Central News Hub

Category: Politics

JPC on Waqf Bill gets extension till budget session

Opposition members have been seeking an extension of the term of the joint committee to listen to more stakeholders…reports Asian Lite News

The bill to amend the Waqf Act is unlikely to be taken up in the winter session of Parliament, with the joint committee set up to examine it set to seek an extension to present its report.

Joint Parliamentary Committee chairman Jagdambika Pal said on Wednesday that he will move a resolution for extending the term of the panel, which is examining the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024.

Opposition members have been seeking an extension of the term of the joint committee to listen to more stakeholders.

Jagdambika Pal said opposition members should not boycott the proceedings of the committee over their demands.

“In these three months, we had 29 meetings, more than 147 delegations came… We have given opportunity to all the organisations. That’s the mandate the JPC had… If they (opposition MPs) think that we need to hear some more people – the way shouldn’t be boycotting the meeting… I have listened to what all the members had to say, including Sanjay Singh, Kalyan Banerjee, Asaduddin Owaisi… I have an opinion that I will tomorrow move a resolution in the House for the extension of the tenure of JPC,” Jagdambika Pal said.

Jagdambika Pal and BJP MP Dilip Saikia would move the motion to extend time for the presentation of the Report of the Joint Committee on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024 up to the last day of the Budget Session, 2025.

Opposition MPs on Wednesday walked out of the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) meeting, citing concerns that the committee had left many state boards unheard.

Jagdambika Pal earlier said that some members had spoken about the need to invite other stakeholders and the term of the panel should be extended.

“Today, Nishikant Dubey and other members raised that we have to invite and hear some other stakeholders, state officials…So, we feel that we should extension…I will consider this and then we will bring a resolution before Lok Sabha tomorrow or the day after,” he said.

“Today in the meeting, we posed questions to Ministry of Minority Affairs. They will answer those questions. We had a few questions that there are 123 properties of Govt of India in Delhi dating back to 1911…Later the Waqf Board laid its claim on those properties. So, for clarification on that Ministry of Urban Development and DDA will have to be called. Similarly, Odisha, UP, MP, Rajasthan, Bihar – a total of 6 states – where government properties are being claimed by the Waqf. So, we asked the Ministry’s Secretary today that we have not received the response on this…So, we will also have to call State’s Chief Secretaries or Secretaries of Minority Affairs in states,” he added.

Aparajita Sarangi said there was uproar concerning the possibility of submission of the report.

“The Opposition members staged a walkout and many of the ruling party members went out of the room to request them to come and join the deliberations. Today, we had a hearing of the Ministry of Minority Affairs and there were extensive deliberations on various amendments proposed in the Waqf Amendment Bill 2024. The uproar basically sprang from their request regarding the submission of the report. So, there was a lot of debate regarding this,” she said.

Sarangi said ruling party members also felt that there should be some kind of extension.

“So, I think some time is definitely required so it was unanimously resolved that the committee would be requesting the Lok Sabha Speaker for the extension in the date of the submission of the report by the committee up to the end of Budget Session of 2025,” she said.

Speaking to the media after leaving the meeting, AIMIM MP Asaduddin Owaisi said many stakeholders want to give their views.

“The mandate is that the report should be given on the 29th (of November). How can we give it? There is a procedure that must be followed, which has not been done. Most importantly, this committee hasn’t visited Bihar or West Bengal. There are many stakeholders we want to be heard. Why is this committee not allowing all the stakeholders to participate?”

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MP Sanjay Singh stated that any submission of report before hearing all stakeholders will be inappropriate.

“Until the report is finalised, all stakeholders are heard, and the JPC tour is completed, submitting a draft report is wrong. The Speaker had assured us that he would extend the JPC’s timeline… Yet, side-lining all these issues, you claim the draft report is ready for submission. The Delhi, Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, and Uttar Pradesh governments have not been heard,” Singh said.

Trinamool Congress MP Kalyan Banerjee said some important stakeholders have not been called.

“The fundamental issue is this: only those associated with or close to the BJP were brought in, and days have been wasted. States with the largest Waqf properties, including Delhi, were not called. People have died in Sambhal over Waqf property issues, yet they are not taking these matters seriously,” he said.

Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi alleged that the procedure was biased.

“We raised two important questions: the assurances given by the Speaker (Lok Sabha) are not being fulfilled by the (JPC) chairman. There seems to be no balance between the government and the Speaker. I believe some senior Union minister is directing the chairman (of the JPC). Secondly, the process is incomplete. The chairman claims the report is ready, but we do not wish to be part of a biased procedure,” Gogoi said.

YSRCP MP Vijay Sai Reddy also called for consultation with more stakeholders.

“Before the agenda item was taken up for consideration, a significant number of members, particularly non-BJP members, requested the chairman (JPC) to extend the stipulated timeline. By the 29th (of November), the JPC will not be in a position to complete the proceedings. Many state Waqf boards and stakeholders have not been given the opportunity to present their views,” Reddy said.

