Home Blog Page 4495

HP government appoints non-Hindus to administer Maa Jwalamukhi Temple, one of the Shaktipeetha

Akshita Bhadauria
-
0
HP government appoints non-Hindus to administer Maa Jwalamukhi Temple, one of the Shaktipeetha

In a recent development, Himachal Pradesh government has appointed two non-Hindus to the administration of Maa Jwalamukhi Temple, one of the Shaktipeethas. The development came to light when Girish Bharadwaj, a VHP leader, tweeted furthering the call for freeing Hindu temples.

In an order released by Office of the Commissioner (Temple)-cum DC Kangra, two employees from non-Hindu community have been appointed as langar sevadars in the Shaktipeeth temple. The order further specifies that the salaries would be taken care by temple administration. The two individuals appointed are named Jashan Deen and Shakeen Mohhamad.

The appointment has given rise to strong opposition from non-government members of the temple and several local organizations. While speaking with OpIndia, Girish Bhradwaj said, “temples are not tourists spots and should not be treated as one.” Commenting on the appointment of non-Hindus he said, we cannot expect someone who is not emotionally connected or believes in that place of worship to work efficiently in the administration.

As reported by Jagran, the members of the Himgiri Hindu Mahasabha submitted a memorandum to SDM Ankush Sharma to cancel these appointments. The letter also stated that if these appointments were not canceled, it would result in state-wide agitation.

Highlighting the injustice, Himgiri Hindu Mahasabha state secretary Kishan Sharma explained that permanent appointment have been given to two personnel from a different community rather than to those personnels who have been working in the Jwalamukhi Temple since 32 years.

The report suggests, Ramesh Dhawala, MLA and Deputy Chairman of the State Planning Board, had proposed to appointing the two specific employees to other departments right from the beginning to avoid complications. Despite this, the administration regularized the appointments without taking anyone in confidence and posted them in the temple. The nine non-government members of the temple stated that they had opposed the appointment of employees from other religions even during Congress’s tenure.

They also said that multiple resolutions were passed and sent to the Deputy Commissioner, Chief Minister and Governor office through SDM Jwalamukhi to regularize these appointments, yet such appointments keep happening.

Joining the opposition, Kesariya Hindu Vahini, a International Hindu organization has issued a statement stating that the organization strongly opposes such appointment.

Clarifying that no member or organization is against the employment, they have simply called out the injustice meted out to the Hindu community with such appointments. OpIndia confirmed the agitations reported with the temple administration.

Kangra DC took to Twitter to clarify that the above two men were appointed in 2017 by previous government. People have since been opposing their appointment.

He said that to maintain communal harmony and law and order, he transferred them 50 kms away to district headquarters.

Islam does not believe in idol worship and refer to those who indulge in idol worship as Kafirs. Anyone who does not worship Allah is also Kafir, as per Islam. As per Islamic holy scriptures, Kafirs are punished by Allah.

Rajasthan: 12-year-old boy gets addicted to porn while attending online classes, rapes 6-year-old girl

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Rajasthan: 12-year-old boy gets addicted to porn while attending online classes, rapes 6-year-old girl

A shocking case has come to light in a village of the Raisinghnagar area, district Sri Ganganagar, Rajasthan, where a 12-year-old boy raped a 6-year-old girl. As per reports, the boy studies in class six. During Covid-19 lockdown, he attended online classes and had unhindered access to the internet. During that period, while using his father’s phone for online classes, he stumbled upon porn websites and started watching them, and gradually got addicted to them.

As per reports, the girl is a neighbour of the boy, and the parents of the victim work on the farm. The boy took advantage of the girl being alone at her house. One day he took her to his house and raped her. When the parents came back, she told them about the incident, after which the parents rushed to the hospital. Later, a case was registered at the police station.

Investigating officer Rohit Sankhla is probing the case. The accused boy has been taken into police custody following the registration of the case against him.

