Day stories : ‘I salute him for…’: Mamata Banerjee's 'top bosses' jibe at BJP after Arun Goel resignation as election commissioner

Showing posts with label ‘I salute him for…’: Mamata Banerjee's 'top bosses' jibe at BJP after Arun Goel resignation as election commissioner. Show all posts

Sunday, April 14, 2024

House Speaker Mike Johnson says he will push for aid to Israel and Ukraine this week

WASHINGTON (AP) — House Speaker Mike Johnson said Sunday he will try to advance wartime aid for Israel this week as he attempts the difficult task of winning House approval for a national security package that also includes funding for Ukraine and allies in Asia.

Johnson, R-La., is already under immense political pressure from his fellow GOP lawmakers as he tries to stretch between the Republican Party’s divided support for helping Kyiv defend itself from Moscow’s invasion. The Republican speaker has sat for two months on a $95 billion supplemental package that would send support to the U.S. allies, as well as provide humanitarian aid for civilians in Ukraine and Gaza and funding to replenish U.S. weapons provided to Taiwan.

The attack by Iran on Israel early Sunday further ratcheted up the pressure on Johnson, but also gave him an opportunity to underscore the urgency of approving the funding.

Johnson told Fox News Channel’s “Sunday Morning Futures” that he and Republicans “understand the necessity of standing with Israel” and he would try this week to advance the aid.

“The details of that package are being put together right now,” he said. “We’re looking at the options and all these supplemental issues.”

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer at a news conference also said that President Joe Biden held a phone call Sunday with the top Republicans and Democrats in the House and Senate, including Johnson. The New York Democrat said there was consensus “among all the leaders that we had to help Israel and help Ukraine, and now hopefully we can work that out and get this done next week.”

“It’s vital for the future of Ukraine, for Israel and the West,” Schumer said.

The White House said Biden “discussed the urgent need for the House of Representatives to pass the national security supplemental as soon as possible.”

Johnson has also “made it clear” to fellow House Republicans that he will this week push to package together the aid for Israel, Ukraine and allies in Asia and pass it through the House, said GOP Rep. Mike Turner of Ohio, chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, on NBC’s “Meet the Press.”

The speaker has expressed support for legislation that would structure some of the funding for Kyiv as loans, pave the way for the U.S. to tap frozen Russian central bank assets and include other policy changes. Johnson has pushed for the Biden administration to lift a pause on approvals for Liquefied Natural Gas exports and at times has also demanded policy changes at the U.S. border with Mexico.

But currently, the only package with wide bipartisan support in Congress is the Senate-passed bill that includes roughly $60 billion for Ukraine and $14 billion for Israel.

White House national security spokesman John Kirby called on the speaker to put that package “on the floor as soon as possible.”

“We didn’t need any reminders in terms of what’s going on in Ukraine,” Kirby said on NBC. “But last night certainly underscores significantly the threat that Israel faces in a very, very tough neighborhood.”

As Johnson searches for a way to advance the funding for Ukraine, he has been in conversations with both the White House and former president Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee.

With his job under threat, Johnson traveled to Florida on Friday for an event with Trump at his Mar-a-Lago club. Trump expressed support for Johnson and said he had a “very good relationship” with him.

“He and I are 100% united on these big agenda items,” Johnson said. “When you talk about aid to Ukraine, he’s introduced the loan-lease concept which is a really important one and I think has a lot of consensus.”

But Trump, with his “America First” agenda, has inspired many Republicans to push for a more isolationist stance. Support for Ukraine has steadily eroded in the roughly two years since the war began, and a cause that once enjoyed wide support has become one of Johnson’s toughest problems.

When he returns to Washington on Monday, Johnson also will be facing a contingent of conservatives already angry with how he has led the House in maintaining much of the status quo both on government spending and more recently, a U.S. government surveillance tool.

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, a right-wing Republican from Georgia, has called for Johnson’s ouster. She departed the Capitol on Friday telling reporters that support for her effort was growing. And as Johnson on Sunday readied to advance the aid, Greene said on X that it was “antisemitic to make Israeli aid contingent” on aid for Ukraine.

While no other Republicans have openly joined Greene in calling to oust Johnson, a growing number of hardline conservatives are openly disparaging Johnson and defying his leadership.