Jagdambika Pal had said earlier this month that the report was ready, and they would hold clause-by-clause discussions on it.

The Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024, seeks to introduce sweeping reforms, including digitisation, stricter audits, greater transparency, and legal mechanisms to reclaim illegally occupied properties.

The Waqf bill was on the agenda of the government in the winter session. The panel, constituted in last session, was tasked to give its report by the last day of the first week of this session. (ANI)

ALSO READ: India Welcomes Israel-Lebanon Ceasefire

28 November 2024
Opposition slams govt over repeated adjournments

Congress MP in the Rajya Sabha Randeep Surjewala raised the issue of corruption, especially related to the bribery allegations against the Adani Group…reports Asian Lite News

Opposition leaders in Parliament on Wednesday expressed their concerns over the frequent and early adjournments in the Lok Sabha, calling for discussions on important “national issues,” especially related to the Adani Group, Manipur, and the recent clashes in Sambhal.

Congress MP in the Rajya Sabha Randeep Surjewala raised the issue of corruption, especially related to the bribery allegations against the Adani Group, and questioned the government’s reluctance to allow a debate on the matter.

He further called for a discussion on incidents in Sambhal and violence in Manipur, stressing the need for accountability in Parliament.

“Repeatedly adjourning the Parliament cannot be in the national interest. Discussion on corruption is in the national interest…What does the govt have against a discussion on this issue? Why is the govt afraid of the word ‘Adani’?…There should be a discussion in Parliament on the Sambhal incident and violence in Manipur…It is important that there is discussion in Parliament and accountability is fixed,” Surjewala said.

Meanwhile, Congress MP Karti Chidambaram criticised the frequent adjournments, stating that it was unfortunate both the houses get adjourned with “transacting business.” He urged the union government and the Speaker to allow the opposition to raise pressing issues, including Manipur, the incident in Uttar Pradesh, and allegations against Adani.

“It is unfortunate that the Houses get adjourned so frequently without transacting business. The government and the speaker must allow us to raise the issues, particularly the adjournment issues… We want to talk about Manipur, the incident in Uttar Pradesh, the indictment of a large business house, and other pressing issues,” Chidambaram said.

Shiromani Akali Dal MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal also weighed in, stating that it is the government’s responsibility to run the House efficiently, highlingting the importance of answering questions raised by the opposition to avoid disruptions.

“The onus of running the House is on the government, and if the opposition is asking any questions, then it is their duty to answer them… Answer the questions that the opposition is asking so that they do not get a chance to create a ruckus. And the issues of the public, the issue of farmers, unemployment is a big issue, inflation is an issue; in my state our capital is being snatched from us, our water is being snatched from us, our Punjab University elections are not being held. Where should I raise these issues, so the public money is being wasted?” Badal added.

The Lok Sabha on Wednesday was adjourned for the day amid a huge ruckus over the opposition’s demand to discuss various issues, including the Adani indictment. Meanwhile, Rajya Sabha was also adjourned for the day.

Earlier, the lower house was adjourned till 12:00 in the afternoon on the second day of the winter session of Parliament. After Union Minister Jitendra Singh’s motion was passed, sitting in the chair, BJP MP Dilip Saikia announced that the lower house has been adjourned for the day till November 28 at 11:00 AM.

This comes after the opposition MPs gave notices to move an adjournment motion in both the lower and upper houses to discuss issues related to Manipur, the Adani indictment, and the ongoing violence in Uttar Pradesh’s Sambhal.

Poonch: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi addresses a public meeting for Jammu and Kashmir Assembly Elections in Surankote, Poonch on Monday, September 23, 2024.(IANS)

Rahul Gandhi demands Adani’s arrest

The Congress on Wednesday said the “Modani ecosystem” was attempting to dilute the seriousness of the bribery allegations against billionaire Gautam Adani in the US, with Rahul Gandhi accusing the government of protecting the businessman.

The opposition party also dismissed the remarks of lawyers Mahesh Jethmalani and Mukul Rohatgi on the bribery allegations and said there was an attempt to damage control through denial.

The Congress demanded that the allegations against Adani be discussed in detail in Parliament and investigative agencies, as well as SEBI, impartially probe these charges.

Speaking to reporters outside Parliament, Gandhi, the leader of opposition in the Lok Sabha, asked why Adani was not in jail when hundreds of people were arrested in the country on “tiny” charges.

“You think the Adanis are going to accept the charges? Which world are you living in? Obviously, he is going to deny the charges,” he said when asked about the Adani Group denying the charges. The point is he has to be arrested. As we have said, hundreds of people are being arrested on tiny charges and the gentleman has been indicted in the US for thousands of crores. He should be in jail… The government is protecting him,” the former Congress chief said.

Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said, “Not surprisingly, the Modani ecosystem has let loose big legal cannons this morning. Now, faced with serious action in other countries whose systems it cannot intimidate or erode, the Modani ecosystem is attempting damage control through denial.” This laughable attempt cannot dilute the seriousness of the charges levelled by US agencies, he asserted. There is no escaping the fact that the (US) Department of Justice indictment clearly says that Gautam S Adani, Sagar R Adani, and others ‘devised a scheme to offer, authorise, make and promise to make bribe payments to Indian government officials in exchange for the government officials causing state electricity distribution companies to enter into PSAs with SECI’ (para 47),” Ramesh said in a post on X.

“It also says that they ‘offered and promised to Indian government officials approximately Rs 2,029 crore (approximately USD 265 million) in bribes in exchange for Indian government officials causing the state electricity distribution companies to execute PSAs’ (para 49),” he pointed out.

Furthermore, it alleges corruption at the highest levels, saying that Sagar R Adani and Vneet S Jaain “secretly influenced the SECI process for reallocation of the 2.3 GW PPAs to the Indian Energy Company’s subsidiary”, Ramesh added.

ALSO READ: India Welcomes Israel-Lebanon Ceasefire

28 November 2024
Three Gandhis come together

With her entry into Lok Sabha, Parliament will see all three members of the Nehru-Gandhi family — Sonia, Rahul, and Priyanka — for the first time in decades …reports Asian Lite News

Days after her stupendous victory from Kerala’s Wayanad constituency, Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra will take oath as Lok Sabha MP on Thursday. The swearing will take place at 11 am, said Congress.

On Wednesday, Congress leaders from Wayanad handed over the election certificate of the parliamentary by-election to Priyanka Gandhi in the presence of Rahul Gandhi in the capital.

With her entry into Lok Sabha, Parliament will see all three members of the Nehru-Gandhi family—Sonia, Rahul, and Priyanka— for the first time in decades.

With a landslide margin of more than 4.1 lakh votes, Priyanka has surpassed the tally of her brother Rahul Gandhi’s victory margin in this seat in 2019.

Priyanka’s entry into Parliament comes at a difficult time for the party, which suffered debilitating defeats in Haryana and Maharashtra. Popularly known as the ‘crisis manager’ and backroom strategist of the grand old party, it has been keenly watched if she will be able to re-energize Congress and its falling electoral fortunes.

Party leaders also believe that Priyanka’s presence in and outside Parliament will be a game-changer for Congress. There is also a view that Priyanka, a mirror image of her grandmother former PM Indira Gandhi, will take on PM Modi in Lok Sabha with her crowd-pulling oratorical prowess.

The 52-year-old’s debut into the electoral fray came 20 years after she ran active campaigning for mother Sonia in Raebareli and her brother in Amethi during the 2004 Lok Sabha elections.

As she steered the Congress campaign in Uttar Pradesh and other states in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, speculation was intense that the Congress general secretary would be fielded from Rae Bareli, a stronghold of the Nehru-Gandhi family. However, she declined to contest from Raebareli citing organisational responsibilities.

Her pivotal role in the campaign helped the party in winning Raebareli from where her brother contested, and Amethi, where the family’s aide Kishori Lal Sharma took on Union minister Smriti Irani.

Her spouse and businessman Robert Vadra has landed in the Gandhis in controversies involving the real estate business in Haryana and Rajasthan. Priyanka had dismissed the charges as a “political witch hunt.”

After her victory, Priyanka wrote on X, “My dearest sisters and brothers of Wayanad, I am overwhelmed with gratitude for the trust you have placed in me. I will make sure that over time, you truly feel this victory has been your victory and the person you chose to represent you understands your hopes and dreams and fights for you as one of your own. I look forward to being your voice in Parliament!”

Earlier, Priyanka expressed happiness over receiving her certificate of election and said that it is not just a document but a symbol of love, trust, and the values she is committed to.

“My colleagues from Wayanad brought my certificate of election today. For me, it is not just a document; it is a symbol of your love, trust, and the values we are committed to. Thank you, Wayanad, for choosing me to take forward this journey to build a better future for yourselves,” Priyanka posted on X.

“Leaders from Wayanad presented the election certificate of the Wayanad parliamentary by-election to Congress General Secretary Smt. @priyankagandhi ji in the presence of Leader of Opposition Shri @RahulGandhi. Priyanka ji expressed her heartfelt gratitude to the people of Wayanad for their overwhelming support and trust. She also thanked the leaders for their tireless efforts during the election. During the meeting, Priyanka ji engaged in discussions with the leaders to outline the future course of action, prioritising local concerns and collective development initiatives for Wayanad,” the Congress party posted on X via its official account.

Earlier on Tuesday, senior DMK leader T R Baalu met Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and conveyed Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin’s congratulatory message on her resounding victory in the Wayanad parliamentary by-election.

In Wayanad, Congress candidate Priyanka Gandhi Vadra won by a margin of 410,931 votes against Sathyan Mokeri of CPI.

Priyanka thanked the leaders, workers, volunteers, and her colleagues for working hard in her election campaign. She also expressed gratitude to her mother and Congress leader Sonia Gandhi, husband Robert Vadra, children Raihan and Miraya, and her brother and Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi for showing her the way and supporting her.

