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Tag: chief

  • DMK slams TN BJP chief Annamalai on edited video of T.R. Baalu

    DMK slams TN BJP chief Annamalai on edited video of T.R. Baalu

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    Chennai: Tamil Nadu’s ruling DMK on Monday came out strongly against the BJP state President, K. Annamalai for sharing an “edited video” of party leader and former Union Minister T.R. Baalu’s speech.

    DMK IT Wing Secretary and Baalu’s son, T.R.B. Raaja slammed Annamalai for the video.

    Annamalai, sharing the video clip on Twitter, said: “DMK men take pride in demolishing 100-year-old Hindu temples. The very reason we want the HR&CE dissolved and want temples freed from the clutches of the government.”

    As per the subtitles in the video shared by Annamalai, Baalu has allegedly said: “100 years old temple, I am the person who demolished it. In my home town, in my constituency Saraswathi temple and Lakshmi temple and whats the other god? Parvathy temple. These three temples are located in my constituency are located at the GST road. These three temples were demolished by me. I know that I wouldn’t get votes for it. But I also know how to get votes from the people.”

    Raaja said that the BJP state chief was “resorting to cheap division-mongering in the name of religion and it was the only agenda of that party”.

    “While cheap division-mongering in the name of religion is the only agenda of silly wannabe mushrooms. While we strive to engage in civil dialogue for the overall well-being of the state, it is sad to see the party which rules a nation give space to immature half baked attention seekers to use a chair occupied by some respectable individuals who fought the political fight based on ideology and programme implementation rather than wanting to feed of the impact of cheap# Fakenews& edited videos.”

    Baalu had allegedly made the remarks while criticizing the BJP government for halting the Sethusamudram Ship Canal project.

    The project, which proposes to connect the Gulf of Mannar with the Palk Straits, is considered a key to bringing economic prosperity to the state and the country.

    The Sethusamudram Ship Canal project which commenced in 2005 was halted after the Sangh Parivar organisations had protested claiming that this would harm the ‘Ram Setu’ bridge, believed to have been built by Lord Rama to reach Sri Lanka.

    Annamalai had posted a series of tweets voicing opposition to the Sethusamudram project.

    He had said, “We at the BJP will not let this project proceed under alignment 4a (Destruction of Ram Setu will not be allowed for execution for this project)

    “@CMOTamilNadu also ignored the advice of Tsunami expert Prof Tad S Murthy, who said the destruction of Ram Setu could cause a Tsunami in this region.”

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    #DMK #slams #BJP #chief #Annamalai #edited #video #T.R #Baalu

    ( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

  • Bharat Jodo Yatra not for winning elections: Cong chief Kharge

    Bharat Jodo Yatra not for winning elections: Cong chief Kharge

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    Srinagar: Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Monday said the Rahul Gandhi-led Bharat Jodo Yatra was not for winning elections but to counter the hate spread by the BJP and the RSS in the country.

    Addressing a rally to mark the culmination of the Bharat Jodo Yatra, amid heavy snowfall, he also said Gandhi was determined to restore Jammu and Kashmir statehood.

    “The yatra was not for winning elections but against hate. BJP people are spreading hate in the country. Rahul Gandhi has proven that he can unite the country from Kanyakumari to Kashmir on issues like unemployment and inflation,” Kharge said at the rally here to mark the culmination of the Bharat Jodo Yatra in Jammu and Kashmir’s Srinagar.

    Kharge alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the RSS and the BJP were pursuing the policy widening the poor-rich divide in the country.

    “(Prime Minister Narendra) Modiji, RSS and BJP want to keep poor people poor and to make rich, richer. Ten per cent people are looting 72 per cent wealth of the country while 50 per cent own just three per cent,” he said.

    While addressing the rally, Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said she was also apprehensive initially if people will join the yatra.

    “My brother has been walking for the last five months from Kanyakumari. Earlier I also thought, it was a long journey whether people will come out. But they came out everywhere. They came out because people of the country have spirit for unity,” she said.

    She said Gandhi, as he was entering Jammu and Kashmir, sent a message to their mother Sonia Gandhi saying that he was going home.

    “The whole country supported the yatra. The politics that is happening in the country cannot benefit the country. The politics that divides cannot benefit the country. Those who walked have shown a ray of hope,” she added.

