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Rahul urges Modi to support women’s reservation bill

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Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Monday wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to seek his support for the passage of the Womens Reservation Bill in Parliament’s monsoon session, claiming that the BJP appears to have had second thoughts on the proposed law even though it was a key promise in its 2014 manifesto.

The Congress leader said that the bill — passed by the Rajya Sabha in March 2010 — has been stalled on one pretext or the other in the Lok Sabha for over eight years now.

Gandhi said that the bill holds the potential to transform the country’s governance and any further delay will make it impossible to implement it before the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

“I write to request (for) your support to ensure the passage of the Women’s Reservation Bill in the coming monsoon session,” he said.

The monsoon session is slated to begin on July 18 and will continue till August 10.

“Given the fact that the BJP and its allies have a majority in the Lok Sabha, all this landmark (proposed) legislation requires to become a reality is your support. I am sure it will not be withheld,” Gandhi said.

Congress worst communal party: BJP

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Stepping up its attack on the Congress, the BJP on Monday dubbed it the “worst communal party” and sought its clarification over the reported remarks of Rahul Gandhi that his party is for the Muslims.

“The Congress is the worst communal party. It has always done communal politics. What Rahul Gandhi has said is against the spirit of the Constitution and against every principle of democracy,” Human Resource Development Minister Prakash Javadekar told reporters here.

Javadekar’s attack comes in the wake of a report in an Urdu daily according to which Gandhi told a meeting of Muslim intellectuals earlier this week that the “Congress is a party for the Muslims”.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday attacked Gandhi, saying whether the Congress was interested only in the welfare of Muslim men and not women.

“The Congress has damaged the country to a great extent. We condemn their policies. The communal policies do not serve the country. Rahul Gandhi should speak on this,” he said.

He said that though the Congress has denied that the party President made such remarks, the party’s minority cell chief clarified that Rahul Gandhi has spoken the truth.

“The Congress is exposed. Its appeasement policies have damaged the country. You are distributing natural resources on the basis of religion. That was exactly the basis of whole history of partition. The Congress is a communal party. Their thinking is destructive. Shah Bano case is the biggest example of Congress being a communal party,” Javadekar said.

Jaitley targets Congress over Kumaraswamy breaking down

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Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Monday targeted the Congress over Karnataka Chief Minister H. D. Kumaraswamy breaking down at a public event, saying the party believed that “only members of one family can rule India” and that others should be pushed to weeping publicly.

Jaitley’s remark came in a facebook post: “Is the Karnataka a preview of what the Congress and the Federal Front promise for the future?” Jaitley said the country is keenly watching Karnataka where the Congress and the Janata Dal-Secular joined hands post-elections to form a government in May.

“It is a repeat of what the Congress did to Chaudhary Charan Singh, Chandra Shekhar, H.D. Deve Gowda and I.K. Gujral. It is the obvious consequence of a non-ideological opportunistic alliance (working) with no positive agenda. The basis of the negative agenda is ‘keep Modi out’,” Jaitley said.

He said people had, in the last few days, seen Kumaraswamy pouring out his emotions with tears, declining to accept bouquets and garlands.

Kumaraswamy broke down at a public event on Saturday stating that he was “not happy” holding the top post and that he was swallowing the pain like ‘Vishakantha’ (Lord Shiva), who drank poison.

Jailtley said non-ideological opportunistic coalitions always get trapped within their own contradictions and their only objective remains survival and not service of the nation.

“Their longevity is suspect. If a Prime Minister of such a coalition has to weep before cameras with a wish to exit from office, it will be a scenario worse than the policy paralysis of UPA II. The Congress firmly believes that only members of one family can rule India. If anybody else gets a chance, he should be pushed to the desperation of throwing his hands up and weeping publicly,” he said.

Jaitley said Prime Minister Narendra Modi has clearly demonstrated the advantages of a decisive leadership.

“India’s Prime Minister and his government have to overcome the challenges that India faces today. He cannot be seen like the Chief Minister of Karnataka as a tragedy king. If such a coalition is a cup of poison, why even dream of inflicting it on the nation?” he said.

Jaitley cited parts of Kumarswamy’s speech and said it reminded him of tragedy-era Hindi films.

