Dulat's remarks: BJP demands apology from Congress
The Congress on Friday targeted the Bharatiya Janata Party over the remarks made by former Research and Analysis Wing chief AS Dulat on the 2002 Gujarat riots as well as the hijacking of an Indian Airlines flight IC-814 to Kandahar in 1999. Congress spokesperson Tom Vadakkan said that the BJP created a “permanent security threat” to India by releasing three militants in exchange for the release of the people taken hostage on the flight. Another party spokesperson demanded an apology from Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the Gujarat riots, saying that according to Dulat, former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee had called the riots a “mistake”. However, the BJP later, in turn, demanded an apology from the Congress, saying that it was bringing up the issues to ensure its “political survival”. BJP spokesperson MJ Akbar also rejected Dulat’s claim that there had been a “goof-up” in the handling of the hijack, saying that decision to save the Indians on board the Indian Airlines aircraft was taken after consultations with all political parties.
Modi to embark on five-nation tour of Central Asia
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will begin a five-nation tour of Central Asia on July 6. He will also attend a meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation and a BRICS summit in the city of Ufa in Russia on July 9 and 10 respectively. Officials said that Modi’s visit to the Central Asian countries would cover a wide range of issues, including regional security, trade and investment. Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Vikas Swarup said that India would raise the issue of the release of 2008 Mumbai attacks-accused Zaki-ur Rehman Lakhvi during the BRICS and SCO summits, adding that the country would also raise the matter of China’s decision to veto India’s request seeking action against Pakistan in the United Nations. However, there was no word on whether Modi would meet Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Chinese President Xi Jinping on the side-lines of the summits. The Prime Minister will begin his tour by visiting Uzbekistan, following which he will visit Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan before returning to India.
56% of rural households have no land or property, census says
Despite faster economic growth, inequalities have risen, with 56% of rural households in India not owning land or property, data from the Socio-Economic Caste Census 2011 has shown. The data further showed that 21.9% of the population were living below the poverty line in 2012, an improvement from 37.5% in 2004-2005. Furthermore, only 8.3% of rural households were reported to have a member earning Rs 10,000 or more a month, with the highest-paid member in 74.5% of rural households earning less than Rs 5,000 per month. Employment data from the census showed that while 30.1% of households were directly engaged in farming, 51.1% were employed as farm or manual labourers. However, the report also showed that 68.4% of all rural households owned a mobile phone. Analysts have said that while poorer sections of society have been quick to adopt technology, it has not been seen as an indicator of upward social mobility.
Hema Malini expresses ‘deep sorrow’ over child’s death
Bharatiya Janata Party MP and actor Hema Malini on Friday expressed “deep sorrow” over the death of a two-year-old child, caused by a road accident involving her car on Thursday. In a statement, Malini said that the child’s death had left her “very sad and in a distressed mind”. “I can realise the hard time the family is facing after her death,” she added. Earlier, Malini had come under criticism for not issuing an apology over the incident, even as the members of the victim’s family said that the child had not been promptly attended to following the accident. Meanwhile, police officers arrested the driver of Malini’s car on charges of rash driving and negligence. The accident took place after the MP’s Mercedes hit another car on a highway between the Karauli district and Jaipur in Rajasthan.
Congress demands changes to GST Bill
The Congress on Friday demanded changes to the Goods and Services Tax Bill, which was passed by the Lok Sabha during the Budget Session of Parliament earlier this year. The party demanded five changes to the bill, among which were including alcohol, tobacco and electricity within the ambit of the bill. It also called for the removal of the one percent additional tax, meant to be imposed above the GST for the benefit of manufacturing states. Furthermore, the party demanded the restoration of a dispute settlement clause within the bill and also called for a 100% compensation to states to offset their revenue losses due to the switch to the new tax regime. Congress officials said the demands were finalised during a meeting of party chief ministers last month, adding that appropriate amendments would be tabled by their leaders during the next session of Parliament.
