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Thu, 05 December 2019
Time to focus on ailing economy: Mamata
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23:39 Time to focus on ailing economy: Mamata
In a blistering attack on the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday said "politics of divide and rule" would do no good to the country, which is currently staring at an economic slowdown.
Speaking at a programme in Kolkata, the TMC supremo asserted that it was time to address economic woes in the country, instead of harping on "Hindu-Muslim" issues.
"There is uncertainty everywhere. Unemployment and poverty have reached sky-high levels. At a time like this, I don't know if harping on Hindu-Muslim issues will yield any positive result," she said, without elaborating on the matter.
Talking about the steep onion prices, Banerjee said the Centre had no control over the soaring rates.
"Onion prices have shot through the roof across the country. It has touched Rs 150 per kilo. The Centre has no control over the rising prices," she stated on the sidelines of ABP-Infocom meet.
Banerjee also alleged that the Centre was planning to sell off railways, in the wake of reports that the Union government might outsource commercial and onboard services of a few trains.
"They (central government) are trying to sell the railways. When I was the railway minister, I was asked why passenger fares were not being increased. I work for common people... Revenue can also be raised from commercial usage (freight)," she said.
The CM urged people to work for peace and prosperity.
"Nobody knows what will happen to the banks tomorrow. I am also sceptical about the insurance sector. This never happened before
"Let us work together. Let us be united, work for peace and integrity. Dwelling on religious matters will not bring the desired outcome," she insisted.
22:39 'Even Lord Ram can't guarantee 100% security'
Even Lord Ram cannot guarantee a 100 per cent crime-free society, observed senior Uttar Pradesh minister Ranvendra Pratap Singh on Thursday, amid a public outcry over a rape victim having been set ablaze by the accused in Unnao.
The minister, however, sought to assure that the culprit will not go scot free.
"Saying that society would be 100 per cent crime free, I don't think this surety can be given even by Lord Ram," said Food and Civil Supplies minister Raghvendra Pratap Singh alias Dhunni Singh, a senior ministerial colleague of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.
"But it is for sure, that if crime has taken place (the culprit) will go to jail and he will be punished," he said.
"The govenrments led by Modiji and Yogiji never give shelter to any accused nor support them. I think crime has taken place always but if there is anyone who has taken prompt action in working it out and punishing culprits it is the Yogi government," he said.
This would be the first government since Independence which has never compromised with the culprits and ensured strict punishment to them," he added.
Earlier in morning, a rape survivor from Unnao was set on fire while she was on her way to court in Rae Bareli where the rape case is being heard. She suffered 90 per cent burns and battling for life.
She was airlifted to Delhi hospital in the evening for treatment. -- PTI
21:46 IndiGo plane suffers high engine vibrations mid-air; returns to Mumbai
An IndiGo A320 neo plane flying to Bengaluru on Thursday experienced high engine vibrations mid-air and returned to Mumbai airport, according to a senior official.
There were 180 passengers on board the aircraft.
Many A320 neo aircraft of the no-frills carrier that are powered by Pratt & Whitney (P&W) engines have been facing engine woes.
The aircraft, flying from Mumbai to Bengaluru, was involved in an air turnback due to high vibrations in one of its engines. The plane has been grounded at Mumbai, the regulatory official told PTI.
The official also said the plane made a safe landing and that the incident would be investigated.
An IndiGo spokesperson said that during the flight, the pilot observed a caution message.
"Standard operating procedures were followed and the aircraft returned to Mumbai as a precaution. The aircraft is currently under inspection at Mumbai," the spokesperson said.
In the wake of persisting P&W engine problems, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has already issued various directions to IndiGo.
21:42 Will win impeachment fight: Trump
United States President Donald Trump on Thursday said he "will win", after the Democratic speaker of the House gave the greenlight for impeachment.
"The good thing is that the Republicans have NEVER been more united. We will win!" Trump tweeted.
20:56 'Some leaders who joined BJP may return to NCP'
Some NCP leaders, who joined the BJP ahead of the Maharashtra Assembly polls, have met party chief Sharad Pawar over their possible return to the fold, but no decision has been made on it yet, the ruling partner's chief spokesperson Nawab Malik said on Thursday.
Malik, however, did not name any leader who is willing to return to the NCP after defecting to the BJP in run-up to the October 21 Assembly election.
"Some of the leaders who had switched allegiance to the BJP ahead of the election met Pawar Saheb (to discuss their possible return to the party).
"But no decision has been taken yet (on inducting them back into the NCP fold)," Malik said.
Among the key NCP leaders who had jumped the ship ahead of the election included Ganesh Naik, MLA Shivendrasinh Bhosale and Vaibhav Pichad, among others.
Amid reports of some BJP MLAs being in touch with the ruling Maha Vikas Aghadi of the Shiv Sena, the NCP and the Congress, Malik claimed it implies the 'Modi wave' has weakened across the country, while the Amit Shah-led party's strength is also on the wane in Maharashtra.
The BJP has already dismissed the reports. -- PTI
20:22 CCTV cameras, panic buttons, GPS to be installed in DTC and cluster buses: Delhi CM
Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday said his government will install CCTV cameras, panic buttons and GPS in the existing 5,500 DTC and cluster buses.
Addressing a press conference, the chief minister said three CCTV cameras and 10 panic buttons will be installed in each bus, adding that the move is aimed at ensuring the safety of women in the city.
Kejriwal said the new buses which are being procured already have CCTV cameras, panic buttons and global positioning system.
The decision was taken at a Cabinet meeting.
There will be a centralised command room to control and monitor the entire system, Kejriwal said, adding that it will enhance the safety of woman commuters and enable to set up an app-based live bus info system.
Commuters will get the location and expected time of arrival of the buses on a mobile application powered by GPS based Automatic Vehicle Location System.
"We are planning to launch these facilities on 100 buses by the end of December. It will take six months to complete the project in 5500 buses and to make the app-based Automatic Vehicle Location System fully functional," he said.
The total cost of the project is estimated at Rs 150 Crore. According to the chief minister, the app has almost been developed.
Tendering process has completed and the government has decided to issue the work award. -- PTI
20:21 Amit Shah holds meet on onion price
Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday held a meeting with Union Ministers and top officials to discuss the issue of spiraling onion price, officials said.
Those who attended the meeting include Railway Minister Piyush Goyal and Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar.
