Defer panchayat polls by 4 months: Lobo

Navhind Times | 1 month ago | 18-05-2022 | 01:34 am

Complete the ward reservation process for Other Backward Classes, he demandsPanaji: Leader of Opposition Michael Lobo on Tuesday demanded the government to defer the panchayat polls by four months and to complete the reservation of wards for Other Backward Classes (OBCs) as per the Supreme Court’s ‘triple test’ order.He said that the government cannot deprive the OBCs of their rights to contest the elections.“The OBC commission is defunct in Goa and there is a need to revive it; injustice should not be done to any category of the OBCs. Reservation is their right, and for this, the election ought to be postponed. We, as the Congress Legislature Party, demand that this election be postponed for a period of four months,” Lobo said.Addressing a press conference at the State Legislative Complex in Porvorim, the Leader of the Opposition said that the government should consider appointing an administrator for every village panchayat, which is facing election, as there is no provision to give extension to the outgoing panchayat body.“The administrator can take forward the day-to-day affairs of the panchayat,” he noted.Quoting a paragraph from the top court’s pan-India judgment that mandates triple test exercise for reservation of wards for OBCs, Lobo pointed out that the election programme has not been issued by the State Election Commission and claimed that if it is not notified then the elections can be postponed. If need arises, the government by law can issue an ordinance to postpone the panchayat polls, he maintained.“We are demanding elections in October by following all directions of the apex court,” Lobo stated.He said that the Congress party will write to Chief Minister Pramod Sawant and the State Election Commission with a request to defer the polls. Meanwhile, Lobo alleged that in one of the wards of the village panchayat of Reis Magos delimitation has been carried out based on “religion” and not based on natural boundary or geographical continuity criteria.“Action should be initiated against the BLO and other concerned officials. People from one particular community have been placed in that ward. You cannot divide wards based on religion; the SEC ought to rectify it and re-do the process in a free and fair manner,” he said.

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TMC a non-starter in Tripura bypolls, leaders say party missed writing on wall

The Indian Express | 2 hours ago | 29-06-2022 | 11:40 am

The Indian Express

2 hours ago | 29-06-2022 | 11:40 am

The heady days of winter 2021 must seem to be from an age ago for the Trinamool Congress (TMC). The party’s morale in the North East was high, with a number of high-profile joinings, including that of virtually the entire Meghalaya Congress unit, and a respectable performance in the Tripura urban local body polls. With a vote share of around 20 per cent in the Agartala Municipal Corporation election, the party had left the CPI(M) behind while the Congress was nearly wiped out.The Tripura bypoll results have, however, dealt a setback to the TMC that also faced a bruising defeat in the Goa Assembly polls in February. TMC’s campaign managers concede that the party refused to see the writing on the wall in Tripura. The party failed to win any of the four seats that were at stake and its vote shares were also low. In Agartala, it received 2.1 per cent of the votes while the vote shares were 2.98 per cent in Jubarajnagar, 3.4 per cent in Surma, and 2.96 per cent in Town Bardowali.“By rejoining the Congress, Sudip Roy Barman changed the equation. He is a formidable face in Agartala, which sent him to the Assembly five times between 1998 and 2018. So, we could not repeat our performance here despite putting up a popular face,” said a TMC leader who was involved with the party’s campaign.Historical trends show that vote shares of parties swing wildly in Tripura, the country’s third-smallest state. The Congress’s vote share crashed from 36.5 per cent in the 2013 Assembly polls to 1.79 per cent in 2018, shifting to the BJP that saw its share rise from 1.5 per cent to 43.59 per cent.In the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, the Congress saw its share rise to 25.34 per cent and it shrank to 2.07 per cent in the urban local body polls. “That is when the party occupied some space. But it could not hold on to that as a local popular face infused fresh life into the Congress,” said the TMC leader.And due to the absence of a local face with a mass appeal in its state unit, the TMC was no match for the Congress that managed to get its support base revived in the urban areas, where the party performed well even during the heyday of the Left Front that governed Tripura from 1998 to 2018.“The party needs experienced people in its ranks, along with fresh blood,” said a senior TMC leader. The Tripura unit head, Subal Bhowmik, formerly with the BJP, has attributed the recent losses to “organisational weaknesses”.“The party still does not have a permanent office building in the state. There is no booth-level presence. The anti-BJP electorate also voted strategically. Why will they vote for a party that does not even have an office?” said the senior functionary on the condition of anonymity.On Tuesday, TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee said the party would not abandon its plans to grow in the state and would continue to fight.Meanwhile, TMC leaders in the state also claimed that the CPI(M) helped the Congress “as part of a tacit deal”. A party functionary said, “Even in 2018, CPI(M) candidate polled over 17,000 votes in the Agartala constituency. This time, it came down to a little over 6,000. In the Town Bardowali seat, which is also in the capital city, the Left Front candidate had received over 13,000 votes in 2018, while he got barely 3,000 votes.”Going ahead, the party, which maintains that Barman’s win does not signal a revival of the Congress, plans to focus on building a “grassroots narrative”. Said a local leader, “The launch of the party’s office space in Agartala will be a good beginning.”Meanwhile, the TMC will launch its Meghalaya office today in the presence of Abhishek Banerjee.

