BJP will never sit silently in Maharashtra

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November 27, 2019

Devendra Fadnavis is one such Chief Minister of Maharashtra who resigned twice in a month, who boasted about his coming back but had to step down within 48 hours. His resignation paved the way for the Shiv Sena, NCP and Congress to form government in Maharashtra. The question though is, can this ideologically incompatible parties work together to provide a stable government? But leaving the ideology issues, Sena-NCP and Congress have all experienced ministers in their party who can give stable government to Maharashtra. Moreover, Sharad Pawar will never let lose anything. The experience of NCP-Congress and manpower of Shiv Sena can become lethal combination in this state and other may follow same pattern in upcoming elections. These three have broken the ice and made it very embarrassing for BJP and Modi’s wave. BJP always projected itself as pure and pious Ganga (holy river where all the sins can be washed out) of these times. One dip and you are free from your immoralities. You have murdered somebody? Raped a woman and caused a couple of suicide? Nothing matters. BJP was the only truth. When BJP formed alliance with PDP in Kashmir it was projected as step taken in national interest, you have to believe it.

The alliance of Sena-NCP-Congress may last till Shiv Sena is able to be in the saddle of power. Or Sena is getting it’s due unhindered. The three-party alliance may be in power till the Congress is amused of the alliance and is in its comfort zone. Also the alliance may be in power till those who are not successful in getting ministry are not revolting. Sena-NCP-Congress alliance may be in power if the alliance is not demanding from its constituents. If Shiv Sena is forced to forego its core Hindutva ideology or Congress forced to dilute it’s secular credentials etc., may bring an end to the alliance. If any of the three parties get a more lucrative offer, then too the alliance falls. If the differences between the three parties turn into daily verbal exchanges, leaving a bad taste, the alliance may come to an end. Earlier such daily brats have led to the fall of governments and may happen again. Ask the news channels, they would tell you what a masterstroke it was when BJP formed the coalition government in Kashmir. So, when BJP cries foul about Shiv Sena cheating Maharashtra by attempting to form government with support of NCP and Congress, there is absolutely no reason why you should trust it.

Congress, NCP, Shiv Sena combine to represent a larger section of the society than BJP in Maharashtra. Anything that’s anti-BJP is not a mandate. Maharashtra is a big state with largest economy in India so Congress would not try to withdraw power and moreover after losing Karnataka they would be happy with this Consolation price. Financial capital of India will be run by a hardcore Mumbaikar. Sharad Pawar will run remote controlled government. Alliance with Shiv Sena will help NCP to gain foothold in areas like Mumbai and Konkan and Sharad Pawar is known as Friendly politician who would be happy working with Thackerays. Congress is practically run by NCP leaders so it’s like NCP has 98 MLAs which is enough for strong government until something strange happens and government falls. Well, let us leave this debate to the time ahead.

Right now, it is important to notice is the slap given to arrogant BJP by all others. With just a day left for Shiv Sena’s Uddhav Thackeray to take oath as the new Chief Minister of Maharashtra, a senior BJP leader and former state minister has in hindsight suggested the BJP should not have taken into confidence Ajit Pawar, the nephew of Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar. Ajit has always wanted to break free from the Congress shadow, while Pawar senior, given his national ambitions still commands way more respect from his partymen than Ajit dada does, and what is more, the young old man holds an iron grip over his party’s rank. With that, for the umpteenth time in three decades, Pawar, the uncle, prevailed over his nephew Ajit Pawar, and tactfully made him fall in line. Pawar probably knew of his nephew’s awkwardness with the three-party coalition, but may not have gauged his intentions to revolt and cross over to the BJP in the manner he did. The latest bid was, by far, one of the most serious attempts by Ajit to come out of the shadow of his uncle and wrest control of the NCP. But the attempt failed for the same reasons which have existed for the past two decades since the formation of Pawar’s regional outfit, with the addition of some more. In a political career spanning over five decades, Pawar has engineered ruptures in political parties, including his own. He has lived through defections.

