the BJP, the chief minister said he had nothing to do with it as he was never in touch with him.

"Since the beginning, my confidence was in Ramesh Jarkiholi, Nagendra and Mahesh Kumathali; they were inconstant touch with me for the last four months and we had discussions on several issues...

"Locally there are some issues and Congress leaders arecapable enough to solve them."

BJP sources said Jadhav was likely to be the party's Lok Sabha candidate for Gulbarga to challenge Congress veteran Mallikarjun Kharge, a nine-time MLA and two-term Lok Sabha member, who has never tasted electoral defeat.

Jadhav had on Monday submitted his resignation from the assembly to the Speaker, Ramesh Kumar.

Asked whether BJP was still in touch with MLAs, the CM said, "BJP people are in touch with everyone, including me. Why do you take it seriously?"

Pointing to the recent meeting of BJP chief B S Yeddyurappa and CLP leader Siddaramaiah, he said, "Can we adda different colour to it? All of us are friends.

"In the BJP also there will be friends and may talk and according to me there is no need to add a political colour to it."

The Congress has petitioned the Speaker, seeking disqualification of Jadhav, along with Ramesh Jarkiholi, B Nagendra and Mahesh Kumathali under the anti-defection law.

The four MLAs had kept the party on tenterhooks for several weeks, defying its whip twice to attend the Congress Legislative Party (CLP) meetings on January 18 and February 8and had skipped the early part of the budget session.

After the MLAs refused to fall in line, the Congress had petitioned the Speaker to disqualify them under the Anti-Defection Law.

However, Jadhav, along with other three MLAs had attended the session and voted in favour of the finance bill, with an intention not to violate the whip and avoid stringent action.

Speaking to reporters Ramesh Jarkiholi said he and his colleagues were still dissatisfied with the Congress, but it had not ended yet and they had not gone to the stage of quitting the party.

He said they discussed several issues with the chief minister and that certain things could not be revealed.

"I'm saying we are still dissatisfied with the Congress. It has not ended yet, but we have not gone to the stage of quitting the party. There are certain issues, I can't say much now..." he said.

"Temporarily things have ended, let's see what will happen in the days to come," he said, adding their displeasure was against the Congress and not the chief minister and that they had brought issues to the notice of the high command.

Nagendra said they discussed development issues relating to Belagavi and Ballari districts.

To a question, he said he was with the Congress party and would continue to be so, while his 'brothers' were free to decide if they wanted to join the BJP.  -- PTI
image
21:43   Rahul, Sonia, Manmohan meet G20 ambassadors over lunch
Top Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi and Manmohan Singh interacted with ambassadors of G20 member-countries at a luncheon meet here on Wednesday, where the party leadership shared its economic and political vision ahead of Lok Sabha elections.

The Pakistan ambassador was not invited to the meet which was attended by the ambassadors of the United States and China, the United Kingdom High Commissioner among others, Congress leaders said.

Congress president Rahul Gandhi met the ambassadors of G20 countries in India, besides those of neighbouring countries, and discussed with them issues of regional, global, strategic and economic importance, they said.

The meet, held at a local hotel, was earlier slated for February 15 and had been cancelled in the wake of the Pulwama terror attack on February 14.

Rahul Gandhi later said he enjoyed the exchange of ideas and looked forward to continuing the dialogue with the envoys.

"Today I met with diplomats of the G-20 nations & some neighbouring countries. We discussed a wide range of issues & are united in our fight against the scourge of terrorism. I enjoyed the exchange of perspectives & ideas & look forward to continuing our dialogue," he said on Twitter while sharing some pictures of the luncheon meeting.

Senior Congress leader and former minister Anand Sharma, who heads the Congress' foreign affairs department and was the host, said there were requests from heads of various missions for a meeting with the Congress leadership and this was the best structured way to engage.

"It was a meaningful engagement and a good meeting where global, regional, political and economic matters were discussed," Sharma said after the meeting.

Party president Rahul Gandhi, former prime minister Manmohan Singh and other senior leaders held discussions with the ambassadors on the current geopolitical situation, he said.

Pakistan was not invited for the lunch in view of the current Indo-Pak tension, the sources said.

The Congress president also shared his party's vision, including its economic and industrial policies, for revival of agriculture sector and jobs creation, ahead of general elections, Sharma said.

Gandhi is learnt to have first interacted with the ambassadors jointly for half an hour and then sat down at each table and shared his thoughts with them separately. The meeting lasted for almost three hours.

The Congress chief also made it clear to the diplomats that the party is committed and united in carrying forward the fight against terrorism.        Among the neighbouring countries whose diplomats were present at the luncheon meeting were Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Nepal, Bangladesh and Afghanistan.

The ambassadors of the United States, United Kingdom, European Union, Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Russian Federation, Saudi Arabia, South Africa and Turkey attended the meet.

Ghulam Nabi Azad and some other leaders were also present besides former National Security Adviser Shiv Shankar Menon, former Indian ambassador to the US and Germany Meera Shankar, former Indian High Commissioner to Pakistan Sharat Sabharwal and former High Commissioner to Bangladesh Pinak Ranjan Chakravarty.

The ambassadors of Brunei, Dominican Republic and Romania, who head regional groups of ASEAN, GRULAC and Europe, also attended the meet.  -- PTI
image
21:14   Enough evidence to prosecute PM for corruption in Rafale deal: Rahul
Alleging that the 'trail of corruption' in the Rafale fighter jet deal 'begins and ends with' Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday claimed there 'is now enough evidence' to prosecute him.

Leading the party's attack on the Modi dispensation over the deal, Gandhi also alleged 'destruction of evidence' and 'obvious cover-up' after the government told the Supreme Court that crucial files pertaining to the fighter jet deal were 'stolen'.

'There is now enough evidence to prosecute the PM in the Rafale Scam. The trail of corruption begins & ends with him. That crucial Rafale files incriminating him are now reported "stolen' by the Govt, is destruction of evidence & an obvious coverup,' he said on Twitter, using the hashtag 'FIRagainstCorruptModi'.

The Congress chief's attack came on a day when the government said in the Supreme Court that documents related to the Rafale fighter jet deal have been stolen from the defence ministry and threatened The Hindu newspaper with action under the the Official Secrets Act for publishing articles based on them.