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    #Bharat #Jodo #Yatra #winning #elections #Cong #chief #Kharge

    ( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

  • Himanta hasn’t delivered even 50% of BJP’s promises: Assam Cong chief

    Himanta hasn’t delivered even 50% of BJP’s promises: Assam Cong chief

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    Guwahati: Political pundits may be opining that the Congress in Assam looks like a puny force in front of the BJP’s massive election machinery and Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma’s tall image. However, Bhupen Borah, the Assam unit Congress chief, looks rejuvenated after the recent state version of the ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’, and exudes confidence.

    Here are some excerpts from an exclusive interview with the Congress leader.

    IANS: You have been constantly attacking AIUDF’s Badruddin Ajmal. Can the Congress party win elections in Assam without a tie-up with the AIUDF?

    Borah: We forged an alliance with Ajmal’s party in the last assembly poll. But what we could see was that the AIDUF leaders were constantly delivering a series of provocative statements that, in turn, helped the BJP consolidate Hindu votes.

    The saffron camp was trying their best to do polarisation, however, they had looked to be failure in achieving their target. It was AIUDF leaders’ statements that tremendously aided the BJP wheel the result in their favour.

    IANS: Are you accusing Ajmal of having a pact with Himanta Biswa Sarma?

    Borah: This is very evident. Badruddin Ajmal and his brother have showered huge praises on Sarma a number of times. His party’s MLA says Himanta Biswa Sarma is the most successful Chief Minister. How could you say that? That man could not even fulfil a mere 25 per cent of his party’s vision document.

    The Chief Minister promised to give 1 lakh government jobs within a short time as he assumes the office. One and a half years have gone, the unemployed youths of Assam are crying for jobs, and there are still many unfulfilled promises. Hence, if you call Sarma a successful CM, then you must have a hidden agenda.

    IANS: How have you planned to challenge the BJP’s election machinery?

    Borah: We carried out an Assam version of the ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’ from Dhubri to Sadiya. The BJP first claimed that people would not turn out for this campaign. But everybody has seen how much response we received during this yatra. Now, people from Barak Valley came to me and urged for a similar campaign in that area. We are launching it there also.

    Actually, the people of Assam were never communal, and I am sure the BJP’s attempt to instil communalism will fail miserably in the next election. Moreover, the BJP has deprived almost every section of society, be it a government employee, a teacher, or a homemaker. They are not giving Old Pension Scheme. The government is trying to lay off 8,000 teacher jobs in the state. The BJP will have to pay the political price of all this.

    IANS: Are you looking for an alliance with other parties leaving AIUDF?

    Borah: In Assam, the AGP (Asom Gana Parishad) has lost its significance. When our Bharat Jodo Yatra was passing through the constituencies of AGP’s top leaders like Atul Bora and Keshab Mahanta, people living adjacent to their houses also joined with us in large numbers. This shows how much they have lost people’s trust by going with the BJP.

    IANS: What about the Trinamool Congress? Ripun Bora already declared that they are ready to forge an alliance with you.

    Borah: We cannot take this decision at the state level. Our party’s national leaders will take a call on whether to go with the Trinamool Congress or not. The same situation applies for the Aam Aadmi Party too. But we are keeping close relations with the Left parties, the NCP, Akhil Gogoi, and Lurinjyoti Gogoi. They joined our yatra at different places.

    IANS: Do you expect this crowd will turn into votes in next year’s Lok Sabha election?

    Borah: I don’t think this is an appropriate time to answer this as we have more than one year left for the election. But people were earlier afraid of talking about the misrule of Himanta Biswa Sarma in the state. This has changed with our recent ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’. People are now believing that the Congress is ready to take on BJP.

    IANS: Recently, Himanta Biswa Sarma has claimed that he controls at least 50 per cent of the Congress party in the state.

    Borah: I don’t think this is a right statement. However, he has ties with a few Congress leaders in Assam. We know who these people are, and the party’s high command has also been informed. Those leaders are keeping a relation with the Chief Minister for the sake of their personal benefit. I hope they will change very soon otherwise we have to take a strong decision.

    IANS: Is this not an embarrassing and helpless situation for you?

