Archives for July 2023

JAIPUR:  In an effort to secure farmer votes in the upcoming elections in Rajasthan, the Ashok Gehlot government has proposed the establishment of a commission to streamline the process of waiving farm loans. The government aims to introduce a special bill during the final Assembly session on August 2. If the Bill becomes law, it will greatly benefit farmers as banks and other financial institutions will no longer be able to seize and auction farmlands from those unable to repay their loans on time.

The Congress is facing flak for not being able to waive farmers’ loans in full as it had promised in the 2018 elections. The Gehlot government rolled out a waiver of Rs 14,000 crore for over 20.56 lakh farmers who had received loans from cooperative banks. Though the Congress has repeatedly asked the BJP government at the Centre to take urgent action for waiving the loans from nationalised, commercial and land development banks, the Centre has not allowed it.

While the nationalised banks come under the Centre’s jurisdiction, cooperative banks function under the state government. Once the commission under the new Bill is formed, it will prevent banks and financial institutions from pressuring farmers to recover loans in cases of crop failure due to any reason. Farmers will have the option to apply to this commission for loan waivers in such circumstances.

The State Farmers Debt Relief Commission will comprise five members, including a chairman who will be a retired High Court judge. Once an area is declared distressed by the Farmers’ Debt Waiver Commission, banks will be prohibited from taking any action to recover loans by selling, confiscating, or auctioning farmers’ properties.

LUCKNOW: In an apparent reference to disputes in Varanasi and Mathura, Samajwadi Party leader Swami Prasad Maurya said if the BJP looks for a temple in every mosque then people would start searching for a Buddhist monastery in every temple.

“The Badrinath and Kedarnath temples in Uttarakhand, the Jagannath Temple in Puri, the Ayyappa Temple in Kerala and the Vithoba temple in Pandharpur (Maharashtra) were Buddhist monasteries. These Buddhist monasteries were demolished and then Hindu religious shrines came up there. They were Buddhist monasteries till the eighth century,” he said on Sunday.

The SP national general secretary claimed there is ample historical evidence that all these temples were Buddhist monasteries.Advertisement

He said his intention is not to turn these temples into Buddhist monasteries “but, if you search for a temple in every mosque, then why should a Buddhist monastery not be searched for in every temple?” “BJP people under a conspiracy are raising the mosque-temple issue. They are looking for a temple in every mosque. This will cost them dearly. Because if they look for a temple in every mosque then people will start searching for a Buddhist monastery in every temple,” Maurya told reporters here.

Reacting to the statement, Uttar Pradesh BJP chief Bhupendra Singh Chaudhary said “insulting the Sanatan Dharma again and again” has become the habit of the Samajwadi Party and its leaders. He said Maurya’s remarks about “Baba Kedarnath, Baba Badrinath and Shri Jagannath Puri, the main centres of faith of Hindus, are not only controversial but also show his trivial mindset and petty politics”.

He said the statement has hurt the feelings of crores of Hindus of the country and Uttar Pradesh and created hatred in the society. He said Maurya apologise for the statement.

“And, Akhilesh Yadav, the Samajwadi Party chief, should give his opinion on this subject and clarify if the Samajwadi Party agrees with it,” Chaudhary tweeted.

Maurya made similar remarks on Friday, inviting a strong reaction from BJP leader and Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami who had termed them “unfortunate” and said they reflect the “anti-national and anti-religious” thinking of the Congress and its allies.

Maurya responded to the criticism on Sunday.

“I had spoken about Badrinath and Kedarnath Dhaam and had said that from the end of the seventh century to the beginning of the eighth century, Badrinath was a Buddhist monastery, after which Shankaracharya had changed it and established it as a religious place for Hindus,” he said.

“I would like to tell the chief minister of Uttarakhand that everyone’s faith (aasthaa) is important. If you are worried about your ‘aasthaa’, then you should be worried about others’ ‘aasthaa’ as well,” he said.

BSP President Mayawati accused Maurya of trying to drive a wedge between communities ahead of the election.

“The latest statement of Samajwadi Party leader Swami Prasad Maurya that many temples including Badrinath were built by demolishing Buddhist monasteries and why a modern survey should be done not only of Gyanvapi Masjid but also of other major temples, is a purely political statement giving rise to new controversies,” she said in a tweet in Hindi.

Mayawati also asked Maurya why he never raised such a demand when was a minister in the BJP government.

