'Expect democratic principles to be applied': Germany on Rahul disqualification

The Indian Express | 2 months ago | 30-03-2023 | 01:45 pm

Reacting to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s disqualification from the Parliament, Germany said Thursday that it has taken note of the case and “expects that the standards of judicial independence and fundamental democratic principles will apply”.The German Foreign Ministry spokesperson made the statement during a press briefing that was aired on German state-owned international broadcaster Deutsche Welle (DW).“We have taken note of the verdict of the first instance against the Indian opposition politician Rahul Gandhi as well as the suspension of his parliamentary mandate. To our knowledge, Rahul Gandhi is in a position to appeal the verdict. An appeal will show whether the verdict stands and whether suspension has a basis. We expect standards of judicial independence and democratic principles to be applied,” the spokesperson said.NEW: Rahul Gandhi caseGerman Foreign Ministry spokesperson comments for first time:– Takes note of verdict, suspension from parliament– Appeal will show whether verdict stands & suspension has basis– Expects standards of judicial independence & democratic principles to apply pic.twitter.com/dNZB6vflG2— Richard Walker (@rbsw) March 29, 2023Veteran Congress leader Digvijaya Singh took to Twitter to recognise Germany’s statement. “Thank you Germany Foreign Affairs Ministry and Richard Walker for taking note of how the Democracy is being compromised in India through persecution of Rahul Gandhi,” he wrote.BJP leaders, meanwhile, criticised Congress and Singh, accusing the party of inviting foreign interference in internal affairs.Sharing a screenshot of Digivijaya Singh’s tweet, Union Law Minister Kiren Rijiju said, “Thank you Rahul Gandhi for inviting foreign powers for interference into India’s internal matters.” “Remember, Indian Judiciary can’t be influenced by foreign interference. India won’t tolerate ‘foreign influence’ anymore because our Prime Minister is:- Shri @narendramodi Ji,” Rijiju said.Thank you Rahul Gandhi for inviting foreign powers for interference into India’s internal matters. Remember, Indian Judiciary can’t be influenced by foreign interference. India won’t tolerate ‘foreign influence’ anymore because our Prime Minister is:- Shri @narendramodi Ji 🇮🇳 pic.twitter.com/xHzGRzOYTz— Kiren Rijiju (@KirenRijiju) March 30, 2023Hitting back at Rijiju, Congress’ media department head Pawan Khera said, “Mr. Rijiju, why divert from the main issue? The issue is that the Prime Minister cannot answer Rahul Gandhi’s questions about Adani.” Instead of “misleading” people, please answer the questions, Khera said.BJP’s IT department head Amit Malviya also tagged Singh’s tweet and said, “Shameful that Congress continues to lean on foreign agencies and seek their intervention in India’s internal affairs.” “Rahul Gandhi had recently sought Europe and US intervention and now it is Digvijay Singh. But Law is the Law… Unless somebody thinks Law is not the Law for them,” he said.Let this be on record. For the first time in Independent India’s history, Congress leaders are pleading foreign powers to intervene in India’s democratic process and weigh in on our judicial decisions… It is a brazen attempt to undermine people’s will and India’s sovereignty… pic.twitter.com/4FDlsOrgkh— Amit Malviya (@amitmalviya) March 30, 2023BJP spokesperson Jaiveer Shergill also hit out at the Congress, alleging that the party “celebrating Germany/US remarks on Rahul Gandhi’s case shows their political desperation”. “Rejected by Indian voters now looking for acceptance by foreign powers is sad reality of Congress! Judiciary must take note of daily maligning of courts by Congress brigade!” he said.Congress celebrating Germany/U.S. remarks on Rahul Gandhi’s case shows their political desperation!Rejected by Indian voters now looking for acceptance by foreign powers is sad reality of Congress!Judiciary must take note of daily maligning of courts by Congress brigade!— Jaiveer Shergill (@JaiveerShergill) March 30, 2023Tagging Singh’s tweet, BJP leader Vijay Chauthaiwale said on Twitter, “Look how happy @digvijaya_28 ji with comments from Germany. It only shows how they are desperate to involve external agencies in the domestic matters.”On March 23, Gandhi had been found guilty in a 2019 defamation case filed after his remark “why all thieves have Modi surname”, made at a campaign rally in Kolar, Karnataka. A Gujarat court had sentenced him to two years in prison. Gandhi is currently on bail.Following his conviction, he was disqualified from the Parliament, where he was an elected MP from Kerala’s Wayanad district. He was also issued a notice to vacate his official bungalow in New Delhi.First Washington, now BerlinGermany’s response comes days after the United States took a similar stance, saying that respect for the rule of law and judicial independence is a cornerstone of any democracy.In a press briefing, US State Department’s Deputy spokesperson Vedant Patel had said that the US is watching Gandhi’s case in the courts.“Respect for the rule of law and judicial independence is a cornerstone of any democracy, and we’re watching Mr. Gandhi’s case in Indian courts, and we engage with the Government of India on our shared commitment to democratic values – including, of course, freedom of expression,” Patel said.“In our engagements with our Indian partners, we continue to highlight the importance of democratic principles and the protection of human rights, including freedom of expression, as a key to strengthening both our democracies,” he added.Following this, Patel was asked if the US is still engaging with Gandhi as the opposition leader. “It is normal and standard for us to engage with members of opposition parties in any country where we have bilateral relationships,” replied Patel. 

