‘I am being falsely implicated’

Ranchi, Nov 14: Former chief minister Madhu Koda on Saturday said that people jealous of him were conspiring to keep him away from the Jharkhand assembly polls by implicating him in the Rs 2,500 crore money laundering scam. “I fear I could be killed by conspirators. I will quit politics if investigation agencies prove that I invested in foreign countries or purchased land or mines in foreign countries. There is a conspiracy to keep me away from assembly elections as people are jealous of my (political) growth,” Koda told reporters in Chaibasa. Koda Friday disappeared from his Ranchi home and surfaced in his Lok Sabha constituency of Singhbhum in the evening. He is trying to establish a connect with people in his constituency by playing the tribal card. “I am being implicated as I belong to a poor tribal family. I will expose everyone at a suitable time,” said Koda. He said there was a conspiracy to disassociate him from the people of his constituency. “One cannot keep me away from elections as this is my constitutional right,” said Koda, an independent. His supporters have floated the Jharkhand Navnirman Morcha (JNM) and announced the names of five candidates to contest the coming polls starting November 25. Geeta Koda, his wife, is a nominee from the Jaggarnathpur constituency. In Jharkhand, a party with three to four seats can end up being the kingmaker. (IANS)

Sensex shuts 0.92 per cent up

MUMBAI, Nov 13: A key Indian equity index ended a volatile trading session Friday 0.92 per cent higher than its previous close. The 30-scrip sensitive index (Sensex) of the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE), which opened at 16,693.15 points, closed at 16,848.83 points, 0.92 per cent or 152.8 points higher than Thursday’s close at 16,696.03 points.

The S&P CNX Nifty of the National Stock Exchange (NSE) also ended in the green, up 0.93 per cent at 4,998.95 points. Broader market indices ended flat with the BSE midcap index closing 0.02 per cent higher and the BSE small cap index 0.2 per cent up.

The market breadth was tilted towards the positive, with 1,372 stocks advancing, 1,355 declining and 100 remaining unchanged. Out of 30 stocks on the Sensex, 25 ended on the gainers’ list. Prominent among them were: Hero Honda, up 3.99 per cent at Rs 1,579.20; Maruti Suzuki, up 3.9 per cent at Rs 1,479.80; ONGC, up 3.07 per cent at Rs 1,183.50; and TCS, up 2.45 per cent at Rs 670.20.