Cabinet Secretary Rajeev Gauba and Advisor to Prime Minister P K Sinha were also present in the meeting, the official said. -- PTI
20:19 No road; woman bitten by snake carried 8 km on bamboo stretcher
Bitten by a snake, a 65-year-old woman had to be carried on a bamboo stretcher for eight kilometers from her village in Maharashtra's Pune district before a better mode of transport could be found, her family said on Thursday.
Village Chandar, located in hilly area of Velhe tehsil, around 80 km from Pune city, does not have a motorable road linking it with the outside world.
Barkabai Sangle, the woman, was bitten by a snake near her house on Tuesday afternoon, said her son Balu Sangle.
"A stretcher was made from bamboo and bedsheets and she was taken to the primary health centre at Khanapur," he said.
"As there is no proper road, no vehicle can reach our village. So my brother and other locals, without wasting time, carried her on makeshift stretcher to the road near the Panshet dam, walking for two hours," he said.
From Panshet, the woman was taken to the PHC at Khanapur, another 15 km away, in a jeep.
The doctors gave her first aid and sent her to the government-run Sassoon Hospital in Pune, Sangle added. She reached the hospital in an ambulance on Tuesday night.
A resident of Chandar village said the nearest tarred road is eight km away.
There is a dirt road leading to the village, but it was washed away during the rains this year, he said.
"Since there is no means of transportation, in emergency we have to carry the patient on a makeshift stretcher and walk across the hilly terrain," he said.
20:13 More review petitions in Ayodhya case: AIMPLB secy
Six more litigants are set to file review petitions against the Supreme court verdict in the Ayodhya case, an All India Muslim Personal Law Board office-bearer said here on Thursday.
The Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind has already filed a review petition.
Maulana Syed Ashhad Rashidi, legal heir of original litigant M Siddiq, filed the plea, saying the judgment suffers from "errors apparent on record and warrants a review under Article 137 of the Constitution of India".
Commenting on the fresh pleas on Thursday, All India Muslim Personal Law Board secretary Zafaryab Jilani told PTI,"Review petitions on behalf of six litigants are being prepared and these can be filed in next two days."
Jilani said the date for filing would be disclosed as soon as they were complete.
According to the November 9 verdict, the Supreme Court had said the entire 2.77 acre of disputed land should be handed over to the deity Ram Lalla, who was one of the three litigants.
The five-judge Constitution bench also directed the Centre to allot a five-acre plot to the Sunni Waqf Board in Ayodhya to build a mosque.
The Sunni Central Waqf Board has, however, decided against filing a review plea.
The board also said it was yet to take a call on whether to accept the plot or not.
The AIMPLB had on Sunday asserted that 99 per cent of Muslims in the country wanted a review of the Supreme Court verdict. -- PTI
20:11 Trump impeachment to go ahead: Pelosi
United States House speaker Nancy Pelosi on Thursday said she has instructed the House Judiciary panel to draft articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump.
"The president's actions have seriously violated the constitution," Pelosi told reporters.
Trump is alleged to have abused the power of his office by putting personal political gain over national security interests, engaging in bribery by withholding USD 400 million in military aid Congress had approved for Ukraine; and then obstructing Congress by stonewalling the investigation.
20:07 Shivakumar meets Chidambaram
Congress leaders D K Shivakumar meets party leader P Chidambaram in Delhi today.
P Chidambaram was yesterday granted bail by Supreme Court in the INX Media money laundering case registered by the Enforcement Directorate.
20:04 Unnao rape victim airlifted to Delhi
The rape victim who was set on fire by five men in Unnao was airlifted to Delhi hospital on Thursday evening.
The woman who sustained 90 per cent burn injuries and was in a "very serious" condition was taken to Delhi's Safdarjung hospital by an air ambulance, Lucknow Commissioner Mukesh Meshram told PTI.
A "green corridor" was created to move her from the hospital in Lucknow to Amausi airport to ensure there was no delay due to the traffic in Lucknow.
Meshram said a team of doctors accompanied the woman.
Additional Chief Secretary, Home Awanish Awasthi had earlier said, "We are making preparations to shift the victim to Safdarjung Hospital, New Delhi for better treatment."
The woman, who was raped in December last year, was on her way to a court in Rae Bareli early Thursday morning when she was attacked.
"The condition of the girl who was set on fire and bought here at 10 am is very serious. She has 90 per cent burn injuries and we are taking the utmost care. A team of doctors is observing her," Dr Ashutosh Dubey, medical superintendent at Lucknow's Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Hospital, had told PTI.
The five men who allegedly set her on fire were later arrested.
Two of them were accused of raping her.
While one of the two accused was out on bail, the other man had been on the run.
19:27 Citizenship bill unconstitutional, divisive: Mayawati
Bahujan Samaj Party president Mayawati on Thursday described the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill as unconstitutional and divisive, and demanded that it be sent to a parliamentary committee for review.
"The Citizenship Amendment Bill cleared by the central cabinet is both unconstitutional and divisive," Mayawati told reporters.
"Citizenship in the name of religion and discrimination in the name of religion of the citizens through it is totally against the basic structure of the humanitarian and secular Constitution of Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar," the BSP leader said.
On Wednesday, the Union cabinet had cleared the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill that seeks to grant citizenship to non-Muslim refugees from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan if they faced religious persecution there.
"Instead of forcing this bill, like demonetisation and GST, the central government should review it," she said. "It should be sent to a parliamentary committee for better deliberations so that this bill could come before people in a proper manner that is in consonance with the Constitution."
The BSP president pointed out that her party believes that if the central government takes right decisions in the interest of the country and people's interest, it would rise above party politics and support them.
Mayawati welcomed the extension of reservation for the SC/STs for another 10 years in the legislature and requested the government to fill the backlog of the posts reserved for these sections in the central and state governments by launching a drive.
She also rooted for reservation for these sections in private sector. -- PTI
19:20 Rajya Sabha nod to lower corporate tax rates
The Rajya Sabha on Thursday gave its consent to the Taxation Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2019, replacing an ordinance that was used to slash corporate tax rates to stimulate growth.
The Lok Sabha has already passed the bill and the Upper House cleared the legislation with voice vote without any changes.
As per rules, the Rajya Sabha cannot amend money bills but can recommend amendments.
A money bill must be returned to the Lok Sabha within 14 days, or the bill is deemed to have passed both houses in the form it was originally passed by the Lok Sabha. -- PTI
18:59 MHA seeks suggestions from states for criminal laws overhaul
The ministry of home affairs has asked all state governments to send their suggestions for a major overhaul and recasting of the Indian Penal Code and the CrPC, officials said on Thursday.
