In the presence of Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak, Vibhakar Shastri, grandson of former Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri, joined the BJP today.
Shastri left the Congress earlier today.
Shastri tagged Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge in a post on X as he submitted his resignation.
On February 3, at Osmania University’s Arts College in Hyderabad, the All India Federation of University and College Teachers Organisations (AIFUCTO) arranged a stimulating seminar to examine the de-reservation policy proposal of the University Grants Commission.
In his remarks at this discussion in Hyderabad, AIFUCTO General Secretary Prof. Arun Kumar said that the main source of the de-reservation policy proposal is NEP 2020 and that since the Indian Constitution grants reservation, the UGC is unable to accomplish such policies.
Prof. Dr. Arun Kumar said “If observed keenly, we can find the hidden agenda of this de-reservation proposal of abolishing the Indian Constitution and reservation. Digital universities, guest faculty, etc. are for reducing the workforce, where reservations gradually disappear. Students and teachers should come together to protect the reservation policy.”
Speaking on equality and inclusivity, Prof. Lumpadri, the chairman of the Telangana State Council for Higher Education (TSCHE), gave a lecture. Telangana Vidhyavanthula Vedika president Dr. Konda Nageswara Rao moderated the discussion.
The following people attended the Hyderabad debate: Prof. Kaseim, head of the Telugu department; Prof. Mallesham, vice president of OUTA; Prof. C. Ganesh, principal of Arts College, University of Hyderabad; Dr. J. Ratna Prabhakar, vice president of AIFUCTO; and K. Mohan of AIFUCTO-AP.
The University Grants Commission (UGC) is a statutory body of the Government of India that coordinates, determines, and maintains standards of teaching, examination, and research in university education. Established in 1956, it plays a pivotal role in the development of higher education in India.
The University Grants Commission (UGC) displayed draft guidelines for revising reservations in higher education. The guidelines aim to make current regulations more clear and incorporate revisions from Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) circulars based on court decisions.
The proposed rules contain several chapters that address de-reservation, faculty post quotas, roster creation, caste claim verification, and student admissions reservations. Criticism was directed towards the de-reservation chapter because it implied that reserved academic positions could be dereserved in “exceptional cases” if the relevant university gave a good enough explanation.
It was believed that this violated the constitutional requirement of reservation and threatened the representation and empowerment of marginalised sections in higher education.
All positions must be filled in accordance with the Central Educational Institutions (CEI) Act, 2019, which prohibits the de-reservation of jobs, as stated by the UGC and Ministry of Education. On de-reservations, there were no further guidelines provided.
by Swapnil Angel Samad
On February 13, police reported that an Indian-American family of four—two of whom were children—was discovered dead inside their San Mateo, California, home.
The San Mateo Police Department said in a statement that two of the victims died from gunshot wounds, and the cause of death for the other two is still unknown. Anand Sujith Henry (42), his wife Alice Priyanka (40), and their twin children have been identified as the victims belonged to Kerela, India.
The two kids were tragically discovered dead inside a bedroom. Investigations are still ongoing to determine the cause of their death. Inside a lavatory, the male and female were found dead from gunshot wounds. In the lavatory, the San Mateo Police also discovered a loaded magazine and a 9mm handgun. Authorities discovered no evidence of a gas leak or malfunctioning appliances in the house, despite their initial suspicions that the resident had suffered from carbon monoxide poisoning.
According to reports, the Indian-American couple worked in IT. Anand was a software engineer, and Alice, who moved to San Mateo County two years ago, was a senior analyst. The family’s relatives in India have reportedly received legal help from the Indian mission in the nation, according to media reports. This incident is one more regrettable instance involving Indian students in the nation. The body of Purdue University student Sameer Kamath was found in Warren County last week.
Representative Jerami Surratt of the San Mateo Police Department said that they received a call asking for the family’s welfare to be checked on. The four bodies were discovered inside, but the police did not discover any indications of a forced entry. He said that the cause of the deaths has not yet been determined and that the investigation is still ongoing. US authorities are awaiting forensic analysis and autopsy results as the investigation progresses. Police stated, “Investigators are still working to gather evidence, talk to witnesses and family members, and determine a possible motive.”
by Swapnil Angel Samad
Reports state that Rahul Gandhi has cancelled the second phase of his “Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra,” which was scheduled to start in Jharkhand on Wednesday. It is said that the cancellation were that the senior Congress leader needed to get to Delhi immediately to take part in the ongoing farmers’ protest in Delhi.
