LIVE! It’s a crime to take law in one’s own hands: Mohan Bhagwat on cow vigilantism

18:25  It’s a crime to take law in one’s own hands: Mohan Bhagwat on cow vigilantism:  

RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat said the Hinduvta outfit was not against inter-caste marriage and it was an issue of compatibility between a man and woman.

  

Answering wide-ranging questions on issues like inter-caste marriages, education as well as the caste system, Bhagwat also said if there is a census on inter-caste marriages, the maximum cases will be those from the Sangh.

On the last day of the three-day mega outreach conclave by the Hindutva outfit, the RSS chief also said India needs a new education policy.

Here are highlights from his address:

>> Inter-caste marriage most common among RSS volunteers

>> Degrees being given out by institutions but research work decreasing

>> You should not be opposed to any language, including English

>> We have no enmity with English, we need proficient speakers in the language

>> We have to create an environment where women feel safe and secure

18:03  K’taka minister on ED notice: BJP trying to damage Congress:  Karnataka Water Resources Minister DK Shivakumar holds a press conference on the Enforcement Directorate’s case against him. 

“I was admitted to hospital due to food poisoning. I am not a coward to run away. Does the ED need a year to file a case? I haven’t got any notices. I am a law abiding citizen and always cooperated with authorities. I am ready to face any kind of consequences,” he said.

“I know how you (BJP) is trying to destabilize the govt as the Lok Sabha elections are coming up. You want to damage my party. You can’t form a govt here. You are having a day dream. I know how many MLAs you are trying to block and how many crores you offered.”

The Enforcement Directorate on Tuesday filed a case against him, his business associates and two Karnataka government employees in a money laundering case. The case is related to unaccounted cash unearthed by the Income Tax Department during raids in properties owned by Shivakumar and his associates in August 2017.

17:29  PM’s Swachh Bharat is hollow slogan: Rahul on death of sewer worker:  Rahul Gandhi @RahulGandhi stirs the pot. “Anil’s tragic death in the sewers of Delhi & photographs of his grieving son have made headlines worldwide. Our PM’s “Swacch Bharat’ is a hollow slogan, when he’s blind to the plight of thousands of manual scavengers forced to excavate toilets & sewer lines in inhuman conditions.”

Gandhi was referring to the death of sanitation worker Anil, who died when he slipped while climbing into the sewer and the rope around his waist broke. He fell in the 20-feet deep sewer and died.

During investigation, it was learnt that Anil was not given any protective gear and even the rope was not strong enough to bear his weight. Anil was rushed to a nearby hospital where he was declared brought dead.

Representational image.

17:09  No formal communication with India on Kartarpur Sahib corridor: Pakistan :   Pakistan on Wednesday said there was no formal communication with India on the Kartarpur Sahib corridor. “No formal communication with India on Kartarpur corridor. Pakistan remains open and positive,” Pakistan Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement.

The confirmation from Islamabad comes a day after External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj wrote a letter to Union Minister of Food Processing Industries, Harsimrat Kaur Badal, saying that Pakistan has issued no official statement in connection with opening the Kartarpur route for Indian pilgrims.

In the letter, Swaraj had informed that over the last few years, Pakistani authorities have only allowed a limited number of Indian pilgrims to the gurdwara and other shrines in Pakistan. She also assured that the “government remains seized of the matter and will continue to take up the matter with Pakistan.”

The entire controversy started after Congress leader and Punjab Minister Navjot Singh Sidhu claimed that Pakistan will open the corridor to Kartarpur Sahib on the occasion of the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak next year.

The Kartarpur route along the India-Pakistan border is 3 kilometres away from Gurdaspur, Punjab. If opened, it will allow Sikh pilgrims a direct access to the historic Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Kartarpur, Pakistan, where Guru Nanak died in 1539. — ANI

Image: Punjab Minister Navjot Singh Sidhu had claimed after his return from Pakistan that the
corridor to Kartarpur Sahib will be opened on the occasion of the 550th birth
anniversary of Guru Nanak next year.

