Opposition unity requires much more than optics, needs common agenda: Sibal
New Delhi (PTI): With a significant number of Opposition leaders present at the swearing-in ceremony of the Congress government in Karnataka, Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal on Sunday said Opposition unity requires much more than optics of this nature and stressed the need for meeting of minds, a common agenda and sacrificing partisan interests.
In a show of opposition unity, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, Nationalist Congress Party president Sharad Pawar, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin and National Conference president Farooq Abdullah attended the swearing-in ceremony of Siddaramaiah as the Karnataka chief minister on Saturday.
In a tweet, Sibal, a prominent Opposition voice, said, "Siddaramaiah Swearing in Ceremony: Is this sign of Opposition Unity with significant number of leaders present ? My view: Opposition Unity requires much more than optics of this nature. Requires meeting of minds, a common agenda, sacrificing partisan interests."
Sibal, who was a Union minister during UPA 1 and 2, had quit the Congress in May last year and was elected to the Rajya Sabha as an Independent member with the Samajwadi Party's support.
He recently floated a non-electoral platform 'Insaaf' aimed at fighting injustice.
Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) leader and Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren, CPI general secretary D Raja, RJD leader and Bihar deputy chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav, Shiv Sena (Uddhav Thackeray faction) leaders Priyanka Chaturvedi and Anil Desai, TMC's Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar, Makkal Nidhi Maiam chief Kamal Haasan, IUML's Abdussamad Samadani, CPI(ML)'s Dipankar Bhattacharya, Revolutionary Socialist Party N K Premchandran, Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi's Thol. Thirumavalavan, Rashtriya Lok Dal's Jayant Singh, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)'s Mehbooba Mufti and JD(U) chief Lalan Singh, among others, were present at the swearing-in ceremony in Bengaluru.
The Congress had not extended an invitation to Telangana Chief Minister and BRS leader K Chandrasekhar Rao, Odisha Chief Minister and BJD leader Naveen Patnaik, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister and YSRCP leader Y S Jagan Mohan and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.
Also, no invite had been sent to BSP chief Mayawati.
Samajwadi chief Akhilesh Yadav was invited for the ceremony but did not attend.
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CBI books IRS officer for demanding 250 gm of gold coins in bribe
New Delhi (PTI): The CBI has booked a deputy commissioner of customs for allegedly seeking a bribe in the form of 250 grams of gold coins to de-freeze bank accounts of a businessman's jewellery company, officials said Monday.
In the FIR, the CBI has named 2014-batch IRS officer Vikas Pal, then posted in Chennai, and his alleged accomplice Mohammed Sabahuddin in the case.
The CBI took action on a complaint filed by S Shreeganth, the director of Aalaya Jewel Industry Pvt. Ltd, in 2021 which he alleged that Pal, currently posted as Deputy Commissioner, Central GST Noida (Appeals), allegedly demanded gold coins through his representative Sabahuddin, "in lieu of de-freezing of the bank accounts of his company".
A query e-mailed to Pal seeking his reaction remained unanswered.
Sabahuddin, who himself was a GST defaulter, allegedly called Shreeganth thrice regarding the fulfilment of said illegal demand of gold coins, according to the FIR.
The Directorate General of Vigilance (DGoV) Customs referred the matter to the CBI after concluding that there is sufficient corroborative evidence to support the
allegations.
The DGoV also said Pal took undue financial favour from Sabahuddin, who was an offender of GST by getting flight tickets booked, hotel bookings and cab bookings through him.
