ALL PARTIES WANT UP POLLS AS PER SCHEDULE: CEC

Chief Election Commissioner Sushil Chandra yesterday said the representatives of all recognised political parties demanded that the Assembly polls in the state be held according to schedule while ensuring the Covid protocol.

During the poll panel’s deliberations with the state officials, the CEC said he had impressed upon them to step up the vaccination drive.

The number of polling booths would be increased and the voting time enhanced by an hour, he said, adding that polling officials would be vaccinated and those eligible would be given a booster dose.

Newly appointed UP Chief Secretary Durga Shankar Mishra has promised to the EC that free and fair poll will be held in the state while observing Covid-19 protocol

The Allahabad High Court had on December 23 suggested that the Union Govt should consider postponing the UP Assembly elections due to a possible Omicron-led third Covid wave.

“The tenure of Uttar Pradesh Assembly ends on May 14.

CONSULT HEALTH EXPERTS, GOVT ON COVID SITUATION, NOT POLITICAL PARTIES: CONGRESS TO EC

Lashing out at the Election Commission, the Congress on Thursday asked it to consult health experts, seek data on COVID-19 from the govt and take an independent decision on holding elections in five states rather than acting like a “toothless tiger”.

Taking exception to Chief Election Commissioner Sushil Chandra’s remarks in Lucknow that all political parties favoured holding elections on time following all Covid protocols, Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala said the details about the Covid situation was with the Modi govt and not with political parties.

“Instead of acting like a toothless tiger, ECI should ask for data from Modi govt, share it with all parties, consult health experts-epidemiologists-virologists and take an independent decision,” Surjewala said in a statement here. “Constitutional responsibility of elections lies solely with Election Commission of India (ECI),” he said.

Surjewala sought to know whether the Election Commission had even asked the Modi govt to share the data of COVID-19 infection, particularly the spread of Omicron, the vaccinations plan and timeline and efficacy of vaccine. He accused the poll authority of being a “mute and complicit bystander” during the first wave of the pandemic as Prime Minister Narendra Modi “went ahead with ‘Namaste Trump’ and carried on with huge election rallies in Bengal and Jan Ashirvaad Yatras elsewhere”.

INDIA, PHILIPPINES TO SEAL GOVT-TO-GOVT BRAHMOS DEAL

India and the Philippines are set to formally seal a govt-to-govt BrahMos deal soon, capping years of negotiations for the supply of a batch of the supersonic cruise missiles for the Philippines navy, people familiar with the development said on Thursday.

The procurement is expected to signal a major upswing in India's strategic ties with the Philippines which has been focusing on ramping up its naval prowess in the face of its lingering friction with China in the South China Sea.

CHINA ‘RENAMES’ ARUNACHAL SITES; IT DOESN’T CHANGE STATUS, SAYS MEA

India yesterday said assigning of "invented names" by China to places in Arunachal Pradesh did not alter the fact that the state was an integral part of India.

The reaction by the Ministry of External Affairs came after China said it had renamed some places in Arunachal Pradesh in Mandarin.

"We have seen such reports. This is not the first time China has attempted such a renaming of places in the state of Arunachal Pradesh. China had also sought to assign such names in April 2017," said MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi.

Officially, China said its civil affairs ministry had "standardised" in Chinese characters, Tibetan and Roman alphabet the names of 15 places in Arunachal Pradesh which it calls Zangnan or South Tibet.

But this time, the renaming takes place when the armies of both countries are in forward deployment along the LAC in eastern Ladakh. It also took place a couple of days before China's new Land Border Law comes into effect on January 1, 2022. The Ministry of External Affairs has expressed concern over the law and called on China to "avoid undertaking action under the pretext of this law which could unilaterally alter the situation in India-China border areas".

Meanwhile, a week after a group of Parliamentarians, including Union MoS Rajeev Chandrasekhar, attended a dinner reception hosted by the Tibetan Parliament-in-exile, the Chinese Embassy in Delhi has expressed “concern” over their participation and asked them to “refrain from providing support to the ‘Tibetan independence’ forces”.

