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Cracks in INDIA bloc come to fore over resolution against Emergency, BJP rubs it in

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New Delhi, June 26 (IANS) The resurgent Congress-led INDIA bloc has been latching on to every opportunity to corner the BJP-led NDA while reiterating that, as the voice of India, they will keep the government on a tight leash.

However, unity within the INDIA bloc seems to be wavering with the group purportedly struggling to put forth a united stand against the Narendra Modi dispensation.

Within three days of the commencement of the 18th Lok Sabha proceedings, the Opposition has found itself divided on a couple of issues, including the resolution on Emergency, dissenting voices on the division of votes for the Speaker election, and also the choice of the INDIA bloc’s Speaker candidate.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), soon after NDA candidate Om Birla won the Speaker’s election by voice vote on Wednesday, called out the ‘myth of Opposition unity’ and said that Congress was being forced to ‘hide its face’.

Rubbing in further, BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawala said that key allies of the Congress, including DMK, Samajwadi Party, and Trinamool Congress, moved away from it when the former opposed the resolution on Emergency.

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Notably, the Congress and its INDIA allies have been taking potshots at the NDA over picking Om Birla as Speaker for a second term while accusing the latter of insulting the mandate by ignoring the longest-serving Congress MP for the top post of the Lower House.

However, the Opposition found itself under the cloud as the differences and dissent within the bloc came to the fore, and its narrative of ‘save the Constitution’ was destroyed by NDA’s resolution against the Emergency.

Tussle over Speaker candidate

While the BJP and its allies finalised Om Birla as its candidate for the post of Speaker, the Congress-led INDIA bloc saw dissent and differences within on zeroing in on a nominee for the post.

The Congress projected K. Suresh, the longest-serving eight-time MP from Kerala, as its candidate but this left the Trinamool sulking as it reportedly wasn’t taken into confidence.

Trinamool, being the third biggest alliance partner in the INDIA bloc, didn’t hold back in expressing its displeasure, and the same was conveyed to the Congress high command. Mamata Banerjee herself called it a unilateral decision, following which Rahul Gandhi spoke to the Bengal CM over the phone and sought to pacify her.

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On Wednesday, the animated discussion between Rahul Gandhi and Trinamool MP Abhishek Banerjee in the Parliament complex also gave credence to the speculation of dissent within the bloc.

Speaker’s election

NDA candidate and three-time MP Om Birla enjoyed a comfortable edge over eight-time MP K. Suresh, and was tipped to win the race easily. The election for the Speaker’s post was necessitated after the BJP refused to give in to Congress’ demand for the Deputy Speaker’s post as per the convention.

Accordingly, the Congress fielded K. Suresh for the post, but reports suggest that its ally partners, including the NCP and SP, were not keen on the contest as they didn’t want to be seen as the ones breaking the Parliamentary convention of getting the Speaker elected unopposed.

When it came to voting, the Opposition camp looked divided as there was no unanimity on whether to go by voice vote or seek division of votes. Multiple partners spoke in multiple voices, leading to chaos.

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Trinamool preferred a voice vote and so did the Congress. Jairam Ramesh later also put it on record that INDIA bloc parties could have insisted on division of votes but “opted for voice vote to promote the spirit of consensus”.

Resolution against Emergency

This again brought the differences between the INDIA bloc allies to the fore, even though the constituents tried hard to give a semblance of unity.

As newly elected Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla read out the resolution against the Emergency, it drew loud protests from the Congress but its allies, including Samajwadi Party and Trinamool, the second and third biggest partners in the alliance, came out in support, causing further heartburn.

Speaker Om Birla not only described the 21 months of Emergency as a ‘dark chapter’ in Indian democracy, but also asked the members to observe a two-minute silence.

–IANS

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MP CM to thank Centre for three new criminal laws in Assembly on Tuesday

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Bhopal, July 1 (IANS) Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav will address the Assembly on Tuesday to thank the Central government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the implementation of three new criminal laws — the Bharatiya Nayay Sanhita (BNS), the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), and the Bharatiya Sakhya Adhiniyam (ASA), which replaced the Indian Penal Code (IPC), Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), and the Indian Evidence Act, respectively, with effect from July 1.

Calling the three new laws a historic step, CM Yadav said India finally has its own laws to provide justice to its people, adding that July 1 will be remembered as a significant day for both the nation and the state.

“I will address the Assembly on the three new criminal laws on Tuesday and thank Prime Minister Narendra Modi for this historic step,” CM Yadav told mediapersons after the first day of the monsoon session of Madhya Pradesh Assembly.

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Meanwhile, the police said the first FIR under the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita (BNS) was lodged at the Hanumanganj police station in Bhopal at 12:16 a.m. on Tuesday against a person for using abusive language, just 16 minutes after the new laws came into force.

The second and third FIRs under the new laws were also registered in Bhopal at the Nishatpura police station (12:20 a.m.) and Shahjahanabad police station (12:22 a.m.).

