India

Chandigarh, Sep 14 (IANS) A day after raking up allegations against the BJP's Central government for attempting to destabilise the AAP government in Punjab by offering hefty sums to its legislators, state Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema on Wednesday revealed the names of 11 legislators who were tried to be 'allured'.

The legislators were Dinesh Chadha, Raman Arora, Budh Ram, Kulwant Pandori, Narinder Kaur Bharaj, Rajnish Dahiya, Rupinder Singh Happy, Sheetal Angural, Manjit Singh Bilaspur, Labh Singh Ugoke and Baljinder Kaur.

However, the BJP dismissed the allegation by saying AAP was attempting to divert public attention from its governance failures.

Cheema alleged that even legislator Angural was given death threats.

"He's not the only one. Some of the other MLAs were also given death threats by the agents of the BJP, he alleged. Thirty-five legislators have been approached and 10 of these have been issued death threats, he said.

"I am taking these MLAs to meet the DGP, requesting him to investigate the matter. We are going to request him to file an FIR. We are submitting all proof against them, the minister added.

Addressing the media here, Cheema on Tuesday said under 'Operation Lotus' many leaders and agents of the BJP from Delhi and Punjab have approached at least 10 AAP MLAs on phone in the past seven days and offered Rs 25 crore to each to quit AAP and join the BJP.

He said they were offering to arrange meetings of AAP MLAs with Babu-ji (a top BJP leader) and also promised them Cabinet ministerial ranks after the BJP form the government in the state.

Lambasting the Modi government, Cheema said the BJP "is working as a serial killer in Punjab, and anti-national powers have joined forces to overthrow the AAP government in Punjab as they are unable to digest the dynamic functioning of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann-led government in the state."

"After using central investigation agencies against AAP leaders and offering money to MLAs in Delhi, now the BJP is attempting to buy MLAs in Punjab," Cheema said.

He said the BJP "is a serial killer which is bringing down the governments in every state one by one by coercing opposition party leaders with agencies and money. The next target in this murder of democracy under 'Operation Lotus' is Punjab."

"Wherever the BJP loses, these people form their government by breaking MLAs with help of the CBI, the ED and money. They did it in Goa, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Arunachal Pradesh. Now, they are doing it in Punjab," Cheema said.

--IANS
vg/uk

New Delhi, Sep 14 (IANS) The petitioners on Wednesday told the Supreme Court that according to the religious text, wearing of hijab was 'farz' (duty) and the courts were not equipped to determine its essentiality.

Senior advocate Rajeev Dhavan, representing some petitioners, submitted before a bench comprising Justices Hemant Gupta and Sudhanshu Dhulia that once it was shown that wearing a hijab is a bona fide practice then it was permitted, while citing the apex court's decision in Bijoe Emmanuel case. Dhavan said that the conclusion of the Karnataka High Court was puzzling, as it said hijab was not mandatory due to the absence of prescription of penalties.

The bench queried Dhavan that his argument was that the courts were not equipped to decide the matter, and if a dispute arises then which forum will decide it? Dhavan said what was the dispute? Whether hijab was an essential practice? He added that hijab was worn all over the country, and as long as it was bona fide and prevalent, the practice must be allowed and there was no need to refer to the religious text.

Dhavan argued that according to the tenets of the faith, if something has been followed, it was allowed, and if it was bona fide, there was no need to go back to the text. Also, if a belief of a community was proved then a judge was bound to accept that belief, instead of sitting on a judgment on that belief, he added.

Citing the Kerala High Court decision, he added that the analysis of the Quranic injunctions and the Hadiths would show that it was a 'farz' to cover the head. The bench queried, what was the basis of saying it was a 'farz'?

Justice Gupta told Dhavan, "You want us not to do what the Kerala High Court has done?" He replied that "if one were to interpret the text then the answer to it is farz, and if it is a ritual that is prevalent, and is bona fide, your lordships will allow."

Dhavan further added that the rationale in the Kerala case given by the Board was that it was a measure to prevent malpractices in the All India Pre Medical Test (AIPMT) in 2016, but in Karnataka case, there was no rationale given. He added that hijab was permitted across the board in public places, so what was the basis to say hijab can't be allowed in a classroom and was opposed to public order? Concluding his argument, Dhavan said there was no foundation in the government order against hijab, it violates Article 14 and 15, and this was not permissible in the Constitution.

The hearing in the matter will continue at 2 p.m.

The apex court was hearing submissions on the fifth day against the Karnataka High Court's judgement of March 15 upholding ban on Hijab in pre-university colleges.

--IANS
ss/dpb

Panaji, Sep 14 (IANS) In yet another setback to Congress in Goa, a group of eight MLAs led by Michael Lobo, who was removed from post of leader of opposition, joined the ruling BJP on Wednesday.

With this, the number of BJP legislators has gone up to 28 and strength to 33 in the 40-member Assembly.

Congress had 11 MLAs among the 40 members of the House. While BJP had 20 MLAs, which now increased to 28. However, the BJP had support of two MGP legislators besides three independent MLAs. Hence, the strength of the saffron party has gone up to 33 and that of Congress reduced to three.

