Mohammed Mohsin was suspended with immediate effect for acting contrary to the instructions of the Commission concerning SPG protectees.

The Election Commission on Wednesday suspended a General Observer belonging to Karnataka IAS cadre for allegedly checking Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s helicopter in Odisha’s Sambalpur on Tuesday.

Mohammed Mohsin was suspended with immediate effect for acting contrary to the instructions of the Commission concerning SPG protectees and will be posted at Sambalpur till further orders, a poll panel letter dated April 16 said.

A Karnataka cadre officer of the Indian Administrative Service, Mohsin was deputed as a General Observer and working under the supervision of the poll panel in Odisha.

“… the Commission has considered the material available before it and prima facie finds it dereliction of duty,” said the letter.

Sources told the Times of India that when PM Modi reached Sambalpur to address a rally on Tuesday, election officials inspected his convoy, which constituted a violation of protocol. 

A senior police officer present at Sambalpur airstrip, speaking on condition of anonymity told ToI, “A team of poll officials led by Mohsin inspected some papers in the chopper carrying the PM. The inspection delayed his arrival at the meeting venue by around 20 minutes which was reported to the ECI.”

The Prime Minister had visited Odisha on Tuesday and addressed two rallies in Sambalpur and Bhubaneswar.

Mohsin is presently secretary in the backward classes department. Karnataka Chief Secretary TM Vijay Bhaskar said he was not aware of the incident and said the state cannot intervene in the matter. 

On whether the official is barred from carrying out his duties after the elections as a result of the order, Bhaskar said, “Only after we receive further directives from the commission we can consider the next step.” 

Earlier this week, the Karnataka Congress had tweeted a 14-second video clip showing two men carrying a black box allegedly unloaded from Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s helicopter to a private Innova parked at a helipad, claiming that the video was filmed soon after Modi landed in Chitradurga last week to address an election rally. The Congress demanded that the EC conduct a probe into the same.

Agencies

Nearly 50 lakh people in India lost their jobs between 2016-2018, a report said highlighting that the “beginning of the decline” coincided with demonetisation, although “no direct causal relationship could be established” between the trends.

The report by Azim Premji University’s titled State of Working India was based on the CMIE-CPDX data that highlighted India’s unemployed were mostly the youth.

“In general, women are much worse affected than men. They have higher unemployment rates, as well as lower labour force participation rates,” it added.

The report revealed that unemployment, in general, has risen steadily post 2011. Both the Periodic Labour Force Survey and the CMIE-CPDX report the overall unemployment rate to be around 6 per cent in 2018, double of what it was in the decade from 2000 to 2011.”

“Among urban women, graduates are 10 per cent of the working age population but 34 per cent of the unemployed. The age group 20-24 years is hugely over-represented among the unemployed.

“Among urban men, for example, this age group accounts for 13.5 per cent of the working age population but 60 per cent of the unemployed.”

Besides, the report noted that “in addition to rising open unemployment among the higher educated, the less educated (and likely, informal) workers have also seen job losses and reduced work opportunities since 2016.

Earlier in February, the National Sample Survey Office’s (NSSO’s) periodic labour force survey (PLFS) had stated that India’s unemployment rate hit a 45-year high of 6.1 per cent in 2017.

The NSSO report was reportedly based on data collected between July 2017 and June 2018 and is the first official survey post-demonetisation.

However, the NITI Aayog debunked claims of jobless growth saying that the report was not a final one.

Earlier, the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE) had stated that 1.5 million jobs were lost just in the first four months of 2017—immediately after demonetisation of old 500 and 1000 rupee notes.

The issue hogged the limelight after two independent members of the National Statistical Commission — acting Chairman PC Mohanan and JV Meenakshi — resigned on January 28 over a disagreement with the Government on certain issues.

One issue pertains to the government withholding the release of the results of NSSO’s quinquennial survey, for the year 2017-18 even though the commission approved the report. This gains significance in the wake of the government being criticised for a scarcity of jobs in the country.

Agencies

Appealing to the people of Maharashtra to vote for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the Lok Sabha polls, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday said only he can provide a strong government at the Centre and make it a superpower.

“Last time (2014) you gave me a full majority and I could work with full strength to take firm decisions and work for public welfare. You have witnessed how I ran the country past five years,” Modi said, addressing a rally in Maharashtra’s Solapur.

He said that for making India a superpower, the country needs a sturdy government, not a “majboor” (helpless) one, and that tough one only he can provide, not the Congress Party.

