PUDUCHERRY CONG GOVT ON THE BRINK, BEDI REMOVED AS L-G
The Congress-led government in Puducherry appeared to have lost majority on Tuesday after a second MLA of the party resigned in two days.
Late in the evening, the Centre removed the Lieutenant Governor of the Union Territory, Kiran Bedi, with whom the local government has had a long-running battle. Telangana Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan, a former president of the Tamil Nadu BJP, was given additional charge of Puducherry.
The ruling Congress-DMK alliance and the opposition AIADMK-BJP alliance now have 14 MLAs each in the House that has a current effective strength of 28.
The removal of L-G Bedi, the Chief Minister said, was “a long pending demand of the Puducherry people”. Bedi, he said, “was behaving in an autocratic manner, violating the rules of business, trying to run a parallel government, (and) issuing independent orders against the wishes of the elected government…”.
The Centre, he said, had “woken up now”, with only weeks to go before Assembly elections. “I do not know whether it was done because of elections. (But) whatever damage has to be done, she has done. It cannot be rectified. The people of Puducherry will remember it and it will be fresh in their memory,” Narayanasamy said.
AGRI REFORMS WILL BENEFIT SMALL, MARGINAL FARMERS, ASSERTS PM
Mounting another defence of the new farm laws, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said those spreading lies about the legislations for political gains stood exposed.
“The bundle of lies and misinformation being spread about the farm laws for political gains is now being exposed. Everyone is watching how people who made laws to enable the entry of foreign companies into the Indian agriculture market are spawning myths and trying to scare our farmers in the name of local companies,” the PM said, attacking the Congress-led UPA without naming it.
BJP president JP Nadda on Tuesday held a meeting with top leaders and functionaries from Haryana, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh, the states leading the stir along with Punjab. The meeting aimed to discuss and devise the party’s strategy amid the string of ‘mahapanchayats’ by protesting farm leaders. It was also attended by Home Minister Amit Shah and Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar.
The PM was speaking virtually at the foundation stone laying ceremony of Maharaja Suheldev Memorial and development works at Chittaura Lake in Bahraich, Uttar Pradesh.
In an outreach to farmers of Uttar Pradesh, where kisan mahapanchayats are being held routinely to oppose farm laws, the PM said despite the implementation of new agricultural laws, paddy procurement from UP has been twice the last year.
“Procurement worth 65 lakh metric tonnes has already been done in UP. This is twice the size of last year. The state has also disbursed Rs one lakh crore to sugarcane farmers,” the PM said, assuring farmers of the MSP.
He said attempts were on to connect small farmers with national markets through Kisan Rail. Referring to the Swamitva scheme of the Centre, the PM said the government was committed to protecting the homes of poor from illegal occupation.
HIGH COURT RELIEF FOR MULUK; DISHA CAN MEET KIN
A Delhi court today allowed environmentalist Disha Ravi access to her family and lawyers and to warm clothes and books. It also directed the police to furnish a copy of the FIR to Disha’s family along with a copy of the remand application.
Disha, who is in police custody till February 19 in the toolkit case, will be allowed to meet her lawyer for 30 minutes and family for 15 minutes daily.
Beed (Maharashtra)-based engineer Shantanu Muluk got 10-day relief from arrest from the Bombay High Court even as the court reserved orders until Wednesday on lawyer Nikita Jacob’s plea.
Delhi police have written to videoconferencing app Zoom for details of 70 persons who attended a January 11 meeting allegedly called by pro-Khalistan outfit Poetic Justice Foundation to prepare the toolkit. The cops say Canada-based Khalistan backer Mo Dhaliwal anchored the meeting “with an aim to create misinformation and cause disaffection against the Indian government”.
The Delhi Commission for Women issued a notice to the Delhi Police, asking for a report by Friday on why they did not allow Disha a lawyer of her choice. Though the police reiterated that due process was followed at the time of her arrest, the DCW said there were lapses.
