The BJP on Wednesday criticized the meeting between Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav and Shiv Sena leader Aaditya Thackeray on planks as varied as an insult to the “greatness” of Bal Thackeray and insensitivity to Bihari sentiments.
Yadav’s RJD hit back, claiming that the saffron party was rattled by “opposition unity”, which has been achieved in Bihar and was taking shape in other states. “Late Bala Saheb Thackeray was a pious soul. He must be turning in his grave to learn what Aaditya, his grandson, is doing. What does the young leader expect to learn from Tejashwi who has accomplished little except amassing huge wealth in a short period of time?” said Jivesh Kumar, a former Bihar minister and BJP leader.
Similar views were expressed by state BJP spokesman Ram Sagar Singh, who also underscored the “Hindutva” leanings of his party’s former Maharashtra ally. “The people of Bihar are eager to see how much Aaditya Thackeray’s Hindutva rubs on Tejashwi Yadav,” he said in a tongue-in-cheek, but oblique reference to RJD’s plank of secularism.
Another BJP spokesman Nikhil Anand raked up the Sushant Singh Rajput suicide case to allege that the Uddhav Thackeray government had displayed an “anti-Bihari” mindset while getting the matter probed. In a statement, Anand insisted that the conduct of the then ruling ‘Maha Vikas Aghadi’ and its opposition to a CBI investigation “raises many doubts” and asked Tejashwi Yadav to “boycott” leaders like Aaditya Thackeray.
However, RJD spokesman Mrityunjay Tiwari responded to the BJP’s tirade saying “it is Aaditya Thackeray who is coming all the way to meet Tejashwi Yadav, and not the other way round. It shows the stature of our young leader and, indeed, is a matter of pride for Bihar, which has shown the way to all anti-BJP forces”. “The BJP should remember the abominable attitude of its leaders in states like Gujarat from where migrant workers were compelled to flee during the COVID lockdown. The aggrieved Biharis are going to punish the BJP, which also rules the Centre, in the next Lok Sabha polls,” Tiwari added.
A review petition has been filed in the Supreme Court against the judgment upholding the Centre’s decision on EWS issues by the Madhya Pradesh Congress leader.
The review plea has been filed by Jaya Thakur who is the General Secretary of MP Mahila Congress. In the petition, the petitioner has sought to review the order dated November 7, 2022.
The five-judge Constitution bench by a majority of 3:2 had upheld the validity of the Constitution’s 103rd Amendment Act which provides 10 percent EWS reservation in educational institutions and government jobs.
The Constitutional validity of the 103rd Amendment of the Constitution Act, 2019 was challenged before the top court and a five-judge bench decided on this issue by way of four separate judgments with different reasoning.
Three judgments upheld the 103rd Amendment of the Constitution Act, 2019 by passing the three different judgments with different reasoning. But one judgment passed by justice Ravindra Bhat along with the Chief Justice of India held that the 103rd Amendment of the Constitution (One Hundred and Third Amendment) Act, 2019 is to violate the basic structure of the Constitution on the ground of equality, especially the exclusion of the OBC/SC/ST.
Justice Ravindra Bhat’s view regarding the limitation of 50 pc is open because one of the constitutional amendments is still pending consideration and is still open.
The petitioner said that the impugned constitutional amendments are ultra vires as they alter the basic structure of the Constitution of India.
“In the present amendment, OBC/SC/ST are not entitled to take the benefits of the reservation. This is in violation of Articles 14 and 16 of the Constitution of India,” the petitioner said.
“Because the expression, `for any other sufficient reason in the clause has been given an expanded meaning and a decree or order passed under a misapprehension of the true state of circumstances has been held to be sufficient ground to exercise the power.”
The Court further held that the purpose of the review is the rectification of an order which stems from the fundamental principle that justice is above all. It is exercised only to correct the error which has occurred by some accident without any blame,” the plea said.
Therefore, the petitioner prayed to review the November 7, 2022 order passed by Justice Dinesh Maheshwari, Justice Bela M Trivedi and Justice J.B. Pardiwala.
Maha Govt delegation meet PM Modi, Amit shah over Maha-Karnataka border dispute 4
A delegation of the Maharashtra government will soon meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah on its border dispute with Karnataka, Maharashtra minister Shambhuraj Desai said here on Wednesday.