Ambitions are a part of a political life; deceit to acquire power too – he knows it and has seen it all. What was new this time around was that the lessons from his playbook came visiting him – a split in his close-knit family and a political camp which was stopping him from forming a government in Maharashtra. Now the things are settled and with new government Maharashtra will write one new chapter. The Shiv Sena will have 15 ministers in Uddhav Thackeray’s council of ministers in Maharashtra while the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) will get the deputy chief minister’s post and 13 other ministerial berths. The Congress which is the third party in the Maha Vikas Aghadi coalition is tipped to bag the assembly Speaker’s post and 13 ministerial berths. Top leaders of the Shiv Sena, NCP and Congress discussed power sharing formula after staking claim to form the government. Chief minister-designate Uddhav Thackeray, NCP chief Sharad Pawar and Congress leader Ahmed Patel were present at the meeting of Congress, NCP and Shiv Sena MLAs. Thackeray, who will take oath as the Chief Minister of the state on Thursday, met Pawar separately earlier in the day to fine tune the formation of the new council of ministers. Pawar had also met senior Congress leaders Ahmed Patel, K C Venugopal and others before his talks with Thackeray. Pawar has been at the centre of government formation talks among the three parties ever since the Sena reached out to the NCP and the Congress for an alliance. Going of BJP and emerging as successor Shiv Sena and its unexpected alliance has written new chapter in Maharashtra politics. Here after BJP in opposition would be more aggressive and they will try their best to cripple Uddhav Thackeray government, until then they would not sit silent.

(Any suggestions, comments or dispute with regards to this article send us on feedback@www.afternoonvoice.com)

Modi-Shah invited to swearing in ceremony

By

Afternoon Voice

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November 27, 2019

Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray will be sworn in as Maharashtra’s Chief Minister at the Shivaji Park in Dadar on Thursday evening. The Bombay High Court raised security concerns over the swearing-in ceremony of Uddhav Thackeray and said holding such functions at a public ground should not become a regular feature. Going forward, everyone will want to use the ground for such ceremonies, a division bench of Justices SC Dharmadhikari and RI Chagla said.

The court said, “We do not want to say anything about tomorrow’s ceremony… we are only praying that nothing untoward happens,” the court said while hearing a plea of NGO Wecom Trust on whether the Shivaji Park was a playground or a recreation ground. What will happen is that this (holding ceremonies) will become a regular feature and everyone will want to use the ground for such ceremonies,” The high court had in 2010 declared the area as a “silence zone” after the Public Interest Litigation (PIL) was filed by the NGO.

For the first time since Modi became Prime Minister in 2014, BJP grieved a serious impairment not only to Modi and Shah’s reputation but also to their political legitimacy. The fame BJP had attained since Modi became PM was one of invulnerability, captured in the colloquial slogan “Modi hai toh mumkin hai!” (Nothing is impossible for Modi). His failure to pull off the audacious power grab in Maharashtra has dented this reputation. But the damage done is not just to his personal stature, but also the moral stature of the high political office he occupies. For the first time in the past five and a half years, Modi (along with his deputy, Amit Shah) has been exposed for his central role in making the President of India and the Governor of a state colluders in a stealthy plot of power grab. Both Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi and Raj Bhavan in Mumbai are expected to act as impartial custodians of the constitution. But both are today seen as connivers in its subversion.

After the great humiliation in Maharashtra, two days-old BJP government collapsed before it could take a floor test ordered by the Supreme Court. Modi and Shah will be invited to a function where Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray will take oath as the Maharashtra Chief Minister. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and his deputy, Sharad Pawar’s nephew Ajit Pawar, resigned on Tuesday after failing to muster enough numbers, ensuring that the Congress and NCP will form government in Maharashtra in partnership with ideologically opposite Shiv Sena. The Sena-NCP-Congress leaders evening conducted a meeting where it was decided Thackeray will lead the alliance and the state government. “Key leaders of the three parties will meet Governor to stake claim to form government in Maharashtra…the swearing-in ceremony will take place on December 1,” NCP’s Nawab Malik said at a presser in Mumbai. The date of the ceremony, however, was later changed to November 28.

Sena MP Sanjay Raut — who had been at the forefront of alliance talks between the three parties after the decades old Sena-BJP partnership had ended over Thackeray’s demand of rotational chief ministership — was asked on Wednesday if PM Modi would be invited to the function.

“Yes we will invite everyone, we will even invite Amit Shah,” he quipped.

