The Canadian Parvasi - Issue 87

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Issue No : 87
Email: editor@canadianparvasi.com Contact Number : 905-673-0600 April 05, 2019 | Toronto | Pages 12
No regrets in SNC-Lavalin affair,
Wilson-Raybould and Philpott say
Ottawa: Prime Minister
Justin Trudeau got a first-hand
glimpse of the fallout from the
SNC-Lavalin affair when he addressed
young women staging a
mock Parliament in the House
of Commons Wednesday: about
four dozen of them turned their
backs on him while he tried to
explain why he had booted Jody
Wilson-Raybould and Jane Philpott
out of the Liberal caucus
the day before.
It was a rough start for
Trudeau's efforts to re-establish
himself as a feminist and supporter
of reconciliation with
Indigenous Peoples.
"There's always going to be a
range of opinions we need to listen
to," Trudeau told the women.
"But ultimately, diversity ...
only works if there is trust and
within a team when that trust
gets broken, we have to figure
out how to move forward."
"It's actually easy to stand in
a place and cross your arms and
stand in a place and say, 'I'm not
budging from my position because
I'm right,'" he added later.
"What is actually more difficult
is to look for thoughtful compromise."
Some of the women, delegates
chosen to represent
each of the country's 338 ridings
through a program called
Daughters of the Vote, were
unconvinced. They called him a
"fake feminist" and doubted the
authenticity of his commitment
to reconciling with Indigenous
Peoples — sentiments echoed
by opposition parties.
"It was like a microcosm of
the history of Canada, with a
white man telling Indigenous
women where they can and
cannot be and exercising their
power and their privilege over
them," said Riley Yesno, one of
the young women brought to
Parliament by Equal Voice, a
group dedicated to increasing
the presence of women in politics.
Yesno, an Anishnaabe University
of Toronto student who
grew up in Thunder Bay, Ont.,
called Trudeau's treatment of
Wilson-Raybould "colonial violence"
and further dubbed him
a "fake feminist." While she
doesn't necessarily believe he
has "malicious intent" towards
women, she said the expulsions
of the former ministers "extremely
negatively affect women"
and "impact matters more
than intention."
Many of the same women
walked out of the Commons
altogether when Conservative
Leader Andrew Scheer
addressed them. Yesno said
that was done deliberately, so
their protest against Trudeau
couldn't be used as ammunition
by the official Opposition.
However, Trudeau got some
unexpected support from Philpott,
who spoke a short time later,
alongside Wilson-Raybould,
outside the Commons.
Continued on page 02
PM Modi Awarded
Zayed Medal, UAE's
Top Civilian Honour
SIT Fails to Quiz Ram Rahim in Absence
of District Magistrate's Permission
NEW DELHI: Prime Minister
Narendra Modi was
awarded Zayed Medal,
the United Arab Emirates'
highest civilian award, on
Thursday as a mark of appreciation
for his efforts
to boost bilateral ties between
the two nations. The
Zayed Medal has earlier
been awarded to Russian
President Vladimir Putin,
former US president
George W Bush, former
France president Nicolas
Sarkozy, German Chancellor
Angela Markel, Queen
Elizabeth II from the United
Kingdom and Chinese
President Xi Jinping.
In a tweet, the Crown
Prince of Abu Dhabi, Mohamed
bin Zayed Al Nahyan,
said, "We have historical
and comprehensive
strategic ties with India,
reinforced by the pivotal
role of my dear friend,
Prime Minister Narendra
Modi, who gave these relations
a big boost."
Continued on page 08
Rohtak/Chandigarh:
The Special Investigation
Team (SIT) of the
Punjab Police probing the
case of Dera Sacha Sauda
head Gurmeet Ram Rahim
on Tuesday returned
empty-handed after the
district administration
refused to give them permission
to interrogate the
rape convict.
SIT had been camping
inside the premises of Sunaria
jail in Rohtak since
Monday evening, as the
jail authorities sought the
District Magistrate’s go
ahead. The DM, however,
failed to give its permission
for the interrogation.
Rohtak’s Deputy Commissioner-cum-District
Magistrate, Dr Yash Garg,
refused to comment on
the issue while Haryana
Jail minister, Krishan
Lal Panwar only said that
interrogation cannot take
place until permission is
granted.
“The jail manual
doesn’t allow anyone, be
it a common man or the
SIT, to meet a prisoner
without the permission
of the District Magistrate.
Until the DM gives us the
permission, we can’t allow
the SIT to interrogate Ram
Rahim. As of now, the DM
hasn’t given the go-ahead,
and the process in on,” he
said.
News18 has learnt that
the SIT is likely to make
another attempt to quiz
the Sirsa-based Dera chief
in the coming days.
The SIT, which is investigating
the police firing
incidents in Behbal
Kalan and Kotkapura and
related sacrilege cases,
Continued on page 08
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The International News Weekly Canada
April 05, 2019 | Toronto 02
No regrets in SNC-Lavalin affair,
Wilson-Raybould and Philpott say
Continued from page 01
Asked about the prime
minister's feminist credentials,
Philpott said: "I wish
him the best. I wish him
the opportunity to continue
his good work."
Trudeau informed the
two former ministers Tuesday
that he won't allow
them to seek re-election
as Liberal candidates this
fall. Both said Wednesday
it's too soon to say whether
their careers in politics are
finished or whether they
might run as independents
or for another party.
"I would like to think
that there may be steps,
that I could continue in a
political role somehow but
I don't know what that will
be," said Philpott, speaking
alongside Wilson-
Raybould. "It's too early to
say." "I need to take some
time to reflect," said Wilson-Raybould.
Wilson-Raybould believes
she was moved out
of the prestigious justice
portfolio to Veterans Affairs
in a mid-January cabinet
shuffle as punishment
for refusing to intervene
to stop the criminal prosecution
of SNC-Lavalin on
THE CANADIAN PRESS
Parts of federal and Ontario
laws requiring sex-offender
registration in cases where
an accused is granted an absolute
discharge after being
found not criminally responsible
discriminate against the
mentally ill and are therefore
unconstitutional, Ontario’s
top court ruled Thursday.
While the court ordered
information belonging to the
man who brought the case
to be deleted immediately
from sex-offender registries,
the justices also gave governments
12 months to fix the
offending legislation, widely
known in Ontario as Christopher’s
Law. “Persons found
(not criminally responsible
because of a mental disorder)
stand in a dramatically different
place than those convicted
of a criminal offence,” the Appeal
Court said. “(They) have
done nothing wrong in the
eyes of the criminal law, and
cannot be punished by the
state for what they did.”
The challenge was
brought by a man identified
Sex-offender registry laws
discriminate against mentally
ill, Ontario court rules
only as G, who was charged
with sexually assaulting his
wife while in a manic state.
He was found not criminally
responsible in June 2002. The
Ontario Review Board granted
him an absolute discharge
a year later.
He has since led a “lawabiding
and productive life,”
according to court records.
Nevertheless, under
Christopher’s Law enacted
in 2001, G was required to
register as a sex offender for
life. Among other things, the
law requires him to provide
personal information to police,
and report to them once
a year.
Similar federal legislation,
enacted in 2004, imposes
the same requirements but
allows termination of the registry
obligation 20 years after
the not criminally responsible
finding. G, 57, challenged the
constitutionality of the registries
as they apply to those
found not criminally responsible
and who have received
an absolute discharge from a
review board.