The new structure and content of criminal laws will be citizen centric and will reflect the aspirations of a modern democracy and provide for speedy justice, especially to the weaker sections of society, an official said.
The Bureau of Police Research and Development may undertake review of the laws such as the IPC, CrPC, Indian Evidence Act and the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act.
The BPRD will constitute a suitable working or consultative group and submit a report.
The laws should reflect the modern reality and the revised laws should be in accordance with democratic aspirations of the people and provide speedy justice to women, children and weaker sections of the people, another official said.
The new laws are required to focus on simplifying legal procedures so that ease of living is ensured for the common man.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah had recently said in Lucknow that the Centre would soon be making changes in laws related to internal security, including necessary amendments in the IPC and the CrPC. -- PTI
18:48 Nobody's asking if you eat onions: Rahul to FM
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Thursday took a jibe at Finance Minister Nirmala Sitaraman over the issue of onion prices, saying none asked her what she eats, but people wanted to know why the economy was struggling.
On Wednesday when asked by an MP if she ate onions, the prices of which had skyrocketed in the country, Sitharaman had told the Parliament: "I belong to a family which does not eat onion and garlic."
Speaking at a leadership meet of the Congress in Wayanad, Gandhi said: "Nobody is asking you whether you eat onions. You are the FM and we are asking why the economy is struggling. Even if you ask the poorest person you will get a sensible response," he added.
The Congress MP from Wayanad alleged Prime Minister Narendra Modi had destroyed India's greatest strength, its economy.
"We believe in the voice of our people but Narendra Modi believes in his own. He did not ask any shopkeeper about demonetisation, he did not ask farmers or anyone about it. He destroyed Indias greatest strength, its economy. He did the same with GST. Now you look at how the ridiculous the situation is?" Gandhi asked.
The Congress leader also said his party will not disrespect Indians by imposing terms on them.
"We don't believe in thrashing and killing our own people. That's what we are fighting at a national level," the Wayanad MP said.
Gandhi said he was bringing pressure on the state and the Centre for compensation and rehabilitation of victims of the floods in the state.
Speaking at a meeting at Nilambur, Gandhi referred to the death of a student following snake bite in Wayanad and said Kerala had a reputation of having the best education in the country and the incident only showed facilities need to be improved. -- PTI
17:54 Ensure death penalty to those who set Unnao rape survivor on fire: DCW chief to Adityanath
Delhi Commission For Women chief Swati Maliwal on Thursday wrote to Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, asking him to ensure that death penalty is awarded within 30 days to those accused of setting a rape survivor on fire.
In the letter, she also demanded that the survivor, who has suffered 90 per cent burn injuries and is battling for life, be provided the "best possible medical treatment".
The rape survivor from Unnao was battling for life on Thursday after five men, including two of the accused who are out on bail, allegedly set her on fire while she was on her way to court, police said. -- PTI
17:53 BJP slams Manmohan for dragging Rao into 1984 riots
Former prime minister Manmohan Singh's suggestion that the 1984 anti-Sikh riots could have been avoided if then home minister P V Narasimha Rao had heeded the suggestion of calling in the army drew sharp reaction from the Bharatiya Janata Party which on Thursday blamed Rajiv Gandhi for the massacre.
Speaking at an event on Wednesday to commemorate former prime minister I K Gujral, Singh had said that Gujral had told Rao to bring in the Army to contain the raging anti-Sikh violence after then PM Indira Gandhi was assassinated by her Sikh bodyguards on October 31, 1984.
"When the sad event of 1984 took place, Gujral-ji on that very sad evening, he went to then Home Minister PV Narasimha Rao and said to him that the situation is so grave that it is necessary for the government to call in the Army at the earliest. If that advice had been heeded, perhaps the massacre that took place in 1984 could have been avoided," Singh said.
Taking a swipe at Singh, the BJP asked if Rao was so "bad", why he chose to become the finance minister in his government in 1991.
Union minister Prakash Javadekar blamed Rajiv Gandhi, who succeeded Indira Gandhi as the prime minister that very night, for the riots, saying the prime minister has the right to order Army deployment in such a situation.
"In a way, Rajiv Gandhi supported the massacre with his subsequent comments that the earth shakes when a big tree falls," Javadekar told reporters about the riots following the assassination of Gandhi.
Gujral's son and Akali Dal MP Naresh Gujral complimented Singh for being "truthful".
"I admire and compliment Manmohan Singh for being truthful and calling a spade a spade," he told PTI.
17:10 Days after praising Stalin, BJP leader joins DMK
Bharatiya Janata Party Tamil Nadu unit vice-president B T Arasa Kumar who created ripples in the saffron party by praising Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam chief M K Stalin days ago joined the Dravidian party here on Thursday.
Arasa Kumar joined the DMK in the presence of Stalin at the party headquarters 'Anna Arivalayam.'
In his speech at a function on Sunday, Kumar had said "ripe time will come and things will take place automatically. Thalapathi (as Stalin is called by his followers) will ascend the (chief minister's) throne."
The BJP had termed his praise an act of indiscipline and wanted its top leadership to take action against him. -- PTI
17:05 CIC issues show-cause notice to RBI for casual approach to its notice
The Central Information Commission has issued a show-cause notice to the Reserve Bank of India for not appearing before it in a matter pertaining to disclosure of inspection reports of HDFC Bank, calling it "casual" approach.
The transparency watchdog has directed the Central Public Information Officer of the Department of Banking Supervision of the RBI to explain why penal provisions under the transparency law should be not invoked against him for his absence.
In a stern order, Information Commissioner Suresh Chandra said that after adverting to the facts and circumstances of the case, hearing the appellant and perusal of records, he felt that in view of the absence of the respondent the relevant facts of the case could not be ascertained. -- PTI
16:50 Claims of slowdown in auto sector are made to defame country: BJP MP
A BJP member in the Lok Sabha on Thursday sought to take air out of the Opposition's claim of slowdown in the auto sector, saying such statements were being made to "defame" the country.
Virendra Singh Mast, the BJP MP from Balia in Uttar Pradesh, questioned the claims of slowdown in the auto sector and said there are many households in the country that have multiple cars and there is jam on streets. So there is no slowdown in auto sector and those who are making such claims are trying to defame the country, he said. Singh made these remarks while participating in the debate on agriculture in the House. PTI
16:40 Hema Malini pushes for development of Govardhan hill
Bollywood actor and MP Hema Malini on Thursday stressed on developing Govardhan hill, a place of worship for Hindus in Mathura, on the lines of other pilgrimage sites like Amritsar's Golden Temple and asked the government to form a 'Govardhanji Shrine Board".
