CURRENT AFFAIRS
19 January 2021
NATIONAL NEWS:
A) Farmer Protests: Centre and Delhi Police should decide on allowing tractor rally: SC
The Supreme Court today said the Centre and the Delhi Police should take a call on whether or not protesting farmers could hold tractor or vehicle marches on Republic Day in the national capital. The government could not ask the court to decide on issues concerning law and order. Entry into Delhi is a law and order issue. Who should be allowed entry and on what conditions are all determined by the police. They cannot be the authority to decide it, Chief Justice of India Sharad A. Bobde told Attorney General K.K. Venugopal and Solicitor General Tushar Mehta. Chief Justice Bobde said there was still time for the Union of India and the Delhi Police to invoke all its powers. Venugopal said people were camping outside the city. There was a threat of illegal entry on January 26. The government was looking to the court to strengthen its hands. The government wanted the court to pass an injunction order to restrain farmers from holding rallies to disrupt Republic Day celebrations in Delhi. The government said the right to express dissent against the farm laws did not include a right to malign the nation globally. Why do you want us to tell you how to use your powers. We are not the first authority in law and order issues. Authorities prohibit and then the court acts. It is not that the court prohibits and the authorities carry out, Chief Justice Bobde said. The Solicitor General urged the court to list the case on January 20, to which the Bench agreed.
B) Joint platform of farmers unions distances itself from political outreach.
The joint platform of protesting farmer unions, the Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM), has disassociated itself from the political outreach of one of its key members, Haryana leader Gurnam Singh Chaduni. However, Chaduni will continue to be part of the delegation of unions negotiating with the Centre for now. Chaduni had written letters to political parties in relation to the ongoing protest against farm laws on Delhi’s borders, and had allegedly met some politicians at Delhi’s Constitution Club on Sunday. The SKM had previously decided not to invite political parties to its stage or rallies, both to avoid government accusations that politics have hijacked the protest as well as in acknowledgement that there is a range of political opinions among the protesters themselves. SKM is not associated with the ‘all-party meeting’ taken up by Mr. Chaduni with political parties. SKM, after taking note of Mr. Chaduni’s ongoing activities with political parties, after due discussion on the same in a general body meeting of SKM yesterday, has formed a Committee that will inquire into the matter and give its report in 3 days’ time. SKM will take further steps thereafter, said a statement signed by six other leaders of the united front. The protesting unions will meet Central Ministers for the tenth round of talks tomorrow, at the same time as the SC-nominated committee holds its first meeting.
C) WhatsApp transcripts prove Modi govt conducted Balakot air strikes to win polls, claims Imran Khan.
In a series of tweets today, Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan said India’s fascist government led by Narendra Modi used the Balakot crisis for domestic electoral gains, in a reference to air strikes carried out on terror camps across the Line of Control on February 26, 2019 in the aftermath of the Pulwama terrorist attack in which 40 CRPF jawans died. Since 2019, Khan and his government have alleged on multiple forums that the Modi government could carry out ‘false flag’ operations to generate a pretext for carrying out punitive action against Pakistan. A false flag operation is generally understood as a covert action carried out by a state with the objective of pinning the blame on an adversary, either a state or a non-state actor. Khan tweeted that the transcripts of the Whatsapp chats between Republic TV editor Arnab Goswami and Partho Dasupta, former CEO of Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) have vindicated his claims. In a series of tweets, the Pak PM said, In 2019, he spoke at UNGA [United Nations General Assembly] on how India’s fascist Modi govt used the Balakot crisis for domestic electoral gains. Latest revelations from communication of an Indian journalist, known for his warmongering, reveal the unholy nexus between the Modi govt & Indian media that led to a dangerous military adventurism to win an election in utter disregard for the consequences of destabilising the entire region. Pakistan averted a larger crisis by a responsible, measured response to Balakot. Yet, Modi govt continues to turn India into a rogue state. Responding to Khan’s remarks, Republic TV said in a statement that it rejected the allegations made by the Pakistan government against Arnab Goswami, and claimed that there was a deep-conspiracy of anti-India and anti-national forces against the channel. At the time of publication of this newsletter, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) was yet to issue a statement on Khan’s allegations.
D) Makers of ‘Tandav’ web series apologise for hurting religious sentiments.
The makers of the Amazon Prime web series ‘Tandav’ have issued an unconditional apology for hurting religious feelings. In a statement issued, they said, the web series Tandav is a work of fiction and any resemblance to acts and persons and events is purely coincidental. The cast and crew did not have any intention to offend the sentiments of any individual, caste, community, race, religion or religious beliefs or insult or outrage any institution, political party or person, living or dead. The cast and crew of Tandav take cognizance of the concerns expressed by the people and unconditionally apologise if it has unintentionally hurt anybody’s sentiments. Earlier, an FIR was lodged in Lucknow against the makers on charges of hurting the religious sentiments of Hindus and promoting enmity on grounds of religion. The political drama series, released on January 15, has Saif Ali Khan, Dimple Kapadia, Tigmanshu Dhulia and Mohammad Zeeshan Ayyub in the cast. The FIR was lodged at the Hazratganj police station under various sections of the IPC (Indian Penal Code) and the Information Technology Act. Aparna Purohit, head, India Original Content of Amazon; Ali Abbas Zafar, director, Tandav Web Series; Himanshu Krishna Mehra, producer; and Gaurav Solanki, writer, were named in the FIR. In the FIR, registered on a complaint of a sub-inspector of the Hazratganj police, the complainant said he was asked to watch the show on Amazon Prime Video by senior officers after he alerted them about angry social media posts on the series. The SI alleged that in the 17th minute of the first episode, characters dressed in an improper way and representing Hindu gods and goddesses were shown speaking in undignified and low-level language. This could incite and hurt religious sentiments, he said. The FIR accused the series of undignified portrayal of a person occupying the post of Prime Minister of the country, showing castes as high and low, and having scenes that insult women. The intent of the web series is to incite religious sentiments among a particular community and spread class conflict, it alleged. Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati took to Twitter, saying the objectionable parts should be removed from the series so that the atmosphere of peace, harmony and common brotherhood was not spoilt.
