PUNJAB FARMERS MARCH TODAY, GOVT CALLS FOR PEACE, TALKS

Haryana and Delhi brace for the march today by the agitating Punjab farmers. As farmer tractor trolley numbers swelled at the Punjab-Haryana border points despite the High Court pointing out that tractor trolleys are not allowed on highways, the Haryana police urged their Punjab counterparts to seize heavy earthmoving machinery at the inter-state border.

Meanwhile, Union Agriculture Minister Arjun Munda appealed to the farmers to maintain peace.

“I would appeal to the farmers and the farmer organisations which are connected with this (protest) to maintain peace. We have to take it forward from discussion to solutions… We must keep discussing this issue… We all want peace… and we should together find a solution for this issue. We tried to hold the discussion… and several proposals were also discussed. We have come to know that they (farmers) are not satisfied with the proposals. But this discussion should continue and we must find a solution to it peacefully,” Munda said.

In the Punjab and Haryana High Court, while hearing PILs on the ‘Dilli Chalo’ protest march, Acting Chief Justice G S Sandhawalia said, “How can you go from Amritsar to Delhi in a tractor trolley?… If you want to go to Delhi, you may go by bus.”

The division bench of Acting Chief Justice Sandhawalia and Justice Lapita Banerji was hearing two PILs – one seeking directions to stay all obstructive actions by the governments of Haryana, Punjab and the Union government against the farmers’ protest; and the second seeking action against the agitating farmers.

In its affidavit, the State of Haryana said it will take all possible steps against violators of law and ensure that protesters do not block important roads and places in the state.

The Punjab government, in its affidavit, stated that all Commissioners of Police and Senior Superintendents of Police have been directed to ensure that no JCB machine or any other heavy machinery is allowed to move towards districts Patiala and Sangrur.

JAISHANKAR ASSURES EU OF CONTINUITY OF MODI GOVT

With the Lok Sabha elections just around the corner, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar Tuesday assured officials from Europe of “continuity” and “stability” in India.

Speaking at the second CII-India Europe Business and Sustainability Conclave organised by Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) Tuesday, Jaishankar said: “In this country, we know that when democracy really works, we re-elect governments. I want to promise our European colleagues that there will be stability, continuity, more vision, more change, greater reform and certainly, more business.”

Fullscreen

Jaishankar suggested that the proposed India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC), along with the 1,400-km (India–Myanmar–Thailand) Trilateral Highway, can provide a lateral connectivity corridor for European goods all the way to the Pacific region.

The IMEC, announced on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in New Delhi last year, seeks to connect India to the Gulf and the Gulf to Europe, though technical questions continue to loom especially on funding of the project and its implementation against the backdrop of the Israel-Hamas war.

START WITH LS & ASSEMBLY POLLS, SYNCHRONISE LOCAL BODY POLLS LATER: BJP TO KOVIND PANEL

The BJP Tuesday told the One Nation, One Election committee chaired by former President Ram Nath Kovind that elections to the Lok Sabha and the state assemblies should be held together to start with and the local body elections should be synchronised later, BJP president JP Nadda said.

A BJP delegation, including Nadda and Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav, met Kovind and committee members NK Singh and Sanjay Kothari. The BJP leaders handed over a written memorandum to the committee, a Law Ministry statement said. “The members of the party also had a detailed interaction with the high-level committee in which the party pledged its support to the concept of One Nation, One Election,” the statement read.

After meeting the committee, Nadda told reporters that the Representation of the People Act should be amended after building a “consensus” to enable simultaneous elections. He added that the party supports the idea of a common electoral roll and Voter ID for all elections.

SONIA, NADDA, CHAVAN AND DEORA AMONG 41 ELECTED UNOPPOSED AS RAJYA SABHA MPS

Former Congress president Sonia Gandhi, BJP chief J P Nadda, new party entrant Ashok Chavan and Union ministers Ashwini Vaishnaw and L Murugan were among the 41 candidates elected unopposed to Rajya Sabha on Tuesday.

Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka and Uttar Pradesh will witness polling on the remaining 15 seats on February 27.

The BJP has won the highest number of 20 seats, followed by the Congress (6), Trinamool Congress (4), YSR Congress (3), RJD (2), BJD (2) and NCP, Shiv Sena, BRS and JD(U) one each.