Meanwhile, senior GOP lawmakers who support aid to Ukraine are growing frustrated with the months-long wait to bring it to the House floor. Kyiv’s troops have been running low on ammunition and Russia is becoming emboldened as it looks to gain ground in a spring and summer offensive. A massive missile and drone attack destroyed one of Ukraine’s largest power plants and damaged others last week.

Friday, April 12, 2024

Biden's message to Iran about retaliatory strike on Israel: 'Don't'

At the same time, he said he expects an Iranian attack "sooner than later."

US warns of rising threat against Israel from Iran

The State Department has sent new travel restrictions to Americans in Israel as threats of violence from Iran increase.

President Joe Biden told reporters Friday afternoon he expects an Iranian strike on Israel to occur "sooner than later" amid urgent concerns that Iran was about to retaliate for the bombing of its consulate in Damascus, Syria, earlier this month.

Asked for his message to Iran in the tense moment, Biden was blunt, saying simply, "Don't."

"Would the U.S. respond?" ABC News Chief White House Correspondent Mary Bruce asked repeatedly as the president walked away after the end of an unrelated event. He paused, thought for a moment and then returned to the lectern.

"We are devoted to the defense of Israel. We will support Israel. We will help defend Israel and Iran will not succeed," he said.

Biden's comments come as other high-level U.S. officials worked urgently behind the scenes to pressure Iran to back down from its threat to launch a retaliatory strike -- the latest challenge facing the Biden administration as it tries to avert an all-out regional war in the Middle East.

At the same time, the U.S. was moving troops and other assets to the Middle East as Iran readied a large number of missiles and drones for a potential strike against Israel, according to U.S. officials.

The deployment of American troops was intended to try to deter Iran from launching a large-scale attack and protecting U.S. troops in the region

According to one U.S. defense official, the assets being moved to the region include both "ships and aircraft."

Two U.S. Navy destroyers already deployed in the eastern Mediterranean are equipped with the Aegis combat system, which can protect troops in the region from ballistic defense missiles.

Two U.S. officials said that Iran has readied more than a hundred cruise missiles for a possible strike.

Some 3,400 US troops are in Iraq and Syria with tens of thousands more U.S. personnel in the Middle East region.

Late Friday, as he boarded Air Force One, when asked if he was concerned about Iran killing Americans, Biden told reporters "I’m always afraid of that."

Earlier Friday, White House national security spokesman John Kirby said the administration was monitoring the situation "very, very closely," and that while its top priority was ensuring Israel is able to defend itself from a potential Iranian attack, the U.S was also "doing everything we can to protect our people and our facilities."

"It would be imprudent if we didn't take a look at our own posture in the region, to make sure that we're properly prepared as well," he said.

In a sign of how seriously the U.S. views the risk of escalation, the Pentagon confirmed on Thursday that Gen. Michael "Erik" Kurilla, the commander of U.S. Central Command, had "moved up" a previously scheduled trip to Israel to meet with senior Israeli military leaders "due to recent developments."

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin also spoke by phone with Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on Thursday afternoon "to discuss the current situation in the Middle East and to reaffirm the U.S.'s ironclad commitment to Israel's security against threats from Iran and its proxies," according to Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder, the Pentagon's press secretary

Saturday, March 30, 2024

Crews carefully prepare to remove first piece of twisted steel from collapsed Baltimore bridge

Crews carefully prepare to remove first piece of twisted steel from collapsed Baltimore bridge

Crews carefully prepare to remove first piece of twisted steel from collapsed Baltimore bridge

BALTIMORE (AP) — Teams of engineers are working Saturday on the intricate process of cutting and lifting the first section of twisted steel from the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge in Maryland,

The bridge crumpled into the Patapsco River on Tuesday after a massive cargo ship crashed into one of its main supports.

Crews are carefully measuring and cutting the steel from the broken bridge before attaching straps so it can be lifted onto a barge and floated away, U.S. Coast Guard Rear Adm. Shannon Gilreath said Saturday.

Seven floating cranes — including a massive one capable of lifting 1,000 tons — 10 tugboats, nine barges, eight salvage vessels and five Coast Guard boats are on site in the water southeast of Baltimore.

