Din in Maharashtra council as BJP blames Sharad Pawar for activist Jarange's aggressive comments 2
BJP leader Praveen Darekar on Tuesday took a dim view in the Maharashtra legislative council of Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange’s aggressive comments against Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and sought to blame senior politician Sharad Pawar for it.
Members of the opposition parties objected to this, leading to din in the House and its adjournment for five minutes.
Speaking in Antarwali Sarati village in Jalna district on Sunday, Jarange alleged Fadnavis was trying to kill him. The activist also said he would march to Mumbai and protest outside the residence of the deputy CM.
Jarange had also claimed that a poisoning attempt was made against him through saline, though he did not elaborate on it.
BJP legislator Darekar raised the issue in the Upper House of the state legislature on Tuesday.
He claimed NCP-Sharadchandra Pawar leaders, including Sharad Pawar, Jalna MLA Rajesh Tope and Rohit Pawar, had held a meeting with Jarange and ensured the activist creates unrest in the state.
Darekara’s allegations irked the opposition side, including Leader of Opposition Ambadas Danve and NCP-Sharadchandra Pawar MLC Shashikant Shinde, who objected to his comments.
Members from the ruling and opposition sides got into an argument over the matter.
Despite several appeals by council’s deputy chairperson Neelam Gorhe, both the sides refused to back down. Gorhe then adjourned the House for five minutes.
Senior India pacer Mohammed Shami has undergone successful surgery on his left achilles tendon, which rules him out of next month’s Indian Premier League and possibly the T20 World Cup in June.
The 33-year-old, who last played for India in the ODI World Cup final against Australia on November 19, went under the knife in London on Monday.
Shami, who is eager to ”get back on my feet soon”, stares at a recovery time of a minimum of three months.
He will thus miss the IPL, slated to be played from March 22 to May 26, as reported by PTI last week.
Shami is also a doubtful starter for the T20 World Cup in the Caribbean and the USA.
”Just had a successful heel operation on my achilles tendon! Recovery is going to take some time, but looking forward to getting back on my feet,” Shami tweeted, along with several pictures of him in the hospital, on X on Monday.
Shami, who was one of the architects of India’s stupendous ODI World Cup campaign with 24 wickets, had played through pain as he had problems with his landing but didn’t let it affect his performance.
He had flown to London in January to take special ankle injections. However, the medication didn’t work and the fast bowler had to opt for surgery.
The absence of Shami is a major blow for Gujarat Titans, who have also traded all-rounder Hardik Pandya to Mumbai Indians in an all-cash deal. Shami was the side’s highest wicket-taker during their runner-up finish in IPL last year.
Shami, who was recently conferred with the Arjuna Award, has 229 Test, 195 ODI and 24 T20 wickets in his decade-long career.
The development raises a question mark about the injury rehabilitation management programme planned by the National Cricket Academy (NCA) for Shami.
It is also highly unlikely that the pacer would be able to make a comeback before India’s Test matches at home against Bangladesh and New Zealand (October November).
His target could be the marquee away series against Australia.
Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange withdraws his indefinite fast after 17 days 6
Activist Manoj Jarange on Monday announced he is withdrawing his 17-day-old fast undertaken over the Maratha quota issue, but insisted he would continue his agitation until the Maharashtra government starts issuing Kunbi caste certificates to extended family members of people already having such documents, thereby allowing them to avail reservation benefits.
Jarange’s decision came a day after he announced a march to Mumbai to press for his demands related to quota in jobs and education for the Maratha community and coincided with the start of the budget session of the state legislature in Mumbai.
Last week, both houses of the state legislature unanimously passed a bill providing 10 per cent separate reservation for the Maratha community in education and government jobs. Jarange, sitting on an indefinite hunger strike since February 10 at Antarwali Sarati village in Jalna district, however, insisted on quota for the Marathas under the OBC category and had continued his fast.
”Although I am suspending my agitation (hunger strike) today, there will be 3 to 4 youths who would sit here and fast every day for our demands. I will also visit some villages and explain my stand to them. They could not come to meet me here (at Antarwali Sarati village) because of restrictions imposed by the home department,” he said.
Asked about several police complaints filed against him over the quota stir, the activist appeared unfazed.
”If they want to prosecute me, I have no issues, but (by doing so) they will invite trouble. People would get angry, and the CM and the home minister would face consequences. It is their call now,” he said.
Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Sunday evening warned the Maratha quota activist, asking him not to test the patience of the state government after Jarange levelled certain allegations against deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis, who also holds the home portfolio. Jarange had also made some references to the caste of BJP leader Fadnavis, a Brahmin.
