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Did Arpita Mukherjee travel to Singapore with Partha Chatterjee in 2012? ED corroborates evidence

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Did Partha Chatterjee and Arpita Mukherjee travel to Singapore together for a business summit in 2012? The Enforcement Directorate (ED) is piecing together evidence after several people reported that the two were seen together in Singapore to where Chatterjee had flown in his official capacity as minister to attend the ‘Beautiful Bengal’ summit that was meant to attract investment for the state of West Bengal.

This was barely a year after the Trinamool Congress stormed to power in the state.

“Yes, we have received certain inputs and are looking into the matter. This business summit was held during an alumni get-together of a renowned educational institution in Kolkata at Singapore. This has nothing to do with the institution. However, there were several people from the city present during the event and some have reported that they spotted Mukherjee with the minister during the trip. We are corroborating evidence,” an ED official said.

This information in the hands of the ED is significant as certain incriminating documents seized from Chatterjee’s residence and the upscale apartment of Mukherjee date back to recruitments through the Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) of 2012. While some have claimed that Chatterjee, with full knowledge of the party’s top leadership, began recruiting non-qualified or under-qualified teachers in lieu of money since 2012, those close to the Trinamool maintain that all the unaccounted-for cash recovered from Mukherjee’s condo is post demonetisation, hence the racket doesn’t go so far back.

“There have been several clandestine land deals for nearly 10 years now. Several properties worth crores of rupees are now under our scanner. Money earned before demonetisation may have been invested in property. What was seized from the residence of Arpita Mukherjee may have been some of the earnings after new currency notes got circulated. We are sure that this is not something that happened over the last 3-4 years alone. Yes, a hue and cry by eligible candidates over the last two years did lead to this investigation. Those who suffered earlier may not have been aware that they had been cheated,” the official added.

Even a section of Trinamool leaders is now worried about the kind of brazenness being displayed by Chief Minister and party supremo Mamata Banerjee. Ideally, people would have liked to see Chatterjee removed from his post as a cabinet minister after his arrest and remand to ED custody for 10 days. Instead of doing that, Mamata seems to be protecting her image.

“We are worried. This is the time of social and digital media and nearly every person sitting in a remote village has access to a smartphone. Many TET and SSB aspirants who were cheated are from the rural areas. We will be going in for the panchayat polls in 2023. Will Didi’s bravado suffice in convincing voters that she knew nothing for so many years? Then, why is she not sacking Chatterjee immediately instead of creating a martyr out of him? Today, there is no doubt in people’s minds that Chatterjee is corrupt. The party need not stand by him any longer,” a senior Trinamool leader said.

Opposition leaders like Sujan Chakraborty and Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury maintain that Mamata can’t ditch Chatterjee just like that as he may spill the beans on other corrupt practices adopted by the West Bengal Government over the last decade. While Suvendu Adhikari, BJP MLA and Leader of the Opposition in the West Bengal Assembly, continues to Tweet video clips of Mamata addressing Mukherjee as if she knows her for long at public gatherings, Chowdhury has demanded Chatterjee’s removal from the Cabinet.

National News

Congress MP Imran Masood calls for banning liquor during Navratri

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Saharanpur, March 29: Congress lawmaker Imran Masood said on Saturday that not just meat shops, liquor establishments should be shut during the nine-day festival of Navratri and called for embracing and promoting the spirit of brotherhood and communal harmony.

“Everybody is demanding a ban on meat shops during Navratri. Why is no one asking for a ban on liquor shops? Why is there no outpouring on the free flow of liquor during Navratri? Will this not spoil the purity and sanctity of the festival?” Saharanpur MP said in a special interaction with media.

The Congress Parliamentarian said that peaceful celebration supersedes everything, and it is incumbent upon all communities to maintain decorum during festivities and also make certain sacrifices, be it Eid or Navratri.

Notably, Eid-ul-Fitr and Navratri are coinciding on the same day this year. Both festivals are set to fall on Monday, with little possibility of change in the Eid schedule on account of moon sighting.

Days ago, the Congress MP also extended support to the demands of a meat ban during Navratri celebrations. In an apparent message to the Muslim community, he said that nothing would change if one did not eat meat for ten days.

“What matters above everything is the peaceful co-existence of communities. At no point in time, the differences over food preferences lead to communal strife,” Masood told newspersons.

Congress MP, when asked questions on the party’s strategy for the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, said that the Opposition is fully prepared to take on the Centre on “partisan legislation”.

