Follow us on: facebook.com/dailypioneer RNI No.2016/1957, REGD NO. SSP/LW/NP-34/2016-18 @TheDailyPioneer instagram.com/dailypioneer/ Established 1864 OPINION 8 Published From WORLD 12 SPORT 15 DELHI LUCKNOW BHOPAL RETURN OF A PRO-INDIAN PELOSI IS MANCHESTER CITY BHUBANESWAR RANCHI RAIPUR FRIEND US HOUSE SPEAKER BEAT LIVERPOOL 2-1 CHANDIGARH DEHRADUN Late City Vol. 155 Issue 4 LUCKNOW, SATURDAY JANUARY 5, 2019; PAGES 16 `3 *Air Surcharge Extra if Applicable AISH RECALLS HER ROKA CEREMONY} } 14 VIVACITY www.dailypioneer.com Rahul vows criminal probe on Rafale New SC Bench to Cong chief says Defence Minister parried fix Ayodhya hearing questions, Modi should be probed for graft Unlike you, we don’t PNS n NEW DELHI on Jan 10, says CJI ccusing Defence Minister PNS n NEW DELHI material, we are not inclined to ANirmala Sitharaman of not entertain the writ petition. The addressing his specific question employ dalals: Nirmala ith the Sangh Parivar same is, accordingly, dismissed.” on the Rafale deal during the Wmounting pressure for Now, a three-member debate in the Lok Sabha, PNS n NEW DELHI early disposal of the Ram Bench will be set up for taking Congress president Rahul Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid title forward the Ayodhya land dis- Gandhi on Friday vowed to ini- efence Minister Nirmala case, the Supreme Court on pute case in which as many as 14 tiate a criminal investigation DSitharaman on Friday Friday said an “appropriate appeals were filed against the into the purchase of the fight- attacked the Congress for a Bench” on January 10 will fix the 2010 Allahabad High Court er jets if the Congress comes to series of scams in defence deals date of hearing. The SC is to be judgment, delivered in four civil power after the Lok Sabha in the past, and told the Lok set up for hearing the matter on suits, that the 2.77-acre land be elections in 2019. Sabha that the Modi a batch of petitions. partitioned equally among the Asserting that those found Government’s Rafale jet pur- “Further orders in the mat- three parties -- the Sunni Waqf guilty of wrongdoings in the chase was transparent and was ter will be passed on January 10 Board, the Nirmohi Akhara Rafale deal will be punished, executed in the interest of by the appropriate Bench, as and Ram Lalla. Rahul demanded that Prime national security. During her may be constituted,” said a The apex court on October Minister Narendra Modi Congress president Rahul Gandhi addresses the media on the Rafale deal during nearly two-hour long reply to Bench comprising Chief Justice 29 had fixed the matter in the should be investigated for cor- the Winter Session of Parliament in New Delhi on Friday PTI a discussion on the issue, Ranjan Gogoi and Justice SK first week of January before the ruption and for weakening Nirmala gave a “point-by- Kaul. The CJI passed this order “appropriate Bench”. Later, an national security by giving the Minister towards the end of the in the Supreme Court against point” rebuttal to Opposition’s even before senior advocates application was moved for Rafale contract to “his friend” debate and asked her to reply Reliance Communications allegations, including on price Union Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman speaks during the discussion on Harish Salve and Rajeev according an urgent hearing by industrialist Anil Ambani. in yes or no. “I asked that after chief Anil Ambani and of the fighter aircraft and HAL issues relating to Rafale deal in the Lok Sabha in New Delhi on Friday PTI Dhavan, appearing for different advancing the date, but the top Also attacking Defence a long negotiation process, demanding that he be detained. not getting the offset contract. parties, get the opportunity to court had refused the plea, say- Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, those people who participated “In addition to corrup- She alleged the Congress charge, she said that it was the pricing difference, Sitharaman make submission. The hearing ing it had already passed an Rahul said the Minister just in that negotiations — Air tion, the PM should be inves- stalled the deal when it was in Indian Air Force which sug- said there was no formal price finished in 30 seconds. order on October 29 relating to “ran away” after a long speech Force chief, Defence Minister, tigated for weakening nation- power as it “didn’t get money” gested that the Government noting by the Congress of `526 After it passed the order, the the hearing of the matter. in the Lok Sabha without pro- secretaries, Air Force officials al security by giving the Rafale and ignored national security. buy two squadrons or 36 Rafale crore as the deal price. But the Bench came across a fresh plea The plea for early hearing viding answers to his questions — when