"Questions For You": M Kharge Counters PM's "Browbeat and Bully" Comment

Congress's Mallikarjun Kharge issued a strong rebuttal this evening to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's comment that "To browbeat and bully others is vintage Congress culture". In a statement that started with a mild "it is not proper form for the PM to comment on our judiciary", the Congress chief went on to ask four pointed questions and accused the Prime Minister of being "personally responsible" for "usurping" the powers of institutions and "weakening our country".

What drew the Congress chief's rejoinder was a blistering post by PM Modi earlier today after 600 lawyers wrote to Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud, alleging attempts by "a vested interest group" to undermine the judiciary's integrity and defame courts.

"To browbeat and bully others is vintage Congress culture. Five decades ago, they itself had called for a 'committed judiciary' - they shamelessly want commitment from others for their selfish interests, but desist from any commitment towards the nation," PM Modi said in a post on X, formerly Twitter.

Later in the evening, the Congress chief, in his statement posted on X, "As you consider India's institutions to be your personal property, I have some questions for you".

PM @narendramodi ji,

You are talking about Judiciary.

1. You conveniently forget that 4 senior-most Supreme Court judges were forced to hold an unprecedented press conference and warn against "destruction of Democracy". That happened under your regime.

One of the judges was…

— Mallikarjun Kharge (@kharge) March 28, 2024

The first question pertained to an unprecedented press conference in January 2018 by four judges of the Supreme Court, who went public with their complaints against the then Chief Justice of India, Dipak Misra. An independent judiciary is essential for a functioning democracy, the judges had said.

"Why was one of the judges nominated by your Govt to the Rajya Sabha?" he asked next, refering to the unprecedented Upper House nomination of former Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi in 2020. The recommendation by then President of India Ram Nath Kovind is unprecedented – till then, no Chief Justice had been nominated to the Upper House by the head of the state.

"Why has your party fielded a former high court judge from West Bengal for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections?" Mr Kharge has also asked, referring to the former Calcutta High Court judge Abhijeet Gangopadhyay, whose move into electoral politics has raised eyebrows.

Mr Kharge also questioned why the government brought the National Judicial Appointments Commission (NJAC) that was struck down by the Supreme Court. The Congress, though, had supported the constitutional amendment bill in parliament.

The letter by over 600 lawyers, including veteran advocate Harish Salve and Bar Council chairperson Manan Kumar Mishra, alleged that the vested interest group is putting pressure on the judiciary, especially in cases of corruption involving political leaders.

The letter also targeted a section of lawyers without naming them and alleged they defend politicians by day and then try to influence judges through the media at night.

Refering to the letter, Union minister Kiren Rijiju posted on X that "sane voices" are coming out now. "These Congress people coined the concept of committed judiciary and suspended Indian Constitution. The Congress and leftists want courts and constitutional authorities to serve them or else they immediately start attacking the very institutions," his post read.

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Parts Of South Mumbai Plunge Into Darkness Due To Power Outage

Pockets in south Mumbai plunged into darkness on Thursday night following a snag, electricity officials said.

Localities around the Mahapalika Marg, GT Hospital, Crawford Market and Marine Lines witnessed power outage from 2035 hrs onwards and the restoration of supply started only past 2105 hrs.

The snag was triggered by a tripping in a supply line, the power discom Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) undertaking said.

A BEST spokesperson said a 33 Kilovolt feeder from Tata Power's Carnac Bunder facility, which comes to the G T Hospital receiving station operated by it tripped, resulting in the electricity outage.

The power supply has been fully restored now, the spokesperson said.

Tata Power, in a late night statement, said the electricity supply was affected due to 33KV cable fault of BEST.

The supply was restored through an alternate source from the Tata Power grid, added the statement.

The financial capital has an islanding system which generally ensures continuity in power supply.

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

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Woman Says Air India Gave Away Mother's Business Class Seat, Airline Reacts

A woman took to X to slam Air India after the airline allegedly gave her mother's Business class seat to another passenger on a flight from Delhi to Washington DC. The user, Vitasta, called the airline's behaviour "absolutely ridiculous" and criticised Air India for showing "no regard for customers.''