The BJP, in a stunning move, had Devendra Fadnavis take oath of office at an unannounced ceremony in the Governor’s official residence early Saturday morning. Senior NCP leader Ajit Pawar had also been sworn in as his deputy. The move took the Sena-Congress-NCP alliance, which had been exploring the feasibility of a coalition government, completely by surprise.

Margashirsha month dedicated to Goddess Lakshmi

By

Dipti Joshi

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November 27, 2019

The month of Margashirsha which is the ninth month in the Hindu calendar is considered an auspicious one for the worship of Lord Vishnu and Goddess Lakshmi. The entire month is dedicated to the Goddess of wealth and prosperity. Lakshmi Puja is performed on every Thursday of the month and a fast of Margashirsha Guruvar is observed by the women. The Mahalakshmi vrat is considered very fruitful for all the devotees. The month of Margashirsha falls between the months of November- December. It is considered that observing Margashirsha Lakshmi Puja will solve all the problems and the Goddess will bless them with peace and prosperity. This year the month of Margashirsh began from 28 November and will end on December 19, 2019. The day of Margashirsha Purnima is extremely significant.

Adi Lakshmi, Santana Lakshmi, Gaja Laxman, Dhana Lakshmi, Dhanya Lakshmi, Vijaya Lakshmi, Veera Lakshmi and Aishwarya Lakshmi each represent eight types of wealth. Goddess Mahalakshmi only provides wealth. There are many other variants of it; Bhuddvi, as Earth-goddess. As Sridevi, she nourishes life. She provides the future and prosperity.

Worshipping Lord Vishnu and Goddess Lakshmi is thus considered very pious. A fast is observed to seek blessings for the good deeds ahead. The puja could either be done at home or by visiting a temple and both men and women perform the puja. This year, the first Margashirsh Gurvar Mahalakshmi Vrat was on November 28, 2019.

The Margashirsh Lakshmi Puja Vrat is observed from sunrise to sunset. Devotees take bath and offer prayers to Lord Ganesha and Goddess Laxmi. People can eat fast-friendly food items or fruits. The Mahalakshmi Vrat Katha is recited during the day. Some married couples observe the fast together. Pure vegetarian food is offered as prasad in the evening while breaking the fast.

For the puja, it is important to keep the place where puja is performed clean. Devotees should take bath early and wear clean clothes.

Take a kalash (pot) full of water and adorn it with betel and mango leaves.
Place a coconut on the top of the kalash and put haldi-kumkum over it. Put the kalash in a plate with rice grains.
Offer flowers or a garland on the coconut.
Recite Mahalakshmi Vart Katha, chant Shri Mahalakshmi aarti and other prayers which praise the Goddess of wealth and Lord Vishnu.
You could also visit the temple on the day and offer some sweets as bhog.
In the prasad, there could be some sweets or 5 fruits.

The Margashirsha Guruvar or Margashirsha Mahalakshmi Vrat is observed very carefully by the women more. They prepare special items at the time of breaking the fast. On the last Thursday, women call their friends or neighbours to their house for a small puja offering. Each woman is considered to be an avatar of Goddess Lakshmi and after applying the ceremonial haldi-kumkum, fruits or sweets are offered to them as prasad.

You may meditate about Goddess Lakshmi and chant her seed mantra: Om hreem shreem lakshmibhayo namah.

(The views expressed by the author in the article are his/her own.)

Letters to the Editor: 27 November, 2019

By

Web Team

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November 27, 2019

Save trees save life

The world we live in today is in a state of imbalance, with an ecosystem constantly in threat. Water, forests and air are severely damaged by increasing population and the resource demands that come with it. We must understand that trees are the lungs of the earth and their destruction will eventually lead to bizarre consequences of droughts and unseasonal rains.

M.H. Magdi

Pace bowlers shine in India’s victory

Indian pacers demonstrated their class and adjusted to conditions with terrific discipline and reaped the reward for the same. Pink Ball did move around and the debate surrounding the visibility of the ball in twilight session can wait for another day as the Indian team yet again proved they are champions. The bowlers did their usual while the batters stepped up in fine fashion to pip Bangladesh almost every single day of this series and India won the match only in three days.

