Tag: parties

‘Misuse of ED, CBI against Oppn’, SC to hear plea by 14 parties on April 5

[ad_1]
New Delhi: Fourteen political parties, including the Congress, Trinamool Congress, AAP, NCP, Shiv Sena (UBT), on Friday moved the Supreme Court against the alleged misuse of investigative agencies in arresting opposition leaders and sought guidelines on arrest.
The parties sought guidelines to fulfil and realise the guarantee of personal liberty entrenched in Article 21 of the Constitution, for all citizens, including those targeted for exercising their right to political dissent and for performing their duties as the political opposition.
The political parties forming the petitioners are: Congress, DMK, RJD, BRS, Trinamool Congress, AAP, NCP, Shiv Sena (UBT), JMM, JD(U), CPI(M), CPI, Samajwadi Party, J&K National Conference, together representing 45.19 per cent of the votes cast in the last Assembly polls, and 42.5 per cent of the votes cast in the 2019 general elections, and holding power in 11 states/union territories.
Senior advocate A.M. Singhvi mentioned the matter before a bench headed by Chief Justice D.Y. Chandrachud for early hearing.
The top court agreed to hear the matter on April 5.
The counsel clarified that they are not attempting to affect the ongoing investigations.
The plea said that 14 opposition political parties have filed a petition, in light of the alarming rise in the use of coercive criminal processes against their leaders and other citizens exercising their fundamental right to dissent and disagree with the central government.
The plea submitted that investigating agencies such as CBI and ED are being increasingly deployed in a selective and targeted manner with a view to completely crush political dissent and upend the fundamental premises of a representative democracy.

The petition has been drawn and filed by advocate Shadan Farasat and settled by Singhvi.
According to the plea, only 23 convictions under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002 (PMLA) have been secured as of now, even as the number of cases registered by the ED under the PMLA have risen exponentially (from 209 in 2013-14 F.Y. to 981 in 2020-21, and 1,180 in 2021-22).
“Between 2004-14, of the 72 political leaders investigated by the CBI, 43 (under 60 per cent) were from the Opposition of the time. Now, this same figure has risen to over 95 per cent. The same pattern is reflected in ED’s investigations as well, with the proportion of Opposition leaders from the total number of politicians investigated rising from 54 per cent (before 2014) to 95 per cent (after 2014),” it further added.
The petitioners have sought from the apex court certain prospectively applicable guidelines governing the arrest, remand, and bail of persons in offences (which may or may not be punishable with imprisonment for above seven years) not involving serious bodily harm (thereby obviously excluding homicide, rape, terrorism etc.).
“As for arrest and remand, the petitioners seek that the triple test (whether a person is a flight risk, or whether there is a reasonable apprehension of the tampering of evidence or of the influencing/intimidation of witnesses) be used by police officers/ED officials and courts alike for arrest of persons in any cognizable offences except those involving serious bodily violence. Where these conditions are not satisfied, alternatives like interrogation at fixed hours or at most house arrest be used to meet the demands of investigation.
“As for bail, the petitioners seek that the principle of ‘bail as rule, jail as exception’ be followed by all courts throughout, especially in cases where non-violent offences are alleged, and that bail be denied only where the aforementioned triple-test is met,” the plea added.
It further contended that where special laws such as PMLA with stringent bail conditions are concerned, the petitioners seek that such bail provisions be harmonised with Article 21 of the Constitution.
“As such, therefore, where it appears that the trial is unlikely to complete within six months, the accused be released on bail even under special laws unless the conditions in the triple-test are not fulfilled.”
[ad_2]
#Misuse #CBI #Oppn #hear #plea #parties #April
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

March 24, 2023
‘Misuse of central agencies’: 14 parties move SC; seek guidelines on arrest

[ad_1]
New Delhi: Fourteen political parties led by the Congress on Friday moved the Supreme Court against the alleged misuse of investigative agencies in arresting opposition leaders, and sought guidelines on arrest.
Senior advocate A.M. Singhvi mentioned the matter before a bench headed by Chief Justice D.Y. Chandrachud for early hearing.
The top court agreed to hear the matter on April 5.
The counsel clarified that they are not attempting to affect the ongoing investigations.
The political parties sought laying down guidelines for law enforcing agencies and courts on arrest, remand, and bail.
The top court was informed that a majority of cases are against the opposition leaders.
Subscribe us on

