Archives for September 2023

New Delhi : Voting for the Delhi University Students’ Union (DUSU) election has begun for the students of the day classes, whereas the students of the evening classes will cast their votes from 3 pm.

While the students of the day classes can cast their votes until 1 pm, those from the evening classes will have time until 7.30 pm to cast their votes.

The counting of votes will be taken up on Saturday.

The DUSU polls were last held in 2019. The election could not be held in 2020 and 2021 due to COVID-19 while possible disruptions to the academic calendar prevented its conduct in 2022.

Twenty-four candidates are in the fray for the students’ body election this time.

The RSS-affiliated Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), Congress’s students’ wing National Students’ Union of India (NSUI), CPI(M)-backed Students’ Federation of India (SFI) and the All India Students’ Association (AISA), affiliated to the CPI-ML (Liberation), have fielded candidates for all four posts.

The ABVP had won three of the four seats in the 2019 DUSU polls.

Around one lakh students will vote in the election, which also acts as a stepping stone for budding politicians.

The DUSU is the main representative body for most Delhi University colleges and faculties. Each college also has its own students’ union, elections to which are held annually.

MUMBAI: The Maharashtra government has put on hold a women empowerment scheme within 24 hours of issuing an order regarding its implementation.

The scheme “Mukhymantri Mahila Sashaktikaran Abhiyan” was to be implemented in the state from October 2, 2023, to October 1, 2024.

The programme was to be monitored by the woman and child development minister, who would submit monthly reports to the chief minister and deputy chief minister, said the order issued on September 20. The department secretary was to be the nodal officer.

A special officer was to be appointed at the state level, while the woman and child development commissioner, Pune, was to head the programme.

As per the order, the programme was a unified platform to implement all programmes and policies of the state and central governments related to women for their socio-economic development.

However, a fresh notification on September 21 said the order issued the previous day had been stayed until further orders.

The women and child development ministry is handled by NCP’s Aditi Tatkare, the lone woman in the state cabinet who switched sides to join the Eknath Shinde-led government on July 2.

Notably, despite the latest notification to stay the implementation, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde mentioned the scheme when he spoke to reporters late Thursday night after the Rajya Sabha passed the women’s reservation bill to reserve one-third of seats in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies for women.

Inspired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Shinde said, his government has taken the decision to implement the ‘NaMo women empowerment scheme’ to ensure women get the benefits of all government programmes.

PUNJAB: Amid the India-Canada standoff, Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) president Amrinder Singh Raja Warring Friday made it clear that they strongly oppose the idea of Khalistan but in the same breath opposed labelling of their youth as “anti-nationals”.

He also emphasised that the “malicious attempts to tarnish our youngsters must be repulsed”.  “While we at @INCPunjab strongly oppose the idea of Khalistan & have actively fought our battles against anti-national forces, I strongly oppose labelling of our youngsters like @Shubhworldwide, who speak for Punjab as anti-nationals. We Punjabis don’t need to give any proof about our nationalism. This propaganda being pushed by certain forces against Punjabis to undermine us is highly condemnable. Malicious attempts to tarnish our youngsters must be repulsed. Jai Hind! Jai Punjab!”, Amrinder Singh Raja Warring posted on X.

Congress MP Ravneet Singh Bittu on Thursday said that Ottawa has taken on the role of what Pakistan used to be earlier. He said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has assured him that Indian students in Canada will be taken care off.

“I had a discussion (regarding the students in Canada) with PM Modi in the Parliament yesterday and he told me that they’ll take care of it …” Ravaneet Singh said, adding, “Canada has taken the role of how Pakistan used to be earlier…”

Tensions escalated in India-Canada relations after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Monday alleged that the Indian government was Nijjar, who was a designated terrorist in India, was gunned down outside a Gurdwara, in a parking area in Canada’s Surrey, British Columbia on June 18.

The allegations made by the Canadian Prime Minister and foreign minister were rejected by the Ministry of External Affairs in India which dubbed the statements as absurd.

