DROP NPR WORK, CONG-LED OPPN DIRECTS NON-BJP CMS Upping the ante on the Citizenship Amendment Act, the Congress-led Opposition yesterday adopted a resolution against the CAA, National Register of Citizens and National Population Register and urged 13 non-BJP Chief Ministers to stop the NPR process in their states. "The CAA, NPR, NRC is a package that is unconstitutional and specifically targets the poor, downtrodden, SC/STs and the linguistic and religious minorities. The NPR is the basis for the NRC. We demand the withdrawal of the CAA and the immediate stoppage of nationwide NRC/NPR. All Chief Ministers, who have announced that they will not implement the NRC in their state, must consider suspending the NPR enumeration as this is a prelude to the NRC," said 20 like-minded parties after a three-hour meeting in Parliament House annexe yesterday. The meeting attacked the government for employing "a divisive agenda" - abrogation of Article 370 in J&K and now CAA-NRC-NPR - to deflect attention from loss of livelihoods and appealed to people to sharpen their current resistance against the government by observing three important upcoming dates - January 23, the birthday of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose; January 26, Republic Day; and January 30, Mahatma Gandhi's Martyrdom Day. Congress president Sonia Gandhi led the anti-BJP offensive when she told the gathering that the real issue facing India today was the economic slowdown. "The Prime Minister and Home Minister have no answers and want to divert the nation's attention from this grim reality by raising one divisive and polarising issue after another. It is for us to thwart government's designs," she said. Former prime minister Manmohan Singh, Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, NCP supremo Sharad Pawar, Left leaders Sitaram Yechury and D Raja, Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren of the JMM and LJD chief Sharad Yadav were among those who attended the meeting. SIX PARTIES THAT SKIPPED THE CONGRESS LED OPPN MEET Following the decisions of Trinamool Congress (TMC) chief Mamata Banerjee, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), Congress' new ally, Shiv Sena skipped the 'All-Opposition' meeting called by Sonia Gandhi in Delhi on Monday to discuss over CAA. Earlier, AAP leader Sanjay Singh on Monday claimed that AAP had no idea that an all-Opposition meeting was called. He added that if they had no idea and information there was no question of attending. BSP Supremo Mayawati had blamed the Congress of dividing the BSP in Rajasthan despite its outside support to the Congress government and hence decided to skip the meeting. TMC chief Mamata Banerjee stated that she will be boycotting the Opposition meeting due to the vandalism caused by 'Congress and Left leaders' during anti-CAA protests. DMK and Samajwadi Party also stayed away. Taking a jibe at the 'unity' of the Opposition, Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad on Monday said that the parties stand exposed as major outfits kept away. "The Opposition's resolution is not in national or security interest, neither in interest of persecuted minorities from neighbouring countries," the minister said. Launching a scathing attack on the parties, Prasad further said that their resolution must have made Pakistan happy. NO QUESTION OF NRC: NITISH KUMAR Stating he was open to a discussion on the Citizenship (Amendment Act), Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar told the state assembly Monday there was "no question" or "justification" for an "unnecessary" National Register of Citizens exercise in the country, and that it had already been clarified it would not be implemented. Speaking at a special session of the assembly, convened to endorse the amendment to the Constitution on extending quotas in Lok Sabha and state assemblies to SCs and STs by another 10 years, Nitish Kumar responded to Leader of Opposition Tejashwi Prasad Yadav's demand for a discussion on CAA and NPR. "These days, there has been a big discussion on such things, we will discuss it in detail. whether it is CAA. So far as NRC is concerned, there is no question of NRC," he said. RETAIL INFLATION SPIKE; COMES IN WAKE OF GLOBAL INCREASE IN FOOD PRICES Consumer food price inflation has hit 14.12 per cent year-on-year in December 2019, the highest after it touched 17.89 per cent reached more than six years ago in November 2013. The rise is recent and sharp - from a mere 2.99 per cent in August to 5.11 per cent in September, 7.89 per cent in October, 10.01 per cent in November and 14.12 per cent in December. While this was expected, given the seasonality of vegetable prices, what would concern policy makers is that the spike comes alongside a global upswing in food prices. The simultaneous hardening of international prices poses a challenge to the government and the Reserve Bank of India in containing domestic food inflation at a time when the economy is already going through a deep slowdown. The latest overall retail inflation at 7.35 percent, too, is above the Reserve Bank of India's upper band target of 6 per cent - the first time since August 2014. The rise in food inflation over the last three months or so has been viewed as transitory, driven largely by the damage to the kharif crop from prolonged unseasonal rains during September to early November. These excess rains have, however, helped recharge groundwater aquifers and fill the country's major dams to near-full reservoir levels, thereby boosting plantings of the winter/ spring rabi crop due for harvesting from end-March. But rising global prices can potentially undermine the assumption of food prices cooling off after March, which also complicates RBI's efforts at monetary easing to address the ongoing slowdown. FIVE COUNTRIES TO DISCUSS ACTION AGAINST IRAN Five nations