Shiv Sena MP Ravindra Gaikwad hits Air India staff: Why India needs a no-fly list

If a catalyst was needed to create a ‘No Fly’ list of unruly air passengers in India, Thursday's incident involving a VIP flyer hitting an airline staffer should provide enough impetus for it. According to a complaint filed by R Sukumar, Duty Manager of Air India, Shiv Sena MP Ravinder Gaikwad refused to get off a flight which had landed at Delhi from Pune at around 09:40 on Thursday morning. Sukumar said that when he asked the MP to disembark from the plane, since the flight had to leave for Goa and 115 passengers were waiting to get on to it, the MP became abusive. Gaikwad allegedly also had a problem with Sukumar speaking in English. Then the MP (by his own admission) started beating the Duty Manager. Sukumar has ended his complaint by stating “God save our country if this is the culture and behaviour of our MPs.”

Speaking to TV channels, Gaikwad did not once deny that he had assaulted an employee of Air India. He was also seen bragging about how he had hit the airline staffer 25 times. Gaikwad was also heard saying that he will file a complaint with the Civil Aviation Minister A Gajapathi Raju as well as the Speaker of the Lok Sabha.

Neither Gaikwad nor Air India is a stranger to controversy involving flights and MPs. An airline veteran says there are quite a few instances of MPs delaying flights, demanding special treatment. But anyone physically assaulting an airline employee is still not a common occurrence. Perhaps Gaikwad has bitten off more than he can chew this time?
On its part, Air India first did what comes naturally to any 'sarkari' company in our country – it sought a report.

The report submitted by Deputy GM (Commercial), Harendra Singh, says that the MP demanded Air India’s CMD or another director level officer to come on board the aircraft and sort out his issue. This implies that he didn't want mere airport in-charges to address his grievances, he wanted topmost officer running Air India. Would the MP have made the same demands if he were travelling by a private airline, one wonders. But what exactly caused the MP to fly into a rage? The report by Harendra Singh says that the MP wanted to know why he was asked to fly economy class when he held a ticket for business class.
Representational image. Reuters

An Air India spokesperson says an FIR has been lodged in this incident, and added that Air India is “examining the creation of a no-fly list of unruly passengers.” Sources tell Firstpost that a second FIR has also been lodged by the airline, accusing the MP of delaying the flight. If a no-fly list is created after this unprecedented and boorish behaviour by an elected representative of the people, perhaps we will have to thank Gaikwad. Such a list would not only create some apprehension in the minds of people about what is and isn't acceptable behaviour in the skies, it would also arm airlines to better deal with nuisances.

Source:-Firstpost
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Indian wealth falls 0.8% to $3 trillion in 2016: Credit Suisse

Mumbai: Hit by adverse currency movements, India's household wealth has fallen by USD 26 billion to USD 3 trillion in the current year, shows the latest report by global financial services major Credit Suisse.

According to the 'Global Wealth Report' compiled by Credit Suisse Research Institute, wealth in the country in dollar terms went down by 0.8 percent (USD 26 billion) to USD 3.099 trillion in 2016 compared to last year. The report noted that while wealth has been rising in India, not everyone has shared in this growth.

"There is still considerable wealth poverty, reflected in the fact that 96 percent of the adult population has wealth below USD 10,000," the report said.

"At the other extreme, a small fraction of the population (0.3 percent of adults) has a net worth over USD 1,00,000," it added, noting that due to India's large population, this translates into 2.4 million people.

As per the report, the country has 2,48,000 adults in the top 1 percent of global wealth holders, a 0.5 percent share.
"By our estimates, 2,260 adults have wealth over USD 50 million, and 1,040 have more than USD 100 million," it added.

sOURCE:-Firstpost

Demonetisation has people's support, Opposition rattled: BJP resolution

New Delhi: People are queuing outside banks and ATMs for a better India, BJP said on Tuesday, terming it as the "most profound statement" to have ever come from them, and decried alleged "malicious" attempts by those opposing demonetisation to provoke violence and chaos.

Hailing demonetisation as a national project of cleansing the system that will usher in behavioural and attitudinal changes encouraging honesty, particularly in political life, BJP Parliamentary Party passed a resolution commending Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his "historic, revolutionary, daring and pro-poor" decision in national interest.

Amid increasing efforts by a united opposition to corner the government, the saffron party members in Parliament
rallied around Modi who asserted that this was only the beginning of his battle against corruption and black money.

Condemning "malicious" efforts of rival parties, the resolution alleged that they are desperate to provoke violence and chaos as they have been "rattled" by people's wide support to the decision and urged the Prime Minister to call for other effective measures to clean up the system.

