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PS Golay sworn in as new CM of Sikkim, succeeding longest serving CM Pawan Kumar Chamling

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[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Prem Singh Tamng was sworn in as the new Chief Minister of Sikkim on May 27, succeeding longest serving CM Pawan Kumar Chamling.

His party, the Sikkim Krantikari Morcha (SKM), had beaten the Sikkim Democratic Front (SDF) in the recently held Lok Sabha Elections and dethroned Pawan Kumar Chamling.

Prem Singh Tamang, better known as P.S. Golay, hailing from West Sikkim, has been a part of the political scene in the State since the early 1990s. After joining the SDF in 1993, the 51-year-old won in the 1994 Sikkim Assembly elections from the Chakung constituency, beating Tika Gurung of the Sikkim Sangram Parishad (SSP) by a margin of 1606 (28.33% of the total) votes. He assumed the role of the Minister for Animal Husbandry, Ecclesiastical and Industry Department soon after, serving till 1999.

In the 1999 election, he won by a margin of 1152 votes against Gurung in Chakung. He was chosen to be the Minister for Industries and Animal Husbandry for the next five years. His winning streak continued in 2004 as he won against Satish Mohan Pradhan of the Indian National Congress (INC) by an overwhelming margin of 6501 (91.59% of the total) votes registered in the constituency. This time, he served as the Minister for Building and Housing Department.

The crack between Golay and the SDF began to appear soon after his victory in the 2009 elections. Despite winning the Upper Burtuk constituency against INC candidate Arun Kumar Rai by a margin of 4563 votes, and being offered the role of the Chairperson of Industries Department – he rejected the proposition. On December 21, 2009, after a Rolu picnic event, he declared himself a dissident MLA of the party – heavily criticising its ‘failure to deliver on promises, alleged corruption and nepotism’. He maintained his absence in the annual Rolu picnic event from that year on.

In Upper Burtuk, he won in a closely-contested election by a slender margin of 573 votes against his former party member D. R. Thapa. However, he lost to Tilu Gurung of the SDF in Namthang-Rateypani by a margin of 1155 votes. Golay-led SKM secured 1, 26,024 votes and won 10 of 32 seats in the state Assembly elections — signs of a shift from the dominance of the SDF party.

Between 2015 and 2016, his party lost seven MLAs to the SDF and Golay was disqualified from the Sikkim Legislative Assembly and convicted on the grounds of ‘misappropriating government funds’ worth Rs 9.5 lakh between 1994 and 1999 — during his association with the SDF. He was sentenced to one year in prison with a fine of Rs 10,000. It was only in August 2018 that he was released from the jail and resumed campaigning with SKM.

Golay’s SKM party manifesto for the 2019 elections included promises like providing government jobs to the unemployed, loan waivers up to Rs 5 lakh for farmers and the unemployed and stopping the Citizen Amendment Bill from being enforced.

(With Inputs from The Hindu)[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

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Yogi Adityanath hits back after Akhilesh Yadav says organising cabinet meeting at Kumbh is political

Adityanath juxtaposed the global acclaim for the Maha Kumbh with Yadav’s condemnation, portraying it as a symptom of the Samajwadi Party’s alleged long-standing opposition to significant religious symbols such as the Ram Mandir and Kashi Vishwanath Temple.

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The political atmosphere in Uttar Pradesh sizzled as Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath launched a blistering attack on Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav, accusing him of disrespecting the Maha Kumbh and the religious sentiments of the Indian people. This sharp rebuke, delivered during a public rally in Milkipur ahead of crucial by-elections, followed Yadav’s criticism of the state government holding a cabinet meeting at the Kumbh Mela site.

Adityanath juxtaposed the global acclaim for the Maha Kumbh with Yadav’s condemnation, portraying it as a symptom of the Samajwadi Party’s alleged long-standing opposition to significant religious symbols such as the Ram Mandir and Kashi Vishwanath Temple.

He further escalated his attack, painting the Samajwadi Party as being mired in internal property disputes and insinuating connections to criminal elements, thereby attempting to discredit Yadav’s criticisms as coming from a morally compromised position.

Yadav’s initial criticism focused on the perceived impropriety of holding a cabinet meeting within the sacred space of the Kumbh Mela. He argued that the government was inappropriately using a religious event for political purposes, a charge that Adityanath vehemently rejected.

The Uttar Pradesh cabinet meeting itself was significant. All 54 ministers attended, approving numerous development schemes designed to boost Prayagraj and the surrounding region.

A key announcement involved extending the Ganga Expressway, a crucial infrastructure project designed to connect Prayagraj, Mirzapur, Bhadohi, Kashi, Chandauli, and ultimately, the Purvanchal Expressway in Ghazipur. This ambitious project, Adityanath claimed, would significantly contribute to sustainable development in the region.

