South will help reach Modi target of 370; BJP has highest TRP in country: Nitin Gadkari
Nagpur (PTI): Avowing abiding confidence in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's goal of 370 seats, BJP leader Nitin Gadkari says the additional seats to its current strength of 288 will come from gains in southern India in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.
In a wide ranging interview with PTI at his residence in Nagpur, Gadkari said there is "no doubt" in his mind that the BJP-led NDA alliance will cross 400 seats and that Modi will take over as prime minister for a third term because of the solid work done by the government in the last 10 years.
He dismissed allegations that the Modi government is "weaponising" central probe agencies such as the Enforcement Directorate and CBI to weaken the opposition, saying BJP's rivals should make efforts to overcome adversity by winning the confidence of the people.
"Is it our responsibility to make the opposition weak or strong? When we had just two MPs and were weak, we never got any package out of sympathy," Gadkari, who is seeking a third Lok Sabha term from Nagpur, said.
Gadkari launched his campaign with a massive road show on Saturday through Nagpur, his motorcade crawling through a sea of supporters who withstood 40 degrees Celsius temperature to welcome the local hero. The programme, which was to take two hours ended four hours later as supporters covered him with gulal and insisted on offering him snacks every time he stopped.
Gadkari said the BJP emerged stronger over the years due to the sheer hard work of its workers and the opposition too has to make efforts to earn the people's confidence.
"The nature of democracy is such that this keeps changing. Whatever role you play, you always have to make efforts and overcome adversity. This is important for any opposition party," he said.
He was also asked to explain the arithmetic of 370 seats for BJP and more than 400 seats for the National Democratic Alliance, given that they have already maxed out in their stronghold states.
"There is no need to make a state-wise analysis. This time we will taste success in the South. The work we have done in the south and the northeast over the last 10 years under Prime Minister Modi's leadership we have started getting results of the same," he said.
"We have worked hard in Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka. We had very little presence in these states. This time we will do well in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. We have been performing well in north India. So, I feel the BJP will alone get 370 seats and the NDA will cross 400," Gadkari said.
The senior BJP leader said the people of the country want to see development and have faith in the leadership of Modi, which will be reflected in the elections.
To a question on the claims by certain quarters that the BJP will fall short of the majority mark, which in turn could trigger a race for the post of the prime minister, Gadkari responded vehemently: "Not at all!"
"We are completely confident that we will get a complete majority and will also cross the 400 mark and Narendra Modi ji will become the country's prime minister for the third consecutive term. There is no doubt about this in my mind," he said.
Questioned about his personal agenda for the centenary celebrations of the RSS in 2025, the ideological fountainhead of the BJP, Gadkari said his "personal agenda" was only towards his constituency that has elected him.
"I do not have any personal agenda. RSS will spell out its agenda. Whatever their expectations, it is our responsibility to fulfil them," he said.
He was also asked if there is lack of level playing field in the elections due to the arrest of opposition leaders, including Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, and the income tax notices amounting to Rs. 3,500 crore on the Congress party.
The Union minister said the law was "taking its own course" and the BJP or the government had nothing to do with it.
"We have not taken any action on our own. The cases have been registered as per the law. This has nothing to do with the BJP or Modi ji. The agencies keep doing their jobs," Gadkari said.
The senior BJP leader dismissed opposition allegations of the government weaponising the ED, CBI and Income Tax department, which were taking action in cases related to opposition leaders.
"This is completely wrong. We are not weaponising anybody. The law takes its own course. Now, if Rs 300-400 crore are found in anybody's home, people also see it. Then there is an inquiry. If anyone has done wrong, action is taken. If anybody is aggrieved, they have the option to move court," he said.
Gadkari was also dismissive about the uproar over the revelations of donations made through electoral bonds and said it was but natural for the BJP, which is the ruling party, to get a major share in the donations.
"Even in television media, those who have greater TRP get a good rate in advertisement. Those who have less TRP, get advertisements at a lower rate. Today, we are the ruling party, hence we got more donations. If tomorrow any other party comes to power, it will get more donations," he said.
Gadkari said the ground reality was every political party required money and there was need to find a legal way to raise resources.
"I do not wish to say anything as the matter is sub-judice. After the Supreme Court has its say, all political parties should get together. In some countries, the government finances political parties. We will have to look for some options, this is what I feel," he said.
Gadkari said there is no substance in the opposition's claims that the BJP is indulging in "washing machine politics" -- absolving opposition figures facing corruption charges if they agree to join the party.
"There is no such thing. The law takes its own course. The agencies do their work on the basis of the evidence they gather. This allegation is completely wrong and baseless. No such work takes place," he said, responding to opposition allegations of BJP being a "great washing machine".
On the CBI clean chit to NCP leader Praful Patel in the Air India corruption case, Gadkari said the action had nothing to do with the BJP or the prime minister.
"The truth came out in the inquiry," he said.
Gadkari recalled former prime minister late Atal Bihari Vajpayee's remarks on remaining true to the ideology and the principles of the party when asked about any advice to the opposition to revive itself.
