Karnataka: Congress wins three seats, BJP bags one

Gourav Chandigarh/Shimla: Bharatiya Janata Party leader Jai Ram Thakur on Tuesday claimed that the Congress has lost the Rajya Sabha election and congratulated party’s candidate Harsh Mahajan for winning the polls.”Despite having such a huge majority, Congress lost the Rajya Sabha seat…I congratulate Harsh Mahajan once again,” Himachal Pradesh LoP and former Himachal chief minister Jai Ram Thakur told reporters.

Earlier today, Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Sukhu alleged that CRPF and Haryana Police convoy have taken away five to six Congress MLAs and urged the Himachal BJP leaders to have patience and not to threaten polling officers.”The manner in which the counting has begun and Opposition leaders are threatening the polling officers again and again is not right for democracy…They had halted the counting for long. I urge the Himachal BJP unit leaders to have patience, don’t put pressure on people…CRPF and Haryana Police convoy have taken away 5-6 MLAs,” CM Sukhu told reporters on Tuesday.

67 out of the total 68 legislators exercised their votes in the Rajya Sabha elections in Shimla, Himachal Pradesh. Sudarshan Singh Babloo, Congress MLA, has not come so far due to illness. He was hospitalised. There was fierce competition in Himachal Pradesh for the sole Rajya Sabha seat between Congress candidate Abhishek Manu Singhvi and the BJP’s Harsh Mahajan. Notably, the Congress has a clear majority with 40 out of 68 MLAs and the support of three independent MLAs. Despite the fact that the BJP, with 25 MLAs, is far behind in the number game, it has forced a contest by fielding Mahajan against Singhvi. Earlier on Sunday, the Congress issued a whip to its MLAs to vote for party candidate Abhishek Manu Singhvi.

Following the whip, all the candidates will have to show the ballot to the authorised agent, who can declare a vote invalid if any MLA refuses to show the ballot.Voting for 56 Rajya Sabha seats from 15 states, which are falling vacant in April, were being held on Tuesday. The term for Rajya Sabha MPs is six years, and elections are held after every two years for 33 per cent of the seats. Currently, the Rajya Sabha has a strength of 245 members.The Rajya Sabha MPs are elected by the MLAs in an indirect election through the system of proportional representation. They are mostly foregone conclusions, with elections being held unopposed and all party candidates sailing through. (ANI)

Himachal BJP leaders to meet Governor, demand floor test today

After the ruling Congress in Himachal Pradesh faced a humiliating defeat owing to crossvoting by six of its legislators for the lone Rajya Sabha seat, BJP leader and Leader of Opposition Jai Ram Thakur will meet Governor Shiv Pratap Shukla on Wednesday morning to demand floor test in the ongoing Budget session against the government. As per the schedule of the Legislative Assembly, the Budget for 2024-25 is slated to be passed on Wednesday and during the session the BJP will demand voting, rather than voice vote on the floor of the House, as the Congress government is in “minority”.

After nine legislators, comprising six Congress and three Independents, the BJP strength in the House rose to 34, from 25. The ruling strength of legislators has reduced from 40 to 34, the half-way mark in the 68-member House. In the voting for the Rajya Sabha seat, both the Congress candidate Abhishek Manu Singhvi and BJP’s Harsh Mahajan had both received 34 votes each, however Mahajan won by draw of lots.

In a stunning upset, the six Congress MLAs who cross-voted were Sudhir Sharma (Dharamsala) and Rajinder Rana (Sujanpur), both ministerial aspirants; Inder Dutt Lakhanpal (Badsar); Ravi Thakur (Lahaul-Spiti); Chaitnaya Sharma (Gagret); and Devender Bhutto (Kutlehar). The three Independent MLAs too voted in favour of the BJP.

It is likely that at least four to five more Congress legislators will vote against Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu during the voting of the Budget passing as they are miffed over his confrontationist style and inability to take the legislators along with him.

The post ‘KHELA’ in HP: Congress lost Rajya Sabha seat, claims BJP’s Jai Ram Thakur appeared first on The Correspondent.

The court said that enforcing a notice period on the couple is tantamount to intruding on their fundamental right to privacy and liberty.

“If the couple does not want to go for publication of the 30-day notice, the marriage officer has to solemnise their wedding forthwith,” said Justice Vivek Chaudhary while disposing of a habeas corpus petition filed by a Hindu man married to a woman who was born Muslim but converted before the wedding.

Petitioner Abhishek Kumar Pandey alleged that his wife Sufiya Sultana was being held captive by her father because she had converted and got married according to Hindu rituals.

Justice Chaudhary based his judgment on three key observations.