The Congress on Wednesday alleged corruption and malfeasance in the Rafale fighter jet deal and said the time has come to lodge an FIR against Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

"The corruption and malfeasance in Rafale deal is out in the open. PM Modi misused his office to give benefits to Dassault Aviation and caused loss to the public exchequer," Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala told reporters.

"It is now crystal clear that blatant and massive corruption has taken place in the Rafale deal. It is undoubtedly established that Modi misused his office as Prime Minister to grant undue benefit to Dassault Aviation and caused a loss to public exchequer," he said.

Meanwhile, the Congress launched a fresh attack on Modi over the Rafale aircraft deal, alleging that he misused his office to 'benefit' Dassault Aviation and that a case under the prevention of corruption law is made out against him.

The party's chief spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala told reporters that the Indian Negotiating Team (INT) to finalise the purchase of the fighter aircraft was sidelined and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval finalised the negotiation at the behest of the prime minister's office.

The government has rejected the Congress's charge of corruption in the deal with the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party accusing the party of spreading lies to target it.

Surjewala claimed the government bought the fighter aircraft at a much higher rate than what was negotiated by the United Progressive Alliance and also waived bank guarantee.

The government's claim of buying the 36 aircraft at Rs 59,000 crore is wrong and the INT has put the figure at Rs 64,000 crore, he claimed, accusing the government of misleading Parliament.  -- PTI
image
20:32   House panel confronts FB over misuse of its platform during polls
A parliamentary panel on Wednesday confronted social media giant Facebook over its alleged inability to prevent misuse of its platform during elections and asked it to respond in writing to concerns raised.

After grilling Twitter, the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Information Technology headed by Bharatiya Janata Party MP Anurag Thakur posed tough questions to Joel Kaplan, VP -- Global Public Policy, Facebook, who tendered an apology for some of the comments made by the social media giant's employees on terrorism and Pulwama terror attacks, sources privy to the development said.

The panel, they said, raised grave concerns over Facebook's inability to prevent its platform from being misused during elections and proactively help national security agencies.

The social media giant gave a commitment to the Committee that the identify, location and who paid for advertisements will be available on a special web page for users.

Facebook admitted it doesn't 'always get it right' regarding content moderation on its platform, sources said, adding the committee members felt that despite all the apologies for past mistakes that Facebook has made, it still seems unwilling to be properly scrutinised and be transparent.

Sources said Thakur questioned the Facebook representative over insensitive tweets and public comments by Facebook employees.

To this, Joel apologised to the committee for remarks made by Facebook employees, they said.

When contacted, Kaplan in an emailed statement said the company is grateful for getting the 'opportunity' to show how the company is preparing for the Indian elections and helping keep people safe.

"Facebook was forthcoming in trying to address the important concerns we raised. They thanked the Committee for the opportunity to express their views," Thakur said.

"They accepted there is a need for corrective measures and that they are ready for them. They have said they will be in touch with the Election Commission and work on the information provided by the concerned ministries."

Sources, however, said the panel members were unconvinced that Facebook and its employees are behaving neutrally and asked the social media firm to respond in writing to their set of written questions.

Facebook said they are a 'hybrid company' and failed to clearly answer which regulatory framework would apply to their content, advertising and marketing operations in India, sources said.

Joel, they claimed, stated that Facebook doesn't have all the answers but is eager to engage on the right regulatory framework.

On media reports about phone number data breach of Indian users, Joel said this related to 'who can look me up' settings and terms of service do explain that fact.

He stated that if Facebook was not doing a good job, it needs to fix it.

"We have made mistakes in this area, we need to do more for trust to get this right," sources quoted him as saying at the meeting.

The Parliamentary Committee members quoted the United Kingdom Parliamentary report on 'Disinformation & Fake News' which stated the management structure of Facebook is opaque to those outside the business and this seemed to be designed to conceal knowledge and responsibility for specific decisions.

Facebook used the strategy of sending witnesses who they said were the most appropriate representatives, yet had not been properly briefed on crucial issues, and could not or chose not to answer many of the panel questions, sources said.

The Guardian UK report regarding Facebook's global lobbying against Stringent Data Privacy Laws in countries around the world including India, was raised by one senior committee member.

All members of the Committee expressed that they are unconvinced that Facebook and its employees are behaving neutrally, they said.

The 31-member panel had met to hear the views of the representatives of Facebook and its affiliates WhatsApp and Instagram on 'safeguarding citizens rights on social/online news media platforms'.  -- PTI
image
19:35   BJP leaders come to blows over placement of names on foundation stone
Bharatiya Janata Party MP Sharad Tripathi and party's Uttar Pradesh MLA Rakesh Singh Baghel on Wednesday came to blows during a meeting to discuss developmental projects in Sant Kabir Nagar.

Initially, both of them had a verbal argument over the placement of names on a foundation stone of some development project.

However, the argument soon turned ugly as the two leaders got into jostling, pushing each other and ultimately fisticuffs.

Tripathi hit Baghel with his footwear to which Baghel also retaliated by slapping the MP.

The incident took place during a meeting of the District Action Plan Committee at the Collectorate where various representatives and officials were present.

There have been reports that the two have not shared a very cordial relationship in the past as well.

An eye witness said that the incident began with a heated argument between the MP and the MLA which snowballed into a physical fight.

"The meeting was underway when the brawl broke out between the BJP MP and MLA over some issue related to PWD. We could not even complete the meeting.

"This is highly condemnable. We were trying to discuss things about development, members and officers were also present," the witness added.

More details of the incident are awaited. -- ANI

image
18:50   Rahul-Yechury to resolve seat-sharing issue in Bengal
All India Congress Committee president Rahul Gandhi will speak with Communist Party of India-Marxist general secretary Sitaram Yechury to resolve the impasse over seat-sharing between the two parties in West Bengal, Congress leaders said in Kolkata on Wednesday.

This comes hours after state Congress president Somen Mitra and chairman of the state coordination committee Pradip Bhattacharya met Gandhi in New Delhi and discussed the issue, among other matters.

Two Lok Sabha seats held by the CPI-M -- Raiganj and Murshidabad -- have stonewalled the seat-sharing talks between the two parties.

The two seats are traditional Congress bastions but it lost them in 2014 polls by narrow margins.