the Prime Minister contract to his friend and inter- “Defence Ministry has jets in fly-away condition price negotiated by the NDA which demanded that the SC was moved by the Akhil Bharat on the controversial fighter jet did a ‘bypass surgery’... Did the national debt master, Anil been functioning without dalals instead of 18, as was planned to Government is nine per cent should hear the Ayodhya land Hindu Mahasabha (ABHM) deal. He further questioned the Air Force people object, yes or Ambani,” Rahul said in a tweet (middlemen) during five years be purchased under the lower than what was negotiat- dispute matter on an urgent and which is one of the respondents absence of the Prime Minister no,” Rahul said. and tagged the media report. of Prime Minister Modi. Rafale Congress-led UPA ed by the UPA. day-to-day basis. in the appeal filed by legal heirs in Parliament when the debate “And you saw that instead Speaking to the media out- is a decision in national inter- Government. She accused the “Comparing the cost of The SC dismissed the PIL of M Siddiq, one of the original on the topic was on. of answering this, the Defence side Parliament ahead of the est. I don’t want to talk about Congress of compromising `526 crore with `1,600 crore, is filed by advocate Harinath Ram, litigants in the case. “The Defence Minister did Minister started doing drama Government’s reply in the Lok Bofors because Bofors was a with national security in the like comparing apples to who had submitted that in view A three-judge bench of the not answer any of the questions that ‘I have been insulted, I was Sabha over the issue, Rahul scam and Rafale is not. interest of the party’s “treasury” oranges. The cost quoted in of the inordinate delay in the top court had on September 27 I asked on the Rafale deal. She called a liar’,” he said. accused Narendra Modi of Bofors brought them while deciding on buying 126 2007 will not remain the same adjudication of the matter and last year, by 2:1 majority, refused did not even take the name of Earlier in the day, Rahul running away from the debate down. Rafale will bring us fighter jets. in 2016, because there is esca- in the prevailing sentiments to refer to a five-judge constitu- Anil Ambani,” Rahul Gandhi said the PM should be investi- and posed a series of questions back, Rafale will bring Modi Under the deal finalised by lation cost and there is surrounding the Ayodhya land tion Bench the issue of recon- told reporters outside gated for corruption for giving to Sitharaman. back to have a new and trans- the NDA Government, the exchange rate variation,” she dispute, matter should be given sideration of the observations in Parliament after Sitharaman the Rafale contract to Anil “Let me tell you that if we forming India and... Remove delivery of first Rafale will said, adding that the price of a hearing on priority. its 1994 judgment that a mosque gave the Government’s reply on Ambani. The Gandhi scion come to power in 2019, then the corruption which is stink- happen in 2019, while the last the basic aircraft cannot be The Bench in its order said: was not integral to Islam. The the Rafale fighter jet deal issue cited a media report on there will be (an) investigation ing around the Congress,” the of 36 jets will be delivered in compared with price of “Having heard the petitioner, matter had arisen during the in the Lok Sabha. Rahul said he Swedish Telecom major (into the Rafale deal). Minister said. 2022, the Minister informed weaponised aircraft. who is appearing in person and hearing of the Ayodhya land dis- put two questions to the Ericsson filing a contempt plea Continued on Page 7 Countering Congress’ the House. With regard to Continued on Page 7 upon perusing the relevant pute. SP, BSP give ` Dilip Kumar sues Maken exit fuels Retired officer held in 300-cr land scam builder as help final shape to PNS n LUCKNOW Health Mission (NRHM) scam cooperative officer (housing) After the matter came to in UP, was arrested from his in Meerut Raj Kumar was also the knowledge of then Meerut from PM, CM UP alliance speculation of etired assistant housing Gomti Nagar bungalow in involved in the scam. Land Divisional Commissioner Rcommissioner of Meerut Lucknow by a Meerut police mafia Satyapal Singh, Prabhat Kumar, he ordered a not forthcoming PNS n NEW DELHI VK Chaudhary, involved in a team led by Crime Branch Deshwal, Rajmohan, RPS high-level probe. Later, the land scam of over `300 crore inspector Indrapal Singh. Chaudhary, who organised matter was filed with SP supremo Mayawati and and having about a dozen As per reports, the society, connived to trans- Pallavpuram court after which IANS n MUMBAI BSamajwadi Party chief Cong-AAP hug criminal cases against him, Chaudhary, during his tenure fer the land illegally.