Pandemic increased children’s access to porn

It won’t be right to blame Covid-19 lockdown for putting children at risk of encountering pornographic content online. However, since online classes started due to lockdown, it acted as a catalyst in increasing such exposure. According to a study published in 2013, 79% of accidental exposure to internet porn among kids take place at home. While children being exposed to internet porn is not new, in the current time, parents have to be extra vigilant to ensure their child’s safety.

‘No entry for non-Hindus’ banners come up in over 150 Dehradun Temples in response to BSP MLA’s threat: Report

OpIndia Staff
-
0
‘No entry for non-Hindus’ banners come up in over 150 Dehradun Temples in response to BSP MLA’s threat: Report

The Hindu Yuva Vahini has out up banners in over 150 Temples in Dehradun saying that the entry on non-Hindus is banned in the premises, Times of India has reported. The banners, put up at temples situated in Chakrata Road, Suddhowala and Prem Nagar areas of Dehradun, are planned to be put up in Temples across Dehradun, the Hindu outfit says.

The banners have come up in light of the recent dispute at the Dasna Temple in Ghaziabad where a Muslim boy was thrashed for trespassing on the Temple premises despite the banner. Yati Narsinghanand, the head priest at the Temple, and others have alleged that Muslims from the locality often entered the Temple to harass Hindu women and there have been multiple theft and dacoity at the Temple.

Hindu Yuva Vahini puts up 'no entry for non-Hindus' in Dehradun Temples
Image Credit: Times of India/Twitter

BSP MLA Aslam Chaudhary had then threatened to enter the Temple and claimed that the Temple belonged to his ancestors. It was in response to the threat that the Hindu Yuva Vahini has decided to put up the banners across Uttarakhand.

Jeetu Randhawa, state general secretary of Hindu Yuva Vahini, said that “in order to counter Aslam’s threat, we will now put up such posters outside every temple in Uttarakhand.” “The temple is a revered place for people who believe in the Sanatan dharma and hence, only those people who belong to this religion will be allowed inside,” he added.

Uttar Pradesh: Two cops critically injured after police team attacked by dowry case accused Rafiq and his family

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Uttar Pradesh: Two cops critically injured after police team attacked by dowry case accused Rafiq and his family

On March 20, 2021 a Police team from Kajijri Police Station in Kanpur rural region, Uttar Pradesh were attacked by dowry case accused Rafiq and his family members, including women. The team was at Rafiq’s house with his daughter-in-law as per the orders of the Commission for Women, Uttar Pradesh. Several policemen were injured, out of which two are in critical condition.

The dowry case is two years old

As per reports, Shah Begum, wife of Ajmal, resident Bhikdev, filed a complaint against her husband and father-in-law Rafiq alias Hakkal two years ago. On March 18, Shah Begum filed a complaint in front of Poonam Kapoor, a member of the Women’s Commission, after which Ajmal was arrested by the police. Both parties reached a compromise, after which Ajmal was released.

Shah Begum was living at her maternal house. A police team accompanied Shah Begum to her in-law’s house as she had to stay at her in-law’s house as per the conditions laid down by the women cell. Police were questioning Ajmal’s elder brother Hasar Ali when they were attacked.

Women pelted stones at the police team

The women in Rafiq’s family pelted stones and bricks on policemen. They had to run to save themselves and call for additional force. The situation went south quickly, and police had to open fire in self-defence. The station in-charge and a constable, along with the complainant woman, were injured during the attack. The station in-charge fainted after he was hit by stones. A police team from Rasulabad station reached the spot to rescue the injured. Station in-charge and constable Samar Singh are in critical condition and undergoing treatment at the Regency Hospital in Kanpur.

SP Took charge of the case

SP Keshav Kumar Chaudhary has taken over the case. Five teams have been formed to apprehend the accused. It has to be noted that there are several cases already registered against Rafiq.

According to Shah Begum, her in-laws wanted to kill her. She said her husband Ajmal Ali and her father-in-law Rafiq, along with sister-in-law Afrun, Akram Ali, brother-in-law Wajid Ali, Muskan and others attacked her and police personnel. She alleged that they used iron rods as well. She added that when the police team asked them to let her stay there, everyone got irked and attacked them.

