Stopping the engagement of specialists and advisors will ”completely strangulate” Delhi government and its services, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said on Thursday, hoping the move will be quashed by the Supreme Court.
Kejriwal’s remarks came days after Lt governor VK Saxena approved the termination of engagements of 400 specialists working with the Delhi government. In a follow up to the mass removal, the Services department on Wednesday wrote to different departments and agencies of government to stop engagement of persons as fellows and advisors without the approval of the LG.
”This will completely strangulate Delhi govt and its services. I don’t know what does Hon’ble LG achieve by doing all this? I hope Hon’ble SC immediately quashes it,” Kejriwal said in a tweet on Thursday. Saxena terminated the services of around 400 ‘specialists’ appointed by the Kejriwal government in different departments, citing alleged irregularities in recruitment.
”… All the departments/organizations/boards, etc. under Govt. of NCT of Delhi are therefore directed… All the departments shall immediately stop engagements of all the Fellows/Associate, Fellows/Advisors/Dy. Advisors/Specialists/Senior Research Officers/Consultants, by whatever name, wherein approval of the Hon’ble Lt Governor, Delhi has not been obtained till date,” said the Services department order. It also asked the Finance Department not to release salaries henceforth for those engaged without the LG’s approval.
Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal on Thursday dubbed the political developments in Maharashtra as a ”tamasha”, and said the law seems to allow it.
He also said the political developments were about ”loaves of power” and not people.
The remarks by Sibal, a noted advocate, came after NCP leader Ajit Pawar and eight others were inducted into the Eknath Shinde-led Maharashtra government.
Ajit Pawar pulled off a stunning revolt in the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) on Sunday, triggering a vertical split, and joined hands with the ruling Shiv Sena-BJP alliance in Maharashtra to become the deputy chief minister.
In a tweet, Sibal said, ”Maharashtra politics, this is not democracy. It’s a ‘Tamasha’& The law seems to allow it! It is about the loaves of power, not people!” Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar on Wednesday said he aspired to become the CM of the state and also took a jibe at NCP chief Sharad Pawar asking his 83-year-old uncle when will he retire from active politics, as the rebel leader appeared to be ahead in the numbers game for control of the NCP after its vertical split.
The warring Pawar camps held separate meetings in Mumbai in a show of strength.
As many as 32 of the 53 Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) MLAs attended the meeting called by the Ajit Pawar group, while 18 MLAs were present at the conclave addressed by Sharad Pawar, sources in both factions said.
"Had we not given CM post to Congress..." Maharashtra Deputy CM Ajit Pawar 4
Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar on Wednesday took a veiled dig at his uncle and NCP chief Sharad Pawar, lamenting that the state would have a Chief Minister from Nationalist Congress Party only till date, had the party not conceded the top post to Congress during the 2004 Vidhan Sabha election when NCP had more MLAs.
While addressing party legislators and other workers in Bandra, Ajit Pawar said, “In the 2004 Vidhan Sabha election, NCP had more MLAs than Congress. Had we not given Chief Minister post to Congress at that time, till date, Maharashtra would have had a Chief Minister only from Nationalist Congress Party”.
NCP bagged 71 seats while Congress had secured 69 seats in the 2004 legislative elections. While recalling a meeting in 2017 at Varsha Bungalow, Pawar said, “On the orders of the senior leaders of the party, Chhagan Bhujbal, Jayant Patel, I and several others had gone there. Several leaders from BJP were also there. There were discussions among us over cabinet portfolio allocation and positions of Guardian Ministers. But later our party took a step back”.
Defending his decision to join the Eknath Shinde-Devendra Fadnavis government, the leader of Ajit Pawar faction, Praful Patel, who spoke before him said, “What is the objection to going with Bharatiya Janata Party?” “When we could accept the ideology of Shiv Sena, then what is the objection to going with BJP? We have joined this alliance as an independent entity,” he said.
“Peoples Democratic Party Chief Mehbooba Mufti and former chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir Farooq Abdullah went with BJP in Jammu and Kashmir and they are now part of the joint opposition,” Patel said. In 2015, BJP entered into an alliance with PDP as no party could get a majority in the 2014 Assembly polls in the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir. However, in 2018, BJP pulled out of its coalition government with the PDP.
