Archives for July 2023

JAIPUR: Thursday could be a crucial day for Rajasthan Congress which faces a rift between CM Ashok Gehlot and his former deputy Sachin Pilot. Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge has called a meeting in Delhi to which most of the important leaders of the Rajasthan Congress, including CM Gehlot, Pilot, PCC chief GS Dotasra and state party in-charge Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa have been invited.

The final role and position to be given to Sachin Pilot could be decided in the meeting, party sources said. The buzz is that Pilot may either be made state party president or the head of the campaign committee. While the Congress leadership has repeatedly asked Pilot to come to Delhi and become the AICC general secretary, he has refused to take that offer. In contrast, the Gehlot camp has resisted all efforts to make Pilot the state party chief or a deputy CM.

The Congress wants to project unity in the state party in the run-up to the Assembly polls. Therefore, the aim of the party is to arrange a détente between the two in the tussle. It remains uncertain whether Gehlot, who recently sustained a leg injury, will be able to attend the meeting.Advertisementhttps://www.newindianexpress.com/nation/2023/jul/06/sachin-pilot-main-focus-in-congress-huddle-called-by-kharge-2591901.html

A senior party insider revealed that the Congress high command intends to refrain from making significant decisions regarding the Chief Minister’s position until the elections are completed. The primary focus now lies on appeasing Sachin Pilot. Some experts suggest that the high command may want Pilot to be the party’s general secretary, which aligns with the Gehlot camp’s aspirations.

However, Pilot has made it clear that he is ready to work on the ground in Rajasthan without seeking any formal position. Many contend that the high command could persuade Pilot to resume the role of Deputy Chief Minister. Yet, this proposition encounters a major obstacle as such an appointment would necessitate a significant reshuffling of the entire cabinet, a move deemed impractical merely five months before the code of conduct comes into force. Simultaneously, some experts believe that Pilot could be entrusted with the responsibility of the state party president again. However, Gehlot remains reluctant.

‘Pacifying Pilot’

A senior party insider said that the Congress leadership intends to refrain from making significant decisions regarding the CM’s position. The primary focus now lies on appeasing Sachin Pilot.

PANAJI: The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a ‘red’ alert for Goa, forecasting heavy rains in parts of both the districts of the coastal state on Thursday.

The weather department has predicted inundation of houses in low-lying areas, fall of weak trees and structures, localised and short-term disruption of essential services, and low visibility during intense rain spells.

“Heavy rains have been observed in Goa. People are advised not to venture into flood-prone areas. In case of any emergency, please contact the control rooms,” the authority said in a media statement issued on Wednesday evening.

As per the IMD, its weather station in state capital Panaji recorded 76.7 mm of rainfall on Wednesday, taking the total seasonal tally to 1,025.6 mm.

The IMD bulletin issued on Wednesday evening said moderate spells of rainfall activity are going on over the talukas of North Goa district.

Rain-bearing clouds are approaching from the Arabian Sea in North Goa and South Goa districts, which are most likely to experience moderate to heavy rain spells on Thursday, it said.

Rain showers are most likely to be accompanied by winds with speeds of 40 to 50 kmph over North Goa and South Goa, the IMD said. It has also been said that isolated locations and ghat areas may receive prolonged spells of rain.

MUMBAI: The Maharashtra NCP coup is complete and comprehensive. Sworn in Deputy Chief Minister just the other day, Ajit Pawar on Wednesday hit out at Sharad Pawar, saying his uncle wants to remain the party chief because he wants his daughter Supriya Sule to be the CM. He also said he was “insulted” several times in the past on the question of siding with either Shiv Sena or BJP. The new entrant to the Shinde-Fadnavis team opened up at the Bhujbal Knowledge City at Bandra West on Wednesday.

“I have been deputy CM. We could have got the chief minister’s post, but my uncle refused it,” he said.
“I am fed up with the DCM post. My son asks: ‘Papa how many times will you will be DCM?’” said Ajit.
He said Sharad Pawar, 83, should gracefully retire from active politics and hand over the command to his nephew. Out of 53 NCP MLAs, 31 MLAs attended the meeting called by Ajit Pawar at Bandra.

On the other hand, NCP chief Sharad Pawar said since the day he attended the Opposition meeting in Patna, he suspected that the BJP would split his family and the party. “I will again go to the people,” he said.

The Sr Pawar’s speech was a veritable counter to Ajit Pawar’s allegations. On why he did not tie up with BJP and formed the government with Shiv Sena, Pawar said Shiv Sena’s Hindutva “is inclusive and takes all castes and communities together.  “It is not like BJP’s ‘myopic Hindutva’ dividing the people on the lines of caste and religion,” he said.

