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As expected, Parrikar rules the floor

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BACK IN OFFICE: Parrikar with the governor and his own ministers

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]But the smaller parties to have supported the BJP have extracted their pound of flesh in the form of plum cabinet posts 

By Sujit Bhar

Manohar Parrikar won the floor test with 22 MLAs paraded on March 16 and is now the legitimate chief minister of Goa. The Congress, for all practical purposes, sat dejected, having virtually given up hope.

This is the age of expecting the unexpected and then getting it. Parrikar headed a BJP jamboree to 13 seats in the recent assembly elections, while the Congress was the largest party on show with 17 in the 40-seat assembly.

It was natural and expected that the governor would call the Congress first to form government. It was also expected that it would be a cakewalk for the Congress to seek out four more MLAs to support them and take then to the magic figure of 21.

The unexpected happened, both times. Governor Mridula Sinha returned the call of Parrikar and BJP, while waiting for the Congress to show up, quickly installed the former defence minister as the chief minister. She seemingly was satisfied with the BJP’s claim to strength.

Technically the Congress was to blame. It failed to even present its case to governor. In the heated atmosphere of Goa, and with 131 years of rigorous political experience to fall back on, the Congress sat on its hands. The BJP did not. By nightfall on March 11 (the day election results were announced), it has sewn up alliances that would see them through any test.

It was not clear what the Congress was doing, but the rumour is that it was trying to settle internal disputes as to who would be the boss. Digvijay Singh, Congress’ boss-man responsible for Goa, was totally lost. Now he has to listen to a sarcastic jab from Parrikar, who commented after the floor test: “That’s what happens if you come to Goa for a holiday.”

CM ONCE MORE: Parrikar takes oath of office

CM ONCE MORE: Parrikar takes oath of office

The Congress had huffed and puffed its way to the Supreme Court on the issue of the governor calling Parrikar and neglecting Congress. The Supreme Court is on vacation, but considering the seriousness of the issue, Chief Justice JS Khehar quickly formed a three-judge bench and heard out Congress counsel Abhishek Manu Singhvi.

Singhvi had later said sarcastically: “Let Parrikar be a do-din ka Sultan if he wants to be.” Actually, the joke was on Singhvi and the Congress. The Supreme Court had openly rebuked the Congress, with Justice Khehar saying: “You saw them saying they have the majority. But you never said you have the majority nor have you mentioned in this petition. You have not brought the affidavits of these people who are with you. You failed to show that the people who are mentioned in their list are with you.” 
The court added: “If you had the numbers, you would have held a dharna at the Governor’s house.”

When Singhvi cried “It’s constitutionally and legally wrong,” Justice Gogoi gave him a lesson in realpolitik. : “Healthy constitutional practice should be followed, not the just the convention of calling the largest party.”

FLOOR TEST

The body language of the Congress on the morning of March 16 was one of despondency. They seemed to have given up trying. It was soon clear that the smaller parties to have supported the BJP—three independents, the Goa Forward Party (GFP, 3) and Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP, 3)—have extracted their pound of flesh in the form of plum cabinet posts.

The problem was that Parrikar is a local man, a former high-powered cabinet minister and close to Prime Minster Narendra Modi. What chance did the Congress—whose leader Rahul Gandhi himself is in the dock for huge losses—have against such an opponent?

The bigger problem for the Congress will be the new legislators who are frustrated and have said so. Will the flock stay with leaders who live in Delhi? Congress’ demand for the pro-tem speaker’s post also failed to cut ice.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

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Dera chief of Uttarakhand’s Nanakmatta Sahib Gurdwara shot dead within premises

Baba Tarsem Singh was hurried to a hospital in Khatima where he died during treatment.

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Dera chief of the Nanakmatta Sahib Gurudwara in Uttarakhand was shot dead within the premises of the shrine by two bike-borne assailants on Thursday. A CCTV footage showed the brutal killing of the dera chief of the Nanakmatta Sahib Gurdwara.

The footage shared by news agency PTI shows the dera chief sitting on a chair at around 6:30 am in the premises when two bike-borne assailants arrived and fired at him. Udham Singh Nagar, SSP, Manju Nath asserted that Baba Tarsem Singh was hurried to a hospital in Khatima where he died during treatment.

Notably, the Nanakmatta Sahib Gurdwara is a revered Sikh shrine situated on the Rudrapur-Tanakpur route in Udham Singh Nagar district of the state. Reportedly, the Uttarakhand Police has formed a special investigation team (SIT) to investigate the chilling murder. 