He said they have joined the Eknath-Shinde government for the sake of the nation. “I went to the joint opposition meeting in Patna with Sharad Pawar, and I felt like laughing when I saw the scene there. There were 17 opposition parties there, 7 of them have only 1 MP in the Lok Sabha and there is one party that has no MP,” he said, referring to an Opposition meeting held in Patna last month.
“They claim they will bring change… This decision (of joining NDA) we have taken is for the nation and our party and not for personal gain,” Patel claimed. The crisis in NCP is escalating with two factions calling separate meetings today in an apparent show of strength.
NCP suffered a split on Sunday with Ajit Pawar joining the Eknath Shinde-BJP government along with eight other MLAs.
China dismisses criticism of top diplomat's comments appearing to push for race-based alliance 6
China on Wednesday dismissed criticism of racially tinged comments by its top diplomat, who said Westerners are incapable of distinguishing among Chinese, Koreans and Japanese.
“Americans take all visitors from China, South Korea and Japan as Asians. They cannot tell the differences and it’s the same in Europe,” said Wang Yi, a former foreign minister who now heads the ruling Communist Party’s foreign affairs commission.
“No matter how yellow you dye your hair, or how sharp you make your nose, you’ll never turn into a European or American, you’ll never turn into a Westerner.” “One needs to know where one’s roots are,” Wang said at a trilateral forum in the northern Chinese city of Qingdao on Monday.
”China, Japan, Korea — if we can join hands and cooperate, it would not only suit the interests of our three countries, but also the wishes of our peoples and together we can prosper, revitalise East Asia and enrich the world.” Wang’s comments drew immediate condemnation, particularly from scholars online. Asked about the critical response at a briefing on Wednesday, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin replied, “we cannot agree with it at all”.
In a speech to the forum, Wang Yi emphasised cooperation among the three nations, adding that “some major countries outside the region deliberately exaggerate ideological differences, weave various exclusive small circles, and try to replace cooperation with confrontation and unity with division”.
That was a clear reference to the United States, China’s chief rival, which it routinely accuses of hegemonism.
The US has security alliances with both Japan and South Korea, whose open societies and multiparty democracies contrast sharply with China’s strict authoritarian one-party system. China’s closest allies in northeast Asian are North Korea and Russia.
“Only a region that is united and self-reliant can eliminate external interference and achieve sustainable development,” added Wang, who then promoted a series of Chinese initiatives, including Communist Party leader Xi Jinping’s signature “Belt and Road” cross-border infrastructure project.
China has for centuries viewed itself as the economic, political and cultural centre of East Asia, a role it is seeking to regain under Xi’s aggressive foreign policy and campaign for the ”Great Rejuvenation of the Chinese Nation”.
On Twitter, Bonnie Glaser, Asia Director of the George Marshall Fund of the United States, wrote: “This message will not land well with Japan and South Korea. Does Wang Yi really think that national interests are less important than appearance?” “The irony of … Wang Yi telling Japanese and Koreans you can never become an American,’ is that Japanese and Koreans become Americans every day,” wrote Jeff M. Smith, director of the Asian Studies Centre at US think tank The Heritage Foundation.
“They’re part of the fabric of America. What they can’t become is Chinese. Tone deaf. Again,” Smith wrote.
There are millions of US citizens of Chinese, Japanese and Korean heritage.
Some commentators also noted that Wang’s comments were reminiscent of Japan’s 20th century “Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere”, essentially a front for its bid to conquer much of the continent and supplant Western influence.
In his speech and in later comments, Wang papered over historical and current differences among the three countries. China fought against South Korea on behalf of North Korea during the 1950-53 Korean War, and still bears strong resentment toward Japan over its brutal World War II invasion and occupation of much of China.