[ad_2]
#Misuse #central #agencies #parties #move #seek #guidelines #arrest
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

March 24, 2023
J-K parties for polls, Delhi on pause mode

[ad_1]
It is more than a consensus. All the parties in Jammu and Kashmir with flags of their own believe that the situation in the territory has improved – the ruling BJP at the Centre and in the Union Territory and other parties are on the same page on this issue. In J&K, the improvement in the situation is both a comparative assessment as also something that beckons the future of the territory in political, economic, social terms. But this consensus also leads to the plea that, why elections in this part of the country are not being held, now it is for the past almost five years that it is being governed by the Centre- first it was under the Governor’s and President’s rule as long as it was state until October 30, 2019, and subsequently under the federal rule after it became the Union Territory. It was made clear as early as on August 5, 2019, when the special status of the erstwhile state under Article 370 was snapped and its geographical map split into two union territories that Ladakh UT will not have a legislature. The UT of J&K, however, was told that it will have an elected Assembly and with the passage of time when the situation would improve it would be regranted the status of the state. So the difference was made clear that only the UT of J&K will have polls, and Ladakh will be governed directly by Delhi all the time from October 31, 2019.
Prior to this constitutional change, the Parliament was assured that the state of J&K will have elections once the security situation improved. That was an alibi. The state legislative Assembly was dissolved on November 21, 2018, by the then Governor Satya Pal Malik on the directions of Delhi when competing claims were made by two sets of groups for the formation of the government – as the House was in suspended animation since June 20, 2018, a day after the Mehbooba Mufti government was rendered into a minority following withdrawal of the support by the BJP on June 19. At that time, no party or group of parties had come forward to form an alternative government. But the Assembly was placed under suspended animation, hoping that at some point in time, the parties may come together to form the government. The numbers did not favour the arithmetic that BJP wanted to prop an alternative government. So, a non-functional fax machine in Raj Bhawan, Jammu, became an excuse not to entertain claims of the two groups to form the government. Given that fait accompli was administered on J&K, it was hoped that the elections would be announced and held within the stipulated period of six months. That did not happen even when the Governor’s rule ended and the state came under President’s rule on midnight of December 19, 2018. The irony was that the parliamentary elections were held in April-May, and the Anantnag Parliamentary constituency was subjected to six-phase polling, as an answer to the fragile security situation in four districts of south Kashmir. The Election Commission and Delhi were reeling from the ghost of the 2016 stone-throwing clashes, which left 100 dead and many more blinded or partially blinded by the use of the pellet guns.
More than the shadow of 2016, the government was having its own political reasons not to certify the security situation being conducive for the Assembly polls. And then came the announcement that the Election Commission will take call on the polls once the Amarnath Yatra of 2019 concludes and that never concluded. It was cut short midway because of the specious reasons the terrorists were going to target the pilgrims and tourists. Everyone knew it was a made up thing to keep things in control at the time of the abrogation of Article 370.
Now when the tourists are coming in hordes, and their arrival is listed as one of the biggest parameters of normalcy and peace in Kashmir, why should there be delay in elections? The parties have asked, while BJP is mute. The party is not asking for polls, but whenever questioned, it claims it is ready for polls and advances usual phrase, it is for the Election Commission of India to take the call. All parties, baring BJP of course, one way or the other have petitioned ECI – in fact a delegation of several party leaders, led by the veteran Kashmiri leader and former chief minister Farooq Abdullah met the ECI and advanced the claim of the Centre that the situation had improved drastically, and pleaded that the elections be held. The real thing delaying the elections is because of the BJP’s own apprehensions that the outcome of the polls if held now or later this year, will not favour it, that would not only be an electoral outcome but also a referendum on what all it has been saying about Jammu and Kashmir since August 5, 2019. Unless it finds itself in a comfortable position, the polls will remain a far cry.
[ad_2]
#parties #polls #Delhi #pause #mode
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