He said India needs a sustained high-trajectory growth, cohesive government and a decisive political leadership to face global challenges, including terrorism.

The minister said the country needs a government which is able to resist unfair pressures of allies and regions.

“If fighting terror has to be compromised because of vote-bank pressures of allies, then such a government would be a liability. Can a leadership unsure of itself meet the challenge of eliminating poverty and transforming the world’s fastest growing economy into a developed nation?” he asked.

(IANS)

SC seeks Centre’s stand on plea to ban hoisting green flags

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The Supreme Court on Monday sought the Centre’s stand on a plea by a cleric seeking a ban on hoisting green flags with a crescent and star, terming it as un-Islamic and resembling that of a Pakistani political party.

A bench of Justice A.K. Sikri and Justice Ashim Bhushan asked Additional Solicitor General (ASG) Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Centre, to seek instructions from the government on the issue and posted it for hearing after two weeks.

“Take instructions on what’s the stand of the government. Sometime it would be difficult for the government… They would be blamed they are taking action mala fide. Now the matter is with the court, they can take instructions,” the bench said.

The court was hearing a plea filed by the Syed Waseem Rizvi, the chairman of Uttar Pradesh Shia Central Board of Waqfs, alleging that the flags hoisted resembled the flags of the Pakistan Muslim League, which belongs to the “enemy country”.

Senior advocate S.P. Singh, appearing for Rizvi, told the court that during petitioner’s visit to Mumbai, Hyderabad, Karnataka and other places in the country, he saw flags on several buildings and religious structures, which were allegedly a cause of tension between Hindu and Muslim communities.

Such flags were being hoisted in Muslim-dominated areas with utmost impunity and the crescent and star in a green backdrop have never been part of any Islamic practice and does not have any role or significance in Islam, claimed the plea.

The petition stated that the crescent star flags in green colour owe its origins to the erstwhile political party, Muslim League, founded by Nawaz Waqar Ul-Malik and Mohammad Ali Jinnah in 1906. But in the present day, it was being used by Indian Muslims who were treating it as an Islamic flag.

Democratic Party of India: All set to Change the 2019 Political Statistics

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Democratic Party of India a registered Political party with Election Commission will be the first Blockchain enabledPoliticalParty in Asia, which is powered by MiVote one of the largest non-profit democratic group in the world.
The main aim of this Party is towards Change and Empowerment followed by a Vision for Inclusive Development through Active Participation of Citizens hence attaining Direct Democracy.
Presently, Democratic Party of India is moving on with its Nationwide Campaign under the name of “Mission Democracy”.
The major participation of youth is making this campaign highly successful. The future can be predicted from the fact that just in less than two months around 1.5 Million Citizens got associated with this platform, making it clear that citizens are unhappy with past and present ruling parties and the country is looking for a change.
Speaking to the spokesperson of Democratic Party, It was mentioned that Party will Contest the 2019 Parliamentary Elections in more than 25 states across India, and candidates selection process is already initiated.
Democratic Party of India will formally kick-start the election campaign from August 2018 after a Public function, to be held in New Delhi.