Raising the issue during Zero Hour, the Mathura MP said arrangements should be made to beautify Govardhan like Amritsar and Tirupati. Pilgrims visit the site in large numbers every year to perform 'Govardhan parikrama', Malini said, adding that toilets should be built along the 'Parikrama Marg', the area adjoining the temple. Govardhan hill, also called Mount Govardhan, is a sacred Hindu site in the Mathura district of Uttar Pradesh. -- PTI
16:19 I'm ashamed: PC on crime cases against women
Former finance minister and senior Congress leader P Chidambaram on Thursday turned emotional while talking about the rising cases of crime against women in the country.
Speaking to media , Chidambaram said, "I am shocked, I am ashamed. Yesterday, in one newspaper I found six incidents of rape and lynching. Shameful... It's a complete breakdown of law and order in many parts of India. What is the police doing? Where is the fear of law?"
In recent times, several politicians have expressed their concern over brutal gang-rape and murder of a doctor in Telangana.The doctor was brutally gang-raped and killed by four persons before they burnt her body in Shamshabad area on November 27. The four accused are currently in judicial remand custody at Cherlapally Central Jail in Hyderabad. -- PTI
15:12 NCW seeks report from UP police on Unnao rape
The NCW on Thursday sought a detailed action taken report from the Uttar Pradesh police after a rape survivor was set ablaze allegedly by five men, including two accused of raping her.
In a letter to DGP O P Singh, National Commission for Women chairperson Rekha Sharma also sought a detailed report regarding the number of reported heinous crimes committed against women and bail granted in such cases in the last three years.
Sharma said the commission is "disturbed" by the rise in crimes against women in the state despite the enactment of several laws to safeguard the rights of women. The rape survivor from Unnao was battling for life on Thursday after five men, including two of the accused who are out on bail, allegedly set her on fire while she was on her way to court in Rae Bareli, police said. -- PTI
15:01 Pawar dinner
National Media Panelist, AICC, Shama Mohamed, shares this sweet picture with NCP chief Sharad Pawar, tweeting, "Dinner with the one & only #sharadpawar."
14:40 Woman's charred body found in Bengal's Malda; rape suspected
In a rerun of the Hyderabad veterinary doctor's murder, and another case in Unnao today, a young woman's charred body was found in a mango orchard in West Bengal's Malda district on Thursday, raising suspicion that she was raped and killed, a senior police officer said.
The body has suffered severe burns, making it difficult to ascertain the woman's identity, Deputy Superintendent of Police Prasanta Debnath said.
Local farmers spotted the body in English Bazar Police Station area in the morning, following which they raised an alarm, the DCP, who visited the site along with Superintendent of Police Alok Rajoria, said.
"Prima facie it seems that the victim is in her early 20s. Her body has several injury marks. We have sent it for postmortem to Malda medical college," he said, adding that a probe has been initiated in the case.
Sources in the police department said that initial investigations indicated she was raped and strangulated to death and her body set on fire. A pair of slippers and several matchsticks were found near the body, they said.
The incident came a week after a 25-year old veterinary doctor's charred body was found under a culvert at Shadnagar in Hyderabad on November 28. -- PTI
14:30 Citizenship Bill to be introduced in LS on Monday
The Citizenship (Amendment) Bill is likely to be introduced in the Lok Sabha on December 9 and will be taken up for passage the next day, official sources said on Thursday.
The bill, which seeks to grant citizenship to non-Muslim immigrants from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan if they faced religious persecution there, will be tabled in the Rajya Sabha after being dealt with by the Lower House of Parliament.
Its passage in the Lok Sabha is all but certain due to the massive majority the BJP and its allies have, and the Union government is confident of its passage in the Rajya Sabha as well with the support of several non-aligned regional parties which have often joined the treasury benches in the past.
-- PTI
14:12 BJP claims Chidambaram violated bail condition
The BJP on Thursday accused Congress leader P Chidambaram of violating bail conditions by claiming to have a very clear record as a minister, saying the case against him is essentially about corruption he was allegedly involved in as the finance minister.
Union minister Prakash Javadekar told reporters that the claim of Chidambaram, who was released on bail on Wednesday after spending 106 days in jail, amounted to "self- certification".
The Supreme Court had asked the Congress leader not to speak about the case against him while ordering his release on bail. What he said is in violation of this condition, the BJP leader said. PTI
13:50 Cases against me are like medals on my chest: Rahul
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Thursday said he would not be cowed down by the string of cases being registered against him across the country by the BJP and considers them as "medals".
"There are 15 to 16 cases against me. When you look at soldier, he will have lots of medals on his chest. Every single case is a medal for me", Gandhi said addressing a convention of the Congress led United Democratic Front at Vanyambalam.
"The more they are, the happier I am," he quipped adding he was fighting them ideologically. The congress leader said he did not believe in an India of hatred and no matter how many times BJP tries to convince him, he will not believe it. The country's strength was respect for women, people of all religions, communities, different ideas. Everytime you put a case against me I will speak of love.. I will never forget you are standing with me," he said addressing front workers.
"So when they lodge a case agaisnt me, they put a medal on my chest, it is also a medal for you". Referring to the devastating floods in the state last year, he said many people lost their homes, life and everything, but in the tragedy, the positive nature of the people came to fore. There is still lot of re-construction and support that needs to reach the affected people. -- PTI
13:50 Cases against me are like medals on my chest: Rahul
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Thursday said he would not be cowed down by the string of cases being registered against him across the country by the BJP and considers them as "medals".
"There are 15 to 16 cases against me. When you look at soldier, he will have lots of medals on his chest. Every single case is a medal for me", Gandhi said addressing a convention of the Congress led United Democratic Front at Vanyambalam.
"The more they are, the happier I am," he quipped adding he was fighting them ideologically. The congress leader said he did not believe in an India of hatred and no matter how many times BJP tries to convince him, he will not believe it. The country's strength was respect for women, people of all religions, communities, different ideas. Everytime you put a case against me I will speak of love.. I will never forget you are standing with me," he said addressing front workers.
