In a sweeping attempt to prevent the spread of Coronavirus as cases across India continued to rise, the ministry of health has decided to suspend all tourist visas till April 15. The concerned ministry held a meeting that was attended by Dr. Harsh Vardhan, Hardeep Puri, Civil Aviation Minister and the other health ministers of different states on March 11, following which they issued this order. The order will come into effect from 1200 GMT on March 13.
The government issued a statement stating “All incoming travellers, including Indian nationals arriving from or having visited China, Italy, Iran, Republic of Korea, France, Spain and Germany after February 15, 2020 shall be quarantined for minimum 14 days. This will take effect from 1200 GMT on March 13 at the port of departure.”
“All existing visas, except diplomatic, official, U.N./international organisations, employment, project visas and stand suspended till April 15″ the health ministry said in a tweet.
According to the advisory, if anyone with a “compelling reason” wants to travel to the country could contact their nearest Indian mission. However, it was not clear if the ban would include short-term business visas also. Also, the ministry has requested the Indian nationals to avoid all non-essential travel abroad.
All incoming international passengers returning to India should self- monitor their health and follow required Do’s and Don’ts as detailed by the Government. pic.twitter.com/4CYh3MgrKe
After the advisory, it is learnt that the ministry has suspended issuing visas to citizens of France, Spain and Germany until further notice. This kind of restrictions were already imposed for citizens of China, Italy, Iran, Japan and South Korea as these countries are the worst hit by the outbreak of the virus.
The Coronavirus which broke open last year has laid nearly thousands dead all across the World. Approximately around 3,900 people have died due to this globally-affected epidemic. According to the Indian government data as many as 73 people have been affected so far.
Over the fear of Coronavirus, the airport looks empty as the officers have taken leave due to the fear of Coronavirus. Also at the airport, there is a check post where health check up of the fliers are conducted. People have to fill the concerned forms at the immigration counter. Apart from this, the ministry said that the visa-free travel facility granted to overseas citizen of India (OCI) will also be kept in abeyance until April 15, 2020.
Every day, more than 80 lakh people commute using Mumbai’s suburban network. A report published by Mumbai Railway Police has stated that more than 2,500 people die in Mumbai because of railway accidents and over 3,000 are injured annually. Mumbai locals are considered to be the lifeline of Mumbai. The report gathered by Mumbai’s Railway Police Commissionerate in 2019 stated that as many as 2,691 people lost their lives and 3,198 sustained injuries on the suburban network last year.
The Economic Survey of India, quoting figures from the Railway police stated that in 2017 there were 3,014 deaths and 3,345 injuries compared to which the rail network recorded 2,981 deaths and 3,349 cases of injuries in 2018, 2700 cases of death were reported in 2019. The causes of these deaths comprise of line crossing, falling in gaps, falling from the train, hitting railway poles, electric shocks, suicides among others. The numbers of accidents have come down after the Central Railway (CR) and Western Railway (WR) started running awareness campaigns.
Apart from announcements in the local trains and sensitising on safety, various measures have been taken to prevent accidents like the construction of overbridges, subways and walls to control trespassing and sealing of trespassing points and shifting of poles. The rail network is spread across six lines covering 390 odd kms and 157 stations in the Mumbai metropolitan region. The CR and WR collectively run 3,029 services daily. Meanwhile, the Railways have also constructed a wall on either side of the railway tracks to curb trespassing of railway tracks. So far, the Corporation has finished the construction of 113.15 kms of the wall out of the proposed 130 km-long wall. This year, the Central Railway constructed 17.25 kms of the wall while the work for another 27.5 km is in progress. On the other hand, the railways has also constructed 79 foot-over bridges in the last five years and the work for 24 other bridges is ongoing.
People across the world are surprised that despite the USA claiming to be the leader of free-world, why many of the Muslim folk are weeping and bleeding profusely from Myanmar to Kashmir-AF-PAK to NAME region?