March 21, 2023
AAP’s attempt to deceive, hide failure: Oppn parties on Delhi govt’s Outcome budget

[ad_1]
New Delhi: Delhi BJP and the Congress on Monday termed the Delhi government’s Outcome Budget an “attempt to deceive” the people and “hide their failure”.
Leader of Opposition in Delhi Assembly Ramvir Singh Bidhuri alleged that a “white lie” has been presented in the name of Outcome Budget.
“The AAP government has not not fulfilled its promise to provide 20 lakh jobs in Delhi, yet no action plan was presented for this. They (AAP) did not fulfil their promise to rejuvenate five markets of Delhi and generate employment,” Bidhuri said.
He further alleged that the government “lied” about the pass percentage of class 10 and class 12 in its Outcome Budget.
“The Delhi government had announced to bring 15,000 buses on the roads of the capital, but 250 electric buses were brought in a year. The marshals in the buses have been removed due to non-payment of salaries.
“The Ashram flyover has been described as an achievement, while its work has not yet been completed, nor has it been fully operational,” he alleged.
“The AAP government deceived the people of Delhi through its outcome budget,” Delhi BJP said.
The Delhi Congress alleged that the AAP “wrongly presented the statistics to mislead people”.

Party’s president Anil Chaudhary alleged the AAP government’s Delhi model of education and health care was a “mere stunt”.
“The AAP government is misleading the public by presenting wrong statistics in their outcome budget. Such models do not exist at the ground level,” he alleged.
“The Outcome Budget was a ploy to hide the failures of the AAP government,” Delhi Congress said.
[ad_2]
#AAPs #attempt #deceive #hide #failure #Oppn #parties #Delhi #govts #Outcome #budget
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

March 20, 2023
Senate absences multiply headaches for both parties

[ad_1]
It’s not an idle matter, either: Both parties’ attendance issues are affecting Senate business, from crucial floor votes to the mundane business of committee hearings. The Senate last had all 100 members in attendance on Aug. 7, when Democrats passed their party-line energy, health care and tax bill.

Just last week, five senators missed every vote, with several out for extended absences.
|
Pool photo by Greg Nash
“There’s all kinds of occupations in this country where people have to be absent because of health,” Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) said. “A senator’s no different from a John Deere worker or a professor at a university. If you’re sick, you’re sick.”
Grassley, who prides himself on his attendance record, is recovering from hip surgery but has not missed any votes since he had coronavirus in late 2020. Over the past two months, he’s progressed from a wheelchair to a cane as he returns from the procedure.
Asked how he’s feeling, he replied: “Let me answer your question this way.” Then he carefully demonstrated that he doesn’t actually need the cane to walk.
It’s still not clear when senators can expect the return of either 81-year-old Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, who is recovering from a concussion, or the 53-year-old Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.), who is receiving treatment for depression. And 89-year-old Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), who is battling shingles, probably won’t be back this week, according to a person familiar with her plans.
Feinstein’s absence from her perch on the Judiciary Committee is an acute Democratic concern. The party is trying to move judicial nominees out of committee to the floor but have postponed panel votes during her absence. Among the delayed nominees is First Circuit Court nominee Michael Delaney, who has faced criticism over his handling of a school sexual assault case.
“I’m anxious, because I can’t really have a mark-up of new judge nominees until she’s there,” said Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), the party’s No. 2 and the Senate Judiciary Committee chair. Durbin announced Sunday that he had tested positive for coronavirus and would quarantine, adding another absence.
It’s unclear if Delaney can get through the committee even with Feinstein in attendance, though other nominees have bipartisan support and might be able to move even with a Democratic absence. And the full Senate can still confirm judges with a simple majority — which these days sometimes involves the tie-breaking vote of Vice President Kamala Harris.

