LIVE! Pak supported militant groups will continue attacks in India: US spymaster

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Tue, 29 January 2019

Pak supported militant groups will continue attacks in India: US spymaster

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23:40 2 members of National Statistical Commission quit

Two independent members of the National Statistical Commission, P C Mohanan and J V Meenakshi, have resigned over disagreement with the government on certain issues, an official said Tuesday.

Mohanan was also the acting chairperson. With the two members quitting, the NSC now has only two members -- Chief Statistician Pravin Srivastava and NITI Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant.

"I have resigned from NSC. We thought that the commission is not very effective now a days and we also thought that we are not able to discharge the commission's responsibility," Mohanan told PTI.

Both members tendered their resignation on January 28, 2019, an official said.

The NSC, under the ministry of statistics and programme implementation, is to have seven members, as per its website. Already, three posts were vacant.

The tenure of Mohanan and Meenakshi was to end in June 2020. They joined as members in June 2017.

Reportedly, these two members are said to have resigned over disagreement with the government on some issues, the official said.

In November last year, the NITI Aayog had come under fire for announcing the revised GDP data of the UPA years.

NITI Aayog Vice-Chairman Rajiv Kumar and Chief Statistician Srivastava had announced the back-series data by the government. -- PTI

George Fernandes was a political stalwart and one of the most firebrand union leaders in the country, but his heart melted in front of dogs, many of whom gave him company even in times of his deteriorating health.

His close aide Jaya Jaitly Tuesday said Fernandes was so fond of dogs he would carry "treats in his pockets" for them.

"He loved pets, especially dogs and he had many of them who gave him company," she said.

However, they have all died, Jaitly said.

The former defence minister, who was suffering from Alzheimer's disorder, Tuesday died at his residence in New Delhi's upscale Panchsheel Park after prolonged illness.

Nationalist Congress Party supremo Sharad Pawar on Tuesday said there was no need to think about the prime ministerial candidate of the proposed grand alliance of opposition parties before the Lok Sabha polls.

The previous Congress-led United Progressive Alliance government had done well, though the coalition had not projected anybody as its leader before the 2004 general election, he said.

Pawar was among the opposition leaders who attended a mega rally organised by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in Kolkata earlier this month.

"There is no need to think about the prime ministerial candidate now," the (NCP) chief told reporters here.

"We (UPA) had not declared a candidate before the 2004 election. But we managed to give a successful government for 10 years," he said, when asked who would be the grand alliance candidate for the top post.

"What we are trying to do in the grand alliance is to stand behind a strong party in each state. For instance, in Tamil Nadu, the DMK is strong, all the other parties will stand behind it. In Andhra Pradesh, the TDP is strong and all others will support it to fight the BJP, while in Bengal, the Trinamool Congress is strong," Pawar said.

Asked about the Congress's role in the alliance, he said the party had a strong support base in states such as Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat, where it would play the dominant role.

Speaking about Maharashtra, Pawar said the NCP and the Congress had arrived at an understanding as regards seat-sharing in most of the Lok Sabha segments.

"We have arrived at an agreement with the Congress on 44 of the 48 Lok Sabha seats. On the remaining four seats, the matter will be sorted out in the next week," he said. -- PTI

The militant groups supported by Pakistan will continue to conduct terrorist attacks in both India and Afghanistan, America's spymaster has said.

Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats also said Pakistan's "narrow approach to counterterrorism cooperation-using some groups as policy tools and confronting only the militant groups that directly threaten Pakistan-almost certainly will frustrate US counterterrorism efforts against the Taliban."

"Militant groups supported by Pakistan will continue to take advantage of their safe haven in Pakistan to plan and conduct attacks in India and Afghanistan, including against US interests," Coats told the members of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence.

Coats and heads of other top American intelligence agencies appeared before the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence on their worldwide threat assessment. Prominent among them included CIA Director Gina Haspel, who has just returned from a trip to India; FBI Director Christopher Wray and Defense Intelligence Agency Director Robert Ashley.

The comment on South Asia is part of US intelligence community's assessment of worldwide threats in 2019 and was presented in the form of a written document to the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence by Coats.

Coats said that the challenges facing South Asian states will grow in 2019 because of Afghanistan's presidential election in mid-July and the Taliban's large-scale attacks, Pakistan's recalcitrance in dealing with militant groups, and Indian elections that risk communal violence.

"We assess that neither the Afghan Government nor the Taliban will be able to gain a strategic military advantage in the Afghan war in the coming year if coalition support remains at current levels," he said.

Afghan forces generally have secured cities and other government strongholds, but the Taliban has increased large-scale attacks, and Afghan security suffers from a large number of forces being tied down in defensive missions, mobility shortfalls, and a lack of reliable forces to hold recaptured territory, Coats said. -- PTI

Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi "wasted" five years of the country's precious time and the time for "change" had come.

Gandhi said he wants to see Chinese youngsters using phones that say "Made in India" and not the other way round.

"We can do it. We need to come together as a country," he said in a Facebook post.

"Narendra Modi has wasted five years of this country's precious time. No more! The time for change has come," the Congress chief said.

Gandhi has been critical of the government's 'Make in India' campaign and often compared India's position in the manufacturing market as compared to China. The government has repeatedly asserted that it has done well on all economic counts. -- PTI

India has improved its ranking on a global corruption index in 2018, while its neighbour China lagged far behind, according to the annual index released by an anti-graft watchdog on Tuesday.