17:05  SBI to raise $500 m in maiden green bond sale:  The country’s largest lender State Bank is in the international bond market to raise nearly USD 500 million in green bonds, making it the maiden issuance for the lender. The tenor of the bonds is expected to be five years and the notes are to be issued by the bank’s London branch. With this issue SBI will become compliant with the global standards as prescribed by the Climate Bonds Initiative, a global not-for-profit investor-focused organisation. — PTI

17:04  Triple talaq ordinance historic: Amit Shah:  

Terming as historic the ordinance making the practice of triple talaq a punishable offence, BJP president Amit Shah said it is also a matter of introspection and guilt for those political parties which forced Muslim women to suffer from it due to their vote bank politics.

 

Hailing Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the Cabinet’s nod to the ordinance, Shah said in tweets that the decision will allow Muslim women to live with dignity in society.

Targeting opposition parties such as the Congress, he said, “This ordinance is also a matter of guilt and introspection for them as they forced Muslims women to suffer from this bad practice for decades due to their vote bank politics.”

 The Union Cabinet approved Wednesday an ordinance to ban the practice of instant triple talaq, with Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad saying there was a “compelling necessity” to bring the measure as instances of ‘talaq-e-biddat’ continued unabated despite the Supreme Court striking it down.

Under the proposed ordinance, giving instant triple talaq will be illegal and void and will attract a jail term of three years for the husband. 

— PTI

16:35  Salman Khan changes ‘Loveratri’ to ‘Loveyatri’:  Salman Khan has tweaked the title of his upcoming home production Loveratri to avoid controversy. The film is now called Loveyatri. 

 “This is not a spelling mistake… #loveyatri #lovetakesover… @SKFilmsOfficial @aaysharma @Warina_Hussain @abhiraj21288 @TSeries” he wrote. 

The film’s earlier title had upset some groups who had alleged that it distorted the name of a Hindu festival. The film marks the debut of Salman’s brother-in-law Aayush Sharma and Warina Hussain and is set against the backdrop of Navaratri festival.

Earlier this month, Salman had told PTI that the film “does not disrespect or demeans any culture”. 

“Some people, I don’t know who they are, have some problem with title of the film. It is a beautiful title. There is nothing more beautiful than love, so it is called ‘Loveratri’. It is not demeaning any culture… We are making the film with Navaratri in the backdrop.”

The film is set to be released on October 5.

16:15  Modi govt treating triple talaq issue like a ‘political football’: Cong:  

The Congress today accused the Modi government of treating the issue of instant triple talaq “more as a political football than a matter of justice to Muslim women”.

   

Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said the government has not acceded to the Congress request for making a provision for attaching the property of those not providing compensation to the affected women and children after giving them divorce.

 

He said instant triple talaq was “an illegal, unconstitutional and inhuman practice” that was quashed by the Supreme Court. After the Supreme Court quashed the practice, it has become a law.

 

“For us, triple talaq has always been a human issue related to women rights and extending justice to them,” he said, adding that this is the reason why Congress leaders and lawyers such as Salman Khurshid and Manish Tiwari represented the affected women before the Supreme Court in the case.

 

“However, the Modi government is treating the issue more as a political football than a matter of justice to Muslim women,” he alleged.

 

“When triple talaq has been quashed, the next issue now is of providing justice to Muslim women. They should have the right to allowance from the property of their husband to look after themselves and their children. The property of those men who are unable to provide this compensation, should be attached. But the Modi government is avoiding this. 

 

“They do not want justice be given to Muslim women, Modiji does not want that Muslim women get allowance and our amendment that property should be attached was not accepted by the government,” he told reporters.

 

Surjewala said the Congress had objected that if a man is jailed, how will women get allowance and how can care be ensured to their children.

16:05  Nawaz Sharif to be freed :  
A court in Islamabad has ordered the release of the country’s former prime minister Nawaz Sharif and his daughter Maryam Nawaz and son-in-law Capt (retd) Safdar. 

The Sharifs are on parole after former first lady Begum Kulsoom Nawaz’s death last week. Soon after their release from Adiala Jail on parole, they departed for Lahore aboard a special plane from Islamabad Airport late on Tuesday.