"We have given him (Gandhi) details of the problems that we are facing during talks on seat-sharing. We have told him about Raiganj and Murshidabad seats which have been the bone of contention. Rahul-ji has told us that he will speak to Sitaram Yechury to resolve the problem. Let's see what happens," Bhattacharya told PTI from New Delhi.

During the meeting with Gandhi, Mitra mentioned the 'aspirations of party workers and leaders' to contest from Raiganj and Murshidabad, Congress sources in Kolkata said.

"The formula of friendly fight in those seats has also been discussed as neither the Congress nor the Left wants the talks to fail just for two seats. At the same time, we also need to keep in mind the aspirations of party workers," a senior Congress leader privy to the development told PTI.

Mitra Tuesday wrote a letter to Gandhi underlining the need for 'seat-sharing or alliance' with the CPI-M in order to 'stop the march of the BJP in the state and dethrone the Trinamool Congress in 2021 assembly polls'.

The state Congress leadership had hinted Monday it was ready to go it alone in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections if the Left Front does not leave for it the two seats.

The discussion between state Congress leadership and Gandhi comes two days after the CPI-M central committee came out with a proposal of 'no mutual contest' for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections in six seats the two parties jointly hold.

It was seen as a move to untangle the formula of seat-sharing between the two political blocs to consolidate anti-Bharatiya Janata Party and anti-Trinamool Congerss votes.

While the Congress had bagged four seats in the state in the 2014 general elections, the CPI-M had won only Raiganj and Murshidabad.

While Uttar Dinajpur's Raiganj has been a pocket borough of the late Congress stalwart Priya Ranjan Dasmunsi, Murshidabad's politics has been dominated by the party's firebrand leader and former Union minister Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury.

While Raiganj is represented by CPI-M's Mohammad Salim at present, Badaruddoza Khan was won from Murshidabad.  -- PTI
image
18:28   Chennai Central station to be renamed after MGR: Modi
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is in Tamil Nadu, to unveil a slew of rail and road projects announced that the Chennai Central Station will be renamed after the AIADMK founder MG Ramachandran. "We are also seriously thinking about ensuring that flights to and from Tamil Nadu have in-flight announcements in Tamil," the PM said.  


Unveiling infrastructure projects worth several crores of rupees in the southern state, Modi said the projects would reduce carbon footprint and cut down on travel time. 


At a function in Kilambakkam near Chennai, Modi unveiled road projects in Vellore, Thiruvannamalai, Villupuram and Tirupur districts through video conferencing. Chief Minister K Palaniswami and Deputy Chief Minister O Panneerselvam were among those present on the occasion. Modi also laid foundation stones for five national highways projects which will pass through Villupuram, Cuddalore, Ariyalur, Thanjavur, Tiruvarur, Vellore and Kancheepuram districts. The highway projects, which include four-laning and six-laning, is worth Rs 5,010 crore.
image
18:27   Mukesh Ambani is 13th richest in world: Forbes
Richest Indian Mukesh Ambani jumped six positions to rank 13th on Forbes World's Billionaire list released on Tuesday that was again topped by Jeff Bezos.

E-commerce colossus Amazon founder Bezos, 55, remains the world's richest person, ahead of Bill Gates and Warren Buffett, as his riches swelled by $19 billion in one year and is now worth $131 billion, Forbes said.

Ambani, 61, saw wealth soar from $40.1 billion in 2018 when he was placed 19th richest in the world, to $50 billion to be rank at 13th in 2019.

'Ambani chairs and runs $60 billion (revenue) oil and gas giant Reliance Industries, among India's most valuable companies,' Forbes said.

'In 2016, Reliance sparked a price war in India's hyper-competitive telecom market with the launch of 4G phone service Jio.'

Jio, it said, has signed on 280 million customers by offering free domestic voice calls, dirt-cheap data services and virtually free smartphones. Ambani leads the 106 billionaires from India on the Forbes list.

Wipro Chairman Azim Premji is ranked 36th with a net worth of $22.6 billion dollars.

Technology major HCL's co-founder Shiv Nadar, ranked 82nd and ArcelorMittal Chairman and CEO Lakshmi Mittal at the 91st rank come in within the top-100 billionaires in the world.

The list of Indian billionaires includes Aditya Birla Group Chairman Kumar Birla (122), Chairman and founder of the Adani Group Gautam Adani (167), Bharti Airtel head Sunil Mittal (244), co-founder of consumer goods giant Patanjali Ayurveda Acharya Balkrishna (365), Piramal Entreprises Chair Ajay Piramal (436), Biocon founder Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw (617), Infosys co-founder N R Narayana Murthy (962) and RCom chairman Reliance Anil Ambani (1,349).

Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg dropped three spots and former New York mayor Michael Bloomberg rose by two. Gates, 63, saw his wealth grow to $96.5 billion, up from $90 billion last year while investment guru Buffett, 88, at third position saw fortunes slipping by $1.5 billion to $82.5 billion, the magazine said.

Ambani was placed at the 33rd position on the 2017 listing of Forbes. Forbes said he is the richest Indian and ranked 32nd on the 2018 Powerful People listing of the magazine. He was ranked Global Game Changer in 2017.

Bernard Arnault, CEO of French luxury good company, LVMH, held on to fourth places while Zuckerberg lost $9 billion in networth to slip from fifth the to eighth position.

Ahead of Zuckerberg now are Mexican tycoon Carlos Slim, Zara and Inditex founder Amancio Ortega of Spain and Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison.

Forbes said the 'list is a snapshot of wealth using stock prices and exchange rates from February 8, 2019'.

Some people become richer or poorer within days of publication.

"We list individuals rather than multigenerational families who share fortunes, though we include wealth belonging to a billionaire's spouse and children if that person is the founder of the fortune," it said.

The 33rd annual ranking has 2,153 billionaires on the 2019 list, down from 2,208 in 2018. The total combined net worth of this year's billionaires is $8.7 trillion, down from $9.1 trillion in 2018, Forbes said.

"This represents the first decrease in billionaires and their combined wealth since 2016 and only the second decrease in the past decade," it said.

"A record 994 individuals are worth less than a year ago; last year only 360 members got poorer. The average net worth of this year's billionaires is USD 4 billion, down from USD 4.1 billion in 2018."   -- PTI
image
18:17  
Market top gainers today.
image
18:17  
BSE Sensex today.
image
17:35   COA set to refer Rahul-Pandya matter to ombudsman
The Committee of Administrators running Indian cricket will refer the investigation into Hardik Pandya and K L Rahul's loose talk on women to the BCCI's newly-appointed Ombudsman D K Jain during a meeting in New Delhi on Thursday. 


