Senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor

New Delhi: Senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on Monday met Sonia Gandhi and expressed his intention to contest the upcoming AICC chief polls, while the Congress president conveyed that she would stay “neutral” in the elections, sources said.

Gandhi welcomed the idea of more people contesting the polls and dispelled the notion that there would be an “official candidate”, they said.

The feedback by Gandhi on Tharoor’s desire to contest is being seen by many as an encouragement to him to contest and he could announce his candidature in the next few days.

With regard to Tharoor’s meeting with Gandhi and the speculation over it, the Congress said no one needs a nod to contest the presidential election as it is an open, democratic and transparent process.

“Anybody who wants to contest is free and welcome to do so. This has been the consistent position of Congress President and Shri Rahul Gandhi. This is an open, democratic and transparent process. Nobody needs anybody’s nod to contest,” AICC general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said.

Adding to the buzz over the possibility of his contesting Congress president polls, Tharoor met Gandhi at her 10 Janpath residence here. He, however, refused to divulge any details about the meeting.

Tharoor, who was among the group of 23 leaders who had written to Gandhi in 2020 demanding organisational overhaul, also endorsed a petition on Monday by a group of young party members seeking “constructive reforms”.

The petition shared by Tharoor on Twitter sought reforms and a pledge by AICC president candidates to implement the Udaipur Declaration in entirety if elected. The former Union minister said it had been signed by over 650 people so far.

“I welcome this petition that is being circulated by a group of young @INCIndia members, seeking constructive reforms in the Party. It has gathered over 650 signatures so far. I am happy to endorse it & to go beyond it,” Tharoor tweeted with screenshots of the petition.

The petition that Tharoor endorsed said, “We are members of the Congress party with a desire to strengthen the party to reflect the hopes and aspirations of our nation.”

The petition stated some of the tenets of the Udaipur Declaration that was made on May 15, 2022, after the party’s brainstorming session.

“We appeal to each candidate in the election for the President of the All India Congress Committee to undertake a public pledge to involve party members from block committees up to the CWC and implement the Udaipur Declaration in entirety within the first 100 days of assuming office,” the petition said.

In its declaration, the Congress had announced wide-ranging organisational reforms to make the party battle ready for the next round of assembly and Lok Sabha polls, stressing on wider representation to those under 50 years of age and enforcing ‘one person, one post’ and ‘one family, one ticket’ rules with riders.

Asked about the possibility of him running for the post of the Congress president, Tharoor had told PTI earlier this month, “I have only welcomed the fact that an election will be held. I believe that is very good for the party.”

“Of course it is gratifying that this general statement of democratic principle has immediately led to large numbers of people around the country welcoming the prospect of my contesting. But as I have made it clear, I have not declared my candidacy,” Tharoor had said.

“I hope many will contest in order to give the membership a wide choice. So far I have neither ruled myself in nor ruled myself out,” the former Union minister had asserted.

Meanwhile, the ‘Make Rahul Gandhi AICC president again’ chorus is growing louder in the Congress with over half a dozen state units so far seeking his elevation to the top post, even as uncertainty and suspense persisted over whether he would take on the mantle.

After Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Gujarat units of the Congress demanded that Gandhi be made party chief, the party’s Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Bihar, Jammu and Kashmir and Mumbai units passed resolutions calling for his elevation to the post of president on Monday.

The process for filing nominations for the election will be held from September 24 to 30. The last date for withdrawal of nominations is October 8 and the election, if required, will be held on October 17. The results will be out on October 19.

Bengaluru: The Karnataka government on Monday withdrew the Karnataka Industrial Disputes and Certain Other Laws (Karnataka Amendment) Bill 2020.

The Bill that tweaks labour laws was passed in the Legislative Assembly, but was defeated in the Council by the united Opposition of Congress and JD(S).

The Amendment Bill was aimed at making only those establishments that employ 300 or more people seek permission from the government for closure, retrenchment, or layoff.

It also proposed to increase the overtime work of employees in any quarter from 75 to 125 hours. Several labour organisations and the Opposition parties had opposed the Bill.

The Bill was withdrawn amid din in the Assembly with sloganeering by both the Opposition and the ruling party over corruption prevailing in the State.

TEHRAN: Fresh protests broke out Monday in Iran over the death of a young woman who had been arrested by the “morality police” that enforces a strict dress code, local media reported.

Public anger has grown since authorities on Friday announced the of 22, in a hospital after three days in a coma, following her arrest by Tehran’s morality police during a visit to the capital on September 13.

Demonstrations were held in Tehran, including in several universities, and the second city Mashhad, according to the Fars and Tasnim news agencies.

Protesters marched down Hijab Street — or “headscarf street” — in central Tehran denouncing the morality police, the ISNA news agency reported.

