Archives for December 2018

 In all states of India, failure of the state government results in the imposition of the President’s rule. The process is slightly more nuanced in Jammu and Kashmir, where not the President’s, but Governor’s rule is imposed.

Under the provision of Section 92 of the Jammu and Kashmir Constitution, Governor’s rule is imposed for six months, but only after the consent of the President of India.

The Constitution of India grants special status to Jammu and Kashmir among Indian states, and it is the only state to have a separate Constitution and regulations specific to it. The President’s rule in other states of India is imposed under Article 356 of the Indian Constitution.

Under the Governor’s rule, the State Assembly is either kept in suspended animation or dissolved. If it is not possible to restore state machinery before the expiry of the six-month duration, the provision of Article 356 of the Constitution is extended and the President’s rule is imposed .

The Governor’s rule was imposed on the state for the first time in March 1977, when the Congress withdrew support to National Conference (NC) government led by the late Sheikh Abdullah.

Article 370 of the Constitution of India states that the Parliament and the Union government’s jurisdiction extends over limited matters with respect to Jammu and Kashmir. In all other matters, not specifically vested in federal governments, actions have to be supported by the state legislature.

Among notable differences with other states till 1965, the head of state in Jammu and Kashmir was called Sadr-e-Riyasat, whereas in other states the title was Governor. The head of government was also called Prime Minister in place of Chief Minister in other states.

The Government of India can declare emergency in Jammu and Kashmir and impose Governor’s rule in certain conditions. Matters related to defence, foreign relations, communication and finance of Jammu and Kashmir are under the jurisdiction of the Indian Constitution.

PTI

 Akali Dal leader and Delhi MLA Manjinder Singh Sirsa on Thursday said Sikhs would hold nation-wide protests if Congress leader Kamal Nath became the Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh. Sirsa alleged Kamal Nath had a role in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots.

“Sikhs would launch a nation-wide protest if Kamal Nath is chosen as the CM in Madhya Pradesh… Warning Rahul Gandhi of Sikhs’ anger if he followed his family’s tradition of rewarding butchers of 1984 Sikh genocide,” Sirsa told reporters.

Kamal Nath is one of the front-runners for the post in Madhya Pradesh, where the Congress bagged 114 seats — two short of an absolute majority.

The Sikh community, Sirsa said, was not scared. “We will ensure that Kamal Nath gets the punishment for his misdeeds. The Congress may control the judiciary or the CBI, but it will not be able to protect the culprits.”

He also warned Gandhi that “Sikhs have been patient enough” and he should not instigate them with a decision like making Kamal Nath the Chief Minister.

He also said that “history has shown whenever someone dared” to choose enmity with the community, Sikhs have given them a befitting reply”.

IANS

B Y Raghavendra, son of BJP leader B S Yeddyurappa, on Thursday took oath as a member of the Lok Sabha.

Raghavendra had recently won the Shimoga Lok Sabha by-poll, which was necessitated following the resignation of Yeddyurappa who contested the assembly polls in Karnataka.

At least seven dead, scores injured, as high-speed train crashes and two carriages topple over in Ankara.

At least seven people have been killed and scores injured in a crash involving a high-speed train in Ankara, according to a Turkish official. 

Ankara Governor Vasip Sahin told reporters in televised remarks that “43 people were injured and unfortunately seven of our citizens were found dead”, as the fast train was on its way to the central province of Konya.

Sahin said the high-speed train had crashed into a locomotive that carries out track inspections.

The governor added that search and rescue efforts continued as “technical investigations” were under way to find out exactly what caused the crash in Yenimahalle district. 

Video footage showed emergency workers at the scene, working to rescue people from carriages trapped beneath the mangled metal wreckage of an overpass at the Marsandiz train station, to the west of Ankara.

It was not clear at what speed the trains were travelling when the crash occurred.

The accident happened at a station where the Ankara-Konya train does not stop.

Turkey has seen several other train accidents in recent times. In July, 10 people were killed and more than 70 injured when most of a passenger train derailed in the country’s northwest, after torrential rains caused part of the rail tracks to collapse.

Last month, 15 people were injured when a passenger train collided with a freight train in the central province of Sivas Konya, about 260km southwest of Ankara.

Aljazeera

The BJP in Karnataka has mounted an attack on Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy after the Karnataka government admitted that the Rs 44,000 crore farm loan waiver scheme has so far only benefited 800 farmers in the state. Co-operation Minister Bandeppa Kashempur had made this revelation on Wednesday on the floor of the House in Belagavi. However, Minister Kashempur said that the implementation was going on at a snail’s pace due to procedural issues rather than paucity of funds. 

He explained that the list prepared by banks and those of the farmer applicants are being cross-checked to prepare a final list of beneficiaries. Reacting to the delay, the Karnataka unit of the BJP, accused the CM of running the government on “lies” and called him “U Turn”.

“U Turn @hd_kumaraswamy Returns & this time with a bigger Drama. 4 months after announcement of Rs 44,000-crore farm loan waiver by Kumarswamy only 800 farmers have been benefited. That is not even 1% of farming community. Kumarswamy has been running this crippled govt on ‘LIES’,” the BJP Karnataka tweeted.

It further called the CM a “perfect actor” who is “fooling the farmers”. It tweeted, “Instead of producing Movies Bluff master@hd_kumaraswamy should take up acting in movies seriously. He is a perfect actor then a politician who successfully kept fooling the farmers for last 6 months. His governance is all about lies & corruption.”

The BJP had joined the farmers’ agitation on Monday over the delay of loan waiver and fair price for their produce especially sugarcanes.

Even on Thursday, angry sugarcane protesters gathered outside the winter State Assembly in Belagavi shouting slogans against the CM for failing to guarantee them Remunerative Support Price. Before there was a law and order issue, police detained them and took them away.

PTI