Maharashtra state assembly elects Rahul as the new speaker with 164 votes 2
Days after Eknath Shinde took over as the chief minister and the BJP returned to power in the state, first-time BJP legislator Rahul Narvekar was elected as the Maharashtra Assembly Speaker on Sunday. Narvekar is a sitting BJP MLA from Mumbai’s Colaba constituency. He has been associated with the Shiv Sena and the Nationalist Congress Party in the past.
Narvekar joined the BJP before the 2019 Maharashtra assembly polls from Colaba. He won the assembly elections from Colaba, defeating Congress’ Ashok Jagtap. He was a spokesperson for the Youth Wing of Shiv Sena in its early years. He quit the party and joined NCP in 2014. Narvekar claimed the inaccessibility of party top brass (read Uddhav Thackeray) prompted him to quit the Sena.
The two-day special session of the 288-member House got underway Sunday at 11 am. The four-day-old Eknath Shinde-led government will face a floor test in the Assembly on Monday. As many as 50 MLAs who support Shinde, including 39 rebel legislators of the Shiv Sena, on Saturday evening flew to Mumbai from Goa by a chartered flight. Shinde, who had flown to Goa in the morning, accompanied them back.
Shinde has the support of 10 legislators of smaller parties and independents and 106 MLAs of the BJP in the 288-member House. Following is the party position in the Assembly: Shiv Sena 55, NCP 53, Congress 44, BJP 106, Bahujan Vikas Aghadi 3, Samajwadi Party 2, AIMIM 2, Prahar Janshakti Party 2, MNS 1, CPI (M) 1, PWP 1, Swambhimani Paksha 1, Rashtriya Samaj Paksha 1, Jansurajya Shakti Party 1, Krantikari Shetkari Party 1, and Independents 13. There is a vacancy due to the death of Shiv Sena MLA Ramesh Latke in May. Two NCP members — Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and Food and Civil Supplies Minister Chhagan Bhujbal — have tested COVID-19 positive, while two other party legislators — Anil Deshmukh and Nawab Malik — are currently in jail.
After arriving of Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, Deputy Chief Minister Devandra Fadnavis and other MLAs in state Assembly in Mumbai, the speaker elections in the Maharashtra Assembly started on Sunday.
The speaker of Maharashtra Assembly is set to take place on Sunday after Eknath Shinde government took over collapse of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) rule in the state.
With the return of the MLAs, who echoed the revolt against Uddhav Thackeray along with their leader Shinde, to Mumbai from Goa on Saturday night, the stage is all set for political developments in Maharashtra to take place on the weekend.
In the two-day special session of the Assembly beginning Sunday, the Shinde-Fadnavis government will have to prove its majority on the Floor of the House on Monday in Vote of Confidence. Notably, Shinde, who led the revolt against Shiv Sena chief and former chief minister Uddhav Thackeray, was sworn in as the Chief Minister while former chief minister Devendra Fadnavis who was seen as the front-runner for the top post in the government, was sworn in as Shinde’s Deputy.
Notably, the MVA has fielded Shiv Sena MLA Rajan Salvi as a candidate for the Speaker election while BJP MLA Rahul Narwekar has been chosen as a candidate for the post of Maharashtra Legislative Assembly Speaker. Shiv Sena has issued a whip to its legislators to be present in the Assembly today.
The post of the Speaker went vacant in the Assembly after Congress’ Nana Patole resigned from the office in February 2021, to take guard as the party’s state unit chief. In the absence of a Speaker, Deputy Speaker Narhari Zirwal was playing the part of an acting Speaker in the House.
Meanwhile, a day after the resignation of Thackeray from the chief ministerial post, Shinde and BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis met Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari and staked claim to form the government in the state.
Fadnavis, who was Chief Minister of Maharashtra from 2014-19, announced at a joint press conference in Mumbai on Thursday that he will not be part of the government. However, later, on the direction of the BJP’s central leadership, Fadnavis took oath as the Deputy CM.
Two-time Olympic medallist PV Sindhu crashed out in the women’s singles quarterfinals of the Malaysia Open badminton tournament after losing to her nemesis Tai Tzu Ying of Chinese Taipei in a hard-fought three-game contest on Friday.
Sindhu, seeded seventh, squandered a game lead to lose 13-21 21-15 21-13 to the second seed Tai Tzu, a silver medallist at the Tokyo Olympics.
