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Cash paid for tickets, difficult to prove Bhandari-Vadra link: I-T sleuths

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Cash paid for tickets, difficult to prove Bhandari-Vadra link: I-T sleuths

Income tax officials say Paharganj-based travel agency which booked Vadra’s business class air tickets for Zurich had received cash payments

While the Congress and BJP trade charges against each other over a Times Now report which claimed that absconding arms dealer Sanjay Bhandari had, in August 2012, booked business class air tickets for Robert Vadra’s travel to Zurich, tax officials claim that the said air fare was paid for in cash and no trail of where the money came from could be proved during a probe.

The claims by I-T officials who spoke anonymously to The Indian Express appear to take the steam out of the political attacks made by the BJP against the Congress party’s first family at a time when the saffron party too finds itself in a spot over allegations that Jay Shah, son of BJP national president Amit Shah, saw a 16000-times hike in his company’s turnover in the years that followed Narendra Modi’s stunning rise as the country’s Prime Minister in May 2014.

The Times Now ‘expose’ against Vadra, the controversial husband of Congress president Sonia Gandhi’s daughter Priyanka Gandhi, had come days after online portal The Wire published the report about Jay Shah’s meteoric rise in wealth. The Congress has questioned the timing of the report over Vadra, claiming that it was deliberately being circulated by the BJP to deflect media and public attention from the allegations against Jay Shah.

However, while the conjectures arising out of the article on Jay Shah are largely based on tax returns and official filings made by the company of the BJP national president’s son, the allegations being made against Robert Vadra over his alleged links with Sanjay Bhandari are reportedly based on an email trail exchanged between the two, with little evidence to actually prove the money trail.

On Wednesday, The Indian Express said that income tax officials believe that the probe into the alleged payment by Sanjay Bhandari of air tickets for Vadra’s travel to Zurich had “virtually reached a dead end”. The newspaper claimed that: “when tax sleuths approached the Paharganj-based travel agency (International Travel Home) through which the air passage had been booked, they were informed that the payments were received in cash and they had no recollection whether the money was handed over to them by someone from either Sanjay Bhandari’s side or Robert Vadra’s side.”

The Indian Express report also anonymously quoted a senior I-T official as saying: “If the payments for the flights had been made by cheque, we could have traced the person who made the payments. But since the payments were made in cash there is nothing to dig deeper. And an amount of between Rs 8 lakh-Rs 10 lakh is too small an amount for us to call Robert Vadra over for questioning.”

The report added that the mail trail of ticket bookings for Zurich were located by them shortly after searches were conducted along with other mails connected to the renovation of a property in London ostensibly being done by Sanjay Bhandari for Robert Vadra.

Vadra and his lawyers have reportedly claimed that they had no communication with Sanjay Bhandari during the period for which the arms dealer is facing multiple probes by Indian agencies like the Enforcement Directorate and the I-T department.

The Times Now ‘expose’ however claims that: “According to the email trail, Bhandari bought tickets for the tainted businessman (Vadra) at a time when the arms dealer was being investigated for his role in swinging a jet trainer deal for Swiss company Pilatus. The fact that one of the tickets booked for Vadra was to Zurich, the financial capital of Switzerland, hints at his involvement in the Pilatus deal. However, there is no clarity on the issue as of now, and Times Now is awaiting a reply from his side.”

The BJP has latched on to the Times Now expose in an attempt to directly attack Congress president Sonia Gandhi and her son, party vice president Rahul Gandhi over the Bhandari-Vadra links. On Tuesday, the BJP had fielded Union defence minister Nirmala Sitharaman to lead the party’s broadside against the Congress on the issue.

Sitharaman had said that the “studied silence” of Sonia and Rahul on the charges being leveled against Vadra will be construed as their acceptance of the allegations being true. Citing the Times Now report, Sitharaman had alleged that a London house linked to Vadra had been refurbished by Bhandari and that 7.5 lakh Swiss francs were deposited in a bank account of the arms dealer- possibly as payment for the renovation of Vadra’s London home.

“Why is the Congress vice-president, who has been emulating the Prime Minister in his tweets, maintaining a silence on this,” the defence minister had asked.

The Congress party had hit back at the BJP with its chief spokesperson, Randeep Singh Surjewala claiming that the allegations against Vadra were being raked up by the saffron party to “distract people from the accusations hurled against Jay Shah”.

“An unnerved and running scared BJP is on a ‘save Shah-Zada’ (a reference to Jay Shah) mission. Instead of ordering an inquiry into the business dealing of company owned by Amit Shah’s wife, daughter-in-law and son, which is being demanded by people in Opposition and even RSS, Nirmala Sitharaman is on an agenda of diversionary tactics but they will never succeed (sic),” Surjewala had said.

The Congress spokesperson had added that “the vicious witch-hunt and vendetta against Robert Vadra has continued for 41 months by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government and yet not a single wrongdoing, violation of any law or a criminal misconduct has been established (against Vadra).”

2024 Lok Sabha Elections

Bollywood actor Neha Sharma campaigns for her father Ajit Sharma in Bhagalpur, Bihar

The Bollywood actor posted a video on her Instagram handle which showed her journey through various districts of Bihar, including Kishanganj, Banka, Purnea and Katihar. She was dressed in a traditional salwar kameez and was seen greeting and encouraging the public to cast their votes.

