Bansuri Swaraj, Sushma Swaraj's Daughter, Wins On Lok Sabha Debut

BJP's Bansuri Swaraj, daughter of the late Sushma Swaraj, won the New Delhi constituency on her Lok Sabha debut. 

Ms Swaraj, fielded by the BJP in place of outgoing MP and Union Minister Meenakshi Lekhi, trounced AAP's Somnath Bharti to win the seat by a margin of 78,370 votes.

The BJP won all seven seats in Delhi in the 2014 and the 2019 general elections, and repeated the feat yet again this time. 

Arvind Kejriwal-led AAP, which rules the national capital, was in a 4:3 seat arrangement with the Congress as part of the INDIA bloc taking on the BJP. 

The AAP that contested East Delhi, West Delhi, New Delhi and South Delhi seats could not win any seat. Its vote share, however, was 24.14 per cent as compared to 18.2 per cent in 2019 polls. The AAP's vote share was 33.1 per cent in 2014 general elections but it lost all seven seats that it contested.

The Congress that failed to win any seat out of three contested by it in Delhi, lost its vote share by over three per cent as compared to 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

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Probe Agency Attaches Assets Over Rs 115 Crore Of 2 Approvers In Delhi Liquor Policy Case

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has attached assets worth more than Rs 115 crore of two of its approvers -- TDP's Lok Sabha poll candidate Magunta Sreenivasulu Reddy's businessman son Raghav Magunta and Aurobindo Pharma promoter Sarath Chandra Reddy -- in a money-laundering case linked to the alleged Delhi excise policy scam.

The agency made the disclosure in a chargesheet filed by it on May 10 against former Telangana chief minister and Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) leader K Chandrashekar Rao's MLC daughter K Kavitha and four others. A special Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court took cognisance of this prosecution complaint on May 29.

Both Raghav Magunta and Reddy are stated to be members of the so-called "south group" led by K Kavitha. The ED has charged that the group made a payment of Rs 100 crore to the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) to tweak the Delhi excise policy for 2021-22 in its favour. The policy was scrapped following charges of illegalities.

The AAP had alleged that the statements recorded by the Maguntas led to the arrest of its supremo and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on March 21 and that Reddy had paid Rs 55 crore to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) through electoral bonds, which proves that the saffron party has connection with the "south lobby".

A provisional order for attaching the assets of Raghav Magunta and Reddy under the PMLA was issued on May 3 and the value of the assets of the two are pegged at Rs 115,06,27,753 in the ED chargesheet accessed by PTI.

The ED has also said in the chargesheet that cash amounting to about Rs 64 crore was pumped in by the AAP for its Goa Assembly election campaign from the around Rs 100 crore "kickbacks" given to the party by the "south group".

The agency has said in the chargesheet that it is yet to send the original complaint of this order to the Adjudicating Authority of the PMLA for the confirmation of the provisional order.

This is the third attachment order issued by the ED in the case. It had earlier attached properties (worth more than Rs 52 crore) of former Delhi deputy chief minister and AAP leader Manish Sisodia and businessman Sameer Mahandru (worth more than Rs 76 crore).

The ED has "prayed for confiscation" of all the assets worth about Rs 244 crore, attached as part of the three orders, from the court and mentioned the same in the chargesheet filed against K Kavitha and four others.

Raghav Magunta and Reddy were arrested by the agency in the case and both were allowed to become approvers by the court last year.

Both are currently out on bail. Businessman Dinesh Arora is the third approver in the ED case.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is also probing the case.

Raghav Magunta's father Magunta Sreenivasulu Reddy is the incumbent YSRCP MP from Ongole in Andhra Pradesh. He, however, contested this year's Lok Sabha polls from the seat on a Telugu Desam Party (TDP) ticket.

His fate will be known on Tuesday, when the votes polled for the general election are scheduled to be counted.

Meanwhile, K Kavitha, according to her statement furnished by the ED in the chargesheet, has denied all the allegations of bribery made against her in the excise policy case.

The ED has also charged her with destruction of evidence, alleging that there was "no data" in her FaceTime and WhatsApp apps, despite "her own disclosure that she uses" these utilities.

"When confronted with these facts, K Kavitha evaded the question and did not reply to the question put," the agency has said.

"The activity of generation and transfer were carried out by K Kavitha by being involved in the payment of Rs 100 crore kickbacks to the AAP leaders," it has alleged.

On Monday, Kavitha's judicial custody was extended by the court till July 3.

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Raveena Tandon Was Not Drunk, False Complaint Filed: Mumbai Police

Mumbai Police on Sunday clarified that a false complaint was filed against actor Raveena Tandon with the Khar Police, accusing her of being drunk, rash driving and assault.

Ms Tandon shared a screenshot of a post from 'Viral Bhayani' on 'X' saying that the complainant filed a false complaint in the case and after checking the CCTV footage it was found that Raveena's car did not hit anyone and she was not drunk.

The post said that while speaking to a Mumbai-based daily, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Rajtilak Roshan of Zone 9 said that the complaint was false.

