AAP IS NEWEST NATIONAL PARTY; TRINAMOOL, NCP, CPI LOSE TAG

The Aam Aadmi Party was recognised as a national party while the Trinamool Congress, the Nationalist Congress Party and the Communist Party of India were stripped of the coveted status by the Election Commission on Monday.

The country now has six national parties – the Bharatiya Janata Party, the Congress, the Bahujan Samaj Party, the Communist Party of India-Marxist, the National People's Party and the AAP.

"National party in such a short time? This is nothing less than a miracle. Many congratulations to all. Crores of people from the country have taken us here. People expect a lot from us. Today people have given us this huge responsibility. Lord, bless us to fulfil this responsibility well," AAP convenor and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said.

Reacting to the EC announcement, CPI national secretary Binoy Biswam said, "National recognition is of course important from a technical point of view. CPI's recognition is in the hearts of the toiling masses. It is built up with the blood, sweat and tears of the fighting people. The party will intensify its battle for democracy, secularism and socialism."

The Trinamool Congress received the national party tag in 2016, but its dismal show in Goa and some northeastern states has led to withdrawal of the status.

The NCP was formed by Sharad Pawar, another former Congress leader, in 1999 and became a national party in 2000 following its success in various elections.

THE CRITERIA FROM NATIONAL OR STATE PARTY RECOCOGNITION

As per the ECI’s Political Parties and Election Symbols, 2019 handbook, a political party would be considered a national party if:

i. it is ‘recognised’ in four or more states; or

ii. if its candidates polled at least 6% of total valid votes in any four or more states in the last Lok Sabha or Assembly elections and has at least four MPs in the last Lok Sabha polls; or

iii. if it has won at least 2% of the total seats in the Lok Sabha from not less than three states.

To be recognised as a state party, a party needs:

i. at least 6% vote-share in the last Assembly election and have at least 2 MLAs; or have 6% vote-share in the last Lok Sabha elections from that state and at least one MP from that state; or

ii. at least 3% of the total number of seats or three seats, whichever is more, in the last Assembly elections; or

iii. at least one MP for every 25 members or any fraction allotted to the state in the Lok Sabha; or

iv. have at least 8% of the total valid votes in the last Assembly election or Lok Sabha election from the state.

AMIT SHAH VISITS ARUNACHAL: NO ONE CAN TAKE AN INCH OF OUR LAND

In remarks directed at China, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said on Monday that “nobody can encroach on even an inch” of India’s borderlands or cast an “evil eye” on its territorial integrity. He was speaking at the launch of the ‘Vibrant Villages’ programme in the border village of Kibithoo in Arunachal Pradesh.

“Our policy is clear. We want peace from everybody. But no one can encroach on even an inch of our territory… The protection of borders is the protection of the country, which is why Prime Minister (Narendra) Modi has made border infrastructure a matter of priority,” he said.

Meanwhile, China criticised Shah’s visit to Arunachal Pradesh, stating that it violated Chinese sovereignty over the area.

This comes days after India slammed Beijing’s move to rename some places in the border state in an attempt to stake its claim over the area. “The era is gone when anyone could encroach on our lands,” Shah said on Monday, adding that nobody can cast an “evil eye” on India because of the security forces protecting the country’s frontiers.

Emphasising Arunachal Pradesh’s “integration” with India, Shah said: “Whenever I come to Arunachal, my heart gets filled with patriotism, because no one here greets by saying ‘namaste’, they greet each other by saying ‘Jai Hind’. This passion is what has bound Arunachal together with India. In the 1962 war, whoever had come here to encroach, the reason they had to go back was your patriotism. And the country salutes the patriotism of the people of Arunachal.”

He said this frontier location was the “first village of India” and not the last, saying the Modi government had brought about a “conceptual” policy change to develop these areas and help the locals living here by providing basic amenities. “This village is India’s beginning… Earlier, people would say that they went to India’s last village. But when I return from here, I will tell my granddaughter that I have come from India’s first village,” said Shah.