SOUTH AFRICAN STRAIN OF COVID-19 SHOWS UP IN INDIA
The government on Tuesday said that four cases of the South African variant of Covid-19 have been detected in the country. This is a mutation of the Covid-19 virus that was discovered in South Africa and announced in December. Similar to the UK mutation that India has been dealing with this year, the South African strain (501Y.V2) is more transmissible. However, it also affects the younger population more.
But unlike the UK variant, there is no evidence to suggest that the South African variant is potentially deadlier.
The South African government has said that the vaccine developed by AstraZeneca-University of Oxford (on which Covishield is based) has“limited” efficacy against this variant. The government has since halted the use of this vaccine, supplied by India. It is switching over to the use of the single dose vaccine candidate developed by Johnson & Johnson, which said in January that the shot provided a level of protection of 57 percent against the South African variant.
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FRANCE VOTES ON ANTI-RADICALISM BILL THAT WORRIES MUSLIMS
France’s National Assembly on Tuesday approved legislation designed mainly to counter a rise in Islamism in towns and cities which the government says threatens national unity. The legislation did not single out any particular religion, but it cracked down on practices such as forced marriage and virginity tests.
It included tough measures against online apologists for acts of violence, stricter surveillance of religious associations, and tighter restrictions on educating children outside mainstream schools. Amid concerns about the funding of mosques by Turkey, Qatar or Saudi Arabia, it requires religious groups to declare large foreign donations and have their accounts certified.
France’s Muslim population is estimated to number about five million people. The country has suffered a wave of Islamist militant attacks in recent years, and tackling religious extremism, French identity and domestic security will be big issues in next year’s election.
President Macron’s centrist party rallied around the bill, with 347 lawmakers voting in favour,151 against and 65 abstaining. The text will now be submitted to the Senate, where Macron’s party does not hold a majority. The bill has been branded by some on the left as an attack on Islam and as too weak by the far-right.
TRUMP SLAMS MCCONNELL AS GOP DIVIDE DEEPENS POST-IMPEACHMENT
In the most caustic sign yet of deepening GOP divisions, former President Donald Trump blistered Mitch McConnell as a “political hack” on Tuesday, days after the Senate's top Republican denounced him as the inciter of U.S. Capitol attack.
“The Republican Party can never again be respected or strong with political leaders' like Sen. Mitch McConnell at its helm,” Mr. Trump said in a statement released by his political action committee.
He went on to write: “Mitch is a dour, sullen, and unsmiling political hack, and if Republican Senators are going to stay with him, they will not win again.”
“There's no question, none, that President Trump is practically and morally responsible for provoking the events of the day,” Mr. McConnell said Saturday, after Mr. Trump, the only President to be impeached twice, was acquitted on a 57-43 vote. “The people who stormed this building believed they were acting on the wishes and instructions of their President."
Mr. McConnell said he voted to acquit Mr. Trump because the Senate has no jurisdiction over an ex-President — even though he had rejected a push from Democrats to start the trial when Mr. Trump was still in office.
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CM UDDHAV THACKERAY WARNS OF MAHARASHTRA LOCKDOWN
In over an hour-long meeting of Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray with all district collectors, municipal commissioners, state Covid task force, health minister, police and senior health officials on Tuesday, districts were instructed to make all Covid norms stringent, including limited gathering during marriages, fines for face mask violations, geo-mapping in rural areas to identify regions with high positivity rate, and sealing of buildings where a cluster of cases are found.
This includes a temporary hold on permissions for rallies, processions, protests; guests in wedding ceremonies will be limited to 50. A negative RT-PCR Test report is also mandatory for passengers arriving from some states, including Delhi and Kerala.
On Tuesday, Maharashtra recorded 3,663 new Covid-19 cases with 461 fresh cases in Mumbai. At least 39 deaths due to Covid-19 have taken the toll to 51,591 deaths. In Mumbai 11,425 deaths have been recorded so far. While a lockdown is still not on the table and no discussion on imposing it was done, said officials present in the meeting, the CM has warned that a lockdown may be enforced if standard procedures of wearing masks in public gatherings are overlooked by general public.
