A case has been registered against Muslim youth in Uppinangady police station for cheating a Hindu girl by falsely claiming to be a Hindu and also sharing intimate images on social media sites.
According to the reports, the 25-year-old Muslim youth identified as Abdul Razak, a resident of Kadaba taluk of Dakshina Kannada district had befriended a 24-year-old Hindu girl on Facebook by introducing himself as Khushik alias Sanju. Razak had lied to the girl saying he was an ardent Hindu and also claimed of being an orphan.
Soon, the couple exchanged their contact numbers and began to chat on WhatsApp. On November 1, Razak and the Hindu girl had also gone on a pilgrimage to the holy town of Dharmasthala. The Muslim youth had captured photos and had uploaded these images on social media network. To convince the girl, the Muslim youth had uploaded images, where he was seen wearing tilak.
The parents of the girl, after getting suspicious of Razak’s behaviour, looked into his antecedents to realise that he had cheated the girl by claiming to be a Hindu. Following that, the parents registered a complaint in the Uppinangady police station against Razak for cheating their daughter.
The Uppinangady police have now registered a case against Abdul Razak and has begun investigation.
The Congress party, which has been at the epicentre of criticism for sinking the chances of the Mahagatbandhan to ace the recent Bihar elections is now embroiled in yet another controversy. Just three days after losing the polls, Congress leaders have now been calling each other names and exchanging blows.
The incident took place on Friday at the Bihar Congress Pradesh headquarters in Sadakat Ashram during a party meeting of the newly-elected MLAs. During the meeting, the MLAs broke into a scuffle after a Congress MLA Vijay Shankar Dubey was called a ‘thief’ by supporters of another newly-elected Congress MLA Siddharth. The controversy began over the decision to choose the leader of the Congress Legislature Party. Following a heated argument between the two MLAs and their supporters, they resorted to hurling expletives and exchanging blows.
While Dubey was elected from Maharajganj constituency, Siddharth has been elected from the Vikram constituency. It is said that Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel and Congress Screening Committee chairman Avinash Pandey were also present in this meeting.
#WATCH | Bihar: A ruckus erupted at Congress office in Patna during Congress Legislative Party meeting (CLP) today; Chhattisgarh CM & party leader Bhupesh Baghel was also present. pic.twitter.com/B2DQBHkezC
Congress party sinks the fortunes of RJD in Bihar elections
In the recently concluded Bihar elections, analysts believe the fact that RJD allied with Congress may have been the reason the Mahagathbandhan failed. Congress contested on 70 seats of which it won just 19 seats, thereby bringing down the Mahagathbandhan tally in an election that was so closely fought.
As per reports, Bihar Congress leaders feel that the top leadership failed to understand the pulse on ground. Several top candidates who might have won were dropped. The local leaders are especially upset with the fact that leaders from outside the state, with zero, connect to ground reality, were calling the shots.
The disastrous results in assembly elections is not the only concern with Congress which is also struggling to have an inspiring leadership. The entitlement of the Gandhis who cannot seem to let go of the power and adds to their woes. With the Congress fighting for its relevance, one can only wait and watch which way things go for the grand old party.
In a press conference on Friday, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal made a bizarre claim that pollution was responsible for the drastic rise of Coronavirus cases in the National Capital. As of November 13, Delhi has recorded a whopping 43,116 active cases and a total of 7,332 fatalities.
Arvind Kejriwal stated, “…When we wake up from sleep, we see only smoke around us. The number of Coronavirus cases in Delhi is rising dramatically. And the major reason behind this is pollution. We had earlier controlled the number of active cases, till October 20. But, since then, cases have been on the rise. There are many reasons but pollution happens to be the major reason…”
पराली को खाद में बदलने वाली बायो-डिकम्पोज़र तकनीक दिल्ली में कामयाब रही। अब वक्त आ गया है कि सभी सरकारें इसे लागू कर किसानों की मदद करें। Press Conference | LIVE https://t.co/mxHyuP7NxP
While it is true that air pollution aggravates the health condition of Coronavirus patients, as it affects the lungs, it is incorrect to say that pollution causes new coronavirus cases. The Novel Coronavirus spreads from person to person, when an infected person sneezes or coughs, the viruses come out with the droplets coming out of the person. Any healthy person coming in contact with these virus-laden droplets gets infected with the virus. Whether the air is polluted or not has nothing to do with how the virus infects people.