Maharashtra excise minister Shambhuraj Desai’s statement came after Karnataka had formed a lawyers’ team to fight the matter in the court.
The Eknath Shinde government in Maharashtra has already appointed ministers Chandrakant Patil and Shambhuraj Desai to coordinate with a legal team regarding the court case on the issue.
Desai said “Our deputation will soon meet the PM and HM. Karnataka is fighting its battle. We will fight ours. We will demand justice for Maharashtra from them (PM and HM).”
Since its inception in 1960, Maharashtra has been entangled in a dispute with Karnataka over the status of Belgaum district and 85 other Marathi-speaking villages.
Desai said “Whatever is required, we will provide to those 85 villages. We have also submitted a proposal to the CM in this regard.”
“We are working fast on this issue and the Karnataka government is creating an issue realising all this”, he added.
Desai further stated “We are also talking with our senior counsel and providing every document he requires. Whatever is required on daily basis is being done.”
On Shiv Sena (Udhav Thackeray faction) leader Sanjay Raut’s recent statement regarding the midterm poll, Desai said “If anyone is spoiling the atmosphere in Maharashtra, then it is Sanjay Raut, we are doing our work. Ever since he started appearing on TV, the atmosphere of Maharashtra has started deteriorating.”
Star footballer Cristiano Ronaldo on Tuesday announced the end of his contract with Manchester United, saying that it “feels like the right time to seek a new challenge”.
Star striker of the club Cristiano Ronaldo has parted ways with Manchester United, the club said in a statement on Tuesday.
Ronaldo also took to Twitter to announce that he has parted ways with the club. “Following conversations with Manchester United we have mutually agreed to end our contract early. I love Manchester United and I love the fans, that will never ever change. However, it feels like the right time for me to seek a new challenge. I wish the team every success for the remainder of the season and for the future,” said Ronaldo in a statement.
Ronaldo will immediately leave Manchester United after reaching a mutual agreement with the Red Devils. The star footballer netted 27 goals in 54 appearances during his second spell with the Red Devils.
“Cristiano Ronaldo is to leave Manchester United by mutual agreement, with immediate effect,” said Manchester United in an official statement on Tuesday.
“The club thanks him for his immense contribution across two spells at Old Trafford, scoring 145 goals in 346 appearances, and wishes him and his family well for the future. Everyone at Manchester United remains focused on continuing the team’s progress under Erik ten Hag and working together to deliver success on the pitch,” it further reads.
The five-time winner of the Ballon d’Or, who has had a frustrating season at Manchester United doing regular bench duty, startled the world with a series of videos in which he took aim at the Manchester United board and manager Erik ten Hag.
The decision comes on the back of his dramatic interview, Ronaldo’s tumultuous departure was inevitable. Ronaldo criticized the club and said he has “no respect” for its manager ten Hag.
The Portuguese superstar is currently participating in the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar where his team will begin their campaign against Ghana on Thursday.
Also, Manchester United are in the fifth spot in the Premier League table, having won eight of their 14 matches, drawn two, and lost 4. They currently have 26 points. They are 11 points short of table-toppers Arsenal.
China, Pakistan, Economic Corridor Projects | Image: ANI
The main reason behind China’s ‘easy-going’ ties with Pakistan is the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). CPEC project is very dear to Beijing due to its link with the Belt and Road Initiative.
Chinese President Xi Jinping expressed hope that China and Pakistan will work together to develop conditions for early implementation of the upgradation of the Main Line-1 (ML-1) and the Karachi Circular Railway project, The Hong Kong Post reported citing state media.
Xi Jinping intends to make “CPEC an exemplar of high-quality Belt and Road cooperation,” The Hong Kong Post reported citing a state media report. Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif visited Beijing to congratulate Chinese President Xi Jinping on securing a third term in power at the 20th Congress of the Chinese Communist Party.
During his visit to China, Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif had to explain the progress of the CPEC project to Xi Jinping. Xi called it “important” to accelerate the construction of auxiliary infrastructure for Gwadar Port to showcase its role in pushing interconnected development in the region, The Hong Kong Post cited state media report.
Chinese President said that Pakistan is welcome to export more agri-products to China and expressed Beijing’s willingness to work with Islamabad to enhance cooperation in different sectors, including digital economy, e-commerce, and photovoltaic and other new-energy technologies.