The activist had earlier said the Maratha quota bill may not stand legal scrutiny. In the wake of Jarange’s fast, the government recently issued a draft notification which said if a Maratha person has documentary proof to show that he or she belongs to the agrarian Kunbi community, the person’s ‘sage soyre’ or blood relatives, too, would get Kunbi caste certificates.
The Kunbi community falls in the Other Backward Classes (OBCs) category, and Jarange has been demanding that Kunbi certificates be issued to all Marathas, thus making them eligible for quota benefits.
Veteran Ghazal singer Pankaj Udhas passes away due to a prolonged illness 8
Veteran Ghazal singer Pankaj Udhaspasses away due to a prolonged illness, confirms his family.
“With a very heavy heart, we are saddened to inform you of the sad demise of Padmashri Pankaj Udhas on 26th February 2024 due to a prolonged illness,” posts Nayaab Udhas on Instagram.
Haryana home minister assures Assembly of CBI probe into killing of INLD state chief 10
Haryana Home Minister Anil Vij told the Assembly on Monday that a CBI probe will be announced in connection with the killing of the Indian National Lok Dal’s (INLD) state unit chief, Nafe Singh Rathee.
Vij also denied the opposition’s charge that the law-and-order mechanism has collapsed in the state.
”If the House is only satisfied with a CBI probe, then I assure the members that we will hand over the case to the CBI,” Vij said while speaking on an adjournment motion moved by the Congress over Haryana’s law-and-order situation.
Speaker Gian Chand Gupta admitted the adjournment motion as the Congress demanded a high court judge-monitored CBI probe into Rathee’s killing.
Soon after the Question Hour, the Congress members raised the issue of Rathee’s killing and demanded a discussion on law and order.
Rathee and an INLD worker were killed when unidentified assailants sprayed their sports utility vehicle (SUV) with bullets at Bahadurgarh, near Delhi, on Sunday.
The attack, which came with less than two months to go for the Lok Sabha polls, drew sharp reactions from the opposition parties in the BJP-ruled state.
Twelve people, including former Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA Naresh Kaushik, were booked on Monday in connection with Rathee’s killing, police said.
Vij told the Assembly that police are properly probing the incident, but when Leader of Opposition Bhupinder Singh Hooda said the case might involve various angles that can only be investigated by a central agency, the home minister said a CBI probe will be announced.
Congress leader Raghuvir Singh Kadian asked the speaker to allow a discussion on the adjournment motion moved by his party.
The speaker admitted the adjournment motion after which the House discussed the issue.
Kadian described Rathee’s killing as the state’s ”first political murder” and demanded a high court judge-monitored CBI probe into the incident.
His demand was backed by Hooda.
Kadian also said Rathee was not given a security cover despite the fact that he was facing threats.
Vij described Rathee’s killing as a very sad incident.
”I immediately directed the officials concerned to take action. I spoke to the DGP, the Jhajjar SP and the head of the STF, and directed them to catch the culprits at the earliest,” he said.
Vij said the registration number of the car is being verified.
On the opposition targeting the BJP over the alleged breakdown of law and order, he said, ”It is being said that the entire law-and-order system has broken down in the state, which is not true.” Those behind Rathee’s killing will not be spared and exemplary punishment will be given to them, the home minister said.
Earlier, paying homage to Rathee when the House was condoling his death and that of former Lok Sabha speaker Manohar Joshi, Kadian said the INLD leader’s death was not natural.
”It is a political murder and the first one in Haryana since it was carved out as a separate state (in 1966),” the Congress leader said.
Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar led the House in paying tributes to Rathee.
Kadian said Rathee came from a farmer family and rose to become an MLA after a lot of struggle in life.
”We demand a high court judge-monitored CBI probe into the incident,” he said.
Kadian said Rathee was facing threats to his life and had sought a security cover for himself. ”The question that arises is, why security was not provided to Rathee,” he added.
Since the FIR lodged in connection with the incident has named some accused with a political background, it is a ”political murder”, the Congress leader claimed.
Hooda said even in the past, many MLAs had faced threats, while Congress leader B B Batra said a ”sense of insecurity is prevailing among the state’s citizens”.
”The circumstances are such today that every citizen in Haryana is feeling insecure. Even MLAs in the past have faced threats. If our state is unsafe, then development cannot take place, no investment will come,” Hooda said.
Senior Congress leader Kiran Choudhary said, ”Haryana’s law and order is worse than Uttar Pradesh and Bihar…. A state of fear has gripped the state after the incident (Rathee’s killing).” Congress leader Geeta Bhukkal said, ”Criminal elements have become so emboldened that traders are getting threats and incidents of killing and other heinous crimes have become common. Haryana has become unsafe as law and order has broken down.” Congress’s Neeraj Sharma alleged that the government is busy monitoring the activities of the MLAs, instead of giving top priority to their security.
