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PM Modi reflects on Jesus Christ's sacrifice on Good Friday

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday took to X (formerly Twitter) to remember Jesus Christ's tremendous sacrifice on Good Friday, emphasising the significance of compassion and forgiveness that the occasion represents.  In a post on X, PM Modi wrote, "Today, on Good Friday, we remember the profound sacrifice of Jesus Christ. May everyone find strength in the lessons of compassion and forgiveness it teaches us." Today, on Good Friday, we remember the profound sacrifice of Jesus Christ. May everyone find strength in the lessons of compassion and forgiveness it teaches us. — Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) March 29, 2024 Additionally, Union Minister Kiren Rijiju, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge also wished people on the solemn occasion, reported ANI.  "On the auspicious occasion of Good Friday, let's remember the supreme sacrifice and love that guide us towards compassion, love, forgiveness, and unity. May this Good Friday be a time of reflection, renewal, and grace for all," Rijiju wrote in his social media post. On the auspicious occasion of Good Friday, let's remember the supreme sacrifice and love that guides us toward compassion, love, forgiveness, and unity. May this Good Friday be a time of reflection, renewal, and grace for all. pic.twitter.com/XrNxlAG74I — Kiren Rijiju (मोदी का परिवार) (@KirenRijiju) March 29, 2024 While Kharge said, "Wishing you all a blessed #GoodFriday. May the spirit of compassion, forgiveness, sacrifice and empathy keep guiding our path. Let us imbibe the spirit of humanity, kindness, and peace, amongst us." Wishing you all a blessed #GoodFriday. May the spirit of compassion, forgiveness, sacrifice and empathy keep guiding our path. Let us imbibe the spirit of humanity, kindness, and peace, amongst us. pic.twitter.com/zoOKFPdzcq — Mallikarjun Kharge (@kharge) March 29, 2024 Mamata Banerjee in her post on X wrote, "Wishing all my Christian Brothers & Sisters a graceful & blessed Good Friday. May this Holy Day of Penance, Prayers and Sacrifice inspire us all to live a life of compassion, love and peace." Wishing all my Christian Brothers & Sisters a graceful & blessed Good Friday.May this Holy Day of Penance, Prayers and Sacrifice inspire us all to live a life of compassion, love and peace. — Mamata Banerjee (@MamataOfficial) March 29, 2024 According to the ANI report, devotees in Kerala participate in processions bearing wooden crosses to commemorate Jesus Christ's crucifixion. Good Friday services are held at churches to commemorate the upcoming Easter Sunday. Similarly, prayers and services are held in churches throughout the country, including the Sacred Heart Cathedral Church in New Delhi. Father Jolly of the CBCI Centre expounded on the meaning of Good Friday, emphasising its importance to Christians worldwide. He emphasised that Good Friday is a day set aside to memorialise Jesus Christ's suffering and death, to sanctify and purify ourselves, the report added.  In Thiruvananthapuram and Kolkata,' stations of the cross' processions are held to commemorate Christ's agony during his crucifixion. Good Friday is the day Jesus was betrayed by Judas and crucified by the Romans, followed by his resurrection on Easter Sunday. Good Friday commemorates Jesus Christ's sacrifice and teachings, prompting people to reflect on compassion, forgiveness, and the journey of faith.