Pakistan finds itself in soup amidst escalating tension between the US and China: Reports

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Pakistan finds itself in soup amidst escalating tension between the US and China: Reports

Amidst escalating tensions between China and the United States, Pakistan has found itself in a tough spot. While the Islamic Republic has been an all-weather friend of China and also a negotiator in talks with the Taliban on behalf of the US, the Pakistani establishment is increasingly finding it difficult to continue with its balancing act.

In the recently concluded Quad summit meeting, the US sought to contain the growing influence of China by strengthening ties with Japan, India, and Australia. Following the virtual meeting, the US diplomatic and military chief visited India, South Korea and Australia to reaffirm mutual cooperation and bilateral relationships. Pakistan finds itself increasingly cornered by the States in two decades since the onset of the Afghanistan war.

With the Afghan conflict reaching its conclusion and shifting geopolitical commitments of the United States, Pakistan is pondering over the possibility of jumping the anti-China bandwagon and renewing its estranged relations. However, such a move can distance it from China, which has been building massive infrastructure in the cash-strapped country of Pakistan. The Islamic Republic is under the ‘Chinese debt trap’ and is unlikely to come out of it anytime soon.

Given that Pakistan is the largest importer of weapons from China, it has become difficult for the country to develop non-terrorism related geopolitical ties with the States. To add salt to the wound, it cannot be seen being ‘overtly pro-China’. Else, it might risk losing economic assistance or bailout packages from the United States or the US-backed International Monetary Fund.

IMF has called for strict scrutiny of CPEC, given its lack of transparency. This has further stressed ties between China and Pakistan. It remains a challenge for the Pakistani government and its baggage of Army establishment to steer past this inconvenient diplomatic situation. “As Biden looks to build an alliance of “likeminded” democracies against authoritarian China, Islamabad won’t easily shift the focus of Pakistan-US relations from security to economics,” the report concluded.

Deteriorating US-China relations

Recently, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan had a tough time during a meeting with Chinese diplomats Yang Jiechi and State Councilor Wang Yi in Anchorage, Alaska where US officials received an astonishing dressing down from their Chinese counterparts.

Wang also told the US delegation that they are not in a position to speak to China from a position of strength. Blinken said during his remarks, laying emphasis on the “rules based international order” that the two countries will discuss the USA’s “deep concerns with actions by China, including in Xinjiang, Hong Kong, Taiwan, cyber attacks on the United States, and economic coercion toward our allies.”

“Each of these actions threatens the rules-based order that maintains global stability. That’s why they’re not merely internal matters and why we feel an obligation to raise these issues here today,” he added.Yang, on his part, mocked the proponent of the “rules based international order”, which truth be told, is a thinly veiled euphemism for a world based on American hegemony.

Biden’s SecDef refuses to make negative comments against Indian Govt despite provocation from NDTV, others: Here’s what happened

K Bhattacharjee
-
0
Biden’s SecDef refuses to make negative comments against Indian Govt despite provocation from NDTV, others: Here’s what happened

US President Joe Biden and his administration were a great hope for Indian liberals. They believed that the Biden administration will rebuke Modi Sarkar and ‘hold India accountable’ on matters of ‘human rights’. However, things are clearly not going as planned.

US Secretary of Defence General Lloyd Austin is on an official visit to India. During a press conference on Saturday in Delhi, ‘journalists’ from news networks such as NDTV tried their best to elicit a statement that could be interpreted as a condemnation of the Modi Sarkar.

But General Austin appeared unwilling to play that game. When asked whether he had spoken with Prime Minister Modi about “violations of human rights especially against Muslim minorities in the northeast,” he said, “I did not have an opportunity to talk with him about that. I did have a conversation with other members of the cabinet on this issue.”

He went on to add, “We have to remember that India is oaur partner, a partner whose partnership we value. And I think partners need to be able to have those kinds of discussions. And certainly, we feel comfortable doing that. And you can have those discussions in a very meaningful way and make progress.”

One NDTV ‘journalist’ went so far as to ask General Austin whether he shared the concerns of Senator Robert Menendez, Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, about “the deteriorating situation of democracy in India”.