BJP FOCUSING ON THE LEGEND OF RAJA SUHELDEV IN EASTERN UP
Prime Minister Narendra Modi Tuesday laid the foundation stone of the statue of Raja Suheldev in Bahraich district of Eastern Uttar Pradesh, maintaining that history of India, written by those who enslaved us, has not been just to martyrs like him.
It is not for the first time that the ruling BJP has made attempts to reach out to the Rajbhar or “Bhar Rajput” community of Eastern Uttar Pradesh through the legacy of Raja Suheldev and his success in the Battle of Bahraich.
The legend goes that that over a millennia back when invaders were conquering one region after another in India, it was Raja Suheldev of Shravasti who gathered heads of different communities likes Tharu and Banjara as well as small kings to block the invasion. It is said that it was his army which defeated and killed Ghazi Salar Masud, the nephew of Mahmud of Gazni at Bahraich.
AFTER CASE SHOWS UP ON ITS WEBSITE, SC CLARIFIES NO CONTEMPT ACTION ON RAJDEEP
Hours after its official website showed that a suo motu criminal contempt case had been registered against journalist Rajdeep Sardesai over a complaint that he allegedly made “disrespectful comments” against the judiciary, the Supreme Court Tuesday night clarified that it had not initiated any such proceeding and that what was reflected on its website was “placed inadvertently”.
Appropriate action to rectify the same is under process,” an official communication from the top court said.
Earlier in the day, media reports relied on the Supreme Court’s website which showed that the petition filed by Haryana resident Aastha Khurana through Advocate Omprakash Parihar on September 21 last year was registered on February 13.
On September 17 last year, Attorney General K K Venugopal had declined consent to initiate contempt action against Sardesai for a series of tweets, saying that his statements “are not of so serious a nature as to undermine the majesty of the Supreme Court or lower its stature in the minds of the public”. “The reputation of Supreme Court as one of the great pillars of our democracy has been built assiduously over the last 70 years. Trifling remarks and mere passing criticism though perhaps distasteful are unlikely to tarnish the image of the institution,” Venugopal had said, replying to an advocate’s petition against Sardesai.
The consent of either the Attorney General or the Solicitor General is necessary for initiating contempt proceedings against a person.
SEDITION LAW CAN’T BE USED TO SILENCE DISQUIET: COURT
A Delhi court has said the law of sedition cannot be invoked to quieten the disquiet under the pretence of muzzling the miscreants.
Additional Sessions Judge Dharmender Rana made the observation while granting bail to Devi Lal Burdak and Swaroop Ram, who were arrested by the Delhi Police earlier this month for sedition and spreading rumours by posting fake videos on Facebook during the farmers’ stir.
The court said invocation of Section 124-A (sedition) of the IPC was a “seriously debatable issue” in the case before it. “The sedition law cannot be invoked to quieten the disquiet under the pretence of muzzling the miscreants,” the judge said.
Burdak had allegedly posted a fake video on his Facebook page with the tagline “there is a rebellion in Delhi Police and around 200 police officials have given mass resignation”. Ram had shared a similar video.
BRITAIN'S CAIRN FILES CASE IN US TO PUSH INDIA TO PAY $1.2 BILLION AWARD
Cairn Energy has filed a case in a US district court to enforce a $1.2 billion arbitration award it won in a tax dispute against India, a court document showed, ratcheting up pressure on the government to pay its dues. In December, an arbitration body awarded the British firm damages of more than $1.2 billion plus interest and costs. The tribunal ruled India breached an investment treaty with Britain and said New Delhi was liable to pay. Cairn asked the US court to recognise and confirm the award, including payments due since 2014 and interest compounded semi-annually.
The case marked a first step in Cairn's efforts towards recovering its dues, potentially by seizing Indian assets. Reuters reported that Cairn was identifying India's overseas assets, including bank accounts and even Air India planes or Indian ships, that could be seized in the absence of a settlement.
TWITTER'S BATTLE WITH INDIAN GOVT GIVES BOOST TO ITS LOCAL RIVAL KOO
An Indian alternative to Twitter is experiencing a surge in popularity after the US microblogging site clashed with the country’s government.