“Several hundred people chanted slogans against the authorities, some of them took off their hijab,” Fars said, adding that “police arrested several people and dispersed the crowd using batons and tear gas”.

A brief video released by Fars showed a crowd of several dozen people, including women who had removed their headscarves, shouting “Death to the Islamic republic!”

A “similar gathering” took place in the northeastern city of Mashhad, the Tasnim agency reported.

On Sunday, police made arrests and fired tear gas in the dead woman’s home province of Kurdistan, where some 500 people had protested, some smashing car windows and torching rubbish bins, reports said.

The  enforce a dress code in the Islamic republic that demands women wear headscarves in public.

It also bans tight trousers, ripped jeans, clothes that expose the knees and brightly coloured outfits.

Police have insisted there was “no physical contact” between officers and the victim.

Tehran police chief General Hossein Rahimi said Monday the woman had violated the dress code, and that his colleagues had asked her relatives to bring her “decent clothes”.

He again rejected “unjust accusations against the police” and said “the evidence shows that there was no negligence or inappropriate behaviour on the part of the police”.

“This is an unfortunate incident and we wish never to see such incidents again.”

Students rallied at Tehran and Shahid Beheshti universities, demanding “clarification” on how Amini died, according to Fars and Tasnim news agencies.

A spokesperson for the European Union’s foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said Amini’s “unacceptable” death was a “killing” following the injuries she suffered in police custody.

The perpetrators must be held accountable and the Iranian authorities must respect its citizens’ rights, the spokesperson added in a statement.

France said her death was “deeply shocking” and called for a “transparent investigation… to shed light on the circumstances of this tragedy”.

Amini’s death has reignited calls to rein in morality police actions against women suspected of violating the dress code, in effect since the 1979 Islamic revolution.

Filmmakers, artists, athletes and political and religious figures have taken to social media to express their anger.

President Ebrahim Raisi, an ultra-conservative former judiciary chief who came to power last year, has ordered an inquiry into Amini’s death.

– Distraught father –

State television on Friday broadcast a short surveillance video that showed a woman identified as Amini collapsing in the police station after an argument with a policewoman.

Amjad Amini, the victim’s father, told Fars that he did “not accept what (the police) showed him”, arguing that “the film has been cut”.

He also criticised the “slow response” of the emergency services, adding: “I believe Mahsa was transferred to the hospital late.”

Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi said Saturday he had received reports that the emergency services had arrived “immediately” at the scene.

“Mahsa apparently had previous physical problems and we have reports that she had undergone brain surgery at the age of five,” Vahidi said.

Her father, however, “insists that his daughter had no history of illness and was in perfect health”, Fars reported.

RANCHI:  In a bid to ensure that the proposals of making the domicile policy based on the 1932-khatiyan, and giving 27 per cent reservation to the OBC are passed in the Assembly, the ruling alliance in Jharkhand is likely to call another special session before Dussehra.

The party wants to ensure that the proposals passed in the Cabinet become laws as soon, a senior Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) leader said, requesting anonymity. He added that the state government has also directed its MLAs to put across their points in the House along with the last survey reports.

State Congress Working Committee (CWC) member Bandhu Tirkey and JMM General Secretary Vinod Pandey have also demanded a session for the MLAs to express their views. “The legislators will come to the Assembly and express their views so that a decision can be taken,” said Tirkey.

Meanwhile, the 1932-khatiyan-based domicile policy has drawn flak from within the ruling alliance. Congress MLA Poornima Neeraj Singh has called it injurious to the state, saying that it will lead to chaos in the state.

State CWC president and MP Geeta Koda also demanded immediate reconsideration of the proposal and said that the final survey settlement of Jharkhand should be made the basis for defining domicile policy in the state.

Six get notices for objecting to domicile policy proposal
Six people have been issued notices by Sadar sub-divisional magistrate in Ranchi for allegedly making attempts to disturb peace after they objected to the 1932-khatiyan based domicile policy in Jharkhand. They have been asked to appear before the court in Ranchi on Monday with a bond of Rs 50,000 and two securities of the same amount.

“We are against the proposal. Our forefathers have been living here for 70-80 years and you cannot debar us from Jharkhand just by implementing a law. It is an attempt to create fear among people like us, who took birth here,” said Ram Kumar Yadav, who is among those who were issued notices. Similar attempts were made in 2002, and several lives were lost due to the violence that erupted after the move, he added.

Cong demands reconsideration
State CWC president and MP Geeta Koda demanded reconsideration of the proposal, and said that the final survey settlement of Jharkhand should be made the basis for defining domicile policy in the state. Congress MLA Poornima Neeraj Singh has called it injurious to the state, saying that it will lead to chaos in the state.