Both Ottawa and Ontario
argued the laws were in line
with the charter, or were otherwise
justified in a democratic
society.
In November 2017, Superior
Court Justice Thomas Lederer
rejected G’s challenge,
prompting his appeal.
bribery charges related
to contracts in Libya. She
has testified that she faced
relentless pressure last
fall from Trudeau, his office,
the top public servant
and others to override the
director of public prosecutions,
who had decided not
to invite the Montreal engineering
giant to negotiate
a remediation agreement,
a kind of plea bargain.
Wilson-Raybould quit
the cabinet in mid-February
and Philpott followed a
few weeks later, saying she
had lost confidence in the
government's handling of
the SNC-Lavalin file.
The revelation last
week that Wilson-Raybould
had surreptitiously
recorded a phone conversation
with Michael Wernick,
the clerk of the Privy
Council, to bolster her
contention of undue pressure
was the last straw for
Liberal MPs, who openly
called on Trudeau to expel
the former ministers. On
Tuesday, Trudeau called
the secret recording "unconscionable,"
proof that
the ex-minister could no
longer be trusted.
"Trust is a two-way
street," Wilson-Raybould
shot back Wednesday. "It
is unconscionable not to
uphold the rule of law."
Neither Philpott nor
Wilson-Raybould expressed
regret for standing
up for what they believed
was right.
"You have to be able to
hold your head high and
look at yourself in the mirror
at the end of the day
and say that the choices
you made were the best
ones under the circumstances,"
said Philpott.
In the Commons during
question period, Conservative
Leader Andrew
Scheer said the whole
episode demonstrates that
"speaking truth to power"
disqualifies strong women
from inclusion in the Liberal
party.
Trudeau said he'll take
no lessons from the Conservatives
on feminism,
noting that he still has "18
strong women members of
cabinet who lead every day
on the big issues that matter
to Canadians."
Trudeau ended the day
at a meeting with Natan
Obed, president of the Inuit
Tapiriit Kanatami, and
several other Inuit leaders
and federal cabinet ministers,
for a meeting of the
Inuit-Crown Partnership
Committee, formed two
years ago to improve the
relationship. He promised
to continue a path towards
reconciliation on issues
such as education, suicide
prevention, and climate
change.
Quebec’s Deputy Premier
says citizens who see
municipalities or school
boards failing to apply the
province’s proposed secular
dress code can call the
police to have the law enforced.
Provincial Public Security
Minister Geneviève
Guilbault told reporters at
the Quebec National Assembly
that it is the job of
the police to enforce the
law, and the province’s
proposed ban on wearing
religious symbols in some
public service jobs would
be no different. “The law
is the law,” Ms. Guilbault
said. “People can advise police
services, like they do to
have any other law applied.
The law is the law.” She
later clarified that she is
confident officials will obey
the law.
Several Montreal-area
municipalities and school
boards say they would not
enforce a ban on religiously
symbolic garments such as
the turban, kippa, hijab and
crucifix from being worn
Federal Budget 2019
Helps Brampton Freeze
Property Tax Increase
Ms. Ruby Sahota, Member of Parliament for Brampton
North applauds Brampton City Council for putting
a freeze on the city’s portion of the annual property tax
levy. This was achieved in part by the municipal infrastructure
top-up announced in the Federal 2019 Budget.
This top-up will double the amount of money that
Brampton gets through
the Gas Tax Transfer for
2018-2019, bringing the total
amount to $50 million.
“The City of Brampton
can use these funds to address
the short-term priorities,
including renovations
to the Loafers Lake Recreation
Centre, repairing
roads, expanding Brampton
Transits’ bus fleets, and dredging and restoring stormwater
ponds,” said MP Sahota. “By applying this onetime
Gas Tax Transfer fund to eligible infrastructure
projects, this frees up taxbased capital funding to be used
in the place of debt financing, which resulted in a $1.77
million annual debt repayment reduction on the City’s
operating budget, providing much needed property tax
relief to residents and businesses.”
“During the last election, Canadians made a clear
choice between the Conservative & NDP plan for austerity
and cuts, and our Liberal plan to invest in the middle
class,” said MP Ruby Sahota.
“Bramptonians made the right choice. Our government
is investing directly into municipal infrastructure
to help Brampton offset infrastructure costs and put a
stop to increasing property taxes. The Government of
Canada is making significant investments to strengthen
communities like Brampton, while making everyday life
more affordable for the middle class and people working
hard to join it.”
People can call police if secular
dress code not adhered to, Quebec
Public Security Minister says
by people in positions of authority,
including teachers
and police officers.
The brewing resistance
led to questions on Tuesday
about how the government
could enforce the law,
which would contain no punitive
measures. The Public
Security Minister, the
Justice Minister and Premier
François Legault each
gave different answers.
Early in the day, Justice
Minister Sonia LeBel said if
a school board or city refuses
to enforce the law,
the province could obtain
a court injunction to force
compliance. Disobeying
an injunction could lead to
contempt of court charges,
she said, while stressing
this is not her preferred avenue.
“I’m very confident
once the law is adopted, the
mayors and school board
commissioners … I’m confident
there will be no civil
disobedience,” she said.
Mr. Legault later told
reporters some of his rookie
cabinet ministers were getting
carried away answering
hypothetical questions.
“We hope we won’t have to
take steps to force people
to respect the law. I won’t
say what those steps could
be,” Mr. Legault said. “We
shouldn’t be talking about
that. Quebeckers know
there are means to force respect
for the law.”
The CAQ’s law would
require civil servants to
deliver services with faces
uncovered, and citizens to
uncover for identification
purposes. It also invokes
the notwithstanding clause,
a provision that would protect
it from most avenues of
legal challenge.
Most of the people who
would be affected are Muslim
teachers who wear
headscarves. The English
Montreal School Board was
among the first public organizations
to say it would
not abide by the law. Other
boards and several municipalities,
particularly on
the west side of Montreal
Island, where anglophones
and immigrant communities
predominate, joined in.

The International News Weekly Canada
April 05, 2019 | Toronto
03
City Councillor Jeff bowman inform
about illegal basement to Premier Ford
It id sadness that I bring to your
attention yet another house fire
in the City of Brampton in which
there was a fatality recorded by the
first responders at the scene.
This fire occurred on March 31
approximately 20.50. The City dispatch
two squads, two pumpers,
two aerials, along with the District
Chief and Platoon Chief, to 35 Stalbridge
Avenue, in Ward 4, which I
represent on Brampton City Council.
The address also falls within
one of the City’s three identified
“hot zones”- a neighborhood with
an increased incidence of fires.
On arrival, crews found heavy
smoke conditions in the downstairs
living area and while searching
the premises, they discovered a
patient, who sadly died from their
injuries.
The scene is currently under
investigation with our Fire Department
and the Ontario Fire
Marshal’s Office, but they have
already determined the basement
apartment was illegal was illegal.
Although this fire was “minor”
from a fire suppression perspective,
it highlights the immediate
and deadly consequences that a
small fire con produce, especially
in an illegal basement apartment.
I raise this as an important issue
for your and your government,
because the City is seeing a marked
increase over the years of house
fires that have started in home
with a basement apartment, especially
secondary units that were
not legally registered through the
city of Brampton.
