Category: Politics

  • Yet another Bengal woman claims she was stripped & hit

    KOLKATA: After a recent incident of postpoll violence in Coochbehar blamed on the ruling Trinamool Congress, another BJP female worker was allegedly stripped and attacked with a sharp weapon at Jagatdal in West Bengal’s North 24 Parganas district on Wednesday.

    The woman, who has been hospitalised with head injury, told mediapersons that she was attacked by Trinamool workers when she had gone to fetch water. She accused the Trinamool of creating trouble in the area and threatening BJP workers after the June 4 election results.

    Somnath Shyam, a Trinamool leader from Barrackpore, said the incident was not political. “It happened in the ESI slum area. The problem started over water and trouble erupted among Muslim women. It is not related to any political parties: Trinamool, BJP or CPIM,” Shyam said.

    Recently, a woman from the minority community was allegedly stripped and beaten brutally in Coochbehar’s Mathabhanga area for having allegiance to the BJP.

    Following this, the National Commission of Women had visited Coochbehar and met the woman. Bengal governor CV Ananda Bose too had met her and the state police have taken her statement. Meanwhile, another accused was arrested in connection with flogging a couple in a kangaroo court at Chopra in North Dinajpur district.

  • Rahul Gandhi Lok Sabha speech: Is there efficacy of expunction in the era of live telecast, digital media?

    As Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla expunged portions of Rahul Gandhi’s speech, questions were raised over the efficacy of this move in times of live telecast and digital media.

    Rule 380 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in Lok Sabha vests the Speaker with power to order expunction of words – which in his opinion are “defamatory, or indecent or unparliamentary or undignified” – from the proceedings of the House.

    Birla ordering expunction of Gandhi’s remarks, including on Hinduism, means that parts of the speech will not be included in official record. It also means that expunged parts will be erased from video recordings of Lok Sabha TV. This is done to make it consistent with the official printed version. So while Gandhi may have scored immediate political brownie points with his speech in Lok Sabha, the expunction will mean that official records will not reflect the deleted portions.

    In times when elections are also fought on social media, does the official record matter? It does, say experts. Expunction means criminal proceedings can be initiated if these are carried and the House can order them to be taken down. Any TV channel or digital media platform can be ordered to take down the expunged parts.

    Ravindra Garimella, former joint secretary (legislation) Lok Sabha Secretariat, told ET: “Once it is expunged from the record, no TV channel or media outlet can carry it. If any newspaper or media carries the expunged part, it is held as breach of privilege of the House and contempt proceedings can be initiated.” A member can move a breach of privilege motion and proceedings can be initiated against any individual for this breach. The expulsion of Mohua Moitra is a case in point on how far reaching ‘contempt of House’ proceedings can be. Garimella says a breach of privilege can mean an individual can even be sent to jail without the involvement of the court.The most famous case of breach of privilege is of 1964 when Keshav Singh circulated a pamphlet against a UP MLA. The assembly Speaker issued a breach of privilege notice against Singh and later arrested him for a week. When Allahabad High Court ordered Singh’s release, the UP assembly initiated breach of privilege proceedings against the two judges. The Supreme Court intervened and ruled that legislative privileges are not absolute. Garimella points out that they are still farreaching if the presiding officer wants.

  • Rahul Gandhi on Hindus: PM Modi, five ministers lead charge; seek apology from Rahul Gandhi

    Prime Minister Narendra Modi and five senior ministers put up a spirited defence as Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi came down heavily on the central government over its policies in a speech in Lok Sabha on Monday afternoon.

    In what was a rare defence seen on the floor of Lok Sabha, defence minister Rajnath Singh, home minister Amit Shah, agriculture minister Shivraj Chouhan, parliamentary affairs minister Kiren Rijiju and environment minister Bhupender Yadav tried to corner Gandhi over facts and parliamentary procedures and demanded his apology.

