Archives for December 2018

 Launching a public campaign ‘#iCan19′ here on Sunday, Swaraj India President Yogendra Yadav appealed to the people of the country to join the platform to make intervention in the electoral politics.

In an open letter, he asked people for political intervention in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls, so as to decide issues on which elections should be fought.

The initiative, also called Indian Citizens’ Action for Nation, 2019, will select the country’s main issues, find their solutions and form nation-wide public opinion, and in some selected seats campaign for candidates who will be the carriers of these issues, said a press release.

“If this election is fought on the issues of farmers and youth, then no matter who comes to power, the nation will move forward. But if the elections are fought by creating rift between Hindus and Muslims, then whoever wins, the nation will lose. And we will not let India lose,” Yadav said in the release.

“Swaraj India neither intends to control the #iCan19 campaign nor plans to use it for its candidates,” said Yadav, who was the main architect of bringing over 200 farm outfits under one banner that held a mega protest rally in Delhi last week.

He said his party was not formed just to contest elections and win seats.

“We are here to do a new form of politics. People generally do politics in the name of serving nation; we shall serve the nation in the name of politics,” he said.

IANS

 Renowned historian Mushirul Hasan, a former Vice Chancellor of Jamia Millia Islamia, died on Monday. He was 71.

Hasan, who was also a former Director General of the National Archives of India, wrote extensively on the 1947 partition of India.

He served as Pro Vice Chancellor of Jamia Millia Islamia between 1992 and 1996 and headed the institution between 2004 and 2009.

Hasan’s ‘Namaz-e-Janaza’ was performed at Babul Ilm and Jamia Mosque. The burial will take place at the Jamia graveyard.

Condoling his death, CPI-M General Secretary Sitaram Yechury said his work would continue to shape the nation’s consciousness.

“A historian, a teacher, a Vice Chancellor, an archivist: Mushirul Hasan blended all fine qualities of our syncretic culture and scholarship. His work and his books continue to shape our consciousness. Condolences to Zoya Hasan (wife) and others in his family,” he tweeted.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal wrote on Twitter: “Shocked to know about the sad demise of noted scholar and writer Mushirul Hasanji. His contribution to Jamia Millia Islamia will always be remembered.”

IANS

 Public Relations Officer (PRO) in the Prime Minister’s Office Jagdish Thakkar died here on Monday due to prolonged illness. He was 72.

He was admitted to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in September and passed away on Monday around 5 a.m., a hospital official said.

After his death, Prime Minister Narendra Modi went to the AIIMS where he spent some time with Thakkar’s family.

Expressing sadness on his death, Modi said he was known for his simplicity and warm-hearted nature.

“Extremely saddened by the demise of Shri Jagdish Thakkar, the PRO in the PMO. Jagdishbhai was a veteran journalist and I had the pleasure of working with him for years, both in Gujarat and in Delhi. He was known for his simplicity and warm-hearted nature,” he said in a tweet.

“Several journalists would have regularly interacted with Jagdishbhai over the years. He had previously served with many Chief Ministers of Gujarat. We have lost a wonderful person, who loved his work and did it with utmost diligence. Condolences to his family and well wishers,” Modi added.

IANS

 The largest tea body of Assam on Sunday slammed Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who often refer to himself as a “chaiwala”, for not being considerate towards the state’s tea garden workers’ plight and urged him to implement the promised minimum wage of Rs 350 before the new year starts.

The Assam Chah Mazdoor Sangha (ACMS) General Secretary Rupesh Gowala said while Modi often refers to himself as a “chaiwala”, he is yet make good on his promises towards a million tea garden labourers in the state in the last four years.

“Before the Lok Sabha elections of 2014, Modi addressed several rallies in Assam and assured that the tea garden labourers would be paid a minimum wage of Rs 350 per day,” Gowala said.

“If this happens, the 10,00,000 tea garden labourers will lose Rs 30 each day for two months. Is it a “chaiwala” Prime Minister who is doing this to his own community?” said Gowala.

The tea garden workers in Brahmaputra Valley in Assam are presently drawing Rs 167 per day while the tea garden workers in Barak Valley are getting Rs 145 per day.