Maharashtra Politics: BJP compromising its stand against corruption? 8
While addressing the BJP booth workers in Bhopal, Prime Minister Narendra Modi accused the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) of being involved in corruption worth Rs 70,000 crore. He also urged Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) workers to uncover more scams and increase NCP’s “scam meter”. Since 2014, PM Modi and former CM of Maharashtra Devendra Fadnavis called NCP a national corrupt party; they took dig at the party during many political rallies. Modi’s attacks were driven by anxiety. Modi promised people to have a firm stand against corruption and he assured people that no corrupt politician would be spared and on the other hand all corrupt politicians joined BJP and got clean chit. By making Ajit Pawar a deputy CM of Maharashtra BJP has actually conveyed to the people that corruption is just an election gimmick but they have no objection to the corruption if they join the BJP camp.
Time and again Maharashtra’s politics has seen all-time lows. Notably, the total strength of the Maharashtra legislative assembly is 288 and a minimum of 145 is needed to win the trust vote. After Eknath Shinde and his supporters’ rebellion against Uddhav Thackeray in 2022, the new alliance between Shinde and Fadnavis increased to 164. And, with Ajit Pawar’s move, the NDA government’s seats crossed the 200-mark. And 90 per cent of the leaders are corrupt but BJP is fine with it. The politicians who were once under the continuous target of the BJP have now become free from all the charges of corruption after joining them and have received prominent posts. Be it Bengal, Assam, Maharashtra or any other states, the politicians, who were once the constant target of BJP, become stain-free by getting washed in a washing machine after joining BJP. Now no action will be taken against them.
The Lok Sabha elections of 2024 might emerge as a Hindi movie plot. There is betrayal, hate, hijack and a new sense of insecurity. On one side is the BJP, led by Narendra Modi has geared to win a third consecutive mandate to rule the country. Jawaharlal Nehru remains the only political leader in India who won three consecutive mandates. If the BJP pulls off 2024, PM Modi will become the second one. On the other side is an array of Opposition parties that are equally determined to depose the BJP in 2024 and deny PM Modi a shot at making history.
Soon after NCP President Sharad Pawar removed party working president Praful Patel and general secretary Sunil Tatkare for engaging in “anti-party” activities, the faction owing allegiance to Ajit Pawar hit back by sacking state unit president Jayant Patil and making new appointments. Patel appointed Ajit Pawar as the leader of the NCP legislature party. The tit for tat actions came a day after Ajit Pawar joined the Eknath Shinde-BJP government as deputy chief minister along with eight other NCP MLAs who were inducted as ministers.
In Maharashtra the NCP aligned with BJP and the Shinde Sena is confused because they don’t know for whom they should seek votes. As the party they belong to has already lost its credibility. For example those who love Shaead Pawar and his NCP may not vote for those NCP leaders who aligned with BJP. Similarly, those who believe in the Thackeray family and that Shiv Sena may not entertain Shinde Sena. One need to look at Ajit Pawar’s and trusted aides like Praful Patel and Chagan Bhujbal’s “betrayal” of and Nationalist Congress Party founder Sharad Pawar. Soon after Ajit Pawar took oath as Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra and joined the Eknath Shinde led government, critics accused the BJP of once again behaving like a washing machine.
People may think of action by investigative agencies like the Enforcement Directorate, it seemed that Ajit Pawar and other “rebels” had little choice but to join hands with the BJP. But in reality BJP needed Ajit Pawar in its camp to strengthen and improve its chances of winning in 2024 and keeping Shinde in check. In Maharashtra, the BJP and now estranged Shiv Sena (Uddhav Thackeray) won 41 out of the 48 seats and ensured the victory of an independent candidate. Let’s see how these new equations are going to work for BJP. Will people accept BJP’s diluted stand against corruption?
(Any suggestions, comments or dispute with regards to this article send us on feedback@afternoonvoice.com)
10 killed, more than 20 injured as truck rams into highway hotel in Dhule 10
At least 10 people were killed and more than 20 injured after a container truck hit four vehicles and then rammed into a hotel on a highway in Maharashtra’s Dhule district on Tuesday, police said.
The accident took place at around 10.45 am near Palasner village on Mumbai-Agra highway in Dhule, located more than 300 km from the state capital, a police official said.
