QBullet: Elections in Tamil Nadu; BJP Seeks Congress Apology

QBullet is a daily compilation of news stories that have made headlines across the country.

Elections are being held in Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Puducherry today. (Photo: iStockphoto)

(Photo: The Quint)

1. AIADMK and DMK Reply to EC About Funding of Sops; Elections in Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Puducherry Today

The Election Commission had asked the AIADMK and DMK to explain the sources of money they would use to fund the freebies they had announced in their manifestos. While AIADMK submitted its reply, DMK has asked for more time to reply.

The Election Commission (EC) raised the question after an IAS officer, MG Devasahayam, protested against the freebies offered by various parties in the run up to the Tamil Nadu Assembly elections, reports The Times of India.

Read the report here.

234 seats will be contested for between AIADMK under Jayalalithaa and DMK under Stalin and Karunanidhi. (Photo: The Quint) 

The EC has deferred elections in the Thanjavur constituency in Tamil Nadu, following evidence of large-scale distribution of money to voters. Unaccounted money of over Rs 100 crore was siezed in the state. The Election Commission said that it had returned Rs 47.91 crore after relevant documents were produced.

Elections are being held in Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Puducherry today. In Tamil Nadu, the AIADMK and DMK will contest for 234 seats. Polling in Kerala will determine the fate of 140 constituencies.

Also Read:
Candidates and Criminals: All You Need to Know About Kerala Polls
What You Must Know Before the 2016 Tamil Nadu Elections

2. Malegaon Blasts Case: Congress Claims PMO Conspiracy; BJP Says Congress Must Apologise to the Country

The aftermath of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) chargesheet in the 2008 Malegaon blasts case saw a blame game among BJP and Congress.

The Congress accused the Prime Minister’s Office of interfering in the NIA probe and said that the accused were being let off because of their closeness to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). It urged the Supreme Court to take into its custody the chargesheet, official files, notings and other relevant documents in the case to ensure justice, reports The Indian Express.

Read the report here.

The NIA on Friday dropped all charges against Sadhvi Pragya Thakur and five others in the 2008 Malegaon blast case. (Photo: Altered by The Quint)

The BJP hit back, alleging that Congress was frustrated and was trying to divert the attention of the people from corruption cases like AgustaWestland. It further accused the Congress of having double-standards, saying opposition parties were silent when eight Muslims were discharged by the court in the Malegaon blasts recently.

Read The Quint’s report here.

3. Bihar Journalist Murder: Family Calls for CBI Probe; RJD Worker Detained

One of the three men detained in the murder of Hindustan Daily’s Siwan bureau chief Rajdev Ranjan is an RJD worker called Upendra Singh, who is said to be close to jailed party leader and former Siwan MP Mohammed Shahabuddin.

Ranjan’s family has demanded a CBI probe into his killing, as the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) took to streets across the state in support, holding protest marches. Ranjan’s wife has sought death sentence for the culprits and vowed to fight till her last breath for justice, reports The Indian Express.

The journalist’s family has alleged that he was murdered by incarcerated RJD leader Shahabuddin’s men and Bihar Police lacked the will to conduct a free, fair and impartial probe in the matter.

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who was in Lucknow, has expressed “sadness” and said the “guilty will not be spared”.

Read the report here.

4. Centre Presents Draft Bill on Passive Euthanasia, Asks for Comments

It might be the culmination of a long battle for euthanasia activists or only the beginning of another. The Union government has come up with a draft Bill on passive euthanasia that gives patients the right to ‘withhold or withdraw medical treatment to herself or himself’ and ‘allow nature to take its own course’, reports The Times of India.

While seen by many as a step in the right direction, the draft has disappointed experts in its lack of clarity on the concept of a living will. (Photo: iStock)

Uploaded by the Union Health Ministry and titled Terminally Ill Patients (protection of patients and medical practitioners) Bill, the draft Bill is open for comments via email, from people before 19 June 2016.

Read the report here.

5. Jawan Dies in Arunachal Pradesh During Training, Captain Allegedly Roughed Up

An army jawan died during training session in Arunachal Pradesh on Sunday, following which other jawans roughed up the Captain who was in charge of the training. The jawan allegedly collapsed during a routine march and died in the field ambulance, reports The Indian Express.

Read the report here.

The jawan collapsed from exhaustion during a training session in Arunachal Pradesh. (Photo: iStock)  

Though some reports quoting unofficial sources said the jawans of the entire unit went on a “mutiny”, the Defence PRO said “only a few (4-5) jawans got emotional and agitated”. The jawans also “indulged in agitated behaviour leading to a minor scuffle”, the PRO said, adding that no one sustained serious injuries. “The incident is being investigated as is the practice in all cases of death during training,’ he said. 

The Indian Express Report 

Also Read: India, We Are Fighting Our Own Disabled Soldiers

6. Uzbek Woman Alleges Rape, Prostitution by Man She Met on Facebook

A woman has been arrested for the alleged rape of an Uzbek national and pushing her into prostitution in south Delhi’s Vasant Kunj area. The hunt is on for her husband as well.

According to a complaint by a 23-year-old Uzbek woman, Altaf alias Raju, 34, befriended her on Facebook in May last year. Altaf allegedly held her captive in the room and made video recordings of her, according to a report in the Hindustan Times.

The woman managed to escape on Saturday with the help of a friend and approached the Vasant Kunj police, who registered a case of rape and immoral trafficking. Anjali was arrested and Altaf, who has several criminal cases registered against him, is currently on the run.

Read the report here.

7. No Depletion in FDI Flows Due to New Treaty With Mauritius, says Jaitely

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley stated categorically that investors must pay taxes on money they earn in India. He also asserted that the domestic economy is now strong enough to depend on any ‘tax-incentivised route’ to attract foreign investments.

Regarding the redrawing of decades-old tax treaty with Mauritius, Jaitley said that there was no ‘serious apprehension of investors shifting base to other tax havens and he sees no depletion in FDI (foreign direct investment), reports Livemint.

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley. (Photo: PTI)

As markets reacted cautiously to India expanding its crackdown on tax treaties to make it harder for investors to use tax havens as a shelter to avoid levies. “Eventually, markets have to operate on inherent strength of (Indian) economy.” Stating that the original Mauritius treaty created “a tax-incentivised route” at a time when India was looking at foreign investments to boost economy, he said the economy has become strong enough and “now those who earn must pay taxes.”

Livemint Report

Read the report here.

8. Now, Vets with Sonography Machines Under Scrutiny in Maharashtra

Adding another dimension to the fight against female foeticide, the Maharashtra government has made it mandatory for every veterinarian to give an affidavit that they will use the machine only for veterinary purposes. This move comes after health authorities in the state came across two cases of veterinary doctors using sonography machines for sex determination tests in rural Maharashtra.

According to the rule, veterinarians will also have to register with the authorities under the provisions of the Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (PCPNDT) Act, 1994. They will have to mention that sonography machines will be used only for veterinary purposes and not for sex determination tests. Also, they will also have to put up boards in clinic premises and display the rules of the PCNDT Act.

However, not everyone is happy with the move. According to the Pet Practitioners Association of Mumbai (PPAM), the decision is an impractical one which will affect veterinarians in the state adversely.

Read the report here.

From The Quint:

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(Editor’s note: This article was updated to remove one news item pending legal review. We regret any inconvenience caused.)