The Enforcement Directorate has arrested Chanpreet Singh, who allegedly "managed" cash funds for AAP's campaign in the 2022 Goa Assembly polls, in connection with the Delhi excise policy-linked money laundering case, official sources said on Monday. The Aam Aadmi Party alleged the ED was carrying out a "politically motivated" probe and it was unable to recover a single rupee or find evidence in the matter. Singh was taken into custody under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) on April 12 and was produced before a special court here the next day, the sources said. He has been sent to ED custody till April 18 by the court, they said. This is the 17th arrest in the case by the ED. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, his party colleague and former deputy CM Manish Sisodia, BRS leader K Kavitha and a number of liquor businessmen and others have been arrested earlier by the federal agency. Singh was earlier arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation too in the same case. The money laundering case stems from the CBI FIR. The ED has informed the court through its official documents that Chanpreet Singh "managed" cash payments for the campaign of the AAP during the 2022 Goa elections and had a "relationship" with the political outfit that rules Delhi currently. It has been alleged by the agency that the 'South Group' -- comprising Kavitha, TDP candidate from Ongole Lok Sabha seat Magunta Sreenivasulu Reddy, his son Raghav Magunta, businessman Sarath Chandra Reddy and others -- paid Rs 100 crore bribe to the AAP for obtaining a prime position in the Delhi liquor market as part of the now-scrapped excise policy for 2021-22. Out of these alleged kickbacks, the ED has claimed, Rs 45 crore was used by the AAP to fund its Goa election campaign. The ED has claimed that cash payments were made to survey workers, area managers, assembly managers and others in Goa who were engaged in election campaign activities of the AAP and these people told the agency that this was "managed" by a person named Chanpreet Singh. It also said that an employee of an 'Angadia' firm, which allegedly moved cash funds illegally, had "admitted" to disbursing huge amounts of cash in Goa to some people including Singh, who used to work for Chariot Productions Media Pvt Ltd. Chariot Productions was the company engaged by the AAP for its Goa poll campaign. The company's director, Rajesh Joshi, was arrested in the case by the ED last year. The ED had alleged that Singh collected more than Rs 17 crore (Rs 17,38,14,500 in total) in over 18 instances from the 'Angadia' company employee between August 2021-January 2022, and this was "also corroborated" by CDR (call data records of mobile phone) analysis. It said that Singh "received a salary from the Aam Aadmi Party" in February 2022 and also from a company called Wizspk Communications and PR Ltd which was engaged by the Delhi government. Moreover, the ED claimed that he had also received funds from the OML (Only Much Louder) events management company of arrested AAP communications in-charge Vijay Nair, and "these facts are prima facie reflective of his relationship with the Aam Aadmi Party". In a statement, the AAP said the entire country knows "the real Delhi liquor scam" took place after ED started its investigation and arrested scam kingpin Sarath Reddy who later transferred Rs 55 crore of his proceeds of crime to BJP via electoral bonds." Even after two years of investigation and over 500 raids, not a single rupee or evidence has been recovered from AAP leaders, it said. "The ED is running a politically motivated investigation and making its case solely based on statements of approvers, many of whom like Sarath Reddy have a direct connection with the BJP," the party alleged. In a related development, Kejriwal did not get any interim relief on Monday from the Supreme Court which sought a response from the ED by April 24 on his plea challenging his arrest in the money laundering case. The excise case pertains to alleged corruption and money laundering in formulating and executing the Delhi government's excise policy for 2021-22, which was later scrapped. Delhi Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena recommended a CBI probe into the alleged irregularities in the formulation and implementation of the liquor policy. Subsequently, the ED registered a case under the PMLA. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
