Jaitley backs Sushma Swaraj in Lalit Modi travel papers controversy

NEW DELHI, June 16: Finance minister Arun Jaitley on Tuesday came out in support of external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj, saying the allegations against her in the controversy over former IPL boss Lalit Modi’s visa were “baseless".

“All the allegations raised against her are baseless. Her actions are bona fide,” Jaitley said at a press conference in Delhi, in response to charges that the Swaraj showed conflict of interest in helping facilitate travel papers for Modi, who is charged with financial impropriety.

“The minister is capable of taking decisions on her own. When she needs to seek government approval she will do that,” he said, responding to a question on why Swaraj did not consult other ministries before taking such a decision.

Jaitley also said the Enforcement Directorate was investigating the former IPL commissioner in 16 cases and that notices were sent to him in 15 of them.

He clarified that a light blue corner notice issued to him in 2010 by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence was still valid.

Jaitley made the statements at a joint press conference, which was also attended by home minister Rajnath Singh, for announcing a financial aid package for Jammu and Kashmir. Jaitley and Singh met Swaraj for an hour before the press briefing.

Sushma Swaraj had triggered a storm on Sunday after she acknowledged that she helped the axed IPL chief get travel papers in London on "humanitarian" grounds as his cancer-stricken wife was due to undergo surgery in Portugal. The minister’s husband, Swaraj Kaushal, has reportedly been Modi’s lawyer for 22 years.

Meanwhile, the Congress ramped up the pressure on the government with spokesperson Anand Sharma demanding a probe by a special investigation team monitored by the Supreme Court into allegations of nexus between BJP leaders and the scam-tainted former IPL boss.

"We demand a detailed probe. This government can't be trusted so the Supreme Court should set up an SIT," Congress leader Anand Sharma said at a press conference.

He said the issue was not merely about Modi's travel papers but about a "nexus" which involved the "senior leadership of the government involved in cricket management."

He also questioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi's silence on the matter, saying there cannot be two sets of rules on probity.

Sharma's colleague and Congress general secretary, Digvijaya Singh, too questioned the government's silence over Modi.

"I want to ask the Prime Minister, I want to ask finance minister, why are they keeping quiet? We would like to know whether Lalit Modi is evading tax? Why is he not coming to India? Is there a blue or red corner notice against him? Is he an absconder? Is he a fugitive? We want to know," Singh said.

But, NDA ministers defended Swaraj, with Union environment minister Prakash Javadekar saying the controversy had ended after the external affairs minister offered a clarification.

Referring to pictures being dug up by Congress showing Modi with BJP leaders, he said those were old photographs dating back to 2010.

"That time Lalit Modi was IPL chairman. There was no accusation against him, he was not charged. Narendra Modi was Gujarat chief minister and also the chairman of Gujarat Cricket Association. Amit Shah was vice-chairman of the cricket association. So, Congress has lost the plot," Javadekar said in Chennai.

He added that there were also pictures of Congress leaders with Lalit Modi and that opposition parties were silent about that.

Modi govt calls for restraint to defuse tensions with Pakistan

NEW DELHI, June 12: The Narendra Modi government has decided to ratchet down the rising temperature in India-Pakistan relations due to aggressive rhetoric by both sides in the wake of Indian Army's raid on camps of northeastern militants in Myanmar.

Sources said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has cautioned his ministerial colleagues against harping on the suggestion that the cross-border raid can be replicated against the terror groups hosted by Pakistan.

According to sources, the ministers are expected to scale down the rhetoric in the coming days.

Officials feel that amplifying the intent to pre-empt terror groups can serve little purpose once the message has gone loud and clear that India was not going to suffer terrorists silently and that it retains the capacity and willingness not just to retaliate but also to "disable and degrade" threats before they ripen.

Sources said that India under Modi regime has already upped its act, reacting disproportionately to provocations from terror groups based in Pakistan which are backed by the army there. In the month of January ,Indian troops reacted with double the force to shelling from Pakistan side forcing a truce in the area.

"Two bullets or even a mortar for each bullet that is fired at us has been promulgated as the official tactical position on the entire western border", said a senior functionary familiar with the strategy.

India says 'hot pursuit' a message to all

NEW DELHI, June 11: The death toll in the Army’s strike on two militant camps inside Myanmar on Tuesday could touch 70 as defence officials spoke of keeping up the pressure on anti-India insurgents operating from there.