The by-elections were held in 48 assembly seats and two Lok Sabha seats across 15 states, with notable contests in Uttar Pradesh and Wayanad, Kerala, where Priyanka Gandhi made her electoral debut.

ALSO READ: India Welcomes Israel-Lebanon Ceasefire

ALSO READ: Moldova seeks deeper education ties with India

28 November 2024
Trump won about 2.5M more votes this year

Despite national turnout that was lower than in the high-enthusiasm 2020 election, Trump received 2.5 million more votes than he did four years ago….reports Asian Lite News

It’s a daunting reality for Democrats: Republican Donald Trump’s support has grown broadly since he last sought the presidency.

In his defeat of Democrat Kamala Harris, Trump won a bigger percentage of the vote in each one of the 50 states, and Washington, D.C., than he did four years ago. He won more actual votes than in 2020 in 40 states, according to an Associated Press analysis.

Certainly, Harris’ more than 7 million vote decline from President Joe Biden’s 2020 total was a factor in her loss, especially in swing-state metropolitan areas that have been the party’s winning electoral strongholds.

But, despite national turnout that was lower than in the high-enthusiasm 2020 election, Trump received 2.5 million more votes than he did four years ago. He swept the seven most competitive states to win a convincing Electoral College victory, becoming the first Republican nominee in 20 years to win a majority of the popular vote.

Trump cut into places where Harris needed to overperform to win a close election. Now Democrats are weighing how to regain traction ahead of the midterm elections in two years, when control of Congress will again be up for grabs and dozens of governors elected.

Though Trump improved across the map, his gains were particularly noteworthy in urban counties home to the cities of Detroit, Milwaukee and Philadelphia, electoral engines that stalled for Harris in industrial swing states Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania.

Harris fell more than 50,000 votes — and 5 percentage points — short of Biden’s total in Wayne County, Michigan, which makes up the lion’s share of the Detroit metro area. She was almost 36,000 votes off Biden’s mark in Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania, and about 1,000 short in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin.

It wasn’t only Harris’ shortfall that helped Trump carry the states, a trio that Democrats had collectively carried in six of the seven previous elections before Nov. 5.

Trump added to his 2020 totals in all three metro counties, netting more than 24,000 votes in Wayne County, more than 11,000 in Philadelphia County and almost 4,000 in Milwaukee County.

It’s not yet possible to determine whether Harris fell short of Biden’s performance because Biden voters stayed home or switched their vote to Trump — or how some combination of the two produced the rightward drift evident in each of these states.

Harris advertised heavily and campaigned regularly in each, and made Milwaukee County her first stop as a candidate with a rally in July. These swings alone were not the difference in Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, but her weaker performance than Biden across the three metros helped Trump, who held on to big 2020 margins in the three states’ broad rural areas and improved or held steady in populous suburbs.

Trump’s team and outside groups supporting him knew from their data that he was making inroads with Black voters, particularly Black men younger than 50, more concentrated in these urban areas that have been key to Democratic victories.

When James Blair, Trump’s political director, saw results coming in from Philadelphia on election night, he knew Trump had cut into the more predominantly Black precincts, a gain that would echo in Wayne and Milwaukee counties.

“The data made clear there was an opportunity there,” Blair said.

AP VoteCast, a nationwide survey of more than 120,000 voters, found Trump won a larger share of Black and Latino voters than he did in 2020, and most notably among men under age 45.

Democrats won Senate races in Michigan and Wisconsin but lost in Pennsylvania. In 2026, they will be defending governorships in all three states and a Senate seat in Michigan.

Trump gained more than Harris in battlegrounds

Despite the burst of enthusiasm Harris’ candidacy created among the Democratic base when she entered the race in July, she ended up receiving fewer votes than Biden in three of the seven states where she campaigned almost exclusively.

In Arizona, she received about 90,000 fewer votes than Biden. She received about 67,000 fewer in Michigan and 39,000 fewer in Pennsylvania.

In four others — Georgia, Nevada, North Carolina and Wisconsin — Harris won more votes than Biden did. But Trump’s support grew by more — in some states, significantly more.

That dynamic is glaring in Georgia, where Harris received almost 73,000 more votes than Biden did when he very narrowly carried the state. But Trump added more than 200,000 to his 2020 total, en route to winning Georgia by roughly 2 percentage points.

In Wisconsin, Trump’s team reacted to slippage it saw in GOP-leaning counties in suburban Milwaukee by targeting once-Democratic-leaning, working-class areas, where Trump made notable gains.

In the three largest suburban Milwaukee counties — Ozaukee, Washington and Waukesha — which have formed the backbone of GOP victories for decades, Harris performed better than Biden did in 2020. She also gained more votes than Trump gained over 2020, though he still won the counties.