    Modi rose twice to object to Gandhi’s remarks on how BJP fomented hatred and violence. Modi said: “This is a very grave matter. To call the entire Hindu community violent is a very serious matter.” Gandhi turned it around and said, “No, no, no. Narendra Modi is not the entire Hindu community. BJP is not the entire Hindu community. RSS is not the entire Hindu community.”

    Modi’s second intervention – that the Constitution had taught him to “respect the post of the Leader of the Opposition, which is held today by Gandhi” – drew jeers from the Opposition benches. There were jeers because the Opposition has claimed the government is trying to subvert the Constitution, a charge BJP has trashed. Gandhi was among the MPs who added “Jai Samvidhan” to their oaths last month. “It feels nice… BJP people are repeating ‘Jai Samvidhan’ after me,” he quipped.

    Even Gandhi’s stance while speaking was pointed out. Environment minister Bhupendra Yadav took out the rulebook and cited Rules 349 (12) and 352 (2) and said Gandhi was disrespecting the Speaker. Yadav said: “Leader of Opposition is addressing the House for the first time. I would like to point out two rules Rule 349 (12) and 352. First of all, LoP should know how to speak in the House. 349 (12 ) specifies the Speaker shall not sit or stand with back towards the chair. He is constantly speaking with his back towards the chair. Rule 352 (2) says ‘make personal reference by way of making an allegation imputing a motive or questioning a bonafide’ . He has not only levied an allegation against the entire government but the entire Hindu community.” Shah said, “You cannot hide such a big issue by creating ruckus in the House. LoP has said that whoever calls themselves Hindu they are violent. want to repeat his sentence those who call themselves Hindus, they talk of violence and are violent. In this country, probably he doesn’t know crores of people identify themselves as Hindus with pride. Do they all talk of violence? He should apologise for linking a particular religion to violence.”InIn another instance, Gandhi claimed that Agniveers were not getting the compensation of ₹1 crore as announced by the government. Once again Shah interjected and said: “He should put forward the facts and if these are not facts, he should apologise to Agniveers and the entire nation.” Gandhi was unfazed and said that he had put forth the truth of Agniveers on the floor of the House and the families knew the truth. “It doesn’t make a difference what I say or you say.” To this, Rijiju appealed to the Speaker to intervene: “How can he take it so lightly?”Gandhi claimed that the Agnipath scheme had been introduced without proper discussion. Rajnath Singh got up and intervened: “Please don’t mislead the House. This scheme was introduced after a lot of discussion it was discussed with 158 organisations. Such a scheme is there in the US, UK and other countries. Nobody has any problem. Making these statements without understanding is highly irresponsible. I would request you Speaker Sir to please expunge these remarks.”

    Gandhi continued, “It does not matter, you like Agniveer. We don’t like Agniveer scheme. Once our government comes, we will stop it. We don’t want it.”

  • Third eye: Smoking out the plot, difficult to fathom, and bamboo business

    Smoking out the plotThe management of an educational institution in Maharashtra’s Saswad was stunned when it invited former Shiv Sena MLA and exminister Vijay Shivtare to address students. He began by saying that in his childhood he wanted to be like Dhirubhai Ambani but was “very mischievous” and used to “steal money to smoke beedis till he collapsed” and all that was when he was in the “fourth standard”. Shivtare’s speech has raised a lot of eyebrows and it joins a long list of gaffes by Shiv Sena leaders. Difficult to fathomOpposition leader R Ashoka has claimed that CM Siddaramaiah engineered the defeat of Congress candidate DK Suresh in Bengaluru Rural to cut his brother and deputy CM DK Shivakumar to size. But the claim has not gone down well within sections of BJP leaders because CN Manjunath won by an impressive margin of 2.69 lakh votes riding what they believe is a Modi wave. So, now they are scratching their heads, unable to understand Ashoka’s analysis.Bamboo businessDuring a recent event, Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde spoke about the importance of planting trees and said that some are planting bamboo, which too is good for the environment as it gives a a lot of oxygen. Then, with a wink, he said that some people should also be given this bamboo (stick treatment). Shinde did not name anyone, but he indicated that he was referring to Sanjay Raut, member of Parliament representing the Uddhav Thackerayled party.