This is the first fire fatality in
Brampton since 2017, and given the
tragic consequences, our City will
take the opportunity to increase
public education and fire prevention
awareness.
In fact, the Brampton Fire Chief
Bill Boyes and the Brampton Fire
team will be knocking on doors in
the immediate surrounding area to
share fire safety messaging in the
community.
It the 2018-2020 budget document,
the City of Brampton established
a partnership with Enforcement
and By-Law Services to
respond to the increase activity
around illegal second unit. This
special task force focuses on illegal
secondary units, lodging house
and group homes. Further, it aims
to utilize advanced and innovative
investigative strategies to combat
the proliferation of illegal units in
housing with the City of Brampton.
But we need your help .
I am seeking your assistance in
updating the Fire Protection and
Prevention Act (1997, S.O. 1997,
c.4) and the building Code Act
(1992) to allow City Enforcement
offices to enter a premises that is
suspected of having an illegal basement
apartment. This will help ensure
all health and safety protocols
are met properly (i.e. sprinklers,
smoke detectors and carbon monoxide
units are installed), and no
sub-par construction or electrical
work was done.
I fully understand and appreciate
the critical need for affordable
housing options, however, it
is imperative that these secondary
units comply with all current dire
and safety codes, and that they are
inspected are registered with the
City to meet full compliance.
I look forward to your response
and am available to meet to discuss
this issue futher.
Wilson-Raybould defends
secret recording that led to
her ouster, says ‘something
very dangerous’ loomed
Former attorney general Jody Wilson-Raybould is defending
the secret recording of Clerk of the Privy Council Michael
Wernick that appears to have tipped the scales in Prime Minister
Justin Trudeau’s decision to eject her from caucus. On Tuesday
night, Trudeau said the secret recording of the phone call, which
Wilson-Raybould had described as one in which Wernick made
“veiled threats” against her, was “unconscionable” and that the
trust between caucus and her had been broken.
He also removed former Treasury Board president Jane
Philpott over her resignation from cabinet and for saying she had
“lost confidence” in Trudeau’s handling of the allegations of attempted
political interference made by Wilson-Raybould in four
explosive hours of testimony before the House of Commons justice
committee last month.
Wilson-Raybould hit back at that characterization on
Wednesday.
“Talking about unconscionable, it’s unconscionable to tread
over the independence of the prosecutor,” she said. “It is unconscionable
not to uphold the rule of law, and I have always maintained
that stance. I think it is very alarming that people are
focusing on the actual recording of the tape as opposed to the contents
of the tape. The contents of the tape, in my view and the view
of many people that have reached out, speak for [themselves].”
She also stressed that she has explained why she made the
decision to record that call, which was the culmination of four
months of requests from top political staffers as well as Trudeau
for her to reconsider her decision not to intervene in the criminal
case of SNC-Lavalin.
“I said in any other circumstance it would be inappropriate.
I was protecting myself. I knew something very dangerous and
wrong was going to happen,” Wilson-Raybould said.
Trudeau has repeatedly refused to apologize for what Wilson-
Raybould has described as a “consistent and sustained effort”
between September and December 2018 by himself and his most
senior staff to pressure her into agreeing to intervene in the criminal
trial of SNC-Lavalin.

The International News Weekly Canada
April 05, 2019 | Toronto 04
Public education under attack:
Strike to fight back!
Public education
in Ontario is
under attack by
the Doug Ford
Conservatives.
Education Minister
Lisa Thompson announced
increases to intermediate
and high school class sizes.
While class sizes will remain
the same from kindergarten
to Grade 3, Grades
4-8 will increase by one student
per classroom—from
a current 23 students to 24.
Grades 9 to 12 will see an
average increase of 6 students
per classroom, going
from 22 up to 28. However,
because these are averages,
many high school classes
are already well into the
30s, which offsets smaller
specialized classes. This
means that high school
classrooms could very well
reach the 40s.
While Thompson told
reporters that, “Not one
teacher—not one—will lose
their job because of our
class size strategy," there
is no reason to believe this
is true. Doug Ford has already
backed away from
his campaign promise that
no public sector workers
would lose their job under
his government, saying
this now only applies to undefined
“front-line” workers.
Already, 40 nurses are
being laid off at the Grand
River Hospital in Kitchener
(and if nurses aren’t
frontline workers then we
don’t know who is!), and
the closure of the Thunder
Bay office of the Child
and Youth Advocate will
result in an undetermined
number of job losses. The
Toronto District School
Board has also already announced
impending layoffs
as a result of a $25 million
cut to specialized education
programs announced
before the class increases.
As a result of class size
increases, Harvey Bischof,
president of the Ontario
Secondary School Teachers’
Federation (OSSTF),
has stated that 5,700 jobs in
English public high schools
alone will be impacted.
Across all school boards,
approximately 10,000 teaching
positions are expected
to be eliminated over four
years. Bischof is quoted
by the CBC saying "It's a
sledgehammer blow to the
education system in Ontario"
and that is precisely
what it is.
The increase in class
sizes is not only an attack
on teachers and jobs, but
also on students. Educators
have highlighted that
students’ education will
suffer as a result of bigger
class sizes. Some problems
that have been raised are
the increased difficulty of
classroom management
that comes with larger
class sizes, and that teachers
will be able to pay less
individual attention to
each student. This will especially
impact students
with learning challenges
and higher needs.
In response to educators’
concerns about
the impact the class increases
will have on students,
Education Minister
Lisa Thompson brazenly
claimed that larger class
sizes would build students’
“resiliency” and prepare
them for the “reality of
post-secondary, as
well as the world of
work”. There is simply
no evidence that
larger class sizes
build “resiliency”, a
claim that only adds
insult to injury and
ignores the expertise
of teachers across
the province.
Students have
begun mobilizing
against these attacks.
On Thursday, April
4th tens of thousands
of students from
over 800 elementary
schools and high
schools across the
province are participating
in a province
wide walk-out to
protest the funding
cuts and increased
class room sizes, as
well as several other
changes to the education
system being
implemented by the
Ford government. This is
the second province-wide
action this academic year.
In September 2018, an estimated
38,000 students from
75 high schools walked out
to protest Ford’s repeal of
the 2015 sex-ed curriculum.
This demonstrates a growing
political awareness and
anger among the youth,
who increasingly see no
future for themselves under
capitalism. The labour
movement should take
inspiration from these students
and organize mass resistance
to Ford’s attacks.
Already, a “rally for
education” has been organized
by the OSSTF, Elementary
Teachers’ Federation
of Ontario and CUPE,
at Queen’s Park in Toronto
for Saturday, April 6th,
with thousands expected to
attend. This is a good first
step in building momentum
toward escalating actions
and labour stoppages.
The high school teachers’
Manpreet Minhas
Barrister & Solicitor
REAL ESTATE
Rupinder Minhas
Barrister & Solicitor
Sale/Purchase of Residential & Commercial Properties
Mortgage Enforcements & Lease
Refinance & Private Mortgages
BUSINESS LAW
Incorporation & Shareholder agreements
Sales & Purchase of Assets & Shares
Notarization & Affidavits
contracts are set to expire
this August and local classroom
sizes are negotiated
through the collective bargaining
process. OSSTF
president Harvey Bischof
has warned that his members
will not concede to
bigger class sizes in their
local agreements, even suggesting
that there could be
“disruptions”. This must
be followed through with.