29 March,2024 11:37 AM IST | Delhi | mid-day online correspondent
Mukhtar Ansari/ Facebook

Uttar Pradesh: Security tightened in Aligarh following death of Mukhtar Ansari

Security arrangements have been beefed up in UP's Aligarh after the death of Mukhtar Ansari, who suffered cardiac arrest on Thursday night. Police conducted a flag march in the area, and an alert has also been issued in the entire state, said IG Aligarh Range Shalabh Mathur. "After the death of Mukhtar Ansari, an alert has been issued in the entire state. There is also an alert in the area regarding this and now SSP Aligarh is with us and taking stock regarding this. Police administration will remain alert on all these points. All the officials will monitor the spread of rumours on social media," he added. The dreaded gangster was brought to the hospital around 8:25 PM, according to the official release from the hospital. A team of nine doctors attended to him before he died, the release added. Expressing condolences over the death of Mukhtar Ansari, the Samajwadi Party shared a post on Twitter that read, "Sad demise of former MLA Shri Mukhtar Ansari. May his soul rest in peace. May the bereaved family members get the strength to bear this immense sorrow. Humble tribute !". Speaking on the same, Congress leader Surendra Rajput launched an attack on the BJP and said, "Today Mukhtar Ansari's death in jail raises a big question for the BJP-led UP Government...This should be investigated thoroughly so that everyone gets to know what is going on." Speaking to ANI, Naseem Haider, the lawyer for Mukhtar Ansari, said, "I received information that he has been brought here, so I have come here." On Tuesday, he was admitted to a hospital in Uttar Pradesh's Banda after he complained of abdominal pain. He was then shifted to Uttar Pradesh's Rani Durgawati Medical College after his discharge on Tuesday. Ansari was elected as an MLA from the Mau assembly seat five times, including twice as a Bahujan Samaj Party candidate. He had a strong influence in Ghazipur, his hometown. In April 2023, Mukhtar Ansari was convicted and sentenced to 10 years imprisonment for the murder of BJP MLA Krishnanand Rai by an MP MLA court. He was sentenced to life in prison on March 13, 2024, in a case related to the use of forged documents for obtaining an arms licence in 1990. Before this, in December 2023, the MP/MLA Court of Varanasi had found Mukhtar Ansari guilty of threatening Mahavir Prasad Rungta, a witness in the murder of 26-year-old coal businessman Nand Kishor Rungta, and had sentenced him to five and a half years of rigorous imprisonment and slapped a fine of Rs 10,000 against him. On October 15, last year, the Enforcement Directorate attached lands, a building and bank deposits worth more than Rs 73.43 lakh as part of the money laundering investigation against Mukhtar Ansari. 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

29 March,2024 07:57 AM IST | Uttar Pradesh | ANI
Mukhtar Ansari/ File Photo/ Facebook

Mukhtar Ansari's son: My father was given slow poison; we will move to judiciary

After the death of gangster-turned-politician Mukhtar Ansari due to cardiac arrest, Umar Ansari, son of Mukhtar Ansari, claimed that his father was given poison in the food and said they would move to the judiciary. "We have full faith in it," he added. "I was not told anything from the administration side, I came to know about it through the media... But now the whole nation knows everything... Two days ago I came to meet him, but I was not allowed... We said earlier also and even today we will say the same about the allegation of giving slow poison. On March 19, he was poisoned in the dinner. We will move to the judiciary, we have full faith in it..." Umar Ansari, son of Mukhtar Ansari, said. "Post-mortem will be conducted tomorrow, after that, they will give us the body. We will then follow with the further process (cremation)... My father alleged being given a slow poison... Around five doctors panel has been made (for carrying out the post-mortem)," Umar Ansari added. Meanwhile, the body of gangster-turned-politician Mukhtar Ansari has been sent for post-mortem at Banda Medical College Hospital, Banda. After the death of the five time MLA, several political leaders extended their condolences. On Thursday, AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi expressed his grief in support of the family of Mukhtar Ansari. "I pray to Allah to forgive Mukhtar Ansari and give patience to his family and his loved ones. The people of Ghazipur lost their favourite son and brother. Mukhtar Saheb had made serious allegations against the administration that he had been poisoned. Despite this, the government did not pay any attention to his treatment. Condemnable and regrettable," AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi posted on X. Samajwadi Party leader Ameeque Jamei demanded a thorough investigation of Mukhtar Ansari's death. "We stand with the family of Mukhtar Ansari... Recently he said that he can be murdered anytime... Why he was not given a proper medical facility...We will demand a thorough investigation of the incident..." Congress leader Surendra Rajput also questioned the death of gangster-turned-politician Mukhtar Ansari due to cardiac arrest. "Today Mukhtar Ansari's death in the jail raises a big question BJP-led UP Government...This should be investigated thoroughly so that everyone gets to know what is going on..." said Congress leader Surendra Rajput. The dreaded gangster was brought to the hospital around 8:25 PM, according to the official release from the hospital. A team of nine doctors attended to him before he died, the release added. Expressing condolences over the death of Mukhtar Ansari, the Samajwadi Party shared a post on Twitter that read, "Sad demise of former MLA Shri Mukhtar Ansari. May his soul rest in peace. May the bereaved family members get the strength to bear this immense sorrow. Humble tribute !". On Tuesday, he was admitted to a hospital in Uttar Pradesh's Banda after he complained of abdominal pain. He was then shifted to Uttar Pradesh's Rani Durgawati Medical College after his discharge on Tuesday. Ansari was elected as an MLA from the Mau assembly seat five times, including twice as a Bahujan Samaj Party candidate. He had a strong influence in Ghazipur, his hometown. In April 2023, Mukhtar Ansari was convicted and sentenced to 10 years imprisonment for the murder of BJP MLA Krishnanand Rai by an MP MLA court. He was sentenced to life in prison on March 13, 2024, in a case related to the use of forged documents for obtaining an arms licence in 1990. Before this, in December 2023, the MP/MLA Court of Varanasi had found Mukhtar Ansari guilty of threatening Mahavir Prasad Rungta, a witness in the murder of 26-year-old coal businessman Nand Kishor Rungta, and had sentenced him to five and a half years of rigorous imprisonment and slapped a fine of Rs 10,000 against him. On October 15, last year, the Enforcement Directorate attached lands, a building and bank deposits worth more than Rs 73.43 lakh as part of the money laundering investigation against Mukhtar Ansari. 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