"The complainant gave a false complaint in the alleged video. We checked the entire CCTV footage of the society and found that the actress's driver was reversing the car from the road into the society when this family was crossing the same lane. The family stopped the car and told the driver that he should check if people were behind the car before reversing and an argument started between them," the DCP said while speaking to the daily.

When the argument got heated, Raveena came to the spot to check on her driver and tried to protect him from the mob. The duo went to the Khar police station to file complaints but subsequently withdrew them.

"This argument escalated into abusive language, and actress Raveena Tandon arrived at the spot to check what had happened with her driver. The actress tried to protect the driver from the mob; however, the mob started abusing her. Both Raveena Tandon and the family went to the Khar police station and gave written complaints. Later, they both also submitted letters stating they did not want to register any complaints," DCP Rajtilak Roshan explained.

DCP Rajtilak Roshan further stated, "Nobody was injured in this incident. We checked the CCTV footage, and the car did not hit anyone. The actress was not drunk."

In another screenshot shared by Raveena in the same post, the Mumbai Police was quoted in an online portal saying that both parties denied making any complaints.

"Tandon's driver was trying to reverse the car to park it, and three people from a family felt that they would get hit. After the argument, both parties left, and later, police reached the spot and questioned Tandon's staff. The other party was also called to the Police station. Both parties denied making any complaints," Mumbai Police was quoted as saying.

The post mentioned that the police statement came after the video of the incident went viral across social media platforms where Raveena Tandon is requesting people to calm down and can also be heard saying 'don't hit me.'

The video of the incident is doing rounds across social media platforms in which Raveena Tandon can be seen struggling around the people pushing her and wanting to beat her driver, it added.

There were accusations of her and her driver being drunk which were denied by Police as false allegations, it said.

A scuffle was reported outside actor Raveena Tandon's house last night when her driver was parking the car in the building premises.

According to the Mumbai Police, while the driver was reversing the car, a family was passing in front of the building's gate. Thinking that the car would hit them, a scuffle broke out between Raveena Tandon's driver and three women of the family over the issue.

Raveena came out of the house after she heard the arguments between her driver and the family However, after a lot of arguments, both parties left.

Upon getting information, when the police reached the spot, they questioned Raveena's staff and called both parties to Khar Police Station.

No one was injured in the incident nor did any vehicles collide, police said, adding no complaint has been filed by any side.

Meanwhile, on the work front, Raveena recently wowed the audiences with her compelling performance in the Disney Hotstar courtroom drama 'Patna Shuklla', alongside co-stars late Satish Kaushik and Manav Vij.

In the coming months, she will be seen in 'Welcome 3'. The star-studded cast includes Akshay Kumar, Sanjay Dutt, Arshad Warsi, Disha Patani, Lara Dutta, and Paresh Rawal.

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Trump Says Sending Him To Prison Would Be "Breaking Point" For Supporters

Donald Trump has suggested that sending him to prison could prove a "breaking point" for his supporters -- a warning that will fuel concerns of political violence around the US presidential election on November 5.

In an interview aired Sunday on Fox News, the former president and current Republican White House hopeful acknowledged the possibility of jail time or house arrest following his historic criminal conviction in a hush money trial.

"I'm ok with it," Trump said, but added he was "not sure the public would stand for it."

"I think it would be tough for the public to take. You know at a certain point there's a breaking point," he said.

The warning will resonate in a country already concerned about the prospect of civil unrest and political harassment in the run-up to the November election.

Trump will now be running as a felon, and he has repeatedly refused to commit to accepting the result should he lose to President Joe Biden.

A New York jury on Thursday convicted Trump on all 34 felony charges of falsifying business records late in the 2016 presidential campaign to cover up a sex scandal involving adult film star Stormy Daniels.

It was the first criminal conviction of a former president in US history, and sentencing has been set for July 11 -- days before the Republican National Convention that will formally anoint Trump as the party's presidential nominee.

"They're turning Donald Trump into a martyr," Trump's son Eric told Fox News.

Although each charge carries a possible four-year jail term, experts say it is extremely unlikely the judge will hand down a custodial sentence.

Nevertheless Trump himself joined the stark call by fellow Republicans, including House Speaker Mike Johnson, for the US Supreme Court to somehow intervene in favor of the ex-president.

A "Local Judge, appointed by the Democrats, who is HIGHLY CONFLICTED, will make a decision which will determine the future of our Nation?" Trump said on his Truth Social media platform. "The United States Supreme Court MUST DECIDE!"

Trump has said his legal team will appeal the hush money verdict. Since it is a New York case, it would have to go through state appellate courts before it reaches the US Supreme Court.

Trump faces three other criminal trials, including one related to efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election he lost to Biden.

The 77-year-old's supporters stormed the US Capitol on January 6, 2021 after he delivered a fiery speech urging the crowd to "fight like hell."

Democratic congressman Adam Schiff, a member of the House of Representatives committee that investigated the Capitol attack, said Trump's strategy was clear.

"This is essentially his threat that, if he gets jail time, that he's going to encourage his supporters to rise up," Schiff said on CNN's "State of the Union" program.

"And we saw the very deadly results of that on January 6."

