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Asian Voice | 3rd March 2018
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Kamal Haasan launches his political party CHENNAI: Veteran actor Kamal Haasan launched his political party, the 'Makkal Needhi Maiam' in Madurai. He said the name roughly translates to “Centre for People's Justice”. “I am not your leader, I am your tool... this gathering is full of leaders,” Haasan said. The party flag was unveiled before Haasan announced the name of his party with a brief pause. The party flag has six hands joining together with shades of red over three hands and rest with white along with a star in between- all in a white background. “This is a party for the people... I am not a leader
event, Haasan had met late president APJ Abdul Kalam's elder brother M o h a m m e d Muthumeera Lebbai Maraikkayar in Rameswaram. “A little has changed, but my people have not. I am all of your son. You all have seen me as a movie star so far, from now I want you to tell that I am not a cinema star. I am the Kamal Haasan lamp of all your house. Please protect but a follower who would me and keep me lit,” Kamal listen to your suggestions,” Haasan said. When asked Haasan said to a crowd of what ideology his party tens of thousands of peowould follow, left or right, ple who had gathered at Haasan said, “I'm centre.” the grounds. Before the
Colours black and white hold political significance in Tamil Nadu. They form part of the flags of state parties AIADMK and DMK. Also, the colours are seen as a pointer to the Dravidian ideology. The actor-politician later took a dig at the ruling BJP in a column, saying that though saffron is one of the three colours of the Indian flag, “it shouldn't spread to the entire flag”. “Some videos show people taking a vow to remove the world secular in constitution... Can we make such a sacrifice to harvest votes?” he wrote. Haasan added, “I wanted to change the politics without ethics.”
PM Modi launches 'Amma' two-wheeler scheme CHENNAI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the subsidised scooter scheme for working women on the occasion of the 70th birth anniversary of late Tamil Nadu leader J Jayalalithaa. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K Palaniswami and his deputy O Panneerselvam, were among those present. The scheme, with a subsidy component of 50 per cent or up to Rs. 25,000 for working women, was launched by Modi, by handing over the keys and registration certificate copies to five
Narendra Modi handing over keys and registration certificate of two wheeler
women beneficiaries. He also launched 70,00,000tree sapling planting drive
on the occasion. Palaniswami in his address urged PM Modi to
take steps to set up the Cauvery Management Board and the Cauvery Water Regulatory Committee, as directed by the Supreme Court. He said the saplings would be planted through out the year and also thanked the Prime Minister for lauding the ancient language Tamil recently. The Chief Minister also recalled a slew of welfare initiatives and freebie schemes launched by Jayalalithaa. Panneerselvam said the Prime Minister was "courageously leading India."
NORTH
Trudeaus visit Golden Temple
Trudeaus tried to make chappatis at the ‘langar’
AMRITSAR: Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who was on his maiden visit to India with his family, arrived at Amritsar's Golden Temple last week. He also met Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh, at a hotel in Amritsar. The much-awaited meeting went very smoothly, with Singh stating that Trudeau had assured him that his country did not support any separatist movement in India or elsewhere. During the 40-minute meeting between the two leaders, Singh handed over a list of nine 'Category A' Canada-based operatives allegedly involved in hate crimes in Punjab. Dressed in traditional Indian clothes, with their heads covered, the Trudeaus earlier, bowed before the holy book of the
Sikhs, and tried to make chappatis at the 'langar' in the Golden Temple as they spent over an hour at the shrine. Wearing an offwhite embroidered kurtapyjama, with his head covered with a 'kesari', Trudeau entered the complex with wife Sophia, who wore a light turquoise kurta and white palazzo, and their children. They first went to the Langar Hall, where they did sewa, and kneaded flour and roll chapatis. They also did parikrama before entering the sun-soaked and glittering all-gold sanctum sanctorum. They bowed before the Guru Granth Sahib, and were given Siropatraditional robe of honour, by the head priest inside the shrine. Trudeau also visited the Partition Museum.