In a statement for this article, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said, “We’ve always worked through attendance issues and we’re still able to confirm a record number of judges and pass legislation.”
McConnell’s concussion injury and his subsequent therapy have also affected the Senate’s day-to-day as well as the GOP’s internal operations.
Republicans want to peel back President Joe Biden’s water environmental regulations, but last week’s vote was delayed because McConnell, No. 3 Senate Republican John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) and Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) all missed votes. Cruz is expected back this week, according to an aide.
Republicans have several other regulatory rollbacks they want to spring on the majority party, but with a 51-49 Democratic majority, attendance can play a major factor in whether or not a vote succeeds. GOP senators hope to make progress on those this week.
Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) said he hoped McConnell would return this week but he had not spoken directly with the GOP leader. A person familiar with the situation said the “decision will be made by the leader’s physicians and the therapists. It’s common for his type of therapy to last anywhere from a week to two weeks.”
Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.), the GOP whip, is helping run the conference in consultation with McConnell’s top aides in the minority leader’s stead.
Thune partially blamed the lax attendance on some senators not considering the Senate’s recent schedule a must-attend affair. The agenda lately has mostly consisted of disapproval votes of Biden administration or D.C. Council policies, nominees and rolling back the Iraq military authorization — a move with significant GOP support.
“People feel maybe a little bit more flexibility than they would if we were doing really consequential legislating right now. Then you’ve got folks who have just serious either health or family health issues, and I think you gotta respect that,” Thune said.
Plainly speaking, it’s been an atypical three-year run for the chamber. The Covid pandemic caused regular absences, the 50-50 Senate consistently churned out down-to-the-wire votes and two Democratic senators experienced and recovered from strokes last year. So far, no one has endured an absence like that of former Sens. Mark Kirk (R-Ill.) and Tim Johnson (D-S.D.), who each spent months away after suffering, respectively, a stroke and brain hemorrhage.
On the Democratic side, some lawmakers are working closely with Fetterman’s staff to help the first-term senator still have an impact. Sen. Peter Welch (D-Vt.) asked questions at a Senate Agriculture Committee hearing on Fetterman’s behalf last week and said in an interview he’s consulting with Fetterman’s chief of staff: “Anything I can do to help my colleague.”
Sen. Bob Casey (D-Pa.) is also working with Fetterman’s staff to help with constituent requests and potential legislation, like their bipartisan rail safety bill. Casey said he “intentionally” is not dialing up Fetterman because he doesn’t want to impede Fetterman’s recovery with missed calls.
“He’s able to take the time he needs to get the help that he needs. He’ll be back soon,” Casey said.
Casey missed a few days of Senate business in February after prostate cancer surgery, but he’s been back for several weeks. These days, he sounds like he’s ready to announce his reelection plans: “I’ll be able to address that soon.”
And that 2024 Senate map hangs over everything. With Democrats gearing up to protect their slim majority yet again next year in a tough cycle, some downtime is built into the chamber’s schedule for campaign activities.
The Senate’s been in recess for a total of nearly four weeks so far this year, and there’s an upcoming two-week Easter recess in April. And while senators typically fly in on Monday nights and work until Thursday afternoons, they’ve pushed their arrivals to Tuesday both this week and last.
“For me, the rhythm has been disrupted more by the short work weeks,” Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) said. He attributed the quirky schedule to “the folks who are in cycle.”
Marianne LeVine contributed to this report.

[ad_2]
#Senate #absences #multiply #headaches #parties
( With inputs from : www.politico.com )

March 20, 2023
Budget session: Opposition parties to meet at Parliament today

[ad_1]
New Delhi: Like-minded opposition parties are likely to meet on Monday in Parliament to chalk out a strategy to the floor of the House.
The meeting is likely to be held at Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge’s office in Parliament.
Notably, the proceedings in the two Houses of Parliament were disrupted for the fifth day on Friday as the ruling BJP and opposition parties sought to vociferously raise their issues.
The acrimony continued to play out outside the Parliament with leaders from BJP and Congress targeting each other over Rahul Gandhi’s remarks and the Adani issue.
After the Lok Sabha met for the day, opposition members came near the Speaker’s podium over their demand for a Joint Parliamentary Committee probe into the Hindenburg-Adani row. The BJP members raised the demand for an apology from Congress leader Rahul Gandhi over his remarks in the United Kingdom, alleging that they had maligned institutions in the country.
Congress alleged that the audio was muted after they raised slogans that Rahul Gandhi should be allowed to respond to allegations of BJP leaders against him.
Congress members alleged that there was no audio for about 20 minutes of the House proceedings.
Government sources said the audio was muted due to a “technical fault”.