Former Chief Minister Digambar Kamat, Michael Lobo, Delilah Lobo, Kedar Naik, Sankalp Amonkar, Rajesh Faldesai, Aleixo Sequeira and Rudolf Fernandes are the eight legislators which have switched parties.

After the formalities of merger, Lobo along with Digambar Kamat and Chief Minister Pramod Sawant addressed the media at the Assembly complex.

Michael Lobo, speaking to the media, said that eight Congress MLAs had called a CLP meeting in the morning and after discussion decided to merge with BJP.

"We took the resolution of the merging party and handed over a copy to the legislative secretary. We gave one copy to Chief Minister Pramod Sawant and informed the Assembly speaker about it," Lobo said.

"We have joined BJP to strengthen the hands of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Pramod Sawant and also for the development of Goa," Lobo said.

Former Chief Minister Digamabar Kamat said in politics, decisions are based on the circumstances. "I had said initially, that whatever was happening in Congress was not good. If you read the letter of Ghulam Nabi Azad, while leaving Congress, you can draw conclusions that instead of 'Bharat Jodo yatra' Congress should have launched 'Congress Jodo Yatra'," Kamat said.

"Citizens of our nation are treated with respect at international level under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Nobody dares to disrespect Indians in any country. Because such an environment has been created by our Prime Minister in the world. India will become a super power. While this is happening, Goa should not stay behind. For this to strengthen the Chief Minister and overall development of Goa we have joined BJP," Kamat praising the PM and Goa CM said.

Chief Minister Sawant said that Congress eight MLAS have merged with BJP. "I welcome them all. We will take BJP and Goa ahead,"Sawant said.

--IANS
sbk/shb/

Lucknow, Sep 14 (IANS) The Yogi Adityanath government, on Wednesday, thwarted the Samajwadi Party's dharna in protest against various issues concerning the people.

The SP had announced that its MLAs would hold a four-hour dharna from Wednesday to Sunday in front of Chaudhary Charan Singh's statue in the Vidhan Bhawan.

As soon as the SP MLAs collected at the Samajwadi Party office on Wednesday morning, the police barricaded the entire area.

SP president Akhilesh Yadav was prevented from coming out of his house while other senior leaders were also confined to their homes.

SP MLAs, carrying red and black placards denouncing the government's failures, shouted slogans and indulged in scuffle with the police personnel.

They were later bundled into vans and taken to the Eco Garden.

"They will be allowed to go home later in the day," the police spokesman said.

--IANS
amita/shb/

Jammu, Sep 14 (IANS) Nine persons were killed and 27 others injured on Wednesday in a road accident in Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch district.

Police sources said that a minibus went out of the driver's control near Brari Ballah in the Sawjian area of Poonch district.

"The minibus rolled down into a gorge. Nine persons were killed in this accident while 27 others were injured.

"Army rescue teams assisted by police and civilians shifted the injured to sub-district hospital in Mandi town.

"Attending doctors said the condition of 11 injured passengers is critical," police sources said.

J&K Lt. Governor, Manoj Sinha has announced Rs 5 lakh ex gratia compensation to the next of kin of those who lost their lives in the accident.

Sinha said on his official Twitter page, "Saddened by loss of lives due to a road accident in Sawjian, Poonch. Condolences to bereaved families.

"May the injured recover soon. Rs. 5 lakh would be given to the next of kin of deceased. Directed Police and Civil authorities to provide best possible treatment to the injured".

--IANS
sq/dpb

Thiruvananthapuram, Sep 14 (IANS) The Congress on Wednesday was left red faced when it was found that its Trissur district Congress committee office, which is being decked up to receive Rahul Gandhi's Bharat Jodo Yatra, was painted in the 'BJP' colour saffron.

But, soon after realising the folly and trolls in social media, the top leaders of the Congress party hurriedly got to undo the wrong.

After being painted in the saffron colour, painters were hurriedly working on the building again and were now painting it in white.

The painters claimed that they have had no role in the faux pas and they used the colour that was given to them

The Congress leaders had given the work of giving a fresh coat of paint depicting the Indian Tricolour.

--IANS
sg/dpb

Srinagar, Sep 14 (IANS) On October 2, electric train will start moving on the 137 kms long Banihal-Baramulla corridor of Jammu and Kashmir rail link.

Indian Railway officials said that work on the project was going on since August 2019.

The mandatory principal chief electrical engineer (PCEE) inspection of the electric rail link will take place on September 26 and on Gandhi Jayanti, the project will be inaugurated, the railway officials said.

"Trials on Baramulla-Budgam part of the 137-Kms long electric train link have already been completed while the trial on the remaining Budgam-Banihal portion will be carried out on September 20", sources said, adding that the project cost of the electric train link from Banihal to Baramulla is Rs 324 crore.

The electrification of the Banihal-Baramulla rail link will reduce air pollution and is expected to bring down the operational cost by 60 per cent.

