CONGRESS LOSES POWER IN PUDUCHERRY

The Congress govt in Puducherry collapsed yesterday after losing its majority and Chief Minister V Narayanasamy resigned. After a series of resignations from the Congress, Mr Narayanasamy was asked to face a trust vote last Thursday.

Mr Narayanasamy accused the opposition BJP and NR Congress of bringing down his govt and also blamed former Lieutenant Governor Kiran Bedi of "colluding with the opposition". He resigned soon after delivering a speech in the assembly.

With the Congress losing power, the rival NR Congress-led alliance, which has 14 MLAs, may be asked to form govt with just three months to the polls. Or the L-G may also call for President's rule.

After Mr Narayanasamy's address the Congress had asked the Speaker to not allow the three nominated MLAs - all BJP members - to vote. Without these MLAs, the ruling Congress would have a majority. But the Speaker denied the request; the Supreme Court had in a past ruling allowed nominated MLAs to vote.

With Monday’s developments, the Congress is left with govts on its own in Punjab, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and coalition in Maharashtra and Jharkhand.

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MODI ON MAMATA TURF, MOUNTS A NO-HOLDS BARRED ATTACK ON HER

Launching a frontal attack on the Mamata Banerjee govt, Prime Minister Narendra Modi alleged on Monday it has perpetuated “syndicate raj” in all spheres of life in West Bengal where no work gets done without common people having to pay “cut money”.

He accused the TMC govt of pursuing “appeasement politics” to protect its vote bank while neglecting its cultural heritage and icons.

“The state govt’s cut money culture has vitiated the atmosphere to such an extent that you cannot even take a house on rent without paying it,” he said.

He attacked the Banerjee govt for not allowing central schemes like the PM Kisan Samman Nidhi and Ayushman Bharat, depriving farmers and the poor of its benefits.

“I have been told the house where Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay conceived and wrote ‘Vande Mataram’ is in an abysmal condition. The man who injected new life into the freedom struggle amid pervasive gloom of slavery...his house is a victim of neglect. It’s an insult to Bengali pride,” Modi said addressing a public rally in Chuchura, in Hooghly district.

He also accused the TMC govt of neglecting industrial development, including the state’s once thriving jute industry. “The people of West Bengal have made up their mind to usher in ‘asol poribartan’ (real change). The BJP will give Bengal a govt that will ensure development of all but appeasement of none,” he asserted.

Repeatedly attacking the state govt, Modi said, “Development of Bengal is not possible as long as cut money culture, tolabaji persists.

Earlier, in Assam, where he inaugurated an engineering college and laid the foundation stone for another, besides launching other projects related to the energy sector, Modi said elections would probably be announced in the first week of March and he would try his best to visit poll-bound states before the announcement.

RAHUL GANDHI LEADS TRACTOR RALLY IN WAYANAD

Former Congress president Rahul Gandhi, who is on a two-day visit to his constituency in poll-bound Kerala, said the entire world can see the difficulties being faced by Indian farmers but the Centre is unable to understand their pain.

“We have pop stars who are commenting on the situation of the farmers but the Indian govt is not interested. They [the govt] are not going to take back these laws unless they are forced to. The reason is these three laws are designed to destroy the agricultural system in India and give the entire business to two or three friends of Narendra Modi,” said Rahul who led a tractor rally in Wayanad on Monday as a mark of solidarity to the protesting farmers.

Continuing with his attack on the Centre, the Wayanad MP added, “Agriculture is the only business that belongs to Bharat Mata. These three laws have been designed for two or three people to own and control Indian agriculture.”

Referring to his ‘Hum Do, Hamare Do’ jibe in the Parliament, Rahul added, “Two people in the govt are partnering with two people outside the govt. So, the idea [behind these laws] is very simple — it is a ploy for these four people to control agriculture in the country. The idea is that farmers should now sell their products directly to these big businesses. They want to destroy the entire agricultural chain which protects 40% of our country and gives food to all the people.”