A total of 10 FIRs were registered in the next hour, including eight in Bhopal.

ADGP (law and order) Jaydeep Prashad said, “Over 60,000 police personnel have been trained on the new criminal laws. More training sessions and awareness programmes are underway.”

–IANS

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Drugs, contraband valued at Rs 6cr seized in Tripura, Mizoram

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Agartala/Aizawl, July 2 (IANS) Security forces in Tripura and Mizoram seized heroin and areca nuts (betel nuts) valued at over Rs 6 crore and arrested three drug peddlers including a woman in this connection, an official said on Monday.

North Tripura district Superintendent of Police Bhanupada Chakraborty said that acting on a tip off, the police on Sunday night intercepted a vehicle coming from neighbouring Assam and recovered 408 grams of heroin valued at Rs 4 crore.

Two drug peddlers, identified as Sohel Miah and Dilwar Hussain — both residents of the bordering Sonamura subdivision of Sepahijala district, who were travelling in the vehicle, were arrested.

According to police, the drugs, which were coming from Myanmar via neighbouring Mizoram, were intended for Sonamura and then to Bangladesh.

“North Tripura district police alone seized heroin worth Rs 30 crore from various parts of the district in June,” Chakraborty told IANS.

In Mizoram, Assam Rifles, along with police personnel in the state have recovered heroin valued at Rs 56,000 on Sunday at Melbuk in Champhai district from a woman, who was also arrested.

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In another operation, Assam Rifles recovered 273 bags of Areca Nuts worth Rs 1.52 crore at Ruantlang in Champhai district during a special Area Domination Patrol on Sunday.

–IANS

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11 Bangladeshi nationals held in Tripura for illegal entry into India

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Agartala, July 1 (IANS) Eleven Bangladeshi nationals, including six women, were arrested from the Agartala railway station for illegally entering India without valid documents, the police said on Monday.

Acting on a tip-off, Government Railway Police (GRP) personnel arrested the Bangladeshi nationals, aged between 20 and 40 years, from the railway station on Sunday night.

During interrogation, it was revealed that the Bangladeshi nationals were planning to go to Delhi and other Indian cities from Tripura in search of jobs.

With the latest arrests, 22 Bangladeshi nationals have been held from the Agartala railway station in the last three days, while over 81 citizens from the neighbouring country have been arrested in Tripura in the last two months.

All the Bangladeshi nationals had entered Tripura through a clandestine route, intending to go to other states of the country in search of jobs.

–IANS

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Odisha CM Mohan Majhi says govt's main priority is to listen to people's grievances

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Bhubaneswar, July 2 (IANS) Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Monday said his government’s first priority is to listen to the grievances of the common citizen.

Speaking on the occasion of resuming the Chief Minister’s grievance cell at Unit V here on Monday, CM Majhi stated: “During the previous government, there existed an iron wall between the government and people and I think the grievances of the people could not be redressed due to this reason. Today, the wall has been destroyed. A direct link between the government and people has been established.”

Majhi also stated that he will listen to the grievances of people at the cell here every Monday. Emphasising on the need for a robust grievances redressal process at district level, the Chief Minister said that hearing of grievances at the district level also resumed from on Monday.

Majhi asserted that around 99 per cent of the complaints received on Monday will be solved. As many as 1,540 complaints were registered while 5,000 people visited the cell on Monday.

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The other members of state cabinet including Deputy CM K.V. Singh Deo, Ganesh Ram Singkhuntia, Minister of Forest, Environment and Climate Change Department, Pradeep Bal Samanta, Minister of Department of Co-operation, and Krushna Chandra Mahapatra, Minister of Housing and Urban Development were also present during the hearing of grievances at the cell on Monday.

Notably, the chief minister’s grievance cell started functioning after a gap of almost 16 years on Monday.

Former Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik had reportedly heard grievances at the CM’s grievance cell for the last time in August 2008.

–IANS

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JD(U) MLA hospitalised after fainting at disaster committee meeting in Nalanda

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Patna July 2 (IANS) JD(U) MLA Hari Narayan Singh was hospitalised after his health condition deteriorated during a disaster committee meeting in Bihar’s Nalanda district on Monday.

Singh, who represents the Harnaut Assembly constituency, fainted as soon as he reached the Hardev Bhawan in Nalanda for the meeting. He was rushed to the Sadar Hospital for treatment, from where he was referred to the Medanta Hospital in Patna.

Many JD(U) leaders and workers, including its Legislative Councilor representative Akhlaq Ahmed, gathered at the hospital following the incident. Ahmed said Singh’s health condition worsened as soon as he entered the auditorium for the meeting.

“Singh felt dizzy on his way to the meeting, leading to his hospitalisation. He was already undergoing treatment at the Medanta Hospital in Patna, which is why he was referred there for further treatment,” said Nalanda DM Shashank Shubhankar.

–IANS

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