The Rajya Sabha also witnessed disruptions and was adjourned for the day. The House earlier took up some of the listed business.
The second part of the Budget session began on March 13.
BJP leaders continued to mount attack on Rahul Gandhi outside the Parliament over his remarks during visit to United Kingdom.
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief JP Nadda said Rahul Gandhi has become a permanent part of the “anti-nationalist toolkit”.
“It is unfortunate that the Congress party is indulging in anti-national activities. After being repeatedly rejected by the nation, Rahul Gandhi has now become a permanent part of this anti-nationalist toolkit,” Nadda told ANI.
He accused Rahul Gandhi of seeking “intervention of another country in the internal matters of India”.
“Rahul Gandhi, what is your intention when you demand the intervention of another country in the internal matters of India? At a time when India is becoming the 5th largest economy in the world and G20 meetings are being held here, Rahul Gandhi on foreign soil is insulting the nation and the Parliament,” Nadda said.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge hit back at Nadda over his remarks against Rahul Gandhi.
“They (BJP) themselves are anti-national. They never took part in India’s freedom movement, worked for the Britishers and they are calling others anti-national? They are doing this to deviate from issues of unemployment and inflation,” Kharge alleged.
“Can Rahul Gandhi ever be anti-national? Are people who debate about democracy anti-national?. I condemn JP Nadda’s remarks. There is no point of apologising. We will give a strong reply to this in the Parliament. Rahul Gandhi will himself reply on this, that’s why they (BJP) are scared,” he asked.
Kharge alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had “insulted” the country on multiple occasions.
“PM Modi said people and businessman say that what sin I committed to have born in India’. Those who insulted the people of the country is calling us anti-national? First, he should apologize,” Kharge said.
Rahul Gandhi refused to respond to Nadda’s jibe against him.
Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur hit out at Rahul Gandhi over his “unfortunately I am MP” remark at a press conference which he subsequently corrected after being checked by Congress leader Jairam Ramesh.
The clip of the press conference where Rahul Gandhi is being corrected by Jairam Ramesh went viral.
“Sometimes, the truth comes out naturally, and as Rahul rightly said, unfortunately, he is a member of the Parliament, because of the way he uses foreign soil to defame and spread lies about the same prestigious institution, the Parliament of India, of which unfortunately he is a member,” Thakur told ANI.
“Today ‘RAHUL’ stands for ‘Regretful Awful Hateful Ungrateful Liar,’” he added.
The Union Minister said that Rahul should come and issue an unconditional apology.
“But he is still putting conditions to that. Is he above the rule of the land? Is he above the rules and procedures of the House? Does the Gandhi family still feel that they are above the country and the Parliament?” Thakur asked.
“He (Rahul Gandhi) has to understand that the Parliament is run as per the rules and procedure of the House and as per the direction given by the honourable Speaker. But that can only happen if he comes to the House and reads the rules and procedures. I believe he will understand that and come and apologise to the House and the Parliament,” Thakur added.
Rahul said on Thursday hoped to speak in Parliament in detail after four ministers made allegations against him over his remarks in the United Kingdom.
“So, if Indian democracy was functioning, I would be able to say my piece in Parliament. So, actually what you are seeing, is a test of Indian democracy. After four leaders of the BJP have made an allegation about a Member of Parliament, is that Member of Parliament going to be given the same space that those four Ministers have been given or is he going to be told to shut up? That’s what the real question in front of this country is right now,” Rahul Gandhi said.
Congress leader Shashi Tharoor defended Rahul Gandhi and there is nothing he should apologise for.
“Rahul Gandhi never demanded foreign forces come to our country to save our democracy. He hasn’t said anything he should apologise for. It’s nonsense,” Tharoor told ANI.
“Democracy, in our country, is in danger and everyone should know about it. I didn’t hear anything wrong in it”, added Congress MP Tharoor.
In his lecture at Cambridge University Rahul Gandhi had said that everybody knows and it’s been in the news a lot “that Indian democracy is under pressure and under attack”.
The first week of the second part of the budget session of Parliament has been marred by disruptions with the two Houses not able to conduct any major business. The budget session of parliament will conclude on April 6.
[ad_2]
#Budget #session #Opposition #parties #meet #Parliament #today
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