Speaking about Nijjar, Ravaneet Singh said that the designated terrorist was the right hand of the killers who assassinated his grandfather.“Hardeep Singh Nijjar was the right hand of the killers who assassinated my grandfather (former Punjab CM Beant Singh). He went there in 1993 and he got the citizenship…Nijjar and company are out of the 10 most wanted gangsters and drug peddlers…,” he added. 

A 14-year-old old boy was held for threatening to blow up the Ram Temple in Ayodhya, a police officer said on Wednesday.

According to Hindi news outlet Dainik Bhaskar, the Class 8 student who is a resident of Itauria, Fatehganj East, Bareilly, made a call to emergency Helpline 112 on September 19 evening and said that the Ram temple would be blown up on September 21.

Lucknow Police and Ayodhya Police jointly traced the mobile number and held the boy from Bareilly.

Initial investigation revealed that the student had watched a video on YouTube with his friend which said that Ram Temple would be bombed and so he thought of informing the police. He is being interrogated by the police.

It is said that the first phase of the temple construction would be completed by December 30 this year, while the first and second storeys will get the final touch by the end of 2024.

The temple would be opened for devotees for the darshan of Lord Ram after the completion of the first phase of construction in December.

CHENNAI:   A delegation of Tamil Nadu MPs from all parties led by Water Resources Minister Duraimurugan on Tuesday submitted a memorandum to Union Minister for Jal Shakti Gajendra Singh Shekhawat in New Delhi, urging him to direct Karnataka to release Cauvery water due to Tamil Nadu.  

Already, Tamil Nadu had sought 12,500 cusecs for 15 days but the Cauvery Water Management Authority ordered the release of 5,000 cusecs for 15 days. Talking to reporters after meeting Shekhawat, Duraimurugan said the delegation wanted the union minister to issue strong instructions to Cauvery Water Management Authority and Cauvery Water Regulation Committee to direct Karnataka to release water. 

Duraimurugan said CWRC calculated that 12,500 cusecs should be released to Tamil Nadu.  Karnataka should release at least that much water to Tamil Nadu to save the standing crops in delta districts. Duraimurugan also said Tamil Nadu will put forth its arguments before the Supreme Court when the case is heard on September 21. 

BHOPAL/ANUPPUR: The opposition Congress accused the ruling regime in Madhya Pradesh of failing to check atrocities against tribals after a video purportedly showing a Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) leader beating a man with slippers in Anuppur district went viral.

MP Congress chief Kamal Nath alleged the ruling BJP is becoming a “party of tribal atrocities”.

Meanwhile, the police have registered a case against the accused BJYM leader, who was also expelled by the party.

Sub Divisional Officer of Police Sumit Kerketta said that one Hirwa Singh Gond (57) and Bhoma Singh (60) were travelling on a motorcycle from Rajendra Nagar to Anuppur when their two-wheeler collided with a pick-up vehicle on Monday.

Bhoma Singh died on the spot following which a large number of people gathered at the spot, the official said. However, two persons beat up Gond, who was riding the motorcycle, he said.

A video of the assault of the tribal man later went viral

The two accused, identified as Jitendra Kushwaha and Ganesh Dixit, were booked under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, the official said.

A probe has been started and further legal steps are being taken, he said.

BJP district president Ramdas Puri said Dixit, who was BJYM Mandal president (rural), has been expelled from the organisation.

The BJP believes in social service and there is no place for violence in the party, he said.

Sharing a video of the assault on his X account, Congress chief Kamal Nath claimed on Wednesday that a BJP leader was beating a tribal man with slippers.

“BJP is becoming a party of tribal atrocities in Madhya Pradesh. What do you want? When you cannot stop atrocities on tribals then at least resign from the post of Chief Minister,” Nath said in a post on X.

Citing cases like the Sidhi urination incident, Nath said that the state has become number one in tribal atrocities.

BJP workers have been given the licence to commit atrocities against tribals, he alleged.

In the purported video of the assault in Anuppur district, a man is seen lying on the roadside while two persons, including one with slippers, are beating him.