    Borah: In 2006, Himanta Biswa Sarma poached five out of 11 MLAs of the BJP in Assam and claimed that the Bharatiya Janata Party had been finished in the state. A few years later, that man had to join the BJP. He might have made pacts with three or four leaders, but he cannot control the party. We run the Congress in the state, no doubt about that.

    IANS: The BJP is already saying that they will win 12 out of the 14 seats in Assam in the next Lok Sabha polls…

    Borah: It is too early to comment as the election result is always decided in the last three months. But I must say that as of now, we are ahead of the BJP in at least eight Lok Sabha seats in the state.

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    #Himanta #hasnt #delivered #BJPs #promises #Assam #Cong #chief

    ( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

  • Maha Cong chief questions investments by PSUs, LIC in Adani Group; seeks SIT probe

    Maha Cong chief questions investments by PSUs, LIC in Adani Group; seeks SIT probe

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    Mumbai: Maharashtra Congress chief Nana Patole has alleged the money of LIC and other PSUs was invested in Adani Group at the behest of Prime Minister Narendra Modi which he claimed was “a massive scale of irregularities” and demanded a probe by Special Investigation Team (SIT).

    He also demanded the Maharashtra government take back the Dharavi redevelopment project in Mumbai from the Adani group.

    The Congress’ demand for an SIT probe came days after a New York firm alleged in a report that its two-year investigation found the Adani Group “engaged in a brazen stock manipulation and accounting fraud scheme over the course of decades”.

    Adani Group has threatened to sue Hindenburg Research for its “reckless” attempt to sabotage the mega share sale at Adani Enterprises and called the report “maliciously mischievous”.

    “Prime Minister Narendra Modi and industrialist Gautam Adani’s close relations are well known. The money of State Bank of India, LIC (Life Insurance Corporation), and other public sector undertakings (PSUs) have been invested by PM Modi without any thought and procedure in Adani group,” Patole alleged in a statement issued on Saturday.

    He claimed such “favouritism” over the Adani Group has caused the fear of losing this money (against the backdrop of the group’s share tumbling on bourses).

    “It is a massive scale of irregularities and there should be an SIT to probe it,” the Congress leader stated.

    Patole alleged Narendra Modi’s closeness with Adani was well-known even before Modi became the prime minister (in 2014).

    “After coming to power at the national level, PM Modi showed special favour and helped the group with a loan from SBI. The LIC has invested nearly Rs 74,000 crore in it. Adani could rank among the world’s richest persons so soon only because of Modi’s blessings.

    “The public sectors undertakings that were performing well, have been given to Adani group for its operations as well. The bubble was burst and Adani may have to go to jail like Sahara group’s Subrato Roy,” Patole alleged.

    He said it is a “world-known secret” that probe agencies were used to force a company to hand over the Mumbai international airport’s operations to Adani Group.

    “Even Maharashtra deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis has planned to hand over operations of state distribution utility to Adani group but it could not materialise because of the strong opposition from its union,” Patole added.

    He claimed a Dubai-based real estate development company had put in the highest bid for the Dharavi slum rehabilitation project in Mumbai but the contract was awarded to Adani Group.

    “Going by this group’s irregularities, it endangers the people living there and small businesses. The government should take back the Dharavi redevelopment project from the Adani group,” he demanded.

    The Adani Group has termed the Hindenburg report malicious with unsubstantiated contents.

    “The maliciously mischievous, unresearched report published by Hindenburg Research on January 24, 2023 has adversely affected the Adani Group, our shareholders and investors. The volatility in Indian stock markets created by the report is of great concern and has led to unwanted anguish for Indian citizens,” Adani Group’s legal head Jatin Jalundhwala had said in a statement.

    “We are evaluating the relevant provisions under US and Indian laws for remedial and punitive action against Hindenburg Research,” he stated.

    However, Hindenburg has stood by the report.

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    #Maha #Cong #chief #questions #investments #PSUs #LIC #Adani #Group #seeks #SIT #probe

    ( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

  • UK PM Rishi Sunak sacks Tory party chief over tax penalty row

    UK PM Rishi Sunak sacks Tory party chief over tax penalty row

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    London: British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Sunday sacked one of his Cabinet ministers and Conservative Party chairman, Nadhim Zahawi, after he was found to have been in serious breach of the Ministerial Code.