Congress member Kuldeep Vats said there have been instances in the past when MLAs received threats, while his party colleague Jagbir Malik described Rathee’s killing as a serious incident. ”Tomorrow, it can be anyone amongst us,” Malik said.
Haryana has never witnessed political murders, said Aftab Ahmed, the Congress MLA from Nuh.
Khattar had on Sunday said not a single culprit in the case will be spared. Police have been instructed to arrest the accused as soon as possible and take strictest action, he had added.
Senior INLD leader Abhay Singh Chautala accused the BJP-JJP government of failing to provide security to Rathee, despite there being a threat to his life. He also demanded a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) into the incident.
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has also hit out at the Khattar government over the incident.
Govt using tricks, conspiracies to undermine Maratha agitation: Manoj Jarange Patil 12
Maratha activist Manoj Jarange on Saturday accused the Maharashtra government of using “tricks and conspiracies” to undermine their ongoing agitation for reservation for the community in government jobs and education. Addressing the media at his Antarwali Sarati village in Jalna district, Jarange said he would disclose his next course of action on Sunday and asked people from the community to gather there.
He alleged that the government was deploying “tricks and conspiracies” the scuttle their efforts for quota and questioned the delay in converting the notification on ‘blood relatives’ of Kunbi Marathas into a law.
Jaranage also accused the police of registering cases against Maratha protesters at the behest of the state home minister (Devendra Fadnavis). The activist urged Maratha community members to hold “rasta roko” (road blockade) from 11 am to 1 pm at their respective places on Saturday, revising his earlier call to hold such demonstrations in morning or evening hours. The Maharashtra legislature during a one-day special session on Tuesday unanimously passed a bill providing 10 per cent reservation for the Marathas in education and government jobs under a separate category, but Jarange has been firm on his demand for quota for the community under the OBC head.
Gemini not always reliable in responding to prompts: Google after chatbot's response on PM Modi 14
Under fire over AI tool Gemini’s objectionable response and bias to a question on PM Narendra Modi, Google on Saturday said it has worked quickly to address the issue and conceded that the chatbot ”may not always be reliable” in responding to certain prompts related to current events and political topics.
On Friday, Union Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar had warned that Google’s AI tool Gemini’s response to a question around the Prime Minister is in direct violation of IT rules as well as several provisions of the criminal code.
Chandrasekhar, Minister of State for IT and Electronics, had taken cognizance of the issue raised by verified accounts of a journalist alleging bias in Google Gemini in response to a question on Modi while it gave no clear answer when a similar question was asked for Trump and Zelenskyy.
In an e-mail statement, a Google spokesperson said, ”We’ve worked quickly to address this issue.” Google further said Gemini is built as a creativity and productivity tool and ”may not always be reliable, especially when it comes to responding to some prompts about current events, political topics, or evolving news”.
”This is something that we’re constantly working on improving,” the spokesperson said.
Earlier, the minister had marked the post to Google and Ministry of Electronics and IT indicating further action in the matter.
”These are direct violations of Rule 3(1)(b) of Intermediary Rules (IT rules) of the IT act and violations of several provisions of the Criminal code,” Chandrasekhar said on social media platform X.
The journalist has shared a screenshot in which a question was asked to Gemini about Modi. In response, Gemini made uncharitable comments about him but was circumspect when the same query was posed about Trump and Zelenskyy.
In fact, the chatbot’s text-to-image generation feature has been embroiled in controversies.
Recently, the Mountain View, California-based tech giant temporarily paused Gemini Artificial Intelligence chatbot’s images generation of people, after ‘inaccuracies’ were flagged in historical images the chatbot was generating.
Social media platform X (formerly Twitter) has erupted with posts describing Gemini as ”too woke” when generating historical images.
MP Congress leader says BJP poaching their leaders in state; ruling party calls it frustration 16
A former minister from Madhya Pradesh has alleged that the BJP has instructed its leaders in every district of the state to poach Congressmen, a charge attributed by the ruling party to “sheer frustration”. Senior Congress leader and former member of Parliament from Dewas Sajjan Singh Verma made the claim while addressing a party meeting in Ratlam on Friday. In a video of the address that has surfaced on social media, Varma can be seen telling his party men, “BJP has deployed one representative in every district (to ensure defection by Congress leaders). Be it sarpanch, panch or any other leader of the Congress (make them defect).” Varma is considered a staunch supporter of former MP chief minister Kamal Nath. Recently, there was intense speculation that Nath would be crossing over to the BJP. At the same time, senior BJP leader Kailash Vijayvargiya had asserted that his party’s doors were closed for Nath.