Amjadullah

Good job by cops

In an initiative against online child pornography, the police have arrested six persons for sharing pictures and videos with sexually offensive contents against children. The men arrested have been identified as Sanju Rathod (25), Amit Mandal (24), Narender Kumar (22), Revti Nandan Anand (34), Lok Raj Yajurvedi (61) and Sudama Ram (29). They are accused of downloading and circulating pornographic contents. Creating, possessing, and viewing child pornography content is prohibited by law. Stringent punishment should be awarded to the accused.

Arif Newari

Save children from kidnappers

Seven year-old girl was reportedly kidnapped from her school in Andhra Pradesh. Such incidents of kidnapping have been taking place across country day by day. So authorities should take immediate step for security and safety of children and try to trace gang of kidnappers. Sniffer dogs should also be pressed into service. Parents are worried about sending their children to schools due to such incidents. It is also responsibility of parents to keep children away from suspected persons and insecure places.

M Hasan

Take steps to curb rape incidents

A 24-year-old college student was allegedly abducted and raped in a moving car by a 26 year old man with the act also being filmed by his friends in Uttar Pradesh’s Muzaffarnagar district. It is not new, while incident of rapes was reported several times in the past. The government should take immediate steps to enhance girl’s safety and security. A lot of laws have been framed to protect women now is the time to enforce the law so that such incidents will not be repeated again.

Asif Mahmudul

(The views expressed by the author in the article are his/her own.)

Floor Test – Good bye BJP, Welcome Sena and alliance

By

Vaidehi Taman

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November 26, 2019

The Supreme Court on Sunday issued notices to the Centre and Maharashtra governments in a petition filed by the Shiv Sena-NCP-Congress combine against Maharashtra governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari’s decision to swear in Devendra Fadnavis as the chief minister. A bench of Justices N.V. Ramana, Ashok Bhushan and Sanjiv Khanna also issued notices to Fadnavis and deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar and asked solicitor general Tushar Mehta to produce letters of the governor for passing orders. Not only the political parties but also the voters and people of Maharashtra, all were shocked with over night development and secret swearing in ceremony. When it became clear that the Congress, NCP and Shiv Sena had resolved their ideological and political disparities and agreed on a coalition government under the chief ministership of the Sena’s Uddhav Thackeray, Modi and Amit Shah went all out to ensure the new coalition does not come to power, because Maharashtra is financial capital and here they have backed their bread all these while. Slipping from the power in this particular state was not in their interest. Sharad Pawar met PM and guessed what can go wrong for coalition, he prompted Ajit Pawar to crack a deal with BJP and somehow succeeded in revoking President rule.

A deal was emerged under which Ajit Pawar, who was booked by the ED in September for the cooperative bank scam, agreed to support Devendra Fadnavis. He was offered the post of deputy chief minister and obviously given assurances that the cases against him would go into cold storage. Ajit Pawar also got his MLAs to sign a piece of paper, which many of them have alleged was under false pretenses. They signed a paper for their attendance, rather than for supporting Fadnavis as chief minister, they allege.

President Ram Nath Kovind was roused up and asked to sign a notification revoking Central rule in Maharashtra. He did this at 5:47 am. But the president could only act based on a recommendation of the cabinet, and there appears to have been no cabinet meeting or recommendation to that effect. The government says it took recourse to Rule 12 of the Government of India Rules, which says the “Prime Minister may, in any case or classes of cases permit or condone a departure from these rules, to the extent he deems necessary. The two leaders Modi and Shah knew they could not afford to let the Maharashtra government out of their hands and had prepared the ground, from day one, to ensure the BJP returned to power. They had already played fast and loose with norms and principles; all that were required was a final act of flagrancy, which they pulled off without any hesitation or embarrassment.

The Supreme Court observed that it has taken note of all the arguments, particularly the argument that the governor’s decision on November 23 inviting the Fadnavis to form a government is unconstitutional. The court’s order, made available hours after the hearing states that the court hasn’t considered the petitioners’ prayer to “pass an appropriate writ/order/direction to the Governor to invite the alliance of Maha Vikas Aghadi comprising of the Shiv Sena, NCP and Congress which has the support of more than 144 MLAs to form the government under the leadership of Pawar.