whose citizens died when an airliner was shot down by Iran last week will meet in London on Thursday to discuss possible legal action, Ukraine's Foreign Minister said. Speaking on the sidelines of an official visit to Singapore on Monday, Vadym Prystaiko said the countries would also discuss compensation and the investigation into the incident. All 176 people on board the flight died in the crash on Wednesday, minutes after the plane took off from Tehran airport. Mr. Prystaiko said suggestions from Iran that the Ukrainian International Airlines plane was downed as it flew near a sensitive military base during a time of heightened tensions were "nonsense". He said Tehran had agreed to hand over the plane's black boxes to Kiev for investigation. "We have created this group of Foreign Ministers from the grieving nations. He said the five nations Canada - which had at least 57 passport holders aboard the doomed flight - Sweden, Afghanistan and a fifth country, which he did not name. Many on board were Iranians with dual citizenship. Tehran said its air defences were fired in error while on alert after Iranian missile strikes on U.S. targets in Iraq. "This is nonsense because our plane was recorded and confirmed - was going within the international route which was given by the dispatchers... Nothing was extraordinary," Mr. Prystaiko said, adding that investigators said the pilot's last words were "everything is ok on board and I am switching to auto pilot." QUEEN ELIZABETH II AGREES PERIOD OF TRANSITION FOR PRINCE HARRY, MEGHAN Britain's Queen Elizabeth II on Monday agreed to offer Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle a "period of transition" during which the couple can divide their time between the UK and Canada. After her first face-to-face talks with her grandson and senior members of the royal family at the 93-year-old monarch's Sandringham estate in Norfolk, Buckingham Palace issued a statement, saying as the transition period kicks in right away, the "complex" matter of the couple's future roles will be fleshed out in the coming days. The statement notes that the discussions had proved "constructive" and that the royal family was supportive of the young couple's desire to create a more independent life for themselves. In reference to the complex financial issues involved, it adds: "Harry and Meghan have made clear that they do not want to be reliant on public funds in their new lives. "It has therefore been agreed that there will be a period of transition in which the Sussexes will spend time in Canada and the UK. These are complex matters for my family to resolve, and there is some more work to be done, but I have asked for final decisions to be reached in the coming days". 9-JUDGE SC BENCH FOCUSING ON LARGER RELIGIOUS ISSUES: CJI The Supreme Court on Monday clarified that it was not hearing the Sabarimala review pleas but focused on examining the larger issue of law, like ban on women's entry to mosques and temples, genital mutilation among Dawoodi Bohras, and bar on Parsi women married outside the faith from entering the fire temple. A nine-judge Bench, headed by Chief Justice S.A. Bobde, said the court would examine the legality and essentiality of religious beliefs that discriminated against women. Justice Bobde drawing out the contours of the judicial enquiry said it would primarily examine the seven questions referred to a larger Bench by a five-judge Bench on November 14, 2019, in a split 3:2 majority judgment. In November, a five-judge Bench then headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi instead of deciding on the Sabarimala judgment review, which allowed entry of women of all ages to the Sabarimala temple, framed seven questions and referred that to a seven-judge Bench. The questions included whether "essential religious practices" would come under the ambit of constitutional protection under Article 26 (freedom to manage religious affairs). The CJI said the court would only examine the propositions of law raised about religious practices, believed to be essential to various religions, and it would not go into the individual facts of the petitions. The court has clarified that it would not delve into the legality of issues associated with the practice of polygamy and 'nikah-halala' in Islam. To streamline the process of examining the legal issues, the CJI has asked lawyers to hold a conference on January 17 to frame questions on law, which would be examined by the nine-judge Bench. The court posted the case for hearing after three weeks. JNU TEACHERS ADAMANT ON VC'S REMOVAL Members of the JNU Teachers' Association yesterday met officials of the HRD Ministry and submitted a dossier on why the removal of Vice Chancellor M Jagadesh Kumar was imperative. "We explained how the incidents of January 5, 2020 are the culmination of the long history of V-C's misgovernance and urged the ministry to appreciate that after January 5, an atmosphere of fear and insecurity prevails in the university which cannot be removed as long as the VC continues to be in charge," a JNUTA statement said. It alleged that an important aspect of violence was the systematic targeting of teachers, their families and residences. "We fear if the VC continues, we might witness in the days to come even worse than what was unleashed on January 5," JNUTA said. BOOK COMPARING NARENDRA MODI WITH SHIVAJI ROUSES ANGER IN MAHARASHTRA, WITHDRAWN A book by Delhi BJP leader Jai Bhagwan Goyal, likening Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Maratha warrior King Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj has angered political parties in Maharashtra, especially the allies of the ruling Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi. Shivsena, Congress and NCP leaders have slammed the BJP for the unwarranted comparison. Jai Bhagwan Goyal recently released a