In a tweet, she recounted the frustrating experience saying how her mother was initially told that her business class seat did not recline. She was then told that the seat was reserved for the crew, but later another passenger was seen sitting there. Meanwhile, her mother was moved to economy class with a fixed armrest which was ''uncomfortable and unacceptable'' to her. 

''@airindia how dare you give my mom's business class seat to someone else on a long haul flight from Delhi to Washington DC? First telling her the seat doesn't recline, then saying the seat is for the crew and then she finds someone else sitting there as she is sent to the economy?'', Ms Vitasta wrote on X.

''Absolutely ridiculous behaviour and no regard for your customers! We will be complaining about this. Air India, do better!'' she added.

Here's the post:
 

. @airindia how dare you give my mom's business class seat to someone else on a long haul flight from Delhi to Washington DC? First telling her the seat doesn't recline, then saying the seat is for the crew and then she finds someone else sitting there as she is sent to economy?

— 𝙑𝙞𝙩𝙖𝙨𝙩𝙖 (@baavri) March 26, 2024

The airline later reached out to her and assured her that they were investigating the matter on priority with the airport team. ''Dear Ma'am, please be rest assured that we're investigating the matter on priority with our airport team. We'll connect with you soon,'' they wrote. 

Dear Ma'am, please be rest assured that we're investigating the matter on priority with our airport team. We'll connect with you soon.

— Air India (@airindia) March 27, 2024

Later, the user said that the airline offered to compensate 75% of the fare, and gave her an upgrade voucher. 

''Here is the update: they've compensated 75% of the fare + an upgrade voucher (what a joke). The ground staff at Delhi was extremely rude and behaved disgustingly. My mother was listed in the flight manifest as a business class passenger, yet made to ride in economy,'' she wrote. 

''The issue remains that a passenger was given my mother's seat. A business seat was indicated on mom's boarding pass. My mother who has health issues and paid a higher fare to travel in comfort was told by the Delhi ground staff that her luggage would be taken off the plane if she didn't simply take the economy seat,'' she added. 

However, internet users were not convinced by the airline's compensatory actions and asked the user to file a complaint against them. 

One user wrote, ''Please file a complaint with the Consumer Forum for deficiency of service.'' Another commented, ''Don't accept the 75%, she paid for a service and didn't receive it, she should get 100% minimum.'' A third said, ''@airindia's careless, arrogant culture would never change irrespective of who owns it. This behaviour wouldn't change no matter what.''

A fourth added, ''Compensating the fare is no solution. Your mom booked a business-class seat for comfy travel. Getting money back is not a solution. Air India can't get away by refunding. The whole point of booking a business class seat was for comfort. Refund of money is neither here nor there.''

A fifth wrote, ''Terrible. Wish she had refused to fly. They should better refund the entire fare for the mishap.''

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BJP Welcoming Tainted Leaders? "Doors Open For All," Says Finance Minister

All major political parties encashed electoral bonds and nobody has a moral authority to say anything as it was legal and according to law, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said.

She also said that given the Supreme Court's judgment against electoral bonds, more debate is needed to find a better system for electoral funding.

The minister said the law, now scrapped by the top court, was passed by parliament and the bonds were purchased as per the prevailing law of the time.

"It was passed by parliament and based on the law, bonds were bought and encashed by all parties but one... Everyone has received from everybody. Every donor has given to everybody.

"The very party which now says this is a scam, this is a scandal, had also taken money through the bonds. Tell me what moral authority anyone has to speak because it was the law then... it went lawfully. It was a step better than what prevailed earlier," Ms Sitharaman said.

On what the new government can do in this regard, she said there is a need to understand how to better the system, which has now been rejected.

The system of electoral bonds was still better than the previous system, "which is what we've gone back to now. We need to do something better, but a lot more work is required", she added.

Last month, a five-judge Supreme Court bench, headed by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud, said the electoral bonds scheme violates the right to information and the freedom of speech and expression under the Constitution.

She also dismissed the allegations of connections between the Enforcement Directorate's raids and bond purchases, stating that even companies that donated to the BJP through electoral bonds were raided.

"ED raids still happened. It did not give them (companies) any immunity," she added.

The minister added that the law enforcement agencies are not acting with any political agenda as the law pursues those who disobey it.