Xi stated that both sides can take measures to enhance cooperation in agriculture, science, technology and people’s livelihood. Notably, the CPEC agreement was signed when PML(N) supremo Nawaz Sharif was Pakistan’s Prime Minister. Xi Jinping said, “China views its relations with Pakistan from a strategic and long-term perspective, and Pakistan has always been a high priority in China’s neighbourhood diplomacy,” The Hong Kong Post cited state media’s recent report.
Chinese President stated that Beijing is willing to work with Pakistan to enhance strategic cooperation, elevate efforts to develop the China-Pakistan community with a shared future in the new era and push new impetus into their “all-weather strategic partnership.” Considering the incumbent Pakistan government’s positive response regarding China’s projects, Beijing is making efforts to help Islamabad as much as possible.
Xi Jinping said that China will continue to work for supporting Pakistan over the country’s financial situation. Notably, China was satisfied with the progress of the project until cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan became Pakistan’s Prime Minister.
The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)-led government was not overtly interested in the CPEC project and they even criticized it several times. Beijing expects to use its influence along the land and maritime ‘silk routes’ between China and Europe.
For the project, the land route goes through the Himalayan region close to the international border with China while the maritime route passes through the Indian Ocean region. The CPEC project worth USD 42 billion was stuck due to internal problems in Pakistan.
The lockdown imposed due to COVID-19 resulted in logistical problems. Later, Beijing’s financial issues caused fiscal bottlenecks. A change in the Pakistani government further impacted the progress of CPEC. Several projects planned under the CPEC have been affected due to opposition by local residents.
The projects were further affected when some Chinese nationals were killed in Pakistan. As per the report, Xi Jinping said that he is “highly concerned” about the safety of Chinese people in Pakistan and hoped that Islamabad will provide a “safe environment” for Chinese institutions and personnel.
Chief Justice of India Dhananjaya Y Chandrachud on Wednesday announced that the Supreme Court will from next week have four special benches for the hearing on four issues.
“The Supreme Court will have four special benches for conducting the hearing on four issues — criminal matters, direct and indirect tax matters, land acquisition matters and motor accidents claims tribunal — from the next week,” CJI DY Chandrchud said.
At least seven legislators who have won the Gujarat Assembly elections five or more times are seeking a term again in the state polls scheduled next month. The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has reposed faith in five of the leaders by fielding them for yet another term, while one has sought to contest as an independent.
These five candidates fielded by the BJP are Yogesh Patel (Manjalpur seat), Pabubha Manek (Dwarka), Keshu Nakrani (Gariadhar), Purshottam Solanki (Bhavnagar rural) and Pankaj Desai (Nadiad). Apart from them, Bharatiya Tribal Party’s (BTP) founder Chhotu Vasava and Madhu Shrivastav, who has been denied a ticket by the BJP, are contesting as independent candidates.
These leaders have been able to establish a rapport with party workers and supporters over decades. The caste equations also favour them, but more than that, it is their personal leadership qualities that stand them in good stead, political analysts say.
Elections for the 182-member Gujarat Assembly will be held in two phases on December 1 and 5 and the counting of votes will be taken up on December 8.
Patel, Manek and Vasava have won the Assembly polls seven times and are contesting for an eighth term.
Nakrani and Shrivastav have won six elections, and expect to win for the seventh time. Desai and Solanki have won five elections and are in the poll race for the sixth time.
Their experience of working at the grassroots level and special rapport with their party workers over decades gives them a distinct edge over the others, a political analyst from Ahmedabad Shirish Kashikar told PTI. Yogesh Patel, 76, started his winning streak in 1990 when he contested from the Raopura Assembly seat for the Janata Dal. Though the BJP has said it will not give party tickets to those aged over 75, Patel is the only exception in Gujarat.
At 76, he also holds the distinction of being the oldest candidate for the BJP.
He won five elections from Raopura before being fielded from Manjalpur when the new seat was formed in 2012 after delimitation. He won twice from Manjalpur and seeks to win the third one from the seat this time.
Patel had served as a minister of state in the previous Vijay Rupani government.
For Pabubha Manek, the seven-time MLA and BJP candidate from Dwarka, his latest tenure as a legislator was embroiled in a legal tussle with his Assembly membership invalidated over his election affidavit issue.