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The Congress on Friday targeted the Bharatiya Janata Party over the remarks made by former Research and Analysis Wing chief AS Dulat on the 2002 Gujarat riots as well as the hijacking of an Indian Airlines flight IC-814 to Kandahar in 1999. Congress spokesperson Tom Vadakkan said that the BJP created a “permanent security threat” to India by releasing three militants in exchange for the release of the people taken hostage on the flight. Another party spokesperson demanded an apology from Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the Gujarat riots, saying that according to Dulat, former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee had called the riots a “mistake”. However, the BJP later, in turn, demanded an apology from the Congress, saying that it was bringing up the issues to ensure its “political survival”. BJP spokesperson MJ Akbar also rejected Dulat’s claim that there had been a “goof-up” in the handling of the hijack, saying that decision to save the Indians on board the Indian Airlines aircraft was taken after consultations with all political parties.
Modi to embark on five-nation tour of Central Asia
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will begin a five-nation tour of Central Asia on July 6. He will also attend a meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation and a BRICS summit in the city of Ufa in Russia on July 9 and 10 respectively. Officials said that Modi’s visit to the Central Asian countries would cover a wide range of issues, including regional security, trade and investment. Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Vikas Swarup said that India would raise the issue of the release of 2008 Mumbai attacks-accused Zaki-ur Rehman Lakhvi during the BRICS and SCO summits, adding that the country would also raise the matter of China’s decision to veto India’s request seeking action against Pakistan in the United Nations. However, there was no word on whether Modi would meet Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Chinese President Xi Jinping on the side-lines of the summits. The Prime Minister will begin his tour by visiting Uzbekistan, following which he will visit Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan before returning to India.
56% of rural households have no land or property, census says
Despite faster economic growth, inequalities have risen, with 56% of rural households in India not owning land or property, data from the Socio-Economic Caste Census 2011 has shown. The data further showed that 21.9% of the population were living below the poverty line in 2012, an improvement from 37.5% in 2004-2005. Furthermore, only 8.3% of rural households were reported to have a member earning Rs 10,000 or more a month, with the highest-paid member in 74.5% of rural households earning less than Rs 5,000 per month. Employment data from the census showed that while 30.1% of households were directly engaged in farming, 51.1% were employed as farm or manual labourers. However, the report also showed that 68.4% of all rural households owned a mobile phone. Analysts have said that while poorer sections of society have been quick to adopt technology, it has not been seen as an indicator of upward social mobility.
Hema Malini expresses ‘deep sorrow’ over child’s death
Bharatiya Janata Party MP and actor Hema Malini on Friday expressed “deep sorrow” over the death of a two-year-old child, caused by a road accident involving her car on Thursday. In a statement, Malini said that the child’s death had left her “very sad and in a distressed mind”. “I can realise the hard time the family is facing after her death,” she added. Earlier, Malini had come under criticism for not issuing an apology over the incident, even as the members of the victim’s family said that the child had not been promptly attended to following the accident. Meanwhile, police officers arrested the driver of Malini’s car on charges of rash driving and negligence. The accident took place after the MP’s Mercedes hit another car on a highway between the Karauli district and Jaipur in Rajasthan.
Congress demands changes to GST Bill
The Congress on Friday demanded changes to the Goods and Services Tax Bill, which was passed by the Lok Sabha during the Budget Session of Parliament earlier this year. The party demanded five changes to the bill, among which were including alcohol, tobacco and electricity within the ambit of the bill. It also called for the removal of the one percent additional tax, meant to be imposed above the GST for the benefit of manufacturing states. Furthermore, the party demanded the restoration of a dispute settlement clause within the bill and also called for a 100% compensation to states to offset their revenue losses due to the switch to the new tax regime. Congress officials said the demands were finalised during a meeting of party chief ministers last month, adding that appropriate amendments would be tabled by their leaders during the next session of Parliament.