“Maurya was a minister in the BJP government for a long time, why did he not put such pressure on his party and the government in this regard? And now creating such a religious controversy at the time of elections. Buddhist and Muslim communities are not going to be misled by them,” she said.

The disputes related to Varanasi’s Kashi Vishwanath-Gyanvapi Masjid complex and Mathura’s Krishna Janmasthan Temple-Shahi Eidgah Majisd are being heard by courts.

NEW DELHI: Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Monday alleged that the Narendra Modi government was “indifferent” to the pain and anguish of the people of violence-hit Manipur.

The Congress chief said MPs of the opposition alliance ‘INDIA’ who visited Manipur to assess the situation in the strife-torn state, heard heart-wrenching stories of pain from the people there.

“While Manipur faced turmoil, the Modi government appeared indifferent,” he said on Twitter while asserting that the divide between communities was “deeply concerning.”

“Despite time for poll rallies, self-PR train inaugurations, and attending BJP meetings, PM Modi seems to have no time to address the anguish and suffering of Manipur’s people or work towards resolving inter-community issues,” Kharde tweeted.

He also said, “The Modi government appears clueless and rudderless in handling the Manipur situation, evident in the absence of a comprehensive statement in Parliament.”

Over 50,000 people, including 10,000 children, are in relief camps. The facilities there are inadequate, especially for women, and there are shortages of medicines and food, Kharge said.

“Economic activities have come to a halt, with children unable to attend school, farmers ceasing their farming, and people grappling with both financial losses and psychological hardships,” Kharge said on Twitter.

A delegation of 21 MPs of the INDIA alliance visited Manipur over the weekend and met many people in relief camps set up for those affected by violence in the state.

RANCHI:  Nearly a year after the Congress had suspended three Jharkhand Congress MLAs, for allegedly hatching a conspiracy to topple the JMM-led alliance government, the party on Friday went back on the order against the trio. 

Jharkhand Congress President Rajesh Thakur announced the revoking of their suspension in the state Assembly. Former legislators Irfan Ansari, Rajesh Kachhap and Naman Bixal Kongari were arrested while they were travelling in their vehicle with 50 lahks in cash in Kolkata’s Howrah. 

The MLAs were arrested by the West Bengal police on July 30 last year. A day later, on July 31, the AICC issued suspension orders against the three. Since then, Jamtara MLA Irfan Ansari, Khijri legislator Rajesh Kachchap and Kolebira MLA Naman Bixal were under suspension and left no stone unturned for the withdrawal of the suspension orders

Bermo MLA Kumar Jaimangal had also lodged an FIR against the trio for making attempts to topple the Hemant Soren-led government. Jaimangal, in his FIR, also alleged that he was also offered gratification along with a definite ministerial berth to topple the present alliance government of JMM, Congress and RJD.

IMPHAL: A delegation of 21 MPs from the opposition bloc INDIA are slated to arrive here on Saturday for a two-day visit to Manipur to assess the current state of affairs in the ethnic strife-hit state.

The delegation, which includes Congress leader in the Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, will make recommendations to the government and Parliament for a solution to Manipur’s problems, based on their observations.

Ahead of the visit, Congress’ deputy leader in Lok Sabha Gaurav Gogoi called for an inquiry under a retired Supreme Court judge into the violence in Manipur.

Addressing a press conference in New Delhi on Friday, Congress MP and whip in Rajya Sabha Naseer Hussain said the MPs from 16 parties would visit affected areas and people both in the valley and the hills.

They would also visit two relief camps in both places to assess the situation.

The delegation will also meet Manipur Governor Anusuiya Uikey on Sunday morning.

The team of the opposition MPs has sought the use of helicopters locally from the state government to visit Churachandpur, where fresh violence has taken place.

Besides Chowdhury and Gaurav Gogoi, the delegation will include TMC’s Sushmita Dev, JMM’s Mahua Maji, DMK’s Kanimozhi, Jayant Chaudhary of RLD, Manoj Kumar Jha of RJD, N K Premachandran of RSP, JD(U) chief Rajiv Ranjan (Lalan) Singh, Aneel Prasad Hegde (JD-U), CPI’s P Sandosh Kumar and CPI(M)’s A A Rahim among others.

HYDERABAD: BJP president J P Nadda rejigged the list of the party’s central office-bearers on Saturday, bringing in a Pasmanda Muslim from Uttar Pradesh as one of its-vice presidents and accommodating its former Telangana unit chief Bandi Sanjay Kumar as a national general secretary.

BJP general secretary and MP Arun Singh issued the appointment orders to that effect on Saturday.