Each movement affects what happens next and ultimately how long it will take to remove all the debris and reopen the ship channel and the blocked Port of Baltimore, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore said.

"I cannot stress enough how important today and the first movement of this bridge and of the wreckage is. This is going to be a remarkably complicated process," Moore said.

Undeterred by the chilly morning weather, longtime Baltimore resident Randy Lichtenberg and others took cellphones photos or just quietly looked at the broken pieces of the bridge, which including its steel trusses, weigh as much as 4,000 tons.

“I wouldn’t want to be in that water. It’s got to be cold. It’s a tough job," said Lichtenberg from a spot on the river called Sparrows Point.

The shock of waking up Tuesday morning to video of what he called an iconic part of the Baltimore skyline falling into the water has given way to sadness.

“It never hits you that quickly. It’s just unbelievable," Lichtenberg said. WHAT HAPPENS NEXT

One of the first goals for crews on the water is to get a smaller auxiliary ship channel open so tugboats and other small barges can move freely. Crews also want to stabilize the site so divers can continue a search for four missing workers who are presumed dead.

Two workers were rescued from the water in the hours following the bridge collapse early Tuesday, and the bodies of two more were recovered from a pickup truck that fell and was submerged in the river. They had been filling potholes on the bridge and while police were able to stop vehicle traffic after the ship called in a mayday they could not get to the construction crew who were from Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador.

The crew of the cargo ship Dali, which is managed by Synergy Marine Group, remains on board with the debris from the bridge around it. They are safe and are being interviewed. They are keeping the ship running as they will be needed to get it out of the channel once more debris has been removed. The vessel is owned by Grace Ocean Private Ltd. and was chartered by Danish shipping giant Maersk.

The collision and collapse appeared to be an accident that came after the ship lost power. Federal and state investigators are still trying to determine why.

Assuaging concern about possible pollution from the crash, Adam Ortiz, the Environmental Protection Agency’s mid-Atlantic Regional Administrator, said there was no indication in the water of active releases from the ship or materials hazardous to human health. REBUILDING

Officials are also trying to figure out how to handle the economic impact of a closed port and the severing of a major highway link. The bridge was completed in 1977 and carried Interstate 695 around southeast Baltimore.

Maryland transportation officials are planning to rebuild the bridge, promising to consider innovative designs or building materials to hopefully shorten a project that could take years.

President Joe Biden’s administration has approved $60 million in immediate aid and promised the federal government will pay the full cost to rebuild.

Ship traffic at the Port of Baltimore remains suspended, but the Maryland Port Administration said trucks were still being processed at marine terminals.

The loss of a road that carried 30,000 vehicles a day and the port disruption will affect not only thousands of dockworkers and commuters, but also U.S. consumers, who are likely to feel the impact of shipping delays. The port handles more cars and more farm equipment than any other U.S. facility.

___

Collins reported from Columbia, South Carolina. Associated Press writers Sarah Brumfield in Washington, D.C.; Kristin M. Hall in Nashville, Tennessee; Adrian Sainz in Memphis, Tennessee; and Lisa Baumann in Bellingham, Washington; contributed to this report.

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Thursday, March 28, 2024

Baltimore bridge collapse could impact global auto, coal supply chains

This comes close on the heels of major shipping disruption such as the Red Sea crisis and the drought in the Panama Canal that has already hit over one-third of the global goods trade at a time when WTO has predicted weak upward momentum in trade in 2024.

A general view shows the Francis Scott Key Bridge, as seen from the Baltimore side, following the bridge collapse, in Baltimore, Maryland.

The blockade of vessel traffic at the crucial Port of Baltimore in the US after the collapse of the Francis Scott Key bridge on Tuesday could have a ripple effect chiefly on the global automotive vehicle and coal supply chain as operations at the port are expected to remain shut for months. However, experts have ruled out any direct impact on India’s trade.

Wednesday, March 27, 2024

Trump barred from attacking jurors and witnesses in hush money case as judge issues gag order

A New York judge Tuesday issued a gag order barring Donald Trump from commenting publicly about witnesses and prosecutors in hush-money criminal trial.