Ford has already declared,
“If the head of the
unions want to hurt the
children of this province
by doing walkouts
and everything else, I’d
think twice if I were
them.” Clearly, there is
no way to reason with
this government, much
like with the Liberals
before them. Ford’s
goal is not to bargain
fairly with teachers,
but to milk the education
system dry, freeing
up more money for
his corporate paymasters
who really call the
shots. Like any bully,
the only language Ford
understands is that of
force—and it’s about
time we start speaking
his language.
A powerful movement
is brewing at all
levels of the education
system. The school
walkouts, already
some of the largest
demonstrations in
years, are only the beginning.
Ford has declared
war on our schools, and the
students have responded
in kind. However, Ford is
not yet afraid. The power
of students may be mighty,
but the power of teachers
on strike is even mightier.
Students may be able to
shut down their schools,
but workers on strike can
shut down the entire province.
To do this, the teacher’s
unions only need a little
push—and the students are
First
Consultation
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WILLS & ESTATE
happy to provide it.
Ford, short sighted as he
is, may not be afraid now.
However, faced with a united
strike of teachers and students,
that can change very
quickly. Such a movement
could inspire other workers
suffering under Ford to join
them, making it all the more
powerful. Together, we can
not only shut down Ontario,
but bring down Ford and the
crooked capitalist system he
represents.
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Power of attorney for Property & Personal care
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Battleground Bengal
Trinamool has the lead but
BJP has opportunities in the
eastern state
As polls draw near, Bengal is one of the key
battleground states that BJP is eyeing as part
of its eastern push. With 42 Lok Sabha seats,
a solid BJP performance here is crucial to offsetting
expected losses in northern states like
UP. Party president Amit Shah has already set
the bar high by stating that he expects nothing
less than 23 seats from the Bengal campaign.
However, this is likely to be an uphill task given
the formidable position of the ruling Trinamool
Congress and chief minister Mamata
Banerjee. And while BJP’s Bengal vote share
has slowly increased over the years – from 6%
in 2009 to 17% in 2014 – the gap with Trinamool
is still gargantuan.
That said, the only party pushing Trinamool
out of its comfort zone is BJP. This is
because the other two Bengal contenders, Congress
and the Left, appear to be jaded and listless.
In a sign that BJP-Trinamool contest will
be intense, Mamata rescheduled her election
rally yesterday so that she could speak in Dinhata
just after Prime Minister Narendra Modi
finished his rallies in Siliguri and Kolkata,
thereby ensuring she had the last word.
Lack of a charismatic Bengali leader is
BJP’s biggest deficit in Bengal. Hindi-speaking
star campaigners just don’t have the same
traction here. Add to this Trinamool’s strong
booth level committees – a mechanism it took
over from the Left Front regime – and BJP has
its task cut out to reach the critical mass that
will see it converting votes into a significant
number of seats. In a way the situation is the
reverse of the national scene, where no opposition
leader looms as large as Modi. Mamata
likewise occupies the mindscape in Bengal.
Nonetheless, BJP may still have an opening
thanks to growing resentment against Trinamool’s
strong-arm ways. Failure to generate
new jobs and industry is another factor that
may go against Mamata – whom Modi called a
“speedbreaker” to development yesterday. On
its part, BJP is trying to play the anti-Bangladeshi
migrant card by promising a National
Register of Citizens for Bengal and touting the
Citizenship Amendment Bill as protection for
Hindu Bengali refugees. This may resonate
with some Bengal voters who harbour a latent
fear about the state being swamped by Bengalispeaking
Muslims of Bangladeshi origin. But
Mamata still remains in the driver’s seat with
BJP playing catch up in the state. TNN
Expect Modi To Repeat
2014 Victory
BJP has got its act together while opposition is
splintered and wholly unprepared
Arvind Panagariya
I have maintained,
since well before the Balakot
airstrikes, that Prime
Minister Narendra Modi
will repeat his 2014 election
victory in 2019. This conviction
is rooted in many
factors.
The first factor is Modi
himself. No matter what
some Delhi-centric journalists
and intellectuals might
say, he remains personally
intensely popular with people.
Through regular radio
broadcasts, social media
interactions, and personal
appearances at hundreds of
functions and rallies each
year, he has successfully
conveyed to the average
Indian that he is sincere,
hardworking and decisive.
Many may have specific
complaints about unfulfilled
promises. But few
doubt his unwavering commitment
to the nation and
its people.
The second factor is
Modi’s enormous energy
and ability to communicate
with the masses. These attributes
make him one of
the most effective election
campaigners in India’s
post-Independence history.
During the 2014 campaign,
he crisscrossed 3,00,000 km
to address hundreds of rallies
in person. Five years
later, his energy is undiminished.
With 150 rallies
already planned and more
in the works, he is poised
to convert the election into
a presidential-style contest
once again.
The third key factor
working in favour of Modi
is the alliance strategy of
the Bharatiya Janata Party
. There can be no doubt that
BJP has learnt from its mistakes
in 2004. In the run up
to that election, it had shot
itself in the foot by alienating
some key allies. Letting
DMK defect and join the
opposition alone cost it 14
seats in Parliament. This
time around, BJP has recognised
the importance of
alliance partners and bent
backwards to accommodate
old allies and nurture
new ones.
Fourth, the National
Democratic Alliance
(NDA) is greatly helped by
a splintered and wholly unprepared
opposition. Congress
and various regional
parties have little in common
to unite them except
opposition to Modi. And
that has been insufficient,
with BSP’s Mayawati publicly
criticising Congress
and Congress president Rahul
Gandhi hitting out at
TMC’s Mamata Banerjee.
Among opposition parties,
only Congress has a
national base. As far back
as July 2012, in an article
entitled ‘The Bell Tolls on
India’s Congress Party’,
Jagdish Bhagwati and I
had written, “With … Nehru-Gandhi
brand name
having lost its appeal, the
prospects for the Congress
in 2014 look bleak.” Today,
the story is not much different.
During the past five
years, Congress has done
precious little to either rebuild
its base or develop
a national policy agenda
that could form the basis of
a sustained election campaign.
As a result, the party
remains grossly short of
grassroots workers and Rahul
had to hang his entire
campaign on the slogan
“chowkidar chor hai”. Belatedly,
he has announced
a fiscally unfeasible cash
transfer scheme. But a dole
can hardly qualify as a policy
agenda.
Indeed, repetitions of
the “chowkidar chor hai”
slogan only reminds voters
of Modi’s unflinching commitment
to fight corruption,
the fifth reason for his
likely election victory. It is
no mean feat that during
the entire five years that
he has been in office, there
has not been a single case of
corruption against his government.
It is nobody’s case that
Modi has eliminated corruption
from India. But in
the battle of perceptions, he
clearly comes across as a
corruption warrior the like
of which India has not seen
in its post-Independence
history. Even the common
man has had some reprieve
because digitisation of
many government services
has robbed government
officials of the ability to
extract bribes for those services.
