IN LOK SABHA, RAHUL QUESTIONS ADANI’S RISE UNDER MODI

From displaying photographs of Narendra Modi and Gautam Adani together to claim their proximity to listing out business deals the Adani Group has got since 2014, senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi yesterday led the Opposition attack over the Adani-Hindenburg issue accusing Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his govt of pulling strings in his favour.

Fresh from his 4000-km Bharat Jodo Yatra from Kanyakumari to Jammu and Kashmir, Gandhi used the Parliament stage to ratchet up his “suit boot ki sarkar” and “hum do, hamare do (Adani-Ambani)” rhetoric to flag what he calls the BJP regime’s crony capitalism.

This time, he began by invoking the yatra as the place he heard from the unseen and unheard. Recounting conversations with farmers, tribals and the youth around issues like unemployment, price rise, MSP and the Agniveer, Gandhi said these found no mention in the President’s address.

While his 53-minute speech in Lok Sabha was largely uninterrupted except for some interjections by Treasury benches, it set off a political firestorm with the BJP later recounting the scandals that rocked the UPA govt and linking some to the Gandhi family.

Accusing the Modi govt of flouting rules to facilitate the meteoric rise of the businessman since 2014 riding on an alleged nexus between Adani and the political establishment, Gandhi wrapped up his speech with pointed questions for Modi.

“How many times did you (PM) travel together with Adani on foreign trips? How many times did Adani join you later on a visit? How many times did Adani travel to a country immediately after you did? How many of these countries after you visited Adani got a contract…Also, an important question is how much money has Adani given to the BJP in the last 20 years… through electoral bonds,” Gandhi said.

Rahul claimed “senior officers” told him the Agniveer scheme was not conceived by the Army, “it came from the Home Ministry, RSS… they told me (National Security Advisor) Ajit Doval thrust this scheme on the Army.”

The Adani theme, too, he said, found an echo in the yatra. “From Tamil Nadu to Kerala, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh…everywhere we heard one name, Adani….Everywhere Adani, Adani, Adani…People asked me how it is possible that Adani tastes success in whichever sector he enters, he never fails. And they asked how Adani is entering every sector, he used to be in one or two sectors now he is eight-ten sectors: airports, data centers, cement, solar energy, wind energy, aerospace and defence, consumer finance, renewables, media, ports, they asked how Adani’s net worth rose from 8 billion dollars to 140 billion dollars from 2014 to 2022,” he said.

“How to use govt power to build individual businesses” should be a case study in business schools, he added…”and Modi should be given a gold medal in this.”

BJP RESPONDS WITH ‘LOOK WHO’S TALKING’

As Congress MP Rahul Gandhi targeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Lok Sabha Tuesday and accused his govt of fuelling the growth of industrialist Gautam Adani, Union Ministers Kiren Rijiju and Arjun Ram Meghwal and BJP MPs Ravi Shankar Prasad and Nishikant Dubey rose to their feet, seeking “proof” and demanding that the allegations be expunged from the records of the House.

Outside the House, Prasad, calling Rahul’s allegations as “baseless, shameless and reckless charges against an honest Prime Minister”, mounted an attack on the Gandhi family, saying they were all “corrupt” and out “on bail” in the National Herald case.

Stating that the BJP is forced to “tell the truth about the Gandhi family”, Prasad said, “Rahul Gandhi, you are on bail, your mother is on bail and your brother-in-law is also on bail. A banker who has gone to jail sold a picture for crores to your sister. Rahul Gandhi has to reply.”

He listed the scams during the UPA regime which included the land scam allegations against Robert Vadra, Adarsh housing scheme scam, AgustaWestland helicopter scam, coal scam and the Commonwealth Games scam. He said irregularities in the 2G spectrum allocation with a “pick-and-choose policy” had cost the nation a huge loss.

“Rahul Gandhi, your father had a role in the Bofors case… It has been the culture of your family to indulge in corruption and protect the corrupt… Your party govt has delayed the Rafale deal because there was no deal or commission. The whole ecosystem of the Congress party is based upon the twin corrupt pillars of deal and commission. You have issues because the commission has stopped,” Prasad alleged.