Speaking at Akluj in Solapur district of Maharashtra that is part of the Madha Lok Sabha constituency, PM Modi hit out at Congress president Rahul Gandhi over ‘chowkidar chor hai’ campaign saying that he is being abused because of his “backward caste” background.

“Recently Rahul Gandhi branded an entire community as thief. He says everyone having Modi in his name is a thief. They abuse me because I am from a backward community. This is how they view people from backward castes,” he said.

PM Modi also targeted NCP chief Sharad Pawar in his speech saying that he is not contesting the elections because “he knows the wind”.

“Sharad Rao is also a player, he knows the wind. He will never allow himself to lose,” PM Modi said.

Agencies

Bengaluru, Apr 17 : A Bharatiya Janata Party Corporator, campaigning for Bengaluru South party candidate, Prajwal Surya, courted controversy, when he removed a flag from a house, belonging to a minority community, mistaking it as Pakistan National flag.
The Corporator, had removed the flag, when he had visited the house, during the campaign, and also reportedly advised not to hoist the Pakistani flag.
The BJP supporters, had removed the flag, despite informed that it was not a Pakistani flag by the house owner. The BJP workers also chanted Vande mataram, during their visit, which went viral, a local Syed Sharief has said.
When the incident occurred, nobody, except an elderly lady was present in the house.
Agitated over the incident, the local people, demanded the BJP corporator to tender an apology for the act.
To ease the tension, the BJP supporters, had returned the flag to the house owner.
The election authorities, are expected to register a suo-moto case into the incident.

Kalaburagi, Apr 17 : Opposition leader in the Karnataka Legislative Assembly B S Yeddyurappa, who is also BJP State President, today underlined that the letter written by senior Congress leader and the present Minister for Home M B Patil to Sonia Gandhi with regard to divide Veerashaiva-Lingayat during 2014 Assembly election was genuine and no further investigation is necessary.
Addressing a press conference here on Wednesday, he said that people have now learnt that the Congress conspired to divide grand old Veerashaiva-Lingayat community and people will not forget this heinus deed of Congress people for their selfishness.
Quoting Patil’s letter to Sonia Gandhi, Yeddyurappa said that ” on her direction, efforts were made to divide the community to benefit the party. But the party itself got exposed and he people will give them a befitting reply in this election”.
Yeddyurappa also come down heavily on veteran Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge for not developing the region.
He blamed Congress-JD (S) Coalition government for neglecting irrigation in the region and not increase the height of Almatti reservoir to 524 mt and utilize the State’s share of water in Krishna water.

Bengaluru, Apr 17 :In an unprecedented incident, the Election Authorities, on Wednesday prevented the Karnataka Home minister M B Patil to address a press conference, by stating that it would violate the Model Code of Conduct.
The minister, who is also chairman of the Education institution, BLDE, based out of his home district Vijayapura, had convened a press conference to clarify a report appeared in the BJP’s official twitter handle, stating that AICC leader Sonia Gandhi, had hatched a conspiracy to divide the Lingayath Community in Karnataka.
Following this, Patil personally went to a Police station in Vijayapura yesterday and lodged a complaint seeking action against those who had uploaded the letter printed on fake letterhead, in the social media as well as in a vernacular news paper purportedly written by him to the AICC president, in 2017.
The Election officers, while directing Patil, to cancel his scheduled press conference, said that there was no any provision to hold a press conference 48 hours before the polling day.
It may be recalled that the elections are being held for 14 Lok Sabha seats, in Karnataka tomorrow (first phase in Karnataka and second phase in India), that include three seats in Bengaluru city, and 11 other constituencies.

Bengaluru, Apr 17 : The Election Commission has decided hold by-election to Chincholi Assembly seat in Karnataka, which fell vacant following the resignation by sitting member from Congress Umesh Jadhav, recently, and polling will be held on May 19.
According to official sources, the notification for holding by-election will be issued on April 22 and the last date for submitting nominations ends on April 29.
Umesh Jadhav, who got elected in the 2018 Assembly elections but quit Congress party and is contesting as the BJP candidate from the Kalaburagi Lok Sabha seat to fight against Congress stalwart Mallikarjuna Kharge, Leader of the Parliamentary party, who is seeking a third term.
Meanwhile, the by-election to Kundagol Assembly seat is also being held on May 19. This seat fell vacant following the sudden death of sitting member and Karnataka minister C S Shivalli.
The results will be announced on May 23.
In the 225-member Karnataka assembly, the BJP has 104 MLAs, followed by the Congress 78, JD(S) 37, BSP 1, Independents 2, Nominated 1 and vacant 2.