Mentioning Vijayvargiya’s statement, Verma said, “Your doors are infested with termites and it will be evident in the coming elections. The BJP members should understand that the loyalty of my grassroots Congress workers runs deeper.” When asked about Verma’s statements, state BJP spokesman Pankaj Chaturvedi said it was due to “sheer frustration”.
“Such statements by Sajjan Singh Verma are natural, given the plight of Congress now. We can understand their state of mind. Crores of the BJP workers are serving the people across the country,” he said.
Chaturvedi said that those who wanted to join the BJP to serve people are welcome but it is up to the saffron party to decide their entry.
NCP rivals Supriya Sule, Rajesh Tope attend meet chaired by Maha dy CM Ajit Pawar over water woes 18
Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar on Saturday held a meeting with the administrative officials over the water crisis in western Maharashtra. The meeting was held at Circuit House in Pune.
Nationalist Congress Party (NCP)-Sharadchandra Pawar leaders Supriya Sule, Rajesh Tope and Rohit Pawar also attended the meeting. Speaking to reporters ahead of the meeting, Sule said there are serious concerns about drinking water in her constituency, Baramati which she wants to bring to the attention of the government.
“Ajit Pawar is the deputy CM of Maharashtra and the Guardian Minister of Pune district. Ujani Dam and Nazare Dam, which are situated in my constituency (Baramati), have run out of water. There are serious concerns about drinking and irrigation water in the area,” Sule said. “I came to the meeting to request that the government take a serious note of the situation and mobilise necessary action. I came to meet Ajit Pawar to brief him on the prevailing water crisis in my constituency,” the Lok Sabha MP added.
Earlier, on February 22, Sule hit out at the state government for ‘neglecting’ the drinking and irrigation water scarcity in her constituency. “Baramati Lok Sabha constituency is experiencing drought this year. There is an urgent need for drinking water and fodder for livestock. Due to less rain this year, urban areas are also suffering from a shortage of drinking water. Apart from this, there is insufficient water for agriculture. Even when all these situations are visible, the government does not seem to be making enough efforts. It is an election year and it is hoped that drought relief work should not take second place in these works. On the contrary, the government gave priority to the work of drought relief and supported the people,” Sule posted from her official X handle.
She urged the state to prioritise villagers’ issues and ensure regular water supply for them while also highlighting the livestock fodder problem. “Many villages are experiencing a shortage of drinking water even as the intense summer season is yet to begin. This includes villages in remote areas. The government should consider these villages as a priority and take immediate measures to deliver water to them,” she added to her post.
“The livestock fodder problem is serious in most of the villages. Fodder camps for livestock and tankers for drinking water are badly needed. The government should urgently plan and take appropriate measures in this regard. Apart from this, water has to be provided at various places to preserve the biodiversity in the forest area. Otherwise, the possibility of wild animals coming to urban settlements in search of water cannot be ruled out. The Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister should review the situation and give instructions to the administration to take appropriate measures in this regard as well,” Sule added.
Assam CM Sarma attacks Congress after Zeeshan Siddique claimed he was asked to lose 10kg to meet Rahul Gandhi 20
After the Former Mumbai Youth Congress president Zeeshan Siddique’s claim of being asked to lose 10kg weight to meet Rahul Gandhi, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma hit out at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi equating him with North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un. “The only other person, I can think of, who makes such ridiculous demands from his party workers – that they should look nice and photogenic – is a dynast who rules North Korea,” Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma posted on X.
The Assam Chief Minister was reacting to a claim made by former Mumbai Youth Congress president Zeeshan Siddique. On February 21, Zeeshan Siddiqui who was removed from the post of Mumbai Youth Congress President had claimed that he was asked to lose weight if he wanted an audience with Rahul Gandhi. “Mallikarjun Kharge is such a senior leader but even his hands are tied…Rahul Gandhi is doing his work, but it looks like his team has taken ‘supari’ from other parties to finish Congress. During Bharat Jodo Yatra in Nanded, I was told by one of the persons close to Rahul Gandhi that I should lose 10kg of weight and then he would make me meet him…”
In 2017, Himanta Biswa Sarma had hit out at Rahul Gandhi when the Congress leader had posted a picture of himself feeding his dog. Sarma at the time had alleged that Rahul Gandhi he had once preferred to play with the dog instead of listening to his own cadre. Sarma had quit the Congress in 2014 to join the BJP. Zeeshan Siddiqui , is the son of former MLA Baba Siddiqui, who severed ties with the Congress earlier this month. Baba Siddiqui quit the Congress and joined the Ajit Pawar faction of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP). It is likely that Zeeshan will follow his fathers footsteps.