The brakes of the truck failed, following which its driver lost control over the wheels. It hit two motorcycles, a car and another container from the rear side.
The truck then rammed into a hotel near a bus stop on the highway and overturned, he said.
”At least 10 people were killed and more than 20 injured,” the official said.
The truck was going towards Dhule from Madhya Pradesh.
The victims included some of those waiting for a bus at the stop, he said. After being alerted, the police rushed to the spot.
The injured persons were rushed to hospitals in Shirpur and Dhule, the police said.
K'taka assemby adjourns following BJP protests over 'failure' of Cong govt to fulfill poll promises 12
The Karnataka assembly was adjourned briefly on Tuesday following protests by the opposition BJP over alleged delay in implementation of five guarantees made by the ruling Congress ahead of the elections.
BJP MLAs trooped into the well of the House and raised slogans against the ruling Congress, leading to a brief adjournment by Speaker U T Khader.
The proceedings began with the Speaker allowing the star question to be raised.
Accordingly, Congress MLA Shivalinge Gowda rose to raise the question.
However, former Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai demanded acceptance of adjournment motion and discussion on the issue in place of the question hour.
Joining him, BJP MLA R Ashoka accused the government of ”cheating” people in the name of five guarantees.
Soon other saffron party legislators too raised their voice demanding that their submission be allowed first.
The speaker repeatedly appealed to the opposition BJP to allow the Question Hour to take place, but to no avail.
Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar took a swipe at the BJP saying they were unable to tolerate the success of five guarantees.
”Let the Question Hour happen. Then we will hear their (BJP’s) ‘Pearl of Wisdom’,” Shivakumar said.
However, the BJP MLAs were adamant to make a submission about the ‘failure’ in implementation of the five promises.
Shivakumar sought to know whether the BJP ever fulfilled its promise of depositing Rs 15 lakh in everyone’s bank account and bringing back black money parked overseas.
”We are committed to our promises and we will fulfill them,” he asserted.
In his address, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah too appealed to the BJP to give up it’s ‘adamant posture’.
Soon the BJP legislators trooped into the well of the house raising slogans against the government and disrupted the proceedings.
Due to the din, Speaker Khader adjourned the proceedings for a brief period.
Madras HC delivers split verdict in plea against Senthil Balaji arrest; refers case to larger bench 14
Madras High Court on Tuesday delivered a split verdict on the Habeas Corpus plea filed by the wife of Tamil Nadu minister Senthil Balaji against his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate last month in connection with a money-laundering case. The plea will now be referred to a larger bench.
The split verdict was delivered by a division bench of Justices Nisha Banu and D Bharatha Chakravarthy. While Nisha Banu concluded that the habeas corpus plea filed for Balaji’s release is maintainable and therefore be allowed, Justice D Bharatha Chakravarthy said he could not agree with the opinion. According to the lawyer for petitioner NR Elango that because of the split verdict the status quo continues.
“As of now, the status quo continues because of the split verdict. One of the judges accepted our plea that ED has no power to seek Police custody…It has been held by one of the judges that it is a case of illegal arrest..,” said senior advocate and DMK Rajya Sabha MP Elango. Senthil Balaji was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with a money laundering case.
Balaji’s wife, S Megala, had filed a habeas corpus plea against the minister’s arrest before the High Court on June 14. Justice Nisha Banu was of the opinion that the ED is not entrusted with powers to seek police custody under the Prevention of Mondy Laundering Act (PMLA).
Senior Counsel NR Elango’s argument in the court was that Balaji’s arrest had come without prior notice and hence it was illegal. “The procedure adopted by Enforcement Directorate is totally illegal and unconstitutional. He was taken into custody by ED without informing him of the grounds of his arrest. We will fight this case legally,” Elango had told reporters on June 14.
The Supreme Court, earlier in June, refused to interfere with the Madras High Court order allowing Balaji to be moved to a private hospital in Chennai and entertaining a habeas corpus petition filed against his arrest.
India summons Canadian envoy over Khalistani extremists threatening Indian diplomats 16
India’s consulate in San Francisco came under an attack from Khalistani supporters who tried to set the diplomatic facility on fire in the second such act of violence within months, drawing strong condemnation from the US government which termed it a ”criminal offence”.