As there were no other candidates in the fray on these 41 seats, the respective returning officers declared them winners on the last date of withdrawal of nominations.

The biennial elections for the 56 seats were announced on February 27. While 50 members will complete their term on April 2, six will retire on April 3.

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

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

SHARIF’s, BHUTTO'S PARTIES STRIKE DEAL ON PAK COALITION GOVERNMENT

The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz and the Pakistan Peoples Party have finally reached an agreement to form a new coalition government after days of intense negotiations, senior party leaders have announced.

In a joint news conference late on Tuesday night, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari announced that Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President Shehbaz Sharif, 72, is set to assume the role of the Prime Minister once again. At the same time, PPP co-chairman Asif Zardari, 68, is slated to become the country's President again.

"The PPP and PML-N have achieved the required number, and [now] we are in a position to form the government," Bilawal told reporters.

Speaking on the occasion, Shehbaz Sharif asserted that his PML-N now has the "required numbers" with the PPP to be in a position to form the next government as he thanked the leadership of the two parties for the positive conclusion to the talks.

US VETOES UN’S GAZA CEASEFIRE RESOLUTION, AGAIN

The US on Tuesday again vetoed a draft UN Security Council resolution on the Israel-Hamas war, blocking a demand for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire as it instead pushes the 15-member body to call for a temporary ceasefire linked to the release of hostages held by Hamas.

Thirteen council members voted in favour of the Algerian-drafted text, while Britain abstained. It was the third such US veto since the start of the current fighting on Oct 7.

US ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield signalled Saturday that the US would veto the draft resolution over concerns it could jeopardise talks between the US, Egypt, Israel and Qatar that seek to broker a pause in the war and the release of hostages held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip. “Demanding an immediate, unconditional ceasefire without an agreement requiring Hamas to release the hostages will not bring about a durable peace. Instead, it could extend the fighting between Hamas and Isra el,” Thomas-Greenfield told the council ahead of the vote.

The Algerian-drafted resolution vetoed by the US did not link a ceasefire to the release of hostages. It separately demanded an immediate humanitarian ceasefire and unconditional release of all hostages.

THE REST

=========

SC QUASHES MAYOR POLL RESULTS, RULES IN FAVOUR OF CONGRESS-AAP CANDIDATE

The Supreme Court Tuesday quashed and set aside the result of the January 30 mayoral polls for the Chandigarh Municipal Corporation in which the presiding officer had named BJP’s Manoj Sonkar as the winner, and instead declared Kuldeep Kumar, the AAP-Congress coalition candidate, as the validly elected candidate. It also issued a show cause notice to Anil Masih, the presiding officer, on why steps should not be initiated against him under Section 340 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973.

A three-judge bench presided by Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud perused the ballot papers and said that the eight ballots on which Masih had made a marking, and were later counted as invalid, were duly cast in favour of Kuldeep Kumar. Kumar had approached the Supreme Court against the outcome of the election.

Terming the verdict as a win for the INDIA bloc, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said, “Thanks to the verdict, we have snatched victory from their (the BJP’s) jaws. This is an answer for all those people who feel that the BJP cannot be defeated. It can be defeated using strategy, with planning and with hard work,” Kejriwal said.

He also questioned BJP’s confidence in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls. “Just think, if they can do all this to steal just 8 votes, which are 25% of the total votes, in such a small election, what can they do when 90 crore votes are cast? Where are they getting the confidence that they will get 370 seats? This proves there’s something behind the scenes…it has been proven that these people don’t win elections, they steal them,” said Kejriwal.

In a Hindi tweet, Rahul Gandhi said, “Loktantra ki hatya ki Bhajpayi saajish mein Masih sirf ‘mohra’ hai, peeche Modi ka ‘chehra’ hai," Rahul Gandhi said in a tweet. (“In the BJP's conspiracy to murder democracy, Masih is just a 'pawn', behind this is the 'face' of Modi.")

3RD TIME IN 10 YEARS, MAHARASHTRA GOVT RECOMMENDS SEPARATE 10% QUOTA FOR MARATHAS

The Maharashtra cabinet Tuesday unanimously passed the Maratha Reservation Bill aimed at granting reservation to the Maratha community in educational institutions and government jobs. Cleared by the cabinet, the bill was tabled and passed during a one-day special session of the assembly called by the Maharashtra government later in the day.

