NATIONAL NEWS
BJP sends legal notice to MLAs who defected to Trinamool
Days after two party MLAs defected to the Trinamool Congress, the BJP leadership in West Bengal on Wednesday said it has issued legal notices to them. The way we have taken action against Mukul Roy, approached Speaker and taken the issue of his defection before the High Court, in a similar manner we have issued notice to Tanmoy Ghosh and Biswajit Das to explain their stand, said Suvendu Adhikari, BJP MLA and leader of the Opposition in the Assembly. Adhikari pointed out that more than 50 MLAs of the Opposition parties have crossed floor during the regime of the TMC since 2011. The Opposition parties then [Left and Congress] did not seriously take up these defections. From the BJP, we can assure that we will take it to its logical conclusion in a democratic manner, Adhikari said, adding that the two MLAs had not been keeping in touch with the party over the past few months. Three BJP MLAs have defected to the TMC after the polls. Roy was the first to do so in June, followed by Tanmoy Ghosh (Bishnupur) on Monday and Biswajit Das (Bagda) on Tuesday. State BJP president Dilip Ghosh said such defections will not affect the party. Defection is not a new phenomenon. If dozens of MLAs came from the TMC to the BJP before the Assembly polls and a few of them go back to the TMC, it is not going to affect the party, he said. The BJP leadership said some MLAs yield to the pressure of the ruling party and alleged that the police are exerting pressure on the MLAs of the Opposition parties. TMC spokesperson Kunal Ghosh targeted Adhikari and said he was trying to hide his inefficiency by saying the MLAs who defected were not in touch with the BJP for months.
Rise in GDP for government is rising prices of gas, diesel, petrol: Rahul Gandhi
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday slammed the government over the rising price of domestic cooking gas, diesel and petrol, and alleged that an amount of ₹23 lakh crore has been earned by increasing the prices of these commodities in the last seven years. He also alleged that while sections such as farmers, the salaried class, and labourers were being demonetised, a few industrialist friends of Prime Minister Narendra Modi were being monetised. At a press conference, Gandhi said the government has come up with a new concept of GDP, wherein a rise in GDP means a rise in prices of Gas, Diesel and Petrol. On the one hand, there is demonetisation and on the other there is monetisation. Whose demonetisation is taking place — farmers, labourers, small traders and informal sector, MSMEs, contract workers, salaried class and honest industrialists. Whose monetisation is taking place — four-five friends of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Gandhi said. The Congress leader alleged that a transfer of wealth is taking place from the poor and the weak to the Prime Minister’s friends. He said that the government was panicking over not being able to fulfill its promises and was surviving on fuel prices. Gandhi added that the day when the international crude oil prices rise to about $90-100, the situation will spiral out of control in India. The Congress party has been attacking the government over the rise in petrol, diesel and LPG prices and has been demanding a reduction in them by removing some of the taxes imposed by the central government. The prices of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) cooking gas cylinders across all categories, including subsidised gas on Wednesday were hiked by ₹25 per cylinder– the third straight increase in rates in less than two months. Subsidised as well as non-subsidised LPG now costs ₹884.50 per 14.2-kg cylinder in Delhi, according to a price notification of oil companies.