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Tamil Nadu abuzz with talk of a blockbuster political debut: Actor ‘Thalapathy’ Vijay

The Indian Express | 12 hours ago | 10-06-2023 | 01:45 pm

The Indian Express

12 hours ago | 10-06-2023 | 01:45 pm

After years of teasing around with the idea of joining politics — the conversation would come up before the release of several of his films — Tamil superstar Vijay may finally be taking the plunge. Sources close to the actor said he was looking to launch his party following the 2024 Lok Sabha elections and may contest the 2026 Tamil Nadu Assembly polls.All India Thalapathy Vijay Makkal Iyyakam is an organisation of fans of Vijay, who goes by the screen moniker Thalapathy or leader. All of the star’s activities outside of films, which include social welfare programmes, are conducted under the banner. And it is through the organisation, which has members across all districts of Tamil Nadu, that Vijay is doing the groundwork before he makes a decision.“Everything needed to start a political party is being done now. Our fans are currently being energised with specific local tasks and programmes. Basic data collection from all districts concerning voters and key issues is being carried out. Some agencies are being contacted for future predictions of issues and agendas. There is no fixed date for the party’s launch, but it will be after Lok Sabha elections. He has made up his mind,” a senior member of the Thalapathy Vijay Makkal Iyyakam said.Sources close to him in the film industry said Vijay would not headlong push into the 2024 Lok Sabha elections but plan gradually.Detailing the actor’s plan, they said: “His father (director S A Chandrasekhar) initiated his political plans in 2009 when the fan group was formed. Vijay has always been uncertain and unsure about his political destiny. In 2021, he told us privately that he might not consider politics until a significant political vacuum arises in the state. However, his current move (of starting groundwork) might be to advance his plans, indicating a decision to join state politics currently dominated by (Chief Minister) M K Stalin and (AIADMK leader) Edappadi K Palaniswami.”Another friend said Vijay was preparing for the 2026 Assembly polls. “It (joining politics) requires significant effort and time. But he believes he has a space here, especially with the gradual retreat of DMDK leader Captain Vijayakanth (a yesteryear Tamil star), and Rajinikanth’s decision to abort his political plans,” the friend said, also referring to “the larger political void in the state following the deaths of DMK patriarch M Karunanidhi and former chief minister J Jayalalithaa”,Asked if the results of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections would decide Vijay’s plans, the friend said that would not be the case. “It is not about who is in power in Delhi.” However, the friend added, “the growth and resurgence of the Congress in a post-election scenario will influence his decision”.Vijay and senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi have met in the past. In fact, the initial rumours about the actor’s political debut surfaced after he met Rahul at his Delhi residence, which was a decade ago.Subsequently, his father Chandrasekhar came to be seen as pushing political ambitions for