Rahul and Pandya were provisionally suspended for their sexist remarks on a popular TV show but their suspension was eventually revoked pending an inquiry. 


Now that the Ombudsman has been appointed by the Supreme Court to resolve disputes, he will take a call on the case involving Rahul and Pandya. 


"This is the first full fledged meeting of the COA after the appointment of the Ombudsman. We would be discussing various issues," COA Chairman Vinod Rai told PTI without getting into the specifics of the Rahul and Pandya controversy. 


Jain, a former Supreme Court judge, on Tuesday told PTI that he was waiting for the COA to refer him any matter, including Pandya and Rahul's case. 


Both Pandya and Rahul were sent home from the tour of Australia following their controversial remarks which triggered a massive controversy. Thursday will also be the first time that the latest member of the COA, Lt General Ravi Thodge, will be attending a meeting in person. -- PTI
image
17:27   Jaish does not exist in Pakistan: Military spokesperson
Jaish-e-Muhammed which claimed responsibility for the Pulwama attack does not exist in Pakistan, the military's spokesperson has said, days after Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi admitted that the terror outfit's chief is present in the country.

The already sour relations between India and Pakistan have worsened after Pakistan-based JeM claimed responsibility for the February 14 Pulwama attack that left 41 Central Reserve Police Force personnel dead.

Director General Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Major General Asif Ghafoor when asked if the two countries were close to war after the attack told CNN, "We were I would say close to war because when they [India] violated the airspace under token aggression, we went for response."

"Along the Line of Control (LoC) we were eyeball-to-eyeball. There is presence of troops at the LoC for decades. But post the Indian aggression and our response, the safeguards have been taken by both side," Ghafoor said on the situation along the Line of Control.

He said that troops had been increased 'because it is natural as part of military planning. When the situation gets hot there are safeguards. Those safeguards are in place on both sides'.

After the Pulwama attack, the Indian Air Force carried out a counter-terror operation, hitting what it said was a JeM training camp in Balakot, deep inside Pakistan on February 26.

The next day, Pakistan Air Force retaliated and downed a MiG-21 and captured its pilot Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman who was handed over to India on Friday.

When asked about Indian claims regarding the Balakot air strike, Ghafoor said that not even a single brick had been found there nor were there any causalities.

"Their [Indian] claims are false," he said.

He further said that the JeM claim of responsibility for the Pulwama attack had not been made from inside Pakistan.

"Jaish-e-Muhammed does not exist in Pakistan. It has been proscribed by the United Nations and Pakistan also. Secondly, we are not doing anything under anybody's pressure," he claimed.

Last month Qureshi during an interview with CNN said that JeM chief Masood Azhar is in Pakistan, but said the government can act against him only if India presents 'solid' and 'inalienable' evidence that can stand in a court of law.

Ghafoor said instead of blaming Pakistan, it is time for the world to assist and facilitate Pakistan in getting rid of such organisations.

On Pakistan's release of Indian pilot Abhinandan Varthaman as a gesture of peace, Major General Ghafoor stated, "Now it is up to India whether they take that peace gesture and move forward towards de-escalation or continue the agenda that they have."

"We feel that now the ball is in the Indian court. Should they decide to escalate more, the situation will go bad," Ghafoor said.  -- PTI
image
17:20   Won't give any information on source of Rafale documents: N Ram
Documents related to the Rafale deal were published in public interest and nobody would get any information from The Hindu newspaper on the confidential sources who provided them, The Hindu Publishing Group Chairman N Ram said on Wednesday.

The documents were published because details were withheld or covered up, the veteran journalist said as the government told the Supreme Court that documents related to the Rafale aircraft deal have been stolen from the defence ministry and an investigation into the theft is on.

"You may call it stolen documents...we are not concerned. We got it from confidential sources and we are committed to protecting these sources.

"Nobody is going to get any information from us on these sources. But the documents speak for themselves and the stories speak for themselves," Ram told PTI.

He has written a series of articles on the Rafale deal, the latest one on Wednesday.

Those who put documents on the Rafale deal in the public domain are guilty under the Official Secrets Act and contempt of court, Attorney General K K Venugopal said on Wednesday before a bench hearing a batch of petitions seeking a review of the court's verdict dismissing all the pleas against the agreement on the fighter jet.

"I will not comment on the proceedings of the Supreme Court. But whatever we have published has been published. They are authentic documents. And they have been published in the public interest because these details have been withheld or covered up," Ram said.

"... It is the duty of the press - through investigative journalism -- to bring out relevant information or issues of great importance for the public interest," he added.

On February 8, Ram wrote in The Hindu that the defence ministry raised strong objections to 'parallel discussions' conducted by the PMO (Prime Minister's Office) during the negotiations over the Rs 59,000 crore Rafale deal between India and France.

It was allegedly based on government documents related to Rafale deal.

"What we have done is completely protected under article 19 (1) (a) of the Indian constitution -- freedom of speech and expression -- and also under the relevant sections of the Right to Information Act, specifically, its section 8 (1) (i) and section 8 (2), which clearly protects this," Ram said.  -- PTI
image
17:00   Time to lodge FIR against PM: Congress on Rafale
The Congress on Wednesday alleged corruption and malfeasance in the Rafale fighter jet deal and said the time has come to lodge a first information report against Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

"The corruption and malfeasance in Rafale deal is out in the open. PM Modi misused his office to give benefits to Dassault Aviation and caused loss to the public exchequer," Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala told reporters.

"It is now crystal clear that blatant and massive corruption has taken place in the Rafale deal. It is undoubtedly established that Modi misused his office as Prime Minister to grant undue benefit to Dassault Aviation and caused a loss to public exchequer.

"This is a clear cut case under Section 13 (1) (d) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 and different provisions of Indian Penal Code. Time has now come to register an FIR against PM Modi and every other individual so that a time-bound investigation takes place in this entire sage of Rafale corruption reaching the highest echelons of power," he said.

Citing a report of the Indian Negotiation Team (INT), now in public domain, he said it is now crystal clear that Modi 'misled Parliament and duped the country to cover up the murky dealings and blatant corruption, besides, squandering away national security interests'.