India rose by three points to 78 in the list of 180 countries in the world, while China ranked 87 and Pakistan 117 in 2018, the Transparency International said in its Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) for 2018.

"As India gears up for its upcoming elections, we see little significant movement in its CPI score, which moved from 40 in 2017 to 41 in 2018," the global watchdog said.

"Despite spectacular public mobilisation in 2011, where citizens demanded that the government take action against corruption and advocated for the passage of the comprehensive Jan Lokpal Act, these efforts ultimately fizzled and fell flat, with little to no movement on the ground to build the specialist anti-corruption infrastructure required," it said.

The top countries on the list are Denmark and New Zealand, with scores of 88 and 87 respectively. Somalia, Syria and South Sudan are at the bottom of the list, with scores of 10, 13 and 13 respectively.

Overall, more than two-thirds of countries score below 50 in the 2018 CPI, with an average score of only 43.

With a score of 71, the US has dropped four points since last year. This marks the first time since 2011 that the US falls outside of the top 20 countries on the CPI, it said.

"A four point drop in the CPI score is a red flag and comes at a time when the US is experiencing threats to its system of checks and balances, as well as an erosion of ethical norms at the highest levels of power," said Zoe Reiter, Acting Representative to the US at Transparency International.

"If this trend continues, it would indicate a serious corruption problem in a country that has taken a lead on the issue globally. This is a bipartisan issue that requires a bipartisan solution." -- PTI

The Congress on Tuesday questioned the timing of the Centre's application in the Supreme Court on the Ayodhya matter seeking permission to return undisputed "surplus" land to its original owners, saying people will decide on the intent of its "sudden" move which has come merely two months before the general elections.

The Opposition party, however, said that it has "no opinion" on the plea for a change in status quo that has been maintained for 16 years and it was a matter between the Supreme Court and the Centre.

Congress spokesperson Abhshek Singhvi said the court had in its 2003 order clearly stated that status quo be maintained on undisputed land around the disputed site in Ayodhya and moving an application now raises questions on the government's intentions.

"You will draw your own conclusion, the country will draw its own conclusion.... What is important is that this application is moved on January 29, 2019, 16 years afterwards, in a matter of 2003 where the main writ of 2003 is pending," he told reporters.

"This status-quo has been continued for 16 years. Suddenly and suddenly...you know it better, whether it is because of election or some other reason, we do not know. 16 years later, they say please give me permission two months before elections to give that land to anybody and for that purpose please modify that order.... So, you judge for yourself, but ultimate judge is the Supreme Court," Singhvi said.

The Congress leader also said, "We have nothing to do with this matter which is yet to come up in court. The court will decide... whether application will be allowed, dismissed, or modified, that is between the Supreme Court and the applicant."

On what the Congress felt was the government's intent in moving an application in the case now, he said, "We do not have an opinion and we do not intent to have an opinion on an application by you to be decided by the Supreme Court. Why should I have an opinion? You have to ask this to central government." -- PTI

Senior Trinamool Congress leader Chandrima Bhattacharya Tuesday issued a defamation notice to Bharatiya Janata Party national president Amit Shah for his remarks against West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee.

At a rally in East Midnapore district's Kanthi, Shah launched a scathing attack against the TMC government in West Bengal and alleged that Banerjee's paintings were bought by chit fund owners for crores of rupees.

Bhattacharya, who is also the minister of state for health in West Bengal government, accused Shah of trying to malign the TMC supremo's image by "uttering lies".

"I have issued a defamation notice against BJP national president Amit Shah for his defamatory and malicious remarks against Mamata Banerjee," she said.

"I want to ask him on what basis he had made those comments against our party leader. He has to either give evidence in support of his statements or apologise publicly for his comments. If he doesn't do it we will take legal steps against him," she said. -- PTI

Describing the Centre's plea in the Supreme Court to return excess land acquired by it in Ayodhya to their original owners as "insidious", All India Majilis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen chief Asaduddin Owaisi Tuesday said the National Democratic Alliance government was trying to prevent fair adjudication of the dispute.

"This insidious attempt by the Central Government should not be ignored. They're trying everything in their capacity to prevent a fair and independent adjudication of the Babri Masjid dispute," the AIMIM leader tweeted.

In 2003, the apex court held that unless the dispute was resolved, status quo had to be maintained over surplus land, he said.

"Govt knows this, threatening the judicial process like this is another (failed) attempt to save BJP from their rapidly diminishing political fortunes,"the Lok Sabha MP said in another tweet.

The Centre on Tuesday moved the Supreme Court seeking its permission to return the excess or superfluous land around the disputed Ram Janambhoomi Babri Masjid site to its original owners.

In his official Facebook page, the AIMIM leader alleged th at the Centres plea was another example of bringing the "political fight of the Central government in the court room."

Owaisi said in 1993, the apex court passed orders that all parties should wait till disputes are resolved.

At this stage, the Centre filing such an application for return of 50-60 acres land to Ram Janmabhoomi Nyas after 3-4 orders rejecting the same, "is completely frivolous and superfluous and full with politics," he said in the Facebook post. -- PTI

20:20 Pakistan gets its 1st Hindu woman judge

Suman Kumari has become the first Hindu woman to be appointed as a civil judge in Muslim-majority Pakistan.

Suman, who hails from Qambar-Shahdadkot in Sindh province, will serve in her native district.

She passed her LLB examination from Hyderabad and did her masters in law from Karachi's Szabist University.

