SEAnews 2017-05-20 ArtNo.45994

【Kolkata】Following the high drama on Trinamool Congress (TMC) Memember of Parliament Sudip Bandyopadhyay’s arrest by the Central Bureau of investigation (CBI) in connection with the Rose Valley scam in January 3, there was a three months lull before the Calcutta High Court asked the CBI to investigate the Narada sting operation case that implicated several top leaders of the TMC on March 17.
　Incidentally, the Narada sting operation case, as the name suggests, was a series of sting operations conducted by Narada news in West Bengal to expose the ‘corrupt’ practices of ministers in the Mamata Banerjee government, according to a report published by the Financial Express on March 22, 2017.
　The CBI’s anti-corruption bureau is now busy with the preliminary enquiry (PE) of Narada sting operation, but in the meantime the special crime branch of CBI has taken up at least 464 cases from Bengal's criminal investigation department (CID) against various deposit-taking and money collection schemes. The complaints involve more than 200 companies which are yet to be investigated by the central agencies.
　Significantly, these central agencies have been writing to the CID of the state government seeking access to these complaints and details of investigation taken up so far for long. After much persuasion, the CID finally handed over the documents and details of 464 FIRs filed by investors. According to sources, there are at least a dozen companies involving real estate, education and media majors in Bengal.
　Meanwhile, CBI will soon file chargesheets against Bandyopadhyay and Tapas Pal. The chargesheet would be filed before April 30, sources said.
○War on black money cannot be concluded with one action: Venkaiah Naidu

【New Delhi】The war on black money cannot be concluded with one action alone and many more steps will be taken by the Modi Government in this regard, Union Minister M Venkaiah Naidu said today(10-04-2017), hailing the Election Commission (EC) for countermanding the RK Nagar (constituency in north Chennai) bypoll over use of money power.
　Demonetisation or remonetisation is one such step in the right direction. Many more things need to be done by our government to curb use of black money,” he said.
　While terming the EC action as “the right decision” in the wake of charges of use of money power, he attacked the Congress for the generation of black money due to various scams worth thousands of crores that took place during their regime.
　Naidu also attacked the opposition parties on the EVM tampering issue saying, “They should introspect instead of raising such issues as it seems that they cannot accept defeat after people rejected them“.
　While, congress leader P Chidambaram on Monday (10-04-2017) took a jibe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi asking if his demonestisation drive has achieved the desired results. “We were told demonetisation has put an end to black money. Was the money distributed in R K Nagar white money?,” the former Finance and Home Minister asked in a tweet.
○What happened in R.K. Nagar?

【Chennai】That’s because the Dr. Radhakrishnan Nagar, or R.K. Nagar, constituency in north Chennai was expected to go to the polls after the death of the State Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa, who had been elected from the constituency in 2016. But the Election Commission (EC) rescinded the byelection just two days before polling, after raids by the Income Tax department revealed largescale distribution of cash for votes.
　In February, after he stepped down as Chief Minister, O. Panneerselvam rebelled against Jayalalithaa’s confidante V.K. Sasikala, claiming that he was forced to resign. The AIADMK split into two factions, leading to an unending political drama with leaders of both factions vying to retain control over the MLAs.
　The Panneerselvam faction approached the Election Commission, claiming that Sasikala’s appointment as interim general secretary of the AIADMK was illegal. It also laid claim to the party’s two leaves symbol. The other group, headed by Sasikala’s nephew T.T.V. Dhinakaran who was appointed deputy general secretary after she was jailed, also wanted the symbol. After a hearing, the EC froze the symbol and allotted alternate symbols to the factions and imposed restrictions on the use of the name AIADMK. Mr. Panneerselvam’s faction chose to identify itself as AIADMK (Puratchi Thalaivi Amma), while Mr. Dhinakaran, who announced his candidature for the byelection, chose to call his group AIADMK (Amma).
　On April 8, the Income Tax Department conducted raids at the house of Health Minister Vijaya Baskar and a few others. The Election Commission said despite many surveillance teams in the area, parties had resorted to large-scale bribing. It rescinded the byelection.
　Indications are that the elections to R.K. Nagar could be put off for a year. According to the Representation of the People Act, 1950, the mandatory six- month period will not apply if the “Election Commission, in consultation with the Central government, certifies that it is difficult to hold the byelection within the said period.”
　The other important question experts ask is, under such circumstances, will the Election Commission allow the same candidates to contest or will it set an example by barring those found guilty of voter-bribing.
【News source】

CBI takes up at least 464 cases from Bengal CID

What is Narada sting operation case: Everything you need to know

War on black money cannot be concluded with one action: Venkaiah Naidu

Was the money distributed in R.K. Nagar white money, asks Chidambaram

Where is R.K. Nagar, the Chennai constituency where a byelection is called off

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