PM FOR BIGGER PVT SECTOR ROLE IN DEF SECTOR

Calling for greater private sector participation in the defence production sector, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said India was already exporting military equipment to over 40 countries in its quest to become a top arms supplier in the world.

“Without the participation of the private sector, the 21st century ecosystem of the defence sector cannot stand on its feet,” the PM said while addressing a webinar with industry chambers on effective implementation of the Union budget’s provisions in the defence sector.

Listing the various steps taken to boost selfreliance in the defence production sector since 2014, the PM said the govt, the public and private sectors have to work in accordance with a “time-bound action plan and roadmap” to ensure India builds a robust defence-industrial base and emerges as a major arms exporter.

India will reserve Rs 70,221 crore of its defence capital outlay this year for the domestic industry as well as notify its second negative arms imports list next month, as part of the measures to build a robust defence industrial base, said defence minister Rajnath Singh on Monday.

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

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CHINA REJECTS GENOCIDE CHARGE IN XINJIANG, SAYS DOOR OPEN TO UN

China on Monday rejected “slanderous attacks” about conditions for Muslim Uighurs and other minorities living in its Xinjiang region, insisting that they enjoyed freedom of religion and labour rights.

Activists and U.N. rights experts have said that at least 1million Muslims are detained in camps in the remote western region. China denies abuses and says its camps provide vocational training and are needed to fight extremism.

Foreign Minister Wang Yi told the U.N. Human Rights Councilthat it was taking counter-terrorism measures in accordance with the law and that Xinjiang enjoyed “social stability and sound development” after four years without any “terrorist case”. There were 24,000 mosques in Xinjiang, where people of all ethnic groups also enjoyed labour rights, he said.

“These basic facts show that there has never been so-called genocide, forced labour, or religious oppression in Xinjiang,”Wang said. “Such inflammatory accusations are fabricated out of ignorance and prejudice, they are simply malicious andpolitically driven hype and couldn’t be further from the truth.”

The Biden administration last month endorsed a last-minute determination by the Trump administration that China has committed genocide in Xinjiang and has said the United States must be prepared to impose costs on China.

Earlier, British foreign secretary Dominic Raab denounced torture, forced labour and sterilisations that he said were taking place against Uighurs on an “industrial scale” in Xinjiang. “The situation in Xinjiang is beyond the pale,” he said.

Germany’s foreign minister Heiko Maas said: “Our commitment to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights also leaves no room for the arbitrary detention of ethnic minorities like the Uighurs in Xinjiang or China’s crackdown on civil liberties in Hong Kong.”

Wang invited U.N. scrutiny but gave no timetable. “The door to Xinjiang is always open. People from many countries who have visited Xinjiang have learned the facts and the truth on the ground. China also welcomes the High Commissioner for Human Rights to visit Xinjiang,” he said.

US SUPREME COURT PAVES WAY FOR RELEASE OF DONALD TRUMP’S TAX RETURNS

The US Supreme Court on Monday paved the way for a New York City prosecutor to obtain former President Donald Trump’s tax returns and other financial records as part of a criminal investigation, a blow to his quest to conceal details of his finances.

The justices without comment rebuffed Trump’s request to put on hold an Oct. 7 lower court ruling directing the former Republican president’s longtime accounting firm, Mazars USA, to comply with a subpoena to turn over the materials to a grand jury convened by Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance, a Democrat.

THE REST

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DADRA AND NAGAR HAVELI MP FOUND DEAD IN MUMBAI HOTEL

Mohan Delkar, seven-term Lok Sabha member from Dadra and Nagar Haveli, was found dead in a Mumbai hotel on Monday, police said.

The body of Delkar (58), was found at the sea-facing hotel in south Mumbai’s Marine Drive area, a police official said. The official said a suicide note in Gujarati was also found along with the body.

An advocate for tribal rights, Mohan Sanjibhai Delkar began his career as a trade union leader in Silvassa. He was first elected to the 9th Lok Sabha from Dadra and Nagar Haveli constituency in 1989 as a Congress nominee.