An anti-corruption court in Islamabad on July 6 sentenced Nawaz Sharif to 10 years in prison. His daughter was sentenced to seven years in jail and and son-in-law awarded one-year jail term.

The court also imposed a fine of Pound 8 million on Sharif and Pound 2 million on Maryam.

Sharif was disqualified as Prime Minister in July 2017 by the Supreme Court following a challenge to his office by then Opposition leader Imran Khan on the basis of publication of the Panama Papers, which alleged that the Sharif family stashed away assets in London through offshore companies Nescoll and Nelson. The companies are owned by Sharif’s son Hussain Nawaz. Assets in question are four expensive flats in London worth over Pound 200 million.

Image: File pic of Pakistan’s former prime minister Nawaz Sharif and his daughter Maryam Nawaz.

15:48  RSS continues to be a violent, obscurantist organisation: CPI(M):  The Communist Party of India (Marxist) on Wednesday alleged that the RSS continues to be a violent and obscurantist organisation opposed to the tenets of the Constitution.

Reacting to RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat’s comment saying “Hindu Rashtra doesn’t mean there’s no place for Muslims, Hindutva is Indianess and inclusiveness”, the party said the “RSS is dedicated to establishing a Manuwadi Hindu Rastra”.

“RSS continues to be a violent, obscurantist, regressive organization opposed to the tenets of our constitution & dedicated to establishing a Manuwadi Hindu Rastra. They are besotted to Violence from Gandhi’s assassination to current epidemic of Lynchings in the name of GauRaksha!”, the CPI(M) tweeted.

Bhagwat, on the second day of the “Bhavishya Ka Bharat-an RSS Perspective” event at the Vigyan Bhavan, had said “Hindutva” was an inclusive concept and did not exclude Muslims, and maintained that his organisation embraced the Constitution, and respected the “socialist, secular” parts of its Preamble. The Communist party said the media was hailing Bhagwat’s statement as “softening”, and asserted that “it is no such thing”. — PTI

15:30  40 lakh left out of Assam NRC can begin filing claims: SC :  The Supreme Court on Wednesday ordered the resumption of filing of claims and objections by around 40 lakh people who were left out in the draft National Register of Citizens (NRC) of Assam.

A bench comprising Justices Ranjan Gogoi and RF Nariman said that the process of receiving claims and objections by the people who have been left out will commence on September 25 and remain open for the next 60 days.

“We are of the view that all that which we are required to do at this stage is to open the filing of claims and objections with regard to inclusion in the draft NRC published in July this year,” the bench said.

It also made clear that the second opportunity has been granted to the citizens keeping in mind the “magnitude” of the issue.

The bench, which has now posted the matter for hearing on October 23, has sought the view of Prateek Hajela, coordinator of Assam NRC, on stance of the central government with regard to applicability and non-applicability of certain documents for inclusion of names in the NRC.

The first draft of the NRC for Assam was published on the intervening night of December 31 and January 1 in accordance with the top court’s direction.

Names of 1.9 crore people out of the 3.29 crore applicants were incorporated then. Assam, which had faced influx of people from Bangladesh since the early 20th century, is the only state having an NRC which was first prepared in 1951. — PTI

14:57  Pak troops slit throat of BSF jawan, high alert along border:  Pakistani troops slit the throat of a BSF jawan along the international border near Jammu, an incident that may further escalate the tension between the two countries.

The brutal and “unprecedented” incident that took place in the Ramgarh sector on Tuesday has prompted the security forces to issue a “high alert” across the entire IB and the Line of Control even as the Border Security Force has lodged a strong complaint with its counterparts — the Pakistan Rangers.

Official sources said the body of Head Constable Narender Kumar also bore three bullet wounds and it could only be retrieved from a spot ahead of the Indo-Pak fence after over six hours as the Pakistani side “did not respond” to the calls to maintain the sanctity of the frontier and ensure that the BSF search parties were not fired upon.