On the other hand, as COVID-19 is a respiratory disease, polluted air makes the situation worse for COVID-19 patients. Therefore, the severe air pollution in Delhi should increase the severity of the infected persons, which means, it should increase the demand for ICUs and ventilators, and also perhaps the rate of death of the patients. But it is incorrect to say that air pollution increases the rate of coronavirus infection among people. That is a wrong claim made by the Delhi CM.
Second wave of Coronavirus in Delhi
Last month, Arvind Kejriwal had conceded that the ‘second wave’ of Coronavirus had peaked in the National Capital but the situation has been under control. He claimed, “The Covid-19 situation in Delhi is under control now. The peak of the second wave of infections was witnessed on September 17, when around 4,500 cases were recorded. With time, the number of fresh cases has gone down even with the high number of tests being done.” He added that there has been a drastic reduction in the occupancy of hospital beds and ICUs. Arvind Kejriwal had also claimed in August of the possibility of having gone past the ‘second wave’.
However, Dr Puneet Mishra of AIIMS Delhi emphasised that it could not be said with certainty whether Delhi has been witnessing the second wave of infection or had gone past it. “In epidemiology, a second wave will be when the first wave has subsided to the baseline and has remained low for some time before going up,” he explained. He added that cases will increase until the development of herd immunity.
Based on ‘new’ sample collection methodology for 3rd round of sero-survey, which collected data ward-wise instead of districts and types of residences (planned colonies, slums, unauthorised colonies), it was found that the prevalence of Coronavirus has declined from 29.1% to 24.8%. Dr Puneet explained, “The dip could have been because of the change in the sample collection method. There are also some reports of the antibody titers (concentrations) going down over time. However, even if antibody levels go down, people are likely to still have innate immunity from the infection with very few cases of re-infection. This means Delhi might develop herd immunity soon.”
Delhi model and mismanagement of the pandemic; Amit Shah to the rescue
It must be remembered that the myth of ‘Delhi model’, as promulgated by the left-liberal lobby and Arvind Kejriwal, was debunked when the National Capital was reeling under the crisis of the pandemic. In early June, Satyendra Jain, the Health Minister of NCT Delhi, had stated that the capital was likely to witness another 30000 coronavirus cases in the following 12-15 days i.e. double the number of cases. While speaking to ANI, Satyendra Jain said that orders had been issued to increase the number of beds by 2000 in the following 2-3 days. It was expected that Delhi would need 15000 beds by the end of the month.
At one point, the Delhi government had lost all hopes and resorted to blaming the ‘outsiders’ for the rise in the number of Coronavirus cases. Delhi desperately needed adult supervision of its elected government. And they got it. The Prime Minister put together a team to “help” Delhi and Amit Shah stepped in. The number of tests that were conducted on an everyday basis increased while the positivity rate declined. Things turned around for Delhi with the Center coming in. It is difficult to imagine how bad things could have gotten in Delhi, had there not been the Centre to babysit the Delhi government.
Delhi High Court slams AAP govt
With the supervision of Amit Shah now gone, the Delhi government is back to square one. Recently, the Delhi High Court rebuked the Arvind Kejriwal government over the rising cases of COVID-19 in the national capital and stated that the city could soon become ‘corona capital of the country’. Observing that the Delhi government has gone completely “haywire” on the pandemic, the two-judge bench of Justices Hima Kohli and Subramonium Prasad pulled up the AAP govt for taking the health of the citizens for a ride.
Rising cases of Coronavirus in the world
The number of active cases and Coronavirus-related deaths have witnessed a steep rise throughout the world. As of Friday, there are 1.45 crore active cases in the world and a total of 13 lac fatalities. Overall, 5.3 crore people have been infected so far while 3.7 crore individuals have been fully recovered.
