Lalu trying to poach NDA MLAs in Bihar, alleges Sushil Modi
Patna: Lalu Prasad is trying to poach NDA MLAs in Bihar in a bid to topple the Nitish Kumar government and help the Grand Alliance helmed by his RJD achieve power in the state, senior BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi claimed on Tuesday.
The former Deputy Chief Minister made the sensational assertion on his twitter handle, sharing a mobile number which, he claimed, Prasad was having access to despite serving sentences in fodder scam cases.
The RJD supremo is in Ranchi, where he has been sentenced by a special CBI court in a number of fodder scam cases. Initially lodged at the Hotwar Central Jail, he was moved to the RIMS hospital in the Jharkhand capital on medical grounds.
For the last few months, he has been putting up at the bungalow allotted to the Director of RIMS, which is seen as a favour extended to the ageing and ailing leader by the sympathetic Hemant Soren government in which the RJD is a partner.
Modi, who has been replaced as Deputy Chief Minister but made the Chairman of Ethics Committee of the state legislative council, in what is seen as a goodwill gesture by the Bihar Chief Minister, is known to be a strident critic of the RJD supremo.
He was one of the petitioners on whose PIL the Patna High Court had ordered, in the 1990s, handing over of the fodder scam to the CBI.
"Lalu Yadav making telephone call (8051216302) from Ranchi to NDA MLAs and promising ministerial berths", Modi tweeted, tagging a number of media outlets.
"When I telephoned, Lalu directly picked up. I said dont do (sic) these dirty tricks from jail, you will not succeed", added Modi, who has known the RJD chief since the 1970s when both were student leaders at the Patna University, actively involved in the JP movement.
In the recently held Bihar assembly elections, RJD returned with a tally of 75 seats, becoming the single largest party, though the five-party Grand Alliance fell way short of the magic mark of 122.
A fine performance by the BJP, which won just one seat less than the RJD, propelled the NDA to an easy victory despite a major slump in the tally of Nitish Kumars JD(U) which bore the brunt of the brinkmanship of Chirag Paswan-led NDA.
The BJP-led NDA bagged 125 seats and the party kept up its promise of backing the JD(U) boss as the Chief Minister even if his party were to get drubbed.
In the recently formed council of ministers, the BJP walked away with the lions share.
In the 14-member cabinet, the saffron party has seven members as against five of the JD(U) and two of its leaders Tar Kishor Prasad and Renu Devi have been made Deputy CMs.
Two smaller allies, Hindustani Awam Morcha of former CM and currently the pro tem Speaker Jitan Ram Manjhi and Vikassheel Insaan Party of former Bollywood set designer Mukesh Sahni, both having four seats each, have also been accommodated into the cabinet.
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SC to hear plea on air pollution crisis in Delhi-NCR on Dec 17
New Delhi (PTI): The Supreme Court on Monday said it will list for hearing on December 17 a plea related to worsening air pollution levels in Delhi-NCR.
A bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul M Pamcholi took note of the submissions of senior advocate Aprajita Singh, who is assisting it as an amicus curiae, that though the preventive measures are there in place but the key issue was of their poor implementation by the authorities.
Singh said till this court directs something, the authorities do not comply with the protocols which are already there.
“This is coming up before a three judges bench on Wednesday. It will come up,” the CJI said.
Another lawyer referred to an application relating to the health issue of children, and said schools, despite the earlier orders, are holding outdoor sports activities.
“Despite the order of this court, Schools have found ways and means to have these sporting activities.. it is taking place. The CAQM (Commission for Air Quality Management) is again citing the order of this court,” the amicus also said.
“We know the problem and let us pass orders which can be complied with. There are some directions which can be forcibly imposed. In these urban metropolitan cities people have their own lifestyle. But the poor…,” the CJI said.
The amicus said the poor labourers are the worst ones to suffer.
Earlier the bench had said the plea against air pollution cannot be treated as a "customary" case to be listed only during the winter months only.
It had said the case will be taken twice in a month to find out short and long-term solutions to the menace.
Delhi on Monday choked under a thick blanket of smog, with the Air Quality Index (AQI) settling at 498, which falls in the higher spectrum of 'severe' category.
The air quality was 'severe' at 38 stations while it was 'very poor' at two stations. Jahangirpuri, which recorded an AQI of 498, recorded the worst air quality amongst all 40 stations.
According to the Central Pollution Control Board, an AQI between 0 and 50 is considered 'good', 51 to 100 'satisfactory', 101 to 200 'moderate', 201 to 300 'poor', 301 to 400 'very poor', and 401 to 500 'severe'.
The AQI in Delhi had climbed to 461 on Sunday and marked the city's most polluted day this winter and the second-worst December air quality day on record, as weak winds and low temperatures trapped pollutants close to the surface.