In a late-night development, the Myanmar government denied any raid on inside its territory. The news agency AFP reported that Zaw Htay, Director of Myanmar’s Presidential Office, said in a Facebook post: “According to the information sent by Tatmadaw [Myanmar Army] battalions on the ground, we have learned that the military operation was performed on the Indian side at India-Myanmar border.”

“Myanmar will not accept any foreigner who attacks neighbouring countries in the back and creates problems by using our own territory,” he said.

While there was no official response to the Myanmar statement, diplomatic sources said the reaction was “understandable” as Indian operations inside its territory could cause a controversy for the Myanmar government over sovereignty issues. The denial from the office of President Than Sein came hours after Indian High Commissioner to Yangon, Gautam Mukhopadhyaya, finished a series of meetings in the Myanmar Foreign Ministry to discuss action against terror groups in the country such as the NSCN(K). According to a source, the Myanmar government “wasn’t pleased with how the operations had been portrayed in Indian media”.

In comments to a television channel on Tuesday, Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore said Prime Minister Narendra Modi had taken a bold step by giving the go-ahead for “hot pursuit”.

“It is undoubtedly a message to all countries… even if there are groups within countries that harbour terror intentions, we will choose the time and the place of hitting them,” the Minister said. A top Indian official said that the Army had no plans to deploy extra troops.

National Security Adviser Ajit Doval, specially tasked by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to prepare a response to the June 4 killing of Army men in Manipur by a Naga group, is travelling to Myanmar to discuss joint action against the militants.

On the modalities of the cross-border operation, Army officials said commandos from the 21 Para unit were airdropped from helicopters on the border, from where they sneaked across in small teams.

The two camps, hit by the Special Forces, one facing Manipur and one facing Nagaland, are believed to be 5-7 km inside Myanmar. An Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) was giving live feed of the operation to the control room.

Intelligence sources estimate that insurgent camps in Myanmar are located across 20 locations within 5-15 km from the border.

On the fallout of the operations, one Army officer said the confidence of the militants was shattered and they might shift camp to other locations. The officer also felt that the response by insurgents is likely to be ‘scaled up.’

India, Bangladesh not just 'pass pass' but 'saath saath': Modi

DHAKA: India and Bangladesh are not just "pass pass (close to each other) but also "saath saath (together), Prime Minister Narendra Modi said here on Sunday.

Addressing intellectuals in Dhaka at the end of his two-day visit, Mr. Modi said not just Asia but the entire world "will do a detailed post-mortem on India-Bangladesh ties following his visit to see what has been gained.

"But if in one sentence I am to describe the ties, people will think that we are 'pass pass' but now the world will have to accept that we are not just 'pass pass' but 'saath saath', he said to loud applause.

He said his two-day visit has ended, but "I feel that actually the yatra (in ties) has just begun.

"I have an emotional attachment with Bangladesh, he added.

India, Bangladesh to expeditiously implement LBA on ground

Earlier, significantly scaling up bilateral ties, India and Bangladesh said they have decided to expeditiously implement the historic Land Boundary Agreement on the ground and cooperate in a wide array of areas such as civil nuclear energy, petroleum and power.

A joint declaration titled 'Notun Projonmo - Nayi Disha' (New Generation, New Direction), said Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Bangladeshi counterpart Sheikh Hasina had agreed to "further enhance cooperation in the energy sector particularly in renewable energy and nuclear energy.

"Both Prime Ministers agreed to cooperate in the field of civil nuclear energy, especially training for technical personnel, the statement said giving an insight into the issues discussed during Mr. Modi's meeting with Ms. Hasina on Saturday.

Significantly, the statement said Mr. Modi and Ms. Hasina have given directives to the concerned officials on both sides for "expeditious implementation of the 1974 Land Boundary Agreement and its 2011 Protocol on the ground.

On the first day of Prime Minister Modi's maiden visit in Dhaka on Saturday, the two sides had swapped documents regarding the LBA that paves the way for the operationalisation of the 1974 pact under which 161 enclaves under the control of either countries will be exchanged.

They reaffirmed their commitment to extend all facilities to the residents of the enclaves and ensure that the rights of all citizens are protected, the declaration said.

Elaborating on the energy sector, an area of "growing cooperation, the document said the two countries have decided to initiate an annual India-Bangladesh Energy Dialogue to be led jointly by Secretary (Petroleum) of India and Secretary, Power Division of Bangladesh.

