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‘Political vendetta’, RJD leaders question timing of CBI raids at Lalu prasad’s properties

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Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) on Friday reacted sharply over the raids conducted by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in more than 15 locations of Lalu Prasad.

Sunil Singh, senior leader of the party and an MLC, slammed the CBI for conducting raids “on the direction of the Narendra Modi government”.

“Conduct raids at the places you want. You (CBI) will not get anything other than cow dung and Baba Ji Ka Thullu,” Singh asserted before the mediapersons in Patna.

“The act of CBI is a part of the political vendetta by the BJP to harass Lalu Prasad and his family,” he added.

Alok Mehta, another senior leader of the RJD and close to the Lalu family said: “The BJP is doing everything to stay in power in Bihar. It is involved in increasing communal tension in the society and diverting the attention from the real issues. Those who are pointing out real issues before the countrymen are getting harassed through the central agencies. They want to suppress the voice of a person who is vocal against the divisive politics of the BJP and RSS.”

Shakti Singh Yadav, another senior leader of the RJD said that the party will start a movement against the BJP in Bihar.

Earlier, the CBI registered a fresh FIR against Lalu Prasad in the alleged IRCTC scam during his tenure as the Union railway minister between 2005 to 2009. But the million dollar question arises here is what new proof the CBI obtained after 13 years against Lalu Prasad to register an FIR followed by raids at more than 15 places in Patna, Delhi, Gopalganj, and other places.

At present Rabri Devi and Tej Pratap Yadav are present in Patna. The CBI officials are quizzing Tej Pratap Yadav in his official residence. Tejashwi Yadav is in London for a conference while Lalu Prasad and his daughter Misa Bharti are in Delhi.

Timing and probable reasons of raids

The timing of the FIR and raids is important here, especially in the last one and half months. During the period of Ramzan, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and Tejashwi Yadav came very close to each other. Nitish Kumar went to the Rabri Devi residence for the Iftar party. When the JD(U)’s minority wing invited Tejashwi Yadav for the Iftar party, Nitish Kumar went to the car of Tejashwi Yadav to see-off him and then sat in his own car.

Sources have said that the BJP think tank got restless after Tejashwi Yadav announced a padyatra from Patna to New Delhi on the issue of caste-based census. The office of CMO Bihar immediately called Tejashwi Yadav for a close-door meeting with Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. That meeting lasted one hour wherein no one was allowed inside.

Sources further said that Nitish Kumar and Tejashwi Yadav were discussing the formation of a new government in Bihar. For Nitish Kumar, the caste-based census could be an issue to leave the BJP and form a new government in Bihar with the support of the RJD.

After that meeting, Tejashwi was also looking calm. He claimed that the chief minister will call an all-party meeting to discuss the issue of caste-based census.

Nitish Kumar contested the 2015 election under the umbrella of Mahagathbandhan where the RJD was the elder partner with 81 seats in the Vidhan Sabha. Nitish Kumar came out of the Mahagathbandhan after the railway and IRCTC scams surfaced in 2017. Lalu Prasad was facing charges of recruiting a number of people in the Indian Railway on the basis of cash and land registry. Some of the job aspirants have registered their lands in the names of Tejashwi Yadav and Tej Pratap Yadav. When the name of Tejashwi Yadav came in the FIR of CBI, Nitish Kumar broke the alliance and jumped into the ship of the BJP to form the government in Bihar. He broke the alliance with the RJD on the claim of zero-tolerance on corruption in his government.

JD(U) led by Nitish Kumar contested the 2020 Assembly election under the umbrella of NDA, but it’s seats were less compared to the 2015 poll. Nitish Kumar believes that the seats of his party came down due to BJP. Hence, the relationship of the JD(U) and BJP was sour from the beginning of this government. During the oath ceremony of Nitish Kumar, Union Home Minister Amit Shah came to Raj Bhawan, but these two leaders were not looking friendly at all.

For the BJP, its leaders know that Nitish Kumar has so many qualities but they also know that he can shift the goal post any time from the NDA to Mahagathbandhan. Caste-based census is one of the issues where the JD(U) and the BJP have difference of opinions and Nitish Kumar could utilise that point to change the government.

The Narendra Modi government knows Bihar is critical for him in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. Hence, the BJP top leadership wants to stay in the government of Bihar. On the other hand, Nitish Kumar knows that if they stay with BJP, the performance of JD(U) in the Lok Sabha elections 2024 and Vidhan Sabha 2025 may reach another low.

The JD(U) did not announce the name of R.C.P. Singh as a candidate for the Rajya Sabha. It was also a hint from Nitish Kumar to the BJP as everyone knows that R.C.P. Singh is having good connections with the top leadership of the BJP. The party has already announced the name of party old loyalist Anil Hegde for the Rajya Sabha seat. At present, the JD(U) has not enough strength to send two Rajya Sabha candidates.