"Having a difference of opinion is necessary for a democracy. But the real problem is having no opinion. (Aaj hamarey desh mein mat bhinnata yeh loktantra ke liye awashyak bhi hai. Usmey problem nahi hai. Para mat shunyata yeh hamari samasya hai.) Whatever party you are in and its ideology, it is important to stand by it with conviction in victory or in defeat," he said.
"I remember when I entered politics against the Emergency and started working with Jayprakash ji, the conditions were not favourable for us. But we kept on working in adverse conditions and one day Atal Bihari Vajpayee became the prime minister. Today, Modi has ruled the country for the last 10 years. Sure, the people give you an opportunity, but you have to have patience and work hard," Gadkari said.
Gadkari who won with a margin of more than two lakh seats in the 2019 elections said his goal this time is to win by a five lakh margin. He said he is confident of getting minority and Dalit votes this time. Pitted against him is Vikas Thakre of the Congress, a former mayor of Nagpur who also has good grassroots connect with people.
BJP won 303 seats on its own in the 2019 elections but its tally in the outgoing Lok Sabha is now 288. This follows some bypoll losses and resignations of some MPs after they recently moved to state assemblies.
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Actress sexual assault: Court says Prosecution 'miserably' failed to prove conspiracy against Dileep
Kochi (PTI): The prosecution had "miserably" failed to prove the conspiracy charge against Dileep in the sensational 2017 actress sexual assault case, a local court has observed while citing inconsistencies and lack of sufficient evidence against the Malayalam star.
The full judgement of Ernakulam District and Principal Sessions Court Judge Honey M Varghese was released late on Friday, and has revealed the judge also pointing out at unsustainable arguments put forth by the prosecution.
"The prosecution miserably failed to prove the conspiracy between accused No.1 (Pulsar Suni) and accused No.8 (Dileep) in executing the offence against the victim," the court held.
It examined in detail, the prosecution's allegation that Dileep had hired the prime accused to sexually assault the survivor and record visuals, including close-up footage of a gold ring she was wearing, to establish her identity.
On page 1130 of the judgment, under paragraph 703, the court framed the issue as whether the prosecution's contention that NS Sunil (Pulsar Suni) recorded visuals of the gold ring worn by the victim at the time of the occurrence, so as to clearly disclose her identity, was sustainable.
The prosecution contended Dileep and Suni had planned the recording so that the actress' identity would be unmistakable, with the video of the gold ring intended to convince Dileep that the visuals were genuine.
However, the court noted that this contention was not stated in the first charge sheet and was introduced only in the second one.
As part of this claim, a gold ring was seized after the victim produced it before the police.
The court observed that multiple statements of the victim were recorded from February 18, 2017, following the incident, and that she first raised allegations against Dileep only on June 3, 2017.
Even on that day, nothing was mentioned about filming of the ring as claimed by the prosecution, the court said.
The prosecution failed to explain why the victim did not disclose this fact at the earliest available opportunities.
It further noted that although the victim had viewed the sexual assault visuals twice, she did not mention any specific recording of the gold ring on those occasions, which remained unexplained.
The court also examined the approvers' statements.
One approver told the magistrate that Dileep had instructed Pulsar Suni to record the victim's wedding ring.
The court observed that no such wedding ring was available with her at that time.
During the trial, the approver changed his version, the court said.
The Special Public Prosecutor put a leading question to the approver on whether Dileep had instructed the recording of the ring, after which he deposed that the instruction was to record it to prove the victim's identity.
The court observed that the approver changed his account to corroborate the victim's evidence.
When the same question was put to another approver, he repeated the claim during the trial but admitted he had never stated this fact before the investigating officer.
The court noted that the second approver even went to the extent of claiming Dileep had instructed the execution of the crime as the victim's engagement was over.
This showed that the evidence of the second approver regarding the shooting of the ring was untrue, as her engagement had taken place after the crime.
The court further observed that the visuals themselves clearly revealed the victim's identity and that there was no need to capture images of the ring to establish identity.
In paragraph 887, the court examined the alleged motive behind the crime and noted that in the first charge sheet, the prosecution had claimed that accused persons 1 to 6 had kidnapped the victim with the common intention of capturing nude visuals to extort money by threatening to circulate them and there was no mention about Dileep's role in it.
The court also rejected the prosecution's claim that the accused had been planning the assault on Dileep's instructions since 2013, noting that the allegation was not supported by reliable evidence.
It similarly ruled out the claim that Suni attempted to sexually assault the victim in Goa in January 2017, stating that witness statements showed no such misconduct when he served as the driver of the vehicle used by the actress there.
The court also discussed various controversies that followed Dileep's arrest and the evidence relied upon by the prosecution, ultimately finding that the case had not been proved.
Pronouning its verdict on the sensational case on December 8, the court acquitted Dileep and three others.
Later, the court sentenced six accused, including the prime accused Suni, to 20 years' rigorous imprisonment.
The assault on the multilingual actress, after the accused allegedly forced their way into her car and held it under their control for two hours on February 17, 2017, had shocked Kerala.
Pulsar Suni sexually assaulted the actress and video recorded the act with the help of the other convicted persons in the moving car.