The last and final factor
that would help Modi get
a decisive mandate for the
next five years is his delivery
of substantial positive
outcomes in nearly all the
important areas that touch
people’s lives. In the area of
economic reforms, he can
be credited with the three
most important policy measures
of the last 15 years:
Insolvency and Bankruptcy
Code, Goods and Services
Tax, and Direct Benefit
Transfers. Through another
three projects – Swachh
Bharat, Jan Dhan Yojana
and Aadhaar – he has demonstrated
that he can do
things at scale.
In infrastructure, his
government has made exemplary
progress, which
has silenced critics who
had tried to discredit him
during his early years,
insisting that UPA had
delivered faster progress.
Whether it is road, rail,
air, or water transport, significant
progress has been
made. Moreover, with numerous
construction contracts
for roads and railways
already awarded, the
stage has been set for yet
faster progress in the years
to come.
Above all, going beyond
small traders and urban
Indians – the traditional
BJP constituency – Modi
has successfully claimed
the space that Congress
had traditionally occupied:
rural India. Early in his
tenure, he was quick to
centrally focus his rhetoric
as well as programmes and
policies on farmers and rural
poor.
For the former, he introduced
comprehensive
crop insurance, expanded
irrigation, and put in place
direct cash transfers and
e-national agricultural
market. For the latter, he
delivered road and digital
connectivity, electrification,
housing, toilets, clean
cooking gas and effective
implementation of the
employment guarantee
scheme. Surely, this hard
work is bound to translate
into another resounding
victory!
Source Credit: This article
was first published in The Times
of India. The writer is Professor
of Economics at Columbia University
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The International News Weekly world
April 05, 2019 | Toronto
07
‘Broke’ Mallya living off his
partner & kids, UK court told
London: Once the “King of
Good Times”, now Vijay Mallya
is insolvent and living off
his partner, his personal assistant,
a business acquaintance
and his adult children,
a court heard on Wednesday.
The London high court
heard that Mallya’s “partner/wife
Pinky Lalwani”
earns in excess of £150,000
(about Rs 1.35 crore) a year
and that the former billionaire
has just £328 million (Rs
2,956 crore) left in personal
assets, all of which he has put
towards his settlement offer
in the Karnataka high court.
He stated in his response
to a bankruptcy petition presented
by 13 Indian banks
that his children and Lalwani
“are supporting him”,
the banks’ submissions to
the court state.
Mallya owes more than
£1.142 billion to the 13 banks
pursuant to the DRT judgment,
which was registered
in the English courts in 2017,
but has made no voluntary
payments to date, the court
heard.
His personal assistant,
Ms Mahal, and a business
acquaintance, Mr Bedi,
have even advanced sums
of £84,000 (Rs 75.7 lakh) and
£128,000 (Rs 1.15 crore) to
him, respectively, Nigel
Tozzi QC, representing the
banks, said.
Mallya also owes £267,000
(about Rs 2.40 crore) to Inland
Revenue and an undisclosed
sum to his previous
lawyers, Macfarlanes, the
written arguments by Tozzi
disclose. He has also failed
to pay £175,000 (Rs 1.57 crore)
of the £375,000 (Rs 3.37 crore)
he owes the Indian banks in
legal costs.
Mallya’s lawyer, John
Brisby QC, told the court on
Wednesday that Mallya was
willing to drop his weekly
living allowance permitted
by the court from £18,000 (Rs
16.21 lakh) a week to £29,500
(Rs 26.57 lakh) a month since
the £16,000 (Rs 14.4 lakh)
monthly payments he previously
had to make on hire
purchase agreements “were
no longer required”.
The court also heard that
South African bank Investec
is owed £3.4 million (Rs 30.6
crore) by Mallya and has
joined the Indian banks in
their bankruptcy petition.
“He cannot on any view satisfy
judgment of £1.1 billion.
He is insolvent,” Brisby told
the court.
The commercial court
heard that the 63-year-old
had put together a £1.6 billion
settlement offer in the Karnataka
HC using his £328 million,
£969 million (about Rs
8,730 crore) from the principal
debtor, UB Holdings, and
£369 (approximately Rs 3,324
crore) million from third parties
who “are ready to chip in
assets to get rid of the claim
against him,” Brisby said.
The £328 million consists
of shares and properties, the
value of which may fluctuate,
the court heard. Wednesday’s
hearing was about an
application by the banks to
get their hands on money
in Mallya’s current account
with ICICI Bank UK Plc as
part of ongoing efforts to
enforce the Bengaluru DRT
judgment against Mallya in
the UK. The banks on January
14, 2019 got an interim
third-party debt order and attached
the amount of £259,000
(Rs 2.33 crore), which was in
his account at that time, but
Mallya is asking the court
to discharge that order proceedings
and is opposing the
order being made final.
Brisby argued that the
money the banks were owed
was “effectively secured in
India” within the Karnataka
HC offer and that the banks
had failed to disclose their
bankruptcy petition to the
court in its application. He
also said the £259,000 was
“peanuts”.
Brisby said the ICICI
bank account was the only
liquid source from which
Mallya could withdraw his
living expenses. Tozzi disputed
this. “There are no
constraints put on his lifestyle,”
Tozzi said. “He says
he needs to support wife or
partner and grown-up children
but Pinky Lalwani, his
partner or wife, earns more
than £150,000 a year and the
children are beneficiaries
of a family trust that owns
valuable collections of art,
cars, millionpound properties
around the world, superyachts
and a game reserve.
In the bankruptcy proceedings
Dr Mallya claims that
they are supporting him,” he
said.
Trump kin Kushner was denied
Washington : The senior
White House official
whose security clearance
was rejected last year because
of concerns about foreign
influence, private business
interests and personal
conduct has been identified
as President Donald Trump's
son-in-law Jared Kushner,
the media reported.
Kushner was identified
only as "senior White House
official 1" in House Oversight
Committee documents,
released this week, describing
the testimony of Tricia
Newbold, a whistleblower in
the White House's personnel
security office who said she
and another career employee
felt that Kushner had too
security permit in 2018
many "significant disqualifying
factors" to receive a clearance,
The Washington Post
reported on Wednesday.
Their decision was overruled
by Carl Kline, political
appointee who then headed
the office, according to Newbold's
interview with committee
staff.
Newbold alleged 25 individuals
were given clearances
or access to national
security information since
2018 despite concerns about
foreign influence, conflicts
of interests, questionable or
criminal conduct, financial
problems or drug abuse.
The development comes
after President Trump last
May directed his then-chief
of staff John Kelly to give
Kushner a top-secret security
clearance, that at one
point also gave him access
to some of the government's
most sensitive materials, despite
concerns expressed by
career intelligence officers.
The White House officials
have declined to comment
on the matter.
Kushner's legal team issued
a statement in February
saying the "White House and
security clearance officials
affirmed that Kushner's security
clearance was handled
in the regular process with
no pressure from anyone".
As President, Trump has
the authority to grant such
clearances. But congressional
Democrats have raised
questions about the risks
BIFF: China includes 5 Indian films in BRI category
Beijing : China's top film festival
will screen five Indian movies under
the category of cinema from countries
that seemingly support Beijing's Belt
and Road Initiative (BRI) -- a trilliondollar
connectivity project opposed by
New Delhi over its key artery cutting
through the disputed part of Kashmir.