A New York judge Tuesday issued a gag order barring Donald Trump from commenting publicly about witnesses, prosecutors, court staff and jurors in his upcoming hush-money criminal trial, citing the former president's history of “threatening, inflammatory, denigrating" remarks about people involved in his legal cases.

Judge Juan M. Merchan's decision, echoing a gag order in Trump’s Washington, D.C., election interference criminal case, came a day after he rejected the defense's push to delay the Manhattan trial until summer and ordered it to begin April 15. If the date holds, it will be the first criminal trial of a former president.

“Given that the eve of trial is upon us, it is without question that the imminency of the risk of harm is now paramount,” Merchan wrote in a four-page decision granting the prosecution's request for what it deemed a “narrowly tailored” gag order.

The judge said the presumptive Republican presidential nominee's statements have induced fear and necessitated added security measures to protect his targets and investigate threats

Trump's lawyers fought a gag order, warning it would amount to unconstitutional and unlawful prior restraint on his free speech rights. Merchan, who had long resisted imposing a gag order, said his obligation to ensuring the integrity of the trial outweighed First Amendment concerns.

“President Trump’s political opponents have, and will continue to, attack him based on this case,” Trump lawyers Todd Blanche and Susan Necheles said in a recent court filing. “The voters have the right to listen to President Trump’s unfettered responses to those attacks — not just one side of that debate.”

The gag order bars Trump from either making or directing other people to make public statements on his behalf about potential witnesses and jurors in the hush-money trial. It also prohibits any statements meant to interfere with or harass the court’s staff, prosecution team or their families.

It does not bar comments about Merchan, whom Trump has referred to after his arraignment last year as “a Trump-hating judge” with a family full of “Trump haters," or Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, an elected Democrat. But it puts Trump on notice that attacks on key figures in the case, like his former lawyer-turned-nemesis Michael Cohen or porn star Stormy Daniels, won't be tolerated.

A violation could result in Trump being held in contempt of court, fined or even jailed.

“I want to thank Judge Merchan for imposing the gag order as I have been under relentless assault from Donald’s MAGA supporters," said Cohen, a key prosecution witness against Trump. "Nevertheless, knowing Donald as well as I do, he will seek to defy the gag order by employing others within his circle to do his bidding, regardless of consequence.”

Blanche declined to comment. Bragg's office also declined to comment. A message seeking comment was left for Trump's presidential campaign.

The gag order adds to existing restrictions that prohibit Trump from using evidence in the case to attack witnesses.

Trump's hush-money case centers on allegations that he falsely logged payments to Cohen, then his personal lawyer, as legal fees in his company’s books when they were for his work during the 2016 campaign covering up negative stories about Trump. That included $130,000 he had paid Daniels on Trump's behalf so she wouldn’t publicize her claim of a sexual encounter with him years earlier.

Trump pleaded not guilty last April to 34 counts of falsifying business records, a felony punishable by up to four years in prison, though there is no guarantee that a conviction would result in jail time. He denies having sex with Daniels and his lawyers have said that the payments to Cohen were legitimate legal expenses, not part of any coverup.

At his arraignment, Merchan admonished Trump not to make statements that could incite violence or jeopardize safety, but stopped short of muzzling him. At a subsequent hearing, Merchan noted Trump’s “special” status as a former president and current candidate and said, “I’m bending over backwards and straining to make sure that he is given every opportunity possible to advance his candidacy and to be able to speak in furtherance of his candidacy.”

As jury selection nears, Merchan has been increasingly wary of Trump's rhetoric disrupting the historic trial. Earlier this month, Merchan ruled to keep the names of jurors from the public. Trump will have access to them, but he risks forfeiting access if he discloses the names publicly or engages in harassing or disruptive conduct that threatens the safety or integrity of jurors, the judge said.

Now, with the gag order, Merchan is declaring scores of people involved in the case off-limits for Trump's social media venom, courthouse diatribes and campaign rallies. Trump's grousing to TV cameras as he entered and exited the courtroom became ritual during his New York civil fraud trial last year.

After leaving Monday's hearing where Merchan set the trial date, Trump tore into prosecutor Matthew Colangelo at a press conference, referring to the ex-Justice Department official as a “radical left from DOJ” sent to run the Trump case "by Biden and his thugs.” The judge cited those remarks in his ruling.