AAP to Cong, BJP to AIMIM: CMs, leaders condemn act, demand action

The Indian Express | 8 hours ago | 29-06-2022 | 05:40 am

The Indian Express

8 hours ago | 29-06-2022 | 05:40 am

The killing of a tailor in Udaipur by two men Tuesday for allegedly sharing remarks made by BJP’s Nupur Sharma on the Prophet drew condemnation from across the political spectrum, with leaders demanding exemplary punishment for the accused.This is what they said:Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal: “It is horrifying and gruesome. Such dastardly acts have no place in a civilized society. We condemn this in the strongest terms. The perpetrators of this crime should be punished severely.”Union Minister Bhupender Yadav: “The brutal murder of an innocent man in Rajasthan’s Udaipur shows that the Ashok Gehlot government is running a jungle raj. This is what happens when a dispensation makes appeasement its governance model. Reprehensible state of affairs.”Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan: “Strongly condemn the barbaric murder in Udaipur. Request the authorities to take stern action against those responsible. Such heinous acts would only serve to upset our harmonious living. Appeal to everyone to maintain peace and calm and let the law take its course.”Congress MP Rahul Gandhi: “I am deeply shocked by the heinous killing in Udaipur. Brutality in the name of religion cannot be tolerated. Those spreading terror through such brutality should be punished immediately. All of us have to defeat hatred together. I appeal to everyone to please maintain peace and brotherhood.”Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra: “The culprits should get the harshest punishment. Spreading hatred and violence in the name of religion is fatal for our country and society. We have to together strengthen the efforts for peace and non-violence.”AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi: “I condemn the gruesome murder in Udaipur, Rajasthan. There can be no justification for it. Our party’s consistent stand is to oppose such violence. No one can take law into their own hands. We demand that the state govt takes strictest possible action. Rule of law must be upheld.”Goa CM Pramod Sawant, in a post addressed to Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, said, “Mr CM, Police & Public Order is a State Subject and comes under your Government. The shocking incident of beheading of Shopkeeper Kanhaiya Lal in Udaipur is highly condemnable and proves the total failure of Law and Order in Rajasthan. Stop appeasement politics!”Congress MP Shashi Tharoor: “I unreservedly condemn the horrific beheading of shopkeeper Kanhaiya Lal in Udaipur by two Muslim youth, who then posted a gruesome video of the murder on social media. Bigotry & violence have no place in our society. The killers must receive exemplary punishment.”Former Rajasthan CM Vasundhara Raje:” The criminals are emboldened due to the appeasement policies of the state government. The government should unmask the individuals and organisations behind the incident and arrest them.”SP chief Akhilesh Yadav: “Every single person in the society has to come forward and save the country’s brotherhood from forces of hatred. Such criminals should be punished without delay so that enemies of the country’s peace and tranquility are not able to take advantage of it.”BSP chief Mayawati: “The gruesome killing of the tailor in Udaipur is very painful. No amount of condemnation is enough to describe it. Appeal to everyone to exercise restraint and help maintain law and order.”RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav: “Pained by the barbaric incident in Udaipur. Religious fundamentalism does not just make a person blind, it also robs him of the ability to think. One form of fundamentalism feeds another. The fanatics should get punished without any delay.”