29 March,2024 07:44 AM IST | Uttar Pradesh | ANI
Mukhtar Ansari. File Pic

Mukhtar Ansari: A career in crime and politics

Mukhtar Ansari straddled the worlds of crime and politics in Uttar Pradesh. The gangster-politician was booked in 65 criminal cases ranging from murder to extortion and was elected an MLA five times on the tickets of different political parties. Ansari, 63, died of cardiac arrest in a hospital in Banda on Thursday. Born into an influential family in 1963, Ansari entered the world of crime to establish himself and his gang in the government contract mafia that was then flourishing in the state. His tryst with crime began as early as 1978, when Ansari was just 15 years of age. He had his first brush with the law when he was booked for criminal intimidation at Saidpur Police Station of Ghazipur. Almost a decade later in 1986, by the time he had become a well-known face in the contract mafia circle, another case of murder was lodged against him at Muhammad Police Station of Ghazipur. Over the next decade, Ansari became a common face of crime with at least 14 more cases under serious charges lodged against him. His growing criminal graph, however, did not hinder his entry in politics. Ansari was first elected an MLA in the UP assembly in 1996 on a ticket from Bahujan Samaj Party from Mau. He continued his successful run on the seat as an independent candidate in 2002 and 2007 assembly elections. In 2012, he launched Qaumi Ekta Dal (QED) and won from Mau again. He won from Mau again in 2017. In 2022 he vacated the seat for his son Abbas Ansari who won from the seat on the ticket of Suheldev Bhartiya Samaj Party. Since 2005, till his death, Ansari had been lodged in different jails of UP and Punjab. He had 28 criminal cases, including that of murder, and seven cases under the UP's Gangster Act registered against him since 2005. He had been convicted in eight criminal cases since September 2022 and was facing trial in 21 cases in different courts. Ansari was awarded a life term and a penalty of Rs 2.02 lakh by Varanasi MP/MLA earlier this month in a case of fraudulently obtaining an arms licence around 37 years ago. This was the eighth case in which he was sentenced in the past 18 months by different courts of UP and the second in which he was awarded a life term. On December 15, 2023, a Varanasi MP/MLA court sentenced Ansari for five years and six months for giving death threat to Mahavir Prasad Rungta for turning hostile and not pursue a case involving the kidnapping and murder of BJP leader and coal trader Nand Kishore Rungta on January 22, 1997. On October 27, 2023, a Ghazipur MP/MLA court had awarded him 10 years of rigorous imprisonment and penalty of 5 lakh in a Gangster Act case lodged against him in 2010. On June 5, 2023, a Varanasi MP/MLA had awarded life imprisonment to Ansari in the case of murder of Awadesh Rai, the elder brother of former Congress MLA and present UP Congress president Ajay Rai. Awadesh Rai was sprayed with bullets when he and his brother Ajay were standing outside their house in the Lahurabir locality of Varanasi on August 3, 1991. On April 29, 2023, Ghazipur MP/MLA court had sentenced Ansari to 10 years of imprisonment in a case of murder of BJP MLA Krishnanand Rai. The Lucknow bench of Allahabad high court had on September 23, 2022, awarded Ansari five years of rigorous imprisonment in a Gangster Act case registered against him in 1999 at Hazratganj Police Station in Lucknow and imposed a fine on him Rs 50,000. The Ghazipur MP/MLA court on December 15, 2022, had awarded him 10 years of imprisonment and slapped a penalty of 5 lakh each in two separate cases of Gangster Act lodged against him in 1996 and 2007. Ansari's first conviction in the last 13 months was awarded by the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad high court. He was awarded seven years of imprisonment on September 21, 2022, for threatening the jailor of the Lucknow district jail in 2003. The Uttar Pradesh government had to approach the Supreme Court to bring Ansari back to the state from Ropar jail in Punjab. Ansari, then a BSP MLA, was lodged in the Ropar jail in January 2019 in connection with an extortion case and remained there for a period of more than two years. In March 2021, while hearing a plea of the UP government, the SC had directed the Punjab government to hand over Ansari's custody to UP, saying it was being denied on trivial grounds under the guise of medical issues. The court had also said that a convict or an under-trial prisoner, who disobeys the law of the land, cannot oppose his transfer from one prison to another and the courts are not to be helpless bystanders when the rule of law is being challenged with impunity. Since 2020, Ansari gang had been under an intense heat from police, which either seized or demolished illegal property worth Rs 608 crore belonging to the gang. Illegal business, contracts, or tenders worth over Rs 215 crore of the gang was also stopped by the police in this period. 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