First, the law must keep evolving with time and societal change.

Second, it should not violate anyone’s privacy, a fundamental right underscored in several orders of the Supreme Court.

Lastly, when there is no provision of a 30-day notice period to get married under various personal laws, why should this be mandatory under the Special Marriage Act?

The court, however, clarified that the onus would be on the marriage officer to verify the identity, age and valid consent of the couple and their eligibility to marry under the relevant law.

“In case the marriage officer has any doubt, it shall be open for him to ask for appropriate details or proof as per the facts of the case,” the court said.

Responding to an earlier directive, the father of Sufiya a.k.a. Simran had produced his daughter in court.

During the course of the hearing, she and Abhishek told the court that they were consenting adults who had married of their free will because they wanted to live together.

Simran’s father thereafter gave his personal consent to their marriage.

While the case was amicably closed, the court took notice of the fact that under the Special Marriage Act, it is mandatory to give 30 days’ notice for an interfaith couple to legalize their union.

Abhishek and his bride had pleaded before the court that any such notice would be an invasion of their privacy and cause unnecessary social pressure and interference in their decision to marry. They also pointed out that many interfaith couples face the same challenge.

The petitioner’s counsel said the circumstances had become even more difficult for couples in Uttar Pradesh under the Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Ordinance, 2020, which treats conversion through marriage as ‘illegal and punishable’.

He argued that in the light of changes in society, amendments to the Special Marriage Act and various judgments of the Supreme Court in regard to the privacy, liberty and freedom of choice of a person, it is imperative to revisit the provision for a 30-day notice period and understand whether this is to be treated as mandatory or directory in nature.

Citing various orders of the Supreme Court and recommendations of the Law Commission of India in 2008, the court concluded: “…the procedure of publication of notice and inviting objections to the intended marriage in Act of 1954 thus has to be such that would uphold the fundamental rights and not violate the same. No reasonable purpose is achieved by putting the provision of 30 days’ notice publication under the Special Marriage Act.

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With the first-of-its-kind facility in the state, the production of sulphur-less sugar will also facilitate timely payments to the sugarcane farmers.

The state government, from its resources, had financed the revival of both these defunct sugar mills and later also financed the installation of the plant and machinery of the sulphur plant.

The total daily cane crushing capacity of the two sugar mills is 50,000 quintals.

During the current cane crushing season 2020-21, both the mills are expected to purchase 65 lakh quintals of cane from the farmers.

The 2020-21 crushing season in the mills began last month and production of the sulphur-free sugar will start from Wednesday.

The Pipraich sugar mill produced 4.43 lakh quintals of traditional sugar during the last cane crushing season (2019-20) and the Munderva mill produced 4.02 lakh quintals of sugar during the same period.

The two mills also generated 315 MW and 418 MW power respectively and earned revenue of over Rs 32 crore.

The Gorakhpur and Basti sugar mills have also cleared 100 per cent dues of Rs 14,523 lakh and Rs 13,986 lakh to the sugarcane farmers for the last cane crushing season.

The sugar corporation said both the sugar mills would make immediate payments to the farmers during the current season.

For sulphur-less sugar production units, two new turbines at a cost of Rs 25 crore each have been installed in the mills and the carbon-dioxide that is used in the process will be supplied free of cost from the distilleries.

The production process of sulphur-less sugar is eco-friendly and it also enhances the soil fertility. It is also safer and healthier for the consumers as compared to the conventional sugar.

The sugar that is generally used in Indian households contributes to health problems like obesity and tooth decay and it also does not contain nutrients like vitamins and minerals.

The traditional technique of sugar production uses sulphur-dioxide and lime to clean sugarcane juice. Some amount of sulphur is left behind after the completion of the process and it is harmful to health.

Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh is set to begin production of sulphur-less or sulphur-free sugar in the state when Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath inaugurates two plants in Basti and Gorakhpur sugar mills on Wednesday.

With the first-of-its-kind facility in the state, the production of sulphur-less sugar will also facilitate timely payments to the sugarcane farmers.

The state government, from its resources, had financed the revival of both these defunct sugar mills and later also financed the installation of the plant and machinery of the sulphur plant.

The total daily cane crushing capacity of the two sugar mills is 50,000 quintals.

During the current cane crushing season 2020-21, both the mills are expected to purchase 65 lakh quintals of cane from the farmers.

The 2020-21 crushing season in the mills began last month and production of the sulphur-free sugar will start from Wednesday.

The Pipraich sugar mill produced 4.43 lakh quintals of traditional sugar during the last cane crushing season (2019-20) and the Munderva mill produced 4.02 lakh quintals of sugar during the same period.