The Pakistan Rangers, the sources said, was asked to take part in a joint patrolling to trace the missing jawan, but they only came up to a point and cited waterlogging issues in the area that prevented them from undertaking a coordinated action.

The BSF then waited for the sun to set and launched a “risky operation” to bring the jawan’s body back to the post. Officials in the security establishment said the incident of brutality with the jawan, probably a first at the IB, was taken “very seriously” by the government and the Ministry of External Affairs and the Director General of Military Operations (DGMO) were also expected to take up the issue with their Pakistani counterparts. They said since the BSF patrol party that went ahead of the fence to cut the tall “sarkanda” grass to clear the field was first fired upon at 10.40 am on Tuesday, hectic phone calls and communication exchanges went on throughout the day from the Indian side to across the border in order to locate the body of the jawan, who was first declared missing.
— PTI

14:48  Dehradun: Nine held for gang rape of minor :  Nine people, including five staffers and four students of a Dehradun school, were arrested for the alleged gang-rape of a class 10 student. An attempt to make the girl undergo abortion was also made by them. The five staff members and an adult student have been sent to 14 days judicial custody, while three minors have been sent to a juvenile correctional home. The girl was gang-raped last month inside the school store. The matter came to light when the victim narrated her ordeal to her elder sister. The court has also held the school responsible for attempting to suppress the case. — ANI

14:28  It was just a hug, not a Rafale deal: Sidhu:  Asserting that his hug to Pakistan’s army chief has been blown out of proportion, Punjab minister Navjot Singh Sidhu targeted the BJP on Wednesday saying it was just a “jhappi” (hug) and “not a Rafale deal”.

The cricketer-turned-politician’s Congress party has been attacking the BJP-led government at the Centre over the Rafale fighter jet deal and alleged a scam worth several crore rupees in the matter.

After Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said the gesture was demoralising for soldiers in India, Sidhu told a group of journalists, “You start raking up this issue again. Sidhu has become such an important person that the defence minister makes a statement…It was just a ‘jhappi’ (hug)…It is not a conspiracy, ‘jhappi’ is not Rafale deal, ‘jhappi’ is not firing bullets at Gursikhs.”

“You are not talking about sentiments of Sikhs and you have blown the one-second emotional hug out of proportion. Is it a conspiracy?” he asked.

On Tuesday, Sitharaman said that Sidhu’s gesture of hugging Pakistan’s army chief impacted soldiers back home and asserted that the Punjab minister could have “avoided it”. Sidhu courted controversy by hugging Pakistan Army chief Qamar Javed Bajwa during his visit to Pakistan for the swearing-in of Imran Khan as Prime Minister last month. Khan is a former Pakistani cricketer. — PTI

14:00  Anthony did nothing to modernise armed forces: Prasad :  RS Prasad on the Congress demand for a CAG report on the Rafale deal.

“I don’t think JPC or a CAG inquiry is set up to satisfy the ego of an ill-informed leader. What struck me more is that Mr Antony, who was Defence Minister for eight years during which nothing was done for modernisation and empowerment of Indian forces. He was the minister when the offset rule was framed and he left the HAL in a lurch. He has a lot to answer for. IAF badly needs planes, old planes are causing repeated accidents. Should the Congress at least rise to the occasion for the sake of the country’s safety and security?” RS Prasad said.

AK Antony, the former defence minister, asked the government yesterday to publish the cost of the UPAs deal for 126 aircraft and the 36-aircraft deal entered into by the Narendra Modi government, as well as the price per aircraft, and to let the nation decide “who is correct”. He also reiterated the demand for a JPC probe.

13:44  No inquiry on Rafale to satisfy Cong ego: Prasad :  Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad trust and parry on the the Congress party’s demand for a CAG report on the Rafale deal. “An inquiry cannot be set up to satisfy the ego of a senior leader of the Congress party in the Rafale deal,” Prasad said. 

To bring you up to speed, a delegation of senior Congress leaders Wednesday met the Comptroller and Auditor General of India on the Rafale fighter jet deal and asked the auditor to prepare a report on alleged irregularities in it.     