By virtue of the win, the Chinese Taipei shuttler extended her domination over the Indian ace, leading 16-5 on the head-to-head record. Sindhu has now lost six matches on the trot against Tai Tzu.
Indian challenge ended in the Super 750 event as HS Prannoy also made a quarterfinal exit, losing to seventh-seeded Jonatan Christie of Indonesia 18-21 16-21 in a 44-minute men’s singles match. Sindhu, playing against drift, made a slow start and trailed 2-5 in the opening game. But she soon got her act together and pocketed 11 points on the trot to go into the break leading 11-7. The Chinese Taipei shuttler tried to make a comeback in the contest by playing long rallies but Sindhu was up to the task to pocket the opening game.
Sindhu started the second game brightly but her fancied rival dominated the proceedings after the early exchanges to lead 11-3 at the break. Tai Tzu continued in the same vein after the change of ends and extended her lead to 14-3 before Sindhu relied on her powerful smashes to reduce the deficit to 17-15.
Tai Tzu, however, regrouped quickly and pocketed the next four points to draw level in the contest. It was a close contest in the decider as both the shuttlers fought tooth and nail till 12 points before Tai Tzu put Sindhu under pressure with a mix of drop shots and smashes to clinch the third game and keep her title defence hopes alive.
England announce squad for T20Is and ODIs against India 6
England Men’s selection panel have named squads for the T20I and ODI series against India starting on July 7 at the Ageas Bowl. England and India will be squaring off for three T20Is from July 7 at Ageas Bowl and three ODIs from July 12 at Kia Oval. Jos Buttler will be leading the Three Lions in the entire white-ball series against India. Currently, both the teams are squaring off for the fifth Test at Edgbaston Stadium on Friday.
Rain played a spoilsport in the ongoing fifth Test between India and England, as the Jasprit Bumrah-led side ended the first session at 53/2. At Lunch, India’s score read at 53/2, with Hanuma Vihari (14) and Virat Kohli (1) standing unbeaten at the crease. England T20I squad: Jos Buttler (c), Moeen Ali, Harry Brook, Sam Curran, Richard Gleeson, Chris Jordan, Liam Livingstone, Dawid Malan, Tymal Mills, Matthew Parkinson, Jason Roy, Phil Salt, Reece Topley, David Willey. England ODI squad: Jos Buttler (c), Moeen Ali, Jonathan Bairstow, Harry Brook, Brydon Carse, Sam Curran, Liam Livingstone, Craig Overton, Matthew Parkinson, Joe Root, Jason Roy, Phil Salt, Ben Stokes, Reece Topley, David Willey.
The change of government in Maharashtra may fast track the bullet train project with railway officials expecting a land acquisition file stuck on the state’s chief minister’s desk to move now, a petrol pump to be shifted to build a tunnel, and a back-and-forth over payment for a “prime land” settled.
The 508-km Mumbai-Ahmedabad high-speed corridor is being built at an estimated cost of Rs 1.1 trillion and will have 12 stations in Maharashtra and Gujarat. The officials said 432 hectares of land is needed in Maharashtra for the Mumbai-Ahmedabad project, but implementing agency National High Speed Rail Corporation Limited (NHSRCL) has acquired 312 hectares till now, and struggling to get the rest primarily due to the stalling tactics of the state.
For instance, they said, the NHSRCL had to cancel tenders floated in November 2019 for the construction of the underground terminus at the Bandra Kurla Complex as the state government allegedly failed to handover the 4.88-hectare land it had promised at the BKC.
Sources said the state asked for Rs 3,500 crore for the “prime land”, and demanded this money be adjusted against the equity contribution of Rs 5000 crore of the state’s share of the project.
Sources said the NHSRCL had given 11 extensions after tenders were floated hoping the state will release the land.
“This was non-negotiable as the cost of the project would have significantly increased if we agreed to give the payment,” an official said.
“The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) which is funding the project is paying for all construction, rolling stock and signalling and not for the day to day expenses of the project,” he said.
Also, a BPCL petrol pump on the BKC site has not been moved despite been given an alternative site, the officials said.
Another roadblock is is small parcel of about 3.92 hectare of land in Vikroli needed for the 21-km undersea tunnel between Thane and Virar.
Sources said a tender for constructing the tunnel was also cancelled because of the non-availability of this land.
However, the most significant bottleneck came from former chief minister Uddhav Thackeray’s office as the file on 95 hectare of forest land to be used for the project remained stuck there, the sources said.