16 April,2024 10:49 AM IST | Delhi | PTIAt least five persons, including a woman, died and around 35 others were injured after a bus fell from a bridge in Odisha's Jajpur district on Monday evening, police said. The incident took place around 9 pm on Barabati bridge on National Highway-16, when the bus with about 47 passengers was en route to West Bengal from Puri, they said. "Four men and a woman have died in the accident. Around 40 people were injured, and they were taken to Cuttack SCB Medical College," said Tapan Kumar Naik, Inspector charge of Dharamshala Police Station. The driver lost control of the vehicle, which resulted in the accident, police said. Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik expressed grief over the deaths and announced an ex gratia of Rs 3 lakh each for the next of kin of the deceased. Meanwhile, Transport Commissioner Amitav Thakur said the bus was bound for Haldia in West Bengal. "We have formed a team of doctors for treatment. The injured, including women and children, are being brought to Cuttack with the help of 16 ambulances. The rescue operation has ended as the bus was lifted with a crane," he said. Nikhil Pavan Kalyan, Collector and District Magistrate of Jajpur said gas cutters were used to cut through the metal and rescue the passengers from the bus. SP Vinit Agrawal added that the deceased are yet to be identified and that most of the passengers hailed from West Bengal. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
16 April,2024 10:49 AM IST | Jajpur | PTIMunir Ahmad Khan, the brother of jailed separatist leader Nayeem Khan, joined the Jammu and Kashmir Nationalist People's Front (JKNPF) on Monday. An announcement in this regard was made by Munir Khan during a press conference in Srinagar on Monday. "Joining JKNPF is not a big deal. Coming into the mainstream is the big thing, and making a roadmap for the youth. What I found in this party is that only this party can attract more youth, and this is the reason for me to join the party. Here together, we can create a roadmap for our economy, education and employment," Khan said while speaking to reporters. Hurriyat Conference in 2017 suspended Nayeem Khan from the organisation after he allegedly confessed to receiving money from Pakistan and Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) for Kashmir unrest. Khan was allegedly heard admitting in a TV sting operation that he had received money from Pakistan to create unrest in the Valley. He, however, claimed that the sting operation was fake and doctored. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
16 April,2024 10:49 AM IST | Srinagar | ANIFour people drowned as a boat capsized in the Jhelum river on the outskirts of Srinagar on Tuesday, officials said. Many others are missing in the incident that took place in the Gandbal Nowgam area, they said. A rescue operation was launched and the State Disaster Response Force team has been deployed. So far, four bodies have been recovered, while many others are missing, the officials said. Incessant rains over the last couple of days have led to an increase in the water levels of several water bodies, including Jhelum. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
16 April,2024 09:44 AM IST | Srinagar | PTIA group of 21 retired judges of the Supreme Court and high courts have written to the Chief Justice of India on the escalating attempts by “certain factions to undermine the judiciary through calculated pressure, misinformation, and public disparagement”. These critics are motivated by narrow political interests and personal gains and are striving to erode public confidence in the judicial system, they said. Though the retired judges, including four from the apex court, did not specify the incidents which prompted them to write to the CJI, their letter came amid a war of words between the ruling BJP and opposition parties over the actions against some opposition leaders in corruption cases. With affected leaders and their parties moving courts to seek relief, the BJP has often accused them of using judicial decisions selectively and cited any lack of relief for several arrested leaders to rebut the opposition’s criticism. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
16 April,2024 06:09 AM IST | New Delhi | AgenciesWest Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee on Monday criticised the Election Commission for “favouring” the BJP and threatened to go on a hunger strike outside the Commission if there is a single riot in the state. While addressing a rally at Alipurduar, Banerjee accused the Election Commission of removing the Deputy Inspector General of Police of Murshidabad at the behest of the BJP. “Even today, just based on BJP’s instructions, the DIG of Murshidabad was changed. Now, if there are riots in Murshidabad and Malda, the responsibility will lie with the Election Commission. The BJP wanted to change the police officers to trigger riots and violence. If there is even one riot, the ECI will be responsible as they are looking after law and order here,” she said. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
