Rahul Gandhi is 'confused man' on Rafale, says Sitharaman
Coimbatore, Nov 2: Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman Friday took a swipe at Congress chief Rahul Gandhi's comments about the Rafale deal, saying he is 'a confused man' as he has been saying different things about it over time.
She was responding to questions from reporters here on Gandhi's comments over the issue, that the Rafale deal was between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and businessman Anil Ambani.
"You don't get confused...Rahul Gandhi is a confused man.
He talks about different rates over the deal at different times. Besides, he has been saying at different places that we (government) had helped many persons...sometimes he says it is Adani and sometimes Ambani," she said.
The Congress has accused the government of forcing Dassault Aviation to make Reliance Defence its offset partner for the Rs 58,000 crore deal to purchase 36 Rafale jets.
The Congress has alleged that the government was helping the Anil Ambani group get a contract worth Rs 30,000 crore from the deal.
However, the Reliance Group, in a statement, has said Dassault Aviation's investment in Reliance Airport Developers Limited has no link with the Rafale fighter jet deal, and has accused Congress of resorting to "blatant lies" for political gains.
The minister declined to comment on AIADMK MP and Lok Sabha deputy Speaker M Thambidurai's charge that the Centre has not released Rs 18,000 crore pending funds for Tamil Nadu for various schemes,saying that she did not know what he had specifically said.
Sitharaman said she however had a letter from Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K Palaniswami, thanking her for helping the state secure the release of amount.
She declined to take further questions on the Rafale issue.
Thambidurai had said in response to union minister Pon Radhakrishnan's comment that he should 'self introspect' when he asked for speedy disbursal of the amount, that the centre might announce schemes, but it was the state government which implements them.
Funds are essential for implementation of any scheme, he had said.
The minister, who was here to participate in the announcement of 12 schemes as support and outreach for MSMEs by the Prime Minister through videoconferencing, said 182 applications had so far been uploaded, seeking loans and in principle approval given for Rs 47.50 crore for MSMEs in Coimbatore.
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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.