Indian Political Action Commitee – National Agenda Forum (NAF) Campaign

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National Agenda Forum (NAF) — As a tribute to Mahatma Gandhi on his 150th birth anniversary
year, I-PAC has launched a unique citizen-centric initiative to formulate an actionable agenda
for the General Election, 2019.
Inspired by Gandhiji’s 18-point Constructive Programme, which outlined the key priorities for
independent India in 1945, NAF was launched on 29th June 2018. More than 25,000 youth volunteers
from 1,788 colleges spread over 530 districts across India came together to launch this platform.
NAF aims to resurrect the conversation around Gandhiji’s vision and use it to reimagine and co-create India’s
priorities by mobilizing more than 1 crore citizens across the country, to formulate an actionable
agenda for contemporary India and choose a leader who could take this agenda forward.
An initiative by the Indian Political Action Committee (I-PAC), NAF has 4 key action points:
1. Share the vision: Make the nation aware of Gandhiji’s 18-point constructive programme
2. Set the Agenda: Reimagine and co-create India’s key priorities and help formulate an actionable
agenda for contemporary India.
3. Choose the Leader: Nominate the leader best suited to adopt and execute this agenda.
4. Campaign for India: Help the chosen leader to get elected in the upcoming General Elections in 2019.
Citizens can become a part of NAF by logging on to www.indianpac.com/naf/ and voting on the agenda
and the leader from 11th Jul to 14th Aug 2018.
Once the results are out on 15th August, youth volunteers would meet the chosen leader in SeptemberOctober.
The agenda would then be taken to the entire nation before it is adopted as part of the party
manifesto in January 2019.
About I-PAC
Indian Political Action Committee (I-PAC) is a platform of choice for educated youth and young professionals
who want to participate in the Indian political system and contribute meaningfully in setting the agenda for
incoming governments, without necessarily being part of a political party.
I-PAC started as Citizens for Accountable Governance (CAG) in 2013 and has been operating in the sociopolitical
domain over the last 5 years. This group, founded by young professionals from renowned academic
and professional backgrounds, is described as “India’s first Political Action Committee”. I-PAC has
transformed the way elections are fought in India by introducing professionalism and innovation at scale in
campaigning.
I-PAC aims to bridge the gap between citizens’ aspirations and the incoming Government’s priorities in its
endeavor to support the election of visionary, progressive and inclusive leaders to public offices. I-PAC has
ensured that citizens’ agenda becomes focal to its campaigns through ‘Nitish ke Saat Nishchay in Bihar and
‘Captain de Nau Nukte’ in Punjab. In UP the ‘Kisan Yatra’, I-PAC brought back the focus on the demand for
farm loan waiver, which found resonance across the country.

Pakistan election meeting attack toll touches 149

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The death toll in the suicide attack targeting an election meeting in Pakistan has increased to 149, while the number of injured stands at 186, an official said on Monday.

The attack on Friday, claimed by the Islamic State (IS) terror group, is one of the worst in recent years in the country and adds to a series of attacks perpetrated against electoral events and candidates for the upcoming elections on July 25.

“The death toll has reached 149 including nine minors and the injured are 186,” Qaim Lashari, Deputy Commissioner of Mastung in Balochistan province, where the attack took place, told Efe news.

The attack took place when Siraj Raisani, a leader of the regional Balochistan Awami Party, was holding an electoral meeting in a market.

Raisani was seriously injured in the attack and died later in a hospital.

On Friday, another attack had targeted an election campaign in the city of Bannu in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, leaving four dead and another 19 injured.

On July 10, at least 20 people were killed and 60 were wounded in an attack on the regional Awami National Party election campaign in the same province.

According to South Asia Terrorism Portal, of late there has been a decline in violence in Pakistan, with 1,260 terror-related deaths in 2017, comprising 540 civilians, 208 security force members and 512 alleged terrorists, the lowest figure in a decade.

Maharashtra milk farmers protest

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Thousands of milk farmers launched an agitation early on Monday, hitting the supply of fresh milk across big cities in Maharashtra, in support of various demands.

Ahmednagar: Farmers spilling milk on the road during their state-wide strike over various demands at a village in Ahmednagar, Maharashtra on Thursday. PTI Photo (PTI6_1_2017_000206B)


Scores of milk tankers bound for major cities including Mumbai, Pune, Nagpur, Nashik, and others were blocked in different parts of the state, raising the specter of milk shortage.

The farmers’ groups, led by Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghatana (SSS) and Maharashtra Kisan Sabha (MKS), are demanding a subsidy of Rs 5 per litre milk, waiver of goods and services tax on butter and milk powder among others.

Tankers laden with lakhs of litres of milk were waylaid and emptied on the roads in Pune, Nashik, Kolhapur, Sangli, Beed, Palghar, Buldana, Aurangabad and Solapur, while at least one tanker was torched near Amravati en route to the big cities, which are totally dependent on supplies from the rural areas.

In other places, activists performed the symbolic ‘dudh-abhishek’ with milk in major temples in Pandharpur, Pune, Beed, Nashik, Ahmednagar and others to lodge their protest even as the state government warned of strict action.