Punjabi farmers are preparing for their second day of protests in Delhi, where they will call for a statewide minimum support price law for crops as well as loan waivers.
In Ranka, Garhwa district, senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh and other party members will now carry out the scheduled meeting with MGNREGA workers. Gandhi was originally supposed to begin the second phase of his yatra in Jharkhand on Wednesday, travelling from Chhattisgarh through the Garhwa district.
“As decided late Tuesday night, all programs under Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra have been cancelled in Jharkhand,” stated Congress spokesperson Sonal Shanti, adding that it was unlikely the yatra would resume in Jharkhand at a later date. This Wednesday’s scheduled meeting with MGNREGA workers in Ranka will now feature participation from AICC general secretary Jairam Ramesh, Jharkhand Congress president Rajesh Thakur, Jharkhand in-charge Ghulam Ahmad Mir, NSUI in-charge Kanhiya Kumar, and other senior Congress leaders.
Early February saw the beginning of Gandhi’s yatra in Jharkhand. It moved from West Bengal into Jharkhand on February 2 and departed for Odisha on February 6. Gandhi was scheduled to arrive in Bihar on February 15 after spending two days in Jharkhand during the second phase.
The ‘Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra,’ which started in Manipur on January 14, is scheduled to cross 110 districts in 15 states and 6,713 km in 67 days before coming to an end in Mumbai on March 20.
NEW DELHI: Sonia Gandhi, the matriarch of the Congress party, is expected to move from the Lower House to the Upper Chamber on Wednesday when she submits her candidature for the Rajya Sabha from Jaipur.
In what is seen as a historic event, she will be accompanied by Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, former chief minister Ashok Gehlot, party leader Mallikarjun Kharge, and the second rung leadership.
It would essentially mean the senior leader’s departure from electoral politics, which brought her to the Lok Sabha five times; her final term came in 2019 when the Congress won its only seat in Uttar Pradesh from Rae Bareli. Sonia has avoided electioneering for some time due to health issues, which is a major factor in her decision to support RS.
After giving Rajasthan and Himachal Pradesh some thought, Sonia chose Rajasthan. A party strategist said the senior leader felt that going to a larger state for RS would help in political messaging ahead of Lok Sabha elections.
Sonia’s relocation to RS will let her to keep her home in New Delhi, which is crucial from a logistical and security perspective. Priyanka Gandhi Vadra is rumoured to run for the Gandhi family seat in Rae Bareli, which would make the election difficult for the opposition. Some believe she could choose RS instead, though, as her name has also been circulating at this round.
New Delhi: Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge proposed a law guaranteeing the minimum support price (MSP) for various crops as protesting farmers marched towards the nation’s capital on Tuesday. He referred to this as his party’s “first guarantee” ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
One of the main demands of the farmers demonstrating is a legal guarantee of MSP. Farmers from all around the nation began travelling to the nation’s capital as part of their “Delhi Chalo” march after negotiations between them and the government broke down.
The Congress Party declares that, through mass purchases, we will provide our farmers with a legal guarantee of MSP. We guarantee acquiring various crops at MSP. We will provide it as a legal guarantee as soon as our government takes office. “This is our first guarantee,” Kharge declared while speaking at a rally in Ambikapur, Chhattisgarh.
Kharge accompanied Congressman Rahul Gandhi, who is presently travelling through Chhattisgarh as part of his Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra from Manipur to Maharashtra.
“BJP government gave Bharat Ratna to (M.S.) Swaminathanji, but they are not ready to do what Swaminathan ji said,” Rahul Gandhi said in reference to the news. In his study, Swaminathan ji made it quite evident that farmers ought to have legal rights to MSP. It is not being done by the BJP government.
“The government of INDIA (alliance) will take power,” he continued. After that, we will provide farmers with MSP guarantees. We shall carry out the recommendations made in the Swaminathan report.
Rahul declared that the manifesto for the next Lok Sabha elections will include a number of additional announcements specifically for farmers.
Numerous police officers could be seen getting ready to block the protest from reaching the capital on Delhi’s boundaries.