March 20, 2023
Regional parties to play key role in defeating BJP in 2024: Akhilesh Yadav

[ad_1]
Kolkata: Exuding confidence that an opposition alliance would take shape in the days to come, Samajwadi Party supremo Akhilesh Yadav on Saturday said regional parties would play a key role in putting up a fight against the BJP in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
However, on the role of the Congress in this proposed opposition front, Yadav said it is for the grand old party to decide.
“Efforts are on to forge an opposition alliance or front. Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao are making efforts (on their own). I am confident that in the days to come, an opposition alliance will take shape, which will fight against the BJP,” he told PTI Video in an interview.
To a question whether he is putting the Congress and the BJP on the same pedestal, the SP chief said it is the regional parties in various states which are fighting the saffron camp.
“In many states, the Congress doesn’t exist in comparison to the BJP, but regional parties are fighting tooth and nail against the saffron camp on the ground, and I am hopeful that they will succeed,” he said.
When told that regional parties such as the JD (U), RJD and the DMK are keen on having the Congress in the opposition alliance, Yadav said they are already in a coalition with the grand old party.
“It is a question of a big fight, and the Congress itself will decide its role in this fight,” he said.
Asked who would be the face of the opposition camp in the next Lok Sabha elections, Yadav said it would be decided after the polls and is “not a pertinent question” right now.

“You are talking about face. What about the (BJP’s) face in 2014 and 2019, who made false promises to win the election?” he said without naming Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
None of the promises made by the BJP in 2014 and 2019 was fulfilled, the SP chief claimed.
When asked whether his party would contest in the Raebareli and Amethi Lok Sabha seats in UP considered pocket boroughs of the Congress, Yadav alleged that SP workers are being killed in Amethi.
“In Amethi, our cadres are being killed. The Samajwadi Party workers are questioning who will fight for them. It is the Samajwadi workers there who are supporting each other; the Congress workers are not coming out in our support,” he said.
Congress leader Sonia Gandhi is the MP of Raebareli while her son and former party president Rahul Gandhi was defeated by Union minister Smriti Irani from Amethi in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.
Yadav said the Samajwadi Party would leave no stone unturned to stop the juggernaut of the BJP in Uttar Pradesh in the next Lok Sabha polls.
“If the BJP wants to come to power in 2024, it has to win in UP. We will ensure that the BJP is defeated in UP and also in the country. In Uttar Pradesh, we will fight with our existing allies,” he said.
The SP and the Congress had joined hands in the 2017 assembly polls in UP but lost to the BJP. In the Lok Sabha polls held two years later, the grand old party was kept out of the SP-BSP alliance in the state.
Speaking on the Adani issue, the SP chief slammed the Centre for allegedly allowing the loot of the country’s assets and public money.
He asked, “Why no question is being asked about the so-called number two (richest man)? Why is there no accountability on public money in LIC and SBI which is getting lost?”
The Hindenburg report that alleged accounting fraud and stock manipulation at the Adani group, came just as a Rs 20,000 crore follow-on share sale of the conglomerate’s flagship firm Adani Enterprises opened in January.
[ad_2]
#Regional #parties #play #key #role #defeating #BJP #Akhilesh #Yadav
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

March 19, 2023
Allu Arjun parties at F House cafe in Hyderabad [Video]