At some places, top leaders like SSS President and MP Raju Shetti and MKS President Ajit Nawale took to the streets to block the milk tankers while several big and small milk cooperatives announced support to the farmers’ agitation.

“The state government has fixed the procurement price of Rs 27 per litre but the farmers get barely Rs 17 per litre. We are demanding a direct subsidy of Rs 5 per litre to the farmers, as provided in Goa, Karnataka and Kerala.

“With a drop in the rates of skimmed milk powder, even the milk cooperatives are facing a tough time,” Shetti told the media.

Nawale said the government’s announcement of Rs 50 per kg subsidy for milk powder may not benefit the farmers since the prices of milk powder have come down in the international market, but would be a boon to private companies which convert milk into powder.

As the issue was taken up in the Maharashtra Legislature in Nagpur, Animal Husbandry and Dairy Development Minister Mahadev Jankar assured that the cities would not suffer any milk shortages.

He said that Mumbai, which requires over seven million litres fresh milk daily, has adequate stocks of 15 days. Most urban centres together account for over 10 million litres, with Pune and surroundings needing 1.3 million daily.

“We are trying to resolve the issue. If anybody attempts to break the law, they will be dealt with sternly,” Jankar warned the farmers, and later said the government was prepared to give Rs 3 per litre subsidy.

India, England aim for series win in final ODI

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After losing the second One-Day International (ODI), India will aim to improve performance in every department when they face confident England in the third and final match at the Headingley Cricket ground here on Tuesday.

England levelled the three match series with a convincing 86-run victory at Lord’s, having been comprehensively beaten in the opening match at Trent Bridge.

After first ODI victory, India made couple of mistakes in the second match. First the bowlers leaked few extra runs which helped England post a challenging total and then batsmen failed to rise to the occasion.

Apart from Suresh Raina and skipper Virat Kohli no other batsman could face English bowlers perfectly. Wicketkeeper Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Shikhar Dhawan, however, got the good starts but could able to utilise it.

Middle-order batsmen Lokesh Rahul, Rohit Sharma and Hardik Pandya also drastically failed. So, in order to give English bowlers tough times in the middle, Indian batting line-up must click in unisom.

In the bowling department, Kuldeep was the only wicket-taker. He scalped three wickets but gave away 68 runs in his 10 overs. Pacers Umesh Yadav, Hardik and debutant Sidharth Kaul were also costly. Bowlers now have to come up with something new to disturb the opponents as Root, Morgan, Jason Roy and Jonny Bairstow has already came in form.

England, on the other hand, learned quickly from a poor display in the first match and especially against chinaman Kuldeep, who claimed 6 for 25. Joe Root and skipper Eoin Morgan also came in form with the brilliant knocks of 113 and 53 respectively.

Jason Roy and Bairstow displayed the glimpses of coming back in form with disciplined batting throughout their innings. So the top-order seemed settled the only worry of the hosts is their middle and lower order. Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler and Moeen Ali could not add much to the score after a brilliant start. If the trio clicked in the final match then it could be a difficult task for the Indian batsmen.

England has improved a lot in the bowling department. Bowlers are hunting in pairs. Pacers Liam Plunkett and David Willey combining well whileAdil Rashid, Adil Rashid and Mark Wood supporting the duo handsomely. There bowling economy is not above six which is a good sign for English players especially when the opponent team is chasing the target.

Skipper Morgan have not used Stokes much in the second ODI. So in the upcoming match, Morgan, who has the penalty of options in in bowling department, mat try all his bowlers to their potential to get the results.

Squads:
India: Virat Kohli (Captain), Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, MS Dhoni (Wicket-keeper), Dinesh Karthik, Suresh Raina, Hardik Pandya, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Shreyas Iyer, Siddarth Kaul, Axar Patel, Umesh Yadav, Shardul Thakur, Bhuvneshwar Kumar

England: Eoin Morgan (Captain), Jason Roy, Jonny Bairstow, Jos Buttler (Wicket-keeper), Moeen Ali, Joe Root, Jake Ball, Tom Curran, Alex Hales, Liam Plunkett, Ben Stokes, Adil Rashid, David Willey, Mark Wood.