The 8-day Beijing International
Film Festival (BIFF), starting on April
13, will screen over 250 films, selected
from various countries under different
categories. The five Indian films to be
shown under the "Belt and Road" category
are: "Pather Panchali", "Aparajito
and Apur Sansar", "Love per Square
Foot", "Ittefaq" and "Sir".
It was not known immediately why
Indian films were clubbed in the "Belt
and Road" category under which movies
from other countries not associated
with the project -- like Denmark and
Germany -- were also put.
India has distanced itself from the
BRI, a project that aims to connect Asia,
Africa and Europe through a network of
roads, ports and sea lanes.India opposes
its key component, China-Pakistan Economic
Corridor (CPEC), which passes
through the Pakistan-controlled Kashmir.In
2017, India boycotted the launch
of BRI forum in Beijing and is likely
to repeat it at the second edition of the
event this month.
It was indicated by India's envoy Vikram
Misri last month in an interview
to the Chinese state media.
"No country can participate in an
initiative that ignores its core concerns
on sovereignty and territorial integrity,"
Misri had said in an oblique reference
to the CPEC.
New Zealand PM pays
grocery bill of woman
Wellington : New Zealands Prime Minister Jacinda
Ardern paid for a mother-of-twos grocery bill at a supermarket
after the woman forgot her purse at home.
Ardern, whose compassionate response to the Christchurch
mosque shootings last month was praised around
the world, confirmed making the payment and said during
a press conference on Thursday that she paid for the
woman's shopping "because she was a mother".
"Just when you think Jacinda Ardern couldn't get any
more lovely, low key and authentic.... she goes and pays
for your groceries at the supermarket, because you've got
your shopping, have two kids with you and are about to
put it all back as you forgot your wallet," the unnamed
mother wrote in a now deleted Facebook post, stuff.co.nz
reported.
In the post, the woman also said she tried to explain
to her children how the Prime Minister had just bought
their groceries.
"All they cared about was how silly mummy was forgetting
her wallet. Totally lost on them," she was quoted
as saying by stuff.co.nz.
The woman's friend, Helen Burness, took to Twitter
to reveal the Prime Minister's good deed. "Like we didn't
love her enough, Jacinda Ardern paid for my friends'
shopping in the supermarket the other day when she had
forgotten her purse and had two screaming kids in tow."

The International News Weekly India
April 05, 2019 | Toronto 08
PM Modi Awarded Zayed Medal,
UAE's Top Civilian Honour
Sukhbir, Harsimrat
exhort activists to
work for victory
Continued from page 01
"The State visit of
the Prime Minister
(Modi) to UAE in February
last year helped
in sustaining the momentum
generated by
earlier visits of Crown
Prince in 2017 and
2016 and that of PM in
2015," the Ministry of
External Affairs said.
India and UAE
share warm relations
that were strengthened
after PM Modi
paid a visit to the nation
in 2015. PM Modi
visited the UAE for
the second time as
Prime Minister in
February last year
and held wide-ranging
talks with the Crown
Prince.
After their talks,
the two sides signed
five agreements related
to energy sector,
railways, manpower
and financial services.
The Crown Prince
had also visited India
in 2017 as the chief
guest for Republic Day
celebrations in New
Delhi.
In February, the
Crown Prince telephoned
PM Modi and
his Pakistani counterpart
Imran Khan as
part of his efforts to
de-escalate India-Pak
tensions following the
Pulwama terror attack
claimed by the Pakistan-based
Jaish-e-Mohammed
terror group
SIT Fails to Quiz Ram Rahim in Absence
of District Magistrate's Permission
Continued from page 01
wants to question the Dera head in
connection with the Akal Takht pardon
granted to him in 2015. The police are also
looking at his alleged meeting with then
Punjab deputy chief minister Sukhbir
Singh Badal at film star Akshay Kumar’s
residence in Mumbai prior to the pardon.
Gurmeet Ram Rahim has been lodged
inside the Sunaria jail since August 25,
2017, after he was convicted for raping two
of his followers. He has also been convicted
in a separate case for the murder of journalist
Ramchandra Chhatrapati.
Earlier on March 19, the court Faridkot
Judicial Magistrate First Class (JMIC)
of Ekta Uppal had allowed the SIT to interrogate
Gurmeet Ram Rahim inside the jail.
Ram Rahim filed a petition in the JMIC
court asking for his counsel to be present
alongside him during SIT interrogation.
The petition was opposed by the prosecution
and later withdrawn.
The Justice Ranjit Singh (retd.) Commission
constituted to probe the sacrilege
and firing incidents had highlighted the
likelihood of Sukhbir Singh Badal trying
to secure a pardon for Gurmeet Ram Rahim
in order to facilitate the release of a
movie about the sect head. The SIT was
constituted on the Commission’s recommendations.
Notably, five of the Deras
followers are in the custody of the Punjab
police over their role in the desecration of
the sacred Guru Granth Sahib. The five
accused had allegedly taken directions
from a top Dera functionary close to Ram
Rahim.
in which 40 CRPF personnel
were killed.
Congratulatory
messages poured in
for the Prime Minister
on receiving UAE's top
civilian honour.
Union Ministers
Ravi Shankar Prasad,
Sushma Swaraj, former
Madhya Pradesh
Chief Minister Shivraj
Singh Chouhan and
several other leaders
tweeted about India's
"best ever relations
with the Islamic
world".
"I am extremely
happy to welcome the
announcement of Order
of Zayed for a great
son of India Prime
Minister Narendra
Modi by His Highness
Mohamed Bin Zayed,"
Foreign Minister Sushma
Swaraj tweeted.
She said the prestigious
award was given
to PM Modi in recognition
of his "stellar role"
in ushering in a new
era of strategic partnership
with the UAE
and the "best ever" relations
with the Islamic
world.
The UAE accounts
for 8 per cent of India's
oil imports and is the
fifth largest supplier of
crude oil to India. The
country is also a part
of the International
Solar Alliance (ISA),
which is headquartered
in Gurgaon in
India.
India-UAE trade
stood at about USD 50
billion in 2017, making
India the second largest
trading partner of
UAE, while UAE is
India's third largest
trading partner (after
China and the US).
Moreover, UAE is India's
second largest
export destination, accounting
for over USD
31 billion for the year
2016-17.
Muktsar : As the SAD chief Sukhbir
Singh Badal and his wife Union minister
and Bathinda MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal
are set to contest the parliamentary elections
from the Ferozepur and Bathinda
seats, respectively, both are holding marathon
meetings with the party workers at
their residence in Badal village here.
Sukhbir today held meetings with SAD-
BJP workers from Balluana, Abohar, Fazilka
and Jalalabad, all Assembly constituencies
falling in the Ferozepur parliamentary
constituency, and appealed to them to gird
up their loins. “Though Sukhbir did not declare
himself as a candidate, he gave enough
hints about his candidature. He boosted the
morale of both SAD and BJP workers and
asked them to work harder for the elections,”
said the BJP’s Abohar MLA Arun
Narang, who also attended the meeting.
Harsimrat also held meetings with party
workers from her Bathinda parliamentary
constituency. She has been following this
exercise for the last fortnight and getting
the feedback of ground situation, appealing
the party workers to work harder and get
active on social media.
Former Chief Minister Parkash Singh
Badal, too, met some party workers at his
residence. “He had gone to some villages in
Sarawan Zail in Lambi today and later met
party workers at his residence,” said a SAD
leader.