Under the All-Party Indian Parliamentary Forum for Tibet, at least six MPs cutting across party lines had attended an event on December 22 at a hotel in Delhi.

China’s unusually worded letter, sent Thursday by the Political Counsellor at its Embassy, is being seen as an undiplomatic move by Delhi, as foreign diplomats writing to MPs in India in this manner has not happened in the recent past.

Reacting sharply to the letter, BJD’s Sujeet Kumar said: “Who is the Political Counsellor at the Chinese Embassy to write to a Member of Parliament of India, the largest democracy? How dare you send letters to Indian MPs? If anything, you can raise your protest through official channels. I think the MEA (Ministry of External Affairs) should take a stand.”

UPTICK IN CASES, OVER 10% POSITIVITY RATE IN 8 DISTS

The country’s R-naught (R0) value, which indicates the spread of Covid-19, is 1.22, the govt yesterday said, warning that the cases were increasing.

It said Maharashtra, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Delhi, Karnataka and Gujarat were emerging as states of concern on the basis of weekly infections and positivity rate.

Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Health Lav Agarwal stressed the need for heightened vigil given the sharp increase in the infections.

Agarwal said eight districts in India were reporting more than 10 per cent Covid-19 weekly positivity, while 14 districts were reporting a weekly positivity between 5 per cent and 10 per cent.

Addressing a press conference, NITI Aayog Member (Health) VK Paul said there had been an uptick in Covid-19 cases for the last few days. India recorded the highest single-day rise in Omicron infections with 180 fresh cases, taking the total tally to 961 on Thursday.

COVID DASHBOARD – INDIA

As of 0800 IST 31/Dec

from mohfw.gov.in ,

New Cases on Thursday 16.764

Active Cases 91,361 (+8,959)

Total Deaths (Deaths Yesterday) 4,81,080 (71)

Total Vaccination: 144.54 Crores (+66,65,290)

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

======================

GHANI SAYS WAS GIVEN ‘NO MORE THAN 2 MINUTES’ TO GET READY TO FLEE KABUL

Former President Ashraf Ghani of Afghanistan said he fled the country to prevent the destruction of Kabul as Taliban fighters advanced on the capital, offering the most detailed defence of his actions since the gover nment’s collapse in August. Ghani, speaking to the BBC in an interview broadcast on Thursday — his first since he fled — said his sudden departure was the “hardest” decision he made. He noted that even in the hours before he boarded a helicopter and was spirited out of the country, he did not know it would be his last day in his homeland.

The Taliban had largely surrounded Kabul and panic gripped the city when Ghani, along with his wife and close associates, fled on the afternoon of August 15. Ghani told BBC’s Radio 4 that if he took “a stand,” the presidential palace security guards would have been killed. “And they were not capable of defending me,” he added. “Two different factions of the Taliban were closing in from two different directions,” Ghani explained. “And the possibility of a massive conflict between them that would destroy the city of 5 million and bring havoc to the people was enormous. ” The decision to leave was frenzied, he said, and he was not given “more than two minutes” to get ready for the flight out of the country.

More than three months later, he is well aware of the criticisms that he abandoned his nation. “My life work has been destroyed,” he said. “. . . I have been made a scapegoat. ” But he once again defended his actions. “I had to sacrifice myself in order to save Kabul,” he said. The Taliban took full control of Kabul hours after Ghani’s escape. Ghani said the initial plan was to leave Kabul for Khost. But the plan changed because Khost had already fallen to the Taliban. Ghani also denied claims that he stole millions of dollars while fleeing the country.

UKRAINE TENSIONS: PUTIN TELLS BIDEN NEW SANCTIONS COULD RUPTURE TIES

Russia's Vladimir Putin has warned his US counterpart Joe Biden that imposing new sanctions over Ukraine could lead to a complete breakdown in relations.

In a phone call late on Thursday, the Russian president said such sanctions would be a "colossal mistake".

Biden, meanwhile, told Putin that the US and its allies would respond decisively to any invasion of Ukraine.

The call, requested by Russia, was the pair's second such conversation this month and lasted for almost an hour.