They said the approval did not come through despite the fact that the NHSRCL has already paid the amount mandatory under the compensatory afforestation rules.
With these issues unresolved, the Railways had given up hopes of working on the Maharashtra section anytime soon and was focusing on completing the 48-km stretch between Surat and Bilimora in Gujarat by 2026.
“It was virtually becoming impossible to get the land required in Maharashtra. While 100 per cent of private land has been acquired, the other land parcels are key. Without them we cannot complete the project. With this change, things will hopefully get better,¿ an official said.
Things, it seems, have started moving already.
In its very first meeting, the cabinet of new Chief Minister Shinde and his deputy Devendra Fadnavis, overturned the previous government’s decision to stay the construction of the Metro 3 car shed in Aarey and shifting it to the 102-acre Kanjurmarg plot.
This, the officials said, raised hopes for the bullet train project.
The project is being developed at an estimated cost of Rs 1.1 trillion, with 81 per cent funding coming from the Japan International Cooperation Agency. The trains will run on special tracks called the “slab track system”, popularly known as HSR technology for construction of tracks, patented by the Japanese.
The trials of the bullet train will be conducted at a speed of 350 kmph, comparable to speed at which airplanes take-off.
So far, the NHSRCL has disbursed Rs 8215.63 crore in Gujarat as compensation for land acquired while in Maharashtra it has paid Rs 2284.78 crore.
There was nothing unexpected about Devendra Fadnavis becoming Deputy Chief Minister in the new government in Maharashtra, state BJP president Chandrakant Patil said on Friday.
In a dramatic sequence of events a day before, Fadnavis, a former chief minister, announced that rebel Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde would be the next CM while he would stay out of the government. But later, he took oath as Shinde’s deputy.
”I am aware that many people were shocked by the events yesterday. But there was nothing unexpected in what happened with Devendra Fadnavis,” Patil told reporters here.
”BJP decided to support Shinde for CM’s post for taking the Hindutva ideology ahead. But Shinde himself asked Fadnavis to join his cabinet. So Fadnavis asked our leaders in Delhi for permission,” he said.
”You need a truly large heart to work under a person who was your junior earlier,” Patil said, praising Fadnavis.
Shinde was a minister when Fadnavis headed the BJP-Shiv Sena alliance government in the state from 2014 to 2019.
The Supreme Court on Friday declined suspended BJP leader Nupur Sharma’s request to transfer to Delhi of all the FIRs registered against her across the country for her controversial remarks on Prophet Mohammad and allowed her withdraw her plea from the top court and avail alternate remedies.
A vacation bench of Justices Surya Kant and JB Pardiwala in its order stated, “Senior counsel for the petitioner seeks and is permitted to withdraw the present writ petition with liberty to avail alternate remedies available under the law. The writ petition is dismissed as withdrawn.”
During the hearing today the bench told senior advocate Maninder Singh, appearing for Sharma, that it was not inclined to entertain the plea and suggested him to withdraw it and moved appropriate court.
The apex court further said that she and “her loose tongue” has set the entire country on fire and she is single-handedly responsible for what is happening in the country and said she should “apologise to the whole country.
It also came down heavily on Nupur Sharma and said that her outburst is responsible for an unfortunate incident in Udaipur, where a tailor was murdered.
Rejecting Sharma’s request to transfer all the FIRs to Delhi for investigation, the bench told her counsel Maninder Singh, “No, Mr Singh. The conscience of the court is not satisfied. We can’t mould the law accordingly”.
Senior advocate Maninder Singh who appeared for Sharma then withdrew the plea.
During the hearing, when Singh told the bench that Sharma is facing threat to her life, Justice Surya Kant said, “She has a threat or she has become a security threat?” “The way she has ignited emotions across the country. This lady is single-handedly responsible for what is happening in the country,” the bench said.
“We saw the debate on how she was incited. But the way she said all this and later says she was a lawyer with ten years standing? It is shameful. She should apologise to the whole country,” the apex court said.
The bench also took a grim view of the TV news channel for hosting the discussion on the Gyanvapi case which is a subjudice matter in which Sharma, who was one of the guests, made the controversial remarks.
The apex court was hearing a plea filed by Sharma seeking the transfer of all the FIRs registered against her across the country to Delhi for her remarks on a TV news channel debate about Prophet Muhammad which had led to violent protests and riots in many States.
