Newsletter 24 Jan

Top 5 of the Day

CAA Protests become violent again
Brazil President arrived New Delhi
statue of Periyar vandalized in TN
Decision on Bhima-Koregaon within week
CG Govt Scraped MISA Pension

Cartoon of the Day

Tweet of the Day..

National

Why Brazil president's visit is important for India

· India’s R-Day chief guest this year is Brazil President Jair Messias Bolsonaro, who arrived New Delhi today, for a 4-day visit Jan 24-28.

· Both are members of several multilateral fora, such as BRICS, IBSA, G-20 and G-4.

· Moreover, the invite to Bolsonaro came after he announced last year that Indians will be allowed visa-free travel to Brazil.

· Overall, bilateral trade between the two countries amounted to $8.2 billion in 2018-19, which included $3.8 billion worth of Indian exports to Brazil and $4.4 billion as imports by India.

India’s crude oil imports from Brazil have been on the rise once again, up to $1.6 billion against $1.24 billion, in 2018, due sectioned on Iran.

Death penalty not open-ended, can’t be challenged forever: SC

Revealing judicial discomfort over death row convicts exploiting procedural loopholes to avoid or delay execution for years, the SC on yesterday said “it is extremely important for death penalty to attain finality”.
The court indirectly referring the Nirbhya case, and asked the center, why significant delay occurred in execution?

Unfortunately, despite of severe punishments for such cases, only due to delay in execution, the law is failed to create fear among criminals to a desired extent.

SC refuses to entertain plea against invoking National Security Act in Delhi, when there’s no law and order problem. SC said that it can’t pass a general direction to restrain govt from invoking NSA and granted liberty to petitioner to file fresh petition if law is misused by authorities.

CJI, Sharad Arvind Bobde in Delhi: In 2008, the UN’s Development Program picked up Indian Income Tax Appellate Tribunal as a case study of success story from developing world and projected it as a role model in UNDP event in New York for other developing nations.

CAA protest will continue....

BSF IG (S Bengal Frontier) Y B Khurania informed to media, “there has been substantial increase in outflow of illegal Bangladeshi migrants post CAA”
Stones were hurled at a pro-CAA rally organized by the BJP at Lohardaga, prompting police to lob teargas shells to control the situation. Some 50 person reposted to be injured and curfew imposed in the area.
Protest being held against CAA, NPR and NRC in Chennai.
Hyderabad: People protested against CAA NRC last night in the city. Police say “They had obtained police permission. Few protesters were taken into preventive custody to ensure no untoward incident occurs. They were later released.”
Nagaland CM Neiphiu Rio says Nagas are “fully protected” under the CAA.
UP Min Mohsin Raza on protest against CAA-NRC: A few days back there were some recoveries, manner in which ruckus was created, recovery of letters by PFI & the distribution of its handbills clearly indicate that they’re spread in various distts and operating by opening small offices.
Delhi Police: Crime Branch has registered total 10 cases till now, in connection with protests against CAA and NRC, in Daryaganj, SE area & NE area. Total 102 persons have been arrested.
The Economist Magazine targeted PM over CAA and claimed that 20 Cr Muslims are in fear.
This is responded by Dr V Chauthaiwale, Foreign Affairs Dept, BJP, and tweeted “We thought the Brits had left in 1947! But the editors of The Economist are still living in in colonial era. They are furious when 600m Indians do not follow their explicit instructions of not voting Modi.”
Yog Guru Ramdev, in Delhi: No one can be stripped off their citizenship. Misinformation is being spread that citizenship of Muslims will be revoked through CAA. It’s wrong. There are some domestic & international forces that want to create division in society.

ECI suggests to SC that political parties should be asked not to give tickets to candidates having criminal antecedents

The Election Commission of India told the SC that its 2018 direction asking poll candidates to declare their criminal backgrounds in electronic and print media has not helped curb criminalization of politics.

