Modi’s guarantee that the corrupt will go to jail: PM
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on April 11 asserted that the corrupt will have to go to jail and that he would not be deterred by any threats. Addressing a rally in Rajasthan’s Karauli ahead of the Lok Sabha polls, Mr. Modi said strict action is being taken against the corrupt not only in the state but across the country. This is why the opposition has formed the “INDI alliance” against him, he said.
Delhi excise policy case | CBI arrests BRS legislator Kavitha
The Central Bureau of Investigation on April 11 arrested Bharat Rashtra Samithi legislator K. Kavitha in connection with the Delhi excise policy case. Ms. Kavitha was lodged in Tihar Jail under judicial custody after the ED arrested her in Hyderabad on money-laundering charge on March 15. On April 10, the CBI got approval from a special court to arrest her.
Unemployment and inflation are the two biggest issues but there is a conspiracy of silence in the media to hide the failures of the Narendra Modi government in solving issues of the people, former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi said at an election rally in Rajasthan on April 11. Addressing a rally in Rajasthan’s Anupgarh in support of Govind Ram Meghwal from Bikaner and Kuldeep Indora from Ganganagar Lok Sabha seats, Mr. Gandhi said farmers are asking for a minimum support price (MSP) for their crops, youth are seeking employment, and women want relief from inflation but no one is listening.
SBI refuses to disclose electoral bonds’ details under RTI Act
The State Bank of India has refused to disclose under the Right to Information Act the details of the electoral bonds furnished to the Election Commission of India, claiming that it is personal information held in a fiduciary capacity, even though the records are in the public domain on the poll panel’s website.
Bibhav Kumar, personal assistant to jailed Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, has been terminated from his services. An action in this regard has been taken up by the Directorate of Vigilance in connection with a case pending against him for ‘obstruction’. Special Secretary Vigilance Y.V.V.J. Rajshekhar passed the order, citing a case of 2007 pending against Bibhav Kumar in which he was accused of obstructing government work.
PM Modi’s remarks on China feeble, says Congress
The Congress on April 11 slammed Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his “ineffective and feeble” response to China over alleged border incursions and demanded an apology from him. Commenting on the Prime Minister’s interview to U.S.-based magazine, Newsweek, Congress general secretary (communication) Jairam Ramesh claimed, “the Prime Minister was at his cowardly worst”.
Six students killed, around 20 injured as school bus overturns in Haryana’s Mahendragarh
Six schoolchildren were killed and around 20 sustained injuries after a bus carrying them overturned in Haryana’s Mahendragarh on April 11, police said. The Haryana government has ordered a probe into the incident following the registration of an FIR, officials said. The bus belonged to a private school and was being driven rashly at a high speed due to which the driver lost control and rammed the vehicle into a tree after which it overturned, police said, citing reports.
Congress showing same mindset as Sangh Parivar and BJP, hence silent on CAA: CPI(M)
The ruling CPI(M) in Kerala on April 11 once again accused its INDIA bloc ally Congress of being silent on the Citizenship Amendment Act and alleged that the grand old party was showing the same mindset as the BJP and the Sangh Parivar. The accusation was leveled by Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan who also alleged that the grand old party’s Kerala unit, which initially joined the Left front to oppose the CAA, withdrew from the same on the directions of its national leadership.
Lindy Cameron, U.K. Cyber Security Czar, to be next High Commissioner to India
Head of the U.K. National Cyber Security Centre Lindy Cameron has been appointed British High Commissioner to India, the U.K. government announced on April 11. Ms. Cameron, who is a West Asia, North Africa and Afghanistan hand replaces Alex Ellis, who just completed three years in New Delhi, and is expected to take up her new role this month. Ms. Cameron’s appointment in New Delhi — the first woman to hold the post — comes on the eve of the general elections in India and months ahead of a general election in the U.K. Her portfolio will involve the free trade agreement negotiations between India and the U.K. The 14th round of trade talks , which began in 2022, was suspended last month due to the Indian elections. Negotiations are expected to resume after the elections and potentially before the U.K. goes to the polls.
Vietnam property tycoon sentenced to death in multi-billion dollar fraud case
A top Vietnamese property tycoon was sentenced to death on April 11 in one of the biggest corruption cases in history, with an estimated $27 billion in damages. A panel of three hand-picked jurors and two judges rejected all defence arguments by Truong My Lan, chair of major developer Van Thinh Phat, who was found guilty of swindling cash from Saigon Commercial Bank over a decade. “The defendant’s actions... eroded people’s trust in the leadership of the (Communist) Party and state,” read the verdict at the trial in southern business hub Ho Chi Minh City.
South Korea’s Prime Minister and top Presidential officials offer to resign after election defeat
South Korea’s Prime Minister and senior Presidential officials offered to resign en masse on April 11 after their ruling party suffered a crushing defeat in the Parliamentary elections in a huge blow to conservative President Yoon Suk Yeol. “Prime Minister Han Duck-soo and all senior Presidential advisors to Mr. Yoon, except those in charge of security issues, submitted their resignations,” according to Mr. Yoon’s office. It didn’t immediately say whether Mr. Yoon accepted their resignations.
Taiwan and China can peacefully resolve their differences, former Taiwan President Ma Ying-jeou said on April 11 after meeting Chinese President Xi Jinping, adding that people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait share the same culture and history. Mr. Ma, President from 2008 to 2016, last year became the first former or sitting Taiwanese leader to visit China. On Wednesday, he held his second meeting with Mr. Xi, following a landmark summit in Singapore in 2015 when Mr. Ma was still Taiwan’s leader, which was the first time Chinese and Taiwanese leaders had met following the end of the civil war in 1949.
India’s economy is expected to remain robust over the next two years, even though headline growth in the country’s Gross Domestic Product is forecast to slow from 7.6% in 2023-24 to 7% this year before improving to 7.2% in 2025-26, the Asian Development Bank said. In its Asia Development Outlook report released on April 11, the Bank said it expects retail inflation to ease to 4.6% this year and 4.5% in 2025-26. India’s ‘persistent’ food inflation is expected to drop to 5.7% as farm output returns to trends this year.
Badminton Asia Championship | Sindhu goes down fighting in pre-quarterfinals
India’s challenge at the Badminton Asia Championships ended after double Olympic medallist PV Sindhu and HS Prannoy bowed out in pre-quarterfinals of their respective events in Ningbo on April 11. Sindhu, who is desperately seeking to rediscover her form ahead of the Paris Olympics, fought valiantly for for an hour and nine minutes but was outperformed by sixth seed Han Yue of China 18-21 21-13 17-21. It was Sindhu’s first loss against Yue against whom she had a flawless 5-0 record before Thursday’s contest.