16 April,2024 06:04 AM IST | Alipurduar | AgenciesThe Election Commission on Monday said authorities under its supervision have made seizures worth Rs 4,650 crore, including drugs worth R2069 crore, in the run-up to the Lok Sabha elections. The poll panel said the seizures made since March 1 exceed the over Rs 3,475 crore recovered during the 2019 parliamentary polls. EC’s Flying Squad searches Rahul Gandhi’s helicopter. Pic/PTI The seven-phased Lok Sabha polls were announced on March 16. The first phase is on April 19 and the last one on June 1. The Commission said authorities have been making seizures worth Rs 100 crore every day since March 1. Out of the total recoveries worth Rs 4,658 crore, the cash component stands at over Rs 395 crore, while liquor stands at more than Rs 489 crore. Significantly, 45 per cent of the seizures are of drugs (Rs 2,069 crore). The first phase of the election is on April 19. Representation pic Use of black money, over and above political financing, could disturb the level playing field in favour of more resourceful party or candidate, it noted, adding that the seizures are a critical part of its resolve to hold the Lok Sabha elections free of inducements and electoral malpractices and to ensure a level playing field. Poll panel checks Rahul’s helicopter Officials here conducted checks in a helicopter carrying Congress leader Rahul Gandhi. The flying squad officials searched the helicopter after it landed here, police said. Gandhi was on his way to his parliamentary constituency, Kerala’s Wayanad, where he has campaign activities, including a public meeting. He is fighting the April 26 Lok Sabha polls from Wayanad, seeking a successive term.
16 April,2024 05:58 AM IST | New Delhi | AgenciesAt a rally on Monday concluding his Lok Sabha poll campaign in Tamil Nadu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi made a Tamil-centric pitch as he proposed to set up Thiruvalluvar centres globally, and labelled the Congress and DMK “sinners” over “ceding” Katchatheevu to Sri Lanka. Modi dubbed the DMK and Congress “anti-national” and said the entire country has now understood the “truth”, that they had given Katchatheevu to another country after “cutting it off” from Tamil Nadu. Not only did they keep “the people of Tamil Nadu in the dark, they told lies to them and committed a sin behind the scenes,” Modi alleged. “Our fishermen brothers get the punishment for the sins of the DMK and Congress,” he said, in an apparent reference to the frequent arrests of Tamil Nadu fishermen by Sri Lanka. This “sin” of theirs remained hidden for four decades and it is the BJP that unravelled the truth and brought it to the attention of the people, he claimed. Following this, the DMK and Congress have just “gone silent”, he alleged. Modi then went on to slam the ruling DMK in Tamil Nadu over the alleged corruption and drug menace in the state. He also accused the DMK of insulting the legacy of late Chief Minister M G Ramachandran and said the Dravidian party had “ill-treated” late AIADMK matriarch J Jayalalithaa in the state assembly, alluding to the unruly scenes in the House in 1989. Modi pointed out that the BJP had released its manifesto on the day of Tamil New Year. He also said that his party has resolved to set up Thiruvalluvar centres across the globe. “We worked for Tamil Nadu’s development in the past 10 years,” Modi said, exhorting people to vote for the party, saying, “For those who love Tamil language and culture, their first choice is the BJP and so is the case with those who love the country.” This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
16 April,2024 05:46 AM IST | Tirunelveli | AgenciesIrrespective of their voting preferences, every random Nagercoil-Kanyakumari resident mid-day spoke with has only good things to say about BJP candidate Pon Radhakrishnan. They are also happy with the work he does for the region, both during his two terms as MP and even when he is out of power. Taking time off from the tough task of making the PM’s public rally later on Monday evening, Ponnar, as he is fondly called, sat down with mid-day for an interview during the early hours of Monday at his Nagercoil office. Have you analysed the reasons behind your 2019 defeat?Yes. The opposition alliance was able to spread the sense and convince the voters here that Modi-ji was not going to get a second term nationally, and that Rahul Gandhi will become the next PM. They convincingly sold this lie. What have you done about it and changed this time?I did not have to do anything. Now, everyone knows Modi-ji will get a historic third term. Then there are also differences creeping into the opposition alliance this time. There are elements in the DMK that are unhappy with the Congress candidate Vijay Vasanth. Just the other day, Congress workers beat up Communist workers over some differences. What issues have you been raising during campaigning?See, over the last five years, central projects worth Rs 48,000 crore have been stopped. Some even due to DMK interference… like the four-laning of the highway here. On the other hand, despite not being