He was disqualified as an MLA after the Gujarat High Court invalidated his election in 2019 and ordered a bypoll. The Supreme Court had refused to grant him any relief but directed that the Dwarka Assembly seat should not be declared vacant.
Earlier, after winning as an independent candidate in 1990, 1995 and 1998, Manek emerged victorious in the 2002 election on the Congress’s ticket. In 2007, he contested as the BJP candidate.
Another veteran in the election arena is tribal leader Chhotu Vasava, who first won from the Jhagadia seat in the Bharuch district as the Janata Dal (JD) candidate in 1990.
He won the next election as an independent. In 1998, he won as the JD candidate before contesting subsequent elections on the Janata Dal (United) ticket. In 2017, he floated the Bharatiya Tribal Party (BTP) which he represented in the election that year and won.
When he was recently replaced by his son Mahesh Vasava from the seat as a BTP candidate for the upcoming poll, his supporters compelled him to file for nomination as an independent, indicating his stronghold over his supporters.
A few days back, Mahesh Vasava withdrew his nomination and his father now stands to contest the election as an independent, something he did in 1995.
Chhotu Vasava had also unsuccessfully contested the Lok Sabha election from the Bharuch seat three times – in 2004, 2009, and 2019.
Madhu Shrivastav, having the image of a strongman from Vaghodia, is also not ready to give up even as the BJP, the party he represented for five terms, decided not to field him for the upcoming election.
He is now contesting as an independent candidate.
Shrivastav won his first election as an independent, before joining the BJP and winning in 1998, 2002, 2007, 2012 and 2017. In the past, he also courted controversies, including allegedly threatening a witness in the Best Bakery case after the Godhra riots.
Keshu Nakrani is looking forward to a victory for the seventh time from the Gariadhar seat in the Bhavnagar district. He won as the BJP candidate from 1995 to 2007 from the Sihor seat, and in 2012 and 2017 and Gariadhar after the new seat came into existence following delimitation.
Koli community leader Purshottam Solanki is contesting from Bhavnagar rural for a sixth term. He represented the Ghogho seat in the Bhavnagar district three times from 1998 till 2007, before the seat was removed in delimitation. He then represented Bhavnagar rural seat twice in 2012 and 2017.
He was named in an alleged Rs 400-crore fisheries scam dating back to 2008 when he was the fisheries minister.
Solanki has a strong hold over the Koli community, which makes up a sizable population of the region.
BJP’s Nadiad MLA Pankaj Desai also holds the distinction of winning five consecutive elections since 1998 and being the party’s chief whip since 2010. This time, he again got the ticket from Nadiad in central Gujarat. ”Most of these candidates have risen from being grassroots workers and their loyalty towards the party has brought them to where they are,” analyst Kashikar said.
For example, Yogesh Patel was a BJP worker since the Jana Sangh days and in all these years he never switched loyalty despite there being phases of struggle, he said.
The rapport these candidates share with their supporters also plays an important role in giving them the invincibility factor that they enjoy, he said.
Activists of the Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackery) on Tuesday staged a demonstration in Nashik city against Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari over his controversial remarks on Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.
On Saturday, Koshyari stoked a controversy by saying at a function in Aurangabad that the 17th century Maratha warrior king was an icon of “olden days”. Shiv Sena (UBT) members gathered at the city unit party headquarters in Shalimar Chowk here and shouted slogans against the governor.
The agitators also burnt an effigy of Koshyari as part of the demonstration.
The Bharat Jodo Yatra led by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi entered Bodarli village in Madhya Pradesh’s Burhanpur district from neighbouring Maharashtra on Wednesday morning.
On the occasion, Gandhi said their campaign was against hatred, violence and fear being spread in society. A large number of Congressmen carrying the tricolour in their hands reached Bodarli to join the foot march.
Maharashtra Congress president Nana Patole handed over the tricolour to Madhya Pradesh party chief Kamal Nath to formally launch the 12-day-long yatra in the central state, where it will cover a distance of 380 km before entering Rajasthan. Bodarli, a village with a population of nearly 6,000, was decorated with banana leaves as the region is known for the cultivation of the fruit
Folk artists welcomed the yatra on its arrival in Madhya Pradesh. On the occasion, Gandhi said, “This yatra is against hatred, violence and fear being spread in the country. We have started the Bharat Jodo Yatra by taking the tricolour in our hands from Kanyakumari. Nobody can stop this tricolour from reaching Srinanagar.” Targeting the central government on the issues of unemployment and inflation, Gandhi alleged, “The BJP first spreads fear in the minds of youth, farmers and labourers and when it sets in, they convert it into violence.”