    Zahawi, who was a minister without portfolio as the chief of the governing Tory party, had faced fierce pressure in recent days to quit over questions about his finances after it emerged that he had agreed a penalty settlement with His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) department.

    Sunak had ordered an independent investigation into the Iraqi-born former Chancellor’s tax affairs amid growing Opposition demands for him to sack Zahawi.

    His independent ethics adviser, Sir Laurie Magnus, submitted his assessment on whether the HMRC settlement amounted to a breach of the ministerial code.

    “When I became Prime Minister last year, I pledged that the government I lead would have integrity, professionalism and accountability at every level,” writes Sunak in his letter to Zahawi, released by Downing Street.

    “Following the completion of the independent adviser’s investigation the findings of which he has shared with us both it is clear that there has been a serious breach of the Ministerial Code. As a result, I have informed you of my decision to remove you from your position in His Majesty’s government,” he said.

    He added that Zahawi should be “extremely proud” of his “wide-ranging achievements in government over the last five years”, particularly crediting his “successful oversight of the COVID-19 vaccine procurement and deployment programme”.

    In the correspondence to Sunak, also released by Downing Street, Magnus said his overall judgement was that “Mr Zahawi’s conduct as a minister has fallen below the high standards that, as Prime Minister, you rightly expect from those who serve in your government”.

    Earlier this week, Zahawi said he welcomed the investigation and looked forward to “explaining the facts of this issue” to Magnus the UK Prime Minister’s Independent Adviser on Ministers’ Interests.

    “In order to ensure the independence of this process, you will understand that it would be inappropriate to discuss this issue any further, as I continue my duties as chairman of the Conservative and Unionist Party,” Zahawi said at the time.

    The minister has insisted he “acted properly throughout” and any tax error was due to being “careless” and not deliberate.

    The Opposition parties and even some members of the Conservative Party had called for Zahawi to step down as Tory chairman amid too many unanswered questions.

    In his report, dated 29 January, Magnus notes: “Given the nature of the investigation by HMRC, which started prior to his appointment as secretary of state for education on 15 September 2021, I consider that by failing to declare HMRC’s ongoing investigation before July 2022 despite the ministerial declaration of interests form including specific prompts on tax affairs and HMRC investigations and disputes Mr Zahawi failed to meet the requirement to declare any interests which might be thought to give rise to a conflict.”

    He adds: “I also conclude that, in the appointments process for the governments formed in September 2022 and October 2022, Mr Zahawi failed to disclose relevant information in this case the nature of the investigation and its outcome in a penalty at the time of his appointment, including to cabinet office officials who support that process.

    “Without knowledge of that information, the Cabinet Office was not in a position to inform the appointing Prime Minister.”

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    #Rishi #Sunak #sacks #Tory #party #chief #tax #penalty #row

    ( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

  • US Prez Joe Biden appoints Jeff Zients as White House chief of staff

    US Prez Joe Biden appoints Jeff Zients as White House chief of staff

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    Washington: US President Joe Biden on Friday appointed his long-term aide Jeff Zients, a former Obama administration official who ran his massive Covid-19 response operation, as the new White House Chief of Staff.

    Zients will replace Ron Klain, who has served in the position for over two years now.

    Biden said that an official transition ceremony would be held at the White House next week.

    The transition is the first major personnel change for an administration that has had minimal turnover at its highest ranks and throughout the Cabinet.

    “I’m confident that Jeff will continue Ron’s example of smart, steady leadership, as we continue to work hard every day for the people we were sent here to serve,” he said.

    Zients, 56, will be tasked with shepherding White House operations at Biden’s pivotal two-year mark, when the Democratic administration shifts from ambitious legislation to implementing those policies and fending off Republican efforts to defang the achievements.

    Zients is also charged with steering the White House at a time when it is struggling to contain the fallout from discoveries of classified documents at Biden’s home in Wilmington, Delaware, and at his former institute in Washington, which has triggered a special counsel investigation, Associated Press reported.

    Biden said he has known Klain since he was a third-year law student.

    “He came to work for me on the Senate Judiciary Committee, and I knew the moment he started that he was a once-in-a-generation talent with a fierce and brilliant intellect. Just as important, he has a really big heart,” he said.

    During the last 36 years, the president said he and Klain have been through some real battles together.