29 March,2024 07:38 AM IST | Lucknow | PTI
Local Village women working under MGNREGA in TN. File pic

MGNREGS wage rates revised

Wages under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme have been revised, with hikes ranging between four and 10 per cent for different states. Haryana has the highest wage rate for unskilled workers under the scheme at Rs 374 a day, while AP and Nagaland have the lowest at Rs 234, according to a notification. The wage rate in three panchayats of Sikkim, Gnathang, Lachung and Lachen, is Rs 374 a day. The wage revision under the scheme was notified by the Union Rural Development Ministry on March 27 after clearance from the EC as the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) is in force for the LS polls. The increases have been made on the 2023 wage rates under scheme that is aimed at enhancing livelihood security of households in rural areas by providing at least 100 days of guaranteed wage employment in a financial year to every household whose adult members volunteer to do unskilled manual work. MGNREGS wages fail ‘Shramik NYAY’ The Congress slammed the Modi government after it notified the revision, saying the daily wage rates in all states are well below the R400 a day promised by the opposition party under its “Shramik NYAY” guarantees. The BJP-led Centre has reportedly notified the revised wages under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS). In a post on X, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said: “Congratulations to MNREGA workers! The Prime Minister has increased your salary by Rs 7.” BJP’s hatred for Bengal: TMC Flagging that the MGNREGS wage rates for West Bengal have only been hiked by 5 per cent, TMC leader Saket Gokhale said it is a brazen display of the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) “hate” for the state. Referring to the wage notification for the flagship rural employment scheme issued by the Union rural development ministry, Gokhale said the wage hike for West Bengal is only 5 per cent, while it is more than 7 per cent for Bihar, over 9 per cent for Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, and more than 10 per cent for Andhra Pradesh. Rs 374Highest wage rate per day for unskilled work in Haryana 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

29 March,2024 06:30 AM IST | New Delhi | Agencies
Representation Pic

Push for full disengagement

The 29th meeting of the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination on India-China Border Affairs has been held and the two sides had an in-depth exchange of views on how to achieve “complete disengagement” and resolve the remaining issues along the LAC, the MEA said on Thursday. The key meeting was held in Beijing on March 27, it said in a statement. “The two sides had an in-depth exchange of views on how to achieve complete disengagement and resolve the remaining issues along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the Western Sector of India-China border areas,” the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said. Joint Secretary (East Asia) from the MEA led the Indian delegation. The Chinese delegation was led by Director General of the Boundary and Oceanic Department of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the statement 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