[ad_1]
Hyderabad: On Thursday, superstar Allu Arjun hosted a special birthday party for one of his team members, Sarath Chandra Naidu. The party was held in Hyderabad at India’s first F House Bar & Kitchen by ‘Fashiontv’, and it was attended not only by Allu Arjun’s family and staff members but also by many members of the South Indian film fraternity.
Receiving such an amazing party from the boss himself is a matter of bliss for the content and digital heads, as he expressed his delight on social media by sharing a video of Allu Arjun attending the birthday party. Sarath wrote a caption for Allu Arjun “Thank u for gracing last night’s party sir @alluarjun. Your presence means a lot to me, I couldn’t have asked for anything more. I will always value every second you set aside for me. I am at a loss of words to express how grateful I am for your love and support.”
Check out other glimpses here.
But Allu Arjun didn’t just show up to the party; we got to hear from the other sources that the actor made it extra special by ordering a custom cake for Sarath. Sarath’s title as the content and digital head was reflected in the cake, which was themed around social media platforms. Such a thoughtful gesture from the superstar shows that he values not only his family but also his teammates and their contributions.
Allu Arjun is well-known not only for his acting abilities but also for his humility and down-to-earth nature, which can be seen in how he treats his team. Sarath Chandra Naidu’s birthday party is just one example of how he goes out of his way to make his team members feel special and appreciated.
Thank u for gracing last night’s party sir @alluarjun. Your presence means a lot to me, I couldn’t have asked for anything more. I will always value every second you set aside for me. I am at a loss of words to express how grateful I am for your love and support. pic.twitter.com/w3kxS2bIfx
— Sarath Chandra Naidu (@imsarathchandra) March 16, 2023
On the professional front, Allu Arjun is working on several exciting projects, including Pushpa: The Rule and an untitled film with T-Series and Sandeep Reddy Vanga.
Subscribe us on

[ad_2]
#Allu #Arjun #parties #House #cafe #Hyderabad #Video

( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

March 17, 2023
Civil society groups seek help from opposition parties to ‘save’ MGNREGA

[ad_1]
New Delhi: Alleging that the NDA government is on its way to gradually doing away with the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGA), many civil society groups and labour organisations have appealed to opposition parties to support their demands for an increase in budgetary allocation for the scheme.
In a briefing held for the Members of Parliament on March 14 at the Deputy Speakers Hall, Constitution Club, New Delhi, the civil society members urged them to raise the issues of crores of labourers and workers who have “not been paid since December 2021”.
They highlighted the issue of inadequate funding, adverse changes in the attendance system as well as the method of payment. The broad aim of the briefing was to help MPs defend peoples’ right to work under the MGNREGA.
MPs of the opposition parties who attended the event were Sanjay Singh (Aam Aadmi Party), Digvijaya Singh, Uttam Kumar Reddy and Kumar Ketkar (Congress Party), S. Senthilkumar (Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam), Jawhar Sircar (All India Trinamool Congress Party) among others.
They deliberated upon the ways to force the government to enhance budgetary allocation and reverse the recent amendments in the mode of payment which has proved “disastrous” to the interest of workers.
Beginning the presentation, Jean Dr ze, visiting Professor at Ranchi University, alleged that the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government has unleashed an unprecedented three-pronged attack on MGNREGA — inadequate funding, the introduction of an Aadhar-based Payment System (ABPS) and the inception of a real-time attendance system through the National Mobile Monitoring Software (NMMS) app.
Prof Dreze claimed that this year’s funding is only Rs 60,000 crore which is the lowest allocation ever in the history of the programme.
“Funds run out and projects come to a halt. The wages get delayed and are accumulated for months,” Prof Dreze said, adding that the introduction of digital attendance has deprived the workers of their wages due to technical and network glitches.