Assembly archives intact, CM misguided: Goa Speaker

The Indian Express | 15 hours ago | 28-06-2022 | 10:40 pm

The Indian Express

15 hours ago | 28-06-2022 | 10:40 pm

Goa Assembly Speaker Ramesh Tawadkar on Tuesday said that archives of the state Assembly were intact and that Chief Minister Pramod Sawant may have been “misguided” when he said that records of the House from 1963 to 2000 were destroyed.On Monday, Sawant had said that records of the Assembly’s first session in 1963, and up to 2000, were destroyed when the Assembly was relocated from Adil Shah Palace in Panaji to Porvorim in 2000.“I wanted to preserve them, but they were destroyed. I am sorry, this should not have happened. Since 2000, we are preserving the records and their digitisation is being done,” Sawant had said on Monday while addressing the opening of a training programme for MLAs ahead of the monsoon session next month.On Tuesday, Tawadkar told The Indian Express, “The statement is incorrect. Somebody has misguided him (Sawant). All our documents are intact. Nothing has been destroyed.”Sawant, who was the Speaker in 2017, had said, “Old records of the Assembly proceedings, including speeches of Goa’s first chief minister, Dayanand Bandodkar, were destroyed when the Secretariat was shifted from the Adil Shah Palace building to the new complex in 2000.”Tawadkar, however, said that all documents, including Bandodkar’s speeches, questions and answers, and proceedings of the Assembly were available in digitised form. He also said, “I have told him (CM Sawant) that somebody has misguided him. The statement is not correct.”

Restaurant licences, CM post heat, all on the table as Cong leader and BJP minister take on each other in Goa