The Congress leader alleged that after documents that have come out in the open, the responsibility now lies at the door steps of Modi and a case be registered under the Prevention of Corruption Act.

"This conspiracy has now been uncovered," he said, alleging that Modi did away with the 'bank guarantee' condition to cause a loss to the public exchequer and neither was the cost of India-specific enhancements included and nor was the cost of transfer of technology added.

Surjewala alleged that the country will now pay 10,300 million for 36 Rafale aircraft under PM Modi's deal.

He also alleged that bypassing the INT, Modi held 'direct negotiations' to buy 36 Rafale aircraft and the proceedings of INT now establish that the final negotiations were held in France by NSA Ajit Doval on January 12 and 13, 2016 and the final agreement was consequently signed on January 13, 2016.

"This conclusively nails Modi Govt's white lie. Responsibility for negotiating the 36 Rafale aircraft purchase was that of the Indian Negotiating Team (INT) constituted by the Ministry of Defence on May 12, 2015.

"But PM Modi was indulging in direct negotiation with the French, which weakened the credibility of the INT," he alleged.

He said Doval was not part of the Indian Negotiation Team (INT) and was not even authorised by the Cabinet Committee on Security for the same.

"Simple question is, how is it the domain of NSA to negotiate and finalise a fighter aircraft purchase deal? Obviously, the PMO and the NSA were doing so under direct instructions of PM Narendra Modi," he said.

The government has rejected the Congress's charge of corruption in the deal with the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party accusing the party of spreading lies to target it.  -- PTI
image
16:18   The Hindu's reports on Rafale is contempt of court: AG
Update: The government on Wednesday told the Supreme Court that documents related to the Rafale aircraft deal have been stolen from the Defence Ministry and threatened The Hindu newspaper with the Official Secrets Act for publishing articles based on them.


Those who put documents on the Rafale deal in the public domain are guilty under the Official Secrets Act and contempt of court, Attorney General K K Venugopal said before a three-judge bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi. 


An investigation into the theft is on, the attorney general said on a day the newspaper published another article on the fighter jet deal. The bench, also including Justices S K Kaul and K M Joseph, was hearing a batch of petitions seeking a review of its December 14 verdict dismissing all the pleas against the deal procured by India from France. 


Former Union ministers Yashwant Sinha and Arun Shourie and advocate Prashant Bhushan, who had jointly filed a petition, alleged that the Centre suppressed crucial facts when the apex court decided to dismiss the batch of PILs against the Rafale deal in December.


When Bhushan referred to an article written by senior journalist N Ram in The Hindu, Venugopal said the write-ups were based on stolen documents.


An FIR has not been registered so far into the theft of documents pertaining to Rafale deal, he added. He said the first write-up by Ram appeared in The Hindu on February 8 and Wednesday's edition had another article aimed at influencing the court's proceedings. This amounted to contempt of court, he said. The newspaper published the documents by omitting the word 'secret' on top, he said, seeking a dismissal of the review petitions and raising objections to Bhushan's arguments based on the The Hindu's articles. 


The bench sought to know from the Centre what it has done when it alleges that the stories are based on stolen material. Advancing his arguments on behalf of Sinha, Shourie and himself, Bhushan said said the top court would not have dismissed the plea for an FIR and probe had critical facts not been suppressed. 


Venugopal said the documents relied upon by Bhushan were stolen from the Defence Ministry and an investigation into the matter was underway. At this point, the chief justice said hearing Bhushan did not mean the top court was taking on record the documents on the Rafale deal. 


He also asked Venugopal to tell the court what action had been taken on theft of documents on the aircraft deal. The AG submitted that the documents on the deal relied on by the petitioners were marked secret and classified and are therefore in violation of the Official Secrets Act. 


The attorney general also told the Supreme Court that the Rafale case pertains to defence procurement which cannot be reviewed judicially. Referring to the aerial combat with Pakistan last week, he said the country needs the Rafale jet to defend itself "from F-16 fighter planes that recently bombed us". 


"Without Rafale how can we resist them," he said, adding that two squadrons of Rafale fighter jets are coming in flyaway condition. The first one will be in September this year, Venugopal said. -- PTI


Image: N Ram, chairman of the Hindu group
image
16:03   Scared of people who wear vermillion on forehead: Siddaramaiah
Former Chief Minister and Congress leader Siddaramaiah on Tuesday made a controversial statement about people wearing vermillion (tilak or tikka) on their foreheads.          


Addressing an event in Bagalkot's Badami, he said, "I am scared of people who wear long tikas with kumkum or ash." 


He had pointed to a man who was wearing a 'tikka' in the crowd and made the remark.


Wearing vermillion on the forehead is an ancient Hindu practice.


In January, Siddaramaiah had lost his cool and was caught on camera furiously snatching a mike from a woman, in the process of which her 'dupatta' also fell.


However, clarifying the incident later he said, "It was an accident, there was no bad intention. I know her for 15 years, she is just like my sister."


Siddaramaiah is a sitting MLA from Badami constituency in Karnataka. 
-- ANI
image
15:41   Oppn uniting to remove Modi, Modi working hard to remove terrorism: PM
Bubbling with confidence, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday said that he was not afraid of Pakistan, thieves or the corrupt thanks to the blessings of 1.25 crore people of the country.


Launching a blitzkrieg on his political opponents, Prime Minister Modi said that they were uniting to remove him, but he was working hard to remove terrorism.


"They are uniting to remove Modi, and Modi is working hard to remove terror. Terrorism, poverty, corruption must be removed from the country and I am working with this target only,' he said while addressing a public rally here.


"After 30 years, a complete majority government has been formed at the Centre in Delhi. Modi is a reason of trouble for many others. Hence, day and night they are working to remove Modi," he said.


Attacking Chief Minister HD Deve Gowda led Congress-JDS government in the state for not implementing the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi Scheme (PM-KSNS), he said: "Some governments think that in their state if farmers get Rs 2,000 in their account, they will start chanting Modi's name. That is why Karnataka government and remotely controlled Chief Minister (HD Kumaraswamy) had not sent us the list of the state's farmers. We gave financial help to farmers across the country but couldn't to the farmers in Karnataka. No farmer of the state will forgive the state government," he said.