Authorities in Delhi have placed cement and nails on top of it in an attempt to stop farmers. Is democracy being practiced here? If I defend my rights against the prime minister, will you put nails in my path, build fences, and use a lathicharger? This is what kind of democracy? Kharge stated, “He (Modi) does not want the farmers to do well.
Party general secretary Randeep Singh Surjewala also criticised the Modi government earlier in the day when he spoke at a press conference regarding the limitations placed on farmers’ protests.
“As if an enemy has attacked the power in Delhi, the BJP central government and the BJP governments of Haryana, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh have transformed the nation’s capital, Delhi, into a ‘police cantonment,’” Surjewala said.
Congress lawmaker Priyanka Gandhi also posted on X following Kharge’s declaration, saying that farmers have a right to a fair price for their products. Instead of violence, tear gas, sticks and bullets, they should be paid a decent wage. The congressional party supports the farmers’ justifiable demands.
Madhura Swaminathan, a developmental economist and the daughter of agricultural scientist MS Swaminathan, stated on Tuesday—referring to the Haryana government’s handling of farmers’ protests—that Indian farmers are “our annadatas” and cannot be treated like criminals.
Speaking at an event held by the Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI) in Pusa, Delhi, in honour of her father’s posthumous award of the Bharat Ratna, Madhura stated that farmers must be included in the ongoing celebration of MS Swaminathan. “The farmers of Punjab today are marching to Delhi. Based on the reports in the newspapers, I think that bars are being installed, jails are being prepared for them in Haryana, and various other preventive measures are being taken. These are farmers, they are not criminals,” she said.
On Tuesday, farmers marched towards Delhi after meeting with a group of union ministers and having a disappointing discussion. The farmers’ resolve to go to Delhi was announced by the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha and the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (Non-Political), who raised their demands on the Centre to take up their complaints.
A legal guarantee for the minimum support price (MSP), the execution of the Swaminathan Commission’s recommendations, pensions for farmers and farm labourers, the forgiveness of agricultural debts, the resolution of police cases, justice for the victims of the Lakhimpur Kheri violence, the reinstatement of the Land Acquisition Act 2013, the withdrawal from the World Trade Organisation, recompense for the families of farmers who have died in previous protests, and more are among the demands made by the farmers.
“I request that all of you, India’s top scientists, speak with our annadatas. We cannot treat them like criminals,” she continued. “We need to come up with answers. This is what I’m asking for. I believe that to move forward and pay tribute to M. S. Swaminathan, we must include the farmers in any plans we make.”
At the function, Soumya Swaminathan, a former head of WHO, said her father, MS Swaminathan, regularly combined participatory and anticipatory research methods, involving people who would be directly affected by any new studies he conducted.
Madhura shared a statement from MS Swaminathan from November 2021 on X, the former Twitter platform. In it, he expressed his satisfaction with the Union government’s decision to repeal its three controversial farm laws.
In September 2023, MS Swaminathan, who is recognised as the mastermind behind India’s Green Revolution, went away at the age of 98.
She recalled that Swaminathan was committed to the cause of agriculture and the welfare of farmers, particularly small-holder farmers and fishermen. “The fact that those who grow our food actually do not lead healthy lives always worried and saddened him.”
M S Swaminathan developed the Minimum Support Price (MSP) and fervently pushed for its implementation, according to former IARI director R B Singh. Recalling his time working with M. S. Swaminathan, Singh remarked, “Agriculture policies abound, but there is nary a policy for farmers, the man with the plough. The Swaminathan Commission had strongly pushed for the Minimum Support Price. With a pro-poor, pro-women, and pro-environment stance, Dr. Swaminathan was adamant that our farm women and men would secure a bright future in agriculture and food and nutrition security if they received the support outlined in the policy.
Soumya Swaminathan, the Chief Scientist at WHO, and her daughter MS Swaminathan also spoke at the function.
by Swapnil Angel Samad
NEW DELHI: Arvind Kejriwal’s AAP essentially closed the door on the Congress party as it continued to postpone seat-sharing talks on Tuesday by announcing that it would run candidates in six Lok Sabha seats in Delhi and offer only one to the latter. Additionally, AAP unveiled LS candidates for one Goa constituency and two Gujarati constituencies.
The unexpected declaration hinted at growing problems for India and followed a string of shocks to the opposition in UP and Bihar.