The Indian Express | 20 hours ago | 28-06-2022 | 05:40 pm

The Indian Express

20 hours ago | 28-06-2022 | 05:40 pm

Goa Town and Country Planning (TCP) Minister Vishwajit Rane and Congress leader Micheal Lobo’s ongoing spat – replete with verbal exchanges and show cause notices being sent to properties linked to Lobo – intensified Monday. Lobo commented that Rane was “targeting” him, the Leader of the Opposition, adding that Rane was acting like he was “above the Chief Minister”. Expectedly, Rana hit back within minutes.As businesses owned by Lobo and his wife Delilah Lobo, a Congress MLA, continue to get notices from the TCP and Food and Development Authority (FDA) under Rane, Lobo spoke to reporters on Monday and said: “He (Rane) wants to prove to the (BJP) high command that he can target the Leader of the Opposition and put him in his place. How can he put me in my place? Do we owe him anything? We have a panchayat licence, we have an FDA licence (for the restaurant).”Lobo added that Rane was acting like “Sattariche Raja (King of Sattari),” a reference to Rane’s five-time win as an MLA from Valpoi in the Sattari region.Accusing Rane of working “on his whims and fancies” and “using government staff like “slaves”, he said: “Has he gone crazy? Is he trying to show that he is above the Chief Minister? Whatever your differences over being CM are, those are between you (Rane and CM Pramod Sawant).”Lobo, who was a minister in the previous BJP government under CM Sawant and former chairman of the North Goa Planning and Development Authority (NGPDA), switched to the Congress this January winning the party the Calangute seat. Lobo said that he asked CM Sawant “to intervene in the matter as a minister in his cabinet was doing as he pleases and needed to be checked”.Within minutes of Lobo’s statement Monday, Rane put out a tweet, saying: “With so many illegalities occurring in the coastal belt, I would like to emphasise that any illegal structure that has obtained an FDA licence by presenting false documents will be cancelled after due process. The Leader of the Opposition cannot complain when a slew of illegalities are taking place. Please stop crying foul, the law will take its course. I would advise you to follow the rule of law, which is applicable to everyone,” he said.“It is my humble submission to the LoP to be patient,” Rane said in another tweet.This will be a 360 degree exercise, everything will be exposed. It is my humble submission to the LoP to be patient. I do sympathize with him & his party as they have established what they stand for in the country. According to me, the C stands for corruption.— VishwajitRane (@visrane) June 27, 2022“People of Goa know who is being impatient and desperate for the chair, which is the ultimate goal. I have been patient and want the law to take its own course…As the minister asks me to be patient till enquiries are complete, one wonders what makes him so impatient?” Lobo replied.even if I go to toilet he would tweet saying it is illegal and action would be initiated.@cmogoa @incindia @rahulgandhi @digambarkamat @amitpatkar @bjp4goaAs the minister asks me to be patient till enquiries are complete, one wonders what makes him so much impatient?— Michael Lobo (@MichaelLobo76) June 27, 2022However, with the Chief Ministership comment, Lobo may have struck a raw nerve.Rane’s ambition to be in the state’s top seat is no secret, with differences between him and the CM Sawant also surfacing from time to time.With both in the race for CM job after the Assembly results in March, the BJP had eventually gone again with Sawant, rooted in the RSS and a long-time BJP cadre member, over Rane, who left the Congress to join the BJP in 2017.Much before the elections, when Goa had seen acute oxygen shortage in the state-run Goa Medical College and Hospital during the second wave of Covid in May 2021, CM Sawant and Rane, then health minister, had been engaged in a “tiff” amid the crisis.Two properties in which Lobo is a partner – Hotel Baga Deck and Nazri Resort – had earlier got notices for illegal construction, while the FDA claimed to have found violations at Pisco by the beach in Anjuna, owned by his wife and Congress MLA Delilah Lobo.Claiming the violations as “flimsy”, like broken tiles, Lobo said: “So many ministers have also eaten at our restaurants. I asked them if there was anything wrong with our food? They said no, the food was very good…Nobody has filed any complaint against us.”Delilah said they had been running the businesses for 20-25 years, much before Lobo became an MLA. “Only now that we have joined the Congress, has something gone wrong? When all these years we were in the BJP, everything was fine?”

Goa Assembly’s records from 1963 to 2000 destroyed during relocation: CM Sawant

The Indian Express | 23 hours ago | 28-06-2022 | 02:40 pm

The Indian Express

23 hours ago | 28-06-2022 | 02:40 pm

The Goa Legislative Assembly’s records from 1963, when the House had its first session, till the year 2000 were destroyed during relocation of the secretariat, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said.“I wanted to preserve them. But they were destroyed. I am sorry, this should not happen. Now since 2000, we are preserving the records and their digitisation is being done,” Sawant said addressing a gathering on Monday.The Goa Assembly had its first session in 1963, he said.The old records of the Assembly proceedings, including speeches of Goa’s first chief minister Dayanand Bandodkar, were destroyed when the secretariat was shifted from the Adil Shah Palace building to the new complex in the year 2000, he said.“I had plans to digitise them (records) through CDs and other formats, so that in future new MLAs could use them. But, very sorry to say that while shifting of the secretariat, the records were destroyed,” the CM said.Sawant said when he became the Goa Assembly’s speaker, he came to know that these records were destroyed.The Goa Assembly has a long history since 1963. Be it defections, governments of 15 or 13 days, these references are used by other assemblies, he noted.All records of the Assembly proceedings should be digitised, he said.Goa was liberated from the Portuguese rule in 1961 and the first Assembly session was held under the leadership of Bandodkar in 1963.

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