Rising Coronavirus cases and fatalities in the world (Image Courtesy: Worldometers)
In the United States, Coronavirus has claimed 2.48 lac lives (constituting 4% of the total infected individuals) and infected over 1 crore people. The number of recoveries/discharges made in the cases stand at 67 lacs. Similarly, Spain has reported around 14 lac cases, resulting in 40,461 deaths as of November 13.
China and the origin of the pandemic
The origin of Covid-19 has been traced to a seafood market in the Chinese commercial city of Wuhan. Despite speculations about SARS-CoV-2 having been lab-engineered, till date no proof consolidates it. A scientific study published in the journal, Nature Medicine, has ruled out the possibility of the responsible virus SARS-CoV-2 being man-made or a biological weapon leaked through a lab. According to World Health Organisation’s (WHO), by December 31, 2019, cases of pneumonia were reported in only a few clusters of Hubei province, while by January 5, 2020, the causative agent was not identified as a new virus.
While it is well known now that the coronavirus infection had started and was spreading as early as November 2019, till January 14, the Chinese authorities have claimed that the Covid-19 did not show human to human transmission.
A week after this, it crossed the boundaries of China and the first case was reported outside of China in Thailand. On January 14, WHO announced a limited human to human transmission of this virus. Finally, it was on March 11, 2020 that WHO declared it as a pandemic. From the detection of the first few cases to its culmination into a global pandemic, the possible failures in handling and the resulting socio-economic cost (impact) to human life have been the subject of relentless discussion.
Just weeks after Nikita Tomar was shot dead in broad daylight by Tauseef for refusing to convert to Islam and marry him, a similar incident has happened in Jharkhand. According to reports, A Dalit girl in Lakadhi village in Majhiaon in Jharkhan was attacked by one Hajrat Khan for refusing to marry him.
The incident happened on Wednesday, when 22 years old Hajrat Khan, son of Farid Khan, went to Shivalal Ram’s house in the same village and attacked Shivalal’s 20 years old daughter Rani Kumar with a sharp weapon. At the time of the incident, Rani’s house was being painted as her marriage is scheduled later in this month.
Rani was with her 10 years old brother at the house at that time, as her mother had gone to Garhwa town due to some work and her father, who works in the police department, was at his duty. Seeing that her parents were away, Hajrat entered the house and repeatedly stuck on Rani’s head with a sharp weapon, injuring her gravely.
Immediately after the attack, Rani’s brother came out of the house and informed the workers painting their house about the same. The workers took the girl to the Majhiaon Hospital, but the doctors their referred her to Garhwa hospital due to her critical condition.
The incident came to light after the girl’s father lodged a complaint about the incident. The police have recorded the girl’s statement, and an FIR is being registered against Hajrat. According to Majhiaon police station in-charge Sudhanshu Kumar, the girl in her statement said that Hajrat Khan was pressurising Rani to marry him for a long time, but she had rejected the proposal. As her marriage was scheduled this month, Hajrat got agitated, and attacked her with a sharp weapon, gravely injuring her.
The Congress party is trying hard to undo the damage inflicted upon them after reports of a rather interesting assessment of Rahul Gandhi by Barack Obama came out in public where he has described Gandhi-scion as someone who lacks aptitude and passion to master the subject.
Assessing Rahul Gandhi, former US President Barack Obama in his new book – ‘A Promised Land’ had highlighted the inability of the Gandhi-scion to understand the way of politics and said that he lacked both aptitude and passion to master the art of politics.
As soon as the reports about Obama’s critique against Rahul Gandhi went viral on the internet, the Congress leaders rushed to defend him by claiming that the assessment of Wayanad MP was not true. Some Congress leaders even called for unfollowing Barack Obama on Twitter after he had expressed his opinion.
Interestingly, senior Congress leader Tariq Anwar, in his hurry to defend his leader, conformed to the views of former US President Barack Obama on Rahul Gandhi by admitting that Rahul Gandhi lacked aptitude and passion for politics.