In the House, Prasad, Rijiju, Meghwal and Dubey opposed Rahul’s remarks and challenged him to provide evidence to back his allegations against the Prime Minister and the govt over tweaking rules to favour the Adani group.

INDIA SLAMS PAKISTAN FOR RAKING UP KASHMIR ISSUE AT UN

India has slammed Pakistan for raking up the Kashmir issue in the UN, saying Islamabad harbours a deep sense of insecurity and orchestrated hatred for India and its secular credentials.

Responding to Pakistan's raising of the Kashmir issue during a UN General Assembly (UNGA) meeting, Counsellor in India's Permanent Mission to the UN, Rajesh Parihar, said on Monday that Islamabad repeatedly utters falsehoods about India.

"I'm constrained to take the floor to respond to the frivolous remarks made by the representative of Pakistan against my country. While such a statement deserves our sympathy for a mindset, which repeatedly utters falsehood, it is important for me to set the record straight,” he said in the UNGA.

“We expect nothing new from this delegation that harbours a deep sense of insecurity and orchestrated hatred for India and our secular credentials and values that my country stands for,” he said.

WILL GIVE APPROPRIATE RESPONSE TO ANY AGGRESSION: ARMY COMMANDER ON LAC SITUATION

The Army on Tuesday said it was ready to give a befitting response to any Chinese aggression in Ladakh, maintaining that the integrity of the country was being ensured through physical patrolling and technical means.

Addressing the Northern Command Investiture Ceremony here, General officer Commanding in Chief Lt General Upendra Dwivedi also said that the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war has brought forth many lessons such as employment of disrutpive and dual use technologies.

"On the LAC, our response to Chinese attempts to unilaterally change the status quo was a swift, undaunted and synergised action by the Indian Armed Forces. Any adverse aggressive designs or attempts will definitely be met with appropriate posturing of Forces and a strong intent with complete synergy among the three services," he said.

He said measures to resolve the LAC situation at diplomatic and operational levels are also simultaneously underway.

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

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SEARCH FOR QUAKE SURVIVORS GOES ON

It’s now a race against time,” WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said. “Every minute, every hour that passes, the chances of finding survivors alive diminishes. ” The cold rain and snow are a risk both for people forced from their homes — who took refuge in mosques, schools or even bus shelters — and the survivors buried under debris.

Monday’s magnitude 7. 8 quake and a cascade of strong aftershocks cut a swath of destruction that stretched hundreds of kilometres across southeastern Turkiye and neighbouring Syria, toppling thousands of buildings and heaping more misery on a region shaped by Syria’s 12-year civil war and refugee crisis. One temblor that followed the first registered at magnitude 7. 5, powerful in its own right.

The scale of the suffering — and the accompanying rescue effort — were staggering.

Turkiye’s emergency management agency said the total number of deaths in the country had passed 3,700, with some 22,000 people injured. The toll in govt-held areas of Syria climbed over 800, with some 1,400 injured, according to the health ministry. The country’s rebel-held northwest also saw at least 800 die, according to the White Helmets, the emergency organisation leading rescue operations, with more than 2,200 injured. In Turkiye, several took shelter in shopping malls, stadiums, mosques and community centres, while others spent the night outside in blankets gathering around fires. Many took to social media to plead for assistance for loved ones believed to be trapped under the rubble — and Turkiye’s state-run Anadolu Agency quoted interior ministry officials as saying all calls were being “collected meticulously” and the information relayed to search teams.

‘THEY ARE THE CHINESE GOVT’: BIDEN ON WHY BEIJING FLOATED SPY BALLOON

China committed such a brazen act of floating balloons across America because they are the Chinese govt, US President Joe Biden said on Monday. “The question of the balloon and attempting to spy on the US is anticipated from China….when we asked China what they’re doing, they didn’t deny — they just denied what it was,” he said.

“It is not a question of trusting China, it’s a question of deciding where we should work together and where we have opposition,” he said. Biden said this is not going to weaken US-China ties. He said it was always his position to shoot down the balloon. “I told the defence department . . . to shoot it down as soon as it was appropriate,” he said.