It’s answer lies in the simple fact that the institution like USCIRF (responsible for monitoring the universal right to freedom of religion or belief across the world and for making policy recommendations to the President, Secretary of State and Congress) is simply not interested in discharging its mandate [may be due to prejudices of Christian society (like Christian majority USA) against Muslims from the days of Crusades].
The biggest dereliction of the USCIRF in this matter is about the Israel-Palestine issue (the cause of immense bloodshed and loss of lives across the world) where the secular USA has supported the theocratic Israel in forcefully driving out majority of Palestinians from their native land and now by illegally and absurdly advocating two State solutions. But the USCIRF is keeping mum.
Recently the USCIRF has issued a press release objecting the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill (CAB) in India which was passed by the Lok Sabha on December 9 because CAB enshrines a pathway to citizenship for immigrants that specifically excludes Muslims setting a legal criterion for citizenship based on religion. But this lament on the part of USCIRF will be ineffective and meaningless because the sanctions envisaged by USCIRF against the Home Minister Amit Shah etc. are a meaningless formality in view of earlier sanctions against the then CM (presently PM) Modi after the 2002 Gujarat communal riots (in which thousands of innocent Muslims lost their lives, blood, properties and honour).
Talking about CAB, God only knows whether or not the USCIRF understands the gravity and complications of the situation. The USCIRF ought to know that about 80 million people & their children (20 per cent Hindu population of Pakistan and Bangladesh) who came to India after partition in 1947 are still legally either asylum seekers or refugees because there is no provision of population transfer (on the basis of religion) in ‘Indian Independence Act’. Rather India should have asked (under military pressure, if necessary) the West & East Pakistan to take these people back and for their rehabilitation after restoring their evacuee properties and properties sold under distress. The USCIRF further ought to know that when in the USA (despite 14th Amendment to US Constitution which grants birth right citizenship whereas similar Constitutional provisions does not exist in constitutionally-secular India) there is still a raging controversy about giving citizenship (or any other legal status) to millions of illegal-immigrants in the USA, then how can India allow legal status to said asylum seekers / refugees of 1947 on the basis of religion. Moreover, any communal law against secular-constitution is null and void.
Now another matter of India has acquired urgency for the USCIRF because the Supreme Court of India (SCI) has dismissed the review petitions in the Babri-Masjid case.
This matter was brought to the notice of the USCIRF on December 10 (by sending said article to USCIRF) in which it is stated that the Indian Muslims are not filing proper review petition in SCI out of fear. The Indian Muslims generally complain that the Hindutva forces inflicted ‘Shahadat’ (Martyrdom) of Babri-Masjid when it was demolished by them on December 6, 1992 but these naïve Indian Muslims do not understand that legally it is being martyred by the SCI which is not restoring the status-quo ante of Babri-Masjid before any court verdict (including in said Review) on Ayodhya-dispute as has been explained.
In such a situation, the USCIRF is supposed to ensure intervention in the proceedings of ‘Curative Petition’ by Muslims about Babri-Masjid (by NHRC under section 12 (b) of ‘The Protection of Human Rights Act of India’ through UNHRC or otherwise). The USCIRF ought to understand that nowhere in the world a mosque has been demolished by the vandals of the majority community and at the same time, the Supreme Court of such country has given the demolished masjid site to the same vandals through the Court order (which is nothing short of a fraud on the Secular Constitution & rule-of-law) and which has a potential of arousing indignation and rage among Muslims not merely in India but across the world.
The USCIFR (given its unsavory past record) is not likely to ensure the said intervention in the proceedings of Curative Petition by Muslims in SCI. Therefore, the Muslims and others (committed to religious freedom and Secularism) of the USA should be prepared to move the USCIRF (including by demonstrations as per law, if necessary, near the office of USCIRF) in order to legally constrain the USCIRF to fulfill its mandate of ensuring universal right to freedom of religion or belief across the world starting for the Muslims in Hindu majority India.
Disclaimer: The opinions expressed within this article are the personal opinions of the author. The facts and opinions appearing in the article do not reflect the views of AFTERNOON VOICE and AFTERNOON VOICE does not assume any responsibility or liability for the same.