General Austin responded, “You’ve heard President Biden say that human rights and rule of law are important to the United States of America. We always lead with our values. As a democracy that’s pretty important to us. India is a democratic country and you treasure your values as well. There are a number of things that we can and will work on together.”

Thus, quite clearly, despite their best efforts, Indian media could not elicit a negative comment about the Indian government from General Austin. Furthermore, he hailed India as an “important partner” under current geopolitical circumstances.

The Biden administration’s policy with respect to India appears consistent with the Trump administration. During Donald Trump’s official visit to India, the Delhi Riots had ensued and he was asked for a comment on the matter by the Indian media.

Donald Trump had replied that it was India’s internal matter and it was up to India to decide. He had said, “I want to leave that to India and hopefully they will make the right decision for their people.”

The relationship between India and the United States has been growing stronger and the US sees India as an important partner to counter China in the region. But liberals in India had convinced themselves that the USA would take it upon itself to carry forward the ‘human rights’ mantle.

One commentator, who is awarded space in the media to voice his columns despite being wrong almost every time, had gone to the extent of saying, “For four years, Trump ignored the steep decline of democracy and human rights in India. Joe Biden won’t repeat that mistake.”

During the farmer protests as well, the Biden administration in its statement on the matter had supported the laws passed by the Indian Parliament in no uncertain terms, at a time when there was a global campaign underway against India.

Thus, quite clearly, Joe Biden is unwilling to toe the liberal line when it comes to India and understands that antagonising an “important partner” it wishes to work with is not in their own interests.

Maharashtra: ATS arrests two people in Mansukh Hiren death case, including a former cop from Sachin Vaze’s team

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Maharashtra: ATS arrests two people in Mansukh Hiren death case, including a former cop from Sachin Vaze’s team

In a major development, the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) has arrested two people in connection to the mysterious death of Mansukh Hiren.

As per reports, the ATS had detained a 55-year-old former police constable named Vinayak Shinde and a 31-year-old bookie named Naresh Dhare. They were later arrested by the Anti-terrorism. Shinde is an accused in the Lakhan Bhaiya encounter case and has been on a furlough during the Coronavirus pandemic. As per the ATS, he had worked with Sachin Waze in the team of encounter specialist Pradeep Sharma.

Both the accused will now be produced before a local Court. The Anti-Terrorism Squad will demand the remand of Vinayak Shinde and Naresh Dhare. On Saturday, the government informed that the probe in the case will be transferred to the National Investigative Agency (NIA) from the ATS.

Mansukh Hiren case transferred to NIA

Even though ATS has continued to probe the Mansukh Hiren death case and made the two arrests today, the case has been transferred to the National Investigation Agency. Yesterday, the union home ministry had issued orders to the NIA to take over the case from the ATS. It is not known when the ATS will formally hand over the case to NIA.

Antilia bomb scare and connection between Mansukh Hiren and Sachin Vaze

On February 25, a Scorpio car with 20 gelatin sticks was found parked near Antilia, the multi-storey residence of Mukesh Ambani in Mumbai. A few days later, it was revealed that the car belonged to a person named Mansukh Hiren. The bomb-laden car was owned by Mansukh Hiren, who had alleged that his car was stolen from Mulund-Airoli link road. Hiren had also filed a police complaint about the missing car.

Former Chief Minister of Maharashtra Devendra Fadnavis had made sensational disclosures related to the Antilia bomb scare while speaking in the Maharashtra Vidhan Sabha and said that the bomb-laden vehicle belonged to Hiren. Speaking in the assembly, Fadnavis alleged that the owner of the Scorpio car, which was used to plant gelatin sticks and a threat letter outside Mukesh Ambani’s residence in Mumbai, was in touch with a mobile phone number that is registered under the name of Mumbai Police officer and ‘encounter specialist’ Sachin Vaze.

However, hours after Fadnavis had made a statement in the legislative assembly, Hiren’s body was washed ashore in the Kalwa creek, which only deepened the mystery surrounding the attack against Mukesh Ambani. Later, top sources in the Maharashtra Anti Terrorism Squad (ATS) said that they had found injuries on the body of businessman Mansukh Hiren’s head and neck.