"I have entered the field of law because I know that in the backward areas of Sindh poor people need a lot of advice and assistance in legal matters," she told PTI over telephone.

"My father and my family supported me a lot as in our community it is not easy for women to enter such fields," she said.

Her father, Dr Pawan Kumar Bodan, wants his daughter to provide free legal assistance to the poor people specially from the Hindu community.

"Suman has opted for a challenging profession, but I am sure she will go places through hard work and honesty," the father said.

Bodan is an eye specialist. Suman's elder sister is a software engineer and another sister is a chartered accountant.

Suman, who is a fan of singers Lata Mangeshkar and Atif Aslam, said it was important for the Hindu community to realise that they needed to educate their children and put them in responsible positions.

This is not the first time that a person from the Hindu community has been appointed as a judge. The first judge from the Hindu community was Justice Rana Bhagwandas, who served as the acting chief justice of Pakistan for brief periods between 2005 and 2007.

Hindus make up nearly 2 per cent of Pakistan's total population and Hinduism remains the second largest religion in Pakistan after Islam. -- PTI

Image: Suman Kumari wither her father. Photograph: @DanyalGilani/Twitter

BJP president Amit Shah on Tuesday mocked Priyanka Gandhi's decision to join politics and said a government run by a dynasty could not serve the people but could only provide a "majboor (helpless) government".

He also criticised the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress government in West Bengal and said the upcoming Lok Sabha polls would be about restoring democracy in the state.

"Narendra Modi will get elected as prime minister again after the Lok Sabha election. But in West Bengal, the polls will be about restoring democracy," Shah told a rally here.

Mocking the entry of Priyanka Gandhi into active politics, he said a government run by a dynasty could not serve the people but could only provide a "majboor government".

"During the UPA rule, we had witnessed huge scams such as 2G. Now the third G has jumped on the bandwagon.... Now we have Priyanka G (Gandhi). What will be the amount of the scam?

"So now, they (the Congress) want to add 2G and the third G and indulge in more corruption," Shah said. -- PTI

Aam Aadmi Party's Sangrur MP Bhagwant Mann will take charge as chief of its Punjab unit on Wednesday, a party spokesman said.

The occasions will happen in presence of Delhi deputy chief minister and party's in-charge of Punjab affairs Manish Sisodia, he said.

Last Friday, Punjab unit of the AAP unanimously rejected the Mann's resignation as state party chief, which he tendered last year following party supremo Arvind Kejriwal's apology to former Akali Dal minister.

Mann resigned after Kejriwal's apology to SAD leader Bikram Singh Majithia drew flak from state unit leaders.

In his apology, Kejriwal had said he learnt that his allegations against Majithia were unfounded. -- PTI

"Time to tell our side of the story :)", was the expression of journalist Priya Ramani, who was Tuesday summoned as an accused by a Delhi court for allegedly defaming former Union minister M J Akbar by levelling allegations of sexual misconduct against him.

Ramani, who accused Akbar of sexual misconduct 20 years ago when he was a journalist, took to Twitter to react after the court summoned her for February 25.

She was the first among 20-odd female journalists who accused Akbar of sexual misconduct as the #MeToo campaign raged on in India.

The women claimed to have worked with Akbar in 1990s and included Ghazala Wahab, Shuma Raha, Anju Bharti and Shutapa Paul.

In its order, the court said the allegations made by Ramani against Akbar were "prima facie defamatory" and he had denied all the accusations as "false and imaginary".

It also said that "at this stage, the court only has the version of the complainant, who has on oath deposed in court that all the allegations made are false and further brought witnesses to vouch for his impeccable and unblemished reputation".

Akbar, who resigned as Union minister on October 17, last year had filed a private criminal defamation complaint against Ramani after his name cropped up on social media when he was in Nigeria, claiming that all the allegations against him were false. -- PTI

BJP president Amit Shah on Tuesday dubbed the proposed "mahagathbandhan" (grand alliance) of opposition parties as "helpless" and asserted that his party would retain power after the upcoming Lok Sabha polls as only Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership could thwart any misadventure by Pakistan.

In a stinging attack on the Congress, he blamed the four generations of the Gandhi family for poverty still prevailing in the country.

"Four generations of Rahul baba's (Congress chief Rahul Gandhi) family were in power, but the country is still fighting against poverty. The BJP government is working for the welfare and development of the poor, tribals and Dalits," Shah told a BJP workers' meeting here in Odisha's Cuttack district.

He claimed that the nation's mood was very clear to return Modi to power and appealed to the people of Odisha to be part of this by electing a large number of MPs of the saffron party from the state.

Shah hit out at the ruling Biju Janata Dal in the state, saying Odisha remained backward, despite the flow of huge funds from the Centre, because of the inefficiency and inaction on the part of the Naveen Patnaik government.

"The mahagathbandhan of opposition parties is devoid of a proper leadership, policies and agenda, but they claim that they can give a strong government. The country needs a majboot (strong) government and not a majboor (helpless) government...only the BJP is capable of providing such a government," he said.

Stating that more than 26 political parties were solidly backing the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA), Shah ridiculed the proposed opposition coalition ahead of the Lok Sabha election.

The BJP chief asserted that the prime minister was thinking about the country's security round-the-clock and working sincerely to safeguard our frontiers, which the constituents of the proposed "mahagathbandhan" were incapable of doing.

When terrorists sent by Pakistan had mounted an assault in Uri, Modi took revenge within 10 days by sending soldiers to carry out surgical strikes in their territory, he said, adding, "Only Narendra Modi is capable of doing it and not the Congress."