Vijay, with the latter seen as hesitant. In 2020, Chandrasekhar had formed an outfit called the Vijay Makkal Iyakkam (VMI), apparently without Vijay’s permission. In September 2021, Vijay had publicly distanced himself from the VMI and even filed a lawsuit against 11 individuals, including his parents. The VMI was subsequently dissolved.A month later, Vijay had made an indirect foray into politics, when members of his fan organisation contested rural polls, and won 115 of the 169 seats, though it was under an informal arrangement. Vijay’s criteria for choosing the contenders is said to have been “educated youth” and “equal representation for women”.According to sources, in his latest bid, Vijay is acting on his own and has distanced his father from his camp.The film industry in Tamil Nadu has always been intertwined with politics, with the two major parties in the state — the DMK and AIADMK — famously led by popular film personalities. While the DMK’s Karunanidhi was a screenwriter, the AIADMK’s M G Ramachandran, or MGR, was a popular matinee idol. His successor Jayalalitha was a successful and renowned actress. Current Chief Minister M K Stalin’s son Udayanidhi Stalin, the Minister for Youth Welfare and Sports Development, is also an actor.Other major actors have also flirted with the idea of politics. For years, there has been a buzz about superstar Rajnikanth’s political entry, with alleged backing of the BJP and veteran political strategists such as Tamilaruvi Maniyan, until he said in 2020 that he was dropping the plan.Kamal Haasan’s Makkal Needhi Maalam (MKM), launched in 2018, has so far failed to make a major mark.Among the stars dabbling in politics, Vijayakanth, who had his heydays in the ’80s, had achieved some success. However, he was never considered a “superstar” in the league of the others before him, often branded as the “King of B and C Class theatres”.Vijay, on the other hand, is a massive star and is considered one of the leading film personalities in the state. His films continue to enjoy mega commercial success and he himself has a huge following. It is this status that he is expected to tap into as he makes his way to politics.However, Vijay’s political foray will find resistance from the DMK as well as the BJP. Stalin has already started grooming Udhayanidhi as his successor, and he has been taking breaks from his acting and producing career to increasingly focus on the party.The BJP does not have a veryr amiable relationship with Vijay, with the actor drawing party ire for his barbs against Digital India and GST, the flagship initiatives under the Narendra Modi government, in his 2017 movie Mersal. Then BJP national general secretary H Raja had even attributed communal motives to Vijay, referring to him by his rarely used original Christian name, Joseph Vijay. He had gone on to tweet Vijay’s voter ID with his real name, commenting: “Truth is bitter.”But for fans, it is Vijay’s relative youth appeal — he is 48 — that is his biggest draw, representing a break from traditional, legacy politics. “People will vote if you have a convincing face and dedicated youth behind you. Factors such as old faces, veterans, and legacy belong to old politics,” said one of the leaders of his fans’ association.

Why Karnataka Congress's plan to reverse BJP's cow slaughter ban is controversial

