QBullet: Modi Attacks Congress in LS; Ayodhya Hearing Today

Here are the top stories of the day.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched a blistering attack on the Congress and its first family.

(Photo: Altered by The Quint) 

1. Don’t Lecture Us After What You Did to India: PM Narendra Modi Attacks Congress

Replying to the debate on the motion of thanks on the President’s address in Parliament, Prime Minister Narendra Modi Wednesday launched a blistering attack on the Congress and its first family. In back-to-back speeches, he underlined that the “New India” initiatives of his government were qualitatively different from the ones of “Old India” championed by the Congress.

He said the Old India was littered with scams like Bofors, excesses which were seen during Emergency and the killing of Sikhs in 1984. Replying to the Congress’s barbs that his government was merely repackaging UPA schemes and was a “name changer”, Modi said his government was an “aim chaser.”

(Source: The Indian Express)

2. China Says It Is Against External Intervention in Maldives

A protester gets into a scuffle with security forces officers during a protest demanding the release of political prisoners on 2 February in Male, Maldives.(Photo: AP)

China said on Wednesday it was against any external intervention in the political turmoil in the Maldives. The statement is apparently aimed at India because Maldives opposition leaders have been seeking Indian military intervention to preserve democracy in the island nation.

"The international community should play a constructive role on the basis of respecting the sovereignty of the Maldives rather than take actions that may further complicate the situation," Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said without mentioning India.

(Source: The Times of India)

3. India vs South Africa 2018, 3rd ODI: All-Round India Crush South Africa by 124 Runs to Take Unassailable 3-0 Lead

An all-round show saw India crush South Africa by 124 runs in the third ODI in Cape Town on Wednesday as they took an unassailable 3-0 lead in the six-match series. The wrist-spinners again spelled the doom for the hosts as the pair of Kuldeep Yadav (4/23) and Yuzvendra Chahal (4/46) shared eight wickets to bowl out South Africa for 179 in chase of 304.

(Source: The Times of India)

4. Rafale Fighter Jet: Defence Ministry Says Deal Secured by Government Better Than Its Predecessor

The Ministry of Defence Wednesday described the Opposition demand to disclose the details and value of the Rafale contract as “unrealistic”. An approximate cost of the acquisition of the 36 Rafale jets has already been provided to the Parliament, the MoD said in a press release.

Citing an agreement signed with France in 2008, the MoD said the government was merely following “in letter and spirit the confidentiality provisions” of a bilateral agreement signed by the UPA government.

(Source: The Indian Express)

5. Unnao Quack’s Syringe May Not Be the Only Reason for HIV Spread: Officials

It’s likely that the self-styled “doctor” accused of infecting people in Unnao with HIV with a contaminated syringe may not alone account for the spread of the virus. Officials say the region’s large migratory population and high-risk behaviour could also be the reason.

HIV spreads through an infected person’s body fluids, such as blood, semen, pre-seminal fluids, and breast milk. In India, it spreads primarily through unsafe sex and sharing needles to inject drugs, which leads to stigma against those infected.

“We have registered an FIR against the quack on the basis of what villagers told us, but we cannot overlook the fact that such fast spread of HIV infection over a year isn’t possible entirely due to use of a single infected needed,” said NG Ravi Kumar, district magistrate, Unnao.

(Source: Hindustan Times)

6. Srinagar Hospital Attack: Escaped Militant Has Reached Safe Destination, Says Hizbul Mujahideen

A day after Pakistani militant Naveed Jat alias Abu Hanzulla’s escape from police custody during a shootout at Srinagar’s Shri Maharaja Hari Singh (SMHS) hospital, Hizbul Mujahideen operational commander Riyaz Naikoo released an audio message, saying Jat and the militant who “rescued” him had reached a “safe destination”.

(Photo: Altered by The Quint)

Police said there is a strong possibility that Naveed fled towards South Kashmir. Naikoo is also based in South Kashmir.

(Source: The Indian Express)

7. Fresh Licences Needed, Says SC, Stops Iron-Ore Mining in Goa from 15 March

The Supreme Court Wednesday quashed the Goa government’s second renewal of iron ore mining licences to 88 companies during 2014-15, saying the “unduly hasty” decision was “not in the interests of mineral development”.

File photo of the Supreme Court of India. (Photo: Reuters)

Referring to the state mineral policy to underline that “iron ore from Goa is not suitable for the Indian industry” and is “mined only for export, mainly to China and Japan”, the bench said the “primary beneficiary” is “the mining lease holder, a private entity” while the average Goan pays the price for the “polluted environment” and “damage to the state’s ecology”.

(Source: The Indian Express)

8. Realty Sector to Take Hit as Repo Rate Remains Unchanged

After the lacklustre budget, real estate sector has faced another setback as the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) kept repo rate (RR) unchanged on Wednesday.

After lacklustre budget, another setback for the Realty Sector.(Photo: iStockphoto)

The real estate sector is facing a slowdown with hardly any sales. Any reduction would have directly impacted interest rates on home loans, banks, as well as lower EMIs for those who have already availed home loans.

“On one hand, the government had been pushing the RBI to reduce lending rates. On the other hand, RBI decided to maintain the current level, indicating cautiousness due to the rising rate of inflation. A rate cut would have had a positive impact on real estate since home loans would have become cheaper,” said Samir Jasuja, managing director, founder of PropEquity.

(Source: Hindustan Times)

9. Title Suit Judgment Appeal in SC Today: as Ayodhya Hearing Begins, Muslims May Seek a Larger Bench

The Supreme Court will resume hearing on Thursday cross-appeals against the Allahabad High Court order of 30 September 2010, which partitioned the disputed Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid site in Ayodhya three ways. The appeal, which was last heard on 5 December 2017, is before a three-judge Bench headed by Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra, and also comprising Justices Ashok Bhushan and S Abdul Nazeer.

Among those arguing the case for the Babri Masjid, the view is firming up that the matter should be heard by a larger bench. While nothing is being said publicly yet, the side arguing for Hashim Ansari (deceased, now being represented by his son Iqbal Ansari) may argue that since the courts have earlier spoken of larger benches in matters of national and Constitutional importance, this appeal must be heard by a bench of “at least seven judges”.

(Source: The Indian Express)

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