Logistical adjustments were made to minimize disruption to the Kumbh Mela pilgrims. The cabinet meeting’s venue was shifted from the Mela Authority Auditorium to the Triveni Sankul in Arail to avoid inconveniencing devotees and managing the security arrangements for the VIP attendees.

The day concluded with Adityanath and his entire cabinet participating in the Kumbh Mela’s sacred rituals, taking a ceremonial dip in the Triveni Sangam. This highly publicized event, mirroring a similar participation in 2019, served as a powerful visual counterpoint to Yadav’s earlier criticism. The event simultaneously showcased the government’s commitment to religious traditions while promoting its developmental agenda.

The clash between Adityanath and Yadav underscores the deep political divisions and the strategic use of religious symbolism in Uttar Pradesh’s political landscape. The Maha Kumbh, a significant religious event, became a battleground for political point-scoring, highlighting the complex interplay between religion and politics in the state.

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Delhi Assembly elections: BJP promises free education and student aid, AAP raises concerns

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Arvind Kejriwal addressing media after writing to RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat on BJP’s alleged electoral misconduct

As Delhi gears up for the upcoming assembly elections on February 5, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) released the second installment of its election manifesto, promising comprehensive solutions to citizen issues and tackling misgovernance and corruption allegations against the incumbent Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).

The manifesto, dubbed ‘sankalp patra,’ includes significant pledges such as free education from pre-school to postgraduate levels for needy students at government institutions, and a financial package comprising Rs 15,000 and travel reimbursements for young individuals taking entrance exams. Scheduled Caste students enrolled in technical and professional courses are also promised a monthly stipend of Rs 1,000.

Building on their first manifesto which targeted women voters, the BJP’s latest promises focus on the youth, with over 1.5 lakh set to benefit from a new skills training program. This release follows criticisms by AAP of the BJP’s approach, especially after the tragic incident last July where three civil service aspirants lost their lives due to flooding.

Anurag Thakur, former Union Minister, emphasized the ‘Modi ki guarantee’ assurance, stating these initiatives would be implemented swiftly if the BJP is elected. The manifesto also includes welfare measures for domestic workers and insurance schemes for auto-rickshaw and taxi drivers, who have traditionally been a strong support base for AAP.

In response, AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal critiqued the BJP’s plans, particularly highlighting a clause that, according to him, would limit free education to only “eligible” children, deviating from AAP’s policy of universal free education. Kejriwal also recalled BJP’s earlier statement on discontinuing free healthcare, framing these promises as a threat to the financial stability of Delhi’s households.

The AAP’s counter-campaign warns voters that electing BJP could lead to increased living costs and bureaucratic hurdles in accessing education and healthcare, urging the electorate to consider these factors carefully. With the election results due on February 8, both parties continue to vie for public favor through promises aimed at key demographics.

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Uttarakhand State cabinet approves uniform civil code manual, dates for rollout soon

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Pushkar Singh Dhami

In a significant step toward legal reform, the Uttarakhand Cabinet, led by Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, has approved the manual for the implementation of the Uniform Civil Code (UCC). The approval came during a Cabinet meeting held at the state secretariat on Monday. The dates for the rollout of the UCC will be announced soon.

This decision follows partial amendments made to the rules previously drafted for the UCC’s implementation. The amendments were thoroughly examined and finalised with input from the Law Department, with the Cabinet’s discussion focusing on the smooth execution of the law.

Post-meeting, Chief Minister Dhami expressed his satisfaction with the progress, underlining the government’s commitment to fulfilling a key electoral promise. “We had assured the people of Uttarakhand during the 2022 elections that the UCC would be implemented promptly once our government came to power. With the draft committee’s work complete, we are now closer to fulfilling that promise,” Dhami stated.

Uttarakhand’s implementation of the UCC will make it the first state in India to adopt a comprehensive civil law framework for all religious communities. The UCC aims to standardize laws in areas such as marriage, divorce, inheritance, adoption, and maintenance. While India already has a Uniform Criminal Code, a unified civil law has not existed until now.

The UCC will explicitly exclude tribal communities and prohibit practices such as ‘halala’, ‘iddat’, and ‘talaq’, which are part of Muslim Personal Law. The law itself consists of 392 sections and is divided into seven schedules. The comprehensive 750-page draft, which spans four volumes, was prepared by a five-member expert committee formed in June 2022 to examine the feasibility of introducing the UCC in Uttarakhand.

Led by Retired Justice Ranjana Prakash Desai, the committee submitted the final draft to the state government on February 2, 2024. The draft received approval from the state Cabinet on February 4, followed by ratification by the state Assembly during a special session. Governor Lt. Gen Gurmit Singh (Retd) gave the green light on February 28, marking the UCC’s passage into law, a move hailed as a historic milestone in Indian legal history.

While the implementation dates are yet to be finalized, the Cabinet’s approval signals that Uttarakhand is poised to set a significant legal precedent in India.

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