The Congress delegation handed a memorandum to the CAG and said it expects the truth to prevail after the report on the Rafale deal is made public.

“We have given a detailed memorandum along with enclosures on the irregularities and acts of omission and commission by the Government in the fighter jet deal. We expect the CAG will prepare a report soon and present it before Parliament,” senior Congress leader Anand Sharma told reporters after meeting the CAG. Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala added that all evidence and facts relating to the Rafale deal have been submitted to the CAG.

13:31  Cong headed by ‘distinguished woman’ did not ban triple talaq: BJP :  
Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad on the instant triple talaq ordinance that the Union Cabinet has just given a nod to. Hitting out at the Congress party he alluded to Sonia Gandhi, saying that the ‘distinguished woman leader, who is the ultimate leader of the Congress party’ did nothing to end the barbaric and inhuman triple talaq practice by a Parliamentary law purely for vote bank politics.

He said the core component of this ordinance is that an offence will be cognizable only when the FIR is filed by the victim wife or her close relations by blood or marriage.

“Secondly, it’s compoundable, it can be compromised only at the insistence of the wife upon appropriate terms and conditions as determined by the magistrate.

“Thirdly, bail can be granted by the magistrate upon reasonable grounds but only after hearing the victim’s wife also. As for other provisions are concerned, the mother/victim wife must get the custody of the minor child and the mother is entitled to a maintenance suitably determined by the magistrate for herself and the child.”

He said triple talaq was not a religious issue, but a fight for gender justice. “I appeal to Sonia Gandhi, Mayawati and Mamata Banerjee to help in passage of triple talaq bill in the name of gender justice,” Prasad said.

The Union cabinet cleared an ordinance to make the practice of instant triple talaq a penal offence. The ‘Muslim Women Protection of Rights on Marriage Bill’ was cleared by the Lok Sabha and is pending in the Rajya Sabha where the government lacks numbers.

The Supreme Court last year banned the practice. But since the practice was still prevalent, a bill was brought to make it a penal offence. 

Prasad said there was urgency and compelling necessity for an ordinance on triple talaq as the practice was continuing unabated.

12:53  Govt takes ordinance route to ban instant talaq :  
The Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved an ordinance making triple talaq a punishable offence after the government failed to pass it through both houses of Parliament. The ordinance would have similar provisions as The Muslim Women Protection of Rights in Marriage Act, which was cleared by the Lok Sabha last year. There are two amendments in the  ordinance — it provides for conditional bail for the accused, and the FIR can be filed by the victim or a family member of the victim.  The ordinance will now be sent to President Ram Nath Kovind for approval, following which it becomes law in the country.  The ordinance is valid till the six weeks of the next session of parliament, which in this case, will be the winter session. If the parliament does not pass it again, the government can take the ordinance way.

The Triple Talaq Bill covers instant triple talaq delivered in any form whether delivered orally, including telephone or a mobile call, or in writing or through electronic medium like Watsapp or SMS illegal.

The Supreme Court had in a verdict in August last year declared instant triple talaq illegal and unconstitutional.

The bill had faced a stiff resistance in the Rajya Sabha where several Opposition lawmakers argued that it must be sent to a Select Committee for close scrutiny.

In view of the growing Opposition to the proposed legislation, the Centre had even sought the opinion of all state governments on the subject, and, most of them had supported it.

12:34  Afghan prez arrives in New Delhi :  Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani on Wednesday arrived in New Delhi to hold bilateral discussions with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on a number of key issues of mutual interests.Regional security, trade and India’s development work in Afghanistan are among the issues that will be discussed during President Ghani’s one day visit. The two leaders are also expected to review the progress made on the infrastructure work being done in Afghanistan by India. An independent research centre, India Foundation, is scheduled to hold a civic reception in President Ghani’s honour. — ANI

12:32  Tarun Tejpal plea in SC to be heard on Oct 30:  Supreme Court defers the hearing to October 30 on the petition filed by former editor-in-chief of Tehelka, Tarun Tejpal, against his trial in connection with the sexual assault case against him.