In a step towards balancing gender equilibrium in central-run technical institutions in the country, the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) has decided to grant 20 per cent of its seats to women students.
On Monday, the announcement was made by IIT-Delhi which is certainly responsible for conducting a Joint Entrance Exam (JEE) for selecting students for all the 23 IITs in the country.
Earlier, 17 per cent seats were reserved for the women student but this move certainly has increased the percentage of seats to 20 per cent applicable from the academic year 2020-21.
However, this extra 3 per cent hike in women’s quota is supernumerary in nature. This will not be detriment to the unreserved seats. Each IIT across the country will have to increase the number of student intakes to make sure that the hiked quota doesn’t affect the unreserved seats.
“A decision has been taken at the level of the IIT Council (which takes all policy decisions related to IITs) to, inter alia, improve the gender balance in the undergraduate programs at the IITs to at least 20 per cent in 2020-21 by creating supernumerary seats specifically for female candidates,” IIT-Delhi said on JEE (Advanced) website.
“To achieve this objective, supernumerary seats will thus be created and offered to female candidates for improving the gender balance in the undergraduate programs in IITs,” the website added.
Categorically, this would encourage the participation of women students in STEM fields- Science, Tech, Engineering and Maths. According to a report published by the Department of Science and Technology, women comprised of about 14 per cent in the field of research and development.
This could be the one reason of the Central government to work on base level to enhance women’s presence in the technical fields. The additional excess seats for women helped improve the percentage of women in IITs, Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) data revealed.
Congress drowns itself now in Madhya Pradesh by ignoring new-emerging leaders
It was well understood that totally ignored fast-emerging-leader Jyotiraditya Scindia in Congress ultimately set to join BJP by leaving Congress along with his supporting MLAs and ministers in Congress-led Kamal Nath government in Madhya Pradesh. It is a dynastic tradition in Congress that emerging and deserving leaders in the party capable of shadowing party-owning family are deliberately ignored in the party for reasons best known to the party-owners who somehow are under compulsion of giving party-leadership to old veterans rather than capable new-emerging leadership.
However such unholy political bargains in making and unmaking of governments does require a basic reform in electing Chief Ministers (and simultaneously also Speakers and Deputy Speakers). Chief Minister, Speaker and Deputy Speaker should be elected simultaneously by secret and compulsory vote through EVMs equipped with VVPAT on nominations signed by at least 34-percent members with abstaining members losing right to vote in the House though retaining membership. Such elected incumbents may be removed through same process but with compulsion to name alternate leader in the same motion. System will remove concept of hung assemblies and undesired mid-term elections or by-polls due to mass resignation of party-changing MLAs.
Subhash Chandra Agrawal
Separate kitchens in hotels and eateries for cooking non-vegetarian food necessary
It refers to steep and sharp decline in consumption of non-vegetarian food with spread of Coronavirus. Already vegetarianism is spreading fast with many hotels and restaurants becoming popular for being excusive vegetarian. Vegetarianism is becoming popular even in advanced countries.
Central and some states have taken some practical steps to fight danger of Corona being spread in the country. Time has come when central government should order that hotels, restaurants and eateries may have separate kitchens and kitchen-wares to cook non-vegetarian food with such system displayed prominently inside and outside such hotels, restaurants and eateries adopting practice of having separate kitchens and kitchen-wares to cook non-vegetarian food. Rather such display will increase their business because now-a-days of Corona-fear, vegetarian people are avoiding taking food at places where non-vegetarian food is also cooked.
Short of expectations but given the financial crisis
The Karnataka budget for 2020-21 has fallen short of expectations but given the financial crisis that the state is facing, it is perhaps the best that Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa could do. The budget size, at Rs 2.37 lakh crore, increased by a mere 1.5 percent , or less than Rs 4,000 crore, over last year. Admittedly, the chief minister was forced to cut grants to various departments due to a shortfall of nearly Rs 12,000 crore in the devolution of funds from the Centre and GST compensation in the current fiscal. Though, Rs 500 crore has been allotted to the long-pending Kalasa-Banduri project across River Mahadayi. The overall grant to the irrigation sector inspires no confidence. Again, the absence of reforms in agricultural markets and policies to encourage innovation across the value chain represent another lost opportunity. There is a need for accountability and financial discipline to ensure that development expenditure is maximised.