The political experts believe that there is a message for Nitish Kumar as well here. It would not be easy for him to move away from the BJP and form a new government in Bihar with the help of the RJD. Nitish Kumar was also a Union railway minister in the past and allegedly sleeper scam took place during his tenure. The case of Bihar’s Srijan scam is also in the hands of CBI.

Maharashtra

Maharashtra Fraud: Raigad CGST Officials Bust ₹9 Crore Fake Input Tax Credit Racket; 2 Arrested In Panvel And Dombivli

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Mumbai: A team of officers of Anti-Evasion, CGST & Central Excise Raigad Commissionerate, Mumbai Zone have arrested two persons involved in generating and passing on fake input tax credit (ITC) of more than Rs 9 crore by creating fictitious firms and issuing invoices without actual supply of goods/services.

Fake ITC Passed Using Fictitious Firms, Say Raigad CGST Officials

Acting upon intelligence, the team identified the fake firms being operated by the accused to avail and pass on fake ITC. The accused firm availed ineligible credit passed on by non-existent firms registered based on forged documents.

No Actual Goods Supplied, Yet Invoices Issued

The accused firm was found non-operational at the registered principal place of business evidencing no goods received or supplied. Thus, the firm had fraudulently availed/ passed on ITC in violation of CGST Act, 2017.

Panvel and Dombivli Residents Nabbed for Tax Evasion

The investigation revealed that the Directors of the firm, a resident of New Panvel and a resident of Dombivli (W) were actively involved in the fraud of government revenue.

Two Arrested for ₹9 Crore GST Fraud in Maharashtra

Both were arrested under section 69(1) of CGST Act, 2017 for offences punishable under Section 132(1)(b)/132(1)(c) of CGST Act, 2017 and produced before the Judicial Magistrate First Class, Panvel. The Court has sent them to judicial custody.

Further investigation is in progress to identify other beneficiaries and operators of this fake invoice racket.

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Maharashtra

Good News For Mumbaikars! Now Book Mumbai Local Train Tickets Through WhatsApp; Ticketing Process Made Easier

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Mumbai: The Railways aims to improve the local ticketing system’s convenience and is exploring the possibility of launching a ticketing system via a chat-based app such as WhatsApp. Recently, a meeting took place with organisations that are interested in this matter. Officials mentioned that the tender process will be evaluated once all the details are finalised.

Within the framework of the Digital India initiative, the Indian Railways is emphasising on transforming the ticketing system through digital means. As a result, passengers are being offered fast tickets that are cashless. The shift to digital At present, 25 per cent of travellers are reserving tickets via digital methods, and its adoption is growing daily.

In addition to the current digital ticketing system, the Railways is working on a chat-based ticketing solution to enhance convenience in ticketing. Metro travellers favor using WhatsApp for ticket bookings in the metro. Upon scanning the QR code at the ticket window, a chat interface appears.

Upon sending a Hi message, you are presented with options for ticket booking, and afterward, digital tickets can be obtained upon making the payment. 67 percent of metro fares are being reserved in this manner. What difficulties are there? Several factors need to be addressed during the creation of the WhatsApp ticketing system.

Due to the current misuse of the QR-based ticketing system via UTS, caution must be exercised in developing the new system to avoid similar vulnerabilities. We aim to create a system that will be easy for the travelers. Several alternatives are under consideration for this, including the chat-based ticketing system, Vineet Abhishek, Chief Public Relations Officer.

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Crime

Mumbai Drug Bust: 24-Year-Old Arrested In Byculla With Mephedrone, Charas Worth ₹3.46 Crore In Car

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Mumbai: In a major anti-drug operation, the Mumbai Police arrested a 24-year-old man in the early hours of Wednesday and recovered a large quantity of narcotics valued at over Rs 3.46 crore. The accused, identified as Sahil Junaid Ansari, a resident of Bhiwandi in Thane district, was intercepted while driving through the Byculla area of South Mumbai.

Accused Found Driving Suspiciously In Byculla Area

The incident occurred around 4 am when a team of patrolling constables, Bhabad, Bhoye and Gangurde, spotted a Maruti Ertiga car moving suspiciously near Hume Church on B.A. Road. The team flagged down the vehicle and questioned the driver about his presence at that odd hour. Ansari, however, failed to give a satisfactory response, raising the officers’ suspicions.

Alerted by constable Bhabad, night duty in-charge Police Inspector Anup Dange immediately reached the location with PSI Kolekar, PSI Asade from the Anti-Terror Cell and other detection personnel.

Details On Drugs Found In Car

A detailed search of the vehicle was conducted, during which the police found 1,710 grams of Mephedrone, commonly known as MD, concealed inside. The street value of the seized MD is estimated at Rs 3.42 crore. Additionally, 17 grams of charas worth Rs 4.5 lakh were also recovered from the car.

Police officials confirmed that Ansari has been taken into custody and booked under relevant sections of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act. The contraband was seized and sent for forensic examination.

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