"So when they lodge a case agaisnt me, they put a medal on my chest, it is also a medal for you". Referring to the devastating floods in the state last year, he said many people lost their homes, life and everything, but in the tragedy, the positive nature of the people came to fore. There is still lot of re-construction and support that needs to reach the affected people. -- PTI
13:41 Does she eat avocado, then? PC stings FM
Congress leaders, including former Finance Minister P Chidambaram, on Thursday protested in the Parliament premises over onion prices. "I thought the Finance Minister said yesterday she does not eat onions, she is not bothered... What does she eat? Does she eat avocado? She does not eat onions," Chidambaram said.
This comes a day after Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman elaborated on key measures being adopted by the centre to bring prices under control.
The minister dismissed opposition charges about fear factor in the economy and said that that government has taken a series of steps to check the steep rise in onion prices including imports.
Sitharaman, who was replying to the debate on the first batch of supplementary demands for grants for 2019-20, said that onion price surge was due to factors such as a reduction in the area of cultivation and production.
Sitharaman on Wednesday also said that she doesn't eat much of onion or garlic and hails from a family where these two vegetables are not much in use. Her remarks about personal eating habits came while responding to interruptions by some opposition members at a time when she was speaking on the onion issue. -- PTI
13:36 Naidu pulls up MPs for low attendance in parliamentary panels
Rajya Sabha Chairman Venkaiah Naidu on Thursday pulled up MPs of both Houses for their low attendance in parliamentary standing committees' meetings and urged the leaders of all political parties to ensure "quantitative and qualitative functioning" of these panels.
After holding a meeting with chairpersons of these panels in the morning, Naidu said only 18 members each from both houses of Parliament attended eight Rajya Sabha committees' meetings since being reconstituted in September this year.
Sharing concern about the functioning of these committees in the Upper House, Naidu said: "I expect the number of members of this House with full attendance in the meetings of the committees to rise."
Each member of the department-related standing committee represents 25 members of Parliament while deliberating in the committee. If one member is absent, the voice of 25 MPs would not be heard, according to Naidu. -- PTI
12:56 Govt incapable of halting economic slowdown: PC
Congress leader P Chidambaram holds his first press conference after he was released from jail yesterday. The conference, in keeping with the Supreme Court order is not about the case, but the state of the economy. Highlights:
"As I stepped out & breathed the air of freedom at 8 pm last night, my first thought and prayers were for the 75 lakh people of the Kashmir Valley who have been denied their basic freedoms since August 4, 2019.
"I am particularly concerned about the political leaders who have been detained without charges. Freedom is indivisible, if we must preserve our freedom, we must fight for their freedom. I intend to visit Jammu & Kashmir if the government allows me to.
"My record as minister and my conscience are absolutely clear. Officers who have worked with me, business persons who have interacted with me and journalists who have observed me know that very well.
"We will be lucky to end the year if growth touches 5%. Please remember Dr Arvind Subramanians caution that 5% under this government, because of suspect methodology, is not really 5% but less by about 1.5%.
"Economy can be brought out of slowdown, but this government is incapable of doing that. The government is clueless on economy; it is stubborn, mulish in defending catastrophic mistakes like demonetisation, flawed GST.
"The PM has been unusually silent on economy, has left it to his ministers to indulge in bluff and bluster. Congress, some other parties better equipped to pull economy out of slowdown, but we have to wait for better times. The economic slowdown is a man-made catastrophe and the people responsible should be brought to task."
12:41 Kerala govt, Centre should provide support to schools: Rahul
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Thurday wanted the state and central government to provide support and infrastructure to schools in Kerala which lacked basic facilities.
Referring to the recent incident of the death of a fifth standard girl student of a school in Wayanad, who died of snake bite inside her class, Gandhi said the state and central government need to address this issue.
He said he would raise the matter in Parliament and would utilise the resources from his MP fund to help the schools in his constituency.
The condition of schools in Kerala is the best in the country, but that is not good enough, he noted. Recently, a young student died of snake bite and the state and central government should provide support and infrastructure to such schools, he added.
Addressing a large gathering of students after iaugurating a Science laboratory at a school at Wandoor in his Wayanad Lok Sabha constituency, Gandhi urged students to have an open mind and be receptive to ideas of others.
"Your mind cannot be closed. That means you have to listen to other people... The only way you can be truly scientific is if you are open to other people's ideas and be curious, he said. Pointing that one would never find a child harbouring any hatred towards others, Gandhi said children have scientific nature. Hatred and anger are the biggest destroyers of scientific nature, he said. -- PTI
Image: Congress MP Rahul Gandhi in Wayanad.
12:34 Delhi records season's lowest temperature at 7.6 deg C
The national capital recorded a minimum temperature of 7.6 degrees Celsius on Thursday morning, the season's lowest, with a thin layer of smog affecting visibility.
The city had recorded a minimum of 7.9 degrees Celsius on Wednesday as cold winds continued to blow from hilly regions. On Thursday, the maximum temperature is likely to settle at 24 degrees Celsius. Weather experts said the mercury is expected to dip further. Falling temperatures, high humidity and calm winds have led to an increase in pollution levels in the national capital and its suburbs. -- PTI
12:27 Sensex falls as RBI leaves repo rate unchanged
Equity benchmark BSE Sensex dropped over 100 points in afternoon session on Thursday, after the the Reserve Bank of India kept the key policy rate unchanged at 5.15 per cent and decided to continue with its accommodative stance to support the economy.
In the fifth bi-monthly review of the policy, the central bank also revised GDP growth downwards to 5 per cent for 2019-20 from 6.1 per cent projected in its October policy.
After opening higher by 84.17 points at 40,934.46 in opening deals, the 30-share index pared all gains to turn negative after the policy announcement by the Reserve Bank of India.
It was trading 100.56 points, lower at 40,749.73 at 1149 hours. Similar movement was seen on the NSE and the broader NSE Nifty was trading 11.25 points, or 0.09 per cent, down at 12,031.95 at 1212 hrs. Top losers in the Sensex pack included Sun Pharma, Yes Bank, Bharti Airtel, Tata Steel, Tata Motors, IndusInd Bank shedding up to 2 per cent. -- PTI
12:21 Narasimha Rao's grandson slams Manmohan
BJP leader and grandson of former home minister PV Narasimha Rao, NV Subash, on Thursday, condemned former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's statement that the 1984 riots could've been avoided if IK Gujral's advice was heeded by Rao.