Arjand
(The views expressed by the author in the article are his/her own.)
It’s all karma! Karma always catches Congress by scruff! Congress, if all has gumption, must go to Rajghat and openly declare that they are primarily guilty in debasing the political system! They wanted to be in power either by hook or crook! Now it is paining them. They could not set their house in order. The disgruntled MLAs resigned and switched over to BJP.
Strength never lies in any party, men will come men will go, see the fate of the largest parties, they become minority again the minority will become a largest party it is all in the game, breakaway is common in Indian Democracy, may be in future India may opt Communism too changing the constitution of Democracy.
Who should be blamed? Loop holes in democracy. Even these MLAs irrespective of their parties, would get Pension, and other old age benefits apart from telephone bill, travel expense concessions. There should be a law to limit this on pro-rata basis for their attendance in Rajya Sabha, Lok Sabha or State Assemblies. If someone worked 5 years with full attendance, 5 year based pension should be given, not life time entitlement. This is helping all murderers, looters, contraband traffickers, anti-social elements to join politics and become MP or MLA. Election Commission and SC should not be mute spectators.
It is not BJP, it is INC ideology ignoring young enthusiastic politicians. Scindia won’t sellout that easily but he was cornered by Singh and Kamal for past 15 months so badly and now he can’t cope any longer so he left. Not only BJP any party would like strong leaders like Scindia. This is not new in our country irrespective of any party. But, day by day, the stench is becoming unbearable. Election Commission urges people to exercise their vote as it is their prerogative. But, these dirty politicians insult the voters beyond words.
The happiness about India having a young population and a mean age of 29 years is diminishing day by day. I have my own fear if youth is strength for society or a risky one and vision less liability. Far beyond Political party, the overall lack of maturity and collective vision and self-less leadership is missing. Everyday is a missed opportunity for India to lead and be the light house nation for the world. Fingers crossed.
Team Congress did it for the most part of their tenure when serving the country as the ruling party. Used governors to overthrow people elected governments several hundred times, did start horse trading long back including infamous Narasimha Rao minority government complete the full term with cross voting from tainted with bribed JMM leaders, resort politics everything. Congress party never left reforms happen in EC, SC, and remove corruption, bribe from society, but actively engaged in Quota Politics, Minority Appeasements, Not taking stern and bold decision on vital issues like Jammu and Kashmir, bringing Citizenship Register, unifying national records, free Education/Health Care, Farmer friendly welfare schemes etc., but entered in scam politics.
Kamal Nath Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh (MP) may like us to overlook fact that internal squabble within the Congress party, which were not considered important by the Congress party’s High command, have led to instability in the State. But how can Kamal Nath deal with the dissident Congress MLAs? It is easy to blame BJP but that won’t be good enough to save his government. It is absolutely clear that Congress party’s future in MP will be adversely affected. Regional parties like RLD, and NCP, with whom Congress has alliances in Bihar and Maharashtra respectively, are seen to dictate terms to the Congress party and the Congress’ top leadership simply appears to be helpless. This is a very sad situation but perhaps a bitter reality. What will happen in MP in coming months can be guessed, Question is how long would it take for the Congress High command to accept ground reality that the Congress cannot regain its status without organizational restructuring and revamp?
(The views expressed by the author in the article are his/her own.)
The wait is finally over for the BJP as former union minister and senior Congress leader Jyotiraditya Scindia has packed up his bags from the Congress and formally joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the presence of party president JP Nadda and other BJP senior party leaders.
The development comes a day after when Scindia met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah in Delhi shortly before he sent in his resignation letter to the Congress President Sonia Gandhi.
“Having been a primary member of the Congress party for last 18 years, it is now time for me to move on. I am tendering my resignation from the primary membership of the Indian National Congress and as you well know, this path has been drawing out over the last year,” Scindia said in his resignation letter.
