In a day of dramatic developments in Maharashtra politics, NCP leader Ajit Pawar led a vertical split in the party to become the Deputy Chief Minister, shocking his uncle Sharad Pawar, who founded the outfit 24 years ago. Eight NCP leaders were also sworn in as Ministers at the ceremony held at Raj Bhavan in south Mumbai.
The NCP patriarch tried to put up a brave front after his 63-year-old nephew’s stunning rebellion, as sources claimed that 36 of the 53 MLAs of the party were solidly backing the new deputy CM.
The rapidly unfolding developments came as a shocker for Sharad Pawar, even as sources said Ajit Pawar’s rebellion was prompted by the NCP chief and his daughter Supriya Sule’s presence at the recent conclave of Opposition leaders in Patna.
Addressing reporters after taking oath, Ajit Pawar said NCP decided to become part of the Shiv Sena-BJP government for the development of the country and praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership. Maintaining that there was no split in NCP, Ajit Pawar said they would contest all future elections on the NCP’s name and symbol. “All the elected representatives (of the party) have supported the decision to join the government,” he claimed.
Sharad Pawar said it was not the party’s decision to go with BJP-Shiv Sena. He said the party leadership will take action against those who joined the State Cabinet. “I am not bothered that people have left, but I am worried for their future,” Sharad Pawar told reporters and said he would go to people. Those (leaders) who violated party line and took the oath (as ministers), a decision has to be taken on them,” he said.
Sharad Pawar said such things (rebellion in a party) are not new for him.
Meanwhile, Ajit Pawar defended his decision to share power with the BJP. “If we can go with the Shiv Sena, then we can go with the BJP as well. The same thing happened in Nagaland as well. Overall and comprehensive development was taken into account. We have a vast experience of the administration, we can utilise it for the good,” he said.
Maharashtra Assembly Speaker Rahul Narwekar, who was present in the Raj Bhavan for the oath-taking ceremony, said that Ajit Pawar had resigned as the leader of the Opposition in the Lower House and he had accepted it.
Deputy Speaker Narhari Zirwal and NCP working president Praful Patel were also present in the Raj Bhavan.
Elections to the 288-member State Assembly are due next year.
Congress will trounce ‘BJP’s B team BRS’ in the hustings, says Rahul Gandhi
Describing the Bharat Rashtra Samithi as “the B team of the BJP”, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said the results of Karnataka Assembly elections will repeat in Telangana and the Congress will trounce the “corruption-ridden” BRS in the next election.
“The resounding of victory of the Congress party in the recent elections in Karnataka was propelled by poor people, farmers, labourers, youths, Dalits, minorities, and all sections vexed with BJP’s misrule there. The same thing is bound to happen here in Telangana,” Gandhi said, while addressing a huge public meeting in Khammam on July 2 evening.
The meeting was held on a sprawling over 40-acre land on the outskirts of this fort town to mark the conclusion of the CLP leader Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka’s 109-day State-wide padayatra that covered 1,360 km in 17 districts and 36 constituencies across the State.
Former Khammam MP and expelled BRS leader Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy along with a host of his associates and supporters including the Bhadradri Kothagudem Zilla Parishad chairman Koram Kanakaiah joined the Congress on the occasion.
Gandhi virtually sounded the poll bugle amid upbeat mood of the crowd at the public meeting. On the lines of “Warangal Rythu Declaration” and “Hyderabad Youth Declaration”, the Congress will implement Cheyutha scheme to provide ₹4,000 pension to the senior citizens and widows per month and issue podu land pattas to all eligible podu cultivators after coming to power in Telangana, he said.
The Narendra Modi government at the Centre and the central agencies are aware of the scams of the persons at the helm in Telangana, he charged, alleging that the remote of the K. Chandrasekhar Rao’s regime is in the hands of PM Modi.
Fresh violence erupts in Manipur, four killed
At least four people were killed in fresh round of violence in Manipur on July 2. They were killed in an incident took place in areas in the adjoining districts of Bishnupur and Churachandpur. Police said the villagers in Bishnupur were killed in an “unprovoked attack.”
Bishnupur Superintendent of Police Heisnam Balram Singh said that at 12.05 a.m. on July 2 bunkers set up by villagers near Khujuma Tabi, a Meitei village, were attacked by armed miscreants.
He said, following the incident, a large number of agitated people came out and stormed the nearby Kuki villages of Langza and Chinglangmei in Churachandpur district. He added that locals took the bodies to Kumbi legislator Sanasam Premchandra Singh’s house where Chief Minister N. Biren Singh had also arrived.
The Indigenous Tribal Leaders Forum said that around 12 a.m. on July 2, the Kuki-Zo tribal villages of Langza and Chinglangmei were attacked. A village volunteer was killed. It said that a church was razed to the ground.
Standing Committee uses the 2018 Law Commission report that argued against UCC to begin discussions
The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Law and Justice headed by BJP MP Sushil Modi has called a meeting on July 3 to begin deliberations on the Uniform Civil Code. It has circulated the 2018 consultation paper of the 21st Law Commission on the subject to its members. The paper argued against the UCC saying that it is “neither necessary nor desirable”.
Representatives from Department of Legal Affairs, Legislative Department, and the Law Commission of India have been invited for the meeting.
The consultation paper titled ‘Reform of Family Law’, which the committee is using as the basis for its debate while advocating against a UCC has argued for the “codification of all personal laws so that prejudices and stereotypes in every one of them would come to light and could be tested on the anvil of Fundamental Rights guaranteed by the Constitution”.
The Congress has also quoted this very document to draft its stand on the issue. Congress general secretary (communication) Jairam Ramesh, in a statement on June 15, a day after the 22nd Law Commission announced its intention to revisit the subject, pointed to para 1.15 of the paper, which states that a UCC is “neither necessary nor desirable” at this stage.
Questioning the Law Commission’s decision to revisit the issue, he had said, “This latest attempt represents the Modi government’s desperation for legitimate justification of its continuing agenda of polarisation and diversion from its glaring failures.”
In brief
The Allahabad High Court directed the makers of the controversy-stricken movie Adipurush to appear before it on July 27. A vacation bench comprising Justice Rajesh Singh Chauhan and Justice Shree Prakash Singh was hearing separate petitions of Kuldeep Tiwari and Naveen Dhawan seeking a ban on the movie. The court ordered director Om Raut, producer Bhushan Kumar, dialogue writer Manoj Muntashir to appear before it on July 27. It has also directed the Centre to constitute a five-member committee to give its view on the film as to whether it had hurt the feelings of the public.
Evening Wrap will return tomorrow.