350 Haryana farmers held, Delhi gherao foiled
CHANDIGARH: In a crackdown on agitating farmers, police arrested over 200 farmers who were on their way to Delhi on call of the Rashtriya Kisan Mahasangh. Overall, 367 farmers have been arrested. Union president of the Bharatiya Kisan Union, Gurnam Singh Charuni described the action as “Hitlershahi”, alleging that several farmers had been injured in the lathicharge by the police in Radaur. He claimed, “More than 500 farmers have been arrested, many of them on the serious charge of attempt to murder. If farmers are not released and the cases against them are not withdrawn by February 26, farmers' outfits will announce a mega agitation in a mahapanchayat at Kheri Chopta that day.”
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Inspector General of Police Mamta Singh confirmed the arrests in the past two days, adding that 43 others had been arrested under the IPC. Thirty five of the them have been arrested in connection with a clash with the police in Radaur. She said, “The maximum preventive arrests have been made in Kurukshetra. There, 113 farmers have been taken into custody. In all, 80 farmers have been arrested in Jind, 33 in Karnal and 25 in Kaithal.” She said the situation in the state was peaceful and no national highways leading to Delhi was blocked. Sonepat Deputy Commissioner KM Pandurang confirmed eight arrests in his districts, stating that traffic to Delhi from Kundli border was smooth.
PM seeks vote for the development in Meghalaya PHULBARI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi said Meghalaya is not safe in the hands of a Congress government, appealing to the people to give BJP a chance to serve the state. Speaking at an election meeting in the state, he said that ruling Congress took the people for granted as it saw no political challenge in the state. “Give us a chance to serve the state. We will ensure good governance guided by the philosophy of sabka saath sabka vikas. I promise you that Meghalaya's BJP government will account for work and every penny being spent,” Modi said. Lashing out at the Mukul Sangma government, he said, “There is a long list of scams to the credit of the state government and Meghalaya is not safe in the hands of the Congress government.” Modi said the Centre had provided around £47 million for laying 1100 km of roads in the state under Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) but the state government was unable to spent even 50
Narendra Modi
per cent of it. “We approved construction of 21,000 houses in Meghalaya and provided more than £10 million to the government. But they were unable to build the required number of houses,” Modi said. Noting that his government wants to further strengthen its 'Act East Policy', Modi said it will open up opportunities for people in the state and in the entire Northeast. “We have planned to spend around £18 million for building of the new Shillong airport. It will improve the possibilities for industrial development, besides generation of employment for common man,” the PM said.
59% candidates for Nagaland assembly polls are crorepatis NEW DELHI: Poll-bound northeastern state Nagaland, which has a population of just 20,00,000, has reportedly seen steady rise in the number of rich candidates contesting elections in the recent past. A report by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) has stated that 114 out of the total 196 candidates in the fray have declared their assets in millions. The top three richest candidates are Ramongo Lotha of JD(U) with £3.89 million, KLChisi of the BJP with £3.82 million, and former CM Neiphiu Rio with £3.64 million. The ADR, along with the Nagaland Election Watch, analysed the affidavits of 193 out of a total of 196 candidates. According to the assessment, the average asset per candidate is £376,000. What is interesting, is that 27 or 14 per cent of the can-
didates, out of 193, have not declared their source of income. One candidate, Akavi N Zhimomi of AAP, contesting from Ghaspani-I constituency has declared zero assets in his affidavit. The ADR report also found that out of 193 candidates it analysed, 2-3 per cent of the candidates have declared that criminal cases have been registered against them. Meanwhile, a total of nine out of the 193 candidates have not declared their PAN details. The ADR report also found that there are illiterate candidates in the electoral fray in Nagaland. In terms of education, 52 candidates have declared their educational qualification to be between class VIII to class XII pass, while 137 others declared having an educational qualification of graduate or above.
Martyr's bust damaged KALIGANJ (WEST BENGAL): Students a school in Kaliganj, Nadia, boycotted classes to protest the vandalisation of a bust of an ex-student and a Kargil martyr. Premananda Chanda, a former student of Sapjola Deshbandhu High School, was an artillery sepoy in the Indian Army who was killed in Kargil conflict. Chanda's bust was found broken. Goons
allegedly broke the iron hand-pump of a tube-well and used it to smash the bust. "It is beyond our imagination that the bust of a soldier, who sacrificed his life to protect our country could be vandalised like this. We boycotted classes, demanding the arrest of the guilty," said Supriya Pramanik, a student of the school.