"As a family member, I am feeling saddened by this statement by Dr Manmohan Singh, it is unacceptable," said Subash while speaking to ANI.He further questioned if any Home Minister can take an independent decision without the Cabinet's approval.Subash said that if the Army had been called, it would have been a "disaster".
Speaking at an event on Wednesday, which was organised to remember former Prime Minister Gujral on his 100th birth anniversary, Singh said, "When the sad event of 1984 took place, Gujralji that very evening went to the then Home Minister Narsimha Rao and said to him that the situation is so grim that it is necessary for the government to call the army at the earliest."
"If that advice would have been heeded perhaps the massacre that took place in 1984 could have been avoided," he added.
12:14 RBI keeps repo rate unchanged at 5.15%
The Reserve Bank of India on Thursday kept the key policy rate unchanged at 5.15 per cent and decided to continue with its accommodative stance to support the economy. The central bank also revised GDP growth downwards to 5 per cent for 2019-20 from 6.1 per cent projected in its October policy.
"The Monetary Policy Committee recognises that there is monetary policy space for future action. However, given the evolving growth-inflation dynamics, the MPC felt it appropriate to take a pause at this juncture," the RBI said in its fifth bi-monthly monetary policy for this fiscal. The panel decided to continue with the accommodative stance as long as it is necessary to revive growth, while ensuring that inflation remains within the target.
All the six members of the MPC voted in favour of a rate pause. The CPI inflation projection is revised upwards to 5.1-4.7 per cent for H2 FY20 and 4-3.8 per cent for H1 FY21. Between February and October 2019, the RBI has reduced repo rate by 135 basis points. -- PTI
11:49 Will get tax notice if you buy onions: Cong's Gundu Rao
Senior Karnataka Congress leader Dinesh Gundu Rao on Thursday took a veiled jibe at the Centre over the rising prices of onion saying that those who purchase a lot of onions will get an income tax notice. "Today the price of onion is so high that if you buy a lot of onions in bulk, you may get Income Tax Notice. Petrol prices, diesel prices, onion prices all have hit the roof," he said while speaking to ANI.
11:38 Govt can't suppress my voice in Parl: Chidambaram
Former Finance Minister P Chidambaram, who arrived in Parliament on Thursday after spending 106 days in Tihar jail, said the government will not be able to suppress his voice in the House. Speaking to reporters in the Parliament complex while joining other Congress MPs protesting against the steep hike in onion prices, Chidambaram said he will address the media in the afternoon. "I am happy to be back. The government cannot suppress my voice in Parliament," he said.
Image: P Chidambaram (extreme left) joins other Congress leaders in protesting sky-high onion prices. Pic: ANI
11:27 Kamla ka hamla, alleges Bengaluru Cong corporator
Congress Corporator R Vasanth Kumar from Sampangiramnagar, who joined the Bharatiya Janta Party two days ago, has rejoined Congress on Thursday.
Addressing a press conference in Bengaluru in the presence of senior Congress leader Dinesh Gundu Ra, Kumar alleged that BJP leaders took him to Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yeddyurappa' residence and made him join their party.
"BJP leaders took me to the Chief Minister's home all of a sudden and made me join BJP," he said. Rao alleged that BJP had pressurised Kumar to quit Congress, however, he is back in the party fold.
"It is an example of what BJP is doing. BJP is known to do all this. They do not have any confidence in their own leaders and they are just trying to poach our leaders. They have pressurised our corporator Kumar. However, he is back with us," he said.
11:03 Unnao rape: HM lies about UP law, says Priyanka
A 20-year-old woman, who survived a brutal rape in March, was set ablaze in Uttar Pradesh's Unnao today by a group of men, one of whom is the rape accused. The rape accused and his friends took the woman outside her village and into the fields and doused her in petrol before setting her on fire. The accused was out on bail, the police said
She was gang-raped by the five men in March and while police could manage to arrest only three of them, two others were still on the run.
The incident occurred at Sindupur village under Bihar police station area. The victim has been shifted to a government hospital in Lucknow and is in a critical condition, the police said. The woman has named five persons and two of them have been arrested, the police said.
Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra has hit out at the UP government and accused it of lying about the law and order situation in the state.
In a tweet on the Unnao incident, Gandhi said, "Yesterday the Union home minister and the chief minister of UP lied about the law and order situation in the state. Seeing such incidents every day makes one angry. BJP leaders should also stop with the fake propaganda now."
-- Agencies
10:45 Upset with Uddhav, 400 Sena workers join BJP
In a big jolt to Shiv Sena, its 400 workers joined Bharatiya Janta Party at an event organised in Dharavi on Wednesday. According to Shiv Sena workers, they were upset over party Chief Uddhav Thackeray of stitching an alliance with Congress and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) to form government in Maharashtra.
"I was working with the Shiv Sena for 10 years. We were supporting the Hindutva ideology of Sena. I was given an office to serve people but as Sena has decided to form the government with NCP and Congress, it is not acceptable to us. Now, we all have decided to join BJP," Ramesh Nadar, Sena leader who was heading the delegation of people joining BJP, said.
BJP and Shiv Sena had fought the assembly polls together and won an absolute majority. Shiv Sena had been insisting on chief minister's post for the two-and-a-half-years but BJP said there was no such understanding. Later, the Shiv Sena negotiated with the NCP and the Congress to form a non-BJP government. -- ANI
10:38 Karnataka by-polls: 6.06 per cent voter turn out in first 2 hours
An estimated 6.06 per cent of voting took placeduring the first two hours since polling began in 15 assembly constituencies going bypolls in Karnataka on Thursday. According to voter turnout figures available till 9:26 am, highest turnout of 9.01 per cent was recorded in Hoskote, while the lowest was in Shivajinagar with 3.04 per cent. BJP candidates from K R Puram Byrathi Basavaraj, Gopalaiah of Mahalakshmi Layout, S T Somashekar of Yeshwanthpura were among the early voters in their pooling booths. BJP rebel and independent candidate in Hoskote- Shahrath Bachegowad also cast his vote early, accompanied by his family members.
10:21 Andhra Pradesh CM to inaugurate KIA motors plant tomorrow
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy will inaugurate the manufacturing unit of KIA Motors India factory at Erramanchi village in Anantapur district today.
A press release from the Chief Minister's Office said: "The Chief Minister has been proactive and clear in pronouncing the policy of transparent and corruption-free governance with a single point clearance for industries and is particular on inviting industries in backward areas which will generate economic activity."