UKRAINE TO INDIA: CUT MILITARY, ENERGY DEPENDENCE ON RUSSIA

Visiting Ukrainian Deputy Foreign Minister Emine Dzhaparova on Monday called on India to be pragmatic by diversifying its political interactions and energy and military resources.

Dzhaparova, a rare political visitor from Ukraine, arrived on Sunday and was speaking to the media after a meeting with MEA’s Secretary (West) Sanjay Verma. “We only think that it’s crucial to diversify resources, not only energy but military resources too because what we see in my country is that when you are dependent on Russia, they will blackmail,” she said.

Dzhaparova made no mention of Kyiv’s reported desire to invite PM Modi to Ukraine, which is interpreted in strategic circles as a move to earn an invite to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for the upcoming G20 summit in India or at least the Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba, who in December had said at the UNSC that “if India has not condemned Russia for the war, it is also providing humanitarian assistance to Ukraine”.

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

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CHINA ENDS 3-DAY DRILLS NEAR TAIWAN

China ended three days of military drills around Taiwan on Monday saying they had tested integrated military capabilities under actual combat conditions, having practised precision strikes and blockading the island that Beijing views as its own. Taiwan responded to Beijing’s announcement by saying it would “never relax” its efforts to strengthen combat readiness and would closely monitor China’s missile forces and movements of the Shandong aircraft carrier.

Beijing began the drills on Saturday after Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen returned to Taipei following a meeting in Los Angeles with US House of Representatives speaker Kevin McCarthy. China has never renounced the use of force to bring the democratically-governed island under Beijing’s control. Taiwan’s government strongly disputes China’s claims and has denounced the drills.

TWITTER TAGS BBC AS GOVT-FUNDED MEDIA, BROADCASTER OBJECTS

Elon Musk-owned Twitter has labelled the BBC as a “government-funded media” on the microblogging site, leading to a sharp reaction from British public broadcaster, which on Monday objected to the move.

The taxpayer-funded licence fee-supported UK media corporation said it had contacted the social media giant over the designation on its @BBC account to resolve the issue “as soon as possible”. “The BBC is, and always has been, independent. We are funded by the British public through the licence fee,” the BBC statement said. An email exchange with Twitter chief Elon Musk suggests that he is considering providing a label that would link all media organisations to “exact funding sources”. “We are aiming for maximum transparency and accuracy. Linking to ownership and source of funds probably makes sense,” Musk’s email to BBC reads.

“I do think media organisations should be self-aware and not falsely claim the complete absence of bias. All organisations have bias, some obviously much more than others. I should note that I follow BBC News on Twitter because I think it is among the least biased,” it said.

THE REST

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CONGRESS HIGH COMMAND SENDS A STERN WARNING TO SACHIN PILOT

Setting the stage for a confrontation with senior Rajasthan leader Sachin Pilot, the Congress high command made it abundantly clear on Monday night that his proposed fast would be against interests of the party and be treated as an “anti-party activity”.

Pilot has announced a day-long fast today, and the Central leadership’s letter to him is a clear signal that the protest may result in initiation of disciplinary action against him.

At a press conference Sunday, Pilot said Congress colleague and Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot was sitting on corruption cases against the previous Vasundhara Raje-led BJP government, and said he would hold the fast to demand action on these cases.

In a late-night statement on Monday, AICC in-charge of Rajasthan Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa said: “Sachin Pilot’s day-long fast tomorrow is against party interests and is (an) anti-party activity. If there is any issue with his own government, it can be discussed in the party forums instead of in the media and public.”

There was no immediate response from Pilot.

Monday night’s statement is also a warning to Pilot loyalists who might have been planning to join his protest.

RAHUL GANDHI HAS TIES WITH 'UNDESIRABLE BUSINESS', ALLEGES GHULAM NABI AZAD

Former Congress veteran Ghulam Nabi Azad’s allegation that Rahul Gandhi has ties with "undesirable businessmen" triggered a political row on Monday with the BJP asking Gandhi to clarify the "serious charge" made against him.

