“Rama Krishna Hari”: Supriya Sule On Cousin Ajit Pawar's Bitcoin Row Remark

by Hansraj Agrawal | Nov 20, 2024 | top-stories

Ajit Pawar has said probe will reveal the truth, Surpiya Sule has denied the allegations

Mumbai:

The Maharashtra government will order a probe and truth will come out, Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar said today when asked about allegations of bitcoin fraud against his cousin and Lok Sabha MP Supriya Sule. “An inquiry will be done and the truth will come in front of the people,” Mr Pawar, who is contesting the Assembly polls from Baramati, said this morning.

“Whatever audio clip is being shown, I just know that I have worked with both of them. One of them is my sister and the other is someone with whom I have worked a lot. The audio clip has their voices, I can figure out from their tone. An inquiry will be done and everything will be clear,” he added.

The remarks play out against the rivalry between the two camps of NCP — one led by veteran politician and party founder Sharad Pawar and Ms Sule and the other by Ajit Pawar. An Ajit Pawar-led mutiny split the NCP in 2023, following which the junior Pawar joined the BJP-Shiv Sena government in the state. This election is also a fight between two factions of NCP to prove who has the people’s support.

What Are The Allegations

Ravindranath Patil, a retired IPS officer, has accused Ms Sule and Maharashtra Congress chief Nana Patole of being involved in a fraud involving cryptocurrency dating back to 2018. These funds, he has alleged, have been used in the assembly election campaign.

The BJP latched on to the retired officer’s remark and Rajya Sabha MP Sudhanshu Trivedi accused Ms Sule and Mr Patole of using illegal bitcoin transactions to influence election results.

“An accused dealer contacts a former police officer, who has been jailed previously, and tells him that he (the dealer) wants to conduct bitcoin transactions in cash. The officer declines the request. However, the dealer tries to convince him, claiming that a few ‘big people’ are involved, allegedly naming Nana Patole and Supriya Sule. When the officer expresses doubt, the dealer sends him the audio clips,” Mr Trivedi said in a press meet yesterday.

“According to the dealer’s claims, the audio clips mention the need for money for elections. We now have five questions for the Congress Party: first, are you involved in bitcoin transactions? second, are you in contact with individuals named Gaurav Gupta or Mehta? third, are the chats in question those of your leaders? fourth, is the audio in the clips authentic? fifth, who are the ‘big people’ referred to?” Mr Pawar added.

What Has Supriya Sule Said

Ms Sule has trashed the allegations and challenged the BJP to a debate on the issue. “I deny all the allegations levelled against me by Sudhanshu Trivedi. All this is conjecture and innuendo, and I am ready for a debate with any representative of the BJP at a time and date of their choice, in a public forum,” she posted on X.

She has said it is appalling that Mr Trivedi made “such baseless” allegations. “…yet not surprising as it’s a clear case of spreading false information, the night before elections. My lawyer will be issuing a criminal and civil defamation notice against Sudhanshu Trivedi for making outrightly false allegations with an intent to deceive the public at large,” Ms Sule has said. This morning, the NCP (SP) leader said she has sent a criminal defamation to Mr Trivedi. “He has asked me five questions. I am ready to respond wherever he wants, whenever he wants. These are all lies.”

Asked about Ajit Pawar’s charge that the voice on a viral audio clip is hers, Ms Sule replied with a smile, “He is Ajit Pawar, he can say anything. Rama Krishna Hari.”

The five-time MP has also filed a complaint with the Election Commission and the Cyber Cell in Pune.

Ms Sule’s father and NCP founder Sharad Pawar said, “…The person who made the allegations was in jail for several months. Taking that person along and making false allegations, only BJP can do this.”

Mr Patole, too, trashed the allegations and alleged a political conspiracy by the BJP. “We will file a complaint,” he said.

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Emergency Landing, Fliers Stuck For 3 Days In Phuket; Air India Responds

by Hansraj Agrawal | Nov 19, 2024 | top-stories

Over 100 New Delhi-bound passengers of an Air India flight have been stranded in Thailand’s Phuket for over 80 hours now after several delays due to technical faults, according to multiple posts put out by passengers on social media.

According to the passengers, the flight was scheduled to take off for Delhi on the night of November 16. But the airline’s representatives informed the passengers of a six-hour delay due to a technical fault. The passengers allege that after being made to wait for hours at the airport, they were asked to board the plane, only to be deboarded an hour later. The flight was cancelled.

Air India, while regretting the inconvenience to passengers, said the November 16 flight was “cancelled due to a technical issue”. The airline insisted that the staff on the ground made efforts to minimise passengers’ inconvenience, providing all on-ground assistance including hotel accommodations and meals.

“Some of the guests were also accommodated on alternatively available flights. Passengers were also offered options for full refunds on cancellation and complimentary rescheduling. At Air India, the safety and security of our passengers and crew is a top priority,” it added.