Former Pakistan High Commissioner to India Abdul Basit praises Mamata Banerjee, calls her ‘the tigress of West Bengal’

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Former Pakistan High Commissioner to India Abdul Basit praises Mamata Banerjee, calls her ‘the tigress of West Bengal’

Former Pakistan High Commissioner to India Abdul Basit had poured his heart out to praise Chief Minister of West Bengal Mamata Banerjee. While calling her the tigress of West Bengal, Basit in an article published in Arab News extended his support to her in the upcoming West Bengal elections.

Basit met Banerjee twice during his tenure

As Pakistan high commissioner to India from March’14 to August’17, Basit visited West Bengal twice. During the first visit, he met Banerjee. Basit said that he was impressed by her ‘modesty’, ‘political sharpness’ and ‘acumen’. He even endorsed Banerjee as a ‘true patriot and stateperson’ for not criticising Prime Minister Modi in front a Pakistani national and diplomat.

Basit believes that Banerjee is possibly the only politician left in India who can put real opposition to the Bharatiya Janata Party. He alleged that the Indian Congress party had lost its ground, and it does not seem like the party will ever be able to recover. He said,” prospects for the party [Congress] as whole look rather bleak as it appears to continue facing serious leadership crisis at all levels.”

‘Banerjee conducted herself like a true patriot’ – Basit

During his meeting with Banerjee, Basit tried to have a conversation with her about India-Pakistan relations and how Prime Minister Narendra Modi acted against him for meeting leaders in Jammu and Kashmir. Basit, while hiding his frustration in the article, praised her and said though PM Modi and Banerjee are political rivals, she did not utter a word against him. She also refused to engage with him in discussing India-Pakistan relations. “In short, she conducted herself like a true patriot and statesperson,” Basit added.

Biryani that ‘deeply touched’ Basit

Basit once again praised Banerjee for her warmth. He said he was ‘deeply touched’ by CM Banerjee’s gesture when she sent him Kolkata’s famous mutton biryani to his hotel for dinner. “The biryani was no doubt an unforgettable treat,” he claimed. Towards the end, Basit said he has a bias towards Banerjee for the upcoming elections and ‘hoped’ the people of West Bengal make the ‘right choice’.

Former Pak envoy Abdul Basit

Basit is known for his controversial statements and goof-ups. In the last few years, Basit has made several controversial statements and once, he even confused a porn star with a Kashmiri youth.

One of the most bizarre things Basit had done was confusing a porn star with Kashmiri youth. In September 2019, in haste to peddle anti-India narrative, Basit took to Twitter to re-tweet an image of the adult movie star Johnny Sins claiming he is Yousuf from Anantnag, who has been blinded by a pellet. He was extensively trolled for his actions.

The Kashmir issue, which has been created and nurtured by Pakistan for decades, went out of the hands of Pakistan in August 2019 when Home Minister Amit Shah announce the abrogation of Article 370. At that time, the step taken by the Indian government shook Basit so much that he started to build up a theory that India may ask then US President Trump to help resolve the Kashmir issue.

Then Basit was also caught admitting he has used influential Indian writers to propagate Pakistan’s agenda. In an interview with Pakistani blogger Farhan Virk, Basit claimed that he had used Indian authors who were anti-establishment to propagate Pakistan’s Kashmir stand. Claiming he influenced Shobha De to write an article on Kashmir, he said, “One of the challenges I had faced was how to find a journalist who we can convince to write a good article on behalf of us, advocating a referendum in Kashmir. Then I found a lady, Shobha De…”

Notably, Shobha De had written an op-ed for Times of India titled “Burhan Wani is dead, but he’ll live on till we find out what Kashmir really wants”. She wrote, “Let’s see if the present government has the guts to go ahead with a referendum to resolve the Kashmir crisis once and for all. Let’s end the lingering pain in the region and allow Kashmiris to live in peace, with the dignity and harmony they are entitled to.”