The International News Weekly india
April 05, 2019 | Toronto
09
J&K ties with India will end if Art
370 scrapped: Mehbooba
Srinagar/New Delhi:
Former J&K chief minister
and PDP chief Mehbooba
Mufti on Wednesday
warned that “Jammu and
Kashmir’s relations with India
will end” if Articles 35A
and 370 of the Constitution
— which provide special
status and exclusive powers
to the state regarding residency
– are abrogated.
Mehbooba was reacting
to BJP president Amit
Shah’s assertion in an interview
to ET that removal of
Articles 370 and 35A was the
way forward for a solution
to the Kashmir problem.
“These are still our issues.
We needed full majority in
Parliament. We did not have
this (majority) in the Rajya
Sabha. This time also, these
issues will be part of our
manifesto,” Shah had said in
the interview, adding, “By
2020, we will have majority
(in the Rajya Sabha).”
Reacting sharply to the
statement, Mehbooba said:
“If that turns out to be the
case, 2020 will also be a deadline
from Jammu & Kashmir
to the nation. If you remove
those terms and conditions
on which J&K acceded to
India, our relation with the
country will also end.” She
was answering reporters’
queries on Shah’s statement
after filing her nominations
from Anantnag Lok Sabha
constituency. The threat
drew a furious response
from BJP, with finance minister
Arun Jaitley terming
it “absurd” and emphasising
that J&K will remain
a part of India irrespective
of what happens to Articles
35A and 370. “The Instrument
of Accession that J&K
signed in 1947 was not different
from the ones other
princely states signed when
they merged themselves
into India. Article 370 came
into being in 1950 while Article
35(A) was incorporated
into the Constitution in 1954
and this makes it clear that
these subsequent developments
were not prerequisite
to J&K’s accession to India,”
he said.
Finance minister Arun
Jaitley on Wednesday said
that territorial integrity is
part of the nation’s basic
structure and can never be
impacted by changes in the
Constitution required by the
country’s needs. “Will India
No ticket, Cong MLA
raises banner of revolt
ever become part of the UK if
Westminster were to revoke
the Indian Independence
Act?” he said.
The exchanges between
BJP and PDP chief Mehbooba
Mufti have increased
the likelihood that J&K will
loom large over the polls as
a wedge issue. BJP has also
locked horns with Congress
over the promises the latter
has made as part of its manifesto
to hold unconditional
talks with all stakeholders
to reduce the presence of
the Army and paramilitary
forces in the Valley and to
undertake a review of the
Armed Forces Special Powers
Act.
Mehbooba, who is seeking
to reclaim the ground
she lost in PDP’s pockets in
the Valley, had lashed out at
Shah on Tuesday itself over
the latter’s assertion about
BJP’s ambition to do away
with Articles 370 and 35A.
“I want to ask, Amit
Shah, if you think you will
be able to abrogate Article
370, you are daydreaming.
Article 370 is a bridge between
the people of Kashmir
and the rest of India. When
you destroy this bridge, even
we the mainstream parties
who swear by the Constitution
of the country and of
the state will have to rethink
which way should we adopt.
You will not find anyone to
hold the Tricolour. Even
we, the mainstream political
groups, will not be able
to shoulder the national flag
in Jammu & Kashmir,” she
said.
Both Shah and PM Modi
had earlier attacked Congress
on the latter’s silence
over the stand of its ally,
National Conference leader
Omar Abdullah, that
J&K should have its own
PM.
In another twist, senior
Congressman Karan
Singh, the son of late Maharaja
Hari Singh (the ruler
of J&K who signed the
Instrument of Accession),
has also said Article 370
was not part of terms on
which his father merged
his principality into India.
In a newspaper interview,
Singh dismissed the
notion that J&K got special
powers to guarantee
the Muslim majority character
of the state, saying:
“It is not that we said that
we are a Muslim majority
state, that’s why we should
get special status. The fact
is that the special position
was offered by the Government
of India.”.
Patiala : A day after the Congress
named former Union minister
and Chief Minister Capt Amarinder
Singh’s wife Preneet Kaur
as its candidate from Patiala, party
Amloh MLA Kaka Randeep Singh
today raised a banner of revolt.
Kaka Randeep, who had also
sought ticket for Patiala, has refused
to campaign for Preneet Kaur or the party in Nabha,
where he reportedly has a significant support base.
The firebrand MLA from Amloh, Kaka Randeep, says
that he respects the decision of the party high command.
“I won’t be campaigning, but we have a senior MLA from
Nabha, Sadhu Singh Dharamsot, who is also a minister in
the government. He should work hard to ensure votes for the
party and its candidate,” he says.
Talking about his role in the upcoming polls, Kaka Randeep
said he was an elected MLA from Amloh, which falls
in the Fatehgarh Sahib constituency. “Amloh is my karam
bhoomi now. I will not campaign for Preneet in Nabha. I had
intimated the party high command about this beforehand. I
had told them that I would enter Patiala only if I got the ticket,”
he told media. In January, Kaka Randeep had expressed
his displeasure with Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh
during the latter’s meeting with Malwa zone MLAs. Kaka
Randeep, a four-time MLA, had told the CM, “You may be
a good administrator, but you are inaccessible.” Last year,
he had met state Assembly speaker, Rana KP Singh, and resigned
from House panels.
Asked if anyone from the Congress has approached him
to canvass for Preneet Kaur in Nabha, he said that he was
yet to be asked for campaigning. “However I have made my
point clear that I will not canvass for anyone in Nabha,” says
Randeep, who had remained Nabha MLA from 2012-17.

The International News Weekly INDIA
April 05, 2019 | Toronto 10
Gunrunners held with 52 pistols
from arms factory in MP jungles
Cops Probe
Plans To
Disrupt Law &
Order Situation
Before LS
Elections
New Delhi: The Special
Cell of Delhi Police has
seized 52 semi-automatic
pistols and magazines sent
from Madhya Pradesh
from a car in Rohini of
northwest Delhi.
It is being probed if
there was a plan to disturb
the law and order situation
in the city before the
Lok Sabha elections. DCP
(Special Cell) Sanjeev Kumar
Yadav said that two
manufacturers-cum-suppliers,
Amrican Singh (25)
and Sheetal Singh (22),
have been arrested. Raids
are on to identify the receivers
of the weapons.
Three gangs, including
Delhi’s most wanted gangster
Jitender Gogi, are under
the scanner.
“ACP Manoj Dixit’s
team had received a tipoff
about this module supplying
weapons to Delhi
gangs after which surveillance
was mounted and
informers activated on
the members of the syndicate,”
Yadav said.
An informer tipped
off the team that the accused
would come to Sector
15 in Rohini to deliver
a consignment in a white
Santro car after which a
trap was laid. When the
accused were asked to
surrender, they tried to
escape. A team led by inspectors
Vivekanand and
Kuldeep nabbed them after
a chase of about 500
metres.
The consignment has
very good quality pistols
of .32 and .315 bore. Police
have found that the pistols
were made in makeshift
manufacturing units set
up in a forested area in
BJP never saw those
who disagree with it
as foes: Advani
New Delhi : In an implicit criticism of Prime Minister
Narendra Modi and BJP President Amit Shah,
BJP veteran L.K. Advani on Thursday said the BJP
never regarded those who disagreed with it politically
as "enemies" but only viewed them as "adversaries".