The passengers included elderly and children. The next the plane was prepped for a flight. The passengers say they were told that it was the same plane, but the fault had been fixed. The plane took off and about two-and-a-half hours after take-off, it landed back at Phuket and the passengers were again told that there was a technical fault. Since then, the passengers have been stuck at Phuket.

The plane’s trajectory, as captured by tracking app FlightRadar, shows its two-hour flight before it returned to Phhuket.

Social media posts allege that passengers are not getting any satisfactory response from airline representatives.

Earlier, the airline source said, “Several passengers have been sent back. About 40 are still in Phuket, they would be sent back this evening.”

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“Go Falcon. Go GSAT-20”: Elon Musk's SpaceX Successfully Launches Indian Satellite

by Hansraj Agrawal | Nov 18, 2024 | top-stories

India’s most advanced communications satellite was successfully lifted off into space by Elon Musk’s SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket which launched from Cape Canaveral in Florida, USA.

At the stroke of one minute past midnight on Tuesday, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO)’s most sophisticated communications satellite, which will provide broadband services in remote areas and in-flight Internet in passenger aircraft, set off for its 34-minute journey into outer space on board Elon Musk-owned SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket on its 396 th flight.

“Launch successful,” said Radhakrishnan Durairaj, Chairman and Managing Director of New Space India Limited, the commercial arm of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). Mr Durairaj who monitored the flight from Cape Canaveral told NDTV, “GSAT 20 got a very precise orbit”.

Named GSAT N-2 or GSAT 20, the 4,700 kg fully commercial satellite, was launched from Space Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral in Florida. The launch pad has been hired by SpaceX from the US’ Space Force, a special branch of the country’s armed forces that was created in 2019 to secure its space assets.

Dr S Somanath, Chairman, ISRO, speaking during the launch said, “The mission life of GSAT-20 is 14 years and the ground infra-structure is ready to serve the satellite”. Speaking to NDTV from the UR Rao Satellite Center in Bengaluru from where he monitored the lift-off, Dr Somanath said, “(It was) A very successful launch as we got a good orbit, the satellite is healthy, solar panels are deployed”.

This is the first time that ISRO launched a satellite on a SpaceX rocket through its commercial arm New Space India Limited (NSIL). This is also the first time ISRO has built a satellite that only uses the advanced Ka band frequency – a range of radio frequencies between 27 and 40 gigahertz (GHz), which enables the satellite to have higher bandwidth.

India sought a dedicated launch and that there were no co-passenger satellites on the flight.

For the satellite launch, a standard Falcon 9 B-5 rocket, which is 70 metres long and weighs around 549 tonnes, was used during lift-off. It has been designed as a two-stage rocket – a launch vehicle in which two distinct stages provide propulsion consecutively in order to achieve orbital velocity. The rocket can lift up to 8,300 kg to the geosynchronous transfer orbit and 22,800 kilograms to the low earth orbit. The first stage was successfully recovered at about 8 minutes into the flight and it was the 371st recovery by SpaceX.

Falcon 9 is a partially reusable rocket and SpaceX asserts “this was the 19th flight for the Falcon 9 first stage booster supporting this mission. After stage separation, the first stage landed on a drone ship, which was stationed in the Atlantic Ocean.”

After the satellite was placed in the orbit, India’s Master Control Facility a part of ISRO at Hassan took control of the satellite and in a few days this latest Indian bird will then be raised to its final home – 36,000 kilometres above India.

So far, Falcon 9 has been part of 396 launches and has faced just four setbacks, achieving a remarkable success rate of 99 per cent. Experts say that a dedicated launch of a Falcon 9 rocket costs about $70 million on an average.

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GRAP 4 In Delhi Explained: What Is Banned, What Is Allowed

by Hansraj Agrawal | Nov 18, 2024 | top-stories

GRAP 4 In Delhi: Physical classes for all students except Class 10 and 12

New Delhi:

In response to worsening air quality in Delhi-NCR, the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) has decided to activate Stage IV of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) from today.

Delhi’s daily average Air Quality Index (AQI) rose sharply to 441 by 4 PM on Sunday, and further escalated to 457 by 7 PM, according to data from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).

Therefore, in an effort to prevent further detorioration of the air quality, Centre’s air quality panel has invoked stricter pollution control measures for the Delhi-NCR under Stage 4 of the anti-pollution plan Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP).

What Is Banned And What’s Not

1. Physical classes for all students except Class 10 and 12.

2. Entry of truck traffic into Delhi (except for trucks carrying essential commodities/providing essential services). All LNG/CNG /Electric/BS-VI Diesel trucks shall however be permitted to enter Delhi.

3. Light Commercial Vehicles registered outside Delhi, other than EVs/CNG/BS-VI diesel, to enter Delhi, except those carrying essential commodities/ providing essential services.