Based on a questionable list of signatures of NCP MLAs – which Governor Koshiyari made no attempt to verify despite the fact that the NCP president, Sharad Pawar, had already announced the party’s backing of Thackeray – Fadnavis was sworn in at 7:30 am. This was a blatant violation of the principles laid down by former president K.R. Narayanan, who said that governors who don’t take steps to ensure the chief minister they are swearing in actually has the support of the requisite number of MLAs will only end up encouraging bribery and horse-trading.

Meanwhile, the Supreme Court on Tuesday ordered that the Maharashtra floor test be held within 24 hours on Wednesday which will be conducted through open ballot and will be telecast live. The court said the pro-tem speaker would conduct the floor test after the members take oath by 5pm on Wednesday. Survival is biggest challenge for only BJP and Fadnavis at this moment because they already took power in hand. Ruling party speakers in the past have been notorious in their partisanship whenever the anti-defection law has to be invoked. And the courts, regrettably, can sometimes take forever to deliver their judgements. Now the time has to decide what role the courts, the Election Commission and also NCP president Sharad Pawar will play in the revealing spectacle. Right now nothing is very clear.

The floor test is latest in a string of such political spectacles that have been witnessed over the past few years from Uttarakhand in May 2016 to Goa and Manipur in March 2017 to Karnataka in March last year and again in July this year. However, a stranger floor test was to be seen in Uttar Pradesh assembly in February 1998. According to a news report, if more than one person stakes claim to form government and the majority is not clear, the governor may call for a special session to see who has majority. Some legislators may be absent or may choose not to vote. In such a case, the majority is counted based on those present and voting. But in the scenario of Maharashtra the betrayal from junior Pawar has forced BJP to withdraw from power and finally Uddhav Thackeray to sworn in as Chief Minister of Maharashtra with two deputies respectively on each from Congress and one from NCP.

(Any suggestions, comments or dispute with regards to this article send us on feedback@www.afternoonvoice.com)

BJP collapses and Sena rebuilds

By

Afternoon Voice

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November 26, 2019

Devendra Fadnavis resigned as the Chief Minister of Maharashtra after NCP leader Ajit Pawar quit Deputy Chief Minister post, on Tuesday. While addressing the media in the press conference Fadnavis said, “I wish them all the best whoever will form the government. But that will be a very unstable government as there is a huge difference of opinions.” The BJP will not form the government as the party does not have the numbers to form the government. Thus BJP’s operation lotus has failed.

Ajit Pawar resigned few hours after the Supreme Court ordered the floor test in the Maharashtra assembly.

He further continued stating, “In elections, the clear majority was given to ‘Mahayuti’ and BJP got maximum 105 seats. We contested the election with Shiv Sena, however, this mandate was for BJP because the party won 70 percent seats out of all seats we contested.”

According to the sources, Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray may take oath as a Chief Minister of Maharashtra. NCP leader Jayant Patil and Congress leader Balasaheb Thorat may be sworn in as Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra.

When AV contacted former AAP leader Mayank Gandhi on Maharashtra floor test he said, “I think before the floor test Devendra Fadnavis will resign because he does not have the numbers to form a government. He had committed a big mistake by forming temporary government with NCP leader Ajit Pawar and lost complete moral ground. Fadnavis made a two major mistake- one is alliance with Shiv Sena during the election and second was he allegedly formed the government.”

He further continued stating, “The governor is fully supporting BJP however the Supreme Court will decide whether he is involved in all this or not. The Supreme Court has not passed any comment on that neither I want to. And I think as a political person Devendra Fadnavis has made two major errors which is not good for Maharashtra.”

After five days of swearing-in ceremony, BJP was asked to prove its majority in the Maharashtra assembly on Wednesday. When we asked veteran NCP leader he told on the condition of anonymity, “Pawar Saheb is real politician and he knows how to move his cards. He first installed Ajit Pawar and let Devendra sworn in by revoking president’s rule in state. Now he has enough time in hand to prove majority and change the game. BJP fell in his trap”.

Social activist and former AAP leader Anjali Damania said, “All the political parties have seemed to stooped to a low level and this is what not the voters have expected out of the democratic country. I am completely upset whatever has happened in the past few days and it is nothing than a political Tamasha (drama) that is happening in Maharashtra. In the floor test I hope some sanity prevails and the honorable governor definitely should allow the right pro-term speakers to come through because if a BJP person is appointed then again there will be travesty of justice.”