Trump has repeatedly lashed out about the hush-money case. He warned on social media of “potential death & destruction” before his indictment last year and posting a photo on social media of himself holding a baseball bat next to a picture of Bragg. He has referred to Cohen as a “convicted felon, disbarred lawyer, with zero credibility” and has used a mocking nickname to describe Daniels.

Merchan is just the latest judge to put guardrails around Trump.

A federal appeals court panel in December largely upheld Trump's gag order in his Washington, D.C., election interference case but narrowed it by freeing him to criticize special counsel Jack Smith, who brought the case. The New York gag order echoed that ruling by excluding Bragg.

At the fraud trial, Trump was fined $15,000 for twice violating a gag order imposed after he made a disparaging social media post about the judge’s chief law clerk.

In January, a federal judge threatened Trump with expulsion from court in a civil trial on writer E. Jean Carroll’s defamation claims against him after he was heard saying “it is a witch hunt” and “it really is a con job."

Monday, March 25, 2024

Donald Trump gets lifeline in $454 million fraud case, 'hush money' trial set for April 15 as court slashes bond amount

A New York state appeals court slashed a potentially crippling $454 million bond payment due on Monday to $175 million and gave the former president 10 extra days to pay.

Former President Donald Trump speaks during a press conference at 40 Wall Street after a pre-trial hearing at Manhattan criminal court

Donald Trump's legal battles pinballed from victory to defeat Monday as he was offered a lifeline in his struggle to stave off a half billion dollar fraud judgement while a New York judge rejected efforts to delay a separate criminal trial.

A New York state appeals court slashed a potentially crippling $454 million bond payment due on Monday to $175 million and gave the former president 10 extra days to pay.

The Republican presidential candidate got the unexpectedly positive news about his New York civil fraud case while he was sitting in court for another case -- a hearing in his upcoming criminal trial over paying hush money to a porn star.

Judge Juan Merchan rejected demands from Trump's lawyers to delay the first ever criminal trial of a former president for at least 90 days and ordered jury selection to begin on April 15.

Trump faces charges of falsifying business records for the payments made on the eve of the 2016 presidential election to make sure porn star Stormy Daniels did not publicize a sexual encounter.

"You are literally accusing the Manhattan (District Attorney's) office and the people assigned to this case of prosecutorial misconduct and trying to make me complicit in it," a visibly exasperated Merchan told Trump's attorneys during the hearing in a Manhattan courtroom.

Trump had also been facing a Monday deadline to pay the huge original bond pending an appeal against a judge's decision that he is liable for fraudulently conspiring to inflate his net worth.

Trump made clear he was unable to find the $454 million and he risked seeing New York state confiscate parts of his property empire if he failed to come up with the bond.

The 77-year-old Trump welcomed the appellate panel ruling while denouncing the hush money case as "election interference" and a "witch hunt."

"I greatly respect the decision of the appellate division and I will post $175 million in cash and bonds or security or whatever is necessary, very quickly, within the 10 days," he told reporters.

The hush money trial had been scheduled to begin on Monday but was delayed because thousands of pages of potential evidence were belatedly produced by prosecutors.

On Truth Social, Trump denounced both cases as a politically motivated attack ahead of the November 5 presidential election when he will likely again face incumbent Democrat Joe Biden.

"These are Rigged cases, all coordinated by the White House and DOJ for purposes of Election Interference," Trump wrote. "No crime. Our Country is CORRUPT!"

Saturday, March 23, 2024

Happy Holi 2024: Wishes, Messages, Quotes, WhatsApp And Facebook Statuses

Holi 2024 Wishes and Quotes: Here are Holi wishes, messages, and WhatsApp statuses you can share. Happy Holi!

Happy Holi 2024 Wishes: This year, Holi will be celebrated on March 25, 2024, which is a Monday

India's most colourful and vibrant festival - symbolizing happiness, new beginnings and hope - is here. Celebrated as one of the most important Hindu festivals in India, Holi marks the end of winter and is a two-day-long festivity. This year, Holi will be celebrated on March 25, 2024, which is a Monday. A day before Holi is celebrated as Holika Dahan, also known as Choti Holi, which is on Sunday, March 24, 2024.

