66 retired civil servants approach President to complain about EC’s biased functioning to help Modi
A group 66 former senior bureaucrats has written to President Ram Nath Kovind expressing their disgust over the questionable functioning of the Election Commission of India. The petitioners that included Former Delhi LG Najeeb Jung, Retired IPS officer Vappala Balachandran, former special secretary, Cabinet Secretariat, former foreign secretary and national security adviser (NSA) Shivshankar Menon, former Planning Commission secretary N C Saxena and super cop Julio Ribeiro, have asked President Kovind to intervene to ensure free and fair elections.
The petition by former civil servants also highlighted instances of gross violations by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and how the Election Commission chose to look the other way by not taking action against him.
The five-page letter highlighted several instances where violations by Modi and those favouring the BJP were ignored by the Election Commission. It said that the ECI had failed to stop the Modi biopic from being released even though this ‘represents a backdoor effort to garner free publicity’ for him and his party.The group of 66 bureaucrats also slammed the ECI for not stopping another web series made on Modi, which will be aired soon on Eros Now. It mocked the national poll body for its ticking the box exercise by simply ‘going through the motions of calling for detail.’
They also called out the EC’s ‘lethargy’ on the launch of the NaMo TV on 31 March despite not receiving any approval from the Information and Broadcasting ministry. They reminded the EC of Modi’s speech made in Wardha in Maharashtra, where he was seen provoking Hindus while seeking votes.
On 6 April, Modi had made a similar speech in Nanded, but the ECI merely sought a report from the Chief Electoral Officer. Modi’s latest speech seeking votes in the name of the Balakot air strikes and the Pulwama terror attack too violated the EC guidelines, but the national poll body once again ignored the violation.
Among other violations of Model Code of Conduct and the EC’s refusal to act against them were Yogi Adityanath’s Modi ji ki sena comments. The petition also questioned the EC’s recent decision to transfer three top police officers and the Chief Secretary in Andhra Pradesh and four top police officers in West Bengal, adding that why no such steps were taken in Tamil Nadu, where the Director General of Police (DGP) is reportedly under investigation by the Central Bureau of Investigation in the Gutkha scam case.
courtesy: jantakareporter.com
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Another North Goa nightclub sealed; Kejriwal says corruption led to fire tragedy
Panaji (PTI): As part of a crackdown against tourist establishments violating laws and safety norms in the aftermath of the Arpora fire tragedy, Goa authorities on Saturday sealed a renowned club at Vagator and revoked the fire department NOC of another club.
Cafe CO2 Goa, located on a cliff overlooking the Arabian Sea at Vagator beach in North Goa, was sealed. The move came two days after Goya Club, also in Vagator, was shut down for alleged violations of rules.
Elsewhere, campaigning for local body polls, AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal said the fire incident at Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub at Arpora, which claimed 25 lives on December 6, happened because the BJP government in the state was corrupt.
An inspection of Cafe CO2 Goa by a state government-appointed team revealed that the establishment, with a seating capacity of 250, did not possess a no-objection certificate (NOC) of the Fire and Emergency Services Department. The club, which sits atop Ozrant Cliff, also did not have structural stability, the team found.
The Fire and Emergency Services on Saturday also revoked the NOC issued to Diaz Pool Club and Bar at Anjuna as the fire extinguishers installed in the establishment were found to be inadequate, said divisional fire officer Shripad Gawas.
A notice was issued to Nitin Wadhwa, the partner of the club, he said in the order.
Campaigning at Chimbel village near Panaji in support of his party's Zilla Panchayat election candidate, Aam Aadmi Party leader Kejriwal said the nightclub fire at Arpora happened because of the "corruption of the Pramod Sawant-led state government."
"Why this fire incident happened? I read in the newspapers that the nightclub had no occupancy certificate, no building licence, no excise licence, no construction licence or trade licence. The entire club was illegal but still it was going on," he said.
"How could it go on? Couldn't Pramod Sawant or anyone else see it? I was told that hafta (bribe) was being paid," the former Delhi chief minister said.
A person can not work without bribing officials in the coastal state, Kejriwal said, alleging that officers, MLAs and even ministers are accepting bribes.