Hours after the controversy broke, Anwar, speaking to the media, said the meeting between the two leaders had taken 8-10 years back and contended that Rahul Gandhi’s personality has changed since then. The former MP also added that the Gandhi-scion had gained a lot of experience since then and went on to say that assessing someone in few meetings was tough.
“Obama & Rahul Gandhi must’ve met briefly, probably 8-10 yrs back when he came here as US Pres. To assess someone in few meetings is tough. Rahul Gandhi’s personality has changed since then, he’s gained a lot of experience,” Tariq Anwar said.
Obama & Rahul Gandhi must’ve met briefly,probably 8-10 yrs back when he came here as US Pres. To assess someone in few meetings is tough. Rahul Gandhi’s personality has changed since then, he’s gained lot of experience: Tariq Anwar, Cong on Obama’s remarks on Gandhi in his memoir pic.twitter.com/OOgbGfmb91
Essentially, Tariq Anwar agreed to the assessment made by Barack Obama in his book by admitting that Rahul Gandhi had lacked ability and passion to lead his party 8 years ago when he had met US President.
Another important point to note is that the Congress party is deliberately ignoring Rahul Gandhi’s recent meeting with Barack Obama, just as recent as 2017.
Tweet by Rahul Gandhi in 2017
In doing so, there are jumping to conclude that it was on the basis of a decade-old meeting between Obama and Gandhi that resulted in such a conclusion and not based on his 2017 meeting with Rahul Gandhi.
Congress ally says its Indians who assess Rahul Gandhi, not former US President
NCP leader Majeed Menon, an ally of the Congress party, went a step further to suggest that the extract from Obama’s book that has an adverse opinion on Rahul Gandhi is being unnecessarily publicised.
Menon defended Rahul Gandhi by discrediting Obama’s views by saying that he was making his opinion from a distant place. According to Menon, it is the people of India who have to assess Rahul Gandhi and not Obama. The main argument of Menon is that Obama does not understand the will of people with regards to their political leaders and it is the voters of the people who judge Rahul Gandhi’s abilities.
If one goes by Menon’s argument, Obama’s assessment of Rahul Gandhi has been time-and-again proved right as the people of the country have repeatedly, elections after elections, assessed Rahul Gandhi’s abilities and have voted against his party and its ideals.
In fact, Obama’s opinion on Rahul Gandhi, however, does not comes as surprising to many Indian, who have already realised the lack of capability of Rahul Gandhi to lead the Congress party.
Perhaps, the Congress party and its intelligentsia do not want to see the writing on the wall and accept that Rahul Gandhi is not cut for politics and intends to live in a bubble hoping that Rahul Gandhi would be their saviour in future.
It will not be any surprise if liberals hail Barack Obama by twisting his ‘criticism’ to pass it off as a ‘subtle praise’ of Rahul Gandhi. By citing Rahul Gandhi as a ‘young and a nervous student’, Obama has now opened an opportunity for liberals to hail the ‘coming of age’ of Rahul Gandhi.
Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut might have added on to the worries of his chief Uddhav Thackeray. In haste to attack BJP leader Kirit Somaniya for directing a few uncomfortable questions towards the Thackreys, Sanjay Raut inadvertently has let the cat out of the bag. Speaking to reporters here on Friday, Raut hit out at the BJP leader and said: “All these allegations are made to protect an accused. They are calling the land deal illegal but that deal is completely legal, nothing will be proved.”
Stating this, Raut claimed that hw will make the BJP ‘is at home’ for 25 years.
Raut’s statement came as a reply to BJP leader Kirit Somaniya who has been, for the past two days, seeking Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray’s explanation on alleged financial deals between the Thackerays and the family of deceased interior designer Anvay Naik. The Maharashtra Government had tried to implicate Republic TV chief Arnab Goswami recently for being involved in an alleged non-payment of dues to Naik, which allegedly led to his suicide in 2018.