Sanjay will now be holding the post along with seven other party general secretaries including Tarun Chugh and Sunil Bansal, while BL Santhosh will continue to act as the party’s general secretary (organisation).

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has dropped C T Ravi, a leader from Karnataka, and Dilip Saikia, a Lok Sabha MP from Assam, as its general secretaries, with sources indicating that they may be contesting the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.

Former Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) vice-chancellor Tariq Mansoor, now a BJP MLC in Uttar Pradesh, has been made a vice-president, a decision seen to be part of the party’s overtures to Pasmanda Muslims.

Most of the office-bearers have been retained as vice presidents, general secretaries and secretaries in the new list.

There are 13 vice presidents, nine general secretaries and 13 secretaries on the list.

Former Union minister Radha Mohan Singh, a Lok Sabha MP from Bihar, has been dropped as a party vice-president.

Anil Antony, son of veteran Congress leader A K Antony, has been brought in as a national secretary.

BJP vice-president DK Aruna has also been retained in her role, along with the party’s joint general secretary (organisation) Shiv Prakash. Satya Kumar from Andhra Pradesh has been appointed the party’s secretary.

CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin on Friday inaugurated the first-of-its-kind eco-friendly Poligras Paris GT zero turf at the here as international hockey returns to this part of the world with the Asian Champions Trophy.

Stalin inaugurated the hockey turf in the presence of the state’s sports minister Udhayanidhi Stalin.

Speaking on the occasion, the CM said, “With the Asian Champions Trophy Chennai 2023 set to begin shortly, I extend a very warm welcome to all the participating teams to our beautiful city.

“The department of youth welfare and sports development of Tamil Nadu’s decision to opt for the carbon-zero turf showcases our government’s dedication towards the preservation of the environment, while also providing the best facilities for our athletes.

“I congratulate all the officials who have tirelessly worked towards hosting a successful tournament and wish all the teams the very best.”

The intricately designed zero turf is made with 80 per cent sugarcane and manufactured with green energy. The turf requires less water and hence has been designed to make it friendly for the environment.

Meanwhile, Udhayanidhi said, “The cherry on the cake is the fact that we are doing so on a carbon-zero turf. This is a testament to the state’s commitment towards sports and sports infrastructure.

“With this initiative, we want to continue supporting and developing the youth of this state.”

The event gets underway on August 3 with six teams — India, South Korea, Malaysia, Pakistan, Japan and China — competing for the top prize.

Hockey India (HI) president Dilip Tirkey added, “Apart from being environment-friendly, the turf will also provide a chance for the top nations in Asia to compete for the trophy on the best infrastructure available.

“We are confident that players from all the participating nations will enjoy playing on the newly laid turf and will be delighted to be a part of the movement towards preservation of the environment.”

Also, the main West Stand at the stadium has been named ‘Kalaignar Centenary Pavilion’ in honour of late Tamil Nadu CM M Karunanidhi.

In Konaseema, water from Rivers Vasita, Vaineteya and Gowthami entered low-lying Lanka villages, inundating causeways and disrupting traffic in the island villages.

VIJAYAWADA: A sum of Rs 2,000 should be extended to each family, and Rs 1,000 each to individuals when they return home from the relief centres once the flood situation subsides, Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy said during a meeting with collectors of Alluri Sitharama Raju, Eluru, Dr BR Ambedkar Konaseema, East and West Godavari districts on Friday. He reviewed the rescue measures taken up in the flood-hit districts.

East Godavari District Collector Madhavi Latha said five rehabilitation centres have been set up. She directed civic officials to place barricades at all bathing ghats in Kovvur and Rajamahendravaram.

Officials visited Kedarilanka, Bridge Lanka, Yedurlammalanka, Kethavarilanka and other Lanka villages near Kotilingala ghat and shifted locals to two rehabilitation centres arranged in the city at Kotilingala ghat and Alcot Gardens.

She said 12 pregnant women were shifted from two submerged Lanka villages to rehabilitation centres.
Similarly, as many as 127 pregnant women and 124 children were evacuated from 34 flood-prone villages at Narasapuram in West Godavari, District Collector P Prasanti said.

In Konaseema, water from Rivers Vasita, Vaineteya and Gowthami entered low-lying Lanka villages, inundating causeways and disrupting traffic in the island villages.

As many as 200 personnel of the National and State Disaster Response Force were deployed in Kunavaram, Kukkunur, Velerupadu, and P Gannavaram mandals of the Godavari districts to carry out rescue operations.