"In tune with the government policy of developing backward areas with industrialisation and providing 75 per cent reservation for locals in jobs, KIA project will generate employment for 4,000 permanent employees and 7,000 temporary employees with 100 per cent employment to local people for its unskilled labour requirement," said the press release.
According to government, KIA, its vendors and affiliates have employed 12,835 workers of whom 10,887 hail from the state of which 7029 are from Ananthapur district. -- ANI
10:03 Rs 2000 notes will be valid after Dec 31: Govt
Brushing aside rumours about Rs 2,000 notes being invalid after December 31, Canara Bank Chairman TM Manoharan on Wednesday termed it as only rumours and said, "though its printing has stopped."
"This is a rumour and people should not believe in these kinds of rumours. There are also rumours that bank deposits are not safe, which is also false. The government has not taken any step to make Rs 2,000 notes invalid. However, the printing of Rs 2,000 has stopped, which only for administrative convenience," Manoharan told ANI.
After Former Finance Secretary Subhash Chandra Garg made a statement that Rs 2,000 notes are not much used for transaction and are less in circulation, hence there is nothing wrong in replacing them with smaller currently notes, various rumours had made their way in the region creating panic among the public. -- ANI
09:58 Jaya, MGR statues come up at Madurai
A statue of former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and AIADMK leader J Jayalalithaa being erected next to party founder MG Ramachandran's statue, in the KK Nagar area of Madurai. Today is the third death anniversary Jayalalithaa.
09:37 No country for Muslims: Mehbooba Mufti's daughter on Citizenship Bill
Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti's daughter slammed the approval of the Citizenship Amendment Bill by the Union cabinet on Wednesday, terming it as an indication that the country's BJP-led central government discriminates against those from the Muslim community.
"India -- No country for Muslims," a message posted through the Peoples Democratic Party chief's Twitter handle claimed, after the Union cabinet cleared the controversial bill for tabling in the Parliament.
The legislation, which seeks to make it easier for minorities from neighbouring countries such as Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan to obtain citizenship, has been accused by rights groups as well as opposition parties of being discriminatory towards Muslims. However, the centre has defended its decision, claiming that it is duty-bound to help "persecuted" minorities from surrounding countries.
09:11 IAF chief unhurt after Pearl Harbor shooting
In a massive development, Indian Air Force chief, Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria, along with his team, was present in the vicinity of Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam at the time of the shooting incident early Thursday morning. All IAF personnel, including the air chief, are reportedly safe.
A gunman opened fire at the historic United States military base in Pearl Harbor on Wednesday afternoon (local time), authorities said, with local news media reporting three people wounded before the suspect took his own life.
Security forces responded to reports of a shooting at the Joint Base Pearl Harbor Hickham, the US navy and air force base near Honolulu, Hawaii, the base said in an announcement on Twitter.
The base was locked down for part of the afternoon.
The shipyard repairs, maintains and modernises the ships and submarines of the US Pacific fleet, which is headquartered at Pearl Harbor. Its the home port for 10 destroyers and 15 submarines.
08:57 Remembering Amma
The Jayalalithaa memorial at Marina Beach in Chennai on the third death anniversary of the former Tamil Nadu chief minister and AIADMK leader.
Photograph: ANI/Twitter
08:45 Trump slams 'two-faced' Trudeau for mocking him at NATO summit
US President Donald Trump described Justin Trudeau as "two-faced" after the Canadian prime minister was caught on camera apparently mocking him.
"He's two-faced," Trump told reporters on the sidelines of the NATO summit, saying he had called out Trudeau on defence spending "and he's not very happy about it".
Trudeau was picked up by microphones at a Buckingham Palace reception for NATO leaders on Tuesday evening apparently laughing about an impromptu press conference Trump did earlier.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson can be heard asking France's President Emmanuel Macron: "Is that why you were late?"
Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau interjects: "He was late because he takes a 40 minute press conference off the top."
In the video, Macron appears to tell an anecdote about the encounter as Britain's Princess Anne and Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte look on, but the French leader has his back to camera and he is inaudible amid the hubbub.
"Oh, yeah, yeah, he announced..." an amused Trudeau declares, adding: "You just watched his team's jaw drop to the floor."
07:59 3 hurt in shooting at US naval base Pearl Harbor
A gunman opened fire at the historic United States military base in Pearl Harbor on Wednesday afternoon (local time), authorities said, with local news media reporting three people wounded before the suspect took his own life.
Security forces responded to reports of a shooting at the Joint Base Pearl Harbor Hickham, the US navy and air force base near Honolulu, Hawaii, the base said in an announcement on Twitter.
The base was locked down for part of the afternoon.
Hawaii News Now said a base spokesman reported three people had been wounded in the incident and that the situation was considered contained after a witness saw the gunman fatally shoot himself.
The shipyard repairs, maintains and modernises the ships and submarines of the US Pacific fleet, which is headquartered at Pearl Harbor. Its the home port for 10 destroyers and 15 submarines.
00:46 Trump committed impeachment offences: Experts
Eminent legal experts on Wednesday told lawmakers that United States President Donald Trump committed impeachment offenses, as the opposition Democratic party accelerated the process to oust the elected head of the country.
A day after the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence delivered its report on impeachment against Trump, House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday held a hearing on 'The Impeachment Inquiry into President Donald J Trump: Constitutional Grounds for Presidential Impeachment'.
"On the fact that we have before the House right now, the president solicited assistance from a foreign government in order to assist his own reelection, that is, he used the power of his office that no one else could possibly have used in order to gain personal advantage for himself distorting the election, and that's precisely what the framers anticipated," Noah Feldman, a professor from the Harvard Law School, told the House Judiciary Committee.
Chaired by Congressman Jerrold Nadler, the Democratic party-controlled House Judiciary Committee kicked off its series of public hearings to frame charges of impeachment against Trump. He is the third US president to face impeachment.
Trump has described the impeachment proceedings a 'hoax' and the White House has refused to participate in it.
White House Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham in a tweet alleged that the judiciary committee's hearing is biased and one-sided.
Three of the four 'experts' in this 'sham hearing have known biases against' Trump, she said.
Not only is the President given no rights in this process, the Democrats witnesses made up their minds long before today.
During the hearing, Feldman alleged that Trump had committed impeachable high crimes and misdemeanours by corruptly abusing the office of the presidency.
"Specifically, President Trump has abused his office by corruptly soliciting president Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine to announce investigations of his political rivals in order to gain personal advantage, including in the 2020 presidential election," he said.