29 March,2024 06:28 AM IST | New Delhi | Agencies
Representation Pic

Indian economy can grow at 8 per cent till 2047, says IMF Executive Director

Indian economy can grow at 8 per cent till 2047, if the country can redouble the good policies that it has implemented over the last 10 years and accelerate reforms, India’s executive director at IMF Krishnamurthy Venkata Subramanian said on Thursday. Subramanian further said that clearly 8 per cent growth target is ambitious, because India has not grown consistently at 8 per cent before, but it is achievable. “So, the basic idea is that with the kind of growth that India has registered in the last 10 years if we can redouble the good policies that we have implemented over the last 10 years and accelerate the reforms, then India can grow at 8 per cent from here on till 2047,” he said at a summit. 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

29 March,2024 06:24 AM IST | New Delhi | Agencies
Matthew Miller. Pic/X

After summons, US reiterates comments on Kejriwal arrest

After India summoned a senior US diplomat to lodge a protest over remarks on the arrest of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Washington on Wednesday stressed that it encourages fair, transparent, timely legal processes and “we don’t think anyone should object to that”. “We continue to follow these actions closely, including the arrest of Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal,” US State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller said. Miller was responding to a question during the State Department briefing. 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

29 March,2024 06:22 AM IST | New York | Agencies
Mukhtar Ansari. File Pic

Uttar Pradesh: Jailed gangster turned politician Mukhtar Ansari passes away

Jailed gangster-turned-politician Mukhtar Ansari died at the Banda Medical College in Uttar Pradesh on Thursday following a cardiac arrest, its principal said. Earlier in the day, Ansari was taken to the hospital after his health deteriorated, his lawyer said. Banda Medical College principal Suneel Kaushal confirmed to PTI that Ansari died of a cardiac arrest at the facility. He was hospitalised for around 14 hours on Tuesday after he complained of abdominal pain. Mukhtar Ansari, 60, is a five-time former MLA from Mau Sadar seat and has been behind bars in UP and Punjab since 2005. He has over 60 criminal cases pending against him. He was sentenced in eight cases since September 2022 by different courts of UP and was lodged in the Banda jail. His name was on the list of 66 gangsters issued by Uttar Pradesh Police last year. Earlier, his brother and Ghazipur MP Afzal Ansari, who reached the hospital, alleged that he was given poison in jail. 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

28 March,2024 10:30 PM IST | Banda | PTI
Representational Pic/File

Rameshwaram Cafe blast case: NIA arrests key conspirator

In a major breakthrough, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) has arrested a key conspirator in Bengaluru's Rameshwaram Cafe blast case, according to an official statement issued on Thursday. Muzammil Shareef was picked up on Wednesday and placed in custody as a co-conspirator after NIA teams cracked down at 18 locations, including 12 in Karnataka, five in Tamil Nadu and one in Uttar Pradesh, it said. The NIA, which took over the case on March 3, had earlier identified the main accused, Mussavir Shazeeb Hussain, who had carried out the blast. It had also identified another conspirator, Abdul Matheen Taha, who is also wanted by the agency in other cases, the statement said. "Both the men are on the run," it added. NIA investigations have revealed that Muzammil Shareef had extended logistic support to the other two identified accused in the case, involving an IED explosion at the cafe located at ITPL Road, Brookefield, Bengaluru, on March 1. Several customers and hotel staff members were injured, some of them grievously, in the blast, which caused extensive damage to the property. "Raids were conducted today at the houses of all these three accused as well as the residential premises and shops of other suspects, the statement said.Various digital devices were seized during the searches, along with cash, it added. Efforts are on to nab the absconding accused and unearth the larger conspiracy behind the blast, the NIA 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