The two mills also generated 315 MW and 418 MW power respectively and earned revenue of over Rs 32 crore.

The Gorakhpur and Basti sugar mills have also cleared 100 per cent dues of Rs 14,523 lakh and Rs 13,986 lakh to the sugarcane farmers for the last cane crushing season.

The sugar corporation said both the sugar mills would make immediate payments to the farmers during the current season.

For sulphur-less sugar production units, two new turbines at a cost of Rs 25 crore each have been installed in the mills and the carbon-dioxide that is used in the process will be supplied free of cost from the distilleries.

The production process of sulphur-less sugar is eco-friendly and it also enhances the soil fertility. It is also safer and healthier for the consumers as compared to the conventional sugar.

The sugar that is generally used in Indian households contributes to health problems like obesity and tooth decay and it also does not contain nutrients like vitamins and minerals.

The traditional technique of sugar production uses sulphur-dioxide and lime to clean sugarcane juice. Some amount of sulphur is left behind after the completion of the process and it is harmful to health.

The post Yogi to inaugurate 2 sulphur-free sugar plants appeared first on The Correspondent.

The police intervened just before the rituals began. “This is exactly what is going to happen now. The police will decide whether a marriage can take place or not. The courts have said that no one can stop consenting adults from living together but with this law, it is the police that will take a call,” said Maroof Ali, a young techie.

Shirish Gupta, a relative from bride’s side, was equally upset. “The marriage was taking place in the presence of both the families but the police stopped the ceremonies. The guests were sent back without dinner. Could have never imagined such an incident would take place in Independent India,” he said.

A Muslim cleric, who did not wish to be named, said: “Our apprehensions have come true sooner than expected. The police are now running the state and individual freedom has been mopped up by this new law.”

According to reports, a Hindu Mahasabha district president Brijesh Shukla had submitted a complaint about the wedding in writing. The police reached the venue on Wednesday night where Raina Gupta, 22, was to marry her childhood friend Mohammad Asif, 24.

The wedding was to be first solemnised according to Hindu rituals and then as per Muslim tradition.

Additional DCP (South Zone) Suresh Chandra Rawat said: “When the police reached the venue, they found that preparations were underway to conduct marriage rituals as per Hindu traditions. Later, the wedding was to be solemnised through Muslim rituals. The wedding was taking place with the consent of both families, but the planned religious ceremonies could not have been conducted without conversion.”

The ADCP said the marriage was stopped in accordance with Sections 3 and 8 (clause two) of the recently promulgated Uttar Pradesh Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Ordinance, 2020, which states that nobody should convert or attempt to convert directly or otherwise any person from one religion to another “by use or any practice of misrepresentation, force, undue influence, coercion, allurement or by any fraudulent means or by marriage”.

Abetment, convincing or conspiring to carry out such conversion is also punishable under the new law. No FIR has been lodged in the matter since the couple had the consent of both families.

Vijay Gupta, the bride’s father, said that there was no forced religious conversion for the marriage and that both families had unconditionally given their consent to the union.

“I was unaware, until the police told us, that even after consent from all the parties, an interfaith marriage can be held only with the district magistrate’s approval.” Raina and Mohammad Asif can now marry only after two months from the date of informing the District Magistrate.

The post Police stall interfaith marriage in Lucknow appeared first on The Correspondent.

The dog died on Tuesday and was buried with full honours by the Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC) personnel.

The Prime Minister had praised the PAC for taking care of the canine in his programme.

The dog was named after Rakesh, a tea stall owner who had kept the dog for some time.

Aziz-ur-Rehman Khan, head constable, said, “A tea stall owner Rakesh, used to take care of the stray dog. However, he went back to his hometown after the first lockdown due to Covid-19, leaving the dog behind.”

Over the months, all the trainee jawans — constables and head constables — developed love for the stray dog and named him ‘Rakesh’.

‘Rakesh’ was five years old when he died.

The post Dog, mentioned in ‘Mann Ki Baat’, dies in Meerut appeared first on The Correspondent.

He has sought permission to end his life if the demands are not met.

Copies of the letter have been forwarded to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, home minister Amit Shah, chief minister Yogi Adityanath and district magistrate of Ayodhya.

According to the Mahant, his charter of demands is in national interest and ‘aims at preventing another division of the country.’

The demands include a law for population control, implementation of the uniform civil code, declaring India as a Hindu Rashtra, free education for girls, employment for youth, declaring cow as a protected national entity and declaring Ramayana as a national epic and making it a part of all syllabus.

The Mahant said, “I have sent this letter with seven demands to President. If the demands cannot be fulfilled, I should be given permission to end my life.”