In an interview with the Malayalam News channel Asianet News on Sunday, Azad, referring to the Gandhi family, said, "The entire family has associations with businessmen, including him (Rahul). I can give you 10 examples of where he would go, even outside the country, to meet people who are undesirable businessmen."

Seeking an explanation from Rahul Gandhi over the allegation, senior BJP leader and former Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said,"Ghulam Nabi Azad has made a serious allegation that whenever Rahul Gandhi goes on a foreign tour, he meets many 'unwanted businessmen." "Who are these 'unwanted traders' and what are their interests? Is Rahul Gandhi trying to weaken India at the behest of anti-India businessmen and working against Modi ji (PM Narendra Modi)?," he said at a press conference in Patna.

Azad's charge on Sunday came a day after Rahul Gandhi had taken a swipe at some leaders who have quit the Congress in recent years and some of whom have joined the BJP, while keeping up his offensive against the government over the Adani issue.

Hitting back at Azad, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said, "With every passing day, Ghulam Nabi Azad falls to new depths to demonstrate his true character and his loyalty to Mr (Narendra) Modi." "His contemptible statements on the Congress leadership reflect his desperation to remain relevant. I can only say that he is pathetic," Ramesh said in a tweet.

In a sharp counter-response to Ramesh, BJP general secretary (Organisation) BL Santhosh said, "with every passing day you are becoming a bigger trumpeter for 'Emperor without clothes."

Union minister Jyotiraditya Scindia also responded to Rahul Gandhi's attempt to link him to Adani.. “It is clear that you are now limited to being a troll,” Scindia, once a confidant of Gandhi, said said.

GROUP CAPT DISMISSED FOR ATTACK ON OWN COPTER, DAY AFTER BALAKOT STRIKE

A General Court Martial (GCM) in Delhi today ordered the dismissal of Group Captain Suman Roy Chowdhury, then Chief Operations Officer (COO) of Srinagar Air Force Station, for a missile attack on a friendly Mi-17 helicopter on February 27, 2019, leading to the death of six Air Force personnel and a civilian.

Air Force officials, however, said the findings of the GCM and the sentence were subject to confirmation by the IAF Chief. The incident took place a day after the IAF carried out an airstrike in Balakot, Pakistan, in retaliation to the Pulwama terror attack of February 14, 2019, that left 40 CRPF personnel dead.

Around the same time the same day, Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman (now Group Captain) was engaged in a dogfight with a Pakistan Air Force (PAF) aircraft over Nowshera along the Line of Control. During the duel, he shot down a PAF F-16 jet. His MiG-21 Bison aircraft was also shot down but he ejected and landed in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. He remained in captivity for two days.

On March 20, the Punjab and Haryana High Court had allowed the GCM to pronounce the findings against Group Captain Chowdhury but ordered that these must not be given effect till the disposal of the case before it. The High Court, incidentally, is yet to dispose of the case.

AMRITPAL'S MENTOR/AIDE PAPALPREET ARRESTED IN HOSHIARPUR

Radical preacher Amritpal Singh's close aide Papalpreet Singh was nabbed in Amritsar district and detained under the National Security Act, the police said on Monday.

Addressing the media in Chandigarh, Punjab police inspector general (headquarters) Sukhchain Singh Gill said, "He (Papalpreet) is the main associate of Amritpal Singh. He has been arrested from Kathunangal area in Amritsar."

He said Papalpreet has been detained under the stringent National Security Act and that six other cases have also been registered against him.

Earlier, officials said Papalpreet was arrested in a Punjab Police operation that also involved its counter intelligence wing. They had also said that he was arrested in Hoshiarpur.

Papalpreet is considered to be Amritpal's mentor and has allegedly been in contact with Pakistan's ISI.