Maharashtra to form State Council for climate change
Mindful of the gravity of the climate change crisis, the Maharashtra government will constitute a State Council for climate change, State Environment and Tourism Minister Aaditya Thackeray said on Wednesday. The council would be headed by Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray and co-chaired by Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar while an action plan to deal with climate-related challenges affecting Maharashtra would be presented before the State Cabinet within a month, Aaditya Thackeray said. Climate change is a pressing and grave issue and I believe we face a climate emergency. Today, we presented the summary of the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report regarding carbon impact before the State Cabinet. After this, it was decided by the Cabinet to form a State Council on Climate Change. Henceforth, we will be presenting every month before the Cabinet, Aaditya Thackeray said. He said that the State Environment Ministry would formulate the climate action plan for concerned departments like Energy, Transport, Urban Development, and Industry, and seek the Cabinet’s approval for the same. The State Council for Climate Change will be monitoring and presenting the progress report to the Cabinet each month, Aaditya Thackeray said. Noting that weather patterns had changed dramatically in the State over the past decade, the Environment Minister said that the climatic transformation had triggered landslides with greater frequency, besides raising temperatures during the summer months and reducing the number of winter days. We recognise the importance of climate change mitigation and adaptation, and the need to act now. We do not have the luxury of time. The State government has already taken multiple actions on the climate front, like adopting the EV (electric vehicles) policy, conserving the Aarey Colony green space… within a month, we will be having interdepartmental conferences where we will be finalising our goals, he said. Last week, Thackeray had launched Mumbai’s first climate action plan developed by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation with technical support from the World Resources Institute India. At the time, Thackeray had said that further delays would make Mumbai unliveable in a decade’s time. Mumbai civic body chief Iqbal Singh Chahal had given sober warning at the launch of the Mumbai Climate Action Plan, remarking that 70% of the area under four administrative wards in the city, including the upmarket Cuffe Parade, Nariman Point and the Secretariat itself, could be underwater by 2050.
Afghan nationals protesting outside UNHCR office: Delhi High Court expresses concern
The Delhi High Court on Wednesday expressed concern over a lack of adherence to Covid-19 appropriate norms by a large gathering of Afghan nationals protesting outside the United Nations High Commissioner of Refugees (UNHCR) office. The protestors have been seeking refugee status and resettlement options from the UNHCR. They have been saying that they have no option but to stay put outside the UNHCR office as returning to Afghanistan is not an option now. With no job opportunities and their visas expiring soon, they were worried about the future. Justice Rekha Palli asked the Centre, the Delhi government, and the police to coordinate and work out a solution so that the protest gathering does not act as a superspreader of Covid-19. The court said the situation could not be permitted to continue as the protestors could be seen sitting and standing next to each other without even wearing masks. We are also dealing with Covid-19. Look at the pictures. What if this could be a superspreader of Covid-19. You should ensure some protocol is there. Why are they not wearing masks? the court remarked. Afghan nationals hold placards during a protest outside the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) office to urge the international community to help Afghan refugees, in New Delhi, India, September 1, 2021. It is not the inconvenience only with which I am concerned. I am more concerned that it should not act as a superspreader of Covid-19 again. The city has barely coped with the second wave. You have to ensure that the protesters follow the Covid-19 protocols. Let them wear masks and then protest, it said. The court’s observation came while hearing a petition by the Vasant Vihar Welfare Association, which stated that the foreign nationals (refugees/asylum seekers) have gathered outside the office of the UNHCR at B Block in Vasant Vihar since August 15, including lanes and parks adjoining it, and the residents were facing difficulties due to this. The court asked the Delhi government what it had done in pursuance to the Supreme Court’s direction to frame guidelines on the issue of the right to protest so as to ensure a balance between fundamental rights and the maintenance of law and order. The association stated the residents were facing difficulties in commuting and going to markets for purchasing essential goods. The petition also sought a direction to the Ministry of External Affairs to frame an appropriate policy for ensuring that such nuisance to the local residents does not occur on the account of foreign missions being in the vicinity of residential localities. Central government standing counsel Ajay Digpaul submitted that it was not a normal situation and the residents should have some humanitarian approach and these were international issues that could not be decided overnight as they have huge international consequences. The Delhi government said there were around 500 protesters at the site and sufficient force had been deployed. The court will hear the matter again on September 3.
Covid Watch: Numbers and Developments
The number of reported coronavirus cases from India stood at 3,28,54,543 with the death toll at 4,39,493. The reported breakthrough Covid-19 infections in India are well within the expected numbers if we take into account the total infections and other factors, said genome sequencing government consortium INSACOG, stressing that inoculation protects from severe illness. The Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genomics Consortium (INSACOG) said Delta continues to be the dominant lineage in India and globally. When a person gets an infection even after being vaccinated against it, it is called a breakthrough case. The number of reported vaccination breakthroughs in India are well within the numbers expected from the total number of infections, the fraction of population that is vaccinated, and the known reduction in the effectiveness of Covishield/Covaxin against infections by Delta. Vaccines continue to protect against severe disease and remain a cornerstone of public health strategy, the bulletin dated August 30 said. It said based on high stringency reclassification by INSACOG, the total number of Delta sub-lineages — Delta Plus AY.1 to AY.12 — in India are only 856 out of all samples analysed, which is much less than what is reported on some global websites. It said AY.12, which was first noted in Israel and currently driving infection in the country, which has inoculated 60% of its population, is not yet seen in India.