The Indian Express | 12 hours ago | 10-06-2023 | 01:45 pm

The Indian Express

12 hours ago | 10-06-2023 | 01:45 pm

The Karnataka Prevention of Slaughter and Preservation of Cattle Act, 2020, which was brought into force by the previous BJP government, to impose a near total ban on cow slaughter in the state, is at the centre of a controversy again, now that the newly formed Congress government is making a move to withdraw the law.The Congress party indicated ahead of the 2023 state assembly polls, and during the poll campaign, that it intends to withdraw cow slaughter ban on account of difficulties faced by farmers due to restrictions imposed on the trade of sick and unproductive cattle by the 2020 law.The situation came to a head recently, after the new minister for animal husbandry in the Congress government, K Venkatesh, indicated the the party’s intent  by saying “If bulls and buffaloes can be slaughtered, why not cows?”These remarks invited protests from the opposition BJP, which emphasised upon the sacrality of the cow in Hindu culture, and forced Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to indicate that any amendments to the 2020 law would only be done after due discussion. Randeep Singh Surjewala, Congress leader and Rajya Sabha MP,  also rebuked the animal husbandry minister for his remarks on Thursday.What is the Karnataka Prevention of Slaughter and Preservation of Cattle Act, 2020?The law came into force in 2021 after being passed in the state legislative assembly and council by the ruling BJP government – amid objections by the opposition Congress and Janata Dal Secular parties. It is a stringent law to restrict the slaughter of all forms of cattle in the state.The 2020 law repealed and replaced the less stringent Karnataka Prevention of Cow Slaughter and Cattle Preservation Act, 1964 which has been in the state since then. While the 1964 law banned the killing of “any cow or calf of she-buffalo” it allowed the slaughter of bullocks, and male or female buffalos if certified by a competent authority to be above the age of 12 years, incapacitated for breeding, or if deemed sick.Under the Karnataka Prevention of Slaughter and Preservation of Cattle Act, 2020, cattle have been designated as “cow, calf of a cow and bull, bullock and he or she buffalo” and their slaughter is banned. The only exemptions are buffaloes above the age of 13 years and certified by a competent authority, cattle used in medical research, cattle certified for slaughter by a veterinarian to prevent spread of a disease, and very sick cattle.The new law has also increased punishment for breaking the law, to the range of three to seven years of jail, or fines ranging from Rs 50,000 to Rs 5 lakh or both. As per the 1964 law, the maximum punishment was for a period up to six months of imprisonment and a fine of up to Rs 1000.The new law also prescribes punishments for illegal transport of cattle, sale of meat and purchase or disposal of cattle for slaughter – namely, a prison term of three to five years, and a fine of Rs 50,000 to Rs 5 lakh.Why did the BJP introduce such a stringent law in the state?The ban on cattle slaughter has been a prominent demand of right-wing Hindutva groups like the RSS, the VHP and others, which form the core support base of the BJP. These groups have viewed cattle – especially the cow–– in a religious rather than an agrarian context.During the BJP’s tenure in Karnataka between 2008 and 2013 the Karnataka Prevention of Slaughter and Preservation of Cattle Bill, 2010, was passed by the B S Yediyurappa led government.The 2010 law however did not receive the assent of the Governor, and the Congress party, which came to power in 2013 reverted to the less stringent 1964 law, which allowed cattle slaughter on a limited basis – especially those classified as being old, sick or unproductive on farms.After the BJP returned to power in 2019, the Cow Protection Cell of the party in Karnataka wrote to chief minister BS Yediyurappa seeking a re-introduction of the 2010 law that was shelved by the previous Congress government.“As the chief minister in 2010 you tried to enact the Karnataka Prevention of Slaughter and Preservation of Cattle Bill, 2010. The Governor did not give his assent for the law to come into force. The Siddaramaiah government subsequently withdrew the bill,” the BJP Cow Protection Cell said in a letter to the CM dated August 27, 2019.“Now the BJP is once again in power in Karnataka and the party in its manifesto for the state assembly elections has stated the need for banning cow slaughter and introduction of a more stringent law than what was drafted in 2010. The government must examine the issue and introduce a bill in the next session of the state legislature,” the letter stated.In December 2020, the BJP government tabled and passed the Karnataka Prevention of Slaughter and Preservation of Cattle Bill, 2020 in the state assembly while the opposition, Congress and JDS, staged a walkout. The opposition alleged gross violation of principles for functioning of the legislature by the BJP, in context of the manner in which the bill was tabled and passed without a debate.