"Stop making political arguments over them," Ms Sitharaman said.

Asked why the BJP is welcoming tainted politicians, she said the "doors are open for all".

"If people see work happening... and a party is making a difference, they obviously would want to come and join. But the BJP has value systems and the way in which the party runs under certain leadership. I don't think there is ever a compromise on that," she said.

Replying to a question on Congress spokesperson Supriya Shrinate's remarks against BJP Lok Sabha candidate Kangana Ranaut, she said it is "outrageous" and "abhorrent".

Ms Shrinate should have tendered an unconditional apology, she added.

A controversial comment was posted on social media platforms from Congress leader Shrinate's accounts about Kangana Ranaut, the actor fielded by the BJP from Mandi in Himachal Pradesh.

Following a row, Ms Shrinate removed the post and said that it was not posted by her but by someone who had access to her accounts.

The Finance Minister refused to call the arrest of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal a case of political vendetta.

The Delhi Chief Minister had not complied with several ED summonses, she said, adding that governance has gone down the drain in Delhi and Punjab - the two states where the AAP is in power.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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Nepotism, Dynastic Politics: Kangana Ranaut On Why She "Despises" Congress

Asserting that she has a "glorious right-wing personality", Kangana Ranaut on Wednesday accused the Congress of supporting nepotism and specifically targeted its leaders Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi.

The actor, fielded by the BJP for the Mandi constituency in Himachal Pradesh in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls, also said the Congress has "always been an appalling party for me".

She said the opposition party represents something she has long fought against in her film career.

"The Congress has always been an appalling party for me. The nepotism in the party has been hugely problematic for me because I was a target of the same system in my (film) industry. I had condemned it openly, I fought against it. Something that was exploiting me... Nepotism, groupism, dynastic politics... I despise this party," Ms Ranaut said at the Times Now Summit 2024 - India Unstoppable event here.

"Nepo kids," the "Queen" star said when she was asked to describe the Gandhi siblings in one line.

"They are weird as if they have landed from Mars," she added.

Ms Ranaut, 37, said she has open-heartedly supported the BJP.

"Regardless of whether I'm a party member or not, I have always fought for the party's cause. I have left no stone unturned. I always felt that my natural alignment and ideology is with a nationalistic government. I have a glorious right-wing personality," said the four-time National Award winner.

Days after Ms Ranaut was named the BJP candidate from Mandi, the Congress kicked up a proverbial storm after derogatory comments about the actor and her constituency were posted on the social media handles of its leaders Supriya Shrinate and H S Ahir.

In her defence, Shrinate on Monday said many people have access to her Facebook and Instagram accounts and one of them made the inappropriate post. She also said she had deleted the post and will take action against a parody account that is using her name.

The actor, who had publicly called out Shrinate for posts shared via her social media handles, said she was hurt by the opposition leader's remarks.

"This (incident) sets the cause of women back by many years. She has posted a very alarming content," she added.

Shrinate had also hurt the people of Himachal Pradesh by comparing Mandi, a 'devbhoomi', to a market, Ms Ranaut further said.

"The meaning of Mandi is not what runs in the head of the Congress. The innocent people of Himachal Pradesh were deeply hurt when they branded it as if it was a flesh trade market. Mandi was named after sage Mandav," she said.

Asked if she had a message for Shrinate, Ms Ranaut said she has nothing to say to the Congress spokesperson.

Ms Ranaut also said it's ironic how Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, who joined politics with the India Against Corruption campaign, is currently in jail on corruption charges.

Asked about her political debut, she said she is "anxious".

"It's a complete lifestyle change. It's nerve-wracking. It's a new role... I will be a horse with blinkers on. Suddenly this world has opened up. I want to do it well. I want to be more involved with the real world as opposed to being consumed by the field of arts," Ms Ranaut added.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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PCB In Talks To Hire Former Mumbai Indians Star As Head Coach

The Pakistan Cricket Board has narrowed down its search for a new head coach to former Australia and New Zealand wicketkeeper-batter Luke Ronchi. A PCB source said on Wednesday that "extensive discussions" had taken place with the 42-year-old Ronchi, who has also coached Pakistan Super League side Islamabad United. "With no high-profile coach showing interest in working for the PCB as most of them are already committed with different leagues or have reservations working in Pakistan cricket, the search has come down to Ronchi," the source said.