Scindia, along with his 22 Congress MLAs quit the party on Tuesday. With this, Scindia has formally ended his nearly two decade association with the Congress party. The exit of Scindia, has left the Congress on the verge of losing power in Madhya Pradesh.
After Scindia joined his party, BJP president JP Nadda said, “It’s an occasion of immense happiness for us. Today we remember Rajmata who was instrumental in laying the foundation of our party.”
In his resignation Scindia said his aim has always been to serve people and politics is only a means to fulfil that.
After joining BJP, Scindia said, “I consider myself lucky that I have got a platform to serve the nation. I thank PM Modi. Not once but twice, he has got a massive mandate from the public. I believe nation’s future is secure in his hands.”
The episode has jolted the Congress party in and out. Meanwhile, the Rajasthan Chief Minister, Ashok Gehlot has criticised the BJP for the “Horse-trading” exercise in Madhya Pradesh.
The poaching of the 22 MLAs along with Jyotiraditya Scindia is the replication of the event that took place during the formation of the Maharashtra government. The exit of Scindia from the Congress has certainly made a room for the junior Congress leadership who precisely want to lift their political careers.
This act is a wake-up call for the Congress Party as there are several junior Congress leaders like Sachin Pilot of Rajasthan, Kuldeep Bishnoi of Haryana, Milind Deora from South Mumbai, Jitin Prasada of Uttar Pradesh and RPN Singh who have the potential to upscale their careers in the political space. Categorically, the Indian National Congress party has to control their state senior leadership for any further political debacle.
The first jolt to the Congress came when Jawaharlal Nehru expired in 1964. Then everyone in Congress was asking only one question: “Who after Nehru?” Nehru was the tallest national leader of the party and India itself and his death created a vacuum in the political space which he had been holding for the last 17 years since the independence of the country. The party positioned Lal Bahadur Shastri as India’s second prime minister but not for long. He died suspiciously at Tashkent in 1966.
With the death of the two prime ministers in quick succession, the Congress party which had previously been able to win constituencies based solely on the charisma of its leaders, could no longer do so at least at the regional level. The fight within the party was increasing. The tide finally turned in the 1967 elections that was held from February 15 to 22. Of the 16 states, only eight returned Congress to power with absolute majorities in the state legislatures.
Equally bad was the rout of the Congress’s top leadership. Seven members of Indira Gandhi’s cabinet at the Centre were defeated. The presidents of the Congress party in six states also lost along with the chief ministers in four states. Congress was clearly losing its touch as the party started showing the first signs of a break. The party was divided into many factions like Indian National Congress (I), Indian National Congress (O), Bharatiya Kranti Dal, Utkal Congress and Bangla Congress. Many of these factions later became defunct as they merged with the Janata Party during the Emergency. The future of the Congress party then lay in the hands of the people who were qualified to lead it. There were many more of these sorts. The future of the Congress Party is bright when it stops targeting the PM! And focus on the ample more MLAs and MPs that it can target. In a hunting expedition, the animal would fall prey to the hunter if it behaves and follows the trails that the hunter sets to nab it down. The Congress party is behaving like ‘the animal’ in this case. The PM has been in public for more than 2/3rds of his life span and is very sound in predicting human behaviour. The Congress party contradicts him in either ‘wrong’ subjects or falls into his trap. This has happened numerous times. The future of the Congress Party lies in India’s Development. (And the future of India’s Development is also positively correlated with the Congress party’s survival). The Congress party was sleeping under the morning sun while BJP made its name synonymous with ‘Good Governance’ and ‘Development’.
But now, it’s high time to wake up and communicate! India is the fastest growing economy in the world today! And this is not merely because of the NDA’99 or the BJP’14 government. But this surely is because of economic reforms in 1991-1992. There are many constructive steps like this that they could put up in front of people in a better way.
In the same way, they could counter BJP’s Development agenda by putting up a Better Development Agenda instead of mocking the parliament sessions.
