Month: November 2020

US President Donald Trump on Sunday appeared to acknowledge in public for the first time that President-elect Joe Biden had “won” the election but kept up his assertion that the election was “rigged.”

“He won because the Election was Rigged. NO VOTE WATCHERS OR OBSERVERS allowed, vote tabulated by a Radical Left privately owned company, Dominion, with a bad reputation & bum equipment that couldn’t even qualify for Texas (which I won by a lot!), the Fake & Silent Media, & more!”. Trump tweeted.

Democratic candidate Biden, in his third attempt at the White House, defeated Trump in a closely contested election to become the 46th president of the United States.

The former vice president was declared the President-elect after victory in the battleground state of Pennsylvania, which took him past the electoral college threshold of 270 votes.

However, Trump refused to concede defeat, saying that the election was “far from over”, and promised legal challenges by his re-election campaign.

The president had pledged to go forward with a legal strategy that he hopes will overturn state results that gave Biden the win. (ANI)

Newly-elected BJP legislature party leader Tarkishore Prasad on Sunday said that the party is deliberating on two Deputy Chief Ministers in Bihar.

“I have been given big responsibility of the leader of the BJP legislature party and I will carry out the duty to the best of my ability,” Prasad told ANI.

Asked if there will be two deputy chief ministers from BJP in Bihar, he said: “The party is deliberating on it. We will follow the directions of the party. I can’t comment on it as of now.”

After Prasad’s was appointed as the leader of BJP legislature party, Sushil Kumar Modi said no one can take away the post of the party worker and he will discharge the responsibility that will be given to him.

Modi was the deputy chief minister in Nitish Kumar’s last cabinet and also the leader of BJP’s legislature party in Bihar before 2020 Assembly polls.

“Congratulations to Tarkishoreji for being unanimously elected as the leader of BJP legislature party,” Modi tweeted in Hindi.

“The BJP and the Sangh Parivar gave me so much in the political life of 40 years that somebody else might have not received it. I will discharge the responsibility that will be given to me. No one can take away the post of the worker,” he said in another tweet.

Earlier in the day, a meeting of the NDA was held where Nitish Kumar was named as the leader, paving the way for his return as chief minister for the fourth consecutive term.

NDA secured a majority in the recently-concluded election to 243-member Bihar Assembly by winning 125 seats.

Janata Dal (United) chief Nitish Kumar met Bihar Governor Phagu Chauhan to stake claim to form NDA government. Later, he announced that the swearing-in ceremony of the new cabinet will take place on Monday.

“Oath taking ceremony to be held tomorrow afternoon around 4.30 pm,” Kumar said. (ANI)

Bollywood on Sunday mourned the demise of legendary Bengali actor and Dada Saheb Phalke Award winner Soumitra Chatterjee.

Conveying his condolences to the family of the late actor on Twitter, actor Anil Kapoor called him “a legend and an inspiration”.

Paresh Rawal too paid an emotional tribute to Chatterjee and tweeted, “Soumitra Chatterji. An self-effacing actor. Om Shanti.”

By sharing a picture of the iconic duo- filmmaker Satyajit Ray and Chatterjee, veteran actor Raj Babbar wrote on Twitter in Hindi: “Soumitra Chatterjee was a veteran actor who has passed away today. He started his acting journey from Satyajit Roy’s ‘Apur Sansar’ and an award like Dada Saheb Phalke Award is the example of his acting skills and his ease while delivering them. While performing the characters, he used to forget everything. Saumitra da, will miss you very much.”

Randeep Hooda termed the actor’s demise as the ‘end of an era’. He tweeted, “The end of an era .. RIP Legend #SoumitraChatterjee (with folded hands emojis)

Richa Chadha also mourned Chatterjee’s passing away and shared an old photo of him with his frequent collaborator Satyajit Ray. She tweeted, “RIP Soumitra Chatterjee! You live on through your work for eternity! Thank you for the movies. A big, big loss to the world of cinema and art. An era has indeed ended with no one in sight to fill the void.”

Reacting to the news, Manoj Bajpayee tweeted, “Tragic loss!! Rest in peace Sir!! Your contribution to the Indian Cinema will always be remembered and inspire the generations to come !!”