“It is considered necessary to repeal the Karnataka Prevention of Cow Slaughter and Cattle Preservation Act, 1964 to prohibit the slaughter of cattle and for the preservation and improvement of the breeds of cattle and to endeavour to organize agriculture and animal husbandry in terms of Article 48 of the constitution of India by enacting a comprehensive legislation,” the new law said in its statement of reasons for introduction.In February 2021, the bill was passed in the legislative council despite the BJP having fewer members than the combined strength of the Congress and JDS in the house. The two parties once again opposed the bill, with Congress leader BK Hariprasad stating that the BJP has double standards on cattle slaughter – one where it supports slaughter in states like Kerala, Goa, Manipur and Meghalaya, and another where it opposes slaughter.What have been the repercussions of the 2020 law?The agrarian economy has been majorly impacted by the 2020 law, especially in southern Karnataka, where cattle is an integral part of livelihood in terms of dairy farming and agriculture. Farmers have been up in arms over the ban on cattle slaughter, and there has been widespread complaints in the farming communities that the BJP’s ban on cattle slaughter has deprived farmers of alternatives when cattle fall sick or turn unmaintainable.The latent anger in the farming community against the cow slaughter ban, coupled with other aspects of the tenure of BJP government – including the high cost of fertilizers and fodder – is believed to have played a central role in the defeat of the BJP in the 2023 polls.Traditional cattle markets have been slowly shutting down and there were few merchants to buy cattle. Moreover, there have been also been incidents of right-wing cow vigilantes – who are granted immunity under the new law – taking law into their own hands to prevent the transportation of cattle for slaughter to states such as Kerala and Tamil Nadu.“The government claims that the ban on cattle slaughter has benefitted the ecosystem but it has done nothing. Farmers would sell cattle earlier if they were unproductive but that cannot be done now. The cattle cannot be sold in the markets because a case will be filed against the farmer,” current Congress CM Siddaramaiah said in February 2023 as opposition leader.“Remove the cattle slaughter law, it is a hidden agenda and communal agenda. There are no buyers for sick and aged cattle. It is a loss for the farmers,” he said.What is the newly elected Congress government likely to do?One of the promises made by the Congress party in its manifesto for the 2023 Karnataka polls was “to repeal anti farmer laws enacted by the BJP government and to withdraw all politically motivated cases against farmers.”Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, who has been a vocal supporter for the repeal of “anti farmer” laws like the cattle slaughter ban, the Karnataka Agricultural Produce Marketing (Regulation and Development) (Amendment) Act 2020, and the Karnataka Land Reforms (Amendment) Act, 2020, told a delegation of farmers recently that he will review calls for amendments to the Cattle Slaughter Act, the APMC Act and the Land Reforms Act.The Congress is likely to seek a return to the 1964 law, which imposed a ban on the slaughter of cows but allowed the restricted slaughter of cattle of other forms on the condition of old age, sickness and lack of productivity. The party is expected to project the move as being critical to the livelihood and economic survival of farmers, rather than a religious issue.“They (BJP) amended it once. We reverted it to the earlier provisions. They have amended it again. We will discuss it in the Cabinet meeting,” Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah said recently.However, the Congress party is likely to face strong opposition from the BJP on the matter and is expected to tread cautiously despite its numerical advantage in the legislative assembly. There are some concerns that a move to repeal the 2020 law ahead of the 2024 parliament polls may be detrimental to Congress interests in northern India, where the move could acquire a religious connotation that is unconnected to the realities of the agrarian economy.The word of caution given to the new Congress minister for animal husbandry by the Congress central leadership “to stay within his limits” on the cattle slaughter ban issue is seen as an indication of the Congress adopting a calibrated approach to fulfilling its poll promise to repeal “anti-farmer” laws enacted by the BJP.