the MP, I have gotten sanctions for at least R141 crore worth of central funds. The people of Kanyakumari have great love for our PM. How are you handling the Hindu-Christian arithmetic?I am not one to seek help from organisations or to go to missionaries for their support. Having said that, I treat every voter—Hindu or Christian—as an individual and seek their votes across the constituency. The feedback I have got is that this time I will get more Christian votes than ever. You have been around since Vajpayee’s time, and have a big role in growing the BJP in the region. Tell us how you did it.It took a lot of groundwork, and from Day 1 we always worked on winning over the fence-sitters. No harm in telling you today, there were days when two party men would be on stage and two more would act as an audience. Then, these two would go up to the stage to give a speech and the other two would listen. There was a point when we wondered if all this was worth the effort. The Mandaikadu riots turned it around for us. [In March 1982, six fishermen were killed in police firing. In the violence that followed, 15 civilians and 25 policemen were seriously injured. All this was preceded by clashes between Christian fishermen and Hindus during a local temple festival.] Today, I don’t want to go into who was right and who was in the wrong. But at that time, we did a lot of relief work irrespective of which community was affected. And that established the BJP here. What’s your message to the public with just four days to voting?Vote for anyone. But let it be a sincere candidate who will work for the people here. There are close to 20 lakh people in this constituency. We have to work together. We don’t need to be divided.
16 April,2024 05:42 AM IST | Mumbai | Krishna Kumar PadmanabhanEvery household in Tamil Nadu would have, at some point in the last five decades, bought some electronic appliance or the other from Vasanth & Co. What Vijay Sales (established in 1967 as a small TV dealership) is to Mumbai, Vasanth & Co (established in 1978 as a consumer electronics store) is to the whole of Tamil Nadu, especially the south. After joining the Congress, proprietor Vasanth Kumar was elected MLA in 2006 and 2016, before becoming the Kanyakumari MP in 2019. He passed away in August 2020 due to COVID-related complications. In the resulting by-elections, his son, the actor Vijay Vasanth, contested the seat and has held it since. Vasanth, who is facing discontent among constituents, took time off his busy campaign tour of the Christian coastal fishing villages on Monday to answer mid-day’s questions. How are you going to fight anti-incumbency?There is no anti-incumbency. People have clearly understood that Modi needs to go. That this NDA government should leave. Otherwise, life will only get more difficult for the people of India. And I sense a lot of love for the INDIA coalition. Are you sure? Everywhere, people are saying they are not happy with your work.I agree. But think, 2019 and 2020 were COVID years. I got elected in 2021 in the by-election. There was hardly any time for me to fully execute any project. Those who say I have not done anything should remember that. But even in this short time, I have achieved a few results. Such as?I have got the NHAI project going... But wasn’t that stalled due to litigation?Yes, but it is cleared now and work will begin in full swing. I have gotten so many rail bridges and underpasses built to ease traffic congestion in the city. Track doubling work is in full swing. We are developing our railway stations. And above all, I have exhausted my allotted MP-LAD fund for constituency work. How did you win over the Christian community?See, they are like family, first of all. And they have realised that voting for the ADMK is like voting for the BJP. How will you woo the Hindu vote, which might go to the BJP?I don’t discriminate. All the work I have done is equally for everyone. I take everyone together. How do you respond to nepotism charges?I don’t want to answer this. Come on!Okay, I’ll just say everyone becomes something in life only because of their parents. Some of us join the exact line of work of our parents. What is wrong with this? We see this in law, medicine, and other fields. Only when it is politics, do you people ask these questions. Also, look at it this way. Amit Shah uses his son to control world cricket. You don’t have a problem. I used my father’s goodwill to do good for the people. And it is a problem? Don’t you understand the difference? Fine. Finally, which is your first love—business, films, or politics?Business. I grew up more in my father’s offices than at my home. I spent more time with him in godowns, looking at him manage the company, than I ever spent time with him at home. Politics is second, as I have got a penchant for public service from him. Films have taken a back seat. For now, temporarily.