Rahul Bose also shared a throwback pic with Chatterjee on Instagram and wrote a long note. His note read, “There was a time when I went on a #SatyajitRay films watching spree and Soumitrada was in most of them. So working with him in #15ParkAvenue felt surreal. Needless to say I incessantly asked questions about cinema, Ray, his working style etc. He answered everything with generosity and warmth. Rest in peace, Soumitrada. #SoumitraChatterjee (Obviously that’s @konkona in the image too. Probably from one of the post release functions of 15Park).”

Chatterjee, 85, passed away on Sunday afternoon. He was admitted in Belle Vue Hospital, Kolkata on and was put in ICU after being tested positive for COVID-19. He was also tested negative later on.

Iconic Bengali actor and Dada Saheb Phalke Award winner Chatterjee was known for his collaborations with Oscar-winning film director Satyajit Ray. (ANI)

After meeting Governor Phagu Chauhan to stake claim to form NDA government in Bihar,Janata Dal (United) chief Nitish Kumar on Sunday announced that swearing-in ceremony of the new cabinet will take place on Monday.

“Oath taking ceremony to be held tomorrow afternoon around 4.30 pm,” Kumar said after leaving Raj Bhavan in Patna.

When asked if former Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Modi will be part of the new cabinet, the JD(U) chief said, ” The final decisions regarding the new cabinet are yet to be taken. You will be notified once it is finalised.”

Kumar was named as the leader of the NDA legislature party thus paving the way for his return as chief minister for the fourth consecutive term

“Nitish Kumar elected as the leader of the NDA legislature party,” Defence Minister and BJP leader Rajnath Singh said while addressing media in Patna.

This came after the leaders of NDA met in Patna to deliberate on the Bihar Elections results.

Prior to their joint meeting, JDU and BJP held separate meetings in Patna today.

This comes as the constituents of the NDA secured a majority in the recently concluded Bihar Assembly Elections.

The BJP had won 74 seats, JD-U 43, while eight seats were won by other NDA constituents. (ANI)

By Ajit K Dubey

Amid the ongoing tensions with China, India is all set to showcase the massive firepower of the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile by the month-end as the three defence forces would carry out multiple firings of the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) developed missile system in the Indian Ocean Region in the last week of this month.

The BrahMos supersonic cruise missile is the world’s fastest operational system in its class and recently DRDO has extended the range of the missile system from the existing 298 km to around 450 km.

The defence services are scheduled to carry out multiple test-firings of the BrahMos in the last week of November against different targets in the Indian Ocean Region. The tests would help the defence services to further improve the performance of the missile system, government sources told ANI.

In the last two months, DRDO has been successful in testing both new and existing missile systems including the Shaurya missile system which can hit targets at over 800 km and technology demonstration vehicles for hypersonic missile technology.

Recently, the Indian Air Force had flown its Sukhoi-30 aircraft from the Halwara air base in Punjab and launched the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile at an old warship acting as its target in the Bay of Bengal area. The air-launched version of the missile has been used to equip a squadron of the Air Force in Thanjavur in Tamil Nadu.

The BrahMos-equipped aircraft from the squadron were also deployed close to the Northern borders soon after the conflict with China had started and 20 Indian soldiers lost their lives in the Galwan valley in a clash with the Chinese Army.

Last month, the Indian Navy had also carried out the test firing of the Brahmos missile from its warship INS Chennai to showcase its capability to strike targets at ranges more than 400 km in high seas.

India is also working on finding export markets for the supersonic cruise missile which has been indigenised to a large extent by the DRDO under its project PJ 10.

After the launch of the joint venture between India and Russia in the late 90s, the Brahmos supersonic cruise missile has become a potent weapon for the all three armed forces which are using them for different roles in different trains. (ANI)

Twenty-five people have been arrested over the last four days by the Directorate General of Goods & Services Tax (GST) Intelligence (DGGI) in some 350 cases across the country against 1,180 entities involved in creating fake invoices and GST evasion.

“In a nationwide drive intensified in the second week of November against unscrupulous elements for availing and passing on of the input tax credit (ITC) fraudulently through fake invoices, non-existent or fly-by-night firms and circular trading, so far in just last four days 25 persons have been arrested including two kingpins and two professionals in some 350 cases booked for issuance of fake invoices against 1180 entities,” according to a DGGI press statement.

This is one of the biggest drives against unscrupulous elements for availing and passing on of the input tax credit (ITC) fraudulently through fake invoices, non-existent or fly-by-night firms and circular trading.