Ahead of panchayat polls, another trouble for TMC: Raids on civic bodies

The Indian Express | 1 day ago | 09-06-2023 | 01:45 pm

The Indian Express

1 day ago | 09-06-2023 | 01:45 pm

In more trouble for West Bengal’s ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC), hours before the panchayat polls in the state were announced on Wednesday, the CBI conducted its first searches in what is being dubbed the “municipal recruitment scam” — at 20 places — and claimed to have seized a huge cache of potentially incriminating documents. The contents are yet to be revealed.The ruling party and its government have been under relentless pressure from central agency probes that have been ongoing for the better part of a year, in a series of cases, including the school teacher recruitment scam (or SSC scam) as well as coal smuggling and cattle smuggling scams.The alleged irregularities in municipal recruitment apparently came up as part of the probe into the SSC scam. The CBI and ED allege to have recovered documents showing violations in municipal recruitment from Ayan Sil, the TMC leader from Hooghly. The agencies appealed to a single-judge High Court Bench of Justice Abhijit Gangopadhyay for approval to go ahead with their inquiry, and got it on April 21. A review petition was subsequently filed by the West Bengal government, but it was dismissed by the Calcutta High Court.The raids on Wednesday covered several municipalities in North 24 Parganas district, including Dum Dum, Bidhannagar, Barrackpore and Halisahar, as well as Santipur in Nadia and Chinsurah in Hooghly district, and the office of State Municipal Affairs and Urban Development Minister Firhad Hakim. In the voting for more than 100 municipal bodies held after the 2021 Assembly elections, only one municipality was won by an Opposition party — the CPI(M) got Taherpur in Nadia district — and the TMC had won the rest. All the 14 municipal bodies raided by the CBI on Wednesday are controlled by the TMC.A senior TMC leader admitted the latest round of raids was worrying. “We are on the backfoot as the CBI and ED have arrested many of our leaders, though not all of them belong to the top leadership tier. These allegations will damage us in the panchayat elections.”Firhad Hakim termed the raids “part of a conspiracy” hatched by the BJP. “Those ruling the country are spreading terror all over,” said Hakim. TMC supremo and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee wondered whether the central agencies would now barge into people’s washrooms.However, CPI(M) leader Sujan Chakraborty said, “The Chief Minister may say anything, but people now realise that the TMC is a party of thieves. Slowly it will be established that the TMC did corruption in every sector. After the school job scam, the municipal recruitment scam is proving just that.”BJP leader Samik Bhattacharya said, “Firhad Hakim had earlier admitted to irregularities in the municipal recruitments, but now he is refusing that. TMC has committed corruption in every sector, all of which will come out gradually.”