“The existing wage agreement between the Assam government and the ACMS and other tea workers bodies expired on December 31, 2017.

“The government had announced an interim hike of Rs 30 per day. The tea garden labourers are supposed to get this interim hike from January 1, 2018, but the government is saying the hike will apply from March 1, 2018.

“This would make them lose Rs 30 per day for two months,” he said.

The Bharatiya Janata Party-led government in Assam is yet to fix that minimum wage, Gowala said, urging Modi to announce the promised Rs 350 per day minimum wage before 2019.

Gowala said the condition of all those tea gardens run by the Assam government was far worse.

“While the labourers in company-owned garden are receiving a wage of Rs. 167 per day now, the 26,000 workers under the 14 gardens of state-owned Assam Tea Company Limited (ATCL) are receiving a wage of Rs 115 only per day,” he said.

Assam has over 800 medium and large size tea gardens that produces over 50 per cent of the country’s total tea produce.

The tea labourers of Assam live in the most deplorable conditions without some of the basic amenities, Gowala said.

IANS

A day after the Congress accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of misusing investigating agencies, the BJP hit back saying the Congress was threatening probe officers and that there will be action against the corrupt, irrespective of which powerful family they belonged to.

Addressing a press conference here, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Shahnawaz Hussain said the Congress was questioning the credibility of investigating agencies and threatening their officers because action was being taken against Congress President Rahul Gandhi’s brother-in-law Robert Vadra.

His remarks come after the Congress stepped up its attack on the Modi government over the searches at the premises of people linked to Vadra. It alleged that actions by investigative agencies were being carried out on opposition leaders at the behest of the Prime Minister.

“Our agencies do not see how powerful a person is or which powerful family he belongs to. People from powerful families used to think there won’t be action against them no matter what they do. But based on evidence, the action has happened and will continue to happen,” Hussain said.

“Since there has been action against Robert Vadra and his company, the Congress leaders are now raising questions and threatening investigative agencies and their officers saying ‘desh ka mausam badal raha hai’ (the wind is changing).

“They should know that the wind is not changing but the nation is changing. Now there is no place in this nation for the corrupt. If anyone indulges in corruption, there will be action against them,” he said.

Hussain said the Congress party had no argument left and was making allegations against the BJP government to hide its failures.

He said the Congress would never come back to power.

“They can’t even wait for the (December 11) results and are already threatening officers. We will win Madhya Pradesh, Chattisgarh and Rajasthan. We worked at the ground level and are confident of forming the government with clear majority.”

Asked if the government would pass an ordinance to build the Ram Temple in Ayodhya, he said the larger ‘janbhavana’ (public sentiment) was that it should be built at the earliest.

“And governments respect the public sentiment… We believe it should not be delayed and that in a democracy, the country should respect the public sentiment,” Hussain said.

IANS

 Congress chief Rahul Gandhi has written to Congress/alliance governments in the states to have a resolution passed in their respective assemblies seeking one-third reservation for women in the Lok Sabha and state legislative assemblies.

“In order to reaffirm our support for the passage of the Bill, it would be expedient for the state assembly to pass a resolution calling for the reservation of one-third of the seats in the Lok Sabha and legislative assemblies for women, in the next session,” Gandhi said in the letter written to Congress and its allied chief ministers.

Pointing out that India ranks 148 out of 193 countries in terms of the percentage of women in Parliament, Gandhi said the situation was “even worse in state Assemblies”.

“The lack of adequate representation of women in our polity undermines our democracy and perpetuates existing systemic injustices. Women in institutions of local self-governance have not only been effective leaders, but also challenged traditional gender roles that curtailed their participation in public life,” said Gandhi in his December 6 letter.

The Bill was passed in the Rajya Sabha in 2010 but lapsed after the dissolution of the 15th Lok Sabha in 2014.

Besides Gandhi, Odisha Chief Minister and BJD President Naveen Patnaik, too, on Thursday had written to all chief ministers seeking their support to ensure 33 per cent reservation for women.

IANS