Sanjay Raut confirms there was indeed a land deal between Uddhav Thackeray’s wife and Anvay Naik’s family
It is pertinent to note here that at no point of time did Kirit Somaniya question Uddhav Thackeray about the legalities of the land deal. Regardless of the legality of the illegality of it, questions are being raised if the hounding of Arnab Goswami is connected to the financial and personal relationship between Thackerays and Naiks. However, it has been confirmed now after Raut’s statement that the Thackerays did have financial dealings with the Naik family, especially Akshita Naik, in the past. Akshita Naik has been holding pressers recently, accusing Arnab of abetting her husband’s suicide.
BJP leader claims Arnab Goswami’s targeting was linked to the Thackerays’ dealings with Naik’s wife
For the second consecutive day today, BJP leader Kirit Somaiya addressed media persons at the BJP headquarters in Mumbai and alleged that Uddhav’s wife Rashmi Thackeray and Shiv Sena leader Ravindra Vaykar’s wife Manisha Vaykar had bought land from the deceased interior designer Anvay Naik.
“In the backdrop of the arrest of Republican TV editor-in-chief Arnab Goswami (in Anvay Naik and his mother’s abetment to suicide case) and suicide of Anvay Naik, who apparently was reeling under financial problems, it has become all the more significant to let the people of Maharashtra know what are the equations and financial issues between the Naik and Thackeray families,” Somaiya said.
Yesterday, the BJP leader had Tweeted saying that there are at least nine 7/12 extracts of such deals and claimed that the evidence of these land deals had been released on the public forum. He asked Uddhav Thackeray as to what exactly is the relationship between him and Anvay Naik’s family. He alleged that Rashmi Thackeray and Manisha Vaykar are in partnership with Naik.
उद्धव ठाकरे परिवार आणि अन्वय नाईक परिवारचे एकवीस 7/12, जमीन व्यवहाराचे पुरावे आज प्रसिध्द केले उद्धवजी ठाकरे आपले आणि अन्वय नाईक परिवाराचे संबंध काय? सौ रश्मी ठाकरे आणि सौ मनिषा वायकर या दोघांनी पार्टनरशिप मध्ये या जागा घेतल्या आहेत, वायकर आणि ठाकरे यांची बिझनेस पार्टनरशिप आहे का pic.twitter.com/50AybQef7p
He questioned as to why Uddhav Thackeray does not break his silence about the alleged deals between his family and the Naiks despite the case gaining so much prominence. He insinuated that the state government’s “targeting” of Republic TV’s Arnab Goswami was linked to the spouses of chief minister Uddhav Thackeray and Shiv Sena leader Ravindra Vaykar buying property from late Anvay Naik’s wife.
On November 11 also Kirit Somaiya shared the details of the several pieces of land jointly purchased by Uddhav Thackeray’s wife Rashmi Thackeray and one Manisha Ravindra Vaykar from Akshita Naik in March 2014 at about Rs 2.20 crore. Akshita Naik is the late Anvay Naik’s wife.
With so much information out in the open, it becomes imperative to revisit the situation under which Maharashtra police, at the behest of Uddhav Thackeray government had detained Republic TV chief Arnab Goswami for 8 straight days.
Arnab Goswami implicated by Shiv Sena in the closed Anvay Naik suicide case
Republic TV chief Arnab Goswami was arrested by Mumbai Police early morning on last Wednesday. A few Mumbai Police officers barged into Goswami’s residence, physically manhandling him and his family members before arresting him. He was arrested in connection with a 2018 abetment to suicide case that was already closed.
The case pertains to the death of an interior designer Anvay Naik, who, along with his mother was found dead in May 2018 and had left behind a note alleging that Arnab Goswami had not cleared his dues to the tune of ₹83 lacs. Anvay Naik and his mother Kumud were found dead in their Alibaug farmhouse. The suicide note had also two named two other people, namely Feroz Shaikh and Nitesh Sarda for non-clearance of dues of ₹4 crores and 55 lacs respectively. It is pertinent to note that the case was closed in April 2019 and has now been unilaterally opened by the police seemingly, to hound Arnab Goswami.
As per an exclusive report by The Indian Express, the officers investigating the Anvay Naik suicide case had found no links between Republic TV Editor Arnab Goswami, Nitesh Sarda and Feroz Shaikh. They found no evidence that could establish that the trio made life ‘unbearable’ for Naik or led to the abetment of suicide.