    “And when you’re in the trenches with somebody for as long as I have been with Klain, you really get to know the person. You see what they’re made of,” he said.

    “When I was elected President, I knew that I wanted Klain to lead the White House staff. He was uniquely qualified given his prior public service. He knows how the government works, how politics works, how Congress and the White House works,” Biden said.

    The president described Klain as tough, smart, determined, and persistent as anyone he has ever met.

    He assembled the most diverse and the most talented White House team in history and leaned on them to solve impossible challenges, Biden said.

    “Working together, we have made incredible progress fighting COVID, reviving our economy, rebuilding our infrastructure, and winning the confirmation of almost 100 federal judges, including the first Black woman on the United States Supreme Court. We have taken big steps to tackle climate change, advance civil rights, and address student debt. We’ve been reasserting America’s place in the world, and maybe most important of all restoring faith in our democracy,” he said.

    “This progress will be the legacy of this White House team, working under Klain’s leadership,” Biden said, adding that the real mark of Klain’s success is that he is beloved by the team he leads here at the White House.

    Biden argued, it is important to fill Klain’s shoes with someone who understands what it means to lead a team, and who is as focused on getting things done.

    “I’ve seen Jeff Zients tackle some of the toughest issues in government. When I was the Vice President, I first got to know him at the beginning of the Obama-Biden Administration, working closely on American Recovery and Reinvestment Act implementation as Zients was a leader at the Office of Management and Budget,” he said.

    “He was later handed the daunting and complicated task of fixing healthcare.gov, which he did successfully, helping get millions of Americans quality, affordable health insurance,” Biden added.

    Biden talked about Zient’s contribution towards the American administration.

    “He led the National Economic Council, and shares my focus on strengthening our economy to work for everyone. He helped manage our Administration’s transition into office under incredibly trying circumstances. Thanks to Zients, we had a historically diverse team in place on Day 1 ready to go to work. And he led our COVID response, a massive logistical undertaking of historic proportions,” he said.

    “When I ran for office, I promised to make government work for the American people. That’s what Zients does. A big task ahead is now implementing the laws we’ve gotten passed efficiently and fairly,” said the US president.

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    #Prez #Joe #Biden #appoints #Jeff #Zients #White #House #chief #staff

    ( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

  • NCPCR issues notice to Indore police chief as minors seen during protest

    NCPCR issues notice to Indore police chief as minors seen during protest

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    NCPCR issues notice to Indore police chief as minors seen during protest

    New Delhi: The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) on Friday sent a notice to the Police Commissioner of Indore over the presence of minors during a protest organised by some people of the Muslim community in the Madhya Pradesh city, demanding the arrest of Bajrang Dal workers for their alleged statements against Prophet Muhammad.

    Stating that the use of minors in protests is in violation of the Juvenile Justice Act, the NCPCR sought a reply within 7 days from the Police Commissioner.

    A video of the protests that took place on Thursday went viral on social media.

    The Commission stated that it has taken suo motu cognisance of the media reports that some unruly youths in Indore’s Barwali Chowki area, brought minors and raised slogans, including ‘sar tan se juda’.

    The Child Rights body, in its notice, instructed the Commissioner to take action against those who used the children in the protest, after gathering information through surfaced videos and other means, and sought a report on it.

    The commission said that the minors involved in the protests should be presented before the Child Welfare Committee and a copy of the Committee’s order should be sent to the NCPCR.

    Along with this, it has asked to ensure necessary action for the counselling of the minors involved in the protest.

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    #NCPCR #issues #notice #Indore #police #chief #minors #protest

    ( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

  • Biden confirms Jeff Zients to become new chief of staff

    Biden confirms Jeff Zients to become new chief of staff

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    biden zients 03459

    The decision, which was reported last weekend, comes as Biden prepares for a reelection campaign and braces for House Republican investigations targeting the Biden administration and the president’s son, Hunter.

    Zients will take over the role in the coming weeks from Klain, with whom he has developed a close relationship and who is expected to step down early next month. Klain served as Biden’s top aide for more than two years, making him the longest-serving first chief of staff for any Democratic president. Biden said that the White House would hold an official transition event next week to commemorate Klain’s role and welcome Zients.

    “While we have accomplished an extraordinary amount, the real mark of Ron’s success is that he is beloved by the team he leads here at the White House,” Biden said.