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Bollywood actor Neha Sharma’s recent participation in a roadshow in Bihar has taken the internet by storm. Sharma, known for her roles in films like Tum Bin 2 and Crook, was seen supporting her father, Ajit Sharma, who is contesting from Bhagalpur Lok Sabha seat on a Congress ticket. The roadshow came amid speculations that the actor might enter politics. But, it is now clear that she was just campaigning for her father.

neha sharma

The Bollywood actor posted a video on her Instagram handle which showed her journey through various districts of Bihar, including Kishanganj, Banka, Purnea and Katihar. She was dressed in a traditional salwar kameez and was seen greeting and encouraging the public to cast their votes.

The actor received a warm reception and love from a large crowd in Pirpainti and Kahalgaon during her roadshow. She wrote on Instagram that it is said when someone gives one a place in their heart, then they live there forever. She said her heart is full of all the love and support she was receiving from the people. She thanked the people for the warm welcome she got in Pirpainti and Kahalgaon. Aapka pyar sar ankhon par.

Another video, circulating on social media showed the actor actively participating in her father’s election campaign in Bhagalpur. The election to the Bhagalpur Lok Sabha seat is set to take place in the 2nd phase on April 26. Ajit Sharma is representing the Congress and is up against JDU’s Ajay Kumar Mandal in this seat.

Earlier, there had been rumours and speculations that Neha Sharma might join politics. But many reports have clarified that she is not making her political debut yet. The Bollywood actor had been offered the opportunity to join politics by her father Ajjit Sharma but she is currently focusing on her acting career.

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Education

Farmer’s son Nilkrishna Gajare Nirmalkumar from Maharashtra scores 100 NTA score in IIT-JEE Mains 2024

Nilkrishna Gajare’s father is a farmer and had to discontinue his own education after Class 12 as he faced financial difficulties. Gajare faced financial challenges growing up. However, his unwavering dedication and strategic approach to preparation set him apart from the crowd.

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Nilkrishna Gajare, who hails from Maharashtra’s Washim, achieved an extraordinary feat by securing a perfect score of 100 in the JEE Main 2024 examination. His journey from humble beginnings to the pinnacle of success is a source of inspiration for many people.

Nilkrishna Gajare’s father is a farmer and had to discontinue his own education after Class 12 as he faced financial difficulties. Gajare faced financial challenges growing up. However, his unwavering dedication and strategic approach to preparation set him apart from the crowd, which resulted in his remarkable achievement of emerging as topper of one of India’s toughest Engineering entrance exams.

Nilkrishna Gajare had a strategic plan that helped him succeed in IIT-JEE 2024. According to Nilkrishna persistence is important and one should never stop trying until they understand a topic. He said being curious and asking questions are important traits of a good student.  He said one should not be ashamed of asking questions.

Nilkrishna spent around 10-15 hours every day studying on his own for the JEE Main exam. He mentioned that he used his class notes for Physics and Physical Chemistry. For organic chemistry and inorganic chemistry, he relied on both notes and practice questions.

As for Mathematics, he believed that practicing regularly was the most important thing for him. Other interests of Nilkrishna include archery. He has participated at both state and national levels, and he finds joy in the sport.  He said archery helps him understand the importance of focusing his attention on his goals. Nilkrishna likes watching movies and said they are a great source of enjoyment and relaxation.

He likes to watch a movie after exams and occasionally treats himself to one each week too. Gajare aims to keep up the pace for the JEE-Advanced exam and hopes to get into the IITs. He said he wants to secure admission in IIT-Bombay in the computer science branch.

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2024 Lok Sabha Elections

Lok Sabha elections: Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav files nomination from Kannauj

The Samajwadi Party has announced Akhilesh Yadav as its official candidate for the Kannauj Lok Sabha seat today

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Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav, submitted his nomination for the Kannauj Lok Sabha constituency ahead of tomorrow’s second round of voting. In front of Ram Gopal Yadav and other party leaders, the chief of the SP, who had previously contested the seat in 2000, 2004 and 2009, submitted the nomination.

Speaking with media, Ram Gopal Yadav said that SP would win the seat by a huge margin. The BJP candidate might lose his deposit in the seat, he said.

The Samajwadi Party has completely reversed its earlier plan to field former Mainpuri MP Tej Pratap Singh Yadav as their candidate, which is a significant political development.

Earlier, Akhilesh Yadav told reporters, people will find out when the nomination takes place, in reference to the speculations that he will contest for the seat. The historic victory of Kannauj is the subject of inquiry.

The former chief minister continued, the people have decided that the India bloc is coming as the future and the BJP will be history in this election.

Notably, elections for the Kannauj seat are scheduled for May 13, which would intensify the political drama that is now playing out in Uttar Pradesh. Previously regarded as the Samajwadi Party’s stronghold, the seat was lost by the party in the 2019 election when Subrat Pathak of the BJP won with a resounding victory.

The candidates competing for the following Uttar Pradesh seats will find out their destiny in the second round of voting, which is scheduled for tomorrow, Amroha, Meerut, Mathura, Baghpat, Aligarh, Ghaziabad, Gautam Buddh Nagar, and Bulandshahar.

Notably, two Bollywood celebrities running as BJP candidates in the second round are Hema Malini from Mathura and Arun Govil from Meerut. There are 91 contestants from UP competing in the second phase.

The seats in Gautam Buddha Nagar and Mathura are up for grabs, with a maximum of 15 applicants per seat. In Bulandshahr, six candidates are vying for the presidency. There are twelve contenders running in Amroha, eight in Meerut, seven in Baghpat, and fourteen in Ghaziabad and Aligarh.

1,67,77,198 votes will decide these candidates’ fates.

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