Stating that Modi successfully elevated the image of India across the globe, Shah said when the prime minister spoke in an Indian language at the United Nations General Assembly, everyone in the country felt proud. -- PTI

18:54 Maha CM's office now under ambit of Lokayukta

In a significant move, the Maharashtra Cabinet on Tuesday decided to bring the office of chief minister under the jurisdiction of Lokayukta.

The decision was taken at the Cabinet meeting chaired by chief minister Devendra Fadnavis.

Talking to reporters after the meeting, state water resources minister Girish Mahajan said that apart from the chief minister, ministers and Opposition leaders will also be brought under the ambit of Lokayukta.

"This is a very good initiative to ensure corruption-free governance," he said.

The Lokayukta is an anti-corruption ombudsman organisation in the States which mainly helps people publicise corruption among the politicians and government officials. Many acts of the Lokayukta have resulted in criminal or other consequences for those charged.

Maharashtra was the first state to introduce the institution of Lokayukta through The Lokayukta and Upa-Lokayuktas Act in 1971.

In another decision, the council of ministers approved a grant of Rs 323 crore for setting up additional 5625 CCTV cameras in Mumbai as part of the CCTV Surveillance Project.

At present, 5000 CCTVs are operational in different parts of the state capital, an official said.

The Cabinet also decided to give 15 per cent margin money, of the total cost of proposed business ventures, to those belonging to Scheduled Caste and other backward communities. -- PTI

Amid the uncertainty over its alliance with the Shiv Sena, the Bharatiya Janata Party on Tuesday said it wants to join hands with the Uddhav Thackeray-led party as they share a common ideology and can provide a steady government.

"We do want the alliance with Sena only because of our common ideology. We can offer a steady government through such an alliance," BJP leader and Maharashtra minister Pankaja Munde said.

"But if someone does not want to join hands, then we are ready to face the elections on our own," she said in response to a query.

The Shiv Sena had Monday said it would always be the "big brother" in an alliance with the BJP in Maharashtra, and added that no such proposal had been received from the latter.

However, countering the Sena's claim of being the "big brother", chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, while speaking at the valedictory function of a day-long meeting of the state working committee of the BJP in Jalna, hit back saying his party was not seeking a tie-up desperately.

Several BJP ministers in the state have stated earlier that an alliance with the Sena, which has often been critical of the BJP-led government, is needed to keep anti-Hindutva forces at bay.

The Sena had said last January that it would go it alone in all future elections.

Till 2014, the BJP and Sena, allies for long, had an understanding where the former contested a larger share of Lok Sabha seats and the latter contested a greater number of assembly seats in Maharashtra.

In the 2014 assembly polls, which the two parties fought separately, the BJP won 122 seats against Sena's 63.

The Sena later joined the government in the state as a junior partner. -- PTI

Photograph: Shashank Parade/PTI Photo

Bharatiya Jnaata Party MP Hema Malini has claimed that she had been given the "green signal by higher-ups" to contest again from Mathura.

She was elected to the Lok Sabha from Mathura in 2014.

The actor-politician also promised the people of her constituency "modernisation" of the Mathura Junction railway station.

"The railway officials are doing a wonderful job on (modernisation) of the station," she told reporters after inaugurating various projects at the Mathura Junction.

On whether she would contest the upcoming Lok Sabha elections from Mathura again, Hema Malini said, "I have been given the green signal by higher-ups in the party and have started work on these lines."

She also said she would request Railway Minister Piyush Goyal to introduce a train between Mathura and Lucknow. -- PTI

Defending the government's plea in the Supreme Court to return excess land acquired by it in Ayodhya to their original owners, the Bharatiya Janata Party on Tuesday said the Centre is not touching the disputed area.

Union minister Prakash Javadekar told reporters it would be up to Ram Janmabhoomi Nyas what it does with the land returned to it and the government would not interfere in that.

The Centre on Tuesday moved the Supreme Court seeking its permission to return the excess or superfluous land around the disputed Ram Janambhoomi Babri Masjid site to original owners, including the Nyas.

"The government is not touching the disputed land," Javadakar said at a press conference hours after the government filed its plea in the apex court. -- PTI

After being allocated the railways portfolio in 1989 in the V P Singh government, George Fernandes refused to go to Rail Bhavan to attend office for three days. Reason: He had led the biggest railway strike in Asia in 1974 and headed railway unions and now how could he be sitting across them at the table.

This anecdote was shared by his close aide Jaya Jaitly in her book "Life Among the Scorpions", published in 2017. Then after he joined office, the guard at the ministry's entrance did not let him in and told him to get an entrance slip made at the reception first.

She also mentioned several other interesting facts about Fernandes - his love for Harry Potter books, he never owned a comb, and devouring economic surveys and carrying them wherever he went. Fernandes died Tuesday at the age of 88 in New Delhi. He was suffering from Alzheimer's disease for several years and had recently contracted swine flu.

On the VP Singh ministry, Jaitly wrote: "In late 1989, as the National Front government set itself up, the walls of power came up alongside. V P Singh, with his typical caginess, kept even his closest colleagues on tenterhooks, informing them that they would become ministers only half an hour before they were expected to be sworn in."

Everyone seemed to be waiting anxiously for an advance indication from Singh but that did not happen. "George Sahib nonchalantly went upstairs for an afternoon nap and had no time to change into a fresh kurta when he was woken up and told to reach Rashtrapati Bhavan in 20 minutes.