"The guiding principle of my life has been 'Nation
First, Party Next, Self Last. And in all situations, I
have tried to adhere to this principle and will continue
to do so," he said in a blog post written exactly
after four years.
"The essence of Indian democracy is respect for
diversity and freedom of expression. Right from its
inception, the BJP has never regarded those who disagree
with us politically as our 'enemies', but only as
our adversaries," he added.
Advani, one of the founders of the Bharatiya Jana
Sangh and later the Bharatiya Janata Party, said
that elections were a festival of democracy and "are
also an occasion for honest introspection by all the
stakeholders in Indian democracy".
"In our conception of Indian nationalism, we
have never regarded those who disagree with us politically
as 'anti-national'.
"The party has been committed to freedom of
choice of every citizen at personal as well as political
level." "In short, the triad of Satya (truth), Rashtra
Nishtha (dedication to nation) and Loktantra (democracy,
within and outside the party) guided the
struggle-filled evolution of my party."
Advani conveyed his "sincere gratitude" to the
people of Gandhinagar, which he represented in the
Lok Sabha six times since 1991 but where he was not
fielded this time by the BJP.
"Their love and support has always overwhelmed
me," he said.
Chandigarh: Liquor,
cash and other seizures
worth Rs 8.25 crore have
been made in Haryana in the
24 days since the model code
of conduct came into force
on March 10, said state joint
chief electoral officer Inder
Jeet on Monday.
Seized unaccounted cash
totalled Rs 99.9 lakh. Of this,
Rs 75.78 lakh has been caught
by police and Rs 24.06 lakh by
the income tax department.
Alcohol seized during
this period is worth Rs 2.82
crore. Jeet said police seized
1.42 lakh litres of liquor
worth Rs 2.67 crore and the
excise department caught
Badwani of MP the village
of the accused.
A team of trained
blacksmiths used traditional
tools and lathe machines
to make the weapons.
From the trigger to
the pin and the barrel, everything
was homemade.
The weapons were given
finishing touches along
with wooden grips to give
them the look of foreignmade
arms so that they
could fetch a better price,
an officer said.
11,638 litres of liquor worth
Rs 15.34 lakh.
Apart from this, police
“The margin earned
by the accused was huge.
The weapons were prepared
at a price of Rs
2,000-3,000. However, the
accused charged between
Rs 25,000-30,000 for each
pistol,” the officer added.
have also seized intoxicants
worth Rs 4.43 crore. He said
64,245 licenced firearms had,
The accused disclosed
that they have been in
the weapons manufacturing
business for over a
decade. This is their ancestral
profession. The
elderly in their family
started the trade 80 years
ago. They continued the
business for earning easy
money. “Singh’s father
was known for preparing
illegal arms in their
village. He passed on his
skills to him. He has two
brothers who are also in
this trade. Many families
in their village are into
this trade,” Yadav added.
Their network is
spread across north and
west India. Amrikan and
Sheetal have expertise in
preparing many weapons,
including sophisticated
pistols that look like foreign-made
ones.
They sell these pistols
in bulk to gangsters in
Delhi and other states, police
said.
Poll code: In 24 days, seizures worth
`8.25 crore in Haryana
New Delhi: The Congress and the
ruling Aam Aadmi Party have resumed
talks to discuss the seat-sharing formula
for the seven Lok Sabha seats in the national
capital, sources said on Thursday.
The speculation of a tie-up between
both the parties got a boost after AAP’s
Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh met All
India Congress Committee (AICC) incharge
of Delhi PC Chacko on Wednesday
evening.
The ruling AAP has proposed to give
two seats to the Congress, which has
instead demanded three — New Delhi,
Chandni Chowk and North East Delhi,
sources in both the parties claimed.
“The two leaders discussed the seatsharing
formula, with the AAP offering
two seats to the Congress,” a source said.
Delhi Congress president Sheila
Dikshit, however, at a party programme,
gave a cryptic reply showing
so far, been deposited by people
at police stations across
Haryana.
Jeet said 703 complaints
related to violations of the
model code of conduct had
been received on the ‘cVIG-
IL’ app from across the state.
Of these, six complaints are
pending.
He said it was a matter
of pride that the public was
ensuring its participation in
the system through ‘cVIGIL’
app.
He said anyone could
report about poll code violations
through the app
launched by the Election
Commission.
AAP, Congress resume talks to discuss
seat-sharing formula for Delhi
her reservation against alliance with
the AAP.
“Rest assured we will remain as we
are,” Dikshit said when asked about
possibility of the Congress’s alliance
with the AAP for the Lok Sabha polls.
Chacko will convey the offer from
the AAP to Congress president Rahul
Gandhi, who will take a final call on the
issue in the next few days, the source
said.

The International News Weekly April 05, 2019 | Toronto
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The International News Weekly April 05, 2019 | Toronto 12
Exhibition brings alive pain
of Jallianwala massacre
100 YEARS OF JALLIANWALA BAGH
Amritsar: The Special Cell of Delhi Police has
seized 52 semi-automatic pistols and magazines
sent from Madhya Pradesh from a car in Rohini
of northwest Delhi.
After a century, the Partition Museum has
uncovered the unrest in Punjab, especially in
Amritsar, leading to the massacre at Jallianwala
Bagh on April 13, 1919, and its aftermath,
through an exclusive exhibition.
This initiative was the outcome of intensive
research by Kishwar Desai, Chairperson of Art
and Cultural Heritage Trust, connected to 1919
protests against the Rowlett Bills, the massacre
and the martial law that followed, exposed
through a number of original material in the
form of news clippings, photographs, reports and
audio of that black era of history during the Colonial
rule.
Located in the Town Hall building, the exhibition
drew a huge crowd. The entry fee is Rs
10 for Indian national and Rs 250 for foreigners.
The exhibition presents larger historical narrative
with March 30, 1919, when Mahatma Gandhi
called for a countrywide ‘hartal’ against the Rowlatt
Act. Though this date was shifted to April 6,
the protest started in Amritsar and Delhi.
In Amritsar, local leaders Dr Satyapal and Dr
Saifuddin Kichlew led the protest, emphasising
Hindu-Muslim unity. In Delhi, as the protests
grew the police opened fire, killing around 20 Indians
and injuring others. As the news spread,
the protests got intensified. This was enough
for Britishers to believe themselves to be under
siege and military enforcements were imposed.
On April 11, Lt Governor Michael O’ Dwyer arrived
in Amritsar to take charge. He took round
of the streets and discouraged public to hold
meeting at Jallianwala Bagh on April 13, the
Baisakhi Day, but it was not abided by. A large
number of people gathered at Jallianwala Bagh,
which upset Gen Dwyer, who ordered to open indiscriminate
firing killing nearly 400 people on
the spot and injuring others.
The exhibition presented how the curfew was
imposed, post this massacre. Scores of Indians
were wrongfully imprisoned and subjected to
torture on ‘whipping post’, a model procured and
placed in the exhibition. Thousands were humiliated
through the “crawling orders” and “salaam
orders”. They were deprived of essential items
such as fans, cycles and even lathis without permission.
Meanwhile, Partition Museum manager Rajwinder
Kaur said the exhibition would be held
in Delhi and London too.