The Koo app, which lets users send out tweet-like posts in English as well as seven Indian languages, shot to prominence after the San Francisco company got into a weeks-long standoff with the Indian government over blocking certain content. Prominent officials -- including Piyush Goyal, the minister of industry and commerce -- defected to Koo and urged supporters to follow suit.
That led to a 20-fold explosion in daily users, overwhelming the servers and 10-person engineering team at parent Bombinate Technologies. Aprameya Radhakrishna, co-founder and chief executive officer, said the Bangalore-based startup’s primary goal is not political at all, but rather to expand the reach of social media to a broader demographic.
Meanwhile, the sudden rise of Koo has sparked privacy concerns over its collection of personal data and security questions because one of its investors is China’s Shunwei Capital.
INDIA WIN CHENNAI TEST BY 317 RUNS, LEVEL SERIES 1-1
Axar Patel and Ravichandran Ashwin predictably completed the annihilation of clueless England batsmen, emphatically bringing India back in contention for the World Test Championship final with a series-levelling 317-run victory in the second Test on Tuesday.
Debutant Patel made full use of favourable conditions to bag 5 for 60 in 21 overs while Ashwin finished with a match-haul of eight wickets, not to forget his classy hundred with the bat, demolishing England for a paltry 164 on the fourth day in pursuit of 482-run target.
While c A delighted BCCI President Sourav Ganguly on Tuesday announced that all tickets for the pink ball Day/Night Test between India and England in Ahmedabad have been “sold out”, adding that a call on entry of spectators in the upcoming IPL will also be taken shortly.
The pink ball Test between India and England is slated to begin at the Motera, the world’s biggest cricket stadium, in Ahmedabad from February 24 and the authorities have decided to allow 50 percent spectators.
Critics, mostly from the English side, had panned the pitch but two hundreds and three fifties by the home team batsmen showed that it was all about understanding of conditions and brilliant application from the likes of Rohit Sharma, Ashwin, Kohli and Rishabh Pant.
Ravichandran Ashwin was named Man Of The Match.
Scores: India 329 & 286; England 134 & 164
Meanwhile, a delighted BCCI President Sourav Ganguly on Tuesday announced that all tickets for the pink ball Day/Night Test between India and England in Ahmedabad have been “sold out”, adding that a call on entry of spectators in the upcoming IPL will also be taken shortly.
The pink ball Test between India and England is slated to begin at the Motera, from Feb 24.
DJOKOVIC EDGES OUT ZVEREV TO REACH SEMIFINAL
Reigning champion Novak Djokovic overcame some dips in form to beat Alexander Zverev 6-7(6) 6-2 6-4 7-6(6) and book his place in the Australian Open semifinals on Tuesday.
The Serbian world No. 1 hit back strongly after losing a tight opening set on a tiebreak but trailed in both the third and fourth sets before turning them around.
Germany's Zverev will rue allowing Djokovic back from 4-1 down in the third set and he was also up 3-0 in the fourth.
In the semifinals, Djokovic will face the surprise of the tournament: Aslan Karatsev, a 27-year-old from Russia who is ranked 114th and needed to go through qualifying rounds just to get into the main draw of a Major for the first time. No one ever had been to the final-four in his Slam debut, until Karatsev’s 2-6 6-4 6-1 6-2 elimination of No. 18 Grigor Dimitrov, who was hurt by back spasms that made tying his shoes a chore.
In Women’s Singles, Serena William beat Simona Halep 6-3, 6-3. She’ll next meet Naomi Osaka who beat S Hsieh 6-2, 6-2.
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THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
To repeat what others have said, requires education, to challenge it, requires brains. - Mary Pettibone Poole
OFF TRACK
A harassed husband never seemed to be able to please his complaining wife. At Christmas time she brought him two ties, one bright green, the other a brilliant yellow. He thanked her profusely and on his first day to office after Christmas, decided to risk his colleagues’ ridicule in order to please her by wearing one of them. He chose the green one and came down to breakfast.
As he came into the room, she looked up and said, “Oh! So you don’t like the yellow one!”
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