4. Delhi-registered BS-IV and below diesel-operated medium and heavy goods vehicles will be prohibited from operating, except for those carrying essential services.

5. NCR State Governments/GNCTD will decide whether to permit 50% of employees in governmental, municipal, and private offices to work from home.

6. State government may consider additional emergency measures like closure of colleges/educational institutions and closure of non-emergency commercial activities, permitting running of vehicles, and odd-even basis of registration numbers etc.

7. The Central Government has the authority to decide whether to allow its employees to work from home.

In addition, people have been urged to follow the guidelines and help ensure the successful implementation of the GRAP measures aimed at maintaining and improving the air quality in the region. Children, the elderly, and those with respiratory, cardiovascular, cerebrovascular, or other chronic diseases should stay indoors as much as possible and refrain from outdoor activities.

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Canadian Man Claims Pregnant Indian Women Fly To Canada For Free Births, Sparks Outrage

by Hansraj Agrawal | Nov 17, 2024 | top-stories

Chad Eros, a Canadian citizen, recently sparked controversy with a video claiming that many pregnant Indian women are flying to Canada specifically to give birth. Mr Eros alleged that these women are taking advantage of Canada’s healthcare system, using it to obtain citizenship for their children, and potentially sponsoring their families to join them in the future. In his post, he shared that a nurse informed his relative that maternity wards are filled with Indian women who had come to Canada to give birth. While Mr Eros acknowledged that Canadian hospitals should provide equal care to all patients, he feels that Indian immigrants are occupying many beds in maternity wards.

He wrote on X, ”The nurse told my niece that the maternity ward is full of Indian women flying to Canada to have their babies, to get a child with Canadian citizenship. Canadian hospitals won’t turn anybody away, so they accept all these foreign Indian women, filling up the many wards. Of course, I bet they get a bill for the birth because they don’t have Canadian health care, but, how are they going to collect? You see, they fly back to India with their baby after they use our health care system. When their Indian baby grows up they’ll come to Canada as a Canadian citizen, sponsor their parents and siblings, and bring the whole family over. And I’m willing to bet it’s all free of charge at the Canadian taxpayer’s expense.”

See the post here:

– Pregnant Indian Women Flying To Canada For Free Births and Canadian Citizen Babies at Tax Payer Expense
– Tonight my niece had a baby making my sister a grand parent before me. Congrats!
– The nurse told my niece that the maternity ward is full of Indian women flying to Canada… pic.twitter.com/Vfbk07AVRz

— Chad Eros (@RealChadEros) November 13, 2024

The video has garnered mixed reactions, with some supporting his claims and others defending the women and criticising the narrative. Some Canadians offered a differing perspective, emphasising that blame should not be directed at Indians.

”As long as the government allows nothing is illegal. The Government needs to restrict,” one user said.

Another commented, ”While hearing this looks odd and being an Indian citizen but I somehow agree. This is what the practice is getting followed from last many years and it’s not about India I believe most asian countries. Canadian politics take entry here for this baffled system.”

A third wrote, ”Your concern is valid, but this issue stems from gaps in Canada’s policies, not any one country. It’s a system issue that needs addressing.”

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Mob Tries To Storm Chief Minister N Biren Singh's Home As Manipur Protests Escalate

by Hansraj Agrawal | Nov 16, 2024 | top-stories

Protesting against the death of six hostages from Jiribam, a mob tried to barge into the personal residence of Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh on Saturday evening, setting off another big escalation between security forces and the protesters in the violence-hit state.

The security forces had to fire tear gas shells to disperse the protesters.

The protests come a day after bodies of six missing people, including an eight-month-old infant, were recovered from a Manipur river. The six family members were reported missing in the aftermath of violence on Monday when 10 armed Kuki men died in a gunfight with security forces.

Last week, a 31-year-old woman of the Hmar group within the Kuki tribal community was burned alive in the state’s Jiribam district.

A large mob, upset over lack of inaction and communication from government, had gathered and demanded to meet lawmakers in the state capital Imphal on Saturday.

Earlier today, protesters attacked the residences of at least three state ministers and six MLAs, prompting the government to impose prohibitory orders in five districts for an indefinite period and suspended internet services in parts of the state.

The Manipur government has requested the Centre to review and withdraw the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act or AFSPA, a controversial law which gives unbridled power to the armed forces, which was reimposed in six police station limits.

The Ministry of Home Affairs had on November 14 reimposed AFSPA in areas falling under Sekmai PS and Lamsang PS in Imphal West district, Lamlai in Imphal East, Moirang in Bishnupur, Leimakhong in Kangpokpi and Jiribam in Jiribam district.

At least 250 people have died and 60,000 been uprooted in Manipur since May last year in inter-communal clashes over government grants and quotas in jobs and education.

The Centre has sent extra security forces and promised firm action against violent members of both communities.

Manipur has become divided into two ethnic enclaves: a valley controlled by the Meiteis and hills dominated by the Kukis.

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