QBullet: Gurujam Blame Game, Dayashankar Singh Arrested and More
The Quint’s compilation of the stories making headlines in dailies across the country.
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1. US Dossier Bares Pakistan’s Role in Pathankot Terror Attack
In evidence that could help India prove Pakistan’s role in the Pathankot air base attack, a US dossier handed over to the NIA makes it clear that the attack was micro-managed in the neighbouring country.
Comprising over 1,000 pages of conversations between Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Muhammed (JeM) handler Kashif Jaan and the four militants who were eventually killed, the documents could boost India’s case against the outfit.
The documents reveal that the four militants of JeM – Nasir Hussain from Punjab, Abu Bakar from Gujranwala and Umar Farooq and Abdul Qayum from Sindh –were in constant contact with their handlers in Pakistan during the assault on the Air Force Station.
Source: The Times of India
2. After 20-hour Gurujam Nightmare, Now Haryana-Delhi Blame Game
As the furor over the waterlogged Delhi-Gurgaon expressway settled down late Friday night, another debate ensued in the capital – A blame game between the AAP-led Delhi government and the BJP-led Haryana Government.
Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia targeted Manohar Lal Khattar’s government over the situation, saying merely renaming Gurgaon Gurugram wouldn’t ensure development.
Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal also attacked the government in Haryana, saying: “That’s BJP governance”.
Several other Opposition leaders lashed out at the BJP for the mayhem in Gurgaon. Delhi and Haryana’s civic bodies, too, engaged in a blame game.
Source: The Times of India
3. GST Bill to be Tabled in RS on Tuesday, Congress Yet to Take ‘Final Decision’
The long awaited Goods and Services Tax (GST) Bill is most likely to be debated on Tuesday in the Rajya Sabha, despite the Congress saying it has not given any “final assurance” as it still has some apprehensions.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a meeting about the bill with Finance Minister Arun jaitley, BJP Chief Amit Shah and Home Minister Rajnath Singh, at his residence.
Read The Quint’s full coverage here.
Also Read: Time for Corporate India to Get GST-Ready
4. Expelled BJP Leader Dayashankar Singh Arrested in Bihar For Abusing Mayawati
BJP leader Dayashankar Singh, who was expelled from the party after his derogatory remarks against Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) supremo Mayawati, was arrested in a joint operation between UP Police and Bihar Police from Buxar in Bihar on Friday.
The BSP on 21 July had lodged an FIR against Singh for comparing Mayawati to a “prostitute.” His comments led to a furore in the Parliament, forcing the BJP to remove him as the party’s UP Vice President.
Singh had been on the run for about a week after his comments rocked the House and the country alike.
Source: Hindustan Times
5. NDA Minister Athawale: If You Do Gau Raksha, Who Will Do Manav Raksha?
Newly elected Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment Ramdas Bandu Athawale on Friday said that protection of cows cannot be at the expense of human lives, clearly referring to the Una incident, where Dalit youths were flogged for allegedly skinning a cow.
He also asserted that the government should make sure that an incident like this is never repeated.
Source: The Indian Express
6. Tera Gurdip Bach Gaya: Indian on Death Row in Indonesia Tells Wife in Phone Call
One phone call on Friday morning changed the atmosphere from despair to unexpected joy in Gurdip Singh’s family. Singh is the Indian national who was spared from being executed on Thursday night on drug trafficking charges in Indonesia.
Singh was arrested in 2004 and awarded capital punishment in 2005. Last-minute efforts on the part of External Affairs Minister of India Sushma Swaraj seemed to have saved him for now.
Source: The Indian Express
7. No Law to Scrap 15-Year-Old Diesel Vehicles: Centre
Challenging the National Green Tribunal’s (NGT) directive to revoke diesel vehicles that are more than 15 years old in Delhi, the Centre on Friday said that there is no law to justify the move.
The government filed an affidavit in response to the NGT orders that demanded , authorities to scrap the registration of these vehicles in order to keep the capital’s air pollution free.
The government also added that the “forcible scrapping” of such vehicles can pave way to “innumerable writ petitions by affected owners” in courts.
Source: The Times of India
8. Kejriwal Gets Bail in Defamation Case Amid Tense Showdown with Akalis
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal was granted bail by an Amritsar court on Friday in connection with a defamation case filed by Punjab revenue minister Bikram Singh Majithia.
Majithia took the Delhi CM to court for linking him to the menace of drugs trade in Punjab.
The court hearing turned into a political spectacle as leaders and members of Majithia’s Akali Dal showed up outside the judicial complex, raising slogans against Kejriwal and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).
Source: Hindustan Times
9. In a First, Tiger Spotted at 12,000ft in Uttarakhand
On the same day as the world marks International Tiger’s day, Forest officials in Dehradun claimed to have found evidence of a tiger at 12,000 feet in Uttarakhand.
The news brings a certain amount of excitement and joy in the midst of concerns over the survival of the species.
While population numbers of tigers have collapsed from 1,00,000 at the start of the century, to 3,890 now, images showing the big cat prowling in the upper reaches of Uttarakhand’s Pithoragarh, have been welcome by experts and officials. This is also the highest Indian location where a tiger’s presence has been identified.
Source: The Times of India
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