Boycott Chhattisgarh polls: Maoists

Chhattisgarh Police recovered banners and posters placed by the outlawed Maoists who gave a call for election boycott in the strife-torn districts of Bijapur and Sukma.

Ahead of the Assembly polls, Chhattisgarh Police recovered banners and posters placed by the outlawed Maoists who gave a call for election boycott in the strife-torn districts of Bijapur and Sukma about 350 km south of Raipur. Citing the election process as “fictitious” the Naxalites this year have issued a diktat to the villagers and their cadres to bring the political leaders who visit them during the election campaign to the ‘jan-adalat’ (kangaroo court). The Red brigade has nailed pamphlets and banners in support of it in the interiors.

“Bring them (politicians) who visit you seeking support and votes to the ‘jan-adalat’ where decisions would be taken (by us) on their canvassing. But chase away the BJP leaders”, the Maoists said in their statement.   Owing to the Red terror the candidates and their supporters usually avoid campaigning in remote locations and restrict themselves to urban, sub-urban areas and major villages.

At the most they visit the weekly bazaar of the tribal villages to interact with the masses. There have been instances in the past when the Maoists have killed politicians who have gone to the interiors for campaigning. In 2008, two BJP leaders were hacked to death at Nakulnar in Dantewada.

“The Maoists have announced poll boycott. They are holding meetings in the villages and intimidating the villagers. They are asking them not to vote but we are simultaneously carrying out confidence-building measures, visiting tribal hamlets and interacting with the local populations.

Our preparations are well in place to ensure free, fair and peaceful elections in the entire Bastar region”, Vivekanand Sinha, Inspector-General of police (Bastar Zone) told TNIE.The administration has provided security to MPs, MLAs, ministers in Bastar. The police have asked the politicians to inform them and the respective district administration of the area they plan to visit.

 

 

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Victory in Chhattisgarh should be for sacrifices of BJP workers in West Bengal: Amit Shah

Bharatiya Janata Party’s victory in Chhattisgarh’s assembly elections should pave the way for 2019 Lok Sabha elections, said party president Amit Shah in Bilaspur. “The victory in Chhattisgarh should be for the sacrifices of our workers in West Bengal, Chhattisgarh and other states”, SAID Amit Shah while addressing in Chhatisgarh’s Bilaspur. Assembly elections in Chhattisgarh will be held in two phases from November 12 this year.

ITI to set up 40,000 outdoor WiFi access points in Rajasthan

State-run telecom equipment manufacturer ITI has won a Letter of Intent (LoI) from RajCOMP Info Services, a Rajasthan Government undertaking, to execute the RajNet project valued at ₹334 crore. Under the project, ITI will set up 40,000 outdoor WiFi access points in Rajasthan.

It will supply, install and maintain outdoor WiFi access points along with associated RF radio equipment for six months. This will be followed by operation and maintenance of the network for five years, the company said in a statement.

In August 2018, ITI – a public sector unit under the Department of Telecommunications (DoT) – had emerged as the lowest bidder for the RajNet project.

“ITI has been involved in the implementation of the Digital India programme in various Indian states. This order from the Rajasthan Government to establish outdoor WiFi access points in the State is expected to enhance the broadband accessibility in remote villages and complement the efforts of Bharatnet Phase I and II to provide last-mile connectivity in far-flung areas of the country,’’ K Alagesan, Chairman and Managing Director, ITI, said.

The RajNet project is expected to provide connectivity till the Gram Panchayat level through broadband, SATCOM, Over-the-Air (OTA), Local Area Network (LAN) and Structured Wireless-Aware Network (SWAN), among others.

Earlier in October, ITI had filed draft papers for a follow on public offering (FPO) with SEBI, a move that will help it meet the minimum 25 per cent public shareholding rules. The company plans to issue fresh shares worth up to 18 crore, while an additional 5 per cent of the net issue will be reserved for employees.

It intends to use the net proceeds worth ₹642.60 crore of the issue for working capital requirements and ₹638.40 crore for repayment of loan. Funds for the general corporate purpose were to be finalised after deciding on the issue price.

BOB Capital Markets, Karvy Investor Services and PNB Investment Services are the Book Running Lead Managers to the issue.

18 fresh cases of Zika in Rajasthan, total reaches 50

At least 18 more people have tested positive for Zika virus in Rajasthan’s Jaipur as of Friday.

A total of ten new cases of the virus came up in Shastri Nagar locality and 276 teams have been deployed in the affected wards.

The total number of people tested positive for Zika virus has reached 50 in Jaipur. Almost 11,313 houses were surveyed out of which 2,282 were positive for mosquito breeding. With over 39,000

containers have been checked out of which 3,567 are positive for larvae. For preventive measures, 133 blood and urine samples have been collected and sent to SMS Hospital.