The poll panel suggested that instead of asking candidates to declare criminal backgrounds in the media, political parties should be asked not to give tickets to candidates with criminal background.

The top court asked the petitioner BJP leader and advocate Ashiwini Upadhyay and the poll panel to sit together and come up with suggestions which would help him in curbing criminalization of politics.

According to India Today’s report “The chances of winning for a candidate with declared criminal cases in the Lok Sabha 2019 is 15.5% whereas for a candidate with a clean background, it is 4.7%”.

However, what is more alarming is 29% possess serious criminal charges, including rape, murder, attempt to murder etc. In present LS, nearly 50% MPs are declared criminal charges against them.

But they are ELECTED!!

Amid Rajinikanth-Periyar row, statue of Dravidian reformer vandalized in Tamil Nadu; investigation underway

The statue of Dravidian social reformer Periyar EV Ramasamy was vandalized in TN, investigation is currently underway’
Periyar is known as the ‘Father of the Dravidian Movement’.
This comes just days after the controversy erupted over superstar Rajinikanth’s comment on the Dravidian reformer after which the DMK, AIADMK and other fringe Dravidian outfits attacked the superstar.
At the Thuglak function, Rajinikanth had said that “in 1971 naked images of Lord Rama and Sita were allegedly displayed in a rally led by Periyar in Salem”, as media, he added.
Dravidar Kazhagam (DK) president K Veeramani slammed the actor for his “factually incorrect” statements saying that the superstar wants to launch his own party which is why he is preparing the ground for that.

Maharashtra Home Minister: Decision on Bhima-Koregaon cases in 3 or 4 days

NCP chief Sharad Pawar had last month demanded that an SIT be set up under a retired judge to probe the action taken by Pune Police in the Bhima-Koregaon case.

The police had used the term “urban Naxals” while probing the alleged links of activists to the caste clashes at Bhima Koregaon in Pune on Jan 1, 2018.

Anil Deshmukh (HM) had said at the Loksatta Idea Exchange that the previous government termed anyone who did not agree with it as “urban Naxals” and that this government had a different approach to dissenters.

Pune Police, which investigated the case, linked the Elgar Parishad conclave of Dec 31, 2017 to the clashes around Bhima Koregaon in Pune the next day.

The police claimed the conclave was backed by Maoists and they instigated violence near the Koregaon Bhima war memorial and arrested lawyers and activists from across the country.Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO): Representing DRDO in this year’s Republic Day Parade 2020 will be ASAT (Anti-satellite) from Mission Shakti & Air Defense Tactical Control Radar (ADTCR). With each step, DRDO is resolutely marching towards defense self-reliance.

Growth slowdown in India temporary, says IMF chief Kristalina Georgieva

Speaking here at the WEF 2020, she also said the world appears a better place in January 2020 compared to what it was when IMF announced its World Economic Outlook in Oct 2019.
“It is still sluggish growth. We want fiscal policies to be more aggressive and we want structural reforms and more dynamism,” the managing director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) said.
On emerging markets, she said they are also moving forward.

International

Changing equations in region help Pakistan get relief at FATF meet

Sources said Pakistan had an important role in brokering a ceasefire deal with the Taliban in Afghanistan, negotiated

this week at Doha with a US official team led by Zalmay Khalilzad, its special envoy on Afghan reconciliation.

Chinese Foreign Ministry told the media in Beijing: “Pak has made great efforts to strengthen its domestic counter-terrorism financing system with visible progress. Its political will and active efforts should be recognized and encouraged by the international community.”

FATF’s upcoming plenary meeting is to be held next month in Paris and Pak case to be excluded from Gray list, need 12 out 39 votes while only 3 votes to be exempted from blacklist.

French Diplomatic Sources: France is determined to continue combating money laundering and terror financing, and on this occasion, will objectively evaluate, without any concession, Pakistan’s actions.