“The act which is done by Bhagat Singh Koshyari ji was completely unconstitutional because there was no emergency for him to send the letter to the president and call off the President rule in the wee hours,” she added

Looking at the challenges ahead BJP had called all its MLAs for a meeting at an exclusive sports club in Mumbai last evening. All 105 BJP MLAs have been summoned to the Garware Club at Wankhede Stadium at 9 pm.

Senior Journalist Nilesh Khare said, “I think it is a constitutionally very right decision taken by Supreme Court and it is very transparent. Pro-team speakers will be there and take the proceeding ahead and with confidence vote but he has to be transparent with the vote division and that will be a clear democratic way of doing such kind of Constitutional proceedings. And I really welcome Supreme Court decision the way they have taken it forward. “

On Bhagat Singh Koshyari he said, “See even in history the Governor always align with the ruling party and here also it is a clear indication that Koshyari is appointed by BJP government and that is the reason he is tilted to the current government “

The Supreme Court acted on a petition challenging the manner in which the BJP’s Devendra Fadnavis took power after an early morning, unannounced oath ceremony on Saturday. The rival Shiv Sena-NCP-Congress alliance, Maha Vikas Aghadi, petitioned the court, calling the sudden government formation undemocratic and unconstitutional.

The BJP had told the Supreme Court it was invited by Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari to form government after it showed a letter of support with the signatures of 170 MLAs, including all 54 MLAs of the NCP, smaller parties and independents. The Aghadi argued that the BJP had opted out of the race after saying it didn’t have enough for a majority. After it announced its alliance on Friday, 7 pm, President’s Rule was cancelled at 5.47 am and Devendra Fadnavis was sworn in at 7.50 am.

The court agreed with the anti-BJP alliance and said: “If the floor test is delayed, there is a possibility of horse-trading, it becomes incumbent upon the Court to act to protect democratic values. An immediate floor test, in such a case, might be the most effective mechanism to do so.”

Ruling on a petition filed by the Shiv Sena-Congress-NCP front that challenged the BJP’s surprise government formation, the court said all 288 MLAs must be sworn in by 5 pm on Wednesday under a pro-tem speaker to be appointed immediately by Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari. The three-member bench also said the floor test must be recorded on video.

Timeline:-

10:42 am – Supreme orders to Maharashtra floor test on November 27 before 5 pm
11:26 am – Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) patriarch Sharad Pawar hails Supreme Court’s order
11:37 am – Ajit Pawar arrives at the residence of CM Devendra Fadnavis after the Supreme Court ordered for a floor test tomorrow.
12:44 pm– Ajit Pawar meets Sharad Pawar in Mumbai’s Trident hotel
02:30 pm – Ajit Pawar resigns as Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra just three days after he was sworn-in in a drastic move
03:30 pm – Fadnavis addresses press conference at Sahyadri.
03:41 pm – Fadnavis resigns as the Chief Minister of Maharashtra.
04:36 pm – Fadnavis submits his resignation to Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari.

After Fadnavis resignation, Uddhav to be the next CM of Maharashtra?

By

Hema Singh

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November 26, 2019

Devendra Fadnavis resigned as the Chief Minister of Maharashtra after NCP leader Ajit Pawar quit Deputy Chief Minister post, on Tuesday. While addressing the media in the Press Conference Fadnavis said, “After this, I’ll go to Raj Bhavan and tender my resignation. I wish them all the best whoever will form the govt. But that will be a very unstable government as there is a huge difference of opinions.” The BJP will not form the government as the party does not have the numbers to form the government.

Mumbai: Devendra Fadnavis submits his resignation to Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari #Maharashtra. pic.twitter.com/0oGLYJ7qrN

— ANI (@ANI) November 26, 2019

Ajit Pawar resigned few hours after the Supreme Court ordered the floor test in the Maharashtra assembly.

He further continued stating, “In elections, the clear majority was given to ‘Mahayuti’ and BJP got maximum 105 seats. We contested the election with Shiv Sena, however, this mandate was for BJP because the party won 70 percent seats out of all seats we contested.”

According to the sources, Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray may take oath as a Chief Minister of Maharashtra. NCP leader Jayant Patil and Congress leader Balasaheb Thorat may be sworn in as a Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra.

Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar on November 23 around 8 am have taken the oath as Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra respectively. Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar were sworn in the presence of Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari. Later on, Shiv Sena-NCP-Congress had filed a writ petition in the Supreme Court against Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar.

Implementation of NRC is necessary

By

Vinod Dixit

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November 26, 2019

Kudos to the BJP government for keeping its motto of “intention” and “courage” to implement the National Register of Citizens (NRC) in the country. The NRC is a register maintained by the Government of India containing names and certain relevant information for identification of Indian citizens of Assam state on the basis of their faith. The register was initially, specifically made for Assam. However, on 20th November 2019, Home Minister Amit Shah declared during a parliamentary session that the register would be extended to the entire country. Shah has clearly indicated that NRC will be applied nation wide and no person of any religion should worry. The register was first prepared after the 1951 census of India and since then it has not been updated until recently. This exercise is being done under the direct supervision of the honourable Supreme Court of India to get rid of the illegal migrants who have settled in Assam.

The NRC has been developed with the aim of segregating Indian citizens from illegal migrants. The centre’s view is very clear that no illegal immigrant will be allowed to stay anywhere in the country. The updating process of NRC started in the year 2013 under the strict monitoring and supervision of the Supreme Court of India. On December 31, 2017, a part draft NRC list was released and subsequently on July 30, 2018, the complete draft of NRC was released. It is a well-known fact that the issue of “foreigners” is still a live issue in the politics of North-East in general and Assam in particular. Many provisions promulgated by the Assam accord like the National Registration of Citizens came to effect after more than three decades of the signing of the accord.

Assam’s National Register of Citizens, currently being updated for the first time since 1951, is meant to be a list of Indians living in the state. One of the stated aims of the exercise is to separate citizens from undocumented migrants, or anyone who cannot prove that they or their ancestors lived in the country before midnight on March 24, 1971, or the eve of the Bangladesh war. During the Bangladesh Liberation war 1971, many illegal immigrants from Bangladesh came to India, mostly settled in Assam and West Bengal. The immigration continued even after the end of war. The Indian Government had to spent huge amount of public money for those illegal immigrants.

Immigration of illegal migrants from Bangladesh is a major problem in Assam. The flooding of illegal migrants has disturbed the political and cultural components of Assam. Assamese are feeling threatened by the ever growing power of migrants. The Bengali Hindus, who played a leading role in the struggle for India’s freedom, have perhaps been its worst victims. Between partition and 1971, when the Bangladesh Genocide that targeted the community occurred in which an estimated 3 million people were massacred by the Pakistan Army in one of the worst genocides in world history, the community was decimated. It is reported that almost 2 million people in Assam have been excluded from the final version of the National Register of Citizens in Assam that was released by the government recently. A total of 33 million people had applied for the NRC, of which 31 million made it to the final list.

The legacy of anti-immigrant sentiment in Assamese public sphere for more than a century has created an environment of deadly silence and trauma has taken control over the lives of several million people across the state. This legacy for more than a century now needs due consideration along with the colonial policies and schemes which enabled such a huge human population to move from one place to another.

Updating the NRC has been a decades-old demand, with various modalities and cut-off dates suggested over the years and many rounds of talks held and now it is done as per court order. But as the current trend in India, where politics is placed over the national interest, many opposition parties have started protesting. One must remember the benefits of bringing registered in the NRC is that it will form the basis for the detection of illegal migrants, inclusion will protect against harassment and a ticket to enjoying all the constitutional rights and safeguards and the benefits of government schemes.

(The views expressed by the author in the article are his/her own.)

Letters to the Editor: 26 November, 2019

By

Web Team

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November 26, 2019

BJP has committed a mistake by aligning with Pawar

BJP seems to have got its Maths wrong and aligning with Ajit Pawar was a mistake. NCP MLA’s themselves doesn’t trust their leader. Ajit Pawar who seems deserted at the moment which has even put BJP on a wrong footing as they formed the government thinking Pawar junior had the numbers. It would have been appropriate had the deal been struck with Sharad Pawar who is a seasoned politician.