Earlier, a department official had said that 30 of the total cases were doing fine after treatment.

At the review meeting, measures taken to contain the situation were discussed.

The first case came to light on September 22. The area has been fogged to prevent the spreading of virus.

The department has also issued an advisory for pregnant women staying outside Shastri Nagar not to visit the area.

A control room has been activated at the National Centre for Disease Control to monitor the situation.

The number of monitoring teams in Jaipur has been increased from 50 to 170 and a special isolation ward has been created at the Hira Bagh Training Centre to treat the Zika virus-affected patients.

A team from the National Institute of Malaria Research (NIMR) recently found Zika virus in some mosquitoes taken as samples from Shastri Nagar, leading to suspicion they are behind the infection.
Dr Neena Valecha, the NIMR director, had earlier said the virus appears to be locally transmitted.

The state government has been provided information, education and communication (IEC) material prepared to create awareness about Zika virus and prevention strategies.

The Zika virus, transmitted through Aedes aegypti mosquito, causes fever, skin rashes, conjunctivitis, muscle and joint pain. It is harmful to pregnant women, as it can lead to microcephaly, a condition in which a baby’s head is significantly smaller than expected, in newborn children.

In India, the first outbreak was reported in Ahmedabad in January 2017 and the second was reported in Tamil Nadu’s Krishnagiri district in July that year. Both these outbreaks were successfully contained through intensive surveillance and vector management, the ministry had said earlier.

The disease continues to be on surveillance radars of the Union Health Ministry although it is no longer a Public Health Emergency of International Concern under WHO notification since November 18, 2016.

 

 

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MP Assembly polls: NCP to contest from over 200 seats

The Nationalist Congress Party will contest from over 200 seats in the forthcoming Assembly polls in Madhya Pradesh, senior party functionaries said Friday.

The Nationalist Congress Party will contest from over 200 seats in the forthcoming Assembly polls in Madhya Pradesh, senior party functionaries said Friday. Polls for the 230-member MP Assembly is scheduled for November 28 and counting of votes will be taken up on December 11. Senior leader and Maharashtra Legislative Council (MLC) member Rajendra Jain and the party’s Gujarat unit spokesperson Nakul Singh Friday released the NCP’s manifesto.

“We are trying to have a coalition with like-minded parties in the state. We will contest more than 200 seats out of the total 230 seats in Madhya Pradesh,” the two leaders told reporters here Friday. Referring to the party’s manifesto, Jain and Singh informed that the NCP will provide free power and water to farmers besides waiving their loans.

The party will work towards real reforms in the state’s education sector, the leaders said. The party will ensure that crimes against women decreases and would deploy “marshals” in market areas for their safety, they said.

Claiming that the people of the state were facing a difficult situation due to the 15-year BJP rule, they said that the NCP would work towards generating employment for youth. The NCP also promised to bring petrol and diesel under the GST regime to provide relief to people from skyrocketing fuel prices.

 

 

 

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India wins election to UN Human Rights Council with highest number of votes

  • India was elected unopposed to the United Nations’ top human rights body on Friday for a period of three years beginning from January 1, 2019, after getting 188 votes in the Asia-Pacific category
  • India’s Ambassador and representative to UN, Syed Akbaruddin‏ tweeted his happiness after the country was inducted into UNHRC

India was elected to the United Nations’ top human rights body on Friday for a period of three years beginning from January 1, 2019, after getting 188 votes in the Asia-Pacific category.

The 193-member UN General Assembly held elections here for new members to the UN Human Rights Council. The 18 new members were elected by absolute majority through a secret ballot. Countries needed a minimum of 97 votes to get elected to the Council.

India was vying for a seat in the Asia Pacific category. Along with India, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Fiji and Philippines had also staked a claim in the same regional group. Given that there were five nations vying for five seats in the Asia Pacific category, India’s election to the Council was all but certain.

Election of members of the Human Rights Council: India gets 188 votes, Fiji 187, Bangladesh 178, Bahrain 165, Philippines 165. (Asia Pacific group)

India’s Ambassador and representative to UN, Syed Akbaruddin‏ tweeted his happiness after the country was inducted into UNHRC. His Twitter post read, “Voting for a Happy Outcome. Thanks to the support of all our friends @UN , India wins seat to Human Rights Council with highest votes among all candidates.”

On the same day as India was elected into the UNHRC, the country celebrated its 25th anniversary of National Human Rights Commission (NHRC). PM Narendra Modi marked the occasion addressing a crowd gathering at the Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi, wherein he said,

“For the last 25 years, the NHRC has been the voice for the common man of the country. It has led the way for the building of the nation by being the voice for the oppressed, poor. Your work towards justice has been recognized by international human rights institutions as well. As proud a matter as it is for India, protection of human rights has always been a part of our culture and traditions.”