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
To contain food prices, SriLanka declares economic emergency.
Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has declared an economic emergency to contain soaring inflation after a steep fall in the value of the country’s currency caused a spike in food prices. President Rajapaksa on Tuesday declared the state of emergency under the public security ordinance to prevent the hoarding of essential items, including rice and sugar. The emergency came into effect from midnight on Tuesday. The President has promulgated emergency regulations under the Public Security Ordinance on the supply of essential goods, presidential spokesman Kingsley Ratnayake told reporters. The government has appointed a former General as commissioner of essential services, who will have the power to seize food stocks held by traders and retailers and regulate their prices. The military will oversee the action which gives power to officials to ensure that essential items, including rice and sugar, are sold at government-guaranteed prices or prices based on import costs at customs and prevent hiding of stocks, Mr. Ratnayake said. The emergency move followed sharp price rises for sugar, rice, onions and potatoes, while long queues have formed outside stores because of shortages of milk powder, kerosene oil and cooking gas. The wide-ranging measure is also aimed at recovering credit owed to state banks by importers.
Biden had pressed Ghani to ‘change perception’.
In the last call between U.S. President Joe Biden and his Afghanistan counterpart, Ashraf Ghani, before the Taliban seized control of the country, the leaders discussed military aid, political strategy and messaging tactics, but neither of them appeared to be aware of or prepared for the immediate danger of the country falling to the militants, a transcript reviewed by Reuters shows. The men spoke for roughly 14 minutes on July 23. On August 15, Mr. Ghani fled the presidential palace, and the Taliban entered Kabul. Reuters reviewed a transcript of the presidential phone call and has listened to the audio to authenticate the conversation. The materials were provided on condition of anonymity by a source who was not authorised to distribute it. In the call, Mr. Biden offered aid if Mr. Ghani could publicly project he had a plan to control the spiralling situation in Afghanistan. We will continue to provide close air support, if we know what the plan is, Mr. Biden said. Days before the call, the U.S. carried out air strikes to support Afghan security forces, a move the Taliban said was in violation of the Doha peace agreement. The U.S. President also advised Mr. Ghani to get buyin from powerful Afghans for a military strategy going forward, and then to put a warrior in charge of the effort, a reference to Defence Minister General Bismillah Khan Mohammadi. Mr. Biden lauded the Afghan armed forces, which were trained and funded by the U.S. government. You clearly have the best military, he told Mr. Ghani. You have 300,000 wellarmed forces versus 7080,000 and they’re clearly capable of fighting well. Days later, the Afghan military started folding across provincial capitals in the country with little fight against the Taliban. In much of the call, Mr. Biden focused on what he called the Afghan government’s perception problem. I need not tell you the perception around the world and in parts of Afghanistan, I believe, is that things are not going well in terms of the fight against the Taliban, he said. And there is a need, whether it is true or not, there is a need to project a different picture. Mr. Biden told Mr. Ghani that if Afghanistan’s prominent political figures were to give a press conference together, backing a new military strategy, that will change perception, and that will change an awful lot I think. Mr. Biden’s words indicated he didn’t anticipate the insurrection and collapse to come 23 days later. We are going to continue to fight hard, diplomatically, politically, economically, to make sure your government not only survives, but is sustained and grows, he said. Mr. Ghani told Mr. Biden he believed there could be peace if he could rebalance the military solution. But he added, We need to move with speed. We are facing a full-scale invasion, composed of Taliban, full Pakistani planning and logistical support, and at least 1015,000 international terrorists, predominantly Pakistanis thrown into this, Mr. Ghani said.
