A day after the Congress and the NCP stated that they would first mutually draw up a common minimum programme (CMP) which the Shiv Sena will subsequently have to sign on if the three are to form the government in Maharashtra, senior Maharashtra Congress leaders including state unit president Balasaheb Thorat, former CM Ashok Chavan and former state president Manikrao Thakre were involved in talks with Shiv Sena Chief Uddhav Thackeray. The NCP was not part of the meeting. This was Thackeray’s first formal interaction. The two sides also held preliminary talks on the likely power sharing arrangement with state Congress leaders after the Assembly election result. Meanwhile on Thursday, Shiv Sena, Congress and NCP have finalised the draft of the Common Minimum Programme after several consultations over the last 48 hours. According to sources, the joint CMP will feature issues like farm loan waiver, review of crop insurance scheme, unemployment, increasing MSP, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and BR Ambedkar memorial among other things. This draft CMP will now be sent to the party president of all the three parties for a final stamp of approval. Once it is approved, the three parties are likely to present their claim to power before Maharashtra Governor BS Koshyari. Maharashtra is currently under the President’s Rule as the parties had failed to form a government in the state earlier.
L K ADVANI WAS POLITICAL FACE OF MANDIR MOVEMENT
After 134 years controversy and legal battle, Ram Lala will come to the temple leaving behind the tent after the verdict given by the Supreme Court on Saturday in favour of Ram Mandir on disputed 2.77 acre plot in Ayodhya. The main role in Ram Janmabhoomi movement was played by Mahant Ramchandra Das Paramahans, head of the Ram Janmabhoomi Nyas in Ayodhya, Ashok Singhal and Lal Krishan Advani. In nineties Ramchandra Das Paramahans, along with some Hindu group started the movement loudly for building the Ram Mandir. Ashok Singhal, a engineer by profession and past acting president of VHP took the movement further throughout the country and Lal Krishan Advani soon become the political face of the movement. Advani started a rath yatra from Somnath to Ayodhya with the slogan of Ram Mandir Nirman. It was stopped on 23 October in 1990 by Lalu Prasad Yadav, the chief minister of Bihar at that time. Unfortunately both Lal Krishan Advani and Lalu Prasad Yadav are out of the limelight at the time of Supreme Court verdict. In their judgement of Supreme Court, one of the Judges mentioned the visit of Sikhism’s founder Guru Nanak at Ayodhya and darshan of Ram Janmabhoomi in the year of 1510-11 which proves that there was a Mandir at that place in 1510-11 and Babri Masjid was built by Mughal Empire Babur in 1528. All the main political parties have supported the Supreme Court judgement but Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is yet to respond to the Ayodhya Verdict. According to sources Banerjee had instructed party leaders not to react to Ayodhya verdict in public.
KARTARPUR CORRIDOR OPENING WAS A BIG EVENT
November 9, 2019 has become a historical and religious day due to the Supreme Court verdict on Ayodhya Ram Mandir and opening of Kartarpur corridor. A surge of emotions blurred the border on Saturday when 4.2 Km stretch from Gurudaspur to the Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Kartarpur Pakistan was opened. It seems that over 500 Indian pilgrims are meeting openly with the Pakistanis after the partition. The Pakistani emigration officials loudly said it is just that two generations have passed with the pain of partition and now we are making. It is 70 year demand of Sikhs that the Kartarpur corridor should be open so that Sikhs can visit Gurdwara Darbar Sahib without any difficulty. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has flagged off the first Jatha led by Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Harpreet Singh including Former Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh, Chief Minister of Punjab Amarinder Singh, Navjot Singh Sidhu, MP Sunny Deol, Prakash Singh Badal and his son and central minister Harsimrat Badal, MLAs and Minister of Punjab entered the Kartarpur in Narowal district of Pakistan. Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has said it is a good beginning to normalise relations between the two countries. ‘It is a big day for us’.
FORMER CONGRESSMEN IN UTTARAKHAND BJP ARE IGNORED
In Uttarakhand, the leaders who had left their parties and joined the BJP are worried at present as neither the chief minister nor the BJP state president is giving any importance to them, especially the leaders who have come from Congress. Although some of the leaders have become ministers in the present BJP government, namely Yaspal Arya, Harak Singh Rawat, Subodh Uniyal and Satpal Maharaj but the Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat has no faith on these ministers. The result is that the officials of Uttarakhand Secretariat are not obeying their order and Chief Minister himself is seeing their files and some time change their decision. Seeing this behaviour of Chief Minister Transport Minister Yaspal Arya has proposed his resignation to the chief minister but he politely refused to accept the resignation thinking Yaspal Arya is a strong SC leader of the state. Height of this was when CBI lodged a case against Cabinet Minister Harak Singh Rawat and owner of the TV channel who had shown the string operation against Former Chief Minister Harish Rawat and now Harak singh Rawat is confused and thinking that the chief minister Trivendra Singh Rawat can dismiss him from the cabinet on the issue of CBI case. So he is thinking to take back the case which he made against Harish Rawat. All the former Congressmen who are Ministers in the Trivendra Singh Rawat, Cabinet are now trying to get rid of BJP. In the same way Vijay Bahuguna, now on the verge of leaving BJP, as neither he has been sent to Rajya Sabha nor made Governor of any state. On the other, State BJP president has taken a disciplinary action against Bahuguna’s close MLA Umesh Kau.
THAKURS ARE DOMINATING YOGI GOVERNMENT
After Yogi Adityanath has become the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, the Thakurs are now capturing every department like Yadavs captured in the Akhilesh Yadav’s govt. Yogi was born in a Thakur family of Uttarakhand, although he is a sadhu but commonly called Thakur Saheb. In his cabinet Thakur Ministers are having important ministries. The state has two main officers Director general of police and Chief Secretary of the state. At present Director General of Police OP Singh is a Rajput and Brahmin IAS is the Chief Secretary at present. A Thakur IAS may replace him soon. The state has 75 districts and in more than 20 districts the District Magistrates are Thakurs while in his own Secretariat, Special Secretary, OSD are Thakurs and other lower staffs are also Thakurs. In the same way, many Thakur IAS and IPS officers have got the extension of the service. (IPA)
Digital Revolution In Asia Need A Revamp In Policy Response 