The Prime Minister further stated that human rights were at the very focus of the freedom movement in the country, adding that the commitment towards human rights pulled the country out of a great crisis during the 1970’s.

“In that dark period of emergency, even the right to life was stripped; what can you say about rights? But Indians again achieved human rights through their own efforts,” Prime Minister Modi said.

Amit Shah fields trusted central ministers to gather full info from poll-bound Rajasthan

BJP chief Amit Shah has assigned at least four Union ministers of state to gather “genuine” inputs from assembly segments in Rajasthan where the ruling BJP is battling anti-incumbency and a resurgent Congress in the upcoming state elections.

Rajasthan is due to go to polls on December 7. Elections in four other states—Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh (both ruled by BJP), Telangana and Mizoram—are also scheduled to be held over November and December.

BJP sources said Shah has asked Mansukh L Mandaviya (chemical & fertilizers), Satya Pal Singh (human resource development), Shiv Pratap Shukla (finance) and Krishna Gopal (social justice) to monitor party activities in Rajasthan and give immediate feedback to him. They will also handle “damage control” should the need arise.

“Mansukh bhai has been given the charge of Udaipur, Satya Pal Singh would take care of Sikar while services of SP Shukla and Krishna Gopal would be put in use as and when needed,” said a senior BJP leader.

Shah has also summoned party leaders from other states to take charge of organisational activities in the state. “Minister in UP Mahendra Singh has been given responsibility of Bharatpur, former home minister of Gujarat Shankar bhai would take care of Jalore, Sirohi and Pali while MP from UP Sanjeev Balyan has been given the charge of Kota,” said the BJP leader quoted above.

There are several other trusted lieutenants of Shah, including Jeevan Garg of Punjab, KC Patel of Gujarat, Pawan Rana of Himachal Pradesh, Ashish Sood of Delhi and Parliamentarian from UP Satyapal Saini who have been summoned for ‘election duty’ in Rajasthan.

“Shah is giving more attention to Rajasthan than Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh, which are also going to polls,” said another BJP leader, who works closely with BJP state chief Madan Lal Saini. “He knows that the party needs maximum fillip in Rajasthan. So, without taking any chance, he is fielding his best men for the poll job in the state.”

 

 

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Amit Shah On 2-Day Visit To Poll-Bound Chhattisgarh On Friday

BJP chief Amit Shah will be on a two-day visit to poll-bound Chhattisgarh from Friday, during which he will address the booth-level workers of the party at four places.

This will be Mr Shah’s third visit to the state within a month. The Assembly polls in Chhattisgarh are scheduled to be held in two phases next month.

“With an aim to re-energise the booth-level party workers, division-level conventions are being held on October 12 and 13, which will be addressed by Shah,” BJP state general secretary Santosh Pandey told PTI Thursday.

The ruling party had set a target of “Mission 65 plus” in the 90-member Chhattisgarh Assembly and therefore, it was focussing on strengthening its booth-level workers, he said.

Mr Shah will visit Ambikapur and Bilaspur towns on Friday to address the booth-level workers of Surguja and Bilaspur divisions respectively.

“After the programme in Bilaspur, he is scheduled to interact with a group of lawyers,” Mr Pandey said.

On October 13, the BJP chief will address party workers at Jagdalpur under Bastar division.

Subsequently, he will also address the workers of Durg and Raipur divisions in state capital Raipur, he added.

“During his whirlwind tour, Shah will directly interact with the party workers of 23,632 booths,” Mr Pandey said.

According to BJP sources, after Mr Shah’s visit, the aspirants for the upcoming polls will be shortlisted and the party’s Central Election Committee will later announce the names of the candidates.

As per the Election Commission’s (EC’s) poll schedule, the 18 Naxalism-hit constituencies of the state will go to the polls in the first phase on November 12, while polling for the rest of the 72 constituencies will be held on November 20. The counting of votes will be taken up on December 11.

 

 

 

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From farm to caste, the issues that matter in the 2018 Madhya Pradesh elections

A group of protestors turned up at the Gwalior residence of Union minister Narendra Singh Tomar on September 2 and raised slogans against a central ordinance to restore provisions of the Scheduled Castes And Scheduled Tribes (Prevention Of Atrocities) Act, that had been struck down by the Supreme Court on March 20.

Madhya Pradesh minister Maya Singh confronted a separate group of protestors during a programme on the campus of Jiwaji University in the same city. Union ministers Thawar Chand Gehlot and MJ Akbar, too, were shown black flags in Guna and Vidisha, respectively. Eighteen days later, chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan sent out a tweet, “There will be no misuse of SC/ST act in Madhya Pradesh, no arrest without probe.”