That made Trump’s focus on Rock County, a blue-collar area in south central Wisconsin, critical. Trump received 3,084 more votes in Rock County, home of the former automotive manufacturing city of Janesville, than he did in 2020, while Harris underperformed Biden’s 2020 total by seven votes. That helped Trump offset Harris’ improvement in Milwaukee’s suburbs.

The focus speaks to the strength Trump has had and continued to grow with middle-income, non-college educated voters, the Trump campaign’s senior data analyst Tim Saler said.

(240911) — PHILADELPHIA, Sept. 11, 2024 (Xinhua) — People at the U.S. presidential debate media filing center watch a live broadcast of the first presidential debate between U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump in Philadelphia, the United States, on Sept. 10, 2024. Harris and Trump faced off for the first time Tuesday night in a 2024 U.S. presidential debate in the city of Philadelphia. (Xinhua/Li Rui)

“If you’re going to have to lean into working-class voters, they are particularly strong in Wisconsin,” Saler said. “We saw huge shifts from 2020 to 2024 in our favor.”

Of the seven most competitive states, Arizona saw the smallest increase in the number of votes cast in the presidential contest — slightly more than 4,000 votes, in a state with more than 3.3 million ballots cast.

That was despite nearly 30 campaign visits to Arizona by Trump, Harris and their running mates and more than $432 million spent on advertising by the campaigns and allied outside groups, according to the ad-monitoring firm AdImpact.

Arizona, alone of the seven swing states, saw Harris fall short of Biden across small, midsize and large counties. In the other six states, she was able to hold on in at least one of these categories.

Even more telling, it is also the only swing state where Trump improved his margin in every single county.

While turnout in Maricopa County, Arizona’s most populous as the home to Phoenix, dipped slightly from 2020 — by 14,199 votes, a tiny change in a county where more than 2 million people voted — Trump gained almost 56,000 more votes than four years ago.

Meanwhile, Harris fell more than 60,000 votes short of Biden’s total, contributing to a shift significant enough to swing the county and state to Trump, who lost Arizona by fewer than 11,000 votes in 2020.

The biggest leaps to the right weren’t taking place exclusively among Republican-leaning counties, but also among the most Democratic-leaning counties in the states. Michigan’s Wayne County swung 9 points toward Trump, tying the more Republican-leaning Antrim County for the largest movement in the state.

AP VoteCast found that voters were most likely to say the economy was the most important issue facing the country in 2024, followed by immigration. Trump supporters were more motivated by economic issues and immigration than Harris’, the survey showed.

“It’s still all about the economy,” said North Carolina Democratic strategist Morgan Jackson, a senior adviser to Democrat Josh Stein, who won North Carolina’s governorship on Nov. 5 as Trump also carried the state.

ALSO READ: Top European carmakers lose billions over Trump tariffs

ALSO READ: Trump threatens new tariffs on Mexico, Canada, China

27 November 2024
Major crackdown against PTI protestors in Islamabad

Violent clashes were witnessed throughout Tuesday with security forces using rubber bullets and tear gas to stop the PTI protestors, reports Hamza Ameer

The Islamabad police along with Pakistan Rangers have started a major crackdown operation against PTI (Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf) protestors in and around the surrounding areas of D-Chowk, arresting at least 400 party workers and pushing back the protestors from there.

The operation has forced many protestors to disperse into surrounding residential sectors of Islamabad, where police and security forces are conducting search operations and nabbing PTI workers.

After PTI protestors led by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur and Bushra Bibi, the wife of Imran Khan, stormed their way into Islamabad, refusing to take any offers from the government, they continued to march towards their announced destination, D-Chowk.

Violent clashes were witnessed throughout Tuesday with security forces using rubber bullets and tear gas to stop the PTI protestors.

However, despite repeated warnings by government officials, PTI protestors kept pushing forward and were able to reach less than a kilometre away from D-Chowk.

Hundreds of PTI protestors were also able to reach D-Chowk as they claimed victory against the government and ridiculed the security forces for failing to stop them from reaching their destination.

However, after Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi gave the go-ahead to the Islamabad Inspector General of Police to deal with the situation any way he deems fit; a major crackdown was initiated by Islamabad police, along with Pakistani Rangers, who have used full force against the PTI protestors and pushed them back and out of the Jinnah Avenue and the Blue Area.

As per details, at least 400 protestors have been already arrested, and more arrests are being made.

The operation forced many protestors to flee into the surrounding areas, prompting the security forces to cut electricity in the surrounding areas, call on the people to stay indoors and keep their homes locked, and initiate a search operation against PTI protestors.

Islamabad Police source said that among the protestors, there are at least 200 people with weapons, the people who ran over and killed police and Rangers officials in their vehicle are also present, and the miscreants who attacked and killed Punjab police officials are also present.

The Police source also said that they have intelligence reports of a large number of Afghan nationals present in the PTI protest as well, who have been brought by its leadership to spread unrest and bloodshed in the protest to later blame it on the government

PTI protest leaders — KP CM Gandapur and Bushra Bibi — have also fled the spot amid heavy shelling by security forces.