His colleagues and I sat in the office downstairs in his tiny apartment at Hauz Khas, amazed at the lack of dignity in the way this was done. Everyone felt ridiculous," she wrote. A day or so after the swearing in of the council of ministers, the portfolios were announced.

"George Fernandes was astounded that he had been allocated the Ministry of Railways. He said he had led the biggest railway strike in Asia and headed railway unions. How could he be sitting across them at the table now? For three days he refused to go to Rail Bhavan to attend office," the book, published by Rupa, said. Finally, Singh assured him he would change his portfolio after three months but that never happened.

"George Fernandes went to office in his old diesel Premier Padmini car driven by his Mumbai colleague Freddie D'Sa. The guard at the Ministry's entrance wouldn't let him in and told him to get an entrance slip made at the reception first. He hadn't recognised the new boss who had arrived with no prior information or pomp and splendour," Jaitly said.

Equity benchmarks Sensex and Nifty logged their third straight session of losses on Tuesday as jittery investors braced for key events like US Fed policy, Union Budget and US-China trade talks. After gyrating over 350 points, the BSE Sensex ended 64.20 points lower at 35,592. While, the NSE Nifty edged lower by over 9 points to close at 10,652. The 30-share Sensex has lost over 600 points in the last three sessions. -- PTI

17:27 The Missing Network

Times of India readers in Mumbai woke up to a full-page advertisement from the Network 18 group announcing it as 'India's No. 1 News Network'. The ad had a bar graph illustrating its position as compared to 12 other news networks.

The ad in the TOI said the News18 network had 11.8% viewership with the Zee network a close second at 10.1%. At the bottom of the heap of the 13 networks came Republic TV with a viewership of just 0.1%.

The percentiles were credited to Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC), a viewership monitoring agency.

Nothing wrong with it, except for a trifling detail: A missing network. In the list of the top 13 news networks, conspicuous by its absence, was the Times Network, the news channels owned and operated by the ToI group.

A quick compare with Tuesday's Hindustan Times, and there it was at #13 -- the Times Network.

At last but one slot, just ahead of Republic TV, with a market share of 0.2%.

Different papers, different ads...

As the Kamasutra tells us, positions are everything, we suppose.

Image: The advertisements in The Times of India and the Hindustan Times. Click on the picture to enlarge the image.

17:22

Telegram turns go-to platform for test-prep in India but has a piracy problem. Read the report here.

17:19

PM Narendra Modi paid his tributes to former Defence Minister George Fernandes.

17:00 Yogi and his Cabinet take a dip in Sangam

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and several state ministers took a holy dip at the Sangam in Prayagraj, following a unique cabinet meeting at the Kumbh mela venue itself, officials said.

The ministers had travelled from capital Lucknow for the cabinet meeting, held at the "integrated control and command centre" set up at the venue of the religious event where lakhs of people have congregated.

The cabinet approved the construction of a Ganga Expressway to better connect Allahabad to western Uttar Pradesh. The state government said it will be the longest expressway in the world. Officials said almost all the ministers present at meeting took the holy dip. -- PTI

"We have never had a Raksha Mantri as sharp as George Fernandes.

"He was well read and knew his history very well. He could relate to strategic and security issues almost instantly.

"He had the ability to grasp, absorb and come out with actual rectification. That was the amazing thing.

"Generals get uncomfortable when they have to explain strategic military affairs to politicians who have absolutely no idea. They then have to come down to explaining each terminology, but George Fernandes was proficient in English, Hindi, Hindustani and made officers comfortable with him."

Lt General Syed Ata Hasnain, who was posted in South Kashmir during Mr Fernandes's tenure as defence minister, spoke to Rediff.com's Archana Masih. Read the story here.

16:21 PM at George Fernandes' residence

Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrives at George Fernandes' residence to pay his last respects. The last rites of former defence minister George Fernandes, who passed away early Tuesday morning, will be conducted at Lodhi crematorium and his ashes buried as per his wishes, his close associate Jaya Jaitly said.

The former Samta Party president said Fernandes had earlier wished to be cremated but later had stated that he wanted to be buried. "It will be at Lodhi crematorium. We are following two things which he liked. First he wanted a cremation and then during his last days he was saying burial. So we are going to cremate the body and bury the ashes which will fulfil both his wishes," Jaitly told reporters.

Fernandes, a lifelong socialist despite his political adventurism that included Cabinet posts in two ideological opposite governments where he ousted Coca-Cola in 1977 and oversaw the Kargil war in 1999, died Tuesday. He was 88. Fernandes was suffering from Alzheimer's disease, which had forced him out of the public eye for several years, and had recently contracted swine flu, Jaitly said. -- PTI

15:46 Rahul Gandhi as Lord Ram in Bihar

Bihar: Congress President Rahul Gandhi portrayed as Lord Ram on a poster in Patna.

A Delhi court summons journalist Priya Ramani on February 25 over the defamation case filed by ex-Union minister MJ Akbar. In October, Akbar filed a private criminal defamation complaint in a court in Delhi against Ramani, who has accused him of sexual misconduct around 20 years ago, alleging she "wilfully" and "maliciously" made imputations against him with the ulterior motive of maligning his reputation and political standing.

The former minister of state for external affairs filed the plea in the Patiala House district courts through law firm Karanjawala & Co and the 'vakalatnama' names 97 lawyers, who have been authorised by Akbar to represent him.

