Archives for 2023

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

SHIMLA/MANDI: Hundreds of commuters were stranded near Aut in Himachal Pradesh’s Mandi district as the Chandigarh-Manali highway was blocked following flash floods and landslides, officials said on Monday.

Flash floods were witnessed in Khotinallah near Aut on the Pandoh-Kullu stretch due to a heavy downpour and the commuters have been stranded since Sunday evening.

Officials of the Mandi administration said restoration work is underway and explosives are being used to blast heavy boulders blocking roads on the stretch.

National Highway-21, which connects Chandigarh with Manali, is expected to reopen for traffic in seven-eight hours, they said.

The commuters have been advised not to move towards Mandi until the road is opened, they added.

“We have been struck since last evening as the road is closed leading to a traffic jam and a large number of vehicles are stranded on both sides of the roads at Aut and six miles,” said Prashant, one of the stranded commuters who was returning to Mandi town from Chandigarh.

Moderate to heavy rains have also lashed several parts of Kangra, Mandi and Sirmaur districts.

Dharamshala in Kangra was the wettest with 106.6 mm of rain followed by Kataula at 74.5 mm, Gohar at 67 mm, Mandi at 56.4 mm, Poanta Sahib at 43 mm and Palampur at 32.2 mm.

The local MeT office has issued an alert for heavy rain, thunderstorm and lightning at isolated places on June 27 and 28 and thunderstorms coupled with lightning from June 27-29.

MADURAI: Sanitation workers are allegedly forced to clean toilets on trains with bare hands. 

A video of a sanitation worker claiming that workers have to clean toilets on trains with bare hands has gone viral and thereby caught the attention of the National Commission of Safai Karamcharis (NCSK).

The Chairman of the Commission M Venkatesan told the media that a proper inquiry will be conducted into the allegation made in the video.

Venkatesan was speaking at a review meeting organised by the Madurai Division of Southern Railway on Monday. 

“Manual scavenging in the railways has been completely eradicated. However, a video has gone viral now in which a sanitation worker, with video evidence, claims that the workers have been doing manual scavenging. If the incident is proven right, a case will be registered against the contract company, and legal action will be taken,” Venkatesan said.

“They also said the authorities provide them only one pair of gloves per month and don’t issue them uniforms,” Venkatesan said.

He further said that a few sanitation workers have also aired their grievances relating to their contracts stating that they were denied PF, bonuses, and other benefits. They were being paid a daily wage of Rs 365.

“The Railways department has been giving Rs 600 as the daily wage to sanitation workers. The railway authorities have been asked to conduct a proper inquiry into these issues and bring justice to the workers. They have also been instructed to take action against the contract company, and cancel their contract,” he added.  

“Employing sanitation workers on a contractual agreement must be discontinued. The state government should come forward to regularise their employment. Tamil Nadu is the first state to have reported the highest number of deaths during manual scavenging. As many as 225 people have lost their lives while cleaning manholes since 1993. In order to bring an end to the issue, the state government must come forward to purchase equipment for cleaning drainage,” he said.

He further urged the state government to reconsider the G.O., which states that if a sanitation worker retires from work, the respective vacancy must be filled by another sanitation worker on a contract basis.

“The welfare board for cleanliness workers at present has been functioning without any legal power. It must be converted into a powerful commission in the future,” he added.  

He further stated that the Railway authorities have been told to conduct awareness programmes on violence against women and provide helpline numbers where they can lodge complaints.