11:51  Can break your leg, says Babul Supriyo at event for differently abled :  Union Minister Babul Supriyo threatened to break a man’s leg and put him on crutches — shockingly, at an event for the differently abled in Bengal’s Asansol on Tuesday.

Supriyo was speaking at the function organised to donate wheelchairs and other equipment for the differently abled, when he suddenly flared up and paused his speech. “Why are you moving? Please sit down,” he said, apparently to a man who had distracted him with his constant fidgeting.

The union minister snapped at the man, saying, “What happened to you? Any problem? I can break one of your legs and can give you a crutch.”

Supriyo proceeded to “order” his security men to break the man’s leg and hand him a crutch if he dared to move again. And then asked the audience to give the man a round of applause.

This is not the first time that the singer-turned-politician has displayed a short fuse in public.

In March, Supriyo was on a visit to Asansol, which was one of the areas affected by communal violence following Ram Navami celebrations in the state, when he reportedly lashed out at the agitating crowd, saying he would skin them alive. — ANI

11:19  Bishop arrives at CID office :  Kerala nun rape case: Accused Jalandhar Bishop Franco Mulakkal arrives at CID office in Kochi where he will be interrogated by a 5-member team led by Vaikom Dy SP K Subhash.

11:07  Are BJP and RSS no longer on the same page?:  “It is obvious that the RSS’s desire to gatecrash into the gated establishment which has generally been seen as the redoubt of the liberal intelligentsia is putting it at odds with the BJP which is less tolerant of the mentor’s freshly-minted open-mindedness,” argues Amulya Ganguli. Read the column here.

10:54  Battle for Goa begins: Amit Shah summons MLAs to Delhi :  BJP chief Amit Shah has called for a meeting of Goa leaders at 11 am in Delhi. The meeting has been called to discuss portfolios and alliances.

Meanwhile, the Congress, which is the single-largest party with 16 MLAs, has already staked claim to form the government in the coastal state. The opposition party’s claim comes at a time when Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar (62) is admitted to AIIMS in Delhi for a pancreatic ailment.

The opposition Congress in Goa on Wednesday claimed that it had the
support of over 21 legislators in the 40-member Assembly, giving it
enough strength to form the government in the state.

Leader of Opposition in the state Assembly Chandrakant Kavlekar told PTI that the Congress had enough support to form the government in Goa. “We have the required numbers. I am not going to tell you whom we are in discussions with, but we need the support of 21 MLAs and we have more than that,” he said.

The Congress legislators, led by Kavlekar, had met Governor Mridula Sinha on Tuesday and demanded a floor test by the BJP-led government to prove its majority in the Assembly.

Kavlekar said his party was waiting for a response from the governor, who had assured them that she would get back on the issue in three-four days.

The state is being ruled by the BJP with the support of the Goa Forward Party, the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party, the Nationalist Congress Party and Independent MLAs.

The BJP has 14 seats in the Assembly, the GFP and the MGP have three each and the NCP has one. There are also three Independent legislators. Kavlekar claimed the political situation in the state was in the favour of the Congress as there was a lot of “discontent” among the ruling coalition partners.  — PTI

10:26  Being Hindu doesn’t mean we don’t want Muslims: RSS chief :  
RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat on Tuesday claimed that the organisation does not have any role to play in the formulation of government policies.

Addressing the second day of the three-day lecture series at New Delhi’s Vigyan Bhavan, Bhagwat allayed the apprehensions about the organisation’s ideology.

“The RSS accepts the Constitution. There is not even one example in which the RSS has done anything against the Constitution. We do not believe that we are the only organisation which will be responsible for the nation’s development. We are not arrogant that way,” Bhagwat added.

The RSS chief also said that the organisation believes in cultural diversity and the entire society in the country belongs to Hindus.

“Some people know they are Hindus but they are not willing to accept it because of political correctness. According to us, this entire society is a Hindu society. We have no enemies, neither in the country nor outside it. We do not want to finish our enemies. The RSS respects diversity,” he noted.