BJP have 105 MLAs and deserves to have their men as Chief Minister. Maharashtra would have had a stable government had not the Sena ditched them after fighting the assembly elections together. BJP should actually have allowed Sena and Congress-NCP to form the government which would not have lasted more than a few months. Devendra Fadnavis should admit his mistake of aligning with Ajit Pawar and resign. Maharashtra is heading for another election in the next few months and BJP this time will get a clear majority as voters have seen all the drama and leaders who rejected voters verdict would be punished.

S.N. Kabra

Centre should accept WB state-assembly resolution to rename the state

Only old-timers know that since western part of pre-independence undivided Bengal came to India, the state was named as West Bengal, and East Bengal turned into East Pakistan (now Bangladesh). Central Government should accept demand of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for immediate passing of long-pending resolution of the state-assembly to rename the state as Bangla thus removing ever-confusing prefix West. Proposed name will be one-worded and will not be able to be abbreviated like double-worded names UP, MP, HP, AP etc.

The Constitution should be amended whereby names of all institutions including High Courts named after states or cities may be auto-changed with change in names of state or city. Names of Bombay High Court and Madras High Court still remain the same despite renaming of respective cities as Mumbai and Chennai decades back.

There has been gradual change in names or spellings of cities with the process still incomplete despite more than seven decades of independence. Distorted spellings of Jullender and Simla by British rulers in India as Jalandhar and Shimla has been rectified. But spellings of cities like Delhi and Bareilly as per actual pronunciation are still to be modified. Delhi is distorted version of Dehli meaning entrance in English. Many other countries like Bangladesh and China have already respelled names of their capitals as per actual pronunciation. There are too many Rampurs and Bilaspurs in India which require renaming to avoid confusion. New names can be after heroic characters of Ramayan and Mahabharat.

Union Government should also adopt single name Bharat for the country abolishing British given name as India, in tune with unanimous resolution once passed by UP state-assembly. It is senseless to have two names for a country. Sri Lanka and Myanmar have already done away with such British legacy when these countries are no more known as Ceylon and Burma.

Subhash Chandra Agrawal

Augment first AC-cum-AC two tier composite coach to Chalukya express

Bengaluru is well connected to Mumbai by train numbers 11021/11022 Dadar – Tirunelveli Chalukya Express and 11005/11006 Dadar – Puducherry Chalukya Express. Both the trains originate from Tirunelveli and Puducherry respectively and operate via Yeswantpur to reach Dadar early morning at 6 am on all the 6 days of the week.

It is given to understand that the train’s composition has not undergone any major changes w.r.t to augmentation of coaches. As the train’s journey involves beyond 24 hours, there is now an urgent necessity to augment one First AC-cum-AC Two Tier composite coach to both the rakes of Chalukya Express. As also it is given to understand that the other two trains to Mumbai from Bangalore also has one First Class AC coach- as attached to train numbers 11301/11302 Bengaluru- Mumbai CSMT Udyan Express and 11013/11014 Coimbatore- Lokmanya Tilak Terminus Kurla Express.

Hence the concerned Central Railway’s Mumbai Divisional authorities are kindly requested to augment one First AC-cum-AC Two Tier Composite Coach to the train numbers 11021/11022 Dadar – Tirunelveli Chalukya Express and 11005/11006 Dadar – Puducherry Chalukya Express. The suggestion can be considered in the best interest of enhancing passenger comfort.

Varun Dambal

Have a public opinion on political drama

Citizens have been paying close attention to what has been going on in the politics of Maharashtra from last one month. After the swearing-in of the new Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister, the politics of the state has become more and more shaky. No other news is visible other than political events in Maharashtra. The media has been receiving daily information about political happenings in the state of Maharashtra from the last one month. What can happen in politics? The public opinion should be asked about all these political drama and the media should broadcast this constantly. As political parties are accusing each other, the public’s thoughts should reach the political parties.

Jayesh Rane

(The views expressed by the author in the article are his/her own.)

Maharashtra floor test tomorrow by open ballot, orders Supreme Court

By

Web Team

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November 26, 2019

The People of Maharashtra were expecting Supreme Court decision Tuesday on Maharashtra government formed by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and NCP leader Ajit Pawar on Saturday morning in the presence of Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari . However, the Supreme Court orders that the Maharashtra floor to be held on November 27. And it will conduct through open ballot and will be telecast live.
Reportedly, the swearing in of MLAs needs to be completed by 5 pm. Also the Speaker should be appointed to conduct Floor Test.