India has summoned Canadian High Commissioner in New Delhi over propaganda material, including posters, containing threats to Indian diplomats being circulated in Canada and has served a demarche to the Justin Trudeau government.
According to sources, India on Monday raised concerns over threats to its diplomats in posters being circulated in Canada with information on a pro-Khalistan rally to be held on July 8. The posters contained threats to the Indian ambassador to Canada and the consulate general in Toronto.
The posters purportedly circulated by Sikh extremists have named Indian High Commissioner to Canada Sanjay Kumar Verma and the Consulate General of India, Toronto, Apoorva Srivastava accusing them of playing a role in the June killing of Khalistan Tiger Force chief and designated terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Canada. The rally is being held in the name of Harjit Singh Nijjar aka Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Khalistani terrorist who was killed in a targeted shooting in Canada’s Surrey on June 18.
Earlier today, Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly said that her country is in close contact with Indian officials in light of some “unacceptable” posters that have appeared in Canada, regarding a protest planned for July 8, which bears the names and photos of some top Indian diplomats. In her statement shared on Twitter, Melanie Joly stated, “Canada takes its obligations under the Vienna Conventions regarding the safety of diplomats very seriously. Canada remains in close contact with Indian officials in light of some of the promotional material circulating online regarding a protest planned for July 8th, which are unacceptable. We know that the actions of a few do not speak for an entire community or Canada.”
On Monday, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a programme in Delhi, said that India has requested partner countries like Canada, the UK, and Australia not to give space to Khalistanis as these radical extremist ideologies are not good for their relationship. When asked about reports of posters in Canada naming Indian diplomats, Jaishankar said, “We have requested our partner countries, like Canada, UK, Australia, US that they should not give space to these Khalistanis. These radical extremist ideologies aren’t good for us, them, or our ties. Will raise the issue of these posters.”
Earlier this month, a tableau parade was organised in Ontario celebrating the assassination of former PM Indira Gandhi, which drew severe criticism from New Delhi. In March this year, Khalistan supporters protested outside the Indian Embassy in Canada. They raised pro-Khalistan slogans and allegedly assaulted Indian-origin journalists present on the spot.
Khalistan supporters in March, protested outside the Indian Embassy in Canada. They raised pro-Khalistan slogans and allegedly assaulted Indian-origin journalists present on the spot.
Toshakhana case inadmissible, Islamabad High Court rules in favour of Imran Khan 18
In a big relief to Pakistan’s former Prime Minister Imran Khan, Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Tuesday declared the Toshakhana case lodged against him inadmissible, ARY News reported. IHC Chief Justice Aamer Farooq announced the verdict reserved earlier on a petition filed by the former premier against the decision of a trial court that had declared the criminal case, filed by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), admissible.
Earlier, the Chief Justice had reserved the verdict on June 23, saying that he would look into the matter after Eid ul Adha, according to ARY News. On May 10, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman was indicted in the Toshakhana case by Additional Sessions Judge Humayun Dilawar, who rejected objections about the admissibility of the case.
The case pertains to the allegations that the former PM “deliberately concealed” details of the gifts he retained from the Toshaskhana — a repository where presents handed to government officials from foreign officials are kept — during his time as the prime minister, and proceeds from their reported sales. The PTI chief then approached the IHC, which had stayed criminal proceedings on the case till June 8.
A day earlier, the PTI chief submitted a petition to the court, seeking Justice Aamer Farooq’s recusal from the case. In a petition filed by Barrister Gohar Khan on Monday, Imran Khan has said the arguments in the cases were yet to be completed as he sought the recusal of Justice Farooq from the bench on the grounds of “fair hearing, unbiased tribunal, access to justice and impartial proceedings”, Dawn reported.
During a talk with media personnel outside the IHC, the PTI chief’s lawyer, Gohar Khan, termed the verdict a “victory”. “An appeal was filed against the decision of the session judge in the Toshakhana case…We were trying in courts for a year. Today, PTI has won,” he said, Geo News reported.