Furthermore, additional police personnel have been deployed in the Nanakmatta area of Udham Singh Nagar district to ensure peace. The police have also appealed to the Sikh community to maintain peace. The Police officials have also contacted central agencies to share useful input, and a massive search operation is underway to nab the culprits.

Uttarakhand Director General of Police (DGP) Abhinav Kumar said that they received information around 7 am on Thursday that between 6:15-6:30 am, two masked assailants entered Nanakmatta Gurdwara and shot Kar Seva Pramukh Baba Tarsem Singh. He added that the Dera chief was rushed to the hospital in Khatima, where he succumbed to his injuries.

The DGP mentioned that this is a very serious matter and that senior officials have reached the spot. He affirmed that DIG Kumaon will inspect the scene of the crime and speak to the locals. Furthermore, he will try to assess the situation there. Abhinav Kumar also mentioned that for investigation of the incident, Police Headquarters has formed an SIT, which will comprise officials of STF and local Police.

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US reiterates its call for fair, transparent, legal process for Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal, speaks on Congress frozen accounts

The US spokesperson said that they are also aware of the Congress party’s allegations that tax authorities have frozen some of their bank accounts in a manner that will make it challenging to effectively campaign in the upcoming elections.

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A day after India summoned an US diplomat over their remarks on the arrest of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in the liquor policy case, the US reiterated its call for fair, transparent, timely legal processes on Wednesday.

Responding to questions on India summoning Gloria Berbena, the US Acting Deputy Chief of Mission in New Delhi, US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said that they will continue to follow these actions closely, including the arrest of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. Notably, the meeting at the foreign ministry’s South Block office lasted nearly 40 minutes yesterday with India objecting strongly to the US remarks on the arrest of Arvind Kejriwal.

Matthew Miller also responded to a question on the Congress party’s frozen bank accounts. The US spokesperson said that they are also aware of the Congress party’s allegations that tax authorities have frozen some of their bank accounts in a manner that will make it challenging to effectively campaign in the upcoming elections. He added that the US encourages fair, transparent and timely legal processes for each of the issues.

Arvind Kejriwal was arrested last week by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection to the Delhi liquor policy scam. Earlier, AAP leaders Manish Sisodia, Satyendar Jain and Sanjay Singh were arrested in the same case.

The External Affairs Ministry had earlier stated that states are expected to be respectful of the sovereignty and internal affairs of others, and this responsibility is even more so in case of fellow democracies, adding that it could otherwise end up setting unhealthy precedents.

The Ministry further emphasized that India’s legal processes are based on an independent judiciary which is committed to objective and timely outcomes. It mentioned that casting aspersions on India’s legal procedure is unwarranted.

The United State’s remarks followed days after Germany’s Foreign Office stressed that Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal is entitled to a fair and impartial trial. The Indian government labelled their remark as blatant interference in internal matters.

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Punjab: AAP leaders Sushil Kumar Rinku, MLA Sheetal Angural join BJP

Rinku said Aam Aadmi Party lagged behind in Jalandhar on the issue of its development. He said they had not fulfilled the promises which they had made during the byelection as the AAP government did not support him. He said he was impressed by the style of working of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah.

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The Aam Aadmi Party had a double setback in Punjab as its lone Lok Sabha MP, Sushil Kumar Rinku from Jalandhar, and Jalandhar West MLA Sheetal Angural joined the BJP in Delhi on Wednesday. BJP national general secretary Vinod Tawde welcomed them in presence of Punjab BJP chief Sunil Kumar Jakhar and Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri.

Rinku said Aam Aadmi Party lagged behind in Jalandhar on the issue of its development. He said they had not fulfilled the promises which they had made during the byelection as the AAP government did not support him. He said he was impressed by the style of working of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah. He added that whatever works related to Jalandhar he took to Delhi were granted and the Adampur airport was made operational.

Rinku said Jalandhar had been given a stop for the Vande Bharat train. He said the people of Jalandhar need over bridges in the city and in Adampur. He said he was seeing a ray of hope by joining BJP. He said he is conducting a new experiment. He said he did not have greed for himself but he had wishes for the people of Jalandhar.

The Aam Aadmi Party came to know about the joining of Rinku to BJP when he suddenly disappeared from the AAP’s election campaign after he was named the candidate. He was among the first 8 candidates announced by the Aam Aadmi Party.

 Sheetal Angural became a first time MLA in 2022. He is going to hand over his resignation from the assembly on Thursday. With his resignation, the Jalandhar (west) seat will go into elections. Angural defeated Rinku in 2022 Assembly elections when the latter was in Congress. Earlier on Tuesday BJP had poached Congress MP from Ludhiana, Ravneet Bittu.

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