They are bent upon disrupting the proceedings of Parliament on one pretext or the other, it alleged, targeting the opposition.

sOURCE:-Firstpost

Karnataka Assembly resolution on Cauvery dispute has no value: former SC judges

Former Supreme Court judges have termed the resolution passed by the two Houses of Karnataka on September 23 to deny Tamil Nadu Cauvery water merely an ill-advised misadventure.

They said the resolution was no match for the constitutional might of the Supreme Court as the final and sole arbiter of Inter-State and Inter-State water disputes.

Former Supreme Court judge, Justice K.T. Thomas said the “resolution is only to fit to be kept in the records of the Karnataka Legislature and has no authority.”

“At best, its [Karnataka Legislature] resolution can be treated as an expression of opinion or a criticism of the Supreme Court order. Everyone has the right to criticise a court order. But the Supreme Court is the final authority in resolving inter-State water disputes,” Justice Thomas said.


Source:-thehindu
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With India Mulling To Scrap The Indus Water Treaty, Here Are The Concerns It Should First Address

For most of last week, a little known water treaty has become the centre point of India's diplomatic salvos at Pakistan. From finding a mention in PM Modi's recent speech to being mentioned in the UN by India's envoy, the 56-year-old Indus water treaty finds itself not in the middle of a storm, but the storm itself. With India contemplating the possibility of scraping the Indus Water Treaty of 1960 with Pakistan, the future of more than a billion people rests on the result of a meeting led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Source:-indiatimes

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Isro Successfully Puts Into Orbit 7 More Satellites, Following SCATSAT-1

Fifties from Luke Ronchi and Mitchell Santner kept India under control at an early stage Day 5. Be that as it may, Ravindra Jadeja gave India the significant leap forward to break the 100 or more remain between the Kiwi twosome. Mohammed Shami took two wickets in two balls to edge India more like a win against New Zealand in the principal Test at Kanpur.


Source:-gadgets.ndtv
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At UN General Assembly, Sushma Swaraj likely to follow Narendra Modi's stance on Pakistan

New York: External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj will address the UN General Assembly (UNGA) on Monday, where she is expected to lead India's attack on Pakistan and seek global support to dub it a "terror state", following the Uri terror attack that killed 18 soldiers.

Taking a cue from Prime Minister Narendra Modi's first public speech, post the 18 September Uri attack, on Saturday where he openly warned Pakistan of isolating it internationally, the External Affairs Minister is likely to take a tough stance, and is likely to be blunt, vis-a-vis the western neighbour.


Source:-firstpost
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Paris climate deal to be ratified on 2 October: All you need to know about India's COP21 stand

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday announced that India will ratify the Conference of Parties (CoP) protocol on combating climate change on the occasion of Mahatma Gandhi's birth anniversary on 2 October.

"Now the time has come to ratify the COP21 protocol. India will do it on Gandhi Jayanti on 2 October," Modi said while addressing the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) national executive meet in Kozhikode, Kerala.

In the UN climate change conference COP21 in Paris, 195 countries adopted the first universal, legally binding global climate deal. The agreement sets out a global action plan to put the world on track to avoid dangerous climate change by limiting global warming to well below 2°Celsius. The agreement is due to enter into force in 2020.


Source:-firstpost
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Uri terror attack: India’s culture of shying from conflict is why such attacks will recur

The Modi government is understood to have given the army, its diplomats and its spooks a cautious go-ahead for some kind of calibrated, but not brash, response to the Pakistan-backed terrorist attack in Uri, which killed 18 soldiers. Nothing wrong with this, but it will achieve little. None of this has worked in the past, and none of this will amount to much beyond political optics even now or in the future. This is because underlying all this is a reactive approach, and hence our actions can be easily anticipated by the world’s original Islamic State, aka Pakistan.


The truth is countering Pakistan’s death-by-a-thousand cuts terror policy needs a long-term strategy, not a tactical reaction to events. But despite have seen over three decades of Pakistani perfidies, we do not have a coherent strategy. If we had one, by now the costs of Uri could have been clear to Pakistan. That we are still debating what to do, with media speculating on options loudly, means Pakistan is ready to face whatever we throw at them. Whatever we do will thus be ineffective.

Source:-firstpost
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Will soon apply for asylum in India: Baloch leader Bugti

Baloch leader Brahumdagh Bugti has initiated the move to seek political asylum in India, a spokesperson of the Baloch Republican Party told The Hindu over phone from Geneva. Mr. Bugti’s decision to seek asylum in India follows a meeting of his party Baloch Republican Party (BRP), where the decision to shift to India was examined and cleared.

“Baloch Republican Party’s Central Committee has ratified Mr. Bugti’s decision to seek political asylum in India. At the moment, we are concerned about the safety of the president of the party and that is why the decision for political asylum was cleared. We have not yet decided who all will accompany him on his journey to India, but that is up to him decide and the party will volunteer members to accompany him to India as the need arises,” said Azizullah Bugti, a spokesperson of the BRP.