16 April,2024 05:34 AM IST | Mumbai | Krishna Kumar PadmanabhanI feel betrayed as the Centre has been making big promises to Kerala and not delivering on them,” said senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor, on Monday. He is contesting the Lok Sabha election from Thiruvananthapuram. The MP added that the state had lost over 64 sq km of ‘Bharat Bhoomi’ to soil erosion. Tharoor added that be it establishing an All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) and National University for Ayurveda or upgrading the National Institute for Speech and Hearing, no promises had been fulfilled. ‘Centre not playing fair’ Asked what issue has hurt the people and continues to pose a challenge in the state, Tharoor said, “The state has a number of serious challenges. As far as federalism is concerned, there is a perception that the Centre is not playing fair with the state. The Left used to harp on that, but instead of making that an issue in this election campaign, they are actually focusing only on attacking me and attacking the United Democratic Front, I do not understand the logic of that, but that is one perception.” ‘Coastal erosion issue’ Tharoor said there were two of issues where he felt betrayed by the state, the first being soil erosion. “For a dozen years, I have been bringing to the attention of Parliament, the ministers and even of the Prime Minister that we have lost 64 sq km of our Bharat Mata’s Bhoomi from our beaches, in this constituency [Thiruvananthapuram] alone,” he said. Congress MP Shashi Tharoor at a campaign event on Monday. Pic/Atul Kamble “Had that amount of land been taken by a foreign country, the whole nation would be prepared to go to war, but when it is taken by the sea, because of sea erosion, there is absolutely no willingness, to spend any money to do the basic elementary things required to save coastlines such as building seawalls and groynes, which is something that the next-door state Tamil Nadu has successfully done. But here the state government claims that it has no money and the Central government says it is not its problem and that shoreline protection is the responsibility of the state. So, between the back and forth between the two nothing has moved; the shoreline is steadily eroded, and that to my mind is a major betrayal.” Unkept promises Elaborating on the “second betrayal”, Tharoor said the BJP government in past 10 years had made only three promises to Kerala but it broke all of them. “I am not talking of the general nationwide yojanas, which all came everywhere and they also came to Kerala. Specific promises made to Kerala are all broken. They [Centre] promised an AIIMS. No AIIMS has come. Second, they promised a National University for Ayurveda; in fact, the AYUSH minister himself came and said this in his speech in Thiruvananthapuram. I am sorry to say, when they created the National University for Ayurveda, they put that in Gujarat,” said Tharoor. “Third, there is a National Institute for Speech and Hearing for those who have challenges in speaking and hearing, to study, in Thiruvananthapuram. I had requested that it should be upgraded to a national university. My request was accepted by the BJP government. In 2015-2016, they included this in their budget and mentioned in their budget speech that they would upgrade the institute. What happened? They did not fulfil that promise. For years, I kept reminding them, and then they went and created a national university in the North East.” ‘Not an encouraging message’“This kind of situation means that the only ‘Modi guarantee’ we have got here is that the BJP government breaks any promise that they made to Kerala. That is not exactly an encouraging message from the BJP to the voters of Kerala,” Tharoor concluded. 20No of Lok Sabha seats in Kerala
16 April,2024 04:57 AM IST | Mumbai | Vinod Kumar MenonADVERTISEMENT