  • Third eye: Russia shows the map, lift rumours, and mango diplomacy

    Showing the Position on MapIn a noteworthy move ahead of SCO summit and Indian PM’s Moscow visit, Russian stateowned media Sputnik has published a map of SCO member states and dialogue partners that displayed PoK as part of India. Clearly, the message can’t be missed, and the move may not go down well with either Pakistan or China, both SCO members. Russia has always maintained that the entire Kashmir is part of India. No Walls, No Ears: It’s Safe to TalkUddhav Thackeray and Devendra Fadnavis were once on friendly terms. However, they are now bitter political enemies, thus their simultaneous entry into an elevator in the state legislature building sparked conjecture. Thackeray dismissed any such speculations and even joked with journalists later. “I’m informed that even walls have ears. We will conduct quiet talks in lifts from now on because they do not have walls,” he explained. Saying it With Fruit and SweetsIt’s pineapple and mango diplomacy between India and Bangladesh. Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina sent mango, hilsa fish and sweets to Tripura CM Manik Saha. The gifts included 400 kg of exquisite Hariavanga (Haribhanga), the most famous mango of Dinajpur and Rangpur region of Bangladesh, 50 kg of delectable hilsa fish and 50 kg rasgulla (sweets). On the other hand, Tripura CM sent 500 kg pineapples as a “gift” to Bangladesh Prime Minister.

  • Trinamool MLAs: Swearingin impasse of TMC MLAs: West Bengal speaker calls Jagdeep Dhankar, seeks his intervention

    West Bengal Assembly Speaker Biman Bandyopadhyay has sought the intervention of VicePresident Jagdeep Dhankhar to resolve the standoff over the oathtaking ceremony of the two newlyelected Trinamool MLAs.

    Meanwhile, Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose on Friday hit out at CM Mamata Banerjee, saying, “It is expected of public representatives to abide by the Constitution and not generate erroneous and slanderous impressions, obliquely adverse to the Governor, in public mind”. Bose’s statement comes a day after Banerjee said that women were scared to go to the Raj Bhawan and the oathtaking ceremony of the two Trinamool MLAs could not be held after they got elected almost a month back.

    “The alibis floated in public domain are untenable,” Bose posted on X. Bose is now following the X Handle route like former Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar, to give his statements.”I believe the Governor should think about the matter. I don’ t know why he is doing this. There is no reason for confrontation. This is not a place for confrontation. The Governor is refusing to understand, and he is not abiding by the law and Constitution. I was forced to write to President Droupadi Murmu , seeking her intervention to give him (Governor) direction to administer oath at the assembly or authorise someone else,” Bandyopadhyay said. He added that he had called up Dhankhar and requested him to look into the matter.

  • India bloc to move adjournment motions over NEET paper leak

    New Delhi: The inaugural session of the 18th Lok Sabha is set to turn stormy with INDIA bloc deciding to move adjournment motions on Friday to discuss NEET paper leak.

    The Opposition will move the motions under Rule 267. The decision was taken at a meeting of floor leaders of INDIA bloc parties held at the residence of Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Thursday. The Opposition parties unanimously decided to raise NEET, Agniveer, unemployment and other issues in Parliament. According to sources, a uniform strategy will be employed in both Houses.

    Both Houses are scheduled to debate the motion of thanks to the President’s address on Friday. While Rajya Sabha’s business advisory committee has allotted 26 hours for this discussion, the Lok Sabha is likely to allot a similar time. The business advisory committee of the Lok Sabha has not been formed yet.The INDIA bloc decided that if the motions were not allowed, MPs would first protest inside the Houses and force adjournments. According to sources, both Houses will face disruptions on Friday. Following the adjournment, Opposition parties will protest outside the Houses in Parliament complex.

    AAP and Jharkhand Mukti Morcha proposed that the Opposition bloc raise the issue of arrests of their leaders, Arvind Kejriwal and Hemant Soren. It was agreed to raise this next week.