He called five-year-old boy Rudra, who was among the crowd present in the village, on the stage and asked him about his ambition, to which the child said he wanted to become a doctor. “In the present India, it will be difficult for Rudra to fulfil his dreams as his parents have to spend crores of rupees to get education in private medical colleges. He will have to work as a labourer as he won’t be able to pay the fees,” Gandhi said targeting the growing trend of privatisation of education in the country.
He also claimed that industries, airports and seaports were in the hands of only three-four industrialists in the country. Even the Railways is also going into their hands, he added. “This is an India of injustice and we don’t want such an India,” Gandhi said. “The money going out of the pockets of the common man for purchasing costly petrol and cooking gas is going into the pockets of these three-four industrialists,” he claimed.
Welcoming the yatra in Madhya Pradesh, Kamal Nath claimed it will be most successful in the state. Senior Congress leaders including former chief minister Digvijaya Singh, Leader of Opposition in the MP Assembly Govind Singh, former union ministers Suresh Pachouri and Arun Yadav among others were present on the occasion. On Tuesday, Nath said Congress general secretary in-charge of Uttar Pradesh Priyanka Gandhi Vadra along with her family would take part in the foot march for the first time.
Vadra, the sister of Rahul Gandhi, will join the yatra between Burhanpur and Indore on November 24-25, Nath had said. The Congress has made an elaborate arrangements for the yatra in MP, where the Assembly polls are due next year. It had lost power in the state in 2020 after a section of its MLAs quit the party.
The yatra, a mass contact initiative of the Congress, will pass through western Madhya Pradesh’s Malwa-Nimar region, where the party had gained a convincing lead over the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the 2018 Assembly polls and subsequently formed government under Nath. But, 22 MLAs later quit the party following which the Nath government fell and later the BJP came back to power in the state under the leadership of Shivraj Singh Chouhan in March 2020. The Congress’s Bharat Jodo Yatra started on September 7 from Kanyakumari in Tamil Nadu.
At least 250 people have been killed in the powerful 5.6 magnitude earthquake that jolted Indonesia’s main island of Java on Monday, injuring several people, local media reported.
The epicenter of the 5.6 magnitude earthquake was near the town of Cianjur in mountainous West Java, about 75km (45 miles) southeast of the capital, Jakarta. The region is home to over 2.5 million people.
As the rescue operations are underway, local officials have warned about the number of people killed due to the devastating quake. The residents were seen scattered through the streets as buildings crumbled, reported Channel News Asia.
The tremors destroyed many buildings and were felt in Cianjur in West Java at a depth of 10 km. Hundreds of buildings were damaged, including an Islamic boarding school, a hospital, and other public facilities.
Many of the dead were public school students who had finished their classes for the day and were taking extra lessons at several Islamic schools when they collapsed, West Java Governor Ridwan Kamil said as he announced the new death toll in the remote area.
Due to miscounting, officials offered wildly fluctuating death tolls after an Indonesian stadium disaster last month. Meanwhile, footage from Metro TV showed structures in Cianjur reduced almost entirely to rubble as worried residents huddled outside.
Dwikorita Karnawati, head of the weather and geophysics agency BMKG, advised people to stay outdoors in case of aftershocks. In the two hours after the quake, 25 aftershocks were recorded, BMKG reported, adding there was a danger of landslides, especially in the event of heavy rain.
Notably, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday expressed grief over the loss of lives and damage to property from the earthquake that jolted the Indonesian island of Java.
“Saddened by the loss of lives and damage to property from the earthquake in Indonesia. Deepest condolences to the victims and their families. Wish a speedy recovery to the injured. India stands with Indonesia in this hour of grief,” PM Modi tweeted.
Earlier, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar also condoled the loss of lives in the earthquake. He said that India stands in solidarity with Indonesia and its thoughts are with the bereaved families.
“Saddened to hear news about the loss of life and property in Java, Indonesia from the earthquake. My thoughts are with the bereaved families. Wish the injured a speedy recovery. India stands in solidarity with Indonesia at this difficult time,” Jaishankar tweeted.