What Manoj Mishra got right about Yamuna restoration

The Indian Express | 1 day ago | 09-06-2023 | 01:45 pm

The Indian Express

1 day ago | 09-06-2023 | 01:45 pm

On Sunday, hundreds of volunteers from all walks of life formed a human chain along the banks of the Yamuna to raise awareness about the pollution in the river. In a city where people do not always take ownership of environmental problems, the gathering was a heartening development. The AAP and BJP leaders put aside their bitterness to amplify the call for more sewage treatment plants and cleaning up the waste in “one of the most polluted rivers in the world”. Organised by a voluntary body, the Mata Lalita Devi Seva Shram Trust — a programme with the theme of Yamuna Sansad — saw the participation of Delhi ministers Gopal Rai and Saurabh Bharadwaj, Delhi BJP President Virendra Sachdeva and the leader of the Opposition in the Delhi Assembly, Ramvir Singh Bidhuri.Yet, one cannot help but avoid feeling that the gathering is not much of a change. And that’s not just because the BJP members could not resist taking potshots at the AAP government — Sachdeva reportedly blamed the Kejriwal government for not paying attention to Yamuna cleaning. The trouble is that there does not seem to be a paradigm shift in the approach to rejuvenating rivers in more than 40 years. More than Rs 1,800 crore was spent by the various avatars of the Ganga Action Plan that had an STP-centred approach. The current government’s Namami Gange plan has an outlay of more than 10 times that of GAP — Delhi has been allotted more than 2,000 crore. The project is an improvement on its predecessor in several respects, especially in its emphasis on taking people along while cleaning up rivers. But in assigning a dominant role to STPs, the Namami Gange seems to be a replica of the GAP.This state of affairs is not for the lack of creative thinking. For nearly 20 years, the Indian Forest Service officer turned scholar-activist Manoj Mishra had cautioned against the pitfalls of the cleaning the river approach. Mishra, who passed away on Sunday after a month-long battle with Covid, did not underestimate the importance of pollution abatement. But he also underlined that the river needs to have enough water and its floodplains shouldn’t be obstructed from recharging groundwater. The Yamuna, as he wrote in several places, was not just about the water body that flows through Delhi — for rejuvenating it, attention should be given to what happens upstream and care should be taken of the needs of the people who depend on it downstream.A river has its own capacity to tackle pollution. But these are contingent on its flow, which, in turn, depends on upstream aquifers. Besides, there are seasonal variations in the amount of water. Aquatic plants also help the river assimilate pollution. The problem with the current paradigm of pollution control, as Mishra pointed out, was that it “aimed to control quality of the ‘effluent’ at the source of the pollution without really bothering about the river’s assimilative capacity”. Tackling industrial pollutants had a place in his scheme of things — after all no river has the capacity to cleanse inorganic pollutants. Mishra argued that a better approach would be one that accounts for both effluent standards and the ability of the river to tackle pollution.The master plans of Delhi paid little attention to the relationship of the city’s people with the Yamuna. Urban planning in the country very rarely takes into account the idiosyncrasies and the geomorphology of water bodies. And, Delhi’s master plans have been no different in not assessing the changes in the assimilative capacity of the river. As Mishra would often point out, there are two Yamunas in Delhi, “one upstream of the barrage at Wazirabad that supplies drinking water and the other that’s often lamented as a sewage canal”. He pushed for setting drinking water standards in the 220-km stretch of the river from Hathnikund in Haryana to Okhla in Delhi — it’s currently only fit for bathing purposes. But he also felt that diverting water by building barrages does injustice to the river: “Lift not divert water” was his solution.At the same time, the scholar-activist contested the Delhi Jal Board’s calculation that the city needs 220 litres of water per person per day. He talked of both supply and demand-side efficiencies. The industrial and drinking water needs of Haryana on the west of the river and UP on the east are predominantly met by groundwater. However, the Delhi Jal Board is somewhat unique in the area in getting nearly 90 per cent of its needs from surface water.For much of its pre-colonial history, Delhi did not depend on the Yamuna for potable water. The fortress cities of the past relied on step wells, water tanks and canals. Things began to change in the late 19th century when the Delhi Water Works was built at Chandrawal and water was extracted using a row of wells along the river. Thirty years later, a pumping station was constructed at Wazirabad — it could extract nearly eight times the water compared to the Chandrawal facility. In the 1950s, Delhi took water from the river only at Wazirabad and Okhla.Mishra wanted Delhi to look at alternate sources for its drinking water — rainwater harvesting and groundwater recharging among them. “Delhi needs to take tough calls if it wants the Yamuna flowing”, he would say.The absence of a statutory provision to safeguard floodplains that recharge groundwater worried him. During the UPA regime, along with the late Brij Gopal, professor of environmental sciences at JNU, Mishra worked on a draft River Regulation Zone, along the lines of the Coastal Regulation. The plan was taken up in the early days of the current regime, only to be shelved.A day after Mishra’s demise, Delhi’s Lt Governor launched the Yamuna Vatika project to “restore the ecological character of the floodplains.” Very often, such initiatives end up as nothing more than beautification projects. It would be a dishonour to the memory of Manoj Mishra if the Yamuna Vatika project too goes this way.kaushik.dasgupta@expressindia.com