NEW DELHI: Former Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh met the BJP National president JP Nadda in Delhi on Monday. He will join BJP in Delhi today in presence of its senior leaders.

Singh will join the BJP in the presence of its senior leaders in Delhi on Monday, PLC spokesperson Pritpal Singh Baliawal had said. Details of the meeting were not immediately available.

The 80-year-old Singh will also merge his newly formed Punjab Lok Congress (PLC) with the BJP. Singh had floated the PLC last year after quitting Congress following his unceremonious exit as chief minister. The PLC contested the elections in alliance with the BJP and the Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa-led Shiromani Akali Dal (Sanyuk).

However, none of its candidates could register a win, with Singh himself losing from his home turf of Patiala Urban.

The former Punjab chief minister recently returned from London following spinal surgery and met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

After his meeting with Shah on September 12, Singh said he held a very productive discussion on various issues related to national security, rising cases of narco-terrorism in Punjab and the future roadmap for the state’s overall holistic development.

The two-time former chief minister is the scion of the erstwhile Patiala royal family.

NEW DELHI: Former Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh met the BJP National president JP Nadda in Delhi on Monday. He will join BJP in Delhi today in presence of its senior leaders.

Singh will join the BJP in the presence of its senior leaders in Delhi on Monday, PLC spokesperson Pritpal Singh Baliawal had said. Details of the meeting were not immediately available.

The 80-year-old Singh will also merge his newly formed Punjab Lok Congress (PLC) with the BJP. Singh had floated the PLC last year after quitting Congress following his unceremonious exit as chief minister. The PLC contested the elections in alliance with the BJP and the Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa-led Shiromani Akali Dal (Sanyuk).

However, none of its candidates could register a win, with Singh himself losing from his home turf of Patiala Urban.

The former Punjab chief minister recently returned from London following spinal surgery and met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

After his meeting with Shah on September 12, Singh said he held a very productive discussion on various issues related to national security, rising cases of narco-terrorism in Punjab and the future roadmap for the state’s overall holistic development.

The two-time former chief minister is the scion of the erstwhile Patiala royal family.

CHANNAPATNA: It has been three weeks since Ramanagara district was pounded by heavy rain, flooding many areas. But students and teachers of the Government Upgraded Higher Primary School in Thattekere area of Channapatna town still cannot enter their school as four feet of water is standing on the premises, making it inaccessible.

Local authorities have not taken any action to remove water from the school, while the students, left with no other option, are attending classes at a nearby temple. Thattekere is around 60 km from Bengaluru and 11 km from Ramanagara. The school has more than 60 students from Standards one to eight, five teachers and two staff members, including cooks to prepare mid-day meals.

Local residents said the school, which is over 30 years old, is spacious and has compound walls. The school was flooded on August 26, a week before the Gowri-Ganesha festival, after a small waterbody nearby breached. Lakshmi, who has been working as a cook at the school for the last 20 years, said all the grains kept for mid-day meals were spoilt.

The attendance books and other documents too have got damaged. “We cannot even enter the school as water is around four feet” she explained. “The school is in a low-lying area, making it easy for water to enter the premises. Even if water is removed, it keeps entering from the nearby lake,” she added. For drinking and cooking purposes, water is sourced from local residents.

NEW DELHI: In the latest development in connection with Delhi’s excise policy scam, the Enforcement Directorate has reportedly summoned Aam Aadmi Party’s MCD poll in charge and Rajinder Nagar MLA Durgesh Pathak.

Delhi’s Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia tweeted on Monday morning that the ED has summoned Pathak and criticised the probe agency, asking if the aim was to target the MCD polls instead of the liquor policy.

“Their target is excise policy or upcoming MCD election,” Sisodia tweeted. The ED has not commented on the matter as of now. The case is on the basis of the FIR of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

The CBI has made Sisodia the accused number one in its FIR. The CBI’s FIR has been lodged under sections 120-B (Criminal Conspiracy) and 477-A (Falsification of accounts) of the IPC. The allegations against Sisodia is that liquor businessmen were allegedly given exemption of Rs 30 crore. The licence holders were allegedly given extension according to their own will. The policy rules were made by violating excise rules.

It also said that Sisodia and a few liquor barons were actively involved in managing and diverting the undue pecuniary advantage collected from liquor licensees to public servants, who have been made accused in the case.

“Manish Sisodia, Deputy Chief Minister of Delhi, Arva Gopi Krishna, the then Commissioner (Excise), Anand Tiwari, the then Deputy Commissioner (Excise), and Pankaj Bhatnagar, Assistant Commissioner (Excise) were instrumental in recommending and taking decisions pertaining to the excise policy for the year 2021-22 without approval of competent authority with an intention to extend undue favours to the licencees post tender,” read the FIR, which has been accessed by IANS.