Meanwhile, China apologised to Costa Rica for a balloon that flew over its territory, Costa Rica’s govt said.

THE REST

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INDIA DISPATCHES FIRST CONSIGNMENT OF RELIEF MATERIAL TO TURKEY

Hours after the announcement made by the Prime Minister's Office, India has dispatched the first batch of earthquake relief material to Turkiye aboard an Indian Air Force aircraft.

The shipment consisted of an expert National Disaster Response Force search and rescue team, including both male and female personnel, highly-skilled dog squads, an array of medical supplies, advanced drilling equipment, and other crucial tools required for the aid efforts.

"India's Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) capabilities in action. The 1st batch of earthquake relief material leaves for Turkiye, along with NDRF Search and Rescue Teams, specially trained dog squads, medical supplies, drilling machines and other necessary equipment," Arindam Bagchi, spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs tweeted.

Turkish Ambassador to India Firat Sunel expressed his gratitude towards the Indian govt's offer of assistance and said that "a friend in need is indeed a friend".

The Army also dispatched a field hospital along with 99 soldiers and equipment, including oxygen generating plants to Ankara.

OPPOSITION SEEKS JPC PROBE, ASKS WHY SEBI SILENT ON ADANI

Even as the govt countered Congress MP Rahul Gandhi over his Lok Sabha speech on alleged links between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and industrialist Gautam Adani, several Opposition MPs sought to put the Centre on the mat over the issue.

Participating in the discussion on motion of thanks on the President’s Address in Lok Sabha, DMK member Kanimozhi said the House witnessed how the ruling party was busy “shielding” the conglomerate when the matter was flagged by Rahul in his speech.

In Rajya Sabha, Congress MP Digvijaya Singh demanded a JPC probe into the Hindenburg report, and also on how Adani companies’ shares went up to Rs 4,000 apiece from Rs 130 during the pandemic.

While CPI(M) member John Brittas wondered why the govt was shying away from ordering a JPC probe into the matter, Singh asked, “Why are SEBI, the regulatory authorities, not coming out with a statement? Their silence casts aspersions on the interest, crony capitalism of BJP.”

The Adani Group has called the Hindenburg report “a calculated attack on India, [and] the independence, integrity and quality of Indian institutions…”

Referring to the response, Kanimozhi said, “If talking against Adani is talking against India, I really want a clarification.”

GOWRI SWORN IN AS MADRAS HC JUDGE, SC REJECTS PLEA TO STOP APPOINTMENT

Advocate LC Victoria Gowri was sworn in as an Additional Judge of Madras High Court Tuesday, minutes before the Supreme Court dismissed a plea challenging her appointment.

Pointing out that a “consultative process” had taken place before the Collegium recommended her name, the bench of Justices Sanjiv Khanna and B R Gavai said, “We are not entertaining the writ petition.”

The bench reminded the petitioners that her appointment was only as an Additional Judge and if an Additional Judge is not true to his or her oath, the Collegium has the power to not make him or her a Permanent Judge.

In Chennai, Victoria Gowri was sworn in by Acting Chief Justice T Raja.

Her elevation to the Madras High Court was recommended by the Collegium on January 17. This led to opposition from a section of lawyers in Tamil Nadu who pointed to her past association with the BJP and alleged instances of hate speech by her.

‘NUMBER OF DEATHS DUE TO LEFT WING EXTREMISM CAME DOWN UNDER 100 IN 2022’

For the first time in four decades, the number of deaths of civilians and security forces in Left Wing Extremism (LWE) came down under 100 in 2022, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said on Tuesday.

Shah, who chaired the meeting of the Parliamentary Consultative Committee of the Ministry of Home Affairs to discuss Left Wing Extremism, said the MHA is determined to destroy the entire ecosystem of LWE by “financial choking”.

“The BSF air wing has been strengthened with the induction of new pilots and engineers in the last one year to aid operations in LWE-affected areas and save lives of our soldiers,” he said.

