1984 anti-Sikh riots verdict: Sack Kamal Nath, Sambit Patra demands in Bengaluru
Bengaluru, Dec 17: Hailing the conviction of Congress leader Sajjan Kumar in a 1984 anti-Sikh riot case, the BJP Monday demanded the removal of Kamal Nath as Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister who they alleged was involved in the riots.
The demand came on a day when Nath took oath as the state's 18th chief minister, while Kumar was sentenced to life imprisonment by the Delhi High Court.
"The way Delhi High Court verdict has come indicting Sajjan Kumar, it is very clear that it is not an order against Sajjan Kumar but an order against the Congress party," BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra told reporters here.
"Look at the double face of the Congress party. Only today the Congress has made him (Kamal Nath) the chief minister of Madhya Pradesh. Rahul Gandhi should immediately remove him from his position," Patra added.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader alleged that the Nanavati Commission, constituted by the then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee to probe the riots, had named Nath with evidence.
Patra also sought Rahul Gandhi's resignation as the party president as the judgment was also against the Congress, which, he alleged, had shielded the accused for decades.
While Sajjan Kumar has been imprisoned for life, "Gandhi has been imprisoned in his own conscience as it will continuously prick him all through his life, that his party members massacred thousands of Sikhs and he kept quiet," he said.
"I want to tell Rahul Gandhi to listen to your conscience and resign as the Congress chief," Patra demanded.
On the issue of Rafale fighter jet deal, Patra said truth had triumphed after the Supreme Court set aside the PILs challenging the deal between India and France for procurement of 36 fighter jets.
The BJP leader said the PILs were "Politically Inclined Litigations".
"Rahul Gandhi has lied through his teeth on the Rafale issue. The three Supreme Court judges in their 29-page judgment have categorically concluded that they did not find any reason for any intervention by the court after its findings in all three aspects and having heard the matter in detail," Patra said.
The three allegations, Patra said, were faulty pricing, faulty procurement and commercial favouritism benefiting industrialist Anil Ambani.
Patra said the three charges were rejected by the top court which also examined the pricing details and did not find anything wrong.
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13 lakh litres of 'Rail Neer' supplied to train passengers daily: Government
New Delhi (PTI): Approximately 13 lakh litres of packaged drinking water -- 'Rail Neer' -- are being supplied to train passengers across the railway network daily, the government informed the Lok Sabha in a written reply on Wednesday.
Apprising the Lower House about the Indian Railways' endeavour to provide safe and potable drinking water facilities at all stations, the government also provided zone-wise details of the water vending machines (WVMs) installed there.
"To ensure the quality of drinking water being made available at the railway stations, instructions exist for periodical checking and required corrective action to be taken.
"Regular inspection and maintenance of drinking water facilities is carried out and complaints are attended to promptly," Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said while responding to a question raised by BJP MP Anup Sanjay Dhotre seeking to know the supply of drinking water at railway stations across the country
"Complaints regarding deficiency in services, including water supply, are received through various channels such as public complaints, web portals, social media, etc. These complaints are received at various levels, including the Railway Board, zonal railways, division office, etc.," Vaishnaw said.
"The complaints so received are forwarded to the concerned wings of Railways and necessary action is taken to check and address them. As receipt of such complaints and action taken thereon is a continuous and dynamic process, a centralised compendium of these is not maintained," he added.
Providing zone-wise details of water vending machines, the minister said 954 such machines have been installed across railway stations.
"The Indian Railways also provides safe and affordable packaged drinking water bottles -- Rail Neer -- approved by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) in trains and at stations," Vaishnaw said.
"Approximately, 13 lakh litres of Rail Neer are being supplied per day to the travelling passengers in trains and at stations across the Indian Railways network," he added.