If this happens, people will start having a confidence in the Congress party even when the BJP remains in power at the Centre and in majority of the states. Despite the challenges, Indira Gandhi who was mockingly referred to as “Goongi Gudiya”, emerged as a strong and decisive leader under whose leadership India won a decisive war against Pakistan in 1971. The war resulted in Congress reclaiming its place as the most dominant player in the Indian political system so much so that its power became increasingly unchecked. In a democracy, a government with unchecked power is quite problematic.
In 2004, the Congress made a comeback again in quite an astonishing fashion by defeating the incumbent BJP in power. The Congress would spend the next decade fully in control of India’s central government. This decade, especially the second half was marred by corruption. Telecom, railways, coal, land, sports, and various other ministries saw their names tarred under charges of corruption. Popular resentment against the regime grew prevalent among the public due to the increasing corruption within the government and the party’s inability to take any affirmative action against it. The then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was largely seen as a weak leader who couldn’t take tough action against corrupt members within his party and government. As a result, the party lost pathetically in the 2014 general elections where it won just 44 seats in the Lok Sabha out of the 543 up for grabs — an all-time low. Since then, the party still hasn’t settled into a new role. It has been losing election after election across many states in India. The most notable recent loss came in Uttar Pradesh the most populated state in India where the party got just seven seats in an assembly of 403 seats.
Most political observers are of the opinion that Congress lacks a genuine mass leader of which it used to have in dozens in its glory days. The vice president of the party, Rahul Gandhi, has been somewhat of a laughing stock due to his lack of leadership skills and his inability to win elections.
To sum up, the Congress has lost its sheen and doesn’t look to be in a position to even pose a challenge to the current BJP regime. If it manages to do so, the party would be pulling a rabbit out of a hat! Worryingly, the demise of Congress means the demise of a balanced political system in India. The Congress and the BJP, the two most dominant powers, used to balance off each other in Indian politics. With this balance lost, a newly emergent “BJP System” is replacing the earlier Congress system. At no time in the history of the party, the Congress has won an election either on the issue of development or on positive issues.
Right now, Congress does not have any charismatic leader who can convincingly bring victory to the party. Also, Congress has over the years right from Indira Gandhi has demolished all institutions within the party by nominating figureheads. Thereby, leadership development was buried once and for all. To revive them is not possible with the present set of leadership. It took hundred years to develop them, but took only 30 years to demolish them.
No, this can’t be, I said to myself when I heard that Madhya Pradesh senior Congress leader Jyotiraditya Scindia has resigned from the party and is likely to join the BJP. 21 Congress MLAs also quit the party along with Scindia.
It is being rumoured that for the move of Scindia which has threatened the Kamal Nath government in Madhya Pradesh, the Central Government is most likely to reward him with a Rajya Sabha nomination and eventually a place in the central cabinet.
In the state, the Madhya Pradesh government has a wafer-thin majority of just four above the majority mark of 116. 21 Congress MLAs also quit along with Scindia and if the resignations are accepted, the party will lose power.
As happens in such cases, both the BJP and the Congress have moved their MLAs out of Madhya Pradesh for safe-keeping. While the BJP has put up its MLAs at the five-star ITC Grand Bharat in Gurgaon, the Congress has reportedly taken its members to Jaipur in Rajasthan where the party is in power.
On the other hand, the MP Chief Minister Kamal Nath has said that he was confident that his government will complete its term. “There is nothing to worry about. We will prove our majority,” he said.
Other reports say that Scindia was unhappy with the Congress leadership for some time. Once close to the Gandhi family, he lost the race for chief ministership in 2018 after he showed support of only 23 MLAs despite making a sizeable contribution to the Congress’ unexpected Assembly polls win. In August, he was one of a few opposition leaders who supported the centre’s Article 370 move to end special status to Jammu and Kashmir.
Shortly after he sent in a letter of resignation to Congress chief Sonia Gandhi on dated March 9, he spoke of “moving ahead.” This is a path that has been drawing itself out over the last year,” he added.Minutes later the Congress expelled the former Guna MP from the party “with immediate effect” for “anti-party activities”.