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    Following the meeting, DMK MP T Siva said: “We will give notices (in Parliament) on the NEET issue on June 28.” President of Rashtriya Loktantrik Party, Hanuman Beniwal, said: “The Opposition is united and it will raise the issues of NEET, Agniveer, inflation and unemployment and MSP in the Parliament.”Congress MP Jairam Ramesh said that several issues were discussed. “There will be a debate on all the issues in Parliament, whether the President’s address or the election of the Deputy Speaker,” he said.

  • 18th Lok Sabha: Om Birla 2.0, emergency attack and working with ‘shehzada,’ will Modi govt’s approach in Parliament remain the same?

    The highlight of the 18th Lok Sabha on Wednesday was the appointment of Speaker of the Lower House with Om Birla continuing the role, allowing Prime Minister Modiled NDA government to win the first battle of numbers on the floor. Despite tough resistance from the INDIA bloc, the Opposition did not press for a division of votes a candid admission of lack of numbers on their side.

    The shocking results on June 4 led to speculations regarding a possible change in the power matrix in the Parliament due to the change in the number of seats that BJP and NDA hold. AIMIM MP Asaduddin Owaisi reflected the opinion of many in the opposition camp when he said today that the ruling BJP will not be able to “steamroll” the opposition as the character of the House has changed in the new Lok Sabha.

    With the BJP failing to secure a majority on its own, the number dynamics in the Lower House has indeed changed. Prime Minister Modi is now dependent on allies for his government’s survival. Has the 18th Lok Sabha poll results led to any change in how the Parliament functions, well, the answer is both “yes” and “no.”

    A look into the changes in the Modi government in the Parliament: Om Birla 2.0:

    The first battle that the Modi government won was the appointment of speaker of its choice. The appointment of Om Birla as Speaker of Lok Sabha had the stamp of authority which was a trademark of both Modi 1.0 and Modi 2.0. With the firm support of allies, the government did not let the opposition dictate terms on the Speaker’s election and refused to enter into any negotiations over the choice of deputy speaker. The opposition wanted the deputy speaker’s post, but the government sent out a clear message to them. “First, you support Speaker’s election, and after that, we can discuss about the Deputy Speaker.” The stalemate ensured an election for Lok Sabha Speaker something that had happened only three times till now in 1952, 1967, and 1976. Rahul Gandhi will not just be ‘Shehzada’ The biggest change in Parliament that will be for Prime Minister Modi will be his relation with Rahul Gandhi. In the last 10 years, PM Modi has referred to the Congress leader as Shehzada. However, the changed number dynamics have now made the former Congress chief an integral part of the government’s functioning for the first time. We saw the first glimpse of this today when Rahul accompanied PM Modi to escort Om Birla to the Speaker’s chair.

    Rahul Gandhi is not just ‘shehzada’ for PM Modi now as the Congress leader will be part of several parliamentary bodies and panels for key appointments that are headed by the Prime Minister. Rahul may still not have a say in their functioning, but he will be privy to all the discussions.

    Emergency to counter ‘Save Constitution’ attack?The BJP has been using the emergency of 1975 for the longest time to attack Congress, but the new campaign by the ruling government by evoking the dark days ahead of the Parliament session is seen as a counter move to the INDIA bloc’s “Save Constitution” campaign. With Speaker Om Birla joining the government in attacking Emergency, the opposition’s hopes of any perceptible change in the government’s functioning due to reduced numbers may remain just that.

    Is the BJP still the boss? As the BJP failed to cross the majority mark, the party had to rely on NDA allies to form the government at the centre. When PM Modi took oath for a record third term in office, the belief was that allies, especially Chandrababu Naidu’s TDP and Nitish Kumar’s JD(U) would walk away with plum portfolios in bargain for their crucial support to run Modi 3.0.

    The BJP has not yielded too much space to allies and has kept almost all the important portfolios to itself. The big four Amit Shah, Rajnath Singh, Nirmala Sitharaman and Jaishankar were seen returning by holding their important ministries.