"They are perturbed because Modi is directly depositing money directly in the bank accounts and no one would be able to take anything from it. This is the truth of the 'Mahamilawat' (adulteration) of corrupt and dynastic people," he said.


"I want to tell them if they will become a wall between farmers and the Central assistance, the farmers will destroy this wall. For the vote, they take names of farmers and poor but forget them after getting votes. They don't fulfill their own promise and are creating hurdles in the public welfare work of others," he said.  -- PTI
image
15:08   Terrorist hideout busted in Kashmir's Shopian
In Jammu and Kashmir, a terrorist hideout was busted in Shopian district's Kungnoo village, in a joint operation by Shopian Police and the army's 44 Rashtriya Rifles. Substantial recoveries of incriminating material and other items recovered. Investigation is on.


Meanwhile, the Pakistan army Wednesday targeted dozens of forward posts and villages with artillery guns along the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir's Rajouri and Poonch districts, officials said. 


The intense shelling and firing from across the border continued throughout the night in Sunderbani sector of Rajouri district, while it started in Krishna Ghati sector of Poonch in the early hours of Wednesday, they said. 


Officials said the Indian Army retaliated strongly and effectively, and the exchange of heavy fire caused panic among the border residents.


However, there was no report of any casualty on the Indian side, they said. Pakistan had resorted to cross-border firing at Nowshera and Sunderbani in Rajouri and Krishna Ghati in Poonch on Tuesday as well. 
image
14:54   Indore gets cleanest city tag for third year in a row; Ambikapur, Mysore among top rankers
Indore was adjudged India's cleanest city for the third straight year in the central government's cleanliness survey announced on Wednesday. The second and third positions in the category were grabbed by Ambikapur in Chhattisgarh and Mysore in Karnataka.


The Swachh Survekshan awards 2019 were conferred by President Ram Nath Kovind at a ceremony in New Delhi.


While the New Delhi Municipal Council area was given the 'Cleanest Small City' award, Uttarakhand's Gauchar was adjudged the 'Best Ganga Town' in the central government survey.


The 'Cleanest Big City' award has been bagged by Ahmedabad, while Raipur is the 'Fastest Moving Big City'. Ujjain has been the adjudged the 'Cleanest Medium City' and Mathura-Vrindavan bagged the tag of the 'Fastest Moving Medium Cities'. Top-ranked cities received a statue of Mahatma Gandhi as a memento for their work towards cleanliness. 


Swachh Survekshan 2019 covered all urban local bodies in the country, making it the largest such cleanliness survey in the world.-- PTI
image
14:29   Rafale documents stolen from Defence Ministry: Govt tells SC it will act
Certain documents pertaining to the Rafale fighter jets deal were stolen from the Defence Ministry and a probe has been initiated into the matter, the Government told the Supreme Court on Wednesday.


Attorney General (AG), KK Venugopal made the submission during the hearing on review petitions filed by various parties against its December 14, 2018, judgment in which it had refused to order a probe into the deal to procure 36 Rafale fighter planes from France.


"We are dealing with defence purchases which involve the security of the state. It is a very sensitive case," he told the apex court adding that the Centre is considering the invoking the Official Secrets Act on this issue.


The Supreme Court last month allowed for an open court hearing of the Rafale review petitions.


Advocate Prashant Bhushan told the SC that we have also made a supplementary affidavit based on reports by The Hindu's Narasimman Ram. CJI Ranjan Gogoi said, "We don't want any supplementary stuff. We have read what all you have given us."


Venugopal in his submission said note files were stolen and one of the national dailies, had published it. "We are dealing with defence purchases which involves security of the state. It is very sensitive case," he said."Due to this other countries may be hesitant in doing deals as they feel they will have to pass through all media attention, public domain and court proceedings," the Attorney General said.


On January 2, petitioners in Rafale fighter jet deal case -- Yashwant Sinha, Arun Shourie, both former Union Ministers, and Prashant Bhushan, a noted lawyer -- had moved the apex court for review of its Rafale judgment of December 14. They had asked for recalling of the judgement and had also sought an oral hearing in the open court for their review plea. -- PTI
image
13:37   The violent toll of Hindu nationalism in India
A populist Prime Minister has legitimized India's more militant groups, and targeted attacks against religious minorities are on the rise, reports the New Yorker. Read the report here


Image: Pehlu Khan was lynched to death.
image
13:16   At Rahul-Deve Gowda meeting, JDS asks for 10 seats in K'taka
JDS chief H D Deve Gowda Wednesday demanded Congress President Rahul Gandhi give his party at least 10 seats to contest in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls in Karnataka.


Gandhi met Deve Gowda for seat-sharing talks at the latter's residence in New Delhi. The meeting lasted around two hours. AICC's general secretary in Karnataka K C Venugopal and JDS national general secretary Danish Ali were present at the meeting.


"Gandhi discussed about seat sharing in Karnataka. This is the first such discussion between the two parties. There are 28 Lok Sabha seats in the state. Earlier, I had asked for 12. At the meeting, I requested Rahulji to give at least 10 seats to the JDS," Deve Gowda told reporters. 


Gandhi will take the final decision after taking inputs from Ali and Venugopal, he said. Ali said the seat-sharing arrangement will be announced by March 10.   -- PTI


Congress president Rahul Gandhi, JD-S chief HK Deve Gowda, AICC's general secretary in Karnataka K C Venugopal and JDS national general secretary Danish Ali at the meeting today. Pic: ANI 
image
12:53   Rumours grow of rift between Saudi king and crown prince
King Salman said to have been angered by recent moves by Prince Mohammed against him. Read the report here. 
image
12:43   Modi offers chadar at Ajmer Sharif
In Ajmer, BJP's Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi on behalf of PM Narendra Modi offered a 'chaadar' at Ajmer Sharif dargah on the occasion of the 807th Urs.
image
12:35   SC reserves order on Ayodhya title dispute
The Supreme Court on Wednesday reserved its order on the issue of referring the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid title dispute case to the court-appointed and monitored mediation for a permanent solution.


The court asked the parties concerned to suggest the name of a mediator or panel of mediators.


A five-judge Constitution bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi said, "We intend to pass the order soon."


The bench had on February 26 had suggested an amicable resolution in the case through mediation and reserved its order for March 6.


The bench, which also comprised Justices SA Bobde, DY Chandrachud, Ashok Bhushan and SA Nazeer, had told the parties, We're seriously giving a chance for mediation."


