News18 Daybreak | Mamata Sits on Anti-Modi Dharna After CBI-Police Showdown in WB And Other Stories You Need to Watch Out For
What to Watch Out For
The West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee went on Anti-Modi dharna on Sunday minutes after a scuffle broke out between the Kolkata Police and Central Bureau of Investigation officials, outside Kolkata Police Commissioner Rajiv Kumar’s residence.
The series of events happened at a time when the West Bengal state government and the Bharatiya Janata Party are at loggerheads over the saffron party’s campaign in the state.
What happened: High drama ensued soon after CBI officials arrived at the Kumar’s doorstep on Sunday evening as a part of their investigation in Rose Valley and Saradha Ponzi scams. Soon after, senior police officers rushed to the spot and refused the CBI officials entry into the commissioner’s residence. Following this, the 15 CBI officials were briefly detained.
According to interim CBI chief M Nageswar Rao, there is evidence that Kumar was 'instrumental in causing the destruction of this evidence and obstructing justice' in the chit fund scam.
Meanwhile, the West Bengal CM during her dharna said that the CBI’s actions were “no less than a coup”.
In depth: Should the CBI have sought the WB government’s consent to conduct the search? The answer to this is an affirmative because the Trinamool Congress government had in November 2018 revoked the general authorisation provided to the CBI and other agencies under the Delhi Special Police Establishment Act 1946 (DSPE Act).
As per the legislation, the CBI can only operate in a state if it has the consent of the relevant state government
He said, she said : Banerjee hit out at PM Modi claiming that while the CBI had initiated action against a “brave man” with “integrity, the PM’s associates implicated in the scams had been allowed to roam free.
“CBI came to Rajeev Kumar's house without a search warrant. How audacious it was? They are playing with the Constitution. I will not tolerate this," Mamata said.
Congress chief Rahul Gandhi, Delhi CM and Aam Admi Party chief Arvind Kejriwal, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, DMK president MK Stalin, Rashtriya Janata Dal’s Tejaswi Yadav and J-K National Conference’s Omar Abdullah extended their support to Mamata Banerjee and slammed the Modi government over the “undemocratic” move.
Meanwhile, CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury took a different stand. ” Corruption cases against TMC govt in chit fund scam have been public for years but Modi govt chose to stay quiet as top mastermind of the scam joined BJP. It does a drama to act now, after 5 years, and TMC leadership responds by staging a drama to protect its corrupt,” he said.
What next: Opposition parties are likely to raise this issue in the parliament today. Sources have also told CNN-News18 that the Centre and CBI would be approach the apex court about the conflict.
Why it matters: In the past month the CBI and the Enforcement Directorate has conducted several raids against opposition party leaders including Akhilesh Yadav and Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati. Many have since criticized the BJP-led government in the Centre for using the raids as a political tool against opposition parties ahead of the Lok Sabha polls.
Between November 2018 and January 2019, West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh and Chattisgarh even withdrew the general consent given to the CBI to conduct raids and probes over similar issues.
What will these recent happenings spell for the autonomy of state governments in the country?
CBI court to hear arguments of polygraph tests in Rakesh Asthana case
CBI court on Monday will hear the argument on the plea of the CBI which has sought the permission of polygraph tests for Manoj Prasad and Satish Sana in the Rakesh Asthana case. It has been alleged that Prasad, a Dubai-based investment banker, took a bribe on behalf of the former special director Rakesh Asthana. Satish Sana, who is the complainant in the Rakesh Asthana case, had alleged that Prasad had assured him of help from a certain CBI officer in the Moin Qureshi case if he paid an amount of Rs 5 crore.
CBI gets Centre’s nod to prosecute Congress leader P Chidambaram
The Law ministry has given its approval to the CBI to prosecute former Finance Minister P Chidambaram in the INX media case. Meanwhile, the Congress leader’s son, Karti Chidambaram, has already been charged in the case. Permission was given after the CBI and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Friday told the Delhi High Court that custodial interrogation of the veteran Congress leader was required in the INX media case. The CBI has already got a go ahead from the Central Government to prosecute P Chidambaram in Aircel Maxis case.
What You May Have Missed
FM Piyush Goyal’s ‘budget for ballot’ weighs on farmers and middle-class taxpayers, critics hit out calling in jumla
Coming ahead of the upcoming 2019 Lok Sabha Polls, Budget 2019, has created quite the buzz as many critics including Rahul Gandhi have called it a Jumla Budget saying that it only vies for voter appeasement. Former Finance Minister and Congress veteran P. Chidambaram on Friday described the Interim Budget as an "Account for Votes" and not a Vote on Account and said the Modi government has further weakened fiscal stability.