Professor Pamela S Karlan, a professor of Stanford Law School, said the evidence reveals that the president used the powers of his office to demand a foreign government to participate in undermining a competing candidate for the presidency.
Karlan said a President should 'resist foreign interference in our elections, not demand it, and not welcome it. If we are to keep faith with our Constitution and with our Republic, President Trump must be held to account'.
"The record compiled thus far shows the president has committed several impeachable offenses, including bribery, abuse of power in soliciting a personal favour from a foreign leader to benefit himself personally, obstructing justice and obstructing Congress," said Michael Gerhardt, a professor of the University of North Carolina School of Law.
Responding to a question, Feldman said if the president uses his office for personal gain, the only recourse available under the Constitution is for him to be impeached.
"Because the president cannot be, as a practical matter, charged criminally while he is in office...So the only mechanism available for a presidential who tries to distort the electoral process for personal gain is to impeach him. That is why we have impeachment," he argued.
Both Karlan and Gerhardt consented with Feldman.
However, Jonathan Turly, George Washington University law professor, who was invited to testify in the hearing by Republicans, disagreed.
Impeaching Trump would be a dangerous precedent, he said.
"We are living, as described by Alexander Hamilton, in the very period of agitated passions...You are mad. The President is mad, my Republican friends are mad, my Democratic friends are mad. My wife is mad. My kids are mad, even my dog seems mad, and Luna is a golden doodle and they don't get mad," he said amidst laughter from the lawmakers.
"So we are all mad. Where has that taken us? Will a slipshod impeachment make us less mad? Will it only invite an invitation for the madness to follow every future administration? That is why this is wrong. It's not wrong because President Trump is right," Turley said.
"His call was anything but perfect. It is not wrong because the House has no legitimate reason to investigate the Ukrainian controversy. It is not wrong because we are in an election year. There is no good time for an impeachment," he said.
"No, it is wrong because this is not how you impeach an American President. This case is not a case of the unknowable, it is a case of the peripheral. We have a record of conflicts, defenses that have not been fully considered, un-subpoenaed witness with material evidence," he asserted.
Turley said to impeach Trump on this record would expose every future President do the same type of inchoate impeachment.
Meanwhile, in a related development, White House Counsel Pat Cipollone on Wednesday met Republican Senators over lunch to discuss strategy for the impeachment trial against Trump.
Trump 'was willing to compromise our security and his office for personal, political gain' by 'directly and explicitly' inviting foreign interference in US elections in 2016 and again in his 2020 reelection effort, Judiciary Committee chair Nadler said in his opening statement.
A day after the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence delivered its report on impeachment against Trump, House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday held a hearing on 'The Impeachment Inquiry into President Donald J Trump: Constitutional Grounds for Presidential Impeachment'.
"On the fact that we have before the House right now, the president solicited assistance from a foreign government in order to assist his own reelection, that is, he used the power of his office that no one else could possibly have used in order to gain personal advantage for himself distorting the election, and that's precisely what the framers anticipated," Noah Feldman, a professor from the Harvard Law School, told the House Judiciary Committee.
Chaired by Congressman Jerrold Nadler, the Democratic party-controlled House Judiciary Committee kicked off its series of public hearings to frame charges of impeachment against Trump. He is the third US president to face impeachment.
Trump has described the impeachment proceedings a 'hoax' and the White House has refused to participate in it.
White House Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham in a tweet alleged that the judiciary committee's hearing is biased and one-sided.
Three of the four 'experts' in this 'sham hearing have known biases against' Trump, she said.
Not only is the President given no rights in this process, the Democrats witnesses made up their minds long before today.
During the hearing, Feldman alleged that Trump had committed impeachable high crimes and misdemeanours by corruptly abusing the office of the presidency.
"Specifically, President Trump has abused his office by corruptly soliciting president Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine to announce investigations of his political rivals in order to gain personal advantage, including in the 2020 presidential election," he said.
Professor Pamela S Karlan, a professor of Stanford Law School, said the evidence reveals that the president used the powers of his office to demand a foreign government to participate in undermining a competing candidate for the presidency.
Karlan said a President should 'resist foreign interference in our elections, not demand it, and not welcome it. If we are to keep faith with our Constitution and with our Republic, President Trump must be held to account'.
"The record compiled thus far shows the president has committed several impeachable offenses, including bribery, abuse of power in soliciting a personal favour from a foreign leader to benefit himself personally, obstructing justice and obstructing Congress," said Michael Gerhardt, a professor of the University of North Carolina School of Law.
Responding to a question, Feldman said if the president uses his office for personal gain, the only recourse available under the Constitution is for him to be impeached.
"Because the president cannot be, as a practical matter, charged criminally while he is in office...So the only mechanism available for a presidential who tries to distort the electoral process for personal gain is to impeach him. That is why we have impeachment," he argued.
Both Karlan and Gerhardt consented with Feldman.
However, Jonathan Turly, George Washington University law professor, who was invited to testify in the hearing by Republicans, disagreed.
Impeaching Trump would be a dangerous precedent, he said.
"We are living, as described by Alexander Hamilton, in the very period of agitated passions...You are mad. The President is mad, my Republican friends are mad, my Democratic friends are mad. My wife is mad. My kids are mad, even my dog seems mad, and Luna is a golden doodle and they don't get mad," he said amidst laughter from the lawmakers.
"So we are all mad. Where has that taken us? Will a slipshod impeachment make us less mad? Will it only invite an invitation for the madness to follow every future administration? That is why this is wrong. It's not wrong because President Trump is right," Turley said.
"His call was anything but perfect. It is not wrong because the House has no legitimate reason to investigate the Ukrainian controversy. It is not wrong because we are in an election year. There is no good time for an impeachment," he said.
"No, it is wrong because this is not how you impeach an American President. This case is not a case of the unknowable, it is a case of the peripheral. We have a record of conflicts, defenses that have not been fully considered, un-subpoenaed witness with material evidence," he asserted.
Turley said to impeach Trump on this record would expose every future President do the same type of inchoate impeachment.
Meanwhile, in a related development, White House Counsel Pat Cipollone on Wednesday met Republican Senators over lunch to discuss strategy for the impeachment trial against Trump.
Trump 'was willing to compromise our security and his office for personal, political gain' by 'directly and explicitly' inviting foreign interference in US elections in 2016 and again in his 2020 reelection effort, Judiciary Committee chair Nadler said in his opening statement.
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