During today's hearing, Justice Bobde said, "It's about sentiments, about religion and about faith. We are conscious of the gravity of the dispute.


"There need not be one mediator but a panel of mediators. When the mediation is on, it should not be reported on. It may not be a gag, but no motive should be attributed to anyone when the mediation process is on," he said.


Justice Bobde said, "We have no control over what happened in the past, who invaded, who was the king, temple or mosque. We know about the present dispute. We are concerned only about resolving the dispute."


On February 26, the bench had said, We have suggested to the parties that during the interregnum a court-appointed and court-monitored mediation with utmost confidentiality could be initiated to bring a permanent solution to the issues raised in the cases.


Even if there is only one per cent chance, it should be explored," Justice Bobde had said emphasising for mediation in the matter.


While Muslim side and Nirmohi Akhada from the Hindu side in the case agreed for mediation, the counsel appearing for deity Ram Lalla Virajman, Akhil Bharat Hindu Mahasabha and Mahant Suresh Das were opposed to it saying court-appointed mediation had failed on earlier occasions.

-- PTI
image
12:04   Not concerned about what Babur had done: SC on Ayodhya case
The Supreme Court Wednesday said it was conscious of the gravity of the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid land dispute and the outcome of mediation on the body politic of the country. 


A five-judge constitution bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi said the case was not only about property but also about sentiment and faith.


"It is not only about property. It is about mind, heart and healing, if possible," the bench also comprising Justices S A Bobde, D Y Chandrachud, Ashok Bhushan and S A Nazeer said. 


"We are not concerned about what Mughal ruler Babur had done and what happened after. We can go into what exists in the present moment," the bench said. The apex court is considering whether the dispute can be settled through mediation. The top court had asked the contesting parties to explore the possibility of amicably settling the decades-old dispute through mediation, saying it may help in "healing relations". 


Fourteen appeals have been filed in the apex court against the 2010 Allahabad High Court judgment, delivered in four civil suits, that the 2.77-acre land in Ayodhya be partitioned equally among the three parties -- the Sunni Waqf Board, the Nirmohi Akhara and Ram Lalla. -- PTI
image
11:43   VK Singh's proposal to count casualties in air strikes: Tie Oppn to planes
A belligerent VK Singh tells news agency ANI that the next time India conducts an air strike, Doubting Thomases in the opposition should be tied to the IAF jets and dropped at the location of the strike so that they can count the casualties. "Agli baar jab Bharat kuch kare toh mujhe lagta hai ki vipakshi jo ye prashna uthate hain, unko hawai jahaz ke neeche baandh ke le jayein, jab bomb chale toh vahan se dekh lein target, uske baad unko vahin par utar dein, uske baad vo gin le aur wapas aajayein," he said.


The Union Minister's comment comes after the opposition raised questions on the opacity on the number of casualties  in the Balakot air strike. The government has offered no numbers on the deaths, except for the MEA statement on a 'large number of casualties'  in the air strike on the Jais-e-Mohammed terror camp in Pakistan. BJP president Amit Shah's figure of 250 deaths remains unsubstantiated.  


VK Singh also hit out at senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh for terming the ghastly Pulwama terror attack an "accident" and asked him whether the assassination of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi was a terror incident or just an "accident"."With due respect, I would like to ask Digvijaya Singh Ji, was Rajiv Gandhi's assassination an accident or a terror incident? Let him answer this first," VK Singh, who is Minister of State for External Affairs, had said. 
image
11:16   Digvijaya Singh dares PM to file case against him
Senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh on Wednesday challenged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to file a case against him over allegations from BJP leaders that he was an anti-national and a Pakistan supporter. 


In a series of tweets, Singh, who stirred a controversy on Tuesday by referring to the Pulwama terror attack as an "accident", questioned why calling the attacks a "durghatana" prompted Modi and three Union ministers to term him anti-national.


"The tweet over which you and your ministers called me a Pakistan supporter and an anti-national was posted from Delhi where police are under the Union government. If you are brave, file a case against me," he tweeted. 


Singh said that Modi and his ministers levelled several allegations against him and even expressed their intentions of filing a sedition case. "What action has Modi taken over intelligence failure in the Pulwama terror attack? He is yet to tell the country who is responsible for it. Does Modiji hold anyone responsible for this or not? Has he asked for a clarification from the NSA, IB or the RAW chief?" he asked. 


Singh also re-tweeted a video that shows Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya describing the terrorist attack as a "big accident". 


"Would Modiji and his ministers like to say something about Mauryaji?" Singh asked.  -- PTI
image
11:07   Modis junking of the economy is like Nero fiddling while Rome burned
The Indian economy cannot afford a slowdown, but the Modi government is not even accepting that there's a problem, writes Shivam Vij. Read the column here. 
image
10:56   Rahul meets Deve Gowda to embroider alliance for LS polls
Congress President Rahul Gandhi met former Prime Minister and JDS leader HD Deve Gowda in Delhi this morning. The two leaders held discussions on the issue of seat-sharing in Karnataka for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.


On March 3, Deve Gowda had said that they had agreed to join hands with the Congress to revive secular forces. The two parties will finalise seat-sharing very soon, he had said. 


Earlier, on February 28, Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy had said that if the Congress and JDS alliance won at least 20-22 seats in the state, then a Kannadiga could once again become the next Prime Minister of the country. 


There are 28 Lok Sabha seats at stake in Karnataka, out of which the BJP currently holds 16 seats, while the Congress and the JDS hold 10 and two seats, respectively. -- ANI


Image: Congress president Rahul Gandhi at HD Deve Gowda's residence in New Delhi today. Pic: ANI
image
10:24   Indian-origin woman dentist killed in Australia, body found in suitcase
A 32-year-old Indian-origin woman dentist has been found dead with stab wounds in Australia, days after she went missing from Sydney's busiest area under mysterious circumstances, police said on Wednesday.
Preethi Reddy's body was found stuffed in a suitcase in her car parked in an eastern Sydney street, New South Wales Police said.
Her ex-boyfriend has also died in a road accident that appeared deliberate, they said.
Reddy was last seen waiting in line at McDonald's in George Street on Sunday, the police said.
On Tuesday, the police found her car parked in Strachan Lane in Kingsford. Inside the car, they found her body in a suitcase, according to media reports.
Her body had been stabbed numerous times. She and her ex-boyfriend stayed in a hotel in Market Street in Sydney's CBD on Sunday, officials said.
Reddy was attending a dental conference in St Leonards at the weekend and last spoke to her family at around 11 AM on Sunday.
She told them that she would head home after breakfast, and when she failed to return, her family contacted police.
NSW Police described Reddy's disappearance as "out of character" and said there were serious concerns of her welfare.
Her work colleagues said they were "terrified" and had been unable to sleep since her disappearance.
"It's devastating, and this is completely out of character," dental assistant Chelsea Holmes of Glenbrook Dental Surgery was quoted as saying by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. -- PTI
image
09:35   Fire breaks out at Delhi's CGO complex, 24 fire engines rushed in
A fire broke out at a building that houses government offices in central Delhi this morning. 