He won six consecutive elections from the constituency during 1989-2009, failing to retain the seat in the Lok Sabha elections in 2009 and 2014. However, he successfully contested the 17th Lok Sabha as an Independent candidate.

SHOCKED AT PATANJALI'S 'BLATANT LIE OF WHO CERTIFICATION', SAYS IMA

The Indian Medical association on Monday expressed shock over the "blatant lie of WHO certification" for Patanjali's Coronil tablet, which the company claims is an evidence-based medicine to fight COVID-19, and demanded an explanation from Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan in whose presence the medicine was launched.

This comes in the wake of global health body, WHO, clarifying that it has not reviewed or certified the effectiveness of any traditional medicine for the treatment of COVID-19.

Yoga guru Ramdev's Patanjali Ayurved had on February 19 said that the Coronil tablet had received certification from the Ayush Ministry as a medicine supporting COVID-19 treatment as per the WHO’s certification scheme.

However, Patanjali's managing director Acharya Balkrishna later made a clarification about the certification through a tweet saying, "We want to clarify to avoid confusion that our WHO GMP compliant COPP certificate to Coronil is issued by DCGI, Govt of India.”

In a statement issued on Monday, the IMA  said, “Being Health Minister of the country, how justified is it to release such falsely fabricated unscientific product to people of the whole country...can you clarify the time frame, time line for the so-called clinical trial of this said anti-corona product?"

Patanjali had first introduced ayurveda-based Coronil on June 23 last year, when the pandemic was at its peak. It had to face severe criticism as it lacked scientific evidence regarding its efficacy.

VARAVARA RAO GETS 6-MONTH BAIL ON MEDICAL GROUNDS

The Bombay High Court on Monday granted interim bail for six months on medical grounds to ailing poet and activist Varavara Rao, an accused in the Elgar Parishad-Maoist links case.

The court said it could not be a “mute spectator” and permit 82-year-old Rao’s health condition to deteriorate in custody.

A bench of Justices S S Shinde and Manish Pitale said there existed no doubt that given his current medical condition, Rao would face “acceleration and intensification of ailments” if he continued to remain in custody. It noted that medical facilities at the Taloja prison’s hospital in neighbouring Navi Mumbai were inadequate.

DELHI COURT SENDS DISHA RAVI TO ONE-DAY POLICE CUSTODY

A Delhi court on Monday sent 21-year-old climate activist Disha Ravi, arrested in connection with allegedly being involved in sharing a “toolkit” on social media related to the farmers’ protest, to one day police custody.

Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Pankaj Sharma allowed custodial interrogation of Ravi after police said she was required to be confronted with co-accused.

Ravi was produced before the court on expiry of her three-day judicial custody.

The court on Friday had sent her to judicial custody after police had said her custodial interrogation was not required for the time being.

The agency had said that it would seek her further custodial interrogation once co-accused—Nikita Jacob and Shantanu Muluk—join the interrogation on February 22. The duo yesterday joined the probe at Delhi Police’s Cyber cell office in Dwarka.

VACCINATION OF 50-PLUS PEOPLE FROM MARCH, CENTRE WRITES TO STATES

Union health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan on Sunday wrote to all states asking them to significantly enhance the pace of COVID-19 vaccinations as several health and frontline workers were yet to be covered. “The pace of vaccination needs to be accelerated exponentially to cover all identified beneficiaries in a minimum possible time,” he said.

The secretary also said that the operational strategy for initiating the vaccination of the next priority group--the elderly population and people with comorbidities--to be taken up in March is being finalised. The group consists of people above the age 50 with a sub-categorisation of people above the age of 60.

The centre, in the letter to states, said all public health facilities from govt district hospitals down to community and sub-centres should be prepared to offer COVID vaccines from March 1.

CONTROL FUEL PRICES INSTEAD OF COLLECTING MONEY FOR RAM TEMPLE: SHIV SENA

The Shiv Sena on Monday trained its guns on the Centre over the rising fuel prices. Bring down the prices of petrol and diesel instead of collecting donations for the Ram temple construction. Ram devotees will get food because of it (reduction in prices) and Lord Shri Ram, too, will be happy, the Shiv Sena said.