CALYAMPUDI RAO, 102, HONOURED WITH ‘STATISTICS NOBEL’

Already a storied legend in his field, Calyampudi Radhakrishna Rao, 102, was awarded the International Prize in Statistics this week, with the citation lauding the “profound influence on science” of his body of work spanning more than 75 years. The award is regarded by some as a Nobel equivalent for number crunchers

In citing Professor Rao for the award, the White House recognised “his pioneering contributions to the foundations of statistical theory and multivariate statistical methodology, and their applications, enriching the physical, biological, mathematical, economic and engineering sciences. ” The medal is the highest American award for lifetime achievement in fields of scientific research. The International Prize likewise recognised his phenomenal body of work and its application in such diverse fields as anthropology, geology, biology, psychology, social sciences and national planning. Rao’s research in multivariate analysis, for example, has been used to improve economic planning, weather prediction, medical diagnosis, tracking the movements of spy planes and monitoring the course of spacecrafts.

DALAI LAMA APOLOGISES OVER 'SUCK MY TONGUE' VIDEO

The Dalai Lama on Monday apologised to a boy, his family and friends for the "hurt his words may have caused" after a video clip purportedly showing the Tibetan spiritual head asking him to "suck" his tongue sparked a row.

In the two-minute-five-second video, the Dalai Lama also asked the child "to look at those good human beings who create peace, and happiness and not follow those who kill other people".

The government is examining what can be done in the matter as the Dalai Lama has diplomatic immunity, a senior official said.

In a statement, the Tibetan spiritual head's office said, "A video clip has been circulating that shows a recent meeting when a young boy asked His Holiness the Dalai Lama if he could give him a hug. His Holiness wishes to apologise to the boy and his family, as well as his many friends across the world, for the hurt his words may have caused."

"His Holiness often teases people he meets in an innocent and playful way, even in public and before cameras. He regrets the incident," it added.

However, the Tibetan spiritual leader's gesture was criticised by some child rights activists who said such actions cannot be "playful".

ADANIU GOUP COPMMENTS ON RAHUL GANDHI'S 'RS 20,000 CRORE' CHARGE

The Adani Group countered a report from the London-based “Financial Times” which was relied upon by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, saying that the story “incorrectly mixed primary and secondary investments” and also ignored entirely a secondary transaction of $2 billion “so that the reporters could conveniently create an illusion of gap in funding to support their pre-conceived thesis of supposed round-tripping”.

The Adani Group issued a statement rebutting ‘Financial Times’ report, which apparently was the basis of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s statement on how “Rs 20,000 crore arrived in Adani’s shell companies”

Responding to the article, “Indian Data Reveals Adani empire’s reliance on offshore funding”, the Group said it had raised $2.7 billion (over Rs 20,000 crore) by sale of equity in two Adani companies to Total Gas of France. These funds were reinvested in other Adani companies. In addition, the promoters have substantial holdings in Adani companies, which have increased over time. “It is through the timely use of funds received through the sale of equity that these entities have been able to increase their investments,” it said. Rahul Gandhi, on the basis of this news report, had claimed that Rs 20,000 crore had come into Adani Group companies through “shell companies”.

IPL MATCH 15: ONE WICKET IN HAND, A LAST-BALL BYE SEES LSG WIN AGAINST RCB

Nicholas Pooran smashed a match-winning 19-ball 62 while Marcus Stoinis made 65 as Lucknow Super Giants prevailed over Royal Challengers Bangalore by one wicket in a last-ball thriller in Bengaluru yesterday.

Chasing 213, LSG rode on Pooran and Stoinis' brilliance to eke out a memorable win. Pooran recorded the season's fastest fifty, reaching the landmark in only 15 balls.

Earlier, captain Faf Du Plessis, Virat Kohli and Glenn Maxwell smashed blistering half-centuries as RCB posted an imposing 212 for two after being sent into bat. While Du Plessis made an unbeaten 79 off 46 balls, Kohli took the centre stage initially with his 44-ball 61-run knock, as the duo shared 96 runs for the opening wicket after being sent into bat.

While chasing, the visitors had slumped to 23 for three in four overs. But they still managed to win through a last ball cheeky bye.

So far, LSG have 3 wins from 4 matches while RCB have 1 win from 3.

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THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

Don’t wish it were easier, wish you were better. - Jim Rohn

OFF TRACK

I want to die in my sleep like my grandfather. Not screaming and yelling like the passengers in his car.