Newsletter 3 Feb

Top 5 of the Day

1- CAA uproar reached to parliament
2- Extremist group like SDPI trying to create unrest using anti-CAA protests
3- UP Police Arrested 108, PFI person in allegation of igniting Violence during Anti CAA Protests
4- Third case of corona virus reported in Kerala only.
5- Can India and Malaysia afford a prolonged trade spat

Tweet of the Day..

Passengers flying from Wuhan to other countries

National

Oppn Greets Anurag Thakur With 'Goli Maarna Band Karo' Slogan During Debate on Prez Speech

On start of Session in Both Houses, LS and RS business adjournment motion given by oppositions.

The battle over the citizenship law will make its way to Parliament today as the Opposition plans to corner the government over the contentious legislation that has triggered protests across the country.

Congress leaders Ghulam Nabi Azad and Anand Sharma Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) MP Satish Chandra Misra and CPM and CPI have given a suspension of business notice in RS under rule 267 to over “prevailing situation in the country over the proposed NRC-NPR and CAA”. RS proceedings adjourned till 3 pm amid opposition protests over various issues.

Congress MPs Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, Kodikunnil Suresh, and Gaurav Gogoi have given Adjournment Motion Notice in LS to “reconsider CAA after unrest in the country and to stop the process of NRC and NPR”.

Slamming the Centre for the violence at Jamia Milia Islamia, MP Asaduddin Owaisi said: “We are with the students of Jamia. This government has brutally behaved with students. Do they know that students have lost their eyes? Do they know our daughters were beaten? The Centre is not ashamed that they are beating up children, they shooting them down.” Opposition stages walkout in Lok Sabha as BJP MP from Delhi Parvesh Verma speaks during a discussion on motion of thanks on the President’s address

Extremist group like SDPI trying to create unrest using anti-CAA protests: Kerala CM

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Monday accused that the Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) members for trying to sneak into peacefully conducted anti-Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) protests in the state and create problems.

Leader of Opposition Ramesh Chennithala interfered to clarify that opposition is not supporting SDPI. “Like Uttar Pradesh cases should not be registered against anti-CAA agitators. Kerala should not follow the policies of Amit Shah.

After INC backs PFI in Kerala, SDPI member reacts on Congress’ support. ‘PFI has become a bouquet of flowers and everybody wants its fragrance,’ says TA Rehmani, a senior left leader.

The SDPI is an Indian political party linked to Islamist Popular Front of India, founded on 21 June 2009. MK Faizey is the party’s National President. Sunni outfits of Kerala Samastha Kerala Jamiyyathul Ulama and Sunni Yuvajana Sangham campaigned against SDPI, accused SDPI of being extremist.

In 2014 a private school in south Kerala removed Vande Mataram from their Independence Day program after workers of the SDPI threatened to disrupt the program, saying that some of the words in the song were against the religious beliefs of the Muslim community. The school also dropped the namaste gesture from a dance number performed during Independence Day celebrations, inviting sharp criticism from various quarters. The song was dropped after several rounds of rehearsals. When the issue snowballed into a raging controversy, school management denied any external pressure. SDPI justified the changes in the program saying that they approached the school management after a number of parents complained that some words in Vande Matraam and the gesture namaste were against their religious beliefs.

UP Police Arrested 108, PFI person in allegation of igniting Violence during Anti CAA Protests

Uttar Pradesh DGP Hitesh Chandra Awasthi announced the arrest of 108 PFI members in connection to their role in the violence that broke out during the protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act in the state. He noted that the PFI was established on Nov 22, 2006, after the imposition of the ban on SIMI. Moreover, he stated that PFI had carried out anti-national activities in the garb of anti-CAA protests on Dec 19 and 20, 2019.

The UP Additional Chief Secretary said, “More information is being gathered about this organization. Its financial transactions are also being scrutinized. We are taking the assistance of Central agencies. Our first target is to identify them and initiate action. This campaign will continue. Just as DGP said, our campaign against their anti-national activities will continue.”

Coronavirus Row

Third case of Corona Virus reported in Kerala, confirmed by Kerala Health Minister KK Shailaja. She said “The patient is under treatment at the Kanjangad District Hospital in Kasaragod. The patient’s condition is stable. The patient had returned from Wuhan, China.”

China’s Health Commission reported on Sunday that there were 475 recoveries and 361 deaths nationwide. During the SARS outbreak, 349 people died in mainland China.

External Affairs Minister Dr. S Jaishankar: In 5 years, under this govt, we have developed a system by which any Indian in trouble anywhere in the world, we look after them. We are there for them.

India on Sunday reported its second coronavirus case with another student who had returned to Kerala from Wuhan testing positive, while 323 more Indians and 7 Maldivians were brought back by air from the Chinese city, the epicentre of the outbreak, taking the number of evacuees to 654.

The government also announced a temporary suspension of the e-visa facility for Chinese travelers and foreigners residing in the neighboring country and issued a fresh advisory saying anyone with travel history to China since January 15 can be quarantined.

In its fresh advisory, the Health Ministry asked people to refrain from travelling to China in view of the coronavirus outbreak and said anyone with a travel history of China since January 15 could be quarantined.

Treatment and prevention

At present, there is no single specific antiviral therapy for coronavirus and the main treatments are supportive. Recombinant IFN with ribavirin only have limited effects against coronaviruses infection. After SARS and MERS epidemics, great efforts have been devoted to development of new antivirals targeting CoVs proteases, polymerases, MTases, and entry proteins, however none of them has been shown to be efficacious in clinical trials. Plasma and antibodies obtained from the convalescent patients have been proposed for use in treatment. In addition, various vaccine strategies, such as using inactivated viruses, live-attenuated viruses, viral vector-based vaccines, subunit vaccines, recombinant proteins and DNA vaccines, have been developed but have only been evaluated in animals so far. Since there is no effective therapy or vaccine, the best measures now are to control the source of infection, early diagnosis, reporting, isolation, supportive treatments, and timely publishing epidemic information to avoid unnecessary panic. For individuals, good personal hygiene, fitted mask, ventilation and avoiding crowded places will help preventing CoVs infection.