In their statement, Republic TV had declared that Anvay Naik’s firm had been paid most of the dues and the remaining amount was to be paid after the completion of the work which was never done. Arnab’s family had also stated that he had never had any direct dealings with Naik or his firm.
Seven people have died as a consequence of a ceasefire violation by the Pakistani Army at the Line of Control (LoC) in North Kashmir’s Baramulla, journalist Aditya Raj Kaul has reported. Official confirmation of the same is awaited but the journalist has reported that the deceased include 3 civilians, 3 Amy men and one from the Border Security Force (BSF).
Horrific news coming from LoC at Uri in North Kashmir’s Baramulla. 7 brutal deaths reported in Pakistan Army firing during their ceasefire violation. 3 civilians, 3 Army personnel and 1 BSF Jawan. Official confirmation is awaited. Some photographs I received are just so brutal.
The official handle of the BSF on Twitter said that at 1.15 pm on the 13th of November, SI Rakesh Doval deployed at Baramulla passed away due to ceasefire violation by Pakistan. Aditya Raj Kaul said that he had sustained an injury to his head at about 12.20 pm. At the time, the ceasefire violation by Pakistan was still underway.
On 13 Nov 2020 at 1315 hrs, SI Rakesh Doval of BSF Arty Regiment deployed along LoC in Baramulla, Kashmir laid down his life in line of duty while Pak forces resorted to Cease Fire Violation. DG BSF & all ranks of BSF salute his supreme sacrifice in service of nation.#JaiHindpic.twitter.com/oD981bfSeD
India retaliates, destroys Pakistan Army bunkers, fuel dumps and launch pads
Now, visuals have emerged where one can see the massive damage inflicted by India on Pakistan in retaliation of the ceasefire violation by the latter.
ANI reported a visual where India was seen destroying Pakistan army bunkers, fuel dumps and launch pads.
#WATCH | 7-8 Pakistan Army soldiers killed, 10-12 injured in the retaliatory firing by Indian Army in which a large number of Pakistan Army bunkers, fuel dumps, and launch pads have also been destroyed: Indian Army Sources pic.twitter.com/q3xoQ8F4tD
ANI has also reported that at least 7-8 Pakistani soldiers have been killed in Indian retaliation and as many as 10-12 soldiers have been injured.
This is a developing situation and the report will be updated with more information as and when received. There are reports of more injuries and deaths but we await confirmation of the same.
In yet another attack of Hindu saints, a sadhu was mercilessly assaulted by 7-8 unidentified miscreants in Ladasawangi Marg in the Chowk Complex in Aurangabad district of Maharashtra. The incident took place at his ashram on Wednesday.
As per reports, the accused barged into the ashram from the back door. They found a woman in one of the rooms and forced her into revealing the location of the ‘Maharaj’ of the ashram. The woman, who was evidently frightened, told the miscreants that the sadhu was upstairs. The accused then went upstairs and brutally assaulted the victim. He was also stabbed with a knife on his shoulder. After critically injuring the Sadhu’s leg, the men fled the crime scene. The victim, lay there injured and soaked in a pool of blood.
On being informed, the police rushed to the ashram and admitted him to a private hospital in Aurangabad. The Aurangabad police have initiated a probe in the case. They suspect the assault to be a case of ‘personal enmity.’ Moreover, a case has been registered against unidentified individuals. BJP leader Ram Kadam had shared a video on Twitter wherein the Hindu Sadhu could be seen lying unconscious on a hospital bed, with blood spots all over his vest.
Again a Hindu priest being attacked by in Aurangabad. Why these repeated attacks on sadhus happening in Maharashtra? It is extremely shameful that Maharashtra Govt doesn’t take any action against these attackers and that is why they repeat these dastardly acts. #PalgharSadhupic.twitter.com/Xy5Dvt8mAq
This is not the first time that such an incident has come to light from Maharashtra. On 16th April 2020, two Sadhus of Juna Akhara, Chikne Maharaj Kalpavrukshagiri (70), and Sushilgiri Maharaj (35) were lynched along with their 30-year old driver by a mob. The incident took place at Gadchinchale village in Palghar district, Maharashtra. They were on their way to Surat, Gujarat. The police were present at the scene, but the allegedly did not try to stop the mob or did anything to save the sadhus.