Source:-thehindu
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Brahamdagh Bugti to appeal for political asylum in India

Baloch Republican Party (BRP) founder Brahamdagh Bugti on Monday announced that he would appeal for a political asylum in India.

Bugti said that the decision was taken in his party's central committee meeting.


"The meeting of our central committee ended today. And in the meeting the members of the central committee have decided with majority that I will appeal for a political asylum in India," Bugti told ANI.

Bugti said that the he would seek an appointment with the Indian embassy in Geneva.

Source:-business-standard
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WFI refers Narsingh dope case to CBI

The Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) on Friday referred the alleged dope case of grappler Narsingh Yadav to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for a detailed probe.

WFI President Brijbhushan Sharan Singh, who met officials at the Prime Minister's Office, requested that the probe be carried out by the country's premier investigating agency.


"The President, Wrestling Federation of India, met PMO after arriving from Rio (de Janeiro) and requested the case of Narsingh Yadav may please be forwarded to CBI for further investigation," a WFI statement read.

"Today, Brijbhushan Sharan Singh, MP, President, WFI, has confirmed that the case of Narsingh Yadav has been referred to CBI for further investigation," the statement added.

Source:-business-standard
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As it happened: Tamil Nadu bandh passes off peacefully

A dawn-to-dusk bandh, called by several farmers and traders bodies in protest against the violence targeting Tamils in Karnataka and also to seek Cauvery water for the State, is on today across Tamil Nadu amid tight security and support of Opposition parties.

As those who had given the bandh call have said a series of protests, including “road and rail rokos”, were held, even as thousands of police personnel are on duty across the State to maintain law and order.

Police said tight vigil was being maintained and no attempts to mar public peace or disruption of free movement of transportation — on road or rail — would be allowed.

Barring the ruling AIADMK, its allies and trade unions affiliated, all other Opposition parties, including the DMK, Congress, DMDK, MDMK, Left parties and the PMK, are supporting the bandh.

Source:-thehindu
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CM, 42 MLAs quit Cong., join People’s Party of Arunachal Pradesh

The Congress on Friday lost its government in Arunachal Pradesh when 43 of its MLAs led by Chief Minister Pema Khandu defected wholesale and merged with the People’s Party of Arunachal, just two months after it had regained power.

Mr. Khandu, who had replaced Nabam Tuki following a dissident campaign in July 2016, paraded 42 MLAs before Assembly Speaker Tenzing Norbu Thongdok, who accepted their joining the PPA, Assembly sources said.

The move would be notified in the Assembly bulletin, formalising the political development that leaves the Congress with governments only in Manipur, Meghalaya and Mizoram in the northeast.

The dramatic development in Arunachal Pradesh brought back memories of the famous ‘aya ram, gaya ram’ episode involving Bhajan Lal who was heading a Janata Party government in Haryana and defected lock, stock, and barrel with all the party MLAs to the Congress after Indira Gandhi came back to power in 1980.

Mr. Tuki was the only Congress MLA who did not join PPA, a constituent of the North East Democratic Alliance (NEDA) which was formed on May 24 in Guwahati.

Source:-thehindu
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Perarivalan attacked inside prison

 A.G. Perarivalan alias Arivu, a life convict in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case, was reportedly assaulted by a fellow prison inmate inside the Vellore Central Prison for Men on Tuesday morning.

A senior official of the Prisons Department said that Perarivalan (44), was attacked by Rajesh Khanna, also a life convict in a kidnap and murder case. “Rajesh took a small rusted iron piece that was found in the sand and attacked Perarivalan at about 6.15 a.m.” he said.

The official said Perarivalan sustained “superficial injury” in the attack. “He has sustained a scalp injury, and is being treated at the hospital inside the prison,” he added


Source:-thehindu
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Bengaluru calm amid curfew

 An uneasy calm prevailed in Bengaluru, as parts of the city was still under curfew and heavy security cover. Metro services continued to be suspended. No major incidents of violence were reported.

On Monday, one person died and four were injured in police firing. Mobs set vehicles on fire and attacked businesses with Tamil names after the Supreme Court ordered that Cauvery water continue to flow to Tamil Nadu.

Police opened fire at Rajagopal Nagar in Bengaluru, when a mob tried to torch one of their vehicles. Curfew was imposed in seven police station limits of the city. Around noon, soon after the court declined to accept Karnataka’s appeal to freeze its September 5 order on release of water, hundreds of protesters took to the streets in Bengaluru, burning vehicles with Tamil Nadu registration numbers. The violence virtually paralysed the Bengaluru-Mysuru highway.