The amount of fake ITC involved is being ascertained. However, searches and investigation are on to identify and apprehend the other persons who were involved in the racket and also the beneficiaries who have used the fake invoices to evade GST, Income Tax, and do money laundering.

DGGI and CGST formations have taken actions in Delhi, Bengaluru, Mumbai, Ludhiana, Chennai, Nagpur, Kolkata, Gurugram, Jind, Ballabhgarh, Ahmedabad, Surat, Vadodara, Bhilai, Jodhpur, Hyderabad, Mathura, Raipur, Visakhapatnam, Jamshedpur, Patna, Imphal, Meerut, Guwahati, Pune, Siliguri, Bhopal and Bhubaneshwar.

Major goods involved in these cases including articles of iron and steel, copper rod/wire, waste and scrap of non-ferrous metals, plastic granules, PVC resin, readymade garments, gold and silver, construction services, works contract services, Agro Products, Milk Product, mobile, manpower supply services, advertisement and animation services.

According to DGGI sources, “DGGI, Mumbai Zone has arrested Sunil Gutte, son of a sitting MLA and sugar baron Ratnakar Gutte and Managing Director of Sunil Hi-tech along with his business associate Vijendra Ranka, the two kingpins of fake invoice scams worth of Rs 520 crore of ITC in Maharashtra.”

In another major case, the Delhi CGST Zone registered a case of GST fraud against M/s Krishna Trading Co. which was found to have issued invoices without the supply of goods passing on ITC amounting to approximately Rs 397 crore, sources added.

The drive against the GST evaders and ITC fraudsters is expected to further intensify in days to come and many more arrests will be done, DGGI sources said. A top source said that cases would also be investigated against the beneficiaries by the Enforcement Directorate for money laundering.

Sources said that fake invoices are not only used for evading GST and income tax, but also for inflating the expenses to siphon off money from the companies by unscrupulous owners, transferring the money abroad through hawala and bogus or inflated imports and exports.

“They are also used to obtain higher loans from banks, siphon the loan money, become NPA and then abuse IBC process to move to NCLT, and thereby defraud banks and other financial creditors. Fake invoices are also misused by the unscrupulous exporters to claim higher GST refund and MEIS’s incentives which the Government has decided to terminate and replace it by RoDTEP from January 2021,” they said.

Apart from taking action against the accused under GST laws, Income Tax Act and Prevention of Money Laundering Act, issuers of fake invoices as well as beneficiaries of such invoices it is being examined if they can be detained under COFEPOSA, sources said, adding further that the procedure for new GST registration is also being tightened.

The nationwide drive, which started on November 9, was intensified after a high-level meeting in the Department of Revenue. DGGI and its Zonal Units also sensitised the head of the field formations on the future course of action and the framework of the crackdown.

Later, a plan was chalked out whereby DGARM, DGGI, and CBDT were to collate data against the suspected entities who were indulging in fake invoice racket, sources said. (ANI)

Amid growing human rights concerns in the country, Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan’s greetings to the Hindu citizens on the occasion of Diwali on Saturday has evoked several sarcastic comments on social media, reported Sputnik.

“Is any Hindu left in Pakistan? I thought all are already converted, anyways, Happy Diwali,” said a Twitter user.

Another Twitter user stated that Pakistan has as many Hindus as the number of letters in Khan’s tweet.

“Do you still have any left, in Pakistan?” asked another Twitterati.

Meanwhile, the Hindu community in Pakistan’s Karachi city celebrated Diwali on Saturday.

“We have come here to celebrate this festival with colourful rangolis. I feel instead of playing with blood, it is so much better to celebrate our festivals with colours,” said Pooja a Pakistani Hindu.

Pakistan has always been targeted worldwide for perpetuating violence against its minorities. On several occasions, it has promised to safeguard the interest of the minority communities in the nation, however, continuing attacks on them narrate a different tale.

This is manifested in various forms of targeted violence, mass murders, extrajudicial killings, abduction, rapes, forced conversion to Islam, etc., making Pakistani Hindus, Christians, Sikhs, Ahmadiyyas, and Shias the most persecuted minorities in the region.

On October 1, a 17-year old Hindu girl, who was allegedly raped a year earlier, had committed suicide in Pakistan’s Tharparkar district after she was reportedly blackmailed by the accused who was out on bail.

In another case in Karachi, a 13-year-old Christian girl, Arzoo Raja, was abducted allegedly by Ali Azhar, a 44-year-old man, who forced her to convert to Islam and married her. (ANI)