Rajasthan ACP who was arrested for seeking sexual favours from rape victims given compulsory retirement

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Rajasthan ACP who was arrested for seeking sexual favours from rape victims given compulsory retirement

The Rajasthan government has compulsorily retired ACP Kailash Bohra, who was arrested for seeking sexual favours from a rape victim. Principal Secretary (Home) Abhay Kumar, in a signed order, said that the decision to sack the Rajasthan Police Service officer was taken in “public interest”.

ACP Kailash Bohra was arrested after he allegedly refused to accept the complaint of a woman’s sexual assault case and instead asked for sexual favors from the victim to take against the accused.

ACP Kailash Bohra, who was posted in the Special Investigation Unit (SIU) of the Crime Against Women cell in Rajasthan, first demanded money from the woman complainant who had filed three complaints, including one of rape. When the woman refused to give money citing her inability to do so, ACP Kailash demanded sexual favours from her to take action on her case.

The woman complainant approached the ACB after Kailash insisted on meeting her after work hours.

For official records to be able to arrest him, the anti-corruption unit laid a trap and recorded his phone conversation with the complainant.

Rising cases of rape in Rajasthan

Jaskaur Meena, BJP leader from Rajasthan made some shocking revelations in the Parliament proceedings on March 19, 2021. In what should be a grave matter of concern for the country, she alleged that there are currently 6.14 lakhs cases of violence against women in Rajasthan and 23 such cases are in her own constituency. She added that “There are 12,000 rape cases alone in the State and the government has been silent on the issue”.

In another distressing report, Rajasthan had reported the highest number of rape cases across India in 2019 with close to 6000 cases. We earlier reported how Rajasthan witnessed almost a dozen instances of sexual crimes against women.

Congress MP distances himself from Parliamentary panel report endorsing farm laws, here are the minutes of the meeting that has his name

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Congress MP distances himself from Parliamentary panel report endorsing farm laws, here are the minutes of the meeting that has his name

In a significant endorsement to the farm reforms initiated by the Central government, a Parliamentary panel comprising of the opposition party members on Friday had endorsed one of the three recently enacted farm laws. The panel urged Modi government to implement the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020 in “letter and spirit”. However, soon after, the Congress MP from Koraput in Odisha, Saptagiri Sankar Ulaka, wrote to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla and claimed that he did not want to be associated with the committee’s latest recommendation.

In his letter, Ulaka said, “In fact, during the meeting on 16.12.2020, I expressed my opposition against the three farm laws to the Hon’ble Chairperson and the members of the Committee.

“The Draft Report on the subject matter was circulated only via e-mail by the related Section of the Committee at 19:00 hrs on 17.03.2021 and adopted between 10:00 hrs and 10:30 hrs on 18.03.2021, under Acting Chairperson Shri Ajay Misra Teni. He said the report was tabled in Parliament without recording his dissenting opinion. I was not present when the report was adopted as the meeting was called in a short notice of merely 15 hours,” he claimed.

Interestingly, the Lok Sabha website, mentions Ulaka’s name in the list of members who attended the committee meeting on March 18, the day the report was adopted.

Minutes of the THIRTEENTH SITTING OF THE STANDING COMMITTEE ON FOOD, CONSUMER AFFAIRS AND PUBLIC DISTRIBUTION (2020-2021) Held on 18 March 2021. Two Congress MPs were present at the meeting.

However, Ulaka claims he did not attend the meet.

The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Food, Consumer Affairs and Public Distribution recently tabled a report titled ‘Price Rise of Essential Commodities- Causes and Effects’ recommending the implementation of one of the three farm laws passed by the Modi government last year.

Interestingly, the Parliamentary panel headed by TMC leader Sudip Bandyopadhyay comprised of MPs of parties that have opposed the three new farm laws. Apart from Bandyopadhyay, the panel included another TMC MP, a nominated MP, 13 BJP MPs, 4 Congress MPs and one parliamentarian from DMK, BJD, Shiv Sena, AAP, TRS, YSRCP, JD(U), NCP, NPF, PMK and BSP each.

