English हिन्दी
Connect with us

India News

Madhya Pradesh: Why Suresh Pachauri took the jump and Kamal Nath didn’t

Published

on

By Neeraj Mishra

For someone who never won an election in his life, not even in college or for a municipal ward, former Union minister Suresh Pachauri was rated very highly as a political entity mainly because of his ability to worship the ground on which the Gandhis walked. He built a career around Gandhi seva, for which he was rewarded four Rajya Sabha terms. He has now jumped ship at 71 and joined the BJP in an attempt to breathe life into his long dead political career.

A minister under PV Narasimha Rao and Manmohan Singh, Pachauri prospered because of his connections. A distant relative of former President Shankar Dayal Sharma, he hung around in his bungalow in Delhi in the 1970s and 80s ushering in other Congress heavyweights and networking.  It fetched him good results as state level leaders in Bhopal took him to be powerful and someone who could get work done in Delhi. So handing out gas and petrol agencies and government contracts to his own acolytes became his line of action.

It is precisely for this reason he has now decided to jump. For the past 10 years, he has been rudderless. With no connections left in Delhi and officers no longer doing his bidding, Pachauri needed an anchor within the power structure to continue his power play at least at the state level. His own misdoings and failings as Department of Personnel and Training minister may also have come to the notice of the Narendra Modi government forcing him to change his stance. Lastly, he was no longer very welcome in the Gandhi household so not much was left for him to do.

A parallel can be seen in BJP’s Prabhat Jha. Both baseless, both survivors of previous regimes. Both miserable failures as state party presidents. And nothing left for them to do after tenures in Rajya Sabha.  

On the other hand, there is Kamal Nath. A power pole for the past 40 years, ever since he chose Chhindwara as his playground in 1977 after careful consideration. The Congress has never lost in Chhindwara, a largely tribal belt surrounded by more jungles and tribes than any other general constituency in the country.  He is essentially a businessman with an interest in politics rather than the other way round. He has massive investments in factories in Noida, interests in computer hardware, electrical equipment manufacture and government supplies. Only one of his companies is a known entity: Moser Baer.

After having lost the state elections couple of months ago, he worked his way to the BJP top brass reportedly through his friend Gautam Adani. He also gave long lists of some 250 people from within the Congress who would crossover with him. These included names of state and district office bearers and municipal corporators also. Eventually, the BJP top brass felt that they had no position suitable for his stature within their structure and taking him in would backfire with Sikh voters. Agitating farmers at the Delhi border would find another reason to attack the government. It appears the BJP has accepted that Nakul Nath will be allowed to retain Chhindwara while Kamal Nath supporters will slowly shift to the BJP in batches. The crossover parade has already begun with seven Congress municipal councillors joining the BJP. Kamal Nath stays put in the Congress to cause it more damage.

India News

Parliament winter session: Government lists 15 bills, including Waqf bill

The session will kick off on November 25 and conclude on December 20.

Published

on

The government has listed five new ones and one to amend the contentious Waqf law out of 15 bills for the winter session of Parliament. The session will kick off on November 25 and conclude on December 20.

The government has introduced five new bills, including the Coastal Shipping Bill, 2024, which aims to promote coasting trade and increase the participation of Indian-flagged vessels owned and operated by Indian citizens for both national security and commercial purposes.

Another significant legislation that will be introduced by the government is the Indian Ports Bill, 2024. This bill is designed to implement measures for the conservation of ports, enhance security, and manage pollution, ensuring compliance with India’s international obligations and statutory requirements.

Additionally, the government plans to introduce the Merchant Shipping Bill, 2024, which aims to meet India’s obligations under maritime treaties and support the development of Indian shipping while ensuring the efficient operation of the Indian mercantile marine in a way that serves national interests.

Pending legislation includes the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, which is awaiting consideration and passage after the joint committee of both Houses submits its report to the Lok Sabha. The committee is expected to report by the end of the first week of the winter session.

Currently, there are eight bills, including the Waqf (Amendment) Bill and the Mussalman Wakf (Repeal) Bill, pending in the Lok Sabha, while two additional bills are in the Rajya Sabha.

Furthermore, the government has also listed the Punjab Courts (Amendment) Bill for introduction, consideration, and passage, which seeks to increase the pecuniary appellate jurisdiction of Delhi district courts from Rs 3 lakh to Rs 20 lakh.

The Merchant Shipping Bill, along with the Coastal Shipping Bill and the Indian Ports Bill, is slated for introduction and eventual passage.