E) Mamata announces she will fight Bengal polls from Nandigram.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday said she would contest the 2021 Assembly polls from Nandigram in Purba Medinipur district. Banerjee made the announcement at a public meeting in Nandigram, almost a month after Trinamool Congress (TMC) heavyweight and former MLA from the constituency Suvendu Adhikari quit the party and joined the BJP. The announcement assumes significance not only because Banerjee is all set to take on Adhikari in his fiefdom but also because Nandigram symbolises the party’s struggle against forcible land acquisition during the Left Front regime. They are offering support to the protest against the farm bills because the way their land was being forcibly acquired, there is an attempt to forcibly take away the farm produce, Banerjee said.
F) Covid Watch: Numbers and Developments.
The number of reported coronavirus cases from India stood at 1,05,72,426 with the death toll at 1,52,521. In a clarification, Covaxin manufacturer Bharat Biotech has said that those with any history of allergies, fever, and bleeding disorders, are on blood thinners, are immunity-compromised, or on medication should not take the vaccine. A statement uploaded on the company website today said the vaccine was also contraindicated for pregnant/lactating women, and people with any other serious health related issues as determined by the vaccinator/officer supervising vaccination. The statement comes amidst reports of a slow uptake in the first phase of Covid-19 vaccination in the country that began on January 16. Bharat Biotech has now released a fact sheet detailing the possible adverse events. It said, there is remote chance that COVAXIN could cause severe allergic reaction, including difficulty in breathing, swelling of face/throat/fast heart beat, rashes all over the body, and dizziness and weakness. The clinical efficacy of Covaxin is yet to be established and is still being studied in phase 3 clinical trials.
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
A) U.S., China spar over the origins of novel coronavirus.
The U.S. and China on Monday sparred over the origins of the coronavirus pandemic, the latest in a growing list of tensions that have left relations strained as President Donald Trump leaves office. In recent weeks, Washington and Beijing have clashed over trade issues, the sanctioning of Chinese companies, Taiwan and Hong Kong. In a reflection of the state of relations, China’s official Xinhua news agency issued a commentary, headlined Good riddance, Trump administration and its final madness, hitting out over the sanctioning of six Chinese officials related to Hong Kong. The latest spat followed the U.S. State Department on Friday releasing a factsheet linking the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV) to the start of the COVID-19 outbreak, which brought another sharp response from Beijing. The factsheet said while the U.S. does not know exactly where, when, or how the COVID-19 virus known as was transmitted initially to humans, it had not determined whether the outbreak began through contact with infected animals or was the result of an accident at a laboratory in Wuhan, China. The CCP’s [Chinese Communist Party’s) deadly obsession with secrecy and control comes at the expense of public health in China and around the world, it said, adding that it was making public previously undisclosed information, saying the U.S. government has reason to believe that several researchers inside the WIV became sick in autumn 2019, before the first identified case of the outbreak, with symptoms consistent with both COVID-19 and common seasonal illnesses. The factsheet also noted WIV researchers had conducted experiments involving RaTG13, the bat coronavirus identified by the WIV in January 2020 as its closest to SARS-CoV-2 (96.2% similar).
B) Imran Khan to visit Sri Lanka.
Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan is scheduled to visit Sri Lanka in February, ae cording to official sources. He will be the first head of government to visit Sri Lanka since the pandemic struck last year. The visit is likely towards the end of February, an official source in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs told. Mr. Khan’s visit, scheduled a month after Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar’s three-day visit to Colombo, will likely coincide with the early days of the 46th UN Human Rights Council session in Geneva, where a new resolution on Sri Lanka may be adopted by members. Pakistan is currently a member of the Council. In December 2020, Islamabad and Colombo held Foreign Secretary level ‘Bilateral Political Consultations’ virtually. A statement from the Pakistani High Commission issued on December 17, 2020 said Foreign Secretary Sohail Mahmood shared Pakistan’s perspective on the situation in Jammu and Kashmir, progress of the CPEC, and Pakistan’s positive contribution to the Afghan peace process. He also reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to SAARC and expressed the hope that the process of regional cooperation would be allowed to move faward, he said. Sri Lanka, which has close ties with Pakistan and India, has seldom commented on Indo-Pak. tensions. Following the Pulwama attack in February 2019, Sri Lanka’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it was deeply concerned about the developments following the brutal terrorist attack on a Central Reserve Police Force convoy in Pulwama, while requesting India and Pakistan to act in a manner that ensures the security, peace and stability of the entire region.
C) FBI vets troops ahead of inauguration.
U.S. defence officials say they are worried about an in, sider attack or other threat from service members involved in securing President elect Joe Biden’s inauguration prompting the FBI to vet all of the 25,000 National Guard troops coming into Washington for the event. The massive undertaking reacts the extraordinary security concerns that have gripped Washington following the deadly January 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol by pro Trump rioters. And it underscores fears that some of the very people assigned to protect the city over the next several days could present a threat to the incoming President and other VIPs in attendance. Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy told the associated press on Sunday that the officials are conscious of the potential threat and he warned commanders to be on the lookout for any problems within their ranks as the inauguration approaches. So far, however, he and other leaders say they have seen no evidence of any threats, and officials said the vetting hadn’t flagged any issues that they were aware of.