Petrol and diesel prices set to break all-time high levels

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Consumers may have to burn a larger hole in their pockets to keep their vehicles running as retail prices of petrol and diesel are set to hit all-time high levels all over again soon. Rising oil prices and the reluctance on the part of the government to cut taxes are two factors responsible for the certain spike in auto fuel prices.

The retail price of petrol in Delhi is Rs 76.61 a litre now. Going by the price rise of up to 20 paisa per day over the last week, petrol would breach record high level of Rs 78.43, touched on May 29, in about 10 days.

Diesel is within the sniffing distance of all-time high of Rs 69.31 a litre, again recorded on May 29. Diesel is retailing at Rs 68.61 a litre in Delhi.

Uncertainty in global oil markets has increased post US sanctions on Iran and call for its strict compliance by president Donald Trump. The price of benchmark Brent crude was hovering over $75 a barrel, while the Indian basket was just a tad lower at $73 a barrel last month.

“But prices are rising now with expectation that it could even breach $100 a barrel post-November 24 when energy sanctions on Iran kick in. This could take petrol and diesel prices to new highs with the auto fuel even breaching Rs 100 a litre mark,” said an oil sector analyst, who did not wish to be named as he was still completing his calculations.

The government’s reluctance to cut excise duty on petrol and diesel has become a bigger worry for auto fuel consumers. This has made retail prices higher even with lower levels of crude oil prices.

Petrol breached its previous all-time high level recorded on September 14, 2013 (when it stood at Rs 76.06 a litre in Delhi) in May this year when crude oil prices were around $80 a barrel. Interestingly, crude oil was at $109.47 a barrel level in September 2013.

With crude reaching closer to $100 a barrel mark soon, retail price of petrol, which has already reached Rs 84.33 a litre in Mumbai, would easily cross Rs 100 a litre mark, making history.

“This is insane as the government is letting consumers suffer even though it has pocketed higher revenue from the sector with the understanding that this will come to their rescue when oil prices rise. If this is not the right time for excise duty cut on petrol and diesel, then one fails to understand what would be one,” said a former oil secretary asking not to be named.

The government’s fiscal concerns have prevented any duty cuts on petrol and diesel. With rising inflation and slowing factory output, revenue from the oil sector is key for the centre and states. This is also probably the reason why petroleum products have yet not been included in GST.

Prices of petrol and diesel rose to all-time high levels in the last week of May this year after oil companies resumed daily price hikes of the two products post Karnataka assembly elections. During elections, oil marketing companies kept petrol and diesel prices untouched for a record 19 days.

The daily increase in petrol and diesel prices again is higher now as OMCs are regularly holding the price line for few days under government instructions to prevent a public backlash.

Even though crude oil prices are rising again, they are still well off the highs of September 2013, when retail prices were at all-time highs. At that time, the price of the Indian basket of crude oil had shot up to $110 per barrel, almost 44 per cent more than what it is today.

“The need of the hour is to immediately cut excise duty on petrol and diesel not by mere Rs 2 per litre as was done on October 3, but to provide full relief to consumers by effecting a Rs 4 per litre cut in duties. This would rob the government of over Rs 50,000 crore in revenue but would save the country from higher inflation and demand squeeze,” said another oil sector expert who wished not to be named.

As per government estimates, India’s import bill could rise by up to $50 billion, impacting the current account deficit severely, if the present surge in oil is maintained. This would take oil import bill to about $140 billion in FY19, up from $88 billion in FY18.

The expectation for continuation of higher oil price this year has gained ground due a series of global developments, including continuing production cut by Opec and Russia, and forthcoming public offer proposed by world’s largest oil producer Saudi Aramco.

The BJP-led NDA government has increased basic excise duty on petrol and diesel nine times ever since it came to power (between November 2014 and January 2016) that more than doubled government’s excise mop-up to Rs 2,42,000 crore in 2016-17 from Rs 99,000 crore in 2014-15. In all, duty on petrol was hiked by Rs 11.77 per litre and that on diesel by 13.47 a litre. It has been reduced only once — in October, 2017 — by Rs 2 a litre.

In February, the government reduced basic and additional excise duty on petrol and diesel by Rs 8 per litre but re-imposed a new road cess of Rs 8 per litre, negating any advantage.

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