While AAP maintained that it is committed to defeating BJP and that it will remain a part of the opposition alliance, the statement came after a snub to Congress, where general secretary Sandeep Pathak used data from Congress’s previous electoral performances to highlight that the party’s attempts to play ‘Big Brother’, despite its dismal performance, were unlikely to be taken seriously.
The AAP’s choice in Delhi differs significantly from the alleged 4-3 agreement, according to Pathak, who stated that the Congress party was only able to get nine out of 250 municipal corporation seats and was unable to win a single Lok Sabha or assembly seat in Delhi. The announcement, which seemed to leave little room for reconciliation, came after the party threatened to unveil more candidates if the seat-sharing negotiations were not formalised within the next two days.
Pathak stated last month, citing “failed attempts to hold discussions” with Congress, “I am sitting here with a heavy heart.” If we had spoken, there would have been no need to take this action.”
AAP has declared its intention to field Dediapada MLA Chaitar Vasava as its nominee, rejecting the Congress’s request to give up Bharuch in Gujarat, which is connected to the late Congress leader Ahmed Patel, whose daughter is now eager to run. Umesh Bhai Makwana, the Botad MLA from Bhavnagar, confirmed his candidature on behalf of the party.
“Congress won this seat (Bharuch) forty years ago. You have to break free from “parivarvaad” (nepotism) and concentrate on who can fight the BJP and win which seats if you want to beat the BJP, according to Pathak.
The AAP chose to field Benaulim MLA Venzy Viegas from South Goa, another state where the BJP may gain from a multi-polar struggle with friends from India.
In Maharashtra, where the alliance has been weakened by the departure of party veterans like Ashok Chavan in addition to vertical fractures in the Shiv Sena and NCP, the biggest test for India is yet to come. Ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, Samajwadi Party in Uttar Pradesh would also be reluctant to give the Congress the seats it had reserved for RLD, creating an unclear future.
Anil Masih’s name was removed from the Bharatiya Janata Party’s minority cell in Chandigarh. Masih, the presiding officer, has drawn criticism for supposedly rigging the ballots. Only a few days had passed since the Supreme Court ruled that democracy would not be allowed to be destroyed and that Masih, the designated council member, must appear before the court on February 19. Late on Sunday night, the BJP made public the revised list of office-bearers.
Masih has served as the Chandigarh BJP’s minority cell’s general secretary since 2021. The opposition had been accusing Masih of defacing the voting papers at the BJP’s request, a claim the party denied. Masih’s name is not on the newly released list of office-bearers that the city BJP president announced. He was designated as a nominated councillor in the general house of the Chandigarh Municipal Corporation in 2022, representing the BJP’s minority cell.
The BJP’s newly formed minority cell has Istekhar Ahmed as its general secretary. “Any nominated councillor or councillor will not be a member of the cells or BJP units,” BJP spokesperson Sanjeev Rana said. “It was decided by the party.” That clarifies the cause, therefore. Otherwise, it is independent of any other issue.
Following the victory of BJP mayoral candidate Manoj Sonkar on January 30, allegations were made against the presiding officer, Masih, alleging that he had tampered with eight ballot papers, or votes that had been deemed invalid.
Due to Masih’s illness, the elections that were scheduled for January 18 were rescheduled for January 30. It was supposedly because of back pain that Gurinder Sodhi, the municipal secretary, had also taken a leave of absence two days prior to the polls on January 18.
The nation observes Road Safety Month from January 15 to February 14, inclusive. In light of this, Ranchi hosted a national road safety seminar today. The seminar was attended by ADG Sanjay Anand Latkar, Secretary of the Transport Department Krishnanand Jha, Head of the Road Safety Cell DIG Dhananjay Singh, transport officers from several districts, police officers, and numerous road safety specialists.
In his seminar speech, AG Sanjay Anand Latkar stated that 11 people in Jharkhand pass away in traffic accidents every day. All departments must work together and raise awareness among the populace in order to lower this number. All departments must work together and raise awareness among people in order to lower this number.
They stated that by implementing road engineering, enforcement, and education, we can lower the number of accidents. On this occasion, Secretary of the Transport Department Krishnanand Jha stated that improving road safety and lowering accidents can boost the GDP of the nation. He stated that there should be a fixed collective responsibility for road safety.
by Swapnil Angel Samad