Continue Reading

India News

International Criminal Court issues arrest warrant against Israel PM Benjamin Netanyahu over war crimes

The court accused Prime Minister Netanyahu and Defence Minister Gallant of crimes against humanity, including murder, persecution, inhumane acts, and the war crime of starvation as a method of warfare.

Published

on

International Criminal Court issues arrest warrant against Israel PM Benjamin Netanyahu over war crimes

The International Criminal Court (ICC) today issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant over alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity.

The court accused Prime Minister Netanyahu and Defence Minister Gallant of crimes against humanity, including murder, persecution, inhumane acts, and the war crime of starvation as a method of warfare. The leaders allegedly restricted essential supplies such as food, water, and medical aid to civilians in Gaza, resulting in severe humanitarian crises and deaths, including among children.

Last year in October, Israel had launched attacks on Gaza in retaliation for the surprise attack by Hamas. The Israel-Hamas war has led to the death of thousands of civilians, while lakhs have been displaced. The major infrastructures in Gaza, including hospitals and schools, were also destroyed as Israel vowed to wipe out Hamas.

The International Criminal Court stated that it found reasonable grounds to believe the accused intentionally targeted civilians and limited medical supplies, forcing unsafe medical procedures, which caused immense suffering. This ruling was based on the findings from at least October 8, 2023 until at least May 20, 2024.

The court remarked that it has assessed that there are reasonable grounds to believe that PM Netanyahu and Defence Minister Gallant bear criminal responsibility as civilian superiors for the war crime of intentionally directing attacks against the civilian population of Gaza.

Furthermore, it also noted that the lack of food, water, electricity and fuel, and medical supplies created conditions of life calculated to bring about the destruction of part of the civilian population in Gaza, leading to death of civilians, including children due to malnutrition and dehydration.

Additionally, the International Criminal Court dismissed two challenges by Israel against its jurisdiction in the situation in the State of Palestine.

Notably, Israel had contested the ICC’s jurisdiction, claiming it could not be exercised without Israel’s consent. Nonetheless, the Chamber ruled that the Court has jurisdiction based on Palestine’s territorial scope, including Gaza, the West Bank, and East Jerusalem. It further noted that Israel’s objections were premature, as jurisdictional challenges under the Rome Statute can only be made after an arrest warrant is issued.

Reportedly, Israel had also requested a fresh notification regarding the investigation, started in 2021. Denying the request, the court stated that Israel had earlier declined to request a deferral, making additional notifications unnecessary.

Continue Reading

India News

Yogi Adityanath accords tax-free status to Sabarmati Report film in Uttar Pradesh

Earlier, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah have also praised this film.

Published

on

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Thursday accorded a tax-free status to ‘The Sabarmati Report’ film, based on the train burning incident at Godhra in Gujarat in 2002, in the state.

The announcement was made after Chief Minister Adityanath attended the screening of Vikrant Massey and Raashii Khanna-starrer ‘The Sabarmati Report’ in Lucknow with the film’s cast.  

Speaking to reporters, actor Vikrant Massey thanked the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister for making ‘The Sabarmati Report’ film tax-free in the state. “I want to thank Yogi Adityanath ji. This is an important film and I appeal to everyone to go and watch this film,” he said.

Chief Minister Adityanath along with many of his cabinet colleagues watched the film ‘The Sabarmati Report’ under a special screening at a cinema hall in the capital, said a spokesperson of the state government.

Several people associated with the film unit were also present on the occasion. Later the chief minister announced to make this film tax-free in UP.

The BJP-ruled states have been praising the makers of The Sabarmati Report, claiming the team has tried to bring out this truth in front of the people of the country through the film.

The saffron party is appealing to people to watch this film and try to get closer to the truth of Godhra.

Uttar Pradesh becomes the sixth BJP-ruled state after Haryana, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat to declare lead actors Vikrant Massey and Raashii Khanna’s film tax-free.

Adityanath said along with identifying the faces of those who are conspiring against the country for political gains, there is also a need to expose them. The film team has discharged its responsibilities to expose the truth, he said, adding an attempt has been made to bring the real truth in front of the country in a big way through the film.

The Sabarmati Report is said to be based on the incident of setting fire to a train full of ‘karsevaks’ in Godhra on February 27, 2002, killing 90 devotees. After this incident, communal riots broke out in Gujarat. Earlier, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah have also praised this film.

Continue Reading

Trending

© Copyright 2022 APNLIVE.com