Source:-thehindu
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Mahindra-Ola tie-up set to shape future vehicle design

Indian automaker Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd's tie-up with domestic ride-sharing giant Ola will not only drive car sales, but also influence and shape the design of its vehicles in the future, Chairman Anand Mahindra said on Thursday.

Mahindra said automakers will need to adapt and design cars differently in the future by building cars better suited to the needs of the sharing economy, so as to capitalize on the rapid rise in ride-sharing popularity both domestically and overseas.

Source:-reuters
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US rejects Hafiz Saeed's remarks charging India, America against CPEC

The United States has completely denied the statement made by Hafiz Saeed, founder of the banned terrorist group Lashkar-e-taiba(LeT), that the new pact between Indiaand America against the ChinaPakistanEconomic Corridor (CPEC), is "against the Muslim Worldand bulwark Pakistan".

Speaking to media during the daily press briefing, the United States State Department Deputy Spokesperson, Mark C. Toner said, "I mean, I would dismiss it outright. We have a strong bilateral relationship with Pakistan, but one that is premised on counterterrorism cooperation and as - as part of that conversation, or that dialogue and that cooperation that we have on counterterrorism issues."

Toner reiterated that Washingtonhas made it clear to Islamabadthat it has to go after terrorist groups who seek to harm neighbours.

"We made it very clear that Pakistancan't pick and choose which terrorist groups it goes after, and it has to go after those groups that seek to do harm to its neighbours and may seek refuge on Pakistani soil," he added.

Source:-Business-standard
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Only cowards would target Mother Teresa: She's been dead for 20 years, let it go

What is some people's problem with Mother Teresa?

I truly don’t get it. If the Pope wants to sanctify her why are people like Justice Katju and British-based activist Aroup Chatterjee spewing so much venom and the media running with it without any evidence except conjecture that was a lot of no good.

Is it to get attention for themselves? There are worse people in the world and I don’t see what advantage there is in assaulting the reputation of a woman who has been dead for 20 years. Where were all these people when she was alive and the Mission of Charity was functioning under her aegis and she was holding lepers in her arms?

So she liked chocolates, ice cream and fun. Which is what? A series of sins?

Oh, she was using second hand syringes. Since I did not give her any money I have no idea how she harnessed her resources but would so many poor people keep coming to her for a little solace and comfort if she was such an evil person.


Source:-firstpost
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Fear of prolonged violence grips Kashmir as Centre fails to break the ice with separatists

The Home Minister announced that parliamentary delegation leaders who met the Hurriyat leaders did so in their individual capacities, thereby distancing himself from Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti’s overtures towards the separatists.

This has further weakened Mehbooba’s position as a leader in Kashmir. Mehbooba had written a letter to the separatists to come forward and engage with the parliamentary delegation. This development will further complicate problems for the ruling alliance of the PDP-BJP led by Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti.

That the BJP was not on board Mehbooba’s decision to invite Hurriyat for talks was reinforced by Home Minister Rajnath Singh's statement that Mehbooba had approached the separatists in her individual capacity.

For people like Umar Wani, a resident of Rajbagh area of Srinagar, the failure to initiate talks is a big disappointment. “BJP’s Ram Madhav says Kashmir can ask for the moon within the Indian Constitution. Then why doesn’t the BJP leadership offer the same to Hurriyat? If they reject, the blame will come on them,” Wani told Firstpost after Home Minister Singh’s press conference.

“But right now, they are offering nothing. Why should the Hurriyat talk to them? There has to be a starting point for talks. I fear the situation will worsen now,” he added.

Hurriyat leader Abdul Gani Bhat told Firstpost that said that unless India and Pakistan do not engage in a sustained meaningful dialogue on Kashmir, the issue will never be resolved.

“They have to listen to the heartbeats of Kashmir. We got honored guests from Delhi and met them and later saw them off very gracefully. We were not against insaniyat. We had taken a collective decision not to meet them because they had no mandate,” Bhat told Firstpost.

Kashmir is unlikely to see the return of the normalcy any time soon and the cycle of violence is likely to prolong following the failure of the central government to break the ice. More than 70 people have been killed in the past 58 days, triggered by the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani. There is no ray of hope that the unrest is turning weak, but with every new killing, injury or arrest, the people are getting angrier.

Dr Peer GN Suhail, director of Centre for Research and Development Policy (CRDP), a policy think tank based in Srinagar, said that there is no harm in talking to anyone but the dialogue has to be result-oriented and not just for photo-op.

“Since the parliament delegation did not have any mandate and there recommendations would not have been binding on the Government of India, talking to the delegation would have yielded results,” Suhail told Firstpost.

Despite all this, the situation in Kashmir will return to normalcy because as the Darbar shifts to Jammu and winter sets in, the chill automatically will calm the temperatures. But this will be temporary, because the seeds of angst buried under snow often sprout in summers in the form of another summer agitation.


Source:-firstpost
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