The accused (Ramani) has made false, derogatory and malicious imputations against the complainant (Akbar), in order to defame him, with the sole ulterior motive of maligning the reputation and political standing of the complainant, in furtherance of her own vested interests and underlying agenda," the BJP minister said in his complaint which sought her prosecution for the offence of defamation under the Indian Penal Code.

15:02 'George Fernandes was a great orator'

"George Fernandes will be remembered for his simplicity and for taking up the cause of labourers with great passion," remembers veteran Mumbai journalist Olga Tellis. Read more

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath chairs Cabinet meeting at Prayagraj at the Kumbh Mela venue. He said the UP Cabinet has decided to build a Ganga-Expressway to connect Prayagraj with western Uttar Pradesh. "This will be world's longest expressway, approximately 600 km and will take 6,556 hectares of land. It will cost approximately Rs 36,000 crore," the CM said.

He said that the Ganga-Expressway will go through areas including Meerut-Amroha-Bulandshahr-Budaun-Shahjahanpur-Kannauj-Unnao-Raebareli-Pratapgarh and arrive at Prayagraj.

He said the film, Uri: The Surgical strike, will be exempt from state GST. "This film will instill a feeling of nationalism in the youth and the citizens of the country," he added.

The Chief Minister is expected to take a dip at the sangam after that.

This is the first time during Yogi Adityanath's tenure as Chief Minister that his ministers are holding an official meeting outside Lucknow. The move is the latest among a series of measures by the Chief Minister to hype up the festival, which is among the world's largest religious gatherings, at Prayagraj.

14:48 BJP's fake news workers

How volunteers for India's ruling party are using WhatsApp to fuel fake news ahead of elections: Read the report here.

Donald Trump will deliver the State of the Union Address on February 5 after it was delayed due to a government shutdown over the US president's demand for funding for a wall along the border with Mexico.

The traditional annual speech by President Trump was initially scheduled for January but had to be postponed because of the largest government shutdown due to differences between the White House and the Opposition Democrats on the issue of the wall.

Trump is demanding USD 5.7 billion to build his border wall while Democrats were holding firm at USD 1.3 billion for border security measures.

Speaker Nancy Pelosi refused to pass the necessary resolutions in Congress to allow for a State of the Union Address and told the president that he needed to first allow the federal government to fully re-open. -- PTI

Prime Minister Narendra Modi Tuesday asked parents not to expect their children to fulfil their unfulfilled dreams as he interacted with a number of students, teachers and parents in the second edition of "pariksha pe charcha".

In this programme, Modi speaks to them about studies and examination-related issues. "I would request parents, do not expect your children to fulfil your unfulfilled dreams. Every child has his or her own potential and strengths... It is important to understand these positives of every child," he said.

He also described the townhall as a "mini-India, a place where we have in our midst the future of India". The prime minister said technology should lead to expansion of the mind and be seen as a means to innovate, but, he also asked students not to forget the playing field. -- PTI

From one raksha mantri to another: Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman pays tribute to former defence minister George Fernandes at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Delhi. Fernandes will be cremated tomorrow.

Heads up conspiracy theorists: Rahul Gandhi says his visit this morning to Goa CM Manohar Parrikar was a personal visit. Here's the Congress president's tweet: "This morning I visited Goa CM, Manohar Parrikar, to wish him a speedy recovery. It was a personal visit. Later this afternoon I will address Polling Booth Committee Members from all over Kerala, in Kochi. The meeting will be LIVE on my Facebook page."

No Rafale in the conversation, apparently.

The Goa CM has been ailing with pancreatic cancer for a while now.

12:44 A day after Rafale tweet, Rahul visits Goa CM

Congress President Rahul Gandhi arrives at Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar's office in Panaji. Rahul may simply be paying a courtesy visit to the ailing CM, but it is interesting to note that the visit comes a day after his Rafale tweet.

Just yesterday, the Congress president, who is holidaying in Goa, tweeted, "30 days since the Goa Audio Tapes on RAFALE were released. No FIR or enquiry ordered. No action against the Minister either! "It's obvious that the tapes are authentic & that Goa CM, Parrikar, is in possession of explosive RAFALE secrets, that give him power over the PM."

Rahul Gandhi has maintained that the 'Goa audio tapes' released by a Congress legislator is authentic and chief minister Manohar Parrikar is in possession of "explosive Rafale secrets'. Rahul, who is in the state with mother Sonia Gandhi said that the files gave Parrikar an edge over Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

To bring you up to speed, on January 2, an audio clip released by the Congress had alleged that Parrikar in a December 2018 cabinet meeting admitted to holding a bunch of files related to the Rafale deal. The tape was a conversation between a former Congress MLA Vishwajit Rane and an unidentified person named 'X'. Rahul had also made an attempt in Lok Sabha's Winter Session to play an audio tape.

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley had said the tape was "false and fabricated', and asked the Congress president if he could authenticate it.

"Every time I see a line-up of politicians standing on a stage at a political rally, hands linked, arms aloft, or standing solemnly in strict pecking order watching a Republic Day march-past, I wonder which ones and how many of them will be airbrushed out of history. I also wonder who will wield the airbrush -- whether it will be one of the other characters standing on the stage or some Machiavellian operator standing out of sight in the wings. When, I often wonder, will one of the chamchas reach out, take the plumed pagri off the main saheb's head and install it on his own scalp? And who after that? Sometimes in my mind the pagris play a game of musical heads, or perhaps it's politicians' heads playing a game of musical pagris, but the questions always remain: how long will this bag of hubris remain the chief? When and how will she or he be forced by history to depart? The next question, obviously, is how will this person be remembered, forgotten and remembered again?"