However, Bhagwat clarified that carrying forward a Hindu society does not imply ignorance of Muslims. “Being a Hindu society does not mean we do not want Muslims. The day this comes up, Hindutva will no longer remain the same,” he clarified. — ANI

10:13  No proposal before me: Sitharaman on making Army lean :  Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Tuesday said she has not received any proposal to downsize the Indian Army.

Sitharaman said a committee under the chairmanship of Lt Gen (Retd) DB Shekatkar recommended measures to enhance tooth-to-tail ratio. A high-level meeting between Army Chief General Bipin Rawat and the seven Army Commanders was held last week where the Army Chief was briefed on the progress of the four studies being conducted under the Military Secretary.

The studies include restructuring of Indian Army to make the force lean, agile and suitable for modern warfare.

“There is no such proposal in front of me to cut down or downsize Army. The tooth-to-tail ratio was discussed in the Shekatkar Committee report. The Army chief would be discussing the studies on how to make Army lean and a powerful machine,” Sitharaman said.

The study to restructure Indian Army started in June 2018. There are four study groups with each comprising of 25 officers and headed by a senior Lieutenant General and overall head is the Military Secretary, also a Lt General Rank officer. This is the biggest ever study of the Indian Army which is working to overhaul every department and organ of the Army in order to make it a formidable force less it’s flab. — ANI

10:05  Polling for zilla parishads, panchayat samitis underway in Punjab:  Polling to the zilla parishads and panchayat samitis began in Punjab on Wednesday morning amid tight security arrangements.

The voting commenced at 8 am and will continue till 4 pm, officials said. A total of 354 zilla parishad members and 2,900 panchayat samiti members were going to be elected in these polls, they added. There are 22 zilla parishads and 150 panchayat samitis in the state.

09:57  Kerala nun rape: Bishop to appear before police today :  

Jalandhar Bishop Franco Mulakkal, accused of raping a nun, is expected to appear before the special investigation team of the Kerala Police today. 

The accused bishop, who last week step aside from his post in the wake of rape allegations against him, will appear before Vaikom Deputy Superintendent of Police K Subhash for questioning in connection with the case.

The summons came as the protests by various Catholic Reform organisations and some nuns in Kochi seeking justice for the victim entered the fifth day Wednesday and a plea made before the Kerala high court seeking a CBI probe.

Yesterday, the 54-year-old clergyman filed an anticipatory bail application in the Kerala high court, claiming that the allegations against him were a “cooked up” story to “wreak vengeance”.

The nun had accused the senior catholic priest of sexually assaulting her repeatedly between 2014 and 2016.

The bishop had, however, dismissed the allegations as “baseless and concocted,” insisting she levelled those as the Catholic order had rejected her demand for favours.

Mulakkal had on Saturday handed over the administrative charge of the Jalandhar Diocese to a senior priest.  

09:07  JNUSU prez hits out at Sitharaman over her statement on university:  

Jawaharlal Nehru University students’ union president N Sai Balaji hit out at Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman for her statement alleging there are forces in the varsity which are “waging a war” against India and said she herself has not answered questions on Rafale deal.

 

Sitharaman’s comments came days after candidates backed by Left groups won all four key posts in the JNU students union elections and clashes took place between members of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh-backed Akhil Bhartiya Vidyarthi Parishad and the Left-affiliated All India Students Association.

When asked about developments in the JNU, she had said, “There are forces which are waging a war against India and it is they who are also seen with elected representatives of students union. That makes me feel uneasy.”

“The kind of things which have happened in the last few years (in JNU) are not really encouraging at all. It is very different to have a party whose ideology you may not agree with. But the way in which they were probably got led by forces which are anti-India,” she said.

“They are waging a war against India, say pamphlets. Their brouchers say that. Such people leading the JNUSU or JNUSU members openly participating with such forces, you do not need to hesitate to say anti-India, therefore,” Sitharaman said.

The JNUSU president attacked the government, saying “The government wants the country to talk about the national versus anti-national debate. They want to divert attention from the real issues – the Rafale deal, the Jio university, unemployment.”