The fire broke out on the fifth floor of the Pandit Deendayal Antyodaya Bhawan at CGO Complex.

24 fire engines have been rushed to the location in central Delhi. 
image
09:10   Pompeo played 'essential role' in deescalating Indo-Pak tensions: State Dept
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo played an "essential role" in de-escalating tensions between India and Pakistan last week, according to a top State Department official.
Tensions between India and Pakistan flared up after a suicide bomber of Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed terror group killed 40 Central Reserve Police Force personnel in Kashmir's Pulwama district on February 14.
India launched a counter-terror operation in Balakot on February 26. The next day, Pakistan Air Force retaliated and downed a MiG-21 and captured its pilot Abhinandan Varthaman, who was handed over to India on Friday.
State Department Deputy Spokesperson Robert Palladino, during his bi-weekly news conference on Tuesday, said: "Secretary Pompeo led diplomatic engagement directly, and that played an essential role in de-escalating the tensions between the two sides".
"We continue to urge both sides to continue to take steps to de-escalate the situation and that includes through direct communication. We believe strongly that further military activity will exacerbate the situation," he said.
Palladino also reiterated America's call for Pakistan to abide by its UN Security Council commitments to deny terrorists sanctuary and block their access to funds.
Pompeo made the diplomatic efforts over phone from Hanoi where he was present to attend the North Korea summit with US President Donald Trump, he said.
"He (Pompeo) spoke with leaders in both countries, and that included the Indian Minister of External Affairs (Sushma) Swaraj, National Security Advisor (Ajit) Doval, and Pakistani Foreign Minister (Shah Mehmood) Qureshi," Palladino said. -- PTI
image
08:20   'Very closely' following reports of F-16 misuse by Pak, says US
The United States is "very closely" following the reports which have claimed that Pakistan misused American-made F-16 fighter jets against India in the recent aerial confrontation between the air forces of the two countries, a top State Department official has said.
The Indian Air Force on Thursday displayed parts of an AMRAAM beyond visual range air-to-air missile as evidence to "conclusively" prove that Pakistan deployed US-manufactured F-16 fighter jets during an aerial raid targeting Indian military installations in Kashmir after India's anti-terror operation in Balakot.
Pakistan has said that no F-16 fighter jets were used.
The US State Department has said that America is seeking more information from Pakistan on the potential misuse of American-made F-16 fighter jets by it against India in violation of the end-user agreement.
"We've seen those reports and we're following that issue very closely," US State Department Deputy Spokesperson Robert Palladino told reporters at his biweekly news conference on Tuesday.
He was responding to questions that Pakistan has violated the end-user agreement on F-16 that it procured from the United States.
"I can't confirm anything, but as a matter of policy, we don't publicly comment on the contents of bilateral agreements that we have in this regard involving US defence technologies nor the communications that we have with other countries about that.
"So, we're taking a look and we're going to continue to take a look. I'm going to leave it at that," Palladino said.
AMRAAM missiles allow a fighter pilot to target an enemy aircraft that is beyond visual range, in day or night, and in all-weather conditions. They have an autonomous guidance capability, which allows the pilot to manoeuvre immediately after the missile's launch. -- PTI

Image: Indian Air Force officials display a wreckage of AMRAAM air-to-air missile that they say was fired by a Pakistan air force F-16 fighter jet during a strike over Kashmir on Wednesday. Photograph: Anushree Fadnavis/Reuters
image
00:09   Congress has 'secret understanding' with BJP: Kejriwal
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday claimed there are 'rumours' that the Congress has a 'secret understanding' with the Bharatiya Janata Party and asserted that his Aam Aadmi Party is ready to fight the 'unholy alliance'.

Kejriwal's comments came in response to the Congress' announcement that it will not form an alliance with the AAP in Delhi for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls.

'At a time when the whole country wants to defeat Modi-Shah duo, Cong is helping BJP by splitting anti-BJP vote. Rumours r that Cong has some secret understanding wid BJP (sic),' he tweeted.

'Delhi is ready to fight against Cong-BJP alliance. People will defeat this unholy alliance,' Kejriwal added.

The AAP alleged that the Congress is 'helping' the BJP in winning elections.

"They just want to help the BJP win elections and the AAP to be defeated. It seems that central leadership is under pressure to help the BJP in the country. They just want to win polls by putting the Army in the front," senior party leader Gopal Rai told reporters.

Asked why the AAP wanted an alliance with the Congress, Rai said, "All leaders of grand alliance wanted that the votes of opposition parties are not divided.

"We are in-principal against the Congress over several issues...but we wanted to drink this poison (alliance with Congress) for the country," he said.

He said the Congress is fielding its candidates where opposition parties are in a strong position, be it in Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal.

Rai announced that the AAP will contest the Lok Sabha elections on issue of full statehood and exuded confidence that the party will win all the seven seats.

Following a meeting with Congress president Rahul Gandhi, Delhi Congress chief Sheila Dikshit on Tuesday announced that they will not form an alliance with the AAP in the national capital for the upcoming general elections.

He said it seems there is 'undeclared alliance' between the BJP and the Congress.

"The Congress was of late playing hide and seek. After today's meeting between Sheila and Rahul Gandhi, it is clear that the Congress' stand goes against the country's mood.

"Not only in Delhi, the Congress is going against the country's mood in other states as well," Rai said.

The country wanted parties to put their individual ambitions in the back seat and fight together, the AAP leader also said.

"For the Congress, party comes before the country." Rai added.  -- PTI

TOP STORIES