Ruling Nepal Communist Party (NCP) wins 16 seats out of 18

In National Assembly, NCP, got 16 seats in the upper house of parliament. Its alliance

partner Rastriya Janata Party Nepal bags remaining 2 seats.
Nepal FM Pradeep Gyawali: Nepal has invited PM Modi for the maiden ‘Sagarmatha Sambaad’ to be held in April this year in Kathmandu.
He said, Nepal ready and eager to handover SAARC Chairmanship to Pakistan.
On Dec 8, 1985 at the first SAARC Summit in Dhaka, the leaders of the 7 South Asian states – the Maldives, India, Bhutan, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka – signed a charter to establish the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC). Afghanistan became the eight SAARC member in 2007.
He also assured India that Nepal will not allow its soil to be used against any of its neighbors and the Himalayan country will not participate in any great games.

As per CNN, International “Authorities in China have imposed indefinite travel restrictions on tens of millions of people across seven cities, in an unprecedented effort to contain the spread of a deadly new coronavirus.”

Political

Anil Deshmukh, Mah HM (NCP): When there was BJP govt here, before LS and assembly polls they had tapped phones of leaders of Congress-NCP. There are allegations that they had even bought Isreal’s software on govt money &used it to tap phones. We’re investigating.

Counter came hrs later from BJP, by former CM, Devendra Fadnavis and he said “Phone tapping of opposition leaders is not a tradition of Maharashtra. Our govt never gave such an order. Even Shiv Sena leaders were a part of State Home Ministry then”. If competition to make false promises is held in country, Arvind Kejriwal will win first prize: Home Minister Amit Shah.

Union Min Prakash Javadekar: Yesterday what Delhi CM and Dy CM said showed that Shaheen Bagh is a task of Congress and AAP. There is an effort to mislead people. Slogans like ‘Jinnah wali azadi’ are being raised. People need to decide what they want, Jinnah wali azadi or Bharat Mata ki jai.

States

Telangan

Police have arrested 4 drug peddlers involved in cross border marijuana smuggling, operating between Andhra Pradesh and Sri Lanka, and seized 185 kgs of it from their possession in Mahbubnagar.

Chhattisgarh

Govt has scrapped monthly pension scheme to people jailed under Maintenance of Internal Security Act (MISA) during 1975-77 emergency period. The scheme ‘Loknayak Jaiprakash Narayan Samman Nidhi’ has been repealed.

CM, Bhupesh Baghel justified his Govt’s decision and asserted that such people cannot be called ‘freedom fighters’. Emergency has been imposed by then PM Indra Gandhi from Congress.

Even the HC requested releasing pension to those who approached it for judicial remedy. The court didn’t pass any adverse remark on the Act.

The previous BJP government offered a monthly pension of Rs 25,000 to detainees under the MISA. In Chhattisgarh, over 200 persons are cited as MISA beneficiaries.

JnK

government has set up 25 ‘smart schools’ in Srinagar with libraries, science labs, smart classrooms, and other facilities.

School students in Chhattisgarh to discuss Constitution every Monday: Officials sources

Followed by Maharashtra, it is the next state followed it.

Kerala

police books Karnataka BJP MP Shobha Karandlaje for promoting “enmity” between different groups by alleging Hindus of a panchayat in Malappuram district were denied water as they supported the Citizenship Amendment Act

Mizoram CM Meets Modi, Seeks Intervention For Centre's Nod To NRC-like Bill

Chief Minister Zoramthanga met Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi and appealed for clearing the NRC-like bill, aimed at detecting foreigners in Mizoram, that has been awaiting the Centre’s approval for months, officials said on Friday

India in International Frame

CNN	BBC
Troll armies, ‘deepfake’ porn videos and violent threats. How Twitter became so toxic for India’s women politicians	Three generations join Delhi women’s citizenship sit-in
Aljazeera	Reuters
Fear in Kashmir as top general talks of ‘deradicalisation’ camps	Exclusive: India faces first fall in direct taxes in at least two decades – sources
The Economists	Narendra Modi stokes divisions in the world’s biggest democracy