The PTI leadership claims that Pakistan Rangers have opted to shoot straight gun fire on the protestors, resulting in the killing of at least two of its party workers.

Veteran PTI leader, Sheikh Waqas Akram, said that at least two people have been killed by gunshots of Pakistan Rangers near D-Chowk earlier on Tuesday.

Interior Minister Naqvi and Information Minister Atta Tarar had announced earlier that after the violent clashes and riots by PTI protestors, all doors of negotiations and talks stand shut down, announcing a crackdown against PTI protestors.

The latest operation is being seen as a strategic and effective response by the security forces against PTI workers in Islamabad, pushing them back far away from D-Chowk, tracking and tracing dispersed protestors in surrounding areas, shutting down all offices, shops, petrol pumps, and electricity of the main Jinnah Avenue, Blue area and the surrounding residential areas and arresting any PTI protestor seen in the area.

Police authorities claim that they will continue the crackdown against PTI workers throughout the night and will not spare anyone trying to spread unrest.

It is also expected that KP CM Gandapur and Bushra Bibi may also be tracked down and arrested in this ongoing operation.

ALSO READ: Govt to launch climate initiatives in Pakistan

27 November 2024
Cong calls CWC meet to discuss Maha, Haryana loss

The agenda for the meeting includes a detailed review of the party’s performance in Maharashtra, where it secured just 16 seats in the 288-member Assembly….reports Asian Lite News

Facing a major setback in the recently concluded Maharashtra Assembly elections and the earlier defeat in Haryana, the Congress has called a crucial meeting of its Working Committee (CWC) to deliberate on its electoral strategy and the way forward. The meeting is scheduled to take place in New Delhi on November 29.

The agenda for the meeting includes a detailed review of the party’s performance in Maharashtra, where it secured just 16 seats in the 288-member Assembly. The party’s allies in the state also failed to make a significant impact, exacerbating the electoral blow.

Similarly, in Haryana where elections were held on October 5 and results were declared on October 8, the Congress managed to win only 36 seats out of a total 90, falling short against the BJP once again.

The meeting will be chaired by party President Mallikarjun Kharge, with top leaders such as Rahul Gandhi and newly-elected MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra expected to attend.

The discussions will not only focus on dissecting the reasons behind these electoral losses but will also touch upon the broader political strategy ahead of significant upcoming Assembly elections, including those in Delhi and Bihar. The possibility of forging new alliances to bolster the party’s prospects in these states is also expected to be high on the agenda.

The twin losses in Maharashtra and Haryana have placed the Congress in a precarious position, raising questions about its campaign strategies, leadership, and grassroots connect. The party is facing increasing pressure to recalibrate its approach to counter the BJP’s dominance and leverage regional dynamics effectively.

In the previous CWC meeting, held after the Lok Sabha polls, the party took the decision to appoint Rahul Gandhi as the Leader of the Opposition in the Lower House.

Congress demands discussion on Adani indictment

Congress demanded discussion on the Adani indictment in the Parliament as both houses will meet for the third day of the winter session on Wednesday.

Congress MPs Manickam Tagore, Randeep Singh Surjewala and Manish Tewari moved adjournment notices in this regard before the commencement of the session today.

In a notice addressed to the Secretary-General Lok Sabha today, Congress MP Manickam Tagore said, “I hereby give notice of my intention to ask for leave to move a motion for the adjournment of the business of the house to discuss a definite matter of urgent importance.”

“The recent US indictment of Gautam Adani, involving over $265 million in bribes for solar power deals and securities fraud, casts a dark shadow over the Adani Group. The silence of the Modi government on this matter raises concerns about India’s integrity and global standing. PM Modi must answer questions regarding his friendship with Adani,” said the notice.

Adding further, the letter read, “The Andhra Pradesh government is reportedly considering scrapping its solar power deal with SECI, alleging that Adani paid 21,750 crore in bribes to the Jagan Mohan Reddy government. I demand an immediate discussion and a CBI inquiry into these allegations.”

Congress MP Randeep Singh Surjewala also issued a notice on the same subject and said, “I hereby give notice under Rule 267 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the Council of States (Rajya Sabha) to move the following motion for the suspension of business listed for November 27, 2024. That this House suspend all scheduled business to discuss the serious revelations in a US court indictment alleging that the Adani Group engaged in bribery of state officials to secure power supply agreements through SECl tenders.”

ALSO READ: Interim govt of Bangladesh to review Adani Group’s energy project

27 November 2024
Soren invites PM for swearing-in ceremony

Hemant Soren was accompanied by his wife Kalpana Soren, the newly elected MLA from the Gandey constituency…reports Asian Lite News

Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren met Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi on Tuesday and extended a formal invitation for the swearing-in ceremony of his government, which is scheduled to take place in Ranchi on November 28.

Hemant Soren was accompanied by his wife Kalpana Soren, the newly elected MLA from the Gandey constituency. Prime Minister Modi congratulated Hemant and Kalpana Soren on their electoral success and shared pictures of the meeting on X.