Can India and Malaysia afford a prolonged trade spat

The Indian government has imposed trade restrictions on Malaysian palm oil following the Southeast Asian country’s criticism of PM Modi’s “anti-Muslim” policies. Can the two countries resolve their differences?

When Mahathir Mohamad came to power in Malaysia in May 2018, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was one of the first foreign leaders to congratulate him. A spokesperson for India’s Ministry of External Affairs said at the time that Malaysia was “a priority country in our Look East policy.”

Despite this friendly start, ties between the two countries have deteriorated in the past few months. Mahathir has increasingly adopted an anti-Modi stance. Most recently, the Malaysian prime minister lashed out at the Modi government over New Delhi’s new citizenship law that critics say discriminates against Muslims. Previously, Mahathir had criticized Modi’s decision to scrap the special status for Indian-controlled Kashmir. In Mahathir’s words, India had “invaded” and “occupied” Kashmir.

Shashank, India’s former foreign secretary, told DW that the dispute between New Delhi and Kuala Lumpur is not only about palm oil, as India is also wary of an emerging alliance between Pakistan, Malaysia and Turkey.

“India has friendly ties with many Islamic countries, but these three countries are trying to establish an anti-India Islamic bloc,” he said. India’s measures against Malaysian exports have pushed Mahathir’s government closer to other countries. Malaysian officials recently told Reuters that they are now trying to sell palm oil to countries like Pakistan, The Philippines, Myanmar, Vietnam, Ethiopia, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Algeria, Jordan, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan.

International

As per Pak’s media, during his 2 days visit to Malesia, PM Imran Khan will also highlight the dire human rights and humanitarian situation in occupied Kashmir, emphasize the importance of averting risks to regional peace and stability posed by Indian belligerence, and underscore the importance of peaceful resolution of Kashmir dispute.

During the visit, the two Prime Ministers would have tete-a-tete, followed by delegation-level talks.

They will witness signing of important agreements and MoUs, and have joint press stakeout.

He never miss any opportunity to make Kashmir issue at any international forum, as a part of internal as well external diplomacy.

Pashtuns hold anti-Pakistan protest in London

London, UK: A large number of Pashtuns, living in UK and Europe, gathered outside the Pakistan embassy in London yesterday to protest against the arrest of

Manzoor Pashteen, a human rights activist and founder of Pashtun Tahafuz Movement.

Manzoor Pashteen was taken into custody in Pakistan’s Peshawar along with 9 others from his Pashtun Protection Movement on January 26.

Pashteen has drawn tens of thousands to rallies in cities around Pakistan accusing the government and army of human rights abuses.

Arrest of PTM’s Manzoor Pashteen engendered shock, dismay across Pakistan as also internationally: European Foundation for South Asia Studies (EFSAS).

The commentary mentioned that Pashteen has been spearheading a peaceful, non-violent but incisive protest movement against the high-handedness of the Pakistani military since 2018.

China’s Hubei province, the epicenter of coronavirus epidemic, reported 56 new deaths from the outbreak on Sunday, bringing the total to 350, the local health commission said on Monday: Reuters

Political

Delhi Election Ahead

A large numbers of meetings and public rallies are observed today, a head of assembly poll on Feb 8^th.

PM Modi addressed a public rally in Kokerduma, Delhi in support of BJP. He said “The Delhi Govt is not letting Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana be implemented here. Till this Govt is in power in Delhi they will continue to put obstacles in welfare work. They don’t know anything except playing politics”.

Congress in its Delhi Elections manifesto promises to go to Supreme Court as the Government of Delhi, against the Citizenship Amendment Act, if it comes to power. Congress has also announced it will not implement NRC, as well as NPR in its current form in the national capital.

Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) Chief Mayawati in Delhi: Our party is contesting on almost all of the Delhi assembly constituencies on its own strength. We have not done alliance with any other party in this election.

Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath in Delhi’s Vikaspuri: Why a Pakistani minister is making statements in support of Arvind Kejriwal? Because he knows that only Kejriwal can feed biryani to protesters in Shaheen Bagh.

He said that his Delhi counterpart Arvind Kejriwal has become a “toy in the hands of anti-social and anti-India elements”.

I am not saying we will never unite with BJP again: Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray, In an interview with Shiv Sena mouthpiece Saamana, Thackeray said that if the BJP had not ‘lied’ to him, he would not have become the chief minister.

Earlier, the Shiv Sena hit out at the Budget 2020 by BJP govt via Saamana calling it ‘a mere play of words’. “That has been the condition of the Modi government.

Shiv Sena will never go in position, from where they will block the road for BJP, as in present alliance, Sena has to compromise its core voter’s interests.

BJP condemned it in press conference. As per sources, Party’s top leadership is unhappy with Anant Hegde’s statement on Gandhiji, he has been asked to issue an unconditional apology.

While addressing a public event in Bengaluru on Saturday, the MP from Uttara Kannada said the entire freedom movement was “staged with the consent and support of the British”

States

Bhima Koregaon case: Pune sessions court has posted the matter for Feb 6 for the transfer of the case to the National Investigation Agency (NIA). Both prosecution and defense lawyers have sought more time to file their say. Defense lawyer has informed the court that investigation machinery has not received instructions from Maharashtra Director General of Police (DGP) office yet.