Cutting across party lines, Rajya Sabha members on Thursday supported the bill to provide 33 per cent reservation for women in the Lower House of Parliament and state assemblies, even as some opposition members termed it an election gimmick.
During the debate in the Upper House on the 128th Constitution Amendment Bill that seeks to reserve a third of seats in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies for women, members also highlighted the need to accelerate the process instead of waiting for a fresh census and delimitation exercise.
Taking part in the discussion, Elamaram Kareem of CPI(M), while supporting the bill, said the BJP had promised to bring the women’s reservation bill in 2014 and in 2019 as well but did not take any action. He held the ruling party responsible for women’s reservation losing nine years.
This is an election gimmick by the BJP after losing elections in Karnataka and Himachal Pradesh, besides facing defeat in the civic polls in Delhi polls, he said.
Citing violence against women in strife-torn Manipur and allegations of sexual harassment by women wrestlers, Kareem alleged the government cared little for women.
Ram Nath Thakur of the JD(U) questioned the timing of bringing the ‘Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam’.
Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) MP K Keshava Rao stressed the need to accelerate the process for women’s reservation and said the 2011 Census could be taken as the benchmark. He urged immediate appointment of the delimitation commission. MDMK’s Vaiko also echoed similar sentiments.
Saroj Pandey of the BJP said it was unfortunate that questions have been raised on the timing and the intent of bringing the bill. As the country celebrates ‘Amrit Kaal’, this was the ideal moment for such a legislation, she said.
Asom Gana Parishad MP Birendra Prasad Baishya noted that the women’s reservation bill has come at a “proper time” after failed attempts in the past.
JD(S) leader H D Devegowda also supported the bill and recollected steps taken by him for women’s reservation while he was the chief minister of Karnataka and also the prime minister.
Manoj Jha of the RJD said demanded that the women’s reservation bill be referred to a select committee to consider extending similar benefits to Other Backward Classes.
V Vijayasai Reddy (YSRCP) also supported the bill and said the reservation for women must also be extended to Rajya Sabha and state legislative councils.
KC Venugopal of the Congress sought immediate implementation of the legislation. He also sought reservation for the OBC women under the bill.
Venugopal claimed the Narendra Modi government did not make any effort to bring the bill in the last nine years and it is due to the political calculations that the government has brought the legislation now. “Life-transforming legislations should come from the heart and not from the head,” he said in the Upper House.
Rajani Ashokrao Patil of the Congress and Mausam Noor of the TMC also supported the bill.
Sulata Deo of the BJD, Subhas Chandra Bose Pilli of the YSRCP, Ravichandra Vaddiraju of the BRS and K Ravindra Kumar of the TDP also participated in the discussion.
‘There is degree of prejudice’: India on Trudeau’s allegations against India on killing of Khalistani separatist
India on September 21 said there is a degree of prejudice in Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s allegations against it on the killing of a Khalistani separatist in Canada and termed these as “politically motivated”.
The Ministry of External Affairs said Canada did not share any specific information with India on the Hardeep Singh Nijjar case.
India and Canada are embroiled in a diplomatic row over the killing of Nijjar. The row erupted following Mr. Trudeau’s allegations of a “potential” involvement of Indian agents in the killing of the separatist leader.
When asked at a press conference whether New Delhi has apprised its views to its leading allies on the diplomatic row with Canada, MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said India has conveyed its position.
He also said the Indian high commission and consulates in Canada are temporarily unable to process visa applications in view of disruption of work due to security issues.
San Francisco Indian consulate attack case | NIA seeks info on 10 wanted pro-Khalistan accused
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has released the pictures of 10 wanted accused in the March 2023 case of attack and vandalism at the Indian Consulate in the United States’ San Francisco, and has sought information about them from the general public.
On September 21, the agency said it had issued three separate “Request for Identification & Information” notices against the wanted accused, seeking information that could lead to their arrest or detention.
“The agency has promised not to reveal the identity of anyone sharing information on the accused,” it said.
In June, the NIA had registered a case to probe the attack. Various provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and the Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act have been invoked.
The attack on the Indian consulate had taken place in the intervening night of March 18 and 19, 2023 when some alleged pro-Khalistan entities illegally entered the consulate premises and attempted to set it ablaze.
“On the same day, slogan-shouting Khalistani supporters had broken through the makeshift security barriers raised by the city police and put up two so-called Khalistani flags on the consulate premises, damaged the consulate building, assaulted and caused injuries to the consulate officials,” said the NIA.
Through his X handle, U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan had condemned “the acts of violence against the Indian Consulate in San Francisco”. “We are committed to the safety and security of these facilities and the diplomats who work within them. The State Department is in touch with local law enforcement on next steps in this matter,” he had said.
In the intervening night of July 1 and 2, some accused persons had again trespassed into the consulate and tried to burn it down while the officials were inside the building.
As part of the investigation, an NIA team had visited San Francisco in August to gather evidence and held meetings with local authorities.