The fact-finding committee constituted to unravel the truth of the Palghar case, had revealed that the left-wing organizations working in the area have created hatred in the minds of the tribals against Hindus, its religious gurus, and sadhus. Vivek Vichar Manch formed the fact-finding team that comprised of retired judges, lawyers, and police officers.
Political violence has been one of the unpleasant realities for West Bengal for decades. The intensity of it has varied across time, with the extent of violence generally building towards a crescendo as elections approach. The past six years have followed the general pattern of the previous decades. This time around, at the helm of affairs is Mamata Banerjee and her opposition is the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
The mainstream media has the tendency to ignore political violence that does not suit their narrative and it is not surprising that the targeted violence against BJP karyakartas has not received the attention that it deserves. Simultaneously, deaths in explosions during the manufacturing of explosives by men allegedly associated with the Trinamool Congress has failed to register itself in the national consciousness.
But anyone who has been following West Bengal politics in recent times is acutely aware that things under Mamata Banerjee are worse than ever before. Political violence has reached unprecedented levels, there’s great anguish among the people due to unprecedented levels of corruption and the closer we approach to state elections, the more tyrannical the Trinamool government’s methods appear to become.
Therefore, it’s no surprise that among certain quarters, calls are being made for the imposition of president’s rule in the state. Unsurprisingly, the ones making the demand are from the BJP. The calls appear to have become even shriller since state president of the party, Dilip Ghosh, was attacked by allegedly the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha.
Demands for President’s Rule in West Bengal
BJP leaders have been warning of president’s rule in the state for quite some time. Bishnupur MP Saumitra Khan said in October, “The way TMC is committing crimes and atrocities in West Bengal, President’s rule will be imposed in the state within four month’s time in December”. Similarly, Asansol MP Babul Supriyo remarked, “The recent chain of events — ranging from the attack on a Sikh community member, the arrest of al-Qaeda operatives to brazen murder of Manish Shukla and other political opponents — show that it is a fit case for imposition of Article 365 in West Bengal.”
Towards the end of October, Kailash Vijayvargiya, secretary general of the BJP, said that there was very little possibility of free and fair elections under Mamata Banerjee. He said, “It is my personal opinion that free and fair election is not possible there (West Bengal) without the imposition of President’s rule as politicisation of bureaucracy has happened in that state. It is ok up to that, but now criminalisation of bureaucracy has also happened there.”
Vijayvargiya, the state in-charge of the BJP for West Bengal, also said that Mamata Banerjee herself would be responsible for the imposition of president’s rule in the state. It also has to be borne in mind that Home Minister Amit Shah has himself said in the past that considering the deteriorating law and order situation in the state, opposition parties have every right to demand the imposition of president’s rule.
Things as they currently stand
Since then, however, the BJP appears to be changing its stand on the imposition of president’s rule. Dilip Ghosh has said that Mamata Banerjee herself wants president’s rule to be imposed in the state. Speaking to a TV channel, he said, ‘Mamata Banerjee herself wants (article) 356 to be implemented in the state. She is forcing the Central Government in order to play the victim card during the elections’.
Article 356 is invoked by the president and permits the president to assume any or all functions of the state government or the governor other than its legislature. Ghosh went on to add, ‘If Bengal is under President’s rule, it will give CM Mamata Banerjee the sympathy of the common people and it will benefit her in the assembly elections. At present, there is a big challenge before the BJP in Bengal.’ He further added, ‘Anti-incumbency factor will not make much difference if people get sympathy’.
Amit Shah, too, said recently, “Article 356 is not a public issue. It is a constitutional matter. The Central government takes a decision on it based on the governor’s report. There is no need to enforce Article 356 here as the government will change only in April. So on whom will it be done?” Thus, clearly, the tone appears to be changing.