But Ajit Pawar was unrelenting. “We were in talks with the BJP in 2014, 2016 and 2019. I was sent to talk with BJP; we finalized the distributions of cabinet portfolios. But his uncle changed his mind at the last moment. Due to this, I was humiliated and seen as a villain,” said Ajit.

“If we can share power with Shiv Sena, then why not with the BJP?” asked Ajit. On his part, Sharad Pawar said the Ajit faction has criticized him but has retained Sr Pawar’s posters and banners.“They know they have no worth in the political market and will not fetch the votes. Therefore, they want to use my photograph. But people are shrewd enough to understand these things,” said senior Pawar.

MUMBAI: The crisis in NCP is escalating with the two factions calling separate meetings on Wednesday in an apparent show of strength.

Supporters of NCP chief Sharad Pawar have gathered outside YB Chavan Centre ahead of the meeting called by the party chief. NCP working president and MP, Supriya Sule also reached YB Chavan Centre in Mumbai.

“We will see the number of leaders sitting on the stage and at other places. Supporters are signing papers and they are asked from where have they come. The exact number of leaders can only be seen on the stage,” he said.

NCP suffered a split on Sunday with Ajit Pawar joining the Eknath Shinde-BJP government along with eight other MLAs.

The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) led by Sharad Pawar has against the nine MLAs to Maharashtra Assembly Speaker Rahul Narwekar.

Ajit Pawar and Chhagan Bhujbal along with Dilip Patil, Hasan Mushrif, Dhananjay Mundo, Dharmaraobaba Atram, Aditi Tatkare, Sanjay Bansode and Anil Patil joined Eknath Shinde-Devendra Fadnavis Maharashtra government on Sunday.

Sharad Pawar has removed his close aide Praful Patel and Sunil Tatkare from the party for “anti-party activities.”

“Your actions of supporting Ajit Pawar and the eight other MLAs, who have sworn oath as Ministers in violation of the party’s direction and mandate, ex-facie amount to anti-party activities and that you deemed to have voluntarily left the membership of Nationalist Congress Party,” Pawar said in a communication which was also sent to the two-party MPs.

“I formally remove your names from the Membership Register of the Party in view of your actions of voluntarily giving up membership of the Nationalist Congress Party,” it said.

The communication said the action of MPs, “in a surreptitious manner, without the knowledge or consent of the party president, amounts to the desertion of the party, which in turn invites disqualification from primary membership”.

Praful Patel, a Rajya Sabha MP, has been a close associate of Pawar and was appointed working president of NCP last month. He was a minister in the Congress-led UPA government along with Pawar.

Sharad Pawar’s daughter Supriya Sule had written to him for action against the two MPs. 

GUWAHATI:  The Manipur government’s decision to destroy the illegal bunkers has met with opposition. The Indigenous Tribal Leaders’ Forum (ITLF) said the destruction of the bunkers would make the Kuki-Zo tribal villages more vulnerable to attacks from “radical Meitei gunmen and mobs.” The decision is not comforting for the Kuki-Zo tribals, it added.

After chairing a meeting of the Unified Command on Monday evening, Chief Minister N Biren Singh said the government has decided to deploy forces to destroy all bunkers built by villagers. The ITLF said despite the deployment of a large number of security personnel and the setting up of military buffer zones, the tribal villages were being attacked almost every day, leading to deaths and the destruction of houses.

It further said the tribals cannot trust a CM who calls his fellow citizens ‘illegal immigrants’ and “openly sides” with one community despite being a state administrator. “The CM’s partisanship was on full display during his recent visit to the Sagang area, in which Langja village was attacked by armed Meitei groups. He only visited and paid his condolences to the Meiteis, while totally ignoring the burning of 30 tribal houses and the brutal killing and beheading of an unarmed tribal youth,” the ITLF said.

It further stated that “cosmetic measures are not enough to control the violence.” It urged the Centre to show its fairness to all sides by implementing President’s rule in the state. The violence in Manipur, which broke out on May 3, has so far left over 120 people dead and an estimated 50,000 others displaced.

Meanwhile, expressing his deep concern over the unabated violence in Manipur, Mizoram Chief Minister Zoramthanga on Tuesday said it is incumbent upon those responsible and law-abiding citizens or entities of India to look for immediate ways for the restoration of peace. “Development with a human touch and ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas’ applies to my Zo ethnic tribes in Manipur too!” Zoramthanga said.

Life in bunkers for Manipuris

1. Despite security forces, several armed people in Manipur from Meitei & Kuki communities live in bunkers after violence broke out in Ma
2. These bunkers are mostly in foothill areas adjoining Kuki villages
3. Some of these men are well-educated
4. Villages in the state now have their own armed volunteer groups