It marked the latest effort to defuse tensions over Ukraine's eastern border with Russia, where Ukrainian officials say more than 100,000 Russian troops have been sent.

The build-up has prompted concern in the West, with the US threatening Mr Putin with sanctions "like none he's ever seen" if Ukraine comes under attack.

Although the two sides exchanged warnings during the call, Russian foreign policy adviser Yuri Ushakov told reporters shortly after that Mr Putin was "pleased" with the conversation. He added that it had created a "good backdrop" for future talks.

A senior US official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the tone had been "serious and substantive."

THE REST

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AFSPA EXTENDED FOR 6 MTHS IN NAGALAND AMID ‘RECALL’ DEMAND

Days after the Centre constituted a panel to review the Armed Forces (Special) Powers Act (AFSPA) amid growing clamour for its withdrawal following the death of 14 civilians in Nagaland, the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) yesterday issued an order declaring the entire state as “disturbed area” under the Act for another six months claiming the condition was still “dangerous”. The MHA said the “disturbed area” tag under AFSPA had been extended for six months up to June 30.

The state has been under AFSPA since 1958.

People in Nagaland have been demanding the withdrawal of Armed Forces Special Powers Act and it gained momentum after the Army killed six civilians mistaking them as insurgents on December 3.

MOGA RALLY PUT OFF AS RAHUL GOES ABROAD

Days after Congress announced that Rahul Gandhi will kick off the party’s campaign for the forthcoming elections in Punjab by addressing a rally in Moga on January 3, the party postponed the event after it emerged that the senior party leader had flown abroad on a personal visit.

“Rahul Gandhi is on a brief personal visit. The BJP and its media friends should not spread rumours unnecessarily,” Congress communication department head Randeep Surjewala said, confirming that the former Congress president was abroad.

Party sources said Rahul, who spent nearly three weeks at an undisclosed foreign location in November as well, is expected to address the rallies in Punjab and Goa on January 15 and 16.

Rahul’s trip abroad has led to disquiet in the Punjab unit of Congress as it comes at a time when the party is struggling with factionalism and desertions in the run-up to the Assembly elections. The Moga rally was expected to be a show of unity.

CONGRESS MINISTERS TARGETED MODI AS GUJARAT CM, MANMOHAN SINGH & I DIDN’T APPROVE, PAWAR SAYS

At a time when the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) has been crying foul over central agencies allegedly targeting its leaders, Sharad Pawar, known as the coalition’s architect, has said that several ministers from the former UPA govt at the Centre similarly targeted Narendra Modi when he was Gujarat chief minister. However, Pawar added that he and then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh didn’t approve of it.

Speaking to Loksatta’s Editor-in-Chief Girish Kuber at an event organised by the Marathi newspaper Wednesday, Pawar said, back then, he was the only Union minister who held conversations with Modi and visited Gujarat at the state govt’s request, and his Congress colleagues in the UPA cabinet raised questions over this.

“Me and the PM were insistent that we should not resort to politics of vengeance. We can criticise however much we like, but there is a certain limit that we should not cross. But some of our cabinet colleagues took a different, tangential stand regarding the then Gujarat govt. This was not in line with what we were thinking,” Pawar said.

HEAVY RAINS POUND CHENNAI; ROADS, SUBWAYS INUNDATED

Heavy to very heavy rains pounded Chennai and the suburbs on Thursday, inundating roads and subways, and the intense spell may turn out to be one of the heaviest witnessed in recent years.

It was a repeat of scenes witnessed here last month as motorists struggled to manoeuvre their vehicles on flooded roads and subways while showers led to traffic congestion as well in many areas.

Starting from noon, most areas in the city and suburbs began receiving rainfall and it was heavy to very heavy in several locations.

WIN FOR CONGRESS IN KARNATAKA LOCAL BODY POLLS

A thumping victory in the Karnataka urban local body election results announced Thursday has come as a major shot in the arm for the Congress. Elections were held in 58 urban local bodies (ULBs) across 20 districts of the BJP-ruled state. Of the 1,184 wards that went to the polls across town municipal councils, town panchayats and city municipal councils, the Congress bagged the most number of seats (501), while BJP won 433.