The Parliamentary committee expressed hope that the recently enacted The Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020 will become a “catalyst” for unlocking vast untapped resources in the farm sector.

Extending the support for the Essential Commodities Act, the Standing Committee on Food, Consumer Affairs and Public Distribution with 15 opposition party members in its report to Parliament said, “The Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020 which was aimed at addressing the issue will become a catalyst for unlocking vast untapped resources in the agriculture sector by creating an environment for enhanced investments in agriculture sector, fair and productive competition in agricultural marketing and increase farmers’ income.”

The report further noted, “They, therefore, recommend the Government to implement the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020 in letter and spirit, and without let or hindrances so that the farmers and other stakeholders of farming sector in this country receive the benefits intended under the said Act. Noting further that foodstuffs such as potato, onions and pulses 63 are part of a common man’s daily diet and that lakhs of people who do not get the benefits of Public Distribution System (PDS) may suffer adversely in the aftermath of the implementation of the new Act, the Committee also desire the Government to continue to keep a constant watchful eye on the prices of all essential commodities and to resort to the remedial provisions provided in the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020 when called for.”

It is worth mentioning that on June 5, President Ram Nath Kovind had promulgated three ordinances – The Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Ordinance, 2020, The Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Ordinance, 2020 and The Essential Commodities (Amendment) Ordinance, 2020. 

In September, the centre introduced three bills to replace these ordinances, which both Houses cleared of Parliament in the Monsoon Session of Parliament, they were signed into law by the President on September 27. One of the three farm laws – The Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020 specifies that the supply of foodstuffs including cereals, pulses, potato, edible oilseeds, and oils shall be regulated only under exceptional circumstances such as war, famine, extraordinary price rise, and natural calamity of a grave nature.

According to the Centre, the Essential Commodities Act, 1955 has been amended to ensure that the farmers get a good price on many commodities.

However, as soon as the farm bills were passed by the government, the opposition parties took to streets to protest against the farm reforms initiated by the government. The opposition parties, joined by a few ‘farmer’ associations from Punjab, have hit the streets to demand the repel of the law and are now currently camping outside borders of national capital causing massive inconvenience to the public.

The opposition parties have extended their support to these so-called protests against the Modi government, which have been continuing for over three months now. Three months after supporting the alleged farmer cause by opposing the farm laws, it seems like some of the opposition parties may have had a change of heart on the particular issue and are slowly endorsing the farm reforms initiated by the Modi government.

Parliamentary panel report on Farm Laws

Reportedly, the Congress Lok Sabha MP from Kasaragod, Rajmohan Unnithan, has also written to the Lok Sabha Speaker, Rajya Sabha Chairman and chairman of the Standing Committee on Food, Consumer Affairs and Public Distribution saying he did not attend the meet in which the farm laws were endorsed.

Speaking to Indian Express, Unnithan said that the committee’s meeting had earlier been postponed twice due to lack of quorum. “This time, they held the meeting on March 17, which I could not attend. I have written to the Speaker to dissociate myself from the report,” he added.

Two other Congress members – Ve. Vaithilingam and Rajmani Patel were also part of the panel. The Lok Sabha records suggest that Rajmani Patel had attended the meeting. Congress MP Vaithilingam, however, did not attend the Parliamentary panel meet. Only 16 MPs, 13 MPs from Lok Sabha and 3 from Rajya Sabha, out of the 30 elected members of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Food, Consumer Affairs and Public Distribution, were present at the meeting that was held on March 18.

Reportedly, TMC leader Sudip Bandyopadhyay was also absent from the Standing Committee meeting. In his absence, BJP Rajya Sabha MP Ajay Misra Teni presided over the committee. Opposition party members – AAP MP Bhagwant Mann, who had vociferously raised slogans inside the parliament against three farm laws, NCP MP Fauzia Khan and Shiv Sena MP Rajendra Dhedya Gavit were present at the meeting that endorsed one of the farm laws.

Meanwhile, BJP MP Teni said to the media that no member of the committee gave me the dissent note and said that the report was adopted with the consensus of all members.

1...4,4944,4954,496...7,681Page 4,495 of 7,681