    In a letter to Biden obtained by POLITICO, Klain called his time as chief of staff “the honor of a lifetime,” but said the halfway point of the president’s term represented “the right time for this team to have fresh leadership.”

    “We have been ‘counted out’ many times, and yet, we have come back each time to continue making progress for the American people,” Klain wrote, adding he would do “whatever I can do to help your campaign” if Biden runs for re-election.

    After holding a number of high-level positions during the Obama administration, Zients was called by Biden at the beginning of his term to run the White House’s Covid response. He left the White House in April after winning internal praise for his cross-government management skills and initial success in helping the administration bring the pandemic under control.

    Zients returned to the White House last fall to help Klain prepare for the staff turnover that typically follows the midterms, a task that ended up limited in scope as few senior staff members left.

    In his new role, Zients will be expected to manage the day-to-day workings of a White House that is juggling a growing list of delicate issues — including the ongoing war in Ukraine, looming economic challenges, oversight demands from the new House Republican majority and the ongoing scrutiny over Biden’s handling of classified documents.

    A former management consultant widely respected for his leadership skills, Zients was an executive at the Advisory Board Company, a Washington-based consultancy, before founding an investment firm that held stakes in a series of health care and financial firms. During the Obama era, Zients did multiple stints at the Office of Management and Budget as its acting director before being tapped to fix the botched launch of HealthCare.gov.

    Zients later spent three years as the director of Obama’s National Economic Council. When Biden was elected, he named Zients a co-chair of his transition, before charging him with running his Covid response.

    Despite that background, Zients has little in the way of traditional political experience, meaning he is likely to focus his efforts as chief of staff on running the government while a group of other senior aides handle the political dynamics surrounding Biden’s burgeoning re-election campaign.

    The transition comes at a pivotal point for the White House, as officials brace for a wave of GOP investigations and confront a policy landscape made tougher by Democrats’ loss of full control of Congress. Klain was a central figure in managing the White House agenda, and cultivating alliances across the Democratic Party that proved critical to a slate of major legislation in the first half of Biden’s term.

    While Zients boasts a wide array of relationships in Democratic circles from his past as a party fundraiser and Obama-era official, he’s also regarded with some skepticism from progressives over his private-sector background. Zients has also faced criticism over his handling of the pandemic, which has persisted well beyond his exit as Covid czar.

    Yet his stint running the Covid team endeared him to Biden and his top advisers, especially after delivering on the White House’s pledge to secure vaccines for every single American and vaccinate more than two-thirds of adults by the summer. That initial success buoyed Biden’s approval ratings, paving the way for the reopening of schools and businesses — and ultimately, Zients’ path to the chief of staff job.

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    #Biden #confirms #Jeff #Zients #chief #staff
    ( With inputs from : www.politico.com )

  • ‘KCR has time to pay tributes to titular Nizam…’: Telangana BJP chief

    ‘KCR has time to pay tributes to titular Nizam…’: Telangana BJP chief

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    New Delhi: Bharat Janata Party Telangana unit president Bandi Sanjay on Tuesday came down heavily on State Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao and said that people of the state will soon be liberated from the autocratic rule of KCR.

    Addressing the BJP Telangana two-day-long State Executive meeting, which concluded in Mahbubnagar yesterday, Bandi Sanjay terming CM KCR as the 8th Nizam, said, “People of Telangana will be liberated very soon from the autocratic rule of KCR”.

    Bandi Sanjay’s reactions came against the backdrop of Bharat Rashtra Samithi chief KCR’s decision to skip the all-party meeting led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in December last year under the rubric of India G-20 presidency.

    “Telangana CM KCR has ample time to pay tributes to the titular Nizam (who passed away last week) and offered condolences to his family members, whose ancestors have tortured Telangana people and sucked their blood,” he said.

    The BJP leader also heaped praises on PM Modi saying that India is on the way to becoming ‘Vishwa Guru’ (world leader).

    “Swami Vivekanand, whose birth name was also Narendra, had predicted that India would become Vishwa Guru in the 21st century, and it is coming true under Narendra Modi’s leadership,” he said adding that under the leadership of PM Modi, India gained presidency for G-20 group, which is a big opportunity.