Will president’s rule be imposed in West Bengal?
Without a shadow of a doubt, political violence in Bengal is at unprecedented levels. There have been numerous deaths of BJP karyakartas in recent years and things have reached a point where not even elected MLAs are safe.
A BJP MLA in West Bengal was found dead recently and the circumstances surrounding his death is shrouded in mystery. Thus, there are no valid grounds to blame the BJP if president’s rule were to be imposed in the state. But it is a political decision and political decisions are taken bearing in mind political consequences.
Dilip Ghosh is obviously correct that Mamata Banerjee may secretly want president’s role to be imposed in the state. It will give her the golden opportunity to blame all her incompetence and failures on the central government and claim that her government’s failure from the very beginning were a consequence of interference from the centre.
It will certainly award her with an opportunity to play the victim card. Amit Shah believes that the anti-incumbency factor is strong enough for the BJP to be able to register a victory in the state elections next year. Under such circumstances, it is unlikely that president’s rule will be imposed in the state. But things could change very quickly.
If the governor comes to believe that free and fair elections will be impossible to conduct in the state under the current ruling dispensation, then it appears extremely likely that he will recommend the imposition of president’s rule. Thus, it is only in the event of a radical escalation of violence from current levels on the part of the Trinamool government that president’s rule in the state will be deemed to be a necessity.
After the Telangana High Court passed an order on November 12 banning sale and use of fireworks hours ahead of Diwali, the Telangana Fire Workers Dealers Association (TFWDA) has approached the Supreme Court seeking a stay on the High Court order. The TFWDA in their petition filed through Advocate Somanadri Goud K stated that the members of the association have been seriously affected by the ban on fireworks and that it violated their fundamental right to livelihood.
The plea states that the order was passed by the High Court without making the association a party to the case and without considering the impact it would have on the members engaged in manufacturing such products. The petition stated, “It is important to acknowledge nexus between law and economics in current times wherein a balanced approach needs to be adopted for balancing of the two rights available to the citizens under Article 19(1)(g) and 21 of the Constitution of India.”
The association contented that the High Court order had caused immense financial difficulties to fireworks vendors especially because firecrackers were a seasonal business and heavy investments were made for it. They argued that the High Court failed to consider the economic adversities that would be caused to lakhs of people and their families who were directly or indirectly employed by the fireworks industry in Telangana.
The petition referred to the order of the Supreme Court (passed in Arjun Gopal and Ors. v Union of India and Ors) in which it had allowed the manufacturing and sale of green and improved firecrackers in adherence to the prescribed standards of Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organisation (PESO). The Supreme Court had observed that a complete ban on firecrackers would not serve the interest of justice. It was contended by the petitioners that the High Court order was passed without considering the pendency of proceedings in Arjun Gopal case wherein directions were given from time to time keeping in view the Air Quality Index and other relevant factors. The TFWDA has pleaded before the court to pass an ex-parte-ad-interim stay on the operation and and effect of the impugned order.
The High Court passed the order banning fireworks despite being informed that the state was following the guidelines of the National Green Tribunal (NGT).
Sivakasi fireworks vendors badly affected
People engaged in the production and sale of fireworks in Sivakasi, Tamil Nadu have been severely affected by the ban that has been imposed in several states.
Sivakasi: People engaged in production & sale of firecrackers say their business is badly affected due to ban on firecrackers in many States.
General Secy of #TamilNadu Fireworks Merchants Association Federation says,”Orders were less due to COVID, now things have become worse.” pic.twitter.com/ZjkQYCPnye
General Secretary of Tamil Nadu Fireworks Merchants Association Federation said that orders were already less due to Wuhan virus pandemic and the ban made the situation worse.
States that have banned fireworks on Diwali
According to reports, as many as 9 other states and UTs have imposed a ban on fireworks on Diwali including Delhi-NCR, Maharashtra, West Bengal, Odisha, Karnataka, Haryana, Rajasthan, Sikkim and Chandigarh. The National Green Tribunal had sent notices to 18 states and union territories to expand the scope of hearing cases on pollution by firecrackers during Diwali.
