Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee lashed out at the BJP Thursday after Enforcement Directorate raids on state minister Jyotipriya Mallick, warning the central agency (and the Central Bureau of Investigation) of police action if any harm should come to the senior Trinamool leader.

However, the support for Mr Mallick was accompanied by continuing silence over Lok Sabha MP Mahua Moitra being investigated by the Ethics Committee in the alleged cash-for-query scam.

The Trinamool has distanced itself from charges facing Ms Moitra, who is accused of taking Rs 2 crore in cash to ask, in Parliament, questions allegedly designed to target the Adani Group. The party said last week it would take an “appropriate decision” after the Ethics Committee inquiry.

Trinamool Rajya Sabha MP Derek O’Brien had said “the member concerned” had been told to clarify her position in the matter and that the party awaits the results of the committee’s inquiry.

READ | “Appropriate Decision” In Mahua Moitra Case After Investigation: Trinamool

That panel held its first meet today and decided, within hours, that the charges against Ms Moitra are “very serious” and warrant a full investigation. Mahua Moitra, who is fiercely critical of the BJP, has been summoned on October 31 to answer complaints by House colleague Nishikant Dubey.

READ | Parliament Panel Says Mahua Moitra Case “Serious”, Summons Her On Tuesday

The Trinamool’s silence has been picked up by the BJP, which has claimed Mahua Moitra has been “abandoned” and that Ms Banerjee’s silence is an admission of her party leader’s guilt.

“Trinamool’s stand on Mahua Moitra is – ‘We won’t comment. Said MP will defend herself’.”

“Does it mean: 1) Trinamool accepts Mahua Moitra made serious breaches, including giving log-in to be operated from foreign soil by rival corporate entity in exchange for kickbacks? 2) If so, then why is Trinamool still retaining her rather than sacking her?” BJP’s spokesperson Shehzad Poonwalla asked.

TMC’s official stand on Mahua Moitra is that “We won’t comment. Said MP will defend herself”

Does it mean

1)TMC accepts Mahua Moitra has made serious breaches including giving her log in to be operated from foreign soil by a rival corporate entity in exchange for kickbacks ?…

— Shehzad Jai Hind (@Shehzad_Ind) October 22, 2023

Earlier, senior BJP leader Amit Malviya, who is co-incharge of the party’s Bengal ops, said it was no surprise Ms Banerjee has “abandoned” Ms Moitra.

Meanwhile, on ED raids against Mr Mallick, a furious Mamata Banerjee Banerjee declared, “… (he) has blood sugar. If he dies, we will file a FIR (first information report) against CBI and ED. They torture people and ask them to take names of (other) people. This is atyachar (atrocious).”

The sharp words also came after the Enforcement Directorate searched premises linked to Rajasthan Congress chief Govind Singh Dotasara in connection with the exam paper leak case from last year.

READ | Central Agency Searches Rajasthan Congress Chief’s Home Weeks Before Polls

Like other opposition politicians, Ms Banerjee has often accused the BJP of using central agencies to target rivals, particularly ahead of elections, which are due next month in Congress-ruled Rajasthan.

“‘Yeh kya atyachar… kya anachar chal raha hai?’ (What atrocities, lawlessness is going on here?) … BJP is playing a dirty game in the guise of ED raids on opposition leaders ahead of the Lok Sabha election (in 2024)… has been a single such raid at any BJP leader’s residence?” she asked.

“It (the BJP) says it wants ‘sabka sath, sabka vikas (development for all)’ but actually it wants ‘sabka sath, sabka satyanash (destruction for all)’,” Ms Banerjee declared.

The Trinamool is a member of the INDIA opposition bloc that includes the Congress and has said it now plans to contest all elections, including next year’s Lok Sabha poll, “together as far as possible“.

Rajasthan will vote in an Assembly election on November 25 and this morning’s ED action against Mr Dotasara, a senior member of the ruling outfit, also provoked a furious response from his party.

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Amid the rise in cross-border B2C e-commerce trade, India is taking the lead in setting up a ‘global online dispute resolution (ODR) platform’ to resolve disagreements in online transactions between businesses and consumers, Consumer Affairs Secretary Rohit Kumar Singh said on Thursday.

“The UN has accepted India’s proposal and asked us to develop a framework on global online dispute resolution with a focus on resolving cross-border B2C e-commerce disputes,” Singh told reporters here.

India is hosting the first conference in the national capital on Friday to deliberate on the framework of this ODR.

Representatives of several countries, including the US, the UK, and Thailand, are expected to attend, he added.

Currently, there are a few platforms, such as the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) and Singapore Declaration 2018, that handle business-to-business (B2B) e-commerce disputes, Singh said.

Now that B2C e-commerce is growing, there is a need for a global online resolution platform to address the grievances of cross-border transactions, he added.

From drinks, cellphones, and ashes to roses, fans have been throwing objects at artists at concerts lately. Recently, Pakistani singer Atif Aslam became the latest artist subject to unruly fan behaviour that has affected fellow singer Arijit Singh, Canadian rapper Drake, Bebe Rexha, Cardi B and more. An enthusiastic fan showered money on the Pakistani artist as he performed on stage. However, the singer’s response is winning hearts on the internet. 

The singer paused the show mid-way and called the fan up to the stage. Mr Aslam said, “My friend, Donate this money, don’t throw it at me, this is just disrespect to the money.”

The video was posted on X, formerly Twitter by user Faizi. The caption of the video reads, “”My friend, Donate this money, don’t throw it at me, this is just disrespect to the money” How calmly he requested and gave a message to the jahil pakistanis who made this thing a culture. What a man he his, one and only undisputed pakistani star whom you should admire.”

See the video here:

“My friend, Donate this money, don’t throw it at me, this is just disrespect to the money” How calmly he requested and gave a message to the jahil pakistanis who made this thing a culture. What a man he his, one and only undisputed pakistani star whom you should admire @itsaadee pic.twitter.com/KOSvUMvSha

— Faizi (@faizanriaz7_) October 24, 2023

Since being posted, the video has amassed more than 1.2 lakh views on X and has attracted several comments. 

A user wrote, “A true gentleman. Knows how to teach people a lesson without offending them.”

“Exactly. Even throwing money, putting it in mouth and giving it during wedding, especially baraat and Sangeet dances is such an insult to money,” another user wrote. 

“It’s a good and honest gesture still some people have something negative to say,” the third user commented. 

“Now thats a classy guy,” the fourth user remarked. 

“He’s a solid guy and I agree. You should never throw money. However rich you could be,” the fifth user commented.