    Modi 2.0=Modi 3.0?Modi 3.0 has been marked by continuity, unlike Modi 2.0 when change was perhaps the only constant. Prime Minister Modi has retained most of his top ministers and even his top officers. He has also not changed the portfolios of key ministers. The choice of Speaker also signalled this spirit of continuity.

    The continuity is in contrast to the second term when Prime Minister Modi returned to power with an overwhelming majority of 303 seats, and his Cabinet and council of ministers saw several changes. In 2019, the BJP selected Om Birla as Speaker replacing Sumitra Mahajan who presided over Lok Sabha during Modi 1.0.

    Balance on policy issuesAnd while the BJP imprint has been strong till now, the saffron party will have to tread a cautious path when it will come to the policies of Modi 3.0. Even before the countours of government was finalised, allies went public with their reservations on the Agniveer scheme, which was a flagship policy of Modi 2.0. The caste census is another issue on which the allies would have a different perspective. During campaigning, the BJP had teared into the Congress over reservations given to Muslims in Karnataka. However, in TDP, the BJP has an ally which openly supports the idea and is all set to implement it in Andhra Pradesh.

    The BJP is emphasizing continuity under Modi 3.0, akin to his previous terms, asserting stability and routine governance. The upcoming Budget might introduce incentives, additional grants, or potentially a special category status for Andhra Pradesh under Chandrababu Naidu and Bihar under Nitish Kumar. These concessions hold significant importance for Naidu and Nitish, potentially outweighing their leverage at the central level. By maintaining unity within the NDA, the BJP retains the ability to assert dominance over the opposition, reminiscent of its authority over the past decade.

    (with ToI inputs)

  • 273 MPs take oath on Day 2, several engage in sloganeering

    NEW DELHI: On the second day of the 18th Lok Sabha, 273 MPs took oath, with many of them going beyond the written statement of oath and ending up by chanting slogans related to their respective states, politics and ideology.

    Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was holding a copy of the Indian Constitution while taking the oath. Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav also took the oath holding a copy of the Constitution.

    AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi, elected from Hyderabad, took his oath in Urdu and ended it with slogans. Similarly, BJP MP from Ghaziabad Atul Garg concluded his oath with sloganeering. DMK MPs took oath in Tamil.

    The two MPs from Manipur received standing ovations from Congress and INDIA bloc MPs when they took the oath. Many MPs from Maharashtra, cutting across party lines, ended their oath by chanting slogans. Some MPs taking a photo of a colleague taking oath invited protest from Opposition sides. On several occasions, protem speaker Bhartruhari Mahtab told the House that given the solemn occasion, the members should not depart from their text and add sentences on their own while taking oath. That made little impact on many MPs.

    At the end of the day, the Lok Sabha secretariat informed that nothing has gone on record except the oath of the MPs. Seven Lok Sabha MPs are yet to take oath. Shatrughan Sinha, Deepak Adhikari and Nurul Islam of Trinamool, and Shashi Tharoor of Congress were not present in the House on Tuesday. Amritpal Singh, a proKhalistan leader elected from Khadoor Sahib, and Rashid Engineer, elected from Baramulla, were also not present as they are in jail.

    SP’s Afzal Ansari was seen in Parliament, but he could not take the oath due to court restrictions.

  • Parliament House: PM tried to break Constitution: Mallikarjun Kharge’s retort

    After the PM targeted Congress by raking up the anniversary of the imposition of Emergency by Indira Gandhi, Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge asked how long the PM wanted to rule by repeatedly talking about Emergency.

    “He (Modi) will say this 100 times. How long do you want to rule by talking about this,” Kharge asked. He said without declaring an “emergency”, the PM was doing many questionable things. “Modiji tried to break the Constitution. That’s why leaders of all parties have come together today and are protesting. There was a Gandhi statue here (in front of Parliament House). They are breaking all democratic norms…,” Kharge said. He alleged that the PM’s customary speech ahead of the session skipped many important issues, including the NEET paper leak, caste census, the recent train accidents and the violence in Manipur.