The Janata Dal (Secular) won 45 seats, the Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) won six and independent candidates won 195 seats. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and Janata Party won a seat each. AAP won a ward in Hospete of Vijayanagara district.

Significantly, the BJP lost both ULBs in Haveri, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai’s hometown, to the Congress.

Congress leaders have hailed the win as an “indicator” of the people’s impression of the Bommai-led BJP govt.

FM MEETS STAES REPS FOR BUDGET SUGGESTIONS

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Thursday chaired pre-Budget consultations with state Finance Ministers. The meeting was also attended by some Chief Ministers and Deputy Chief Ministers, besides senior officers from states and the Centre.

The participants gave numerous suggestions to the Union Finance Minister for inclusion in the Budget speech. Among the suggestions were increased research and development (R&D) spending, infrastructure status for digital services, rationalisation of income tax slabs, investment in online safety measures and incentives to hydrogen storage and fuel cell development.

Opposition-ruled states have demanded extension of GST compensation cess from two to five years.

RANVEER SINGH’S 83 A SLOW STARTER AT THE BOX OFFICE

The box office expectations from Kabir Khan’s sports drama 83 were quite high when it released in the cinemas on Christmas weekend. But the film has so far failed to live up to the expectations.

The film earned Rs 12.64 crore on its opening day. Its first-weekend collection was recorded at Rs 47 crore despite it being a festive weekend. However, it witnessed a major dip on the first weekday as it earned Rs 7.29 crore on Monday and Rs 6.7 crore on Tuesday.

The rising fears of Omicron variant and increasing Covid-19 numbers had a role to play? Film trade analyst Taran Adarsh doesn’t believe so. “The good reviews from the critics and film industry have not translated into box office numbers. People just didn’t come in. Except for the three metros, nowhere else did we see a footfall in the theaters…..Why should we blame coronavirus? Is it not there for those who are coming out to watch Spiderman: No Way Home and Pushpa: The Rise?” he says.

SEAMERS SECURE BIG WIN FOR INDIA AT CENTURION

Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami took three wickets each as the tourists bowled South Africa out for 191 to claim an emphatic 113-run victory just after lunch on the fifth day of the first Test in Centurion on Thursday.

South Africa had resumed on 94 for four chasing a venue record 305 for victory, but fell well short of their target on a spicy wicket that had plenty of assistance for the bowlers.

India achieved their victory despite the entire second day of the Test being washed out due to rain.

The home team folded for 191 in 68 overs to give India a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.

India now aim to claim their first series win in South Africa since they first toured here in 1992.

The three men who won the match for India were, vice-captain KL Rahul for that first innings hundred that gave the team platform, supremely talented Mohammed Shami (5/44 and 3/63) who had a match-haul of eight wickets and the peerless Jasprit Bumrah (2/16 & 3/50). Mohammed Siraj and Shardul Thakur were the perfect supporting cast in one of the better and comfortable overseas wins for Virat Kohli's men.

Scores: India 327 & 174; S Africa 197 & 191

Player Of The Match – KL Rahul

SOUTH AFRICA'S QUINTON DE KOCK ANNOUNCES TEST RETIREMENT

South Africa's star wicketkeeper-batter Quinton de Kock on Thursday announced his retirement from Test cricket with immediate effect, said the country's apex body, CSA, hours after the team's defeat in the first Test against India.

A former Test captain, de Kock is only 29 and it is believed that he will continue playing in the white-ball formats for the Proteas, with a lot of focus on franchise-based T20 leagues.

In a statement issued by de Kock insisted that it wasn't an easy decision and he had to draw early curtains to his career in the longest format to 'be able to be with them (family) during this new and exciting chapter of our lives'.

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THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

Many experts lose the creativity and imagination of the less informed. They are so intimately familiar with known patterns that they fail to recognize or respect the importance of the new wrinkle. - Gavin de Becker

OFF TRACK

"I feel sorry for people who don't drink. When they wake up in the morning, that's as good as they're going to feel all day."