book title : Narendra Modi : Aa je Shivaji ( Narendra Modi : Today's Shivaji in the national capital. The comparison has created a furore in the state's politics. The BJP on Monday said the author of the book has withdrawn the publication, as the party sought to defuse the raging controversy over it. KASHMIR COP DAVINDER SINGH'S ALIBI WITHOUT EVIDENCE: INTERROGATORS Investigators questioning Jammu & Kashmir police officer Davinder Singh said on Monday that the officer, who was arrested for allegedly escorting terrorists, claimed he was working on a plan to eliminate top Hizbul Mujahideen commander Riyaz Naikoo but could provide no proof to support his assertion. Singh, who was suspended on Monday and his office sealed, is currently with the anti-hijacking wing of Srinagar airport and is not mandated to carry out undercover counterterror operations. "There is nothing to support his claim, importantly none of the counterterror units operating in Jammu & Kashmir have backed his claim and neither was he in touch with them or tasked," a senior official in the security establishment who didn't want to be named said. NUSLI WADIA WITHDRAWS CASES AGAINST RATAN TATA Days after Chief Justice of India SA Bobde asked Bombay Dyeing chairman Nusli Wadia and Tata Group chairman Emeritus Ratan Tata to amicably sort out their differences instead of fighting it out in courts, the former on Monday withdrew all defamation cases, including the Rs 3,000-crore suit for damages, against the latter. The Supreme Court allowed Wadia to withdraw his petition after recording that statement on beha;f of Tata and others that they had no intention to defame him (Wadia). "In view of the statement made by Tata that there was no intention to defame Wadia, which is in accordance with the finding of the high court, the petitioner is hereby allowed to withdraw the present petition as well as the pending suit for damages," a Bench led by CJI Bobde said. WOULD LOVE TO SEE BANGLA IMMIGRANT HEAD INFY: NADELLA Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella has spoken out against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, saying that "what is happening is sad.just bad," according to BuzzFeed Editor-in-Chief Ben Smith. Smith posted on his Twitter account: "Asked Microsoft CEO @satyanadella about India's new Citizenship Act. "I think what is happening is sad. It's just bad.. I would love to see a Bangladeshi immigrant who comes to India and creates the next unicorn in India or becomes the next CEO of Infosys." Smith said in another tweet that Nadella's remarks came during an interaction with editors at a Microsoft event in Manhattan Monday. INDIA DROPS TO 84 IN PASSPORT INDEX; JAPAN, SINGAPORE LEAD India has dropped 10 places to 84 in the latest update of the Henley Passport Index, sharing the spot with tiny countries like Mauritania and Tajikistan. India's ranking fell from a decade-high ranking of 74 to a low of 84 in 2020. The Henley Passport Index is the ranking of all the world's passports according to the number of destinations their holders can access without a prior visa. The Henley Passport Index website provides comprehensive lists of the countries one can access visa-free, with an electronic visa (e-visa), with a visa on arrival, or with a normal visa. AMRAPALI CASE: SC ORDERS ED TO ATTACH JP MORGAN'S CORPORATE PROPERTIES The Supreme Court Monday asked the Enforcement Directorate to attach Indian properties of JP Morgan, which engaged in transaction with the now defunct Amrapali Group to allegedly siphon off home buyers money in violation of the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA) and FDI norms. ED said it has prima facie found that there was violation of FEMA norms by the US-based JP Morgan and a complaint in this regard has been lodged. As per the Share Subscription Agreement, JP Morgan had invested Rs 85 crore on October 20, 2010 to have a preferential claim on profits in the ratio of 75 per cent to JP Morgan and 25 per cent to promoters of Amrapali Homes Project Private Limited and Ultra Home. Later, the same number of shares was bought back from JP Morgan for Rs 140 crore by two companies M/s Neelkanth and M/s Rudraksha, owned by a peon and an office boy of Amrapali's statutory auditor Anil Mittal. A bench of Justices Arun Mishra and U U Lalit was told by ED joint director Rajeshwar Singh, who is supervising the probe against JP Morgan, that the MNC remitted the money back to the USA. "They (JP Morgan) have lot of properties in India. We want you to attach their office or corporate properties of like amount. Then they will come running to us and we will see to it," the bench said. INDIA VS AUS ODI SERIES KICKS OFF IN MUMBAI TODAY With skipper Virat Kohli stepping in to resolve India's opening puzzle, the formidable hosts will look to ensure that their enviable home run remains intact against a full-strength Australia when the two teams clash in an ODI series starting today, at Wankhede Stadium. Kohli said he has no hesitation coming down the order to ensure that KL Rahul's consistency and Shikhar Dhawan's experience are both accommodated in the playing XI. "...Big possibility. I would be very happy to do so. Look I am not possessive about where I play. I am not insecure about where I bat," Kohli said. At a time when bilateral ODI series are fast losing relevance, the three-match rubber between the top-2 teams could give a fresh lease of life to the format. The high-voltage rivalries that fans enjoy will be back as Rohit Sharma's elegance will be pitted against enforcer David Warner while the Virat Kohli vs Steve Smith duel will resume in earnest. On the other hand, Marnus Labuschagne, easily the most exciting talent spreading his wings on the international cricket map with some stellar performances in the Test arena, would like to replicate his form in the shorter formats.