--IANS
sq/dpb

New Delhi, Sep 14 (IANS) Climate science is clear. The world is heading in the wrong direction, a new multi-agency report coordinated by the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO), which highlights the huge gap between aspirations and reality, said.

Without much more ambitious action, the physical and socio-economic impact of climate change will be increasingly devastating, it warns.

The report, United in Science, shows that greenhouse gas concentrations continue to rise to record highs. Fossil fuel emission rates are now above pre-pandemic levels after a temporary drop due to lockdowns. The ambition of emissions reduction pledges for 2030 needs to be seven times higher to be in line with the 1.5 degrees Celsius goal of the Paris Agreement.

The past seven years were the warmest on record. There is a 48 per cent chance that, during at least one year in the next five years, the annual mean temperature will temporarily be 1.5 degrees higher than 1850-1900 average.

As global warming increases, "tipping points" in the climate system cannot be ruled out.

Cities that host billions of people and are responsible for up to 70 per cent of human-caused emissions will face increasing socio-economic impact. The most vulnerable populations will suffer most, says the report which gives examples of extreme weather in different parts of the world this year.

"Floods, droughts, heatwaves, extreme storms and wildfires are going from bad to worse, breaking records with alarming frequency. Heatwaves in Europe. Colossal floods in Pakistan. Prolonged and severe droughts in China, the Horn of Africa and the US. There is nothing natural about the new scale of these disasters. They are the price of humanity's fossil fuel addiction," said UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

"This year's United in Science report shows climate impacts heading into uncharted territory of destruction. Yet each year we double-down on this fossil fuel addiction, even as the symptoms get rapidly worse," Guterres added in a video message.

"Climate science is increasingly able to show that many of the extreme weather events that we are experiencing have become more likely and more intense due to human-induced climate change. We have seen this repeatedly this year, with tragic effect. It is more important than ever that we scale up action on early warning systems to build resilience to current and future climate risks in vulnerable communities. That is why WMO is spearheading a drive to ensure early warnings for all in the next five years," said WMO Secretary-General Petteri Taalas.

United in Science provides an overview of the most recent science related to climate change, its impacts and responses. The science is clear -- urgent action is needed to mitigate emissions and adapt to the changing climate, says the report.

It includes input from WMO (and its Global Atmosphere Watch and World Weather Research Programmes); the UN Environment Programme, the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction, the World Climate Research Programme, Global Carbon Project; UK Met Office, and the Urban Climate Change Research Network.

It includes relevant headline statements from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's sixth assessment Report.

--IANS
vg/khz/

New Delhi, Sep 13 (IANS) The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Tuesday recovered incriminating documents and digital evidence following raids at 36 locations across the country in connection with irregularities in the exams for Jammu and Kashmir Police Sub-Inspectors (JKPSI).

Raids were conducted at 36 locations in Jammu, Srinagar, Karnal, Mahendergarh and Rewari in Haryana, Gandhidham in Gujarat, Delhi, Ghaziabad in Uttar Pradesh and Bengaluru.

Searches were conducted at the premises of Khalid Jehangir, former Chairman of the Jammu and Kashmir Services Selection Board (JKSSB); Ashok Kumar Mann, then controller and an examiner; as well as some officials of the J&K Police and CRPF, including a DSP.

The CBI had registered the case on August 3 on the request of J&K government against 33 accused persons over allegations of irregularities in the written examination for the post of sub-inspector in J&K Police conducted by the JKSSB in March.

The results were declared on June 4. There were allegations regarding malpractices in the examination. The J&K government had constituted an inquiry committee to look into the matter. It was alleged that a conspiracy was hatched between officials of JKSSB, a Bengaluru-based private company, beneficiary candidates and others, leading to gross irregularities in the conduct of the written examin for sub-inspectors' post.

There was abnormally high percentage of selected candidates from Jammu, Rajouri and Samba districts. Violation of rules by JKSSB was found in assigning the task of setting the question paper to the Bengaluru-based private company.

Searches were earlier conducted on August 5 at 30 locations, including in Jammu, Srinagar and Bengaluru at the premises of the accused persons.

Investigation has revealed alleged payment of Rs 20-30 lakh by the willing candidates to the accused for accessing the question paper before the commencement of the examination.

--IANS
atk/arm

Patna, Sep 13 (IANS) Lalan Singh, the national president of JD-U, claimed on Tuesday that the country will become 'BJP-mukt Bharat' after the 2024 general elections.

His remarks came soon after BJP Rajya Sabha MP Sushil Kumar Modi tweeted that Daman and Diu has become 'mukt' from JD-U, adding that a revolt is expected to take place in JD-U's Bihar unit as well.

Earlier on Monday, in a big blow to Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, as many as 15 district panchayat members of JD(U)'s Daman and Diu unit joined the BJP, helping the saffron party storm to power in the Zila Panchayat.

Lalan Singh said: "Don't worry Sushil Ji, the country will become 'mukt' from BJP in 2024. The people of the country will get relief from communalism, price rise, unemployment, and an atmosphere of communal harmony will be established after the 2024 Lok Sabha elections."

--IANS
ajk/arm