Earlier, Hemant Soren also met Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, and party President Mallikarjun Kharge, inviting them to the ceremony.

The swearing-in ceremony is set to take place at Morabadi Ground, Ranchi, on November 28 at 4 p.m. Along with the Chief Minister, several other ministers are expected to take the oath. Hemant Soren was unanimously elected as the leader of the INDIA bloc in the state on Sunday.

A JMM spokesperson said that invitations have been sent to various prominent political figures, including RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav, Bihar’s Leader of Opposition Tejashwi Yadav, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, AAP Convener Arvind Kejriwal, CPI-ML leader Dipankar Bhattacharya, and the Chief Ministers of Tamil Nadu, Delhi, Punjab, Karnataka, Himachal Pradesh, Telangana, and Jammu and Kashmir.

The results of the 81-member Jharkhand Assembly elections, announced on November 23, gave the Hemant Soren-led JMM-Congress-RJD alliance a resounding victory with 56 seats. The JMM won 34, the Congress 16, the RJD 4, and the CPI-ML 2 seats. This marks the first time a government in Jharkhand has secured a two-thirds majority.

Hemant Soren will make history as the first leader to be sworn in as Jharkhand’s Chief Minister four times. He first took oath on July 13, 2013, leading a Congress-RJD-supported government until December 2014.

He returned as CM on December 29, 2019, but had to resign after his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on January 31, 2024. After his release on bail, he was sworn in for the third time on July 4, 2024. Earlier, his father Shibu Soren, and BJP’s Arjun Munda have each served three terms as Jharkhand Chief Minister.

ALSO READ: Interim govt of Bangladesh to review Adani Group’s energy project

27 November 2024
Balochistan Shuts Down Over Kidnapping Outrage

The protestors blocked major highways connecting Balochistan to Sindh, Punjab, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa with barricades and boulders….reports Asian Lite News

Balochistan witnessed a complete shutdown on Monday as protests erupted over the kidnapping of a 10-year-old boy in Quetta, exposing yet again Pakistan’s governance failures and inability to ensure basic security.

A road blockade, called by political parties, traders, and civil society, disrupted life across the province, halting schools, courts, and transportation.

According to Dawn, the boy, the son of a jeweller, was abducted on November 15 by armed men who intercepted his school van near Patel Bagh. Despite the passage of 10 days, law enforcement agencies have made no progress in recovering him, sparking public outrage. Schools and universities across the province remained closed, while even the Balochistan High Court could not function as judges were absent, disrupting hearings, including those related to the abduction.

The protestors blocked major highways connecting Balochistan to Sindh, Punjab, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa with barricades and boulders. In Quetta, vehicles remained off the roads, and railway services, including the Quetta-Chaman passenger train, were suspended. Dawn reported that transporters ceased operations across the province in solidarity with the strike.

Opposition lawmakers in the Balochistan Assembly strongly criticised the provincial government and security forces for their failure to ensure the boy’s recovery. Nasarullah Zerey of the Pashtoonkhwa Milli Awami Party, along with other protest leaders, called for continued demonstrations until the child is safely returned.

Chief Minister Mir Sarfraz Bugti, speaking to reporters, claimed that all available resources were being used to resolve the case, but his assurances were met with scepticism. The growing unrest highlights public frustration over the worsening law and order situation in resource-rich but neglected Balochistan.

As Dawn noted, the strike paralysed life in the province, exposing the state’s inability to address mounting security issues. Despite heavy security deployments to prevent violence, the incident raises questions about Pakistan’s priorities, particularly its focus on political manoeuvring over public safety.

The protests concluded without violence, but the systemic failures in addressing such crises remain glaring. For the people of Balochistan, Islamabad’s indifference continues to deepen the divide between the province and the central government. (ANI)

ALSO READ: Govt to launch climate initiatives in Pakistan

26 November 2024
GOP senator blocks promotion of Army general who oversaw Afghan pullout

Senator Markwayne Mullin, who placed the hold on Donahue’s promotion, has not explained the reasoning behind his decision…reports Asian Lite News

A GOP senator has blocked the promotion of US Army Lt. Gen. Christopher Donahue, the last American soldier to leave Afghanistan in 2021 and former commander of the 82nd Airborne Division during the US withdrawal.

Senator Markwayne Mullin, who placed the hold on Donahue’s promotion, has not explained the reasoning behind his decision.

The Pentagon confirmed that it was aware of the block, which pertains to Donahue’s nomination for a fourth star to lead the US Army in Europe and Africa.

Lt. Gen. Donahue’s role in the Afghanistan withdrawal, particularly his iconic image boarding the final C-17 transport flight with his rifle in hand, has made him a symbol of the chaotic exit.

While some, including former President Donald Trump, have harshly criticized the withdrawal, blaming senior officials for the disorder, Donahue is regarded within the military as one of the most capable leaders of his generation.