“We opposed the amendments in the JPC meeting, tooth and nail. We will strongly voice our dissent in Parliament too,” he said.

Notably, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said on Friday that the Waqf Bill will not be delayed any further and will be reintroduced in the ongoing session of Parliament.

Only four working days of the Budget Session are left, as it concludes on April 4.

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National News

‘PM Narendra Modi Relies On Crutches Of Nitish Kumar And Chandrababu Naidu To Pass Waqf Bill”: AIMIM Chief Asaduddin Owaisi

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Hyderabad: All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi spoke on the Waqf Amendment Bill 2024 and said that the BJP does not have a majority in the Lok Sabha, and if Chandrababu Naidu and Nitish Kumar oppose it, it won’t be passed.

While speaking to media, Asaduddin Owaisi said that PM Narendra Modi is relying on the crutches of Chandrababu Naidu and Nitish Kumar. He stated that Union Home Minister Amit Shah is spreading lies in the country regarding the Waqf Bill.

“Amit Shah is the Home Minister of the Government of India and his statement is proof of the fact that you trying to make an unconstitutional law which can be challenged in the court. This is a violation of the articles of the Constitution and the Waqf of the entire country will suffer because of it. You are removing the section of the Waqf property, who will benefit from it. You are omitting the revenue of lakhs of rupees. Amit Shah is lying to the country that you can challenge the Waqf Tribunal in the court. Prime Minister Narendra Modi relies on the crutches of Nitish Kumar and Chandrababu Naidu and if they do not support this unconstitutional bill, then this law will not be made”, Asaduddin Owaisi said.

Earlier on Friday, Owaisi supported the ‘black band’ protest against the Waqf (Amendment) Bill. Owaisi, who is also part of the JPC on the Waqf bill, joined in the symbolic protest on Friday by wearing a black armband as he offered prayers.

Meanwhile, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said on Friday that Waqf Amendment Bill, on which JPC has given its report, will be tabled in the Budget session of Parliament. The Budget session is slated to conclude on April 4.

“Nobody needs to get afraid of the Waqf Bill. In 2013, the Congress-led government passed the Waqf Bill and made several provisions that are not aligned with our Constitution. We are now trying to align the bill with constitutional principles,” he said.

Asked about Asaduddin Owaisi’s black arm band protest, Amit Shah said people have a right to do so. “Some do it through their clothes, some through their words. In Parliament, one opposes through logic,” he said.

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Crime

Accused in Saif Ali Khan stabbing case files bail plea, claims innocence

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Mumbai, March 29: Mohammad Shariful Islam Shahzad, the accused in the stabbing of Bollywood superstar Saif Ali Khan, has filed a bail petition in the Mumbai Sessions Court, asserting that he is innocent and the case against him is fabricated.

The attack took place in the early hours of January 16 when the accused allegedly entered Saif’s Bandra residence through his youngest son Jeh’s room.

The actor, who was reportedly trying to fend off the assailant, suffered multiple stab wounds. Despite his injuries, Saif managed to go to the hospital on his own, accompanied by his son Taimur.

Shariful Islam Shahzad’s petition, filed through his lawyer, claims that the FIR was wrongly registered and that he has fully cooperated with the police investigation.

His legal team argues that since all evidence is already in police custody, there is no risk of tampering, and therefore, he should be granted bail.

Currently, the case is being handled by the Bandra Magistrate Court, but it falls under the jurisdiction of the Mumbai Sessions Court. Once the police file a charge sheet, the case will be transferred to the Sessions Court. However, the charge sheet is yet to be filed.

According to media reports, doctors removed a 2.5-inch knife from Saif’s wound. The actor sustained six stab injuries, two of which were serious as they were near his spine.

The incident reportedly occurred around 2:15 am on January 16 when the accused broke into the house, attacked the house help, and then stabbed Saif when he intervened.

Saif was alerted by noises from Jeh’s room, where he found the accused in an altercation with the house help. Attempting to protect the staff, Saif fought off the intruder with his bare hands before being stabbed multiple times.

Investigations have revealed that the accused, a Bangladeshi national, intended to rob a wealthy individual to finance his mother’s medical treatment in his home country. He has a history of petty theft and was previously dismissed from restaurants in Worli and Thane for stealing.

It is also reported that the attacker was unaware of Saif Ali Khan’s celebrity status and targeted the residence purely because it was located in an upscale apartment complex.

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