This exuberant festival is a time for friends and family to come together, smear each other with colours, and revel in the spirit of unity and joy. The festival of colours sees the streets splashed in a myriad of hues as people come out of their homes to celebrate with much gusto. People celebrate Holi by putting colour on each other, meeting family and dancing to the beats of the dhol. Delicacies like 'gujiya', 'mathri', 'malpuas', 'bhang', and 'thandai' are an important part of the festival.

Here are some wishes, quotes, and greetings to wish your loved ones a Happy Holi:

May the fire of Holika Dahan banish everything evil around us. Happy Holika Dahan!"

On this auspicious occasion, I hope the canvas of your life gets painted in the vibrant colours of happiness. Happy Holi!

The red signifies love, The yellow signifies prosperity, And the green signifies harmony. May all these blessings be showered upon you this Holi!

As the most awaited festival of the year arrives, let us get ready to colour everyone with love. Warm wishes on Holi

Let's throw colours in the air and celebrate the beautiful relationship we share. Happy Holi.

Here's to a Holi that's as bright as the stars, as colorful as the rainbow, and as joyful as a child's laughter.

The canvas of my life is painted with joy only because of friends like you. Happy Holi!

Splash colours today with immense love in your heart. Wish you and your loved ones a very Happy Holi.

Our lives would be so dull without colours. It's only the festival of Holi that makes us understand the importance of colours. Happy Holi.

Colours of happiness, colours of friendship, colours of love - may all be yours. Happy Holi!

Bright colors, water balloons, lavish gujiyas and melodious songs are the ingredients of the perfect Holi. Wish you a very happy and wonderful Holi.

Here's wishing you a Holi filled with sweet moments and colourful memories to cherish forever

Holi is the time to let go of past grudges and embrace the present with love

On Holi, the festival of colors & joy I wanna say thank you for all the love & smiles you've brought to my life. Happy Holi

Happy Holi 2024: WhatsApp Status

Happy Holi!

Bura na mano Holi hai!

Holi Hai!

Colours of Happiness

Cheers! Happy Holi!

Wishing you a safe and Happy Holi!

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Data on electoral bonds gives Opposition some ammunition ahead of Lok Sabha elections

Data on electoral bonds gives Opposition some ammunition ahead of Lok Sabha elections

The Congress and other Opposition parties will also attempt to corner the BJP over the Supreme Court’s order to scrap the scheme as unconstitutional.

The disclosure of electoral bonds data by the Election Commission of India (ECI) and the State Bank of India (SBI) has added new ammunition to the Opposition’s arsenal ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, people aware of the matter said on Friday, adding that INDIA bloc parties devised plans to use the data to attack the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

The INDIA bloc plans to attack the Centre on the possibilities of money laundering. (HT file)

Under the plan, the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) wants to use the data to show that companies facing Enforcement Directorate (ED) or Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe donated heavy sums through electoral bonds, said the people quoted above. The second line of attack would focus on the possibilities of money laundering through bonds, said the people. The Congress and other Opposition parties will also attempt to corner the BJP over the Supreme Court’s order to scrap the scheme as unconstitutional.

Hindustan Times - your fastest source for breaking news! Read now.

The developments came a day after ECI uploaded the electoral bonds data a day before the deadline set by the Supreme Court in the high-profile case. The data showed that around 1,260 companies and individuals bought 22,217 bonds worth ₹12,155.51 crore between April 12, 2019 and February 15, 2024.

In this period, 20,421 bonds worth ₹12,769.09 crore were redeemed by 23 political parties, with the BJP leading the pack with a war chest of ₹6,061 crore (47.5% of total redeemed value), followed by the Trinamool Congress (TMC) with ₹1,610 crore (12.6%) and Congress with ₹1,422 crore (11.1%).

On Friday, a number of opposition parties criticised the BJP with former Congress president Rahul Gandhi dubbing the scheme as “the world’s largest extortion racket led by Prime Minister Modi”.

“At the heart of the concept (of EBs), is the ability of corporates to purchase electoral bonds anonymously. Look at this scale of corruption. You are using the entire infrastructure to indulge in corruption. the electoral bond was Modi’s brainchild and he had claimed to cleanse the system of political financing in the country, but actually he turned it into the biggest corruption scam in the world and a means of extorting money from the business and corporate houses,” Gandhi said.