This was preceded by the submission of a report by the Maharashtra State Backward Class Commission recommending separate reservation for Marathas.

The special session was necessitated by Maratha quota activist Manoj Jarange-Patil’s decision to relaunch a hunger strike, from 10 February, to demand a special legislative session to discuss the Maratha quota. What the current bill proposes is similar to the 16 percent reservation granted to Marathas under the socially and educationally backward category introduced by the state’s then BJP-Shiv Sena government in 2018.

The quota, however, was struck down by the Supreme Court in 2021.

“I want to assure the Maratha community that the government is committed towards giving reservations to you. There were certain legal hurdles that needed to be looked after. But today, I can proudly say that all hurdles are gone and I have fulfilled my promise to the community,” Chief Minister Eknath Shinde said on the floor of the House.

Manoj Jarange Patil called the bill a betrayal. He says that the proposed reservation did not align with the community's demands. He stated, "We deserve reservation that is in line with our needs. Provide us reservation under the OBC category for those who can prove their Kunbi identity, and for those who cannot provide proof, pass a law for 'Sage Soyare'." Patil called for a meeting of the Maratha community on Wednesday to discuss their concerns.

Meanwhile, the Samajwadi Party demanded a 5 percent reservation for Muslims in government jobs and educational institutions in Maharashtra. "When the Maratha community was given reservation by the previous government, on the same day a notification was brought out and a 5 per cent reservation was given to Muslims. But today, we are seeing that the Maratha community is getting justice which we welcome but at the same time, the Muslim community is being ignored. We appeal to the government to go through the notification, when you are doing justice, do justice to everybody," said SP MLA Abu Azmi.

‘COMPLETE LAWLESSNESS: BJP’S SUVENDU ADHIKARI VISITS SANDESHKHALI

BJP legislator and Leader of Opposition in West Bengal Assembly Suvendu Adhikari on Tuesday visited violence-hit Sandeshkhali in North 24 Parganas district and claimed that a situation of complete lawlessness prevailed in the area as the Trinamool Congress government in the state was siding with criminals.

Early in the day, Adhikari was stopped by police at Dhamakhali citing prohibitory orders even as he was granted permission by the Calcutta High Court on Monday to visit the area. He, however, was allowed to go after a division bench of HC on Tuesday refused to interfere with the single-judge bench order.

Adhikari, who along with another BJP MLA Sankar Ghosh talked to the alleged victims of violence and sexual abuse in the area, said, “The experiences narrated by the locals are spine-chilling. Their lands have been usurped, and women exploited… and everything happened with the help of the police and the administration. The situation is completely horrific and is a clear example of anarchy prevailing in the area.”

“The people of Sandeshkhali want Shahjahan Sheikh (TMC strongman involved in an attack on an Enforcement Directorate team and accused of terrorising people) to be hanged to death. There was no law and order here as anarchy is the order of the day. People are still in fear and terror,” he said.

The TMC dubbed it as an attempt to vitiate the atmosphere. TMC spokesperson Kunal Ghosh said, “Yes, there have been a few complaints in the area. And both the administration and the party are trying to address those. But the BJP is trying to communalise the issue and vitiate the atmosphere. The BJP is spreading canards against the state government.”

CPI(M) leader Brinda Karat, who also visited Sandeshkhali on Tuesday, said, “It’s a complete terror raj of local TMC leaders here.”

BUDDHA’S RELICS AT NATIONAL MUSEUM TO BE ON DISPLAY IN THAILAND

Four of the 20 relics of Lord Buddha preserved at the National Museum are being taken to Thailand for a month-long exposition beginning Thursday, in a rare trip abroad for the delicate antiquities recovered more than a century ago.

The relics fall under the ‘AA’ (rare) category of antiquities and art treasures and are not meant to be lent for exhibitions, within India or in foreign nations. But the exposition in Thailand was being held upon a “special request” by the Thai Government, the Ministry of Culture said.

Union Culture Secretary Govind Mohan told a press conference the relics will be ferried to Thailand as “state guest” in a special Indian Air Force plane.

In view of the ‘AA’ category and considering their delicate nature, the relics are not ordinarily taken out of India for exhibition. The last time these were sent abroad was in 2022, for an exposition in Mongolia.