The Mahant, in October, had proceeded on indefinite fast support of his demand for a Hindu Rashtra. He was forced to end his fast by the police when his condition started deteriorating.

The post Ayodhya Saint Has 7 Demands, Wants To End Life appeared first on The Correspondent.

“From the reports of crime against women UP, it is clear that women are not safe in the state. A number women have ended their lives because no one has responded to their problems,” she said. Priyanka also listed about ten incidents of crime against women in UP.

Priyanka has been regularly lashing out at the growing incidents of crime against women in the state and has been criticizing the Yogi Adityanath government on the issue.

The post Priyanka questions Yogi about ‘Mission Shakti’ appeared first on The Correspondent.

The Chief Minister, while speaking at the ‘Deepotsav’ ceremony here, said that under the guidance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the country and its people have not only survived the pandemic, but are on the road to recovery.

Comparing the present government’s commitment to ensure ‘Ram Rajya’ under the leadership of Modi, Adityanath said that 2020 has been a significant year in ways more than one.

“Those who had dreamt of the Ram temple being built are now seeing it turn into reality. The Deepotsav is being held amid Covid protocols and the world is watching the event virtually,” he said.

The Chief Minister also listed the various schemes that the state and the Central government had laid down for the poorest of the poor.

He said that the Prime Minister had a vision to turn Ayodhya into the world’s most beautiful Ramayana city.

“I promise you that I will work towards fulfilling his vision. There is no room for injustice and the state and Central government are working towards it,” he said.

Meanwhile, as soon as the sun went down, lights went up in Ayodhya and the ghats of Saryu glittered with 5.51 lakh earthen lamps, creating a scintillating view.

The laser fireworks left the people spellbound and the atmosphere turned surreal as the lights blinked through the winter mist.

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Till last year, thousands of widows clad in white sarees came together to celebrate the festival of lights. However, the gathering this year was much smaller in view of the restrictions imposed to check the spread of COVID-19.

These women celebrate Diwali, which falls on November 14 this year, two to three days before the rest of the country. The celebration was held at KC Ghat along the Yamuna.

Laxmi Devi, who came to Vrindavan in 2019, said she was happy to have joined others in celebrating the festival.

“I was in Titagarh (in West Bengal) and had no one to call family after my husband passed away. I worked in people”s houses and was at their mercy even for food. Celebrating a festival was unimaginable for me there,” Laxmi, in her sixties, told PTI over the phone.

Shanti”s experience was no different.

“It feels really good. We celebrate Diwali here every year. This time only some of us could come to the ghat, others would be lighting diyas at the ashrams,” said Shanti, who is fondly called ”Shanti maa” by her peers.

Shanti, almost 70 years old, came to Vrindavan from Varanasi over a decade ago.

This is the eighth year when the widows symbolically participated in the celebration of the festival of lights, according to the Sulabh Hope Foundation, an NGO which supports these women.

“On a routine basis, Sulabh provides them medical facilities and vocational training besides meeting their day-to-day needs so that they do not feel left out during the twilight years of their lives,” said Vinita Verma, the foundation”s vice president.

The post Widows of Vrindavan celebrate Diwali on banks of Yamuna appeared first on The Correspondent.

Through this campaign, youth will get a chance to apply for jobs in the government departments, councils, corporations, etc. With the help of the government efforts, many new opportunities for the private sector will also be created. Finalising the action plan of ‘Mission Rozgar’, Uttar Pradesh Chief Secretary Rajendra Kumar Tiwari said, “Under Mission Rozgar, a programme will be organised to create more employment and self-employment jobs in various departments, organisations, voluntary organisations, corporations, councils, boards and various local bodies of the state government.

An employment help desk will be created in every department and organization. It will inform the youth of availing the benefit of employment programs related to the respective departments. The chief secretary said that a database of employment will be prepared in the state. In this regard, an app and a web portal is also being developed by the Directorate of Training and Employment. Data related to employment will be updated every fortnight on the portal.

Under the administrative departments, all the directorates, corporations, boards, commissions, etc. will nominate a nodal officer to keep everything on track. The entire ‘Mission Rozgar’ campaign will be conducted through Infrastructure and Industrial Development Commissioner (IIDC) and a high-level committee headed by the chief secretary will monitor the campaign monthly.

In every district, there will be a committee under the chairmanship of the district magistrate who will prepare an action plan at the district level for jobs and careers. The Directorate of Training and Employment in collaboration with private industries will also organize employment fairs and will address all the pending recruitment cases.

The post Yogi to launch ‘Mission Rozgar’ after Diwali appeared first on The Correspondent.