Cauvery water | Supreme Court refuses to intervene, says criteria for fixing 5,000 cusecs flow neither irrelevant nor extraneous
The Supreme Court on Thursday refused to intervene either in favour of Karnataka or Tamil Nadu in the Cauvery water dispute, instead it banked on the combined expertise of the Cauvery Water Regulation Committee (CWRC) and the Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA) to manage the water sharing between the two neighbouring States.
A three-judge Bench headed by Justice B.R. Gavai said the CWMA and the CWRC, both represented by Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati, were regularly meeting every 15 days to review the water flow with due regard to the distress faced by both the States.
Senior advocates Mukul Rohatgi and G. Umapathy, for Tamil Nadu, said the CWRC had initially decided that the State required 7,200 cusecs of water from Karnataka, but had abruptly, in its final order, reduced the amount to 5,000 cusecs a day. The CWMA had in turn confirmed the CWRC order that Karnataka has to ensure Cauvery water releases from the Krishna Raja Sagara and Kabini reservoirs put together, so that the flows were realised at Biligundulu at the rate of 5,000 cusecs. Ms. Bhati submitted that the CWRC/CWMA orders had ensured a cumulative flow of water from Karnataka to Tamil Nadu amounting to 1,49,898 cusecs from August 12 to 26.
Mr. Rohatgi argued that the CWMA had “mechanically accepted” the CWRC decision. The State said the release of water was a dire necessity to meet the pressing demands of the standing crops.
On the other hand, senior advocate Shyam Divan, for Karnataka, said the daily flow of 5,000 cusecs of water was “against the interest” of the State. The State, especially in urban areas like Bengaluru, was on the brink of a drinking water crisis whereas Tamil Nadu was in need of water for only irrigation. Mr. Divan said the distress in Karnataka had increased in the past 15 days.
“The authorities should not have ordered Karnataka to give more than 3,000 cusecs per day,” Mr. Divan submitted.
“This water year of 2023-24 has begun on a bad note. The south-west monsoon which feeds the catchment in Karnataka has failed miserably. Even at the reservoir level, which covers a part of the catchment, the shortfall is 53.42%. If the shortfall is considered up to the inter-State border Biligundulu, where flows are accountable, shortfall and distress would be much more than 53.42%,” Karnataka said in its latest application.
The Bench, also comprising Justices P.S. Narasimha and P.K. Mishra, expressed satisfaction that the CWRC and the CWMA had considered all the factors, especially the drought situation, before fixing the water release at the rate of 5,000 cusecs. The court said the factors considered by the CWRC and the CWMA were neither irrelevant nor extraneous.
Meanwhile, farmers in Mandya resorted to a flash protest and staged a demonstration in the town and other parts of the district on September 21 soon after the Supreme Court verdict. The farmers assembled at Sanjay Circle in Mandya, which is the Cauvery heartland, to register their protest. Similar protests took place in Pandavpura and other parts of the district. A group of farmers from the Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha (KRRS) staged a protest in Srirangapatana. Chamarajanagar, T. Narsipur and other towns in the rural hinterland also witnessed protests by farmers.
50 injured in Manipur as groups of women throng police stations demanding release of 5 miscreants
At least 50 women suffered minor injuries as Central security forces and the police tried to disperse crowds that had gathered at several locations in the valley districts of Manipur demanding the release of five armed miscreants who were arrested last week, the police said on Thursday. The miscreants were also wearing police uniforms when they were arrested.
The Meira Paibi, a collective of Meitei women, had given a call to fill the jails on Thursday as an earlier 48-hour deadline, which included a shutdown in valley districts, demanding the release of the suspects lapsed.
The residence of the officer-in-charge of Singjamei police station in Imphal West was vandalised by a mob around 3.15 p.m. on Thursday. The Rapid Action Force (RAF), Centre’s anti-riot police, fired tear gas shells near Singjamei police station to disperse the mob. The violence in several parts of the State started around 1 p.m.
The five men who are in judicial custody are expected to be produced in court on Friday.
The police had said in a statement on September 17 that there have been reports of extortion threats, misuse of police uniform, and impersonation by armed miscreants. According to the First Information Report (FIR), the five accused were arrested on September 16 at Kongba near Meitei Mayek School in Imphal. Normal life has been affected in all the five valley districts since September 17, a day after the arrest of the five suspects.
On Thursday, hundreds of women thronged all the police stations in the valley urging the police to arrest them too. The women claimed that the five arrested men were village protection volunteers.
In Brief:
The Indian Space Research Organisation is looking to awaken the Chandrayaan-3’s Vikram Lander and Pragyan Rover as dawn will be breaking on the moon on September 22. The lander and the rover went to sleep after the end of one Lunar day (14 Earth days). On September 2, the Pragyan was put into sleep mode and two days later on September 4 the space agency put Vikram into sleep mode with its payloads switched off. Both the Vikram’s and Pragyan’s however have been receivers kept on. On September 22, with sunlight back on the moon, ISRO is hoping that their solar panel would get charged and that it could establish contact with the two. Once the Sun sets on the Moon after the completion of oneLunar day, temperature could plunge below minus 200°C.
Evening Wrap will return tomorrow.
Published - September 21, 2023 09:11 pm IST
