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Bengaluru, Dec 15 (IANS) Former Minority Commission Chairman Anwar Manipaddy on Sunday refuted the bribery charge levelled by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, saying the Congress leaders have been offering him bribes to suppress the Waqf encroachment report.

CM Siddaramaiah on Saturday alleged that BJP state president B.Y. Vijayendra “tried to bribe” the former Minority Commission Chairperson during the previous government with Rs 150 crore to suppress a probe into the Waqf property encroachment.

Speaking to the media, Anwar Manipaddy stated that if Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has any genuine concern and love for Muslims, he should hand over his report on the Waqf encroachments to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

“The offer in this regard was made by the Congress. They asked me to settle in the US as I had the Green Card. Vijayendra never said that he would give Rs 150 crore. In 2012, when I was the Minority Commission Chairman, I had never heard of Vijayendra’s name. He was the Vice President of the party,” Anwar stated.

“I remember talking to him about the implementation of the report since his father B.S. Yediyurappa was the CM. I criticized Vijayedra then for various reasons, but he has not made any offer of Rs 150 crore to me. After I followed the presentation of my report in the Assembly, then CM Yediyurappa placed it in the session,” Anwar stated.

“The Congress leaders had made offers for three to four years. But I had rebuked them and sent them back. Now, they fear talking to me. The Waqf has a total land of 54,000 acres. In this, 27,000 to 28,000 acres are encroached. The Waqf board presently has 23,000 to 24,000 acres of land with it. Issuing notices to farmers claiming the ownership of 1.60 lakh acres to the Waqf board is being done by the Congress government and Chief Minister Siddaramaiah with an intention to create strife between Hindus and Muslims,” Anwar Mannipaddy slammed.

“My findings given in 7,000 pages about the encroachment of Waqf properties by the powerful, including Congress leaders, is just the tip of the iceberg. If the CBI starts a probe, the illegalities and encroachments will run up to 70,000 pages,” Anwar Mannipaddy stated.

“The Congress tries to use money and muscle power on me to suppress the report. My personal secretary Ateeq’s retirement benefits were withheld and the court had given him relief. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah is being pressured from all sides over the Waqf issue. He is trying to hide everything and bringing up the name of Vijayendra to divert the issue of encroachments,” he stated.

CM Siddaramaiah in his press statement on Saturday demanded the CBI probe against Karnataka BJP President B.Y. Vijayendra for trying to hush up the Waqf scam report by allegedly offering Rs 150 crore to former Minority Commission Chairman and BJP leader Anwar Mannippady.

Vijayendra has dismissed Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s bribery allegations as “baseless”.

Responding to the allegations, Vijayendra questioned, “You (CM Siddaramaiah), who is terrified of CBI and ED investigations, have questioned the Governor’s approval for prosecution and tried in vain to protect yourself legally by hiring senior lawyers from New Delhi. After facing humiliation due to the High Court’s verdict, what moral standing do you have to demand a CBI investigation against others?”

–IANS

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New Delhi, Dec 19 (IANS) Indian scientists and engineers must specialise in high-end technologies like Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Quantum Computing to strengthen the country’s position in cutting-edge innovation in the global arena, said Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday.

He said this while addressing the inaugural session of the Indian National Academy of Engineering’s Annual Convention at IIT Delhi.

Singh emphasised that these niche technologies are going to impact almost every sector in a big way in the coming times.

“Right now, we are in the initial phase. Our aim should be to first gain command over these technologies so that in the future, they can be used for the welfare of the people to fulfil their immediate basic needs,” he added.

Singh also pointed out that the world is continuously evolving, and the defence sector cannot remain untouched by this change.

While India was left behind in terms of modern weapons and technology earlier, the country is now moving “towards self-reliance in defence at an unprecedented pace”, he said.

Lauding the role of IITs in the scientific development of the country, the Defence Minister also called for establishing an even better organic relationship among the industry, research and development organisations, and academia.

“In developed countries, academic campuses play an important role in progressing frontier technologies. There is a need to explore ways how to co-opt IIT Delhi and similar institutions of higher scientific learning and excellence with the government’s development campaign,” he said.

“India is the youngest country at present. Our youth have the passion and the ability to innovate. Our government stands with them at every step.

We encourage their innovation and provide them with funds as per their needs.”

He noted that the country today “has become a hub of innovation and start-ups,” resulting in continuous technological prowess.

“We will always stand with our engineers and innovators. With our combined efforts, we will realise our dream of ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’,” Singh said.

–IANS

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