Read Ruchir Joshi's column here.

Representational image: Opposition leaders at Karnataka CM HD Kumaraswamy's swearing-in ceremony in May 2018.

Social activist and former Samata Party President Jaya Jaitly said today that George Fernandes, who passed away today, had expressed his desire to be cremated but during his last days, he said he wanted to be buried. "So, we will cremate the body and bury the ashes, to fulfil both his wishes," she told ANI outside the veteran socialist leader's home today. Jaitly, a close associate of Fernandes said the last rites will be held tomorrow after the arrival of his son. "Right now, the body is being embalmed," she said this morning.

Veteran socialist George Fernandes, who was the defence minister in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government, passed away Tuesday following a prolonged illness, Jaya Jaitly said. He was 88.

Fernandes was suffering from Alzheimer's disease, which had forced him out of the public eye for last many years, and had recently contracted swine flu, she said, adding that he died at his residence in New Delhi.

He was India's defence minister in the NDA government headed by Vajpayee when India fought the Kargil war in 1999. It was during his tenure that India conducted nuclear test at Pokhran in 1998. He was the industry minister under the Jan Sangh government which had defeated former prime minster Indira Gandhi in 1977.

Tributes poured in for the veteran leader, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi saying he was frank and fearless, and never deviated from his ideology.

The VHP Tuesday welcomed the Centre's writ petition in the Supreme Court, seeking to return 67-acre land around the disputed site in Ayodhya to its original owners, saying the step was in right direction.

In a fresh plea, the Centre said it had acquired 67 acres of land around the 2.77 acre disputed Ram Janambhoomi-Babri Masjid site. The plea has said that the Ram Janambhoomi Nyas, which is a trust to promote the construction of Ram Temple, had sought return of excess land acquired in 1991 to original owners.

"This land belongs to Ram Janmabhoomi Nyas and is not under any litigation. This is a step in right direction and we welcome it," VHP's international working president Alok Kumar said. -- PTI

11:30

Ajai Shukla @ajaishukla The defence minister who made the watershed decision in 2001 to allow the private sector into defence production. He spent a bit too much time in Siachen (some 30 visits)!!! But every soldier felt he was a man they could relate to. Can't say that about any of his successors. RIP.

11:12 George Fernandes' last rites tomorrow

Social activist & former Samata Party president Jaya Jaitly said that the last rites of George Fernandes will be held tomorrow after the arrival of his son. Right now, the body is being embalmed.

The Centre Tuesday moved the Supreme Court seeking its permission to return the 67-acre acquired land around the disputed Ram Janambhoomi Babri Masjid site to original owners.

In a fresh plea, the Centre said it had acquired 67 acres of land around the 2.77 acre disputed Ram Janambhoomi-Babri Masjid site. The plea has said that the Ram Janambhoomi Nyas (a trust to promote construction of Ram Temple) had sought return of excess land acquired in 1991 to original owners.

Earlier, the apex court had ordered that the status quo be maintained with regard to the acquired 67 acre of land around the disputed site. The central government in 1991 had acquired 67 acre land around the disputed site.

Fourteen appeals have been filed in the apex court against the 2010 Allahabad High Court judgement, delivered in four civil suits, that the 2.77-acre land be partitioned equally among three parties -- the Sunni Waqf Board, the Nirmohi Akhara and Ram Lalla.

The Supreme Court had on Sunday cancelled the hearing scheduled for Tuesday in the title dispute case due to non-availability of Justice S A Bobde, one of the five judges of the Constitution bench. -- PTI

Image: A wall of bricks bearing 'Shri Ram' chants seen at the Ram Janmabhomi Nyas-run workshop at Karsevakpuram in Ayodhya. PTI Photo.

"I was eight or nine years old when I first saw Fernandes, and was awestruck by him. He symbolised hope. A boy from north Karnataka, worked as a hotel worker in Bombay, slept on the streets until P D'mello took him under his wings, and rose to become the most powerful union leader in the financial capital of India. He had more than 1.5 lakh municipal workers, BEST employees and taxi drivers under his control. He could shut Mumbai down with a single call. From the chief minister to the municipal commissioner, Fernandes had the might to take on everyone."

Read senior journalist Nikhil Wagle's column on George Fernandes written on the former union leader's birthday in June last year.

Omar Abdullah: Rest in peace George Fernandes Sahib. You were a tireless crusader fighting for the voiceless, the marginalised & for those that needed someone in their corner. You called a spade a spade & did so unabashedly. You were always a friend & well wisher of the people of J&K. God speed

Rahul Gandhi: I'm sorry to hear about the passing away of former Parliamentarian & Union Minister, George FernandesJi. My condolences to his family and friends in this time of grief.

Nitin Gadkari: I offer condolences at his passing away. He committed his life to the country. He fought for justice for trade unions. I considered him an icon.

Rajnath Singh: George Fernandesji served the nation in several capacities & held key portfolios like Defence and Railways at different times. He led many labour movements and fought against the injustice towards them. His tenure as Defence Minister was outstanding. May his soul rest in peace.

Smriti Z Irani: Saddened by the demise of former Defence Minister George Fernandes. An able administrator, a distinguished politician, his contribution towards strengthening democracy will be etched in the hearts & minds of Indians forever. My heartfelt condolences to his loved ones. Om Shanti

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar: I offer my deepest condolences on passing away of former defence minister George Fernandes. He was a fiery trade union leader who fought for justice. May his soul rest in peace. My thoughts are with his family.