In a statement, Tony Thomas, former head of US Special Operations Command, called Donahue “the finest officer I ever served with,” and accused his critics of using him as a political pawn for reasons unrelated to his military record.

Despite the political pressure, Donahue has earned a reputation for leadership, having spent over three decades in military service, facing some of the most challenging situations in defence.

This promotion block, imposed under Senate rules which allow any single senator to stall a nomination, has raised questions about the political motivations behind the move.

The Pentagon’s acknowledgment of the hold comes amid growing tensions within the political establishment regarding the handling of the Afghanistan exit.

Former President Trump has called for the resignation of officials responsible for the withdrawal, and his transition team is reportedly drafting a list of military officers to be removed, signalling the potential for an unprecedented shakeup at the Pentagon.

ALSO READ: Trump threatens new tariffs on Mexico, Canada, China

26 November 2024
New Labour MPs push for poll reforms

More than half of the nearly 100 MPs who have joined the new all-party parliamentary group on fair elections are from Labour, with 43 from the intake elected in 2024…reports Asian Lite News

Keir Starmer is under renewed pressure over electoral reform after dozens of newly elected Labour MPs signed up to a parliamentary group calling for the UK to move to a proportional voting system.

More than half of the nearly 100 MPs who have joined the new all-party parliamentary group on fair elections are from Labour, with 43 from the intake elected in 2024. The group, formed in September, says it is growing all the time, the Guardian reported.

It has released a report, Free But Not Fair, which argues that a change from the distortions of the first-past-the-post electoral system, under which Labour won more than 60% of Commons seats with just a third of the votes cast in July, would help restore trust to politics.

A number of Labour MPs, including many from the 2024 intake, are known to be sympathetic to the idea of electoral reform, an idea to which the party is officially committed after a vote to embrace PR was passed overwhelmingly at its 2022 conference.

While Starmer has previously expressed at least some support for electoral reform, his leadership team have ruled out any immediate action, at least in the first term of a Labour government.

One new MP who has signed up to the group said electoral reform was a common concern among the 2024 intake. “We perhaps have a greater sense of how relevant and salient it is as an issue, how much it is seemingly connected to this growing sense of apathy, of disengagement from politics for many people,” they said.

“I get the argument that we don’t necessarily have the bandwidth to do everything, but much as you’d want to sort out the finances or the buses in a first term, there is also a responsibility to make sure the democratic system is working properly.”

The report, released alongside poll findings by Survation showing that 64% of people believe there is a need to address the electoral system before the next general election, calls for a “national commission for electoral reform” to be set up in 2025 with the task of recommending a replacement for first past the post.

It also calls for new measures to prevent murky campaign financing and to counter disinformation.

With Labour officially committed to PR, the all-party group argues this means that in the new parliament about 500 of the 650 MPs represent parties in favour of change.

Among what it calls the corrosive effects of first past the post, the report notes that despite a high turnover of seats in the July election, any constituencies not being specifically targeted by opposition parties were in effect ignored, giving local voters no meaningful choice.

It points out that it took on average 24,000 votes to elect each Labour MP, 49,000 per Lib Dem, 56,000 for every Conservative MP, 486,000 votes per Green, and 824,000 for every Reform UK MP. Alex Sobel, the Labour MP for Leeds Central and Headingley and a former shadow minister, said: “The popular vote a party needs to win a majority has been steadily falling for decades, and now first past the post has delivered a landslide on just a third of the vote.

“Are we really comfortable with a situation where a party – even an extreme party – can win a thumping majority with, say, just three out of 10 votes? Because if things continue, that’s where we’re heading.”

Ministers should expand the ID that people can use to vote, the elections watchdog has recommended, after a report found as many as 750,000 people might not have voted in the 2024 general election because they lacked the necessary documents.

The Electoral Commission said the government should also look at allowing people without ID to vote if someone who did have proof of identity was able to vouch for them at a polling station.

Its study into the voter ID laws, which were introduced under the Conservatives in 2022 and used for a national election for the first time on 4 July this year, found that an estimated 16,000 voters were turned away from polling stations for lacking ID and did not return, 0.08% of the total number of people who voted.

However, when polling carried out for the research asked people who did not try to vote at all their reason why, 4% said it was because they lacked ID. When the polling included a prompted list of reasons, it rose to 10%.

Given the 60% turnout of Great Britain’s registered electorate of about 47 million people, even 4% of those who did not try to vote because of the ID rules would amount to about 750,000 denied a vote. The study excluded Northern Ireland because it has had its own voter ID laws since 1985.

While the report noted that the 2024 election turnout of 59.8% was the lowest since 2001, it said it was impossible to accurately say whether this was linked to the new rules.

The research found that this phenomenon was particularly prevalent among people from more deprived social backgrounds. There were also signs this was the case for disabled people and those who were unemployed, it said, but not at statistically significant levels.

ALSO READ: Russia-Ukraine war enters the danger zone

ALSO READ: UK Energy Price Cap To Increase By 1.2%

26 November 2024