28 March,2024 09:37 PM IST | New Delhi | PTI
Arvind Kejriwal was on Thursday produced before a Delhi court. Pic/PTI

ED created smoke screen of AAP being corrupt, alleges Arvind Kejriwal in court

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, whose ED custody was extended till April 1, on Thursday himself made submissions in a court here during the hearing in the alleged excise policy case, and alleged that the federal agency's objective is to crush AAP. Kejriwal also alleged that a smoke screen of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) being corrupt has been created before the nation by the Enforcement Directorate (ED). The ED produced him in the court of Special Judge Kaveri Baweja and sought a seven-day further custody, arguing that he needed to be confronted with some people linked with the case. The court extended his custodial interrogation till April 1. Shortly after the proceedings started, the AAP national convener made the submissions in Hindi after obtaining permission from the court even though his lawyers were present there. "So far, the CBI has filed 31,000 pages in this case in the court and 294 witnesses have been examined in this case. The ED has investigated 162 people and filed a 25,000-page report so far. By combining all these documents and reports, why have I been arrested? My name figures only in four statements," he said in a jam-packed courtroom. Elaborating on the four statements mentioning his name, Kejriwal said C Arvind, former deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia's secretary, gave a statement. According to it, Sisodia handed over some excise policy-related documents to C Arvind in his (Kejriwal's) presence, in the chief minister's official residence. "He has only stated that Manish Sisodia gave some documents to C Arvind. Madam, several MLAs, ministers and dignitaries come with their secretaries to my house. "They do side-talks and hand over documents to each other. How do I know who is giving what to whom? Is this statement a sufficient reason to arrest the sitting chief minister?" Kejriwal said. Giving details of the second statement in which his name appears, Kejriwal said Magunta Srinivas Reddy is an MP from (Andhra Pradesh chief minister) Jagan Mohan Reddy's party (YSRCP). "Magunta Srinivas Reddy came to my office at 4.30 pm on March 16, 2021. He had sent an e-mail to my office that he is an MP and wanted to meet me. "My office gave him an appointment to meet me after 10 days. He came over and said I want to open my family's charitable trust in Delhi. I told him that land does not come under us, it comes under the Lieutenant Governor (LG)," Kejriwal said. The Delhi chief minister asked Magunta Srinivas Reddy to give him the letter which he will forward to the lieutenant governor. He said on September 16, 2022, Reddy's house was raided and the ED asked him whether he had met Kejriwal. When Reddy replied in the affirmative, saying his meeting was about seeking land for his family's trust, the ED was "not happy" and later the agency arrested his son in February 2023. "When the son remains arrested for five months, the father changes his statement. He changed his statement on July 16, 2023, and his son was released on July 18. Mission accomplished. That means the only mission of the ED was to get me trapped," Kejriwal said. The Delhi chief minister further said Magunta Srinivas Reddy gave three statements to the agency but only one was considered. "Why the only statement that is against Kejriwal has been included in the 25,000 pages of ED report and the other two statements were not considered?All the three statements should have been brought to the notice of the court, so that it could decide the truth in the case," he said. About the statement of the third person, Raghav Magunta, the Delhi chief minister said out his total seven statements, six were not against him (Kejriwal). But as soon as he gave the seventh statement against him, Magunta was released from the jail. "The six statements which are not against me have not been brought on record," the chief minister said. He said Sarath Chandra Reddy, who was the fourth person to make a statement mentioning his name, stated nothing against the chief minister in his two statements before his arrest and nine statements after being arrested. "After he was kept in jail for six months, he (Sarath Chandra Reddy) finally succumbed and gave another statement on April 25, 2023.The only thing he said against me was that he had gone to meet the CM along with Vijay Nair," he said. Kejriwal asked the judge whether these four statements are enough to arrest a sitting chief minister. He claimed that there is no evidence to the ED's claims that AAP has taken Rs 100 crore. The actual liquor excise policy scam started after the beginning of the ED investigation, he said. "The ED investigation had two main motives -- first was to crush the Aam Aadmi Party and to declare it corrupt," he said. He said the second motive was to form a smoke screen in front of the nation where they could declare the AAP as corrupt. Without mentioning the BJP or the Centre, he alleged that they wanted to make the AAP an accused in excise policy scam and easily operate their electoral bond scam behind all of this. "They were extorting huge funds in the name of electoral bonds," he added. ASG S V Raju countered Kejriwal and his counsel, saying, "Persons who have later named him have disclosed reasons to do so. It is in the papers. All these submissions have been made before the Delhi high court." The ASG further said the claim about papers factoring him being with the agency was "a figment of his imagination". "He is the person in-charge of affairs of the AAP which has received the bribe amounts used in the Goa elections. We have witnesses to say the money came through hawala from the South Group. There is a chain. He has selectively not talked about that chain," the ASG said. The ED officials reacting to Kejriwal's statement said they were investigating the case under the lawful procedures of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) and the agency has been duly filing charge sheets before the courts. 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

28 March,2024 09:12 PM IST | New Delhi | PTI
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