“Aadhar-based Payment is so complicated system that even many bankers fail to understand its functionality and the majority of workers cannot be paid through this system. It is illegal and criminal not to pay wages to workers for the work that they have done” he added.
Other speakers who expressed their concerns and shared the problems of workers were Nikhil Dey (Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan, Rajasthan), James Herenj (NREGA Watch, Jharkhand), Ashish Ranjan (Jan Jagran Shakti Sangathan, Bihar), Richa Singh (Sangtin Kisan Mazdoor Sangathan, UP), Anuradha Talwar (Paschim Bangal Khet Mazdoor Samiti, West Bengal) and Supreme Court lawyer Prashant Bhushan among others.
They presented testimonies to show that the Aadhar-based Payment and Mobile Monitoring Software App are “depriving a large number of workers of payment” of wages to them. They said that according to the data from the Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD), only 43 per cent of NREGA workers are eligible for ABPS.
“The current changes in MGNREGA impact 15 crore workers across the country which is a huge number. We want a political response from opposition parties to support people on the ground to give them their rights under the law,” Dey said.
Civil society members requested MPs to issue a Privilege Notice in Parliament to demand an explanation from the Rural Development Minister on his remarks to the media suggesting that the state government should also contribute to the wage liability under the programme, contrary to the provisions of MGNREGA.
Assuring the civil society members of full support, Congress leader Digvijaya Singh said that workers’ plight is genuine.
“The intent of this government is always opposed to the ideals of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act of 2005. They are cutting down all social service budgets. I am all for the support which is expected from us,” he said.
AAP MP Sanjay Singh said the BJP government admitted in Parliament while responding to his questions that the dues of states under MGNREGA run over Rs 3,000 crore.
“It is very surprising to know that out of guaranteed 100 days of work, the labourers are getting only 34 days of work due to lack of adequate funds. We will raise the issue in Parliament but at the same time we should also think about starting a people’s movement,” he suggested.
Other MPs also pledged support and said they will do their level best to help highlight the plights of the workers.
MGNREGA Sangharsh Morcha is a coalition of organisations working with rural labourers and workers around the country. It is in the midst of a 100-day dharna at Jantar Mantar, to protest against “recent attacks” on the scheme.
[ad_2]
#Civil #society #groups #seek #opposition #parties #save #MGNREGA
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

March 15, 2023
Senators from both parties press Austin on sending F-16s to Ukraine

[ad_1]

“After speaking with U.S., Ukrainian, and foreign leaders working to support Ukraine at the Munich Security Conference last month, we believe the U.S. needs to take a hard look at providing F-16 aircraft to Ukraine,” the senators wrote. “This would be a significant capability that could prove to be a game changer on the battlefield.”
The letter was organized by Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.).
The senators requested Austin provide them with assessments by the end of the week on a variety of factors needed to successfully transfer F-16s to Ukraine.
Among their questions, the lawmakers asked how high Ukrainian officials are ranking fighter jets when making requests for weapons and how the F-16s might be sourced if approved — either newly produced or from current inventories. They also sought the military’s assessment of what impact F-16s would have on the conflict and how quickly Ukrainian pilots could be trained on the jets.
The group hailed reports that two Ukrainian pilots came to the U.S. for a fighter skills assessment at Tucson’s Morris Air National Guard Base, in Kelly’s home state, which they called a “critical step in gauging” their readiness to fly F-16s.
Also signing onto the letter were Democrats Tammy Duckworth of Illinois, Tim Kaine of Virginia, Martin Heinrich of New Mexico and Jacky Rosen of Nevada as well as Republicans Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Tommy Tuberville of Alabama and Ted Budd of North Carolina.
Bipartisan efforts to convince the Biden administration to send F-16s, or facilitate other countries sending them to Ukraine, have been bolstered by assessments such as those of Gen. Christopher Cavoli, the top U.S. and NATO commander in Europe. Cavoli told lawmakers behind closed doors at the Munich Security Conference last month that sending advanced weapons, including F-16s and long-range missiles, could help bolster Ukraine’s defenses.
But top civilian officials, including Biden and White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan, say fighters aren’t an immediate battlefield need compared to other capabilities.

Pentagon policy chief Colin Kahl also defended the administration’s stance, telling the House Armed Services Committee last month that the most optimistic timeline for delivering older F-16s would be roughly 18 months, while producing newer jets could take three to six years to deliver.
“It is a priority for the Ukrainians, but it’s not one of their top three priorities,” Kahl testified. “Their top priorities are air defense systems … artillery and fires, which we’ve talked about, and armor and mechanized systems.”
The Senate letter follows a bipartisan effort in the House, spearheaded by Maine Democrat Jared Golden, to convince Biden to send Kyiv F-16s or similar aircraft.
[ad_2]
#Senators #parties #press #Austin #sending #F16s #Ukraine
( With inputs from : www.politico.com )

March 15, 2023