A senior minister in Delhi said, “There is a sense of unease among upper castes. It is natural for any chief minister to address the issue when election is round the corner.”The amended law restored the power of police to immediately arrest a person committing an offence under the law and denied anticipatory bail to a person accused of such an offence.

A rough estimate pegs the proportion of the upper caste population in Madhya Pradesh at 22% — a size large enough to upset poll calculations of the BJP and the Congress.

The dynamics

The mobilisation of upper caste government workers started in Madhya Pradesh after Chouhan attended a conference of AJAKS — an umbrella organisation of SC/ST employees — in June 2016 and declared “koi mai ka lal aarakshan khatm nahi kar sakta” (no one dare end reservation). The state government subsequently challenged, in the Supreme Court, a Jabalpur high court order against reservation in promotion. It led to formation of SAPAKS — an organisation of employees from the general, other backward classes (OBCs) and minority communities.

The SCs and STs account for about 36% of Madhya Pradesh’s population. The BJP won 28 out of 35 assembly constituencies reserved for SCs, and 31 out of 47 seats reserved for the STs in 2013.

“The SC and ST population realises that the Congress failed to do justice to them,” BJP’s Rajya Sabha MP Prabhat Jha said. “The upper castes too know that only BJP can protect their interest.” Jha’s confidence notwithstanding, the party is worried about the political fallout of the controversy. “Whether this issue will inflict damage or not, we do not know. It certainly is not going to help our case,” a BJP MP from the state said, requesting that he not be identified. “The issue has blown up at a wrong time.”

Chouhan is conscious of the problem. He is on a whirlwind tour of the state, and in most of his public meetings, he doesn’t forget to mention that Madhya Pradesh is an “island of peace” and that the status should not be altered. Chouhan returned to power in 2013 with 45.7% vote share and 165 seats. Any slip in support among the SC/ST and the other blocs comprising the upper caste and the backward classes could be detrimental for him.

Farm crisis

Sitting at a dhaba in Astha, on the BhopalIndore highway, Bhupesh Patel glances through local newspapers. He grows soya bean in his farm and makes a marginal profit.

“Our condition is not as bad as onion growers in Mandsaur. They deal with falling profit, low credit flow, and many other issues,” he said. Mandsaur was the epicenter of the farm protest in 2017 in which six farmers were killed in police firing. On June 1 that year, farmers in the state startedapeacefulprotest,demandingloan waivers and better crop prices. Five days later, the situation turned violent and the police opened fire to control the mob.

Rahul Gandhi has promised a farm loan waiver if Congress is elected to rule Madhya Pradesh and there is some panic in the BJP.

“We will have to make extra efforts to assuage their hurt feelings,” a minister in the BJP government said. Congress’ Shobha Oza says, “The farmers are not going to forgive Chouhan for opening fire on them.” Chouhan insists that the farmers are still with him. “I had held a public meeting just a few days at Pipliya Mandi, in Mandsaur, the epicenter of that incident, and people came in large numbers to support me. Farmers are with me,” he insists.

Other issues

The government’s economic survey this year revealed there were 1.12 million registered educated unemployed people in MP by the end of 2016. Only 422 got employment by 2017.

“Since the first investors summit in Khajuraho in 2007, not a single major industrial unit has come up in Madhya Pradesh,” claims Congress spokesman Pankaj Chaturvedi.

Madhya Pradesh (1,823 cases) reported the highest number of cases of atrocities against STs, accounting for 27.8% followed by Rajasthan with 18.2% (1,195 cases) and Odisha with 10.4% (681 cases) during 2016. Madhya Pradesh tops the list with 4,882 cases of rapes reported in 2016 alone, the National Crime Records Bureau data shows.

Congress leaders also allege malnutrition among children is a matter of concern. The Madhya Pradesh government accepted in the state assembly last year that 28,948 children had died in one year alone, but denied that each death was because of malnutrition.

Chouhan has tried to tide over all these issues with a flagship Sambhal scheme of power at ~ 200 per month, and other government schemes. It aims to cover more than 20 million people.

The anti-incumbency

About two dozen people this reporter spoke to in a few districts of Madhya Pradesh for this story, rate Shivraj Singh Chouhan as a better chief minister than his immediate predecessors from the BJP and the Congress.

Better roads, improved power supply and different social welfare schemes work in Chouhan’s favour.

But a majority of them complain about local MLAs. BJP president Amit Shah told the Madhya Pradesh unit recently that he will not shy away from changing candidates if internal feedback and independent survey turn out to be negative.A clear leadership is working to the BJP’s advantage but it is also battling 15 years of anti-incumbency.

The resurgence in the Congress poses a challenge to Chouhan, but the BJP is organisationally better prepared for the election. The balance is evenly poised — at the moment.

 

 

 

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