"It was not a Vote on Account but an Account for Votes," Mr Chidambaram told the media here.
"It was a full-fledged Budget accompanied by an election campaign speech. By doing so, the government has trampled on time-honoured conventions," he said.
He added that the government had no hope of returning to power and had, therefore, "acted desperately and recklessly, and in violation of the Constitution".
He said the big takeaway was that the present government had "further weakened fiscal stability".
This year round, the two voter segments that the Modi government has particularly paid attention to in its budget are the 12-crore farmer families and the 3-crore middle class taxpayers.
Here’s a list of highlights from the budget 2019 which was presented by Finance Minister Piyush Goyal on Friday:-
1 announced the plan of the government to provide an assisted income support to small and marginal farmers under the scheme Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PMKISAN).
Under the scheme a direct transfer of Rs 6,000 per year will be made to the bank accounts of farmers owning less than two hectares of land, Goyal told the parliament today. This translates to approximately Rs 17 per day.
2. Tax rebate for those earning upto Rs 5 lakh per annum, an increase from the earlier limit of Rs 2.5 lakh per annum. Tax rates for those earning more than Rs 5 lakh per annum remain the same.
3. The Pradhan Mantri Shram Mandhan, a “mega pension” scheme to provide informal workers who earn less that Rs 150000 an assured pension of Rs 3000 after 60 years of age. Under the scheme, the workers will have to pay a nominal monthly deposit which will then be used towards the pension.
4. Less than a 2 percent hike in the budgetary allocation for the Social Justice and Empowerment Ministry, which caters to backward classes and those with disabilities. Goyal also announced the setting up of committees under the NITI Aayog to identify the Denotified/Nomadic/Semi-Nomadi communities towards the implementation of welfare schemes
5. Rs 64, 587 crore on top of the overall capital spend of Rs 1, 58, 658 crore for the Railways. This is around a 148 percent jump over the past five years, and the highest ever capital expenditure for the national transporter.
6. Rs 46000 crore earmarked for the implementation of the ten percent EWS quota. Part of this fund will be utilized towards the 25 percent seat increase that was announced by the HRD minister Prakash Javadekar.
7. Rs. 3.18 lakh crore for the defence budget, which is a hike of about Rs 10,000 crore from last year’s budget. FM Goyal also announced a substantial hike in the Military Service Pay of all service personnel and special alliance to naval and air force personnel.
Court rules Anand Teltubde’s arrest as illegal, says it amounts to contempt of apex court
Pune court on Sunday ruled the arrest of academic Anand Teltumbde as “illegal” and said that it amounted to contempt of the Supreme Court. Despite the apex court order last month granting Teltumbde protection from arrest till February 11 the scholar was taken into custody by the Pune police at 3:30 am on Saturday for his alleged role in the Bhima Koregaon violence of January 1, 2018. In 2018, the Pune police had arrested 10 human rights lawyers and activists from across the country and branded them as “urban naxals” for their alleged participation in the Elgaar Parishad event held at Bhima Koregaon last year.
Special Report: Will RSS get a Christian wing? Sangh ‘Parivar’ renews efforts to add another member
Sources have told News18.com that Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh is toying with the idea of setting up a platform with the Christian community along the lines of Muslim Rashtriya Manch- an RSS affiliate working among the Indian Muslims. This is not surprising move for the saffron organization, which is known for its strategy of preserving its core ideology while seeking to work with various other sections of the society through loosely coupled affiliates. Read Eram Agha’s special report on what these interactions could mean for the group and the socio-political landscape.
Rahul Gandhi slams Budget 2019 in Patna rally, says PM willing to give Ambani Rs 30,000 but farmers Rs 17 a day
Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Sunday addressed a Jan Akanksha rally at Gandhi maidan in Patna in which he criticised Budget 2019 that was presented on Friday by FM Piyush Goyal and said that it is pro-industrialist . PM has given Rs 30,000 crore to Anil Ambani, but only Rs 17 per day to the farmers of the country,” Gandhi said in his maiden rally in the state. With nearly 3000 police personnels deployed at the venue, the Patna police had made extensive security arrangements to maintain law and order at the time of the rally. The Congress chief reiterated his promise for a basic income plan for the poor if voted to power while slamming the government for the high unemployment rate in the state. Congress is part of Mahagathbandhan (Grand Alliance) in Bihar which comprises of RJD, Rashtriya Lok Samta Party and Hindustani Awam Morcha.