He said the contract with Ronchi should be finalised in the next few days before the home T20 series against New Zealand commences.

Ronchi, after taking retirement from professional cricket, has also worked with the New Zealand team as its batting consultant and coach.

The source added that the PCB team had contacted some well-known coaches but most of them were either already committed or reluctant to accept any assignment with the Pakistan board.

"Given the history of the PCB in dealing with foreign and local coaches, obviously one can understand the reservations of some foreign coaches," he said.

The source said that even Ronchi had not said yes as yet and had asked for an ironclad assurance that he would be given a proper time frame to work with the Pakistan team over a period of time no matter what the results are.

"He wants clear assurances that his performance will only be evaluated after a certain period of time, not after every series or event," the source said.

PCB chief Mohsin Naqvi had last week blamed the leakage of salary details and other aspects of a possible coaching contract with Shane Watson for the Australian to eventually back out of the discussion.

The PCB has already started its training camp at the Kakul army base in preparation for the T20 World Cup in June, starting with Pakistan's home series against New Zealand in April.

Ronchi is among those few players who have represented two countries in international cricket -- he appeared first for Australia and then for New Zealand. PTI Cor AM AM AM

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SRH's 277/3 Is Not The Highest In T20 Format - A Look At Top Team Totals

Records tumbled left-right and centre as Sunrisers Hyderabad smashed 277 for three, the highest total in IPL history, to leave Mumbai Indians shell shocked on Wednesday. Travis Head (62 off 24) and Abhishek Sharma (63 off 23) came up with a sensational display of power-hitting, that saw the latter snatching the franchise record for fastest fifty from the Australian within minutes. Heinrich Klaasen (80 not out off 34 balls) provided the fireworks in the end to help SRH break an 11-year-old record. The previous highest total in IPL was 263 for five achieved by Royal Challengers Bangalore back in 2013.

It was raining fours and sixes throughout the innings as Head and Sharma toyed with the Mumbai Indians attack.

Head, who was surprisingly left out of the playing eleven for the opening game, reinforced his status as one of the most dangerous batters in the game with a whirlwind effort.

He broke David Warner's record of the fastest fifty by a SRH batter with a 18-ball half-century before Sharma surpassed Head's feat 20 balls later by reaching the milestone in 16 balls.

Head, who was dropped by compatriot Tim David at the start of his innings, opened his front leg and hit boundaries at will, collecting nine fours and three sixes in total.

The southpaw completed his fifty with an inside out four wide of mid-off before dispatching a bouncer from Gerald Coetzee for a six over deep midwicket, prompting opposition skipper Hardik Pandya to acknowledge the Australian's brutal assault.

When Head departed, Sharma went hammer and tongs, mostly targeting the cow corner region for his seven sixes and three boundaries.

It was a nightmarish start to the IPL for the 17-year-old South Africa pacer Kwena Maphaka, who made the Mumbai Indians squad at the back of his exploits in the U-19 World Cup.

He leaked as many as 66 runs in his four overs. The left-arm pacer could not recover from Head's onslaught in his second over in which he conceded 22 runs.

With the majority of the Mumbai bowlers taken to the cleaners, it was surprising that Mumbai Indians skipper Pandya waited till the 13th over to give Jasprit Bumrah his second over.

Following Sharma's dismissal, the in-form Klaasen ensured there was no stopping to the SRH's six hitting spree. Klaasen ended up with seven sixes with the maximum off a Bumrah bouncer standing out.

Klaasen had almost taken SRH over the line with his breathtaking knock against KKR at the Eden Gardens.

Former skipper Aiden Markram chipped in 42 off 28 balls. 

However, SunRisers Hyderabad's 277/3 is not the highest score in the shortest format. 

Highest team totals in the format (T20I and T20 combined)
1. Nepal 314/3 vs Mongolia, 2023
2. Afghanistan 278/3 vs Ireland, 2019
3. Czech Rep. 278/4 vs Turkey, 2019
4. SunRisers Hyderabad 277/3 vs Mumbai Indians, 2024
5. Punjab 275/6 vs Andhra, 2023

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