Law Minister attacks Rahul for levelling allegations against Modi
New Delhi, Sep 22 : Hitting back at Rahul Gandhi for his "thief" jibe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad on Saturday said "irresponsible, shameless and baseless" remarks were being made by a family which is out on bail in the National Herald case and is the source of all corruption in the country.
Addressing the media, a livid Prasad rejected Gandhi's demand for a Joint Parliamentary Committee probe into the issue, saying a JPC probe is not set up to "satisfy the ego of an ill informed and ignorant leader".
By making such remarks against the Prime Minister, who has eliminated corruption in the country, Gandhi has sought to throw black paint on his own face, the minister said.
"Rahul Gandhi's statement is utterly irresponsible. He is playing into the hands of Pakistan and China by insisting on the disclosure of the price and other details which will help our enemies. I charge Rahul Gandhi is trying to help Pakistan," he said.
Rejecting the Congress allegations in the wake of former French President Francois Hollande's reported statement that the Indian government insisted on Reliance Defence as the offset partner for Dassault Aviation in 2015, Prasad recounted the history of the deal from 2006 and said there was contemporaneous evidence to show that the choice of offset partner, a Reliance company, was made in 2012 itself during the UPA rule, much before Modi became Prime Minister.
"There is evidence available that a proper MoU existed between Dassault and Reliance industry as early as on February 13, 2013, that means one year, four months before we came to power," he said.
Prasad said that the offset clause was finalised by the UPA in 2012 and the choice of the private firm in place of HAL was entirely that of Dassault. "In fact the UPA had ditched the HAL," he said.
He said both the French government and Dassault have made authoritative statements denying the involvement of the government in the selection of the private firm.
"I don't know the reasons and compulsions of the former French President to say what he had said," Prasad said and made a reference to a question of conflict of interest being raised against the former French President whose partner's film was co-produced by the private firm.
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South zone finalists announced at WAVES VFX challenge in Bengaluru
Bengaluru: The South Zone round of the WAVES VFX Challenge took place today in Bengaluru, organized by the Association of Bangalore Animation Industry (ABAI).
The day-long competition brought together talented participants from across southern India, with the goal of selecting top finalists who will go on to represent the region at the national finals next month during the WAVES Summit in Mumbai.
Finalists were selected in three categories:
Student Category
Winner: Soumya Das
Runner-up: Gagan HP
Professional Category
Winner: Mohamad Javeed
Runner-up: S Sai Chandan
Enthusiasts Category
Winner: Gagan Ajai
Over 1,500 entries were received from students, working professionals, and VFX enthusiasts, all centered around the theme “Super Hero Power.” Out of these, 14 entries were shortlisted to compete in today’s final round. One winner and one runner-up from each category were chosen to represent the South Zone in Mumbai.
ABAI Secretary R.K. Chand appreciated the strong participation and encouraged industry professionals to attend the Mumbai summit, which will host well-known personalities from films, advertising, and creative sectors. He also mentioned that the WAVES Challenge was recently launched in Bengaluru by Sanjay Jaju, Secretary, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.
The event was inaugurated by Dr. Sagar Gulati, Director of the School of Creative Design and Information Technology at Jain (Deemed-to-be University), the zonal partner for the competition.
The day also featured two special sessions led by industry experts. Vijay Selvam from the global VFX studio MPC held a masterclass titled “Concept Reality,” where he discussed lighting, animation, compositing, and photorealistic effects. Students got the chance to interact with him during a Q&A session.
Another session was conducted by Rakesh H, Lead Head at The Mill, who spoke about how visual effects are used in advertising. Nearly 100 students attended these sessions, gaining valuable industry insights and learning opportunities.