The Saamana editorial recalled actors like Akshay Kumar and Amitabh Bachchan had expressed views on petrol and diesel price rise before 2014 (when the Congress-led UPA was in power at the Centre). The celebrities are now quiet despite petrol price crossing the Rs 100 per litre mark (in Rajasthan), it said.

The Shiv Sena, a former BJP ally, claimed the celebrities are keeping quiet because they have been made to remain so. It also means, there was freedom to express views, to criticise before 2014. One was not jailed under sections relating to treason if he/she criticised govt policies.

Today, we have lost even the freedom of expressing anger over petrol-diesel price rise. Therefore, why blame Akshay Kumar and Amitabh Bachchan unnecessarily, it said.

CHENNAI SCHOOL QUESTION PAPER TERMS R-DAY VANDALS ‘MANIACS’, TRIGGERS ROW

A Chennai school’s act of equating Republic Day vandals in New Delhi with “violent maniacs” in a question paper has triggered a debate on the ethics of institution-led inquiry.

DAV Boys Senior Secondary School, Gopalapuram, Chennai, in a Class X paper, recently asked students to write a letter to the editor “condemning violent acts on the R-Day by miscreants and suggesting ways to thwart violent maniacs”.

Describing the question in an English language and literature paper as “propagandist”, Congress leader Shashi Tharoor today asked the school to clarify its stand.

“Is this an English language paper or do we now have exams on ‘How to write propaganda’? DAV School Gopalapuram please clarify,” Tharoor said after Carnatic vocalist TM Krishna questioned the move.

The school alumni in a letter to the principal said, “We express our disappointment at such an inappropriate question being included in a Class X paper and call upon you to ponder the 10 principles of Arya Samaj etched in stone on the school campus. Unfortunately, the letter writing exercise turned out to be a highly editorialised polemic against one group of individuals, exhorting the students to take on a specific stance with no actual room for any individual thought.”

CHINA BACK AS INDIA'S TOP TRADE PARTNER, DESPITE GOVT'S 'ATMANIRBHAR' PUSH

China regained its position as India’s top trade partner in 2020, as New Delhi’s reliance on imported machines outweighed its efforts to curb commerce with Beijing after a bloody border conflict.

Two-way trade between the longstanding economic and strategic rivals stood at $77.7 billion last year, according to provisional data from India’s commerce ministry. Although that was lower than the previous year’s $85.5 billion total, it was enough to make China the largest commercial partner displacing the U.S. -- bilateral trade with whom came in at $75.9 billion amid muted demand for goods in the middle of a pandemic.

While Prime Minister Narendra Modi banned hundreds of Chinese apps, slowed approvals for investments from the neighbor and called for self-reliance after a deadly clash along their disputed Himalayan border, India continues to rely heavily on Chinese-made heavy machinery, telecom equipment and home appliances. As a result, the bilateral trade gap with China was at almost $40 billion in 2020, making it India’s largest.

Total imports from China at $58.7 billion were more than India’s combined purchases from the U.S. and the U.A.E, which are its second- and third-largest trade partners, respectively.

That said, India did manage to lower imports from its Asian neighbor amid demand disruptions caused by the coronavirus pandemic. India also managed to increase its exports to China by about 11 per cent from a year ago to $19 billion last year, which makes any further worsening of ties with Beijing a threat to New Delhi’s export revenue.

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THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

You may not control all the events that happen to you, but you can decide not to be reduced by them. - Maya Angelou

OFF TRACK

There was a woman who spent some months serving God in Kenya. On her final visit to a remote township she attended a medical clinic. As the Maasai women there began to sing together, she found herself deeply moved by their hauntingly beautiful harmonies. She wanted to always remember this moment and try to share it with friends when she arrived home.

With tears flowing down her cheeks, she turned to a Kenyan friend and asked, "Can you please tell me the translation of the words to this song?"

Her friend looked at her an solemnly replied, "If you boil the water, you won't get dysentery."