Sitharaman, who herself, is a product of the JNU, has not answered questions “why Ambani was helped in the Rafale deal”.

“They want to end public-funded education and encourage corporatisation while the common man talks about nationalism and anti-national elements,” he added.

On February 9, 2016, an event against Afzal Guru’s hanging was held on the JNU campus during which “slogans against the country” were allegedly raised, propelling the varsity to the centre of a countrywide debate on nationalism.

A JNU panel had in 2016 recommended rustication of Umar Khalid and two other students and imposed a fine of Rs 10,000 on Kanhaiya Kumar, the then students’ union president, in connection with the campus event.

Kumar, Khalid and Anirban Bhattacharya were arrested in February 2016 on charges of sedition in connection with the controversial event and are out on bail. 

Their arrest had triggered widespread protests. — PTI  

08:34  Trump defends SC nominee, says no need for FBI probe:  

United States President Donald Trump on Tuesday strongly defended his Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh and said that there is no need for the Federal Bureua of Investigation to investigate the allegations of sexual assault against him.

Kavanaugh’s nomination plunged into chaos after Christine Blasey Ford told ‘The Washington Post’ that she was subjected to a sexual assault by the Supreme Court nominee in high school in the early 1980s.

The Supreme Court nominee has rejected as “completely false” the sexual assault allegation, saying he was ready to testify before a Senate committee to “defend my integrity”.

Trump, during a joint media appearance with the visiting Polish President Andrzej Duda told reporters: “I don’t think the FBI really should be involved, because they don’t want to be involved. If they wanted to be I would certainly do that, but as you know they say this is not really their thing. But I think politically speaking, the senators will do a very good job. They really will”.

Responding to questions, Trump said he is looking to get the nomination of Kavanaugh done as quickly as possible.

“He is a truly outstanding person. He’s got an unblemished record. This is a terrible thing that took place, and it’s frankly a terrible thing that this information wasn’t given to us a long time ago, months ago, when they got it.

“They could’ve done that, instead of waiting until everything was finished, and then all of a sudden spring it. But that’s what the Democrats do. It’s obstruction. It’s resist. It’s whatever you have to do,” Trump alleged.

Kavanaugh, 53, has denied the allegation. The White House has said that it stands by Kavanaugh. — PTI

08:28  Congress to meet CAG today over Rafale row:  

Seeking to step up its attack on the Narendra Modi government over the Rafale deal, the Congress will raise the issue with the Comptroller and Auditor General today and demand a thorough probe into the matter, party sources said.

   

They said top Congress leaders will meet the Comptroller and Auditor General Wednesday morning on the issue. 

 

The Congress has alleged corruption in the deal to buy 36 Rafale fighter jets from France’s Dassault Aviation.

 

It has alleged that the Modi government has caused a loss of over Rs 41,000 crore to the exchequer by paying a higher price for the aircraft than what was negotiated by the UPA.

 

Earlier in the day, Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said the CAG and CVC are bounden by their constitutional duty to look at the entire deal and all its papers – whether or not somebody moves them.

 

“The Congress Party at an appropriate time also intends to move an appropriate petition before CVC and CAG to expeditiously and quickly adhere to their constitutional duties,” he said.

 

The Congress has asked why the government was not setting up a joint parliamentary committee to probe the fighter jet deal.

 

Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, however, rejected the demand saying all the details on it have already been placed before Parliament. — PTI  

00:05  Advani likely to contest Lok Sabha polls from Gandhinagar:  

Senior BJP leader LK Advani will contest from the Gandhinagar seat in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, claimed former Gujarat CM Shankersinh Vaghela post his meeting with the BJP leader. 

“Yes, I met Advaniji. He told me he is going to contest the 2019 general election from the Gandhinagar seat. I have no qualms in meeting Rahul Gandhi or Sharad Pawar or anyone for that matter, said Vaghela. 

However, on his part, Vaghela said he is yet to decide if he will contest the elections in 2019. He quit the Congress in July 2017. 

Vaghela, who is also a former Union minister, said he will spend the next few months attempting to unite all anti-Bharatiya Janata Party forces before the general elections next year.