He denied any link between contracts given by Congress government in Karnataka and the bonds. “Our government has come few months ago. We are not controlling ED, CBI, there is no correlation between contracts given by our governments and the bonds. The BJP made the entire system as extortion system where ED and CBI is extorting for BJP.”

While Gandhi indicated that the INDIA group “can have a discussion” on the EB data, Communist Party of India (Marxist) general secretary Sitaram Yechury told HT “there will be coordination among INDIA parties” on how to raise the issues collectively even as the allies are fighting separately in many states. “It (EB data) is going to be our major plank. The manner in which the BJP made corruption as a part of the system has now boomeranged,” Yechury said.

He added that the issue would be linked with the common people’s problems. “The farmers are asking for minimum support price but the government is not making a law. You say no money, workers are asking for increments, youth asking for jobs and greater allocation but you are indulging in mega loot,” he said.

Electoral bonds: SC issues notice to SBI, says bond numbers not disclosed

The TMC, which couldn’t seal a seat-deal with the Congress in West Bengal and some other states, ruled out the possibility of coordination. But it too, raised similar questions. As TMC is one of major beneficiaries of the scheme, Bengal industry minister Shashi Panja said the party “followed all rules” and alleged that the BJP indulged in quid pro quo. “A big gaming company purchased huge amounts of electoral bonds. But under what circumstances? First, he was harassed by ED. Under pressure, he gave donation through electoral bonds. This is extortion,” she said.

In Nashik, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge raised the issue of dubious donors. “Who are these people? Which companies are these? Why have so many companies donated only after ED, IT and CBI raids? Who exerted the pressure on such companies?”

Banuchandar Nagarajan, a BJP-leaning analyst, said the BJP will stress that its intentions were honourable in bringing white money into political funding. “No one has established any quid pro quo. All projects are selected through bidding and procurement happens through the GeM portal.”

Sunday, March 10, 2024

‘I salute him for…’: Mamata Banerjee's 'top bosses'

‘I salute him for…’: Mamata Banerjee's 'top bosses' jibe at BJP after Arun Goel resignation as election commissioner

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Sunday reacted to election commissioner Arun Goel's resignation just days before the upcoming Lok Sabha elections and praised him for "not succumbing to BJP's attempts at coercion".

“I salute Arun Goel for not succumbing to pressure by Delhi leaders (of BJP) and his top bosses in connection with the West Bengal LS polls and the deployment of forces," Banerjee was quoted as saying by PTI.

Addressing a gathering at Kolkata's Brigade Parade Grounds She added that it is "proven" that the BJP-led NDA wants to "loot" votes.

Earlier during the day, Samajwadi Party Chief Akhilesh Yadav had asked whether the Election Commission was working under pressure. "Just before the elections, whose pressure there is on the Election Commission which is a constitutional body," Yadav said when asked about Goel's resignation.

Goel had resigned from his post on Saturday. His tenure was till December 5, 2027, and he would have become Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) after incumbent Rajiv Kumar retired in February next year.

According to a law ministry notification, Goel's resignation has been accepted by President Droupadi Murmu with effect from Saturday. It was not immediately known why he stepped down.

Goel, a retired bureaucrat, was a 1985-batch IAS officer of the Punjab cadre. He had joined the Election Commission in November 2022.

Following the retirement of Anup Chandra Pandey in February and Goel's resignation, the three-member EC has now only one member: CEC Rajiv Kumar.

Before Goel, Ashok Lavasa had resigned as election commissioner in August 2020. He had given dissent notes on various model code violations decisions taken by the EC in the last Lok Sabha polls.

A report by news agency PTI on Sunday quoted sources said that two election commissioners are likely to be appointed by March 15 to fill the vacancies created by the retirement of Anup Chandra Pandey and the surprise resignation of Goel.

Pandey had demitted office on February 14 on attaining the age of 65 years.

A search committee under Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal and comprising the Home Secretary and the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) Secretary will first prepare two separate panels of five names each for the two posts.

Later, a selection committee headed by the prime minister and comprising a Union Minister and Leader of the Congress party in the Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury will then name two persons for appointment as election commissioners.

The election commissioners will be appointed by the President.

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