Japan is keen to tap the international food market. At a recently held food export fair in Tokyo, around 400 exporters and producers exhibited their produce to attract foreign buyers. Most of the exhibited products are free to taste.
The grand exhibition was organised by Japan External Trade Organisation (JETRO). It also set its own stall named JFOODO. It is a steering organization of Japanese food export and many foreign importers visited them to get a consultation.
Amid the shortage of wheat, rice powder is re-evaluated its value.
Rice powder is an ingredient used for noodles, dumplings and bread. It is highly evaluated by the gluten free effect.
“So, our purpose to attend this food event is to seek to look for possible negotiation with the Japanese and the most successful companies. And our intention is to provide Mongolian people with the healthy and good organic foods. And Mongolian has lacks gluten-free products. And that’s why we are very interested in importing this type of gluten-free products to Mongolia. And due to the allergy to gluten, people can’t eat noodle soup in Mongolia. So that’s we want to solve this problem in Mongolia,” said a Mongolian buyer.
Japan is also called a “fruit heaven”. Each prefecture of Japan has its own fruit production.
“So, I’m actually starting my own cafe in a Japanese French cafe. And I’m almost interested in selling Japanese products to France, to Europe, because, as you know, in France, Japanese products are very, very popular. So that’s my reason I am here to look for ideas and also getting some products for France. I was looking for something else at the beginning for like an apple cider, but I got a lot of explanations. And I think this juice is very nice because it’s organic. So, I got interested in it after hearing the explanation. This one is very good. It’s a bit sour and I really love sour food and drinks,” said a French buyer.
Japan’s strategic food export plan will accelerate world trading and solve the shortage of food the world over.
'Maha' twist: Eknath Shinde takes oath as CM, Devendra Fadnavis his deputy 12
Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde was on Thursday sworn in as the 20th chief minister of Maharashtra, while BJP stalwart Devendra Fadnavis took oath as the deputy chief minister, capping a day of surprises and hectic political activities, just 24 hours after the collapse of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government.
In a surprise move, Fadnavis announced in the evening that Shinde, who led the rebellion in the Shiv Sena, will be the new chief minister, while he himself will be out of the new government, only to change his stand and become the deputy CM following prodding from his party’s central leadership.
Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari administered the oath of office to Shinde and his deputy Fadnavis at the Raj Bhavan in South Mumbai shortly after 7.30 pm.
Shinde, a four-time MLA, began oath taking by paying tributes to late Shiv Sena leaders Bal Thackeray and Anand Dighe, his political mentor in Thane district.
His supporters shouted slogans hailing Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, Sena founder Thackeray and Dighe as he finished taking the oath.
Earlier, BJP president J P Nadda said Fadnavis would be part of the new Maharashtra cabinet led by Shinde, minutes after Fadnavis announced he will not be in the government.
”Development of the state is my priority. I will take all sections of society along with me,” Shinde said after the ceremony.
The new CM was accompanied by his family members to the inauguration. However, his son Shrikant Shinde, the Lok Sabha MP from Kalyan in Thane district, is staying with the rebel Shiv Sena MLAs in Goa, where they had arrived from Guwahati on Wednesday night, nine days after the rebellion that pulled down the MVA government.
”Shinde always took care of his supporters and party workers. For the first time, a legislator from Thane district has become the chief minister. We are delighted for this decision,” said a supporter.
The Sena leader, hailing originally from a village in Satara district in western Maharashtra, is the MLA from Kopri-Pachpakhadi in Thane city.
Some Shinde supporters took out a motorbike rally in Thane and shouted slogans hailing their leader, who is known as a mass leader, often mingling with his voters and hearing their grievances besides holding regular meetings with local Sena workers and functionaries.
5th election in 4 years Israel's parliament dissolves 14
Israel’s parliament decided on Thursday to dissolve itself and hold elections for the fifth time in less than four years in November.
Just after midnight on Friday, Yair Lapid, the outgoing coalition government’s architect and Israel’s foreign minister, will take over as interim prime minister. He will succeed Naftali Bennett, Israel’s prime minister with the shortest tenure, becoming the 14th person to hold that position.
A coalition of ideologically diverse parties, the first to include an Arab faction, overthrew veteran leader Benjamin Netanyahu after 12 years in office in an unprecedented coup that took place less than a year after the cabinet was established.
After days of wrangling between coalition and opposition MPs over the timing of new elections and other last-minute measures, the resolution to dissolve was approved with 92 lawmakers voting in favour and none against.