CRACKDOWN ON PROPERTIES CONTINUES IN J&K

As the crackdown continues on properties in Jammu and Kashmir allegedly encroaching govt land, the Union Territory administration has issued another order and asked tehsildars to ensure that agricultural land of missing people is not sold by their family members, or crop proceeds are not used by any third party.

The administration has asked tehsildars to declare these missing people as “presumed dead”, and not to issue any revenue documents of such land.

The order, issued on January 31 by the office of the Divisional Commissioner, Kashmir, says it is suspected that such properties are being used to finance militancy.

These properties are said to belong largely to people who went to Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir during the peak of militancy and have not returned since. Some of these also belong to people who are suspected to have joined militancy and have been untraceable for years.

ADANI GROUP EXPOSURES NOT LARGE TO POSE RISKS TO BANKS: FITCH, MOODY'S

Indian banks' exposure to Adani Group companies is not that large to significantly risk their credit profile, said global rating agencies Fitch and Moody's on Tuesday.

Banks' exposure to the group is less than one per cent of their total loans, said Moody’s, which has issued frequently asked questions about risks.

Fitch said: "We believe loans to all Adani group entities generally account for 0.8%-1.2% of total lending for Fitch-rated Indian banks equivalent to 7%-13% of total equity. "Even in a distress scenario, it is unlikely that all of this exposure would be written down, as much of it is tied to performing projects,” said Fitch.

According to Moody's, the group's access to funding from international markets can be curtailed because of heightened risk perception. In that case, domestic banks may become the main source of funding for the group. Commenting on risks, Fitch said loans involving projects under construction and those at the company level could have greater vulnerability. However, even if exposures were entirely provisioned for it would not impact Indian banks’ viability ratings as lenders have enough headroom at their current rating levels, the rating agency said.

"NO PRESSURE TO HAND OVER AIRPORT TO ADANI": GVK BOSS REBUTS RAHUL GANDHI

GV Sanjay Reddy, Vice Chairman of the conglomerate GVK, has strongly denied Congress MP Rahul Gandhi's comments that the Modi govt arm-twisted GVK and "hijacked" Mumbai airport from the conglomerate and handed it to the Adani group.

"There was absolutely no pressure from the Adani group or anyone else to sell Mumbai airport," Reddy said yesterday

On the particular allegation by Mr Gandhi in parliament that GVK was forced to sell Mumbai airport to the Adani group, Mr Reddy said, "As far as I am concerned we had done this deal with Gautam Adani because of the fact that it was the need of the company. We had to repay lenders and there was no pressure from anybody else at all. As far as other aspects of what is being said in parliament, I would not like to comment as I would not like to get into the politics on it."

PHONEPE LAUNCHES CROSS-BORDER UPI PAYMENTS SERVICE, SAYS IT'S INDIA'S FIRST

PhonePe said on Tuesday it has launched a service that will allow the fintech firm’s Indian users traveling abroad to pay foreign merchants using Unified Payments Interface (UPI).

'UPI international' supports merchant outlets in UAE, Singapore, Mauritius, Nepal and Bhutan that have a local QR (quick response) code. Users will be able to make direct payments in a foreign currency from their Indian bank, like they do with international debit cards. Walmart-backed PhonePe said it is the first Indian fintech app to launch the service.

KIARA ADVANI AND SIDHARTH MALHOTRA TIE THE KNOT

Actors Sidharth Malhotra and Kiara Advani shared their first photos as a married couple after the duo tied the knot in an intimate ceremony in Jaisalmer, Rajasthan on Tuesday.

Kiara shared three photos from the ceremony with the caption, “Ab humari permanent booking hogayi hai. We seek your blessings and love on our journey ahead.” Sidharth shared the same on his social media handle.

Sidharth Malhotra and Kiara Advani’s wedding at Jaisalmer’s posh Suryagarh Hotel was attended by their families and close friends from the industry.

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THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

We should be taught not to wait for inspiration to start a thing. Action always generates inspiration. Inspiration seldom generates action. - Frank Tibolt

OFF TRACK

A sorely pressed newlywed sought valiantly to console his bride, who was crying on the sofa.

"Darling," he implored, "believe me, I never said you were a terrible cook. I merely pointed out that our garbage disposal has developed an ulcer."