The dialogue will undertake comprehensive energy sector cooperation including in areas of coal, natural gas, LNG, supply of petroleum products in the sub-region, renewable energy, oil and gas pipelines etc.

In an attempt to bolster connectivity in the region, Mr. Modi agreed to consider Bangladesh's proposal to introduce the second Maitree Express between Khulna and Kolkata.

"The two Prime Ministers expressed satisfaction about the ongoing cooperation in the railways sector including the Akhaura-Agartala railway link and revival of the old railway links, the declaration noted.

Mr. Modi and Ms. Hasina welcomed the signing of the 'Coastal Shipping Agreement', which they said would open up newer avenues of cooperation in the areas of bilateral and regional trade and connectivity.

"Both the Prime Ministers agreed on the need for dredging of the Bangladesh-India inland water protocol routes to utilise their full potential, the joint declaration said.

The two Prime Ministers expressed satisfaction at the "unparallelled level of cooperation between the two countries on security related issues and reaffirmed their "unequivocal and uncompromising position against extremism and terrorism in all forms and manifestations, it said.

The two prime ministers expressed satisfaction at the conclusion of the MOUs on Prevention of Smuggling of Fake Currency Notes, Cooperation between Coast Guards and Prevention of Human Trafficking, all of which will augment security cooperation.

The two leaders stressed the need for effective implementation of the Coordinated Border Management Plan (CBMP) for better border management so as to prevent cross border criminal activities, irregular movement, incidents of violence and tragic loss of lives.

They agreed on the need to free the borders from criminal activities.

Both prime ministers also welcomed the finalisation of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for allowing usage of Indian border roads for construction and maintenance of Border Out Posts (BOPs) of Border Guard Bangladesh as well as use of Indian medical facilities in difficult areas in the border area by Bangladeshi personnel, who are deployed in vicinity.

Both prime ministers reiterated that the number of deaths at the border must be brought down to zero and directed the concerned authorities and border guarding forces to work to that effect.

They welcomed the holding of the first round of meetings of deputy commissioners/ district magistrates of clusters of bordering districts and put emphasis on regular holding of meetings.

Ms. Hasina invited India's cooperation in jointly developing the Ganges Barrage on the river Padma in Bangladesh.

Mr. Modi conveyed that he would have the matter examined by the concerned agencies in India, according to the joint statement.

Nestle Takes Maggi off the Shelves

NEW DELHI: Nestle India has decided to take its instant noodles Maggi off the shelves a day after four states - Uttarakhand, Gujarat, Jammu and Kashmir and Tamil Nadu - placed temporary bans on it on Thursday. On Wednesday, Delhi had imposed a 15-day ban on the popular noodles.

In a press statement, released after midnight, Nestle India said, "MAGGI Noodles are completely safe and have been trusted in India for over 30 years.
The trust of our consumers and the safety of our products is our first priority. Unfortunately, recent developments and unfounded concerns about the product have led to an environment of confusion for the consumer, to such an extent that we have decided to withdraw the product off the shelves, despite the product being safe."

Uttarakhand banned the popular snack "till further notice". Gujarat and Jammu and Kashmir banned it for a month. Tamil Nadu banned Maggi for three months after its tests found lead twice above the permissible limit.

Maggi has been under scanner after it was allegedly found to have eight times the permissible limit of lead during a test by food safety authorities in Uttar Pradesh. Tests in certain states have arrived at similar results.

Other states like Gujarat, Maharashtra, Bihar, Jharkhand, Haryana, Punjab and Himachal Pradesh are testing the noodles following an advisory from the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India.

"This is for the first time after Independence that suo motu cognizance in such matter has been taken and case referred to National Commission," said Union minister Ram Vilas Paswan, who has ordered safety checks on Maggi. "The authorities will submit a report to the National Commission."

Delhi has ordered tests on all brands of noodles while placing a 15-day ban on Maggi. Nestle India, which manufactures the snack, has been asked to recall current stocks and make available fresh stock, which will be allowed on shelves only after proper checks.

West Bengal has ordered tests on Maggi noodles as well as popular snacks manufactured by other companies. "We had also got complaints about Kurkure and Lays so we are getting those tested as well," state Consumer Affairs Minister Sadhan Pande said.

The Army has already stopped the sale of Maggi in its canteens and has issued an advisory, asking soldiers to avoid it.

Most retailers in Mumbai have decided to play safe, pulling Maggi off shelves. So did Big Bazaar, the largest retail chain in India. Maharashtra is expecting its test results on Friday.