At this point of time while I was writing this, got a call from a senior politician of Maharashtra. He wanted to discuss the MP problem with me. I told him that this couldn’t be possible as being a senior party leader the party wouldn’t let him go. No, he said that anything can happen. In continuation, my friend said that he had heard that Scindia has been asked to leave the party and join the BJP where he would act as a spy for his parent party.
To support his statement, he mentioned the name of Alienologist / Senior Conspiracy Theorist, Amit Von Daniken. Later when I talked to Daniken, he said, ”Nothing will harm the Congress. It is so that Scindia has ganged up with Rahul Gandhi and agreed to be the Congress ‘Trojan Horse’ once he joins the BJP.”
To sum up, the BJP is gung ho of the developments because Scindia’s move will herald the return of Shivraj Chouhan as the CM of the state again. Not only that, this might also alter equations in Maharashtra that could bring back the BJP to power.
(The views expressed by the author in the article are his/her own.)
Home Minister Amit Shah assured a public rally in Kolkata said: no minority will have to leave the country owing to the new Citizenship Act. I wonder, how long he will try to make the people fool while they know best that this act is violative of The Constitution. Why does he need to satisfy minorities? If his government had not excluded Muslims, he would not have needed to organized rallies across to make minorities satisfy. It simply shows that BJP want to hide what is in their hearts.
M Hasan
OHCHR must file petition
In an unprecedented and rare move, the Geneva-based office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) has announced that it plans to file an application in the Supreme Court, asking to be impleaded in petitions challenging the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA). Ministry of External Affairs said that the United Nations body had no right to interfere in internal affairs. Here is question, if OHCHR has no right, what is a benefit of this organization? I think, OHCHR should file and most people are with it.
Qasmi Nadwi
Taliban back to old ways
The agreement signed between the US and the Taliban is already hanging by a thread. Recently, the US carried out an airstrike on Taliban fighters in Helmand, the first since February 29, when the pact was signed at Doha. Washington has described it as a defensive strike on Taliban fighters who were “actively attacking” an Afghan security post. Less than two days after the peace pact, the Taliban signalled a return to its old ways; it ordered fighters to resume operations against Afghan forces. A massive blast rocked a football field in Khost province soon after, killing three people. This rush prompted it to strike a deal that gave the Taliban too much. In addition to legitimacy, the US agreed to fortify its capacity by agreeing to the release of Taliban prisoners, lifting of UN sanctions, etc. Having given in to the Taliban’s demands, the US will have to reap the coming whirlwind. Sadly, it will be the Afghan people who will bear the brunt of Trump’s self-interest.
Amjadullah Abuzar Bajpatti
Intra-party rivalry leads to ouster of Jyotiraditya Scindia from party
The resignation of Jyotiraditya Scindia from the Congress has brought a climax in the political crisis of Madhya Pradesh. It was clear that Scindia has been at odds with his party in recent times. Both in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, the Congress high command relied more on the old guard as compared to the young leaders who have capacity to lead the party. The Scindia-Kamal Nath rivalry in Madhya Pradesh or the Pilot-Ashok Gehlot rocky relationship in Rajasthan has been as public as can be, and in a way, has consumed the younger turks completely. Voters of MP who casted their votes in favour of Cong instead of BJP might also been regretting their decision now. It is nice that Scindia is now expected to get a Rajya Sabha ticket from Madhya Pradesh by the saffron party. He is very smart and articulate who has wasted years in Congress just to prove his loyalty. Political analysts now feel that such a crisis, not entirely unexpected, could have been averted only if the Congress had chosen to address the fast spreading discontent among its MLAs. The whole episode reveals the fact that the ability of the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty to keep the party together is eroding day by the day. It is also clear that unlike BJP, Congress do not have healthy second-rung bench strength. Don’t we think the Congress is surely losing its power base across the country and for good reason.
Vinod C. Dixit
(The views expressed by the author in the article are his/her own.)
People across the world are surprised that despite the 
In a step towards balancing gender equilibrium in central-run technical institutions in the country, the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) has decided to grant 20 per cent of its seats to women students.
It’s all karma! Karma always catches 
The wait is finally over for the 