Congress's minimum income guarantee scheme and former CEA's 'QUBRI' have similar grounds but markedly different reach. Read the report here

09:51 Frank and fearless: Modi on George Fernandes

Prime Minister Narendra Modi condoled the death of Former Defence Minister George Fernandes and paid tribute to the senior leader.

Taking to Twitter, PM wrote, ""George Sahab represented the best of India's political leadership. Frank and fearless, forthright and farsighted, he made a valuable contribution to our country. He was among the most effective voices for the rights of the poor and marginalised. Saddened by his passing away."

Fernandes died on Tuesday morning in Delhi. He was 88 years old. One of the most prominent leaders of the socialist movement in the 1970s, George Fernandes was a senior Janata Dal leader before he founded the Samata Party.

Former Defence Minister in the Vajpayee government George Fernandes passed away today, at the age of 88.

Fernandes, who served as the Defence Minister in the NDA government headed by Atal Bihari Vajpyee between 1998 and 2004, was crippled by Alzheimer's disease, and his last stint as a Parliamentarian was as a Rajya Sabha MP between August 2009 to July 2010.

A native of Mangaluru, Fernandes is the founder of the Samata Party. He rose to fame as an anti-Emergency crusader and civil rights activists and served as a Union Minister in the Janata Party government headed by Morarji Desai that came to power in 1977 to 1980.

Fernandes stepped down as the Defence Minister in 2004 after the "coffingate" scandal broke out. He was later absolved by two commissions of inquiry.

A total of 2000 students, parents and teachers will be participating at Talkatora stadium from all over India in another edition of Pariksha Pe Charcha 2.0 on January 29, 2019.

According to the ministry of human resource development, it is a unique interaction where students, teachers, parents and the Prime Minister Narendra Modi will come together to discuss issues related to exams and the stress connected to that.

For first time, according to MHRD, students from all over India and also Indian students residing abroad are participating as compared to last year where only Delhi and NCR students were called.

The participants from abroad include from countries like Russia, Nigeria, Iran, Nepal, Doha, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and Singapore.

Participants also include college students from 24 states and Union Territories who would be participating in the programme.

Already, 675 students from many States and Union Territories have arrived in the national capital, the education ministry said.

This year a cultural programme of 10 minutes has also been included in which the bright student winners from Kala Utsav contest, their parents and teachers will be performing.

A short film on initiatives taken by the MHRD will be shown highlighting the steps taken since last year's Pariksha Pe Charcha, to reduce exam related stress.

RSS leader Indresh Kumar likened Congress leader Navjot Singh Sidhu, and actors Aamir Khan and Naseeruddin Shah to Rajpur King Jaichand and Najafi Nawab of Bengal Mir Jafar while referring to the trio as 'traitors.

Speaking to the media, Kumar opined that India doesn't need Muslim youth like Ajmal Kasab (lone terrorist caught alive after 26/11 attack), but rather like former president APJ Abdul Kalam.

"India doesn't need Muslim Youth like Kasab, Yakub, and Ishrat Jahan but rather those who walk on the path shown by Kalam. Those who walk on the path of Kasab will be considered only as traitors," said Indresh Kumar.

"They may be good actors (Navjot Singh Sidhu, Naseeruddin Shah, and Aamir Khan) but they don't deserve respect as they are traitors. They are like Mir Jafar and Jaichand," he added.

-- ANI

Yogi Adityanath's cabinet will meet at the Kumbh Mela in Prayagraj this morning, which will be chaired by the chief minister himself. The meeting will begin at 11 am, the chief minister is expected to take a dip at the confluence after that.

This is the first time during Yogi Adityanath's tenure as CM that his ministers are holding an official meeting outside Lucknow. The move is the latest among a series of measures by the CM to hype up the festival, which is among the world's largest religious gatherings, at Prayagraj.

This year's event comes at a critical time for the BJP. The national elections, due by May, are expected to be a close contest after the party lost power in three heartland states in the recent assembly elections.

In Uttar Pradesh -- the 80-seater state that decides who rules in Delhi -- a twist has been added by the freshly minted alliance between Akhilesh Yadav and Mayawati.

A third factor is the entry of Priyanka Gandhi Vadra as the general secretary of the Congress in eastern part of the state, where lies Prime Minister Narendra Modi's constituency Varanasi and Yogi Adityanath's home turf Gorakhpur. The party is expecting to capture the upper caste votes that went to the BJP in 2014 general elections, during which it won 71 of the state's 80 seats.

00:11 Trump cancels State of Union address

United States President Donald Trump has cancelled the annual State of the Union address, which was slated to take place on Tuesday (January 29), authorities confirmed on Monday.

An aide to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi told CNN that the next date for the address is yet to be decided.

In order to give an address like the State of the Union to a joint session of Congress, both the House and Senate must pass a resolution allowing it to happen, making Pelosi's voice an important part of the discussions.

The President, previous week cancelled the annual State of the Union address after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi barred him from speaking at the House Chambers while the partial government shutdown was still underway.

Trump, while speaking to reporters, said that there would be an alternative to the address, without outlining the details, further calling the cancellation a 'great, great horrible mark' and a 'great blotch' on the US.

Pelosi had highlighted that the address would be set for a later, 'mutually agreeable' date after the shutdown is called off. -- ANI

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