'Vindicated'

Breaking her silence following Trump's conviction, Stormy Daniels told British media the ex-president should be incarcerated.

The former adult film actor helped bring Trump down in court with her gripping testimony, which included graphic descriptions of what she says was a casual sexual encounter in 2006.

Trump has continued to deny the sexual encounter, which prosecutors at his trial said occurred shortly after his wife Melania had given birth.

In his Fox interview, Trump said the trial had taken a toll on his wife, who was notably absent from the courtroom, unlike other close family members.

"She's fine, but I think it's very hard for her," Trump said. "She has to read all this crap."

 

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4 "Burnt Alive" After CNG Car Catches Fire In Meerut: Cops

Four people were killed when their CNG car caught fire in Uttar Pradesh's Meerut on Sunday, police said.

Superintendent of Police (Rural) Kamlesh Bahadur told PTI, "Four people travelling in a car from Delhi were burnt alive at around 9 pm." Police are yet to ascertain the identities of those killed.

"The car had a CNG kit fitted in it. The cause of the fire is still not clear. Efforts are being made to identify the killed and to reach out to their families," said the officer.

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Amul Hikes Milk Prices By ₹ 2 Per Litre From Today

The price of Amul milk across all variants has been hiked by Rs 2 per litre with effect from Monday in view of the increase in the overall cost of operation and production of milk, Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF) said.

With this, the price of the Amul milk pouch will go up by Rs 2 per litre in all markets across the country.

The price of Amul milk across all variants has been raised by Rs 2 per litre with effect from June 3, said Jayen Mehta, MD of GCMMF, which markets the milk and dairy products under the 'Amul' brand.

The last time GCMMF had raised the milk price was in February 2023. The hike is necessitated to compensate farmers for their increased cost of production, Mehta said.

With the fresh hike, the revised milk prices for variants such as 500 ml Amul buffalo milk, 500 ml Amul Gold milk, and 500 ml Amul Shakti milk stand at Rs 36, Rs 33, and Rs 30, respectively.

"The increase of Rs 2 per litre translates to the range of 3-4 per cent increase in MRP which is much lower than the average food inflation. It is worthwhile to note that since February 2023, Amul has made no increase in prices of fresh pouch milk in major markets," GCMMF said in a statement.

This price hike is being done due to the increase in the overall cost of operation and production of milk, it said.

Amul as a policy passes on almost 80 paise of every rupee paid by consumers for milk and milk products to milk producers, according to GCMMF.

"The price revision shall help in sustaining remunerative milk prices to our milk producers and to encourage them for higher milk production," it added.

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Manipur Flood Situation Improves As Water Level Recedes In Rivers, Human Habitations

The flood situation had largely improved on Saturday in Manipur, which was ravaged for more than five days due to the massive deluge affecting around two lakh people in 348 villages and urban localities in eight districts after the incessant rains triggered by cyclonic storm Remal, officials said.

Officials said that the water level receded in most rivers including in Imphal, Nambul, and Kongba and from the villages, human habitations and localities.

Chief Minister N. Biren Singh, who closely monitored the situation during the past five days, on Saturday appreciated various departments and officials for making efforts to clear the water-logging.

In a post on X, he said : "I appreciate the relentless efforts of the minor irrigation department. The officials, working in collaboration with local authorities, clubs and volunteers, have been working tirelessly day and night to ensure the swift removal/pumping out of water from populated and residential areas to restore normalcy, allowing businesses to resume and daily activities to continue."

Officials said that it would take one or two days more to clear the post-flood debris and mud.

The affected people took shelter in 56 relief camps. A large number of them have returned to their homes, the officials said.

Meanwhile, the Assam Rifles carried out an operation 'Jalrahat' in the affected areas and provided succour to the marooned citizens.

Since May 28, 16 columns of Assam Rifles have been deployed round the clock to evacuate those in need.

The dedicated teams used specialized equipment and employed advanced rescue techniques to reach those trapped in the flood waters.

The operation led to the rescue and evacuation of more than 6,500 people, including women and children, from grave situations due to the rising waters in Dewlahland, Thangal Bazar, North AOC and Mantripukhri, an Assam Rifles statement said.

The para-military force said that they distributed over 5,000 food packets and drinking water to those affected by the floods.

The flood waters entered important installations including medical colleges and government offices, Chief Minister N. Biren Singh's private residence, and various hotels were inundated in knee to waist deep water.

Water also surged into the Raj Bhavan complex, leaving the Governor's Office and Secretariat, staff quarters, and the security personnels barracks under flood water, with only the vintage building, which is the official residence of the Governor, unaffected.

Water Resource Minister Awangbow Newmai said that since Monday in the aftermath of Cyclone Remal, most parts of the state, spanning the hills and valley districts of Imphal East, Imphal West, Kangpokpi, Bishnupur, Noney, Churachandpur, Senapati, and Kakching, had been affected due to the flash floods.

Three persons have died in flood-related incidents so far while one person is missing and ten are injured.

The minister said that 56 relief camps have been opened and over 20,000 people have taken shelter there.

He also said 434 hectares of crop area was affected and landslides occurred in several hill district areas.

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