Lucknow courtroom murder and a UP leader who could have been CM

The Indian Express | 1 day ago | 09-06-2023 | 01:45 pm

The Indian Express

1 day ago | 09-06-2023 | 01:45 pm

Brahm Dutt Dwivedi belonged to the old school of BJP leaders. A poet and a gentleman, he had once even been a contender for the Uttar Pradesh chief minister’s chair, after he had protected BSP supremo Mayawati from Samajwadi Party workers, in the infamous 1995 ‘guesthouse’ incident in Lucknow. He was murdered in 1997 by gangster Sanjeev Maheshwari Jeeva — an aide of gangster-politician Mukhtar Ansari. On Wednesday, the killing was back in the news as Maheshwari was shot dead on the premises of a Lucknow court.The then BJP MLA from Farrukhabad, Dwivedi was killed on February 10, 1997, while he was seated in his car, ready to leave for home after attending a tilak ceremony. His gunner B K Tiwari was also killed in the attack, while his driver suffered injuries.On July 17, 2003, the CBI court in Lucknow sentenced Maheshwari and former SP MLA Vijay Singh to life imprisonment in the case. Both convicts challenged the judgment in the High Court. In 2017, the Lucknow Bench of the Allahabad HC upheld the trial court judgment.Dwivedi was a tall leader in UP politics, and was well-connected with the top BJP leadership. After his murder, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, L K Advani and Murli Manohar Joshi came to Farrukhabad to pay their tributes. Then Governor Romesh Bhandari and SP president Mulayam Singh Yadav too paid a visit. Vajpayee also visited Dwivedi’s ancestral village in Amritpur to attend other rituals after 13 days.As a lifelong RSS worker, Dwivedi had taken part in the Sangh’s training programme in Nagpur. He was also associated with the Ram Janmabhoomi movement. He had started his electoral career with the Jan Sangh and became a municipal corporator in Farrukhabad Nagar Palika Parishad in 1971. He was later elected the vice-chairman of the same municipal board.His ticket to fame came during the Emergency, when, with the police on his tail, he had slipped past the administration to attend an event in Farrukhabad, where he managed to reach the stage to welcome then Governor Marri Chenna Reddy with a flower bouquet.Dwivedi was elected MLA for the first time in 1977 from Farrukhabad as a Janata Party candidate. He was elected MLA three times more and also served as the Minister of Revenue and Power in the Kalyan Singh government (1991-92).In June 1995, after Mayawati decided to withdraw from the SP-BSP alliance government that had been in power since December 1993, SP workers gheraoed the guesthouse where she was staying. Mayawati locked the door from inside, with SP workers roaming outside.Dwivedi, then the BJP MLA from Farrukhabad, was staying in an adjacent building. Alerted about the brewing trouble, he reached out to protect the BSP supremo, with other BJP leaders also reaching within minutes to bring the situation under control. Immediately after the incident, Dwivedi contacted Vajpayee, upon whose advice, the BJP escorted Mayawati to the Governor House and extended support to her party. Next morning, she took oath as CM.Sources said since that incident, Mayawati held Dwivedi in high regard and once even demanded that if the BSP were to form an alliance government in UP with the BJP, in which the chief minister would be someone from the BJP for the first half of the five-year term, she would only accept Dwivedi as the CM. Eventually, she came around to accepting Kalyan Singh as the CM after the BJP stuck to their choice.Dwivedi’s wife Prabha was elected MLA from Farrukhabad in the bypoll that followed his murder. She was also inducted as a minister in the Kalyan Singh government.At present, Dwivedi’s son Major Sunil Dutt Dwivedi is a second-term MLA from Farrukhabad. Sunil’s cousin Pranshu Dutt Dwivedi is the UP president of the BJP Yuva Morcha and an MLC from the Farrukhabad-Etawah local bodies constituency.Dwivedi’s nephew Sudhanshu Dutt Dwivedi, who fought the legal battle over his murder, said his uncle was also a lawyer who had appeared in court for senior BJP leaders, including Advani, Murli Manohar Joshi and Uma Bharti, in a case related to the Babri Masjid demolition.He added that Dwivedi was also a poet of some repute going by the nickname “Manjul”, that Vajpayee had himself written words of praise for one of his books, Jab Hum Na Honge (When I’m Not There) — a compilation of Dwivedi’s poems published after his death.

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