Round
The States
New Delhi, 25 February 2023
FIRs In Assam & UP
NOT JUST A WAR OF WORDS!
By Insaf
Watch your words as these give unwarranted leverage for
action! A veiled terse message from law enforcing authorities such as seen in
Assam and Uttar Pradesh where the police pleasantly is proactive against those
who dare to tarnish the image of Prime Minister Modi or the ruling BJP. The
words used could be termed such as ‘assertions prejudicial to national interest’
or ‘intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace’ and the person put
behind bars. The recent most case being of FIRs lodged in the two BJP-ruled
States against Congress leader Pawan Khera, over his reference to Prime Minister
as “Narendra Gautamdas Modi”at a press meet while criticising government over Gautam
Adani row. Worse,he was arrested by Assam Police on Thursday last amidst high
drama, deplaned from a flight to Raipur to attend Congress Plenary and his colleagues
protested on the tarmac.Fortunately,
he got interim bailby a Delhi court on Supreme Court’s directions, but anger
simmers: “I was asked to deplane as if I was a terrorist…they arrested me
illegally without serving me any notice,” said Khera and his party sees it as “a
new example of Modi’s politics of vendetta, harassment and intimidation.”
However, Assampolice insists he had used “derogatory remarks” against a
democratically elected PM and filed charges under IPC sections mentioned above.
The BJP justifies it saying Kheramade fun of PM and his late father, as Modi's
full name is Narendra Damodardas Modi, (middle name of his father). Likewise,
in Uttar Pradesh the police has sent a notice to Bhojpuri folk singer Neha
Singh Rathore, known for her latest video song 'UP Me Ka Ba'.
Apparently, it’s said it created ‘disharmony and tension’ as it criticised the
Yogi Adityanath government and mentioned his name while referring to the Kanpur
Dehat incident, in which two women immolated themselves during an
anti-encroachment drive. She has been asked to reply and if found unsatisfactory,
action can be taken against you under relevant sections of IPC/CrPC. But she
says “I am not scared. I am a citizen of a democratic country. My Constitution
guarantees me certain rights. I draw my courage from the Constitution.” An
illusion in present day politics, some or rather many would say.
* * * * * * *
Warning From Punjab?
Are warning signals resounding in Punjab, reminiscent
of the militant movement in Punjab during the 80s and 1990s? On Thursday last,
the AAP-ruled State witnessed unprecedented scenes of protest led by
pro-Khalistan sympathiser and preacher Amritpal Singh demanding release of his
associate Lovepreet Singh Toofan from Ajnala police station on charges,
including kidnapping. His supporters, some brandishing swords and guns, broke
though barricades and stormed into the cop station complex and threatened to
camp there till they were “assured’ that Toofan would be released. Shockingly,
the police force refrained from taking action against them and next day the court
released him as the police said they had no evidence against him! Both State
and Centre need to be vigilant rather work in tandem,at least on this front, as
Amritpal,who heads an organisation ‘Waris Punjab De’, has invariably been
speaking the language of secession and separatism, evoking calls for freedom of
Punjab and creation of Khalistan on several platforms.The pattern doesn’t bode
well for national security, it’s better to be safe than sorry.
* * * * * * *
Lid on AIADMK Fight
The lid appears to have been put on the incessant
infighting in MGR’s party, the AIADMK. On Thursday last, the Supreme Court upheld
a Madras High Court order allowing Edappadi K Palaniswami to continue as the
party’s interim General Secretary, dismissing petitions filed by former Chief
Minister O Panneerselvam. EPS cadres are ecstatic as the verdict is seen as establishing
his position as the party’s single and supreme leader, and that the party name
and 'Two Leaves' election symbol would eventually come to him. An elated EPS said
the verdict has ‘unmasked betrayers and the DMK’s B-team’ that wanted to finish
off his party.Emboldened, he is all set to consolidate the party, making it
amply clear that OPS, Sasikala and Dhinakaran won’t be taken back in the party.
And while he urges everyone who worked for the party to join him, the verdict
should have impact on Tamil Nadu’s political landscape. It will be back to a
straight DMK-AIADMK fight, with the former getting no more leverage from a
divided house.However,EPS has his first test--the
upcoming Erode East Assembly by-poll.
* * * * * * *
Delhi Gets Its Mayor
The national capital and AAP finally got its mayor on
Wednesday last after three failed attempts since the elections to the Municipal
Corporation of Delhi held over two months ago. But its smooth running will be a
tall challenge for AAP’s Shelly Oberoi, who defeated BJP’s Rekha Gupta. In the
evening all hell broke loose, reminiscent of attempts made earlier to elect the
mayor. The MCD House witnessed ruckus till wee hours of Thursday morning
—brawls, flinging water bottles, fruit and ballot boxes at one another and
forcing over a dozen adjournments to elect six members of the decision-making
standing committee. This as BJP councillors opposed
Oberoi’s decision to allow members to carry their phones while voting! Though
the process began on Friday morning again with Oberoi appealing to all, ‘We are
all respected members and we should uphold the dignity… all councillors will
work from today…’ its easier said than done. The polls were facilitated by
Supreme Court order but as the standing committee has powers to grant financial
approval to projects, finalisation of policies, appointing sub-committees among
others, she will have a daunting task. Hope in this AAP-BJP one-upmanship
Delhiites don’t get short changed on what is their due.
* * * * * * *
Double Whammy For Uddhav
It’s a double whammy for Uddhav Thackeray camp. In the long-drawn
battle of which is the real Shiv Sena, the Election Commission has favoured Eknath
Shinde-faction and ordered allotment of bow and arrow election symbol of the
undivided party of Balasaheb Thackeray to it. Expectedly, Uddhav petitioned the
Supreme Court, but it refused to stay the EC order and instead issuednotice to
Shinde group for next hearing in 2 weeks. TheThackeray faction has been allowed
to use ‘Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray)’ name and ‘flaming torch’ as its
poll symbol in the state’sFebruary 26 byelections, but no more. The court refused
relief on Thackeray’s plea that party assets and bank accounts be saved from
being taken over by Shinde group, as it wasn’t part of EC order and the court
can’t overstep. So, there’s lot more in store in the ongoing battle between the
two factions. Importantly, all eyes would be on 2ndMarch results of Kasbapeth
and Chinchwad Assembly byelections to see whether Thackeray’s appeal to Shiv
Sainiks to teach a lesson to a party which had stolen the Sena’s title and
symbol, finds favour with the people. ---INFA
(Copyright, India News & Feature Alliance)
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