    Earlier in December last year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired an all-party meeting to underscore the significance of India’s presidency of the G20 and brief the leaders about the government’s approach.

    Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar were among the leaders present at the meeting.

    Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin, and Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik were among those present at the meeting which took place at Rashtrapati Bhavan, but Telangana CM KCR abstained from attending the meeting.

    (Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Siasat staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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    #KCR #time #pay #tributes #titular #Nizam.. #Telangana #BJP #chief

    ( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

  • Hochul faces tough choices on her rejected chief judge pick. None are good for her.

    Hochul faces tough choices on her rejected chief judge pick. None are good for her.

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    “You’re jumping ahead in your own analysis,” Hochul said after an unrelated event in Albany. “You’re making an assumption that I have not stated to be factual that we’re going down a certain path. I recommend you don’t do that because you will all know everything you need to know in due process and due time.”

    But as time ticks, Hochul appears to be facing a likely losing battle against progressives and unions who quashed LaSalle’s potential ascension as the state’s first Latino chief judge. Opponents said he issued some decisions as a judge that were anti-labor and anti-abortion. LaSalle said that’s not true.

    After the Senate Judiciary Committee rejected her pick, Hochul argued that LaSalle needed a full vote in the 63-member Senate. Senators have said no: The Judiciary Committee’s vote is where the issue ends.

    Legal experts are split on whether Hochul would win a lawsuit over the matter.

    Jerry Goldfeder, a preeminent Democratic election lawyer, wrote Monday that the state constitution indicates a governor’s nominee for the Court of Appeals needs a Senate vote, saying it “requires advice and consent by ‘the Senate,’ not one of its committees.”

    Others have suggested “advice and consent” can end with the committee.

    Even a successful lawsuit to bring LaSalle’s nomination to the floor would put Hochul back in the same place: She is not expected to have enough votes among Senate Democrats to confirm him, meaning he would simply be rejected again.

    Hochul wouldn’t indulge that scenario.

    “As the governor, it is my prerogative to do what’s best for the people of the state of New York after a thoughtful analysis and in consultation — and I assure you, that is my guiding star,” she said.

    Sen. Jamaal Bailey was the only Democrat on the Judiciary Committee who voted to move LaSalle’s nomination without recommendation — meaning he was willing to have it come to the floor, but also didn’t vote in favor of him. Bailey said he remains “comfortable” with his vote, but did not weigh in on what the future holds.

    “The committee decided what it decided. I think that ultimately the next decisions need to be determined by the governor and the leadership about what takes place,” Bailey, a Bronx Democrat, said.

    LaSalle’s supporters, including former chief judge Jonathan Lippman, have made several arguments challenging the legitimacy of the committee decision, including asserting that the formal letter of rejection from Senate Democrats signed by Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins should have been signed by Lt. Gov. Antonio Delgado, who is the Senate president, per the constitution.

    Stewart-Cousins dismissed that argument, along with the notion LaSalle deserved additional Senate consideration following his five-hour hearing last Wednesday.

    “I’m not arguing about who signed the letter or not,” she told reporters Tuesday. “What happened was that there were not enough votes to bring the nominee to the floor. So therefore the nominee did not go through.”

    Stewart-Cousins said she was “not concerned” a stand off over a potential lawsuit would derail coming budget negotiations between the governor and Legislature, saying both parties have shown they “continue to interact on a professional level.”

    “I have a good relationship with the governor,” she said. “We all do. So we can disagree, but that doesn’t mean we can’t do the work that people sent us to do.”

    But asked whether she’d talked to Hochul personally since LaSalle’s rejection and its fallout, Stewart-Cousins said she has not.

    There are other options for Hochul.

    She could simply withdraw LaSalle’s nomination and pick from among the other six candidates recommended by the state Commission on Judicial Nomination — giving her a new shot at winning Senate approval after a number of lawmakers indicated support for a few others on the list.

    Or the Court of Appeals could rule it doesn’t have a chief judge and ask the commission to go through a monthslong process of selecting new candidates for Hochul to consider. Right now, the court has six members, which for a prolonged period could hurt its ability to reach consensus.

    Again, Hochul dismissed the turmoil and stuck by LaSalle: “I chose the best person from the list of seven.”

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    ( With inputs from : www.politico.com )