SHASHI THAROOR RECEIVES FRANCE'S HIGHEST CIVILIAN HONOUR

Shashi Tharoor, a prolific author and a diplomat-turned-politician, was conferred France's highest civilian honour 'Chevalier de la Legion d'honneur' at a ceremony in New Delhi yesterday..

Author of several books and the Congress MP from Thiruvananthapuram, Tharoor was conferred the prestigious award at the French Embassy by French Senate President Gerard Larcher. The French government had announced the award for Tharoor, a former Union minister, in August 2022 but was conferred on him on Tuesday.

"The highest French civilian award came in recognition of Dr Tharoor's tireless efforts to deepen Indo-French ties, commitment to international peace and cooperation, and as a long-standing friend of France," a statement issued by the French Embassy said.

Conferring the honour on Mr Tharoor, Chairman of the French Senate Larcher said, "Through his outstanding career as a diplomat, author and politician, Shashi Tharoor has embraced the world with a thirst for knowledge and an intelligence that has led him to live several lifetimes in one, and all of them in service to India and a better world." "Dr Tharoor is also a true friend of France, a Francophone with a keen understanding of France and its culture. Through this award, which I have the privilege to confer, the French Republic recognises your accomplishments, your friendship, your love of France, your commitment to a fairer world," Larcher said.

"As someone who admires France, its people, their refinement, their language, and their culture, especially their literature and cinema, I am deeply humbled to be conferred your country's highest civilian honour. "To my mind, the conferral of this award to an Indian is an acknowledgement of the deepening of Franco-Indian relations and the continuity of the warmth that has been a feature of this relationship for a very long time," Tharoor said.

DADASAHEB PHALKE INTERNATIONAL FILM AWARDS 2024

Dadasaheb Phalke International Film Festival Awards 2024, one of the most prestigious awards ceremonies, was held in Mumbai yesterday.

Shah Rukh Khan's Jawan and Ranbir Kapoor's Animal bagged the top honours at the event.

Bobby Deol won the Best Actor in Negative Role award for Animal, which starred Ranbir Kapoor, Rashmika Mandanna and Anil Kapoor in the lead roles. The Sandeep Reddy Vanga was a huge commercial success and grossed over Rs 800 crore globally.

Not only this, the director of Animal also bagged the Best Director award for the film.

Nayanthara clinched the Best Actress while Shah Rukh Khan won the Best Actor awards for Jawan. The Atlee Kumar directorial also featured Vijay Sethupathi in key role. Jawan was one of the three releases for Shah Rukh Khan in 2023, apart from Pathaan and Dunki.

Lastly, Vicky Kaushal bagged Best Actor (Critics) award for Sam Bahadur. The film is based on the life of India's first field marshal, Sam Manekshaw. Directed by Meghna Gulzar, the film also starred  Fatima Sana Shaikh, and Sanya Malhotra in key roles.

INDICATORS

Sensex 73,057 (+349), Nifty 22,197 (+75)

Nasdaq 15,631 (-145) Dow 38,564 (-65), S&P 4,976 (-30)

US$-Rs. 82.93, GBP-Rs. 104.57, Euro-Rs. 89.51, UAE Dhm-Rs. 22.57, Can$-Rs. 61.39, Aus$- Rs. 54.29

GBP 0.79 /US$, Euro 0.92 /US$, Jap.Yen 150.12 /US$, Aus$ 1.52 /US$, Sing 1.34 /US$, Bang Taka 108.58 /US$, Can$ 1.35 /US$, Mal Ring 4.78 /US$, Pak Re 278.18 /US$, Phil Peso 55.97 /US$, Russian Rouble 91.68 /US$, NZ$ 1.62 /US$, Thai Baht 36.04 /US$, Ukraine Hryvnia 38.17 /US$

Bitcoin - USD 52,180, Dollar Index 103.98, Brent Crude 82.54, BDI 1629

Gold world Spot Price USD/aoz 2025 India (Rs. per gm 24k/22k) 6,255 / 5,734, Silver (Rs. Per KG) 75,500

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

The happiness that is genuinely satisfying is accompanied by the fullest exercise of our faculties and the fullest realization of the world in which we live. - Bertrand Russell

OFF TRACK

I got in a fight one time with a really big guy, and he said, "I'm going to mop the floor with your face."  

I said, "You'll be sorry."

He said, "Oh, yeah? Why?"  

I said, "Well, It's not very absorbent and you won't be able to get into the corners very well.